Coconut Chutney

 

Coconut chutney is very popular in south India. This chutney is served with Idly, Dosa or Upma.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup grated fresh/frozen Coconut
• 2 tbsp. Dalia/Chutney Dal
• 1 tbsp. Roasted Peanuts (unsalted)
• 2 small size green chilies
• Salt
• Water for grinding

 Seasoning ingredients:

• ½ tsp. Cooking oil
• 1 tsp. Mustard seeds
• 1 small Red Chili piece 
• Few curry leaves
• 1 pinch Hing/Asafoetida

Procedure:

• First grind Dalia and roasted Peanuts.
• Then add fresh coconut, green chilies, and salt; grind them well.
• Now gradually add water up to your desired consistency and grind to make a smooth paste.
• Now put a seasoning with oil, Mustard seeds, Red chili, Hing and Curry leaves.

Note: While grinding you can add fresh coriander leaves also.  Then it will become “Green Coconut Chutney”.

Spinach Tortilla/Palak Roti (Chapathi)

 

This Tortilla/Roti is made with Spinach and wheat flour with few spices. This is very healthy roti with rich in iron and fiber.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch Spinach
• 2 and 1/2cups Wheat flour
• 2 Green chilies
• 3 Garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. Coriander powder
• 1 tsp. Cumin powder
• ½ cup Curd/Plain Yogurt
• Required amount of Salt
• 1 tbsp. Flax seed meal (optional)
• 2 tbsp. Cooking Oil

Procedure:

• Wash and cut spinach.
• For avoiding raw smell of spinach, sauté spinach in a pan without water for 3-4 minutes, and let it completely cool down.
• Now grind sautéed spinach along with Coriander powder, cumin powder, green chilies, garlic, salt, flax seed meal and Yogurt; like a fine paste.
• Now knead like a chapathi dough with wheat flour, oil and the above prepared ground spinach gravy.   Please add warm water if required to form like a chapathi dough.

• Coat the dough with oil and rest it at least an hour.
• Now take a desired amount of dough and roll it like a chapathi and sauté both sides on a heated pan/tava  and apply little oil/ghee on both sides.
• Once Chapathi is sautéed on both sides then serve it with any spicy pickle or plain yogurt.

Note:   Flax seed meal is an optional ingredient.  When ever I make chapathi I usually add 1 tbsp. of flax seed meal.  Because it consists of Omega 3 and high in fiber. 

Please write your valuable suggestions or comments.

Veggie Quesadilla

 

The specific origin of Quesadilla is Mexico. A Quesadilla is made with a tortilla and is filled primarily with cheese; other ingredients, such as cooked meat, refried beans, or other vegetables may be added. The filled tortilla is then toasted or fried, usually until the cheese is melted. Once the Quesadilla is cooked, it is traditionally cut into slices or wedges; and served with Sour cream or Avocado dip.

In this recipe I have used veggie filling and along with cheese. And also I have used flour tortillas. This can be served in lunch or dinner time or as an evening snack also.

Ingredients:

• 8 Store brought or fresh tortillas
• ½ cup grated Mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp. Olive oil/Cooking oil

Veggie filling ingredients:

• 2 medium size Zucchini
• 1 large carrot
• 6 green beans
• ¼ cup frozen corn
• ¼ bunch of spinach
• 2 tbsp. Lima beans
• 2 medium size tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. Green chili paste
• 1 tsp. Dry parsley/Italian seasonings
• Salt
• 1 tbsp. Olive oil/cooking oil

Note: You may use broccoli, green onions or any other bean veggies.

Avocados dip ingredients:

• 2 medium size ripe Avocado
• 2 green chilies
• Coriander leaves few
• Salt
• 1tsp. lemon juice

Procedure for making Veggie filling:

• Dice all vegetables and keep it aside. (For zucchini don’t scrap outer skin)
• Heat the wide non-stick skillet; put olive oil.
• Once oil warms then slowly add garlic, zucchini, carrot, and beans.
• Wait until these three vegetables are 50% cooked then add spinach, corn, lima beans and tomatoes.
• Put a lid and cook it for some time, then add green chili paste, Italian seasoning/dry parsley and salt.
• Stir it every 2-3 minutes. Don’t put water; wait until all veggies are well cooked.

Procedure for making Avocado dip:

• Cut Avocado half way then remove the seed and scoop the pulp.
• Now grind green chilies and coriander leaves.
• Then add scooped and sliced Avocado pulp, salt and lemon juice and then grind it like a fine paste.

Assembling procedure:

• Heat the wide pan and grease it with a little oil.
• Once pan gets warm then take one tortilla and slightly fry the tortilla both sides.
• Now do same thing with other tortilla.
• Now place one fried tortilla on the plate then spread veggie filling stuff and top of it spread little mozzarella cheese then cover with other tossed tortilla.
• Now gently place this stuffed tortilla on hot pan and spread little oil; fry both sides. And take them on a serving plate.
• Cut this quesadilla diagonally and serve with sour cream or Avocado dip.

Please write your valuable suggestions or comments.

Eggless Oatmeal & Peanut Butter Cookies

 

Wow! It is a kid’s favorite snack. These cookies are little chewy & crunchy texture with the taste of peanut butter and chocolate. I am a vegetarian. So I prefer doing eggless baking by using egg substitutes. The result will be same and you won’t find any difference at all. In this recipe I have used apple sauce as an egg substitute, but you can use flax seed meal also. If you would like to use flax seed meal instead of apple sauce then mix 1 tbsp. flax seed meal with 4 tbsps. of water.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/4 cup Old fashioned whole grain oats
• 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
• 1/2 tbsp. Baking soda
• 1/2 tbsp. Baking powder
• 4 tbsp. oil
• 4 tbsp. Apple sauce
• 1/2 cup Brown sugar
• 5 tbsp. Peanut Butter
• 1/4 cup Raisin’s and chocolate
• 1/2 tbsp. Vanilla essence

Preparation:

• Sift All-purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda, keep it aside. Now add oat meal to this sifted flour mix and by using with your hands mix everything well.
• With hand mixer, gently whisk all wet ingredients i.e. oil, applesauce and peanut butter in separate bowl.
• Then add brown sugar to the above wet mix and mix it well.
• Now mix these two mixtures with a spatula or gently with a hand mixer.
• Finally add vanilla essence, chocolate chips and raisins to the above mixture.
• If the dough becomes too stiff then add few drops of milk. Please make sure that dough shouldn’t be too stiff or too loose, it should in semi texture. (You can see the dough in the below picture)

• Cover this dough and keep it in a refrigerator for at least an hour.
• Before baking, preheat the oven at 350F/180C, and place a parchment sheet on a cooking tray.
• Take a small amount of mixture, roll it like a ball shape and then gently press on the top of it and place them 2inch a part on the arranged cooking tray.

• Bake 8-12 mints, or until the border of cookie turns to golden brown color. I would prefer to lift the cookie and observe the color on the bottom, if the color is golden brown then it is time to take them out from the oven; but the top of cookie will look soft. Don’t worry, once the cookie cools down it become crispy.
• Let the cookies cool down on the cooking tray until they are firm. Then by using the spatula carefully transfer them on to the cooling rack or any plate to the room temperature.

Observations:

1. Cookie dough shouldn’t be too stiff or too loose.
2. While baking, you will observe few cracks on top of cookie and turns golden brown color around the boarder of the cookies.

Note:

Don’t use instant oatmeal mix; please use whole grain rolled oats only.

While rolling into a ball shape don’t press the cookies too hard or don’t use any cookie cutter.

Please write your valuable suggestions or -comments.

Ridge Gourd Milk Chutney/Pachadi

 

This Pachadi is little bit different in taste than regular Chutneys and it is very easy to make. My mom makes this chutney very often because my family likes this chutney very much. We can eat this chutney with hot rice.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 Ridge gourd (Beerakaya)
• 1 Green Chili
• ¼ cup warm milk
• Salt
• Seasoning ingredients:
• ½ tsp. Oil
• ½ tsp. Mustard seeds
• ¼ tsp. Cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp. Urad dal
• 1 pinch Hing
• Few Curry leaves

Procedure:

• Dice the Ridge guard in to small cubes (no need to peel the Ridge guard skin).

• Heat the wide pan and add oil.
• Once the oil is warm then put Ridge guard pieces in the pan.
• Cook it with little salt, green chilies and few drops of water.
• Put a lid and cook it well.
• Once Ridge guard pieces are well cooked then switch off the heat; keep it aside for cool down.
• Then blend the cooked Ridge guard pieces with milk.
• Take into a serving dish and put the seasoning.
• Serve with hot rice with little ghee.

Mint & Coriander Chutney

This is very healthy chutney and served with Dhokla, Kachori or mix with any other Chat varieties.

 
Ingredients:

• 1 bunch Mint/Pudhina
• ¼ bunch Coriander leaves
• 2 small green chilies
• Salt
• 1 tsp. Coriander powder
• 1 tsp. Cumin Powder
• ¼” ginger piece.
• Half sliced lemon juice
• Seasoning ingredients:
• ½ tsp. Mustard seeds
• 2 pinch Hing
• Oil ½ tsp..
• 2 pinch Hing/Asafetida
• Oil ½ tsp..

 

Procedure:

• Wash and cut Mint/Pudhina leaves and Coriander leaves and keep it aside.
• Dice green chilies and ginger; keep it aside.
• Take a blender add Mint, Coriander, Green Chilies, Ginger, Cumin powder, Coriander powder, lemon juice and salt; blend everything well.
• If does water require then add little bit water.
• Now take in a serving dish and put a seasoning with Mustard seeds and Hing.

Chakli (Murukulu)

 

Mainly Murukulu is an authentic South Indian‘s all-time favorite snack. This is very crunchy and little spicy in taste. All my friends love this Murukulu very much. I learnt this Murukulu from one of my friend Swathi.

 

Ingredients:

• Gram flour/Besan 1 cup
• Rice flour               3 cups
• Red chili powder   1 tbsp..
• Salt                          ¾ tbsp..
• Butter                      1 ¼ tbsps..
• Ajwine/Vamu           1tsp
• Sesame seeds       1tsp
• Hing/Asafoetida     one pinch
• Oil for deep frying

Procedure:

Preparing dough:

• Sieve Gram flour/Besan and keep it side.
• Mix together Besan and rice flour in a wide bowl.
• Now add sesame seeds, Ajwine, Hing, Salt, Red chili powder and melted butter into flour mix.
• Mix everything well.
• Now make soft dough by gradually adding water and knead it like lightly soft dough that means make sure that Dough shouldn’t be stiff.
• Take a one “star” type of mold and fix it in a Murukulu presser.
• Now fill Murukulu presser with required amount of dough.

Frying:

• Heat the deep frying pan with required amount of cooking oil at medium to high heat.
• Check the oil for perfect temperature by dropping very small amount of prepared dough (bead size). If the dough rises immediately that means oil is ready to fry.
• At this time with your hands, slowly press the Murukulu mold in circular motion on the greased wide spatula and then immediately drop it in hot oil. (Please see my picture)

• You can drop 5-6 Murukulu at each batch depending on the size of the pan.
• Once the hot oil bubbles reduce then you can flip/turn it other side and fry it well, until golden brown.
• Take out all Murukulu and place them in an oil strainer.
• Check and adjust the oil temperature for every batch.
• Store them in an air tight container once they come to the room temperature.