One minute Orange Chocochip Mug Cake (Eggless) | Microwave Dessert Recipes

For all those who are wondering.. No I did not vanish from the face of the earth. Things had been pretty tiring with the family health side. What started as a common cold with my LO, came rounds with all of us and became worse bringing in its friends cough and sore throat. And yes it has been more than a month and we are still recovering.
As for today's post I keep it simple with a one minute microwave egg-less orange cake until I dust my drafts for more interesting recipes lying there.

Ingredients:
Serves - 1
All purpose flour - 4 Tbsp
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - a dash
Confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) - 2 Tbsp
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Milk - 1 Tbsp
Orange juice - 1 Tbsp
Orange zest - from half a small orange
Chocolate chips - 1 tbsp

Method:
Sieve flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and set aside. In a microwave-proof mug, add wet ingredients with orange zest and mix well. Sprinkle dry ingredients over and mix until thick. Pop in the MW and cook for a minute.
Dig in with a spoon and enjoy!

Chocolate Biscuit Eggless Pudding / No Bake Marie Biscuit Pudding | Dessert Recipes

Happy New Year! I made this no-bake pudding a few weeks ago for a small celebration. This pudding reminds me of a New Year many years ago when I was in college. I and my sister saw this pudding recipe in a magazine and decided to make this on New Year's eve. Now I remembered this one fine day but forgot the exact recipe. I did remember the steps but the chocolate sauce recipe eludes my memory. So I decided to make my own chocolate sauce.

Ingredients:
Serves - 6
Preparation time - 20 minutes; Setting time - 6 hrs
Marie Biscuits - 20
Whole milk - 1/3 cup
Butter - 2 tbsp
Semi-sweet Chocolate chips - 3/4 cup
Sugar - 1 tbsp (optional)
Water - 1/2 cup
Instant coffee powder - 1 tsp, heaped
Pecans - 1/2 cup, chopped finely (or any nuts of your choice)

Method:
Grease a 6" round pan and line with a plastic wrap with a overhang. 
Melt butter in a microwave proof bowl and add the milk. Heat for 30-60 secs until just warm to touch. Add the chocolate chips and whisk until smooth. Add sugar if desired. Set aside.
Heat the water until boiling and add the instant coffee powder. Remove from heat and allow it to cool a little.
Dip the biscuits one by one in the coffee (1-2 seconds per biscuit) and arrange in the plastic wrap lined pan.
Arrange 5 biscuits per layer, overlapping slightly. Pour about 3 tbsp of the chocolate sauce over the biscuits to completely coat the layer. Repeat the biscuits layer, dipped in coffee. Pour the chocolate sauce. Repeat for a total of 4 layers of biscuits. The top layer should be chocolate. Sprinkle chopped pecans over the chocolate layer. Cover loosely with the overhang plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight.

Christmas Fruit Cake - No Alcohol No Soak Cake | Christmas Recipes

Christmas Fruit Cake! Well, I love to eat it. But to bake one.. Hmm.. I thought it was not for me. Honestly, I didn't think I would bake one when I woke up this morning. But then this recipe which I came across in a magazine haunted me. It is a pretty simple recipe with no alcohol and no pre-soaking of fruits is needed. The preparation takes less than 30 minutes but it still has all the richness and elegant taste of the traditional fruit cake. Now that I fell in love with this recipe something tells me I may try my hand in the traditional recipe soon. May be next Christmas?!

Ingredients:
Preparation time - 30 mins; Baking time - 60 mins
Candied fruits/Tutti Frutti - 2/3 cup
Chopped Dates - 1/3 cup
Chopped Figs - 1/2 cup
Raisins (black and golden mix) - 3/4 cup
Pecans - 1/4 cup, chopped
All purpose flour - 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup + more for dusting the pans
Ground Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
Cloves - 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg - less than 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
Butter, room temperature - 1/4 cup
Dark Brown sugar - 1/4 cup
Egg, room temperature - 1
Molasses - 2 tbsp (see recipe below if not available in stores)
Orange juice, fresh - 3 tbsp

Method:
Preheat the oven to 275 F/ 135 C. Grease 4 - 7 oz ramekins (I used 2 small and 1 big) with butter and dust with flour. Shake off excess flour. Mix the fruits and nuts with 1/2 cup of flour in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. 
In a small mixing bowl, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt and baking powder well. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer until fluffy. Add the egg and molasses. Mix until blended. Now add the flour mixture alternating with the orange juice until just mixed, scraping sides often. Now pour the butter-egg mixture over the flour-coated fruits and use a spatula to mix until no streaks of flour remain. Fill the ramekins and smooth the top. Place in a baking sheet and position in the center rack of the oven. In the bottom rack place a 9" or 8" baking pan filled with hot water. Bake for 45 minutes for small ramekins and about 60-65 minutes for large ramekins. When done, the toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack. When cooled completely, remove from pan and place in the rack. Pack in a plastic wrap and store in fridge for a couple of days.
Notes:
The types of dried fruits and nuts used is purely your personal choice. Mix and match for texture variations. Other than what I have used, dried apricots, dried cranberries, dried cherries, dried pineapples, cashew nuts, walnuts are good options. 2-1/2 cups of dried fruits and nuts for this recipe is what we are looking for.
This recipe can easily be doubled.
Molasses Recipe:
Heat 3 tbsp, tightly packed brown sugar with about a tsp of water in a small saucepan in medium heat. When the syrup becomes a little thick, remove from heat and allow it to cool. Use in place of molasses as needed.   

Persimmon Pecan Crumble (Gluten-free) | Dessert Recipes

Here is a simple yet decadent recipe for your Thanksgiving Day desserts. What is more seasonal than a delicious fruit crumble with a fall fruit in it. Persimmons, the orange-y fruit is something I came to know about just an year ago. There are two varieties of it, the fuyu with the flat bottom with somewhat crispy flesh and the hachiya variety with a pointed bottom and a pulpy flesh. I have used the fuyu variety here. You can use either, although if using hachiya variety use the ripe ones.

Ingredients:
For the Persimmon filling:
Persimmons - 3 
Maple syrup - 2 tbsp (see notes)
Salt - a dash
Lemon juice - 1 tsp

For the Crumble Topping:
Oats - 1 cup (see notes)
Pecans, coarsely ground OR use Pecan meal - 1/2 cup (see notes)
Brown sugar - 1/4 cup (see notes)
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Butter, cold - 4 tbsp, cut into cubes

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 F/ 180 C. Grease a 8" round/square baking pan with butter. Mix the oats, ground pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Incorporate the cold butter in the oats mixture with your fingers. Cover and refrigerate. Chop up the persimmons and mix with the remaining ingredients for the filling. Place in the buttered pan. Pull out the oats mixture from the refrigerator and sprinkle over the fruits. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. Serve warm, preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes:
Use brown sugar instead of maple syrup for the sweetness in the fruit filling if preferred.
To make pecan meal, roast the pecans in medium heat, allow to cool completely and pulse in the blender until it is coarse. If you don't bother gluten, use 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour instead of the pecan meal.
The 1/4 cup of brown sugar used in the crumble topping is not too too sweet, so add 2 tbsps more of sugar if you love a sweeter topping.

Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles / Pumpkin Cinnamon Sugar Cookies | Cookie Recipes

If you love cookies and sugar cookies especially, I am sure you will love this Pumpkin Cinnamon Sugar cookies aka Snickerdoodles. The reason and the meaning for the name Snickerdoodles is unknown but that doesn't stop us from indulging in these crinkly top beauties, does it? 
I love the Fall season. Apples and Pumpkins and the color orange, orange everywhere. Today being the first day of the Fall/Autumn season, what better way than to make the pumpkin version of these cookies. These are crispy on the outside but will be super soft on the inside, like biting into a cloud. Incidentally this is my 400th post and I wanted to post something sweet to celebrate that.

Ingredients:
Recipe from Sweet Pea's Kitchen
Makes 4 dozen cookies
All purpose flour / Maida - 2-3/4 cups
Cream of tartar - 2 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Pumpkin spice - 2 - 3 tsp (based on how much you like pumpkin spice)
Sugar - 1-1/2 cup
Butter - 1 cup
Egg, slightly beaten - 1
Canned Pumpkin puree - 3/4 cup
For rolling:
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Cinnamon - 4 tsp
Pumpkin spice - 2 tsp (Pumpkin Spice Recipe follows)

Method:
Place the butter in room temperature for about 10 minutes. Mix/sieve the flour, salt, cream of tartar, baking soda and pumpkin spice together. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy with a hand mixer. Add the beaten egg and whisk until incorporated, about half a minute. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk another half a minute. Add the flour mixture and whisk until just mixed, scraping the sides of the bowl once. At this stage the cookie dough may be in a roll-able consistency. If it is not, pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 F/200 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment sheet. Mix the sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin spice for rolling the cookie-dough in a shallow bowl. Scoop about 1 tbsp of the cookie dough and drop in the sugar spice. Roll it around and place in the lined baking sheet, about a dozen in one batch. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the tops are puffed up and slightly crinkled. Remove from the oven and let the cookies in the baking sheet for a couple of minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. These cookies taste great warm or room temperature and a perfect pair for a hot cup of chai. They keep good for a couple of days in room temperature.

Notes: I halved the above recipe and made 2 dozen cookies. That is a perfect amount for making some for ourselves and share the remaining with a friend.
Play around with the spices, use a combination of your favorite spices, chai spice would a be a great addition I think.

Make your own Pumpkin Spice
Mix the below spices and use as needed.

Ground Cinnamon - 2 tsp
Ground Ginger - 1 tsp
Ground cloves - 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp (heaped)

Blueberry Coconut Milk Rice Pudding | Vegan Dessert Recipes

Summer is Berry season and we are making a great use of it. My LO's recent favorite is the blueberries. He loves to pick them up with his little fingers and eat them. I have been buying these beauties whenever I go for produce shopping. Other than eating it for snacks I had been adding it to the meals. This simple blueberry coconut pudding is creamy and delicious.

Ingredients:
Cooked cooled rice - 1 cup (I used Basmati)
Coconut water - 1-1/4 cups (see notes below)
Coconut milk from can - 1/2 cup
Fresh Blueberries - 1/3 cup or more per taste (pureed)
Sugar - 1-1/2 tbsp or more per taste
Cardamom - a pinch

Method:
Bring the rice and 1 cup of coconut water to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium. Stir with a wooden spoon frequently to avoid sticking to the pan. When almost all of the water is evaporated add 1/4 cup of coconut milk with cardamom. Mix and remove from heat. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Now add the remaining coconut milk, pureed blueberries, sugar and mix well. Now if the texture is too thick for you, thin it out with the remaining coconut water. Mix and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. Serve topped with fresh blueberries.
Linking this to Priya's Vegan Thursdays.

Nutella Double Chocolate Cookies | Cookie Recipes

It has been ages since I have shared a cookie recipe in this space. It is because I had not been making cookies that often. I bought a set of cookie cutters in the start of this year hoping to make cut out cookies on some occasion. I also bought a cookie scoop last week as an impulse buy. Luckily I got a reason to make these delicious beauties. Our friends were visiting us and what better reason would be there to make them.

Ingredients:

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Maida/All purpose flour - 1 cup + 1 tbsp

Cocoa powder - 2 tbsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Baking soda - 1/4 tsp

Butter - 6 tbsp

Brown sugar - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1/4 cup (see notes below)

Nutella (Chocolate Hazelnut Spread) - 1/2 cup

Egg - 1

Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp

Chocolate chips - 1/2 cup

Method:

Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt together in a bowl. Beat the butter with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until creamy. Add the Nutella and continue to beat until smooth. Add the egg and beat for half a minute and mix the vanilla. Now add the flour mixture in 3 additions beating well until no traces of flour remain. Fold in the chocolate chips. Cover the dough with a cling wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop or with a help of two spoons, scoop the dough and place the dough in the sheet with 2 inch spacing, 12 cookies per sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. When done allow to cool in the sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to the wire rack to cool completely. These cookies are super addictive, so share with your friends.

Notes: These cookies were bit too sweet for me. Next time I would reduce about 2 tbsp of sugar in the recipe.
Disclaimer: I am not the creator of this recipe. I scribbled this recipe from a website but forgot to bookmark it. Will link up the source as soon as I find it.

Linking this up to Vardhini's DIO - Kids friendly dishes.

Rhubarb Crisp | Desserts Recipes

The perks of being a food blogger is being introduced to new things through fellow bloggers. One such thing is Rhubarb. Rhubarb is a vegetable which looks similar to the celery stalk. It is sour and used mostly in pies, crisps and jams. For me, raw rhubarb tasted like the Indian gooseberry which I love. I had made this rhubarb crisp a few weeks ago and I totally forgot it was lying in the drafts. A scrumptious dessert which is delicious, elegant and great for entertaining.

Ingredients:

Recipe from here
Serves - 3
Rhubarb - 1/2 lb ~ 2 cups(5 stalks)
Brown sugar - 1/4 cup
Cornstarch - 1 tbsp
Salt - a pinch
Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp
Lemon zest - from half a lemon
Topping:
All-purpose flour - 1/4 cup
Brown Sugar - 1/4 cup
Rolled oats - 1/4 cup
Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg - a pinch
Salt - a pinch
Butter - 2 tbsp (cold)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Prepare three 6 oz oven-proof containers. Chop the rhubarb to 1/4 inch slices. Mix the sugar, corn starch, salt, lemon juice and zest with the cut rhubarb pieces and set aside. Pulse the ingredients for topping a couple of times in the blender. Add the cold butter cut into pieces and pulse twice. Equally distribute the rhubarb filling into the 3 cups, and top the flour mixture to fill the cups. The cups may look like it is going to spillover, but don't worry, it will settle as it bakes. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes until the top is slightly brown and the filling starts to bubble.

Mango Frozen Yogurt | Desserts Recipes

Hailing from a tropical country, Summer means Mango to me. I remember the days when we ate basketful of mangoes on a single day, and I am not kidding. No peeling or chopping, just eating it by the fruit. We even had a couple of mango trees in our backyard which yielded a bountiful every year. Mangoes were also a part of many dishes like Mango Rice and Mango Pachadi. After coming to the US, I was introduced to using Mangoes in Lassi and muffins. Mango flavored anything, I love 'em all. To me it reminds me the carefree childhood days of summer, visiting grandparents, meeting cousins and having loads of fun.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Ripe Mango - 1 (about 1 cup chopped)
Greek Yogurt, preferable whole milk - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 2-3 tbsp

Method:
Select a ripe mango, which is not too soft. A mango with a very sweet smell is ripe and perfect for this recipe. Peel the mango and chop into pieces, and remove the seed. Puree in a blender until smooth. Add the yogurt and the sugar. Blend again. Transfer to a glass container with lid. Place a parchment paper touching the top layer and cover with lid. Freeze for a couple of hours. Remove and blend again. Repeat the freeze (with parchment paper on) and blend process again. Freeze until ready to serve. When serving transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with a sprig of mint.. yumm..
Alternatively, if you have an ice-cream maker, transfer the blended ingredients after the yogurt and sugar addition to the ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chia Pudding | Desserts Recipes

My missing in action from this space for the past two weeks was not intentional. I was a bit preoccupied with some things at home. Though I had been cooking and clicking regularly, I wasn't able to sit down and pen words. May be that is what is called the blogger's block. 
Anyway I am back now and hope to as often as I could. This is a simple pudding made with chia seeds, chocolate and peanut butter. It is a yummy and healthy dessert recipe. How can desserts be healthy, you may ask. It can, because I made this pudding with chia seeds. Chia seeds absorb ten times its weight with water and keeps the body hydrated. 

Ingredients:
Serves - 2; Cooking time - 10 mins; Standing time - 2 hrs

Chia seeds - 2 tbsp

Semi sweet chocolate chips - 1/4 cup (you can use dark chocolate chips)

Peanut Butter - 1 tbsp

Milk - 1/2 cup

Agave syrup - 2 tsp (or any sweetener of your choice)

Method: 

Place the peanut butter, chocolate chips and about 2 tbsp of milk in a microwave proof bowl and microwave for about 20-25 secs. Whisk until smooth. Add the remaining milk and heat for another 10 secs. Add the chia seeds and mix. Set aside for 10 minutes and mix again. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Serve chilled topped with fruits of your choice, or just as is.

Carrot Halwa / Gajar Halwa | Indian Sweets Recipes

Happy Holi Everyone! Holi is not the only celebration today. It is also my father's birthday. He is turning 60 today. I am happy to post this delicious carrot halwa on this occasion and wish him a very happy birthday!
I have made carrot halwa only a couple of times. Though it takes a long time to make this sweet, all the work done will be very fruitful when you see your family enjoy it.
Carrot halwa tastes great on its own. But a must-try serving suggestion from me.. Top the warm carrot halwa with a scoop or two of vanilla icecream...bliss..

Ingredients:
Measurements in standard cups;
Preparation time - 15 mins; Cooking time - 45 minutes
Carrots - 6 medium sized (4 cups grated)
Low fat Milk - 3-1/2 cups 
Sugar - 1 cup (or a little less)
Ghee - 3 tsp
Cashew nuts - 5
Slivered almonds - 1 tsp

Method:
Grate the carrots in the grater with the bigger teeth. Heat a wide non-stick pan with 1 tsp of ghee. Fry the cashews and almonds for a minute or two. Remove and set aside. Heat 2 tsp of ghee in the same pan and fry the carrots for 4-5 minutes. Add the milk, mix well and cook in medium-high heat. Cook for about 25-30 minutes or until all but a little milk remains. Mix once every 5 minutes to help the carrots cook and allow the milk to evaporate faster. When most of the milk is evaporated, add the sugar and mix well. Continue to cook until the sugar is completely melted and the halwa gets a glossy look, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the fried nuts. Mix well and serve. This also tastes good chilled.
Notes: I strongly recommend using a non-stick pan for this recipe. It makes the cleanup so much easier with almost no or minimum wastage. Also I need not have to baby-sit this halwa. Just set the timer every 5 minutes and do something else.
Use whole milk if you like a richer texture. I have used low-fat milk and it works fine for me.

Coconut Ice Cream | Desserts Recipes

Growing up, I was not familiar with coconut ice cream. The most common flavours in cups were vanilla, chocolate, pista and sometimes strawberries. The first time I had coconut ice cream was after I came to US. Which is ironic because India, my home country is the 3rd largest producer of coconuts in the world. We use coconuts extensively in both cooking and worship rituals but coconut ice cream was somehow unheard of (I don't know if it is available now). Coming back my post, this is my first on an ice cream recipe because this is the first time I made ice cream at home. 

Ingredients:
Serves - 4-5
Heavy Whipping Cream - 1 cup
Coconut milk  - 1 1/2 cups (See notes below)
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Grated Coconut - 2-3 tbsp

Also needed:
A wide 3" high bowl
Ice cubes - 3 cups
Glass bowl or steel bowl for whisking
Immersion blender or Hand mixer or blender
Plastic container for storing ice cream
Parchment paper

Method:
Using an Ice cream machine:
Mix all the ingredients and pour in the ice cream maker. Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Regular Method:
Get an ice bath ready, viz. In a wide bowl, which is at least 3" high, fill ice cubes. Use a glass bowl or steel bowl for mixing the ingredients and freezing. Place the mixing bowl over the ice cubes and add all the ingredients. Whisk the ingredients together with a immersion blender or hand mixer for 4-5 minutes. Cut the parchment paper to the size of the mouth of the mixing bowl. Place the paper over the whipped mixture such that it touches the layer of the whipped mixture. Close with a lid and freeze for 1 hour. Repeat the mixing process every 90 minutes (or 2 hrs) for another 2-3 times. Transfer to a container which has a lid. Place another parchment paper over the layer of the ice cream. Close with the lid. Freeze overnight. Scoop to your desired serving bowl and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Serve cold.
Notes:
1. I used Lite coconut milk in can. You could use regular canned coconut cream. Use only the first thick milk if making coconut milk at home. 
2. Honey or any other sweetener can be substituted for sugar. The sweetness was just right for me with 1/4 cup of sugar. If you like it sweeter increase the sugar by 2 tablespoons.
3. The mixing bowl should be over the ice bath at all times, when in freezer and while mixing.
Linking it up to Kid's Delight - Potluck Party; Taste of Tropics - Philippines.

Parfait!! with Yogurt, Homemade Granola and Glazed Peaches..

Parfait is a french word meaning "perfect". Parfaits are generally layered desserts with cream, fruits and alcohol. I made this simple yet scrumptious one with greek yogurt (yumm, I love this stuff), peaches and my homemade granola. I have already posted my home made granola recipe earlier. Peaches are in season and I bet I made a great use of it.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Greek Yogurt (Low-fat/Fat-free) - 1 cup
Homemade Granola - 1 cup - Click here for the simple recipe
Peaches - 2 - ripe
Juice from 1 Orange
Agave Syrup - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1 tsp
Also needed: 2 transparent glasses

Method:
To Glaze Peaches: 
Wash, peel and pit the peaches. Cut into wedges. Heat butter in a non-stick pan and heat the orange juice and the agave. When it starts to bubble over drop in the peaches carefully and continue to heat in medium-high heat. Flip over and continue to cook until most of the juice has evaporated. Allow to cool.
Layering the Parfait glass:
Whip the yogurt in a bowl and all the leftover syrup from glazing the peaches. Take one parfait glass and start layering beginning with the peaches. Use a fork to place the peaches in the glass. Layer about 1/4th of a cup of the yogurt with a spoon and spread carefully. Top with 1/4th of a cup of home-made granola. Repeat with peaches, yogurt and granola. Follow the same method for the other cup. Serve chilled for breakfast or as a dessert. I had this for my Sunday breakfast. It was super delicious and was filling at the same time.
Notes: Try to get greek yogurt, otherwise regular yogurt or curd (dahi) also works perfectly fine. Agave Nectar can be substituted with honey or brown sugar. I used orange juice to reduce the quantity of brown sugar used to give the caramelization. Any stoned fruit can be substituted for peaches. Try Apricots or Plums for a variation.

Linking up this parfait to Healthy Breakfast; Sweet Celebration.

Semiya Payasam / Vermicelli Kheer | Easy Indian Sweet Recipes

I made this Kheer the other day when we were expecting guests for dinner. This is one easy to make Indian sweet which comes out perfect every time. It was that day I was cooking up a long list of dishes for the guests and I made this one in the morning and refrigerated until dinner. This kheer tastes awesome both hot and cold.

Ingredients:
Standard cup measurements
Makes 4 - 1/2 cup servings
Semiya / Vermicelli - 1/2 cup
Low Fat Milk (Double-toned milk) - 2 cups
Whole Milk - 1/3 cup (optional, can use Low fat milk instead)
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1/4 - 1/3 cup (as per the taste)
Cashew nuts - 5 broken
Raisins - 5
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Method:
Heat 1 tsp of ghee and roast the semiya until it turns a pale orange. Remove to a plate and allow it to cool. The roasted semiya will become little darker on cooling. In the remaining ghee, roast the cashews and raisins. Remove and set aside. Heat 2 cups of milk in a saucepan and bring it to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the roasted vermicelli and allow it to cook. When it is cooked (check by doing a bite test) add the sugar starting from 1/4 cup. Check for sweetness and add more sugar if needed. Add the cardamom powder and remove from heat. Garnish with cashews and raisins. Serve hot or chilled.

Linking this up to Preeti's Foodabulous Fest, Anu's South Indian Cooking and Spotlight - Raksha Bandhan.

Pasi Paruppu Payasam / Moong Dhal Kheer | Indian Festival Recipes

DH is not a sweet lover but still he can't say no to few of them. Gulab jamun, Carrot Halwa and this Pasiparuppu payasam are the very few sweets which he likes. I made this Pasi paruppu payasam for Tamil New Year this year. I wanted to reserve it to celebrate my 250th post. I didn't think I could make it this far but I am happy and thankful to my lovely readers. And of course my family and friends for the continued support and encouragement. This paruppu payasam has no milk or coconut milk and keeps good for a couple of days in the fridge. 

Ingredients:
Serves - 2 to 3
Split Yellow Moong dhal / Pasi Paruppu / Hesaru Bele - 1 cup
Grated Jaggery - tightly packed - 1/2 cup
Water - 3 cups + 1.5 cups (see notes below)
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Ghee / Oil - 1 tsp
Cashew nuts - 5 - broken into little pieces
Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp

Method:
Dry roast the moong dhal in medium heat until it turns light brown in color. Pressure cook with 3 cups of water for 2 whistles (see notes below for stovetop method). Meanwhile dissolve the jaggery in the remaining water and filter. Heat with cardamom powder in a saucepan. When the dhal is done, mash slightly with the back of a spoon and mix with the heated jaggery water. Cook this dhal-jaggery mixture in medium heat. When the mixture comes to a boil remove from heat. Heat ghee in a pan and roast the cashew nuts. Remove and set aside. In the same pan roast the grated coconut in low heat until light brown. Add the roasted cashews and coconut to the dhal and serve hot. This kheer can also be served chilled.
Notes:
1. If serving chill, allow the payasam to come to room temperature and then pop in the refridgerator. Chill for a minimum of 2 hours and serve.
2. The 3 cups of water I used for cooking the dhal got absorbed fully when I pressure cooked the dhal. So I had to use 1.5 cups of water to the jaggery to bring to the desired consistency. You may need more or less water.
3. The dhal can also be cooked without a pressure cooker. In a medium saucepan, boil 3 cups of water and add the roasted moong dhal. Cook in medium-high heat until the dhal is cooked through. The moong dhal tends to be frothy and boil over. So keep a close eye and stir often.The dhal should be mashable with the fingers but still hold the shape.
Check out what I made for other milestone celebrations.
100th day of blogging - Honey Brownies
100th post - Carrot Kheer
2nd blog anniversary - Paal Kozhukattai
5 lakh hits - Mocha Chocolate Ricotta Creme

Sending this to Srivalli’s Kid’s Delight event hosted by Pavani.

Mocha Chocolate Ricotta Creme for a Celebration | Easy Dessert Recipes

I have a sweet tooth and I often crave for simple desserts which does not make me spend hours in the kitchen. This is one such recipe I came across. It is similar to ice cream but has just one-third of the calories in ice cream and is actually good for you. The part-skim ricotta cheese fills you up without weighing you down. And how can anything chocolate-flavored does not taste good.
Coming to the "Celebration" part, my space crossed 5 lakh hits last week. Whats more perfect for a celebration than something chocolatey?!!

Ingredients:
Preparation time: 10 mins; Serves - 2
Part skim ricotta cheese - 1 cup
Unsweetened Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp
Bittersweet / Semi sweet Chocolate chips - 1 tbsp
Instant coffee powder - 1/2 tsp
Low fat milk - 2 tbsp
Sugar or Sugar substitute - 2 - 3 tbsp

Method:
Mix all the ingredients except cheese in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Mix well and allow it to cool. When cooled mix with the cheese and pulse a couple of times in a blender. Serve Chilled.

Linking this yummy goodness to the following events..
Anu's Healthy Recipe Substitution; PJ's Celebrate Women's day; Sumee's Bon vivant - Kid's Delight; Let's Cook for Kids; Nithu's Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids; Jagruti's Choc Full Easter.

Paal Kozhukattai / Thengai Paal Kozhukattai for Two Years of Blogging | Indian Sweet Recipes

Happy New Year everyone! For me 2013 is not the only reason to celebrate. This is Kavin's first new year and also my humble blog just turned 2 in December. Nothing is more special when it comes to celebrating with a sweet which is close to your heart. I celebrated our new year with this delicious Paal Kozhukattai. This is my favorite sweet and grandma makes it every time we visit her. True, it is quite an elaborate process but the end result makes all the effort feel lighter.

Ingredients:

Idly rice/Parboiled rice - 1 cup (wash and soak for 2 hours)
Sugar - 1/2 cup (or more if desired)
First Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Second and Third Coconut milk - 1-1/2 cups
Water - 2 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp + more for greasing
Cardamom powder - a pinch

Method:

Make coconut milk with one large coconut. Gently scrape the white flesh of the coconut and grind in a blender with little more than 1 cup of water. Extract the milk and set aside. This is the "first" milk. Return the coconut to the blender and add another cup of water and repeat. This is the "second" milk. Repeat for "third" milk.
After 2 hours of soaking, grind the rice to a smooth watery batter with a pinch a salt. A blender works fine for 1 cup of rice. Go for a wet grinder if using more rice. In a non-stick pan add oil and the ground rice batter. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon in medium heat until most of the water is evaporated and it comes to a big mass. Now divide this dough into four parts and work in batches. Keep the dough covered at all times to avoid drying. Grease oil in your palms and fingers and pinch the dough (about the size of blueberry/ small gooseberry) and make small oblong kolkattais. Keep the rolled kolkattais covered until all the dough is finished.
Boil water in a heavy bottomed pan with a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium and add the kozhukattais in batches in two minutes interval. After about 4-5 minutes when all the balls are added gently stir from the corner. Stirring from the center may break the balls. At this stage the balls may stick to each other, that is perfectly normal. Dissolve the sugar in the combination of second and third milk and add to the boiling water. Allow the kolkattais to cook in medium high heat stirring once in a while until it is cooked (the kozhukattais will be shiny and soft but wont break) and the mixture thickened. At this stage the balls will no longer be sticking to each other. Finally add the first milk and cardamom powder and allow it to boil for 3-4 mins and remove from heat. Allow to cool a bit and serve warm.
Notes:
1. If you are pressed for time use canned coconut milk.
2. To make first milk, mix canned coconut milk and water in 1:1 ratio.
3. To make second and third (combination) milk use coconut milk and water in 1:2 ratio.

Linking these up to Walk Through Memory Lane event by Gayathri.

Pumpkin Pasties from Harry Potter

For all the Harry Potter fans out there... This is for you. Well, not a big fan of Potter? no problem you would love this too. I and DH are big fans of Harry Potter. If it is a boring weekend, not a great weather and nothing good on TV we will make it a "Harry Potter Weekend". We will watch all the eight HP movies back to back. A great way to spend the weekend isn't it? 
Pumpkin pasties are sold in the trolley run by Honeydukes express on the Hogwarts express. In the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry first meets Cho Chang in the train when she buys pumpkin pasties. I have never thought on how it would taste like back then. It was recently when the foodie in me made me to try this lovely delicacy. I did some research and arrived at this recipe. So happy that it turned out awesome in the first attempt. This is a totally egg-less fare (when milk is used to brush the top) and super easy to make. If using home-made pumpkin puree, press out to remove extra water. Hooray, then you would get pumpkin juice, another Hogwarts specialty.

Ingredients:
Makes 8-10 pasties
For the Never Fail Pie Crust:
Adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine
All purpose flour  - 1 & 1/3 cups
Butter - 8 tbsp (cold, cut into cubes)
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Ice Cold water - 3 to 4 tbsps
For the filling:
Pumpkin puree - 1 cup (canned or home-made)
Light Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
Ground Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
Ground Ginger - 1/4 tsp
Ground Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp
For Brushing:
Egg - 1 slightly beaten and mixed with a tbsp of water or milk as required

Method:
Place all the ingredients for the crust in a blender or food processor except the ice water. Pulse for a couple of times until the butter almost disappears. Now add the ice water 1 tbsp at a time and pulse until the dough comes together. Remove the dough and pat to form a solid mass. Wrap in a cling-wrap and pop it into the refrigerator for about 2 to 4 hours.
Mix the ingredients for the filling in a pan in low heat until the sugar melts, just a couple of minutes. Allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Thaw the crust in room temperature for 30 minutes. Flour a board and place the dough on it. Roll into about a 1/8 inch thick. Cut into little rounds with a cookie cutter or any bowl with sharp edge. Roll the cut out dough still more thinner. Place about a tablespoon (or more) of the filling on one half of the rolled dough. Fold over the other half and crimp the edges with your finger or fork. Transfer carefully to the cookie sheet. Make the other pasties similarly. The dough leftover from the cut dough can be made into a ball and rolled over again to be cut. Brush the top of the pasties with egg or milk and bake for 30-40 mins until golden brown on the outside.
Serve warm.
Note: 
1. Use a pastry cutter or two forks to crumble the butter if you are not using the food processor.
2. The amount of water needed for the dough depends on the humidity in your area. More the humidity, lesser the water. I used about 3.5 tbsps.
3. The sweetness in the filling is just right. You could make it more sweet per your taste buds.
4. Play around with the spices and make the filling spicy if you wish. There are no set rules.
5. This can be made totally egg-free by brushing with milk for browning.
Sending these baked beauties to the following events..
Know your Sweetness - Brown Sugar event by Jags
Serve It - Original Recipes from home event my me and Denny
Kid's Delight - Story Book Special
Merry Christmas Celebrations
Favorite Recipes - Christmas event
Lets Cook - Edible Gifts

Orange Olive Oil Egg-less Cake | Eggless Cake Recipes

Citrus flavored bakes fascinates me. They are very light tasting and with every bite it is like a party in your mouth. When I was searching for a cake with orange juice which is also eggless I stumbled upon Priya's recipe here. I made few substitutions and baked this cake for a birthday. This recipe can also be made as a loaf cake or muffins.

Ingredients:
Makes on 9" cake; Serves 8
All purpose flour/Maida - 1 cup
Whole Wheat flour - 1/2 cup
Corn Starch - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp

Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Orange juice - 1/2 cup - preferably freshly squeezed
Thick greek yogurt - 1 cup (room temperature)
Olive oil - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup
Orange zest - 1 tbsp - I used lime zest, hence the green hue
Pure Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix 1/4 cup of sugar with the orange zest and set aside. Grease and flour a 9" deep pan. Mix the flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda with a whisk or fork until it is well mixed. Whisk the yogurt and sugar together until the sugar melts. Add the olive oil, vanilla and the sugar with zest and mix well. Now add the dry ingredients alternating with flour mixture and juice. Do not overmix. Pour in the greased bowl and bake for 30-40 minutes. Serve as a simple snack with a cup of tea.
Notes:
1. You could use all all-purpose flour for a lighter cake.
2. I did not frost the cake. You could use a whipped cream frosting with sugar and perfumed with orange zest.
3. Alternatively you could soak up the cake in sweetened orange juice before serving.
4. I have substituted 1/2 cup of Splenda for 1/2 cup of sugar to make a low-calorie version.

Linking this yummylicious cake to the following events: What's with my Cuppa event by Nupur; Bake Fest #13 eveny by Vardhini; CWF - Whole Wheat Flour event by Kiran.