Banana Sheera (Pudding)

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups milk 
2. 1 cup Semolina 
3. 1 cup chopped ripe bananas 
4. 1/2 cup sugar or more if you  have a sweet tooth 
5. 1 tbsp butter, the more you add the better it tastes 
6. 1 tbsp cashews
7. 1 tsp crushed cardamom

  Method:

1. Heat butter in a pan on low heat and roast the Semolina until it gets golden brown. Keep stirring so that it dosent burn.
2. Stir in chopped bananas and again let it brown a bit.
3.  Add sugar and let it caramelize   (Note: Stirring at each step is very important so as to not burn the ingredients.)
4. Add cashews followed by milk and cardamom, stir and put on the lid.
5. Allow to cook for about 5 mins or until the milk is completely absorbed by the semolina.

 Serve hot!

Cantaloupe Ice pops

Ingredients: 
2 cups chopped cantaloupe
2 tbps sugar
1/8th cup condensed milk

Method: 
Blend all the ingredients together into a smooth paste in a blender. Pour into ice pop molds and let it freeze for 4-5 hours. Unmold and enjoy!

Note: For a tip on how to unmold check out the Strawberry ice pop post.

Garden Salad

We have had some luck in the garden this year, specially with spinach and lettuce. We harvested 3 bowls of salad so far and I see some more to come. This salad mostly has spinach and miner's lettuce, the latter was introduced by a local nursery who specialize in california native plants. Here is how I like my salad,

Ingredients:
1 cup spinach
1 cup miner's lettuce (the leaves are pretty small and dont need any chopping)
1 fistful of slivered almonds, I get mine from Trader Joe's
1/2 an avocado flesh, roughly chopped into bite sized cubes
2 radishes, sliced thin
1 tbsp of cottage cheese
1 tbsp of Lite Italian dressing
A dash of pepper

Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl and dig in with your forks :) The buttery avocado bites richen and the pungent radishes give a nice kick to the salad!

Tofu Kofta

Tofu Kofta is the healthier version of Malai Kofta. To cut down on the calories I have substituted paneer(cottage cheese) with tofu, we love this version and dont feel too guilty indulging in these koftas. The recipe involves tofu, firmness level 4. I am a big fan of Costco tofu and I have raved about it in an earlier post, Tofu Tikka Masala




Kofta Ingredients:
1/2 pound tofu drained
3 medium sized potatoes boiled and mashed
2 tbsp minced cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
minced green chili as per taste
salt as per taste

Kofta batter ingredients:
1 cup All purpose flour
water to bring the mixture to batter consistency

Kofta gravy ingredients:

3 tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 green chili
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp corn starch
1/4 cup thick yogurt
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp oil
salt as per taste
2 sprigs of minced cilantro for garnishing

Kofta Method:

The tofu has to be completely dry, so squeeze out all the water from the tofu. Crumble the tofu with your fingers into crumbs.
Now mix all the kofta ingredients together and make ping pong sized balls with wet palms so that it dosent get too sticky and messy when kneading them into balls.
For the batter, mix the flour and water into a thick consistency(like batata wada batter). Dip the the kofta balls in this batter and fry each until golden brown.



Gravy Method:

Blend the tomatoes, chilies, onions and ginger garlic paste into a puree. Heat the oil in a deep dish,temper with cumin seeds followed by chili and turmeric powder. Next add the puree and cook for a few minutes. Mix corn starch into yogurt taking care not to leave any lumps and pour it into the puree, add water to get the desired gravy thickness. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Mix in garam masala and salt. As soon as it comes to a boil add tofu kofta balls and take off heat.

Garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice or naan.

Paav Bhaji

Paav Bhaji is a very popular street side food in Mumbai, its a medley of vegetables(bhaji) cooked together and spiced with a special masala, called Paav Bhaji masala. Its garnished with finely chopped onions, cilantro and some fresh lime. Served with lightly buttered and toasted hamburger buns(paav)

Ingredients:
3 cups of cauliflower florets
3 potatoes peeled
1 bell pepper, minced
2 cup tomato puree
1 cup peas
1 tbsp butter(optional)

Spices:
1 tbsp Paab-Bhaji masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
Salt to taste

Garnishing:
finely chopped onion
couple of sprigs of cilantro chopped
1/4 lime

Method:

Pressure cook the florets, peas and potatoes together, until done(usually takes 2- 3 whistles). In a deep pan heat a little oil and sauté the bell pepper followed by ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder and chili powder. Add the tomato puree and let it cook for a few minutes. Next add all the cooked vegetables, salt, butter and the paav bhaji masala. Mash the vegetables in the pan if you see any vegetable chunks, so tha it starts looking like a homogeneous mixture. Check the consistency if its too thick you could add some water at this point. Let the mixture come to a boil on medium heat for about 15 minutes.

In a bowl ladle some paav bhaji and garnish with onion, cilantro and a few drops of lime juice. Serve along side toasted and buttered hamburger buns. Enjoy! :)

Spinach curry in yogurt sauce (Palak Kadi)

So I ended up getting a spinach bag from Costco and like all other things it was a jumbo pack(I love the part that it is pre-washed). And since then I have been trying out all the spinach recipes that I know of to get to it before they go bad. We had spinach-tofu curry, spinach salad, omelet with spinach filling and spinach curry in yogurt sauce.

This recipe is for a yogurt based spinach curry, in India its also called Palak(= Spinach) Kadi(=Yogurt based curry).

Ingredients:
2 cups of chopped spinach
1 cup thick yogurt
1/2 cup peanuts
2 green chilies slit in the middle
2 tbsp besan (chickpea flour) or corn starch
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander(cilantro) seed powder
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste

Method:
In a deep pan heat oil and the chilies followed by cumin seeds, turmeric and coriander powder, saute it for a minute. Add peanuts and spinach and let the spinach cook on medium heat.
In the meanwhile mix besan in yogurt completely so that there are no lumps. When the spinach has wilted add the yogurt mixture and sugar. Bring the curry to a boil on a low flame.
Serve hot with rice, you could also enjoy it as a soup.

Vegetable kurma

Ingredients:
1. 2 medium size potatoes cubed
2. 1 cup of vegetables(peas, corn, cut beans, chopped carrots). I used frozen
3. 1/2 bell pepper chopped
4. 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
5. 1/2 cup cashews ground
6. 1 medium sized onion chopped finely
7. 3 tomatoes chopped
8. 2 tbsp oil
9. Salt to taste
10. 1 tsp of Kasuri methi
Spices:
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder

Method:
1. In a saucepan saute onion in oil, and when its translucent, add tomatoes and sautee until its mushy
2. Add all the spices, cashew powder and salt
3. Add all the vegetables, a little water and cook covered until all the vegetables are done.
4. Turn off heat and garnish with kasuri methi.

Serve with Rotis.

Quinoa soup

We just love this hearty vegetable soup not only is it yummy but its also super nutritious. I try to include Quinoa in our diet because of its high protein content. Quinoa goes well in Pilafs and Biryanis. It makes a great substitute for rice, more about it on a later post. Today for supper we are enjoying a vegetarian Quinoa soup. Meat lovers could substitute some of the vegetables with any meat of your choice.

Ingredients:
0. 1 cup Quinoa
1. 1 Qt vegetable broth (alternately water)
2. 1 can red kidney beans
3. 1 medium Potato
4. 1 cup mix of chopped carrots, beans and corn(I used frozen)
5. 1 cup chopped spinach(I used frozen)
6. 1 medium onion chopped
7. 3 Green chillies slit in the middle(or as per spice tolerance)
8. 2 tbsp coriander powder
9. 1 tbsp cumin seeds
10. 1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt as per taste

Method:
0. Rinse Quinoa thoroughly and set aside.
1. In a pressure cooker saute onion and chillies followed by cumin, coriander and turmeric powders
2. Add all the vegetables followed by quinoa and saute for about 2 minutes, add salt
3. Pressure cook on medium for 3 whistles
4. Check the consistency of the soup add more broth (or water) and salt/pepper as necessary.

Serve with wheat thins.

Pani Puri

Ingredients:
1. 25 puris
(If the puris are not crunchy then put it in the oven at 200F for 10 mins) 2. 1/8 cup of tamarind chutney
3. 1/8 cup of mint chutney
4. 1/8 cup water
4. 1/2 tsp Pani Puri masala
5. 1 boiled potato diced finely
6. Mung or chick peas sprouted and cooked.
7. Salt and chili powder as per taste

Method:
1. Mix both chutneys, stir in chaat and dilute it with 1/8 cup water.
2. Add salt and chili powder to the potatoes and chick peas(or mung)
3. Poke a hole in the puri, stuff it with all the solid ingredients
4. Dip in the chutney water and enjoy!

Strawberry lemonade

Ingredients:
1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
8-10 strawberries blend to a smooth paste
2 cups cold water
Sugar as per taste

Mix the ingredients and stir until sugar dissolves.Strain and serve chilled.

Stuffed Peppers

Pepper stuffed with cheese and vegetables, dipped in chickpea flour and then deep fried. If you are a meat lover you could substitute the vegetable mixture with the meat of your choice.

Ingredients for the stuffing:
1. 4 Chili peppers
2. Left over vegetable dry curry(or you could make a fresh batch like the one in vegetable puffs stuffing)
3. 4 tbsps Mozzarella cheese

Ingredients for the coating:
1. 1 cup chickpea flour
2. 2 tsp red chili powder
3. Water
4. Salt to taste

Method for the batter:
Mix all the ingredients for the coating except water. Add water slowly and keep whisking the mixture. Dont make the batter too runny, it should be thick enough to stick to the pepper when you dip it in the mixture.

Stuffing and frying:
1. Slit the pepper along the length from end to en andd remove all the seeds from the inside
2. Distribute equally the cheese and vegetable mixture and stuff the peppers
3. Dip the stuffed peppers in the batter and deep fry.

Gajjar halwa(Carrot dessert)

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded carrot
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp butter
2 tbsp Cashews for garnish

Method:
1. Fry the carrots with the butter until the carrots wilt and reduce in volume
2. Add milk and let it boil until the milk completely evaporates
3. Next add sugar and let it cook for another 5 minutes
Turn off the heat and garnish with cashews

Serve either warm or chilled.

Roasted figs in sauce

Ingredients:

8 Figs
Juice from 1/2 an Orange
3 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp of cinnamon

Method:

Put all the ingredients except the figs in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer on a low flame. Slit a cross in the figs going all the way to the bottom. Place them in a baking dish and pour the sauce on the figs
Bake at 375F for 15 mins.

Serve warm.

Whole Grain Banana bread

This wholesome bread makes a good morning breakfast with a glass of milk or as a dessert after a meal. The sweetness to this bread comes mostly from the ripe bananas and the nuttiness from the wheat and millet.


Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup millet flour
2 ripe bananas mashed
1/8 cup buttermilk(or thinned yogurt)
1/8 cup sugar
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp soda powder
1 egg
1/4 cup fruit cake mix (optional)

Method:

1. Beat egg in a bowl, add butter followed by sugar and whisk so that the butter mixes well into the sugar and egg.
2. Add mashed bananas followed by fruit cake mix, buttermilk and again whisk.
3. Next add both the flours little by little and keep whisking.
4. Finally mix in vanilla extract and soda powder
5. Pour this into a greased baking dish and bake at 350F for 30 mins or until a knife pierced through the cake comes out clean.

Yogurt ice pops with berries

Ingredients:

1 cup berries crushed
3/4 cup yogurt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp honey
zest from 1/2 a lemon

Method:

In a saucepan boil water and sugar, take off heat and add lemon zest. Leave covered until it cools down.
Blend together the above syrup with honey and yogurt. Fill the molds 1/4 way through with the yogurt mixture and let it set in the freezer for 1 hour. Divide the crushed berries amongst each of the molds and top it with the rest of the yogurt mixture. Freeze the molds for another 4-5 hours. Unmold and enjoy!

Strawberry Ice pops

Strawberry Ice pop or Ice candy as we call it back home was my first attempt in the kitchen at these frozen treats. I recently got hold of a book dedicated entirely to ice pops, shaved ice and aguas frescas, its called Paletas by Fany Gerson.
When I first checked out the recipes I couldnt believe my eyes how could I have not known this before! They are totally worth the little if any, effort, needed to have perfect homemade ice pops. Its so much better than store bought once because I can control the sugar, plus I can be sure its 100% fruits and not loaded with artificial flavors and coloring.

Ingredients:
1 cup strawberry hulled
2 tbsp sugar
1/8 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice

Method:

Let the strawberries sit with the sugar for 15 mins, boil them for about 5 mins along with the water. Let it cool and then give it a quick pulse with the lemon juice in the blender(leave some strawberry chunks dont grind it too fine).
Pour it into molds and freeze for about 4-5 hours.

To unmold: I dip the mold in a cup of warm water for about 10 secs. I then pull the ice pop by the stick from the mold, it comes off easily.

Now all you got to do is sit back and enjoy every bit of that strawberry ice pop :)

Instant Rava Idli

Ingredients:
1 cup Bombay Rava or Suji
1/2 cup yogurt
2 dry red chilies
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp udad dal
1 tsp chana dal
Salt to tastehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
1 tbsp oil

Method:
In a pan dry roast Rava to make it golden brown,take care not to burn the Rava. Take off the Rava and in the same pan start roasting all the spices. Add oil and once its heated add mustard seeds wait until it pops and then add jeera, udad dal, chana dal, curry leaves and red chilies. Take it off the heat and add it to the rava.
Mix in yogurt and salt to the Rava mixture and stir well. Leave it for about 1/2 an hour. Before you start steaming the idlis check the consistency of the batter it should be like traditional idli batter consistency. If its too dry add some more yogurt.
Steam them in idli molds and serve with any chutney of your choice. I have served it here with Mango chutney.

Raw mango chutney

Ingredients:

2 cups raw mango skin discarded and grated
2 dry red chilies (roasted)
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (roasted)
2 tbsp sugar
salt for taste

Seasoning:(optional)
1 tsp Mustard seeds
Hing powder

Method:
Grind all the ingredients together except the seasoning. Add a few tbsps of water to grind to a smooth chutney consistency. Do a taste check, if the raw mango is not tart enough for the chutney you could add some tamarind at this point and grind again.
Next comes the seasoning which is optional but it give a good aroma to the chutney. Heat a tsp of oil, add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter turn off the heat and add a dash of hing powder.

Serve chutney with dosas, idlis or as an accompaniment to a rice dish.

Veg Puff pastry

I have previously posted Egg puff recipe. A slight modification to it is its veg counterpart. It involves the same pepperidge farm's puff pastry sheets which need to be thawed for about 40mins at room temperature before using.

Ingredients:
4 Boiled and cubed potatoes
1/2 onion finely chopped
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander powder
1 green chili finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric (optional)
1/2 inch ginger finely chopped

Salt and more chili powder as per taste

Method:
Heat oil in a saucepan and saute the onions, followed by rest of the spices. Add potatoes,salt and stir well. Turn of the heat and let it rest for a bit.

Take the pastry sheets thawed at room temperature for 40 mins, cut 1 sheet into 6 equal squares. Put the potato stuffing in the center of each square and fold them to cover all the stuffing. Bake in oven at 375 for about 40 mins or until they turn golden brown.

You could add more vegetables like mushrooms, beans, peas and corn to the vegetable stuffing. I didn't have anything extra with me so I kept it simple.

Peach Pie

Pies always looked complicated to me, with all the fancy crust and the delicious filling, I thought of it as something only professional bakers could pull. But then I ran into this recipe in a cook book which looked pretty doable to me. So here it goes..

Ingredients for crust:
2 cups of flour
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup milk
pinch of salt

Ingredients for filling
4cups peeled and sliced peaches(I thawed my frozen peaches)
1/4th cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
5 tbsp sliced butter
1 tbsp flour

Method:
Knead together the ingredients for the crust and make a pliable dough. Divide the dough into 2 balls. Roll the balls into sheets to line your baking pan, this will make the crusts for your pie.

Place one sheet in your baking pan and spoon peaches on it. Reserve a tbsp of sugar and sprinkle the rest on the peaches. Next sprinkle all of the cinnamon and top it with slices of butter and 1 tbsp of flour. Place the other sheet on top of this and pinch the ends of the 2 sheets together to seal the filling in between the 2 sheets.
Sprinkle the reserved 1 tbsp of sugar on top. Using a fork poke holes on top of the pie.
Bake at 350F for about 55mins or until you see the pie crust turning golden brown.