Paratha ready to be cooked

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Makes: 12 approx.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup grated paneer 
• 1 bunch methi (fenugreek leaves) finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 tsp ginger minced
• 1 tsp chili powder or per taste
• 1/2 tsp ajwain seeds
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• Salt per taste
• Oil or ghee for cooking
• Green chili (optional)
• 2 cups whole wheat flour

Hot Paneer Methi Paratha served with raita

Mix the spices, ginger, garlic, paneer, methi with some salt and taste. Adjust for seasonings. Add finely chopped green chilies if needed. Add the ajwain seeds, some salt, 1 tsp oil and a little water to the flour and knead well to form a dough a little stiffer than a pizza dough. Take some dough and roll in between your palms to form a ball. Using a rolling pin, roll it about 3- 4 inches in diameter. Place a spoonful of the mixture in the center, bring all the outer edges of dough to close the stuffing. Roll it again until the desired size which is about 13 – 15 inches or per your desired thickness. Heat a pan, and place this rolled out paratha for about 1 min or so and flip it. Cook for another minute or until you see brown spots underneath and then flip again. Drizzle from oil or ghee, about 1/2 tsp, press with a spatula all over, flip and again press until you see it golden brown spots. Serve hot with some mango pickle and raita.

Hot Paneer Methi Paratha

Triple Delight for your Valentine

Raspberry Jello Set

Follow the instructions on one of the jello and prepare it first. I used raspberry and orange jello. Pour the raspberry at the bottom of the serving bowl just 1/4th or as much as you like to serve your guests. Refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. Make the pudding as per the instructions, i used vanilla. Pour it on top of the set jello after 2 hours or more. Let this pudding set for at least 30 mins. Follow the instructions on the other jello and prepare it. Pour the Orange jello. Let it set for at least 2 hours. Shave some dark chocolate with a vegetable peeler before serving. Tastes heavenly. Very light, very delicious, very easy. Only requires time. Everything takes only minutes to prepare and pour. Looks stunning too!

Triple Delight for your Valentine ~ Happy Valentines Day

NOTE: You can find cool cups in health food stores such as whole foods market.

Dal Dhokli

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup diced carrots
• 1/4 cup diced potatoes
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 1/4 cup diced peppers
• 1/4 cup diced string beans 
• 1/2 tsp rai
• 2 tsp oil
• Red chili powder per taste
• 1 tsp dhania powder
• salt per taste
• 1 cup cooked toor or tuvar dal
• Lime per taste
• Chopped Onions and cilantro for garnish 

Wheat flour cut into diamonds

Dal Dhokli ready to be cooked

Directions:

Add a little salt, red chili powder and a little water to the flour and knead it well so that it could be rolled. Take a small ball from kneaded flour mixture and using a rolling pin roll it a little bit thicker than a usual phulka or tortilla. Cut it lengthwise and then width-wise to get diamond shaped pieces. In a pressure cooker, heat oil, add mustard seeds until they splutter followed by onions. Then add all the vegetables, sauté for a couple of minutes, then add the cooked dal and the spices. Add the cut pieces into the dal making sure not to put one over the other too much or overcrowd the cooker. Taste and adjust seasonings, bring it to a boil, pressure cook it for 2 whistles and serve hot with a squeeze of lime, a little ghee, chopped onions and cilantro. Tastes so darn good. Vegetables, protein and wheat all in one meal and trust me this is the ultimate dish. Hope your family enjoys it.

Fully satisfying ultimate dish ~ Dal Dhokli

TIP: If the dal dhokli becomes thick, add just a little bit hot water to a good consistency that you like.

Ingredients

• 2 cups rice flour (sifted)
• 2 tsp. urad dal flour
• 2 – 3 tsp melted butter
• 1/2 bunch palak
• 1/2 tsp hing
• 1/2 tsp jeera seeds (optional)
• Salt to taste

Bite Size Palak Chakli

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Grind palak with little water into a fine paste. Add this paste little by little to the mixed ingredients to form a stiff dough. Now, either can use the murukku maker using the 1 star attachment or if you don’t have one simply use a pastry bag with a small star tip attachment ( 0 or 4 tip size) depending on the thickness you prefer, add the dough into it and press onto a plastic sheet in a circular shape with as many spirals  and the desired size has reached. Now carefully remove it from the plastic with your hands and  drop it into hot oil. Fry until cooked from inside and then remove and drain them onto paper towels.

Super Easy, Super Tasty, Vibrant ~ Palak Chakli (Murukku)

NOTE: Drop a small amount of dough into hot oil and test if the dough rises to the top before adding actual chakli

Quinoa Edamame Pulao

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Basmati rice
1/2 cup Quinoa
1/2 cup shelled Edamame
2 green onions finely chopped
1 medium potato diced
1 tsp jeera
2 tsp oil
3 cloves
1 small piece of cinnamon stick
1 cardamom pod
1 green chili or per taste
Salt per taste
1/2 tsp ghee (optional)

Mouthwatering Super Easy ~ Quinoa Edamame Pulao

Directions

Soak rice and quinoa for at least 30 minutes. In a pressure cooker, heat oil, add jeera, cinnamon stick, cloves and sauté. Add potatoes, green chili and mix well. Remove water from the rice quinoa mixture and mix them well with potatoes to coat all the spices well. Now measure twice the amount of water to rice quinoa mixture and add to the cooker. Add salt, remove cardamom seeds from the pod, crush and add it too. Mix well, bring it to boil, cover with lid and pressure cook with one whistle sound on medium flame. Turn off stove. Once the pressure settles, open the lid and add green onions, edamame, and ghee, gently mix, cover it for about 5 minutes. Remove lid let it stand for another 15 minutes before mixing again so that rice remains separate and does not turn mushy. Adjust for seasonings and enjoy.

Super tasty and healthy Family favorite ~ Quinoa Edamame Pulao

Spooky Face

Bread (I used multigrain)
Cream cheese
Ketchup
Hummus
Carrots
Cheese slices
Grapes
Bell pepper
Olives
Green Onions
Broccoli or Cauliflower

Yummy Spooky faces

Using a cookie cutter or even a round lid, cut out from the bread. Apply ketchup, hummus or cream cheese as per your liking. Then cut thin slices of carrots and green onions and arrange as spooky hair. Also cut out teeth from carrot and cheese slice for teeth. Cut olives for eyes and grapes for tongue. Cut a thin strip for mouth from bell pepper. You can use broccoli or cauliflower for brain. Involve your kids in this and they will have a lot of fun.

Happy Halloween

Ingredients:

For Chickpea Tagine

• 1 carrot 
• 3 small potatoes cut into 4
• 1 small onion
• 1/4 cup green olives
• 1/2 cup chickpeas cooked
• 3 cans of diced tomatoes in juice 8oz
• 1/3 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 zucchini 
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp minced ginger
• 1/2 tsp of paprika
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• Salt per taste

For Couscous

• 1 boxed couscous
• 2 shallots chopped
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1/2 tsp fresh coriander
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• Salt per taste

Directions:

Chop the vegetable into bite size chunks so that they don’t melt away. Heat a heavy bottom vessel, add olive oil. Sauté onions, ginger garlic and add the spices, and toast for a few seconds. Then add the vegetables, sauté for a minute, add a little water, cover with lid and let it cook. When the vegetables are half cooked, add the tomatoes, salt, bring it to a boil, add lemon zest, simmer and let it cook until the vegetables are softened. Taste and adjust for seasonings. Finally garnish with coriander and a drizzle of olive oil.

In another vessel, add olive oil and sauté the shallots and garlic. Now add the couscous and toast them for about a minute or two making sure they don’t burn. Add 1:1 couscous and water ratio, salt, mix, bring the mixture to a boil, turn off the stove, cover it with a lid and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Fluff it with a fork and garnish with coriander before serving.

Directions:
Heat ghee in a kadai then add the channa powder, stir until you get the aroma. Now add the powdered sugar, taste and adjust. Then add the cardamom, mix well. While it is warm, roll into small balls, stick edible silver. Let it cool before storing in an airtight container.

Homemade Satthu

Super easy, delicious and satisfying ~ Satthu

Oatmeal Idlis ~ Super Soft and Super Tasty

1 & 1/2 cups quick oats
3/4 cup sooji
3/4 cup plain beaten yogurt or thick buttermilk
1/4 cup of finely chopped vegetables of your choice
1 tsp grated ginger
1 finely chopped green chili or per taste
Salt per taste
Some Finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp of Fruit Salt (Eno) or Baking Soda

For Tempering:
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal
A pinch of hing (optional)

Oatmeal Idlis ~ Super Delicious

In a vessel, dry roast oats and sooji together until you get the aroma and the color turns just a little brown on a medium low flame. Keep aside. Mix all the ingredients including the tempered. Adjust seasonings. The consistency of the batter must be like idli batter or a little thick waffle or pancake batter. Grease idli plates, pour a ladle into each greased idli plate, and steam it for about 15 minutes. Take it out, let it cool for about 10 minutes before removing, else it will stick. Serve as is or with any chutney you prefer. I had dhania chutney and it was just fantastic.

Oatmeal Idlis ~ Super Soft, Super Tasty & Super Healthy

Polenta Sandwiches with Fresh Crisp Salad

- 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup quick-cooking polenta
- 1/2 cup thawed spinach or 3 cups fresh spinach
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
- Pesto Sauce
- Sun dried tomato pesto or pasta sauce
- Roasted Red bell pepper in the jar
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic crushed
- Salt per taste

Directions:

Bring about 2 cups of water, 1 tbsp butter, and some salt as per taste to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Gradually whisk in the polenta. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir constantly until the polenta thickens for about 5 minutes. Now, pour the cooked polenta into a greased 9 by 9-inch baking pan, spreading so that it is 1/3-inch thick. Cover and let stand at room temperature until set for about 15 minutes. Cut the polenta into small squares as you desire. Arrange the polenta squares on a platter.
Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic, then the spinach, sprinkle a little water and let it cook for about 3 – 5 mins until wilted. Add some salt and pepper and check for seasonings. Keep it aside to cool. Now spread some pesto sauce on the polenta square, arrange a piece of roasted red bell pepper, then some spinach. Spread some sun-dried tomato pesto or pasta sauce on another polenta square and cover the spinach with this other polenta square like a sandwich, sprinkle with parsley. Enjoy with a side of fresh crisp salad.

Satisfying and Comforting ~ Polenta Sandwiches