Black-eyed Beans/Peas Patty

A patty packed with Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Iron, Potassium and Calcium, made of Black-eyed beans/peas. Healthy with lots of nutrition for the whole family, specially for your kids. I have added a lot of flavor and texture to the beans using different spices and ingredients. Enjoy this patty as a snack and eat it with your choice of chutney or sauce and/or use it in a burger or bread with added condiments.

The only prep I did with this recipe is to overnight soak 1 cup of black-eyed beans/peas in 2 cups of water. Below are the steps and the ingredients, I used to prepare this power packed patty.

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serving: Makes 8-10 small to medium size patties

Ingredients for the patty:
1 cup overnight soaked black-eyed beans/peas in 2 cups of water
1 small onion - finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
handful finely chopped fresh cilantro
2- 3 green chilies - finely chopped/to taste
1 inch ginger - grated
2 cloves of garlic - grated or finely chopped
1 tbsp oil to cook the patties
salt to taste

Steps: 

1. Pressure cook overnight soaked black-eyed beans in 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water or till 3-4 whistles. The beans need to be 3/4th way cooked. (this will give beans some texture).
2. Strain the beans. Keep 1 tbsp of water the beans were cooked in. (You don't want beans to be super dry or with too much water, otherwise it will loose the texture.).
3. With help of potato masher, mash the beans and add all the dry spices except the turmeric.
4. Now in a pan on medium heat in 1 tsp oil cook onions, garlic and ginger with 1 tsp turmeric powder along with green chilies.(I am not really looking to cook these through.) Saute for 1-2 minutes and turn off the heat. Add this mixture to the beans along with salt to taste and cilantro. Mix well.
5. Form patties and add them to a pan on medium heat with a little oil.
   
6. Cook for 2-3 minutes or till crispy on each side.
   
7. Cook 3-4 patty at a time in 2 batches, for them to be evenly cooked. This is what they will look like once done.
   
8. Once cooked you can serve it as a snack or appetizer with your choice of chutney or ketchup.
9. You can also roll it in a wrap with Greek yogurt sauce, lettuce and tomatoes OR you can add it to a burger or bread and eat it in a sandwich.

Well liked by my daughter. I am happy that she is getting all the nutrition needed through this patty with lots of amazing flavors. Enjoy the recipe and don't forget to leave your comments. 

10 minute Microwaveable Dhokla Recipe

I had to think quickly on my feet this evening, as my husband and daughter came home hungry, looking for food. This recipe of mine comes in quiet handy, only if you have all ingredients at home; and luckily I did.....I made this 10 minute Microwaveable Dhokla that comes back as yummy as our normal Dhokla recipe. They both enjoyed it over there personally preferred drink - a cup of coffee and milk respectively. It can be eaten with ketchup or cilantro / green chutney (your choice of sauce).

I have been told that Dhokla made out of chickpea flour is called 'Khaman'. So here it is Khaman Dhokla (I have to use the term 'Dhokla' as that's what I have known it as, all my life :) ).

So here you go. A super recipe with all the flavors and ZERO prep time.
My promise, that every time plates will come back empty with folks asking for me....



 Ingredients for Dhokla:
1 cup Chickpea flour or Besan or Gram Flour
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tbsp ginger/garlic paste
1 tbsp fruit salt or ENO (If using ENO, make sure it has no added flavor)
2-3 finely chopped green chilies (more or less per your taste)

Ingredients for Dressing/Tadka:
1 tbsp oil
2-3 vertically slit green chilies
1 tbsp mustard seeds (raai/sarson)
10-12 fresh curry leaves
handful of fresh cilantro - finely chopped
1/4 tsp asafetida (hing)
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp red chilly powder (optional)
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

Steps:

1. Mix all the ingredients to make Dhokla (not the ingredients for dressing/tadka), except ENO/Fruit salt into a smooth paste using a whisk.
   
2. Grease a microwaveable pan and transfer the mixture in it. Now quickly add Fruit Salt/ENO to it and mix it one last time.
   
3. Microwave the mixture for 4-5 minutes and set aside. It's time to prepare the dressing.
   
4. Add oil to a skillet on medium heat. After warming up oil for 10 seconds, add asafetida (hing), mustard seeds, cilantro, curry leaves, green chilies and red chilly powder. Cook these ingredients for about 30-40 seconds or till mustard seeds start to crack.
5. Now add water to the mixture and cook for couple of minutes. This is when you can add sugar to taste, to the dressing.
6. Once done add the dressing to the cooked Dhokla....
   
7. Cut the prepared Dhokla into beautiful square pieces and enjoy it with your choice of sauce or drink :)
   
   
   

 We enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy it too.

Baked Topica (Sabudana) and Potato Patties

In continuation with my healthy theme and to eat right, I came up with another healthy way to eat Topica (Sabudana) during Navratri days.

Every time I cook Sabudana, it reminds me of my mom and gives me a new prospective to love her even more. She use to cook food for all of us during the fasting time through Navratri and try to do something different each day. I am trying to follow her footsteps by using the same ingredients in a different way - "the FooDeeva way". Hope you all like it.

LOVE YOU MAA. This one is for you.......

This recipe of mine is devoted to her in a healthy way. No frying and no use of oil, other then brushing my patties with a drop of olive oil.....

The only prep work for this recipe is to wash and soak 1 cup Sabudana (Topica) overnight for soft and smoother texture.

Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Serves: 10 small size patties

Ingredients:

2 medium boiled potatoes 

1 cup washed and soaked sabudana (topica) - over night

handful of peanuts 

handful of finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp red chilly powder

2-3 green chillies 

1 tsp powdered cumin seeds

Sendha or Himalayan Black salt - to taste

Steps: 

1. Dry roast peanuts in a non stick pan and lightly crush them.
   
2. In a large bowl mash the boiled potatoes and add all the ingredients including crushed peanuts and Sabudana (Topica) to it. Mix well. 
   
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degree F. Roll out the patties using bare hands (use gloves) and line them up on a baking tray. Spray some oil olive (I use PAM) or lightly brush top of the patties with olive oil before baking .
   
4. Bake for 40 minutes, turning the patties every 15 minutes or till golden brown.
   
5. Serve your patty with Greek yogurt dip over a cup of tea or coffee. 

Enjoy another healthy way of eating sabudana, the Baked way :) from my kitchen to yours. 

Guilt-free Cucumber rolls

Here is a guilt-free Navrati food recipe I came up with last night. I didn't feel like frying and was looking for a healthy alternative, so thought of trying something new. I always make these cucumber rolls as an appetizer, and decided to give it a twist with some Indian flavors. What better way to enjoy same food during festivities without being fried????

It turned out deelicious for me and I gobbled 6 of these. How many will you??

The only prep work I had to do is to wash and soak Sabudana (1 cup) for at least 6-7 hours.

Ingredients:
1 large seedless cucumber - washed and patted dry
Soaked Sabudana (1 cup)
1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp lemon juice
1 pinch crushed black pepper
1 tsp red chilly pepper
3 tbsp Greek Yogurt
Salt to taste (I used Sendha Namak)

Steps:

1. Thinly slice cucumber lengthwise. Please see the picture below
   
2. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and get ready to roll.
   
3. Place 1 or 1 1/2 tsp of mixture at one end of the cucumber slices and roll up. You can secure the roll with a toothpick or can simply place it on a plate. If not serving immediately, chill until ready to serve.
4. Enjoy the guilt-free way of enjoying the festival.

Healthy Vegetable Patty

Welcome back to my blog!!
While I am getting use to blogging, I am also getting creative through every post on the food I cook. My tag line "Unleashing your kitchen's potential" is what I really did last night and this morning. I like to cook fresh for my child's lunch, without compromising on her health and nutrition.

Yes I cooked Quick Fix Pasta for her lunch yesterday and today I had to out beat myself. So after scratching my head on it last night and going through my refrigerator as well as pantry; I came across few ingredients that I had to put on my grocery shopping list for this weekend. So I pulled out Italian style seasoned bread crumbs, eggs, and mozzarella. What will I do with these??

The first thing that clicked with these ingredients was meatballs. But you cannot make meatballs without meat and it was way too late to go get some. While looking for substitute, I came across broccoli and spinach. So, I decided to cook my twist to meatballs with vegetables.

I knew to do it all in the morning will be time consuming, so I prepped for it last night by blanching 1 cup of spinach in boiling water for a minute or two and steaming 1 cup of broccoli. I finely chopped both vegetables after cooling them down and put it in the refrigerator to cook in the morning.

This morning I pulled out all the ingredients together......

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 1/4 cup Italian style seasoned bread crumbs

1 cup mozzarella cheese
salt to taste
1 tsp crushed black pepper
finely chopped prepped vegetables from last night

Step 1:
In a large bowl mix all the ingredients and make small patties with your hands. Lay the patties on parchment lined baking tray.

Step 2:

Bake at 375 Degree F for 25 minutes or until golden brown. (Turn the patties after 15 minutes into baking to evenly cook both side)

Below is the final product that she had a taste of before I packed it up for her. Served it with ketchup and it turned out deelicious and deelightful (the words she used to describe it). I was happy to see that smile on her face; yes the same smile we parents win as a trophy in return to our hard work....She enjoyed it and I hope your kids enjoy it too..

You can serve it as an appetizer or lunchbox meal with ketchup or any other sauces of your choice.

ENJOY!!!!!

Spicy and Tangy - Oil free Matara (dried green peas)

Cook time - 20 minutes
Serves - 3
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Matara - soaked in 2 cups of water overnight(dried green peas)
1 cup of water for cooking
salt to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp dry roasted and grounded cumin seeds powder
1 tbsp ground coriander powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
3-4 green chillies - finely chopped
1 large onion - finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes - finely chopped
1 1/2 inch ginger - julienned and soaked in juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tsp chaat masala
juice of 3 lemons
handful of fresh cilantro leaves - finely chopped

Steps:

1. Mix Matara (dried green peas), salt, red chilly powder and turmeric powder in a pressure cook on high heat (Use the water matara was soaked in + 1 additional cup of water) for approx 8 minutes or 1 whistle. Turn off the heat and set the pressure cooker aside.
2. On medium heat add the cooked matara in a large skillet and let it come to a boil. While stirring it continuously, add finely chopped onions and tomatoes to it. Cook for 10 minutes. 
3. Add green chillies, chaat masala, cumin powder and coriander powder. Cook for 10 more minutes or till the water almost dries out.
4. Turn off the heat mix in freshly chopped cilantro, half of the julienned ginger and lemon juice.
5. Serve hot with kulcha. Decorate with finely chopped tomatoes, cilantro and remaining julienned ginger before serving. 

Enjoy spicy and tangy oil free Matara recipe. Give feedback on how it turns out. 

Quick fix Poha Chaat

Ingredients:
1 cup thick poha
1 small onion
1 small tomato
2 green chillies
handful of fresh cilantro leaves (fresh coriander or dhania leaves)
1 small cucumber
1 boiled small potato
Juice of 1 lemon
Chaat Masala - 1 1/2 tsp
Optional - 1 tsp red chilly powder OR 1 finely chopped green chilly

Steps:

1. Wash and clean thick poha. Set it aside for 5-8 minutes or till the grain softens.
2. Finely chop and cut all the vegetables including cilantro. 
3. In a large bowl mix well all the ingredients including poha, vegetables, lemon juice and chaat masala.
4. Serve it with a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy.

Healthy and easy way to enjoy poha. 

Quick Vegetable Stir Fry

Ingredients:
5-6 broccoli florets
1/2 orange bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
1 small onion
3-4 crimini mushrooms
2-3 asparagus
3-4 baby corn
1 large tomato
2-3 cloves of garlic
Olive Oil Spray
salt to taste (if needed)
crushed black pepper (to taste)
low sodium soya sauce

Steps:

1. Wash, rinse and cut all vegetables except baby corn in large pieces. 
2. In a  large non stick pan, spray oil olive and saute roughly chopped garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add soya sauce and cook for another minute. Keep stirring.
3. Now add all the vegetables except tomatoes to the pan and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Keep stirring.
4. Now add tomatoes along with salt to taste, if needed. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Keep Stirring.
5. Turn the heat off and enjoy the Oil Free Stir Fry with a cup of hot green tea.

Tip: I love to add drops of lemon on the top. Something you can try to add additional flavor to it.