GFCF Rasoi - My Special Rasoi

Chocolate Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting

2016-05-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

On 13 May, 2016, my son turned 10. In these 10 years we have seen so many phases of the life and we have to see many more. He was the only reason when I started GFCF diet and since then we had a lot of research on diet and health. My son loves the chocolate cake so I thought this time I will bake the chocolate cake on his birthday. He celebrated his birthday with his friends in the school.

Chocolate Cake with 3 types of frostings - Chocolate Coconut Cream Frosting, Vanilla Coconut Cream Frosting and Strawberry Coconut Cream Frosting

There was one time when I was working on sugar free recipes, so I was looking for different replacements for sugar. And then I posted my cake recipe - Sugar Free Vanilla Cake. This recipe used xylitol as a sugar substitute. The cake was also yummy and everybody's favorite. But somehow for some reasons, I used sugar in this chocolate cake. The recipe is almost same as my other cake, but modified to make it rich chocolate cake. And the main part of this cake are different Coconut Cream Frostings.

Sugar Free Vanilla Cake

Chocolate Cake

3/4 cup Coconut Oil (softened)

3/4 cup Sugar

1/4 cup Cocoa Powder

1 cup Brown Rice Flour

1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum

3 Eggs

1 tbsp Gluten Free Baking Powder

Few drops Vanilla Extract

1 tbsp Coconut Milk

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease and flour (gluten free flour) 8-inch round cake pan.
Combine cocoa powder, brown rice flour, xanthan gum and gluten free baking powder in a medium size bowl.
In a separate bowl mix sugar and coconut oil in smooth mixture. Add eggs and beat the mixture into a smooth batter.
Add dry ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly until the mixture is smooth.
Pour the mixture into the cake pan. Bake it for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let it cool in the pan for few minutes, take the cake out from the pan and put it on the cooling rack.

Chocolate Cake

I used 3 types of frostings and decorated the cake for my son's birthday.

Chocolate Coconut Cream Frosting

1 cup Coconut Cream (I used Nutiva coconut manna / purée)

2 tbsp Cocoa Powder

1/8 cup Sugar

Few drops of Vanilla Extract

Microwave coconut cream for few seconds to soften it.
Mix all the ingredients in the bowl.

Chocolate Coconut Cream Frosting

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Coconut Cream Frosting

Vanilla Coconut Cream Frosting

1/2 cup Coconut Cream

1/4 cup Sugar

1/8 cup Coconut Milk

Few drops of Vanilla Extract

Microwave coconut cream for few seconds to soften it.
Mix all the ingredients in the bowl.

Vanilla Coconut Cream Frosting

Strawberry Coconut Cream Frosting

1/2 cup Coconut Cream

1/4 cup Sugar

4-5 Strawberries

Few drops of Vanilla Extract

Purée the strawberries in the blender.
Microwave coconut cream for few seconds to soften it.
Mix all the ingredients in the bowl.

Strawberry Coconut Cream Frosting

Creamy Cheesy Pasta

2016-05-09T19:54:00.001-07:00

In my family, everyone likes to eat pasta. When I replace regular pasta with gluten free pasta, it took me some time to understand how to cook and for how much time. Gluten free pasta takes lesser time to cook than regular one. If you cook more, then it becomes mushy. But once I learned, it was hit. My kids love to eat pasta.

As I named this recipe as creamy cheesy pasta, it has nice flavor of cheese. But It doesn't have cheese at all. And that is the surprise element. So, here is my creamy cheesy pasta recipe

Ingredients :

1 box gluten free Pasta, penne

1 small Onion

1/4 Red / Yellow / Orange peppers

Few florets of Broccoli

Salt as per taste

For Cheesy Sauce :

1 Avocado

1 cup Cashews

2 tbsp Lemon juice

Salt as per taste

Black Pepper as per taste

Method :

Soak the cashews for 15-20 minutes.
Cook pasta according to instructions given at box. Add some salt to the water while cooking pasta. Drain the pasta and put it under tap cold water for few seconds.
Prepare cheesy sauce. Put the cashews in blender with little bit of water and make a paste. There should be no cashew chunks left. When you get smooth paste, add avocado, lemon juice, black pepper and salt, blend it till it becomes smoother.
Heat the pan, add onion to the pan and cook until it is transparent.
Add peppers and broccoli to the pan, stir fry it and add some ware. Cover the lid and cook vegetables for almost 5 minutes or until vegetables are cooked.
Add cheesy sauce to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add pasta to the pan and mix thoroughly. Cook almost 2-3 minutes. Adjust salt, lemon and pepper according to taste. Serve hot and enjoy.

Carrot & Cabbage Soup

2016-05-06T21:05:00.003-07:00

I keep trying to improve my recipes for better taste and textures. And sometimes, I try my old recipes by replacing or removing few ingredients for health reasons. I wrote my recipe for Carrot & Cabbage Soup 3 years back and so many things changed since then. Currently, I am working on no oil recipes and I will write about it sooner. So, my revised recipe for carrot & cabbage soup is here -

Ingredients :

1 big Onion

3-4 Garlic Cloves
1/2 Cabbage

5-6 Carrots

1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder

3-4 tsp Lemon Juice

1/4 cup Coconut Milk

Salt as per taste

Method :

Heat the pan, put the onions and garlic. Dry roast the onions and garlic cloves (remember, it is a no oil recipe). Add sme water if it starts to stick on the pan and keep stirring till the onion is little brown.
Add carrots and cabbage to the pan and stir fry till the vegetables are softened. Add some water and cover the lid. Let the vegetables cook on medium heat.
When the vegetables are done, put off the heat and let it cool down.
Put the vegetable mixture in the blender, add some water and blend till mixture is smooth or little bit chunky (depends on what you want).
Put blended mixture in another pan, add water, salt, black pepper, coconut milk and cook for 5 minutes. Adjust salt, pepper and water according to your taste and cook for 2 more minutes.
Put the heat off and add lemon juice. Serve it hot.

Please try this recipe once and tell me your comments and suggestions.

Spinach Chutney

2016-05-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

Dark leafy greens like Spinach are very important for skin and hair, and bone health. It is a very nutrient dense food. It is low in calories but very high in vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

It is a very good source of vitamin K, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, copper, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, and vitamin C. You can find all about Spinach at Wikipedia.

Ingredients :

1 bag baby Spinach - 10 oz

1 Onion

3 cloves Garlic

1 tsp Mustard seeds

2 tsp Urad daal

2 Bay leaves

Few Curry leaves

2 Dry Red chillies

1 Lemon Juice

Salt as per taste

Water as needed

Method :

Soak Urad daal in water for 10 minutes, drain all the water and dry it.
Put the pan on medium heat on stove and dry roast mustard seeds.
Stir in bay leaves, curry leaves and dry red chillies to the blender. Dry roast the mixture thoroughly and put it aside till it cools down.
Chop onion, garlic, spinach and put it in the blender with water. Blend it, add water as needed.
Add dry roasted spices, lemon and salt to the blender. Blend it smoothly.
Add water as needed and adjust lemon and salt according to your taste. Store in the refrigerator, best for 2 weeks.

Spinach Avocado Chutney / Dip

2016-04-30T04:58:00.000-07:00

Spinach Avocado Chutney / Dip

Our Indian food always has a lot of accompaniments - chutney, raita, papad, salad, pickle. Chutneys are smoothly grounded paste of different vegetables, fruits, nuts and spices. Green coriander mint chutney and coconut chutney are my favorites. We like to have chutneys almost with every thing - paranthas, pakodi, idli, dosa, samosa.

So, I use different combinations to make chutneys healthier and tastier. Spinach Avocado Chutney is healthy and tasty, as well as it can be used as a dip like hummus. It is a great combination of good fat (Avocado and Cashews), Vitamin C (Lemon), Iron and Calcium (Spinach).

Ingredients:

1 bag of spinach leaves 10 oz

1 medium Avocado

1 cup cashews

1/2 lemon

2 medium size green chillies
Salt as per taste

Water 1/2 cup + as needed

Method:

Soak the cashews in 1.5 cups water for at least 1 hour. When cashews are softened, put them in a blender and make a smooth paste with help of little water.
Add avocado, green chillies and little water, blend it till it is a creamy mixture.
Add spinach in 3-4 batches depending on the jar size and keep adding little water to blend it smoothly. When all spinach is done, check the smoothness, if you want more smooth, add little bit more water (1/2 tbsp) and blend it.
Add lemon juice and salt as per taste, blend it. Adjust lemon and salt according to your taste.
Store it in the refrigerator. It will be good for 2 weeks.

Chocolate Chia Pancakes

2016-04-17T20:28:00.003-07:00

I have already posted different kinds of pancakes recipes - Pink Pancakes, Banana Pancake, Cooked Daal Pancake and Hidden Greens. But Chocolate Chia pancakes are the best. My kids liked the chocolate flavor in the pancakes.

Ingredients

2 cups Brown Rice Flour
2 Eggs
1-1/4 cups Coconut Milk
2 tbsp. Agave Syrup
2 tbsp. Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Chia Seeds
1/8 cup Slivered Almonds
Coconut oil to cook

Method

Beat the eggs in the medium size bowl.
Mix thoroughly brown rice flour, agave syrup, coconut milk and prepare smooth pancake batter. Stir in chia seeds, cocoa powder , slivered almonds and mix them.
Add salt, pepper and all the veggies.
Preheat the oven for 350 degrees. Fill lightly greased muffin cups ¾ full with the omelet batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve them hot.

Baked Omelet Muffins / Egg Muffins

2015-05-31T20:41:00.000-07:00

Baked Omelet muffins are the best ones for the breakfast. Recipe is very simple but healthy. Baked because we are baking in the oven; Omelet because we are using same recipe which we use for omelet; and muffins because we are using muffin pan to bake. Healthy because we are using very little oil and only to grease the pan; and also we have used lot of vegetables.

Ingredients

6 Eggs
1 cup of mixed vegetables finely chopped (Onion, tomatoes, collard green, green chili, broccoli, capsicum, carrots and sweet peppers)
Salt and black pepper as per taste

Method

Beat all the eggs in one bowl.
Add salt, pepper and all the veggies.
Preheat the oven for 350 degrees. Fill lightly greased muffin cups ¾ full with the omelet batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve them hot.

Applesauce Chocolate Chips Muffins

2015-05-31T14:47:00.000-07:00

Applesauce muffins are my favorite. My son loves them and I put these muffins into his lunch box. I have developed this recipe from the recipe for muffins using regular flour. And few friends asked me to bake these muffins for their kids.

Ingredients

2 cups Brown Rice Flour

1 cup Xylitol

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup coconut oil

1 egg, beaten

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/8 cup chocolate chips

1/8 cup raisins

Method

Combine brown rice flour, cinnamon, ground cloves, baking soda, salt in the bowl.
Put the oil and xylitol in separate bowl and mix it till it is creamy. Mix egg and applesauce till it is smooth.
Stir in dry ingredients and mix it till smooth batter.
Fold in the chocolate chips and raisins into the batter.
Fill lightly greased muffin cups ¾ full. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Brown Bread (Water Chestnut Flour Bread)

2015-04-24T07:08:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1.5 cups Water Chestnut Flour

1/2 cup Tapioca Flour
1 tbsp Xanthan Gum

1 tbsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Sea Salt
2 tbsp Coconut Oil
2 Eggs, slightly beaten
1-1/3 cups Water
2 tbsp Honey (Any sweetener)
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8”X4” loaf pan, and coat with any gluten free flour.
Combine all the dry ingredients in mixing bowl and mix thoroughly for approximately 30 seconds.
Combine oil, water, eggs, apple cider vinegar and sweetener (honey), and add to dry ingredients with mixer on slow. Mix only until well combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the batter with wet spatula and bake for 75 minutes. Test as for cake, with a toothpick. Should be golden on top and test dry in center.

Buckwheat Flour Bread covered with sunflower seeds

2015-04-17T21:28:00.001-07:00

I have written in my previous post Yeast Free Bread how I needed badly a good recipe for the yeast-free gluten free bread. My son was happy what I was baking and he was eating it happily. My family and friends were also happy but I was not satisfied. My breads were tasty enough but something was missing - texture and fluffiness like regular bread. Sometimes they were crumbly and sometimes they were too moist.

After a lot of research and experiment I have few successes and I have posted them on my Facebook page - GFCF Rasoi - Breakfast. And time to time my friends asked for the recipes. Now the time has come that I should share my recipes with GFCF Rasoi fans.

So I start with my favorite bread - Buckwheat flour bread covered with sunflower seeds. I like sunflower seeds on the bread but my son doesn't. He eats middle part and gives me sunflower seeds crust part.

Ingredients:

5/6 cups Brown Rice Flour

5/6 cups Buckwheat Flour

1/3 cup Tapioca Flour

1 tbsp Xanthan Gum

1 tbsp Baking Powder

1 tbsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Sea Salt

2 tbsp Coconut Oil

2 Eggs, slightly beaten

1-1/3 cups Water

1 tbsp Honey (Any sweetener)

1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1/8 cup Sunflower Seeds

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8”X4” loaf pan, and coat with white rice flour.
Combine dry ingredients except sunflower seeds in bowl and mix with electric beater for approximately 30 seconds.
Combine oil, water, eggs, apple cider vinegar and sweetener (honey), and add to dry ingredients with mixer on slow. Mix only until well combined. Mix 1/4 sunflower seeds into the batter.
Pour batter into prepared pan and spread remaining sunflower seeds on the batter. Smooth the batter with wet spatula and bake for 70 minutes. Test as for cake, with a toothpick. Should be golden on top and test dry in center.

Buckwheat Flour Bread covered with sunflower seeds

Pink Pancakes

2014-06-03T20:22:00.001-07:00

My kids love sweet pancakes. So, I keep trying to make pancakes with added nutrition and flavors. I decided that this time I will change color of the pancakes. When my son saw the pancakes, his reaction was - "pink pancakes?? What??" When they ate it, they liked the pancakes. When I asked my younger one - "What color pancakes you want next time?" He said - "Blue!!"

Pink Pancake (Beetroot Pancake)

Ingredients:

1 cup Brown Rice Flour

1 Egg

1/4 cup Beetroot Puree (See Notes Below)

1 tsp Flaxseed Meal

1 cup Almond Milk

1 tbsp Honey

Method:

In one medium sized bowl, beat the egg. Mix beetroot puree and milk in it.
Add rice flour, flaxseed meal and honey to the mix and make it a smooth batter.
Add more milk or more rice flour to make batter thick enough to make pancakes. Put the batter aside for 15 minutes.
Heat the non-stick pan and spread pancake batter on the pan. Put a little oil and cook the pancake both sides.
Serve hot with honey or jam.

Notes - To make beetroot puree, I chopped beetroot in very small pieces and steamed it for 10 minutes. When it is soft, I blend all pieces in blender to make puree.

Sugar Free Vanilla Cake

2014-04-25T22:22:00.001-07:00

"Yeast is the beast". Since 5 years, we are on GFCF diet successfully. I used to bake breads, cakes, cupcakes, muffins and cookies for my son. My son had yeast issues but still I could not control his sugar intake as he loves sweet goodies. I tried several recipes by replacing sugar with stevia, honey, agave nectar, but was never successful. I tried xylitol first time and my recipe was perfect. Finally, I have recipe for sugar free vanilla cake.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup coconut oil

3/4 cup xylitol

1 cup brown rice flour

1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp flaxseed meal

3 eggs

1 tbsp. gluten-free baking powder

few drops vanilla extract

1 tbsp. coconut milk

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease and flour (rice flour) an 8-inch round or square cake pan.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
Beat the eggs with coconut oil in a separate bowl. Mix the coconut milk and vanilla extract in the egg oil mixture.
Stir in the dry ingredients and mix it until it is a smooth batter.
Put the batter in the prepared pan and place the pan in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until just firm to the touch.

Grain Free Bread

2014-03-07T21:43:00.006-08:00

I have baked my first ever GFCF and grain free bread. In first time only, it came perfect. Recipe was adopted from the very famous blog - Against all grain. Whoever follows the SCD diet, is aware of the name Danielle Walker. The recipe link is here - Grain-free Sandwich Bread (Paleo and SCD).

I started GFCF diet for my son few years back. Few of my friends started SCD diet for their kids, but I didn't think about it. It all started with my hubby's diet. My husband wanted to reduce his weight, so he stopped eating all carb items following Atkins diet. Since one month, he is eating only salad, vegetables, fruits, eggs, cheese and non-carb items.Yes, he has reduced weight. And he is also feeling more energetic and alert.

But without bread, how will you survive. You need some bread to eat in the breakfast. I just found this recipe by searching on the internet and gave a try. Yes, recipe was perfect and result was also perfect. This bread's texture and softness was like normal regular bread. Taste was also good. Nobody could tell what are the ingredients inside.

When I took the picture, half of the bread was finished. Thanks to Danielle Walker to give such a great recipe. Next day, I borrow her book 'AGAINST all GRAIN' from the library, and in the book, this same recipe is mentioned as 'world-famous sandwich bread'.

She has written in her comments - "This is the bread that took my blog global. It is my most viewed and shared recipe of all time and has never received a negative comment, except about the cleanup! You can toast it to accompany eggs in the morning, send an almond butter and jam sandwich to school with your kids, or grill it Panini-style."

It's all true. Thanks to Danielle Walker.

Broccoli Spinach Soup

2014-03-04T20:00:00.004-08:00

Hot soups keep you warm in this winter season, so I keep experimenting on different combinations of soups. Recently I tried broccoli and spinach soup. It was so tasty that I made it 3 times in 2 weeks. It was so filling that we didn't need to eat anything with the soup. This soup has become one of my favorite soups.

Broccoli Spinach Soup

Ingredients:

2 cup finely cut Broccoli florets

1 Red / Yellow finely cut Onion
2 cup finely chopped Spinach
1/4 cup Coconut Milk
Water as required
Salt & pepper according to taste
1 tsp Oil

Method:

Heat the oil in the pan and saute the onion in the oil till it is softened.
Add broccoli and spinach Into it and saute it for 3 minutes.
Add one cup of water and let it boil for 3-4 minutes or till broccoli is softened. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool down.
Put the mixture in the blender and blend it till it gets smooth consistency and a little thin paste. It's good if you leave some crunchy pieces unblended.
Pour the blended mixture into the cooking pot and add water if needed. Boil it for 10 minutes at least.
Add coconut milk into it. Also add salt and black pepper according to taste. Boil it for another 5 minutes.
Serve it hot.

This soup was so yummy that I am sure that this can be part of the party menu plan and guests will ask for more.

What do you think? Try it and tell me if you like the recipe.

Banana Pancake

2014-01-03T22:57:00.002-08:00

After such a long time I am going to write and I hope I keep posting my favorite recipes. I am excited about this recipe as I was not sure my kids will like it. They are very picky eater and they reject almost every new food. My today's recipe is Banana pancake and this is totally my idea.

When bananas are over-ripened, no body wants to eat it. Kids will never eat. Using bananas in the pancake, my kids were not able to guess but they liked the pancake very much. They were demanding for more pancake but the batter was finished.

Banana Pancake

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice Flour

1 Egg

2 Ripe Mashed Bananas

1 tsp Cinnamon Powder

1/2 tsp Roasted Sesame Seeds

1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder

1/2 cup Almond Milk

Little Sugar

Method:

In one medium sized bowl, mix rice flour and mashed bananas. Add one egg and mix thoroughly.
Add cinnamon powder, Sesame seeds, sugar and cardamom powder. Make smooth mixture.
Add milk enough to make smooth batter. Add one spoon milk at one time as batter should be little thick to make pancakes.
Heat the non-stick pan and spread pancake batter on the pan. Put a little oil and cook the pancake both sides.
Serve hot with honey or jam.

After such a long time, this is my first recipe. Your suggestions and comments are welcome.

Fried Rice with Peanuts and Almonds

2013-04-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

I wanted to cook fried rice with different combination. So, I put dry fruits instead of vegetables. Here is the recipe for Rice fried with peanuts, almonds ad dried cranberries.

Fried Rice with Peanuts and Almonds

Ingredients:

3 cups Cooked Rice

1/4 cup Peanuts
1/8 cup Slivered Almonds
1/8 cup Dried Cranberries
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/4 tsp Red Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 /2 tbsp Lemon Juice
Salt as per taste
1 tbsp Oil

Method:

Heat the oil in the pan and fry the peanuts. Take the peanuts out and put them aside.
Put the mustard seeds in the oil. When seeds are ready, add turmeric powder, chili powder, cooked rice in the pan, mix them and stir fry.
When the rice is little bit fried, add peanuts, almonds, cranberries, salt and then mix them thoroughly. Cook it fo 2 minutes and then put heat off.
Mix lemon juice to the pan and then serve it hot.

Stir Fry Sweet Peppers with mushrooms

2013-04-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

This recipe is a small variation of my old recipe Mushroom Capsicum. I have already mentioned earlier that my husband is fond of mushrooms. So, I keep trying to do various combinations with mushroom as it has a very different taste and texture. I like this recipe because of its colorful combination. So, here is the recipe.

Stir Fry Sweet Peppers with mushrooms

Ingredients:

2 cup finely cut White Button Mushrooms

1 Red finely cut Onion

10 finely cut Small Sweet Peppers (different colors)

Salt according to taste

few lemon juice drops

1 tsp Oil

Method:

Heat the oil in the pan and saute the onion in the oil till it is softened.
Add sweet peppers and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Then add mushrooms & salt into it and saute it till both are cooked thoroughly. No need to cover the pan.
Remove the pan from the heat and add few drops of lemon juice.
Serve it hot.

Banana Almond Cranberry Bread

2013-04-05T14:05:00.001-07:00

Last whole week, we were traveling around North Carolina and South Carolina. Before going on the trip, I made sure that no food is left outside from the refrigerator to avoid spoiling. And also I didn't buy any food which we won't be able to use in next week and can't survive for one week. But I totally forgot about bananas.

Bananas were raw when we went. When we came back, the bananas got over ripe. Now what? No one was ready to eat over ripe bananas. I, myself, don't like to eat over ripe banana. So, what should I do? I thought about it and went through my recipes. I find the recipe for Banana Walnut Bread. I decided to use this recipe with some variations.

Banana Almond Cranberry Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups Brown Rice Flour

1-1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

2 Eggs, beaten

2 cups mashed, ripe bananas

1 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Slivered Almonds
1/4 cup Dried Cranberries

Few drops of Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup Canola Oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray medium bread pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine dry ingredients except sugar in a small bowl.
Mix other eggs, banana, sugar, vanilla extract and oil in a large bowl.
Add dry ingredients and mix it to make a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the pan.
Bake for an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for a few minutes before removing from pan and then cool on a wire rack.

Collard Greens with Tofu

2013-03-21T20:57:00.002-07:00

Like broccoli, Collard green was the vegetable, I don't prefer to eat. I tried to make Collard greens in various combinations, but was never successful to subside its bitter taste. But I was determined to find the recipe in combination with Collard Green because of its health benefits. Finally, I was successful to get my own Collard Greens recipe which has no bitter taste.

Collard greens contain vitamin A and vitamin C. These antioxidants help to lower the risk of oxidative stress on your cells, which is cell damage that can occur when your nutrient intake is low and when toxic chemicals and environmental pollutants enter your body. Collards also contain fiber and can support the health of your digestive system when consumed regularly. You need to chop collard greens into very small, even pieces to ensure that they cook evenly.

Collard Greens with Tofu

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Collard Greens chopped

1 Cup tofu cut in very small cubes

1 Cup Grape Tomatoes cut in half pieces

1 Onion chopped

2 Garlic cloves chopped

2 tsp Chopped Ginger

1 tbsp Vinegar

1 tsp Sesame seeds

1 tbsp Oil

Salt as per taste

Method:

Put oil in the pan and heat it. Add sesame seeds to the pan. Fry it for 10 sec.
Add Onion, ginger and garlic. Cook till onion is transparent and ginger & garlic softens.
Add tofu to the pan and cook it for 3 minutes.
Add tomatoes and cook it till tomatoes are little soft. You don't need to mash them.
Add collard greens to pan and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add salt and keep stirring it till the collard greens is cooked.
Add vinegar and take off the pan from heat. Serve it with roti, parantha.

Stir Fry Broccoli

2013-03-12T21:56:00.003-07:00

Broccoli was never my favorite vegetable. But, as I mentioned that my husband wants the healthy food in his lunch box, I try to use all healthy vegetables and fruits in daily menu. So, I tried few Broccoli recipes found in books, magazines and through internet. I developed my own very simple recipe, but very healthy and delicious.

Broccoli is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, folate and dietary fiber. It has the highest anticancer properties. The antioxidant properties of broccoli helps in cancer prevention and also for detoxification our body. Eating broccolis stimulates the activity of the liver purifying the blood from toxins that can affect the body's overall health. It is also rich in magnesium, potassium, iron and calcium. Broccoli also has the ability to decrease thyroid hormone, helps in treatment for hypothyroidism. It is also helpful in repairing skin damage and also aids in digestion, prevents constipation, maintains low blood sugar and curbs overeating.

Stir Fry Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 pound Broccoli crowns
1/2 tsp Sesame Seeds
Salt as per taste
1 tbsp Oil

Method:

Cut the broccoli crowns in small 1-inch pieces. Wash and dry them.
Put oil in the pan and heat it. Add sesame seeds to the pan. Fry it for 10 sec.
Add broccoli to the pan. Pour some drops of water on broccoli. Put salt into it.
Fry it on medium heat and keep stirring. Add some more drops of water if needed. Cook it for 8 minutes or until it is crispy.
Serve hot.

Gluten Free Flour Blends

2013-02-20T04:52:00.003-08:00

Here, I found another chart giving great information on the gluten free flours and their blends. It was uploaded by nuts online. I am happy that I found such great information and am able to share with my GFCF Rasoi readers.

Comparison of Flours

2013-02-20T04:40:00.001-08:00

I was just searching for the options of gluten free flours available, and I found the following chart comparing all the flours (GF and non-GF) -

This chart has very useful information. I have found this chart on this link Comparison of Gluten-Free Flours by Nicole of The Benevolent Kitchen, which was taken originally from the blog The Benevolent Kitchen.

Gluten Free Ingredients

2013-02-18T20:31:00.003-08:00

Gluten Free Conversion Chart

2013-02-17T20:25:00.001-08:00

Carrot & Cabbage Soup

2013-01-18T20:59:00.000-08:00

I like to drink soups, but I rarely cook soups. Today, I was planning for the dinner and I found cabbage in my refrigerator. I thought I should cook soup, but I had never cooked cabbage soup. And top of it, I had never tasted it anywhere. So, I searched the recipe on the internet. I got so many recipes with so many ingredients. I was totally confused.

After so much brainstorming, I planned to cook the soup in traditional way. I didn't expect that soup will be so yummy. I tasted the soup, I liked the soup but I was not sure whether my husband will like it. But, he also liked it. I am very glad to share my recipe with my blog readers -

Ingredients :

1 Onion3-4 Garlic Cloves

1 small Cabbage

3-4 Carrots
1 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder

Salt according to taste

Water

Method :

Chop the onion, garlic, cabbage and carrots finely.
Heat oil in wide pan and add onion and garlic.
When onion becomes little transparent, stir in cabbage and carrots.
Stir fry the vegetables till they are soft and tender. Let it cool down.
Blend the vegetables into blender. (If you like vegetable pieces in the soup, you can skip blending. I did it as my kids won't like big pieces.)
Transfer the vegetables into a pan and put the water enough for required thickness. Put Salt and Black Pepper Powder into it according to the taste. Cook it for 10 minutes. Serve it immediately.