Almond Chocolate Chip Biscotti

A little taste of Italy made in your own kitchen. It does take a little time to bake this cause of the double baking, but the processing time is quite less. Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee. 

Ingredients (Makes about 18-20)

Large Eggs 2
Sugar 2/3 cup (135 grams)
Vanilla Extract 1 tsp

All Purpose Flour  1 3/4 cups (225 grams) I added about 40gms more of flour
Baking Powder 1 tsp
Salt 1/4 tsp
Almonds Toasted and chopped 3/4 cup (110 grams) 
Chocolate Chips 2/3 cup (110 grams)

Method of Preparation

1. Beat the eggs and sugar along with the vanilla in your mixer for about 5-10 min till it is pale and silky.

2. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. 

3. Add that to the mixing bowl. Combine.

4. Add the almonds and choc chip and mix well. At this stage you should have a very sticky dough. Mine was quite wet, so I added the extra flour. 

5. Transfer to a well floured work surface. Shape into a log about 12" long. Transfer to a lined baking sheet.

6. Pat down and make it about 4" wide. 

7. Preheat oven to 180 C (350F). Bake for about 25 min till it starts to have a slight colour but the top is still soft to touch.

8. Take out of the oven and cool for 10 min. Reduce the oven temp to 165 C (325 F).

9. Slice the log into about 20 pieces. Place on a lined baking sheet with the cut side facing up.

10. Bake for 8-10 on each side.

11. Let it cool on a wire rack and then store in an airtight container. 

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.

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.

Roasted Vegetable Pizza - Vegan Version and Cheesy Version

When someone says Pizza, the first thing that comes to mind is the melted cheese on top and the soft warm bread. Growing up, we never knew Pizza. At some point in our lives, Pizza made a grand entry to our lives - for good or bad I don't know. We used to eat out a lot when I started working and pizza with friends was once a week affair. And the pan size pizza from the Dominos outlet in the office was a go to place.

After years of enjoying pizza, the food gods decided I had enough. Being lactose intolerant, I can't eat cheese. So I have devised methods of making the yummiest Pizza which will make you forget about the cheese. I have come to realize how easy it is to make your own Pizza from scratch. Once you make it, you will never order Pizza, trust me. You can customize Pizza for each person in your house. How cool is that?

Spicy Tomato and Orzo Soup - Vegan

Winter is nearly on us. Here the temperature is touching 4 C. Well, I know it is not much when compared to some parts of the world. But we are getting used to the English weather and so it is cold for us. I have fished out my scarfs and gloves. Am now dreading the morning when I have to scrape ice of my car's windshield. That is another 10 minutes added to the morning.

Authentic Arrabbiata Sauce - Pasta with Arrabiata Sauce

Arrabbiata Sauce as the name suggests is a Fiery Tomato Sauce. Though there are many versions of the sauce that are made, not all recipes are Authentic. There are versions which use onions, veggies etc. The perfect sauce uses just garlic, red chilli and tomato cooked in Olive oil and optionally a garnish with some parsley.

When we were in Italy, I enjoyed some awesome pizza and pasta. The thing I learned from that trip was to keep things simple and use fresh ingredients for the best taste. So here you go! Hope you enjoy it.

Vegan Calzone with Homemade Cashew Pesto Sauce

Th easiest way to defines a Calzones is to call it a folded up Pizza. The outside of the calzone is basically the same as a pizza dough. You can fill it up with sauce, cheese and toppings. Fold and bake. Easy, right?

Now today I am presenting to you the best Calzone you will ever eat. The Sauce is just out of the world (and healthy too). And what's more. This calzone is quite easy to make. It will work great in lunch boxes or for picnics as well.

Stove Top Mac and Cheese with Peas - Kids Lunch Box 3

Lunch - Mac and Cheese, Mini Apple Pie. Apple Pie recipe here.

Creamy Cashew and Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

Pesto is one of my favourite Pasta Sauces. As with most things I love, it has dairy (parmesan cheese) and I cannot eat it. So while leading a life where I missed a lot of good things in life, I made a pesto with my homemade pasta. I served the family the real deal and made myself a modified version of the same. Recipe here. I have to be honest, you will not miss the cheese (unless that is the only thing you like in Pesto).



Now if you are looking for the best Vegan Pesto recipe (well, the best pesto recipe) in the world, look no further. You found it!! This has a blend of some amazing flavours, you will want to make a big batch. Everyone will ask for seconds and thirds!

Recipe adapted from here

Ingredients

Cashew 3/4 cup
Garlic 2 pods
Sun Dried Tomatoes 3/4 cup (almost drained)
Cherry Tomato 1 cup
Basil 1/2 cup (packed)
Parmesan Cheese 1/2 cup (optional, I have not used it. just sprinkled on the top of the pasta at the table for whoever was interested in)
Red Chilli  Powder 1/2 tsp
Pepper 1/2 tsp
A little salt (remember the pasta will be salted)

To make Pasta (Serves 3 generously)

Pasta 300 gms
Pesto Sauce 1/2 of above recipe
Salt to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Pulse the cashew in a food processor.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse till combined.

3. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add some salt. Cook Pasta as per package instructions. Drain (reserve a cup of pasta water).

4. Toss the pasta with the required amount of sauce. Add a little reserved water to loosen it up.

I served the pasta with no cheese for my husband and me. The Vegan version was just out of the world. My son enjoyed it with parmesan cheese. What a sneeky way to feed Veggies to kids and my little one truely loved this pasta!

Vegan Summer Zucchini Risotto - Courgette Risotto

Why go to a restaurant and order Risotto when you can make one at home in less than 30 minutes. Super delicious, healthy and flavourful Risotto made right in your kitchen. Packed with veggies and herbs, you will love the burst of flavours. You can sprinkle some Parmesan Cheese while serving if you want.



Recipe from BBC Good Food

Ingredients

Onions 1 finely chopped
Garlic 2 pods finely chopped
Tomatoes 2 finely chopped
Risotto Rice 350gms
Rosemary 1-2 tsp chopped
Hot Water 1.5 L (6 cups) (or use stock)
Courgettes/Zucchini, diced 2
Frozen Peas 140gms (about 1 cup)
Basil a few leaves
Olive Oil and salt

Grated Parmesan Cheese to serve (optional)

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and garlic. Saute for 5 mins until the onion has softened.

2. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3-4 mins until softened and pulpy.

3. Add the rice and rosemary, saute for a minute.

4. Pour in half the water (or stock) and leave to cook for 10 mins or until the liquid has evaporated, stirring from time to time.

5. Add the rest of the water (or stock), then continue to cook for a further 5 mins.

6. Stir in the courgettes and peas, then cook for another 5 mins or so, stirring until the rice is tender, but the mixture is still a bit saucy. Add some salt to taste.

7 Finally add the basil and stir until wilted. Serve immediately.

Spicy Desi Pasta Loaded with Veggies - Pasta with Indian Flavours

Indians have a crazy love for Pasta and Pizza. If you ask Indians what is their favourite cuisine after Indian, most of them will answer Italian. It is no surprise then that there are a lot of Pizza and Pasta eateries in India. As with most things, Indians do a twist of their own. For example, in most Indian Pizza places, you will find Paneer Tikka Pizza, Chicken Chettinad Pizza etc. Same is true with Pastas.



I love Authentic Pasta with Proper Italian Sauces. But on some lazy days when I want to make something really quick and decently healthy I make this Pasta. Kids love it cause it is Pasta, and mom loves it cause of all the veggies that are included! You can optionally add some parmesan cheese as well to this.



Ingredients (Serves 3)

Penne (or any type pasta) 200gms (about 2 heaped cups)

Onions 2
Green Pepper 1
Peas 1.5 cups
Corn 1 cup

Tomato Puree 2 tbsp
Chilli Powder 1 tsp
Garam Masala 1 tsp

Cumin 1 tsp
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves few

Oil and Salt to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Bring water to boil in a pot. Salt it and add pasta. Cook for 10-12 min (as per the package instructions).

2. In a pan, heat a little oil. Add cumin, turmeric and curry leaves.

3. When it sizzles, add sliced onions. Saute for a couple of minutes.

4. Add chopped peppers and saute till the onions and peppers are nicely cooked.

5. Add steamed green peas and steamed corn. Mix and cook for a couple more minutes.

6. Now add the tomato purée, chilli powder and garam masala. Add a little salt. Mix and cook for couple  more minutes. Switch off the gas.

7. Now drain the pasta when it is ready and add to this pan. Mix everything.

Lemon and Basil Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad makes such a filling and refreshing meal. It does not have all the creaminess of the sauce, so it is quite light on your stomach. With fresh ingredients you can make a super healthy salad and yet not feel like you ate a salad. How amazing is that!



After making a protein rich fare with lentils and legumes last month, Palooza in a Pan picked Salads for the month of July. Stay tuned for 4 awesome Salads from me and my friends Anu and Radhika



Ingredients (Serves 4 as a meal)

Farfale (Or any type of Pasta) 300gm

Broccoli 1 head
Peas 1 cup
Cherry Tomato Quartered 10

Parmesan Cheese to serve

Dressing
Lemon 1
Olive oil 1/3 cup
Basil leaves a small bunch
Salt a pinch
Pepper a pinch

Method of Preparation

1. Cook the pasta as per the package instructions. (Boil water. Add salt. Add Pasta. Give it a stir. Cook for 10-12 min. Save some pasta water. Drain the water).

2. In the final minutes of the pasta cooking, add the broccoli florets into it and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Once drained, rinse the pasta and broccoli in cold water to prevent further cooking.

4. Steam peas in the microwave for a minute or 2.

5. Halve or Quarter the cherry tomatoes.

6. In a bowl add the juice of lemon, grated lemon zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. Whisk to mix well.

7. Add the pasta and broccoli to the salad bowl. Add the peas and tomato. Add the dressing. Sprinkle chopped basil leaves. Mix well.

8. You can either mix in the parmesan cheese to the bowl or add while serving. I added while serving.

You can serve this at room temperature or chilled if you prefer. 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Rolls (Pizza) and Butterfly Pizza

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a very popular Children's Book. It is the first book that we read to Neel and it has been a family favourite. It has a beautiful story of a caterpillar, starting out as an egg, developing into a caterpillar, the adventures as a caterpillar, then it gets a cocoon and finally becomes a butterfly.

On Sunday the egg pops and a tiny caterpillar comes out.
On Monday, it eats 1 Apple
On Tueday, it eats 2 Pears
On Wednesday it eats 3 Plums
On Thursday 4 Strawberries
On Friday 5 Oranges
On Saturday, loads of Junk and gets stomach ache
On Sunday, it eats a green leaf, gets a cocoon..
And finally becomes a beautiful butterfly

As you can see, it also teaches little ones Metamorphosis, Days of the week, counting, names of fruits, message about healthy eating.

What's more little ones just love the colours and illustration. And the little worm holes in all the food is adorable.



When Avant Garde Cookies decided to cook from your favourite cook book, my little one and I donned our Aprons and 'cooked' this bread/pizza. he enjoyed both the cooking and eating part. It was a fun project during Easter holidays.



For Dough

Ingredients

Bread Flour (Or All purpose flour) 1.5 cups
Fast Acting Yeast 1 7gm packet (21/4 tsp)
(Note : though I used 1 pkts, now I use only 1/2 and I find it has a better taste. So use just one)
Salt 1/2 tsp
Sugar 1/2 tbsp
Warm Milk little under 3/4 cup (use as required)

Oil a little to grease

Method of Preparation

1. In a bowl, add the flour, yeast, salt and sugar.

2. Warm the milk and add a little at a time and make a dough. Knead it well till it is all incorporated.

3. Apply a little oil all around. Place in a bowl. Cover with cling film and let it rise, till it doubles.

For Green Sauce (Pesto)

Ingredients

Basil leaves few
Parmesan cheese 2-3 tbsp (skip for vegan version)
Sunflower seeds 1 tbsp
Olive oil 3 tbsp

Method of Preparation

1. Add everything to a mixer (food processor) and blend into a paste.

Other ingredients

Mushrooms for legs
Green Pepper small bits for head
Carrots (or olives for eyes)
Tomato sauce for head
Mozerella grated (if making as a pizza)
Olive oil to brush



Putting Together the caterpillar

1. Divide the dough into 15 parts.

2. Take 3 parts and join to form a ball. This will be your head. Flatten it a little.

3. Roll the rest 12 pieces and flatten them. Arrange them to form the body.



4. Add mushroom legs.

5. Brush the caterpillar with oil.

6. Preheat oven to 230C. (I used a fan oven this time. So my baking time was very less). Bake for 8-10 minutes. (It usually takes me more time).

7. If making as Pizza, Spread the sauce and add cheese toppings to all the body and head. I did not make it as a Pizza.

8. Once out of the oven, apply the green sauce for body and red sauce for head. Add eyes, mouth etc to head.

Once the caterpillar was made and enjoyed, my son asked me for more the next day. I had some dough and decided to surprise him with a Butterfly Pizza!





Enjoy!!



For the Butterfly Pizza, I used the same quantity of dough. Shaped as shown in the photo. Used Pesto as sauce. You can use Tomato sauce as well. For the top wings we topped with mushroom and bottom ones we used pineapple as they are my little ones fav toppings. You can use any of your choice.

Check out the other AGC thoughout this week 
Anusha, Jayanthi, Kavitha, Priya M, Radhika, Priya S

Trenette al Pesto con Fagiolini e Patate - Trenette with Pesto, Green Beans and Potatoes - Fresh Homemade Pasta without Pasta Maker - Eggless Pasta Recipe - Step by Step Recipe - Vegan option

Making Fresh Pasta is a dream come true for me. We are all crazy Pasta lovers in our house. You would think we are a bunch of Italians and not Indians. We love Italian Restaurants. I usually get the dried pasta when I make at home. Some times, I pick up some fresh pasta from the shop. And I know there is a huge difference between eating dried and fresh pasta.

I always thought to make Pasta at home, I need expensive gadgets. Well, you do for some types of Pasta. But to just make simple Fettuccine, Linguine or Trenette you do not need those gadgets. Well, the gadgets will sure make life easier and you will get perfect Pasta. But who is looking for perfection, right? It is the taste that matters (well, at least to me)!

Avant Garde Cookies are all making fresh homemade Pasta this week. Am excited that we picked this theme. Am really looking forward to what the other cookies have whipped up!

I was looking for recipes to make Eggless pasta. Most places would tell you that an eggless pasta is not pasta at all. That kind of scared me. That is when I read about Trenette. Though it sounds quite fancy and different, it kind of looks like Linguine. And traditionally Trenette is made without eggs! Problem Solved.



Trenette is a pasta popular in the Liguria region in Italy. And the combination for this pasta is Pesto sauce along with Green Beans and Potatoes - Trenette al Pesto con Fagiolini e Patate. Nope, I do not know Italian. That is where google Translate comes handy!



Making Fresh Pasta

Each 1/2 cup of flour makes about 1 plate of pasta once you add the veggies and sauce. This pasta will be sooo good there will be atleast one person asking for a second plate. So make accordingly :-)

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour 3.5 cups
Olive Oil 3 tbsp
Water 11/4 cup (used a little less than this)
Salt a little (not standard ingredient)

Other Ingredients for putting together the Pasta 

Potatoes 2 (pealed and chopped into cubes, then boiled till it is cooked)
Green Beans (Cut into smaller pieces and boiled till it is partly cooked)
Pesto Sauce (recipe below)
Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) Cheese to serve



Method of Preparation

1. Take the flour in a bowl. Add salt and mix together. Make a well in the centre.

2. In a bowl, add the water and oil. Give it a stir with a fork.

3. Pour the oil-water mix to the well in the flour.

4. Gently stir the flour into the liquid till it becomes a sticky mass.

5. At this stage, go in with your hand and knead well till it forms a firm dough. Cover and let it rest for atleast 30 minutes.



6. Divide into 7 portions. Take one portion. Roll it into a ball.

7. Roll into a very thin rectangle. (about 20" * 8"). I found that sprinkling generous amounts of flour on both sides made the rolling easier. The photo below is from my first batch. My rectangle got better as I kept making it :-)





8. Using a knife or pizza cutter run long lines across the rolled dough.





9. Separate the strips and place them on a sheet pan to dry for a couple of minutes.



10. Sprinkle some more flour and collect them in a pile.



11. Heat a big pot of water. Salt it a little. Bring it to a boil.

12. Add the pasta to the water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Give it a quick stir once in between.



13. Drain the pasta out of the water. Keep the water covered till you are ready with the next batch of pasta.



14. Start working on the next portion of flour, roll it into a ball and repeat from step 7.

15. Take the drained pasta in a bowl. Add a couple of tbsp of Pesta sauce. Add a few green beans and cubes of boiled potatoes. Toss well. You can add some olive oil or pasta water to loosen this up a little.

16. Sprinkle some Parmigiano Reggiano on top and serve!



Pesto Sauce(used only half of this for the pasta, rest for some other recipe)

Ingredients

Basil a big bunch (about 75 gm)
Sunflower seeds 2 tbsp (traditionally pine nuts are used)
Garlic 2 cloves chopped
Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) Cheese 1/2 cup
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Pulse together all the ingredients till it is all mixed together.

2. If you have a food processor, add the olive oil little at a time from the top. Mine is just an Indian Mixie. So I added everything together.

3. Refrigerate covered till you need it. The sauce starts to darken a little if exposed to air. So if storing for long time, add a layer of oil to the top. The darkening does not affect the taste. So don't worry.

Vegan Option

While making Pesto, I made a Vegan version as well. Add a small bunch of basil, 1 clove of garlic, 3 tbsp of sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. It was actually pretty good. The Sunflower seeds gave it a nice texture. It tasted like the real deal. So now I am happy that I can make Pesto for myself without buying any fancy special ingredients.

Check out the other AGC thoughout this week 
Anusha, Jayanthi, Kavitha, Priya M, Radhika, Priya S

Vegetable Pizza - 350th Post

I am glad to be posting my 350th Post today. Before I started blogging, I never used to bake and now I make a lot of things in my oven. Blogging does have advantages!! This Pizza features regularly at our house and we all love it. It is sooo easy to make and tasty too... You will never order a take out pizza.

I have a really crazy problem when it comes to making Pizza at home. I am lactose intolerant - which means no cheese for me.. I used to enjoy pizza so much before, but these days I am not so  keen. You can't blame me, can you? Then the other two ppl in my house. Husband wants a set of vegetables in his Pizza and little one wants pineapple, corn and cheese. Who would have thought a 3 year old would know exactly what he wants.

But guess what. I took care of this situation. Made the pizza dough with 3 cups of flour. Made a medium pizza with about half of that. Made two personal pizza with the rest of the dough. Though we did not finish the whole lot, we were all stuffed by the end of the meal.



Ingredients

Bread Flour (or APF) 3 cups
Fast Action Yeast 2 (7g) packets
(Note : though I used 2 pkts, now I use only 1 and I find it has a better taste. So use just one)
Salt 1 tsp
Sugar 1 tbsp
Warm Milk 11/2 cup (I used a little more than 11/4 cup)
Oil 2 tbsp plus a little to layer the top

Vegetables of choice
For Medium Pizza - I used a few slices of red pepper, green pepper, onions, some chopped sun dried tomatoes, chopped baby corn and mozerella cheese

For my personal pizza - i used about the same toppings as above without the cheese.

For my little ones pizza - i added chopped baby corn, pineapple (from can) and loads of cheese.

Method of Preparation

1. Take flour in a big bowl. Add yeast, salt,sugar and oil. Mix well.

2. Add milk a little at a time and mix well till you get a spongy dough.

3. Apply a little oil on top. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and rest for about an hour till the dough raises to atleast double.

4. Punch out the air and knead quickly. Take the required size of dough to make pizza. This will make 2 medium pizzas. As I said before I made 3 pizzas out of this. The method is same for both pizza. Timing will vary for both. I have given my timing below

5. Roll into a circle. Grease a Pizza tray with oil a little. Place the dough in it. With your fingers gently push the dough towards the edges. Keep the end a little thicker than the pizza. For the smaller pizza, I just used by cake tray.





6. Brush the pizza with a little oil and keep in a preheated oven for 5 minutes. I baked it at 220C. This is a trick I learned from Radhika to keep the pizza from getting all soggy. For smaller pizza, just keep for 2-3 min.

7. Take out. Time to top your base. Add a layer of pizza sauce. Add vegetables as desired and top with cheese. You can add dollops of tomato sauce on the top.





8. Bake @220 C for 15-20 minutes. Mine was done in 16 minutes. The smaller one was done in 10 minutes.