Dates Almond Bread

You will need:

• 1 cup wheat flour
• ½ cup bread flour(can substitute with all-purpose/maida flour too)
• ½ cup chopped nuts(Almonds)
• 1 cup chopped dates
• ½ cup sugar(can increase for more sweetness)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 egg(can add 1 more egg)
• ¼ cup olive oil/butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp buttermilk(optional)
  
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup water

Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350F.

Chop the pitted dates and keep it aside in a bowl. Boil 1 cup of water. After it becomes hot just switch off the heat and pour that hot water into the chopped dates. Let it cool for 15 mins.



Step 2:

Preparing wet ingredients:

In a mixing bowl mix together egg, sugar, vanilla extract and oil until it becomes fluffy.

Step 3:

Preparing Dry ingredients:

In another bowl sieve together the wheat flour, bread flour, baking soda and baking powder.

Step 4:

Now mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredient using a spatula. Add the dates along with the water to this and mix it using the spatula to get the perfect bread dough.Don't over mix it.

Hint:

If you are using buttermilk add at this stage.

Step 5:

Mix in the chopped nuts.

Step 6:

Grease the loaf pan with butter. Pour the above mixture into the loaf ban and bake it for 40 to 50 mins in the preheated oven.

You date almond bread is now ready!! Enjoy!!!

Note:

Instead of wheat flour you can make this with All purpose flour/ bread flour/maida too. Buttermilk is purely optional. It taste good even without that.
In this recipe i used "Golden Temple" (Durum Atta flour)

Spinach Poori

You will need:

• ½ cup wheat flour
• ½ cup Maida flour/ All purpose flour
• ¼ cup Sooji/ Rava
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp oil for kneading dough
  
• milk for kneading dough(less than ¼ cup)
  
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger(finely copped)
• bunch of spinach
• 2 green chillies
  
• oil for deep frying
  

Step 1:

To make spinach paste:

In a non stick pan just put a few drops of oil. When its hot add chopped ginger,green chillies and garlic to it and saute it till it turns golden brown color. Now add spinach and close with a lid. After 2 mins you can see that the spinach is fully cooked. Now allow it to cool for few minutes. Then grind it to a fine paste using blender/mixie. Use one cup of paste to make poori. You can make palak sausage gravy or palak paneer gravy or spinach chapathi with the remaining paste.

Step 2:
To make dough:

Sieve the maida/ all purpose flour if it has any lumps. In a mixing bowl add wheat flour, maida/ all purpose flour, sooji/rava, salt, sugar and 1 cup of spinach paste. Mix it all together. Add milk to knead the dough. Finally add 1 tbsp oil and kneadit. The dough should have the consistency similar to pizza, chapathi. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour. Then divide the balls into small balls.



Step 3:

Flatten/roll the dough using rolling pin to get a circular shape. If you are not able to get the perfect round shape just cut it using large cookie cutter/ lunch box lid after flattening to get the perfect round shape.

Step 4:

Heat oil in deep fry pan. Better to have the flame medium. When the oil is hot just drop the flattened poori into the oil. Press with the spatula with a slotted spoon to get puffed poori. when it turns golden brown just flip it to get golden brown color in the next side too. When the poori is ready just place it in the paper towel. Enjoy with potato masala, chicken masala, palak sausage gravy, or with your favorite side dish.

Note:

• You can use cookie cutters to get your desired shapes.
• You can make palak panner gravy by replacing sausage with panner. Enjoy your day with a healthy breakfast. Can have this for dinner too.

Handy Snacks For Superbowl

I hope that at least a few of you are football(I mean American football not Soccer) fans, like us. But even if you’re not, you know that the biggest thing this Sunday is the Super Bowl (6pm EST on Fox) and that many of you will be watching it (or at least checking out the commercials), or entertaining friends while the game plays in the background. Naturally, you’ll need some food to sustain you while you watch. Here are a few of my favorites from my site, some of which will be making an appearance on Super Bowl game day.

• Cashew Raisin Biscotti is one of the handy and less calorie snack. This biscotti doesn't have butter in it. So you can enjoy this while watching Super bowl.

• Those who like spicy Biscuit can try this Masala Cookie

• Hey you can try samosa's too. You know what we can bake samosa instead of deep frying.
  

• If you like Indian chips you can try Banana Chips or Thattai(Rice Fritters)

• Chicken Nuggets is one of our all time favorite recipe. I'll be very happy if i can eat this as snack or for dinner or as chicken burger too with a touch of Mayonnaise.

Enjoy Superbowl !!!!.. Go Giants!!!!

Banana Bread

A healthy breakfast which you can make it in the weekend and enjoy it the whole week. Can spread butter or jam on it for extra taste.

You will need:

• 2 ripe bananas, smashed
• ½ cup olive oil/ melted butter ( 1 stick)
  
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1½ cup wheat flour (chapathi flour)
  
• ½ cup of bread flour (can substitute with All purpose flour)
• 2 tbsp chopped nuts (silvered alomonds, cashews)
• ¼ cup raisins

Step 1:

Preheat the oven:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Step 2:

Making bread dough:

With a wooden spoon, mix oil into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flours last and mix. Mix in chopped nuts and raisins.

Pour mixture into a buttered loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour(Till the tooth pick come out clean). Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Brinjal Prawn Masala

I was thinking to make this dish for a year. But somehow dint get perfect time to make this dish. You can definitely try this dish even if you don't like eggplant(Indian brinjals from Indian store). Very spicy and tasty dish. You can enjoy with chapathi, dosa and with naan(Indian bread).

Regarding rose in the picture, I just gave it a try to make the rose using tomato skin. It worked!!!!. Thanks to my friend who told me how to make this. She told just peel the tomato and swirl it to get rose shape. Wow simple easy tip gave me good tomato rose. You can try too for a nice presentation.

You will need:

• 5 small brinjals/Eggplant
• 20 medium size prawn/shrimp
• 1 medium size onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 green chillies
• 3 tsp chilli powder
• 3 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• few curry leaves
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 3 tbsp oil

Step 1:

Chop the onions, green chillies, tomatoes, brinjal and keep it aside.

Step 2:

Heat oil in a pan add curry leaves, onions, green chillies, brinjal and saute it for few minutes till onion turns translucent.

Step 3:

Now add the ginger garlic paste and saute it for 1 min. Add cumin powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and saute it for 2 more mins till it get rid of the raw coriander smell.

Step 4:

Add tomatoes and close it with a lid. After 3 mins add prawns , salt and saute it for a min .Then close it again for 3 mins.

Step 5:

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with chapathi, Indian Bread, or as a side dish for rice.