Fruit yoghurt specially for Festive season - Recipe

(It is a useful healthy dish for who avoid high calorie dishes in festive season and look for tangible health benefits everything they consume)

 Ingredients:

- 400 gm Hung curd/yogurt

-100 gm condensed milk

-Canned chopped fruits like, Peach halves, apricots, prunes, cranberries.

 Recipe:

-Whisk the curd/yogurt with condensed milk

-Mix chopped fruits

-Portion into stemmed glasses for glass bowls.

-Keep the yogurt in the refrigerator to chill and relish the tasty fruit yogurt.

 pic courtesy:http://thegourmandmom.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/img_59391.jpg

Recipe: Paneer Tandoori

(It is a veg. Tandoori delight which you will like)

Ingredients:

Paneer -400gm

Ginger paste – 2 tbsp

Garlic paste -2tbsp

Chicken Tandoori masala-3tbsp

Curd-1/2 cu

Kasori Methi

Salt to taste

Oil – 1tbsp

How to prepare:

1. Wash the Paneer lightly and cut it into cubes

2. Mix the paneer cubes with ginger, garlic paste, curd, and Tandoori masala and Kasoori methi

3. Marinate it for about 15 to 20 minutes

4. Put oil in Kadhai or Pan and heat it.

5. Add the paneer to it

6. Saute it for some time, cover and cook

7. Paneer will release water and cook the paneer in it.

8. Once the whole thing gets reduced into gravy form, add some more Kasoori Methi and mix it well.

9. Season it with salt according to the taste.  The dish is ready to be served.

10 It is can be served with  rice.

 pic courtesy:http://neilhennessyvass.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/tandoori-paneer-tikka.jpg

Recipe: Shrimp Pakora

(A delicious starter and snack)

 Ingredients:

-Shrimp (Cleaned properly and de-veined)-200 gms

-¼ tbsp lime juice

-1/4 tbsp roasted cumin power.

-Salt to taste

-Garlic paste

-Red Chili power

-One cup basen/chickpea flour

-A pinch of baking powder

-1/4 cup finely chopped onions

-2finely chopped green chilis

 Recipe:

1. chuck the shrimp with ¼ tsp of lime juice, 1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder, garlic paste, red chili powder and salt.  Leave it aside to be marinated for about 15 to 20 minutes

2. Mix 1 cup of Besan, pinch of baking powder, 1/4 tsp of red chili powder, salt to taste, some water to make a smooth batter.

3. To the batter add about ¼ cup of finely chopped onions and 2 green chilis, finely chopped.

4. Heat oil in the pan and deep fry them.  The dish is ready to be served.

pic courtesy:http://www.littleindiacafemd.com/shrimp%20pakora.JPG

Recipe: Pataka Puri:

(A fresh fruits burst on your plates with chaat flavours)

Ingredients:

20 Pani Puri shells

200 gm curd

50 gm pomegranate Kamel

50 gm grapes (slit into quarters)

One Banana (chopped into small cubes)

2 tbsp Tamarind or date chutney

2 tbsp mint coriander chutney

2 tsp chaat masala

1.5 tbsp Lemon Juice

2 spoons cumin powder

½” stick ginger (finely chopped)

20gm aloo bhujia/Sev

10/12 leaves Fresh Mint

½ tsp chili powder

Salt to taste

Recipe:

Add salt, chili powder, chopped ginger, cumin powder, chaat masala (half of it) and mint leaves to the hung curd with one tablespoon of water. Mix well and store in the fridge for half an hour.  Now, add chopped banana, grapes and pomegranate to this curd along with date-tamarind, mint chutney and lemon juice (half of it).  Mix well.  Crack the Pani Puri shells, from the centre and totally stuff it with this hung curd mixture.  Sprinkle some chat masala and lemon juice on top of the Puri.  Garnish it with aloo bhujia, pomegranate and mint leaves.  Serve chilled.

pic courtesy:http://s3.amazonaws.com/foodspotting-ec2/reviews/1608842/thumb_600.jpg?1334704707

Recipe: Egg drop soup

(A complete meal in itself, the soup tastes nice when boiled noodles/macaroni is added to it.)

Ingredients:

3 Eggs No need to beat it as they can be poured directly into the pan

5 cups of chicken broth or stock

2 green onions

Little bit of Black pepper

Salt to taste

1 table spoon of olive oil

A small quantity of corn flour (for thickening)

1 cup of boiled noodles or macaroni

How to prepare:

-Take a saucepan and boil the chicken stock or broth.  Keep boiling for some time

-Now add olive oil, as it will enhance the taste of soup along with salt and pepper

-When you see it boiling, break eggs into slowly.  Poaching of eggs is a great way to retain the nutritional value.

-Now pit noodles or macaroni along with green onions.

-The soup is ready.  Serve it hot.

pic courtesy:http://goodfoodfreshingredients.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/img_8694.jpg

Recipe: Zucchini and cashew pasta

(With strips of zucchini and tossed raw cashews, this veg. pasta makes an interesting starter for party)

 Ingredients:

For Pasta:

1 packet of pasta of choice

4 large zucchinis

2 cups of fresh green peas

½ cup of finely chopped red bell peppers

½ cup of finely chopped yellow bell peppers

1 peeled and finely chopped carrot

1 cup of cherry tomatoes cut in quartered pieces

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons of lemon zest

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated Parmesan cheese

For the sauce:

1 cup of raw cashews (soaked for two hours and rinsed thoroughly)

¾ cup water

½ teaspoon coconut nectar

1 clove of roughly chopped garlic

¼ cup of lemon juice

Method:

- Add the pasta, salt and a couple of drop of oil  in a saucepan containing boiling water.  Boil till it is tender

-In a large bowl, peel one cm wide strips of zucchinis so that it resembles pencil shavings.  You can do so using a vegetable peeler.  Add peas, bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, basil, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper.  Toss all these ingredients well into a salad and set aside.

-Prepare the sauce by using a blender on high speed to mix cashews, water coconut nectar, and garlic and lemon juice into a smooth paste.  Add salt to teaste.

- Lay out the pasta in a serving dish.  Add a layer of Zucchini salad on it.   Put a layer of sauce over the salad.

-Garnish with the grated Parmesan cheese. It should be served with garlic bread.

 pic courtesy:http://theeightytwentyrule.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/photo-2.jpg

Recipe: Boondi Ladoo Cheese cake (The traditional Ladoo served on Ganesh Chaturthi with modern twist)

(Here is interesting recipe through which you can invoke Lord Ganesha)

Ingredients:

300 gm curd

200 gm cream cheese

Five Boondi ladoo

100 gm condensed milk

1 tbsp clear gelatin or agar-agar

½ cup+3tbsp of water

½ cup of sliced almonds and pistachios

Two digestive biscuits/marie crackers

2 tbsp melted butter

2 tbsp brown sugar (powdered)

Recipe:

Crush the cookies very finely.  Now mix melted butter, brown sugar and crushed cookies in a mixing bowl and put it in the bottom of the pan and flatten it with light pressure.  Heat about ½ cup of water.  Meanwhile, dissolve the agar-agar/gelatin in three tablespoon of water.  Pour this gelatin mixture in the ½ cup of water when it comes to boil.  Turn off heat and mix well.  Let it cool.  In a large mixture bowl bend hung curd, cream cheese and condensed milk.  Add the agar-agar after it is not cool and blend well with a hand mixer.  The mixture will be thick.  Now, pour this mixture over the crushed cookies in the baking pan. Cover and refrigerate for at least six hours or till serving time.  Just before serving, top this cheesecake with freshly crumbled Boondi ladoo’s and sliced almonds and pistas.

pic courtesy:http://nitudididotcom.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/boondi-ladoo-pinky.jpg