Quick, healthy cake balls !

I had some egg-less chocolate cake left-over, as it had come a little hard than usual,a few pieces were still left. So, roast and powdered oats and added strawberry syrup  to make these. I gave it our niece who lives above our flat. She was wondering what are the ingredients, she liked it.

Ingredients
7 pieces of left-over cake ( that is what I had)
oats roasted and powdered  1-2 tbsp
strawberry syrup 2-3 tbsp ( you may add whatever syrup or  sugar powder that you've)

Method
roast and powder oats
crumble well the cake pieces
add strawberry syrup to the crumbled cake and oats mixture, mix well, roll into little balls !

My cake was made with less maida/ all purpose flour, it had whole wheat flour, ragi flour and multigrain flour, no eggs, no oil, I had added some finely chopped nuts to it.

Note- Since my cake was less sweet as per hubby's taste buds, I added about 2-3 tbsp syrup. So, whatever syrup or sugar powder or jam you've, you can add as per taste and see that you're able to roll it, so it shouldn't be too sticky either to roll. If your cake didn't have nuts, you can then roll the balls in nuts to make it more attractive !

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Sweet Pongal ( Sweet rice) with left-over rice

I never like to waste food. Earlier with left-over rice, I made pakoras, or have made vadai ! This morning, there was left over rice, so decided to make sweet pongal. It is quick, easy and delicious to taste, if you've sweet tooth like me ! You know as people grow old, they long for desserts, even if one is a diabetic, gur is healthier option than white sugar. Hubby loved it, was wondering from where and how I made it !

Ingredients
left-over rice 1 cup
nuts 1 tbsp
raisins 1 tsp
ghee 2 tsp
jaggery / gur / molasses 12 cup or to taste
cardamom pdr. 1 pinch

Method
heat ghee in a pan, add nuts and raisins, once raisins puff up, add gur, if it is in little pieces, keep mashing it, to melt, even if few pieces of gur are there, you can add rice and keep stirring continuously, for the gur to melt and mix well with rice. 
Once it is well mixed, add cardamom pdr. and remove. It can be eaten or cold.

Notes= If you don't have gur / molasses, use brown sugar to taste and then once sugar melts, add rice and proceed in the same way.

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Stuffed Sanke-courd ( Pudalangai)

Ingredients
snake gourd ( tender) cut into 1- 2" pieces 8-10 pieces
sesame seeds / white til  1 tbsp
besan / gram flour 2 tbsp
desiccated coconut 2 tbsp
onion finely chopped 1 big ( optional) OR add some finely grated cabbage/ carrot
peanut/ cashew nut coarsely powdered  2 tbsp
salt and chili pdr. to taste
turmeric pdr.  1/4 tsp
tamarind juice 2 tbsp
oil 3-4 tbsp

Method
in case the snake gourd isn't very tender, then peel lightly the outside skin
cut into 1-2" pieces in rounds, core and remove the seeds and the white part
boil water with little salt, blanch the pieces for 3-4 minutes, turning around
drain, soak in cold water, drain and dry in kitchen towel or cloth.
roast sesame seeds , cool and powder it 
roast besan over low flame stirring continuously till it turns light brown
in a big bowl, add roasted besan, pdr. sesame seeds,nuts pdr., salt and chili pdr., onion, tamarind juice, oil, mix well.
stuff in snake gourd pieces well, as it will easier to stuff from both sides
heat  1 tbsp oil in a pan / tawa, add the stuffed pieces, keep turning them around so that it gets light brown from all sides, add little oil if needed.
serve hot with sambar and rice or dal and rice or rasam and rice Or have it as a snack

Option- you may add little grated paneer/ cottage cheese too if you prefer, along with some finely chopped raisins.
 
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Glass Gem Corn

This is the most beautiful corn. It is a Native American variety called 'Glass Gem Corn' and yes it really does grow like that.



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Potato-Cheese Pancakes

 potato mixture- sorry the photos aren't very clear

 getting shallow fried

ready to eat

Ingredients
potato 3 big peeled and grated
onion 1 big finely chopped
all purpose flour / maida 2 tbsp
besan / chickpea flour  1-2 tbsp
salt little less than what you'll normally put, as cheese has salt
cheese slices 2 broken into small pieces
cheese spread thick as needed or you may chop cheese cubes into small cubes 
chili pdr to taste
hing little
ajwain / carom seeds  1 tsp
oil for shallow frying

Method
peel and grate potatoes in water, so it doesn't turn brown and also as the excess carbs from it will be removed.
wash well and drain well the potato, you may spread in kitchen towel if the water hasn't completely drained .
add chopped onion, salt, chili pdr, broken cheese slices, mix well adding flours,
take a big ball amount of batter, (as mine wasn't thick, nor thin), I spread it in my hand and put some thick cheese spread, as I didn't have cheese cubes, then closed it well, in a hot frying pan, I added little oil and placed the pancakes in medium heat to cook well on both sides till brown, adding little oil, as I turned. 

Note- you can use little cornflour too in case you don't have besan or you may even use rice flour if you've to get it crisp if you like.

Hubby wanted this, after seeing the recipe, he has been asking me since some days. Decided to make for him today, as you know the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach, even if he is old !

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Three Tips For a Juicy Burger

Who doesn't love food that is grilled? Primarily when it comes to burgers, or literally any meat. Grilled foods taste so incredible making us want to grill just about anything every day. Yet no matter how amazing you are at grilling, there are always a set of tips and tricks to take your grilling to the next level. Check out the tips below, ensuring that you take your grilled goodies from great to gourmet:

1. Better (and Safer) Grill Cleaning

Have you heard about the dangers of grill brushes? Those metal bristle brushes that you typically use to clean off your grill can sometimes fall off the brush and stay on the grill getting lodged into your food. It is, of course, unsafe to ingest one and for this reason, experts have come up with a new way of cleaning your grill, using aluminum foil. Simply crumple up a piece of aluminum foil and pick it up in between tongs, scrubbing down the hot grill with the foil. This will get the crud off.

2. Perfect Kebabs

Kebabs are versatile and fun. But what we hate is how those wooden skewers tend to get burned or light on fire when they are cooling on the grill. To avoid this, bear in mind this simple trick: Simply soak the skewers in a bowl of water for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking to avoid any dangerous flames. It is also recommended that you use two skewers per kebab to ensure that they don't slip through the grates.

3. Iced Burgers

It may seem odd, and possibly disgusting and unnecessary to put ice cubes on your burgers. But, we promise you, it isn't. While burgers on the grill are amazing, what you want are juicy burgers on the grill. Achieving the perfect burger is hard, however, with this brilliant trick, you'll manage. When your raw patties are cooking on the grill simply put a pad of butter on top of them. Or, for a healthier option, use an ice cube. This will melt into the burger as it cooks making it your juiciest burger ever.

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Banana halwa

Ingredients
bananas big 4
ghee 2-3 tbsp
coconut sugar 1/4 cup or to taste
cardamom pdr. 1/2 tsp
nuts 2 tbsp
raisins 1 tbsp

Method
peel and mash the bananas well with a fork or spoon
heat 1 tsp ghee in a heavy or non-stick pan- fry nuts and raisins, remove
add 1 tbsp ghee to the same pan, add mashed bananas, keep frying in medium flame till thick
add coconut sugar, keep stirring 1 tbsp ghee till it leaves the sides of the pan, you may add another tsp of ghee, cardamom pdr., half of the fried nuts and raisins, stir well, remove.
You can put in a mould, garnish with remaining nuts and raisins.
It can be served hot or cold.

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Problem-Uneven portions of cookies and other foods that require measuring out

Solution: Use an ice cream scoop instead of a spoon to measure out the portions

When preparing cookies, muffins, pancakes or meatballs, it is way more convenient to use an ice cream scoop instead of a spoon. Not only will this help you measure out the perfect amount of the mixture every time, but it will also significantly speed up the cooking process.

Ever since I saw a chef use one of those for cookies on a TV show, I do not part with my trusty ice cream scoop.

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Problem - Pizza takes too long to prepare

Solution: Increase the temperature and preheat ahead of time

Did you know that, in Italy, they rarely cook a pizza for more than 10 minutes? The main reason for that is that pizza is traditionally prepared in a stone oven outside at very high temperatures.

And though most people in other parts of the world don’t own one of those amazing ovens, you can still simulate the results by cranking up the heat on your oven to the maximum and preheating it for at least 20-30 minutes before cooking the pizza.

This way your pizza will be ready in 10-15 minutes and have that signature brown crust on top.

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Problem : Pastry doesn't turn out right

Solution: Pay attention to the temperature of the ingredients

It isn’t a coincidence that certain pastry recipes call for ice-cold ingredients, while others require room temperature ones. The temperature of the ingredients is generally linked to the texture of a given pastry.

The rule of thumb is as follows:

• Crumbly, crispy recipes, such as croissants, sugar cookies, and pie crusts call for cold ingredients.
• Soft and spongy recipes, such as muffins and bread require room temperature ingredients.

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Problem: The color of the carrots fades in the cooking process

Solution: Peel the carrots before cooking 

Even the most outstanding turkey dinner or pot roast can be ruined by muddy or gray-looking carrots. Carrots absorb the color of the meat when they are cooked together, and they easily lose their color in the cooking process.
The sad gray color can be avoided if you peel the carrots before cooking, as the discoloration usually starts from the skin.

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Substitute For Full Fat Mayo

Solution: Use milk instead of eggs in the recipe

Mayo may not be the healthiest condiment on Earth, but it sure has its support team in the culinary world. For example, if you’re cutting down on fats, it may be a good idea to replace butter with homemade mayo, especially if you opt for the lighter version of the recipe with eggs replaced by milk.

Just take your favorite homemade mayo recipe and replace the eggs with milk. The proportions are as follows: for every egg you use, add half the amount of milk.

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Rice too sticky- simple solution

Solution: Fry it before cooking

There are different types of rice, and the round-grain varieties are usually used in risottos and sushi because they tend to become sticky due to a higher concentration of starches. If you happen to have only the round variety on hand, but you still want to prepare rice that falls apart instead of sticking together, it can be easily achieved.

All you have to do is swap your cooking pot for a frying pan, and fry the rice for a few minutes in the tiniest amount of oil or butter before cooking it. A guide that it’s time to add water and start cooking the rice is when it becomes more transparent and releases a pleasant aroma.

Also, don't forget to rinse your rice at least 3 times before cooking, this will wash away any rice flour from the surface of the grain, which can also make rice stickier.

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Custard apple ( seethaphal) Payasam

Ingredients
milk 1 litre
coconut sugar 1/4 cup or to taste
coconut grated 1/4 cup
cashew nut 2-3 tbsp
raisins  2 tbsp
custard apple puree  1/2 cup
ghee 2 tsp

Method
custard apple peel, remove seeds, mash well ( one easy way to remove the seeds is put it in a sieve once you remove the skin, then as you press with a spoon, the pulp will come down.
Heat ghee, fry cashew nuts till golden, remove, in the same ghee, fry raisins, remove, fry coconut, remove once light brown. In the same pan, add milk, once it boils, let it simmer till reduce to half, keep stirring from time to time.
Add coconut sugar, let it simmer for another 3 minutes, add half of fried coconuts and nuts and raisins, remove let it come to room to room temperature, then add custard apple, mix well, chill
garnish with remaining nuts, raisins and coconut, serve.

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Chana dal- peas vege

Ingredients
chana dal 1 cup soak for an hour
onion 1 big
ginger finely chopped 1 tsp
garlic finely chopped 1 tsp
green chilies finely chopped 1 tsp or to taste
carrot finely chopped 1 big
peas blanched  1/4 cup
hing little
jeera / cumin  1/2 tsp
mustard seeds  1/2 tsp
urad dal 2 tsp
curry leaves finely chopped 1 tsp
coriander leaves finely chopped 2 tsp
ghee 1 tbsp
oil 1 tsp
salt to taste
turmeric 1/2 tsp

Method
drain well the soaked dal, grind without adding any water along with green chilies to taste to a coarse paste.
Heat oil and ghee, add mustard seeds, once it crackles, add urad dal and jeera, once the dal is golden, add hing, curry leaves, fry for few seconds, add onion, ginger and garlic, fry adding wee bit for salt till  onion is light brown
add carrot,  fry for 2 minutes, add peas and dal paste along with turmeric, keep frying on low flame for about 5-6 minutes, adding half of the coriander leaves.
 once the dal is well cooked, remove, garnish with remaining coriander leaves, serve hot with rice, adding some fresh ghee !

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Instant 3 colour idlis !

Ingredients for basic idli batter

½ cup roasted and powdered oats

½ cup semolina/ suji

1 cup curds

Salt as per taste

1 tsp Eno fruit salt

For orange idlis

carrot grated 2-3 tbsp

chili pdr.  1/4 tsp

For green colour idlis

spinach puree 2 tbsp OR

crushed peas and green chili 2 2-3 tbsp

finely chopped coriander leaves 1 tbsp

For yellow idlis

corn crushed  2-3 tbsp add little turmeric pdr and yellow chili pdr.   

Method

In a mixing bowl, add roasted and powdered oats,suji and curds. Mix well and keep aside for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add little water, if it has become too thick, divide the batter into 3 parts adding Eno, mixing well.

 

In 1 part add grated carrots, little red chili pdr, mix well

In 2nd part, add peas / spinach, coriander leaves, mix well 

In the 3rd part, add crushed corn, turmeric, yellow chili pdr, mix well

Pour the 3 mixtures in greased idli plates.

Add  3 to 4 cups of water in a steamer/ pressure cooker. When the water starts boiling, place the idli plates in the steamer. Steam for 15 minutes or until the idlis are cooked.  Remove the idli plates from the steamer. Unmould the idlis and serve with coconut chutney or tomato chutney or sambar.

 

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Chole-paneer wrap

Ingredients
wrap / roti
Greek yogurt  1/2 cup seasoned to taste
chickpeas cooked, drained  1/4 cup
cottage cheese / paneer cut into small cubes 1/4 cup
tomatoes  2
onion 1
green chilies to taste
oil 2 tsp
garam masala 1/2 tsp
ajwain/ carom seeds  1/2 tsp
hing little
ginger-garlic paste 1 tbsp
turmeric pdr. 1/4 tsp
 salt to taste

Method
in a pan, heat oil , add ajwain, saute for 30 seconds, add little hing, add onion, wee bit of salt, fry till soft, add tomatoes finely chopped, ginger -garlic paste, turmeric, fry till tomatoes are soft, add cooked chana and pane, mix well adding garam masala and salt to taste, simmer for 2 minutes, cool spread seasoned yogurt on the wrap, spread the prepared chana-paneer mixture in the centre, roll tight, folding the edges inward. wrap in aluminum foil.
 
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Beans+ salad wrap

Ingredients
wrap / roti
cooked beans, drained and spiced as per choice 1/4 cup
salad- onion, cucumber, tomato ( without seeds) 2-3 tbsp or few slices of each

cheese grated
Greek yogurt mixed with your choice of seasoning to spread 1/4 cup
nuts chopped 2 tbsp

Method
spread the yogurt mixture all over the wrap / roti
put cooked beans in the centre, spread salad on top of beans, spread cheese, spread nuts on top
roll it tight, put the edges inside at last, roll in aluminum foil.

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