Spinach Pasta with Roasted Garlic & Sun-dried Tomato Sauce

There's nothing like a plate of spinach pasta served as dinner on a weeknight, especially when its smelling of garlic and looks as pretty as this one! Improvising on my previous recipe, I made these again last night, albeit with a few delicious changes. Cherry Tomatoes, of course were the star ingredients, but I went ahead and added a paste of roasted garlic, pine-nuts and some sun-dried tomatoes to the sauce, which gave it a wonderful flavor! This time, I also went for lightly roasted tomatoes instead of plain ones, which makes such a huge difference. So here's the edited and improved version of Spinach Fettuccine with Roasted Garlic and Tomato Sauce, that is simple and tasty to serve as weeknight dinner!

Ingredients
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion - finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves - minced
1 tspn fresh lemon juice
freshly ground pepper - to taste
salt - to taste
2 tbsp white wine (optional)
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 tsp thyme leaves
1/2 cup parmesan cheese - freshly grated
1/2 pound fresh spinach fettuccine

Ground Paste (optional)
3 cloves of roasted garlic
2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes
1 tsp pine nuts
1 tbsp olive oil
Roast the garlic cloves and pine-nuts separately, then grind it all together with olive oil to make a fine paste.

Method
Cook the spinach fettucini in boiling water with 1 tbsp olive oil until tender. make the Ground paste and keep it aside.

Gently grease the tomatoes with olive oil and line them in a baking tray. Now roast at 250 deg F for about 7-8 mins, until lightly smoked and skin appears a little roasted.

Saute the onion in oil until tender and glossy. Add the minced garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and wine. Let it simmer for 5 more minutes. Now add the roasted garlic and sun-dried tomato paste to this and mix well.

Add the roasted cherry tomatoes to this mixture. Lower the flame and cover with a lid. Let the tomatoes soak in the wine and garlic, but do not let them become mushy and overcooked. Season with thyme and sprinkle more roasted pine nuts on the top if you like.

Spread the cooked pasta on a plate. Top it with a generous helping of the sauce. Season with some more salt and pepper if needed; then top with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese!

This pasta recipe is my current favorite, as it has half the calories of a Fettucini Alfredo, and is very easy to make. Smelling of fresh roasted garlic, its hard to resist a plate of this Spinach Fettucini, don't you think!

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Stuffed Ravioli in Saffron & Tomato Cream Sauce
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Chocolate Nutella Cookies

Can you imagine the divine taste of Nutella, all wrapped up in a dark chocolate layer and packaged as a decadent cookie?? If you haven't started salivating already, I'm pretty sure you will, as soon as you lay your hands on these truly delicious Nutella Chocolate Cookies! After devouring endless Nutella crepes in our recent trip to France, I thought it would be great to bake some cookies with Nutella! and of course, there can't be christmas cookies without chocolate, at least for me, so I combined my two favorite ingredients and set forth to bake these decadent Dark Chocolate Nutella Cookies, that are crunchy to eat, and yet melt in your mouth as soon as you start savoring one!

I'm sending these to Susan at Foodblogga for her Eat Christmas Cookies event. Check out all the other delicious entries up here! This also goes to Santa's Holiday Challenge at Tasty Treats, as well as Cookie Baking event over at Neivedyam!

Ingredients
makes 16-18 small cookies
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chips
3 tbsp Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread
2 tsp finely ground hazelnut powder

Note: I didn't exactly measure my Nutella spread while making these, so I might be a wee bit off in the measurement list. So if you feel your dough is a little soft to handle, just refrigerate it for a couple hours as suggested, and the cookies should turn out fine.

Method
Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and keep aside.

Melt the dark chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl by heating and stirring for 1 minute, in 20-second intervals. Allow it to cool a little.

Beat butter and sugar until creamy, then beat in the Nutella spread. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and stir until combined.

Add the melted dark chocolate and the ground hazelnut powder and mix well.

If the dough looks a bit clumsy to handle, wrap it in a cellophane paper and refrigerate for about 10 mins. This will make it easier to shape into cookies.

Now shape the dough gingerly into small round cookies, or drop them using rounded spoons on the baking sheets, about an inch apart from each other. Press gently with the backside of a fork if you like.

Bake for about 10 minutes, until dark brown in color or until the edges are just set. Let cool on cookie sheets for about 2 minutes. Then remove and cool completely on wire racks.

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Coconut Cookies with Vanilla Icing
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Puff Pastry Paneer Pinwheels

Appetizers are a great way to entice guests at a party, or when you call friends for a brief chit-chat. And if you are looking for ideas, these deliciously good-looking Paneer Pinwheels(Palmiers) may just be the the starters you were searching for! Made with Pepperidge Farm's Puff Pastry sheets, they are extremely simple to assemble, and need no preparation time, except thawing the pastry sheets. I made mine with the ever-fascinating Paneer, Cilantro Pesto, or chutney, some herbs, seasonings and a generous helping of Cheese. Baked in less than 20 mins, these Paneer Pinwheels are a great treat when served hot or cold, with any dipping sauce that you fancy.

Ingredients
Makes about 24 pinwheels

One package (2 sheets) frozen PepperidgeFarm Puff Pastry
1 cup shredded paneer (how to make paneer at home)
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1/2 cup green cilantro chutney (or basil pesto) (recipe here)
4 tbsp shredded cheese
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried garlic & herb flakes (optional)

Method
Mix the Paneer with the shredded cheese and the garlic & herb flakes, toss around and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the pinwheels.

Thaw the puff pastry at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until defrosted and easy to unfold. Gently unfold the 2 sheets on 2 separate baking trays, on a lightly floured surface.

Apply a thin layer of olive oil to the sheets with a brush.

Now remove the Paneer mixture from the fridge. Spread a generous serving of the Green Cilantro Chutney evenly over the pastry sheet, leaving a 1/2 inch border on all 4 sides. Top this with a serving of ketchup; spread gingerly with a spoon.

Now sprinkle half of the paneer-cheese mixture on top of the sauces. Roll up the pastry length-wise, slowly balancing on both sides with your fingers and form a puff-pastry roll.

Use gentle pressure to seal the edges tightly; you can use a little more oil or egg-wash if you like to seal the borders where they meet up. Now cover the roll with a plastic-wrap. Repeat the same with the other pastry sheet, cover with a plastic wrap, and refrigerate both the rolls for at least 30-40 mins, until they become a bit hard and easy to handle.

Now remove from the fridge and using a sharp, serrated knife, slice the rolls to make 1/2-inch thick pinwheels.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange the pinwheels, cut side down, on 2 baking sheets lined with wax paper; leave ample room between them to allow to expand a little.

Apply some egg wash or light oil on the surface of each wheel and Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and a little puffed-up.

Serve these delicious Paneer Pinwheels (Palmiers) straight out from the oven, with a side order of Sweet & Sour Tamarind Chutney.

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How to Prevent Food Poisoning?

Last week, we had a rough time with quite a few of our family members trying to fight a dose of what doctors could only call "Food Poisoning"; with 3 out of 7 of us falling sick with severe stomach aches, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, it was hard to single out the food that could have caused this. One of our cousins even had to be hospitalized while the other 2 rattled on with the pain and medication at home. Unfortunately, cases like these have been significantly on the rise all over US in the past few months, so it becomes imperative to monitor what you eat, even if you cook your own meals at home, as we did, and take extreme caution and care in making sure you follow a few simple guidelines to keep those virus and bacteria at bay!

Food Poisoning is a very common problem that people are facing these days, and though most mild cases can be cured naturally within 2-3 days, this is not something that can be ignored. In fact, not taking proper care can lead to really dangerous consequences or complications. More than 250 different diseases can cause food poisoning, and a recent News feature showed that 1 out of every 3 people in the US are becoming victims to Salmonella poisoning. Here's a great writeup and explanation about the different types of virus & Bacteria that cause Food Posioning, and here's a specific one about Salmonella Poisoning.

A Few Symptoms To Look For
* An upset stomach or nausea
* Feeling bloated and heavy
* Painful stomach cramps
* Pain in any part of abdomen in varying degree
* Having diarrhoea and/or fever

Listed above are just a few symptoms that hint that you might be suffering from food poisoning. Ask your friends or family who's eaten similar meals like you in the past few days if they are having similar symptoms; if not, it could be something else altogether.

Sometimes feeling sick from food poisoning shows up within hours of eating the bad food. At other times, it may take upto several days to kick in. With mild cases of food poisoning, you will not feel sick for very long and will soon be feeling fine again. If you throw up, your body has most likely eliminated the "bad food", but if the above symptoms do not wear off in a couple days, consult your doctor immediately. Its better to be safe than sorry. And keep yourself hydrated by drinking loads of water, juices, preferably lemonade, and avoid heavy, starchy or acidic food.

Here are some tips one can follow to prevent Food Poisoning, or at least mitigate its effects.

1. Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating or cooking with them. Steamed, Baked or cooked food is always better in terms of preventing spread of bacteria than raw food, especially for some vegetables.

2. When shopping for perishable foods, avoid packaging that is torn, or looks really old. Wilted leafy greens and fruits with saggy skin, or browned bananas have probably been lying there for a long time, and its good to pass on them.

3. Look at your food to see any visual signs of staleness, and smell it too. If something looks or smells different from normal, check with another person before eating or drinking it. When in doubt, its better to throw it away than get infected!

3. Leftovers should be preserved carefully in air-tight containers or wrapped in bags, and should be stored in refrigerators. Also, its always a good idea to re-heat your food, especially leftovers as heat will destroy major bacteria.

4. Never use stuff after the Expiration date - those dates have been printed for a good cause; don't give in to the urge of saving a few bucks by consuming expired food as it could cost you your health.

5. Avoid raw food like uncooked sprouts, poultry or eggs. Thoroughly wash all your salad greens too before using them as spinach and similar leafy vegetables can contain contaminants.

6. Use different utensils (knives, cutting board, vessels, etc) for meats and produce, or wash them thoroughly between use.

7. Try cooking at home as much as possible, and avoid any restaurants and eateries that you may think do not follow the cleaning guidelines correctly. In fact, report such places so some action can be taken against them. Insist on eating hot/warm food even at restaurants, to minimize chances of infection.

These are just a few tips to help you make sure you are doing your best in preventing food poisoning. WebMD has a good read on Myths About Food Poisoning, in case you are interested in some additional tips. Remember, Health is Wealth, and though this may not seem like a disease or ailment you'd be too worried about, let me tell you that it can get really ugly when someone in your family bundles up with acute pain, fever and keeps throwing up every now and then. So do your best to prevent the spread of food-borne diseases, and keep yourself and your family healthy.

As we try to focus on a healthy lifestyle, I would also like to bring to your attention the importance of eating fresh food vs packaged or pre-cooked food. Recently, I came across Phytolife, a great online resource for healthy lifestyle and cooking-related information, which I'd recommend you check out. There are so many minor changes that one can make to keep yourself healthy; let's take a moment to sit back, reflect and realign the way we feed our bodies, so we can prevent unhealthy scenarios way before they can translate into something horrific!

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Homemade Garlic Bread - Caprese Style

I love Garlic Bread, especially when its fresh homemade bread where I am free to indulge in the toppings that I please! A salad or a bowl of your favorite pasta is never complete unless accompanied by a few pieces of sizzling hot and cheesy Garlic bread. I try to be innovative with my toppings to bring out the variety and though Bruschetta toppings are my preferred option, this time we tried to make something similar to a Caprese salad. Inspired by the Italian traditional Caprese, I used thick tomatoes, Cheddar and Mozarella with a hint of basil as a delicate topping for our homemade Garlic Bread.

Ingredients
1 loaf of Italian bread or French bread
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Caprese Toppings
7-8 thickly sliced tomatoes
cheddar and mozarella cheese - shredded
** or use fresh slices of thick white Mozarella cheese
dry basil flakes (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the bread in half, horizontally, and keep aside.

Heat the olive oil in a pan, just enough to warm it. Now add the minced garlic to the oil. Let it roast for about 2 minutes on low flame. Remove from heat and let it cool a little.

Then mix the butter, roasted garlic, and parsley together in a small bowl. Spread butter mixture over the the two bread halves. Place on a sturdy baking pan and Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over bread if you want. Top with the thick sliced tomatoes, sprinkle some more shredded Mozarella and Cheddar on the top, and finish with Basil flakes.

Return to oven on the highest rack. Broil on high heat for 2-3 minutes until the edges of the bread begin to toast and the cheese bubbles slightly. Do not go for more than 3 seconds as the bread can burn and brown very easily!

Remove from oven and let it cool for a minute. Now cut into 2-inch slices, or larger if you choose, and serve the piping hot Caprese-style Garlic bread with your favorite pasta or salad!

Note: You can even chop the tomatoes instead of slicing them if you want thinner pieces to serve.

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