Starbucks Pumpkin Bread (egg free if you choose) and Trader Joe's Cookie Butter

Wow, I haven't blogged anything in a VERY long time and that may be because most of what I've been doing is making other people's recipes but that shouldn't stop me from sharing. If I find something incredible, I should share it :) 

Here's a recipe for a copy cat of Starbucks Pumpkin Bread that I made and fell in love with. I did change one little thing. I replaced the eggs with Chia Seeds. This bread will be a regular now and may replace Banana Bread in my life...  Head over to CopyKat Recipes for the recipe and to Trader Joe's for their amazing Speculoos Cookie Butter! 

Zucchini-Carrot Bread

From Betty Crocker:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (2 medium)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (3 medium)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups Gold Medal® whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves (I omitted this)

Method:

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 (8x4-inch) loaf pans or 1 (9x5-inch) loaf pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, mix zucchini, carrots, sugar, oil and eggs with wire whisk. Stir in remaining bread ingredients. Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake 8-inch loaves 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, 9-inch loaf 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Enjoy!

Original recipe along with a recipe for honey spread can be found here.

Channa Masala with Masala Poori's

Here's my latest version of Channa Masala which is definitely my favorite so far...

Ingredients:

• vegetable oil, as needed
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon gingerroot, chopped
  
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chaat masala ( I used Shan, which I love)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
• salt, to taste
• about 1 teaspoon sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds
• 2 cans (about 15 ounce each) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup water, more as needed
  
• handful chopped fresh cilantro
• lime, for garnish

Method:

Heat oil in a large skillet and sizzle cumin seed, about 30 seconds. Add onion, gingerroot and garlic; fry until onion becomes golden brown. Add in chaat, coriander, cumin, salt, cayenne and cardamom and fry a few minuts, adding water if needed to keep from burning. Add in tomatoes, lower heat and continue frying until mixture reduces and oil separates, again adding bits of water as needed to keep from burning. Stir in garbanzo beans and water. Simmer until sauce thickens, and at this point, add in a bit more water with sugar and continued cooking again until thickened. Sprinkle with cilantro and squeeze a little lime juice over the top. Enjoy!

I also made some Masala Poori's I adapted from Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking... I don't know why, but any time I try to make masala poori's they don't puff up like the plain ones. I don't know if it is because of the addition of spices, onions and such or if it's the oil I add in to the flour mixture before adding water... Either way, they still taste great!

Ingredients for Masala Poori:

• 2 cups duram atta flour
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• about 1/3 cup warm water
• vegetable oil, for deep frying

Method:

Mix all ingredients except the 2 tablespoons of oil and water in medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. Rub flour mixture and oil between palms and fingers about 1 minute or until mixture looks like course bread crumbs. Stir in warm water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until dough leaves the side of bowl and forms a ball. The dough should not be sticky or dry.

Knead dough in bowl for 2 - 3 minutes or until dough becomes smooth and pliable. Brush with oil and wrap with plastic wrap. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a small deep frying pan until a drop of dough sizzles and rises to top. Divide dough into 10 equal pieces and keep covered.

Roll each piece of dough into 3 - 4 inch circle on lightly floured surface (or dip the ball in flour and keep adding bit by bit to keep from sticking.) Place the dough in hot oil and with the back of a slotted spoon, gently submerge dough in oil until it puffs up. Turn once and fry about 30 seconds until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat and enjoy!

A pic Chelsea snapped of me while making dinner.

Perfectly Soft Bhatura

I adapted this from Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking, adding a bit of durum wheat to the all-purpose flour.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup durum wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup milk, slightly warmed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
  
• about 1/4 cup warm water
• vegetable oil, for deep frying

Method:

Sift together the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Mix the warm milk, oil and egg; stir into flour mixture. Stir in warm water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until dough leaves the side of the bowl and forms a fairly stiff ball. The dough should not be sticky or dry.

Knead dough in bowl for 2 to 3-minutes or until dough becomes smooth and pliable. Brush dough with ghee or vegetable oil, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside 30 minutes to an hour.

Heat oil in a medium frying pan until a drop of dough sizzles and floats to the top, making sure it doesn't burn.

Roll small pieces of dough into small or medium circles and place dough into hot oil. With the back of a slotted spoon, gently submerge dough in oil until it puffs up. Turn once, fry about 30 seconds, or until slightly golden.

Remove from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining dough. Serve and enjoy!

Palak Murgh & Okra Fry Courtesy of my Fellow Bloggers

Originally found on Easycooking's blog, she had found it on Show Me The Curry... The bag of frozen spinach in the freezer was waiting for me to try some Palak Paneer, and since I'm not a big fan of paneer, I chose to make it with some chicken! This was my first time pureeing my spinach and I did enjoy the texture. I followed the recipe for the most part, except that I added the powdered spices in with the tomato puree instead of waiting to add it in with the spinach. I did miss out on making the Butter Naan but I love the simplicity of the recipe and that It's made on the stove top, so I plan to try it next time. I served it with an okra recipe (Vendakka Mezhukkupuratty) I found over at Kaipunyam. I liked it a lot because the okra turned out super crispy and not soggy at all! I used a bag of frozen okra that I thawed in the refrigerator overnight. Also, I was out of onions (used the rest in my spinach) so I had to use leeks which worked out well. All in all, both recipes are keepers and I learned I like pureeing my spinach!

Aloo Methi & Poori's

This is my 200th post! That's a lot of posts :) Enjoy!

Mint Poori's adapted from Neelam Batra's 1,000 Indian Recipes

• 1 cup durum whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ajwain seeds
• salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried mint leaves
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup water
• bit of vegetable oil
• oil for frying

Combine flours, ajwain, salt, fenugreek and mint leaves. Add water slowly to get a firm dough. Knead dough until smooth and pliable. Add a bit of vegetable oil and knead until absorbed. Roll into about 8 - 10 small rounds. Heat oil in small pan on medium-high and fry each poori, pressing the center down with a spatula until the bread puffs. Flip and fry a few seconds on the second side. Remove and drain on paper towel.

This recipe for Aloo Methi is one I came up with after viewing a few and deciding I had to use frozen methi, as I could never come across fresh.

• 1 bag frozen methi leaves, thawed
• vegetable oil
• 1 fresh, green chilli, chopped
• 1 1/4 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 inch ginger, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Kitchen King Masala
• salt, to taste

Heat a bit of oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat and fry cumin seeds a few seconds. Add onion and fry until translucent. Add ginger, garlic and green chili and fry until onions start to turn golden. Add tomato and cook until soft. Add turmeric and fry few seconds. Then add potatoes and salt. Cook until the potatoes start to soften. Next add methi and cook until hot and clinging to potatoes, being careful not to over cook methi. Last add Kitchen King Masala, stir, and remove from heat.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

With all the hustle and bustle I didn't get very good food pic's this Christmas but I can't help but share a couple good Christmas recipes with everyone!

A big pot of Mom's Beef & Noodles are sure to please along with some homemade Slut Bread!

And I can't resist some Pecan Pie, as this is the only time of year that I make or eat it! Now, this isn't my mom's recipe as we couldn't find it and she's forgotten it :( BUT, It's a Betty Crocker so It's still a good one :)

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to everyone!

Spinach & Portobello Enchilada's for Create for a Chilli Chopper

Here's what I came up with after buying some Portobello mushrooms... My daughter ate them up, not even knowing there were mushrooms in them! After I told her, she freaked out :D I made some homemade tortillas for these, and I tried the Mrs. Dash's Steak Seasoning since I like it on steak so much... and it was just as good on the mushrooms.



I'm sending this to KO Rasoi's CREATE For a Chilli Chopper.

Ingredients:
• 10 ounce enchilada sauce (any kind you like)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 green chili, chopped
• 8 ounce Portobello mushrooms, chopped into 1 inch cubes
• 10 ounce frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
• 1/2 bell pepper, any variety, sliced into long strips
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• Mrs. Dash's Steak seasoning, to taste
• 1 1/4 cup shredded jack cheese
• 2 cups shredded colby/jack cheese
• Cilantro, for garnish
Method:

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 13 x 9 inch pan with oil. Spread small amount of enchilada sauce on bottom.

Fry onion, garlic, and chili's until softened. Add mushrooms and bell peppers, along with Mrs. Dash's and cumin. Fry until mushrooms are tender. Add spinach, jack cheese, and 1 cup of colby/jack cheese and heat until cheese is melted. Spoon a small amount onto tortilla, roll up and place seam side down in pan. Repeat until pan is full, squeezing them in if necessary. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce, and then with remaining cheese.

Spray a piece of tin foil with oil and place oil side down, sealing baking dish. Bake 30 - 40 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Sprinkle with Cilantro and serve.

~ "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind." - Albert Einstein ~

Aloo Saag, Chunky Raita & Flakey Parathas

This was originally posted on Noor's blog (Ya Salam cooking) as my first guest post... but I thought I would re-post the recipe here just because I loved the picture :) Seeing it now is making me want to make it again!


Aloo Saag


Ingredients:

1 pound baby potatoes
1 bunch (1 pound) collard greens
salt, to taste
1 cup water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger paste, or fresh ginger, minced
2 green chilies
1 tablespoon cumin powder
2 tablespoons garam masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric

Method:

Place collard greens, potatoes, water, and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until potatoes are soft and collard greens are wilted (you can add a little more water and continue if it dries up too fast.)

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sizzle the cumin seeds for a few seconds. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden. Add the ginger, garlice and green chili peppers and cook until light golden. Add the cumin powder, garam masala and turmeric and fry about one minute. At this point, add a little water, a tablespoon at a time to make a paste... fry until oil separates.

Transfer the onion paste to the greens and potatoes and cook over medium heat until greens cling to potatoes and water evaporates.



Chunky Raita


Ingredients:

1 large seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 green onions, sliced
1 tomato, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
small handful chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup whipped yogurt
salt, to taste

Method:

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate to combine flavors.

Flakey Parathas


Ingredients:

2 cups chapatti flour
about 1 teaspoon salt
sufficient warm water to make dough
vegetable oil
extra chapatti flour for dusting
ghee

Method:

Combine flour with salt. Add water slowly until dough pulls together and is not too moist or too dry. Knead until a ball forms. Add about 1 tablespoon oil and knead until the dough becomes elastic and smooth. Rub a bit more oil around,wrap in plastic and let sit 10 minutes.

Heat an iron or non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Separate dough into 6 equal size pieces. Keep covered with plastic so it doesn't dry out. Roll each piece, using flour as necessary, into a circle as think as possible without it tearing. Brush with ghee, sprinkle with a bit of flour and roll up into a rope carefully... Once rolled, form this into a coil. Set aside and continue with the rest of dough.

Take each coil and dip into flour. Roll out carefully into a circle approximately 6 inches in diameter.

Place rolled dough into hot skillet and cook until the first side starts to bubble. Turn and brush the cooked side with ghee. When the other side starts to bubble, turn again and coat this second side with ghee. When the first side is golden, turn and finish the other side, until golden. Use your spatular to press on the bread to make it puff and bubble. Remove to a plate and finish the remaining breads. When ready to serve, scrunch them in your hands a little to release the layers and flakes. Enjoy :)

I'm really excited...

Please head over to Noor's Ya Salam Cooking for a post I'm really excited about!!! Thanks again, Noor :)

Niya's Chicken Shawarma & Potato Wedges

I found a recipe for Chicken Shawarma on Niya's World and tried it out... It's very tasty! The only problem I had is, when I added the lemon juice to the tahini, it started to solidify and turned into the consistency of peanut butter. I'm not sure what I must have done wrong, I was stirring while I was adding, but it didn't help. The flavor was good, but I was looking for more of a sauce and not a spread. Either way, the flavor was nice. I wrapped them in foil and let them heat through the pita. They were good warmed up the next day, too. I made some potato wedges on the side, I coated some cut potatoes with olive oil, salt and Zatar and baked at 450 degrees farenheit until crispy. I got the recipe for pita bread here, as I do not like any store bought pita breads.

Sign this petition to stop seal hunting!

Bhatura

That is a picture of my favorite, and easiest to make Bhatura recipe I have, which I got from Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking. What I like most about this recipe, is that it doesn't use yeast, which I rarely have on hand! I try to keep from making it often, since It's made with white flour, and fried, but sometimes, It's a nice change :) I haven't had a recipe from this book fail me yet, and I continue to return to it over and over! The chickpeas were a last second save from a recipe I found online, which didn't turn out the way I was expecting... I threw in some last second spices and it turned out great!

Aloo Parathas

Here is a recipe for potato stuffing I used in my parathas recently. It's adapted from a recipe in Neelam Batra's 1,000 Indian Recipes.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds (about 3 large) potatoes ( I peel them before boiling)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
4 spring onions, white and green parts, minced
2 fresh green chilies, minced
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons chaat masala
1 teaspoon ground dried fenugreek leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
salt to taste

Method:

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water to cover until tender, about 20 minutes. Mash them in a medium bowl. Mix in the rest of ingredients. Stuff your bread, cook, and devour!

~ "I don't mind living in a man's world as long as I can be a woman in it" - Marilyn Monroe ~

Pita Bread with Zatar

This turned out yummier than I expected... I found the idea on the back of my Penzey's jar of Zatar. It's just pita bread rubbed with some olive oil and Zatar and baked for 5 minutes until warm and soft. My daughter loved it and we ate it with some broiled lamb chops. It was a nice change from having plain pita bread and something I will do again for sure!

Puffy Chappati & Sweet Potatoes

I had been attempting to make Chappati's for a very long time before they ever turned out soft, and puffy. They would either be too thick, or too thin and rock hard, and they never puffed. No matter how I tried, they would never turn out, but I never stopped trying. I think it took me a few years of practice before I figured out what worked for me. I can make them now without a second thought and they always turn out perfect.

This is a sweet potato dish from Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking. It is one of my favorite ways to eat sweet potatoes now. I ate almost an entire one pound potato by myself!
Ingredients:

• 1 tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. black mustard seed
• 1/4 tsp. asafetida
  
• 2 tbs. channa dal
• 1 large sweet potato (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 10 fresh curry leaves
• 1 tsp. sambhar powder
• 3/4 tsp salt, or more to taste
• 1/2 cup water

Method:

Heat oil on medium-high heat, add mustard seeds. Wait for them to start popping, then cover skillet with a lid until popping stops. Add asafetida and channa dal, frying for about 1 minute or until dal is golden brown. Add remaining ingredients except water, frying for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in water, heat to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 5 to 7 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender.

~ There are two great days in a person's life - the day we are born and the day we discover why - William Barclay ~

Slut Bread

My mom learned this bread from her mom and I learned from my mom but I can't say for sure where the name came from. This website gives the closest definition of what I have heard from my mom and grandma. If you read down under Etymology, you can see the early meanings of the word and how the name could be connected to a cook or to bread. This recipe is very similar to the Native-American fry bread, which was first made using the rations that the government gave the Native-Americans on the reservations.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 pkg. yeast
• 2 tbs. melted butter
• 3 tbs. sugar
• bit of salt
• 6 cups flour

Method:
Mix 1/2 cup warm water and yeast. Set aside five minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water, butter, sugar, and salt. Slowly add flour until dough forms an elastic ball. Sometimes I knead this by hand, which takes quite awhile, or you can use a mixer. Transfer the dough to a greasy bowl and cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap, which has also been greased. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour, until doubled in size. When ready, heat a bit of oil, shortening, or lard in a large skillet. You will want enough to shallow fry the bread. When the oil is hot, pinch off a small lemon size round of dough and shape it using your fingers and hand into an oval...the shape does not have to be perfect! You can also vary the size of bread to suit your taste. Place the bread in the hot oil and fry until golden brown, or a little darker if that is your preference. Some parts will be lighter than others since the dough is not rolled out perfectly. When the dough is ready, flip to other side and finish in the same way. Remove bread to a towel lined plate and butter if desired. Serve hot, hot, hot!

~ The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits - Albert Einstein ~

Banana Bread

I've been loving this bread since I was a kid...now my daughter loves it too! Sometimes I make it with nuts or dates, sometimes not...this time I didn't so that my little baby niece could enjoy some. My brother stopped by and ate half the loaf...I guess he likes it too!

Ingredients:

• 4 medium or 3 large bananas
  
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda

Method:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom of a loaf pan. Combine flour, salt and baking soda in medium bowl. In another large bowl, mash banana's. Add eggs to banana, combining well. Next add vegetable oil...then sugar. Finally add flour mixture, stirring until smooth. Pour into loaf pan and bake about an hour, keeping track not to burn. Cool completely...enjoy!

~ Be a lamp in the chamber if you cannot be a star in the sky ~