Shaman

Stuffed cubanelle peppers

Made some stuffed cubanelle peppers for dinner. Here are the ingredients:

• Cubanelle peppers
• 1/4 cup cabbage, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup mixed vegetables (beans/peas/carrots/corn)
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 small apple, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 1 green chilly, de-seeded and finely chopped
• A tablespoon of raisins
• 1/4 cup low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese

In a medium saucepan on medium heat, add 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil. Add the green chilly and the garlic and sautee. Add the rest of the diced vegetables, along with the apple slices and the raisins, and sautee for about 10 minutes.

You don’t want to cook the vegetables completely. Cooking them for about 10 minutes will ensure that they still retain a crunch. Add a pinch of salt, and an optional pinch of curry powder,and stir well. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Wash the cubanelle peppers and dry them. Slice the head and remove the seeds.

Stuff the peppers with the vegetable stuffing. Place the peppers in a baking tray lined with foil. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Place the baking tray in the middle shelf and bake for about 40 minutes at 375 F.

Remove the peppers from the oven once the top of the peppers begin to brown. Sprinkle some low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese and serve with a sprinkling of herbs. You can also serve the peppers with some fresh salsa.

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Spiced pumpkin cheesecake

Whipped up a luscious spiced pumpkin cheesecake today. The recipe is pretty straightforward. Here are the ingredients:

• A can of pumpkin puree
• 2 blocks of cream cheese
• 2 eggs
• A can of evaporated milk
• A teaspoon of ginger powder
• A quarter teaspoon each of cinnamon and clove powder
• A cup of Splenda (or sugar)
• Half a cup of nuts and raisins.

Bring the cream cheese to room temperature i.e. make sure it is soft. Blend the cream cheese and the Splenda/sugar using a hand beater. Slowly add the evaporated milk while continuing to blend. Beat the eggs in a separate container till they are homogeneous i.e. the yolk and the white turn into a uniform, yellow liquid. Add the spices, and then add the beaten eggs. Blend the mixture till it is smooth and homogeneous. Add the raisins and nuts and stir slowly, ensuring that they are incorporated into the mixture. In a baking dish greased with butter, sprinkle some powdered graham cracker to make a crust and bake at 375 F for 5 to 10 minutes till the crust begins to turn brown. Pour the cheese cake mixture into the baking dish. Bake at 375 F for about an hour, or till the cheesecake is just done (poke a knife into the cheesecake; if it comes out clean, you should be done). Remove from the oven and allow it to completely cool down. Refrigerate till chilled and well set. Sprinkle with cinnamon powder before serving. Perfect for a fall day.

Note: Some folks prefer using pumpkin spice instead of the ginger, cinnamon and clove powder. I prefer to use the individual spices because it produces a more fragrant cheesecake, and I love the subtle bite of the ginger. Feel free to use pumpkin spice powder if you wish. You’ll need to use about one and a half teaspoons of the pumpkin spice.

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Egg curry with noodles cooked in a ginger/soy/miso broth, with hearts of palm sauteed in butter with black pepper and paprika, and breaded eggplant slices served with a mustard ginger aioli for an appetizer

Egg curry with noodles cooked in a ginger/soy/miso broth

Hearts of palm sauteed in butter with black pepper and paprika, with breaded eggplant slices served with a mustard ginger aioli

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Weekend lunch spread - Noodles, grilled eggplant and cheesecake

With the wife away on a trip to India, I am back in the kitchen, rekindling my passion for all things epicurean. Today’s lunch menu:

Grilled spiced eggplant slices with red pepper slices

Noodles on a bed of sauteed  vegetables

And for dessert, a decadent slice of orange flavored cheesecake with raisins and nuts, topped with marmalade.

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Georgia on my mind…

The weather in Pittsburgh, PA has been cold, damp and full of snow and sleet this week. I’m glad the weekend is finally here. As I trudged home from work, I thought of sunny days in Georgia, with glasses of sweet iced tea, and peaches. So I made up my mind to make dessert tonight with some peaches. 5 to 6 slices of chilled peaches dusted with some cinnamon, along with a mini chocolate coated ice cream bar, and some cherry glaze made from sugar-free syrup and cherry essence, with a dash of food color. About 12 grams of carb. I can’t wait for summer to arrive. Perhaps a visit to the South is warranted…

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