Healthy Banana Bread

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas

1 1/2 cup wheat flour

4 tablespoon milk

4 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1/2 teaspoon cardamom and nutmeg powder

A pinch of salt

Method

• Pre heat the oven at 180 degree Celsius.
• Grease a loaf tin.
• In a bowl,mash bananas with a fork.
• Add all the above ingredients  and mix well with a wooden spoon.
• Transfer the mixture to the loaf tin.
• Bake at 180 degree Celsius for 35-40 minutes.
• Cool completely before slicing.

Garlic Capsicum & Cheese toast

For those little picky eaters who pick out the capsicum pieces even from their favourite pizzas. Here is the way to get this vegetable  from getting picked out! 

Great for kids school packs or as an evening snack.

 

 Ingredients
5 slices of bread
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic
1/2 capsicum
1 green chilli(half will also do if you don't prefer so spicy)
1 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1 teaspoon oregano
1-2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
salt as required

Method

• Cut each bread slice diagonally and keep aside.
• Grind butter, garlic, capsicum, salt and chilli together into a smooth paste.
• Spread this paste on each bread slice.
• Sprinkle the mozarella cheese and oregano on top of this.
• Dot with tomato ketchup and bake in a preheated oven just until the cheese melts.

Butterscotch Pudding

Ingredients

2 3/4 cup full fat milk

1 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoon butter

whipping cream for garnishing

crushed nuts of your choice.

Method

• Simmer 2 1/2 cup of full fat milk in a saucepan until it starts getting foams around the edges.
• Meanwhile,in a heatproof bowl whisk 2 large eggs and 1 large egg yolk.
• Add dark brown sugar and continue whisking.
• Add salt,cornstarch,1/4 cup milk and whisk for 2 minutes.
• Pour the above hot milk gradually to the  mixture and whisk nicely in between.
• Pour the content of the bowl back to the saucepan and put it back on the heat.
• Keep stirring on low flame for about 3-5 minutes until it gets nice and thick (mayonnaise consistency).
• Turn off the heat and strain it to a bowl to get rid of any lumps.
• Add 3 table spoon of butter along with vanilla extract and give a good stir.
• Pour into the pudding bowl and refrigerate once it cools down.
• Serve with whipped cream and sprinkle some roasted nuts of your choice on top  . 

Recipe courtesy: Joy of baking

Dragon Chicken

Ingredients

250 gms boneless chicken, cut into thin strips

1/4 cup plain flour

1/4 cup cornflour

eggwhite of 1 egg

1/4 tsp pepper powder

1/2 + 2 tsp soya sauce

1 1/2 tsp ginger paste

1 1/2 tsp garlic paste

2 tsps chopped celery

1 tbsp chopped cashewnuts

3 dry red chillies, slit 

1 small capsicum, sliced thin

1 onion sliced thin

1 carrot, sliced into matchsticks

1-2 tsp kashimiri red chilli powder

2 tbsp tomato sauce

1-2 tsp chopped spring onions

1/4 tsp sugar

oil as required

salt as required

Method

• Make a thick batter with flour, cornflour, egg white. pepper powder, 1/2 tsp soya sauce and salt adding water as required.Marinate the strips of chicken in this batter for at least 20-30 minutes.
• Shallow fry the chicken until golden brown and keep aside.
• In the same pan, add the chopped cashewnuts and fry until brown. Remove the fried cashewnuts and keep them aside.
• To the same pan add the ginger paste, garlic paste and saute for a minute.
• Now add the celery and red chillies. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
• Add capsicum, onion and salt. Saute till the onions become soft.
• In a separate bowl, mix the kashmiri chili powder, soya sauce and tomato sauce. Add this sauce mix to the sauteing onion and capsicum. 
• Mix well, add the chicken, carrots and fried cashewnuts. Check salt and add as required.
• Mix everything well and cover and cook on  a low flame for 2-3 minutes or until the carrots are cooked.
• Open, sprinkle the sugar and mix well. Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve hot.

Mampazha Pulissery

Ripe mangoes cooked in a yoghurt coconut based gravy. This dish is perfect during the mango season when ripe mangoes are avalilable in plenty.
Ingredients
3-4 small ripe mangoes
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek powder(dry roast the fenugreek/uluva/methi and powder)
1/2 teaspoon grated jaggery or sugar
1/2 teaspoon ghee(optional)
1-2 sprigs of curry leaves
salt to taste
To grind
1/2 cup grated coconut
1 cup sour yoghurt
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1-2 green chillies
 To temper
2 teaspoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
2-3 whole red chillies, broken into pieces
few curry leaves

Method

• Peel the mangoes and cut into pieces. If the mangoes are the small variety you can add the mangoes as such(slightly crush the mangoes and add).
• Cook the mangoes well with turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt in little water.If the mangoes are not very sweet you can add the jaggery or sugar.
•  Mix in the ghee and stir well.(This step is optional, but it enhances the taste. You can skip it if you wish to.)
• Meanwhile grind the coconut, cumin and green chillies with the yoghurt into a fine and thick paste.
• Add this to the cooked mango mixture and mix well. Before it begins to boil, remove from the stove and keep aside. 
• Add the sprigs of curry leaves and sprinkle the roasted and powdered fenugreek. Keep this aside.
• Now for the tempering, heat the coconut oil and splutter the mustard seeds. Add the red chillies and curry leaves. Pour this on the prepared mango curry.Cover immediately.
•  Let the dish remain covered for 15 minutes atleast before serving so that the flavours are infused well.
• Serve with steamed rice.