Stuffed Bell Peppers

(Picture coming up the next time I make it!)

Made these last night for dinner completely with leftovers from the fridge in a moment of desperation that called for innovation. Surprisingly, it turned out quite delicious and I'm already thinking about when I'm going to make these again.

Ingredients:
- 2 large bell peppers (I used one yellow and one red)
- A small onion chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- About a cup of bacon chopped up (can substitute this with sausages, kheema or paneer)
- About a cup of cooked rice (plain or pulao)
- Ketchup 1 tbsp
- Sweet chilli sauce - 1 tsp
- Olive oil, 2 tbsp

- Some fresh or dried oregano
- Cheddar cheese grated, about half a cup
- Salt and pepper

Method:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat with a large pinch of salt. Cut the top off the bell peppers 1 inch from the stem, remove seeds and add them to the boiling water. Keep them immersed for about 3 minutes until the flesh is softened and they turn a bright red/yellow in color. Drain from water and keep aside.
• Preheat the oven at 200degrees C 
• For the stuffing, heat olive oil in a pan and fry the onions for about five minutes on medium heat and then garlic. Then add the rice, bacon/sausages and fry for a bit.
• Add ketchup, chilli sauce, oregano, salt and pepper. Taste and add more seasoning if required.
• Add half the cheese in. Mix well and take off the heat.
• Now stuff the bell peppers with this mixture tightly
• Top it remaining cheese.
• Drizzle olive oil over the top and sides of the peppers
• Bake in the oven at 200 C for about 30 minutes until cheese is bubbling and you see the sides getting nicely done and slighly roasted
• Serve hot with some ketchup

Barbecued Paneer Tikka

Yum, yum, yum... make this on a barbecue or bake in an oven or even just roast on a heavy bottomed pan, this dish is easy to put together and is sure to impress your guests. I've made this about four times just this month and I've been happy with the results each time.

Ingredients:
- 500gms Paneer cut into cubes
- 1/2 red capsicum cut in cubes
- 1/2 green capsicum cut in cubes
- 1 red onion cut in cubes
- 2 tomatoes cut in cubes

For the marinade:

- 1/2 cup of curd- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp of garam masala
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp oil
- salt & pepper to taste

Other needs:
- Some butter/oil to baste
- 5-6 Bamboo skewers

Method:
- Prepare the marinade. Add the paneer, onions and bell peppers and mix well. Keep aside for an hour.
- Heat a heavy bottomed pan, add the mixture (everything except the tomatoes) and fry on high heat for about five minutes until all the water has dried and the paneer is well coated - Dip the bamboo skewers in ice cold water for about 1 hour. This prevents them from burning.
- Arrange the paneer, veggies and tomatoes on the skewers. You can start with tomato followed by green capsicum then paneer, onion & red capsicum.

Now baste them with a little butter and barbecue them until brown. If you are using an oven, line them up on an oiled baking tray and bake at 375 degrees for 15 mins, basting in between, until the sides of paneer have turned slightly brown.

Serve hot with green chutney!