Veggie Casserole

Ingredients:

Carrot - 1/2cup

Corn - 1/2 cup

Beans - 1/2 cup

Potato - 1

Egg - 2

Onion - 1

Flour - 1 tbsp

Oil

Salt

Pepper

1. Cut all the veggies into small cubes except corn.

2. Grease a pan and layer the pototoes.

3. In a bowl mix the egg,flour,salt and pepper.

4. Add the veggies to the egg mixture and pour the mixture to the pan.

5. Bake for 20 mins at 350Degrees.

Enjoy the casserole!!

Pumpkin Curry

Pumpin - Cut to small pieces - 2 cup

Onion- 1

Jaggery - small ball

Coconut - 1/4cup scrappings

Green chilli - 1

Salt

Oil

1. Cut the pumpkin into small pieces.

2. In a pan add little oil and add the onions to the pan and saute well.

3. Add salt and then add the

 pumpkin and cook well until its mushy.

4. Add the jaggery ball  and mix

 well.

5. Grind the coconut and chilli and add the mixture to the

 cooked pumpkin and mix well.

6. Cover with the lid and leave it for 5mins and serve hot.

Mint Chutney

Ingredients:

Coconut scrapped - 1 cup
Red chilli - 2

Mint - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - small pieceWater
Salt
MustardUrad dalCurry leaves
1. Mix all the ingredients and

 grind it.
2. Heat oil in a small pan and

 add mustard,urad dal and

 curry leaves.

Cabbage and Peas Curry

Ingredients:

Cabbage - 1 cup

Peas - 1/2 cup

Coconut - 1/2 cup

Onion - 1

Chilli and Coriander Powder - 1/2 tbsp each

Salt

Oil

1. In a pan add little oil and add the onions and salt and saute well.

2. Add the chopped cabbage and peas and saute for a while.

3. Grind the coconut and keep aside.

4. Add the chilli and coriander powder to the pan and mix well.

5. Add the grinded coconut mixture and little water.

6. Cover and cook it for 5mins.

7.Check if it cooked and serve hot with chappati or rice.

Idly Upma

I had some left over idlies which I made and thought I can make a upma of it. So here is it.

Ingredients:

Idly  - 4

Onion - 1

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tbsp

Oil

Salt

Mustard

Urad and channa dal

1. Dip the idly in water and with your hand squeeze and crumble them.

2. In a pan add little oil and add mustard,urad dal and channa dal.

3. After it pops up add the onion and salt and saute until golden brown.

4. Add the crumbled idly and mix well and leave it for 5mins.

Onion and Curry powder Oothapam.

Ingredients:

Dosa Batter

Onion - 1

Curry Powder from MTR - 1/2 tbsp

1. Heat the dosa pan.

2. Spread the dosa batter on the pan. Spread the onion and curry powder on the spreaded

 dosa batter.

3. Put some oil on the sides of

 the dosa to make the sides crisper.

Onion Chutney

Ingredients:

Onion - 2

Channa Dal - 1/4 cup

Red chilli - 1

Mustard

Oil

Salt

Urad Dal

1. In a pan add little oil and add the channa dal and red chili.

2. Fry until brown. Add the onions and saute well.

3. Cool it and grind it.

4. In a pan add little oil and add mustard and urad dal.After it pops up add it to the grinded mixture and serve hot with idly or dosai.

Today's Lunch

 Here is our lunch for today. After a very long time I tried making Urundai kuzhambhu. It was great.

Spinach Sambar 

Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambhu

Pumpkin Poriyal

Spinach Sambar

Ingredients:

Spinach- 2 cups - chopped

Toor dal - 2 cups - cooked

Chilli Powder - 1tbsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp

Salt

1. cook the toor dal with the

 turmeric powder in a pressure cooker. 3 whistle will be fine.

2. Cut the Spinach,onions and

 tomatoes.

3. Heat a pan and fry the bindi

 for a while until brown and keep aside.

4. Add the onions and t

omatoes and saute for a while.

5. Spinach can either be

 pressure cooked with dal or saute it in  a pan and then add to the cooked dal.

6. Add the cooked dal and add water so that it not very thick.

7. Add the chilli and coriander powder to the dal.

8. Leave it to boil and serve with hot rice.

Dal Urundai Kuzhambhu

Ingredients:

For Kuzhambhu:

Onion - 1

Tomato - 1

Coconut - 1 cup

Garlic - 2

Chilli and Corinader Powder - 1 tbsp each

1. Grind all the ingredients and keep side.

2. Soak tamarind in a cup.

3. Filter the tamarind and take only the water.

4. Mix the grinded mixture to the tamarind water.

5. In  a pan boil the mixture. 

Kuzhambu is ready now.

For the dal urandai:

Channa dal - 1 cup soaked

Red chilli - 1

Fennel Seeds - 1tbsp

1. Soak the dal for 2 hrs.

2. Grind the daL with fennel seeds and red chilli.

3. In a cooker make the grinded mixture into small balls and steam it for 15mins.

4. Add the urundai to the kozhambu and it is ready to be served with hot rice.

Pumpkin Poriyal

Ingredients:

Pumpin - Cut to small pieces - 1 cup

Onion- 1

Jaggery - small ball

Coconut - 1/4cup scrappings

Salt

Oil

1. Cut the pumpkin into small pieces.

2. In a pan add little oil and add the onions to the pan and saute well.

3. Add salt and then add the pumpkin and cook well until its mushy.

4. Add the jaggery ball and then the coconut scappings and mix well.

5. Cover with the lid and leave it for 5mins and serve hot.

 

Nutty Banana Short Bread

I never do any baking at home. But i always wanted to try it. So here is my receipe for banana bread.

Ingredients:

Ripe Banana - 1

Milk - 1/2 cup

Mixed nuts - 1/2 cup

Whole Wheat flour- 1 cup

Oil - 1tbsp

Little salt

Brown Sugar - 1/4 cup

Baking soda - a pinch

Baking powder - a pinch

1. Mix all the dry ingredients and keep aside.

2. Grind all the wet ingredients until fluffy.

3. slowly add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. do not over mix it.

4. Pre heat the oven to 300 Degress.

5. Grease a baking pan and add the mixture to the pan.

6. Sprinkle some sunflower seeds on top and bake for 2omins.

Peas Pulav with Vegetable Kurma

Ingredients:

Peas - 1/2 cup

Rice - 1 cup

Onion - 1

milk - 1 cup

Ginger,garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Jeera 

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Cashews

Salt

1. In the cooker add half the amount of ghee and add the onions and saute until golden brown.Then the ginger garlic paste.

2. Add salt and then peas and mix well.

3. Add the washed rice to it.

4.Add 1 cup milk and 1 cup water.

5. Close the cooker and cook for 3 whistles.

6. In a small pan add the remaining ghee and add jeera and mix it with the cooked rice.

I  added jeera at the last because i wanted it to be crispy and not soaked in the rice.

Kurma:

Potato - 1

Carrot - 1

Cauliflower 

Rajma beans - 1/4 cup

Onion - 1

Tomato - 1

Garlic- 3

Ginger

Coconut

Chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp

Fennel seeds

1. Grind coconut,Half onion,tomato,chilli powder,fennel seeds,ginger and ga

rlic and keep aside.

2. Pressure cook all the vegetables in a cooker for 1 whistle.

3. In a pan add little oil and saute the onion.

4. Add the grimded mixture and the veggies and add little water it the paste is very thick.

5. Cook until the vegetables are blended well with the gravy.

Serve hot with rice !!

Vegetable Briyanai

Ingredients:

Rice - 2 cups

Carrot - 1

Cauliflower - 1 cup - florets

Potato - 1

Peas - 1/cup

Onion - 1

Tomato - 1

Garam masala - 1/2 tbsp

Chilli and Coriander powder - 1 tbsp each

Ginger

Garlic

Cloves

Curd - 1/4cup

Mint

1. Cut all the veggies vertically into small pieces.

2. Make a paste of the ginger and garlic.

3. In the cooker add little oil and add the cloves.Then add the ginger garlic paste.

4. Add the onions and saute well. Then add the tomatoes and Mint.

5. Add all the vegetables and cook well. Add the salt.

6. Add all the masala powders and add the curd.

7. Add the rice and mix well.

8. Add 4 cups of water and check for salt.

9. Cover the cooker and keep 3 whistles.

Yummy briyani ready.

Sabudana Upma

Ingredients:

Sabudana - 1 cup

Onion - 1

Peanuts - few

Mustard

Urad dal

Salt 

Oil

1. Soak the sabudana in water overnight.

2.In a pan heat little oil and add mustard and urad dal.

3. After it pops up add the peanuts and fry well.

4. Add the onions and saute till golden brown.

5. Add the soaked sabudana after filtering the water from it.

6. Add salt and keep closed for 5mins.

Server hot with chutney !! Yummyyyyyyy!!!!

Kothu Parotta or Masala Parotta

This is husband's favouroite.When ever we go to Indian restaurants he orders for this. So I thought of making it at home and it worked out to be good :)

Ingredients:

Frozen Parotta - Thawed - cut into slices - 2

Onion - 1

Bell Peppers - 1

Carrot - 1/4 cup

Tomato - 1

Garam Masala - 1 tbsp

Chilli and Coriander powder - 1/2 tbsp each

Oil

Mustard

Urad dal

Salt

Lemon juice

1. Thaw the parotta and with your hand make them into small pieces.

2. In a pan add oil and add the mustard and urad dal.

3. Add onions and then the bell peppers and fry until brownish.

4. Add the tomatos and grated carrot.

5. Cook well and add all the masala's and salt.

6.Add little water and then the parotta pieces.

7. Let it spread really well with the masala and get soaked in the water.

8. Add the lemon juice and serve hot with Curd.

It was delicious.

Sweet Corn,Carrot,Peppers and Tomato Pizza

Pizza base - 1

Capsicum - 1

Sweet Corn

Onions - 1

Tomato - 1

Carrot 

Chilli Flakes

Shredded Cheese

Tomato Sauce

Olive Oil

Dried Oregano

1. Cut all the veggies.

2. Spread Olive oil and tomato sauce on top of the pizza base.

3. Arrange the veggies on top.First

 onions,carrot,tomatoes, capsicum and sweet corn.

4. After all the layers of veggies, spread the cheese on top of it.

5. Pre heat the oven to 350Degrees.

6. Place the pizza on the middle layer and bake for 10mins.

Slice the pizza and server hot !!!

Rice and Dal Dumplings

I have never eaten this after marriage or may be longer. My mom used to do this using only rice but i made this with some dal as well.

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup

Channa Dal - 1/2cup

Moong Dal - 1/2 cup

Red chilli

Salt

Oil

Mustard 

Urad dal

1. Soak the rice for 20 mins. Dry the rice in a cloth until no water is there in the rice.

2. Grind the rice,channa and moong dal.

3. In a pan heat little oil and mustard and urad dal. After the mustard splutters add the red chilli.

4. Add 2 1/2 cups of water to the pan and let it boil

5. Add the grinded mixture to the pan slowly. Make sure no lumps are formed.

6. Mix until it becomes like a gough.

7. To a cooker add little water in the bottom and make a ball from the dough and hold tight in ur palm to the shape.

8. Steam for about 1o mins and the rice dumpling is ready.

Fried Idly

Bored of eating the same old idly. So yesterday for dinner i made this fried idly. Here is the procedure for doing it.

Ingredients:

Idly Batter

Bell pepper - 1

Onion- 2

Tomato - 1

Chilli powder 1 tbsp

Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

Ghee

Idly Batter:

1 cup - idly rice

1/2 cup - Ulundhu(Urad Dal)

2tbsp - fenugreek

1. Soak the rice and Urad dal for about 4 hours.

2. Fenugreek and urad can be combined together and soaked.

3. Grind the mixture of urad dal and fenugreek in a grinder or mixer.

(I have been making the batter using mixie)

4. Add water depending on the consistency. Don't make it watery.

5. Seperately grind the rice and mix the dal batter with the rice mixture.

6. Add salt and mix the contents evenly.

7. The mixture needs to be prepared overnight and dosa or idly can be made on the next day morning.

Idly:

1. I use the microwave idly maker for this mini idly.

2. with a spoon fill the batter in the idly plate.

3. Pour little water in the base of the maker.

4. Microwave for about 4 mins.

5. Let it cool for sometime and remove the idly with  a spoon from the plate.

6. Add little oil in a pan and add the onions and saute it til golden brown.

5. Add the peppers first and fry. Then add the tomatos and cook well.

6. Add the chilli and coriander powder and cook well till the raw smell is gone.

7. Add the mini idlies and mix well until it blends well with the mixture.

8. Fry for 5mins and serve hot.

Sunday Special

Today we had plans to go out and eat but it was raining heavily so could not go out. So I started to cook and was thinking wat to make. Thought of making a different kind of a starter with sweet potato and did the veggie patties. Then made pasta for me and my hubby as usual ate sambar rice.

Generally we add potatoes but for a change i used sweet potato. It was very nice.

Veg Patties:

Ingredients:

Sweet potato - cooked - 1/2 cup

Carrot,Peas,cauliflower - cooked - 1 cup

Salt

Oil

Flour

1. Mash all the veggies and mix them well with salt.

2. Make small balls out of the mixture.

3. In  a plate put some flour and dip the small balls and keep it.

4. In a skillet add some oil and heat it.

5. Put one by one the floured veg balls and fry them. I dint want to deep fry the vegies. So i used a skillet and added little oil around it and fried.

6. Fry them until golden brown and serve them with tomato sauce.

It was yummy..We both liked it very much.

Pasta:

  I had plenty of the veggie mixture.so what i did is i used them for my pasta. 

Ingredients:

Flour - 1tbsp

Pasta - whole wheat

oil

Salt

Milk - non fat(can use of your choice) - 8tbsp

1.Cook the pasta as per the pack instructions.

2.Heat a pan and add little oil

3. Add the flour and keep stirring.

4. Add the milk slowly so that no lumps are formed.

5. Keep stirring until it becomes thick.

6. Add the veggie mixture and mix well.

7. Add the cooked pasta and mix evenly so that the gravy is blended 

all over the pasta.

8. Cook for another 5mins in low heat.

Your creamy pasta is ready !!

Brocolli Pepper Fry:

Brocolli - 1 cup

Black Pepper - 1 tbsp

Onion - 1

Tomato - 1

Salt

Oil

1. Cut the brocolli into florets and microwave for 4mins.

2. In a pan heat little oil and add the onions and saute till golden brown.

3. Add the tomatoes and salt and cook well .

4. Add the cooked brocolli and mix well.

5. Add the grounded black peper and cook until the raw smell goes.

Carrot Poriyal :

 Ingredients:

Carrot - 2cups - Grated

Onion - 1

Mustard

Urad Dal

Coconut Scrapping - 1/2 cup

1. Grate the carrot.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard and urad dal.

3. Add the onions to the pan

 and saute till golden brown.

4. Add the grated carrot to the

 pan. 

5. Cook it for few minutes 

and add the coconut scrap

pings and mix well.

Nachos

When i ate Nachos at the near by restaurant I just loved it and wanted to try something lke that at home. Here is the one whichI made.

Ingredients:

Tortilla chips- 10
Veggie Dip - 1 pack

Mixed veggies - Carrot,Lettuce,Raddish

Smoked Paprika - 1/tbsp

Cheese - little)optional)

1. Arrange the tortilla chips in a plate. More like a circle.

2.Spread the chopped veggies around the chips.

3. Spread the veggie dip sauce all over the veggies.

4. If you want you can add some cheese as well.

5. Sprinkle some smoked paprika powder on top.

6. Microwave for just 30secs. It is done juz to melt the cheese.

Delicious Nachos ready. I just loved it. It is more like our Indian chat.

Baby Brinjals in Peanut and Pepper Gravy

Ingredients:

Baby Brinjals - 5

Peanuts - Roasted

Black Pepper - Roasted

Tomato - 1

Channal dal 

Oil

Salt

1. Cut the 4 sides of the brinjal and coat it with oil and little salt and bake it for 15mins.

2. Put little oil in a pan and roast the channa dal,peanuts and black pepper and grind the mixture.

3. Add the tomatoes into the pan and cook well until it is mushy.

4. Add the grinded paste to the pan and add little water and boil until it becomes thick.

5. Add the baked brinjals to the curry and mix well.

6. Keep in low heat and cook until the paste blends well with the brinjals.

Serve hot with rice or chappati.

Idly with tomato chutney

Ingredients:

Idly Rice - 1 cup

Urad Dal - 1/2 cup

Fenugreek Seeds - t tbsp

1. Soak overnight all the ingredients.

2. Grind the urad dal first and then the dal and fenugreek.

3. Add the salt and let it ferment.

Tomato Chutney:

Onion - 1

Tomato - 2

Red chilli

Salt

1. In a pan add little oil. Add the red chilli and fry for 2 mins.

2. Keep aside the chillies.

3. Add the onions to the pan and fry under golden brown.

4. Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook well.

4. Add salt and grind the mixture after it cools.

Serve hot with the idly.

Pongal with Vadai

A typical south indian breakfast Pondal and vadai. 

Ingredients:

 rice- 1 cup

Moong dal - 3/4 th cup

Pepper - 1 tbsp

Jeera - 1 tbsp

Cashews - few

Ghee - 1/2 tbsp

Salt

1. In a pressure cooker add the rice and moong dal. Add 3 1/2 cups of water. Keep it for 3 whistle.

2. In a pan add ghee and add jeera,Pepper and cashews.

3. Add the salt and the mixture in the pan to the cooked rice and dal.

4. Mix well and the pongal is ready now.

Vadai:

Ingredients:

Urad Dal - 1 cup

Onion - 1

Curry leaves - few

Salt

1. Soak a cup of Urad dal for atleast 4hrs.

2. Grind the dal without adding water at all.

3. Add the chopped onion,curry leaves and salt.

4. In a pan add oil and heat it.

5. Take a little of the dal mixture and deep fry them in the oil

Serve hot with Coconut chutney.

Brown Rice with Vegetables

Ingredients:

 Brown Rice - 1 cup

Cauliflower - 1/2 cup

Beans & Carrot - 1/2 cup

Beans - 1/2 cup

Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp

Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

Green Onions - Chopped

Onion - 1

Tomatoes - 1

1. Add oil in a pan and add the onions and tomatoes and saute it.

2. Add the veggies and mix well.

3. Add little chilli powder and coriander powder.

4. Saute well and add the brown rice and cook well. 

5. Add water and cook well.

6. Add the chopped green onions.

Spicy Pasta with Beans

Ingredients:

Cooked Pasta - 1cup

Bell Peppers - 1/2 cup

ChickPea - cooked - 1/2

 cup

Brocolli - 1/2 cup - florets

Red chilli Flakes -little

1.cook the pasta as per instructions.
2. Saute the onions till it becomes brownish in a pan and add the peppers with little oil.

3. Add the pasta and Brocolli to the mixture and leave it for 5mins and then add the chickpeas.

4. Server hot. I added red chilli flakes to make it a little spicy.

Carrot Semiya Upma

Ingredients:
Semiya - 1 cup

Carrot -1/2 cup -grated
Onion - 1
Urad , Channa Dal
Mustard
Oil
Salt
1. Heat a pan with oil and add the mustarf,urad and channa dal.
2. Add onion and then carrot and saute it.
3. Add the semiya to the pan and roast it for a while. Do not burn it.
4. Transfer that to a plate and let it cool.
5. In the same pan add 2 cups of water. It is 1:2 ration. 1 cup semiya : 2cups water.
6. After the water boils add the semiya to the pan.
7. In a medium flame let the semiya cook for 5mins.

Bindi Sambar

Ingredients:

Bindi - 2 cups - chopped

Toor dal - 2 cups - cooked

Chilli Powder - 1tbsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp

Salt

1. cook the toor dal with the turmeric powder in a pressure cooker. 3 whistle will be fine.

2. Cut the Bindi,onions and tomatoes.

3. Heat a pan and fry the bindi for a while until brown and keep aside.

4. Add the onions and tomatoes and saute for a while.

5. Add the fried bindi.

6. Add the cooked dal and add water so that it not very thick.

7. Add the chilli and coriander powder to the dal.

8. Leave it to boil and serve with hot rice.

Bitter Gourd Fry

Many people dont like bitter gourd,but I just love it.

Ingredients:

Bitter Gourd - 1 cup - chopped into small pieces

Onion - 1

Tomato - 1

Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp

Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

Sugar - 1/2 tbsp

Salt

Oil

1. Add oil in a pan and then add the onions and saute till golden brown.

2. Add the chopped bitter gourd and fry until the raw smell goes away. If you add the tomato before doing this it will take lot of time for the bitter gourd to cook. So add the bitter gourd and then add the tomatoes.

3. Add the tomatoes ,salt,chilli and coriander powder.

4. Cook until it is well mixed and the smell of chilli and coriander powder is gone.

5. Last minute add the sugar and mix well.