Baked Eggplant Slices

Preparation Time - 5 Min                                               Cooking Time - 30 Min

Ingredients:

Large eggplant - 1

Oil - 1 Tbsp

For Masala :

Red chili powder - 1/2 Tsp

Chaat masala - 2 Tsp

Cumin powder - 1 Tsp

Coriander powder - 2 Tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 Tsp

Salt - to taste

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 500° F or 260° C.

2) In a small bowl mix all ingredients for masala.

3) Wash and slice eggplant and keep aside.

4) Put the eggplant slices on greased sheet and brush top side with oil.

5) Sprinkle little masala on each slice and bake in preheated oven for 25 min.
    Tip : If you don't have oven you can apply masala on both sides and fry them in hot oil.

6) Take out and sprinkle little masala on other side bake for another 5 min.

7) Serve hot.

Baked Eggplant Slices

Takatle Shengule

This is a traditional one dish meal from Marathwada region of Maharashtra, India.

Preparation Time - 5 Min                      Cooking Time - 20 Min                       Serves - 3

Ingredients:

For Shengule:

Jowar flour - 1/2 Cup

Wheat flour - 1/4 Cup

Besan - 1 Tbsp

Kasoori methi - 1 Tbsp

Carom seeds - 1/2 Tsp

Sesame seeds - 1 Tsp

Red chili powder - 1/2 Tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp

Salt - 1 Tsp

For gravy:

Yogurt(Curd)  - 1/2 Cup

Besan - 2 Tsp

Jowar Flour - 1 Tsp

Curry Leaves - 4

Oil - 1 Tbsp

Salt - to taste

Sugar - 1 Tsp

Green chili - 2

Mustard seeds - 1/2 Tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 Tsp

Asafoetida - A pinch

Method:

1) In a bowl mix all ingredients for shengule. Add water as required and knead a dough of medium consistency.

2) Heat oil in pan and crackle mustard seeds.

3) Add asafoetida, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, green chili and curry leaves, saute well.

4) Add 2 cups of water and salt and let it boil.

5) Meanwhile make rounds of kneaded dough and add it in boiling water. Keep the lid and let it cook for 10-12 min. on medium high heat.

6) In small bowl take yogurt, whisk it well and add besan, jowar flour and sugar and mix well.

7) Add this yogurt mixture in shengule and let it cook for 5 min. Do not add yogurt mixture until shengule are completely cooked.

8) Serve hot.

Takatle Shengule

Olya Badamachi Usal

Preparation Time - 15 Min                                 Cooking Time - 20 Min                       Serves - 4

Ingredients:

Almonds(Badam) - 1 Cup

Chopped onion - 1 Cup

Chopped tomato - 1 Cup

Ginger paste - 1 Tsp

Garlic paste - 1 Tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 Tsp

Pav bhaji masala - 1 Tsp

Red chili powder - 1 1/2 Tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp

Salt - to taste

Sugar - 1 Tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp

Oil - 2 Tbsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Milk - 1/4 Cup

Chopped cilantro - 2 Tbsp

Method:

1) Soak almonds in lukewarm water for 4 hrs. and blanch them. You can split almonds if you want.

2) Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.

3) Add asafoetida, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste and saute well.

4) Add onion and fry till golden brown in color.

5) Add tomato and fry till masala leaves oil. Add red chili powder, garam masala, pav bahji masala and sugar and mix well.

6) Add soaked almonds and 1 cup of water, keep the lid and let it cook for 15 min.

7) Add milk and cilantro, mix well and let it cook for 2-3 min.

8) Switch off stove, add salt and serve hot with chapati.

Olya Badamachi Usal

Whole Wheat Naan Khatai

Preparation Time - 5 Min                          Cooking Time - 17 Min                       Yield - 15 Naan Khatai

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 3/4 Cup

Powdered sugar - 1/2 Cup

Cardamom powder - 1/4 Tsp

Cashew nuts or almonds - 15

Salt - a pinch

Baking powder - 1/4 Tsp

Vinegar - 1 Tsp

Water - 1 Tbsp

Butter - 1/4 Cup or half stick, softened at room temp.

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350° F or 175° C.

2) In a bowl take butter and beat well for 1 min or until soft and fluffy.

3) Add sugar in it and beat for a min. Add vinegar, water and mix well.

4) Add wheat flour, cardamom powder, salt and baking powder and mix well.

5) Take a small ball of mixture and press it between your palms and put on a greased sheet.



6) Decorate with your favorite nuts and bake in preheated oven for 16-18 mins.

7) Cool for 30 min and serve.

Whole Wheat Naan Khatai

Murukku/Rice Flour Sev

Preparation Time - 30 Min                       Cooking Time - 30 Min

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 2 1/2 Cup

Urad dal(coverless) - 1/4 Cup

Sesame seeds - 3 Tsp

Carom seeds -  1 1/2 Tsp

Red chili powder - 1/2 Tsp

Salt - 2 Tsp

Butter - 1 Tbsp

Oil - to deep fry

Method:

1) Dry roast urad dal on medium flame till light golden in color. Nice aroma will come when urad dal is fried.

2) Let the dal cool for 15 mins and grind it to fine powder in grinder.

3) In a bowl mix urad dal flour, rice flour, sesame seeds, carom seeds, red chili powder and salt.

4) Heat and melt butter and add it to rice flour mixture and mix well.

5) Add lukewarm water as required and knead a stiff dough.

6) Put a part of mixture in murukku maker and deep fry murukku in hot oil on high medium flame till light brown in color.

7) Put fried murukku on paper towel to cool. Store in air tight container.

Murukku (Rice Flour Sev)

Eggless Ricotta CheeseCake

Ingredients:

For Crust:

Chocolate wafers or Marie biscuits - 10

Butter- 2 Tbsp

For cake :

Ricotta Cheese - 15 Oz or 425 Gm

Cream cheese - 8 Oz  or 200 Gm

All purpose flour - 1 Tbsp

Corn starch - 1 Tbsp

Vanilla extract - 2 Tsp

Butter milk - 1/4 Cup

Sugar(granulated) - 1 Cup

Chocolate chips - 1/2 Cup

For Topping :

Semi sweet chocolate - 1 Cup

Heavey cream - 1/3 Cup

Butter - 2 Tsp

Method:

1) Make crumbs of chocolate wafers or chocolate biscuits and add butter to it and mix well.

2) Add this mixture to a greased cake pan to from a even bottom layer and put the pan in refrigerator.
    I covered my cake pan with aluminium foil to remove the cake easily from pan. Use springform pan to remove cake easily from pan.



3) Preheat oven to 350° F or 175° C.

4) Drain ricotta cheese to remove any water and take it in a bowl and whisk it well.

5) Add cream cheese, sugar, all purpose flour, corn starch, vanilla extract and mix well or put it in food processor for 2 min. Add chocolate chips and mix well.

6) Put this mixture in cake pan which we bottomed with crust. Take another big pan (like lasagna pan) and add boiling water in it. Fill 1/4 with boiling water. Put the cake pan in this big pan and bake in preheated oen for 75 min.

7) Let it cool at room temp and then put in refrigerator for 2 hrs.

 


8) In a microwave safe bowl take cream and butter and heat it for 30 sec. and pour it on chocolate and mix well. Chocolate should get completely melted. Let this mixture cool for 20-30 min till thickens.

9) Pour this thickened chocolate cream mixture on cake.




10) Refrigerate cake for 24 hrs and then serve. You can decorate with your favorite chocolate icing.

Eggless Ricotta Cheesecake

Kaju Anjeer Roll

Ingredients :

Anjeer (Dry Figs) - 100 gm

Cashew nuts - 1 Cup

Milk Powder - 1/4 Cup

Sugar - 1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp

Ghee - 1/2 Tbsp

Cardamom powder - 1/4 Tsp

Poppy seeds - 1 Tbsp

Method : 

1) Soak anjeer and almonds for 1 hour in lukewarm water.

2) Make a fine powder of cashew nuts and keep aside. Drain excess water and grind anjeer to fine paste.

 

3) In a pan heat ghee and add anjeer paste and 2 tbsp of milk powder and saute well for 5 mins. Add 2 tbsp of sugar and cardamom powder and mix well. Saute till mixture becomes dry.

4) Let it cool for 2 mins and flatten into a 4 mm thick circle. Roll(Flatten) it between two plastic paper sheets.

 

5) Meanwhile put 1/4 cup of water in another pan and add 1/2 cup of sugar. Make sugar syrup of 1 string consistency and add cashew nut powder.

6) Let it cool for a min and flatten into a 3 mm thick circle. Roll it between two plastic paper sheets.



7) Put this flatten cashew circle on flatten anjeer and roll it together as tight as possible.

8) Spread little poppy seeds in a plate and put the roll on it to apply poppy seeds all over.

 

9) Refrigerate roll for 30 min and then cut in pieces and serve.

Kaju Anjeer Roll

Aluchi Patal Bhaji/Arbi(Patra) Leaves Curry

Preparation Time - 10 Min                        Cooking Time - 15 Min                               Serves - 4

Ingredients:

Alu(patra/colacasia) leaves - 8

Chana dal - 2 Tbsp

Besan - 2 Tbsp

Groundnut(Peanuts) - 2 Tbsp

Curry leaves - 5

Chopped green chili - 2

Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp

Jaggery - 1 Tbsp

Tamarind paste - 1 Tsp

Grated coconut - 2 Tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Oil - 2 Tbsp

Method:

1) Soak chana dal in lukewarm water for 2 hrs.

2) Wash and finely chop alu leaves and keep aside.

3) Heat oil in a pan and crackle mustard seeds. Add asafoetida,turmeric powder and curry leaves.

4) Add green chili and saute well. You can add garlic if you like. 

5) Add chopped alu leaves and cook well for 5-7 mins stirring occasionally.

6) Add soaked chana dal, peanuts, jaggery, tamarind paste and salt and mix well.

7) Add 2 cup of water and let it cook for 5 mins on medium flame.

8) In a small bowl take besan and 1/4 cup of water and whisk it well and add to bhaji. Mix well and let it cook for 10 min.

9) Add coconut mix well and serve hot with chapati or rice.

Aluchi Patal Bhaji

Dal Vangi

Preparation Time - 5 Min                              Cooking Time - 30 Min                              Serves - 4

Ingredients:

Tuvar dal - 1/2 Cup

Egg Plants(Brinjal) - 4 small

Chopped onion - 1/2 Cup

Garlic cloves - 4

Red chili powder - 1 1/2 Tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp

Garam masala - 1 Tsp

Cumin powder - 1 Tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Salt - to taste

Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp

Oil - 1 Tbsp

Method:

1) Chop egg plants in small cubes and put aside in water.

2) Wash dal till water runs clean, add chopped egg plants and pressure cook for 20 min or up to 3 whistles.

3) Heat oil in wok and crackle mustard seeds. Add asafoetida and garlic and saute well.

4) Add onions and fry till golden brown in color.

5) Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, cumin powder and mix well.

6) Add pressured cooked dal, 1/2 cup of water and salt, mix well and cook for 5-7 min.

7) Garnish with fresh cilantro, add lemon juice and serve hot with chapati.

Dal Vangi

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Preparation Time - 7 Min                            Cooking Time - 20 Min                       Yield - 8 Muffins

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 1 Cup

Granulated sugar - 1/2 Cup

Packed brown sugar - 1/4 Cup

Salt - 1/4 Tsp

Baking powder - 1/2 Tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 Tsp

Cinnamon powder - 1 1/2 Tsp

Oil - 1/4 Cup

Milk - 1/4 Cup

Yogurt - 1/4 Cup

Vanilla extract - 1 Tsp

Apple - 1 

Method : 

1) Preheat oven  to 375° F or 190° C.

2) In a bowl mix milk, oil,vanilla extract and whisk it well.

3) In another bowl mix wheat flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

4) Add apple to flour mixture and mix well and add milk mixture. Mix the ingredients lightly to a smooth batter.


 


5) Put paper liners to muffin pan and put the batter.

6) Bake in preheated oven for 20-23 mins or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7) Let it cool for 15 min and then serve.

WholeWheat Apple Muffins

Vada Pav

Preparation Time - 30 Min                                   Cooking Time - 20 Min                   Yield - 12 Vada

Ingredients :

For Filling:

Potato - 4 Big

Green Chili - 4

Ginger - 1/2 inch piece

Garlic - 8 cloves

Curry leaves - 6

Asafoetida - a pinch

Salt - to taste

Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Oil - 1 Tbsp

For Cover:

Gram flour(Besan) - 2 Cup

Baking soda - a pinch

Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp

Red chili powder - 1/2 Tsp

Salt - 1/2 Tsp

Oil - 1 Tbsp


Oil - to deep fry

Pav - 12

Red garlic chutney - 1/4 Cup

Method:

1) Boil and mash potato and keep aside.

2) Grind ginger, garlic and green chili and make a fine paste. Mix this paste in mashed potato.

3) Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan, add asafoetida and turmeric powder add this oil on mashed potato mixture and mix well.

4) In a bowl take besan. Heat one tbsp of oil in a pan and add it to besan and mix well.

5) Add baking soda, turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt in besan and mix well. Add water as required and make a smooth batter. Batter should not be very thick or very thin.

6) Make small ball of potato mixture and dip it in besan batter and deep fry in hot oil on medium flame.




7) Sprinkle little red chutney on pav, put hot vada and serve with green chili.

Vada Pav

Chocolate Lassi

Ingredients:

Yogurt(curd) - 1 1/4 Cup

Milk - 1/4 Cup

Sugar - 2 Tbsp

Chocolate pieces - 1/4 Cup+few to garnish

Chocolate Syrup - to garnish

Method:

1)  In a blender add yogurt, milk, sugar and chocolate pieces and blend it until smooth. It takes 2-3 mins. 

2) Pour the lassi in glass and garnish with chocolate syrup and a tbsp of crushed chocolate serve chilled.

Chocolate Lassi

Kanda Kairi

Preparation Time - 10 Min                        Cooking Time - 2 Min                       Serves - 6

Ingredients:

Kairi(Raw Mango) - 1

Onion - 1

Red chili powder - 1 Tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp

Sugar - 1 1/2 Tsp

Salt - 1 1/2 Tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp

Asafoetida -  a pinch

Oil - 1 Tbsp

Method:

1) Chop raw mango and onion and keep in a bowl.

2) Add sugar, salt and red chili powder.

3) Heat oil in a pan and crackle mustard seeds, add asafoetida and turmeric powder. Immediately add this tadka(tempering) on mango and onion mixture.

4) Mix well and serve.

Kanda Kairi