Christmas Fruit cake : alcohol free,dairy free,eggless !

I have been wanting to bake the Christmas cake which I had come across at various food blogs.Now that I have baked quite a few cakes,I thought of trying this cake out.I selected the recipe @ http://www.mariasmenu.com/desserts/eggless-kerala-christmas-fruit-cake as it uses no liquor & is eggless.I changed some ingredients & my cake is Vegan !

Ingredients :Soak dry fruits like chopped almonds,cashews,walnuts,figs,brown & black kishmis,pistachios in fruit juice overnight.I soaked 11/2 cups of mixed & chopped dry fruits in mixed fruit juice brought from store.I soaked in a glass & the juice was just  enough to drown the dry fruit mix.

Keep 1- 2tbsp multigrain atta to coat the soaked dry fruit mix before adding to batter to prevent all dry fruits from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

Dry ingredients : 11/4  cup multigrain atta ( I used Pillsbury ) ,1/2 + 1/3 cup mineral sugar ( this is brown in clour & just like white  sugar in texture though less sweeter ) ,1/2 tsp baking soda,1/2 tsp baking powder,1/4 tsp cinnamon powder,1 clove & 2 cardamom...dry roast & pound them with pestle into powder ( or use 1/8 tsp clove & cardamom powder mix ),  salt to taste.

Wet ingredients : 11/2 cup soaked dry fruit mix, 1/4 cup oil,1 tbsp white vinegar, 1/2 tbsp flax seed powder soaked in 2 tbsp water for 15-20 minutes,1 tbsp grated orange peel ,1 tsp grated ginger,1/2 tsp vanilla essence,water to make batter thinner if need be.

Mix all dry ingredients with whisk or fork nicely many times so that all ingredients are nicely mixed.Keep aside.

Mix vinegar,oil ,orange peel,grated ginger ,vanilla essence nicely.Add flax seed water mix.Mix all nicely.Pour this wet mix into  the dry mix.Mix nicely.

Add 1-2  tbsp multigrain atta to soaked  dry fruits & then add these atta coated dry fruits  to cake batter.Mix nicely so that no lumps remain..Keep aside.

Take a microwaveable vessel.Line the vessel bottom with butter paper.Pour the cake batter into the vessel.Microwave for 9-10 minutes.Put off the microwave.Let it cool for 10 minutes..Insert a knife in the middle of the cake.If knife comes out clean ,it is done.If not,microwave for 1-2 minutes more.Cool & check again.

I cut the cake today in the morning. .Still it was very crumbly.Next time,I must bake only for 9 minutes.One of my best cakes till date.I distributed to one & all as today is Christmas ! 

Laapsi porridge

This is a healthy dish as it has no milk .It can be called a water payasam.My mom makes this once in awhile for breakfast.It is quick & easy.Ingredients are few.

Ingredients : 1 cup laapsi rawa( use finer variety as it will cook faster ) ,1 tbsp ghee( optional ) ,1 cup jaggery, 1 /2 tsp cardamom powder,a few dry fruits  chopped  to garnish.

Method : Take a thick bottomed kadhai.Put the laapsi  & 3 cups  water in it.Mix nicely.Warm the kadhai by putting the gas on.Keep stirring with a spoon so that it does not stick to bottom.Always keep gas burner on slow mode.Slowly laapsi will get cooked.After 15 minutes or so add jaggery & mix nicely.Slowly jaggery will melt due to the heat.After Keep stirring with spoon so that no lumps of jaggery remain.After 10 minutes,all will have got alight brown colour.If you feel that it is very thick,add some water & mix nicely.Let it simmer for some more time.Put off gas.Add cardamom powder & mix nicely.Serve in bowls.Garnish with grated dry fruits like almonds ,cashews etc.

Add a tsp of spoon on the top if desired. If no ghee is added,this is a vegan dish.

Sprouted lentils usal

Lentils when sprouted are healthier.Mixed lentil sprouts can be made into usal or sprouts curry.This can be made watery or thick.Watery usal will go great with rice.This usal will be an excellent side dish to chapptis,puris,etal.Usal pav or misal pav  is a popular Mumbai or better still,a Maharashtrian street fare.Misal is usal which has been granished with liberal sprinkling of farsan like sev, chuda, namkeen ( chickpea flour or besan  flour savouries in numerous forms ).

Any of the lentils can be used.Since ,I had moong,amtki,chawli & white peas at home,I ued them.Even black chana,white kabuli chana,kala vattana,etc can be used.

Ingredients : 1.5 cup mixed lentils soaked overnight,for 1 night & then sprouted for 1 day in a cloth tied into knot or sprouted in the sprout container,1 medium onion finely chopped,1 medium tomato finely chopped,1 small carrot peeled & grated( optional ),1/2 red capsicum finely chopped,1/2 yellow capsicum finely chopped, a bunch of fresh coriander leaves cleaned & finely chopped, juice of half a lemon,1/2 piece ginger cleaned & grated,1 green chilli finely chopped, 1/2 tsp haldi,1/2 tsp hing,1tsp mustard seeds,1 tsp sambhar powder,1 tsp rasam powder,1 tbsp oil,salt to taste.


Method : Pressure cook on high flame, the sprouted mixed lentils for 2 whistles.Then lower down the flame & cook for 5-10 more minutes.Put off the gas.Keep aside.

Take a kadhai .Heat oil in kadhai.Add mustard seeds.After they splutter,add the chopped green chilli piecesfollowed by the haldi & hing.Now add the pressure cooked lentils to the kadhai.Mix all nicely.Add sambhar & rasam powder .Mix all the ingredients in the kadahi.The lentil mixture will be boiling now Add salt & mix nicely.Pleas see the water content .If you feel it is too watery ,let it boil for more time till it gives a a consistency desired.If water is too less ,add some water & let it simmer so that all is nicely mixed.Put off the gas.Add lemon juice & mix nicely .

Serve usal in bowls.Garnish with fresh veggies finely chopped.Top the fresh veggies with finely chopped dhania..Serve with chappatis or rice.

We had it just like that for a protein rich  breakfast !

Carrot salad

My mom is very partial to this salad or gajri ( Kannada for carrot ) kosambri ( salad ).Only a seasoning has to be added to grated carrots along with salt & it is ready ! Amma makes this as an accompaniment to methi theplas.

Ingredients : 3 medium sized carrots...peeled & grated,1 tbsp oil,1/4 tsp cumin,1/4 tsp mustard,1/8 tsp haldi,1/4 tsp hing,1 byadgi red chilli broken into 2-3 pieces,1 green chilli finely chopped, a few curry leaves,salt to taste.

For garnish : 2  tbsp cleaned,washed & chopped coriander leaves,2 tbsp fresh grated coconut( optional ).

Method : Take a kadhai & heat oil.Add mustard seeds.After mustard seeds pop up ,add cumin followed by urad dal.As urda dla turns golden brown in colour,add curry leaves & green chilli pieces.Put off gas.Add byadgi mirchi.Add hing & haldi.Mix all this with a spoon.Add this to grated carrots in a bowl.Mix nicely Add salt.Mix nicely so that salt gets evenly distributed.

Garnish with chopped dhania & fresh coconut.Serve with methi theplas and or any pulao,biryani, et al  !