Banana Milkshake

Milkshake is one of those recipes, one would love to make at anytime of the day b'cos of its simple handy ingredients. Yet it has no compromise on its taste...... and is divinely relishing..... Yesterday when I saw my couple of bananas pulling on a brown wrapper.... the first thought that struck me, was  to dunk them in milk... and yes it upheld the magic.... they were all into tummies in no time... with not even a trace of the yellow fruit... 

Shortbread Cookies

So, Christmas has now slipped under the year wheel after the fabulous celebrations...... Yesterday was a day full of shopping for me....... With plenty of 'Boxer Day Deals', I started the day very early...... my first purchase was a headset..... and then it went on and on.... even after lunch..... the greatest purchase was the one very close to my heart..... the one I've been longing for years..... Guess what????????? Yes, it was a Canon DSLR...... It was his gift for the year...... and I loved so much...... Yet to kick it off......

Chocolate Brownie

I have never had a brownie in my life, but when I saw it in Lite Bite, I badly wanted to try it not only because of its wonderful shots but also, since it carried a 'healthy factor' in it..... To top it all, it was quite simple and easy to give a try..... Lite Bite is one of my most favourite blogs... what mesmerizing shots..... WOW....... Those pictures are one of my greatest inspirations in food photography.... 

Eggless Blueberry Pancakes

I'm not such a big fan of pancakes... But after seeing them in Edible Garden, I wanted to try them. Since I already had the ingredients at hand, I made them for my breakfast and I should say 'I totally fell in love with them'..... and that too with maple syrup, they tasted divine.....

Butter Croissants

Have you ever tasted a butter croissant? If you say 'No' then I would say that you haven't had the golden touch of God..... yes, this is one of the best baked items you will ever have tasted.... When I had it for the first time.. (it was only after coming here..) I totally fell in love with it.... It just melted down my mouth.... and ever since then, I have never missed a chance of having it.... 

Strawberry Smoothie

With the summer popping up, there are boxes and boxes of strawberries in my fridge..... I make a smoothie, a milkshake, a pudding....... and sometimes just sit down with a box on my couch and enjoy them as such....... So I thought of posting this strawberry smoothie recipe today..... Loads of strawberry recipes are yet to come!!!!!!!!!! Though you can simply taste them in any Mc Foods.. the one that you prepare at home with a fresh bunch of strawberries is n match to any that are readily available.... So just go ahead and make some...

Chocolate Cupcakes

So... how was the weekend? Mine was good. The interesting part was that we had an unplanned Sunday restaurant lunch.... Went searching for a Chinese dine (it was not planned, I told!!!!).... most of them were closed.... being Sunday... and not ready to settle for anything else other than a chinese item... atlast we found 'Satay Noodle House' open..... had a yummy yummy 'Satay Fried Rice' followed by a double scoop of White Chocolate Rasberry and a Chocolate Brownie icecream at Wendy's.... what else could make a Sunday more merrier? Now on to the recipe at place......

Tomato Peas Pulao

Hurrah!!!!!!! Its the week-end.... and with Christmas just round the corner, each week is all the more interesting with its finishing touches..... I'm thinking about baking chocolate brownies and some sugar cookies tomorrow.... Let's see how it goes.... By the way, today's recipe is a very simple, yet delicious one... It is a very good lunch box item and can be prepared very quickly.... remember there is no grinding part at all but it tastes rich and special... so it's a perfect Friday lunch recipe.... Just go ahead and give it a try.... 

Brinjal Rice

Vangi bath..... nothing but the Brinjal rice.... the one I hardly do... as I'm not a fan of eggplants. My most favorite dish with eggplants is 'Kathirikai Kosthu', the one we usually do as an accompaniment for biriyani's....I think that landed up as my favorite mostly b'cos of the biriyani :-))) Now on to this recipe... It is a lunchbox recipe and quite interesting to have it along with vadams... The original source of this recipe is from Rak's Kitchen, one of my adorable bloggers.... Do give it a try.....

Jeeraka Kuzhambu

I saw 'The Hours' today.... The movie was quite good.... but I think I'm getting obsessed with Meryl Streep.... what an actor............. unbelievable.... Now I've started to look out more for her movies... Yes I'm completely mesmerised with her performance skills.... how could an actor do hundred percent justice to the character or even more!!! I was first taken aback by watching her in'The Devil wears Prada', then 'Doubt' followed by 'Its Complicated', 'Mamma Mia', 'Julie and Julia'........ and list is on and on.... Now lets just jump on to the recipe before I just go on....... on my admiration for her.....

Strawberry Muffins

Now, being summer here........ its the season of strawberries........... strawberry, strawberry, strawberry... all over the place. Last weekend I bought two boxes to start with... I had a whole lot of strawberry recipes to be tried out but I ended up with only one box the next day (I couldn't resist eating them fresh ;-)... So I thought it was high time I started baking these muffins.... 

Paasiparuppu Payasam

Payasam is believed to be the food of the Gods.... and I think its true to the core.... not only because of its richness but also b'cos of the flavour they carry along filling the home with divinity..... I bet there couldn't be none who hate it... Payasams are the last golden touch of every rich meal.... Since it was our wedding day, I made this paasiparuppu payasam... The celebration was complete with it.... 

Masala Vadai

Ohhhhhh Masala Vadai.......... it makes me remember all the festive time I spent at home along with my sister..... Mom used to make vadai for almost every 'ammavasai' along with the payasams. The menu will mostly be the same, but the ingredients keep on changing every month.... Of all, my favorite was this masala vadai ;-)) We normally skip breakfast on those days (if it is a holiday...)...

Beans Poriyal

Today I saw 'Death at a Funeral'..... It was quite a good enjoyable movie... This post is a very simple one which takes hardly 10 mins to travel from stove-top to table.... Since it does not carry any spices, it goes well with pulikuzhambu or any other dish rich in spices.....

Palak Roti

So 'Sweet November' is over..... Here comes the best part of the year..... the final month of '12.... So how was the weekend? Yesterday I tried making meat ball gravy and it ended up a total disaster... all the meat balls became indistinguishable after they bounced into the curry..... so this has become a challenge for me... I have decided not to give up and very soon I would make them perfect again and post in here..... 

For dinner, I had some left over palak leaves in my fridge and decided to incorporate them into my roti's.... and yeah!!!!!!!!!!! they had the wonderful green tint on them along with all their 'healthy' tags......... I did not add in any spices as I had a spicy cauliflower gravy to go along with it.....

Microwave Chocolate Cake (No Egg, No Butter)

Yeah!!!!!!!!!!! This is my 50th post...... I wanted to make something special, and ended up in this quick, healthy, chocolatyyyyyy recipe..... I came out well and I had it topped with maple syrup which made it all the more interesting.... This can be made in a jiffy and you can even surprise the guests by serving a cake at such short notice..... Moreover, this being a single serving cake... avoids you from having a bake for days.... and adding pounds to your belly. This is in fact a healthy version and your cake craving at times can be immediately met.... Doesn't that sound interesting??????????? The original recipe is from Katie's blog. She has a lot of single lady cupcakes and I want to try all of them.... They are even more tempting at the way they  pose on her blog.... Now on to my 50th post :-)))))

Cauliflower Milagu Kuzhambu

Yesterday, the city was all with a red carpet for the stars who flew over for the world premiere of 'The Hobbit'. As a very much hyped movie.... its to be screened on Dec 12.... lets see if it meets 'The Lord of the Rings' heights.... Now on to today's recipe.... I remember making this a very long time back when I was in Chennai..... I think it was one of Mallika Badrinath's recipe. I don't remember it exactly.... so I've made some changes, and here it is... It goes well with both rice and roti.

Oats Uthappam

Oats has now become an inevitable ingredient in every household. I've tried some recipes with oats.... Though they make oats good to taste and get it down into the digestive tract, they've never been a tummy yummy enjoyable meal..... but to my surprise this one was :-).... I came across this recipe in the chef and her kitchen blog and as she exclaimed... this was the tastiest recipe with oats. Do give it a try.... you'll definitely love it!!!!

Sundal Kuzhambu

Sundal Kuzhambu has been in my Saturday lunch menu since my school days..... and even now I would never miss a chance of making them in the weekend.... We all used to fast on Saturdays and so this would delight us at its very sight. We used to have the lunch very soon and it would be quite filling until dinner time...  So, this gravy always arouses my nostalgic thoughts of my home :-)))) Missing it a lot........... Mom used to say that she learnt this from one of her malayalee friend. This is a unique recipe as I've not tasted it in any other place and even did not come across this in any of the blogs. This is a sure keeper.... Give it a try... it would definitely be a hit at home.... 

Eggless Chocochip Cupcakes

So, how was the weekend? Mine was quite good... went window shopping... With Christmas round the corner, the entire city looks pretty with a taint of red and green... everyone happy, looking forward for the season. With world premiere of 'The Hobbit' to be held here this week, we are having the screening of 'The Lord of the rings' trilogy one on each day, starting yesterday.... Since it was very cold and windy we returned home before the show was even over. Anyway, had a nice time....  Now on to the recipe....

As I've already mentioned I'm not such a big fan of chocolates wedded to cakes..... I made these cupcakes for a visit to a friend's house. The cupcakes came out very well and with the chocochips sprinkled over them they looked even more wonderful.... 

Greengram Dosa

Greengram dosa is from the Andhra cuisine.... (I think! Hope I'm not wrong). It is also called as pesarattu. I was introduced to this dish only recently. It is a protein rich dish and is ideal for weekend dinner along with peanut chutney and idli podi. Do give it a try... I adapted the recipe from Sharmi's blog. 

Banana Marble Cake (No eggs, No butter)

This marble cake was purely baked on the passion of its design... It is as usual an eggless, butterless cake harboring on the flavour of banana. You can find the original recipe here... The cake turned out a little flat as I directly used yogurt from the fridge without bringing it down to room temperature... but nevertheless there wasn't any compromise on its taste.... This time I learned to be patient enough to invert it only after resting it for some time and so this baby slided on to the wire rack without a fuss and mess...

Paneer Tikka

Paneer is one of my most favourite dishes.... I encountered paneer only a decade back when we were on a trip to Pondi.... At first I was hesitant thinking it might taste like some root veggie.... but was persuaded by my uncle to have a bite..... after which I completely fell in love with this whityyyyy..... Though I've not tried out this tikka till now... it was always on my to-do list...... and finally the day came when I purchased the skewers and pushed them into the oven..... I adapted from in Rak's kitchen.... my favourite blog spot.... 

Soya Bhurji

Soya chunks has become a routine in everyone's diet these days...... good thing.... indeed! I've mostly done Soya chunks curry for roti... but when I saw this recipe I badly wanted to try this out.... It was a yummy side-dish  for tomato rasam... I used the left-over for making sandwiches the next morning.....

Radish Peanut Curry

Are you like me, the one who doesn't have the tastebud for radish??? Then you should definitely try out this Radish Peanut Curry...... I bet you'll start loving radish.... if not atleast this radish in this dish for sure.... I swear it'll be a hit in your dining table..... The original version of the recipe can be found here

Mutton Chukka

We very rarely purchased lamb.... and when we did, it would be for mutton biriyani mostly as we bothlove it for a Sunday lunch..... followed by a short nap. But this time we decided to cook something else.... and Mutton Chukka was the choice. It came out very very very tasty and we had it with tomato rasam.... Though  making it chukka (that is dry...) was the longest part.... it was worth the wait :-) I adapted the recipe from Solai's Kitchen. Do give it a try ;-) you'll surely love it....

Radish Soup - A tribute to Chef Jacob

So how was Diwali? Had loads of fun? And finally the festival for which there's been a year of waiting is over... so now we all start looking for the next Diwali........ isn't it.... as it is 'the biggest occasion' in India...

Vegetable Cutlets

It's Diwali today................. Celebrations are all over the place.........  Here, it's me WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY DIWALI........

Zebra Cake (No Eggs, No Butter)

I've been waiting for month's and finally the day came when I took it out of my oven............ It had those lines on it.... smelled divine............ wondering what???? It is my Zebra cake. I was very much taken aback by this cake at its very first sight... and badly wanted to bake it. Since it needed cocoa (and me not being a chocolaty person) I just postponed it. But soon after trying moist chocolate cake, the next thing I wanted to make is this Zebra cake and it came out quite well for a first timer!!!!!!!!!!!!! Firstly, I had only raw sugar at hand and it changed the colour of my vanilla lining with brown tint.... making the lines less distinct. But still Zebra is Zebra... but a faintly striped one ;-) Secondly, I should have waited until the cake completely cooled down.... Check out here for the recipe source.

Capsicum Peanut Poriyal

Today I saw the movie 'You've got mail'..... it was recommended by one of my friends..... and yes it is worth the watch. Now onto the recipe..... This is one of my favorite dish as it needs not much preparation and can be made in a jiffy. But the taste would never be compromising at all. It almost goes with any main course.... The original recipe was from Tickling Palates.

Jeera Rice

I am always on the hunt for easy mixed rice recipes...... Here is a very simple jeera rice.... I've just added peas to it for a good, healthy colorful combo!!! 

Bread Broccoli Upma

I usually wed broccoli with pasta and they will go happily into our tummies..... But yesterday I was short of the wholemeal pasta's and was wondering how to put in my broccoli's for dinner, as they've already sat in my fridge for four days...... So I was just surfing around to find something to go along with this veggie... Yippee!!! I came across this bread upma in Gayathri's blog. She had them done with capsicum..... so my cook mind instructed me to replace them with broccoli..... and 'yes' it was right..... The dish came out well.... but I thought of variations that I need to try out the next time.... I've put my ideas in the notes.... 

Palak Kadhi

Kadhi is as I believe a Maharastrian dish..... The basic ingredient of it is curd along with the masala ingredients. I tried adding spinach to it.... and BINGO!!! it was a success. It became a hit at home. Nowadays its regularly sitting in our weekly menu.... Do give it a try and I'm sure you'll love it.... Don't get astonished with the addition of wheat flour to this.... it tastes great..... On to the recipe.......

Vadai Morkuzhambu

During my schooldays, I always hated morkuzhambu's.... I couldn't remember why I always avoided them but I just hated them... until I started to cook them myself. Now they've turned out to be one of my keeper recipes and that too with vadai's added, they've started to taste even more special... This is one of the recipes I came across in TV, with my chef Dhamu making them with all his touches.... The way he explains the combinations and the taste of the dish makes you drooling!!!!!!!!!!!! Believe me... this is one such recipe...

Eggless Butterless Moist Chocolate Cake

Something brown with a chocolaty tint are always the one I avoid..... My palettes do love chocolates but not when its cooked with a cake or when its drenched in coffee.... But when I came across this recipe here in Rak's kitchen (my most favourite food blog), I thought I must give it a try... It made me feel that my baking would never be complete without buying cocoa powder... and so at last I bought it yesterday and made this eggless butterless moist chocolate cake..... It came out of the oven smelling so divine...... I couldn't wait to slice them until they cooled... so you could make this out in my photograph's itself.... the edges are crumbly and uneven...... So after you bake these goodies DO ALLOW THEM TO COOL COMPLETELY BEFORE SLICING, for  good shots....

Fruity Oats Porridge

Oats........... mostly shunned by all (including me:-(( ) b'cos IT'S HEALTHY. That is its tagline..... But in these days it must somehow be incorporated into the daily routine.. Here is one way how to do it.... The recipe is quite simple but it definitely helps me (hope U also.....) push this bland ingredient into my digestive system without much fuss.... Now on to the recipe....

Cabbage Poriyal

Cabbage was one of the veggies that hardly lined up in my menu, since my childhood days. But after I tried the red one....it has become a regular side dish. And you know what, it regularly sits in my kitchen. My tip for you, to have your cabbage for longer days without losing its freshness, is to cook it on a leaf to leaf basis rather than cutting them down into quarters!!!! This is a very simple cabbage poriyal that can be an excellent side dish. Do give it a try.....

Capsicum Rice

I swear that this would become one of the yummiest lunch box recipes you've ever had...... We always like capsicums in our menu. The capsicum peanut poriyal always found its place on the table, on a weekly basis. One day when I had surplus bell peppers at hand I wanted to try a main course using them.... and guess what..... it turned out to be the tastiest of all mixed rice recipes. You can find the original recipe here. Do give it a try......

Poondu Kuzhambu

This is one of the keeper recipes....I swear!!!! It goes along well with paruppu thuvayal and appalam. Do give it a try... you'll relish it.

Paruppu Thogayal

This is one of the simplest and the yummiest combinations with rasam.... But today I wanted to make it along with Poondu Kuzhambu and it went along well.... We loved it. Normally I do not add coconut to any of my recipes.... but you can try this one along with a tablespoon or a handful of coconut gratings and I swear it would turn divine.  

Blueberry Muffins

I'm not an ardent fan of fruits or nuts into cakes. Plain tea cake is and has always been my favourite. But this blueberry muffin was long on my to-do list after I tasted it in one of the bakeries here. I was able to buy blueberries in this week's shopping and try out these at once. They were very soft (Note: I didn't use butter in my recipe) and after 15 mins in my oven they filled the house  with a divine smell that only baker's are gifted with..... Now on to the recipe. I adapted it from JoyOfBaking.

  

Baked Murukku

This is one of the best recipes I've ever come across.... I was actually thrilled to see a healthier version of murukku and wanted to give it a try :-) You won't believe it.... it's main ingredient is wheat flour... and over that its not dipped into oil. Doesn't this sound amazing??? The original recipe is here. Hats off to her for bringing out this wonderful snack. IT IS Murukku with no compromise in taste..... do try it and sure it will sit in your list of keepers.

Carrot Rice

This is also one of the best lunch box recipes. In the mornings when you actually find no time (when u get up late:-() and moreover when there is no power..........don't worry. This is one of the recipes that require very less time and no grinding at all.

Masala Stuffed Wheat Buns

Buns never miss my weekend baking list... as they are not only easy to make but also very healthily tasty as they are made from wheat. I always try to replace white flour in most of the recipes(lotssssss of health concern!!!!!!!!!!!!!! seriously.......... believe me ;-) ). When I came across this recipe in Raks kitchen I wanted to try it and.....................I won. They were wonderful with Indian flavors..........and is a great combination with a cup of coffee..(especially filter coffee!!!!!!!!).

Eggless Pumpkin Loaf

Pumpkin loaf is one of the recipes I wanted to try for a long time... and now that I've made puree last week I  wanted to try my hands on it. Normally I avoid using eggs in my bakes, so I tried out the eggless version from Gayathri's blog. Instead of baking it into a cake, I made them loaves.... just for a change:-)

Dal Palak Pulao

Every week I usually get a large bunch of spinach from the market. Normally I will make Dal Palak with toor dal and have it along with rice. It also goes well with roti's for dinner. This time I wanted to try out something other than that. I came along an interesting as well as an easy rice recipe here and wanted to give it a try. I have used moong dal for an easier blend, though the original recipe called for masoor/toor dal. The rice was very tasty and I would say this is one of the best ways to eat spinach..... 

Stuffed Capsicum

Capsicum is one of the veggies that goes well with almost anything..... be it pizza, pasta, sambhar and anything.... you name. It has a whole lot of health benefits(who cares)....its tasty, tasty and tasty. Whenever I shop for veges, I get more attracted by the colors as they paint my kitchen with rainbowssssssssssss and capsicum has a greater percentage in it. This time I tried stuffing their belly's with other veggies and puting them into the oven. They not only tasted wonderful but also filled my kitchen with a wonderful aroma.... Try it out and let me know...

Cabbage Rice

I was (and still am) a very picky eater. Cabbage was not on my list of intakes until recent times. It was only after I started to buy those pink cabbages, did I develop a liking for it. Now it has started to sit on my list for every purchase at the market. Here's a tip for keeping cabbage for a longer time. Don't quarter the cabbage for cooking, rather peel out 4-5 petals, wash them and cut it down. The remaining part stays fresh and intact until your next need...... This is also one of the best lunch box recipes and can also be made in a jiffy using left over rice.

Eggless Badam Cookies

I had some badam milk mixture lying in my fridge for a long time as I stopped taking them when my palettes disliked the coarse mixture along with the smooth running down milk.... One day I came across this recipe here which had badam drink mix in its list of ingredients. I was tempted to give it a try as my mix was nearing its best before date.... I came out extremely wonderful with a rich aroma which filled my kitchen. I made changes here and there to the original and even replaced butter with oil to have my cookies guilt free....

Spinach Mushroom Frittata

Frittata is nothing but an egg based dish similar to an omelette or quiche with the addition of vegetables. Here I've added spinach and mushrooms to it and hence I've named it Spinach Mushroom Frittata. They are easy and quick to be made and really delicious  Do give them a try!

All you need is..........

Eggs - 2
Onion - 1/2 (chopped)
Spinach - 1 bunch (chopped)
Mushrooms - 4 (chopped)
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Pepper - as needed
Oil - 2 tsp