One Day At A Time!

Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing well. Weather is pleasant in my part of the world. Lately, I have been trying to explore healthier ingredients for our everyday cooking. It's a work in progress. Last post, I shared about a no added sugar Tomato Sauce product. Today, I'll share a healthier snack. Popcorn kernels. You can make homemade popcorn in a big pot on a stove-top or in a microwave. Let me share the way I made Popcorn in a microwave under 2 minutes. If you are looking for snacks with no additives , this post is for you. Ingredients: Popcorn Kernels Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1 tsp Salt Black Pepper Powder How to make Popcorn in a microwave: In a microwave safe bowl, add 1/4 cup popcorn kernels, 1 tsp ghee, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Cover the bowl with a lid or a plate. Microwave for 45 seconds. Bowl might be very hot. Keeping the lid on, shake the bowl for a few seconds. Microwave for another 45 seconds and your homemade Popcorn is ready to binge. This is th...

Hello world! Hope you are having an amazing day! Our week long Thanksgiving break just flew by. We got to catch up with some of our friends, after ages. For one of the potluck parties, I made this quick Microwave version of North Indian Rabdi . All my friends loved it. Do try this in your kitchen and let me know! Ingredients: Full Fat Ricotta Cheese - 2 lb Whole Milk - 1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar - about 1/4 cup Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 4 pods (seeds only) Saffron/Kesar- few strands How to cook Ricotta Cheese Rabdi in a microwave: Crush green cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle. Set it aside. In a big microwave safe bowl, add milk and ricotta cheese. Stir well. Microwave this milk ricotta mix for 5 minutes.  Stop the microwave after every minute and stir. Cover the bowl with paper towel to avoid splattering in the microwave. If not a microwave, you can cook this in a heavy bottom pan as well. When you get the desired consistency, add sugar, crushed cardamom and saffron. Microwave for ...

A bright Sunday afternoon in my part of the world. I am watching a Korean movie "Kimchi War" while getting our lunch ready in a microwave. Enjoying my long weekend! Hope your day is going well too! Today's menu... Cheesy Microwave Penne Pasta with loads of rainbow colored vegetables. Ingredients: Dry Penne Pasta - 2 cups Frozen Mixed Vegetables - about 2 cups Half n Half - 1/2 cup Cream Cheese - 1/4 cup Mexican 4 Cheese - about 1/2 cup Italian Seasoning - 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp Granulated Garlic - 1/2 tsp Salt How to cook Penne Pasta with Vegetables in a Microwave: Microwave frozen veggies in a big microwave safe plate/bowl for 2 minutes. Check with a fork if all the veggies are cooked, depending on how soft or crunchy you want the veggies. Microwave another 30 - 60 seconds if required. Set the cooked veggies aside in another bowl.  In the same microwave safe plate/bowl, add dry pasta of any kind you like. Add 1 cup of water and microwave for 2 minutes. Sti...

  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...

Happy Krishna Jayanti to all! Hope you all are celebrating with your loved ones. For this year, I made a 5 minutes Condensed Milk Coconut Ladoo . Yes, cooking time for this dessert is just 5 minutes in a microwave. Ingredients: Sweetened Condensed Milk - 14 oz (396 gm) Desiccated (Dry) Coconut - 1 1/2 cups + 1/4 cup Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 4 pods Ghee/Clarified Butter - 2 tsp Roasted Cashews - about 12 How to cook Condensed Milk Coconut Ladoo in a microwave: Crush the cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Wipe a microwave safe bowl dry. Grease the bowl with 1 tsp ghee. Add condensed milk and 1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut. Mix well. Microwave this milk and coconut mix for 3 minutes. Stop the microwave after every minute and stir. This will avoid burning. Next, add cardamom powder to the bowl and mix again. Microwave for 1 more minute.  Take a small portion of the cooked ladoo mixture and check if you can make a small round ball of it. If so, your ladoo mix...

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...

I am sure you all are busy preparing Diwali special sweets and snacks for your loved ones. This festive season, I tried a new Bengali sweet - Kesar Sandesh also known as Sondesh . Generally, Sandesh is made of fresh Paneer .  As you know me, I look for ways to cut down cooking time. So, here is my easy microwave recipe of Bengali Sondesh using store bought Ricotta Cheese. Ingredients: Ricotta Cheese - 15 oz (425 gm) Sugar - 3 tbsp Green Cardamom / Elaichi - 3 pods Saffron / Kesar - few strands Milk - 1 tbsp Ghee / Clarified Butter - 1 tsp Pistachios or any other nuts - 5 How to cook Easy Ricotta Cheese Kesar Sandesh in a microwave: Crush cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Finely chop nuts of your choice. Microwave milk in a small bowl for 20 seconds. Add saffron to the warm milk and set it aside for 5 minutes. Grease a dry microwave safe bowl with ghee. Add ricotta cheese and saffron milk to the bowl. Mix it well.  Microwave...

There is something so comforting about desserts.. that sweet goodness. And nothing beats chocolate. We love white chocolate. What better occasion to make Chocolaty Nutty Fudgy Bars than Feb 14!  Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  Ever since I picked a bag of dry cranberries, this fudge was on my mind. And to make my day easier, I tried a microwave version of White Chocolate Fudge or Barfi . Ingredients: White Chocolate Chips - 1 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1/2 cup Dry Cranberries - 1/4 cup Cashews/Kaju - 1/8 cup Unsalted Butter - 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp How to cook Chocolate Fudge/Barfi in a microwave: Roughly chop cranberries and cashews. I have used raw cashews. You could use roasted nuts as well. Pick your favorite dry fruits and nuts - golden raisins, cherries, dry mango, almonds/badam, pistachios/pista, walnuts/akrot, pecans. In a dry microwave safe bowl add butter. Microwave for 30 seconds so that butter melts. Add half of the melted butter to ...

Which is your most favorite snack? Chips, Nachos, Roasted Nuts or Fresh Fruits. We like to snack on nuts.. sometimes roasted, sometimes deep fried Masala Peanuts . Nowadays, I find microwave cooking as a good alternative to deep frying. You might have read about Microwave Potato Chips - less oily, yet crunchy. Spicy crunchy Cashews cooked in a microwave is also something we love to binge on. Ingredients: Raw Cashews/Kaju - 2 cups Chickpea Flour/Gram Flour/Besan - 4 tbsp Corn Starch - 1 tsp Coriander/Dhania Powder - 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1 tsp Chat Masala - 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp Cooking Spray or Oil Salt How to cook Masala Kaju in a microwave: In a mixing bowl or a big plate, add cashews, chickpea flour, coriander powder, cumin powder, chat masala, cayenne pepper and salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients. Add about 2 tbsp water and mix with your hands to coat the cashews well. Cashews will appear slightly moist. Lastly, add corn star...

One of the new sweets I tried this festive season. The natural sweetness of dates and crunchy nuts make this treat a healthy one. And this Homemade Nutrition Bar cooked in a microwave does not require any sugar or sweetener. A guilt free, sugar free Barfi for this Diwali. Ingredients: Dates/Khajur (Pitted) - 1 cup Almonds/Badam or any other nuts  - 1/4 cup White Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 tsp Poppy Seeds/Khuskhus - 1 tsp Unsalted Butter - 1 tbsp How to prepare Khajur and Nuts Roll: Wipe a microwave safe bowl dry. Add almonds or walnuts or any other nuts of your choice to the bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. I used raw almonds with skin. Almond skin is rich in nutrients, but discard them if you don't like. Keep the roasted almonds aside. Check for seeds in the dates. Add dates to the bowl and microwave dates for a minute. You will notice that dates soften a little after heating. Microwave for one more minute. Add the dates to a dry blender/food processor jar and blend i...

If you love mangoes, you must try this Mango flavored Kalakand .  Plus, it is a hassle free microwave version, perfect for this festive season. Some might also call this mithai as Amba (Mango) Barfi and to some it is Mango Sondesh.

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...

An all time favorite snack - Potato Chips, but cooked in a microwave.  Less oily and not deep fried. Ingredients: Potato (Russet) - 1 big Salt Oil How to cook Crisp Potato Chips in a Microwave: In a big bowl, add about 1/2 tsp salt and mix well. Wash the potato well. No need to peel the skin. Thinly slice the potato using a knife or a mandolin slicer.  Add the slices to the salty water.  Set it aside for 15 - 20 minutes. Drain the water and rinse the slices in water 2 - 3 times, so that the water turns clear. Place the slices on a clean kitchen towel and pat them dry. Grease a microwave safe plate with cooking spray or oil. Arrange the slices on the plate. Grease the slices with cooking spray or brush each slice with oil. Sprinkle little salt and microwave for 2 minutes. Along with salt, you can sprinkle any other seasoning of your choice. Flip the slices and microwave for another 2 minutes or until potato slices turn slightly brown and crisp. Some slices ...

A desi Mithai  Badam Burfi with an Italian Cheese. This nutrient rich Almond Barfi tastes great and cooking it in a microwave will save you some time.  Traditionally, Khoya or Mava is used to prepare this sweet. But nowadays, I use Ricotta Cheese which works as the best alternative for our desi Khoya. Ingredients: Almonds/Badam - 1/4 cup Ricotta Cheese - 1 cup Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1 tsp Sugar - 2 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Saffron/Kesar - few strands Almonds for garnish - 2 How to prepare Almond Barfi in a microwave: Soak almonds in water overnight or for two hours. Soaking will enable the almond skin to come off easily. Drain the water and peel the almond skin. Grind almonds to a fine powder in a blender. Crush cardamom seeds and saffron in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Chop 2 almonds for garnish. Grease a tray with few drops of ghee. In a microwave safe bowl, add ghee. Grease the bowl well with ghee. Now add ricotta cheese and mi...

An easy and hassle free microwave recipe of Gajar or Carrot Halva using sweetened Condensed Milk. This 20 minutes Microwave recipe is a savior whenever we have friends over for dinner. By the time I am cooking the main course on the stove top, my dessert is getting ready simultaneously in the microwave. Ingredients: Carrots/Gajar (grated) - about 4 1/2 cups Sweetened Condensed Milk - 14 oz (396 gm) Milk - 1/4 cup Butter or Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1 tsp Pistachios/Pista - about 20 Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods (seeds only) How to prepare Condensed Milk Gajar Halwa in a Microwave: Peel and grate the carrots. Crush the cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Finely chop the pistachios. Preparing Gajar Halwa in a microwave is quite easy. Keep checking after every minute or two, to avoid burning. Wipe a microwave safe bowl dry. Grease the bowl with butter or ghee. Add carrots and microwave for 3 minutes.  Stir after every minute. Now add milk to the bowl. M...

Kalakand is an Indian milk fudge which needs no introduction. Condensed milk adds a nice creaminess to any mithai and also reduces its cooking time. If you are looking for a hassle free and quicker version of Kalakand, this microwave recipe is perfect. Ingredients: Ricotta Cheese - 15 oz (425 gm) Sweetened Condensed Milk - 14 oz (396 gm)  Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods (seeds only) Saffron/Kesar - few strands Butter or Ghee (Clarified Butter) - about 1 tsp Pistachios - 5 How to prepare Kalakand in a microwave: Crush the cardamom seeds and saffron strands in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Finely chop pistachios or any nuts of your choice. Grease a big microwave safe bowl with few drops of ghee. Add condensed milk and ricotta cheese. Stir with a spoon so that ricotta cheese lumps are dissolved. Ricotta cheese works great as a substitute for fresh paneer/Indian cottage cheese. Microwave this milk and cheese mix for about 10 minutes. After every 2 minutes, sti...

Friday calls for something special. And a special menu comes with a dessert. Today's mithai is a microwave recipe of Milk Fudge made of condensed milk and milk powder. This Doodh Pedha is instant with a cooking time of just 5 minutes. Ingredients: Sweetened Condensed Milk - 396 gm/14 oz Milk Powder - 1 1/2 cups Unsalted Butter - 4 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Saffron/Kesar - few strands (optional) Charoli/Chironji or any nuts How to cook Dudh Peda in a microwave: Add butter to a dry microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute so that the butter melts. To the melted butter, add milk powder and condensed milk. Mix well with a spoon. Microwave for 3 minutes and mix after every minute. Now add ground cardamom and/or saffron and mix again. Microwave again for 1 minute and let the peda mix cool. The cooking time in a microwave may vary. So keep checking and do not let the pedha mix turn too dry. When it turns cold enough to handle, grease your hands with butter ...