BESAN LADOO

Although I cannot make fancy Diwali treats like Chirota or Anarsa, I can definitely make Besan Ladoos! It's an easy fun sweet to make and doesn't need the excuse of a festival to make. I followed the recipe of Kamlabai Oagle(who by now is known to majority of the maharashtrian girls).I went a little easy on the sugar and ghee(clarified butter). This is how I made it...

Ingredients

• 4 cups besan (Gram flour)
• 3 cups confectioner's sugar
• 6-8 cardomom (powdered)
• 8-10 coarsely ground almonds
• 15-20 raisins
• 1/4 cup milk (slightly warmed)
• 1.5 cups clarified butter/ghee

Method

• Heat a heavy bottomed vessel and add clarified butter.
• Once the butter has melted, add the besan and roast until it turns golden brown. Be careful not to burn it ie. do not let it overbrown.
• Take it off the heat and gently sprinkle the milk over it. Mix thoroughly.
• Let it cool for about 10 mins. Then add sugar, mix thoroughly and let the mixture cool completely.
• Remove onto a plate, big enough to contain all the mixture and knead through, roughly 10-15 mins.This aerates the mixture and smoothens it in texture.
• Add almonds, cardamoms , raisins and mix.
• Roll the mxture into balls. If the mixture is too dry add little warm milk , enough to bring the mixture together.

STIR FRIED VEGETABLE AND ROTINI PASTA

Ingredients (Serves 4 people)

• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 small head of brocolli
• Handful of french beans/green beans
• 1/2 cup snow peas/ sugar snap peas
• 1 medium sized carrot
• 1 medium sized zucchini (green or yellow)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (Kikkoman)
• 1 tbsp chinese hot sauce
• 1/4 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp sesame seed oil (can be omitted)
• 1 medium sized box rotini pasta (can be substituted by penne or egg noodles)
• Salt to taste

Method

• Cut all vegetables at an angle into half inch strips.
• In a large vessel, bring water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until Al dente(tender).
• Drain water and keep aside. Sprinkle little olive oil and toss gently to prevent pasta from sticking to each other.
• Heat wok on medium high and add olive oil.
• Add ginger and garlic and stir for few seconds only until the flavor is released. Be careful not to burn it.
• Add carrot,french beans and saute for a minute.
• Add brocolli, peppers, squash and snow peas.
• Stir until vegetables become tender but should still retain bite.
• Add soy sauce, hot sauce, worcestershire sauce, salt and combine.
• Add chopped scallions.
• Add pasta, sesame oil and toss to combine well.
• Serve warm
  

HEALTHY FRUIT N VEG SALAD

Ingredients

• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 medium sized carrot
• 1 medium sized apple
• 1 medium sized pear
• 1 yellow squash1 green squash/zucchini
• Quarter cup peeled and cubed jicama.
• Mint leaves cut into ribbons to garnish
• 3 slices of mozarella cheese (torn into bits)

Dressing

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper
• 1/6 tsp crushed thyme (can be omitted)salt to taste
• 3 tbsp poultry/grill or any seasoning of choice
• pinch of chilli powder

Method

• Cut all vegetables and fruits into cubes.
• In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk with a fork to homogenize.
• Pour it over cut vegetables and fruits. Add mozarella cheese and combine. Check for taste.
• Garnish with mint ribbons.
  

GREEK SALAD AND HUMMAS

Hummas

Ingredients

• 16 oz garbanzo beans (1 can)
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt to taste

Method

• Empty the can of garbanzo beans and water into the blender.
• Add garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt to taste and blend to a smooth puree. The puree should be little on the grainier side.
• Check for taste.Serve with warm pita bread cut into quarters for easy dipping. (I used store bought whole wheat pita pockets).

Greek Salad

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup brown lentils
• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• 15-20 medium sized olives sliced in halves
• 1/2 medium sized onion sliced thinly
• 1 medium sized zucchini chopped into bite sized chunks
• 3/4 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Method

• In a small vessel, bring 1.5 cup water to boil.
• Add lentils and cook on medium heat, stirring gently until tender.
• Set aside, drain and allow lentils to cool.
• In a mixing bowl, tear lettuce by hand into chunks, add lentils, onions, olives, zucchini, feta cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper. (Since feta cheese is slightly salty, go easy on adding the salt)
• Toss gently, checking for taste.
  

CHICKEN POLENTA, SALSA SALAD and PUMPKIN POLENTA

We purchased a new grill plate and we wanted to put it to use right away. It's late October and the weather is turning cooler. What better than to have some warm grilled chicken, salad with grilled pineapple and some pumpkin polenta to go with it.
Thanks to Rachel, I found just the perfect recipe to make. Here is the link -

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/bbq-spiced-chicken-salsa-salad-and-pumpkin-chipotle-polenta-recipe/index.html

RAJMA CURRY

Rajma is one of our favorite dish we cook once in a while. It is something my MIL would cook once every few weekends and my husband has grown fond eating it and I have come to appreciate it as well. Therefore I turn it over to my husband to pen this recipe.

Ingredients (Serving size = 6 people)

• 3 cups red kidney beans also called rajma in hindi soaked overnight
• 1 tsp cumin seeds.
• 2 tsp MDH Garam Masala
• 2 medium sized onions finely chopped
• 3 medium sized tomatoes medium chopped
• 2 inch ginger strip
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• cilantro to garnish
• 1 tbsp butter

Method

• Soak the red kidney beans overnight for atleast 8 hours.
• Pressure cook the kidney beans so that they are cracked but not mashed up. Preserve some of this dark brown water from the cooked kindey beans which we will use later.
• In a large vessel, heat about 2 tbsp of cooking oil. When the oil is warm, sprinkle some cumin seeds so that they crackle.
• Add your finely chopped onion and let the onions cook until the sweet flavor disappears.
• Add 2 tsp of garam masala to the onions and stir for about a minute.
• Make ginger garlic paste ( 2 inch strip ginger and 4 cloves of garlic) and add to the mix
• Pour some of the red kidney beans water cooked in the pressure cooker into the vessel. This prevents your masala from burning as well as at the same time allows your curry to get the flavor of the rajma masala.
• Add your medium chopped tomatoes and add more red kidney bean water if required.
• Put the lid on the vessel and allow the curry to cook on medium flame for atleast 15-20 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and loose their chunkiness.
• Add your cooked kindney beans and you may add some more of the red kidney bean water for gravy.
• Add 1 tsp of red chilli powder
• Add 1 tbsp of butter for buttery flavor.
• Add salt to taste and let the rajma curry cook on low heat for 20 minutes. This will allow your rajma to soak in the gravy flavor.
• Garnish with some cilantro and you can serve rajma with rice or indian bread.

Rajma tastes even better the next day .You can compliment your rajma with some whole urad or black gram lentils in your cooking.

OKRA / BHINDI MASALA

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 kg or about 2 lbs of Okra
• 1/2 tsp mustard
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 3 tsp - dhana jeera powder(corriander-cumin powder)
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• cilantro to garnish
• salt to taste

Method

• Wash your okra under running water and then thoroughly dry the okra with a kitchen napkin or towel.
  Note: Okra needs to be thoroughly dry before cutting
• Cut off the both ends of the okra and and then slice into thin vertical strips.
• In a cooking pan, heat oil. When hot, add mustard seeds and let them crackle.
• Then add, asafoetida powder, dhana-jeera powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt to taste. Stir for half a minute. Your masala is now ready.
• Now add cut okra and and stir gently but thoroughly so that the masala and okra mixes properly.
• Put a lid on the vessel and let the vegetable cook under low-medium heat.
• Stir gently couple of times for about 30 seconds (Note: When taking off the lid to stir, let all the steam go out before stirring).
• Garnish with cilantro before serving.