WHAT DO I MAKE...

This cake was referenced in one of my favorite blogs for eggless baking - Madhuram's  EgglessCooking . I am posting the original recipe below with some notes of course!! This is yet another simple cake recipe with some basic and easily available ingredients and the net result is a fluffy, yummy cake! The cake goes very well with vanilla (or) mango ice cream! :) Date Cake (Eggless) From Aayi's Recipes by Shilpa Ingredients: Dates - 18 dates, preferably seedless Milk - 3/4 cup milk Sugar - 3/4 cup All purpose flour (or maida) - 1 cup Oil - 1/2 cup Baking soda - 1 tsp Chopped walnuts - 2-3 tbsp Cashews - 16 halves Chopped dry apricots - 3 tbsp (this is optional, I used this instead of walnuts on my second attempt at making this cake!) Take the milk in a microwaveable bowl, add the dates and microwave for 2 mins or till the dates are soft enough to grind. When done, let it cool for 5-10 mins, add sugar and grind it to a smooth liquid. Pour this into a bowl, add oi...

Anu just mentioned she is going to follow this menu HERE as a tribute to her God . I love (almost) all items marked Veg on it and would like to try out some myself, but Anu's resolve to begin from the top and follow it in order - one dish per day - is inspiring. I just wish I lived in her neighborhood so I could benefit from her drive. In case you are wondering why the resolve - all of a sudden? Well, for one, the little master set a world record for a double century recently and it has got to be celebrated. Two, as it turns out, I am beating her to all her recipes. So, before there is nothing left to cook for her, she plans to get her act together and start cooking. --- Nitika Niti (being Niti!) is trying her best to get me to do a Julie Powell act. Well, I really wish I had the talent and dedication to take up a project like that. On February 24, 2010 - history was made by the one and only little master aka superman aka GOD aka champion aka master blaster aka Sachin Ramesh Te...

I made capsicum rice last night from a recipe Anu sent me from here and named it after the source. I think it came out awesome, esp. since I spent 1 1/2 hours in the kitchen making the podi that goes in it. Best of all - I got my Bulgarian yogurt back after 20 months of eating regular yogurt! For a change, I followed the recipe exactly, except a few minor changes like replacing cashews with peanuts and crushed pecans and increasing the amount of tamarind - and the end product was delicious.

I call this Gourmet pizza because it sounds better than Veggie Lover's or a Simply Veggie Pizza. There is no real recipe for this: I use whatever cheese and vegetables I have at hand any given day. I made this one with the following ingredients: Red Onion Red bell pepper Yellow bell pepper Green bell pepper Mushrooms Tomatoes Jalapeno pepper Fresh Mozzarella (although I wont recommend fresh) Feta cheese Parmesan cheese Mild Cheddar Pizza base (you can make your own) Ragu Pizza Sauce Olive oil I cut all veggies into 1/2 inch strips except for jalapeno peppers and mushrooms that I cut in slices. I brushed the base with olive oil, applied the pizza sauce generously and sprinkled mozzarella cheese all over. Since I used 'fresh' mozzarella, I had to cut it into tiny bits. Fresh mozzarella generally comes in small balls or a big lump of cheese in brine. Since I did not have regular mozzarella that I could grate, I just cut it up as well as I could. I added all t...

Posted by: Nitika Serving Size: 2 This is a surprisingly easy recipe for pudina rice. I have never had pudina rice in my house (I don't think it is a North Indian recipe) but I love all things mint. Anu sent me this recipe three years ago and I got to making it only this week. Here's Anu's original recipe: Ingredients: Basmati rice - 1 cup Water - 2 cups Cumin seeds - 2 tsp Pudina or mint - 1 bunch (just the leaves) Red onion - 1 medium, finely chopped Green chilis - 4-5 medium sized, finely chopped Garlic - 2-3 pods, thinly sliced Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp Red Chili powder - 1 tsp (optional) Salt Oil For garnishing: Red onions - 1/2 of a medium, cut into 1 inch strips Green chilis - 4, cut into 1 inch strips Roasted cashews - 1/4 cup Method : Steam rice with the water in a cooker. Don't put the pressure, just steam it for exactly 20 mins. Remove and spread it out on a big plate and cool. Heat oil in a kadhai, fry jeera, and add chopped ...

Posted by: Nitika Again this is one of those things that don't go with a recipe. Sid likes garbanzo salads so I tried mixing this up.  In this salad, I had: baby spinach baby carrots slivered almonds pecans red bell pepper cut in 3/4" strips diced green apple garbanzo beans feta cheese lemon juice 1/2 lemon (optional) EVOO 1/2 cup black pepper 1/4 tsp White wine vinegar 1/4 cup white sugar 1/2 cup paprika 1/4 tsp poppy seeds 1 tbsp I prepared the dressing by mixing all the ingredients from EVOO onwards. I tossed all the remaining ingredients (except lemon juice) gently in a big bowl, added the dressing and served. The lemon juice is totally optional as the dressing has vinegar already.

Now here's a dish that my mom loves and actually requests me to make, well I consider myself lucky that I have at least one such dish in my repertoire!! The recipe probably comes from a vegetarian cook book that I looked up a few years back, this one is definitely a tried, tested and approved dish! Ingredients: Fresh Asparagus - 1 pound Red Onion - 1/2 of a big onion, roughly chopped (or) Shallots - 6, roughly chopped All-purpose flour - 1 tbsp Water (or) vegetable stock - 2.5 cups Milk - 1 cup Salt, fresh ground pepper - according to taste Lemon juice - 2 tbsp Butter - 3 tbsp Wash the asparagus and separate the tips first and save them for garnishing. Now, chop the rest of the asparagus into 1 inch pieces till you hit the tough, hard bottom, make sure to discard this hard bottom part. In a non-stick pan, heat 2 tbsp of butter and add the onion/shallots. Saute till it's soft and add the chopped asparagus and saute for about 5 minutes. Now, fold in the flour and m...

Here's a simple recipe for a tea time snack. I am posting the recipe below from Sunita's World followed by my pictures and notes. Cuminy Nibbles From Sunita's World life and food What’s needed- 2 cups plain flour 2 tbsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp sugar 5-6 tbsp oil 1/2 cup of milk 1. Preheat the oven at 350 def F 2. Line and grease a baking tray. 3. In a mixing bowl, place the flour, baking soda, cumin seeds, sugar and salt and mix well. 4. Add the oil and rub it into the flour mixture. 5. Add the milk and bring everything together till the dough does not stick to the hand. But do not over knead, or they will turn out really hard. 6. Transfer the dough to the rolling board and roll out to about 2 mm thick. 7. With a 2 inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and arrange on the prepared baking tray. I made around 50 of them. Of course, it will not be possible to cut out so many at one go. Just bring ...

Posted by: Nitika Serving Size: 2 I tried this pasta a few years ago and I have to tell you - the ground almonds and raisins add that 'magic' touch to this recipe. Plus, the cottage cheese or paneer adds a filling flavor without settling on your chest! I made this pasta for our Holiday lunch at work and it was quite appreciated as the 'desi' version of pasta w/o the familiar desi spices. Ingredients: Penne (or Rigatoni) pasta - 1/2 lb Red Onion - 1 big, (cut lengthwise) Green bell pepper - 1 big,(cut lengthwise) Fresh mint leaves - 5-8 Fresh basil leaves - 5-8 Paneer - 1/2 cup (grated) Sugar - 1 tsp White wine - 1/2-2/3rd cup (I used Chardonnay) Classico Cabernet Marinara - 2/3rd of a bottle Almonds - 1/4 cup (coarsely ground) Roasted slivered almonds - 1/4 cup Golden raisins - 1/4 cup (coarsely ground) Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) - 3 tbsp 1.Boil around 3 quarts of water, add salt, EVOO, and add the pasta and cook al dente (for more instruct...

Post # 19      I tried this cake today for Vday special and it came out decent. Of course, the recipe is not mine and I found it here: http://www.freshinthekitchen.co.nz/recipes_show.asp?id=9 I won't rewrite the recipe but just note the changes I m ade. I left out lemon zest, replaced rice bran oil with olive oil (one for baking), and served it with hot chocolate fudge. I think the cake will be good with whipped cream too. I am not a big fan of bread or cake with dates or figs, Sid is. So, he liked this cake (or so he says) better than I did. I am not sure if I will make it again but I posted it here for those of you who are into fruit breads or cakes...

  Post # 19 Here's a simple snack for a lazy Sunday afternoon. This one definitely qualifies as a quick, easy-to-make appetizer ! Ingredients: Bread - 8 slices, cut each slice into two halves Green chilis - 4, finely chopped Grated cheese - 1.5 cups (monterey jack would be good) Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped Green capsicum - 1 medium, finely chopped Cilantro - 2-4 tsbp Mix ingredients 2-6 in a bowl. Preheat the oven at 350 degF. Place the bread slices on a baking tray and toast till they light-medium brown (10-15mins but keep checking in between) in color. Remove and spread a layer of the cheese mix over the slices and bake again till the cheese melts over (should be done in 5-10 mins).

Post # 18 If you grew up in Tamil Nadu, you have probably heard of "kothu parotta" - "kothu" means minced/scrambled and "parotta" (different from the North Indian paratha) is a layered bread made with maida (all-purpose flour). This dish is a popular road side delicacy and is made by scrambling parotta and egg and is served with "salna" (a spicy side dish which looks like sambhar). Chilli Parotta is a vegan version of this dish and thanks to Maha, I got to taste it for the first time! Maha is good friend and being-a-good-cook is just one of her many creative talents. Apart from my mom, she is one of the handfuls I know that pays attention to "presentation" and "eye appeal"! Now on to her recipe... Chilli Parotta By Maha Ramani Serving size: 2 Ingredients: Maharani's Choice Parotta - 1 box (contains 10 small parottas) Onion - 2-3 medium, ground to paste Tomato - 2-3 medium, ground to paste Onion - 1/2 mediu...

  Post # 17 Here's a contribution from Hema - a foodie buddy - one thing that connects us (and I am sure she will concur) is FOOD!!! During a casual chat (most part of which is usually food and recipes) yesterday, I happened to share a potato roast recipe with her and she tried it pronto, with some minor twists. So, read on below for her first contribution to "What's Cooking..." - Thanks Hema!! Ingredients 1. Golden Baby Potatoes - 15-20 2. Red Onion - 1 small - cut into medium length vertical slices 3. Oil - 10 tbsp 3. Urad dal - 1 tbsp 4. Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp 5. Garlic cloves - 5, chopped into small pieces For the marinade 1. Yogurt - 1 small cup 2. Garlic cloves 5, chopped into small pieces 3. Spice mix - 1Tbsp (each) of the following spices: Red Chill powder Cumin powder Coriander powder Tumeric powder Garam masala Rasam powder Sambar powder 4. Chopped Coriander - 10Tbsp (You can use some of this for the garnish) Preparation 1. ...

  Post # 16 Serving Size: 6-8 Posted by: Anu Ingredients: Minute Maid Frozen Lemonade - 1 can Minute Maid Frozen Orange - 1 can Sprite - 2 liters Fresh orange - 1, sliced Fresh lime - 1, sliced Ice - 2-3 cups In a punch bowl, pour the lemonade and orange, mix well and slowly mix in the Sprite. Add the orange slices, lime slices, ice and serve!! Notes: If you are preparing the punch ahead of time, save the Sprite and ice for later. You don't want to lose the fizz or dilute the drink too much. You can also add mint leaves. If preparing ahead of time, add it along with the frozen juices and if you are serving right away, crush the leaves in a mortar pestle before adding. To kick it up a notch, mix in some vodka (250-500ml)!!! April 2, 2011 I twisted the recipe a little bit. This time it was frozen orange (1 can), frozen limeade (1/4 of the can), 3-4 tbsp of honey, 2" ginger (I crushed the ginger, ran it in the blender with some water and added it to the...