Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Crispy Quesadilla


This is a simple recipe for a busy day.Yummy veggies blended in a spicy tomato base and cheese added as a topping and baked to a crunchy yummy Quesadilla...I and my hubby enjoy the Mexican food a lot.So bought some corn tortilla's and kept in my freezer to quench our crave for mexican food .These corn tortilla's are the best way of hidding some veggies in a form of stuffing to fill the cranky kids stomach with nutritional veggies.Corn is very healthy and contains a lot of fibres , vitamins and minerals.

Ingredients:
----------
Tomatoes-1 large
Corn Kernnels- 1 cup
Capsicum - 1 small
Black Bean -1/2 cup well cooked
Cellery - 1 leaf
Olives- 5-6
Jalapaneo-1 large
Olive oil-1 tsp
Onion-1/4 cup
Barbeque sauce-1 tsp
Salt
Sambal-oelek-1 tsp
Tomato paste- 1 tsp
Corn tortilla-2-4



Method:-
--------
1.Take a pan add olive oil
2.Then add onions and fry them till they turn transparent.
3.Then add tomato paste , barbeque sauce,samba sauce,salt and mix properly , add all the veggies and cover and cook for 1-2 mins untill they turn tender and soft.
4..Then take a corn tortilla and add this stuffing in one side ,top it with a little bit of cheese on the top and cover by folding and grill it or bake it in a tava for 2 mins till the cheese starts to melt and the tortilla's turn crisp.Enjoy when hot....

Monday, March 26, 2007

Spicy Plantain peal palya


This is a easy way to use up even the wastes.It tastes so good that you would prefer the peal rather than the actual fruit.Its nutritious as well as a rich source of fibres and vitamin B also.Has a combination of all tastes in it.Well i had prepared plantain chips and had these peals left out.So i thought why not prepare this spicy yummy dish and here it is in front of your eyes.Well now you can tell i am not a fool to waste such a tasty and nutricious peal and after all i have paid for the whole plantain isnt it..
Ingredients:
----------
Plantain peals- out of 4[unripe]
1tsp - mustard seeds
1/2 tsp - cumin seeds
1/2 tsp - urad dal
2 dry - red chilly
1 string - curry leaves
3-4 - chopped garlic cloves
1 tsp -tamarind pulp water
1 tsp -jaggery grates
1/4 tsp - turmeric powder
1.5 tsp - chilly powder
1.5 tsp - coconut grates[optional]



Method:
------
1.Take a heavy bottomed pan ,ad oil,cumin seeds,mustard seeds,red chilly broken,urad dal and wait till it splutters.
2.Then add curry leaves,fry for 10 secs,then add chopped peal and saute for 1 min.
3.Add turmeric,chilly powder and season with salt and add the tamarind pulp.Then add little water to cook the plantain peal properly and cover and cook for 10 mins with occasional stirring.
4.Add jaggery and mix properly.Then add coconut grates and mix and ad 1/2 tsp of oil and mix properly and cook for another 5 mins.
5.Serve hot with rice at the side.Eat with ghee added the top.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Yummy wheat peda's


This is a simple nutricious recipe prepared out of very few ingredients .Me and my hubby both love dharwad pedas a lot.Well wanted to eat them badly.so i thought of preparing something similar but with less calories.So here is my own creation of recipe which is healthy and nutritious well dont ask about the taste i can say its much better than the pedas too.You need not feel bad or guilty after eating a couple of these as it contains minimal fat in it.Enjoy the weekend with my this recipe friends.....

Ingredients:
----------
1.5 cup - wheat flour
1 cup - sugar
1/2 - cup milk
3-4 tsp - ghee
1/2 tsp- cardammom powder


Method:
--------
1.Take a heavy bottomed pan.Add 1-2 tsp of ghee and add the flour and fry for about 3-4 mins in medium flame or untill it smells good.
2.Then add sugar as per your taste and allow it to mix well with the flour.
3.Then add milk and continue stirring untill it forms a single mass and leaves the bottom when you stir.
4.Take a clean tray or plate and grease it with ghee.
5.Pour the mixture into this tray and aloow it to cool a bit .Then slowly apply ghee to your hand and start rolling into small balls and keep aside.
6.Spread some powdered sugar/cane sugar on a plate and roll the ball so that its coated with sugar all over .Then fill them into a airtight container .This will remain for about a month .But believe me will get empty by then as they are irresistable.Enjoy....

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Menthe Ganjji



This is a simple yet a nutritious recipe prepared out of rice and methi seeds.The richness of coconut milk adds an extra flavour to this dish.Very rich and smooth,tastes so greatat the same time healthy too.Methi is a rich source of vit-B and contains essential oil for the skin.It improves the complexion of the skin and gives proper nutrition to bring up the glow of the skin.Its good for rgulating the menstruation cycle and also reduces the pain abdomen during MC.Well other than this it also cuts down the bad fat and even helps to reduce joint pain when taken regularly.This act as good source of thiktha and kashaya rasa of our daily food components which i have mentioned in my other ayurvedic blog..Coconut milk helps in maintaining moiture content of the skin,also improvest the hair growth and helps in regulating the shine in the hair.Good for hair.So why not try this when its so great.

Ingredients:-
----------
Rice - 2 Cups
Water -5 cups
Methi seeds-2 tsp
Coconut milk- 4 oz/3/4 cup
Salt


Method:
--------
1.Pressure cook rice adding water and methi seeds for aabout 3-4 whistles.
2.Take a heavy bottomed pan and add cooked rice to it.Then seson with enough salt ,bring to a boil.
3.Add 1/2 cup water and coconut milk to it and again bring to another boil.
4.You can even add jaggery to this if you like sweet taste.It tastes better even that way.I have avoided jaggery.
5.Serve hot or cold with your favorite pickles at the side.Enjoy...

Friday, March 16, 2007

Recipes tried out of blogger friends blogs

This weekend i like to make a roundup of a portion of the dishes which i had tried and like a lots from my fellow bloggers/my dear friends.Well i really appreciate every one for sharing such wonderful recipes and new creative ideas from thier kitchen to thier lovely blogs.Im happy to be in this lovely cirle of blogger friend.Although im here from 4 -5 months i feel we all know each othe r from a long time.Well thanks for all the appreciations and lovely comments which all of you have written in both of my blogs.

Out of Seema's [Akka] blog;-
-----------------------
1.Banana Dosa
--------------




2.Watercress soup
---------------



3.Butter biscuits
-----------------


4.Coconut parata
---------------



5.Spicy baked biscuits:
-------------------



From Saffron Hut:
----------------

1.Besan Burffee,Which i have altered a bit and i named it Besan vanilla bites :
-------------------------------------------------------------------




2.Spinach bread/sipanch and kale Stromboli
--------------------------------------



-Well again i have changed it a bit.

-Here is my version of spinach roll.I have used following ingredients,prepared every thing from the scratch..with alittle bit of alterations.



Ingredients:
----------
Pizza dough- home made with 1.5 cups[reffer pizza post for base recipe]
Spinach - 1 bunch
Paneer grates- 2 tbsp
Green chillies-3
Basil- 8-10 fresh leaves
Cashewnuts- 2 tsp
Garlic- 2-3 cloves
Olive oil- 3 tsp+ for brushing
Chilly flakes-1/2 tsp
Salt



Method;
-------
1.Clean and chop up the spinach into thin strips and sprikle with little water ,add salt and chilly flakes and cook in microwave for 3 mins.Then drain off excess liquid and keep it aside for cooling.
2.Instid of pesto i made a similar sauce using basil, 1 garlic clove,olive oil,green chillies,salt and cashew nuts.Blend everything to form a fine paste and keep ready.
3.Roll out the pizza dough into very thin sheets rectangular in shap and then cut it lenth wise into two equal portion.
4.Grate up about 2 tbsp of panner and add it to the paste.Chop up the remaining garlic very finely and add it to spinach.
5.Smear the pizza dough which is rolled into a sheet with olive oil ,then with the paste leaving about 2 cms of all the four edges .
6.Drop down equal portion uniformly over the sheets.Then rollover the sheets creafully from one lenghtwise side to the other.Then place it in a cookie sheet and smear with olive oil.well i like mine very crunchy so baked it in a pre heated oven of 350 deg for 30 mins.Enjoy with basil tomato sauce.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Jatpatt Spinach rotti



Here is a simplest recipe of yummy palak rotti .As usual i was chatting with my mom and she said that she had prepared this rotti and the way she described it i felt like eating it very badly.She had prepared it out of 'basale' that is the chineese spinach.But as we get it very rarely over here in California i thought of trying it out with the spinach and believe me it came out so good and tasted,simply very good .It is crunchy as well as silky smootn because of the spinach.Its very heathy as there is the spinach which is rich in iron , vitamin-B & Vit-A.The base is wheat flour which is rich in fibres , protien & vit-B .Well all may feel that its like parata ,but no friends its not like that and taste is so promising indeed.Do give a look at the pictures and then try.See it for yourself.

Ingredients:
-----------
Wheat flour- 2 cups
Spinach - 1 bunch
Chilly powder- 2 tsp
Salt- 1 tsp
Jeera-1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1 pinch
water


Method:
-------
1.Take the flour and salt in a big vessel and mix.Then add thinly chopped spinach to it.
2.season with chilly powder,salt ,turmeric and jeera .
3.Add enough water to make a wet dough just enough to roll out the balls roughly.It will be very stick .,
4.Heat the pan ,then make a big ball out of this wet dough and flaten it a bit and place it in the centre of the pan and press and make a small round shaped rotti out of it.Dip your hand in cold water after each rotti so that your hand wont get burnt.
5.Cover and cook for 1 min .Then smear the upper surface with coconut oil then flip up the opposite side and then smear this side and roast till it turns crisp.This can be eaten as it is or with spicy pickle added at the side.Enjoy...

Monday, March 12, 2007

Rice Breakfast round up

Here are the simple recipes for a tasty and healthy btreakfast .One recipe and various different presentation and taste too...I bet you will love it ...just like me.Myself and N are not ones with sweet tooth.But this is a thing what we both loved .Its so soft tasty and smells great. Just try this and fall in love with it.Thats all i wanna say....





Ingredients:
----------
Rice - 3cups
Coconut - 1/2 cup
water -7 cups
Salt - as per taste

Method:-
--------
1.Soak the rice in warm water for a couple of hours .
2.Add the water used for soaking along with the rice to a blender and grind it to almost nice paste to the size of small rava or just like what we do for idli.Add the coconut grates at the end and turn for 30 secs.
3.Now add enough salt and the water mentioned above into a heavy bottomed pan.Then add the batter of rice and coconut to it and keep stirring.Let the burner be in medium only because the rice batter cooks very quickly.Keep stirring right from the bottom.The lumps will form dont worry keep mashing them and do not stop stirring.
4.This will take about 8-10 mins.Wait till all the mixture forms a single mass and the consistancy should be enough to roll out into small balls.Then remove from the heat .

This is the Basic dough for all the up comming dishes.


Rice dumplings / Pundi/akki unde:-
-----------------------------


1.Keep a bowl of cold water with few ice cubes next to you.
2.Roll out the cooked rice mixture into small balls .Hands will get hot so frequenty dip your hands in cold water.This will help your hands from getting too hot and will also help to form a nice smooth pundi.
3.Now cook or steam the pundi's in the cooker just like idli for 10-15 mins.Thens erve with hot curry out of spinach ,redleaves and black eye bean curry{bendi}.hmm just love it .
Can enjoy it with spicy chutny or just oil and pickle...



Sweet undde:-
-----------
This is also called modaka in some place .We genarally prepare it during chowthi also..Well for me i prepare it whenever i crave for it.



Other than the comman cooked rice mixture we require following also:
----------------------------------------------------------
1/2 cup -coconut grates
3 tbsp - jaggery/ sugar[ i have used jaggery]
1/4 tsp - cardammom powder


Method;
--------
-Mix all the ingredients together
-MAke a small ball out of teh rice mixture .
-Then press and flatten it andthen stuff the coconut jaggery stuffing to it about a spoon full and then cover the edges just like what we do for parata and make a ball again
-Steam cook again in the same way as pundi for 10-15 mins.
-Enjoy when hot or cooled properly any time they taste supperb.

Hallitu payasa:-
------------

Same cooked rice dough can be used.




Ingredients:
----------
10-14- small cooked rice dumplings
4 ounces- milk
4 ounces-coconut milk
4 ounces-water
Jaggery -as per your taste
1/4 tsp- cardammom powder


Method:-
-------
-Make small balls or thin cylindrical threads by rolling in between your hands or like chakkuli, out of the same dough and then steam cook it for 10 mins.
-Then take a vessel add water, jaggery, cardammom powder to it and finallywhen the jaggery melts add coconut milk,milk and then the rice balls or the small thin cylindrical treads into this mixture and bring to a boil.
-Serve hot or cool and serve like kheer.Tastes yummy...

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Jeeguje Melara



Hey friends i'm back with my last recipe out of this bread fruit..hmm feel very bad thats its empty now.Will go for breadfruit search very soon.This is typical south karnataka recipe .Its also called majjige huli as we add sour buttermilk to it. Thus the name.It very simple and the best recipe amongst all i feel.This is my hubbys altime favorite.The previous day we had been to temple and we got fresh coconut as prasadam.So prepared this immediately the next day.My mom used to prepare this with freshly grated coconut hmmm...i can smell it now too...the memory is still so fresh.Believe it or not he enjoyed this so much that the whole dish which i had prepared in a 2 litre vessel got empty in the noon itself.Hmm must confess it came out so well all credit goes to the creammy breadfruit.Simple yet a tasty dish .Do give a try friends.

Ingredients:-
----------
Bread fruit- 3 cups
Coconut grates- 3/4 cup
Green chillies-3-4
Buttermilk- 3/4 cup
Mustards-1 tsp
Dry chilly -1
Methi seeds- 1/4 tsp
Oil- 1 tsp
Curry leaves-4-5
Jaggery- 1/2 spoon[optional]
Salt


Ingredients:-
------------
1.Blend the coconut and 2 green chillies into a fine paste and keep aside.
2.Cut the bread fruit ,slit 2 chillies lenght wise and season with chilly powder and salt ad cook properly until tender.
3.Then add the smooth paste of coconut to the cooked breadfruit and mix properly.then add 1 cup of sour buttermilk or even curds would do.But beat the curds preoperly before adding.
4.Now season with enough salt and then just when it statrs to boil swith off the heat.[Do not over heat as it will curdle and will not taste thick and tasty otherwise]
5.In a small pan add oil add mustatrd seeds and methi to it and just when it starts to splutter add curry leaves and pinch of chilly powder and add this mixture to the curry.
6.Enjoy with basmathi or sonamasoori rice..

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Yummy Penne Pasta



I and' N' both of us like to try new food always.I always eat out different varieties of food and come home and try to prepare them out in my own kitchen .Well i always enjoy doing this.So finally came up with pasta this weekend.Well i must confess to you guys it came out so good that yesterday we went and bought some pasta to prepare for the next week also.So think this weekend its gonna be a italian cuisine in my house ..hee.hee.

Ingredients:-
----------
Penne pasta- 1 pack [10oz]
Tomato paste-3 tsp[Preferably Roma]
Fresh basil leaves-5-6
Cheese- 3 tbsp
Salt and pepper- for seasoning
tomato sauce- 2 tsp
One large tomato- diced
Garic- 4-5 big cloves
Olive oil- 4tsp
Chilly flakes- 2tsp

Method:-
-------
1.Take a large pot and fill it with water ,add a hand full of salt and 1 tsp of olive oil .Add penne pasta to it and cook it not till done.Stop when just done .Drain and keep aside.Save about a cup or two of pasta water and keep aside.
2.Now take a pan add olive oil and add minced garlic and saute for 1 min till it turns slightly creamish brown.Then add chilly flakes and saute for one more minute
3.Then add diced tomatoes and keep stirring for a couple of minutes.I have used roma tomatoes as they are more fleshy and less watery.
4.Then add tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir till it becomes thick.
5.Then add panne pasta to it and season with salt and pepper and mix properly.I have selected penne here because it has ridges and it will absorb all the flavour and just taste yummy.
6.If this turns dry thin it by adding pasta water what we had saved.This is a tip what i got by watching food network..Love that channel.
7.Then finally add strips of basil and stir so that it mixes uniformly.then sprinkle cheese and keep lid closed and remove from the fire..
8.Serve hot ... with fresh basil on the top.Enjoy..

Monday, March 5, 2007

Jeeguje Podi


Hey friends as i promised im back with one more recipe out of bread fruit. So here i am withYummy crispy crunchy best for a cold weather or weekend munchies too.Some thimes i feel its ok to forget you diet balance and just relish a wonderful munchies like this....
Its cripsy yet creamy and soft inside...Hmm just irresistable.....

Ingredients:
-----------
Bread fruit slices- 15-20 thinly sliced slices
Besan- 1/4 cup
Rice powder-1/4 cup
Rava- 1/4 cup
Corn flour- 2tsp
Chilly powder-3 tsp
Hing- 1/4 tsp
Cumin-1 tsp
Oil - for deep fry
Salt

Method:-
-------
1.Take all the dry ingredients in a bowl, add 2 tsp of heated oil .This oil helps to prevent the pakoda from absorbing more of oil and makes the pakoda taste good.
2.Mix all the dry ingredients and make a batter adding enough water.
3.Take a pan and heta up the oil.
4.Dip the thin slices of bread fruit in the batter and deep fry them till they turn crisp and nice.
5.Remove them from oil and place over the paper towel to remove excess of oil.Serve hot with tomato sauce.



The same batter can be used to prepare any other pakoda's.I had madesome cauliflower pakoda's too just have alook at those too.....Enjoy.

Sunday, March 4, 2007

Aloo Tikki



Well this weekend was really a nice one for us.We had nice fun being at home itself.the weather was very good but then my hubby was really busy with his work.So i wanted to deviate his mind from work.So thought of preparing something chat-pata which will be his favorite too...As it was weekend and i was felling lazy wanted to prepare something which is quick but yet tasty..SO prepared some jatpat aloo tikki.As my plans my hubby couldnt resisit and came running to kitchen.We took all the tikki's to out patio and had the fresh and hot dipped in tomato ketchep.Well had so many tikki's and was like a mini picnic in our own patio we were refreshing our childhood days and those nice moments of our life.all to gether enjoyed so much because of this aloo tikki.So thought of posting the same here...

Ingredients:-
----------
Potato- 3 large cooked
Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
Chilly powder- 1 tsp
Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
Kitchen king masala- 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Cumin- 1 tsp
Green chillies- 2 freshily minced
Freahly chopped coriander leaves[optional]
Bread slices-6-8
Oil 3-4 tsp


Method:
--------
1.Mash all the potatoes .Tear the bread into tiny chunks and add them to potatoes.
2.Add kitchen king masala,chilly powder,coriander powder,pepper,cumin,salt chillies and mix properly into a single mixture so as to form a chapatti dough like consistency.
3.Make small patties out of this dough like mixture by rolling into small balls and then flatening them.
4.Then take a large non stick pan or even a iron pan and grease it whit oil and place these patties and grease the other side also with a little bit of oil and fip them and bake on other side to untill they turn crunchy on both sides.
5.Remove from the pan and serve hot with tomato sauce or fresh chutney.

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Jeegujje saung



This is my all time favorite dish which i to love a lot.Amongst all my mom's recipe i just love this.It has got a unique flavour and a very nice blend of simple ingredients which altogether work for the excellent taste of this delicious mouth watering recipe.My husband had never tasted this saung before.Once he had it the day i prepared he just could'nt spot licking his hands and paising my cooking well it feel good when your cooking is appretiated is'nt it.....Well all the credit goes to my mom and this lovely creation of god....thats the'' bread fruit.''Its so soft,buttery and rich on its own.Just love it any form.

Ingredients:-
----------
Bread fruit - 2 cups chopped
Onion - 1 large
Coconut grates-3/4 cup
Chillies - 8-10 dry [as per your requirement]
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander - 3 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Hing -1/4 tsp
Garlic - 1 big clove or 2 small
Tamarind pulp-1 spoon
Salt - as per taste
Mustard - 1tsp
Curry leaves - 5-6 fresh leaves
Jaggery - small piece[1/2 tsp]
Oil - 1 tsp


Method:-
--------
1.Cook the bread fruit adding enough water with a pinch of salt,turmeric powder and chilly powder until it becomes soft.
2.Take coconut,cumin,coriander ,chillies ,tamarind ,garlic ,hing , turmeric. Blend adding enough water to form a smooth paste out of it.
3.Take oil in a pan add mustard seeds and curry leaves .wait till it splutters.Then add onions and saute till it turns transparent.
4.Add the smooth paste and saute for a couple of minutes.Then add cooked bread fruit to this mixture and add enough water ,season with slat and jaggery bring to a couple of boils .
5.Enjoy with chapatti's or simple rice...