Being the wife of a Traveloholic husband, our weekends are always spent traveling to and enjoying at new places. And the visit to Napa Valley had also happened one fine day. The urge to visit some winery and sample the wines was the main motive behind this day trip, along with enjoying the spectacular views that our journey might have had to offer.
Well, it was Father’s Day too that day, so kind of extra special for my hubby dearest. What more could he want? LOL.. Jokes apart, since we left a little late from our home, so on reaching there we were already super hungry as it was close to lunch time. So, instead of visiting some winery, we went straight to the Downtown, and had a hearty lunch.
But there was something else that made the day extra special for mommy dearest too. It was the visit to “The CIA at COPIA” that made my day. Now that “My Julie & Julia Project” is ten recipes old, I thought this would be the perfect time to share this.
CIA is The Culinary Institute of America. As per their website,
The CIA at Copia is the ultimate Napa Valley destination for experiencing the world of food, wine, art, and community.
We were strolling past the building and we had no idea about what it was going to show us. Well, to my utter amazement, there was an exhibition going on inside CIA which was titled “France is a Feast: The Photographic Journey of Paul And Julia Child”. My happiness knew no bounds then.
For those who don’t know, I have started this project under which I will be posting 100 recipes from my kitchen by the end of the year 2019. Here is the link to “My Julie & Julia Project” post:
This was my perfect chance to know more about the person I had fallen in love with, with Meryl Streep winning the portrayal of the character of Julia Child in the famous movie titled “Julie & Julia”. I am sharing some glimpses of the exhibition, and our fun time at Napa.
Entrance @ CIA…The Famous Book…Anyone could write a note on their recipe for happiness, such a beautiful wall…Happiness unlimited…Julia truly had a zest for life…Silly but true, LOL…Always in love, Paul & Julia Child…Something to remember for life. Thank you JULIA…
For those who want to visit the exhibition, it is on till 2nd September, 2019 at CIA @ COPIA, presented by Napa Valley Museum Yountville.
Our journey to Napa ended with a visit to “Castello Di Amorosa”, a Tuscan castle winery in Napa valley, touring the magnificent castle and savoring the wide selection of hand-crafted wines.
Castello Di Amorosa…Wine Tasting Session…The Beautiful Drive…
Presenting my tenth recipe under “My Julie & Julia Project” for this year. For those who don’t know, I have started this project under which I will be posting 100 recipes from my kitchen by the end of the year 2019. This is the Recipe #10. Here is the link to “My Julie & Julia Project” post:
After the profound success of Classic Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip cookies, I have been baking them back to back, till one day I completely ran out of chocolate chips. That’s when I decided to try something different in my cookies.
Chocolate chips and cocoa powder are the two most used ingredients in my kitchen, so I let them be for now till I am able to experiment with few more ingredients. As when I was checking my pantry and refrigerator looking for some nuts, I stumbled upon Myra’s favorite salad item, the carrots.
I have used carrots for baking cakes and cupcakes, but never added them in cookies. So, I had my chance to use them this time. Always remember that when using carrots in cookies, use a grater that shreds carrots very finely.
I have used the handy cheese grater here (I prefer using the food processor, but I used hand grater as I was able to make these cookies using one medium sized carrot). So, avoid grating the carrots into big chunks, as you wouldn’t like them coming in your mouth every time you take a bite of the cookie. The small grated pieces just melt in mouth on each bite!!
I’ve had a few failed bakes before, so I was fully prepared for another one. But to my surprise, the cookies came out great. I baked them for 10 minutes and they were pretty soft, that’s the reason I call them “Cakey”, but if you want a crispier version, feel free to bake for 2 more minutes. But like always, I am too fond of the softer cookies now.
Whole wheat has its advantages over all-purpose flour and using that in various bakes has given me a boost to use it more and more now. Another healthy winner here is the jaggery powder, which has replaced refined sugar completely at our home. Also, I have added raisins to the cookies as they pair up great with the carrots.
A touch of cinnamon powder has been a win-win too. So, all the health conscious people and the mommies thinking about adding something sweet, but filling and nutritious to their children’s lunch boxes, do give this recipe a try. It’s definitely worth it.
Okay, so without further taking your time, I will take you guys straight to the recipe. Happy Baking everyone!!!!
Meanwhile, mix the butter and the jaggery powder till the jaggery powder is completely blended with the butter. I prefer to mix by hand since I don’t use mixer. Whisk or spatula is not helpful in this case, since the butter is not in a completely melted state.
Add in the egg to this mixture and stir till all the ingredients are uniformly mixed.
Now add vanilla essence to the above mixture. The wet ingredients mixture is now ready.
For the dry ingredients, mix in whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon powder to the wet mixture. Add grated carrots to the final dough.
Finally add the raisins and give it a good mix with hand. The dough will be a little loose at this stage, so it is advisable to put the dough in the fridge for around 1 hour.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Take around 2-3 tbsp of cookie dough and roll into a ball. Then flatten the dough ball and place on the baking tray. I was able to make 13 cookies with the prepared dough.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes in the preheated oven (This will result in soft cakey cookies. If you want crispier cookies, bake for 2 more minutes).
Remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool for at least 5-10 minutes.
The carrot cookies are now ready to be served warm or these can be stored in an air-tight container!! I refrigerated the cookies for around half an hour before finally storing them.
Method (Step-by-step with pictures)
Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Meanwhile, mix the butter and the jaggery powder till the jaggery powder is completely blended with the butter. I prefer to mix by hand since I don’t use mixer. Whisk or spatula is not helpful in this case, since the butter is not in a completely melted state.
Add in the egg to this mixture and stir till all the ingredients are uniformly mixed.
Now add vanilla essence to the above mixture. The wet ingredients mixture is now ready.
For the dry ingredients, mix in whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon powder to the wet mixture. Add grated carrots to the final dough.
Finally add the raisins and give it a good mix with hand. The dough will be a little loose at this stage, so it is advisable to put the dough in the fridge for around 1 hour.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Take around 2-3 tbsp of cookie dough and roll into a ball. Then flatten the dough ball and place on the baking tray. I was able to make 13 cookies with the prepared dough.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes in the preheated oven (This will result in soft cakey cookies. If you want crispier cookies, bake for 2 more minutes). Remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool for at least 5-10 minutes.
The carrot cookies are now ready to be served warm or these can be stored in an air-tight container!! I refrigerated the cookies for around half an hour before finally storing them.
Presenting my ninth recipe under “My Julie & Julia Project” for this year. For those who don’t know, I have started this project under which I will be posting 100 recipes from my kitchen by the end of the year 2019. This is the Recipe #9. Here is the link to “My Julie & Julia Project” post:
The last recipe that I had posted on my blog, which was “Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies – With Whole Wheat Flour” has been a super duper hit. There are few food groups on social media where I posted that, and to my amazement, that recipe got maximum love and reviews. Lot of people have tried making them, and were really happy with the result. If you missed that one, here is a link to the same:
The classic whole wheat chocolate chip cookies hardly take any time to make. Now I am so used to baking it, that if I have all the ingredients available at home, I am able to bake the cookies in no time.
So, after the successful attempts of the classic cookies, I wanted to try my hands on a healthier version of cookies. I have been wanting to bake with Finger Millet flour (also called Ragi). And here in this recipe, I have used Whole Wheat flour along with Finger Millet flour.
When Myra was around two years old, she was picky in her eating habits, so I had to try my hands at different kinds of baby food. I had tried lots of savory pancakes, and in sweets, I tried different cookies, cakes and cupcakes, and experimented with varied flours. Once she grew up, she started developing love for more food items, and my experiments with other flours were dimmed. Now, with a platform in the form of this blog, I can reach out to a lot of people, especially mothers, who want to try healthy bakes for their kids.
The health benefits of finger millet are widely known. Starting from being an excellent source of calcium and iron, it is also gluten-free, which makes it great for those trying to lose weight. It is also beneficial for people who suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and heart weaknesses. The list of benefits is really long. For growing children, finger millet is considered a super food. So, hello there mommies!!
My love for Trader Joe’s products is apparent from my earlier posts, and I am using Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Cocoa Powder in this recipe. I am using jaggery powder as sweetener instead of refined sugar, so that adds another nutritious touch to the cookies.
So, without further taking your time, I’ll go straight to the recipe. Happy baking!!
Whole Wheat And Finger Millet (Ragi) Chocolate Cookies Recipe
Whole Wheat And Finger Millet (Ragi) Chocolate Cookies…
Ingredients
Butter (unsalted) – 1/2 cup
Jaggery powder – 1 cup
Egg – 1
Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp
Whole wheat flour – 1 cup
Finger Millet Flour (Ragi) – 1/2 cup
Baking soda – 1/2 tsp
Baking powder – 1/3 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Cocoa Powder (Unsweetened) – 2 tbsp
Nutella – 1 tbsp
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degree F.
Meanwhile, mix the butter and the jaggery powder till the jaggery powder is completely blended with the butter. I prefer to mix by hand since I don’t use mixer. Whisk or spatula is not helpful in this case, since the butter is not in a completely melted state.
Add in the egg to this mixture and stir till all the ingredients are uniformly mixed.
Now add vanilla essence to the above mixture. The wet ingredients mixture is now ready.
For the dry ingredients, add whole wheat flour, finger millet flour (ragi), baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder to the wet mixture.
Finally add Nutella and give it a good mix with hand. The dough will be a little loose at this stage, so it is advisable to put the dough in the fridge for at least 5-10 minutes.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Take around 2 tbsp of cookie dough and roll into a ball. Then flatten the dough ball and place on the baking tray. I was able to make 13 cookies with the prepared dough.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
Remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool for at least 5-10 minutes.
The whole wheat and finger millet chocolate cookies are now ready to be served warm or these can be stored in an air-tight container!!
Method (Step-by-step with pictures)
Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Meanwhile, mix the butter and the jaggery powder till the jaggery powder is completely blended with the butter. I prefer to mix by hand since I don’t use mixer. Whisk or spatula is not helpful in this case, since the butter is not in a completely melted state.
Add in the egg to this mixture and stir till all the ingredients are uniformly mixed.
Now add vanilla essence to the above mixture. The wet ingredients mixture is now ready.
For the dry ingredients, add whole wheat flour, finger millet flour (ragi), baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder to the wet mixture.
Finally add Nutella and give it a good mix with hand. The dough will be a little loose at this stage, so it is advisable to put the dough in the fridge for at least 5-10 minutes .
Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Take around 2 tbsp of cookie dough and roll into a ball. Then flatten the dough ball and place on the baking tray. I was able to make 13 cookies with the prepared dough.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool for at least 5-10 minutes.
The whole wheat and finger millet chocolate cookies are now ready to be served warm or these can be stored in an air-tight container!!
Presenting my eighth recipe under “My Julie & Julia Project” for this year. For those who don’t know, I have started this project under which I will be posting 100 recipes from my kitchen by the end of the year 2019. This is the Recipe #8. Here is the link to “My Julie & Julia Project” post:
I have tried baking chocolate chip cookies many a times, but struggled with the ingredient proportions or the baking time for getting that perfect texture. Not too hard, not too soft. Melt in mouth, but still perfectly baked. The outer layer should be crisp, but not as crispy like we feel with the store brought ones. So many requirements for that one perfect cookie. LOL!!
Myra has been behind me these days to bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies, since I had promised her after we convinced her to avoid the cookies and biscuits aisle in the supermarket. I was not getting the time and this lingered on for few days. She has been reminding me to bake these from last two days, and today seemed to be the perfect day for the lovely bake.
I wanted to bake with white flour first, as I thought whole wheat might not give justice to the taste since I wanted the cookies to be as good as the store bought ones. But to my utter amazement, the cookies were baked to perfection. The texture, the flavor, everything in these cookies is to die for. I am glad that using whole wheat flour didn’t quite ruin the flavor, rather it enhanced it, along with giving it the kick of nutrition.
My home is a refined-sugar-free home now. At least we make sure not to buy the refined white sugar now. It’s been months that we have bought it. The health hazards of refined sugar is not a lesser known fact. Even the kids are aware of the harm that this can do to our bodies, no wonder refined sugar is called “Slow Poison”. I make sure to do all the bakes with healthy alternatives, especially Jaggery Powder.
I have used chocolate chips generously in this recipe. As apparent from my previous recipe posts, I am a big fan of Trader Joe’s products. And this particular recipe too uses Chocolate Chips (Big sized ones) from the same store. These lend a beautiful flavor to the cookies. Each bite into the cookie seems to be a perfection powerhouse.
I was able to make 15 medium sized cookies with the prepared dough. Since I don’t use any mixer while making the dough, I prefer to create the dough using hands. While mixing the ingredients with hands, the dough can become a little gooey, since mixing by hands can loosen up the dough because of body heat. So, I prefer to put the dough in fridge for sometime, may be around 10-20 mins. This really helps in getting the dough back in shape. Using a whisk or spatula is an option, but the butter chunks while creating cookie dough should not be too soft.
The cookies were baked at 375 degree F for exactly 10 minutes. And these seemed little soft to touch while taking out from oven. But it is one thing to keep in mind that while taking out from oven, cookie should be a little soft from top. The cookies get their perfect texture and consistency once they are given standing time of at-least 5-10 minutes before storing them.
The chocolate chips seen on top of the cookies were a little gooey and were melting on touching them. For this, I had stored the cookies in the fridge for sometime, and then this problem was resolved, though having melt in mouth chocolatey cookies is an experience in itself, the kids definitely love licking the chocolatey fingers. LOL!!
Let’s get straight to the recipe now. Indulge in the best and most amazing chocolate chip cookies. Happy baking!!
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies With Whole Wheat Flour Recipe
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies With Whole Wheat Flour…
Ingredients
Butter (unsalted) – 1/2 cup
Jaggery powder – 1 cup
Egg – 1
Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp
Whole wheat flour – 1 1/2 cups
Baking soda – 1/2 tsp
Baking powder – 1/3 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Chocolate Chips – 1 cup
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degree F.
Meanwhile, mix the butter and the jaggery powder till the jaggery powder is completely blended with the butter. I prefer to mix by hand since I don’t use mixer. Whisk or spatula is not helpful in this case, since the butter is not in a completely melted state.
Add in the egg to this mixture and stir till all the ingredients are uniformly mixed.
Now add vanilla essence to the above mixture. The wet ingredients mixture is now ready.
For the dry ingredients, mix in whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to the wet mixture.
Finally add the chocolate chips and give it a good mix with hand. The dough will be a little loose at this stage, so it is advisable to put the dough in the fridge for around 5-10 minutes.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Take around 2-3 tbsp of cookie dough and roll into a ball. Then flatten the dough ball and place on the baking tray. I was able to make 15 cookies with the prepared dough.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
Remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool for at least 5-10 minutes.
The classic chocolate chip cookies are now ready to be served warm or these can be stored in an air-tight container!! I refrigerated the cookies for around 15-20 minutes to stiffen up the gooey chocolate chips before storing them.
Method (Step-by-step with pictures)
Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Meanwhile, mix the butter and the jaggery powder till the jaggery powder is completely blended with the butter. I prefer to mix by hand since I don’t use mixer. Whisk or spatula is not helpful in this case, since the butter is not in a completely melted state.
Add in the egg to this mixture and stir till all the ingredients are uniformly mixed.
Now add vanilla essence to the above mixture. The wet ingredients mixture is now ready.
For the dry ingredients, mix in whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to the wet mixture.
Finally add the chocolate chips and give it a good mix with hand. The dough will be a little loose at this stage, so it is advisable to put the dough in the fridge for around 5-10 minutes.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Take around 2-3 tbsp of cookie dough and roll into a ball. Then flatten the dough ball and place on the baking tray. I was able to make 15 cookies with the prepared dough.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool for at least 5-10 minutes. I refrigerated the cookies for around 15-20 minutes to stiffen up the gooey chocolate chips before storing them.
The classic chocolate chip cookies are now ready to be served warm or these can be stored in an air-tight container!!
Has it ever occurred to you that more than half of the thoughts that you are processing in your mind are fiction, just pure plain fiction? Sounds strange, but it’s true. Our mind is capable of creating stories and melodramas which have never occurred in real life. There are numerous hours in a day, wherein, if you don’t train your mind to get occupied in things that actually matter in life, it will start creating a web of thoughts which have no meaning, and may never actually be true in real life.
I call this thing, “The little birdy”. The little birdy is constantly on a move in our head, waiting for the moment when we can fuel it up, giving it the fruit of life, after which, it becomes unstoppable, until it is strongly forced to disconnect.
In our day to day lives, there are numerous things, people, incidents which have a deep impact on our minds. If we get disturbed by someone’s words or actions, and later when we think about what had happened, the little birdy comes into action. We think about what else that person might be thinking or saying about us, and there are different clips that start playing in our head, and yes, I am talking about visual clips. We start enacting in our heads, mostly as victims, and we try to visualize the other person as someone who he/she may not be in real life. This makes us susceptible to always look down upon the other person.
Negative thoughts don’t need much to multiply in our mind. A little fuel goes a long way. I have seen an important quality in successful people. They don’t fuel negative thoughts, or if I may say so, they don’t fuel negative people as well. Because at the end of the day, both are a waste of time. Negative thoughts is what we create in our mind by feeding the birdy, and negative people can be made to spread their thoughts by telling them that they are wrong. Try to talk to a pessimistic person, and you will understand what I am saying. They can drown you into the sea of hopeless talks, and sometimes, it is difficult to even prove them wrong because they are self obsessed with their own ideas and understanding. You might actually end up looking like a fool in front of them. So, keep safe distance from such people, and don’t fiddle with their minds.
The best way to avoid having the useless thoughts is to keep ourselves busy. The tasks at hand keep us occupied, and the free time can be utilized in pursuing our hobbies. There are millions of things to do if one wants to, like, read a book, go to the park, go for a run, write an article, climb that damn mountain. But definitely, there are times when all we want to do is introspect. So the negative and useless thoughts are bound to come, we just need to let them pass, and think about better things.
The important thing to understand and be successful in life is to take life as it comes. Whatever happened has happened, lets learn from each negative incident, and be happy about the positives in our life. Let’s not give fuel to useless thoughts, let’s not feed the little birdy in our head. The world will be a better place then. If not for everyone, but for you, definitely!! Till then.
Here comes my seventh recipe under “My Julie & Julia Project” for this year. For those who don’t know, I have started this project under which I will be posting 100 recipes from my kitchen by the end of the year 2019. This is the Recipe #7. Here is the link to “My Julie & Julia Project” post:
Butter Chicken, this has been by far the favorite dish in my family. Whether having a meal at home or eating out, we love the rich and creamy texture of this lip-smacking wonder. The word Gluttony can be easily associated with this, since it is really hard to let go of the velvety texture till your stomach starts to warn you not to put in more to it. LOL.
I always wanted to experiment with Butter Chicken leftovers. But, as I described, it is crime to say something like “Leftover Butter Chicken”. After few failed attempts, I got my hold on experimenting with this dish. I tried making different versions of Butter Chicken Lasagna, but the recipe that I am sharing today is by far the best, and simple too.
The cheese I am using in this recipe is the Trader Joe’s Shredded 3 Cheese Blend, which is a mix of Mozzarella, Monterey Jack and Cheddar Cheese. I feel this is the perfect blend of shredded cheese that we can use in many recipes. I use this mixture a lot in other Pasta dishes as well.
I have tried a version with layers of Bechamel Sauce (or White Sauce), added between layers of butter chicken, lasagna sheets and cheese. But, the Bechamel Sauce made the lasagna too heavy, since there is already loads of richness added to the dish due to cheese, and especially due to the creamy butter chicken itself. So, that version was a strict no-no for us. If you are not using butter chicken (with creamy sauce) for layering lasagna, and using just a layer of grilled chicken, you can give it a go trying with Bechamel Sauce layers.
The other version that I tried was using one or two layers of Marinara Sauce. But again, with every bite we took, it seemed like there were multiple flavors tossing in our mouth, which made the taste buds uncomfortable. I love using Marinara Sauce in a lot of recipes, but here it turned out to be a confused dish, with marinara flavor trying to cut down on the butter chicken sauce flavor, and vice versa. So, Marinara Sauce also went flying away from this experiment.
This time, I decided to keep it simple. No more extra flavors, but just the original butter chicken dish, with lasagna sheets and some cheese. And after I had a bite, I knew this was it. The perfect balance of all the ingredients.
One more experiment I did in this one was that I had separated out chicken chunks from butter chicken gravy, and made different layers with them. Makes sense, right? Well, I should’ve tried this earlier only, but there were already so many layers to play with (like Bechamel and Marinara), that I didn’t think much to separate the two.
Also, this time, I had separated the chicken chunks into minced form with the help of a fork. This helped me in creating the chicken layer properly, otherwise big bite sized chicken pieces were not spread uniformly in the lasagna layer.
I have just used four lasagna sheets in the recipe, making it sufficient for 2-3 people. Using more sheets has always resulted in us waiting for the dish to get over. This, I feel is the perfect proportion for a family of 2-4 people. Also, I believe that while serving this dish, you can add salad vegetables (like broccoli, carrots, beans etc.) by the side. This helps in proportion control and also adds more nutritive value to your meal.
I have shared butter chicken recipe in my earlier post, which can be used to prepare lip-smacking butter chicken lasagna. Please find the butter chicken recipe link below:
Boneless skinless chicken breast (chopped into bite-sized pieces) ~ 500 grams
Onions (cut roughly into big pieces) ~ 2-3 (medium)
Tomatoes (cut roughly into big pieces) ~ 4-5 (medium)
Ginger (cut roughly into one inch pieces) – 1 tbsp
Garlic ~ 5-6 big cloves
Green chilies ~ 2-3 (as per spice preference)
Salt – to taste
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Butter chicken masala (I used MDH brand) – 1 tbsp
Ground cumin – 1 tsp
Red chili powder – 1/2 tsp
Ground black pepper – 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida powder (Hing) – 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder – 1/2 tsp
Crushed Mint – 1/4 tsp
Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi) – 1 tsp
Cooking oil (I used Avocado oil) – 1 1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp
Jaggery powder – 1 tsp (Can be replaced with sugar)
Heavy cream – 1 cup
Butter – 1 tbsp
Cardamom seeds (crushed) – From 2 cardamom pods
Coriander/Cilantro leaves (for garnish) – 1/4 cup
Water ~ 1 cup
For Lasagna:
Butter Chicken – 3-4 cups (Prepared with ingredients mentioned above or you can use leftover prepared butter chicken)
Lasagna Sheets – 4 (Can be increased to 6 as per liking)
Water – For boiling lasagna sheets (As per packet instructions)
Cheese (I am using Trader Joe’s Shredded 3 Cheese Blend, a mix of mozzarella, cheddar and monterey jack) – 2 cups
Italian seasoning – 3/4 tsp
Black pepper powder – A pinch
Garlic flakes (dried) – 1/2 tsp
Directions
For Butter Chicken Preparation
Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan or skillet. Add chopped ginger, garlic, green chilies in the oil. Also add onions and saute them on medium flame till they turn golden brown. Switch off the flame and let the mixture cool for sometime.
Meanwhile, add the chopped tomatoes to the blender.
Also add the onion mixture prepared in step 1 to the blender along with the tomatoes.
Blend the ingredients to a smooth paste. The base of makhani gravy is ready.
In the same non-stick pan/skillet, heat 1/2 tsp oil, add asafoetida powder and then add the blended mixture.
Cook the mixture for around 5 minutes, and add the dry spices (salt, turmeric powder, butter chicken masala, ground cumin, red chili powder, ground black pepper and coriander powder.
Simmer the mixture on low-medium heat for around 10-15 minutes or till oil starts to separate from the mixture.
Add the chicken pieces to the mixture and saute for around 2-3 minutes.
Add water and cover the pan. Simmer the mixture for around 15-20 minutes on medium heat till the chicken is completely cooked through.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove the lid, reduce the heat to low, and add butter, cream, jaggery powder, crushed mint, crushed cardamom seeds and dried fenugreek leaves
Adjust the salt and cook for around 2-3 minutes more. Switch off the flame.
Garnish the creamy butter chicken with chopped coriander/cilantro leaves.
For Lasagna Preparation & Assembly
Firstly separate out chicken pieces and sauce from the prepared butter chicken. Set aside 2 cups of butter chicken sauce.
Shred the prepared butter chicken pieces into mince size pieces with the help of a fork and keep aside 1 cup of the shredded mince.
Preheat oven to 400 degree F.
Boil the lasagna sheets in water and drain them as per packet instructions. Keep aside.
For layering the lasagna, first take a 8 x 6 x 2 inch glass dish and spread 1/2 cup of butter chicken sauce.
For the next layer, lay 2 lasagna sheets over the butter chicken sauce layer.
Spread 1/2 cup of shredded butter chicken pieces as the third layer.
Next layer consists of spreading 1/2 cup of cheese blend.
Sprinkle the cheese with a pinch of black pepper powder, 1/4 tsp of garlic flakes and 1/4 tsp of Italian seasoning.
Again top this with layer of 1/2 cup of butter chicken sauce.
Next layer will be laying 2 lasagna sheets on top of butter chicken sauce.
Again spread 1/2 cup of shredded butter chicken pieces.
A layer of 1/2 cup cheese blend goes next.
Again sprinkle the cheese layer with pinch of black pepper powder, 1/4 tsp of garlic flakes and 1/4 tsp of Italian seasoning.
Top it with layer of 1/2 cup of final butter chicken sauce.
For the last layer, spread the final 1/2 cup of cheese blend.
Sprinkle 1/4 tsp of Italian seasoning on top of the last layer.
Cover the glass dish containing the butter chicken lasagna layers with aluminum foil.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Broil for 1-2 minutes for getting the brown crusty top.
Remove from oven and serve the cut butter chicken lasagna pieces as is or with salad on the side!!
Method (Step-by-step with pictures)
For step-by-step recipe of Butter Chicken (with pictures), refer to the following link:
Firstly separate out chicken pieces and sauce from the prepared butter chicken. Set aside 2 cups of butter chicken sauce.
Shred the prepared butter chicken pieces into mince size pieces with the help of a fork and keep aside 1 cup of the shredded mince.
Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Boil the lasagna sheets in water and drain them as per packet instructions. Keep aside.
For layering the lasagna, first take a 8 x 6 x 2 inch glass dish and spread 1/2 cup of butter chicken sauce.
For the next layer, lay 2 lasagna sheets over the butter chicken sauce layer.
Spread 1/2 cup of shredded butter chicken pieces as the third layer.
Next layer consists of spreading 1/2 cup of cheese blend.
Sprinkle the cheese with a pinch of black pepper powder, 1/4 tsp of garlic flakes and 1/4 tsp of Italian seasoning.
Again top this with layer of 1/2 cup of butter chicken sauce.
Next layer will be laying 2 lasagna sheets on top of butter chicken sauce.
Again spread 1/2 cup of shredded butter chicken pieces.
A layer of 1/2 cup cheese blend goes next.
Again sprinkle the cheese layer with pinch of black pepper powder, 1/4 tsp of garlic flakes and 1/4 tsp of Italian seasoning.
Top it with layer of 1/2 cup of final butter chicken sauce.
For the last layer, spread the final 1/2 cup of cheese blend.
Sprinkle 1/4 tsp of Italian seasoning on top of the last layer.
Cover the glass dish containing the butter chicken lasagna layers with aluminum foil.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Broil for 1-2 minutes for getting the brown crusty top. Remove from oven and serve the cut butter chicken lasagna pieces as is or with salad on the side!!
This is the sixth recipe I am posting under “My Julie & Julia Project” for this year. For those who don’t know, I have started this project under which I will be posting 100 recipes from my kitchen by the end of the year 2019. This is the Recipe #6.
Here is the link to “My Julie & Julia Project” post:
Banana cake is always a big hit in my family. You can pair it up with walnuts, chocolate chips or blueberries, it is never going to disappoint you. If you follow a fail-proof recipe, the banana cake will always turn out to be super duper moist and rich.
I have recently started experimenting more with the eggless bakes, though I am really okay to use eggs in my recipes. But this urge to try out the egg substitutes has been up lately. Here, I have used yogurt. I have tried the egg version of the recipe too, and it definitely turns out to be more dense and moist, but this experiment is a win-win too in my opinion.
Dried berries are one thing that you will always find in my house. Cranberries, blueberries or blackberries, all are flavorful and give a beautiful touch to my bakes. I am using Trader Joe’s Dried Blueberries in this recipe. Fresh berries can also be used for the bakes, but I prefer to use dried ones in my cakes and cookies.
Again I have tried to make this a healthy bake by avoiding all-purpose flour, and rather using whole wheat flour in place of that. I have baked this cake using all-purpose flour as well, but this is a more guilt-less version. Also, in place of refined sugar, I have recently switched to jaggery powder. The refined sugar is no longer seen to have a place in my home now. Hasta la vista, baby.. LOL!!
It is best to use over-ripe bananas for this cake. They are easy to mash and mix into the batter and are more sweeter. I have experimented with butter earlier, but this is a olive oil version, and did turn out quite good.
It is good to keep experimenting with different flours for any recipe, check the healthy ones if you have a kid at home who has a sweet tooth. It definitely helps in knowing that a particular recipe can be made in a healthier way without cutting out on the taste.
I will be soon using this banana bread to create a trifle. I am always on a lookout for ways to utilize leftovers. And utilizing cake in a trifle was something I was planning on posting for a long time (that’s one of the easiest ways to use the leftover cake and tastes great too). In the meantime, do enjoy the recipe, and have a great day!!
Meanwhile, mash the bananas in a bowl and add jaggery powder.
Add olive oil and mix everything together to a smooth blend.
Add yogurt and vanilla essence to the banana-jaggery-oil mixture and mix them all together. Wet ingredients mixture is ready.
For the dry ingredients, add whole wheat flour to the wet ingredients mixture.
Also add salt and baking soda and start mixing all the ingredients.
Once the dry and wet ingredients form a smooth and uniform blend, add in the dried blueberries.
Pour the mixture to a greased cake pan dusted with flour.
Once the oven is preheated, bake the cake mix in the oven for around 55-60 minutes, or till the cake is done (when the inserted toothpick comes out clean).
Remove the cake from the oven, and allow it to cool before serving.
The guilt-free eggless cake is ready to be relished!!
Method (Step-by-step with pictures)
Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Meanwhile, mash the bananas in a bowl and add jaggery powder.
Add olive oil and mix everything together to a smooth blend.
Add yogurt and vanilla essence to the banana-jaggery-oil mixture and mix them all together. Wet ingredients mixture is ready.
For the dry ingredients, add whole wheat flour to the wet ingredients mixture.
Also add salt and baking soda and start mixing all the ingredients.
Once the dry and wet ingredients form a smooth and uniform blend, add in the dried blueberries.
Pour the mixture to a greased cake pan dusted with flour.
Once the oven is preheated, bake the cake mix in the oven for around 55-60 minutes, or till the cake is done (when the inserted toothpick comes out clean). Remove the cake from the oven, and allow it to cool before serving.
Relish the yummy moist cake with your family and friends!!
Here comes my fifth recipe under “My Julie & Julia Project” for this year. For those who don’t know, I have started this project under which I will be posting 100 recipes from my kitchen by the end of the year 2019. This is the Recipe #5. Here is the link to “My Julie & Julia Project” post:
Pasta has become one of the incredibly sought after meals these days. Be it kids or adults, everyone loves it alike. Kids definitely love the more cheesier version though.
I am a big big fan of Trader Joe’s products, and love experimenting with something new from one of their aisles, especially the pastas/sauces/baking section products. Found this organic brown rice pasta fusilli, and gave it a go. As always, Trader Joe’s products never disappoint us.
The sauce that I’ve used here is Marinara sauce, which is a tomato based one. I am using store bought marinara sauce, which I had bought from Costco. And this comes handy while I am doing a really quick meal preparation, like pasta or lasagna etc. While preparing basic homemade marinara sauce is also easy, and I will link that recipe here in future. But having a store bought sauce comes handy when in hurry.
The basic pasta preparation can be divided into three stages:
Boiled pasta (Al Dante) – Different shapes or varieties can be selected like Penne/Fusilli/Farfalle/Lasagna etc.
A sauce as a base – Tomato/Pesto/Mushroom, to name a few.
Cream/Cheese – The dish is finished by adding little cream or different kinds of cheese like Mozzarella/Parmesan/Cheddar etc.
In addition to these three basic steps, the prepared pasta dish can be made more nutritious by the addition of different chopped veggies, like carrots, broccoli, corn, bell peppers, zucchini etc. These veggies can be added based on your personal preferences. I generally prepare pasta for my daughter. She loves to have veggies in the pasta, but most of the times, she likes them by the side in the form of a salad.
I love experimenting with trying out different herbs, both fresh and dried, in the pasta dishes. Here I am using fresh parsley in the end, and the flavor it imparts is just amazing.
In the current recipe, I have not added any veggies, but added some boiled broccoli to her plate, to go with the pasta. She prefers to eat them separately.
In addition to the veggies, boiled chicken can also be added, but that’s also a personal preference. I love the addition of chicken while preparing lasagna.
For some little fussy eaters, spaghetti can also be tried. When the pasta comes in shape of noodles, the little rascals can never say no. LOL!!
The reason this dish is popular at my home is not just the taste, but also the fact that this dish can be prepared quickly and easily. If you are short of time, or not in a mood to even eat out, give this quick recipe a try. One can never go wrong with it. Here’s the simple and quick recipe for you and your little munchkins.
Pasta – 2 cups (any variety, I have used Fusilli here)
Water (to boil the pasta) – As per boiling instructions on the packet
Olive oil – 3-4 drops (To drizzle while boiling pasta)
Butter – 1 1/2 tbsp
Marinara sauce – 5 tbsp (Homemade or Store bought, I have used store bought in this recipe)
Salt – To taste
Dried Rosemary – 1/4 tsp
Mint leaves (dried and crushed) – 1/4 tsp
Dried basil – 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder – 1/4 tsp
Minced garlic (dried) – 1 tsp
Italian seasoning/Mixed herbs – 1 tsp
Jaggery powder – 3/4 tsp
Parmesan cheese – 2 tsp
Cream – 2 tbsp
Parsley – 2-3 sprigs
Directions
Boil pasta as per boiling instructions on the packet with drizzle of olive oil and a teaspoon of salt.
Drain and keep aside.
In a pan or skillet, heat butter and add marinara sauce to it.
Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the drained pasta to it.
Mix the sauce and pasta and cook it on medium flame for around 2-3 minutes.
To the pasta sauce mixture, add salt, rosemary, crushed mint, basil, black pepper powder, Italian seasoning, minced garlic and jaggery powder.
Mix everything together for 1-2 minutes till the herbs and spices get blended with the pasta.
Lower the flame, and add cream and stir for a minute.
Check for salt and jaggery as per taste, and add more if necessary.
Finally, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese powder and chopped parsley sprigs.
Stir and serve hot garnished with more chopped parsley sprigs.
Notes
Use fresh herbs, if at hand.
Pasta should be boiled Al Dante. Don’t over cook the pasta, as it will be cooked for a bit with the sauce also.
For a more cheesier version, try adding some Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese
Boiled veggies can be added before adding the sauce. I didn’t add, as my daughter prefers to have broccoli and carrots by the side, as a salad
I always keep dried and crushed mint leaves at home, as they come in handy if fresh leaves are not available. Super easy to make at home. Just wash the leaves and keep them to dry in shade (no direct sunlight) for 3-4 days. Keep tossing everyday and check for the dryness. Once dried, crush and store in an airtight container.
Use fresh garlic at the start of recipe after adding the butter. I keep dried minced garlic for quick dish preparations.
If Jaggery powder is not available, it can be replaced with same amount of sugar.
Method (Step-by-step with pictures)
Boil pasta as per boiling instructions on the packet with drizzle of olive oil and a teaspoon of salt.
Drain and keep aside.
In a pan or skillet, heat butter and add marinara sauce to it.
Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the drained pasta to it. Mix the sauce and pasta and cook it on medium flame for around 2-3 minutes.
To the pasta sauce mixture, add salt, rosemary, crushed mint, basil, black pepper powder, Italian seasoning, minced garlic and jaggery powder. Mix everything together for 1-2 minutes till the herbs and spices get blended with the pasta.
Lower the flame, and add cream and stir for a minute. Check for salt and jaggery as per taste, and add more if necessary. Finally, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese powder and chopped parsley sprigs.
Stir and serve hot garnished with more chopped parsley sprigs.
Relish the yummy and cheesy marinara pasta with your family and friends!!
“Neighbor’s envy, owner’s pride”!! Did it ring any bell? Yes, this was the tagline used for Onida TV advertisement in 1980s in India. This was quite a catchy slogan at that time, and surely, it worked for Onida. Well, I am not going to talk about the Onida televisions here, but, the phrase has a special meaning associated with it. I will talk in more detail about how we can use this phrase to think positively in life and work towards a better future.
The meaning of the slogan in the advertisement was straight-forward. The one who has the Onida TV, is proud of owning it. And the neighbor, who doesn’t own one, is envious of the other who owns it. Envy!! This four-letter word is small, but very,very powerful. It’s a very strong emotion, which can work in both positive and negative ways. Being envious of someone owning something can make you work hard in life to achieve it, or, it can turn you into a maniac or even a criminal if the mind works blindly on achieving something, without thinking of the consequences.
But the point is, is that emotion necessary? Well, we can’t control what we think about, so necessity is definitely not in picture here. But, we can definitely control the outcome of what we do if such an emotion arises in our life. Working hard to achieve something is good, but not to an extent which makes you forget that you have a life which you were living. It is good to have goals, dreams, desires, but it is not good to run behind something just for the sake of it or just because it is owned by someone else.
We should understand that there are always two sides to a coin. Sometimes we meet people who seem to have the perfect life. But, in reality, we are not aware of the hardships that they faced, or the problems they are currently facing in life. All that glitters is not gold. There are people who have achieved a lot in life, but when you start listening to their life stories, you understand that you may never want to follow their journey, or work towards doing something similar. They might look to have the best of everything, but they have lost a lot along the way.
We should try to avoid being the envious neighbor, but rather strive to be the owner of our own life. Let’s make our own goals, and work on them. Life will be much simpler. Till then.
Here comes my fourth recipe under “My Julie & Julia Project” for this year. For those who don’t know, I have started this project under which I will be posting 100 recipes from my kitchen by the end of the year 2019. This is the Recipe #4. Here is the link to “My Julie & Julia Project” post:
This recipe has its roots in Delhi, the capital of India. North India is known for it’s lip-smacking food all over the world. Butter chicken, chicken tikka, dal makhani, sarson da saag, makki di roti, chhole, bhature, naan, are among the very few names in the extremely big list of its dishes. My apologies for leaving out some names which might be close to my reader’s hearts.
It might sound funny to see that I am apologizing to my readers here, but being a Punjabi, I know how much “food” means to some of us. LOL!! As soon as we are born, we are loaded with dishes topped with ghee (clarified butter). Also, milk and curd are out diet’s staples. Along with vegetables, pulses and grains are also an important part of the daily diet.
I have grown up with fond memories of this special dish that I am sharing with you all today. When I was little, I still remember that the celebrations in our family were never complete without the Oh-So-Special Butter Chicken. Loaded with fats, the taste of this dish would never go wrong.
I am constantly finding ways to be creative with this dish, thinking about how we can use leftover butter chicken in a different way, other than pairing it up with the usual naan and rice.
But, trust me, there is no such thing as “Leftover Butter Chicken”. The creamy gravy paired with the succulent chicken pieces is never left for more experimentation. This time also, the complete dish was knocked off in no time with naan and rice. I’ll be probably preparing this dish again in a few days with the experiment I have in my mind.
The main winner in this dish is its rich and creamy sauce, which is prepared with few basic ingredients from the kitchen, which form the basis of many Indian gravies. Those are ginger, garlic, green chilies, onion and tomato. These are used to prepare a sauce which is flavored with some spices, and then loaded with the fats (butter and cream) which make the gravy what it is, thick, creamy and delicious. The final result is a rich, velvety blend of melt in mouth flavors.
There is a version of the recipe which can be prepared by marinating the boneless chicken breast pieces. Chicken thigh pieces can also be used, but mostly it is everyone’s personal preference. I prefer to use the breast pieces for this recipe. The marination is prepared with yogurt, ginger garlic paste and other spices. Chicken pieces are coated with the marinade, and kept aside for few hours, or sometimes, even overnight. But I generally prefer to prepare the version without the chicken marination. Marination definitely imparts additional flavor to the chicken pieces, but this version also works well. It is quicker to prepare, and no less than the marination version. Also, some people prefer to use Ghee (Clarified Butter) to saute onions etc, but I have used Avocado Oil in this recipe. Please feel free to use ghee in place of oil if you want.
So, without wasting more time, let’s jump straight to the recipe. Happy cooking!!
Boneless skinless chicken breast (chopped into bite-sized pieces) ~ 500 grams
Onions (cut roughly into big pieces) ~ 2-3 (medium)
Tomatoes (cut roughly into big pieces) ~ 4-5 (medium)
Ginger (cut roughly into one inch pieces) – 1 tbsp
Garlic ~ 5-6 big cloves
Green chilies ~ 2-3 (as per spice preference)
Salt – to taste
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Butter chicken masala (I used MDH brand) – 1 tbsp
Ground cumin – 1 tsp
Red chili powder – 1/2 tsp
Ground black pepper – 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida powder (Hing) – 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder – 1/2 tsp
Crushed Mint – 1/4 tsp
Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi) – 1 tsp
Cooking oil (I used Avocado oil) – 1 1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp
Jaggery powder – 1 tsp (Can be replaced with sugar)
Heavy cream – 1 cup
Butter – 1 tbsp
Cardamom seeds (crushed) – From 2 cardamom pods
Coriander/Cilantro leaves (for garnish) – 1/4 cup
Water ~ 1 cup
Directions
Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan or skillet. Add chopped ginger, garlic, green chilies in the oil. Also add onions and saute them on medium flame till they turn golden brown. Switch off the flame and let the mixture cool for sometime.
Meanwhile, add the chopped tomatoes to the blender.
Also add the onion mixture prepared in step 1 to the blender along with the tomatoes.
Blend the ingredients to a smooth paste. The base of makhani gravy is ready.
In the same non-stick pan/skillet, heat 1/2 tsp oil, add asafoetida powder and then add the blended mixture.
Cook the mixture for around 5 minutes, and add the dry spices (salt, turmeric powder, butter chicken masala, ground cumin, red chili powder, ground black pepper and coriander powder.
Simmer the mixture on low-medium heat for around 10-15 minutes or till oil starts to separate from the mixture.
Add the chicken pieces to the mixture and saute for around 2-3 minutes.
Add water and cover the pan. Simmer the mixture for around 15-20 minutes on medium heat till the chicken is completely cooked through.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove the lid, reduce the heat to low, and add butter, cream, jaggery powder, crushed mint, crushed cardamom seeds and dried fenugreek leaves
Adjust the salt and cook for around 2-3 minutes more. Switch off the flame.
Garnish the creamy butter chicken with chopped coriander/cilantro leaves, and serve hot with naan or basmati rice.
Method (Step-by-step with pictures)
Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan or skillet. Add chopped ginger, garlic, green chilies in the oil. Also add onions and saute them on medium flame till they turn golden brown. Switch off the flame and let the mixture cool for sometime.
Meanwhile, add the chopped tomatoes to the blender.
Also add the onion mixture prepared in step 1 to the blender along with the tomatoes.
Blend the ingredients to a smooth paste. The base of makhani gravy is ready.
In the same non-stick pan/skillet, heat 1/2 tsp oil, add asafoetida powder and then add the blended mixture.
Cook the mixture for around 5 minutes, and add the dry spices (salt, turmeric powder, butter chicken masala, ground cumin, red chili powder, ground black pepper and coriander powder.
Simmer the mixture on low-medium heat for around 10-15 minutes or till oil starts to separate from the mixture.
Add the chicken pieces to the mixture and saute for around 2-3 minutes.
Add water and cover the pan. Simmer the mixture for around 15-20 minutes on medium heat till the chicken is completely cooked through.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove the lid, reduce the heat to low, and add butter, cream, jaggery powder, crushed mint, crushed cardamom seeds and dried fenugreek leaves. Adjust the salt and cook for around 2-3 minutes more. Switch off the flame.
Garnish the creamy butter chicken with chopped coriander/cilantro leaves, and serve hot with naan or basmati rice!!
