COTTAGE CHEESE IN TAMARIND GRAVY

INGREDIENTS

paneer  250 gm
onion chopped 1/2 cup
tomato chopped 1 big
garlic chilli pdr  2 tsp
turmeric pdr   1/2 tsp
tamarind juice   1/2 cup
mustard seeds   1/2 tsp
curry leaves  few
salt to taste
oil  2 tbsp
fresh coriander leaves  1 tbsp  for garnishing

METHOD

Make small balls from cottage cheese, lightly fry in little oil & keep aside.
Heat oil, add mustard seeds. when it crackles, add onion, garlic & tomato.
sauté a little, then add curry leaves.
Add tamarind juice, chilli pdr. & turmeric pdr.
Add salt, water or whey ( if you've made cottage cheese at home) as needed.
When it reaches the gravy consistency as required, add the cottage cheese balls, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve hot garnished with some finely chopped coriander leaves, serve hot with rice, roti, bread, idli or dosa.

CHAPPATI -CHEESE WRAP

INGREDIENTS

cheese cut into thin strips   300 gm
chapatti   4
lime juice 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp
green chillies chopped fine 2
oil        2 tbsp
ginger- garlic paste   1 tsp
onion 1 small sliced
crushed pepper  1 tsp
green sprouts   1/2 cup
capsicum   1 medium cut into strips
ghee   1 tbsp
cabbage leaves   4
turmeric pdr  1/4 tsp
salt to taste


METHOD

Heat oil in a pan, add ginger-garlic paste, sauté for 30 seconds. 
Add onion & sauté for another 1 minute, add sliced capsicum, crushed pepper, turmeric, lime juice, salt , sauté for 30 seconds.
Finally add cheese, stir well for 2 minutes.
Remove from fire, add sprouts, stir well, set aside.
Combine green chillies & lime juice in a bowl.

To Make The Wraps
divide cheese-capsicum mixture into 4 equal portions.
Place cabbage lead on each chapatti, spread a portion  cheese-capsicum mixture over it, drizzle some chilli-lime mixture over it, roll up each wrap & serve at once.

PASTA AND CHEESE TREAT

INGREDIENTS

pasta 225 gm
egg  1 beaten( optional)
cottage cheese grated  125 gm
fennel seeds   1 tbsp
capsicum chopped 1 tbsp
celery chopped  1 tbsp

FOR THE MILK SAUCE

milk 300 ml
pepper pdr  1/2 tsp
onion 1 small chopped fine
butter 2 tbsp
wheat flour ( if you want it healthy)   3 tbsp   or plain flour   3 tbsp
salt to taste
celery chopped  2 tbsp
tomatoes 4 sliced
cheese  200 gm grated
spring onion chopped to garnish   2 tbsp

METHOD

Cook pasta as per instructions in the packet, drain & keep aside.

To make the milk sauce, heat boil, with crushed pepper, but don't let it boil.  Remove from fire & keep it aside for 10 minutes.
In another saucepan, melt butter, sprinkle flour & stir constantly & cook over low flame.
Slowly add milk, stirring well to prevent any lumps from being formed, stir well, cook till smooth & thickened.
Stir in the beaten egg, if used, add cottage cheese, crushed pepper, chopped capsicum, celery & fennel seeds, season the sauce with salt & pepper to taste.
Spoon the mixture over the pasta in a baking bowl, making sure that it is well covered.
Top it with a layer of sliced tomatoes.
Sprinkle cheese over the tomatoes & bake in a pre-heated oven at 190 deg. C for 20-25 minutes or until cheese melts & gets golden.
Garnish with chopped spring onion & serve hot.

WHEAT LADDUS

Ingredients

1 cup Wheat Flour 1/4 cup besan 11/2 cup Sugar Powder 1/4 cup Grated Coconut 1/4 cup Dry Fruit almonds, raisins, kaju etc 1 cup Ghee METHOD Heat the ghee. Put both the flours in the heated ghee. When nearly roasted put coconut and sliced dry fruit in the mixture. Now put the ground sugar in the mixture and stir thoroughly. Take off from the heat quickly and make laddus. You may also put the mixture in a greased plate and cut small pieces

OATS ANS MUSHROOM CAKE WITH FETA AND APRICOTS

INGREDIENTS

oats  150 gm
onion   1 big chopped fine
mushrooms  150 gm chopped
yoghurt  75 gm well drained
corn flour 2 tbsp
fresh thyme  3 tbsp
oil  50 ml
salt to taste
black pepper pdr to taste
roasted peanuts crushed  50 gm
Feta cheese  50 gm
apricots chopped 30 gm

METHOD

roast the oats over moderate heat & keep aside.
heat oil, sauté onion till transparent.
add chopped mushrooms, salt & pepper & sauté for 2-3 minutes. remove & cool.
once cool, add oats, drained yoghurt, crushed peanuts, thyme & seasoning.
sprinkle corn flour gently over the ingredients, combine to form a pliable dough.
form small cakes, pan fry over moderate heat till light golden & crusty on both sides.
remove & top it with Feta cheese & chopped apricots & garnish with fresh thyme.

WHY OATS ARE GOOD FOR HEALTH?

The oatmeal & oat bran are rich in dietary fibre, both soluble & Insoluble. These help in lowering  cholesterol levels. Oats help in slowing down the rise in blood glucose levels after a meal & helps in delaying the absorption into the cells.

The soluble fibre forms a gel like structure while passing through the digestive tract. This increases the viscosity of the contents in the stomach & small intestine, which in turn slows down digestion & prolongs the absorption of carbohydrates into the blood stream.

This helps both the diabetics & those who want to loose weight.

Oats also have a good balance of essential fatty acids & are a good source of essential vitamins such as folic acid, thiamin & minerals such as copper, iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium & selenium. Regular consumption of oats also helps in maintaining a healthy blood pressure.

STRAWBERRY CAKE

INGREDIENTS

Strawberry Filling
8 oz. fresh strawberries, diced (about 1 1/3 cups)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp cold water
1 tsp lemon juice


Crumb topping
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp butter, chilled and diced into cubes
1 1/2 Tbsp  brown  Sugar


Cake:
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
7 Tbsp butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup buttermilk

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare strawberry filling: in a medium saucepan whisk together 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cornstarch. Stir in cold water and lemon juice. Add in strawberries. Bring mixture just to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once mixture reaches a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool.

To prepare crumb topping: add 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar and 2 1/2 Tbsp butter to a small food processor. Pulse mixture just a few seconds until combine (it should still be fluffy, if you pulse to long it will become too dense). Pour crumb mixture into a small bowl and whisk in brown Sugar, keep aside.

To prepare cake: in a mixing bowl: whisk together 1 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside. In a bowl  whip together 7 Tbsp softened butter and 1 cup granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes, with an electric mixer. Stir in egg and vanilla. Mix in sour cream. Add dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk in two separate batches and mix gently to combine.

To assemble cake: pour and evenly spread 1/2 of the cake batter into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Spread strawberry mixture evenly over batter layer. Dollop remaining batter by the spoonfuls over strawberry mixture and gently spread batter into an even layer. Sprinkle top evenly with crumb topping. Bake in preheated oven 50-55 minutes until golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before cutting .