Tofu,Veggie & Cheese Topped Bell Peppers

When it's the season for good vegetables and fruits, it makes me feel out of the world. I get many more different fruits and veggies for experiments in my Kitchen. I, even my family loves eating our veggies. I often make stuffed veggies and bake them.

My kids are also good with the veggies, it's just I need to make the veggies a bit attractive for them to enjoy. I enjoy feeding my kids home-made dishes, just to ease my heart and mind. Well, well, well, Who doesn't. Lets come to the Dish we are going to see in today's post.

Sometimes, in the season I buy Bells peppers in plenty, wash, deseed and cut them to freeze for making my job easy in the Kitchen. This time me and hubby both bought big packs of bell peppers and even after doing my regular freezing, there was a lot of them left.

If you guys remember, I made some tofu stuffed Buns few days back. I was left with half pack tofu in the fridge, which I needed to finish ASAP. So thats the oppertunity for me. I made "Tofu,Veggie & Cheese Topped Bell Peppers". My kids are a BIG BIG fan of dairy products and still don't know much difference between Indian Cottage Cheese (Paneer) and Tofu. They love eating both in same manner, they simply love both of these dairy products.

Very easy to assemble and healthy because of less oil and light cheese. Goodness of Tofu and Veggies, let your mind to peace as well. Try the recipe in your Kitchen, I'm sure your family will love them just as mine did.....................Until Next Time, happy cooking friends, Saumya

Ingredients:

Mix Bell Peppers         - 4 Wash, de-seeded and cut into half
Tofu                             - 1/2 cup crumbled
Mix Veggies                - 1/2 cup (par-boiled)
Grated Cheese             - 4 tblspaoon
Coriander                    - 2 tblspoon freshly chopped
Lemon Juice               - 1/2 tspoon
Red Chilli Powder      - 1/2 tspoon
Garlic Powder            - 1/4 tspoon
Salt                             - to taste
Oil/Butter                   - 1 tblspoon


Method:

Preheat the oven to 200c. Grease a roasting tray with cooking spray.
Wash, de-seed the bell peppers and Cut into half. I used 3 green peppers and 1 red pepper.
In a bowl, mix crumbled tofu, veggies, 2 tblspoon cheese, red chilli powder, garlic powder, salt, freshly chopped coriander and lemon juice. Mix well and keep aside.
Run a little butter in and out on each half of the peppers.
Spoon the filling into each greased bell peppers. I used 2 tblspoon of filling, because the bell peppers I used was relatively small in size.
Press the filling firmly into the bell peppers to avoid spilling it everywhere.
Place them all on the roasting tray.
Sprinkle rest of 3 tblspoon of grated cheese generously on each bell pepper.
Spray some cooking oil on to them. This step is totally optional.
Bake the peppers in preheated oven at 200c for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese on top starts to turn golden.

Once baked, Serve the bell peppers hot with Soup, Salad and Toasted bread.
My family loves to eat them this way, how does yours?????

Vegetable Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

When I was a little girl, my Mum use to make stuffed vegetables, to be honest I never liked them. Everyone use to eat them and sing praises for my mum but I always thought why mum has to burn these.

Now are the days when I understand why everyone sang those praise songs for my mum. I kissed her hands when I first tasted those stuffed vegetables. Since the day I first had those variety of stuffed vegetables made by mum and till now, I'm in love with the concept of stuffed vegetables.

I've in last 10 years, tried so many variety of stuffed vegetables like stuffed bell peppers, stuffed bitter gourd, stuffed zucchini, stuffed ivy gourd, stuffed apple gourd and many more. This time while planning to make stuffed vegetable, I thought of trying tomatoes.

Luckily, I've had few big size salad tomatoes, ripe but hard. Perfect, I thought, lets give it a go. Checked the fridge, had some leftover rice, some par-boiled veggies and boiled potatoes. Hurray, I yelled inside me and started preparing "Stuffed Tomatoes". Have had few bell peppers as well, so grabbed two of them and tomatoes have two friends now.

My family loved eating these stuffed tomatoes just like all other vegetables. I'm sure your family will love them as well. And for that you need to get into the kitchen and try making them. Don't forget to comment below and tell me your experience. Until next time.......Happy Cooking Friends, Saumya

Ingredients:

Tomatoes                   - 4 big size (preferably fresh and tight ones)
Cooked Rice              - 1 cup
Boiled Potato             - 2 small finely diced
Mix Veg                     - 1/2 cup par-boiled (Peas, corn, beans and carrots)
Tomato pulp               - 1/2 cup (extracted from 4 tomatoes)
Peanuts                       - 1/4 cup (optional)
Onion                         - 1 chopped
Garlic                         - 4 finely chopped
Ginger                        - 1 tspoon grated
Green Chilli               - 1 finely chopped
Turmeric Powder       - 1/2 tspoon
Coriander Powder      - 1 tspoon
Amchoor Powder       - 1/2 tspoon
Garam Masala            - 1/2 tspoon
Salt                             - to taste
Red Chili                    - to taste
Oil                               - 2 tblspoon


Extra:

Green Bell Pepper      - 2


Method:

Wash the tomatoes and core them. Extract all the pulp out from Tomatoes. Try not to cut/rip them. Handle the tomatoes gently. Do the same with Bell pepper as well if using.

Keep the extracted pulp in a bowl, we will use it later in the filling.

Heat 1 tblspoon oil in a Karahi, add onions, garlic, ginger and green chilli. Fry until golden.

Add peanuts and fry them until start popping.

Now add diced potatoes, fry for 1 minute.

Add par-boiled mix veggies and mix well.

Now add tomato pulp, we extracted from 4 tomatoes. Mix well.

Now add the dry spice powders, Turmeric powder, salt, Garam masala, Coriander powder, Amchoor and Red chili powder, mix very well.

Add the cooked rice and mix everything well.

Now fill-up the emptied tomatoes and bell peppers with the rice mixture.

Arrange them into a roasting/baking tray. Spray some oil spray/coat the 1 tblspoon of oil on the filled tomato and bell pepper.

I added some sliced onions, to get cooked in their juices and they go very well with these stuffed vegetables.
Bake these stuffed tomatoes and bell peppers in pre-heated oven on 200c for 30-35 minutes or until you see the skin getting brown and top getting crusty.
Once baked serve them with salad, dip and breads on side.
These stuffed tomatoes are the best dish as a whole, they have rice, veggies, and nuts in them.

I'm sending this recipe at Tinned Tomatoes for Meat Free Mondays. Have a look at another awesome vegetarian recipes on Meat Free Mondays

Veggie Sunnyside Up

Ingredients:

Bell Pepper Roundels - Mixed color 5-6 (I used red and green)
Rava Dosa Batter - 1/2 cup
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tspoon
Salt                            - to taste
Fresh Coriander - few leaves
Oil                             - 1-2 tablspoon

Method:

Cut the roundels of bell peppers, wash and keep on a paper towel to let them dry.
Meanwhile, divide the batter into two bowls. Mix turmeric in one bowl to give it yellow color.

In a heavy bottom griddle, sprinkle some oil and place a roundel on the griddle.

Now pour a tablespoon of white batter in the hollow part of roundel. Give it  few seconds to set.

Now pour 1 teaspoon of yellow batter over the white batter.

Now cover it with a lid and let it cook in steam for 2 minutes in low flame.

If you want you can flip it to cook from both sides.
My kids & husband likes it cooked from both side and I love it steamed, So I make it both ways.
Once done garnish with fresh coriander leaf and serve with your choice of condiments.

Stuffed Capsicum / Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

Mix Color Bell Peppers / Capsicums            -6 (Take smaller ones if you aren't cutting them in half)
Potatoes                                                         -2 cups (cooked mashed)
Paneer / Tofu                                                 -2 tblspoon finely diced
Green Capsicum                                            -2 tblspoon finely diced
Green chillies                                                -1/2 tspoon finely chopped
Ginger                                                           -1/2 tspoon finely grated
Cumin seeds (jeera)                                      -1/2 tspoon
Chilli powder                                                -1/2 tspoon
Coriander Powder (Dhaniya)                        -1/2 tspoon
Garam Masala                                               -1/2 tspoon
Dry Mango Powder (Amchoor)                    -1/2 tspoon
Butter                                                             -1/2 tspoon for each capsicum
Fresh coriander                                              -2 tblspoons chopped
Oil                                                                  -1 tblspoon
Salt                                                                 -to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 C.
Grease a baking tray with oil or line it with parchment paper or you can grill your capsicums on grill tray.

Take a deep bowl, add the Potatoes, Paneer cubes, Green Chillis, Ginger, Fresh Coriander, Cumin seeds, chilli powder, amchoor, dhaniya powder, garam masala and salt.

Mix well until all the ingredients get combined and looks all in one.
With a sharp knife, gently cut the stem and the seeds of the bell pepper.
Tap gently so all the seeds fall off. Cut them in exactly half from centre.
Stuff the potato mixture into the capsicums and arrange them vertically on the baking sheet.

Add a half a teaspoon of butter on each stuffed bell pepper.
Bake the them in the oven for about 30-35 minutes or until you notice the shell of the bell pepper has started shrinking and the top has browned.
Stuffed Capsicums are ready to serve as side dish in your dinner parties.