Almond/Badam Laddoo

      A Perfect Recipe For All Festivities

Ingredients:

2 cups whole almonds
1/2 cup coconut powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or pure ghee
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

Preparation:

On a medium flame dry roast almonds separately.

Grind them separately in a food processor or a grinder. Leave it little coarse with some tiny pieces of almonds.

Transfer almond powder in a bowl.
Mix them together with coconut powder, and cardamom powder.

Melt butter in a thick bottom pan and add into the mixture.

Stir the mixture nicely and keep aside. 

Boil milk in a separate container.

Add condensed milk and heavy cream into the milk. Mix well.
Stir for 10-15 minutes until the mixture starts bubbling and is reduced to half.
Add buttery mixture of nut powder into the milk.
Continue to stir on a medium flame ensuring the mixture does not stick to the bottom of pan and gets burned.
Add I tablespoon of butter or ghee if necessary.
Stir until the mixture thickens and it starts to leave the sides of the pan.
Keep aside and allow the laddoo mixture to cool down.
You can spread the mixture on a plate, flatten it, and cut it into the shape of burfi or roll the mixture into round balls/laddoos.


Store it in an air tight container. Refrigerate for longer storage.
Enjoy and is a perfect recipe for all occasions.

Spicy and Sour Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken with or without bones

2 tablespoons yogurt

3 tablespoons oil

1 medium size onion sliced

1 tablespoon garlic paste

1 tablespoon ginger chopped

1/4 tablespoon paprika powder or kasmiri chili powder

10-12 whole red chillies

8-10 curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon cilantro powder (grind fresh)

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder (grind fresh)

1/2 teaspoon pepper powder (grind fresh)

 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Step 1. Marination

Marinate chicken in yogurt. Keep 1-2 hours at room temperature or overnight in fridge.

Step 2. Grinding main ingredients

Grind coarsely cumin seeds, cilantro seeds and pepper corns. Keep aside.

Step 3. Seasoning

Add oil in a pan.

Heat on a medium flame.

Add whole red chillies and saute to dark brown.

Add paprika powder and curry leaves. Stir well.

Add sliced onions, ginger and garlic paste. Saute for few minutes until golden brown.

Add marinated chicken and stir well.

Add cumin powder, cilantro powder, pepper powder, salt and fresh lemon juice. Mix well.

Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes on medium flame.

Add half cup water. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Cover and cook on low flame until chicken is fully done.

Turn off the heat and let it stand for 5-10 minutes.

Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves or garnish or your choice.

Serve hot with bread/naan or rice

Jalapeno Chicken

                                     
                                             

                                     Jalapenos adds great flavor to chicken dish

Ingredients (Use Organic):

1 pound chicken (with or without bones)

1 tablespoon yogurt

1/2 teaspoon pepper powder, coarse ground

3 medium size jalapenos chili peppers

1 tablespoon fresh roughly chopped ginger

2-4 fresh peeled garlic cloves

1 tablespoon roasted cumin seeds

8-10 mint leaves

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons oil or butter

1 medium size onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves for garnishing

Preparation:

Step 1. Marination

Marinate chicken in yogurt, pepper, cilantro leaves and 2-3 pinch of salt. Keep 1-2 hours at room temperature or overnight in fridge.

Step 2. Grinding main ingredients

Grind jalapenos, ginger, garlic, cumin, mint leaves and salt by adding lemon juice into the mixture.

Keep the paste aside.

Note: If you cannot handle spicy - hot food, use 1 or 2 jalapenos in the mixture. It also depends on the heat index of peppers. So be very careful!!

Step 3. Seasoning

Add oil or butter in a pan.

Heat it on a medium flame.

Add chopped onions and saute for few minutes until light brown.

Add half cup water. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Add jalapeno paste, and mix well. Let it simmer on heat for 2-3 minutes by covering the lid.

Add marinated chicken and stir well. Cook on medium to low flame.

(Note: if mixture is too dry and sticking to the bottom of the pan, add half cup water)

Continue to stir at regular intervals until chicken is well cooked.

Taste and add more salt if necessary.

This dish will be ready in 15- 20 minutes, garnish with fresh cilantro leaves or garnish or your choice.

Have fun!

Safety tip: Use great precaution while cutting jalapeno's.

Kale Salad

                                                                 Valentine Special
                             
                                                          Healthy Salad Recipe

Ingredients (Use Organic):

1 cup chopped kale leaves (wash it nicely before use)

1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds 

1 medium size cucumber, cut into heartshaped (u can make any shape)

1 green bell pepper, cut lengthwise
1 yellow pepper 
1 carrot

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, fresh

For Seasoning:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

Sea salt to taste

Preparation:

Once all veges are cut, you can arrange the way you want. As this is valentine special, I made into heart shape. You can mix all veges in a bowl and toss well.

Add lemon juice and mix well. Keep aside.

Season garlic salt, sea salt and pepper in olive oil on a medium heat.

Cool the seasoning and mix into the bowl of salad or on top of healthy heart of fresh veges.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

                   

Red Cabbage and Parsley Salad

                                               Simple, Super, Summer Salad Recipe

Ingredients (Use Organic):

1 cup red cabbage, grated or shredded

1 bunch parsley, chopped

1 medium size cucumber, diced

1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, fresh

For Seasoning:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon slivered almonds

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

Sea salt to taste

Preparation:

Add grated cabbage, parsley, cucumber and bell pepper in a bowl and toss well

Add lemon juice and mix well. Keep aside

Season slivered almonds, garlic salt, sea salt and pepper in olive oil on a medium heat.

Cool the seasoning and mix into the bowl of salad

Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving

Enjoy

Naashpati Halwa (Pear Pudding)

Pear pudding is a delicious dessert recipe.Use soft and ripe pears.

Ingredients:

4-5 medium size pears, peeled and cut into pieces

2 tablespoons butter or ghee

3 tablespoons milk powder or khoya

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup condensed milk

2 tablespoons ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons of coconut powder

1/2 teaspoon green cardamom powder

2 drops of rose essence

Few slivered almonds for garnish

Preparation:

Heat butter or ghee in a nonstick pan.

Add peeled chopped pears in to the heated pan.

On a medium flame cook pears until a nice paste is formed.

Add all other ingredients such as sugar, milk powder or khoya, condensed milk, coconut powder, ricotta cheese.

Keep stirring on a high to medium flame until the mixture is reduced to half with no traces of liquid.

Bring the flame to low heat.

Continue to stir until the butter starts separating and mixture becomes dry.

Add cardamom powder and rose essence.

Mix well.

Garnish with almonds or any other dry fruits of your choice and a pinch of cardamom powder.

Serve hot or cold. I like both. If serving cold, try with hot Gulab Jamuns’s. It is really yum any time and at any occasion.

Note: The mixture can leave a lot of water that may require long time to dry. Another tablespoon/s of milk powder can be added to thicken the mixture and bring it to required consistency of halwa.

Rabri

Ingredients:

4 cups milk

2 tablepoons instant dry milk (milk powder)

8-10 ounce sweetened condensed milk

2-3 drops rosewater

1/2 teaspoon green cardamom powder

Few strands of saffron

Few sliced almonds

Note: Sugar free recipe:  

Use 4 drops of splenda plus 6 tablets of saccharin mix well in half cup milk instead of condensed milk and follow the same recipe. Add 2 extra tablespoons of dry milk to get the consistency of sugar free recipe.

Preparation:

Take a non-stick deep bottom pan placed on a medium flame.

Add milk, condensed milk and milk powder in a pan.

Mix well and bring the milk to the boil.

Turn the flame to low heat with constant stirring until the milk thickens at the edge of the pan.

Turn the burner off.

Add rosewater, cardamom powder and mix well.

Transfer it to a serving bowl and garnish with few strands of saffron and almonds.

Cool at room temperature and keep the bowl inside the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.

Serve chill with gulab jamuns or just enjoy as such.

***Rabri is given a shape of heart surrounding with blueberries for Valentine's special.