Minis

Ram wanted to eat something light tonight, so made this really simple and quick snack. I had picked up mini quiche cups in Godrej Fresh yesterday, with some mushrooms, spring onions and cheese these made for a delicious bite.

Chop the mushrooms and spring onions. Saute them in olive oil and some butter for about 15 minutes, till the mushrooms shrink and let out their juices. Along with salt and pepper, you can even add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar for a punch in flavor. Just before taking it off the pan, season it with some oregano and fresh rosemary.

Toss the mushrooms into the quiche cups and sprinkle some Gruyere and crumbled feta before popping them into the oven for about 15-20 minutes at 200 deg. Enjoy!

Dreamy apple pie

Sugar n spice n everything nice. That's what apple pies are made of. Poe's kitchen- a regular cookery show but the other day I saw her making a beautiful apple pie. Non fussy easy recipe. So I quickly ordered a pie mold online and got on with it.

You need

• 2 ½ cups plain organic flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 100g unsalted butter, chilled and diced into 1cm cubes
• 170g cheddar cheese
• ½ cup ice water

Mix salt with flour, then add the butter. Grab small handfuls of the mixture and rub the fats through the flour until you achieve a dry crumble. Add cheddar and repeat this process. When you feel the fats and cheese are thoroughly incorporated, add water, but only a bit at a time.  You only need enough water for the mixture to just hold together. Divide into half, shape into a ball and then squash into thick disks. Cling wrap and refrigerate for minimum of 30 minutes

Filling
• 1 ½ kg of peeled, cored and cut into 5mm slices, red apples
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup organic plain flour
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 50g unsalted butter, diced 1cm cubes

Combine all ingredients (except butter) in a medium saucepan and cook on medium heat until apples collapse but aren’t quite tender. Allow to completely cool. Set aside.

Remove pastry from fridge and rest for 10 minutes. Flour both surfaces of 1 disk and roll until 3 mm thick. Drape pastry over rolling pin and transfer to pie dish. Lift the overhanging bits and gently tap the pastry into the corners of the pie dish. Trim the sides off with a knife and chill for 15 minutes.
Pour filling into a mound, into the pastry lined pie dish. Gently pat down to even off surface and dot with diced butter. Refrigerate while making lattice.

 After making the basket weave lattice, trim excess pastry off, pinch the edges and seal. Pop it into oven immediately and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, turn heat down to 180ºC, then glaze thoroughly with a brush.(eggless glaze- whisk equal amounts of oil, sugar and milk) Return to oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden.

Broccoli and Onion Feta Galette

 

Fresh crispy pita bread

There was palak paneer leftover from this afternoon, so I thought of making some naan tonight. I ended up making a pita bread, cos you would traditionally make naan in the tandoor, but pita bread is still very delicious dipped in palak paneer and thick yoghurt. You will need:

• 1 and half cups maida
• half cup atta
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Pinch of baking soda
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons curd
• 3/4 cup lukewarm water
• chopped coriander (optional)

Method:
Dissolve active dry yeast in lukewarm sugar water and let it sit for 10 minutes. Add sugar, salt and baking soda to the flour and mix well. Add the oil and yogurt mix, this will become crumbly dough. Add the yeast mixture and make into soft dough. Cover the dough with cling film for about an hour till it rises a bit. Knead the dough for about three minutes and divide the dough into equal parts and roll them. Sprinkle the chopped coriander. Toss it into the oven (preheated to about 230 deg c) After about 3 minutes, you can flip it for another 3 more minutes or until you see it turn golden brown.
What's not to love in fresh crunchy crispy bread, dipped in the rich and creamy palak paneer.

 

Gooey Nutella cupcake

Sinfully rich, sinfully chocolatey Saturday baking. This is the recipe I followed: http://litebite.in/eggless-molten-lava-cake/

 

whisking the batter

  

ready to go in

I was really happy with the results, considering I was trying it for the first time. I didn't have a cupcake tin, so some of the cakes went out of shape. Also in a couple of them I ended up putting more filling, so they cracked open in the oven. Points to note for next time :)

 

lovely gooey fill when you dig in

Margherita night!

I don't think we would be ordering pizza so often anymore. It's just so easy! And it's fun.
Making the sauce is fun, kneading the dough, watching it puff up, rolling the base, sprinkling the cheese...
Making the dough was easy. I just followed the recipe behind the Active yeast box. Or alternatively you can get it from here: http://litebite.in/homemade-pizza-base-gluten-free-healthy-recipe-pesto/

For the sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, small dice
• 4 tablespoons chopped garlic
• Salt and pepper
• fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 3 tablespoons red wine (optional)
• 3 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup water

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until onions are soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add the basil leaves, red wine, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool the sauce before using it to make pizza.

Roll the dough really thin and place it on the baking tray. Sprinkle the tray with flour, so the bread doesn't stick to the base. After about 5-7 minutes, take out the base and brush it with a bit of olive oil and slather it with the rich tomato sauce. Add the thinly sliced mozzarella and toss it back into the oven for another 10 mins. By now the cheese would have started to melt. Time to pull it out and sprinkle the chopped basil leaves and leave it in the oven again for another 5-7 minutes. The cheese would soon start to bubble and turn a lovely crusty golden brown.

Wholesome hearty

Today I made a very simple and healthy potato soup to go with a Greek salad. Inspired once again by the creamy potato leek soups we had in Ireland.

You need 2-3 potatoes peeled and diced, 1 tbsp butter, half an onion chopped, vegetable stock, a few herbs (I used thyme, basil and sage), salt and pepper, a cup of skimmed milk. (serves two)

1. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. When it foams, add the potatoes and onions and toss them in the butter until well coated.
   
2. Sprinkle with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover the saucepan with a lid. Sweat on a gentle heat for approximately 10 minutes.
   
3. Meanwhile, bring the stock to the boil. When the vegetables are soft but not coloured add the boiling stock and continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
   
4. Add the milk. purée the soup in a blender or food processor. If you find some lumps, strain the soup before serving.
   
5. Serve sprinkled with a few freshly chopped herbs or some of the following garnishes.
   
   
   
   

Oatmeal fruit n' nut whole wheat bread

Time to get a bit more ambitious with the baking. Bread. Somehow it always seemed so complicated. Watching tv shows, where they have these huge professional looking ovens, pastry chefs stressing how hard it is to make a perfect loaf, seemed like a faraway dream.
My mom found this simple healthy recipe. It was egg-less and used whole wheat flour. I also had an entire tin of oats that I never used. Perfect.
http://litebite.in/eggless-banana-oatmeal-wholewheat-bread/

I made a slight modification to the original recipe. I didn't use as much banana. Just half a small banana chopped finely. Instead of the chocolate chips, I used dairy milk fruit and nut. The raisins and the walnuts in it give a nice crunch. The light hint of cinnamon was wonderful and our home smelt like heaven tonight!

Parmesan zucchini

Simple recipe for a mid- day snack. Just 3 steps,

1. Slice the zucchini into thin roundels.
2. add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (garlic infused) in a skillet and shallow fry till golden brown on both sides.
3. Add salt and pepper and top it with grated Parmesan.

Crunchy, cheesy, yummy and healthy!

Homemade lip balm

Curious Mr Loki

I whacked a simple recipe off the net and whipped up a delicious lip balm. It took me exactly 10 minutes, and five simple steps. Been using it for the last couple of days, and it's made my lips totally soft and supple.

You will need:
2 tbsp coconut oil (semi hard)
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
a pinch of cocoa (optional)

Why honey? honey has anti microbial and antiseptic properties, it also attracts and locks in moisture.

Why brown sugar? It's natural, cheap and coarse, which makes it excellent for your exfoliating needs. It's an excellent source of Vitamin B as well.

Why coconut oil? Extremely high it anti oxidants, it can penetrate deep into the skin to prevent and protect against the formation of free radicals that makes the skin lose its elasticity. Regular application protects the skin from developing blemishes. This oil is regarded as the best natural lotion for the skin.

Step 1: Pour the coconut oil onto the bowl and mix it with honey till you get a nice thick paste.

Step 2: Once you get a smooth paste, add the brown sugar and stir the mixture with a fork till smooth.

Step 3: Add a pinch of cocoa powder if you want a yummy chocolate flavour. You can also add vanilla essence.

Step 4: Stir the mixture in the bowl till smooth. Pour into the jar and leave it outside for ten minutes to settle, and then store in the fridge. The balm should stay good for about a month. You can also make a larger quantity, store it in a cool place and use it as a face or body scrub.