Veggie/Fruit A Month Event

So here I am with the 1st Event of my blog.This is actually the Event started by Priya of Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes.Thanks a lot Priya for giving me this opportunity. As the rule of the Event we should choose a fruit or Veggie as the theme of the event,so i choose  Green Peas  ,who is not aware of green peas ,this is very essential veggie in our daily cooking at least in my kitchen ,I use to prepare some thing or the other with green peas frequently.So I thought lets see what my other blogger friend are cooking with this wonderful vegetable.For this You can use any peas (I mean fresh green peas,canned one or dry peas )

The rules of the event.

1. Please link this announcement page and Priya's event page with your entries.
2. We would like a new recipe with the event links and the use of Logo is appreciated.
3. you can cook the vegetable in any way and presented in some form in any course of the meal.
4. Only Vegetarian recipes please,can use eggs.
5. If you would like to participate and do not have a blog please feel free to email; your name, recipe and picture.
6. This event will be from November 1st to November 3oth. 
7. Send your entries @ richaskitchen@gmail.com and include the following details too - 

Subject line -Green peas

Your name 

Your blog name 

Your site url

 Recipe name

 Recipe url 

Picture of the recipe

Please do participate in the Event,I am looking forward for your emails and host many more Event in the future.

I will be able to post the roundup of the event only after 15th of December because I shall be busy next Month.Happy Blogging and cooking to all.........

Chikpeas Salad

 

This post was in my drafts for quite a some time now so today finally i decided to post it.This a very healthy salad with lot of vegetables as well as the nutrition of chickpeas  too.I adapted this recipe from Rachel Ray of Food Network ,but of course i made some changes in that and made it suitable for my taste buds .There are two recipe for this with slightly change or i would say hot or cold salad ,so here comes the recipes -

Ingredients                                                                                                                                                   

• 2  cans chickpeas( rinsed and drained) or 1 cup chickpeas (soaked overnite and boiled)
• 1 small red onion finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
• Spinach leaves 7-8 ,cleaned and chopped
• 1 small carrot ,grated
•  2-3 tbsp Fresh coconut ,grated (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• juice of half lemon
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• some coriander leaves and lemon wedges for garnishing.

Method (cold salad)- 

Combine all Ingredients for salad in a large bowl mix well garnish with coconut ,coriander leaves, lemon wedge,keep it in the refrigerator for some time and serve.

Hot Salad-

Heat oil in a pan add all the vegetable and saute ,add salt and chickpeas and saute some more,Finally add red pepper flakes,black pepper and lemon juice ,take it out in serving plate ,garnish with coriander leaves,coconut and lemon wedges,serve hot.

Note- You can use any vegetable in this salad whatever you have,almost all veggies goes well with it.

Lemon Rice

Lemon rice is a quite easy and traditionally a dish form southern parts of India,they have  many different Varieties of rice in their cuisine among them Lemon rice is very famous.This is the best way to use your leftover rice too.

Ingredients :

Rice       1 cup (cooked & cooled) 

Oil                1 Tbsp.

Mustard  seeds     1 tsp

Green chillies     2

Dry red chillies   2 

Turmeric            1 tsp

Salt               To taste

Lemon  juice       1/4 cup or less

Peanuts            1/4 cup

Cashew nuts        1/4 (pieces)

Chana dal          1tsp 

Urad dal           1/2 tsp

Curry leaves       3-4

Method-

1-Add lemon juice in cooked rice (make sure the rice should not be mushy and grains should be separated)

,keep it aside.

2-soak chana dal in water for at least half an hour.

3-Heat oil in a kadai add mustard seeds ,let it crackle.

4-Add cashew pieces and peanut and fry it for some time till sligtly brown,take them out of the pan.

5-Now in same pan and oil add red chillies,turmeric,curry leaves and chana dal fry for

 some time and then add urad dal and fry some more.

6- Now finally add rice,fried cashews ,peanut and saute lightly ,serve hot. 

 

Garlic Breadsticks T&T from Divya's blog

I love Garlic bread sticks anytime,with soup or simply for munching at tea time.It is always in my menu whenever i go out ...I tried it so many places but Sbarro's garlic bread sticks are the best......
I tried so many recipes of breadsticks before also but somehow i did not like or may be they did not came out perfect as i wanted,then i came across this recipe of bread sticks in Divya's blog and decided to give it a try and believe me it came out so-so perfect ....soft and chewy.
I just followed her recipe as it is only one change i have done is ,I did not use garlic salt because it was not in hand so i sprinkled chopped garlic and some Italian seasoning on top.

I am sending it to Priya's bookmarked recipes-Every Tuesday Event.

Easy Pasta

This is the perfect recipe when you are not in mood to cook something elevorate or you don't have enough time and want a quick and easy meal.you can make this in jiffy with very few things,who does not like pasta specially kids ,so try this out ,its very easy and delicious dish.

Ingredients

Thin Spaghetti- 1/2 pack (1lbs pack)
Red onion- 1 medium size
tomato - 1 medium size
tomato Ketchup-2 tbsp
soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Balsamic Vinegar -1/4 tsp
black pepper powder
oil-2tbsp
salt to taste

Method-

1-Cook spaghetti according to package directions .(usually boil 9-10 minutes in boiling water with salt and oil)
2-Chop onion and tomato lengthwise,keep aside.
3-Heat oil in a pan add chopped onion and saute for sometime ,then add tomato and saute a little bit more.
4-Add cooked spaghetti pasta ,soy sauce ,black pepper,tomato ketchup,balsamic vinegar and salt,saute and serve hot.......see how easy it is.....enjoy...

Easy-breezy tomato salad

This is a very easy and quick salad with very few Ingredients,serve it as a side with any meal ,for me it goes best  with dal and rice.

Ingredients 

Cherry Tomatoes- 1 lbs box
Sugar - 2tbsp
black salt- 1tsp
salt -according to taste
black pepper powder-1 tsp
Cumin powder-1tsp
some chopped cilantro

Method-

1- Wash and cut Tomatoes into halves.
2-Add sugar and leave it for about 5 minutes.
3-Then add black salt,salt,pepper powder,cumin powder stir well.
4-Finally add chopped cilantro and serve.....enjoy....


I am sending it to Taste of pearl city's 'Anyone Can Cook Event'.

Akeela of Torviewtoranto passed this participation Award for participating in Cold dessert Event.Thanks Akeela........

Bombay street Food -Pav Bhaji T&T from Nupur's Blog

Well who is not familiar of famous Pav bhaji of Nupur in blogging world.I also came across with her Pav bhaji recipe,although pav bhaji is not new for me ,its a kind of staple food in my house .but my recipe is slightly different from hers (anyways that is the story of some other day).I just followed her recipe as it is one difference i did was i added some chopped carrots as well and it came out so so good mmmmmm.........
Actually a nice change from my kind of bhaji so now i have two different recipes of making bahji.
I tried this recipe from One Hot Stove ,so you can just follow the link and try it out,its just yummy..... 

I am sending it to Priya's  Bookmarked recipes-every Tuesday event.

Bari-Dried Lentil Dumplings -ICC July Challenge

This month Indian Cooking Challenge is baris which are made of urad dal ,actually i wanted to try them since so long but just out of laziness i did not try it so far but when srivalli gave this as a challenge ,i tried it out and it came out perfect .The only thing i was thinking before is sunlight but its summer here so just on a sunny a day i tried my hand on it in my Patio itself and for me it took 2 full sunny days to dry it completely.So here is the recipe how I made them.

Ingredients

Urad dal- 2 cups
Bottle gourd - 1 big size (I used bottle gourd in place of ash gourd)
Green chillies- 3-4
Ginger-2 inch piece
Coriander seeds-4 tbsp(coarsely ground)
Coriander Leaves-1bunch (cleaned and finely chopped)
Fennel seed-4 tbsp
Black pepper seeds - 25-30 (coarsely ground)
Red chilly  flakes - about 5-6 tbsp
Cloves - 8-9 nos (coarsely ground)
Cumin seeds - 4-6 tbsp
Nutmeg- 3-4 tbsp (freshly grated)
Asafetida -2tbsp

Method-

1- Grind dry Urad dal in a blender coarsely.
2-Add water about half inch above the level of dal and soak it for couple of hours (about 5-6 hours or overnite)
3-Peel and grate bottle gourd and drain out excess water from it,  keep it aside.
4-grate ginger and chop green chillies very finely.
5-Now add grated bottle gourd,ginger ,green chillies and coriander leaves to the batter of dal and mix it vigorously to incorporate air in the batter ,so that baris will be fluffy and light.
6-Now add all spices in this mixer and mix them well.It should be of dropping consistency like pakoda mixer (add little water if needed).
7-Grease a plate or tray with little oil.
8-Place small blob of this batter about 1 inch apart in tray.
9-Place them in sunlight and let them completely dry and hard.
10-Store them in a airtight container and use as required.

Note- 1- I made two kinds of baris the above which i mentioned above are masala baris and the other one is plain (only with dal no masala at all) ,so that if i need little less spicy i will combine both badis in the same amount to adjust the heat of my dish.

There are two dishes with baris in my blog one is Wadi ka paani and other is aloo wadiyan .same you can use them in many different dishes.

Palm Leaf Plates

Today my this post is not related to recipes but yes,with food certainly,In my opinion food is not only about cooking but managing everything in kitchen and pre-planning.Storing things in proper way.cleanliness and some other certain things are also important.
  One more thing is that now a days everyone is talking about 'Global Warming'  ,when we are the part of any discussion we also say that yes, we should do something or we are doing something or  some people even say no we don't care about it because nothing is going to change only if we do or want.For me reducing global warming may require global solutions, but it also requires personal action by millions of individuals.I know we can not change the World but ya a little action which are done by us may help us and others probably.

In terms of food also there are so many things ,if we keep in mind we can help reduce global Warming.Here I am talking about disposable plates and papers.Now a days we are using those disposable plastic and paper plates because they are convenient for us to use .Whether its any Birthday party,potluck party ,picnic or just like that we use to bring those plates and bowls from market and use them ,actually I am also agree that they are very convenient .no mess ,just use and throw.But these things increases more plastic waste ,RESULT-----GLOBAL WARMING.

So I found a alternative way to fight or you can say to help in reduce global warming ,I know little effort but......} Actually I started using Palm Leaf Plates,and found them equally convenient as those of plastic disposable plates.These plates are environmental friendly because-

 

 . No trees are harmed to make them…they’re a super-sustainable, non-timber resource. When the palm trees naturally drop their leaves, they’re collected and turned into plates, so first of all no harm to trees.Secondly They’re not just disposable, they’re biodegradable & compost able! Just like any other leaves, these plates will return to the earth without taking up landfill space.so we are using just the fallen leaves of trees and not the plastic. They are tough and super light also however, people are consistently surprised by how incredibly sturdy they are ,so that you don't need to care about your food if it is hot also you can hold these plates easily thats what i felt after using them.

Here is my personal opinion on this ,actually after using them I felt we are just using those "Donas" and "pattals" made of leaves back in India.I hope all my Indian fellow blogger must be familiar of them.I found these plates convenient and environmental friendly.So just give them a try and give your feedback to me.

















   

Spinach Crakers (Palak Mathri)

Mathris are very popular snack throughout North India,There are so many ways to make and varieties of mathris ,in fact every household have their own recipe of this delicious snack .Specially in Uttar Predesh you will found  mathris in almost every house.
This is kind of comfort snack also because you can store it almost for a month or so.Take it along while you are traveling or for picnic ,or just for munching at home with a cup of tea and pickle............

Ingredients-

All Purpose flour - 2 cups
Fine Semolina - 1/2 cup
Spinach  - 1 bundle
salt to taste
carom seed- 1/2 tbsp
Chilly flakes- 1/2 tsp
Oil- 1/4 cup for dough
oil for frying

Method-

1-Wash and clean the spinach and make puree of it in blender,keep it aside.
2-For dough mix All purpose flour ,semolina ,salt,carom seed,chilly flakes with 1/4 cup of oil.
3- Then add pureed spinach slowly to form a stiff dough,add little water if needed.(the dough should be stiff and not like chapati dough)
4- Leave it for at least 1/2 an hour to rest by covering it with a damp cloth.
5-Knead the dough again and divide the dough into small parts.
6-Heat oil for frying on medium heat.
7-Roll the dough into small rounds with rolling pin and prick them with fork so that they will not puff up while frying.
8-Fry these mathris on medium heat till golden brown and take them out on paper towel.
9-Let them cool off little bit and store in a airtight container,they will be fresh for about a month.

Masala Lemonade

Lemonade is a lemon-flavored drink, typically made from lemons, water and sugar.A quick and refreshing drink,perfect for hot summer days.

Ingredients-

Drinking water -1/2 glass
Sugar - about 4 tbsp
Lemon juice-3-4tbsp
Black salt-1/2 tsp
Roasted cumin seeds powder- 1/2 tsp
Ice cubes
some lemon wedges for garnishing

Method-

1- Dissolve sugar and water together (if the water is at normal temperature,sugar will dissolve fast)
2-Add lemon juice,black salt and cumin seeds powder.
3-Keep it in refrigerator to chill.
4-Add ice cubes in glass and pour chilled lemonade on it ,serve with a lemon wedge in it.

Sago Idli bookmarked from Priya's and Madhuri's blog

I saw this post sometimes back in Priya's blog and i knew I am going to try this soon.I tried it yesterday and it came out very well.Something new and different from regular rava idlis.Serve it with any chutney or sambhar ,it just tastes awesome.Even i fried some leftover idlis with finely chopped veggies today for breakfast ,they were good as well.

This is originally a recipe from Madhuri's blog ,the picture of this recipe in her blog is very good.Do check her blog for the recipe because i followed her recipe as it is and it just came out perfect.

Thanks Priya and Madhuri for sharing this recipe.

I an sending it to Priya's Bookmarked Recipe-every Tuesday Event.

Microwave quick Mango Burfi

Here I am with one more mango recipe,this is quick ,easy and delicious . This is also a perfect recipe for fast (vrat)days .


Ingredients --

Mango Puree - 1/2 cup (sweetened)
Milk powder- 1/4 cup
Coconut Shreds -1/2 cup (I used frozen)
Sugar  - 4 tbsp (according to taste)
Cardamom Powder- 1/2 tbsp
Almond - 6-7 (halves for garnishing)


Method--

1-Mix Mango Puree and milk powder in a big microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 2 minutes.
2-Stir and microwave it for 1-2 more minutes.
3-Now add thawed coconut shreds in it and microwave it till thick (about 6-8 minutes) ,keep stirring after every 2 minutes.
4-Now add sugar mix and microwave it for 2 more minutes.
5- Add cardamom powder and microwave it for 1 minute .
6-Grease a plate with little butter or ghee .
7-Pour the mix in greased plate to set for about 1 hour at least.
8-Cut it in square or diamond shape and garnish with almonds halves for each piece.

Spinach & Corn Curry

India has a wide variety of food and in all cuisines curry or subzis plays a vital role ,no meal is complete without different kind of curries .The subtely spiced curry accompanying the rotis is Spinach Corn prepared as the name suggests with spinach,corn,green chillis,ginger,mango powder and cream.The curry dish offsets the rich flavor of fresh cream  with the sweet-tangy flavour of corn and mango powder– creating a unique balance.In short,a healthy meal spiced with a myriad of flavors to enhance  your taste buds.

Ingredients-

Spinach - 1 big bunch

Onion- 1 big

tomato puree- 1/2 cup

1/2 cup corn kernels(boiled or frozen)

Green chilly- 1

Ginger - 1/2 inch piece

 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds

Fresh or sour cream - 1 tbsp

salt to taste

coriander powder- 1 tbsp

Red chilly powder-1/2 tsp

Garam masala- 1/2 tsp

Dry mango powder-1 tsp

Oil- 1 tbsp

Method-

1-Wash and blanch spinach in hot water.

2- puree onion,green chilly and ginger together in a blender.

3-Puree balanced spinach in blender too.

4-Heat oil and add cumin seeds and let it splutter.

5-Add pureed onion and chilly and saute for sometime,add salt.

6-Cook till oil separates and add tomato puree to it.

7-After 5 minutes add pureed spinach along with coriander powder,chilly powder ,bring it to boil.

8-Add corn kernels ,cook for some more time (uncovered),adjust consistency by adding some water.

9-Add dry mango powder ,garam masala and cream and serve hot.

I am sending it to Torview's Veggie fruit a month-Corn event started by priya.

Chokha (Eggplant & potato )

Today i am going to share a traditional recipe with you all.Simply speaking, chokha, as they call it in Bihar, is a rustic dish of veggies cooked and coarsely mashed, topped with fresh flavourings like green chillies and garlic, and a drizzle of mustard oil. It can be eaten hot or cold.Mainly Chokha of eggplant and potato use to serve as side with Litti,Very simlar to Baati in Rajasthan in India but littis are stuffed Baatis.It is easy and quick to make and it has distinguish flavor of its own.So try it with Litti ,baati or just as a part of your meal as side and give me your Feedback.......


Ingredients-

Eggplant -1 (big one)
Pototo-1 (Medium size ,boiled)
Onion - 1 (small) (Finely chopped)
Tomato-1/2 (small)(finely chopped) optional
Green chillies -1-2 (according to taste) (finely chopped)
Garlic cloves- 1-2 pods (Finely chopped or crushed)
Ginger -1/2 inch piece (Finely chopped)
salt to taste
Mustard oil 1 tbsp (must)
Red chilly powder- 1/2 tsp
Garam masala- 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice -3-4 drops (optional)
Cilantro -(chopped)

Method-

1-Wash eggplant and wipe it ,prick it with the help of a fork and rub some oil on it.
2-Now there are two ways to cook eggplant for this recipe one is in Microwave which is quick and one is in conventional oven which will take little longer time ,i am giving both ways here ---

Microwave Method--Put the whole eggplant in a microwave safe dish and cook it for about 8-10 minutes or till tender.

Oven Method-Preheat the oven at 400 degrees ,put the eggplant in a shallow bowl or on cookie sheet and bake it for about 45-50 minutes ,turn often after every 10 minutes.

3-Let eggplant cool off slightly and peel off the skin and mash it well.
4-Peel and mash boiled potato and add it to eggplant.
5- Add all chopped vegetables excluding garlic.
6-Add salt ,red chilly and garam masala.
7-Heat mustard oil and let it come to smoking point,switch off the heat and add crushed garlic and add it to Chokha.
8-Add Lemon juice if required ,garnish it with chopped cilantro and serve.


I am sending it to Side Dish Showdown Event by Cinnamon Girl .

Easy Tacos

We love Mexican food,This is quick and easy to make and they use almost all the same ingredients which we use in Indian Cooking so always everything is ready to make Mexican food at home.

Last week I had some leftover Kidney beans so i decided to make tacos out of it ,i used tortilla in place of taco shells because i had tortilla in hand.It was very easy and delicious. The main thing is that use lots of tomatoes and it will taste good.

Ingredients-(For 2 servings)

Corn tortillas -4
Onion - 1 small (finely chopped)
tomato-1 big (finely chopped)
kidney beans -about 1/2 cup (soaked and boiled)(can use canned one too)
Corn kennels -about 1/4 cup (boiled)
Taco seasoning mix- 1 pack
Mozzarella cheese- for garnishing
Spring onion -for garnishing (finely chopped)
Cilantro- (finely chopped)
Little oil
Salt to taste

Few Nacho Chips and salsa on side.

Method-

1-Heat oil in pan add onion and salt ,saute for sometime.


2-Add half tomato and saute for some more time.


3-Add boiled kidney beans ,corn and entire pack of taco seasoning saute and turn off the heat.


4-Heat Tawa and palce one tortilla and flip it over after 30 seconds.


5-Arrange all tortilla into serving plate(as in the picture) and place kidney beans and corn mixture on it ,top it with chopped tomato,spring onion,cilantro,cheese and salsa.


6-Serve it hot with some chips and salsa on side.


NOTE- You can get taco seasoning mix in any Mexican or American grocery stores easily.




 

Naan Khatai

I think we all are aware of Naan khatai ,these sweet biscuits with butter and cardamom are divine.First of all these are eggless biscuits and tasty too.I was looking for traditional naan khatai recipe since so long and I found it in Manjulas kitchen .com .I followed her recipe as it is and it turned out awesome ,my whole kitchen filled with sweet aroma of butter and cardamom .I am giving written recipe here but if you want you can check out the video at Manjulas kitchen.com.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup fine  semolina
• 1/2 cup gram flour
• Pinch of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon green cardamom seeds 
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp almond silvers

Method-

1-Mix all purpose flour,gram flour,semolina ,baking powder and cardamom seeds (reserve some ) and set aside.

2-Beat sugar and butter in a bowl till creamy and light.

3-Preheat the oven at 375 degrees F.

4-Add flour mixer and sugar  mixer together and knead it gently to form a dough.

5-Grease the baking tray with little butter.

6-Divide the dough into equal size and garnish them with cardamom seeds and almond silvers.(press garnishing  a little bit so that it will stick)

7-Bake them in preheated oven for about 15-16 minutes (check every minute after 10 minutes) till lightly golden brown.

8-Let them cool down and enjoy...............

Nectarine Chutney

I had some nectarine lying in my refrigerator so i tried this sweet and tangy chutney.This chutney is very easy to make and different.It can be serve as a side dish with any type of meal.

Ingredients,

Ripe nectarine -3-4
ginger - 1/2 inch pieces
green chilly - 1-2
sugar - 4-5 tbsp
salt to taste
Red chilli powder- 1/2 tbsp
Crushed black pepper- 1/4 tbsp
A pinch of Garam masala
little water

Method

1-Cut nectarine and take out the seed,chop it along with green chillies and ginger into very small pieces.

2-Heat little water(about 3-4 tbsp) in a pan and add sugar ,let it dissolve.

3-Add chopped nectarine along with chilli and ginger ,stir ,cover it and let it cook in steam for 1/2 an hour on low heat.(stir 2-3 times in between)

4- After it uncover , add all spices ,mash little bit and cover it again for 15 minutes.

5-Stir and let it cool ,store in glass jar ,this chutney can be store for about 2-3 weeks in refrigerator .

Indian spicy crackers

All time hit,spicy crackers which is fit for anytime munching .Perfect for take along for travel and picnics and can be store for more than a month.

Ingredients,

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Semolina -1/4 cup
 oil-       4-5 tbsp
red chilli powder- 1 tsp
carom seeds- 1/2 tbsp
salt to taste
onion seeds (kalongi)-1/2 tsp (optional)
oil for deep frying

Method-

1-Combine all the ingredients except oil for frying and make a stiff dough.

2-Let it sit for 15-20 minutes.

3-Knead it well again and make 3-4 equal size balls and roll one by one  and cut it into wedges.

4-Heat oil in a deep pan and fry these wedges on medium low heat for about 10-15 minutes or till golden brown.

5-Let them cool and store in a air tight container ,serve with pickle any type of chutney . 

Roomali roti

I love roomali roti but always thinking how they make it so thin like a roomal (handkerchief) in restaurant.I was looking for a perfect and easy roomali roti recipe which i can make at home.

After surfing internet and gone through so many recipes.i finally came across the recipe of 'Vahchef ' Sanjay and it came out perfect as restaurant.I just followed his recipe so i am going to give the link of his recipe here,which can be easily make at home.

The only change which i have done from his recipe is ,i used all purpose flour in place of rice flour for applying between two dough balls and i think it worked fine.So i am not going to post the recipe again ,you can check out his video link.

 

Blackberry & Raspberry Muffins

Yesterday some friends were coming over at my house so i was thinking of  making something special .I had two boxes of raspberry and blackberry lying in my refrigerator so decided  to bake some muffins.It was my first attempt but believe me ,they came out so well that they (my friends) were thinking that these are store brought.I also added less egg as i don't like the prominent  taste of  eggs which use to come from store brought muffins.


Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
 1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose  flour, divided
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 pinch of baking soda
11/2 cup milk
1 cup blackberries and raspberries mixed




Method-


1-In a large bowl cream butter with sugar and egg.

2-Reserve 2 tbsp flour and combine remaining with baking soda,salt and baking powder add milk and vanilla and mix.

3-Preheat the oven at 400 degree f.

4-Now add the milk and flour mixture into creamy butter and sugar mixute,mix it well.

5-Sprinkle remaining flour (2 tbsp) on berries and mix them lightly.

6-Fold berries into muffin mixture gently.

7-Grease muffin pan or use liners .(i used liners)

8-Fill each muffin cup 3/4 and sprikle some nuts (cashew nut,almond,raisins,pistachio etc)  as garnish (i used raisins).

 

 9-Bake 20-25 minutes until done ,keep checking every 5 minutes.

10-Remove from oven and let them cool on cooling rack and enjoy.

Avocado Honey Milkshake

I personally not a big fan of Avocado and do not use frequently in my daily cooking but when Priya announced her Event ,i decided to give try some avocado recipes.I was searching for avocado recipes and found this one here  .I did not follow the recipe and made some changes according to my taste...

Ingredients-

Ripe Avocado - 1/2
Milk -1/2 cup
Honey-3 tbsp
ice cubes-1/2 cup
sugar if needed

Method-

1- Peel and scoop avocado.
2-Put all ingredients in blender(reserve 1 tbsp of honey) and blend till smooth.
3-Pour in serving glasses and garnish with remaining 1 tbsp of honey and serve chilled.

NOTE-1-Add sugar if required ,i like mine sweet so i added little sugar to it too.
            2-Use of avocado depends on you if you like taste of avocado ,you can use less or more.

I am sending it to Priya's Vegetable/fruit  Avocado Event.

Vegetable Cooler

So here i am with one more summer recipe.........This one is my favorite as it contains all the benefits of vegetables.This is something between soup and juice I think.This spicy drink is perfect for hot summer days as well as tasty and healthy too.

Ingredients-

Spinach- 1bundle
Tomato-1 big size
Carrots-1-2
Beetroot-1 head
juice of one lemon (about 4-5 tbsp)
salt to taste
Black salt- 1 tbsp
Crushed peppercorns -1tsp

Method-

1-wash and clean all vegetables and chop roughly.
2-Blanch all vegetables with little water or Microwave them for about 2-3 minutes.
3-Let them cool.
4-Put all these blanched vegetables in blender and blend till smooth paste.
5-Strain and add water if its too thick or add ice cubes.
6-Add lemon juice ,salt,black salt and crushed pepper.
7-Serve chilled.

I am sending it to spicytasty's sizzling summer contest.

Kaju Masala (Cashew nuts curry)

A curry with a royal touch ,a hit in any party and easy too.Cashew nuts in a spicy gravy with whole garam masala imparts a very nice aroma.It goes well with any Indian bread like roti,naan or puris.

Ingredients -

Cashew nuts - 1/2 cup (wholes and halves)
Raisins- 1/4 cup or less
Tomato -1big size
onion - 1 medium size
Capsicum-1/2 small size
cloves- 2 nos
peppercorns- 2 nos
black cardamom -1
green cardamom - 2
Cinnamon stick -1/2 inch piece
Bay leaf - 1
red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp or according to taste
coriander powder-1 tbsp
Turmeric powder-1tbsp
cumin seeds- 1 tbsp
milk-1/2 cup or less
Desi ghee - 2 tbsp
salt to taste

Method-

1-Chop onion,tomato and capsicum very finely.
2-Soak raisins in milk .
3-Heat ghee in a wok and add cumin seeds ,let them splutter.
4-Add all whole spices and roast them a minute till the nice aroma comes out.
5-Add finely chopped onions and saute on low heat ,add some salt.
6-Add finely chopped tomato and saute till oil separates then add capsicum and saute till capsicum gets little tender.
7-Add turmeric powder,coriander powder and red chilli powder to masala.
8- Now add cashew nuts and soaked raisins (reserve the milk for later.)
9-Add little water ,stir and cook it covered for about 10 minutes.
10-Then add milk in which we soaked raisins and just give it a boil uncoverd.
11- Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

I am sending it to Sara's 'Think Spice Think Garam masala Event'.

strawberry Milkshake

Here ,I come with one more summer recipe,in my last post i mentioned that i have lots of strawberries in my refrigerator,i knew that we will not able to finish them so i freeze half of them and now i have frozen strawberries which i can use in shakes,ice creams ,puddings and many different ways throughout summer i guess.................so here is the recipe of strawberry milkshake.........

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp sugar or according to taste
5-6 strawberries
1 scoop Vanila Ice cream
6-7 Fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup ice cubes

For Garnish

1-2 strawberries
1tbsp light whipped cream (optional)

Method-

1-Thaw strawberries in microwave for 1 minute.(omit this step if using fresh ones),cut them in half.

2-Combine all the Ingredients in blender except ice cream and ice cubes,blend till smooth.

3-Now add ice cream and ice cubes and blend 1 more minute.

4-Pour in serving glasses and garnish it with a dash of whipped cream and strawberry,serve chilled.

I am sending it to spicytasty's Sizzling summer contest.

Mango Strawberry smoothie

Its strawberry season here.Sweet ,juicy and fresh strawberries are here in the farms,this week we also went for strawberry picking and it was wonderful experience i must say.we picked our own red and sweet strawberries and we were enjoying so much that i picked up more then needed, so now my refrigerator is full of strawberries  and i am on the mission of trying new recipes of strawberries.

This smoothie is also the part of my mission .......I added a little less strawberries because i wanted more mango flavor in my smoothie.

Ingredients

Mango Pulp 1/2 cup (sweetened)

Strawberries 5-6

yogurt 4-5 tbsp

ice cubes 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp

Milk 4-5 tsp (if needed)

Garnishing

Few melon seeds (optional)

1-2 strawberries

 

Method-

1-Combine all the Ingredients in blender and blend till smooth.

2-Add milk if needed for desired consistency ,serve chilled by garnishing it with melon seeds and strawberries.


I am sending it to  Divya,s Show me your smoothie Event'.

Pineapple Coconut Curry

I like Pineapple a lot and can have it in any form such as drinks,dessert or fruit itself.But Pineapple curry, never thought of that and even these two combination pineapple and coconut that too in form of curry looks very weird to me. Then one day I came across this recipe of Pineapple curry while browsing internet and decided to give it a try but i was unsure about the taste .

But believe me it came out yummy and delicious .The sweet and tangy taste with the aroma of coconut gravy makes it different from other regular curries. I followed the recipe from spiceroots .com .I followed the recipes as it is but the only addition i have done is this i added cumin seeds as well as mustard seeds.I am not going to post the recipe again here ,you can check the recipe on spiceroots .com itself.

serve piping hot and enjoy.........)

Aaloo Wadiyan

Aloo (Potatoes)goes very well in any kind of preparations at any time,so i always keeps  boiled potatoes in my refrigerator ,they are very useful in the times when you are in hurry or not in mood of elevorate cooking (It happens sometimes rite: )

Aloo Wadiyan is also a comfort kindda curry for me which goes well with paranthas and wholesome in itself with daal wadis.In my previous post 'Wadi ka paani' ,i mentioned that you can easily get wadis in Indian Grocery stores.(My mother and grandmother makes it at home too).

Ingredients:


Potato - 1 medium size (Boiled )
Masala wadis- 4-5
Tomato Puree-1/4 cup
Ginger garlic paste- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Cumin seed -1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Oil
1/4 cup water
Cilantro for garnishing 

Method-

1-Break the wadis in to pieces and shallow fry them in little oil till golden brown.

2-Cook wadis in pressure cooker with little water till soft (about 4-5 whistles)

3-Peel the potato and cut into pieces.

4-In a pan heat little oil,add cumin seeds and let it splutter.

5-Add ginger garlic paste saute for sometime ,add  Turmeric powder ,tomato puree and cook till oil separates.

6-Add potato pieces,salt and cooked wadiyan along with water ,boil it till desired consistency .

7-Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with parantha.

Note- 1- No need to add any other spices as wadis has all spices in it.

Vegetable Frittata

According to Wiki  Frittata is an omelette or quiche, either simple or enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, vegetables or pasta. It may be flavored with herbs.

Yesterday I tried it for the first time in my own way thinking  that i am going to try bake omelet with some Vegetables ,its now only when i went through Wiki ,came to know that actually i tried Frittata.I was aware of the thing that something call Frittata in Italian Cuisine exist but totally unaware of the recipes......but happy that i tried it yesterday .

It came out so well and it is also full of vegetables so healthy too.Here is the recipe how i tried it for the first time......

Ingredients-

3- Eggs

1-small size onion (chopped)

5-6 Cherry Tomatoes (cut in Halves) (i used regular tomato pieces)

5 tbsp Cabbage (thinly chopped)

1 bunch of coriander

1 clove Garlic

5-6 walnuts (crushed)

Salt and Pepper to taste

2-3 tbp Parmesean cheese (i used mozzarella)

2-3 tsp Sesame seeds

little oil

Method-

 

1-Heat oil in a Pan on medium high heat ,add Chopped garlic and  onions , saute till transparent ,add chopped cabbage and saute for 2-3 minutes.

2-Now add chopped Coriander leaves and keep aside.

3- Beat Eggs in separate bowl lightly and add salt and pepper to taste.

4-Preheat the oven at 300 degree f.

5- Lightly grease a 5-6'' cake pan.(or any flat vessel for oven)

6-Add cooked Vegetables in egg mixture along with crushed walnuts.

7-Pour this Batter in the cake pan and set cherry tomatoes on top .

8-sprinkle cheese and sesame seeds on top and bake it for 15-20 minutes.

9-Broil it for 2-3 minutes at last .

10 -Leave it for 2-3 minutes and cut it into wedges and serve.

I served it with toast and Tomato Ketchup.

 

6- 

 

Microwave Sweet Saffron rice (Zarda)

Sweet Rice is a traditional dish of festivals in our house.My grandmother use to make it on 'Basant Panchmi' festival mainly.she use to make it in her own traditional way(on stove top),but i tried it in my Microwave and it came out perfectly well.Microwave sweet rice is a easy,quick one pot meal ,a perfect dessert after any meal .  

The look and smell of saffron rice is delicious and tempting. It can be serve  cold or warm. (we like it warm)

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup basmati  rice
2 tbsp ghee or butter
1  cup water
2 tbsp milk
1/4cup sugar or more
Few  saffron threads
1/2 teaspoon coarsely crushed cardamom seeds
3 tbsp  pistachios,Melon seeds,and cashews and almonds (few for garnishing)
10-14 raisins 
 1/2 tsp turmeric

Method-

1-Soak rice in water for at least 1/2 hour.

2-soak saffron threads and turmeric in milk and keep aside.

3-Cook rice in microwave with water for 10 minutes,stir occasionally after every 2-3 minutes.

4-Strain access water (if any)  and leave rice for 10 minutes.

5-Add saffron-turmeric  milk and microwave for 2 minutes.

6-Now add sugar and cardamon and microwave for 2-3 more minutes.

7-Add ghee or butter along with all dry fruits and microwave it for one more minute.

8-Sweet Saffron rice is ready,serve it warm or cold by garnishing it with few more dry fruits on top.  

                                                                                                                   

                                                         

Almond-Saffron Milk

Homemade almond milk is delicious and very simple to make .Saffron threads impart a beautiful orange-yellow color and distinctive flavor and aroma to this refreshing drink..

This is  Delicately flavored with cardamom, the nuts in this chilled, cooling drink don't just make it tasty, they pack a mighty nutritious punch too! Cold Badam Milk is a great summer cooler but if you use warm milk to make it, it's a great winter drink too! so here is the recipe of this wonder drink--------

Ingredients:

1/2 litre full fat milk (can use fat free milk too)
4 tbsp sugar (or according to taste)
Pinch of saffron
1 (tsp) cardamom powder

6-7  almonds (crushed)

For Garnishing

Few almond slivers

  a pinch of saffron

Few Melon seeds (optional)

Method-                                                                                                                                                    

1- Pour the milk into a heavy bottomed pan, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until milk reduces to half the quantity, Stir occasionally for about 20-25 minutes. (This can be done while doing other works in kitchen easily)

  2-Turn off the heat,add  sugar  and stir till all sugar is dissolved.                                                                  

3- Now add  saffron threads , cardamom powder and almonds ,stir it well.                                                 

4-  Chill for a couple of hours or serve warm by garnishing it with almond silvers,saffron and melon seeds.   

Enjoy.............

I am sending it to Divya's  'Show Me Your Smoothie' event.

Cumin Bread (Jeera bread)

This was my first attempt to make bread at home and believe me it came out so well and tasty, that i myself could not believe it .......Before attempting bread making at home ,I Googled so many recipes and finally found this one in one of the blog which was looking perfect in terms of measurement and Ingredients and most of all its cumin bread a perfect Indian taste......so here comes the recipe

Ingredients: 

1cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup water
1 tea spn cumin seeds (roasted)
 1and 1/4 tea spn active dry yeast
1/2 tbl spn unsalted butter
1/2 tea spn sugar
1 tea spn salt
Olive oil

Method-

1-Roast cumin seeds till a nice aroma comes out of them. Crush them slightly(do not make a powder).

2-Heat the water till it is lukewarm, Add sugar, butter and little olive oil. Then add yeast to it. Leave it at a warm place for 10mins till yeast becomes active (the mixture becomes frothy)


3-Add salt, cumin and flours. If necessary add a little more water. Make a dough.(Knead it well for about 10mins.)

4-Transfer the dough to a well oiled big vessel. Cover with a plastic wrap.

5-Leave it for about 1 and 1/2 hrs – 2hrs till the dough doubles in size.

6-Take out the dough on a flat surface. Press down the dough. Knead for a minute and give desired shape.

7-Apply some olive oil on top and leave it covered for another 45mins. The dough should double in size again.


8-Preheat the oven at 500F for about 10mins. Bake the bread for about 10- 15mins. Take it out and brush some butter on top. Then keep it back in oven and bake till you get a nice brown color(about 10- 15mins).


I served it with a simple olive oil-dried basil-salt mixture (like they serve in some of the Italian restaurants here). It was a very crusty from outside, soft from inside.

I sprinkled some of the grated cheese on top and served with hot tomato soup.


I am sending it to Aathidhyam's BREAD MANIA EVENT.