Cumin Hummus

Hummus is one thing which I always have in m fridge. It serves as a great spread and a dip with almost anything. You can smother your sandwiches with hummus instead of mayo for a healthier version ; top your pitas with hummus for a great appetizer or you can use it as a dip along with crackers, vegetables and chips. i love to have mu hummus with baby carrots! Above all, it is packed with protein and healthier than most dips. I usually follow the basic hummus recipe, but for a change, I occasionally try to add some spices for more flavor. This is my version, you can try it with cayenne pepper, coriander powder etc.

Ingredients

Chickpeas - 1 cup uncooked / 2 cups soaked chickpeas
Tahini - 2 tablespoons
Cumin - 1 teaspoon
Coriander - 1 teaspoon
Garlic - 1 clove
Olive oil - 1 tablespoon
Lemon juice - 2 tablespoons
Water - 2 tablespoons from the cooked chickpeas or just plain water
Salt to taste

Directions.

Soak the chickpeas overnight or for atleast 8 hours. Pressure cook the chickpeas until soft. Instead of this step you could just use canned chickpeas.

Place all th ingredients together and process until smooth. If you want a chunky hummus do not process it until smooth. You need to use a good quality olive oil which is very important.

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. It also freezes well.

Drizzle with olive oil and serve with pita bread, vegetables, crackers etc.

Tortilla bajji

Wondering what is this tortilla bajji? Yes this snack was born in my kitchen from the idea of using up my remaining bajji batter. I had some leftover tortilla chips lying around. So what I did was, just dip the tortilla chips in the batter and deep fry them. Believe me, it was so delicious! Will definitely be making this again! It is quite easyto make. Just mix in the ingredients for the batter and start frying. No chopping involved. You could also try this with tortilla. Just slice them into triangles or whatever shape you like and use them to make bajjis. I call this Indian-Mex cuisine!!

Ingredients

Tortilla chips - 10 to 15
Rice flour - 1 cup
Besan/gram flour - 1 cup
Chilli powder - 2 teaspoons
Baking soda - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Directions

Mix the rice flour,besan,chilli powder,salt and baking soda together along with required water to make a thick batter..It should not be too watery.
Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed vessel..Drop a pinch of batter into the oil to test if it is piping hot.
Dip the tortilla/tortilla chips in the batter 4 or 5 at a time and fry on both sides till they turn golden brown.Drain in paper towels.
Serve hot with ketchup.

Sending this to Sunday Snacks:Spill the Beans hosted at Akshayapaatram.

And also to "My Legume Love Affair-12th helping" hosted by Annarasa and started by Susan

Check out my other bajji and tortilla recipes!

Potato bajji

Instant Tortilla Pizza

Homemade Tortilla chips

Cheese Quesadillas

Green Chile Cheese Enchiladas

We have moved to our new house last weekend. And I havent really started cooking. We are still settling down. Hope to meet you all soon with new recipes!

Jalapeno Cheese Muffins

I just love baking. And I always look forward to new recipes to try. After baking a number of sweet muffins, I wanted to try my hand in making savoury ones. V just adores anything with jalapenos, so i decided to make this jalapeno muffins filled with the spiciness of jalapenos with a touch of cheddar cheese. hey turned out the way I expected them. They tasted great along with soups.

Ingredients

All Purpose flour - 2 cups
Baking powder - 1 tablespoon
Baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon
Sugar - 1 tablespoon
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon 
Grated cheddar cheese - 1 cup
Minced onion - 1 tablespoon (optional)
Yoghurt - 1 cup
Melted butter - 1/4 cup
Eggs - 2
Finely chopped jalapeno peppers - 2 or more depending on the spiciness you like

Directions

In a mixing bowl, take the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Whisk all of them together. Add the grated cheese and minced onion and mix. 

In another bowl, whisk the yoghurt, melted butter, eggs and jalapeno together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir just until evenly moistened.

Bake in lined muffin cups at 400 F for 20 to 25 minutes.

They taste delicious on their own or topped with cream cheese.

We are moving this weekend! To a place closer to school. So will be busy for a while I guess. However will be scheduling a few posts if possible. The best part is i have a huge balcony at my new place and am looking forward to grow a few plants especially herbs. Would love to hear a few suggestions and tips from you all!

Creamy Zucchini Soup

I made this comforting and creamy Zucchini soup on a rainy day. We had it with garlic bread. I am trying to make healthy soups every Friday night for dinner which leaves us feeling light and filling. I was on a spree looking for a variety of soup recipes for our Soup Fridays. I landed upon various soups with zucchini and this is my personalised version which is simple and made with basic ingredients.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Zucchini - 2 large ones

Onion - 1 medium sized

Butter - 1 tablespoon

Vegetable broth/ Chicken broth/ Water - 2 cups

Dried herbs - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Frozen corn - 2 tablespoons

Milk - 1/2 cup

Shredded cheese for garnishing (optional)

Directions

In a saucepan or a pressure cooker, heat the butter and add the chopped onions. Saute them for about 2 minutes until they turn translucent. Add the finely chopped zucchini pieces and the frozen corn and saute for another two minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the broth or water and bring it to a boil. Then add the milk and simmer for about 10 minutes until the zucchini is well cooked. If using a pressure cooker cook unitl one whistle. Mash all the ingredients together. Alternatively, you can cool the ingredients and blend them. Since the zucchini is already cooked, it is better to just mash it and retain a few bite sized pieces.

Add the dried herbs(I used dried oregano) if using and stir again. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the saucepan. Ladle into soup bowls and add some shredded cheese on top!

Serve with bread!

Sending this to Healthy Inspirations Event - Soups

Ulundha vadai / Medhu vadai / Urad dal vada

This vada forms an authentic combo along with ven pongal in South Indian breakfasts. It is made on almost all special occasions and festivals. It is made with few simple ingredients. It makes a great appetizer just by itself with coconut chutney  or dunk these beauties in sambar, rasam or curd which tastes divine. The difficult process is shaping the vadai with a hole in the middle. Though I have not mastered the technique, just wanted to share the recipe. You can call these Indian Dounuts!

Ingredients

Black gram / Uluttham paruppu / Urad dal- 2 cups
Onion - 1 small sized
Green chillies - 3 
Black pepper - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seed - 1 teaspoon 
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coriander leaves – 1 spoon chopped
Salt to taste 
Oil for deep-frying

Directions

Wash and soak the dal for an hour. Chop the onions and green chillies. Grind the together along with the urad dal in a blender to a smooth paste. Try to blend without adding water. If necessary add 1 or 2 teaspoons of water.

Stir in the chopped coriander leaves, curry leaves, crushed black pepper and cumin seeds. Add salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients together to form a smooth, thick batter.

In a heavy bottomed vessel, heat oil for frying. Wet your palms with a little water or with a little oil so that the batter doesnt stick to your hand. Instead, you can use a ziplock bag to shape the batter.

Take a spoonful of batter in between your palms, flatten them into a round with a hole in the middle. Carefully drop them into the hot oil and deep fry them in batches of 5 or 6. It needs to get cooked for about a minute or two on each side. Carefully flip them over with a slotted spoon. 

Once they turn golden brown, remove them with the slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels.

Serve hot with coconut chutney. You can use the leftovers if any, to make sambar vadai or rasa vadai or dahi vada.

Sending this to "My Legume Love Affair-12th helping" hosted by Annarasa and started by Susan and to Sunday Snacks:Spill the Beans hosted at Akshayapaatram.

Spinach Rice

This is a simple, delicious and of course a healthy rice recipe. it is a one pot meal and can be made in a jiffy. Any kind of spinach can be used in this recipe. I used baby spinach.

Ingredients
Rice - 2 cups (preferrably basmati rice)
Spinach - 2 cups
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 medium sized
Green peas - 1/2 cup
Cumin / Jeera - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1 tablespoon
Lemon Juice
Oil - 2 tablespoons
Green chilies - 2
Garlic cloves - 4
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Salt as per taste
Directions
Wash and soak the basmati rice. Chop the garlic, ginger, onions and green chillies finely. You can mince the ginger, garlic and chillies together if you want.
Wash the spinach well to remove all the sand grains if any and chop them roughly.
In a pressure cooker, add the oil and add cumin seeds. Once they start spluttering, add the onions and saute till they turn translucent. Add the ginger, garlic, green chillies and saute for a minute. Add the chopped spinach, coriander leaves, green peas along with salt, garam masala and a little turmeric powder. Once the spinach wilts, add the soaked rice along with 4 cups of water and stir all the ingredients together.
Close the pressure cooker and cook until the rice is done.
Serve warm with a simple raita.

It is just that simple!
Sending this to SWC:Cooking with Greens hosted at Creative Saga and also to
Cooking for Kids - Leafy Greens hosted by Pavani and started by Sharmi.

Show me your Breakfast!

Everyone knows that breakfast is the very important meal of the day. The word 'breakfast' derives from breaking the fast after one has not eaten since the night before. Whether you work at home, on the farm, at the office, at school, or on the road, it is not a good idea to skip breakfast. Eating a good breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day. When you skip breakfast, you are likely to become tired when your brain and body run low on fuel. By mid-morning, you might grab a cup of coffee or wolf down a sugary candy bar to wake up again. This might work for a few minutes, but by lunch time you are hungry, crabby, and perhaps your mood might make you a little more prone to make unhealthy choices at lunch.

I wanted to conduct an event in my blog featuring breakfasts. Here is what you need to do!

Take a picture of your breakfast. You need not give the recipe. Just a picture of your healthy, balanced breakfast would do. Be it a simple toast or an elaborate one; a french toast or a typical Indian breakfast; a tall glass of smoothie or a bowl of oatmeal. Whatever it is! Just click your breakfast and shoot me an email (divyablogs[AT] gmail [DOT] com) with the following details..

Your Name
Breakfast name
URL of the post
Picture of the dish

Please link back to this announcement and use the logo if you wish. You are welcome to send in a maximum of three entries. Non- Veg entries are welcome. If you are sending a picture from one of your older posts, please link back to this announcement. 

Last date for sending in your entries - July 10. 

Non- bloggers can also email me your entries.

Remember that eating a healthy breakfast is the best way to start off your day, and be good to yourself by eating a healthy breakfast!

For some breakfast ideas : Mr.Breakfast.com

Logo Image Courtesy : Flickr

Roundup Part I

Roundup Part II