350th post celebrating with Palak Paneer easy recipe

This is my 350th post, is there any better food in the world that makes me happy and brings me to a  celebration mood other than Palak Paneer? the answer is no. Palak paneer or saag paneer is a very comforting food that everyone loves it. I always prepare this curry by pureeing the boiled spinach, but this time I made it in a qucik, easy and nutritious way. So, this is my yummy 350th post with easy, quick and healthy recipe of paneer saag (Palak/Spinach).

Ingredinets:

Spinach-washed and chopped fine-3cups

Tomato puree-1/2cup

Green chili-1

Onion-finely chopped-1/2cup

oil-1tbsp

cumin seeds-1/2tbsp

mustard seeds-1/2tbsp

Red chili-1

Cumin powder-1tbsp

coriander powder-1tbsp

garam masala-1/4tbsp (to taste)

Red chili powder-1/2tbsp (to taste)

Turmeric-pinch

salt to taste

Panner-100grms- chopped to large cubes

Method

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and allow them to splatter. Later add green chili, onion and cook them till they turn golden brown. Now add turmeric, garlic paste and cook till raw flavor of garlic goes away. Then add spinach and close the pan with a lid and cook under medium flame for 5min. Later add tomato puree, mix well and cook until raw flavor of tomato is gone and spinach is done. Add in the spice powders: cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, red chili powder and mix well. Add salt and adjust to taste.  Finally add the paneer cubes and mix well. Cook for 2min and turnoff the stove and enjoy with naan or rice. I suggest having it with garlic naan, it tastes wonderful and it is always my favorite combination.

Let me take a moment to thank you for stopping by my blog and also appreciate you for becoming the part of a huge success behind my blog. Please keep visiting and do not forget to comment, I read all your comments and will get back to you as well. 

100% Vegetarian Custard Pie

Custard means a dessert made with milk, sugar and eggs. For the people who does not like having eggs, this recipe serves as a best alternative to make a custard pie without using any eggs. Few days back I had few of my best buddies visiting my house after a long time, one of them was a vegan and I tried my best to prepare the food devoid of dairy and non-veg and that is the reason why I made this vegetarian custard pie.

Speaking about veganism brought me to an interesting topic, here in USA my world is very small I can barely count the people on my fingers whom I can call as my friends. In this small world, I observed that many of them are converting to a vegan diet and it is very interesting to know the reason behind their conversion.They all watched either "Forks over Kinfe" or "Veducated" movie on a Netflix. I was pretty amazed to see that a movie could impact someone so much that they prepared to leave their most favorite non-veg food and practice veganism. I watched both movies and could imagine how the meat eaters would have felt when they saw it. I'm a vegetarian so, I did not regret much but my heart broke apart after seeing how animals are treated, when they are raised for meat or milk production. May be I too will switch to vegan soon!!!!

Ingredients:

Ready made Pie crust-1 (I bought this from Kroger, you can find it in the frozen section)
Custard powder-5tbsp (You can buy this in any Indian store, make sure it says 100% vegetarian)
Sugar-1cup
Fruits of your choice (I used Apple, Blueberry & Raspberry)
For Jam: I used frozen Raspberry, Blueberry and Blackberry in equal quantities

Method
Blind baking: Pre-heat oven to 475F. Take pie out of the cover and with the help of fork poke some holes on the crust (It prevents the pie from raising) .Cover it on the top with parchment paper, then add any dry beans on top and bake at 475 F for 20 min. If you do not wish to blind bake you can just bake it directly.

Jam: Heat a small pot and add hand full of your favorite frozen fruit to it and mix well, soon the mixture starts converting to a thick mixture add 1tbsp of sugar to it and turnoff the stove.

Custard preparation: Heat a thick bottom pot and add 2 cups of water, 1 cup sugar, 1/2tbsp orange zest, 1/4cup orange juice and mix well. Take 1/4 cup of  warm water and add 4tbsp of custard and mix well. Add this custard mixture to the boiling sugar mixture in the pot and mix well. When the mixture is thick enough turn off the stove and let the mixture to cool little bit.

Custard pie: Arrange thinly sliced apple pieces at the bottom of a baked pie and spread prepared jam on it. Then add custard mixture and allow it to cool completely. Decorate with your desired fruits and serve cold with whipped cream on top or sprinkle some confectioners sugar on top like me.

For me this is the best vegetarian custard that I ever tasted and my friends liked it a lot.

Tips: If you do not have any problem in having milk you can substitute milk for water during custard preparation.
for real custard recipe, blind bake the pie and mix 6 large eggs, 2cups of sugar and 1cup of milk in a pan and pour this mixture on a pie and bake it @ 475  F till it turns golden brown and enjoy!!!!

I hope you like my recipe! Please leave your valuable comments!!! :)

Valentines day special Shrimp 65

Guy's you might wonder why am I posting my Valentines day recipe now, although it's been a while and we all even forgot how we celebrated it! I know, but I have an answer and the answer is that I have already started my research now and I am working in two fields one is Thesis and the other is a special topic that I am interested in. I was always fascinated by cancer research this is what I wanted to do my entire life. I was looking for an opportunity and you know what it knocked my door, but in a wrong time because I already stared my thesis on the other topic. And I also do not want to loose this opportunity so, I accepted it. Now my days including weekends are loaded with work. I love it, I love to be busy always but I love only when the experiment works, and last weak our experiment flopped!! :( I cross my fingers and hope that it works this time!

Now coming to the recipe and todays recipe is "Shrimp-65", sounds great isn't it!
My hubby is a big fan of chicken 65, I always used to make this on the special occasions in my house, and this time I made it for the Valentines day. But, this time I wanted to try different and you are right I did it with small shrimp. It came out really wonderful, my hubby never enjoy shrimp but he liked it so badly that he asked me to make it daily!!!! :)

I used the frozen small shrimp that was available at Kroger as "Cocktail small shrimp" in the frozen section. You can also find it at wal-mart and other super markets, and you are always welcome to use a fresh shrimp.

Ingredients

Shrimp small-40 in number
Egg-1
Pepper powder-1/4tbsp
red chili powder-1/2tbsp
salt to taste (Remember this shrimp already has some salt in it)
corn flour (corn starch)-1/2tbsp
Fresh ginger-garlic paste-1/2tbsp
oil for deep fry
cumin seeds-/14 tbsp
cumin powder-1/2tbsp
coriander powder-1/2tbsp
garam masala-1/2tbsp
Green chili-2  sliced along length wise
Curry leaves few
Freshly grated ginger
Freshly grated garlic
red color (optional)


Method:

If you are using a frozen shrimp like me thaw it first under the cool running water for 2min and remove the tails (the scales on the tail were attached for the shrimp that I bought so, I have to remove them before use, if your shrimp do not have any  scales then you can directly use them).

Blot the shrimp on paper towel to remove any excess water, and add the shrimp to a large mixing bowl. ADD in cumin powder, coriander powder, salt, cum,in seeds, red chili powder, pepper powder, corn flour, ginger-garlic paste and garam masala. Mix all the ingredients well, then add egg and mix well. Now this mixture is ready to deep fry.

Heat oil enough for a deep fry in a pan and under the medium flame fry 10 shrimp's at a time, and fry them till they turn golden brown. Repeat for all the remaining shrimps. Take this shrimp on to a paper towel to remove any excess oil. If you use lot of shrimp at a time to deep fry it may not come out good and you may be left with an undercooked shrimp or it may take a long time to fry.

once you are done deep frying them, heat 1tbsp of oil in a pan and add fresh grated ginger, garlic saute till raw smell starts to disappear and add in green chili, pinch of red color and curry leaves and now you can adjust salt or chili powder to your taste (I did not add it to my shrimp as they came out perfect). Dump in all shrimp and mix well. Serve hot with chat masala or enjoy with a hot steamed rice.

Lauren's Valentines day Icing for Cup Cakes

Lauren is one of my wonderful friends. She is very charming, cute and a typical American girl. I can chat with her the whole day, time just flies away when I am with her. She made some delicious cup cakes for her boyfriend on Valentines day and also shared some with all our friends. Here is the recipe for icing that I took from her. I am sorry the cupcakes are so delicious that I even forgot to take a snap. But next time we will ask Lauren to make some more and make sure to snap them!

Icing for 12 cup cakes:
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 cup Crisco
2-3 tablespoons milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

Method:
In a bowl mix Crisco, salt, vanilla and 2 cups of sugar. Add milk and remaining sugar alternately; mix until smooth and creamy. Add more sugar or milk if needed for good spreading consistency.
I hope you like this wonderful recipe for icing. 

Guest Post by Ms. Kendra Thornton:Asian Almond Chicken Salad: Take Home the Taste of Honolulu

Time for a guest post, few days back I received an email from Ms. Kendra Thornton saying that she wanted to write a guest post on my blog. I didn't know who she was before but after a little research I found out a lot of interesting things about her. I feel very honored to share this article of her on my blog.  Here, about Ms. Kendra - in her own words:

"My name is Kendra and I am a long time travel expert who has been packing my bags and traveling the world since I was 3 months old!

My passion for travel is only eclipsed by my passion for my three beautiful children. I’ve been lucky to combine the two, and am often featured as an expert in family, luxury and adventure travel for FOX News, ABC, CBS, NBC, and CW networks.

Personally, I've been to 28 countries on 6 continents, and have been quoted in the news about seasonal travel trends and destinations all over the United States. Now stepping out of the corporate spotlight to take on my role of being the number one mom and wife to a family of three, I've found my utmost desire in life is right here in my own home. I have mixed my excitement for travel by bringing the taste of authentic cuisine to my own home with some of my unique recipes".

Now here follows the wonderful recipe along with her experience and memories of travel. I hope you enjoy it. 

Asian Almond Chicken Salad: Take Home the Taste of Honolulu

One of my most favorite things about traveling is to try new foods.  Hawaii was a surprise to me because, although it is in the same country, its flavors are a world away.  This time I stayed at the Halekulani Hotel, amongst some of the top hotels in Honolulu, and what a jewel this place was!  

Situated on the famous Waikiki Beach down Kalia Road in Honolulu, this place has been serving people in style for more than 100 years.  After a heavenly day of sunning on the beach and playing in the blue ocean, I tucked into the hotel restaurant for a bite to eat.  I ordered a salad off the menu thinking a light lunch would be best for the beachwear.

I ordered a simple Asian Chicken Almond Salad, but was gob smacked by the rich flavor.  Before I left the island, I had ordered this salad a dozen more times.   I knew that I would have to figure out this recipe to bring it back to the East Coast and share with my friends and family.  So I set to searching online and found this recipe inspired by the same salad from Halekulani Hotel.  Try this Nom Nom Paleo recipe and find a whole host of substitutions to make this salad your very own signature dish.

Asian Chicken Almond Salad 

Dressing Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons creamy almond butter
• 2 tablespoons Red Boat brand fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon of coconut vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce
• ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper

Salad Ingredients:
• 3 cups of shredded cooked chicken
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
• 8 small kohlrabi roots, peeled and sliced (you can sub in jicama or sliced apples)
• Handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
• Handful of basil, cut in chiffonade
• Large head of romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
• Handful of blanched slivered almonds

Method:
First prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients from the dressing ingredient list, and whisk to emulsify.  Next, build the salad by slicing the kohlrabi and with julienne peeler shred the carrots.  Toss these vegetables and slivered almonds into a bowl. Add the dressing, the chicken and the herbs and toss all together.  Serve on a bed of romaine lettuce.

I hope you enjoy this meal just as much as my family and I do!

Potato Burger Patti- Aloo tikki Patti

Healthy food is what everyone is in search of these days, many people think that they cannot prepare food for themselves because of lack of time or they are unaware of easy recipes or last but not the least they are lazy. So, many of them who are working rush for the fast food centers and load their stomach with lots of calories, I do not say that loading the body with the calories is bad but, I say that whenever you eat stay cautious about what you are eating and what it does to you. If , you could give a little time you can make these wonderful patties at home in no time and refrigerate them and use daily. I do not say that they are very healthy but I can definitely say that they are much healthier than the one you buy in the market and also when you make yourself you know what is there in the food that you eat and what it does to you.

So, friends stop going to the fast food centers and try to practice these simple recipes at home, then you can notice the big difference in taste and you can save some money too!

Ingredients

For making 3 large patties

one large boiled potato pealed

Spring onion finely chopped-2tbsp

cumin seeds-1/2tbsp

red chili powder- to taste

oil-3tbsp

turmeric-1/4tbsp

ginger garlic paste-1/2tbsp

salt to taste

Chat masala-1/2 tbsp (Optional)

Coriander poser-1/2tbsp (optional)

Lemon juice-2tbsp

Gram flour (senega pindi)-3tbsp

Method

Mash the potato and keep aside. Heat 1tbsp of oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, when they start splattering add spring onions and saute them till they are soft. Then add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw flavor vanishes (be careful the paste will splatter all over). Turn off the flame and  add turmeric,salt, red chili powder, chat masala, coriander powder and mix well. When the mixture gets cool down mix mashed potato, 1tbsp of gram flour and lemon juice. Divide the mixture in to 3 equal portions and make each portion in to ball shape and flatten it like a Patti. You can use the cutting board to flatten it, so that it remain smooth on all sides. Dust with gram flour all over.  When the patties are ready, heat 1tbsp of oil in a pan and fry the patties on both sides till they turn golden brown. This will add texture and crispness to the Patti. Arrange these patties in the burger bun and serve with the vegetables you like. You can pack this burger in the zip lock bag and take it to the work place. You can store these patties for 3days in the refrigerator and 7 days in the freezer. 

I hope you like my recipe and please come back again for more wonderful recipes.

Oats-Pesarattu (Oats- Moong dal Dosa)

This morning I realized that I soaked only a little moong dal (Pesara pappu /Green gram) yesterday night. It didn't make enough batter for making dosa for two. I thought I might do upma on a side. But I am out of upma ravva too! the next alternative was to add rice flour, but excess addition of rice flour makes dosa's firm and very crispy, and they do not taste great! so my next alternative was to grind some quick oats and add that powder to the batter. This worked really well, I just loved it!!! from now I know what I should do, if I do not have enough batter to prepare pesarattu. 

Ingredients:
Recipe for two
Moong dal/ pesara pappu/split green gram-1cup
Quick oats powdered coarsely-1/2cup
Green chili-2
Ginger 1 inch
Salt to taste
Onions chopped
oil- as required

Method:
wash and soak split green gram overnight or for 6 hours at least. Next day remove excess water and add this soaked dal to a grinder jar and also add green chili, salt, ginger and grind it to a coarse paste. Take this batter into a bowel and add oates powder, add some water and mix well. The consistency of a batter should be neither thick nor very thin, it should be somewhat like a idli batter. 

Heat pan and add 1/2tbsp of oil and spread all over. Take a laddle full of dough and put this entire batter at the center of the pan and spread into a thin sheet like dosa. add 1/2 tbsp of oil with a spoon around the sides of the dosa, add some chopped onions at the center of the dosa. Cook till it turns golden brown and flip it to cook on the other side, for 30seconds.  Transfer it to a serving plate and serve with a tomato chutney. I hope you like this healthy version of pesarattu!!!!