79. Brown Rice with Celery and Mushrooms

Final Outcome: Fantastic!!!

        I borrowed this recipe from pamphlet of a grocery store. I searched unsuccessfully online to include it in my post. It was a very different and yummy recipe.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Brown Rice: 1 cup washed and set aside
Celery: 1 small bunch/ 1 cup chopped
Mushrooms: 1 pack quartered
Garlic cloves: 3-4 minced
Crushed pepper: 1 tsp
Italian seasoning: 1/2 tsp
Chili flakes: a pinch
Olive oil: 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Heat Oil in a deep pan. Add Onions and minced garlic. Cook for a couple of mins. Add chopped celery and cook till celery is soft.
2. Add chili flakes and quartered mushrooms. Cook for a couple of mins. 
3. Add washed brown rice and mix well. Add salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Add 3 cups of water and cook covered till rice is cooked.
4. Uncover and mix well. Cook for a few more mins. Serve hot.

78. Roasted Brinjal Thalipith

Final Outcome: Good.

        My Grandma made these thalipith a very long time ago.I had forgotten all about them until my friend mentioned these. I made them for breakfast. It was a good change from regular recipes.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Jowar flour: 2 cups
Brinjal: Roasted, peeled and mashed, 2
Onion : 1/2 finely chopped
Goda masala: 1 tsp
Red chili powder: 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
(I also added last nights leftover aamti(sambar))

Method:
1. Mix Jowar flour, roasted brinjal , masala, chili powder and salt with a little water. Kneed the dough.
2. Make small balls and pat them on a tava to form a thick roti like shape.
3. Keep on medium heat. Cook covered. Turn it over after a few mins.Add a little oil on tava if required.
4. Take off heat and serve with butter &/or chutney. Pat new thalipith only after tava cools.

77. Bengali Khichdi

Source: http://www.tarladalal.com/Bengali-Khichdi-(iron-Rich-Recipe)-5713r
Final Outcome: Nice!

        After a long time I am borrowing a recipe from an external source. I wanted to try a different version of khichdi. While looking for recipes I came across this healthy and tasty recipe. I have done some subtle changes. Below is the recipe for reference:

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Rice: 1 cup , washed and set aside
Masoor dal: 1 cup washed and set aside
Onion: 1 chopped
Potato: 1 large cubed
Beans: 7-8 chopped into 1 inch pieces
Matar/Peas: 1/2 cup
Garlic cloves: 3-4 crushed
Ginger: 1/2 inch piece grated
Green chili: 1
Ghee 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Spices:
Cinnamon: 1 stick of 1 inch
Cloves: 2-3
Cardamom: 2-3
Bay leaf: 1
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp

Method:
1. Heat Ghee in a pressure pan. Add Onion and fry till soft. Add Garlic and ginger paste. Add all the spices and fry for a min.
2. Add all the vegetables: Beans, Potato, Peas and green chili. mix well and fry for a min.
3. Add Rice, masoor dal and salt. Mix well.
4.Add 6 cups of water and cook 2 whistles. Serve hot.

75. Broken Wheat Upma (daliya upma)

Final Outcome: Good

        Whew!!! What a month I had! Guests, social gatherings, unplanned events.... I have not cooked a single new dish for an entire month. I had begun working on a cross stitch project. As usual I took a bite larger than I could chew. I planned on making a BIG 'Tweety' bird for my kid. So far I have only finished its foot! I need a few extra hours in a day. Lets hope I can complete atleast this resolution on time.
        This recipe is borrowed from my mom. She makes it frequently. I have made it several times in the last month. The one in the picture was the 1st one ( We had just returned from a visit home and our refrigerator was empty except frozen sweet corn. Hence the picture contains only corn).

Recipe: ( for 2 persons)
Broken Wheat/Daliya: 1 cup
1 cup of vegetables chopped: Beans, carrot, Green peas and sweet corn
Ginger: 1 inch
Onion : 1/2 medium onion chopped
Green chili: 1 chopped
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida: a pinch
Salt to taste
Lemon juice: 2 spoons
Fresh Coriander: 1 tbsp

Method:
1. Add chopped vegetables and Ginger to broken wheat. Add 2.5 cups of water and pressure cook 2 whistles or until done.
2. In a pan heat oil. Add mustard seeds. once they begin to splutter add asafoetida, green chili and onion. Cook till onion is soft.
3. Add cooked broken wheat and salt. Mix well.
3. Add a little water if it appears dry. Add lemon juice and chopped fresh coriander. Mix well and serve hot.

70. Carrot Dosa

Final Outcome: Very Tasty!

        I need to make breakfast that can double as finger food for my kid. Hence I am always in search of such recipes. This was one of the best breakfast recipes in my current resolution.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Rice Flour: 1 cup
Carrots: Grated 1 cup (about 2 medium carrots)
Coconut: Grated 1/2 cup
Curd: 4-5 tbsp
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Green chili: 1
Salt: a pinch

Method:
1. Grind coconut and green chili with a little water into a fine paste.
2. Mix all the ingredients (rice flour, carrots, curd, ghee, salt and coconut paste) with a little water.
3. Heat tava and spread the above batter.
4. Cook the dosa from both sides and serve.

63. Apple starter/Curry

Final Outcome: I could not stop eating!!!

        This recipe was given to me by a relative. It was meant to be a curry but we ate it like a starter. It is simple, healthy and a very very tasty dish. I have made a few changes to the recipe. It can be made using regular oil, I used olive oil. Italian seasoning was not used in the original recipe.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Apples: 2 chopped into 1 inch cubes with skin. I used 1 red apple and 1 green apple. It gave it a nice contrast.
Olive oil: 1 tbsp
Italian seasoning: 1 tsp
Cumin powder: a pinch
Salt to taste
Crushed pepper: a pinch

Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a shallow pan. Add chopped apples.Fry stirring continuously for about 5 mins until apples are done.
2. Add salt, Cumin powder and Italian seasoning.fry for another min.
3. Serve hot garnished with crushed pepper.

        A lot of changes have taken place in the month of June. 'Ta' started school, my schedule has changed, 'N' has begun a strict exercise regime and I am sleep deprived:-). I dont find time during the day for any personal activity so  I stretch my day. I cannot blame anyone else that I am sleep deprived now can I ? But I am not giving up my time for now :-)

60. Spinach Salad (Palak Koshimbir/Salad)

Final Outcome: Healthy and yummy!

        My mom has a very old hand written note book which contains innumerable recipes. These recipes are a mixture of various cuisines collected over more than 30 years. There are a lot of extremely unique recipes. Menthe Kadbu is one such recipe which I have posted here. I plan to make many more unique dishes and post.
        Getting back to Spinach salad: This is again one of my mom's recipe. It is a very simple and very healthy salad. I think even kids who are picky eaters will love it.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Spinach leaves: 1 bunch/ 2 hand full
Curd/Yogurt: 1 cup
Onion: 1/4th onion chopped
Tomato: 1 small chopped
Salt to taste
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Black pepper: 1 tsp crushed

Method:
1. Heat 3 cups of water in a pan. When water comes to a boil take off heat. Soak spinach into this water and leave for 3-4 mins.Drain out the water and set aside.  Note: This step is midway between blanched and cooked. Spinach should lose is crunchiness but should not be cooked. 
2. In a bowl add curd, chopped onion, tomato, and spinach from step 1.
3. Add salt and sugar.
4. Add crushed pepper and mix well before serving.

58. Ambadi bhaji

Final Outcome: Good

        This leafy veggi has a sour taste so it needs a lot of jaggery to sweeten it. There are a lot of ways to cook it. I have cooked it in a typical kannadiga style. It is not easily available here, hence I had never prepared it earlier.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Ambadi: 1 bunch washed and chopped
Chana dal: 1 tbsp
Rice: 2 tsp
Raw groundnut: 2tsp
Jaggery: 2 tbsp
Oil
Asafoetida: a pinch
Turmeric: a pinch
Mustard: 1 tsp
Garlic cloves: 5-6
Salt to taste
Red chilies : 2 

Method:
1.Soak Chana Dal, Rice and Raw groundnuts in a cup of water for about 30 mins.
2. In a pressure pan add Chopped Ambadi, and soaked items from step 1. Add 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
3. After the pressure is released pour out the excess water to reduce its sourness. 
4. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard. When it begins to splutter add asafoetida, red chilies, garlic cloves and turmeric. Add this seasoning to the cooked curry.
5. Place the pressure pan on heat. Add Jaggery and salt. Bring it to a boil and take off heat. Serve hot.

56. Avocado Salad/Butter fruit Salad

Final Outcome: Tasty and healthy
 
       When I tasted avocado (also known as butter fruit) for the the first time it was really a very weird and different to taste but I loved it! It is supposed to be a very healthy fruit. To check if avocado is ripe the general rule is that shake the avocado, its seed must make a hollow sound since it is loose. 
This salad was my husband's idea. We made it in two versions. Recipe is for version 1. I have mentioned version 2 alternate at the end.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Avocado: 2 peel and de seed
Onion: 1/4th chopped
Tomato: 1 chopped
Capsicum: 1/4th chopped
Lemon juice: 1/2 tsp
Fresh coriander: 2 tbsp chopped
Salt to taste
Crushed Pepper to taste

Method:
Mash Avocado pulp (or finely chop it). Add Onion, Tomato, Capsicum, Lemon Juice, Fresh coriander, salt and pepper.
Mix well and serve.

For version 2: prepare a seasoning of 1 tbsp ghee, a pinch of cumin seeds and asafoetida. Add it to the version 1salad.
Note: I loved version 1 :-).

41. Fresh Green Salad

Final Outcome: Fresh!

        Very Healthy salad except for maybe cheese. Cheese is optional, but since this salad has no dressing cheese adds a little taste and flavor to it.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Lettuce leaves: 1 small bunch
Tomatoes (Roma if available): 3-4 chopped. If using regular tomato: 1
Carrots grated: 2 small
Banana: 1 chopped
Almonds: 3-4 grated
Strawberries: 6-7 chopped
Processed cheese: 1 tbsp grated
Salt
Pepper crushed : 2 tsp
Lemon juice: 2 tsp

Method:
It cannot get simpler than this: Mix all ingredients and enjoy!

        I am catching up speed again :-). I have made another recipe (summer special) which will be posted in couple of days.

35. Garden - Fruits Salad

Source: Self
Final Outcome: Refreshing and tasty.

        This tasty and healthy salad is without any salad dressing. Look how beautiful it looks! Here's the recipe:

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Lettuce leaves: 1 bunch (washed and hand torn)
Oranges: 2 peeled and segmented
Pomegranate: 1
Bananas: 2-3 (chopped)
Strawberry: 4-5 (I forgot to add it!!!)
Cashew nuts: 6-7 roughly chopped
Sugar: 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper: 1 tsp

Method:
In a bowl mix all the ingredients. Leave it for about 5 mins so that salt and sugar mix well with the ingredients and add to the taste.
That's it, its done!