"Three Winter Warm Recipes - A complete Brunch Meal"

A very Happy New Year to all of you. 

I hope this year brings in good health and good food with lots of amazing recipes for all of you. January is a beautiful month and I enjoy the chilly weather with the sun shining down to keep us a bit warm. With lots of resolutions in place & the one being about sharing more and more recipes, I would like to share the first recipe of the year today :)

Today Ill be sharing a complete Brunch meal recipe which you can prepare and enjoy on your weekends. You can prepare the cutlets in advance and save your time for the next day. The whole meal has been broken down into three parts - 

• Winter Warm Spaghetti
• Spinach and Chickpea Cutlets
• Complete Party or brunch meal for a Winter Sunday

Hope you like all the three recipes and try them this coming weekend. 

Keep Cooking & Have a great 2013 !!!

Recipe I : 

" Winter Warm Spaghetti"

Ingredients :

200 gms / Half packet whole wheat spaghetti ( you can use any other variant)

2 tbsp olive oil 

salt to taste

1 tsp pepper powder 

1 small cup boiled peas

1 roasted bell pepper / capsicum ( red/yellow/green) - chopped

2 big onion chopped

3 big tomatoes chopped

3 garlic cloves chopped

2 dried red chilli chopped

Parmesan / cheddar cheese for garnish

Italian Seasoning for garnish

Preparation:

• Cook the pasta as per packet instructions.
• In a pan, heat the olive oil. Add garlic and chilli flakes and saute for a minute
• Add onions and saute till light pink in colour. Add tomatoes and cook well till soft and it turns into a thick sauce
•  Add roasted bell pepper,salt, pepper and peas. Mix well and cook for few minutes. ( At this stage check for salt and seasoning before you add the spaghetti)
• Add the spaghetti and mix well. Remove from heat and garnish with lots of grated cheese and italian seasoning.
• Serve with garlic bread or as a part of the whole meal with the next recipe. 

Note : You can add other veggies like capers, mushrooms, olives & cottage cheese. To prepare the roasted pepper, put the bell pepper or capsicum directly on the gas flame ( medium) and cook from all sides till charred and soft. Use a fork to turn it around and to hold it while cooking. Once roasted, slice and use. 

You can also roast them in the oven - Season the peppers with olive oil and wrap in a foil paper and bake for 15 minutes till completely roasted. Though I swear by my gas flame being the easiest method.

Recipe II :

" Spinach & Chickpea Cutlets"

Ingredients :

250 gms chickpeas - boiled

less than half bunch spinach leaves - chopped

1 onion - finely chopped

2-3 garlic cloves chopped

few coriander leaves chopped

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp chilli powder

3 tbsp plain flour / Chickpea flour/gram flour

salt to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

Preparation:

• Blend the chickpeas and spinach in a mixer till full blended. If you finding it difficult to blend it then blend the spinach and mash the chickpeas and then mix it together to form a smooth mixture.
• Add 1 tbsp oil, onion,garlic, coriander leaves, spices, salt, flour and mix with the mixture. 
• Drizzle a little oil on your palms and then shape the mixture into cutlets. You will get 15-20 cutlets from this mix. The mixture will be little sticky but dont fret. Just roll and pat and arrange them on a plate. ( If it very sticky then add one or two tbsp of flour to the mix)
• Refrigerate the cutlets for an hour now so that they become hard and good for frying
• Heat oil in a non stick pan to shallow fry or grill the cutlets. Fry the cutlets on each side for few minutes till golden brown and crisp. Pat them a little while frying for even cooking on medium flame.
• Remove on a kitchen paper to remove the excess oil. 
• Serve warm with sauce, chutneys or as part of my wholesome meal.

Note : You can store the cutlet mix in the fridge upto a week if you want to make some later. These cutlets are packed with protein and iron and are absolutely mouthwatering. Use them in wraps, sandwtiches or burgers and you will love them. 

    Final Recipe : 

"The complete Wholesome meal"

Now as you are ready with spaghetti and cutlets lets place them together with some other yummy tidbits to make it a complete brunch meal. It goes well as the perfect brunch meal with hot cups of coffee or tea. 

Prepare the cutlet mix the previous day and right before you plan to eat fry them and prepare the spaghetti. 

• Boil some eggs and season them with salt and pepper
• Crispy Fry some Salami or Ham slices in 2 tbsp olive oil
• Grill some bread with butter or margarine till crisp and brown

Take a serving plate. Arrange some spaghetti with cheese, Spinach & Chickpea cutlets, Salami slices, boiled eggs and grilled buttered toasts. Serve it with a big cup of tea or coffee.

Note : This was just one of the ways I had served for Sunday brunch. You can skip or add any other dish of your choice .