Eggless Wheat Flour and Banana Cake

Another year comes to an end!! This year was special...My dream of starting a blog came true. This dream would have not become a reality, if not for the support and encouragement from each one of you."THANK YOU ALL FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!" As we begin a new year and a new chapter let us all pray and hope that 2015 will be filled with Happy and Fun filled Moments :) Keep encouraging and trying out our recipes....We will try our level best to keep up to your expectations :) Let us start this year with a sweet and a healthy cake. This cake was introduced to me by my Dear friend Jayashri Baleri. A cake that can be eaten guilt free...very healthy, easy to make and delicious. HAPPY NEW YEAR :)

Spicy And Tangy Aloo Paratha

Aloo Paratha, The king of all parathas, a typical North Indian delicacy,an all time favourite. I was very bad in making parathas especially the stuffed ones. Everytime I tried they used to tear. It was then that a very good friend of mine,one who i admire a lot Jayashri Baleri came up with her lip smacking aloo paratha recipe. She was the one who taught me to make perfect parathas. The addition of ajwain, amchur powder is the highlight of this recipe. Forget all the calories and enjoy this spicy tangy paratha.This one for you Jayu :)

Eggless Wheat And Honey Cake

Eggless Wheat And Honey cake is a low calorie, butterless, sugarless and eggless cake. Easy to make recipe, comes out soft and spongy anf its one  which everyone including the kids,will relish. 

This cake is a special dedication to my Dear Sister Gayatri Praveen Kamath on her Birthday Today. We grew up,laughed, smiled,cried and played together.We have so many special and unforgettable memories. I got into this world of posting in food groups, food photography and blogging after seeing her wonderful food posts. She has been very encouraging and a strong motivation.

This cake is one that I learnt from her. The recipe is adapted from Here. The original recipe uses maida/ all purpose flour. But Gayatri made it healthier by adding wheat flour instead of maida. Hope you will like it. This one for you Gatti :) Thanks for being there :)

Godhumai/Wheat Rava Adai

Dosa is a very common breakfast item in South India. There are different varieties of Dosas. Adai is a spicy lentil dosa that has originated from Tamil Nadu. It is normally made with a batter that has a combination of rice and lentils but we have given it a healthy twist and replaced rice with godhumai / wheat rava. It is a complete meal, full of nutrients and protiens, ideal breakfast esp for diabetic patients. This can be had with any chutney. But we love it with jaggery or honey. I learnt this from My Dear Mom, when i was on vacations this year. The ones she makes tastes delicious.

Pholsu

Pholsu is a Konkani Delicacy that is known to very few households. It is very similar to sambhar. Very Nutritious and easy to make. A dish packed with vitamins and nutrients. Tastes good with rice, dosas or idlis.

 My Mom, My Mentor, the one who made me what i am today learnt this from her Mom i.e  My Grandmother who has played a major role in my life. I spent the crucial years of my life with her and she guided me throughout and helped me grow...She has been a great source of inspiration to all of us. She has has faced a lot of struggles and difficulties in her life and fought through them with courage.She taught us to face problems with a smile and lead a simple life :) Our pillar of strength... Love You Lots Ammumma...Blessed to have you...You Are the Best. This one For You :)

Whole Wheat Pizza

Pizza, A favourite of almost everyone...An Italian delicacy and is made with different sauces and toppings. Normally pizza bases are made of maida / refined flour. But this one that I have made is one with a whole wheat base. The base recipe is adapted from one of my fav chefs legendary late Tarla Dalaji. I am an ardent follower of her website and love all her recipes. Hope you like this one too. The sauce is my own creation. Hope you will all like it. Please do try and give your feedback.

Veggie Kurma

Kurma/ Korma is one of the best accompaniments for chappathis, rotis, rice , idiyappam. appams or pooris. Every state has a different version of kurma/korma. My Dear friend, Chitra Kamath, whom we fondly call Chitrakka, an expert cook and who has always been motivating and encouraging us right from the onset of our blog, came up with this interesting recipe of veggie kurma. Easy to make and lighter than the normal ones. This one is mildly spiced and the coconut content is also lesser than normal. Packed with vitamins and minerals. A recipe worth a try. This one for you Chitrakka :) 

 

Sooji/ Rava Dhokla

Sooji/ Rava/Semolina Dhokla, very popular in Gujarati households, is one of the healthiest snack. Since its steamed, it is low in calories. Very filling and a complete meal. An excellent snack idea especially for school/office tiffins, weight watchers and diabetic patients. I surfed through many dhokla recipes, combined them with a few of my variations and came up with this final product. Hope you all like it!!

Sooji takes time to digest so you feel full for a longer time. good source of Vitamin E & B. it is a good source for gaining quick energy.

Oats And Rice Rava Undis

Undis or steamed rice balls are a Konkani GSB delicacy and is commonly made for breakfast. It is normally made with rice or rice rava and coconut. It is a steamed dish hence very healthy and less in calories. To cut the calorie content further we came up with this healthier version. This one is with oats, rice rava and zero coconut. Very easy and quick to make. My dear friend Prajna Pai Prabhu, a very talented cook who has the ability of giving creative and innovative twists to any recipe, is the one who came up with this idea. This quality of hers amazes me all the time. This one for your creativity Prajna :)

Bread Masala

Bread in any form is loved by all. Bread upma is something that is commonly made in every household. So what's this Bread masala? Its nothing but a spicy and masaledaar version of bread upma. Absolutely lip smacking recipe that will be loved by all esp the kids. An excellent idea for a healthy evening snack and for kids tiffin boxes too. Very easy and quick to make. I learnt this one from a dear friend, an expert cook Sandhya Puranik. A wonderful person who is always happy to share her recipes....Learnt a lot from her. Sandy this one for you!!

Nankhatai

Nankhatai is an Indian version of a shortbread cookie. Very tasty and delicious and a super hit among kids. It contains ghee and is high in calories neverthless one can treat oneself on special occasions. Today is such an ocassion. Kitchen tales is celebrating the birthday of a very special person Mrs Usha Bhat, an expert cook and an admin of a very successful food group that we are a part of. A wonderful person with amazing qualities like patience, always full of love, always smiling and a true leader.She gave us a platform to exhibhit our cullinary skills which otherwise would have never come up. This opportunity that she gave me polished my culinary skills, I ventured into food photography, i discovered my passion for cooking and made some wonderful friends for life. She has always encouraged me,criticised my flaws and motivated me throughout. She gave me the courage and brought out the blogger in me. Kitchen tales and me express our gratitude to Ushakka and wish her a "Very Happy Birthday And always the Best In Her Life" This one specially for you :)

Normally nankhatai is made with maida. But here I have given a healthy twist by adding wheat flour and unbleached all purpose flour.

Subzi Achaari Rolls

Kids are always attracted to subzi/ vegetable rolls. These rolls are a complete meal and can be made with any vegetable and any kind of sauce. My elder daughter loves spicy food. So i tried out these rolls with some left over cabbage subzi and homemade mildly spiced lemon,ginger and green chilli pickle. She just loved them.I had packed these in her tiffin to school and her friends loved them too.

Spicy Diamond Cuts/ Ronti/ Tukdi

Diwali The Festival Of Lights, Fun And Frolic. This is also a season of sweets and savouries. Spicy Diamond Cuts are known as Ronti or Tukdi in Konkani and are commonly prepared in every household. They make a perfect evening snack with hot piping tea/coffee. Original recipe uses maida but i have used wheat flour just to make it a little healthy.

Rava/Sooji Ladoo

Festive Season Is Back!!! With that the season of sweets, namkeen and snacks is also back!! Rava ladoo,is one of the easiest mithai/sweets to make. I learnt this recipe from my Aunt Thara Bhat who has inherited this recipe from her Mother i.e my Grandmother Premila Bai :) Both are expert cooks and have magic in their hands...what ever they make may it be a glass of lime juice or a date cake tastes heavenly.

Sooji /Rava is said to be good for diabetics and for losing weight. It provides great energy. It provides a great supply of the vital vitamins and minerals.

Wheat Atta (Flour) Ladoo

"Diwali, The Festivals Of Lights" is here. With its arrival comes the time to get together and celebrate  with sweets and savouries. Here I start my festive delicacies with a easy and healthy ladoo made with Wheat flour. It happens to be a Konkani delicacy too and is known as Churmundo. We love this one, it just melts in the mouth. I have tried and kept the quantity of ghee lesser than normal. As its festive season we can afford to forget the calories.

Wheat helps control obesity, serves as a complete meal for diabetic patients, reduces bile acid secretions, improves body metabolism, helps control childhood asthma etc..

Mushroom Biriyani

Mushrooms have always been a favourite in our family.I had a packet of mushrooms in my refrigerator and decided to try and make a quick biriyani. The main highlight of this biriyani is that it is free from ghee / butter and is made with only 1 tbsp olive oil. The ingredients are very similar to a normal biriyani. Though the process may seem lengthy, but as you start making it I assure you that you will find it easy. The experiment turned out to be successful and my kids enjoyed it. Since it was a hit I decided to blog it. Do try it and give me your valuable feedback. Those who do not prefer mushrooms can replace them with paneer or gobi. Details given in the notes section.

Mushrooms are said to be rich in Vitamin D. They are low in calories and sodium. They are said to be gluten, fat and cholesterol free. 

Cucumber Vadas

Cucumber vadas ,very easy and quick to make. Perfect evening snack. These are deep fried hence calories are high. But I believe that one can treat oneself once in a while :) I learnt this from one of the senior member of our food group Veena Mallaya.

Cucumber is a good source of Vitamin B. It re hydrates the body and replenishes the vitamins. it is good for the skin and hair. whenever your eyes feel tired, just lie down for 10 minutes with two slices of cucumber on them. You will feel refreshed.

Palak/Spinach Rice

Palak/ Spinach is not a preferred vegetable in my house. But due to its high nutritious value i try and incorporate it in our diet. Palak gravy as such will not be accepted so i keep mixing it with other vegetables in sandwiches, curries, tikkas or pakodas. While surfing one day i came across with this recipe of palak rice. Sounded interesting, quick and easy. It was loved in our house and from then palak has found a regular place in our veggie list.

Palak is less in calories, cholesterol free and full of nutrients. It is rich in Vtamin K, B2, A and folate (iron). It solves the gastrointestinal problems, compensates for blood loss during menstruation and said to prevent cataract problems.

To clean palak : Soak palak in water mixed with 2 tbsp of vinegar+1 tbsp of salt for 30 minutes. Then rinse/ wash in cold water. 
To store palak: wrap in newspaper instead of plastic bags, they will remain fresh.

Dodda Mensinkai (Bell Pepper) Palya

Dodda Mensinkai/ Capsicum/ Bell Peppers often called as an english vegetable  is a native of America. These peppers come in red,yellow,orange and green. Green is the most widely used and the cheapest one amongst all.It is rich in Vitamin C. Increases metabolism,thus helping in weight loss. Acts as an an antioxidant. Capsicum is used in various dishes like curries, soups, chutneys, jams, pickles. The recipe below  is inherited from my Mom. A simple, easy and delicious dry curry.

Rava Pongal

Venn Pongal, a tamilian cuisine is a rice and dal based spicy, nutritious breakfast. Pongal comes in both spicy and sweet versions. The one below is the spicy version. Just to give a healthy twist to the original venn pongal, I have replaced rice with rava/sooji.

Whole Wheat Veggie Momos

Momos,are a type of dumplings that are native to Nepal. It is normally steamed and very healthy. There are deep and pan fried versions also. The fillings can be both veg as well as non-veg. The momos are mildly spiced so they are always served with tomato- chilli sauce or chutneys. They are usually made with white flour/maida, but I decided to give it a healthy twist so used whole wheat flour with a chinese stir fry filling. My family feasts on these and I make it very often. Hence decided to document this recipe on my blog. I hope you all like it too. 

Mango Vanilla Pudding With Mango Rosettes

A dessert with the King Of Fruits is always welcome and with last few lots of this season mangoes coming in, something special had to be made. Just then my dear friend Jayshri Baleri  Queen of Bakes And Desserts as we call her came up with an post of mango vanilla pudding with mango rossetes. The entire dish was so attractive that it went viral in our food group. The viral caught on to me too and i decided to bid farewell to mangoes with this simple and yummillicious  dessert. My kids just loved it and the glasses were polished in no time!! Please follow the link given in the Notes section for a demo on how to make mango rosettes.

Udida Ghari (Crunchy Urad Dal Vadas)

Born a Konkani Brahmin, everybody expected the first dish on my blog to be a konkani delicacy. But i wanted to wait and make something special. Today is a very special day. A day dedicated to that special person because of whom i am in this world today...My father, My hero,My guiding light. He has always been a pillar of strength, believed in me and made me what I am today. So I start my array of Konkani delicacies with one of his favourite, Udida (Urad Dal) Ghari (small vadas). These are teatime snacks prepared in most of the konkani househols and are also made as prasad for a few religious occasions. A spicy, crunchy and a lipsmacking dish. Thanks to my Dear Ushakka for giving a step by step explanation of ths recipe. This recipe was adapted from here.

Happy Father's Day Bappa...You Are the Best!!

Urad dal (White lentil ) is the richest source of protien and Vitamin B. It is very good for women as it contains iron, folic acid ,calcium and magnesium. Unlike other dals this is rich in fibre so easy to digest.It boosts energy in the body and improves immunity.

Microwave Masala Peanuts

Peanuts especially the deep fried masala ones have always been a favourite in our family. But I rarely used to buy them because of their high calorie content. Microwave masala peanuts is a healthier version of the deep fried ones that you normally get at the bakers and grocers. Since its made in microwave with absolutely zero oil, its less in calories too. This was introduced to me by my Dear Mom in Law. An expert cook especially in Konkani dishes and snacks. I have a learnt a lot from her. Her determination and dedication is what I admire the most. It gives me immense pleasure to share another innovative recipe of hers. 

Peanuts are said to be rich in mono unsaturated fats, the type of fats that is said to be Heart - Healthy. Peanuts are also said to be rich in nutrients like Vitamin E, Folate and Protein. Since its high in calories care should be taken to eat them in moderation.

Gobi Keema Masala

The word "Keema" originally stands for "minced meat". Here it is used for minced gobi (cauliflower). This mildly spiced,delicious recipe was introduced to me by my friends Priya and Shobana Rao. It was an instant hit at our home. Kids just loved it. Since then it has been a regular dish, especially for our dinners as an accompaniment with rotis. It goes well with plain jeera rice as well. The addition of mutter/peas adds to its nutritional value and taste. I added half a spoon of lemon juice which is not there in the original recipe, just to give it a tangy flavour. 

Cauliflower is rich in vitamin B1, omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin K. It serves as a good source of protein, phosphorous and potassium. It acts as an antioxidant and also said to help in detoxification. Peas is considered to be the powerhouse of nutrients and very low in calories. It is a good source of protein and fiber.

Instant Mango Jam

Mangoes are saying adieu to us. I wanted to make something different before they vanish. Just then my dear friend Priya came up with this interesting recipe of Instant Mango Jam, that she adapted from here. I could not resist myself and hence prepared it immediately. What attracted me to this recipe was that it had no preservatives. The improvisation I made was that I added a pinch of salt while preparing the mango mixture. Do try it and Enjoy!!

Mango Sago Pudding

It is the end of May and time for the King of Fruits to bid us Good Bye. My kids go to Chinmaya Mission's Balvihar classes and there I had the opportunity of tasting this  finger licking dessert made as prasad by one of the parents. I quickly noted down the recipe and immediately started working on it.

Mangoes have a generous amounts of Vitamin C and A. It boosts the immune system, acts as an antioxidant, lowers cholesterol levels, cleanses skin and prevents heat strokes. Enjoy the last few ones by trying out this dessert and tell me how much or how little you liked it :)

Oats Buttermilk

Oats is considered to be the most healthy food. Oats are an excellent an a rich source of nutrients. They help in stabilising blood sugar levels, act as antioxidants, help in lowering cholestrol levels and improve our immune systems. I try to incorporate oats in our diet 2-3 times a week either in the form of idls or dosas or upma. My dear friend Asha Radhakrishna Shenoy, a blogger herself came up with this brilliant idea of adding oats to buttermilk. It was absolutely delicious and had a creamy texture. Very quick and easy to make. Excellent to beat the summer heat.

Nellikai Sadam

Nellikai/Gooseberry/Amla is a high source of Vitamin C and acts as a remedy for many diseases. It enhances food absorption, makes skin and hair healthier, Good for diabetics, reduces cholesterol levels, cools the body and acts as an antioxidant.

I have seen gooseberries being widely used in making pickles. When I was on vacation in India, our helper at home made this interesting recipe of Nellikya (Gooseberry) Saadam Rice. It was something new to me. Tasted delicious and was quick, easy and a healthy recipe to make.

Jhatpat Mushroom Mutter

Mushrooms has always been a favourite in my family. Mushrooms come in different varieties and colours. Commonly used ones are the white button mushrooms.They increase the vitamin D levels in our diet, help enhance weight loss and improve out immune system. Below you can find a delicious mushroom subzi that can be made in a jiffy. 

Simple Veggie Soup

Soups are considered the lightest among  any meals. It can be had as a complete meal or as an appetizer. There are different varieties of soups that  can be had hot or cold. Among them my favourite has always been the one that my MIL makes. Its a quick and an easy recipe. The addition of charred corn was my innovation. Hope you all try and like it.

Masoor Dal Dosa

Masoor Dal is a split lentil that is red in colour. It is a soft dal and cooks quickly. Once it cooks it changes colour into mild golden. It is rich in protien and an important portion of diet in many parts of India. Masoor Dal needs to be soaked for not more than 4-6 hours in cold water. Discard the water as this will help in removing the substances that cause indigestion. Masoor Dal Dosa is a quick and easy recipe. I learnt this from my friend Priya. 

Pacha Kaya (Raw Banana) Thoran

Cochin being my hometown, Kerala local delicacies are a part of our diet. We enjoy the spicy and tangy coconut based recipes. One of our favourite among them is Thoran.  Thoran is a malayalam word for a dry curry made using any vegetable and grated coconut. Red chillies /green chillies, onions, garlic and jeera are used to give an extra flavour to the dish. I tasted the below dish in a Kerala joint here. Since then wanted to give it a try. We loved the flavours..Do try and give me the feedback.