Balanced Plate #2

 

• Rice, Eggs (3 + 1/2), Avarrakkai, Peerkangai Sambar, Carrot poriyal
• Each egg is approximately 6gms protein, and I am trying to hit minimum 20gms per plate!

Balanced Plate #1

 

Goal of this post is to give people an idea to eat balanced plates but still edible. Based on the Glucose Revolution book, since last April I was trying to include Fiber Protein Carbs in the plate and tested thru CGMs few weeks and learnt that if there is a balance then it doesnt spike the glucose levels. More flatter lines of glucose, the better the health will be...long term.

• 2 Eggs, Podalangai (Snake Gourd), Curd, Mustard Greens, Beet, Tofu, Quinoa

Rose Pistachio Cup Cake

 

Explored an eggless sponge cake and then that took me to this recipe...

• Home Curd 1 cup, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup avocado oil - blend well
• Add 1.5 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Blend well, then add rose essence few drops
• Transfer to disposable baking cups (from Michaels)
• Top with crushed pistachios
• Heat oven at 350 or 335 Farenheit, bake for 15 to 20mins
• Yummy sponge Rose Pistachio Cup Cake is ready!!

Veggie Soya Chunks Cutlet

Randomly experimenting with Soya chunks...cutlet turned yummy!

• Soak Soya Chunks in hot water for an hour atleast
• Squeeze water out and pulse it in food processor
• Same processor, pulse cauliflower, spinach
• In a grater, shred zucchini and paneer
• Add oil to tava, saute fine chopped onions and g.chillies
• Then add cauliflower spinach, then soy chunks shredded
• After few mins add zucchini, salt and paneer
  
• Add cashews roasted in ghee to the above, turn off, cool it
• Add few spoons roasted gram powder to bind if needed
• Make cutlet shapes, then pan toast by coating with poha powder!

 

Edmame Lemon Tofu (Peas/Paneer can be a variant)

 

Recently I am into strength training and atlast decided to increase my protein intake. So trying different options...landed in a lemon rice style of Tofu... Here is the recipe..

• Wash a pack of firm tofu and drain well
• One pack of frozen Edmame (Wholefoods 365 brand Shelled Edmame, appx 340gms)
• Add oil to Tava, then add mustard, urad, channa dhaal, one or 2 red chillies broken
• Then add edmame, sprinkle water, close lid
• Cook 5mins, then add turmeric, salt, asafoetida
  
• Add diced tofu, saute well
• Add lots of lemon juice and saute 2 mins
• Turn off, top with Cilantro and eat hot!!!!

Kollu Kale Gravy (Horse Gram)

 Posting after a long time! Randomly mixed 2 recipes and came up with this, feel free to use kale or spinach, both goes well.

• Add ghee to tava, add cumin, half onion chopped, 2 tiny tomatoes
  
• Add Few curry leaves and 3 or 4 garlic pieces, 2 green chillies
• Saute few mins, let it cool
• Pressure cook half cup Horse gram dhaal (kollu), then let it cool
  
• Boil in half cup water..chopped Kale or Spinach and let it cool
• Then coarse grind all of the above...add salt, boil few mins, turn off!
• Goes well with Idli, Dosas and Rice.

Broccoli Soup

 

Thoroughly enjoying Broccoli soups these days...

• Add butter/ghee/oil to a pot or cooker and few pieces of garlic, half onion chopped
• Saute few mins, then add chunks of poosani/zucchini/potato/crushed almonds
• If needed pressure cook the above based on the veggies u used so far
• Then blanch broccoli chunk and add to the above pot with water
• Open cook 5mins and then hand blend with electric blender
• Add one cup milk, pepper, boil few mins
• Yummy Green Soup is ready!

Hand Blender Soups

 

Recently got hooked on to my hand blender soups! One pot, no oil, no ghee recipe!

• Add 2 spoons toor daal to pressure cooker,turmeric,1 spoon salt,4 cups water,dont cook yet
• Add to the above big chunks of medium onion, 2 tomatoes, 1 carrot
• Add 3 other veggies if you have - red bell pepper, pumpkin, poosanikkai, squash, zuchinni
• Pressure cook, and in 15mins open and hand blend using the electric blender
• Boil 5mins, turn off with pepper powder and cilantro topping!
• Yummy Yummy Soup is ready!!!

Traditional Okra Soup (Alt. Cauliflower)

 

Winter days...enjoying soup atleast 3 days a week..so wanted to share these recipes in my blog...

• Pressure cook a spoon or 2 spoons of toor dhaal and one medium sized tomato, turmeric
• Blend it well with hand blender
• Add 2 spoons ghee to a pot, saute sliced onions and one g.chilli
• Add cinnamon stick, pepper, saunf if you like..in above saute
• Once onions are tender add the veggie you like, add one cup water, half spoon salt
• Cook few mins and then add the dhaal water
• Cook few mins, turn off with pepper powder and cilantro toppings!
• Veggies Options - Beets or Cauliflower or Okra - one of these!

Squash Rice (Opo Squash / Lauki / Sorrakkai)

• Soak one cup extra long grain rice
• Add oil/ghee to a big pan
• Add mustard, jeera, saunf..whatever to your liking
• Add sliced onions, tomatoes, slit green chillies, curry leaves
• Add grated ginger, garlic
• Saute well and then add big diced squash, 1.5 spoons salt
• Add 2.5 cups water, let is boil, then add the soaked rice
• Close lid, cook for 15 to 25mins
• Top it with cilantro and crushed roasted peanuts.
• Yum Yum Lauki Rice is ready!

Vegetable Biryani (No Coconut Milk)

•  Add to a bowl...4 spoons curd, little chilli powder, turmeric powder, little garam masala powder, 1.5 spoons salt
• Mix well and add chopped mint and cilantro
• Add 3 to 4 veggies, today's trial is on Baby Corn, Tofu and Mushroom.
• Mix all well and marinate in fridge for atleast few hours
• Soak 1 cup extra long basmati rice in water
• Then in a big non stick pan, add ghee, onion, tomato..saute 2 mins
• Grind ginger, garlic, 3 green chillies and add to the pan
• Saute well and then add the marinated gravy along with veggies
• Saute 5mins, then add the soaked rice without the water
• Add 1.5 cups water if there is already lot of water in the gravy, otherwise add little more
• Close lid, cook for 15 to 25mins
• Yum Yum Biryani is ready! Add roasted Cashews or croutons if you like!

Restaurant style kulambu ( pavakkai/karela/egg/eggplant/okra)

 

After a long time, got a new recipe for kulambu kind of gravy. Thanks to my walking buddy! I wish I had learnt it early in my cooking career :-)

• Add oil to tava, season with mustard, urad, methi, pepper, jeera/cumin
• Add diced onions, garlic and one tomato, saute well
• Add kulambu veggie...eggplant or karela or bindhi
• In a mixie jar - add little onion, one small tomato, jeera/cumin, pepper, big jeera (saunf), few curry leaves, little cilantro, 4 cashews - Raw grind all of them together
• Add the paste to the saute pan above, along with sambar powder and dhania powder
• Add water, salt for the gravy and let all the masalas boil well
• Add tamarind water and cook few more minutes
• Add tiny jaggery and cook for a min and turn off
• Goes well with Rice, dosas, idlis, adai.
• Tempted to try making egg kulambu this style!!!!

Dahi vada / Dahi bread (French/Sour Baguette)

 

Recently in summer I learnt a quick recipe from my Austin friend and I never thought it would taste this yummy :-) Here we go

• Buy a sour baguette or french baguette, slice it at the store itself
• In a tava, add oil, mustard, asafoetida, curry leaves - seasoning is ready
• In a bowl mix the seasoning, with lots of curd and salt as per taste
• In a mixie jar, grind tiny coconut, ginger, one or 2 green chillies
• Add to the curd, mix well, add water and make it like running consistency
• Pour half of the liquid to the bread and in an hour pour the rest half
• Top it with cilantro and serve...super yummy dahi vada taste with less efforts!

Bindhi Masala - Restaurant Style!

 

This summer one of the most super hit recipe I learnt from my cousin was this restaurant style Bindhi masala...yummy yummy it was! Give it a try and U wont go wrong!

• Saute in oil - cardamom, clove, cinnamon, cashews few, onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, kashmiri chilli and red chillies
• Let it cool and grind into a paste
• Add oil to tava and cook the paste well with the same ground water
• Add little turmeric and salt to the gravy
• Close the lid and keep cooking for atleast 15mins
• In another tava add oil and cook clean and dry okra/bindhi for few mins
• Then add okra to the gravy and little kitchen king everest masala
• Cook few mins, turn off by adding few kasthuri methi crushed leaves.
• Goes well with rotis, rice, dosas!

Milk Peda

 On my second try I was able to successfully make this peda! Here we go..

• Add less than quarter cup ghee to tava, warm it
• Turn it to low flame, then start adding..
• half cup milk, 2 cups milk powder (Deep - Milk Mawa Powder)
• Quarter cup sugar and mix all well without lumps
• Keep cooking in low flame until it starts to thicken
• It wont become like a dough, turn off the gas when it is almost a dough
• Add cardamom powder mix well, Let it cool
• Make shapes and place on a plate lined with parchment paper
• Cool it in fridge or serve as is

Note: the more you cook, it will start to turn color even on a low flame, so turn off as soon as you see the color changing a bit

Eggless Banana Bread

 Recently I have been trying out few eggless recipes and this one turned out well...

• Over ripe bananas (US size 😆) - 3 - mashed well
• Seive together 2 cups maida (all purpose flour) or 1 cup maida, one cup wheat flour, one teaspoon baking soda, one teaspoon baking powder
• In a mixing bowl, add 2/3rd cup oil, half cup turbinado raw sugar, one spoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup curd/yoghurt
• Stir well with whisk and then add banana and mix well
• Add the flour little by little in cut and fold method, do not over stir
• Add chopped walnuts and give a gentle mix and move to baking tray
• Turn on oven at 325 to 350'F and bake for 45 to 55 mins depending on your pan
• Yummy eggless banana bread is ready

Thenkuzhal / Murrukku (Raagi too)

 Atlast decided to save this recipe in my blog, loved making and eating them..very tasty and crispy!

• Soak one cup white whole urad for an hour
• Pressure cook, let it cool for atleast 2 hours
• Grind in mixie with water to fine paste, quick it grinds 
• Add 5 cups rice flour, one tablespoon or little more salt
• Add hot oil one Karandi , make the dough 
• And make these shapes...tastes yum yum 
• Alternatively - you can do 2 raagi flour : 3 rice flour, sesame seeds, etc

Enjoy making them!!!

Zucchini Bread

Similar to my dates bread, banana bread...I did this one, here we go for the simple recipe

• 3 large eggs, 1/3rd cup oil and one cup turbinado raw sugar - beat well
• Add 2.25 cups of buttermilk pancake mix or any baking mix you have
• Add 2 cups of grated Zucchini and mix all of the above well
• Preheat oven at 350f and bake for 45 to 55mins, check if it is done
• Cool well and then cut into slices

Almond Flour Cookies

Atlast made it on my third attempt, tried to follow youtube video, but kept melting and merging like a flat bread. So decided to post the recipe in my blog on what helped me to get to this shape :-)

• Butter - 200gms + few gms is ok too if the bar weighs more
• Add to a bowl, bring to room temperature and whisk manually for few mins
• Add one cup powdered sugar and mix it well
• Add one full egg and one spoon vanilla extract, mix well
• Use a flat spoon or spatula and start adding the flour in four batches (using the seive)
• 4 cups almond flour and 3 cups of buttermilk baking mix (pancake mix)
• Finally mix well and move the dough into a ziploc bag 
• Put in Fridge overnight
• Next day make small rounds and flatten little and slit using knife (slightly), no deep cuts
• Place in a plate, wrap with plastic wrap - put it in freezer for 10mins
• Preheat oven at 350f and place the cookies in a tray or baking sheet
• Bake for 15 to 20mins, keeping an eye.
• When almost brown, turn off and cool it well before U touch!!!
• Yum yum cookies are ready

Mushroom Peas Masala

Have been wanting to make a gravy out of it earlier, now that I have both these veggies.....lets do it. Loved the flavor! For those of you in the US, please check out English Peas fresh in the vegetable section (not frozen) in Trader Joes. It tastes really good, not sweet.

Recipe:

* Wash peas and save in bowl. Remove mushroom skin and wash, chop into big chunks
* Do your usual onion, garlic, tomato, ginger masala, let is cool, grind into paste
* I added cinnamon, bay leaves, clove to saute/grinding stuff, as I ran out of garam masala
* Add oil to tava, add the ground masala
* Add turmeric, chilli powder, channa masala powder, little sambar powder if U like
    and then add salt too
* Let the masala cook for 5mins and then add the veggies
* Let it cook in medium for 15 to 20mins, then turn off
* Top with fresh Cilantro and serve with rotis/rice/dosas...I like with anything 😍😍