Healthy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

This fry will replace all your high fat potato fries. These are healthy, low fat and a baked version of fries. Its easy to prepare and tastes awesome. Try these and you'll never want the fast food French fries.

Here is the recipe..

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1 medium sized sweet potato
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp Garlic powder or 1 small garlic, mashed (optional)
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp oil, any

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 deg F(220 deg C). Line a baking with with a parchment paper.

Wash, peel, and cut the sweet potato just like you cut the potatoes for the French fries (cut it a little thin if you want a crispy fry).

Now toss the potatoes with the rest of the ingredients and spread them on the lined baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake them at 425 deg F(220 deg C) for 15 to 20 minutes. Few more minutes if you like it crunchy. Do keep an eye so that it doesn't get burned.

Enjoy the fries with a little ketchup!

Also sending my first pic of fries to "CLICK", a food photography event. This month's theme being Bi-Color, any food related picture having just 2 colors. While the pic may have several colours, but TWO colors must be DOMINANT. Here i go..

Enjoy and have a great week!

Mallows - Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies

Daring Bakers July 2009 Challenge

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

Mallows(Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies)




Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website

Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Serves: about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients for the cookies:

• 3 cups (375grams/13.23oz) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (112.5grams/3.97oz) white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter
• 3 eggs, whisked together
• Homemade marshmallows, recipe follows
• Chocolate glaze, recipe follows

Ingredients for the marshmallows (Corn syrup Free):

• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp. powdered gelatin
• 1/2 cup cold water
• pinch of cream of tartar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup cornstarch

Ingredients for chocolate glaze:

• 12 ounces (340 gms) semisweet chocolate
• 2 ounces (1/4 cup)cocoa butter or vegetable oil

Directions:

For the Cookie: In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients.
On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy.
Add the eggs and mix until combine.
Form the dough into a disk, wrap with clingfilm or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inches cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough.
Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.

For the marshmallows: In a saucepan, combine the water and sugar, bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer. (If you do not have a candy thermometer, refer "the cold water candy test")

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a large steel bowl and let dissolve.
Pour the cooked sugar over bloomed gelatin in thin steam while the hand mixer is on high speed.
Change to medium speed and add cream of tartar, continue to whip until the mixture hold its shape. Add vanilla extract and salt and continue whipping until stiff.
Transfer to a pastry bag.
Sprinkle cornstarch onto a large baking pan and push it in with the object of your favorite shape and pipe in the marshmallow mixture.


OR Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie directly. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.

Tip: If you are making marshmallows separately then after it sets, just heat up the base of the marshmallow with a lighter for few seconds and take the burnt skin out and stick the burnt side of the marshmallow onto the cookie base. Let it set for few minutes. This helps the marshmallow to stick well to the cookie and wont let the cookie and the marshmallow separate when dipping into the chocolate glaze.

For the glaze:

Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze.
Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

Note: if you don’t want to make your own marshmallows, you can cut a large marshmallow in half and place on the cookie base. Heat in a preheated 350-degree oven to slump the marshmallow slightly, it will expand and brown a little. Let cool, then proceed with the chocolate dipping.

Pineapple Gojju ( Pineapple Cooked in a Spicy Coconut Sauce)

Pineapple gojju is one of the traditional South India recipe served most commonly during marriage functions or festivals. "Gojju" is the term used in South Indian language "Kannada" for a gravy/curry. This gojju is basically nothing but chopped pineapple cooked in a spicy coconut sauce. This recipe goes well with both sweet pineapple and the tangy one. If you're using a sweet one, then you'll need to add more tamarind and if you're using a tangy one, you'll be using less tamarind. You just need to alter the tamarind, palm sugar and salt quantities accordingly.


Its got the tang, sweet, salt and spicy flavors to bring out all together a new delicious flavor. Its a must try recipe!


Ingredients:

1 pineapple , peel and chop into 1 inch cubes, or the canned pineapples
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsps Urad dal or Black gram
8-10 Byadgi red chillies
1" cinnamon
1 tbsp Poppy seeds
1/2 cup dessicated coconut powder or freshly grated dry coconut
3-4 tbsp jaggery or palm sugar
2 tbsp thick tamarind pulp
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and let it splutter, then add the chopped pineapple and enough water to cover the pineapple. Do not add more water. Cover and cook at low to medium heat and let it boil for few minutes till the pineapple become slightly soft.

Meanwhile, fry the masala ingredients, i.e., urad dal, red chillies (broken), coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and cinnamon. When urad dal starts turning golden brown, switch off the heat and add the poppy seeds. You add poppy seeds at the end as it doesn't require to be fried for a longer time. Just the heat which is in the pan is good enough.

Cool the masala ingredients and grind it along with the desiccated coconut adding as much water required to form a thick smooth fine paste.

Now add the ground masala paste, along with tamarind juice, jaggery and salt to the pineapple. Bring it to boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the curry thickens. If the curry becomes too thick, you can add water and bring it to the curry consistency. You can taste the curry and adjust the tamarind, jaggery and salt quantities.. As these 3 ingredients play a major role in getting the tongue tickling taste.

Serve with any of the Indian flat breads recipes in my blog, or with plain steamed rice. Enjoy!

Variation: You can follow the recipe with any other tangy fruit like grapes, or any other berries. Just make sure you dont boil the fruits too much and let them hold there shape. Its nice when you get bits of these fruits when eating.

Paushtic Roti (100% Whole Wheat Nutritious Flat bread)

The word "paushtic" in Hindi means nutritious, healthy or life giving. This roti is a nutritious combination of a cereal and a pulse along with a green leafy vegetable, enhanced further by the addition of milk or curds. All of these contribute to make this dish rich in folic acid, iron, protein and calcium.

Have these rotis instead of the plain whole wheat chapatis we usually eat.

Recipe adapted from the book Parathas by Tarla Dalal

Makes 12 rotis.

Cooking Time : 20 mins.
Preparation Time : 15 mins.

Ingredients required..

2 cups Whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Bengal gram flour (besan)
3/4 cup boiled and grated potatoes, around 1 medium sized
1 cup Fresh Spinach leaves, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
4tbsp fresh curds or milk
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Other ingredients
Whole wheat flour for rolling
Oil for cooking

Method:
Mix all the ingredients and make a soft, smooth dough. Add a very little water, a tsp a time if required. Too much water can result in a sticky, lumpy dough as even potatoes and spinach leave some water. Leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll out each portion into small rotis using wheat flour for rolling.

Cook on a non stick tava (griddle) spreading a tsp of oil on both the sides till small dots of brown skin appears on the skin.

Serve hot with any of your favorite side dish or with just pickle and curd.

Apple Jam

A delightful treat for your entire family, try this absolutely delicious recipe made simple in microwave. This recipe tastes exactly like the one in the stores, sweet, tangy with a lovely spreadable texture. When its so simple and can be prepared at home, then why buy from a supermarket?

Serves: 1 Cup
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 Apples, big , peeled & Chopped (if taking small apples,take 3 nos)
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
few drops of lemon yellow color (optional)

Method:

Mix sugar and chopped apples in a microwave safe bowl covered. Microwave at 100% power for 3 -4 minutes. Or till apples are softened.

Blend softened apple-sugar mixture in a blender.

Microwave (covered) this blended mixture at 60% power for 7 -8 minutes. or till its slightly thickened and translucent. Stir in between to prevent scorching.

Stir lemon juice, color (if using) and pour in prepared glass jars. Let cool at room temperature and refrigerate. Serve with toasted bread, cakes and cookies.

Have a great week!

Coconut creams with poached rhubarb & a "CLICK"

I was very new to this vegetable "Rhubarb" and wanted to try out few recipes using it. Then after a lot of search on the internet, i found this "Coconut Cream with Poached Rhubarb" recipe on bbc good food and i immediately decided to go with this recipe. Believe me, it dint disappoint me. Everybody in my house loved it. This dessert tastes awesome together with the combination of sweetened coconut cream with sweet and tangy rhubarb. Its a must try recipe in this season as you wont find Rhubarb in all the seasons.

Rhubarb looks like red celery, but don't let that fool you; beyond that and the strings that run its length, they have little in common. Usually used as a fruit in sweet preparations, rhubarb alone is actually extremely tart, and the roots and the leaves are poisonous (the leaves contain toxic level of oxalic acid). You can take advantages of its tartness or cook it with sugar or other sweet fruits, which is why we see it most often made into pies, preserves , and compotes, often paired with strawberries.

Buying and storing: Look for firm and crisp stalks. Store in the refeigerator and use it as quickly as possible.

Preparing: Rhubarb is best if you string it; grab one end between a paring knife and your thumb and pull straight down to remove the celerylike strings that run lengthwise through each stalk. Remember that rhubarb leaves are poisonous, though only mildly so.

Other fruits to substitute: Cranberries, tart cherries or fresh currants.

Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food

Ingredients:
2 sheets leaf gelatine
400ml can coconut milk
8 tbsp caster sugar
1 vanilla pod
300g rhubarb , cut into short lengths

Method:

Put the gelatine into a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for 5 mins until softened.

Heat the coconut milk with 4 tbsp sugar in a pan. Bring to a gentle simmer, then remove from the heat. Lift the gelatine from the water and stir into the coconut milk. Keep stirring until the gelatine has dissolved, then pour into four small glass dishes or dessert bowls (if using glass, leave the milk to cool a little first). When the creams are cool, transfer to the fridge and leave to set.

Split the vanilla pod down the centre and put into a pan with 2 tbsp water and the remaining 4 tbsp sugar. Bring slowly to the boil to dissolve the sugar, then add the rhubarb and poach gently until softened but not mushy, about 3-4 mins. Leave to cool.

Spoon the rhubarb over the coconut creams to serve.

This picture above also goes to the CLICK, a monthly food photography event. It is a theme-based contest. This is my first entry for this event and this month's theme is "STACKS" , where you are supposed to click STACKS of any vertical, horizontal, heaped, piled or many of the same or different food related items.

Bakewell Tart…er…pudding

Daring Bakers June 2009 Challenge

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) Strawberry jam (can use any jam or curd, warmed for spreadability)
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Sweet shortcrust pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

Ingredients: (I used half the recipe, which fits 6 small 4" tartletts + 10 small cookies,which can be taken along with jam)
225g (8oz, 2cups) all purpose flour
30g (1oz, 2 tbsp) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Directions:
Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Add the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Homemade Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:
1 Kilo Strawberries
500 gms Gelierzucker (Pectin based Sugar)
Sterilized glass bottles

Directions:
Place the strawberries in a colander and rinse them under cold running water. Drain and hull the strawberries. Cut the larger berries in half or quarters and leave the small berries whole. Place the strawberries in a deep, heavy-bottomed pan. Add sugar and gently mix. Once the strawberries start leaving out its juice, switch on the heat on medium. Wit till the mixture comes to a boil. Once it starts boiling, let it boil for another 5 minutes.

To test if the jam has reached its final stage, take a spoon of the mixture on place it on a plate and let cool. Once it cools, the mixture would have turned thick.

Take the mixture off heat and immediately pour it into sterilized glass bottles. Close the lid and keep the bottle upside down for 5 minutes. After that cool the bottle and the bottle can be kept at room temperature. Once the bottle is opened and use, place the bottle in the refrigerator.

I used just a tablespoon of this jam for each tart.

Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

Ingredients:
125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well using a spatula. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base.

Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. (I baked 6 tartletts for 15-20 minutes)

Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Enjoy with just a dusting a icing sugar. Its yum!!

Thandai

Thandai is a wonderful cold refreshing and healthy flavoured milk that is traditionally prepared during the Holi festival(festival of colors). When people become a little exhausted throwing each other in the pool of coloured waters. A glass of Thandai offers instant energy and sets the mood for playing with colors.


Thandai when laced with the intoxicating bhang, make one sing, dance and go wild. Infact, bhang thandai is used as a mood setter for the festival of Holi. A wonderful and a distinct blend of spices to give ravishing drink. You should really taste it to see what it really is!!



Ingredients required..

1/2 tin, 200 gms Sweetened condensed milk (Milkmaid)
750ml Milk
8 - 10 Almonds, soaked and peeled
5-6 peppercorns
3-4 Cardamom or 1 tsp Cardamom powder
2 tsps Fennel seeds, saunf
2 tbsps Poppy seeds
Crushed ice
Rose petals for garnish

Method:

Grind the almonds, cardamom, and fennel seeds(saunf) to a fine paste. Blend with other ingredients till well mixed. Strain the blended mixture.

Half fill each glass with crushed ice and top up with the above mixture.

Serve garnished with rose petals.

Enjoy the lovely drink!

Apple Marzipan Galette

This one's for the marzipan(sweetened almond paste) lovers. The recipe for the galette dough is adapted from Dorie Greenspans "Baking with Julia". The presence of Cornmeal in the dough is one of the ingredient which gives a wonderful crunchy feel and makes the dough easy to work with. Apples are one of my favourite and it when paired with almonds give a heavenly feeling. This galette is worth any special occasion.

This post is my contribution to Sugar High Friday - Fruit & Nut, an event hosted by Mansi of Fun & Food Blog.

This recipe is partially adapted from myrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

1 Recipe Galette dough
1/4 cup marzipan, softened
4 medium sized apples. sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Dash of salt
1/4 cup Sliced almonds, some to drizzle on top

Method:
Preheat oven to 425°F (220° C) .

Roll the galette dough to a 14-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough on prepared pan. Roll marzipan to a 9-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place marzipan on top of dough.

Combine apple, sugar, flour, almond extract, sliced almonds, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl; toss well. Spoon apple mixture over marzipan. Fold 2-inch dough border over the apple mixture, pressing gently to seal (dough will only partially cover apple mixture). Drizzle sliced almonds on top and bake at 425°F (220°C) for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. (apple filling may leak slightly during cooking).

Have a great week!

Strawberry Mousse & Blogs First Anniversary!

This is the most exciting moment to share with you all. Its been exactly a year since i started this blog, the day i posted my First post! Its my "Blog Anniversay". Wow, time has just flew! This one whole year has been such a wonderful year for me, got space for myself (Thanks to "Blogger") where i could share all my kitchen experiences, had a chance to join "The Daring Bakers" and learned so much from them ALL ABOUT BAKING, got to meet other friend food bloggers, made wonderful friends! I had never spent so much time for myself as much as i did for this blog. Changing the look, the templates, editing posts, adding new widgets.. Finally after one whole year of repair, i've settled with the present look! Guess many more changes to come in the coming years..
As such i've no cakes or candles to celebrate this day, but i've made this wonderful dessert to sweeten all your tastebuds. Thanks to my readers for being with me and for all your support. Love you all!
And now for the dessert i was talking about.. "Strawberry Mousse". This is a very simple yet delicious dessert. Egg less but no less flavorful and rich. Its made out of just few ingredients and the result is outstanding. Gelatin provides the base structure to hold the mousse; whipped cream provides the airiness. Its got the grainy and sandy texture and feel and i promise, it'll just melt in your mouth. This dessert will definitely tickle your taste buds!! Its Yummy!



This post is my contribution to Strawberry Feast, an event hosted by happy cook of My Kitchen Treasures.

Serves 4
Source: Diana's Desserts.

Ingredients:
1 small container (approximately 8 ounces/250 grams) fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled and cut into halves
1/2 cup granulated sugar + more according to your taste
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
1 cups heavy cream, whipped

Garnish (optional):
Extra whole strawberries
Whipped cream or non-dairy whipped topping
Mint sprigs

Instructions:

Place the strawberries in a medium saucepan, add the sugar and water and cook over medium–low heat. Stir gently until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the strawberries are soft and the liquid syrupy. Process the strawberry mixture and gelatin in a food processor until smooth. Set aside to cool.

Fold through the cream. Pour into 4 (1/2 cup) serving glasses or cups and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set.

Garnish each serving with a dollop of whipped cream or non-dairy whipped topping, a strawberry and a mint sprig, if desired.

Enjoy and have a great day!

Other Mousse Recipes; 3 layered Chocolate Mousse