BAKED FALAFEL

Hello everyone

Middle East is not only known for its oil reserves but also for its richness in cuisines. In middle eastern cuisine not only non vegetarians but vegetarian section also attains a wide range of delicacies. From chatpata starters to tempting mains, from delicious snacks to sinful desserts  you have countless varieties to choose from .And one of them is falafel , you can either have it with sauce and dips as snack or pair it with pita bread , hummus and salads to have as mains. It's equally delicious in either ways and can be prepared in little time. Recipe is given below , do try and let me know too how's it turned out for you.

BAKED FALAFEL

Serves: 2-3

Time : 30 mins

Ingredients 

2 cups boiled chickpeas

2 tbsp besan(chickpea flour)

1 big onion finely chopped

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

2 green chilies finely chopped

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder 

1 tsp chat masala

2tbsp chopped green coriander leaves

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp baking powder

Salt to taste

Method

First of all coarsly grind boiled chickpeas. 

Mix all the ingredients together and make tikki shapes .

 Arrange them on a baking tray lined with butter paper. Brush some oil on each falafel .

 Bake at 230 degree C in a preheated oven or grill them in oven till golden on both sides. It may take 10 - 15 mins each sides depending on oven. 

If you are not comfortable with baking option then can deep fry it at medium heat and enjoy hot. In both ways it tastes delicious, choose whatever suits you. I served it with mint dip and tomato sauce, you can have it as per your preference.

Make these easy peasy healthy yet tasty snacks and enjoy with any chutney or sauce. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

MANAKISH ZATAAR BREAD

Hello everyone

Breads are loved by nearly everyone in the world and when it comes to Arabic breads then it's just like icing on cake. I like almost all type of breads, one of them is freshly baked manakish bread. It's light tanginess and unique flavour of Zataar spice mix will leave you speechless. I love this bread and can have at any meal of the day, nothing more is needed to accompany it. It's perfect in itself, full of flavour. It's so yummy and kids friendly too that my fussy eater gobbled a couple of it without nakhrey 😊😊. Recipe is given below , hope will come up to your expectations. Do try and let me know how's it turned out for you.

MANAKISH ZATAAR BREAD

Serves: 3-4

Time: 1 hr ( leaving resting time)

Ingredients 

3 cup chapatti flour or all purpose flour
1 tsp active yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup luke warm water
1 tbsp oil 
Water to knead ( if needed)

1/2 cup Zataar spice mix store bought or you can make at home( 2 tbsp of each dry basil leaves, oregano, sumac, roasted sesame seeds and 1/2 tsp coarse salt, mixed together)

1/4 cup olive oil, I used less

Method:

First of all mix zataar mix and olive oil and keep aside.

Add sugar in warm water and then mix yeast in it and let it rest for 10-15 mins or till it become frothy.

Add salt and oil in flour and knead with yeast and warm water till it become soft, shiny and nonsticky dough. It will take 8 to 10 mins. apply some oil on it and cover with damp cloth, let it rest for 2 hrs in a warm place like in closed microwave/oven or till it doubles it volume. 

Now punch the dough and cut in eight equal pieces. Take one piece of dough and roll into thick chapatti using dry flour. 

Make indents on it using your fingers.

spread 1 tbsp of zataar mix all over it , leaving little border space. 

Place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover it and place at a warm place for another 15 mins. Till then preheat oven at 200 degreeC. Now bake it for 10 mins or till you see little golden colour on its borders. 

Similarly bake all the eight breads and serve warm.

You will definitely love this spiced bread, do try and enjoy a new range of flavours. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

SESAME SEEEDS JAGGERY SPICED BANANA WALNUT LOAF

Hello everyone 

My sweet tooth daughter always used to ask why healthy stuffs are not yummy and what we like to eat are always comes under unhealthy category 😕😕. Actually my whole family is sweet tooth and also having great tendency to get fat too easily😭 , so to avoid extra calories in our diet we have to make a reasonable distance with sugary and fatty stuffs😰. 

But this is also like a boon too me, so that I can experiment with healthy stuffs and turn them to interesting healthy cum yummy dishes. I made this on the occasion of makar sankranti that's why added sesame seeds to it and it was total worth , just created an awesome combination of rustic memories in a new look.

This cake is the best example of taste with health. I used all healthy alternatives to usual ingredients of a cake, which lead to this super yummy healthy sweet treat. Now no need to take just one bite of your sweet crush to satisfy your craving. And the second best thing is , it's best and yummy way to use your over ripe bananas. Spices added in this cake,  boosted its flavor to another level. You can say it a perfect combo for your cup of tea. A happy dessert to health conscious fellows.

Step wise recipe is given below, hope you will enjoy this tasty, yummy and healthy treat. sure give it a try , you will never regret.

SESAME SEEDS JAGGERY SPICED BANANA WALNUT LOAF

Serves: 5-6

Time: 1: 15 hrs

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour/ all purpose flour 

2 big bananas, ripe

1/2 cup jaggery, grated

1/3 cup oil

1/2 cup thick yogurt( curd)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder 

1/8 tsp salt

2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds ( black and white)

1 inch ginger, grated

1 tsp vanilla essence 

10-12 walnuts, roughly chopped 

Method:

First of all grease a loaf pan and dust it with some flour, keep it aside.

Mix well  flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon powder, walnuts and salt together, keep it aside for later use.

Now mash bananas with a fork till they become a lump less puree. Add grated jaggery , vanilla essence and curd in it and mix well till jaggery gets dissolve. Now add grated ginger and oil , again mix well. 

Add flour mixture and fold it to make a lump less smooth batter. Finally add sesame seeds and fold in. Pour in greased loaf pan. Sprinkle some sesame seeds all over the batter.

 Bake in a preheated oven at 180degree C for 40 - 50 mins, or till tooth pick inserted in it comes out clean. Mine took 50 mins, so keep an eye on it after 45 mins as different oven take different time. Time also depends on baking pans, size and shape.

Let it cool for 5 mins then invert on a wire rack.

 Let it cool completely before slicing, to get neat slices.

Your super yummy and healthy cake slices are ready to go with your cup of tea.

Enjoy these guilt free scrumptious sweet treat any time. It's good for kids tiffin and mid meal hunger sprang.

You can use any spices and any dry fruits of your choice. But surely try this combo too as ginger , sesame seeds and cinnamon let this cake to another level.

You can increase or decrease the quantity of jaggery as per your taste and sweetness of bananas, but this one is for perfect sweetness😊.

You can also use any shape of baking pan, but then baking time may change, so be cautious while baking and keep checking in between.

Hope you all will definitely try this guilt free yummy loaf and please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

CASHEW PISTA CUSTARD COOKIES

Hello everyone

Who doesn't like cookies and specially when it's home baked . I used to bake cookies occasionally and this time the occasion was my parents visit to my place. Cashew and pistachio are the most liked ingredients in any cookie after chocolates. So thought to give it a try once and viola they turned out unexpectedly delicious. They neither need many fancy ingredients nor much effort , that's why a novice can also try their hands on these beauties. Recipe is given below, do try it and share your experience with me too.

CASHEW PISTA CUSTARD COOKIES

Serves: 25-30 cookies ( depend on size)

Time: 45 - 60 mins

Ingredients 

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour ( maida)

1/4 cup custard powder, preferably vanilla flavored

1/2 cup butter or margarine at room temperature 

1/2 cup powdered sugar 

3/4 cup chopped cashew and pistachio 

1/2 tsp vanilla essence 

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

2 pinches baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

Few drops edible green color( optional)

Method:

First of all mix salt and baking soda in flour,  mix well and keep aside. Now mix butter/ margarine , edible color and powdered sugar together and beat till fluffy.

 Now add vanilla essence and cardamom powder, mix well. Add chopped dry fruits and fold together.

 Now add custard powder and mix well . Now add flour mix to butter mix in batches and keep mixing. When all flour is mixed , it will look like bread crumbs. 

Now using your finger make dough without applying much pressure.

 Now roll the dough in 1/2 cm thick small chapatti. Sprinkle some sliced pistachios on it and press lightly.

Cut cookies using cookie cutter. In this way cut all the cookies by repeatedly rolling , cutting and collecting scraps. 

Now place cookies in a baking tray lined with butter paper. Keep all cookies at some distance as they expand a little while baking. Now cover it with cling wrap or plastic sheet to avoid drying, and keep it in fridge for 1/2- 1 hrs or in freezer for 10 mins before baking.

Now bake it in preheated oven at 180degree C for 12- 15 mins. Keep an eye on it after 10mins , as soon as its edges and bottom start to change color,keep it out and cool on a wire rack . 

It may seems soft when kept out of oven but don't worry they will firm on cooling. if you feel it's under cooked then can bake for little more but never over bake your cookies , it kills all its texture and flavour. After cooling completely , keep these in an airtight jar and enjoy with tea for weeks.

You can also make log of prepared dough and cover with cling wrap and chill before cutting, to get oval or round cookies.

If you don't like custard powder then just replace it by all purpose flour.

These cookies are so delicious that can be served in kids school trips, b'day parties or tiffin itself, even elders too love to munch on these cuties. Hope you all will like this delicious crunchy munchy cookies recipe and definitely give it a try. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

EGGLESS GINGER BREAD MEN COOKIES

Hello everyone

I know , I am a bit late for this post but no worries new year is coming so why not give it a try to cherish our new year celebrations. Anyhow there is no particular time to gobble up your favorite cookies , isn't it☺️. I tried this recipe using my mix and match of ingredients and it turned out definitely superb. This is so easy to prepare and have tendency to fascinate not only kids but elders too. I was always thinking to try this atleast once but after tasting it in a mall at Christmas celebration , I started craving for it. And finally tried and succeeded to , not exactly replicate, but near to the original one. Step wise recipe is given below, hope you will try it and let me know , how it turned out for you😊.

Recipe inspiration: spiceupthecurry 

EGGLESS GINGER BREAD MEN COOKIES

Yield: 18-20 cookies

Time: 30 mins ( leaving chilling time)

Ingredients 

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup butter/ margarine ,at room temp.

2 tbsp oil

1/3 cup brown sugar or jaggery

1/4 cup molasses or honey or maple syrup or dates syrup

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 pinches baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp ginger powder

1/8 tsp nutmeg powder

1/8 tsp clove powder

For icing:

1 tbsp hot milk

1 tsp sugar 

3-4 tbsp milk powder

1/4 tsp molten butter/ghee

2-3 drop vanilla essence

Edible colors ( optional)

Method:

First of all take butter/ margarine, oil and brown sugar/ jaggery in a deep bowl and beat till nice fluffy. 

Now add molasses/ substitutes and again beat to incorporate all well. 

Now in a separate bowl add all dry ingredients together and mix well or sieve together.

 Now add flour mix to butter mix in batches and keep mixing. When all flour is mixed , it will look like bread crumbs. 

Now using your finger make dough without applying much pressure. Now roll the dough in 1/2 cm thick chapatti. 

Cut cookies using cookie cutter. If you find your dough delicate to handle then let it chill for 30 -60 mins in fridge then roll and cut. In this way cut all the cookies by repeatedly rolling , cutting and collecting scraps. 

Now place cookies in a baking tray lined with butter paper. Keep all cookies at some distance as they expand a little while baking. Now cover it with cling wrap or plastic sheet to avoid drying, and keep it in fridge for 2-3 hrs or in freezer for 30-40 mins before baking. Now bake it in preheated oven at 180degree C for 8-12 mins. Keep an eye on it after 8 mins , as soon as its edges start to change color,keep it out and cool on a wire rack . 

If you like more crunchy cookies then let it bake for little longer as mine are little soft yet crumbly, the perfect texture for ginger bread men cookies. Let it cool completely before icing. 

For icing : 

Mix sugar in milk and stir till dissolve. Now add essence,butter/ ghee and stir. Now add milk powder little by little and stir to mix properly and without lumps. Use as much milk powder as needed to form a smooth batter that can be piped easily, neither too runny nor too thick . 

Add desired color and mix well ( I skipped). Now fill the icing in icing bag and with thinner nozzle make designs of your choice.

 Let it dry for atleast 1/2 - 1 hr, then store in an airtight container.

Your yummy kids friendly cute ginger bread men cookies are ready to serve.

You can use any substitute mentioned in recipe but then it may make a difference in taste, but be sure in every way it will taste great. I used jaggery and dates syrup in my recipe. 

If you don't like spices , then substitute it by cocoa powder to get chocolate flavored ginger bread men cookies. As small kids generally don't like spicy flavours in their cakes and cookies, like my younger one😐.

Though these cookies are Christmas special delicacy but you can make and enjoy these any time and at any occasion specially at kids birthday party, as kids love to relish on these beauties any time.

Hope you all will give it a try and definitely love it. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

HOT N SOUR VEG NOODLE SOUP

Hello everyone

I am here again after almost one month of gap as was busy in relishing family time. But I am back with a very delicious and kids friendly soup recipe , just perfect for winter season. As kids love noodles in their every meal so added these with lots of healthy veggies to make sure that kids get more and more healthy diet along with yumminess. This is so easy to prepare and less time consuming, so serve hot to comfort everyone in this chilling winter. Hope you will like this easy yet healthy yummy soup. 

Stepwise recipe is given below, do try and let me know how it turned out for you.

Recipe adapted from yummy tummy.

HOT N SOUR VEG NOODLE SOUP

Serves: 4-5

Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

3/4 cup finely chopped veggies ( beans, carrot, capsicum)

1 cup finely chopped cabbages( red and white) and spinach

1 medium onion, finely chopped 

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 spring onion, finely chopped

50 gms or as per like, Spaghetti noodles

1 1/2 tbsp corn flour

1 tsp vinegar 

Soya sauce, red chilli sauce, tomato sauce, black pepper and salt , as per taste

Method:

Heat some oil in a wok, add minced garlic. When it get golden then add chopped onions and fry till transparent.

 Now add chopped veggies and saute for 3-4 mins. Add chopped cabbage and spinach, saute for 5 mins. 

Add spaghetti and 4 cups water. Let it cook for 6-8 mins at medium flame or till spaghetti gets cooked.

 Now add all sauces,vinegar, salt and black pepper as per your taste. 

Now add cornflour in 1/4 cup water and add to soup. Keep stirring and let it cook for another 5 mins. Switch off the flame and add chopped spring onions and mix. 

Your yummy hot and sour soup is ready to serve. 

You can use any veggies as per your like and availability. Add sauces as per your taste as everyone has his/her own unique taste buds. 

I like it quit hot and tangy so added chilli and soya sauce in plenty rather than tomato one. If you like sweet side , then add more tomato sauce or add some sugar to your soup.

You can also use water as per your preference of consistency of soup.

Enjoy this comfortable soup with your family or serve to guests in this chilling winter, they will surely gonna love it.

 Hope you all will like this simple yet delicious soup recipe and definitely going to give it a try. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....