Saag Paneer pairs paneer cheese with greens like spinach, mustard and/or kale with a blend of spices, aromatics and tomato. You can also use radish tops – what a great way to re-purpose something that might just end up in the compost bin!
Use pre-made paneer, or why not make your own? The fresh flavor is definitely worth the effort. Find the recipe here.
1 serrano or jalapeno chili, de-seeded and de-veined and chopped
6-7 garlic cloves, minced – divided
1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp ghee, butter or vegetable oil
½ tsp whole cumin seeds
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 roma tomato, finely chopped
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ – ½ tsp garam masala powder
3/4 – 1 cup water – divided
8-10 whole raw unsalted cashews
2 Tbsp cream or coconut cream, for garnish
Directions
Fill a large pot with water. Add greens and swirl around to clean thoroughly. Scoop greens out by hand so any debris stays at bottom of pot. Place greens in salad spinner or colander, spinning/draining out as much water as possible. Roughly chop greens.
Heat ½ Tbsp ghee/oil in pan. Sauté 2 minced garlic cloves, chili, cashews and greens for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely. Blend with ¼ cup water, adding more as need to get a smooth, thick purée. Set aside.
Clean out the pan and use it to heat remaining 1 ½ Tbsp ghee/oil. Add whole spices. When they begin to sizzle, add onion and cook until translucent/golden. Add minced ginger and remaining minced garlic, sauté 1-2 minutes.
Add tomato and sauté until it breaks down/turns mushy. Add ground spices and sauté about 2 minutes more, until you can smell spices. Add remaining water to pan and cook until onions are completely soft. You should still have some water in the pan.
Lower flame, add puréed spinach, tofu and cook until it just begins to bubble, 2-3 minutes. If sauce is too thick add a few Tbsp hot water. Add in paneer and mix well. Remove from heat to a serving bowl and garnish with cream of choice.
How cool is it to make your own cheese? It’s worth the extra effort and you might just feel like a “mad scientist” watching the curds and whey separate. Use the resulting whey in any baked goods recipes calling for water or milk. This recipe makes about 1/2 pound of paneer.
Enjoy it sliced on salads, toast, or in a traditional Indian recipe like Saag Paneer. Find the recipe here.
Ingredients
5 cups whole milk, NOT ultra high-temp processed
3-5 tsp lemon juice or 5-7 Tbsp buttermilk
Cheesecloth or nut milk bag
Directions
Rinse a large pot with water and make sure it’s completely clean. Add milk to the pot and heat over medium-low flame. Stir occasionally so a skin doesn’t form on the top of the milk and the bottom doesn’t burn.
Place a strainer or colander over another pot, or a bowl. Line strainer with double-layer of cheesecloth or a nut milk bag turned inside out so seams are outside.
When milk starts boiling, add the lower quantity of lemon juice or buttermilk. Begin to stir. The milk will start to curdle; keep stirring so it doesn’t stick to the base of the pot. You may see the milk has curdled part-way, but no watery whey is visible. Add 1-2 tsp more lemon juice, or 1-2 Tbsp buttermilk, and stir again. Then you should see the greenish colored whey in the milk.
After you see the milk has curdled completely and you see the watery, greenish whey, remove from heat and immediately pour entire mixture into the cheesecloth-lined strainer/colander. Gather the edges of the cheesecloth carefully, as the milk mixture is very hot. Run some water over the gathered bundle to rinse. Squeeze very gently to remove excess moisture.
Put the cheesecloth bundle onto one plate and under another, weighing the top plate with a heavy object (about a pound). Let sit for 30-40 minutes. Or, hang the bundle from your kitchen faucet for one hour so it can drain into the sink. Let sit in refrigerator about 20 minutes, and can then be used immediately or refrigerated 2-3 days.
Charoset is one part of the Passover seder, and it comes in different forms that might look similar to fruit and nut relish, a thick spread, or a pliable sweet truffle like you see here. Its name come from the Hebrew word for “clay,” and it’s meant to recall the mortar Jews used to construct the Egyptian pharaoh’s buildings.
Along with fruit and nuts, charoset is made with spices, wine or fruit juice and often a binder like honey. Ingredients depend on what’s abundant in the area where it’s made, like this Moroccan-inspired version that relies on dates and other dried fruit.
Ingredients
¾ – 1 cup Turkish dried apricots, cut into ¼’s
6 – 9 dates, pitted and crowns removed, roughly chopped
¼ cup golden raisins
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup almonds and shelled pistachios, mixed
2-4 Tbsp raw honey
2-3 Tbsp grape juice, kosher wine or pomegranate molasses (reserve for end)
Optional: Additional finely ground almond flour or shredded coconut, for rolling balls in
Directions
Make sure there are no crowns/pits/stems in dried fruit.
Pre-chop nuts in food processor so they’re close to the size you’d like. Remove from food processor and set aside. Separate and save any dust/crumbs for rolling the balls in.
Add dried fruit, cinnamon, honey to food processor. Blend everything together completely. If texture is too thick, add grape juice/wine/pomegranate molasses, to thin it out.
Add chopped nuts (minus dust) back into food processor along with fruit mixture. Pulse several times to incorporate into fruit mixture but not chop nut pieces too much smaller.
Roll mixture into balls about 1” inch diameter. Roll these in reserved nut dust, as well as additional ground almond flour and/or shredded coconut as desired.
Store in a cool place in a tightly sealed container.
Muhammara is a Middle Eastern walnut and roasted red pepper dip that’s all sorts of savory, sweet, slightly smoky, and just enough spicy! It’s like romesco sauce.
This recipe is easy to make, and you can make it even easier if you use roasted red peppers from a jar. Serve with warm pita as part of a Mezze platter, top your grilled fish or chicken or spread it on your sandwiches.
Ingredients
2 red bell peppers
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
4 oz walnuts, toasted
1 garlic clove roughly chopped
2 ½ Tbsp tomato paste
¾ cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 tsp Aleppo pepper, or 2/3 tsp sweet paprika and 1/3 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp sumac
½ tsp salt
Additional pinches cayenne pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. Line an edged sheet pan with parchment paper.
Brush bell peppers with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Place on sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes or so, turning them over 1-2 times.
Remove peppers from oven and place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for a few minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel peppers and remove seeds. Slice peppers into small strips.
In a large food processor, combine the roasted red pepper strips with 3 Tbsp olive oil, garlic, walnuts, tomato paste, breadcrumbs, pomegranate molasses, Aleppo pepper, sugar, sumac and salt. Blend into a smooth paste. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Transfer to a serving bowl. Can refrigerate for several days, bring to room temperature before serving.
When ready to serve, top the dip with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with a little more walnuts and fresh parsley, if you like. Serve with pita bread or pita chips. Enjoy!
These Turkish rolls are filled with herbed feta filling. This recipe calls for baking them, although you could shallow-fry them in olive oil for a more traditional preparation. Feel free to get creative with the cheese/herbs depending on what you’ve got on hand. No salt is needed if you’re using feta; if you use something else, adjust seasonings to your taste.
Ingredients
6 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 scallions, both white and green parts, chopped
1 cup chopped parsley
2 tsp fresh thyme, finely minced
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt/pepper to taste
Optional: 1 tsp red pepper flakes
Directions
Preheat oven to 375° and put one rack in the middle of the oven. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine cheeses, parsley, scallions and thyme. Add pepper flakes (if using) and a drizzle of olive oil.
Lay phyllo sheets flat on cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut into four equal strips along the long edge of the dough. Working with one strip at a time, spoon about 1 ½ Tbsp cheese mixture onto phyllo along bottom edge closest to you. Leave a little room on either side for filling to expand. Roll tightly away from you (4-5 times) so filling is encased in the roll. Repeat until strips/filling are used up and brush outside of rolls with olive oil.
Place rolls on sheet pans in a single layer. Bake on center rack of the oven for about 10 minutes; turn them over halfway through cooking, until golden brown and crispy on all sides.
This recipe takes only about ½ hour, is fairly easy and packs a lot of flavor. It’s versatile, besides dipping chips you can: roll it up in tortillas with shredded chicken; scoop it onto scrambled eggs and/or breakfast potatoes; dress up a hamburger or hot dog; add to the top of your bowl of beans or baked potato; mix into cooked pasta shapes so it’s like a cheesy noodle casserole…so many possibilities!
Ingredients
1 lb uncooked chorizo, or ground turkey or beef with 1 taco seasoning spice packet
1 white or red onion, finely diced
1 small bell pepper or poblano pepper, seeded/finely diced
1 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
¾ lb Monterey Jack or other stringy melting cheese, shredded
¼ lb pepper jack, shredded
Sprinkle of chili powder
Sprinkle of garlic granules
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Tortilla Chips for serving
Optional Toppings:
1 Roma tomato, diced
2 scallions, sliced into rings
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°.
In a large skillet, cook and crumble chorizo or other ground meat until brown. Stir in chili powder and garlic granules. Mix in taco seasoning packet if using meat other than chorizo. Remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel. Pour off excess fat from skillet, leaving a little.
Add onions, peppers and corn to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until veggies are soft and golden brown, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside.
In a medium oven-proof skillet, place 1/3 of cheese and then half the meat. Add another 1/3 of cheese and then as much of veggies as can fit, along with rest of meat and finally the rest of the cheese. There may be some ingredients left, just make sure to reach the top of the skillet. Everything will shrink once cheese melts.
Remove from oven and top with cilantro, and diced tomatoes and scallions if using. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.
Freezing instructions: Allow queso to cool completely by sitting at room temp for 1/2 hour or more. Stir occasionally while it cools to help release excess heat, then transfer to fridge to cool further. Divide into smaller, manageable portions. Get as much air out as possible and seal in containers or bags. Will last in freezer for 2-3 months, and may not be quite as creamy-smooth as the first day…but pretty close!
