Eggless Butter Tarts

          This time, for eggless baking, Gayathri had chosen butter tarts, and she had sent a link to the recipe at Joy Of Baking, one of my favorite stop for baking tips. The recipe and the procedure looked pretty much simple except for the egg replacing part. Since the pastry name itself was butter tarts, I didn't skimp on the butter, just went along with the recipe, replacing only the eggs. The end product turned out to be 'utterly, butterly delicious' (borrowing it from Amul), melt in the mouth goodies. If you like the taste of butter toffees, then this is for you..

Need To Have
For The Crust

• All Purpose Flour - 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons
• Cold Unsalted Butter - 1/4 cup
• White Granulated Sugar - 1/2 tablespoon
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
• Ice Cold Water - 1 tablespoon

For The Filling

• Melted Butter - 2 + 1/2 tablespoon
• Flax Seed Powder - 1 tablespoon
• Milk - 3 tablespoon
• Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup 
• Vanilla Extract - 1/2 teaspoon
• Raisins - 1/4 cup
• Light Cream (Half & Half) - 2 tablespoons

Method
          In a food processor, take the flour, salt, sugar and butter, pulse it till it becomes a crumbly mix. Now gradually add the water and pulse it once more till it forms a dough. Remove, shape it into a flat disc, wrap with a plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for half an hour. After 30 mins, divide the dough into 6 parts, roll into thick discs about 4" in diameter (dusting with some flour when it sticks). Line a muffin pan with this and press it slightly to the bottom and sides. Leave it in the fridge while you prepare the filling. Take the flax seed powder and 3 tablespoon milk and warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds and leave it for at least 5 to 10 mins. Beat the melted butter with the sugar, add the flax seed and the vanilla extract, beat it well till it comes to a creamy texture. Now blend in the light cream, finally fold in the raisins. Remove the muffin pan from the fridge, spoon in the filling till 3/4th height of the crust. Bake it at 375F for 20 to 25 mins, till the crust turns golden. Leave it to cool completely, then remove it very carefully and serve it at room temperature or cold.

Note
If you make the dough with your hand, make sure the butter is really cold, your hands will warm it.
It is a rich dessert, definitely not more than one for me, but absolutely delicious.
Check the oven after 20 mins.
You can roll out the whole dough and cut out circles with a cookie cutter.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Couscous With Soy Granules

          Couscous is very popular in Moroccan cuisine, usually served with some vegetable or other gravies. I started cooking with couscous only some time back, especially after I found whole wheat couscous at Trader Joe's. Initially I used it to make salads, but lately have started making some Indian dishes with it, using it in the place of rice, and it works out very well, especially in pulaos. This is one such attempt with soy granules, it turned out to be a very tasty and nutritious meal..

Need To Have

• Couscous - 2 cups (that comes with the rice cooker)
• Soy Chunks - 1 cup (liquid measuring cup)
• Onion - 1 big chopped
• Capsicum - 1 big chopped
• Tomato Puree - 4 tablespoons
• Grated Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Garlic - 4 cloves grated
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Broken Cashews - 1 + 1/2 tablespoon 
• Cinnamon Stick - 1" piece
• Cloves - 4
• Cardamom - 2
• Star Anise - 2
• Javentri - a small piece
• Chopped Coriander - 1/4 cup

Method
          Boil water, add the soy chunks or granules, cover and leave it for half an hour. Then, wash them in cold water, squeeze them to drain the water and keep it. Heat some oil, add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise and javentri, once they start popping add the cashews, saute till they become fried, then add the onions, garlic and ginger. Saute them till the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes away, then add the chopped capsicum, saute for a couple of mins. Now add the tomato puree, turmeric, chilli and coriander powders, saute for 3 or 4 more mins. Finally add the soy granules, roasted cumin (jeera) and garam masala powders and the couscous, mix everything well, add 4 cups of water and salt. Cook for 5 mins, switch off and leave it covered for atleast half an hour. Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve it warm with some curd or raitha.

Sending it to Prabha's Cooking for Sangeetha's Show Me Your Hits - Soy Recipes event and
                to Divya's Culinary Journey for her Showcase - What's In Your Lunch Box? event.
               

Note
Usually the couscous to water ratio is 1:1, I have doubled it because the soy granules tend to absorb water.
Javentri is the orange flower like spice you see in the picture, use just one fourth of it.
Can use chopped tomatoes instead of puree and also can add a handful of chopped mint leaves along with the couscous, gives a nice flavor, I didn't have it that day.
If the soy granules are very big, chop them into two, after soaking in boiled water and draining.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mango Colada (Mango Drink With Coconut Milk)

          I like Pina Colada, with all the tropical flavors of pineapple and coconut in it, but of course without alcohol. Got to taste it only after marriage and thereafter, one of my favorite mocktails. I had bought this huge box of mangoes and wanted to make something with it apart from eating them plain and I also had some coconut milk ( not the canned ones, it comes in tetra paks at Trader Joe's, without the oily smell), so putting the two together, I made this delicious drink, replacing the pineapples with mangoes. Cheers, to all those mango lovers out there..

Need To Have

• Mango (ripe) cubes - 1/2 cup
• Coconut Milk - 1 cup
• Sugar - 3 tablespoons
• Water - 1/2 cup
• Lime juice - from 1/2 a lime

Method
          Blend the mango pieces to a smooth pulp, add the coconut milk, sugar, water and lime juice, blend everything together, serve it cold.


Sending it to Tickling Palates for the Let's Cook: Chilled Delights event,
                to Food Corner for the Midweek Fiesta event,
                to Vegetarian Food & Me for Gayathri's WTML event,
                to Tomato Blues for the Summer Spirits event,
                to Srav's Cooking Concepts for the CC - Spring Seasonal Food event and
                to The Pumpkin Farm for the Mango Mania 99 event.

Note
You can replace the water with ice cubes.
Adjust sugar according to the sweetness of the mangoes.
Can use fresh coconut milk, and also sugar replacements.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Urad Dal Ladoos (Black Gram Balls)

           Back from a trip to Florida, had a nice time with friends and got to visit  the Harry Potter World at Universal Studios, my daughter and I were very excited, both of us love the series. Returned yesterday night, very tired so I thought I'll post today a simple dish. It requires very few ingredients and can be made in no time. A sweet ladoo with urad dal (whole black gram without the skin) and jaggery, supposed to be very healthy, especially for women..

Need To Have

• Urad Dal - 1 cup
• Jaggery - 1 cup grated or powdered
• Cardamom Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Ghee - 2 tablespoons

Method
          Dry roast the urad dal till they turn pink and you get a nice aroma and cool it. Grind it to a powder (need not be smooth but like fine sand). To this, add the jaggery, cardamom powder and melted ghee, mix everything well, roll it into small balls.

Sending it to Vegetarian Tastebuds for Pari's 'Only' - Snacks And Starters event,
                to Zesty South Indian Kitchen for the Hearth And Soul Blog Hop event and
                to Food Corner for the Midweek Fiesta event.


Note
Can add more ghee if needed.
Make balls by taking a fistful of the powder and pressing it together, like you would do with beach sand.
The ladoos might look a little hard if you try to break it but when you bite into it, it just crumbles.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Lisnato tijesto

Svi koristimo lisnato tijesto.
Na poslu sam ga koristila jako puno jer direktor je uvijek imao iznenandne goste koje je zelio posluziti finim delicijama prije samog rucka a cesto rucak nisu niti htjeli jer im je predjalo bilo dosta.

Nije da mi se ne svida lisnato tijesto nego ga jednostavno moj zeludac ne podnosi,no bez obzira na mene i moj problem ja ga nisam izbacila iz upotrebe,dapace cesto ga pravim i sama .

Na internetu,zatim kuharicama se nalaze razne vrste,verzije motanja i pravljenja lisnatog tijesta,no ja se ne opterecujem vrstama,pa koristim meni jabrzu varijantu koja se pokazala jako dobro u pripremi slatkih i slanih jela.

Brzo lisnato tijesto

250gr brasna

250gr maslaca

50ml vode

Ja uobicajeno ovu vrstu lisnatog tijesta radim  pomocu huhinjskog pomagala,multipraktik zaista uradi sve,stavim brasno,hladan na kockice izrezan maslac i pulsiram nekoliko puta...dodam vodu ,po malo da se stvore krupnije mrvice..tada istresem svo tijesto (bice mrvicasto i rasuto),pokupim ga u jednu hrpu i oklagijom razijem kvadrat,zatim preklapam tijesto ...
jos ce u tijestu biti komadici maslaca a tako treba,bolje ce se listrati !!

U principu nije bitno s koje strane krecete,bitno je da je preklopljeno  3x i prije svakog preklapanja tijesto morate razviti kao prvi puta.
Kada je preklopljeno po treci puta,staviti ga u vrecicu  i ostaviti u frizider 20-ak minuta.

Razviti i krajeve obrezati ostrim nozem,a sa ostalim tijestom radite sto ste naumili.

Ovdje mozete pogledati tehniku preklapanja..

Ako se vec upustim u pravljenje lisnatog tijesta,tada napravim duplu mjeru pa imam  u frizideru  ako mi zatreba ali pretezno ga iskoristim sve,jer nije tesko napraviti  za slijedeci puta.

Divno,jednostavno a jako ukusno predjelo ili grickalca za nenadane goste ..ukucane !!

Za ove grickalice vam je potreban jedna mjera za lisnato tijesto
100gr ricotta sira
1 zlica ajvara
10-ak listica mladog spinata
50gr mozzarela sira

Tijesto raviti u kvadrat,premazati mijesavinom sira i ajvara,odozgo posuti sa dodatnih 50gr mozzarela sira i poslagati listice spinata(to je samo za kontrast/boja),pa sve urolati kao rolat.
Isjeci na kriske,debljine  po zelji,poslagati na lim za pecenje i peci u zagrijanoj rerni na 230-250C 15-estak minuta.

Svinjski file u lisnatom tijestu

Imala sam 4 manja fileta,pa sam ih podijelila,tj. 2 sam napravila  sa mljevenim mesom,a ostala dva sa spinatom.

File u lisnatom sa mljevenim mesom

File posoliti i zacini malo senfom i biberom.

Naglo zapeci u tavi,ohladiti.

Oko 300gr mljevenog mesa,pripremiti za oblaganje filea.

Mljevenom mesu dodati zacine po zelji,sol,biber,suhih ili svjezih zacinskih trava.

100gr gljiva,prodinstati na malo luka.

Mrvice,samo ako je potrebno..ukoliko je smjesa rijetka.

Lisnato tijesto razviti na velicinu koja nam je potrebna da oblozimo file,stavimo malo mljevenom mesa na dno,file na povrsinu i lijepo rukama oblozimo smjesom cijeli file,zatim sve to umotamo u lisnato tijesto.

Stavimo peci na 230C oko 25 minuta.

File u lisnatom  sa spinatom

Spinat odmrznuti(250gr).

U tavu staviti 50gr maslaca,malo cesnjaka..pustiti da zamirise,zatim dodati spinat(ne cijediti ga)

Kada sva voda ispari,dodati 200gr krem sira(philadelphija)bijelog biber i malo soli.

Ponovo kaoi kod predhodnog recepta,filete popeci sa svih strana,ohladiti.

Lisnato rastanjiti za oblaganje.

Filete omotati spinatom i lisnatim tijestom,zatim ih ispeci.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Skoljkice

Ma nisu to morske skoljke,ne,tako su ih nazvale Izabela i Patricija,dvije unucice moje sestre Ane.



Moja sestra je nenadmasna u spremanju slastica,bila,ne znam tocno koliko sada sprema ali sigurno je svoju ljubav u spremanju slastica i kuhanju prenijela barem malo na generaciju koja dolazi.

Unuke su pripremile skoljkice i meni pokazale da i one to znaju raditi.
Jako su me obradovale i stoga njihov recept stavljam ovdje i nekoliko slika,mojih skoljkica pravljenih po istom receptu.

Ovo je stari kolac u koji ide mast,sigurno da se moze raditi i sa maslacem,no ja sam ostala dostojna receptu jer ako ga promijenimto nece biti ono sto treba da bude..dah Slavonije !!!!!

SKOLJKICE

 Izabela & Patricija

600gr brasna +

(za brasnjenje kalupa i radnog stola)

350gr ciste svinjske masti

prstohvat soli

1 zlica secera

100ml malke vode

pola germe(oko20gr)

(ja sam stavila 14gr suhe)

Prosijati brasno ,dodati mu sve navedene sastojke i zamijesiti tvrde tijesto.

Razviti tijesto na debljinu oko 2 mm,vaditi krugove.

svaki krug puniti nadjevom po zelji..uobicajeno je to orah i secer sa malo cimeta,posureni vrelim mlijekom

Nadjev
200gr mljevenih oraha
80gr secera
60ml vrelog mlijeka
malo limunove korice i cimeta

Sada svaki krug zatvoriti,paziti da nadjev bude u sredini ,zatim vilicom lagano pritisnuti krajeve.
Slagati na lim za pecenje.
Pustiti da odstoje 10-ak minuta(taman toliko da zadnji krug zavrsite),pa ih ispeci na 200C oko 30 minuta.

**Ja sam ih pravila pomocu spravice za skoljkice i pri pecenju sam ih pustila da dobiju rumenu boju.

Punila sam ih orasima i jedan dio nutelom.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Methi Masoor Briyani (Fenugreek Leaves & Split Orange Lentils Rice)

          Briyanis are very popular in India, it is basically rice cooked with very aromatic spices and vegetables and traditionally cooked in a lot of ghee, but I have kept away from the ghee and used just oil. You can make a variety of briyanis by changing the combination of vegetables or by adding different beans or lentils. I have already given a recipe for the Spinach And Kidney Beans Briyani, today it is a very flavorful briyani with masoor dal (split orange lentils) and fresh methi leaves (Fenugreek Leaves). Both of them lend a distinctive flavor to this briyani, again an one pot meal..

Need To Have

• Basmati Rice - 2 cups
• Masoor Dal - 3/4 cup
• Fresh Fenugreek Leaves - 1 cup chopped
• Onions - 2 medium chopped
• Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cashews - 1 tablespoon for garnish

Make A Paste

• Cashews - 1 tablespoon broken
• Shallots - 6 chopped
• Ginger - 1 tablespoon chopped
• Garlic - 4 cloves
• Green Chillies - 3
• Fennel Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• White Poppy Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Cloves - 2
• Cardamom - 2
• Cinnamon Stick - 1" 
• Javentri - 1" small piece

For Seasoning

• Peppercorns - 1 teaspoon
• Cardamoms - 2
• Cloves - 2
• Bay Leaf - 1

Method
          Soak the rice and dal for half an hour, roast the cashews for garnishing and make the paste with the given ingredients. Heat oil, add the seasonings, once the pepper starts spluttering add the onions, saute it till transparent. Then add the paste and saute till the raw smell goes away (for about 5 mins), add the turmeric and chilli powder, the fresh methi leaves, mix for 2 more mins, add the drained rice and dal, water around 5 and a 1/2 cups and salt. Cover and cook, once the water starts boiling reduce to medium heat and cook till almost all the water is gone but it is still a little wet. Now switch off the heat and leave it covered for at least 1/2 an hour without disturbing. Garnish it with the cashews and serve it warm with some curd or raitha.

Sending it to Divya's Culinary Journey for her Showcase - What's In Your Lunch Box? event and
                to Srav's Cooking Concepts for the CC - Spring Seasonal Food event,

Note
Javentri is an orange flower like spice, use just a quarter of it.
While adding salt to the briyani, taste the water, it should be a little salty, the rice absorbs the extra saltiness when it gets cooked, you don't want to mix salt later after the rice is cooked, you'll end up making it mushy.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Chocolate Cake With Stawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

          For a long time now, I had wanted to do a frosting with strawberries and cream cheese. Everytime I got a box of strawberries, I would want to do this and finally end up doing something else with it. My first thought was to do cupcakes with this frosting, but later changed it and baked a square cake. What would go much better with strawberries than chocolate, so decided to make a chocolate cake with a fruit filling..

Need To Have

• All Purpose Unbleached Flour Or Maida - 1 cup
• Cocoa Powder - 1/2 cup
• Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup
• Oil - 1/4 cup
• Flax Seeds Powder - 2 tablespoons
• Milk - 1 cup + 6 tablespoons
• Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Baking Soda - 1 teaspoon
• Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

For The Frosting

• Cream Cheese - 3 oz.
• Greek Yogurt - 2 oz.
• Confectioners' Sugar - 8 tablespoons
• Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon
• Corn Starch Powder - 5 teaspoons
• Strawberry Puree - 4 tablespoons
• Sliced Fresh Strawberries - for filling inside the cake and on top

Method
          Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Soak the flaxseeds powder in the 6 tablespoons warm milk for about 10 mins. Then beat it well, add the oil, beat once again, add the salt, sugar, vanilla extract and milk and blend everything well. To this slowly mix in the sifted dry ingredients, mix everything well and pour in a greased pan and bake at 350F for 25 mins till a toothpick stuck inside the cake comes out clean. Cool for 5 mins, remove the cake from the pan and cool it well for atleast 2 to 3 hrs before doing the frosting.
           For the frosting, first beat the cream cheese and yogurt, then add the sugar, beat well, add the strawberry puree and the corn starch and blend everything well. The cornstarch is added to thicken the frosting. Now take the cooled cake, tort it (slice it into half), take the top half, place the it top side down. Apply the frosting and arrange the fresh strawberries, apply some more frosting if you want, place the other half, bottom side up, so now the top of the cake will be the smooth side, press it down slightly, placing a parchment paper on top so that it does not stick to your hand. Now apply the frosting all over the cake, leave it in the fridge for an hour, slice it and serve it decorated with the strawberries.

Sending it to Tickling Palates for the I Love Baking  and for the Let's Cook: Chilled Delights events,
                to Srav's Cooking Concepts for the CC - Spring Seasonal Food event,
                to UK Rasoi for Srivalli's Kid's Delight - Fruits event,
                to Tomato Blues for the Summer Spirits event and
                to Sumee's Culinary Bites for Vardhini's Bake Fest event.

Note
I used low fat cream cheese and fat free greek yogurt, the frosting was rich enough, if you want a very rich frosting use full fat versions.
The quantity of frosting is enough for a thin layer on top of the cake, if you want a lush thick layer increase the amount of frosting.
If you don't have greek yogurt use very thick curds drained off all the water.
This cake has to be refrigerated because it has fresh fruits and cream cheese in it.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Vermicelli Upma (Curled Broken Spaghetti) With Spring Onions

          Upma is one of the easiest breakfast dish that can be prepared when one has very less time. It is usually made with semolina, vermicelli (pasta like broken spaghetti), rice, tapioca pearls, oats, cracked wheat and so on. By just changing the spices and vegetables added you can make so many varieties of upma. I was bored with adding the regular ingredients, so for a change I added some chopped spring onions, this changed the flavor of the upma to a slightly Chinese one and it tasted really good..

Need To Have

• Vermicelli - 2 cups
• Spring Onions - 5 or 6 stalks chopped
• Tomato Puree - 3 tablespoons
• Grated Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Urad Or Black Gram Dal - 1 tablespoon

Method
          Roast the vermicelli in a few drops of oil. Heat oil, add the mustard seeds and the urad dal, when the mustard seeds are spluttering, add the spring onions (saving some of the green portion for garnishing) and ginger. Saute for like 4 mins, add the tomato puree, saute for few more mins, add 4 cups of water and salt. When the water starts boiling, add the vermicelli, mix cover and cook on medium heat. Switch off the stove when all the water is gone but it is still not dry (like about 5 to 7 mins). Cover and leave it for 5mins and then garnish it and serve it warm.

Sending it to Cuisine Delights for her Spotlight: "Healthy Breakfast Ideas" event,
                to Divya's Culinary Journey for her Showcase - What's In Your Lunch Box? event and
                to Sumee's Culinary Bites for the Bon Vivant - Breakfast Ideas event.


Note
Can add some sauteed mixed vegetables or cooked chickpeas at the end to make it a wholesome meal.
Ready made roasted vermicelli is available which reduces the work further.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Whole Moong Dal With Cauliflower And Carrots

          Dals or lentils are the major source of protein in a vegetarian diet. When you cook the dals whole with the skin, they form a good source of fiber too. Sometimes when I cook dal, I add some vegetables to make it a complete meal with rice or rotis. Instead of cooking the vegetables with the dal, I saute them and add it at the end, this way they retain their crunchiness. Today's recipe uses whole moong dal (whole green gram), cauliflower and carrots, a healthy side dish..

Need To Have

• Whole Moong Dal - 1 cup
• Cauliflower - 1 small
• Carrots - 2
• Onion - 1 big chopped
• Tomato Puree - 5 tablespoons
• Grated Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Garlic - 4 cloves chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Chilli Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Ajwain Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Chopped Coriander - to garnish

Method
           Chop the carrots into medium size cubes and break the cauliflower into medium size florets and pressure cook the moong dal with 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder. Heat a little oil, saute the cauliflower and carrots with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder and salt till done. Heat oil, add the mustard and cumin seeds, once the spluttering stops add the ajwain seeds to it followed by the onions, ginger and garlic, saute for 5 mins till the raw smell of garlic goes away. Now add the tomato puree, chilli and coriander powder, saute for few more mins, add the cooked dal with water ( about a cup), cook for 5 more mins. Finally add the cooked vegetables and the cumin powder, mix for a minute or two, garnish with the chopped coriander and serve it warm with either rotis or rice.

Sending it to Srav's Cooking Concepts for the CC - Spring Seasonal Food event,
                to Zesty South Indian Kitchen for the Hearth And Soul Blog Hop event,
                to Food Corner for the Midweek Fiesta event and
                to Cooks' Joy for Priya's Healthy Diet - Vegetarian Side Dishes event.

Note
If you soak the moong dal for a couple of hours, the cooking time is reduced.
Do not overcook the vegetables, they should retain a slight crunch, you can also roast them in the oven.

          

reade more... Résuméabuiyad