Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 coconut oil melted
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts
• 2 tbsp chocolate chips
• 2 cups grated zucchini

Method

• Grease two 8x4 Loaf pans and flour them well.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C.
• Grate the zucchini and keep aside.
• Mix the dry ingredients, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
• In a bowl beat the sugar and melted coconut oil, add eggs and beat once again.
• Add the vanilla extract, mix.
• Add the dry ingredients, the nuts and chocolate chips and the grated zucchini.
• Stir to combine, do not overmix.
• Pour into loaf pans.
• Bake for 60 minutes, check with a toothpick inserted in center, should come out clean. Let it cool for 15 minutes and carefully take it out of the pan as these are fragile loaves.

 

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Pad Thai (no meat, no dairy and no oil)

Dinner tonight was Pad Thai, surprisingly I had all the ingredients to make it, of course it was vegan and no oil to boot. I put a ton of vegetables and only used half the packet of rice noodles, couldn't find  brown rice noodles so had to make do with white. The sauce was an experiment of little of this and a little of that.

Press the tofu. cut into strips, heat the pan on high, add the tofu add salt and brown the tofu.

Heat water for the noodles, you can use the whole packet which is about 8 oz, once it comes to a boil add the noodles, stir cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit in the hot water to cook about 8 minutes or so. Strain.(If you use the whole packet, double the recipe for sauce)

Meanwhile slice all the veggies lengthwise, I used broccoli, zucchini, red and green peppers and cabbage about 2 cups for 4 oz of noodles.

Chop two green onions, save the green part to be added at the end, for garnishing.

Slice about half an onion, mince some garlic and ginger.

Make the sauce with juice of a lemon, 1 tbsp miso paste, 1 tsp peanut butter, 3 tbsp soy sauce, sriracha, ketchup, red pepper flakes and 1/4 cup of hot water from the noodles, mix well.

Once the tofu is browned, transfer it to a plate, add onions, garlic, ginger and the white part of green onions. Add a little water if the onions stick to the pan.

Add the veggies, saute till done, add water if needed.
Add noodles and sauce, salt if needed, the rest of the green onion and chopped cilantro.

Add the tofu, serve with roasted peanuts and more lemon cilantro.

Vegetarian tacos

Green Monster Soup

This soup is our favorite go to meal for dinner, really light and filling at the same time.

1 and 1/2 cup of spinach
2 carrot
1/2 cup broccoli
2 mushrooms
4 green scallions
3 stalks celery
1/2 cup cilantro
2 tomatoes
1/2 jalapeno
1/2 inch ginger
1 clove garlic
1 fresh turmeric root
1/4 lime
1 tsp coconut oil
salt
6 whole peppercorns
1 cup hot water


Blend till smooth in a Vitamix for 5 minutes till the soup gets heated and cooked.
Serve topped with tortilla chips.

Sprouting 101

I have been sprouting lentils lately and experimented with different legumes, mung beans, brown lentils,chickpeas field beans even quinoa. Sprouted legumes are a good way to get protein in your meal espec,ially if you are a vegetarian.


Day 1, soak handfuls of each these separately after rinsing them.

Black Chickpeas, Green Mung Beans and Quinoa

 Day 2 after soaking overnight,all plumped up.

Day 3, rinse, drain out the water, put it in a glass jar or covered container, keep in the oven or dark spot, at room temperature as you can see the Quinoa started sprouting quickly.

Day 4, the mung beans took the longest to sprout. Just remember to rinse them daily and then drain and keep covered.

Day 5, All sprouted and ready to eat.

I used the mung beans and chickpeas to make a salad/sundal, 

These are the brown lentils, they sprouted very quickly, I made a curry with them.

Lentil curry

I used the mung beans, quinoa and brown lentils to make

a savory pancake/dosa

Sprouted Savory Pancake/Dosa

Just 3 steps, Soak, Rinse, Drain and wait for it to sprout!!!

Ribbon Pakoda

Vegetable Thai Red Curry

2 cups of vegetables(broccoli, zucchini, carrots,mushrooms,babycorn)
1 cup extra firm tofu
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp cornflour
salt to taste
a few basil leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
a little lemon zest
1/2 tsp sugar


Red Curry Paste-
5 red chilles
1 clove garlic.
1 inch piece ginger
5 small red onions
5 stalks of cilantro
a few peppercorns
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
2 tbsp coriander powder
2 tbsp cumin seeds powder

Blend to a fine paste with a little water.

Method-

Heat oil, add the masala paste and fry till well done.Add the tomato paste, saute for a few minutes.
Add the cut vegetables, add salt and  and cook till almost done. You want the vegetables to remain crisp.
Add tofu and let the the flavors blend.
Add the coconut milk mixed with cornflour.
Cook on simmer till the curry gets thick.
Add chopped basil a little lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar.
Serve with rice.

Tomato Rasam

I got one tomato from my garden today, and decided to make Tomato Rasam, add a few more grape tomatoes, that I had in the fridge. The utensil I used to make the rasam is a special type of metal called 'Eayum Chembu', for some reason gives rasam a special flavor.

2 medim sized tomatoes
1 tsp tamarind paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
a pinch of asafetida
1 tsp rasam powder, add more if you want it spicier
salt to taste
2 tbsp cooked dal( I used masoor dal)
1/4 tsp sugar
a few curry leaves
1 tbsp cilantro
few drops of lemon juice

masala to be ground-
Blend coarsely in the blender, one garlic clove, 1/2 inch ginger, a few peppercorns, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, and couple ofcurry leaves.

tadka-
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 dried red chilli
a few curry leaves
a pinch of asafetida

Method-
Heat 1/2 tsp oil, add the blended masala, and saute for a few minutes, add chopped tomatoes, saute again for a couple of minutes.
Add 1and 1/2 cups water or so
, tamarind paste, salt and turmeric.
Once it comes to a boil, add rasam powder, dal, curry leaves, sugar, and keeping the heat on medium, cook till the tomatoes are done.
Remove from heat, add the tadka, then add cilantro, lemon juice.
Serve as a soup or with rice.
 

Kanda Poha (Aval Upma)( Beaten Rice Flakes)

3 cups Poha (thick)(Beaten Rice Flakes or Aval)
1 large onion
4 green chilles
4 curry leaves
1 small potato cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
2 tbsp or more fresh lemon juice

Tadka-
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp udad dal
1/2 tsp hing

Method-

Wash poha,  rinse a couple of times, and leave to drain, while you get the rest of the ingredients ready.
Cook the potaoes with a lilltle water in a microwave for 4 minutes and keep aside.
Slice onion lengthwise, green chillies.
Heat oil add, mustard seeds, urad dal, once they pop add the hing, the onions, green chillies, curry leaves.
Saute till golden add the potatoes, turmeric and a little salt.
Stir for a few more minutes, add the poha, ssome more salt, sugar and stir well till blended.
Cover, leave on medium heat, till the flavors marry.
Add lemon juice and cilantro, stir well, take off heat.
Cover and keep for a couple of minutes and serve.

 

Keera Kootu(Greens with Split Yellow Lentils)

3 cups spinach chopped or any kind of greens
1/2 cup cooked split lentils( yellow or red)
salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Spice powder-
1 tbsp chana dal
2 red chilles
6 peppercorns
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Dry roast all the above ingredients, and powder finely in a blender.

Tadka-
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal

Heat oil, add mustard seeds and urad dal, once the seeds pop, add spinach, cooked dal, salt, turmeric and the spice powder.
Add 1/2 cup water, cook till everything blends together, and spinach is cooked.
Serve with bread or rice.

 

Kadala Curry without coconut

Kadala curry, a quintessential dish from Kerala, served usually with rice, appams or puttu. There are two versions to this dish, one with coconut, which is usally made it when there are a lot people to be served and the quick and easy one without the coconut. 

1 cup black chana soaked overnight
Cook in the pressure cooker with enough water until done.

1 onion finely chopped
1 tbsp each ginger/garlic/green chilles minced
3 tomatoes chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp coriander pwd
1 tsp chilli pwd
salt
1/2 tsp fenugreek pwd
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
curry leaves
2 tbsp oil

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and hing.
Once the mustard seeds pop, add onions and curry leaves.
Add ginger, garlic and green chilles.
Once sauted, add tomatoes and all the dry spices.
After the tomatoes are cooked down add the kadala with the water that it was cooked in.
Add salt and cover and simmer till a nice gravy is formed.
Serve with any kind of Kerala bread or rice.

Easy Peasy huh!!!!

Til Chikki/Sesame Seeds Candy

Sesame seeds are wonderful to eat in the winter, it warms up the body and no wonder they are eaten so much in India in the cold season.

1 cup white sesame seeds

1 cup/ 200 gms jaggery

1 tbps ghee

Roast the seeds on a low flame till golden.

Add ghee to the pan, add crumbled jaggery and stir continously to melt. Remember not to add big chunks of jaggery as it will take a long time to melt and will burn too.

Once melted and starts foaming a little, add the seeds, stir well. Pour on a greased cookie tin or flat surface.

Roll it out a little to shape it using a greased roling pin.

Once it is a little cool cut into squares and serve. Yummy!!!

Kerala

Egg and Veggie Kothu Paratha

Kothu means minced and paratha as you all know is Indian flaky bread, Kothu Paratha is a street food available in the southern parts of India and is usually made with chicken and lamb. I have tried making it here with eggs and vegetables, but you could make it ony with vegetables too. I usually use leftover chapatis or parathas to make this dish, I think flour tortillas would also work. I also used cooked asparagus in this again any leftover vegetables can be use in this dish. This is such a balanced dish as it has all the food groups and can be served for breakfast, packed for lunch or even eaten for dinner.

Eggs - 2 beaten
Parathas/Leftover Chapatis/ Kerala Parottas broken into small pieces - 3 or 4 cooked
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - a few
Onion- 1/2 chopped
Green Chilli- 1 minced
Ginger and garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Cabbage 1/2 cup chopped
Carrot 1 chopped
Green Pepper 1/2
Asparagus 1/4 cup cooked
Salt to taste
Chilli pwd 1/4 tsp
Soy Sauce 2 tsp
Oil 2 tbsp


Heat 1 tsp oil, add the beaten eggs and scramble the eggs.
Remove the eggs, add the rest of the oil.
Add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.
Add onion and green chillies, once the mustard seeds splutters.
Add the ginger /garlic paste, cabbage, carrot and capsicum.
Add salt and a little chilli pwd, once cooked add the asparagus.
Add soy sauce, and the parathas.
Stir well, add salt only if needed. Once everything is well combined, remove from heat.
Add lime juice and cilantro leaves and serve.

If it is too dry add a little water, I like mine a little dry, traditionally some curry or veg kurma is added to make it less dry.

Nadan Egg Curry

This is a great dish to serve at dinner and goes well with a variety of breads. I used ground coconut in this dish but the traditionally coconut milk is used. In Kerala this might be even served for breakfast.
Hardboiled eggs - 4
Coconut Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves 3 or 4
Onion - 1 chopped fine
Green chillies - 1 chopped fine
Ginger and garlic paste- 1 tbsp
Tomato -1 medium sized chopped fine
chilli pwd - 1/2 tsp
coriander pwd - 1 tbsp
turmeric- 1/4 tsp
pepper a pinch
garam masala - 1/4 tsp
coconut about 2 tbsp ground to a paste or 1/2 cup coconut milk
salt to taste

Heat oil, add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Once it splutters add onion, saute well.
Add ginger garlic paste and tomato.
Add the chilli pwd, coriander pwd, turmeric pwd, pepper, garam masala and salt and 2 tbsp water, fry well
Adding water keeps the masala from burning.
Once everything is well cooked add the coconut milk or ground coconut(this is what I used)and eggs, cook on low heat.
Serve with rice, appams or parathas.

Honey Bunches of Oats Chivda/Cornflakes Chivda/ Mixture

I was craving something salty and sweet, and ventured to make chivda, this is a very popular snack in India, usually eaten with chai in the late afternoon. It can be also served as an appetizer and can be customized by adding whatever nuts or dried fruits one likes. I have seen people make it with cornflakes which is such a healthier version then deep frying it. I had Honey Bunches of Oats with almonds, which is my favorite cereal, but the powdered bottom of the bag part is something that I usually throw away, but I experimented by making chivda and it actually turned out pretty good.The best part was this cereal already had almonds so I didn't bother to put any peanuts but the traditional chivda has peanuts in it.



Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cup of Honey bunches of Oats or Cornflakes
a handful of cranraisins
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/8 tsp hing(asafoetida)
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 green chillies chopped
4 to 5 curry leaves
1/2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder

Method:

Heat oil, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
Once they pop, add hing and turmeric, immediately add the green chillies and curry leaves.
Add the chilli powder, stir.
Add the carnraisins and the cereal.
Stir well on low heat until everything is well coated.
Cool and store in an airtight container for a few days.
Note: add more green chillies and red chilli pwd if you like it spicy, I did add more spice later as it wasn't spicy enough. Citric acid powder about 1/4 tsp can also be added to give it a hint of sourness.

Kung Pao Vegetables

I have been MIA for quite sometime, too much going on in my life.
For dinner I made the Kung Pao vegetables today, it comes together so quickly I decided I had to post it.

I chopped a ton of vegetables, a big bowl full, you could take approximately 2 cups, I used zuchinni, carrots, celery, mushroom, green pepper, 1 green chilli/jalapeno and onion.
For the Sauce, I mixed 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp white vinegar, 1 tbsp chilli sauce or Siracha, 1 tsp of ketchup, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp cornflour with about 1/2 cup water.( Add store bought kung pao sauce if available, even a little hoisin sauce works well with the above mixture but both are optional as I have made it with just the sauce ingredients and it tastes great)

Heat 2 tbsp sesame oil, add dried red chillies about 4 or 5 broken into two, once it gets a little fried, add 1 tsp each minced garlic and ginger.
Stir, then add all the vegetables,salt and peeper and cook on high heat until almost cooked.
Add the sauce mixture, stir well once the sauce thickens which will happen quickly, add 2 tbsp roasted peanuts and 1 chopped spring onion.

Serve with rice, yummy!!!

Besan Ladoo (ChickPeas Flour Balls)

Sorry to all the ladies from the Ashram for saying that I had this recipe on the blog, for some reason I thought I had posted it. Anyways here's the recipe for besan ladoos, I know we had a blast making them and eating them for our party at the yoga ashram. Jami this recipe is especially for you!!!

3 cups besan(chickpea flour)
1 cup ghee
2 cups sugar ( I used powdered)
1/4 cup almonds chopped finely
1/4 tsp cardamom pwd
1/4 cup pistachios ground into a powder for decoration


Method:

Roast the besan and ghee on a low medium heat foe about 10 to 15 minutes till golden and until you can smell the nice aroma of roasted besan.
Remove from heat and cool for just a few minutes you do not want it to cool to room temperature.
Add the sugar and almonds and cardamom.
Mix well and make small balls.
Dip only the top of the ladoo into pistachio pwd to decorate.
Enjoy!!! Will add pics later.

Eggless Apple Cake

1 big red apple cut into chunks or 2 medium

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup milk

1 and 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda (soda bicarb)

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/4 cup walnuts

2 tbsp tutti-frutti

Preheat oven at 350 F or 180 C.

Grease a loaf tin and keep aside.

Cook the apples in the microwave for about 3 to 5 minutes till soft.

Blend the apples in a blender till smooth.

Pour this into a mixing bowl.

Add sugar, oil, and milk and blend till mixed.

Sift flour, baking soda, and garam masala pwd.

Add to the apple mixture and mix lightly.

Add walnuts and tutti-frutti.

Pour into the loaf tin and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Let cool for five minutes and then turn out of tin and cool an a wire rack.

Palak Paneer/ Saag Paneer

To make the paneer-

Boil about 4 cups of milk add 3 to 4 tbsps of lemon juice.

The curds will separate from the whey.

Then pour into a colander lined with a cheesecloth.

Pour cold water to cool the paneer down.

Place something heavy on the paneer to let it set.

This should take about 30 minutes.

Remove the cheesecloth and cut the paneer into cubes.

For the Palak Paneer-

4 cups of palak chopped or a 10 oz packet of frozen chopped spinach thawed

1 tomato

1 inch piece of ginger

2 green chillies

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp malai (top of milk)/cream

1 cloves

1 cardamon

1/4 inch piece of cinnamon

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 red onion chopped

1/2 tsp red chilli pwd

salt

2 tbsp ghee or more

Method-

Cook the palak with little water.

Grind in a Blender with the tomato, ginger, green chillies, garlic, malai, cloves, cardamon, and cinnamon.

Heat ghee, and pan fry the paneer till golden, add the fried paneer to half a cup of warm water and salt. This will keep them tender.

Using the remaining ghee, add more ghee if needed, add cumin seeds, add onions.

Saute till well browned, add the chilli pwd and then add the palak mixture and salt.

Cook till the palak mixture reduces and gets thick and creamy.

Squeeze the paneer out of the water, add to palak, stir well and remove from heat.

Serve with any kind of Indian bread.

Palak Pulao (Spinach Rice)

Pushpa Chechi this recipe is for you, I'm sorry it took me this long to put it up.

This is a nutritious rice dish, you can add other greens too, but spinach is so convenient to use and easily available. This pulao is not the fluffy dry kind of a pulao, its more like a rissotto I want to say, the rice does not get mushy or anything, but the whole thing stays together, very comforting to eat.

1 cup Basmati Rice washed and drained

2 cups chopped spinach/ palak

1/2 onion chopped fine

1/4 tsp turmeric pwd

1/2 tsp chilli pwd

salt to taste

2 tbsp oil or ghee

Grind to a paste: 1 tomato, 1/2 inch ginger, 1 clove garlic, 1 green chilli, 2 tbsp mint leaves, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 2 cloves, 3 cardamom pods.

Method:

Heat oil or ghee, add onion, fry till well browned.

Add ground paste, turmeric pwd, and chilli pwd.

Fry till mixture is browned and thick.

Add rice, saute for a minute.

Add spinach, saute for a minute, and add salt.

Add 2 and1/2 cup water, and cook in a pressure cooker for 1 whistle.

If not using a pressure cooker, just cover and cook till done about 20 minutes.

Once the pressure cooker cools, open and serve with raita.

I served mine with Beetroot Pachadi.

Aloo Rasedar

Aloo Rasedar is a different kind of side dish to eat with puris, especially if you get tired of eating it with the usual Aloo Sabji. This is a popular dish usually served for breakfast, in places like the Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Actually good to serve for brunch, lunch or even dinner.

1 Potato boiled and broken into big chunks

1 large tomato chopped fine

1/2 inch ginger minced

2 green chillies minced

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

a pinch of hing

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chilli pwd

1/2 tsp coriander pwd

1/4 tsp mango pwd

1/4 tsp garam masala

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

Method:

Heat oil add cumin seeds and hing, let it splutter.

Add tomatoes, grated ginger, green chillies, saute for a minute.

Add turmeric, chilli pwd, coriander pwd, and mango pwd.

Keep stirring the tomatoes, add a little water if it starts sticking to the bottom or gets too dry.

Once the tomatoes are soft and the mixture looks like it's blended well add potatoes, salt and 1 cup of water, if you want a really watery gravy add more water.

I usually put this whole thing in the pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle, but you can just cover it up and cook on low to medium heat and let it come together.

Once done add garam masala and coriander leaves, remove from heat.

Serve with puris, this will easily serve 2 to 3 people.