Eggplant Rice - 2

          I am yet to start cooking after coming here to India, this is again another dish that I had done, before coming here. It is another version of the eggplant rice, you can see a different version of the eggplant rice here, a small change in the spices added to the dish results in an entirely new one. A friend of mine makes this, it has fennel seeds for the flavoring part, you can use both the huge eggplants as well as the smaller varieties..

Need To Have

• Basmati Rice - 1 + 1/2 cup
• Eggplant - 1 huge one chopped
• Onion - 1 big chopped
• Tomatoes - 2 big chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 + 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10 to 15 leaves
• Roasted Cashews - 2 tablespoons
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup

Make  A Powder

• Fennel Seeds - 2 teaspoons
• Cloves - 4
• Cinnamon - 1" piece

Method
         Cook the rice and cool it. Heat some oil, add the mustard seeds, once it starts spluttering, add the onions, saute till transparent, add the powder, mix for a few minutes. Now add the chopped tomatoes, cook for a few mins till it starts to break down, add the turmeric, chilli and coriander powders, mix. Add the eggplant pieces and salt, mix, cover and cook till done, finally add the curry leaves, mix everything well till dry and then cool it. Now mix this with the rice, garnish with the roasted cashews and coriander leaves. Serve with some raitha.

Sending it to Simply.Food for Sara's Cooking With Love - Dad event and
                to Palakkad Chamayal for Anu's SYF & HWS Series - Fennel Seeds event.

Note
Add a little more oil than usual, at the end, it should be a little oily, otherwise when you mix in the rice, it'll be very dry.
You can make the eggplant mix, refrigerate it and use it later, should keep well at least for a week or even more.

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Eggless Banana Muffins

          This month, for eggless baking, Gayathri had chosen Banana Muffins. Though banana muffins are fairly easy to bake, sometimes it is difficult to get the right texture when doing an eggless version. Usually I use flax seeds powder instead of eggs, since I wanted to use a different alternative, this time I used fat free evaporated milk. Also I replaced half of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour and used cardamom for flavoring, the end result was very satisfying..

Need To Have

• All Purpose Flour - 1/2 cup
• Whole Wheat Flour - 1/2 cup
• Ripe Bananas - 2
• Fat Free Evaporated Milk - 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons
• Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Oil - 1/4 cup
• Cardamom Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Baking Soda - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - a small pinch

Method
          Preheat the oven to 350F. Mash the bananas well, can use the blender. Sift together both the flours, baking powder and baking soda. Beat the oil, evaporated milk, sugar, bananas well, add the salt and the cardamom powder. Now, fold in the dry ingredients, pour it into greased muffin pans and bake it for 15 mins. Cool and remove from the pan.
Sending it to Zesty South Indian Kitchen for the Hearth And Soul Blog Hop event,
                to Sumee's Culinary Bites for the Bon Vivant - Fruit Recipes event,
                to Tickling Palates for the Let's Cook With Fruits event,
                to Priya's Now Serving for Vardhini's Bake Fest event,
                to Simply.Food for Sara's Cooking With Love - Dad event and
                                         for Let's Bake Cupcakes And Muffins event.

Note
Do not mix too much after adding the dry ingredients.
I usually have whole cardamoms powdered with a little sugar, if you are using fresh cardamom powder, use 1 to 1+1/2 teaspoon of it, since fresh cardamom will be more flavorful.
I used mini muffin pans, and I got 24 muffins, also if you are using the big muffin pans, the baking time will be a little more.

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Osso Bucco

Hladno je i imamo potrebu za necim finim,sto nas stomacic ugrije i smiri....
Ne volim bas hladnocu ali volim kada mogu da uzivam u domacoj kuhanoj hrani,znate ono "Na kasiku !!"
Nisam nista izmislila ali svi nekako pravimo ovo poznato Milansko jelo na sebi prhvatljiv nacin.
Ovo je moj nacin spravljanja ovog jela.

Sastojci

 3kasike maslinovog ulja
 1- 1.5kg teleceg mesa sa supljom kosti
 2mrkve
2manja luka
 2 stapkeod celera(zeleni dio)
 2kasike paradajz pirea(2 svjeza paradajza)
  1kasika crvene paprike
  2kasike vegete
100gr pancete(ne slanine)
  500ml juhe (kokosja,povrce)
  1sveznjic majcine dusice
  1dcl bijelog vina
  2 lovorova lista
  2grancice ruzmarina

Priprema:

Na masnoci ispeci komade mesa,
 koje uvaljate u brasno i
 brasno otresite prije pecenja.

Izvaditi na tanjur ili odmah sloziti u serpu u kojoj ce se kuhati u rerni.
 Dodati pancetu, proprziti,dodati
 sjeckano povrce i kada dobije zlatno-zutu boju

 dodajte vino, vegetu, paradajz pire ili(cijeli paradajz, preliti vodom, skinuti kozicu, ocistiti sjemenke i isjeckati),malo bibera isoli
 crvenu papriku .

Sve to prespite preko mesa i povrca,jos prije pokrivanja dodati majcicnu dusicu,grancicu,dvije ruzmarina i lovorov list, pokrijte
folijomi “zaboravite”u rerni na 2sata, na 170C.

Servirati sailanese kuhanom palentom ili rizom u koju dodate malo kurkume ili neku po imenu koju volite kao npr. Risotto Milanese

60gr maslaca
1 glavica luka
200gr rize
750ml pileceg temeljca
100ml bijelo vina
1/4 zlicice saffron+2 zlice vode
30gr Parmesan sira
sol i beber

    Na maslacu proprziti luk,da zazuti,dodati rizu i mijesati  rizu sa lukom i masnocom oko 8minuta.
Zaliti a salicom temeljca i mijesati...dodati vino....
Rastvoriti saffron u vodi i dodati ostalom temeljcu,koji dodajemo  sve dok se riza ne skuha.Pet minuta (oko 15 minuta kuhanja)dodati Parmezan i kuhati jos 5 minuta.
Risotto bi trebao biti kuhan za 20 minuta.

Kremasta Palenta

 1salica instant palente
2 salice jusnog temeljca,moze voda
2 salice mlijeka ili pola mlijeka,pola vrhnja za kuhanje
1 zlica maslaca
sol,parmezan

U dublji sud staviti mlijeko,temeljac,dodati maslac i malo soli,pa kada pcme da kuha ,lagano sipati uz stalno mijesanje palenstu..ide brzo samo se mora paziti da se ne opecetre jer kada se palenta pocme zgusnjavati  ponekada "pukne' i zalijepi se na kozu.

Napravite Gramulata

-izrendati koricu limuna, isjeckati malo persunovog lista i par cesnjeva cesnjaka.

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Pudina Thogayal (Mint Chutney)

         There are days when you don't feel like eating anything heavy, you crave for something tangy and refreshing, this mint chutney here, is ideal for those days. Also pudina or mint is well known for its many benefits, good source of important minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous and also the vitamin C. Everybody has their own version of this chutney, I also add some ginger to this chutney which nicely compliments the flavor of mint..

Need To Have

• Fresh Mint Leaves - 2 cups
• Dried Red Chillies - 5
• Urad Or Black Gram Dal - 2 tablespoons
• Shallots - 5 chopped
• Chopped Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Chopped Coriander - 1/4 cup
• Jaggery - 1/2 teaspoon
• Tamarind - small marble size

Method
          Heat a little oil, roast the urad dal and the red chillies, remove and keep. Add a little more oil, add the chopped shallots, saute till it turns transparent, then add the ginger, saute for a minute. Now add the mint leaves, saute till it wilts and the moisture from the leaves evaporates, finally add the coriander leaves, mix and switch off. Cool this and grind it with the roasted chillies, urad dal, jaggery, tamarind and salt. Goes well with plain rice and some sesame oil or ghee. Also tastes great with idlis, dosas and even rotis.

Sending it to Erivum Puliyum for Sangee's Show Me Your "Hits" - Iron Rich Foods event and
                to Simply.Food for Sara's Cooking With Love - Dad event.


Note
Don't grind it to a smooth paste, it should be slightly coarse.
The urad dal that we use in this chutney is without the skin.
Soak the tamarind in little warm water, this way it's easy to grind.

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Rolana strudla s jabukama

Poslastica koja  godi kada su temperature niske i bude vam hladno kao meni sada..

Tijesto:

180ml mlijeka

7gr suhog kvasca

2 zlice secera

300gr brasna

malo soli

 1jaje

50gr otopljenog maslaca

narendana korica 1-og limuna

      Brasno prosijati,dodati kvasac i secer sasvim malo soli.

Zagrijati mlijeko i pomijesati sa otopljenim maslacem i na kraju 1 jaje,pa sve to umijesati u brasno i zamijesiti meko tijesto,koje se ne lijepi za ruku.

Tijesto ostaviti pokriveno plasticnom folijom da udvostruci volumen.

U meduvremenu pripremiti premaz.

Premaz 1:

50gr maslaca

4 zlice smedeg secera

1-2 zlice cimeta

Maslac mora biti mekan.

Spojiti ga sa secerom i cimetom i ostaviti na stranu do upotrebe.

Premaz 2:

4 jabuke(Granny Smith)da budu kiselije

sok od pola limuna

3 zlice secera ili vise ako volite da bude dosta slatko

  Jabuke oguliti,ocistiti od sjemenki i izrezati na kriske.

staviti u serpicu u kojoj je iscjeden limunov sok i stavljen secer.

Kuhati na laganoj vatri dok jabuke ne omeksaju,zatim ih izgnjeciti vilicom i ohladiti.

 Nadoslo tijesto istresti na radnu povrsinu i razvaljati  na pravokutnik(30x50cm).

Tijesto premazati najprije sa premazom od maslaca,zatim pireom od jabuka,smotati u rolat i isjeci na 7 komada.

Poslagati isjecene komade u okrugli kalup za torte(23cm),te ponovo pokriti da naraste.

Rernu zagrijati na 200C.

Tijesto premazati zumancetom i posuti krupnijim secerom,staviti peci.

Peci oko 35minuta.

Dok je jos toplo preliti karamel sosom i posluziti ili dodati kuglu sladoleda i podjednako uzivati .

kARAMEL SOS

1/2 case maslaca
1 casa smedeg secera
2/3 case vrhnja za kuhanje
1 zlicica prave vanilija extrakta

Sve staviti u serpicu sa teflonskim dnom i na laganoj vatri sve otopiti i kuhati dok se sos ne zgusne .

Prijatno!!!!!

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Salate

Ako pozelite da svoj rucak zamijenite necim laksim,evo ideje..

SALATA OD LECE

1 casa skuhane zelene lece

(moze iz konzerve)

1 crvena/zelena ili zuta paprika

1 drska celera,zeleni dio

2 paradajza ili 10-ak cherry paradajzica

1 zlica suhih brusnica

preljev:

1 cenj cesnjaka

30ml maslinovog ulja

sol,biber

limunov sok

  sve sastojke pomijesati u zdjeliti,preliti  i zaciniti po ukusu.

Servirati.

*Ova kolicina je dovoljna za dvije osobe.

SALATA OD JAKOBOVIH KAPICA i KOROMACA

200gr koromaca

100gr zelene salate

(rocket,spinat)

3 radica,crvena

1 grapefruit

400gr jakobovih kapica

preljev:

1 zlica bijelog vinskog sirceta

1 zlica maslinovog ulja

1 zlicica soli

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Brussels Sprouts Stir Fry

       
          This is the last post that I am doing from the US, we are moving back to India, well it's a mixture of feelings, very sad to leave this country which has been my home for so many years but at the same time, it's nice to think that I'll be closer to my parents and family when we move to India. Actually being a blogger has relieved me off from all this moving stress, it has kept my mind off from all those thoughts that cloud your mind during a move. Well I am not going to dwell on this subject anymore, but I might not be able to visit your spaces at least for a week, will catch up with you guys as soon as possible, can't stay away from my blog too long and let's move on to today's dish.
         Enough has been said about the nutritious value of this vegetable, Brussels Sprouts, its iron and fiber content and especially its anticancer properties. Brussels sprouts can be cooked in almost the same way as cabbage, only point to note is, should not over cook this vegetable. So I find these sprouts a perfect choice for a stir fry, a very simple, healthy dish and I perked up the taste a notch higher by adding some roasted peanuts at the end..

Need To Have

• Shredded Brussels Sprouts - 2 cups packed
• Fresh Or Frozen Green Peas - 1 cup
• Roasted Peanuts - 1/4 cup
• Grated Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Red Chilli Flakes - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

Method
          Cook the peas separately in the microwave. Heat oil, add the cumin seeds, once it starts spluttering, add the Brussels sprouts, mix, add the salt, turmeric powder and chilli flakes, saute for 2 mins.Then add the grated ginger, saute for another 3 or 4 mins, finally add the cooked peas and keep stirring for a couple of mins. At the end add the roasted peanuts, mix well and remove. Serve as a side dish to rotis or rice.

Sending it to Erivum Puliyum for Sangee's Show Me Your "Hits" - Iron Rich Foods event and
                to Simply.Food for Sara's Cooking With Love - Dad event.


Note
The whole cooking time is under 10 mins, do not cook more than that, otherwise Brussels sprouts gives a not too good smell.
I split or slightly crushed the roasted peanuts, so that I can have them in every bite.
For cleaning the Brussels sprouts, remove the outer layer, wash, remove the thick portion in the bottom and then chop them.

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Vegan Creamy Pasta

          I love pasta with the alfredo sauce, but most of the time, avoid it because of the amount of calories and fat in the sauce. When thinking about an alternative, I came up with the idea of using mustard seeds and cashews in the place of butter and all purpose flour. I know many of you would make a face at the thought of using mustard seeds, even I had my doubts, but went ahead with the idea and believe me, it tasted really good, creamy and rich, finger lickin' good or should I say fork lickin'..

Need To Have

• Whole Grain Shells (Pasta) - 4 cups
• Red Pepper ( Capsicum) - 1 diced
• Mushrooms - 8 oz diced
• Zucchini - 1 diced
• Dry Basil - 3 teaspoons
• Red Chilli Flakes - 1 teaspoon
• Cashew Pieces - 2 tablespoons
• Yellow Mustard Seeds - 2 teaspoons
• Black Pepper - to taste

Method 
         Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box ( for about 10 mins). Make a paste with the cashews and the mustard seeds. Heat some olive oil, add the red pepper, mushroom and the zucchini, saute for a few minutes. The vegetables should be half cooked but not mushy. Now add the basil, red chilly flakes and the paste, saute for a few more mins till the raw smell of the mustard seeds goes ( for about 5 mins). Finally mix in the pasta and serve warm with a dash of black pepper.

Note
The vegetables and pasta should not be over cooked.
I don't know whether you can use the store bought mustard sauce, because it contains ingredients other than mustard, try it and let me know.

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Eggless Lemon Poppy Seeds Muffins

          Lemon is one my favorite flavors, be it in a sweet or a savory dish. The first time I tasted these lemon poppy seeds muffins, I fell in love with the taste and also was surprised to see black poppy seeds. In India we are familiar with the white poppy seeds that we use in our curries, but not heard of the black ones. Not only do these muffins taste great, they also look so pretty with those poppy seeds, and have a lovely flavor from the lemon, an awesome combination..

Need To Have

• All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
• Granulated Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Fat  Free Evaporated Milk - 3/4 cup
• Oil - 1/4 cup
• Black Poppy Seeds - 2 tablespoons
• Lemon Juice - 2 tablespoons
• Lemon Zest - from 2 lemons
• Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Baking Soda - 1 teaspoon
• Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - a tiny pinch

Method
          Preheat the oven to 350F and sift the flour, baking soda and the baking powder. Beat the evaporated milk, oil and the sugar, add the salt and the vanilla extract. Now fold in the sifted dry ingredients, finally add the lemon zest, lemon juice and the poppy seeds and mix slightly. Pour into greased muffin pans and bake for 15 mins. Cool for 3 mins, remove from the pan and cool completely on a cookie rack.

Sending it to Tickling Palates for the I Love Baking event,
                to Priya's Now Serving for Vardhini's Bake Fest event,
                to Learning To Cook for the Dish Name Starts With 'L' event,
                to Simply.Food for Sara's Cooking With Love - Dad event and
                                         for Let's Bake Cupcakes And Muffins event.


Note
Do not over mix the batter.
I used the mini muffin pans, so it took me only 15 mins, if you are using the big muffin pan it'll take a little longer, keep an eye on the oven.
I had used only 1 + 1/2 tablespoons of poppy seeds but would recommend 2 tablespoons, then only they'll be more visible.
I was also wondering about the color of the muffins, I didn't get the light yellowish color, but a rich golden color, it's because I added the evaporated milk, but the taste was the same.

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Carrot Dal

          I make some kind of dal (lentils) at least two or three times a week, trying to cook a different tasting dal everytime is a real challenge. But then I try to do it either by changing the spices or the vegetables that are added to the dal, one such attempt is this carrot dal. To spice up the dal I added some ginger and pepper, because of the sweetness of the carrots, I feel this dal tastes better with pepper than the usual red chilli powder, this also gives a nice flavor to this carrot dal..

Need To Have

• Moong Or Green Gram Dal - 1/2 cup
• Masoor Dal Or Orange Lentils - 1/2 cup
• Grated Carrot - 1 cup
• Grated Ginger - 1 + 1/2 tablespoon
• Pepper Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Tomato - 1 medium chopped into big chunks
• Onion - 1 big chopped
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 5 or 6
• Sliced Onions And Chopped Coriander - to garnish

Method
          Pressure cook both the dals together ( takes 1/3 of the time taken to cook rice). Heat some oil, add the cumin seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the onions, saute till it turns transparent, then add the ginger, carrots salt and the pepper powder, saute well ( at least for 5 mins) till the carrots get cooked. Then add the curry leaves and tomatoes, keep sauteing till they start to break down, at this stage add the cooked dal and some water (about a cup or more), simmer for another 5 mins. Remove, serve it garnished with some onions and coriander, goes well both with rotis and rice.
Sending it to Prabha's Cooking for the Julie's EP Series - Ginger And Pepper Powder event
                to Erivum Puliyum for Sangee's Show Me Your "Hits" - Iron Rich Foods event,
                to Simply.Food for Sara's Cooking With Love - Dad event and
                to Zesty South Indian Kitchen for the Hearth & Soul Blog Hop event.

Note
Cook the dal well but not like a paste, there should be some texture to it, you can cook in a open pot too.
Can use any one of the dals alone instead of a mix.

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Verini Badem kolacici

Nisam znala za tocan naziv ovih kolaca ali mi je dovoljno i ovako kako ih zovem jer znam da su siguran i isproban recept.

Vera je zena  sposobna za sve, gastronomija joj  nije ne poznata.
Iz njene kuhinje izlaze delicije na kojima bi i sefovi exkluzivnih restorana pozavidjeli...i da je ne hvalim vise,uobrazice se :D

Hvala Vera!!

Verini badem kolacici

(Paste di mandorle)

1kg samljevenih badema  

 700gr sitnog secera(ne secer u prahu)

 1 jaje 

 6 bjelanjaka 

  rendana korica limuna  

 1 zlica pravog extrakta vanilije 

  1 mala zlicica praska za pecivo 

  secer u prahu -po potrebi 

  badem/orasi-po potrebi

U veeeliku zdjelu staviti samljeveni,bez kozice badem,secer,limunovu koricu,zlicicu praska za pecivo,pa izmijesati  sa zicom za mucenje..tako se sve fino izmijesa.

Sada napraviti udubljenje u suhoj smjesi ,pa dodati cijelo jaje i 6 bjelanjaka i veliku zlicu pravog extrakta od vanilije.
Sigurno da se moze dodati nbekoliko vrecica vanilin secera"burbon" ali pravi okus vanilije je bolji ;)

Sve to izmijesati drvenom kuhacom i na kraju  zavrsiti rukama,premijesiti rucno smjesu da bude jednaka..dobicete smjesu koja se malo lijepi za ruke ali ne brinite sve ce to biti u redu kada tijesto odmori.
Tijesto mora odmarati u zdjeli oko 2 sata.


Nakon 2 sata odmaranja,tijesto je spremno za rad;podijeliti ga na 4 dijela.
Po radnoj povrsini posuti secer u prahu i svaki komad razvaljati u roladu,kao kobacicu.

Svaku "kobacicu" uvaljati dobro u secer u prahu,koji stalno koristite dok radite.
Isjeci komadice /snite,kao prst debele i ponovo svaki odrezani komad uvaljati u secer,zatim staviti na lim za pecenje koji je postavljen papirom za pecenje.
Utisnuti odozgo badem ili orah.

Rernu zagrijati na 180C i peci kolacice oko 9 minua(po Verinom receptu)12 -15 minuta..moraju biti svijetli i mekani kada se izvade iz rerne a stajanjem i hladenjem ce se stvrdnuti !

Tek kada se ohlade,skinuti ih sa lima za pecenje i ostaviti na resetki da se jos suse.

Kada ste sve to lijepo uradili,pocistite radnu povrsinu,skuhajte kavicu ili caj i posluzite se  jer ste zasluzili  ;)

**Jaja  koja sam koristila bila su od 60gr.

sto se tice duzine pecenja,to i sami znate da svaka rerna nije ista,zatim debljina rolne i snitica koje se pripreme ali duze od 15 minuta nebi trebalo da se pece .

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