Recipes Collection: 2014

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Happy 4th of July!

Photo (c) Flickr user mmatins

Wishing you all a fun, festive, and hopefully food-filled Fourth of July! Michele and I are laying low this year, finishing up some big projects around the house. But dont worry, "all work and no play" is not something patriot Americans like us are known for. There will be enough beer, baseball and barbecue around to properly give respect to the greatest country on earth. Happy birthday America!

In whats become a little July 4th tradition on the blog, heres “Stars and Stripes Forever” played by four girls, in matching shirts, on the Trombone. Since there are probably only nine or ten girls in the entire country that play trombone, to see four in one clip is a special treat. Enjoy!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Banana Apricot Hemp Smoothie

Creamy banana apricot smoothie recipe that is dairy free and vegan

Frosty banana apricot smoothie with hemp milk.

It's been a week of bland soft foods. I've dubbed this week the No Pointy Foods Diet. Mashed potatoes. Creamy rice. Squash puree. No nuts, seeds, or chips. No crunch. No snap. No spices. Talk about not sexy. Suddenly, I'm the Goddess of Bland. Slurping tiny bites of baby food.

Lucky for me, bananas are doable. Especially if they're frozen and whipped into a frothy silky smoothie.

Read more + get the recipe >>

Vegetarian Cannelloni Recipe

Sweet Carrot and Tomato Ricotta Cannelloni Recipe

If you want to cook a pasta recipe for someone who does not like eating many vegetables then this recipe is definitely for you.

My vegetarian cannelloni recipe uses a combination of fresh vegetables whipped up into a sweet carrot and tomato sauce; I stuff the pasta with a ricotta and Parmesan filling and grate fresh cheddar cheese on top.

This is a huge hit in our house and it does not take long to cook. It is healthy and contains more vegetables than you would believe by taste alone, this is why it is perfect for people who are not big vegetable fans.

The sweet cannelloni sauce and ricotta cheese compliment each other so good, you really feel like you are having a naughty but nice dish when you eat my vegetarian cannelloni recipe.

I cooked my cannelloni for two people but you can double the ingredients for more people if you like.

Ingredients for Jeenas Vegetarian Cannelloni Recipe
1-2 Tomatoes (chopped)
1/4 Medium Onion (diced)
1/4- 1/2 Zucchini/Corgeutte (grated)
1 Small Garlic (minced)
1 Small Carrot (grated)
3 Tbsp Water
1 Large tsp Tomato Puree
1 Tub Ricotta Cheese
Parmesan to Grate
Salt (optional)
Cannelloni Tubes
1-2 Tbsp Agave Syrup or Light Brown Sugar (optional)
Cheddar to Grate
Olive Oil

note...you can fill dried cannelloni tubes with out pre cooking them but you will need to add more water to the sauce so that the sauce does not dry up in the oven.

How to Make Jeenas Vegetarian Cannelloni Recipe

Gently fry the tomatoes and onions until they start to soften.

Add the carrots, water and zucchini/corgeutte and simmer stiring well.

Add garlic and keep simmering, mix well.

When all the vegetables start to soften add the tomato puree and a little salt (optional) to season.

Add sugar or agave (optional).

When the sauce is cooked turn off the heat and pour into a blender.

Place ricotta chees into a bowl.

Grate some parmesan into the bowl and one tablespoon of the sweet canellonni sauce, stir well.

Take a pan of hot boiling lightly salted water and lightly cook the dried cannelloni tubes for a few minutes.

You may need to do this in small batches.

Very carefully take out the cannelloni tubes with a blunt knife and leave the tube with the knife inside on a plate to cool slightly.

Once the tube has cooled enough to touch use a small spoon to stuff the tubes with the ricotta filling.

Place all the tubes into a small oven dish.

Use the left over ricotta cheese filling to fill between the gaps of the cannelloni tubes.

Grate a little parmesan cheese on top.

Cover with the vegetable sauce.

Grate some cheddar cheese.

Cover with tin foil and place into a hot oven at 180C for approximetly 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy Jeenas delicious sweet tomato and carrot ricotta cannelloni recipe.

See my Pasta Recipe Index Page for more delicious pasta recipes.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Methi ChickPeas Pulao Methi Chole Pulao

Methi & ChickPeas Pulao is very simple and delicious pulao which can be made in less time.

Today I was very lazy to cook dinner. I wanted to make something very quick. Then I found a couple of bunches of methi leaves and soaked channa in my fridge. I tried out this yummy pulao which turned out a duper super hit. And now this pulao is my very favorite one-pot meal. I added few mint leaves for fresh aroma.

This can be prepared by using soaked channa, methi leaves, basmati rice and less spices.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice – 2 cups
Fresh Methi leaves - 1 big bunch

Chickpeas/Channa – 1 cup

Onion – 1 no small

Bay leaf – 2 leaves

Lemon juice – 3 tsps

Coconut milk – ½ cup

Cloves – 4 no

Green chillies – 5 no

Cinnamon sticks – 2 small

Garam Masala - 1 tsp

Salt As Required

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp

Ghee or Oil – 2 tsp

Water – 2 ½ cups

Preparation

Soak chickpeas overnight.
Wash basmati rice and soak in water for 30mins
Heat ghee in a pan, add ginger garlic paste
Now add bay leaves, cloves, Cinnamon sticks and sauté for few minutes.
Add onions and green chillies and mix well.
Add methi leaves and cook for 10 minutes or till the raw smell goes away
Add garam masala and mix well.
Add basmati rice by draining water and mix well.
Add soaked and cleaned chick peas and mix well.

Now take the above mixed spices, rice in rice cooker add water, coconut milk, lemon juice and salt and cook well.
Serve with raita or curry.

Sending this to Healthy Delights hosted by Sangee , Lets Cook - Pulao by Kokila , My Legume Love Affair hosted by Vanessa started by Susan

Vegan Confectioners Custard Recipe Dairy Free Egg Free

Could you beleive that this delicious confectioners custard recipe contains no eggs or dairy? Well you betta! My tasty treat of thick confectioners custard is egg free and dairy free.

The texture is just like confectioners custard as you know it, the flavour is of vanilla.

Somebody close to me has gone vegan and requested a vegan freindly custard recipe, they were so very delighted with this confectioners custard recipe, they loved it.

This vegan confectioners custard recipe can also be made with xylitol which makes it a sugar free confectioners custard recipe.

I do eat dairy products and this custard recipe was enjoyable for me too.

If you can not tolerate gluten, dairy or eggs then you do not need to miss out, try my sweet treat confectioners custard recipe for yourself.

Ingredients for Jeenas Kitchen Vegan Confectioners Custard Recipe
100ml Soya Milk
2oz Sugar
200ml Soya Milk
1oz Fine Corn Meal (fine polenta)
2 Tbsp Vanilla Essence
2-3 oz Sugar
1 tsp Arrowroot Powder
1 Tbsp Soya Milk

Note...the amount of sugar can very slightly depending on how sweet you like your custard to taste.

Also xylitol can be used instead for a sugar free custard.

How to Make Jeenas Kitchen Vegan Confectioners Custard Recipe

Without turning on the heat place the corn flour and 2 oz of sugar into a pan.

Pour in 100ml of milk gradually and stir well.

Turn on the heat to medium and warm up the mixture, stirring frequently to remove lumps.

As the custard mixture begins to thicken start to gradually add in the 200ml of milk.

Keep stiring.

When you have added appromimetly half of the 200ml of milk add the vanilla nd extra sugar.

Keep stiring.

Keep simmering the custard and stiring.

When your custard is very thick place 1 Tbsp of milk and 1 tsp of arrowroot into a little bowl and mix well.

Turn the heat off and pour the arrowroot into the custard and mix very very well.

The custard will thicken very quickly.

Pour custard into a large loaf dish.

Place the dish of custard into a tray of cold water until it cools down.

You may need to replace the water once or twice.

Finishing cooling in the fridge where the custard will set.

The custard should not be hot when you place into the fridge, the custard should not be compltetly cold either.