Chicken breast with creamy mustard sauce

I wanted to try out some new chicken dish, so when I came across this recipe I knew we would like it , it's chicken breast cooked in a creamy  mustard sauce and broccoli on the side.

Let's begin by getting these ingredients.

Ingredients
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
Salt to taste
2 tspn crushed black pepper
1 tspn chilli flakes for heat
2 tspn Olive oil
2 tspn Butter
1/4 cup white wine  ( used in the sauce) If you don't like wine just omit it.
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tspn coarse mustard
1/2 tspn  Dijon mustard sauce
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1  pack frozen broccoli

                                                 

Ingredients

Preparing mustard sauce

Cooked chicken in Mustard creamy sauce

Cooking chicken

Mustard chicken

Method
1.Wash and clean chicken breast, approx 4 medium sized chicken breast come in a pack .  Using a skillet knife , place your palm lightly on chicken breast in the middle and carefully using the knife divide each chicken breast into  2 halves , continue with the remaining chicken breast and you will have approximately 8  thinner chicken breast .
Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of each chicken breast , keep aside for about 10 minutes.

2. Heat  a tspn  each of  butter and oil in a skillet, add the seasoned chicken breast and cook on both sides for approximately 5 minutes each side, till they appear golden brown in colour. Continue till all the chicken breast are done. Remove and keep aside.
For the sauce
3. In the same skillet  put 2 tspn butter ( perfect for getting colour) add 1 tspn.  olive oil if needed and add crushed garlic, sauté for a minute. Next add in 1/4 cup white wine, careful while adding wine as it can flare up so reduce heat. Next add in chilly flakes for some heat and add both mustards in the skillet. Continue cooking ,stir  in heavy cream and add chicken stock and this brings the creamy sauce together.
 4. Add in cooked chicken and cover to cook for about 10 minutes . Plate this dish with 2 chicken breast placed on palate , with some hot creamy sauce on top, yummy :) and on the side add steamed broccoli . Dinner is served.
If you are using frozen broccoli, microwave for  2 to 3  minutes. Heat skillet, add 1 tsp butter, add broccoli  , sauté for a minute's add in 2 tsp  whipping cream,salt to taste , black pepper  to make the broccoli creamy (optional)  or just enjoy steamed broccoli is good too.

Goodness of Oats

Oats are type of  grains that have lot of nutritional value and are eaten as porridge, also one can use oats to make cereal bars , or even make oatmeal cookies. I like to have a warm cup of freshly made oatmeal with brown sugar, and nuts. It is the ultimate comforting food in the morning.Oats have number of good benefits , they are high in fibre, also they help lower the cholesterol levels, and maintain good health.

Basic recipe below  to prepare Oats and start your morning with a cup of warm oats :) with nuts or fresh berries... perfect beginning to the day. You can also make the oats ahead to save time. Enjoy a cup of oats with fresh fruits, nuts, honey. Also some people eat them the savoury way, like prepare oats initially cooking it with water , after they are cooked add in your choice of savoury ingredients, like cheddar, and spices.

Adding brown sugar and nuts to cooked oats

Ingredients
 2 cups old fashioned  rolled oats
1 cup water
1 cup 1 % milk
2 tspn brown sugar
1/4 cup mixed nuts
1 tspn fresh berries (optional)

1. Prepare the oats using 1 cup water ,cook together in medium sauce pan for about  10 minutes covered with a lid, on medium heat. Check to see if  oats have cooked and softened.
2. Add in 1 cup milk, stir in brown sugar and after adding nuts cover the lid again for another 5 minutes to allow the nuts to cook in the steam.
Ready to serve, put into a bowl and enjoy with fresh berries or extra nuts, or adding little more milk, which ever way you like it .

Stuffed Pastry shells

When you make starters using pastry shells  appetizer's get the winning look and bright smiles of guest who wonder how much effort you took to prepare all this, but trust me by using pastry shells and dough your work time gets reduced in almost half.
Using a pastry puff dough or pastry puff shells is the smartest way to make home made starters that not only look classy but also keep the guest's surprised and wow your hard work!!
There are many options for filling's that can be  used to fill these shell's  like for vegetarians one can use a mixture of goat cheese ,herbs and topped with sliced tomatoes. Another one you do is  stuff  shells with a mushroom and cheese mix , or even spinach with potatoes mixture, try olives in the recipe ,possibilities are endless , you can do sweet fillings like pecans with berries for a sweet fill , just be creative , use your own combination. For now  I tried out bell peppers chopped finely with garlic and onions, cooked in a sauce and sprinkled with cheese,   follow this recipe and you are sure  to impress your guests.

Ingredients
1 pack frozen pastry shells contains about 24 pastry shells
1 medium sized onion diced
1 cup chopped bell pepper , colourful mini bell peppers are great to use :)
2 to 3 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 cup finely chopped mushroom (optional)
1 tspn chilli garlic sauce (store bought)
2 tblsp   tomato ketchup
salt  to taste
2 tblsp vegetable Oil

Mini delights

Ready to Bake 

Veggie delights 

Method;
1.Heat a  medium sized skillet with 2 tblsp  oil, add in garlic and onions, allowing  onions to brown a little , n add in bell peppers, continue cooking another 3 to 5 minutes, till bell peppers soften.
2.Now add in spices and sauces and mix together, close burner and filling mixture is ready. How easy is that :)
3. Preheat oven to 350 F , arrange pastry puff shells, on baking tray and carefully with a teaspoon fill ea h pastry shell , about  half way with the prepared mixture, sprinkle shredded cheese, I prefer mozzarella , but you can use a cheese of your choice.
4 . Bake these shells for approximately 10 minutes and  remove and Serve warm. 

Protein packed bars

We all like to eat things that  give us  energy we need , but many times we forget that its important to balance  the proportion  of carbohydrates, proteins and fibre which together can give us  the health benefits of what we are eating . It is exactly what this recipe does and this recipe I got from my uncle.
These bars have used whey powder as the main ingredient, whey is full protein. You can add what ever nuts, you like to this recipe. I like home made bars because you can make them fresh and also we know what we add in them, and make them to our liking.
It is very economical too as these bars are expensive to buy.


Ingredients:
1 cup Rolled oats its important to use the right kind of ingredient to get optimal results, so use steel cut or rolled oats.
1/4 cup Whey powder , this is available in health food or grocery store too. It is the protein content
1/4 cup mixed nuts
1/4 cup flax seeds for the fibre
1/4 cup  golden raisin
1/2 cup skim milk or Almond milk is good too.
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup peanut butter 

Ingredients

Soaked Oats

Mixture 

Ready mixture in foil

Ready protein bars

Protein bars 

Method:
1.Soak rolled oats in 1/2 cup water ,overnight or for at least 6 to 8 hours.
Next day, add skim milk to the soaked oats, and microwave for  2 to 3 minutes, till the appear soft. Next follow step 3.
This will make the bars  soft and chewy, if you want the uncooked type go to step 2 directly.
2. In a medium bowl add in almond/skim milk, add whey powder ,stir with a spoon and add in oats, honey,nuts and  flax seeds, and peanut butter. Stir this mixture together and pour into a flat container, lined with parchment or silver foil and refrigerate overnight or 4 to 6 hours. Remove from foil and cut into bars.
3. Add in whey powder,nuts, and honey. Mix in flax seeds and raisins and mix  it all together, store in a container. Have a tablespoon full of this mixture  and get protein and  energy before   your workouts. You can form them into bars or  round balls.
Whey is nothing else but liquid that is obtained from curdling milk, It  is complete protein, like meat ,eggs ,dairy , and vegetables.

Chocolate chip cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are a favorite of many of us and when they are home made they get even better.
This recipe is from the original basic recipe by Nestle for making chocolate chip cookies, with a slight variation, that we have omitted nuts and used semisweet chocolate morsels, that is the main ingredient of a chocolate chip cookie.
Another advantage of making these cookies at home is the whole house gets perfumed with the fragrance of chocolate and you know they are ready . My daughter makes the best Chocolate cakes and cookies, they are so good, that there aren't any left overs :)))
So dig in the recipe and make some of these for your self and for your loved ones and watch their smiles light up..

 Ingredients
2 cups All purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 sticks butter
1 tspn vanilla essence
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 tspn whole milk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups semi sweet chocolate morsels(I like to use Toll house Nestle brand)

Chocolate chip cookies 

Home baked cookies

Method.
Pre heat oven to 375 degrees F and grease and line with parchment paper the cookie sheet.
1. In a mixing bowl , cream the butter and sugars together , using a wooden spoon or electric  hand mixer until smooth. Next add in the eggs, one by one and continue to mix to incorporate the eggs.
2. Combine sieved flour , salt and baking powder and ad this to the creamed mixture gradually. Add in 1 tblsp warmed  milk and vanilla essence.
Next stir in the chocolate morsels. Using a spoonful drop little rounds of dough onto un greased cookie sheet, making sure to keep an inch of distance between them. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until they appear crisp on the edges and slight golden colour.
After they are done remove from oven and allow to cool on the wire rack or on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes. Chocolate chip cookies go great with milk or just by themselves.

French crepes

When we think of France it just captures our imagination and makes  us imagine of petite beautiful things, well crepes is also among those things. They not only are great to look at but are great tasting and a treat for our taste buds!!
The other day we got this treat from our sweetie pie daughter who made them at home and what a pretty display that I just couldn't resist sharing this  recipe and pictures of these crepes and its perfect for a holiday morning breakfast or brunch, also as a desert.
Crepes are like very thin pancakes and made from flour batter, that has flour, milk, eggs and we like to add vanilla essence . Crepes are eaten sweet or savoury.
This recipe are sweet crepes. 

Ingredients 

1 cup Flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4  tspn vanilla essence
1 tspn sugar
1/4 tspn salt
1 tbsp white butter melted
1 cup blueberries
1 cup strawberries or raspberries
1/2 cup jelly of your choice
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup store bought whipped cream

Method

1.In  a medium bowl milk together, flour, with salt, gradually add in the eggs and  milk.
Next add sugar ,salt and vanilla essence,continue to mix to form a smooth batter.
Finally add in  melted butter and stir together.
2.Heat a flat 8 inch non stick griddle over medium heat. Pour 1/4 th of batter into the pan tilting to  to cover the base of the pan. Cook for 2 minutes and flip once until it turns golden.Repeat with remaining batter till all crepes are ready.
For filling , you can fill with ingredients of your choice, like some like nutella spread onto  warm crepes and some like jelly spread Add berries and whipped cream. Enjoy the smoothness of crepes and the goodness of fruits to make it the perfect sweet treat.

                                                                           

                                                                     

                                                                                

Batter

Making Individual crepes  

 Crepes 

French Crepes

Paani Poori Chaat

Paani  poori is a popular chaat (snack food) . Paani is a Hindi word for water and poori is the term used for little round discs of Indian dough deep fried. Also known as gol gappas, they are sure to win the interests of your friends and guests , and will have them wanting for some more:)))

Ingredients (This quantity is for good for 5 to 6 persons)

3 bunches of fresh mint leaves

2 bunches of fresh coriander leaves 

2 inch fresh ginger

2 tspn salt

2 tspn Black salt (also called Kala Namak)
1 tsp Chaat masala powder 

3 to 4 small green chillies 

2 tspn cumin seeds 
1 lemon 

4 to 5 cups  cold water

1/4 cup tamarind paste  
2 tbsp sugar 
2 pack of store bought ready pooris

                                                     

Grind in the mixer

Strain the ready paani 

Paani poori

Method (preparing paani poori water)

1.Clean the leaves of mint and coriander and wash thoroughly  to remove any  dirt from  leaves.

2.Using a blender, grind the leaves, together with cumin seeds, chopped ginger, green chillies, lemon juice, salt, tamarind paste and 3 to 4 cups of cold water. Next, add black salt and chaat powder and check for taste. Keep this mixture back in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. After that , strain the water and taste for salt, and if it is less add some black salt or chaat masala. This is the paani poor water,s tore it back in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 hours and enjoy with store bought pooris and potato mixture.

For Potato filling

2 medium size potatoes boiled and peeled

1 cup Tamarind chutney ( ready available in Indian store) or you can look up my blog for a recipe of home made tamarind chutney.

Method 
1. Boil the potatoes fully, cool them and peel the skin of the potatoes, mix them with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp chaat powder, 1/4 tsp red chilli powder and keep aside.

Assembling the dish 

1. Pooris are very delicate and crisp, using a spoon, crack the top of the poori to make a little opening. Now fill each  poori with like 1/4 tsp  potato filling. To this stir and add in paani poori water and then about 1/4 tsp tamarind chutney (for the sweetness) Continue the same way , with the other pooris and serve immediately.

Other fillings:
If you don't fancy potatoes you can alternately add sprouted moong, or boiled garbanzo beans, instead.