Almond & Chocolate Chips Muffins

  

Found this recipe long time ago at Oprah site. Made few changes here and there; replaced cinnamon with cardamom, used almonds in place of pecans, almond extract in place of vanilla and most importantly Chocolate chips which I love to add in my baking goods. The result was very good ... they turned out delicious! Hopefully will be trying more variations :)

Almond & Chocolate Chips Muffins

**************************************

Adapted from Oprah 
Recipe created by Tyler Florence

* Prep. Time : 10 minutes
* Cook Time : 20 minutes
* Makes : 8 muffins

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted & cooled slightly
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 1/8 cup almonds, chopped
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

• Preheat the oven to 190 C / 375 F. Brush the inside of each cup of a nonstick muffin pan with some of the melted butter. 
• In a large bowl, sift flour and baking powder.
• Add sugar, salt and cardamom into flour mixture.
• In another bowl, combine the egg, milk, butter and vanilla, and mix well.
• Fold the wet ingredients together with the dry until well blended.
• Fold in the almonds and chocolate chips. 
• Divide the batter equally into each cup. Sprinkle extra chopped almonds & chocolate chips on top.

• Bake for 20 minutes or until tests done when pierced with a skewer.
• Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving.

This goes to the event Any One Can Cook - Series 14 , an event by Umm Mymoonah

Thank you for stopping by! Enjoy!!!

Green Vegetables Rice

A delicious rice dish ... A mix of green vegetables and boiled rice, stir- fried & flavored with sauces and garnished with omelet strips.

Green Vegetables Rice
************************
*  Prep. Time : 15 minutes
*  Cook Time : 25 - 30 minutes
*  Serves : 2

• 125 gm. uncooked rice
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 - 4 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup spring onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup cabbage, finely sliced
• 1/2 cup capsicum / green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup green peas, boiled
• 2 tbsp. fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp. vinegar
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce 
• 2 tbsp. chilli sauce
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• Salt to taste

• Boil rice with salt in boiling water until the rice is tender.
• Drain water and keep aside.
• Beat egg with salt n pepper; add spring onions just to add color.
• Heat ( 1 tbsp. ) oil in a frying pan.
• Pour in egg mixture and swirl pan to make a thin omelet. Cook until egg is just set.
• Remove and cut into thin strips. Keep aside.
• Heat the oil in saucepan. Add white part of the spring onions; stir-fry for 2 minutes.
• Add cumin seeds and green chillies; stir-fry them for about 1 minute.
• Add capsicum, green peas, cabbage, mint.
• Add salt, black pepper, vinegar, soy sauce, chilli sauce; stir well.
• Let them cook for ( 3 - 4 minutes ) till the vegetables are slightly tender.

• Finally add boiled rice to it and gently fold in the vegetables to mix well.
• Adjust the seasonings according to your flavor and preference.
• Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with fried egg strips.

 

 

This goes to the event Food Palette - Green , an event by Torview

Thank you for stopping by! Enjoy!!! 

Sev ( Fried Gram - flour Noodles )

Pin It

Sev is an anytime salty snack. These are basically fried noodles made with gram flour and spices. It is shaped with Sev press, a unique brass utensil equipped with different interchangeable disks. A fine-holed ( thick or thin ) disk is attached to the container and filled with the dough. Then it is pressed directly into the hot oil where it fries into crisp noodles.

Sliced Potatoes in thin Gravy ... Aloo ki Qatlian shorbay wali

Sliced potatoes cooked in a simple onion & tomato gravy with spices.

Sliced Potatoes in thin Gravy ... Aloo ki Qatlian shorbay wali

*  Prep. Time : 10 minutes
*  Cook. Time : 35 - 40 minutes
*  Serves : 2 - 3

• 125 gm. potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced ( not too thin or too thick, keep in water )
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds ( methi dana )
• 1/8 tsp.  nigella seeds ( kalonji )
• 1 tsp. ginger & garlic paste
• 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. red chillies powder
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. salt ( or to taste )
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp. garam masala powder
• 2 green chillies, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

• Heat oil in a pan. Add onion and fry on medium heat until it turns golden.
• Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds & nigella seeds; fry for few seconds.
• Add ginger garlic paste, red chillies powder, turmeric powder; fry for few seconds ( take care not to burn it ).
• Add tomato, salt and ( 1/2 cup ) water.

• Cover & cook on medium heat for 15 minutes until the tomatoes are softened & the water dries out.
• Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture leaves oil.

• Add potatoes & (1 cup ) water; stir well.

• Cover & cook on medium heat until potatoes are tender.
• Sprinkle garam masala, green chillies & chopped coriander.
• Serve with Chapati.

Sending this to the event Veggie/Fruit A Month - Potato hosted by Divya and started by Priya

Also sending this to the event Any One Can Cook - Series 13 by Umm Mymoonah

Thank you for stopping by! Enjoy!!! 

Hot and Sour Soup

A bowl of piping hot soup is always a welcome starter to a meal in cold winters. Enjoy the winter with this tasty and healthy soup!

Hot and Sour Soup

*  Prep. Time :15 minutes
*  Cook. Time : 20 minutes
*  Serves : 2 - 3

4 cup water 125 gm chicken  1/2 cup carrots, grated  1/2 cup spring onions ( green leaves only ), chopped 1/2 cup cabbage, finely sliced / chopped 1 to 1 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. black pepper, ground  2 tbsp. vinegar 2 tbsp. soy sauce 2 tbsp. chilli sauce 3 tbsp. corn flour   1 egg , beaten

Boil water in a pot. Add chicken and boil for 15 minutes. Remove chicken from broth, remove bones and shred to get ( 1/2 cup ). Bring broth to a boil. Stir in carrot, spring onions and cabbage. Return to boiling, cook for 2 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper, vinegar, soy sauce & chilli sauce. Dissolve corn flour in little water. Slowly add it to the broth while stirring constantly. Simmer for two minutes until soup is thickened. Remove from heat. Pour beaten egg slowly, in a fine stream into soup, stirring constantly. Check salt n pepper. Adjust sauces according to taste. Serve hot.

Sending this to Dr. Sameena's event Soup Recipes

Thank you for stopping by! Enjoy!!!

Mini Carrot Coconut Cakes

Pin It

Carrots and coconut makes a great combination. Never used them together before but when I saw this recipe , I was eager to give it a try. I used muffin pan & small cake pans as she mentioned in the recipe. A beautiful aroma filled my kitchen, while they were in the oven. They are good plain, but even better with the chocolate. If you are a coconut lover, like me, you'll love these :)

Radish & Spinach with Meat ( Moli Palak Gosht )

Radish & Spinach with Meat ( Moli Palak Gosht ) 


*  Prep. Time : 20 minutes
*  Cook Time : 60 minutes
*  Serves : 4

• 250 gm. meat
• 500 gm spinach ( palak )
• 500 gm. white radish ( mooli ) with leaves
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. ginger & garlic paste
• Salt to taste
• 1 1/2 tsp. red chillies powder
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 - 3 green chillies, sliced

• Remove hard stems of spinach and radish leaves. Rinse thoroughly under running water & chop leaves.
• Peel radish and cut in thin slices / quarters.

• Combine all ingredients in a pan.

• Cook on medium heat, covered till meat is done and water is almost dry ( There is no need to add water as vegetables will leave their water and will be cooked in it ).
• Turn heat to high and cook, stirring frequently until water evaporates and the sides of the pan leave oil.
• Add sliced green chillies,  mix well.
• Serve hot with chapatti or Naan.

Sending this to Food Palette - Green by Torview

and  Umm Mymoonah  event Any One Can Cook - Series 12

Thank you for stopping by! Enjoy!!! 

Pineapple Cream Cake

Pineapple Cream Cake ... Three layers of fat less vanilla sponge, filled with freshly whipped cream & pineapple bits, decorated with whipped cream piping & pineapple and cherries on top & around the sides. Soft, moist & spongy!!!
I have made this cake several times since I came across this recipe. Every time it turned out great in taste, the only problem is my poor cake-decorating skills :)
These are the pictures of  my last birthday cake, no cake this year :(  Anyhow, a very
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me!

Pineapple Cream Cake

*************************

Recipe from Passionate About Baking

*  Prep. Time : 50 minutes
*  Cook Time : 30 - 35 minutes
*  Serves : 12

Ingredients :

Sponge :

• 5 ( 250 gm. ) eggs
• 125 gm. powdered Sugar 125 gm. plain flour  ( flour = half the weight of the eggs i.e. 125gm. )
• 2 tbsp. cornflour ( makes the cake texture lighter )
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla essence
• 1 tsp. pineapple essence

Pineapple Syrup :

• 1/2 cup pineapple syrup ( from pineapple tin )
• 2 tbsp. powdered sugar, optional

Filling & Topping :

• 500 ml whipping cream
• 4 to 5 tbsp. Icing Sugar ( We like it sweeter, so I use 8 - 10 tbsp. )
• 1 tsp. pineapple essence  
• 1 tin ( approx. 1 cup ) pineapple bits ( I used pineapple slices, chop 8 rings into small squares while cutting 3 - 4 rings into quarters for top )
• 10 - 12 cherries

Method : 

Sponge :

• Preheat oven to 190 C, reduce to 180 C after 10 minutes of putting the cake in.
• Grease and line a 9 inch spring form pan.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, salt  & cornflour 3 times.
• Beat the eggs and sugar well with beater till very thick ribbon falls and holds in place for at least 5 seconds ( beat for approx.10 minutes ).
• Add vanilla & pineapple essence and beat for 1 min.
• Gently fold in the sifted flour; mix lightly so that air doesn't escape.

• Turn gently into tin and bake for 30-35 minutes till done ( Remember to reduce heat to 180 C after 10 minutes of baking ).
• Once done, remove from tin after 5 minutes and leave on rack to cool completely.
• Cut horizontally into 3 slices / layers.

Filling & Topping :

• Whip whipping cream with powdered sugar & pineapple essence until thick and holds peaks.
• Place the bottom most layer of the sponge on your serving platter, sprinkle with 1/3 of the syrup.
• Put on a dollop of cream, spread it till the edges.
• Sprinkle with chopped pineapple & level out.

• Repeat for the second layer. Over the third layer, add syrup, and cream.
• Cover the top and the sides of the cake with cream using a spatula.
• Place remaining cream in a piping bag. Pipe rosettes or swirls of cream around the edges.
• Decorate with pineapple quarters and cherries.
• Chill well before serving.

Linking this with " Tried and Tested - Passionate about Baking " event, an event started by Zlamushka's Spicy Kitchen, now taken care of by Lakshmi of Kitchen Chronicles & this month hosted by Jayasri of Samayal Arai 

Sending this to the event Celebrate Sweets – Cakes hosted this month by Sonia at Dinner Recipes from Sonia's Kitchen , started by Nivedita 

Thank you for stopping by. Hope you enjoy the recipe!!!

Viennese Orange Kisses

Orange scented Butter Cookies, sandwiched with Orange Icing! These cookies turned out really good, loved the melt in the mouth texture of the cookies and the lovely orange filling ... These yummy cookies won't last long :)
I halved the recipe and was able to get 18 single cookies of different sizes. The only change I made, was to color half of the cookie mixture to orange which give the cookies a really nice color.

Viennese Orange Kisses

Recipe by Cooking Expert Shireen Anwar  in  Masala Mornings on Masala TV

*  Prep. Time : 15 minutes
*  Cook Time : 12 - 14 minutes
*  Makes : 12 sandwiches

Cookies :

• 175 gm. butter, softened
• 1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp. grated orange rind
• 1 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1 tbsp. cornflour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• Few drops orange food color, optional

Orange Icing :

• 2 oz. butter
• 3/4 cup icing sugar
• 2 tbsp. orange juice
• Few drops orange food color

Cookies :

• Preheat oven to 350F, 180C/ Gas 4. Line the baking sheet.
• Cream the butter and sugar until smooth.
• Add the grated orange rind and beat for few more seconds.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and corn flour together over the butter mixture and mix until smooth.
• Divide the mixture into 2 equal parts and beat food color into half of it.
• Spoon the plain mixture down one side of a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and then spoon the colored mixture down the other side.
• Pipe the mixture onto the prepared baking tray to make striped swirls. 

• Bake at 180°C for about 12 - 14 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Leave for a few minutes on the baking sheets to firm up slightly before transferring on a wire rack.
• Sandwich kisses with orange  icing.
• Dust with sifted icing sugar, if desired.

Orange Icing :

• Beat butter and sifted sugar in a small bowl with electric mixer until smooth; beat in juice until spreadable.

Thank you for stopping by! Enjoy!!!