Orange Cranberry Pudding

No matter how I slice it, I really am not a baker. Baking is too precise a science for me. This time of the year however most people think if you cook, you should bake. I cobbled these together for a daycare event. Actually, I love the moist and very flavorful results.

I used a lot of fresh clementine juice and a packaged pancake mix for the batter to keep it really simple. The fresh cranberries and powdered cloves helped, finally drizzled it with mapple syrup. The little ones loved it!

Orange Cranberry Pudding Cakes

Makes 18 servings

Ingredients

4 fresh clementines

1 lemon

6 eggs

1 tsp powdered cloves

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup half and half

3/4 cup fresh organic cranberries

1.5 cups pancake mix

To garnish

1 cup mapple syrup

2 tbsp tripple sec

Additional orange juice if desired

Sliced almonds

Method of Preparation

1. Squeeze the clemetines and the lemon juice. Mix them together and set aside.

2. Grate the zest of the fruit and mix with the juice.

3. Separate the eggs and whip the whites till softly peaked.

4. Beat the yolks separately and then beat with the clementine juice till pale colored and frothy.

5. Mix in the ricotta cheese and cranberries.

6. Gradually add the pancake mix and finally fold in the egg white.

7. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees farenheight.

8. Pour the mixture into buttered ramekins or muffin pans and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

9. Cool slightly and unmould.

10. Mix the maple syrup with the tripple sec and additional orange juice (if using).

11. Pour about 3-4 tbsp of the mixture on the puddings. Garnish with the sliced almonds and serve.

Note: This does not result in a very sweet pudding, but I think it tastes fine with the mapple syrup. If additional sweetness is desired, some powdered sugar can be added in step 8.

Bhaja Moonger Dal - Roasted Moong Dal with Corn and Spinach

In my house, getting the kids to eat healthy is a lesser challenge than being able to find something that works for everyone. Since the focus had always been substance over form, the kids pretty much eat most things, but have a very low spice tollerance. Simple dishes like this dal however are good options for both the little ones and the grown-ups too. Cooked in a jiffy in a pressure cooker, this dal is later tempered with panch phoron and then for us, tempered again with crushed red pepper. Served with plain rice either brown or white, this makes a lovely soothing meal on a busy cold day.

I have added some ground corn to this, the corn can be added whole but I felt that processing this in a food process with tomatoes and cilantro helped it blend better into the very smooth buttery texture of the dal.

Bhaja Moonger Dal - Roasted Moong Dal with Corn and Spinach

Serve 4-6 people

Ingredients

1/2 cup moong dal
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 tomato
1 piece (about 1/2 inch) peeled ginger
3/4 cup frozen or fresh chopped spinach
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ghee
1/2 tsp panch phoron
1 lime
2 -3 tbsp chopped cilantro
Optional tempering
1/2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Method of Preparation

1. Roast the lentils in the base of a pressure cooker. This is done by placing the lentils on the dry pressure cooker and cooking them until lightly browned and fragrant.

2. In the meantime, place the corn, tomato and ginger in a food processor until almost a paste.

3 Place the corn, in the pot with the lentils, add 2 cups water, spinach, salt and turmeric and cook under pressure for 7 minutes.

4. Cook throughly and mix well.

5. Heat the ghee and add the panch phoron and cook till this crackles and pour over the dal.

6. Mix well, squeeze the lime juice and stir in the cilantro.

7. If using the optional tempering, roast the crushed red pepper in the oil and pour over the dal.

Dals are a perfect way to mix an assortment of vegetables into our diet. This particular entry being sent to Sharmi, for her cooking for kids event.

Saag Chicken on a winter's day

This is what the backyard looked like for most of this weekend. The kids went out and built a snow man, I pretty much lay low for most of the weekend. Last night I made some sinfully indulgent and good saag chicken and jeera (cumin rice). I actually used some pre-roasted chicken, I had roasted two cornish hens earlier this week and one was left over. The cornish hens

were interesting I shall post about them later, so I skinned and chopped up one of them. I cooked the chicken with a mixture of spinach and kale (frozen).



Saag Chicken a la simple

For the sauce

1 tbsp oil
1 tsp grated ginger
1 onion finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
A couple of cloves and cardamom and a small stick of cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
2 cups fresh spinach (or 1.5 cups frozen chopped)
1 cup chopped fresh kale or 3/4 cups frozen
1 small can chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup broth

For the Chicken

1 tbsp oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 tomato diced
1 tsp salt
1 lbs cooked chicken on the bone (store roasted should work well)
1/2 cup cream
1 tsp garam masala
3 tbsp chopped cilantro

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and add the ginger, onion and cumin seeds and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the cloves, cardamom and cinamon and stir through.
3. Add in the green with the salt and turmeric and mix well till wilted.
4. Add in the tomatoes and broth and cook the mixture till heated through.
5. Cool slightly and blend well in a strong blender.
6. While this is cooling heat the oil and the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes and add in the tomatoes with the chicken and coat with the mixture.
7. Add in the spinach mixture with half the cream and let it simmer for 8 minutes.
8. Mix in the garam masala and the remaining cream and cilantro and cook through.
9. Serve with jeera rice and some good wine.

Green Tea, Little cafe, odds and ends

I have recently started exploring the world of green tea. Until very recently, I used to find this green companion rather insipid. I am otherwise really a tea drinker. I drink coffee at work simply because it happens to be there, need the kick!

What really clinched it for me was actually a Twinings green gunpowder tea.

This really is a lovely light green drink, perfect to sip on a cold day, not too overpowering...

Now, getting back to the kick, this afternoon, I wanted to take a walk to get something a little better that the awful brew that sits around and thickens at work.

I stumbled into this little cafe , located right in Hastings on Hudson train station. The place has a lot of character, just the kind of place you would want to take a book or newspaper to and sit and read and sip your tea or coffee. The owner is a charming and hospitable man. Outside of the fairly decent cofee and tea selections (better on the coffee), the restaurant offers a few sandwiches a good variety of muffins, scones and some really good rugelagh..

The little place cheered my spirits enough today to write a little...

Indoor Farmers Market??

Despite my promises to the contrary, I stayed up pretty late tonight. I had this project I have been exhausting myself with, I am finally at I point where I just think, I have so had it, it is about 80% done, I cannot figure out the remaining 20% and it is time someone helped me with it. So it is getting submitted as it.

Now, yesterday I went to check out this indoor farmers market. The idea sounds really strange. Well, it was different, I did pick up some good lamb, chicken, eggs and absolutely out of this world yogurt. The produce was really flimsy... I did get some good mushrooms. So I made this chicken which was amazingly good, nothing like some butter and good simple spices.

Kumbh Murg Karai - Chicken with mushrooms

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2-3 cloves garlic minced

2 tsp powdered cumin-coriander

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 onion coarsely chopped

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1 lb boneless skinned chicken (cut into small pieces)

1 cup musrooms thickly sliced

1 tsp saffron

3-4 tsp chopped cilantro

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and butter and add the cumin and garlic.

2. Cook for a minute stirring frequently, add the spices onions, scallions and chicken and cook on medium high heat for 15 minutes till the chicken in well browned.

3. Add in the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes till the mushrooms are well sauted but not wilted.

4. Mix in the saffron and cilantro. Keep covered for 5 minutes to let the flavors settle together.

5. Serve with orzo or rice.

Deflated Aha moment

Ever took the effort to look up something healthy, felt really thrilled with your self, as in a "aha moment"Well, that kind off was my first thinking when I found this recipe on Ashwini's blog.I was like, look here is a nice healthy dessert for the kids, well I first tried this on Anshul and we both finished one-third of this until it went to the kids, well guess what, they rejected it completely...Ok so much for the "aha moment"..

This is an incredibly satisfying simple and lovely dessert nonetheless. I modified the recipe a little

Raji Halwa -Finger Millet flour Pudding

Serve 12

Ingredients

1 cup finger flour

1.5 cups light coconut milk

1 cup water

3/4 cup powdered jaggery

2 tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp saffron

1 cup blanched almonds

Method of Preparation

1. Mix the ragi with the coconut milk and water.

2. Place in a pan and simmer stirring constantly till the mixture thickens.

3. Add in the jaggery and contine stirring till the mixture reaches a fudgelike consistency.

4. Stir in the ghee and mix throughly.

5. Stir in almonds and spread uniformly on a plate and enjoy!

New York Sunset

All right, so we probably live in strangely interesting times. There is half the world economically falling apart, places where people do not blink before mindlessly killing hundereds of people and yet the Bushes buying a new home can still make headlines.Actually, for some unbeknowst reason, someone at work informed me that he had seen some of the most entertaining clowns in Washington, DC. My husbands asks me, whether this was on Capitol Hill?Ok, so I am tired and my political colors are showing...Tonight I chanced on a cocktail, by sheer accident, this is now named the New York Sunset! Made from the two ingredients I had available, I now also have a new mocktail/smoothie breakfast.

New York Sunset

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lbs frozen peaches

3/4 cup pommegranate juice

1 tbsp chopped mint leaves

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1/2 cup coconut rum

To garnish

Mint leaves

Pomegranate seeds

Method of Preparation

1. Blend the frozen peaches, pomegranate juice, mint and ginger till very smooth.

2. Add the rum and pour into glasses.

3. Decorate with mint leaves and pomegranate seeds

4. Relax and forget all your troubles.