Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Tomato Sauce and Goat Cheese

Nothing better than taking hearty mushrooms and topping them with homemade tomato sauce, spinach and onions, and creamy goat cheese. Grill and bake these portobello babies, and you're definitely on your way to a crowd pleaser... or even for date night.. or even for a simple, flavorful, satisfying meal. 

Click to Play Video

Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce:
1-2 tomatoes (optional)
1/2 cup chopped/pureed tomatoes
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 tablespoon dried basil

Sautéed Spinach:
1 onion, finely sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup baby spinach
1 teaspoon dried oregano

4 large portobello mushrooms
olive oil
salt and fresh black pepper
2 ounces soft goat cheese  

Directions:

1. For the tomato sauce, puree the fresh or canned tomatoes until smooth. 
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. 
3. Add the minced garlic, stirring continuously for 30 seconds, and make sure garlic does not brown. 
4. Add the pureed tomatoes, and bring to a low simmer. Cover and simmer sauce for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. 
5. For the spinach, heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook until translucent. 
6. Add the spinach and sauté until spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper, and keep aside.
7. Preheat the grill. 
8. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. 
9. Trim the stem from all of the portobello mushrooms. 
10. Drizzle both side with olive oil, and season with salt and fresh black pepper
11. Cook mushrooms over a hot fire for about 3 minutes on each side. Mushrooms will give off a lot of liquid, and that is okay. 
12. Top the mushrooms with large spoonfuls of the tomato sauce, and then the spinach and onion mixture. Distribute evenly among the mushrooms. 
13. Slice goat cheese into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place slices on cheese atop the spinach mixture. 
14. Bake for 10 minutes, or until heated through and goat cheese is beginning to soften. 
15. Serve immediately and enjoy! 

Beet and Feta Salad

This recipe was inspired from a meal at Wonderland on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas cruise ship. This salad is super easy to prepare and is full of flavor. Candied walnuts complement the salad and a mustard balsamic vinaigrette adds freshness. 

Ingredients:

3 medium beets, scrubbed and trimmed
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 package of spinach salad greens (or use any greens of your choice)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 avocado, cubed

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
salt and crushed black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place beets in a saucepan, and fill with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes, until tender. Drain and then cool. Cut into cubes and set aside. 
2. In a small skillet, place walnuts and cook on medium-low heat. Heat until walnuts are slightly toasted and then add the brown sugar. Warm until the sugar beings to melt. Remove from heat and coat walnuts with sugar.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar and mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
4. In a large bowl, mix spinach greens, cubed beets and cubed avocado. Sprinkle the candied walnuts, feta cheese, and drizzle the dressing on top. Serve and enjoy!

Mango Salad

Click to View Video

Description:
Enjoy the crunch of crisp vegetables and mango with a sweet and sour balsamic homemade dressing!

Preparation Time:
10 minutes

Servings:
8-10

Ingredients:

Salad:
1 semi ripe mango
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
½ medium red onion
2 medium carrots
½ chopped green coriander

Dressing:
2 teaspoons balsamic vinaigrette
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
a pinch of red chilli powder

Directions:

Julienne the three peppers into very thin pieces.
Chop the semi-ripe mango into small pieces.
Thinly slice the medium red onion.
Grate the carrots into long thin pieces.
Chop the green coriander.

To make the dressing, add the balsamic vinaigrette, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, sugar, and red chilli powder into a separate small mixing bowl. Whisk everything together to create the salad dressing.

Add the dressing right before serving the salad. Mix the dressing well in the salad and serve.

Guacamole Dip

Click to View Video

Description:
A rich avocado dip with veggies and spices is a great snack or an appetizer for a party. Dip tortilla or nacho chips in the guacamole and savor the wonderful Mexican taste!

Preparation Time:
10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 avocadoes
1 onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 green chilly cut into small pieces
3 cloves garlic minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon red chilly powder
½ teaspoon crushed black pepper powder
1 lime/lemon
small bunch of cilantro

Directions:

Spoon out the inside of the 2 avocados and add to a mixing bowl. Mash the avocado until the big chunks are mashed. Do not mash too much otherwise guacamole will become too mushy.

Chop and dice the onion and tomato and add to the avocado.
Mix the avocado, onion, and tomato.

Now add the green chilly which is cut into small pieces and the three cloves garlic minced.
To that, add the salt, red chilly powder, and black pepper. These spices can be altered to suit your taste.
After the spices have been added, put about ½- 3/4 the juice of the lime or lemon.

Now mix everything together. Put in the refrigerator until serving time.
Serve with tortilla/nacho chips. Enjoy!

Tandoori Chicken

Click to View Video

Description:
Tandoori Chicken is mouthwatering and full of different spices! Enjoy with seasoned corn and savor the flavors!

Preparation Time :
Prep Time: 5 minutes. Inactive Prep Time: 4-5 hours. Cook Time: 10-15 minutes.

Servings :
10

Ingredients :

For the marinade:
16 ounce tub of sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (1 ½ inches) ginger shredded
4-5 cloves garlic grated
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup chopped coriander
3 tablespoons of Tandoori Masala

5 pounds chicken thighs

Directions :

In a mixing bowl, mix the sour cream, salt, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, coriander, and the Tandoori Masala. To that, add the chicken and mix well so the marinade gets incorporated well into the chicken.
Store the marinated chicken in the refrigerator for at least 4-5 hours or overnight.

On a heated grill, place the chicken and grill until the chicken has turned to a dark orange brown and is fully cooked. Keep flipping the chicken until the chicken has been cooked thoroughly.

Serve the chicken with sliced onions and coriander for garnish.

For the corn, peel and place on top of the stovetop until the corn has been cooked. There are going to be popping sounds but that is okay.
Cut a lemon in half and place it on top of salt and red chili powder. Using the half cut lemon, rub against the corn to season the corn with the salt and red chili powder.

Enjoy!

Pomegranate Salad

Click to View Video

Description :
This easy salad is a wonderful appetizer. It’s colorful, flavorful, and a must-try!

Preparation Time :
10 minutes

Servings :
8-10

Ingredients :

1 pomegranate’s seeds
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1-16 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-16 ounce chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen grilled corn kernels
3 tablespoons chopped coriander

Dressing:

1 lemon, juiced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed black pepper
½ teaspoon Chaat Masala
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (lemon flavored-optional)

Directions :

Thaw corn and de-seed pomegranate.

Combine ingredients in a big bowl. Chop coriander and top the salad.

For the dressing, in a separate small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, salt and pepper, chaat masala, and olive oil.

Add the dressing to the salad before serving. Toss and serve.

Note: Chaat masala is an Indian spice that is available in the South Asian section of all grocery stores. The spice is a mixture of dried mango powder, cumin, black salt, coriander, dried ginger, salt, black pepper, and chili power.

Enjoy!

Feta Cheese and Potato Patties

Click to View Video

Description :
These delicious patties filled with potatoes and creamy feta cheese are full of flavor. Take a bite and watch them slowly melt in your mouth!

Preparation Time :
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Servings :
Makes 10 patties

Ingredients :
2 boiled potatoes
1 small red onion, chopped
2 ½ tablespoons feta cheese
1 teaspoon dill
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon oil for shaping patties
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions :

Methods for boiling potatoes:
1. Quarter potatoes and place in a Ziploc bag with 1 tablespoon water. Place in the microwave and heat on high for 6 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Remove skin.
2. Cut the potatoes in half and boil them in their skins in lightly salted water on the stovetop until soft.

When the potatoes are soft and warm, peel the skin. Place in a bowl and mash. Chop the onions and add to the potatoes. Then, add the dill, thyme, and rosemary. Crumble the feta cheese into the potatoes and mix well. (I bought herbed feta cheese that was already crumbled. You can buy whatever flavored feta cheese from your local grocery store.)
Add the lemon juice, egg, and season with salt and pepper. Feta cheese is already salty, so taste before adding the salt.

Stir well. Take about 2 tablespoons of the mixture and shape them into patties. Dip your fingers into olive oil for convenient shaping. Round the patties into balls then flatten them slightly. Keep making patties until the potato mixture is finished.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and shallow fry the patties until golden brown on each side. Each side should take 2-3 minutes to cook.

To serve, top it off especially with a chipotle cheddar sauce or some coriander green chutney. Serve hot and enjoy!

Chickpea Hummus

Click to View Video

Description :
Dip the pita into the delicious hummus! Taste the wonderful spices of the quick and easy to make chickpea hummus.

Preparation Time :
Time: 5 minutes

Servings :
4 – 6

Ingredients :

1- 16 oz can chickpeas
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon tahini paste
½ teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions :

Rinse the canned chickpeas and put them in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for about 5 seconds until chickpeas have been chopped.

Add the peeled garlic cloves, tahini paste, lemon juice, salt, red chilli powder, and black pepper. Pulse until mixture is coarsely chopped.

With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil until the mixture is creamy.

Spoon hummus in a dipping bowl and serve with pita chips or slices of pita bread.

Enjoy!

Cucumber and Tomato Sandwiches

Click to View Video

Description :

Create these delicious and simple sandwiches in no time! Filled with flavor and easy to make, these sandwiches are a great snack to enjoy after a busy day!

Preparation Time :

5 minutes

Servings :

2

Ingredients :

4 slices toasted whole wheat bread
tomato sliced
cucumber sliced
1 slice of cheese
1 tablespoon homemade or store bought hummus
a pinch of chat masala

Directions :

For the first sandwich, spread the hummus on one slice of bread. Then put the tomato and cucumber slices and place the other slice of bread on top.

For the second sandwich, place a slice of cheese, then the tomato and cucumber slices, and sprinkle with a pinch of chat masala. If you do not have chat masala, then sprinkle some black pepper, salt, and a pinch of red chilli powder. Place the other slice on top, cut and serve.

Enjoy!

Fish Pakoras

Click to View Video

Description :

Take a bite into a crunchy, hot fish pakora or fish nugget filled with delicious tender fish, spices, and a flavorful coating!

Preparation Time :

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Servings :

2 – 4

Ingredients :

2 fillets tilapia
5 tablespoons gram flour (also called chickpea flour or besan)
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoons red chilli powder
½ teaspoon carom seeds
½ cup water
½ – ¾ cup bread crumbs
oil for deep frying (preferably vegetable oil)

Directions :

Heat the pot of half-filled oil until the oil is very hot. In the meantime, cut each fish fillet into 6-8 pieces.

In the gram flour, add the salt, red chilli powder, and cumin and mix. Then add the water and stir until you have a thick like consistency with no flour lumps in it.

Pat the fish and coat in the gram flour batter. Transfer coated fish into breadcrumbs and coat fish with bread crumbs (or panko crumbs). Repeat process with all pieces of the fish.

Make sure oil is hot. Place each fish piece coated with breadcrumbs and the gram flour batter into the hot oil and deep fry for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Remove fish pakoras (nuggets) and let cool for about 1 minute.

Serve warm with coriander chutney, ketchup, or any sauce.

Enjoy!

Corn

Click to View Video

Description :
A quick, easy, delicious and healthy snack! What more could you want ?

Preparation Time :
Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Servings :
2

Ingredients :

½ tablespoon butter
1 cup whole kernel corn
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon red chilli powder
a pinch of sugar
crushed black pepper- to taste
1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice

Directions :

If using frozen corn, thaw until corn has come to room temperature.

Turn heat to medium high and heat pan. Coat bottom of pan with butter.

Add corn and cook for about two minutes until soft and has been coated with the butter.

Then add salt, red chilli powder, and sugar. After 1 minute, add black pepper and lemon juice and keep heating. Stir constantly to avoid burning.

Remove from heat and serve. 
Enjoy!

Vegetable and Goat Cheese Tarts

Click to View Video

Description :

Enjoy this baked dish filled with delicious flavors, veggies, and cheese! Enjoy!

Preparation Time :

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes

Servings :

4 – 6

Ingredients :

For the vegetables:
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic minced
2 medium red tomatoes
½ green bell pepper
½ tablespoon oregano
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted
2 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese
2 ounces feta cheese
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons lightly chopped basil leaves
crushed black pepper

Directions :

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Slice the onion and mince the garlic. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until all the onions are translucent.
Turn the heat to low and let the onion and garlic cook.

Slice the tomatoes and green bell pepper. Add to the onions and garlic. Add the oregano, ½ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes until the tomatoes and green pepper are cooked well. Remove from heat.

Defrost puff pastry according to package instructions. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry and place on a baking sheet. Take the tines of a fork and prick the pastry. Then lightly brush the pastry with ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of the grated Parmesan cheese on top of the pastry sheet. On top of the cheese, place the vegetable mixture. Leave about a ½ inch margin between the edge of the pastry sheet and the vegetables.

Crumble the 4 ounces of goat cheese and feta cheese on top of the vegetables. Place the lightly chopped basil leaves on top, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon black pepper.

Bake at 400 F for about 15-20 minutes until pastry turns light golden brown. Cut and serve hot or warm. Enjoy!

Bruschetta

Click to View Video

Description :

Take a bite into crunchy bread topped with creamy tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, and goat cheese. Yummmy!

Preparation Time :

10 minutes

Servings :

6 – 8

Ingredients :

1 loaf French baguette bread
2 tomatoes
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1-1 ½ tablespoons fresh basil chopped
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces goat cheese
salt and pepper

Directions :

TSlice the French Baguette loaf into ½ – 1 inch wide slices. Brush each slice with a little bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toast the bread until light golden brown.

Chop the tomatoes, onions, garlic and basil and put into a bowl. Slice the goat cheese to create little pieces or chunks of the cheese. Mix the goat cheese together with the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and basil. Pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix everything together.

Put a little bit of the bruschetta mixture on top of each slice of the toasted French baguette bread. Serve and enjoy!