Bread upma /savory bread pudding with chickpea-vegan recipe

This is one of our favorite ways to eat bread ,especially if it's gone dry or a little stale.Here I have added chickpea to the dish for a boost of protein. The recipe is simple, you can add more or less spices or vegetables as per your taste and preference .



Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings for breakfast

• Bread :  6  (we use brown bread so the color may vary if in case white bread is used)
• garbanzo beans/chickpea:1/2 cup
• Onion :1 large
• tomato -one large 
• carrot- 1 grated 
• green chilies - 4
• curry leaves -a few
• turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• red chili powder-1/2 tsp
• tomato ketchup- 2 tbs
• salt as per taste
• oil-1 tsp
• mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
• cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
• walnuts -few to garnish(optional)
• coriander to garnish

Method:

1. Start by heating a pan on medium high,add mustard seeds let crackle,add cumin seeds and curry leaves
2. next add onions ,green chilies and a little salt,saute for a few minutes.
3. once the onions are cooked well add the turmeric and red chili powder,let the spices cook for a couple of minutes and then add tomato,cook until mushy
4. add the grated carrot and mix in everything well.
5. add in the beans and also add about 2-3 tbs of water to make everything come together. 
6. mix in the ketchup 
7. cut the bread into bite size pieces or shred them by hands and add to the mixture .
8. incorporate everything and check for seasoning ,keep in mind that bread already has salt.
9. garnish with walnuts and coriander leaves 

This can be enjoyed with an evening cup of tea or can be had as a healthy breakfast along side with eggs or just coffee.

Thank you for visiting!

Spinach pizza with sundried tomatoes

Spinach pesto topped with sundried tomatoes on a thin crust, what a killer combination!. A simple yet delicious recipe,low in fat and high in nutrition, don't know if the word pizza can get any healthier. The recipe is divided into two steps, first being the preparation of spinach pesto which can also be accompanied with pastas and sandwiches. The authentic recipe calls for pine nuts and Parmesan cheese, feel free to add or omit as per your liking.

Ingredients for spinach pesto

• Frozen Spinach -2 cups Thawed
• Part skim mozzarella cheese-2 tbs shredded
• Walnuts-1/4 cup
• Olive oil-2tsp
• Dry Basil -2 tsp.(use fresh leafs if available )
• Garlic -2 cloves
• Salt and black pepper-adjust to taste

Method

• Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and make a fine paste.
• Store in an airtight container and refrigerate .stays fresh up-to a week.

Ingredients for the pizza

• Pizza dough -medium size (for a homemade low fat recipe click-pizza-dough-recipe)Ingredients for pizza
• Spinach pesto-3-4 tbs
• Sundried tomatoes -few for topping
• Olive oil- 1 tsp for brushing the crust
• Feta cheese or parmesan-2 tbsp

Method

• Preheat the oven on broil
• Using a rolling pin roll out the dough thin enough to resemble a roti
• Spread pesto on the base leaving half an inch gap along the corners,as shown here .
• Arrange the tomatoes ,the brand I used here is Traders Joe's julienne style in olive oil .
• Sprinkle cheese and bake on broil for the first 5 mins .
• Bake on 350f for next 20 mins or until cheese is bubbly .
• Pull out of the oven and brush the crust with olive oil .
• Slice out and serve 

Reduce the calories further by using fat free feta cheese ,also these make perfect frozen dinner.hope you try out this recipe .


Thank you for visiting my blog !

Homemade Frozen pizza recipe

Not in the mood to bake ?but would love to have a pizza, that's the exact same way i feel sometimes.Don't worry here is a recipe to rescue the night.One can prepare this par cooked pizza ahead of time and freeze just until needed,great for fixing a dinner under 30 mins .

Ingredients :

• medium size pizza dough(for a low fat homemade recipe click-pizza dough)
• part skimmed mozzarella cheese -handful or as per preference  
• 1 chicken Brest cubed and cooked or toppings of your choice 
• marinara sauce or pizza sauce -1/4cup  
• 2 tsp olive oil 
• corn meal 1tsp



Bake not more than 10 mins

• salt as per taste 

Directions :

• Preheat  oven at 365F. Line a tray with foil or parchment paper.
• Place the dough on  work surface and start shaping the pizza .
•  brush the crust thoroughly with a little oil and transfer it to the tray sprinkled with some corn meal .
• par-bake this crust for 10 mins.take out and let cool completely.   
• Once cool spread sauce evenly on the crust .Don't put too much of sauce as it will make the pizza soggy.
• once the sauce is evenly coating the crust, top up with cooked chicken or toppings of your choice.
• Sprinkle cheese on top  and the pizza is ready to hibernate  .
• Flash freeze this for first 30 mins without any cover in the freezer section .
• Take it out and very important now is to wrap the pizza with stretch tight plastic wrap so as its covered properly without any gaps.If there are gaps in between the chances of freezer burns are more.Use vacuum sealing if you have one .
• Mark the date and freeze the pizza until required ,lasts up to a month.

• When ready to bake turn the oven to broil. Bake the pizza directly out of the freezer for first 5 mins on broil.
• Reduce the temperature to 375 F and bake for 20 min or till the crust looks golden brown and the sauce is bubbly.
• Let cool and slice out .

 The taste of the batch shown above was so fresh that there was no clue it was frozen ,if you don't believe me you have to try this recipe out .Healthy , affordable and not to forget delicious compared to the once that you see in the frozen section of your departmental store,so go ahead  try this recipe and let me how it turns out!

Thank you for visiting my blog !

Appam recipe

Hello friends!
Appam is a traditional dish mostly served with sweetened coconut milk in the southern part of India ,for those who have never had the opportunity to experience Indian cuisine this dish can be summed up as rice pancake served with coconut syrup.Delicious is the word for it ....just melts in your mouth ! .So lets see how to prepare this delicacy .


Ingredient list

• Idli rice -2 cups 
• jasmine rice -1 cup,cooked
• coconut grated - 1/4 cup
• yeast-1/4 tsp
• sugar-1tbs
• salt -as per taste

 The recipe is very simple only that the prep time has an eight hour fermentation stage ,so if one is planning to have Appams for morning then batter should be prepared the previous night .   


Recipe:

• Soak the Idli rice for about 4 hours   
• Grind together the soaked rice ,the cooked rice and grated coconut with a little water to make a smooth paste 
• Mix in sugar and yeast and let ferment in a warm place
• Add salt -note we don't add salt in the previous stage because it would demote the fermentation process .
• check for the consistency ,if the batter is too thick then add water little by little .
• Heat a griddle until fumy then reduce heat to medium .
• Scoop a ladle full of the mixture and pour in the center of the hot griddle 
• Holding the handle of the griddle start rotating so that the batter spreads over the surface area .
• cover with a lid and let cook for a minute.there is no need to flip the appams.
• serve with either sweetened coconut milk or chutney of your choice

This particular recipe is  close to my heart because my granny used to make them when i was a little kid ,although she is long gone these Appams are doing a great  job in refreshing all of  my taste buds with flavors from childhood .I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as i do .Here is a Quick Video tutorial  for the above recipe 

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Walnut and Banana loaf cake

hello friends!
 Craving for a dessert?try out this simple, no butter (yes none at all) loaf cake recipe that is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth and at the same time goes easy on your diet .
  Banana and walnut are one of the perfect combinations that can be categories as comfort food .Follow the recipe below for a great tasting healthy treat.



      Ingredient list:
      will make one loaf

• wheat flour: 2 cups( I used whole weat flour)
• eggs : 1
• walnuts:1/4 cup
• banana :2 no.
• Milk    :1/4 cups
• vanilla essence :1tsp
• baking powder:1tsp
• baking soda:1/2 tsp
• agave or sugar :1/4 cup
• oil :1 tsp or cooking spray for greasing the tray

     Recipe:

• Step1- preheat the oven at 375f
• Step2-grease the loaf pan with cooking spray  
• step 3-Blend the wet ingrdients to a paste,if using sugar then blend it too.

• Step 4-measure out flour in a bowl ,add baking power and baking soda .
• Step 5 - pour the wet mix in the bowl and fold in well ,don't over work the batter .If the batter feels stiff use some more milk
• Step 6- add the 1/4 cup of walnut
• Step 7- bake for 30min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

The batter should be light and fluffy which ensure a soft and supple cake .Trick here is correct measurements ,if too much moister is added then the cake will be sloppy-and if too dry then the cake will be stiff -believe me when I say that ,coz I've had it all !
I don't like to add butter or oil in this recipe because the smooth paste of banana and egg imparts the much desired spongy texture to the cake, making it just melt in the mouth.
Walnuts are a good source of omega 3 and contain the good fats although one can always substitute it with nuts of their choice,feel free to experiment .Once I baked this loaf cake with choco chip and it turned out yummy.
The batter can also be poured into muffin pan which is a easy snack to go.This loaf cake is one of our favorite things to pack on an outing ,they stay fresh up-to 2 days if refrigerated.
I hope that you found this recipe helpful and interesting enough to give a try .
Thank you for visiting my blog.

CHICKEN PIZZA RECIPE

Hello guys
It's pizza time.Presenting the perfect T.V dinner fresh out of your oven !.As always, this too is an endeavor by greenhouse cuisine on low fat recipes,so grab your glasses, sit back and enjoy this delicious low fat pizza on a weekend ,watching your favorite show, "without feeling guilty".Lets get it started.

Ingredients:
will make one medium size pizza

• Medium size pizza dough  (for a home made low fat pizza dough recipe follow the link: pizza dough)
• part skimmed mozzarella cheese -1/8part of 8oz pack shredded 
• 1 chicken Brest  
• marinara sauce or pizza sauce -1/4cup 
• half an onion -sliced 
• Italian seasoning ,fresh or dried -1tsp
• 2 tsp olive oil 
• corn meal 1tsp
• salt as per taste 

 The quantities of above ingredients totally depends on the taste ,feel free to add or omit items as per your choice .One important thing i want to mention here is that the taste of your pizza depends directly to the sauce ,I use marinara because it has an extra punch to it ,i also have a low fat pizza sauce recipe that i will post later, but if one wants to keep it real quick then a good brand store bought sauce is the best option .Follow the diagrams step by step for the recipe given below:

• Place the dough on a work surface and start shaping the pizza ,if using a store bought crust then skip this step.
• Drop a tsp of olive oil in the center and brush  crust thoroughly , transfer the dough on a baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal .
• Dice and cook the chicken well in a non stick pan adding herb and salt as per taste  
• Shred the cheese and slice the onions lengthwise
• Spread the 1/4 cup sauce evenly on the oiled crust taking care at the ends, use more sauce if you want a juicer version  .
• once the sauce is evenly coating the crust, top up with chicken and onions
• Sprinkle cheese ,remember a little goes a long way  .
• Preheat oven on broil. Bake the pizza for first 5 mins on broil.
• Reduce the temperature to 375 F and bake for 20 min or till the crust looks golden brown .
• Let cool and slice out .

The one shown above had a really crispy outside and chewy inside.Remember, crunchiness of the crust depends directly on the oven temperature and the amount of oil used ,although only 2 tsp oil was used in the whole preparation, it was distributed evenly over the surface area, so make sure to brush,brush and brush the crust throughly . I hope that you found this recipe useful .Thank you for visiting my blog - now listen closely , someone's calling! it's the baker inside you!Go try this recipe out and enjoy!

Pizza dough recipe

Hi 

Everyone!

"Healthy pizza"sounds oxymoron right?but here is an attempt to make pizza from scratch  using very little fat .Lets start with the dough for crust .Following are the ingredients required for making two medium size pizza crusts 

• whole wheat flour :1 1/2 cup
• all purpose flour: 1 1/2 cup+extra for dusting
• water:1 1/2 cup( flour to water ratio - 2 : 1 )
• yeast:1pac or 1 tsp
• salt :2 tsp 
• sugar :1 tsp
• olive oil :1tsp

Making a dough can be tricky because their is no ideal water to flour ratio.Believe me,many a times in past I have pulled out pizza crust that look like rooftops,but remember patience and persistence is the key here.Follow the collage for step by step instructions.

• start by dissolving 1tsp yeast in 3tbs lukewarm water with 1 tsp sugar  .
• keep aside till foamy in a warm place 
• take a bowl and measure the flour, add salt .Now mix the yeast and remaining water
• cover this very sticky dough with a towel and let rest for an hour in a very warm place 
• An hour later the dough should double in size (proof)resembling picture (5)  if it fails to do so leave for another 30 min in a much warmer place.
• deflate the dough and start dusting to obtain a thicker consistency 
• transfer the dough to working area and start kneading with hands using dry flour 
• knead for few minutes folding the dough in until a nice shiny texture is obtained as in pic(8)coat with oil.
• cover the dough with a towel if you are going to use it  right away,if not then zip lock and refrigerate.  

Here is a quick video tutorial :

     This recipe is just a basic idea of a crust one can always experiment.I have tried it in 100%whole wheat which turned out well .Often i make the dough in advance for the weekend coz it freezes just perfect also saves a lot of prep time.I hope that this recipe was helpful and informative .
Thank you for visiting my blog!

  Follow the link for"chicken pizza recipe" and "veggie pizza recipe"

Smoothie

Hello friends

The climate has been super sunny  for the past few days which means super cool smoothies are back in season.Healthy and refreshing , smoothie is the best way to keep our bodies hydrated but some store bought ones can seriously shoot up the sugar level and have lots of artificial flavoring .This recipe is an attempt to make a lighter version of the entire nations favorite summer drink-Fruit Smoothie 

Makes two Tall glass 

Ingredients:

blueberries :            1/4 cup

Strawberry :            1/2 cup

banana :                  1 

milk :                       1 cup

vanilla essence :       1/2 tsp

agave/honey /sugar :as per taste 

One can easily add or omit  fruits as per preference but remember some fruits ,citrus in particular don't go well with milk .The sweeting part also is totally up to one's taste.In this recipe i have used agave nectar because it is very low in GI ,you can substitute with honey or any other sweetener or none at all.

Recipe:

1)slice the bananas and strawberries and place in the blender

2)add blueberries ,chilled milk and vanilla

3) pulse on and off till well blended

4)add the required amount of sweetener

5)pour in a tall glass 

for the topping on glass

6)slit a strawberry on the end and fix it on the rim of glass 

7)serve chilled 

The milk used here is fat free ,as I earlier mentioned this is a lighter version but you don't have to be paranoid like me use whole milk if you wish that will make the smoothie even more tasty ,also I cheated with the blueberries and banana both were frozen but they tasted none the less .I hope that you enjoy and try this recipe out, to beat the heat off -all summer long!

thank you for visiting my blog 

spinach flat bread

   Hi friends!

I'm back with a new recipe,Spinach flat bread which is commonly know as palak parantha is a famous north Indian main course dish , often served with fresh cream or butter .Here is an attempt to make the meal a little healthier by avoiding that extra fat, feel free to alter as per your taste .Following is the recipe :

INGREDIENTS
(Makes approximately ten to 12 parantha )

•  whole wheat flour - 3 cups
•  spinach cooked - 1 cup
•  water - 1/4 cup
•  turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp (adjust according to taste)
•  red chili powder - 1/2 tsp (,,)
• carom seeds -       1 tsp cumin seeds can be substituted

METHOD : 

step 1: wash and drain the spinach ,If u are using frozen spinach then skip the first two step.

step 2: boil the spinach with 1/4 cup of water for not more than a minutes because its going to cook later on       the griddle 

step3:wait for the above to cool down in the meantime measure out the flour in a bowl and add the carom or cumin seed 

step 4:once cool blend the spinach with salt and the spices to make a coarse paste.

step 5:make a well in the center of the bowl and pour the mixture into the flour 

step 6: knead the dough until a firm texture is obtain ,use more water if required adding very little at a time 

step 7:divide the dough into portions the size you want your bread to turn out .  

step8: with the help of both your palm make balls out of the dough and roll them out (tip:dip the parantha balls in dry flour occasionally while rolling out to prevent sticking to the rolling board)

step9: heat a griddle and flip them with very little oil until golden    brown 

step10: best served hot with chutney or ketchup

Enjoy

The dough can be refrigerated upto 3 to 4 days ,also the parantha itself can be frozen.

thank you for visiting my blog !

BAKED SPRING ROLLS

     Are you in search of an appetizer that strikes perfect balance between taste and health ,well then your search ends here. These spring roll turned out so tasty that once out of oven vanished  in no time .  I bought  sheets for spring rolls about a month ago for  preparing"samosa",but that day never came and the idea of it faded ,so decided to do something much lighter ,and eureka!

RECIPE FOR BAKED SPRING ROLLS 

makes 8 rolls

INGREDIENTS :

onions           : 1/2 medium size

greens (can be any, i used curled mustard):1 cup

mushroom     : 1/2 cup

carrots          : 1/4 cup

sweet corn    : 1/4 cup

green peas    : 1/4 cup

soy sauce     :  2 tbs

oil                : 1 tbs + 1tbs for brushing the sheets         

Thai chili paste :can be adjusted to taste 

salt to taste 

spring rolls sheet :8 

METHOD

1.chop and dice veggies except peas and corn

2.heat a pan on medium add the onions and saute for a few minutes 

3.add 1 tbs of the soy sauce ,it helps tenderize the onions 

4.now add the carrots ,peas and corn saute for few more minutes 

5.add the greens,mushroom and remaining soy sauce reduce heat ,season with salt and Thai chili paste .

6.turn off the heat when greens start to shrink up.

7. divide this mixture into 8 parts and roll up in sheets

8.brush the rolls with 1 tsp oil and line up on a baking tray ,i use foil on tray to avoid cleaning up later .

9.bake in a preheated oven at 350 F ,or until golden brown,mine took about 20 min,take care and turn the rolls every 10 min or so ,to avoid burnt rolls .

10.Best serve hot with ketchup and green sauce 

One can even add meat but should make sure that the meat is either minced or shredded properly to cook through out  .Enjoy these very crispy and light rolls with steaming hot cup of tea or with any of your Favorite drink,go on give these babies a try!

 Wishing  all 

"BON APPETIT" 

BROWN RICE-VERY VERY SOUTH INDIAN RECIPES!

BROWN RICE ADAI/ CREEPS 

Hi friends
Today i want to share with u some of  my experiments with brown rice that turned out really well.I'm not going to bore u with the nutritional value of brown rice and bla bla ...decided to do that later in the blog ,so first thing first : presenting
"THE RECIPES" hubby survived



Perfect for breakfast ,crisp and healthy!
follow the recipe to trick ur loved once to eat brown rice :
Ingredients:
brown rice                1 cup
green mung               1/2 cup
yellow split peas        1/2 cup
red chillies                  2 pcs
fennel seeds(Saunf,sombu) few 
salt  as per taste .


Method  :
1.measure 1:1:2 ratio of green mung,yellow split peas and brown rice respectively  ,wash throughly .
2.soak rice and lentils overnight in 4 cups of water with red chillies and fennel seed .
3.make a fine paste of the above in a blender .Add salt according to taste .
4.use a ladle to pour mixture on a lightly greased hot griddle and flip if needed,note here adai batter doesn't need fermentation as dosa,so we can make creeps right away!
5. Serve with any chutney 

One can experiment with varying  the measures and also by adding new lentils ,i have tried with green split peas that gives it a green color ,adding grated carrots gives an orange and lightly sweet creep ,so try it and enjoy !

RECIPE #2

BROWN RICE PONGAL 

Here is a foolproof recipe that u will sure enjoy .

Ingredients  :
brown rice              1 cup
green mung             1/4 cup
cumin seeds            1 tsp
peppercorn             1 tsp
green chili               1
turmeric                  1/2 tsp
ginger                     1/2 inc"
curry leaves             few
salt                       as per taste
Asafoetida             1/4 tsp and oil  1 tsp
water                      3 cups




METHOD  :
1.Wash the rice and mung and set aside(note here as the brown rice takes relatively longer time to cook than the other rice its good if the mung and rice are soaked overnight or for 4 hours minimum.

2. Heat a pressure cooker and add 1 tsp oil add the cumin,peppercorn and curry leaves as soon as the pepper stars to pop add turmeric ,ginger and chili .


3. Add the washed rice and mung along with 3 cups water


4.just as the water starts to bubble add Asafoetida  and salt ,give it a good mix .

                     5.Close the lid and let whistle for 10 times (yes 10 ! )




      6.Serve with ur favorite chutney ,Its goes well with all but we like it with tomato chutney the best : ) !.
So friends i will keep adding more as my experiments keep rolling , till then :

      BON APPETIT!!!