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. 

Flavorful Sama ke Chawal (barnyard millet) and Tofu mix

Sama ke Chawal (Barnyard Millet) is one of my favorite foods during Navratri season. Following series of my additions to navratri food on my blog, here is another dish from my kitchen to yours. Simple, easy and healthy way to enjoy this navrati with lots of flavors, colors and aroma to all the traditional vrat food from my childhood. Enjoy the delectable delicacy and get creative with me.

Cook time - 35 minutes

Servings - 2 

Ingredients:

1 cup sama ke chawal (barnyard millet) - washed and cleaned

1 cup tofu - mashed

handful of finely chopped cilantro

2-3 green chillies - finely chopped

handful of cashew nuts - dry roasted and loosely crushed 

Sendha namak - to taste

1 tsp red chilly powder or crushed black pepper

1 1/2 tsp cumin powder - dry roasted and grounded

1 -2 tsp lemon juice

Steps:

1. In a pot, boil 2-3 cups of water on high heat. Stir the rice/millet in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Check the rice for soft consistency. Once done turn the heat off and strain the rice/millet in a strainer or use cheesecloth. Set the chawal aside for 10-15 minutes.
2. Mix tofu with rest of the ingredients except red chilly powder in a large bowl. Add sama ke chawal / millet and mix well.
3. Take a skillet add 1 tsp oil on medium heat and add red chilly powder to the oil. Add the sama chawal and tofu mixture to it. Stir in for a 1-2 minutes and serve it warm/hot with Coconut chutney.

You can also make a patty out of the same mixture (follow steps from above) by adding a medium boiled potato to it. Mash the potato with the mixture and make patties out of it. Cook in a skillet on medium heat while cooking for 2-3 minutes each side or till golden brown. 

Healthy and easy way to enjoy navratri food.

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. 

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!!!!!

Quick fix Pasta

Colorful to eyes and deelicious to taste.
I am a parent and I like to cook healthy for my child. This is a quick and easy way to prepare pasta loaded with vegetables made out of wheat with no hassle of adding pasta sauces or going through prep work. I like to cook fresh, so this quick and easy recipe comes in handy. I get a clean sweep every time I cook this scrumptious meal. You too can try it out and let me know how it turns out for you. Mine loves it and I hope yours too.
Here is a simple recipe from my kitchen to yours.

Cook time - 15 minutes 

Servings - 1 to 2

Ingredients:

4 cups of water for boiling

3-4 florets of broccoli

1/4 cup of finely cut carrots

handful of corn kernels

handful of green peas

handful of green beans - cut in half inch

1/2 cup pasta (I use gluten free wheat pasta. You can use shaped pasta as well.)

1 tsp of chat masala

1 1/2 tsp butter (I use "I Cannot Believe Its Not Butter")

pinch of salt

1 tsp olive oil

Steps:

1. Wash, clean and strain all the vegetable. 
2. On high flame boil 4 cups of water with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp olive oil (this helps in pasta from sticking). Once water comes to a boil add pasta and cook till 3/4 done. Now add all the vegetables except broccoli to the boiling water. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until carrots are almost tender, on medium heat. Now add broccoli and let it sit for a minute. Turn off the heat.
3. Strain the water using a colander and transfer pasta/vegetable to a bowl. 
4. Add chat masala and butter to the cooked pasta while still hot. Mix well.
5. Serve hot with a smoothie or cool it down and pack it for lunch.

My child's all time favorite. I hope the same for yours. Easy and quick recipe for parents.

Tips: If your child doesn't like taste of chat masala (mine doesn't like it but when I mix it well with the pasta and butter, they can't differentiate), as an alternative you can use Himalayan Mountain Salt (kala namak) to taste and a pinch of black pepper. 

Enjoy!!!!