Bhojanam

Roasted Almond and Basil Pesto with Char Grilled Eggplant

2012-07-09T19:48:00.000-04:00

I came to know about 'pesto' only after watching Giada de Laurentiis recipes. When I heard it for the first time,I thought it is associated with 'pestle and mortar'. But its true, the ingredients in a pesto are ground with a circular motion in a pestle and mortar. Anyway, we shall do it in a food processor or blender. This recipe is done by my husband and he surprised me with this delicious and simple recipe.

What you need ?

1 Medium size eggplant

For Pesto

1 handful of Basil leaves

10-12 Almonds

2 Garlic cloves

5 tbsp of Olive oil

Grated lemon zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lemon (4-5 tbsp)

Salt and pepper to taste

- Slice eggplant lengthwise into 1/4 inch thickness and brush olive oil on both sides of all eggplant slices.

- Heat a grill or griddle until hot and cook the eggplant slices for about 3-4 minutes until you get the grill marks or cooked through on both sides.

- Place basil,almonds, garlic,lemon zest, lemon in a food processor and blend together.

- Slowly add the remaining 3 tbsp of olive oil and blend until the mixture forms a smooth paste.

- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

-For serving, stack the eggplant on a platter. Drizzle some pesto on top of hot and grilled eggplant and serve immediately.

Cake Pops - Birthday Party Favours

2012-02-18T20:48:00.000-05:00

Having a get together or a party in the near future ? Then, cake pops are the right choice as party favours and definitely a delicious alternative to cupcakes. I made these cake pops for my daughter's 1st birthday party and became a bit hit.

I adapted this recipe from wildly popular blogger Bakerella. Cake pops are cute little cakes balls on a stick coated with candy melts of your choice and any sprinkles or decor. To make 5 nos, you need :

Plain cake any flavor 1 cup (crumbled)

Frosting any flavor 1 tsp

Candy melts or Chocolate (for coating)

Styrofoam block

Lollipop sticks

Sprinkles for decoration (optional)

These adorable cake pops fit any occasion.

Step 1: Plain cake to be crumbled

Step 2: Add frosting to the crumbled cake.

Step 3: Mix well and divide into 5 equal portions. Roll into smooth balls by hand. Place it in the refrigerator for 15 mins.

Step 4: Melt candy coating or chocolate according to the package directions. I melted these dark chocolate bars in the microwave for about 40 secs.

Step 5: Dip about 1/2 inch of the tip of each lollipop stick into the melted chocolate.

Step 6: Insert straight into the cake ball, pushing it no more than halfway through.

Step 7: Hold the cake pop by the stick and dip into the melted chocolate or use a spoon to cover the cake balls with enough melted chocolate and make sure its been coated evenly. Tap gently to remove any excess.

Step 8: Stick the cake pops into the prepared Styrofoam block.

Step 9: Decorate with colored sugar or sprinkles.

Store the cake pops in airtight containers or cover them in small treat bags and tie with curling ribbons.

Grilled Brussels Sprout With Sun Dried Tomatoes

2012-02-02T23:17:00.000-05:00

I love eating salads. No matter warm or cold salad. Whenever you want to finish your cooking soon, then this is it. All you need are few ingredients and just wrap or roll it in rotis or tortillas.

Brussels Sprout fresh or frozen about 2 cups
Sun Dried tomatoes 3/4 cup
Juice of 1 lemon
Garlic 2 cloves
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Paprika powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Finely chop garlic and mince it well.

In a medium sized bowl, add about a tbsp of olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice, paprika powder and salt.

Meanwhile, defrost Brussels sprout in microwave. I used frozen ones. Cut into halves.

Throw the cut sprouts and sun dried tomatoes into the oil mixture and make sure that all the pieces are coated well with oil.

Grill the Brussels sprout and sun dried tomatoes mixture on an electric or stove top grill for about 3-4 minutes, until you see those beautiful grill marks and the Brussels sprout is cooked through.

Before serving, heat the remaining olive oil in a small skillet and add mustard seeds.Saute for 30 seconds on a medium high heat or till the seeds begin to sizzle.

Drizzle over the grilled mixture and serve.

Egg less orange cake with orange glaze

2011-12-11T23:43:00.000-05:00

Baking cake without eggs is a challenge. I love to bake cakes. Either made from instant cake powder or made from scratch. I always like to try with different ingredients and wait to see the final results after baking and cooling. I thought of making an orange cake with a dash of spice topped with orange glaze.

Ingredients:
1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
2-3 tsp of orange zest
2 1/2 cups of All Purpose Flour
1 cup of condensed milk
1 stick of unsalted butter
2 tbsp of distilled vinegar
3 tbsp of sugar
2 tsp of nutmeg powder
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of baking soda
A pinch of salt
A drop or 2 of orange flavoring/essence

For Glaze:
2 tbsp of Orange juice
1/4 cup of powdered sugar
Orange food color (optional)

Preparation time: 15 mins Cook time: 30-35 mins

Grease cake pan with non stick spray or butter. I used a 10 1/2" X 6 1/2" rectangular cake pan.
Preheat the oven at 350 F. In a large mixing bowl, mix all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and a pinch of salt.
Grate or zest about 2-3 tsp of orange skin. Peel off only the colored portion of the rind; the white pith can be bitter rather than flavorful. This imparts abundance of citrusy aromatic oil to the mixture.
To bring out the aroma and spice from nutmeg, I used freshly grated nutmeg about 2 tsp. You can use powdered too.
After mixing all the dry ingredients, add wet ingredients one by one.
Add cubed butter first (bring it to room temperature), followed by freshly squeezed orange juice, condensed milk, vinegar, sugar, any citrus or fruit essence just about a drop.
Use a hand mixer to fold the mixture together.Pour the cake batter evenly to the prepared pan and gently tap to avoid air bubbles.
Bake for about 30 mins or until toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out almost clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 15 minutes. Carefully invert cakes from pan to wire rack; cool completely.

Mix the glaze ingredients and spoon it over the cake.
This egg less cake is without doubt the ultimate comfort food with tantalizing aroma of orange and nutmeg.

Baby Corn masala in Coconut milk

2011-08-01T22:48:00.000-04:00

I make veg masala almost once in a week for rotis/ chappathis or jeera rice. I had a can of baby corn and coconut milk.Hence, I decided to make a masala / korma out of this. All you need is,

Baby corn 1 can

1 cup of coconut milk

Finely diced onion 1/2 cup

Green chilies chopped 1 teaspoon

Cloves 2-3 nos

Fennel seeds 1 teaspoon

Cardamom crushed about 1 teaspoon

Whole black pepper 5-6 nos

Cinnamon stick about 1/2 inch

Garam masala powder 1 teaspoon

Ginger garlic paste 1 teaspoon

Turmeric 1/2 teaspoon (optional)

Oil 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Drain water from the can and rinse the baby corn thoroughly in cold water.

Heat about a tbsp of oil in a heavy bottomed pan and saute baby corns for about 3-5 minutes until the color slightly changes to golden brown. Switch off the heat and keep the corns aside.

I do not want to cut the baby corns. This is up to your choice. You can chop into bits if you like.

In the same pan, heat the remaining oil, add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, fennel seeds and whole black pepper.

When you smell the aroma from the spices, add the onions and about a pinch of salt. The color of onion changes gradually to golden yellow, add the ginger garlic paste and green chilies. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until the raw smell goes.

Let this mixture cool and blend together to form a smooth paste.

The paste goes to a skillet over a medium flame with about 1/4 cup of water.Do not pour too much of water, as we are going to add coconut milk.

When the bubbles slowly appear, its time you add the baby corns, salt, turmeric and let it cook for about 5-6 minutes. Add the garam masala powder and reduce the heat to low.

Pour the coconut milk to the mixture and switch off the flame.

Garnish with chopped cilantro (optional)

This smooth creamy masala is perfect combination for Rotis/parathas.

Fruit Bouquet to Dear Father

2011-06-19T23:13:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's day. Cut, carve and arrange all your favourite summer fruits and make any day special. This is inexpensive compared to online or store orders. This is perfect to gift on special occasions or a healthy centerpiece for a table setting.

The fruit bouquet requires few skewers, a base (I used a small basket), a paring knife, flower shaped cookie cutter, Styrofoam or a lettuce head and fruits like honeydew, strawberries, grapes. Use your imagination and creativity for different shapes and fruit combination/arrangements. Involve your kids and have fun.

Mofongo

2011-06-14T00:23:00.000-04:00

Dear Foodies, its has been a long time since I added new recipes. The reason being I am a new mom now and held up with my little princess. But this time, I would like to share with you my trip to Puerto Rico and mouth watering recipe of 'Mofongo' I had in Old San Juan, PR. The basic ingredient is green plantain, which is mashed and fried. This reminds me of Vazhaikai podimas ( mashed green plantain) popularly known and served in the south indian cuisine. Old San Juan is beautiful with El Morro fortress, colorful colonial architecture, coconut shell jewellery and crafts and you are bound to find tasty and happening restaurants.
I had Mofongo in a restaurant called Barrachina in Old San Juan. The surrounding beauty of a colonial building is over two centuries old with an interior courtyard and birthplace and home of the world famous Piña Colada, where don Ramón Portas Mingot first made the famous drink in 1963.

Some of the pics captured during our trip.

View of the beach from El Morro Fort

Bell Tower - El Morro Fort

Colorful buildings with beautiful balconies, Old San Juan

Usually this dish is served with pork or chicken .Since, I am a vegetarian I like to have with lots of grilled or sauteed vegetables or a sauce prepared of vegetable stock and pureed tomatoes. This is my version of making it with slight variation.

Serves 2

2 raw green plantain
2-3 cloves of Garlic
1/4 cup of Olive oil plus 1 Tbsp
1 tsp of Cumin
2 tsp of paprika powder
1 tsp of Turmeric powder
salt to taste

For the sauce

4 tbsp Tomato puree
1/4 cup of vegetable stock/ water.
salt and pepper
Chopped cilantro to garnish

Wash and cut the ends of the plantain and peel the skin lengthwise and cut into about 1 inch chunks. Heat water in a vessel and add 1 tbsp of oil, salt and drop the cut plantains and cook until soft and drain excess of water.Mash the cooked plantains with mortar and pestle or a potato masher. In the meantime, peel,crush and mince garlic pods.In a medium flame, heat oil in a skillet, add cumin seeds, minced garlic, turmeric, paprika powder and mashed plantains. Allow to shallow fry the contents and mix altogether till the mixture becomes golden brown and crispy.

For the sauce, heat a medium skillet, add the pureed tomatoes and when bubbles start to appear, add the vegetable stock or water. This process is to just thin the sauce.Add little salt and pepper.

To serve mofongo, shape into molds using a simple cereal bowl. Fill and pack the mixture into the bowl. Place a plate inverted on top of the bowl. Transfer the contents of the bowl into the plate to form a beautiful dome shape.Drizzle some sauce on top of mofongo and garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

This crispy plantain and tangy sauce is perfect a combination to please your taste buds.

Desi Chickpea Salad

2010-07-30T05:27:00.000-04:00

Beat the summer heat with cold chickpea salad. Very easy to prepare recipe and needs few ingredients.
But why the name 'desi chickpeas' ? This is majorly cultivated in the Indian subcontinent and is otherwise called as 'kala chana' or' black chickpea'. There are 2 varieties of chickpea: Desi chickpea and Kabuli chickpea. The first variety is bit smaller,darker in color,rough and high in fibre content and low in glycemic index compared to the 'kabuli '.On the other hand, Kabuli chickpea are the regular type which are larger,light golden in color and much smoother than desi variety.

You need:

1 cup of desi chickpea / kala chana
1/4 cup of grated carrot
1/4 cup of shredded raw mango
1/4 cup of sprouts
2 tbsp of lemon juice
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
1 green chilly cut and split
Asafoetida or hing a little
salt to taste
1 tsp of oil

* Soak the chickpeas overnight and cook them well till soft. Drain excess water and transfer to a bowl.
* Heat oil in a small pan to splutter mustard seeds, add split green chilly and asafoetida.Switch off the heat and add the spluttered contents to the bowl of chickpea.
* Add carrot, mango and sprouts and squeeze the juice from the lemon and add salt.
* Give a big toss and voila the salad is ready.
* Salad can be chilled in refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving. This can also be served hot.

Eggless - Fruit and Nut Biscotti

2010-01-11T06:43:00.000-05:00

I always love to try baked recipes and me being a vegetarian, eggless recipes makes it real special. I generally replace eggs with flax seeds or apple sauce.These fruit and nut biscotti has full of heart healthy ingredients like cranberry, almonds and other mixed candied fruit and nuts that gives a delectable taste and festive gift idea. Unlike cookies, biscotti are baked twice to retain the crispiness. The ingredients I used are:

1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup of mixed candied fruits like pineapple,mango,peach,papaya
1/4 cup of cranberry
1/4 cup of roughly chopped almonds
1/3 cup of dark brown sugar
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp of butter
2 tbsp of apple sauce
2 tbsp of water
1 tbsp of powdered flax seeds
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of cardamon powder
1 tsp of nutmeg powder
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of baking powder

Preparation:

1. Warm 2 tbsp of water and soak the powdered flax seeds for about 5-10 minutes.

2. Keep aside 2 tbsp of flour to mix the dry fruits.

3. In a large bowl, mix butter,oil,sugar together until well blended.Mix in the vanilla extract, apple sauce, the flax mixture and beat well together.Combine, flour, baking powder and gradually stir all dry ingredients into the mixture.Stir in all the dry fruits and nuts by hand.

4. Make a dough out of the mixture and form a log. Flatten the top of log. Cover the log with cling foil and refrigerate for 25 -30 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 300 degree F. Drizzle some olive oil to the cookie sheet.

6. Bake the log for about 35 minutes in oven or until light brown.Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.Reduce oven heat to 275 degree F.

7. Cut the log on diagnol into 3/4 inch thick slices.Lay on buttered or oiled cookie sheet.Bake for about 8-10 minutes. Cool after removing from oven for 10 minutes.

Note: If desired, dip one end or one side of the biscotti in melted chocolate and place on waxed paper to harden the chocolate. Pack some of the bicottis in colorful gift bags for a homemade gift.

Baked Bell Pepper and rice

2009-12-21T21:37:00.087-05:00

Ingredients

2 Green bell peppers
1 cup of cooked basmati rice
1 Medium sized onion finely chopped
1 small can or about 1/2 cup of tomato puree
1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp of cumin powder
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of garam masala
3 tbsp of Olive oil
1 tsp of bread crumbs (optional)
1 tbsp of plain yogurt (optional)

* Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

* Cut off the top quarter of each bell pepper and reserve. Scoop the seeds and veins out from the inside of each pepper and discard. Rub about 1/2 tbsp of olive oil on each bell pepper and set the shells aside.

* In a large skillet over a medium to high heat , add the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil and ginger garlic paste and the chopped onions. Saute until golden brown or till the raw smell goes.

* Add the tomato puree. Let it cook for about 3-5 minutes.

* Season with cumin powder, salt, garam masala and turmeric powder. Switch off the stove and allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes.

* Blend the mixture and mix it with the cooked basmati rice.

* Fill the rice mixture into the scooped bell peppers and sprinkle bread crumbs and cover with bell pepper lid.

* Bake until the skin of the bell peppers turns color for about 25 minutes.

* Before serving, remove the bell pepper lid carefully add a tbsp of plain yogurt. This is completely optional.

Note: To cook rice....add 1 and 1/2 cups of water to 1 cup of basmati rice and microwave for 20 minutes in a microwavable bowl.

Badam Kalash

2009-10-16T15:03:00.000-04:00

"Badam Kalash" or "Almond Pots" ....just wanted to give a special name for this sweet. Prepared from the remains of the almond squares made earlier. Warm 'almond squares' ( from the previous recipe) before cut to squares are made into pot shaped sweets and decorated with whole almond to resemble the coconut and the green tiny bits are almonds too. They are chopped and dipped in green food color to resemble mango leaves. Made the badam kalash to offer Goddess Lakshmi for Lakshmi pooja.

Have a wonderful Diwali

Thattai

2009-10-16T14:42:00.000-04:00

Thattai is a popular savory in the southern part of India. Mostly prepared using rice flour. The ingredients for this recipe are:

2 cups rice flour
3/4 cup of daliya powder or pottukadalai podi
A pinch of turmeric
Salt according to taste.
1 tsp of chilli powder
1 tsp asafoetida
1 tbsp of coarsely crushed cumin and caraway seeds
Few curry leaves torn to tiny bits
3 tbsp of soaked channa dhal
2 tbsp of unsalted butter
Approximately 1 cup of water to mix
Oil for frying

Mix all the dry ingredients rice flour, daliya powder, turmeric, chilli powder, salt, asafoetida, grounded cumin and caraway seeds.Caraway seeds are ajwain / omam/ carom seeds. They give a wonderful aroma and flavour.

Add the soaked channa dhal and butter to the mixture and form a dough with water. To test, whether the dough prepared is of right consistency, make a small ball out of the dough ....about a size of a gooseberry / amla and press it gently to flat ( Thattai is also prepared the same way). Slight cracks appear towards the edges and dough does not stick to your hands. Voila !! you have passed the test and you are on right track...

Before frying, poke the prepared thattais with a fork or a toothpick and this makes the thattai flat and does not fluff up like poori. Deep fry thattais to golden brown.

Note: You can also flatten the dough to thattais between two wax sheets/ paper to avoid stickyness.

Almond Squares

2009-10-14T10:34:00.003-04:00

"Almond squares" or badam katli similar to burfi prepared using simple ingredients and resulting in heavenly taste which melts in every bite. I prefer almonds much over cashews.Because, almonds are rich in Vit E and according to nutritional health facts the sweet almond itself contains practically no carbohydrates , gluten-free and may therefore be made into flour for cakes and cookies for low-carbohydrate diets.

The ingredients for this sweet are:

1 cup of whole almonds
1 cup of milk
1 1/2 cups of sugar
4 tbsp of ghee
Yellow or orange food color a tiny pinch

Most of the India sweets main ingredients are ghee and sugar.'Ghee' is nothing but clarified butter. Indian sweets does not require baking but has a lot of stirring process. This sweet can be prepared within 25 minutes.Let's start by soaking almonds in hot water for about 2 hours.

* Peel the skin of almonds after soaking for 2 hours.
* Grind peeled almonds to paste with milk. Do not pour the milk all at once. Sprinkle milk little by little so that it blends to form a paste.Not too fine paste.I always prefer bit grainy.
* The consistency of the blended almond resembles the picture.
* Meanwhile grease a tray with a tbsp of ghee and keep it separately.
* On to a heavy bottomed pan add a tbsp of ghee and add the almond paste.
* On a medium flame stir for a minute or two and then add the sugar.
* Keep stirring and let the sugar melt completely and add the remaining 2 tbsp of ghee.This sweet does not require too much of ghee since, almond itself has lots of oil.
* After about 18-20 minutes, the contents leaves the sides of the pan and reduced to nearly half.At this stage transfer the contents to the tray and level it.
* Cut into 1" x 1" squares after cooling.

Note: Regarding the color, I used a teeny tiny pinch of orange food color when bubbles appear while cooking and I wanted to have a natural pale color You can use saffron strands or any color according to your choice.

Besan sweet leaves

2009-10-13T18:12:00.000-04:00

This is the simplified version of 7 cup sweet. My grandma and my mom usually prepare 7 cup sweet for almost all occasion.Its simple and easy to make and at the most takes 25 minutes time .The basic ingredients are besan or chickpea flour and sugar. I prepared the sweet according to the following measurements and yields around 20 pieces/ leaves.

1/2 cup of besan
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of ghee or clarified butter
1/2 cup of dessicated coconut.
cardamom powder
Chopped nuts for garnishing(optional)

* In a heavy bottomed pan dry roast besan flour for 3-4 minutes and do not let the flour turn brown.
* Always keep the flame low - medium.
* Pour in the milk to the besan flour and whisk it to get rid of any lumps.
* Add sugar and coconut.
* Ghee can be added at intervals or as a whole when the contents completely melts.
* Add cardamom powder when bubbles appear.
* Keep stirring constantly till the mixture reduced to nearly half and this would take nearly 12-15 minutes.
* Grease a tray with ghee and keep aside.
* The contents leaves the sides of the pan, at this stage transfer to the prepared tray.
* Flatten the mixture and level it evenly.Also,see to that it reaches all the 4 corners of the tray.
* Cut into desired shape. I have used leaf shaped cookie cutter.
* I have garnished with chopped almonds.Dipped them in green food color, pat with a paper napkin to dry and decorated.
* Enjoy and have a wonderful Diwali.

Diwali Special - Banana Halwa

2009-10-11T21:16:00.005-04:00

I had dozen bananas at home. I didn't know what to do apart from banana bread and banana muffin. My mom gave me the recipe for banana halwa. Also, Diwali is coming soon next week...I thought why not start with my mom's sweet recipe first for Diwali. Needs just 3 ingredients...Banana, sugar and ghee and little patience to stir.

You need:

6 Medium sized ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/4 cup ghee
1/4 cup of chopped nuts (optional)

* Mash bananas well without any lumps.
* Meanwhile apply a tsp of ghee into a small tray for pouring the halwa mixture and keep it separately.
* Add mashed bananas into a non-stick pan and stir for 5 minutes. After 4-5 minutes of heating, the mixture slowly changes to a light brown color.
* Now add the sugar and keep stirring constantly.Leave the flame low-medium throughout.
* Keep adding ghee one by one tablespoon now and then while stirring.
Its not necessary to add cardamon powder but that's completely optional. Bananas leave very good fruity aroma while it gets cooked.
* After around 15-18 minutes, the halwa mixture slightly leaves the sides of the pan and also you will see the color turned to dark brown.
* At this phase, stir vigorously for about 4-5 minutes and the mixture forms into a dough like texture and immediately pour into the prepared tray.
* Flatten the surface with a gheed wide spatula. Let it cool for about 2 hours.
* Cut into diamond or squares and serve.

Veggie Wrap

2009-10-01T16:15:00.000-04:00

This is the most quick and easy recipe for a lazy sunday brunch or for a healthy dinner.

To make 2 wraps you need

2 Flat out breads
1/2 cup of lettuce torn into pieces
1/4 cup boiled chick peas or garbanzos
Mix of shredded carrot, thinly sliced red onions, thinly sliced red or green bell pepper, sliced roma tomatoes
1 medium sized avocado mashed
Pitted green or black olives 10 nos
2 tbsp hummus
Salt and Pepper

There are range of flat out breads available in the market. Here, I have used low-carb flat out bread. There are other varieties like Italian, light, original, multi grain, mini and so on. Lets begin warming the flatout bread in a girddle for 10-15 secs. Apply and spread hummus 1 tbsp on each bread. Start layering with lettuce,tomatoes, carrot,bell pepper, sliced onions. Add a dollup of mashed avacado on each bread.Top it with olives and sprinkle salt and pepper.Wow! the wrap is ready in seconds.

Note : Hummus is healthier than Mayonnaise.Here are the facts. Hummus has 6g fat, 1g saturated fat, and 130mg sodium for a 2 tablespoon serving. Regular Mayonnaise has 11g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol and 85mg sodium for just a 1 tablespoon serving.
Avocado can be used instead of sour cream.Beyond their delectable flavor, avocados can be part of a healthful diet. Avocado has very few calories compared to sour cream. Also, avocados are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, naturally sodium-free and cholesterol-free.

Beetroot Chutney / Dip

2009-09-15T07:18:00.005-04:00

Beetroot or Beta vulgaris is a vegetable of which both leaves and roots are used for cooking. It is a good source of antioxidants and nutrients, including magnesium, sodium, potassium, folate and vitamin C. Beetroot helps reduce blood pressure.The juice is an excellent kidney and liver cleanser. Specific anti-carcinogens are bound to the red coloring matter which supposedly helps fight against cancer. Let us try to take beetroot in some form, at least once in a week.This is a simple recipe can be eaten with rice, any indian bread and also served with dosa.

You need,

2 medium sized beetroot shredded

2 tbsp urad dhal

3 tbsp grated coconut

1-2 dry red chillies

2 tbsp of oil

1 tbsp tamarind paste

A pinch of asafoetida

salt

Mustard seeds and curry leaves (optional)

- Heat oil in a pan, add urad dhal and red chillies.Let urad dhal turn to light brown.

- Now add the shredded beetroot and tamarind. Let it cook for 4- 5 minutes or until the raw smell leaves. Since this is shredded, it cooks much faster. If it is diced, then it takes a bit longer time to cook.

- Also add the asafoetida, salt and grated coconut and blend all the ingredients in a mixer to a rough consistency by adding or sprinkling water little by little.

- Splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves in 1 tsp of oil and mix it to the chutney.

- Dip is ready to be served.

Mushroom Pulao

2009-09-03T18:00:00.005-04:00

Ingredients

2 cups of sliced mushrooms
2 cups of basmati rice
1 cup of thinly sliced onions
1/4 cup of shredded carrot (optional)
A bunch of mint and cilantro
2 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tbsp of cumin
5-6 whole back pepper
2-3 cloves
Cardamon 1/2 tsp
1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
3 pods of garlic
A small piece of ginger
2 small bay leaves
Ghee or clarified butter 3 tbsp
Roasted cashews or walnuts
Salt

Wash rice well with water and soak it for 15 - 20 minutes. For a cup of basmati rice, add 1 1/2 cups of water, add chopped mint and cilantro leaves, cumin, lemon juice, a tsp of salt and 1 tbsp ghee. Cook until the rice is done and should not be sticky. Cook rice either in an electric rice cooker or a microwaveable rice cooker with right amount of water. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a pan, add bay leaves, chopped ginger, garlic, onions and saute until the onion turns to golden brown. Add sliced mushrooms and let it cook for 5 minutes. Add little bit of salt to the vegetables and to give kick, a pinch or two red chilli powder can also be added. Meanwhile dry roast peppercorns, cloves, cardamon, cinnamon stick and crush it with a mortar and pestle and mix the powder to the cooked vegetables and atlast toss all the mixture with the rice. Roast cashews/ walnuts in the remaining ghee and garnish.

Green Pasta and Herb biscuit

2009-09-03T17:15:00.002-04:00

In this recipe I have used green colored vegetables with fusilli pasta. The word 'fuso' in fusilli means 'spindle' in Italian. Fusilli pasta is used for preparing baked casseroles, soups and salads. The herb biscuit goes very well with the warm pasta. To start with, prepare dough for the biscuit first.

Herb Biscuit Ingredients

This yields around 8 -10 biscuits:

1 cup self raising flour
2 tbsp of dried herbs like rosemary, basil,oregano and thyme
2 tbsp of chilled butter
5-6 tbsp of milk
salt

Sift the flour.Add a pinch of salt and butter to the flour. Mix flour and butter in such a way that it resembles bread crumbs.The best way to mix it would be by hands.Use finger tips instead of a spatula. Now add the herbs and milk. Press gently to form a dough on a floured surface. The dough results with lot of cracks and folds and that is how it has to appear. Divide into equal portions shaping each into balls.At 370 degree F bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Green Pasta Ingredients

1 1/2 Cup of fusilli pasta
2 Cups of green vegetables like Green bell pepper, Zucchini,Peas,Asparagus, Broccoli,Spring onions
1 clove of garlic
3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper
Water to cook pasta

Bring water to boil in a pot covered with a lid. Add salt and olive oil.Add the pasta to the boiling water (leave it uncovered). Cook until its done. Strain excess water and keep the pasta separately in a bowl. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan add garlic, spring onions and rest of the chopped vegetables.Add salt and freshly ground pepper.Toss all the vegetables with cooked pasta and top it with shredded parmesan cheese. The cheese melts in warm pasta.Garnish with herb biscuits.

Grilled Baguette with Vegetables

2009-08-11T20:34:00.013-04:00

Baguette is a French bread crispy and crusty on the outer and softer on the inner part.This recipe is a very good opener for dinner and a healthy snack after a tiresome day from work and can be prepared in few minutes.

1 Baguette
1 cup of finely chopped vegetables like green bell pepper, orange /red bell pepper,mushrooms,spring onions
1/4 cup of chopped tomatoes
1 clove of minced garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp of dried herbs like rosemary and basil
Salt and Pepper

Mix lemon juice, dijon mustard,garlic,2 tbsp of olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper in a bowl.Add all the chopped vegetables and herbs to combine well.
Cut the bread diagonally.Heat the grill, drizzle remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil and arrange the sliced breads on the grill and see to that the grill marks appear on the bread. Flip the other side and take it out when done. The best way to get the grilled look/ marks is by keeping a plate over the bread pieces and a heavy object like can of tomatoes over the plate.This can also be done using a normal griddle in case the grill is not available.
Top the bread pieces with vegetables and serve.

Avocado salsa

2009-08-07T10:26:00.005-04:00

1 ripe avocado
2 medium diced tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup chopped red onions
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Dijon mustard 1 tsp (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Cut open avocado, peel the skin and remove the seed.Gently cut into small pieces or simply scoop out the flesh with a spoon and mash it. Meanwhile, peel and mince garlic and whisk it with olive oil,lemon juice, freshly ground pepper and salt.You can also add dijon mustard just for a kick. Mix it well with onions , tomatoes ,avocado and chopped cilantro. This goes very well with chips or roll it in a tortilla bread. In the pic...I have cut the tortilla breads in to pieces and baked at 300 F for about 5-6 minutes and that becomes fat free ,oil free tortilla chips.

Coconut Burfi

2009-08-03T16:43:00.001-04:00

Coconut burfi is one of the dessert which is very simple to make.Requires minimal ingredients and takes much less time to make compared to other Indian desserts/ sweets.

Sweetened coconut flakes-1 1/2 cups
1/4 cup of condensed milk
1/4 cup sugar
Cardamon powder 1/2 tsp
Cashews for garnishing

In a heavy bottom vessel add the coconut flakes, condensed milk and sugar. Stir and mix over a medium flame constantly. Add cardamon powder and cook until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Transfer into a buttered tray.Flatten the mixture using a spatula. Let it cool for sometime. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Refrigeration process makes the burfi firm and gives longer shelf life. Cut into desired shapes. Cookie cutter can also be used for different shapes. Decorate with cashews.

Note: Unsweetened desiccated coconut can also be used instead of sweetened coconut flakes. Then the coconut, sugar ratio becomes 1 1/2 cups : 3/4 cup sugar. Condensed milk quantity will remain the same.

Carrot Mint Chutney / Thuvayal

2009-07-23T14:12:00.001-04:00

Ingredients:

2 Medium carrots peeled and diced
1 Handful fresh mint leaves
2 dry red chillies
2 tbsp urad dhal
2 tbsp channa dhal
1 grape sized tamarind /Tamarind paste 1/2 tsp
A pinch of asafoetida
2 tbsp oil
Salt

Wash peel,dice or grate carrots. Heat oil in a pan, add urad dhal, channa dhal and red chillies.Saute until it turns color to light brown. Add the carrot and mint leaves let it cook for 3-4 minutes and turn off the heat. Pour the mixture to the blender and combine tamarind paste, asafoetida and salt.Grind it to smooth chutney. Serve with rice,roti or dosa.

Minced Parotta and Salna

2009-07-15T20:55:00.000-04:00

Minced parotta or Kothu parotta is a delicacy popular in the South Indian state of Tamilnadu. It is made using parotta pieces, vegetables, salna, a spicy sauce.The ingredients are thrown on a hot cast iron griddle lubricated with oil. These are minced and mixed by repeated pounding using a heavy iron spatula.It is served with onion raita.

Ingredients for kothu parotta

Serves 4

Malabar Parotta 10 nos
Onion finely chopped 1 cup
Tomato chopped 1/4 cup
Bell pepper chopped 1/4 cup (optional)
2 Green chillies finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp
1 Sprig of curry leaves
1 inch piece of cinnamon
Cloves 2 nos crushed
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala /chaat masala
Oil 2 tbsp
Salt

For Garnishing:
1 spring onion finely chopped
2 tsp cilantro finely chopped

Malabar parottas are available in any Indian grocery store in the frozen isle. Defrost the parottas. Heat parottas in a tava till the edges are completely cooked. Now roughly tear the parottas into pieces and keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan,add green chillies, curry leaves, crushed cloves,cinnamon stick,ginger garlic paste and chopped onions.Saute for 2 minutes till it turns light brown.Now add the tomatoes and bell pepper. Can also add boiled peas and sliced mushrooms. This is optional. Let it cook for 2 -3 minutes.Add tumeric powder, salt,cumin powder,coriander powder,garam masala. Cover the pan with lid and cook for 2 more minutes and switch off the stove. Now, toss the teared parottas in the mixture and garnish with chopped cilantro and spring onions.Serve hot with salna.

Recipe for Salna

You need:

1 medium chopped onion
2 tomatoes chopped / 1 can of diced tomatoes
3 tbsp of desicated coconut
Few curry leaves
1 green chilly
2 cloves of garlic
A piece of ginger
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp fennel
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 clove crushed
oil 2 tbsp
Salt

Heat oil in a pan, add chopped garlic, ginger, green chilly,curry leaves, cumin, fennel, crushed clove and chopped onions. Let onions turn to golden brown.Now add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, salt, red chilli powder and garam masala.Cook until the oil splits and leaves the sides of the pan.In a food processor pour all the mixture and add the coconut.Pulse it for 2 -3 times. Transfer the blended mixture to a pan. cook for 4-5 minutes and turn off the heat. Garnish with cilantro leaves. I ve used the cliantro stems. Enjoy your meal!!

Masala murukku

2009-07-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

Ingredients

Powdered rice 3 cups
Powdered roasted shelled split grams /daliya 1 cup/pottu kadalai
Crushed and chopped garlic 1 tbsp
Green chilli 1 finely chopped
Curry leaves 1 sprig chopped
Butter 2 tbsp
Cumin 1 tbsp
Sesame 1 tbsp
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Salt
Asafoetida
Water

Mix all the dry ingredients first starting with rice powder, daliya powder,salt, asafoetida , cumin, sesame and chilli powder. Combine garlic,green chilli,butter and curry leaves to the mixture.Make a dough by sprinkling water little by little. The consistency of the dough should be like roti dough. If the dough is too loose or watery it results in hard murukku. Heat oil in Kadai, make murukku using murukku press. Take it out when murukku turns to light golden brown. Let it stand for 2 - 3 minutes and then serve or store it in an airtight container.