Paneer Butter Masala

Recipe Type : Indian                                                 Yield : 4
Preparation Time : 10 mins                                      Cooking Time : 25 mins

Ingredients :
200g paneer
2 tomatoes
1 bell pepper
1 onion
2 garlic
1/2 inch ginger
1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp chilly powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1/2 cup cream
2 cups of water
10 cashew nuts
1 tsp garam masala

Method:
1. Soak cashew nuts in water for 15 mins. Make a fine paste. Keep aside.
2. Make tomato puree and keep aside.
3. Grind ginger, garlic and onion to make a fine paste. Keep aside.
4. Heat a pan. Add 1 tbsp of butter. Add cumin seeds and bay leaf. Fry for 10 seconds.
5. Now pour ground onion paste. Fry for 6 mins on a low flame.
6. Put tomato puree, chilly powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and salt. Fry for 7 mins.
7. Now add cashew nut paste and 1 cup of water. Bring to boil.
8. Pour cream and paneer cubes , 1 tbsp of butter, bell pepper and dried fenugreek leaves (kauri methi). Cook for 13 mins.
9. Finally garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot. Goes well with rice dishes, pancakes, or Indian bread.

Orange-Grapefruit Juice

       

                                                                 Yield : 2 cups
Preparation Time : 6 mins                                                       Cooking Time : N/A

Ingredients:
2 oranges
2 grapefruits

Method:
Squeeze out juice from oranges and grapefruits. Sieve to remove seeds. Drink fresh.

Salad Dressing

Preparation Time : 5 mins

Ingredients:

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

2 tsp dijon mustard paste

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp oil

Method : 

1. In a bowl put balsamic vinegar, honey, salt, black pepper powder, olive oil, and dijon mustard paste. Mix well. 

Broccolini Salad

   

                                                                      Yield : 6

Preparation Time : 7 mins                                                         Cooking Time : 10 mins

Ingredients :

3 garlic cloves

1 orange

1 green bell pepper 

1 red bell pepper

1 bunch of broccolini 

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

2 tsp dijon mustard paste

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp oil

5 cups water

Method: 

1. Heat a sauce pan. Add water. Bring to boil.

2. Add chopped broccolini. Cook for 2 mins. Sieve water and keep aside.

3. Heat a pan. Add oil. Add chopped garlic. Fry for 2 mins.

4. Now add sliced red and green bell peppers. Fry for 2 mins. Keep aside

5. Salad Dressing: In a bowl add balsamic vinegar, honey, salt, black pepper powder, olive oil, and dijon mustard paste. Mix well. 

6. In another bowl put cooked bell pepper, broccolini, and peeled and sliced orange. Pour salad dressing. Mix well.

Vegetable Poha Idli/ Instant Idli

Recipe Type : Indian                                                         Yield: 17 ' idli's
Preparation Time: 15 mins                                               Cooking Time : 15 mins

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cup of idli rawa
1 cup of thin beaten rice (poha)
Pinch of soda
1 and 1/2 tsp of salt (to taste)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup of chopped vegetables (beans, carrots, peas, sweet corn)
Water
2 tsp oil or clarified butter (ghee)

Method:
1. In a bowl add buttermilk and idli rawa. Mix well. Keep it aside for 10 mins.
2. Take another bowl. Add thin beaten rice and water. Keep it aside for 3 mins.

3. Now remove extra water from the beaten rice. Mash beaten rice.
4. Mix this mashed beaten rice into the idli rawa mixture.
5. Pour water (1 cup or 1 and 1/2 cup), salt, add chopped vegetables and soda. Mix well (maintain batter consistency like normal idli batter. Don't add lots of water). No fermentation is required.

6. Grease idli molds with oil or clarified butter (ghee).

7. Heat idli cooker with water.

8. Fill batter into the idli molds. Steam for 15 mins.

9. Serve hot vegetable poha idlis with sambar and chutney.

Gobi-Methi

Recipe Type : Indian                                                                Yield: 4
Preparation Time : 10 mins                                                     Cooking Time : 7 mins

Ingredients :
4 cups small cauliflower florets
1 tsp chilly powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp tamarind paste or 2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi)
1 tbsp canola oil or any oil

Method:
1. Heat a thick bottom pan. Pour oil. Add small cauliflower florets.
2. Add salt, chilly powder, tamarind paste (or lemon juice), turmeric powder, water and dried fenugreek leaves. Cover pan with a lid. Cook for 5 mins.
3. Switch off gas and keep the pan covered for another 5 mins.

Vegetable Stir Fry

 

                                 
                                                              Yield : 4
Preparation Time : 10 mins                                                         Cooking Time : 10 mins

Ingredients:
5 broccoli florets
3 olives
5 baby carrots
4 marinated artichoke
5 bell pepper slices
4 baby corns
1 and 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
3 cups of water

Method:
1. Heat a sauce pan. Add water. Bring to boil.
2. Now add broccoli, baby carrots, baby corns, and 1 tsp of salt. Cook for 2 mins. Sieve water.
3. Heat a pan. Add all vegetables, 1/2 tsp salt, crushed red pepper, black pepper powder, dried thyme leaves and dried oregano leaves. Fry for 2 mins.

Puran Polis or Ubbatis

Recipe Type : Indian                  Yield : 10 nos.                 Cooking Time : 25 mins
Preparation Time : 15 mins       Soaking Time : 3 hours     Total Time: 4 h + 1h

Ingredients:
For outer layer
1 cup All-purpose flour (maida)
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp water
3/4 tsp turmeric powder

For stuffing
1 cup jaggery powder
2 cup water
1/2 cup split chickpeas (chana dal)
3/4 tsp cardamom powder

Method:
For outer layer
1. In a bowl add All-purpose flour, salt, turmeric powder, 1/4 cup of oil and 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of water. Mix well for 10 mins.
2. Pour 2 tbsp oil on top of this mixture. Keep aside for minimum 4 hours.

For Stuffing
1. In a pressure cooker add soaked split chickpeas and 1 cup of water. Cook for 3 whistles.
2. Mash cooked split chickpeas or use blender. Keep aside.

3. Heat a thick bottom sauce pan. Add jaggery powder and 1 cup of water. Cook till jaggery melts.

4. Now add mashed chickpeas and cardamom powder. Mix well. Cook on medium flame. Keep stirring.

5. It may take 15 minutes to form a thick mass. Allow to little cool down a little.

6. Prepare 10 small balls from this mixture.

Final Preparations :
1. From the outer layer prepare 10 small balls.

2. Flatten out one outer layer ball on a plastic sheet or butter paper (greased with oil), and use it to cover one of the balls made for stuffing. Flatten out the stuffed ball, ensuring the stuffing doesn't come out. You may use rolling pin, or just bare hands to flatten the balls. Follow the same procedure for remaining ball pairs.

3. Heat a pan. Place flattened Puran polis or ubbatis on the pan and cook on both sides, one at a time.

4. Relish with clarified butter or ghee.

Strawberry Pancakes/ Instant dosa

                                                        Yield : 10 nos.

Preparation Time : 10 mins                                            Cooking Time: 5 mins 

Ingredients :

1/2 cup semolina

1/4 cup oats powder

1/4 cup rice flour

1/4 cup wheat flour

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped strawberry 

1 tbsp strawberry jam

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 and 1/4 cup water (add required amount of water)

2 tsp oil

Method:

1. In a bowl add all ingredients. Mix well. Prepare a thick batter.

2. Heat a pancake pan (tawa). Add little oil. 

3. Pour one ladle of batter. Cover pan with a lid. Cook dosa on both sides. 

Plantain Fritters / Kale Podi

Recipe Type: Indian                                 Yield: 4
Preparation Time: 10 mins                      Cooking Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:
12 plantain slices
1/2 tsp of chilly powder
1 cup of chickpea flour (besan)
1/2 tsp of asafoetida
1/4 salt
1/2 cup of water
1/4 turmeric powder
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
1 cup of oil
1/4 tsp of carom (ajwain) seeds (optional)

Method:
1. In a bowl add chickpea flour, salt, asafoetida, chilly powder, carom seeds (optional), cumin seeds and water. Mix well. Make thick paste.

2. Now dip plantain slices in the chickpea batter.

3. Heat oil in a sauce pan. Deep fry the coated plantain on both sides. It will take 4 mins to cook.

4. Serve hot with chutney or tomato sauce.

Orange-Green Apple Juice

                                                                Yield : 2 cups
Preparation Time : 5 mins                                                               Cooking Time : N/A

Ingredients:
2 green apples
2 oranges
1 and 1/2 cup of water

Method:
1. In a blender add chopped green apples. Make a fine paste. Sieve and keep aside.
2. Squeeze out juices from oranges. Sieve and keep aside.
3. Mix both orange juice and green apple juice.

Fusilli Gorgonzola

Recipe Type : Italian                                                                 Yield: 4  
Preparation Time: 10 mins                                                       Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
2 cups of uncooked fusilli pasta
1/4 cup of pine nuts (dry fried for 2 mins)
200g Gorgonzola cheese
2 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 slices sun-dried tomato (optional)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 cup of milk or cream
10 cups water
5 cauliflower florets
1 carrot
5 broccoli florets
3 mushrooms
3 basil leaves
1 tsp salt

Method:
Pasta cooking method:
1. Heat a sauce pan. Add 7 cups of water and salt. Bring to boil.
2. Now add uncooked fusilli pasta. Cook it for 8 mins. Don't cook pasta fully (it should cook 3/4th  only).
3. Sieve the water from pasta. Save 1 cup of sieved water for later.

Final Cooking Method:
1. Heat a sauce pan. Add 4 cups of water. Bring to boil. Now add broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, and carrot. Cook for 2 mins. Sieve out all water.
2. Heat another sauce pan. Add butter. Add chopped garlic. Fry for 2 mins. Now add all ingredients (Parmigiana- Reggiani cheese, milk, dried oregano leaves, Gorgonzola cheese, dried thyme leaves, black pepper powder,crushed red pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder). Cook for 5 mins. Adjust the sauce thickness by adding milk or water.

3. Add 3/4 cooked pasta. Mix well. Cook for 2 to 3 mins.
4. Add dry fried pine nuts, chopped basil leaves, chopped mushrooms and cooked vegetables. Cook for 2 more mins.

Cucumber Sweet Idli/ Thavse Godu Idli/ Instant Idli

Recipe Type : Indian                                                         Yield: 10 ' idli's
Preparation Time: 15 mins                                               Cooking Time : 15 mins

Ingredients:
1 cup of idli rawa
1/2 cup of thin beaten rice (poha)
Pinch of soda
1 tsp of salt (to taste)
1/2 cup buttermilk
Water
3 tsp oil or clarified butter (ghee)
3 cucumbers
6 cashew nuts
5 raisins
1/2 inch ginger
1 green chilly
1 tbsp jaggery powder or 3 tsp sugar (optional)

Method:
1. In a bowl add buttermilk and idli rawa. Mix well. Keep it aside for 10 mins.
2. Take another bowl. Add thin beaten rice and water. Keep it aside for 3 mins.

3. Now remove extra water from the beaten rice. Mash beaten rice.
4. Mix this mashed beaten rice into the idli rawa mixture.
5. Pour water (1/2 cup), salt, jaggery powder (optional) or sugar, add grated cucumber (peeled), chopped green chilly, grated ginger, raisins, cashew nuts, and soda. Mix well (maintain batter consistency like normal idli batter. Don't add lots of water). No fermentation is required.

6. Grease idli molds with oil or clarified butter (ghee).

7. Heat idli cooker with water.

8. Fill batter into the idli molds. Steam for 15 mins.

9. Serve hot idlis with clarified butter.

Tofu Fritters

Recipe Type : Indian                                                          Yield : 12 nos.
Preparation Time : 12 mins                                               Cooking Time : 10 mins

Ingredients :
200g Tofu
2 garlic cloves
1/2 inch ginger
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 green chilly
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilly powder
1 small onion
1 tbsp coriander leaves
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup chickpea flour or gram flour
3/4 cup of vegetable oil
1 tsp salt

Method:
1. In a blender add cumin seeds, green chilly, ginger and garlic. Make a fine paste.
2. In a bowl add ground paste. Add chopped onion, coriander leaves, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, mashed tofu, salt, turmeric powder, chilly powder, rice flour, chickpea flour, and bread crumbs. Mix well.

                                                   

3. Prepare circular patties (or any shape you like).

4. Heat vegetable oil in a sauce pan. Deep fry these patties.

Cucumber- Avocado Appetizer

                                                           Yield : 10 in nos.

Preparation Time 8 mins                                                                Cooking Time : N/A

Ingredients :

1 avocado

1 tomato

1 green chilly

pinch of salt

1 cucumber

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

2 tsp lemon juice

Method:

1. Cut the cucumber into circular slices. Keep aside.

2. In a bowl add deseeded avocado and lemon juice. Mash the avocado into a smooth paste. Add salt, chopped green chilly, chopped coriander leaves and chopped tomato. Mix well.

3. Now place the cucumber slices on a plate. Put the Avocado mixture on top of each cucumber slice. 

Eggless Black forest Cake

                                                                      Yield : 8 pieces
Preparation Time : 25 mins            Refrigeration Time :30 mins        Cooking Time : 31 mins

Ingredients:
Dry ingredients:
1&1/2 cup wheat flour
1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:
1 cup brewed coffee (or 1 cup of warm water mixed with 1&1/2 tsp of instant coffee granules)
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp (1/4 cup + 2 tbsp) canola oil or vegetable oil

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350º F.

2. Sieve all dry ingredients.

3. In another bowl add all wet ingredients. Mix well.

4. Pour wet ingredients on dry ingredients. Mix well. Remove all clumps.

                                      

5. Grease the cake pan with butter or oil. Pour batter into the cake pan.

6. Place the cake pan in oven and bake for 31 mins.

For Frosting : 

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar)

1/4 cup butter (in room temperature)

1 tsp vanilla extract 

340g whipped cream cheese 

Method:

1. In a bowl add butter, and icing sugar.

2. Now add whipped cream cheese and vanilla extract. Mix well.

For cake decoration:

1 cup of chopped cherries 

chocolate curls/shavings (use peeler)

12 whole cherries for decoration

Method:

1. Cut the cake (cake should be in room temperature) in circular shape.

2. Spread chopped cherries on top of the cake.

3. Spread whipped cream.

4. Place another portion of cake.

5. Spread the whipped cream on top and sides of the cake.

6. Keep this cake in refrigerator for 30 mins.

7. Fill the piping bag with whipped cream. Decorate the cake.

8. Put the chocolate curls/shavings on top and sides of the cake. 

9. Put a cherry on top of each cream cheese swirl.