Thavala Vadai / Mixed Dhals Vada | Snacks Recipes

When I was in India for Summer, I wasn't thinking about clicking anything for the blog :). I had scheduled some posts, so I wasn't even thinking about this space. I had planned to learn more cooking from grandma, aunts and mother-in-law but nothing much happened with my 2 yr old running around. One day my MIL made this thavala vada and asked me if I would want to click some pics for the blog.. How would I not?? So When my lil one was napping, I sneaked to the drawing room to take some pictures. I was really excited to click these pictures on a fresh banana leaf, which is like a dream come true for me, a South Indian living in the US.

Ingredients:
MIL used the traditional veesam padi (1 cup here )for this, it is approximately 60 ml
Chana dhal - 1 cup
Toor dhal - 1/2 cup
Whole urad dhal  1/2 cup
Moong dhal - 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp
Raw rice - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 3
Red chillies - 2
Hing / Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Fresh Coconut - cut into tiny pieces - 2 tbsp (Can use fresh grated coconut too)
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tsp + more for deep frying
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Wash and soak chana dhal, toor dhal, urad dhal, rice and 1/2 cup moong dhal for 1 hour. Wash and soak the 1 tbsp of moong dhal separately. Drain the dhal mixture completely. Place in a blender with chillies, asafoetida and salt. Grind coarsely. Add the coconut, curry leaves, moong dhal and mix. Heat 1 tsp of oil and splutter the mustard seeds. Pour over the dhal mixture. Heat oil for deep frying. Take lime sized dhal mixture and form thick patties. Deep fry until golden brown. Serve hot with chutney.

Chocolate Almond Avocado Cookies / Butter-free Oil-free Cookies | Cookie Recipes

After the decadently indulgent Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles, here comes another cookie recipe from me. No! These are not another guilty pleasure, but rather a healthy cookie. Ok.. Don't be surprised when I put "healthy" and "cookie" all in the same sentence. These are made with Avocados instead of butter and are super light and airy and you don't have to feel guilty to sink your teeth into them.

Ingredients:

Recipe adapted from here
Makes about 2 dozen bite sized cookies
All purpose flour - 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp
Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Brown sugar, packed - 1/4 cup

Egg - 1

Avocado - 1 (1/2 cup, mashed)

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Sliced Almonds - 1 cup

Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 F/190 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Beat the sugar, brown sugar with mashed avocado until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla and mix again. Add the flour mixture and whisk until no traces of flour remain. Do not overmix. Fold in the sliced almonds. Scoop about 2 tsp of the dough and place in the baking sheet. A cookie scoop would come in handy here to make it mess-free. These cookies wont spread or rise much so you could place them fairly near, about 20 cookies in a sheet worked for me. After scooping and placing the dough, dip your fingers or the bottom of a glass tumbler in a bowl of water and flatten each cookie dough slightly based on desired thickness. Dip your fingers in water before flattening each cookie. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Notes:
You could substitute chocolate chips for almonds or use a 1/2 cup of almonds and 1/2 cup chocolate chips combo.

Hot and Sweet Basil Tofu | Vegan Recipes

Tofu is a great source of protein for Vegans and I make at least one tofu dish a month. Tofu sure is bland but that is its great quality. It absorbs any flavor so beautifully and is very appetizing in that way. Asian inspired curries with tofu is easy to make and gets ready in a jiffy. When served over rice, it makes a complete meal with the perfect balance of carbohydrates, protein and fiber. Do not forget to use lots of colorful vegetables in this dish to make it a feast for the eyes and taste.
Also check out my other curries with tofu - Szechwan style Tofu, Thai Green Curry and Thai Red Curry.

Ingredients:

Serves - 2
Tofu - 14 oz block, pressed and cut into cubes
Red bell pepper - 1 large, sliced thin
Green beans - 10, ends removed cut into 1" pieces
Sesame oil - 2 tsp
Ginger & garlic - 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Thai Basil leaves - 1/2 cup, tightly packed, roughly chopped
For the Sauce:
Vegetable stock - 1 cup
Soy sauce - 1/4 cup
Chilli sauce - 1 tbsp (Sriracha)
Brown sugar - 1 tbsp
Vinegar - 1/2 tbsp
Corn starch - 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Pepper - a pinch

Method:
Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and set aside. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and fry the tofu pieces until all sides of the tofu are brown. Remove and set aside. Heat the remaining oil and fry the green beans for a minute or two. Now throw in the red bell peppers and fry for a minute. Throw in the chopped ginger and garlic and the basil leaves. Saute for a minute and then add the sauce. Let it thicken for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and mix in the fried tofu. Serve hot over steamed rice.
Linking this to Priya's Vegan Thursdays.

Mushroom Kulambu | South Indian Curry Recipes

Us Indians are known for the love of spicy curries. Every region has its own specialty and every family has its own signature dish.  This recipe here is a family recipe for chicken or mutton preparations. Married to a vegetarian I do not cook non-vegetarian often. But the spicy cravings inside me is satisfied by this kulambu made with mushrooms but with all the aromatic spices found in a South-Indian spicy curry. This kuzhambu is a great combo for rice, idli and dosa.

Ingredients:
White button Mushrooms - 200 g / 8 oz
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Corainder leaves - a little
Oil - 2 tsp
Coriander seeds - 2-1/2 tbsp
Dry red chillies - 2 or 3
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Raw Rice - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Pearl onions - 3
Garlic cloves - 2
Tomato - 1/2 of a small one, chopped
Grated Coconut - 3 tbsp

Method:
Clean the mushrooms and make thick slices.
Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and roast the coriander seeds, urad dhal, rice, cumin for about 2 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and pearl onions and continue to roast until the rice starts to become a shade darker. Now add the tomatoes and fry for a minute until slightly cooked. Add the grated coconut, and turn off the heat. Continue to roast in the residual heat until the coconut is toasted. Allow the mix to cool and make a fine paste. Heat the remaining oil in a saucepan and fry the mushrooms with turmeric powder until it starts to shrink. Add the ground paste, salt and about a cup of water. Allow it to come to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice, roti, dosa or naan.
Linking this to Priya's Vegan Thursdays.

Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles / Pumpkin Cinnamon Sugar Cookies | Cookie Recipes

If you love cookies and sugar cookies especially, I am sure you will love this Pumpkin Cinnamon Sugar cookies aka Snickerdoodles. The reason and the meaning for the name Snickerdoodles is unknown but that doesn't stop us from indulging in these crinkly top beauties, does it? 
I love the Fall season. Apples and Pumpkins and the color orange, orange everywhere. Today being the first day of the Fall/Autumn season, what better way than to make the pumpkin version of these cookies. These are crispy on the outside but will be super soft on the inside, like biting into a cloud. Incidentally this is my 400th post and I wanted to post something sweet to celebrate that.

Ingredients:
Recipe from Sweet Pea's Kitchen
Makes 4 dozen cookies
All purpose flour / Maida - 2-3/4 cups
Cream of tartar - 2 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Pumpkin spice - 2 - 3 tsp (based on how much you like pumpkin spice)
Sugar - 1-1/2 cup
Butter - 1 cup
Egg, slightly beaten - 1
Canned Pumpkin puree - 3/4 cup
For rolling:
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Cinnamon - 4 tsp
Pumpkin spice - 2 tsp (Pumpkin Spice Recipe follows)

Method:
Place the butter in room temperature for about 10 minutes. Mix/sieve the flour, salt, cream of tartar, baking soda and pumpkin spice together. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy with a hand mixer. Add the beaten egg and whisk until incorporated, about half a minute. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk another half a minute. Add the flour mixture and whisk until just mixed, scraping the sides of the bowl once. At this stage the cookie dough may be in a roll-able consistency. If it is not, pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 F/200 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment sheet. Mix the sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin spice for rolling the cookie-dough in a shallow bowl. Scoop about 1 tbsp of the cookie dough and drop in the sugar spice. Roll it around and place in the lined baking sheet, about a dozen in one batch. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the tops are puffed up and slightly crinkled. Remove from the oven and let the cookies in the baking sheet for a couple of minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. These cookies taste great warm or room temperature and a perfect pair for a hot cup of chai. They keep good for a couple of days in room temperature.

Notes: I halved the above recipe and made 2 dozen cookies. That is a perfect amount for making some for ourselves and share the remaining with a friend.
Play around with the spices, use a combination of your favorite spices, chai spice would a be a great addition I think.

Make your own Pumpkin Spice
Mix the below spices and use as needed.

Ground Cinnamon - 2 tsp
Ground Ginger - 1 tsp
Ground cloves - 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp (heaped)