Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Oats - 1 1/2 cups
Raisin - 3/4 cup
Butter - 1/2 cup (melted)
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Brown sugar - 1/2 cup
Egg - 1 large
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a large bowl , whisk together all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt . Set aside.
3. In another bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. 
4. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until fluffy.
5. Stir in the flour mixture . Do not over mix as it results in a tough cookie.
6. Add oats and raisins and stir until incorporated.
7. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
8. Bake 10 - 12  minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.
9. Cool slightly before removing from the sheet.

Channa Masala(Chole)

Ingredients

1. Chickpeas - 1 cup
2. Onion - 1 large, chopped finely
3. Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped finely
4. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
5. Chole masala - 1 tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
10. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
11. Oil - 2 tblsp
12. Water - 2 cup
13. Lemon juice - 1 tblsp
14. Salt to taste

To Grind

1. Coconut - 1/4 cup
2. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Soak chickpeas overnight .Pressure cook with enough water to cover the chickpeas for 3 - 4 whistles.
2. Heat a heavy bottom pan . Add oil and cumin seeds. When cumin seeds splutter, add onion and fry till it turns golden brown.
3. Now add ginger garlic paste and fry for another 2 minutes. Then add tomatoes and all the powders and salt and fry till tomatoes are mushy and cooked.
4. Grind the coconut and fennel seeds and add it to onion-tomato gravy and fry for another 5 minutes.
5. Now add cooked chick peas and water and cook for 10-15 minutes till the desired consistency is reached.
6. Add in the lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti.

Apple Almond Dates Smoothie

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup of apple, peeled and diced
2. 2 tablespoons of instant oatmeal
3. 3 pitted dates
4. 1 teaspoon of flaxseeds
5. 3-4 almonds
6. 1 cup of chilled milk

Method:

1. Blend all the ingredients together with just half the milk, until smooth.
2. Add the remaining milk and blend again to combine well.
3. Serve chill.

Recipe Courtesy : Archana's Kitchen

Kerala Egg Puffs

Ingredients:

1. Egg - 3 hard boiled and cut into halves
2. Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
3. Green chilly - 2, finely chopped
4. Curry leaves - 2-3, chopped
5. Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Chilly powder - 1/2tsp
8.  Garam masala/Meat masala - 1/2tsp
9. Tomato ketchup - 1tsp
10 . Salt to taste
11. Oil - 2 tblsp
12. Pepperidge farm puff pastry sheet - 1


Method

1. Preheat oven to 400F and prepare the baking sheet by lining it with aluminium foil or greasing with oil.

2. Heat oil in a pan . Add onion, green chilly and curry leaves and saute till onions are golden brown. Now add ginger garlic paste and saute for another minute. Then add turmeric powder, chilly powder, garam masala, ketchup and salt . Cook for 2 minutes so that everything mixes well.  Now add halved eggs and mix again.

3. Thaw the frozen pepperidge farm puff pastry sheet in the refrigerator overnight, or at room temperature the same day for 30-40 minutes until soft . Six puffs can be made from each pastry sheet. So cut the pastry sheet into 6 pieces.Put some masala and an egg half in each of the pieces. Seal the puffs by folding the pastry sheets from all the four sides.

4. Transfer the prepared puffs to the baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the puffs turn golden brown.


5. Serve warm with tomato ketup .

Puli Inji or Inji curry

Ingredients:

Ginger - 3 cups chopped and minced finely
Tamarind- 1 big lemon size
Green chilly - 15 (finely chopped)
Jaggery - 3 cubes
Chilli powder - 1 tblsp

Asafoetida- a generous pinch

Fenugreek powder - a pinch

Salt to taste


To Temper:

Coconut oil - 4 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp

Red chilly -2( broken into pieces)

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Method:

 1. Soak tamarind in hot water for half an hour. Squeeze the tamarind and extract the tamarind juice and filter it. The tamarind extract should be around 4 cups

2. Take a heavy bottomed vessel and  pour 4 tbsp of oil, add mustard seeds and red chilly . Once the mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves . Then add the minced ginger . Fry till the water content of the ginger gets reduced and then add green chilly and fry till the colour of ginger turns brown and it becomes dry.

3. Boil the tamarind juice extract . Once it boils for sometime, add the fried ginger and let it boil for another 5 minutes.

4. Now add red chilly powder, asfoetida and salt  and mix well. Boil it in low flame till the ginger cooks well and the mixture reduces to half. It will take about half an hour - 45 minutes.

5. Now add jaggery cubes and boil in low flame till the jaggery melts and the whole mixture becomes thick and pulpy . This will take another half an hour to 45 minutes.

6. Add the fenugreek powder.Mix well and remove from heat. Cool it and transfer it to a bottle and allow it to settle.


Note:
- Puli inji is an important part of Onam sadya.
- It tastes good after 1-2 days. So prepare it in advance before sadya.

Eggless Banana walnut muffin

Ingredients:

1. Banana - 2 ripe
2. Walnut - 1/4 cup
3. All purpose flour - 3/4 cup
4. Sugar  - 1/3 cup
5. Oil  - 1/4 cup
6. Baking soda   - 1/2 tsp
7. Baking powder -  1/2 tsp
8. Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Take a bowl and mash the bananas with hand or fork. Mix in oil, vanilla  and sugar. Keep aside.

3. In another bowl, mix all purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder..

4. Fold in the banana mixture and the flour mixture, donot over mix. Mix in half of the chopped walnuts.

5. Pour the batter into prepared muffin cups to 3/4 of it. Sprinkle each muffin with the chopped walnut.

6. Bake for about 30 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean.


Recipe courtesy - Rakskitchen

Mushroom Biryani

Ingredients:

Mushroom - 250gm
Onion - 2 big, thinly sliced
Rice - 1 cup
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup

For the Marinade
Curd - 1/3 cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp 
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp  
Salt to taste  
Mint and Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup each,chopped
 
For the seasoning
Oil+Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1' stick
Cloves - 2-3  
Cardamom - 1
Star Anise - 1
Shahjeera - 1/2 tsp  

Method
 
1. In a thick bottomed kadai, add 2 tbsp oil and fry the onions in it till dark brown and crispy.You could also deep fry the same.

2.Wash and soak the rice in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes.


3.Marinate the mushrooms in ingredients mentioned under marinade along with half of the fried onions. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
 

4.In a kadai add oil+ghee and saute the whole garam masala followed by shahjeera.

5.Add the marinated mushrooms along with the marinade and cook for 5-7 minutes or till the mushrooms start shrinking.
 

6.Mix in the coconut milk and let it cook for another 3-4 minutes.  

7.Drain the rice(reserve the water) and mix in carefully trying not to break the grains.Add in salt to taste and  1/2 tsp of garam masala.
 

8.Add the water in which the rice was soaked and let it boil.Cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes.The water should be fully absorbed by now. 

9.Switch off the flame and leave it undisturbed for another 15 minutes.  

10.Open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.Mix in the rest of the fried onions and serve.

Source : Divyascookbook