Herbed Goat Cheese Sandwiches

One of my favorite past times these days is watching Food Network chefs, Giada de Laurentis and Ina Garten whip up amazing meals. They always make it look so easy. When you try to do it, it never seems to turn out the same. Well, I tried Giada's Grilled Vegetable, Herb and Goat Cheese Sandwich and it turned out fabulous. The only changes that I made was that I probably used less goat cheese; I spread pesto sauce on one side of the sandwich (to add more flavor); and I used ciabatta buns.

I served this delicious sandwich with my homemade Italian pasta salad. Both complimented the other very well. You definitely have to give both a try. Thanks Giada!

The Ultimate Black Bean Burger

We have been making burgers for a while now, and each time I am never satisfied. I follow most of the recipes that I have come across online to the T, and our burgers never keep their shape. The taste is good, but they are too soft and mushy. I figured maybe we need to add some texture so we added tofu. Then, I came across some leftover brown rice in the fridge so added that to the mix. We made polenta fries also as an appetizer to munch on while we make the burgers. Had some of the polenta ends leftover so added that to the burger mixture as well. Mixed it all together with some cooked black beans, refrigerated for a half hour, and they turned out wonderful.

1/2 can black beans, drained and cooked*
1/4 slab of extra firm tofu, pressed
1/4 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup cooked polenta
1 cup breadcrumbs

* For cooked black beans, you will need:
1/2 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, deseeded and minced
1/4 green bell pepper, minced
1/4 red bell pepper, minced
1 tsp garlic paste
1 chipotle pepper from adobo sauce
1 tsp taco seasoning
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Salt to taste

Condiments for burgers: cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, spicy mayo, mustard, ketchup

1. Sautee the onions and peppers in some oil. Once they turn translucent, add in the garlic and cook for a minute. Finally, add in the cumin powder, taco seasoning, cilantro, lemon juice, salt and black beans and mix together. Cook for a few more minutes. Let cool.
2. Once the black bean mixture cools, process the mixture in a good processor along with the crumbled tofu and breadcrumbs.*
3. Remove into bowl. Mix in the cooked brown rice and polenta. Refrigerate for about a half hour to let the mixture firm up.
4. Divide the mixture into equal parts and form the patties with your hand. Cook the patties on a skillet with a little bit of oil for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and cook other side. While the bottom of the burgers are cooking, add some sliced cheese on top.
5. Assemble your burgers. Lather on the spicy mayo on both buns. On the bottom bun, stack on the lettuce, onions, tomatoes, burger and finish it off with the mustard and ketchup.

With the protein of the tofu and black beans, this is definitely serves as a satisfying meal. We both loved the way this one turned out, so it will be showing up on our dinner table quite a bit.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

On Sunday, we attended a class that would run from 8am through the afternoon. I racked my brain to figure out what I could put together for a quick sack lunch (aka "tiffin"). Within 15 minutes, I put together a sandwich, hoping it would taste good by afternoon. The basic ingredients for the sandwich included spinach, thin slices of cheese, julienne green peppers, onions, chopped basil leaves, mustard, few dollops of Greek vinegarette, and the star of the show- sundried tomato pesto. Weird combination, huh?!

Here's how I made the sun-dried tomato pesto:

3 tbsp sundried tomatoes, drained from the jar
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp flaxseed oil
extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
2 basil leaves * I didn't add but will definitely add next time around.

Process all of the above, streaming in the olive oil as you go until it comes to the right consistency. I used my handy chutney machine, and probably used about 2 tbsp of olive oil. It was still pasty so I added a little more to help loosen it up.

I lathered on the sun dried tomato pesto on both sides of the sandwich, topped with the remaining ingredients and voila! All in all, the sandwich held up well by lunchtime and tasted delicious! Next time, I will remember to make extra because this pesto can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks and would taste great with pasta!

Aloo Chickpea Burger

Friday, we had an aloo chickpea burger sandwich. "Aloo" means potato. I had some leftover boiled potatoes so making this burger did not take long at all. Here is how to make the burger part:

1 potato, boiled, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight (you can also use canned)
3 bread slices (toasted and then processed to make breadcrumbs)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp green chili paste OR
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
Chopped cilantro
Salt to taste

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight. Next day, drain and wash the chickpeas. Pressure cook until soft and tender.
2. Boil the potato. Then peel and cube. Mash the potatoes and chickpeas.
3. In same bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate burger mixture for atleast 30 minutes.
4. Divide the mixture into equal parts. Pat them down into burger shape.
5. Heat oil in griddle. Place the burgers on the griddle and cook both sides on low heat until cooked.

Enjoy the burger on any sandwich along with sliced onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, ketchup and hot sauce.

Which Wich at Home

If you were to ask me back in November what restaurants I miss the most from back home, I would most likely have replied "Which Wich" and "Olive Garden". My hubby, on the other hand, missed Taco Bell the most. If you do not know what "Which Wich" is, it's basically a higher food chain of sub shop. Like Quizno's, their sandwiches are toasted, and you can add any ingredient that you want. I still have not mastered the art of careful selection of toppings. I add everything, and my stomach feels it later. I get so stuffed! One day, I will learn ...

I always order the hummus and red pepper sandwich. There is also a black bean burger to die for. Some of the ingredients that I order in my sandwich include hummus, of course, roasted red peppers, olive salad, jalapenos, onions and so on. Without even planning this, we happened to creat a sandwich at home that tastes just like the one I enjoy at Which Wich. My cravings are over, and I am very pleased to be able to make a lighter and healthier alternative at home. Here is how we made it:

2 slices of bread, toasted
2 tbsp homemade hummus
Burger of choice (I made an aloo chickpea burger)
1 red bell pepper, roasted
1/2 onion, sliced lengthwise
1/2 tomato, sliced
1/2 bell pepper, sliced lengthwise
1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced
Homemade hot sauce (spread)
Cheese, sliced (optional)

1. Place the red bell pepper on the griddle. On low heat, dry roast all 4 sides of the bell pepper until the skin begins to char. Remove from flame.
2. Pull off the charred skin of the pepper and dispose. Deseed and chop the roasted red pepper and keep aside.
3. Now, toast the bread slices on the same griddle. Add butter if you wish. Remove onto plate.
4. Assemble your sandwich like so: On one piece of toast, spread the hummus. Top with the the burger, onion, tomato, cucumber, roasted red pepper and cheese. Finally, garnish with the hot sauce and close the sandwich. Enjoy!

To make it more like the Which Wich, I would have also added Olive Salad and jalapenos. Maybe next time ... I'm not complaining, though, because this sandwich was absolutely, positively delicious! Five Stars!

Chiprolls: The Best Sandwich Ever!

The few times before when I have made these rolls, I have not been able to catch a good and worthy shot so you can truly see the deliciousness of what we are eating. Today, though, I am excited to have a picture to show you. Feast your eyes on the BEST sandwich that we have ever eaten! That is the reason it is getting 5 stars in our book!

This recipe is slightly different. The story behind it I will save for the other blog. I give Vibhaben and Bhavnesh full credit for this creation. Of course, I will accept credit for the Tomato sauce, which Bhavnesh says added a nice kick to an already delicious sandwich. The tomato sauce is nothing more than the red sauce I used for the pizza last night. So, if you make it, make extra because it will go with everything! Here is how we made the Chiprolls ...

For chips, you will need:
6 potatoes, peeled and chopped lengthwise
Oil for deep frying
3 tbsp vinegar
2 tsp red chili powder
Salt to taste
All purpose flour for coating
1 tbsp corn starch mixed with 4 tbsp water

For rolls, you will need:
2 wheat submarine rolls or 4 wheat bread slices
1 tomato, sliced thinly
1 onion, sliced thinly
Cheese, grated or sliced thinly
Ketchup for garnish
Mustard for garnish
Butter (optional)

1. Peel and wash the potatoes. Then, slice them like french fries, either by hand or using potato slicer. Keep aside.
2. Mix the corn starch with water. Keep aside. Also, have the all purpose flour ready on a plate to spinkle on potatoes.
3. Heat oil in pot. While the oil is gettin hot, mix the first batch of potatoes with a little bit of the corn starch water. You want to evenly coat the potatoes. Lay out the wet potatoes on a separate plate.
4. Using a strainer or by hand, lightly sprinkle the all purpose flour on to the potatoes.
5. Once the oil is ready, CAREFULLY drop the potatoes one by one into the oil and let the chips deep fry on medium heat.
6. Check on the chips a few times. When potatoes are turning a nice golden brown or red (depending on how you prefer your fries), take the chips out onto a plate with a paper towel. Let the oil drain out while you repeat steps 3-6 for second batch.
7. Once all the chips are ready, it is time to spice it up. Make sure all the oil is properly drained out. Then, sprinkle the red chili powder, salt and vinegar and mix the chips together.

Normally, chips are deep fried twice and the reason it is soo unhealthy, but soo good! Since we coated the potatoes with flour and starchy water, the chips turned out crispier and there was no need to fry the second time. We actually preferred this method better.

When it's time to eat, assemble your sandwich however you prefer using the above ingredients. This is how we assembled: Toast your bread. On one slice/side, spread your tomato sauce. On other side, layout the tomatoes, onions, cheese and top off with the spicy chips. Garnish with ketchup and mustard and close it up.Try it out for yourself and let us know if your chiproll turned out to be THE best sandwich EVER!

McAloo Tikka Burger Wanna-Be

Move Over, McDonalds! I made my version of a McAloo Tikka Burger today for lunch. It's definitely a healthier version of the Indian fast food favorite. Here is how I made it ..

1 potato, boiled
3-4 garlic cloves, grated
1/2" piece ginger, grated
1/4 tsp green chili paste
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 lemon, juiced
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Chopped cilantro
Chopped onions and boiled veggies of choice (optional)
----------------------------------------------
4 slices of bread/burger buns
1 onion, chopped lengthwise
1 Roma tomato, chopped lengthwise
Lettuce (optional)
Cheese (optional)
Ketchup/Mustard for garnish
Butter for toasting sandwiches (optional)

1. Boil the potato in pressure cooker. Once cool, peel and mash. In my case, I boiled extra potatoes from when I made the Soya Aloo Mattar the other day. I refrigerated the extra boiled potatoes and heated them up in microwave for a few minutes.
2. After mashing, add all of the above ingredients to the potatoes and mix together. (You may also add chopped onions and boiled veggies of your choice - peas corn and carrots would be delicious!)
3. Spread the potato mixture on one bread slice. Also top with the onions, tomatoes, lettuce and cheese (if using). Cover with other slice. (If you have cilantro chutney on hand, spread the chutney on the other slice of bread.)
4. Heat up griddle. Place the sandwich on the griddle. While one side is toasting on medium heat, spread butter on upside. When the bottom is golden brown, flip over to toast other side.
5. Order's Up ... McAloo Tikka sandwich is ready. Serve with side of ketchup/mustard and healthy cole slaw!

I didn't have any veggies laying around in the fridge so my version was the basic of the basic -- mashed masala potato in between two slabs of bread, all toasted on the griddle .. hold the veggies, cheese and butter! It turned out perfect and would be a great item for those times when you are alone and cannot decide what to make for just one person. Enjoy!

Back in Business- Fajita Style Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

The kitchen has officially reopened. We had Spicy Potatoes and Masala Bhakri for lunch yesterday. Slept for a better part of the day and woke up just in time to eat Grilled Cheese Sandwiches for dinner. Here is the recipe for what I like to call Fajita Style Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

1/2 onion
1/2 bell peppers
2 tbsp jalapenos
1 tsp of vinegar used in bottled jalapenos
Salt to taste
1 tsp oil
Grated Cheese per preference
6 slices of whole wheat bread (We used "Brown Bread". Don't quite know if that is the equivalent to whole wheat, but we would like to think so!)

1. Heat oil in small pot. Add in vegetables and other ingredients. Sautee on low heat until veggies are golden brown.
2. On one slice of bread, generously spread the grated cheese. Top with a few tsps of sauteed veggies. Top with other slice of bread.
3. Heat up griddle. We toasted both sides while pressing down with flat lid. It's alot of effort, but we don't exactly have a panini press or sandwich maker handy. Can't wait to use the panini press back home that we received as a wedding gift, though. You could just toast your sandwiches in your sandwich maker to make things easy.

That's it! Quick and easy and tasted delicious.

For today's breakfast, we used up the leftover potatoes and made Bombay Toasties. For dinner, we will have Moong curry and roti. Pretty boring stuff, but stay tuned because tomorrow I am going to try something new.

Mediterranean Black Lentil Falafels

I just realized the other day that I have not made a burger for a few weeks now. I wanted to make a different type of burger tonight. Since we do not have black beans here, I used the black lentil (whole black urad dal). Also, instead of a simple burger, I made Mini Black Lentil Patties instead. Here's the recipe:

1 cup black urad dal, soaked overnight
1 onion, chopped

2 green chilies, minced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1" piece ginger, grated

Few shots of hot sauce

1/4 tsp red chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1 lemon, juiced

Salt to taste

Chopped cilantro

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 tbsp corn starch

1. Soak the black lentils overnight. The next day, wash the lentils and then pressure cook with 2 cups water for several whistles until soft and cooked.

2. Now coarsely grind up the cooked black lentils with hot sauce, onions, minced green chilies, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, cumin powder, red chili powder, salt, chopped cilantro, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and a little olive oil. Refrigerate the mixture for atleast 30 minutes (the longer the better).

3. When ready to cook, remove mixture from refrigerator. Make small patties of equal size and keep to side.

4. Mix the corn starch with 4 tbsp water to make thin paste. Keep to side.

5. Trim edges of bread slices. Toast a few slices of bread on low heat until light golden brown. When the toasted slices cool down, process them breadcrumbs. Keep to side.

6. Heat olive oil in griddle. Dip each patty in the corn starch mixture and then the breadcrumbs. Shallow fry the patties until golden brown on each side. It will take about 3 minutes on low heat on each side.

Now, that the patties are made, next prepare the cucumber raita as follows:

1/2 cucumber, grated

1 cup yogurt

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp cumin powder

Salt to taste

Chopped cilantro for garnish

1. Grate the cucumber. Squeeze out excess water.

2. Beat the yogurt next. Add the grated cucumber, salt, cilantro, garlic and cumin powder.

3. Mix well and refrigerate.

Next, make a Mediterranean salad for garnish by finely dicing 2 tomatoes, 1 onion, and remaining 1/2 of the cucumber. Finally, assemble your falafels. You can use whole wheat pita bread. We used frozen Jeera Parathas. Slather the inside pocket with the cucumber raita. Insert the black lentil burger. Garnish with a few tsp of the Mediterranean salad and enjoy!

Ding. Ding. Ding. We have ourselves a WINNER! The burgers were absolutely delicious with the raita inside the warm parathas. It took a little bit of time, but the final product is well worth it.

Suggestions for next time: Possibly sauteeing the onions, chilies, ginger and garlic for a few minutes and then adding the cooked lentils to the pot before processing burger mixture.

Pav Bhaji Burgers

It seems like lately we are trying out a different type of burger each Friday. It's so much fun. I found this recipe for pav bhaji burgers and could not wait to try it out. I love pav bhaji as it is, so I figured it can't be too bad. Here is how we made it ...

2 potatoes, boiled
1 onion, chopped
Handful of peas
1/2 carrot, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
5-6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp pav bhaji masala
1/2 tsp red chili powder (1 tsp if you can handle it)
1/2 lemon, juiced
Salt per taste
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
3 bread slices, toasted and then ground into breadcrumbs
4 hamburger buns
Butter
3 more cloves of garlic, crushed (optional)
1 tomato, sliced

1. Boil the potatoes. When they cool down, peel and mash them.
2. Boil the other veggies in pot of water until soft. Mix the boiled veggies into the mashed potatoes. Mix together.
3. Add to bowl pav bhaji masala, red chili powder, salt, lemon juice, and crushed garlic.
4. Toast the bread slices, break into pieces, and then blend them in food processer until they make breadcrumbs.
5. Add the breadcrumbs to the bowl and mix everything together.
6. Refrigerate the pav bhani mixture for atleast 30 minutes to an hour.
7. Divide the mixture into equal portions. Form patties and then grill or shallow fry until brown on both sides.
8. Mix the butter and crushed garlic together and heat for few seconds in microwave to loosen and melt. Spread the garlic butter in both sides of buns. Then bake the buns lightly on both sides.
9. Assemble your burgers: Layer the bottom bun with sliced tomatoes and onion. Lay the patty down with a bit of ketchup and mustard. Top with second bun and enjoy!

The burgers tasted absolutely delicious. We took pictures but the pictures just do not do the burger justice. We gave it a four because I will need to make the burger patties thinner next time. Other than that, it was a great idea, and I am glad to have tried it out.

Grilled Falafel Burgers

There are three parts to this dish. It looks like a lot of effort, but it will be totally worth it in the end. Trust me on this.

A. First, make the lebneh sauce ...

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp salt
3 garlic cloves
Juice from 1/2 lemon

1. Drain the yogurt for 8-12 hours (or overnight like we did) in a paper towel lined sieve set over a bowl, covered and chilled.
2. Mince the garlic cloves and mash into a paste with salt. Add the garlic paste to a bowl along with the drained yogurt, 1/4 tsp salt and lemon juice to make mixture that looks like sour cream. That's your sauce!

B. Then, make the grilled falafel burgers ...

1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed
3 green chilies
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Few shots of Tabasco hot sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 bread slices, toasted
3 tbsp chopped cilantro

1. Soak the dry chickpeas overnight. Alternatively, you can use canned chickpeas.
2. Then wash the chickpeas and cook in pressure cooker for 15-20 minutes until fully cooked.
3. Dry roast the sesame seeds making sure they do not turn brown or burn!
3. Place the cooked chickpeas along with the onion, garlic, green chilies, roasted sesame seeds, hot sauce, spices and toasted bread pieces in food processor and blend together.
4. Remove mixture into bowl and refrigerate for atleast 20 minutes. [I have to admit this step was kind of tough because our processor was not catching everything. If your mixture looks a little dry, add a little bit of olive oil and a splash of water to help loosen it up.]
5. Divide the chickpea mixture evenly and roll out into golf sized balls. Flatten with palms.
6. Heat up griddle. When hot, drizzle about 1 tbsp olive oil and shallow fry the chickpea patties on both sides until golden brown.

C. Chop up the veggie salad ...

1 onion
2 roma tomatoes
1/2 cucumber

Chop it up and season with salt, lemon juice and olive oil. Add 1/4 tsp red chili powder if you like your burger to be spicy. I refrigerated for an hour or so to pickle the veggies, but the salad can be added fresh, no problem.

Finally, assemble the burger as follows: Toast two slices/buns of bread. Spread the lebneh sauce on both slices. On bottom slice, place the chickpea burger topped with the salad. Close sandwich and enjoy! *

*Alternatively, you could serve the grilled falafel burgers inside whole wheat pita bread with veggie salad and cucumber raita. Yuuummmy!

Potato and Sour Cream Sandwiches

For breakfast, we tried out these potato and sour cream sandwiches. You will need to make green chutney (see previous post for Cilantro Green Chutney), Homemade Sour cream or store bought is fine, and mashed potato filling.

For my version of homemade sour cream:
4 tbsp yogurt
1/3 lemon, juiced
Salt to taste

* Mix the yogurt with a dash of salt and lemon juice and there's your sour cream.

For the filling to sandwich, you will need:

2 potatoes, boiled and mashed
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
Salt per taste
Few drops of lemon juice

* Boil the potatoes in the pressure cooker, then peel and mash them. Finally, add the above ingredients to the mashed potatoes. Mix well and keep aside.

Now, assemble the sandwich:
1. Take one slice of bread and spread the green chutney on it.
2. On other slice, spread the potato mixture, topped with a few dollops of the sour cream. Top it all off with shredded cheese and close the sandwich.
3. Grill the sour cream sandwich in your sandwich maker or on the griddle. Serve hot with ketchup.

I placed too much filling in the sandwich, so next time around, use less filling and maybe add a slice or two of tomatoes and onions inside. I must warn you that they can be pretty heavy because it's mostly carbs you are eating, but sure tastes yummy! Try it out for yourself.

Kidney Bean Burgers

I have always watched Rachael Ray make her gazillion recipes for burgers, but never thought I could actually make a vegetarian version at home. First of all, I have never heard of anyone try it out before. Second, why try it at home when you can get the ready made burgers in the frozen section of the market, right? Well, I came upon this recipe and had to experiment with it for myself. So, here goes ...


4 burger buns/8 slices of whole wheat bread
1 tomato, sliced
1 onion, sliced
Cheese, sliced
Mustard/Ketchup

For the burgers, you will need:

3 cups cooked rajma beans/kidney beans (or use canned, drained beans)
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp ginger-green chili paste
1.5 tsp Tabasco hot sauce
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp oregano seasoning
3 tbsp besan/lightly roasted chickpea flour * (See note below)
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste

1. Since I did not soak the rajma beans overnight, I soaked them in the morning and it took a little longer than usual to cook in the pressure cooker. After cooked, drain the rajma beans and keep aside.
2. Blend all of the above ingredients for the burger in a food processor.
3. Then, form patties out of the mixture.
4. Brush the griddle down with a teaspoon of olive oil and toast the burgers until brown and crisp on both sides. Keep burgers aside.
5. Butter your buns/bread slices if you prefer and toast on griddle.
6. Finally, assemble your burger as follows:
[Layer bottom bun with burger, then cheese, tomato, onion; then top it off with ketchup and/or mustard. Then close with top bun and serve.]

* Note: I originally thought this burger was going to turn out tobe a fiasco until Bhavnesh came and added his touch and helped me finish what I started. The original recipe that I found calls for 1/4 cup oats and 2 tbsp of besan flour. I nixed the oats because why put oats in your burgers?! After adding the 2 tbsp besan flour, the mixture was too wet, so we added 1 more tbsp. The burgers ended up tasting a little floury (maybe because I did not lightly roast as the directions said .. Oops my bad!)

Final Verdict: The burgers came out better than we thought. Next time I will replace the besan flour with 1 tbsp of whole wheat flour instead and add breadcrumbs from 2 bread slices to the mixture. Secondly, we blended a bit too much so next time, we will blend coarsely. All in all, we will definitely make these again until we get it just right! Why not .. they are way healthier than anything you will find in the frozen aisle or at the restaurant.

The picture above is from the burger we ate for brunch the next day. Amazingly enough, the actual mixture is easier to work with the next day after being refrigerated. So, I shallow fried with 1 tbsp of EVOO and cooked both sides. Topped the burger with mustard, ketchup, and that green stuff is cilantro chutney on top. Tasted absolutely delicious like that; I did not really even need the cheese and veggies. I still cannot get over how well it turned out. Another note ... next time we will maybe refrigerate for an hour or two to help the mixture thicken up a bit so it is easier to work with. I'm already imagining the possibilities of making a black bean, paw bhaji and chickpea version of this ... I cannot wait! I do not think I have been this excited about cooking! =)

Italian Foccacia Sandwich with Pesto

We were having a very Italian day. First we had penne pasta for lunch and then for dinner, we had an Italian foccacio sandwich with pesto for dinner.

1 loaf of foccacia bread
Any type of cheese, sliced into thin strips
Pesto for spread (Sundried Tomatoe & Basil ws what we used)
1/4 onion, chopped lengthwise
1/2 tomato, chopped lengthwise
Dash of italian seasoning
Dash of salt and pepper
Dash of hot sauce
Little bit of butter

1. Cut the loaf into half. We saved the other half of the loaf for brunch tomorrow!
2. Then cut the half of the loaf in the middle. Heat up a skillet and heat up the insides of the bread pieces. You just want to toast the bread a little bit.
3. Turn off the heat. Spread the pesto on one bread piece. On the other piece, spread butter, then layer the cheese, onions, and tomatoes.
4. Sprinkle a little bit of salt, pepper and italian seasoning. (We added a dash of hot sauce at the end because it needed a little bit of a kick.)
5. Finally, place both pieces together and enjoy your sandwich.

La cena era deliziosa. The meal was delicious!

Saturday means Chiprolls!

Chiprolls are a South African delicacy and taste soo good! Although it's not very healthy, we still decided to add it into our menu on our indulgence days. It's pretty easy. Here is how to make chiprolls at home. First, you will need the following ingredients:

2 long bread rolls (sandwich bread is fine)
5-6 potatoes
2 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp lime juice or vinegar
Salt to taste
Cheese grated or cut in thin slices
1 tomato, sliced
1 onion, sliced
Mustard
Ketchup
Butter
Oil for frying

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into thin strips as if you were making french fries.

2. Fry the chips one time and remove on paper towel. Before serving, you will fry again until golden brown in color.

3. After frying second time, empty chips into bowl. Add salt, red chilli powder, and lemon juice or vinegar (your choice, not both!). Mix all the ingredients together well to evenly coat all the chips.

4. To prepare the chip roll, cut the bread rolls in between and apply butter on each side.

5. Place the cheese on the bottom, topped with the tomato and onion. Layer the seasoned chips on top covered with ketchup and mustard.

6. Remember to make extra chips because they taste great on the side. Enjoy!

Bombay Toastie Sandwich

I intentionally cooked extra potatoes so that we could eat what Bhavnesh calls a "Bombay Sandwich" for breakfast tomorrow, but, we had it for a light dinner tonight. It's basically our version of a sandwich we ate in Bombay last winter. Here's how he prepared it.

4 slices bread
butter
1/2 onion
leftover potato sak
shredded cheese
ketchup

There's nothing to it. You place the potatoes on the bottom slice, top it with shredded cheese and ketchup. Put the top slice on and grill the sandwich in the pan with some butter. Serve with cilantro chutney or ketchup, but we ate with the onion raita. It was a nice light dinner topped off with paan.

Tomorrow's Menu:
Breakfast: Upma with Eggplant
Dinner: Mugnushak with Roti

The Chilli Cheese Toast

• Leftover beans
• 4 slices of bread
• shredded cheese or sliced
• tomatoes
• bell peppers
• 1/2 onion
• butter

1. Nothing to this one. I just mixed the cheese with the tomatoes, bell peppers and onions.
2. Then, fill the beans and mixture inbetween two slices of bread.
3. Spread butter on the outside of the breads
4. Finally, toast on a griddle or toaster oven.
5. Serve hot with ketchup.
   * BTW, the rajma beans turned out pretty good!