My Greek Feast

I like experimenting with different cuisine and Greek food is probably one of my favorite. With their fluffy pita, light and comforting dips, colorful salads and various casseroles it is probably one of the most healthiest too. In spite of my love for Greek cuisine I have never tried cooking them at home. They sounded a little bit intimidating to me util I happen to stumble upon Dede's Mediterranean blog. She has some awesome videos that demonstrates the food in a step by step manner. My inspiration for this blog comes from those video's. I modified it a bunch to suit my taste.



Baba Ghanoush :

- 1 big eggplant
- 2 tsp Tahini sauce
- 1 tsp chili powder
- salt to taste

Method:
1. Roast the eggplant in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for one hour. Lay the eggplant on top of a cooling rack and place a cookie sheet to catch any drips. By doing this your eggplant does not become soggy
2. Once it comes out of the oven seal the eggplant in a plastic bag. Let it cool there for about 20 minutes. Separate the skin and discard it.eggplant.
3. Place the skin in a food processor. Add the tahini sauce, chili powder and salt. Pulse it until all the ingredients are well blended. The consistency is up to you.

Note: We do not eat garlic but if you want then you can roast garlic with you eggplant and grind them together. Make sure you remove the garlic midway as they tend to burn.

Hummus
- 2 cups of boiled chick peas
- 2 tbsp of yougurt
- juice from 1/2 a lemon - adjust this to your taste
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp tahini sauce
- salt to taste

Method:
Add all the ingredients in a food processor and grind it to the consistency you desire. We are not big fans of garlic but if you like them you can add them while grinding it.

Mujaddara:
- 1 cup cooked basmathi rice. Make sure your rice is fluffy and does not stick to each other
- 1 cup brown lentils
- 1 onion sliced thinly
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- few pats of butter
- 1 tsp oil
- salt to taste.

Method:
1. Boil the lentils till they become soft. Make sure they are cooked but still hold the shape. Do not make them too mushy.
2. In a pan at medium heat pour the oil and caramelize the onions. This is a slow process. It takes about 20 minutes to caramelize one medium size onion. You need to stir it once in a while and wait until the onion reduces to one third its original quantity. Keep this aside.
3. In the same pan (reduce the heat to low) add the cooked lentils. rice, salt and cumin powder. Toss them together and mix in one half of the onions.
4. Once everything is mixed well transfer to your serving vessel and garnish with the rest of the onions.

Pita bread:
- 2 cups all purpose flour plus 1 more cup for dusting and rolling
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1.5 cups of water
- 2 1/4 tsp yeast or 1 packet
- olive oil

Method:
1. Mix in all the ingredients except the oil together. The dough will be a little bit wet but that is alright.
2. Now coat a bigger vessel (you need space for the dough to rise) with olive oil. Coat the dough with oil too and place it in the vessel
3. Cover it and let it rest for 3 hours in a dry, warm place. In about 2-3 hours the dough should have doubled in size
4. Flour the area where you will knead your dough generously with flour. Now knead the dough for 10 minutes. Your dough will be wet so keep adding flour so that it will not stick to your hands.
5. Preheat your over to 500 degree Fahrenheit. Keep your cookie sheet that you will use to bake inside the oven so it gets hot too.
6. Make small balls from the dough cover it and let it rest for another 10- 15 minutes.
7. Now roll these balls to form small circles. Place these pita in the oven and cook them for 3-4 minutes and flip them. Cook the other side for another 2 minutes. Increase or decrease your cooking time depending on how hot your oven gets.

Enjoy the fluffy pita with the dips.



Submitting these recipes to AWED: Greek event announced by DK

Eggless BlueBerry muffin

As my toddler loves muffins, I love trying out new recipes. Renu's Eggless Blueberry muffin seemed very easy and it was also eggless. I tried the recipe and it was very tasty.Instead of 2 cups of whole wheat flour I added 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour and 1 cup of all purpose flour. Here is the link to the original recipe.

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
Whole wheat pastry Flour - 1 Cup
Brown or white sugar - 1 cup
Buttermilk [low fat] - 1 cup
Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup
Baking powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Walnuts -handful

Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Salt - pinch
Blueberry (dried blueberries from costco)- 1 cup

Method 
Pre- heat oven at 350 degree Fahrenheit and grease the muffin pan or line with muffin liners and keep it aside
Sieve all dry ingredients (including sugar) at least 2 times and keep it aside (mixing sugar with flour prevents the flour from lumping when combined with wet ingredients)
In a separate bowl blend all the wet ingredients at medium speed
In a separate bowl add walnuts and blueberries and 1 tsp of flour. Mix it so that the blue berries and walnuts are covered with flour. This prevents the blueberries from sinking into the muffin.
Add the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix gently with a spatula. Do not overmix the batter. Fold in the blueberries and spoon the batter in the muffin tray and bake for 25 minutes or until  inserted toothpick comes out clean

Low Fat Malai Kofta

I love Malai Kofta but I have never made it as it has to be deep fried. After seeing Indian Vegetarian Kitchen blogspot I was inspired to try this recipe. I changed the recipe to make vegetable kofta. It came out very well.

Ingredients:
For Kofta :
Bread slices-3
potatoes(cooked, peeled and mashed)-2
Fresh grated paneer-1/2 cup
Grated Cauliflower -1/4 cup
Coriander leaves chopped-a handful
Grated carrot -1/4 cup
Grated cabbage - 1/4 cup
Spinach - (chopped) -1/4 cup
Salt
Turmeric powder-a pinch
Red chilli powder-1/4 tsp
Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
Jeera Powder- 1/2 tsp
Rasam Powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp


For Gravy:
Oil-2 tbsp
Cloves-3
Cinnamon-2 inch stick
Cardamom-2
Star Anise-2(crushed)
Jeera-1 tsp
Ginger chopped-1 tsp
Garlic chopped-3 pods
cashews-12
Onion chopped-1 medium sized
Tomatoes chopped-3
Salt
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder- as per taste
Coriander powder-1 tsp
poppy seeds - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp
Milk(I used 2% fat)-1/2 cup
Coriander leaves-to garnish

Method:
To make the koftas:
Soak each bread slices in water and gently squeeze excess water. Mix with rest of the ingredients and make small balls. Heat kuzhipaniyaram(Appe) pan. Add 2-3 drops of oil or spray Pam in each hole. Place the balls and cook on both sides till golden brown. Set aside.


To make the gravy:
Heat oil in a wide pan. Add jeera and let it crackle. Add cloves, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and fry for a few seconds. Add chopped ginger, garlic and onions.. Fry till the onions are cooked and turn brown. Add tomatoes, some more salt and all the spice powders. Fry for a few minutes until tomatoes turn soft. Allow the mixture to cool. Grind it with cashews and poppy seeds. Put the mixture on the stove again. Add milk and heat it for 5 minutes. Add kofta balls and simmer for 2 minutes.

Ginger/ inji thogayal

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup chopped ginger - Where I live the ginger is not very hot. So I tend to use a lot.
- small lime size tamarind softened
- 2-3 red chilies (adjust according to taste)
- 2 tsp urad dhal
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- pinch of hing
- 2 tsp oil
- small piece of jaggary/brown sugar
- salt to taste.

Method:
1. In a pan pour a teaspoon of oil and add mustard seeds. Once it starts to splutter add the urad dhal and red chilies. Once they turn slightly red add hing and keep it aside.
2. Now add the other teaspoon of oil add the ginger and saute it till it becomes tender.
3. In a mixie/food processor add the ginger, roasted spices, salt, jaggary and tamarind (make sure the tamarind has no seeds in it). Grind it all to a fine paste.

Tastes good with dosai or idli. You can also add some oil and mix it with rice and eat it before you start a meal.

Jícama Salad

When I visited my local farmers market I found Jicama and thought I will give it a try. It is an ugly looking root vegetable. After a little bit of research I found that it is used quite a lot in salads. I was skeptical and did not think I could eat this raw. But once you cut into it you realize why it is used so much in salads. Although the outsides are hard the insides are tender and juicy. It tastes like pears but not so sweet. Give it a try and you will be amazed - I was...


Ingredients:
- 1 jicama
- 1 cucumber
- 1 red bell pepper (You can use any and all colors)
- 1 orange pealed and segmented
- 1 small onion
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves finely chopped

Dressing: (adjust to taste)
- juice of 2 lemons
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- salt

Method:
1. In a small bowl mix all the ingredients for dressing and keep it aside.
2. Cut all the vegetables to bit size pieces. Wash them and pat them dry
3. Now in the serving bowl add the dressing, oranges and vegetables. Toss them well. Finally add the chopped cilantro and give it a mix
4. Refrigerate the salad until you are ready to serve.

The salad with lemon and jicama is crisp and tangy.




Sending this recipe to veg inspirations -healthy salad event.

This recipe also finds its way to Serve Me Some Salad hosted by Maduri

Kerala delicacy puttu and channa

Puttu is a staple Kerala breakfast items. It is a healthy and a very filling dish. I used the ready made wheat puttu flour to make this. Instead of using the traditional puttu maker I just steamed my puttu in the idli vessel.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup puttu flour
- 1.5 cup shredded coconut
- boiling water with salt added

Method:
1. In a vessel add the puttu flour. Drizzle water and start mixing it. You are looking for a beach sand with water like consistency. When you add water to beach sand you can mold it but at the same time they break down easily. That is exactly what you are looking for. The puttu flour will look like the picture below.

2. In your idli mold first layer your coconut. Then add the puttu flour and press it in. Now add another layer of coconut. Press this in and add your final layer of puttu flour and pack all the layers tightly.
3. Pour water in the bottom of your idli vessel and place the idli molds on top. Let it steam for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it rest for a few minutes.
4. Remove it carefully from the mold and serve it hot.

The best accompaniments for puttu is banana and sugar or channa dhal (Kadali kulumbu)

Note: Puttu dries very easily so make sure you make it just before serving.



This recipe finds its way to Dil se - Sunday snack evnet

Methi Rice - South Indian Style

Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked basmathi rice
- 1 bunch methi cleaned and chopped
- 1 small onion chopped to small pieces
- 1 small lemon size tamarind - One cup tamarind extract
- 2 tsp sambar podi
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 2-4 red chilies
- 1 tsp urad dhal
- 1 tbsp channa dhal
- 2 tbsp peanuts
- 1 tsp oil
- salt to taste

Method:
1. In a pan pour oil and add the mustard seeds. Let it splutter then add channa dhal, urad dhal, peanuts and red chilies.
2. Once the seasonings turn golden brown add the onions. Fry till they become soft. Now add the methi leaves and fry for a couple of minutes.
3. Mix in salt, turmeric, sambar podi/powder and tamarind extract and let it all boil. You should boil until the water evaporates and it becomes a paste.
4. Before serving add the rice and mix with the paste and serve it hot.

Note: If you want you can make bigger batches. Store the paste for a few days in the refrigerator and mix it with rice when you are ready to use it.

Cilantro and vegetables Sevai/Rice noodles

Ingredients
- 2 cups of mixed chopped vegetables (potatoes, beans, carrots, peas)
- 1 bunch of cilantro/coriander leaves cleaned and chopped
- 3 cups sevai/rice noodles cooked
- 3 green chilies
- 2 inch piece of ginger
- 1 tbsp shredded coconut
- 1 tsp jeera
- 1 tsp oil
- salt to taste

Method:
1. Grind cilantro, ginger, chilies and coconut to a fine paste.
2. Meanwhile boil the vegetables with salt.
3. In a pan pour oil. Add jeera and once it splutters add the cilantro paste. Cook it for 3-4 minutes. Mix in the cooked vegetables. Make sure all the vegetables are coated well.
4. Now add the noodles and toss them all together.

With all the vegetables this is a healthy and a fulfilling dinner for kids.

Idli and Besan Masala Gravy

This is an easy gravy that tastes very well with any tiffin item. You can also use it as a side for mixed rice. You can do it either with or without potatoes. I have also included the recipe for idli's here as I typically serve it with them for morning breakfast.



Ingredients:
- 1 big onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 1/2 cup peas
- 2 potatoes boiled and chopped
- 2-3 chilies chopped
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 3 tbs basen flour
- salt to taste

Seasoning:
- 1/2 tsp mustard sees
- 1 tsp jeera seeds
- 1 tsp oil
- few curry leaves

Method:
1. In a sauce pan pour oil and add the mustard seeds. Once it splutter add jeera, chilies ginger and curry leaves.
2. Chop onions finely and add it to the pan. Once it is soft add the chopped tomatoes and peas. Fry these till the tomatoes becomes slightly mushy. Add the boiled potatoes, turmeric, and salt.
3. Meanwhile in a separate bowl mix the basen flour in some water. Dissolve it so it has no lumps. Mix it in with boiling vegetables. Add 2 cups of water and bring it all to a boil.
4. In a few minutes it will become thick. Garnish with cilantro.

Idli

Ingredients:
- 3 cups idli rice
- 1 cup whole urad dhal (Skin removed)
- 1 tsp methi seeds
- salt taste

Method:
1. Wash and soak the rice (with methi seeds) and urad dhal for 4 hours separately. In a wet grinder grind rice first and once it is smooth remove it. Now grind the urad dhal until it becomes smooth. You will see the urad dhal rising when you grind it.
2. In a big vessel mis it all together with salt.
3. Keep it in a warm dry place and it will rise overnight. You should be able to make idli's the next day. If it has not risen (if the weather is cold it might not rise overnight)then wait till evening.

Getting the right consistency is a little bit of a process. You might have to try it a couple of times to get it right. The fermentation of the idli dough greatly depends on the weather and how humid your place is. But once you get it right idli's are probably one of the easiest, healthiest and the tastiest food on the planet.

Peergankai (Ridge Gourd) thogayal

Ingredients:
- 2 Ridge gourd pealed and chopped
- 4-5 Dried red chilies
- 3 tsp urad dhal
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- small lemon size tamarind
- pinch of hing
- 1 tsp of oil
- 1 tbsp coconut (optional)
- salt to taste

Method:
1. In a pan pour the oil and add mustard seeds. Once it starts to splutter add urad dhal, red chillies, hing and fry till it become slightly brown. Keep it aside.
2. In the same pan add the ridge gourd, tamarind and salt. Cover it and simmer. By adding the tamarind now you can soften it and it makes it easy to grind it. The vegetable will slowly get cooked in its own water. Once it becomes soft turn off the heat and let it cool.
3.Now grind the red chillies, ridge gourd (with the softened tamarind). Then add the mustard seeds,urad dhal and coconut (if you are adding it). Grind to a coarse paste. You want to add mustard seeds and urad dhal last as they give texture to this thogayal.

Tastes good with poritcha kootu and rice.

Winter Vegetable Sukke

This is the dish I tried from Singing Chef blogby Raaga for the Tried and Tested challenge. She has an amazing blog and I was not sure what to try out first. I choose this recipe for a couple of reasons. Being a south Indian kootu is a staple at dinner time in my house. This dish had a different combination of spices and it is always fun to jazz up old dishes. This recipe also gives you the option of being creative by using any vegetable combination you like. The Sukke (I tend to call it kootu) was very tasty and it is a great addition to my repertoire. Here is how I did it..

Ingredients:
- 2 carrots
- 2 turnips
- 1 potato
- 2 tsp coconut
- 1 tsp rice flour
- small lemon size tamarind softened
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric
- Salt to taste

Dry roast in a pan (oil is optional):
- 1/2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
- 1/2 tsp Coriander Seeds
- 1/2 tsp Urad Dal
- 3-4 Red Chillies


Seasoning:
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- pinch of hing
- few curry leaves

Method:
1. Peal ( I did not peal my potatoes as the skin was tender) and chop all the vegetables to bite size pieces. Boil the vegetables with some salt and turmeric till they become tender.
2. Grind the fried spices with coconut, tamarind, red chilies, rice flour (I added this as I wanted to reduce the quantity of coconut in the dish) to a coarse paste.
3. Add it to the vegetables and let it for 4-5 minutes at medium heat.
4. In a separate pan heat a teaspoon of oil and add the mustard seeds. Once it starts to splutter add hing and curry leaves. Add this to the simmering vegetables.

This will taste very well with rice but we had it with pesarattu



Off it goes to Dil se tried and tested event

Guilt Free Banana Bread

I wanted to make a whole wheat bread. Had a few over ripe banana's and so I decided to try this. After reading the comments I tweaked the recipe a little. I replaced butter with apple sauce to make it healthy.

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 3/4 cup apple sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 4 ripe big bananas mashed
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup walnuts chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree. Grease a loaf pan with butter or cooking spray.
2. In a bowl mix apple sauce, brown sugar, sugar, baking soda, salt and vanilla essence until it becomes smooth.
3. Mix in the banana's and fold it into the batter.
4. Now add the whole wheat flour and stir until smooth.
5. Finally add the walnuts and mix it in. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake it for 50 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degree, cover the loaf with foil and bake it for another 10 minutes.
6. Remove it from the oven and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before you slice them.

Tastes awesome with hot tea or coffee.

This goes to show me the whole grain hosted by Dil Se

Peda

Ingredients:
2 Cups Non-Fat Milk Powder
1 14 Oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
3/4th Stick of Butter
Few raisins or almonds

Method

Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl.Mix condensed milk and milk powder with the butter. Stir the mixture and microwave it for 3 minutes.Try to make a ball. If you cannot make a ball microwave for one more minute. Decorate the peda with raisins or almonds

Gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian - Baked

This is healthy as you are baking it as supposed to frying it which is how it is usually done. It does taste very good.

Ingredients for the Gobi:
- 1 small cauliflower - broken to florets
- 3 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp chili powder
- salt

Ingredients for Sauce:
- 1 small onion chopped finely
- 1 tsp chili sauce (adjust to taste)
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp corn starch
- small piece of ginger minced
- 1 green chili finely chopped

Method to make Gobi:

1. Boil 2 cups of water and soak cauliflower in it for 5 minutes. This softens the cauliflower.
2. Form a thick batter with corn starch, salt, chili powder. Remove cauliflower and pat them dry. Mix the cauliflower in the batter. The cauliflower should have a light coating of the mixture.
3. Grease a cookie sheet and lay the cauliflower. They should not touch each other. Bake for 20-30 minutes at a 400(degree) F oven. Mix it once so all sides bake evenly.
You might need to adjust your timing based on your oven. Mine is a old stove so it takes some time to bake the cauliflower. Keep them aside

Method to Gobi Manchurian

1. In a saucepan heat oil and fry onions, and chili till they become soft. Add the chili sauce, ketchup and soy sauce.
2. In about 2 cups of water add corn starch and mix it well. Add it to the saucepan and boil it for 3-5 minutes. The sauce will become thick.
3. Now reduce the heat and add the baked cauliflower. Let it all simmer for 5 minutes before you serve it.

Garnish with spring onions. Tastes good with Chinese Fried Rice.

Chinese Fried Rice

Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked rice cooled (I use basmathi rice)
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 bell peppers chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1/2 cup bean sprouts
- 2-3 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 egg (optional)
- 3 tsp soy sauce
- 1-2 tsp chili sauce (adjust this to taste)
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp vegetable oil or seaseme oil (I used vegetable oil)
- salt to taste
- Green onions for garnishing (optional)

Method:

1. Chop the vegetables to about the same size so you can cook them evenly. Keep everything ready before you turn on the stove as the cooking is done really fast.
2. In a large pan or wok add oil and once the oil is heated add the onions. Fry for a minute then add the bell peppers, carrots and salt. The pan should be sizzling hot. Cook them for 3-4 minutes
3. Move the vegetables to one side and add the egg. Start scrambling it and as the pan is really hot it scrambles in about 30 seconds. Mix the egg with the other vegetables. Now add the snow peas, cabbage and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add rice mix it well with the vegetables. Add soy sauce, vinegar and chili sauce. Mix them well.
5. Finely add your bean sprouts - This cooks really fast so you want to add it in the last minute.
6. Finally remove from the heat and garnish with scallions/Green onions

Serve it hot with Gobi Manchurian.

Note: You can add garlic to this recipe. As we are not big garlic eaters I typically skip that step.

Potato and Capsicum Masiyal

Ingredients:
- 3 boiled potato
- 1 Capsicum (any color)
- small marble size tamarind - Extract a cup of tamarind water.
- 1/2 tsp sambar powder
- 1 small piece Ginger
- 3-4 Green chilies
- juice of l small lemon
- salt to taste

Seasoning:
- 1 tsp Mustard
- 1 tsp Urad dhal
- 1 tsp Chana dhal
- 4 tbsp Coconut
- few curry leaves
- few peanuts
- 1 tsp oil

Method:
1. In a sauce pan add the chopped capsicum turmeric and water. Cook it till the capsicum are three fourths cooked. Mash the boiled potatoes by hands. Add it with the capsicum and mix in the tamarind water and salt.
2. Add the sambar powder. Bring it to a boil.
3. In a separate pan add oil and mustard seeds. Once it starts to splutter add urad dhal, chana dhal and peanuts. Fry till they turn brown. Now add coconut and curry leaves till they turn golden brown.
4. Add it to the potato mixture and simmer it for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and pour the lemon juice.

Tastes yummy with rice.

Vegi quesadilla

This recipe is an inspiration from showmethecurry. I have tried making quesadilla but it never turned out right. I realized today that I was under cooking my tortilla's. When you are cooking your tortilla make sure both sides are well done. The tortilla should have dark spots in it. Also you need eat this hot otherwise they tend to become soggy. This is a fun recipe for kids too...

Ingredients for stuffing:
- 1 small onion
- 2 bell peppers
- 1 small tomato
- 1-2 green chili
- 1 pack of frozen spinach - Defrost it and squeeze the water out
- 1 tsp oil

Ingredients for quesadilla
- few tortillas - I used the store bought once
- 1 cup of shredded cheese - Cheddar or monterey jack cheese

Method to make the stuffing:

1. Finely chop all the vegetables.
2. In a pan add oil and once the oil is heated add the onions. Fry for a minute then add chillies and salt. After about 30 seconds add the tomatoes, and peppers. Cook them till they are soft.
3. Finally add the spinach and cook till all the water evaporates. The stuffing needs to be a little dry otherwise the quesadilla becomes soggy.

Method to make the tortilla:

1. In a skillet/tawa pour a few drops of oil. Add the tortilla and cook till they become golden brown on one side. Flip it over and add the cheese and the stuffing. Do not over stuff it.
2. Add the second tortilla and carefully flip it over. Let it cook untill the other side becomes golden brown. Remove it once the cheese has completely melted.

Serve it hot with black bean soup or salsa

EggPlant and Spinach Dal

For rotis, I made this nutritious dal with eggplant and spinach. I got the inspiration from Red Chillies website. I modified it to make it without garlic and onion. I also substituted garam masala with Curry Powder. Here is the link to the original recipe. I have not used oil to make it healthy and fat-free.

Ingredients

½ – 3/4 cup toor dal/ Moong Dal or combination of both
1 medium chopped tomato
1 Tbsp ginger
2-3 green chillies slit
3 cups packed spinach
2 cups chopped eggplant
Mustard seeds
Curry Powder
turmeric
Cumin seeds
salt

Method.
Pressure cook the Dal,vegetables,curry powder,green chillie,ginger and turmeric together. Add salt to taste. In a frying pan dry fry cumin and mustard seeds and add it to the Dal mixture. Garnish with cilantro.

Omelette for two

I saw this recipe in BareFood Contessa's Cooking show. I made it vegetarian and tried the recipe.It was very easy to make and the omelette was tasty. Here is the link to the original recipe.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup medium-diced Yukon gold potato
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 Bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper
4 extra-large eggs
2 tablespoons milk or cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, diced, plus extra grated cheese, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Add the butter to the pan, and then add the potato and yellow onion. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the onion starts to brown and the potato is tender but firm. Add the jalapeno pepper and cook for 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together with a fork. Stir in the scallions and diced Cheddar. When the potato is cooked, pour over the egg mixture. Place the pan in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the omelet puffs and the eggs are almost cooked in the center. Sprinkle with a handful of grated Cheddar and bake for another minute. Serve hot directly from the pan.

Note: To make it an Indian version, add 1 tsp of garma masala with the eggs and beat it.

Orange Coconut Muffin

I tried the Orange Coconut Muffin from Vaishali's website I made some modifications to the recipe. The muffin came out so well. Since I eat eggs I used one egg instead of egg replacer powder. Here is the link to the original recipe.

(Makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup Whole wheat Pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 Cup Aunt Jemina's Syrup
Zest of 1 orange (set aside 2 tsp or so for the orange glaze)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
1.5 cup sweetened shredded coconut

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, egg replace powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, dissolve the egg replacer with the orange juice. Add the agave nectar, orange zest, oil and water
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together until they are just combined. Do not overmix. Add the coconut and mix in.
Grease a 12-cup mufifn tin and divide the batter equally between the cups.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Place on a rack to cool. Unmold after 10 minutes and continue to cool the muffins.

Orange Glaze

Ingredients:

1 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tsp orange zest

Heat the orange juice in a small saucepan until it begins to boil.
Add the powdered sugar and zest and turn off the heat. Whisk together well.
Pour over the cooled or barely-warm muffins.

Garam Masala

Ingredients
- 2 tbsp corriander seeds
- 1 tbsp cloves
- 3 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp whole peppercorns
- 1 tsp black cumin (optional)
- 1 tsp shah cumin (optional)
- 3-5 black cardamom
- few bay leaves

Method:

Roast all the ingredients in a heavy bottom pan at medium heat. Keep stirring them constantly and remove them when they turn a reddish brown. Cool and grind them in a spcie grinder to a fine powder. Store them in air tight container.

Bananna pepper subji

This is the famous mirchi ka salan. I got the idea to do this for my roti after watching the video by showmethecurry. I modified the method a little bit to suit my families personal taste. If you are bold and ready to handle spice go for the jalapeno. I was not so my choice was the banna peppers. But whatever you use the gravy tastes absolutely fabulous with the stuffed roti or rice.

Recipe for banana pepper subji

Ingredients:
- 5-6 Banana Peppers or any other mild pepper.
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- small lime size tamarind softened or 1 tsp tamarind paste
- 1 tsp chili powder - Adjust if using spicier peppers
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- salt to taste

Fry and grind
- 2 red chili
- few cloves
- 1" cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp corriander seeds
- 1 tsp jeera seeds
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds (If you do not have roasted seeds then roast it in a separate pan and add to the rest of the ingredients)
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
- 2 tbsp shredded coconut

Method:
1. In a heavy bottom pan add a tsp of oil and fry the chopped onion. Add it to the masala powder and grind it with the softened tamarind to a fine paste. Keep this aside.
2. Remove the stems from the pepper and slit it without separating them. Just make enough room in the peppers to remove all the seeds. Now rub the pepper with some salt. If you miss this step the pepper tastes a little bland.
3. In the same pan add a tsp of oil and fry the salted pepper in medium heat. You want the peppers to become soft on the inside and slightly charred on the outside.
4. Add the ground masala in the pan and add 2-3 cups of water. Let it come to a roaring boil. This helps the masala to cook well. After about 5-7 minutes reduce the heat and add the fried pepper. Let it simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and garnish it with cilantro.

Recipe for Stuffed Roti

Ingredients:

For Roti
- 1 cup atta (whole wheat flour)
- warm water to knead it
- salt to taste

Mix all the above ingredients and make a stiff dough. Cover it and let it rest for at least 20 minutes.

For stuffing
- 1 small cauliflower grated
- 2 small carrots pealed and grated
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- pinch of hing
- 1 tsp oil
- salt to taste

Method

1. In a pan pour oil, add turmeric and hing powder. Drop the grated vegetables add salt and let them cook till they become soft. Do not add water as we want the vegetables to be dry for our stuffing. Let it cool
2. Using the dough roll two rotis. Add a tspn of stuffing in the center of one roti. Add the second roti on top and carefully roll it out again. To keep the roti from sticking or ripping apart keep adding flour to it while you roll them.
3. In a hot tawa or non stick pan add the roti and cook on both sides using a little bit of oil or ghee. They should be golden brow on both sides.

Serve them hot with the subji. Enjoy.



I am sending this to the Combo Event hosted by Fooddelicious.

And also sending this to Parathas and Gravies / Curries Series!
hosted by Me and My Kitchen

Parupu Thogayal

 
This is a light thogayal which goes very well with Pepper Rasam The rasam, with all the pepper in it is spicy and hot while this thogayal soothes your pallet. It is one of those combinations that you can make in a jiffy with ingredients in your pantry.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup moong dhal
- 1 dried red chili
- 5-8 whole peppercorns
- 2 tbsp coconut
- salt to taste

Method:
1. In a pan dry roast the moong dhal till it turns a reddish brown. Keep a constant watch as the dhal has the tendency to burn really fast.
2. Soak the dhal for atleast an hour.
3. Grind it with red chili, peppercorns, coconut and salt to a fine paste. Be careful to add as little water as possible.

Serve it with hot rice and Pepper Rasam




I am sending this to the Combo Event hosted by Fooddelicious.

BlueBerry Walnut Banana Bread

I tried the Cherry-Walnut Banana Bread from the FatFreeVegan blog. Here is the link to the recipe. I subtituted dried cherries with dried BlueBerries. The bread was chewy and very tasty.

Zucchini and Cabbage Subzi

I tried the Zucchini and Cabbage Subji from Redchillies website. The taste was incredible. Here is the link to the recipe. I modified the recipe by adding some garbanzo beans and Carrots.It goes well with Roti or Parathas.

Black Bean soup

Ingredients:
- 2 cups black beans
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 2-3 Tomatoes roughly chopped
- 2 jalapeno pepper broken into half
- 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 avocado chopped
- few tortilla chips for garnish (optional)
- 1 tsp oil
- salt to taste

Method:

1. In a slow cooker/crock pot add the dried beans, salt and add water. Make sure the water is at least 2-3 inches above the beans. If you are not there to attend make sure you pour more water. So for two cups you will roughly need at least 5 cups of water. Let it cook for 5-6 hours in high.
2. In a pan pour oil and fry the jalapeno, onions till they become tender. Add tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add cumin powder and dried oregano and chili powder and salt. Mix it well and add to the slow cooker. Turn it down to low and let it boil for at least an hour. If you don't have an hour before serving turn it to high and cook it for half hour. The more it boils the better it tastes.
3. Just before serving garnish with avocado and the chips.

This soups is very tasty with the crunchy chips and buttery avocado and beans.

Mexican Tomato Rice

 

Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked long grain rice
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 2-3 Tomatoes roughly chopped
- 2 jalapeno pepper broken into half
- 2 tbsp tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 1/2 cup boiled or canned beans (I used black beans)
- 1/4 cup green peas
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp oil
- salt to taste

Method:

1. In a skillet pour oil and add the jalapeno and onions. Fry them in medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and cook till they become soft. Now add tomato sauce, cumin powder and salt. After a minute add the green peas.
3. Reduce the heat and mix in the rice. Once the rice is coated well with the masala add the black beans. Toss it lightly with the beans and remove it to a serving bowl.

Garnish it with cilantro and serve it as a side for buirto.

Salsa

 

Ingredients
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 2-3 Tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper broken into half
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Method:

In a food processor add the onions, tomatoes and jalapeno (I did not remove the seeds as I wanted it to be spicy) and blend it. Use a food processor as blender will crush it too much. Add the lemon juice, roasted cumin powder, salt and cilatro. Pulse for a minute and serve it cold.

Quinoa upma

I am becoming a big fan of Quinoa and this time I tried making a south indian style upma. It tasted really good. Give it a try...

Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 3 cups of mixed vegetable
(I used peas, carrots, capsicum, potatoes, beans, frozen black eye peas)
- 1 tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp hing
- salt to taste

Seasoning
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp urad dhal
- 1 tsp channa dhal
- 2 green chili slit into half
- 1 tsp of minced ginger
- few curry leaves
- 1 tsp oil


Method:
1. Clean Quinoa a couple of times. In 2 cups of water add the Quinoa. Once it comes to a boil reduce to a simmer and cook it covered for 15 minutes or until the water evaporates. (or) In a microwave safe bowl add the Quinoa and 3 cups of water and cook for 25 minutes.
2. In a skillet pour the oil and add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter add channa dhal, urad dhal and fry till they turn brown. Add the chillies, curry leaves and ginger. Fry till it becomes soft. Add tomatoes and all the other vegetable and cook till it becomes soft.
3. Add the cooked quinoa and mix it well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Garnish it with cilantro and serve it hot. Can serve it with sambar, thogayal or just plain pickle.



This recipe finds its way to Dil se - Sunday snack evnet

Vendya (Methi) Kulambu

Ingredients:
- 2 tsp methi seeds soaked in water for at least 1/2 hour
- 2 cups mixed vegetables chopped to bite size pieces ( I used okra, carrots, cauliflower and tomatoes) Can also use eggplant, pumpkin or drumstick.
- lemon size tamarind softened (extract 2 cups tamarind water)
- 1.5 tbsp Sambar Powder
- 1/2 tsp jaggary or brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp hing
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 green chili slit into half
- 1 tspn cooking oil
- salt to taste

Roast in a dry pan and grid to a fine powder:
- 1 tsp methi seeds

Seasoning:
- 1 tspn mustard seeds
- curry leaves

Method:

1. In a heavy bottom vessel pour the oil and add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter add the soaked methi seeds. Make sure you drain all the water.
2. Fry until the methi seeds becomes a golden color. Drop the curry leaves, chili, hing and turmeric powder. Fry for another 30 seconds.
3. Now add the chopped vegetables salt and about 1/2 cup of water. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the tamarind water, sambar powder, and methi powder and boil for 10 minutes. Finally add the jagary (or brown sugar).

This kulumbu does not have any dhals in it so it is very light and comforting.

Serve it hot with rice.




I am sending this dish to EVENT: COOKING WITH SEEDS - FENUGREEK SEEDS hosted by DenuFood and the event is organized by Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipe