CHEESE MACRONI

Cheese Macaroni

Macaroni is a quick food. Made from semolina or durum wheat it’s a healthier substitute. The cheesy macaroni is healthy as a cheese slice has the calcium of a glass of milk. It’s not a diet food though but tastes yummy. It’s excellent for toddlers and I remember my son finishing off his bowl since he was just 8months old. Still my kids love to have at their lunch break when in school.

Ingredients:-

2 cups macaroni (boiled)

1 onion chopped

1 cup mixed vegetables chopped (bell peppers, broccoli and baby corn)

1 tbsp. olive oil

Salt to taste

¼ tsp. white pepper powder

2 slices of cheese

½ tbsp. whole wheat flour

200ml milk

½ tsp. oregano powder

Chilli flakes-optional

1 tsp. butter

Method:-

• Heat olive oil in pan and saute onions for 5 minutes. When onions turn pink add chopped vegetables.

• Saute for 3-4 minutes and add whole wheat flour. Add butter at the same time and stir well for 2 minutes. While stirring slowly add cold milk making sure no lumps are formed.

• Lower the flame and add cheese slices. When cheese melts and smooth and thick sauce is formed add salt, pepper powder and oregano. Mix in along with boiled macaroni.

• Add chilli flakes if desired.

• Serve hot or at normal temperature.

MEDU VADA

 Medu Vada

Vada is a traditional south Indian dish made from white lentils. This crisp donut shaped goodness can be had as Sambhar vada and can be had as dahi-vada too.it depends on batter consistency wether they turn out crispy outside and soft inside. The hole inside it marks it as a vada.

Ingredients:-

1 cup split urad daal (soaked for minimum 3 hours and drained)

2-3 green chillies chopped

1 tsp. ginger grated

7-8 raisins (soaked)

Salt to taste

½ tsp. black pepper powder

1 tbsp. oil

1 tbsp. gram flour

½ tsp. mustard seeds

4-5 curry leaves

Oil for deep frying

Method:-

• Grind the urad daal finely without using just a little water. Add salt to this paste.

• Take pan and heat 1 tbsp. oil. Add curry leaves and mustard seeds. When it crackles, add this to vada mixture.

• Add chopped green chillies, grated ginger and black pepper powder and stir well. Lastly add gram flour which helps it in frying and gives a nice brown colour.

• Heat oil in kadhai for deep frying.

• Apply oil in hands. Place 1 tbsp. of vada mixture in hand and carefully make a hole in between with the help of your thumb.

• Transfer the vada slowly into oil.it will inflate a little and will get brown. There is a trick to make a good vada. Firstly we must make vada as soon as we make the mixture. The fermented mixture tends to absorb more oil. You must check the oil by dropping a drop of vada mixture at start so that you have an idea about how it will come out.

• The vada is ready when it turns brown from all sides.

• Serve hot with Sāmbhar and coconut chutney.

BADAMI CHAAP

 

 Badaami Chaap Masala

Badaami chaap is chaap cooked onion tomato gravy with richness of almonds and cream.500 grams soya champ. Its gravy is rich, flavourful and goes really well with naans, lachcha parantha and tandoori rotis.A delight for champ lovers, the unique combination of mind and brown onions in gravy keeps you asking more.

Ingredients:-

4 tomatoes

2 tbsp. brown onions (fried)

2 tbsp. mustard oil

3 tbsp. cream

Salt to taste

1 tsp. red chilli powder (Kashmiri)

1 tsp. coriander powder

½ tsp. garam masala

9-10 almonds, soaked and peeled

1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste

3-4 mint leaves

Garnishing

Coriander leaves and cream

Method:-

• Blend brown onions, almonds, mint leaves and tomatoes into a paste.

• Heat oil in a thick base handi and add ginger garlic paste. Saute for 4-5 minutes.

• Add tomato-onion paste made earlier.

• Add salt and all spices and mix well.

• Cook it on low flame till fat separates.Add few drops of water if required and stir occasionally.

• Add cream. Simmer on low flame for 15 minutes and grill soya champs separately using some oil on grilling tawa or griller.

• Add the grilled champs to gravy. Simmer for another 5 minutes and serve.

• Garnish with fresh cream and coriander leaves.

PIZZA PUFF

 

Pizza Puffs

Pizza puffs are cheesy vegetables or non-vegetarian bites coated with crispy layer. We can see them at bakery shops, fast food chains and in frozen form at super stores. The recipe here involves making pizza puffs with whole wheat flour and sooji. We should always try and replace unhealthy ingredients with healthier options. You can choose either frying or grilling method. Grilling will make it less crisp though. The vegetables can be added as per choice. Chopped vegetables work well for this recipe.

Ingredients:-

2 cup whole wheat flour

½ cup semolina (sooji)

1 tbsp. dried and active yeast (soaked in 1/2cup water for at least ½ hour)

1 tbsp. oil

½ tsp. salt

1 ½ cup water

Filling:-

2 onions sliced

100 grams cottage cheese cut in small cubes

½ cup sweet corn kernals, boiled

1 cup mixed bell peppers

4-5 baby corns chopped

7-8 cheese slices

2 tbsp. cheese spread

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

4-5 basil leaves

½ tsp. white pepper powder

½ tsp. oregano powder

1 tbsp. oil

Method:-

• Make stiff dough with whole wheat flour, semolina, salt water and yeast. Cover it with wet cloth and leave for 2 hours.

• Check the dough in between apply oil and roll it again 3-4 times in this 2 hours resting time of dough.

• Refrigerate dough for at least half hour before cooking.

• Take oil in a non-stick pan and sauté onions for 3-4 minutes.

• Add baby corns, bell peppers, corn kernel and salt.

• Saute vegetables for 3-4 minutes and add basil leaves, white pepper powder, oregano powder and cottage cheese cubes. Keep it aside so that mixture cools off. Add cheese spread to cooled vegetable mixture.

• Make small balls of dough and make round but little thick chapattis with a rolling pin.

• Place a slice of cheese in chappati.add 1 tsp. of vegetable-cheese mixture and fold the chapatti in half. (Semi-circle) seal carefully all the sides and cut the sides in rectangle position. We can again use sides as dough. The mixture should be filled in centre only and it will expand when we fry.

• Heat oil for deep frying. Add puffs to hot oil and flip the sides when it turns nice brown. Serve immediately as a whole or by slitting it from the centre.

• Tastes best with tomato ketchup.

PAV BHAJI

 

 

 

 

 Pav-Bhaji

Pav-Bhaji Is a famous Mumbai snack which originated at street side snack at beaches like chaupati.The vegetables are boiled, mashed with a masher on big tawa and cooked with chopped onions, tomatoes, garlic and lots of spices. It’s served with pav bread along with lots of butter and lemon wedges. I’ve seen many combinations for pav bhaji.Here we use bottle guard to make a delicious pav bhaji and it’s an interesting way of feeding greens to your little ones to.

Ingredients:-

3-4 potatoes

350 grams cauliflower

350 grams bottle gourd

250 grams cottage cheese cut in small pieces

3 onions chopped

4 tomatoes pureed

Salt to taste

2 tbsp. pav bhaji masala

1 tsp. Red chilli powder

1 tsp. garam masala

½ tsp. turmeric powder

2 tsp. coriander powder

2 lemons sliced

2 tbsp. oil

50 grams butter

Pav bread

300 ml water

Coriander for garnishing

Method:-

• Cut and wash cauliflower, Potatoes and bottle guard and pressure cook it along with some water, oil and salt and turmeric powder. Keep aside.

• Heat oil in wok and saute onions. When onions turn brown add tomato puree. Add all the masalas and cook tomato puree till all the mixture is cooked and leave sides.

• Put the pressure cooked mixture (drain out water) in cooked masala mash it with masher and use the water remaining with boiled vegetables to adjust the consistency.

• Add half of butter and garnish it with chopped coriander and lemon slices.

• Slit pav bread and grill it on tawa or griller along with remaining butter.

• Serve hot with bhaji.