Dil Se..

Paneer Butter Masala

2009-11-20T14:09:00.000-08:00

This is one food which most Indians adore. This is treated as an exotic dish especially among vegetarians. Paneer is a good source of calcium and protein and i try to add it in our menu once in a while since it is rich in calories. Paneer butter masala could be made rich according to your liking based upon the amount of fat or cream you add. There are umpteen number of recipes in the web for this paneer butter masala and I adopted this from Sunshinemom..

Ingredients (adopted from here)
Paneer - 500 grams (diced)
Tomatoes - 3
Ginger and garlic minced - 1 tablespoon
Green chillies - 2
Unsalted butter - 2 teaspoons
Cream - 1 teaspoon
Ajwain - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 ablespoon
Kasuri methi/Dried fenugreek leaves - 1 teaspoon (Optional)
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Directions
In a blender, grind together the tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chillies to a fine paste.
Heat a wide bottomed pan over medium heat. Melt the butter. Add the ajwain and once it starts spluttering, add the ground paste and saute until the raw smell disappears. Add coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, and kasuri methi and mix well.
Add a cup of water and bring to the required consistency and bring it to a boil.
Add the paneer cubes and allow it to cook for 2 minutes.
Finally add the cream or whole milk and simmer until the gravy comes together.
Do not boil after adding the milk or cream, it might curdle.
Serve with naan, rotis, phulkas or pulaos.

Sending this to JFI : Paneer started by Indira,
Think Spice: Think Turmeric started by Sunita,
WYF: Specialty Food,
Tried and Tasted: Tongue Ticklers started by Zlamushka

Gulab Jamuns for Indian Cooking Challenge

2009-11-15T16:39:00.000-08:00

When Srivalli announced the challenge for the month as Gulab jamuns I was pretty excited, since it is one of my favorite sweets and I have never tried it from scratch. Srivalli suggested three ways to make the jamuns. I chose Indo's way and the gulab jamuns turned out great- soft and juicy.

Ingredients (from Indo)

4 litres whole milk
1/2 kg maida (all purpose flour)
1 tbsp curd (yogurt)
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups ghee
2 litres of sugar
1/2 lemon

Method
To Make Khova
1. In a wide mouthed heavy bottom pan add the milk and heat it in a medium flame. (add a couple of stainless steel spoons into the milk to avoid burning)
2. Reduce the milk for 3-4 hours till the milk solidifies and becomes thick.
3. Whip together yogurt and baking soda
4. To the khova add the flour and yogurt mixture and knead till it forms a pliant dough. (make sure not to add too much flour, just enough flour to make the khova pliant)
4. Make 3/4 inch diameter balls and set aside

Prepare sugar syrup
1. In a pan add the sugar and just enough water to cover the sugar. Heat till it comes to a boil.
2.Squeeze the half of the lemon (this is to avoid sugar crystals). Set aside.

Deep frying
1. Heat the ghee and deep fry the balls, adding a few at a time till golden brown.
2. Cool the balls and soak them in the sugar syrup.
3. Let sit for a few hours.

These yummy gulab jamuns are off to Srivalli's Indian Cooking Challenge

Egg Salsa Dosai

2009-11-13T13:20:00.000-08:00

This is not a special recipe! This dosa was born on a day when I was in no mood to have the same old dosa. I had some leftover dosa batter and was lazy to make some sambar or chutney to go with it. So all I did was make an egg dosai and spiced it up with a spoonful of salsa and it made a filling meal!

Here is the recipe..

Ingredients
Dosa batter
Egg - 1
Salsa - 2 teaspoons

Directions
In a tawa, spread the dosa batter as you would normally do while preparing dosas.
Beat an egg sperately in a bowl and pour it carefully in the center of the dosa. Spread it evenly over the dosa with a spoon.
Drizzle some oil along the sides. After about a minute, flip the dosa and allow it to cook on the other side.
Once the dosai is ready, Spoon in the salsa and fold the dosa from either sides.
You could also call this dosa- burrito!!!

Sending this to Cook for Yourself event and
Food For 7 stages of life:Kids initially started by Sudeshna .

JFI:Rajma Roundup

2009-11-09T16:10:00.001-08:00

Here I am with the roundup of JFI Rajma. For more details about some facts and nutritious benefits of Rajma check here. I thank Indira of Mahanandi for giving me the opportunity to host this wonderful event. I received about 60 delicious entries. Thanks to all the participants.
Now on to the roundup of JFI:Rajma..

Divya Vikram - Wheatberry Kidney Bean Soup
Jayasri - Rajma and sarson ka masala

Cool Lassi - Boston Baked Beans
Cool Lassi - Bean,Beet N SweetPea Burger

Rekha - Laal Rajma Ni Daar
Sayantani - Rajma Paratha

Gethan - Rajma Pakora
Pari - Rajma Rasmisa

Usha - Punjabi Rajma Curry
Usha - Layered Rajma Biryani

Mayuri - Quick Rajma "Baked" Beans
DK - Vegan Sloppy Joes

Nisha - Rajma and Mixed Dal Vada
Shama - Rajma in Milk Gravy

Ambika - Kidney Bean Biscuits - Desi fusion
Indrani - Chinese Kidney Beans & Potato Fry

Oriya Foodie - Simple salad with red kidney beans
Supriya - Red beans and rice

My Experiments & Food - Minestrone Soup
Muskaan - Shahi Rajma

Priya Suresh - Stuffed Rajma Paratha
Priya Suresh - Chunky Broccoli & Rajma Soup

Priya Suresh - Rajma & Mixed Veggies Salad
Priya Suresh - Cheesy Rajma Sandwich

Sabita - Rajma
Priya Suresh - Rajma & Sweet Potato Patties/Cutlets

Cham - Spicy vegetarian chili
Preeti Nilesh- Daal Makhani

Malini - Tangy Rajma Curry
Prasu - Rajma Pulao

Sandhya Hariharan - Bean Burger
Meera - Tariwale Rajma

Usha - Bean Tostadas
Prasu - Rajma masala curry

Suma - Rajma Aloo
Muskaan - Protein packed vegan Kidney Bean Brown Rice & Oats Patties

Padma -Rajma Masala
Padma - Dal Makhani

Padma - Rajma Soup
Padma - Rajma kidney Bean Dip

Valarmathi - Rajma and Paneer Wrap
Pari - Kidney bean mushroom cashew risotto

Vidhas -Roti and Rajma
Kanchan - Rajma Tacos

Vidhas - Rajma and pasta soup
Padhu - Rajma in tomato gravy

PJ - Sundal
Kamala Bhoopathy - Rajma Curry

Ramya - Rajma with Basmati Rice
Sadhana - Taco with Kidney Bean & Veggies

Rohini - Rajma Palak
Raje - Cracked wheat-Rajma pulao

Arti Agarwal - Rajma Chawal
EC - Cheese sandwich

Karuna Khera - Rajhma masala
Shanthi krishnakumar - Rajma masala

Sarah Naveen - Banana Flower and Rajma Kurma
Lata Raja - Rajma and Greens Pulao

Shama - Rajma Rice
Shama - Rajma in cashew coconut gravy

Thanks again to everyone who sent in their entries. And do remember to send in your entries for Show Me Your Lunchbox event by November 30th!

Anaheim Scramble

2009-11-06T15:20:00.000-08:00

I happened to have this anaheim scramble in Corner Bakery a while ago and it made a great breakfast along with some roasted potatoes, toast and orange juice. It was quite pricey and I tried recreating it at home. We totally loved it. The authentic recipe calls for some bacon and avocado, but I skipped them. It is simple to make and makes a wholesome breakfast! We had it with some hashbrowns and orange juice!

Ingredients
Eggs - 2
Cheddar cheese - 2 tablespoons or more
Tomato - 1
Onion - 2 tablespoons chopped
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Salt and pepper to taste
Fried bacon and avocado - optional

Directions
In a skillet, heat the oil. Once it turns hot, add the onions and saute until they turn translucent. Then add in the eggs and scramble it. Stir in the cheese immediately and scramble till it melts. Do not overcook the eggs. Stir in finely chopped tomatoes and once it gets heated up, add in the salt and freshly ground pepper. At this stage you can add in the avocados if using.

Serve hot with toast and hashbrowns with a side of coffee or OJ!

Sending this to Meeta's Monthly Mingle-Brunch

Am sending the following chutney recipes to Spicy Fiery Chutney's event and Pickles N Chutneys event!
Tomato Chutney
Carrot Chutney
Ginger Chutney
Bottlegourd Chutney
Idli-Dosa Chutney
Peanut Chutney
Onion Chutney
Curry Leaves Chutney

Masala Peanuts/ Masala Kadalai

2009-10-29T14:35:00.001-07:00

This is a South Indian snack which can be made quickly and is great to munch on any time of the day. It is nothing but peanuts spiced up a little and deep fried to make a crunchy snack. It stays fresh for a week when stored in airtight containers.

Ingredients
Peanuts - 2 cups
Besan / Chickpea flour - 1/2 cup
Rice flour - 3 tablespoons
Red chilli powder - 1 tablespoon or more if you like it spicier
Hing/Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Directions
Dry roast the peanuts for about a minute in a pan or microwave them for about a minute. this makes them crunchy.
Mix the chickpea flour, rice flour, red chilli powder, salt and hing together. Ad a little water to this and mix to make a thick paste. It should not be very runny.
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and when it turns hot, slowly mix the flour mixture and peanuts together and add a little to the oil very carefully. Simmer.
Allow them to turn golden brown on all sides. Slowly remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Do the same to the remaining peanuts.
Store in an airtight container.
Enjoy with tea/coffee.

Pecan Sandies

2009-10-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

Once again I was paired with Min for Taste and Create for the month of October. Taste and Create is a food blog event started by Nicole of For the Love of Food, in which participants are paired with each other and asked to create a recipe from their partner's blog. I was paired with Min in October 2008 and I made these soft homemade breadsticks.

I had a numerous delicious recipes to try from her blog and wanted to try as many as possible. But since I was out of time, I could make only one of her recipes. I tried out these pecan sandies. And it was an instant hit at my place. I have always loved the pecan sandies from the stores, but I find that these are best homemade, being made more healthier and without preservatives and artificial ingredients. And do go and check out Min's blog for some amazing recipes. I loved her baking section especially. I pretty much follwed her recipe for the pecan sandies, except that I toasted the pecans for a few minutes.

Here is the recipe for the pecan sandies...

Ingredients
Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup
Light brown sugar - 1/2 cup packed
All-Purpose Flour - 1 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
Pecans - 1 cup chopped
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Directions

Toast the pecans in a pan on medium heat for about 8 to 10 minutes. you could even toast them in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 300F.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy.
Slowly add in the salt and vanilla. Gradually add in the flour and continue beating until it comes together. Finally fold in the pecans.
The dough might be smooth. Shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and flatten them slightly. Place them on a cookie sheet with about 1/2 inch apart. Bake them for about 15 to 17 minutes until golden brown.
Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy the sandies with a glass of milk or a cuppa tea!

Wheat berry Kidney bean Soup

2009-10-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

After posting my sprouted wheat berry salad, I received a lot of questions as to what wheatberry is and where was it available. Since this is the first time I have been using using wheatberries in my diet, I would suggest visiting dear Dhivya's blog. She has loads of information about how to store, sprout and cook wheatberries and several other whole grains. I would say her blog is a one stop shop for all whole grain goodies! She even has umpteen number of whole grain recipes.

Okay! Here is a soup recipe made with wheatberries. I adopted the idea of this recipe from here, making a few changes here and there. I sprouted the wheatberries and then added it t0 my soup and salad. I would say, it is absolutely delicious and there is no compromise for the taste as well as the nutrition. It is filling and makes a whole meal when had with a slice of your favorite bread. We had this for a weeknight dinner along with some garlic bread. So here comes the recipe! The photos do not do any justice to the recipe. So pardon my photos here..

Ingredients

Wheatberries - 1/2 cup soaked overnight and sprouted
Onion - 1 large sized chopped
Kidney beans / Rajma - 1/2 cup
Potato - 1 medium sized
Garlic - 1 tablespoon chopped
Bay leaf - 1
Celery - 1 cup chopped
Tomato Salsa - 2 tablespoons
Fresh Basil leaves - 4 to 5 leaves
Oil/Butter - 1 teaspoon
Salt and Pepper

Directions
Soak the wheatberries overnight and sprout them until you see small sprouts coming out.
Wash the rajma and potato. Peel the potatoes. In a pressure cooker, boil together the potato, kidney beans and wheatberry sprouts together until about 3 whistles. Reserve the cooking liquid.
Meanwhile in a pan, heat some oil and saute the garlic and onions until translucent. Add the celery and bay leaf and soft for one more minute. Mash the pressure cooked potato roughly.
Then add the pressure cooked wheatberries, kidney beans and potato and saute for a minute. Add the cooking liquid and some water/vegetable broth.
Stir in the salsa. You could replace this with tomato paste instead.
Add the fresh basil leaves, salt and pepper.
Cover and allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes.
Sprinkle some cheese and serve with some fresh homemade bread!

Lately I have been quite busy with my graduate classes, and have very little time to cook. So am looking forward to more of cook ahead recipes and frozen recipes. Please do feel free to give your suggestions on such quick cooking and cook-ahead meals! I made a huge batch of this soup and froze it. It freezes well and retains the same taste when thawed and microwaved.

This soup recipe is off to JFI:Rajma being hosted here at Dil Se.. this month and initially started by Indira
Also sending my Rajma Kurma for the event.

Show Me Your Lunchbox

2009-10-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

After the series of Show Me Your.. Events, i am here with another edition of the event. I always feel that planning what to pack for your lunchbox is a more challenging task than actually even preparing your lunch. So this event should be helpful in bringing out ideas to plan a wholesome, nutritious and easy lunches. So let us put on our thinking hats and come up with various lunch ideas!
Rules for sending your entries!

Take a picture of your lunchbox/ tiffin box/ dabba/ brown bag or whatever you call it. You are welcome to show all contents of your lunchbag including the drink, snacks etc. This is not required though. You are free to post just the picture of your lunchbox. Mention the lunch menu along with the picture.
You are also welcome to share the recipes if you like. Recipe is optional.

You can send in any number of entries for the event.

Please link back to this announcement and repost old entries.

Feel free to use the log. It is optional.

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

Name:
Contents of lunchbox / Recipe name
URL of post
Picture (of any size)

Non-bloggers can also email me your entries. i will include them in the roundup.

Last date for the event will be November 30.

Do check out the previous editions of Show Me events..
Show Me Your Breakfast Part I
Show Me Your Breakfast Part II
Show Me Your Sandwich
Show Me Your Omelette

Also send in your entries for JFI:Rajma before Oct 31st.

Low Fat eggless banana oatmeal muffins

2009-10-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

I made a huge batch of these delicious healthy muffins. These make a great tasting snack or breakfast. I make a batch for the freezer and I pop one muffin for a few seconds in the microwave when am hungry. And they are ready moist and fresh again. I made it healthier adding oatmeal to the batter. I also love that it is eggless.

Ingredients
Mashed banana - 2 cups
Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup
All-Purpose flour - 3/4 cup
Old Fashioned oats - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
Applesauce - 1/2 cup
Baking Powder - 2 teaspoons
Baking Soda - 1 teaspoon
Vanilla essence - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Directions
Combine the dry ingredients together - the flour,oatmeal, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl combine together the milk, applesauce and vanilla essence. You could replace the applesauce with oil. Also combine the mashed bananas.
Finally combine the liquid and dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Over stirring results in hard muffins.
Line the muffin pan with muffin cups. Grease them if needed.
Pour evenly about 3/4th full.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400 F for about 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick/fork inserted comes out clean.
Cool for about 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack.

Enjoy them warm!

Sending these muffins to Whole Grain (Eggless) Baking Event - Oats and EFM:Oats
Also sending my other oats recipes for the events:
Oatmeal Wheat bread
Granola Breakfast Bars

Also sending this banana Oatmeal muffins and whole wheat banana bread to CFK:Wheat hosted at Kidz Delight and started by Sharmi

Wishing you all a Happy Diwali!!

Sprouted Wheatberry Bean Salad

2009-10-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

I have heard a lot about whole grains, sprouts and their nutrition. But I have always been skeptical to try them. On our trip to the grocery store, I picked a pack of wheatberries and it was lying in my pantry for a while. Googling for recipes, I came across a lot of salads and soups with wheatberries. I learnt that its nutrition is maximum brought out when sprouting the berries. So I sprouted a cup of wheatberries and moong dal separately. Then I prepared a quick salad and we had it with a piece of bread to make a wholesome nutritious meal!

Ingredients
Wheat berries(sprouted) - 1 cup
Sprouted moong dal - 1 cup
Garbanzo beans - 1 cup
Carrot - 1
Cucumber -1
Golden raisins - 2 tablespoons
Balsamic vinegar and olive oil - for the dressing
Salt and pepper - to taste

Directions
Soak wheatberries and moong dal separately overnight.
In the morning, drain the water wash them separately and place in a jar tied with a muslin cloth. Leave it overnight. In the morning you will see the berries and the moong dal sprouted. Wash them and follow the same method if you want them to sprout even longer.
When you are ready to make the salad,
Pressure cook the wheat berries and the garbanzo beans. You could use canned garbanzo beans instead. The wheatberries should get a chewy texture.
Grate the carrots and cucumber.
Combine together, the wheatberries, sprouted moong dal, carrots, cucumber, raisins.
Season with a dressing made with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Also add salt and pepper to taste.
This tastes so good and kept us full for hours.

Coming up!
Wheatberry-kidney bean soup!!

Show Me Your Omelette - Roundup

2009-10-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

Finally, here is the roundup of Show Me Your Omelette event! I received delicious omelettes which can be had for breakfast, lunch and even dinner! This page is worth bookmarking for all your future references I guess! Thank you everyone for all your beautiful entries!

And while I was thinking of ideas for my next Show me Your... event, I was not able to finalize upon any one topic. So it would be great if you come up with any great ideas for my next Show Me Your.. event!!

Meena - Omelette
Deepti - Veggie Omelette

Nandhini - Omelette Pizza
Nandhini - Omelette roll and Pesto

Gita - Spinach omelette with egg whites
Sanghi - Onion Chilly Egg Omelette

Gita - Vegetable Omelette
Nandhini - Coriander omelette

Gita - Cheese Omelette with scallions
Hema - Eggs with fresh green herbs

Anuradha - Zucchini and herb omelette
Sanghi - Simple EggPepperOmelette

Sanghi - Half boil egg Omelette
Vidya - Cheese Masala Omelette

Kanchan - Capsicum Cheese Omelette
Nivedita - Nutty Egg Omelette

Priya - Bellpeppers Omelette
Priya - White radish Omelette

Nandhini - Omelette Pancake
Valarmathi - Thai Style Mushroom omlette

Gayathri and Renuga - Spring Onion Omlet
Gayathri and Renuga - Karandi Omelet

Prasu - Veggie Omelette

Ragi Kozhukattai

2009-10-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

Knowing the health benefits of the whole grain ragi, I try to tweak in ragi once in a while in our weekly menu. You can check here for more uses of ragi flour. I make ragi puttu or ragi kozhukattai for snacks in the evening. It can be made with sugar or can be made more healthy when made with jaggery.

Ingredients
Ragi flour - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Sugar/Jaggery - 1/4 cup
Coconut shredded - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Directions
Roast the rice flour and ragi flour together for about two minutes. Then add the sugar, shredded coconut and cardamom powder and mix well. Add a little water or milk and knead to form a a thick dough. Take some dough about the size of a lemon and clamp it in between your fingers so that the dough stays in shape.
Steam it in a rice cooker or idli cooker for about 12-15 minutes.
Serve warm!
If using jaggery, boil the jaggery in a little water to form a syrup. Strain the liquid and add it to the flours and mix.
Consume immediately, if you have leftovers, steam it again because it tends to harden after a day.

Also do check out my other recipes with ragi:
Ragi puttu/Finger millet cakes
Ragi koozh
Ragi malt with jaggery

Also am very proud that my omapodi/sev recipe has been chosen among the top 9 in the FoodBuzz community today! Do check it out!
Sending this to Cook for Yourself event and
Food For 7 stages of life:Kids initially started by Sudeshna .

Omapodi / Sev

2009-10-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

This is crunchy and quick tea time snack. It is versatile and is used in several dishes. It is used as a topping or to garnish almost all chaat foods. It can be had plain or spiced with some chilli powder and roasted curry leaves. This is prepared at home during festivals like Diwali.
Here is the recipe for crunchy and melt-in-the-mouth omapodi as prepared by my mother-in-law.

Ingredients

Omam /Ajwain - 1 tablespoon(crushed)
Besan/Gram Flour - 1 1/2 cups
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Hing /Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil - for deep frying

Directions

Soak the omam/ajwain in warm water for about half an hour and strain the liquid.
Combine all the other ingredients together and add the strained omam water. Knead together to form a smooth dough. Add little water if needed.
In a heavy bottomed vessel, add oil for about 2 inches deep.
Fill a murukku/ omapodi presser with the dough and squeeze in required quantities into the hot oil. Lower it to medium heat. After a minute flip the omapodi to the otherside carefully. Once the bubbles subside and both sides get cooked completely and turn to golden brown color, remove it with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels to drain the excess oil.
Garnish with curry leaves roasted in oil/ghee if needed.

Store in an airtight container.
Serve with hot tea/coffee!!

Sending this to Garnish the Dish, Kidz Delight, Diwali Contest 2009 and Sweets and Savouries

Cooking For Kids : Evening Snacks

2009-10-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

Due to other stuff coming up, blogging always takes a back seat.. And hence the delay of this roundup. I was extremely happy to receive more than 75 entries for the Cooking for kids event: Healthy Snacks event. Once again I thank Sharmi for the letting me host this event.

Without further talks, let us move to the roundup!

Shanthi krishnakumar - Sundal
Sadhana - Multigrain Banana Nut Muffin
Vidya - Ammini Kozhukattai
Bergamot - Wholesome Chocolate Chip Cookies

Saritha - Murmura laddoo
Jaya Wagle - Grilled potato sandwich
Pari Vasisht - Mango hearts and mango muffins
Nandini - Seedai

Poornima - Jaggery Dosa
Shama - Banana Vadai
Anu Nandu - Chocolate cupcakes
Anu Nandu - Kids Butterfly Sandwiches

Anu Nandu - Three Striped Popsicles
Gayathri and Renuga - Banana Strawberry Smoothie
Gayathri and Renuga - Ragi Paneer Pakoda
Gayathri and Renuga - Yogurt Pops

Uma Priya - Berry Cherry Pops
EC - Maggi Sandwich
Usha R - Vegan Orange Flavored Cranberry Oatmeal Bars
Archy - Honey Roasted Almonds

Preeti - Kuzhi Paniyaram
Preeti - Beignet Lollipops
Preeti - Microwave Masala Peanut
Hemavathi - Papa's Porridge

Trendsetters - Honey Baked Bananas
Jyoti V - Veg Soya Cutlets
Sireesha - Vegetable Semiya Upma
Pari Vasisht - Mysore Masala Dosa

Sireesha - Healthy Strawberry Shake
Priya Suresh - Mixed Dal Paniyaram
Priya Suresh - Black eyed peas Sundal
Priya Suresh - Whole Greengram Kunukku

Priya Suresh - French Bread Toast
Priya Suresh - Chickpeas Sundal
Priya Suresh - Mixed bean Sundal
Priya Suresh - Onion Medhu Vadai

Nithya - Desi Monaco Sandwich
Nithya - Stuffed Fryums
Nithya - Zoozoo Biscuits
Nithya - Baby Corn Tikka

Nithya - Frozen Elani
Sadhana - Sweet Sesame Seed Balls(Ellu Urundai)
Anshika - Frankie Rolls
Priti - Almond Pistachio milk

Kanchan - Pani Puri
Sireesha - Bread Pizza
Faiza - Fruit Kababs
Mansi - Corn flakes Chivda

Arti Agarwal - Vegetable Cutlet Burger
Arti Agarwal - Creamy Pasta
Arti Agarwal - French Fries
Prathibha - Tadka Bread Snack

Prathibha - Paneer Tikka
Prathibha - mumbai Vegetable Sandwich
Sadhana - Sweet Mixed nut Balls
Sadhana - Whole wheat Sweet Appam

Shri - Pretzels
Muskaan Shah - Churma Ladoo/Modak ( Healthy Whole Wheat & Jaggery Balls)
Minu - Popeye Pasta
Lakshmi Venkatesh - Seepu seedai

Lakshmi Venkatesh - Kalkandu Vadai
Sree Vidya - Bread peas masala
Deepti - Bread Upma
Deepti - Besan Cheelay

Lakshmi - Moong bean sprouts dosa
Aqua - Coconut burfi
Sandhya - Spicy Cuppy cakes
Raje - Minty Grilled Quesadillas
Raje - Flaky buttermilk biscuits

Prasu - Asparagus stir fry
Prasu - Raw banana snack
Prasu - Aloo Bonda
Prasu - Chitti Chegodilu

Prasu - Healthy oats cutlet
Prasu - Maramara pakodi
Prasu - Oats Pohe
and finally my entry - Bread Pizza

Happy snacking the healthy way!!

JFI:Rajma

2009-09-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

Here comes the next event in my blog. Indira of Mahanandi gave me the opportunity to host this month's edition of JFI. I chose the theme to be Rajma. "Jihva for Ingredients (JFI) is an online monthly food event, celebrating the natural Ingredients and what they can do for our Jeeva." Rajma is commonly known as kidney beans. True to their name, these popular beans are kidney shaped and are especially good in simmered dishes where they absorb the flavors of seasonings and the other foods with which they are cooked.

Here are some facts about the bean Rajma:[Wikipedia]

Before they are eaten, the raw bean seeds should be soaked in water for several hours and then boiled for at least ten minutes in new fresh water to degrade a toxic compound — the lectinphytohaemagglutinin — found in the bean, which would otherwise cause severe gastric upset.
Kidney beans, especially, should not be sprouted.
Similar to other beans, the common bean is high in starch, protein and dietary fiber and is an excellent source of iron, potassium, selenium, molybdenum, thiamine, vitamin B6, and folic acid.
Dry beans will keep indefinitely if stored in a cool, dry place, but as time passes, their nutritiveflavor degrade and cooking times lengthen.

Some ideas for cooking kidney beans:
The authentic rajma chawal prepared in North India. A wholesome one pot dish where the rice is cooked with the rajma.

Combine cooked kidney beans with black beans and white beans to make a colorful three bean salad. Mix with tomatoes and scallions and dress with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and black pepper.

Serve cooked kidney beans over a piece of cornbread and top with grated cheese for a twist on the traditional tamale pie.

In a food processor or blender, combine cooked kidney beans with garlic, cumin and chili peppers for a delicious spread that can be used as a dip or sandwich filling.

Make a pot of chili, the hearty Mexican soup that traditionally features kidney beans.

Make tacos with a vegetarian twist by using kidney beans in place of ground meat.

So put on your thinking hats and come out with your version of cooking Rajma.

Coming to the rules:

Come up with a recipe that has Rajma/Kidney beans as one of the main ingredients.
Email me the link to your post on or before October 31st, 2009.
Please make the dishes Vegetarian; cheese & eggs are allowed.
Include a link in your post to this announcement and to Indira's site (themahanandi.org).
If you have recipes that are already posted, repost and include a link to this announcement and Indira’s site.
Use of Logo is optional, feel free to use it.
Non-bloggers can email me your recipe along with the picture of the dish.
Email me at divyablogs[AT]gmail{DOT}com with the following information.

Name
Entry Name
Entry URL
Picture of your creation in any size.

You can find the roundup : here

Zebra Cake

2009-09-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

Finally, I happened to try the zebra cake which has been going around the blogosphere. i was pretty impressed with the results. It was pretty easy to achieve the stripes and was elegant to look at. It won praises for me at home and it tasted great as well. We finished the whole cake in two days and am looking forward to making it again. The cake tasted great with tea.

I was in a hurry to slice it before it completely cooled. So the designs do not look very clear in the cross section of the cake. Also pardon my pictures as I made the cake in the evening and had no proper lighting.

Ingredients

Eggs - 3 large
All-purpose flour/maida - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Oil - 1 cup ( I used canola oil.can be replaced with butter or any vegetable oil)
Vanilla essence - 1 teaspoon
Baking powder - 1 tablespoon
Dark cocoa powder - 2 tablespoons

Directions
Bring the eggs to room temperature
In a mixing bowl, combine together the eggs and sugar and beat well electric mixer or whisk until frothy. Slowly add the milk, oil and vanilla essence and beat until well blended together.
In a separate mixing bowl combine all the flour, baking powder together. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until well incorporated together.

Divide the cake batter into two equal portions. To one portion add the cocoa pwder and mix until well combined.

Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or line it with parchment paper.
Carefully do the following process. Take 3 tablespoons of the white batter(plain) and pour it in the center of the pan. Followed by 3 tablespoons of the brown (cocoa) batter.

Do this alternatively. Do not spread the batter yourself. the batter spreads by itself. Do this until the entire batter gets over.

This is how the cake batter will look before it goes into the oven.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for about 35 to 40 minutes. Check if the cake is done by inserting a fork or skewer. Cool the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes and then transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool it. Slice after the cake gets completely cooled!

Serve with tea!

Sending this to CFK:Chocolate hosted by Hema and started by Sharmi
Monthly Mingle hosted by Aparna and started by Meeta
This is something which is special and just not any other dish, so am sending this pretty cake dressed in stripes to Just not any other dish event.
And also to Kidz Delight hosted by Srivalli.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

2009-09-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
Am back after a small unannounced break! My inlaws were here for sometime and I was a little busy. We traveled a lot and ate out and very little cooking at home. Still relaxing to get back to normal. And my fall semester starts tomorrow and hoping to get back to the routine soon. And will also get back to blog-hopping as usual! Though we had loads of delicious food, I did not have the chance to click all of them. So here is one of my recipes from my draft.

Banana bread is one of our favorites. I make it often and we have it for breakfast and also along with tea in the evening. I wanted to make a healthier version and so I planned to go eggless by adding flax seeds and replacing the white flour with whole wheat flour. It came out a little denser than the white flour one but it tasted equally good and was guilt-free. So am looking forward to bake more of these healthier versions of bread.

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Milk - 1/2 cup
Buttermilk - 1/2 cup
Butter - 1/2 cup melted
Bananas - 2 large riped ones
Vanilla essence - 1 teaspoon (optional)
Flax seed powder - 1/4 cup
Baking powder - 1 teaspoon
Baking soda - 1 teaspoon
Almonds / walnuts / pecans - 1 handful (can be replaced with any nuts)
Chocolate chips - 1/2 cup (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.
Peel and mash the ripe bananas well.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, flax seeds, baking soda and baking powder. In another bowl, mix together all the liquid ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix slowly until well incorporated. Finally add the mashed banana and combine everything together. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips if using.
Grease and flour a loaf pan or cake pan . Add the prepared mixture slowly to the pan.
Transfer to the center rack of the oven and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes. Insert a toothpick or fork and check if it is done. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack.
Once cooled completely slice it up.
Serve with butter!

Spicy chicken burgers

2009-09-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

Having tried bean burgers and veggie burgers at home, I have always been skeptical about trying chicken burgers. I happened to have minced chicken at home and googled for some burger recipes. I found umpteen number of recipes and was quiet confused with what to make. Using all the inputs from google I settled upon this recipe of my own, which was indeed really good. We had it for dinner with some homemade baked french fries and some cherry pepsi!

Ingredients

Ground chicken - 1 pound

Instant oats - 2 tablespoons (can be replaced by breadcrumbs)

Egg - 1

Seasoning:

Sesame oil - 1 teaspoon

Soy sauce - 2 teaspoons

Vinegar - 1 teaspoon
Garlic powder - 1 teaspoon
Freshly ground black pepper- 1 teaspoon
Chilli flakes - 1 teaspoon (can be replaced with chilli powder or chilli sauce)
Dried oregano - 1/2 teaspoon (optional-or can be replaced by any herbs)
Sugar - 1 teaspoon

Directions

Place all the seasoning in a bowl and mix it well with a fork. Powder the instant oats.

In another bowl, take the minced chicken and add the egg. Beat well so that it is well incorporated with the chicken. Add the seasoning and mix again. Finally add the powdered oats and mix well.

The egg helps in holding all the ingredients together and the oats gives a nice crust to the burger.

Make burger size patties and shape them in your palms.

Heat a shallow pan and drizzle some oil. Once it is heated, 3 to 4 patties at a time. Cook on medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the patties over carefully and allow to cook on the other side for about 4 minutes.

Check if it has cooked through completely.

Serve over burger buns with toppings of your choice.

I made mine with some low-fat mayonnaise, mint chutney, cheese, lettuce, onions and tomatoes. Enjoy!

Also do check out my burger bun recipe!

Sending this to Cook for Yourself event and
Food For 7 stages of life:Kids initially started by Sudeshna .

Free Coupons Giveaway !

2009-09-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

I have a couple of coupons for the Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt. After using a few of them I had a couple of them left, so I thought I would give them to my blogger friends. So for a chance to win these free coupons, here is what you need to do.

Please comment here to win a chance to win these yogurt coupons. Also, tell me what is your favorite way of using the yogurt - what is your favorite yogurt based dish!
For a second entry:
You tweet about it (I am @athisayadivyas) or link back to my blog, you get an extra chance to enter! Just don’t forget to let me know in another comment that you did so!!!

I will be selecting the winner on Fri using a randomizer!

I can ship the coupons to anywhere in the US!

Good Luck!!

You must have noticed my absence in the blogosphere for a while. I was busy with my final exams for the summer quarter. Hope to catch up with all your posts soon!!

Baked Homemade French Fries !

2009-08-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

Who doesnt like french fries!! Especially when they are of reduced guilt. I would never say this is guilt-free but theses are certainly a healthier option compared to the deep fried ones. I hear someone saying how can you make french 'fries' without 'frying' them. I definitely assure that these were a close replica of the normal deep fried ones crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I made an Indian kinda seasoning with Indian spices. They turned out perfect and made a great meal with homemade burgers! I added spices and chilli powder to suit our taste, they can be varied according to your liking.

Ingredients

Russet Potatoes - 2 large ones (or any potato variety)
Salt to taste
Spices (I used coriander powder, chilli powder and cumin powder) - 1 teaspoon each
Oil - 2 tablespoons

Directions
Wash the potato. I left the skin on. You can peel it if you wish. Slice them into wedges of about half inch thick. Take care that they are about the same thickness so that they get baked evenly.

Bring a big pot of water to a boil and drop the sliced potatoes for about 4 minutes. They should be half-cooked. Remove them and pat dry with a paper towel.

In a bowl mix together the salt, oil and spices. Coat the potatoes evenly with the spice mixture by rolling them around with your hands.

Preheat oven to 450 degree F.

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and spread the potatoes evenly in a single layer.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and toss and turn the potatoes. Bake for another 10 minutes, until you see the potatoes beginning to brown.

Serve warm with ketchup!

Also do check out my
Oven Baked Potato Chips
Sweet Potato Fries

Sending this Oven baked french fries to Cooking for Kids: Evening Snacks started by Sharmi and being hosted this month in Dil Se..
And Sending this to Cook for Yourself event and
Food For 7 stages of life:Kids initially started by Sudeshna .

Basil RIce

2009-08-25T18:10:00.001-07:00

This is a hearty flavorful rice made with fresh herbs. I used homegrown basil, mint and coriander. After making pesto with basil, I had a lot of basil leaves left-over. So I ventured into making basil rice for our lunchboxes. The subtle flavor of basil paired very well with flavorful mint and coriander. Any vegetables can also be added to make it more healthy. It is a one-pot meal and very easy to prepare. We had it with chips and cucumber raita.

Ingredients

Basil - 2 cups chopped
Mint - 1/2 cup chopped
Coriander/Cilantro - 1 cup chopped
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Garam masala - 2 tablespoons
Green chillies - 2 slit lengthwise
Green peas - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1
Ginger - 1 inch minced
Garlic - 3 cloves minced
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cumin seeds /Jeera - 1 teaspoon
Bay leaf - 1
Cloves - 4
Cardamom - 3
Oil - 2 tablespoons
Salt to
Cashews roasted in ghee

Directions

Wash and soak the basmati rice for atleast 15 minutes. Wash the basil, mint and coriander/cilantro leaves and grind them into a coarse paste using a blender. In a pressure cooker or a deep bottomed vessel, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds. Once they start spluttering, add the bay leaf, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon stick and saute for a minute. Then add the chopped onions, ginger and garlic and saute till they turn translucent. Add the slit green chillies and saute for a while. Add the ground basil-mint-coriander paste and green peas and saute until the raw smell goes away. Add the garam masala followed by the basmati rice. Saute until the entire mixture gets mixed with the rice. Add 3.5 cups of water. Cover and cook until the rice is done.
Garnish with roasted cashews.

Serve with raita and chips. The quantity of basil-mint and coriander can be adjusted according to availability and taste.

Here is a picture of my basil plant!

Sending this to Rice Feast hosted by Chaitra

Bread Pizza

2009-08-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

I love making my own pizzas at home with several fun toppings. I try to make it more healthy my reducing the fat content and using whole wheat flour. I also experiment with various kinds of healthy toppings. I have also made tortilla pizza which is fun and easy to make as a simple starter or snack. This time I tried making the pizza with a bread as base. I used a whole wheat bread as a base. I also used a store bought pizza sauce. All I had to do was chop a handful of veggies, and assemble the ingredients. It is a matter of minutes and makes a great healthy snack.

It is a great way to sneak in veggies in a kids diet making it more appealing. There is no particular way to make this bread pizza / breadizza. But here is my version. you can experiment with your own favorite veggies.

Ingredients (Makes 2 servings)

Whole wheat bread - 2 slices
Veggies - 1/2 cup (combination of mushrooms, bell peppers, jalapenos, onions)
Pizza sauce / Marinara sauce - 3 tablespoons
Cheese - a handful. I used mozzarella
Butter - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Directions

Toast the bread with a little butter. Spread the pizza sauce on one side. and top with the chopped vegetables. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

For the finishing part. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese melts. Alternatively, you could microwave the bread for two minutes. Or you can heat the tawa till medium heat, place the bread pizza and cover with a lid until the cheese melts.

Serve warm!

Topping suggestions : Pineapple, olives, jalapenos, broccoli, tomatoes, capsicum etc.

Isnt it that simple!

Sending this to Cooking for Kids:Healthy Snacks being hosted in my blog and also to Sunday Snacks:Snack with bread hosted by Priya and started by Pallavi
And Sending this to Cook for Yourself event and
Food For 7 stages of life:Kids initially started by Sudeshna .

Show Me Your Sandwich Roundup

2009-08-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to everyone who contributed to the Show Me Your Sandwich event. After the huge success of Show me Your Breakfast event I was encouraged to continue with the series. And here is the roundup of Show Me Your Sandwich!
Pavithra - Pesto Sandwich
Shanthi Krishnakumar - Simple veg sandwich

Ramki - 1001 Rolls
Sadhana - Tomato Cabbage omelette wholegrain sandwich

Jyoti V - Shallow Fried Hot Dog
Jyoti V - Deep Fried Hot Dog

Valarmathi - Palak paneer sandwich
Sudeshna - Boiled egg sandwich

Sudeshna - Egg Sandwich
Sushma Mallya - Chutney sandwich

Saraswathi Iyer - Veg sandwich
Mriganayani - Eggplant panini

Sushma Mallya - Double Decker Bread Chat
EC - Potato Breadizza

Sudha - Pickled Chicken Tortilla
Kanchan - Bombay toast sandwich

Priya Suresh - Chicken n veggies tortilla sandwich
Priya Suresh - Scrambled eggs and broccoli sandwich

Minu - Bhujia Sev sandwich
Minu - Dutch Waffles

Nutan dodbele - Masala sandwich
Jyoti V - Open sandwich indian style

Lakshmi Venkatesh - Toast Sandwich
Arti Agarwal - Potato Sandwich

Saraswathi Iyer - Veg Sandwich Toast
Bergamot - Whey Olive Foccacia Open Sandwich

Deepti Srivastava - Samosa sandwich
Nisha - Moong Salad Wrap Sandwich

Shri - Cilantro pesto-hummus sandwich
Vaishali - Cucumber sandwiches

Aqua - Egg and Tomato Sandwich with Eggless Mayonnaise
Nithi - Mr and Mrs.Marie sandwiches

Nithi - Desi monaco sandwich
Divya Vikram - Egg Cheese English Muffin Sandwich

Divya Vikram - Vegetable Club Sandwich
Divya Vikram - Lavash Falafel Wrap

Divya Vikram - Bottlegourd Wraps
Faiza Ali - Club Sandwich

And do check out the current events:
Show Me Your Omelette
Cooking For Kids : Evening Snacks

Arbi Fry

2009-08-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Arbi / Colocassia or Seppankizhangu is a starchy tuber similar to potato. It can be cooked in several different ways. Tastes best when roasted with several spice powders until crispy and served with some rice and dal. It can also be served with rotis and chapatis.

Ingredients
Arbi/Colocasia/Seppankizhangu - 1 lb / half kg
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Cumin/Jeera powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Lemon juice from 1 lemon
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 teaspoons

Directions

Boil the arbi in a pressure cooker for about one whistle. Peel the skin and cut each into quarters or into half inch thick pieces. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Once the start spluttering, add the chopped srbi along with the spice powders and salt. Shallow fry for about ten minutes until the spice powders coat the arbi and turn them crispy and golden brown. Serve warm with rice or rotis.