Peach Cobbler-Whole wheat Crumble

Hello Sweeties!!!!! I bring to you today a quick dessert. Peach Cobbler is so simple to make and it goes so fast, that I keep wondering why have I not made it yet!!!

The kids also love it, with ice cream or without it, the warm crispy cobbler with hints of sugar and freshness of the peaches will surely make your loved ones coming for more.

You will need;
1 14 oz can of peaches- washed and drained from the canned liquid
1 tbspn sugar 

For the crumble
1 cup wheat flour
3 tbspn melted butter
1 tspn baking powder
1 egg beaten with some milk
1 tbspn sugar for the sweetness- Optional but recommended

In a buttered baking dish, arrange the peach slices, sprinkle sugar and keep aside. In a bowl, take the flour, add sugar and the baking powder, stir well and keep aside. In a cup beat the egg and milk till it is well mixed. 

Mix the egg mixture and the dry flour mixture, and stir well to form a lumpy mixture. The mixture should be little gooey. Drop lumps of the flour  dough on the sliced peaches till all the peaches are well coated. Pour the melted butter over the dough.

In a 400 degree F preheated oven, bake the cobbler for 25-30 mins till the crumble is cooked. Enjoy the cobbler warm as is or with ice cream. Either ways its too good.

Minty Cauliflower

Hello Sweeties!! July is BBQ month. The basic quest for all vegetarian food lovers is what's there for us in the BBQ feast!!!!! There is Indian cottage cheese/paneer, roasted veggies corn on the cobs. So to add one more interesting item to your grand BBQ menu,. my sister has this Minty cauliflowers for you.

They can be made on the grill. in the oven or on the stove top. They will surely make you love your cauliflower and  push the good old greasy French fries to the side. 

You will need;
1 whole cauliflower tore into florets, wash and drain

Enough oil to lightly coat the florets

Sea Salt to taste

Mint paste

** Make a fine mint paste with mint,cilantro, cumin, garlic and green chilies

Coat the florets with some grape-seed oil, sprinkle salt and cook in a wok on high heat. The florets cook fast so it should take about 5-7 mins. stir continuously to avoid burning Alternatively you can also roast in a pre-heated oven at 400Degress, till the florets start browning.

 After the florets get cook reduce heat, add the mint paste till all florets get evenly coated. Minty Cauliflower is ready to be served.

Minestrone Soup- Slow Cooker Recipe

Hello Sweeties!!! If you are an soup lover and especially love Olive Garden specialty minestrone soup, hang on, I have this recipe that was passed by a very special friend. But if you know me, you very well know I cannot simply stick to the recipe, I have to deviate and wander off to make it my own, some are big hits some are flops. This is a sure shot big hit, maybe because I did not let go of the basic recipe and simply added my own additions. Or maybe because it was cooked in a slow cooker and used stock to enhance flavors and make it more earthy. It is full of good nutrition and zero oil except if you used re-fried beans like me, you would not call it zero oil. Feel free to replace the re-fried beans with any beans of your choice to make it truly a zero oil soup recipe.

You will need;

2 carrots chopped in semi circles

1 stick celery chopped fine

2 sprigs Green onion

1/2 cup spinach

2-3 big florets of broccoli

2-3 cloves garlic-crushed

1 tbspn Italian Seasoning

1 Qt box of vegetable stock

1 cup Pasta-I used elbows

1 can re-fried beans--(Had to use them)-Use any beans you prefer

1 can diced tomatoes or use fresh

1 tsbpn fresh rosemary

6-8 leaves of fresh basil torn

Salt to taste

In a slow cooker insert, add all the above ingredients and let it to cook for 8 hrs on low or 6 hrs high. Enjoy the soup after the slow cooker has done its job well.

Pineapple Malpua with Instant Rabri

Hello Sweeties!!! Indian sweets like malpua and rabri are known to take forever to make. It is not everyone's cups of tea  and only expert chefs take pride in making such desserts. 

I am no expert and no chef at that, but my search for good food and never scared to try attitude makes me attempt such desserts. I am a part of so many food groups, a silent reader at most, that they help me when I crave for such foods.

I don't remember where I had seen the instant rabri recipe, but it is a hit with my kids who dislike the malai or cream or milk solids in their mouth. I have some issue with the texture too, so this is good for people like me.

Traditionally malpua is made from flour, fried in clarified butter soaked in sugar syrup, this process not only is time consuming but also not figure friendly. I tweaked the malpuas to make them suit to my needs and weight. I made pineapple pancakes instead and they tasted similar. Diet food is at times compromised; but again if you name it different there is no comparison with the original. 

Different name different avatar and everyone is happy. Innovation is another name for disguise in Ashland.

To make the Pineapple Malpua's;
You will need;
6 discs of ripe pineapple
1/2 cup glutten free baking flour
2 tbspn sooji
1 tbspn sugar
3 cloves powdered
2 Elaichi/green cardamom powdered
Milk to make batter.
Ghee or clarified butter for shallow frying.

In a bowl, take the flour, sugar, clove and cardamom powder, mix well, add milk to make the batter. Dip the pineapple discs and shallow fry using ghee in a cast iron pan. Once cooked cool and keep aside.

To make the Rabri;
You will need; 
1 cup Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup condensed milk
3/4th cup milk
2 tbspn Milk masala
** Cashews/walnuts/pistas,saffron, green cardamom and nutmeg powder

In a bowl, mix the condensed milk, ricotta cheese and regular milk and stir till it is well incorporated. Add the milk masala and stir well. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

To assemble;
In a single serving dish, take 2 tbspn chilled rabri, place the pineapple pancake/malpua on it and pour some more rabri over it. Serve immediately.

My kids liked the hot malpua and chilled rabri combination. This was so easy and done in less than 20 mins of actual preparation time. I am in love with such pleasing desserts.

Butternut Squash Soup

Hello Sweeties!!! I know I am missing since long and some of my dear friends have been nice in gently reminding me not to ignore my third child Indulge. But things have been haywire since summer ended and the blog slowly got pushed to the back burner.

But better late than ever, I bring to you a very healthy and earthy butternut soup. Butternut Squash is a sweet squash and is really difficult to cube or de-skin. So I prefer the easy way out, I get cubed butternut squash, but if you happen to get the whole, cut in two parts and roast in the oven with skin on,  when cooked take the pulp out and use it in Indian gravies or soups.

I have added a apple in this soup as I had to finish some, but I would like to keep it out the next time I make this soup and pair it with tomato to give it the richness and take some of the tomato tang away. But for now, its butternut apple squash soup.

You will need,
2 cups cubes butternut squash
1/2 granny smith or red delicious apple, no skin and diced small
1/2 onion--diced
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tsp flour
1 tbspn oil
salt to taste
and Italian spices blend
water or stock

In a pressure pan, heat the oil and add garlic and onions, stir till onions are translucent, then add in the butternut squash, add the apples and let it roast till the butternut squash is browned, then add the flour and stir once, add the salt, spices and water and bring a small boil, cover and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

Once cooled, run a stick blender and puree the soup, adjust water to thin it out if needed. Bring it to  a slow simmer  and enjoy the earthy soup with your loved ones.

This is my version of the low fat butternut squash soup. You will not miss the cream or butter in this soup.

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.

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.

Homemade Roasted veggie PIzza

 Hi Sweetpeas!!!!Home made pizza was and is a very easy dinner idea that everybody at home loves. After finding a new kind of yeast, the prep time is reduced to zero and I can make pizza in short amount of time.

I am not compensated to promote this brand of yeast, but I want all those moms out there who are looking for fast and easy ways to put meals on the table to know, that this Yeast actually works.

Nothing beats the aroma and taste of homemade pizza. The herbs in the crust  make it a delish on its own. Plus you can make it as per your liking, garlic, rosemary and  chili flakes take the crust to another level.

For the dough,

Prep Time; 10 mins to mix the dough

10-12 mins for first bake 

Makes 4 Thin crust Pan pizzas 

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup All Purpose flour

1 Tbspn dry active Pizza Yeast

1 Tbspn Sugar and 1/2 cup warm water to bloom the yeast

1 Tsp Dried Rosemary

1/2 tsp Dried Basil

1 Tsp Garlic powder

1 Tsp Oregano

1 Tsp red Chili Flakes

2-3 Tbspn Olive Oil and 

Salt for taste

water as needed to make the dough 

 

Toppings;

Store brght Pasta Sauce

Grated cheese to spread on the pizza

1/2 Green bell pepper

1/2 red pepper

1 big onion

3/4 cup Broccoli-Steamed

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbspn oil

 

In a bowl, take the dry active yeast, sugar and warm water and mix well. Keep it aside to bloom for 10 minutes. The mixture will be frothy, if the yeast is active. If the yeast is old discard the mixture and get fresh yeast. I always prefer to check the yeast then move on to the dough.

In a mixing bowl, take the flour, add the salt and seasonings, garlic powder, rosemary, basil, oregano and little oil to start the mixing, as you move along making the dough, add the oil and knead into a soft dough. Cover and keep it in a warm place till you roast the veggies and get the toppings ready.

 

When the dough rises, it is ready to be baked into some yummy pizzas. Punch out the air from the dough and take small balls and roll it into small discs. I usually bake these pizza bases for 10-15 mins in a pre-heated oven at 350degrees F.

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 pizza;
Take the base, spread the pasta sauce, arrange the roasted veggies and sprinkle lots  or little cheese and bake @ 400 degree F till the cheese melts.

Enjoii the hot and delicious pizza that's filled with homemade goodness of healthy ingredients.

Vegetable Paneer Tikka Biryani

Hello Sweeties!!!! What do you do when you are in no mood to cook anything elaborate yet there is some celebration needed. You make this vegetable paneer tikka biryani. Easy!!!!

Donut finished his exams and we thought like always, we might dine out and this Momma might get lucky on a week day. Surprises never cease us, Donut declared he liked home cooked food much better than outside spicy food.

Mr. Ash was in mood for some Biryani and kids love Paneer/Indian cottage cheese.  There is a debate as American cottage cheese is  different than paneer, But since I don't know another word for Paneer, I am sticking to Indian Cottage cheese.

I had got the spicy paneer tikka masala paste to try from the last grocery trip, I decided to satisfy everyone and use that. 

Birayni can be jazzed up in million ways and use of ingredients can be  added or minimized. This is my version of kid friendly biryani. 

You Will Need;
For Rice;
2 cups Basmati rice washed and drained 
2 cups boiling hot water
one tspn lemon juice

For Vegetable Paneer Tikka Masala;
2 medium onion
2 Tomatoes
2 Medium Potaoes diced
around 8-10 1 inch paneer cubes
1 cup mixture of corn, peas, and beans 
1 inch ginger
2-3 cloves Garlic
3 tbspn paneer Tikka Masala Paste  
* I get the ready to use masala paste in my Indian grocery store, alternatively use the dry spice powder mixed in yogurt 
1 tbspn chopped mint
1/2 cup Milk or cream
Salt to taste
1 tbspn chopped mint
2 tbspn Ghee for tempering
1 tspn jeera/cumin seeds 

To assemble The Biryani;
1 heavy pot/Handi
few Saffron Strands mixed in warm milk
1 onion cut in Strips and fried
Chopped mint
Cooked basmati rice
Prepared Vegetable Paneer tikka Masala Gravy

Take the washed and drained rice and add boiling water and lemon juice to it and cover and let cook for 10-12 minutes. Do not cook the rice fully, we need it al-dente. Fluff and Keep aside

In a small food chopper, take the onion, tomatoes,  ginger and garlic and pulse into a fine paste. 

In a handi/deep pot, take the ghee, add the jeera, add the onion tomato paste and fry till the oil separates. Then add in the paneer tikka masala paste and the chopped mint. The paste is very spicy and has all the ingredients of the whole garam masala. 

IF you are not using this paste, then add 2 heaped tbspns of garam masala/paneer tikka masala and 1 tbspn red chilli powder now and fry the onion tomato mixture,. then add the vegetable and let cook till the potatoes get cooked al-dente.  Do not cook everything through or else they will get mushed when you further cook the biryani.

After the poatoes get partially cooked add the milk/cream and paneer and  let cook and reduce. we need some gravy, but don't make it too liquid.

We are ready to assemble the biryani. 

Remove half of the gravy from the handi into another bowl, add in a layer of rice, Sprinkle half of the fried onion and mint and  the saffron milk over the layer, then another layer of paneer gravy, rice and garnish with remaining onions, mint and saffron milk. Spread some ghee over this mixture. Cover this tightly with a lid. 

On low-medium heat, take  a flat pan and  arrange the handi over it and let cook for another 30-45 minutes. The more you keep, the better the tastes develop. We ate after about 30 minutes, but the tastes was very much there.

The Biryani was modest in taste. The gravy can be made rich by using cashew nut paste/almond paste, heavy cream, full fat milk instead of regular milk. The biryani was good for a quick weekday dinner and was light on our tummies.

We enjoyed the biryaniw ith some lime and boondi raita.

Mung Dal Dhokla- Tarla Dalal in my Kitchen.

Hello Sweeties!!! What has Facebook surfing taught you? For me its the inspiration and motivation, I get from people posting about food. 

I learnt quiet a few things browsing through my Blogger friends FB pages. One such day I saw Manasi aka Cook @ Heart posting these dhoklas. They looked yummy to my eye and a quick chat exchange led me to the source.

Since I followed the recipe to the T I will not post the entire recipe again. But do make it. Some differences I found in my dhoklas as compared to the reviews were;
1. The dhoklas were heavy, not as light as the chana dal one's we normally make;
2. They did not rise much and the smell of mug dal was still present even after cooking through;

Expert dhokla makers, why do you think I would face this issue, is it the dal or the way I made it?? 

 I am sending this to Paris " ONLY event" hosted by Nalini's Kitchen

 

Khekda Bhaji-Onion Fritters

Hello Dearies!!!! What does rain, wind and storms bring to your mind? Do they want you to hide curl under the sheets and wait till the thundering pass, or do they  brighten your thoughts and you sort of look forward for happy family night outs in candle light and sipping hot chai with some fritters? 

People in Ashland are the second type, who make sure to relax after all heads are counted, i.e., everyone is settled at home, the party then starts. Be it snow storm, rain storm, the menu does not change. We make these onion fritters or khekda bhaji( Crab Shaped Fritters), Varan and bhat for dinner. If we are lucky to have power we enjoy a movie, if not we enjoy making shadow shapes with our fingers in candle light; Small things bring great joy.

You will need;
3-4 Onions cut in thin strips
Besan or chick peas flour to coat the onion, approx 2 cup 
1 tbspn fine sooji/rava/Cream of wheat
1Tbspn Red Cayenne pepper powder
1 tspn Haldi/Turmeric
1 Tbspn Coriander powder
1 tbspn Cumin powder
1 tbspn Cilantro chopped    
Salt to taste 
2 cloves Garlic- Optional 
Chat Masala to sprinkle-Optional
Little water to mix the flour
approx 2 cups oil for frying

In a bowl, take the onion and separate the strips as much as possible, salt it well, and keep aside for 10-12 mins. The onions will sweat, add the powders, garlic, and coat the onion well, keep aside for another 10 minutes. After the onions sweats and gives out some liquid, mix in the rava and the besan flour, stir well and let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the cilantro and water if needed. The mixture should be lumpy and not watery. Heat the oil till it smokes, then reduce the heat to medium. Use  a tablespoon to  drop the onion mixture in the hot oil, fry till they get cooked and  a nice brown color. Drain on the paper towel and sprinkle chat masala on them while hot. The fritters can be enjoyed with tomato ketchup or green chutney  or tamarind date chutney.

Whichever way you make and enjoy, stay connected and drop me a line, we are now also on G+.

Pita-Stove top Method

Hello Dearies!!!! We are having some nice sun here in NJ and it is getting warmer for us. The cold and the long winter seems to be ending and  traces of windy days are also reducing.

As we cannot take leave from work/school and  simply leave on  a holiday, we try making the day in our favorite part of the world by eating food from that part. I posted Hummus, Baba Ganoush and today I bring Pita, to complete the mezze.

Pita is roasted in a clay oven and it has no marks of the roasting. But since my oven was busy and  I was super excited to wait; I made it on a Gas Stove. The idea is same like a phulka/puffed Indian Bread, but the thickness of the bread and the addon of the yeast is what is different.
Source
You will need;
**Makes about 7-8 Pitas
2 Cups Whole wheat Flour
1 Cup All Purpose flour
2 Tbspn yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tspn Sugar
1 tsp Salt
Water to knead the soft dough
1-2 tbspn Olive Oil, to coat the dough 
 
In a small bowl, take the warm water, add the salt and sugar and then the yeast and let it rest for 10-12 mins. If the yeast froths, its good to work with. 

Take the flours, add the frothed yeast and enough water to knead  a soft dough. Liberally coat it with oil, cover and rest for an hr or till the dough doubles.

After the dough has doubled, divide it into 7-8 tennis ball size rolls. Take one and keep the rest covered. Roll out a thick roti/pita of about 1 cm height, and 6 inches wide and dust with some All purpose flour and keep aside. Ccomplete rolling rest of the dough balls similarly. 

Now you can roast these roti/s pitas in a pre- heated pan at 300 degree F or alternatively roast them in a pan on a direct gas stove. Start with one side, let the bubble come up, flip and roast till similar bubbles form on that side and then on direct flame puff them on both sides.

The Pitas will be ready. You can cut in half and make wedges and serve it like a pita pocket with fillings or as a  chip or as a whole with the  other dips. whichever way you make, enjoy these little food trips around the world in comforts of your own homes sans the hassle of packing and unpacking.