Shammi Kebab Parathe-- Kale Chane Ke Parathe

Hello Dearies!!! I had posted Shammi Kebab recipe last week, which was much liked and appreciated by my friends. I had leftover mixture of the kebabs, which I used as a stuffing in this recipe. This makes for a good Kids School Lunch option also.

For the Stuffing;
You will need;
1 cup soaked and boiled black chana
1 boiled potato
1 tspn cayenne pepper powder
1 tspn Garam masala powder
1 tspn cumin powder
1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn chat masala
2-3 crushed cloves of garlic
1/2 inch ginger grated
1 tsp Turmeric
salt to taste

Wash and Soak the kala chana in water for 5-7 hours. Boil the potatoes and the chana for 2 whistles and then 5 mins on low flame in a pressure cooker. Cool for 30 minutes.

In a bowl, mash the potato. In a mixer grind the boiled chana and mix in the potato mixture and add all the spices and mix well. 

For the Paratha Cover;

You will need;
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tspn salt
1 tbspn oil
water as needed to knead into a soft dough

In a bowl, mix the oil and salt and water and knead into a soft pliable dough. 

Making the parathas,

1. Make equal size balls of the cover and stuffing

2. Roll a small round of the cover and put the stuffing in it and fold from all sides and roll that in some flour, dust the rolling surface with some flour and

3. Roll into a small round roti or paratha.

Heat a pan/skillet/tawa and roast it on both sides applying little oil or ghee on it . When it gets cooked, serve with yogurt/pickle/ketchup or sour cream., salad or just enjoy these with hot chai.

Celebrating 400th post with Eggless Almond Butter Choc Cake

Hello Sweetpeas!!! This post is a thank you to all my dear readers and well wishers. This recipe is a gift for each and every one of you on the occasion of 400th post on indulge. 

I am as surprised as you are as we continue our journey through 400 recipes and 6 years. I wish for us to keep cooking and learning new recipes in future too.

As you might have noticed, I have changed my diet and started going Organic where I can afford and it does not rip my monthly budget,  also started baking eggless since some time. This is my old tried and tested nutella date cake minus the nutella and dates. 

I have been reading many controversial reviews about how bad nutella is; so instead of trashing the whole idea of not ever using my favorite nutella, I mixed in the dark cocoa powder with almond butter and almond milk. My New instant nutella with almonds was born. I might not buy a bottle again!!! Anyways, back to where I meant to be;

You will need;

3/4th cup Organic Almond milk

3 tbspn Organic Almond butter

Raw Sugar- 1 Cup

Oil- 1/2 Half Cup

4tsp Dark Cocoa powder

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 Cup Maida/Organic  All Purpose Flour

Vanilla-1tsp

1 tspn ENO-(Fruit Salt)

Make  a paste of sugar and oil, stir well till sugar dissolves. Raw sugar takes some time to dissolve. Then add in the almond milk, almond butter and dark cocoa powder. Mix well. 

Then add the flour  one big spoon at a time.. keep whisking it till all the flour and the wet mix gets incorporated....lastly add ENO. Stir gently.

In a well greased pan, pour the mix and bake in a pre-heated oven @ 350F.. for about 35-40 mins or till the knife comes out clean. I used my favorite rose muffin mould. 

There is something happy about roses for me. Enjoy the cake and don't forget to come back for some more easy recipes.

Minty Palak Panner Aloo Puri-- School Lunch/Leftover magic

Hello Sweeties!! What do you do with leftovers??? Do you keep eating them till they are done with or transform them into something the whole family will love. I try and transform things around my menu so as to reuse them keeping the interest factor alive.

Indian food and recipes are  full of such leftover magic mingles, we use leftover rice and bread in number of ways, curries get transformed into poori's or parathas and rice into different types of tadkas or pulav's.

I make aloo parathas and palak paneer roughly once in 10 days. These dishes are my kids favorites and they have no complaints and eat these with no grins or groans. There is no nagging required to eat faster or finish whats on the plate. Happy kids equals Happy moms. 

But these dishes are not so favorite with me and Mr. Ash anymore with our dietary restrictions, I end up with few leftovers. So I combined these two dishes and added some mint to freshen up the taste and made puri's for kids lunch boxes. 

My kids are like chalk and cheese, one likes slightly less fired puri's while other likes slightly burnt and browned puris. so the picture has both in respective choices.

Aloo Paratha.

Palak Paneer Recipe.

You will need;
1 to 1.5 cups leftover palak paneer
** Mash and break the paneer cubes as fine as possible
3 cups Wheat Flour 

3/4th cup potato stuffing leftover from Aloo Parathas. 

2 tbspn Dry mint powder

1 tspn red chili powder

1 tspn turmeric powder

1 tspn cumin and coriander powder

1 tsp salt or as per taste

1/2 tspn sugar-optional

2 cups Oil for deep frying--Approx

water to knead the dough

**this dough is slightly hard and not like chapati so use less water to knead the dough, only if needed as the palak paneer will also be wet enough.

In a bowl, take the flour and add the dry powders, salt and sugar, add the palak paneer paste, aloo stuffing, mint powder and knead into a hard dough . Keep aside for 10 mins.

In a wok, take oil for frying, take only as much as the pooris will immerse, I would say about 2 cups of oil, and heat it till it smokes once and then reduce the heat to medium.

Make small round balls of the dough and roll each one out (try rolling like thin cookies). 

If making for school lunches I like rolling and saving the rolled puri's in a ziplock bag in a fridge, so my mornings are better managed. Store these packs in a fridge not the freezer.

Fry each one of them in the hot oil, one at a time. Do not rush and be extremely careful when frying. The ideal way to fry poori's is to slide the poori from one side of the wok. Do Not throw the poori's in the hot oil, the oil will splutter and splash and burn your hands.

Once you slide in the poori in the hot oil, let it puff up from one side, once it puffs up, turn it and let the other side puff up.. once both sides are puffed , drain them on some paper towels to remove excess oil and enjoyy them hot or cold, either ways they are delish.

 

These make for a quick kids lunch box or picnic food item along the way.

Panjiri-- Power House for new mothers

Hello Sweeties!!! Don't just abandon me for being missing. I am trying to post to the best of my ability, but since I am not learning any new recipes, posting has been awfully slow.

We are always in a rush that we tend to not have  a proper breakfast and grab a ton of sugar packed cereals or bars on our way out of the door. This recipe is for Panjri, which is commonly made in North Indian homes when someone has had  a major surgery or just had  a baby. Essentially packed with sugar, good fats and nutrition, this can be made where there are picky eaters or people with weak immunity or anyone who needs an extra boost of energy. I eat a couple of spoonful of Panjiri on days I have to skip breakfast.

The powder can be eaten mixed in warm milk to make porridge or kheer or as is.

You Will Need; 
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 Cup plus 2 Tbspn ghee/clarified butter
1.5 cups Sugar-Confectioner or ground sugar
1/3rd cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 tspn Saffron/kesar
1 tbspn Pista Powder
1 tbspn Almonds- shivered
1/3 rd cup chopped Walnuts
2 Tbspn Edible Gum/Dink/Gond
2 Tbspn Crushed Fenugreek/Methi seeds
2 Tspn Cardamom Crushed or Elaichi powder
In a wok, heat the 2 tbspn ghee, fry the edible gum, till it blooms in the ghee. once fried, remove on a plate and let cool. Then crush the fried gum and keep aside.
 
In the same wok, take the remaining ghee, add the wheat flour and roast  on medium heat. Stir continuously taking care than the flour does not stick to the pan and burn. Stir for about 25-30 mins, till the mixture looks frothy and becomes really loose.
 
When the flour changes color add the crushed methi seeds and keep roasting for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Switch off the flame and let cool. 

When the mix is warm enough to dip your finger and add the elaichi, dink, coconut flakes, chopped walnut, saffron, shivered almond and pista powder.mix well and when completely cool, store in an air tight conatiner. The Panjiri can be stored at room tempatarure for about week.

Methi Thepla

Hello Sweeties!!!! Weather is getting warmer and so are the weekends getting busier. Whenever we travel, I like to carry at least one food item from home. Theplas or parathas are easy to make and can be had on their own.

A famous snack for the state of Gujarat in India, it has sort of become a staple in my home too. I learnt it watching some tv shows. But its very easy to make.

You will need;

2 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 cup Fresh Methi Leaves-Washed and chopped fine

1 small Boiled Potato

Salt to taste

1 tsp Red chili/cayenne powder
1 tspn Haldi/Turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 Amchur or dry mango powder
1tsp Sugar
1 tsp Garam masala
3 tbspn yogurt
2 tbspn oil to knead the dough

Water as needed to make the dough soft.

In a wide bowl, take the methi leaves, mashed boiled potato and the dry spices and add salt and sugar, add yogurt and oil and mix well, now start adding the flour and start mixing in the flour.

Add teaspoon by tea spoon water till you have a soft pliable dough. Once  the dough is soft enough, cover  and let rest for 15-20 mins.

After the dough is rested, roll out the theplas like you would make roti's( make small balls  of the dough and roll out thin round tortillas dusting flour if the tortillas stick to the surface). 

Heat a griddle or tawa on medium heat and cook the theplas on one side. Flip the theplas and spray oil and cook the other side. Repeat on side one and cook both sides. Serve hot with some ketchup. or green chutney or any curry of your choice.

They travel well and stay good for 2-3 days.

Mexican Rice Lettuce Wrap--HB We turn Six!!!

Hello Sweeties!!!! Today is a big day for us. We turn 5 today. Wow.. time just flies. 6 years, I am still going on slowly and not so steadily. I so badly wish that I could post like a recipe a day, but growing kids and growing commitment have slowed down my pace with posting. I am still happy to not have totally abandoned my baby who turns 6 today. It was a snowy day when I started this blog and it has kept me warm and fuzzy with your love and wishes.

This is the time when I want to thank all my well wishers, readers, family and friends who have been the spine behind Indulge. Their time, efforts and constant words of encouragement is what is adding fuel to my passion of blogging.

Keeping up with my resolve to eat clean and healthy, we have been regular at Chipotle. The kids eat well and that makes me a happy mom. They don't fancy sour cream, and avocado so half the things that make the burrito interesting are missing from their plates. So to please them and add the spice to the otherwise bland Chipotle, we spiced it up at home.

You will need;
Fresh washed Lettuce leaves
1 cup boiled corn
1/4 cup small diced red pepper
1 cup Black beans
1 tbspn Taco seasoning 
Hot Sauce-as per taste
Store Brought Salsa
2 cups Lime Cilantro rice
* Take warm boiled rice, add 1tbsp butter, salt to taste,  2tbspn chopped cilantro and  juice of 1 lime., mix well and lime cilantro rice is ready.

Mix the boiled corn kernels and the peppers and add in the taco seasoning, salt and hot sauce and keep aside. Empty the can of black beans and drain and wash the liquids, add some salt to it and keep it aside. I add some Taco seasoning to the beans as well.

In a bowl take the corn salad, add in the rice, black beans and the hot sauce, mix well. On a lettuce leaf take some of this rice mixture and fold the leaf to form a bowl and munch on. No plates required to set up, wash and dry. This is PFChang meets Chipotle kind of a dish, makes my kids and tummy equally happy.

Food Fun- DINO puris for kids- Kids Lunchbox

Hello Dearies!!!! Times flies at the light speed. Summer just started and by the time we realize, schools will be opening and we will be back to the same questions. Kids lunchbox ideas. 

I keep thinking of making a fixed weekly menu, but by the end of first two weeks of school, I get lost and am back to scratching my brains every morning.

I have tons of fun cookie cutters. I am a pack rat and I heart all things cute.Most of my visits to Home Goods come back with cookie cutters, vases, pitchers, anything under $5. 

I found these Dino Shapes in one such trip to the store. They were too big for cookies, so were stashed away at the back. Every time, I chanced upon them, I thought next time I will use it for something.

My kids are not in the age where they will enjoy food in fun shapes, they are entering teens and at this point any food that resembles junk is welcome by them. But this is  a cool way of making your kids eat what you want them to eat without any fuss or excuses.

Recipes for puri's
Kasuri Methi puri
Palak Paneer Puri
Avacado Puri

Hope you enjoyed todays fun post as much fun as I had making it for a dear friend.

Eggless Whole Wheat Mango Cake- Fathers Day Special

Hello Dearies!!!! Fathers day is just as special as Mothers day. They are probably the best mothers  and they do just as much as moms do for kids. They are truly the unsung heroes who should be receiving as much appreciation as Moms do.

Our daddy likes Mango a lot and anything with mango is his favorite for the day.  This cake is very simple and easy. I make date cake often using Aayis Recipes Recipe. This time I tried using mango pulp and it worked great.

You will need;

1 Cup Mango pulp mixed in  1/2 cup milk

1 Cup Sugar

1/2  Cup Oil

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour 
1 Tspn Cardamom Powder

1 tspn ENO-(Fruit Salt)

In a bowl , mix the mango pulp, milk, sugar, cardamom powder and oil, and whisk well till sugar melts.Then add the flour  one big spoon at a time.. keep whisking it till all the flour and the wet mix gets incorporated, and lastly ENO...

In a well greased pan, pour the mix and bake in a pre-heated oven @ 350.. for about 35-40 mins or till the knife comes out clean.

My latest addiction to Pintrest resulted in yet another cake with word Dad baked right in the cake. I had some Date cake and with cookie cutters I  cut the words Dad and arranged them on a mini loaf pan, over this I poured the mango cake batter and baked it like a regular cake. 

Hope you love the treats and ideas and keep showering your love and affection on me.

Peanut Butter And Honey Bunches of Oats Cookies

Hello Sweeties!!! Summer break and kids at home means constant I am hungry and I am bored song. Cooking with kids is a fun activity and these cookies  are made just for that. Kids can help mix, drop and press the cookies with fork to make patterns. They surely love such activity.

I tried to make the cookies healthy by using powdered honey bunches of oats cereal instead of using flour entirely. They tasted yummy. I shared these with my school friends whom I met after 20 years.

You will need; Makes 18-20 
8 tbspn/1 stick butter at room temperature 
1/2 cup peanut butter butter 
0.5 cups Whole Wheat Flour
0.5 cups All purpose flour
0.5 Cups powdered honey bunches of oats cereal.
 1 tbspn Vanilla extract 1 egg  
1 cup Sugar-  **Mix white and brown or use brown entirely.
 
Preheat the oven at 350F. Line the cookie tray with some parchment paper. 
  In a bowl cream the butter, egg and sugar and then add in the vanilla extract, slowly add the flour + powdered cereal till everything gets mixed and the flour does not lump.
 
Drop the cookies and press with a fork. Bake at 350 F till they turn slight brown...for abt 9-10 mins.

Cashewbutter Cookies

Hello Sweeties!!! Spring break and kids at home means constant I am hungry and I am bored song. Cooking with kids is a fun activity and these cookies  are made just for that.

I baked these after my cousin who likes to experiment made thse. These are super addictive and so not good if you are watching the weight, but for kids they are excellent source of energy. I am planning on making these with Peanut butter for my kids play dates. Lucky for me, no one we know are having any issues with nuts. Safely we can say we are "Nuts for nuts".

Source

You will need;
Makes 18-20 --2 inch cookies.
8 tbspn/1 stick butter at room temperature
 1.5 cups Flour
** I mixed wheat flour and all purpose equally.
1/8th tsp Baking powder
1 tbspn Vanilla extract
1 egg  
1 cup Sugar- 
**Mix white and brown or use brown entirely.
1/2 cup cashew butter  
** I used store brought

Preheat the oven at 350F. Line the cookie tray with some parchment paper.

In a bowl cream the butter, egg and sugar and then add in the cashewbutter, vanilla extract, slowly add the flour + baking powder till everything gets mixed and the flour does not lump.

Drop the cookies and press with a fork. Bake at 350 F till they turn slight brown...for abt 9-10 mins.

Enjoyy with a cuppa coffee or as snack on the way driving on some road trip, making small memories!!!

Roasted Gobhi Aloo-(Roasted Cauliflower with potatoes)

Hello Sweeties!!!!. Aloo Gobhi is one of the favorite veggies my kids like. They don't like when the cauliflower florets get soggy and lose their muscle. They are not pesky eaters but they do appreciate the crunch in the veggies.

Roasted/Fried Cauliflower was my all time favorite snack and anytime my mom deep fried few florets mi and my bother would be armed with our forks not to eat but to guard them more. Food fights were oh so common while my growing up.

You will need;
1 whole cauliflower tore into florets and roasted
**Roast in a pre-heated oven at 400Degress. Coat the florets with some olive oil and sprinkle salt if you like. Roast for 20-25 mins.
1 tspn Ginger Garlic paste
1 cup tomato pureed
1/2 onion chopped fine
2 Boiled potatoes diced 
Salt if needed as the roasted cauliflower might have salt
 1 tspn Cayenne chili powder
1 tspn turmeric/haldi
1 tspn Garam Masala
2 tbspn oil

Heat the oil in a wok, add the onions, and saute for a minute, add in the pureed tomatoes, then the ginger garlic paste, fry this masala till oil starts leaving the sides; than add in the roasted cauliflower, diced boiled potatoes and saute for a minute.

Lastly add in the haldi, cayenne chili powder, garam masala and salt and stir well. Cook till the veggies gets coated. Serve hot with roti, naan or with rice and dal.

This screams comfort food for us, what is your comfort food. you might travel the world, enjoy the finest dining experience yet there is something about the home and  simple food, that kinds of de-stresses you and makes you go strong in your faith and beliefs.

Instant Qunioa and Pumpkin Handvo

Hello Sweeties!!!! I am too late to do any recap for year 2013 and its almost end of the first month o year 2014. I meant to be regular in posting new recipes, but whatever I made is alreayd on the blog. 

We Maharashtrians celebrate the festival of Sankrant in January. I have so far made Sesame fudge/ Tilgul mau wadya and gul poli twice so far. They get over at the speed of the lightening I feel. So anytime I expect someone coming over, I have to make it again.



Overindulging in such sweets has started making me feel guilty. So to overcome that, I also made this savory Handvo but in  a cake form. I had to finish  a big chunk of red pumpkin, but if you want to save the trouble of pureeing pumpkin, use the canned version, works equally fine. 

You will need;  1 cup cooked Quinoa
**To cook Quinoa, wash the grains in 4-5 changes of water, this will help remove the bitterness, alternatively soak in water, but I find the washing better in removing the bitterness. then double amount of water cook just like rice for 10-15 mins. cool and then fluff, its ready to use.
1/2 cup Coarse sooji/rava
1/2 cup Yogurt
2 cups Pumpkin Puree
1/2 cup Besan/Chick pea flour
1/2 tsp Citric Acid
1 tsp Green chili paste
1 tsp Ginger grated
1 tsp Red chili/cayenne Powder
1 tspn Cumin powder
1 tspn Corriander powder
1 tbspn Flax seeds
 1 tbspn ENO fruit salt Salt to taste  

Tempering; 3 Tbspn Oil
1 tbspn Mustard seeds
1 tbspn Cumin/Jeera seeds
3 Tbspn sesame seeds
5-7 curry leaves
1 tspn aesofodita/hing
1 tspn Haldi/Turmeric
In a wok, mix the rava/sooji and the cooked quinoa, add in the besan and all the dry ingredients and spices, salt, citric acid red chili and flax seeds, mix well and then add the yogurt and the pumpkin puree and mix well. We need a flowing consistency, so adjust water. I did not need any, as I used little to puree the pumpkin. Stir well and last lastly prepare the tempering. 

In a wok, take the oil, when it smokes, reduce the heat and add the tempering ingredients in the similar order. Pour half of the tempering into the batter, stir well and add the ENO fruit salt and stir once. 

Lastly  prepare the pans for baking. Oil spray two pans and pour the mixture and add the rest of the tempering over the batter and bake in a pre heated oven at 375 degree for 30-40 minutes. Enjoy this healthy snack with a cup of chai or just as is.

Veggie Chilla Toast- Besan Chilla Toast

Hello Sweeties!!!! Happy New Year to you and yours!!!!New Year has arrived with much hope and encouragement. Along with the promise of better year it brought along with it a nor'easter, a snow storm, that dumped around 8-10 inches snow over NJ.

When it snows, we make soup and sandwich in Ashland. But the cold and below freezing temperatures made it very difficult to step into the kitchen and cook a decent meal.

I made these Besan chilla toasts as they are easy to make and give you guilt free pleasures of having something fried and yet staying healthy as it is no fried version of bhaji's or bread pakodas. I also served it along with Tomato Soup. (recipe coming up shortly.)

You will need;
Makes about 5-6 toasts;
5-6 Bread slices-- We use whole wheat soft bread
1 cup besan/Chick peas flour
1 tbspn Rice flour
1 small onion chopped finely
1/2 tsp Turmeric/ Haldi
1 tspn red Cayenne Pepper powder
1 tspn Cumin powder
1 tspn Coriander powder
1/2 inch ginger grated
2 cloves garlic mashed and chopped fine
1 tbspn chopped cilantro
1/2 tspn lemon juice
Salt to taste
Water to thin out the besan paste
Oil or spray to fry the toasts

In a bowl, take the flour and add the rest of the ingredients like spices, cilantro, onion, salt and little water and thin out the paste. The paste should be thin enough for the bread slices to absorb and yet not get soggy.

Heat a pan over medium heat, spray with oil, and soak the bread in the besan paste and  immediately fry it the oiled pan. Cover and let cook for 2 min, flip and do the same on the other side.

Uncover and let fr for 2-3 mins on both sides to get crisp. The besan chilla toast is ready to be enjoyed with Tea or soup.

Vegeterian Bean Soup/Bean Chili Indianized and No meat!!!

Hello Sweet pies!!! I bring to you a warm and spicy soup/chili recipe today. Chili for most Americans means meat, beans and spicy. This is my version of Indianizing the classic American dish to blend with our mixed food habits. Its spicy, and has beans but sadly no meat. Feel free to chop some bean patties or burger patties and add to the soup if you like.

I cooked this soup over stove top, but feel free to use your crock pots and slow cookers. The longer it cooks the better it tastes.


 You will need;
3-4 small 8 oz Cans of assorted beans
* I used corn, black beans, kidney beans, chick peas and Southwest blend of beans.
1 tbspn Oil
1 Can of Crushed Tomatoes

1 Big onion diced

1 Stem of celery diced

1 Tspn Garam masala powder
1 tsp Red chilli powder 
2-3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 inch piece Ginger,chopped
Lemon Pepper Spice Mix- as per taste-- Optional
* *Lemon pepper is a mix of dry lemon, onion/garlic, black pepper and mix of celery salt
Salt to taste 

In a wok, take the oil, heat over medium heat,add the ginger and the garlic, add the onions, celery and dash of salt. Let the mixture cook for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and cook till the onion and tomato gets mashed well.

Add canned beans. Adjust the amount of water. I added water till 2 inches above the mixture, adjust the salt. Add in the red chili powder, spice blends and the garam masala. 

Cover with the lid and reduce for good 30-45 min over low to medium heat. Thin it out or enjoy it thick. Top it with some sour cream, tortilla chips or some cheese; the bean soup/veggie chili is sure to impress all.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Roasted Veggies/Bombay Sandwich

Hello Sweeties!!!!! Its already August!! Where did the months of June and July go, is what we all seem to be saying. Life is suddenly getting into action and before you blink , kids would be back to school.


If you are anything like Ms. Ash, these summer months and weekends, I try different foods that kids actually eat to make them a lunch option later.

Grilled cheese can be done in different ways, but today's is  one easy recipe as its very easy to put together and adding veggies take it a level up. Raw onions, Peppers at time are difficult for little kids to develop a liking for, roasting them or caramelizing them makes them sweet and  easy on their palate.

You will need;
  For Sandiwch;
Whole Wheat Bread

Butter
Cheese Slices
1 Boiled Potato
Green Chutney/Pesto
Panini Maker or grill pan

For Roasted veggies;
1/2 Green bell pepper

1/2 red pepper

1 big onion

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbspn oil

Roasting veggies
In a wok, on high heat, take 1 tbspn oil, and add the veggies, let them caramelize for 5-7 mins without stirring often, add salt and pepper and  remove from heat, let them hang out in the hot wok.


Assembling the sandwich;
Take the slices of bread spread the butter and the chutney on both slices, stuff with roasted veggies, spread  a slice of boiled potato, cheese on one slice, top with another bread slice and grill.

The sandwich is done with cheese melts and the grill marks appear on the slices. Cut in half and share with love done or eat alone. This is a hit sandwich in Ashland.