Dil Se..

Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-07-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

I should say these are the best cookies I have ever made!! Inspired by her post, I was immediately craving for some cookies! I made a huge batch of these and it was over in no time!! I adopted the recipe from the Betty Crocker website. It is packed with peanut butter taste and just melts in the mouth! I followed the exact recipe and it turned out great.

Ingredients

Granulated sugar - 1/2 cup
Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup packed
Peanut butter - 1/2 cup
Shortening - 1/4 cup
Butter - 1/4 cup
Egg - 1
All-Purpose Flour / Maida - 1 1/4 cups
Baking soda - 3/4 teaspoon
Baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Directions

In a large bowl, combine together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, shortening, egg and mix well. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Slowly add the flour mixture to the first prepared mixture and knead slowly to form a dough. The recipe called for refrigerating the dough after kneading.

I shaped the cookies into small balls of about 1 inch thick and arranged them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Slightly press the cookies with a fork to flatten it out slightly and also to make a small line pattern on the top. I later refrigerated the cookies along with the baking sheet for about an hour. This process helps the dough to become firm and helps the cookies to retain its shape.

Preheat an oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit.

Place the cookie sheet in the middle rack and bake for about 9 to 10 minutes until golden brown. When you remove the cookies from the oven they might still be soft. Once they cool, they turn crunchy.

Store in airtight containers.

Also check out my Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie!

Ven Pongal

2009-07-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

Ven Pongal is a typical tamil breakfast. It is a part of the menu in almost all south-indian restaurants. it is made with rice and lentils so it keeps you full until lunch. It is a combination of rice and split moong dal seasoned with whole peppercorns, cumin seeds, andcashews roasted in ghee. It is usually accompanied with sambar and coconut chutney or with gothsu. Go easy on the ghee since it is the exotic ingredient which adds more flavor to the dish!

Ingredients

Rice - 1 cup
Yello moong dal / Paasi raruppu - 1/2 cup
Water - 3 cups
Ginger - half inch
Pepper corns - 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - a few
Ghee/oil - 1 tablespoon or more
Milk - 1/2 cup (optional)
Salt to taste

Directions

Cook the rice and dal together with water and salt in a pressure or rice cooker until well cooked. Add warm milk if using and mash well. The consistency should be mushy. In a seperate pan do the seasoning with ghee or oil with the cumin seeds, ginger, curry leaves, peppercorns and cashews. Take care because the peppercorns splutter while doing the tempering. Pour the seasoning over the rice and mix well.

Serve hot with sambar and coconut chutney !

absvwrt6gu

Show Me Your Sandwich!

2009-07-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

After the edition of Show Me your Breakfast! , I am here with another interesting event. Thanks to everyone who made "Show Me Your Breakfast" a huge success. Will be back soon with the roundup and also a small surprise!!

Sandwiches in all forms are comfortable, adaptable and practical! They can be dressed up with the finest toppings ranging from vegetables, cheese etc to the simple butter and jam. And they are all exotic in their own ways. A well-designed sandwich can contain all the required food groups. It can be packed with all nutrients and can make a complete meal by itself. There are umpteen number of possiblilties to make a sandwich. So put on your thinking caps and come out with your signature sandwiches!!

Coming to the rules!

Make your own signature sandwich! It can be made with anything edible! It can me made of any type of bread. Flatbreads like pita, tortillas, chapthis can also be used. The filling can be anything hot or sweet, vegetables, meat and anything you can think of!!

Blog about your sandwich anytime between now and August 10th. Older posts are not accepted.

Please link back to this announcement and feel free to use the logo. You can send in a maximum of 3 entries. Last date for sending in your entries is August 10th.

Please mail me your entries to divyablogs[AT]gmail[DOT]com with the following details

Subject : Show Me Your Sandwich

Name:

Recipe name:

URL of post:

Picture attached (any size)

Looking forward to all your sandwiches!!

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

2009-07-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

Eating a wholesome, hearty and balanced breakfast is a great and fantastic way to start the day!! There ae so many delicious and nourishing ways to fix up a breakfast. If you are looking for some new ways to spice up your morning breakfast routine, stay tuned in for the roundup of of the 'Show me your breakfast' coming up! Tomorrow is the last day for sending in your entries!

Protein and monounsaturated fat from the peanut butter, potassium from the banana, and protein and calcium from the milk will get your day off to a great start! This is a simple and great way to indulge as well. Just throw in all the ingredients in a blender and you are good to go. It keeps you full for hours as well.

Ingredients

Peanut Butter - 1 tablespoon

Banana - 1

Milk/Soymilk - 1 glass

Chop the banana roughly, add everything in a blender and pulse until smooth.

This smoothie is versatile. You can make your own variations to it. You can sweeten it with maple syrup or honey. You can add a pinch of cardamom powder, cocoa powder or vanilla essence for more flavor. You can add a few ice cubes and have it chilled!

Just indulge!

My other entries for Show Me Your Breakfast event are

Pesarattu and Granola Breakfast Bars

Pesarattu for 'Show me your Breakfast' event!

2009-07-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

Pesarattu is a typical breakfast of Andhra Pradesh. It is a great and healthy way to start your day since it is packed with carbs and protein. it also keeps you full for long. It can be made along with onions sprinkled on top and served with coconut, ginger or any type of chutney.

Am sending this to Show Me Your Breakfast event being hosted in my blog!

Ingredients

Moong dal / Green Gram - 3 cups
Green chillies - 3 or 4
Ginger - 1 inch
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves a little chopped (optional)

Directions

Soak the moong dal/green gram in water overnight or about 6 to 7 hours.

In the morning, drain the water and add all the other ingredients to the dal and blend in a mixer to form a smooth batter. The batter should not be too runny or thin. It should be in idly/dosa batter consistency.

Heat a tawa and add a little oil and spread with a half cut onion. Once the pan turns hot, pour a ladle of batter in the middle and spread in a clockwise/anticlockwise motion in circles, starting from the center to the corners of the pan. You can add chopped onions on top if you like. Drizzle some oil on the corners.

After about a minute, flip the pesarattu with the help of a flat spoon. Cook for one more minute.

Serve with yoghurt/curd and any chutney of your choice.

This is part of "Show Me Your Breakfast" event being hosted in my blog. Send me your entries before July 10th!!

Out of chutney ideas?? here are a few of them. Do check them out!

Tomato chutney

Carrot chutney

Bottlegourd chutney

Curry leaves chutney/Kariveppilai chutney

Ginger chutney

Onion chutney

Idly-dosa chutney

Peanut/groundnut chutney

Also sending this to EFM:Breakfast Series and also to MLLA-13 conceived by Susan of the Well-Seasoned Cook and currently being hosted by Sunshinemom of Tongue Ticklers

Chocolate Orange Drizzle Loaf Cake

2009-07-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe half the year is already over!! And yeah, it is the beginning of a new month and time for Sweet and Simple Bakes! The choice for the month is Chocolate orange Drizzle Loaf Cake.

One evening, I was craving cake and was looking for simple and refreshing cake recipes. I stumbled upon this recipe but I did not have oranges at hand. In our new apartment we have an orange tree, but we have never tried those oranges. So I just ran outside a grabbed a few oranges and immediately set to try this delicious cake. I had some dark chocolate and I thought it would be too overpowering to do the entire frosting with it. So I just melted the chocolate and drizzled it over the cake. the cake was moist due to the addition of orange juice and it had a hint of citrus flavor in every bite!

Ingredients

For The cake
175g (6 oz) softened butter
175g (6 oz) caster (super fine) sugar - I used ordinary sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Finely grated zest of 2 oranges
175g (6 oz) self-raising flour, sifted
2 tbsp milk

For The Orange Syrup
Juice of 1 orange
100g (4 oz) granulated sugar

For The Topping
Dark chocolate / milk chocolate
Sprinkles of choice (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

Line and grease a900g (2 lb) loaf tin.

In a mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar and beat together until light and fluffy in appearance. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well until fully incorporated. Add the orange zest, flour and milk and fold in gently with a spatula or large metal spoon. Turn into the prepared tin, smooth the top of the mixture and bake in the oven on middle shelf 35 -45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. When cool make little holes in the cake with a skewer, (this is important for pouring the syrup onto the cake to ensure the syrup soaks in fully.)

For The Orange Syrup

Put the orange juice and granulated sugar into a pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil for a couple of minutes. Pour over the top of the cake. When all the juice has soaked in, carefully remove the cake from the tin.

Frosting

I melted 2 blocks the dark chocolate in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Drizzle it directly over the cooled cake. leave the cake for a while for the chocolate to set.

Slice and enjoy!

Check out my other cake recipes..

Spongecake with cream cheese frosting

Fruit Cake

Spiced Mango Bread

Vanilla Apple Cake

Orange cake with cream cheese frosting

Rava laddoo for Indian Cooking Challenge

2009-06-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

It has been raining rava laddus in the blogosphere today!! Yeah, it is the first creation in the Indian Cooking Challenge initiated by Valli! I am very excited to take up this challenge and try out many authentic Indian dishes. The first challenge started out with this Rava Laddoo.. I havent made this earlier and this is my first time trying it out. It was quiet simple and tasted great. We loved every bite with a hint of raisins and cashews.

Coming on to the recipe given..

Ingredients

Rava / Semolina - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 25 gms
Milk - 25 ml
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Cashew nuts - 10 whole nuts
Raisins - 10 nos
Grated fresh coconut - 25 gms

Directions

Heat 2 teaspoons of ghee in a kadai and fry the raisins and cashews until they turn golden brown and the raisins plump up. Set them aside. In the same pan, roast the grated coconut for about two minutes and set it aside.

Then add the remaining ghee and add the semolina/rava. Roast on low heat until it gives out a nice aroma. Take care it doesnt burn.

In a bowl, take all the roasted ingredients along with sugar and mix well. Microwave milk for about 30 seconds or heat on stove top until it turns warm. Add milk little by little to the rava mixture. Make balls immediately while warm. When it cools down, it is difficult to make balls.

Store in an airtight container. Since it contains milk it is best to consume it within 4 to 5 days.

Isn't it simple!!

Zucchini Kootu

2009-06-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

I found Zucchini on sale last week and got a couple of them. I have only had zucchini in soups and pastas. I thought why not make and Indianized version of Zucchini. Thus was born this Zucchini Kootu. I made it the usual way I make other kootus.I should say, it was out of the world! I am definitely going to make this soon again. We had it with simple dal and rice. it made a great combo. I suggest everyone to try this if you like kootus.

Zucchini is a summer vegetable which is low in calories, cholestrol free and rich in folates, potassium and vitamin A with lesser amounts of the B vitamins, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and copper.

Ingredients

Zucchini - 2 medium sized ones
Toor dal or Split Moong dal - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Green chillies - 3
Grated coconut - 2 tablespoons
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Urad dhal - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 spoon
Salt to taste

Directions

Wash and chop the zucchinis roughly. In a pressure cooker, add the chopped zucchini, turmeric powder, dal, salt and a little water and pressure cook for about one whistle. You can even cook the zucchini in a wide bottomed vessel instead of the pressure cooker. I pressure cooked it to save time and energy.

Grind the coconut, cumin seeds and green chillies into a coarse paste. Add this to the cooked zucchini.

In a pan, do the seasoning with the oil, mustard seeds and urad dhall. Add the zucchini pixture and saute for about two minutes, until everything is combined. Adjust salt.

Serve with rice.

Other kootu recipes

Keerai kootu

Chayote /Chow-chow kootu

Ridgegourd /Peerkangai kootu

You must have noticed a change in the layout of my blog. It was designed by my lovely sis! Thanks Sugirtha!!

Paasi paruppu Payasam/ Moong dal payasam

2009-06-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

This is one kinda payasam prepared usually during festivals. I made this for the first time on our anniversary. It is a variation from the normal payasams and other desserts. It tastes great both hot and cold. This payasam was featured in our hostel menu every Saturday. Makes me nostalgic!! Now moving on to the recipe.

Ingredients

Moong dal / Paasi paruppu - 1 cup

Jaggery (Powdered) - 1 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Cashews - 8 to 10

Raisins - few

Ghee - 2 teaspoons

Coconut grated - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Directions

Fry the cashews and raisins in the ghee until the cashews turn golden brown and the raisins plump up. Set them aside.

In the same pan, add a little more ghee and fry the moong dal until it turns slight brown. Take care it does not burn. You can even dry roast the dal without the ghee.

In a heavy bottomed vessel, melt the jaggery . Add little water if necessary. Once it comes to a boil, remove the scum formed on top.

In a pressure cooker or a heavy bottomed vessel, add the dal, milk and water if needed and cook for about three whistles. Once done, mash the dal well. You can mash it into a smooth paste or if you like some of it to bite into, mash slightly. Add the melted jaggery to it and stir. Simmer for about two minutes, until everything combines together. Add a little milk if you want a thinner consistency.

Finnaly garnish with the fried cashews and raisins. You can also add a tablespoon of grated coconut while garnishing.

Serve warm or cold.

Sending this to MLLA :12th helping hosted by Annarasa and started by Susan

Pretzels

2009-06-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

Everybody loves pretzels - crunchy, brown, salty heart-shaped snacks! Did you know pretzels have been around for approximately thirteen hundred and ninety years? Pretzels were invented by an ambitious monk baking unleavened bread for the Christian Lent. Because Christians in those days prayed with their hands crossed over their chests, he tried shaping the dough to mimic that action. They were baked to a soft bread consistency and given as a treat to children that memorized their prayers. The monk named his new treat 'pretiola' - a Latin word meaning 'little reward'. [Source:Essortment.com]

Today pretzels come in all shapes and sizes and many companies experiment with flavor. Butter-flavored pretzels are favorites that have stayed in the public eye. Pretzels are great accompaniments to soups, salads, entrees and beer.

This was the first time I made pretzels myself. I remember eating pretzels first in an airport. They taste great dipped in salt or mustard. I a paired this month with Res-o-puh-leese for Taste and Create event this month. Browsing through her interesting site, I found this recipe very interesting. Being a big fan of pretzels i tried this immediately. They turned out crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside!

Here is the recipe as suggested by Kendall!

Ingredients

Active dry yeast - 2 teaspoons
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) - 1/2 cup
All-purpose flour - 2 cups
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Vegetable oil - 1 tablespoon
Baking soda - 1 teaspoon
Hot water - 2 cups
Butter - 2 tablespoons
Kosher salt, for topping

Directions

Dissolve the yeast and the sugar in luke-warm water and let sit for about 10 minutes, or until the yeast turns the water frothy. In another bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt and add the sugar and yeast mixture.
Knead the dough until smooth, for about 7 minutes. The dough should be elastic. It need not be very smooth.
Lightly oil a large bowl and put the dough in the bowl, turning so that the dough is completely covered with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for about one hour, or until dough has doubled.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Divide the dough into 10 to 12 pieces and roll each out into a long rope of about 12 inches long. It shouldnt be too thin. Form into pretzel shape. For more pictures on shaping check this site.
Dissolve baking soda in hot water and dip the pretzels into the water mixture. Sprinkle kosher salt or desired toppings on the shaped pretzels.

Bake on a greased baking sheet for about 7-8 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with butter.

Serve warm!

Since this recipe is eggless and low in fat am sending this to Madhuram's Lowfat Eggless Baking event

Cumin Hummus

2009-06-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

Hummus is one thing which I always have in m fridge. It serves as a great spread and a dip with almost anything. You can smother your sandwiches with hummus instead of mayo for a healthier version ; top your pitas with hummus for a great appetizer or you can use it as a dip along with crackers, vegetables and chips. i love to have mu hummus with baby carrots! Above all, it is packed with protein and healthier than most dips. I usually follow the basic hummus recipe, but for a change, I occasionally try to add some spices for more flavor. This is my version, you can try it with cayenne pepper, coriander powder etc.

Ingredients

Chickpeas - 1 cup uncooked / 2 cups soaked chickpeas
Tahini - 2 tablespoons
Cumin - 1 teaspoon
Coriander - 1 teaspoon
Garlic - 1 clove
Olive oil - 1 tablespoon
Lemon juice - 2 tablespoons
Water - 2 tablespoons from the cooked chickpeas or just plain water
Salt to taste

Directions.

Soak the chickpeas overnight or for atleast 8 hours. Pressure cook the chickpeas until soft. Instead of this step you could just use canned chickpeas.

Place all th ingredients together and process until smooth. If you want a chunky hummus do not process it until smooth. You need to use a good quality olive oil which is very important.

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. It also freezes well.

Drizzle with olive oil and serve with pita bread, vegetables, crackers etc.

Tortilla bajji

2009-06-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Wondering what is this tortilla bajji? Yes this snack was born in my kitchen from the idea of using up my remaining bajji batter. I had some leftover tortilla chips lying around. So what I did was, just dip the tortilla chips in the batter and deep fry them. Believe me, it was so delicious! Will definitely be making this again! It is quite easyto make. Just mix in the ingredients for the batter and start frying. No chopping involved. You could also try this with tortilla. Just slice them into triangles or whatever shape you like and use them to make bajjis. I call this Indian-Mex cuisine!!

Ingredients

Tortilla chips - 10 to 15
Rice flour - 1 cup
Besan/gram flour - 1 cup
Chilli powder - 2 teaspoons
Baking soda - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Directions

Mix the rice flour,besan,chilli powder,salt and baking soda together along with required water to make a thick batter..It should not be too watery.
Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed vessel..Drop a pinch of batter into the oil to test if it is piping hot.
Dip the tortilla/tortilla chips in the batter 4 or 5 at a time and fry on both sides till they turn golden brown.Drain in paper towels.
Serve hot with ketchup.

Sending this to Sunday Snacks:Spill the Beans hosted at Akshayapaatram.

And also to "My Legume Love Affair-12th helping" hosted by Annarasa and started by Susan

Check out my other bajji and tortilla recipes!

Potato bajji

Instant Tortilla Pizza

Homemade Tortilla chips

Cheese Quesadillas

Green Chile Cheese Enchiladas

We have moved to our new house last weekend. And I havent really started cooking. We are still settling down. Hope to meet you all soon with new recipes!

Jalapeno Cheese Muffins

2009-06-10T16:15:00.000-07:00

I just love baking. And I always look forward to new recipes to try. After baking a number of sweet muffins, I wanted to try my hand in making savoury ones. V just adores anything with jalapenos, so i decided to make this jalapeno muffins filled with the spiciness of jalapenos with a touch of cheddar cheese. hey turned out the way I expected them. They tasted great along with soups.

Ingredients

All Purpose flour - 2 cups
Baking powder - 1 tablespoon
Baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon
Sugar - 1 tablespoon
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Grated cheddar cheese - 1 cup
Minced onion - 1 tablespoon (optional)
Yoghurt - 1 cup
Melted butter - 1/4 cup
Eggs - 2
Finely chopped jalapeno peppers - 2 or more depending on the spiciness you like

Directions

In a mixing bowl, take the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Whisk all of them together. Add the grated cheese and minced onion and mix.

In another bowl, whisk the yoghurt, melted butter, eggs and jalapeno together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir just until evenly moistened.

Bake in lined muffin cups at 400 F for 20 to 25 minutes.

They taste delicious on their own or topped with cream cheese.

We are moving this weekend! To a place closer to school. So will be busy for a while I guess. However will be scheduling a few posts if possible. The best part is i have a huge balcony at my new place and am looking forward to grow a few plants especially herbs. Would love to hear a few suggestions and tips from you all!

Creamy Zucchini Soup

2009-06-08T17:35:00.000-07:00

I made this comforting and creamy Zucchini soup on a rainy day. We had it with garlic bread. I am trying to make healthy soups every Friday night for dinner which leaves us feeling light and filling. I was on a spree looking for a variety of soup recipes for our Soup Fridays. I landed upon various soups with zucchini and this is my personalised version which is simple and made with basic ingredients.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Zucchini - 2 large ones

Onion - 1 medium sized

Butter - 1 tablespoon

Vegetable broth/ Chicken broth/ Water - 2 cups

Dried herbs - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Frozen corn - 2 tablespoons

Milk - 1/2 cup

Shredded cheese for garnishing (optional)

Directions

In a saucepan or a pressure cooker, heat the butter and add the chopped onions. Saute them for about 2 minutes until they turn translucent. Add the finely chopped zucchini pieces and the frozen corn and saute for another two minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the broth or water and bring it to a boil. Then add the milk and simmer for about 10 minutes until the zucchini is well cooked. If using a pressure cooker cook unitl one whistle. Mash all the ingredients together. Alternatively, you can cool the ingredients and blend them. Since the zucchini is already cooked, it is better to just mash it and retain a few bite sized pieces.

Add the dried herbs(I used dried oregano) if using and stir again. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the saucepan. Ladle into soup bowls and add some shredded cheese on top!

Serve with bread!

Ulundha vadai / Medhu vadai / Urad dal vada

2009-06-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

This vada forms an authentic combo along with ven pongal in South Indian breakfasts. It is made on almost all special occasions and festivals. It is made with few simple ingredients. It makes a great appetizer just by itself with coconut chutney or dunk these beauties in sambar, rasam or curd which tastes divine. The difficult process is shaping the vadai with a hole in the middle. Though I have not mastered the technique, just wanted to share the recipe. You can call these Indian Dounuts!

Ingredients

Black gram / Uluttham paruppu / Urad dal- 2 cups
Onion - 1 small sized
Green chillies - 3
Black pepper - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seed - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coriander leaves – 1 spoon chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for deep-frying

Directions

Wash and soak the dal for an hour. Chop the onions and green chillies. Grind the together along with the urad dal in a blender to a smooth paste. Try to blend without adding water. If necessary add 1 or 2 teaspoons of water.

Stir in the chopped coriander leaves, curry leaves, crushed black pepper and cumin seeds. Add salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients together to form a smooth, thick batter.

In a heavy bottomed vessel, heat oil for frying. Wet your palms with a little water or with a little oil so that the batter doesnt stick to your hand. Instead, you can use a ziplock bag to shape the batter.

Take a spoonful of batter in between your palms, flatten them into a round with a hole in the middle. Carefully drop them into the hot oil and deep fry them in batches of 5 or 6. It needs to get cooked for about a minute or two on each side. Carefully flip them over with a slotted spoon.

Once they turn golden brown, remove them with the slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels.

Serve hot with coconut chutney. You can use the leftovers if any, to make sambar vadai or rasa vadai or dahi vada.

Sending this to "My Legume Love Affair-12th helping" hosted by Annarasa and started by Susan and to Sunday Snacks:Spill the Beans hosted at Akshayapaatram.

Spinach Rice

2009-06-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

This is a simple, delicious and of course a healthy rice recipe. it is a one pot meal and can be made in a jiffy. Any kind of spinach can be used in this recipe. I used baby spinach.

Ingredients

Rice - 2 cups (preferrably basmati rice) Spinach - 2 cups Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup Onion - 1 medium sized Green peas - 1/2 cup Cumin / Jeera - 1 teaspoon Garam masala - 1 teaspoon1 tablespoon Lemon Juice Oil - 2 tablespoons Green chilies - 2 Garlic cloves - 4 Ginger - 1/2 inch Salt as per taste

Directions

Wash and soak the basmati rice. Chop the garlic, ginger, onions and green chillies finely. You can mince the ginger, garlic and chillies together if you want.

Wash the spinach well to remove all the sand grains if any and chop them roughly.

In a pressure cooker, add the oil and add cumin seeds. Once they start spluttering, add the onions and saute till they turn translucent. Add the ginger, garlic, green chillies and saute for a minute. Add the chopped spinach, coriander leaves, green peas along with salt, garam masala and a little turmeric powder. Once the spinach wilts, add the soaked rice along with 4 cups of water and stir all the ingredients together.

Close the pressure cooker and cook until the rice is done.

Serve warm with a simple raita.

It is just that simple!

Sending this to SWC:Cooking with Greens hosted at Creative Saga and also to

Cooking for Kids - Leafy Greens hosted by Pavani and started by Sharmi.

Show me your Breakfast!

2009-06-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that breakfast is the very important meal of the day. The word 'breakfast' derives from breaking the fast after one has not eaten since the night before. Whether you work at home, on the farm, at the office, at school, or on the road, it is not a good idea to skip breakfast. Eating a good breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day. When you skip breakfast, you are likely to become tired when your brain and body run low on fuel. By mid-morning, you might grab a cup of coffee or wolf down a sugary candy bar to wake up again. This might work for a few minutes, but by lunch time you are hungry, crabby, and perhaps your mood might make you a little more prone to make unhealthy choices at lunch.

I wanted to conduct an event in my blog featuring breakfasts. Here is what you need to do!

Take a picture of your breakfast. You need not give the recipe. Just a picture of your healthy, balanced breakfast would do. Be it a simple toast or an elaborate one; a french toast or a typical Indian breakfast; a tall glass of smoothie or a bowl of oatmeal. Whatever it is! Just click your breakfast and shoot me an email (divyablogs[AT] gmail [DOT] com) with the following details..

Your Name
Breakfast name
URL of the post
Picture of the dish

Please link back to this announcement and use the logo if you wish. You are welcome to send in a maximum of three entries. Non- Veg entries are welcome. If you are sending a picture from one of your older posts, please link back to this announcement.

Last date for sending in your entries - July 10.

Non- bloggers can also email me your entries.

Remember that eating a healthy breakfast is the best way to start off your day, and be good to yourself by eating a healthy breakfast!

For some breakfast ideas : Mr.Breakfast.com

Logo Image Courtesy : Flickr

Honeydew melon-Kiwi Cooler

2009-05-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

I found honeydew melons and kiwis on sale this week at the grocery store and picked them up. We had some fresh and I decided to make some juice with the fresh fruit. Am glad I made it. A great drink to refresh you on a hot summer day!

Ingredients

Honeydew Melon - 1/2

Kiwi - 2

Sugar - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Peel the melon and kiwi and scoop out the seeds from the melon. Chop them roughly. In a blender, add the fruits, sugar and a few icecubes and pulse to get a smooth juice.

I made this with the fruits I had, you could use any fruit of your choice.

Fill a huge glass with the juice and enjoy a hot summer day!

Sending this to AFAM:Melons hosted by Ashwini, originally started by Maheshwari.

Chicken Biryani

2009-05-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

I hardly cook non-veg at home.. When we feel like having meat we just go out and have them. But, I wanted to make something special for hubby's birthday. So I ventured into making chicken biryani along with this delicious cake for the first time. It cam out really well. The word biryani sounds exotic but I realised that it is pretty simple to make once you have the chicken washed and cleaned. We had it with a simple raita.

Ingredients

Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Chicken - 1 pound
Curd - 1/2 cup
Onions - 2 medium sized
Green chillies - 2
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Bay leaf - 1
Cloves - 3
Cardamom - 2
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Butter - 1 tablespoon

To grind into a paste

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Green chillies - 2
Mint Leaves - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Directions

Wash the basmati rice and soak for about 20 minutes.

Wash the chicken with several runs of water and chop to the required size. Grind the above listed ingredients in a mixie. Marinate the chicken along with curd and the ground paste. Let it stand for at least half an hour. You can marinate for even upto 2 hours.

Meanwhile chop the onions and green chillies. In a pressure cooker or a wide vessel, heat the oil and butter and fry all the whole spices until they give out a nice aroma. Then add the onions and fry till they turn translucent. Then add the ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute till the raw smell goes.

Add the marinated chicken and cook on high heat for about 5 minutes. Then simmer for a while till all the water evaporates.

Add the soaked rice and mix with the masala. Add about 3 1/2 cups of water and salt to taste.

Cook till all the water gets absorbed. Top with cashews fried in ghee!

Serve with a simple raita or a chicken gravy!

Sending this to Potluck:Chicken hosted at Viki's Kitchen

Sponge cake with cream cheese frosting

2009-05-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

This is a basic sponge cake which I baked for my hubby's birthday. I added a little pineapple essence for more flavor. I am not very good in frosting. I made a simple cream cheese frosting. We liked the cake very much and here is the simple recipe.

Ingredients

Eggs - 4
Sugar - 2 cups
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Pineapple essence - 1/4 teaspoon (optional)
Butter - 1/4 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Maida/ All purpose flour - 2 cups
Baking powder - 1 1/2 teaspoon

For the frosting

Cream cheese - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 3 tablespoons
Any food color (I used pink)

Directions

Bring the eggs and butter to room temperature.

Beat the egg-whites for about 10 minutes until very light and fluffy. In a nother bowl whisk the egg yolks and add the sugar, salt, and pineapple essence. Beat in butter and boiling milk.

Sift together flour and baking powder and add the liquid mixture in very quickly.

Pour the batter in a greased cake pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool completely in a wire rack before frosting.

I made a simple cream cheese frosting by mixing the cream cheese, sugar and color together. It tasted great with the mild pineapple flavor and cream cheese.

Sending this to My Favourite things:Cheese hosted by Poornima and started by Bindiya

Sweet Time hosted by Shanthi

Kara Vadai

2009-05-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe passed on to me by my grandma soon after my wedding. She handed me a notebook full of her authentic recipes in her own handwriting which I treasure. My grandma is a great cook and whenever we used to visit her place during our summer vacations we used to return only after gaining a few pounds after eating all her delicious cooking. This is one of her authentic creations. It can be made by soaking and grinding the rice and pulses. But this is an alternative quicker version using gram flour and rice flour.

Ingredients

Rice Flour - 1 cup
Gram Flour - 3/4 cup
Maida/All Purpose Flour - 1/4 cup
Split moong dal/ Yellow moong dal - 2 tablespoons
Asafoetida/Hing - 1 pinch
Baking Soda - 1/4 teaspoon
Onion - 1 medium sized
Chilli powder - 3 teaspoons
Salt to taste

Directions

Chop the onions finely. Sift the rice flour, gram flour and maida together. Mix all the ingredients together. Add water and make a thick batter without any lumps. You can add a little more chilli powder if you want it extra spicy!

In a heavy bottomed vessel, add oil to about 2 inches high and heat. When it is piping hot, ladle a small amount of batter with a spoon and drop the in the oil carefully. Deep fry them in batches of 5 or 6 till they turn golden brown in about 2 to 3 minutes. Take care the flame is not too high, otherwise the inside might not get cooked properly.

Serve hot with tea!

Sending this to My Legume Love Affair - 11th helping hosted by Lori and started by Susan.

Channa Pulao

2009-05-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

This is a very flavorful and easy rice recipe which is variation from the normal vegetable pulaos, vegetable biryani, mutton or chicken biryani. It is flavorful since it is blended with spices and healthy and packed with protein because of the addition of chickpeas.

Ingredients

Basmati/Long grained rice - 2 cups
Water - 3 1/2 cups
Chick peas/Channa - 1 cup
Onion - 1 large
Tomato - 1 large
Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Ghee/oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Cashewnuts - few
Raisins - few (optional)

To grind
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 6 pods
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Mint leaves - 1/2 cup
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Green chilly - 2
Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon
Grated Coconut - 2 tablespoon
Onion - 1 medium sized

Directions

Soak the channa/ chickpeas overnight. You can use canned chickpeas instead.

Wash and soak the rice for about 30 minutes. Grind the masala ingredients into a smooth paste.

In a pressure cooker/pan , heat the ghee/oil. Fry the cashews and raisins. Once they turn golden brown, remove them aside. In the same ghee/oil, add cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Fry until it gives a nice aroma. Add the washed and soaked rice and fry for a while. Add the water and salt. Keep closed and cook until the rice is done.

Heat some oil/ghee and saute the chopped onion until translucent. Add the ground masala and cook till raw flavour disappears. Add the diced tomato and saute for a while. Add salt to taste. Now add the channa and simmer for a few minutes so that it blends with the spices.

Finally add the cooked rice and mix gently. Garnish with fried cashews , raisins and coriander leaves..

Serve with a simple raita or kurma of your choice.

Sending this rice recipe to Monthly Mingle-Ravishing Rice hosted by Nags and started by Meeta.

Bookmarked Recipes Roundup

2009-05-17T23:52:00.000-07:00

I am here with the roundup of Bookmarked Recipes #54. A big thanks to all my fellow bloggers for sending in their valuable entries.

Starting the roundup with my entry.. I made these sweet potato fries bookmarked from Kalyn's Kitchen

EC prepares Cabbage Poricha Kootu adapting the recipe fro Usha of VegInspirations

Renuka recreates this healthy Vazhaithandu Raitha from Potlucks Special book.

Kindra makes these yummy Spanikopita Chicken meatballs bookmarked from

Hopie prepares this comforting Quinoa Stew bookmarked from Equal opportunity Kitchen

Pooja makes an appetizing Papaya Halwa from Daawat.com

Rachel cooks a Mushroom Chettinad dish originally from Nupur's One Hot Stove

Pooja has recreated this Minestrone Soup from the book 'Top Secret Restaurant Recipes' by Todd Wilbur

Anu whips a tempting Mango Icecream boomarked from Srikars kitchen

Ramya has sent in a Khandvi recipe adopted from Kenstar Microwave Cook Book.

Purva Desai has sent in a comforting Hariyali Masala Dal a recipe originally from a newspaper.

Srilakshmi makes this tempting Eggplant Parmesan from Gina's blog.

Elly makes this delicious Coq au Riesling a recipe of Nigella Lawson

Priya makes a yummy snack-Chicken Pakodas adopting the recipe from Akal's Saapadu

Happy Cook makes this appetizing Chicken Curry from Ranji's Kitchen Corner.

Poornima bakes delicious Chocolate Chip Muffins adapting the recipe from Bake or Break Recipes.

Ria bakes an amazing Challah bread bookmarked from Smitten Kitchen

James makes these pretty Brandy Snaps adapting the Merrilees Parker's recipe.

Elizabeth whips up this spinach and artichoke dip from My Kitchen in Half Cups

Kavya Naimish makes this delicious Aloo Bhindi a recipe originally from Sailus Food.

Thanks everyone for your submissions!!! It's always exciting to see what people have been making and recreating as well as meeting some new bloggers.

Next week’s round up will be hosted by Joelen from Joelen's Culinary Adventures.

Sweet Potato Fries

2009-05-15T18:32:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I tried making sweet potato fries and we were totally in love with it. I adopted the recipe from here. These are good since they are baked and have a natural sweetness and a little spiciness. You can add any herbs and spices according to your liking. They serve as a great appetizer and also a good snack to munch on!

Ingredients

Sweet potatoes - 2

Olive oil -2 teaspoons

Dried Oregano - 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon

Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Peel the sweet potatoes and chop them into long strips of about 3 inches long and about 3/4 inches thick. They tend to shrink while baking. So make sure they are thick.

In a bowl, combine together the spices and olive oil and toss in the chopped sweet potato fries until they are well coated.

Spread the sweet potatoes on a greased baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes turning them twice in between.

Serve hot!

This is my entry to Bookmarked Recipes being hosted in my blog.

Hurry and send in your recipes before Sunday May 17th!

Bookmarked Recipes!

2009-05-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

Being food bloggers, I am sure everyone bookmarks tons of recipes to try out. I do the same too. I bookmark all my favorite recipes. But I hardly try them. So let us take this opportunity to lay our hands on those bookmarked ones and try out your favorite!

Bookmarked Recipes was started by Ruth and I am hosting it here this week.

Remember if you want to take part here's all you have to do....

1. Pick a recipe from a book/magazine/blog/website/tv show and make it. (Note you can only submit 1 recipe per week)

2. Blog about it
- include where you got the recipe in your blog post (including a link to their website if possible)
- include a link to this post or this blog in your blog post
- include the logo (see above) for Bookmarked Recipes in your blog post
- include a photo of your recreation on your blog post
3. Email athisayadivyas[AT]gmail[DOT]com with the following information:
- Your name
- The name of your blog
- The URL of your blog
- The permalink for your entry
- A photo of your entry
- A note of where you got your recipe from

This event is only for a week. See you all in the roundup on Monday!! Send in your bookmarked recipes before May 17th!!