Bread Toast
Bread toast is something that is readily available in local bakeries and most of us like it. Preparing it at home is not not only v easy but also way cheaper and healthier.
Chop 2 onions into medium sized thin pieces.Shallow fry it in v little oil/ghee until pink. Add a little turmeric powder and red chilly powder, 1 grated carrot, one tomato, salt and finely chopped coriander leaves. Cook for a few minutes.Toast 4 bread slices in ghee/butter/oil. Top it with the mix. Eat fresh!
Gooseberry Pickles
No authentic Indian lunch feels complete without pickles. Gooseberry pickle, sends our tastebuds trickling even at the very thought of it. Being very high in Vitamin C, it takes care of our daily requirement of the same in this form. Contributed by Navarathna Sanjeev.
In a microwaveable bowl, heat 1/2 kg gooseberry for 2-3 minutes so that u can easily deseed the gooseberries with ur hands. in a frying pan. warm 1/2 cup oil. Crackle mustard seeds in it. Add 2-3 tsp coarsely ground fenugreek powder, 3-4 tsp red chilly powder n salt as per your requirement. Throw in the deseeded gooseberry halves n mix well. Cover n cook for 5-8 minutes.
This pickle lasts for about a week and tastes its best after two days of preparation.
Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal cookies make an excellent tea-time/Tiffin box snack for kids. They are healthy as well. Learnt from Navarathna Sanjeev. Thanks for the recipe dear.
Ingredients Used:
100 gm (1/2 cup) butter at room temperature
220 gm (1 cup) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp milk
100 gm (1 cup) oats
140 gm (1 cup) wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp baking soda
Method:
In a large bowl, take the butter, sugar, vanilla and milk and beat until smooth and creamy.
In another bowl, assemble all the dry ingredients, the oats, flour, cinnamon powder and baking soda and mix well.
Mix in the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and knead briefly until the cookie dough comes together.
Preheat the oven at 175 C.
Divide the mixture into 24 equal parts and form into round balls.
Place on a greased or non stick cookie tray at a distance from each other.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes for a chewy cookie and 25 to 30 minutes for crisp cookies.
Soy or Paneer Pakodas
Soy/paneer pakodas make an excellent tea-time snack, especially on a cold/rainy evening. This creation has been contributed by Raksha Kini.
Cook soy chunks by boiling in salt water for 10 min. Squeeze all the water out.
Garnish with kitchen king powder, grated raw garlic n chilly flakes.
For the batter, mix chickpea flour, cumin seeds ,cumin powder, haldi, chilly powder, rice flour, corn flour, a pinch of garam masala powder n salt in appropriate amount of water to make a paste. Deep fry.
Use the same recipe for paneer, the only difference being that, paneer needs no soaking or boiling. Just sprinkle salt and other masalas and leave for 5 mins prior to coating with batter and deep frying.
- Eat fresh, for, otherwise, the pakodas become chewy.
Healthy Mac and Cheese
Healthy Mac and Cheese is one famous pasta item which is liked by both the young and the old alike. Here is a recipe shared by Vinatha Padiyar. Hope you like it!
Cook a cup of pasta and keep it aside. In a pan,add a tbsp of butter. Once it melts, add 1 tbsp of maida and fry for a minute, now add 1 cup of milk and keeping stirring so that no lumps are formed. When the milk begins to thicken , add 1/2 cup of grated cheese, salt and pepper and switch off the heat.
In another vessel, add a tsp of oil and fry any chopped vegetables like broccoli , carrots peas corns etc tiil they r crunchy. Now, add 1/2 cup of vegetable broth (or plain water will also do) and let the vegetables cook for 3 minutes. Mix the pasta and the milk cheese mixture to it. When it comes to a boil, switch off the gas. Check for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly. If it is too thin, add more cheese or too thick add milk. Serve and enjoy. Good for kid's lunch boxes too :)
