My version of Stuffed Mushrooms…!!

So after a peaceful spring weekend, I am back to action working on my blog. Pepper Delight is in its second month and I am super excited with the ride so far, every day starts with a bunch of new stuffs, ideas, challenges, cooking, photo sessions, and I am just enjoying every bit of it.

Coming back to today’s dish, this is a complete veggie appetizer. What I love about mushrooms is its super easy to cook and it balances well with many flavor combinations, be it a spicy masala version or in a cheesy flavor.

The thought to prepare this came up after I got a chance to try stuffed mushrooms with a cream cheese fondue in a restaurant; the dish was yummy but pretty heavy. To cut down the extra calories I have avoided any additional sauces to this recipe, and while savoring the dish you really wouldn’t ask for one.

I have used baby Bella mushrooms here, it goes well with Portobello too. Hope You Enjoy…

Prep time        : 20 minutes
Serves              : 2 – 3 servings

 INGREDIENTS

12 baby Bella mushrooms (remove stems)
½ cup Mozzarella cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese
¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Parsley leaves
Salt and pepper as required

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash & clean mushrooms and pat them dry. Remove the stems from the mushrooms.
3. Now place the remaining mushrooms cap upside down on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle salt inside each cap.
4. Bake for 8 minutes initially so that the mushrooms ooze out the moisture inside.
5. In the meantime prepare the stuffing by mixing well the parmesan cheese, panko bread crumbs (or normal bread crumbs), mozzarella cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, in a bowl.
6. Take the mushroom caps out of the sheet and flip them to drain any excess water accumulated in the caps.
7. Fill each cap by spooning the stuffing, and top with fresh parsley leaves.
8. Bake for another 10 minutes or cook until the cheese melts and the stuffing turns golden in color.

Serve hot.

The post Stuffed Mushrooms appeared first on Pepper Delight.

Here you go, a Peach Cobbler..!

A cobbler is like a baked fruit pie with only an upper crust. It is three layered, with the bottom being butter, fruits in the middle, and topped with a cake crust. If you prefer stone fruits, nectarines are also a good alternate since they are also semi-sweet, and to lift the sweetness just cook them in sugar syrup.

My first attempt in making this was a failure, as I tried to fill up the pan with the batter, and while baking it started to rise and the sugar syrup spilled out, making a mess of my oven. So, use a large baking pan and leave enough room for the batter to rise.

So no more waiting, go get your fruit, make your cake batter, and start baking. And tell me how it tastes…

Prep time         :  1 hour
Serves               :  6 servings

INGREDIENTS

Peaches                        : 5
Sugar                            : 1 cup
Lemon juice               : 1 tbsp
Unsalted butter         : 6 tbsp (melted)
Baking powder          : 1 tbsp
Flour                             : 1 cup
Milk                              : 1 cup
Cinnamon powder   : 1 tbsp
Salt                                : a small pinch

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel, pit, and cut peaches into thin slices and keep it aside.
3. Melt butter and pour it to the baking pan.
4. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder, and a pinch of salt. Mix well and slowly add milk by constantly stirring to form a thick batter. Pour this batter into the baking pan on top of the melted butter. Do not stir.
5. In another pan add the peach slices, lemon juice, sugar, and heat on a low flame with the lid closed for two minutes till the sugar melts. Open the pan and toss slightly so that the sugar syrup forms a thick coating on the peaches. Make sure to stir it constantly to prevent it from sticking on to the pan. When the sugar syrup starts to bubble up and thicken, switch off the flame. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
6. Pour this peach mixture over the batter. Do not stir after pouring.
7. Sprinkle some cinnamon powder on top of the mixture. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until you see a golden brown crust on the top.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Note:

• Ensure that you do not stir as instructed to maintain the layering of the dessert.
• Make sure the baking pan is big enough, as the batter will rise while baking and should not spill.

The post Peach Cobbler appeared first on Pepper Delight.

Fish is my favorite (ha ha, my coastal background pops up again!), yeah that’s the fact, and I cook it regularly at home. But this time for a change I thought to stay away from the usual Indian masala, curry type recipes which I prepare often and try out a non-spicy version, a bread crumbed fish.

This recipe is so simple as it hardly takes a few minutes to prep and another 15 minutes to cook.

I have used tilapia fillets covered in a panko crust (you can also use normal breadcrumbs instead). I was a bit confused with the choice of sides as mostly all of my fish recipes go with rice or flat bread, and so this time I did some research to pick the ideal sides for this tilapia dish. I finally chose a simple rice pilaf and steamed broccoli. And to finish it, a drizzle of lemon juice! Done, your dish is ready!!!

Prep time        : 20 – 25 minutes
Serves              : 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

For Parmesan crusted Tilapia:

Tilapia fillets                                   : 2
Parmesan cheese                           : ½ cup
Italian herbs (dried)                       : 1 teaspoon (optional)
Panko Breadcrumbs                     : 1 cup
Pepper                                               :  1tbsp
Olive oil                                            : as required
Salt                                                     : as required
Fresh parsley                                   : 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Lemon                                               : ½ of one lemon (drizzle)
Broccoli florets                               : 8- 12

For Rice Pilaf:

Long grain white rice                    : 1 cup
Butter                                                 : 3 tbsp
Garlic                                                 : 1 (finely chopped)
White/Yellow onion                      : 1 (sliced into cubes)
Parsley                                               : 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Low sodium chicken broth          : 1 ½ cup
Water                                                  : 1 cup

INSTRUCTIONS

For Parmesan crusted Tilapia:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In the meantime clean and pat tilapia fillets. In a small bowl mix the dried ingredients; panko breadcrumbs, italian herbs (dried), pepper, salt, and parmesan cheese.
3. Brush tilapia with olive oil on both sides and dip it in the prepared dry mixture.
4. Top with chopped fresh parsley leaves.
5. Bake for about 12 to 15 mins until the fish becomes flaky inside. Serve with a drizzle of lemon juice.

Steam cook broccoli and keep aside. You can also drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper if you don’t like plain steamed broccoli.

For Rice Pilaf:

1. Wash and soak rice in water for about 15 minutes.
2. Drain it and keep aside.
3. In the meantime, heat butter in a pan. Add chopped garlic and saute till the raw smell settles down.
4. Add sliced onion, salt and saute on a low flame for about 3 minutes. Ensure not to burn the onions.
5. Add drained rice, and stir and toast well. Toast until the rice become white and starts to crack.
6. Add chicken broth and water, cover and cook the rice till the water dries out.
7. Add chopped parsley leaves, and fluff the rice.

Serve baked tilapia with rice pilaf and steamed broccoli.

Note:

• For this recipe I used panko breadcrumbs which is a Japanese style breadcrumbs commonly used to coat deep fried foods. As it is made from bread without crust, deep frying foods will stay crispy and crunchy. As an alternative you can also use a homemade version.
• Dried Italian herbs consist of Marjoram, Oregano, Thyme, Savory, Basil, Sage and Rosemary, and are readily available in stores.

The post Baked Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Rice Pilaf and Broccoli appeared first on Pepper Delight.