Eggless Banana Walnut Bread

          I have tried making banana bread couple of times, in the past, they have all come out good, but this one, that I made two weeks back, is the best ever. The bread was moist and the texture perfect, but the best part is, I made it with whole wheat flour ( I used regular atta, used for making rotis ). I followed the recipe from here and I have replaced the eggs with chia seeds and yogurt/curd. The bread was an absolute hit at home, no more looking for another banana bread recipe, this is it..

Narthangai ( Citron ) Pachadi

          Narthangai/Citron Pachadi, this is my mother-in-law's recipe, the first time I tasted it, I simply loved it, and I wanted to try it out myself. Couple of months back, I got half a dozen of these citrons and I couldn't wait to make this pachadi. The recipe is very simple, but peeling and taking the inner part of the narthangai is the time consuming part. I peeled and made everything ready the previous night and made the pachadi the next morning. This pachadi can be had, mixed with some white rice or as a side with some curd rice, do try this, the next time you get narthangai..

Lasooni Palak, Garlicky Spinach

          Lasooni Palak/Garlicky Spinach, as the name suggests has loads of garlic in it and we all know that spinach and garlic go together very well. I have made a puree with the spinach and then cooked it with garlic and other spices and then again finally garnished with some more garlic. It goes very well with rotis, naans or even with mild pilafs, if you like spinach and garlic, then you'll love this delicious curry..

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

          When we were living in the US, during the pumpkin season, you can see so many dishes made from this vegetable, starting from soups, cakes, muffins, pancakes, pies and ice creams. I have always stayed away from these, the only dishes that I made with it were some Indian pachadis and curries. Only once, I was tempted to try a pumpkin flavored ice cream, I saw people around me having 2 or 3 ice creams but I didn't like it at all, so thereafter, no pumpkin flavors in anything. Now, then why am I trying this Roasted Pumpkin Soup, well, for one reason, the roasted part was tempting me and also, I had a whole pumpkin with me, I had made a curry with it, used it in bisi bele bhath, but still had more than half of the pumpkin. But, for whatever reasons I tried it, I am glad that I tried it, the soup came out good, the roasting part gives a nice flavor along with the coconut milk that I have added, and the most important thing, both the husband and daughter liked it very much..

Foxtail Millet Cookies, Thinai Cookies

          Foxtail Millet/Thinai Cookies, I should have posted this sometime last month, I was paired with Veena Shankar for the 'Shhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge', she was travelling and I was caught up in something, so by the time we decided on our ingredients, we had crossed the posting date. She had given me millets and sugar as the secret ingredients, my mind was already set on making cookies with the two ingredients, and after so much delay, I finally made them. I was debating whether to use only millet flour or a combination of flours, I finally settled on using millet flour and whole wheat flour and I also used some dark chocolate chips. The cookies turned out superb, melt in the mouth kind, the texture was like that of the Dark Fantasy cookies. Before we go on to the recipe, I don't have to tell much about Veena's blog, if some of you have not visited her space, do so, she has so many different and delicious recipes..

Kambu Adai, Bajra ( Pearl Millet ) Adai

         Kambu/Bajra/Pearl Millet Adai, this is another easy recipe using millets, I have used bajra and a mixture of dals/lentils, but I have changed the flavors in this adai, I have used cumin and black pepper while grinding and lots of onions in the batter. The combination of the above three gives this adai a nice flavor and taste. It goes very well with coconut chutney or any chutney with a little coconut in it, try this out, the next time you are thinking of making adais..

Homemade Vegetable Broth ( Stock )

          Couple of days back, I had made some soup, and I had to use vegetable broth/stock in it. Initially, I was thinking of buying the canned one, but as we know, in India, not all shops carry canned stock/broth, so then I decided to make my own. I had all the veggies in hand, making broth is actually very easy, it takes some time though, like about an hour or so, at the end of which you'll have this clear and healthy vegetable broth..

Green Peas Rice

          My family likes mixed rice or variety rice, be it the traditional lemon rice , tamarind rice or tomato rice or the others using different vegetables. They are not only apt for packed lunches, but even when planning a party menu, we can also add them as one of the dishes. For today's dish I have used some leftover rice and green peas ( fresh or frozen ) along with some capsicum and potato and some fresh spice powder for flavor. Serve it with some raitha or curd and some chips for a complete and delicious meal..

Tomato Thokku ( Pickle ) - 3

          My family loves tomatoes, tomato chutney, tomato rice, tomato pickle/thokku, tomato dosa everything is a favorite at home. So, when I come across a new recipe with tomatoes, I always try it out. I have already posted two varieties of tomato thokku/pickle, today's recipe was given to me by a friend. I have used a little tamarind along with the tomatoes in this thokku, this one goes very well with idlis, dosas, adais, or even mixed with some rice..

Parwal ( Potol, Pointed Gourd ) And Potato Curry

          Parwal/Potol/Pointed Gourd, we don't use it much in South Indian cooking, but I have seen it widely used in North Indian curries. I have already made Potol Posto, a Bengali dish with this vegetable, this is the second curry that I made with it. I have added some potatoes along with parwal and cooked them in a fresh masala paste, this curry would go very well as a side dish for rotis, naans and pilafs..