Paneer in White Sauce / Paneer in white gravy

There are so many paneer side dishes out there and this one is a delicious addition… I made this one to serve along with roti and it tasted so yummy… I generally love recipes which do not need much chopping as I am little slow in chopping.. Since most of the items in this are grinded, you do not have to worry about chopping them perfectly… so it is one of my favorite recipes.. This Paneer in white sauce is a rich and creamy side dish..

Methi Malai Muttar

Methi Malai Muttar is a simple, quick and tasty side dish which tastes great with roti, chapathi or rice. This is one of the side dishes I make when pressed for time as it does not need much preparation.. I always have a pack of dried fenugreek leaves on hand and also frozen peas ready, so it is a very quick one… I have used dried methi leaves, but if you can lay your hands on the fresh ones, please use it…

Shemai Custard / Semiya Payasam / Vermicelli Kheer

Some recipes are similar so much across many countries and today we are going to be seeing one such recipe.. I am talking about Shemai Custard which is soooo similar to the Semiya payasam we do in India.. It is a kheer or custard or payasam made with vermicelli also known as Semiya. It can be served for breakfast as it has all in one from milk to sweetness to the vermicelli.. It also graces any occasion and is very simple to make. It can be served both hot and cold.

Eggless Cornmeal Bread / Buttermilk Cornbread / Eggless Cornbread

Cornbread is a very popular breakfast in the US.. It is made on the skillet or baked in the oven and served as breakfast. It is quite simple to do and very delicious.. I baked this in a 8 inch square dish and the height of the bread was about 1 1/4 inches.. You will get a taller one if you choose a smaller pan. You can also bake these in muffin tins. I got this recipe from allrecipes.com and made a few changes..

Belgium Vegan Waffles

Waffles - Ah I love it!! They are so delicious, so kid friendly and are so popular.. And as with the other foods, when made at home you can make them healthier and there are so many choices... I got this recipe from here and it is surely a keeper.

South American Cachapas

Do we all love recipes that are too simple, but looks exceptional??? Yeah... I am all for it.. You guessed it right, Today's recipe which I got from here is a very simple and elegant breakfast which is super quick to do... With just a few readily available ingredients, today we will relish a delicious pancake called cachapas from Venezuela. They are traditionally eaten with Queso de Mano (hand made cheese – soft one like mozzarella), but I used the cheese that I got locally here.

Spanish Gazpacho Soup / Creamy Gazpacho Andaluz

Today we will relish the Spanish Soup - Great Gazpacho Soup. This soup is screaming healthy with loads of veggies and so flavorful also.. This is one of the soups you can make the day before as it tastes best when served cold.. I got this recipe from Americas Test Kitchen. This is so flavorful, elegant and richer..

 

Herbed Oil / Flavored Oil

Flavored oils are so much handy to have on hand and it is the best way to induce flavor and aroma into a dish. I made this flavored oil long ago (when I made my Focaccia Caprese). It is quite simple to do and can be stored for at least 15 - 20 days.

Mysore pak - Indian Sweets

Here comes a very authentic and traditional sweet that is prepared in our houses almost in all festive occassions.. It is said to have originated in Mysore (Karnataka), it is a very popular sweet and is made in many functions.. We make mysore pak also for parupu thengai. Parupu thengai is a cone shaped presentation of sweets prepared during marriages and authentic occassions. From wiki – “Mysore pak was first prepared in the kitchens of the Mysore Palace by a palace cook named Kakaasura Madappa”. Make sure you have everything ready before you start the process as you will have very little luxury time. Also keep a close watch when the color changes as you skip the time, then your mysore pak will not come correctly.. Next time I make this sweet I will try to take step wise clicks..

Tawa Idli - Street Food

Here we travel all the way to Hyderabad with this delicious street food made with idli... I got this recipe from here and this takes the level of idli from bring simple to exotic.. Serve this as-is or with coconut chutney!!

Australian Baked Potato Wedges w Sour Cream and Sweet Chili Sauce

Here we are travelling to Australia via these delicious potato wedges. The potato wedges are normally deep fried and served along with sour cream and sweet chili sauce.. Here I did make it little more healthier by baking it instead of deep frying it... This makes a great evening snack, party food and it is so kid friendly.. Actually friendly for all ages.. i mean who does not like potatoes??? Definitely I do.. Serve this super hot or hot!!!.. Now this completes week 1 of Combo Dishes… Here is the one I used for Sour Cream

Spaghetti and Veg Balls w Garlic Bread / Spaghetti w Meatless Balls

Today we are travelling to Italy by food for its very famous combo - Spaghetti and Meatless Meat Balls or Spaghetti and Veg Balls.. This marathon although was planned months ahead, I could not do much cooking or clicking as I had a baby recently and was on rest from house work and from cooking... Now that I am in to cooking, I am not yet doing it full fledged… This is one recipe which is a last minute preparation that was done just day before yesterday... As I write this post, I still have 2 more combos that I need to do for the next 2 days.. Yes it is a mess I know.. Hope I make it.. Coming to today's recipe, it was a big hit in our house and all of us enjoyed thoroughly... I made the very famous Spaghetti with Meatballs (without meat), So it is Spaghetti with veg balls and and served it with Garlic Bread… Here is the recipe to Garlic Bread

Veggie Fajita / Veg Fajita–Mexican Platter

Talk about simplicity and I cannot ignore this delicious recipe... When I was in US, the cuisine which has rice (other than Asian ones) is Mexican.. Love their beans and rice, cilantro rice etc.. Again this fajita is another dish that is part of their platter which is a elegant, simple and flavorful vegetables.. Be it burrito bowl or burrito or taco, veg fajita (pronounced as fa - hi - ta) is sure to be there.. Our favorite place was Chipotle where we used to relish burrito and taco and this fajita was so delicious and flavorful.. I surely miss them here in India (although I have so many other Indian options...). So I made them at home and we all relished it!! yummm...

So what is all in the platter? Tomato and Basil Tortillas, Cilantro Lime Rice, Veg Fajita, Sour Cream, Refried Beans, Corn Salsa and Cheddar Cheese

Spinach Mini Quiche w easy Crust / Mini Quiche with Crust / Eggless Quiche / Eggless Mini Quiche

Quiche is one of the recipes that I have not tried due to high amount of eggs in it.. Today I am sharing a delicious Quiche which is completely egg free.. So was this easy to do?? Yes and No.. The reason was I did mini quiche in muffin tin which does not have a loose bottom.. So had to research quite a lot to ensure that the base does not crack and also comes out clean.. I used the base recipe from cooks.com and the filling was my own.. The crust was so beautifully flaky and soft which is an interesting texture...

Bread Pizza Cups–Muffin tin recipes

Bread is an universal food and there are lots of dishes using it.. Dishes can be a very simple bread jam or a delicious bread pudding.. Today we are going to be seeing the bread in cute cup form.. Now like yesterday's recipe, today's recipe is also a different use of muffin tin rather than the regular muffins or cupcakes.. These bread pizza cups are so versatile and are sure to impress kids and adults.. They are perfect for parties, potlucks, as an evening snack, a quick bite etc..I got the idea of making the bread pizza cups from rakskitchen. Filling is a personal choice. You can bake the bread cups separately and add sundal or sprouts as a change.. You could also fill them with fresh fruits and whipped cream.. yummm.. The taste is very similar to the Bread Pizza I make..  This Bread Pizza Cups should be served hot hot!!!

 

Semiya Upuma Muffin–Muffin tin recipes

One of the hardest task for a lot of moms these are to make kids eat regular and daily food.. You give them idli, dosa, upuma etc, they are so bored and they want noodles, pasta, muffins etc.. And it is the same in my house.. Now the problem is half resolved with this interesting idea of using muffin tin to make the normal semiya upuma.. It is very interesting to see how kids love these as compared to the regular upuma served on a plate.. Now my mind is bursting with ideas to morph our regular food into something more interesting and yes it is also quite challenging.. Some that come to my mind are cookie cutter shaped dosas or rotis, coin dosa, tart shaped idlis and many varities and shapes of upuma, pongal and khichdi.. So let us go to today's recipe where the idea was born when Valli announced "Make in a muffin tin" for this month's BM and i was looking for ideas online where many choices were there for making in a muffin tin (other than the regular muffins and cupcakes)..

Fruit Rice

Today's recipe with fruits is very interesting form of rice. It is a great idea to pack for lunch, for parties and also a quick dinner.. The flavor is mild and will be little sweet, so please serve them with spicy side dish.. I served them with spicy Aloo Gobi. I got this recipe from a TV show.

Grape Juice–Summer Recipes

One of the easiest and quickest way to get fruits into us is in the form of juice. But when we use the store bought ones, it has the obvious issues of not being fresh, contains preservatives etc.. I always prefer grapes with seed but the issue is the process is longer than the seedless ones.. It is very important to use the skin of the grapes here to get the maximum benefit. I have used honey here, but you can use all sugar also.. This stays good as a concentrate for about a week.. Did not try for longer period as it got over by then…

Frozen Kiwi Tartlets–Summer Recipes

Some recipes are so simple that I keep thinking again again if I missed out on anything.. This is one such recipe I got from here.. 2 Ingredients and 2 simple steps and the dish is done.. The best part is it is so elegant and cute.. kid friendly too... This goes for this month’s BM Fruits in any form…

Carrot Kheer–Summer Drinks

Today's recipe is a delicious and refreshing kheer made with carrots.. The method is quite simple. You can serve this hot or chilled.. Serve this for this hot summer and get the goodness of carrots and milk along with honey