Desi Lasagna

We had a great vacation in Miami, florida and came back home today. I will post some infor on travel to miami beach soon. I made this lasagna over the weekend before travelling and wanted to share it with you all.

I have been making this version of lasagna for the past few years. My first taste of lasagna was from my cousin Rama in UK. since then, I have tried many versions and finally nailed it to this one. I have spiked it with a lot of indian ingredients, trust me I did not add sambar powder here...!

A true italian may laugh at this version, but hey, this works out best for me and my family.

Get Ready: ( serves 3-4)

• 1 medium onion
• 1 clove of garlic crushed
• 1 zucchini diced
• 1/2 red pepper diced
• 1 carrot diced
• one handful of peas
• 1/4 egg plant diced
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 or 1/2 jalapeno pepper slit
• 1/2 jar marinara sauce ( i used a large bottle)
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• pepper powder to taste
• salt to taste
• 6 no cook lasagna noodles
• 2 tbsp oilve oil
• Parmesan and shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tbsp of butter

Go:

• In a large sauce pan, add oilve oil.
• Once hot add the onions and fry till tranaslucent.
• Add the garlic, ginger garlic paste, jalapeno and fry till aromatic.
• Add all the diced vegetables, salt to taste and saute for a few minutes till they are soft, still crunchy.
• Add the marinara sauce, salt to taste and cook till everything comes to a boil.
• Turn the heat off and set aside.
• add cilantro to the ricotta cheese and mix well till it's well incorporated. add pepper powder according to taste and keep the cheese mixture aside.
• Eventhough the lasagna noodles are no cook, I cook them them for a few mins. you can skip this step if you want to.
• Cook lasagna noodles for a few mins till they are aldente.  lift them up care fully, brush with oilve oil and keep them on a plate.
• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Grease a 2 qt baking dish with non stick spray
• add a layer of tomato veggie sauce at the bottom.
• Arrange the lasagna noodle on top of the sauce.
• Spread the cheese mixture on top of the noodles.
• repeat layers of noodles, sauce and cheese and fill up to the top.
• Sprinkle both cheeses on the top layer.
• add pieces of butter on top of the cheese to give a nice golden crust.

• Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 -45 mins.
• Check around 30 -35 mins to see if the cheese is bubbling. then remove foil and bake for another 10 mins to get the golden crusty top.
• let it sit in the oven for 20 mins before you serve.

The steps may seem a lot of work, but actually very easy to put together.
Any left overs ( if present) taste awesome for the next day!.


I am sending this for Fusion recipes  guest hosted by priyasnowserving and  Pari's foodelicious
I would also like to thank priya for passing a cute  namesake award! Love ya!

Jay of tasty appetite was so sweet to share two awards with me. I am so humbled by all your gesture and would like to give you a big hug!



I would like to pass these awards to all my friends, so please fell free to pick up!

Enjoy your lasagna!

Jeera Aloo/ potatoes with cumin

 The talk of the town is about our victory in world cup! What an amazing match that was! I am so proud to be an Indian and wanted to thank every single member of our cricket team to make this success happen after 28 years!

I stumbled upon this easy potato recipe from master chef Sanjeev Kappor's website.I made this today and it was simple, comforting and really good.

Baby potatoes sauted with lots of cumin/ jeera and crushed coriander seeds bursts with flaovors. The Amchur power gives a little tanginess and makes this curry irresistable for any body! i happen to find only red baby potatoes in the market, but you can use any size or type.

Here we go with the good stuff!

Get Ready: ( serves 2 )

Red baby potatoes 14
2 tsp Jeera/ cumin
2 tsp coriander  seed/ dhaniya cushed ( without roasting)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp amchur powder
A pinch Hing/ asafetida
salt to taste
Oil 2 tbsp
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Go:

• Wash and cook the potatoes till soft. I did not care to peel the skin. if you pressure cook, cook for just 1-2 whistles. set aside
• Once potatoes are cooled, cut them in half.
• In a pan add oil.
• Once oil is  hot add the cumin and let it sizzle.
• Then add the crushed dhaniya, turmeric, cumin, red chilli powder, amchur powder, hing,
• Saute till a nice aroma comes and raw smell disappears from the spices.
• Add the potatoes, salt to taste and toss them around till all the spices coat the potatoes.
• Reduce the heat and cook uncovered for 5- 10 mins.
• Turn heat off, garnish with cilantro and enjoy!

Goes well as a side with rice or a snack by itself!

Blueberry Muffins

I am extremely sorry, my fellow bloggers if I have not been regularly visiting your blog. Things have been very busy at work and home. Barely having time to do anything other than the mundane stuff.

I finally had a day off today and wanted to share this goody with you all!
Why pay big bucks for breakfast muffins when you can make some at home. Now that berries are in season, make use of them to whip up this real easy blueberry muffins.

The muffins look a little pale coz I used white granulated sugar instead of brown. But you can replace with whole wheat flour or brown sugar for a darker color.
I personaly find using whole wheat flour gives more denser muffins.I don't know if it's just my poor technique or something else?
Anyways, enough said, lets get to those muffins!

Get Ready:  (Yields 6 muffins)

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• dash of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 cup Self rising flour + 2 tbsp ( you can use all purpose flour, but make sure to use baking powder with it)
• 1/2 cup bluberries

Go:

• Preheat oven to 350F. line muffin pan with paper cups or spray with non stick spray.
• Mix the blueberries with a tablespoon of flour and set aside. this will help them not to sink at the bottom.
• Cream, butter and sugar well.
• Add egg and whisk well till incorporated.
• Add sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest,cinnamon and mix.
• Fold the flour and blueberries. Remember not to over mix as it will give tough muffins.
• Fill 3/4 of the muffin well with the batter.
• bake for 20 -25 mins or till the tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Let it cool and enjoy.

The blueberries burst inside the muffins and the lemon zest just boosts the flavor significantly!

Enjoy!

Popeye Pasta

I am so glad that Spring is finally here! The blossoming trees and the bright colored daffodils and bulbs bring such a great treat to your eyes. Spring and fall are my favorite seasons.

We all have seen popeye, dunking all that spinach and becoming strong! don't you want your munchkins to get the goodness of fibre, iron and vitamins from spinach?
 No worries, you are at the right place! I made pasta with some left over spinach and some red kidney beans and it was absolutely delicious. My 2 year old gobbled a lot and i was pretty pleases as she got a good serving of her greens! You can throw in any beans you want, I had some red kidney beans and I made use of it. Replace elbow macaroni to any of your favorite pastas like fusili, penne or etc...

Get Ready: (serves 2)

• 2 cup thinly chopped baby spinach
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 hand full Cherry tomatoes hlaved
• 1/2 onion thinly chopped
• 1/2 cup red kidney beans ( i used canned, thoroughly rinsed)
• 1 cup elbow pasta uncooked
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt to taste
• red chilli flakes to taste.

Go:

• Cook pasta,drain & reserve about 1/3 cup pasta water.
• Add 1 tbsp Olive oil ina pan. add the onion and garlic and saute till translucent.
• add the chopped spinach and cook for a few mins till it has  wilted
• throw in the cherry tomato halves.
• add the kidney beans and salt to taste.
• saute for few mins
• Add the cooked pasta and couple of tbspoons of pasta water. add more pasta water if needed
• add 1 tbsp of olive oil and toss everything well. turn the heat off.
• Serve with some chilli flakes for an extra kick.

I did not have chilli flakes, so i dry roasted one red chilli, powdered it and added on top of my pasta.Oh.. spicy!!!
 I am not a big cheese person, but if you wish add some grated parmesan/ romano cheese!

Packed this for school lunch and my son brought the container empty!

Also wanted to share these beautiful blooms from my back yard!

Ghee Rice

Ghee rice or nei choru is a speciality from the malabar region of Kerala. It's generally served with a spicy kurma, mainly non veg. I made this yesterday and served with vegetable and tomato kurma. The name is self explanatory that it uses ghee, but i did some swap with vegetable oil instead of all ghee.
I used my time trusted pressure cooker to make this rice, but is usually made on stove top. I had some friends over and we all thoroughly enjoyed this rice dish.

 

Get Ready:

 

• 3 cups basmati rice
• 4 1/4 cup water
• 1 big red onion thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves
• 6 tsp ghee
• 3 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• 4 cloves
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 or 1 & 1/2  inch cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 star anise
• A pinch of sugar

 

 

 

 

For garnish
1/3 cup cashews
1/3 cup golden raisins

 

 

Go:

 

• Wash and soak the rice for 20 mins. after 20 mins drain the water and set aside
• In a deep pan, add 3 tsp of ghee and 1 tsp of oil and fry the cashews till golden and set aside.
• Now fry the raisins till plump and set aside
• Add about 1/2 cup of the thinly sliced onions and fry till translucent.

( add some oil if needed)

• Now add a pinch of sugar to caramalize them and fry till brown. set aside this is for the garnish.
• In a pressure cooker or heavy bottomed pan, add the remaining ghee and oil.
• Once oil is hot add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, staranise and let it splutter.
• Add to the remaining sliced onion and fry till pink.
• Add the garlic and saute for a few mins till nice and fragrant.
• add the rice and fry till they are pink and opaque.
• Add water, salt to taste, mix well.
• Cover the pressure cooker and let it cook for 2 whistles and turn the heat off. take it off the stove.
• if you are cooking on a stove top, let the rice boil for 5 mins, simmer and cover and cook till the grains are done. fluff them in between.
• Once the pressure is released, transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the cashes, raisins and caramalized onions.

I served with some cucumber slices  ( may be went a bit over the top) and kuruma.

Had a wonderful evening with friends and food !

Room

If you haven't read this book yet, please do soon! It's an easy read and was very popular last year.
This is a story told by a 5 yr old who is trapped inside a room. It's interesting to see life narrated by a 5 yr old and has its own twists and turn.


source: Google images

Emma Donaghue, the author is an excellent writer and this is her first book that I read.

Cutting for stone, Abraham verghese

A story about twins born to an Indian nun and a famous british Surgeon set in Addis Abba, Ethiopia. There is a lot of medical jargon here, but i enjoyed it a lot. Ethiopia always brings picture of starving, hungry looking children to me. But this book shows the beautiful side of Ethiopia.
So folks, get these 2 books and enjoy!

Microwave therattipal

"Therattipal"! It is such a wonderful south indian milk sweet, similar to Khoa I guess! it takes a lot of time to make it on the stove top,as you reduce the milk with sugar and until it almost crumbles!

 I made this in literally 3-4 mins, thanks to the best thing in the world aka "Condensed Milk"
I used to beg my mom to lick that milkmaid tin back home. Condensed milk was used on special occasions to make payasam, when you need that rich taste.
Now my son begs me to lick the can!
To make this therattipal, all you need is a deep bowl and few ingredients!
The cooking time depends on the power level of your microwave. It took me 2 mins and 10 seconds

Get ready:

• 1 can condensed milk
• 1 & 1/2 tbsp yogurt
• 2 tsp Ghee

Go:

• In a micro wave safe bowl, add the condensed milk, yogurt, ghee and mixwell.
• Cook uncovered  for 1 min, open the MW door, stir well
• Cook again for 1 min
• By this time it will start not to stick to the container
• Stir well and cook in increments of 10 seconds till it leaves the sides well.
• Let it cool and enjoy!

Leena of nammaruchi was so sweet to share an award with me! I am so honored and would like to covey my special thanks to her. Do check out her blog as she has some really good recipes!

Feel free to pick this award from here as everyone is my friend!

Karadaiyar Nombu Adai

Karadaiyar nombu/ vrat is usually celebrated during the beginning of the tamil month" Panguni"and the end of ' maasi".The legened behind this vrat is that ( from mahabharatha) savithri fought Lord Yama to save the life of her husband Satyavan.  if you want to read about the story Check here!
 Nombu or vrat is celebrated by women offering  prayers to be together with their beloveds for ever and offer &"adai".

Savithri had to be a minimalist in the middle of the forest and immense sorrow. So she made offerings with what she had to save her husband.
But I have no idea how adding  beans, cilantro and all other exotic spices to these adai came! Yama was tired of eating all the tasteless ones I guess!

We usually make sweet and savory adai during this pooja.  best results are by using fresh rice flour.

Get Ready: (yields 10 sweet and 10 savory ones)

Vella Adai

• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1 tbsp black eyed beans
• 2-2/12 cups of Jaggery powdered
• 1 tbsp coconut grated ( ideally thin wedges of coconut are used)
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 2 cups water

Uppu Adai

• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1 tbsp black eyed beans
• 1 tbsp cocnut
• 1 green chilli
• a pinch of asafetida
• salt to taste
• 1& 1/2 cups water
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp urad dal
• cilantro and curry leaves

Go:

The first couple of steps in the preparation is the same for both vella and uppu adai.

• In a pan add a drop of oil and fry 2 tbsp of black eyed beans for a couple of mins.
• Let it cool and cover with water and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
• In a pan dry roast the 1 cup of  rice flour till pink or nicely fragrant. set aside and divide into 2 half cups.

For the vella adai:

• In a pan,add 2 cups of water and the jaggery. once dissolved, strain the jaggery water to remove any dirt.
• let it boil after straining.
• Now add the 1/2 of black eyed peas, coconut, cardamom powder and 1/2 cup of rice flour and stir well.
• It should come together without sticking to the pan. turn the fire off and set aside. If it looks too dry, sprinkle some water.

For the uppu adai:

• In a pan, ( yes, lots of dishes to wash!) add 1 tsp of oil and do tadka with mustard seeds and urad dal, curry leaves and hing.
• Add 1 & 1/2 cups of water. once it comes to a boil, add the remaining BBP, coconut, salt to taste, cilantro and the rice flour.
• Mix well till it is in the same consistency as the sweet dough.
•  turn the fire off.

Final step:

• Once you can handle the dough, make small balls, flatten them and make a hole in the centr like vadai. use some water to prevent it from sticking.
• In a greased idli stand, steam these adai for 10 -15 mins or till they look shiny.
• Offer to god with butter and enjoy his blessings!

This year the nombu is on March 14th in the evening.

Colorful Bell Pepper Subzi

Bell Peppers!

I just love them, Don't you? If not please start loving them soon!

Bright orange, red, green wonderful feast for one's eyes and crunchy, juicy and sweet, an orchestra of tastes for your palate.

I make sambhar, curries, rice, chutneys, dips so many things with them. I usually use a powder of roasted channa dal, coriander seeds, redchilli and some coconut when I make a dry curry.

This time I used peanuts and sesame seeds and they were wonderful.

So, let us get to the recipe soon!

Get Ready : serves 3

• Bell peppers 3 ( I used green, yellow and red) chopped
• 1/3 cup dry unsalted roasted peanuts
• 5-6 tsp sesame seeds
•  1 & 1/2 red chilli
• 1 tsp dhania/ coriander seeds
• 1/4 tsp asafetida/ hing
• 1/4 lemon juice
• 2 tsp oil
• mustard seeds, urad dal for tadka
• Chopped cilantro

Go:

• Dry roast the peanuts, I know they are roasted already! Just toss them for a few seconds, set aside
• Dry roast the sesame seeds constantly stirring till they pop and fragrant.
• Add a drop of oil and fry the red chilli and coriander seeds.

• Once cool, dry grind the roasted spices with 1/4 tsp asafetida to a coarse powder. make sure you addthe sesame seeds, redchilli, dhania first and add the peanut at the end.
• In a pan, add 2 tsp of oil and do the tadka with mustard seeds and urad dal.
• Add the washed bell peppers, salt and mix.
• Reduce heat, cover and cook them till soft.
• Check salt to taste, add the dry roasted spice powder and mix.
• Cook of low fire, open till the spices are well coated and well incorporated with the peppers. Takes about another 10 mins.
• Turn the heat off, squirt juice of a quarter lemon and garnish with cilantro.

Goes well with rice, chapathi or sandwiches!

Ramekin Eggplant Bake

 

Here is a very easy eggplant bake, similar to eggplant parmesan with no carbs! They are so cute baked in ramekins and easy to serve and make especially if you are making for less number of people.

I love eggplant, but not my husband and son. I made this for lunch one day and my two year old loved it! Thanks, there is another egg plant lover in the house.

Get Ready : (serves 1- 2)

• 1 small egg plant ( not indian, japanese variety)
• Store bought marinara/ pasta sauce
• Part skin ricotta cheese
• Cilantro
• salt to taste
• sambhar powder
• Olive oil

Go:

• Pre heat oven to 400F
• Cut egg plants into 1/4 or < 1/4 "' thick rounds.
• Drizzile oilve oil, salt, a pinch of sambar powder. Rub it over the eggplant till well coated
• In a foil lined baking sheet, bake the egg plants till soft or until 10 mins.  I also tried to cook them on the tawa, but liked the oven better.
• Grease ramekin with non stick spray.
• Spoon some marinara sauce at the bottom of the ramekin.
• Put a layer of egg plant round, spoon some ricotta and cilantro.
• repeat the layer with sauce, egg plant, ricotta and cilantro till the ramekin is full.
• Sprinkle some parmesan and bake uncovered at 350F for 20 mins till the cheese is bubbly.
• I did not have parmesan and hence omitted the top cheese layer.

Invert on a plate once a little cool to serve ot dig in from the ramekins.





Mushroon Paneer Masala

Browsing through  Aipi's curries with gravy, this one caught my attention. I had mushrooms and all the other stuff needed for this yummy gravy, and before I knew I was making this!

Couple of things that i did differntly was did not microwave the onions, ginger, instead just ground them raw and fried them. I did not use yogurt to the gravy as i mine was the right consistency for our family with water alone.

On the whole, it was an awesome side  dish to go with rice or bread.

Get ready:

• 1 medium onion chopped and ground to a paste
• 2 cups tomato pulp ( got from 4 medium tomatoes)
• 10 -15 button mushrooms chopped
• 1/3 cup peas
• 1 tbsp xashews soakedwith 1 tbsp water
• 3/4 diced paneer
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp redchilli powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
• 1/8th tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp kasoori methi crushed
• salt to taste
• 4 tsp oil
• cilantro to garnish

for the tadka

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• a pinch hing

Go:

• In a deep pan, i used a small pressure cooker, add 1 tsp oil and saute the paneer till golden and set aside.
• Let the cashews soak for 20 mins and grind to a paste, set aside.
• Add 3 tsp oil in the same pan, add the cumin and hing
• Once the cumin splutters, add the ground onion paste and fry till pink.
• add the ginger garlic paste and fry for few seconds till aromatic.
• Now add the pureed tomatoes,cashew paste, turmeric, corainder, cumin and other masala powders and  cook till the oil separates.
• Now add the mushrooms, peas, 1 cup of water, salt to taste and mix well.
• Let it come to a boil and simmer for 15 mins till the peas and mushrooms are cooked.
• Add the kasoori methi, paneer, mix well and turn the heat off.
• Garnish with cilantro and dig in!

Sending this for tried and tasted of US masala , started by Zlamushka and now owned by Kitchen chronicles


Thanks Aipi for this recipe!

Ulli Theeyal/ Tangy pearl Onion and coconut curry

"Ulli" means onion and "Theeyal" means burnt in malayalm. The literal translation of ulli theeyal is burnt onion curry.
The funny thing is it's not the onions that are burnt, but the coconut that is toasted till it's almost burnt. The toasted cocnut releases all the oils and gives immense flavors combinedwith onions. Theeyal is a ver traditional kerala side dish. the onions can be replaced with eggplant, cheena, chakka anything you wish!

The only time consuming part is peeling the small onions. If you have frozen ones, go for it.

Get ready

• 1 cup pearl onions peeled and cut it half
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 cup plus 1/3 cup water
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• few curry leaves

To roast & grind

• 1/3 cup grated coconut
• 2 medium sized red chilli ( more if you like heat)
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 & 1/2 tsp dhania powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• pinch of asafetida

Go:

• In a pan, add a tsp of oil and add the grated coconut.

• Fry constantly stirring till it becomes brown like this. keep heat on medium taking care not to blacken the coconut. you'll have a nice aroma of roasted coconut/

See how brown the roasted coconut with onions etc is!

• Add the fenugreek, redchilli, a couple of pearl onions, dhania powder, red chilli powder, a pinch of asafetida and fry for few seconds. Don't add these spices before browning the coconut as these may burn quickly and leave a bitter taste.
• Turn the heat off and let it cool.
• Once cooled , grind the roasted masala with 1/3 cup pf water to a smooth paste. set aside.
• In another pan, add 1 tsp of oil. once hot , add the mustard seeds and let them pop. add the curry leaves, rest of the pearl onions and saute till the onions are golden.
• Add 1 cup of water, 1 tbsp of tamarind, salt to taste and let it boil till the onions are soft.
• Add the ground masala and a little bit of water if needed and adjust salt.
• Turn the heat off once it comes to a boil.

Serve hot with steaming rice, ghee or idli, dosas.

I made this for lunch with potato curry and it was so good!

Enjoy!

  

Broccoli RITZ casserole

I tasted this dish in one of our work picnics. It was cheesy, and creamy and sure enough my son liked it. Instead of bread crumbs RITZ crackers are used for the crumbly topping. Ritz crachers are buttery, melt in your mouth cookies similar to monacco biscuits back home.
Any cheese that melt well will work here. I used velveeta which is what the original recipe calls for. I am not a big cheese but this dish will please the cheese lovers. I used the whole sleeve of ritz, which had 36 crackers. I guess you can use only 3/4th of it and save some for tea:))

Get ready:

• 2 cup broccoli florets steamed with a little salt.
• 1 cup velveeta cheese cubed
• 1 packet RITZ crackers
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 tsp chilli  powder/ milagapodi

Go:

• Crush the crackers in azip lock bag and keep aside
• Preheat oven to350 F
• In a caserrole grease the bottom.
• add broccoli and spread it evenly. sprinkle milaga podi on top of broccoli according to taste
• layer the top of broccoli with cheese and then crackers
• add melted butter on top of the above 2 and bake for 20 mins till the cheese melts.
• In you are making a big batch, repeat the layers and bake.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Muffins

It has been a week since I was in the kitchen. We had our kitchen floor sanded and polished and it looks all new and shiny. We were out of bounds from the kitchen and were able to get in there yesterday. I wanted to have fun this morning and whipped up these muffins. My 11 yr old helper totally enjoyed making these, trust me theu are so simple and the taste was unbelievable.

The hint of cinnamon in these muffins made the whole house smell so wonderful. I 've tried many different recipes for chocolate chip muffins, but let me tell you these are the best, bestest!

Try for yourself and don't forget to see the smile on your loved ones face.

Get ready  ( yields 12 muffins, recipe can be easily halved)

• 2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 2 tbsp plain yogurt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 & 1/2 cup chocolate chip morsels

Go:

• Preheat oven to 375F. use muffin liners or greae your muffin pan
• Whist all the dry ingredients and util well combined.
• Add 1 tbsp of the dry ingredient to the chocolate chips and mix them well. this helps in the chips not to sink at the bottom of the muffin.
• Combine all the wet ingredients and whisk till creamy.
• Fold thedry onto the wet, making sure you don't over do it.
• Add the flour coated choc chips.
• Fill the muffin pans 2/3rd and bake till a tooth pin comes clean for about 20 - 25 mins.

Let them cool on awire rack for about 15 mins and enjoy!

Nothing fancy in these muffins, but they are the best in taste!

Cuke Poha salad

This is a very easy breezy cucumber salad recipe that my aunt used to make. Adding poha to the salad was very new to me. I tasted this many years ago and wanted to make it so badly now. My dear aunt now is old and lives in a senior facility. She used to be an excellent cook, but now she is  unable to cook a single meal. I dedicate this salad to her and her excellent cooking skills.

Get ready:

• 1 English cucumber, peeled and small diced
• 1/3 cup poha
• 1/3 cup unsalted peanuts coarsely ground
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 green chillies
• 1tbsp grated ginger
• 1/2 lemon juice
• 1 tbsp coconut
• chopped cilantro

Go:

• Add the cucumber, poha, a little salt and mix well. let it sit for 15 mins so the poha will absorb all the water from the cucumber.
• Add the crushed peanuts, chilli, ginger, grated coconut, salt, sugar, lime juice, cilantro.
• Toss them all and serve.

Tastes good when served fresh.
sending this salad to bookmarked-recipes

Quinoa Lettuce Wraps

I was inspired by vegeterian lettuce wraps  to make my version of lettuce wraps. I have'nt tasted them before, But, i do have cooked with quinoa. I like it's nutty taste and texture and the best thing is it's pretty healthy too.

You can check out my quinoa-khichdi and quinoa-herb-salad here.

The things use need for these wraps are pretty simple and very easy to put together too.
I am so sorry for my pathetic picture, but don't be tricked by the looks. It tastes really really good! My husband is out of town and I made this just for me for lunch.

Get ready: serves 1

• 1/3 cupQuinoa
• 1/3 cup balck beans cooked/ can one
• 1/3 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 1 green chilli slit
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2/3 cup water
• cilantro, grated carrots ( optional)
• olive oil 1 tbsp
• salt to taste.

Lettuce leaves a bunch.

Go:

• Wash and soak the quinoa for 10 -15 mins.
• In a pan, heat the oil and fry the onions till translucent.
• Add the chilli and saute for few seconds
• Add the black beans, corn and mix well.
• Add the washed quinoa, 2/3 cup water, cumin powder ,salt to taste and mix well.
• Reduce athe heat and  simmer till the quinoa gets soft and cooked. takes about 15 mins.
• Keep the fire on low and stir inbetween so that it does not stick to the bottom.

Turn the heat off.
garnish with cilantro, grated carrots.

To serve, separate the large lettuce leaves, wash.
Place the quinoa black beans mix in the lettuce, roll it like a wrap and indulge...

Thanks mriganayani for the inspiration!

Asparagus Paruppu Usili / Asparagus with Crumbled Lentils

Here I am with another traditional south indian dish, except with a very unconventional south indian vegetable. Paruppu Usili  is a side dish  generally made with beans, cluster beans, or plantain flower mixed with a crumbled toor dal,channa dal mixture. It is usually made on special occasions or on weekends  as in my household as it takes a little time to do it. I've used asparagus instead of the beans.

Asparagus was on sale and why not use it!

Get ready:

• 1 bunch asparagus ( tender ones preferred)
• 3 tbsp toor dal
• 1 -2 red chilli
• 1/4 tsp asafetida
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seed
• 1/2 tsp urad dal
• few curry leaves
• salt to tatse

Go:

• wash the asparagus and chop them like beans. discard the tough stalks.
• steam this asparagus in a pan or microwave with little salt and set aside.
• Soak the dal for 20 -25 mins with red chilli.
• coarsely grind them with a little salt and asafetida. Grease a idli stand and steam the ground paste in a pressure cooker for 10 -15 mins.
• Let it cool.
• In a pan, add oil do tadka with mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves.
• Add the steamed lentil paste and crumble it till crispy stirring constantly. may take 5 mins or so.
• Now add the steamed asparagus to the crumbled mixture, toss them all together.
• adjust salt to taste and serve hot with rice, sambhar or rasam.

Delicious paruppu usili is ready!

Oats Upma kozhakattai

Upma kozhakkatai is a very traditional south Indian item. It's made with coarsely ground raw rice, cumin and toordal which are seasones and steamed. I seen only brahmins making this type, but I may be wrong too!

 

Instead if using rice I used oats and I was very pleased that I did. It tasted pretty good with chutney, lemon pickle, as breakfast.

 

Get ready:

 

• 1 cup oats (I used quick cooking oats)
• 2 tbsp. toor dal
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds/jeera
• 1 tbsp. channa dal
• 1 green chilli chopped
• 1/2 red chilli torn into 2 pieces
• 2 tbsp. grated coconut
• salt to taste
• A few curry leaves
• A pinch of asafetida
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. urad dal

 

Go!

 

• In a pan, dry roast the oats till they are slightly pink.
• Soak the channa dal with water to cover it for 15-20 minutes and drain the water, set aside.
• In a blender, grind the cumin seeds and toor dal coarsely.
• Add the roasted oats  to the cumin, toor dal and whiz for a few seconds till the oats are coarse like a rawa.
• In a pan, add oil and do the tadka with mustard seeds, urad dal, red and green chilli, curry leaves and hing.
• Add 2/3 th cup of water, 2 tbsp coconut, soaked channa dal salt to taste and let it come to a boil.
• reduce heat, add the oats, mixture and mix without any lumps.
• Cook, stirring continously till the mix leaves the sides in about 3- 5 mins.
• Turn the heat off and let it cool for 5- 10 mins.
• Make them in to lttile/ medium sized dumplings, by shaping them in your palm and fingers. use a little water to coat your hands and that will help.
• In a greased idli stand, steam these kozhakkatai's for 15 mins.

Serve hot with chutney, pickle, sambhar. I like mine with jaggery and a drop of ghee!

Easy Vegeterian Chili

Chili con carne or chili with meat is a very famous stew dsih from Texas. The originial texan chili is made with red meat and no beans or vegetables. Vegeterian chili or chili sin carne has been famous for the last 30 - 40 years. One can use any type of beans, whatever vegetables ( squah, mushrooms, zucchini, potato) you have in hand and tomatoes.
 Using  a little tomato paste would give the dish a rich red color.
Chili's were originally served by the spanish settlers as per wiki. To give a meaty texture people use tofu, soy nuggets, brown rice and bulgur wheat. I had bulgur wheat in hand and I used that.

Chili , I would say is similar to our rajma curry with mixed beans. It's a great one pot meal that could be enjoyed as it is or served with rice or chapathis for left overs. It tastes wonderful the next day as all the flavors and spices are well blended.

Of course I have indianized it with some garam masala too :)). Texans, pardon me!

The list looks very long, but very easy to make.


Get ready: Serves 3-4

• 1 medium red onion chopped
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 green chilli slit
• 1 large tomato chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper chopped ( I used green and red)
• 2 carrots diced
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1 can (15 0z) Pinto beans ( can use dry beans, soaked overnight and pressure cooked)
• 1 can ( 15 oz) red kidney beans
• 1 can ( 15 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup bulgur wheat ( optional)
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• salt to taste
• 2 cans (15 0z) water
• 2 tbsp oilve oil

To serve:
fat free sour cream
lots of choped cilantro
Tortilla chips/ tostitos

Go:

• In a large pot, add oil. once hot add the bay leaf and sayte the onions till translucent.
• Add the giner garlic paste, green chilli and fry till aromatic.
• Add the toamtoes and saute till mushy.
• add the canned beans, diced tomatoes, salt to taste, oregano, cumin, garam masala, water and let it come to a boil.
• Add the bulgur wheat.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 mins to a hour. If the chilli is too thick add a little water.
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream, cilantro and tortilla chips.

Tastes even better the next day as the beans soak up all the flavor.

The Ultimate Chocolatey Chocolate cake

If you are a big time chocolate fan, you are in the right place. The ultimate chocolatey moist cake in no time. Yes, it does use some cake doctor principles, hey but at the end you this heavenly chocolate cake to relish! Why couldn't we use some short cuts...!

This recipe makes 1 six inch bundt, 1 9 inch round and 6 cup cakes. I did not havea big bundt pan so I divided the batter and baked them all one time. One I took with me to work, one to share with neighbors and one for ourselves.

 

Get ready:

• 1  package devil's food cake mix
• 2 snack pack butterscotch pudding
• 1 cup  fat free sour cream
• 1/2  cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup low fat milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup butter scotch chips

Go:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, milk, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate, butter scotch chips and pour batter into a well greased  bundt pan.
• Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.

It can be served with ice cream or whipped cream and it tastes so yum!

Enjoy your valentine's day or have a dessert for super bowl party with this cake!

Sending this for priyasnowserving




and bookmarked-recipes

Cauliflower Kurma

 

Cauliflower is a favorite veggie for all of us at home. I made this simple kurma to be served with chapathi. I usually add coconut to my kurmas, but this time it was with out any coconut. The khus khus and cashews five it a rich creamy consistency. It may seem like a lot of steps involved, but it's easy though!

To make it more colorful, add any vegetables you have in hand.

 

Get Ready:

• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 cup chopped  red onions
• 1 large tomato chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped ginger
• 2 green chillies slit
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp Khus khus
• 1 tbsp cashews
• salt to taste
•  3 tsp olive oil.

Go:

• Soak cashew and khus khus in 2-3 tbsp of water for 20 mins.
• In a large pot, boil water. Add a pinch of salt, turmeric powder to the boiling water. add the cauliflower florets, cover the pot and turn the heat off.
• Drain the water after 10 mins and keep the cauliflower aside.
• In a pan, add 1 tsp oilve oil and sayte the onions till brown. add the ginger, green chilli, chopped tomatoes and saute till they are soft.
• Turn the heat off. Once cooled, grind the onion, tomatoes into a pulp. Set aside
• Grind the cashew khus khus with the soaked water into a fine paste.
• In the same pan that you fried the onions, add 2 tsp of oilve oil, add the pureed tomato, onion mixture.
• Add all the masala powders and fry till the oil separates out.
• Add the cauliflower, salt to taste, ground cashew  khus khus paste and mix well.
• Add water to a desired consistency and let it come to a boil.
• If less spicy add some garam masala.
• Once it boils, cover  and simmer for 5 mins. turn the heat off.
• garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Enjoy :))

  

Milagu Vadai and lessons learnt

Milagu vadai is a special prasadham offered to Lord Hanuman. It is crispy, crunchy with a hint of pepper and jeera made with Urad dal. People offer this to Lord Anjaneya as a garland with belief that he will take care of everything. I used to do this often many years ago, as we jad a nice hanuman sannidhi, near our house in east London.

I was planning do something similar fora while and finally decided last weekend. It doesn't take much soaking and easy to prepare. My son and hubby had gone for basket ball practice and my daugher was napping.
I follow the  exact recipe of Mallika Badrinath and this is how it goes.

So, let's get to business

Get ready:

•  1 cup urad dal
• 1 tbsp rice
• 1 tsp black pepper corns
• salt to taste
• Oil to deep fry

  

Go:

• wash and soak the urad dal and rice for 20 mins.
• Powder the pepper
• drain water and grind coarsely with little water. Mixie/ blender is fine, just add little amount of water.
• Add salt to taste and pepper powder to the batter. add salt at the end.
• Heat oil in a pan to deep fry.
• Add 3 tbsp of hot oil to the batter and mix well.
• Make small balls with little water on your hands.
• Use a zip lock bag and  flatten the balls thin like a thattai and make a home in the center.
• Drop in the oil carefully after lefting them off the zip lock,
• Deep fry till golden and crispy.

If the batter is runny you can add a little rawa/ sooji.

I made 2 vadais and then My daughter was crying in her nap. I turned off my electric coil and went to attend her needs. I was trying to put her back to sleep as I had to finish frying the vadai's. Suddenlt I heard some beeping noise and wondered, " why is the smoke alarm going off?'.

I rushed downstairs and was shocked to see that my kadai with oil was on fire. The flames were so intense that my over therange microwave was on fire and the flames were slashing up to the ceiling. I had not turned off the heat properly, How stupid is that??

I was in total shock. I grabbed the pan with a " idukki". put it out on the deck and put the fire out with water.
There was black soot every where and  I was just shaking. It could have been worse!

I heard my daughter crying in panic as the smoke alarm was very loud. I quickly grabbed her, called 911 and got out of the house.

This is what was left....

 No more vadai's... No more microwave! Even though the insurance will cover, the inconveniences I have created are....!

The lessons I learnt ( hard way) were..

1. Make sure you turn off the stove before you go on to do something, especially if you have hot oil.

2. Never use water to put off a fire with grease. cover the pan with a lid and that will contain the fire.

3. Have a small fire extinguisher in the kitchen which can be reached immediately.

4. Don't multi task, as we woman always do!

Karela fry/ Pagakka kari

I never was a fan of karelas as a kid. In my household karelas were only used for pulikozhambus, pitlai and sambhar. I became a big karela eater once i tasted the thinly sliced deep fried ones. I don't know why these fried stuff tastes so good, but bad for you :((

I don't deep fry them, but cook them with lots of onions, tomatoes and spices to take the bitterness away. These are perfect accompaniments to either rice or chappathis.

They can be sliced as rounds or cut thin wedges. The key is to remove those seeds and pulp from the centre as they are not so nice!

Get ready:

• 4 karelas sliced round
• 1 tsp sambar powder
•  1/4 tsp salt
• drizzle olive oil
• 1/2 onion sliced
• 2 small tomatoes chopped
• 1 tsp sambar powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp asafetida/ hing
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp urad dal
• 1 red chilli

Go:

• Marinate the sliced karelas with  a drizzle of olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and sambhar powder for about 20 mins.
• In a pan, heat oil and do the tadka with mustard seeds, urad dal and red chilli.
• Add the sliced onions and fry till they are brown.
• Add the tomatoes and fry till they are all mushy.
• Now add the karelas, hing, and mix well.
• Reduce the flame, cover let the karelas sweat as they cook.
• Add salt to taste, sambhar powder, coriander powder and mix well.
• Uncover and cook on alow flame tossing them intermittently till they are browned and well coated with spices.

Enjoy!

Creamy Corn and Vegetable Soup

Now is the best time to enjoy soup when the days are dull, cold and gloomy. Having said that we had spring like temperatures today. I am not complaining, but you can still enjoy this creamy soup anytime. I was inspired by Ellie krieger to  make this creamy soup. It's very low in calories and very hearty too. I gave it a twist by adding some coconut milk. The fresh basil at the end boosts the flavor a ton. I am a big fan of cilantro, but basil gives it a unique flavor. I made this  soup 2 weeks ago but did'nt have time to blog it. I made mine a little runny, but you can make it very creamy if you decrease the water. the ground corn gives the creaminess for this soup.

If you want a chinese twist, add some soy sauce, chilli sauce, but remember to cut down the salt :))

So, get your soup pots and get going!

Get Ready:

• 1 cup frozen corn ( thawed)
• 1/4 cup warm milk (1%)
• 1 & 1/2 cup diced veggies ( potato, carrot, red and orange  bell pepper)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 green chillies
• 1 rsp chopped ginger
• 1 clove of garlic
• salt as needed
• 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
• 1/3 cup water  to used used in small increments ( can be replaced with vegetable broth)
• 3 tbsp coconut milk powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Go:

• Add the coconut milk powder to the warm milk and whisk till well blended.
• In a blender puree the corn with the milk, coconut milk combo till creamy and set aside.
• In a pan heat oil, add the onion, garlic and saute till the onions are translucent.
• Add the chilli, ginger and fry for few seconds.
• Add the diced vegetables saute for few mins, add little salt and very little water just enough to cook the vegetables.
• Add the creamy corn puree.
• If the soup is too thick add a little water to to your desired consistency
• season with salt and black pepper as needed.
• Let it come just to boil and turn the heat off.
• Add roughly chopped basil leaves and serve hot with soft roll or a salad.

Sweet Potato Paratha

 

I have blogged a lot about the benefits of sweet potato earlier. To add to my list of sweet potato dishes of Podimas and sweet potato fries ,comes Sweet potato paratha.

 

 

Healthy afterschool snack or a lunch box idea for kids and kids at heart!

 

Get ready:

 

Yields 7 parathas

 

• 1 cup cubed sweet potato, cooked
• 1 cup whole wheat atta
• 1 tsp sambhar powder
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp olive oil

 

 

Go:

 

• Mash the cooked sweet potatoes well.
• Add sambar powder, salt to taste and cilantro.
• Add the atta and knead into a soft dough with 1 tsp of olive oil.
• No need to add water as the sweet potato has the water.
• Refrigerate for 20 mins and roll into a paratha/ roti.
• Heat a tava and cook the parathas on both sides till golden with ghee or oil.

 

They are perfect for kids lunch box, as they stay very soft.

 

Both my kids loved this! I hope you all will enjoy it too!

Oatmeal smoothie

I never would have thought of making smoothie with oatmeal! The beauty is no cooking..Seriously!

Honestyly the name may sound wierd, but it's very tasty, healthy and filling breakfast smoothie.

Now there is no excuse to skip breakfast as this can be done in a snap. I've made it twice this week and my son loved it too!
You can add any fruits/ peanut butter/ nutella or even add some fruit juice to replace milk and make it very interesting.

Get ready: ( serves one)

1/2 cup 1% milk
1/3 cup quick oats
1/2 banana sliced ( best thing is to slice them and freeze them, as they work as ice cubes too)
1 cup strawberries ( I used fresh, frozen works great too)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp sugar ( can use honey too)

Go:

• In a blender add the oats and whizz it till it's a fine powder.
• Add the milk, fruits, sugar, vanilla and blend them till smooth.
• If it's too thick add some more milk.

Grab and go breakfast is ready to be enjoyed!

Ginger tea orangade

I made this for a birthday party and it was finished in no time. I had bookmarked it from aipi and the original source is from Giada's. Aipi had made it as a lemonade and i was planning the same until i realized that I had no lemons! duh....
I had some oranges in hand and substituted the lemon juice for orange juice.  I did not use black tea but used our good old brooke bond tea bags.
It still tasted pretty awesome to me and my guests. Unlike me you all will all be smart and check your ingredients before you make something! ha ha....

Get Ready:

• 2 cups water
• 3 black tea bags, preferably English breakfast tea
• 1 1/3 cups Ginger Simple Syrup, recipe follows
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1 cup sparkling water or club soda, chilled
• 2 cups ice
• Orange slices, for garnish, optional

Go: 
In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add the tea bags. Stir and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Remove the tea bags and discard. Add the Ginger Simple Syrup, orange juice, and sparkling water.

Put the ice in a large pitcher. Pour the orangade mixture over the ice. Garnish with orange slices

Ginger Simple Syrup:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, combine the sugar, water and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool, about 20 minutes. Strain before using.

Sending to the Bookmarked event

Akkara Adisil

This is a traditional sweet dish made during the month of Marghazhi/ dec to jan. Akka adisil is vey authentic in Iyengar cuisine in the south. It is similar to chakkara pongal except the rice and moong dal is cooked with lots of milk and jaggery.
 My mom used to make this sugar and saffron and it gives a very pleasing color. It's so creamy rich and out of this world.

So here is the recipe!

Get Ready:

• 3/4 measure raw rice
• 1/4 measure moong dal
• 3 cups 1% milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• A pinch of saffron
• 1 tsp. cardamom powder
• 1/2 - 1 cup ghee
• 1 tbsp. chopped cashews and golden raisins.

Go!

1. In a pan, dry roast the moong dal till they are pink.
2. Once the moong dal is cooled, add 3 cups of milk and rice & pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.
3. In another pan, add sugar and just enough water to cover the sugar.
4. Let the sugar boil for 10 minutes till it forms a thick syrup. Now add saffron to the syrup.
5. Mash the cooked rice/dal mixture and add it to the sugar syrup.
6. Add ghee, little by little, to the rice/dal mixture and stir it till it leaves the sides.
7. Turn the heat off.
8. In a pan, add a little bit of ghee and fry the cashews & raisins till golden brown and add it to the adisil.
9. Garnish with cardamom powder and enjoy!!!

The adisil may look runny, but it will thicken once cooled.

Tell me what do you think of this akkara adisil with sugar.

B-)

Naan Pizza

 I am not a big fan of frozen naans. My husband had stocked some frozen ones when i was away couple of months ago. I was thinking of some excuse to not use it at all. But then as i was blog hopping i found a novel way to use the naan.

This is a totally cool fusion recipe!

Yes, it was to mkae pizza out of it. Whenever we order pizza, i am not a happy camper as i don't like the thick crust pizzas! My husband and my son will unanimously go for domino's thick crust and leave me guity of eating lots of carbs!

Naan pizza gives you a thin crust and you can add any toppings you want. All you need is some marinara sauce and a little creativity!

So here you go with the recipe!

• Tandoori naan ( frozen or regualr from whole foods/ trader joe's) 1 per person
• Store bought marinara sauce
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Red Onion thinly sliced
• For topping _ chopped red pepper, broccoli, jalapeno peppers and some frozen corn.
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt to taste

 Go:

• Pre heat oven to 400F
• in a pan add the olive oil, saute the onions till soft.
• Add the vegetables and saute for 5 mins. add salt to your taste and turn the heat off.
• Arrange the naan on a baking sheet.
• Add 1 tbsp of marinara sauce on top of the naan and spread it.
• add the veggie toppings and shredded cheese.
• Bake for 10 mins till the cheese is bubbly.

Enjoy this total family pleaser!


Sending this to priyasnowserving