Breakfast Out!

Today I got to eat breakfast out.So my hubby and I headed to a local cafe (we've always wanted to come here for breakfast but have only been here for dinner).I just love this place.It is always packed with people but never feels overcrowded you know what I mean.I also love the service and the cool cups and plates that they get you food in..:)

We had the Scrambled eggs with potatoes and carmelized onions, wheat toast (the butter was amazing) ,orange juice and a cappuccino.Everything was fabulous.Best of all, it was the first time D(my husband) and I got to go out to breakfast alone without R (my 2 yr old).It was so nice to relax and have a meal and not worry about R.Aah.Just for that ,we will do it again.

Tonight's dinner:Methi Sambar and Spicy Cauliflower Sabji

I am so glad to see fresh greens in the grocery aisle and this week I bought bunches of Methi(fenugreek) leaves .One of our(my hubby and mine)favourite sambhar is Methi leaves sambhar which trust me is the most flavourful sambar you will ever eat.:) Added to that I made Spicy Cauliflower with a new masala Thanks to my mom.

Methi Leaves Sambhar:


Toor daal (yellow lentils) 3/4 cup cooked
Potatoes diced 1 cup microwaved for 5 mins
Onion chopped 1 cup
Fenugreek leaves 1 cup
Green chillies 4 slit
Tamarind paste 1 tbsp
Ghee 2 tbsp
Salt 1 tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Urad Daal (black gram beans) 1 tsp
Hing (Asafoetida) 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies 2
Sambar powder 2 1/2 tsp

Heat ghee in a vessel
Add mustard, red chilli, Urad daal and Hing.Wait till mustard splutters.

Add onion,fenugreek ,Potato and Green chilli.
Fry for a few mins till you get an aroma.
Remove and keep aside on a plate.

In the same vessel,add tamarind paste and 2 1/2 cups water.Add sambar powder and salt.Boil till water reduced to half its quantity.

Add the fried items and cooked daal.Boil till the sambar is thick.

Serve hot with Rice.

Cauliflower Sabji:


Cauliflower 1 head broken into florets steamed in the microwave for 8 mins
Oil 2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Red Chilli 1
Everest Sabji Masala 1 tsp

Heat Oil on a pan.Add cumin seeds, red chilli and everest masala.Fry for a minute.

Add the steamed cauliflower florets.Saute till the masala coats the florets and the water evaporates.

Enjoy hot.

Vermicelli with Mixed Veggies

My typical afternoon routine is to look at blogs ,tweak my blog(so very addicted to it) and try out recipes to put on my blog:).So as I was thinking of what to cook for my son (he naps, i blog), I came across Food For Plastic Challenge III Event hosted by What's cooking?


Tupperware is celebrating April as Children’s month and they are donating $1 from the sale of selected items to the Boys & Girls Clubs.

This is my entry towards the Challenge and also my son's evening snack.(He has been eating this since he was almost a year old.Very yummy and the Veggies go in too!)

Recipe

Melted Butter or Ghee.(Clarified Butter) 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Pepper as per taste (I do 3-4 rounds on the pepper mill)
salt as per taste
Turmeric 1 pinch for colour
Asafoetida 3 pinches (optional)

Frozen mixed veggies 1 small bowl
Vermicelli 1/2 cup(I buy Bambino's Roasted Vermicelli from the Indian Grocery Store)
Water to cook

In a pan, heat butter and add Cumin seeds, pepper,turmeric and asafoetida


After a minute,add the mixed veggies,salt and water.Cover and cook till tenter.


Add the vermicelli to the boiling water .Lower the heat and cover it.Cook till the water evaporates.


Serve hot.

Yellow Daal

This was dinner lastnight along with rice.I love the simple flavours of the lentils.Everyone (read every indian friend) I know has been brought up on Daal and Rice.Add a little dab of ghee(clarified butter), mix in with hot rice and it is the most satisfying meal of all.

Recipe:

Lentils 1 cup pressure cooked till 3 whistles ( i used a mix of many lentils.)
Oil
Cumin Seeds 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp (use according to spice level)
Salt 1 tsp
Garlic 2 pods
Ginger 1 inch grated
Coriander leaves chopped

Pressure cook lentils in the cooker .

Heat oil in a big vessel.Add cumin seeds,turmeric powder,ginger and garlic.Fry for a min.

Add chilli powder,salt and add the cooked daal.

Add water and allow to cook on medium heat till it bubbles.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.

Banana Bread

This is my entry to NQN’s Banana Bread bakeoff event!.






Oh Yum! I actually have this recipe courtesy my friend and we baked it together in her portable oven years ago.I had an over-ripe banana and only 1/4 cup flour (maida) and so I tweaked the recipe a bit.I can't stop eating it.I just made it and its almost gone:)

The actual recipe:
Sugar 1 cup
Butter 1/2 cup
Bananas 3
Eggs 2
Flour 1 1/4 cups
Salt 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda 1 tsp
Chopped Walnuts 1/2 cup

Preheat oven to 350 deg F

In a Mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter.Mix till creamy.

Add banana halves one at a time,eggs, salt and mix well.

Stir in the chopped walnuts.Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 45-50 mins at 350.

Rotis

Wheat flour 3 cups
water as needed

Knead wheat flour with water to make soft dough.
Keep aside for 15 mins covered with a damp towel.
Make the rotis by rolling a ball of dough into a round shape using the rolling pin.
Heat on the stove untill it puffs up.Serve with a curry.

Alu Palak Methi

Tonight's meal was heaven.My dear hubby decided to make this dish and he did it with ingredients from the top of his head.It was the most yummiest palak-alu-methi I have ever had.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
Aloo (Potatoes) - 5
Palak (Spinach) - 1 Bunch
Dry Methi Leaves(Fenugreek) - 1 Bunch
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Seasoning:
Onions - 1 onion cut into small pieces
Jeera (Cumin)seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom - 2 Pods
Star Anise - 1
Cloves - 2
Bay Leaf - 3
Oil - 4 tbs
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Method:
Boil, peel & cut potatoes into small square cubes.

Heat oil in a vessel, when hot add Bay Leaf, Cloves, Cardamom and Star Anise. Fry the spices till you get a nice aroma. Then add jeera and onions and fry till golden. Add the ginger garlic paste.

Add washed & chopped Palak (frozen spinach is also a good option) & Methi leaves; Add salt, chilli powder & turmeric; Add very little water & cover for 3 minutes.

Add potato cubes and mix it with the palak properly.

Fry until all water from spinach/palak evaporates & potatoes turn light golden color.

Serve hot.