Blackberry Cheesecake

Happy Holidays everyone! Though there was no break from cooking at home, this is the longest I have taken break from blogging I think. But hopefully this cheesecake recipe comes at the right time to make your holidays merrier!

Basic Cheesecake recipe is a combination of various trials that I have done over the years, so do not remember where and how I started making. Though I have BIG fan at my home for this cheesecake. That's my son. He can completely devour the whole cake if I am not looking. For him, where-ever there is cheesecake on the dessert menu, it's the best place to eat.

You can make the cheesecake ahead of time and freeze it. Thaw it in refrigerator overnight and it will be ready to serve next morning.

Prep Time: 20 min| Total Time: 1 Hr + 3 Hr Refrigerate. | Serves: 8 to 10.

Ingredients:

For the Crust:
6 squares of graham
1 tbsp. sugar
pinch of salt
Cinnamon - 1 pinch
butter - 1 tbsp.

For the Filling:
12 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)
Heavy Cream - 1/2 Cup
1/3 Cup Sugar
vanilla - 1 tsp.
Egg (at room temperature) - 1

For Topping:
Blackberry - 2 Cups
Sugar - 1/2 Cup
Water - 1 tbsp.

Method of Preparation:
~ Preheat the oven to 350 deg.
~ Pulse all the ingredients under crust, it will be a crumbled wet sand like mixture.
~ Spray the pie pan with cooking spray. Press the crust mixture into the baking pan. Bake the crust for 7 minutes.
~ Let it cool for 5 min. See how the center sinks, it's perfectly fine. Reduce the oven temperature to 325.

~ Meantime, prepare the filling. In a small bowl, add softened cream cheese. Using a hand mixture, beat at a low speed.
~ Once all the lumps are gone, add heavy cream.
~ Add this cream cheese filling into the baking pan. Bake for 30 min or until center is done.
~ Once it's cooled, refrigerate for atleast 3 hrs.

For Blackberry compote:
~ Rinse blackberries gently. Boil them with sugar and water. Using a potato masher, gently keep mashing. Cook for about 15 minutes.

To serve. top cheesecake with compote and serve

Bake Fest #33 - Roundup

Hello everyone. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to link up their baked goodies to "Bake Fest". It was a pleasure hosting Bake Fest @Sumee's Culinary. I thoroughly enjoyed all that was brought to the platter. I hope you guys will hop each other's space and find inspiration to create and bake some. Now off to the roundup. Find future bake fests schedule at Cooks Joy.

Ambo Upkari/ Spicy Mango Curry

This one is one of the classic Konkani dishes. Mango upkari is very simple to make and a very few ingredients. If cooking with fruit is not your thing, try this and you would want to do it over and over again. My kiddos took some time to warm up to upkari, but me and my hubby love this. So usually we both finish it up without forcing the kids too much. :o)

Prep time: 15 min | Cooking Time: 15 min | Serves: 5

Ingredients:
Small Mangos - 3
Water - 2 Cups
Salt - 1tsp.
Green Chilies - 3
Jaggery - small lime size
All Purpose Flour / Maida - 2 tsp.

For tempering
Oil - 1 tsp.
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Urad Dal - 1 tsp.
Kadipatta/ Curry Leaves - 1 spring
Red Chili - 1

Method of Preparation:
~ Wash and clean the mangoes. Peel the skin off and put skin in a large bowl. Keep peeled mangoes aside.
~ Now add the water to the bowl with skin. Using hands gently rub the inside part of the skin. Discard the squeezed skin. Now you will have a bowlful of thick mango water.
~ In thick bottomed wide pan, add this mango squeezed water, mango (you can cut the side slices off or use the whole mango), salt, green chili and jaggery. Place it on the gas and let it cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, turning the mangoes once half way through. Mango color changes to lighter color at this point of time.
~ In a small bowl, place AP flour and add 2 tablespoons of water. Mix them to make a fine paste.
~ Now slowly add it the cooked mixture. Combine gently and let the flour cook. The curry starts to thicken, then it's time to switch off the heat.
~ In a tempering spoon, heat some oil and let mustard seeds splutter.
~ Add urad dal, curry leaves and broken red chili, remove from heat and immediately temper on top of the mango curry.
~ Serve it hot with rice or as a side dish with roti's.

If you like to cook with fruits, you might also like:
Ambo Sasam/ Sweet and Spicy Mango CurryCorn Mango saladMango MousseMango Fruit Salad

Linking the recipe to HearthAndSoulBlogHop, ProjectInspired, TurnItUpTuesday, AnythingGoes, RecipeOfTheWeek, ShareYourStuff, DareToShare, TryANewRecipe, BragAboutIt, DIYSunday,FridayFrenzy, HappinessIsHomemade, WeekendRetreat, ShareItSunday, MeltInYourMouthMonday, What'dYouDoThisWeekend, MuchAdoAboutMonday, FiveFridayFinds,

Blueberry Banana Eggless Breakfast Muffins

Who wouldn't love muffin for breakfast? My kids sure love them. Especially blueberry is one of their favorites. Banana in the batter makes these muffins pretty soft and spongy. On the shelf can stay for 2 days, but you can refrigerate these up to a week. We usually finish this off in 2 or 3 days. But whenever I have doubled the quantity, I have refrigerated. Before serving, I slightly warm these in microwave for 20 to 30 seconds. 

Prep Time: 15 min. | Cooking Time: 45 min. | Makes: About 16 muffins

Ingredients:

Multi-grain Flour – 2 cups + 1 tbsp.
Baking Soda – 1 tsp.
Salt – ¼ tsp.
Flax-seed Meal - 3 tbsp.
Ripe bananas – 2 (1 Cup)
Brown Sugar – 1 Cup
Olive Oil – ½ cup
Vanilla extract – 1 tsp.
Yogurt (Beaten) – 1 Cup
Blueberries - 1 Cup.
Muffin liners
Butter Spray to grease the loaf pan

Method of Preparation:

~ Mash the bananas, add flax-seed meal and keep it aside.
~ Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the muffin pan with liners. Lightly spray them.
~ In a bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt.
~ In another big bowl, beat brown sugar and oil together on medium speed.
~ Add mashed bananas and vanilla extract.
~ Now add half of dry flour mix and yogurt. Gently fold in and do not over mix. Continue to mix with dry flour being the last one in.
~ Wash and pat dry blueberries. Toss them in 1 tbsp flour kept aside. Now gently mix them into batter.
~ Using an ice-cream scoop, pour the batter in each muffin liner. Bake for about 45 minutes. Keep a watch and continue to bake until inserted toothpick comes out clean. 
~ Take out the muffins and let them rest on the wire rack. 

Linking them to Bake Fest hosted by me over here. Also linking to HearthAndSoulBlogHop, ProjectInspired, TurnItUpTuesday, AnythingGoes, RecipeOfTheWeek, ShareYourStuff, CreativeCorner, DareToShare, TryANewRecipe, BragAboutIt, DIYSunday,FridayFrenzy, HappinessIsHomemade, WeekendRetreat, ShareItSunday, MeltInYourMouthMonday, What'dYouDoThisWeekend, MuchAdoAboutMonday, FiveFridayFinds,

Bake Fest #33 - Guest Hosting

Hello everyone! I am so happy to host bake fest on my blog again. Thanks Vardhini for the opportunity. If you are familiar with Vardhini's Cooks Joy, you will know how creative and fun her food is. Her food comes through the pictures as though it's sitting in front of you, calling your name. Mmmm... Bake fest has been on the rounds for a while, so all of you must be familiar with the rules, still, here it is.

~ Send in any recipe which has been baked / broiled.
~ Only vegetarian or vegan recipes please. Eggs are allowed in baking.
~ Usage of logo is appreciated as it helps spread the word.
~ Linking back to my announcement page and to Vardhini's Bake Fest announcement is mandatory. If sending an old entry, it needs to be re-published with both links.
~ You can send in any number of new entries and a maximum of 2 old entries.
~ If you have any problem linking please send me an email @ sumeesculinary@gmail.com

Please use the link below to submit your entries

Classic Margherita Pizza

This is one of the basic pizza recipe that I had seen on Youtube and over the period I have many variations of it. But in it's simplicity Margherita pizza is exquisite. It's very simple to put together and tastes absolutely delicious. My kiddos love pizza and am sure most of the kiddos do. Try this one at home and see how easy it is to impress them.

Prep Time: 15 min |  Cooking Time: 10 mins/ pizza | Resting time: 1 hr | Serves: 4 (Makes two pies)

Ingredients:

For pizza base:
Whole wheat flour - 2 Cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp.
Brown Sugar (optional) - 2 tsp.
Chili Flakes (optional) - 1 tsp.
Warm water - 1 Cup
Dry Active Yeast - 1 tbsp.

For pizza topping:
Pizza Sauce - 1 Cup
Parmesan Cheese - 1/2 Cup
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp.
Fresh Basil leaves - handful
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese - 8 oz

Method of Preparation:

~ Add yeast to the warm water and let it sit for 10 min.
~ In a wide bowl add the flour, salt and optional brown sugar & chili flakes. Add the yeast mix to this and gently mix it to make a pliable dough.
~ Now slowly knead while you stretch and pull the dough.
~ Make two portions of the dough, cover them with a damp cloth and let it rest for half an hour to one hour.
~ When you are ready to make the pizzas, preheat the oven to 450 deg Fahrenheit and leave the pizza stone in there.
~ Flour the surface and work with each portion of the dough to make it into about 8 to 9 inch pizza base. Keep the edges little thicker.
~ Top the two pizzas with sauce, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, fresh basil leaves and mozzarella cheese in that order.
~ Transfer pizzas to the hot pizza stone (Careful!!!!). Bake for 10 minutes, cut and enjoy steaming hot pizza slices.

Note:
1. If you do not have pizza stone, no worries, any cookie sheet or pizza sheet will work too. Bake for 15 minutes on the pizza pan.
2. Fresh ingredients such as mozzarella and basil enhances the flavors tremendously.

Linking this to:
BakeFest#32, SaturdayNightFever, MyFavoriteThings

Suran Sukke/ Elephant Foot Yam Subzi

Did the name "Elephant Foot Yam" catch your attention? :o) Yeah, pretty neat name for this tuber. We call it "Churna" in konkani or "Suvarna Gadde" in Kannada. These tubers are quite huge and my mom would buy the cut pieces or the whole. Then we would end up eating them for several days in form of several dishes. It has several medicinal values is what I have heard and it's quite popularly used in Ayurveda medicine.

You have to be careful though while using this tuber. If you don't cook it right, it leaves a little scratchy feeling in your throat. My mom would actually wash them thoroughly, cut and add pieces in salt water for few minutes. In the recipes she would add more sore taste, either with tangy tamarind or tomatoes or lemon juice.

Ingredients:
Suran - 3 Cups (I use frozen cut pieces)
Onion - 1 medium (finely chopped)
Garlic - 3 pods (finely chopped)
Tomato - 2 medium
Chili Powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp.
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp.
Shredded Coconut - 1 Cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:
~ Heat oil in a thick bottomed vessel. Add cut onion and garlic. Fry until onion becomes translucent.
~ Add turmeric powder, chili powder and fry for few minutes.
~ Add Suran and continue to fry. Cover and cook them for 7 to 10 minutes.
~ Add cut tomatoes and fry until they are cooked.
~ Add shredded coconut, Garam masala powder and salt to taste. Mix everything for few more minutes until everything is combined.
~ Serve hot with rotis.

Linking this recipe to
HearthAndSoulBlogHop, ProjectInspired, TurnItUpTuesday, AnythingGoes, RecipeOfTheWeek, ShareYourStuff, CreativeCorner, DareToShare, TryANewRecipe, BragAboutIt, DIYSunday,FridayFrenzy, HappinessIsHomemade, WeekendRetreat, ShareItSunday, MeltInYourMouthMonday, What'dYouDoThisWeekend, MuchAdoAboutMonday, FiveFridayFinds,

Beetroot Raita/ Beets in yogurt sauce

Yes! They are PINK! Really bright pink. Every time I make this my daughter gushes about the color. Beets are known to be good for eyes, lowering blood pressure and increasing stamina. I often steam them, add a little salt and snack on them. This particular cool raita is not only pleasing to eyes, they are very tasty and filling. Do try them from your regular cucumber raita.

Prep Time: 10 min | Serves : 4 (as side)

Ingredients:
Beetroot/ Beet - 1 small size
Yogurt - 1 and 1/2 Cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp.
Sugar - 1 pinch

For tempering:
Oil - 2 tsp.
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Urad Daal/ Split black gram daal - 1 tsp.
Hing/ Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Dry Red Chili - 1 (broken into two piece)

Method of Preparation:
~ Wash and peel the skin of beet. Grate them into a large bowl. Yes, your hand will look like you are bleeding! But don't worry, continue.
~ In another small bowl, beat yogurt with a spoon. Add in salt and sugar. Mix them thoroughly.
~ Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds.
~ Once it starts to splutter, add in urad daal, hing and red chili. Remove from heat and immediately pour it on the grated beetroot.
~ Add the beaten yogurt and mix them.
~ Serve it with Rice Pulav.

You might also be interested in:
Cucumber Raita
Grated Cucumber Raita
Red Spinach Pomegranate Pulav
Coriander Pulav
Tomato Rice
Afghani Chicken Pulav
Lemon Rice
Beetroot Upkari 
Beetroot Chutney

Linking this recipe to
HearthAndSoulBlogHop, ProjectInspired, TurnItUpTuesday, AnythingGoes, RecipeOfTheWeek, ShareYourStuff, CreativeCorner, DareToShare, TryANewRecipe, BragAboutIt, DIYSunday,FridayFrenzy, HappinessIsHomemade, WeekendRetreat, ShareItSunday, MeltInYourMouthMonday, What'dYouDoThisWeekend, MuchAdoAboutMonday, FiveFridayFinds,

Orange Bundt Cake/ Pound Cake

One of my kiddos favorite cake flavor is orange. My little one does not have sweet tooth. But she loves muffins and cakes that I make since I don't put too much sugar in them. This one is one of her favorites. The fresh orange flavor with nutmeg really creates a delicate balance. Whole house smells like orange scented candle has been lit. This can stay up to a week when covered in a closed container and more in the refrigerator. This freezes well too.

Prep Time: 15 min | Baking Time: 45 to 50 min | Makes - One Bundt / Pound cake

Ingredients:

AP Flour + Multi-grain Flour - 1 1/2 Cups
Baking Powder - 1 tsp.
Salt - 1/2 tsp.
Butter - 1/2 Cup
Olive Oil - 1/2 Cup
Brown Sugar - 1 Cup
Eggs - 4
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp.
Nutmeg Extract - 1 tsp.
Orange Juice - 1/2 Cup
Orange Zest - 1 tsp.

For Glaze :
Orange Juice - 1/3 Cup
Sugar - 1/3 Cup

Method of Preparation:

~ Preheat the oven to 350 deg Farenheit. Spray or butter the bundt cake pan and keep it aside.
~ In a small bowl sieve, flour, baking powder and salt.
~ In another bowl, cream butter with a mixer.
~ Add in olive oil and brown sugar and mix.
~ Now add one egg at a time, mixing them at low speed.
~ Add in vanilla and nutmeg extracts.
~ Now alternating between the dry ingredients and orange juice, mix the batter until smooth. Always end with the dry ingredient.
~ Add in the zest and pour the mix into prepared pan.
~ Bake until the toothpick inserted comes out clean. Takes upto an hour depending upon the pan shape and differences in the oven.
~ Prepare the glaze by mixing orange juice and sugar.
~ Once the cake is done, let it cool for 15 minutes. Place it on wire rack on top of a cookie sheet. Now pour the glaze all over the cake. Let it cool completely before serving.

Linking this recipe to
HearthAndSoulBlogHop, ProjectInspired, TurnItUpTuesday, AnythingGoes, RecipeOfTheWeek, ShareYourStuff, CreativeCorner, DareToShare, Hearts4Home, BragAboutIt, DIYSunday,FridayFrenzy, HappinessIsHomemade, WeekendRetreat, ShareItSunday, MeltInYourMouthMonday, What'dYouDoThisWeekend, MuchAdoAboutMonday, FiveFridayFinds

Chicken Enchiladas

Feliz Cinco De Mayo amigos! Make and enjoy some of these enchiladas tomorrow. If you are meatless on Monday, you can always skip the chicken. It's very easy to put together and very very filling. Feliz word always reminds me of my amigo Julia. She is no more, but her memories are here for me to cherish. She had a beautiful soul. She was the one who introduced to me loads of Mexican dishes and festivities.

I love Mexican food since it's spicy like Indian cuisine. And also most of them are pretty easy to put together. Indian cuisine we serve roti/ tortilla separately and in Mexican tortillas used in different ways to hold, roll the vegetables and cheeses inside/ top. :o)

Ingredients:
Cooked Chicken (optional) - 1 Cup
Chopped Onion - 1/2 Cup
Cubed bell peppers - 1/2 Cup
Sweet Corn kernels - 1 Cup
Black\ Pinto or Soya Beans - 1/2 Cup
Jalapeno Peppers - 2 (finely chopped)
Tortillas - 8
Salsa - 1 to 1 1/2 Cup
Shredded Cheese - 2 Cups
Olive Oil - 1 tsp.
Salt - 1/2 tsp.
Coriander leaves to sprinkle on top.



Method of Preparation:
~ In a wide pan heat oil. Add onion and bell peppers. Add a pinch of salt and saute on high until onion becomes tender.
~ Now add corn and jalapeno peppers.
~ If you are using canned beans, strain the liquid and wash them thoroughly under running water.
~ Add in the beans and continue to cook. Once everything is thoroughly mixed, adjust the salt and remove from heat.
~ Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
~ Once the mixture is cooled a little, divide them into eight equal parts. Put it right in the center line of tortilla and roll them up.
~ Spray a baking dish lightly and place the rolled up tortillas. Bake for 15 minutes.
~ Take them out, top it with salsa and cheese. Again bake for another 7 to 10 minutes.
~ Serve it hot with a side of guacamole and extra salsa.

You might also be interested in:
Guacamole
Grilled Corn Salsa
Pineapple Salsa
Vegetable Quesadillas

Linking this recipe to
HearthAndSoulBlogHop, ProjectInspired, TurnItUpTuesday, AnythingGoes, RecipeOfTheWeek, ShareYourStuff, CreativeCorner, DareToShare, TryANewRecipe, BragAboutIt, DIYSunday, FoodFriday, FavoriteThings, FridayFrenzy, HappinessIsHomemade, WeekendRetreat, ShareItSunday, MeltInYourMouthMonday, What'dYouDoThisWeekend, MuchAdoAboutMonday,

Red Spinach Pomegranate Rice Pilaf/ Pulav

This iron rich vegetable can be used to make variety of dishes. Regular stir-fry or add in the dal curry, it always gives a nice aromatic taste. My mom would buy these fresh from the vegetable vendors who would come on his bicycle, and shout all the green vegetables names on top of his voice, so everyone in the neighborhood could hear him. They were usually really fresh and mom would end up buying whole lot than needed. But she would always end up using them. My love of greens comes from being used to so many greens all the time being cooked at home.

This particular variety of red spinach was rare to find in mid-west. But here I see them in abundance. I see a big fresh bunch at the grocers and I go for it. These have red stems and also red at the edge where the stem meets leaf. When added to the rice, it not only enhances the flavors, it gives a natural red color to the rice. Some of these are my tactics to get my kids introduced to as many vegetables as I can. :o)

Prep Time: 20 min | Cooking Time: 15 min | Serves: Family of 4

Ingredients:
Cooked Rice (Preferably cold/ left over) - 3 Cups
Red Spinach - a bunch
Onion - 1 large (chopped)
Tomato - 1 large (chopped)
Garlic - 3 pods (chopped)
Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp.
Fish Sauce (optional) - 2 tsp.
Sriracha Chili Sauce - 1 tsp.
Salt to taste (1/2 tsp.)
Sesame oil - 2 tsp.
Pomegranate seeds - 1 Cup

Method of Preparation:
 ~ Wash and rinse the greens. Soak it in cold water for atleast 10 minutes for all the dirt to settle down.
~ Once cleaned, chop them fine and keep it aside.
~ In a wide pan, heat sesame oil, add chopped onion and garlic. Cook them until onion is translucent.
~ Add tomato and red spinach, fry for few minutes and add all three sauces.
~ Once tomato is cooked, add salt and rice. Mix them all evenly. Now add half of the pomegranate seeds and give a quick mix and switch off the heat.
~ Serve it topped with remaining pomegranate.

Linking this recipe to
HearthAndSoulBlogHop, ProjectInspired, TurnItUpTuesday, AnythingGoes, RecipeOfTheWeek, ShareYourStuff, CreativeCorner, DareToShare, TryANewRecipe, BragAboutIt, FoodFriday, FavoriteThings, FridayFrenzy, HappinessIsHomemade, WeekendRetreat, ShareItSunday, MeltInYourMouthMonday, What'dYouDoThisWeekend, MuchAdoAboutMonday, TuesdayTalent

Bhendi Subzi/ Okra Stirfry

Bhendi/ Okra/ Ladies Finger is a vegetable that you either completely hate it or you love it. Luckily my kiddos like it as much as us, so I make variety of dishes with it. Okra is has same nutrition as kiwi it seems! It goes in regular curry, special sweet and sour curry, stuffed kind and then this simple subzi or stirfry. And as I am writing this, I realized that I don't have a single Okra recipe on my blog. That's strange considering I do buy okra pretty regularly and never had probably thought of clicking pictures to actually post. This particular dish is my mom's recipe.

Now one thing you have to be careful with this vegetable is that when you wash and cut, HAVE to make sure that it's dry. Yes, completely dry. My older sister had told me that first time she made this dish, and she didn't now about drying. So she cut them immediately after washing it. Later all they had was one big blob of slimy stuff. So when you wash it, make sure to pat them dry (really dry) with a towel. I usually wash and lay them down on towel, let them hang out for about 10 minutes and then pat dry. Just cut the top off and you are good to start chopping.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cooking Time: 20 min | Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Bhendi - 1 lb
Onion - large, chopped
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Urid daal/ Split black gram - 1 tsp.
Garlic - 4 pods, crushed and chopped
Chili Powder - 1 tsp.
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp.
Tomato - 2 large, cubedGrated Coconut (optional) - 2 tbsp.
Salt - to taste (About 1 tsp.)
Oil - 1 tbsp.

Method of Preparation:

~ Chop the completely dried okra and keep it aside.
~ In a wide pan or kadai, heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add the urid daal.
~ Now add garlic, fry for few seconds and add the chopped onion. Add a pinch of salt and fry until onion turns translucent.
~ Keep the heat to medium high and add okra. Now keep frying until bhendi looses it's sliminess and is almost cooked.
~ Add chili powder, garam masala powder and tomatoes. Keep mixing them all until tomatoes are done.
~ Adjust the salt (remember we already added to onion) and sprinkle fresh grated coconut if using.
~ Mix and serve them hot with rotis or as a side for a rice.

Note:
- Buying guide: When choosing Okra make sure they are lighter green and smaller in size. If you could hold and break the tip, it should easily do so. The young okra pods are tasty and they cook fast. Once they are left too long to mature on the plant, they are hard to cut and cook.

Linking this recipe to,
HearthAndSoulBlogHop, ProjectInspired, TurnItUpTuesday, AnythingGoes, RecipeOfTheWeek, ShareYourStuff, CreativeCorner, DareToShare, TryANewRecipe, BragAboutIt, FoodFriday, FavoriteThings, FridayFrenzy, HappinessIsHomemade, WeekendRetreat, ShareItSunday, MeltInYourMouthMonday, What'dYouDoThisWeekend, MuchAdoAboutMonday, TuesdayTalent

Skinny Avocado Chicken Salad

Who wouldn't love a good chicken salad! And if it's light and fresh, all the more better right. The recipe doesn't use any mayonnaise in it. Avocado gives the nutrient while keeping the bad fat out of the equation. I buy a bagful of avocados, usually containing about 6, take one or two out and leave the rest in the refrigerator. This way all of them don't ripe at the same time. My kids don't really enjoy guacamole, which is my hubby's and my favorite. We both can sit and gorge on it. For the nutrient sake, I try to hide them in many forms. Especially one of my kids favorite curry base is avocado. Shhhh... don't tell them, they love it since it has paneer (cottage cheese) in it. I will post that recipe sometime soon.

Another exception is this chicken salad. They simply love them in wraps. Though several times they mention that they don't really like avocado, they always manage to finish them. It hardly takes few minutes to put together if you have cooked chicken ready. So it's easy lunch box idea. They do stay green for few hours, and then starts to darken a little. Here is how to make this delicious, healthy chicken salad.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cooking Time: 15 min | Serves: 4


Ingredients:
Chicken - 2 (boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
Avocado - 1 (ripened)
Onion - 1/2 Cup Chopped fine
Red Bell Pepper (optional) - 1/ 4 Cup Chopped fine
Cucumber (optional) - 1/4 Cup Chopped fine
Lime juice - 1 tbsp.
Cilantro/ Coriander Leaves - handful (cleaned and chopped)
Salt and Pepper - to taste.


Method of Preparation:

~ Cook chicken breast until done. Let it cool and then shred.
~ Mash Avocado in a bowl and mix with all other ingredients.
~ Finally mix with chicken, adjust salt and pepper and place it in the refrigerator to chill for atleast half an hour.

You might also be interested in these Avocado recipes -
Guacamole
Corn & Potato Stuffed Sandwiches
Banana Avocado Breakfast Smoothie
Avocado & Bell pepper Muhammara

Linking this recipe to Sending this to
Hearth And Soul Blog Hop,  ProjectInspired, TurnItUpTuesday, AnythingGoes, RecipeOfTheWeek, ShareYourStuff, CreativeCorner, DareToShare, TryANewRecipe, BragAboutIt, FoodFriday, FavoriteThings, FridayFrenzy, HappinessIsHomemade, WeekendRetreat, ShareItSunday, MeltInYourMouthMonday, What'dYouDoThisWeekend, MuchAdoAboutMonday, TuesdayTalent

Mackerel Fish Curry/ Bangda Thaiphal Ambat

I love seafood. And out of all the fishes, I am crazy about mackerel or bangda as we call it. The curry or the fry any way you make it, you will win me over. In US it's very hard to find; forget fresh, even good mackerel. Since I don't take chances with seafood, I never bought after first try.

Recently we found a place that sells good quality mackerel. And I called my second sister for help. She is VERY good at making seafood, infact non-vegetarian. I love almost all of her preparations. Whenever I am at her place, she spoils us good with loads of non-vegetarian food. This is her recipe that I am holding on to now to make the bangda curry every time.:o)

Thaiphal/ Teppal is less known spice which is used in Konkani dishes. It has pretty strong taste. I don't grind it into the curry, but put it later, it makes it infuse the curry with nice Teppal aroma. You can always skip this in the curry.  To know more about Teppal, visit this link here.

Ingredients:

Mackerel - 2 large (Cut into about 10 pieces)
Coconut - 2 1/2 Cups
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp.
Chili - Around 8 to 10
Haldi/ Turmeric - 1/2 tsp.
Tamarind - 1 1/2 tsp.
ginger - 1 inch
garlic - 2 or 3
Thaiphal/ Teppal - 5 or 6
Salt

Method of Preparation:

~ Clean and wash mackerel and keep aside.
~ Grind coconut, coriander seeds, chilies, turmeric powder and tamarind together.
~ When its almost grounded, add  ginger, garlic and continue to grind it fine.
~ In a wide thick bottomed pan, bring the ground masala to boil with salt and thaipal.
~ Add fish, cover 3/4th the pan and bring to boil again.
~ Serve it warm, at least after an hour so that the fish soaks in the flavors, along with rice.

Sending this to  Hearth And Soul Blog Hop, ProjectInspired, TurnItUpTuesday, In&OutOfTheKitchen, AnythingGoes, RecipeOfTheWeek, ShareYourStuff, CreativeCorner, DareToShare, TryANewRecipe, HeartsForHome, DIYSunday, BragAboutIt, FoodFriday, PinWorthyProjects, Sweet&Savory, TheYuckStopsHere

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Initially when I discovered how great brussel sprouts are in terms of nutritional values, I was excited and wanted to try. Well I have to admit my attempts were failed miserably. I realized, I tried to "Indianize" it by using some of our spices. So I went and got it again to try. This time I let it sit little longer in the refrigerator, that brought out it's STRONG smell out. Which put me off before I could even try cooking with it. I swore off against buying them and wasting.

Down the line, again I wanted to give them a try. This time I kept it simple and did these roasted brussel sprouts! Oh My. We are all converts now at home. These are not only beautiful to look, it's crunchy from outside and soft inside. The benefits of brussel sprouts are outstanding. They are high in Vitamin K and C and tons of beneficial vitamins and minerals. To read more on the benefits visit here. I wanted to share my experience with you all, to give you a sense of what to expect with Brussel sprouts. Also, never give up on trying out new veggies. :o)

Prep Time: 5 min | Cooking Time: 25 min | Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Brussel Sprout - 1 Pound
Garlic - 3 or 4 cloves, chopped fine.
Olive Oil - 1 tsp.
Salt - 3/4 tsp.
Pepper - 1/2 tsp, fresh ground
Lime Juice - 1/2 tsp.

Method of Preparation:

~ Preheat the oven to 350 deg Fahrenheit.
~ Wash and chop brussel sprouts into half.
~ In a large bowl mix olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss the brussel sprouts in it.
~ Line a cookie sheet with foil, spray lightly and arrange the brussel sprouts on it.
~ Bake for 20 min. in the oven.
~ Take out toss with garlic and continue to bake for another 5 min.
~ Transfer to serving bowl and squirt the lime juice on top and toss.

Sending this to  Hearth And Soul Blog Hop,  Favorites event @MaNiche, BakeFest#29 @VersatileRecipes, ProjectInspired, TurnItUpTuesday, In&OutOfTheKitchen, AnythingGoes, RecipeOfTheWeek, ShareYourStuff, CreativeCorner, DareToShare, TryANewRecipe, HeartsForHome, DIYSunday, BragAboutIt, FoodFriday, PinWorthyProjects, Sweet&Savory, FavoriteThings, FridayFrenzy, Showlicious, SaturdayNightFever, HappinessIsHomemade, ShareItSunday, MeltInYourMouthMonday, What'dYouDoThisWeekend, MuchAdoAboutMonday, TryANewRecipe, TastyTuesday, ChefInTraining, TheYuckStopsHere

Oatmeal Truffles

I have to say I was scratching my head for a while to think what I should name these. Eventually I said let's call it oatmeal Truffles. Reason why it was hard was I have put in so many goodies in it. No matter what you choose to call it, these truffles are healthy and tasty at the same time. They are loaded with fiber. When you want to increase the fiber intake for yourself or for your family, this one is a easier way to do.
The measurements are really mostly rough estimates, you can add or remove the things that you like. It's very versatile and you can change it according to your palette.

Prep Time: 10 min | Makes about: 24
* Serving Size: 1 | Calories: 72 | Carbs: 14 | Fat: 2 | Protein: 2 | Sugar: 8 | Sodium: 1

Ingredients:
Apricot - 1 Cup
Craisins (Dried cranberry) - 1/2 Cup
Dates (Pitted) - 1 Cup
Prunes - 1/2 Cup
Oatmeal - 3/4 Cup
Cocoa Powder - 2 tbsp
Molasses - 2 tbsp
Brown Sugar (Optional) - 1/3 Cup
Chia Seeds (Optional) - 2 tbsp
Desiccated Coconut - 1 Cup

Method of Preparation:
~ Place apricot, craisins, dates and prunes in a food processor. With processor running, add all other items one by one. The mass should come together.
~ Once done, take out and make little truffles.

Note:
~ I add coconut last, so that the texture remains in the truffles.
~ I sometimes roll these in some coconut flakes to give it a professional look.

Sending this to  Hearth And Soul Blog Hop,  Favorites event @MaNiche, ProjectInspired, TurnItUpTuesday, TastyTuesday, ChefInTraining, In&OutOfTheKitchen, AnythingGoes, RecipeOfTheWeek, DoTellTuesday, ShareYourStuff, CreativeParty, CreativeCorner, DareToShare, TryANewRecipe, BragAboutIt, MaMade, FoodFriday, PinWorthyProjects, Sweet&Savory, FavoriteThings, ShineASpotlight, Showlicious, SaturdayNightFever, HappinessIsHomemade, ShareItSunday, MeltInYourMouthMonday, What'dYouDoThisWeekend, MuchAdoAboutMonday

Kheema Pulav/ Aromatic Rice with Ground meat

One of the easiest and quickest pulav/ Pilaf that I make. My kids LOVE it. I make this often when I have ground meat and craving for some carb. It makes a nice lunchbox recipe for kids. Here I took pictures before I mixed the rice and the kheema. Often, I mix them up and serve it to kids.

Prep Time: 5 min | Cooking Time: 15 min | Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Chicken Kheema/ Ground Meat - 1 lb/ 500 gm

Frozen Peas - 1 Cup
Chili Powder - 2 tsp.
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp.
Ginger paste - 1 tsp.
Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves, chopped fine
Onion - 1 small, cut fine
Tomato - 1 medium, cut fine
Oil - 1 tbsp.
Salt - 1 tsp.
Lime Juice - 1 tsp.

For Rice:
Sona Masoori Rice - 1 Cup
Oil - 1 tsp.
Lime Juice - 1 tsp.

Method of Preparation:
~ Prepare Rice with oil and lime juice while cooking. Once done, keep it aside.
~ In a wide pan, saute onion and garlic in the oil.
~ Add tomato, ginger, turmeric and chili powder. Fry until the raw smell of tomatoes is gone, about 3 minutes.
~ Now add the ground meat and fry until they are cooked through. There shouldn't be any pink meat left.
~ Thaw frozen peas in microwave for 3 minutes and add it to the kheema.
~ Add salt to taste and a tsp of lime juice. Mix them well and top it on cooked rice. Serve hot.

Sending this to  Hearth And Soul Blog Hop,  Favorites event @MaNiche, ProjectInspired, TurnItUpTuesday, TastyTuesday, ChefInTraining, In&OutOfTheKitchen, AnythingGoes, RecipeOfTheWeek, DoTellTuesday, ShareYourStuff, CreativeParty, CreativeCorner, DareToShare, TryANewRecipe, BragAboutIt, MaMade, FoodFriday, PinWorthyProjects, Sweet&Savory, FavoriteThings, ShineASpotlight, Showlicious, SaturdayNightFever, HappinessIsHomemade, ShareItSunday, MeltInYourMouthMonday, What'dYouDoThisWeekend, MuchAdoAboutMonday