Stuffed Lacey Crepes

Day3 of BM#4: Today I don't have a great story but I sure have a great Brunch/Sunday Breakfast item -- Stuffed Lacey Pancakes. Remember the Malaysian Lacey Crepes step-by-step recipe that I posted ages ago? It can be stuffed with any dry Vegetarian or Meat filling. My son loves watching me make these doily style crepes. I tell him that I will let him hop on the counter to sit beside the stove to watch me create these "Bootiful Food" if he keeps his hands to himself and not play with the batter. He solemnly agrees with a promising "I Understand, Mom" statement. Then keeps saying WoWWWW, WoWWWW everytime I go about with the magic of making these super-cute, too-pretty-to-eat crepes. I have to easy they are a pain to make without the authentic "Roti Jala" maker.I get easily flustered and perplexed cause the piping bag does make things a little complicated..so to go easy on myself I make some sort of filling a day in advance.
Assembling the Stuffed Crepes are a breeze. I just add a couple of tbsp of filling, fold them to make bundles and put them on the griddle/tava to warm them up and onto the plate it goes. From there its gobbled up from the plate with gusto.While the filling can be anything I personally prefer one of these:
Vegetarian Filling: Lentils, Sweet Potato and Carrots  Or  Potato, Sweet Potato, Peas and Carrot
Meat Filling: Sukuma Wiki  Or Mutton/Chicken Kheema

Ingredients(For 4 Servings):

• 8 Cooked Lacey Crepes/Net Bread/Roti Jala
• 2 Cups Vegetarian or Meat Filling of Choice

Procedure:

• Spoon 2-3 Tbsp of filling into the center of the crepe.

• Bring the edges together to overlap.

• Bring the other 2 ends together to make a bundle/parcel. Throw the parcel on a greased hot griddle to warm it up- 1 minute per side.

• Move to the plate and devour.

Makes 4 servings.

Check out the Blogging Marathoners doing (Group 3) BM#4 along with me-
Diabetes Diet/Management: Kamalika, Smitha, Suma
Kid Friendly Recipes: Anusha, Cool Lassi(e)
Seven Days of Soup: Priya Suresh
Seven Days of Indian Bread: Jayasree, Pavani
Seven Days of Cakes:  Priya Vasu
Seven Days of Preserves: Gayathri Kumar, Vaishali
30 Minutes Meals: Priya Mahadevan, Sriv
Enjoy!

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Spiced Apple and Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes

When I was young I used to hate a couple of things - waking up on a Sunday morning and Cinnamon. You might wonder what the connection is. Well, there is a connection. Growing up as a staunch vegetarian amongst meat-eating neighbors meant that I have to endure the strong smells of Spiced Biryani and Mutton Kurma wafting from their kitchen and assaulting my nostrils in a very bad way. So besides the cooked meat its the smell of cinnamon stick that will linger the whole day! In many Indian households Sunday is not a part of a Fasting/Religious day and its this day that anything can be eaten.So my Flexitarian neighbors deemed Sunday as the day when they would transform into "meat eating gluttons". The men would rush to the Butcher's shop to get their plump poultry or meat and the ladies will start preparing the spices and such. There was no concept of buying frozen meat..at-least not when I was growing up. To a butcher, Sunday is like what Black Friday is to retailers. To top it, street hawkers would be selling all the nasty-smelling fish you can possibly imagine. It was terrible. And Cinnamon was the most hated spice.Because I always associated it with meat and such. I wouldn't touch a Vegetarian Kurma if I see cinnamon stick floating on it. My mom fearing my tantrums would take care not to add it in any of the foods. Poor mom!
Even after transitioning to a Flexitarian, developing a love for Chicken Biryani and Mutton Kurma, I still continued with my cinnamon-hating stint. Except this time it was being averse to baked goodies that had it. Given a choice between eating boiled cow's testicles or a cinnamon bun I would clearly choose the former. Ironically, I started craving for McDonald's Cinnamon Spiced Baked Apple Pie, Cinnabon's Classic Cinnamon Rolls when I was pregnant. I suppose it wasn't me. It was my boy who was wanting them when he was "In-Utero". He will keep kicking me until I have my share of those with a tall glass of orange juice. LoL. The fact that there were was a McDonald's a stone throw away from my work place at Park Avenue didn't help. Every-time I passed by, I would smell the Cinnamon Apple Pie in the air. What used to be revolting suddenly became pleasing. :-). Now I am at peace with the Cinnamon. Yeah, we have a treaty of sorts, thanks to my little boy. Its not high up there with Cardamom, the much-loved spice but not much hated either.
Anyways, today I will address my son's second favorite -- Soft and Fluffy. Right after little A wakes up he will ask me if he can either have Marshmallow and Charms Cereal or Fluffy pancakes. I prefer the latter cause I can always sneak in a few fruits in the pancake batter and he wouldn't know.While I am much of a Cocoa Pancake or a Banana Berry Pancake  fan, my son prefers(you guessed it) Spiced Pancakes. Well, he knew what he wanted while he was still "In-Utero". While I don't care for the strong aftertaste it leaves on my taste-buds it doesn't bother him. So I happily make this for him.

Ingredients(Makes 10, "3.5" Pancakes"):

• 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 3/4 Cup Apple Juice
• 1/4 Cup Apple Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Blueberries
• 1 Apple, peeled and grated
• 1 Egg, whisked
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Milk
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/8 Tsp Allspice powder (Cinnamon Powder may be used instead)
• A pinch of salt

Procedure:

• Add all the dry ingredients(Flour, Baking Powder, All Spice, Sugar and Salt)  in a wide shallow bowl.

• Add the Oil, Apple Sauce, Milk to the dry ingredients and mix.

• Stir in the whisked egg along with the blueberries and grated apple. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

• Pour a ladle-ful of batter on a greased nonstick skillet and cook for 2 minutes on a low-medium flame.

• Flip and cook for a minute or two. Repeat for the remaining batter.

• Pile and serve with warmed maple syrup.

Makes 10, 3.5" Pancakes.

Enjoy!

Check out the Blogging Marathoners doing (Group 3) BM#4 along with me-
Diabetes Diet/Management: Kamalika, Smitha, Suma
Kid Friendly Recipes: Anusha, Cool Lassi(e)
Seven Days of Soup: Priya Suresh
Seven Days of Indian Bread: Jayasree, Pavani
Seven Days of Cakes:  Priya Vasu
Seven Days of Preserves: Gayathri Kumar, Vaishali
30 Minutes Meals: Priya Mahadevan, Sriv

Note: If you are a sneaky mom looking to sneak in veggies into a pancake, check this recipe.

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Rice And Finger Millet Flour "String Hoppers"

Hello, I am back after a week of laying low. Well, I was gearing up to post for 7 consecutive days. Yes, I will be doing one a day, every day for a week with posts that are Kid-Friendly..especially my son-friendly. He is a very fussy preschooler but he has a few favorite(s) -- anything noodle-y, anything colorful, anything soft and fluffy, anything with unusual patterns, anything burger-y, anything deep-fried(Uh-Oh) and anything stuffed[just like Mama, :-)]. So here is one of his favorite -- Noodle-y and pleasing to the eye- Its a traditional South-Indian dish called "Idiyappam"  that translates to "String Hoppers". If you remember you should know that I have admitted a mighty strong weakness for String Hoppers in one of my previous posts.My son is no different. "An apple doesn't fall far from its tree" holds true, especially  in this case. :-)
The sauce/side-dish for the string hoppers can be sweet or spicy but my son likes the former. Yup, he is all for it if the hoppers are dunked in a sweet sauce made with warm milk + unrefined sugar(Jaggery/Panela), topped with fresh grated coconut and ghee-fried cashews. Be warned: the divine combo of hoppers, sweet sauce, coconut and nuts will incite a conflagration of hunger for more that even my picky eating son succumbs.. Every-time!
This is my post for Day1 of "Blogging Marathon #4".

Ingredients:(Makes ~ 16 Discs)

• 1 Cup Finger Millet Flour "Ragi Flour"
• 1 Cup Rice Flour
• 1/4 Tsp Salt
• 1-1/2 Cups Boiling Water +  more as needed
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

For the Sauce:
Option1:

• 3 Cups Skimmed Milk
• 1 Cup Unrefined Sugar/Jaggery/Panela, crumbled

Option2:

• 2 Cups Milk
• 1/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar or more/less

For the Garnish:

• 1/4 Cups Cashew
• 1 Tbsp Store-bought or Homemade Ghee "Clarified Butter" or Unsalted Butter
• 2 Tbsp Fresh/Frozen Grated Coconut

Tool:

• Idiyappam Press (I used authentic wooden Idiyappam press that has 2 parts. Bottom part has a cavity to stuff the flour and the top part is a press that pushes down on the flour to make noodles) Or Pasta maker ( I haven't tried with a pasta maker though)

 Procedure:

• Sift the rice and ragi flour  in a shallow bowl. Add the salt and stir to incorporate.

• Bring 2-3 Cups of water to a roiling boil. Initially pour 1-1/2 Cups of water and quickly using a wooden-spoon handle stir. Add 2-3 tbsp more or if needed. The flour should clump together but not/never soggy. Quickly cover the bowl and let the flour absorb the water for 10 minutes.

• Once the flour is warm enough to be handled with hands, knead it gently along with a tbsp of olive oil to form a smooth ball. Divide the dough into small portions to fit the Idiyappam tool(for a detailed step-by-step check this link) and squeeze the strings directly on any flat plate/Idli Mould. The String Hoppers need to be steamed for 10-12 minutes.

• After 12 minutes of steaming, remove the String Hoppers to a bowl.

• Repeat the above 2 steps until the dough is completely used-up.

• To Make the sauce: Use Option1 or Option 2 to make the sauce. I used Option1 for this post - using unrefined sugar to make the sauce.

• Add a cup of crumbled unrefined sugar to milk and cook only till its dissolved into the milk. The sauce doesn't have to be thick.

• Brown the cashews with a tbsp of ghee or butter. Move a portion of String Hoppers on a plate and pour a portion of warm milk-sugar sauce over it. Garnish with fresh or frozen grated coconut and a sprinkling of browned cashews. Sit back and Savor.

Check out the Blogging Marathoners doing (Group 3) BM#4 along with me-

Diabetes Diet/Management: Kamalika, Smitha, Suma
Kid Friendly Recipes: Anusha, Cool Lassi(e)
Seven Days of Soup: Priya Suresh
Seven Days of Indian Bread: Jayasree, Pavani
Seven Days of Cakes:  Priya Vasu
Seven Days of Preserves: Gayathri Kumar, Vaishali
30 Minutes Meals: Priya Mahadevan, Sriv

Note:

• Hoppers can be made with just Rice flour alone. The sweet sauce can be made with granulated sugar and milk for the white hoppers. Check the recipe for "Rice Flour String Hoppers"-
  

Enjoy!

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Mac And Minty Meatballs Marinara

My son loves meatballs.As a matter of fact, we all do. Ergo,I always make large batches and freeze a portion of them in single serving boxes cause I never know when or how often he(we) would want it..badly! Meatballs are an ultimate comfort food for many and its no different in our family. I am constantly experimenting with new ingredients, alternating between baking and stove-top cooking but always coming to the same conclusion- Fabulous! Yea, this is one dish that has never failed me so far. So beyond being tasty, comforting and substantial it is also very very forgiving! That is what I love about meatballs. You can't really go wrong with the taste no matter how hard you try. Now that is something you cannot say about many dishes.
I also have to say that I am partial to meatballs in marinara sauce(If you follow me regularly you would know how I have sung praises about this wonder sauce here) which is pretty much why I always use it to coat my meatballs in. Have you ever tried meatballs with raisins? I was inspired to try it after I saw Oprah rave in one of her talk-show episodes about her favorite meatballs that had a secret ingredient -- Raisins.Yeah, Trattoria Mollie's meatballs has black raisins. So here is an adapted recipe for Turkey-Sausage Meatballs With Raisins. I also tried my hand at baking the Meatballs with Broccoli Rabe.You can read that success story here.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Ground Meat (Can be Minced Turkey/Chicken/Pork or a mixed choice)
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Mint
• 1/8 Cup Chopped Cilantro
• 1/4 Cup + 1 Tbsp Reduced-fat Milk
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Red Onion
• 2 Cloves Garlic, grated
• 3-4 Stale Brown Bread, toasted and crumbed
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tbsp Coriander Powder
• 1 Tbsp Cracked Black Pepper or less
• 1/4 Cup Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
• 1 Tsp Salt or more/less
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Olive Oil for browning the meat balls
• 1/2 of 26 Oz Jar of Low-sodium Marinara Sauce , any brand

Procedure:

• Add all of the above ingredients in a wide shallow bowl except the Marinara Sauce.

• Combine the meat,bread crumbs, mint, cilantro, garlic, chopped onions, salt, cracked pepper, 1 tbsp olive oil and the cheese ONLY until combined. Over mixing will yield tough meatballs.

• Let the mixture rest for 10-15 minutes.

• Divide the mixture into golf-ball sized balls (= 25 meatballs ~).

• Coat a wide non-stick skillet with Olive oil and brown the meatballs in batches for 2-3 minutes per side. Don't fully cook it as it will get cooked in the Marinara Sauce.

• Drain them on paper towels.

• Bring the sauce to a boil. Add more salt or pepper if needed. Drop the partially cooked meatballs. Lid the pan and cook the meatballs for 15 minutes turning them gently midway.

• Enjoy them as is or with any choice of pasta. This time we had it with macaroni because my son loves it.

Enjoy!

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Spinach, Roasted Peanut And Tamarind Chutney "Spinach Thogayal"

I love greens. I have been eating one kind or the other since I have been very young. While it was more because of mom's compulsion before, I have to say I genuinely enjoy eating greens now. Furthermore, I have developed a healthy respect for their iron-rich properties. These days Spinach, Broccoli Rabe, Collards, Kale, Swiss Chard, Fenugreek Leaves are all consumed enthusiastically by the whole family. Yup Yup. We do. :)
You see,  I was raised a Lacto Vegetarian till I was 18, so we had to rely heavily on legumes, greens and dairy products for a balanced diet. Mom would make umpteen varieties of Kurma, Chutneys, Dips and Stew to please my palate as I was a super picky-eater. One of my favorite chutney was "Pulicha Keerai Thogayal(= Sorrel Leaves Chutney)". Mom would get a fresh bunch or two from the street hawker and make this chutney that I used to eat with warm rice topped with thick yogurt, like in the picture below..
Since I couldn't find 'Sorrel Leaves' I decided to use Spinach which is available in abundance where I live. :). This is a large batch that will keep well for 2-3 days in the fridge.

Ingredients(For 6-8 Servings):

• 8 Cups Packed Spinach, cleaned and completely drained of moisture
• 1/4 Cup Peanuts minus the shell
• Golf-Ball sized Tamarind, soaked in water plus seeds removed, if any
• 5-6 Dry red Chili or less if you can't take the heat
• 2 Roma Tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1/2 Medium Yellow Onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 4 Tbsp Split Chick Pea/Bengal Gram
• 4 Tbsp Red Lentils or Split Pigeon Peas(Tuvar Dhal)
• 2 Stalks Curry Leaves
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil for saute-ing the veggies + 1 tsp each for wilting the spinach in batches + 1 Tbsp for frying the Lentils/Pulses
• Salt as needed

For Seasoning the chutney(Optional, but highly desired)

• 1 Tsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp each Cumin Seeds, Mustard Seeds, Split Black Gram Seeds "Urad Dhal"
• 1 Red Chili
• Curry Leaves

Procedure:

• Roast the peanuts in a skillet over low-medium flame, stirring now and then for about 10 minutes. When its warm enough to handle, remove the skins from the peanuts. Do resist the temptation to eat them up.

• Keep the ingredients handy.

• In a tbsp of oil, fry the split chick pea. When it turns light brown add the red lentils and continue to fry.

• Add the red chilies when both the pulses have turned brown and fry for a minute. Switch off the stove and let it cool down. Soak the tamarind in warm water.This helps the tamarind to become soft and facilitates easy grinding.

• In a wide pan, add a tbsp of oil and saute the garlic, onions. When the onions are translucent, add the chopped tomatoes and saute till it loses the raw smell.

• Add the curry leaves, fry for a minute more and switch off the stove. Move it to a plate and let it cool before grinding.

• Divide the spinach into 3 batches and wilt them separately with a tsp of oil for each batch. Don't wilt it for more than a minute. It starts leaving water.

• Move the spinach to a plate and allow it to cool before grinding! Use the water it releases to grind the chutney.

• Add the toasted peanuts, softened tamarind(remove seeds if any), fried pulses + dry red chili mixture and grind them to a paste with very little water.

• The paste should look something like this:

• Now add the spinach to the above paste and "pulse" grind with little to no water until the it comes together as a coarse chutney. Do not make a smooth paste- it looks so very unappetizing that way!
• Seasoning the chutney(An entirely optional but highly desired step): Fry all the ingredients under "Seasoning" in the oil and pour over the chutney. Mix gently and serve with rice and yogurt or just with hot rice.I have never tried it as a dip with pita bread but its an exciting idea as well.

Makes 6-8 Servings.

If you are a lover of greens like me you would love "some" of my Spinach dishes too..Seeing an awful lot? Well atleast now you know I wasn't lying about my love for greens. LoL 
Spinach Dishes: Spinach, Veggie and 3-Cheese Lasagna, Spinach and Lentil Dry Curry with Grated Coconut Garnish,  Spinach And Artichoke Frittata,   Moroccan Chickpea, Spinach, Raisin and Couscous Stuffed Red Pepper,  Saag Paneer,  Puff-Pastry Spinach And Cheese Swirls.Pinwheels,  Spinach and Split-pea Stuffed Flat bread/Paratha,  Spinach Pesto with Pignoli,  Turkish Borek With Yufka leaves,  Microwaved Spinach and Malai Kofta.

Enjoy!

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