Bread Pizza

Bread Pizza is perhaps the all time favourite and super hit snack/lunch/dinner for kids and adults (who just love pizza, like me 😉 ). Bread pizzas satiate your craving for pizza when you don’t have enough time to make your own pizza dough. You can make this Bread Pizza with your choice of toppings. You just need a loaf of white bread, pizza/pasta sauce, butter, cheese and your choice of vegetables. It is a really easy recipe and tastes awesome! Both my angels (daughters) love bread pizza preferring it over the regular one from the pizza shop. In fact they request (more like demand) this bread pizza every fortnight 😀 .

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Medu Vada

Medu Vada is a South Indian fritter made from urad dal (split skinned black gram). It is a doughnut shaped fritter with a crispy exterior and a fluffy-soft interior. Medu means soft and vada means round fritter. People mostly  enjoy Medu vada with Sambhar and Coconut Chutney; and some enjoy with Idli or Masala Dosa as well. But I love these delicious Medu  vadas on their own, or sometimes with coconut chutney and coffee!

Sabudana Khichdi

Tapioca pearls (commonly called ‘sabudana/sago‘ in India) are a very good source of carbohydrates. Most people in India eat sabudana on fasting days (as a vrat staple). But nowadays people enjoy various sabudana dishes in breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner.

Masala Dosa

Dosa is another gem coming from South Indian cuisine with an equally strong standing in rest of Indian states. For all my global friends, Dosa is essentially a rice and lentil fermented crepe. Masala Dosa is simply the filling based version of the plain Dosa. Dosa/Masala Dosa is best enjoyed with Sambhar and Coconut chutney – made perfectly, the combination is a bliss for any food lover !

Pav Bhaji

Before I start talking about today’s recipe, I would like to take this moment to say a heartfelt thanks to each and everyone who have inspired me for this blog till date – today’s recipe marks my 100^th blog post, a significant milestone for me which would not have been possible in this short time frame (just shy of 5 months) without the love and support of all you guys. Let’s celebrate this occasion with the Indian street food gem, the very famous scrumptious Pav Bhaji. The highlight of this recipe is that, I have made this pav bhaji without using the pav bhaji masala…Yes 🙂 …and the taste is just awesome !!

Broccoli Stem Parantha

Broccoli is a very nutritional vegetables, full of many essential vitamins, minerals and low in calories. However today I have used the stems (Danthal in hindi) of Broccoli, which generally goes in the bin, to make Broccoli Stem Parantha.  I am sure my previous dishes using Broccoli (Broccoli Parantha, and Broccoli Kofta Curry) would have at least made clear its rich nutritional value. Apart from these 2 recipes, I also make a Broccoli dry curry on a regular basis in my home ( I will post the recipe soon 🙂 )

Aloo Bonda / Aloo Chop (Potato Fritters)

Aloo Bonda or Aloo Chop/Aloo Chaap is a deep fried, crispy, savoury appetiser made with spicy potato mix and coated with chickpea flour (“Besan” in Hindi) batter. For all my friends, Aloo is the Hindi name for Potato,  and Bonda in colloquial Hindi could be designated as Fritter. This potato fritter is also packaged as the famous “Vada Pav” in Mumbai/Western India, with the pav (bun/bread). Last but not the least, this potato fritter is known as “Aloo Chaap/Aloo Chop” in Kolkata/Eastern India.

Palak Pakore (Spinach Fritters)

Continuing our mutual enjoyment of this wonderful winter 😉 , I am now presenting my next set of Pakoras – Palak Pakora (Spinach Fritters). Palak Pakora is also a very easy, quick recipe which can be prepared in just 15-20 minutes – just perfect as the tea time snack in this weather.

Moong Daal Pakode

One of the best ways for me to enjoy the chilling weather is to devour some good heavy/fatty food; and being a true Indian, Pakoras (Fritters) are always high on my winter quick-to-do list 🙂 My thinking also has a traditional angle – Marwadi households (from the state of Rajasthan) usually observe a month in winter, mid Dec-mid Jan, wherein they prepare and consume fried foods for religious reasons. Hence in order to satiate my own desire and also to be on the right side of our tradition, I am today presenting one of favourite pakore- the awesome Moong Daal Pakore.

Rajasthani Mirchi Bada

Here I come with another of childhood favourite straight from the lovely land of Rajasthan – Mirchi Bada. In fact to be precise, this is Jodhpur speciality (Jodhpur is a much known city in the state of Rajasthan); it is known popularly that you can’t get that delicious Mirchi Bada/Vada any were else – hence it is also famous as Jodhpuri Mirchi Bada. In a nutshell, Mirchi Bada is a real lip-smacking snack which is made up of big green chillies/jalapeños (Mirchi is the Hindi word for Chilli). A spicy flavoursome potato filling is stuffed in the chillies and covering the chillies as well ; and finally covering with a smooth batter made from chickpea flour (Besan).

Dabeli

Getting back to my love for Indian street food, I present to all another spicy and delicious snack – Dabeli. Dabeli comes from the Western region (Kutch to be exact) of India, precisely from the Kutch region in the state of Gujarat. I however tasted this delicacy in Maharashtra for the 1st time. My husband also recalls that he and his friends did use to enjoy Dabeli during his college days in Pune. The key ingredient in Dabeli is the specific masala, which I have prepared myself at home. Though it is readily available in Indian grocery stores, I tried it at home so that I could experiment with the taste. I can easily and confidently say that once you make it at home, you would not want to buy the readymade one ever again 😉

Avocado Parantha

The super-food Avocado is mostly eaten plain, in salads, as a dip (most famous one is Guacamole) or in the form of shakes. But today I have given this amazing fruit an Indian twist – I have made Avocado Parantha😊. Obviously it is super-healthy, one that satisfies the Indian palate, and defintely a great way to add avocado in our meals. You can even give this as a lunchbox to the kids as the Parantha remains soft and good nutrients will get consumed without any significant effort.

Spinach/Palak Thepla (Spinach thin Indian flat bread)

Its breakfast time again 🙂 and I present another healthy Indian flat bread made with Spinach. This flat bread is called “thepla” (in the local dialect of the Western Indiuan state of Gujarat) and is a very healthy option for all times – breakfast, lunch or dinner. Thepla originates from the state of Gujarat, and can be termed similar to Paranthas. The main difference is that thepla is thin, with its dough kneaded with spices and yogurt while Parantha is comparatively thicker and its dough is kneaded with water without any spices.

Fluffy French Toast

I know this would have triggered the thought that this is a regular food and nothing special. Behold my friends – this is not your regular French toast but Fluffy French toast uses flour, has a different taste than the regular one, and is ideal for a great breakfast as it has egg, bread and fruits rolled into one.

Yogurt (Dahi) Sandwich

Yes, it’s breakfast time once again 😉 and today’s healthy start of the day is Yogurt (Dahi in Hindi) Sandwich. I am sure all of us would have had sandwiches of some shape/form. I am also certain that all my fellow kitchen cooks would have surely done experiments on the basic sandwich as per taste/requirement. Keeping alive the streak of innovation, I am today presenting a light, healthy and refreshing sandwich involving Yogurt. Needless to say, the inclusion of some of my favourite vegetables and yogurt makes this a real good start to a lovely day (Amen!). It is also a real quickie in terms of its preparation, thus making it ideal for breakfast/snack.

Khasta Kachori

Being from Rajasthan (a state in Western India), I simply cannot afford not to post / talk about Khasta Kachori 🙂 I will be honest and straightforward in saying that Khasta Kachori is the top snack for most people from Rajasthan (in particular those from Bikaner, like me). The concept of Khasta Kachori as a snack definitely goes for a toss in my city/state as this is even favoured for breakfast ! My husband, though not born in Rajasthan, definitely like his Kachoris for breakfast, with his cup of tea.

Spinach Flat Bread (Palak Parantha)

Yes, I understand that even though I go on saying healthy eating/lifestyle, I tend to come back with Indian dishes which are more of carbohydrates 🙂 In my defence, I would say that the mantra to a healthy lifestyle is eating a balanced diet, of which carbohydrates are an essential building block!!

Oats Omelette

At least for me it is a daily challenge to feed my 2.5 year old fussy angel a meal that she would love to eat; at the moment, she seem to have real sweet tooth, just like her father. Furthermore, I have to give her variety in her meals while not compromising the nutritional aspect. On these experimental lines, I have today made a twist to the simple omelette by adding oats, and have delivered it to my daughter’s plate in different shapes. And yes, she finished it quickly and happily 🙂

Potato Parantha (Indian Flat bread stuffed with spicy potato filling)

Now, this is another form of carbohydrates that we Indians just love to have. One can safely assume that Parantha is prepared/eaten in every Indian household. Aloo Parantha is one such variation to the simple Parantha, and comes with a spiced-up potato filling. For all my friends/readers, Aloo is the Hindi term for Potato. North of India is famous for churning out a lot of such variations of Parantha – Aloo Parantha, Gobhi (Cauliflower) Parantha, Palak (Spinach) Parantha, Paneer (Cottage Cheese) Parantha, Muli (Radish) Parantha, and so on.

Samosa : the king of Indian Snack

 

Samosa can safely be termed as an ubiquitous , sort of favourite Indian snack – and I am no different than my fellow Indians 🙂 We Indians can have a samosa any time during the day – morning breakfast, mid-morning/evening snack, or for that matter in lunch/dinner in extreme cases of having no other options.

Stuffed Broccoli Parantha (Indian Flat bread with stuffed broccoli)

Broccoli is a very healthy vegetable and one that is full of nutrition. But broccoli is still trying to find its place in Indian kitchen due to its different taste and a slightly pungent smell. Most of us (Indians) seem to be oblivious to the place of Broccoli in our modern diet. Broccoli is rich in many essential vitamins and minerals, and is also very low in calories. It is a great source of vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6), Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc in addition to fiber, folate, and lutein.

Upma : Dry roasted Semolina Savory Halwa

Upma is a regular breakfast dish in my  household. Undoubtedly it is an healthy, quick and easy recipe. I have now made it in many different ways but today I am presenting the post on the basic/original upma with the touch of Turmeric (haldi).

Healthy Baked Poha

Poha came into my breakfast life from my marriage. I know and accept that Poha in its original form itself is a light and healthy. But I got really bored eating the regular Poha twice a week that I desperately wanted to experiment. And then I came across this super-healthy recipe.