Weeknight Dinner Series: vegetable grilled cheese sandwich

I'm sure you all must be thinking that there is no need to post recipe on food blog for grilled cheese sandwich! But sometimes some minor changes here and there in the recipe, and you get a whole new dish. Normally I pair this sandwich with any kind of soup. This is also totally forgiving and very versatile recipe. I make few different type of versions of this sandwich.

Version 1
shredded cabbage
shredded carrot
green chili as per taste(optional)
freshly crushed black pepper powder(optional)
salt as per taste
butter
shredded cheese
bread slices

Mix all the vegetables, green chili, salt, pepper powder, and cheese in one bowl. Put 1 or 2 tablespoon of vegetable mixture on bread slice. Put another bread slice on top of it. Now apply butter on both slices(outside!...yes that's the secret for perfect grilled sandwich). Grill it on the tava or sandwich maker.

Version 2
boiled and mashed potatoes
green peas
paneer
green chili paste(optional)
chaat masala(optional)
salt as per taste
butter
shredded cheese
bread slices

Repeat the same procedure as above!

Version 3

Grilled Fajita vegetables
black beans
garlic powder
taco seasoning
salt as per taste
shredded cheese
butter
bread slices

For fajita vegetables, normally I use onion, belle pepper, zucchini and carrot. You can use any vegetable of your choice.
This is kind of Mexican grilled cheese sandwich.

This recipe is perfect for busy weeknight, kids breakfast/snack, weekend brunch.

Do try it out and let me know your comments!

Sooji Uttapa (semolina pancake)

This recipe is perfect for weekdays evening one dish meal or weekend breakfast. It can be made in just 10-15 minutes. It does not require any grinding or fermenting process.....so lot of work has been cut. It tastes so good with coconut chutney or dalia chutney.

Ingredients

one and half cup sooji (cream of wheat)

3/4 cup curd

1 tsp fruit soda

1/2 cup cabbage (shredded)

1/4 cup carrot (shredded)

1/3 cup green onion/spring onion(finely chopped)

1 tomato (finely chopped)

1/2 yellow belle pepper (cut thin and long strips)

1/2 orange belle pepper(cut thin and long strips)

2 tbsp green chili paste

2 tbsp coriander chopped

1-2 tbsp soy sauce

salt as per taste

oil for cooking

Soak the sooji in one bowl with curd, soda,green chili paste and salt. Add water as required. It should have batter consistency like idli or dosa. Keep it for half an hour.

Take one big bowl and add all the cut vegetables. Just before you start to make uttapa, add soy sauce and salt and mix well along with all the vegetables.

Take one flat griddle or tava and put it on high flame on stove. Take ladle full of batter and spread it on the tava in circle of around 100 mm dia. Put some oil around edges. Take approx. 2 tbsp of chopped vegetables and spread by your hand. Cook both sides till golden brown.

Serve it hot with coconut chutney or tomato chutney.

Note

You can add any other vegetables, also you like.

Uttapa is much thicker than dosa,so pour sufficient amout of batter.

You can use any kind of belle pepper.

Veggie Hummus Wrap

Hummus is the dip made from chick peas/garbanzo beans and it is famous dip of middle eastern cuisine. I love hummus and falafel both. I came up with kind of fusion of both recipe together. Hope you all also like this fusion....

Ingredients

For Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans

1-2 tbsp sour cream/curd

2 tbsp tahini sauce (I used the store bought)

2-3 garlic cloves minced

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

salt as per taste

parsley (finely chopped)

cayenne pepper powder

For Wrap

1 packet whole wheat pita pockets

2 tomatoes (finely chopped)

1/2 cup cucumber (finely chopped)

1/2 cup green or red belle pepper

1 cup lattes (chopped)

2 tsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp curd

hot red chili sauce

For Hummus

Wash garbanzo beans under running water. Make smooth puree of all the ingredients except parsley. Do not add any water or if needed add just 2-3 tbsp only. Take one bowl or serving dish and take out hummus. Make one hole in the centre and put parsley in it. Drizzle the hummus with some olive oil and sprinkle some cayenne pepper.

For Wrap

Take one bowl with tahini sauce, mayonnaise and curd. Mix all them well to make smooth sauce, which has white color.

Open the pita pocket and Spread hummus all around it. Add some chopped tomato,cucumber,bell pepper and lettuce. Add spoonful of white sauce on it. If you want to have spice wrap then add some hot red chili sauce as per taste.

Notes:-

These wraps can be made very quickly, so it is one of the weekday comfort meal.

You can serve only hummus with any chips as an appetizer also.

In Hummus except garbanzo beans, other ingredients can be varied in proportion as per your taste. If you like roasted garlic then you can add roasted garlic. If you like tahini sauce more, add it more as per your taste.

Dabeli (Gujarati vadapav)

Dabeli is one of my favourite street food. Especially I always miss "Karnavati Dabeli" of my home town. It is kind of gujarati version of vadapav. Though it has not fried vada so it has less calories compare to vadapav and very easy to make. The main ingredient in dabeli is dabeli masala. You can easily buy it from indian store or you can make it at home also.

Dabeli Masala (makes 2 tspoon)

1 red chilly

1 tspoon corrainder seeds (dhania)

2 cloves

1 cinnemon stick

1/2 tspoon cumind seeds (jeera)

For Filling

one and halfcup boiled and mashed potatoes

2-3 tablespoon kahjur imli chutney (date tamarind paste)

1/2 tspoon corrainder powder

1/2 tspoon red chilly powder

salt according to taste

10 hamburger buns

1 onion chopped

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1/2 cup fresh pomegranate (anar,dadam)

2-3 tablespoon garlic chutney

6 tablespoon corriander chutney

6 tablespoon khaju imali chutney

1/2 cup sev

oil or butter for cooking

Dabeli masala

Dry roast all the spices on slow hear for around 2-3 minutes. Grind it dry and make smooth powder.

For filling

Take one bowl and add boiled and mash potatoes. Add dabeli masala as required. Add khajur imali chutney. (Keep the consistency of khaju imli chutney thick, so potatoes filling doesn't get sticky or liquid). Then add salt and other spices as per your taste.

Take one tava or flat griddle and dry roast the peanuts. Once peanuts are roasted, remove peanut skin. Take same tava and heat 2-3 tspoon oil on it. Add some dry red chilly powder and dhania powder. Then add roasted peanuts and mix peanuts with spices. Make sure peanuts are nicely coated with masala.

Take one tava or flat griddle and put it on medium flame. Cook hamburger buns with little oil or butter. Spread corriander chutney on two buns. Place portion of filling on one half of the bun. Top it with peanuts,fresh garlic chutney,khajur imli chutney, pomegranate,sev, onion. Sandwhich it with another half of the bun and enjoy it!!!