It is that time off the year ,when almost every household in India observes a 15 day Vegetarian meal only food practice . Yes,it is Pitru Paksha ,also known as Mahalaya Paksha .
These fifteen days starting from Poornima /Pournami (Full Moon Day) to Amavasya / Amavasai (New Moon day) people abstain from eating non veg , alcohol and also most people avoid the usage of Onion,garlic as part of their cooking.
Pithru Paksh / Shraadh Paksh is one fortnight where we pay obeisance to the departed souls ..it is believed that during this period ,our ancestors visit our homes to bless us and partake the food offered to them as part of the ritual.
If you ever thought, that cooking without Onion and Garlic will not make a tasty meal,then you are mistaken my dear friends.
Here,I have a curated a simple Thaali with lipsmacking delicacies made totally without Onion and Garlic. Click the links below to get a detailed recipe of every item on the Thaali . You can include Fulkas or Puris if you want it to be a little more elaborate.
Paneer Tomato grilled sandwiches are a perfect choice for packing in kids' lunch box or even for adults when you want to carry something filling at the same time not messy to eat on the desk .
You can also serve this as an after school snack or even makes for a perfect light dinner when paired with some warm Italian style Tomato soup . (Recipe source - Priya Iyer's blog)
Paneer takes care of the protein quotient for the day and the tomatoes keep the sandwiches moist and don't let it get too dry and stuffy. Adding some mozzarella chees gives a nice gooey and melt in mouth texture.
I love to work with different fillings that go into the sandwich and this is yet another successful attempt as my family loved the flavor and the crisp grilled bread.
For the spice, I have used only red chilli powder and 1 small green chilli chopped. Some boiled corn was added for the crunch and tomatoes used were firm and deseeded to prevent the sandwiches from getting soggy .
Some sandwich varieties from my blog that you must definitely try
Preparation Time - 10 mins Grilling Time - 3 to 4 mins per sandwich Complexity - simple Makes 3 sandwiches
Ingredients
6 slices of bread 100 gms paneer 2 medium firm tomatoes 3/4th cup boiled sweet corn 1 tsp Chilli powder /chilli flakes Salt as needed Fresh corriander chopped 1 green chilli Grated mozzarella cheese as needed Butter to apply on bread
Method
Firstly grate the paneer, crush 3 tbsp of corn kernels with green chilli in a blender and de seed the tomatoes and dice into small cubes.
In a mixing bowl mix the Tomatoes, crushed corn , paneer, boiled corn ,chilli powder ,salt, chopped corriander and mix it all well . Let it rest for 5 to 10mins . Our filling is ready .
Donot let the filling sit for extra time because the tomatoes will release water when mixed with salt and the filling will become soggy .we don't want that
Heat the grilling pan, apply butter on one side of the bread , place some filling on it ,spread grated mozzarella cheese as per your wish ..close using the other slice of bread .
Apply some butter to the grilling pan and grill the sandwich on both sides until crisp and golden brown .
Cut the sandwich into wedges and enjoy .
If packing for lunch, then place foil paper in the inside of the lunch box ,place the cut sandwiches once they have cooled down .this will prevent the sandwiches from getting soggy .
Corn capsicum Quesedillas are perfect to serve as quick after school snack or for an early dinner. The gooey cheese and the crunch from the sweet corn and capsicums make every bite delectable.
Make sure that these Quesedillas are served hot as soon as you prepare so that the filling and the tortillas don't loose the crispness and the texture
Mexican flavors are very close to our Indian spices and flavoring agents, so ideally you don't even need to hunt for special ingredients to make these melt in mouth Corn Quesedillas.
There are ready made tortillas available in the market these days which can be used to make these Quesedillas or even the Indian Flat bread (Fulkas) can also be used as the base for making.
You can experiment with various flavors when preparing the filling and try to make it as healthy as you want. The amount of cheese can also be as per your preference. In today's corn capsicum Quesedilla I have kept the filling very simple and have used diced mozzarella cheese to get the gooey effect .
Today's recipe makes use of ready made multigrain tortillas and for the filling I have used sweet corn , green bell pepper (capsicum) and red bell pepper.
If you like Mexican flavors then you must try the following recipes from my blog
Preparation time - 10 mins Cooking Time - 3 mins per Quesedilla Complexity - simple Makes - 4 Quesedillas
Ingredients
4 multigrain/flour tortillas 1 medium green bell pepper (capsicum) 1 medium red bell pepper 1/2 onion finely chopped (skip for jain /satvik ) 1.5 cups boiled corn 1.5 cup diced /grated mozzarella cheese Finely chopped corriander 1 green chilli finely chopped Chilli flakes as needed Salt as needed
Method
Finely dice the green and red bell pepper into small cubes .
Take 1/2 cup boiled corn in a blender and crush it coarsely.
In a wide mixing bowl, take the finely chopped capsicum ,red pepper, crushed corn ,boiled sweet corn and onions if using and give a quick mix.
Add in the chilli flakes ,salt, corriander ,green chilli ,2 tbsp diced cheese and mix it nicely. The stuffing is now ready.
Take one tortilla and lightly roast it on open flame or microwave it for 10 seconds.
Place the tortilla on a flat surface ,place the filling on one half of the tortilla ,spread as much cheese as you want and fold it.
Place this tortilla on a hot tawa and roast it on both sides until it turns crispy and the cheese melts inside . If using a convection oven or OTG ,preheat the oven to 400F and bake the tortillas for 3 mins .
Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter , cut the Quesedilla into wedges and serve it hot .
Repeat the same process for the remaining tortillas.
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