35. Garden - Fruits Salad

Source: Self
Final Outcome: Refreshing and tasty.

        This tasty and healthy salad is without any salad dressing. Look how beautiful it looks! Here's the recipe:

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Lettuce leaves: 1 bunch (washed and hand torn)
Oranges: 2 peeled and segmented
Pomegranate: 1
Bananas: 2-3 (chopped)
Strawberry: 4-5 (I forgot to add it!!!)
Cashew nuts: 6-7 roughly chopped
Sugar: 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper: 1 tsp

Method:
In a bowl mix all the ingredients. Leave it for about 5 mins so that salt and sugar mix well with the ingredients and add to the taste.
That's it, its done!

34. Crunchy Peanut Butter & Bhindi Masala

Source: Online searches
Final Outcome: Nice!

        Normally I do not write a lengthy monologue. However this post is going to be an exception. The reason as to why I do not write lengthy monologues is given at the end of this post.
        Okay getting back to the confusing title, they are 2 separate recipes but I am counting it as one. I made Bhindi Masala 2 days ago, but did not post it as my family did not consider this recipe a very innovative and worthy of recognition. I have SPOILT my family!!!. Now to appear on this blog the recipe has to be very good, innovative, tasty etc. Hence nobody (read my husband) bothered to take a picture of the Bhindi:-). 
        I began cooking  about 6 years ago (I was lucky that my mom never pushed me into kitchen and allowed me to concentrate on education. I began cooking only after I was married). Had I made this 6 years back it would have been a favourite. Nevertheless it is a new recipe that I tried. Hence I am combining it with Peanut butter and posting it. These two will be counted as one. Now I have to deal with my family who has got used to new and tasty treats every other day. I never imagined my resolution and blog will have such a side effect :-).
        Peanut Butter: my husband loves it and he missed it in India. So we decided to google the recipe.  I cannot believe its so simple. On a trial basis we made a very small quantity now but will make it again in a larger quantity. Sharing both the recipes here:

Recipe: Crunchy Peanut Butter  
Ingredients:
Handful of peanuts
Oil: 1-2 table spoon (preferably groundnut oil)
Salt: a pinch/ as per your taste
Honey: ~1 table spoon

Method:
1.Coarse grind about 30% of the peanuts , put them aside. These will make the 'crunchy' part of the peanut butter.
2.Fine grind remaining  peanuts. Add salt, honey and oil.
3.Grind again into a fine paste. You may need to add a little more oil and honey to this if the paste appears too dry. 
4. Mix in crunchy peanuts from step 1. Crunchy Peanut butter is ready!

Recipe: Bhindi Masala  
Ingredients:
Bhindi (lady's finger)chopped bite size: 1/2 kg
Onions chopped: 2
Tomato chopped: 1
Ginger Garlic paste: 1/2 tsp
Green chillies: 2-3
Amchoor powder: 1/2 tsp
Garam masala: 1/2 tsp
Dhaniya poweder (coriander powder): 1/2 tsp
Kasoori methi : 1/4 tsp
Fresh coriander to garnish
Oil: 1+1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add chopped bhindi to it. Cook uncovered for about 5-7 mins till its tender. Add amchur powder to the bhindi and mix. This avoids bhindi from getting sticky. Cook bhindi for a few more mins.
2. Heat 1 tbsp in a pan. Add green chilies and onion and fry till its golden. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till its fragrant. Add chopped tomato. Cook till the tomato is tender and becomes pulpy.
3. Add Garm masala powder, Dhaniya powder and salt  to the cooked onion- tomato gravy.
4. Add cooked bhindi to the above masala and mix well. Keep it on a low heat for 4-5 mins. Add Kasuri methi and mix. Take off from heat and serve with fresh coriander.

        Wow a lengthy post! I think that the reader may be interested in reading the recipe more than my monologue hence I don't write long posts. I add my own little snippets at the end. I have never been a lengthy writer ( I scored well in exams where I was expected to solve problems or multiple choice question formats but not so much in theoretical papers. I think examiners considered me lazy:-)).


        

33. Zucchini pasta with tomato mushroom sauce

Source: http://www.dailygarnish.com/2010/08/zucchini-pasta-with-tomato-mushroom-sauce.html
Final Outcome: Very good!!!

        We always love pasta. This is a very good recipe. I have made some changes to the recipe. 

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Red Onion chopped: 1
White onion chopped: 1
Tomato: 3-4 large
Mushrooms: 1 pack button mushrooms
Baby corn chopped: 5-6
Capsicum chopped: 1
Garlic cloves: 3-4
Italian seasoning: 2 tsp
Zucchini shaved into stripes: 1(I just had 1. 2-3 would have been great).
Pasta boiled: 1 cup
Oil
Salt to taste
Pepper powder to taste

Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add garlic and onions and saute. After the the onions turn translucent add baby corn and cook for 5 mins. Add capsicum and mushrooms.
2. Add chopped tomatoes. Let it cook till the tomatoes leave a lot of juice and sauce becomes watery. Add Italian seasoning and salt.
3. Stir fry zucchini stripes in a pan with little oil and season it with salt and pepper.
4. To serve place boiled pasta in a bowl. Pour the above sauce on the pasta. Top it with zucchini stripes. (If you have enough zucchini replace pasta with zucchini stripes).

         I read this article today: Living with less. Nice article. Otherwise it was a normal Monday ( pulled myself out of bed, dragged my feet till almost 8, then rushed to office:-))

       

32. Idly Burger

Source:
Final Outcome: Very good!

        Here comes part 2 of leftover idlies. My mom shallow fried the leftover idly when we were kids. This idly burger is inspired by that.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Idlies leftover: as many burgers as you want. I used 5.
Potato: Cut into thin circular cuts (I used 10 slices, 2 for each burger).
Italian seasoning: 1/2 tsp
Paprika or Chile powder (I used paprika): 1/4th tsp
Cheese slices: 1/2 slice per burger
Salt
Oil

Method:
1. Cut idly into half (circular) in such a way that you have 2 thinner idlies out of one idly.
2. Shallow fry these idlies in oil till they turn golden brown.
3. Fry potato slices until they are cooked. Sprinkle Italian seasoning, paprika and salt over it.
4. Place one slice of idly at the bottom. Place 2 potato slices over it. Place cheese slice over it. Place another idly slice over it to finish the burger. Serve with ketchup.

        I am planning another resolution to go with this one. Will declare it once my leg recovers from the fall. There is a pasta coming up next. After that I plan to make some desserts.

31. Idly Upma (modern version)

Source: My mom and upgraded by my husband
Final Outcome: Good

        This is 1st part of 2 posts relating to use of left over idly. It was a well planned leftover :-) . I wanted to try this dish so I made extra idlies yesterday night. Stored them in refrigerator and made 2 dishes using them. This is the first dish. Giving it a modern twist was my husband's idea.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Idlies: 8-10 (idly is prepared by soaking 1 cup urad dal, 2 cups idly rava and a     tbsp poha over night. Grinding it into fine batter. Allow it to ferment for 5-6 hrs)
Onion chopped: 1/2
Tomato chopped: 1
Capsicum chopped : 1/2
Ginger-Garlic paste: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric: a pinch
Soy sauce: 1 tsp
Oil
Salt
Tomato Ketchup as per taste

Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan add onion and fry. Add tomato, Capsicum, ginger garlic paste. Do not over cook it.
2. Add turmeric and continue to cook for a minute.
3. Add idlies (chopped into medium size pieces).
4. Add salt, Soy sauce and tomato ketchup and take it of heat and serve.

        Updates: I am still limping from my fall. My husband worked on this new look my blog is sporting now.

30. Palak Pappu (Palakuru Pappu)

Source: Colleague
Final Outcome: Good

        One of my colleague gets this amazing pappu in his lunch box. I pestered him for the recipe. Finally got it from someone else. Here it is:

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Palak: 1 bunch washed and chopped
Methi leaves: 1/4th bunch
Toor Dal: 1/2 cup washed
Tomato: 1 chopped
Salt to taste
Oil
Garlic minced: 2
Jeera: 1 tsp
Red chillies: 3-4 (preferably small round one's)
Curry Leaves: 7-8
Mustard: 1/4th tsp
Hing: little
Tamarind juice: 1 tsp (optional)

Method:
1. In a pressure pan (or cooker) add palak, methi, toor dal, tomato and salt and cook 2 whistle or until dal is cooked.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard and jeera seeds. After they begin to splutter add minced garlic,hing, red chilies, curry leaves.(do not burn the garlic)
3. Add tamarind juice to the palak- toor dal preparation and pour hot seasoning over it.

         I started off my day with a bang!!!. Literally... I fell off my 2 wheeler and hurt my knee. I may need 3-4 days to recover. I know I have been grumbling on my blog for the last few weeks....but that's how it has been..Eh.

      

29. Coffee Cake Pudding

Source: self
Final Outcome: Yummy!!!

           This is my first dessert! This is one of the simplest recipes I have made.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Sponge Cake cut into slices: 250 gms
Fresh cream(Amul): 200 ml
Instant coffee powder (Nescafe): 4-5 spoons
Milk warm: 1 cup
Powdered sugar: 2-3 spoons
Chocolate chips chopped: 3-4 spoons

Method:
1. Mix  a spoon of coffee into warm milk. Place about 4-5 sponge cake slices in a container and pour half the milk on it. Let it soak for a few minutes.
2. Add about 3 spoons of coffee and a spoon of sugar into the fresh cream. Mix it gently. Pour half of this mixture on the soaked sponge cake.
3. Prepare another layer by repeating step 1 & 2.
4. Top it with chopped chocolate chips. Refrigerate for about 30 mins before serving.

        Dear 'Silence' where are you??? I miss you so much. I cannot write a single sentence without the chaos around me:-(. I would just love a short vacation from everything. Let me correct myself: I need a long.... very long.... never ending vacation:-(