Labongo Latika/Bengali sweet

Labango Latika is a  bengali sweet dish stuffed with mawa ,fried and dipped in sugar syrup. I did not have kova and did not  make it for this month north vs south challange whose brain child is divya pramil of youtoocancook .Yesterday I saw that gayathri  had made this sweet with paneer. Such a lovely idea, I had some left over paneer and I followed gayathri recipe as it is .I am really happy to be part of this team and this is my very first challenge .This month sonali challenged south team with this sweet am really learning many things here .
By the way the dish came out really well .
 In bengali labongo means cloves thats how it got the name labongo latika. Labongo gives a really nice flavor over the entire sweet.

Preparation time:10 min
Cooking time:1 hour
Yields:10 numbers

Rasam Recipe/Tomato Rasam

      Tomato Rasam is a flavourful soup with tomatoes ,spices,tamarind cooked in low flame.There are many rasam recipe variations like puli (tamarind) rasam,lemon rasam,paruppu(lentils) rasam,pineapple rasam,Kollu(horsegram) rasam,Tomato rasam.
     Among all of the above i do only 2-3 rasam recipe variation.Rasam especially served for breastfeeding mothers and toddlers..I sometimes avoid tamarind and use lemon/lime instead.Whenever there is non-veg items in home my mom defenitely makes this Tomato rasam.
    This Tomato Rasam has pepper which aids digestion ,Jeera  which soothes stomach....But whatever variety of rasam you prepare it is very very light .
    You can use rasam powder which is more easier when you are in a hurry preparing meals for lunch box.But instant rasam is more handy when you don't have rasam powder .

Preparation time:5 min
Cooking time:10 min
Serves:2-3

Pav bhaji/bread bhaji

I ate Pav bhaji at my uncle's house once and since then its been my favorite.is my very favorite. I was not sure how to make it that time. After marriage once I wanted to make pav bhaji as I had a lot of vegetables in my pantry. That time it turned out perfect, believe me it was very good .We can have it as much we like when we make home.
I use whole wheat bread instead of pav which we used to buy. Whatever bread available is good for toasting. If you have pav( a sweet dinner rolls) that would be the ideal situation.you can substitute chili powder with pav bhaji masala if you have some.

Preparation time:20 min(cutting and streaming the veggies)
Cooking  time:15 min
Serves:2-3

BlackBean Patty/BlackBean Cutlets

Black bean is a staple mexican legume. It has many benefits like other legumes, good protein-fiber combination. One cup of black bean gives more than half of the required protein-fiber combination according to whfoods. Its helps to maintain blood sugar levels and also helps the cardiovascular system.

Us mom's  prefer easy and healthy breakfast dishes. If you want to have a healthy breakfast/snack other than sundal (boiled legumes) try this. This Patty can be eaten as a snack/breakfast along with chutney /hot sauce of your choice along with fresh veggies like lettuce,spinach. Got some more patties left ?You can store them in your fridge to eat as a snack.
I used only black beans you can add potatoes instead of breadcrumbs for binding the beans.You can add hot sauce or cayenne pepper instead of red chili powder.For potato patties check here 

Looking for chutneys or dips ? Mint cilantro chutney,Beetroot chutney,Carrot chutney

Preparation time:5 min+8 hours(soaking the beans)
Cooking time:30-40 min
Yields:8-9 large patties of your plam size

First award on blogging journey(Liebster award)

I have seen this award in some places and did not know the details about it. I got three of this awards from my blogger friends and I must thank Preetha,Resna & Arthy for giving me the award .This award is for budding bloggers to encourage them in their blogging journey and its for bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

There were some questions asked by presenter and winner has to answer those questions and link back to the presenter and nominate some new bloggers who have less than 200 followers and ask them some  questions and inform them about the award in their blog .

Banana oats muffin/Breakfast muffin/Healthy muffins

I wanted to use up the bananas which were laying in pantry for a long time. My daughter eats morning breakfast at home and goes to school (Even though most kindergarten schools provide breakfast ), so wanted to make her a healthy breakfast alternative apart from cereals (she loves cereals). Oats is a healthy whole grain and it has many benefits lowering cholesterol being one of them.

Muffins when made correctly are an healthy alternative to our staples idly, dosa. No butter not much oil and is  low in calories compared to cakes. No heavy beating of eggs, cream, butter and sugar. Mix the ingredients ,fill the cups ,bake it .Your muffins will be ready .Very easy and they are very very filling too .You can store this for 3-4 days it an airtight container. Kids love eating them whenever they wish .

Preparation time:10-15 min
Cooking time:16-20 min
Yields:8 muffins
Recipe source:health magazine

Peas Pulao | Matar Pulao | Easy Lunch Recipe

     Peas pulao - a simple one pot meal made with peas. This rice is very mild even your kids will like it for sure.Are you bored of always making biryani on a weekend? I was bored of biriyani and was craving a quick rice dish that fills the tummy and adds some nutrition too. This peas pulao fall in the easy and healthy category. No masalas, no fancy ingredients only basmati rice with little seasoning. Your rice will be ready in under 25 min. Yeah !! Just the time you are getting ready this will be ready for your tiffin box. A spicy side makes the lunch so special.

Ragi Idiyappam-Step By Step Pics

     Ragi Idiyappam /Ragi semiya/Ragi sevai is a healthy breakfast. Adding a decent amount of  ragi to our diets would do wonders for our health and nutrition. I try to include ragi in many forms like dosa,idiyappam etc.
     I do Poha upma,Lemon Semolinabath,Rava kichadi for breakfast .This recipe is with store bought ragi idiyappam . Its a tasty and simple dish for a weekday breakfast or for a simple dinner. Your breakfast or dinner will be ready in under 15 minutes.

Preparation time:15 min(soaking and steaming)
Cooking time:5 minutes
Serves:2

Paneer butter masala/Paneer recipes

Paneer butter masala is a very common north indian gravy goes very well with roti,nan,tandoor items.Stir fried paneer in indian masalas with lots of butter and cashews.For health sake i reduced butter and cashews .This gravy i made with home made paneer which made it extra yummy.The freshness ,sponginess of the panner with rich gravy made with cashews was out of the world on a cold winter dinner.

Preparation time:15 min
Cooking time:15 min
Serves:2-3

Peanuts Masala | Masala Kadalai In Microwave

    Peanuts Masala -a tasty ,healthy,easy South Indian snack.Masala kadalai is nothing but peanuts coated in besan/chickpea flour with some Indian spices then deep fried. High cholesterol peanuts don't need to be fried again(for me ) ? so i microwaved the peanuts until they are done.That's a perfect evening snack, ready in minutes.

Home made paneer/How to make paneer/Indian cottage cheese

What is the big deal about home made paneer? Its fresh and you can eat  your fill without any guilt. These days lowfat paneer is available .But i like to make paneer at home (you might think that I am crazy for making everything at home). Also I prefer homemade paneer over store bought ones because its so fresh and its so yummy . Here is how I made it ...

Rest time:20+30 min
Cooking time:5 min
Yields: 20-25 paneer cubes

Vegetable Masala dosa/Dosa recipes/Southindian dosas

One day I made root vegetables curry for lunch and I had a whole bunch of veggies steamed and I wanted to use them, instead of storing them. I prepared the veggies as a masala for dosas and it tasted awesome and it felt like we were eating in street shops in bangalore in ITPL road. These dosa shops are very famous and they have a whole variety of dosas made in front of you so hot and so lovely ...

Preparation time:10 min(streaming the veggies)
Cooking time:20-30 min
Yields:5 dosa masalas

South Indian - Lime rice | Lunch Box Recipe

       Everybody likes to make a simple ,yet healthy,filling rice for Lunch box/Tiffin Box?.A South Indian style Lime Rice which is healthy,filling ,tasty. Got the perfect spice,colours,crunchiness too.

      Lime has got lots of vitamin C ,which helps fight cold and increase the body immunity during any season especially in  cold weather. I have mentioned many times in my previous post that we live in a  Mexican neighbourhood and there is an abundance of Mexican veggies and fruits available here. Lime is one such mexican fruit that add sourness for their dips ,salads,soups and rice.
       I hardly see any difference between  lemon rice  and lime rice ,but the later one has less vitamin C compared to former one.

Some other Easy lunch box rice recipes  Coconut rice,Tomato pulav,Mint rice.

                               South Indian - Lime Rice |Easy Lunch Box Recipe

                        How to make vazhakkai varuval for rice

 Cuisine: South Indian Category:Lunch Serves: 2   Prep time:15 minutes(marination time) Cook time:10 minutes Total time:30 minutes.



Ingredients:

• Juice from 1 1/2 small lime.
• Salt as required
• 1 1/4 cup raw rice.
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder.

To temper:

• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds.
• 1 tbsp Split channa dal or 1 tbsp peanuts.
• 1 tbsp oil.
• 3 green chili
• few curry leaves(optional)
• few cashews(optional)

Method:
Preparation:

• Take juice out of lime.
• Wash and soak the rice for 10 -15 min .
• Add 3 - 3 1/4 cups of water along with a drop of oil to rice.
•  Pressure cook the rice for a whistle.
• Cool it completely by placing in a large pot.

How To Cook South Indian Style Lime Rice:

• Heat oil in a saute pan and temper it with mustard seeds.
• After mustard seeds splutter add chana dal(cashew/peanuts) ,once it changes colour add slit green chili.
• Add turmeric powder and saute for sometime.
• Add lime juice ,let it boil for a minute.
• Now add tempered lime juice to rice.

• Add required salt as well.Mix very well until there are no lumps.
• Lime rice is ready.Enjoy your lunch.
• Perfect sides for rice.

Note:

• Adjust the spice and salt according to your taste.
• Cool the rice completely before adding the lime juice .You can cook the rice the night before in this case add more oil to get desired softness.

More to come...

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Pics updated  3/3/2015 on recipe revisiting.

Guacamole Made from Scratch.

Hope you people had a great start of this new year 2014 .This year brings all the goodness and wellness you want .I am going to start this Year with a healthy dip ..Guacamole ...
Guacamole is a versatile mexican condiment.You will find this served as a dip along with tortilla chips and also as a meal accompaniment in mexican restaurants. I like to use it as spread when I make sandwiches and quesadillas.
Guacamole is made with avacado which has 35% more potassium than bananas , rich in folic acid and vitamin k and it has higer fiber content. It reduces cholesterol levels. This is a simple recipe and it can be made in a jiffy.When you have chips and you want a healthy dip to eat with them .You can have this for sure.
This is a great party pleaser as well.

Check other mexican recipes like Tortillas from scratch,Cabbage burrito,BlackBean soup,Pineapple salsa

Preparation time:10 min
Serves:3-4