Mango Salad

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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.

Vegetable Pizza

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Description :
Learn how to make a delicious pizza right from your home oven! Top it with anything and make this pizza your own wonderful creation!

Preparation Time :
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Servings :
2, 8-inch diameter pizzas

Ingredients :

1 pound (16 oz.) prepared pizza dough
1 teaspoon olive oil
flour for rolling surface

Toppings:

1 ½ cups prepared pasta/marinara sauce
¼ cup onion, sliced
¼ cup green bell pepper, sliced
1 green chilli
2 tbsp. chopped sundried tomatoes
2 tbsp. chopped olives
1½ tbsp. basil
8 oz. mozzarella cheese
salt and black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions :

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Halve the dough into two 8 oz. pieces. Flour rolling surface and roll dough into a round shape ¼ to ½ inch thick.

Place pizza dough rounds onto baking pans or pizza pans and lightly brush top with olive oil.
Bake for 15 minutes at 425 F until slightly brown.

Prepare toppings for pizza. Grate mozzarella cheese. Slice the onion and green bell peppers Chop the green chilli, sun dried tomatoes, and olives. Coarsely chop the basil.
Spread the tomato sauce in an even layer on top of the pizza crust. Sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese. Top with your favorite toppings.

Note: If using meat, pre-cook the meat until it is almost cooked. Then place the meat slices on pizza to further cook in the oven.

Season the pizza with salt and pepper and dried oregano.
Bake for 20 minutes on 425 F until cheese has melted and vegetables have turned slightly golden brown.
Sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes, garlic powder, or Parmesan cheese. (optional)

Enjoy!

Vegetable Lasagna

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Description :
Enjoy this rich cheesy lasagna loaded with vegetables, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese. Featuring special guest, my cousin brother Puneet Gupta! 

Preparation Time :
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Servings :
6 – 8

Ingredients :

1 package lasagna pasta (about 15 strips) 
Pinch of salt
Boiling water
½ tablespoon oil

Vegetable Mixture:

2-3 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 medium onions sliced
10-12 ounces package frozen spinach or ¾ – 1 cup fresh chopped spinach
10-12 ounces frozen vegetables or ¾ – 1 cup fresh chopped vegetables (broccoli, red peppers, mushrooms)
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 jars Marinara Sauce
16 oz shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
16 oz tub Ricotta cheese

Directions :

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
If using frozen vegetables, thaw them well before cooking.

Cook the pasta in a large pot with boiling water and a pinch of salt. Boil for 10-15 minutes or according to the directions on the package until lasagna pasta is ready.

In a heated pan, put the olive oil and saute the onions until translucent and slightly brown. Add the frozen or fresh vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then, add the spinach and cook for another 3-5 minutes until all vegetables are well cooked. Add the 1 tablespoon oregano, salt, and pepper and mix well. Keep aside.

To assemble the lasagna, in a baking dish, layer the bottom with marinara sauce. Place the pasta strips side by side with little overlapping until the bottom of the dish is covered. Again layer with marina sauce and evenly spoon half of the vegetable mixture on top of the sauce. Spread one third of the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly on top of the vegetables.

Take the lasagna pasta strips and spread 2-3 tablespoons of the ricotta cheese on top. Cover one side of the lasagna strips, and cheese side face down, layer the strips side by side with a little overlap on top of the mozzarella cheese.

On top, layer with marinara sauce and on top of that evenly spoon the other half or rest of the vegetable mixture. Then add another layer of the mozzarella cheese and another layer of the lasagna pasta with the ricotta cheese. Lastly, top it off with the marinara sauce and the rest of the mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with the 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and put in the heated oven and bake for 45 minutes.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Pomegranate Salad

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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!