Rice Tikkis with fruit stuffing

Its Magic Mingle time again.And this time Kalyani is really putting our brains to work by making us think with her MM ingredients and everyone of us in definitely enjoying it I'm sure.

Last month Tea and pistachios was a tougher challenge and this time watermelon and rice somehow was more interesting and just in time i happened to watch a show that used rice to make some cakes.So i'm making a modification of that for this MM.

You need
Outer layer
Cooked rice 1 cup
Boiled potato mashed half
Salt to taste
Chat masala 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp

For the stuffing
Red/green apples half
Capsicum a small piece
Watermelon a small wedge
Lime juice 1 tsp
Coriander leaves from a few sprigs
Chaat masala 1/2 tsp

Oil 2-3 tablespoons to shallow fry

• Keep the rice in a big sieve/bowl and mash into a smooth mix with a wooden spoon, add the mashed potato to this and the rest of the stuff for the outer layer.
• Chop fruits and mix the lime juice, chaat masala and coriander leaves.
• Wet your palms and make a flat disk of the rice potato paste and stuff a tsp of the stuffing into this.Repeat for the remaining rice mix.
• Add oil to a pan and place the tikkis as they are browning sprinkle cumin seeds one each tikki and brown both sides until crispy.
• Sprinkle chaat masala on the tikkis before serving.
• Enjoy crispy soft tikkis stuffed with cooling fruits!

A perfect yummy kids snack ready to be served with any sauce of your choice.

Sending this to MM 16  ,Left over make over event

Rice Tikkis with fruit stuffing

Its Magic Mingle time again.And this time Kalyani is really putting our brains to work by making us think with her MM ingredients and everyone of us in definitely enjoying it I'm sure.

Vanilla tea shake

I was awe struck at the MM ingredients for this month.As i sat to think what to make i was totally blank.Then i took my laptop and our google is always there to help our kind.I found out that tea is actually used in many other forms other than drinking it.

I wanted to try a chai ice cream that i saw on some tv show ages ago but everyone here at home have a bad throat and so i left that alone.

I also tried a phirni with tea :) that was a joke.My not-so-tea-loving family didn't support of it at al so i thought of not posting it.

There are a whole range of Dessert teas available on the shelves all of us have seen it.I used vanilla tea to make this shake.It was really filling and a healthy morning quick fix. I love vanilla tea and peach tea.If you haven't tried it you should give it a shot.

Theres not much of a recipe here, I just made some vanilla tea i didn;t use a tea bag I didn;t have it at hand, so i boiled half a cup of  water and added about quarter spoon of tea and added a drop of vanilla essence to this and let it cool.

Then to a blender/mixie add a banana, add one cup of cold milk,the vanilla tea extract and chopped pistachios with sugar to sweeten it.Blend till smooth.I had chunks of banana and pistachios in mine and i love my shakes that way.

Enjoy vanilla shake with a cookie on a hot summer afternoon.

Sending this to MM 

Vanilla tea shake

I was awe struck at the MM ingredients for this month.As i sat to think what to make i was totally blank.Then i took my laptop and our google is always there to help our kind.I found out that tea is actually used in many other forms other than drinking it.

Lentils Fritters/vada

Its been a while since i made any snacks for tea.Making tea itself is a challenge at times when baby is awake so this weekend i decided to make some snack.I had some urad dal left from my stuffing for the puris and some boiled channa/chick peas.So i thought let me do something :) I keep doing such things which is how the blog came up :D

I mixed both the lentils and made a semi wet course mixture and added some spices the end result was pretty much pleasing :) a good accompaniment for the evening tea!Besides being a healthy food, urad dal is really healthy for women.

Usually for all MM i really struggle to come up with even a single entry but this time i;m glad i could prepare 2 dishes.This one is for MM too the magic ingredients being urad dal and lime.

You need

Urad dal half cup soaked for 2 hours
Chana/chick peas half cup or less cooked
Chilli powder a pinch
Green chilli 2
Cilantro a small bunch
Lime juice 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Oil to deep fry

•  Blend the lentils into a course semi wet mixture such that we should be able to make vadas out of it.
• Make a paste of the cilantro,ginger garlic paste, lime juice and green chillies.Mix this into the lentil paste.
• Make round vadas and heat oil, drop 3 4 vadas at a time and fry until golden brown.
• Serve hot with sauce/chutney and tea.

Enjoy your tea with some delicious vadas!

Sending this to MM , Dish it out - Lentils & garlic & Cook's Joy , What is with my cuppa & Nupurs page, MLLA @ Lisa's Kitchen

Lentils Fritters/vada

Its been a while since i made any snacks for tea.Making tea itself is a challenge at times when baby is awake so this weekend i decided to make some snack.I had some urad dal left from my stuffing for the puris and some boiled channa/chick peas.So i thought let me do something :) I keep doing such things which is how the blog came up :D

Stir fried pumpkin

I managed to make two dishes with the pumpkin wedge that i picked up for this month's Magic Mingle.I'm glad i could do that.

My daughter was munching the raw pumpkin telling me it smells like watermelon :) I was glad some vegetable is going in as she's only starting to have her share of veggies.Its a long tough fight with vegetables and her!

Since we have chapatis/indian flat bread for our dinner invariably everyday, I am tempted to try out with many side dishes/gravies for dinner.This side dish is so easy i think its faster than instant noodles!Thats how fast this vegetable cooks!

Preparation time : 30 mins

You need

Chopped pumpkin 2 cups 

Salt to taste

Cumin seeds/jeera 1tsp

Green chillies 1slit at the top

Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp (or more as you need)

Oil 2 tsp

• Heat oil in the pan, add oil and jeera and let it pop.Now add the green chillies and fry it well.
• Add the pumpkin pieces and stir it in the oil.Add the salt and red chilli powder and stir well.
• Cook until the pumpkin pieces go soft.

• Serve the sabji hot with chapatis.

Sending this to Magic Mingle #9 , Healthy foods for kids - Combo meals , 30 minute meal mela , Dish in 30 minutes

Stir fried pumpkin

I managed to make two dishes with the pumpkin wedge that i picked up for this month's Magic Mingle.I'm glad i could do that.

Pumpkin channa curry

Would it surprise any of you if i told you i have never bought a piece of pumpkin ever since i started cooking?I do use ash gourd for some south indian curries and side dishes but the yellow pumpkin - I always thought was too sweet to be used.
This month's Magic Mingle gave me the chance to buy the pumpkin and I must say I am pretty pleased with it.

 I saw quite a few breads,soups and some indian recipes too.This is something i just tried making by combining a few ideas I had in my mind.

You need
Boiled chickpeas/channa 1 cup
Cubed and peeled pumpkin 1 cup
Onion 1 large + half a small one
Ginger 1 inch piece
Green chillies 1
Tomato 1 large
Curd 2 tablespoons
Tomato sauce 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Chole masala 1 tsp (ready made any brand)
Oil 2 tablespoons

• Heat oil in a pan, add onions, green chillies,ginger and pumpkin cubes and fry well until the onions are caramelized and the pumpkin is softened.Allow to cool in a bowl.
• Chop tomatoes and saute them in the same pan.Allow this to cool too.
• Puree both the fried onion-pumpkin and tomato mix separately and leave it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and let it pop, now add finely chopped small half of an onion and let it fry well.
• Next add the onion pumpkin puree and let it fry well again.
• Add the tomato puree and cook well until the raw smell goes away.
• Add chole masala and curd and let this fry well until the oil separates from the sides.Add the tomato sauce now.
• Add cooked chana and let the gravy bubble away.Cover and cook until the chick peas cook well in the gravy.
• Add salt and cover and cook.

• Serve hot with chapatis.

Sending this to MM,Lets cook - legumes and lentils

Pumpkin channa curry

Would it surprise any of you if i told you i have never bought a piece of pumpkin ever since i started cooking?I do use ash gourd for some south indian curries and side dishes but the yellow pumpkin - I always thought was too sweet to be used.
This month's Magic Mingle gave me the chance to buy the pumpkin and I must say I am pretty pleased with it.

Golden Puris & Parathas

This month's Magic Mingle combo is wheat and corn.I've been struggling to somehow get the lunchbox empty from school...but in vain.I tried these puris which are her absolute favourite today.I also made parathas but the puris looked like golden risen blobs of dough frying in the pan.

I haven't added much flavouring to these puris because its for the little one but still they looked fantastic because of the colors in them.

You need

Whole wheat flour 2 cup
Carrots grated 1/2 cup
Corn 1/2 cup
Semolina 2 tablespoons
water to make a non sticky puri dough
salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

• Grate the carrots and cook the corn kernels.I used frozen corn so i boiled it in salt water for a bit and  grind it to a smooth paste.
• Mix the carrots and the corn paste to the wheat flour and the rest of ingredients and make a smooth dough.
• Roll out into small circles and fry them in oil.Else if making parathas roll them into bigger circles and cook them on a flat griddle/tawa.

• Serve hot with sauce or yogurt.

-If i were making it for me , i'd have added extra seasoning or masalas and served with some spicy curry :)

- If you like you can stuff the puris/parathas rather than mixing it in with the dough.I didn't do it as my daughter will pick out the stuffing.

Sending this to Magic Mingle #3 @Sizzling tastebuds

Healthy Morsels @ Taste of pearl city, 

Holi Hai@Cuisine Delights

Golden Puris & Parathas

This month's Magic Mingle combo is wheat and corn.I've been struggling to somehow get the lunchbox empty from school...but in vain.I tried these puris which are her absolute favourite today.I also made parathas but the puris looked like golden risen blobs of dough frying in the pan.

Spiced Almond milk-Magic Mingle

Magic mingle time again!I was waiting for 3 weeks to hear what the next set of magic ingredients would be, and I must congratulate Kalyani for coming up with such a magical event each month, which has definitely got some of us to don our thinking caps!

When i read this month's ingredients-almonds and ginger, first thought,yes cookies but then I don't know why I don't feel like making anything sweet lately.So I had a vague idea and looked up a few places and decided on this easy drink.

Almond milk is a rich and nutritious drink for the kids and adults alike.I have spiced it with ginger candy and dates.If you are thinking how that would taste, it was sweet and the taste of almonds lingered in my mouth for a long time.I made just one mistake of having a nice glassful which left me full for a long time.Like i said its a wonderful drink for the kiddies!

To make this..
Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Makes 2 large cups of almond milk.

You need

Almonds 10
Ginger candy 2 pieces
Dates de-seeded 2
Water 3 cups

- Boil the almonds in some water for 2 minutes and cool it.This is to help peel off the almonds.
- In a blender add the almonds,dates and ginger candy with the 3 cups of water and blend until all is mixed well.
- Filter the contents using a fine sieve or muslin cloth.
- The clear liquid is ready to be served as it is or stored in the refrigerator.

- Serve chilled.

Tips:
- i have used ginger candy,you can use fresh ginger an inch sized piece with honey or sugar for sweetness.
- i didn;t need to add anything for sweetness as the ginger candy did this for me.
- you will get some good amount of almond pulp which can be used for cookies.i'm still trying to use my pulp which i have frozen(since i didn't want to throw it away)

Sending this to Magic Mingle #2@ Sizzling Tastebuds



and to Just 4 fun @ Good food