Rava Ladoo in 30 minutes

Here is a quick and easy recipe for Diwali.  Takes no time to make but these laddos are simply delicious ! 

Ingredients :

1 cup Coarse Rava

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

1/4 cup clarified butter - ghee

1/4 cup Evaporated Milk

1/2 tsp Cardamom powder

1/3 cup chopped nuts - almonds, cashews, pistachios

15-20 raisins

15-20 strands of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp milk

Makes 12 Laddos

Directions :

1) Heat 1tsp ghee on a medium low heat and roast the chopped nuts till they turn golden brown. Keep them aside. Fry raisins in the same ghee till they become nice and plump. Transfer them in a bowl.

2) Add the remaining ghee in the pan and keep the heat on medium low. Add rava and roast it for about 6-7 minutes. We do not want the Rava to turn brown, we roast it only until we get the nice aroma.

3) Add coconut and roast for another 2 minutes and then turn off the heat. Now add powdered sugar, cardamom to the rava coconut mixture. Mix well. Add saffron and evaporated milk slowly to the mixture and keep stirring.

4) Transfer the mixture in a plate so that it starts cooling off. Now quickly shape the laddos using the palms of your hands. If the mixture doesn't hold, add a little more milk. 

Let them sit for an hour or so.The laddos will harden a bit on the outside in a few minutes of shaping them, but the inside will be moist and soft.

Your guilt free rava laddos are ready to be served. :D

Tangy Tapioca aka Sabudana Khichdi

Ingredients :

1 cup Sabudana (Tapioca Pearls)
1 medium sized potato, diced
3/4 cup roasted ground peanuts
(you can use broken peanuts also)
1 Jalapeno (or 2 green chilies)
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
3/4 cup Pomegranate Seeds  
Cilantro, few sprigs - finely chopped
1 tbsp Sugar
Oil 2 tbsp
Salt & Pepper to taste









Directions :

1) Wash sabudana under running cold water till water runs clear. Soak sabudana in 3/4 cup of water. In principle you want to soak one cup sabudana in one cup water, but since the pearls retain some water from the wash we add only 3/4 cup of water. Keep the soaked sabudana in a wide mouthed vessel for at least 4-5 hours (you could leave it overnight).

2) Heat oil in a wide pan on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add jalapenos and saute for 15-20 seconds.

3) Add cubed potatoes and sprinkle some salt  ( we will add salt to sabudana separately, so here add salt just enough for the potatoes). Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook until the potatoes are done. I like my potatoes crispy and brown so I always use a wide pan that allows for the potatoes to sit on a single layer.

4) In a bowl take sabudana, add crushed peanut, salt , pepper and sugar. Mix well. Add this mixture to the potatoes. Set stove to medium-low heat, cover and cook for 2 minutes.

5) Remove the lid and cook for another 4-5 minutes without the lid. Make sure you stir every minute, so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

6) Sprinkle just a few drops of water if you think the sabudana is drying out. Cover and cook for 1 minute. You'll know that the sago pearls are cooked if they turn slightly translucent. When overcooked, sabudana becomes completely translucent, soft and mushy and often tends to stick together into clumps.

Your tangy Tapioca aka sabudana khichadi is ready. Garnish with cilantro and top with pomegranate seeds. Serve hot !

Pan fried sweet potatoes

Enjoy these pan fried sweet potatoes on the side or pair them up with tortilla & cheese slices to make a quick veggie wrap. I often make lettuce wraps with these sweet potatoes too, see the picture below.


Ingredients :

3 Large Sweet Potatoes - peeled and diced
1 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 tsp Paprika / red chili powder
1 tsp roasted cumin seed powder
(if available use Jeeravan-Masala instead of cumin powder)
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp roasted sunflower seeds
Freshly chopped Cilantro
Salt to taste



Directions :

1) Heat oil in a large pan. Add sweet potatoes and sprinkle salt, red chilli powder and cumin powder or jeeravan. ( I love the tangy flavour of jeeravan and it goes really well with the sweet potatoes. ) Toss the diced sweet potatoes and coat them with oil and the seasonings.
2) Keep the heat on medium and let the potatoes cook until they are lightly browned on the underside. This may take around 5 minutes.
3) Turn the heat down to medium low and toss the potatoes and cook for 3 minutes until it's lightly brown on the other side. Toss and repeat till the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. It should take more than 15-18 minutes in total.
4) After you turn off the heat, add lemon juice, cilantro and sunflower seeds and toss.

Romaine lettuce topped the sweet potatoes, Kalmata olives and shredded cheese. 

  

Mushroom Enchiladas

Ingredients

For the Enchiladas :
250 gms sliced mushrooms
1 can black beans
1 medium sized onions, cut in cubes
1/2 curm corn kernels
1 Jalapeno, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Taco seasoning
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese
8 8-inch flour tortillas
1 tbsp butter
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Sauce :
2 cups Pureed Tomato
1 tsp Cumin seeds Powder
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp brown sugar
2 Tsp Corn flour
1 cup water
1/2 tsp Garam Masala (optional)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions :

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) In a small sauce pan combine all the ingredients for the sauce. Stir to dissolve. Reduce heat and stir until sauce just begins to thicken.
3) Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat and saute onions, jalapenos and mushrooms until soft and liquid has evaporated, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add black beans, corn, salt , pepper and taco seasoning. Cook for another 2 minutes.
4) Turn the heat off. Let the mixture cool for 10-15 minutes. Then add a cup of shredded cheese in the mushroom mixture.
5) Wrap tortillas in moist paper towels and heat in microwave for a minute or so just to soften them.
6) Divide filling evenly among the warm tortillas, fill and roll.
7) In a baking dish pour half of the enchilada sauce. Places rolled tortillas on top. Pour the remaining sauce on top of the enchiladas and evenly spread it.
8) Top with the remaining shredded cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminium foil and bake 10-15 minutes. Take the aluminium foil out and bake for another 5 minutes.

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Pumpkin Spiced Bread

Ingredients :

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 large egg
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup apple sauce (or oil)




Directions

1) In a bowl combine egg, pumpkin puree, milk and apple sauce.
2) In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients. Mix until well combined.
3) Pour the batter in a greased baking pan.
4) Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

I served it warm with vanilla ice-cream and caramel sauce on top !

Green Goddess Pasta

Lately, I have been trying to eat more Kale and  incorporate it in my diet. So I have been trying new recipes using Kale. I am pretty happy with this Creamy Chia Kale Pasta, it tastes pretty good and is packed with vitamins, proteins and fiber ! Well healthy food doesn't always have to suck ;) !

Ingredients:

  

1 large bunch of raw Kale (5-6 leaves), stemmed
5 tbsp Chia seeds, powdered
8 oz Cream cheese
1 cup Milk
1 Jalapeno
34 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp Honey
1 can Black Beans (optional, also you can put any beans of your choice)
1 lb of penne pasta - cooked according to the package.
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste






Directions :

1) Blanch kale in boiling hot salt water for five minutes. Drain all the excess water.
2) Blend Kale and Jalapeno to get a smooth paste.
3) In a bowl soak the powdered chia seeds in milk. Let it sit for ten minutes. You'll notice that the mixture will obtain a gelatinous consistency, this is because Chia seeds act as a thickening agent.
4) In a large pot, saute garlic in olive oil over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the cream cheese and let it melt. Pour the kale puree in along with the chia-seed and milk mixture and beans. Mix well. Let it cook for 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper and honey. Your rich and creamy kale sauce is ready.
5) Add cooked pasta to the kale sauce. Toss to coat. Serve hot or cold !

Sprinkle some chia seeds on top if you like !

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients :

8 tortilla - medium sized

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 

3/4 cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup Mozzarella cheese 

1 cup Refried Beans 

2 cups Picante 

1 Onion - diced

1 Bell Pepper - diced

3/4 cup Corn kernels 

1/4 cup olives (optional)

1 Jalapeno - finely chopped

1 tbsp Cajun seasoning

salt to taste

Directions :

1) Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. 

2) In a skillet cook onions, bell peppers, jalapeno and corn until onions are golden brown. Add salt and cajun seasoning.

3) In a bowl mix refried beans with one cup picante.

4) In a baking dish Spread half cup picante. Place 2 tortillas on top, then layer with the refried beans-picante mixture, stir fried veggies and shredded cheese. 

5) Repeat the layers. Top of the last layer of tortilla with half cup picante, olives, mozzarella and any leftover cheese. 

6) Cover the dish with aluminium foil. Bake for 30 minutes.

Let the baking dish sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving, this lets all the cheese to settle a little bit and the slices you cut would come out easily. Serve it with sour cream (and sriracha sauce if you wanna spice it up)!

15 minutes Stove Top Pizza

Preparation - 5 minutes

Cooking time - 15 minutes

Ingredients 

Crust :

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup self raising flour

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp heaped Active dry yeast 

A pinch of salt

Warm water 3/4 cup approx

Topping :

1/3 cup Pizza Sauce (or any sauce of your liking) 

3/4 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese 

Veggies of your choice

Italian Seasoning 

fresh basil 

Red Chilli Flakes - as per taste

Directions :

1. In a non-stick pan combine all the ingredients for the crust and mix well.

2. Once well combined, spread the mixture evenly across the bottom of the pan. 

3. Add the pizza sauce over the base and spread evenly. 

4. Sprinkle Italian seasoning and then sprinkle mozzarella cheese. 

5. Top with your favorite toppings and chopped basil.

6. Cook on medium with the pan's vent closed for 8 minutes.

7. Open pan's vent and then cook for another 7 minutes. 

Your pizza is ready. Let it sit for 5 minutes before you cut it into slices. This recipe is the adaptation from the chef's tool box. I have tweaked the ratio of the ingredients to get the best results ! Their video is in the link below : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgpjCOFVK4s

Thai Honey Peanut Tofu

You can snack on it or make a wholesome meal out of it, in less than 30 minutes !

Ingredients :

1 Block of extra firm Tofu - cut in cubes  

2 Tablespoons olive oil 

1/4 cups Soy Sauce* (use naturally fermented soy sauce)

3 Tablespoons Honey

1 Tablespoon heaping Peanut Butter (I used the crunchy PB because I love its texture)

2 Teaspoon Sriracha (add more if you like your food hot)

1 Teaspoon lemon juice

1 Teaspoon cornstarch 

2-3 Tablespoon water

1/2 Tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds

Directions :

1. In a non-stick pan heat oil. Keep it on medium heat. Add tofu. Let it sit for about 2-3 minutes before and tossing the pan. Repeat this until tofu is crisp and brown on all sides. (It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes)
2. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, add the peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, Sriracha, lemon and juice. Whisk until well combined. 
3. Make a paste of the cornstarch and water. Keep it aside. 
4. Once tofu is done add the peanut sauce prepared in the step 2. Mix well. Add cornstarch paste. Stir till the sauce thickens.  Turn off the heat.
5. Serve topped with sesame seeds.

*I used Kikkoman's All-Purpose Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce. This is Japanese soy sauce, it has a less harsh flavor and it tends to be thinner and sweeter compared to the Chinese soy sauce. Therefore, if you are using a Chinese soy sauce, you might want to reduce the quantity a little. And you must absolutely avoid using the chemically made soy sauces. They are cheap but the taste is awful. Switch to naturally brewed soy sauce and you'll see a huge difference in the taste.  

Tips :

1)  Press Tofu to remove excess water. Pat dry with paper tower or dish cloth.
2) Sriracha can be replaced by red chili sauce

3) Instead of honey you can use brown sugar. (3 teaspoons of brown sugar + 3 teaspoons of water.)

I often pair this tofu in thai peanut sauce with rice and steamed broccoli. It make a perfect meal -sumptuous and health. As you can see in the picture below, the peanut sauce is a little more opaque than that in the pictures above. This is because I absolutely love peanut butter and end up putting more (almost double) in the recipe especially when I am pairing the tofu with rice. The texture of this tofu-rice combo is mind-blowing :D.

Killer Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes

Made these cupcakes for my bestie on Friendship's day. The recipe was pretty experimental, but my bestie absolutely loved these cupcakes. She's is a damn fine chef herself , so I'd say that they turned out fine ! Give this recipe a shot if you are in a mood to bake from scratch or else you could just use a chocolate cake mix. This is an egg-less-recipe, so I know a lot of my blog-followers will be happy, especially my mom ;) .

Ingredients

For the cupcakes :

1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup melted butter / vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup milk at room temp
1/4 cup hot water ( or hot coffee -1 tsp of coffee in ¼cup hot water)
1/4 cup greek yoghurt at room temp

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup peanut butter ( nutella or almond butter or jello instant pudding mix)

12 oreo cookies

For cream cheese frosting (optional) :

16 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1-1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
5-6 oreo cookies for decoration. You could use mini oreos as well.

Directions :

1) Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Line the cup cake tin with a liner. Place a oreo cookie in the bottom of each liner. (I used silicon cupcake molds, they are fantastic. You don't need to grease them or line them and still the cupcakes pop-out very easily.) 
2) In a large mixing bowl sift together all the dry ingredients.
3) Make a well in between and add the wet ingredients one by one. Mix until well combined and smooth. Do no over stir the mixture.
4) Pour the batter in the cupcake mold/tin.
5) Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.

The frosting is completely optional, the cupcakes taste great by themselves. However , I never mind extra frosting so I went ahead with it anyway.

 For the frosting just beat all the ingredients till smooth. Let the cupcakes cool before you apply the frosting. Decorate with Oreos. Dig, crush, sprinkle, whatever you like .. just be creative :)

Exotic Tomato Chutney

This chutney is very tangy and will most definitely tingle your taste buds. It is a perfect blend of hot and sweet and goes very well with plain or stuffed paranthas, khichadi, pulav or simply as an accompaniment. If you like hot and sweet combo, trust me, you are gonna fall in love with this chutney. 

Ingredients:

4 Tomatoes

2 dry red chillies

1 tsp Panchfod*

1 small cinnamon Stick

2 cloves

2-3 green cardamom

1 Bay leaf

1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/3 cup chopped dates

1/3 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup chopped aam papad/mango leather (optional)

1 tsp sugar

3/4 tsp Salt

Directions :

1. Blanch tomatoes, remove their skin and cut them into cubes.

2.  Heat oil in a pan, temper with panchfod and red chillies. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom. Fry until you get the nice aroma.

3. Add red chilli powder to the oil, fry for 5-6 seconds.

4. Add tomatoes and fry for a few minutes. Add sugar and salt, leave on low heat.

5. Next add raisins, dates and aam-papad. Mix well. Add 3/4 cup of water. Let it cook for 10 minutes or so on low heat until it thickens.

6. Serve hot or cold. Can be refrigerated for a week. 

Notes :

• To blanch tomatoes, slit them halfway and put them in a microwave proof bowl with a little water. Zap it for 1 minute on high. Let it cool. The skin will easily peel off. 

• Panchfod can be easily made at home. It has equal proportions of kalonji, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds.

Oven Baked Sago Kebabs

Ingredients

½ cup soaked sago (sabudana)

1 big boiled potato

1/3 cup tightly packed chopped cilantro

1/3 cup crushed peanuts

½ tsp dry mango powder (amchoor)

½ tsp red chili powder

1-2 green chilies / serrano pepper, as per taste

½ tsp ginger paste or grated ginger

Salt to taste

Cooking oil spray

Directions

1. Preheat the oven at 350 degree F.

2. In a big bowl mash potatoes. Mix in all ingredients together till well blended.

3. Make small lemon size balls of the mixture and shape them into round kebabs. You’ll get approximately 16 kebabs.

4. Spread an aluminum foil on a baking tray. Spray some oil generously on the foil. Place the sago kebabs on the foil. Spray some oil on the top, covering the sides of the kebab as well.

5. Put the tray in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the kebabs look slightly toasted. They should have a light brown color. Then broil for 6-8 minutes tops, keep checking in every 2-3 minutes; you don’t want to burn them. Broiling makes the kebabs crisp from the outside, just the way they would be had you deep-fried them. So you don't compromise on the taste or texture but you totally avoid all that oil ! :D

6. Pull out the tray and flip the kebabs. Be careful and don’t burn your hand. Since the kebabs have already been cooked, you only have to broil this side for 6-8 minutes.

7. Serve them hot with cilantro chutney, ketchup or any dip of your choice.

Tips

  - soak ½ cup sabudana in ½ cup of water overnight for best results.

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Barley Bean Bowl with Kale

What to make for dinner? Try this 20-minute Barley Bean bowl with kale, full of good-for-you veggies and grains.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup uncooked pearl barley

1 cup packed kale leaves , roughly chopped

1 cup medium sized cubes of red bell pepper

1 (15 1/2-ounce) can no-salt-added white beans, rinsed and drained

6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon cajun seasoning

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

Dried red chillies (optional)

Directions :

1. Cook barley according to the package directions, omitting salt.

2. Heat oil in a skillet. Saute garlic until light brown (add dried red chilies along with garlic if you like it hot). Add bell peppers, cook for 3-4 minutes on high flame. Add kale, cook for another minute or so until the leaves welt. 

3. Add seasoning, lemon juice, beans and barley. Mix well. 

4. Serve hot or cold.