Pineapple Jamuns

Preparation Time: 5 hours

Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Makes : 25 Pineapple Jamuns

Ingredients:

250 gms of fresh paneer

1/4th cup of sugar or add more as per taste

1 tin of canned pineapples

1/2 tsp of pineapple essence

a few drops of yellow food colour

a few pistachios for garnish

Method:

• Grate the paneer and add sugar to it.
• Put the above in a vessel and place it on the gas for cooking.
• Continue stirring it on low flame till all the sugar has melted. Be careful not to burn the paneer.
• Then transfer this mixture to a plate and let it cool slightly.
• In the meantime, discard all the juice or water from the canned pineapples and cut them into fine pieces.
• Add this to the paneer mixture.
• Then add the essence and the food colour and lightly knead it and blend it together.
• Then make 25 small ball out of it and give them whatever shape you like.
• In the centre of each ball add a half slice of pistachio.
• Refrigerate this for 4-5 hours before serving.

Strawberry Delight

This dessert is a combination of strawberries and cream and is indescribably delicious

Preparation Time : 4 hours

Ready in : 5 minutes

Serves : 4

Ingredients:

1 tin of condensed milk

1 tin of fresh whipping cream

50 fresh strawberries

1 tsp of strawberry essence (optional)

a few mint leaves for garnish

Method:

• Take a bowl and add heavy whipping cream to it. Whisk this nicely with an electric whisk till it nice and stiff.
• Then add the condensed milk and fold it gently and keep aside
• In the meantime, take 25 strawberries and cut them into small cubes.
• You can either cut the remaining 25 strawberries in a food processor roughly or cut them very finely so that they are almost crushed.
• Add these to the cream mixtures.
• Then add the strawberry essence and give it a good stir.
• Refrigerate this for atleast 4 hours before serving.
• Take a nice dessert glass. Scoop in some of this into the glass and top it up with some fresh strawberries and garnish with a mint leaf.

Tip: Instead of strawberries, you could also add pineapples and convert it into a pineapple delight. Simply replace everything above with pineapples.

Sweet Cravings

For me, no dinner is complete without a good dessert. Everyday after a meal, I just have to have something sweet be it a dollop of ice-cream, chocolate or some exotic dessert. Basically, I have a sweet tooth :)

Now for those of you who are thinking about the calories, remember it's all in the portions - I keep the portions small and the calories take care of themselves. :)

Cooking was always a stress-reliever for me, but whenever I thought of making a desert, it seemed like one "big task". Luckily I found some great recipes which can be put together in a jiffy. After I started to turn out these deserts, I couldn't believe how easy they are to make.

So, if the word "dessert" throws you into a cold sweat, the inside scoop on desserts is : they're actually simple to make. And with the right help...well, just a piece of cake.

So join me in this journey of sweet cravings...

Garden Salad

I normally don't like adding a lot of the readily available dressing to my salads. I feel salad dressings mask the goodness of fresh vegetables and most of them are not very healthy. So as far as possible I try avoiding them.

So here is a recipe of a great tossed salad that brings out the crispiness of these fresh garden vegetables.

Garden Salad

The reason I call this salad as Garden Salad is because it contains all the fresh green vegetables and is so colorful that reminds of being in a garden.

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 5 minutes

Serves : 4

Ingredients:

10 broccoli florets steamed lightly

1/2 cup of peas boiled

1 cup of baby spinach

1 cucumber cut into cubes

1/2 cup of ice-berg lettuce

1/4 th cup of boiled corn

1 small onion cut into cubes

1 small tomato seeds removed and cut into cubes

For the dressing:

salt to taste

pepper to taste

1 tsp of honey

1 tsp of lime juice

Method:

Take a glass bowl and first place the lettuce in it. Then add the rest of the ingredients except the dressing and mix well. In a small cup, add all the ingredients for the dressing and give it a good mix.

Pour this dressing over the salad. Garden salad is now ready to serve.

Tip: Always pour the dressing on the salad just before serving it, else the salad becomes soggy.

Pa's Tuna Salad

I am not a great salad fan. Growing up I hardly remember eating salads. For any function or festival, the only standard salad my mom used to make was cutting cucumber, tomatoes and onion and placing them on a plate.

When I got married, my father in law (Pa) made a nice and yummy tuna salad one day for me. It was so delicious that I couldn't believe how tuna could taste so good. Well, from then on, I have loved this salad and have also tried converting it into a starter. Although I have made this salad innumerable times, I just can't beat my father-in-law in making it. He is really good at it. So this recipe is of my loving father-in-law who loves making amazing salads once a while.

Pa's Tuna Salad

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Serves : 5

Ingredients:

1 tin of tuna chunks in olive oil

1 medium sized onion finely chopped

1 medium sized tomato chopped

1 medium sized green capsicum finely chopped

1 green chilli finely chopped

1 small piece of ginger chopped finely

1 tsp of vinegar

2 tbsp of mayonnaise

1 tbsp of tomato ketchup

salt to taste

a few corriander leaves chopped finely

Method:

• Take a nice glass bowl. Add vinegar, green chillies and ginger and mix well smashing it with the spoon.
• Then add the onions and capsicum and give it a good mix
• Now add the tuna with the oil, salt and mix again
• Then add the mayonnaise, the ketchup and the tomatoes and mix thoroughly.
• Finally garnish with coriander leaves.

Tip: In order to convert this salad into a starter, simply make the salad as above and then add a spoonful of it on a small toast or a monaco biscuit and you get tuna on toast.

Alternatively, you can also convert it into a sandwich spread by placing the salad between two slices of toasted bread. Goes as a good breakfast or brunch.

Prawns in Coconut Gravy

A nice blend of Indian spices with some creamy coconut milk and delicious prawn makes a thick mild gravy.




Preparation Time : 15 minutes
Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Serves : 3

Ingredients :

20 Medium sized prawns cleaned, shelled and de-veined
1 large onions cut into cubes
3 tbsp of oil
3 cloves of garlic peeled1 small green capsicum finely cut
1 tsp of crushed red chillies1 small green chilli slit into half
1 cup coconut milk
1 tomato finely cut
salt to tastecoriander for garnish

Method:

• First marinate the prawns with some turmeric and salt and keep aside for 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, take a pan and add some oil to it
• Then add the onions and the garlic and fry nicely till the onions are pink
• Then add capsicum and continue to fry.
• Once it is fried well, add the crushed red chillies, green chilli, salt and prawns. Mix well
• Then add the coconut milk and the tomatoes.
• Cover and cook for 5 minutes till the prawns are cooked
• Garnish with corriander leaves
• This gravy goes well with steamed rice

Salt and Pepper style Indian Tendli

This is a quick and easy recipe and is so tasty. It can be eaten for lunch or dinner and can be prepared in no time. A good recipe for working mothers.

Salt and Pepper style Indian Tendli

Indian Tendli marinated in salt and pepper and cooked slowly over medium heat

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Serves : 3

Ingredients:

1/4 kg Indian Tendli

1 medium sliced onion cut lengthwise

1 tsp mustard seeds

salt to taste

2 tsp of pepper powder

1 tsp of oil

1/2 cup water

Method :

• Take the tendli and smash it with the help of a kitchen hammer.
• Take oil in a pan. When hot add the mustard seed and allow them to crackle
• Then add the finely cut onions and fry it well till they are pink
• Then add the Indian tendli and mix well
• Add salt and pepper and the water and cover and cook on medium flame
• Remove when the tendli is cooked well.
• Indian tendli goes well with rice and dal.