Jackfruit-seed lentil balls ( Microwave)

INGREDIENTS

seeds of jack-fruit 16-18

arhar dal 1/2 cup

chana dal 1/2 cup

molasses 3/4 cup or to taste

ghee/ clarified butter 1 tbsp

cardamom pdr. 1/2 tsp

nuts and raisins optional

METHOD

Since we ate some jackfruit, I had the seeds, with which earlier I had made a halwa with moong dal. But this time for variation, I used arhar and chana dal which were pressure cooked till soft. I also pressure cooked the jackfruit seeds with the outer skin. Once they're well cooked, I removed the outer skin, but the brown skin, I didn't peel, as it is good fibre.Then I chopped the seeds, ground them fine in mixie along with some water of the cooked dal. Then I added the dal and made a fine paste of it all. Put the mashed ingredients in a micro-safe dish, added molasses, mixed well, cooked in microwave in high power for about 25 minutes covered or so, cooking for 5 minutes, removing, stirring and keeping again for 5 minutes. Only in the last 2-3 minutes, when I added ghee, cardamom pdr., nuts and raisins, I didn't cover it, as by then it had become almost thick. I let it rest for another 2 minutes in the microwave, kept it out after stirring well for another 2 minutes, then rolled them into small balls, or else, you can spread on a greased plate and cut into desired shape.

Note- 1) you may moong dal instead of arhar and chana dal, or you may use the combo of all these dals.

2) You can use sugar instead of molasses, or brown sugar or gur, or even sugar free.

3) nuts and raisins are also optional.

4) This can be cooked in a heavy/ non-stick pan over gas, but then you'll have to keep stirring continuously till it gets thick. Use ghee last when it gets thick, but while cooking over gas, you may need a little more ghee.

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How Long Can You Store Food in the Freezer?

Your freezer can be an incredible source of savings, or it can be the black hole where mushy vegetables and half-eaten pints of ice cream go to die.

To help you remember how long foods keep and how to properly freeze them. Who knew you could freeze yogurt? Who knew fried chicken is still good after a third of a year in the deep freeze?
With the power of this chart, you can stock up when you have coupons, during a sale or when produce is in-season, stretching your grocery budget and helping you save money.

Of course, your ability to save depends on actually using the food you freeze, and the likelihood you’ll do that is directly related to how good the food tastes after it thaws. Here are some tips to make sure your freezer food tastes like food, not freezer-burn.

A Guide to Freezing Food

Don’t put hot or warm food in the freezer; you should always wait until your food is cool, according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s extension office.
Pack your goodies into freezer bags, which are thicker than regular zip-top bags. Don’t use Tupperware or other plastic containers, since those won’t let you remove all air from the container. Flatten out the bag until the contents freeze, and then stack it with other freezer bags or even store the bag vertically on its edge.
Don’t forget to label your bags with the name of the food, the date you froze it and any other helpful information, such as measurements.

What to Freeze

You can freeze almost anything, from raw meat (between three and 12 months depending on the type of meat), to milk (three to six months) and even cookie dough (three months). 

To make mealtimes easier, consider freezing pre-cooked items, like pasta sauce (12-18 months, according to the University of Minnesota’s extension office) or full meals you’ve prepped in advance, like casseroles and enchiladas. 

You can either pre-bake the meals and freeze them for up to three months, or assemble them without baking and pop them straight into the freezer. They keep two to four months this way, according to the University of Wisconsin, and you can cook them without even thawing afterwards by doubling the original cook time and subtracting about 10 minutes. 

For example, if a casserole was originally supposed to be baked for 30 minutes, try baking it for 50 minutes, but set a timer to check on it in about 40 minutes to make sure nothing is burning.

What Not to Freeze

Some things just don’t freeze well. Potato salad or chicken salad are on that list, as are raw and hard-boiled eggs — though you can freeze raw egg whites or egg yolks once you crack the shells open. Mayonnaise will “break” as it thaws and the eggs and oil separate, which is gross. Half-and-half will also “break” if frozen, but heavy cream is OK.

Don’t freeze any liquids in glass containers, because the liquid will expand as it freezes and perhaps break the glass, and don’t — no matter what anyone tells you — keep coffee in the freezer, unless you like your coffee to taste like the freezer smells.

Using your freezer to store food takes a small amount of planning and work, but it’s all worth it when you pull out a pan full of manicotti or lasagna and have dinner ready with almost no effort — and for pennies per serving.
 

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EGG-LESS HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CAKE ( Microwave)

before baking

ready to cut

INGREDIENTS
bananas  3 small or 1 1/2 big mashed well
buttermilk 1/2 cup
milk 1/2 cup
coconut oil  2 tbsp
baking pdr. 1 tsp
baking soda 1/2 tsp
cocoa pdr.  2 tbsp
sugar 1 1/4 cup
all purpose flour 2 cups
vanilla essence 1 tsp
salt 1/8 tsp
white chocolate chips for sprinkling on top( optional)

METHOD
mash bananas well with sugar, add buttermilk, mix well, add cocoa pdr, mix well
add part of the flour, mix well, add little milk, mix well, add oil and some more flour mix well
add remaining flour, baking pdr, baking soda, mix well,  vanilla essence, add some more milk of the batter is too thick. Sprinkle white chocolate chips on top
when you microwave ( mine is not induction microwave, just plain normal one), the batter should be thinner than what we use to bake in the oven. Those who want to bake in oven, bake at 170 deg. C for about 25 minutes or till done. In normal microwave it gets done between 8-10 minutes. I had actually divided the batter into 2 parts and baked in a well greased micro-safe dish ( actually what I had used was the lid of the micro-safe dish's lid). I baked each one for 6 minutes. It was nice and spongy. As, I've to give to lots of friends here, baked in 2 parts to get more pieces !

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Unusual uses of onion

1. Polish metal
Prepare a mix of crushed onion and one part water. Then, using a damp cloth, rub the mixture on a metal surface, until it appears shiny and clean.

2. Clean the grill
First scrub the grill with a wire brush to remove gunk. Switch on the grill. Use a halved onion, speared through a fork, and run the onion over the grill until all of the dirt is gone.

3. Create a DIY dye
While onions appear translucent in color, they make a beautiful vibrant red or orange dye. Just gather the skins and place them in a pair of nylon pantyhose or a nut milk bag and tie a knot at the end. Boil them in a pot for about 20 minutes. The liquid should be a bright dye, perfect for paper, yarn or fabric.

4. Soak up the smell of burnt rice
A great way to get rid of that smoky smell from burnt rice is to place half an onion next to the stove to absorb the smell.

5. Prevent your windshield from frosting up
Slice a raw onion in half and rub it on your windshield at night. This technique will help prevent frost from forming overnight.

6. Keep avocados from turning brown
A slice of red onion can be placed alongside an avocado in an airtight container to prevent it from browning. You may also add slices of red onion on top of guacamole.

7. Clean rusty knives
If your knives are rusting, jab them into a large, raw onion.

those interested in cancer and health related topics are free to see my blog-

http://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com/

 for crochet designs, my blog, those who like a particular design are free to mail me

http://My Crochet  Creations.blogspot.com

For info. about knee replacement, be free to view my blog-

http://knee replacement-stickclub.blogspot.com