Rose Flan

Flan is an easy delectable french custard ,which can be prepared with so many simple exciting and tasty variations. I decided to make it pink for the very pink food blogging event this month called The Boobie Bake-off by Marye of Baking Delights,in support of breast cancer awareness. The best part is, you can vote for your favorite entry by donating a $1 and the proceeds go to Susan G. Komen Foundation research.

Traditionally flan is mainly milk ,eggs and caramel.I used the pink rose syrup to blend in the rosie flavor and pink color .And of course I've excluded the extra yolks and heavy cream added in the traditional flan recipe,to reduce the fat. This custard can be baked or even steamed!,if you don't have an oven.Make this gorgeous looking flan for an unforgettable romantic dinner or a party with your good friends.

(I made the dessert in just 2 molds\ramekins but the recipe following is for 4 molds\ramekins or a pie dish .)
Ingredients for custard
2 cups whole milk
2 Organic eggs
2 tablespoon rose syrup

For caramel
2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon water


Prepare the caramel
Grease the mold/ pudding cups/ ramekin cups lightly with butter.
In a small heavy bottom pan mix water and sugar. Turn the heat on to medium high. cook until the bubbles turn lightly brown amber color, swirl the pan and do not stir. Pour the caramel promptly and carefully in the 4 individual flan molds or 1 medium size bowl.
Mix the custard Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs,stir in the milk and rose syrup. Whisk until well blended. Pour in the ramekins with caramel at the bottom


Bake or steam in a water bath
Baking method
Preheat oven to 350F. Water bath helps in evenly cooking the custard, which would otherwise curdle if baked directly. To make the water bath ,keep your baking dish(Roasting pan or a corning ware dish) in the in middle rack of the oven with the molds and the pour some hot water ,halfway up the side of the mold; be careful not get water into the custard. Bake for about 40-45 minutes and cool.
Steaming Method
Use one mold(like a Steel bowl) in this case. Pour the egg mixture in the mold and place the in the pressure cooker or another vessel . Pour water very carefully into the pressure cooker till it is about 2" below the rim of the mold. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes . Take the inner vessel\mold out and then cool.See the same custard steamed custards here and here.

Refrigerate the cooked custard over night or at least 6 hours. To serve , run a knife around the inside of the mold to loosen the flan. Say a little prayer and place the serving dessert plate on top of the flan and invert to pop it out,ta-daa !if flan comes out clean. If not, don't be discouraged ,make it often for a perfect texture of flan.

To be honest my flan did pop out alright but does not have smooth edges, I'm guessing that's because I used less fat or may be more gentle flipping would have helped.Anyways my next flan is with pumpkins, will post the recipe if everything turns out well.

Green Parathas :Comforting food for the Soul

Flat Bread also known as Roti, Paratha or Chapati are the common breakfast and staple food in Indian sub continent. Parathas with curry on side is my comfort food. Cynthia describes about comfort foods in her interesting article here. Parathas\Roti brings back my childhood memories of family breakfast. Ammi(mom) used to make fresh parathas for nashta(breakfast) almost every day. Making Parathas was a tradition in my family, Ammi mixed the dough, Pappa kneaded it to softer consistency. Dough was allowed to rest for at least 20 minutes. Ammi rolled it and my elder sister roasted it. We(Dad,big sis,big bro and me) took turns to eat as the Parathas were cooked garam garam(hot). Ammi used to eat her breakfast after sending us off to school. I certainly miss my
family:(.Thankfully I can still cherish the sweet memories with parathas in my everyday diet.

Making Parathas is skill which can be achieved only through practice.Years(6yrs precisely) of practice, my parathas are still need some working for rounder curves. Parathas are part of our two meals every day ,its low-carb compared to Rice( 22grams per serving for whole wheat to 35grams per serving for white rice).Also with Rice prices tripled , parathas are comforting even to the wallet.

Mixing some toasted wheat germ in wheat flour adds more nutrients to the recipe.The blanched greens like spinach(Palak) and fenugreek leaves(Methi)makes parathas nutrition complete.
Lets shed some light on the herb called Methi(fenugreek) common in Indian curries.Its one of the healing herbs for good reasons ,its a cholesterol lowering,anti-cancer and anti-diabetic agent. Recommended in nursing moms diet to increase supply of milk. The seeds soaked in water and ground to paste is a good hair conditioner(make a note of that ladies:)).

Green Flat Bread
Ingredients
2 cups Whole wheat flour
2 tablespoon toasted Wheat Germ
2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin olive oil(EVOO)
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 cup fenugreek leaves(methi)[fresh or frozen],chopped
1/2 Cup Spinach,fresh chopped
1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon chilly powder


To make Parathas
Step 1 Blanch the leaves
Blanch the greens by simmering them in hot water for a minute. drain and keep aside.
Step 2 prepare the dough
Take a mixing bowl add all the dry ingredients mix them. Make a well in the middle of dry mixture pour in the water and oil. Mix until the dough is of right smooth consistency. knead for couple of minutes and let rest for about 10minutes before rolling in to parathas.
Step 3 Rolling the Paratha
This may be the toughest part if you are making it for the first time. Watch someone skillful do it before trying it yourself, like the lovely ladies here in this video .Divide the dough in to about 12 portions and roll in to balls. Sprinkle a little flour(I prefer All purpose flour) on the rolling surface. Use a rolling pin to roll them in to round parathas.
Step 4 Roast the Parathas
Preheat an iron pan(Tava) or non stick pan at medium high flame. Roast the parathas flip once and spread some oil and flip again after few seconds. For softer parathas use a spatula or a kitchen towel to lightly press and roll them around the pan. Parathas are ready to serve when slightly brown on both sides. A tangy tomato chutney is a perfect side with these green parathas.

Green Parathas with Fenugreek and Spinach are my entry for Kalyn'sWeekend Herb Blogging.Hosted this week by Amy and Jonny from We Are Never Full



Tangy Tomato Chutney Recipe

See Recipe...

Ingredients
2 Plum red Tomatoes finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon each of mustard seeds(Rai) and cumin seeds(Zeera)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chilly powder
1/2 teaspoon onion seeds(Kalonji)
Salt to season
few curry leaves
1 or more green chillies or dry red chillies
1 table spoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil(EVOO)

To make the chutney
Heat EVOO in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the mustard seeds,kalonji and cumin seeds. Wait till you hear spluttering of mustard seeds. Add crushed garlic cloves, chillies and saute for a few seconds. Add rest of the spices and tomatoes. Cover and cook until tender. Serve with Khichdi or Parathas.

Other Parathas Varieties
Avocado Parathas

Cumin Parathas

Layered Paratha

Flaky Paratha
Cauliflower Paratha

Rose Berry Banana Soy Smoothie : Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness

Most of us know a loved one who had suffered from breast cancer. Just past week my aunt's friend was diagnosed with this horrible condition, I know 2 of my courageous friends who are breast cancer survivors. Listening to there stories makes us tremble yet they did not need sympathies ,but our awareness about this crippling condition and importance of its early detection to survive.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) ,an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention and cure.
Many blogs\sites are going pink this month for the cause.Check out my side bar for the Breast cancer awareness events in the blog sphere
Sameera raised her awareness through a heartwarming short story here.

Learn more about Breast cancer and donate for the cure

For my pink smoothie the Ingredients are
1 cup Soy milk
1 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1/2 frozen or fresh strawberries or raspberries,chopped
1/4 cup frozen or fresh blue berries
2 tablespoon Rose syrup(Roohafza or any other brand)
Dried nut and fruits for garnish.

Method
Blend the fruit with the milk and yogurt until smooth .Stir in a tablespoon of rose syrup. Pour in the serving cups, swirl remaining rose syrup on top of smoothie and garnish with chopped dried fruits and nuts. Serve chilled.

This simple quick healthy smoothie is off to Jen's Power of Pink Challenge.

Fig Linzer Cookies : Its an Austrian Pastry!

Linzers cookies one of the most famous cookies of Austria . Now ,how did i stumble upon the Austrian recipe ? I googled for sandwich cookies and i found these Austrian delights. Ha, thats the magic of Google.The original recipe is posted here, I made a low-fat version with few changes in the ingredients.

Linzer cookies are crisp toasty cookies sandwiched together with a delicious fruit filling(Usually berries or figs) are perfect for tea time snack or Kiddie lunch box snack .You could even gift a box of these healthy decadent cookies to your fortunate friends or colleagues at work.

Ingredients

For the cookies
3/4 cup all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling the dough
3/4 cup Whole Wheat flour
1/2 cup Blanched or Sliced Almonds,toasted and ground(Hazelnuts or Pecans can also be used)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon Olive oil
2 tablespoon butter, softened
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 Organic egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest of 1 orange, finely grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
Granular sugar for topping

For Filling
3/4 cup of Fig Jam(recipe follows) or store-brought raspberry jam

Makes about 12 medium sandwiches cookies.

Method
Preheat oven to 325° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or non stick baking mats.
Prepare the Dough
Sift together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon and salt;Mix in the ground almond and set aside.

Beat the Oil,butter,the sugar and egg in a large bowl until smooth and fluffy. Then stir in the vanilla and fully incorporate. Add the sifted flour mixture, and mix until just combined.

Form the dough into a ball, cut in half, flatten into a disk and wrap each half in plastic. Chill the dough until firm, at 30 minutes.
Roll the Cookies
Roll out one half of the dough into a 1/8 inch thick rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Using cookie cutters(Rectangle or Circle or Heart Shape), cut out as many cookies as possible from the dough. With a spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet and place about 1 inch apart. Using a smaller cutter of the same shape, cut out the centers from half the cookies (this will form the top of the sandwich); reserve the scraps and re-roll with the other chilled half of dough. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough.Top the cookies with the middles cut with some granule sugar .
Bake
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until the edges are golden, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Assemble the Sandwich
Spread about a teaspoon of the fig jam(recipe below) on the cookie bottoms. Sandwich with the cookies with the middles cut out. Enjoy with a cup of hot tea,coffee or milk. Stores in air cookies jar for about 3-4 days, mine didn't last for more than 12 hours!

To make the Dried Fig Jam

Ingredients
8-10 figs, dried or Ripe,stem cut off and chopped
1 cup of water for dried and 1/2 cup if using fresh figs
2 tablespoon lemon juice,fresh squeezed
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom(Elaichi)

Method
Place figs in a medium pot and add the water,cook for medium heat for about 30 minutes until figs are all soft and tender. Add lemon juice , stir and simmer another 5-10 minutes until most of the water is dry. Process in blender or food processor in to fine paste. Store in Sterilized jar, use on toasts or for making sandwich cookies.


These cookies are low in sugar ,good for snacking and nutritious enough for a kiddie lunch box. I'm sending this recipe to Vandana's Lunch Box Special Event.

November Archives

November 30Nutella Chocolate Cake with Pomegranates and Cranberries

November 30Broccoli Rice Casserole

November 29My first Daring Baker's Challenge :Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting


November 28Purpilicious:Whole Grain Penne Pasta with Purple Cauliflower


November 27I can't believe its so easy Carrot Pudding


November 26Vegan thankgiving:Stuffed Phyllo Shells,Fruit and Nut Saffron Brown Rice Pilaf and Chocolate Pumpkin pie


November 2530 Minute Meal:Sesame chicken with Sauteed Cabbage salad and Red Potato Oven Fries

November 24Banana Chocolate Bundt cake

November 22Voice Your Opinion Against Plagiarism

November 21Sweet and Savory Pasties for World Wide Blogger Bake Off

November 20Veggie Sprouts Noodles

November 19Calming Chicken Soup

November 19Blogging with purpose :Donating for Education

November 18Peanut Bites,guilt free snack for diabetes

November 17Green Mango Rice and some Snowy thoughts


November 14Spiced Apple and Pomegranate Pie


November 13Awards and 7 Meme


November 13Vegan Pomegranate Bread


November 12Mooli Parathas(White Radish stuffed Flat Bread)

November 11Energy Bites

November 10Chocolate Espresso Mousse Cake

November 7Pumpkin Chocolate Biscotti(conjoined)

November 6Green Mango Dal(Lentil)

November 4Sesame Pistachios Cookies

November 3Vegetable Crepes With Cabbage and Spring Onions

Shahi Badami Khorma : A Majestic luscious dish

Khorma\Korma\Qoorma is a divinely rich recipe of Royal Mughalai cuisine. Prepared with a sauce of ground nuts (coconut,almonds,cashews ,sesame seeds and more),the variations of basic recipe are endless. Shahi Badami Khorma is made with either Lamb or chicken ,cooked until fork tender in creamy smooth spicy fragrant "Badami"(Almond)sauce
Traditionally(back in Mughalai period),the process of preparation was lengthy and laborious.The nuts where shelled by hand,toasted then ground on stone mortar and pestle.The meat had to be cooked for long hours(for lamb) until the meat fell off the bones,and bones were separated. Then simmered with sauce ,prepared with nicely brown onions cooked with spices,ground nuts and tangy yogurt,until all flavors are infused in the meat.
But thankfully in modern age we save lot of time with electric grinders ,pressure cookers and ready-to-use shelled roasted nuts and ground Spices.Mostly prepared on special occasions ,its a perfect dish to make for any celebration dinner ,serve with Naan,Layered Paratha ,Flaky Paratha or Biryani.

Ingredients
2 lbs Chicken or Lamb , white fat trimmed cut in medium pieces
1/2 cup roasted Almonds(or 3 tablespoon toasted Almond butter)
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 cup fat-free yogurt
3/4 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chilly powder
Few Whole spices like Cardamom,Cloves and cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon Garam Masala (Mixture of Ground cumin,coriander,cinnamon and cloves)
1/4 Mint and cilantro ,finely chopped.
2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive oil
Method
Marinate Meat
Clean the meat ,trim any excess white fat,run through cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Properly wash all the utensils ,knife and cutting board used for handling the meat to prevent cross-contamination.Mix cleaned meat with turmeric and let sit for an hour.
Prepare the sauce
In a medium saucepan heat oil on medium heat and add the thinly sliced onions. Saute until onions are nicely brown and lightly crisp,then grind to a smooth paste. In the same oil add the whole spices ,ginger garlic paste and saute until the paste in lightly brown about 2 minutes,then mix in the onion paste ,rest of the dry spices and the almond paste.
Cook the meat
Mix in the meat when after 2 minutes and stir well to coat all the spicy mixture. Let cook on medium high heat about 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. Then stir in the yogurt and cover ,cook until meat is tender,about 30 minutes for chicken and 45 minutes for lamb(15 minutes in a pressure cooker). Finally mix in the finely chopped herbs and simmer for 5 more minutes and turn off the heat,serve warm.
This Shahi recipe is my entry for Meeta's Monthly Mingle:Sensational Sides, hosted this month by Ruth's Kitchen Experiments.

The Beauty of Fall

The vibrant autumn colors are beginning to bloom throughout the Northeast Ohio.The pockets of trees around the area produce spectacular drives.

Those pretty pumpkins in the warm sun of autumn, are from the local fall festival here in Cleveland.Hoping to make some tasty bakes this fall.

Chocolate Pistachio Rolls(Fat-free)

I made these delicious fat-free Chocoloate Pistachio rolls for Eid and my guests had no clue that this mouthwatering mithai(Sweet) was literally fat-free with not even a drop of butter. Many Many Many Thanks to health conscious Anudivya ,her blog ..and a little bit more.. is unique with healthy recipes.Find the recipe herefrom her blog. I used natural color of saffron for the center roll and the rest of the recipe remains the same.

This recipe has been bookmarked and sent to Ruth's Bookmarked recipes posted every Monday.