Spaghetti and peanuts savoury loaf

The kind people who have been following my blog regularly are sure to notice my inclination towards savoury loaves. We all have are favourites and mine are savoury loaves , not just because they can be made in advance , but also because the ingredients can be altered to suit our individual tastes as long as you know the texture of the uncooked batter , and also because they go along with the main course and just gell in with the other served dishes beautifully. Well that’s how I feel about them.

      Quite recently I had put a post on spaghetti with tangy fiery sauce . I had about two cups of spaghetti left . Its begun to be a little warm in these parts and the family was in a mood for a chilled salad with mint yogurt dressing ( check out the post on the “hung curd dip “ for the recipe) and I was in no mood to cook. So a spaghetti peanut loaf was the best choice for a quick and healthy breakfast. Well if the idea doesn’t appeal to any of you , just give it a try and I am sure you will like it.

 Ingredients:

1.   Two cups heaped leftover cooked spaghetti

2.    225 grams roasted and ground peanut powder

3.   50 grams or two slices of fresh whole wheat bread crumbs ( you could use white bread too )

4.   Three tablespoons canned tomato puree

5.   Half a teaspoon of dried thyme

6.   One level teaspoon black pepper powder

7.   One and half teaspoon salt or to taste

8.   Five generous tablespoons of olive oil

9.   Two large onions diced fine

10.  Two large eggs

Method:

1.   Stir fry the onions on medium flame in the oil for 5-7  minutes till they turn pink.

2.   Turn the gas off and while the onions come to room temperature assemble the rest of the ingredients in a mixing bowl.

3.   Add the onions and mix well and put the mixture into a one litre capacity loaf tin and pat well.

4.   Cover with a aluminium foil and place in a preheated oven at 180° for one hour and another 5-7 minutes after removing the cover.

5.   Cool for ten minutes before slicing into thick slices. Tastes best if served warm and straight away.

egg.· peanuts· savoury loaves· spagetti

Spaghetti and peanuts savoury loaf

The kind people who have been following my blog regularly are sure to notice my inclination towards savoury loaves. We all have are favourites and mine are savoury loaves , not just because they can be made in advance , but also because the ingredients can be altered to suit our individual tastes as long as you know the texture of the uncooked batter , and also because they go along with the main course and just gell in with the other served dishes beautifully. Well that’s how I feel about them.

      Quite recently I had put a post on spaghetti with tangy fiery sauce . I had about two cups of spaghetti left . Its begun to be a little warm in these parts and the family was in a mood for a chilled salad with mint yogurt dressing ( check out the post on the “hung curd dip “ for the recipe) and I was in no mood to cook. So a spaghetti peanut loaf was the best choice for a quick and healthy breakfast. Well if the idea doesn’t appeal to any of you , just give it a try and I am sure you will like it.

 Ingredients:

1.   Two cups heaped leftover cooked spaghetti

2.    225 grams roasted and ground peanut powder

3.   50 grams or two slices of fresh whole wheat bread crumbs ( you could use white bread too )

4.   Three tablespoons canned tomato puree

5.   Half a teaspoon of dried thyme

6.   One level teaspoon black pepper powder

7.   One and half teaspoon salt or to taste

8.   Five generous tablespoons of olive oil

9.   Two large onions diced fine

10.  Two large eggs

Method:

1.   Stir fry the onions on medium flame in the oil for 5-7  minutes till they turn pink.

2.   Turn the gas off and while the onions come to room temperature assemble the rest of the ingredients in a mixing bowl.

3.   Add the onions and mix well and put the mixture into a one litre capacity loaf tin and pat well.

4.   Cover with a aluminium foil and place in a preheated oven at 180° for one hour and another 5-7 minutes after removing the cover.

5.   Cool for ten minutes before slicing into thick slices. Tastes best if served warm and straight away.

Cashew nut loaf

Delicious slices to go with roast chicken and some leafy salad, this loaf is a perfect choice for festive meals. Easy to prepare and a perfect blend of seasonings this loaf is my all time favourite accompaniment to Mediterranean meals.

Ingredients:

1.   225 grams ground cashew nut / cashew powder

2.   120 grams fresh whole meal bread crumbs ( you could use white bread too)

3.   2 generous tablespoons of spicy tomato ketchup ( I used maggi hot and sweet)

4.   Half a teaspoon each of dried oregano , rosemary and thyme

5.   Two three tablespoons of ground nut oil

6.   One egg

7.   Two teaspoons black pepper

8.   One level teaspoon of sea salt

9.   One medium onion chopped fine

10.  One tablespoon of crushed garlic

11. 100 ml  warm water with a Maggi vegetarian stock cube dissolved in it

 Method:

1.    Take oil in a large pan and add the onions and garlic , stir on medium flame till soft or the onions just about turn pink.

2.    Assemble the rest of the ingredients in the mean time so that the onions come to room temperature.

3.   Tumble in the rest on the ingredients one by one. You will get a sticky mixture.

4.  Pat the mixture into a 7 inch loaf tin and gently press it and level it out.

5.   Cover with an aluminuim foil and place in a preheated oven at 180° for fifty minutes and another ten more minutes after removing the foil.

6.   Cool and slice and serve with the main course as a delicious accompaniment.

cashew nut· international· maggi stock cubes and sauces· savoury loaves

Cashew nut loaf

Delicious slices to go with roast chicken and some leafy salad, this loaf is a perfect choice for festive meals. Easy to prepare and a perfect blend of seasonings this loaf is my all time favourite accompaniment to Mediterranean meals.

Ingredients:

1.   225 grams ground cashew nut / cashew powder

2.   120 grams fresh whole meal bread crumbs ( you could use white bread too)

3.   2 generous tablespoons of spicy tomato ketchup ( I used maggi hot and sweet)

4.   Half a teaspoon each of dried oregano , rosemary and thyme

5.   Two three tablespoons of ground nut oil

6.   One egg

7.   Two teaspoons black pepper

8.   One level teaspoon of sea salt

9.   One medium onion chopped fine

10.  One tablespoon of crushed garlic

11. 100 ml  warm water with a Maggi vegetarian stock cube dissolved in it

 Method:

1.    Take oil in a large pan and add the onions and garlic , stir on medium flame till soft or the onions just about turn pink.

2.    Assemble the rest of the ingredients in the mean time so that the onions come to room temperature.

3.   Tumble in the rest on the ingredients one by one. You will get a sticky mixture.

4.  Pat the mixture into a 7 inch loaf tin and gently press it and level it out.

5.   Cover with an aluminuim foil and place in a preheated oven at 180° for fifty minutes and another ten more minutes after removing the foil.

6.   Cool and slice and serve with the main course as a delicious accompaniment.

Cauliflower spinach slice

  I have a great liking for baked vegetable slices. I love the whole idea of assembling all the ingredients , transferring them into a loaf tin and then just putting them into the oven to bake and lo- behold we have a healthy all time snack as well as an accompanimet to the main course, which can be refrigerated and  then reheated in the microwave or toasted on a griddle whenever one feels like munching some.

    Here is another vegetable slice which again can be altered to your own personal liking. Here is how I like it best.

Ingredients:

1.   400 grams or four heaped cups of grated cauliflower ( you could use the food processor here)

2.   100 grams of spinach chopped coarsely

3.   5 - 6 tablespoons of  refined oil ( I have liberally used olive oil here)

4.   One teaspoon cumin seeds

5.   50 grams toasted and powdered peanuts

6.   Half a teaspoon each of garam masala and dry ginger powder

7.   2 teaspoons of black pepper powder

8.   Salt to taste or like I put one and a half teaspoonful

9.   Four tablespoons of spicy tomato ketchup

10.        100 grams quick cooking oats ( I have used quaker)

11.        Two eggs

12.        One teaspoon sesame seeds

Method:

1.  Stir fry the minced cauliflower in two tablespoons of oil for about five minutes on medium flame.

2.   Transfer into a mixing bowl and in the same pan put two to four tablespoons of oil and add the cumin seeds.

3.   The moment the cumin seeds change colour add the chopped spinach and stir fry on medium flame for just about five minutes.

4.   Transfer the spinach into the same mixing bowl.

5.   Add the rest of the ingredients except that out of the two eggs , keep aside the egg yolk of one of the eggs to use as an egg wash over the loaf.

6.   Gently mix all the ingredients and pat the mixture into a 8 inch loaf tin.

7.   Brush the egg yolk over the loaf and sprinkle the sesame seeds.

8.  Cover with an aluminium foil and place in a preheated oven at 180° for fifty minutes and another ten minutes without the foil.

9.   Cool and slice.

cauliflower· international· oats· peanuts· savoury loaves· spinach

Cauliflower spinach slice

  I have a great liking for baked vegetable slices. I love the whole idea of assembling all the ingredients , transferring them into a loaf tin and then just putting them into the oven to bake and lo- behold we have a healthy all time snack as well as an accompanimet to the main course, which can be refrigerated and  then reheated in the microwave or toasted on a griddle whenever one feels like munching some.

    Here is another vegetable slice which again can be altered to your own personal liking. Here is how I like it best.

Ingredients:

1.   400 grams or four heaped cups of grated cauliflower ( you could use the food processor here)

2.   100 grams of spinach chopped coarsely

3.   5 - 6 tablespoons of  refined oil ( I have liberally used olive oil here)

4.   One teaspoon cumin seeds

5.   50 grams toasted and powdered peanuts

6.   Half a teaspoon each of garam masala and dry ginger powder

7.   2 teaspoons of black pepper powder

8.   Salt to taste or like I put one and a half teaspoonful

9.   Four tablespoons of spicy tomato ketchup

10.        100 grams quick cooking oats ( I have used quaker)

11.        Two eggs

12.        One teaspoon sesame seeds

Method:

1.  Stir fry the minced cauliflower in two tablespoons of oil for about five minutes on medium flame.

2.   Transfer into a mixing bowl and in the same pan put two to four tablespoons of oil and add the cumin seeds.

3.   The moment the cumin seeds change colour add the chopped spinach and stir fry on medium flame for just about five minutes.

4.   Transfer the spinach into the same mixing bowl.

5.   Add the rest of the ingredients except that out of the two eggs , keep aside the egg yolk of one of the eggs to use as an egg wash over the loaf.

6.   Gently mix all the ingredients and pat the mixture into a 8 inch loaf tin.

7.   Brush the egg yolk over the loaf and sprinkle the sesame seeds.

8.  Cover with an aluminium foil and place in a preheated oven at 180° for fifty minutes and another ten minutes without the foil.

9.   Cool and slice.

Baked spinach slice

What prompted me to come up with this recipe.Ok let me be honest with you. I have been reading this book by Rujuta Diwekar “Don't lose your mind, lose your weight”. The best thing about her diet is that firstly she promises you a zero figure like Kareena and secondly ,she not only lets you eat almost everything that you like but she lets you eat every two hours( of course there are some do’s and don’t’s there, but its fun).Now I said to myself that what can I eat in between as a healthy snack .Eureka ….Something like a baked slice which can be prepared in advance , kept in the fridge and warmed and eaten whenever the snack time comes.

       Now this recipe can be altered a bit , for example you could add a few mushrooms or boiled corn to give it an extra flavor.

I prefer using olive oil where it has to be used in abundance but you could use butter here. 

      Anyways, even if you follow the exact recipe I promise you a delicious and healthy snack time food.

This one is for strict vegetarians, I mean I haven't even put any eggs in it , though I will alter it a bit in a few days and bake with a few eggs and come up with the snaps soon.

     Well its also time that I explain to you how I make a thick spinach puree. The method that I follow seems the simplest and the least messy to me, thought the other methods of par boiling the spinach are equally good.

     All I do is that I wash a whole lot of spinach leaves in plenty of water and let the water drain off completely. Then I pile them up in the pressure cooker and give one whistle on medium flame. After the leaves come at room temperature I squeeze out all the liquid and keep it aside to either use in soups or dals. The squeezed out leaves I put into small steel containers and freeze .

So we are going to use this boiled spinach here.

Ingredients:

1.  One cup squeezed out spinach leaves 

2.   Two cups quick cooking quaker oats

3.   5 tablespoons tomato ketchup ( preferably the spicier one), I used the home made one here.

4.   Two tablespoons crushed garlic

5.    6 tablespoons olive oil

6.    One cup grated cheddar cheese.

7.    One teaspoon salt or to taste

8.    ¾ th teaspoon freshly gound black pepper

9.   Two generous pinches of grated nutmeg powder.

10.                 Two teaspoons sesame seeds

Method:

1.   Take olive oil in a pan and when it gets warm on the medium flame , add the crushed garlic and let it turn golden.

2.   Add the spinach and stir fry for about two- three minutes.

3.   Turn the gas off and add ¾ cup cheddar cheese and oats and the rest of the seasonings .

4.  Mix all the ingredients well and press the mixture into a greased loaf tin. Sprinkle the rest of the cheddar on top.

5.   Bake in a preheated oven at 180° for thirty minutes.

6.   Cool and slice and enjoy with tomato ketchup.

baked dishes· cheddar cheese· oats· savoury loaves· sesame seeds· spinach

Baked spinach slice

What prompted me to come up with this recipe.Ok let me be honest with you. I have been reading this book by Rujuta Diwekar “Don't lose your mind, lose your weight”. The best thing about her diet is that firstly she promises you a zero figure like Kareena and secondly ,she not only lets you eat almost everything that you like but she lets you eat every two hours( of course there are some do’s and don’t’s there, but its fun).Now I said to myself that what can I eat in between as a healthy snack .Eureka ….Something like a baked slice which can be prepared in advance , kept in the fridge and warmed and eaten whenever the snack time comes.

       Now this recipe can be altered a bit , for example you could add a few mushrooms or boiled corn to give it an extra flavor.

I prefer using olive oil where it has to be used in abundance but you could use butter here. 

      Anyways, even if you follow the exact recipe I promise you a delicious and healthy snack time food.

This one is for strict vegetarians, I mean I haven't even put any eggs in it , though I will alter it a bit in a few days and bake with a few eggs and come up with the snaps soon.

     Well its also time that I explain to you how I make a thick spinach puree. The method that I follow seems the simplest and the least messy to me, thought the other methods of par boiling the spinach are equally good.

     All I do is that I wash a whole lot of spinach leaves in plenty of water and let the water drain off completely. Then I pile them up in the pressure cooker and give one whistle on medium flame. After the leaves come at room temperature I squeeze out all the liquid and keep it aside to either use in soups or dals. The squeezed out leaves I put into small steel containers and freeze .

So we are going to use this boiled spinach here.

Ingredients:

1.  One cup squeezed out spinach leaves 

2.   Two cups quick cooking quaker oats

3.   5 tablespoons tomato ketchup ( preferably the spicier one), I used the home made one here.

4.   Two tablespoons crushed garlic

5.    6 tablespoons olive oil

6.    One cup grated cheddar cheese.

7.    One teaspoon salt or to taste

8.    ¾ th teaspoon freshly gound black pepper

9.   Two generous pinches of grated nutmeg powder.

10.                 Two teaspoons sesame seeds

Method:

1.   Take olive oil in a pan and when it gets warm on the medium flame , add the crushed garlic and let it turn golden.

2.   Add the spinach and stir fry for about two- three minutes.

3.   Turn the gas off and add ¾ cup cheddar cheese and oats and the rest of the seasonings .

4.  Mix all the ingredients well and press the mixture into a greased loaf tin. Sprinkle the rest of the cheddar on top.

5.   Bake in a preheated oven at 180° for thirty minutes.

6.   Cool and slice and enjoy with tomato ketchup.

Baked and sliced fish

We had a pleasantly busy Sunday today. I found a great shop here in Vizag which has a delightful collection of baking items.

I went crazy looking at the latest stuff which has come into the market which makes baking lots more easier and the turn out better.

           After spending over an hour in the small but well stocked shop famous to all cooking enthusiasts by the name "la choclate", I  came back a little tired and I had little time and energy to prepare a grand meal so I did a quick fix with the following ingredients and the result was good.

        I had baked whole mackerels yesterday in an aluminium tin for about 20 minutes at 180 degress celcius, and after they had cooled down, I deboned them and mashed them gently with the finger tips and stored the mixture in the  fridge for use today.

        The mashed fish was about two cups and I put  it in a mixing bowl and added the following…one cup of fresh bread crumbs ( now this is simply a little stale bread about a day or two old and kept in the fridge so its not like really dry like a rusk but  it crumbles the moment you rub it between your hands).

        Then I added two finely chopped onions, half a cup chopped coriander leaves , half a teaspoon of ajwain / bishop's seeds, one teaspoon of fennel powder/ saunf, half a teaspoon of dry ginger powder/ sonth , one teaspoon of black pepper powder, five tablespoons of olive oil, two eggs and salt to taste.

 I just gently mixed all this stuff and pressed it into a greased loaf tin. 

I baked it at 180° for about thirty minutes and once done , I cut it into thick slices and served immediately with hot buttered toast.

baked dishes· international· savoury loaves· sea food

Baked and sliced fish

We had a pleasantly busy Sunday today. I found a great shop here in Vizag which has a delightful collection of baking items.

I went crazy looking at the latest stuff which has come into the market which makes baking lots more easier and the turn out better.

           After spending over an hour in the small but well stocked shop famous to all cooking enthusiasts by the name "la choclate", I  came back a little tired and I had little time and energy to prepare a grand meal so I did a quick fix with the following ingredients and the result was good.

        I had baked whole mackerels yesterday in an aluminium tin for about 20 minutes at 180 degress celcius, and after they had cooled down, I deboned them and mashed them gently with the finger tips and stored the mixture in the  fridge for use today.

        The mashed fish was about two cups and I put  it in a mixing bowl and added the following…one cup of fresh bread crumbs ( now this is simply a little stale bread about a day or two old and kept in the fridge so its not like really dry like a rusk but  it crumbles the moment you rub it between your hands).

        Then I added two finely chopped onions, half a cup chopped coriander leaves , half a teaspoon of ajwain / bishop's seeds, one teaspoon of fennel powder/ saunf, half a teaspoon of dry ginger powder/ sonth , one teaspoon of black pepper powder, five tablespoons of olive oil, two eggs and salt to taste.

 I just gently mixed all this stuff and pressed it into a greased loaf tin. 

I baked it at 180° for about thirty minutes and once done , I cut it into thick slices and served immediately with hot buttered toast.