BROWNIES

"Belated happy new year to all of u".

Let me start this post by sharing a good news with u all. We have a new addition in our family now :).YES!!Hubby and me have been blessed with a healthy baby boy on Oct 19th ,2009.We named him Siddharth.He is 3 months old now .Its a joy having him around.Just cant wait for him to show us his new tricks as he grows.

I wanted to make some brownies for a long time now.Everytime for some reason or the other i kept postponing it.I had to share this good news with something sweet.I found no reason to postpone this any further.Just a week back i came across this very interesting brownie recipe.Unlike other brownie recipes this particular one required an unual ingredient - Avocado.Surprised!!!Well i was too and made up my mind to try it out.The result was astounding.Not a trace of avocado but a gooey rich chocolatey nutty taste.Too good to be true.Every chocolate lover has got to try this recipe out.I made some modifications to the original recipe.


INGREDIENTS

All purpose flour - 1/2 cup

Cocoa powder - 1/2 cup

Instant Espresso powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Almonds - 1/2 cup
Cashew nuts - 1/2 cup

Dark chocolate - 3.5 oz

Canola oil - 1/2 cup

Ripe Hass avocado - 1 large

Eggs - 6 nos
Granulated sugar - 1/4 cup

Dark brown sugar - 1 cup

Dried cranberries - 1/4 cup

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 deg F.In a bowl sift together flour,cocoa,espresso pdr and salt.Light roast the nuts and chop them into small pieces.Mix it with the flour and cocoa.Chop chocolate also into small chunks and mix it with the flour and keep aside.In a blender mix together eggs, avocado, sugar, oil to a smooth paste.Now pour this mixture into the bowl with flour and cocoa and slowly mix it using a whisk.

Pour this mixture into a baking dish coated with butter.Pu the cranberries evenly on top. Bake for 30-35 mins.Let it cool completely before cutting.Serve at room temperature.

PALADA PRADHAMAN

Palada pradhaman is one of the traditional payasam of kerala.Its mainly prepared during the festival of onam.Pradhaman is a sweet dish in the form of a thick liquid similar to payasam, but with more variety in terms of ingredients and more elaborately made. It is made with white sugar or jaggery to which milk or coconut milk is added.(Source - wikipedia)

There are various types of pradhamans like jackfruit pradhaman,parippu pradhaman(made with lentils) etc.Here I have prepared Palada pradhaman which is made of flakes of cooked rice, milk, and sugar.

Today being the last day of Recipe Marathon 2 ,i am finishing it with this sweet post.I am very happy that my marathon race was a complete success.Now i can say YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!:).It was really great running with 24 others.Girls we did it!!!INGREDIENTS

Rice ada - 1/4 cup

milk - 3 cups

sugar - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp

cardamam - 3 nos,powdered

Cashews or sliced badam - 2-3 tbsp, toasted

water

METHOD

Cook rice ada in water until they are tender.Drain and keep aside.In a deep vessel mix the cooked ada with 2 cups of milk and bring it to a boil.Keep stirring till the milk is reduced to half.Then add the sugar and stir it till the sugar is dissolved.Now add the remaining milk and bring it to a boil ones more.Simmer until the liquid becomes thick.Garnish with cardamam pdr and nuts.Serve hot.

Do check out how my buddies have finished their marathon!!!

1) DK 2) Srivalli 3) PJ 4) Curry Leaf 5) Medha 6) Priya 7) Bhawna 8) Raaji 9) Ruchii 10)Anu 11) Kamala 12) Roopa13) Divya Kudua 14) Rekha 15) Divya M 16) Lakshmi 17) Raaga 18)Lakshmi Venkatesh 19) Sripriya 20) Viji 21) Pavani 22) Kamalika 23) Karuna 24) Roochi

PRUNE CAKE

When a fresh plum is dried its called a prune.Its sweet and moist and chewy on the inside.Prunes have a lot of health benefits.They contain dietery fiber and so are great remedies for constipation.They are high in antioxidant content.(source-wikipedia)

Its so good and contain no fat that i like to snack on them every now and then.There are various ways to cook with prunes-stewed prunes,prune pie,pune juice etc.But here lets talk about prune cake.

This is my post on Day11 of RM 2 .

(Recipe adapted from here ,slightly modified)

INGREDIENTS

All purpose flour - 2 cups

Brown sugar - 1-1/2 cups

baking soda - 1-1/4 tsp

salt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves - 1 tsp each

Vanilla essence - 1 1/2 tsp

prunes or plums - 1 cup cut

water - 1 cup

vegetable oil - 1/2 cup

Eggs - 3

Nuts - 1 cup chopped

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 deg F.Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Mix well. In a bowl whisk together eggs and sugar until well combined.Add, water,vanilla and oil.Now slowly mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.Do not overmix.Stir in the prunes and nuts.Grease the pan with butter or non stick spray and pour the batter in it.Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. When cool, remove from pan.

Note:-You can see that in my cake the prunes are not distributed evenly.So inorder to evenly distribute it in the cake my cousin Roopa of my kitchen treats gave me a great tip ie to coat the fruits/prunes with half the amount of flour that is reqd for the cake ,so here 1 cup and then stir it in the cake.The cake can be stored in room temp for upto a week and it tastes better after 3-4 days.

See whats happening in these gals blogs...We all running at a great pace!!!

1) DK

2) Siri

3) Srivalli

5)PJ

6)Curry Leaf

7)Medha

8)Priya

9)Bhawna

10)Raaji

11)Ruchii

12)Anu

13)Kamala

14)Roopa

15)Divya Kudua

16)Rekha

17)Divya M

18)Lakshmi

19)Raaga

20)Lakshmi Venkatesh

21)Sripriya

22)Viji

23)Pavani

24)Kamalika

YOUR DISH, NOT MINE - 2

Here are some of the dishes i tried from other blogs.I enjoyed making each and everyone of them. Click on the dish title to view the recipes.

ARUNDATHI's MINI BAKED SAMOSA


We all love samosas!!But as much as i love them i just hated the fact that its fried.So was always on a lookout for a healthier version.Thats when Anu came to my rescue.She gave me her signature baked samosa recipe that was passed onto her mom by her roomate.
How much we enjoyed eating these baked triangular cuties.A baked samosa wont be as soft as a fried one but i can guarantee u the same flavor and taste.It's crunchy with a killer filling .One should definitely try this,its sure a crowd pleaser.Thank u so much anu .

Anu's recipe was for a big batch so i modified a bit to make for just 2 ppl.I also added some

cumin seeds which gave a nice flavor to the crust.Filling recipe is the same,nothing added just changed the quantity to make a small batch.



For the shell
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Butter - 3 - 4 tbsp ,melted
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
water
salt to taste

Filling
potato - 1 medium size
peas - 1/2 cup , cooked
amchur powder - 1/2 tsp
chilli powder - 3/4 tsp
garam masala - 1 tsp
salt, to taste

Roast & Grind:

saunf -1 tbsp
dhania - 1 tbsp
dried red chillies - 2-3
curry leaves - 1 sprig

Mix flour and butter and a little water to make a soft pliable dough. Take small amounts and roll out into circles, cut into halves and make cones.
Mix together all the filling ingredients and fill each cone. Bake @ 350 deg F for 25-30 mts.

SUMA's SHRIKHAND

As i am not very fond of curd i make very less dishes using it .But i do try and make something from it for my hubby as he loves itbut even then half of the yogurt ends up getting fungus.

He hadnt eaten Shrikhand before and so i thought of making it. I had seen suma's shrikhand recipe and was very tempted to make it as her instructions were very simple and it looked damn good.My hubby loved it so much that he asks me to make it everytime we get yogurt now .I am also happy to make it as nothings going waste now.Thank u so much suma.


MADHURAM's GRITS AND DAL ADAI

I had some leftover grits from the Arusuvai that madhu sent me.I wanted to make something different out of it than the regular way americans prepare.When i saw madhu's grits and daal adai recipe,a very creative combination, i made up my mind to make it. I t was so crispy and delicious especially with some tangy onion chutney.Thank u so much madhu for the recipe.We really enjoyed eating it.


Changes i made :-Added some cumin seeds while grinding .




PRIYA's ALOO TIKKI


I have prepared vegetable cutlets many times but never even ones did i make aloo tikkis which are so much easier and less complicated and healthier in terms of oil.
I saw priyas tikkis and her photos were just enough to push me into making it.The taste was even better,I have to say one of the best i have eaten so far.Even my hubby agrees :).Thank u so much priya .

Changes i made :-I added some corn kernels along with peas and 1/2 tsp coriander pdr.



MORE TO COME.....stay tuned :)

BLUEBERRY DUMPLINGS

These blueberry dumplings are totally inspired from Paula's home cooking.Dumplings are "pieces of dough, sometimes filled, that are cooked in liquid " or "sweetened dough wrapped around fruit, such as an apple, baked and served as a dessert.(source - wiki).

Here small balls of sweet dough are slowly cooked in blueberry sauce.Its usually served warm or chilled with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fresh cream.I love to have these just like that too.Its so mouth watering delicious.YUM!!!

I had to make some changes from the original recipe because of the amount of butter.Original recipe can be found here.

INGREDIENTS

All-purpose flour - 1 cup

sugar - 1/2 -3/4 cup + 2 tbsp

baking powder - 1 tsp

Pinch salt

butter- 3-4 tbsp,softened

milk - 1/4 cup

fresh or frozen blueberries - 2 cups

Vanilla essence - 1 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

water - 1 water

METHOD

Stir flour, 2 tbsp sugar, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients, using a pastry cutter or fork. Add milk to form dough. Set dumpling dough aside.
In a large saucepan, combine berries, 1/2 -3/4 cups sugar(according to ur sweetness), vanilla essence and water and bring to a boil. Drop dumplings into hot boiling berries by the tablespoonful. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook slowly for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not remove the lid before 20 minutes has passed, and do not stir dumplings.Add the lemon juice. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Quick n Easy MANGO KULFI

Kulfi is an Indian version of ice-cream which is made just like puddings,by reducing cream until it thickens naturally,then flavoring and freezing it.Unlike western ice creams, which are whipped and filled with air, kulfi is not whipped, it is solid, dense frozen dessert.It comes in various flavours, including pistachio, mango, cardamom etc.
Since the traditional way takes a very long time here is a quick way of making kulfi's.So welcoming on a hot summer day. This is my day 8 post to recipe marathon.

INGREDIENTS

fat free or low fat condensed milk - 1 can(14oz)

fat free evaporated milk - 1 can(12 oz)

light cream - 1 cup

mango pulp - 1-1 1/2 cup

saffron strands - 1/4 tsp

cardamam pdr - 1 tsp

assorted nuts and fruits - 1 cup,coarsely chopped(almonds.cashews,raisins)

METHOD


Warm the saffron strands in a small frying pan over a low heat for abt 30 secs - 1 min.Crush it in a bowl using the back of a spoon .Mix the saffron pdr with rest of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk for about 3-4 mins.Pour in a loaf pan or kulfi molds or popsicle molds and freeze until solid.I used a loaf pan.Ones ready let it rest in room temperature for 10- 15 mins so that its easy to scoop out.Garnish with chopped nuts.serve immediately.

Dont forget to see what my marathon buddies are upto!!!

Siri - Sunshine Punch

Srivalli - Rava Upma

Raaga - soups

Arundathi - Garbanzo Beans

Divya - Chilli bhajji

Dhivya - Rajma Chawal

Swathi - Beer Cocktail

Bhags - mustard sauce

Have a gr8 weekend!!!

BLUEBERRY MUFFIN

A muffin is somewhat like a small cake, and though it does resemble a cupcake, in that they both have cylindrical bases and rounded conical tops, they usually are not as sweet as cupcakes and generally lack frosting.Its a very popular breakfast item in usa.

We love to have muffins ones in a while not for breakfast but as a dessert after a light meal.We usually get muffins from the supermarkets but then they have this intense eggy taste which i hate even though i eat eggs.So i baked some at home that suits to my taste and flavor.My hubby's favorite flavor is blueberry muffins and so thats what i made.

This is my day 1 post for Recipe marathon ,a brilliant and fun idea by siri and dhivya.This is also my entry to the sugar friday-citrus event hosted by helen-tartelette originally started by Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess .

INGREDIENTS

All purpose flour/maida - 2 cups

sugar - 1 cup

baking powder - 1 tsp

baking soda - 1/2 tsp

salt - 1/4 tsp

egg - 1 , slightly beaten

milk - 3/4 cup

yogurt or sour cream - 1/4 cup

oil - 1/4 cup

zest of 1 lemon or orange

blueberry - 1 cup , fresh or frozen(i used frozen)

vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Makes 12 muffins

METHOD

Preheat oven to 400 deg F.Fit the moulds of the muffin tray with paper cups and spray it with non stick vegetable spray and keep it aside. Sift the flour,baking soda,baking powder and salt into a bowl and keep aside.In another bowl whisk together sugar,egg,vanilla essence,milk,lemon zest,yogurt/sour cream and oil until its well blended.Now slowly add in the dry ingredients ,small quantity at a time and mix it just long enough to moisten the dry ingredients.Do not overmix the batter at this point as this will make the muffins tough and chewy.Overmixing will also pop the gas bubbles produced by the leaveners, resulting in flat muffins.

Now using an ice-cream scoop fill in the paper cups with the batter. Fill it up about 3/4th of the way.Place on top or center rack of the oven and bake for 15-20 mins.Prick the center of a muffin and if it comes clean then its done.Its very important not to peep into the oven for the 1st 15 mins as the temperature drops every time you open it.

Let it completely cool before eating it.refrigerate the remaining.

Also check what my marathon buddies are upto in their kitchen:).

Day 3 posts:-

Siri - Fatayer Bisabanikh (Spinach Pastry) Sambosic

Srivalli - Majjiga Mirapakaya/Dahi Mirchi

Swathi - Shimla mirch Paneer Bhurji Paneer stuffed capsicum and potato stuffed capsicum in makhani gravy

Dhivya - Spicy-Roti

Divya Vikram - Sour Cream Corn Cranberry muffins and a Click

Bhags - vegetable Stock

Arundhathi - Grape Jam

Lakshmi- Onion kulcha

Raaga Jackfruit Curry

Day 2 posts:-

Siri - Kosambari

Lakshmi - Coconut Dosa

Srivalli - Home made Sambhar Powder

Raaga - Chickpea Sundal.

Divya vikram - vegetable puffs

Dhivya - Peas Pulao

Swati -Bread Upma

Bhags - Coffee Cake.

Day 1 posts:-

Siri - baked cauliflower with puck's marinara sauce

Bhags -Tomato Shorba.

Dhivya - Bhindi Jaipuri

Swati - Dum Ka Murg Zafrani

Divya Vikram - Peas Kurma

Srivalli - Chicken Semi Gravy

Raaga - Masala Lauki Chana Dal

Lakshmi - Sour Cream Cake

JAMBUL

Jambul is one of my favorite sweets.We used to get it as prasadam from our family temple.Jambul basically means blackberry but "The Jambul" i have prepared here has no connection with the fruit.Its neither used as an ingredient here not does it taste like one.The sweet is called Jambul only because of its oval shape.It's made of rava/sooji,fried and coated with sugar and cardamam.Cardamam brings out the true flavor of the sweet ,without which this sweet is totally incomplete.It is so crispy outside and so soft inside.

This is my entry to the event "Think Spice-Cardamam".

INGREDIENTS

Rava - 1 cup

water - 1 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup

sugar - 1 cup + 2 tbsp

cardamam pdr - 1 tsp + 1 tsp

oil to fry

METHOD

Mix 2 tbsp sugar,1 tsp cardamam pdr in 1 and a half cup water and bring it to a boil.Ones it starts boiling add in the rava stirring it simultaneously, just like when u make upma.Keep stirring until all its liquids evaporates and keep it aside until it cools completely.Make oval shape balls out of it and fry it on a medium flame until its brown in color.Keep it on paper towel to remove the excess oil.

Now to make the syrup.Inorder to get the sugar coating as you see in the photo, the consistency of the syrup is very important.Combine 1 cup of sugar in 1/4 cup of water and bring it to a boil.To check the right consistency of the syrup ones it starts boiling ,take a small amount of it in a spoon and drop it in ice cold water.It should turn solid immediately.The only way of knowing when its the right consistency is to check every now and then.

Ones you get the right consistency remove from flame and immediately add the fried jambul's into the syrup and stir.Add the rest of the cardamam pdr.You will see that as it cools off the syrup crystalised back into sugar leaving each piece with some sugar coating.

POLLYA PHADI

Pollya phadi is a konkani term which literally means "dosa pieces".Its a sweet konkani dish that is great to have as a snack.The dosa batter is made using rosematta rice which brings out the best flavor in the dish.Dosa is made as usual and torn to bite size pieces and combined with a sweet mixture of coconut,jaggery and cardamam powder.This combination is so tasty that one can never stop having it.


INGREDIENTS

FOR DOSA

Rosematta rice-1 cup
coconut shredded- 1/2 cup
salt
FOR THE SWEET MIXTURE

coconut-3/4 cup
jaggery - 1/4 cup (more if u like it sweeter)
cashew nuts-2 tbsp(optional)
cardamam pdr-1 tsp

METHOD

Soak rice for 4-5 hrs.Then grind the rice and coconut separately and combine together in a bowl.Add enough water to make it into a spreadable consistency.Add salt to taste and let it stand for 1 hr.

In the meantime in a separate bowl combine coconut with jaggery.Mix it well together.Then sprinkle with cardamam powder.
Heat a tawa.When it gets hot Pour a ladleful of batter on it and spread it out evenly in a circular motion.When it gets brown on one side flip it and let it cook the other side too.The dosa should be slightly soft and not very crisp. Make about 8-10 dosas and tear it into bite size pieces and drop into the sweet mixture bowl.If the mixture wasnt enough for the dosas made then u can make little more of the sweet mixture and mix into this.Serve it at room temperature. With the remaining batter make dosas and eat with simple chutney or store it in fridge and amke another batch of pollya phadi the next day.

KELLYA AMBAT/SWEET BANANA CURRY

Kellya Ambat is a sweet konkani dish.Along with sweetness it gives a hint of spiciness in ur throat just b4 gulping it:).There are varieties of savoury type ambats .But i have come across only 1 sweet ambat that is made only with banana.As a kid i 1st ate this dish in my local gsb temple during festival times.Even though its sweet it wasserved alongside other savoury curries with rice.But i liked to eat it alone without mixing it with rice or anything.Very easy to make and no complications.

INGREDIENTS

chana dal-1/2 cup
Ripe plantains-4 nos
jaggery-1 cup grated
salt -a pinch
coconut-1 cup
turmeric-1 1/2 tsp
red chillies-4 nos
cashew nuts-few
mustard seeds-1 tsp
cumin seeds/jeera-1 tsp
curry leaves-1 sprig

METHOD
Cook chana dal in a pressure cooker.You have to keep in mind that the dal shouldnt get mashed up and that it maintains its original shape .This my hubby told me:).This gives a nice texture to the dish.The combination of melting bananas and biting dal is unbeatable.
Slit the plantains right in the middle and cut it into 1/2" half moon shape pieces.Cook it along with jaggery in lil bit of water.While cooking jaggery and plantains also oozes out water.Add a pinch of salt.Salt enhances the sweet flavor of the dish.Ones the bananas r cooked add in the dal.
Grind coconut,turmeric and red chillies together smoothly with water and add it to the rest.Dont close the lid after adding the masala as it will curdle.Reduce the flame and let it simmer for 5 mins or so.
Now add the tadka a combination of mustard seeds,jeera and curry leaves. Brown some cashews in some ghee and add to the dish.
Serve it hot or cold with rice or like me have it just like that:).