Pizza Nachos

There seems to be a brisk freshness in the air with the arrival of November. With the gardens getting more colorful and a variety of blooming flowers whose intoxicating fragrance seems to be creating an utterly lovely feeling in you as you venture outdoors. And not to miss out on the enchanting beauty of the golden sunsets and the crashing waves at the sea side. Oh, everything seems to look so wonderful as this magical month fell on us. And not to forget that the holiday season in Oman is just round the corner, the city is decked with lights and decorations and is all set to celebrate the 45th National day and His Majesty Sultan Qaboos's birthday which falls on the 18th of this month.
 
The enthusiasm among the locals here is worth noting. Their love for their ruler is endless and the joys among them knows no bounds. There will be celebrations after celebrations till this festive month ends. Warmth, laughter and fun. Memorable days and romantic evenings, reconnecting with friends, scrumptious dinners and the overwhelming excitement of new beginnings. Oh, these days will surely whirl by quickly, but not until all the fun reaches your neck.

To make the future more memorable, I thought of posting the recently tried out evening delight which is so much fun to make. As you go through the recipe you will realize that it is a twisty tale for the popular Tex- Mex dish called the Nachos. A new take on them by jazzing them up pizza style. The great thing about these nachos is that you can make them your own way. Don’t like pepperoni? Try chicken or sausages. Don’t like olives? Try artichokes, or broccoli, or something else.   Be creative and you can create a splendid delight within minutes that your guests will love to the core.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE GARLIC CREAM SAUCE:

1-½ tbsp Unsalted Butter
½ tbsp Olive Oil
3 cloves Garlic, Minced or grated
½ cup Heavy Cream
¼ cup Milk
1 pinch Salt
1 pinch Cracked Black Pepper
1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
¼ cup Cheese, grated preferably parmesan.

FOR THE NACHOS:

1 large packet Crispy Tortilla Chips
½ cup Garlic Cream Sauce
¼ cup Onion, Diced
½ cup Pepperoni, Cut Into Bite Size Pieces
½ cup Black Olives Sliced
½ whole Green Bell Pepper, Diced
1 cup Cheese, Shredded

HOW TO MAKE:

 For the sauce:
 
1)  Melt the butter along with the olive oil. Then toss in the minced garlic.
 
2)  Add in the cream and milk and keep stirring until it comes to a boil.
 
3) Toss in the salt, pepper, and chili flakes, along with the cheese, and continue stirring. The sauce will thicken and then remove from the burner, and set aside.

 

For the Nachos:
1) Preheat oven to 400ºF. 
 
2) Spread the Nachos in an oven proof dish.  Drizzle the garlic cream sauce all over the chips. Top with the onions, pepperoni, olives, and bell pepper. Layer all the chips with this in such a way that no chip is left dry.
 
3) Top with the shredded cheese. Place in the preheated oven, and cook until the cheese is nice and bubbly and the veggies are warmed through, roughly 7 minutes or so.

Chicken Enchildas

Another Mexican favorite makes its way on my space and I swear this is one will make you go loco for food.  This is a great recipe for a quick dinner. There aren't many ingredients and doesn't take much time!

Nothing is as quintessentially Mexican as an Enchilda. The baked wrapped rolls filled with the most delicious filling and topped with white or red sauce and not to forget the cheese melted on it and oozing out. I tried out 2 types of Enchildas and both were truly delicious. One with the white sauce and the other with the red sauce.

So now declare an Enchilda night and serve this out for a family reuinion. You will find the results blissful and joyful.

INGREDIENTS:

White Chicken Enchiladas

 8 flour tortillas, soft taco size
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded cheese
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 diced green chilies

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2)  Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese. Roll up in tortillas and place in a square pan seam side down.

3) In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter.  Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Allow sauce to thicken.  

4) Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and chilies.

5)  Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

6) Bake 20-25 minutes and then broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese.

Red Sauce Chicken Enchiladas

1 medium onion, diced
1 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
1 tsp oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tomato's  puree
1 cup water
Salt and pepper
3 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
6 (8-inch) tortillas


HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Preheat the oven to 425 F.

2) Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion and jalapeño and cook until soft.
  
3) Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and sugar, and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4)  Mix in the tomato sauce and water. Bring the sauce to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until thickened, about 10-15 minutes.

5) Strain the sauce through a large mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Return sauce to pan and stir in shredded chicken. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

6) Microwave the tortillas for 15-20 seconds, until pliable.

7) Spoon approximately 1/2 cup chicken evenly down the center of a tortilla, top with 2 Tbsp cheese .

8) Tightly roll up the tortilla and place seam side down in the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.

9) Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Cook for 8 minutes.

10) Reduce the oven temperature to 400F.

11) Remove the enchiladas from the oven and pour the sauce oven the top. Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

12) Remove the foil and place under broiler until cheese is bubbly.

Easy Beef Chilli

How can we say no to a chili recipe with beef on the ingredient list?  Plus it takes a mere 25 minutes to prepare – perfect for a quick weekday dinner or an easy weekend supper after a day of weekend fun!

Chili is a popular Mexican spicy stew also called as Chili Con Carne. Its main ingredients are the chili peppers , the meat and the kidney beans. They taste great in hot dogs, as a dip with tortilla chips, on Mexican rice, as a topping with breads etc.

 I have a balanced chili recipe here which packs a punch, finding heat with chili powder.  That spice is balanced out with a touch of garlic powder that adds a complex, smoky sharpness to the beef chili.  More interest is added with Mexican Oregano, cumin, and just a touch of cinnamon and cloves.  The result is a chili that warms you from the inside out and satisfies every taste bud!

Also beef can be replaced with chicken or mutton. Vegetarians can also make this dish with potatoes or kidney beans for a vegetarian version.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground beef
1 onion chopped
½ kg stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato sauce
½ kg pre-cooked kidney beans
1 ½ cups water
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp garlic powder
Seasoning (little oregano, 1 tsp cumin powder)
 

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Sauté beef and onion until browned in a large saucepan.

2) Add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and water.

3) Season with a pinch of salt, garlic powder, chilli powder and ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to low heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

4) Add the seasoning and cook for another ten minutes.

5) Serve hot.

 

Chicken Burritos

It's Sunday morning and I'm feeling reflective and incredibly content. After a refreshing weekend and back to work for another long 5 day week, I feel determined and energetic to do something new . But I'm busier than I've ever been and all of it is thanks to my blog. It may not make me overly popular in some arenas occasionally, and it surely keeps the energy factors high, but I wouldn't change it.

 

And now I have again brought in Mexico into my Kitchen. After shortlisting a few Mexican dishes, I have made it a point to regularly to try each one even though most of them are almost similar. And this time Chicken Burritos was my weekend choice.

 

Just thinking of these makes me salivate: these toasted Mexican Rolls have the perfect more-ish mixture between thin crisp crust and gooey yielding middle.

This has many strings to its bow: it can also serve as a vegetarian alternative to the Holiday Meat, it gussies up a plate of cold leftover grills; it adds the right balance of mellow warmth and tang to any plain wintry dish; it is a good whole meal on days when you just feel fleshed-out.What's more, they're pretty well instant to make. This is a real culinary sensation. A Truly Mexican fiesta and you will surely taste the extra flavors in these rolls.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp red chilli flakes   

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 cup green, red and yellow capsicum cut lengthwise 
1/2 cup carrot juliennes

1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1 sachet any seasoning mix  

1/2 Kg skinned chicken breast halves (2 to 3), cur into small chunks.

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 jalapeño chile, seeded and minced

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese   

1 tablespoon lime juice   

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

1 bunch (about 4) spring onions thinly sliced

4 flour tortillas warmed

2 cups finely shredded cabbage

1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt to taste

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Whisk together seasoning, red chilli flakes, oregano, garlic salt and cumin powder in a medium bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat.

2) In a shallow pan, heat oil and add the chicken into this and shallow fry until slightly golden.

3) At this stage, add the vegetables (capsicum, carrot)  into the leftover marinade in the bowl and mix well.

4) Now add these coated vegetables to the chicken in the pan and continue to stir fry until chicken is fully golden.

5)  Switch off stove now and mix the rest of the ingredients (except tortillas, cream and cheese) with these fried items and keep aside.

6) Now spread each tortilla on a flat surface. Spread some sour cream on each one.  Top with the fried mix. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese liberally on each tortilla.

7) Roll each tortilla and fold it well so that the stuffing doesn't fall out.

8) Sprinkle some olive oil on each tortilla roll.

9) You can either shallow fry this on the griddle or you can use the oven to grill or bake them until they are light golden.

10) Enjoy a Mexican dinner with Mexican Salsa.

 

Mexican Salsa

When we had been to Dubai a few months back, we had some lip-smacking Arabian food. I was surprised when I saw Arabian Rice paired with a tomato dip which is totally like a Mexican Salsa. I had not tasted a Mexican Salsa earlier to that. But I just knew how it is made and I could at least predict its taste.

When I ate it, I loved it. And then I started making it often at home with Biryani and Kebabs. It can be made in a jiffy and the only thing you need to balance in it is the spicy and the sour content. This easy winter dip goes well with burgers, hotdogs, chops and all your BBQ faves. So now you can kick-start every weekend  with backyard barbeques and picnics in the park.

Easy is an understatement with the availability of ingredients and how quick it is to prepare. Seven ingredients are all you need for these easy and no-fat main dishes. Cumin is a key ingredient for tasty salsa.

INGREDIENTS:

3 medium sized tomatoes seeded and chopped

Juice of 1/2 lime

2 tbsp of finely chopped red onion

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp chopped cilantro/coriander leaves

1 finely chopped jalepeno pepper or green chilly


HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Mix all ingredients and pulse them for 2-3 seconds in a blender until it gives a coarsely ground sauce kind of a look.

2) Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving to allow flavors settle or until ready to serve.  

 

Stuffed Quesadillas with Onion Relish

I have been seeing a lot of Mexican foods gaining popularity in India now. I happened to develop this sudden interest for Mexican food after I had some nachos and tacos in a fast food joint recently. When I went through Mexican cuisine, I realized that they use very similar ingredients like Indian cuisine and they all happen to be available in our kitchens generally. For example, the tortilla is so very similar to our Indian Roti(bread) and tortillas are used in most of the Mexican dishes.
 
This built more interest in me and now I have invited Mexico into my kitchen as well. In most of the Mexican dishes I have been reading about here, you’re usually finding tortilla chips and salsa, but the salsa turns out to be a tomato sauce that has flavors of cumin and lemon juice. Also there are different types of salsas made of various peppers available to spice up your meat, tacos, and whatever else you are eating. They can be very hot and they do not make of any herbs, although you could add some like cumin or Mexican oregano  for those zesty flavors.
And then their soups and sauces. Off late, I have become a sucker for them. I am looking for a nice Mexican restaurant here so that we can enjoy real Mexican food occasionally. I am obsessed with their Enchildas and Fajitas. And soon they will also make it to this space as well.
 
To begin with, I tried out their stuffed pizza or Quesadillas. I enjoyed them . What do you say about a chicken pizza—a stuffed bread resembling a pizza but made with classic white meat?  If you feel like munching a pizza and you do not have pizza bases with you, then use your flat breads as described below and call them stuffed pizzas or Quesedillas.
 
Although, they are as good as our Indian stuffed parathas, the combination of cheese with colourful peppers and olives is what that made it totally Mexican. I also found an onion relish recipe to use as a side dish with the quesedillas.

So gather the right ingredients, and your favorite Mexican dishes are a snap to make—and super tasty, too!

 
INGREDIENTS:
(For both the quesedillas and onion relish)

80-90g boneless boiled chicken
1/2 a slice of red and green bell peppers
1 onion, cut into slices
5 tbsp of processed cheese
Salt to taste
1/4 cup of orange juice
1 tsp of black pepper
2 green chillies
2 olives
All purpose flour roti/tortilla

HOW TO MAKE:
 
For the stuffing:

1. Slice the red and green peppers, chillies, olives and slices of boiled boneless chicken.
2. On one side of the roti place the sliced peppers, sliced green chillies, sliced olives, slices of boiled chicken and top it with grated cheese.
3. Fold the other side of the roti and envelope the stuffing, creating a pocket.
4. Press the stuffing once covered to pack it.
5. On a medium high flame, heat the pan for 2-3 mins.
6. Place it on the heated pan.
7. Cook the pizza pocket on both sides for a minute each.
8. Once the cheese starts melting, the pizza pocket is ready.
9. Once ready cut it into 3 triangles.
10. Serve the stuffed pizza (quesadillas) with the onion relish

For the onion relish:
 
1. Grind 1 tsp of whole black pepper
2. Take a whole onion, chop into circular slices, add ground black pepper, salt according to taste and 1/4 cup orange juice
3. Stir everything well
4. Chill for an hour before serving