Eggless Date Cake (Butterless too)

Surprised by the title? You read it right...This cake has NO EGG AND NO BUTTER ( not even a drop) And the taste? It was soo soft, spongy and absolutely delicious that I couldn't believe that it was eggless.

This is my first post for Blog-Hop Wednesdays started by Radhika of Tickling Palates. And I was paired with Nagashree of Sattvaa. Actually this post was supposed to be posted on Wednesday, but sadly I couldn't. I got too busy past few days with my 5 month old baby being unwell with flu, guests visiting us and with packing and what not...Moving is always a big hassle (specially moving countries) and what with a naughty toddler and a24/7 attention seeking baby at home....things get even messier. We have just 2 more weeks left in UK :( I am sad because we are leaving Oxford and also because I have so much packing to do yet.

Anyways coming to today's post I was going through Nagashree's blog and found so many regional dishes and was wondering what to cook, and then our neighbor from Saudi Arabia gave us huge box of dates. And I knew I had to finish those dates within few weeks, before we leave and as I am too much in baking mood these days I decided to bake this Date Cake from her space, which she had followed from here. And I am really glad I baked this cake. My family just loved it. I will definitely bake it again and I am planning to bake in a loaf pan next time like this banana bread.




EGGLESS DATE CAKE

Ingredients:

20-25 pitted Dates
1 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup All purpose flour/Maida
1 tsp baking soda and
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Method:

Soak the pitted Dates in 1 cup of milk overnight or if you don't have time soak them in warm milk for 3-4 hours. Preheat oven to 350 F / 176 C . Grease and line the bottom of a cake pan and set aside.

In a blender blend together the dates, milk and sugar to a smooth paste.Sift the dry ingredients- Flour and baking soda and set aside. In a wide mouthed bowl add the smooth paste from the blender and now add the cooking oil/vegetable oil. Slowly add the dry ingredients to this and mix with a spatula/spoon until well incorporated or use a hand mixer for 1-2 minutes to mix everything well. Stir in the chopped nuts.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Once out of the oven, cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Serve it just plain with tea or you can serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream for dessert.



Sending this to Blog- Hop 18

Peanut Butter Cookies

While growing up in India, I had never heard or tasted peanut butter. But I am sure many people back home know about it now.The first time I saw it was in America. And I guess Americans love peanut butter..I used to see people rave about it and PBJ (Peanut Butter and Jelly) is a favorite sandwich among most children in USA. And even my son (and me too) love PBJ sandwich now. And if you are wondering how it is made, then let me tell explain -Its just a Layer of peanut butter on one slice topped with another slice and you spread a layer of strawberry jam on that second slice and lastly cover with another slice of bread. Doesn't it sound easy ? and Its Yummy too..when you bite a slice of this sandwich, you can taste the sweet jam and the nutty and salty peanut butter and all you will say is yummmm.

And also peanut butter cookies are very famous there. Like I said, people there love anything and everything with peanut butter in it. It had been a long time since I baked them, so baked these and also made some chocolate fudge few weeks back to take along while visiting our cousins here. And I was so glad to know that they loved it. If you are a peanut butter lover like me, then this is a must try recipe for you .




PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
source - Joy of Baking

Ingredients:

3/4 cup(170 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature,
1/2 cup granulated white sugar,
1/2 cup light brown sugar,
1 large egg,
1 tsp vanilla extract,
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter,
2 cups all purpose flour,
1/2 tsp baking soda and
1/4 tsp salt.




Method:

Using a hand mixer, beat the butter in a bowl until smooth and fluffy. To this add the granulated sugar and light brown sugar and beat for around 2-3 minutes. Now, add the smooth peanut butter to this and beat until incorporated. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again to mix.

In a separate bowl, sieve together the dry ingredients - flour, salt and baking soda and add this to the above mixture and beat on low speed until everything in mixed well and forms into a dough. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F / 177 C and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into small balls (around 1 inch) and place them on the baking sheet. Now dip the tines of a fork in granulated sugar or flour and make the criss-cross patterns on them.

Bake for 10- 12 minutes or until you see the cookies turning light brown on the edges. Once out of the oven, cool on an oven rack and store in an air tight container.



Notes:

Keeping in refrigerator is not needed if you want crispy cookies. Because keeping the dough in the refrigerator will give you soft and chewy cookies. And by not refrigerating it, the dough will spread more and will yield you flat and crispy cookies.

If you want you can add finely chopped peanuts or chocolate chip cookies to the dough after adding the dry ingredients. Or you can use crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth.

And when you place them on the baking sheet place them 1-2 inches apart because they spread while baking.

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

The weather here in UK is soo sunny and bright these days and I am loving this lovely weather and enjoying it to the fullest and thus not getting much time to post regularly and also for blog hopping.

And today's post was in drafts from more than 2 months ago..finally it got some attention and light today :)

Bruschetta pronounced as brusˈketta is an easy an eye-catching appetizer from the country of Italy. There are many variations for the toppings but, I make it this way-which is easy and ready in few minutes, and also need very few ingredients.

TOMATO AND BASIL BRUSCHETTA

Ingredients:
1 loaf Ciabatta bread or any other hard crust bread,
2-3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil,
2-3 cloves of garlic,
5-6 ripe plum tomatoes,
few basil leaves ,
1/4 tsp pepper powder andsalt to taste.

Method:
De-seed and chop the tomatoes into small cube and chop the basil leaves finely. In a bowl, mix the chopped tomatoes and basil leaves with salt and pepper powder and also add 1/2 tbsp of olive oil to it. Mix well and keep aside.

Slice the bread into 1"inch in thickness. Rub the slices with garlic clove ad drizzle some olive oil on the slices and toast them in an oven or over a griddle(tawa) until they turn crispy and light brown in colour. Spoon the tomato and basil mixture on the toasted slices and serve as an appetizer or a snack.

Variations: If you like your tomato topping to be soft and juicy, add some boiling water to the chopped tomatoes and mash slightly.
And if you want to make it more appealing, you can bake the slices after adding the topping and some grated cheese on top.

Note:
Traditionally Ciabatta bread loaf is used for Bruschetta, but one can use any Italian bread or any bread that has a hard crust.
Make sure the tomatoes used are ripe and red in colour,

Cajun Potatoes- Spicy Potato Wedges

This is for those who love spicy food. When I say spicy , I mean really really spicy. I made these the other day coz it needs only few ingredients and gets ready in few minutes and was perfect to munch as evening snacks and more importantly I had too many potatoes at who which were going bad :) But..it was tooooo spicy for me to handle..thought my husband loved them and relished these wedges coz he loves spicy(very very spicy ) food. Actually the ingredients given below are for a milder version. But if you are using really hot chilli powder, you can reduce or increase the chilli powder quantity according your your tastes.

SPICY POTATO WEDGES

Ingredients:
5-6 potatoes,
1 tbsp of olive oil,
1/2 tsp red chilli powder,
1/4 tsp crushed peppercorns,
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes,
1/4 tsp Oregano,
1/4 tsp thyme,
1/2 tbsp lemon juice and
salt to taste

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200° C. Wash and cut the potatoes into wedges along with the skin. In a bowl, mix all the other ingredients: chilli powder, chilli flakes, peppercorns,salt, oregano and thyme with olive oil . Add the wedges to this marinade and mix well to coat evenly. and keep aside for 10-15 minutes. Places these marinated potato wedges in an oven tray and bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked. Make sure to baste them with some olive oil or butter in between and to frequently turn them. Sprinkle lemon juice on the wedges and serve with tomato ketchup or any of your favorite dip.
Note:
I making this for kids, please reduce the quantity of the chilli powder and chilli flakes.
I used olive oil for basting the wedges in between. But butter or vegetable oil can also be used.

Chicken Shawarma

Shawarma, originally a middle eastern fast-food has also become a famous food in many cities of India. Tradionally Shawarma is made using meat, beef or chicken and grilled on a rotating spit, and then, thin slices are cut from the spit and used as a filling for wraps.

And this recipe below, is soo soo easy to prepare and tasted very yummy. I have made few changes in this recipe to suit our taste buds :) and here I used Pita bread for filling the chicken shawarma, but it can be wrapped in a tortilla wrap or home made roti/ chapathi.


CHICKEN SHAWARMA
-slightly adapted from 'Middle Eastern Cookbook' by Maria Khalife

Ingredients:
500 gram boneless chicken breast,
1 large Onion- chopped finely,
3 garlic cloves-chopped,
1/4 cup vegetable oil,
1/4 cup lemon juice,
1/4 tsp ground cloves,
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder,
1/2 tsp red chilli powder,
1/4 tsp white pepper powder,
1/4 tsp Sumac and
1/4 tsp oregano.

For Serving:
Pita Bread,Garlic dip,
Salad and
French fries.
Method:
Cut the chicken into julienne Strips. In a bowl, mix all the other ingredients, add the chicken and mix well to coat the chicken completely with the spices. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.Preheat the oven to 200° C ? 400°F. Place the chicken with its marinade in an oven proof dish and cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
Serve with pita bread, salad, garlic dip and french fries.
For Garlic dip:
Pound 6-7 cloves of garlic with 1/2 tsp salt to a smooth paste. In another bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil. Gradually add this to this garlic, blending it to obtain a fluid with consistency of mayonnaise. Mix 1 -tbsp of mayonnaise if required.

Notes:
Instead of pita bread, one can fill the chicken in tortilla wraps or a plain Indian chapati can also be used to fill this chicken.
And instead of vegetable oil , olive oil can be used in the marinade.

Paneer Tikka

Soft Indian cheese and veggies marinated in Indian spices and grilled . Yes !!I am talking about Paneer Tikka- a famous Indian starter, which is easy and quick to make and great for parties and potlucks. And its a favorite of Indian vegetarians and also the best alternative of Chicken tikka.

I started making this only few months back and I have fallen in love with this low fat appetizer. And my family loves it too. My kiddo calls it chicken cube :) believe me its so easy and tastes yummy and even those people whole don't like paneer will be tempted to eat this.

I have used hung yogurt in this use, this helps in coating the marinade evenly. But store bought thick yogurt can also be used. And if you want your tikkas to have that red tandoori look, a pinch of red food colour can be added to the marinade. So, without further ado, lets move on to the recipe.

PANEER TIKKA
Ingredients:
300 grams of Paneer,
1 large onion,
1 green bell pepper,
1 red bell pepper,
1 yellow bell pepper,1 cup thick yogurt,
1 tsp ginger paste,
1 tsp garlic paste,
1 tsp red chilli powder,1/2 tsp of garam masala powder,a pinch of turmeric powder,
1/2 tsp cumin powder,
1/2 tsp amchoor(dry mango)powder(optional),
1/2 tsp Kasoori methi(optional),
1/4 tsp of pepper powder and
salt to taste.

Method:
Cut the Paneer into 1 inch cubes. Cut the onion into into big cubes, deseed and cut the bell peppers into 1" inch peices. In a bowl, mix the yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste with all the dry spices and mix well. Now add the cubed paneer and all the veggies to this paste and mix well and make sure that the marinade coats all the veggies.Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Arrange the marinated paneer and veggies on a skewer and grill or if using an oven use broil mode or the highest temperature of your oven. Grill for 10- 15 minutes, turning the skewer in between and brush with some oil, to retain its softness.
Paneer Tikka can be served on a bed of lettuce with some veggies or arrange them on toothpicks for individual serving.

Notes:
If using wooden skewers, soak them for 6-7 hours or overnight in water to prevent them from burning.

Bread Chaat

Today's post is an easy breezy chaat. Who doesn't love chaats.....I am sure everyone have many fond memories of eating roadside chaats with friends and family. Be it the yummy and tangy Pani poori/ gol guppa or crunchy and crispy bhel poori or spicy and delicious masala poori. I am a big fan of all these chaats and even now, just writing these names makes me drool :D And one more chaat which I always make at home is this easy bread chaat. I was first introduced to this chaat by my mom-in law, when she had made this chaat for a party, where I had invited 25-30 people. And this chaat pleased all the guests present in that party. Even now, when I make this eye catching chaat for my parties, the guests get so impressed and pleased.
And also this chat is a easy and healthy alternative for dahi vada. Because there is no deep fried vadas is this chaat.....The star ingredient in this chaat is Tamarind chutney. If you make the chutney earlier or a day before and keep it handy, it will hardly take 15 minutes to assemble this chaat. So, this bread chaat can be served an easy appetizer for parties or potlucks or any other special occasions and believe me your guest will go gaga over it :-)

BREAD CHAAT
Ingredients:
10 bread slices,
1/2 cup milk,
500 grams yogurt,
1 tsp chaat masala,
1/2 tsp red chilli powder,1 carrot-grated,
a pinch of salt and
Tamarind chutney.

Method:
With a sharp knife cut the crust(sides) of the bread slices and fold them into triangle or cut them into triangles. Arrange them in a tray or a deep bowl(see the pic). Pour the milk in a bowl.Now take each triangle of the bread and dip it in the milk(just to moisten it a bit) and keep it back in the tray.
In another bowl, beat the yogurt, 1/2 tsp of chaat masala and a pinch of salt to a smooth paste using a spoon or fork. And pour this yogurt mixture over the bread slices evenly. decorate with grated carrot, remaining chaat masala, red chilli powder and tamarind chutney. Voila !! A delicious and mouthwatering chaat is ready.

Note:
Instead of dipping the bread in the milk to moisten them, you can sprinkle some milk directly on the bread slices arranged in the tray.
Sprinkling some khara sev or spicy boondi on this chaat will make it more appealing and will add a little crunchiness to this bread chaat.If using either of these, sprinkle it on the chaat, just before serving.
HOME MADE TAMARIND CHUTNEY

Ingredients:
100 grams dry tamarind,
200 grams of Jaggery or brown sugar,
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds,
1/2 tsp of cumin powder,
1 tsp of red chilli powder,
a pinch of salt and
1/4 tsp of chaat masala or black salt.

Method:
Soak the tamarind in a bowl with a glass of hot water. Cover the bowl and keep aside for 30 -45 minutes. Make a thick extract of the pulp. Bring the tamarind pulp to a boil in a saucepan with the jaggery. Cook on slow flame till it thickens. Add the remaining ingredients- cumin seeds, cumin powder, chaat masala ,chilli powder and a pinch of salt and cook for further 5 minute.Switch off the flame and keep aside to cool completely.

Note :
2-4 dates can also be added while cooking this chutney, to make it more thicker.
Jaggery can be substituted with brown sugar.

I am sending this mouthwatering chaat to Niloufer's Twenty-20 Cooking Event . And As I have used cumin seeds in the Tamarind chutney I am sending this to Cooking with Seeds -Cumin Seeds hosted this month at SARA'S CORNER, event by Priya of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes. And finally to Think Spice- Think Tamarind hosted this month by PJ of Seduce your Tastebuds, event by Sunitha of Sunitha's World.

Bhel puri

Bhel puri is a roadside popular chat/ snack in India. Though Pani poori/ Gol gappa is more famous than this chat...kids always prefer this yummy chat. As a kid I always preferred this more than Pani poori, the reason being that to eat pani poori, one has to gobble the whole poori at one time :-) and being a kid, it was hard for me to do that :) So, whenever my family would go out to eat Chat, I always preferred to order bhel puri. In the meantime, I have also learned to gobble the whole puri of pani puri now :) Now, I love both the chats equally.
Anyways, coming to the recipe...it has different variation in different parts of India. Some people like to add boiled and cubed potatoes into it, and some even add raw mango to it....one can try any variation a per their preferences..here is how I do mine.

BHEL PURI

Ingredients:
3 cups of puffed rice,
1/2 cup of roasted peanuts,
1 finely chopped onion,
1/2 cucumber-peeled and finely chopped,
1 tomato-de-seeded and finely chopped,
1 carrot-peeled and grated,
1 tbsp of chat masala,
1/2 cup of Sev,
1 tsp of lemon/lime juice,
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves,
2-3 tbsp of tamarind chutney,
1 tbsp of spicy green chutney and
salt to taste.
Method:
In a large bowl put the puffed rice, chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, cucumber,roasted peanuts, grated carrot, half of the sev and mix well. Now add the chat masala, a pinch of salt, 1 tbsp of green chutney, 2 tbsp of tamarind chutney, finely chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice. garnish with e remaining sev and tamarind chutney.Mix the ingredients and serve immediately. If prepared in advance, the puffed rice will become soft and soggy so, mix the ingredients together, just before serving.

Pasteis de Nata / Portuguese custard tarts

Pasteis de nata are traditional Portuguese custard tarts. They are also known as pastel de nata. To know more about these delicious beauties , read here. I found them very easy to prepare and very yummy. My 2 1/2 year old son didn't even wait till they cooled :) he gobbled some tarts, even before I could take any pics. I was left with only few tarts to take the pic. Believe me, when I say they were yummilicious and I bet, no one can stop at only 1 tart :)

PASTEIS DE NATA / PORTUGUESE CUSTARD TARTS

Ingredients:
1 package of puff pastry sheets,
4 egg yolks,
1 1/2 cups of whole milk,
1 tsp of vanilla essence
3-4 tbsp cornstarch/cornflour,
1/2 cup of sugar,
1 tbsp of orange rind and
a pinch of nutmeg powder.

Method:
Thaw the puff pastry sheets. Heat the oven to 170º C. To make the custard- Put the milk in a sauce pan and heat it on a low flame. Whisk the egg yolks with sugar and vanilla essence till the sugar is well blended with the milk. In another bowl, take some cold milk and add the corn starch to it and mix until there are no lumps in it, keep aside. Slowly add the egg yolks and sugar to the milk and stir it...make sure to boil the milk on low flame. When it starts boiling, add the cornstarch mix to the milk slowly, away from the heat and stirring it with the other hand. Now return the pan back to the flame and cook on low heat till the custard thickens. remove from heat and cool completely.
Lightly grease the muffin cups. Roll the puff pastry sheet and using a cookie cutter, cut circles big enough to cover the bottom and sides of the muffin cups. gentle place each circle into the muffin cups and press on all the sides and make sure there are no air pockets. Pour the prepared custard into the shells and bake for 20-30 minutes or until you the shells and the filling is lightly brown on the top.
Serve it warm or after it cools with a cup of hot tea / coffee or as a quick and yummy dessert after the dinner. Enjoy !

Note: You can even bake the puff pastry shells for 8-10 minutes, before pouring the custard to ensure that the pastry is not uncooked. If doing so, line the puff pastry in the cups with parchment paper and put some raw(dry) baking beans or some rice in to parchment paper to prevent the puff pastry from rising. Remove the beans/ rice and the parchment paper and fill with the prepared custard and bake as mentioned above.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

I am sending this to AWED- Potuguese hosted this month by Priya of Priya's Easy and tasty recipes and event started by DK of Chef In You.

Pazham pori /Ripe Plantain fritters

Pazham pori -a very popular snack of Kerala,India. This popular snack reminds me of my summer holidays when we used to visit our grandmother and aunts in Kerala and we were pampered with yummy treats and snacks.As a child I would eagerly wait for tea time to taste this yummy snack which my grand mother or my aunts would make. Its easy to prepare and tastes very yummy.

PAZHAM PORI

Ingredients:
2 ripe plantains,
1 cup of maida /all purpose flour,
2 tbsp of rice flour,
3-4 tbsp of sugar,
1/4 tsp of baking soda,
a pinch of salt and
oil for frying.

Method:
Cut the plantains into half and then with each half cut 3-4 thin slices lengthwise. In a bowl, make a batter with all purpose flour, rice flour, baking soda, sugar and salt. Heat oil in a frying pan, dip the plantains in the batter and coat hem with it, deep fry 2-3 pieces at a time until crisp and golden brown. Remove and place the fritters on a paper towel to drain excess oil. Serve hot as a snack with tea/coffee.

And now its award time :) :) I am delighted to receive these awards from friends.

Sunitha and Namitha of Collaborative Curry have passed this lovely 'beautiful blogger' award. Thank you so much dearies for the award. I love your blog and the yummy and authentic Kerala cuisines you post.


I would love to pass this award to few of my blogger friends.

Duchess of Rose Tea Cottage,
Vinolia of Akal's Saappadu,
Shabeena of Shab's Cuisine ,
Ally of What's Cooking today ,
Dolly of Curry and beyond ,
Viki of Viki's kitchen and
Ayesha of Life Today.

And Devi of Devi's blog and Renuka of Love of Cooking have nominated me for this 'Kreative blogger' award. Thank you Devi and Renuka for thinking of me :)

Rules for accepting this award:


1) Thank the person giving the award
2) Copy the award to your blog
3) Place a link to their blog
4) Name 7 things people don't know about you
5) Nominate 7 bloggers
6) Place a link to those bloggers
7) Leave a comment letting those bloggers know about the award

I had already posted the 7 things about me before. You can see it here.

I am nominating the below bloggers for his award.
Siddhi of Cooked Dil Se ,
Priya john of These are a few of my favorite things ,
Asha of ASRA ASHAON KA ,
Malar of Malar's cuisine ,
Saju Sharfu of The Novice kitchen ,
Ushnish Ghosh of Cooking and recipes and
Kanchan of Kitchen gossip.

Bread rolls

BREAD ROLLS

Ingredients:
6 large bread slices,
2 boiled, peeled and mashed potatoes,
1 finely chopped onion,
1 finely chopped green chilli (optional),
1/4 tsp red chilli powder,
1/4 tsp cumin powder,
1/4 tsp amchur/dry mango powder,
1/4 cup finely chopped coriander leaves,
salt and pepper to taste and
oil for deep frying.

Method:
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and add the chopped onions to it. Saute the onion until they turn light brown. Add green chillies if using and saute for few minutes. Add all the dry spices- chilli powder, cumin powder and Amchur powder. And immediately add the mashes potatoes, some salt and chopped coriander leaves and mix everything well. Set aside to cool, when it cools make 6 small balls with this mixture and keep aside.
Dip a bread slice in a bowl of water and remove immediately. Squeeze the slice between both palms to remove excess water. Place a small ball of the potato mixture in the center and fold both the sides inwards, like one does for spring rolls. Roll the other corners and seal it by pinching it, do the same with the rest of the slices and deep fry them in hot oil until they turn crisp and golden brown. Serve hot with ketchup or any chutney.

Note:
Instead of dipping the bread slice in water, one can even sprinkle some water on the slices to make them soft.
This can be made to any shape-round, oval or oblong..Just make sure that the potato mixture is completely covered with the bread.

This goes to EC's WYF:Tea time snacks event.

Falafel and dip

FALAFEL

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup dry shelled broad beans/ Fava beans,
1 1/2 cup of Chickpeas - soaked overnight,
4 tbsp each of- mint,Parsley and coriander leaves(chopped),
3-4 cloves of garlic,
1 medium sized onion,
1 1/2 tsp cumin,
1/2 tsp of cayenne,
1 tsp of sesame seeds(optional)
1 tsp of bicarbonate soda,
1 tsp coriander seeds,
oil for deep frying and
salt to taste.

For the dip:
1/2 cup of yogurt,
1/2 cup of tahini,
1/2 cup of lemon juice,
1 cup of water and
1 tsp of salt.

Method:
In a food processor, place the chickpeas,broad beans,chopped coriander leaves, parsley, mint, garlic, onion, cumin, coriander, cayenne and salt. Process to a firm paste..Transfer to a bowl, and add the soda and sesame seeds if using.Knead this paste to mix everything thoroughly and let rest for 1 hour.
Meanwhile make the dip by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
Heat the oil in a kadai/frying pan. Make small walnut sized balls with the paste an flatten a little bit and deep fry on medium heat, until light brown or for 5-6 minutes. Drain them on a paper towel. Serve hot with tahini dip or use as a filling inside pita bread to make a sandwich. Enjoy :)

I am sending this over to Joy from fasting to feasting(season II) hosted by Lubna of Yummy Food and Yasmeen of Health Nut and to My Legumes Love Affair 15 guest hosted this month by Sia of Monsoon spice and event by Susan.

Fruit kababs

While living in US, I had subscribed to many parenting magazines after my son was born. Among them, 2 were my favorite magazines- AMERICAN BABY and PARENTS magazine. I had seen these fruit kabobs in one of those magazines, unfortunately I don't remember which one :( And I just loved the way they were arranged. It looked sooo appealing and tempting.So, wanted to try those fruit kabobs. And here I am with them :)

The fruit kabobs can be arranged in many many ways. Anything on the skewers looks appealing to the kids...Its all about making it fun for them. And yeah..we all know that no other snack can be more healthier than fruits for the kids :)

1. Apple and peaches on stick: Cut peaches and Apples and arrange them on the skewers alternatively.

2. Banana Bites: Dip chunks of bananas in yogurt first, then skewer. Roll the bananas in sprinkle. One can even lift the fiber factor by rolling the bananas in crushed granola instead of sprinkles.

3.Marshmallow Surprise: skewer strawberries and marshmallows . Put some chocolate sauce in a zip lock bag. clip off a tiny corner and drizzle designs onto marshmallows.

4.Double Melon: Marinate Cantaloupe and honeydew melon in a mixture of lime juice and brown sugar. Cut out fun shapes with cookie cutter.

I am sending this to Divya's CFK-Evening snacks event started by Sharmi of Neivedyam.

Poha Chidva / Chudva

POHA CHUDVA

Ingredients:
1 cup rice flakes / Poha,
1 tbsp peanuts,
1 tbsp cashewnuts - broken,
1 tbsp roasted channa dal / Daliya,
2 green chillies- thinly sliced,
few curry leaves- chopped,
1/4 tsp turmeric powder,
1/2 tsp sugar,
1/4 tsp salt and
1 tbsp oil

Method:
Place the Poha in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes and keep this aside. Heat the oil in a pan, add curry leaves and green chillies and saute for few minutes untill they become crisp. Now add groundnuts, daliya and cashewnuts and cook for 1 -2 minutes on low flame stirring continuously. Add turmeric powder and mix well. Now add the rice flakes /poha and salt and mix well to blend it with other ingredients or till it turns yellow in colour. Cook for another 2 minutes or until the rice flakes become crisp. Turn off the stove and sprinkle with the sugar.
Let it cool completely before storing it in an air-tight container.

This is my entry for Pavani's JFI event - Peanuts Event started by Indira of Mahanandi.

Cheese toast

CHEESE TOAST

Ingredients:
4 thick slices of bread,
2 tomatoes- chopped,
1 big Capsicum-chopped,
2 cups grated cheese,
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
2tbsp cream and
salt to taste.

Method:
In a bowl take the grated cheese, capsicum,
tomatoes, cream, red chilli powder and salt and mix well.
Toast the bread slices very lightly on both sides and then apply this cheese mixture on the bread evenly and grill it for few minutes or until the cheese is melted, or put in the oven in broil mode till you see light brown colour on the top or the cheese melts.

Tips:
Remove seeds from the tomato before chopping it, to prevent the mixture from becoming watery.
Different colours of capsicum can also be used to make it more colourful .

This recipe goes to Shanti's Lovely winter recipes .

Pani poori / Gol gappa

PANI POORI

Ingredients:
For the poori:
1 cup sooji, 1 tbsp maida, oil for deep frying and salt to taste.
For the filling:
1 cup boiled chickpeas, 250 gms boiled potato, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp chaat masala and salt to taste- Mix everything.
For the pani:
1 litre cold water, 1/2 cup tamarind juice, 2 tsp black salt, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/4 tsp pepper powder,1/4 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 tsp sugar,salt to taste, 1/2 cup coriander leaves, 1/2 cup mint leaves, 2 green chillies and 1/2 inch ginger.

Method:
For the poori:
To the sooji, add the maida and salt. Make a dough and knead well and rest the dough for 20- 30 minutes. Roll it to make small pooris and deep fry the on a low flame until light golden and crisp.
For the Pani:
Make a paste of coriander leaves, mint leaves , green chillies and ginger in pestal and mortar. Take the water in a bowl and mix all the ingredients and also add the above paste to it. Mix well and adjust spices and tanginess to taste. Strain through a strainer to remove any rough bits.

After pooris are cool, punture each poori in the centre, fill with stuffing and serve with pani, sweet chutney and green chutney.

Curried egg puffs

CURRIED EGG PUFFS

Ingredients:
Frozen Puff pastry sheets, Hard boiled eggs, 2-3 sliced Onions, Few chopped curry leaves, Chopped cilantro(coriander leaves), 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp jeera powder,2 tsp cooking oil and salt to taste.

Method:
Take the pastry sheets from the freezer and thaw them at room temperature. Cut each egg vertically(lengthwise)into two halves. In a pan, heat oil,Add the curry leaves and the sliced onions and cook them on medium low until they start turning light brown. Now add chilli powder,jeera powder and salt and finally add the chopped coriander leaves and stir well.
While the cooked onions are cooling down, roll out the pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface and cut the pastry into rectangles strips about 3-4 inches wide by 5-6 inches long (approx).
Place a tablespoon of the onions on a strip and a half of boiled egg(the cut side down). Moisten the edges of the strips with little water and fold the strip,so that it encloses the strip. Now press down on the edges to seal. If u want, you can press the edges with a fork for a fluted pattern. Continue this process until you are done with all the strips.
Preheat the oven to 200 C. Place the puffs on a baking sheet and bake it till the pastry in golden brown on top.
Let it rest for 3-5 mins.serve it hot with tomato ketchup or sweet chutney.
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