Falafel Curry

                                   

Pinterest was flooding with this recipe and I was also very eager to try it. So when I made falafel over one weekend, I knew it has to be some leftover balls and will make quick curry for Monday. Since its nothing fancy ingredients in falafel it has to taste good with creamy malai kofta curry.  I had it for dinner and leftover went in to next day lunch box and it taste even better next day. So here my leftover magic to this all time favorite dish in to Indian Twist.

Ingredients for Falafel :

Authentic Falafel Balls - Follow my recipe here. 

For Gravy 

Malai Kofta - follow my recipe for grave here. 

3 tbsp oil

1 large white onion (puree)

1/4 cup tomato puree

ginger garlic and green chili paste 2 tsp

1 tsp coriander powder , turmeric powder , red chili powder

3/4 tsp garam masala powder

salt to taste

pinch of kasoori methi

Honey 1/2 tsp (if not then sugar will do)

Hing - pinch

1 cup fat free (regular) Evaporated milk

Few sliced onions to garnish

Method: 

In a non stick pan , add oil in it. Add Hing and onion puree in it.

Cook it till it changes its color, add turmeric powder and salt in it. Mix it.

Add ginger garlic green chili paste, coriander powder and red chili powder and garam masala , crushed kasoori methi along with tomato puree.

Cook it till oil floats on top.

Add the evaporated milk and cook it for 5 minutes, As per your taste, you can thin it out or thick it out adding more or less milk. Remove from heat.

When ready to eat, place the balls in serving dish and pour hot gravy on top of it. Garnish with sliced onions and served it with roti, naan or jeera rice.

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop: May First week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Mango Clementine Smoothie Bowl

So I also jump into current trend of making smoothie bowls. I love to make smoothies anyway so why not to eat it instead of drink it. So here I have my most favorite way of drinking smoothie is with mango puree. For extra thickness and goodness ,  I have added oats in it too and make this delicious bowl. I had it for lunch and I was full, didn’t get my vegetables thru this but I was happy ,this is what I needed for that day so. You can make any combination of smoothie you can make, add any toppings which you like and voila perfect bowl of smoothie is ready. Just add one frozen ingredient to make it creamy. 

Ingredients :

½ cup Canned or fresh mango pulp

1 frozen banana, thawed little bit

4 tbsp. Old fashioned oats

¼ cup clementine juice

1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk or your choice of milk

¼ cup Greek plain yogurt

For toppings :  Ripe banana, few clementine,  coconut powder, chia seeds

Method:

In a blender add mango pulp, cut pieces of banana, oats, juice, milk and yogurt.

Make a smooth puree.

Take it out in a glass or just drink it or take it out a bowl and add your favorite toppings and enjoy.

I had it with banana, clementine, coconut powder and chia seeds.

Healthy eating / drinking.

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop: May First week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Rosemary, Basil, Parsley Pesto

In my last post, did you see that big bundle of rosemary, well I have to finish that. Rosemary is a very powerful herb. If you add too much, you ruin the dish so you have to use it wisely. I just feel like leaving outside and get its fragrance, but have to use it so make this pesto. Since I had other herbs like basil, parsley and sage and oregano too but I just added basil and parsley only and one leaf of sage. It came out so good, my husband make sandwich of that pesto and rosemary bread. Again you don't need much of rosemary but add more basil or parsley as per your liking.

Ingredients :

2 tbsp. Rosemary leaves only green part not to take any wooden part, chopped it
1 cup mix basil and parsley
1/4 cup roasted almonds
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper as per taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 juice of lime

Method

Wash all the herbs.

In a blender add herbs, garlic, almonds, salt, cheese, lime juice, pepper and start making puree. Add slowly olive oil to  keep it moving

When everything is nicely mixed, take it out in bowl and use it as dip, spread, sauce or anyway you want to use it.

 Used the No Knead Rosemary and Sea Salt Bread for sandwich .

A2K - A Seasonal Veg Table: Eat Your Greens

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop: April last week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Tandoori Cauliflower Pulav

I just wanted to eat something nice with rice, not same old mix vegetables pulao or biryani but something different, saw cauliflower in the fridge, take it out, put it in spices and yogurt to marinade and two hours later, make this pulao and had it with raita and devour it. I love one-pot dishes, its easy to cook and filling too. Leftovers can go into a lunchbox for the next day. I made it very quick but if you have time, make the rice first, cool it down, cook separately cauliflower and then mix it in layers and make it exotic. If not just put everything in one pot and still delicious as ever. For my love of soya, I have added some in this too. but if you want you can completely avoid this, you can add potatoes too or paneer. Possibilities are endless.

Ingredients

1 cup cauliflower florets - keep it big
1/2 cup soaked soya nuggets
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp. tandoori masala
1 tbsp. ginger and garlic paste
1 juicy lemon, first grate the zest and then use the juice
Salt as per taste
1 tbsp. red chili powder
Pinch crushed kasoori methi
2 tbsp. oil
Mix whole spices - cinnamon, green cardamom, black pepper, cloves, bay leaf, dry red chili
Salt for rice
1 chopped onion
Finely chopped coriander leaves
1 cup soaked basmati rice

Method:

Whisk yogurt and all ginger garlic paste, tandoori masala and mix it.
Add cauliflower, nuggets, salt, and lime juice, red chili powder, kasoori methi, mix it and leave it outside for good one hour.

Heat a big pot, add oil, when its hot, add one by one whole spices, add onion, cook till its pink.
Add marinade cauliflower and soya. Mix it so it covers with whole spices.
Add rice and salt for the rice and enough water to cook the rice,

Add enough water in the first time, you don't want to add more water, otherwise rice will be mushy.
Keep the lid on and cook it on medium to slow flame till rice is fluffed up and water is gone.
Do not try  to mix it with spoon while its cooking, you can break the rice.

when its done, leave it for some time cover and sprinkle coriander leaves.

To serve , have it with cucumber and onion raita.

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop: April last week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

No Knead Rosemary and Sea Salt Bread

After making of a successful batch of regular no-knead bread and promised my kids that will make it again in the weekend I made this bread. This time instead of plain, I have added fresh rosemary and sea salt. All the ingredients and method is same, just adding rosemary and sea salt in it, When it was baking my home smells so good with fresh rosemary. And when it was done and this time I make sure that before we slice it, it cools down so get nice slices, my daughter told me that house smells like Subway sandwich store, because of fresh bread. So what are you waiting for? Make this and you will love it.

Ingredients :

2-3 tbsp. the only green part of the rosemary, chopped it very thin.
3 cups All Purpose flour, more for dusting
1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp. sea salt, more to sprinkler later.
1 and a half cups of water

Method :

Step 1 : 

In a large bowl, combine, rosemary, flour, yeast, and salt. Add one cup water first, mix it and then add 1/2 cup more and stir with wooden spoon. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours. More is better but 12 is good, at warm room temperature.

Step 2 : 

The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Sprinkle flour at work surface and put the dough on it. Wet your hands and take the dough and take out all the air and make it smaller in size again. fold it once or twice, remember its no knead so don't need too much. Gently move the dough to the parchment paper. You can use a kitchen towel too. But believe me, parchment works wonder. Cover and let it rise again for an hour or so.

Sprinkle some sea salt on top and put one branch of rosemary for added flavor,

Step 3 : 

Preheat the oven at 450 F. Now if you have  Le Creuset Enameled cast iron, You can use that. But I didn't so I put loaf with parchment in my silicon pan. Meantime boil one cup of water in the pan. And put my aluminum rectangle dish in the oven so it gets warm up too. When my oven reached at 450, I slide my pan in the middle rack and take out my aluminum dish along with rack little out and pour that boiling water in it We need to create moisture in the oven so it gets a nice crust. Be very careful when you do this, keep kids out and cover the glass of oven with a kitchen towel so if by mistake water drops on it, you don't burn yourself. 

Bake it for 30 minutes or till you get a nice brown on it. Remove and let it cool on wire rack. Till then you have to wait but if you can not wait hey it's your bread you can do whatever you want to do. Enjoy with delicious homemade white butter or your favorite butter or olive oil or dip in the soup. 

See those air pockets, that makes soft inside and chewy outside, it was perfect bread. Got compliments from hubby and kids too.

Hearth and Soul blog hop: April 3rd week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Crispy Baked Pasta With Mushrooms, Vegan Sausage, and Parmesan Cream Sauce

Ya sausage, so ? This is the sausage I am talking about.

its Vegan  Italian sausage with basil and sun dried tomatoes so what better way to use  this in pasta. So I make a nice sauce with mushrooms , white sauce , all vegetables, vegetable stock , sausage and add pasta in it . I used carrot and tomato pasta from barilla. So that was good too. You can just make it with mushroom only but I like to add more vegetables so I added more. I used two sausage only because it was enough .

Ingredients :

1 onion chopped finely
2 small carrots chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic chopped finely
2 sausage links
1 green capsicum chopped
Salt and pepper as per taste
1 8 oz. can vegetable stock
1 cup chopped mushroom of your choice
1 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. APF
1 cup heavy cream
1 box dried pasta or as per your need
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
4 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
Few leaves of fresh chopped parsley

Method :

chopped all your vegetables and keep it aside.

Heat a pan, add 1 tbsp. olive oil and add chopped sausage in it, cook on 3-4 minutes and break it with mesher. take it out in a bowl.
In same pan, add garlic and cook for a minute, then add all vegetables, cook for a minute. Add salt and pepper and lime juice. Add APF and mix it nicely. Slowly add stock and it will soon thicken up. Add heavy cream , 1/2 parmesan cheese and mix it, check for the seasoning and add parsley. Stir in the sausage now. Mix it evenly.

meanwhile in other burner, heat up the pot with water in it , cook the pasta as per package and take it out.

Adjust rack to 10 inches below broiler element and preheat broiler to high.

 Add pasta in sauce and mix it. Put everything in baking dish. Sprinkle panko, leftover parmesan cheese on top of pasta.

Broil until golden brown, rotating the pan if necessary for 2-3 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Hearth and Soul blog hop: April 3rd week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Pineapple Sriracha Bowl

Over weekends, I like to make something special for me for breakfast so I can complete my chores cause with all the work line up for weekend, I don't have time to eat lunch at perfect hour. I love eggs in the morning but with bread or paratha its getting boring so always look for new ways to eat eggs and breakfast in the morning. This is perfect for brunch too. If you have leftover rice it's quick and in no time you have bowl on the table. I love this bowl specially its spicy and sour and little bit of crunch from green onion. Its a perfect hangover dish too , if  you had too much alcohol night before this will cure it. You can make this in pot and put it in bowl or just make one bowl at a time, its totally upto you. As I told you before , I don't like runny eggs so I always cook my fried eggs. I have used small plastic bowls of pineapple from Dole but if you have fresh pineapple use it.

Ingredients : 

1 cup cooked rice ( I use brown rice)
1 tsp. Soya Sauce
1 tsp. Sriracha sauce
Splash of Sesame oil
1 small bowl of Dole Pineapple in juice or fresh pineapple 1/3 cup chopped
1 Green onion chopped (only green part)
1 Large egg
Salt and Pepper as per taste
1 tsp. oil for Egg

Method:

Reheat the rice in microwave, add soya sauce, sriracha sauce, sesame oil and mix it.
Add pineapple pieces and green onion and mix it.
In frying pan, add oil and fry the egg the way you like it, add salt and pepper.
Put the egg  on the top of the rice and enjoy.

You can adjust spices as per your taste.
got the idea from here.

Hearth and Soul blog hop: April Second week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Baked Oats and Nuts Bars

This is nothing but a crispy , crunchy bars which has all the good stuff, oats, nuts, honey, organic maple syrup so what not to love about it. I like to name it chikki because I was craving for chikki and was not in a mood to do sugar  or gud and just sesame seeds or peanuts or coconut in it, instead I have added oats and made it nice and crunchy. Its perfect bars on the go and no extra sugar in it , just 3/4 cup of organic maple syrup in it which gives nice flavor so let's get to recipe.

Check my other bars -  No Bake Chocolate Chip Oats Bar
No Bake Oats Almond Dates Balls
5 Ingredients Energy Balls
No Bake Chocolate Chip Brownie Bar
3 Ingredients Energy Bars
Carrot and Zucchni Bars with Citrus Frosting
Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Bar

Ingredients 

2 cups oats
1 cup of mix almonds, cashews
1/2 cup coconut
2 tbsp each white and black sesame seeds
1 tsp. cardamom powder
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp. Cinnamon powder
3/4 cup organic maple syrup
2 tbsp. ghee
2 tbsp. honey - you can use honey instead of maple syrup

Method:

In a heavy pot pan, add oats , both sesame seeds and roast till 4-5 minutes till oats become little crunchy.
Take it out in bowl.
Add nuts and coconut and roast it till its nice and toasty.
Now preheat oven at 325 F.
In same pan, add ghee and maple syrup , cardamom powder, cinnamon powder and mix it.
add ghee mixture in to dry oat mixture and mix it nicely.
Put a parchment paper in baking dish and spread evenly the mixture.

You can wet your hands and push it down to all sides evenly so it baked nicely.
Baked it for 20-25 minutes or until nice and golden brown.
I like my crispy so I bake it more.
Take it out and let it cool completely .
You can cut it or just break it as you lie and enjoy it.
Put the rest in air tight container and put a piece in kids and your lunch boxes till it last and make another batch again.

Hearth and Soul blog hop: April Second week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen