Baked oats with fruits and nuts

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bofn

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 40 minutes

Serving : 4 to 6 members

Description

Baked Oats with fruits and nuts.This is a very easy and healthy breakfast dish. This can also be a good snack. Especially working people can make this ahead of time and eat it on the go! You can make this dish with a variety of nuts and fruits. I have used dates and walnuts in this recipe. You can add dried coconut, dried apricots, fresh strawberries, blueberries, any nuts. It is a very simple recipe. I love this dish because its easy to make and diet friendly.

Ingredients

Ingredients
Quantity
Rolled Oats (This is thicker and fuller than instant oats)
2 Cups
Brown Sugar1/3 cup
baking powder1 teaspoon
cinnamon1 teaspoon
salt1/2 teaspoon
walnuts / almonds (you can add both or either one)1 cup
pitted dates1 cup
milk2 cups
egg1
butter melted3 tablespoon
vanilla extract
1 tablespoon
ripe banana sliced1

Method

  1. Mix all the dry ingredients. Oats, Brown sugar, Baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nuts. In a separate bowl, add the egg and beat well, then add butter, vanilla essence and milk to it and mix well.
  2. Grease a pan well with oil or butter. Spread the dry mixture.Pour half the liquid mixture to it.
  3. Then add chopped dates and sliced bananas on top as shown in the picture. Then pour the remaining liquid on top.
  4. Preheat the oven to 375 deg. F and bake it for 35-40 mins.
  5. After its done, let it cool. Cut into squares or rectangles and store in the refrigerator. When you are ready to serve/eat you can warm in the oven for 2 mins.
  6. Its great when ate warm or room temperature.

Green chicken salad

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gcs

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Green chicken salad . The idea for this salad was taken from Donna hays television show in TLC . Every time I get to watch her program , I am amazed by her simple cooking steps resulting in awesome dishes . Some people are born genius . A very healthy option salad which tastes good to . Gave it a try and was delicious . Non – vegetarian salads are very rarely served at Indian homes . First reason being most homes are vegetarians , second reason , we Indians have a mind set of having savoury food piping hot what so ever it may be . But do give this dish a try because its healthy , tastes good and easy to prepare .

Ingredients

Ingredients
Quantity
Chicken cubes -( boiled with ginger garlic paste -1/4 teaspoon and salt to taste )1 cup
Boiled green peas 1 cup
Coriander leaves1/2 bunch with the stem
Green chillies2 or more to taste
Thahini paste1 tablespoon ( can substitute with 1 tablespoon of white sesame seeds + 1 tablespoon olive oil )
Olive oil1 teaspoon
Limeto taste
Sugar1/4 teaspoon
Saltto taste

Method

  1. Grind coriander leaves , green chillies , thahini paste , lime juice , sugar , olive oil and salt to taste , along with little water to a smooth paste . Taste and adjust .
  2. Mix boiled chicken and boiled green peas with this green sauce making sure all are combined well .
  3. Leave closed in room temperature . Serve as it is .

Chenakilazngu varithathu

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Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 -20 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Chena kilazngu varuthathu.A simple yet yum vegetarian authentic dish very own to the ravuthar community people of palghat , Coimbatore region.This dish is present on our table every alternative day for lunch. At times when there is a 2 days break continuously , all of us together ask why there is no Chenakilazngu varuthathu on the table . The mighty yam cubes are boiled with some masala first and then roasted in coconut oil in medium heat resulting in a crisp coating with a smooth inside. I can never stop eating this until its all over. My hubby and kids don’t fancy this dish so i get to have it only when i am at moms place. Every house in Palghat has a vegetable garden were they have yam, kappa (maravalli kilazngu)coconut trees, mango trees, plantains,jack fruits and many other vegetables and fruits grown in their backyard known as thodi.It used to be fun climbing on those trees and doing all the naughty stuff back in the thodi of my grandmas place in Palghat.In remembrance to that i have a thodi at home with drumsticks, chickoo , custard apples , gooseberries and other easily grown plants in Tamilnadu.

Ingredients

Ingredients
Quantity
Yam2 cups peeled and cut into small cubes
Chilli powder1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder1/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder1/4 teaspoon
Saltto taste
Cumin powder1/4 teaspoon
Pepper powder1/4 teaspoon
Coconut oil3tablespoons to shallow fry + 1 teaspoon to cook along

Method

  1. Pressure cook all the ingredients together except for 3 tablespoons of coconut oil for one whistle with a little water .
  2. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of coconut oil in a non stick pan and fry the cooked yam cubes in two batches in medium heat slowly making sure they retain their cube shape with out getting mushed up .
  3. It should have a crisp cover with a soft inside .
  4. Remove and serve hot as a side dish for boiled white rice or kanji .

All In one Biscotti

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aiob

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 35 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

All in one Biscotti . A recipe i tried from the magazine recipes,my brother darvesh sent me as a surprise last month. The first time i got to know about biscotti it was really new to me. Was wondering if it would be soft, crunchy or hard. Loved the rustic shape though. Wanting to try it out for a long time.The previous other recipes i had for biscotti were so long and difficult to follow. This recipe was so simple and had no butter used with a combination of mixed nuts and dried fruits. The recipe was just in one paragraph and i followed it religiously and worked perfect. I have elaborated the recipe a bit than as it was in the magazine so that its more easy to follow and my picture collage will help to. The measurements mentioned in the recipe gives you atleast 25 to 30 pieces of biscotti. I ended up sending a few over to one cousins place and a friends place (Reshma Riyaz).In the good intention of sharing my calories.It’s all in the game right.

Ingredients

Ingredients
Quantity
Maida
 250 grams + extra to dust
Sugar250 grams
Baking powder2 teaspoons
Pistachio50 grams
Dried apricots 50 grams chopped
Dried cherries50 grams ( I used a combination of 4 different colours )
Chocolate chips50 grams
Whole Almonds 50 grams
Eggs3 lightly beaten
Vanilla essence1 teaspoon

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius . Mix all the ingredients together except for eggs .
  2. Gradually stir in the eggs to get a thick enough mixture to roll . You will not need all the egg . ( I used all and had difficulties while baking as the sugar started to melt my log got too moist ) devide the mixture into two equal portions .
  3. Using maida quickly roll the two portions into logs . Gently place them on a lined , greased baking tray and bake for 20 to 25 minutes . Be careful not to burn the base .
  4. Once finished baking , remove and cool the logs for 5 to 8 minutes . Then slice into one inch thick pieces .
  5. Place them back equally apart from each other on the same lined , greased tray and bake for another 10 minutes at 170 degree Celsius . Cool completely .
  6. Serve immediately or can be stored in air tight containers for two weeks and had .

Tandoori prawns

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tp

Preparation Time : 30 minutes + marination time

Cooking Time : 5 minutes for each batch of prawns

Serving : 4 members

Description

Tandoori prawns . My myth of thinking any thing grilled is healthy was thrown into the bin when we had a Pakistani chef cook a wide spread of kebabs for a family get together at mom’s place . The amount of butter used to baste the kebabs was un believable but there’s one thing we can say with utmost confidence , it’s that everything tastes better with a good smear of melted butter . Usually any thing in tandoori is made with chicken at home . So for a change to break the usual , used prawns this time following the same recipe I use for tandoori chicken . Had to cut down all the ingredients to half the amount as prawns does not take in much masala as chicken does . Having my doubts if my trial would work out , gave it a try . I did taste it first before it went to the table and the prawn was soft , moist succulent and juicy that came together beautifully with a brilliant explosion of flavours . Went ahead and served it confidently and passed through with hoo’s and haa’s around the dining table .

Ingredients 

Ingredients
Quantity
Prawn1 kg cleaned
butter 1/4 cup to bast
chaat masala1 tea spoon
cream 2 tea spoon

Ingredients for First Marinate

Ingredients
Quantity
garlic paste1 tea spoon
ginger paste1 tea spoon
lime juice1 tea spoon
red chilli powder1 tea spoon
salt to taste

Ingredients for Second Marinate

Ingredients
Quantity
Cumin powder 1 tea spoon
Garam masala powder1 tea spoon
ginger paste1/2 tea spoon
lime juice1 tea spoon
oil3 1/3 table spoon
Red chilli powder 1 tea spoon
saffron 2 strands
saltto taste
Curd ( hung )1 cup
Onion rings and lime wedgesto garnish

Method

  1. Mix salt , red chilli powder , ginger garlic paste and lime juice together . Rub this paste over the cleaned prawns and keep aside for 30 minutes .
  2. Whisk curd with all the marinate ingredients . Rub this masala over the prawns and marinate for 5-6 hours in the refrigerator .
  3. Pre heat oven to 175 degree centi grade . Skewer the prawns , leaving a gap of 1/4 cm between each Prawn .
  4. Roast for 2 minutes on each side or until done then baste with butter and roast again for 1 more minutes . Sprinkle chaat masala and cream .
  5. Garnish with onion rings and lime wedges . Serve hot with salad and green chuntny .

Note

  1. Soak your skewers for 1/2 an hour in water if they are wooden .
  2. I have used onion cubes in between each prawn .

 

Mosaic salad

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Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : nil

Serving : 6 members

Description

Mosaic salad . A salad that I was inspired by a picture that I came across in the world wide net of a salad cube made with water melon , cheese and kiwi . The vibrant colour and textural contrast that were arranged in a very different manner stole my heart as it was all about eating with your eyes , presentation and attention to detail . Not wanting to repeat the same , just took the idea of coloured cubed vegetables and fruits and made a salad of my own .Arranged the veggies , fruit and feta cheese used in the salad in a mosaic pattern all around the salad plate . Wanted to arrange the entire salad like wise but pressed for time , had to stop with a mosaic border and place the salad bowl in the middle . I Made this salad while I had invited my hubbies first cousins home for lunch . The younger lot didn’t even bother to touch the salad though it was colourful and eye catching right from chopping of ingredients to the final product on the plate but his cousin sister fathima and amma liked it a lot . Well it’s quite a task to satisfy every one at one shot . I love the simple , amazing act of feeding people and watching their reactions when they eat . It’s all about the myriad opportunities , fascinating people and experiences that come my way resulting in being admin and running sauté , fry n bake .

Ingredients

Ingredients
Quantity
Tomatoes2 cut into squares
Water melon de seeded cut into squares 1 cup
Red , green and yellow bell peppers ( capsicum )
cut into squares 1 cup
Purple cabbage cut into squares 1 cup
Feta cheese or paneer 1/2 cup cut into squares ( I used feta cheese )
Dried herbsbasil , tarragon , chives a pinch each
Crushed whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon
Olive oil2 teaspoons
Vinegar 2 teaspoons
Salt + pepper + sugar + chilli flakesto taste

Method

  1. Cut all the vegetables , water melon and feta cheese or paneer into equal sized squares . Pat dry the water melon cubes in tissue paper so that it does not ooze out water .
  2. Whisk olive oil , vinegar , crushed coriander seeds , dried herbs , salt , sugar , pepper and chilli flakes together . Taste and adjust .
  3. Pour over the cut vegetables , feta cheese and water melon squares . Toss well .
  4. Place in the refrigerator and serve chilled arranged in a mosaic pattern by placing the coloured vegetables , water melon and feta cheese alternately to get a vibrant colourful salad plate .

Mangalore green peas masala

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man

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Mangalore green peas masala which is a vegetarian delight. a gravy i tried recently as I was fed up making gravies using ground tomota and onion paste. Wanted to break the monotonous in that. Came across a Mangalorian dish which was made with chicken. I liked the recipe a lot, so i made it with green peas and worked pitch perfect. I wish you all could smell the fragrant green peas simmering away on my stove top.Was surprised about the unexpected marriage of asafoetida, coconut and jaggery That resulted in a distinct flavour. Green peas in Tamil is called Pattani and Urdu speaking muslim people are also addressed the same way in Tamil.Don’t know why ? I guess , the word pattan changed into pattani. As tamilians are nick named pandees , malayalis are nick named kanji or mallu, Telugu people nick named koltti. So are Urdu speaking muslims nick named green peas. No offense to anyone please. This is how people around us have nick named all of us.

Ingredients

Ingredients
Quantity
Green peas1 cup shelled
Coconut grated 5 tablespoon
Ginger 1 inch piece
Garlic2 flakes
Coriander power 1 tablespoon
Chilli powder1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder1/4 teaspoon
Oil3 tablespoon
Mustard seeds1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves few
Asafoetidaa pinch
Onion1 big chopped +2 sliced
Tamarind pulp1 tablespoon
Cumin powder1 teaspoon
Garam masala powder1/4 teaspoon
Jaggery 1 teaspoon
Saltto taste

Method

  1. Roast coconut , ginger , garlic , coriander powder , chilli powder and 2 sliced onions separately in little oil to brown and grind altogether to a smooth paste . Set aside .
  2. Boil green peas with enough water and salt to taste . Set aside . Heat oil in a non stick kadai . Season with mustard seeds , curry leaves , asafoetida and 1 chopped onion. Fry to brown .
  3. Top with the ground masala and sauté for a minute . Add cumin powder , turmeric powder and garam masala powder .
  4. Mix well adding tamarind pulp , salt to taste and boiled green peas with the water . Mix well and bring to boil for 5 minutes . Add more water if need to get a gravy consistency .
  5. Finally add jaggery and simmer for 3 minutes for all the flavours to infuse together and oil floats on top . Serve hot with any roti or puri of your choice .

Chicken samosa

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Preparation Time : 40 minutes

Cooking Time :15 minutes for the filling + 4 to 5 minutes for each batch to be deep fried .

Serving : 4 to 6 members

Description

Chicken samosa .This is the South Indian version which is entirely different from the North Indian samosa from the filling, to outer cover , to shape, texture and taste which is an excellent mix. These are crisp with hot stuffing inside which marries perfectly with each other. Usually had as its without any dips or sauces. Yummy to the tummy and sure can’t stop with one. This samosa is a signature dish made at most Muslim house holds during ifthar (fasting) time while breaking our fast. You all will love making these terrific impressive samosa’s . Don’t know why for a long time i thought , i was a north indian. One holiday we had gone to Bombay. I remember asking my dad if we have come to south India ? He was like we live in south india and we are South Indians. How depressed i was to hear that. God alone knows why. Think i was immensely in love with the word North Indian and took a long time for me to accept the fact also. North Indian or South Indian. I am proud to be born as an Indian. * recipe courtesy Reshma Nooh*

Ingredients

Ingredients
Quantity
Chicken mince ( or mutton mince )100 grams
Ginger garlic paste 1/4 teaspoon each
Turmeric powder1/4 teaspoon
Saltto taste
chili powder1 tbsp
garam masala powder1 tsp

Method

  1. Mix everything .. Add just enough water to cover the chicken mince then pressure cook for1 whistle . Boil till all the moisture has evaporated and the chicken mince is dry .
  2. Saute in a pan with 3 -tbsp oil, 3-finely chopped onion, 4 – green chillies finely chopped Some -coriander leaves. Then add the cooked chicken mince , saute again a minute, then remove from heat. keep aside.

Ingredients for the Samosa Pastry

Ingredients
Quantity
Maida1/2 cup
Salt1/4 tsp
WaterEnough water to get a soft dough

Method for the samosa pastry

  1. Mix together and knead,1/2 cup Maida,,1/4 tsp salt and Enough water to get a soft dough.
  2. Divide dough into small lemon size balls..Roll out each ball into small rotis 2-3 inches in diameter .
  3. Now spread dalda or oil liberally on one side of a roti, then stick another roti on that so they become a sort of sandwich. Do the same for rest of rotis.
  4. Now roll out the sandwiched rotis ( on a well floured surface!) as thin as possible( paper thin). Do the same for rest of sandwiched rotis.
  5. Heat a tawa or pan on high flame .Put a roti on hot tawa, leave for a minute, turn over, then remove from tawa within a minute.
  6. The idea is to just cook the rotis not to make them stiff or hard.Do the same for rest of rotis.
  7. While still hot( careful.. ) pull apart each roti at the edges. You will find that the more liberal u were with dalda.. The more easier it is to take apart without tearing the rotis to shred.
  8. Cut each roti into 4 triangles.
  9. Mix 2-3 tbsp of Maida and water to get a thin paste which u will be using as glue.
  10. Make a small cone out of the triangle, sticking two edges together with glue.. Then fill with a tsp chicken masala.. Close the cone with glue again.
  11. Repeat for the rest of triangles. Deep fry in hot oil, drain and serve hot with tomato sauce or as it is .

Some Important Tips

  1. Also.. When u roll out the rotis , use flour liberally and stack them on top of each other or they will become dry and your pastry will become too tough.
  2. Even while cooking the rotis or cutting them up.. Always remember to stack them .. Keep away from drafts( don’t do this under a fan!) or keep covered with a slightly damp cloth.
  3. Vegetarians can add mixed vegetables , paneer and soya flakes instead of chicken mince and follow the same recipe to get vegetarian samosa.

 

Bread basunthi

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Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Bread Bhasundhi. Bhasundhi is a traditional full flavoured Indian sweet made by reducing milk to a semi thick form. Well bread bhasundhi is just a short cut way to finish the long simmering sweet to be done soon in a fuss free way. Made with few ingredients transforming into delicious indulgence. I got this recipe from my moms last sister Thasneem.Who is just 3 years elder to me. A fussy eater as a child .During my holiday stay at my grand parents place, she used to be compared to me a lot. As i was bubbly,loud, naughty, curious and all around the place but my aunt was just the opposite quite, shy…. Even our food habits were extreme opposites. i was very experimental even then eat anything and everything.She being fussy my grandfather used to get into my aunts nerves that she used to ask me to leave to Coimbatore soon. I remember , i used to follow the smell of food cooked in the kitchen and go even before any one could call for a meal.The elaborate spread on the table every meal was served in a way that celebrated the gathering of the entire family of all age groups. I guess my love for food was rooted from then onwards.

Ingredients

Ingredients
Quantity
Bread slices5 edges cut
Ghee3 tablespoons
Milk1/2 litre
Condensed milk 1 tin
Saffronfew strands
Cashew nuts 1 tablespoon chopped
Almonds1 tablespoon blanched , peeled and chopped
Pistachio1 tablespoon chopped ( I didn't use as I was out of stock )
Cardamom powder 1/2 teaspoon

Method

  1. Cut each bread slices into 4 pieces . Fry in 1 tablespoon of ghee just for the aroma of ghee to get into the bread pieces for a minute in low flame .
  2. Make sure the colour of the bread stays white in colour . Cool and blend to get a coarse powder . Boil milk , condensed milk , cardamom powder and saffron together for 10 minutes till half reduced .
  3. Add the powdered bread along with chopped nuts and remaining ghee . Mix well .
  4. Simmer for a minute till all the flavours infuse together . Incase the bhasunthi is to thick can add a little milk to get a semi thick consistency . Remove from heat .
  5. Serve hot , warm or chilled . Best served chilled .

Hot dog

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Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Hot Dog.A comforting textural colorful delight. Crazy me ,the first time i heard about this was like yuk how can people eat dogs. Got to know about sausages and hot dogs through my NRI friends from gulf in school.But first got to taste it when my class mate Christine got it all the way from Dubai just for me to know what it was. I didn’t fancy it much tough. While on a holiday trip abroad my boy afzar used to fill himself with sausages for breakfast as lunch was had only by 4.30 to 5 in the evening. My veggie girl anisha used to run away from his plate saying that thing looks wired.My boy afzer and son-in-law Riyaz love sausages.Well now my veggie girl cooks sausages for her hubby eventhough she hates the sight of it. Only recently sausages are available at my place, so have started experimenting with them in my kitchen.

Ingredients

Ingredients
Quantity
Chicken sausages2
Hot dog rolls or French bread 1
Onions sliced5 big
Oil2teaspoon + 1 1/2 tablespoon
Tomato slices1 big tomato
Lettuce leaves 2
Tomato ketchupto garnish
Mayonnaise3 tablespoon
Red , green and yellow capsicum strips1 cup
Vinegar1 teaspoon
Sugar1 teaspoon
Eggs2 seasoned with salt and pepper to taste and beaten along with a tablespoon of grated cheese

Method for sausages

  1. Prick the skin of sausages all over with a fork or tooth pick . Heat 1 teaspoon oil and fry the sausages for 2 minutes making sure all the sides are cooked well . Set aside .

Method for caramelised onions

  1. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a non – stick pan . Fry the sliced onions to brown on medium heat for about 10 to 12 minutes .
  2. Add salt to taste , sugar and vinegar and let it caramelise further for another 5 minutes more to a dark brown colour and soft . Remove from heat and set aside to cool .

Method for omelet

  1. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan . Pour the beaten egg mixture into the pan , wait for the base to cook a little and get firm .
  2. Fold both sides of omelet towards the Center to get a long shaped omelet that will fit into the hot dog roll . Cook the omelet well . The cheese used helps to keep the omelet moist . Set aside .

How to proceed

  1. Spilt the hot dog roll horizontally into two . Scoop out the inside part of both the split hot dogs carefully making sure the outer crust remains un disturbed .
  2. Apply mayonnaise on the inside part of split hot dog roll . Place lettuce leaves , few strips of coloured capsicums , tomato slices and 1/2 of caramelised onions and top with the omelet .
  3. Push all these plied things into the lower hollow dent . Place the sausages over and top with other 1/2 of caramelised onions , tomato slices , coloured capsicum strips and lettuce leaves .
  4. Close with the upper part of the hot dog roll . Garnish with a squeeze of tomato ketchup on top and serve along with crisp hot French fries and tomato ketchup .