Rava Ladoo - Rava Coconut Laddoo - Rava Laddu - Sooji ka Ladoo

Rava Ladoo is a laddu made with Semolina or Sooji Rava. You have to use a finer variety of rava. Not the powdery kind you use for Pani Puri. If your rava is a little too coarse, just pulse it in a mixie to get the texture right. Same with sugar. Not too coarse, not too powdery.

There are many different ways to make this laddu. Addition of coconut or not is a variation. Same with Milk. I have made this version with Coconut cause that's how we eat in our state Kerala. Most Tamilian Versions skip the coconut. Adding milk helps in rolling the laddu easily. But it reduces the shelf life of the laddu.

Thattai - Thattai recipe - Easy snack - Flat Deep fried Crisps - Gluten Free

Tattai is a personal favourite of mine. Though I have eaten it umpteen times, I have never made them before. As I was making things that each person likes, I thought I owe this to me! And big surprise, turns out everyone else loves it as much.

The good thing about this snack is that it does not need any gadgets to make. Most South Indian Snacks need the murukku press. This one is just your hands. So anyone can easily whip up a batch. Why not give it a go this Diwali?

Jalebi - North Indian Jalebi - Diwali Recipe

Jalebi is a very popular North Indian Sweet. This is not to be confused with the South Indian Sweet called Jangari (which also is sometimes referred to as Jalebi). The North Indian version that I have made here used Maida or All Purpose Flour, its thin, crispy and sugary. The South Indian version is made of Urad Dal Batter, it is thicker, softer and chewy.

I am a big fan of the South Indian Jangari. Am yet to post the recipe here for that though i made it before. This one is prepared on the special request of my son who usually does not like Sweets. He own words were it is crispy, sweet and yummy, what's not to like. So here you go.

Thenkozhal - Thenkozhal Murukku - Diwali Snack Recipe - Gluten Free, Vegan Option

Diwali is a time when all Indian homes are busy with the preparation of many varieties of sweets and snacks. Usually everyone in the house will have their own favourites. When we were little my mom used to make snacks and sweets per each persons request. Its the same in my mother in laws place as well. Somehow each person will wish for a different one and during diwali all those wishes are granted!

I am also busy making a variety of snacks and sweets. My dad is visiting and all the hard work of pressing the murukku was done by him. How lucky for me.

This Murukku is famous for its melt in the mouth texture. It does not have any spice like chilli powder or pepper added to it. Flavour comes from the cumin seeds.

Chocolate Mysore Pak - Ghee Mysore Pak - Easy Foolproof recipe - Diwali Special

Diwali is just round the corner. All of us will be preparing sweets and savories in the coming days and getting ready to celebrate. Mysore Pak is a very popular sweet and some consider it very tricky to make. But with the right technique, it is quite easy to make. This is a version with chocolate flavour. My mother used to make it. I made this on my brother's request.

Skull and Bone Crackers - Easy Halloween Recipe - Tortilla Crisps - Vegan

Super Easy treat for your next Halloween party. Not making for Halloween, You can just make it in any shape and enjoy. Remember, do not throw away the scarps. They bake great as well. :-)

Mummy Pizza - Halloween Recipe

Halloween is just round the corner. So I thought I will post some recipes that will be a big hit with kids and adults alike. This Pizza can be made with the kids. So a great party idea. They can make their own Mummies. How cool is that. Give it a try!

Nadan Mutta Roast - Kerala Egg Roast

Egg Roast is a popular dish served in Kerala, my home state. It tastes awesome with a lot of Kerala Breakfast items like Appam, Idiyappam, Parota etc. You can serve this is roti or rice as well. To me,the key taste ingredient is Curry Leaves. They impart an awesome aroma to this dish.

Vegan Low Fat Creamy Alfredo

Eating Healthy is sometimes easier than you think. Alfredo is an awesome sauce to go with pasta. But it is very high in calorie and fat. Now if we can make it rich in vegetables (yes, you heard me), it is a big winner. And trust me, this does not feel like you are eating loads of vegetables. This is not my original recipe. I saw it a long time ago in some site, unfortunately don't remember where so can't link back.

Pidi Kozhakattai - Sweet Arisi Kozhakattai - Steamed Sweet Dumpling made with rice

Pidi Kozhakattai is a steamed sweet dumpling made out of of rice. I have posted a savoury version of the same before. It is prepared for Ganesh Chathurti.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookie

When it comes to cookies almost nothing can beat a Chocolate Chip Cookie. But what happens when the base is also a chocolate. Yumm. I would have baked a double chocolate chip cookie. That was the initial plan. But then I bought some peanut butter chips when we were in US. Ok. Now I  love the combination of Chocolate and peanut butter. What's not to love?

White Chocolate Coconut Lime Cookies - Starbucks Copycat - Eggless

When I got my first oven, I dreamt of baking cookies for my child. Forget the fact that I did not have a child at that time. Or the fact that I did not know how to bake. Slowly over the years I have learned to bake, to get over the fear of baking.

Last week we were in Starbucks and there were some sample cookies to try. The moment my son and I ate those cookies we knew we were baking them. They were so refreshing, very tropical, super yumm. On the last day of holiday we got our acts together and baked these awesome cookies. Only problem with these cookies is that you cannot stop eating them.

Blueberry Goji Superfood Smoothie

Next in the series of awesome smoothies that I have been trying out is this Blueberry Goji Smoothie. As usual, the frozen banana add the creamy texture, no need to add any ice. Goji berry has been in my list of things to try for long. Goji berries contain vitamin C, vitamin B2, vitamin A, iron, selenium and are very good for your immune system. Flax seeds  that I always add to my smoothie is a great source of Omega 3 fatty acid. Great source for those who do not eat fish. Blueberries are full of anti oxidants and a great source of Vitamin K. The addition of oats makes this an absolutely fantastic smoothie.

Berrylicious Green Smoothie - Strawberry and Raspberry Smoothie - Vegan

Today I made a Berrylicious Green Smoothie with Strawberry and Raspberry. So what is the green in my Smoothie? I ditched the usual Spinach and added Cucumber. Hope you love it. We totally Enjoyed it. The Sweetness depends on the how sweet your berries are.

Pimms and Virgin 'Pimms' - Berry Grape Lemonade

Pimms is a very popular drink served in England and is especially popular during the Wimbledon Season. It is a very refreshing drink to sip in Summer. So when the sun is shining, no doubt we also made some and enjoyed it this week. The original recipe used Lemonade that is fizzy. I do not like any fizzy drinks. So I have made this with Still Lemonade.

And why the Virgin? We had a few people who did not drink alcohol and I wanted to make something they will love, equally refreshing, similar looking and tasting. So what do you think of that version?

Vegan Carrot Cake Breakfast Smoothie

As you have seen from my last few posts, I have been going crazy about making some smoothies. Though it started off as an attempt to make green smoothies, I have diversified. All the smoothies are super healthy. No sugar or sweetners. Whole fruits, Vegetables etc. Oats and Flax to make it filling and add to the health benefits. And then this one has cinnamon, ginger etc quite good for you. And best of all, this tastes like you are eating carrot cake. Yes trust me or better still try it to believe it..

Vegan Apple Pie Breakfast Smoothie

I love Apple Pie and anything that reminds me of the pie is a big yes for me. When I make an Oats porridge I always add some apple to it. It makes it sweet and adds texture to the breakfast. I decided to make this smoothie and I knew it will be a big winner. No added sugar, Healthy ingredients like Oats, Flax, Apple, Banana and Cinnamon, Quite filling. What's not to like.

Ingredients

Banana Frozen 1
Apple cubed 1 (no need to peal)
Oats 1/2 cup
Flax seeds 1 tbsp
Cinnamon Powder 1 tsp
Soy Milk or Milk 1 cup

Method of Preparation

1. Powder the Flax seeds. The add the Oats and powder that as well.

2. In the blender (I use a food processor with regular blade), pulse the banana till it crumbles.

3. Add the apple and blend till it starts to becomes paste.

4. Add the rest of the ingredients. Give it one final blend.

Enjoy! And don't forget to let me know how you like it. 

Healthy Strawberry and Chocolate Smoothie - Strawberry Chocolate Frappuccino - Vegan

Strawberry and Chocolate are a match made in heaven. Who does not like dipping Fresh Strawberry in Melted Chocolate! Its Summer time, Strawberries are in Season. It would be a sin not to enjoy this indulgence. Summer time is also about Frappuccino. I am always tempted by them at Starbucks. And in this hot weather, I can never say no to it.

Green Smoothie - Pear, Banana, Spinach - Vegan

Most of us have seen or read a post about the benefits of drinking a green smoothie. Leafy greens are high in Vitamins and Minerals in addition to being a great source of fiber. The leaves can be a little bit bitter and a green paste is not what you want to drink. That is where the fruits come to play. They add some sweetness to the drink in addition to increasing the number of 5 a day that you are consuming. Other things I am planning to do it to add things like peanut butter (yumm), flax seeds, cinnamon, ginger.

We as a family are pretty good at consuming our greens. When i say that, I do not mean that we all love a bowl of salad. That's where things get tricky. We make loads of sides with spinach, broccoli etc. And we all love it. But when it comes to raw greens, we all say a big no. I have meant to try these green smoothies for a long long time. I even buy all the ingredients for making one, but never end up making it.

Recently I read an article about it in a magazine and wanted to give it a go. The interesting thing is when I made it, I actually did not taste the spinach at all. Awesome. Now hopefully (fingers crossed), I will make many many variations of this Green Goddess! Are you with me? Lets do this together.

Sweet Potato Cakes with Spicy Coconut Tomato Sauce - Vegan

Sweet potatoes are quite versatile. They are not as popularly used as it cousin the Potato. They are very healthy for you with high amounts of Vitamin C, B6, D, Iro, Magnesium and also a good source of Beta Carotene. If you are not sold, lets forget all the above. How about the awesome taste? The subtle sweetness, the creaminess. Yumm! Try this simple side made with Sweet Potatoes today. 

Creamy Asparagus Soup - Vegan, Gluten Free

Soup and Bread is a match made in Heaven. Nothing beats a good hearty dinner like a bowl of soup, some warm bread and butter. This soup uses some fresh ingredients. And you would not believe how creamy it is considering I have not used any cream or milk. There is no flour to make the roux either. The taste of Asparagus is predominant. The potatoes add to the creaminess of the soup. You can add some chilli flakes while serving the soup to add a subtle spiciness.

Kummelweck Roll - Kimmelweck Roll - Rolls with Caraway Seeds - Vegan

Kummelweck Rolls are of German origin. They are hard crusty rolls with a soft inside. They are topped with Caraway seeds and coarse sea salt. It is quite famous in Buffalo Newyork where it is used in the Beef on Weck sandwich. I baked this as part of my Baking group We Knead to Bake. Do try this lovely bread and let me know how you like it. Can me made Vegan by substituting for Milk and Honey.

Zucchini Oats Patties - Vegan

Zucchini makes a wonderful ingredient for Patties and fritters. Now the key for me was to make it Vegan and Healthy. Most of the times, you will see egg being used as a binder. I did not obvoiusly want to use egg, but neither did I have any flax to substitute. But the moisture from the zucchini is more than enough binder for this patty.

Vegan Double Chocolate Muffin - Chocolate Banana Muffin

Who does not love Chocolate? So when it comes to chocolate, the more the better. Don't you agree? Its been a while since I baked cake/muffin etc. Have been just baking breads/pizza etc lately. Last week it was half term holidays. My son and I decided to make something to enjoy, like old times. We used to do a lot of baking together last year when he was less busy with school, after school etc. It was loads of fun.

I have tried to make it as healthy as I can. Sugar used is lesser than I used before. I am thinking I can reduce it a little bit more next time. This did seem quite sweet. It came out moist and yumm. Note to self - Double to recipe next time :-)

Beetroot Parata - Beetroot Roti - Beetroot Flatbread - Vegan

When it comes to eating healthy, we are lucky in our family. We do not have to make any special effort. A lot of things that we love are really healthy stuff. That is not to say we do not like the junk stuff. But you get the idea :-)

Beetroot is a family favourite. So it comes as no surprise that we make it often. I was posting a list of recipes that have beetroot in my Facebook page. At the end of the post, the beetroot craving hit me. I was going to make something from that list. But I suddenly had the urge to make something new and blog. So here you have it.

Vegan Five Seed Wholewheat Pizza - Pizza gets a Super Healthy Makeover

Sometimes little things bring joy to life. For me baking and eating Super Healthy Pizza was the highlight of today. What can you say, I am a foodie and nothing can stop me from enjoying some good food and company on Friday.

My son loves Pizza. Another interesting thing is he loves Seeded bread A LOT! Yes, It had to be written in caps. So I decided to combine his love for seeded bread and pizza into one recipe. I have been baking with whole wheat flour for some time now and I have to say, I love it. It does not taste much different from plain flour and is healthier. So why not. I have baked with just whole wheat flour as well. Just takes a longer time to proof for me.

Ethiopian Cabbage Side Dish - Tikil Gomen - Vegan

Sometimes the very basic and simple ingredients make the best dishes. This one is a classic example of that. When I make side dishes for my Roti, it involves a lot of spices and herbs. But this one is very simply flavoured, but is packed with taste. Cumin and Ginger provide the distinct taste, pepper a little spiciness and turmeric the beautiful colour. I have made this without the potatoes as well. It is extremely popular in our house.

You can serve with Ethiopian Bread Injera. But then lets be honest, we do not make that often at home. So we just eat with Roti/Chapati. It is great with Rice or Quinoa as well. Give it a go and let me know how you like it.

Honey Sesame Tofu with Vegetables

When I started blogging a few years ago, the number of posts I did every month was enormous. I somehow had the energy and time to do it all. As time passed, I have reduced the number of posts. But that meant that the quality of the dishes and the presentation has improved a lot. But after those first couple of years, last year was a big low in the blog. I was having loads of commitments in my personal life, enjoying life and the events. Then the break seemed to be too long to get back to blogging. Thanks to the support and love from around the world, I am back to being a regular blogger. :-)

French Baguette - Vegan - King Arthur Flour Baguette - Vegan

French Baguette is just a dream come true for me. I have been meaning to make this for ages. You see the problem when you get freshly baked bread for less than £1, you sometimes end up just buying them. I then try breads that are not commonly available or breads baked as part of our baking group - We Knead to Bake. But the dream of just baking my own baguette just got better of me.

Pavakka Theeyal - Bitter Gourd Cooked in a spicy Coconut Sauce - Vegan

Theeyal is a side dish for Rice made in the South Indian State of Kerala. It basically has its flavours coming from Shallots. The spice mix includes red chilli, coriander and curry leaves. The key to a tasty theeyal is the perfect browning of the coconut. The word theeyal itself means charred.

Mor Keerai - Spinach cooked in a coconut and yogurt sauce - Spinach Soup

Mor Keerai is a traditional recipe from Palakkad region of Kerala (in India). As I have mentioned before my one stop for all Palakkad recipes is Palakkad Cooking by my friend Kaveri. This is also adapted from her recipe.



Though traditionally served as a side dish, one other way I loved eating this was as a soup! I call it my Spinach soup with Chilli Oil dressing!

Manoli Kadle - Tindora and Chickpeas Cooked in a Coconut Gravy

Manoli is basically Kovakka or Tindora. Kadle represents the chickpeas. This is a recipe from the Indian town of Mangalore. Mangalore has its unique recipes and flavours. It very closely resembles the Kerala Cuisine due to it border. I have tried a few recipes lately and have loved all of them.

Adapted from here

Beetroot Pulao - Vegan Beetroot rice

Beetroot is loved by one and all in our house. So when I get hold of some fresh beets, its always a question as to which one of the awesome dishes to make :-) Check out the other Beetrrot recipes in my blog

Beetroot Masala (british style beetroot curry)
Beetroot Stir fry
Beetroot Kichadi (Raita)
Beetroot Kootu
Heart Beet Bread
Red Velvet Cake

Kathirikka Podi Kari - Eggplant cooked in freshly ground spices

I am big fan of side dishes made with spices and lentils roasted and powdered together. It can be made with a variety of vegetables. Usually people think it is hard to make these sides. On the contrary they are very easy to make and are packed with flavours.

Ingredients

Kathirikka/Eggplant/Aubergine 2 big ones (4-5 cups when chopped)
Channa Dal 2 tsp
Coriander Seeds 2 tsp
Cumin 1 tsp
Dry Red Chilli 1 (more for spicy curry)
Mustard Seeds 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Hing/Asafoteda a pinch

Oil and Salt to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Heat a little oil in a pan. Add the channa dal. Roast till it starts to brown. Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and red chilli. Saute for a minute more.

2. Let this cool and then powder it.

3. In the same pan, add a little more oil. Add mustard seeds. When it sputters, add the hing and turmeric powder.

4. When it sizzles, add chopped eggplant. Saute till it is nearly cooked.

5. Add the spice powder and salt. Mix well. Saute for a couple more minutes.

Serve with some rice and gravy like Kozhambu, Sambar or Rasam. 

Pudina Thogayal - Mint Thogayal - South Indian Mint Chutney with Coconut - Vegan

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year. I hope you all enjoyed a great holiday season. I have been seeing a lot of people post New Year Resolutions. I am very scared of them. They have failure written all over them. When it comes to resolutions, I think New Year ones have the highest failure rate. But that does not stop anyone of us from taking up a resolution, does it? So like every one I decided to change my life in some small ways possible. So for the sake of the blog, and my love for it i think I should get more regular in blogging. So hoping this to be the beginning of a wonderful year filled with recipes and friendship!

Today's recipe is a very simple one. Its a healthy side dish for your rice. For me, I love thogayals as a side for dosa and idlis better. It can be used as sandwich spread or instead of pesto :-) So whichever is your choice, do make this and enjoy with your family!