Tempered Baby Shallots

Baby Shallots can be marinated in Vinegar or lemon juice. But tempering them enhanced their taste. These can be kept in the fridge and they stay good for a week.

Ingredients:
1 cup of peeled, washed and dried baby shallots
2 cups of water
3 tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp of Panch Poran (a mix of mustard,onion seeds,fenugreek, cumin n fennel
                                      seeds)
1/2 a tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of Cayenne pepper
1/2 a tsp of Sugar
1 tbsp of Mustard oil
Salt to taste

Method:
Take a pot, add the water,salt, sugar and the vinegar and boil for five minutes and turn off the gas. Add the baby shallots  and leave them to soak overnight. Next day drain them and set aside.
Dry roast the Panch poran (1 tbsp) and coarsely grind it.
Take a glass dish and throw in the drained baby shallots,turmeric powder and the coarsely ground spice powder. Lastly add the mustard oil and give it a nice mix.
Store in the fridge if made in a slightly large quantity or else it is good to use the next day, so that we give enough time for the spice mix to blend with the shallots!

Nutty Humus

Humus is my all time favourite!! I love to make variations and make humus more tasty, healthy and yummy. Today I added Peanut butter and trust me, it came out sooo tasty!!

Ingredients:
1 cup of boiled chickpeas
2 tbsp of crunchy peanut butter (I used the readymade one)
Few sprigs of Cilantro
2 green chillies
2 tbsp of roasted sesame seeds
2 cloves peeled garlic
2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
Half a tsp of Cayenne pepper for garnishing

Method:
Take a blender jar and throw in all the above ingredients and grind it to a coarse consistency. Dish it out and garnish with Cayenne pepper.
 That is it...a yummy and nutty humus is ready!!

Papaya n Kiwi Relish

Papaya n Kiwi... both are healthy. This tangy chutney is great as a dip or a spread. The otherwise bland raw green papaya blended so well with the kiwi puree along with the other ingredients.

Ingredients:
2 kiwis, peeled and pureed
1 cup of grated raw papaya
1 tbsp of raw brown sugar
1 tsp of each...black pepper powder, cumin powder, dry mango powder n rock
                        salt (black salt/Kala namak)

1 tbsp mix  of Pumpkin seeds n sunflower seeds
1 tbsp of sesame seeds
1 green chilly finely chopped
1 tsp of finely grated ginger
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

Method:
Take a pan, add the oil and throw in the sesame seeds, pumpkin n sunflower seeds and saute. Add the chopped green chilly, grated ginger and the grated papya. Saute for two minutes or so and add the brown sugar and the kiwi puree.
Now add all the remaining ingredients and mix well and keep the gas on sim for two to three minutes (keep stirring)
Once the chutney gets a glazed appearance, switch off the gas n dish it out. Enjoy this with a slice of bread, veg crudities or with the normal roties. It has a nice sweet n sour taste.

Eggless Carrot Cake

This Carrot Cake is butterless and  eggless , which makes it healthy. Carrots are loaded with Vitamin A, beta carotene and various antioxidants.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of grated carrot
3/4 cup of All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup of Whole wheat flour
1/3 cup of Olive oil
3/4 cup of Yoghurt
2tbsp of milk
1/2 cup of raw brown sugar (u can use white sugar)
1/2 tsp each of Baking Powder and Baking Soda
1 tsp of Vanilla essence
1 tsp of Cinnamon powder
A pinch of salt
2 tbsp of choppped walnuts (keep a few pieces for garnishing)
1 tbsp of pumpkin seeds

Method:
Take a big bowl and add all the above ingredients and mix well. See that no lumps are there and mix till the batter is really smooth.
Take a round baking tin and grease it and sprinkle little flour on the base of the tin.Preheat the oven at 180deg C.
Pour the batter into the baking tin and sprinkle the walnut pieces (which were kept aside for garnishing) and bake for 25 minutes or till a knife comes out clean from the centre of the cake. A soft and moist carrot cake is ready to serve!

Cuccumber Rolls

Hmm Cuccumbers are loaded with so much of goodness in them. They are loaded with about 96% of water , help in dissolving kidney stones, loaded with Vit A,B n C...and the list is endless. Cuccumber juice is my all time favourite. These cute little rolls are a healthy snack.

Ingredients:
1 large cuccumber
2 slices of fat free cheese slices (I used Vegan cheese)
1 tbsp of mint chutney
Toothpicks to hold the rolls
A few slices of Black Olives

Method:
Peel the cuccumber and using the peeler, slice them into thin n long slices. Set them aside. Take a slice of cheese and cut into broad strips.
Take a slice of cuccumber, place a strip of cheese on it and spread the mint chutney on it. Start rolling up gently and hold it with a toothpick to which a black olive is inserted. Yippee cute lill' cuccumber rolls are ready in a jiffy!!
Aren't they cute and tasty and healthy?

Wheaty Oat Salad Tarts

Veggies, Sprouts n  Cheese all in one healthy homemade tart? Yes, these homemade tarts are baked with whole wheat n oat flour. The best part of these homememade tarts is that they are baked in a jiffy!!

Ingredients for the Tarts:
1 cup whole wheat flour
Little less than half  a cup of oat flour
Water for kneading the flour
5tbsp of raw Kidney beans (to fill the tart mould while baking)

Ingredients for the filling:
1/2 a cup of slightly steamed  veggies of your choice
1 tbsp of mung sprouts
2 tsbp of paneer/cheese cubes (low fat)
1 tbsp of Olive oil
A few sprigs of fresh cilantro for garnishing

Dressing:
1 tbsp of Mustard oil
1/2 tbsp of lemon juice
1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Mix well and keep it aside.

Method:
Make the tarts first....knead the wheat and oat flour to a medium soft dough. Preheat the oven to 180deg C. Take the tart moulds (preferably non stick) and grease them slightly. Roll out the dough into small roundels and carefully place each of them into the tart moulds. Take a fork and prick lightly on the base of the tart so that it does not fluff while baking. Fill each tart with a few kidney beans and set them in the preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the tarts cool down to room temperature. Remove the kidney beans and gently pull out the tart from the mould. Set them aside
Now let us the make the filling ready....take a pan, add a tbsp of Olive oil and throw in all the veggies and sprouts. Saute for five minutes and add the cheese/paneer cubes and salt and switch of the gas.
Por the dressing over the sauteed mix and mix well.
Take the tarts and fill each of them with the dressed filling, garnish with fresh cilantro and serve immediately or else the tarts would become soggy!

Healthy Dhoklas

Yes, yet another healthy dish..Spinach dhoklas with the goodness of Oats in them apart from the other ingredients.These are healthy for many reasons..they are steamed, they have Oats n Spinach!! Let me be honest, though the procedure is a little time consuming, the result is really satisfying and I personally felt way too happy!!

Ingredients:
1/2 a cup of Semolina (suji)
1/2 a cup of quick cooking Oats
1/2 a cup of Chickpea flour (Besan)
1/2 a cup of blanched Spinach puree
1 cup of Yoghurt (dahi)
2 tsp of fresh lemon juice
2 tsp of ginger n green chilli paste
2 tsp of fruit salt/ENO
Salt to taste
1 tsp of Olive oil for greasing the plates

Seasoning:
1 tbsp of Olive oil
2 tsp of mustard seeds (rai)
1 tbsp of sesame seeds
5 Curry leaves roughly chopped
1 Dry red chilli

Method:
Set a steamer with required amount of water on the gas, while preparing for the Dhokla batter.
Take a bowl, pour the spinach puree, semolina, oats, half a cup of yoghurt, green chilli n one tsp of ginger paste, one tsp of lemon juice, salt to taste and mix well and set aside.
Take another bowl, add the Chickpea flour/ besan, half a cup of yoghurt, one tsp of green chilli n ginger paste, remaining lemon juice , salt to taste and mix well and set aside.
Now the water in the steamer must be boiling. Take a deep dish/thali  which can accomodate  the above batters and grease it well, Add a tsp of ENO to each of the batter and pour the Spinach batter first. Then gradually pour the Chickpea batter on top of it. Close the lid of the steamer and steam for 20 to 25 minutes.
Take a pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and throw in the mustard seeds, sesame seeds, curry leaves and the red chilli. The seasoning is ready.
Once the dhokla is  slightly cooled, remove the dish and pour the seasoning on it. Cut it into pieces and serve either warm or at room temperature.
The two tier colourful dhokla looks so tempting and yeah it is healthy as well!!