One Day At A Time!

Hey everyone! Hope you are having an amazing day!  My kiddo is at home. No school for a week. Yay! No lunch box! On the other hand, I'll have to come up with lots of fun activities to keep my child busy. For today, we ended up baking.  Our first venture this Thanksgiving holiday season is Fudgy Brownie Cupcakes . If your little one likes to spend time in the kitchen, this post is for you. Ingredients: 100% Pure Cocoa Powder - 3/4 cup Unsalted Melted Butter - 1/2 cup Eggs - 2 Dark Brown Sugar - 1 + 1/4 cups Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1/3 cup How to bake Cupcake Brownies: Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Or line 8 inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides and grease with cooking  spray. In a bowl, whisk cocoa powder and butter until blended. In another bowl, beat eggs until frothy and lemon colored. I used a whisk. Feel free to use a mixer on high speed for a minute. Add sugar and va...

  Weekends call for something special. How about an effortless Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake with Peanut Butter Cups? A sweet treat ready in less than a minute. Today's pastry chef is my 7 year old. My kiddo enthusiastically prepped and microwaved this tiny double chocolate cake. I played the sous chef, providing all the ingredients.... clicking pictures. We both had fun baking together. Hope you all love my mini chef's baking venture.  Ingredients: All Purpose Flour/Maida - 2 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - 2 tbsp Light Brown Sugar or Sugar - 2 tbsp Whole Milk - 4 tbsp Oil or melted butter - 1 tbsp Green Cardamom Pods/Elaichi - 2 (seeds only) Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - 1/8 tsp Peanut Butter Cups or any other chocolate topping How to make a Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake with Peanut Butter Cups? Crush the cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle. Instead of cardamom, use any flavor of your choice - cinnamon powder, vanilla extract, almond extract and so on. In a dry microwave saf...

Hey everyone! Hope all is well.  Just when I got used to the Miami weather, we had to move. So, now we are back in Dallas. I am hoping to stay in this new place for a long long time. In all this hustle bustle of settling in a new habitat, my 3 year old demands to bake a cake all by herself. Also, it  has to be round like a birthday cake. Here I present the first ever bake from our new kitchen. A soft, moist cardamom flavored egg less apple sauce cake. Ingredients: Unbleached All Purpose Flour/Maida - 2 cups Unsweetened Apple Sauce - 2 cups Granulated Sugar - 1 cup Unsalted Butter - 1/4 cup  Vegetable Oil - 1/4 cup Baking Soda - 1 1/2 tsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 3 pods (seeds only) Chopped Nuts - 1 tbsp Cooking Spray How to bake an Egg-less Apple Sauce Cake: Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. Grease a cake pan (9 * 1.5 inch round pan) with cooking spray or oil or butter.  Crush the cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Roughl...

Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing well. My apologies for disappearing for 6 months, but now I am back after some R & R.... with lots of good food and stories. One of the most loved posts on my blog is Eggless Sour Cream Vanilla Cake . Today's Tutti Fruity cake is adapted from that. I have tried to make it healthier using Whole Wheat Flour (Indian Atta). My kiddo loves it and hope you guys like it too.

Veg Puffs Its that time of the week when I am most excited to cook.. Friday!  Oh! This week has been hectic. Which week isn't, right? Anyways, let me tell you about today's snack, a savory version of Strudel. You guys might have read about the Indian style Baked Veggie Puffs , Egg Puffs earlier. If you like cheese, you must give this stuffed pastry a try. Ingredients: Pastry Sheets - 2 Green Beans - 1/2 cup Carrots - 1/2 cup Green Peas - 1/2 cup Onion - 1 cup Garlic - 2 big cloves Pizza Seasoning - 1 tsp Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp Pepper Jack Cheese - about 3/4 cup Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp Egg - 1 Salt How to bake Veggies and Cheese stuffed Pastry Strudel: Thaw the pastry sheets overnight or as written on the package.  Finely chop onions, garlic, green beans and carrots. You can use any veggies which go well with cheese, like bell peppers, cauliflower etc. Veggies for Puff Pastry Heat oil in a pan. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until onions soft...

First long summer weekend is here. We haven't planned anything special, but I am making some snacks for us. Some savory and some baked goodies. Gone are the days when I used to bake with all purpose flour (maida). Nowadays, I bake with Atta, the wheat flour we regularly use for making rotis and parathas.

Who doesn't like restaurant style crunchy fries, onion rings? Of course, they are deep fried and loaded with calories. These days, baking such addictive appetizers in an oven is a healthy alternative.   To see it for myself, I tried baking onion rings once. Since then, it has become a regular side with baked  Veggie Burgers  at our place. Trust me, you won't miss the fried ones. Ingredients: Yellow (Vidalia) Onion - 1 big Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs - about 2 cups Besan/Chickpea Flour - 1/2 cup Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Oil - about 3 tbsp Salt How to bake crunchy Onion Rings in an oven: Peel the onions and slice them 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick round slices. Separate them into rings. Sprinkle salt and fresh ground black pepper. Set it aside at room temperature for an hour or longer. Salt will soften the onions a little. Traditionally, onion rings are soaked in buttermilk to soften them. For me, just salt works fine. Line two baking dishes with aluminum foil...

Back home, cookies are called biscuits. At my place, these crunchy delights always used to be store bought. These days, we love the home baked goodies more than the store bought ones. You get to choose healthier ingredients, use your favorite flavors and more importantly, the satisfaction of baking for your loved ones. Call them cookies or biscuits, if your family loves it, its well worth the effort. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup Light Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter - 1/2 cup (1/4 pound) Desiccated (Dry) Coconut - 1/2 cup Dry Cranberries - 1/4 cup Whole Milk - 1/4 cup Vanilla Extract - 1 1/2 tsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp How to bake Whole Wheat Coconut and Dry Fruit Cookies: Finely chop cranberries. Crush the cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Instead of cranberries, you can use any other dry fruits of your choice - cherries, raisins, apricots, figs. In a...

Bhindi, locally well known as Okra is our all time favorite vegetable. No one makes a fuss about eating okra at my place, be it a simple Bhindi stir fry or the saucy Bhindi Masala or the crisp pan fried  Bharwa Bhindi . Today I made a baked version of Bharwa Bhindi - okra stuffed with chickpea flour. If you haven't tried baking Okra yet, you must. Baked Okra turns equally tasty with far less oil. Ingredients: Okra/Bhindi/Lady's Finger - 25 medium size (about 1 pound) Besan/Gram Flour/Chickpea Flour - 1/2 cup Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp Coriander/Dhania Powder - 1 tsp Ajwain/Owa/Carom Seeds - 1 tsp Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Lemon/Lime Juice - 1 1/2 tbsp Salt Oil How to bake Stuffed Bhindi in an oven: Wash the okra well. Pat them dry with a kitchen towel. Set the okra aside. Stuffing: In a mixing bowl, add chickpea flour, chili powder, coriander powder, carom seeds, garam masala, turmeric, lime juice and salt to taste.  Add more or l...

When it comes to baking, I try to be precise about measuring ingredients. And follow the tips for making any cake soft and moist.  Some say any cooking oil makes a cake really moist. My personal experience says Eggless Sour Cream Cake  turns soft. Recently, I found out Silken Tofu cakes are soft too. Some day, maybe I'll try that. But sour cream and silken tofu are not the ones easily available. What works best for an egg less cake?  Homemade thick yogurt a.k.a curds with little butter and little oil. Ingredients: All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1 1/2 cups Thick Yogurt/Curd/Dahi - 1 cup Sugar - 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter - 1/4 cup Oil - 1/4 cup Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp Orange Zest/Peel - 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder - 1 tsp Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp How to bake an Egg less Yogurt Sponge Cake: In a small mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients - all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix well. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. G...

Lately, high protein and low carb meals are quite common at our place, especially on weekdays. Beans, lentils and sea food are the best options for such a low calorie meal.  Baked crunchy fish with potato wedges and some grilled veggies makes everyone happy at our place. If you liked  Potato Crusted Baked Tilapia , you'll definitely like this coconut flavored fish too. Ingredients: Fish Fillets - 1 pound Desiccated (Dry) Coconut - 1/4 cup French Fried Onions - 1/4 cup Rice Flour - 1/4 cup Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp Salt Oil How to bake Crunchy Coconut Fish: Cut each fish fillet into 2 pieces or bake it whole. Sprinkle some salt and lemon juice on the fish pieces. Set it aside for about 20 minutes. Grease a baking tray with oil or cooking spray.   In a big plate, add coconut, rice flour, chili powder and salt. Crumble the fried onions with your hands and add it to the plate. Mix all the ingredients well. Coat the fish...

Among all dry fruits, I like cranberries and cherries for baking. The bright red colored fruits are perfect for these orange and vanilla flavored shortbread cookies. Try these buttery delights with dry fruits and nuts of your choice. Ingredients: All Purpose Flour/Maida - 2 cups Confectioners Powdered Sugar - 1 cup Unsalted Butter - 1 cup (1/2 pound) Dry Cranberries - 1/2 cup Orange Zest/Peel - 1 tsp Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp How to bake Dry Fruit Shortbread Cookies: You need softened butter for these cookies. You can either wait until refrigerated butter comes to room temperature or microwave it as I did. Finely chop cranberries or any other dry fruits (raisins, cherries, dry mango) of your choice.    In a big microwave safe bowl, add butter. Microwave for about a minute so that butter softens. Add sugar, vanilla extract, orange zest and mix it well. Make sure there are no lumps.  I have used store bought Powdered Sugar, which also...

When it comes to baking, I am still a novice. But some tricks always help me. Like, using sour cream makes a cake really soft and moist. But sour cream is not available everywhere and many readers have asked for substitutes. Thick Whole Milk Yogurt works as the best alternative for sour cream. Hope you like these Banana Yogurt Oats Muffins as much as we loved them.

Brussel sprouts, which look like mini cabbages has become our new family favorite. So far, I have tried cooking them in an oven. As I always say, its quite convenient. Every time I roast brussel sprouts I try it in a new way .... sometimes with a hint of garlic, sometimes topped with parmesan cheese or crunchy pine nuts. Lately, Brussel Sprouts with Thai Sauce is what my family loves. Ingredients: Brussel Sprouts - 1 pound Olive Oil - 3 tbsp Sweet Chilli Thai Sauce - 2 tbsp Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Salt Scallions/Green Onions for garnish   How to roast Brussel Sprouts in an oven: Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. Wash the brussel sprouts well. Discard the bottom hard parts of the brussel sprouts. Dice each into quarters. You can use whole sprouts as well. In a mixing bowl, add olive oil, Thai Sauce, salt and fresh ground black pepper. Add more or less Thai Sauce to suit your taste. Mix all the ingredients well. Spread the Brussel sprouts evenly on a ba...

Everyday, before cooking our meals, I take a look at leftovers. Most days its not much. At times, leftovers are good since I don't have to cook. But health wise, I prefer fresh cooked food. No doubt, some curries taste best the next day. Turns out, today is my lucky day.  All I had to do was to roast some mushrooms. Ingredients: Mushrooms - 400 gm Olive Oil - 3 tbsp Teriyaki Sauce - 1 tbsp Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp Chili Sauce - 1 tbsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp Green Onions/Scallions - 3 Salt How to roast Teriyaki Mushrooms in an oven: Wipe the mushrooms with a moist paper towel or a kitchen towel. I have used Button Mushrooms. You can use any other kind. Cut the mushrooms into thick slices. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees F. Grease a big baking tray with cooking spray or oil.  Finely chop green onions. Save some green parts for garnish. In a big mixing bowl, add olive oil, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, red chilli sauce, fresh ...

Sea food is always a good option for a high protein, low calorie meal. White, flaky Tilapia is one of our favorites. As compared to saucy coconut fish curries, I find baking quite convenient. It is effortless, yet flavorful. Every time I bake fish, I cook it with different spices like Cajun Seasoning or something Indian like Tandoori Masala. Today's variation is a fish flavored with an Indian Green Masala and crusted with dry potato flakes. Ingredients: Tilapia or any other fish fillets - 2 Coriander/Cilantro/Dhania Leaves - 10 sprigs Garlic - 3 big cloves Green Chilies - 3 Vinegar - 1 tbsp Salt Potato Flakes - 1/2 cup Cooking Spray or Oil How to bake Herbs and Potato Crusted Fish: Blend coriander leaves, garlic, green chilies, vinegar and salt in a food processor to a fine or slightly coarse paste. You can use a mortar pestle as well. Apply this herb paste to the fish fillets. Cover with a plastic food wrap and refrigerate for about 2 - 3 hours. If not 2 hours...

Potato is such a loved vegetable! Many describe this starchy root as humble. At least once a week, potato curry is part of our lunch. Any vegetable tastes better with potatoes, be it Aloo Matar , Aloo Palak or Aloo Gobi . Rather than the regular Aloo Gobi, today I cooked masaledar Aloo Broccoli in an oven.  Roasting vegetables in an oven makes it much more flavorful and I find it quite convenient. Ingredients: Potato - 1 big Broccoli Florets - about 3 cups Tandoori Masala - 1 tbsp Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp Kasuri Methi/Dry Fenugreek Leaves - 1 tsp Aamchur/Dry Mango Powder - 1/2 tsp Oil - 2 tbsp Salt How to bake Tandoori Aloo Broccoli: Preheat the oven at 375 degrees F. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and grease it lightly with cooking spray or oil. In a mixing bowl, add tandoori masala, red chili powder, crushed kasuri methi leaves, aamchur, salt and oil. Mix well. Try any other seasonings/spice mix of your choice. Peel the potato ...

Weather is so gloomy around here these days and all I can think of is comfort food... fried goodness, a comforting bowl of hot soup and the list goes on. But I am much more concerned about calories when I cook our everyday meals. And our menu changed from deep fried to baked crispness. Herbed Eggplant with an onion flavor, steamed broccoli and a hearty Vegan Minestrone Soup . It was more like an Italian meal, with very few carbohydrates. Ingredients: Eggplant/Brinjal/Baingan/Vangi - 1 big Dry Italian Herb Seasoning - 1 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoned Panko Bread Crumbs - 2 cups French Fried Onions - 1 cup Cooking Spray or Oil Salt How to bake Crisp Eggplant in an oven: Dice the eggplant into medium thick round slices. In a mixing bowl, add herb seasoning, fresh ground black pepper, red chili powder and salt. Toss the eggplant slices so that the slices are coated well. Cover and set it aside for about 30 minut...

Baking is such a healthier alternative for deep frying. Today's recipe is of a baked, low calorie, crunchy appetizer. You won't even miss your favorite fried chicken.  Even kids will love these chicken bites. Ingredients: Boneless Chicken - 1 pound Corn Flakes (Cereal) - 1/2 cup French Fried Onions - 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1/4 cup Cayenne Pepper/Red Chilli Powder - 1 1/4 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Garlic and Herb Seasoning - 1 tsp Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp Cajun Seasoning - 1 tsp Egg - 1 Cooking Spray or Oil Salt How to bake Crunchy Chicken Wings: Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and grease it with cooking spray or oil. Cooking spray works best for me. Blend corn flakes cereal and fried onions in a food processor to a coarse powder. Add it to a big plate. Now add all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, fresh ground black pepper, garlic herb seasoning and salt. Mix all the ingredients well and keep it aside. In a small bowl, add egg, s...

We are living in a land of pancakes, pastas, pizzas and tacos. Eating out is fun here.. excellent variety of exotic food for us. But at times, we do miss our Indian favorites. The list of such food items is quite big... Pani Puri, Samosa, Kachori.. for now, lets taste an Italian pizza with a desi tadka.. Tandoori Paneer Pizza a.k.a Paneer Tikka Pizza. Ingredients: All Purpose Flour/Maida - 2 1/2 cups Olive Oil - 3 tbsp Active Dry Yeast - 2 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder - 1 tsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp Corn Meal - 2 tbsp (optional) Canned Tomato Paste - 1/2 cup Garlic - 2 big cloves Ginger - an inch piece Kasuri Methi/Dry Fenugreek Leaves - 1 tsp Tandoori Masala - 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp Paneer/Indian Cottage Cheese Cubes - about 1 cup Tandoori Masala - 1/2 tsp Chat Masala - 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp Mozarella Cheese - about 1 cup Bell Peppers/Capsicum - about 1/2 cup O...