Banana smoothie

This is  a very easy smoothie & very creamy one.

Ingredients : 2 ripe bananas ( any bananas will do ..common or the elaichi bananas ) 1 cup mil, sugar to taste ( optional ),1/4 tsp cardamom powder.

Method : Peel the bananas & blend in a mixer or blender.It will give a creamy pulp.Add sugar & cardamom powder.Add milk & blend again.

Creamy yummy milk shake is ready ! It can be chilled & then served.Or add ice cubes before serving.This shake is very filling.

For my kid ,I added ,a tsp of nutella & blended with the banana smoothie again to get a buff colour that can be seen in the snap above.

Spring onion shoots utappa & onion chutni

The veggie vendor had forced me to buy a big bunch of spring onionsthe other day.So I had to find some use for it.I had leftover dosa batter.I just cut some green shoots of the spring onions & added them to the batter & made utappas.I made some onion chutni by following Padhu ' recipe for the same.

This uttappa has green shoots in it & ginger...so it is wholesome as it has greens in it & ginger adds spice as also aids in digestion.

Ingredients for Uttappa:  2 cups idli or dosa batter, 1/3 cup spring onion green shoots  -roughly chopped, 1 tsp grated ginger,sat to taste,2 tbsp oil.

Method : Mix chopped green spring onion shoots,grated ginger & salt to the batter & mix nicely.The batter must have drop down consistency.If not add water &  mix nicely till drop down consistency is obtained.Keep aside.

Put on the gas & put the tawa on the gas burner. Turn on the gas to high..Grease with oil.Now put a ladle full of the batter on it.As it is full of spring onion greens,it will not spread easily.Let it be.Cover with a lid & allow to cook.After five minutes,the uttapa would be cooked on one side.It must have got browned on the cooked side.Flip the uttapa on the reverse side & cook again for 2-3 minutes.It will have browned little ( in patches ) on the other side.If more browning or crispier uttap is needed ,let it cook for another minute.

Reduce the gas to slow.Remove uttapa on to a plate & serve with onion chutni.

Original recipe from Padhu's kitchen.

Ingredients for onion chutni : 1 big onion ( I did not use Madras onons or vangayam ) -roughly  chopped, 2 byadgi red chillies, a few sprig of curry leaves,1 small  tamarind,salt to taste,1 tsp urad  dal, 1 tbsp oil.

Method : Heat oil in a kadhai .Add urad dal.When the urad dal turns golden brown in colour.,add byadgi michi ,followed by curry leaves.Then add the roughly chopped onions.Fry for 2 -3 minutes.Put off the gas.Add the tamarind piece & mix with the contents in the kadhai. Cool.Take the contents of the kadhai & blend nicely into a chutni in a mixer.Add salt to the chutni & blend again.

Vagar can be poured on chutni by popping a tsp of mustard seeds in a tsp of oil.After putting of the gas,add 1/4 tsp hing & haldi to the vagr mix.Put this vagar on chutni & mix.I loved this chutni as this was the first time,I made this chutni & it was yumm.

Banana chikoo cupcakes : Eggless

I have made chikoo cake earlier.Hence,it was time to mix another ingredient & make a cake.I added 1 banana with chikoos to make these cupcakes .Well ,the texture of the cupcake speaks for itself !

Ingredients : 2 chikoos,1-2  bananas,1/3 cup dahi,  1tbsp oil,1/2 cup brown sugar,1 cup atta,1/2 tsp baking powder,1/2 tsp baking soda,salt to taste.

Method : Mix all dry ingredients that is atta,baking powder,baking soda & salt. in a bowl Keep aside.

Peel chikoos & bananans.Remove seeds from chikoos.Put chikkos & banana in a blender. Blend into a smooth paste.This paste must be 1 cup.Into this paste add,sugar & mix.Add dahi & oil & mix nicely.

Make a well in the dry ingredient mix & slowly pour the paste into the well.Mix with a whisk.No lumps should remain.Keep aside.

Take microwaveable cup cake moulds & line them with butter paper moulds.Pour batter into each of the moulsds. Just fill upto 3/4 of the cup cake as the batter will rise during baking.Bake in microwave for 2-2.5 minutes.Let it cool for 2-3 minutes.Prick a toothpick to check if  cup cake is baked.If not bake for another 1/ 2 minute.Cool.Remove from microwave.Let it cool for 10-15 minutes more .Then by a spoon just loosen it from sides of butter paper mould. The cupackes are ready to be served.

These cup cakes had that crunch of chikoos which we experience when we savor chikoos.I got some 17-18 cupcakes-some small & some big ones as I have various sizes.

Mixed vegetables poha

Poha is my favourite breakfast & snack.I can eat it daily.It gets ready in no time & it is very tasty & light.

Ingredients : 1 cup thick poha ( zada poha), 1 tbsp oil,1/2 tsp grated ginger, 1 small onion ,1 small capsicum,1 small tomato, 1 small potato,1-2 green chillies finely chopped,1/2 tsp urad dal,1/2 tsp mustard seeds,1/4 tsp hing,1/4 tsp haldi, a few curry leaves, salt to taste.

Method :Wash the poha 3 times in water so that all dirt goes away.Strain the water.Sprinkle some salt & haldi on the poha & mix.This is to assist in mixing of haldi & salt with the poha.Keep aside.

In a kadhai ,take 1 tbsp oil.Heat it up.Add mustard seeds.When muster seeds splutter,add urad dal.After the urad dal turns golden brown,add onions ,curry leaves  & grated ginger.Cover kadhai with a lid & let it cook for 2-3  minutes.Uncover lid .Add thin slices of potatoes ,haldi & hing.Cover with alid & cook.After this has cooked for 7-8 minutes,add capsicum.Mix.Cover with lid & let it cook for 2-3 minutes.Uncover lid & add tomatoes.Mix.Cover with lid & let it cook for 2-3 minutes.Uncover lid.Add salt -remember some salt has been added to poha earlier.Add the washed poha to the kadhai & mix so that all veggies are nicely mixed with poha.Cover with lid & cook for another 2 minutes.Put off the gas.After five minutes,remove lid & serve poha in bowls or plates -garnished with fresh chopped dhania and or fresh grated coconut.

Tip : If tomatoes are not liked,a piece of lemon can be squeezed before serving poha - not while it is getting cooked.Tomato or lemon gives a tangy taste to poha. Boiled peas can be added to poha while it is being cooked.

Healthy batata vadas

I am petrified of frying.That's why ,I rarely make puris for my kid who loves them so much .Then I read about frying bhajiyas,batata vadas etc in appam vessel I thought about giving it a try. I have already made savoury paniyavarams many times .So ,I am quite adept with the appam vessel.Moreover unlike frying in a large bowl of oil,appam cooking will leave me with no leftover fried oil which I have to use in chapatis ,sabji vagar etc.I cannot think of wasting away fried oil no matter  how unhealthy fried oil is as it makes no sense economy wise ! Now I am waiting for which  some vessel makes frying puris as breezy as making these batata vadas

I came across this recipe @http://www.aayisrecipes.com/2008/08/24/soya-batata-vada/.I made some changes & here is my version.

Ingredients : 1/2 cup besan,4-5 medium sized poataoes, 1/4 cup soya granules( optional ),1-2 green chillies,a few curry patta leaves, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1/4 tsp haldi,1/4 tsp hing,1/2 tsp mustard seeds,1/4 tsp jeera,2 -3  tbsp oil   vessel.

Method : Pressure cook potatoes.Peel potataoes & mash them .Take a kadhai & make vagar with 1/2 tbsp oil.Add mustard seeds & jeera.When they have spluttered,add chopped green mirchi & kadi patta leaves.Now add poataoes,haldi & hing.Add soya granules which have been osked in hot water for 5-10 minutes & then squeezed to remove water.Mix nicely.Add salt & mix.Potato filling or bhaji is ready.Make small balls of poatao vadas ....about sizes of medium lemons . Keep aside.

In a big bowl ,take besan & add water.Make  dough by mixing besan with water.Note that no lumps should remain .Add salt,haldi & hing.The dough must not be too thick or thin.The dough must have drop down consistency.Please note that  no red chilli powder was added to dough as my daughter would not eat spicy batata wadas .Moreover the potato filling prepared has its share of green chillies & ginger.

Heat the  appam vessel on the gas.Add little oil in each of the bowls of appam vessel.Meanwhile dip a poatao ball in the besan dough .The dough must coat the poatao ball all over.Put this coated poatao ball in one of the appam vesse bowl.Repeat with other poatao balls.Cover the appam vessel with a lid.After five minutes,with the help of aspoon ,turn the poatao balls upside down in the bowls of the appam vessel one by one.The side of potato ball which was fried would have  turned golden brown.Cover with lid.After 3-4 minutes,remove the balls one by one from the bowls of appam vessel by means of a spoon.If the batata vadas needd more cooking ,they can be kept longer in the bowls.

One batch of batata vadas is ready.Now repeat procedure for next batch. For the second batch of batata vadas even less oil than the first batch will be needed to be put in the appam vessel bowls.

I got 16 batata vadas with my measurement.I had made small balls.Moreover my dough was thinner.I will make better dough next time.

With the remaining dough ,I made bhajiyas.I grated 1 small raw  potato.I chopped one small onion finely.Aded it to the reamining besan dough.Added some red chilli powder .Made bhajiyas in the bowls of appam vessel just as I made batata vadas. They were yumm !

Now I can have bhajiyas any time .....actually so many fried items ...thanks to the appam vessel !