One Day At A Time!

Howdy everyone! Hope your day is going well. My morning started with a 30 minute walk on the treadmill. Feeling quite refreshed. Today's menu is Tex Mex food. I love Quesadillas, Guacamole, Flan. Do tell me your favorite Mexican delicacy. Years ago,  I shared the Veggie Burrito Bowl . How about a Mexican Sea Food Shrimp Burrito Bowl? Ingredients: Shrimp / Prawn / Jhinga - about 30 Dry Black Beans - 1/2 cup Garlic Herb Seasoning - 2 tsp Paprika - 1 tsp Avocados - 2 Pickled Jalapeno Slices - about 8 Green Lime - 2 Tomatoes - 2 Red Onions - 1 medium Green Bell Pepper - 1 optional Cilantro/ Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Black Pepper Powder Cooking Spray or Oil Romaine Lettuce Tortilla Chips Salt How to make a Homemade Shrimp Burrito Bowl: Soak Black Beans in plenty of water overnight. Drain the water and wash the soaked beans a couple times. Add water and cook them. I cook soaked beans in my Presto pressure cooker. Canned pinto beans or black beans are great to save time. Season the ...

Hello there! How is everyone? I am enjoying a perfect fall day with pleasant weather.... not too hot, not too cold. Last couple months I hardly cooked anything. Its been takeout, eating out or frozen dinners. My child does not like me spending any time in the kitchen.

Last few days have been slightly hectic. But now, I am back with another easy menu - Vegetarian Pinto Bean Quesadillas. It is wholesome and delicious with soft beans, crunchy vegetables and a cheesy goodness. Serve these quesadillas with sour cream and guacamole and everyone will be happy.

Rice and Rotis are a staple for our lunches and dinners. Some days, I like to cook an exotic menu. Mexican, Italian, Thai are our favorites. Since I had some avocados, today's lunch turned out to be Mexican. Let me tell you about a simple vegetarian wholesome meal, well known to many as Veggie Burrito Bowl. Black Beans: Dry Black Beans - 1 cup Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp Garlic - 3 big cloves Salt Cilantro Lime Rice: Basmati Rice - 1 cup Lime Juice - 2 tbsp Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Salt Fajita Vegetables: Mini Bell Peppers/Capsicum - 4 Onion - 1 medium Chipotle Seasoning - 1 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp Salt Guacamole: Avocados - 2 Onions (finely chopped) - about 3 tbsp Lime Juice - 3 tbsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Salt Additional Toppings: Sour Cream Pepper Jack Cheese Shredded Lettuce Tortilla Chips Salsa How to make Mexican Veggie Burr...

After a fun, relaxed weekend, getting back to the weekly routine is slightly boring. Our week started with these easy to put together vegetarian Black Bean and Mango Quesadillas. Spicy jalapenos and fruity mangos make this lazy meal quite flavorful. Black Beans: Dry Black Beans - 1/2 cup Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1 tsp Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp Salt Mango Salsa: Mangoes (medium chopped) - 1 1/2 cups Red Onions (finely chopped) - about 1/3 cup Mini Red Bell Pepper (finely chopped) - about 1/2 cup Jalapeno Pepper - 1 Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Lime Juice - 2 tbsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp Salt Whole Wheat Tortillas Grated Pepper Jack Cheese Butter or Oil Sour Cream Avocado  Guacamole How to make Black Bean and Mango Quesadillas: Black Beans: Soak dry black beans in plenty of water for 6 - 8 hours. Wash the soaked beans well. Heat 5 - 6 cups of water in a pot. Add washed beans and cook until beans turn soft. Add salt, chili...

As you guys know, Mexican food is one of our favorites. Making Tacos at home is quite effortless. This is a wholesome meal with proteins, veggies and carbs. Since I had to finish some mangoes, mango salsa was the highlight of our tacos. It was a refreshing change from the regular tomato salsa. If you love mangoes too, you must give this a try. Grilled Shrimp: Shrimps/Prawns - 25 Lime Juice - 2 tbsp Cajun Seasoning - 1 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder - 1 1/2 tsp Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp Salt Mango Salsa: Mangoes (medium chopped) - 1 1/2 cups Red Onions (finely chopped) - about 1/3 cup Jalapeno Pepper - 1 Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Lime Juice - 2 tbsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp Salt Whole Wheat Tortillas Shredded Lettuce Grated Cheese Sour Cream Avocado  Guacamole How to make Mango Shrimp Tacos: Mango Salsa: A firm (not mushy) mango works best for salsa. Discard the seeds of the jalapeno pepper and finely...

For our quick meals, I love sandwiches, wraps or cheesy quesadillas. The number of permutations and combinations with these grab and go lunches is endless.... protein rich beans, crunchy vegetables or lean chicken. Any leftover stir fry veggies and meat are good as well. And every time try it with some new seasoning. One of our favorite flavors for chicken is garlic and rosemary.  If you like it too, try these cheesy wraps. Ingredients: Boneless Chicken - about 1 pound Garlic - 2 big cloves Dry Rosemary - 1 tsp Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp Carrot - 1 big Bell Pepper/Capsicum - 1 Green Onions/Scallions - 3 Oil - 2 tsp Salt Pepper Jack Cheese - about 1 cup Tortillas - 5 How to make Garlic Rosemary Chicken Quesadillas: On a big plate/tray, place the skinless chicken breast. Sprinkle rosemary, fresh ground black pepper, red chili powder and salt. Pour the lemon juice and rub it all over the chicken. Co...

Regular readers might have read my previous posts -  Chicken Quesadillas and Mushroom Quesadillas . Recently, we have found ourselves a new favorite. Prawn (Shrimp) quesadillas seasoned with desi Tandoori Masala. Quesadillas with nutrient rich Guacamole makes it a tasty meal. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Tortillas - 5 Jumbo Prawns/Shrimps - about 20 Onion - 1 medium Green Bell Pepper/Capsicum - about 1/2 cup Sweet Bell Peppers - about 1/2 cup Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Garlic - 2 big cloves Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp Tandoori Masala - 1 tbsp Spanish Paprika - 1/2 tbsp Cayenne Pepper - 3/4 tsp Pepper Jack Cheese - about 1 cup Salt Oil How to prepare Tanduri Shrimp Quesadillas: In a mixing bowl, add ginger garlic paste, tandoori masala, Spanish paprika, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, salt and lemon juice. Add cleaned prawns and coat them well. Let the prawns marinate for about an hour. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. Grease a ...

Mexican Cuisine has some similarities to Indian food in terms of spice.  You all have read my previous posts of Quesadillas and Tacos . I love to try Mexican recipes with a few twists of my own. There are some who don't like raw onions in their food. For them, here is my take on the classic Avocado Guacamole with tangy mango. This turned out to be a great hit with both kids and grown ups. Ingredients: Avocados - 2 Raw Mango - 2 tbsp Olives - 1 tbsp Pickled Jalapenos - 1 tbsp Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Lime Juice - 2 tbsp Salt Oil How to prepare Guacamole:   Dice the avocados in halves. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Dice the flesh into small pieces or mash it. In a mixing bowl, add finely chopped mango, olives, jalapenos, lime juice and salt. Add avocados and mix all the ingredients well. Garnish with cilantro leaves. No hard and fast rule about the proportion of ingredients. Add more or less to suit your taste. Serve Guaca...

Spicy hot sauce flavored Chicken Wraps with veggies, pickled olives, jalapenos and fresh guacamole. Ingredients: Tortillas - 6 Boneless Chicken - 1 pound (453 gm) Hot Wings Sauce - 2 tbsp Spanish Paprika - 1 tsp Garlic and Herb Seasoning - 2 tsp Lettuce - about 1 cup Mini Bell Pepper - 1 Green Onions/Scallions - about 1 cup Pickled Olives - 1/2 cup Pickled Jalapeno Peppers - 1/2 cup Avocados - 2 Lime Juice - 2 tbsp Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp Sour Cream Salt Oil     How to prepare Chicken Wraps with Veggies: Guacamole:   Cut the ripe avocado lengthwise around the seed which is at the center. Gently twist the two halves. Scoop out the avocado flesh with a spoon. Discard the seed and the outer skin. Add lemon juice, little salt, chopped cilantro and black pepper powder. Mix and roughly mash the avocado flesh. Set this guacamole aside. Dice chicken into bite size pieces. In a mixing bowl, add c...

Whenever I don't have much time, I go for some semi homemade meals. Sandwiches or Tacos with any vegetables I have. Today's meal is with Vegetable and Black Bean Tacos with store bought Tortillas. Mexican Tacos are quite similar to Indian Vegetable Frankie or Kathi Roll .  Grilled veggies, cheese and lettuce make these wraps delicious and healthy. Ingredients: Tortillas - 6 Dry Black Beans - 1 cup Zucchini Squash - about 2 cups Tomato - 1 medium Lettuce - about 1 cup Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese - 1/2 cup each Chipotle Seasoning - 2 tsp Garlic - 2 big cloves Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander/Dhaniya Powder - 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp Salt How to make Veggie Tacos: Cook black beans with 2 cups water until they turn soft. Add more water if required. I used a pressure cooker for cooking beans.  Add 1 1/2 tsp Chipotle Seasoning, cumin, coriander and salt. Continue cooking the beans until all the water is lost. Meanwhile, medi...

Last month, I had blogged about Chicken Quesadillas with Indian spices . Today's Quesadilla recipe is of mushrooms with Chipotle Seasoning, which vegetarians can also enjoy. Ingredients: Wheat Flour/Atta - about 4 cups Spinach/Palak - about 3 cups Mushrooms - about 500 gm Chipotle Seasoning - 1/2 tsp Garlic and Herb Seasoning - 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Tomatoes - 2 medium Onion - 1 small Green Pepper/Capsicum - about 2 tbsp Jalapenos or Green Chilies - 1 Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Lime/Lemon Juice - 1 tsp Pepper Jack Cheese or any other Salt Oil How to prepare Mexican Mushroom Quesadillas: Preparing Spinach Dough: Puree spinach leaves with little salt in a mixer/blender. Add little water if required. In a mixing bowl, add the spinach puree. Add wheat flour, in small amounts till a soft dough is formed. Add 1 tsp oil and knead well. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes. If you do not hav...

Mexican Chicken Quesadillas made of spinach roti and flavored with Indian spices. A tasty fusion of Latin and Indian Cuisines. Ingredients: Wheat Flour - about 4 cups Spinach/Palak - about 3 cups Chicken Breasts - 2 Lime/Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp Tandoori Masala or Kabab Masala - 1 tbsp Garam Masala or any other spice mix - 1 tsp Chat Masala - 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper - 1 tsp Coriander/Dhania Powder - 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1 tsp Garlic (finely chopped) - 1 tsp Tomatoes - 2 medium Red Onion - 1 small Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Jalapeno - 1 Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Pepper Jack Cheese or any other Cheese Salt Oil How to prepare Spinach and Chicken Quesadillas: Palak/Spinach Dough: Puree spinach leaves with little salt in a mixer/blender. Add little water if required. In a mixing bowl, add the spinach puree. Add wheat flour in small amounts till a soft dough is formed. Add about 1 tsp oil and knead well. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes. Ma...

Crispy crunchy Tortilla Chips served with tangy Tomato Salsa is a perfect Mexican appetizer to start a meal. Tortillas are Mexican flat bread made of wheat flour or corn flour. These crispy chips can be either deep fried or baked. These baked tortillas are similar in taste to Gujarati Khakras.  Ingredients: Wheat Flour Tortillas - 6 Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp Tomatoes (Roma) - 4 medium Onion - 1 small Jalapenos Peppers/Chilies - 2 Garlic - 2 big cloves Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Lemon Juice - about 2 tbsp Salt Oil How to bake Tortilla Chips and make Tomato Salsa: Cut each round tortilla into 4 quarters and each quarter into 2 parts. You will get 8 triangles per tortilla.  Lay them on a baking dish. Drizzle about 1 tbsp of olive oil, little salt and black pepper powder. Mix well and spread them. Alternatively, you can brush each triangle with butter or oil. Preheat the oven at 400 deg. F and bake the chips for 4 - 5 minutes...