Stuffed Banana Peppers

Dear all,

This recipe is from one of my friend's ,which was very tasty .Both me and Sarada had the opportunity to enjoy the dish:)Very easy to make and good with rotis or rice .

Here you go

Red Onion medium size -2
Banana Peppers or Anaheim peppers -6
Besan flour- 4-5 teaspoons
Salt and Chilly powder acc to taste.
Oil -3 teaspoons for peppers
3-5 teaspoons for frying the stuffing
 

PROCEDURE:
1)Heat oil in a shallow pan,add finely diced onions and fry till raw smell leaves and are slightly translucent(medium brown color).

2)To this add besan flour,salt,chilly powder and fry till the raw smell goes away from besan and it all comes together as a soft thick paste like consistency(Remember :the besan should not fry or become crisp)

3)Transfer the stuffing and keep aside for cooling

4)Meanwhile make a single slit along the length of the peppers and robe the seeds using a spoon.

5) Once the stuffing is cooled enough to be handled by hand,stuff the peppers evenly and fully such that the peppers close along the slit and the stuffing doesn't fall out.

6)Heat oil in a shallow pan and place the peppers one next to the other fry along the sides and close the lid after sometime.

7)Allow the peppers to cook evenly by turning them gently around on all sides.

8)When the peppers are tender switch off the stove and transfer them to a serving tray.

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Bitter Gourd Curry - My mom's recipe :)

Ingredients 

4 small bitter gourd (cut round/cubes, with/without seeds - Optional)
1 table spoon Curd (only if you like to remove the bitterness)
1/2 small onion (do not add too many)
1 tea spoon Cumin seeds
1/2 tea spoon Haldi
1/2 tea spoon Ginger Garlic paste
2 table spoon Sesame powder
1 table spoon Jaggery

Add below ingredients as per your taste 

chilli powder
Daniya powder
Salt
tamarind paste

If you want to remove bitterness of bitter gourd, follow below step  (optional)
Once you cut the bitter gourd, add curd and 1/4 tea spoon of salt. Rub the bitter gourd pieces and set aside for 10 mins.

Quick how to -

1. Heat oil in a pan
2. Add Cumin seeds, Once they start to splutter,  add onions and fry till they becomes transulent
4. Add haldi and Ginger Garlic paste, and stir to mix well
5. Add the Bitter Gourd pieces. Add little salt and cover. Allow to cook  for about 5 mins on low flame.
6. Add cilli powder, Daniya powder, salt and stir until mixed
7. Add the tamarind paste and little water. Let the it cook for 10 mins on medium to low flame till the bitter gourd gets cooked
8. Add the sesame powder and jaggery, stir to mix well for couple of mins.
9. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with hot rice :)

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Dates, almonds & walnuts cake

Ingredients:

All purpose flour	1 cup
Dates (seedless)	18
Nuts (almonds, walnuts)	2 tsp
Granulated Sugar	3/4 cup
Milk	1 cup
Butter	1/2 cup
Baking soda	1 tsp
Salt Procedure:	1/4 tsp

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease your baking pan with butter and keep it aside.

• Warm 4 tsp milk in microwave and soak dates, set aside. In a mixing bowl add sugar, milk and butter, whisk till sugar completely dissolves.

• Sift flour, baking soda, and salt and keep aside. Grind the dates along with milk and make smooth paste. Add dates paste in milk and sugar mixture, stir well.

• Add sift flour slowly and mix well till all the ingredients are combined. Add chopped nuts and mix gently. Pour batter in grease pan. Sprinkle some nuts on top.

• Bake it for 30-35 minutes or until inserted toothpick come out clean.

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Healthy Oatmeal and Multigrain/bean Dosa

Step 1: Proportions: 1 cup whole urad dal, 2 cups old fashioned oats, 3/4 cup mutigrains/beans(bought this pack from indian store. You can make your own too. Just mix whatever dals and beans you have in your kitchen pantry)

Step 2

Wash everything except for oat meal thoroughly and add water. Then add the oatmeal and then add 2-3 tablespoons poha and 1 tea spoon methi seeds. close the lid and let the mixture soak for 6-8 hours. for faster results put it in the oven with the light turned on.

Note: Do not wash the oatmeal. it has to be added at the end.

Step 3

Grind/blend the mixture and soak it overnight or for 8-9 hours. (more than 10 hours might over ferment the batter. so please check after 9 hours. Again, the best place to ferment is in the oven with the light turned on. This is the picture of the fermented batter.

Step 4:

Add Salt and mix the batter. Make your dosas and enjoy with your favorite chutney and aloo puttu.

For me, it tastes way better than a normal dosa. Completely healthy with no rice whatsoever and super yummy. The Dosas came out perrfect - crispy on the edges, soft in the middle.

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Homemade chocolate for kids

Ingredients

• Cocoa powder - 5 tbsps
• Milk powder - 1 1/4 cups
• Butter - 1/4 cup
• Sugar - 2/3 cup
• Water - 1/2 cup

Method

1. Sieve milk powder and cocoa powder and keep aside.
2. Heat water and sugar in a vessel and bring to a boil. Reduce flame and continue cooking till the syrup reaches one string consistency. Add the butter and mix well till it melts and blends with the syrup. Turn off heat.
3. Add the cocoa-milk powder mixture gradually (a few tbsps at a time) and mix well till glossy. Grease square pan or plate. Pour the mixture into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula allow to set for 10 to 15 mts at room temperature.
4. Place in fridge for 10-15 mts. Remove from fridge and use a cookie cutter to cut into desired shape.
5. You can also add a layer of molten chocolate and top it with wafers(vanilla) and then pour another layer over it.once it cools down u can cut into squares.you can enjoy wafer filled chocolate.

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Shrimp Scampi(Modified/easier version)

• Peel/Detail the Shrimp and wash and dry.
• Take 2 table spoons of all purpose flour in a small bowl, mix salt, pepper and red chili powder to taste. Mix with a fork. Dip each shrimp on each side , dust off excess flour and place the shrimps in a plate.
• Now, heat up olive oil in a pan and shallow fry shrimp till they are cooked(shrimp cook easily, almost like saute on medium high flame.  Place fried shrimp in your serving bowl. 
• In the same oil, saute finely chopped onions, parsley and garlic. Place this mixture over the shrimp evenly
• Take 2-3 table spoons of your favorite pasta sauce in a small bowl (I use a mix of marinara and Alfredo) and add a table spoon of white vinegar and mix it nicely . Pour this mixture over the Shrimp. Please note the shrimp should not soak in the sauce. It should just be the way it looks in the pic below.
• Garnish with spring onion leaves and finely chopped Jalapenos (if you like it spicy) and serve.

Note: this dish tastes best when it is served right after its made and makes for a great appetizer. So, this is something you need to make right before our guests come. I used very little oil and as you can see in the pic, it is not greasy.

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Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

I'll call it My Italeterrean pasta salad . Whole Wheat pasta with red bell pepper ( cut into thin length wise slices ), olives,cherry tomatoes, baby spinach with home made dressing - dried oregano , dried rosemary, dried parsley , fresh ground pepper and salt in extra virgin olive oil along with freshly cut mozzarella cubes. Mix all the dried spices and cheese in the olive oil and leave it aside for 30 mins at room trmperature and then mix it with with the rest of the salad . Top It with pine nuts before serving . You can substitute the mozzarella with feta cheese If you like but go easy on salt if you do so coz fetta is naturally sour.

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Chocolate Bundt Cake

Ingredients 

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 cup whole milk 
• 1/2 cup sour cream (4 ounces) 
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pan 
• 1 1/2 cups sugar 
• 4 large eggs 
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts/pecans (optional) 

• Directions 

1. 
   
   Make the cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 14-cup Bundt pan. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix milk and sour cream in a small bowl. 
2. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low, and add flour mixture, alternating with milk mixture, ending with flour. Fold in walnuts, if using. Spoon batter into pan. Bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Invert cake. (Cake will keep for up to 1 day.) 
3. 
   

• 
  

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Broccoli Gravy Curry

Ingredients

• Oil
• cumin seeds
• chopped onions
• 2 medium potatoes cubed (optional) 
• 2 cups of broccoli florets (cleaned and washed )
• 3-4 chopped Brussel Sprouts
• Kale as needed (optional)
• Cilantro as needed
•  turmeric
• Salt as needed
• red chili powder as needed
• water

to roast and powder

• 1 tbsp. channa dal 
• 1 tbsp. urad dal
• ½ tsp cumin to powder

How to make this Yummy curry....

1. Heat a pan and dry roast the dals. Towards the end add cumin to warm it up. Set this aside to cool and grind to fine powder first and then mix it with about ¾ cup of water. Mix well to remove any lumps and set aside.
2. To the same pan, add oil and heat up, add cumin and sauté 
3. Add onions and fry till golden
4. Add chopped Brussel Sprouts and sauté for couple of mins. DO NOT fry
5. Add potatoes. Cover and cook on a low flame till the potatoes are almost cooked. 
6. Add broccoli, sprinkle salt and turmeric. Fry for 2 to 3 mins on medium high.
7. Cover and cook till the broccoli is half cooked. 
8. Add red chili powder, mix well and fry for a min or 2.
9. Add Kale and salute for 3 mins
10. Pour the ground mix from the blender jar. Mix well. Cover and cook till the gravy thicken. It takes only couple of mins. Do not overcook broccoli.
11. Garnish with Cilantro
12. Serve broccoli gravy curry with chapathi/roti

Optional

1. you can add methi leaves as well along with Brussel sprouts

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Punjabi Khadi

Ingredients

For Bajjis
Gram Flour (Sanaga pindi)
Palak - finely chopped
Voma(ajwain)
Salt
Onions finely chopped
Chilli powder
Cooking soda( if u want to  but i don't use soda)
Turmeric 
Water

Procedure : Mix everything , make them into small balls and fry them in oil . Adding too much water will absorb lot of oil while frying so be careful.

For Khadi

Ginger garlic and green chillies paste
Onions - cut them long
Jeera
Cloves
Cinammon
Cumin seeds
Hing
Ginger garlic and green chillies paste
Red chillies
Potatoes
Yoghurt(better if a lil sour or u can add lil lemon to make it sour )
Gram flour
Turmeric
Chilly powder
Salt to taste

Take a bowl and add yoghurt , gram flour, Ginger garlic and green chillies paste, turmeric, chilly powder, salt and then add water and kinda beat it so no lumps r formed, the liquid should be watery coz it will thicken once it starts to boil( u can always add water while boiling to make it as desired)
and then keep the bowl aside.

Take a pan , add oil, cloves, black pepper corn, cumin seeds, hing(asofetida) , add c,dried red chillies, onions. Once onions r cooked add potatoes and cook them once they r cooked add the above mixture and let it all boil, you should keep stiring the contents and do not leave unattended. once all cooked add the bajjis before serving.

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Radish Curd Chutney

Ingredients:

Radish ( I used red ones, you can use any kind) 3-4 medium sized and grated
Thick Curd- 1.5 cups
Salt as needed
Water 20-30ml
Cilantro- 3-4 twigs

For tempering
Oil- 1 tablespoon or less
Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Small green chillies-2
Dry red chilly-1
Curry leaves- 5 or 6
Asafoetida - pinch
Turmeric- pinch

Grate the radish and mix it to the whisked curd. Add salt to this mixture. You can add 20-30 ml water depending on the consistency desired.
Heat the oil, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Now add cumin seeds, curry leaves, red chilly, green chillies, turmeric and asafoetida. Turn off the stove and add this temper to the radish-curd mixture. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro and serve.

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