Eggless Molten Lava Cake

          It's the end of this month and time to reveal the challenge for the Eggless Baking Group and this time it is Eggless Molten Lava Cake. I have seen so many pictures of this delicious cake, so rich and goey and had wanted to try it out for a long time. The cake looks so challenging but in reality it's pretty easy if you used the proper measures of the ingredients. Thanks to the number of queries raised by the members of the group I started a little cautiously, though the basic recipe with egg was from NoobCook, I googled a little more to make sure about the measurements. Finally I decided to use orange juice as the egg replacement and went along with the following recipe. The cake turned out very good and I should warn you here, it's simply too rich and super delicious, so limit your portions..

Need To Have

• Dark Chocolate Bar - 80 gms
• All Purpose Flour - 6 tablespoons
• Melted Butter - 6 tablespoons
• Orange Juice - 6 tablespoons
• Caster Sugar - 3 tablespoons
• Baking Powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Method 
          Sift the all purpose flour and the baking powder.

          Using a double boiler (boil some water in a vessel, place the chocolate pieces in a vessel that fits on top of the bottom vessel) melt the chocolate, keep stirring with a spoon.

          When the chocolate is completely melted, add the melted butter ( did it in the microwave), beat well so that it's well combined with the chocolate.

          Take the castor sugar in a mixing bowl, add the orange juice to it and mix it well.

          Mix in the chocolate mixture and finally add the sifted flour and mix thoroughly, without any lumps into a smooth batter.

          Pour this into greased ramekins ( fill it to upto 3/4th its volume), bake them at 180C for about 10-15 minutes. Allow it to cool, till you can handle the ramekins with your hand ( about 5 minutes), then loosen it on the sides and invert it on a serving plate. You can serve this with some vanilla ice cream or as such, dusted with some icing sugar.

Note
Use a good quality chocolate, mine had 40% cocoa, increase or decrease the amount of sugar based on the sweetness of the chocolate used.
Oven temperatures vary, so it'll take anywhere between 10 to 15 minutes, also depends upon how goey you want the central part of the cake.
For the measurements given above I got two cakes (ramekin size).

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Tomato Onion Masala

          Whenever my mother has to make a side dish for rotis, in a hurry, she makes this Tomato Onion Masala, a very easy but extremely tasty one. It requires very few ingredients, the regular items found in the kitchen. She does not add peas to it, I added them just because I had fresh peas and also it gives a lovely color to this dish. You can also mix this masala with some cooked rice, tastes very good and serve it with some raitha for a complete meal..

Need To Have

• Onions - 3 medium chopped
• Tomatoes - 2 medium chopped
• Fresh Green Peas - 1/2 cup
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Coarsely Ground Fennel Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

Method
          Cook the peas in the microwave with a little water and salt, drain and keep aside. This way the peas retain their bright green color.

         Heat some oil, add the ground fennel seeds, when it sizzles add the onions and saute till it turns pink. Then add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric and chilly powders and saute them till it turns mushy and starts shrinking, and oil starts leaving the sides.

          Now add the cooked green peas, mix and saute for another 2 or 3 minutes and remove. Serve it with some rotis or use it as a sandwich filling or mix it with some cooked rice.

Note
You can use this same base and mix in any other cooked vegetable like beans, cauliflower etc.
Be a little liberal with the oil, it tastes very good and also keeps well for a week in the refrigerator.
Use sour tomatoes to get a good taste.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Pori Urundai/Puffed Rice Balls

          We celebrate Karthikai Deepam for three days and one of the festival dishes that we prepare during these days is this Pori Urundai/Puffed Rice Balls. This is a healthy snack of the olden days when all the fancy chocolates were not widely available and made with aval pori (puffed rice flakes) and vellam (jaggery). Everyone has a version, this is the way my mother makes it..

Need To Have

• Puffed Rice Flakes - 6 cups
• Jaggery - 2 cups
• Coconut Pieces - 1/2 cup
• Roasted Chana Dal - 1 cup
• Cardamom Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Method

          Leave the coconut pieces to dry ( keep it under a fan) for about 1 to 2 hours. Then toast this till the edges turn light brown.

          Take the aval pori (puffed rice flakes) , add the roasted chana dal, toasted coconut slices and the cardamom powder, mix everything together.

          Heat the jaggery along with 1/2 cup water, once it melts, remove and strain it to remove any impurities found in it.

Then put it back on the stove and keep stirring till it reaches thick syrup ( like maple syrup) consistency. At this stage, take a small spoon of it and drop it into a bowl of water, if it dissolves, then keep stirring the jaggery mixture. When you drop the jaggery in the water if it settles like a solid mass in the bottom and you are able to form a ball with it, switch of the stove.

Now pour this syrup on the puffed rice mixture and immediately mix it. Once it cools down slightly, shape it into balls. Leave it to cool completely and store it, stays good for at least a week.

Note
Drying and toasting the coconut pieces prevents it from spoiling.
Be careful with the syrup consistency, if it's watery, then the balls cannot be formed and if it is too thick, then it'll solidify immediately after you pour it over the puffed rice flakes.
I got 28 balls for the amount used.
If aval pori is not available try making it with the regular puffed rice.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Three Bean Chili

Here's another healthy recipe full of fiber that will make you feel better after eating it.  It's even vegan (if you don't add cheese or sour cream), but I always feel full after eating it.  I used to make this at church along with polenta for hundreds of people, and no one ever complained for the lack of meat (although more than a few didn't eat the polenta because they didn't know what it was).

I've taken the recipe from PETA and added three secret ingredients, adobo seasoning, liquid smoke, and chipotle peppers in adobo, to give it some real depth of flavor.  Well, I guess the ingredients aren't that secret anymore.  =)  Start with just a little bit of peppers, taste, and then add more because a little goes a long way.

 
The recipe is pretty forgiving.  I've had to substitute crushed tomatoes and whole tomatoes for the diced tomatoes before.  Once I even used salsa instead of some of the tomatoes, and it still turned out okay.  I've made this with dried beans before, but it's a lot easier to make it with canned beans.  The original recipe calls for 2 parts kidney beans to 1 part pinto beans, but I substitute a can of black beans in for half the kidney beans to give it more color.

Three Bean Chili (adapted from PETA)
serves 6

2 tablespoons canola oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped white onion
Red pepper flakes, to taste
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon adobo seasoning
1 teaspoon oregano
1 bay leaf
28-oz. can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
6 oz. tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
16 oz. can pinto beans, drained
16 oz. can kidney beans, drained
16 oz. can black beans, drained
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
Chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped, to taste

 
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the garlic and onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.

 
Add the red pepper flakes, chili powder, and cumin and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until fragrant.

 
Add the adobo seasoning, oregano, bay leaf, tomatoes, soy sauce, stock, tomato paste, and vinegar, then bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 
Add the beans and simmer 15 minutes longer to heat through and blend flavors.  Add more water, if necessary, or cook longer to reach desired consistency.  Add the liquid smoke and chopped chipotle peppers and stir to combine.

 
You can serve this with shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado slices, and chopped green onions.  I like to eat this with Fritos, brown rice and lime-flavored tortilla chips, or fried polenta. You can find tubes of pre-cooked polenta at Trader Joe's and just slice and pan fry it.  The chili freezes well, so go ahead and make a big pot!

Three years ago:  Kettle Corn

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Ajwain Paratha/Indian Flat Bread With Bishop's Weed

           Since it's Karthikai Deepam festival today and more work, thought I'll post a simple recipe. Though simple to make these ajwain parathas are very flavorful and goes very well with any type of gravy or vegetable curry. Ajwain also known as bishop's weed/carom seeds is said to be good for the digestive system and is commonly used in the Indian cuisine. One of the easiest way to include ajwain in the diet is adding them to these parathas, so simple and tasty..

Need To Have

• Whole Wheat Flour - 1+1/2 cups
• Ajwain - 1 +1/2 teaspoon
• Curd Or Yogurt - 2 tablespoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Method

          Take the flour, salt, curd, ajwain, turmeric and chilly powders, mix it till you get a crumbly mix. Now add water little by little and make a soft dough, apply some oil, cover and leave it for 1/2 an hour. Then divide it into 10 balls.

          Dusting with some flour, first roll it into a small circle, apply a little oil, fold it into a semicircle, apply a little oil, fold it again.

          Now roll this out into a triangle and place it on a hot tawa or skillet and cook on both sides with a little oil till you get light brown spots. Serve it warm with any curry or vegetable of your choice.

Note
Can make the dough with curd only, without adding water, or vegan with only water.
While cooking the parathas, flip it only thrice, first time when you get small bubbles on the bottom side, flip, apply oil, flip it immediately and apply oil on the other side, meanwhile the bottom side will get light brown spots, now flip the third time and cook the other side till it gets brown spots, this way you'll get soft parathas.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Masoor Dal/Split Red Lentils

          Masoor Dal or Split Red Lentils is one of my favorite dals, it has a nice flavor when cooked. Just with the basic tadka or seasoning this dal tastes great, I would say a beginner's recipe, that nobody can go wrong with. But it tastes really good and is a great combination with both rotis and rice or even have it as a soup..

Need To Have

• Masoor Dal Or split Red Lentils - 1 cup
• Onion - 1 medium chopped
• Tomato - 1 large chopped
• Garlic - 4 cloves chopped
• Grated Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Cloves - 2
• Salt - to taste

Method
          Pressure cook the masoor dal along with the turmeric powder ( about 1/2 time to cook parboiled rice, about 7 minutes).

          Heat the oil, add the cumin seeds and the cloves, when it starts sizzling, add the onions, garlic and ginger. Saute till the onion turns pink and the garlic turns golden, now add the tomatoes, salt, chilly and coriander powders.

          Saute till the tomatoes turn mushy, for about 5 minutes, sprinkling water in between if it sticks to the pan. Now add the cooked dal, some water and the garam masala, simmer for another 5 minutes on low heat. Remove and serve warm with rice or rotis.

Note
If you add a lot of oil in the beginning, then you won't have to sprinkle water while sauteing the tomatoes, have to do it till it turns mushy and oil leaves on the side and starts floating.
The final consistency of the dal is that of thick porridge, add water accordingly, if you want thinner soup like consistency, then add more water.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Green Smoothies

If you, like me, have eaten a little too many rich foods this past long weekend, try a cleansing green smoothie for breakfast or as a snack.  I discovered these over a year ago and love how good you feel after drinking one.  It packs a ton of nutrients and fiber, and even though it looks a little weird, is actually really delicious!

I recommend starting off with spinach as your leafy grean because I've found it to have the least strong "green" flavor.  In fact, if your eyes were closed, you probably wouldn't even suspect that there were any vegetables in the smoothie.  I've made these with lettuce, chard, and kale before, too, and while you will taste them more, it's still pretty yummy.

I get a bunch of bananas from Boston Organics with each delivery and usually let them ripen until they're a nice, evenly spotted brown, and then throw them whole and unpeeled into the freezer.  I used to peel them and cut them up into chunks before putting them in a freezer bag, but I found that the banana chunks would get discolored quickly that way.  When you freeze the bananas whole, the skin will turn brown, but once you peel them you'll see that the fruit itself is still unblemished.  It can be a little difficult to peel a frozen banana, so I usually let it thaw a few minutes, then lop off the ends, make a lengthwise cut, and try to peel it from the cut.  The advantage of using a frozen banana is that you don't have to add ice, which would just add volume and dilute the smoothie.

I've used a lot of different fruits before:  orange segments, kiwis, strawberries, grapes, apples, pears, plums, blueberries, raspberries, etc. and it always tastes great.  I started off using soy or almond milk as the liquid, but eventually found that I could get away with just using plain water, and it still tasted great.  If you have leftover coconut "water" from making coconut whipped cream, it makes an excellent liquid base.

I like to add chia seeds for some protein and omega-3 fatty acids, but if you don't have any, the smoothies are still good.  In the beginning, you may like to add some nut butter, like peanut butter or almond butter, for taste and protein, but I've found it's easier just to add sliced almonds since blended almonds is basically what almond butter is anyways.

I guess what I'm essentially saying is that as long as you have some greens, a frozen banana, and one or two other fruits, you're good to go.  Sometimes if I'm in the mood for something more chocolatey, I'll add some cocoa powder.  Have fun experimenting and seeing what your favorite combinations are!

 
Green Smoothies
makes 1 large smoothie

1 large handful leafy greens (like spinach, kale, chard, or lettuce)
1 tablespoon chia seeds, sliced almonds, or nut butter
About a cup of cut up fruit (see the 4th paragraph above for suggestions)
1 frozen banana, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup liquid (water, almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, etc.)

 
Place the greens in the bottom of the blender.

 
Add the chia seeds/almonds/nut butter and then the fruit.

 
Top with the frozen banana chunks.

 
Lastly, pour the liquid over everything.

 
Start the blender off on low and quickly bring it up to high, making sure that everything is blending nicely.  If needed, stop the blender and tap the container to get rid of air bubbles.

 
Blend for a minute or longer until everything is smooth.  Pour into a large glass and drink immediately.

 
A note about blenders:  I have a Vitamix, which I love dearly.  It blends everything so easily, and it's really easy to wash!  Sure, it's pricey, but if you end up using it as much as I do, it's so worth it in the end.  I don't have any experience making a green smoothie in a regular blender, but hopefully it will work okay in those, too.

Three Years Ago:  Apple-Pear-Cranberry Crisp

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Bijela madarica

Ja je zovem Idina madarica jer sam recept dobila od Ide,pa tako lakse raspoznajem recept.

Opsta suprotnost klasicnoj madarici...za ovaj divan kolac je potrebno....

Tijesto

500gr brasna
1vrecica(13gr)praska za pecivo
oko50ml vode
(Ida kaze:"Koliko stane u ljusku jajeta!")
300gr kiselog vrhnja
(35% masnoce)
1 zlica ulja
1 salica(250ml) secera u prahu
korice limuna,malo narendati
vanilin secer


  Brasno prosijati 2-3 puta u dublju zdjelu,pa dodati ostale sastojke,napraviti masno tijesto.

Tijesto sam odmah podijelila na 5 loptica i svaku razvila izmedu 2 papira za pecenje.

 Pekla sam ih  na poledini pleha na 180C oko 10 minuta..da budu pecene a ipak da zadrze svjetlu boju !

Korice /tijesto sam razvijala na velicinu 25x35cm.

Mogu se i jos vise razviti jer je tijesto  pogodno za razvijanje,nije se lijepilo jer sam razvijala izmedu 2 papira za pecenje i nisam dodavala  vise brasna od gore navedenog u receptu.

Fil/krema

900ml kiselog vrhnja
1 salica (250ml) secera u prahu

Fil izmijesati da se zgusne,pa time premazivati korice,a odozgo posuti secerom u prahu.

Ja sam koristila mixer,oko5 minuta sam mixala i uplasila sam se da ce se vrhnje odvojiti od masnoce i necu nista napraviti,tako da sam tako polutekuce vrhnje,ostavila u frizider i kada su se korice ohladile,ja sam premazivala svaku koricu,osim zadnje..pokrila papirom za pecenje,stavila laganiju drvenu dasku za sjecenje i ostavila do jutra..odrezala sam krajeve jer su bili ne ravni i posula secerom u prahu..posluzila!!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Badem kolacici

   

 Klasicni suhi kolacici za Blagdane koji dolaze.

Ja sam ih napravila sa bademom ali se isto tako mogu bademi zamjeniti za bilo koji drugi orasasti plod.

 Badem kolacici

375gr maslaca

1 salica secera

2 salice samljevenih badema u kozici

1-2 jaja

(ako su veca jaja,dovoljno je 1)

500gr brasna

par kapi ruzine vodice

1 prasak za pecivo(13gr)

Salica=250ml

       Brasno i prasak za pecivo prosijati u dublju zdjelu,pa dodati maslac koji rukama umrvimo u brasno da se dobiju fine mrvice.
Dodati jaja,malo ruzine vodice,pa napraviti prhko tijesto.

Ako se tijesto lijepi,dodati jos malo brasna,pa umotati tijesto u prozirnu foliju i ostavitimu frizider da se maslac malo stegne...ja nisam imala nikakav problem,pa sam tijesto odmah razvila na debljinu "prsta" i vadila polumjesece ali se mogu raditi bilo koji oblici.

Na papirom postavljen lim slagati kolacicie i peci 12-15 minuta na 180C.

Svakako treba pripaziti na boju kolacica,treba ostati svjetle boje...dok su kolacici jos topli uvaljati ih u secer u prahu.

Sape od rogaca

230gr brasna

180gr maslaca

120gr secera

100gr rogaca u prahu

1 jaje

malo praska za pecivo

rendana kora narance

50gr orasastih plodova

(orah ili badem ili ljesnjak)

Od svih namirnica napraviti tijesto i puniti kalupice za sape..peci na 180C oko 10 minuta,tople uvaljati u prah secer.


Anikine sape od rogaca !

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Peerkangai & Verkadalai Saadam/Ridge Gourd & Peanut Rice

          Peerkangai or Ridge Gourd is widely used in Asian cooking, and in Indian cooking we make a variety of dishes with it, the most common being the kootu and chutney. This vegetable has a unique flavor and a slightly sweetish taste, in fact if it is bitter it's not fit for cooking. I usually make sambar or kootu or chutney with it, for a change I used it in this rice along with some peanuts. It turned out really delicious, the softness of the vegetable and the crunchiness from the peanuts complimented each other, you can try this out even with left over rice..

Need To Have

• Rice - 3/4 cup
• Ridge Gourd - 1 + 1/2 cup peeled and chopped
• Tomato - 1 big chopped
• Peanuts - 1/4
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 3/4 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10

Method

          Cook and cool the rice and boil the peanuts. Heat some oil, add the mustard and cumin seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the fenugreek seeds. After 1/2 a minute add the ridge gourd pieces, chilly and turmeric powders, saute for 2 or 3 minute, then add the peanuts, tomatoes and salt, mix, cover and cook for 2 minutes.

          Now add the curry leaves and the garam masala, mix for a minute, switch off and cool. Then add the cooked rice and mix in gently. Serve it with some raitha and chips.

Note
While peeling the ridge gourd, leave some skin here and there, but peel all the raised edges and chop into big pieces, so that the vegetable holds its shape.
Dried raw peanuts are available, just pressure cook them with some water for 3/4th of the time taken to cook parboiled rice, about 10 minutes.
You shouldn't let the fenugreek seeds to brown, it'll taste bitter.
Add the chilly powder wisely according to your taste.
Also while mixing in the rice, don't add all the rice at once, mix in little by little, tasting the rice in between for taste, stop adding rice once you get the perfect taste. 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad