Spaghetti Squash Coconut Sevai

First of, thanks to all my Facebook friends who drooled and went gaga over this dish - that is my best motivation to keep trying new recipes and blogging them

I have worked with Spaghetti squash in the past, but once to bake it and one other time to make a halwa, all well before I started writing this blog. However, this unbelievable gem of a veggie went off my radar for a long time. This was one of the easiest recipe decisions to make in so far as keeping the preparation simple yet tasteful.
The trick is to allow the squash to shine and be the hero of the dish and not overpower it with too many spices. Add a tsp of coconut oil and  fresh grated coconut enhanced the taste of the squash and made for a delectable meal. Without further ado here goes

My sweet husband putting in the muscle to unstring the squash

And voila

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized squash cut down the middle vertically and spaghetti unstrung from the sides and into a bowl
• 1/2 cup of fresh frozen grated coconut thawed
• 2 Tbsp roasted cashews
• 2-3 finely chopped green chilies (ours were homegrown)
• 1/tsp of mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp of turmeric
• 1tsp of urad dal
• 2 tsp of olive oil
• 1tsp of coconut oil
• pinch of asafetida
• 1/3 cup of water
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp juice of freshly squeezed lemon
• Cilantro for garnish

Method

1. Splutter mustards, urad and hing in the said amount of olive oil
2. Add the chilies and allow them to cook for 30 secs 
3. Add the squash noodles
4. Add the the water and keep closed for about 3 minutes and allow it to cook until al-dente
5. Open and allow the water to evaporate. 
6. Add salt and coconut  and cashews and turn them in to the squash
7. Once cooked, transfer to a serving dish squeeze the lemon and.garnish with cilantro and serve hot

Baked Zucchini Noodles with Pistachios and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Ever since I learned how, I have been making these and absolutely LOVE it  and make it at least once in 2 weeks - It is healthy, guilt free and what's more so tasty - dress it up with your favorite nut, some of your favorite cheese and if you want sauce and you've got yourself a wholesome no carb meal

For making these you need the sharp julienne peeler which will strip you zucchini into thin noodles - be mindful, these instruments are viciously sharp so please use caution while using it

How many zucchini's you use depends on how many people you are making for - I used 3-4 for  4 of us - While stripping, stop when you come to the seedy part of the vegetable. By then it will start breaking anyhow.

Instructions
Strip, arrange in a baking dish; crumble cheese, sun dried tomatoes and toss in some walnuts, some pepper - Do not salt now or it will become watery … salt before eating.

I broiled for 15 -18 minutes or until the cheese has melted - BTW, I used some goat cheese. SO GOOD!

Enjoy and repeat :)

Steamed Couscous Sandwiches -AKA Idlis

Idlis are often referred to as steamed rice cakes - However these have assumed several variations over the  years and people (self-included) have tried my hand at making these staple south Indian delicacy with grains other than rice. Couscous is one of them.
Couscous has replaced many a rice meal in our home and I have blogged the recipe for couscous idlis before - see here - but the kids were wanting a pizza for lunch 2 sundays ago - I did not want to make or buy pizzas - FYI each slice of pizza store/restaurant bought averages 450 for minimum to a max of 750 and beyond even depending on what the toppings are. We have been on a caloric ride all summer and the start of school signifies the change of diet as well - back to healthy, yummy, low calorie meals. This was a really yummy sandwich idli - I added the toppings of a veggie pizza - onions, tomatoes, bell peppers & green chili all sauteed into a dry curry.
For this version, I dispensed with all the thadka and made it simply with 2 cups of couscous and 2.5 cups of butternilk (actually 1 cup of yogurt and 1.5 cups of buttermilk) These babies can soak up as much buttermilk as you want to put in them - so all you need to is make the batter and cook asap.

Here are some pictures: Enjoy these idlis, for lunch, brunch, tiffin, breakfast or dinner.

these are beautiful dippy plates that we use to steam the Idlis

These babies can also be served with a freshly ground Coconut chutney, another staple side from South India - recipe to follow soon
Here is a sneak peak at it :)

Peppa Paneer Frankie Wrap

This dish I am dedicating to my nephew in Chennai - In my week at Chennai not too long ago, there were at least 2 or 3 nights when this young man wanted these Frankie Wraps from a kiosk - apparently a hot joint for these ever so popular short eat. I think these also go by the name of kaati rolls. I have never dared to try one from that vendor - needed a well-adjusted tummy for that, but I tried my own version, a lot healthier one, of course. You can literally make this in under 10 minutes, providing of course you have the ingredients handy - but the beauty is you can make these with just about anything you have around the house - but the one think you do need is a rumali roti or a big tortilla wrap. I particularly like red, yellow and orange peppers for this recipe since they lend a fantastic fresh flavor to the wrap -
Since the wrap itself is caloric, I avoid using any more fat than I have to so I use my olive oil spray.

Ingredients - for up to 4 wraps
1/2 each of Red, Yellow and Orange peppers
1 medium sized onionPaneer but long about 1 cup
1-2 green chilies slit fine and thin
1tsp of sesame seeds
1tbsp humus - this can be subbed by mayonnaise or any other spread of your choice - but bear in mind, hummus is your healthiest and in my opinion tastiest bet
1tsp olive oil (optional as an alternative to olive oil spray)
1tsp sambar powder
2tbsp Szechuan stir fry sauce - spicy
4 large tortillas (250 cals each) Lighter version most welcome

Preparation
Cut all the veggies and the paneer lengthwise
lightly spray them with olive oil spray and sprinkle the sambar podi (powder) over them
In a non stick pan, roast them on high heat
Add the stir-fry sauce over it and allow it to simmer for a minute or two.

I just toasted the tortilla over the flame like a phukla
Add the stuffing and roll - put it on a wide pan tawa and allow it to gets those delectable toasted spots.
Stick a toothpick to keep it from unravelling.
Serve by itself or with a hot ketchup

And that's a wrap for the weekend folks adios until the next post and HAPPPPPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL YOU GORGEOUS MOMS OUT TEHRE _ LOVE YOU!

Sweet Potato Parathas - Thanksgiving Special :)

This is one of the most delicious parathas I've ever tasted - Of all the veggie kinds we make, this certainly appeals to me most, probably because I love sweet potatoes and know how much goodness the veggie contains! I always have a willing helper whenever I make chappatis or parathas and it always becomes a super fun experience (forget about the cleaning up part - blessed to have a son and a hubby who help out in that department)

Here is the recipe
Ingredients
2 cups of whole wheat atta (chakki) bought from indian store
3 boiled and mashed sweet potatoes
2-3 green chilies finely diced
1 red onion diced (optional)
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp baking powder
1tbsp cliantro finely chopped
salt 1tsp
1tbsp of warm milk or water - if necessary!

Preparation
First heat the oil and lightly fry the onions to get rid of the rawness.
If you have a mixer, add the atta and the baking powder and salt and spin to mix. Or dry mix the 3 ingredients.
Add the peeled, boiled and mashed sweet potatoes, onions, cilantro and chilies and knead into the dough either with hand or in the mixer for about 4-5 minutes on medium speed until it forms into a nice ball.
Let the mix rest for about 10 minutes (not required to let it rest for too long, although it does no harm)
*if you find the mix too thick and dry, add 1 tbsp of warm milk or water to it.
NOTE: the dough should be soft and pliable without being sticky.
Dust the rolling surface with flour
Make plum sized balls with the mix and roll out.
If you use a non stick, there is absolutely no need to add more oil, since often as Indians we have these with pickles :)
This is a wholesome dish that does not require sides since we've already flavored it with some yummy stuff,  but enjoying these with some dahi or yogurt takes them to the next level of bliss :)

A PERFECT INDIAN DISH FOR THANKSGIVING, Hot Delicious parathas in 30 minutes flat :)

Spinach Saboodhana Kichdi & Announcements

Announcements:
1)I am glad to inform my readers that I am the Chef Of the Week at erecipe.com. It's been fun to upload some of my recipes on their blog :) Here is the link to a video that they requested me to share on my blog - Click here to view Thank you Raquel for offering me this opportunity :)


2)IMPORTANT: MY BLOG GIVEAWAYS ARE STILL GOING ON!!! YES INDEED - So Please click here to get to the announcement page - Please ensure you follow all the rules of entry to be eligible for the prizes. 
Blog anniversary giveaways Sept 24- Oct 31, 2011 - so you are not too late to join :) Many of you have wondered if you have missed the deadline - and the answer is NO - there is still time

I have not cooked much with Saboodhna or tapioca pearls because the few occasions I’ve had it, it has always been really oily, be it as kichdi or vadas. The only right place in my mind for saboodhana is either as a vadam (vadagam) or in payasam! The further disincentive is no one in my family is particularly crazy about it either!

But I saw several saboodhana kichdi posts in the past several weeks and decided I must give this grain another fair chance!

Sadly to the best of my knowledge, tapioca per se has no health benefits – it is starchy and very high in calories, but this has somehow been a staple in Maharastra India as khicdi and vadas– while finding its way to the south in kheers and vadams!

So to add some nutritive value to it, I decided to cook it with spinach and it tasted really good :)

Add caption

Here is how I went about it

1cup of white peal Saboodhana (soaked for 4-6 hours)

1-12oz pack of frozen spinach (thawed) or 2 cups of fresh chopped spinach

¼ cup of peanuts (crushed)

2-3 green chilies

¼ cup grated coconut

Mustard, urad dal, asafetida to temper with in 1 tsp of oil

Salt to taste

Preparation

Drain the excess water from the soaked saboodhana

Put it in a pressure cooker and steam without putting the whistle

Wait a couple of minutes after it starts steaming loudly before putting off

This process considerably reduces the amount of oil used – This is one dish that, like eggplant or arbi, can soak up tons of oil

In a pan temper with 1tsp of oil mustards, urad dal and asafetida

Ad the green chilies and the thawed spinach and add into pan and stir fry for a minute or two

Now add the saboodhana and mix in well with the spinach

Add salt and stir in

In another pan, dry roast the grated coconuts and add to the kichdi

Open cook for a minute or two until all ingredients are absorbed into one another.

Garnish with the crushed peanuts and serve hot J

Oats & Bread Crumbs Idlis

This was the inspiration for the day – end result – 100% satisfaction
Served it with red pepper thogayal/chutney
Simple pleasures last longer folks!

Ingredients
1 cup instant oats
The crumbs of 6 toasted bread slices (about 1 and ½ cups)
¾ cup of sooji rava
2 cups of thick buttermilk
Salt
Grated carrots
1 serrano pepper (just for fun)
Crush cilantro
1 tsp of baking soda
Tempered with urad dal, mustard seeds, and a pinch of asafetida

Preparation
In a food processor blend the cold hard toast into a fine crumble
Add the instant oats and run them together once more
Pour into a deep bowl
Add the cream of wheat (sooji/ravai)
Salt
Gently stir in the buttermilk until all of the batter is one consistency and no dry flakes around
With a lemon zester, grate the Serrano pepper, crush cilantro and the carrots into bowl
Mix in
Temper in 1 tsp of oil the mustard, urad dal and asafetida until the mustard pops and the urad dal turns golden.
Add to the batter
Grease the Idli pans
Pour and steam for 10 mins
Allow them to cool before scooping the idlis
Serve hot with chutney/sambar of choice
In Pictures
Crumble the toast

Add the oats and spin again


Mix ingredients in buttermilk and add grated veggies

Add the thadka

Pour batter in the Idli mold

Serve Hot :)

Day 3 of the Blogging Marathon
Check out my Blogging Marathoners doing Group 3 BM#4 along with me
Diabetes Diet/Management: Kamalika, Smitha, Suma
Kid Friendly Recipes: Anusha, Cool Lassi(e)
Seven Days of Soup: Priya Suresh
Seven Days of Indian Bread: Jayasree, Pavani
Seven Days of Cakes:  Priya Vasu
Seven Days of Preserves: Gayathri Kumar, Vaishali
30 Minutes Meals: Priya Mahadevan, Srivalli

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