Fresh Pineapple Juice

Fresh pineapple juice used to be a regular evening snack in our home, while growing up. Honestly speaking, I began eating pineapple in fruit form only after my husband came into my life. Thanks to my mother, everyone in my side of the family need a blender to consume pineapple. We were so used to the juice concept that we never thought of enjoying the fruit on it's own. My mother loves pineapple juice and that may be the reason why she chose to go the juice route. Or when I think about it now, it might have been because the fruit was not guaranteed to be on the sweeter side always and probably my mother thought that the juice would be consumed by everyone without complaints. Besides, I have noticed that the fruit available in India makes sometimes our tongues itchy.
 
The fruit available in the local U.S. markets is mostly sweeter and I enjoy the pineapple slices now with a slight sprinkle of salt and red chilli powder / pepper powder. Today, I thought of preparing the juice after a long time and realized that it would also fit my '3 ingredients' themed recipe for the day. And so here it is, the fresh pineapple juice that is quick and easy to prepare, considering that one has the prepared pineapple pieces handy. Otherwise, pineapple needs to peeled and prepared. This refreshing juice makes a perfect drink for hot, summer days.

 

Ingredients: (2 to 3 servings)
1&1/2 cups pineapple cubes
Sugar to taste (I drink it without adding sugar.)
A few pinches of freshly cracked black pepper (optional)

Method:
* Blend pineapple adding about 1&1/2 to 2 cups of cold water and sugar. Taste and adjust the sugar if needed.
* Add ice cubes if needed and sprinkle black pepper powder in juice glasses. (I froze the fruit for few hours so that I didn't have to add ice cubes to the juice.)


This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under the theme 'Recipes using three ingredients' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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Banana - Nutella Sandwich

 

This post would not have seen the light if not for the rainy and cloudy days we had for the past week. Cooking for this week's theme as planned earlier did not make any sense as there wasn't enough light to capture the images. This sandwich post from my drafts folder came to my rescue though it was not a part of my initial plan. 

Banana - Nutella sandwich is a mundane recipe to many folks, especially food bloggers but I wanted to record it on my blog anyway and so, here it is. The bread and the fruit have remained constant in this simple sandwich over the years in my home, though the spread used has changed from plain butter to nut butters to Nutella. The sweet chocolate-nut spread provides a yummy base for this fruit sandwich and definitely has a universal appeal unless one is staying away from the sugary spread for any reason. As the title suggests, it involves three ingredients, the bread, banana and Nutella spread and makes a quick and easy breakfast option or a lunchbox idea for kids.

I don't have the patience either to sit and make nut butters at home or bake the bread regularly even though I own a bread maker. I buy them from stores like many and so, is considering bread as one ingredient and Nutella as another though they individually are made using many ingredients. 

Ingredients:
Bread slices of your choice (I used wholewheat-honey bread.) 
Sweet chocolate-hazelnut spread / Nutella (Or any nut butter)
Banana, sliced into thin circles 

Method:
* Toast the bread slices and trim the edges, if particular about it.
* Spread the nutella on one side of the toasted slices.
* Arrange banana slices on the nutella side of a toasted bread slice. Cover it with another bread slice, with nutella side facing down.
* Repeat the steps with the remaining bread slices.

This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under the theme 'Recipes using three ingredients' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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Paalatakulu / Sweetened Milk Poha

I was on a tight time schedule for the past two weeks to even ponder about recipes and my post today is an apt one when stuck in similar situations. Or when one is looking for a quick snack / breakfast option in the rush hours. I am supposed to post recipes that feature only three ingredients, as part of the blogging marathon theme this week. After giving the theme a little thought, I realized that I didn't really need to go around scouring for interesting recipes over the web. There are a number of everyday recipes that are regular in my kitchen which involve only three ingredients like this paalatakulu for instance.

Paalatakulu is basically beaten rice flakes dunked in sweetened milk and probably a familiar one in many south Indian homes. This used to be a quick snack, we children would prepare on our own whenever we felt hungry in the evenings. It was way long before I became acquainted with the breakfast cereals of the Western world. The steps of preparation are pretty basic and so simple that I was wondering whether a recipe is really needed for this. Some leftover boiled milk after coffee / tea preparations is commonly found over the kitchen counters in Indian homes. That milk, beaten rice flakes and sugar are mixed and allowed to sit for few minutes before eating it.

Ingredients for a serving:
1/2 cup thick variety beaten rice flakes
3/4 to 1 cup warm milk or boiled and cooled milk
Sugar to taste

Method:
* Rinse the beaten rice flakes using water and drain. This step is optional.
* Add sugar to milk and dissolve it. This step is also optional.
* Add the beaten rice flakes to the milk and let it sit until the rice flakes soften.
(The variety of beaten rice flakes I get locally take about 2 to 3 minutes to soften. The variety available in India take longer time.)
* Stir the mixture and serve immediately.


This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under the theme '3 ingredients' based dishes' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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Whole Wheat, Banana and Honey Muffins

Usually I look forward to new baking ideas when I end up with overly ripened bananas. Finishing the last few bananas becomes a daunting task each time I buy them. Especially when the others at home straight off refuse to eat the final ones. However I have no problem in selling them when masked in the form of baking.

This time around, I got to make banana muffins that are healthier and eggless. The staple ingredients of a muffin recipe are replaced here by more healthier and wholesome substitutes. Whole wheat flour and oats replace the flour while the white sugar is replaced by honey / maple syrup. Bananas can easily substitute for the egg in the recipe while healthy olive oil would be a great alternative for the butter.
 
However the resulting muffins were not dense as I thought they would be. They were soft and fluffy. They make a great breakfast / brunch idea or a snack.

Recipe idea: Here
Ingredients: (Yield 8 medium sized muffins)
3 tbsp. olive oil / coconut oil
1/4 cup honey / maple syrup
2 tbsp.  milk of choice
2 large bananas / 1 cup mashed banana
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon 
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp. whole wheat flour 
2 tbsp.old fashioned oats + plus more for sprinkling on top
3 tbsp. nuts / dried fruits / chocolate chips (I used walnuts and raisins.)
1 tsp. raw sugar for sprinkling on top (optional)

Method:
* Preheat the oven to 325 deg F. Grease a muffin tin or line the muffin cups. 
* In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey / maple syrup with a whisk. Mix in the mashed bananas and milk, followed by baking soda, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon.
* Add wheat flour and oats to the bowl and mix until combined.
* Fold in the nuts / the other add-ons of your preference.
* Divide the batter into muffin cups equally, filling up to 2/3rds of each cup. Sprinkle the tops of muffins with oats, followed by a light sprinkling of sugar.
* Bake muffins for 23 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.
* Allow them to cool on a cooling rack before loosening from the muffin tin. 
 
This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under the theme 'Wheat based Dishes' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.
 
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Cracked Wheat Idli (Fermented Version)

I tried these cracked wheat idlis from Kalyani's place recently and we loved the new variation. I usually prepare the instant version and this one caught my attention because it is prepared along the similar lines as the traditional ones. However these are more filling and healthier over the regular rice idlis. We felt a side dish like sambhar would suit these idlis more than the chutney.

Ingredients:
2 cups fine cracked wheat *
1 cup black gram / urad dal
1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
Salt to taste
Ghee / oil to grease the idli moulds 
For tempering:
1 tsp. oil,  1 tsp. mustard seeds, 1 tsp. black gram, Few curry leaves
* (I used 1 cup fine cracked wheat and 1 cup coarser variety. I ground the coarser variety with the black gram.)

Method:
* Soak black gram, fenugreek seeds about 3 to 4 hours. Also soak fine cracked wheat in water separately. 
* Drain the soaked water. Grind black gram, fenugreek seeds, and half of cracked wheat to a fine, thick batter adding water only as much as needed. Add the remaining cracked wheat and salt to the ground batter and pulse a few times to combine.
* Allow the batter to ferment overnight. 
* Next morning, heat oil for tempering and add mustard seeds, black gram and curry leaves. When mustard seeds start to pop, turn off the stove and add this tempering to the fermented batter. Mix well.
* Grease the idli moulds and pour the batter into moulds. Prepare the steamer and steam until done, for about 20 minutes.
* Serve with sambhar / chutney.


This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under the theme 'Wheat based Dishes' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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Spicy Koki

Another new day and new month of blogging marathon starts and I am here with wheat based dishes this week. I had earlier tried Vaishali's basic version of Koki, a flat bread from Sindhi community. Today's one is a spicy version I happened to watch on Sanjeev Kapoor's show a while ago. These koki make an interesting and flavorful variation to regular rotis. They can be served with a side dish of your choice and the combo together makes a great meal. These koki may look a little rustic because of the not so smooth edges, courtesy of the minced onions and spices in the dough. However the kokis were on a softer side and I enjoyed them.

Ingredients:(Yield 6)
1 cup wheat flour
1 tsp semolina
2 tsp. toasted chickpea flour /besan
1/2 tsp carom seeds / ajwain
2 tsp. kasuri methi / dried fenugreek green leaves
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tbsp. finely minced onion
1 tbsp cilantro chopped
3 tbsp. melted ghee / oil
Ghee / Oil to make kokis

Method
* Toast cumin seeds and coriander seeds separately on low flame, until they start to turn a few shades darker. Remove the flame and slightly crush them using a mortar and pestle. There is no need powder them. 
* Lightly crush kasuri methi between your palms and keep it aside. 
* Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix well to combine. Add water in slow increments and make a soft, pliable dough. (I added about 6 to 7 tbsp. water.).
* Rest the dough for about 10 minutes. (I rested it for about an hour or more.)
 
* Divide the dough into 6 portions and roll them into smooth balls. Work one portion at a time and roll out the ball into a circle of about 4 - 5 inches diameter. Dust the work surface with wheat flour if needed or grease the dough ball, to facilitate easy rolling.
* Toast the rolled out circle on a heated griddle / flat pan, on medium flame. Drizzle 1/2 tsp. oil around the edges and cook until brown spots appear on both sides, flipping intermittently once or twice.
* Repeat the steps with the remaining dough balls.
* Serve them with your choice of side dish.


This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under the theme 'Wheat based Dishes' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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A - Z Andhra Recipes Recap

A bunch of us, food bloggers are part of a monthly blogging marathon group, where we blog each month on preset themes. This April one was a mega marathon (meaning we blog the whole month excepting Sundays), with a tag name 'Journey through the Cuisines'. Each participant had the choice to pick a cuisine / cuisines and blog about that particular food, going in an alphabetical series. I obviously picked my home state of Andhra Pradesh, which lies on southeastern coastal belt of India.

And today, I am here with the round up of that series, where those A - Z recipes can be accessed in one place. It seems like yesterday when I sat down racking my brains to compile a list of recipes that I wanted to showcase during this marathon. My main goal was to focus on recipes that were traditional and unique to the region as much as possible. Besides, I wanted to present home style vegetarian dishes, that are a norm in Brahmin households through out the region. A lot of thinking, rethinking happened behind the scenes. A lot of recipes were scratched off the list and some cooked dishes didn't appear on the blog to give place to more interesting ones or were replaced by recipes which were unique to the region. Overall, it was a fun experience to cook and present the dishes in an alphabetical order though sometimes I had to get creative to nail the difficult alphabets.  

It was my humble attempt to show my readers, a tiny glimpse of one of the finest cuisines of India. Hopefully my readers enjoy this series as much I did planning, preparing and presenting them. People who are acquainted with the region / cuisine may be wondering about not seeing some of the popular regional food in my series. Gutti vankaya koora, gongura pachadi, sunnundalu for instance. I have been blogging for almost ten years now and most of the popular dishes have been already posted on my blog. Please check my recipe index if interested. Also as part of the plan, I could compile a complete list of ingredients from the pantry and produce categories and recipes, under each alphabet. I am hoping that it benefits other regional populace or those who are interested to learn more about Andhra food. 

Here is a quick recap of my A - Z Andhra vegetarian recipe series.  Click on the recipe names to access the recipes.

A for Alasanda Vada (RayalaSeema)

B for Bellam Garelu (Coastal)

C for Chiyali

 

D for Dondakaaya Kaarapu Kaaya

 

E for Endu Kobbari Podi

 

F for Fine Biscuits (Hyderabad)

 

G for Gongura - Mamidikaya Pappu

 

H for Halwa Holigalu

 

I for Idli Karam Podi

 

J for Janthikalu

K for Kobbari Koora

 

L for Lauzu

 

M for Matikkaaya Kaaram Koora (RayalaSeema)

N for Nimmakaaya Kaaram

O for Ottotti (Rayalaseema)

 

P for Perugu Vadalu 

Q for Qubani ka Meetha (Hyderabad)

 

R for Ragi Sangati (Rayalaseema)

S for Satyanarayana Vrata Prasadam (Coastal)

 

T for Theepi Dibba Rotte (Coastal)

 

U for Usirikaaya Pulihora 

 

V for Vankaya Kothimira Karam Koora 

 

W for Wadiyala Pulusu

 

X for Xtra Spicy Hot Andhra Aavakaaya 

Y for Yerra Gummadikaaya Pulusu

 

Z for Zucchini Theeya Pappu

 
An InLinkz Link-up

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