TOMATO PENNE BAKE,BEAN ENCHILADA AND A MeMe!

Hope you all had a great Super Bowl Sunday and ate lot of food!:D
It was great game this year unlike last year,so much twists and turns and surprises!!We loved it!I cooked some easy Mexican food and enjoyed the game as well.I didn't want cook too much and be too tired to watch the game like I did last year!

I chose to make Enchiladas for lunch on Sunday and for the game before 6pm,I made few Taquitos,Empanadas, Guacamole,Cheese dip(Con Queso on Fondue pot!:D)and hot salsa
for Tostitos,and with some soft drinks for me(Beer is not something I like)and kids and Beers for the big guy to wash it all down! We clear all the furnitures and crash right infront of the TV on the carpet to watch and pig out!:D

I didn't cook too many dishes this week but some random recipes, a MeMe and some photos!! Arvind was toying with the camera while we were watching the game and took some pics of the game on TV,I thought I put one of those up too!

Here is the picture of our NFL grub!


Black Bean Enchiladas: Serves 4

You Need:
7-8 8" flour tortillas,3 cups Red chile sauce or store bought Enchilada Sauce,1 cup shredded cheddar cheese,2 Green Onions for garnish,1 small sweet onion,minced.
You also need Black bean filling ingredients as listed below.You can add Kidney beans,cooked Chicken or browned ground beef if you like but this time it's just vegetarian Enchiladas here!:))

How To:


Take 2 cups Black Beans Canned,1/2 cup Spinach cooked,1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese,2-3 tbsp Hot Salsa,3 chopped green onions,2 garlic, 1 tbsp Cumin powder,2 tbsp chopped cilantro,salt,2 tsp lemon juice or sour Cream ,mash all these into a coarse paste.





Take a 13x9" baking dish,pour 1 cup sauce into the bottom.Keep 2 cups of sauce in a wide pan.Take a 8" Flour Tortilla,dip the whole thing in sauce and lay on a plate.Place 3 tbsp of bean filling and fold both sides over it.Gently lift and place it seam side down in the baking pan.






Make 3 more to cover the bottom,sprinkle sweet onions,1/2 cup Cheddar cheese on top.Make 4 more Enchiladas, layer on top and Pour all the remaining sauce over the Enchiladas.Repeat with cheese and onion,garnish with spring onion rounds.




You can add Pimientos,Jalapenos if you like Pre-heat the oven at 350F and bake the Enchiladas for 20mins or until cheese is bubbly on top.I know the filling doesn't look that attractive but it is very flavorful and nutritious!!Hope you will try!:)



Red Chile Enchilada Sauce:
If you don't have store bought Enchilada sauce at hand ,here is an easy recipe how to make it at home.You can use this with all the Mexican dishes like Burritos,Huevos Rancheros,chili etc.What kind and how many red chillies you use here is up to you.


Boil few red chillies,1 medium onion chopped, 2 garlic in a pan until soft and drain.Add to a blender along with 2 tbsp plain flour,grind smooth.Add to a pan with 2 cups of water,salt,1 tsp Oregano,1 tsp Mexican or regular Cumin pd,1/2 tsp Paprika,1 cup Tomato sauce,stir and heat until fairly pourable, but not very thick though.Cool,add water if it's very thick and heat again.



That's it!! That was one delicious Sunday lunch for us!:)

Tomato Penne Bake:
Here is an easy but delicious dish with Penne pasta smothered in Tomato and cheese and also full of bone building calcium which is good for the whole family.Tastes wonderful just out of the oven. Serve with a salad for healthy balanced meal.

No! I didn't make this Italian dish for NFL but it was in there in my draft for a long time,thought I would add it here!Enjoy!:)


To make it vegetarian, add 2 cups of mixed veg,Soy granules to replace meat.If you don't have canned Basil tomatoes, add diced tomatoes with 1 tsp garlic pd, 1/2 each tsp dry Basil and Oregano.If you would like cut down the amount of cheese to just 8oz,that should be okay too.

You Need:
12 oz. penne pasta ( 3 cups), or any other kind,uncooked,1 lb. lean ground beef or Soya Granules or Italian Sausage,Ground Chicken or Turkey,1/2 cup grated mixed veg,2 cans (145 oz. each) Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano, undrained,1 can (15 oz.) Tomato sauce,2 packages (8 oz each ) Shredded Mozzarella or Bistro blend Cheese, divided,(Reserve half for topping; stir remaining cheese into pasta mixture)1/4 cup Parmesan cheese,No-Stick Cooking spray or Olive oil.

How To: Serves 6



Cook pasta ,drain and keep it aside. Preheat oven to 350F.Heat 2 tsp butter, saute` grated vegetables like onion, Green bell peper,carrots ,celery etc in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.Add in ground meat ,brown.





Stir in tomatoes and tomato sauce, bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 6-8 minutes. Add salt and pepper.Add cooked pasta to meat mixture or veg.Toss well. Add half of the of the cheese; mix again.






Spray a 13 by 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray,or any deep dish unlike me!:)Pour pasta mixture into dish; top with remaining cheese.Place it in the oven.Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.Take it out of the oven.Serve with salad. (Recipe: courtesy of Hunt's and Sargento.com with my variations of course!)

Another MeMe:
"Five things about me which the world does not know!!"

I am tagged by Supriya of 'Sias Corner' blog who took great delight and immensely enjoyed tagging me! Thank you Sups! This MeMe is short(?) and sweet,so I will let you live!!!:))
I am also tagged by beautiful Shirley of "melting Wok" for the same MeMe!!:)) Thank you sweetie for thinking of me.Reading my rather long MeMe, hope you both don't regret tagging me!! ;D

What the World doesn't know about me? Hmm..!!!

1. I NEVER EVER cooked(I did bake some cakes though!) a single dish until I was married and then I don't remember being scared of that fact that I couldn't cook! Because once I started cooking real food for others by following the cookbooks barely 2 weeks after my wedding, it was as if I had always cooked and it was in me somewhere hidden.I didn't even watch my mom cook or helped her growing up as we always had a cook at home. Am I born with it? I think some of us just are!:)

2. I consider myself "mostly vegetarian", if there is such a thing!:D
I grew up in a 100% vegetarian family,never touched or tasted any meat until I was about 17! I remember throwing up for 3 days when I first tasted the Chicken!! Then I got used to it. Even today,I cook veggies 5 days a week but weekends are always kids' choice for their Sunday lunch and you can guess what they always choose to eat! If I had a choice when we are out and about,I always choose vegetarian!I could easily give up meat,not miss it at all and become pure vegetarian anytime happily if I had to!I said "if I had to"!!!

3. I am not a very religious,do not believe in rituals but I am spiritual.I enjoy reading Philosophy and love cooking for festivals just for the fun of cooking rather than religious reasons!;D
Since I am a born Veera Shaiva(Warriors of Shiva), I choose to believe who else but in the "Big Man" as I call HIM or rather use HIM to scare my kids to behave! I threaten them with HIS "list of bad things you do in life" he keeps and the consequences!(you know like "he deep fries you up there like chicken on Skewers in oil if you are not good to others" etc!):D
In US schools,kids are taught Shiva is a Hindu GOD who is a "destroyer" and do not try to explain any further,so that helps too to scare the kids! (He is a destroyer of our sins,the old order and cycle of birth for Hindus, so we can be free of re-birth and be one with HIM,which is good kinda "destroying", if that is really how it works!)

4. I am not a very emotional person.I have NEVER EVER cried in the movies no matter how tragic the stories are!It's true!If it's real life story,then I will feel empathy and sympathy but never cry.
I used to be short tempered but not anymore.The only very strong feeling I feel is rage when somebody hurts my kids and they come home crying real tears!(not those 'Oh mom, I fell and got hurt" kind)But when adults and kids are mean to them for no reason,racist and prejudiced remarks etc.I see red and I will go to their doorsteps to deal with it.Hope I don't get shot one day,I am in the South remember!:D
(NO!! Carolinians are not that bad except one nalayak(good for nothing) neighbor,who is a grown up guy but lives off of his old parents, told my kids that he will shoot our little Bichon bcos the dog did the doody one day in his yard when my kids were walking him, Which scared the heck out of my kids! Yup! we went there to "his" house, threatened to call the police on him! He never apologized, but his old father apologized to us for him! Why couldn't the macho man talk to us instead of scaring the little kids?!)

5. I pretend to be a Nanny/baby sitter and I am a real Beautician!
When the Jehovah's witnesses or pesky sales people come to my door,they always ask me "can I speak to lady of the house?"!!At first,I used to be polite,smile and say "I am the lady",used to put up with their long talks and goodbyes! But after sometimes I got so fed up,now I say "sorry,she is not home,I am just the nanny" and take the booklets,their cards and promise them I would give them to the "lady"! They believe it without murmur and go away in a jiffy. YAY!!!(Hope they don't come back at 8pm to see the same "nanny" hanging around!);D

After I graduated in Psychology,I had enrolled in Law school,didn't like it and dropped out after a year,got married instead! Arvind went to UK, while I was left behind in India for few months.To kill time,I joined "Shaman college of Beauty" owned by Ms.Shirin,an Iranian Indian in Commercial street ,B'lore.Susheela Vaswani visited us often if you know who she is!I have Diplomas in Electrolysis,Facial,Hair Styles ,Bridal Make up and Henna Art! Of course,didn't use any of those skills as I moved to UK shortly after. But I am the official hairstylist at home for kids and Arvind!:) (I was a Tomboy growing up,never was a "girlie girl",never behaved like a female for a long time! My grandfather always said I should have been a boy and I am in the wrong body!:D And to think that I have these Diplomas in "Beauty Therapy" and became a good cook as well!!Whoa!!Hope grandpa is watching me from up there now!):D

There they are,my can of worms for you! Sia is right when she says I have many Avatars, in other words,multiple personalities!! Any "shrinks" amongst you my blog friends,I do need help!!:D

Here it is the photo Arvind took while watching the game. We bought this 50" Plasma last year just before NFL game.Yeah! Arvind couldn't wait until the price went down a little!!


Have a fun weekend and see Y'all on V day!!