Rice stuffed capsicum

Till last year I was thinking that these big box stores are stocked with just baby items and paper towels only, as most of the people I know would suggest these stores for bigger families only. Then one day we too started going there out of curiosity and now I understand the benefits of buying the groceries in bulk. (But I am still in love with locally grown fresh produce and am buying them religiously. Costco's' produce may be good for larger families, as they all come in big packs like 10 lbs of apple, 20 lbs of onion like that. So you can buy them , if you can consume them quickly). So my costco shopping list would always consist of milk, egg, non perishable items like paper towels, evoo, coconut oil,v8 etc. Best of all , I admire the quality of goods they give at an affordable rate. Believe it or not, they are selling desi ghee and Indian yogurt also in some zip codes. I tried this kirkland butter to make some ghee and it is tastes just like a native homemade Indian ghee. That's my best finding there along with the evoo.  My hubby came to know of this Quinoa rice through his friend and thus it entered our house too. Though we can have it by simply microwaving, I make some variations some days.
I made this on a weekend,  as my readers know that I wish to make something special on every Friday evening for hubby. This simple recipe may make you look like a genius and your sweetheart may think that you have cooked for hours to create this. So try this and enjoy a happy dinner together :)

Note: We can make this recipe by baking the capsicum too. But I am showing a more quicker and aromatic method, the shallow frying.  

Microwaveable quinoa and capsicum 

Shallow frying the capsicum in 1 tbsp evoo.

Microwave the sachet. One would be enough for 2 people.

Stuff the capsicum with cooked rice

Cook again.

Ingredients:
Microwaveable quinoa+rice - 1 cup
Capsicum - 2
salt - little
extra virgin olive oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
Rinse the capsicum. Remove the top (along with stem). Remove the seeds using a spoon or blunt knife. Sprinkle little salt inside and coat the outside with olive oil.
(If you wish you can bake the capsicum at this point at 350 for 10 minutes or till tender).
I suggest shallow frying, as it takes much lesser time and smells good too.
Heat a tbsp of oil in wok.
Place the capsicums and cook covered in low heat. Flip or stir few times. It may take less than 5 minutes to cook it to crisp-tender.
Take them out.
Microwave the 'seeds of change' Quinoa rice as per directions. (Microwave at high for 2 minutes, after cutting a small opening at top).
Take the rice and fill the capsicum cups. If needed , sprinkle some cheese on top (I didn't do it).  Keep the remaining rice for serving along.
Carefully place the capsicums with the cut side up (see photos). Cook covered for 2 minutes in medium heat.
Take out. Serve hot.

Serving suggestion:
Serve as dinner.
Makes 2 servings.

Carrot Pumpkin cake

I baked this carrot pumpkin cake for Thanksgiving day 2013. I enjoyed making these pink rose flower icing.  As the main theme of Thanksgiving day is to thank God, I made 12 roses to represent the 12 months of the year. I got the recipe from this website and thanking the author too for this successful recipe. Click  here for the original recipe

Pumpkin carrot cake I made for Thanksgiving  November 2013 , Thank you Jesus !

Some more pumpkin carrot cupcakes to share with hubby's friends

Before frosting.

Shredded Carrot and mashed pumpkin

Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 2 1/2 cup
white sugar - 1 1/2 cup
dark brown sugar - 1/2 cup
butter - 1 cup (2 sticks)
egg - 4
pumpkin puree - 1 cup
shredded carrot - 1 cup
shredded coconut - 1/4 cup
walnut - 1/2 cup
raisin - 2 tbsp
baking soda - 2 tsp
baking powder - 2 tsp
cinnamon powder - 1 tsp
dry ginger powder - 1 tsp
all spice powder - 1 tbsp
salt - 1/2 tsp
Frosting:
Cream cheese frosting

Method:
Cook the pumpkin with very little water and mash it finely (or just use canned pumpkin puree).
Shred the carrots.
In a mixing bowl (or blender / mixie) add sugars , softened butter, egg, salt, all spice powder, cinnamon powder, ginger powder. Mix till fluffy.
Sift the flour , baking soda, baking powder together TWICE.
Put the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl along with wet ingredients, mashed pumpkin, shredded carrot, raisin, roasted chopped walnuts.
Mix well.
Pour batter into greased pans.
Bake at 350 deg F for 35 - 40 minutes.
Makes two 9 inch round cakes or one 6 inch cake and 18 cupcakes or nearly 2 dozen cupcakes.
I used butter cream frosting to make flowers and other colors.
Frost with cream cheese frosting or serve simply.
 

Thanksgiving treats !

Thanksgiving is an 'all American' festival, just like Diwali or Pongal of India. Thanksgiving day is a day of abundance and conveying thanks to God, family and friends. Here we symbolize the day with whole baked turkey, pumpkins, cranberry, pomegranate, sweet potato, breads, abundant fruits, pies, cakes , pretty tables, family gatherings, hosting dinners etc. I fuse Indian and American views to celebrate thanksgiving every year. Instead of the enormous turkey (more than enough for us) I make a turkey briyani or whole roasted chicken. Also some desserts based on carrot, pumpkins will be in my menu. I strongly encourage anyone from any country to celebrate this beautiful festival with the best dishes from their country. True thanksgiving day lies on the way we thank God and everything else is a gift from God!
If you are looking for some interesting recipes to celebrate Thanksgiving with an Indian touch, here are some ideas to try.
Happy Thanksgiving !
Pumpkin pancake

Thanksgiving breakfast...pumpkin pumpkin everywhere !

Whole chicken fry

Fried chicken a best alternative for baked turkey.

 Baked chicken

Whole fried fish

Garlic bread

Sweet potato fries

Turkey biriyani
 
Turkey curry

Pomegranate pilaf

 

Carrot halwa

Carrot cake

Cranberry pickle