POTATO FRITTERS OR ALU PAKODA

This is a perfect snack to eat with hot tea or a rainy afternoon.

Ingredients

2 potatoes cut into discs, immersed in water
Oil for deep frying

For batter
11/2 cups gram flour or besan
1/2 tsp carom seeds or ajwain
Pinch asafoetida
1 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp green chilli paste
1/2 tsp chilli powder
Salt as per taste
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup fenugreek leaves chopped
1/2 cup water to make batter

Method

Mix all the ingredients for the batter and make a semi thick batter
Coat the potato slices with batter on both sides.
Heat a shallow pan , add oil and when it is hot fry the potato slices until golden brown.
Remove with slotted spoon.
Sprinkle with chaat masala and serve it hot.
Serve with coriander chutney.

CHICKEN RUB

This is a rub for chicken when you grill the chicken.

Piri-Piri
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp chilli powder
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
salt as per taste
1 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp lemon peel
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp hot sauce

Tabil
1/4 cup coriander seed
2 tbsp cumin seed
1 tbsp caraway seed
2 tbsp chilli flakes
2 tsp garlic powder
roast all the above and grind to fine powder

Divide chicken pieces into 2 large resealable plastic bags. Divide the marinade into both bags and seal. Turn the chicken around in the bags to distribute the marinade. Place chicken in the refrigerator and let it marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Remove chicken from bags with tongs and drain well. Place on grill, skin side down first, and grill for about 15 minutes on each side turning occasionally until cooked through.

COCONUT CHUTNEY

Ingredients

1 cup coconut grated
1/2 cup chana dal , roasted
2 green chillies chopped
1 cup water to blend
2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
salt to taste
1/2 tsp urad dal
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
2 dry chilli
4 curry leaves
1 tsp coconut oil

Method

Blend coconut, chana dal, chilli, salt and water to smooth paste.
Add coriander leaves and blend again .
Transfer to a bowl and keep aside
Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan, add urad dal, mustard seeds, dry chilli, curry leaves.
Once it splutters , remove and pour over chutney and serve.

JEERA ALU

Ingredients
3 boiled potatoes,  diced into small pieces
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tbsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp amchoor powder
1 inch ginger finely chopped
1 tsp salt
2 green chillies chopped
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon

Method
Heat a non-stick frying pan . Heat the oil over medium high heat.
Add cumin, asafoetida, turmeric, amchoor  powder .  Let the seeds splutter.
Add onion and ginger, Cook and add potatoes and salt.
 Mix well until potatoes are done.
Add chillies, coriander and lemon juice.
Mix well.

EGG SALAD WRAP

Ingredients

4 eggs
4 cup chopped romaine lettuce
3/4 cup chopped cucumber
3 radishes thinly sliced
1 green onion finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
4 large whole wheat tortillas
4 slice cheddar cheese

Method

In a saucepam cover eggs with 1 inch water. Bring it to a boil, remove from heat .
Cover and let it stand for 12 mins.
Drain eggs and run in cold water until cool. Peel and slice.
In a bowl , whisk oil, vinegar, mustard.  Add lettuce, cucumber, radishes and green onions.
Place 1 slice cheddar cheese on centre of each tortilla, top it with egg slices and place lettuce mixture on top, roll it up in plastic wrap or foil.

TOMATO AND CHICKPEA SALAD

This salad is a great make ahead lunch. If you don't like the texture of refrigerated tomatoes , set them aside until you're ready to eat.This mixture makes an ideal filling for a pita or wrap.

Ingredients

1 cup boiled chickpeas 
3/4 cup cucumber diced
3/4 cup carrot diced
1 green onion finely chopped
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic finely chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp pepper powder
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tomatoes chopped

Method

In a bowl, whisk vinegar, oil, garlic and pepper.
Add chickpeas, carrot, cucumber, green onion and feta cheese, stir to combine.
Divide in 2 air tight containers. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before eating . Then add chopped tomatoes.

Eggless Dates Cake

My Kids don't eat Dates . I was searching for some cake recipes and found this one. I baked this cake and my kids did'nt know that it was made out of dates. They loved to eat the cake till the last bite. 

Ingredients
1 cup Flour or Maida
18 Dates 
3/4 cup Milk
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar 
1/2 cup Oil 
1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp walnuts

Method
Soak dates with litttle milk and  set aside to make it soft. 
In a mixing bowl , add sugar, milk and oil, stir until sugar completely dissolves. Keep aside.
Sieve flour with baking soda twice so that baking soda is evenly distributed and keep aside.
Grind the dates to a fine paste. Add the dates paste to milk sugar mixture and mix well.
Now add flour and mix well so the flour blends well with the dates mixture.
Add the chopped walnuts and give a quick stir.
Preheat oven at 350 F (170 deg C) for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile grease the pan with oil and little flour then add the prepared batter.
Bake the cake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes (check after 30 minutes then proceed accordingly)
Check by inserting a knife or fork at the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean the your cake is done.
Cool down the cake completely on a wire rack and then cut into slices.
Enjoy the cake!

Notes

You can reduce the oil quantity to 1/4 cup for low cal version,I have even tried like that and the cake was still moist and yummy.

You can even sprinkle some chopped walnuts or cashew nuts over the batter before baking which gives the look of a brownie.

The colour of the cake depends on the quality of dates you use,if you use regular ones it might be brown in colour and if you add good quality dark dates it would come extreme dark chocolate colour.

You can even use regular dates with seeds but for that you need to soak the dates in milk overnight in the refrigerator.Remove the seeds and proceed with the same recipe.