Mini Spinach Quiche

                                                             Mini Spinach Quiche
                                                   
   

On the weekends we make something fresh and new breakfast. It is actually a brunch because we get up too late to be breakfast and too early for lunch. Today I was wondering what to make for brunch given it’s a lazy Sunday morning. I did not want to put lots of effort into this so then we came up with the idea to make mini quiches.

Originally I don’t even eat eggs. I don’t like the smell of eggs in my food. It’s one of the reasons that I like to make eggless cakes too. Anyway, quiches make out of lots of eggs and various kind of meat, here I have tried to use spinach, fewer eggs. It turned out very well, soft yet firm and no stinky egg smell. Here my step by step recipe for the quiche. You can adjust your measurements according to your quantity.

First, I was using fresh spinach so I cut it roughly and washed and put in cast iron skillet on high heat to burn off the water, this took for 4 to 5 minutes or until you see spinach is not watery. If you are using frozen spinach thaw, drain and use.

Then I have made few quiches with crust and rest of them without crust. You can use any bread to make crust (just make sure its soft), cut the round pieces of size of your muffin pan.

Ingredients:

1. 2 Bunches of spinach (you can use frozen spinach)

2. Shredded Cheddar cheese - approx. 1 cp.

3. 3 Eggs, beaten

4. 1 Medium size onion chopped 

5. 1 green paper chopped

6. Cayenne pepper sauce as per your taste

7. Salt and paper as per your taste

8. Few breads round pieces for crust

Process:

1 Pre heat your oven to 350 degree F, and line a 12 cup muffin pan, grease with cooking spray or with little butter

2 In a mixing bowl take spinach, add shredded cheese, finely chopped onion, small chopped green peppers, chili sauce, salt and pepper, mix well.

3 In small bowl break 3 eggs and beat well and add to spinach mix. Mix well

4 Put round bread pieces in bottom of muffin pan, on top put spinach mix evenly in all cups with help of spoon.

5 Put muffin pan into preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or test your mini quiches with a knife and they will be done when your knife comes out clean.

6 All done! Now you can enjoy with your tea or coffee.

Dry Roasted Oat-Poha Chevdo

      Dry Roasted Oat - Poha Chevdo- A gilt free, super easy and non-time consuming snack

I am not a big fan of our Indian snacks because most of them are either deep fried or made of white flour. Nowadays I like to munch something in afternoon with my cinnamon coffee. So here is healthy version of a traditional Poha chevdo. Try it, you will love it.

Ingredients:

1. Old Fashioned Large Flake Oats - 2 cups

2. Thick Poha - 2 Cups

3. Oil - 2 Tbsp.

4. Peanuts – 1 cup

5. Black Raisins - 1 cup

6. Brown sesame seeds - 2 Tbsp.

8. Coriander seeds (hand crushed) - 2 Tbsp.

9. Chopped Green chilies – 1 to 2 (you can add more or omit)

10. Curry leaves – 10 to 12 leaves

11. Turmeric powder – 1 to 2 tsp.

12. Red chili powder – 1 to 2 tsp (depend on your taste)

13. Salt as per your taste

14. Sugar 1 tsp (optional, I did not use)

Method:

1.In a large skillet take Oats and put on stove on medium heat

2.After couple of minutes add clean poha and keep stirring until its completely roasted and taste to see if it is crunchy, it takes 8 to 10 minutes

3.Empty into another container

4.In same skillet add oil, sesame seeds, crushed coriander seeds, peanuts, raisins, chopped chili, curry leaves and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, or until fragrance of ingredients comes out

5.Add turmeric powder and red chili powder, mix well and add Oats and poha mixture, add salt as per your taste, stir well for 3 to 4 minutes and turn off stove

Note: You can use cashew, almonds and Dalia too, here I don’t want to make dry fruits Chevdo so I have not added other dry fruits.

DOSA

                                                                                DOSA

 

Dosa is a very popular south Indian staple food. I remember when we were young, my mom didn’t know how to make Dosa (because it was not our staple food), we ate it once and a while, when we ate out. First my elder sister learn how to make Dosa and sometimes came out nice or sometimes we had to eat crumbs, but in time I learnt to make good Dosa . . . every time I played with measurement: when to spread batter on skillet, which point of time to control heat, what color and texture I like, what taste I like “I like little bit of sour taste” So here is my Dosa recipe . . .

I always like to read discussion on rice, which rice should take but I usually take whatever available in my pantry (I normally end up with Basmati rice). Those pictures I have given below all are made from Basmati rice, I once used Dawat and once used Priya Basmati Rice.

1.       Rice - 3 cups  (Basmati Rice)

2.       Washed (skinless) Udad Daal – 1 cup

3.       Methi (Fenugreek) seeds – 1 tsp

4.       Poha – 1 fistful

5.       Salt as per your taste

6.       Oil - 1 tsp (when you need to clean griddle)

Procedure:

1.       Clean and wash rice and Daal, soak in separate bowls.

2.       Add fenugreek seeds in Udad Daal and add in Poha in Rice, let them soak for 7-8 hours.

3.       Now drain the water from rice and Daal but don’t throw away, keep in a bowl.

4.       Take Daal and rice together and grind into very fine paste, grind in small batches, it took me three turns at grinding to make my batter, now add that reserved water as needed. (I don’t see any necessity to grind rice and Daal separately, as we need really fine and smooth batter. In Idli we would grind separately but not in a Dosa recipe)

5.       Now mix well and keep in warm place to fermentation for 7-8 hours. I normally soak rice and Daal at night time, grind it the next morning to make dosa by the evening.

6.       Once the batter has fermented and is ready to cook, mix batter with ladle, and take some in small bowl add salt and water to get your desirable thickness, I don’t like too thick or too runny.

7.       Meantime heat the skillet (if you are using cast iron make sure you have used before at least 3-4 times to make it non sticky)

8.       Now take a kitchen towel or small piece of cloth, wet it with water and 1 tsp oil.

9.       Apply that oiled cloth on griddle and keep your heat at low flame. Take a big spoon of batter and spread the batter in circular manner on griddle, quickly. Put heat on high and wait for couple of minutes you will see its getting brown and edges ready to peel.

10.   Here if you want play with shape, as I like to make different shapes.

11.   If you want you can sprinkles garlic and red chilli chutney or just put your Potato masala and fold from one side and roll other side on to your serving dish. Enjoy with sambhar and coconut chutney.

 

 

Figs and Dates Roll

                                                                           Figs/ Dates Roll

When we were blessed with a baby this past summer, I had little chance to eat Indian healthy foods (like ghee and other stuff). Though I am not huge fan of ghee because I am too lazy to workout. Instead of eating everything separately I tried to mix them, and use all these foods and stuff into a roll.

Ingredients:

1.       Dates pitted – 250 to 300 grams

2.       Figs – 250 grams

3.       Ghee - 1tbsp

4.       Gaund/Gum Acacia/ Gunder - ½ cup

5.       Almonds - 1½ cup

6.       Cashews - 1½ cup

7.       Walnut -1 cup

8.       Pistachio - 1 cup

9.       Pumpkinseeds - ½ cup

10.   Sunflower seeds - ½ cup

11.   Chia seeds - ¾ cup (optional)

12.   Grounded Flaxseeds - ¾ cup (optional)

13.   Black or brown sesame seeds - ¾ cup

14.   Dried cranberry - ½ cup

15.   Cardamom - 1 tbsp.

16.   Grated dry coconut for dusting the rolls

If you don’t want to take any particular measurements, try to take half nuts and half dates/figs and mix so you bind everything very well. Also you can add and omit any nuts and seeds according to your choice and taste.

Other Material:  Parchment paper and clear plastic wrap

1.       Take figs and pitted dates cut and soak in little water for minimum half an hour but completely soak them

2.       Now take gaund/gum acacia/gunder, we call gunder and 2 tsp. ghee in non-stick tawa, heat up ghee add gunder and sauté until fully popped up and remove from pan.

3.       In same pan roast almonds and cashews for few min, remove from pan.

4.       In same pan roast walnut and pistachio and any other nuts if you wants, remove.

5.       In same pan roast pumpkin and sunflower seed for few min and remove.

6.       Now in chopper chop almonds and cashew according your desire size. I like big pieces. Don’t over chopped. Do same with walnut and pistachio.

7.       Now chop dates and figs separately and empty into cooking pan.

8.       Sauté chopped figs and dates for few minutes add gunder into it, mix it well.

9.       Now add chopped almonds, cashew, walnut, pistachio, sunflower and pumpkin seeds

10.   Add almost 1 tsp cardamom, 2 tbsp chia seeds (optional), 2 tbsp. grounded flaxseed (optional). I use chia and flax seeds in my smoothie so I added it into my roll too.

11.   Add fistful black and brown sesame seeds (optional).

12.   Add 2 fistful dried cranberry.

13.   Now mix everything really well, cook for 2-3 min. 

14.   Turn off heat and let it cool down for an hour. Once cool down take big piece of parchment paper grease with little ghee and make rolls on flat surface.

Then take grated coconut powder and dust all rolls, wrap-up in clear plastic wrap and put in fridge for 7 to 8 hrs. Now take it out unwrap and cut in slices.  

These rolls loaded with fig, dates and various type of nuts and seeds, good for lazy eater who doesn’t like to eat everything in a day, here you have opportunity to eat your choices in one bite. You take in your lunch box, eat while you drive or as a snack in afternoon. Enjoy Healthy Eating!!!

Beetroot Halwa

Please you guests with a unique desert. It is colorful, flavorful and healthy. Simple to make and easy to serve.

                                                                         Beetroot Halwa

 

Ingredients:

1.       5 Big size beetroots (1kg. approx.)

2.       1 can  condensed milk

3.       1tbsp Butter or ghee

4.       Cashews and golden raisins (10-15 each)

5.       1 tsp cardamom powder(or according your taste)

6.       Few drops of gulab jal/rose water

7.       Julian almonds

Procedure:

1. Take beetroots wash and presser cook for 2-3 whistles.

2. Once cooker has cooled down, empty in colander, peel and grate all beetroots.

3. Transfer in non-stick kadai and put on stove and start sauté grated beetroots. Once you see some juice in grated beetroot, add condensed milk (it takes about 5-7 min) and mix well and keep stirring for 8-10 minutes.

4. Once you see all juice evaporated and constancy is thick, taste sweetness (I don’t like it too sweet but you can add more condensed milk to sweeten to taste)

5. Now add ghee or unsalted butter, (I have added butter, 1tbsp) and mix it for 2-3 minutes

6. Check one more time - you don’t see any water remain and halwa is still moisture enough or it is to your desired consistency.

6. Now add cardamom powder, raisins and cashew pieces, mix it well.

7. Now secret is add 5-6 drops (not more than that) rosewater and mix well, turn of your stove, let it cool down at least half an hour and garnish with almonds. Now your non greasy Halwa is ready to serve.

 

 

NOTE:

Rose water will give unique aroma to Halwa

You will find this amazing Halwa recipe is very simple and you can make it in your busy schedule with less affords and in few ingredients.

Personally, I prefer Halwa  should be keep in room temperature or take out from refrigerator before 1 hr of serving to get real taste of Halwa.