Homemade Peanut Butter

Tags

dips

This Homemade peanut butter is creamy with peanut intense flavour. It’s perfect to use as a dip or as a spread. This is made with just a couple of natural ingredients.

Preparation Time : 5 minutes

Makes : 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

Dry roasted peanuts : 2 cups

Sea salt : 1/2 teaspoon

Olive oil : 1 teaspoon

Honey : 1 tablespoon (optional)

Method:

Take the roasted peanuts in a blender/food processor and run it on high for 4-5 minutes. The peanuts will first crumble, them become into a sticky ball and slowly turns creamy.

Now, add the rest of the ingredients and process for another 30 seconds.

Place the peanut butter in a glass jar and store it in the refrigerator.

Note: I used Blendtec and it took me 4 minutes for the peanuts to become nice and creamy.

 

Watermelon and apple smoothie

Tags

drinks, smoothies

Watermelon season started and so as hot temperatures. This is a simple smoothie that is quick and easy to make.

Preparation Time : 5 minutes

Serves : 2

Ingredients:

Watermelon pieces : 1 1/2 cups

Apple : 1 cored and diced

Banana : 1 medium sliced

Ice cubes : 1 cup

Method:

Add all the ingredients in a blender jar and blend till smooth. Serve immediately.

 

Andhra Vankaya Fry/Eggplant Fry

Tags

30 minutes or less, Andhra Recipes, Veg Curries

This Vankaya Fry is my grandma’s recipe. Fresh, small long Vankaya is used to make this dish. Being in US for all these years, I could never get my hands on them. Now, that I’m in India, I got fresh veggies from my farm and was so trilled to see these vankayalu. The fry is made with simple ingredients.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cook Time : 15 minutes

Serves : 3-4

Ingredients :

Eggplant / Vankaya : 1/2 kg

Onion : 1 large sliced

Green chillies : 3 slit

Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Ginger garlic paste : 1 teaspoon

Turmeric : 1/2 teaspoon

Iguru Karam : 2 teaspoons

Coriander powder : 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Roasted Peanuts : 1/2 cup crushed

For Tempering:

 Chana dal : 1 teaspoon

Urad dal : 1 teaspoon

Cumin : 1/2 teaspoon

Mustard seeds : 1/2 teaspoon

Dry red chilli: 1 broken

Method:

Cut the eggplant into 2 inch pieces and put them in salt water.

Heat oil in a pan add all ingredients listed under for tempering and fry until the dals turn golden brown.

Add curry leaves, onions, green chillies and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the onions turn translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 30 seconds.

Add eggplant, turmeric, salt, stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes. Add crushed peanuts, stir to combine, close lid and cook for another 5 minutes.

Take the lid off, add Iguru Karam, coriander powder, stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the eggplant is completely cooked.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

 

Almond Bajra Poori

Tags

Andhra Recipes, Breakfast dishes, Tiffins

Poori is an Indian bread that is deep fried and normally served as breakfast or light meal. It is served with a curry. This Almond Bajra Poori is made with Almond flour, Bajra flour and Gluten free flour. This poori puffs up really nice like the ones with wheat flour but much healthier. It takes very less oil to cook so you can eat poori guilt free.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cook Time : 2 minutes per poori

Serves : 3-4

Ingredients :

Almond Flour : 1/2 cup

Bajra Flour : 1/2 cup

Gluten free flour : 1/2 cup

Salt : 1 teaspoon

Method:

Take all the ingredients in a bowl, gradually add water and knead it into a firm yet pliable dough. Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.

Heat oil for deep frying.

Make a golf ball sized balls from the dough. Roll them into thin disks and slowly drop one disk at a time in the oil.

Cook the poori until it turns golden brown on both sides. Take the poori and place it on a plate lined with paper towel.

Serve hot with your choice of curry.

I – Iced Golden Drink

Tags

30 minutes or less, Blogging Marathon, drinks

This Iced Golden Drink is inspired by the Starbucks new drinks that were launched as part of their annual spring menu. Looking at the ingredient list of the “Iced Golden Ginger Drink”, I loved turmeric being added. It’s a natural anti-biotic and so many more health benefits. So, I made the drink guessing the measurements and kids loved it. Now, I can’t wait to taste the Starbucks drink.

So, I kept aside the post I made for letter I and posting this delicious drink that has so many health benefits especially with all the sickness that’s going around.

Sending this recipe over to our Blogging Marathon #110, week 1 day 3 under A to Z 30 minutes or less recipes.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Making Time : 2 minutes

Serves : 2

 Ingredients :

Coconut milk : 400 ml (1 can)

Pineapple puree : 3 tablespoons

Maple syrup : 2 tablespoons

Vanilla extract: 1/2 teaspoon

Ground cinnamon : 1/2 teaspoon

Ground Ginger : 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric : 1 1/2 teaspoons

Method :

Take 2 glasses, add ice and pour 1/4 cup of coconut milk in each glass.

Take the rest of the ingredients in a small blender along with a 1/2 cup of ice and pulse few times to mix the ingredients.

Pour the drink into the glasses and serve immediately as the spices will slowly settle down to the bottom.

 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#110

H – Hawaiian Pizza

Tags

Baked Foods, Blogging Marathon, pizza

Hawaiian Pizza has a sweet and savoury flavours mixed in. Traditional mix of tomato sauce is used as the base in making this pizza and topped with cheese, pineapple, and ham. It was created by a a chef named Sam Panopoulous at a restaurant located in Ontario, Canada in 1962. He chose the name Hawaiian after the brand of canned pineapple he used.

I made a vegetarian version so, I added jalapeño instead of ham. Sending this recipe over to our Blogging Marathon #110, week 1 day 2 under A to Z 30 minutes or under recipes.

Preparation Time : 5 minutes

Bake Time : 15 minutes

Serves : 2-3

Ingredients :

Pizza Dough : 1/2 this recipe (you can use store bought dough)

Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce : 4 tablespoons (Any pizza sauce can be used)

Pineapple : 1 cup diced

Jalapeños : 1/4 cup sliced

Shredded Mozzarella cheese : 1/2 cup

Shredded cheddar cheese : 1/4 cup

Method :

Pre heat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Take a pizza pan, add few drops of olive oil and brush the entire pan. Take the pizza dough, flatten it to cover the pan and form the edges. Make impression in the middle with your fingers.

Add pizza sauce and smear it all over the pizza. Add Pineapple pieces and Jalapeños. Add both cheeses and bake it for 14-15 minutes.

Remove the pizza from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately.

 

 

 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#110

Pizza Dough

Tags

Italian, pizza

This Pizza Dough is a the basic recipe to make Pizzas, bread sticks, garlic knots etc. It’s super simple to make and tastes much better than the store bought ones. You can prepare the dough and store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Rest Time: 2 hours

Bake Time: 15 minutes

Makes: 2 large pizzas or 1 large pizza and 3 pan size pizzas.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour: 3.5 cups

Salt: 2 teaspoons

Olive oil: 4 tablespoons

Sugar : 1 teaspoon

Warm water: 1 1/2 cups (110 degrees F) + 4 tablespoons

Instant dry yeast: 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons)

Method:

Take the yeast, sugar and 1.5 cups of warm water and rest it for 15 minutes so the yeast rises.

Take the flour, salt, 2 tablespoons of oil and add the yeast. Knead into a soft dough adding a tablespoon of water as needed.

Grease the bowl with 2 tablespoons of oil and place the dough in it. Put a plastic wrap on top of the bowl and keep it in a warm place for 1.5 hours.

The dough will double the size. Punch it down, make the dough into 2 balls and plastic wrap them for 10 minutes.

Pizza dough is ready to make pizzas or store it in a airtight container and refrigerate.

Note:

If you are living in a hotter place like India, Bluebird is the best yeast and dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water and use rest of the 1 cup of water while kneading the dough. Also, increase the All Purpose Flour to 4 cups.

G – Green Chilli chicken

Tags

Chicken Recipes, Chinese, indo-Chinese

Green Chilli Chicken is a Indo-Chinese dish that’s really flavourful. The restaurants use MSG which isn’t good for health. We can make the dish at home and enjoy the restaurant flavour. This spicy chicken goes well with fried rice or noodles.

Made this as part of our Blogging Marathon #110, week 1 day 1 under A to Z “30 minutes or under recipes”. This month we are doing G,H,I letters.

Preparation Time : 5 minutes

Cook Time : 25 minutes

Serves : 2-3

Ingredients:

To marinate Chicken :

Boneless skinless chicken : 500 grams

Green chilli : 8 (make paste)

Cornflour : 1/4 cup

Baking powder : 1 teaspoon

Fresh ground black pepper : 1/4 teaspoon

Salt to taste

For Gravy:

Sesame oil : 1 tablespoon

Ginger garlic paste : 2 tablespoons

Onion : 1 large chopped

Green chillies : 4 slit

Soya sauce : 2 teaspoons

Green Chilli sauce : 2 teaspoons

White vinegar : 1/2 teaspoon

Sugar : 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Slurry : 2 teaspoons cornflour + 1/4 cup water

Water : 1 cup

Cilantro : To garnish

Method :

In a medium sized bowl, add all the ingredients listed under for chicken marinade, mix well and keep aside for 5 minutes.

In the meanwhile, heat oil for deep frying and fry the chicken till golden brown. Drain and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan on high heat, add onions, ginger garlic paste, green chillies and saute for 2 minutes.

Add all the sauces, salt, sugar and stir well. Add slurry, water and cook for 1 minute.

Add fried chicken stir well to coat and cook for 2 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#110

Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce

Tags

pasta sauce

This Marinara Sauce is a flavourful sauce that is healthy. It’s great to use in pasta, lasagna, and other casseroles. I already posted a quick and simple Marinara Sauce and Pasta Sauce recipes. This Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce is full of Italian flavours.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cook Time : 1 hour 15 minutes

Makes : 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

Tomatoes : 12 large

Onion : 1 large chopped

Garlic : 6 cloves minced

Olive oil : 1/3 cup

Bay leaves : 2

Cranberry/tomato juice : 3/4 cup

Honey : 1 tablespoon

Dried basil : 3 teaspoons

Dried Oregano: 1 1/2 teaspoons

Dried marjoram : 1 1/2 teaspoon

Salt : 1 1/2 teaspoons

Fresh ground black pepper : 1 teaspoon

Red pepper flakes : 1/2 teaspoon

Fennel seeds : 1/4 teaspoon

Method :

Wash and cut the tomatoes in a + mark on the top. Boil water and blanch the tomatoes.

Drain the water and peel the skins off and dice them.

Heat olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat, add onion, minced garlic and saute for 5 minutes.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaf, stir well, lower the heat and cook for 30 minutes.

Add Cranberry/tomato juice, honey, basil, oregano, marjoram, salt, pepper, red chilli flakes, fennel, stir well and bring it to a simmer and cook until all the juices are simmered. It takes about another 30 minutes.

Turn off the stove, let the sauce cool down before storing the sauce in a airtight container.

This is a chunky sauce, if you like it smooth and creamy, take the sauce into a blender jar and blend till required consistency.

 

 

 

 

Vegetable Lasagna Soup

Tags

One pot dishes, soups

This Vegetable Lasagna Soup is a filling soup with lots of fresh vegetables. Then mixed lasagna cheeses are added into the soup.  The cheese will melt perfectly into the hot soup.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time : 30 minutes

Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Onion : 1 medium chopped

Carrots : 1 large diced

Garlic : 2 cloves minced

Vegetable broth : 1 litre/32 oz

Tomatoes : 8 medium diced

Tomato sauce : 1 cup

Zucchini : 1 medium diced

Mushrooms : 1 cup sliced

Dried basil : 1 teaspoon

Dried Oregano : 1/2 teaspoon

Dried Thyme: 1/4 teaspoon

Dried rosemary : 1/2 teaspoon

Sugar : 1/2 teaspoon

Salt and pepper to taste

Lasagna sheets : 6 broken into pieces

Baby Spinach : 1 cup roughly chopped

Fresh parsley : 1 tablespoon chopped

Cheeses:

Shredded Mozzarella cheese : 1/2 cup

Shredded parmesan cheese : 1/4 cup

Ricotta cheese : 1/2 cup

Method:

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, add onions, carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another minute.

Add the broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, zucchini, mushrooms, herbs, stir well and bring it to a boil.

Add pasta, close lid and simmer stirring occasionally. Cook for 12 minutes.

Add the cheeses, stir well and add spinach.

Turn off the stove, add parsley and serve hot.