BAKED CHICKEN PASTA IN CREAMY WHITE SAUSE

Baked melted cheesy pasta combined with veggie or meat is just comfort food at its best.  I just love the flavour of Italian cuisine as it has a mix of herbs and of course the cheese which tastes cheeeesy ;)You can add any type of veggie or meat for this dish. Here I have stored white sauce in advance so that the preparation could finish up in jiffy. The refrigerated white sauce probably stays fresh for 2 weeks :) You can involve ur kids for layering :)

INGREDIENTS FOR WHITE SAUCE

4 tbsp Butter

2 tbsp Maida

2 Cups Milk

2 Cheese slice

Pinch of Salt

Pinch of Pepper pd

OTHER INGREDIENTS

1 Cup Cooked Pasta

3 Chicken Sausages

1/4 Cup Mushrooms

1 tbsp Oregano

2 tsp Red chilly flakes

Grated Mozzarella cheese

METHOD.
To make white sauce, heat a non stick pan adding butter. Make sure to keep the flame on low. Add maida and cook it till the raw flavour goes out. Add milk slowly and keep stirring the mixture in order to avoid lumps. Once the sauce becomes thick, add the cheese and mix well till the cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from flame.
Heat butter in a kadai, and fry mushrooms and chopped chicken sausage till it becomes brown.
Now preheat the oven for 180 degree. Take a baking bowl. Arrange half of boiled pasta and above that half of mushroom and chicken sausage fry. Next layer them with white sauce and grated cheese.

Repeat the same layer again and end up added lots of cheese. Sprinkle with oregano and chilly flakes on top.

Bake them under 200 degree for 30 min or until the cheese melts on top.
Serve hot

ENJOY!!

BAKED VEGGIES IN WHITE SAUSE

First time tried making homemade white sauce which was a super hit recipe. My family loves diary products and no doubt this is the best example sauce I would ever suggest ;) The rich, thick, cheesy sauce are especially good on pastas and also on baked veggies which I have prepared in this post. Its healthy and you can tailor it to fit any vegetables as per your choice.

NOTE: Do not add to the veggies until they are cooked. Salt pulls the moisture and cause them to steam. So please add at last.

INGREDIENTS

1 Potatoes. (cutted into wedges)

1 Carrot.

1 Red Onion.

Half cup of Cauliflower florets.

Handful of Mushrooms sliced

2 tbsp Italian powder

2 tsp Olive oil

1 tsp Garlic powder (optional)

1 tbsp Red chilly flakes

Salt to taste

INGREDIENTS FOR WHITE SAUCE

1 1/4 Cup Milk

2 tbsp Butter

2 tbsp Maida

2 tbsp Grated Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

METHOD
To make white sauce, heat butter in a nonstick pan. When it gets melted, add maida and cook for about 2 min stirring. This makes the flour cook evenly. Now slowly pour the milk, stirring consistency as it thickens into a smooth paste. Add less or more depending on the thickness you need.  Add in cheese and mix well till it melts. Season with salt and pepper and keep it aside.

In a bowl, mix olive oil with Italian seasoning ,red chilly flakes,garlic powder. Marinate them on the cutted veggies and let it sit for 15 min. Transfer them to a greased baking tray and bake them for about 30 to 35 min under 180 degree or until the potatoes are well roasted. Don't forget to keep stirring in between. Once its cooked add salt.

Transfer the baked roasted veggies on a plate. Now pour the white sause upon. Sprinkle with pepper. Garnish with grated cheese on top and micro for a min.

Enjoy!!

TOMATO CHEESY PASTA

Soon as you hear Pasta, no wonder we remember of kids. They do anything to get that :) Presenting to you very simple, quick cum delicious cheesy pasta dish for your little once. Any choices of veggies like mushrooms, corns or carrots can be added but here I have kept it simple as the name itself is Tomato :) But still its super tasty. This is strongly recommended to the beginners who wanted to test their basic skills for making pastas.

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups Cooked Pasta.

1 Onion

3 Tomato or Tomato puree of 3.

2 tbsp Garlic chopped

2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup

1 tbsp Oregano

1 tsp Dry Basil leaves

1 tbsp Italian seasoning (optional)

1/4 cup of Pasta water or less then that.(optional)

Mozzarella Cheese Grated

1 tbsp Butter

1 tsp Pepper powder.

Salt to taste

METHOD

Cook pastas as per instruction given on the pack and keep it aside.

Heat butter in a pan. Add onion and garlic. Fry them till translucent. Add tomato and salt and saute them till the tomato becomes mushy. Drop in ketchup, oregano and dry basil leaves and saute well. Add adequate amount of pasta water if needed. Put the paste and mix well for about 2 min till all masala are incorporated. Transfer them into the bowl and garnish with grated cheese on top and sprinkle some pepper powder cum Italian seasoning on top. Serve hot

ENJOY!!

ITALIAN BAKED POTATOES

Potatoes are the real treat for kids. Most of them love that veggie like anything. These baked one are really delicious and healthy and also you can tailor it to fit any vegetables as well. A mix of Italian seasoning with garlic powder and with a mild heat of red flakes ends with an exotic utterly delight. Do try this for sure and no doubt your little one would adore like anything.

INGREDIENTS

3 Big Potato Wedges.

1 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning

2 tsp Garlic powder.

1 tbsp Olive oil.

1/2 tsp Red chilly flakes.

Pinch of Pepper powder.

Salt to taste.

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into wedges and let it sit in water for about 5 min. Later drain the water and patch it dry. Keep it aside.

In a bowl, add olive oil, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, red chilly flakes, pepper pd, salt and mix. Add in the potatoes and rub them well till the herb mixture are well coated.

Transfer them to the greased baking tray and bake them for about 30 to 35 min or until the potatoes are cooked while stirring them  twice in between.

Serve hot with ur favourite dip.

Enjoy!!

POTATO PIZZA

This creative Potato pizza is just an outstanding snack. It can also be had as Breakfast. Its loaded with sliced potatoes,egg,meat and loads of cheese. It can be loaded with just about anything you can imagine. This shareable snack will quickly become a new game day favorite.

INGREDIENTS

2 Big Potato

4 Fried Chicken Salami

1 Egg

Schezwan chutney (small packet)

1/4 Cup Shredded Cheese

Slice of Mozzarella cheese.

5 to 6 Slices of Capsicum

2 tsp Butter

Italian seasoning

Chilly flakes.

METHOD
Heat butter in a pan. Place the chicken salami and fry them on both the sides. Once its cooled down, cut them into long strips and keep aside. Slice the potatoes into thin slice using hand cutter. Heat a non stick pan. Start layering the potato slices in the pan, overlapping the slices until the pan is fully covered as shown in the pic. Add shredded cheese on top and let it cook for about 5 to 7 min under low flame covered with a lid.

Once its cooked, add beaten egg all over, followed by the Schezwan sauce and sliced capsicum.

 Now add the long strips.of chicken salami with a blocks of mozzarella cheese. Cover the lid and cook for another few min or until the cheese melts.

Once its cooked, Slide them on plate and sprinkle with Italian seasoning on top. Slice the potato pizza with a cutter and serve hot :)

ENJOY!!

FRUIT FILLED PANACOTTA

This is one of the healthy dessert as its filled with lots of calcium and fruits. I came up with this idea of combining fresh fruit with pannacotta which was super hit and indeed super delicious. You can add any types of fruits you need. My daughter is a strawberry lover so I Incorporated strawberry with grapes. These both act so well together :)

INGREDIENTS

Fresh fruits 

1 1/4 Cups cream.

1 Cup Boiled chilled milk.

3 tbsp Milkmaid. (add more or less)

2 1/2 tbsp Agar Agar strands.

Pinch of Vanilla essence

METHOD

Take a serving glass. Add half filled fruits in it and keep it aside. 
Soak agar agar in a bowl for 10 min. In a pan add milk, cream ,and milkmaid and just heat up for about 5 min under low flame. No need to boil the mixture. Add vanilla essence and allow the mixture. Meanwhile add the soaked agar agar mixture into a pan and boil till it dissolves and makes a clear mix without any lumps. Switch off and keep it aside. Now the room temperature of both agar agar mixture and milk mixture should be same. Now both mix together and whisk it well. Strain the mixture and pour it on the set cubed jelly into a mini bowl and refrigerate until set. Once set, invert it to demould. Serve chill :)

ENJOY!!

PALAK PIZZA

Kids love pizzas. And moms always feel great and good if we serve them homemade pizza :). Then that's more than enough to make our kid-does day special. My princess just love it when she gets her fav palak pizza with extra cheese when she comes back from school. In fact she have palak as it is. So what I do is I don't over cook the veggies. Just micro for a min so that when we have a bite, we feel the crunchiness of palak. Its healthy and at the same time very delicious.

INGREDIENTS

1 Pizza base

1 tbsp Pasta sauce or Tomato ketchup.

Finger full Onions slices.

Finger full Red or Green Capsicum

2 tbsp Palak chopped.

Salt to taste.

Oregano for sprinkle.

Red chilly flakes for sprinkle.

METHOD

In a plate, place pizza base. Upon that spread tomato sauce or pasta sauce. Then spread onion slice, capsicum and palak. Lastly add lots of grated cheese. Micro for about a min or 2 or till cheese melts. Remove and garnish with oregano, chilly flakes and serve hot.

Enjoy!!

GRILLED EGGPLANT CHESSY PESTO

Its an easy and quick way to prepare tasty cheesy eggplant pesto. This time I tried with grilled eggplant and then topped it with some pesto and cheese.The same method can also be baked and served. Its really great to serve as an appetizer. This is one of my little's favourite :) ( I have not written any particular measurments for this recipe. It depends on the size of the eggplant you slice.

INGREDIENTS

1 Eggplant

Tomato Pesto as required (readymade)

Garlic powder.

Cheese

Italian seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste.

1 tsp Butter.

METHOD

Slice the eggplant as per ur choice. Season with salt and pepper. Heat butter on a grilled pan. Place the seasoned eggplant and grill on both the sides. Place it on a plate and allow to cool. Now apply pesto sause just enough to cover the top layer and then spread lots of cheese. Sprinkle garlic powder and italian seasoning and micro for a min till cheese melts on top. Serve hot.

Enjoy!!

EGGPLANT CHEDDAR

I got this classic Italian recipe from food network. Its actually named as ''Eggplant Parmesan''. I just named it as 'Cheddar' because I used cheddar cheese instead of parmesan. Like the recipe lasangna, this too can be prepared as layers. But I have prepered under single layer. We really liked it soo much and its outstanding and incredibly easy to make.If you need a quick supper,somthing filling then this recipe would be perfect. It just taste as good as the 'Chicken Cheddar'. There is no particular measurment for the amount of sause and cheese. Add according to ur choice. This eggplant cheddar goes well as a side dish with any pasta recipe or speghetti with meat balls.

INGREDIENTS.

4 Sliced Eggplant.

Pasta sause. [any of ur fav choice]

2 Cloves of chopped Garlic (Or) Garlic powder.

1/2 cup All purpose flour.

2 Eggs.

1 cup Italian seasoned Bread crumbs.

Handful of cheese on each slice.[ I used mixed of mozzarella and cheddar]

Salt and pepper to taste.

1 tsp Oil.

METHOD.

Cut eggplant into circle about 1/4 inch slices. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Let it sit for 15 min. Thus keeping for few min salt will release some of its moisture. Wipe up the excess water with the help of tissue.

In a bowl break egg and whisk it. It should be enough to dip the marinated eggplants. On a plate combine flour, salt and pepper. On another plate spread breadcrumbs. Coat the eggplants into the flour mixture on both the sides. Then dip into egg mixture and finally to the bread crumbs mixture, pressing lightly on both the sides.

Heat 1 tbs oil in a pan. Add garlic and place the eggplant slices gently. On a low heat cook it on both the sides until slight brown. Drain on the paper towels.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Now spread the pasta sause as per needed on the baking dish. Place the eggplant slice. Again top it with some more pasta sause.

Lastly spread the slices with cheese.

Bake them for about 30 min or until the cheese melts and form a slight borwn colour. Allow it to sit for another 10 min. Serve hot.

Enjoy!!

MIXED VEGETABLE FRY

Mixed vegetable fry are the combination of veggies of their choice thats perfect as a sidedish with any non veg starters or can be takn as it is. Its healthy because its half fried and its much more colourful that would invites kids to have some. I make them whenever we buy brocolli when my little one insist me to buy that veggie.


INGREDIENTS.

1 Cup Brocolli florets.

1 Cup Bell peppers (I used yellow, red and orange)

1/2 Cup Sliced Mushroom.

1 tbsp Italian seasoning.

3 Cloves of Garlic.

1 tbsp Onion powder.

Small cube of Butter.

Cheese for garnish.

1 tsp Lime juice.

Salt and pepper to taste.

METHOD.

In a pan heat butter and add all the ingredients. Cover for 2 min.


Drop them in plate and garnish with pepper and grated cheese. Squeeze lime juice at the time of having.

Sending this recipe to ''EAT HEALTHY - DURING PREGNANCY'' HOSTED BY SANGEETH'' . Logo pic is sooo adorable sangeeth. I loved it.

Its an event based on pregancy. So would love to share one point that I have browsed in net mentioning cooked enriched spaghetti is an excellent source of protein and folic acid , and a good source of iron, vitamin B and fiber. So I think this mixed veggie fry can be topped on the cooked spaghetti to make much more healthier. Hope this would be helpful.

Enjoy!!

FRENCH FRIES WITH CHEESE

Most of the kids love to have french fries rather than having a normal food. French fries are the potato delight snack which are crisp on ouside and tender on the inside that even elders are also very fond of it. It is a great starter item . It is very special to my little kiddo that she enjoyed having with extra cheese. I got idea of adding cheese when I visited one restaurent.

INGREDIENTS

2 Big Potato.

Salt to taste.

Pepper to taste.

3 Slice of Cheese.

Oil for deep fry.

Bowl of Cold water.

GARNISH.

Tomato sause.

Coriander leaves.

METHOD.

Peel the potatoes and cut evenly into length wise and submerge them into cold water around 15 min.

Heat oil in pan. Meanwhile drain the potato piece and place them on the tissue to remove excess water.

When the oil is hot enough, drop few piece of potato into oil and deep fry them till it turns slight brown.

Remove and drain them on tissue and while its hot season them with salt and pepper.

Arrange them on plates and place cheese above them. Micro high for 1 min or until cheese melts.

Garnish them with tomato sause and to make a bit colourful add coriander leaves.

Sending this to WYF:Salads/Starters/Soups hosted by EC..

Also sending to LUNCH BOX SPECIAL EVENT HOSTED BY VANDANA RAJESH.

Enjoy !!

ITALIAN POTATO OMELET

I love to have Italian food but did not get chance to try yet. I have seen in television adding lots of different cheese , milk, all dairy products which am crazy about it. I got to try those soon. One day, I decided to prepare one Italian version omelet adding grated potatoes. That was quick and easy and can be served as breakfast item or like an evening snack with a ketchup.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup Grated Potato.

3 Eggs.

1 Chopped Shallots.

1/4 Chopped Bell peppers.

2 Pods of garlic.

1 Green chillies.

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning.

2 tbs Milk.

2 tbs Oil.

1/4 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese.

Salt and Pepper to taste.

GARNISH

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

METHOD

In a pan heat oil. Add garlic and onion. Fry them till the onions are translucent. Keep it aside.

Break eggs in a bowl. Add rest of the ingredients along with fryed garlic and onion mixture.

Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook under medium heat.

Loosen bottom of omelet with a spatula, invert a large plate over the pan, and carefully turn the omelet out onto it.

Slide the omelet back into the pan with the uncooked side down. Cook until eggs are set. Garnish with some more shredded cheddar cheese.

Serve with ketchup..

Enjoy!!!

CHICKEN CHEDDAR

This is my first non veg recipe in this blog. I have actually tasted chicken once or twice during my school days. After my marriage when I visited USA for first time, I started having and preparing non veg dishes (chicken and fish). First it took some days to touch the raw meat but lastly I made it. I got this recipe from BAREFOOT CONTESSA on food network. This item is very easy to make and is moist on inside and crunchy on the outside. This can be served with mashed potatoes.

Ingredients.

1 Boneless chicken breast piece.

1 Egg.

1 cup Bread crumbs.

1 tbs Chopped parsley.

1 tbs Oil.

1/2 cup all purpose flour.

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Method.

Cut the chicken breast into thinly slice long. It should be 1/4 inch thick. Add salt and pepper on the pieces and keep aside for few minutes.
In a bowl break egg and whisk it. It should be enough to dip the marinated chicken. On a plate combine flour, salt and pepper.
On another plate mix bread crumbs, chopped parsley, shredded cheddar, salt and pepper.
Coat the breast pieces with flour mixture on both the sides. Then dip into egg mixture and finally to the bread crumbs mixture, pressing lightly on both the sides.
Heat 1 tbs oil in a pan and place the chicken gently. On a low heat cook chicken on both the sides until brown.

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS.

Here comes my next simple baked bell pepper's recipe. There are many stuffing which make out of veggies or rice or stuffed potatoes etc etc. Here i taught of making simple Italian version style of stuffed bell peppers. You can also try this same type of recipe with big green chillies instead of bell peppers or capsicum.It can be served as a snack.

Ingredient

2 Bell peppers.

1 Egg.

1 Chopped onion.

5 Chopped button mushroom.

2tsp Minced garlic.

2tsp Mixed Italian herbs.

2tsp Chopped coriander leaves.

2tsp Bread crumbs

1/2 cup Cheddar cheese.

1/2 cup Shredded mozarella.

Freshly crushed black pepper.

Salt to taste.

Method.

Cut the bell peppers into halves or just remove the cap of bell pepper.Deseed them.Sprinkle with salt and black pepper and grease oil on all sides. Keep it aside.

Mix rest of the ingredient except cheese and stuff the mixture inside each piece of bell peppers.(mixture should be dry enough to fill inside)

Finally add cheese onthe top.Bake them in preheated oven to 350 for 15 to 20 min until the cheese turns brown.Let it rest for 5 min before taking it out.Garnish with sliced onion and corinder leaves.

Another option is shallow fry on a pan with oil till bell peppers becomes tender.Enjoy...