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.

Kerala Style Quail Roast / Nadan Kada Roast

Quails are definitely a healthier alternative to chicken. There is even a famous saying in Kerala which goes like this,

"Aayiram kozhikku ara kada" .. meaning..1/2 a Quail is equal to 1000 chickens

Ingredients:

1. Quail 4 average sized
2. Onion 2 (If you replace with shallots it will be tastier)
3. Ginger chopped 4tsp
4. Garlic chopped 8tsp
5. Coriander powder 3tsp
6. Kashmiri chilly powder 4tsp
7. Green chillies 4
8. Tomato 1
9. Curry leaves few
10. Coriander leaves 3-4 strans
11. Garam Masala powder 1 tsp

Marinate:

1. Ginger 1 small piece
2. Garlic 3 pods
3. Coriander leaves, chopped fine - few
4. Salt
5. Pepper 1/2 tsp
6. Garam masala -1/4 tsp
7. Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
8. Kashmiri chilly powder 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Make a paste with all the ingredients for marination. Apply well over the cleaned quails.
         I have used the whole quails here. If you prefer you can cut them small.
    Keep aside for atleast for 30 mins;
2. Cook the quails in pressure cooker, as you cook a chicken. Allow 2 whistles. If there is water, boil it off       and let the chicken absorb everything.
3. Saute onions till golden fry. Add salt as it helps the onions to get sauted fast
4. Add ginger, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves, one by one, sauting in between.
5. Add chopped tomato and saute well for 2 mins.
6. Add 1/2 of the coriander leaves.
7. Add coriander powder, chilly powder and garam masala powder.
8. Add the quails and saute them well so that all the masalas get coated over the quails.
9. Roast it well for 10 mins.
10. Garnish with the remaining coriander leaves.
11. Enjoy with hot rice, appam or bread.

Thakkali Curry / Easy Tomato Curry

The Tomato curry is the easiest of easy curries in Kerala Cuisine. This is a great tasting dish that comes first comes to our mind when we are in a hurry. Also, it is a regular at our home when we are short of vegetables.
All you need are some fresh tomatoes, onion, curry leaves and green chillies. Adding few coriander leaves will get you a herby flavour. But this is truly optional

Ingredients:

1. Tomato 3 medium sized
2. Onion   1 medium sized sliced
3. Green Chillies 4
4. Curry leaves 1 strand
5. Salt
6. Oil

Method:

1. Cut tomatoes into pieces each.
2, Heat oil in a pan and add sliced onions. Saute well.
3, When the onions are transparent, add green chilies, curry leaves and salt.
4. After 2 mins, add tomatoes, saute well.
5. When tomatoes start mashing down, cook them covered in low flame for 4 - 5 mins.
6. Saute it well and get the tomatoes mashed down completely.
7. You can add little water, if you prefer it in loose consistency.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Carrot Pomegranate Juice

Ingredients:

Pomegranate 1
Carrot 2
Tomato 1/ tbsp of Lemon juice
Honey 1 tsp (optional)
Sugar - as per your taste

Method:

Peel pomegranate to extract the juicy beads.
Blend this in your mixie with some water for some time just right enough so that the seeds are not blended. Take special care of this step.
Keep this aside.
Blend all the remaining ingredients well and add it to the prepared pomegranate juice.
Serve chilled or at room temperature.

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 ..

Mathi Ilayil Pollichathu (Sardine Fish in Banana Leaf wraps)

Ingredients

Sardines 10
Shallots crushed 2 cups
Ginger crushed 2 1/4 tbsp
Coconut milk 1/4 cup
Banana Leaves (shown over fire so that it is easier to wrap up,doesnt tear off) 5
Salt
Coconut Oil
Curry leaves 3 springs

For Masala

Red Chilly Powder 1 tsp
Coriander Poder 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp
Pepper Powder 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek Powder 1 dsp
Ginger garlic Paste 1/2 tsp
Vinegar 1/2 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp

Preparation

Clean Sardines and make slits lengthwise
Make a paste of the masala ingredients and coat 2/3 of marinade thoroughly and keep aside for 15 mints
Fry the sardines slightly on medium heat, till they are half cooked.
After all sardines are done, in the same pan, add some more oil and saute shallots, ginger, and curry leaves.
Once they are sauted well, add the 1/3 of marinade and saute again.
When raw smell gone add thick coconut milk, boil and simmer.

Once the mixture is dry, switch off.
Take a banana leaf, add a small amount of the mixture and put 2 sardines over it.
Pour some more mixture over it and wrap up the banana leaves with the thin strand you get from the banana leaf itself
Repeat the same for the rest of the fish.
Now heat some oil, preferably in a manchatty , and let it cook for some time on both sides.
Serve hot with rice. Or eat it as such..
Sorry it dint last for me to click the final picture..I too was digging myself inside the banana leaf...

Easy Apple Crumble

I am a beginner baker. And I recently came across this recipe. It is simple, different and very delicious.
The recipe is from Nags cooking and me.I blindly followed her recipe for the crumble.
Here is the Original recipe.
Nags Apple Crumble with vanilla custard sauce
Btw, I dint get time to make the sauce. Maybe I will try next time..
 This is the simplest way you can make apple crumble. Go ahead, try it.

Ingredients:

Apples - 500gm (about 2-3 medium-sized apples)

Wheat flour / atta - 1 cup

Salted butter - 100gm + a bit for greasing

Sugar - 2tbsp + 2 tbsp

Salt - a pinch

Lemon juice - a few drops (optional)

Cinnamom stick - 1 (optional)

Method:

1. Wash peel and chop the apples. Add a few drops of lemon juice to prevent browning. Mix in 2tbsp sugar and cook on a low fire until soft and mushy. Set aside to cool.

2. Mix salt and 2tbsp sugar with the flour. Lightly mix in the butter without kneading until you get a mixture that resembles bread crumbs.

3. Grease a pie dish/cake tray with butter. Lay the cooked apples evenly. Add the flour mixture evenly on top and press down gently. Sprinkle sugar on top.

4. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 25-30 mins.

Kerala Sambar

Ingredients:
Thuvara parippu(Toor Dal) 1/2 cup
Mixed vegetables cut into small pieces
(I’ve added 1 potato,1 carrot,1 drumstick,,1 small brinjal,4 okra,1 tomato ,Ash gourd,snake gourd ,and a few pumpkin pieces)
Green chillies slit -2
Tamarind - 1 gooseberry sized
Astofeida(kayam) - I use the solid astofeida. (Cut a small piece and fry for some time in coconut oil. Grind it and add it as last step. Optionally you can use small pinch of powdered version. But the former gives more taste)
Sambar powder - 3tbsp
Coconut Oil
Coriander leaves
Mustard Seeds 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves 1 spring
Red Chillies 3
Onion finely chopped 1/2 small


Method
Cook the dal in pressure cooker .
Soak tamarind in warm water for some time and squeeze out the extract and keep aside.
Cook all vegetables together except okra and tomato .
In a pan saute the above 2 using a little oil as they need very less cooking time.
When vegetables are cooked, add them into the cooked dal, also add okra and tomatoes.
Add salt and tamarind
Now add sambar powder and check for salt and taste.
Add some coriander leaves.
Let it boil until your desired consistency. Add astofeida at this point. This will melt away into the sambar.
Switch off after 2 minutes.

For Seasoning
Saute finely chopped onion and keep aside
Season mustard and fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and red chillies
Add sauted onion and seasoning slowly over the sambar. Garnish with some coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice/dosas

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).

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.

Carrot Cashew Milk Shake

Ingredients

1.Carrot - 4
2.Milk - 500 ml
3.Sugar
4.Cashew nuts - 6

Preparation
Make a fine paste of cashew nuts and keep aside.
Cut carrot to small pieces and cook it using 1 cup milk and some water. 2/3 whistles in pressure cooker.
Boil the rest of the milk by the time and let everything cool.
Blend all well , adding cashew nuts as well.
Adjust the sugar and consistency according to your taste.
Serve cold.

Notes
Almonds can also be used for the milk shake, instead of cashew nuts.

Mutta marichathu/Kaya Pola (Egg & Plantain Cake)

This one is a sweet dish, especially during the Ramadan season. It is very easy to cook and very nutritious. Its a good evening snack to give for kids.

Ingredients

1.Ripe Plantains - 2

2.Eggs - 4

3.Sugar - 8 tbsp

4.Crushed Cardomom - 5-6 nos

5.Ghee - 1-2 tbsp

6.Cashew Nuts - 9 (broken)

7.Raisins - 1 tbsp or more

Preparation

1.Cut the plantains lengthwise and cut them into small cubes.

2.Fry them in ghee in a medium sized sauce pan, till golden brownish colour comes(here & there).

3.Fry cashew till brownish, after removing the plantains.

4.Fry raisins also till golden brown.

5.Beat the eggs well along with sugar and powdered  cardamom.

6.Transfer the plantains, cashews & raisins into the beaten egg and stir it until spreads evenly.

7.Now transfer the mixture into the same pan and cook in lowest flame.

8.Cover with a proper fitting lid.

9.Cook until the top part is set. It should take around 10-15 mins. You can see it first rises well and then sets back

10.Transfer this to another plate and serve hot or warm with tea.

Notes

Take care not to burn the lower part of cake , cook in low flame only. It is better to keep watching while it gets cooked.