I heard that best cooks can make delicious, finger licking food from very few ingredients or whatever is given to them. Well, well I am definitely not one of those cooks...But sometimes some recipes happened to be like that. The more simple, fewer ingredients is the key to those recipes. Believe me with very few ingredients, this is the perfect recipe for those lazy weekend brunch. Just serve these parathas with ghee/butter on top and chilled dahi/yogurt on hot summer days or hot cup of tea/coffee on cold winter days.
Besides being simple recipe, this is full of nutrition. Remember that cabbage diet craze.....well, this is one more way to sneak in that super food in your kid's plate.....and adults too who don't like it.
Ingredients
shredded cabbage
shredded/chopped green onions
green chillies as per taste
freshly ground black pepper powder
carrom seeds/ajwain
finely chopped cilantro
whole wheat flour
salt as per taste
oil to cook parathas
Take one big bowl and add all the ingredients except salt and oil. Mix all everything well with your hands and then add the salt as per taste. Now start kneading the dough by adding water little by little. Make the dough of medium consistency.
Divide the dough in equal portions. Roll each portions into circular parathas using flour for dusting as needed.
Cook these parathas on hot tava/griddle with oil.
Serve hot with ghee/butter on top.
Notes:-
Be careful when you add water into dough while kneading, because cabbage tends to leave water when mixed with salt. So add water little by little as needed.
Once the dough is ready, divide the dough equal portions and start rolling immediately....otherwise dough will be too loose to manage.
Don't add any other spices like turmeric, red chili powder etc. Just give it a try with these ingredients only. Believe me with this recipe, the little goes long way!
Enjoy!
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Thursday, July 4, 2013
A smoothie aka juice recipe for all moms!
If I say that my kids have 3-4 different kinds of fruits everyday without any fuss....you all can do it as well!!!
Before we move ahead,
Caution:- This is kind of rant from mom of 2 tots....not recipe
Okay, so as far as I know that most of toddlers/kids give hard time to their mommies for fruits. Even if they eat fruits, they normally don't like varieties. There are always 3-4 type of their favorite fruits and they just stick to those. As in my case it is banana and strawberry. Beyond those two fruits, it all depends on their mood, hunger and situation. At one point of her life, my older one was just eating strawberries except any other fruit. How can I tolerate that? so here comes the solution my smoothie/juice recipe.
Normally all kids have at least one or two favorite fruit. So here is my formula for to feed them the other not so favorite fruits.
3/4 your kids favorite fruit+ 1/4 any other fruits you want them to eat+ 1 to 2 tbsp vanilla/chocolate ice-cream+ a very little milk (blend all these things....that's it)
Okay, now you all will say that it is not healthy way to feed fruits along with ice-cream. Well, sometimes a little compromise takes you a long way with kids. This is just the beginning. Once your kid starts to love this juice then,
3/4 your kids favorite fruit+ 1/4 any other fruit you want them to eat+ yogurt/homemade yogurt/Greek yogurt+ a very little milk(again blend everything!)
that's call the progress!
Then slowly slowly you can change the fruit combinations as per your wish.
Believe me, everyday I give my kids a different kind of juice.
Like in my kids case, I use banana everyday so that I don't have to add any additional sugar(double benefit.....pat on my shoulder...I know enough of my praising!)
You can also add few nuts down the road, once you are done with your fruit list
Here are few of my versions which has work with my kids:-
banana,strawberry,blueberry, yogurt, milk
banana, apricot, blueberry, Greek yogurt, milk
banana, pitch,strawberry, Greek yogurt, milk
mango, strawberry, Greek yogurt, milk
banana, different kind of plum, berries, yogurt,milk
apple, mango, yogurt, milk
As I said, there are endless variations with one fix kind fruit as per your kid's taste.
Normally I serve this juice after their nap in the afternoon. We all have enjoy this together and this juice makes them full till dinner. I don't have to think about what to give them for evening snack. I just have to open the refrigerator and blend some fruits. Also, this recipe is working perfectly with my 14 months old as well(of course without nuts).
So now you never have to give your kids those store bought sugary water! Hope this trick works for you all mommies!
Before we move ahead,
Caution:- This is kind of rant from mom of 2 tots....not recipe
Okay, so as far as I know that most of toddlers/kids give hard time to their mommies for fruits. Even if they eat fruits, they normally don't like varieties. There are always 3-4 type of their favorite fruits and they just stick to those. As in my case it is banana and strawberry. Beyond those two fruits, it all depends on their mood, hunger and situation. At one point of her life, my older one was just eating strawberries except any other fruit. How can I tolerate that? so here comes the solution my smoothie/juice recipe.
Normally all kids have at least one or two favorite fruit. So here is my formula for to feed them the other not so favorite fruits.
3/4 your kids favorite fruit+ 1/4 any other fruits you want them to eat+ 1 to 2 tbsp vanilla/chocolate ice-cream+ a very little milk (blend all these things....that's it)
Okay, now you all will say that it is not healthy way to feed fruits along with ice-cream. Well, sometimes a little compromise takes you a long way with kids. This is just the beginning. Once your kid starts to love this juice then,
3/4 your kids favorite fruit+ 1/4 any other fruit you want them to eat+ yogurt/homemade yogurt/Greek yogurt+ a very little milk(again blend everything!)
that's call the progress!
Then slowly slowly you can change the fruit combinations as per your wish.
Believe me, everyday I give my kids a different kind of juice.
Like in my kids case, I use banana everyday so that I don't have to add any additional sugar(double benefit.....pat on my shoulder...I know enough of my praising!)
You can also add few nuts down the road, once you are done with your fruit list
Here are few of my versions which has work with my kids:-
banana,strawberry,blueberry, yogurt, milk
banana, apricot, blueberry, Greek yogurt, milk
banana, pitch,strawberry, Greek yogurt, milk
mango, strawberry, Greek yogurt, milk
banana, different kind of plum, berries, yogurt,milk
apple, mango, yogurt, milk
As I said, there are endless variations with one fix kind fruit as per your kid's taste.
Normally I serve this juice after their nap in the afternoon. We all have enjoy this together and this juice makes them full till dinner. I don't have to think about what to give them for evening snack. I just have to open the refrigerator and blend some fruits. Also, this recipe is working perfectly with my 14 months old as well(of course without nuts).
So now you never have to give your kids those store bought sugary water! Hope this trick works for you all mommies!
Fajeta/Phajeto ~ a very different and almost forgotten gujarati delicacy
I wanted to post this recipe ever since I started this blog. This dish is very similar to kadhi but still it has very distinct flavor. It is served with rice and mung dal(chutidal). There are so many childhood memories attached with this dish. From my childhood I love mangoes. I remember that during every summer vacation, aamras was everyday thing in my home. On every Sunday, my mom used to make elaborate lunch which normally consist of curry/subji, double layer roti/bapadi roti, mung dal/chuti dal, rice, aamras, dhokala/idada and Fajeto. Now a days I think this recipe is almost forgotten in most of the household. Infact I want to do the whole series on forgotten gujarati recipes!
Like all the recipes, this dish has also different versions in all household. This is my mom's recipe and I just love it and hope you all will also try it someday.
Ingredients:-
1 cup curd/dahi/yogurt
1 cup aamras/ mango pulp
1 tbsp chickpea flour
2 to 3 cups of water
1 to 2 tsp ginger green chilli paste
1 to 2 tbsp jaggery
1 tsp sunth/ginger powder
salt as per taste
pinch of turmeric
For Tempering
2-3 tsp ghee/purified butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 cloves
small stick of cinnamon
1/2 tsp asafoetida/ hing
3-4 whole red chillies
1 spring of curry leaves
Take one bowl and mix dahi, chickpea flour and water till there is no lumps. Now put that mixture in one pan on high flame. When it starts to boil add all the ingredients except mango pulp. Keep stirring in between till all the jaggery dissolves nicely. Now turn flame to slow and add the mango pulp. Then mix it very well and let it simmer for few minutes.
Meanwhile prepare the tempering in another small pan. First heat the ghee and add cumin seeds. When they start to splutter, add rest of the ingredients. Let everything cook for aroung 30-50 secs and add the tempering to the curd mixture. Then immediately close the lid so that curd mixture absorbs all the flavors of tempering.
Let it simmer agian for 2-3 minutes and add the cilantro for garnishing.
Serve it hot with rice-mungdal mixture and with roti as well.
Notes:-
This kadhi is little bit thinner than normal gujarati kadhi and thicker than rasam.(kind of in between)
You can add sugar instead of jaggery.
Check the sweetness/sourness of mango pulp and then add jaggery/sugar accordingly.
Like all the recipes, this dish has also different versions in all household. This is my mom's recipe and I just love it and hope you all will also try it someday.
Ingredients:-
1 cup curd/dahi/yogurt
1 cup aamras/ mango pulp
1 tbsp chickpea flour
2 to 3 cups of water
1 to 2 tsp ginger green chilli paste
1 to 2 tbsp jaggery
1 tsp sunth/ginger powder
salt as per taste
pinch of turmeric
For Tempering
2-3 tsp ghee/purified butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 cloves
small stick of cinnamon
1/2 tsp asafoetida/ hing
3-4 whole red chillies
1 spring of curry leaves
Take one bowl and mix dahi, chickpea flour and water till there is no lumps. Now put that mixture in one pan on high flame. When it starts to boil add all the ingredients except mango pulp. Keep stirring in between till all the jaggery dissolves nicely. Now turn flame to slow and add the mango pulp. Then mix it very well and let it simmer for few minutes.
Meanwhile prepare the tempering in another small pan. First heat the ghee and add cumin seeds. When they start to splutter, add rest of the ingredients. Let everything cook for aroung 30-50 secs and add the tempering to the curd mixture. Then immediately close the lid so that curd mixture absorbs all the flavors of tempering.
Let it simmer agian for 2-3 minutes and add the cilantro for garnishing.
Serve it hot with rice-mungdal mixture and with roti as well.
Notes:-
This kadhi is little bit thinner than normal gujarati kadhi and thicker than rasam.(kind of in between)
You can add sugar instead of jaggery.
Check the sweetness/sourness of mango pulp and then add jaggery/sugar accordingly.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Weeknight Dinner Series: vegetable grilled cheese sandwich
I'm sure you all must be thinking that there is no need to post recipe on food blog for grilled cheese sandwich! But sometimes some minor changes here and there in the recipe, and you get a whole new dish. Normally I pair this sandwich with any kind of soup. This is also totally forgiving and very versatile recipe. I make few different type of versions of this sandwich.
Version 1
shredded cabbage
shredded carrot
green chili as per taste(optional)
freshly crushed black pepper powder(optional)
salt as per taste
butter
shredded cheese
bread slices
Mix all the vegetables, green chili, salt, pepper powder, and cheese in one bowl. Put 1 or 2 tablespoon of vegetable mixture on bread slice. Put another bread slice on top of it. Now apply butter on both slices(outside!...yes that's the secret for perfect grilled sandwich). Grill it on the tava or sandwich maker.
Version 2
boiled and mashed potatoes
green peas
paneer
green chili paste(optional)
chaat masala(optional)
salt as per taste
butter
shredded cheese
bread slices
Repeat the same procedure as above!
Version 3
Grilled Fajita vegetables
black beans
garlic powder
taco seasoning
salt as per taste
shredded cheese
butter
bread slices
For fajita vegetables, normally I use onion, belle pepper, zucchini and carrot. You can use any vegetable of your choice.
This is kind of Mexican grilled cheese sandwich.
This recipe is perfect for busy weeknight, kids breakfast/snack, weekend brunch.
Do try it out and let me know your comments!
Version 1
shredded cabbage
shredded carrot
green chili as per taste(optional)
freshly crushed black pepper powder(optional)
salt as per taste
butter
shredded cheese
bread slices
Mix all the vegetables, green chili, salt, pepper powder, and cheese in one bowl. Put 1 or 2 tablespoon of vegetable mixture on bread slice. Put another bread slice on top of it. Now apply butter on both slices(outside!...yes that's the secret for perfect grilled sandwich). Grill it on the tava or sandwich maker.
Version 2
boiled and mashed potatoes
green peas
paneer
green chili paste(optional)
chaat masala(optional)
salt as per taste
butter
shredded cheese
bread slices
Repeat the same procedure as above!
Version 3
Grilled Fajita vegetables
black beans
garlic powder
taco seasoning
salt as per taste
shredded cheese
butter
bread slices
For fajita vegetables, normally I use onion, belle pepper, zucchini and carrot. You can use any vegetable of your choice.
This is kind of Mexican grilled cheese sandwich.
This recipe is perfect for busy weeknight, kids breakfast/snack, weekend brunch.
Do try it out and let me know your comments!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Weeknight Dinner Series: Mixed vegetable soup(creamy)
I don't want to start this post with excuses for my sabbatical leaves.....rather with a promise to update this blog regularly! Let's hope that I can keep my promise;-) !! After all promises are meant to be....kept?!
Now a days to cook fresh dinner every night is a big challenge for me.....If I can do it for all weeknights, then it's a big accomplishment(yeah it is!). One of the savior during weeknights recipes are normally one pot meals but then the healthy mom inside me feels guilty of not cooking something nutritious. At that time this soup recipe comes to my help.
This is totally forgiving and very versatile recipe. Just by changing one or two veggies, you can get totally new soup every time. My DD is like me only(well she should be right!), she doesn't like all the vegetables. Tomato is her favorite, so by adding more tomatoes compare to other veggies, I can feed her ANY vegetable I want....isn't it amazing?
Here are some of the versions, I have tried so far....
Mixed vegetable soup 1
Tomato 2 big or 4 small
cauliflower half head
bottle gourd 1 cup cubes
zucchini 1/2 cup cut
Mixed vegetable soup 2
beetroot 2
tomato 2 big o 4 small
carrot 1 big
mushroom 1/2 cup
Mixed vegetable soup 3
beetroot 2
tomato 2 big
carrot 1 big
onion 1
garlic 3-4 cloves
For all the version, boil all the vegetables in the pressure cooker with very small amount of water and salt as per taste. Once vegetables are boiled, blend the mixture. Pass the soup through big strainer to remove seeds of tomatoes and all. This step is totally optional.
boil the soup on gas top for few minutes before serving.
Serve hot with butter, freshly crushed black pepper and croutons(optional).
Sometimes while boiling on gas top, I add some microwaved corn. It gives crunchy texture to the soup and a whole new taste.
If you want you can add some fresh lemon juice and few chopped herbs like cilantro or basil for a new version of the soup.
You can pair this soup with almost anything like pasta, pizza, pulav, upma, sandwiches etc and you get a hearty meal to eat.
Do try out all these variations and let me know your comments!
Now a days to cook fresh dinner every night is a big challenge for me.....If I can do it for all weeknights, then it's a big accomplishment(yeah it is!). One of the savior during weeknights recipes are normally one pot meals but then the healthy mom inside me feels guilty of not cooking something nutritious. At that time this soup recipe comes to my help.
This is totally forgiving and very versatile recipe. Just by changing one or two veggies, you can get totally new soup every time. My DD is like me only(well she should be right!), she doesn't like all the vegetables. Tomato is her favorite, so by adding more tomatoes compare to other veggies, I can feed her ANY vegetable I want....isn't it amazing?
Here are some of the versions, I have tried so far....
Mixed vegetable soup 1
Tomato 2 big or 4 small
cauliflower half head
bottle gourd 1 cup cubes
zucchini 1/2 cup cut
Mixed vegetable soup 2
beetroot 2
tomato 2 big o 4 small
carrot 1 big
mushroom 1/2 cup
Mixed vegetable soup 3
beetroot 2
tomato 2 big
carrot 1 big
onion 1
garlic 3-4 cloves
For all the version, boil all the vegetables in the pressure cooker with very small amount of water and salt as per taste. Once vegetables are boiled, blend the mixture. Pass the soup through big strainer to remove seeds of tomatoes and all. This step is totally optional.
boil the soup on gas top for few minutes before serving.
Serve hot with butter, freshly crushed black pepper and croutons(optional).
Sometimes while boiling on gas top, I add some microwaved corn. It gives crunchy texture to the soup and a whole new taste.
If you want you can add some fresh lemon juice and few chopped herbs like cilantro or basil for a new version of the soup.
You can pair this soup with almost anything like pasta, pizza, pulav, upma, sandwiches etc and you get a hearty meal to eat.
Do try out all these variations and let me know your comments!
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