simplyvegetarian777 recipes

Name: Mac n Cheese - Panera Bread Copy Cat Recipe
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 pound/ 16 ounce Pasta Shells or Elbow Macaroni; 1/4 Cup Butter; 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour; 3 Cups Milk (Use full fat for creamier texture); 2 Cups Cheddar Cheese (crumbled or shredded); 1/2 tsp or to taste Black pepper powder (freshly crushed preferred); To Taste Salt (I used about 1 tsp salt); 1&1/2 tsp Mustard Sauce (this is the secret ingredient)

Panera Copy Cat Mac n Cheese Easy Recipe

April 17, 2018 by simplyvegetarian777 7 Comments

This Panera Copy Cat Recipe for Mac n Cheese is so DELICIOUS and EASY that you will never make it any other way. The secret ingredient makes it super yum. Learn how to make the best MAC & CHEESE in the town with least effort and big flavors. Do not forget to watch the Video for a quick overview.

Mac n Cheese – Panera Bread Copy Cat Recipe

Weather Gods have either lost it or gone completely hormonal in Pittsburgh. After 4 glorious days of Sun and bright warm days of 76F, we are back to cold, grey and dreadful winter days of 40F and a possibility of snow anytime. Ugh!

Hot & Cold together in the same week is the norm here. Can you believe that the quarter of the year is over and we are still struggling with brutal cold days? Ok, I am done complaining about now.

Well on a cold day like such, a big pot of Mac n Cheese does not hurt at all. Don’t you agree? That is what was our lunch on a cold Sunday Afternoon accompanied with Boiled Corn. A perfect Southern style Simple and Comforting meal.

Mac n Cheese – Panera Bread Copy Cat Recipe

My girls always order mac n cheese whenever we go to Panera Bread, which BTW is our family favorite Cafe to go to. We just love their soups, salads, sandwiches and Mac n Cheese along with their Bakery items.

It makes a perfect after school snack for my girls and I always make extra of this yumminess. I am actually very surprised that I have not yet posted this recipe yet. Well, better late than never. Here I am with the Simple, Easy and Delish Recipe which is loved by people of all the ages equally.

What is Mac and Cheese?

Macaroni and Cheese as it is officially known, is a dish of English Origin. Who knew, right? One would think that it is either American or Italian. NO! It is very ENGLISH.

This dish consists of cooked macaroni that is later coated with a Cheesy Bechamel Sauce. It is commonly baked in the oven but can be served after stovetop cooking.

Made with durum wheat, macaroni is commonly cut in short lengths; curved macaroni may be referred to as elbow macaroni. We have used Pasta Shells here in the recipe.Many times pasta like shells, penne, cavatappi, and fusilli are also used in place of macaroni.

Mac n Cheese – Panera Bread Copy Cat Recipe

Some Important Information to make Macaroni and Cheese perfectly

This Recipe has 3 important components – Boiled Pasta, Bechamel Sauce and Cheese.
The boiled pasta should be Al-Dante. It means do not boil it mushy. Keep a bite to it.
Bechamel Sauce is the famous WHITE SAUCE which makes an important part of this recipe. Making this sauce is pretty easy.
Do not go less on butter in this recipe to keep the rue going.
You have to keep whisking or mixing the sauce continuously with a wire whisk while cooking to avoid the lumps. You can control the consistency of this sauce by adding less or more milk than recommended.
The original recipe requires Mild Cheddar Cheese. You can actually use any cheese that has good melting quality. I have made this recipe with Gruyere and Gouda cheese also and they have worked very well in the recipe.
This basic recipe can be adapted and personalized. You can add vegetables of your choice to it. This can be baked with some bread crumbs on top.
Reheating the leftovers is pretty simple. Heat some milk and add the refrigerated mac n cheese to it. Adjust salt and pepper. Add more milk if desired and cook until warm.

The Kitchen Equipment and Ingredients required for this Recipe can be bought from Amazon.

This will not add any extra cost to you but will keep this blog running.

Heavy Bottom Stainless Steel Pan

Pasta Boiler

Microwave Pasta Cooker

Pasta Colander to fit in your Sauce Pan

Wire Whisk

Some Popular Pasta Recipes from my Blog are

Penne Pomodoro

Arabiatta Pasta Sauce & Pasta

Spaghetti-Aglio-e-Olio

Pasta Primavera

Spaghetti in Mushroom Sauce

Watch this small video showing the process of making Mac n’ Cheese. Find the Recipe Below the Video.

This is how you will make Panera Bread Copy Cat Mac n’ Cheese.

Mac n Cheese - Panera Bread Copy Cat Recipe

Cook Time

20 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6

Author: simplyvegetarian777

Ingredients

1 pound/ 16 ounce Pasta Shells or Elbow Macaroni
1/4 Cup Butter
1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
3 Cups Milk Use full fat for creamier texture
2 Cups Cheddar Cheese crumbled or shredded
1/2 tsp or to taste Black pepper powder freshly crushed preferred
To Taste Salt I used about 1 tsp salt
1&1/2 tsp Mustard Sauce this is the secret ingredient

Instructions

Gather all the ingredients before starting the cooking.

Pasta

Boil pasta as per the package instructions. Do not overboil it. Make it al-dante. Drain and set aside. It takes about 20 minutes from start to finish to boil the pasta including the time to boil water. When the pasta is boiling, you can work on Cheesy Bechamel Sauce.

Cheesy Bechamel Sauce

Take the heavy bottom steel cooking pan. Melt butter in it over medium heat.
Once the butter is melted, add all purpose flour to the pan and mix it well using a wire whisk. Cook it on medium heat for 3 minutes while mixing it continuously. Refer to the video above.
Now add milk to the pan, 1 cup at a time and keep stirring. Stir quickly so that no lumps are formed. Refer to the video above. Keep the heat on the stove at medium the whole time. Cook the sauce till it thickens slightly.
Add salt, black pepper powder and mustard sauce to the pan and give a good mix to it. Now add cheese to the sauce, little bit at a time. Keep mixing with the wire whisk to mix well.
Keep the heat at medium-low until cheese is melted well. Switch off the heat.
Now add boiled and drained pasta to the cheesy bechamel sauce. Mix pasta and sauce well.
Your Panera Bread Style Mac n Cheese is ready. Serve it warm. You can add dried parsley or basil or any other seasoning of your choice for more flavor. But you can not beat the classic Mac n cheese.

Yes, the mustard sauce is the secret ingredient in the recipe. The manager of the local Panera Bread mentioned it to me, himself. So it is coming out of the Horse’s Mouth..errr..I mean the Panera’s mouth.

If you try this recipe of ours, then do give a shout back. We would love to hear how it worked for you.

Can’t make it now? PIN IT FOR LATER!

Mac n’ Cheese – Panera Bread Copy Cat Recipe

In my Kitchen, you will always EAT HAPPY & STAY HAPPY!!

Sonal

Easter Cake Sandwiches

March 30, 2018 by simplyvegetarian777 58 Comments

Easter Cake Sandwiches are little colorful cakes that have whipped cream spread in the middle. These are made using ready to bake Cake Mix. The cake sandwiches are so easy that you can bake these at the last minute for your Easter Party and decorate as desired.

Easter Cake Sandwiches

This Sunday is Easter and kids have started the spring break. They will be home for the Looooong Weekend. Ask any mother and she would say that it is a mixed feeling..happy and sad.

It is a herculean task to keep kids entertained and off from killing each other with wits and hands..no kidding….Aiyaeeyaee.. The bright side is that I do not have to wake up at 5:30 am and get few more hours of sleep. Plus no stress of lunch packing….Yayy!

And yes, I get to cook and eat more fun when kids are home. They love it and I love it too. Like these fun little Cake Bites which I am calling Easter Cake Sandwiches. These have fun color of spring and are perfect 2 inches Bite size desserts. Moreover these sandwiches are so easy to put together that these will be a staple on your brunch or dessert table.

Easter Cake Sandwiches

Since I used Pillsburry Ready to Bake White Cake Mix for this recipe, it is more handy to use anytime as a base for many other cute creations. For more options to use as a BASE for your Cake Sandwiches, below are more options.

The Cake Options for this Recipe

Use any brand White Cake Mix for this recipe like Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines etc.
You can bake your own White Cake from scratch and use it as a base.

3 components of this Cake

This Cake has 3 components to it –

White Cake – As mentioned above, use ready to bake cake mix as I did or bake from scratch. Bake the cake on a cookie sheet so it is flattish and not high.
The colors – I used COLOR GARDEN brand colors for this recipe. Their colors are Natural Dyes extracted from Plants. Therefore, these are safe for consumption. You may choose any natural organic brand. The colors used are BLUE and YELLOW.
Heavy Whipped Cream – This is the 3rd component of this recipe. You may use ready to use cool whip for this recipe. OR Beat your own HEAVY CREAM perfectly to use. Read the tips and tricks for perfect icing, as given below.

Some Tips to Make Perfect Icing with Heavy Cream

Use Heavy cream for making the icing. The more the fat content in the cream, better it would be. Do not use Light Cream or Half & Half.
Use steel or glass bowl for whipping the cream.
For BEST RESULTS – Before whipping the cream, place the blades of the electric beater or the wire whisk in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Similarly, place the bowl that you will use for whipping, in the freezer also.
Keep your Heavy Cream chilled and keep it in freezer for 5 minutes before you whip it into icing, for best results.

Few other Single Portion Easy Desserts from the Blog are

No Bake Cheesecake in a Dessert Bowl , Mocha Pudding , Vanilla Pudding , No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake and more.

This is how to make Easter 🐣Cake 🍰 Sandwiches

Easter Cake Sandwiches

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

35 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 16

Author: simplyvegetarian777

Ingredients

FOR CAKE BASE

1 Box White Cake Mix Pillsburry or Betty Crocker or any good brand
1/2 Cup Cooking OIl
1 Cup Water
3 Eggs or 3/4 Cup Thick Yogurt for Egg-free option

COLORS for the CAKE

5 Drops Natural Yellow Food Color Color Garden or any good brand
7-8 Drops Natural Blue Food Color Color Garden or any good brand

CREAM ICING

1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Tablespoon Powdered Sugar

EXTRAS

Some Colorful Sprinkles optional
Some Milk Chocolate Eggs optional

Instructions

WHIPPED CREAM ICING

Place the blades of electric beater and Steel or glass bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes. Also place the Heavy cream in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Take out the blades, bowl and cream from freezer. Place the Heavy cream and powdered sugar in the chilled mixing bowl. Beat it with chilled blades of electric beater for EXACTLY 3 MINUTES. By the end of 3 minutes you will get stiff cream peaks which will hold their shape on its own. The whipping cream for icing is ready. This time can vary in hot summer days. See the picture to get the idea of consistency of whipped cream. Place it back in either freezer or the back of refrigerator till you are ready to use it. You can whip the cream a day earlier as well and refrigerate to use the next day.

Baking the 2 Color Cake

Preheat the oven at 180*C / 350*F as instructions given on the cake box. Line a cookie sheet with parchment/butter paper and set aside.
Take a large mixing bowl. Empty the cake mix into the bowl and as per instructions add water+oil+eggs to the bowl. If you want to skip the eggs then use 3/4 cup of thick yogurt for the same, as I did and it came out well. Mix all the ingredients well for 2 minutes with a whisk or electric beater.
Divide the cake batter into 2 equal parts, almost 2 cups each. Add 4-5 drops of Yellow Food Color in one part and mix well with a spoon or fork. I used less since I wanted pastel color. For your perfect color, add 1 drop at a time to reach your color. Now add 7-8 drops of Blue Food Color to the other part of the cake and follow the same instructions as for yellow color. The blue color will give you a kind of lavender tone. For deeper color, use more color.
Now pour yellow batter on one side of the cookie sheet and blue/lavender batter on the other side of the sheet. We want THIN SHEETS of Cake to cut and decorate. Tap the tray and spread the batter evenly.
Bake the cake for about 20-25 minutes till it is fully baked. Start checking for done-ness at about 18 minutes. Mine was done in 25 minutes. This time might vary depending upon the type of oven or the weather outside.
Take the cake out. Let it rest in pan for 10 minutes. Separate the yellow and lavender parts with a knife and then transfer on cooling racks for complete cool down. This will be delicate as it is a thin sheet of cake. Handle with care.
Once the cake is completely cooled down, spread a parchment paper on kitchen counter and transfer the cooled cake sheets to it. Now take a round shape cookie cutter that is 2 inches in diameter. Cut out circles/rounds out of each color cake and set these on cooling racks. Keep the whipped cream ready.

Creating EASTER CAKE SANDWICHES

Take one lavender cake round. Place it browned side up. Add thick layer of whipped cream icing on it. I used star nozzle in the piping bag to do so. But you do not have to use it. You can simply spread some with a butter knife.
Place the Yellow cake round on top with its browned side facig the cream and pretty yellow facing outside. The Cake Sandwiches are ready.

Decorating Cake Sandwiches

Roll these sideways into some colorful confetti sprinkles. Add some Icing on top too. Place a Milk chocolate Egg in middle. Sprinkle some more confetti sprinkles. Refrigerate till ready to consume.
Your EASTER CAKE SANDWICHES are ready

I am sure you are going to bake these soon and share with friends and family. This is such a user friendly recipe that even your kids can bake and decorate on their own. Rather this would make a great Easter Craft to do with kids.

Easter Cake Sandwiches

You can order the following from AMAZON to make this recipe. IT won’t cost you extra but help keep this blog running.

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Can’t Bake it Now? PIN IT FOR LATER!

Easter Cake Sandwiches

In my kitchen, you will always EAT HAPPY & STAY HAPPY!

Cheers🥂

Sonal

Instant Pot Pav Bhaji Recipe

February 14, 2018 by simplyvegetarian777 19 Comments

Instant Pot Pav Bhaji Recipe is the lip-smacking delicious street food from Mumbai, India. Potatoes cooked in spicy tomato Curry makes the BHAJI. To counter the heat, bhaji is served with butter grilled Pav or Dinner Rolls. The best part is that this recipe is made in INSTANT POT. The Stove Top instructions are also included.

Instant Pot Pav Bhaji Recipe

Have I ever told you that Pav Bhaji is the GO-TO food of our family? Even the people of Mumbai can not love this lip smacking yummy and buttery fare, as much as my girls do. Whenever a weekend menu is set, either Pav Bhaji or Instant Pot Punjabi Kadhi is always ranking the charts. Though the dish is much of the family favorite, I always dreaded making it often in the traditional STOVE TOP way, because of multiple steps.

Since I have started cooking in Instant Pot, making Pav Bhaji is always a Breeze. It has literally become 1 POT-COOKING.

Fun Intended – When you have teenagers at home, they always come up with weirdest things. My oldest calls this as PAJI….combining the 2 words together…and then gets a good kick as she knows what Paji means… 😉

Let’s get 2 things clear – 1. Why should you cook in an Instant Pot? 2. The components and Recipe of Pav Bhaji.

Here are few things to know about Instant Pot before we move on to the recipe.

Do not get scared by Instant-Pot. Instant-Pot is very promising. It takes a few initial hit and runs, and after that, you operate it smoothly.
Read and understand the manual carefully for functions. Join some Instant-Pot groups on Facebook to get started since that will be of great help.
There is no BABYSITTING on this machine. Cooking is MESS-FREE, EFFICIENT and MULTI-PURPOSE.
Some common words that you will hear are cooking on MANUAL which is actually PRESSURE COOK. SAUTE is another favorite function. Some commonly used functions that I use are- Manual/ Pressure, Saute Mode, Bean Mode, Soup & Stew Mode.
It is your BEST FRIEND if you are a busy person. It is very convenient to use on busy days, when you are sick, or when you want to take it easy.

Instant Pot Pav Bhaji Recipe

SOME PAV BHAJI FACTS

If you are wondering what is Pav Bhaji, then Pav is Dinner Rolls or Buns and Bhaji is Curry.
The Curry is the special part of this combination. This curry needs to be done right to be able to enjoy Pav Bhaji. Potatoes are cooked and mashed in rich and butter tomato base along with seasonal vegetables. Bhaji is cooked for good amount of time for the flavors to mature.
A special Spice Mix called PAV BHAJI MASALA is used to make Bhaji. For HOME MADE PAV BHAJI MASALA, ⇒CLICK HERE⇐ .
Another delicious part of the dish is Butter Grilled or should I say Butter Soaked Pav that is DInner Rolls or Buns.
Garnish and Toppings of this DISH are very important – Finely chopped Onions, Finely Chopped Cilantro/Coriander Leaves, Green Chilies, Freshly squeezed Lemon Juice and Butter. Sometimes Dry Garlic Chili Chutney is also sprinkled over to add more zing.
IMPORTANT – To attain the beautiful RED COLOR of the curry, Use Tomato Paste and Kashmiri lal mirch.

Other ♦INSTANT POT RECIPES♦ from my Blog

Instant Pot Punjabi Kadhi (tried & tested by many with flying colors), Instant Pot Aloo Saag (loved by many), Instant Pot Perfect Matar Pulao (with each grain separated).

This is how you make Pav Bhaji.

Given are the Methods for Instant Pot, Pressure Cooker which shall be similar to Instant Pot and Stove Top as well.

Important – The actual Instant Pot Time is 10 minutes cooking. The extra 10 minutes given in the recipe are for the time Instant Pot takes, to start the Timer. Use hot water to reduce the time.

Instant Pot Pav Bhaji Recipe

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

35 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 8 people

Author: simplyvegetarian777

Ingredients

Vegetables

1 Medium Onion chopped fine
2 tsp Ginger chopped fine
2 cloves Garlic chopped fine
1 Green Chili chopped fine
4 Medium Tomatoes use red, ripe & juicy tomatoes
3 tbsp Tomato Paste
3 Large / 5 Medium Potatoes chopped into large cubes
1 small head / 2 cups Cauliflower florets use small florets
1 Cup Cabbage shredded fine
1 Medium size Bell Pepper/ Capsicum chopped fine
1 Large Carrot chopped fine
1/2 cup Green Peas
2 cups Water

Pav / Dinner Rolls / Buns - 18 or more

Oils & Spices

1 tbsp Cooking Oil
1 tbsp Butter
2 tsp Kashmiri Lal Mirch optional
1-2 tbsp Pav Bhaji Masala as per taste
1/2 - 1 tbsp Salt or to taste

Garnish or Toppings

1/4 cup Cilantro / Coriander leaves chopped fine
1 small Onion chopped fine
1 large Lemon cut into slices
3-4 Green Chilies chopped fine
8 tsp Butter optional. use less or more as required.

Instructions

Keep vegetables chopped and all the ingredients ready.

INSTANT POT METHOD

Plug in the 6 quart Instant pot. Place the Inner pot inside. PRESS SAUTE MODE and set it on HIGH.

COOKING ON SAUTE MODE

After pressing the SAUTE MODE, wait till HOT appears on the display screen. When the Inner Pot is Hot, add OIL and Butter to it. When Butter melts, add Onions, Ginger, Garlic and Green chilies. Stir and Saute till Onions are slightly golden. To fasten up this process, cover with lnstant pot lid and cook onions for a minute first. Then remove the lid and cook onions till slightly golden. It should take 3-4 minutes in all.
Now add chopped tomatoes + tomato paste + kashmiri lal mirch (if you are using) to the pot. Give it a good stir. Cover with the IP LID and cook the tomatoes for 2 minutes till they are mushed and saucy.
Remove the lid. Add all the vegetables besides Green Peas. Give it a good stir. Add PAV BHAJI MASALA and Salt. Give it a good stir again. If you do not have home made masala, then use either MDH or Shaan brand Pav Bhaji Masala. These are good. See the NOTES at the bottom for the spices to use when you do not have PAV BHAJI MASALA at all.
Add 2 cups water to the Instant Pot. Give it a good stir. CANCEL THE SAUTE MODE NOW.

COOKING ON MANUAL / PRESSURE COOK MODE

Set the FLOATING VALVE to SEALING. Press the MANUAL / PRESSURE COOK MODE and set it to MORE and set the PRESSURE TO HIGH. Set the TIME to 10 minutes.
It will take about 7-8 minutes for Instant Pot to kick in Pressure Mode. Then it will actually start cooking. To speed up the process, you can use hot water.
Once the timer beeps, Release the pressure MANUALLY, after 5 minutes. Open the lid carefully and plug out the Instant Pot. Take the Potato Masher and run it through the Instant Pot, mashing the potatoes and other vegetables, till they are of the consistency that you like.
Add Green Peas to the Instant Pot. Close the lid again and let sit for 5 minutes. Open the lid. Check for Salt and Spice level. Add more salt and Pav bhaji masala if required.
Pav Bhaji is ready to be served with Butter Roasted Pav and all the Toppings.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Take a plate, scoop some Bhaji and add some butter on top. Place 2 Butter roasted Pav. Squeeze some lemon juice n bhaji. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro leaves + Green Chilies+ chopped onions on top of bhaji. If desired, add some garlic chili chutney powder.

NOTES

If you do not have Pav-Bhaji masala, then use 1 tbsp coriander powder + 1/2 tsp red chili powder + 1tsp Kashmiri lal mirch + 1/2 tsp Turmeric + 2 tsp Fennel powder + 1&1/2 tsp Garam Masala + 1/2 tbsp Dry Mango powder.

PRESSURE COOK METHOD

All of the steps remain the same in Pressure cook method. You have to cook the vegetables and potatoes for 2 whistles in this case. Once the pressure is released, open the lid and mash potatoes and vegetables with potato masher. Your Pav Bhaji in Pressure cooker is ready.

STOVE TOP METHOD

For stove top method, your vegetables need to be parboiled and potatoes need to be boiled as well before making pav bhaji.
Most of the Cooking steps remain same in Stove top method. You cook onion tomato the same way as above in a large saute pan. Add parboiled vegetables and potatoes to the pan. Add spices and salt plus water. Cook for 1/2 hour on medium heat while stirring occasionally. Once done, mash with potato masher. That's it. Your Stove Top Pav Bhaji is ready.

I am sure that you will surely be looking into buying an Instant Pot, if you do not have any. I recommend 9-in-1 6 quart Instant Pot Duo and if you are looking to buy the 2nd instant pot, then 3 quart Mini Instant Pot is a must buy.

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Do leave your comments if you have any quarries or share your joy if this becomes a hit at home.

Instant Pot Pav Bhaji Recipe

You can purchase some of the kitchen equipment and ingredients here, to make this recipe easily.

Instant Pot

Instant Pot Lid

Potato Mahser, stainless steel, I love this and I use this in my kitchen.

Knife

Chopping Board

Tomato Paste

Can’t make it now? Save Instant Pot Pav Bhaji Recipe for Later!

Instant Pot Pav Bhaji Recipe

In my kitchen, you will always EAT HAPPY & STAY HAPPY!

Sonal

Kung Pao Spaghetti Hot Spicy Noodles

February 6, 2018 by simplyvegetarian777 35 Comments

Kung Pao Spaghetti Hot Spicy Noodles is the perfect recipe that is easy, simple and oh-so delicious. It is made using Spaghetti with Asian flavors of Spicy Kung Pao. A perfect Chinese Take-Out dish is now Vegetarian and can be enjoyed at home.

Kung Pao Spaghetti Hot Spicy Noodles

Since last few years, I have noticed the rise in Kung Pao cuisine in the Asian restaurants and diners in USA. The Chinese Take-outs always have Chicken Kung Pao on the menu. Whenever my kids and husband order it as take-out, I look at it with frustrated eyes. And I curse the take-outs for not having the vegetarian version.

If you are high on spice like me, then you will just drool over the sight of Kung Pao. That first look and you fall in love – is a true story in this case, at least for me. Small red chilies along with a good amount of peanuts peaking through the food, that already looks drenched in heat, is a soothing sight for this Spice Mistress.

Finally, I got a respite to my Vegetarian Kung Pao version when we visited California Pizza Kitchen, sometime ago. I was going through their menu and got stuck at Kung Pao Spaghetti. It was there and they served it without any meat. I ordered it and devoured the whole thing without a blink. The crunch of peanuts and the heat of those small red chilies made me dance in my head. I was just overwhelmed with the joy of tasting Kung pao my way. That is rare case since the original dish is Chicken Kung Pao.

I love these fusion restaurants since they have stretched the imagination of a foodie, way beyond. You can bend and blend the food, per your personal choice and enjoy it too. Amazing, right?

Kung Pao Spaghetti Hot Spicy Noodles

Some Trivia about Kung Pao Cuisine {source – wiki}

This dish is named after a Chinese official from Sichuan Province, whose title was Gongbao also called Kung Pao, which literally means Palace Guardian. Interesting, huh! The name is derived from his title. Now, it is a popular dish of Westernized Chinese Cuisine.

Kung Pao Spaghetti Hot Spicy Noodles is not an authentic recipe but an adaptation from the original. I have created it using the easily available ingredients so that I and you, both of us can enjoy it more often.

Some other Asian Inspired Recipes from Blog are – Hakka Noodles, Honey Chili Lime Noodles, Cold Noodles Salad, Fried Rice, Tofu Kung Pao, Mongolian sauce Tofu, Orange Tofu and Tofu Lettuce wraps (P.F.Chang’s Style).

Important Gains of this Recipe

You are getting Basic Kung Pao Marinade or Sauce that you can use with anything like tofu, broccoli or mixed vegetables to make it vegetarian.
This sauce can be adjusted in its spice level and can be used as a base for many Asian recipes, adding other ingredients as required.
An amazing fusion using spaghetti, where you can use noodles of your choice or make a vegetable Kung Pao and serve with rice or grain of your choice. You can alter the spice levels to low or high and can still enjoy it.

This is how you make Kung Pao Spaghetti Hot Spicy Noodles.

Read the foot-notes for vegan and gluten-free options.

Kung Pao Spaghetti Hot Spicy Noodles

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

25 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 4

Author: simplyvegetarian777

Ingredients

16 ounce/1 pound /450 grams Spaghetti You may use Hakka Noodles if desired
1/2 tbsp Ginger finely chopped
4 cloves Garlic finely chopped
5-6 Green Scallions / Green Onions sliced thin, white and green part separated
1 cup Broccoli Florets small, optional
1 tbsp Cooking Oil
4-6 whole, dry Red chillies omit it if you do not want too spicy
1/2 cup Peanuts Dry, roasted, skin removed

Kung Pao Sauce / Marinade

1/3 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Vinegar, white distilled
2 tbsp Chili Paste or Sauce Use 1 tbsp for medium heat
1 tbsp Sugar or Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Corn Starch/ Corn Flour
3/4 cup Cold Water

Instructions

Prepare the Spaghetti or Noodles

Cook and Drain the spaghetti or noodles as per your packet instructions and set aside.

Making Kung Pao Sauce and Marinade

Take a large bowl or deep cup. Add soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and chili paste to it. Give it a good stir. Add 1 tbsp corn starch and cold water to the same cup/bowl. Mix it well till corn starch is dissolved well. Set aside.
Making Kung Pao Spaghetti Hot Spicy Noodles
Heat oil in a large pan. Add whole red chilies, ginger, garlic and white part of the green scallions/onions. Stir it well on medium heat for few seconds till red chilies crisp up.
Now Add the Kung Pao Sauce/Marinade to the pan. Bring it to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and add peanuts, broccoli florets and boiled spaghetti or noodles to the pan.
With the help of tongs or 2 large forks or 2 large stirring spoons, give spaghetti a good toss in the kung pao sauce so that the noodles are well covered with sauce. Let cook on medium for 2-3 minutes.
Sprinkle with Green part of the scallions. Kung Pao Spaghetti is done. Serve it hot.

Notes

For Vegan options - use egg free or dairy free noodles or spaghetti. Also, in place of Soy sauce, you can use Tamari sauce. Read the Instructions of your ingredients carefully.
For Glutenfree options - use wheat or refined free noodles or spaghetti. Read the Instructions of your ingredients carefully to make sure that these have no wheat or gluten in it as stabilizer etc.
You may use other vegetables like green string beans, baby corn, carrots, wate chestnuts, bamboo shoots, zucchini etc to this recipe, if you want.

I am sure you are going to try this soon. If you do, then do give me shout out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest.

It is a perfect recipe to pack for lunch box, to make and take for get togethers or make it for no reason like I did and enjoy for the pure joy of the gluttony.

Kung Pao Spaghetti Hot Spicy Noodles

You can order these ingredients from amazon to make this recipe.

Distilled white vinegar

Hard Anodized large pan

Stirring forks

Can’t Make it Now? PIN IT FOR LATER!

Kung Pao Spaghetti Hot Spicy Noodles

In my kitchen you will always EAT HAPPY & STAY HAPPY!

Sonal

Instant Pot Punjabi Kadhi Recipe

January 17, 2018 by simplyvegetarian777 20 Comments

Instant Pot Punjabi Kadhi Recipe is a life saver recipe. It is cooked in 15 minutes and is on the table in less than 1/2 hr. This is an authentic recipe, done fast with no mess. It is best served with hot steaming rice.

Instant Pot Punjabi Kadhi Recipe

Okay people, before somebody starts accusing me with “how can this be authentic Punjabi kadhi, when there is no pakoda(fritter) in it? Let me make my case by saying that I was too lazy to deep fry the pakoda and too excited to get this recipe right in my Insta-Pot, that I “make-do” with deep fried Boondi (deep fried gram flour pearls). The base of this Punjabi Kadhi is authentic, how my mum or mum-in-law would make at home in Northern States of India.

CHECK OUT HERE⇐ for STOVE TOP PUNJABI KADHI RECIPE.

Here are few things to know, before we move on to the recipe.

Do not be intimidated by Instant-Pot. Accept it and Embrace it. Instant-Pot is very promising. It takes few initial hit and runs, and after that, you operate it smoothly. I promise.
Read the manual carefully for functions. Join some Instant-Pot groups on Facebook to get started since that will be of great help.
There is no BABYSITTING on this machine. Cooking is MESS-FREE and MULTI-PURPOSE.
Some common words that you will hear are cooking on MANUAL which is actually PRESSURE COOK. SAUTE is another favorite function. Some commonly used functions that I use are- Manual/ Pressure, Saute Mode, Bean Mode, Soup & Stew Mode. CHECK OUT HERE⇐ for detailed INSTANT POT Parts and Operations.
It is your BEST FRIEND if you are a busy person. It is very convenient to use on busy days, when you are sick, or when you want to take it easy.

Instant Pot Punjabi Kadhi Recipe

Some other Gas Stove Kadhi Recipes from my blog are – Lehsuni kadhi and methi pyaaz ki kadhi. These recipes can be made in Instant Pot, using the same method as mentioned below.

This is how you make Instant Pot Punjabi Kadhi Recipe, without a mess and in less time.

Instant Pot Punjabi Kadhi Recipe

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

25 mins

Instant Pot Punjabi Kadhi Recipe is a life saver. It is cooked in 15 minutes and is on the table in less than 1/2 hr. This is an authentic recipe, done fast with no mess. It is best served with hot steaming rice.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Author: simplyvegetarian777

Ingredients

Punjabi Kadhi Ingredients

1/2 cup Besan / Chickpea Flour sieved
2 cups Yogurt sour
1 tbsp Ginger finely chopped
2 Green Chillies slit into 4s
6 cups Water

Oil & Spices

1 tbsp Ghee
1 pinch Hing / Asafetida
1 tsp Jeera / Cumin seeds
1 tsp Methi dana / Fenugreek seeds
2 Lal Mirch Sabut / Red Chillies Whole & Dry
1/2 tbsp Haldi / Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Lal Mirch powder / Red chili powder
To taste Salt
1 tsp Ginger finely chopped
1-2 Green Chillies slit into 4s

Tadka Ingredients

1 tbsp Ghee
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 small pinch Hing/Asafetida
1 tsp Degi Mirch or Kashmiri Lal Mirch

Instructions

Preparing for Punjabi Kadhi

Take a large mixing bowl and sieve the besan/gram flour in it. Whisk the yogurt and add it slowly to the flour. Keep stirring vigorously with the whisk, to avoid any lump formation. Add 2 cups of water. Mix with Besan and yogurt. Set aside.

Making Punjabi Kadhi in Instant Pot

Use 6 quart Instant Pot or larger. Do not use the MINI INSTANT POT for making Punjabi Kadhi.
Place the Instant Pot on an open counter space. Make sure that it is away from the wall and away from any cupboard above it. Place the Inner Stainless Steel Pot inside the Instant Pot Base. Make sure that the lid has its sealing ring placed properly.
Plug in the Instant Pot. Press SAUTE MODE and set it on NORMAL by pressing the saute mode. Now wait till the screen displays HOT.
Add Ghee or cooking oil to the Inner pot and wait for few seconds till ghee heats up. Now add Hing (asafetida), methi dana (fenugreek seeds), cumin seeds and whole dry red chilies to hot ghee. Saute for few seconds till cumin seeds turn slightly golden. Add Ginger and green chili. Give it a good stir.
Now slowly pour the besan mix into the inner pot. Give it a good stir. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt to taste. Give another good stir. Add the remaining 3 cups of water and adjust salt. Stir again. Save 1 cup of water for later.
Now place the lid of the pot and rotate it clock-wise to lock it in place. Press CANCEL to cancel the SAUTE MODE setting.
Set the FLOAT VALVE to VENTING. This will not build the pressure inside the pot and will keep releasing the pressure side by side.
Press SOUP/BROTH Mode and set it on LESS. Make sure that the PRESSURE is also set to LESS. Set the timer for 15 minutes.
Please take the extra time into account that Instant-pot takes to become hot and kick in actual cooking. It is about 7-8 minutes pre-cooking. You should not use the hot water in this recipe or else besan in the recipe can thicken and become lumpy.
After you hear the beep from the Instant-Pot, wait for few minutes. Now open the lid carefully.
The kadhi might seem saturated or concentrated. Take a stirring spoon or ladle and give it a good stir. Kadhi is ready. If it is too thick for you, add 1 cup of hot water, as desired and adjust the salt.
If it is too thick for you, add 1-2 cups of hot water, as desired and adjust the salt. Put the instant pot on MORE SOUP MODE and bring it to a boil.

Making Tadka for Kadhi

Heat Ghee in a small pan. Lower the heat to lower medium and add hing+cumin seeds to the pan. Once the cumin seeds start crackling, lower the heat and add degi mirch or kashmiri mirch. Immediately switch off the heat. Add this tadka to Punjabi Kadhi.

Serving Suggestion

Punjabi Kadhi is best served with Jeera Rice or Plain Basmati Rice. It is often relished with Parantha and naan as well.

Isn’t that wonderful that you can cook such authentic recipe like PUNJABI KADHI in just 15 minutes? I have started making it more often now, since I do not have to babysit Kadhi anymore and to top that there is no more spilling or mess.

Instant Pot Punjabi Kadhi Recipe

Some ingredients that you can order Online to get started with this recipe are

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Can’t make it now? PIN Instant Pot Punjabi Kadhi Recipe for Later!

Instant Pot Punjabi Kadhi Recipe

In my kitchen, you will always EAT HAPPY & STAY HAPPY!

Sonal

Mooli ke Patte ki Bhurji

January 11, 2018 by simplyvegetarian777 4 Comments

Mooli ke Patte ki Bhurji is a power-house of nutrition. This is a winter special Indian Stir-fry and very popular in the Northern States of India. It is easy & quick and made with just a few everyday ingredients.

Mooli ke Patte ki Bhurji

The other day when I went to Indian grocery store, I noticed these beautiful radishes or daikon as called in some countries. For the first time, they had their long lush leaves attached to them. Untouched. Green. Intact. Fresh.

I picked one Radish and plucked the leaves from it. Slowly, I repeated the same with at least 5-6 daikons. I promise I wasn’t stealing. If somebody was noticing, they must have thought I was a crazy woman, picking up leaves than the actual Radish.

After I finished my grocery shopping, I went to the check out counter. The lady actually gave these to me FREE. She didn’t charge me a penny for the leaves. Actually, she was happy to get rid of the leaves.

Many people are unaware of this traditional, rustic and easy dish from North India. Mooli ke Patte ki Bhurji is prepared in the winters since Mooli or Radish/Daikon is available in abundance in the season. Long White Radish has a very crispy bite and the taste is very peppery.

Mooli ke Patte ki Bhurji

I have good memories of chomping on the peppery Radish, on sunny wintery noons. Dad would peel and slice these, Lace them up with lemon juice, chaat masala, and red chili powder. We would relish these winter treats while licking the flowing lemony chaat masala off our wrists. 😀

Few things to keep in mind before you prepare the recipe.

The raw Radish leaves have to be fresh and crisp. Do not pick the wilted and limp greens.
Triple wash or wash it 4-5 times before preparing the recipe. The leaves have quite a lot of mud since Radish is a Root Vegetable.
Wash the leaves in COLD RUNNING WATER.
Just a suggestion – the dish tastes awesome when cooked in mustard oil. Though You can use any oil to cook the recipe.

Here is the Easy and Simple Recipe to make Mooli ke Patte ki Bhurji.

Mooli ke Patte ki Bhurji

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

25 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 4

Author: simplyvegetarian777

Ingredients

4-5 cups Mustard Leaves, washed & chopped fine leaves of 4 to 5 Radish
1/2 tbsp Mustard Oil
1 Red Chili, whole & dry
1/2 tsp Methi / Fenugreek Seeds
1/2 tsp Ajwain / Carom seeds
1/2 tsp Haldi / Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Red chili powder or to taste
To Taste Salt

Instructions

Heat mustard oil in the pan. Lower the flame. Add methi seeds, whole red dry chili, and ajwain seeds to the hot oil. Sauté for few seconds on low flame for few seconds.
Now add turmeric powder and red chili powder. Sauté for few more seconds.
Add chopped radish leaves. Sprinkle salt on top. Toss it well with spices. Cook it covered for 5 minutes on medium heat. Remove the lid and cook further for 10-12 minutes. Stir occasionally for even cooking.
Take it off the heat. Serve it warm with hot rotis or paranthas.

My mum and my mum-in-law both make fantastic Muli ke Patte ki sabzi in winters. It features on the dining table at least once a week. Since it is a seasonal dish, everybody goes crazy for it. Hot Crispy Parantha and some Lehsuni Kadhi on the side, the life is all set. It is a pure Foodgasm. This recipe is a perfect glutefree indian dish along with being indian vegan side dish.

Make Hay while the Sun Shines! 😀

Mooli ke Patte ki Bhurji

Health Benefits of Radish Leaves

Before I forget, I would like to mention that the Greens of Radish or Daikon or any greens are rich in nutrients like Iron, Calcium, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, and Phosphorus. The leaves are a good source of Dietary Fiber and great for Dental Health, Bone Health. These leaves are perfect for Diabetics.

I am hoping that next time when you are at Indian Store, you will keep an eye on the Daikon or Radish leaves and try it soon. Do send me the feedback if you try it. Would love to hear all about it.

Can’t make it now? PIN Mooli ke Patte ki Bhurji FOR LATER.

Mooli ke Patte ki Bhurji

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In my Kitchen, you will always EAT HAPPY & STAY HAPPY!

Sonal

Blue Cheese Spinach Walnuts Braided Bread

December 8, 2017 by simplyvegetarian777 2 Comments

Blue Cheese Spinach Walnuts Braided Bread made with Salemville® Blue Cheese is the perfect appetizer to put together and slow down amidst the Holiday Madness. It pairs well with Coffee, Tea or Wine.

Blue Cheese Spinach Walnuts Braided Bread

Click here to enter the GRAND GIVE AWAY by Salemville® Cheese

Blue Cheese Spinach Walnuts Braided Bread

Raise your hands if you are going crazy, loosing your mind and getting panic attacks!! I do not blame you if you are in the maddening situation, given that the holidays are just few days away.

I was trying to find the exact meaning of HOLIDAY…..you won’t believe what the dictionary says…Holiday is a day of festivity or recreation when no work is done. LOL!

For a day like that when we need to take a break and get nothing done, we turn our worlds upside down. Making the lists, surfing the web for that perfect gift, making numerous trips to the mall, staying late at night to wrap the presents and not to forget the stress of hosting the holiday parties…it all takes a lot of our time, energy and effort.

I know, I know it is all worth it. Believe me, I am an equal partner in crime here. We all need to slow down in the middle of the madness sometime, take a moment, breathe deep and DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! It is important to do that to maintain our sanity so that we can actually enjoy what we are doing.

Blue Cheese Spinach Walnuts Braided Bread

Salemville® Cheese

Blue Cheese Spinach Walnuts Braided Bread is that easy appetizer that you would like to make again and again to either feed yourself or your friends & family. Few readily available ingredients and Salemville® Blue Cheese is all what you need to make this delicious holiday appetizer.

I recently had an opportunity to try Salemville® Cheeses and I have to confess that their cheeses are one of the best cheeses I have tasted.

Salemville^® award-winning blue-veined cheeses are crafted in the heart of Wisconsin, America’s Dairy land. Their cheeses are renowned for their smooth, earthy flavor that perfectly accentuates burgers, salads and cheese plates.

The line’s rich and creamy texture is dotted with gorgeous veining and serves as the perfect counterpart to dessert wines. These cheeses are rich in calcium and contain no preservatives or chemical additives. [ Source – Salemville^® ]

DO NOT FORGET TO ENTER THE $1000 WORTH GRILL SMOKER GIVEAWAY BY SALEMVILLE!

This is how to make the Blue Cheese Spinach Walnuts Braided Bread and take a moment to Slow Down for the Holidays with Salemville® Cheese.

Blue Cheese Spinach Walnuts Braided Bread

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

25 mins

Blue Cheese Spinach Walnuts Braided Bread made with Salemville® Blue Cheese is the perfect appetizer to put together and slow down amidst the Holiday Madness. It pairs well with Coffee, Tea or Wine.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8

Author: simplyvegetarian777

Ingredients

1/4 cup Salemville Amish Blue Cheese
1 packet Pizza Dough or Puff Pastry Dough or Flat Bread Dough ready to bake
1/4 cup Cream Cheese at room temperature
1 cup, packed Spinach washed & Chopped roughly
1/4 cup Walnuts Chopped roughly
1 tbsp Dried Cranberries or Raisins chopped roughly, optional
1 tbsp Hot Sauce Adjust to taste, if required
1 tbsp Marianra / Pasta Sauce

Instructions

Refer to this picture when braiding the bread, as per instructions given below. Also will post this picture at the bottom of the post for more clarity.
Preheat the oven at 420*F or as per the instructions given at the back of the dough packet, you are using. Line a baking tray with parchment paper/butter paper and set aside.
Take a bowl and add chopped spinach, walnuts, cranberries, hot sauce and marinara sauce to it. Mix all the ingredients gently. Set aside.
Prepare your clean kitchen counter. Spread some dry flour on the working surface and roll the dough out in at least 12inch x 9inch rectangle or a good shape rectangle, as your dough allows.
Now divide the rectangle into IMAGINARY 3 parts, length wise.
Mark and cut about 1 inch wide strips on the 2 outer sides of the rectangle. They are attached to the middle part. The outer 2 sides of the rectangle will now have 10-12 strips each side.
Make sure that you leave at least 1&1/2 inches of space on both the ends of the middle rectangle. Take the cream cheese and spread it out evenly on the middle long rectangle. Now spread the spinach and walnuts mix evenly on top of the cream cheese.
Take 1/4 cup of Salemville Amish Blue cheese and crumble it. Spread these crumbles evenly on top of spinach mix.

Braiding the Bread

Before you start braiding, take care of the top and the bottom parts of the middle rectangle. Take the top part of the rectangle and bring it over the stuffing and seal gently at the ends, making a kind of pocket. Repeat the same with the bottom part.
Now start Braiding. Bring the top dough strip from the left side to the center covering the stuffing. Try to stretch gently and press down gently on the edge.
Now bring the dough strip from the right side to the center covering the stuffing and crossing over the first strip. Try to stretch gently and press down gently on the edge.
Finish braiding the bread like wise, alternating between the strips from left side and right side, till you finish.
When finished braiding, brush the top lightly with melted butter. Pick it up gently and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, as per the instructions given at the back of your dough packet. Or Bake till slightly golden in color.
Take it out. Let rest for 5 minutes. Cut it into thin or thick slices and serve it warm.

Now tell me honestly, isn’t this the perfect THING to take away the stress from the HOLIDAYS and slow down a bit.

The Braiding Steps Pictogram for your reference. ⇓⇓

How to braid the bread

Salemville® cheese Give Away

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY BY CLICKING ON THE PICTURE ABOVE ⇑⇑

Blue Cheese Spinach Walnuts Braided Bread

These are perfect appetizers even to take to your HOLIDAY GET TOGETHERS. There are numerous possibilities with Salemville® Blue cheese.

Some other easy appetizers from my blog for the holidays are – caramelized onion & mushroom flatbread , pesto marinara flatbreads and more.

Can’t make it now? PIN Blue Cheese Spinach Walnuts Braided Bread for LATER!

Blue Cheese Spinach Walnuts Braided Bread

Do not forget to enter the Salemville® Cheese GIVE AWAY, which is a GRILL SMOKER valued at $1000. It is the perfect gift for him, either it is your dad, your husband, your grill master wife, your partner or your son who likes to cook.

In my kitchen, you will always EAT HAPPY & STAY HAPPY!!

Sonal

Pineapple Cranberry Relish – 5 Ingredients Easy Recipe

November 20, 2017 by simplyvegetarian777 7 Comments

Pineapple Cranberry Relish – 5 Ingredients Easy Recipe is a must have cranberry relish at the Thanksgiving Dinner Table. It is perfect to be served with your roasted root vegetables, alongside your cracker and cheese platter or on top of your favorite protein.

Pineapple Cranberry Relish

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Cranberry sauce or relish or chutney is a quintessential condiment on the Thanksgiving Dinner Table. I have never come across a holiday dinner setting which is missing out on cranberry sauce. This sauce or relish or chutney is often served with turkey for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas dinner. When this is made with just 5 Ingredients, then all the more reason to make it.

Little History – There is no historical evidence if Cranberry sauce was consumed as a part of the meal in 1600s by Pilgrims and the Native Indian Tribe. What makes it more unlikely is that the use of sugar was not much widely known on the native american side at that time. The tribes did use cranberries though for dyes, medicine and food. The cranberry sauce finds a better mention in the history in 1800s when Americans started dry harvesting. In early 1900s, when the wet harvesting of the cranberries became a more handy technique, the production of these grew and cranberry sauce made it to the shelves of the American Market.

Pineapple Cranberry Relish

If you ask me, how will I compare it to any Indian Berry back home, then I would say that it is closer in taste and texture to Karonda (known as Bengal Currant in English) and Amla (gooseberry) with the similar health benefits.

Here is how to make Pineapple Cranberry Relish .

Pineapple Cranberry Relish

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

30 mins

Pineapple Cranberry Relish - 5 Ingredients Easy Recipe is a must have cranberry relish at the Thanksgiving Dinner Table. It is perfect to be served with your roasted root vegetables, alongside your cracker and cheese platter or on top of your favorite protein.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: 2 cups

Author: Sonal Gupta @ simplyvegetarian777

Ingredients

12 ounce Cranberries fresh
20 ounce Pineapple chunks, canned unsweetened
1/3 cup Brown Sugar packed
2 Cloves crushed lightly
1 cup Water
1/4 tsp chili flakes optional

Instructions

Take a blender. Add washed cranberries, Pineapple chunks along with its juice to the blender. Churn in the blender till roughly blended. We want chunky blend and not the smooth blend of berries and pineapple. If some berries are left whole, then it is okay.
Now take a heavy bottom sauce pan. Add Cranberries +Pineapple crush into the pan. Add packed brown sugar, crushed cloves and 1 cup water to the pan. If you are planning to add a little kick to the relish, then add a fat pinch of chili flakes to it now. This step is totally optional.
Bring the Pineapple Cranberry Relish mix to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cover with a lid. Covering with lid is important since it splatters while cooking. Cook for 10-15 minutes till the relish starts thickening. Keep stirring in between, to avoid burning.
Switch off the heat Let it cool down completely to the room temperature before storing it.

Storage

Store the Relish in a clean glass jar with air tight lid or a clean plastic container with a tight lid. You can store it at the room temperature, but for better shelf life, store it in the refrigerator.

Serving Suggestion

Serve this relish on top of your favorite roasted protein.
Serve it with your Cheese Platter along side your cheese and crackers, grapes, celery and wine.
Bake with this relish. Make mini bites with ready to use puff pastry or pie shells. Cut small pieces of these pastries, fill them with some cheese, relish and nuts. Bake till golden. These make perfect appetizers.
Spread on your sandwiches and wraps and make a filling delicious wrap with some protein and nuts in it.

Isn’t this Pineapple Cranberry Relish easy peasy? Simple instructions and made with just 5 MAIN INGREDIENTS. The best part is that this can be made in advance and used as required. You can use it warm or room temperature or cold out of refrigerator. I am going to eat it for my snack today with some cheese and crackers plus celery and carrots.

You got to try my Creamy Garlicky Mashed Potatoes for your Thanksgiving meal along side this chutney.

This chutney or sauce makes an excellent gift for your hostess if you are invited for a dinner. Also, this relish goes very well in any last minute small baked bites, made with some cheese, nuts and cranberry sauce. A recipe coming up soon for that.

Pineapple Cranberry Relish

Some other recipes to try for Thanksgiving from my blog are – Green Beans with Cranberry Sauce , Grilled Asparagus , Broccoli in Orange and Honey , etc.

The ingredients that you can order from Amazon

Glass Jars for Storage

Cranberry is a small sweet and tart berry with a slight bitter after taste. To learn more about this berry, click here (source -wiki). This berry is very high in Vitamin C, which makes it perfect to be included in your Winter Diet to boost the immunity and help keep the cold and cough at bay! If not for anything else, make this relish for the cold reason.

Can’t make it now? PIN Pineapple Cranberry Relish FOR LATER!

Pineapple Cranberry Relish

I am sure that you will be making this delicious Pineapple Cranberry Relish for this Thanksgiving and probably would not be making it any other way! 🙂

Keep me posted if you try this recipe and send your reviews.

In my Kitchen, you will always EAT HAPPY & STAY HAPPY!

Sonal

Pesto Marinara Crescent FlatBreads

November 6, 2017 by simplyvegetarian777 7 Comments

Pesto Marinara Crescent FlatBreads

{ CLICK HERE } to print your $1.00 off coupon to purchase any Immaculate Baking Product.

Pesto Marinara Crescent FlatBreads {Immaculate Baking Co.}

Did I tell you that I am working on my Thanksgiving Menu, already? This year, I am hosting the Thanksgiving feast at my cozy corner and I am already planning the menu. Believe me, It is never too early to plan on Thanksgiving menu and making sure that there is at least something for every one to feast upon. I am sure these Pesto Marinara Crescent FlatBreads are going to set the mood right as an appetizer.

The best part is that these are semi home made. I am loving it since I am all about semi home made when hosting a large group of people at home. I plan to have a good number of vegetarian appetizers and sides and make it rather a one course meal and then followed by coffee and dessert.

I shy away from formal setting and always am looking for some casual ideas when entertaining. Somehow, casual is more relaxing, takes the pressure off of the host and the guests both. I think it works better when you have many guests who are coming to your house for the first time.

What do you think? I would love to get some ideas about easy doable center pieces as well. Do leave your suggestions in the comments.

Pesto Marinara Crescent Flatbreads {Immaculate Baking Co.}

Whenever I am hosting, I gather these ingredients – ready to bake pie crusts, crescent rolls, pizza dough, biscuits etc to quickly create and bake. These have never disappointed me and I always have a good supply stacked in my refrigerator.

This time I have used Organic Crescent Rolls from Immaculate Baking Company, to make Pesto Marinara Crescent Flatbreads to feed my happy crowd. The buttery flaky base of these crescents is perfect for that HOLIDAY-ish Food textures and flavors. You can’t forget the aroma of those buttery layers baking and filling the house with cravings. Yes, it is that comforting.

I have become an Immaculate Baker now, with Immaculate Baking Company Products.

When Immaculate Baking Company contacted me to do a savory recipe for Thanksgiving, I couldn’t have been happier. I was already making my shopping list so I printed the coupon and got some products to try and play along. You can print your coupon —–> here for $1.00 off any Immaculate Baking Co. Product. I got mine from Whole Foods. These are stored in the same refrigerated section as Butters at Whole Foods. Some of the Targets also carry this brand.

I was so delighted to use the Immaculate Baking Organic Crescent Rolls to create the Pesto Marinara Crescent FlatBreads. Finally, I found a brand that is organic for my semi home made needs. Being a careful buyer who always reads the ingredients before buying, it was such a relief. You can actually read the ingredients and translate them to the real words.

Feeding 2 kids, it is definitely reassuring that these products are free of any artificial additives and not stripped off of their natural elements. For the families that are struggling with Gluten allergies, Immaculate Baking has many gluten free “ready to bake” products as well. Check these out here !

When I researched more about the company, I was so impressed by the idea and mission of Scott Blackwell {owner}. Not only he has done a phenomenal job of bringing the organic and glutenfree products to us, he has been the champion of American Folk Art, which is so visible on all the packaging of the products as well.

Pesto Marinara Crescent FlatBreads

Tell me honestly, don’t these Pesto Marinara Crescent FlatBreads look so festive? The colors of pine green from pesto, of snow from white, yellow and red colors of autumn from marinara and yellow bell peppers….all together weave a story of holiday, traditions, gatherings. Right?

The use of crescent rolls as a flatbread base, made these flatbreads melt in the mouth. Though my husband loved the Marinara more, my personal favorite was Pesto. Nonetheless, you have everybody covered there, no matter what they like.

Here is the recipe for Pesto Marinara Crescent Flatbreads, that requires only 5 main ingredients to prepare. Easy-Peasy-Lemon Squeezy.

Save Print

Pesto Marinara Crescent FlatBreads

Author: Sonal Gupta @ simplyvegetarian777

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Prep time: 6 mins

Cook time: 14 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 4

Easy and Quick Vegetarian Thanksgiving Appetizer, made with Immaculate Baking Organic Crescent Rolls

Ingredients

Crescent Rolls {Immaculate Baking Organic} - 1 pack
Pesto sauce - 1 tbsp
Marinara sauce - 1 tbsp
Red bell peppers - ½ tbsp
Yellow or Green bell peppers - ½ tbsp
Basil leaves - 2, chopped fine
Parmesan Cheese - 2 tbsp

Instructions

Preheat the oven at 375*F/190*C. Line a baking sheet with parchment / butter paper and set aside.
Take the Immaculate Baking Organic Crescent Roll Packet. Open it as per the instructions given on the packaging.
Separate the 2 perforated crescent roll sheets and place them length wise on the lined baking sheet.
Pinch the perforations together to close any gap and make the sheet look like one single rectangle. Repeat this process with the other perforated sheet as well.
Now you have 2 long rectangles of crescent sheets.
Pesto Crescent Flatbread Sheet -Take 1 tbsp of pesto sauce and spread it evenly on one single sheet. Top it with some finely chopped red bell peppers. Sprinkle 1 tbsp parmesan cheese on top.
Marinara Crescent Flatbread Sheet - Take 1 tbsp of marinara sauce and spread it evenly on the other single sheet. Top it with some finely chopped yellow or green bell peppers+Basil leaves. Sprinkle 1 tbsp parmesan cheese on top.
Bake these in the oven for about 12-14 minutes, or till the edges get golden brown and cheese is melted.
These are done and ready to be served. Cut them into triangles or squares with pizza cutter and serve while warm.

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This recipe is perfect not only for Thanksgiving holiday parties, but also when your kids come back hungry from school. Or bake these flatbreads when you are entertaining your girl friends over some wine and cocktails. This is never going to disappoint you.

Pesto Marinara Crescent FlatBreads {Immaculate Baking Co.}

For more RECIPE IDEAS using Immaculate Baking products, CLICK HERE ! And to print the coupon for $1.00 off, CLICK HERE!

Some More Thanksgiving recipes from my blog – Spaghetti in Mushroom Sauce , Penne in Red Wine Mushroom Sauce , Garlicky Mashed Potatoes and more.

Pesto Marinara Crescent FlatBreads

Here is the coupon code once again for $1.00 off, if you missed it at the top. JUST CLICK HERE, Print and Buy the Immaculate Baking Company Organic Crescent Rolls or any other product of your choice.

You can order some products to create this recipe from here ⇓

Pesto Sauce

Marinara Sauce

Parmesan Cheese

Can’t make it now? Pin Pesto Marinara Crescent FlatBreads for Later!

Pesto Marinara Crescent FlatBreads {Immaculate Baking Co.}

I am sure that you have bookmarked this recipe to make for your Thanksgiving feast. If you try it, then do send me the feedback. I would love to hear back from you.

In my kitchen, you will always EAT HAPPY & STAY HAPPY!!

Sonal

Rice Crispie Monsters – Glutenfree Halloween Treats

October 27, 2017 by simplyvegetarian777 6 Comments

Rice Crispie Monsters – Glutenfree Halloween Treats

Do you see these ⇑Rice Crispie Monsters ? Give me an honest feedback now. What do you think about these guys? Are they creepy enough or kinda cute? I wanted these to look creepy but I guess these are somewhere in between creepy and cute, that is cute enough not to scare the little ones and creepy enough to keep the Halloween spirit alive.

I thought of making this Halloween little better by including some home made glutenfree Halloween treats. The bonus is that my basic recipe of RICE CRISPIES is Vegan as well, made with Vegan Marshamallows and Rice crispies cereal that are glutenfree.

These Rice crispies are so so so easy to make that you will actually never buy the rice crispies from the market again. To top that these are vegan and glutenfree. There are no allergens and I have used natural food dyes /colors.

Dandies is a Vegan Marshmallow brand that is easily available at Whole Foods.

I used Color Garden’s Natural Food Colors that are 100% Plant Based. Isn’t that wonderful? It is an investment but totally worth it. The best part is that these colors have no bitter or after taste.

I used Nestle’s White chocolate chips as a base to make orange sauce and this color blended so well without over powering either in color or taste. I am so convinced with these brands. [It is not a sponsored post by either brand, but solely my review and opinion].

Rice Crispie Monsters – Glutenfree Halloween Treats

These Rice Crispie Monsters are super cool. My little M’s Neighborhood friends at the bus stop simply loved it. I actually asked them for the honest opinion and it was 2 thumbs up from everybody. The kids said that these are the best kind of Rice Crispies they have ever tasted.

This recipe can make 2 kinds of Monsters – Round Ball shaped and Squares. I am going to pen down both the methods below. Pick and choose any or make both.

The whole process has 5 steps –

Melting the Marshmallows on low heat.
Adding Rice Crispies to the Melted marshmallows and then shaping or setting the monsters.
Making Orange Chocolate Sauce and Dipping or spreading it on the monsters.
Placing the Candy eyes and color as required.
Packaging if used as a return gift for the kids’ party.

Few other Halloween Recipes to check are – Halloween Chocolate Bark and Halloween Orange Sherbet Punch by Ruchi’s kitchen. Or you can make my Eggless Chocolate Brownies and decorate them like monsters as per instructions given below for Square Head Monsters.

Here is how to make these Rice Crispie Monsters.

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Rice Crispie Monsters - Glutenfree Halloween Treats

Author: Sonal Gupta @ simplyvegetarian777

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 25-30

Easy and Quick Halloween Treat made with Rice Crispies and Vegan Marshmallows.

Ingredients

Butter - 3 tbsp
Vegan Marshmallows - 10 ounce / 283 grms bag (Dandies all natural Vanilla Marshmallows)
Rice Crispies Cereal - 4 cups
Candy eyes - 1 packet (easily available in the baking aisle of any store)
Small popsicle sticks or small bamboo skewers with sharp tips removed or plastic candy sticks - 25-30

Orange Sauce

White Chocolate Chips - 1 cup
Milk - 1 tsp
Orange Color (organic & natural) - 6 to 8 drops, depending upon how deep color you want

Instructions

Line a small rectangular baking sheet or any plate with parchment paper. Set Aside.

Melting the Butter & Marshmallows

Take a deep or large non stick or ceramic base pan. Add butter to the pan and melt it on the low heat, making sure that it doesn't brown or burn.
Add Marshmallows to the melted butter and stir till marshmallows melt in the pan. Conduct the whole process on medium low heat. We don't want to burn these marshmallows.
Switch off the heat and Take the pan off the cooking range/gas stove.

Adding Rice Crispies and Shaping the Monsters

Now add 4 cups of Rice Crispie Cereal to the marshmallow cream. Mix it well with a wooden spatula.
Now if you want to make Round Head Monsters, then grease your hand and divide the whole thing into 25-30 portions. Roll these tight into balls. Insert a candy stick on one side. Place them head side down to cool on a baking sheet or a plate lined with parchment paper.
Now if you plan to make the Square Head Monsters which is the easier way to get these done in no time, then take the whole marshmallow rice crispie thing and spread it out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use your hands or a heavy spatula to spread it out into a 1&1/2 inches thick layer. How I did was - I covered the rice crispies mess with another parchment paper and rolled it out with a rolling pin. Let it set till it cools down.

Making Orange Sauce and Dipping / Spreading it on the Monsters.

Take a microwave safe bowl and heat 1 cup white chocolate chips + 1 tsp milk for 30 seconds. Take it out and stir it well with a fork till the sauce is smooth. If you are making Round Head Monsters then use a small deep bowl so that dipping is easy. If you plan to make Square Heads, then any kind of bowl is good.

Making Round Head Monsters

Pick one monster at a time from its stick and dip it till half way, head side down, in the orange chocolate sauce. Take 5-6 heavy cups and put these round head monsters in these cups, head side up. These will drip so make sure that your working counter is layered with old newspapers etc, so the clean up is easy later on. Place a set of Eye Candies on these monsters. Let them set till chocolate Orange sauce hardens up. Take 2 drops of orange food color in a small bowl. Use a party pick, dip its tip in the color and draw mouth & other characteristics, as desired.

Making Square Head Monsters

Take this Orange Chocolate Sauce and spread it evenly, over the flat rice crispie bark. Divide the whole thing into imaginary 2 inches squares and place a set of candy eyes on hot chocolate spread in each imaginary square. Let it cool down.
Once the chocolate is cooled, take a sharp knife and cut the Rice Crispies into 2 inches squares.
Place them on the candy sticks.
Take 2 drops of orange food color in a small bowl. Use a party pick and dip its tip in the color. Draw mouth and other characteristics as desired.
The Square Head Monsters are ready.

Packaging & Storing

Make sure that these monsters are well set and cooled before you package and store.
Get a bag of 40 small plastic goody bags from Dollar Store or the store of your choice. Package each Monster in 1 single bag. Tie it at the neck of the monster with a string.
These will store well for 2-3 days but not more than that.
Enjoy making these Rice Crispie Monsters this Halloween.

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This is a great recipe when you are hosting a kids’ Halloween party at home or at invited at one. It is done under 30 minutes with very few ingredients that are easily available. I hope you try it.

Rice Crispie Monsters – Glutenfree Halloween Treats

Some products you might consider ordering from amazon to make these delights are –

Ceramic Pan

Color Garden Food Color – 100% Plant Based

White chocolate chips

Dandies Marshmallows

Rice Crispie Cereal

Candy Sticks

Halloween Decorating Kit for Kids

Pumpkin Carving set

Pumpkin decorating set

Can’t make these now? PIN THESE RICE CRISPIE MONSTERS FOR LATER!!

Rice Crispie Monsters – Glutenfree Halloween Treats

I hope you make these super simple, spooky and deliciously amazing Rice Crispie Monsters this Halloween. And if you do, please send me the feedback.

In my Kitchen, you will always EAT HAPPY & STAY HAPPY!

Sonal

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Rice Crispie Monsters – Glutenfree Halloween Treats

Here is how to make these Rice Crispie Monsters.

Some products you might consider ordering from amazon to make these delights are –

Can’t make these now? PIN THESE RICE CRISPIE MONSTERS FOR LATER!!

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