TRISCUITS WITH A TWIST

It was a sunday evening. Here-ends-the-weekend depression was about to set in. I wanted to eat something but din't want to strain too much and in fact din't have the motivation to do anything. But I had to make something to feed another hungry soul, my DH Srik. That's when I got the idea for this recipe. All you need is Triscuit crackers. It is a whole wheat snack cracker in a square shape and comes in a variety of flavors. If you are looking for something different to pop into your mouth and make it in a jiffy, this is the one.

Ingredients

No of crackers per choice ( I used cracked pepper and olive oil flavor)

Shredded cheese of your choice ( I used Monterey jack)

2 tsp of mint chutney

How to make it

- Arrange the crackers.

- Make tiny patties of the shredded cheese and place it on the top of each cracker.

- a small amount of mint chutney on top of cheese on each cracker.

This is not a much of a recipe-kind. But if you are clueless as to what to do for a fresh flavor, this might help as an idea. And as always, you can experiment with your creativity. And when you do, don't forget to let me know the recipe ;)

SPICY STUFFED ZUCCHINI BOATS

If you are looking for a spicy and a refreshing recipe ..this is definitely the one. This recipe was adapted from chow.com. This recipe is just to give an idea but regarding the ingredients you can let your imaginations run wild.

Ingredients

serves 2

2 medium sized zucchinis

2 small sized tomatoes finely chopped (not the tiny ones)

1 medium sized onions

1 clove of garlic minced

a handful of green bell peppers, carrots, beans finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

2 green chillies finely chopped (according to taste levels)

2 tsp Garam masala (for a stronger flavor)

2 tsp Pav Bhaji masala

1 tsp red chilli powder (to taste)

Salt to taste

How to make it

- Sauté the onions in oil until onions are translucent. Add garlic and sauté.

- Add the tomatoes and the remaining vegetables. Add a little amount of water so that it doesn't get burned. Cover the pan and bring to a boil.

- Meanwhile slice zucchini in half lengthwise. Place in a large pan, cut side down, and fill the pan with enough water to cover the zucchini halfway. Cover the pan, bring to a boil; once boiling, let cook for 5 minutes. Remove the zucchini from the water and place on a plate to cool.

- Once cool enough to handle, use a tablespoon to remove pulp, leaving about 1/4 inch of pulp in the zucchini. You can either use the pulp in the spicy mixture or leave it.

- Pre heat oven to 350 F for 6-8 mins.

- Stuff each zucchini half with some of the mixture. Place in a baking dish (cover the base with aluminium foil) and bake for about 20 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

BAKED NATURAL CUT FRIES

Potatoes are irresistible..and potato fries are sinfully delicious. I sincerely believe 'potatoes' can bring world peace. Well! Even you will talk about the blissfulness of crispy on the outside and super soft on the inside potatoes once you try this out. This is a no-strain easy-breezy recipe that will definitely work like a charm. Are you ready to experience the taste?

Ingredients

serves 2 (for one serving)

2 large potatoes (any type of potato you have)

6 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp cornstarch/cornflour

1 tsp regular salt

1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp garlic powder (optional)

How to make it

- Bring a saucepan with 4 cups water to a boil. Scrub the potatoes clean (don't peel) and insert into the boiling water. Or, cut the potatoes into wedges without peeling the skin and put them in the boiling water(This is what I did). Simmer and let the potatoes par-boil. It usually takes me 10-12 mins. When a knife is inserted it should go in without effort but make sure the potatoes don't become cooked soft or mushy. Remove from water and let it cool on a plate.

- Transfer the potato wedges into a large bowl. Pour in the olive oil and add all other ingredients into the bowl. Mix gently until well combines. I did this step by hand, rubbing all the ingredients gently into the potato pieces. Crack some pepper on top again if you'd like once you are done mixing.

- Lay the pieces on a baking tray (I used aluminum foil to line the baking tray) without overlapping. If your baking tray is small, bake in two batches but make sure that you line the potato wedges in a single layer.

- Bake in the pre-heated oven(200C/390F) for 30-40 mins until the wedges are golden brown and crisp on the outside. It may be a good idea to turn the baking tray around once during baking so that all the pieces get uniform heat, more or less.

Serve it with hot ketchup.

CARROT HALWA

I am not much of a sweet-eating person. But recently I had this extreme craving for Carrot Halwa and incidentally, today being Vijayadasami (10th day of Navrathri) I made it and couldn't resist the taste. Why don't you try too?

Ingredients

serves 2

3/4 cup of ghee melted (I used unsalted butter of the same quantity)

3 large or 3 cup of carrots grated

1.5 cups of milk

1 cup sugar

a handful of cashews, raisins (to taste)

How to make it

- Pressure cook the grated carrots and milk for 1 whistle.

- Heat ghee in a pan, fry cashews and raisins.

- Strain milk from the carrots and keep it aside.

- Add the cooked carrots to the pan and add some milk if you find it quite dry.

- Cook for 5-6 minutes and add sugar.

- Sugar will turn it watery but don't mind and continuously stir it until you get the halwa texture or till the excess water evaporates.

Enjoy it immediately :)

TOMATO RICE

My whole idea of this blog is to present a lot of simple recipes that would be of a great help during just-started-to-cook phase or if one wants something different as I remember how I used to sit and take notes referring to various sites. So came the idea of compiling all into one blog which I experimented, relished and tasted by my family and good friends.

I try this once in a while when I get bored of the usual stuff. Certain dishes like this helped me a lot when I initially started to cook. This is a no fail, simple and easy recipe. Here comes the to-do list.

Ingredients

serves 2

Rice - 1.5 cups

Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped (optional)

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Channa dal - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 2 (I add one more as I like it spicy)

Red chilli powder - a pinch (optional)

Peanuts - 1/2 cup

Asafoetida/Hing - a pinch

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Curry leaves - a few

Peas - a handful

Salt - to taste

Sambhar / Curry powder - 1/2 tsp

(or dry-roast and grind - coriander seeds(1.5 tsp) + Channa dal (2 tsp) + Red chillies (2) + Fenugreek seeds(1/2 tsp)

Oil - 2 tbsp

How to make it

Heat the oil and temper mustard seeds and urad dal. Add the chana dal, green chillies, peanuts and chopped onions and saute for about 3 mins.

Add the turmeric, hing and the curry leaves and fry

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till the raw smell leaves the mixture. Add salt, peas and curry powder or grounded masala.Make sure that the mixture is a thick paste and not watery (don't add water. If you fidn it to be watery, increase the flame and keep stirring so that the excess water evaporates).

Once done, mix in the cooked rice, stir well until blended, adjust taste and serve hot with raita of choice. ( My favorite raita is onion-cucumber combo)

RAVA DOSA

One of the easiest and delicious recipe, enjoyed by all. Unlike the usual dosa, the dosa batter doesn't need to wait hours together. This is definitely one of my favorites.

Ingredients

serves 2

Rava or sooji - 1 cup

Riceflour - 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Plain yogurt (preferrably sour) - 1 spoon

Green chillies (finely chopped) - 2

Curry leaves - a few

Ginger - a small piece chopped finely

Oil

How to make it

Mix the rice flour, maida and rava and add water and salt to it. The batter should be watery, almost similar to the consistency of a buttermilk.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the batter and mix thoroughly.

Heat the tawa or pan (the tawa should be very hot) and take one ladleful of batter and spread on the tawa starting from the sides and finishing off in the middle as rava dosa cannot be spreaded like ordinary dosa. It is alsmost like sprinklin the batter on the tawa.

Drizzle 1/2 tsp of oil on the sides. (If preferred, ghee can also be used)

Turn it over when it becomes golden brown or dark crispy brown(I like the color to be really dark and not light) accordingly for a minute.

Serve hot with sambhar or chutney of your taste.

Note

To avoid the batter sticking to the pan and for crispy dosas, rub the pan with a slice of onion.

I would recommend that the batter is mixed and kept at least for half an hour before you start to cook.

The more watery the batter is, the more crispier it will be...

p.s. - excuse the shape of the dosa. My iron pan doesn't have sides to shape the dosa accordingly. :T

KAARA PORI (SPICY PUFFED RICE)

This snack was introduced to me by my good friend Prem Kumar. Though I have heard the name vaguely, I never had a chance to taste it until he made for us when we visited his place. Talking about this guy, he being a north indian guy ( no offense meant), loves the south indian food, much more than I do. There is also a tale that, no one can stop him from eating sambhar once he starts..lol...jokes apart, I profusely thank him for this recipe. Thank you Prem Kumar!

Ingredients

serves 2

2 cups of puffed rice (plain and not the sweetened ones)

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - a few

Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Turmeric powder - A pinch

Asafoetida - A pinch

Oil - 1 tsp

How to make it

In a pan, add the oil in a medium flame. Once the oil is heated, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Let it splutter. Add the asafoetida, turmeric powder and the red chilli powder.

Saute for a few seconds and add the puffed rice. Mix it well. Add the salt and mix again.

And its ready to eat.

Note

This might take only 10 mins to finish. Make sure you do all these in a medium flame (whichever is not very high for you) so that the rice doesn't get burned.