Seafood Pan Pizza

Pan pizza has always been a favourite of mine. The first pizza I ever ate was a Pizza Hut Seafood Pizza. It tasted so delicious! I've tried to recreate the same pizza and finally did it today. I was 8 when I had that pizza, so I can't say for certain that it's the same, but it is really really delicious!

Dough:
1 cup skim milk
2 cups of flour (approx.)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp oil
1 package yeast or 2 tsp of yeast
& 4 Tbsp oil, I use extra light Olive oil or Canola oil

Pizza Toppings (the following is enough for 2 pizzas):
1/2 cup Low fat Alfredo sauce
20-25 Cooked Shrimp (about 1 cm long)
1/4 cup Black Olives, sliced
3-4 tbsp Spring onions or Red onions, diced
2 tbsp Chives, minced
1/2 medium Tomato, diced
1 cup low fat Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, sprinkling

Directions:
Just as Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid suggested in their book "Flatbreads and Flavours", I start with the liquid and then add the flour. This is the easiest way to get the right consistency for your dough.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees C.

1. Get the milk to room temperature or a littler warmer, add oil, sugar and yeast. Stir.
2. Add roughly 1 cup of the flour, the salt and mix. Keep mixing till you've got the dough to a bread dough texture. (I did the above in a mixer, but usually I do this with a spoon or I use my hands.)
3. Knead for 5 minutes.
4. Pull the dough together into a ball. Put a light coating of oil all over, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a bowl while you get your pizza ingredients together.

The "Pan Pizza" part:
5. Take two 9" round cake pans. Pour 2 Tbsp of oil in each and swirl evenly. This step is what will make the "Pan Pizza" what it is.
6. Once the dough has risen, divide it into 2, and roll each half so it fits in the pan. Make sure the dough is nice and snug in the pan.
7. Layer the half the Alfredo sauce, mozza cheese, onions, chives, shrimp and olives. Top with parmesan.
8. Bake for 20 minutes.
9. If the top isn't browned, put it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Make sure nothing burns. Keep a close eye on the pizza while broiling.

The result will be delicious! The bottom of the crust is crunchy and the inside is nice and chewy. The alfredo sauce is creamy and complements the shrimp beautifully. You won't miss any of the fat in the sauce or the cheese. The black olives are a must, since it brings out the flavours of the alfredo sauce and the shrimp.

If you find this pizza wasn't "Seafoody" enough, feel free to load up on clams, crab, canned oysters, anchovies, anything your mind can fathom.

I hope you make this! If you do, please leave a comment and let me know how it turned out.

Enjoy!

Divine Chocolate Strawberry Trifle

This is divine. Nuff said.
2 PlusPoints of Happiness.

4 tbsps from 1 packet fat free jello chocolate pudding prepared with skim milk
4 tbsps 95% fat free cool whip frozen topping
1-2 strawberries sliced
1/2 graham cracker, broken into smallish pieces
a little sugar or a little caramel syrup (less than 1 tsp)

Take your favourite bowl/cup. (I made this in my beautiful rustic coffee cup.)
Layer pudding, strawberries, coolwhip, graham crackers, coolwhip, strawberries and top with sugar or caramel syrup.

Yes, You're Most Welcome.

Low-Carb Fisherman's Pie

I am so impressed with this dish I ingeniously created. (Actually, it's not that ingenius.) But when you taste it, it'll blow your socks off (if you're a fan of fish pie) when you realize it almost has no refined carbs - mostly complex carbs .
4 servings, 6 PlusPoints

5-7 fillets of white fish (500-700g)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour (read below for a low-carb substitute)
1 cup skim milk
1/2 small onion
4 whole cloves
1 cup peas (or a mild green vegetable like chopped green beans, snow peas or even tiny broccoli florets)
3-4 cups of cauliflower
20-30g shredded mozzarella cheese
salt
pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dry/quarter cup fresh parsley
nutmeg (fresh)

Preheat oven to 350deg F.
1. Boil the fish in the milk, onion and cloves. Remove the fish fillets and discard the onions and cloves. Reserve all the milk.
2. Boil the cauliflower in water. Drain. Mash and try to remove as much water as you can. (I cooked it briefly on the stove to get rid of some of the water.) Salt to taste. Mix in the fresh grated nutmeg.
3. On medium low heat, cook the roux of butter and flour till it isn't raw anymore. I like it till it's a very light brown.
4. Add the boiled flavoured milk to the roux and whisk to make a smooth sauce. Add salt, pepper, garlic and parsley. Boil for 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the fish. Mix thoroughly without breaking the fish too much.
6. Take a 9x9 baking dish. Pour the fish mixture evenly. Top with the mashed cauliflower. Smooth out the top. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese.
7. Bake in oven for 15 minutes and set under broil for about 5 minutes (until cheese melts and browns on top.)

Enjoy with a salad. This tastes even better the next day! Deeelish!

Tip: If you want to cheat a little and save some time, skip the white sauce cooking part and use bottled low fat Alfredo sauce instead. It'll save you some time and it tastes very very good. And because it's 50% of the original fat, it's very close to the caloric content of this recipe.

Tip#2: As a helpful reader suggested, use full-fat cream or fat free cream instead of the roux if you want to do away with the flour. Substitute the high sugar peas with a lower sugar green vegetable roughly the same size. I haven't tried these substitutes yet, will let you know after I do.

Russian Chicken

This is a delicious Russian dish. Enjoy with some fresh bread or some pasta, and a salad of tomatoes and/or spring onions. I prefer the taste of chicken thighs over the breast meat. Much more flavour in the thigh and it doesn't dry out.

7-8 skinless boneless chicken thighs
3 cloves of garlic minced or paste (Do Not use bottled garlic paste. The taste of vinegar is overpowering.)
2 tbsp of fat free sour cream
1-2 tbsp of oil or butter
salt
pepper
dill to garnish

Rub the chicken with garlic, salt and pepper thoroughly and evenly.
Heat a frying pan or wide pot and add the oil or butter. Wait till it's quite warm but not smoking.
Add the chicken in single layer (they should not be crowded.) Lightly brown both sides on Medium heat. This should take about 4-5 minutes per side.
In a separate bowl, take the sour cream and add 1tsp of water and make a smooth paste.
Pour this sour cream over the chicken evenly and stir. Wait till it starts bubbling gently.
Cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium low heat.

When the chicken is cooked (no pink inside) you're done.

Plate the chicken and spoon over the delicious sour cream sauce.
Garnish with chopped dill. (Optional)

The tender chicken infused with garlic enveloped in the rich, sour cream, tangy and savoury sauce is almost too good of a marriage of flavours and textures. This really is best with fresh French bread, ready to scoop up the tangy sauce.
Yum!
Enjoy!!

Don't eat after 6:30 p.m.

This is not a traditional recipe, but it is a RECIPE FOR WEIGHT LOSS.

(source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/ luigi diamanti)
I've lost almost 60 lbs of excess weight. It took me almost 3 years! But one thing I found out to be a fact, was that when I don't eat after 6:30 p.m., I actually lose weight. When I eat late at night, I just maintain my weight. Even if I eat a light salad after 6:30, I DON'T lose weight, even if I eat and exercise and drink water regularly through the week.

So secret to weight loss:
1. Eat your counted number of calories for the day.
2. Exercise for 30 minutes at least 3 times a week.
3. Drink 9 glasses of water everyday... don't be fooled. If you don't do this, you WON'T lose weight.
4. Don't eat past 6:30p.m.

Other useful tips:
- Don't stuff yourself silly. Eat a little slower than usual, and when you're done about 50% of your meal (total amount of food on your plate) wait and see if you're still hungry. Now here's the super hard part: if you're not hungry, Put the Plate Down and pack the food for tomorrow's lunch! Really hard. But once you've done it for 4-8 weeks, it'll be a new habit you have formed and you'll lose a lot of weight. This is ofcourse assuming you weren't eating a big bowl of potato chips or M&Ms or any other calorie-dense food. Your plate should be 50% veggies, 25% protein and 25% complex carbs.
- Really. Don't eat past 6:30 p.m. I struggle with this all the time. But I enjoy the victory every time. Remember, because you'll be hungry in the night, you'll have a MUCH better sleep and you'll feel hungry for breakfast earlier. This helps with feeling less hungry in the evening. This works! I'm not lying! Eat your supper at work if you are working late... which I used to do far too regularly.

(source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/ Ambro)

- Although she's eating sushi above, Try going without rice or bread for a while. All your carb needs for the day can be fulfilled with complex carbs in steamed veggies or raw salad. Once you cut rice out of your diet, it really won't feel quite as "necessary" as all that.

Spinach Camembert Caramelized Onion Quiche

1 ready-made pie crust baked
1 small onion sliced thin
1 bunch spinach
1 wedge Camembert cheese, sliced thin
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
salt to taste
dash of sugar
dash of pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
2. On the stove, caramelize the onions on medium-low heat with a little salt and sugar.
3. Wilt the spinach on medium-low heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain as much water as you can.
4. Whisk the eggs and milk together.
5. Mix everything together. Pour into pie shell.
6. Bake for 25 minutes.

The complex flavours of the spinach, sweet onions and deep camembert dancing with the flaky crusty pie, is simply amazing. You have to try this.

Authentic Manghsor Jhol (Bengali Goat Curry), Kosha Maangho

 Bangali Manghsor Jhol

This is an Indian Bengali recipe for Goat Curry.

In South Asia, the word "mutton" is used to describe lamb or goat. But in North America and Europe, "mutton" simply means lamb - not goat.

I am a little tired of all Indian recipes having cumin and coriander power in it. I don't think all Indian dishes traditionally have had it. I think most Indian restaurants use the formula to simplify their cooking and use one universal sauce for many of their entrees.

Needless to say, when I come across a rich dish without cumin and coriander powder, I think it's probably authentic. This is one such recipe.

Marinade: 2lbs goat meat washed,drained
2 tbsps of ginger & garlic paste (or fine chopped)
salt to taste
1 cup yoghurt
1 tsp chilli powder (optional)

Marinade the meat overnight.

Curry:
"Phoron": 2 each of cardamom, cinnamon stick, clove and black peppercorns 1 large bay leaf 1 whole red chilli
2 small or medium onions, chopped
2 small or medium tomatoes, diced
1 tsp minced haldi root or turmeric powder
2 tbsp oil

Heat the oil in a large pan on medium hot heat. When oil is hot add the "Phoron". Swirl around and keep on heat for at least 30 seconds (till aromatic but before the red chilli gets too dark or burns).
Add the onions and turmeric. Fry till onions are a light brown colour.
Add the tomatoes and lightly fry for about 2 minutes.
Add the meat mixture. Stir well. Lower heat to medium, cover the pan and walk away.
Cook for 1 hour 15 minutes stirring every 20 minutes or so.

It's important to not add any water. I didn't add water and cooked the meat on medium heat. The yoghurt added enough water for the meat to cook in comfortably for the full duration.

Potatoes: 2 medium potatoes cut to 3 inch chunks
2 tsps oil

Lightly brown the potatoes. This keeps the shape of the potatoes in the curry.

Once the 1:15:00 have passed, add the potatoes, stir and cover for another 15 minutes.
When done, turn off the flame and enjoy!!

This will be one of the most delicious meat curries you have ever eaten. By not adding water, the dish comes out quite thick and rich.

Bengali Mutton Curry

Now, if you do feel like adding water to make a bit more of a curry sauce, add half a cup when you add the goat meat and then add more if you want a thinner curry. Enjoy!

Samosa chaat is Food For Gods

No, really, it Really Is.

I think the Mighty Krishna would eat Samosa chaat on a relaxing Sunday evening. Or Indra. Or Jesus. Seriously.

And the best Samosa Chaat recipe in the world is:
Best Samosa Chaat Recipe by Pratibha

Pratibha K. Sharma: Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I tried it and made some changes (because I was missing ingredients). I skipped ginger pieces and special Namak. Oh, and I also added Hari Chutney (Dhania+Pudina/Coriander+Mint Chutney) because I had it in the fridge. And I added 2 tsps of Bhujia Sev (Haldiram's) because it was there.

Thank you Thank you Thank you. Best chaat I ever ate! Dukaan se bhi Badiya!!

I took some pictures after finishing half the chaat.... sorry :)

Boil milk WITHOUT it sticking to the bottom

I finally discovered the secret to not letting the bottom of the pan burn while boiling milk. I used skim milk. I have 2 separate recipes. They are two independent recipes. Try them and let me know how it works out for you.
The background: In the North American dairy industry, it is their procedure to take out the fat from the milk and only leave in less-than-1%, 1%, 2%, or 3.25% milk fat. This removal of milk fat causes the milk to burn when boiled on a stove. Boiling milk is a very essential step in preparing Indian food, especially desserts, so obviously this is a problem. Burnt milk smells really awful.

There are 2 ways to overcome this problem. "METHOD 1" below "tricks" the milk into boiling without sticking. The second "METHOD 2" essentially turns the milk back into what it was when it came out of the cow. I have given measurements for the milk available in my region. You may need more whipping cream in the milk, depending on where you live.

METHOD 1:
Ingredients:
1-2 cups water
4 cups Milk
2 tsp butter

Steps:
1. Take a non-stick pot. Fill it with about 1/4 cups of water and set it to boil. Let it come to a gentle boil on medium-low heat.
2. Take the milk you will boil, put it in a microwave safe container, and boil it in the microwave. Stop the microwave as soon as the milk starts boiling.
3. Take your non-stick pan with boiling water, and discard all but 2-3 Tbsp of boiling water. Set it back on the stove. Pour your boiled milk in this pot now. Add 2 tsp of butter to this.
4. Stir the milk and scrape the milk off the sides of the pan periodically.

Now you can boil the milk and make your milk-based dessert.

       _________________________________________________________________________

METHOD 2:
Ingredients:
3 cups milk (can be skim, 1%, 2%, 3.25%/homo)
1 cup of full-fat whipping cream (36% or more)

!This is not a low fat recipe!

Steps:
1. Take milk container out of the fridge. Let the milk come to room temperature. Should take 10-15 minutes.
2. Take a non-stick pot. Pour the whipping cream in it and on medium-low heat let it come to a gentle boil.
3. Once the whip cream has started to boil gently, add 1/2 cup of milk at a time, till it comes to a gentle boil. It is important to add the milk only 1/2 cup at a time.
4. Once the cream+milk mixture is gently boiling again, add another 1/2 cup of milk.
5. Keep repeating above step till all the milk has been added and is boiling.
4. Keep stirring continuously throughout steps 1, 2 and 3.

And VOILA! No milk solids sticking to the bottom of the pan!

Enjoy!

Omurice

Recipe is here:
Cooking with Dog: Omurice
Runnyrunny999: Omurice