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...