Eggplant Rice - 2

          I am yet to start cooking after coming here to India, this is again another dish that I had done, before coming here. It is another version of the eggplant rice, you can see a different version of the eggplant rice here, a small change in the spices added to the dish results in an entirely new one. A friend of mine makes this, it has fennel seeds for the flavoring part, you can use both the huge eggplants as well as the smaller varieties..

Eggless Banana Muffins

          This month, for eggless baking, Gayathri had chosen Banana Muffins. Though banana muffins are fairly easy to bake, sometimes it is difficult to get the right texture when doing an eggless version. Usually I use flax seeds powder instead of eggs, since I wanted to use a different alternative, this time I used fat free evaporated milk. Also I replaced half of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour and used cardamom for flavoring, the end result was very satisfying..

Pudina Thogayal (Mint Chutney)

         There are days when you don't feel like eating anything heavy, you crave for something tangy and refreshing, this mint chutney here, is ideal for those days. Also pudina or mint is well known for its many benefits, good source of important minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous and also the vitamin C. Everybody has their own version of this chutney, I also add some ginger to this chutney which nicely compliments the flavor of mint..

Brussels Sprouts Stir Fry

       
          This is the last post that I am doing from the US, we are moving back to India, well it's a mixture of feelings, very sad to leave this country which has been my home for so many years but at the same time, it's nice to think that I'll be closer to my parents and family when we move to India. Actually being a blogger has relieved me off from all this moving stress, it has kept my mind off from all those thoughts that cloud your mind during a move. Well I am not going to dwell on this subject anymore, but I might not be able to visit your spaces at least for a week, will catch up with you guys as soon as possible, can't stay away from my blog too long and let's move on to today's dish.
         Enough has been said about the nutritious value of this vegetable, Brussels Sprouts, its iron and fiber content and especially its anticancer properties. Brussels sprouts can be cooked in almost the same way as cabbage, only point to note is, should not over cook this vegetable. So I find these sprouts a perfect choice for a stir fry, a very simple, healthy dish and I perked up the taste a notch higher by adding some roasted peanuts at the end..

Vegan Creamy Pasta

          I love pasta with the alfredo sauce, but most of the time, avoid it because of the amount of calories and fat in the sauce. When thinking about an alternative, I came up with the idea of using mustard seeds and cashews in the place of butter and all purpose flour. I know many of you would make a face at the thought of using mustard seeds, even I had my doubts, but went ahead with the idea and believe me, it tasted really good, creamy and rich, finger lickin' good or should I say fork lickin'..

Eggless Lemon Poppy Seeds Muffins

          Lemon is one my favorite flavors, be it in a sweet or a savory dish. The first time I tasted these lemon poppy seeds muffins, I fell in love with the taste and also was surprised to see black poppy seeds. In India we are familiar with the white poppy seeds that we use in our curries, but not heard of the black ones. Not only do these muffins taste great, they also look so pretty with those poppy seeds, and have a lovely flavor from the lemon, an awesome combination..

Carrot Dal

          I make some kind of dal (lentils) at least two or three times a week, trying to cook a different tasting dal everytime is a real challenge. But then I try to do it either by changing the spices or the vegetables that are added to the dal, one such attempt is this carrot dal. To spice up the dal I added some ginger and pepper, because of the sweetness of the carrots, I feel this dal tastes better with pepper than the usual red chilli powder, this also gives a nice flavor to this carrot dal..

Mustard Greens Rice

          Since I have to pack lunch everyday for the husband and the daughter, and they usually take rotis or rice I try out different versions of mixed rice, one such is this mustard greens rice. I had bought them actually to make the famous sarson ka saag, but then ended up making this rice with the mustard greens, the other dish has to wait for another day. I didn't have  a clue, how this was going to turn out but the final product didn't disappoint me, it was very delicious..

Cucumber Cooler

           Though it is not yet summer here officially, the weather has become a little warmer. You feel like having something cold now, be it juices, salads or ice creams. In my family, all of us like buttermilk, and my daughter likes the cucumber raitha, so I put the two together and  added some cucumber to the regular buttermilk. It's very simple to make, very healthy cooler and tasted really good..

Dum Aloo (Potato)

          Dum Aloo, this is another recipe that I cherish from Madhur Jaffrey, a very authentic and classic one. Whenever I get baby potatoes, this is the first dish that comes to my mind. Dum is a process of slow cooking in reduced heat and the dish is covered well to keep the flavors in. Though the method might be a little time consuming, the end result is worth all of it, very rich and delicious, goes very well with rotis, naans, parathas, pilafs or I can eat it with even plain bread..

Red Chori (Adzuki Beans) Curry

          Red Chori is also known as Adzuki beans ( the Japanese name) or also as red cow beans. They are usually used in a sweet preparation in Japan, but in India, we use the cooked beans in curries, salads and dals. Like other beans they are very nutritious and have a high iron content. Again, this beans does not require to be soaked. For today's dish I have used the cooked beans in a dry curry, which makes for an excellent side dish to rice and some vegetable gravy or even with Moru Kuzhambu..

Eggless Red Velvet Cake

          My daughter had been asking me to make this red velvet cake for a long time, just because the color made the cake very attractive. For some reason or the other I didn't make this cake until now, first I didn't have the food color, second I was baking something else and this got put off. Well , I made this cake for the last class of my cake decorating course, this time I really liked my work, we did the basket weave and it came out well. I wanted to make a small cake, so I used my 4 and a 1/2 size springform pan. Though the cake was small, it had the desired height for doing this decoration. I used butter cream frosting for the basket weave and the flowers were made earlier with royal icing. On the whole it was a satisfying experience and also this is my 100th post..

Mushroom And Peas Pulao

          Hope everybody had a nice weekend and all of you mothers out there, a Happy Mothers Day. Today's pulao or pilaf recipe is something that I had jotted down long time back, a mild pulao with mushrooms and peas, but extremely flavorful. The ingredients are very simple, and the process even more simpler, the original recipe used regular basmati rice, but I replaced it with brown basmati, making it a little more healthier..

Colocasia Fry

          Colocasia or seppankizhangu or arbi is this yam like vegetable, found mostly in Indian and Chinese grocery stores here. It is a tuber just like the potato, I usually make this fry or add it to some curry or sambar. You can cook the vegetable, with the skin, in lots of water, peel the skin and fry it. But I don't do it that way, I peel the skin, slice it and then cook it. This way I feel the curry absorbs less oil, but whichever way you do it, the final verdict is yummy..

Puffed Rice Upma

          Puffed rice is a kind of puffed grain made from rice, known by many names like Pori, Muri,Churmure and so on. It is used mainly in snacks and now I have come to know that they are also used in cereals. I don't make much with this, and when I see the huge bags of puffed rice at the grocery store, I usually turn, thinking that I am not going to be able to finish it. And then I tasted a kind of a upma ( I don't know whether they call it upma) at a friend's place, I thought I should make something with it and got this big bag of puffed rice. I made it for breakfast, and now I know why they come in such huge bags, I used 10 cups of it to make upma for three. The upma turned out to be really good, give it a try..

Vegan Cranberry Almond Cookies

          I have hardly baked any cookies, except for the occasional chocolate chip cookies using the store bought cookie dough. I had some cranberries, so thought of making cookies with them along with some almonds. Wanted to make it as healthy as possible, so used oats and whole wheat flour, the cookies turned out delicious, it had a crumbly soft texture. I used anise extract instead of vanilla, if you like the flavor in biscottis, then this is for you..

Baby Radish Curry

         I have been a regular reader of various blogs, long before starting my own and I have tried many dishes from them. This radish curry is one such dish, I tried this out from Mahanandi, I love this dish for its simplicity. It can be done in under 10 mins, tastes great with rotis or rice and best eaten hot. I usually keep the vegetable chopped and ready and do it just before sitting down to eat, have made this so many times, give it a try..

Green Peas Masala

         Peas Masala is one of the commonest side dishes that is served with rotis, naans or pilafs. It can be made either with fresh green peas or with dried peas, both tasting equally good. I have made today's masala with dried green peas, with some fresh ground masala which gives a nice flavor to this dish. There are so many versions to this dish, this is one of the ways I do it..

Methi And Carrot Parathas (Flat Bread)

          Parathas are flat breads with some kind of filling inside, it can be a dal (lentil) or a vegetable filling or a mixture of both. When served with some relish or curry on the side, it sums up to a nice wholesome meal.
For today's parathas I chose fresh fenugreek leaves (methi) and carrots, the slight bitterness of the methi is offset by the sweetness in the carrots. These parathas were extremely soft and delicious with the nice aroma from the ajwain seeds (bishop's weed) in the filling..

Penne Pasta With Pesto And Lime

          Whenever I make pasta, either it is with some tomato sauce or pesto and tomatoes or the white sauce, nobody likes it dry. Even when I make it dry, it's like pasta with pesto, some vegetable, tomatoes and cheese. Last time, when I was in New York, I tasted the most delicious lasagna, with pesto and lemon or lime flavor. It was not much cheesy and I loved the refreshing citrus flavor. I wanted to try it at home, the lasagna has to wait, but I made it with penne pasta, my own home made basil pesto and broccoli, it came out very well..

Spinach Poricha Kuzhambu (Coconut & Lentil Sauce)

           Spinach is a favorite in our house, we have it at least once a week. There are a number of dishes that we can make with it, I cook it with some dal (lentils) or make a chutney with it or with rice as in this Spinach And Kidney Beans Rice. In today's dish spinach is cooked with tuvar dal ( split pigeon peas), fresh masala and coconut milk, it goes very well with rice or even with rotis..

Basil Pesto With Walnuts

       
          Basil is one of my favorite herbs, I just love it, be it fresh or dry. Like it as a topping on pizzas, or in a sandwich with cheese and tomatoes or in pasta and of course in the most delicious pesto. If you are not able to finish the fresh basil, the best way to use it is making a pesto with it. Pesto can be refrigerated safely at least for 2 to 3 weeks and can be used in the same way as fresh basil. You can use any nut of your choice like pine nuts, cashews, almonds or walnuts in it and the whole process takes about 10 mins..