Spinach Pasta

Ingredients

Pasta                                        2cups
Spinach                                   1cup
Basil                                        1cup
Walnuts                                  1/2 cup               
Olive Oil                                1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Method
Boil the pasta with enough water 1tsp oil and salt.
Grind the spinach, basil and walnuts. with olive oil. into a paste.
Remove the water from pasta and add the paste and mix.
Serve in a bowl with some olive oil on the top.

Oats Idli

Oats is good for health. I made this oats idli with rava. It tastes good and easy to prepare. 

Ingredients

Oats               2cups    
Rava               1cup
Mustard Seeds   1tsp
Urad  Dhal       2tsp 
Chana Dhal      2stp
Green Chili       2tsp
Coriander Leaves Few
Yogu                   1cup
Cashew Nuts Optional
Salt to Taste
Method
First roast the rava and oats separately  in a pan and keep. 
Powder the oats coarsely in a bender. 
Mix yogurt  oats ,rava, salt. Heat a pan add oil, mustard seeds, urad dhal and chana dhal.
When the mustard crackles add green chili and cashew nuts. 
Add this and chopped coriander leaves.to the mixture and keep for an hour. 
Make idlis and steam them

Samosa

Samosa is a stuffed and deep fried snack. It is an appetizer and it is very popular. Samosas are cheap and easy to prepare.

• 
  

For Stuffing

Ingredients

Potato finely Diced       1cup
Onion finely Chopped  3tbsp
Frozen Pea                  1/4 cup
Curry Powder               1tsp
Ginger Grated                1tsp
Garlic paste                   1tsp
Green Chili                    1
Ground Cumin Seeds   1tsp
Salt To Taste
For the dough

All Purpose Flour            2cups
Oil                                  4tbsp
Salt To Taste

Method
Making stuffing
Boil the potato and peel, dice into cubes.
Heat a pan with oil add onion fry till it becomes tender.
Add peas, garlic, ginger, green chili, curry powder potatoes and salt.
Cook for two minutes and mix well. Add coriander leaves.
For Dough
Mix flour salt and oil, make a dough adding enough water.
Knead the dough for five minutes and keep.
Making Samosa
Knead the dough and divide it into small ball sized portions.
Roll each ball into a circle about 8" diameter.
Cut the circle into half with a knife.
Take each half circle fold into a cone shape by joining the edges with water.
Fill each cone with potato filling.
Wet the edges of the cones and seal them.
Deep fry these samosas and serve with chutney.

Oats Kozhakattai

Oats Kozhakattai

• 
  

I used to make this oats kozhakattai for my husband. Everyday he takes oats with milk. For a change, I made this kozhakattai like upma kozhakattai. Very easy to prepare.
Ingredients

Oats                             2cups
On                               1
Green Chilies              6
Curry Leaves               few
Coriander Leaves        few
Mustard Seeds           1tsp
Urad Dhal                     2tsp
Chana Dhal                 2tsp
Salt to Taste
Method
Dry roast the oats for four minutes in low flame.
Powder one cup oats in blender
Heat a pan with oil add mustard seeds. urad dhal and chana dhal.
When the mustard splutters add the chili, curry leaves and chopped onion and fry.
Add  half cup of water  and let it boil.
When the water boils add salt and powdered oats and the oats
Mix well . If needed add little more water and coriander leaves..
The dough should be thick.
Make  small sized balls out of the dough and keep.
Heat the idli vessel and keep the kozhakattais  and steam them. Let it cool.

Salted Maida Biscuits

Salted Diamond Maida Biscuits

Salted  Maida Biscuits

• 
  

Maida                         1 1/2 cups
Hot Ghee/Oi               1tbsp
Sesame Seeds         1bsp  
Cumin Seeds             1tsp
Red Chili Powder1     /2tsp
Method
Add maida, salt, chili powder, sesame seeds cumin seeds and salt together and make a smooth and firm dough and knead it
Take small ball sized dough and roll into slightly thick roti.
Prick the roti all over with a fork and cut into diamond shapes
Heat a pan with oil. Add the diamond shaped pieces and deep fry them, till they become gold.

Carob Cake

Carob Cake
Carob powder is used instead of cocoa/ chocolate. Use the same amount of carob to replace cocoa. carob powder is made from the pod of the carob bean.
For more information about carob visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carob_tree

Ingredients
All Purpose Flour       11/2 cups
Sugar                               1 cup
Carob Powder                 2tbsp
Baking Po                 1/2tsp
Baking Soda             1/2 tsp
Salt                               1/2 tsp
Vanilla Essense            1/2tsp
Lemon Juice                1Tbsp     
Cold Water                  1cup                          
Method
Mix maida, sugar, baking powder baking soda and salt
Another bowl carob powder, vanilla, lemon juice ghee and water mix thoroughly.
Add the dry ingredients and mix well.
Transfer the dough into a baking cake pan.
Preheat the oven into 375 degree  and bake  for about 40 minutes.
Remove and keep it to cool.

Diwali Snacks & Sweets

Diwali Bhakshanams 

• South Indian Spicy Mixture( Chivda)

Diwali special marundu (Ginger Lehiyum)
Maladu
Kaju Burfi(cashew nut Burfi)
Pal Kova (Milk cake)
Anjir/Dates Burfi (Figs/Dates Burf
Bundhi ladu
Netrankai Upperi 
Chakli( Like Murukku)
Thenkuzhal
South Indian Spicy Mixture( Chivda)
Pasi Paruppu payasam
Thattai (Snack),  
Ribbon Pakodas

Diwali Bhakshanams

Utthappam

Uttappam

Utthappam

Utthappam is a thick pancake, with chopped  vegetables to it. It can be taken with sambar or chutney. Eat without any side dish. We make with leftover idli batter.

Ingredients

Idli Rice/Ponni rice                   3 cups
Urad Dhal                                1 cup
Salt to taste

Finely Chopped  and Thin Sliced Tomatoes/Onion/bell pepper
Sliced Green Chilies Ginger and Coriander Leaves
Method
Soak the rice and dhal separately  for 4 hours and grind them with salt to a thick batter
Let it ferment for a day 
Heat a dosa tawa and grease with oil, pour the batter , make dosa and garnish with tomato, onion, ginger, chili and coriander leaves.
Cook well both side and add 1tsp oil around the dosa.
Serve hot with chutney

Navaratri Naivedyam

Sarkarai Pongal


Ingredients

Sarkarai Pongal

• 
  

Raw rice                                       1 cup
Powdered Jaggery                       2cups
Coconut pieces                             2 tbsp.
Cardamom Powder                     1/4 tsp
Cashew nuts                                2tbsp
Ghee                                           3 tbsp.

Method

Cook the rice in pressure cooker.
Heat a pan add jaggery and little water.
When the jaggery is dissolved add the  cooked rice and stir it.
Cook in low flame. Pour ghee  and stir it.
When it is mixed well, add roasted cashew nuts, coconut pieces and cardamom powder.

Nilakadalai Sundal (Peanuts Sundal)

We make Sundal for Navaratri.

Nilakadalai Sundal

Nilakadalai (Peanuts)

• Nilakadalai................................2 cups
• Grated Coconut........................1/4 cup
• Mustard Seeds..........................1 tsp
• Red Chili....................................2
• Chopped Green Chili...................1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method

• Pressure cook the nilakadalai with salt and enough water; remove the water
• Heat a pan with oil, add mustard seeds and broken chili; when the mustard crackles, add nilakadalai, coconut and green chili
• Mix well