Mustard Greens Mozzarella Munchies

When my favorite greens are not in-season I buy them frozen,that are convenient and nutritious at the same time.


Contributing generously to the daily need of fiber (5grams in each cup i.e 4 ounce of the green used) and packed with others nutrients of the mildly bitter mustard greens,these cheesy green munchies are quick to assemble and appeasing to the hunger pangs.
Recipe : Mustard Greens Mozzarella Nuggets ,adapted from Cheesy Spinach Nuggets, courtesy of Mirch Masala
Makes a dozen medium munchies(about 2 inches wide)
Ingredients
8 oz frozen Mustard greens(or spinach), thawed and drained
3/4 cup Partly skimmed Mozzarella cheese,grated
2 tablespoon onions,finely chopped
1 tablespoon flax seed meal
1 teaspoon spice mix of your choice
1/4 cup bread crumbs(fresh or store-bought)
2 green chillies or any other hot peppers,finely chopped
1 tablespoon Chickpea flour or all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon canola oil

Method
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a medium bowl, combine well all the ingredients except the oil.Take a little of the mixture and shape them round and slightly flatten by placing between the palms. Spread the oil on a baking sheet or large oven proof pan like the cast-iron pan ,
,place the shaped nuggets.Bake for 15-18 minutes,until lightly crisp.Serve warm with herbal tea.

Health nut Challenge 4 : Bitter Better Health.Please send your entries before March 10th.Thank you.

Reminder : H2Ope for Haiti

H2Ope for Haiti is a charity event,from February 21 - 28th being organized by Jeanne of Cook Sister along with BloggerAid-Changing Face of Famine with an online raffle to raise funds for Concern Worldwide's relief effort in Haiti.Concern Worldwide estimates that its initial response to the emergency will last at least six months. The money raised by this raffle will be paid directly into Concern Worldwide's account by Justgiving and will be used exclusively for the Haiti relief eff
Find here , the list of all the wonderful prizes from our generous donors - from personally autographed cookbooks to parcels of French baking goodies to original art - there is something for everyone. Unless stated otherwise, all prizes are available for worldwide shipping and tickets cost £6.50 (roughly $10) each.Once you have chosen the prize or prizes you want to buy tickets for, take a note of their prize codes (very important!) and click through to Justgiving donations page where you will find complete instructions on how to buy your tickets and specify your chosen prizes.

Pink Stuffed Buns

October is the breast cancer awareness month.Breast cancer is the single most common form of vicious cancers in women.According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), an estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among women in the United States this year.Learn more about the what you need to know about early detection of the condition,prevention and care.Good Food always helps in balancing the over all functioning of the body.Here is my recipe for pink health- beet buns with stuffed cauliflower and turnip greens.

Recipe

Ingredients
2 roasted beets,pureed with 1/4 cup of water
2 cups Whole wheat flour
1/2 cup All-purpose flour
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
2 tablespoon Extra virgin Olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pack active dry yeast(about 1 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 cup warm water


For Stuffing
2 cups Chopped Cauliflower or any fresh veggies of choice like beans,carrots or broccoli
2 cups Mustard greens,finely chopped
1/2 medium onion,finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chilly powder
1/4 teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander
1 garlic clove finely chopped
2 teaspoon extra virgin Olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Method
Prepare the dough
In warm water mix in the dry yeast. Let sit for 15-20 minutes in the warm corner.
In a bowl start mixing the flour ingredients along with the yeast. Make a smooth dough and place in a greased bowl and cover. Allow to rise for an hour in a warm place until.
double its size.

Prepare the filling
Heat oil in a pan ,add the onions and garlic,saute for 3-4 minutes.Add the spices,salt,after a minute add the vegetable and greens.Cook for 5-6 minutes on medium high heat until most water is dried out.cool.
Shape and stuff the buns
Knead the dough for few seconds and divide in to about 6 portions. Take one portion of the dough and roll in to ball and roll it using a rolling pin. Place some stuffing in the middle and close to make the shape of bun. Lay on greased cookie sheet and finish make the remaining buns,place them about 1/2 inch apart from each other. Cover with wrap and allow to rise for another hour.
Bake the Buns
Preheat Oven to 400F. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.Can store in air tight container for 1-2 days.


This is my contribution for Going Pink for October at Dragon Musings.Also if you would like to raise funds for breast cancer check out the page here..I am also sharing these with Susan's Yeast Spotting.

Sarson Ka Saag aur Makke Ki Roti

Mustard Greens and Corn Flatbread
Makke ki roti with sarson Ka saag needs no introduction to a North Indian,as for me,a kudi growing up in the rice bowl of India(south),makke ki roti was a delicacy I only heard but never had my hands in to.Just as Sambhar and rice are the Southern favorite ,the Roti and saag(greens)are the Northern staple food.There is subtle similarity between corn tortillas and Makke ki roti, as my fellow foodies would say after reading the recipe.

Mustard greens are mostly confined to North just as the corn.The fascinating mustard fields in the north with hues of yellow and green are quite an exhilarating sight,I remember ever so clearly from the song tujhe dekha to yeh jaana sanam....Back then I had no clue the hero-heroine are actually running around the nutrient rich mustard fields.
Like the SRK-Kajol jodi the bitter Mustard greens(Sarson) and makke ki roti makes a lovable evergreen duo. Curious me even tried adding these greens in salad ,bad idea... these are too bitter when raw,but when cooked with milder tasting spinach and spices the taste is heavenly.An authentic saag is made with ghee(clarified butter) and no oil,I would do the same If I burned calories like the hardworking folks working in the farm fields.Since I'm regularly irregular in working out,I used oil and little bit of butter for topping.So adjust the fat as per your activity schedule.


Sarson Ka Saag(Mustard Greens)
Ingredients
3 cups(about 1/2 pound) fresh Mustard greens(sarson),roughly chopped
1 cup Fresh Spinach(palak)
1 medium onion(pyaz),chopped
1 tablespoon Corn\maize flour(same as used in roti)
3 green chillies(Hari Mirch),chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala(ground cumin,cloves,cardamom and cinnamon)
1 teaspoon Coriander(dhania) powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ghee or butter

Method
Bring a pot of water to a boil,add the spinach and mustard greens,DO NOT COVER for nice green color,let wilt for 3-4 minutes.Drain all water.Puree in a blender not very smooth ,a little coarse is fine.

While the greens cook,heat Oil in a non-stick pan(preferably) on medium heat,saute onions until lightly brown.Add the green chillies allow to sizzle for few seconds
then add all the dry spices then after a minute stir in the flour,let roast for a 2-3minutes on low heat.When nice and aromatic,mix in the greens puree,season with salt ,stir often and allow to simmer for another 5-6 minutes on medium heat.Tastes best with makki ki roti,serve warm with little butter on top and some fresh crisp Onions.And thandi Mango Lassi would make this Punjabi meal complete.




Makke Ki roti(Corn Flat Bread)
Ingredients
2 cups Maize\Corn Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup warm water

1 tablespoon of oil to spread over the roti.

Method
Combine all the ingredients to form a smooth dough.Cover and allow to rest for an hour.
The following is a modern method I guess,usually the dough is flatten by patting it using fingers.
Heat an iron pan or tava,take about lime size ball each time and press between sheets of
plastic using a heavy flat pan or plate.Peel out and roast on hot tava about a minute each side,should puff up nicely.spread a drop or two of oil all over the roti.Serve warm for best taste with saag.


Mango Lassi
Blend equal ratio of yogurt(dahi) with milk and mango until smooth.Chill and serve after the spicy meal.



The sarson ka saag is my entry for SWC Cooking with greens Hosted by Sowmya of Creative Saga