Cabbage and green onion paratha/kobi na paratha

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

Thepla from leftovers

Thepla....just this one word is enough for me to crave for this yummy food. Any gujju family's trip is incomplete without those theplas and pickles. There are so many varieties and ways to make it. There are quite few things which go very well with them like pickles,curd,curry, chutney, tea, coffee, ketchup etc.

This recipe of thepla, it is totally full proof recipe because it is made from leftover khichadi/ plain rice. I don't recommend using leftover pulav because all the vegetables in the pulav. Those vegetables make rolling the thepla harder.

Ingredients

leftover khichadi

whole wheat flour

ginger chili paste

chopped cilantro

lemon juice

sugar(optional)

salt as per taste

oil for cooking

Spices

carom seeds

sesame seeds

turmeric powder

coriander cumin powder

red chili powder

Take the khichadi in one big bowl to knead the dough. Mash the khichadi with your hand as much as possible. Discard any whole spices or peanuts from the khichadi. Now add the flour slowly and start combining the dough. Make sure to add just enough dough, so all the khichadi gets comibined. Now add all the spices,cilantro,salt and sugar. Make the dough with very little or just without water. Don't knead this dough too much otherwise with all the rice in it, it will become too sticky to handle.

Divide into equal portions and roll into thin circles. Heat one flat griddle or tava and cook all the thepala using oil as required.

We enjoyed our thepala with hot tea and enjoyed!

Notes:-

I have not mentioned specific measurements for this recipe because it all depends on the quantity of leftover khichdi/rice, type whole wheat flour and consistancy of khichadi/rice

If you make this thepala with leftover khichadi, then keep in mind that there are already some spices and salt in the khichadi.

If you make this thepala with plain rice then add spices for flour and rice accordingly.

This thepla doesn't require too much oil to be safe because of rice.

I like to have lots of cilantro in these thepalas, they really add nice flavor to this dish.

Methi Dal Dhokli and back after a longggggggg break

I cannot believe that it has been almost 2 years.....uffff I know this cannot be called break but may be sabbatical leaves. Anyways due to new entry in our family and some health issues, I have been away from blogging for long time. Now I have decided to keep this blog alive again. Let's see how far I can go with this plan....

Coming to the today's recipe, I wanted to start this new beginning with another healthy and traditional Gujarati recipe. This is different version of dal dhokali. When I was looking online for the recipe, I got surprised because this dish is made in a totally different way in my home....one more reason to blog this recipe. I just love this dish because it has protein, carbs, greensand lots of flavous......yeah everything in just one dish.

Ingredients

For Dough

one and half cup whole wheat flour

salt as per taste

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp dhania jeera powder

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 tsp carom seeds

2 tsp oil

water as needed

For Dal

1 cup finely chopped fenugreek leaves

1 cup boiled and mashed tuvar dal

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp dhania jeera powder

pinch of asafoetida

2-3 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 garlic pods minced

1 tsp ginger paste

1 green chili

2 kokum (optional)

3-4 curry leaves

1 tsp amchur powder (or lemon juice)

jaggery as per taste

salt as per taste

2 cup water(or as per desired consistency)

To Garnish

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Take one bowl and mix all the ingredients for the dough except water. Add water slowly and knead the dough. Dough for the dhokli should be not too soft because flour is not used for dusting while rolling the dhokalis.

Take one medium sized pot and heat oil in it. When oil is heated, add mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add garlic,ginger,curry leaves and asafoetida. After few seconds add fenugreek leaves and stir well. Let it cook for 2 minutes. Then add tuvar dal and water. Now add all the spices,salt and jaggery, amchur powder. let it boil for couple of minutes.

Divide the dough into equal parts. Roll each part into thin rotis and cut into diamond shape. When dal and methi mixture start boiling, add dhokalis in it. Keep stirring inbetween, so dhokalis do not stick with each other. Let the dal dhokali simmer for 10-15 minutes or until all dhokali are well cooked. Garnish with chopped cilantro

Serve hot with steamed rice, pickle and onions.

Notes:-

This dish is very good for diabetic people with proper substituion of jaggery.

Jaggery is optional but it gives special gujarati taste and removes the pungent taste of fenugreek leaves.

This dish tastes best when eaten right away otherwise prepare the dal mixture and add the dhokali just before serving.

To indulge once in a while, serve this along with desi ghee on top....tastes superb!

PS

I will add the picture asap

Tameta muthiya shaak~tomato dumplings curry

Tameta muthiya shaak is typical gujarati delicacy. Though it requires elaborate preparation, it is still worth to try. It is one of my favourite gujarati curry because it has typical sweet sour gujarati taste.

Ingredients:-

For muthiya(dumplings)

1 cup fenugreek leaves(methi)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup chickpea flour

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tbsp oil

green chilli ginger paste (as per taste)

salt (as per taste)

For curry

4-5 tomatoes (chopped in cubes)

1 tsp turmeric powder

1-2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

1-2 tsp coriander powder

1-2 tsp sugar (optional)

1 tsp amchur (optional)

1 tsp mustard seeds

2-3 tsp oil

4-5 curry leaves

salt

For muthiya

Wash and clean the fenugreek leaves and chopped finely. Mix all the ingredients for muthiya and knead the dough using water as required. Divide the dough into approximately 4-5 parts and roll by your hands in cylindrical shape. If dough is sticky, apply oil on your palms.

Put rolls in steaming plate. Steam muthiya for 15-20 min on medium high flame in steamer. Then slice each roll into small oval shape pieces and keep them aside.

For curry

Heat oil in one pan. When oil is heated add mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add curry leaves and pinch of asafoetida. Add chopped tomatoes, all the spices, amchur powder,sugar and salt. Mix all of them well. Let tomatoes cook for 4-5 minutes. When tomatoes are almost done, add 1 to 2 cup water as per consistency needed. Let the water start boiling, then at last add muthiyas. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Serve hot with chapati or paratha.

Notes:-

This curry has normally gravy like consistency.

You can add any other green leaves for muthiya like spinach,cale etc.

Momos~nepali dumplings

Momos....I have never ever heard a word like this before couple of years. One of my friends is from Nepal and I had momos first time at their place. I really like these dumplings from very first time and they are healthy too. Momos are basically steamed dumplings which has vegetarian or non vegetarian filling. It is a lot easier to make momos here because the cover for filling is available ready made.

Ingredients

For cover

won ton wraps (1 pack)

For filling

3/4 cup cabbage (grated)

3/4 cup carrot (grated)

2 medium onions (finely chopped)

3-4 green chilli (finely chopped)

1 tbsp ginger (grated)

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tbsp garam masala or momo masala

1 tbsp ghee

salt as per taste

Take one big mixing bowl. Add all the vegetables, chilli and ginger. Then add all the spices and ghee. At last add salt and then mix well.

Take some water in one bowl. Dip your first finger in the water and apply water on the edges on won ton wrap. Place spoonful of filling in the centre and then fold to make triangular shape. Seal the edges properly with your fingers.Repeat these procedure with all the wraps.

Put around 2-3 glass of water in the steamer and arrange the momos in steaming plate. Steam momos for around 20-25 minutes on medium flame.

Serve hot with spicy chilli sauce or tomato chutney.

Notes:-

You can add any other vegetables of your choice also.

If you don't have steamer then you can steam momos in idli moulds also.

One of the sign that momos are steamed properly is the cover become transparent.

Bhat na Muthiya~Rice steamed dumplings

I invited some guests last week for dinner and we had everything from starter to dessert. Most of the rice was still there after dinner. I was not at all surprised because this happens with me most of the time. As every time, I decided to use this rice to make Muthiya(steamed dumplings). I like any kind of muthiya and especially these rice muthiya are really soft.

Normally they are made using besan(gram flour), but this I use ragi and wheat flour along with besan to give it a healthy twist. These muthiyas are perfect for weekend healthy and filling breakfast.

Ingredients:-

2 cups rice

5 tbsp besan(gram flour)

5 tbsp ragi flour (optional)

5 tbsp coarse wheat flour/wheat flour

2 tsp ginger chilly paste

1-2 tbsp olive oil/any oil

3-4 tbsp curd

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

red chili powder

coriander powder

turmeric powder

salt

For tempering

oil

sesame seeds

mustard seeds

curry leaves

chopped cilantro

If you are using leftover rice, then sprinkle some water and microwave for 30 secs. Then mesh the rice by your hand.

Take one big mixing bowl and add meshed rice. Then add all the flour and mix flours with rice very well. Add oil,curd, sugar and lemon juice. Add all the spice and salt as per taste. Make soft dough using water as needed.

Divide mixture into 5 to 6 equal size balls and roll them into cylindrical shapes using your hand. Place them in steamer and steam for 15-20 minutes. Let it cool and cut each roll into thin pieces.

For tempering

Heal oil in pan and add mustard seeds. When they start spluttering add sesame seeds and curry leaves. After half minutes, add cooked muthiya and saute for 5 minutes.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with tea or chutney.

Notes:-

Normally I use ghau no jado lot(coarse wheat flour) for muthiya, but you can also make it with normal wheat flour.

Salsa and Click entry

For me Summer is the season of fresh vegetables and fruits. I try to enjoy all these fresh produce as much as possible. During my last visit to farmer's market, I bought tomatoes in a large quantity. The moment I saw those fresh, ripe tomatoes, I decided to make fresh salsa at home.

Before you read on, let me clear one thing. It is not authentic recipe of salsa. But I think for each classic dish, everyone has their own recipe version. I want to share my version with you and hope you like it!!

Ingredients:

6-7 ripe tomatoes

1 jalapeno

4-5 green onion

3/4 cup chopped cilantro

4-5 garlic cloves minced

salt as per taste

lemon juice as per taste

Wash the tomatoes and very finely chop half of tomatoes by hand or in food processor. Make smooth puree of rest of the tomatoes. Chop green onion and jalapeno in fine pieces

In a mixing bowl mix all the ingredients and put it in a refrigerator at least before one hour of serving.

Notes:-

I like my salsa chunky, so normally I cut half of tomatoes.

You can decide jalapeno quantity as per your liking of hotness.

Normally I make my salsa in one day advance, so all the flavors are well mixed.

Also the above picture is my first entry for the CLICK event STACKS started by Jugalbandi.

Cream Cheese Rolls

Summer is the season of outing, picnic, BBQ and so on. All of these are incomplete without food. Cream cheese rolls are perfect for summer outings. They can be made very quickly and easily. It is also a great way to feed vegetables to kids.

Ingredients

8-10 tortillas (8 or 10 inch)

8 oz fat free/reduced fat cream cheese

1/2 red or yellow belle pepper

4-5 green onions

1 shredded carrot

1 jalapeno

1/4 cup celery grated

1 tsp garlic powder

Keep the cream cheese out of freeze for few hours and soften it. Finely chop belle pepper, green onion and jalapeno. take one mixing bowl and mix all the vegetables and garlic powder. Then add soften cream cheese and mix well.

Put one tortillas on flat surface. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly on tortilla. Then carefully fold the tortilla into tight roll.

Repeat the procedure with all the tortillas. Put all the rolls in one tray and put it in the refrigerator for one hour.

Cut half inch slices of the rolls and serve with salsa or any other dip of your choice.

Notes:-

You can add any other vegetables of your choice like parsley, chiles etc.

You can also increase or decrease the quantity of vegetables as per your liking.

It is necessary to keep rolls in refrigerator, otherwise it will be difficult to cut.

Fig and Date rolls

I have been away from blogging for a long time.  First I was busy with trip planning and then trip. Once I was back....it's my sheer laziness. This is kind of new beginning, so I want to start it with sweet. 

Date rolls are very common in our home during winter time. It's very healthy and easy to make.  I had some dates and figs both in the fridge.  Figs and dates, both together tasted really good. 

Ingredients

2 cups figs

2 cups dates

3-4 tbsp roughly chopped almonds

3-4 tbsp roughly chopped cashews

4 tbsp ghee

2 tbsp shredded coconut.

Soak the figs in water overnight, if you have dried figs. Otherwise soak them in water for one hour. Drain the water and make smooth puree with a very little water or without water.

Soak the dates in the water for one hour. Drain the water and make smooth puree of dates in similar way. 

Take one pan and heat ghee in it. When ghee is heated, add both purees. Cook the mixture stirring continuously on medium flame till excess moisture dries up. Then add all the nuts and mix well.  Let it cook for fifteen-twenty minutes, stirring continuously. Cook it till the mixture leaves the sides of pan.

Let the mixture cool for some time. Take some ghee between your palms and make bit size rolls. Coat with coconut and enjoy!!!

Notes:-

You can add other nuts as per your taste. You can also increase or decrease the quantity of nuts as per your liking.

If you have to add more water to make puree, then mixture will take more time to dry the moisture. So water will just increase the cooking time.

Beetroot kofta curry

I don't like beet much. I just use it in salad sometimes, otherwise I don't have any idea of where to use this so nutritious vegetable in my diet. I saw this recipe online somewhere a while ago. I wanted to try that recipe as soon as possible, but I was hesitant. At last after gathering courage to try, I bought beetroot before few days. But believe me, the result was awesome. So, here you go.......

Ingredients

For Kofta

1-1/2 beet (parboiled)

2 carrots

1 tbspn gram flour/besan

1 medium/2 small potatoes (boiled and mashed)

1 tsp garam masala

3-4 green chilly (chopped finely)

2 garlic cloves (minced)

oil 

salt

For gravy

3-4 tomatoes

2 onion

1 tbsp ginger-green chilly paste

2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilly powder

1 tsp coriander cumin seed powder

2 tsp oil

2 tbsp fresh cream

chopped cilantro for garnishing

salt

For Kofta

Grate the parboiled beetroot and carrot. Mix all the ingredients of kofta well except oil and salt. Heat the flat griddle or tava. When you are ready to cook the kofta, then only add the salt. Take spoonful of kofta mixture in your palm and make rounds. Then slightly flatten them by your palm. Apply some oil on the tava and put all the koftas one by one on it. When one side is golden brown, then flip them and again use some oil.

For Gravy

Grind onion and tomato to smooth paste. Take one saucepan and heat oil in it. When oil is heated, add ginger chilly paste. Then add onion-tomato paste. Cook till oil separates from the gravy. Add all the dry powders, salt and cream. Add water as per the needed consistency. Simmer for 5-8 minutes. 

For serving, put koftas in a bowl and pour the gravy on it. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!!!

Notes:-

To get more crunchy and crispy taste, you can deep fry the koftas also.

If there is too much water in the kofta mixture, then you can add more gram flour/besan.

Make sure that you add kofta in the gravy before serving only, because these koftas are really fragile.

And last but not the least, First time I got some awards....ta da da!!! Thank you very much Chandani for passing me these awards. They are posted on the sidebar.

This Friends award states that-These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement(? big word, lol). Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

I would like to pass this beautiful award to mansi, purva,  sunshinemom, poornima, deesha, madhavi, nags and DK.

Prune Walnut Bread

Whenever I have 4-5 days break between my exams, I think that I have still plenty of time to cover the whole course for couple of days. Then on the third or fourth day, I realize then it's too late now. Once I feel the pressure, only then I utilize my time efficiently for last couple of days.

Now you will think what all these have to do with Prune bread??!! Well, same thing happens with me regarding event submission on blogosphere. I saw the BBD (aka Bread Baking Day) event hosted by Mansi and decided to bake something. I got time at last to bake this bread before couple of days and post the recipe today only!!

Coming to the recipe, I saw several prune bread recipes online and did some modifications as per my taste. Prune has a really good amount of vitamin A, dietary fiber and potassium. Go here and get some more information about prunes. 

Ingredients

1 cup roughly chopped pitted prunes

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup prune juice

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoon butter

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup apple sauce

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degree F

Take one saucepan with water and put on the stove with medium heat. When water starts boiling, add prune juice. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat. Then add prune and butter. Stir couple of times and let it cool till luke warm.

Take one bowl and combine apple sauce with sugar in it. beat till light fluffy mixture forms. Then add both flours, baking soda, baking powder and vanilla extract. Add prune mixture and walnuts. Stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Transfer the mixture into 9x5 inch loaf pan and level the mixture with spatula.

Bake for around 50 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Let it cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes and then remove.

Notes:-

I used half WW pastry flour and APF. You can use only APF also.

Similarly instead of apple sauce, you can use 1 egg also.

I hope Mansi would like this quick prune walnut bread. Sending this off to her for BBD event.

Gnocchi with marinara and alfredo sauce

Gnocchi is the Italian small dumpling or noodle, normally made of potato, flour or semolina. I tasted combination of marinara and alfredo sauce with gnocchi at one local Italian restaurant. It became my favourite dish from that place from very first bite. For me, alfredo is too heavy and marinara is sometimes just tomato sauce. But combination of both makes wonderful taste along with gnocchi. 

Another reason of trying same recipe at home, because I found tri color gnocchi in grocery store before few days. Tri color gnocchi has goodness of tomato and spinach both.

Ingredients:-

1 lb tri color gnocchi

For marinara

4 tomatoes

1 onion chopped

2-3 garlic cloves minced

2 tsp olive oil

For alfredo

4 tablespoon parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoon whole milk

1 tablespoon butter

dry or fresh basil flaks

dry oregano

2 tsp black/white pepper powder

salt as per taste

Boil the gnocchi in salted water as per instruction on packet. Drain the gnocchi and add some olive oil.

Boil the tomatoes for 4-5 minutes in water. Drain the tomatoes and keep them aside. Heat 2 tsp of olive oil in one pan. When oil is heated, add chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook till onion become translucent. Let onion and garlic mixture cool. Then make smooth puree of tomato and onion garlic mixture.

In the same pan heat butter. When butter is melted, add tomato puree. Add oregano, pepper and salt. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes. Take cheese, heavy whipping cream and whole milk in one bowl and whisk well. Lower the flame and then add cheese mixture. Simmer for 2 minutes.

At last add cooked gnocchi and again simmer for couple of minutes.

Garnish with basil and serve hot!!!

Notes:-

Normally alfredo sauce is made with butter, ricotta cheese and heavy whipping cream. I used just 1 tablespoon of whipping cream and add some whole milk. If you don't worry about all those calories, go ahead use only heavy whipping cream. 

Normally white pepper is used in alfredo but I had only black pepper. So I just used whatever was available.

You can make this dish with regular gnocchi also. It  will not alter the taste at all.

Eggless orange almond cake

I am still not confident about my baking skills. But still I did experiments few times. This egg less orange almond cake is from one of such successful experiments. I use recipe from tarla dalal as basic recipe and made some changes as per my taste buds. 

Ingredients

1-1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup powdered almond

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter softened

1/4 cup apple sauce

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tablespoon grated orange zest

1/3 cup curd

Preheat oven to 350 degree F

 

Mix softened butter and orange zest in one bowl. Add sugar and mix till the mixture is light and fluffy. Then add apple sauce and again beat well. Then add all dry ingredients like whole wheat pastry flour,baking powder, baking soda and powdered almond. Again mix everything well.

Then add beaten fresh curd. At last add orange juice in batches. Increase or decrease the amount of juice as per the consistency needed.

Pour the mixture in greased cake pan. Bake for 40 minutes or till done.

Notes:-

You can use all purpose flour also. The use of whole wheat pastry flour makes the cake more dense.

Instead of apple sauce, you can use 1 egg also.

You can increase or decrease the amount of sugar as per your sweet tooth. I also recommend to taste the orange juice and decide the amount of sugar as per juice's sourness.

I use freshly squeezed orange juice, and I think it real makes the difference in the taste.

I love the taste of orange zest, so I added 2 tablespoon, because I think that it adds nice little punch in the cake. You can reduce it to 1 tablespoon, without altering the taste.

Event Submissions

This cake is on its way to tasty treat's lets go nuts with almond event, Recipe Center's Recipes for rest of us - Picnic Eats event originally started by Ramki of one page cookbook and JFI - wheat hosted by Roma's space.

Ghughara/Gujiya with a Twist

Happy Holi to all!!! Finally I am out of my so called vacation mood after coming back from India trip. I wanted to make traditional holi sweet gujiya. I gave the twist to traditional recipe, because of the two reasons. The first one was to make gujiya healthy. The second reason was that I don't get ready made mavo/khoya here. I had some coconut in my freezer, so I make the filling which is normally use in modak. So here you go with the modak filling baked gujiya/ghughara...

For cover

3/4 cup maida/all purpose flour

1 to 2 tsp ghee or melted butter

luke warm water or milk

flour for dusting

For filling

3/4 cup jaggery/gud

1 cup fresh shredded coconut

1 tsp ghee

1 tsp cardamom powder

For cover

Take all the ingredients except milk, in one bowl. Knead the soft pliable dough using luke warm water or milk. Cover it and keep aside for some time.

For filling

Put the pan with ghee on medium flame. First add jaggery and when it is melted, add coconut. Cook till the mixture comes together. Add cardamom powder in the end and keep aside.

Divide the dough into 9 to 10 equal parts. Then roll them into round shape of around 3 to 4 inch diameter. Put the filling mixture on one side and then seal it using your wet fingers. Repeat the procedure with all the parts of the dough.

Preheat the oven to 375 degree F. Arrange all the gujiyas in baking tray. Bake them until both the sides are light brown.

Alternatively, you can fry them also.

Notes

There was change in taste because of baking.  If you want authenticate taste, fry them.

Event Submission

This baked  gujiyas are on their way for Purva's Holi event.

Fusion Pizza

This is my first post for 2009. I think that pizza would be great dish to start because it is famous all over the world. I always love to experiment with different type of toppings on pizza. CPK's chipotle pizza is my favourite. I wanted to try something similar at home from very long time. I call it fusion pizza because it is pizza with Mexican-Indian mix toppings. So here you go...

Ingredients

2 whole wheat or any kind or pizza crust

For pizza sauce

3 tomatoes

3-4 garlic cloves

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp oil

salt as per taste

For toppings

1 onion finely chopped

1 tomato finely chopped

1/2 cup corn

1/2 cup roughly crushed black beans

2 tbsp chunky salsa

1/2 orange or yellow belle pepper finely chopped

3-4 tsp oil

mexican cheese

For green sauce

1/2 cup cilantro

1 tbsp parsley

4-5 green chillies

3 tsp lite sour cream

For pizza sauce

Blanch the tomatoes and then puree them along with garlic. Put one medium saucepan on gas stove. Heat 2 tsp oil in it. When oil is heated add tomato puree. Add salt,oregano,red chilli powder. Let it cook for 10 minutes. I like to make this simple and fresh pizza sauce at home. You can use any kind of ready made pizza sauce without altering taste much.

For pizza toppings

Take one pan with 3-4 tsp oil and put it on high flame on gas stove. When oil is heated, add onion,tomato,belle pepper and corn. Saute them on high flame for 2-3 minutes. Add crushed black beans and salt. Then add salsa and mix well. Take off from the stove.

Preheat the oven to 375 degree F. First apply pizza sauce on the crust. Then generously spread corn topping on the pizza. At last sprinkle mexican cheese or any kind of cheese on pizza. Bake the pizza in oven for 15 minutes. Then broil for 2-3 minutes.

For green sauce

Grind cilantro,parsley and green chillies without water or with very little water. Then add sour cream in the paste and mix well.

Spread green sauce on the pizza as per your taste before serving.

Notes:-

You can eat this pizza without green sauce, it is optional.

Tropical Cheesecake

It's time of holidays and everybody is baking some goodies. We had series of potlucks during last weekend. I was also thinking to bake something appropriate for Christmas. But then G wanted to eat something different in dessert or sweet. So I decided to try this tropical cheesecake, though it is not summer. Any kind of cheesecake is my favourite. Hope you all start your new year with this dessert!!

Ingredients

For crust

250 gm crushed coconut biscuits

4 tbsp unsalted butter

For filling

12 oz fat free cream cheese

1 cup reduced fat cottage cheese

one and half cup coconut cream

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar

1 can crushed pineapple

2 tsp gelatin

1/4 cup passion fruit concentrated juice/any other fruit juice

For crust

Bring the butter at room temperature. Take one bowl and add coconut biscuit powder. Add butter in it. Mix it with your hand, till resembles to bread crumbs. Line the base of serving dish evenly and smoothly with biscuit mixture. Put in the refrigerator to set.

For filling

Hung the cottage cheese in cheese cloth/muslin cloth for 2-3 hours. Take one big mixing bowl. Add cream cheese,whipping cream,hung cottage cheese,coconut cream and mix well. Then add sugar in the mixture. Beat it well till it becomes smooth mixture. You can mix everything with electric hand mixer also.

Remove the excess water from crushed pineapple. Make sure there is not any water in the pineapple. Add pineapple in the cream cheese mixture.

Take one small bowl and pour fruit juice in it. Heat it 30 to 60 sec in microwave. Add gelatin in juice and stir it till it dissolves fully in it.

Add gelatin in the cream cheese mixture. Again mix everything well. Pour this filling mixture on the set base. Let it set in the refrigerator over night or at least 4-5 hours.

Serve cold by cutting into triangle pieces. Garnish with coconut flakes, sliced kiwis or any other fruit you like.

Notes:-

To cut the cake easily, run the hot water over the knife. Repeat the procedure before cutting every slice.

This is my entry to Purva's christmas feast event, tasty treat's santa's holiday challenge and yummy food's FIC white event.