Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

Eating a wholesome, hearty and balanced breakfast is a great and fantastic way to start the day!! There ae so many delicious and nourishing ways to fix up a breakfast. If you are looking for some new ways to spice up your morning breakfast routine, stay tuned in for the roundup of of the 'Show me your breakfast' coming up! Tomorrow is the last day for sending in your entries!

Protein and monounsaturated fat from the peanut butter, potassium from the banana, and protein and calcium from the milk will get your day off to a great start! This is a simple and great way to indulge as well. Just throw in all the ingredients in a blender and you are good to go. It keeps you full for hours as well. 

Ingredients

Peanut Butter - 1 tablespoon

Banana - 1

Milk/Soymilk - 1 glass

Chop the banana roughly, add everything in a blender and pulse until smooth.

This smoothie is versatile. You can make your own variations to it. You can sweeten it with maple syrup or honey. You can add a pinch of cardamom powder, cocoa powder or vanilla essence for more flavor. You can add a few ice cubes and have it chilled!

Just indulge!

My other entries for Show Me Your Breakfast event are

Pesarattu and Granola Breakfast Bars

 

Pesarattu for 'Show me your Breakfast' event!

Pesarattu is a typical breakfast of Andhra Pradesh. It is a great and healthy way to start your day since it is packed with carbs and protein. it also keeps you full for long. It can be made along with onions sprinkled on top and served with coconut, ginger or any type of chutney. 

Am sending this to Show Me Your Breakfast event being hosted in my blog!

Ingredients

Moong dal / Green Gram - 3 cups
Green chillies - 3 or 4
Ginger - 1 inch
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves a little chopped (optional)

Directions

Soak the moong dal/green gram in water overnight or about 6 to 7 hours.

In the morning, drain the water and add all the other ingredients to the dal and blend in a mixer to form a smooth batter. The batter should not be too runny or thin. It should be in idly/dosa batter consistency.

Heat a tawa and add a little oil and spread with a half cut onion. Once the pan turns hot, pour a ladle of batter in the middle and spread in a clockwise/anticlockwise motion in circles, starting from the center to the corners of the pan. You can add chopped onions on top if you like. Drizzle some oil on the corners. 

After about a minute, flip the pesarattu with the help of a flat spoon. Cook for one more minute.

Serve with yoghurt/curd and any chutney of your choice.

This is part of "Show Me Your Breakfast" event being hosted in my blog. Send me your entries before July 10th!!

Out of chutney ideas?? here are a few of them. Do check them out!

Tomato chutney

Carrot chutney

Bottlegourd chutney

Curry leaves chutney/Kariveppilai chutney

Ginger chutney

Onion chutney

Idly-dosa chutney

Peanut/groundnut chutney

Also sending this to EFM:Breakfast Series and also to MLLA-13 conceived by Susan of the Well-Seasoned Cook and currently being hosted by Sunshinemom of Tongue Ticklers

Chocolate Orange Drizzle Loaf Cake

I cannot believe half the year is already over!! And yeah, it is the beginning of a new month and time for Sweet and Simple Bakes! The choice for the month is Chocolate orange Drizzle Loaf Cake.

One evening, I was craving cake and was looking for simple and refreshing cake recipes. I stumbled upon this recipe but I did not have oranges at hand. In our new apartment we have an orange tree, but we have never tried those oranges. So I just ran outside a grabbed a few oranges and immediately set to try this delicious cake. I had some dark chocolate and I thought it would be too overpowering to do the entire frosting with it. So I just melted the chocolate and drizzled it over the cake. the cake was moist due to the addition of orange juice and it had a hint of citrus flavor in every bite!

Ingredients

For The cake
175g (6 oz) softened butter
175g (6 oz) caster (super fine) sugar - I used  ordinary sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Finely grated zest of 2 oranges
175g (6 oz) self-raising flour, sifted
2 tbsp milk

For The Orange Syrup
Juice of 1 orange
100g (4 oz) granulated sugar

For The Topping
Dark chocolate / milk chocolate
Sprinkles of choice (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

Line and grease a900g (2 lb) loaf tin.

In a mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar and beat together until light and fluffy in appearance. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well until fully incorporated. Add the orange zest, flour and milk and fold in gently with a spatula or large metal spoon. Turn into the prepared tin, smooth the top of the mixture and bake in the oven on middle shelf 35 -45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. When cool make little holes in the cake with a skewer, (this is important for pouring the syrup onto the cake to ensure the syrup soaks in fully.)

For The Orange Syrup

Put the orange juice and granulated sugar into a pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil for a couple of minutes. Pour over the top of the cake. When all the juice has soaked in, carefully remove the cake from the tin.

Frosting

I melted 2 blocks the dark chocolate in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Drizzle it directly over the cooled cake. leave the cake for a while for the chocolate to set.

Slice and enjoy!

Check out my other cake recipes..

Spongecake with cream cheese frosting

Fruit Cake

Spiced Mango Bread

Vanilla Apple Cake

Orange cake with cream cheese frosting

Rava laddoo for Indian Cooking Challenge

It has been raining rava laddus in the blogosphere today!! Yeah, it is the first creation in the Indian Cooking Challenge initiated by Valli! I am very excited to take up this challenge and try out many authentic Indian dishes. The first challenge started out with this Rava Laddoo.. I havent made this earlier and this is my first time trying it out. It was quiet simple and tasted great. We loved every bite with a hint of raisins and cashews.

Coming on to the recipe given..

Ingredients

Rava / Semolina - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 25 gms
Milk - 25 ml
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Cashew nuts - 10 whole nuts
Raisins - 10 nos
Grated fresh coconut - 25 gms

Directions

Heat 2 teaspoons of ghee in a kadai and fry the raisins and cashews until they turn golden brown and the raisins plump up. Set them aside. In the same pan, roast the grated coconut for about two minutes and set it aside.

Then add the remaining ghee and add the semolina/rava. Roast on low heat until it gives out a nice aroma. Take care it doesnt burn.

In a bowl, take all the roasted ingredients along with sugar and mix well. Microwave milk for about 30 seconds or heat on stove top until it turns warm. Add milk little by little to the rava mixture. Make balls immediately while warm. When it cools down, it is difficult to make balls.

Store in an airtight container. Since it contains milk it is best to consume it within 4 to 5 days. 

Isn't it simple!!

Zucchini Kootu

I found Zucchini on sale last week and got a couple of them. I have only had zucchini in soups and pastas. I thought why not make and Indianized version of Zucchini. Thus was born this Zucchini Kootu. I made it the usual way I make other kootus.I should say, it was out of the world! I am definitely going to make this soon again. We had it with simple dal and rice. it made a great combo. I suggest everyone to try this if you like kootus.

Zucchini is a summer vegetable which is low in calories, cholestrol free and rich in folates, potassium and vitamin A with lesser amounts of the B vitamins, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and copper. 

Ingredients

Zucchini - 2 medium sized ones
Toor dal or Split Moong dal - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Green chillies - 3
Grated coconut - 2 tablespoons
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Urad dhal - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 spoon
Salt to taste

Directions

Wash and chop the zucchinis roughly. In a pressure cooker, add the chopped zucchini, turmeric powder, dal, salt and a little water and pressure cook for about one whistle. You can even cook the zucchini in a wide bottomed vessel instead of the pressure cooker. I pressure cooked it to save time and energy.

Grind the coconut, cumin seeds and green chillies into a coarse paste. Add this to the cooked zucchini.

In a pan, do the seasoning with the oil, mustard seeds and urad dhall. Add the zucchini pixture and saute for about two minutes, until everything is combined. Adjust salt.

Serve with rice.

Other kootu recipes

Keerai kootu

Chayote /Chow-chow kootu

Ridgegourd /Peerkangai kootu

You must have noticed a change in the layout of my blog. It was designed by my lovely sis! Thanks Sugirtha!!

Paasi paruppu Payasam/ Moong dal payasam

This is one kinda payasam prepared usually during festivals. I made this for the first time on our anniversary. It is a variation from the normal payasams and other desserts. It tastes great both hot and cold. This payasam was featured in our hostel menu every Saturday. Makes me nostalgic!! Now moving on to the recipe.

Ingredients

Moong dal / Paasi paruppu - 1 cup

Jaggery (Powdered) - 1 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Cashews - 8 to 10

Raisins - few

Ghee - 2 teaspoons

Coconut grated - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Directions

Fry the cashews and raisins in the ghee until the cashews turn golden brown and the raisins plump up. Set them aside.

In the same pan, add a little more ghee and fry the moong dal until it turns slight brown. Take care it does not burn. You can even dry roast the dal without the ghee. 

In a heavy bottomed vessel, melt the jaggery . Add little water if necessary. Once it comes to a boil, remove the scum formed on top.

In a pressure cooker or a heavy bottomed vessel, add the dal, milk and water if needed and cook for about three whistles. Once done, mash the dal well. You can mash it into a smooth paste or if you like some of it to bite into, mash slightly. Add the melted jaggery to it and stir. Simmer for about two minutes, until everything combines together. Add a little milk if you want a thinner consistency.

Finnaly garnish with the fried cashews and raisins. You can also add a tablespoon of grated coconut while garnishing.

Serve warm or cold. 

Sending this to MLLA :12th helping hosted by Annarasa and started by Susan

Pretzels

Everybody loves pretzels - crunchy, brown, salty heart-shaped snacks! Did you know pretzels have been around for approximately thirteen hundred and ninety years?  Pretzels were invented by an ambitious monk baking unleavened bread for the Christian Lent. Because Christians in those days prayed with their hands crossed over their chests, he tried shaping the dough to mimic that action. They were baked to a soft bread consistency and given as a treat to children that memorized their prayers. The monk named his new treat 'pretiola' - a Latin word meaning 'little reward'. [Source:Essortment.com]

Today pretzels come in all shapes and sizes and many companies experiment with flavor. Butter-flavored pretzels are favorites that have stayed in the public eye. Pretzels are great accompaniments to soups, salads, entrees and beer.

This was the first time I made pretzels myself. I remember eating pretzels first in an airport. They taste great dipped in salt or mustard. I a paired this month with Res-o-puh-leese for Taste and Create event this month. Browsing through her interesting site, I found this recipe very interesting. Being a big fan of pretzels i tried this immediately. They turned out crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside! 

Here is the recipe as suggested by Kendall!

Ingredients

Active dry yeast - 2 teaspoons
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) - 1/2 cup
All-purpose flour - 2 cups
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Vegetable oil - 1 tablespoon
Baking soda - 1 teaspoon
Hot water - 2 cups
Butter - 2 tablespoons
Kosher salt, for topping

Directions

Dissolve the yeast and the sugar in luke-warm water and let sit for about 10 minutes, or until the yeast turns the water frothy. In another bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt and add the sugar and yeast mixture.
Knead the dough until smooth, for about 7 minutes. The dough should be elastic. It need not be very smooth.
Lightly oil a large bowl and put the dough in the bowl, turning so that the dough is completely covered with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for about one hour, or until dough has doubled.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Divide the dough into 10 to 12  pieces and roll each out into a long rope of about 12 inches long. It shouldnt be too thin. Form into pretzel shape. For more pictures on shaping check this site.
Dissolve baking soda in hot water and dip the pretzels into the water mixture. Sprinkle kosher salt or desired toppings on the shaped pretzels.

Bake on a greased baking sheet for about 7-8 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with butter.

Serve warm!

Since this recipe is eggless and low in fat am sending this to Madhuram's Lowfat Eggless Baking event