Lemon vermicelli

Ingredients:

Roasted vermicelli-1.75 cups
Oil-1 tbsp
Peanuts-1/4-1/2 cup
Urad dal-2 tbsp
Cumin seeds-1/2 tbsp
Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Green chillies-5
Curry leaves-10
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Hing-pinch
Lemon-1/2 medium or 1 small

Method:

1. Roast vermicelli on a very small flame till it starts to brown. You can also buy roasted vermicelli.
2. Cover vermicelli with water and boil on a medium flame till soft. Dont overcook because it will turn mushy.
3. Transfer the cooked vermicelli into a colander and run under cold water. This prevents vermicelli from getting sticky. Keep it aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add peanuts. Roast till they start to turn brown.
5. Add urad dal and saute till they start to change the color.
6. Now add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, chillies, hing, turmeric, salt and mix for a minute.
7. Add cooked vermicelli and mix well.
8. Squeeze lemon juice, adjust for salt, mix and turn off the stove.
9. Garnish with corriander and serve it warm.

Honey glazed roasted carrots

Ingredients:

Baby Carrots-15
Butter-1/2 tsp
Honey-1/2 tsp
Salt-to taste
Pepper-to taste
Garlic powder-1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Heat a pan and add carrots. Top it off with butter and cook until soft and crunchy.
2. Add honey, salt, pepper and mix well.
3. Turn off the stove and serve it with salad or eat it just like that as a snack.

Tzatziki sauce

Ingredients:

Cucumber-1
Yogurt-1/2 cup
Salt-to taste
Lemon juice-1 tbsp
Mint/Parsley/Dill-2 tbsp

Method:

1. Whip up yogurt. Add sliced cucumber, chopped mint, lemon, salt and mix.
2. This is a greek recipe and it is usually served with pita and falafel. You could eat it as a side with roti or rice as well.
3. Cucumber has high water content and it cools down your body, much needed in the summer.

South Indian Spinach dal

Ingredients:

To pressure cook:

Spinach-8 oz
Onion-1 big (keep 2 tbsp of chopped onion for tempering)
Toor dal-1.5 cups
Water-3.5 cups

For tempering:

Oil-1.5 tbsp
Cumin seeds-1 tbsp
Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Onion-2 tbsp
Green chillies-6
Garlic-2 big cloves
Ginger-1 in piece
Corriander powder-1.5 tbsp
Red chilly powder-1/2 tsp
Tamarind-lemon size ball
Salt-to taste

Method:

1. Pressure cook dal, spinach and chopped onion with 3.5 cups of water for 7 whistles.

2. Extract tamarind juice by adding 1/2 cup of water and microwaving it for 1.5 min. Keep it aside.

3. Heat oil in a small kadai. Add cumin, mustard seeds and allow them to splutter.

4. Add onion and cook till translucent.

5. Now add green chillies, garlic, ginger and cook till raw smell goes away.

6. Add few spoons of pressure cooked dal to kadai and then add corriander and chilly powder. This will prevent the masalas from sticking it to the pan. Mix well and let it cook for a minute.

7. Now transfer the above mix and tamarind extract to pressure cooked dal and let it cook on medium flame for 2-3 minutes.

8. Serve the delicious dal with roti or rice.

Punjabi kadhi pakora

Ingredients:

For pakora:

Besan-1 cup
Water-3/4 cup
Salt-to taste
Chilly powder-1/2 tsp
Ajwain-1/2 tsp
Baking soda-1/2 tsp

For kadhi:

Sour Yogurt-3 cups
Besan-6 tbsp
Salt-to taste

For tempering:

Ghee-1 tbsp
Curry leaves-20
Hing-pinch
Dry red chillies-4 big
Ginger-2 in piece
Cumin seeds-2 tsp
Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Turmeric-1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds-1/8 tsp

Corriander-to garnish

Method:

For pakora:

1. Take besan in a bowl and mix by adding water slowly. Make sure there are no lumps.
2. Add salt, chilly powder, baking soda and ajwain. Mix well. Keep it aside.
3. Heat oil in a kadai on a medium flame. Test the temperature of the oil by adding little bit of batter. If the batter floats to the top of oil immediately, then the oil is ready.
4. Now make pakoras by adding spoonful of batter into oil. I use hand to do that.
5. Fry till pakora gets brown on both sides. Keep them aside on a blotting paper.

For kadhi:

1. Take yogurt in a bowl and mix it up till smooth. Add besan (remove clumps before for ease) to yogurt and mix it well. Keep it aside.
2. Heat ghee in a big kadai.
3. Add everything listed under tempering and fry till ginger is cooked.
4. Now transfer the yogurt besan mixture to the kadai. Add around 5 cups of water till you get desired consistency. Note that kadhi will get thickened as it heats up. So make it a little diluted than desired.
5. Add salt, red chilly flakes (if kadhi is not spicy enough) and let kadhi reach to boil.
6. Turn off the stove, add corriander leaves and pakora. Let it sit for 30 min for pakora to soak up some liquid. The kadhi become more thick after this. So adjust the consistency before adding pakora.
7. If you dont like soft pakora, you can add them before serving for crunchiness.
8. Enjoy delicious kadhi with rice or roti.

Home made yogurt

Ingredients:

Milk-6 cups
Yogurt-1 tbsp

Method:

1. Boil sufficient amount of milk in either microvave or on stove top.
2. It usually takes 10-15 min to boil 4-6 cups of milk in microwave.
3. Bring it to body temperature. Test the temperature by placing your finger in milk. It usually takes 45 min for 6 cups of milk to cool down.
4. Now add 1 tbsp of yogurt for 6 cups of milk and mix well. The amount of yogurt need not to be exact.
5. Now this is the important step. Place the milk in a warm place for 8-10 hr (overnight). My favorite warm place in the kitchen is oven. Ovens are mostly warm and the temperature is perfect for the formation of yogurt.
6. If you like to use the yogurt for more than a day, store it in refrigerator.
7. Do not let it sit in the oven for long because the yogurt will become sour.
8. When it is this easy to make delicious home made yogurt, why buy it in the store where they add milk powder in the store. Try it today!!

PS: The taste and texture of your yogurt will be similar to that of the culture. So choose the culture wisely.

Oats rava idli

Ingredients:

Oats-1 cup (rolled oats are more healthy)
Sooji or cracked wheat-1/2 cup (cracked wheat is more healthy)
Yogurt-1/4 cup
Water-1 cup
Baking soda-1/2 tsp
Salt-to taste
Grated carrots-1/4 cup (optional)

For Tadka:

Oil-1 tbsp
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Urad dal-1 tbsp
Chana dal-1 tbsp
Green chillies-3
Curry leaves-10
Corriander-2 tbsp
Cashew-10
Ginger-1 in grated
Hing-pinch

Method:

1. Grind oats into powder and keep it aside.
2. Take a pan, heat oil and add cumin, mustard seeds. After they splatter, add urad and chana dal. Fry till golden brown. Now add green chillies, curry leaves, coriander leaves, cashew, ginger, hing and cook for couple of minutes.
3. Add rava or cracked wheat and fry till raw smell goes away.
4. Add oats flour and fry till the mixture turns aromatic.
5. Turn off the stove and transfer into a bowl.
6. Add water, salt, baking soda, yogurt, grated carrot and mix well. Adjust consistency similar to idli batter.
7. Cook in idli stand for 15 min without whistle. For more details on how to make idli, check out my idli post.
8. Serve delicious and healthy oats idli with peanut chutney or sambhar.

Made with instant oats and cracked wheat.

Egg pulusu

Ingredients:

Eggs-5
Onions-2 medium
Tomatoes-2 big
Curry leaves-10
Green chillies-5
Tamarind-lemon size ball
Oil-2 tbsp
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1tsp
Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tbsp
Cumin powder-2 tsp
Corriander powder-2tsp
Salt-to taste
Jaggery-to taste
Corriander-to garnish

Method:

1. Boil 5 eggs, remove the shell, cut them into half lengthwise and keep them aside.
2. Heat a pan and add oil. Add jeera, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds and roast them for few seconds.
3. Add curry leaves and green chillies and saute for few sec.
4. Add onions and cook until translucent.
5. Add ginger garlic paste and cook for a minute.
6. Add tomatoes and cook till mushy.
7. Now add salt, corriander powder, cumin powder and cook for a minute.
8. Add tamarind water along with some more water, jaggery and adjust the consistency.
9. Finally add eggs, corriander and let the curry boil for 2 min.
10. Serve with rice and papad.

Oatmeal blueberry and banana muffins

Ingredients:

Oatmeal-3 cups
Blueberries-1 cup
Bananas-3 large or 5 small
Pitted dates-5
Milk-1/4 cup

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 350 F.
2. Grease your muffin tray and keep it aside. If you use muffin liners, be prepared for them to get stuck to muffins.
3. Blend all the ingredients. For even more healthier option, use rolled oats instead of quick oats.
4. Pour the batter into muffin trays and bake for 25-35 min until the fork comes clean when inserted in the ceter of the muffin.
5. Let them cool on a cooling rack. If you dont have one, cool them from both sides.
6. This recipe makes 12 muffins. Store them in a refrigerator. You can microwave it before eating.
7. These taste different than the regular cupcakes made with all purpose flour. However, these are very healthy and delicious too. You can make modifications by adding walnuts or more dates etc according to your taste.

Spicy lentil burgers

Ingredients:

Dry brown lentils-1 cup
Onion-1
Scallions-3
Whole wheat flour-2 tbsp
Chilly powder-1/2 tsp
Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
Salt-to taste
Ketchup-1 tbsp

Method:

1. Wash lentils and cook with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker till you get 4-5 whistles.
2. Finely chop onion and scallions.
3. Mash the lentils and combine all the ingredients together.
4. Refrigerate for an hour if you have time otherwise proceed as it is.
5. Make 8 burgers and bake them on a parchment paper at 400F for 15-30 min. The time varies depending on the oven and the moisture present in the mix.
6. You can freeze them once the burgers cool down. Reheat on a pan or in an oven. Serve with whole wheat bread or burger bun and all your favorite burger toppings.

Whole wheat pizza dough

Ingredients:


Whole wheat flour-2 cups
All purpose flour-1.5 cups
Active dry yeast-1 tbsp
Water-1 cup
Sugar-1 tsp
Oil-1 tbsp
Salt-1 tsp

Method:


1. Heat water to 40C (luke warm).
2. Add sugar and yeast. Mix slightly. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes until foamy.
3. In a big bowl, add whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, salt, oil and mix.
4. Now slowly add foamy mixture and knead until soft. Adjust consistency with water or additional flour if necessary.
5. Place the dough in an oily bowl and cover with either a wet cloth or a plastic wrap.
6. Let it rise for an hour. The dough should double up by now.
7. At this point, you can continue to proceed to make pizza or cut the dough into 3 pieces and store in freezer/refrigerator for future use.
8. If you are continuing to make pizza, follow the instructions below.
9. Pre-heat the oven along with the baking pan to 450F.
10. Take a part of the dough and knead it into a ball. Let it rise for another 45 min.
11. Now roll it into a 1/4 in thick circle using a rolling pin.
12. Bake the pizza base on parchment paper for 10 min.
13. Take the pizza base out and spread pizza sauce on it. Add your favorite toppings along with cheese and bake for another 15 min or till crispy.
14. Sprinkle some salt, red chilly flakes and garlic powder before serving.
15. If you like to store it, loosely wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and place it in a ziplock. You can store it in refrigerator for upto 3 days or in freezer for upto 3 months.
16. If you store the dough in refrigerator, take it out and let it stand at room temperature for 30 min before rolling it out. If the dough is in freezer, let it thaw in refrigerator overnight.

Update:

1. I used all purpose flour instead of whole wheat flour.
2. Kneaded for 10 min.
3. Instead of 450F, I used 500F. It totally depends on the oven.
4. Slow second rise in the fridge for one whole day gave better crust. Place the dough at room temperature 2 hr before you make pizza.
5. Instead of rolling with pin, spread the dough with fingers.
6. Finely chopped vegetables (2 jalapenos, half capsicum) tasted much better. You can spread them evenly in this case.
7. Dont cook the base by itslef. Instead, I baked final assembled pizza for 16 min at 500F on a pre-heat surface.

Poha Chivda

Ingredients:

Oil-5 tbsp
Peanuts-1 cup
Green chillies-10 small
Jeera-1 tbsp
Corriander seeds-1 tbsp
Sesame seeds-1 tbsp
Salt-1 tbsp
Turmeric-3/4 tbsp
Poha-11 cups
Roasted chana dal-1/2 cup
Sugar-1 tsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a big kadai. Add peanuts and roast them on a small flame till slightly brown.
2. Add green chillies, jeera, sesame seeds, corriander seeds, salt and turmeric. Mix well until salt dissolves and the chillies are dry.
3. Now add poha and mix it well with the ingredients on a very small flame.
4. Once you mix it well, add roasted chana dal and keep mixing. I turn the kadai while mixing to ensure even mix.
5. Poha may burn if you let it sit without mixing.
6. Continue to mix on a very small flame until poha and chana dal become crispy.
7. Add sugar and give it a stir.
8. Turn off the stove and let it cool completely before transfering into an airtight container.

Baked Sweet potato fries

Ingredients:



Sweet potatoes-2 large
Oil/Ghee-1 tbsp
Salt-1/4 tsp
Chilly powder-1/2 tsp
Garlic powder-1/2 tsp
Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
Black pepper-1/2 tsp
Chat masala-1/2 tsp

Method:



1. Pre-heat oven to 400F.
2. Peel off sweet potatoes. Cut them lengthwise into 2.5 in long thin slices.
3. Place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Add oil, spices to sweet potato slices and mix them well.
5. Bake for 15 min at 400F and for 5 min at 450F. The time will depend from oven to oven so keep an eye on it to prevent fries from burning.
6. Serve healthy baked sweet potato fries hot and crispy with ketchup or you can eat them as it is.

Nutella french toast

Ingredients:

Eggs-2
Milk-3/4 cup
Cinnamon-1/4 tsp
Vanilla-1/2 tsp
Nutmeg-1/4 tsp
Bread-4 slices
Nutella-2 tsp
Butter-to toast

Method:

1. Beat eggs in a bowl. Add milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and mix well.
2. Heat a pan, add butter. Dip bread slices one by one in the above egg-milk mixture and toast on medium flame until both sides are brown.
3. Spread nutella on one slice, top off with an other slice.
4. Cut it into two triangles and serve with your favorite fruit.

Avocado date smoothie

Ingredients:

Avocado-1/2
Dates-4
Blueberries-1/2 cup
Milk-1/2 cup
Coconut water-1/2 cup
Ice-1 cube (optional)

Method:

Blend all ingredients and enjoy!

Besan Pitla

Ingredients:

Besan-1/2 cup
Water-1 cup+more
Oil-1 tbsp
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-10
Hing-pinch
Ginger garlic paste-1 tsp
Green chillies-4
Onions-1
Turmeric-pinch
Salt-to taste

Method:

1. Add water to besan and mix until smooth.
2. In a pan heat oil, add cumin and mustard seeds.
3. After they splatter, add hing, curry leaves, ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell of garlic goes away.
4. Now add green chillies, onions and cook till translucent.
5. Add salt, besan and mix properly. Add more water according to your consistency and let it boil.
6. Note that the curry becomes really thick as you heat so add more water as you need.
7. Cook till the raw smell of besan goes away.
8. Garnish with lemon and corriander. Serve with rice or roti.

Blueberry Oatmeal

Ingredients:

Whole milk-2 cups
Oatmeal-1 cup
Brown sugar-1 tbsp or more
Cinnamon-1/4 tsp
Bluberries-1 cup

Method:

1. Bring milk to boil in a sauce pan.
2. Add oats and boil until cooked.
3. Add brown sugar and cinnamon and mix properly.
4. Add blueberries and cook for 30 sec.
5. Serve this tasty and healthy breakfast warm.