Vegetable Bajji

Yesterday I was really bored and wanted to eat something yummy and different. I thought of making vada - but this one cannot be had in a jiffy...it has to soaked for a while and then grinded...that involved lot of work, then thought of making cutlet - but that needs boiling the vegetables and lot of process...hence resorted to making bajjis...I haven't made this in almost three to four years. In general I do not make lot of fried items at home because am clueless as to what to do with the left over oil and that too in winter the smell of the oil keeps lingering inside the house. I did not have much veggies for making it but still went and ahead and made with the veggies that I had on hand....potato, onions, yellow bell pepper and spinach were the ones I used for making the Bajjis.....One good thing about this is you can make the batter and make more batter if needed.

If you are making with Potaoes then peel wash and make into thin slices. If you are using bell pepper - deseed them and cut into 1 inch piece. Onions you can make into thing round pieces and carefully place them on the plate and dip in the batter carefully to make the bajjis. You can use the leaves of spinach as is. You can do bajjis with chayote (chow chow), Zucchini....

Ingredients

3/4th Cup Besan Flour
3/4th Cup Rice Flour
1/2 Tsp Red Chilly Powder
1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
1/4 Tsp Hing
Salt to taste
Water
Canola Oil

Sieve both the flours so that it will not form lumps when you are mixing it with water. Add the other dry ingredients listed above to the flour and mix well.

Add water little by little and mix well. It should get the consistency of dosa batter. It should not go too watery or stay very thick. It should be good enough to get a nice coating on the veggies.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the veggies to the batter and give a nice coating and add it to the oil. When it turns golden brown. Take it out and place it on the kitchen towel to drain the excess oil. It comes and nice and crispy.
Serve it with tomato ketch up/tamarind and cilantro chutney....it was yummy and my family enjoyed it!

Bow Tie Pasta Salad

We had been to Lake Geneva and Chicago for the Memorial day weekend...I had been looking forward to the trip since my friend and her family joined us for the trip to Lake Geneva and we got to spend couple of days with her in Down Town Chicago....it was my dream to stay in down town Chicago and roam around Michigan Avenue!! It was a dream come true and the kids (my son and her son) had a whale of time....We got to taste the best food in town! I got to visit my fav Whole Foods - it was in the same building and I was looking forward to it....went on a shopping spree 'buying all kind of stuff - pine nuts - the one I was looking for, macadamia nut, arugula ...etc etc'...

When we came back from our trip...I whipped up a nice Italian meal...with arugula salad, pasta and couscous desert pudding.  I love the pine nuts - the crunchiness from it....I have never seen such a costly nut...we paid around $ 10 for it! Saved the rest in my freezer for future.

All of us loved the pasta..it was simple yet delicious ..in the sense  though it did not have the usual sauces....it  tasted better...my husband just loved it.

Ingredients:

Farfalle Pasta 2 Cups

Any Vegetable of your choice - I used broccoli, peas, beans, colored bell pepper and spinach

3/4th Tsp Dried Basil

1/2 Tsp Dried Parsley

3/4th Tsp Pepper powder

Parmesan Cheese

Olive Oil

Salt to taste

Boil the water and add salt and pasta to it. Cook it al dante (to the bite). After about 8 minutes turn off the gas and use a colander to drain the water (but save the water).

Take oil in a pan and add the vegetables and saute it. When they are cooked add the dried basil, dried parsley, salt, pepper and pasta to it. Cook for couple of more minutes. Add the pepper and the parmesan cheese.....Pasta is ready to the served.

If you are planning to serve it later. Heat the pasta by sprinkling the water that you reserved while draining the pasta and you can add little bit more cheese and serve it with focaccia bread for the side. Focaccia bread is my favorite...We buy it all the time from panera!  In one of the restaurants that we visit they serve this bread with a dip by combining - "olive oil, pepper and parmesan cheese". You can cut the bread into a long piece wrap it in a kitchen towel and microwave it for few minutes and serve with the dip as a side for your pasta...Enjoy the delicious, simple pasta!

Spinach Tofu masala

I love the food prepared with all green leafy vegetables like mulai keerai pulipu,vendaya keerai macial etc but you rarely find these green leafy veggies in the place where I live. So I am left with Palak only to try out different recipes using it.
I love panneer but I do not have the time to make this at home (and I am not comfortable to use the ones that we find at the stores). My husband is a great fan of tofu and he keeps telling me to make dishes with it. During his bachelor days this was always part of his cooking!!
Since tofu is a healthier option (than panneer) wanted to experiment by subsitituting panneer with "Tofu"....I cannot call it Palak Panneer right...it is Palak Tofu!!

This was my maiden attempt at making it and it turned out pretty good....hence wanted to share it with all of you...

The ingredients for making it -
Spinach - 2 bunches (if you buy the ones that comes in the box then use 3/4th of the box)

Tofu - 1 pack

Onion - 1 small

Tomatoes - 3 small

Green chillies -2

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Jeera - 1 tsp

cashew - 5

Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp

Whole milk ( 1 cup) or heavy cream 4 tbs

Salt as per your taste

I generally use the spinach that just comes as leaves (ease of use) in a box and I buy the organic ones too...

If you are planning to use the ones that comes in bunches...then take the leaves alone and wash them thoroughly (do not use the stem part).

Take a tsp of oil and ginger and the spinach and cook it till it is done. Let it cool.Grind the spinach coaresly with ginger and cashews.

Drain the water from the tofu before cooking it.I like to make tofu by baking it in the conventional oven (instead of frying it in the oil). I would let you decide the way you want it.
If you are making it in the conventional oven then preheat it to 350 deg and bake the tofu till it turns slightly brown.

Heat oil in a pan and add jeera and let it splutter. Fry the onions and then cook the tomatoes with it. Add the grounded mixture and cook it well. Add salt and all the powders and boil it for some time. Add the whole milk or heavy whipping cream and boil for couple of more minutes.
Finally add the tofu...

The Palak Tofu is ready to be served with rotis...
Enjoy!!