Broccoli Shots

I like to make broccoli shots when I am not in the mood to eat broccoli. Its always easy to get the nutrients in one shot! isint it?

Serves : 3
Approximate Total Cost : $3.00

Ingredients

Carrots - 2
Broccoli - 1 crown (chopped into florets)
Green Beans - 15 (roughly chopped)
Ginger - a small piece to taste
Garlic - 2 cloves
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste

Method

1. In a pan add two too three cups of waters depending on your consistency of the soup. Add the carrots, broccoli, green beans, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper and turmeric and boil.

2. Allow it to come to room temperature and blend it.

Orangy Carrot Radish Salad

I was thinking of making a quick side dish where I didn't have to cook. And in the fridge there were some carrots and radish and I decided to spin a salad out of these. It feels so good when you can make something healthy without cooking.

Serves : 2
Approximate Total Cost : $5.00
Approximate Cost per person :$2.50

Ingredients

Carrots - 4 (Shredded)

Radish - 7 small (sliced)

Strawberries - 5 (sliced)

Orange - 1 big (freshly squeezed juice)

Agave nectar or honey - 1 tablespoon

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and keep it aside for 20 minutes for the veggies to absorb the juice. 

2. Serve with sandwiches or soups. 

Egg Masala

My mom always makes this yummy Egg Masala and I always used to love it. So I learnt this recipe from my mom and made it for a party. And guess what? Everyone love it and all the eggs disappeared immediately.

Serves : 2
Approximate Total Cost : $3.00
Approximate Cost per person :$1.50

Ingredients

Eggs - 4
Red Onion - 1 big (chopped into thin long slices)
Chilli powder - 1 tablespoon
Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Canola Oil - 1 tablespoon

For Tempering

Dry Red Chilli - 1
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tablespoon
Cumin seeds -1/4 tablespoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tablespoon
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tablespoon  
Urad dal - 1/4 tablespoon

Method

1. To Boil the eggs : Place water in a pan and the eggs (in such a way that the eggs are immersed inside the water). Boil for 15 minutes. Allow it to cool and break the shells and keep the boiled egg aside.
2. In  a hot skillet add a tablespoon of canola oil and add the ingriedients for tempering and saute for 30 seconds.
3.  Add the onions and salt and saute them for 10 minutes in low flame. Then add the chilli powder and sugar and saute for 5 to 10 minutes until the onions are caramalized. The sugar brings out the flavor and helps in caramalization of the onion.
4. Slice the egg vertically into two oval pieces. Slice all the eggs in the same way. Add the eggs into the onion mixture and mix well and saute for 5 minutes and serve hot.

ButterNut Squash Fries

So I had a butternut squash in the fridge and I wanted to make something different rather than a soup. So I made butternut squash fries and was so yummy. I am not really a fan of Butternut squash but thought this would be a tasty way to eat it. If your kids love the potato french fries, swap with this butternut squash fries and make them eat their veggies.

Serves : 2
Approximate Total Cost : $3.50

Ingredients

Butternut squash - 1 (peeled and chopped like fries)
Canola oil - 4 tablespoons
Garlic - 3 cloves (minced)
salt - to taste
dry oregano - 1 tablespoon



Method
1. In a large bowl add the sliced butternut squash, canola oil, salt, minced garlic and oregano and mix well.
2. Take a baking tray and line it with parchment paper. I always like to line my baking tray with parchment paper as food does not stick to it and makes washing easy. Place the cooling rack on top of the baking tray.
3. Now arrange the fries on top of the cooling rack in such a way that the slices do not overlap as shown in the figure below.

4. Preheat oven to 375F and bake the fries for 20 mins.
5. The squash fries start to get golden and are cooked. You can test if the squash is cooked by smashing a piece. The cooked fries look as shown in the figure below.

6. Let the squash fries cool down to room temperature.
7. Now Preheat the oven to 450F. Bake the squash fries again to crisp up for about 10 to 15 mins. Keep an eye on the oven to make sure you don't burn the fries. Serve hot.

Crispy Layered Potato Mash

So we also love different dishes baked in the oven with a crispy topping. So why should all this crispy goodness stay only on the top??? So that when I thought of making this potato mash where you can taste the crispy goodness all over the mash.

Serves : 2
Approximate Total Cost : $4.00
Approximate Cost per person :$2.00

Ingredients

Baby Red Potatoes - 18
Milk - 1/4 cup
Sour Cream - 2 tablespoons
Dried Oregano - 1 tablespoon
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste
Panko Bread Crumbs - 1/2 cup
Butter - 1 tablespoon
Chilli Powder - a pinch

 Method

1. Wash the potatoes and place it in an Aluminum foil and cover it and bake at 400F for 50 minutes.

2. Now mash the potatoes with a fork.

 

3. In a hot skillet add the mashed potatoes, milk (adjust to your required consistency), salt, pepper, sour cream, oregano and stir well and keep it aside.

4. In another hot skillet melt the butter and add the panko bread crumbs and chilli powder and fry until it is crispy.

5. In a glass add a layer of the mashed potatoes and then add the bread crumb topping. Then on top of this crumb topping add a another layer of mashed potatoes and the crumb topping. Serve hot :)!! It is just delicious. 

Fruit Custard

I love to make fruit custard for dessert usually in the parties. It is so simple to make and tastes like heaven.

Serves : 4
Approximate Total Cost : $3.00

Ingredients
Custard Powder - 2 tablespoons
Sugar - 4 tablespoons
Milk - 2.5 cups (1 cup = 200 ml)

Fruits :

Apple - 2 (peeled and diced into small cubes)
Bananna - 2 (slicked into small circles)
Orange - 2 (chopped into small slices)
Strawberries - 8 (chopped into small slices)

Method

1. You can cook the custard as per the instructions on your store bought custard packet or follow the below steps.
2. Add one cup of milk in a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of custard powder and mix well and keep it aside.
3. In a hot pan add the remaining 1.5 cups of milk and 4 tablespoons of sugar and boil it. 
4. Once the milk comes to a boil add the custard mixture(milk + custard powder which you kept aside) into the hot milk and stir well and cook on a low flame.
5. Stir continuously else the custard will stick to the bottom of the pan and lumps will be formed.
6. Stir until the custard coats on the back of the spoon. Now switch off the flame and pour the custard onto a bowl.
7. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap in such a way that the plastic wrap touches the top surface of the custard. This will prevent the formation a sticky thick layer on the top of the custard. Let the custard come to room temperature. Then refrigerate overnight.

8. Then in small serving bowls add the fruits and the custard and serve.

Peas Paneer Masala

I love the creamy rich paneer masala that you get in the restaurants and I tried to make them at home and it was always a flop. Finally after many attempts I figured out to make the yummy paneer peas masala.

Serves : 2
Approximate Total Cost : $4.00
Approximate Cost per person : $2.00

Ingredients

Onion - 1/2 (finely chopped)
Ginger - 1 teaspoon (minced)
Garlic - 1 teaspoon (minced)
Tomato - 2 (blended into a puree)
Green Peas - 1/2 cup
Paneer - a handful of cubes
Milk - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Canola Oil - 3 tablespoons
Cilantro - to garnish

Spices

Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
Chilli Powder - 1 teaspoon
Cumin Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Fennel Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Dried Fenugreek - 1 teaspoon

For Tempering

Dry Red Chilli - 1
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tablespoon
Cumin seeds -1/4 tablespoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tablespoon
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tablespoon  
Bay Leaf - 1

Method

To Cook the panner -  Boil some water and take it away from the stove. Drop the paneer cubes in this hot water and keep it aside until you finish making the creamy sauce. This helps the paneer to become super soft. This is what my mom does always when she cooks paneer so I follow the same trick.
1.  In a hot pan add 2 tablespoons of canola Oil and add the ingredients for tempering.
2. Now add the onions, ginger and garlic and saute well for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the tomato puree and cook for 40 minutes (note : its in my electric stove, gas stoves may cooks much faster) until the tomato puree is cooked into a paste as shown in the figure below.

4. Now add the spices,salt and cook for a minute and add 1/2 a cup of water and bring it to a boil.
5. Now add the peas and cook them.
6. Once the peas are cooked, add some milk(increase or decrease the amount of milk based on your required consistency) and stir and cook for 3 minutes and switch off the flame and add the paneer. Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot.

Oven Roasted Cauliflower and Potato - Indian Style

I always believe that - make tasty meals but spend less time in the kitchen. That's when the idea of using the oven for Indian cooking came into my mind. So rather making Cauliflower potato fry in the stove and stirring them constantly I decided to try this in the oven. And viola it was awesome. I just put the veggies in the oven and relaxed for half an hour and came back to see the wonderful yummy roasted veggies in my oven. 

Serves : 4
Approximate Total Cost : $3.00

Ingredients

Cauliflower - 1 (chopped into florets)
Potato - 2 (chopped into medium sized pieces)
Canola Oil Spray
Canola Oil - 1 tablespoon
Salt - to taste

Spices 1

Sambar Powder - 1 tablespoon (I used store bought - Grand Sweets sambar powder)
Chilli Powder - 1 teaspoon

Spices 2

Coriander Powder - 1 tablespoon
Chilli Powder - 1 teaspoon
Fennel Powder - 1 teaspoon
Cumin Powder - 1 teaspoon

Method

1. In a bowl add the veggies and add some salt and a tablespoon of canola oil.
2. Add either spice 1 or spice 2. Mix the spices well with the veggies.
3. Line a baking tray with Aluminum foil and spray canola oil.
4. Add the veggies on the top of the tray and arrange them in such a way that the veggies do not over lap.
5. Bake at 425F for 30 minutes.

6. I usually switch off the oven after 30 minutes and leave the veggies inside the oven for a while to get even more roasted texture. Its upto you, you can also take it out and serve immediately after baking for 30 minutes. Once they are done it looks as shown in the figure below.

Ghee Shallots Rice

One of my favorite rice dish that I make in every party is the Ghee Shallots Rice. Very simple to make and very tasty. It is also quite light with mild flavors and goes very well with different spicy gravies. Team it up with spicy non vegetarian gravies or vegetarian gravies.

Serves : 4
Approximate Total Cost :$3.00

Ingredients

Ghee - 2 tablespoons
Shallots (small onions - chinna vengayam) - 4 to 5 (finely chopped)
White Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Salt - to taste (around 1/4 teaspoon)

Method

1. To cook the rice : Wash the rice and soak it in water for 30 minutes. Then drain the rice and add 3 cups of water. Use the same cup that you used to measure the rice to measure the water. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Now boil the rice in high for 5 minutes. Then keep in sim (very low flow around 3 in my electric stove) and close the pan with a lid. Cook in low flame for 10 minutes until all the water has disappeared and the rice is cooked perfectly. Transfer the rice onto a dish and keep it aside.
2. In a hot pan add 2 tablespoons of ghee and add the shallots and a pinch of salt. Roast the shallots for 8 minutes well until it turns brown.
3. Now add the roasted shallots on top of the rice and mix well with a fork. I use a fork to mix the rice and the roasted shallots so that the rice is not broken into minutes pieces. Serve hot.

Raw banana Fry (valakai fry)

Raw banana fry is a famous Indian dish that we used to make at home often. Combined with fennel powder it just tastes so good. Adding a whole lot of vegetables in our diet is extremely healthy. You can do this recipe with Indian Raw bananas or Plantains. When you use plantains you get a sweet and spicy flavor.

Serves : 3
Approximate Total Cost : $2.00

Ingredients

Raw Indian Bananas or Plantains - 4 (peeled and cut into thin circles)
Fennel Powder - 2 to 3 teaspoons (you can also use cumin powder instead or a mix of both)
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Canola oil - 3 tablespoons
Salt - to taste
Cilantro - to garnish

Method

1. Add the sliced raw banana pieces into a bowl and mix it with oil, fennel powder, chilli powder and salt.
2. On a hot skillet add the spice coated pieces in such a way that the pieces don't overlap each other.
3. Saute and Cook for 15 minutes until it is cooked. It's slightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
4. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.