One Day At A Time

As I have mentioned earlier, Dosas are quite regular at our home. We love them both for breakfast and lunch. I keep looking for new ways to introduce more protein rich beans in our diet. Today's dosa is made of 15 Beans which are easily available as dry 15 Beans or 16 Beans or 21 Beans Soup packet. And Oats made it more nutritious. Let me tell you the different varieties of dry beans I used - Northern, Pinto, Large Lima, Yelloweye Bean, Garbanzo, Baby Lima, Green Split Pea, Kidney Bean, Cranberry Bean, Small White, Pink Bean, Small Red, Yellow Split Pea, Lentil, Navy, White Kidney Bean, Black Bean.

Chutneys are the most popular Indian condiments.  Coconut Chutney is a well known accompaniment with Idlis and Dosas . This dry Lasani chutney is most loved with Vada Pav  - Indian vegan burger. We relish this chutney more often with parathas and dosas too. Ingredients: Desiccated (Dry) Coconut - 1 cup White Sesame/Til Seeds - 1 tbsp Raw Peanuts/Groundnuts/Shenga - 1 tbsp Tamarind/Imli/Chinch - about 1 tsp Dry Red Chilies - 6 Garlic/Lahsun/Lasun - 5 big cloves Salt - about 1/2 tsp How to prepare Lasun or Garlic Chutney: Dry roast red chilies, sesame seeds, peanuts and coconut, each one separately. Roast at low flame until you get a toasted aroma and color changes slightly. Let all the roasted ingredients cool. Wipe the blender/mixer jar dry. Blend/Grind all the roasted ingredients, salt, tamarind, peeled garlic and salt to a fine powder. Keep it refrigerated, since raw garlic is used for this chutney. Enjoy this Dry Lasani Chutney with the famous Va...

Mushrooms are an excellent source of protein for vegetarians and vegans. Today's appetizers are baked mushrooms stuffed with lots of multi-colored vegetables and cheese. Ingredients: Mushrooms - 12 Onion - 1 small Green/Spring Onions - 6 Mini Bell Peppers - 3 Celery - 2 sticks Jalapenos - 1 Garlic Powder - 1 tsp Italian Herb Seasoning - 1 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Oregano - 1/2 tsp Dry Parsley - 1/2 tsp Pepper Jack Cheese - 2 slices Olive Oil - 3 tbsp Salt How to bake Mushrooms stuffed with veggies and cheese: Wipe the mushrooms clean with a kitchen towel or paper towels. Carefully remove the stem/stalk of the mushrooms, making a well for stuffing. Finely chop onions, green onions, bell peppers and celery. Discard the seeds of jalapeno pepper and finely chop it. If Jalapeno is not available, you can use any other peppers/chilies or red chili flakes as well. Stuffing: Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add onions and sauté until onions soften. Now a...

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi Readers :) Festivals are the busiest times for everyone, especially working women and busy Moms. Hope today's Microwave recipe of Coconut Burfi saves you some time. Ingredients: Shredded Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 2 cups Sugar - 3 tbsp Milk - 1/4 cup Ghee (Clarified Butter) or Coconut Oil - 2 tsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 1 pod (seeds only) Cashews/Kaju - 1 tsp (small pieces) How to cook Coconut Burfi in a Microwave: Fry cashews in 1/2 tsp ghee/clarified butter until they turn slightly brown. You can use any other nuts of your choice or skip nuts entirely.  Vegans can use coconut oil instead of ghee and coconut milk can be used as an alternative for dairy milk. Grease a flat plate or tray with ghee or coconut oil. Crush the cardamom seeds to a fine powder in a mortar pestle. Wipe a microwave safe big bowl dry. Add remaining ghee and grease the bowl well. Add coconut and mix well with a spoon. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir and micro...

Regular readers might have read my previous posts and its no secret that I like Italian food. Most Italian restaurants serve fresh baked bread as an appetizer. Our favorite are these garlic and parsley flavored Cheddar Cheese Biscuits popularly known as Cheddar Bay Biscuits . I find these easy as compared to the yeast breads. Ingredients: All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1 cup Cheddar Cheese (Sharp) - 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter - 5 tbsp Milk - about 1/2 cup Olive Oil - 1 tbsp Baking Powder - 1 tsp Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder - 1 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Dry Parsley - 1/2 tsp Sugar - 1/4 tsp Salt How to bake Cheddar Bay Biscuits: Preheat the oven at 400 degrees F.   Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and lightly grease it with butter. In a small mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients - all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, fresh ground black pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, salt and sugar. Mix well. In a big microwave safe b...

Jackfruit or Phanas (as said in Konkani), both raw and ripe, is commonly used in Konkani coconut curries, steamed idlis etc. Even jackfruit seeds are relished. These sweet Jackfruit fritters, called as Phonsa Mulik  are similar to French Beignets or doughnuts, but are perfect for vegans and vegetarians. Ingredients: Jackfruit/Phanas - 8 pieces Grated Coconut (fresh or frozen) - about 1/2 cup Semolina/Rava - 3 tbsp Jaggery/Gud/Gul - 2 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 1 pod (seeds only) Oil How to prepare Konkani Phonsa Moolik/Mulka: Crush cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Fresh jackfruit is the best any day. But I used a 565 gm tin of canned jackfruit, which had about 8 pieces. Drain all the liquid. Place the jackfruit pieces in a strainer for 15 - 20 minutes, so that most moisture is lost. Grind grated coconut to a coarse dry paste. I used frozen shredded coconut and a mini food processor. Water was not needed. Add very little water, if req...

Batate Song and Batate Wagh are the most popular Konkani potato delicacies.  Both traditional curries are extremely spicy. But I use mild Byadagi variety of red chillies for a medium spiced Saung. For Konkani food lovers, here is a Mangalore style Batata Saung. Ingredients : Boiled Potatoes/Batate - 2 big Onion - 1 medium Grated Coconut (fresh or frozen) - about 1 cup Dry Red Chilies (Byadagi variety) - 5 Coriander Seeds/Dhane - 1 tbsp Tamarind/Chinch/Chincham - 1 tsp Oil - 2 tbsp Salt How to cook Konkani Batate Saung: Heat about 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add coriander seeds and dry red chilies. Sauté at low heat until coriander seeds slightly darken and turn aromatic. Red chilies will turn crisp too. Grind roasted coriander seeds, red chilies, tamarind and coconut to a fine or slightly coarse paste. Finely chop onion. Peel the boiled potatoes. Dice potatoes into bite size pieces or just crumble them with your hands. I used a white onion and Russet potatoes. He...

A great variety of lentils and beans are used in Indian food, especially vegetarian, for its protein content. Every regional cuisine of India has a traditional bean recipe - Matki (Moth Bean) Usal from Maharashtra, Punjabi Chole (Chickpeas)  and so on.  Muga Ambat , a traditional Konkani Mung Bean Coconut curry is quite common in my Mom's kitchen. Similarly, Rajma is an integral part of North Indian cooking. Ingredients: Dry Rajma/Red Kidney Beans - 1 cup Onion - 1 medium Canned Tomato Paste - 3 tbsp Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Bay Leaf/Tejpatta/Tamal patra - 1 Cinnamon/Dalchini - an inch piece Cloves/Lavang/Long - 4 Star Anise - 1 Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander/Dhania Powder - 1/2 tsp Spanish Paprika - 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper or Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp Aamchur/Dry Mango Powder - 1/2 tsp Chole Masala - 1/4 tsp Yogurt/Curd/Dahi - 1/4 cup (optional) Salt Oil How to cook North Indian Rajma Masal...

Oven roasted red potatoes seasoned with Indian spices and herbs. Every time I cook potatoes, I try different seasonings. Until now, rosemary and garlic  were our favorite spices. These desi style chatpate Aloo have become our new favorite. Ingredients: Red Potatoes - about 500 gms Oil - 2 tbsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp Chat Masala - 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1/2 tsp Kasuri Methi/Dry Fenugreek Leaves - 1 tsp Garlic Powder - 1 tsp Kala Namak/Indian Rock Salt How to roast potatoes in an oven: Preheat the oven at 400 degrees F. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. In a big mixing bowl, add oil, fresh ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, chat masala, cumin, garlic, salt and kasuri methi.  Crush the kasuri methi leaves between your palms before adding to the bowl. If Kala Namak is not available, use regular salt. Mix all the ingredients well. You can add more oil if you like. Wash/scrub ...

Whenever I bake a cake, I prefer a low calorie fruit cake. Today's Eggless Banana Bread is made of whole wheat flour and sour cream. Whole grain provides more fiber and sour cream has lesser calories as compared to butter. And the cake is equally moist and delicious. Ingredients: Bananas - 3 big Whole Wheat Flour/Atta - 2 cups Light Brown Sugar - 1 cup Almonds/Badam - 1/4 cup Sour Cream - 1/2 cup Milk - 1/2 cup Olive Oil - 1/4 cup Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp Baking Soda - 3/4 tsp Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon/Dalchini Powder - 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg/Jaiphal Powder - 1/8 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp How to bake Whole Wheat Banana Bread: In a small bowl, add the dry ingredients - whole wheat flour, roughly chopped almonds, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. Use any other nuts of your choice. Add some raisins/dry grapes too if you like. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan with oil or cooking spray. In a big mixin...

Potatoes and eggs are two of my favorite ingredients which can be cooked in numerous ways. Both blend well with a variety of seasonings, be it with Indian spices, Chinese style or some dry herbs. Ingredients: Eggs - 5 Onion - 1 medium Mini Bell Peppers/Capsicum - 2 Garlic - 2 big cloves Ginger (grated) - 1/2 tsp Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp Vinegar - 1 tbsp Salt Oil How to cook Stir fried Boiled eggs: Boil the eggs in about 6 cups water for about 20 minutes. After cooling, peel the shells and dice each egg into two parts. Finely chop onions, bell peppers (I used yellow and red), garlic and cilantro. Heat about 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add onions, garlic and little salt. Sauté until onions soften. Add bell peppers and sauté for about 2 minutes. Now add soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper powder, cumin and cayenne pepper. For an additiona...

A hearty vegetarian soup with lots of vegetables, beans and pasta. An authentic Italian Minestrone soup is cooked with wine, but we loved the soup even though I didn't use wine. Ingredients: Dry Red Kidney Beans - 1/3 cup Pasta Shells - 1/3 cup Onion - 1 medium Tomatoes - 2 medium Zucchini - 1 medium Green Beans - about 1/2 cup Yard Long Beans - about 1/2 cup Carrots - about 1/2 cup Celery - 2 sticks Spinach - about 1/2 cup Garlic - 2 big cloves Tomato Ketchup - 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning - 1 tsp Dry Parsley - 1 tsp Oregano - 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp Olive Oil - 2 tbsp Salt How to cook Italian Vegetable Minestrone Soup: Soak kidney beans overnight. You can use any other beans like black beans, chickpeas/kabuli chana. Canned beans would also be great for this soup. Wash the soaked beans and cook until beans turn soft. Do not overcook them. Medium chop onion, carrots, celery, zucchini and tomatoes. Cut beans int...

Ghee or Toop or Clarified Butter is an integral part of Indian food - mithai (sweets), parathe, rice and many other delicacies. Even dosas taste great when roasted with ghee. Indian festivities and religious ceremonies are incomplete without shudh desi ghee. Ingredients: Unsalted Butter/Loni/Makkhan - 1 pound (4 sticks) Cloves/Lavang/Long - 2 How to prepare Ghee or Clarified Butter or Tup: Heat a heavy bottom pan. Make sure there is no water or moisture in the pan. Add butter. Once the butter melts, add cloves and lower the heat. Let the butter cook at low heat until the foam reduces. You will also hear some crackling sound, which will reduce once the foam starts to disappear.  Use a spoon to check if the foam has reduced and a clear liquid is visible.  Also, the milk solids will settle at the bottom. Turn off the heat. Do not let the milk solids turn brown.  Cloves add a nice aroma to the clarified butter which can be used for both swee...