Key Lime Bars

As someone who is intimately inspired by Nature, I have been wondering about how to welcome Spring! After the gloomy white winter, when the sights and smells of Spring in its daffodils and lavenders, song birds and soothing breeze awaken the spirits of life, I want the same spirits in my kitchen!
Key limes are known for their unique flavor and acidity and they are quite hard to find in the super market. But when I found them, I had to bring them home. Being fond of citrus desserts, I considered tweaking the recipes of lemon bar and Key lime pie into Key lime bars - bite size desserts with the right zing and zest!

Baking Temperature: 350 F
Recipe size for 8 x 8  inch baking pans

Ingredients:

Shortbread Crust -

1. 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2. 1/4 cup icing sugar
3. 1/8 tsp salt
4. 1 cup flour

Mix all ingredients into a crumbly/sandy texture -  I used hands! Spread on the baking tray till even and with slightly raised edged. Bake till golden brown on the edges - took me about 18 mins. Let cool on a wire rack.

Filling -

1. 1 cup granulated white sugar
2. 2 large eggs at room temperature
3. 1/3 cup fresh Key lime juice (you can use lemon juice for lemon bars)
4. 1 can sweetened condensed milk
5. 1 tbsp Key lime zest
6. 1 drop green food color (optional)
7. 2 tbsp all purpose flour

Mix into a smooth texture, pour of the cooled crust and bake uncovered for 20 - 25 mins. The center should still be jiggly. Allow to cool at room temperature. Refrigerate for 2 - 3 hours. You can top with whipped cream or icing sugar. ENJOY!

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

In the rush of the morning when one has to get ready and be out of the door in less than an hour's time, breakfast table is something easy to skip. But breakfast on the go is hit and essentially what I resort to...a granola bar on one hand and the wheel on the other. After having explored most options for granola bars available in the super market, I am honestly bored of them. So, gave it a thought - how about a cookie -turned granola bar recipe and without the ton of sodium. I am very happy with how these turned out and above all, I can control my favorite fruits and nuts in them. In a word, these are Delish.....

Serving Size:

Yields 20 large cookies

Baking temperature: 350 F
Ingredients:

1. 3/4 cup softened unsalted butter
2. 1 cup packed light brown sugar (I did not  have on hand- so used 1/2 cup molasses and 1/2 cup white sugar)
3. 1 large egg at room temperature
4. 1 tsp vanilla extract (I used orange extract because I love the citrussy flavor)
5. 3/4 cup all purpose flour
6. 1/2 tsp baking soda
7. 1/2 tsp salt
8. 3 cups old fashioned oats (uncooked)
9. 1 cup nuts or chocolate chips
10. 1 cup dried raisins or cranberries

Steps:

1. cream the butter until smooth
2. add sugar and cream with the butter
3. add egg and essence and blend
4. add rest of the ingredients and mix well with a spatula
5. scoop out mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet (I use ice-cream scoop)
6. Bake for 12-15 mins until edges are crisp and center is soft
7. Let cool on a wire rack
8. store in an airtight container

Welcome to SpiceArt

Cook to express

I have now been cooking for roughly five years and I now call this a blessing of Graduate School Life!!! After nights of surviving on the ever glorious Maggi Noodles and days of brooding over Wendy's wraps-to-go, one has to miss "home-made" food - more so because of the comforting word "home" I believe.

And it is very lawful to be selfishly nostalgic about your home and complain!!! Well, thanks to the best of roommates who risked me as one of the "house-hold cooks", I did rise above and beyond overcooked rice and over-sweetened lentils!!!! And as fate would have it, despite of innumerable scars and burns I love to be  a cook...so much so that I now cook to express - happiness, joy, success, togetherness, friendship, love..you name it! Cooking has long been established an art form and I am a beginner. Yet, I love the satisfaction and joy I see in the people I cook for...a dish well-seasoned and well-served is so wonderfully rewarding. And as they say, I have managed to reach some hearts through their stomach :)...

I try recipes from books, from package labels and of course, the internet besides the traditional Bengali cuisine that I grew up with. What I am always looking for in a recipe is authenticity and some degree of challenge - really, I do not like easy cooking. Success is not always ensured, but failure brings new insights. So, I thought of compiling recipes I found unique and food-forms I find creative to share with my friends.

Before I begin the voyage, I bow down to all Mothers because they are the greatest chefs. I have never been able to reproduce the taste of anything my Maa makes...but in trying is my tribute to her....

Oven Fried Crispy Chicken

One of those days when you crave for something crispy without the deep-frying......I thank to the broil option of the oven :) Give these a shot...you will want more....

Dish Category: Starter, Appetizers, Side Dish

Serves: 4

What I like about this recipe: Simple, easy, healthy, savoury and tasty

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2. 1 cup yogurt, lightly beaten
3. 2 tbsp lemon/lime juice
4. 1 tbsp hot sauce of choice
5. 1 tsp garlic salt - optional
6. 2 cloves garlic, paste
7. 2 cups cornflakes/bread crumbs/all-purpose flour
8. 1 egg
9. 1 cup milk
10. salt and black pepper to taste
11. 2 tbsp olive oil
12. Cooking spray

Steps:

1. Whisk the yogurt, lemon juice and garlic paste together and coat the chicken pieces well. Let marinate for 20 - 30 mins. The longer the better
2. Preheat oven to 350 deg F
3. Crush cornflakes (if using) in a food processor and set aside. 
4. Beat together egg and milk, season with salt, pepper and hot sauce
5. Dip the chicken pieces into the milk and egg mix and coat with cornflakes. Repeat after 10 minutes as the cornflakes become moist; re-dippin them in the crumbs enhances crispiness
6. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and place chicken pieces 
7. Sprinkle with seasonings if desired
8. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes...or until inside of tenders are white
9. Broil for 5 - 6 mins or until golden and crispy on the outside
10. Serve with your choice of sauce

Okra Shrimp Gumbo

My first shot at Creole cooking......The legendary cuisine of New Orleans.

Inspired by my dear friend Jim...a fantastic office-mate and an adventurous cook!

Recipe Source: From the book "Creole!" by Deirde Stanforth

Dish Category: Side Dish, Entree

Serves: 8 - 10

What I like about the recipe: Easy, lots of veggies, hearty and traditional

Possible Modifications: Will work great with any sea food like crabs, crawfish, oyster...so go crazy! :)

Ingredients:

1. 2 lbs Okra
2. 4 tbs any fat - bacon fat, I used butter
3. 2 tbsp all purpose flour
4. 1 onion, finely chopped
5. 2 green onions, finely chopped
6. 1 pod garlic, minced
7. 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
8. 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
9. 2 lbs raw shrimp - peeled and deveined
10. 1 tsp salt or to taste
11. 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
12. 5 dashes Tabasco or choice of hot sauce
13. 1 green bay leaf
14. 1/4 tsp thyme

Steps:

1. Wash Okra and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
2. Put 2 lbs fat in a skillet and fry Okra, stirring often to prevent burning, until it is browned and dried, with all sliminess gone
3. In a deep cooking pot melt the remaining fat and blend in flour to make a roux, cooking and stirring until deep brown. Do this over very low heat because flour can burn
4. Add the chopped onion, garlic, green pepper and stir to cook
5. Add tomatoes and stir till cooked
6. Add the cooked Okra and mix
7. Add enough water to have atleast 2 inch standing water above the vegetable mix
8. Add the raw shrimp
9. Add all the seasoning and bring to a boil
10. Let simmer cook for ~ 30 mins till the shrimp is completely cooked

Serving Suggestions: Gumbo is always served in a soup bowl over a teacup-molded mound of hot rice.

Refrigerates and reheats very well

Baked Ricotta and Mushroom Pots

Pots of Baked Ricotta and Mushrooms

Recipe Source: From the book "Vegetarian Cooking - A common sense guide" 

What I like about the recipe: Super easy, quick and delicious, great for get-togethers

Dish Category: Starter

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1. 20 g ( 3/4 oz) butter
2. 1 tsp olive oil
3. 1 and 1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms
4. 1 garlic clove, crushed
5. a pinch of ground nutmeg
6. Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling - optional
7. 400 g (14 oz) block ricotta cheese
8. Salt or sea-salt to taste

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F
2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a small frying pan and add the mushrooms and garlic and briefly fry over high heat until lightly golden
3. Remove from the heat and stir in salt and black pepper to taste
4. Brush flour ramekins with a little extra virgin olive oil and line the bases with a circle of baking/parchment paper
5. Gently mix the mushroom mixture and ricotta cheese. Divide among the ramekins and press down firmly
6. Bake for 20 - 25 mins., or until the tops are crusty and the mixture has started to shrink from the side of the ramekins
7. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 mins. before turning out
8. Serve hot, warm or cold, drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil

Paalak Paneer

Paalak Paneer_North Indian Signature Vegetarian Dish with Homemade Cottage Cheese

Dish Category: Side Dish, Entree

Accompaniment: Indian flat bread, Puri, Steam rice, Paratha, choices are endless

Possible Variations: Tofu, Chicken, Potato

What I like about this dish: Very traditional, favourite at all festivities, great use of greens

Ingredients:

1. Spinach - 1 lb baby spinach, blanched and pureed
2. Paneer/Cottage Cheese- 7 oz or 200 g
3. Oil – 3 tbsp
4. Onions – 2 medium, finely minced
5. Ginger – 1″ pc, minced
6. Garlic – 4 cloves, minced
7. Warm Water – 1/2 cup
8. Tomatoes – 2 large pureed
9. Garam Masala - 2 tsp
10. Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
11. Coriander Powder – 2 tsp
12. Red Chili Powder – to taste
13. Salt - to taste
14. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
15. Heavy Whipping Cream – 8 tbsp (optional)
16. Milk – to taste (optional)

Steps:

1. Heat 2 tbsp Oil in a medium non-stick pan on high heat
2. Once Oil is hot, add in the minced Onions, stir, cover and let it cook until onions are translucent
3. Add in the Ginger and Garlic and mix. Cook till aromatic
4. Add in the Tomates, cover and cook till the oil separates from the mixture
5. Keep stirring frequently as the Masala (Onion, Tomato, Ginger & Garlic mixture) tends to burn very fast. Add a little water if needed
6. While the Masala is cooking, cube the paneer to desired size…1/2″ cubes work well
7. In a non-stick frying pan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp Oil
8. Once Oil is hot, add in the paneer cubes and let them cook till they are golden brown on all sides
9. Remove from the pan into a plate with paper towel to soak the excess oil
10. In a couple of minutes, pour the Paneer into a bowl of cold water. Let it sit for 5 minutes
11. Meanwhile, once the Masala is prepared, add in the pureed Spinach
12. Mix and add the Garam Masala, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Salt, Chili Powder & Turmeric Powder
13. Mix well and cook for 3-5 minutes to bring a slight boil
14. Add in the desired amount of Cream and /or Milk. Mix and cook for another few minutes
15. Gently squeeze the water out of the Paneer and put the Paneer in the Spinach
16. Mix gently and simmer for 3 - 5 mins.