Easy & Healthy Carrot Cake Recipe - How to make carrot cake

Carrot cake is a delicious cake full of grated carrots, walnuts, cinnamon and choco chips.

Here, I have cooked a healthier version with no maida /all purpose flour. I have used vegetable oil instead of butter.

Ingredients

• wheat flour 2  cups
• brown Sugar(or white sugar) 1/2 tsp 
• baking powder 1.5 tsp
• salt 1/2 tsp
• cinnamon powder

• eggs 4 or 3
• vegetable Oil (or any flavourless oil)1 cup
• walnuts chopped 100g
• carrot grated 1/2 cup
• chocolate chips

Method

Mix all the dry ingredients - Flour,  baking powder, salt and cinnamon together.

Beat eggs well until frothy.

Add sugar little by little and beat till sugar dissolves.

Then slowly add 1 cup of oil and beat it well.

Fold in flour gently.

Then mix in grated carrot, chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 180 degree C or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Basic Custard

Fruit custard is a thick and creamy dessert, loaded with fruits. It is very kids friendly as you can make the kids eat milk, eggs and fruits in a go.

Ingredients:

1. Egg 2 (optional)

2. Milk 2.5 cups

3. Custard Powder 2 tbsp

4. Vanilla essence  1 drop

5. Sugar 4 tbsp (or more as required)

Method:

1. Beat eggs, adding sugar, till fluffy.

2. Add little milk to the custard powder and make a fine paste without any lumps.

3. Start boiling milk, by constantly stirring,

4. Now add in the eggs, again stirring. 

5. Add the drop of vanilla essence.

6. Slowly add the custard paste.

7. Continue stirring till the custard is thick.

8. Allow to cool and refrigerate.

9. Enjoy with your favourite fruits.

Pazham Nirachathu/ Stuffed Banana

Pazham nirachathu is a very tasty snack from the Malabar Cuisine. It is the best fit if you are searching for a quick, simple, nutritious, healthy, kids friendly dish.

Ingredients:

1. Ripe plantains 2
2. Coconut 3/4 cup
3. Sugar  3tbsp
4. Cashews, broken 1 tbsp
5. Cardamom powder a pinch
6. Raisins
7. All purpose flour 2 tbsp
8. Oil/ Ghee

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a pan. Melt the sugar completely. Now add coconut, cashews and raisins. Mix and saute well for few mins (2-3).
2. Cut the bananas half and make 3 slits without reaching the ends. Optionally, you can do this with the full bananas.
3. Fill in the coconut cashew mixture into the slits.
4. Make a paste with the All purpose flour, sugar and salt.
5. Stick up the slits with the paste.
6. Fry in oil.
7. Enjoy with your evening tea.

Mixed Vegetable Dosa

.Ingredients:

1. Dosa Batter 1 cup
2. Mixed vegetables 1/2 cup - I used carrot, cabbage, shallots, coriander leaves (Tomato, capsicum are good options)
3. Ghee/Oil

Method:

Chop the vegetables coarsely. Now grind them well to form a smooth mixture. Add to dosa batter and mix well. Add enough salt. Heat tawa, spread oil and spread the dosa mixture and sim for a minute. Flip and let it cook for a minute. Enjoy with chutneys or tomato sauce.

Original Recipe

Royal Falooda

Ingredients:

Vanilla Icecream
Milk
Rooh Afza
Kaskas/poppy seeds
Cooked semolina
Fruits

Method:

Cook semiya in milk.
Soak kaskas 10 mins before cooking, drain and keep aside.
Blend Rooh afza and milk.
Cut the fruits as you cut it for a fruit salad.
Keep everything cool till the time everything is mixed. You can even prepare the ingredients beforehand and mix them when needed.

Mixing..

Take a long glass or ice cream bowl.
Add the drained kaskas first.
Now add the cooked semiya. You get falooda semiya in the market.
Add fruits.
Add rooh afza milk.
Scoop vanilla ice cream on top.
Enjoy

Note :-
You can add jellies, nuts or any other if your favorite ingredient and make your falooda more yummier and colorful. 

Madakku Dosha / Love Letter / Coconut Crepe

Madakku dosha always bring me memories about my hostel days. We used to get this as snack during our tea times. We used to call it "garbhini doshas" , (pregnant doshas :-)) . It is a really simple recipe and goes well in your breakfasts or as a snack with tea/coffee.

INGREDIENTS

All Purpose Flour 2 cup

Milk 1/2 cup

Water 1/2 cup

Egg 1 large

Butter melted 2 tbsp

Salt -  a pinch
Grated Coconut 1/2 cup

Sugar/Melted Jaggery  1/2 cup

Cardamom Powder 1/2 tsp

Cashew Nuts  6-7 pieces

Raisins  1 tbsp

Salt a pinch

METHOD 

Heat ghee in a pan. 

Roast cashew, raisins in the pan followed by grated coconut.

Add the sugar/melted jaggery, stir continuously.

On medium low heat, make it into a thick sticky filling. 

Remove from heat and stir in the cardamom powder. Keep it aside.

This forms the filling.

Whisk together the all purpose flour and the egg in a large mixing bowl.
Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine and make a dosa like batter.
 Also add butter and salt.

 Heat a non-stick frying pan. Pour the batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly.

Cook the crepe  and remove from heat.

Once the crepes are cool, put the filling in the center of each crepe and roll it .

Pazham Pori / Plantain Fritters

Pazham pori is one of the common snack in any Kerala househod. It is made from ripe plantain , called ethappazham. It is one of the easiest and yummies snack to have in your evenings with a cup of tea.

INGREDIENTS

Ripe banana 3
Flour 1 cup
Gram Flour - Kadala mavu  1/4 cup
Salt - small pinch
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Oil

METHOD

Peel the bananas and cut them thin lengthwise. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and add some water. Mix and make a thick batter. Dip the bananas well in the batter and coat it.  Heat oil in a pan kadai and add the bananas one by one. Fry both sides well. 

Apple Bread Pudding

So the break is over. I am back. Even though I had few saved pictures in my computer I dint feel like blogging for some time. I have started taking pics through my husband's Blackberry. Lets see how it goes.
I had been craving for some kind of pudding for some time. I usually make caramel custard. But I wanted something different this time. Also wanted it to be easy. Came across this yummylicious recipe from A Good Apetite.























I have made my adaptations. Here you go:

3 - 4 c 1/2-inch bread cubes (I used wheat bread)
2 apples, peeled, cored & diced
2 eggs
1/2 tin (or lesser) condensed milk loosened by adding 1/4 cup water.
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
salt


Mix the bread cubes & diced apples together.
Place in baking tray.
Beat the eggs. Whisk in the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon,  & a pinch of salt. Stir in loosened condensed milk.
Pour the egg mixture evenly over the apple bread mixture. Use a spoon to press the bread down into the mixture to soak it in. Let sit for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Sprinkle a little cinnamon & sugar on the top . Bake for 60 minutes until they are golden brown & the custard has set. Eat it warm/after cooling, as you like it. Tastes best when cooled.


I had baked only for 45 minutes or so. Original recipe calls for 60mins baking.

Do try it out. Very simple & yummy.

Mango Milk Shake

It is summer, it is hot and it is the time of sweet mangoes...
Mango milk shake is very refreshing, nutritious and filling.
It is very simple and can be made instantly.

Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

1.Fresh ripe mangoes 2
2.Milk 1 cup
3.Condensed milk(optional) 2Tbsp
4.Sugar as needed
5.Ice cubes few


Method:

Peel the mangoes and get the pulp
Blend all ingredients together.
Serve chilled as such or with vanilla icecream scoop.


I am sending this to the Healing foods event hosted by Reva of KaraSaaram & Siri of cookingwithsiri

http://www.kaarasaaram.com/search/label/Events
http://www.cookingwithsiri.com/p/healing-foods-event-page.html

Eggless Banana Bread - Easter Special

Soft, moist, yummy, simple..cant stop praising this wonderful recipe.
It is the first bread recipe I ever tried. I am not a cake/bread fan because I always have a feeling they are unhealthy. But now that I tried this one, I simply cant stop making  it whenever I can.
It came out very well and I don't even want to try any other bread.

  

Ingredients:

1.All purpose flour/Maida 1 cup
2.Wheat Flour 1/2 cup
3.Bananas 3 Ripe
4.Baking Soda 1 tsp
5.Butter 1/3 cup
6.Cardamom 1/2 tsp
7.Vanilla Essence 1tsp
8.Salt a pinch
9.Milk 2 tsp


Method

Pre heat oven to 175 c. Mash bananas.
Melt butter and mix with the bananas.
Add sugar, vanilla essence, milk, baking soda and mix.
Add flour and mix.
Bake for 40-45 mins or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
Serve hot  with tea and love.

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL ..

Milky Melon - to cool off this summer !!

Ingredients


Water Melon 2 cups
Milk maid 1/4 cup (or more as required)
Water 2 cups
Sugar (add if needed)


Method


Remove the seeds and grind the melon to smaller pieces.Chill in freezer. Blend all ingredients together to make a thick shake.  Put some ground melon pieces on top if you prefer.
It is super simple and kids are going to love this.

Fruit Custard

 Ingredients


Fruit Juice(Any fruit, I used grape) -  4 cups
Corn Flour 6tbsp
Sugar 11/4 cup
Salt 1/4 pinch

Method
Keep aside 1/2 cup juice.
Keep a thick bottom pan in stove and  boil the rest of the juice with continuous stirring.
Add salt and sugar and dissolve them well.
Dissolve the corn flour in the kept aside juice, without any lumps.
Add cornflour mix to the juice in the stove.
Lower the flame and stir well, until the custard thickens.
Switch Off after the custard has thickened.
Transfer to little moulds once cooled.
Sprinkle some sugar granules over each.
Allow to cool and refrigerate for 4 hrs.
Flip off the custard in serving dish.
The custard assumes the shape of the mould, so be sure to keep in cute li'll bowls.

Recipe Courtesy: Dr.Lakshmy Nair in MagicOven

Simple chocolate pudding

Ingredients:

 Milk            1.5 cups

Cornflour     1tbsp

Cocoa powder   1.5 tbsp

Sugar   3tbsp

Method:

Mix all ingredients together.

Heat it with continous stirring to avoid any lumps.

Once thick , allow to cool.

Pour in wet moulds and refrigerate.

Decorate with your favourite dressing

Recipe Source:

NDTV cooks

Eggless Dates Cake

This is my first successful cake. I am so happy it turned out so well and tasted simply superb.
Do try this out. I am sure you wont be disappointed. The recipe is from Aayis recipes. It is an excellent recipe for beginner bakers.

Ingredients:

18 Dates
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour 
1/2 cup oil
1 tea spn baking soda
Cashews


Method:
Remove the seeds from dates.
Heat it  along with milk so that dates become soft.
Add sugar and grind them to a smooth paste.
 Add oil and mix.
Mix together flour and baking soda.
Add the flour one table spoon at a time and mix slowly. 
Add the nuts and mix.
Preheat the oven at 350F.
 Bake the cake in a greased oven proof dish for 35-40min (or till a knife inserted in the cake comes out clean).

Carrot Beetroot Halwa

Ingredients:

1.Carrot  - 250g

2.Beetroot - 250g

3.Sugar - 200g

4.Milk - 3/4 lr

5.Ghee - 4 tbsp

6.Cashew - 10 or as required

7.Cardamom - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Wash carrots & beetroots well. Peel skin and grate them thin.

Add this to milk and sugar in a pan with continuous stirring.

Stir till all the milk has dried out ad halwa starts sticking to the pan.

Roast cashews in ghee add it along with the ghee to the halwa.

Stir well and transfer to the serving dish.

Eat either warm or cold.

This  is an excellent combo with Vanilla Icecream. Again you can give this to your sweet tooths who hates to eat carrot/beetroot  otherwise.

MultiPudding -Pudding with biscuit & bread

Ingredients:


Arrow Root Biscuit - 5
Bread 3 slices (cut off the sides)
Instant Coffee Powder 1 dsp
Peanut Toffee (kapalandi mittayi - keralites know it better). If not available you can add crushed peanut/cashew etc - be sure it is coarsly ground.
Butter/ Ghee 1 tbsp
Sugar 1 tbsp
Milk 1/4 cup
Egg - 1
Sugar 2 tbsp
Milkmaid 1/4 tin
Method:
Soak coffee powder in some water and soak biscuits in it. Spread some butter in the pudding dish (steel,which can be steamed). Spread the soaked biscuits in the dish. Now add the ground peanuts and 2 tbsp sugar over this. Soak bread in milk and spread it evenly above this.  Mix the rest of the milk, sugar and beaten egg and pour it over the bread mixture. Spread it evenly with the bottom of a spoon. Steam the dish , well  covered for 15 -20 minutes. Refrigerate after cooling.

Source:
Vanitha magazine

Notes:
It would be better if you double the ingredients. You get a thicker pudding.
This is an easy and yummy recipe you can make quickly with simple ingredients.
Again you can satisfy you sweet tooths @ home.

Scrambled eggs with Mushrooms

Ingredients:
1.Eggs 4
2.Tomato 1 large
3.Milk mushrooms 100gms
4.Green Chillies 4
5.Shallots 4
6.Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
7.Coriander leaves 1/2 bunch
8.Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
9.Pepper & Chilly powder - to taste
10.Coconut oil 2tbsp
11.Salt to taste
Method
Splutter mustard seeds in a pan
Add shallots & saute for few mins till they turn light brown.
Add tomato, ginger garlic paste and saute for few more mins,till tomato is mashed up.
Add the mushrooms cuts into small pieces.
Now add the powders and finally the finely chopped coriander leaves
Cook well covered for 15 minutes.
Stir well and cook uncovered , till all the water formed has dried up.
Serve hot with rice/chappatis

Source:
Adapted from Chackos kitchen


Notes
The original recipe use button mushrooms. I have used the milky ones since the former wasnt available. This is a nutritious food and  very good for kids. Do try it with your fussy eaters.

Chicken 65

Ingredients:

1. Boneless chicken 1/2 Kg (small cubes)

2.Corn flour 2 tbsp

3.Maida (All purpose flour) 1 tbsp

4.Yogurt 2 tbsp

5.Soya sauce 2 tsp

6.Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp

7.Red Chilly Powder 2 tsp

8.Hot Chilly Powder 1 tsp

9. Garam Masala Powder - Freshly grounded 1/2 tsp

10.Lemon Juice 1 tsp

11.Egg 1 

12.Vinegar 1/2 tsp

13.Salt -to taste

14.Oil - As required

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together all ingredients and marinate the chicken pieces with this.Refrigerate for 2-3 hrs.

Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the chicken pieces until they turn reddish brown and are very crispy.

Garnish with fried green chillies,curry leaves,onions & coriander leaves.

Chemmeen Ada (Prawns Ada)

Meen Kayam (Fish Masala for frying prawns)

Ingredients:

1.Chilly Powder - 2 tbsp

2.Turmeric Powder - 1.5 tsp

3.Ginger - 1 small piece

4.Garlic pods - 4-5

5.Fennel Seeds - 1 dsp

6.Salt

7.Coconut vinegar

Preparation of Meen Kayam

Grind together all 7 ingredients well 

Chemmen Pathiri

Ingredients

1. Prawns - 1/2 Kg

2. Coconut Oil - 1.5 tbsp

3.Onion - 3 medium sized

4.Coriander leaves - few

5.Curry leaves- few

6.Ginger - 1medium sized

7.Garlic pods - 4

8. Green chilly - 2

9. Grounded fennel seeds powder - 1 dessert spoon

10.Garam masala powder- 1 dessert spoon

11.Pepper Powder 1 dessert spoon

12.Salt

Preparation of Prawns masala

1.Addthe meen kayam to prawns in a pan & saute well. 

2.Now add 1/2-3/4 cup  water and  cook in low flame for few minutes.

3.Saute in between and let the meen kayam mix absorb into prawns, until water is dried.

4. When water is absorbed, add 1.5 tbsp coconut oil. Saute well

and let it fry lightly. Slgihtly mash the prawns.

5.Now keep aside the prawns fry.

6.Saute sliced onion, in oil, in a pan. When it turns to brownish, add mashed garlic, green chillies, ginger,minced curry leaves and coriander leaves. Saute well. Add more oil  if required.

7.Add fennel seeds powder, pepper powder, garam masala powder.

8.Saute well until the raw smell goes.

9.Now add the fried prawns to the mixture. Mix well.

For Ada

1. Rice Powder 11/4 -1.5 cups

2. Water - same qnty as rice powder.

3.Salt

4.Coconut milk 1/4 cup

Preparation 

Prepare the dough the same way as you do for Idiyappam .

While mixing the dough use coconut milk instead of water for better taste.

When dough is ready, make a ball ( larger than lemon sized).

 Roll it flat using a rolling pin/pathiri press to form  a palm sized disc.

 Fill it with prawns masala and  fold it so the disc is closed as shown in the picture.

Press the edges firmly  so that ada is closed all through the edge.

Repeat the same for the remaining dough.

Steam the adas in a steamer  with/without plantain leaves covering the adas.

Cook for 7-10 minutes.

Serve when cooled.

Source:

Amrita TV taste of kerala for prawns masala preparation.

Caramel Custard

I had cooked caramel custard using a different recipe, with simpler ingredients. But I feel this recipe is much better . It has come out well this time. Though the edges are not really smooth, the inside was perfect.

This is an excellent recipe for beginners. Satisfaction guaranteed !

Ingredients

1. Eggs - 4

2. Milk - 500 ml ,2.5 - 3 cups

3. Condensed milk - 1 tin

4. Sugar - 3 dessert spoon (for caramelising)

5. Vanilla Essence - 2 drops

6. Corn Flour - 2 tbsp

7. Ghee

Preparation

1. Beat eggs well . Use an egg beater preferably. Else make sure it is foamed well.

2. Boil and cool milk. Take a little of this and dissolve cornflour to make a paste.Now add this paste to the rest of the milk.

3. Mix all  together . Add vanilla essence.

4. Now add condensed milk and mix everything well.

For caramel:

Put the sugar in a pan and heat it with continuous stirring. 

Continue till the sugar dissolves and it turns golden brown.

Now add little water and continue stirring.

5. Spread a little ghee in the dish (so that pudding comes off easily as you transfer it )and pour the caramel into this.

6. Pour the pudding mixture into this and cover it with aluminium foil.

7.Keep the dish in pressure cooker with 2 glasses of water. Put the weight and cook in lowest flame for 15 mins.

8. Let it stay in cooker for another 30 mins.

9. Keep in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

Source : Marias Menu