Carrot Tomato soup

I add carrots to many dishes- upma,vermicelli upma,pav bhaji,bread pizza,etal.I add carrots to gravies of chhole,rajma & other lentils as I feel carrots blend nicely with tomatoes.Moreover ,my daughter would eat carrots smuggled into the dishes which otherwise she would not.

Ingredients : 2 medium sized tomatoes,1 medium onion( optional ) ,1 small carrot,1/2 tsp pepper powder,1/2 inch grated ginger ,fresh coriander-a few sprigs, salt to taste.

Method : Chop tomatoes,onion & carrot into big chunks.Pressure cook them all.After the pressure cooked veggies cool to room temperature,blend all of them in a mixer or blender.

Take the blended paste or liquid into a thick bottomed vessel.Add water to make it thin -of soup consistency. Add grated ginger.Boil the liquid.Add salt & pepper powder.Mix properly.Take off the vessel from gas.

Serve in bowls -garnished with fresh coriander which has been cleaned,washed & chopped.

Banana bread :eggless

There were over ripe bananas & I thought of trying banana bread recipe .I had come across this recipe @ http://www.jeyashriskitchen.com/2012/03/eggless-banana-bread-no-egg-no-butter.html.

I made my own changes & the bread turned out great !

Ingredients :1 cup multigrain atta ( I used Pillsbury- any other multigrain atta or wheat flour or maida can be used ), 3/4 cup brown sugar( white sugar can be used as well ), 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder,a pinch of salt,3 tbsp olive oil ( any other oil can be used ),1/4 cup yoghurt,1/4 cup milk,1tsp vanilla essence,2 over ripe bananas.

Method : Mix all dry ingredients - atta,sugar,baking powder & soda nicely.I do not sieve -hence I use fork or even whisk can be used to mix dry ingredients thoroughly.Keep aside.

Mash bananas into a puree.Add vanilla essence.Mix.Add yoghurt & milk.Add olive oil .Mix nicely.Keep aside.

Make a hole in the dry ingredient mix.Pour the liquid mix of banana,milk ,yoghurt,oil  into the dry mix.Whisk nicely till all ingredients are nicely mixed.The mixture must have drop down consistency.If the mixture has thicker consistency ,little water or buttermilk can be added to get drop down consistency.

Take a glass vessel or a microwaveable vessel.Line it with butter paper.Pour the mixture into the vessel.Bake in microwave for 10 minutes.After 10 minutes,switch off.Let the bread  be in the microwave for 5 minutes.Check if bread  is done by inserting a knife into the cake.If knife comes out clean ,it is done.Otherwise bake for another minute.Check again.

Cool bread  outside the microwave for another 10- 15 minutes.Now turn the vessel upside down on a plate.The bread will drop down after 10-15  minutes on to the plate.Cut into desired shapes & serve.

I felt that my bread had a nice brown colour as I had used multigrian atta as also brown sugar.The  banana taste was not prominent. So maybe 1 more banana & perhaps no milk in the next attempt.I felt that I should have baked for 9 minutes.The bread was on drier side.The sugar was just apt.So for those, who want a sweeter version, more sugar can be added.Instead of 3/4 cup sugar , 1 cup sugar can be used.