Mixed Berry Gratin

I like berries like Strawberry and Blueberry are my favorites, but this time I wanted to make something will all the berries and keep it light and simple and as usual keep it healthy.

This is a simple dessert recipe and eat at anytime. It is a healthy and satisfies your sweet tooth too.

Ingredients:
-----------
1/2 cup Strawberries cut into 4 quaters
1/2 cup Blueberries
1/2 cup Blackberries
1/2 cup Raspberries
2 tbsp All-Purpose flour
1 Egg
1/2 cup Slivered Almonds, roasted
1/4 Cup Sugar or Honey
1 pinch Salt
2 tbsp Butter


Method:
---------
1. Pre-heat oven to 350F
2. Grease a Pie plate or a Grating dish with cooking spray or butter and spread all the berries evenly.
3. In a blender add blend the almonds to a powder.
4. To the almonds add the egg, sugar/Honey, butter, AP flour, salt and blend it again
5. Now pour this mixture on top of the berries and bake it for about 50 to 60 mins.
6. Serve this warm with your choice of Ice cream or Whipped cream or you can eat as it is.

Green Moong Dal Poori with Potato Subji

Today I am feeling like eating something deep fried, may be a poori with my favorite Potato. Is is possible for me to eat healthy when I am deep frying something?? hmm....good question. Ok I thought why not try to add some healthy stuff into the deep frying concept. This is how I came up with this recipe - Moong Dal Poori. Does it sound unusual? Definitely Not!! you guys should try this ...this wonderful and puffs up better than the normal poori :-)

GREEN MOONG DAL POORI RECIPE

--------------------------------------------

Ingredients:

------------

1/2 cup Split Green Moong Dal

2 1/2 cups Wheat Flour or Atta

1 Green Chilli

1/4 inch Ginger

Salt

Water as needed

Oil for deep frying

Method:

---------

1. Wash and soak split green moong dal in water for about 3-4 hours. 

2. Grind the dal with green chilli, salt and ginger (Note: no need to add water, but add the water in which the dal was kept to soak)

3. In a bowl take the wheat flour and mix with the dal mixture and kneat it to a firm dough. (just like you make the regular poori dough)

4. In a kadai add oil and wait until it's medium high hot. (around 350F)

5. Make small lemon size balls and roll to rounds as pooris.

6. Make poori one by one. (Note: when u put the rolled out poori into the oil, and when it rises to the top press with a spoon lightly so that it will puff up and then turn it to the other side. This will make good poori's)

ALOO (Potato) SABJI

-------------------------

Ingredients:

-----------

3 medium sized red skin potato's (boiled, peeled and mashed but with little chunks)

2 medium sized Onions sliced

3 medium sized Tomatoes chopped

3 Green Chillies Chopped

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1 Spring Curry leaves

Salt to taste

water as needed

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Oil

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1/4 cup Cilantro

Method:

---------

1. In a kadai add oil, and when it's hot add mustard seeds and when they start to sputter add Asafoetida, cumin seeds, green chilies and curry leaves.

2. Add Onions and saute them until they become transparent.

3. Add Tomatoes, salt and turmeric powder and cook until tomatoes are soft.

4. Add 1/2 cup water and when it comes to boil add the mashed potatoes and cook until you get a boil.

5. Garnish with chopped Cilantro and serve with hot poori's.

Benne Biscuit / Butter Biscuit

Things have been pretty busy at my end. I must apologize to all my friends for not being able to visit your blogs for sometime. I cancelled a weekend plan of mine due to a bad weather and just took sometime off to chill. Decided to get back on my space and post a simple and light recipe.

"Benne" means "Butter" in Kannada. Benne biscuit's are very famous in Iyengar's Bakery in Bangalore. Butter Sponge is a bakery in Bangalore from where I have tasted the best baked goodies ever. The taste still lingers in my mouth. Drooool !!

I have been craving to eat these goodies for sometime. I made these biscuits at home and tried to recreate the same taste. But I was not successful in recreating the same consistency but the taste was delicious!!

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour - 1 Cup
Powdered Sugar - 1 Cup
Cashews - 1/2 Cup
Butter - 1 Stick - 8 Tablespoons
Baking Soda - 1/2 Tsp
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 Tsp

Method

• Sift the all purpose flour, powdered sugar, baking powder and cardamom powder in a bowl and set it aside.

• In a food processor/ blender add the cashews and grind it coarsely. To this add butter and blend the both together. The butter has to be completely at room temperature.

• Slowly add the dry ingredients to the food processor and pulse it till it forms a crumbly mixture.

• Make balls out of the mixture. Be sure to not roll the ball tightly. It has to be loose so that the biscuits fluff up.

• Preheat the oven to 300⁰F. Place the cookies on the cookie tray and bake for 10 minutes.

• Make sure that you don't over bake them. I left them for an extra minute or so to get a beautiful golden color on the cookies. Cool them completely before you can taste them.

• Enjoy the cookies with your evening tea or morning breakfast!

Notes:

• Addition of cashews is optional and you may skip its addition.
• The butter must be very soft and completely at room temperature otherwise the consistency of the dough mixture will not come out as desired.
• As there will be variations on heat in different ovens, make sure to have an eye on the cookies while they are baking.
• Rolling the cookie dough tight will not allow the biscuits to rise and they will not come out soft.
• The cookies have to be white in color and browned slightly at the base. You can make them white by removing them from the oven at the end of 10 minutes and allow them to cool completely.