Peanut Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers

While stuffed Jalapenos are made for adults and you want to make a similar stuffed pepper for your kids who can't tolerate spicy food. Try this cubanelle pepper which is not at all spicy, but kind of sweet and succulent. If you want a slightly spicier version then go for poblano or anaheim. I personally prefer the stuffed jalapeno for this recipe, but my elder one loves this one. So I make this quite often. So depending on the spice level you can tolerate pick the peppers which will suit your taste and this stuffing will work for any type of peppers. This snack is very low in carb but high in protein , gluten free and sure tastes good.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 10 Minutes

Serves - 2



Ingredients



Cubanelle Peppers - 2 (Washed, stem chopped and split)

Onion - 1 small to medium

De skinned peanuts - 3/4 Cup

Coconut - 1 Tbsp

Red Chili powder - 1 Tsp or per your taste

Salt - 1/2 Tsp

Amchoor powder - 1/2 Tsp

Garam masala powder - 1/2 Tsp

Coconut Oil - 1 Tbsp

Method



1) Take the peanuts and make a coarse powder in your food processor and to this add

the salt, garam masala powder, amchoor powder, red chili powder, grated coconut and chopped onions and mix and set this aside.



2) Meanwhile heat a flat bottomed pan big enough to accommodate 4 peppers or you can do one by one or two and two depending on the size. Add the oil and once it warm go to the next step.



3) Take the filling and fill the peppers and place them in the pan one by one sideways with their filling side facing upwards.



4)  Cover and cook for 5 minutes and then uncover and cook for 5 more minutes till the peppers are slightly tender.



5) Remove from the pan and let this cool for few minutes and serve immediately.



Notes  - I still had some stuffing left out and used it for stuffed eggplant curry. For more details on what kind of pepper to choose based on the spice level check this website out.

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Mung Bean Sundal(Snack)

Sundal is a cooked bean snack garnished with some spices and coconut or onion and veggies. If you are from South India this is one of the most common dish. I have lot of such common dishes  in my house hold cooked every day lying in my drafts and wasn't sure whether to post it or not. One of my reader after going through my recipes gave a feed back to post common and easy recipes, so that people like him "new bes " to cooking can start learning from them. So you will start seeing lot of easy to make and nutritious dishes in my every day cooking more.



Now coming back to this recipe, if you are weight watcher or a carb watcher or a if you want to feed a protein rich dish for your growing child. Then this is "The Snack" for that. Rich in protein, iron and dietary fiber and low in carbohydrates, they are super delicious too. With a cup of yogurt these make a perfect snack or with some salad and yogurt they make a light and nutritious dinner too. If this recipe is new for you, try it out and let me know how you liked it.



Preparation Time - 0

Cooking Time - 20 Minutes

Serves - 2





Ingredients



Green Mung Bean - 1 Cup

Salt - 1/2 Tsp or to taste

Grated Coconut - 2 Tbsp

Curry powder - 2 Tsp or to  your taste

Lemon juice - 1/2 Tsp or to taste





Tempering



Coconut Oil - 2 Tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 Tsp

Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - few



Method



1) Soak mung bean over night and in the morning drain the water completely, add the salt with 1 Tsp of water and pressure cook for 2 Whistles (3 whistles if you are cooking along with some thing else).



2) Let this cool  completely before you saute them in the tempering or you will end up with a mashed paste.



3) Heat a pan and add the coconut oil. Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds. After the seeds stop spluttering add the asafoetida powder, curry leaves and cooked Green Mung Bean.



4) Add more salt if required now or just add the curry powder and saute for few seconds and switch off.



5) Now add the grated coconut and combine well. To this add the lemon juice and mix well. Enjoy..



Note - I had lot of sprouted mung bean left, so used it for this sundal. But it is better to use the bean soaked over night instead of the sprouted one. The reason is the sprouted one's loose lot of their nutrition when cooked and also turn slightly bitter after sprouting. Sprouts are best if eaten raw then cooking them.

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Whole Wheat & Oats Digestive Cookies/Biscuits

 Do you like the taste of digestive biscuits? Then you should try this. These taste so good and a much healthier choice than store bought one made with partially hydrogenated oil or high fructose corn syrup. But if you are on a grain free diet or gluten free diet these cookies are not for you.



I made this cookie recipe an year and half before ( a long time) before gluten was eliminated from our diet. Now a days I use only Almond flour for any kind of cookies. Even though I don't make them now, you will still continue to see quite a few of my recipes made with flours containing gluten like wheat. The simple reason is I have couple of them lying in drafts and this will be useful for people who still use whole wheat and oats in their diet.



Preparation Time - 15 Minutes

Cooking Time - 15 Minutes

Makes - Around 24 Cookies





Ingredients



Whole Wheat Flour - 1 Cup

Oats - 1 1/2 Cups

Baking Powder - 1 Tsp

Butter - 1 Stick (1/2 Cup at room temperature)

Salt - 1/4 Tsp

Raw Sugar - 1/4 Cup(Increase this to your taste, but normally digestive biscuits are a tad less sweeter)

Milk - 2 Tbsp (if needed)



Method



1) Grind the oats in your food processor to a powder form.



2) Combine the whole wheat flour, oats flour, baking powder, salt and raw sugar. Mix them evenly.



3) To this add the butter stick and form a dough. If the dough is too thick then add 1 to 2 Tbsp of Milk. Roll this dough into a cylindrical shape and wrap them with parchment paper and keep them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Do not keep this for more than 15 Minutes else it will be rock hard.



4) Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit and line two cookie trays with a parchment paper.

Take out the dough and cut them into even circles and place them in the cookie tray and bake for 15 Minutes.

I poked few holes using a fork.



5) Cool them in a wire rack and enjoy with some hot tea or store in an Airtight container.

Recipe Source - Swirl & Scramble.

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Lentil Dumplings in Coconut & Yogurt Sauce(No Fry Thayir Vadai)

Thayir Vadai is a South Indian (Asian) delicacy which is normally prepared by deep frying lentil donuts and then soaking them in yogurt and ground coconut sauce. I am not a big fan of deep fried dishes and normally go for pan frying or baking instead. Because deep fried stuff normally loses its nutrition value and that's the reason I am not into deep frying. So don't think I am trying to avoid fat here, because I believe that low fat and no fat diets are a myth and fat is a key component that the body needs. Fats normally keep you feeling full reduce food cravings, but the source should be from Nuts, Avocados, Coconut Oil, Raw Unprocessed dairy etc. 

So coming back to the recipe have you seen the Aebleskiver Pan or Danish Cake Pan or the payiram pan. If not please do check it out. Lot of deep fried dishes can be made by pan frying using this cute little gadget. These dumplings are a good source of protein and calcium and are gluten free and grain free.

Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 20 Minutes

Serves  - Makes around 18 Appams

Ingredients

Mung Dal - 3/4 Cup (You can make this 1/2 Cup and Urad Dal 1/2 Cup too)

Urad Dal - 1/4 Cup

Green Chili - 2 or to taste

Salt - 1 Tsp or to taste

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Curry leaves few - optional

Asafoetida a small piece

Yogurt - 2 Cups

Grated coconut - 1 Cup

Green Chili - 2 to 4 or to taste

Salt - 1 Tsp or to taste

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Water - 1/4 Cup or more according to the thickness desired

Method

Making the Dumpling

1) Rinse and Soak Mung Dal and Urad Dal for at least an hour.

2) Drain the water and grind this into a fine batter after adding Green Chili, Salt, Ginger, Curry leaves, Asafoetida and little bit of water.

3) The batter should not be runny, but should be the same thickness of pancake batter.

4) Heat the Appam pan on medium heat and pour a drop of oil in each one of the hole.

5) Once the pan is hot enough pour the batter, cover and cook little crispy on one side.

6) Now turn the appam and cook the other side. You can add little bit of more oil to get a brown color on the other side too.

8) Remove the appam, when both the sides are well cooked

For the Sauce

1) Grind the coconut, green chili, ginger and salt by adding 1/4 cup of water into a fine paste.

2) To this add the yogurt and mix it thoroughly and keep it aside. (Add more water or salt depending on the consistency and taste you like)

The final step

1) Heat 4 Cups of water in a wide mouthed pan and once the water starts to boil, add the cooked 

appam/paniyaram/dumpling into them and leave them for a few seconds and remove them and keep them in a plate.

2) Repeat the same thing with all the dumplings and once they are cool enough to handle, slightly press them to squeeze out the excess water and to create  a flat shape.

3) Add this to the yogurt & coconut gravy and chill.

4) Garnish with grated carrots, chopped cilantro, raisins or boondi and serve.



Note - Traditional Thayir Vadai is made only with Urad Dal. Because of this pan fried version, the smell and taste of Urad Dal was very prominent which I didn't like and then made this combination of Mung Bean and urad dal. Mung bean is protein rich when compared to Urad dal. So nothing to loose.

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Tomato & Bell Pepper Salsa

I love bell pepper not alone for their beautiful color and look. But also the nutrition associated with them. So every week when I go to the farmers market I can't resist myself from buying these beauties. I add them in every thing literally. Soup, stir fry, salads, to rice and quinoa dishes. The options are endless. I still had few left and when I had to prepare something to go along with Almond flour mock chips along with guacamole, I quickly whipped this up. They are low in carb and super delicious. Perfect with some crunchy snacks. Very easy to make and involves no cooking, do try them out and let me know how you like it.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - Nil

Serves - 4 to 6





Ingredients



Tomato - 2

Green, Red, Yellow and Orange Bell pepper - 1/4 of each ( Cut into cubes and keep)

Chopped onions - 1/4 Cup

Chopped Cilantro - 1/4 Cup

Salt - 1/2 Tsp or to taste

Fresh Parsley - 1/2 Tsp (optional)

Lime juice - 1 tsp or to taste (you can also add vinegar)

Jalapeno - 1

Olive Oil - 1 Tbsp



Method



1) Place the bell pepper, onions, cilantro, jalapeno in a food processor and run it for a few seconds so that the ingredients look coarsely chopped.



2)  Cut the tomatoes into halves and remove the seeds and cut them into 4 pieces each half.



3) Now add the tomato pieces, olive oil, parsley, salt and pulse briefly for few seconds to get a chunky texture. Do not run the processor more than few seconds, other wise you will only get a puree and not salsa.



4) Add some freshly ground pepper and lime juice or vinegar and mix thoroughly and refrigerate for few hours and serve.

Event Participation



1) This goes to Smita's AWED - Mexican an event started by DK.

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Radish Yogurt Dip/Raita(Mullangi Pachidi)

Not many people like radish because of their pungent smell. But they are a  good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin C, folate, potassium, Vitamin B6, Calcium and Magnesium. Host of nutrition, right!! But how to include them, there are so many ways like salad, sambar(stew), stuffing inside flat breads, curries and also as raita. This is a very easy and simple to make with no cooking involved except for the tempering.

If you like radish then you will love it. Go for it and let me know what you think about this recipe.



Preparation Time - 5 Minutes

Cooking Time - 2 Minutes

Serves - 2





Ingredients



Tender white medium sized Radish - 1

Salt - 1/2 Tsp

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Yogurt - Thick 1 1/2 Cups (12 oz)



Tempering



Sesame Oil - 1 Tsp

Asafoetida - 1/4 Tsp (do not include if you are trying to be on a gluten free diet)

Mustard seeds - 1/2 Tsp

Curry leaves - few

Green chilies -1 to 2 or per taste finely chopped

Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp



Method



1) Wash, peel and grate the radish and ginger. Let them sit for 5 minutes.



2) Heat a pan, add a tsp of oil. Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds and asafoetida powder.

After the mustard seeds stop spluttering add chopped green chilies, curry leaves, turmeric powder.



3) Squeeze out the juice from the grated radish and gulp it down, not much will be there but they are so good for you.



4) Add the grated radish and ginger saute for a second and then switch of the stove.



5) To this add the salt and yogurt and serve immediately. They taste good and smell good when freshly prepared. When made and refrigerated, I feel the pungent smell becomes more pronounced.

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Almond Flour Crackers

 If you are craving for some quick salty crackers to munch on, try this simple and easy to make and healthy crackers. These crackers are gluten free and grain free, high in protein and low carbohydrates. They make a great snack with cream cheese or peanut butter sandwiched between them.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 10 - 12 Minutes



Ingredients



Almond Flour - 1 Cup

Powdered Chia - 1 Tbsp

Salt - 1/2 Tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1/2 Tsp or to your taste

Sesame Seeds - 1 Tbsp

Sesame Oil - 2 Tsp

Water - 1/4 Cup (This varies based on the consistency of the almond flour)



Method



1) Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.



2) Combine almond flour, powdered chia, salt, red chili powder, sesame seeds, sesame oil. Now add water little by little and make a stiff dough.



3) Make two equal parts of the dough and place them between parchment paper and using a rolling pin make a thin flat layer. Using a pizza cutter, cut into desired shapes. Using a fork slightly make small holes.

Making the holes, will make it crispy.



4) Bake in a baking tray for 10-12 minutes till crispy and slightly browned.



5) Cool them completely and enjoy.



Notes - Stores good at room temperature for at least a week. You can make the crackers without adding

powdered chia as well and in the picture below I made it without them.

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Ragi, Mung & Kala Channa Dosai(Savory Finger Millet & Bean Pan Cake)

Ragi or Finger Millet is actually a Pseudo grain and is very rich in calcium and iron. Dark brown in color and with a sweet taste, nutty flavor and with complex carbohydrates. Gluten free and easy to digest ragi is good from Infants to Old aged people. Here I have used Ragi flour along with protein rich Black Chick Pea flour and green mung  bean flour. Both these beans are rich in protein, iron and very low in glycemic index. Served with some chutney and a glass of vegetable smoothie they make a perfect breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 15 to 20 Minutes

Serves - Makes 4 Pancakes

Ingredients

Ragi Flour - 6 oz

Whole Green Mung Flour - 2 oz

Black Chick Pea Flour(Kala Channa flour) -2 oz

Water - 1 Cup (If the yogurt is little watery, cut down the water to 3/4 Cup)

Yogurt - 1/4 Cup(Thick)

Onion - 1 Small(Chopped finely)

Green Chili  - 1 or to taste or optional(chopped finely)

Salt - 3/4 Tsp or to taste

Method

1) Combine all three flours and to this add the salt and then add the yogurt and water and using an egg beater mix thoroughly without any lumps.

2) To this batter add the chopped onions and green chilies and combine well.

3) Heat a iron griddle and once it is hot take a ladle full of batter and pour the batter in a circular way to cover  the surface to make a circle and pour 1 tsp of oil around it.

4) Cook on medium heat and once it is well cooked, flip it and cook the other side.

5) Serve hot with sambhar or chutney of our choice.

Event Participation



This goes to My Culinary creations Dosa Recipes.

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Almond Saffron Milk & Strawberry Milk Falooda for Maitri

When Priya contacted me for the Maitri friend ship chain event, I thought it will take a long time to get matched with a friend and raised my concern because of my travel plans during summer vacation. But she matched me with Vidhya within two days. I was really amazed with how quickly she set this up. I am really glad to be part of this wonderful event and thank the duo Priya and Reshmi for starting such a beautiful chain. If you live in the US, Canada region please do contact these lovely Ladies to be a part of this friend ship chain.

Since the time I got the email from Vidhya of Sugar N Spice saying that the mystery ingredient is on the way. I was super excited to know what the mystery ingredient was? I have never ever checked my mail box so many times and in fact grabbed the parcel from the mail man itself during one of the visits to check the mail box. I ran back and opened the parcel to find Subja Seeds(Basil Seeds) and a lovely flower cookie cutter and a hand written letter from Vidhya. Thank you Vidhya for the wonderful gifts.



These Subja seeds have cooling effect on the body and when soaked in water, becomes a gelatinous gel and is mixed with Drinks and Desserts in India and enjoyed during summer time. I made two different varieties of Falooda, one with Almond & Saffron Milk and another one with Strawberry milk. Even though the following recipe is more like a mock falooda but was surely tasty and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. I have used Xylitol as a sweetener in this recipe including the ice cream, so it is safe for people concerned with Sugar High's and Low's also to enjoy.





Method

Ingredients



Soak 2 +Tbsp of Subja seeds in 1/2 Cup of water and watch it bloom.



Almond Saffron Milk



Almonds - Around 25 (Soaked & Peeled)

Saffron - little more than a pinch to get a nice yellow color

Milk - 1 Cup

Ice Cream - 4 to 6 Scoops (I only had home made vegan strawberry ice cream so used that, but this would have tasted awesome with mango or kesar kulfi). Next time when I make a different flavor ice cream gonna revisit this recipe

Jelly - I made a jelly with coconut water, agar agar and almond flakes and will give the recipe later or you can use any ready made jelly of your choice

Xylitol - 2 Tbsp or to taste



Strawberry Milk



Strawberries - Around 10

Milk - 1 Cup

Xylitol - 3 Tbsp or to taste

Ice Cream - 4 to 6 Scoops(The strawberry ice cream suited this one perfectly)

Jelly - Coconut Water & Agar Agar Jelly



Method



1) In a blender, blend the milk, soaked & peeled almonds, xylitol and saffron and run till smooth. Now refrigerate this.



2) For the Strawberry Milk, add the strawberries, xylitol and milk and run the blender till smooth and refrigerate.  I used a vitamix for this purpose and there was no need to filter anything out.



3) Once the subja seeds are bloomed, scoop them out in 4 glasses evenly.



4) Layer them with Jelly pieces of your choice.



5) Pour the almond milk in two glasses and the strawberry milk in two glasses, top it with ice cream.



6) Mix them with a spoon and enjoy.

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Green Mung(Green Bean), Paneer and Veggie Cutlets/Burgers

Have you ever checked out the ingredient list in store made veggie burgers? Either they are made out of Soy or some kind of beans with binders like potatoes or eggs. But if you have to make one with a no soy, no egg, no potato and no grain,  how do you make these cutlets. I wasn't too sure until I made cutlets. So far I have baked them at least 3 to 4 times in batches of dozens. They taste good, good for you and freezes well and can be had straight as cutlets with some tomato ketchup or chutney or can also be  had as a burger in bun with some cheese and veggies. Green Mung Bean is a very good source of protein and dietary fiber and low in glycemic index. Paneer or Cottage cheese is a good source of calcium and protein. I added powdered chia which is a good source of omega 3 and 6 and spiced up with some garam masala and red chili pepper for the extra kick. They tasted awesome. Who said healthy food doesn't taste good!!! Now getting on to the recipe.



Preparation Time - 15 Minutes

Cooking Time - 30 to 40 Minutes

Serves - 10 to 12 depending on the size





Ingredients



Sprouted Green Mung Beans - 2 Cups

Grated paneer(Cottage Cheese) - 1 Cup

Chopped mixed Veggies - 1 1/2 Cups(Onions, green, yellow, orange, red bell pepper)

Powdered Chia - 2 Tbsp

Garam Masala - 1 Tsp

Red Chili powder - 1 Tsp or to taste

Salt - 1 Tsp or to taste

Amchoor (Dried Mango powder) - 1 Tbsp or to taste

Coconut Oil - 1 Tbsp

Split Chick Pea Flour(Besan) - 1 to 2 Tbsp





Method



1) Heat a pan and add a tsp of oil. Once the oil is warm add the chopped vegetables and saute for few minutes till tender.



2) To the vegetables add the sprouted mung bean salt, red chili powder, garam masala powder and saute for 2 minutes and switch off the stove.



3) Once this is cooled down, transfer the mung bean and vegetable mixture to a food processor and blend without adding any water into a coarse mixture.



4) Preheat a baking oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie tray with parchment paper.



5) To the mung bean and veggie mixture add the grated paneer, amchoor powder, chia powder and the rest of the coconut oil and mix thoroughly to form  a dough.



6) Try to roll into a ball and flatten it with your hands and place it in the baking tray. Repeat the same thing for the rest of the dough and leave enough space between the patties.  If the dough is too sticky add a Tbsp or two of besan(split chick pea flour) to the dough.



7) Now bake for 15 to 20 minutes on each side, by flipping them in between depending on your oven.



8) Remove enjoy with some chutney, ketchup or as a burger with toasted bun, veggies, mustard and cheese or after cooling completely freeze well.

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Almond Flour Crisscross (Egg Free, Gluten & Grain Free)

 If you are looking for gluten free, grain free baking alternate, Almond flour is the best choice taste wise as well as nutrition wise. Very low in carbohydrates and high in protein and with a sweet nutty taste, they give a great taste to the baked goods. If you are on a gluten free diet and have tried out all the gluten free flours like rice, bean flour etc. You will know what I am talking about. In fact, this is the only flour I use now a days for making different kinds of cookies for my kids.



Even though maple syrup is much healthier alternate than refined sugar and don't cause cavities like sugar. For people with diabetes, maple syrup because of its fructose content is not the recommended sweetener.

This recipe is so simple to make, please do try out and let me know.



Preparation Time - 5 Minutes

Cooking Time - 10 - 12 Minutes

Makes - Around 20-24 Cookies





Ingredients

Almond Flour - 2 cups

Maple syrup - 1/2 cup

Melted Clarified Butter(Ghee) - 2 oz

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Salt pinch

Vanilla extract few drops

Method



1) Combine Almond flour, baking soda and salt.



2) To this add the melted clarified butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract.



3) Combine thoroughly and make a dough and at this point it will be very sticky. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or just leave it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes so that the dough is easy to handle and not sticky.



4) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two cookie trays with parchment paper.



5) Pinch out 20-24 small sized balls with even sizes out of the cookie dough and with center of your palm, roll them to make perfect shaped balls and place them in baking tray with enough space between each one



6) Flatten them slightly and using a fork press each one of the cookie to form a criss cross pattern and bake for 10 to 12 minutes till they are slightly brown.



7) Remove them and cool them in a wire rack and store in a airtight container. This keep good in room temperature for at least a week.(Haven't lasted more than a week, even though I make double batch most of the times).

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