Chilli Cheese Toast

Eating Chili Cheese Toast is like killing two birds with one stone. You get something filling that is healthy and tasty as well. I ate this for the first time at my best friends house way back when I was in school. The same day I went home and made it for my mom. We all loved it and I have been making this ever since for everyone I know! It is very easy to make and can be had for breakfast, brunch or an evening snack. It requires a little bit of prep work but the cooking time is very quick. This is a great way of using any bread that is being ignored in the bread basket or the fridge. If you have kids at home who don't eat veggies you can sneak in a few more veggies like grated carrots or pureed beans and peas (pre-cooked of course!). They wont know the difference and you will be much happier!

Recipe

Ingredients - Serves 2

4 Slices Wholewheat Bread (White or Brown will also do)

4 Tsp Salted Butter

4 Tbsp Chili, Mint and Coriander Chutney*

1 Cup Finely Chopped Onions

1 Cup Finely Chopped Tomatoes

2 Cups Grated Cheese (Mozzarella or cheddar)

Ketchup For Serving

1. Preheat oven to 180 Degrees C.

2. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet covered with foil.

3. Apply 1 tsp butter on each slice followed by 1 Tbsp chutney. (You can apply more or less depending on  your tolerance to heat).

4. Sprinkle a little cheese on top, followed by the onion and and tomatoes.

5. Finish by adding cheese and covering the top completely.

6. Place in oven and bake for 10 - 15 minutes till the cheese has melted and the bread is toasted. Serve hot with ketchup.

*Note - To make the chutney, simply grind together mint leaves, coriander leaves and green chilies with a little water and salt. Quantities are to be adjusted according to personal taste.

Tip - If you do not have an oven, make this in a sandwich maker or frying pan. Butter the outside of the bread and place it on the heated pan (buttered side down). Apply all the toppings on the other side, cover and cook on a low flame till the bread is crispy and the cheese has melted.

Happy Eating!!

Grilled Chicken Wraps with Tahini Sauce

I made these wraps for dinner one night and if I could have them every night for dinner I would be the happiest person on earth! These are so easy to throw together that it took me one hour from start to finish to make this. The grilled chicken on its own is simply fabulous (I even ate it cold straight from the fridge!) and after pairing it with the grilled onions and peppers! Oh boy! I was in heaven! It was actually supposed to go into a tortilla wrap and become a fajita (As seen on Annie's Eats) but I decided to change it up and wrapped it with a khubus and added the tahini sauce instead of sour cream (Thanks Syrian Foodie for the idea!). The marinate is very simple with no fuss ingredients and may taste a bit odd when the chicken is marinating (it did to me and I was worried about how it would turn out) but I didn’t have to worry coz after cooking the flavors just melded together and worked great. I didn’t cook the chicken on a grill (as we don’t have one) but cooked it in my oven.

I am submitting this recipe for the Sandwiches and Wraps event at One Hot Stove.

Recipe Sources – Grilled Chicken from Annie's Eats and Tahini Sauce from Syrian Foodie

Ingredients

For the Grilled Chicken
2-3 (Approx. 500 Gms) Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, (Cut In 2 Inch Cubes)
1/3 Cup Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
6 Tbsp Olive Oil, Divided
3 Cloves Garlic (Minced Or Pressed)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
11/2 Tsp Brown Sugar
1 Jalapeno (Seeded, Ribbed And Diced)
1 1/2 Tbsp Minced Fresh Cilantro
1 Tsp Salt
3/4 Tsp Pepper

For the Tahini Sauce
4 Tbsp Tahini
Juice Of Half A Lemon
Salt To Taste
Water

For the Wraps
1 Large Red Onion (Sliced Into ½-Inch Thick Slices, Rings Not Separated)
2 Large Bell Peppers (Stemmed, Quartered And Seeded)
1 Large Tomato (Sliced Thinly)
6 Brown Pita Bread

Marinate the Chicken - In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, jalapeno, cilantro, salt and pepper. Place the chicken pieces in the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Brush both sides of the onion rounds and peppers with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Make the Sauce – While the chicken is marinating, make the sauce. Add the tahini paste and lemon juice to a bowl and start mixing with a spoon. The mixture will become stiff and light in colour. Add a little water and mix again. Keep adding a little water at a time until the mixture loosens to the consistency you want. It needs to be fairly loose but not water-runny. Add salt to taste.

Grill the Chicken and Vegetables - Preheat oven to 180 degree C (350 degree F). Cover a baking sheet with a large piece of foil. Drizzle the foil with a teaspoon of olive oil and spread it. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and transfer to the sheet. Discard the left over marinade. Place the onion rounds and peppers in between the chicken pieces. If you don’t have enough space place them on another baking sheet covered with foil. Cook the chicken until it is no longer pink inside (or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 160˚ F.) turning once in between. Fold the foil over the chicken to form a tent and cook for 5 more minutes. Cook the onions and peppers until crisp-tender, about 8-12 minutes, turning once or twice as needed. When the chicken and vegetables are done, transfer them to a hot pot to keep warm.

Make the Wraps - Heat the pita bread over direct flame on the stove to make it a little crispy. Place it on a plate and add the chicken, onions, peppers, tomatoes and tahini sauce. Roll into a wrap and enjoy!!

Happy Eating!!

The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich

If you are on a diet then stop reading right now! Yes, please stop reading. What? The picture is asking you to read all about it? Ok then. But don’t tell me that I didn’t warn you. Coz after you read this you are going to want to make this sandwich. This is adapted from Pioneer Woman’s favorite sandwich and is now my favorite sandwich (only if it wasn’t laden with so many calories!). I added a few more veggies (does potato count as healthy?) to make it more filling but I guess it doesn’t need any of those things. This is so good on its own. This is exactly the kind of thing I would serve in my sandwich bar (did I tell you that I have secret dream of opening a sandwich bar? No? Well next time then). The original recipe called for Dijon and I had only regular mustard so I went with that. I also used mozzarella instead of provolone coz I don’t buy any fancy cheese and who has time to go to the store? So, let’s make a mean grilled sandwich folks!

Recipe Source – Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients (Makes 1 Sandwich)

1 Tsp Mustard
1 Tsp Mayonnaise
1 Whole Tomato (Small)
1 Whole Onion (Small)
1/4 Cup Boiled Potato (Diced)
2 Tbsp Grated Carrot
1 Slice Cheddar Cheese or 2 Tbsp Grated Cheddar
2 Tbsp Canned Jalapeno Peppers or 2 Whole Green Chilies (Canned)
2 Tbsp Grated Mozzarella
2 Slices Bread
2 Tbsp Butter

Mix the mayonnaise and mustard and apply a thin layer onto the inside of both slices of bread. Place one slice on a flat surface and start with the fillings.

Slice the tomato and place two slices on the bread. Place the cheddar cheese on top of the tomato. Slice the onion thinly and place two slices on top of the cheddar. Spread the potato evenly over the onions and then add the carrots. Sprinkle the grated mozzarella evenly over the carrots and in the end add the jalapeno peppers or the green chilies. Lay the other slice of bread on top of all the deliciousness and prepare yourself for the next step.

Spread a good amount of butter on top of the bread (the outsides not the insides!!). Cover the bread completely, flip the sandwich over and butter the other side as well.

Meanwhile, heat a pan (non-stick is preferable here) over LOW heat. Place the sandwich in the pan and cook it for at least 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Flip and continue cooking for another couple of minutes, until golden brown. You can also use your sandwich maker if you have one. Remove to a cutting board and slice in half. Eat and feel guilty for the rest of the day. Or make yourself another one. I won’t tell.

Happy Eating!!