Vanilla flavored, chocolate on the bottom, almond cookies

Cookies made by Swapna.
This is a easy recipe for homemade delicious cookies. While you bake it, your whole home will smell so festive, that you can't resist these beautiful cookies....

Ingredients
Unsalted Butter – 1 stick (1/2 cup, 4 oz) at room temperature
Powdered Sugar – 1/2 cup
Vanilla flavour - 1/2 tsp
All Purpose Flour (Maida) – 1 cup
Baking Powder – 1/4 tsp
Salt – 1/8 tsp
almonds- soaked and sliced to put on cookies.
chocolate chips - to melt

Preparation Steps

Step 1. Preheat oven to 300 F
Step 2. In a mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar (little at a time) with the softened butter until mixture is light and creamy.

2. Add vanilla flavor and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, add All Purpose Flour with Baking Powder and Salt.

4. Combine Flour mixture (little at a time) with Butter Mixture to form a soft dough. It will be very soft.

5. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
6. Knead dough once again and divide into 22 equal portions.
7. Roll each portion into a smooth ball with no cracks. Put a pie of almond in the middle of ball and place on a baking sheet.

7. Bake for 25 minutes.
8. Remove from oven. They will be soft when taken out. Cookies will harden after 5 mins once baked.
9. Melt the chocolate in microwave and apply to the bottom of cookie and refrigerate for 5 mins.
Do not leave cookies in freezer for more than 5 mins, they might get soggy. The chocolate will harden in freezer for 5 mins.
10 . Store in an air tight container at room temperature.

Vegetable Amchur Rice (Quick Tasty Rice)

Ingredients
Rice 2 Cups (Basmathi/ Normal Sona Masoori)
Carrot 1 Cup Grated
Beans 1 Cup (Thin slices)
Onion1 Small
Green Chilli 2-3
Oil 2 Tbsp
Chilli Powder 1/2 Tbsp
Turmeric Powder 1/4 Tbsp
Amchur Powder 1.5 Tbsp
Salt to taste


Preparation Steps

Step 1: Wash and cook the rice.

Step 2: Wash and cut vegetables, Grated carrot, thinly sliced beans. If you want to add extra vegetables you can add but slice them very thin. Easy to fry.

Step 3: Place container on stove, add oil, once hot add sliced onions. Fry them to golden brown, now add cut green chilli, fry for 1-2 mins.

Step 3: Add all cut vegetables, let them fry for some time. Since vegetables are grated and thinly sliced simple fry should be ok to make them tender. If not you can add some water to cook.

Step 4: Once vegetables are well cooked add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder mix with vegetables, let it sit for another 5 mins.

Step 5: Add the cooked rice into the above mixture now add Amchur powder to it, mix thoroughly. Add additional salt and Amchur powder if needed based on your taste.

That's all tasty veggie tangy simple quick Amchur rice is read to eat.

Tomato Chutney/ Pachadi

Ingredients

Tomato's 3 Nos
Turmeric Powder 1/2 Tbsp
Chilli Powder 1 1/2 Tbsp (more if you want more spicy since it is chutney)
Methi Powder 1/4 Tbsp (FenuGreek Powder)
Oil 4 Tbsp
Salt to Taste


Preparation Steps


Step 1: Wash Tomato's and cut into small pieces.

Step 2: Place pan on stove top add oil, once hot add the cut Tomato pieces in the pan. Allow them to cook simmering the stove for a long time until Tomato's are cooked half way to smooth paste. (All the water or juices released from the Tomato's should evaporate while cooking. This is a very important step.) Do not close the lid of the pan keep it open so that water/ juices extracted will evaporate. Cook time may be around 15-20 min.

Step 3: Add salt to taste, turmeric powder and chilli powder, mix well. Allow it to further cook for next 10 min. By this time you should see oil separating from the mixture/ the mixture getting sticky to the pan. This is good indication that the water content in tomato's evaporated and tomato's are well cooked for the chutney.

Step 4: Add methi powder mix well and let it further cook for 2-3 Min's. Then take out the mixture in a serving bowl. At the same time place another small pan on stove top add 1 Tbsp of oil, once hot add 1 Tbsp of mustard let them splutter, add a pinch of methi powder again in the oil, take if off the stove.

Step 5: Mix the oil mustard mixture with the tomato mixture in a bowl and mix well.Taste and add salt if needed.

Cool the hot red tomato chutney is ready to eat with rice or roti (bread).

Tip: If you like garlic, cut garlic in to small pieces fry in oil and add to the tomato chutney mix well. Enjoy the Tomato chutney with Garlic taste also.

Taro Root Fry/ Chamadhumpa Fry/ Arbi Fry

Ingredients
Taro Root 4-5 Pcs
Oil 3-4 Tbsp
Turmeric 1/4 Tbsp
Coriander Powder 1 Tbsp
Salt to Taste
Chilly Powder to Taste

Serves 2-3 People



Preparation Steps


Step 1: Wash Taro root thoroughly under running water to get rid of any mud stick to it.

Step 2: Pressure cook the Taro root with the skin for 2-3 vissels. Take off boiled Taro root from pressure cooker when there is no more steam. Put them in a container with cold water. Let them cool down for 5 min.

Step 3: Once they are slightly cool peel off the skin with the fingers. No need to use any peeler. Cut them into medium size pieces. Do not cut into small pieces now.

Step 4: Place a pan on stove top add oil, once hot, add the boiled cut Taro root pieces in the pan. Stir or mix until all the pieces are coated with the oil. Keep stirring every 5 Min's until all the sides of the pieces are fried to a dark/brown color.

Step 5: Before they are fully fried cut the pieces in to small eatable size, add salt to taste, turmeric powder, Chilly powder to taste, Coriander powder(Dhaniya powder) stir until the pieces are coated with the spices. Excessive stirring may make the pieces break off.

That's all once you feel the pieces are fried and look little crunchy the curry is ready. Let it settle for 5 min off the stove so that they may turn more crunchy. Enjoy the dry/ Crunchy Taro root Fry with rice or roti or as a side dish.

Mango Pie

Mango Pie - from Swapna G

Ingredients

Mango pulp - 1 Can Laxmi brand Keasar Mango pulp is great

Heavy cream - half pt
Unflavoured Gelatine - 2 packets
Sugar - 1 cup
Cream cheese - 1(8 ounce)
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Warm water - 1/4 cup
Graham cracker crust - 2

Steps to do
1. Boil heavy cream in a pan.

2. Mix the Gelatine in warm water and allow the Gelatine to get dissolved completely.

3. Blend the heavy cream and Gelatine together.

4. Add cream cheese and sugar into it and blend again.

5. Pour the mango pulp turn by turn into the blender and beat it, until the whole can of mango pulp is finished.

6. Add vanilla essence into the beaten pulp and beat again for a minute.

7. Pour the entire pulp into the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for almost 7 hours to set completely.

From one pie crust, u will be able to get 8 slices

Bean Casserole

A recipe from my friend Swapna. Thanks for contributing to this blog.

Ingredients
    •    1 cup  chopped onion (1 large)

    •    3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (1 medium) 

    •    1 small can diced tomatoes and green peppers, 

    •    Jalapeno peppers 2
    •    Onion flex ( you can omit these.  I do not like its taste)
    •    Garlic powder or Papa John's Garlic Pizza spice
    •    Red chili flex (again I used leftover from Papa John's  pizza ;)

    •    2 Teaspoons ground cumin (if you want to make it more spicy. Adjust the amount as per your need)

    •    2 cloves  garlic, minced 

    •    1 Can black beans or red kidney beans soaked over night and drained now.
    •    Soy chunks or soy balls (if you are meat person, put ground chicken )

    •    5 Roties/ Pita bread/ Naan or if you want to go fancy get store bought corn or flour tortilla. I used leftover Pita bread from my day before's Mediterranean dinner.

    •    8 ounces  reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups) 

    •    1 medium Tomato, chopped

    •    2 cups shredded Lettuce


    •    1/2 cup  plain low-fat yogurt (make sure yogurt is not watery but tough like sour cream) 


Directions
1. Take 10-15 soy balls in a bowl, pour water till 3/4 level and boil in microwave for 5 mins. After they soften, squeeze out all the water from them. Chop them fine like onion. You can put them in food processor to make course pieces.

2. In a large skillet combine onion, green pepper, undrained tomatoes, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and garlic and soy pieces. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in beans.

3. Spread one-third of the bean mixture over the bottom of  bowl(You can use fancy baking dish too ). Cover with Pita bread/ Tortillas/ Rotis, cover it up with 1 cup of the cheese. Add another one-third of the bean mixture; again cover with Tortillas and remaining bean mixture.

4. Bake, covered, in a 350 degrees F oven for 35 minutes. Keep checking in between. Sprinkle with another layer of cheese. Let stand 10 minutes.

5. Cut it like a cake and serve with cake knife (again save it from last birthday cake;)
Sprinkle some chili flex if you are one of those who do not feel full until your tongue is burnt.
Top with chopped shredded lettuce, cilantro and serve with yogurt dollop.

Serves
Makes 4 main-dish servings.

Tip: Serve with Grilled Jalapeno peppers on side.

I am thinking of making it more desi next time. I would recommend adding hot sauce to the bean mixture. If you have some Tomato salsa at home which is waiting to be finished , that can be added to bean mixture. Also some salt to bean mixture would  not hurt. Before you add salt to bean mixture, find out how salty is your cheese.
Also instead of buying canned black beans, you can soak some red kidney beans at home and use them instead of canned black beans.

Enjoy...

Eggless Cake

Ingredients

1 cup   Maida(All purpose flour) 
1/2 cup Sugar
1 Tbsp  Baking powder
1/4 Tbsp Soda Powder
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Fresh Dates pieces
1/2 cup Almond pieces
1/2 cup Cashew pieces
1/2 cup Curd
1/2 cup Oil
1/2 Tbsp Vanilla Essence(Based of the flavour you want)

Preparation Steps:

1.Apply butter to the cake bowl.

2.Apply little maida in the cake bowl evenly.

3.Mix all the above ingredients (keep aside few cashew and badam for decoration) and pour them in the cake bowl.

4.After spreading the cake batter evenly decorate with remaining cashew and badam.

5.Bake at 350 Degrees for 30 minutes.

6. Optional - You can spread your choise of icing if you need on the cake and decorate it however you need.