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.