One Day At A Time

Hey everyone! Long time no see! Hope all is well in your world. I am back with a healthier Indian Mithai recipe. It is gluten free and protein rich. Vegans can use Coconut Oil instead of Clarified Butter. I made this for my picky 11 year old. My kiddo eats pretty healthy, but feeding vegan protein rich beans and lentils is a work in progress. Today's sweet treat is made with Chickpea Flour and Jaggery . Jaggery also called as Good in Hindi and Gool in Marathi is a less processed form of sugar. It is darker in color like molasses . Hope you enjoy making this delicacy for your loved ones. Ingredients: Ladu Besan/ Chickpea Flour - 2 cups Ghee/Clarified Butter - 3 - 4 tbsp Jaggery Powder - 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp Saffron/Kesar strands - a pinch Cinnamon/Dalchini Powder - 1/4 tsp Nuts for garnish if you like How to make Homemade Besan Gud ke Ladoo: In a heavy bottom pan, add ghee and besan. Roast it at low or medium flame until you get a roasted aroma. Ladu Besan is a coarse form of chick...

Hello everyone! Hope all is well in your world. It is still hot in Texas. Thankfully, mornings are pleasant enough for a stroll.  Over the weekend, I made Mangalore Goli Bhaji as part of our brunch. Over the last few years, I started making a Gluten free version of this beloved Karnataka delicacy with multiple flours. These healthier savory donuts are equally delicious. Do give it a try and let me know. Ingredients: Besan/Chickpea Flour - 1/4 cup Bajri Flour - 1/4 cup Rajgira/Amaranth Flour - 1/4 cup Jwari/Jowar/Sorghum Flour - 1/4 cup Ragi/Nachni/Finger Millet Flour - 1/4 cup Sour Dahi/Yogurt - 1/2 cup Sliced Coconut - 1 1/2 tbsp Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp Finely chopped Ginger/Adrak - 1 tsp Finely chopped Green Chili - 1 tsp Jaggery or Brown Sugar - 1 tsp Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp Salt Oil for frying How to cook Multigrain Gluten Free Mangalore Goli Bajje: In a mixing bowl, add all the flours, yogurt, salt and sugar. Mix well. Now add water, little at a time, and make a thick batter. ...

Hi there! How is everyone doing? Texas weather is really hot these days. Fortunately, mornings are still  pleasant for a walk. After enjoying my walk, I am ready to take care of my first baby. My blog! My 9 year old is not too fond of my blog baby.  Today's recipe is a vegan , protein rich Marathi style Kulithachi Usal . Kulith is not so common in my kitchen. I cooked it after decades. Do give this a try if you like lentils. Ingredients: Kulith/Horse Gram/Hulga - 1/2 cup Boiled Potato - 1 small (optional) Red Onion - 1 big Tomato - 2 medium Garlic - 4 big cloves Green Chili - 1 Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/8 tsp Usal Masala - 1 tsp Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp Salt How to cook Kulith Usal: Soak dry Kulith in plenty of water for about 2 hours. Wash soaked kulith well. Drain all the water and set it aside overnight or longer to sprout. Wash the sprouted Kulith well. Add 1 - 2 cups of water and cook it in a pressure cooker. Save the water used for co...

Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing well. It is super hot in Texas. I have been cooking a lot of light meals. More vegetarian and vegan food. Today's Gluten Free Pasta is ideal for vegetarians. And for foodies who like Low Carb Recipes. I like pasta because I can sneak in multiple veggies for my kiddo. Let me know some of your summer recipes. Ingredients: Dry Uncooked Chickpea Pasta - 2 cups Sliced Onions - 1/2 cup Sliced Bell Peppers - 1 cup Tomato Pasta Sauce - 3/4 cup Full Fat Whole Milk - 1/2 cup Cream Cheese - 1/4 cup Red Jalapeno Garlic Seasoning - 1/4 tsp Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp How to cook Veggie Chickpea Pasta: Prep the veggies of your choice. I used onions and bell peppers. Based on what is available, I change the veggies. Spinach, kale, spring greens all taste good with this pasta. Boil water in a big pot and cook pasta according to the instructions. I do not add salt for cooking pasta. While pasta is getting cooked, heat oil in a pan. Add sliced onions and sauté for a ...

Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing well. Cloudy weather in my part of the world. Such days call for comfort food. Soups, cheesy pasta or sandwiches work so well on lazy days.  I grew up eating  Dal Rice , my kinda comfort meal. Do tell me about your favorite comfort foods.  For today's menu, how about Gluten Free , Vegan crunchy munchy Spinach Fritters ! Ingredients: Spinach Leaves - about 3 cups Spring/Green Onions - 3 sprigs Bell Pepper - about 1 cup Besan/Chickpea Flour - about 1 cup Corn Starch - 1/2 cup White Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 tsp Carom Seeds/Ajwain/Owa - 1/2 tsp Coriander/Dhania Powder - 1/2 tsp Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper/ Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Salt Oil for frying How to make Indian Palak Pakora: Chop spinach leaves, green onions and bell peppers. If you don't have green onions, add thinly sliced regular yellow, red or white onions. Sometimes I add thinly sliced potatoes as well. If y...

Hey everyone! Hope you are having an amazing day! Few days ago, I had blogged about Ragi Chakli . My kiddo loved the taste, but wanted the Chakli to look golden brown like French Fries. To suit my child's taste, I have started making Gluten Free Multigrain Chakli or Murukku with 5 varieties of flours and potato. Hope you all love it too. Ingredients: Rice Flour - 1/4 cup Ragi/Nachni/Finger Millet Flour - 1/4 cup Besan/Chickpea Flour - 1/4 cup Jwari/Jowar Flour - 1/4 cup Bajri Flour - 1/4 cup Boiled Mashed Potato - 1 big (about 1 cup) White Sesame Seeds/Til - 2 tsp Carom Seeds/Ajwain/Owa - 1 tsp Kashmiri Lal/Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper - 1 tsp Dark Brown Sugar - 1 tsp Turmeric/Haldi Powder - 1/2 tsp Water - 1/4 cup Salt Olive Oil - 1 tbsp Oil for frying How to cook Glutenfree Multigrain Potato Chakli: In a big mixing bowl, add all flours, peeled mashed potato, sesame seeds, carom seeds, chili powder, black pepper, sugar, turmeric and salt. Mix well. Now add water, l...

Good Morning Foodies! Nice pleasant weather in my part of the world. After noodles, curry and cutlets, how about a gluten free Sabudana (Sago) recipe. Traditionally for Indian Vrat or Upavas, Sabudana Khichdi/Pilaf is made with potatoes and crushed peanuts. Today's Colorful Sago Khichdi is a No Onion Garlic recipe, but with lots of different vegetables. Do try this and let me know. Ingredients: Sabudana/Sago - 1 cup Crushed/Powdered Roasted Peanuts - about 1 cup Sliced Red Bell Peppers - about 1/2 cup Sliced Yellow Bell Peppers - about 1/2 cup Sliced Carrots - about 1/2 cup Sliced Potato - about 1/2 cup  Sliced Sweet Potato - about 1/2 cup Curry Leaves/Kadipata - 5 Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - 5 sprigs Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp (optional) Oil or Ghee or Butter - 1 1/2 tbsp How to cook Sabudana Khichdi with Vegetables: Wash sago twice and drain the water. Add water just enough to form a thin layer on sago. Ke...

Hello Foodies!  Hope all is well in your world.  How about something other than Indian Cuisine? Does Mediterranean Falafel sound good? Gluten Free Vegan Chickpea Falafel is part of our midweek menu. Deep fried, yet protein rich appetizer. Someday when I try an air-fried or baked version of falafel, I'll definitely update it here. Ingredients: Dry Chickpeas - 1 cup Green Onions/Spring Onions - 3 sprigs Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - about 1/2 cup Thai Green Chilies - 2 Chickpea Flour/Besan - about 2 tbsp Corn Starch - 1 tbsp White Sesame Seeds/Til - about 2 tsp Ground Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander/Dhane/Dhaniya - 1 tsp Ground Cumin/Jeera - 1 tsp Salt Oil for deep frying How to cook Vegan Falafel: Soak dry chickpeas in plenty of water overnight. After soaking, chickpeas will double to triple their size. Wash soaked chickpeas 3 - 4 times with water. Drain the water completely. In a food processor, add drained chickpeas, green onions (both whites and greens), green chilie...

Friday is here! Hope all is well in your world. I am back with a vegan gluten free snack. My Mom's Nachni Chakli recipe with potato and coconut milk. Fresh coconut milk is quite common in coastal Konkani cuisine. My childhood favorite Diwali snack. Now my 7 year old kiddo likes it. Hope you all love it too! Ingredients: Ragi/Nachni/Finger Millet Flour - 1 cup Boiled Mashed Potato - about 1 cup Besan/Chickpea Flour - 1/4 cup  White Sesame Seeds/Til - 2 tsp Carom Seeds/Ajwain/Owa - 1 tsp Kashmiri Lal/Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp Light Brown Sugar - 1 tsp Coconut Milk - about 1/4 cup Olive Oil - 2 tsp Salt How to cook Nachni Batata Chakli: In a big mixing bowl, add ragi flour, besan, peeled mashed potato, sesame seeds, carom seeds, black pepper powder, chili powder, sugar and salt. Mix well. Now add coconut milk, little at a time and knead to make a soft, non sticky dough. Lastly, add oil and knead again for few seconds. Cover the bowl with plastic food wrap ...

Hello everyone! Weather is getting warmer in my part of the world. Hope you all are blessed with pleasant weather too. We all have our favorite vegetables and fruits. And multiple ways to enjoy them.. some raw, some grilled, some fried, veggie stew... and so on. Air fried vegetables .. our newest family favorite. I am sharing a few veggies which are regularly air fried in my kitchen. Ingredients: Small Purple Eggplant - 4 Sweet Potato - 1 big Zucchini - 1 medium Black Pepper Powder - 1-2 tsp Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp Kashmiri Lal Chili Powder - 1 tsp Salt  Oil - 3 tsp How to cook your favorite vegetables in an Airfryer? Wipe the washed veggies dry. Dice the veggies slightly thick.  In a mixing bowl, add the veggie slices. Add salt, spice powders of your choice and oil. Mix well and set it aside for 5 minutes.  Kashmiri Lal is a mild chili powder, but adds a nice red color. Spanish Paprika is a good substitute for Kashmiri Lal. I use Cayenne for a little bit of heat. Garlic...

Hey everyone! It is 10:00 am in my part of the world. Hope you all are doing well. These days I cook a lot at home, even on weekends. Eating out at a restaurant or getting home delivery is no longer convenient. This weekend I ended up cooking  White Rice Noodles with loads of veggies . I haven't found healthier brown rice noodles made entirely of brown rice yet.  If noodles are your favorite too, do try this.  Feel free to tweak the ingredients. Ingredients: Rice Noodles - 8 oz (225 g) Bell Peppers - about 1/2 cup Sliced Carrots - about 1/2 cup Sliced Cabbage - about 1 cup Red Onions - about 1/4 cup Green Onions - 8 sprigs Baby Spinach - about 1/2 cup Peanut Butter - 2 tbsp Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp Sriracha Sauce - 1 tbsp Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp Oil - 1 tbsp How to cook Veggie Rice Noodles with Peanut Butter: Slice all the veggies of your choice. Save some greens of the green onions for garnish. In a mixing bowl, add peanut butter, soy sauce and Sriracha sauce. Mix well and set i...

These days I rarely make sweets. Or I must say, both cooking and blogging have taken a back seat in my life. Everything revolves around my playful toddler. Its fun to be a kid again. Schedules and plans no longer work for me. It has turned out good for me. Now, I just go with the flow. Gudi Padwa is right around the corner. And festivals are a good excuse for some sweet indulgence. How about a healthy Oats dessert! Ingredients: Instant Oats - 1 cup Unsweetened Desiccated (Dry) Coconut - 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup Pistachios/Pista - about 2 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 4 pods Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1 tbsp Whole Milk - 1/4 cup How to make Oats Coconut Ladoo: Crush cardamon seeds in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Set it aside. Roughly chop pistachios. You can use any other nuts of your choice or any dry fruits like cherries or cranberries to add some color to the ladoo. Heat a heavy bottom pan and dry roast oats for a couple minutes. Make sure the oats are heated...

The much awaited Friday is here. What's your weekend plan? Here, its still raining and cold. So, no outdoor activity for us. For our indoor movie special, I am making some snacks.  Along with the good old popcorn, we like to binge on nuts as well. Crunchy spiced peanuts are generally deep fried. Nowadays, I make a low fat version of these Masala Peanuts in a microwave. 10 - 15 minutes is all you need for a healthy tasty homemade snack. Ingredients: Raw Peanuts/ Groundnuts - 2 cups Besan/Chickpea Flour/Gram Flour - 1/4 cup Rice Flour - 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1 tsp Coriander/Dhania Powder - 1 tsp Chat Masala or Aamchur Powder - 1 tsp Red Chili Powder - 3/4 tsp Cooking Spray or Oil Salt How to cook Masala Peanuts in a microwave: In a mixing bowl or a big plate, add peanuts, chickpea flour, coriander powder, cumin powder, chat masala, chili powder and salt to taste.  Mix all the ingredients. Add about 2 tbsp water and mix with your hands to coat the peanuts we...

When it comes to South Indian crepes, most of us like the crisp Masala Dosa . My folks like the healthy variations too - Oats Masala Dosa and  Ragi Masala Dosa . But, its such a lengthy process. Instant dosa with no baking soda and no overnight fermentation is the most nutritious breakfast I can think of. Try these quick, gluten free finger millet savory crepes to kick start your day. Ingredients: Ragi/Nachni/Finger Millet Flour - 1/2 cup Rice Flour - 1/4 cup Urad Dal Flour - 1/4 cup Water - about 1 1/2 cups Oil or Butter or Ghee Salt How to make Instant Ragi Dosa: In a mixing bowl, add ragi flour, rice flour, urad dal flour and salt. Mix well. Now add water, little at a time and make a thin batter. I added about 1.5 cups water. Batter must not be too thick nor too runny. Heat a flat cast iron or non stick pan. Lightly grease the pan with cooking spray or ghee or butter. Do not add too much oil. Too much oil makes it difficult to spread the batter evenly...

As such, Thattai is a savory snack made on the festive occasion of Krishna Janmashtami. But, I made this along with many other goodies for our friends who are visiting us this weekend. Our weekend is going to be great with lots of fun stuff ... travel, chitchat and good food. Hope you guys have a good weekend too! Ingredients: Rice Flour - 1 cup Urad Dal / Split Black Gram Flour - 1/4 cup Desiccated (Dry) Coconut - 2 tbsp Ghee / Clarified Butter - 2 tbsp Chana Dal / Split Chickpeas / Split Bengal Gram - 3 tsp White Sesame Seeds / Til - 2 tsp Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp Asafetida / Hing - 1/4 tsp Sugar - 1/4 tsp Salt Oil for frying How to make Thattai: Soak chana dal in about 1 cup water for about 2 hours. Wash the soaked dal well. In a mixing bowl, add rice flour, urad dal flour, soaked chana dal, sesame seeds, chili powder, asafetida, sugar, salt and ghee. Mix well. Add water, little at a time and knead to make a slightly firm dough. Heat oil for...

Lately, for some unknown reason, I haven't been able to blog about new recipes. But today, I managed to shrug off my laziness and cook something different. So, here I am with gluten free  Indian Rice Noodles or Vermicelli . In Konkani, we call this as Shevai and it is served with both sweet and savory accompaniments. Many of you might know this as Idiyappam or Shavige . Traditionally, Shevai is made by a lengthy process of soaking rice, grinding and stuff. As you know me, I look for the easier way. But, its equally delicious. Ingredients: Rice Flour - 1 cup Water - 1 cup Salt Oil How to make Rice Shevai / Idiyappam: In a mixing bowl, add rice flour and salt. Mix well. Heat 1 cup water in a small sauce pan. Turn off the heat when water starts boiling. Pour the hot water to the bowl and mix with a spoon. When it turns cold enough to handle, knead it well to make a soft dough. Divide the dough into 2 balls. Grease the idli plates with cooking spray or oil. ...

Snack time at my place! Its been a while, I made any fried goodies. Thanks to last night's leftovers, I had plenty of time to make this savory Ribbon Murukku. We love such crunchy munchies with our evening cup of tea. Ingredients: Rice Flour - 1 cup Besan / Gram Flour - 1/2 cup Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp White Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 tsp Asafetida/Hing - 1/2 tsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp Salt Oil for frying How to make Ribbon Pakoda: In a mixing bowl, add rice flour, gram flour, hot oil, chili powder, asafetida, sesame seeds, sugar and salt. Mix well. Now add water, little at a time and knead to make a stiff, non sticky dough. I added about 3/4 cup water. Divide the dough into 3 balls. Heat oil for deep frying. Heat the inner part of chakali / murukku maker with oil. Place the ribbon plate and add one dough ball. Close it with the lid. When the oil turns medium hot, hold the chakali maker above the frying pan. Carefully turn the handle so that the ribbon shaped mu...

Anyone who is familiar with the whole elaborate process of making South Indian Dosa, knows about the importance of measuring ingredients, quite similar to baking.  But, Mushti Polo is traditionally made using fistful of ingredients. Mushti refers to fistful in Konkani. Cooking using fistful of this and fistful of that is slightly inconvenient for me. As usual, my Mom has her recipe for me, where fistfuls are substituted with measuring cups. Ingredients: Medium Grain Rice/Idli Rice - 1 cup Thin Poha/Flattened Rice/Avalakki - 1/2 cup Urad Dal/Split Black Gram - 1/4 cup Shredded Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1/4 cup Fenugreek/Methi Seeds - 1 tsp Salt Oil How to make Konkani Mushti Polo: Soak medium grain rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds in plenty of water for 6 - 8 hours. Wash the soaked ingredients well. Grind soaked rice, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, coconut and flattened rice flakes, in batches,...