Cauliflower, Coriander Soup

Ingredients:

Cauliflower florets- 2cups
Finely chopped onion- 1/2 cup
Vegetable Broth- 4cups
Chopped Coriander leaves- 2Tbsp
Butter-1tsp
Bay leaves-2
Skim milk- 1/2 cup
Black pepper powder-1/2tsp
Salt-3/4 tsp or as per taste


Method:

Heat butter in a pan, add bay leaves, finely chopped onions and saute until onions are clear. Add cauliflower florets and 1 1/2 Tbsp coriander leaves, saute for 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 15-20 minutes. Let it cool down to room temperature, remove the bay leaves place in blender, and grind into a smooth gravy. Place this in a pot again and add milk and mix very well, and cook for 8-10 minutes more. At the end add salt and pepper powder, garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.

Note: One can substitute milk with low fat coconut milk also.

Protein Rich Masala Kichidi

Ingredients:

White or Brown Basmathi Rice - 2cups
Toor dal-1/2 cup
Soaked and sprouted whole moong or Moongdal- 1/2 cup
Soaked and sprouted black chana- 1/4 cup
Firm Tofu- 1cup (Dice into small pieces)
Finely chopped onion- 1/2 cup
Slivered almonds-few (Toasted)
cinnamon-1piece
Cloves-3
cardamom-1
Bay Leaves-2
Oil- 3tsp (Can be used more oil if anybody wants)
Salt-1 tsp or as per taste
Chopped coriander leaves- 2Tbsp

For Masala:

Large onion-1
Green chillies-2
Anise seeds -1tsp
Poppy seeds-1tsp
Small cinnamon piece-1
Cloves-2
Ginger -small piece
Garlic- 2 cloves
Cardamom-1

Note: Grind all above masala ingredients into a paste and set aside.
Stir fry tofu pieces in 1 tsp oil and set aside.

Method:

Pressure cook all the dals together and set aside. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pot, fry whole masala ingredients (Cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaves), add chopped onion and saute until clear. Add rice and fry for few minutes and add water and half the salt, cook until rice is done.

Heat 1 tsp of oil in another pan, place the ground masala paste, fry until nice aroma comes or till raw onion smell is gone. Add 1 cup of water and remaining salt, while cooking, mix cooked dal and cook until becomes like a thick gravy. Add the cooked rice mix very well, cook in low heat for 5 minutes. At the end add the sauteed tofu pieces, mix well and garnish with chopped coriander and toasted almonds, serve hot.

Dal (Pappu) Payasam

Ingredients:

Moong dal (Pesara Pappu) - 1/2 cup
Chana dal - 1/2 cup
Rice - 1/2 cup
Fresh grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 2 - 2 1/2 cups
Milk - 1/2 gallon
Cashews - 12-15
Raisins- 2Tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Ghee- 3 -4 Tbsp
Water- 1 1/2 cup

Method:

Fry cashews, chana dal and moong dall in a little ghee, one at a time and set aside. Boil water in a pot add chana dall and rice, cook for 10 minutes or half done. Add moong dall and cook for some more time and add milk, and reduce the heatand cook until rice and dalls are cooked well. Add sugar and mix well and cook in a low heat for 3-5 minutes more. At the end add remaining ghee, coconut, cardamom powder, cashews and raisins, mix well and serve hot as a dessert.

Alasanda kayala (Long beans) Curry

Ingredients:

Cut Long Beans - 2 cups
Diced Tomato - 1/2 cup
Chopped onions-1/2 cup
Chopped green chillies - 1tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Chilli powder- 1/4-1/2 tsp ( to taste)
Coriander powder-1tsp
Salt- as per taste
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves- few
Chopped Coriander leaves - 1 Tbsp
Oil- 1Tbsp
Mustard seeds-1tsp
Jeera (Cumin seeds) - 1/2 tsp


Method:

Heat oil in a pan, fry mustard seeds, jeera until they splatter, add curry leaves, green chillies, onions, ginger garlic paste, corianer powder and turmeric and fry until onions turn light brown color. Add cut long beans and mix well, cover with lid and reduce the heat, cook for 10-12 minutes or until bean are almost cooked. Add diced tomatoes, salt and chilli powder, cook until beans are soft. Add chopped coriander before end. serve hot curry with Rice or Roti.

Chinese Style Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice (Cold) - 4 cups
Chopped onions- 1/2cup
Chopped Green onions- 2-3 Tbsp.
Chopped vegetable mixture(Carrots, green and red peppers, celery, beans, peas)- 1 cup total
Egg beaten -1 (Optional)
Crushed Garlic- 1 1/2 tsp
Dry red Chillies-4
Red chilli paste- 1tsp
Soy Sauce -2Tbsp
Black pepper powder-1/4 tsp
Salt-1/2 tsp or to taste
Oil -1 1/2 Tbsp
Cashews- 10 for garnishing.
Chopped coriander Leaves- 1Tbsp

Method:

Scramble beaten egg and set aside. Fry Cashews and set aside.
Heat Oil in a wok or in a deep pan, fry red chillies, add onions and green onions, saute for a minute and add garlic and vegetables stir fry for 2-3 minutes(Vegetables should not become soft). Add soy sauce and chilli paste, mix well and add cold cooked rice and toss everything together. Add scrambled egg and black pepper powder mix everything very well and toss frequently until the Rice is heated through.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and cashews and serve hot.

Semya Kesari

Ingredients:

Semya or Vermicelli - 1cup
Sugar - 1cup
Cashews-12
Raisins- 2Tbsp
Cardamom powder-1/4 tsp
Cooking camphor -1 pinch(optional)
Saffron- 1 pinch
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Water-1cup
Yellow food color-4 drops
Red food color-2 drops

Method:

Fry semya, cashews, raisins in a pan separately, one at a time in half the amount of ghee and set aside. Boil 1 cup of water in a pan add red and yellow food colors, semya and sugar, mix well and cook until semya is soft and mixture is almost dry( If it is too dry before semya becomes soft, sprincle little water and cook). At the end add fried cashews, saffron, cardamom powder, cooking camphor and remaining ghee, mix everything very well and serve as a dessert.

Sojjappalu

Ingredients:

For Stuffing:

Sooji or Cream of wheat -1cup
Sugar- - 1cup
Powdered Cardamom - 1/4 tsp
Water or Milk - 2cups
Ghee or Clarified Butter - 1/4 cup
Oil for deep frying- (optional)- Can be pan fried with less oil.

To cover sojjappalu Make dough with allpurpose flour.

Preparation of dough:

Take 1-11/2 cup of all purpose flour and pinch of salt and warer make a soft dough and add 1 1/2 Tbsp of cooking oil and set aside.

Preparation of Halwa:

Fry sooji in a pan w/2tsp of Ghee and set aside.
Boil the water or milk, add the sooji, mix without any lumps. Cook for 2 minutes and add sugar slowly while mixing without getting lumps. cook together until becomes like halwa at the end add remaining ghee and cardamom powder mix well and set aside and let it cool to make sojjappalu.

Preparation of sojjappalu:

Take sooji Halwa and make small lime size balls and set aside.
Take the prepared dough make small balls also.
Take one dough ball at a time place in a hand make a dent and place the halwa ball in that, gently cover the halwa ball with dough. Keep waxpaper or plastic wrap on smooth surface, place the dough covered halwa ball and gently press with fingers like size of puri and shape. if needed dip fingers in oil to spread little easily. Do all the balls in same manner. To avoid drying the prepared ones cover with damp towel or wet paper napkin. When all of them are ready, you can prepare 2 ways.

Option #1- Deep fry

Heat oil in a pan deep fry each one, and serve hot.

Option # 2- Pan fry

Pace shallow pan on stove and spread little oil , when it's gets hot, place sojjappa one at a time pan fry like paratas while using little oil or ghee and serve hot.