MJ Delights

Green Apple & Oats Smoothie

Posted March 28, 2013 By Maria John

Smoothies are always one of the best options for breakfast as its filling and at the same time healthy too. This gives a wonderful creamy texture which can be made with any seasonal fruit. I’m sure even the kids will love this.

Ingredients:

Green Apple – 2,
Cooked Oats – 1/2 Cup
Yogurt – 1/2 Cup
Milk – 1 Cup
Sugar/Honey – 2 tsp

How to Prepare:

Wash, peel and cut the green apple roughly. Blend it along with oats, yogurt, milk and sugar until smooth. Serve immediately.

Notes:

You can also use any variety of Apples for this smoothie. Make sure you serve immediately otherwise the colour of the smoothie changes if you keep it for long.
If you feel the smoothie is too thick add a little milk to get required consistency.
You can also replace sugar with honey for a healthier option.

10 Comments so far. Join the Conversation

Maria John posted on April 19, 2013
Hey Nilu, Thanks! I am sure your son will love it... :)
Nilu A posted on April 18, 2013
Wow! This is really yummy Maria... My son will surely love it :-)

Filed in Beverages, Breakfast Recipes, Healthy Recipes, Kids Corner | Tagged: apple smoothie, breakfast ideas, Smoothie

Onion Uttappam with Coconut Chutney

Posted March 18, 2013 By Maria John

It’s been a while now since my last post. Guess what? We were in our hometown – Bangalore to celebrate our little champ’s 1^st Birthday Party. We had a fun filled vacation in our hometown and a wonderful birthday bash with family and friends. Taking a little time to settle down from the journey, I’m back now with some interesting recipes which I learnt from my Mom-in-law. I will try and share them in short time.

Coming to the recipe, this was in my draft for a long time. Finally, the day has come to share it with you all. This is a very simple recipe which I make it sometimes to give a change in taste. My family is a big fan of dosas and we enjoy even if it is made thrice a week. Onion Uttappam is my recent favorite because the texture and taste. This goes very well with coconut chutney, chutney powder and sambar.

Ingredients:

Dosa Batter as required
Large Onion – 1 diced,
Oil/Ghee

How to Prepare:

Dice onions and set aside.
Heat a flat griddle and smear little oil. Pour a ladle of dosa batter and do not spread over. Uttapam should be thick. Add the chopped onions on the dosa and drizzle oil or ghee. Cover and cook few seconds till golden brown.
Flip over and press slightly so that the onions get well roasted. Take off from the griddle and serve hot with coconut chutney/sambar/chutney powder.

Coconut Chtuney

Ingredients:

Coconut – 1/2 cup(sliced)
Split Gram – 2 tsp
Green Chilli – 6
Onion – 1, small
Garlic Pods – 2
Water – as needed
Salt to Taste

How to Prepare:

Put all the ingredients in the blender and make a little coarse mixture not too smooth. Transfer this to a bowl.

For Tempering:

Heat 1 tsp of oil and crackle mustard seeds and curry leaves. Pour this on the chutney and mix well.

Notes:

You can also sprinkle little chutney powder on the uttappam before adding onions. This tastes great. May be you can skip this when preparing for kids.
For coconut chutney, tempering is totally optional. This just gives an added flavor. It tastes good without tempering too.

4 Comments so far. Join the Conversation

Nilu A posted on April 5, 2013
Thanks for sharing the recipe... It looks super easy and delicious... :-)
matheikal posted on March 22, 2013
Well, mouth watering...

Filed in Breakfast Recipes | Tagged: Breakfast, Dosa, Onion Uttapam

Shahi Tukra/Shahi Tukda

Posted February 5, 2013 By Maria John

Valentine’s Day is approaching in next few days and I’m sure most of you have already planned surprises for your loved ones or may be still planning. Valentine’s Day is a special occasion which delights everyone. During this occasion most of them exchange gifts with their loved ones and plan out few dinners outside as well as at home. If you are one among those who have planned out for a time to have supper together or to spend some time during evening snacks then this will go JUST RIGHT FOR YOU.

Shahi Tukda is a very rich and delicious Hyderabadi dessert recipe. This dessert recipe is quite easy and can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. I made this dessert last Sunday and honestly we just loved it..!!

Ingredients:

Bread – 4 Slices
Milk – 2 cups
Almond & Pista – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1/4 cup
Water – 1/4 cup
Safforn – 4 to 5 strands (soaked in warm milk)
Ghee – as needed

How to Prepare:

In a sauce pan add milk and bring it to a boil until the milk becomes thick and half the quantity. Add the chopped almonds, pista & soaked saffron. Set this aside. This is called Rabdi.
Trim off the brown edges from the bread slices and make shapes as you like. I have used heart shape cookie cutter to make these. You can cut each bread slices into 4 triangles.
Drizzle a generous amount of ghee in a pan & toast the bread until deep golden brown.
In another pan add sugar & water. Allow the sugar to dissolve completely. Once done let the syrup boil until 4-5 minutes and turn off the heat. Keep aside.
Dip each bread slice in the sugar syrup coating it both the sides and transfer to the serving dish.
Just before serving pour the chilled saffron favoured milk on top of the bread slices. Garnish with the chopped almonds and pistas.

This is going for ‘Sweet Luv 2013 Event’ hosted by CooksJoy, Spotlight Event hosted by Cuisine Delights.

5 Comments so far. Join the Conversation

Funwidfud posted on February 16, 2013
Delicious treat...Looks yum..
M Anto posted on February 8, 2013
Super pics! Nice one...

Filed in Festive Recipes, Sweets & Desserts | Tagged: Bread, dessert, sewwts

Peas Pulav

Posted February 1, 2013 By Maria John

I try to make some flavored rice to pair up with non-veg dishes during weekends. This not only makes my cooking easy but also saves time. Today, I’m going to share one such quick yet tasty recipe which my little family enjoys the most. I love these fresh green peas more than the frozen peas. I try to use maximum of it when this season starts.

Peas Pulav is a colourful and an inviting dish which goes very well with any kind of gravy. So, if you love green peas then try this recipe.

Ingredients:

Rice – 1 cup
Fresh Peas – 3/4 cup
Oil – 2.5 tbsp
Ginger Garlic Paste – 2 tbsp
Onion – 1, sliced
Green Chilli – 2, slit
Water – 2 cups

Whole spices:

Bay Leaves – 2
Cloves – 3
Cinnamon – 1 stick
Cardamom – 2

How to Prepare:

Wash and soak rice for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the whole spices. When they start to crackle add the sliced onions and sauté until transparent.
Now, add the green chillies and ginger garlic paste and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until the raw smell disappears. Add the green peas and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add water, salt and soaked rice. Cover the lid and pressure cook for up to 2 whistles.
Serve hot with any gravy or even with just curd raitha.

Notes:

I have used normal rice. You can also use basmati rice for this recipe.
You can also use frozen peas if fresh peas is not available.
The cooking time or number of whistles depends on the cooker & rice you use, so adjust the time of cooking accordingly.

This goes ‘Spotlight Event-Valentine Treat’ hosted by Cuisine Delights

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Filed in Vegetarian Recipes | Tagged: Green Peas, Peas, Peas Pulao, Peas Pulav, Pulao, Pulav

Carrot & Sweet Corn Soup

Posted January 30, 2013 By Maria John

Soups are healthy and one of the most comforting foods during winter season. I generally get ready soup packets available in the market. But this time I thought I would give a try at home using some fresh vegetables. I had some fresh carrots and corn kernels, so I quickly made this soup and we relished the taste. The best part is even my little one enjoyed having a few spoons of this soup. So enjoy this simple soup…

Ingredients:

Sweet Corn Kernels – 1/4 cup
Carrot – 1, medium
Bay Leaf – 1
Onion – 1, small
Garlic Pods – 2
Butter – 1 tsp
Oil – 1/4 tsp
Pepper Powder – as needed
Salt to Taste

How to Prepare:

Boil corn kernels and carrot slices until soft. When done blend it coarsely. Reserve the water/stock in which the carrot and corn was boiled.
Heat butter & oil in a pan. Add bay leaf, chopped garlic and chopped onions. Sauté until the onions are transparent and the garlic aroma rises.
Add the pureed corn kernels and carrot, salt and mix well to combine. Add the reserved stock if the puree is too thick. Allow it to boil for a minute or two.
Remove from flame. Sprinkle pepper powder and serve hot.

Linking this for ‘ New ‘U’ event – hosted by Cooks Joy

This goes for ‘ Bon Vivant #11 – Healthy Appetite’ hosted by Sumee’s Culinary Bites

2 Comments so far. Join the Conversation

Sanoli Ghosh posted on February 1, 2013
OMG! so colourful and fingerlicking soup....yummy. today's recipe: http://sanolisrecipies.blogspot.in/2013/02/green-peas-kachori-with-spicy-dam-aloo.html
Chandrani posted on February 1, 2013
Very colorful and yummy soup. Cuisine Delights My Monthly Event - Spotlight Valentine's Treat: ""

Filed in Soup Recipes | Tagged: carrot & corn soup, carrot soup, Soups

Tomato Egg Masala

Posted January 21, 2013 By Maria John

Do you love eggs? We are big fan of eggs, be it boiled or fried. Eggs are an excellent source of choline and protein. These are also a good source of Vitamin D, Folate & Calcium. Eggs are on my weekly menu and I make it at least twice in a week. So let’s get to know about the recipe.

Tomato Egg Masala is something which goes very well with Indian flat breads or any rotis. This tasty and yummy dish is my all-time favourite. And, now even my hubby has joined me to team up. I love the texture and the gorgeous colour of the yolks surrounded by egg whites & tangy tomato masala.

Ingredients:

Boiled Egg – 2
Onio – 2, large (finely diced)
Tomatoes – 4, finely chopped
Oil – 2 tbsp
Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
Curry Leaves – Few
Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder – 1.5 tbsp (adjust)
Cumin Powder – 1/2 tsp
Salt to Taste

How to Prepare:

Heat oil in a kadai, splutter the mustard seeds & curry leaves.
Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 2 – 3 minutes until the raw smell disappears. Now, add the finely diced onions and sauté until transparent. Ensure that you don’t brown the onions.
Then, add chilli powder and cumin powder. Saute for a minute.
Add the finely chopped tomatoes and mix to combine. Add salt and cook covered until fat separates from the sides. Check for the seasoning and if the tomatoes are cooked. When done garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with any Indian bread/rotis.