Cajun Spiced Prawns in Parsley Garlic Butter

Whoa !! That was quite a mouthful , and I have given away all the ingredients that is used to make this dish , hahaha , seriously they are the only ingredients used but it tastes just awesome . This recipe is adapted from Pioneer Woman's spicy shrimps , I love her site , I go there almost often and just drool at all the pics there , she is absolutely the best . So without further ado here goes....................

INGREDIENTS 

1 kg prawns cleaned and de-veined
2 tbsp cajun spice powder
1 tbsp red chilli flakes
100 gms butter cold
a handful of parsley
1 clove of garlic

METHOD

Marinate the prawns with the cajun spice powder for a half hour
In a chopper , add the butter , garlic and parsley and grind it all up .
In a baking tin add the prawns in a single layer and add the chilli flakes
Now crumble the butter on top of the prawns .
Bake in a preheated  180 c oven for about 20 min or the prawns are done .
Transfer them to a serving dish and pour over all the juice on top of it .
Now enjoy your prawns and have some crusty bread to dunk into the juicy goodness , absolutely yummm!!!

Eggplant and Ricotta Bake

I love grilled eggplants , I use it in sandwiches , on pizzas and lasagne . I got this recipe from a magazine , the moment I saw grilled eggplant I got hooked and decided to make it and it turned out quite good and quite easy to make . It is creamy , tangy , crunchy and really droolworthy so here goes......

INGREDIENTS

1 large eggplant sliced
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 small red bell pepper diced
400 gm canned tomato
a handful of basil chopped
2 tbsp chopped black olives
250 gm ricotta cheese
60 gms parmesan cheese grated
100 gms mozarella cheese grated
4 wholewheat bread slices toasted
60 gms fresh white breadcrumbs

METHOD

Slice the eggplant into 1 inch thick pieces and sprinkle salt on it and leave to drain in the colander.
Brush with olive oil and grill it in a pan.
In a saucepan , heat a tbsp of olive oil and add the garlic and the chopped onions and saute it for a few sec .
Add in the red bell pepper and sautee it till soft .
Add the canned tomatoes and cook it for a few min .
Puree this mixture in a blender and add the basil leaves and olives and set aside .
Season it with salt and pepper .
Mix the ricotta and parmesan cheese .
Brush olive oil in a square dish and layer it with two slices of toasted wholewheat bread.
Put half of the grilled eggplants on top .
Pour over half of the tomato sauce .
Add the ricotta mix .
Repeat the layers with the remaining toasts, eggplant and tomato sauce .
Mix the fresh breadcrumbs and the mozarella and add this on top of the dish .
Bake in a preheated 220 c oven for 20 min or till top is golden .

Chilli Beef Baked Pasta

I always love my Pasta dishes to be a bit spicy and flavourful and this dish isjust that ,it has a light tomato sauce spiked with dried red chillies and it is topped with a nice creamy cheese sauce which balances the heat from the chillies . This one is a favourite among my family and I always get requests to make this one so here goes..................

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup olive oil
400 gm beef cut into small cubes
3 cloves galic chopped
5 small dried red chillies
1 bay leaf
1 can of tomatoes
1 chicken stock cube
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
400 gm penne pasta

Cheese Topping

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups milk
100 gm mild cheddar cheese grated
2 eggs lightly beaten
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs

METHOD

Heat oil in a pan and add the beef and cook on high heat for about 5 min. or until well browned.
Add garlic , chillies, bay leaf, tomatoes, stock and soy sauce and bring to boil.
Add basil and simmer for about 15-20 min.
Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf.
Cook pasta ina large pan of boiling water till just tender and drain.
Combine the pasta with the chilli beef sauce and spoon into a deep baking dish .
Top with the cheese sauce , sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and bake in a 180-200 c oven for about 30 min or until golden .

For the cheese sauce .

Heat butter and add the flour and stir it for a min till the raw smell dissappears.
Gradually Blend in the milk , stir until the mixture is free of lumps and the sauce boils and thickens .
Turn off the heat and add the beaten eggs and cheese to it .

TIPS

For a variation You can make this with prawns instead of beef . If you cannot find fresh basil leaves you can use the dried one but be careful while using dried herbs because the flavour is strong in dried herbs so only use a little.

Simple and Lite Veggie Lasagne

This is a wonderful recipe for all those who want to watch their weight and still eat the delicious stuff without feeling the guilt .When you think of lasgne you think of the white sauce , cheese and the meat sauce , well this recipe has no meat and no white sauce but it still tastes really great , you can trust me on it because even I think that if anything is  delicious then it MUST be bad for you , but this is one such dish  where you can eat it and enjoy it and not worry about your waistline so here goes ............

INGREDIENTS

2-3 medium eggplants
salt
1 large onion chopped finely
4 cloves garlic minced
1 can whole tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium leeks chopped rinely
2 tbsp sugar
200 gm lasagne sheets
1 cup grated low-fat cheddar cheese

METHOD

Cut eggplants lengthwise into 1 cm slices , sprinkle salt and place in the colander to drain for about 30 min.
Rinse slices under cold water and drain on absorbent paper .
Grill the eggplant in a grill pan with little oil till they  become soft and brown on both sides , this takes approximately 3 min each side .
In a pan cook onions and half the garlic till onion softens .
Add in the canned tomatoes , tomato paste and basil ,simmer uncovered for about 20 min .
Blend or process  tomato mixture until just combined .
Heat the olive oil in the same pan ad leek and remaining garlic and the sugar and cook , stirring for about 5 min until the leeks are soft and browned .
In a baking dish add about 2 tbsp of the tomato mix and then cover with the lasagne sheets ,place in position .
Top with 1/4 of the eggplant,1/4 of the leeks ,1/4 of the tomato mix and 1/4 of the cheese .
Repeat 3 layers ,ending with cheese .
Bake uncovered at 180-200 c oven for about 50 min .