Chocolate and Coffee Banana Loaf/ Cake

I found this recipe in a Vegan Site. The lady has simple recipes explained  and she also has videos of most of the recipes in her site.
I am slowly turning into a Vegan though  I am still not 100% Vegan, for it takes time. However as much as possible I cook only Vegan food.
Here are the pictures of my recent cake, I only added some Walnuts and some instant coffee  to the recipe, as I like the crunchy taste of Walnuts, which are also very good for brain health.
Just out of the Oven

For recipe go to:http://www.mrishtanna.com/2017/…/chocolate-banana-loaf-cake/

 Enjoy with Tea or Coffee!!!

Hibiscus Tea: The Most Wonderful Drink!!

Hibiscus flowers are so beautiful, and they come in various colors. The most common and popular ones are the Red Hibiscus which are available in plenty everywhere. They don't need much care, also.

The benefits of making Hibiscus Tea at home are many.

Just drinking two cups of hibiscus tea, keeps blood sugar under control, controls the cholesterol levels, lowers BP,  is very high in Vitamin C, so it is good for the skin, hair and the eyes. This tea is good to keep away cough and cold. It also helps in preventing Urinary Tract Infection, if taken along with Cranberry Juice.

Best thing is,  it is very easy to make. here is the recipe:

5/6 hibiscus flowers, plucked from your own garden( doesn't matter, what color they are)

5/6 cups of water

a few tsps of sugar, or honey/ any natural sweetner) I usually don't add sugar at all.

A pinch of salt

1 lemon




Method:

Clean/ wash the flowers gently.

Take only the petals throw everything else.

                                                Throw away this thing, only the petals
                                                             should be there

Boil the water, once it starts to boil, take it off from the stove

You can add sugar/ whatever sweetner you want and also salt.

Put all the petals and cover the it with a lid.

Let it soak for about 20 minutes

Then strain it, it would a deep wine color

Now you can add the juice of 1 lemon, and voila you would immediately see the color of the juice turn to a pretty red color ( I used only Red Hibiscus), I don't know how the color would be if we used other color hibiscus, for I never had the chance of using other colors.

(our dog simply loves eating these flowers especially, the voilet, yellow, orange and the pink ones that I have. So, I never get to see them bloom at all)
                            Caught her in the act. (she was barely 3 months old). She is now a big girl and                                 still loves to steal Hibiscus                                                                                         

This juice doesn't have any taste of its own, so you can even mix it with any other juice you might like, and have it cold also.

Here I have mixed with a herbal Rose drink called Roofza. If you have cranberry juice you can mix it with that too for additional benefits

You can have it immediately as a hot tea or cool it in the fridge and have it later. You can even make a whole lot,  if you have many hibiscus growing in your garden then prepare them in the same way and store it in the fridge and keep using it whenever you feel like.

The pulp of the flower too should not be wasted, it can made into a fine paste in mixer/ grinder and used as a hair mask.

This hair mask can be kept for about 1/2 an hour with the hair covered with a shower cap.

Afterwards,  it can be thourghly rinsed and. No need to apply any conditioner after this treatment. You would find your hair very clean, shiny and bouncy, and you would simply love your hair.

So make the Hibiscus Tea/ Juice and make the Mask and enjoy the benefits .

BTW, the Hibiscus leaves too can be made into a paste and used as a shampoo, it would lather up nicely like a shampoo, but must be rinsed very well.

Gongura Leaves/ Sorrel Leaves: Gongura Puliodhrai

Some of the health benefits of Sorrel/Gongura include its ability to boost eyesight, strengthen the immune system, improve digestion, build strong bones, increase circulation, increase energy levels, help prevent cancer, reduce certain skin conditions, lower blood pressure, increase appetite, slow the aging process, protect against diabetes, strengthen heart health, and improve kidney health.

It is very popular all over India, especially in Andhra Pradesh, where it is considered a delicacy, and dishes cooked in a variety of ways with this spinach kind of leafy vegetable. it has a natural sourness to it, and the pickle made with  it very tasty. You can read about its benefits in the net, and if you can get  it in your part of the country, then make it following various recipes shown in Youtube/ cookery blogs.

Here  I am sharing with you a recipe called "Gongura Puliodaryai" ( Sorrel Rice)

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp, Urad dhal

1/2 tsp, Channa dhal

1/2 tsp Coriander seeds

4/5 Red chillies or according to taste

3 tblsps of Sesame seeds

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

around 1/2 a cup or little more of Sesame seed oil or Refined vegetable oil.

1&1/2 cup of brown rice ( if you don't like Brown Rice then you can use White Rice): Boiled with every grain separate.

1/2 cup of Coconut gratings (optional)

For seasoning : 

a tsp of oil from the oil listed

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Asafoetida (Hing) 

some curry leaves

1/2 a cup of onions chppped, split green chillies about 2

Two bunches of Gongura leaves (approximately 2/3 big cups of leaves)

The leaves should have been separated washed and dried, no need to cut them, just let them dry between sheets of news paper.

Method:

Boil Rice and spread it out in a plate and leave it to cool

In a non- stick pan, dry roast the Urad Dhal, Channa Dhal, Red Chillies, Coriander seeds and Sesame seeds keeping the flame low,  roast them till slightly golden, don't burn them.

Keep them aside to cool.

After they have cooled grind them into a nice powder and  keep aside. Roast the peanuts keep them aside

Now in the same pan add some oil and fry the Gongura leaves, after some time they would become soft and start to form a big lump, add a little bit of salt, wait till everything combines a becomes like a ball. Take it out of the flame and let  it cool. Now after it has cooled grind it into a fine paste in the grinder. If you see a few red stems just remove them

 

Next heat some more oil in the same pan, and once it is hot, drop the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and let them crackle, now add some curry leaves  Asafoetida, the roasted spice powder,  turmeric powder and the roasted peanuts and keep stirring everything for a few seconds  in low heat. 

Add salt, but always remember to be careful and add only little, if needed we can add some more salt afterwards. Next add the chopped Onions and just lighty fry them, they should not be fried too much, they should retain the slightly raw kind of crunchiness.

Now add the Gongura ground  paste to it and keep mixing everything till well blended. Take it out of the flame.

Now add the cooked and cooled rice and mix everything evenly, till everything is nicely blended, taste it and if you feel you need to add a little more salt add at this stage and keep on mixing it very nicely.

Finally add the coconut gratings.

Fry some Rice or Dhal Papads (fritters)

Serve it with some Raita made out of curd, raw  onion, and tomatoes, salt and green chilliies.

It is always nice to cook out of the box with these lesser known or less tried recipes, to do away with the boredom of eating the same kind of food everyday.

Also it is a very healthy dish and is a kind of one pot meal.

Enjoy!

Baigan Bhartha : Smoked Brinjal/ Egg Plant

Cooking time: 15 mins
( including the cutting  of the vegetables and the smoking of the brinjal)

Ingredients:
1 medium size Brinjal ( Use only fresh)
3 medium size Tomatoes
1 big green chilly
1 big onion
10 cloves of Garlic peeled and slightly crushed
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds, and 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
2 or 3 tsps of Garam masala, and 1 tsp of Aam Chur (dry mango powder, optional)
Salt to taste
3 tsps of any vegetable oil.
1 tsp of red chilly powder, 2 tsp of coriander, and cumin powder( Dhanu jerra powder) optional
Fresh chopped coriander leaves

Directions:
Instead of chopping the onions just slice them length wise
Cut the tomatoes too in the same manner
peel the garlic and just crush them lightly
slit the green chilly or you can even chop them finely, depending on your taste
wash and dry the brinjal, and slit a little and keep a few cloves of garlic inside it.
Roast the brinjal directly on the gas stove.
Keep turning around till all sides are smoked and cooked properly and the skin is charred
 Keep  it aside to cool

Take a frying pan and heat the oil in it. Throw in the cumin and mustard seeds into the pan and let them splutter.
Now add the sliced onion  to it along with the garlic, keep the heat in low and let the  onions turn slightly  pink, do not brown it.
Next add the tomatoes
Just lightly toss them
after a few seconds add salt, red chilly powder, dry mango powder and the danu jerra powder. Mix everything and let the tomatoes become slightly soft, do not try to mash them.
Now peel the brinjal remove the garlic cloves, ( just add the garlic to the onion, tomato mixture) and just lightly cut the brinjal, at the same time pressing them slightly with the knife itself, do not mash the brinjal completely.
Add this to the onion and tomato mixture and mix everything together, if it looks too thick add a little bit of water to bring to the right consistency
 Next add the garam masala powder, and keep the dish covered for about 3 minutes on a low flame. This is done to retain the flavour of the garam masala.
Never add turmeric powder to this dish, for the red colour should come only through the tomatoes and the red chilly powder.
People add fresh cream, some even add milk, but then it would taste different, the mild flavour of brinjal will be lost, and it would not get that red colour.
Pour it into a serving dish and garnish it fresh chopped coriander.
It goes best with Paranthas and Phulkas (all Indian breads).
I am aware that there are many ways in which people make this dish, but after trying this method, I found it to be the best, for it brings out the real subtle flavour of brinjal.
I learnt this recipe from a Punjabi friend of mine, whose husband runs a very famous Punjabi Dhaba in Bangalore.

                                                      Sorry for the bad image

                 See the chunks of lightly mashed brinjal, tomatoes and the garlic are visible

The attractive red colour comes out, by not adding turmeric.(this tip was given by my punjabi friend)
Enjoy this super simple dish, and let me know how you found the taste of this Smoked Brinjal recipe made my way.

When Hunger Strikes Have This Wonder Soup

The wonder soup is made with tomatoes, onions, green peppers, celery, cabbage, onion, and any other vegetables like cucumber, broccoli , carrots, mushrooms etc. also can be added.

It is a very light tasting yet filling  soup, to have whenever, we are bored or feel like having something between meals. Since it is made with lots of vegetables it is highly nutritious and healthy in between food to be had at any time of the day. People who are familiar with the GM diet would know about this particular soup.

Here, I am not adhering strictly to the ingredients mentioned in their wonder soup recipe, for I like to add a lot more variety of vegetables to it to make it even more tasty and healthy. It is so simple and easy to make, here is my version of this soup:

Ingredients:

Half of medium sized cabbage( roughly chopped)

2 medium sized onions (chopped into medium size pieces)

10- 12 button mushrooms (chopped into medium size pieces)

Two big tomatoes

a few flowers of Broccoli

half a cucumber 

1 medium sized carrot

1 large capsicum

(Please don't add Beetroot and Potatoes)

Chop all the vegetables into medium size

Method:

In a large deep frying pan pour 2 tsp of olive oil

Once the oil  is hot put the onions, mushrooms and the capsicum and fry them till they are a little brown

Now add all the other vegetables to this and give it good stir.

Next add some seasoning like Italian spice powder about 2 tsp, salt to taste and 2 tsp of Oregano. If you have flax seeds add 2 tsps of that too. You can also add 1 tblsp of organic Apple cider Vinegar.

Add about 4 cups of water or enough to cover all the vegetables completely

 Cover it with a lid wait till the water starts , once it starts to boil reduce the heat to simmer

Let it simmer for about 10 minutes, and come back to check whether all the vegetables have cooked well (they should not over cook, they should be slightly crisp).

Now your Wonder Soup is ready to be transferred into a big bowl.

Now you can have some of this healthy hot soup, or let it cool and refrigerate it and keep it for 2 days, taking out as much as you want and heating it in the microwave and having it off and on as much / or as many times you want. It would help in you keeping your weight down. no wonder it is called the "Wonder Soup" .

Serve it as a special starting dish for large parties, it’s that good!  Most important is, that, it is so easy to prepare, just takes 10 minutes to prepare. And because it’s a vegetarian soup, it’s a crowd-pleaser for everyone.
I make this soup every two days, and we have  it two times in a day.

This soup is very addictive, and it is a good addiction. 

I am a little lazy to type the recipe again separately, and anyway it is a very easy recipe, there is hardly any thing complicated about it.

bon appétit!

Don't forget to comment after you visit here. Your comments would really inspire me to share more recipes with you all.

More Kuzhambu (Typical South Indian Dish)

                                    More Kuzhambu ( Typical Iyengar Style)

A lovely tangy Vegetable gravy dish made out of sour butter milk. Today I am writing the recipe made with White Pumpkin. The basic gravy is the same, however, you can change the vegetables according to your liking or availability. Generally vegetables like White pumpkin, Chayote Squash (Chow Chow), Okra, Green Capsicum, Egg plant are the ones, that are mainly used with this gravy. Many times I have even seen people use Potatoes too.
But  the vegetables mentioned above tastes very good when cooked and added to the basic gravy.
One thing important is that the the Butter milk must be sour, because sourness only would give it the taste. Since I live in a place where butter milk never get sour enough, I would have to use a little bit of Tamarind juice to make it sour. It is perfectly alright to use Tamarind if one cannot get sour curd  or buttermilk. The taste would be just the same.

Ingredients to be soaked in water together:
1. 1 tsp of Tuvar dal, 
2. 1 tsp of Channa dal, 
3. 3 tsps of dry coriander
4. 1tsp of Carom Seeds (Ajwain or Omam)
5. 3 tbls of grated coconut
6.1 green chilly and 1 red chilly (you can add more according to the amount you prefer)
7. 1/2 tsp of rice
8. As always with all my dishes I add quite a few curry leaves while grinding itself.

 Soak a small lemon sized tamarind ball in cup of water( if the butter milk is sour then no need for tamarind)
For the vegetable:
100- 150 grams of  White pumpkin, cut into big pieces (about 1 inch squares)
Boil them with enough water to cover them, along with a tsp of Turmeric powder, salt to taste, and a tsp of Hing/ Asafoetida. 
Keep the pot covered with a lid and once it has come to a boil, turn the heat to simmer and let them cook till they are half done.
Next squeeze the juice of the Tamarind and add it to the boiling Pumpkin mixture
Boil everything together till the raw smell of the Tamarind goes off
Add more water as required. It should be of pouring consistency not too thick.
Test whether the Pumpkins are cooked.
In the meantime grind the soaked mixture in the grinder into a paste.
Pour this mixture into the Pumpkin mixture, keeping the gas at simmer all the time
Wait for it to come to a boil or two.
Take it off from the stove and pour it into a serving bowl.
Now take a small thick bottomed pan, and heat it
Add one tsp of Sesame oil, once it is hot enough add 1 tsp of Mustard seeds, 1 tsp of Fenugreek seeds, once they splutter, add a few curry leaves and pour this on top of the More Kuzuhambhu
Add some fresh chopped coriander leaves. (optional)
(I have not added Jeera in this because instead of Jeera I have used Carom seeds)

Serve it hot with Rice, along with some dry vegetable curry, some Aplams/Popadams/ Potato wafers. It also goes well with Chapaties, Dosas and Adaas.
Mostly people make it with Jeera, but it can also be made with Carom seeds, which most people have forgotten to use these days in this dish. (it is not invented by me)
 People who have had More Kuzhambu in our house really appreciated the slightly different taste the Carom seeds bring to this yummy dish.
The ingredients:

                                        The ground Masala to be added to the boiling  Pumpkin mixture

                                       The Yummy More Kuzhambu served along with other items
                                                                                      for Lunch

                                   Serve it with some Parupu, it would taste very good.