Some Entries for the Events - Breakfast Juice, Eggless Latkes, Apple Sauce & Spinach - Tomatillo Masoor dal

It's been a while since I posted multiple recipes in a single post. I usually do it when I am in a last minute rush to send my entries for  events I want to participate in. And so here I am today with a few recipes that are going to be a part of some wonderful events. :)



 My mom is well known for her breakfast dishes in our family circles. Naturally, hoping to learn some new dishes from her, I mentioned about the Jihva - Breakfast event that I am hosting this month. I was in a surprise when she told that she rarely prepares breakfast now a days as there are only two adults at home. They mostly opt for healthy breakfast drinks or fruits instead of going through the hassles of breakfast preparation.
 And here I am with her 'Under 5 minutes, Veggie Juice' which is going to be my mother's entry for the Jihva - Breakfast event. I am posting this because she doesn't know the ways of blogging. My mother mentioned that this healthy, simple Carrot - Beet - Tomato Juice doesn't need any additional sweeteners and sometimes she adds a little honey if she feels like having it.
Just blend 1 carrot (peeled & cubed) + 1 tomato (deseeded) + a small bit of beetroot in your blender / mixer. If you don't deseed the tomatoes, you can pass the juice through a sieve. Add water if needed. Also using beetroot is optional.

Jihva is the brain child of  Indira.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************
Latkes

Latkes are Jewish potato pancakes. That's what I thought until a peek into the wiki world.



According to it, potato pancakes are popular through out the European nations and infact it is the national dish of Belarus.  Didn't know that there were natinal dishes and now wondering what would be a national dish in the case of India. Sure there would be a clash among the regional ones. Now back to latkes.
The name of the potato pancakes keep changing depending upon where you live. In Yiddish, they are known as latkes or latkas and are traditionally eaten by Ashkenazi Jews during the Jewish Hanukkah festival.
Latkes are shallow-fried pancakes of grated potato, flour and egg, often flavored with grated onion or garlic and seasoning. Potato pancakes may be topped with condiments like sour cream, sugar or applesauce or they may be served ungarnished.
Here I am presenting my way, the egg less version.

Ingredients for about 5, small sized latkes:
2 potatoes - peeled & grated (we had about 2 cups)
1 onion - finely minced
4 Tbsp pancake mix (used Bisquick)
3 Tbsp rice flour
Salt & pepper to taste
1/8-cup oil to shallow fry

Making Latkes:
Squeeze out the water from potato. Mix the other ingredients except oil and form into a mass. You can adjust the quantities of flours if needed. Divide the dough into 5 portions and shape them into balls.
Gently heat the oil in a shallow pan. Place one dough ball in the center. Pat it into a circle using either your fingers or the back of a spatula. It doesn't need to be very thin. Cook on low flame till the bottom portion appears golden brown. Then flip and cook the other side till it browns as well. Drain them on paper towels. Low flame ensures that latkes are cooked through out perfect and attains that golden brown hue.
Since the pancakes are primarily made out of potatoes, there is nothing not to like about them. :)
I served them with applesauce to kids for their after school snack and they really enjoyed them.

They go to Priya's Pancakes event.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************
Apple Sauce:

Applesauce is one of those basic things to prepare in a kitchen. You can serve it as a snack for little ones or use a fat substitute in baking. Since I mentioned that it is a basic thing, preparation is obviously a simple one.



I used a golden delicious apple since that's what I had in my refrigerator. I tried substituting cardamom powder for cinnamon this time and I enjoyed it. Increase the quantities of ingredients to make a large batch.
First step is to cook the apple till it softens. Peel and cube an apple. Cook it in the microwave covered, for 2 minutes on high. Check once in between. Add a tsp of water if needed.
Then puree it with 2 tsp of brown sugar and a little cinnamon powder using a blender.
Serve as needed.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************
Spinach - Tomatillo Masoor Dal:

Now moving to lunch / dinner. Here is a healthy, substantial and simple dal which can be served with rice / rotis. This one qualifies for 'under 30 minute meals' or 'bachelor friendly dishes' because it is pressure cooked along with rice in another container.
A well-prepared dal - greens combination never disappoints and today's recipe is one such combo. Nutritious spinach and tart tomatillos are paired with filling masoor dal.



Our meal today - Rice - Spinach dal, Orange slices and homemade fatfree yogurt

Ingredients needed for 6 -8 servings:
1 cup masoor dal
1 bunch spinach leaves or 8 - 10 oz / 250 gms frozen spinach
2 tomatillos, chopped
A pinch of turmeric powder
A small lemon sized tamarind
3-4 green chillies, chopped (I used Serrano variety. Adjust the quantity if using other variety.)
Salt to taste

For tadka: 2 tsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 10 curry leaves and a little asafoetida powder

Preparation of the dal:
Wash the masoor dal twice and throw away the water. Wash and chop the spinach and the tender stalks.
Add the masoor dal, spinach, tomatillos, turmeric powder,chilies, tamarind and 2 cups of water to a container and cook it in a pressure cooker till done. Or cook on stove top adding water as needed.
When the valve pressure is gone, remove the container. Mash the dal with the back of  ladle and add the salt.
For tadka, heat oil in a small pan. Add the mustard and cumin seeds. When they start to splutter, add curry leaves and asafoetida powder and turn off the stove.
Mix the tadka ingredients to the dal and mix well.

This goes to Healing Foods - Spinach hosted by Divya and Siri being the creator of the event.

Post a Comment