Energy bar with peanuts, flax seeds and jaggery

Now that the older one goes to “big boy school”, I need to plan ahead for his lunch box and also his “van snack”. My hyper active boy gets super hungry on his way back from school and a hungry little boy makes a cranky little boy. So I send him a little something to tide over the hunger pangs till he can get a solid meal once he is home. Packing healthy fun snacks is always a challenge but thankfully both my boys seem to have a varied palette and enjoy different kinds of food. I got the idea for this energy bar from the brand “Yoga bar” that is available in health stores in India. They have a chocolate and peanut bar which I derived inspiration from. It satisfies the chocoholic in me and my son 🙂

The quantities I mention can be easily doubles or tripled. This is a very forgiving or self correcting recipe 🙂 You can add or substitute the ingredients with all kinds of nuts( walnuts, cashew nuts, almonds), different kinds of seeds ( sunflower, flax, melon etc) use dates or honey instead of jaggery.

Ingredients: Makes 10-12 2″ inch bars

1 cup peanut

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup flax seeds

Vanilla extract 1 tsp

1/2 cup jaggery (add more based on your taste)

1 tbsp good quality cocoa powder

On low heat dry roast the peanuts till they are golden brown in color and you start getting the nutty aroma. Next dry roast the almonds. Dry roast the flax seeds till they start crackling. Dry roasting is the key to getting good tasting energy bars. Make sure you roast them on low flame and take care not to burn the nuts.

Next add all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until the mixture comes together. You should be able to make balls which won’t crumble.

Spread the mixture onto a plate and press down with your fingers to even out the surface. Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, make horizontal and vertical cuts.

Refrigerate for a couple of hours. To get the pieces out, invert the contents onto another plate carefully.

 

Sriracha kissed almonds and Avocado sandwich

Sriracha kissed almonds and Avocado sandwich

When two exotic ingredients like Sriracha sauce and avocado get together in a sandwich, you know you cannot go wrong with it. What a treat to your taste buds…. the bold spicy flavor of Sriracha, the nutty taste of almonds and to balance it all, the creamy texture of avocado! Try this for a week end breakfast or an easy mid week dinner. It is perfect!

Ingredients:

1 cup of raw almonds

2 tbsp of Sriracha sauce

1 tbsp of Olive oil

Heat the oil in a small pan. Add the almonds in and gently begin to roast. About halfway through ( 5-6 mins) when the almonds are getting toasty, slowly add in the Sriracha sauce, watching carefully to not drown the nuts in the sauce or they will get too soggy. They just need to get a gentle drizzle of the sauce. Roast for another 5-6 minutes. Let it cool and store it for later use for a multitude of purposes!

For the sandwich, all you need is to mash up some avocado, drizzle salt and pepper. Toast the bread (with butter to a golden brown color is even better!). Spread the avocado evenly onto both slices, slide in the toasted almonds, add some extra fresh pepper if you can take the extra dash of heat. Enjoy!

Ambode/Kadle beLe vade

Ambode(deep-fried chana dal patties) is a quintessential accompaniment in a traditional iyengar meal for any rice dishes like puLiyogre, mango rice etc.I had been planning to make it for a long time but the thought of deep-frying, had been putting me off 😉 With an Ugadi potluck planned, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make this,  with step by step instructions from mom who makes the best ambode!

As with any Indian dish, this can be made with a lot of variations. I personally like to make it with mint. You can also use cilantro, dill (sappsige soppu) if you like the strong aroma, onions can be added( being a tam-brahm, I consider it a sacrilege to add onions to this dish :D). The trick to making crispy ambode is to not let the chana dal  soak longer, one hour of soak time makes the crispiest ambode!

Ingredients : Serves 8-10

3 cups chana dal. (Soak for an hour)

5-6 red chilies ( Use half bydagi and half guntur)

1 packed cup mint leaves, washed and chopped finely.

1 pinch hing

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 table spoons shredded fresh coconut

2 table spoons dry coconut (koppari)

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon ghee (optional but recommended)

3/4 – 1 liter oil for frying

In a blender, finely powder the chilies, fresh and dry coconut. Add turmeric, salt and hing. Next drain the chana dal completely using a sieve and transfer it to the blender. Using the pulse option of the blender, pulse the mixture until the chana dal is coarsely ground. Be sure to not grind to a paste, coarse ground dough adds to the crispiness.

Transfer the contents to a mixing bowl and then add the chopped mint leaves, and ghee. Mix thoroughly.

Make lime size balls out of the dough and keep aside.

When the oil in the frying pan is hot and the stove is on medium heat, take the lime size ball of dough and flatten it out into a patty,  making sure the patty is 1/4″ in thickness. Add about 5-6 patties at a time and fry on both sides till golden brown.  Do not fry them on high heat, this makes the outside get brown while the dough on the inside remains under-cooked.

Serve with a full course of tam-brahm meal ;). It also pairs well with ketchup or mint chutney.

Corn Pakodas

Corn pakodas ( Corn fritters)

Now that winter has arrived and looks like it is here to stay, it’s time to curl up on the couch and start enjoying chai-pakoda inside! There is something about pakodas that no matter what vegetable you put in them, they turn out delicious. Since my kids think corn is the best vegetable ever, I end up making these a lot. This is my mom’s version and is simple, easy to make and will leave you licking your fingers!

Ingredients: Serves 4

3 cups of corn

Cilantro- 1 small bunch

2-3 string sof curry leaves

2-3 green chillies- finely chopped

2” fresh ginger

2 tbsp corn flour

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Method:

If you are using frozen corn, thaw it for an hour or so and drain out the water. Then add salt and cover and cook in the microwave for 2-3 minutes till the corn becomes soft. Again drain out any excess water. In a blender, give the cooked corn a gentle whirr so each one roughly splits into 4 parts. You can do the same in a food processor, but go easy on the blades. The point is you want the dough to be gritty in nature. Add 2-3 tbsp corn flour to make into into a dripping consistency. Then add in the chopped green chillies, chopped curry leaves, cilantroe and a generous dash of fresh grated ginger and salt to taste.

In a frying pan, heat oil and drop in small lobules of the dough. Fry till golden brown.

Serve hot. These golden beauties are best enjoyed with Maggie tom-chi sauce of course!

Corn- Pomegranate Kosambari

Kosambari is a super healthy South Indian side dish that usually uses a raw vegetable (such as cucumber/carrot) and a lentil (moong or chana daal) as it’s main ingredients. It is that crunchy and perfect balance of salt, sour and spice often coming from lemon juice and slit green chillies. Try this unconventional version without the lentil, but with plenty of colored vegetables ( loaded with the much hyped about anti-oxidants), corn for the crunch, pepper for the spice, raw mango for the sour and yes, to a add a twist, pomegranate kernels for sweet! The secret to the whole recipe is chopping all the veggies as tiny and uniform as you can. Considering how healthy and tasty it is, you won’t guilt yourself going for the seconds on this one.

 

Ingredients:

Red, yellow and orange peppers – Finely evenly chopped to corn kernel size

Corn- 1 cup ( Thaw the frozen corn for an hour)

Pomegranate kernels – 1 cup

Raw mango – ½ cup finely chopped

Cilantro, shredded coconut , mustard seeds and oil for garnishing ( optional)

Salt to taste

Fresh ground pepper powder ½ tbsp.

Toss in all the diced veggies, pomegranate seeds, corn and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Splutter ½ tbsp of mustard seeds in ½ tbsp. of oil, Add salt, pepper powder and additional fresh lemon juice if needed. Enjoy your full week’s worth of antioxidants!!

Grilled bellas with Sriracha…aah!!

Grilled bellas with Sriracha…aah!!!

If you tired of seeing fried appetizers at every party ( like me☺)here’s a healthy one to kick start your next party.

Good part about this recipe is, you can use your imagination to create any kind of filling that goes into the mushrooms.

Even better part is this recipe takes the best hot sauce in the world, Sriracha! Just load it up with cheese and the savoury Sriracha sauce and all is golden!.

Ingredients: ( Serves 6-8)

Portobello mushrooms about 4

Topping#1: Tofu (extra firm) 1 block, Spinach 1 cup ,Seasoning ( Italian herb or any generic seasoning)

Topping #2: 1 cup Roasted red peppers, 1 cup chopped onions, toasted pine nuts and handful cilantro

Sriracha hot sauce ( any hot sauce will do, but no sauce tickles your taste buds like this one!!)

Mozzarella cheese 1 cup

Oilve oil spray

Method:

Wash the mushrooms, trim the stem and scoop out the undersurface clean with a spoon. In a pan, sautee the tofu, spinach with the seasoning and salt added. Then, gently fill in the tofu and spinach into the mushroom till the cleaned out brown bed is covered.

Instead you can also lightly sautee finely chopped red bell peppers and onions and load them into the mushroom. You can sprinkle some toasted pine nuts and cilantro too.

If you are feeling lazy (like I was the first time I made them) you can just spray olive oil and then add dollops of sauce directly from the bottle onto the loaded mushroom. If you are in a more energetic mood ( like I was when made them for the second time), using a basting brush to coat a mix of olive oil and hot sauce onto neatly halved mushrooms. Finally top the mushrooms with cheese, generously.

If you are in a hurry, you can directly bake them in the oven at 350 deg for about 30 min. If you happen to have sometime on hand, the better way is to wrap them real tight in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 4 hrs prior to baking. The latter method is better as the toppings have more time to soak in the oil and sauce, adding more flavor. Add a dash of extra Sriracha sauce on the side while serving.

Tip: If your mushrooms leave out a lot of water like mine did, gently soak up the excess water using the ever faithful super absorbent Bounty tissue!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spicy stuffed sweet peppers-Indian style!

What’s not to love about eating healthy oven baked multicolored peppers on a pleasant summer evening with a good group of friends! Add a dash of Indian spices to the anti-oxidant goodness of the peppers and the heart healthy olive oil drizzled on top, and you have a winner. And then there is always the full fat cream cheese version you can make in case you like indulgence!  These delicious small bite size goodies are bound to be a party hit and will leave you craving for more!!

Ingredients:Colored sweet peppers 1 pk – about 30 will make 60 pieces

Fat free cream cheese – 8 oz

1-2 Jalapeno peppers – finely minced

Cumin powder 1 tsp

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Red chilli powder – 1 tsp

Bread crumb powder – 2 tbsp

Olive oil ( spray preferable ). If not, usea basting brush to gently coat the peppers.

Soften the cream cheese by keeping it out of the refrigerator for 30 mins before you start the filling. Add the minced Jalapeno into the softened cream cheese. Fold in the cumin and coriander powder into the cream cheese and set aside.

Slit the peppers lengthwise and de-seed them. Spoon in the spiced cream cheese into the peppers and lay them in rows on a baking sheet. Be careful to not over stuff the peppers and the cream cheese will overflow and melt when heated. Sprinkle bread crumbs generously over the prepared peppers. Drizzle olive oil over the peppers.

The tricky part is to not over cook or under cook the peppers. Start at 250 degrees for 10 mins, then move onto 300 for 10 more mins, watching very carefully so the stuffed cream cheese does not bubble up and spill over. Broil on low for about a minute at the very end.  Serve warm.

 

Roasted bell pepper and egg plant dip

As cliched as it may sound, I am hooked onto the food network channel. A few stolen moments away from my son, my go-to channel is the food network. I watch all shows on the food network even if the recipe is not vegetarian! One of my favorites is the show Barefoot Contessa  by Ina Garten. She makes everything sound easy. Especially with per precise measurement of ingredients, one can hardly go wrong! Today’s recipe is sourced from the food network site. I can go and ahead and just link her recipe here but I will include it here for convenience! This makes an excellent starter especially for large groups of people.

Ingredients : Serves 6-8

Recipe Courtesy : The Barefoot Contessa

2 medium eggplants

1 large onion

1 red bell pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoon tahini sauce

Juice of half a lemon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper ( I substituted regular chili powder)

3 tablespoon chopped parsely ( Can be substituted with cilantro)

1 big clove of garlic

Peel and chop the egg-plant into 1 inch cubes. Chop the onion and bell pepper into 1 inch cubes. In a large bowl, add the vegetables, olive oil, salt, pepper, crushed garlic and chili powder and toss well till all the veggies are coated.

In an oven preheated to 400 F, roast for 35-40 minutes occasionally tossing the veggies around. Once the veggies are soft and are brown in color, pulse it in a food processor or a blender along with the tahini and lemon juice. Adjust salt and pepper. Add the parsley and mix well.

Serve with pita chips.

Handvo : Gujrathi snack

Thanks to the new Gujju aunty that comes home to look after my son, we’ve been able to sample a few Gujarathi dishes. And before you ask me, not all dishes are sweet or jaggery based as is the popular notion!

I instantly fell in love with this dish when aunty brought a sample for us and asked her for the recipe. She mentioned that it is baked in an oven.

Handvo can be made using many different vegetables like doodhi(bottle gourd), spinach, methi leaves. The one that I am making here is with methi leaves.

Ingredients : Serves 4-5

Handvo flour – 1 cup or

Soak 1/2 cup rice and a handful each of toor, urad moong and chana dal and grind to an idli batter consistency.

Methi leaves, chopped and cut 1 cup

Yogurt 1/4 cup

Methi/Fenugreek seeds 1 teaspoon

Garlic grated 1-2 cloves

Green chillies 2-3, finely chopped

Cilnatro chopped 1/2 cup

Oil for tempering 2 tablespoons

Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon

Turmeric 1/4 teaspoon

Sesame seeds 1 tablespoon

Mix the handvo flour with yogurt with little water till it reaches a dropping or idli batter consistency. This should be done the previous night of making the handvo.The next day add the methi leaves, cilantro, salt, garlic, chillies and temper with the mustard and fenugreek seeds.

Pour this batter into a greased pan of your choice and bake at 350F in a pre-heated oven for 15-20 mins or until the top layer turns golden brown in color.

With the broiler on, broil for 2-3 mins keeping a close watch so as to not burn the dish.

Let it cool and then cut into slices. This keeps well for a day outside and 3-4 days in the refirgerated. It heats up in the microware without losing its crispness.

Shankarpouly/Shankarpali

Shankarpouly /  Shankarpali

This was one of our favorite after school snacks that mom made often. Also haapens to be a popular Maharastrian snack. Tastes so good with that evening cup of tea/coffee. Mom and I made it around this Diwali after a really long time… Comes in spicy and salt- n-sweet versions…so take your pick!

Ingredients:

All purpose flour 4 cups

Sooji fine 1 cup

Butter 1 cup/ 2 sticks

Salt to taste

Red Chilli powder 1tsp and pinch of hing (for the spicy version)

Sugar 2tsps (for the sweeter version)

Oil for frying

In a wok, dry roast the maida and sooji for about 5 minutes on a low flame. In a mixing bowl, whip 2 soft sticks of butter until soft. Add salt and sugar or red chilli powder/ hing. Fold in the flour/sooji to the butter into a dough like consistency. Knead the dough well and using a rolling pin flatten it out into a circle, a little thicker than you would for rotis, about 1/4 ” thickness.

Using a pizza cutter make approximately 2×2 cm squares or diamonds and drop them gently into the heated oil in the frying pan. Deep fry until golden brown. Let cool and enjoy with garam chai!

Tip: Knead the dough really well before rolling it out. Take care not to over heat the oil, otherwise the outside will get brown and somewhat burnt and the inside will remain uncooked.