Cook Without Book

Yield:  4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)                     Ingredients 1  (9-ounce) package frozen cooked chopped chicken breast, thawed 1  (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained 1 cup   chopped seeded cucumber (about 1 small) 1/2 cup   chopped green onions (about 4 small) 1/4 cup   chopped fresh mint or basil 1/2 cup   plain fat-free yogurt 2  garlic cloves, minced 1/4 teaspoon   salt 2 cups   prepackaged baby spinach leaves 1/3 cup   (1.3 ounces) feta cheese with cracked pepper, crumbled 4  lemon wedges Preparation Combine first 8 ingredients; toss gently. Gently fold in spinach leaves and feta cheese. Serve salad with lemon wedges.

Yield:  serves 8 (serving size: 1 1/4 cups stew and 1/2 cup couscous)                   Ingredients 1 tablespoon   peanut oil 2 pounds   lean lamb stew meat, trimmed 3 1/4 cups   coarsely chopped onion 1 cup   (1/2-inch-thick) sliced carrot 1 cup   chopped green bell pepper 2 tablespoons   ground cumin 1 teaspoon   curry powder 1/2 teaspoon   ground turmeric 4 cups   chopped tomato 2 cups   cubed, peeled sweet potato 1  (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas, drained 1  (14 1/2-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 1 teaspoon   salt 1/4 teaspoon   freshly ground black pepper 1  (10-ounce) box couscous Preparation Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add lamb; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Stir in onion and next 5 ingredients (onion through turmeric); cook 5 minutes. Stir in tomato and next 5 ingredien...

Poached Eggs With Chickpeas Eggs poached on a bed of spicy chickpea mixture in the oven. Cooking Time:  20-25 minutes Servings:  4   Preparation Time:  10-15 minutes   Category:  Non Veg Ingredients • Eggs 4 • Chickpeas (kabuli chana),soaked and boiled 1/2 cup • Tomato 1 medium • Oil 2 tablespoons • Onion ,finely chopped 1 medium • Garlic,finely chopped 1 teaspoon • Pickled jalapeno peppers,sliced 1 small • Tomato puree 1 tablespoon • Salt to taste • Cumin powder 1/4 teaspoon • Red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon • Crushed red chillies 1/4 teaspoon • Parsley,chopped 2 tablespoons • Paneer (cottage cheese) 50 grams Method Puree tomato. Heat oil in a non stick pan, add onion, garlic, pickled jalapeno, tomato puree and saute till fragrant. Add chane, add readymade tomato puree and mix Preheat oven to 200° C. Add salt, cumin powder, red chilli powder, crushed red chillies and 1 tsp pa...

Spinach Muthiya Recipe -  Healthy Snacks                                   Most of us avoid deep fried snacks and instead choose healthy options. One such healthy snack is Muthiya - a Guajarati dish of steam cooked dumplings with the goodness of vegetables. Ingredients: For Dough Whole wheat flour – ¼ cup Chickpea flour/gram flour – ½  cup Semolina – ½  cup Corn meal-1 cup Turmeric powder – ½ tsp Spinach 2 cups washed and chopped Asafoetida – ¼ tsp Baking  soda – ¼ tsp Cumin seeds – ½ tsp Fennel seeds – ½ tsp Sugar – 1 tsp Ginger paste – 1 tsp Garlic paste- 1tbsp Curd-1 tbsp Green chillies – 4, chopped finely Coriander leaves – 10 sprigs, chopped finely Lemon juice – 1 tsp Salt – to taste Oil – 1 tsp For Tempering: Oil – 3 tsp Mustard seeds – ½ tsp Sesame seeds– 2 tsp Method: In a bowl mix the wheat flour, gram flour, semolina, corn meal, tu...

Achari Chana Pulao Most of us have often eaten achaaris gravy. But here's an interesting dish that I came across at dhaba while I was in Punjab. The owner was more than happy to share the secret to his recipe. Achaaris spices such as saunf, rai, methi, kalongi and elaichi are combined with some fine long grained rice some kabuli chana to form a highly flavourful and fragrant pulao. The Punjabi garam masala forms an important part as it lends great taste to the dish. The mango pickle paste used in the pulao is what I believe was the secret ingredient behind the scrumptious preparation. So go ahead serve your family some of this irresistible pulao. Preparation Time:  15 minutes Cooking Time:  20 minutes Serves 4.  Ingredients 2 tbsp   Aam ka Achaar 1 1/4 cups   long grained rice (basmati) 2 tbsp   ghee 1 tsp   fennel seeds (saunf) 1 tsp   mustard seeds ( rai / sarson) 1 tsp   fenugreek (methi) seeds 1 tsp   nigell...

Chickpeas Salad with Tamarind Dressing and Fresh Cilantro Serves 4 15 ounces chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1 medium red onion, finely chopped 2 tablespoons tamarind paste salt to taste 4 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper Mix all the ingredients in a large (non-reactive) mixing bowl and serve cold as a salad or a side dish.

Rajasthani Shahi Raj-Kachori, stuffed katchori with potato and sprout filling and served with curd, chutney and sev. Preparation Time:  10 mins Cooking Time:  30 mins Makes 2 to 3 servings Ingredients For The Kachori  2 cups   whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta) 1 cup   semolina (rava) 1 cup   besan (bengal gram flour) salt  to taste whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)  for rolling oil  for frying For The Filling- 2 cups   boiled moong (whole green gram)  , matki (moath beans)  and  kala chana (brown chick peas) 500 gms   boiled potatoes salt  to taste Other Ingredients 500 gms   curds (dahi) khajur imli ki chutney  as per taste 1 tsp   chilli powder 1 tsp  roasted  cumin seeds (jeera) powder 1/4 cup   sev Method   For the kachori Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and using water knead a semi soft dough. Divide the dough into equal portions and ...

Ingredients For the chole 1 cup   kabuli chana (white chick peas), soaked overnight 1  tea bag or tsp  tea leaves  , tied in a muslin cloth (optional) 1/2 tsp   cumin seeds (jeera) 1   onion, finely chopped 12  mm (1/2") piece of  ginger (adrak), grated 2  cloves of  garlic (lehsun), grated 2 tsp   chole masala 2 tsp   chilli powder 2 tsp   dried mango powder (amchur) 1/4 tsp   turmeric powder (haldi) 1 tbsp   coriander (dhania) powder 1 tsp   cumin seeds (jeera) powder 2 tbsp   oil salt  to taste For the bhature 1/2 cup   plain flour (maida) 1/2 cup   potatoes, boiled and grated 1 1/2 tsp   oil salt  to taste oil  for deep-frying For serving 1   onion, sliced 4   lemon wedges Method For the chole Pressure cook the Kabuli chana with the tea bag for 3 whistles until they are soft . Drain and keep aside. Discard the tea bag. Heat the oil in a pan, ...

INGREDIENTS 1 pound (about 2 cups)   dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans 1   small onion, roughly chopped 1/4 cup   chopped fresh parsley 3-5 cloves   garlic (I prefer roasted) 1 1/2 tbsp   flour 1 3/4 tsp   salt 2 tsp   cumin 1 tsp   ground coriander 1/4 tsp   black pepper 1/4 tsp   cayenne pepper Pinch of ground cardamom Vegetable oil for frying (grapeseed, canola, and peanut oil work well) YOU WILL ALSO NEED Food processor, skillet Servings:  30-34 falafels