Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Pita chips

This is an excellent snack with various kinda dips! Its healthy too, to snack on after a tiring day at work!! I have made these a few times and they always turn out great! It lasts for about 2 weeks. It goes great with the following dips: Muhammara, Hummus, Tzaztki, recipes coming next ;) Its gonna be a mediterrnean string of recipes!


Ingredients:


4 whole wheat pita bread(Trader Joes)
1/4 cup olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of dried oregano

Method:

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.

Cut the pita bread into neat triangles, by first slicing it into half to make semi circles, and then cutting each semi circle in quarter circles. There should be 16 quarter circles, which you will then cut further into half, to make 32 pieces in total.

Spread the pieces onto a baking sheet, and coat them completely with the olive oil. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and oregano over the pita triangles uniformly.

Bake them in the oven, for roughly about 15-20 min, until they are slightly brown. They will still be a little soft. Remove it from the oven and let them cool. Once cooled, they will be crisp and ready to eat with the dips! Enjoy!

Banana crunch muffins

These are simple delicious!!!!! And it comes out awesome every single time that I have made them!! Make sure you use overripe bananas, a perfect way to use those ripe bananas, that you wouldn't want to eat otherwise! ;) I had a little bit of cinnamon for that extra zing. Trust me, they come out superb, a delectable morning snack with coffee!


Ingredients:


3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
1 cup small-diced walnuts
1 cup granola
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Dried banana chips, granola, or shredded coconut, optional


Method:


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't overmix.

Fold the diced bananas, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each 1 to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, or coconut, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Tex-Mex Salad

A delicious salad, light and refreshing for the summer! :)

Ingredients:
1 bunch romaine lettuce roughly chopped
1 avocado chopped into bite size chunks
1 tomato chopped into bite size chunks
2 corn ears
1/8 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/8 cup finely chopped spring onions
1 cup fried bite size tortilla strips
1 lemon juice
double the lemon juice quantity of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon good honey
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 - 3/4 tsp tabasco sauce
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Method:

Char the corn ears on the gas until well done. Let it cool slightly and remove the corn off the ear in a bowl.

Put the romaine lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, onions, cilantro all in the same bowl.

For the dressing, mix the lemon juice, honey, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and tabasco sauce in another bowl and mix it well until blended.

Pour the dressing into the salad bowl and toss it lightly to coat all salad ingredients with dressing.

Plate it and top it with tortilla chips and cheddar cheese! YUM!! :D

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Bengan(Eggplant) Bharta

Eggplant is not a favorite with many people, but try this recipe and its surely gonna be a hit!! ;)

Ingredients:
1 Large eggplant(bengan)
1 small onion finely chopped
1 1/2 - 2 tsp garlic ginger green chilli paste
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 small tomato finely chopped
2 sprigs of green onion finely chopped
1 tsp cumin/mustard seeds
pinch of asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 - 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chilli powder(if the green chilli is not spicy enough!!)
salt to taste
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
chopped coriander for garnish



Method:
First, roast the eggplant. It can be done in 2 ways:
1.) I usually roast it in the oven for about 30 minutes at 450 degrees and then broil it on all sides for about 4 minutes turning it periodically to burn all sides of the eggplant. I do this cause I have an electric stove and not gas.
2.) A friend of mine suggested to do it on the electric stove and turning it periodically for about 15 minutes or until it starts to wrinkle and the skin is burnt. Basically, we are cooking the eggplant before putting any flavoring into it.

Once that is done, cool it slightly and then remove the contents from the eggplant by removing the outer skin. Mash the mixture completely.

In a deep pan, heat the vegetable oil, put in the cumin/mustard seeds until they start crackling, and put the asefoitida too. Put the chopped onions, garlic, ginger and chilli paste and cook at medium heat until it turns slightly brown. Then put in the tomatoes and the tomato paste and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Put in all the masalas, and then the eggplant, and half of the chopped green onions. Let it cook for about 8-10 minutes until the eggplant has caught all the various flavors n garnish with the remaining chopped green onions and coriander.

Eat it with hot rotis!! :)

Monday, July 9, 2007

Gujarati Kadhi


This is one of my favorite gujarati dish!!! Its made out of yogurt, and its delicious with jeera rice! Yumm!!



Ingredients:

2 cups yogurt
4 cups water
2 tbsp gram flour(besan)
2 small green chillies(1 if you like it mildly spiced)
a small piece of ginger
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp cumin seeds(jeera)
3/4 tsp methi seeds(fenugreek seeds)
a pinch of asefoitida(hing)
3-4 curry leaves(kadhi patta)
3-4 cloves
3-4 pieces cinnamon
salt to taste
sugar(optional, though I LOVE it sweet!! ;) )
1 tbsp clarified butter(ghee)

Method:

Put the yogurt, gram flour, water, ginger, chillies, coriander in a blender and blend it well.

In a large pot, put the clarified butter, and on low heat wait for it to melt and warm up. Put the cumin seeds, methi seeds, curry leaves, and asefoitida and let it crack. Once you start hearing the cracking sound, put the mixer in the blender into the pot, and start stirring the mixer. Put salt to taste, and add sugar if you like it with a tinge of sweetness!

The trick to amazing gujarati kadhi is to keep stirring it continuously for 15-20 minutes, until the kadhi starts boiling, and the color changes to a mild yellow. And its ready!! Garnish it with coriander leaves, and have it with jeera rice!:)