Pumpkin spice snowballs

I was searching for recipes for Christmas and I stumbled across this and the recipe is great. The taste is super delicious but the only issue I had is, my snow won't stick to the balls. Next time I will do more research and update the blog


Pumpkin spice snowballs 

Pumpkin spice snow balls

Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
1/2 teaspoon each of nutmeg, ground or fresh grated ginger and allspice, salt

Preaheat oven to 375°.
Mix the butter with 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla  until fluffy. Add flour, salt, and all the spices.
Scoop 1 heaped teaspoon dough and make it into a ball and place on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake cookies for 7-8 minutes until bottoms are just slightly brown. Remove from oven and cool for just a few minutes, until you can handle them.
Fill a small bowl with the remaining 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and roll each cookie in the sugar until coated. Place on a rack to cool.  (Once cookies are cooled, you may want to re-roll them in more powdered sugar.)
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to one month. (If you freeze them you’ll need to re-roll them in powdered sugar after defrosting.)

Coconut beet root chutney

My dear hubby really like coconut chutney. For the longest time after marriage I did not make it because I was more of a Peanut chutney . Then once I started making the coconut chutney, I keep mixing it with different things and they are all super yummy

Coconut Beet Root Chutney (Coconut and beet root dipping sauce for Idli)

Coconut Beet root chutney

Ingredients:

1. 1 cups fresh coconut pieces
2. 1-11/2 cup juice from a small lemon sized tamarind
3. 1 jalapeno or Serrano chilli chopped
4. 1 cup canned beet root drained
5. 1 teaspoon cumin divided
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of urad dal, chana dal (soaked in water for 10 minutes),  salt
7. 1/2 tablespoon oil
8. 1-2 dried red chillies broken
9. few curry leaves
10. 1 garlic pod chopped
11. 1 tablespoon oil divided

Heat 1/2 the oil in a pan and add the cumin, urad dal and chana dal and fry for a minute. Add the garlic pod and fry for a minute. Add the beet root and green chillies and fry for 5 minutes. Let it cool and grind together with coconut and salt with tamarind water into almost a smooth paste.

Optional:

 In a pan heat the oil and fry all the remaining things (for tempering) until they start to splutter. Add asafoetida at the end and fry for one more minute. Add this to the top of the coconut chutney. Enjoy with hot fluffy rice or idli or carrot idli or  dosa or Ravva Dosa or Gaarelu 

Black bean rice

Its a quick and delicious Sunday lunch and its super delicious. It is great for any cold evening and can be served with any kinds of meat you have on hand

Black Bean Rice (Spicy rice with black beans and corn)

Black bean and corn rice

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups long grain rice
2. 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
3. 1 cup corn (preferably from canned south western corn and bell pepper mix) drained
4. 1 tablespoon oil
5. 1/2 cup chopped onions
6. 1 large or 2 medium garlic chopped fine
7. 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
8. 1 chicken bouillion
9. 1 teaspoon cumin powder, coriander powder
10. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, fresh ground black pepper, cayenne pepper

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions till they become translucent. Add garlic and fry for a minute. Add well drained corn and fry for a few minutes. Add beans and all the spices and mix well. Add 4-5 cups of water and bring to a rolling boil. Add rice and reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is done. Garnish with a generous portion of chopped cilantro and lemon juice and enjoy

Eggless buns

I have been making these Tuna Buns for quite some time now and they are amazing. One weekend having no eggs on hand I had to look for recipe which would make buns without eggs and this recipe is great. And it makes such soft buns. So, if you have/eat eggs make the recipe with eggs otherwise go for eggless. They both are great

Eggless Buns

Eggless buns

Ingredients:

1 package dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup each of milk,
1/4 cup oil and sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour

Tuna Filling Ingredients:

2 can tuna drained
1/4 cup each of sweet relish, mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
Mix all the ingredients for the tuna filling and set aside until ready to use

Add the yeast to the warm water and 2 teaspoon sugar and set aside for 10 minutes.
Heat the milk to warm and add sugar oil and salt and mix till sugar dissolves. Add 1 cup all purpose flour and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the yeast mixture and the remaining flour and the wheat flour and mix well with your hands. Knead the dough for 5 minutes. Oil and bowl and leave the kneaded dough in it covered with a kitchen towel in a warm place for about and 2 hours or until the dough more than doubles.

Once it doubles punch the dough down and knead for 2-3 minutes. Divide it into 12 equal parts. Flatten them into about 5 inch discs, add a heaped teaspoon of tuna filling and reshape them into balls. (My tuna filling was enough for 8 buns) (The rest I filled it up with a teaspoon each of strawberry jam in 2 and peach jam in 2). Leave the buns aside for 20 minutes

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the buns for 20-25 minutes. After 20 minutes brush the buns with oil and sprinkle with dried oregano and bake for 2-3 more minutes until golden brown. Let it cool for atleast 5 minutes before serving

Garlic and onion sauteed Spinach and Mushroom

For our office Christmas party one of the lunch items was Sauteed Spinach with garlic, which was exceptional. If you can make it well, it will be the most delicious dish you would ever eat else you will never eat it again in your life.

I used to make sauteed greens quite a bit a few years ago but then I stopped. The sauteed spinach I made today is one of my fav and it turns out great every time.

Garlic and onion sauteed Spinach and Mushroom

Sauteed spinach with mushroom

Ingredients

1. 1tablespoon olive oil
2. 1 medium small onion, chopped into 1 cm pieces
3. 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced thick
4. 1 large or 2 medium garlic cloves, chopped fine
5. 3-4 cups baby spinach 
6. 1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
7. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and lemon pepper

Heat a  pan on medium heat and add olive oil.

Add onions and mushrooms, stirring for 5-7 minutes, until they start to get brown. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add spinach and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper and vinegar, and cover and cook for 5 minutes. Enjoy

Egg pulao

Ande ka Pulao (Rice cooked in spices and served with egg)

Anda Pulao

Ingredients

1. 2 cup of  basmati rice
2. 2 tbsp oil
3. A small bunch of  coriander leaves (cilantro)
4. A small bunch of  mint leaves
5. 2 green chillies
6. 2-3 cloves of  garlic
7. 2" piece of  ginger
8. 1 medium onion chopped
9. 1 large or 2 medium  tomato  chopped
10. 1/2 tsp of  red chilli powder (adjust to taste), cumin powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder
11. 1 teaspoon salt
12. 6 eggs hard boiled
13. 2 tablespoons grated coconut
14. 1 medium large onion cut into 1 cm cubes
15. 1/2 cup green peas
16. 1 large carrot cubed
17. 1 cup cauliflower florets if desired

In a pan heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the onions till they start becoming brown. Add ginger and garlic pieces and coconut and fry for 2 more minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for 5-7 minutes. Let it cool and grind to a fine paste.

Heat the rest of the oil and fry the onions for 10 minutes. Add carrots and cauliflower if using and fry for 5 more minutes. Add all the spices and mix well. Add 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Add rice and cook for 20 minutes or until done. Garnish with cilantro and hard boiled eggs and serve with dahi/Yogurt raita

Beetroot Puri

Whenever I want my kids to eat vegetables, and take a break from meat, then I make something different with it and they eat it without complaining. Today was Red Puri. The red color of the poori is from beet root. I make Beet root Roti but this time it is Poori and I learned the trick to make is nice and puffy and stay that way until broken :) . So everyone was mighty happy.

Red Puri (Fried Indian wheat bread withe beet root dough)

Beet root puri

Ingredients:

1. I can beet root slices, half of the liquid drained and ground to a paste
2. 4 cups whole wheat flour
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 1 teaspoon ghee
5. 2 tablespoons sooji

Mix all the ingredients together and add little water if needed and form a dough. Knead it for 5 minutes. 

Divide the dough into 12 parts and roll it on a clean surface into 5-6 inches disk. Heat oil in a pan and add a small piece of dough to it, if it sinks the oil is cold. When it floats nicely, add the puri and fry for 1 minute and flip it, flip it again and flip it again...3 to 4 minutes per poori should be enough. Drain it and enjoy with Mixed veg curry

Aloo palak paneer

Cholay

Also try Green poori

Ginger bread

The other day we went to Starbucks and I had the Christmas tree Frappuccino and I did not like it. I generally like Starbucks frappas but this was definitely is my least favorite. My little man wanted a ginger bread loaf and as all the other things in there, it costed a fortune.

Old Fashioned Ginger Bread (Starbucks copycat Ginger bread)

Gingerbread

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2. 1 cup white sugar
3. 1 tsp vanilla extract
4. 1 large egg
5. 1 cup applesauce 
6. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
7. 1 teaspoon each of baking soda, finely grated fresh ginger or ground ginger, cinnamon,
8. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, nutmeg

Ingredients for the frosting:

1. 1/2 block (4 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
2. 1 tsp vanilla extract
3. 1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray 
Cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and the egg. Blend in the applesauce.
Slowly add the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices (ginger, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.) When everything is mixed, pour the batter into your loaf pan.
Bake for about 55 minutes until it is risen and a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool it on a rack.
To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese with the vanilla and then add 1 cup of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Spread a thick layer of the frosting over the gingerbread cake. Enjoy

Chakodi

These are the road side snacks of my childhood. One of the favorites' of my brother and we would go to one of the small stores' to get these. They used to be amazing. Crunchy on the outside and soft in inside.
           Today I made them for the first time and they turned out great and I learned some lessons for the next time. So they will be better next time

Chakodi (Fried rice rings)

Chakodi

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup rice flour
2. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, hing, caraway seeds, baking soda, chilli powder
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
5. 2 cups water
6. oil for deep frying + 1 table spoon

In a bowl mix together the rice flour, salt, cumin, caraway seeds, sesame seeds, chilli powder and hing

In a pan boil the water along with the baking soda to a rolling boil. Add the flour mix slowly to the boiling water and mix well. Let it cool enough to handle. Knead the dough into a smooth ball for 5 minutes. 

Take a small amount of dough (Smaller than a golf ball) and roll it between your palms into a log, as thick as you like. Pinch the ends together. Continue with the rest of the dough

Heat oil for deep frying in a pan over medium high heat. Add half of the pre made chakodies and let them fry for atleast 3 minutes before flipping else they will break. Fry on the other side for 3-4 minutes. Drain and let it cool a bit before enjoying

Kolhapuri fish

This is one of the yummy fish currys' I make. It takes a little bit of effort and time but its totally worth it. Its super delicious and it can be served with any kind of roti or with rice.

Kolhapuri Fish (Fish in coconut tomato gravy)

Kolhapuro fish

Ingredients

1. 2-3 salmon fish fillets (about 1 lb) and cut into 1.5 inch chunks
2. 1 medium large onion sliced
3. 2 medium small tomatoes chopped
4. 2 large or 3 medium garlic pods
5. 1 inch ginger
6. 2 tablespoons oil
7. 3/4 teaspoon each of salt, chilli powder, turmeric
8. 1/2 cup plain yogurt
9. 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
10. 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

Marinate the fish pieces with salt, chilli powder, turmeric, lemon juice and yogurt.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the onions till they start becoming brown. Add the ginger and garlic pieces and coconut and fry for a couple of more minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes and let it cool and grind to a smooth paste.

Heat the remaining oil and add the fish pieces along with the marinate and fry for 5 minutes. Add the paste to the pot along with 2 cups of hot water. Simmer for 20 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy with rice or naaan

Methi Paneer Masala

The other day when I went to the Indian store there were by=unches of fresh fenugreek leaves bunches. They were so fresh…I had to get them. And ofcourse once you get them you have to use them otherwise its just compost filler. So I made this methi paneer masala which was a super duper hit. Here is the recipe.

Methi Paneer Masala

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup packed fresh fenugreek leaves
2. About 250 gms paneer cubed
3. 1 medium small onion chopped
4. 1 large or 2 medium tomatoes chopped
5. ½ cup milk
6. ½ cup water
7. 2 tablespoons oil
8. 1 inch ginger + 2 large garlic pods
9. ½ teaspoon each of salt, chilli powder, turmeric, cumin powder
10. 1 teaspoon coriander powder

In a pan add 1 tablespoon oil and fry the paneer pieces till they become light brown. Drain and set aside. In the same pan add the onions and chopped ginger and garlic and fry till the onions start getting browned. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 more minutes. Let it cool. Grind to a smooth paste.

In the same pan add the remaining oil and add the methi leaves and fyr for 5 minutes. Add the paste back to the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Add the paneer and milk and water with all the spices and mix well. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with naan

Cheese Steak soup

Cheese Steak soup

Cheese steak soup

Ingredients:

1 lb beef cubes or sliced meat cut into small pieces

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon oil

¾ cup all purpose flour

1 chicken or beef bouillon

2 cups milk

2 cups water

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 medium small onion chopped fine

1 medium small green bell pepper chopped fine

2 large garlic pods chopped fine

1 cup cubed white mushroom

¼ cup shredded provolone+more for garnish

In a pan add just ½ tablespoon oil and fry the meat until well done. About 5-7 minutes. Drain and set aside. In the same pan add the remaining ½ tablespoon oil and add the onions, mushroom and green bell pepper and garlick and cook till they start to sweat. Drain and set aside. In the same pan melt the butter and add the all purpose flour and stir continuously for 5-7 minutes. Add hot milk and water and stir till there are no flour lumps. Add the meat and vegetables back to the pot along with chicken/beef bouillon and simmer for 10 minutes. Mix in the cheese and give a taste test. Add pepper and give a taste test for salt. Add more salt if needed. Serve hot with a crusted bread on a cold winter night

Sooji Seviyah kesari

This is one of the most easiest deserts you would ever come across when talking of desert recipes from India. Usually there is the sooji kesari or seviyah kesari, but I like this one which is a combination of both. The texture is better.

 Sooji Seviyah kesari 

Sooji Kesari

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup each of sooji, fine vermicelli
2. ¼ cup ghee
3. ½ cup sugar
4. A pinch of food coloring
5. A pinch of saffron
6. 1 tablespoon chopped cachew + almond
7. 1/ tablespoon raisins
8. 1 teaspoon rose essence or 2 cardamom pods
9. 3 cups water.

In a pan heat half of the ghee and fry the sooji and the dried nuts+ raisins till light brown. Set in another dish. Add the rest of the ghee and fry the vermicelli till they become light brown. Take it into a different dish

Bring to boil 3 cups of water and add the vermicelli. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the sooji and stir to combine. Add the sugar and mix well, until it melts. Add the rose water or cardamom pods and cover and set aside for 5 minutes. Butter a dish and add the kesari to it. Cut it into your fav shape and enjoy hot or cold