Frozen Apricot Yoghurt Ginger snap Squares

First I got introduced to "SHF" event by Ruth of "once upon a feast".That month theme was "Ginger".After searching on net i came across with lot of recipes like Gingersnap cookies,Ginger bread etc.But i held up with some work at that time and i ended up with Ginger peanut bars for that entry.I made this dessert after reffering from Pillsbury magazine and changed "APRICOT" instead of "CHOCOLATE".
This is my entry to "Sugar High Friday " #21 for the theme of "ICEICEBABY" by lovely "Sarah" of The Delicious Life.

Ingredients for GingerSnap Cookies:
Gold Medal® all-purpose flour - 2cups
Egg - 1
Sugar - 1 cup
Vegetable oil - 1 cup
Molasses(Brown Sugar) - ½ cup
Baking soda - ½tspn
Baking Powder - 1tspn
Salt - ½ tspn
Ground Ginger - 1 tspn
Ground Cinnamon - ½ tspn
Ground Cloves - 1 no,crushed

Method

1.Heat oven to 350F.In large bowl, beat egg and add oil and stir well and then add molasses and sugar,ground ginger,crushed clove,cinnamon and stir for fine blending.Mix this into dough and knead well.Make dough into small balls and flatten it and roll in sugar bothsides.

2.Place on a parchment paper lined with baking sheet and Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until edges to turn brown color and tops appear cracked.Remove from oven and sprinkle sugar on gingersnaps and leave snaps to cool on wire racks.

3.Store in an airtight container once cool.
Adapted from Elise's Simply Recipes

Ingredients for :
Gingersnap cookies - 15
Dried Apricots - 2 cups
Butter - ½ cup
Frozen yoghurt - 8 cups
Frozen Whipped Cream - 2cups
Pistachio - 1/2 cup,coarsely ground
Honey - 1tspn for glazing

Method

1.Soak Dried Apricots in warm water for 1hr.Heat oven to 350 F. Grind Gingersnap cookies for powder in blender.

2.Add Butter to the cookie crust and mix well.Place Cookie mix into 13x9inches greased Rectangular baking pan and press evenly for same surface.Bake for 6 to 8 min.Remove from oven and Cool it for room temperature.

3.Grind soaked Apricots into paste in blender and strain for smooth paste.Fold Apricot paste into Whipped Cream and Mix well and store in fridge.

4.Spread Frozen Yoghurt on the upper layer of Baked Cookie crust and keep in freezer to set for 1 hr.

5.Once Youghurt is set ,spread apricot whipped cream over the youghurt layer and freeze for 3 hrs to set.

6.Before serving,Make a stencil of flower(my favourite) on whipped cream layer and sprinkle Coarsely ground Pistachio on top and glaze with honey at edges.

7.Cut the dessert with the knife (dipped in warm water) into squares and transfer to platter and Serve immediately.

Rava Ladoo

Rava Ladoo

Ingredients
Rava/Semolina(Bombay rava) - 3cups
Milk - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 cups
Cardamom - 8 no,crushed
Cashewnuts - 15 no

1.Take a heavy saucepan/kadai ,add 1 tbspn of ghee and add rava to that and roast for light brown color stirring continuously with wooden spatula in low medium heat.

2.When Rava changes to light brown color add powdered sugar,caradamom pwd and mix well.When sugar melts into rava ,add ghee ,sprinkle milk slowly and mix well for 5 minutes until rava becomes wet.

3.Heat Ghee in a pan and first fry raisins,once they plump up remove from spatula and add cashewnuts and fry for brown color.

4.Add these into rava mixture and remove from stove.Wet hand with 1tbspn of chill milk and shape the rava mixture into small balls.Chill milk prevents your palms from burning.You can moisten with ghee /oil also instead of milk if rava mixture is luke warm.Shelf will more if you don't add milk to ladoos . Ladoos can be shaped into round balls if mixture is hot.

5.Allow to cool these Rava Ladoos and store in airtight container.

Orange,Strawberry,Kiwi Milk Shake & Caramalized Banana

"Comfort Food" is the theme of this month's From My Rasoi # 7 hosting by Dear Revathi of En ulagam. So,Here goes my Tri (fruit +color)ful milk shakes and Caramalized banana.

Ingredients for Orange Milk Shake
Orange - 2 no
Milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 3 tspn
Vanilla essence -½tspn

Method

1.Wash and Peel Oranges and deseed while making into pieces.

2.Transfer to blender ,add milk and sugar and blend until smooth and chill in refrigerator.

3.Chill the serving glass in fridge (It will keep milk shake cool for somemore time ) and dip the glass rim in granulated sugar for extra sugary flavour and an another reason is decorating glasses.

4.Pour the "Orange Milkshake" in glasses and serve.

Ingredients for Strawberry Milk Shake
Strawberries - 8 no
Milk - 2cups
Sugar - 4 tspn
Vanilla essence -½ tspn

Method

1.Wash and cut strawberries into half .

2.Transfer to blender make puree and add milk,sugar,vanilla essence and blend until smooth.Chill and serve.

Kiwi Fruit Milk shake and "Uses of Kiwi Fruit "

Nutritional Facts
High in fiber
High in vitamin C
A good source of vitamin E
A good source of Potassium
Low fat
Saturated fat-free
Sodium-free
Cholesterol-free

Health Benefits
Imporoves heart health
Protect against cancer
Relief from Asthama
See calharvest for detailed information.

Storage
Place Kiwi fruits in a paper bag and can store for 2 weeks in refrigerator.

Ingredients for Kiwi fruit Milk shake
Kiwi Fruit - 2 no
Milk - 3 cups
Sugar - 4tspn
Almond essence -½ tspn

Method

1.Wash kiwis and pare and cut into slices.

2.Transfer to blender ,add milk and sugar,almond essence and blend for smoother consistency and chill in refrigerator.
Chill the serving glass in fridge and fill the glass with kiwi fruit shake and serve.

Ingredients for Caramelized Banana
Butter - 2tbspn
Light brown sugar - 2tbspn
Honey - 2 tspn
Ripe Bananas - 2no,peeled, sliced to lengthwise in ½ and cut into crosswise
Whipped cream - 1tbspn

Method

1.In a large sauce pan,melt the butter on medium heat.Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.

2. Add the bananas and cook, stirring for 3 minutes when sugar caramelizes and is bubbling add honey and shake the pan to get bananas coated with sugar and honey syrup.

3.Remove fron fire and leave it to cool and chill in refrigerator.Serve chill with Whipped cream as a topping.
Caramalized Banana Adapted from Emeril's Live.

Idly with Vadai Curry,Garlic - Golden Orange Bell Pepper Chutney

Idlys are low in fat and full of protien and easily digestive."Vadai Curry" is one of my husband's favourite side dish for Idly.I just tasted "vadai curry with idly" once when we visited to one of our favourite Hotel "Data Udipi" in K.K Nagar,Chennai.It tastes spicy and yummy.Being an Andhraite "vadai curry" is new to me as a side dish for idly.Mom used to prepare like gravy called "Vadala pulusu" for hot rice with the vadas made with Urad and Chana dal .I grown on idlys along with favourite Peanut chutney,Kobbari chutney(Coconut chutney) and yummy Karappodis(dal powders),Tomato Chutney and Red chilli chutney.Lets come to the point ,i am sharing this recipe in the occasion of Nanditha's Weekend Breakfast Blogging Event as my entry.More info about Idly here.

Recipe and Ingredients for Idly
I will make idlis with Idly rava (from my mom's kitchen) and grinding rice and urad dal in wet grinder according to my aunty's method.Here ,this method is using with Idly rava:
Idly Rava /Uppudu Rava /Cream of Rice - 2 cups
Urad dal - 1 cup
Menthi seeds - ¼ tspn
Salt to taste
For Making
Idly plates,Pressure Cooker
water
Oil for greasing

1.Soak Urad Dal and Fenugreek seeds for 4 hours and grind the dal for smooth consistency.

2.Soak Idly rava in water for 1 hr before you are going to grind Urad dal.

3.Add Idly rava to the urad dal paste and mix well.Store in a big vessel because batter will rise up and may overflow if vessel is small.

4.Cover with lid and leave it to ferment for 8 hrs.When Batter rises up mix well with ladle by adding sufficient salt.

5.Grease idli plates with oil and pour batter with the ladle and steam for 12 minutes in Pressurecooker without using pressure.

6.Remove from fire Leave it to cool for 2minutes without opening the cooker lid once they are cooked.This makes idlys non sticky to plates while taking with spatula.Another way is Dip spatula in water and take the idlys from idli plates carefully.

7.Serve fluffy - hot idlys with any chutney or podi and especially with "vadai curry ".

Recipe Source :Amma

Check here for more idli’s from Raji's Menthi Idli,Indira, Sailu's Food, Priya, Priya, Madhu, Shynee,Menutoday

Ingredients for Vadai Curry

Soaked Chanadal (Senagapappu/Kadala parupu) - 2 cups
Ginger - 1 " size piece
Green Chillies - 4 ,chopped into small pieces,
Tomato - 1 ,large size or 2 meduim (blanch in hot water, remove the skin and make into a puree)
Onions - 2 ,chopped finely,
Garlic - 4 pods,crushed
Cloves - 2 no,
Cinnamon(Dalchina chekka) - 1"size piece
T urmeric - a pinch
For seasoning
Cumin seeds - 1tspn
Bay Leaf - 1
Red chilies - 2 no ,pieces
Curry leaves - 4 or 5
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Salt to taste
Oil for frying.

Method:

1.Soak Chanadal for 4 hrs and grind along with Greenchillies,Ginger into coarsely by sprinkling less water.Add Salt,chopped Onions and keep it aside.

2.Heat Oil in kadai,and make sure when oil is enough hot for deep frying then make batter into small ball and flatten it with your palms and drop slowly from the edjes of kadai into the hot oil.

3.Fry both sides in light goldenbrown color and make sure not to fry like dark golden brown color like masala vada which is crispy.Places vadas on tissue paper to drain out excessive oil.

4.Grind chopped Onions,blanched Tomato along with Cloves,Garlic,Cinnamon into a fine puree.

5.Heat oil in a saucepan,add Cumin seeds and stir for a while to change its color and add crushed garlic,chopped onions and fry for golden brown color.

6.Add the ground paste and fry till the raw smell goes.Add Turmeic pwd,Salt,Red chilli pwd,little water and stir well and cook for 3 minutes by keeping lid.

7.Split vadas into small pieces and add to the gravy and stir once.Cook in low medium flame by keeping lid until the vadas become soft and coated well with the gravy.

8.Garnish with Chopped Coriander leaves and serve hot with Idly or Dosa.

Method
Garlic - Tomato - Coriander - Orange Bell Pepper Chutney
Golden Orange Bell pepper(Known as "Capsicum" in India) - ½
Garlic - 10 pods,peeled
Tomatoes - 2 no ,medium size
Coriander leaves - ¼ bunch
Red chillies - 7 no(depends on your taste)
Salt to taste

I used Orange bell pepper,Coriander in this chutney which i felt a nice combo of aroma leaves and sweet flavor(Red Chillies will reduce the sweetness of chutney).This recipe is Very simple and easy to make and yummy too.

1.Fry Garlic pods in oil to goldenbrown color and keep it aside.Fry Coriander leaves in the same for slightly change of its color and Fry Red chillies ,chopped Tomato pieces until tomato become tender and fry chopped Orange color Bellpepper/Capsicum pieces and saute for 3 minutes.

2.Remove from the fire and allow it to cool completely.

3.Grind all these ingredients together by adding little water for a fine paste.Season with mustard seeds and curry leaves and serve with Idly or Dosa or Upma.
Look here for Capsicum Chutneys - Indira's Red Bell pepper Chutney , Capsicum Chutney, Saffronhut's Palette , Red Capsicum Chutney , Hot ORANGE chutney

Mushroom - Peas Pulov & Chocolate dipped Mint Leaves

Happy to participate in Dear LG's Greenblogproject.So, I planted Mint and Purslane(Gangapayila Aaku).With my mint leaves i added minty flavour to "Pulov"
and another sweet leaves - waiting for guests to melt in their mouth after having my "Mushroom - Peas Pulov".

Nutritional Facts of Mushroom
Goodsource of essential minerals like Selenium,Potassium,Copper
Richsource of B-complex vitamins
Mushrooms are low in calories.
See this link for "Mushroom Varieties with Pictures"

Ingredients for Mushroom Pulov
Boiled Rice - 2 cups
Button Mushrooms (fresh) - 5 no,washed and wiped with cloth, chopped into thin slices
Onions - 2 medium size ,sliced into lond pieces
Green Chillies - 3 no,juliened
Garlic - 2 pods,crushed
Ginger - ½ " piece,crushed
Green Peas(Fresh or Frozen) - 2 cups
Cinnamon - ½ " piece,
Cardamom - 2no,crushed
Cloves - 2no,crushed
Cumin - 1tspn
Red chilli pwd - 1tspn
Turmeric - ½ tspn
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking

Method

1.Heat Oil in Saucepan,add crushed Garlic,Ginger saute until you get the aroma of Ginger,Garlic.

2.Add Cumin seeds ,juliened Green chillies,Onions and saute until Onions turn golden brown color.

3.Add chopped Mushroom and saute for 4 minutes then Add crushed Cinnamon, Cardamom, Turmeric , frozen Peas and stir well and mix well by sprinkling little water and cover with lid and leave it to cook for 3 minutes on low flame.

4.When Mushrooms,Peas are cooked add boiled Rice and stir.Add Salt and Redchilli pwd if neccessary.

5.Garnsih with "Mint" leaves and serve hot with any vegetable raita.

Chocolate dipped Mint Leaves
Semisweet Chocolate Chips - 1 cup
Mint Leaves - 15
Vegetable Oil - 1tspn

Method

1.Melt Chocolate chips in a double boiler,until almost melted.Stir Chocolate until smooth and add Oil to get glossy look.

2.Dip Mint Leaves in the Chocolate to coat on both sides and Place on a Rolling pin covered with wax paper to give that original leaf shape. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and best to keep in freezer until you serve(just chewing).

3.Just take out from freezer and eat immediately otherwise Chocolate melts out.

"F" for Fenugreek Poori in Dahi - Chaat

Ingredients for "Fenugreek Poori"
Fresh Fenugreek leaves(Menthi Aaaku/Vendhiya kerrai/Methi) - ½ bunch
Wheat flour - 4 cups(Golden temple brand Godhuma Pindi/Godhumai mavu)
Luke warm milk - ½ cup
Cumin pwd - ½ tspn
Red Chilly Pwd - 2tspn
Sooji(Rava) - 1 tspn
Salt to taste.
Oil for deep frying

Method:

1.Wash Fenugreek Leaves and wipe with a dry cloth and chop into small pieces.

2.Take Wheat flour in a bowl add salt,sooji,red chilli pwd,cumin pwd,chopped menthi leaves and knead well by adding warm milk and sufficent water to make a soft and pilable dough.Cover this with a damp cloth and keep it aside for 30 minutes.

3.Make medium Onion size balls with the dough and flatten it but sprinkling flour ,roll it with a roller pin into a circle /rectangle and cut the dough with the lid of jar(circle shape)into a small size pooris.

4.Heat Oil in a kadai ,until it gets hot enough to deep fry.(You can find by dropping a small piece of puri in hot oil to know whether oil is enough hot to deep fry .Poori piece will come up immediately.So start frying.)

5.Fry all these small poories for bothsides until golden brown and strain on paper towel for excess oil.Store in a airtight container for another 2 months.

Dahi for Chaat
Homemade Yoghurt(Perugu/Thayir/Dahi/Curd) - 4 cups
Sugar - 1tbspn
Black Salt /Kala Namak - 3 tspn
Cumin pwd - 2tspn
Red Chilly pwd - ½ tspn

Method:

1.Beat the curds and add Black Salt,Sugar,Cumin pwd ,Red Chilly pwd and mix well ,Cover and chill in fridge.

For Filling Fenugreek Pooris:
Tamarind chutney (refer Panipoori recipe)
Crushed Cumin powder
Red chilli powder
Boiled and cubed Potatoes - 5 no
Chopped Onions - 2 cups
Chopped Coriander - 1 bunch
Chaat masala - 1tspn

Method:

1.Take the pooris and make a hole with the finger in the middle of the poori and stuff with Potato cubes along with Tamarind chutney ,Green Chutney,chopped Onion pieces and sprinkle Chaat masala.

2.Place all these poories in a serving plate.

3.Take out Chilled Dahi from fridge and pour around each poori upto ½ inch size in length .

4.Drizzle Tamarind chutney on the top of each poori .Garnish with washed fresh Coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Toor Dal Butternut Squash Kheer

Butternut Squash belongs to the Cucurbita moschata species. Beige colored and shaped like a vase. This is watery and tastes like sweet potatoes.

Nutritional Facts
Rich in complex Carbohydrates
Low in saturated Fat and Sodium.
Good source of vitamins A and C
Good source of Beta-Carotene, Magnesium, Manganese, Calcium and Potassium.

Ingredients for Butternut Squash Kheer/Payasam
Butternut Squash - 2 cups ,grated
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk - 2 cups
Toor dal - 2tbspn ,boiled and mashed
Cardamom - 4no
Cashewnuts - 6no
Raisins - 7 no
Ghee - 3tspn

Method

1.Wash,Peel Butternut Squash and remove the seeds and excess fiber and grate into thin long stripes.

2.Heat the saucepan and add 1tspn of ghee and fry the grated squash for 2minutes and add milk; stir for a while and cover with lid and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until squash is tender.

3.Add Sugar and boiled and mashed Toordal paste ,mix evenly ,add Cardamom powder and stir until Sugar melts and cook for another 3 minutes in medium flame .

4.Fry Raisins,Cashewnuts in 2 tspns of Ghee and pour on the kheer and remove from fire.

5.Allow Kheer to cool completely, chill in refrigerator for 1 hr and Serve.Easy to make and rich in taste.


Due to longweekend vacation i made this sweet before but I dont have enough dal powder for the week ahead.
So,first entry became as a second entry for JFI - "Dal of the month - July" event hosted by hostess Sailaja of Sailu's Food.
See Krithika's Butternut Squash Subzi for another tasty variety.
Recipe Source: Own Experiment with food