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Cranberries have moderate levels of vitamin C, dietary fiber and the essential dietary mineral, manganese, as well as a balanced profile of other essential micronutrients. Walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and many powerful antioxidants. Walnut Cranberry bread combines these nutrient source and ends up as a tasty food.
Ingredients
- All purpose flour – ¾ cups
- Whole wheat flour – ¾ cups.
- Sugar – ¾ cup.
- Soy milk – ½ cup.
- Orange Juice – ½ cup.
- Canola oil – ¼ cup.
- Baking soda – ½ tsp.
- Baking powder – 1 tsp.
- Walnuts – ½ cup.
- Dried cranberries – 1 cup.
- Corn starch – 3 tablespoons.
- Salt – ½ tsp.
- Vanilla essence – 1 tsp.
Directions
1. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the cake pan (8x 4 inch). Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl stir in soy milk, orange juice and canola oil. Add the vanilla essence, walnuts and dried cranberries and mix it a little.
3. In a large bowl mix flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and corn starch flour.
4. Now add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix in gently, stirring in one direction.
5. Pourthe mix into the greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes.
6. Insert a skewer to check if properly baked or bake until done.
7. Remove pans to cooling rack. Cool completely for 1 hour and slice them. Store them in refrigerator.
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Rice noodles, known by many names – Idiyappam/ Sevai/ Sandhavai/ Rice noodles/ String hoppers/ noolappam is a creditable dish of South India. You can call this dish as a comfort food.
Making this dish used to thrill me when I was young. I get excited to see the noodles come out like thin threads from the instrument. But making this dish then, was tedious job. Rice has to be soaked and ground into watery batter, and then fried in the pan for the water to evaporate and then steamed and then pressed in the equipment specially meant for it.
But now, it has become easy with the readily available rice flour in the market, and not to tell about the easy press. Potato stew or kurma serve as a tasty accompaniment to this. I made potato stew to go along with the idiyappam and it turned out to be very tasty and lipsmacking.
Rice Noodles
Ingredients
- Rice flour – 2 cups. ( store-bought idiyappam flour)
- Water – 4 cups
- Salt to taste
- Vegetable oil- 2 tsps
Directions
1. Bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add salt and oil. When the water boils, add the rice flour litlle by little and knead it into a smooth dough. Grease the “idiyappam press” and fill the press with the dough and press in circles on the idli plates. Steam it for 12 mts .Allow it to cool and transfer it into the serving bowl.
You could buy frozen idiyappam and can either steam or microwave it and skip all the above steps.
Potato stew
Ingredients
- Potatoes- 4 chopped into cubes. (You can use cauliflowers and carrots along with potatoes)
- Onion – 1 chopped
- Green chilies- 4 (slit)
- Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
- Cardamom- 2
- Cinnamon stick- 1 piece
- Bay leaf- 1
- Coconut milk – 1 cup. ( available in cans)
- Salt to taste.
- Vegetable oil/ canola oil/ olive oil- 2 tsp
Directions
1. Add some oil to the pan. Splutter the cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf. Stir in the onions along with the chilies and ginger garlic paste. Let the onions become translucent.
2. Add the potatoes and veggies and sauté them for 3 to 5 minutes. (don’t brown the potatoes).
3. Add the coconut milk and simmer the stove. If you think coconut milk is too thick, add half cup of water. Bring it to boil in low flame and switch off the stove.Add salt and mix well.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice noodles.
Notes
1. Don’t cook the coconut milk much as it will lessen the taste.
2. Add salt only after switching off the stove . Salt will curdle the coconut milk if added earlier.
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Bottle gourd is also called bottle squash, dooddhi or lauki. It is very low in calories, saturated fat, and cholesterol, and is a perfect ingredient for weight-loss diets. You van use this in curries or raitas, or steam or stir fry it.
Use this recipe whenver you want a milder version of pulao. I borrowed this recipe from my friend and is a family-hit! Give it a try friends, you will be glad you tried it.
Ingredients
- Basmati rice – 2 cups. (Wash and soak the rice for half an hour and drain the rice and set aside)
- Bottle gourd – 1 (peel the gourd and chop into small pieces)
- Onions- 1 (chopped)
- Green chilies- 4 (slit)
- Ginger and garlic – 1 tsp
- Mint leaves- ½ cup
- Coriander leaves – ½ cup
- Cinnamon stick- 1 piece
- Cardamoms – 2
- Bay leaf- 1
- Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
- Fennel seeds- 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
- Salt to taste
- Oil – 3 table spoons
Directions
1. Heat a deep bottomed pan and add oil. Once hot, add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cardamom bay leaf and cinnamon. Once they sizzle add onions and ginger garlic paste and green chilies and fry till onion turns translucent.
2. Stir in the bottle gourd and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Now add the mint and coriander leaves and fry till the leaves wilt.
3. Add turmeric powder and salt and add 3 cups of water. (add one a half cup of water for every cup of rice)
4. When water begins to boil, add the drained rice , mix gently and close the pan with the lid, and bring the heat to medium.
5. After 10 to 15 minutes, you would see water absorbed by the rice. Simmer the stove to a low flame and cook for 5 more minutes. Switch off the stove and gently mix the rice so as not to break the long grains.
Serve with carrot salad .
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Have you ever baked your own bread? I insist that you give it a try if you want to sense the enticing aroma of freshly baked bread. You may be reluctant in following the several steps involved in baking the bread when you can get one right from your supermarket shelf. But, if you try this, I am sure you would love it not only for the experience but also for the large choices of flours and herbs you can opt in your recipe. You can get ideas for more bread recipes from here.
Ingredients
- Whole wheat flour – 1 ¾ cups
- Bread flour - ¼ cup
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Sugar - 2 tsp
- Water - 1 cup
- Dry active yeast - I packet
- Walnuts - ¼ cup
- Dried basil – ½ tsp
- Dried oregano – ½ tsp
Directions
1. Lightly spray a 9×5x3 inch pan. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine whole wheat flour and bread flour with salt. Set the bowl in warm oven. (set the oven to the lowest setting)
3. In a small bowl, mix sugar into 1/4 cup of water. Sprinkle yeast over liquid. Set it aside until yeast is dissolved and foamy, for about 15 minutes.
4. Remove warmed bowl of flour from oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
5. Stir in walnuts, basil, oregano and thyme into the warm flour. Pour yeast mixture and remaining 3/4 cup water into the flour mix. Using a wooden spoon, mix the flour until sticky dough forms. Don’t worry if the mixture seems dry first, it will get moisture as you stir. Keep mixing it until it pulls away from sides of bowl partially.
6. Turn dough into the prepared pan. Cover pan with a slightly wet dish towel. Set it in a warm place until the dough doubles in volume (for about 15 minutes).
7. Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees, and then reduce heat to 425 degrees and bake 20 minutes, until loaf sounds hollow when tapped in center of the top and bottom. Crust will be dark brown and hard. (If the loaf is very dark but still moist in center, turn off the oven and let the bread sit in oven for 5 minutes). Let the bread cool completely before slicing.
This recipe is good for three servings. If you want more, scale up the ingredients accordingly.
Lentil soup
Lentil soup is a good complement for the bread (Lentil is a good source of protein. You can opt for some other protein rich recipes such as split pea soup).
Ingredients
- Onion – 1 (chopped).
- Carrots – 2 (medium sized – chopped)
- Celery stalks – 2 (chopped)
- Spinach – 1 cup (chopped greens firmly packed)
- Tomato – 2 (finely chopped)
- Vegetable broth – 1 can
- Lentils – 1 cup ( for this recipe, I used the canned beans. If you want to use dried ones, please see note under “variation”)
- Ground coriander powder- 1 tsp
- Ground cumin powder – 1 tsp
- Dried oregano – 1 tsp
- Dried basil – 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Olive oil – 2 tsps.
Directions
1. Heat a large pan and add oil. Add garlic , onions, celery and carrot. Sauté them for 5 to 6 minutes. Add chopped spinach and fry them till they wilt.
2. Add tomatoes and cook till they become mushy. Add vegetable broth along with coriander powder, cumin powder and dried oregano and basil. Increase heat and bring it to rolling boil.
3.Stir in lentil and simmer the stove . Let it cook for 20 mts on low heat. Switch off the stove. Add salt and pepper according to your taste.
Variation: If you are using dried lentils, stir in the lentils along with the vegetable broth and cook in low heat for 45 – 50 minutes or until the lentil is cooked but not mushy.
It is a perfect combo – a duo delight!!
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When I read the book “Deceptively Delicious” by Jessica Seinfeld, I found it interesting how she made her meals nutritious and children-friendly by adding various vegetable and fruit purees into otherwise common recipe. Following this idea, I modified the recipe for “applesauce muffins” to make it nutritious and vegan friendly.
Ingredients
- All purpose flour - ¾ cup.
- Whole wheat flour - ¾ cup.
- Old fashioned oats - 1 cup.
- Apple sauce - 1 cup ( I pressure cooked 3 chopped apples and pureed it).
- Carrot puree - ½ cup (I steamed chopped carrots for 12 mts and pureed it in blender).
- Brown sugar - ½ cup ( firmly packed).
- Vegetable or canola oil – ¼ cup
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9” bread pan and set aside.
- Mix the apple sauce, carrot puree , soy milk and oil thoroughly.
- In a bowl, combine the wheat flour, all purpose flour , baking soda , baking powder, cinnamon powder and sieve them 2 two times to combine well. Now add the brown sugar and mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold the mixture gently. The batter will be lumpy.
- Pour the batter into greased pan and bake in 350 degrees for about 55 to 60 minutes.
- Check the cake by inserting a skewer stick and bake until done.
Store in fridge after a day.
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Tofu – also known as soybean curd is made by curdling fresh hot soy milk with coagulant. Tofu made from soy milk helps in weight loss. Its a natural “low carb”, “low glycemic”, “low sodium” and “high protein” food, and helps greatly in wait loss.
If you are on a weight loss plan, this easy-to-make recipe comes in handy to help you feel fuller for a longer time without having to reach for a snack in between. Since yours truly is on a weight loss plan (hey, who wouldn’t like to look slim) decided to make tofu burger for lunch.
Ingredients
- Tofu – 1/2 pack firm tofu (Once the tofu package is open, leftover tofu should be rinsed and covered with fresh water for storage. Change the water daily to keep it fresh, and use the tofu within a week.)
- Onion – 1 finely chopped
- Potato – 1 (cubed and boiled).
- Carrot – 1 (grated and squeeze out the excess of water).
- Frozen Peas – 1/4 (thawed and mashed partially).
- Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
- Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
- Chilly Powder – 1/2 tsp.
- Besan flour – 1 tablespoon.
- Ginger – garlic paste- 1 tsp
- Cornstarch – 1 tsp
- Bread crumbs -1/2 cup
- Salt – to taste
- Oil to fry.
Directions
1. Squeeze excess water out of the tofu and crumble it finely. Set aside.
2. Mash the boiled potatoes.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add the onions along with the ginger garlic paste. Once the onions become translucent add the dry powders. (Cumin, coriander, chilly and salt). Fry until the raw smell goes away.
4. Stir in the grated carrots and mashed potaoes, along with the peas and crumbled tofu.
5. Mix them properly in low medium heat.Turn off the heat and add the coriander leaves and the besan powder and mix them properly. The besan powder helps in binding the veggies well so that the patties stay in shape. Let them cool.
6. Once they are cool enough to be handled, take a small portion and roll it in your palms and flatten it a little bit.
7. Make a thin paste with the corn starch flour and water. Dip the balls / cutlets/ patties in the paste and roll them over the bread crumbs to get a good coating.
Burgers
Heat a skillet on medium high and add the patties. Add one tsp of oil on both side. Let them cook for 6 to 7 minutes. Flip the Pattie to the other side and cook it or until it becomes golden brown.
Cutlets
Heat oil in a pan, add the patties and deep fry until golden.
You can shallow fry it if you like. Serve with ketchup or mint chutney.
I had my pattie stuffed between whole wheat bread with some lettuce and a slice of tomato. Hmmm….delicious!
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Yesterday was a pinnacle in the history of United States. It was a glorious day as Barack Obama took his oath as the president. It was amazing to see the four former presidents being introduced and hailed! Then Obama took his oath as president with the Bible with which Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as president. It was an extrodinary moment in history.
I did not want to miss the inaugural ceremony and address! So, I wanted to whip up something fast for the lunch, and wanted it to be healthy at the same time. So I prepared beans soup with veggies and pasta, which is a whole meal by itself.
Ingredients
- Bell peppers - 2 ( red & green 1 each) – cut into pieces
- Carrot – 2, medium sized ( cubed)
- Green beans – 10 strings ( cut into small pieces)
- Celery sticks - 2 sticks
- Zucchini - 1 (diced)
- Onion - 1 ( cut finely)
- Tomatoes - 3 (chopped)
- Pasta shells - 1/2 cup
- Pink beans - 1/2 cup ( I used the canned beans. If you are using the dried beans, soak them in water for eight hours)
- Vegetable Broth – 2 cups
- Garlic - 2 minced
- Dried Thyme - 1/2 tsp
- Dried Oregano – 1/2 tsp
- Oil - 2 tsps
- Chilli flakes - 1 tsp (optional)
Directions
1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add the garlic, onion and bell peppers. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring ocassionally , until crisp-tender.
2. Now add the green beans and carrot and sauté for 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook till they become mushy.
3. Stir in the vegetable broth along with the pink beans. Cook for 5 minutes . Bring the broth to boil. Reduce the heat to medium low.
4. Stir in the pasta shells. Boil for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring ocassionally. Now add the dried spices and salt.
5. Ladle the soup into the bowl and enjoy!
I enjoyed both the hearty soup and the inaugural speech 
Posted by: Uma
Filed under: Soups
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Every health conscious person tries to have dietary and nutritious meal. I am one such person and always like to cook special entrée for the Sunday lunch. Since I wanted to incorporate some tofu in the meal for its protein content, I decided to cook Kung Pao Tofu – a Chinese dish.
Here’s my version of Kung Pao Tofu.
Ingredients
- 1 pack firm tofu.
- 1/2 cup carrot ( cubed).
- 1/2 onion / spring onions(cubed).
- 1/2 cup red bellpepper (cubed).
- 1/2 cup broccolli florets. (steam them for 4 to 5 minutes).
- 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts (unsalted).
For the Sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce.
- 1 tablespoon ( white/black ) vinegar.
- 1 tablespoon corn starch.
- 1/2 tsp sugar.
- 2 tablespoons vegetable broth/water.
Seasonings
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes ( you can modify the amount according to your preference).
- 4 cloves garlic (minced).
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger.
- Salt to taste.
- 2 tablespoons of oil.
For Marinade
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar.
- 1 tablespoon water.
Directions
1. Squeeze the water out of the tofu with both the hands. Cut the tofu into bite sized cubes.
2. Heat oil in a skillet and fry the tofu on all the sides, untill golden brown. Set aside.
3. Mix the marinade mixture in a bowl and toss the tofu into the marinade mixture. This helps the tofu absorb the flavor .
4. In another bowl, mix the soy sauce, cornstarch, vinegar , sugar and vegeatable broth. Set aside.
5. Heat a wok and add 3 tsps of oil. When the oil gets hot, add the chilli falkes, ginger and garlic. Fry for around 30 seconds.
6. Add carrots. Let them cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Now stir in the onions, and fry for a minute more.
7. Add the red bell peppers and cook them until they become soft.
8. Stir in the broccoli florets. Sauté them for a minute or two and add the marinated tofu to this.
9. Add the soy sauce mixture. Cover with a lid and simmer for few minutes . Cook until the sauce thickens.
10. Garnish with peanuts.
Serve hot with steamed white rice.
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This cake is utterly, butterly delicious, Oops, the cake is delicious but made without butter, milk and egg – yes, you read it right.
I met a woman who is in her seventy’s, in the Laundromat. mWhile waiting for my laundry to be ready, we started conversing about books and authors. After a fair deal of discussing about books, she continued to describe her good old days – how they would cook extravagant meals and bake pies, cakes and tarts. Even in bad economic conditions they would bake a cake without butter, milk and eggs, and not a single day would they have tea without cakes.
It was interesting perspective to see how they made vegan cakes, but for some other reason – to save money. Any way, here is my version of this vegan cake, slightly different from the traditional cake recipe.
Ingredients
- Flour- 1.5 cups ( I used 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of all purpose flour).
- Sugar – 1 cup
- Baking soda – 1 tsp
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Cocoa pwder – 2 tbsp
- White vinegar – 1 tbsp
- Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
- Canola oil – 3/4 cup
- Cold water (not iced) – 1 cup
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine dry ingredients in flour sifter and sift into an ungreased 8×8 square or a 9-inch round baking pan. You can also use a 9-inch cast-iron skillet.
3. Poke three holes into the flour mixture. In the first hole, or the vinegar. In the second hole, pour the vanilla. In the third hole, pour the oil.
4. Then pour one cup of water into the pan and mix very well.
5. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or less, until done (prick the center with a fork, and it sould come out clean).
6. Cut in squares and sprinkle top with powdered sugar.
This cake literally melted in our mouth . We thoroughly enjoyed our delicious fat free vegan cake!
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Pasta is a versatile dish that can be incorporated any kind of flavor, making the dish pleasing and palatable. Being pasta lover, I often cook it with different combination of ingredients. I have given my favorite recipe here. Hope you find this pleasing and palatable too.
Ingredients
- Pasta - 4 cups ( I prefer to use whole grain pasta to get some fiber into the meal)
- Colored bell peppers - cubed into pieces. ( I used red, yellow, orange and green - Bell peppers are great source of vitamin C. Green peppers have twice the amount of vitamin C by weight than citrus fruits, and this powerful punch of vitamin C acts as an antioxidant. Red bell peppers have three times vitamin C and eleven times more beta carotene than green bell peppers. )
- Onion – 1 (chopped).
- Garlic cloves – 2 ( grated - grating the garlic enhances the flavor of pasta)
- Plain tomato sauce – 5 tbsp
- Crushed red pepper – 1 tsp
- Italian seasoning – 1 tsp
- Curry powder – 1/2 tsp
- Olive oil (extra virgin – try to use extra virgin whenever you can. It contains less than 0.8% acidity, no refined oil and has a superior taste. ) – 3 tsp
- Salt to taste
Directions
1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Set aside.
2. In a pan, heat the olive oil and add the grated garlic and onions. once the onions become translucent add crushed pepper and curry powder and italian seasoning.
3. Add bell peppers and stir fry them for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Now add the tomato sauce and stir well. Bring the flame to medium heat and let the veggies cook in tomato sauce for 5 minutes.
5. Add salt and stir in the cooked pasta. Mix well.
Clashing and colorful pasta is ready. When use curry powder, it enhances the flavor and aroma.
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