The Veggie Hut

Eggless Dates Cake

2011-07-10T23:25:00.002+01:00

Hello World!

Well! Are you thinking if I am coming out of a deep slumber! Well not! Then, what explains such a long absense from this space! I am going to answer that shortly.

As I have already mentioned in some of my previous posts that I have started a new blog and it chronicles my experiences with food, books and everything I feel like writing about. So, these days I am active in that space only. I had started this blog 'The Veggie Hut' to write about my cooking experiences. But, believe me I learnt cooking in that process of blogging. So many food enthusiasts in this blogsphere to be inspired from! I loved cooking and blogging. Gradually, I realised I would like to blog about everything I am enthusiastic about and that can list a number of things starting with books. So, the idea of starting afresh took shape in my mind and Pages was born. I would like you to join me on there and join me in my journey in this blog world.

I have posted a couple of recipes there. Do have a look at them and let me know what you think of them!

Vada Pav ~ The Indian Burger (With home made Pav/Buns)

Fruit Salad ~ Fruit Chaat ~ Colourful and Healthy!

Eggless Almond and Cherry Cake

Eggless Chocolate Brownies
Celebration Chocolate Cake With Fudge Frosting (Eggless)
Pineapple Chunk & Cardamom Cake (Eggless)
Cardamom Kulfi

Malai Kulfi ~ Using Condensed Milk~ A Quicker Version!
Bread Ras Malai ~ my all time favourite!
Chocolate-y trifle
Breakfast in a glass ~ Strawberry Banana Shake & Dates Mocha Shake

Mango Mania ~ Mango Lassi/ Mango Smoothie!
Lemonade With a Twist ~ Blueberry Lemonade ~ Making It From Scratch!

This probably will be my last post on this space. However, I may update it with any food related post I do on my new blog. So, for this last post, I have a Dates Cake for you. Enjoy the sweet treat!

Ingredients:

1 cup AP Flour

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup pitted dates(About 18 soaked in water for 2-3 hours).

1 tsp baking powder.

3/4 tsp baking soda.

1/4 cup soft butter.

1/4 cup water used for soaking dates.

1/4 cup milk.

Process:

1. Grease a 8'' round cake tin and preheat the oven at 180C.

2. Strain the dates but keep the water it were soaked in. Churn the daytes with milk to make a smooth paste.

3. Shift flour, baking powder, soda 2-3 times together so atht it is well blended.

4. Cream in the sugar and butter till well incorporated and fluffy.

5.Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients whisking all the time.

6. Add water and whisk till the batter is smooth, around 2-3 minutes.

7. Pour into the pre greased tin and bake at 180 C for 25 mins and then lower the temperature to 160 C and bake for another 10 minutes or untila sweker comes out clean.

8. Let it rest in the tin for 5-10 mins before turning it on a wire rack to cool.

9. Cool completely and slice. Serve.

Sending it to Tamalpaku's Only Baked Event. Only Series is the brain child of Pari.

Cheers! Enjoy! See you on Pages.

Apple and Dried Cranberry Chutney

2011-04-28T10:11:00.002+01:00

It has been a long while since I posted anything on this blog! Plain lazy I have been!

Today's recipe comes from my drafts. I had seen it in one of Nigella's show and tried out instantly. I love it. Try it to check out yourself. Pretty easy yet delicious..

Apple and Dried Cranberry Chutney.

Ingredients:

2 granny smith apples, peeled cored and diced.
¼ cup dried sweetened cranberries.
1 tsp oil.
½ tsp nigella seeds.
1 green chilli (optional).
salt to taste.
¼ tsp turmeric powder.
½ tsp red chili powder.
½ tsp coriander powder.
½ tsp cumin powder.
1 tbsp lemon juice.(or vinegar)

Process:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add the nigella seeds and green chilli.

2. Now add the chopped apples, cranberries and all the spices and salt. Let it cook in a slow flame. The apples will cook and give out it juices as it get cooked.

3. Mash them and add lemon juice in the end. If you want it more watery add water and cook for 5 more minutes.

4. Let it cool completely before storing. Keep well for up to 7days. Have it with parathas or rotis.

Till I write again! Thanks fro stopping by! Cheers!

Tried and Tested from US Masala

2011-03-22T14:56:00.001+00:00

Tried and tested is an event, which was originally started by Zlamushka's Spicy Kitchen and now is owned by Lakshmi of Kitchen Chronicles. The february T&T is hosted by Priya for the blog US Masala.

The best thing about this event is you don't have to post the recipe. I had forgotten the deadline of this event and was being lazy in putting this post together. I love Aipi's US Masala and have tried couple of her recipes. Although, I don't have pictures of all of them, I didn't want to miss the opportunity of participating in this event. I am just hoping Priya would accept my late entries!

I have made these Stuffed Buns a couple of times and my hubby just loved them.I have tried some variation of filling as well but this is the one that comes from US Masala. Thanks Aipi for such a wonderful recipe.

Nutella Cold Coffee is something I have made many times and it reminds me of the cold coffees from CCD. I you are a fan of cold coffees you have to try this!

Enjoy! Till I write again.. Take Care!

Holi Wishes!

2011-03-18T11:44:00.001+00:00

Wishing you all a very happy and colourful holi! Enjoy!

I have been off from this blog for over a month now and hope to be back in a week or two. Enjoy!

Blogging Break..

2011-02-15T14:29:00.000+00:00

I am taking a blogging break and will be away from this space. After hosting 2 events, I think I have earned the break.:-). However, will be around to check your recipes.

Hope to be back soon.

Meanwhile do check the round ups of the events held here.

Happy Blogging! Enjoy!

Round Up Lets Celebrate Sweets - Chocolate

2011-02-11T11:19:00.001+00:00

Fianlly I am here with the round -up of Lets Celebarte Sweets-Chocolate. I am really grateful to Nivedita for giving me the opportunity to host this event.. Without much delay I would like to present the chocolate-y round up. Hope you enjoy these visual treats.

I have summed up the entries in the order I received them, with my own entries at the end of the post. If by any chance I have missed any entry do let me know, I will include it.

Here comes the round up!

Rachana sends in her Chocolate Yoghurt

Nivedita sends in her Marie Biscuit Chocolate Balls

Kamalika sends in her Truffle Shuffle

Smita sends in her Chocolate Marshmallow Squares and Chocolate Fudge

Anamika sends in her Chocolate cupcake with pistachio rabri

Radhika sends in her Chocolate Halwa

Priya sendsin her Dark Chocolate Poha Pudding

Nivedita sends 2 more entries Chocolate Halwa and Chocolate Kheer

Santosh sends in her Chocolate Cream Pudding

Indrani sends in 2 of her creations 3 minute Microwave Plain Chocolate fudge and Oat-choco Fudge

Vatsala sends in her Chocolate Cups.

Neetu sends in her Chocolate Fruit Sandwich.

My entries:

Nutty Homemade Chocolate with Coconut Coating.

Chocolat-ey Trifle from my other blog Pages

Chocolate Peda.

Chocolate Rum Truffles

Cheers! Have a nice weekend!

Chocolate Peda

2011-02-07T15:19:00.000+00:00

I had been planning to post this recipe- Chocolate Peda for a long time for the event going on here Lets Celebrate Sweets-Chocolate. This event is a part of the series started by Nivedita. Thanks to my broken laptop I have not been able to be very active in blogging lately.

Hopefully the roundup of this evnt will be up next week or so. Please bear with the delays.

This is my last minute entry for this event. Along with this I would also like to submit my Choclate Rum Truffles.

Coming back to Chocolate Peda recipe:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh paneer.

1/4 cup milk powder.

1 /4 cup powdered sugar.

1 tsp cocoa powder.

1/2 tsp chocolate powder.

To garnish:

2 cardamom pods crushed finely

Chopped pistachios.

Process:

1. Pan fry the crumbled paneer without any ghee or oil. Let it cool down to room tempreture.

2. Mix the sugar and milk powder and mix it nicely the way we work on a dough till everything is well incorporated and the mixture is even in texture and colour. No need to add water.

3. Make 8-10 balls and shape them up like pedas. Garnish it with chopped pistachios and crushed cardamom.

4. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours. Chocolate Peda is ready to it!

Enjoy!

Winter Warmers - Round Up!

2011-02-04T13:52:00.008+00:00

Words cannot define how elated I am as I am composing the round up of my first event- Winter Warmers! Thank you all for sending me such beautiful and varied entries.

Rounding up an event is not a massive task but if your computer is broke and you have limited access to internet, it can be difficult. That's my position right now and that is why I have not been able to go around hopping on your blogs frequently. I hope things will be fine soon. So, till then please bear with me.

Also I would like to remind you about the other event hosted here, Lets Celebrate Sweets- Chocolate. Hurry in your entries!

Now, coming back to the round up, I have arranged the entries in the order I recieved them with some my entries squeezed in between and some at the end. If I have left out any entry please let me know and I will inclide it soon. Also, if you forgot to send me your entry through mail, please leave your link below the post and I will update it.

Without further delay here is the roundup of Winter Warmers!

Vidhya send in her ' Nutty Cassava Delight'
Sadhana sends in her 'Sugarfree Badam Halwa'.
Reshmi sends in her ' Hot-n-Sour Noodles Soup'.

Amarendra sends in his Thai Style Mix Veg Soup.

Rachana sends her Ginger n Chocolate Cake.
Smita sends in her Tomato Carrot and BottleGourd Soup.

Gayathri sends in her Tofu Cutlets.

Rachans sends another interesting entry- Chunna husked wheat pudding.

Nandini sends in a creamy soup- Cream of Mushroom Soup.

Satya sends this awesome pakodas- Dill Punugulu. Sameena sends her Aloo Tikki.
Kirthi sends her 'Moong Bean Curry'.

Sameena sends another entry-A very innovative and unusual soup- Okra Soup
Swetha sends in 2 entries, very comforting soups, Barley Lentil Soup and Tomato Soup

Anamika sends in her Dal Makhani.
Aipi sends her Lentil Fritters- Kachdee.
Monika sends in her Til Gajak.

Reva sends in sends in her Gobi 65.
Anamika sends in her Cheese Bread Rolls.
Megha sends her English Winter Soup.

Sonia sends in her Sarson Ka Saag & Makki-ki-Roti. .
Radhika sends in Varuthu Arucha Kozhambu.
Rajani sends in her Almonds and Dates Halwa

Reva sends another entry Betel Leaf Vadai.
Akheela sends Fenugreek Leaves Potato Curry.
Priyanka sends in her Carrot Halwa

Chitra sends in 2 heartwarming soups- Brocolli and Green Beans Soup and Beans and Peas Soup.
Kirthika sends in her Hawaiin Fried Rice.

I posted a total of 4 new entries for the event.They are C3 Soup, Carrot Halva (Microwave), Chocolate Cake with fudge icing, Corn Fussili n Basil Soup.

Priya sends her Clementine Rasam

Priyanka sends Matar Paneer Curry.

Gayathri sends Baked Green Peas and Palak Cutlet

Kirthika sends Tomato Rice

Umm Mymoonah sends in her Potato Kibbeh
Kavita sends in her Cheese Onion Pastry
Harini Jaya sends in her Jowar Vegetable Stew

Heni sends in her Chourba Aadess Rouge

Chitra sends 2 more entries Warm Veggie Rainbow Salad and Tomato Soup

Bala sends in her Bolivian Peanut Soup

Priya sends in 5 entries first one being with Carrot and Celery Soup

Her 2nd entry is Peanut and Poha Pakoda

Other from Priya are: Batata Poha Vada, Celery Oats Soup, Bulgur Bisi Bele Bath

Swetha sends in her Carrot and Coriander Soup

Jigyasa &Pratibha sends in their Adad Paak

Champa sends in her Vegan Tomato Soup

Champa sends in her Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup

Usha sends in her Spinach Orange Soup

I have also sent 4 older entries first one being Sweetcorn Vegetable Soup.

My other older entries are Tomato Soup, Tom Veg Soup and Ginger and Cardamom Tea.

Hope you enjoyed the round up as much as I did! Cheers!

Do send in your entries for the other event being hosted here Lets Celebrate Sweets- Chocolate

Have a lovely weekend!

Bhel Puri

2011-01-27T17:16:00.001+00:00

Chats are my favourite fast food. The sight of it makes my mouth water! Today's recipe is Bhelpuri, which is the easiest to make given you have all ingredients at hand.

Sending this to Srivalli's event: Kids Delight- Street Food

Bhel Puri:

Ingredients:

1 cup puffed rice.
½ cup mixture.( I use Haldiram’s Karanchy Mixture)
1 tomato seeded and chopped.
2 baby potatoes, boiled peeled and chopped.
¼ cup onion chopped.
Handful of coriander leaves chopped.
3-4 Papdi crushed.
3-4 Papdi to garnish.
1-2 tbsp green chutney.
2-3 tbsp tamarind chutney.
2-3 tbsp nylon sev.
1 tsp chat masala.
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tbsp lemon juice.

Process:

1. Add all the dry ingredients and chopped vegetables in a mixing bowl.

2. Add the masalas, lemon juice and chutney and give a nice shake so that the spices are evenly distributed.

3. Serve immediately with whole papdis. Enjoy!

Enjoy!

Corn Fussili n Basil Soup

2011-01-19T19:05:00.016+00:00

Soups are the most comforting food for winter and I have been making a lot of them this winter. Here is one, I tried recently. I had found this one in a microwave booklet with recipes from Tarla Dalal at my mom's place. I vaguely remembered the combination and created this one. It is quite filling and I loved the flavour of basil in the soup.

Sending it to Divya's Show me you Soup and to my event 'Winter Warmers'

Corn Fussili n Basil Soup

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes.
1 cup sweet corn + 2 tbsp extra.
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tsp oil
3/4 cup fussili pasta, boiled
4-5 basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste.
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tsp corn flour mixed with 2 tsp of water.
Grated cheddar cheese for garnishing.

Process:

1. Boil the tomatoes and make a puree of it. Boil 1 cup sweetcorn in 1 cup water and churn it in a mixture. Strain it and discard the waste.

2. Heat a pan and add oil. When heated add the onions and saute till translucent.

3. Add the tomato puree and heat for 30 seconds. Then add the sweetcorn mixture and stir well.

4. To it add the cornflour mixture and stir well. The soup will thicken. Add water to adjust the consistency.

5. Add the remaining sweetcorn, basil leaves, boiled pasta,sugar, salt and pepper. Give it a nice stir and boil on a medium for 5-7 minutes.

6. Garnish it with grated cheddar and serve hot.

This is my 4th entry to my event -Winter Warmers. Others were C3 Soup, Carrot Halva(Microwave) and Chocolate Cake with Fudge Icing. Along with these I would like to submit these four recipes for my event-

Sweet Corn Vegetable Soup, Tomato Soup, Tom Veg Soup and Ginger and Cardamom Tea.

Hurry in your entries. Event ends 30th Jan 2011.

Enjoy!

Nutty Home Made Chocolate With Coconut Coating!

2011-01-14T20:38:00.001+00:00

Before starting off with today's recipe, I want to share an undesirable incident that has happened with me, with you guys. Recently, I got a comment on my Eggless Black Forest Cake by 'Washpota'(I cannot access the profile) saying that he/she has seen the exact recipe on Manorama Online and even quoted the links which are this and this. The site is in a language I don't know and I am taken aback by the fact that someone( M Vaheeda Rahaman) copied my content word for word and even the picture. Can anyone guide me how can I contact Manorama Online. Any help will be highly appreciated.

Now lets check what I have today to share with you all!

I came across this recipe at Nithya's Blog and tried them immediately. They were finished so soon that I did not even get the chance to photo shoot them.. :-)! So, I decided to make them again for the event 'Lets Celebrate Sweets- Chocolate' hosted here. This event series is the brain child of Nivedita.

Also to remind you, another event 'Winter Warmers' is being hosted here till 30th Jan 2011. So, rush in you entries!

Now coming back to the recipe, it is very simple and doesnot call for any fancy ingredients. I have used half of the measurement given by Nithya and got 15 balls. Only addition I did was to add the nuts and coat them in dessicated coconut. Lets give it a look!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp cocoa powder.
100 gm milk powder.
1/2 cup sugar.
1/4 cup water.
2 tbsp butter.
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts.
1/4 tsp vanilla Essence.
Dessicated coconut to coat.

Process:

1. In a saucepan heat water and add sugar. Boil it till it reaches 1 string consistency.

2. Remove from heat and add butter.

3. Once it melts add the other ingredients and mix well to form a sticky dough.

4. Let it cool for sometime. Then with greased hands roll them into small balls.

5. Roll them into dessicated coconut and place them in a small tray.

6. Refrigerate for a while it gets firmer. They are ready to eat.

Here is one for you!

Enjoy! Have a lovely weekend!

Orange Salad

2011-01-12T09:37:00.008+00:00

Winter is the time when I spend a lot of time sinking in my sofa wrapped with a blanket and indulge myself reading a book:-)..I have started to write about my reading experiences and other hobbies in my other blog here. Do peep in there and share your thoughts if you are also into reading books.

This is also the time of the year when I do not go for my long walks. In short, I tend to become a Couch Potato! But then, it is also the time when I make lots of soups and salads as if to balance things. Well, today I am sharing a Salad recipe. Its very colourful and healthy. And if you love oranges, it is definately for you.

Sending it to the event -Only Salads hosted by Pratibha. This event is the brain child of Pari.

Along with this I am also sending my Chickpea Salad for the event.

Lets a have look at the recipe of 'Orange Salad'.

Orange Salad:

2-3 easy peeler oranges.
1/4 cup finely chopped onions.
1 vine tomato finely chopped.
2 tbsp chopped mint.
2 tbsp chopped coriander.
1 tbsp lemon juice.
1 tsp olive oil.
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1/4 tsp black salt
pepper to taste.

Process:

1. Peel the oranges. Separate the segmentes and peel the cover to get the wedges.

2. In a bowl add the oranges, onions, tomato, mint and coriander. In another add the other ingredients and mix well.

3. Pour the liquid mixture into the salad mixture and give it a good stir.

4. Garnish it with mint leaves and serve.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Cake With Fudge Icing (Eggless)

2011-01-07T22:28:00.003+00:00

This is my last minute entry for Suma's event - Bake-o-mania. I had made it for New Year. The fudge icing transformed this simple cake into a delicious and sinful treat. The reason I chose to cover it with fudge icing was the lack of time. I did not want to sit and spend time smoothing the icing. I am glad to have made the choice.We enjoyed some slices of it with scoops of vanilla ice cream. Doesn't that sound tempting!

This cake also find its way to my event 'Winter Warmers' and Champa's Bake Off.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup AP flour.

½ cup condensed milk.
¼ cup butter,
2 tbsp cocoa powder.
3/4 tsp baking powder.
½ tsp baking soda.
80 ml soda water
½ tsp vanilla essence.

For the fudge icing and decoration:

50 g milk chocolate.
1 cup icing sugar.
3 tbsp butter.
1/4 cup milk.
1 tsp vanilla essence.

Process:
1. Preheat the oven at 180 C for 15 minutes.

2. Grease a sandwich tin and dust it with flour. In a mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients together and mix. Sieve it so that the mixture in uniform and there are no lumps in it.

3. In another bowl add the soft butter and beat in the condensed milk. Stir well for two minutes. Add the vanilla essence and beat nicely for 2 minutes till everything is evenly mixed.

4. Now add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture, slowly and keep rotating to form a batter. Add the soda water and mix for another couple of minutes.

5. Pour it in a pre greased tin and bake it in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes at 180 C till nicely raised and a skewer pricked in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

6. Cool it completely on a wire rack. While it is cooling prepare the fudge icing. For that chop the chocolate into small pieces. Pour all the ingredients into a heat proof bowl and place it over a pan containing boiling water. Stir the ingredients as it melts.

7. Take it off gas once nicely melted and beat well. Wait till it cools a bit and reaches the right consistency.

8. Once the cake is cooled completely cover it with freshly prepared fudge icing and decorate it with chocolate gems.

Enjoy! Have a nice weekend!

Lets Celebrate Sweets - Chocolate! An Event Announcement

2011-01-06T16:31:00.006+00:00

Lets Celebrate - Sweets is a series of event started by Nivedita. I am very delighted to announce this event at The Veggie Hut for the period of 7th Jan- 7th Feb 2011. Thank you Nivedita for giving me this opportunity.

The theme for the event this time is - Chocolate! What I am looking for is not Cakes and Cookies! I want you to go beyond that.. You can try home made chocolates, trifles, pudding, truffles etc. You can see one here. Play with some classic recipes and come up with Chocolate Sandesh or Chocolate Peda. The possibilities are numerous and varied..

The rules are simple:

Starting today till the 7th of Feb 2011 make anything sweet with the star ingredients- Chocolate.

The dish you be vegetarian. No eggs allowed please.

You have to link back to this event annoucement page and also to Nivedita's event announcement page.

Older entries are accepted if reposted and updated with the link to the event announcement.

Mail me the entries at theveggiehut@gmail.com with the subject- Lets Celebrate Sweets- Chocolate.

Use of logo is appreciated.

Looking forward to you chocolate-y entries! Cheers! Enjoy!

A healthy start to the new year with Upma

2011-01-04T15:39:00.000+00:00

At the very outset, a very happy new year to all of you! Wish you a gr8 year ahead!

After indulging so much this Christmas and New Year on rich and delicious food, its time to share some healthy yet delicious food. This upma is a regular item on my breakfast table. It is a South Indian dish. It is my hubby's favourite and he can have it almost everyday! Well, I donot make it every day but it certainly find its way once or twice a week.

I have realised that some food items are common in every house hold, yet everyone has their own way of cooking it. Upma is another such item. Like, my MIL doesnot add tomatoes which I do and I have friends who like to add carrots, cucumber and peas. So, its all up to ones personal preference. Lets have a look at how I make our staple breakfast item -'Upma'.

Upma:

½ cup semolina.
1 tsp mustard seeds.
1 tbsp oil.
1 green chili slit.
4-5 curry leaves.
½ tsp urid dal.
2 tbsp cashews, chopped into chunks
2 tbsp raisins, soaked in water for 15 minutes
¼ cup chopped onion.
¼ cup chopped tomato without seeds.
1 tbsp lemon juice or to taste.
½ tsp sugar (optional)
Salt to taste.
2-3 tbsp chopped coriander and extra to garnish.
1 ¼ cup water.

Process:

1. Dry roast the semolina in a pan till it is a shade darker and gives out a distinct aroma. Take it off gas.

2. Heat another pan and add oil. When heated add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, urid dal and green chili. Saute for a minute.
3. Now add the cashew nuts and chopped onions and heat for 2-3 minutes till the onions are translucent and cashew are light brown.
4. Add the raisins and saute for a few seconds. Now add the roasted semolina and give a good stir.

5.Add the lemon juice, salt sugar and water. Keep stirring it and the mixture will thicken.

6. Cook for another 3-4 minutes and turn off the gas.

7. You can add the chopped coriander leaves to the upma or can just garnish it with them or both.

Serve warm. Enjoy!

Carrot Halva (Microwave)

2010-12-28T00:36:00.002+00:00

Christmas is over :-( . Hope you all had a good time enjoying all the goodness this festival brings, not to mention good food, gifts, parties and so on. I had a good time too and am having a good time now as well, shopping around in the big sale season! I tell you I love shopping and I do not know many people who do not :-)!

The blogosphere is filled with recipes of Christmas goodies and it made things more festive. May be I will share them sometimes later. Today, I am sharing this Halva which is an all time favourite in my household especially during winters. This Carrot Halva is the microwave version. I had posted the conventional one long back. You can check the recipe here.

This is probably going to be my last post this year.. Lets end it with this sweet dish! Wishing you all the very best in the coming year!

Coming back to today's recipe:

Carrot Halva (Microwave):

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded carrots.
1 tbsp ghee
½ cup milk.
¼ cup sugar or less.
A few strands of saffron.
2 cardamom pods crushed.
Almond flakes and chopped pistachios to garnish.

Process:

1. Add the carrots to a safe microwave bowl and add ghee. Give a good stir so that the ghee is nicely coated on the shredded carrots.

2. Add milk, crushed cardamom, saffron and sugar and mix such that all the carrots is covered by it.

3.Microwave on a high for 3-5 minutes and stir and microwave again for 3-5 minutes.

4. Follow this cycle till done. Mine took 20 minutes. If you are making a lesser amount it will be done quicker and also time differs from microwave to microwave. So adjust accordingly.

5. Finally, garnish with almonds and pistachios. Serve warm or cold.

Sending this off to my event - Winter Warmers held here.

Enjoy!

Aaloo Palak

2010-12-21T14:44:00.002+00:00

There are certain vegetables, I am not really very fond of but, still they find a regular place in my menu. Thats because they are very essential for a healthy vegetarian diet. One such veggie is 'Spinach'. I feel as if it leaves a bitter after taste in my mouth and this is why I always combine it with one of my favourite things. I also add a little sugar which is obviously optional. It results in things like these. This time I am combining it with potato, which is an all favourite with me and with many people I know. So, this combo works great. Have a look!

Aaloo Palak:

Ingredients:

5-6 baby potatoes, boiled peeled and chopped into chunks.
2 cup baby spinach washed and chopped finely.
1 tbsp oil.
1 tsp cumin seeds.
Few strands on ginger.
1 green chilli, seeded and chopped.
¼ cup chopped onion.
¼ tsp turmeric powder.
½ tsp red chilli powder.
1 heaped tsp coriander powder.
½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp lemon juice.
½ tsp sugar or crushed jaggery(optional).
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish.

Process:

1. Heat a pan and add oil. When heated add the cumin seeds, chili and ginger.

2. After a few seconds add the chopped onions and sauté for a minute till the onions are translucent.

3. Add the chopped potatoes and stir. Add all the spices and salt except garam masala. Cook for 5 minutes.

4. Now add the chopped spinach and give it a good stir. Cover the pan for 3-4 minutes and keep the gas on medium.

5. Now, add garam masala, lemon juice and sugar/jaggery if using. Give it a good stir and cook for a minute. Turn off the gas and cover the pan for 5 minutes.

6. Transfer the subji in a serving bowl, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with roti/ chappati.

Sending this off to Sara's Event Only Green. This event is the brain child of Pari.

Enjoy!

Mango Choco Chip Tea Loaf

2010-12-20T14:36:00.000+00:00

I had baked this cake around 3 weeks back. It happened when, I was cleaning and reshuffling my kitchen shelves when I spotted a can of mango slices sitting at one corner. I had bought it long back from Tesco and it was till to be used.

Long back I had bookmarked this recipe from Madhuram's site. She had made it from here. I thought of using my long desolated mango slices can for it. However, I didnot want it to be overly mango-ey. So, I decided to add some chocolate chips to it. The original recipe was vegan but mine is not as the chocolate chips I used are not vegan. Otherwise, it a nearly vegan cake! I drained the syrup form the can and churned the slices into a smooth puree. It measured 1 cup which was half a cup less than stated in the original recipe. I also added half a tsp of baking soda for leavening. I reduced the amount of sugar as the mango puree was already very sweet. I baked it for extra 4-5 minutes to get a nice golden crust. It just looked and smelled awesome when out of oven.

This Tea Loaf makes its way to Champa's Bake-Off, Suma's Blog Anniversary Event-Bakomania and to Sameena's Cookies n Cake for X mas Event.

P.S: Don't forget to check out what Suma's giveaway for the event!

Mango Choco Chip Tea Loaf:

Ingredients:

1½ cup AP Flour.
1½ tsp baking powder.
½ tsp baking soda.
¼ tsp salt.
⅓ cup sunflower oil.
1 cup mango puree.
1 tsp vanilla essence.
¼ cup chocolate chips.
⅔ cup - 2 tbsp sugar.

Process:

1. Grease a 1 lb loaf pan and dust it with flour. Preheat the oven at 180 C for 15 minutes.

2. Sieve flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the sugar and mix thoroughly.

3. Add mango puree, oil, vanilla essence in the dry ingredients mixture and mix gently to get a uniform batter. Add in the chocolate chips and fold it in the batter.

4. Pour the batter into the greased tin and bake for about 35- 40 minutes till done.

5. Cool it on a wire rack for 10 minutes before taking it out of the tin. Cool it completely before slicing.
Serve cold ot warm with a cup of tea!

Enjoy!

An Event Announcement and C3 Soup

2010-12-15T10:16:00.001+00:00

Winter is in full bloom here and with that there are a few dishes that are making way to our table more than at any other time of the year. 'Soups' for examples comes to my mind first. But there are lot many things that we cook mostly in winter that keeps us warm and going. So here I am with my first event here -'Winter Warmers', very apt for the season, I believe. I look forward to your contribution, be it a piping hot soup or a warm salad, a warm halva or a sizzling brownie. It can be even a hot cup of tea or coffee! The options are numerous and varied.. So, friends send in your delicious entries! Here are a few rules of the event, you would like to know:

1. Make something thats keeps you warms and going during cold wintery days.

2. It can be any course of the meal.

3. Recipe has to be strict vegetarian. No eggs allowed!

4. Multiple Entries are welcome. Old entries are allowed with new entries. That means if you are sending two new entries, you can send two of your old entries for the event.

5. Please send in your entries starting today, 15th Dec 2010 till on or before January 30th 2011. Roundup will be there by first week of February.

6. Bloggers can simply send your Name and URL of your recipe at theveggiehut@gmail.com (theveggiehut AT gmail DOT com) with the subject of "Winter Warmers" with the following details-

Name:
Recipe Name and Url:
Picture of the dish reduced to 300px:

Non bloggers can email me your name, recipe and picture at theveggiehut@gmail.com (theveggiehut AT gmail DOT com) with the subject of "Winter Warmers"

7. Link back to this announcement page is mandatory and I would really appreciate if you can include this logo in your posts.

Looking forward to your entries!

My very first entry to my very first event is this soup- C3 Soup. Well it is the actually, Carrot Coconut and Coriander Soup. It looks like a rather long name, so I call it C3 Soup. I had this soup here in a restraunt and needless to say I loved it. I am big on Tomato Soup but this one seemed to give a nice competition to my old all time favourite soup. I googled to find a suitable recipe and landed here. I have made some variation to it and here is my version.

Lets have alook at the ingredients:

4 large carrots.

1/4 cup chopped onions.

1/4 cup chopped coriander.

1/4 cup coconut milk( You may increase or decrease it by 2 tbsp)

2 cloves.

1 bay leaf.

Salt and pepper to taste.

2 tsp Sugar (Optional).

Process:

1. Wash and peel the carrots. Cut them into chunks. In a pressure cooker add the onions. cloves, bay leaves and chopped carrots.

2. Add a cup of water. Pressure cook it on a medium till two whistles.

3. Let it cool down. Take out the cloves and bay leaf and discard. Churn it in a mixture till smooth and creamy with no lumps.

4. Heat a pan and add the mixture. Bring it to a boil and lower the gas.

5. Add the chopped coriander leaves and coconut milk. Season with salt, pepper and sugar and stir. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot with your choice of bread.

I love this soup a bit sweet but my husband likes othewise so I donot add the sugar in his part. You can make your choice.

Send in your 'Winter Warmer' recipes for my event and enjoy your winter. Cheers!

Spiced Whole Wheat Oats Pancakes

2010-12-10T15:36:00.008+00:00

I have tried these pancakes from Tarla Dalal's Book, I mentioned here. I loved them immensely. They can be prepared in no time and are perfect for breakfast. And the icing on th cake is- they are very healthy too!

Spiced Wholemeal and Oats Pancakes:

Makes 8:

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup quick rolled oats.
a good pinch of nutmeg powder.
a good pinch of cardamom powder
¼ tsp cinnamon powder.
2 tbsp powdered sugar.
1 tsp oil.
½ cup low fat milk.
½ tsp Eno’s fruit salt.
a pinch of salt.
3 tbsp oil for cooking.
Honey for serving.
8 orange slices.

Process:

Combine all the ingredients except fruit salt in a bowl with enough water to form a smooth batter.
Heat the pan and grease it with a little oil. Add the fruit salt in the batter and whisk it to mix well.
Pour spoonful of the batter on the pan to make 3 inch diameter pancake. Cook it till bubbles appears on the surface. Flip it and cook on the other side till light golden.
Repeat the process to make total 8 pancakes.
Serve hot with honey and orange segments.

Sending this off to Priya's Event- Cooking with whole food-Oats. This event is the brain child of Kiran.

One last peek before you go!

Enjoy! Have a lovely weekend!

Banana & Almond Smoothie

2010-12-06T14:14:00.000+00:00

Ever since I have developed an interest for cooking, I always check for recipes in cookbooks, magazines and if I like any of them, I just keep the page or jot the recipe in my dairy. I found this recipe in a Tupperware booklet and liked it. Most of the time, I have one or two very ripe bananas that need to be used immediately. Well, baking a cake out of it is a good option but having a lot of it is surely not good for my waistline! So, I find making a smoothie a safe bet. This smoothie is perfect for breakfast and is very nutritious too. Almonds add a very rich flavour to it!

Ingredients:

250 ml low fat milk

2 tbsp yoghurt.

1 tbsp Almond powder.

1 very ripe banana.

1 tbsp honey.

Makes 1 large glass or 2 small ones.

Process:

Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend it till smooth. Pour into two glass. Decorate with a whole almond. Serve.

Enjoy! Sending it off to Veggie/Fruit a month -Banana guest hosted by US Masala. This event is the brain child of Priya

1st Blog Anniversary with Black Forest Cake!

2010-12-03T09:45:00.001+00:00

It is exactly one year today since I started this blog 'The Veggie Hut'. I would like to convey my heartfelt gratitude to all my readers and blogosphere friends for their support and encouragement throughout the year. That is the reason I have reached this milestone today. Thanks a ton friends!

During this journey of a year, I have known so many food enthusiasts from around the globe, have experimented and tried my hands on new recipes, have made some blogosphere buddies and lots more. In a nut shell, it has been a enriching experience and a win-win decision to start this blog!

On this special occassion, I would like to share the recipe of 'Black Forest Cake'. I am sharing it from my drafts as I had saved it for this day :-).

I have refered this recipe from Nita Mehta's Book and I am satisfied with the results. Lets check the recipe now. First we have to prepare a ‘Rich Eggless Chocolate Cake’. We will need:

Ingredients:

½ tin condensed milk.
½ cup milk.
1 cup flour.
¼ cup powdered sugar.
¼ cup cocoa powder.
½ cup oil.
1 tsp baking powder.
½ tsp soda bicarbonate.
1 tsp vanilla essence.

Process:

1. Grease a swiss roll baking tin and dust it nicely with flour. Preheat the oven at 175 C for 10-15 minutes.

2. Sieve flour, cocoa, baking powder and soda bi-carb together. Keep aside.

3. Beat oil, sugar and essence till well mixed. Add condensed milk and milk. Beat well till well incorporated.

4. To this mixture add flour mixture in 2-3 batches, mixing well all the time. Beat well for 4-5 minutes till the mixture is light and fluffy and of a soft dropping consistency. Add a few spoons of milk if needed.

5. Transfer the cake mixture to the prepare tin. Level it.

6. Bake it at 175 C for 15-20 minutes. If the same cake is prepared in a small square or round tin it will take around 35-40 minutes to bake it.

7. Insert a clean knife in the middle of the cake to check if it is done. If it comes out clean, switch off the oven and take the cake out. Remove from tin after 10-15 minutes, by inverting on the wire rack.

I was in a hurry to take it out of the tin. I didnot wait for more than 5 minutes.. Thats evident from the picture!

For the black forest cake we will need.

1 chocolate cake (From above)
150 gm glazed cherries.
1 tbsp rum (Gives the flavour, I encourage to use it or use rum essence).
2-3 tbsp sugar.
¼ cup water.
50 gm dark chocolate flakes.

Cream Icing:

250 gm double cream- chilled.
4 tbsp sugar or to taste.

Process:

1. Cut the sheet of chocolate cake into 2 equal halves. Slice off thin slices from the sides. Place one half upside down on a flat plate.

2. Beat cream with sugar till the cream is thick and stands soft peaks. Keep it in the freeze till needed.

3. Dissolve sugar in water with rum. Thinly slice the cherries keeping aside 5-6 for decoration.

4. When the cake is completely cooled down, brush the sugar and rum syrup generously over the cake. The cake will soak it and will be moist. Spread a layer of cream over it evenly. Now spread a thin layer of sliced cherries.

5. Place the other half of the cake. Brush with syrup generously. Cover the whole of the cake with cream icing evenly.

6. Cover the cake sides with chocolate flakes. Decorate the top with chocolate flakes and cherries as desired.

7. Keep the cake in the freeze and take it out 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Sending it off to Champa's Bake Off!

Ginger and Cardamom Tea

2010-11-29T14:29:00.001+00:00

Weather is real bad here with snow and the mercury level not budging at all. I feel like staying at home all the time sunk inside my cosy blanket. What can be better than having a cup hot tea in such weather! Can I hear a lot of Yeahs!!

To tell you the truth, I am not a tea addict like my hubby (he cannot say no to a cup of tea). I do have a cup of it everyday in the morning (I have developed this habit after coming to this cold country). But on bad cold days, I can go for another cup. Flavours and sweetness of tea vary accoring to a person's taste. I love it sweet with spices. I am sharing this one which has ginger and cardamom flavours. Its simply iressistable on a cold day.

Here is what you will need:

Slightly more than 1 cup water.

1 cup low fat milk.

2 tea bags (I use Tetley Extra Strong)

1 cardamom pod.

1'' ginger peice.

Sugar to taste.

For 2 cups.

Process:

In a saucepan boil water. Pound ginger and cardamom pod in pestle and mortar.
Add it to the boiling water along with tea bags. The flavours will be infused into the boiling water.
Now add milk to it and keep the heat on a medium. Let it boil for 2 minutes. The colour should come out nice.
Add sugar to taste ( I add 2 tsp per cup) and boil again on a medium for 2 minutes.
Strain and pour into your cup.

Enjoy with biscuits of your choice. If you are feeling more indulgent have it with pakoras. It is a deadly combination!

Sev Puri

2010-11-23T10:42:00.003+00:00

The very word 'Sev Puri' conjures up tastes that tantalise my mouth and puts me in a craving mode. I usually keep the papdi/puri made in advance, so that I can satisfy my recurring cravings without much delay. It is very simple and we need a few ingredients to assemble it. Surely enough, we all have them in our pantry most of the time. Lets have a look at the recipe now.

Serves 2.

12 Papdi
1 large boiled potato, peeled and chopped.
¼ cup chopped onion.
¼ cup deseeded & chopped tomato.
¼ cup green chutney.
¼ cup tamarind chutney.
¼ cup nylon sev.

Process:

First place the papdis on a plate. Place chopped potato, tomato and onion equally on each
of the papdi. Top it with a teaspoon of green chutney and tamarind chutney. Finally top it
with a teaspoon of nylon sev.

Voila! The chat is ready to serve..

Sending this off to Pari's Event 'Only Chat'

Now before the Chat becomes soggy because of my photography sessions I must devour them all. Make your plate now! Enjoy!

Pinwheel Cookies

2010-11-19T14:25:00.003+00:00

Baking at home is always a satisfying experience, if the outcome is good and appreciated by all. This time I have baked these cookies- Pinwheel Cookies! They look cute and taste awesome. A very balanced taste of chocolate and vanilla which seems to be made for each other is this creation. I first saw them as a kid and I was very intrigued as to how one could make it. Definately, I didnot dig it up to the end then. But now, since I have developed a liking for baking, I did and there it is! They take a bit of time to make but are well worth the efforts. Without much ado, here is the recipe!

Pinwheel Cookies:

Makes about 20.

240 gm flour.
1 tsp baking powder.
1/8 tsp salt.
120 gm butter.
150 gm powdered sugar.
1 tsp vanilla essence.
3 tbsp cocoa powder.
½ cup milk to make the dough.

Process:

1. Sieve flour, baking powder and salt together. Grease a large baking tray.

2. Cream butter and powdered sugar till light and fluffy. This will take about 3-4 minutes with the help of a electric hand mixer.

3. To this butter and sugar mixture add the flour, vanilla essence. Add milk little by little and mix gently to make stiff but smooth dough.

4. Divide the dough into two parts and blend cocoa powder in one and set the other aside. Use a little milk (2 tsp) to blend the cocoa powder till it is well incorporated and the dough is even brown in colour.

5. Thinly roll out both the halves 1/8’’ thick into equal size pieces. Shape them in equal rectangular pieces by scraping off the excess. Keep them aside and repeat the process till all the dough is used.

6. Place the chocolate piece on top of the white one. Roll the two tightly just as in swiss rolls and allow to stand in a cool place for 20-30 minutes. While the roll is sitting preheat your oven at 175 C for 15 minutes.

7. Cut into ¼’’ thick slices and place them on the prepared baking tray.

8. Bake at 175 C in a preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes till they are done.

9. When done, take them out of the oven, let it stay on the tray for 2 minutes and then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. When completely cooled put them in your cookie jar.

Sending this off to Champa's Bake Off. Have a nice weekend! Enjoy!!