I told my cousin in Canada that I made Spanakopita  recently. Then she suggested this Manitaropita which is is similar to the Spanakopita recipe. She said that she had some frozen Manitaropita which is made mushroom and feta cheese in some wine sauce. I did this Manitaropita in my own style and that too tasted good. Here is the recipe for this easy and tasty snack.

Time of Preparation : 40 minutes
No of Servings : 4
Spice level : 3 out of 5

Ingredients:

• Onions – 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
• Mushrooms – 150 grams (chopped to small cubes)
• Green chillies – 2 (finely chopped)
• Black Pepper – 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp (according to taste)
• Salt – to taste
• Parsley leaves – a handful (chopped)
• Garlic – 2 cloves (finely chopped)
• Olive oil – 1 tsp and for brushing
• Feta cheese – 120 grams
• Phyllo sheets – 8

Method of Preparation:

1. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and fry the onions followed by garlic, green chillies and fry till they become translucent.
2. Add the mushrooms and fry for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the pepper, salt and parsley leaves and fry till the mushrooms become soft.
4. Add the Feta cheese and combine well.
5. Remove from the heat and let it cool.
6. Now keep the phyllo sheet and spread brush it with olive oil.
7. Repeat the process by keeping 4 sheets one above the other.
8. Cut them in the center and divide into 2 halves.
9. Do this for another set of 4 sheets.
10. Now divide the stuffing to 4 equal halves.
11. Keep the stuffing in the phyllo sheets and roll them to triangles.
12. I have explained the full procedure in Spankopita Recipe.
13. Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake them in a baking sheet for 20 minutes.
14. Crispy Manitaropitas are ready.

Elavan Mathan Pachadi is again a simple and traditional Palakad dish which is generally served with rice and Milagootal. Winter Melon (ash gourd) and Pumpkin are known as “Elavan or Kumbalanga” and “Mathan or Mathanga” respectively in Malayalam.

This pachadi can also be served with any type of rice or roti. Both pumpkin and ash gourd are nutritious vegetables. So this is a perfect way to add these vegetables to your daily diet.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

No. of servings: 6

Spice level: 3 out of 6

Ingredients:

• Elavan (winter melon) – 1 cup
• Mathan or parangikkai – 1 cup
• Whole tamarind – small lemon size
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Shredded coconut – 1/4 cup
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Green chilies – 1
• Oil – 1 tsp
• Dried chili – 1
• A few curry leaves
• Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:

Add tamarind to a cup of hot water and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Cut pumpkin and winter melon into 1″ cubes. Boil tamarind water and add chopped vegetables with a pinch of turmeric powder and 1/4 tsp of salt. Cook until veggies become tender.

Grind coconut, green chilies and 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds with a little water and grind it to a fine paste. Add ground paste to cooked vegetables along with a little more salt. Mix well and cook over medium heat until it starts thickening. Remove from heat.

Heat a tsp of oil and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add dried chilies and curry leaves. Add this to the cooked pachadi.

Keerai Milagootal is a Palakad dish made from greens and toor dal. You can use spinach, amaranth leaves or otheYou can serve this with rice or roti.  It is easy to make and a healthy dish with lots of protein and other nutrients.

My mother in law is here and I am learning a lot of Palakad (Kerala) dishes from her. I really like the simple and flavorful dishes that she cooks. Keep posted for more traditional and tasty dishes…

Preparation time: 30 minutes

No. of servings: 4

Spice level: 2.5 out of 5

Ingredients:

• Spinach – 250 gram
• Urad dal – 1 tsp
• Dried red chilies – 2
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Shredded coconut – 3 tbsp
• Toor dal – 1/2 cup
• Oil – 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds and urad dal – 1 tsp each

Method of Preparation:

Pressure cook toor dal with 1 and 1/2 cups of water and mash it. Wash and finely chop spinach. Boil with 1/2 cup of water until it is cooked and shrunk.

Heat a tsp of oil and roast dried chilies and a tsp of urad dal until it becomes golden brown. Grind roasted chili, urad dal along with cumin, coconut and a little water to a fine paste.

Finally add cook spinach and pulse for a couple of times.

Add spinach mixture and cooked toor dal to a sauce pan or kadai and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat. Milagootal is ready. Heat a tsp of oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds. After it splutters add urad dal and fry until golden brown.

Add this to the cooked spinach milagootal. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Puli Inji is a tangy and spicy dish with ginger and tamarind paste as the main ingredients. It is a perfect condiment with curd rice or any other rice. Easy to make and you can store it in the refrigerator for upto a month. It is more like pickle but tastes like Vathakuzhambu. My mother in law is here and I learnt this recipe from her. She makes authentic Palakad dishes which are simple and delicious. I am looking forward to share more recipes from her. So keep posted!!

Ingredients:

• Chopped ginger – 4 tbsp
• Green chilies – 2
• Whole tamarind – one lemon size
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Sesame oil – 2 tbsp
• Curry leaves
• 1″ piece of jaggery
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• A pinch of asafoetida
• Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:

1. Add tamarind in a cup of hot water and leave it for sometime.
2. Heat a tsp of sesame oil in a pan and add chopped ginger and green chilies. Saute for a couple of minutes over low heat.
3. Transfer the contents to a plate.
4. Extract juice from tamarind and discard the waste.
5. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters add curry leaves, tamarind juice, sauteed ginger and chilies.
6. After 5 minutes add turmeric powder and salt and allow it to boil. When it starts thickening add jaggery and let it thicken.
7. In between, dry roast fenugreek seeds (methi) and grind it to a fine powder.
8. When the gravy thickens, add fenugreek powder and asafoetida and turn off the stove.
9. Store it in a container and refrigerate it for upto a month.

Coriander Idly is one of the easiest and tastiest dishes from leftover Idly. I got this recipe from my sister. If we are bored of having Idly Upma, this Coriander Idly is a good choice which can prepared under 15 minutes .

Time of Preparation : 15 minutes
Spice level : 2
No of Servings : 1

Ingredients:

• Idly – 5
• Coriander leaves – 25 strings
• Coconut – 3 tbsp
• Red Chilly – 1
• Garlic -1
• Split dhalia – 1 tbsp
• Onion – 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
• Idly Podi – 1 tsp (optional)

For Seasoning:

• Oil – 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Split urad dal – 1 tsp
• Red chilly – 1
• Curry leaves – a few

Method of Preparation:

1. Grind coriander leaves along with, split dhalia, coconut, garlic red chilly and salt to a slightly coarse paste.
2. Heat oil in pan and add the mustard seeds followed by urad dal, red chilly and curry leaves.
3. Then add the onions and little salt.
4. Now add the ground paste and fry till the raw smell goes and it forms a thick gravy.
5. Cut the idlies to cubes and mix them well.
6. Add idly podi and little oil and mix well. Serve hot.

Pazham Nurukku is a Kerala dish made by steaming Nendram Pazham (a popular type of banana from Kerala) and cooking with jaggery. It is a simple dish and a wonderful snack for kids and adults.

Ingredients:

• Nendram pazham – 2
• Crushed jaggery – 2 tbsp
• Ghee (clarified butter) – 1 tsp (optional)

Method of Preparation:

Cut the ends and slice banana into big pieces with skin. Pressure cook for 10 minutes over medium heat without the whistle on. Transfer the cooked banana to a plate.

Heat jaggery with a little water and allow it boil. Add the cooked bananas and allow to cook until the jaggery syrup is absorbed the banana pieces.

Remove from pan and serve with a tsp of ghee sprinkle on top.

Are you looking for a quick and delicious sandwich recipe for breakfast/lunch/dinner, then you are at the right place. When you make this sandwich with whole wheat bread, it tastes so  good. The protein and fiber from paneer and bread fills you up and is very healthy. It is kid friendly and easy to make. You can prepare the paneer bhurji the previous day and store it in the refrigerator. For more sandwich recipes, check here.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

No of servings: 4

Spice level: 2 out of 5

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat bread – 8
• Grated fresh paneer – 2 cups
• Chopped onion – 1 cup
• Chopped ginger – 1 tbsp
• Tomato – 1
• Green chili – 1 or 2 (adjust to taste)
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes or until it becomes translucent. Add finely chopped ginger and green chilies and saute for a minute.

Add chopped tomatoes and cook until it is fully mashed. Add turmeric powder, salt and cook for a couple of minutes. Add grated paneer and mix well. When it is mixed well with the rest of the ingredients, turn off the stove. Paneer bhurji is ready.

Butter the grill. Place a big spoon full of paneer bhurji between two slices of bread and grill for a few minutes. Serve hot or wrap in an aluminum foil for lunch pack.

Kale has very high nutritional value. It is very rich in calcium vitamin K and Vitamin C. Kale has been found to contain a group of resins known as bile acid sequestrants, which have been shown to lower cholesterol and decrease absorption of dietary fat. I had these Kale chips at my sister’s place and I loved it. It is very simple to prepare too. This is a simple kale roast with a touch of garlic.

Time of Preparation : 5 minutes
Cooking Time : 20 minutes
No of Servings : 2 to 3

Ingredients:

• Kale leaves – 1 bunch
• Olive oil – 1tbsp
• Garlic powder – 3/4 tsp
• Salt – to taste

Method of Preparation:

1. Remove the leaves from the stem and wash them.
2. Dry them completely and mix them with olive oil, garlic powder and salt.
3. Preheat the oven to 300 F roast them for 20 minutes.
4. Crispy Kale chips is ready.

Note:

• We should dry the leaves thoroghly else the chips will not be that crispy.
• By mistake I did not try some of the leaves fully and they remained soft.

Mambazha Pulissery is an authentic Kerala style curry in which ripe mangoes are cooked in a yogurt and coconut based spicy curry. It is sweet, sour, spicy and a little tangy. It is a tradition to make this dish on Vishu and Onam festival.

It tastes more like Mor Kootan or Mor Kuzhambu except for being a little sweet. Mango season is here, so try this delicious curry and serve as a side to chapathis, rice and also as raitha to pulao or biryani.

Ingredients:

• Ripe mango – 1
• Grated coconut – 3 tbsp
• Dried red chilies – 2
• Fenugreek seeds (methi) – 1/2 tsp
• Thick buttermilk – 1.5 cups
• Oil – 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• A few curry leaves
• Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:

Peel the skin and cut mango into big pieces. Boil it with a cup of water until mango becomes tender and not so mushy. Add curry leaves and continue cooking.

In between roast fenugreek seeds and dried chilies in a tsp of oil. Let it cool and grind it with coconut and a little water to a fine paste.

Add the ground paste to the mangoes and mix well. Bring it to a boil and add buttermilk. Before it starts boiling remove from heat.

For tempering, add a tsp of oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Add 2 to 3 curry leaves and add this to the prepared curry. Mambazha Pulissery is ready.

You can serve it hot with rice, potato fry and papad.

Trail mix is a mix of nuts and dried fruits and sometimes contain chocolate chips and granola. It is a satisfying snack you can enjoy on your hiking or other outdoor activities since it is easy to carry and provides a lot of energy and required nutrients. Serve this to your guests as a healthy snack for a party or get-together. Pack this in your kid’s lunch box or your own so that you can avoid snacking on unhealthy food.

By making this at home we can save some money and add in your favorite nuts and dried fruits unlike the store bought ones. I have added all the nuts and fruits that I had on hand. But you can add or remove one or more ingredients and adjust to your taste.

Ingredients:

• Almonds – 1 cup
• Pistachios – 1/3 cup
• Sunflower seeds – 1/4 cup
• Hazelnut – 1/4 cup
• Macadamia nuts – 1/4 cup
• Peanuts – 1/4 cup (optional)
• Cashew nut – 2 tbsp
• Dried fruits – 1.5 cups (cranberries, apricot, raisins, strawberries)

Method of Preparation:

Preheat oven to 250ºF.

Toast all the nuts for 15 minutes or longer until it becomes light brown. It will be become crunchy and enhances the flavors. Mix the nuts and dried fruits together. Store it in an air tight container for upto a month.