One Day At A Time!

When we talk about Koftas, I am sure most of us love Malai Kofta Curry made of paneer/cottage cheese. I love it too. But preparing koftas of vegetables like bottlegourd, makes me feel less guilty. And these koftas are equally delicious.

Few days back, I had blogged about Homemade Vegetable Pizza . Many readers loved it and a few readers asked for a Chicken Pizza. Thanks everyone for the lovely response. So, for all chicken lovers, here is a desi style Tandoori Chicken pizza with a few vegetables. Plus, its made of whole wheat flour. Hope you all enjoy this as much we loved it.

If you are looking for some healthy appetizers cooked with less oil, you must give these nuggets a try. Baked Fish bites seasoned with Cajun spices. Generally breaded chicken or fish nuggets are deep fried in oil. I find baking a healthier alternative, where the crust is equally crunchy and the fish is nice soft and flaky.

Bhakri is a well known flatbread of Maharashtra, made either of Jowar (Jwari) flour or Rice flour. I like using a combination of both, which makes the bread soft and nutritious. Plus, this bread is oil free. In Karnataka, this rice flatbread is called as Akki Roti and jowar/sorghum flatbread as Jolada Roti .

For some hectic days, we all have our own shortcut ways of cooking. Some days, I go for semi-homemade food, using some store bought ingredients. One pot meals like pulav and baked pastas are loved at our place. Stuffed Parathas with yogurt, chutney and pickles are a hit too. Today's oven baked Salmon seasoned with Indian Tanduri Masala has recently joined our list of those quick lunches and lazy dinners.

Indian Cashew Fudge popularly known as Kaju Katli or Kaju Barfi . At least twice a month, I prepare some sweet in my kitchen - cake or kheer or halwa. Although, I love most sweets, I prefer Barfi ,  Pedha or a small Ladoo  where one piece after a meal satiates my sweet tooth. Ingredients: Cashews/Kaju - 1 cup Sugar - 1/2 cup Water - 1/4 cup Ghee/Clarified Butter - 2 tsp Saffron/Kesar - few strands How to prepare Kesar Kaju Katli or Burfi: Raw/unroasted and unsalted cashews work best for this barfi. Grind cashews in a dry blender jar to a slightly coarse or fine powder. In a thick bottom pan, add water and sugar. Keep stirring until sugar dissolves. Add saffron strands. You can use green cardamom/elaichi powder as well. Continue cooking until sugar syrup turns sticky. Touch the sugar syrup to check if it sticks between your thumb and index finger. Also, see if a single thread forms between your fingers. Lower the heat and add cashew powd...

Indian chicken curry - grilled chicken simmered in a creamy yogurt sauce.  Tikka Masala, Jeera Rice , Naan is one of the most loved combinations at our place.  These delicacies are perfect for a special Sunday brunch or for entertaining guests as well. Ingredients: Chicken Breasts (Skinless) - 2 Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp Onion - 1 medium Tomatoes - 2 medium Dry Red Chilies - 5 Garlic - 5 big cloves Ginger - an inch piece Coriander/Dhania Powder - 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1 tsp Tanduri Masala - 1 tsp Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp Yogurt/Curd/Dahi - about 1 cup Coriander/Cilantro/Dhania Leaves - few sprigs Butter - 2 tbsp Oil - 2 tbsp Salt How to cook Chicken Tikka Masala: In a big bowl, add lemon juice, turmeric, cayenne pepper and salt.  Mix all the ingredients well. Add the chicken to the bowl. Coat the chicken well with the marinade. Cover with a plast...

Few years back, when I started food blogging, it was all about sharing my Mom's recipes and anything I find easy to cook.  Gulab Jamun , Potato Chips , Rasgulla  and Muffins used to be all store bought in my kitchen. Just because, it was convenient to buy, rather than cook. Nowadays, I enjoy cooking such goodies at home. And baking a Pizza from scratch is one of my recent culinary ventures. If I can make it, so can you.

Lately, I have been cooking lots of protein rich beans and dals. Two dal based new recipes were on my mind - Rajasthani Dal Baati and Gujarati Dal Dhokli . My experiment of baking Baati with less oil was a complete failure. But this Dal Dhokli, also known as Chakolya or Varan Phal in Marathi was a hit. Chakolya is a desi version of whole wheat pasta in a lentil/dal sauce. For the sauce or Amti, instead of the regular Toor Dal, I used Panchmel Dal . Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup Cayenne Pepper/Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Salt Toor Dal/Split Pigeon Peas - 2 tbsp Mung Dal/Split Green Gram - 2 tbsp Masoor Dal/Split Red Lentils - 2 tbsp Chana Dal/Split Bengal Gram - 2 tbsp Urad Dal/Split Black Gram - 2 tbsp Tomato - 1 medium Tamarind/Imli/Chinch - 1 tsp Ginger - 1 inch piece Green Chilies - 3 Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Curry Leaves/Kadipata - a sprig Dry Fenugreek Leaves/Kasuri Methi - 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera See...

Baked Veggie Bean Burgers made of loads of vegetables and protein rich kidney beans.  Since its baked and not deep fried, this vegetarian or vegan burger turns out to be a low calorie, low carb heart healthy burger.

Bakarwadi are crispy, savory spring rolls from the state of Maharashtra. Growing up in Mumbai, this used to be one of our evening snacks. Sometimes store bought, sometimes homemade. Though time consuming, my Aai used to make these rolls for us. Once again, here I am sharing one of my Mom's recipes from my US kitchen. You can try this crunchy munchy snack for Diwali as well. Ingredients: All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1 cup Chickpea Flour/Gram Flour/Besan - 1/4 cup Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1/2 tsp Oil - 2 tbsp Cilantro/Coriander Leaves/Kothimbir - about 3/4 cup Shev - 2 tsp Desiccated (Dry) Coconut/Sukka Khobra - 2 tsp Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 tsp Poppy Seeds/Khuskhus - 1 tsp Fennel Seeds/Badishep/Saunf - 1 tsp Ginger/Ala/Adrak - 1 tsp Green Chilies - 1 tsp Chat Masala - 1/2 tsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp Salt Oil for deep frying How to prepare Bakarwadi: Prepa...