Simple Vegetarian Recipes

Melting Moments

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 00:24:00 +0000

Iam back after a loooong break!!I was tied up with work and other things.

Its always good to be back in blogosphere...Hope you guys are doing great!

I made these cookies long time before...They were so good.

Recipe courtesy:Joy of baking

Ingredients:

Allpurpose flour - 1 1/2 cup

Corn Starch - 1/2 cup

Butter - 1 cup softened at room temperature

Icing sugar - 1/4 cup to mix in and another 1/2 cup for topping

I made my own by grinding regular sugar in blender.

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Method:

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt.

In the bowl , beat the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.

Cover and refrigerate the batter for an hour or two, or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

When batter is firm, form into 1 inch balls and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake for about 10 - 14 minutes or until the edges of the cookies just start to brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 3-5 minutes.

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack that is placed over a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Put the confectioners sugar in a fine strainer or sieve and sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the sugar.

Condensed Milk Pound Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:28:00 +0000

I baked this pound cake last week and it tasted exactly like Sara Lee's as mentioned in the website.I took this recipe from here and it came out soft and moist.It tasted even better the next day.A perfect snack with a hot cup of coffee.

Ingredients:

Cake flour - 1 cup

Make your own cake flour by measuring 1 cup of all purpose flour.Remove 2 Tbspln of flour and add 2 tablespoon of cornflour/cornstarch and sift for 2 or three times.

Butter - 1/2 cup softened at room temperature.

Condensed Milk -1 cup

Vanilla extract- 2 tsp

Baking powder -3/4 tsp

Sugar - 1/4 cup

Eggs- 2

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.

Grease and flour a loaf pan.

Sift cake flour and baking powder together.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add the salt,vanilla extract and mix well. Pour in the condensed milk and cream well.Add in the flour in 3 additions.Mix well.

Finally add eggs one at a time and mix well till smooth.

Bake for about 1 hr.Mine was done within 50 minutes itself.So start checking after 45 minutes .

Chocolate Chip Blondies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 21:19:00 +0000

I cant believe I didn't blog for almost 2 months.I tried a lot of recipes but I must admit it was my sheer laziness that kept me away from my blog baby.I had pinned this recipe long ago.

It was so easy to put everything together to make this wonderful Blondie.

Don't know why ..my blog has only 1 or 2 blondie recipes.Blondie got its name from the color it takes after being baked.Unlike brownies,blondie batter do not use cocoa powder to mix it up in the batter, though chocolate chips are being used as addons.

Recipe courtesy:Taste of Home website

Ingredients:

Allpurpose flour - 1 1/2 cup

Brown Sugar- 1 1/2 cup

Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Butter -1/2 cup melted and cooled

Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp

Eggs - 2

Semisweet Chocolate chips - 1 cup

Method:

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla just until blended. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to brown sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips .

Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Vegan Chocolate Bundt cake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 02:16:00 +0000

Happy Valentines Day to all the readers!!This recipe is one cake you can make for your valentine who is vegan.

This vegan bundt is absolutely a breeze to make.I had no idea of baking a vegan cake until I discovered that there were no eggs in my fridge.I was so lazy to run to the store.So when I browsed,I found this vegan chocolate bundt cake in baking bites.com.It was unbelievably moist and no one can tell it is egg less..I skipped the glaze part.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour -2 1/4 cups

Cocoa powder - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Brown sugar - 1/2 cup

Baking soda - 1 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Water - 1 cup

Vegetable oil - 9 Tablespoon

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Apple cider Vinegar /White vinegar - 1TBSPn I used apple cider vinegar because it has a fruity flavour which blends well in baking cakes.

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

Grease and flour a 9 inch bundt pan

In a large bowl,sift together flour and cocoa powder.Whisk in sugar,brown sugar,baking soda and salt.
Pour in water,vegetable oil,vanilla extract and vinegar,whisking thoroughly,until the batter comes together and is without lumps.

Pour into prepared pan.Bake for 45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean and cake springs back when slightly pressed.

Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Udupi Sambar Restaurant Style

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 03:22:00 +0000

This recipe is from Kugan's kitchen of forumhub.

Kavitha,who is the author of Kugan's kitchen is one enthusiastic cook and her thread is one of the popular threads in forum hub..Ive tried many recipes of hers and they never let me down.Thanks Kavitha!!

Ingredients:

Roast and grind to a paste:

Coriander seeds - 1 ½ tsp

Dry red chillies - 6

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad dal- 1/2 tsp

Coconut grated - 2TBSpn

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Other Ingredients:

Oil - 2 tablespoon

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Green chili- 1 , slit into 4

Curry leaves - A sprig

Onion - 1 medium size,diced.The original recipe called for shallots

2 drumsticks, cut into 3 inches in length -Didn't have drumstick,so added carrot,cauliflower and green pepper.I microwaved carrot and cauliflower for 4 minutes

Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

Water - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - lime sized ball.Soak in water and extract about a cup

Jaggery - 1 tsp

Toor dal - 1/2 cup cooked and mashed

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a pan.When hot add mustard seeds.When it pops,add the urad dal,slit green chili,asafoetida and curry leaves.

Now add the onion and saute for 2 minutes .Then add green pepper and saute.Now add the carrot and cauliflower and a little bit of salt.

Then add the tamarind extract,turmeric powder and jaggery and simmer for 10 minutes,

After the raw smell of tamarind goes off,add the mashed toor dal and the masala paste and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.You can add a 1/2 cup of water if the sambar is thick and allow to simmer for 2 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves.Serve with idli or dosa.

Paneer Tikka Masala

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 01:06:00 +0000

I love paneer dishes especially tried with home-made paneer.I tried this paneer tikka masala from the vahchef website.I made a few changes..
The outcome was excellent and it tasted almost restaurant-like.

Ingredients:

Paneer - 10 ,1-inch cubes

Tomato - 2 medium(fully ripe).Puree it in a blender.

Bell pepper - 2 cut into inch cubes

Onion - 1 medium diced

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Chili powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp

Kasoori methi - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 1tsp

Oil - 6 tablespoon

Yogurt - 3 tablespoon

Salt - to taste

Method:

For the marinade :

Combine paneer,yogurt,salt,kasoori methi,chillipowder and allow to marinate in a airtight box in the refrigerator for 1 hr.
After 1 hr ,in a pan with 1 tsp oil,saute the marinated paneer pieces till slightly brown and drain them in paper towels.Keep aside

In the same pan,heat oil.When hot,add the cumin seeds.When it splutters,add the onion and allow to brown a little.

Now add ginger-garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes off.Add the turmeric powder ,chili powder and a little bit of salt.Add the capsicum pieces and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the tomato puree,garam masala and saute till oil oozes from the masala.Add 1 1/2 cups of water and allow to boil.Then add the paneer pieces,boil on medium heat till the paneer gets soft and absorbs the masala.Check for salt and garnish with coriander leaves.

Dulce de Leche Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:49:00 +0000

I had bookmarked this recipe looong ago.I kept on postponing to try this recipe due to some reasons..Finally here Iam with the famous Dulce de leche brownies by the pastry chef David Lebovitz.
It was soo easy to make and it has become my new favorite brownie recipe.
Adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris (Broadway Books)

David Lebovitz

Ingredients:

Unsalted Butter - 8 tablespoons

Semisweet chocolate chips- 6 oz

Unsweetened Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup

Eggs - 3

Sugar - 1 cup

Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp

All purpose flour - 1 cup

Dulce de leche - 1 cup .I microwaved the dulce de leche for 20 seconds because it was so hard to swirl.

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 def F.

Line a 8*8 square pan with foil leaving a little extra down the sides.Grease the bottom and sides with little bit of melted butter.

In a pan,on medium heat melt the butter.Add the semisweet chocolate chips and sir constantly on low heat to melt the chocolate.

When it is slightly cool add the cocoa powder and whisk till smooth.Add eggs one at a time,then sugar and all purpose flour till combined.

Now add the batter(half of it)into the prepared pan.Then add 1/3 of dulce de leche .Drop spoonful leaving space between them.Swirl with a knife.

Then add the remaining brownie batter and spread them evenly.Then add the remaining dulce de leche in dollops.Swirl with a knife slightly.

Bake for 35 minutes.Check by inserting a toothpick in the center.If it comes with little crumbs,then it is done.

How to respond to plagiarism

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Hello fellow bloggers,
My blog content was stolen by iloveindia website and a recipe blog called recipesnow.I was just shocked to see my Pulipongal recipe with picture was copied line by line.I know so many of you have experienced this problem from time to time.

Since I had no idea where to start or even respond,I googled and found out valuable information which I wanted to share with you all

What should you do if you found out your blog content has been plagiarized :

Step1:Take a screen shot of your stolen content to keep for future reference/evidence even before contacting the person

Step2:Email send/desist letter to the content thief

There is a tailor-made letter Jonathan Bailey in the following website which was sooo useful to me!!

http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/stock-letters.

This website has lotsa information on plagiarism!!

Step 3:If he/she does not respond send a DMCA complaint to search engine

In my case when i sent cease/desist letter a man from iloveindia website immediately responded and removed my content from the website.

But I could not send a mail or even contact the recipe blog called recipesnow because the author has disabled the comments section.There is no contact information too.So Iam planning to send DMCA complaint to all search engines

Hopefully it gets resolved!!

Microwave Doodh Peda

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 21:55:00 +0000

Wishing all the readers of "Simple Vegetarian Recipes"a very happy and prosperous New Year!!

Hope you all had a great vacation and loads of good food!!

I made a simple MW doodh peda for the new year. which I had bookmarked long ago from spicytasty.com.It was so easy to make and tasted very close to the traditional stove top pedas

Ingredients:

Milk powder - 2 cups

Condensed Milk - 1 can(14 oz)

Butter - 1/2 cup(1 stick)

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:

In a deep microwave -safe bowl melt the butter(around 40 secs)

Then add the milk powder and condensed milk,mix well and microwave for 4 mins.For every 1 min,take the vessel out and stir.

At the end of 4 mins add the cardamom and microwave for another 1 minute.Stir and then microwave for 1 more minute.It took 6 minutes for my pedas to get to a somewhat solid state.

When still warm roll the pedas into small balls and flatten them a little.Decorate with chopped almonds

Store in airtight container.Refrigerate the remaining pedas.

Curry Pasta

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:34:00 +0000

This is a very simple pasta recipe and a quick fix dinner.

To add a little zing to the the usual indianised pasta ,I added home made madras curry powder.

Ingredients:

Fusili or any kind of pasta - 1 pound

Capsicum - 1 chopped

Tomato - 1 chopped

Onion - 1 chopped

Ginger and Garlic grated - 1 Tablespoon each

Salt to taste

Curry powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 4 tablespoon

Method:

Cook the pasta till al dente.Drain and keep it ready.

In a pan,heat oil.When hot,add the grated ginger and garlic.Then add the onion and saute till light brown.

Add the chopped tomato, and saute till it becomes mushy.Finally add the capsicum and cook for 1 minute.

Add the required amount of salt and curry powder.Add the cooked pasta and check for salt.

Serve hot.

7 Cups Cake/7 cups sweet

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 17:14:00 +0000

7 cups cake/7 cups sweet is a traditional sweet usually made for Diwali.

Last year,I tried this sweet for the first time and it came out too good.

This year,I made this for a potluck party.

Ingredients:

Besan/Gram Dal flour - 1 cup

Grated coconut - 1 cup(only the white part)

Ghee/clarified butter - 1 cup (slightly melt it)

Boiled ,cooled Milk - 1 cup

Sugar - 3 cups(But can be reduced to 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cup)

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.Grease a plate with ghee.Keep a bowl of water ready for testing the consistency.

In a hard bottomed vessel,start heating the mixture on a medium-high heat.

The mixture will become watery at first and then will begin to boil.

Reduce the heat to medium.

Keep on stirring so that the mixture will not get burnt at the bottom.

After some time,The mixture will start to froth and will start leaving the sides of pan.Take a small amount and put in into the bowl of water and try to roll it into a bowl.

If you are able to roll into a soft ball,then it has reached the right consistency.

Transfer into the greased plate.Level with a greased bowl.

After 10 minutes, cut into square shapes.

Store in airtight container.

Vegetarian Chow Fun Noodles

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 03:04:00 +0000

In our family everybody loves noodles.So I always google for new noodle recipes.This recipe is adapted from website phamtale.com

The ingredients list is indeed long,but the final dish turned out so delicious and wholesome.

Ingredients:

Flat fresh,rice noodles - 1/2 pound(Actual recipe uses fresh,flat rice noodles,but I substituted dry rice noodles and boiled in water till noodles were slightly soft)

Sesame oil - 1/4 cup

Extra firm tofu - 1 (12-ounce) package

Garlic, finely minced - 2 cloves

Shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced -2 (I used button mushroom)

Baby carrots, sliced - ¼ cup (I used a packet of fancy cut carrots,broccoli and snap peas)

Broccoli florets and stems, cut into small pieces-1 cup

Palm sugar, freshly grated (or light brown sugar) - 1 tablespoon

Ginger garlic paste (see tips) - 1 tablespoon

Chili garlic sauce - 2 teaspoons

Black bean sauce - 1 teaspoon

Vegetarian mushroom flavored stir-fry sauce - 2 tablespoons

Dark soy sauce - 1/3 cup

Yellow onion, cut into thin wedges - 1

Salt - to taste

Black pepper, freshly ground - ½ teaspoon

Cilantro leaves, chopped - ¼ cup

Method:

In a wok,heat oil.Shallow fry the tofu till lightly brown and drain in paper towel.

In the same wok,heat 4 tablespoons of oil and add garlic and cook until fragrant, then add the onions, ginger garlic paste and carrots. Stir fry until they are slightly translucent, then add the broccoli.

Drizzle with about ¼ cup water. Stir fry for about 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms. Season with salt.

Toss well. Add the tofu, palm sugar, vegetarian mushroom flavored stir-fry sauce, chili garlic sauce and black bean sauce.

Finish with the noodles and cilantro. Drizzle with soy sauce

Stir well and allow the noodles to soften for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

Drizzle with a dash of sesame oil.

Garnish with more cilantro.

Corn flour Murukku

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 02:52:00 +0000

This is a very simple murukku recipe,made with store-bought flours.I took this recipe from Aval Vikatan magazine

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 1 cup

Corn flour - 1/2 cup

Fried Gram Dal/Pottu kadalai Maavu - 2 Tablespoon

Besan - 3/4 cup

Chili powder - 1 tsp

Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Melted Butter - 2 Tablespoon

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Salt - as required

Water - as needed to make the dough.

Oil for frying

Method:

Mix all the flour,jeera,chili powder,asafoetida,salt,melted butter.

Add water little by little to make a soft dough.

Heat oil in a vessel.Test by dropping a little bit of murukku dough into the hot oil.If it rises immediately,then the oil is ready for frying.

In the murukku press,fix the thenkuzhal mold/achu(the one with 3 holes) and fill the dough.Start squeezing the handles of the press in a circular motion directly into the oil.

Flip the murukku so that it gets cooked on both sides. When frying sound subsides,remove the murukku form the oil and place it on a tissue paper to absorb excess oil.

Store in airtight container.

Badham Halwa/Almond Halwa

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 03:24:00 +0000

Diwali is just round the corner!Hope everyone is gearing up making lots of sweets and savouries.

This year I wanted to try new recipes of sweets and savouries.So I chose the richest halwa of all,the almond halwa /badam halwa.

Ingredients:

Almond - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 1/4 cup

Ghee - 1/2(1/4 +1/4) cup melted and warm

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp optional

Yellow food color - 1/4 tsp

Boiled Milk - 1/2 cup

Method:

Soak almonds in water overnight.Remove the skin and grind it in a mixie adding milk.

In a thick bottomed vessel,add the sugar and almond paste and start stirring on a medium flame.

First the mixture will be watery,because the sugar will start to melt.Slowly the paste will start to thicken.

At this point,add the color and ghee.After sometime,the ghee will be absorbed fully.

Keep a greases plate.Take a little bit of halwa and test it by rolling in the plate.If you are able to make a soft ball,then you have reached the consistency.

In a greased vessel transfer the contents and add the remaining ghee and mix.

Garnish with slivered almonds.

Madras Curry Powder

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:54:00 +0000

Madras Curry Powder

I always spend a lot of time in spices section be it Chinese or Indian or Mexican.Spices always fascinate me.

The madras curry powder is one spice blend which is available in all grocery stores.Ive bought this once but completely unsatisfied with the freshness.

So I decided to make my own curry powder and found this recipe in food.com

I halved the recipe.

Ingredients:

Coriander Seeds - 4 Tablespoon

Cumin seeds - 3 Tablespoon

Mustard seeds -1/2 Tablespoon

Fennel seeds - 1/2 Tablespoon

Cinnamon stick - 3 inches

Peppercorns - 4 Tablespoon

Nutmeg - 1/2 Tablespoon

Cloves - 5

Cardamom pods - 6

Turmeric - 1 Tablespoon

Ground Ginger - 1 Tablespoon

Chili powder - 1 Tablespoon

Method:

In a dry skillet over very low heat, place the coriander, cumin, mustard and fennel seeds. Roast the seeds gently, shaking the pan occasionally, until they begin to pop. When about half the seeds have popped, add the cinnamon, peppercorns, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, turmeric, ginger and chillipowder.

Continue to heat and stir gently until the mixture is quite hot but not burnt. Pour into a dry blender or food processor, or use a mortar and pestle. Grind into a fine powder. Pour into a clean, dry jar, seal, and let it cool before using.

Microwave Carrot Halwa

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 01:24:00 +0000

Happy Navrathri to all readers!!Hope you are enjoying with your family and friends,indulging in sundal:-)

I made this super easy carrot halwa in microwave for the first day of navrathri and it contains less fat than the original stove top version.I adapted this recipe from Tarla dalal's carrot halwa(stove top recipe)

Ingredients:

Grated carrot - 1 1/2 cups

Milk powder - 4 TB Sp

Sugar - 4 Tbsp

Ghee - 2 Tbsp

Cardamom powder - 1tsp

Cashew nut for garnishing

Method:

Mix carrot and ghee and microwave for 8 minutes by covering with a lid.

Grated carrots will become soft and cooked.

Add the milk powder,sugar ,stir and microwave for 5 minutes.

At the last minute of the cooking time add the cardamom powder and mix.

At the end of 5 minutes it would have attained a halwa consistency.

Garnish with cashewnuts.

Microwave Mysore Pak

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 03:05:00 +0000

Iam back to blogging after a long break!!

Today is my younger one's 3rd birthday.So I made this mysorepak in a microwave.The whole process takes 8 minutes!!Easy isn't it??

When you crave for mysore pak and you dont feel like going through the whole laborius process of standing in front of the stove with a ladle,you can try this.

Ingredients:

Besan/chickpea flour - 1 cup

Melted ghee - 3/4 cup

Sugar - 2 cups

Water - 1 1/2 cup

Method:

Grease a plate with ghee.

Mix melted ghee and besan without any lumps.

In a microwave safe bowl(large enough so that the mixture does not overflow during the process),heat the sugar and water and microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Stir and then microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Now add the ghee-besan mixture,mix thoroughly and then microwave for 4 minutes.

Stir for every minute,as it tends to overflow.

At the end of 4 minutes,when you look at the vessel,pores would be formed all over.That is exactly the required consistency.

You will get the timing right after you give 1 or 2 tries.It depends on the microwave too.

Even I felt i should've reduced 40 second during my last minute .I got a little bit hard texture.

Transfer into the plate and after 2 minutes cut into desired shape.

Rava and Coconut Burfi

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 16:30:00 +0000

Ive tried similar kind of burfi only with coconut.It will be slightly soft and chewy.

This recipe is my chithi's recipe handed over to her by her MIL.It uses a combination of sooji/rava and coconut.The sooji gives a little hard texture to the burfi.

Ingredients:

Sooji / Rava - 1 cup

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 3/4 cup or 2 cups if you want it to be sweeter

Ghee - 2 tablespoon

Powdered Cardamom - 2tsp

Method :

Grease a plate.

Slightly roast grated coconut and rava separately till i tbecomes slightly golden

In a thick bottomed vessel add the sugar and just enough water to cover the sugar.

Heat the mixture on high until it starts boiling.Reduce the heat and allow it to cook till you get one string consistency.

Now add the coconut and rava and keep on stirring for every 2 minutes on medium heat.

Once when the mixture starts leaving the pan,add the cardamom powder and 2 tablespoon of ghee.

Transfer the contents into the greased plate,level it with a flat bottomed cup and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.

Cut into desired shapes

Hershey's best brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 01:17:00 +0000

Ive tried 3 or 4 brownie recipes so far and this one will surely be in my recipe binder.It uses simple and very few ingredients and so easy to make.

Recipe courtesy : Hershey's

I didn't make the frosting.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 1/2 cup

Cocoa Powder - 1/3 cup

Unsalted Butter melted - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 cup can be reduced to 3/4 cup

Vanilla essence -2tsp

Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Eggs -2

Chopped Walnuts - 1/2 cup

Method:

Preheat oven to 350degF. Grease a 9 inch square pan.

Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour,
cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Cut into squares.

Yield - 16 brownies

Homemade Paneer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 01:16:00 +0000

Ive never made paneer before at home fearing how it will turn out.But when I made my paneer at home I realised how easy it was and Iam never gonna go back to store bought paneer.These paneer cubes were made from low fat milk.

Ingredients:

Low fat/2 % milk - 6 cups

Lemon juice - 4 tablespoon

Utensils needed:

Colander lined with cheese cloth

Pan filled with water used as weight.

Method:

Heat milk in a thick bottomed vessel on a medium-high flame.Keep stirring intermittently to keep it burning in the bottom.

When milk starts to boil,add 2 tablespoon of lemon juice to the milk and switch of the flame.Stir it.Then add another 2 tablespoon of lemon juice and stir.By this time the milk will start to curdle.If it hasn't,you can add 1 or more tablespoon of lemon juice.

The milk solids will start to separate and you will get a clear yellowish/greenish liquid which is called the whey.

Milk solids separated from the whey

Pour the contents into the cheesecloth lined colander.Rinse it with cold water to get rid of lemon smell.

Gather the ends of the cheese cloth and make it as a bundle and squeeze to remove extra water.

Tie it and hang it for about 30 minutes and allow it to drain.

Bundle tied for the water to drain

Now wrap the paneer and fold the cheesecloth on all the four ends like a square making sure the ends does not crumble.Place weight over for about 1 hour.I used a pan filled with water.

Then refrigerate the block for about 2 hours.It will become firm.Cut into cubes .Use immediately or store the cubes and use the next day.

Banana Bundt Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 03:17:00 +0000

It feels good to be back in blogosphere.Ive been down with flu and cough and literally there was no trying-out new recipes..Just we had the usual food.I missed blogging and baking.This cake was baked more than 2 months before.I like to bake bundts because it is so easy,simple and don't need frosting at all.

I took this recipe from dulcedough website and made some changes.It had a rum glaze but i skipped that.


Ingredients: All purpose flour - 2 1/4 cup Baking powder - 1 tsp Baking Soda- 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup softened at room temperature Sugar - 1 cup Eggs - 2 Ripe bananas mashed - 3 Sour cream - 2/3 cup I used homemade yogurt Vanilla extract - 1 tsp Walnuts - chopped1 cup Semisweet chocolate chips - 1 cup I didn't add Method: Preheat the oven to 350deg F. Combine flour,baking powder,baking soda and salt. Add the mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla and mix until combined.Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the walnuts.Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 40 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

ChickPeas/Garbanzo Beans Kaara Kuzhambu

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:23:00 +0000

This is yet another recipe of Menu Rani Chellam(from Jaya TVs Arusuvai Neram show)

When you run out of veggies this is the best bet.This is an authentic recipe of Tamilnadu's kaara kuzhambu.

Ingredients:

Chick peas - 1/2 cup soaked for 8 hrs and cooked for 2 whistles in pressure cooker

Onion - 1 medium sliced

Tomato - 1 chopped

Dry red chillies - 2

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Methi/Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder r- 2 tsp

Chili powder - 1tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Tamarind - size of a lemon soak din water

Extract about 2 cups of juice

Salt to taste

Oil preferably gingelly oil - 1/4 cup

Curry leaves - a sprig

Grind the following into a paste :

Grated coconut - 2 tsp

Poppy seeds - 1 tsp

Cashew nuts - 5 or 6

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai.When hot add the mustard seeds.When they splutter add the methi seeds and chillies till slightly brown.

Add the curry leaves and then the onions.

Saute till onions turn translucent.

Now add the tomato,turmeric powder and saute till mushy.Then add coriander powder and chili powder and saute for 2 minutes.

Now add the paste and saute till raw smell goes off.

Finally add the tamarind juice,required amount of salt and boil for about 8 to 10 minutes on medium heat.

Serve with plain rice.

Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 01:26:00 +0000

I finally bought a 12 cup bundt pan!!!YAY!!

I had bookmarked a lot of recipes even before my pan arrived..

The foodlibrarian website has tons of bundtcake recipes to choose from.I tried a simple cinnamon chocolate bundt cake. It was super moist,soft and tasted yummmmmm!!

Thanks to Mary(of foodlibrarian) and Ellie of Vintage Victuals !!

Ingredients:

Water - 1 cup

Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup

Unsalted butter - 1 stick

Unsweetened cocoa - 1/4 c plus 1 T (or 5 T)

All-purpose flour - 2 cups

Sugar - 2 cups

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon - 1 1/2 tsp

Buttermilk - 1/2 cup

Baking soda - 1tsp

Eggs - 2

Vanilla - 1 tsp

Method:

Bring to a boil in a pot: Water, oil, butter and cocoa

In a large bowl, combine together with a whisk: flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon

Add the chocolate mixture to the flour and mix until combined.

Add the buttermilk and baking soda and mix.

In a small bowl, combine the eggs and vanilla. Add to the batter and combine.

Pour batter into greased 10 or 12-cup Bundt pan and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes (the original recipe says 25 minutes, so start checking then).

Cool in pan.

Top with a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple glaze of powdered sugar and milk or water.

Strawberry Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 00:14:00 +0000

I know Iam not blogging regularly.This is because my kid's summer vacation has started and we had been to my BIL's place for vacation.

This time we had great fun camping at a state park.The kids really enjoyed a lot.It was a nice experience for them being without TV,video games for 2 days.

I had made this strawberry bread more than a month ago.It was lying in my draft.Strawberries are aplenty in stores now.So I never miss to grab a box of these antioxidant-rich fruit during errands.

Recipe courtesy :Allrecipes.com

I halved the recipe to make 1 loaf and made some changes according to reviews.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour -1 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Sugar - 1 cup-- can be reduced to 3/4 th of a cup

Salt - a pinch

Cinnamon Powder - 1 1/2 tsp --I reduced it to 1/2 tsp

Strawberries - 1 cup chopped-- I added another cup to make it 2 cups.

Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup

Eggs - 2 beaten

Pecan - 1/2 cup chopped optional--I didnt add.

Method :

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

Slice strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, and set aside while preparing bread mixture.

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl: mix well. Blend oil and eggs into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in pecans.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaf out and cool completely.

Choco Carrot Loaf

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 03:20:00 +0000

Nowadays I spend more time on Pinterest!!I get sucked in there for a long time even more than facebook.I had pinned this recipe onto my boards long time ago.Actually I have a lot of recipes pinned to be tried.

Finally made up my mind to bake this when my son asked me to bake a chocolate cake.I didnt want to bake a simple plain chocolate cake.I wanted a veggie or fruit as one of the main ingredinets in addition to the chocolate.So I googled up and found this recipe here.It sounded healthy and it was moist and delicious.

Thanks Rita of Mochachocolata!!

Ingredients:

Allpurpose flour - 1 cup

Baking Powder - 1 tsp

Baking Soda - 1tsp

Sugar -3/4 cup

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder -1/4 cup and 2 Tbsp

Cinnamon Powder - 1tsp

Salt - a pinch

Vegetable oil -1/2 cup and 1 tbsp

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Grated Carrot - 1 1/2 cup about 3 medium

Eggs - 2

Handful of semisweet chocolate chips -didnt use because I didnt have any.

Method :

Preheat oven to 350F, lightly grease a loaf pan. Place eggs, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl.

Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder in another bowl. Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla mixture until pale, add flour mix and beat until well mixed, add grated carrots, mix well.

If using chocolate chips fold in the batter.

Pour the batter into a loaf pan bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.Mine was done in 50 minutes.

Let cool in the oven for 10 minutes, and turn onto a wire rack to cool completely