Sesame Jaggery Fudge - Tilachi Vadi

Makar Sankranti is the harvest festival and also marked as the arrival of spring in India. Sesame Jaggery Fudge is made on this occasion. This fudge (Tilachi vadi ) is made up of Sesame seeds, Jaggery, Ghee/ coconut oil. All of these ingredients adds tons of nutrition to the body especially in the time when it is made...the winter. A perfect combination of all these ingredients help lubricate the joints and nourish the brain while giving the warmth that is much needed during chilly winter month.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup shredded Jaggery
• 3/4 cup roasted white sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup roasted broken peanuts
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tsp water

INSTRUCTIONS

• Roast the sesame seeds on low to medium flame until they get nice golden color. Keep aside.
• Heat up coconut oil in a pan and add the jaggery into it. Let it melt and then add cardamom powder to it. Also add water and mix well. Turn off the heat.
• Add the sesame seeds and the broken peanuts into jaggery and mix well.
• Coat a plate with coconut oil and spread the above mixture on it.
• Take a glass bowl, grease the bottom of the bowl with some coconut oil and spread the mixture evenly across the plate making an even layer. 
• Mark the lines so that they will form nice squares. Let them sit for 30 minutes and then take the squares apart. You can also make them into diamonds but traditionally Tilachi vadi is made square shaped.

NOTES

• Traditionally these are made with ghee instead of coconut oil. You can't really make the difference between both versions. Both are just as delicious. The coconut oil version makes it perfect for vegans.
• Addition of water helps the fudge retain it's softness and chewiness.
• Make sure you use dark jaggery which is known as chikkicha gul in Marathi.

Happy Makar Sankranti to those who are celebrating!!!

Tilgul ghya goad bola....:)

Green Mung Bean Chilla with Carrots and Radish Ribbons and Peas Tossed with Simple Lemon Dressing.

How colorful is your meal today?

While I was going through my pictures, I found this long pending picture of bright colors. I enjoyed preparing this meal as much as I enjoyed eating. The Green Mung Bean Chilla is my all time favorite. I always add different vegetables to the chilla batter like spinach, fenugreek leaves(methi), carrots, shredded cabbage, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, thinly sliced green beans and such. In this preparation I tried to balance the colors of the dish by mixing spinach in the batter and bright white and orange salad on the side.

Nutritional Benefits-:

Green Mung Beans- 

• They are also know as green gram. They are famous for the protein that they have in them, but apart from that, green mung beans are also awesome source of iron. 
• They are also high in folate, which is water soluble vitamin-B necessary in production of new cells, DNA and RNA. 
• It's even better to sprout and then use them, as vitamin C which is found in sprouts is missing in the beans.

Carrots-

• This crunchy and deliciously sweet root vegetable has ample amounts of  beta-carotene, vitamin -A, Vitamin K, minerals and anti- oxidants.
• Carrots have tons of nutritional value attached to it. Vision health, anti- cancer benefits, cardiovascular benefits to name a few.

Radish-:

• Another root vegetable high in Vitamin C.
• Radish is excellent for digestion as it stimulates digestive juices.
• They are beneficial for symptoms of flu, cold, cough, respiratory problem.
• Radishes can dissolve phlegm, reinforce energy as well as clear a stuffy nose.
• White radishes (the root and the leaves) work as natural antibiotics against some bacteria.
• Radish is a good mouth and breath freshener, laxative, regulates metabolism, improves blood circulation.

There is an old saying about radishes - "When radishes come to market, nobody will go to pharmacies."

Chilla is traditionally made up of besan (gram flour) and spices. In this recipe, I haven't added besan at all. The batter is made up of sprouted green mung daal and soaked rice ground together with some chopped spinach thrown in it.

I have also added some ginger and garlic paste along with cumin and coriander powder. 

Soaking time-:Overnight/ 5-6 hours at least

Sprouting time-8-10 hours, depending on the weather.

Preparation time-:15 minutes.

Cooking time-:15 minutes

Serves 3-4 people

Ingredients-:

For chilla-

1. Soaked sprouted green mung daal-1 cup
2. Soaked rice- 1/2 cup or more if you want your chilla to be crispy.
3. Ginger- 1/2 inch piece
4. Garlic-1/2 inch piece
5. Chilies-1small
6. Chopped spinach-3/4th cup
7. Cumin and coriander powder-1/2 tbsp each
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil for spraying 

For the salad-:

1. Carrots- 1 medium
2. White Radish-1 medium
3. Peas- a handful
4. Lemon juice-juice of half a lemon
5. Salt and black pepper to taste.

Procedure-:

• Add the soaked rice and sprouted mung beans to the blender. Add ginger, garlic, salt, chilies and blend everything well.
• Pour in to a pot and add cumin and coriander powder, chopped spinach to the batter and mix well.
• Heat a griddle / tawa over medium heat and once it is hot, with the help of a ladle start spreading a the batter on the tawa.
• Let it cook on one side for about 3 minutes and then flip and cook the other side.

Putting the salad together-:

• Peel the carrots and radish from all sides and make the ribbons out of them.
• Toss them together along with peas
• Mix some lemon juice with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour it on top of mixed radish, carrots and peas.

This is a perfect meal to eat with your eyes first!!!

The eye pleasing meal is headed to 2 events.

1. Dish it out- Lentils/legumes and vegetables
   
2. Breakfast recipes- from My Culinary Creations.

Nutritional Benefits Source-:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_Benefits_of_white_radish
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=21

Oats Almond Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Back to back second sweet post! Hmm.....After all, it's the holiday season we are talking about..:) This is a wonderful idea for an edible holiday gift for your friends and family! Make sure you double or even triple the batch, if you are gifting them because you might gobble them even before packing them as a gift...:)

These chewy gooey cookies are super simple to make and you almost can't resist eating them when they are warm and just right out of the oven. They are filled with goodness, right from the flavor to the nutrition. The oat and the almond flour provides you the protein and the chocolate chips does their part of providing antioxidants without sacrificing the taste..:) If you keep the sugar part to minimum, (which I always do) eating a cookie in the morning in your breakfast, is not at all a bad idea.

These cookies make a great portable edible holiday gift...!



Of course I can't take credit for this delicious recipe. It goes to Richa of VeganRicha.

Ingredients-:
Makes 16-18 about 2 inch cookies.

• 1/2 cup raw almond flour
• 1/4 cup almond milk( add few tbsp more if you feel that the dough is dry and doesn't come together.)
• 1 cup oat flour
• 2-3 tbsp of lightly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 th tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil.( optional if you want chewier cookies)
• Chocolate chips- as many as you want (I used vegan chocolate chips from Whole Foods.)
• Cinnamon powder- 2 tsp ( Any spice of your choice , ginger powder would also be great in this cold weather.)

Method-:

• In a bowl, mix almond flour, oat flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and the spices of your choice. Mix well.
• Add almond milk and coconut oil to the mixture and mix everything together for about couple of minutes until the mixture gets all wet and forms a slightly sticky dough. The mixture should also be sticky at the same time.
• Chill the dough for 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator.
• After 20 minutes, remove from the fridge and If the dough looks dry and doesn't come together, add a tsp of almond milk.roll the dough into balls, shape them like a cookie and then place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for about 17-19 minutes depending how big you have shaped your cookies. 
• Cool ( if you can wait that long..:))and enjoy!!

These kiddos are going to Eggless Bakes and Treat event and to Let's cook edible gifts for Christmas event

Oven Baked Plantain Chips

Ready for something crunchy this weekend? How about Oven Baked plantain chips!! Easiest to make won't take much time. Great healthy alternative snack for all those chips lovers out there! You control the spices and the oil content and enjoy completely as per your taste.

Here is how I  made my batch.

Ingredients-:

3 plantains
Coconut oil
Salt
Black pepper- freshly ground for an extra kick


And here is how to make them-:

• With the help of vegetable peeler peel the plantains from all sides.
• Slice them thinly with the help of slicer/ mandolin.( Before slicing dip the tip of plantain into coconut oil, remove and start slicing them, it helps prevent sticking while slicing.
• In a bowl, mix coconut oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper and the plantain slices. You can also add some chilly powder if you like, or may be paprika or anything else that you feel like adding .Coat well and keep aside. 
• Line the baking pan with aluminium foil and spray with some oil. 
• Start spreading the plantain slices in single layer on the baking pan.
• Slide the baking pan into a preheated 350F oven  for about 30-35 minutes.
• If you have a couple of baking sheets make sure to rotate them and also flip the banana slices halfway through.
• Bake them until golden and crunchy... and don't forget to savor every bite..:)

Banana Oat Cranberry Bars

This was my second attempt at making these cereal bars! And I promised myself that I will never buy them from the store ever again. The fun with any kind of homemade food is that you can completely alter it to your taste and this is exactly the reason that I keep attempting , sometimes getting better, sometimes not so much! I totally enjoy the whole process and the results is not what I look forward to anymore.

First time I made them for our Bay Area trip and this time was for the Vancouver weekend get-away!
They are easy to carry as a snack anytime you travel. They have a good shelf life. I think they should last for 2-3 days even in the bright sun. My kid loved it, and munched on it at least twice both the days of our trip..:)

Here is what you will need-:

• 1/4th cup Almond milk or soy milk
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1tbsp flax seed
• 1/4th cup coconut oil
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2 medium ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup of cranberries/ pumpkin seeds etc.
• 2 tbsp of Chia seeds soaked overnight into 2 tbsp of almond milk/ soy milk
• 1.5 cups of regular oats
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4th cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

Method-:

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Combine sugar, flax seed, almond milk , coconut oil, vanilla extract and whisk together.Keep aside.
• Mash bananas with a fork and stir into wet mixture. Also add cranberries, pumpkin seeds, soaked Chia seeds.
• In other bowl, mix all the dry ingredients.(Oats, wheat flour, shredded coconut, flax seed, cinnamon powder, baking powder and salt)

My little helper- mixing the cranberries and eating half of them while mixing..:)

• Add the wet mixture to dry mixture and mix.
• Line a baking sheet with a parchment paper and spray lightly with a canola oil spray.
• Scoop out on to the pan and press firmly making it even.

Serious work is in progress, no jokes please...!

Before jumping into oven!

• Bake at 350F for 35- 40 minutes.

After popping out of the oven!

• Let it cool and slice into bars. It will make about 10 bars depending on how thick you spread the mixture. The first time I made them, they came out to be 10. This time I think I spread them a little thinner and they came out 12 with more crunch to them because of the thinness.

Recipe source-: http://ohsheglows.com/2010/12/24/healthy-banana-cranberry-oat-bars/

Homemade Granola

Nothing like crunchy granola in your cereal or as a yogurt topping or just as a snack on the go.Super easy and super fun to make your own granola! Once in a while I do buy from the store but most of the times I prefer to make my own. You can totally customize it to your taste. Considering my son's allergies, I find it easy to make my own instead of reading labels on the back of the granola pack. That way I have the whole control over what's going in and I also get to modify it the next time if I don't like what I added this time. Super flexible isn't it?

Here is what you will need-:

•  3 cups of rolled oats
• 3/4th cup agave
• 4 tbsp water
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract/ almond extract
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup of mixed dry fruit- I used dried blueberries and golden raisins
• 1/4 cup of sliced almonds

Feel free to add anything else you like. Chopped walnuts or pecans is a great substitute for almonds. You can add dried papaya or any other dry fruit you may like.

Method-:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread the oats on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Remember to stir twice in between.
• Mix agave, water, vanilla extract or whichever extract you are using in a bowl. Add toasted oats, sesame seeds, and dry fruits and almonds.
• Mix well and spread over the baking sheet and bake for 15 more minutes, stirring twice in between.
• Let it cool and munch on some while still kind of hot...:)

Just few more captures that I enjoyed clicking..:)

Let them spill a bit!!

Lavash Chips

Nothing like these super simple crispy baked Lavash Chips! 
If you are like me, who likes something crunchy every once in a while, then keep reading.

The whole grain Lavash wraps!

You can find these whole grain Lavash wraps at Whole Foods ( See the picture). Whenever the wraps are down to 2/3 count, I put them to a crunchy use.
These wraps come in a rectangular shape. Just cut them into squares or you can also cut them in wedges if you like and coat with EVOO, toss with the spices of your choice, sprinkle some salt for taste. Coat well. Arrange them on a baking tray. Bake until they get crispy and light golden color. I baked them for 375F for about 10 minutes. As simple as it can get.

Make sure you keep watching them, as they turn brown very quickly.

For this version I used only salt as a seasoning, but you can certainly use, cumin powder, Garam Masala, red chilly powder or any herbs of your choice.

Have a good crunch!!

Protein Packed Balls (Ladoos)

This entry is my new favorite snack time addiction!!  BEWARE it might catch you!!!

What a great way to include all kinds of nuts of your choice along with the seeds and berries and the tasteful dates. Get the protein from the nuts, antioxidents from the berries, minerals from the seeds.  If you are a sweet lover, nothing should stop you from making this delicious treat for yourself but even if you don't have a sweet tooth (like me) , take my word that this snack will make you addict.

Super simple and super quick to make, give them a try!

Ingredients-:

• Dates- pitted
• Almonds
• Dried Cranberries
• Dried Cherries
• Dried figs
• Roasted unsalted peanuts
• Toasted Sesame seeds
• Puffed Amaranth Seeds ( Rajgira in Marathi, you can these find at Indian store- see picture)
• Golden Raisins
• 1 tsp of Agave nectar
• Dried coconut shredded - to roll the balls later.

Use the ingredients of your choice, just make sure to add enough dates to bind everything together. You can also add other nuts like pecans, walnuts etc. I had Rajgira (Amaranth) vadi, that I crumbled and tossed into the the blender.

Method-:

• Toss everything in a blender except the shredded coconut and grind until everything gets mixed up well.

       (That white square in the back of the blender is the Rajgira vadi made up of puffed amaranth seeds)

• Make sure that the nuts get chopped up into small pieces.  
• Spoon out little by little and using your hands roll into rounds.
• Roll them further in shredded coconut, just to cover them from all sides.

I bet you will start snacking them right away!

This entry goes to Snacks Recipes- Evening snack recipes from my culinary creations.

Also to Kid's Delight- Easy to make snacks under 30 minutes and  Kid's delight wholesome breakfast.



Thank you for hosting the events ladies!!

Sweet Murmura

This  recipe is one of the accidents.(which I can proudly call an experiment..:) I was actually trying to make Murmura ladoos, something went wrong and I wasn't able to roll out the ladoos. So I thought, let's just keep it that way and eat with a spoon as a snack ( as a sweet chivada!)


This is a healthy and crunchy  snack, if your kid needs something different and you don't want to stuff his mouth with all the unhealthy snack that's out there. It's just jaggery, murmura , some water and a pinch of cardamom powder and that's it, you are done. Being a natural sweetener,  jaggery has both nutritive and medicinal values. It is a product of sugarcane and a great source of iron and minerals. During summer the water with a small piece of jaggery helps to alleviate the bad effects of excess heat on the body.


So as I mentioned earlier, all you are going to need is Jaggery, water, cardamom powder and murmura. 
Water- 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup powdered ( if you are going to use the pieces , try putting in about 4 - 2 inch pieces of jaggery.)
Murmura- 4 cups

Cardamom powder- a pinch or two


The measurement doesn't have to be perfect unless you want to actually roll out the mixture and make ladoos...:P


Heat the jaggery and the water in a heavy bottom pan. Let everything come to a nice boil and and continue heating the mixture and let all the jaggery melt. Keep stirring untill it becomes something like the consistency shown in the picture below. It takes about- 15- 20 minutes on a medium high heat to come to this consistency. 

Add cardamom powder and mix in the murmura, while stirring constantly. Mix well to get all the murmura coated with the jaggery and water mixture. Keep the heat on for 2 more minutes and then turn it off. 

If you have done everything well, you might actually be able to roll the ladoos from the mixture, otherwise just grab a spoon or hey...just a handful....:))


I am sending this recipe Spice your life and Cook's hideout.

Crunchy Makhana

Let me take this opportunity to share with you my favorite crunchy and super simple snack known as Makhana. Also known as Phool Makhanas.You get this wonderful beauties at most of the Indian stores. They are basically lotus seeds. Makhanas are very healthy, rich in iron, calcium and protein. I came across this crunchy treat in a book called, "Women and Weight loss Tamasha"- by Rujuta Diwekar. I am a great fan of her work and follow her suggestions as much as possible. A separate post on the diet she suggests(which works wonders), my experiences with that is in my TO DO list and stay tuned for that..:)

Coming back to Makhanas. I find them better than popcorn, full of nutrients and super simple to make.

You will need-:

1. Phool Makhanas- as many as you want to make.
2. Desi ghee
3. Salt 
4. freshly ground black pepper.

Heat desi ghee in kadai/pan , add makhanas to kadai, season them with salt and pepper. On low to medium flame, toss everything together until they get crunchy.

This is how they will change the color after roasting.

 Usually it takes me 6-7 minutes depending on the quantity. If they are not crunchy enough, let them stay in for couple more minutes. Turn off the gas and let them cool. Store them in an airtight container.

Oh..and did I mention? 

They have anti-aging properties.

Don't forget to scoop out some for you on a great afternoon..:)

 I am sending this recipe to Sweet Karam Kapi and to Rekha's Event.

Enjoy!!!

Baked sweet potato fries

Delicious evening snack for my little one! Sweet potato, cut in to wedges and roasted in the oven to the perfection!

Here is my little bunny, all ready with the sweet potato.

Ingredients-:

Sweet Potato
Olive Oil
Salt

Skin the sweet potato and cut it in to wedges. Make the wedges thin if you want the fries to be crispy. Thick wedges does not get the crunch that is usually expected from the fries. I make them thick so that they are easier on the little teeth.

Line a baking pan with the aluminium foil and spread some Olive oil on the foil. They need a very little oil. Arrange the wedges on the foil and sprinkle salt. Toss them together.You can also season them with other spices as per your taste like, pepper, basil, oregano, cumin powder, garlic powder, red chili powder etc.

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Roast the wedges for about 25 minutes. Turn them over after 15 minutes.
Enjoy..:)

Soy cutlets/ Soya patties

Easy to make, yummy to taste, and loaded with proteins! Just right for kids, adults, great for pregnant women, especially vegetarians, who often worry about their protein intake during pregnancy.

Read on for the ingredients and the recipe.

Ingredients-:
Soya Granuals- Couple of handfuls
Cut and boiled vegetables- Carrots, peas, corn, green beans, onions.
Potato- boiled, peeled and mashed- 1 small
Ginger garlic paste- 2 tbsp
red chilly powder
cumin powder
coriander powder
garam masala - about 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Wheat flour- couple of tbsp for binding
Breadcrumbs- whole wheat
olive oil for shallow frying.

Recipe-:
Boil the granules in the salted water for 3-4 minutes. Drain the water and set the granuals aside.
Mix all veggies, mashed potato, ginger garlic paste, red chilly powder, cumin and coriander powder, salt as per taste in to the soya granules. Add the wheat flour just enough to bind everything together and make round shaped patties out of it.

Cover the patties with the breadcrumbs, and shallow fry them over the non-stick skillet on a medium heat, until they are golden brown in color.

Serve with your favorite chutney or just tomato ketchup / sauce.

Yumm.........:)

Baked Mung (mugachi / Yellow Split lentil dumplings) Bhaji

In Seattle, it rains half of  the time of the year, and the remaining half is covered with clouds. Although I don't have any complaints, as I am the one who don't like the Calif weather at all.. Too much sunshine for me..:) I am better off with less sunlight and so this is perfect for me, except I definitely crave for a cup of hot tea and some bhajis to enjoy this kind of weather to the fullest.

It's been more than a couple of years that I gave up on the traditional Indian black tea for hot Green tea, simply for it's enormous benefits. I don't crave for black tea anymore. Speaking about bhajjis, as much as I want to have deep fried bhajis that tastes delicious, I feel guilty about eating them for next few days. In order to avoid this guilt forever, I came up with baked bhajis.

Traditionally, a hot black tea goes well with onion bhajis. I tried making Moong bhanjis, just because I was cravings for them. Mung daal  in itself has so many wonderful benefits. Why not include mung daal in to your diet on a regular basis?

All you need is:-

Soaked Mung daal- 1 cup
Ginger- 1/2 inch
Garlic- 2 to 3 cloves
Green chillies- 1to 2 depending on how hot they are.
Cumin seeds- A pinch,  just for flavor
Cilantro- chopped.
EVOO
Salt to taste

Soak the mung daal in water for about 4 hours. Drain all the water and grind the daal. Do not make it too smooth, leave it a little bite coarser. Make a past out of ginger, garlic, green chillies and cumin seeds in to a mortar and pestle( khalbatta in marathi). Mix the paste in to the mung daal batter. Add the chopped cilantro. Mix well. Grease a baking sheet with EVOO and spoon the batter on to the sheet. Toss some EVOO on top.

Bake the oven to 375F and bake these little buddies for about 20 minutes. Less or more time might be required as per your oven. Turn them once and bake  for 5-10 minutes. They should be golden brown in color.

Just like these-:

Enjoy them with your favorite dipping sauce or just with a cup of  tea (Green Tea??)

Oh... and I am sending this recipe to My Legume Love Affair 27, hosted by The Well Seasoned Cook. I love MLLA event and as always it is so much fun to enter in to.Thanks Susan for hosting.

Steamed Spinach Diamonds

A quick healthy snack, a healthy version of traditional dhokla. Mixture of  soaked rice, soaked urad dal, cooked rice and fenugreek seeds steamed to perfection. Add the spinach before steaming. Enjoy with tomato ketchup or mint chutney/ tamarind chutney.

1 cup of rice
4tbsp urad dal
1/4th cup cooked rice
1 tsp fenugreek seeds

Soak the rice and the urad dal for about 6-7 hours. Mix the fenugreek seeds in to the dal before soaking. After 7 hours, grind the mixture and let it ferment for about15-16 hours. Less or more time is required  as per the weather. After the mixture gets fermented well, add the shredded spinach , salt to taste and pour the mixture in to the container and steam for about 15-20 minutes. You can also add jeera (cumin seeds) or ajwain before steaming the diamonds. Cut them in to diamond shapes and serve hot with any kind of chutney you like.

Crispy Rice Fingers

Fried snack is always fun!! These crispy rice fingers are absolutely delicious, crunchy snack , goes very well with Indian chai..:) Kids love this finger food. It's a great snack item for the party, especially because it doesn't have to be hot while serving. You can prepare it a day or even a week before the party, and store it in an airtight container and you are ready to go...:)

Here is what you will need-:

• Rice flour- 1 cup

• Ajwain seeds - 1 tbsp
• Milk - as much as you need to kneed the dough.
• Salt- as per your taste.
• Oil- Heated oil, 1 tbsp.
• Oil- For frying.

This is how you prepare it-:

• Mix the flour ,ajwain seeds, salt together. Mix it well.

• Add 1 tbsp of heated oil into the mixture.

• Add the milk as much as you need to kneed the dough. Make sure that the dough is neither too tight nor too soft. It should be of medium consistency.

• Rest the dough for half an hour before you give them a shape.
• Take a little portion of the dough in to your hands and roll the dough to make them like the shape of your fingers.

• Deep fry them in the oil.

And the rice fingers are ready!!

You can change the shape and make them round or shape them like a drop of water. (refer to the picture below).

Courtesy: Wikipedia.

When you shape them like the picture above, it's called kadboli. Kadboli is a savory snack prepared in Maharashtra, India. Traditionally kadboli's are made up of a flour mixture of chana, urad dal,rice,moong and cumin seeds.

Enjoy!!

Coming up: Tasty triangles and savory ribbons!!!