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Oreo Cream Oatmeal

Oreo Cream Oatmeal

· 30 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SnackTimeDelight #CollectiveBias

Are you like me who has around 10 a.m. or during evening, and your stomach starts that familiar growl and you're tempted to grab a snack. Trouble is, those hunger pangs tend to come at a time when you're busy, so you're likely to absent mindedly reach for something quick. Usually I keep some thing in my fridge which I can grab it and eat, just like this Oreo cream Oatmeal. I made it with Rolled oats and NEW International Delight® OREO® Flavored Coffee Creamer which you can get it from Walmart.

These is a filling snack to stay fully energized throughout the day. With kids being back to school, these can be used as after school snack for kids. My kids love Oreo in everything, so their after-school snack lot of times is Oreo oatmeal. Sometimes they like to enjoy YoCrunch® Lowfat Yogurt Cookies 'n Cream with OREO® Cookie Pieces. It is marriage between America's Favorite Cookie® with favorite yogurt. It's quite possibly the only thing that's tastier than dunking OREO® cookies in milk. My daughter even takes it to school as snack in lunch box.

I like coffee and use my favorite coffee creamer ( International Delight Creamer)  to make it. I found that International Delight Creamers are very versatile, and I can use it as ingredients in various recipes too.  I found that OREO® flavor can be used in unexpected places providing a delicious, better-for-you treat! Yes, just like this Oreo cream Oatmeal.

I like to use Walmart online grocery, which is really convenient, just order according to your convenience and pick up from the store, you don’t even need to get out of the car if you don’t want to.  I ordered these International Delight® OREO® Flavored Coffee Creamer and YoCrunch® Lowfat Yogurt Cookies 'n Cream with OREO® Cookie Pieces along with other items around afternoon and was able to pick it up by evening.

Once you have everything start making this delicious Oreo cream oatmeal which I like to make it in small jars, so that it is available when I want. I didn’t add any extra sweetener, only sweetness comes from the International Delight® OREO® Flavored Coffee Creamer. Just mix in with oatmeal, chia seed and milk give at least an hour time. Then enjoy with strawberries, blueberries and banana. Whole some filling snack.  You can make it ahead of time 1-2 days and enjoy.

If you are busy mom like me looking to feed hungry kids after school, then this is snack you want. Or if you want a quick snack just for you, this is good too. If you try it let me know how it turned out for you.

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4.86 from 14 votes

Oreo Oatmeal

Delicious and easy snack  made with oatmeal, chia seeds and  Oreo Coffee creamer. Enjoy with your favorite berries and fruits.  Great as after school snack.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: oreo oatmeal
Servings: 1 serving
Calories: 210kcal
Author: Swathi ( Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • For oatmeal
  • ⅓ cup rolled oats
  • ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon International Delight® OREO® Flavored Coffee Creamer
  • ½ tablespoon chia seeds
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Topping
  • Strawberries
  • Banana
  • Blueberries

Instructions

  • n a mason jar add rolled oats, chia seeds, International Delight® OREO® Flavored Coffee Creamer, milk and vanilla extract and set aside for at least 1 hour or overnight.
  • When you ready serve add favorite berries and fruits and enjoy.

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 26mg | Potassium: 215mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 102IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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Moist Banana chocolate chip muffins

· 18 Comments

I buy bananas whenever I go grocery shopping, but hubby and son like it only when they are just ripe. I like it ripe. But too ripe ones will be left behind in the kitchen table for 2-3 days finally when they develop some black spot and I will think of creating some recipes with it. If not I will freeze them so that I can use it in my smoothie recipe. Instead of making my usual Banana bread I decide to make this moist banana chocolate chip muffins.

This is easy and at the same time moist banana chocolate chip muffins. I added chocolate chips to make my son eat it, yes he is happy to see chocolate chips in each and everything. At first, he was not happy because I added banana into his favorite chocolate chip muffins, but after eating one he told me. Please pack one for my first-grade teacher Mrs. M. I asked him what you are going to tell teacher. He told me that he will tell his teacher that this is chocolate chip muffins with banana in it.  If my little tough guy is convinced, then this recipe is so good.

I swapped a little bit on this recipe, yes reduced half of butter with unsweetened apple sauce. Also reduced the amount of sugar than original recipe.   May be next time I will change half of the flour with whole wheat flour.  This muffin won’t have dome shape because of apple sauce, milk and banana. What is in the shape? Taste is most important.

If you have few bananas laying in your kitchen table go ahead and make it. You are sure going to love it. It is easy to make, mix everything in a bowl and bake it, your delicious muffins will be ready in less than 30 minutes.

You can also have it as a next day breakfast, or lunch box or even as snack these are really good.

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5 from 6 votes

Moist Banana chocolate chip muffins

If you like moist muffins for your snack, breakfast, then this is one for you, Moist banana chocolate chip muffins . Made with with apple sauce, banana and chocolate chips. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Muffiins
Servings: 12 no
Calories: 188kcal
Author: Swathi ( Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup mashed banana about 3 medium banana
  • ½ cup + 1 ½ tablespoon sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ salt
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • ¼ cup melted butter
  • ¾ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twelve ⅓-cup muffin cups with foil muffin liners.
  • Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl and set aside
  • Mix, egg, milk and sugar in medium bowl.
  • In another bowl add mashed banana and apple sauce and mix well.
  • Stir in, egg mixture and banana mixture into dry ingredients just until blended (do not overmix). Stir in chocolate chips.
  • Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full. Bake muffins until tops are pale golden and tester inserted into center comes out with some melted chocolate attached but no crumbs, about 25 minutes. Transfer muffins to rack; cool. Enjoy with cup of coffee

Nutrition

Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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4 ingredient Dessert Quesadilla

· 38 Comments

Are you looking for an easy dessert idea which doesn’t require too much preparation, and everything ready in less than 10 minutes? For my son only, fruits in world is strawberry and banana and vegetables include potato and beet root. Rest of them are not good according to him. Whereas my daughter likes a lot of vegetables with a few exceptions. So, whenever I make some fruit-based dessert for them I make sure to add strawberry and banana. This 4 ingredient dessert quesadilla is so yummy and easy.

 

You need flour tortilla, butter, dulce de leche and fruits. Living in Texas has made me familiar with Tex-Mex cuisine. Quesadilla is an easy and delicious dish. You can make it with chicken, meat, or even veggies and cheese. You can use griddle also. If you want grill marks on the quesadilla then use grill.

I always buy flour tortilla thinking that I am going to make taquitos, enchiladas, burritos and after a few uses I end up making something else and not get enough time to make the one I intended to make. I think it happens to all food bloggers. This time I am planning few more see dishes with the tortilla, let us see how it goes.

I used very less dulce de leche in my quesadilla you can use more according your taste buds. For brushing the tortilla, I used butter you can include cinnamon sugar if you want. I thought it will be too sweet. You can use your favorite fruits.  You can try cranberries, or apple as fall season is coming soon.  If you want instead of dulce leche you can try with Nutella, cream cheese etc. Even chocolate sauce will be wonderful.

These is best after school snacks and as moms we are always looking to make the kids happy after a whole day in school. This dessert quesadilla can cheer up any tired kids I can assure you that.

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4.96 from 24 votes

4 ingredient Dessert Quesadilla

This is simple and easy dessert you can get it ready in less 10 minutes. Made with sweet Dulce leche , flour tortilla and fresh fruits. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time3 minutes
Total Time13 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex
Keyword: Dessert Quesadilla
Servings: 2
Author: Swathi ( Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 4 flour tortilla
  • 3 tablespoon dulce de leche
  • 1 banana cut into thin rounds
  • 5 strawberries cut into thin slices
  • ½ tablespoon butter

Instructions

  • Fire up your grill or heat grill in stove top.
  • Brush melted butter on one side flour tortilla and spread ½ tablespoon dulce leche.
  • Place strawberries and banana on the top it and cover another flour tortilla dulce leche spread side.
  • Grill 1-2 minutes until you get grill marks on that side flip and grill once again.
  • Slice in quarters and serve with extra strawberries and banana.
  • Enjoy
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

If you try the recipe, please take a picture and comment on the Pinterest link.

Grapes and Rosemary Breakfast Buns

· 34 Comments

Easy, lightly sweetened grapes and rosemary breakfast buns made with fresh grapes and spices. Great for breakfast with cup of tea or coffee.Grapes and Rosemary Breakfast Buns

I like to enjoy my breakfast dishes with less sweetness. Cinnamon rolls are more as snacks than the breakfast dish for me. If you are like me then you will enjoy this grapes and rosemary breakfast buns which is lightly sweetened without any glaze. It is easy to make, and you only need sweet grapes.

Grapes and Rosemary Breakfast Buns

Nowadays grapes are 88 cents for a pound in the grocery store, so I decide to make it. This recipe is adapted from Panettera book. I bought after seeing only a few pages of preview. I made some changes as original recipe didn’t have any salt in the recipe just like any other Tuscan bread. Also, original recipe asked for white wine. I don’t have it in hand, yes when a white wine bottle is opened, I will drink them to make sure that nothing left. So, I added white wine vinegar. If you have white wine in hand go for it, after all you need only 1 tablespoon of it.

Grapes and Rosemary Breakfast Buns

Sweetness in this bread is coming from the grapes as well as touch of brown sugar used to marinate. Spice used in this recipe is cinnamon. In the original recipe the rolls are cut and baked individually, but I am skeptical about their spreading while baking in the oven. So, decided to use muffin tins. They are perfect to keep the shape of the rolls. If you want, you can stack them in the baking tin.  May be next time and will try to use sweet white wine.

Grapes and Rosemary Breakfast Buns

These are best with cup of coffee, also I feel they taste great when they come right out of the oven. If you are looking forward to making something special at dinner table during the holidays or Thanksgiving table then try this one. If you want, increase the amount of the sugar in the recipe to make it sweet grapes and rosemary breakfast buns.

Grapes and Rosemary Breakfast Buns

Let me know how it turned out for you. If you tried this recipe then please take a picture  and give review on my pinterest  link.

 

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4.86 from 21 votes

Grapes and Rosemary Breakfast Buns

Simple lightly sweetened grapes and rosemary breakfast buns made with  fresh grapes and spices.  Great for breakfast with cup of tea. 
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Breakfast
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Grapes and rosemary breakfast buns
Servings: 12 no
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 300 g red grapes halved
  • ½ tablespoon white wine vinegar *
  • ½ tablespoon water *
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Grated zest of ½ lemon
  • 7 teaspoon brown sugar you can increase up to ¼ cup more
  • 3 cups/350g bread flour
  • ⅔ cup/150 ml Luke warm milk
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tsp/6g Instant yeast
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 rosemary sprig
  • Olive oil for brushing

Instructions

  • In a bowl add halved red grapes, white wine vinegar, water, brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well and marinate while you make the dough.
  • In another bowl add bread flour, yeast, salt, milk and water and mix well. Then knead it into a soft dough and set aside for doubling.
  • Preheat oven to 425 F.
  • Once the dough is doubled spread it into 1-inch thick rectangle. Then spread the grapes-cinnamon mixture. Make sure not to add grapes in 1 inch from all sides. Then tightly roll and cut it into 12 pieces.
  • If you want you can place in a parchment lined baking sheet or place it in a greased muffin tin. And set aside for another 15-20 minutes.
  • When you are ready to bake just brush dough with olive oil and bake it for about 15 minutes or it become golden color.
  • Enjoy warm they are best with cup of coffee.

Video

Notes

*use 1 tablespoon white wine instead of white wine vinegar and water
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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Peach Cardamom Upside Down Cake

· 23 Comments

Summer is going to end soon, and before that I need to make a few recipes with summer peaches. Yes, Texas has best sweet summer peaches. I decide to make this Peach upside down cake. Upside down cakes have been in my do list for a long time, however, I am not comfortable with making caramel worried that it is going to break my teeth.

After serious search I found that there is an easy way to making upside down cake. I adapted few recipes and mixed and made this one. I always like to make cakes with fresh fruits, because their marriage is always fruitful. Yes, fruity top with buttery cake layer. Even though pineapple upside down cake is classic, this peach upside down cake is a good one too.

I like to use fresh fruits, but if you want you can use canned ones. Sweet aroma of summer-fresh peaches, nothing can beat it. Peaches, perhaps more than any other fruit, belong purely to summertime. There's no out-of-season substitute for a truly glorious peach. Among the stone fruits I like are peaches and mangoes.  I have interchanged them both in recipes.  I like to spice them up with exotic cardamom. It is regarded as the queen of spices and is one of the most expensive spices, ranking third, the first and second being saffron and vanilla, respectively.

Coming to buttery cake base, trust me it is delicious and moist with Greek yogurt, milk and butter. I used square pan, but if you want you can use round pan which makes your cake looking pretty. If you are like me, think about the convenience of serving, then go for square pan as you can get individual slices with two slices of peach on the top.

This is a great cake you can make ahead, even you refrigerate them it will retain it freshness for a couple of days. Next time when you are going for potluck or get together like me, just make this and take along with you. Your friends and family will love it.  If you can get fresh peaches then try it now or use canned one for year  around.

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5 from 20 votes

Peach Cardamom Upside Down Cake

Delicious easy peach cardamom upside down cake made with fresh peaches and exotic spices cardamom with easy way to make fruit and caramel coating. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Peach upside down cake
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Sarswathy)

Ingredients

  • For base
  • 24 1 inch slices of peaches
  • ¼ cup butter
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • For cake
  • ½ cup cubed peaches
  • 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup butter softened
  • ¾ cup +2tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ½ teaspoon cardamom powder

Instructions

  • In a 8X 8-inch pan add butter and put it in 350F oven for 5 minutes or until the butter melts completely make sure not to let burn the butter. To this add brown sugar and spread well.
  • Then gradually place the peach slices into the butter-sugar mixture.
  • In a medium bowl add flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom and mix well.
  • In large bowl add butter and sugar and cream very well then add eggs one at a time and blend very well.
  • To this add flour mixture in 3 additions alternating, Greek yogurt, milk and in between flour. Finally ends with flour-mixture.
  • Then fold in peaches (cut in cubes) and transfer the batter into baking pan lined with peaches and butter-sugar mixture. Spread evenly then bake it in pre-heat oven to 350F for 35 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.
  • Enjoy with or without ice cream.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

Peach Crumble Smoothie

· 15 Comments

I am peach lover and will buy fresh peaches whenever I see them. And before this summer ends, I want to create few recipes with peaches. I made peach upside-down cake, peach crumble smoothie and peach chia strawberry yogurt popsicles.  I decide to make this peach crumble smoothie. I am yet to decide on a peach pound cake and muffin may be something else.

Tomorrow is Onam harvest festival in Kerala, South India, the place where I was born and grew up. This year festival got lost some charm as a week age, the state was ravaged by one of the worst floods in a century. Most of state is destroyed, people lost everything lot of damages to infrastructure. When Nature take her fury on the people she is merciless. My family there is safe still lot of people got directly hit.  I know as human being we will survive and get back to normal damage is done in a few hours, but recovery takes long time. Last year my city Houston got hit with Harvey and it is still recovering.  I am going to make simple vegetarian feast tomorrow just to celebrate Onam.

 

Coming back to this Peach crumble smoothie, it is just a simple recipe and you only need peach, banana and a sweetener.  What makes crumble is it topping with nuts and oatmeal and butter. Since it is smoothie we are only adding creamy cashew nuts, vanilla extract and oatmeal.  This is delicious smoothie and best on the go one. Just mix everything blend it and drink it.  I used raw cashew nuts that requires soaking, if you do not want to soak then add little cashew milk.

This is a good smoothie with sweetness from peaches, nuttiness from cashew, crunchiness from oatmeal who doesn’t like to drink crumble through the straw. I used fresh peaches. You can make this year around with frozen peaches too. If are into peaches like me then give this one a try, I bet you will love it.

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5 from 8 votes

Peach Crumble Smoothie

Delicious Vegan  breakfast smoothie made with fresh peaches, banana, creamy cashew nuts and oatmeal. 
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Servings: 1
Author: Swathi ( Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 1 peach peeled and cut into slices
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 tablespoon cashew nuts soaked for few hours /use ¼ cup cashew milk
  • ¼ cup orange juice
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extra
  • 1 cup coconut water
  • 3 tablespoon oatmeal
  • ½ tablespoon Nectevia use any favorite sweetener

Instructions

  • In a blender or food processor process everything including oatmeal into a fine consistency.
  • Pour it into tall glass and enjoy.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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Spicy roasted Tindora/ Kovakka/ Ivy Gourd : Diabetic Friendly recipe

· 22 Comments

Delicious spicy roasted tindora made with chili powder, cumin, coriander and garam masala  goes well with bowl of rice. Tindora/ Kovakka/ Ivy Gourd is one of the vegetables that I usually buy from Indian store because I read that it can help to control blood sugar level for diabetics. As my hubby is diabetic, he likes to eat veggies and lot of protein. I usually make a stir fry tindora/ kovakka. Hubby suggested why not try this Spicy roasted tindora/ kovakka/ Ivy gourd for a change.

You must listen to hubby at least sometime isn’t, so I decide to make this baked version of tindora. This is simple, when I make curries I like to slice tindora in rounds as when you stir them its seeds will comes out. Since you are baking and not going to stir them more often, so sliced them vertically.


Ivy gourd, also known as scarlet gourd, tindora, and kowai fruit, is a tropical vine. It grows primarily in tropical climes and mainly used in Asian cuisines like Indian, Thai and Vietnamese. Ivy gourd has been classified as a herb in Thai and ayurvedic medicine. The parts used in diabetes treatment are the leaves, but the primary use of ivy gourd is culinary, and it is considered a vegetable. Ivy gourd contains beta-carotene, a major Vitamin A source essential for good eyesight; and Vitamin C which helps prevent common cold and flu. It is also considered a good source of protein and fiber. In traditional medicine, the fruits have been used to treat leprosy, fever, asthma, bronchitis and jaundice.


Some results say that consuming 50 gm of ivy gourd daily could help keep blood sugar under control, still it requires more data. Some research also supports its use as an antioxidant, anti-hypoglycemic agent and immune system modulator. The fruit is also known to have anti-histamine properties. You can find Ivy gourd/ Kovakka in Indian store as well as Fiesta stores.

Once to get the vegetables pat dry and add spices and olive oil and salt, I roast them in the oven. I roasted along with lime slices, you can skip that if you want. But they are delicious.
If you try this recipe, please let me know how it turned out for you. You can dial back or forward red chili powder if you want.

Other roasted vegetables recipes are 

Spicy Pan roasted Chayote squash 

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5 from 9 votes

Spicy roasted Tindora/ Kovakka/ Ivy Gourd : Diabetic Friendly recipe

Delicious spicy roasted tindora made with chili powder, cumin, coriander and garam masala  goes well with bowl of rice. 
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: Spicy Roasted
Servings: 4
Calories: 101kcal
Author: Swathi ( Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sliced Tindora/ Ivy guard
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garam masala
  • ½ teaspoon coriander powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 lime sliced into thin rounds

Instructions

  • First wash and pat dry the tindora then slice 2-inch pieces
  • In a bowl add sliced tindora and all the spices and olive oil and curry leaves and mix everything and set aside.
  • Pre-heat oven to 400F/ 205C 
  • In a baking sheet lined with non-stick foil and spread the spiced tindora into single layer.
  • Bake it for 30-35 minutes until everything cook through.
  • Enjoy with bowl of rice.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 95IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

Korean Sweet and Tangy sauce and Napa Cabbage Slaw

· 25 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BibigoKoreanFlavor #CollectiveBias


We love occasional Asian meals other than our Indian dishes.  I love Korean dishes, and that habit started during my stay in Japan where I would visit Korean restaurant very often.  I like mini wontons, so I also buy them occasionally from grocery store.  I usually make homemade sauces to go with it.   I made this Korean sweet and tangy sauce and Napa cabbage slaw  along with  spicy sauce to go with Pan fried Bibigo Mini Wontons Chicken and Vegetable. This makes an easy meal.

Do you know the name Bibigo comes from the Korean word to “mix,” combined with “go”.  I like Bibigo products because they are delicious and convenient. For pan fried you need only 5 minutes for it to get ready.  You can get Bibigo products in the frozen appetizer section of your local H-E-B, my favorite grocery store for fresh fruits and veggies, and frozen products.

You can also get Steamed Dumplings Chicken & Vegetable. Grab all the products from H-E-B, then make sauces first and salad then finally pan fry Mini Chicken and vegetable wontons for just 5 minutes it is ready. Bibigo mini chicken and vegetable wontons are versatile we can use it soup, pan fried or even in salad as protein booster.

These mini wontons are bite size wonders. I made sweet and tangy sauce so that kids can enjoy the Mini Chicken and vegetable wontons. For me and hubby I made spicy dipping sauce with siracha sauce. These dipping sauces are easy to put together and goes well with dumplings, pan fried wontons or even Korean pancakes. And really boosts the overall flavor of the dishes and make it very addictive!

 

Napa cabbage slaw is also simple and easy to make with simple ingredients and takes just minutes to prepare.  Simply shred Napa cabbage, onion, match stick carrots, some orange bell peppers and toasted sesame seeds. Then toss with simple dressing of toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar soy sauce, lime juice and.  That’s it!  slaw is ready to be served, warm Bibigo Mini Wontons Chicken and Vegetable and steamed Chicken and vegetable dumplings. Make this great meal and enjoy.

You can follow Bibigo  in Facebook for more updates on their products.

For Step by step picture of recipe check this video

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5 from 15 votes

Korean Sweet and Tangy sauce and Napa Cabbage Slaw

For an easy and simple meal here is Korean Sweet and tangy  dipping sauce, spicy  dipping sauce and Napa cabbage slaw with pan fired mini  chicken and vegetable wontons. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: korean
Keyword: Korean sweet and tangy dipping sauce
Servings: 4
Author: Swathi ( Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • For Korean Sweet and Tangy Sauce
  • ¼ cup Soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
  • For Spicy Sauce
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
  • 1 teaspoon Siracha sauce
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 3 scallions chopped finely only green parts
  • For Napa Cabbage Slaw
  • 3 cup sliced Napa cabbage
  • ¼ cup sliced onions
  • ½ cup sliced carrots
  • ¼ cup red bell pepper
  • For dressing
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ tablespoon sesame seed oil
  • ½ tablespoon soy sauce
  • ½ tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 20 Bibigo Mini Wontons Chicken and Vegetable forzen

Instructions

  • For Korean Sweet and tangy sauce
  • Mix all ingredients for Korean sweet and sauce into a small bowl and make the sauce.
  • For Spicy sauce
  • Mix all ingredients for spicy sauce including Siracha sauce in a small bowl and serve.
  • For Napa cabbage slaw
  • First make dressing for the slaw and set aside. Then in a large bowl combine Napa cabbage, sliced onion, red bell pepper and match stick carrots. You can add toasted sesame seeds to the veggies and mix. But I like to add it to the dressing . Once you combined all veggies toss with dressing and serve with Pan fried Bibigo Mini Wontons Chicken and Vegetable. Enjoy a great family meal.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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Curry leaves Popcorn and chocolate almond butter Popcorn

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Are you ready to try this delicious flavored  popcorn snack such as  curry leaves popcorn a savory treat along with churros popcorn and and chocolate almond butter popcorn

Curry leaves Popcorn and chocolate almond butter Popcorn
School is going to reopen this Wednesday, yes two and half months of vacation passed just like that. Today is we are going to meet her teacher for this year’s class.  My daughter like to watch “Spirit Riding Free “series in  Netflix. She is eagerly waiting for the season 6 which releases on August 17.  This weekend both Mom & Daughter decided to spend some time doing things together before back to school. I made one savory Curry leaves popcorn and two sweet one churros popcorn and chocolate almond butter popcorn as treat using Pop Secret popcorn.

Curry leaves Popcorn and chocolate almond butter Popcorn

Here is the synopsis of “Spirit Riding Free”. Set during the 19th century in the small town of Miradero, Texas, a 12-year-old girl named Lucky, who had recently relocated from the city, encounters a wild kiger mustang named Spirit the horse is caught by wranglers and brought to be "broken" in Miradero. Lucky gradually bonds with the stallion and frees him. Lucky also meets two other girls, Pru and Abigail, who both own horses, Chica Linda, a palomino, and Boomerang, a pinto horse, respectively. They embark on everyday adventures across the land.

Curry leaves Popcorn and chocolate almond butter Popcorn

Any movie or series should accompany popcorn isn’t it. The kids even make their own popcorn in the microwave. Since I want to make it extra special for the movie date. I made this savory and sweet recipe with Pop Secret popcorn.  Pop Secret popcorn are delicious and high quality snack  which people can feel good > It has great butter taste.

Curry leaves Popcorn and chocolate almond butter Popcorn

You can buy Pop Secret popcorn from your local Walmart, they also you have few varieties to choose from. I bought Extra Butter Pop Secret Popcorn.

Curry leaves Popcorn and chocolate almond butter Popcorn

I made savory popcorn based on southern India cuisine of using curry leaves in our curries along with seasoning with mustard seeds, red chilies, and asafetida  and turmeric.  Curry leaves are earthy, aromatic and gives unique aroma to the finished dish. I don’t think there is any substitute to it.

Curry leaves Popcorn and chocolate almond butter Popcorn

My daughter loves sweet so for her, I made churros popcorn and it is without any addition of corn syrup, it has only sugar and cinnamon. Second one is chocolate almond butter popcorn, for this you need chocolate chips and almond butter. Within less than 30 minutes you can put together.

Once you made all these treats in less than 30 minutes, get ready to watch movie. If you made these treats let me know how it turned out for you.

If you like this recipe check this Iron Man Popcorn

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Curry leaves Popcorn and chocolate almond butter Popcorn for movie night date

Are you looking for movie date then try this delicious curry leaves popcorn a savory treat along with churros popcorn and and chocolate almond butter popcorn. Simple everything get ready within 30 minutes. 
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American, Indian
Keyword: savory and sweet popcorn
Servings: 4
Calories: 353kcal
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • For Curry leaves Popcorn
  • 1 packet of Popped Extra Butter Pop Secret Popcorn according to manufactures instruction
  • 2 sprig of curry leaves
  • 2 red chilies halved
  • ¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon asafetida
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ tablespoon butter
  • For churros popcorn
  • 1 packet of Extra Butter Pop Secret Popcorn
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoon water
  • Pinch of lemon juice
  • For topping
  • ¼ cup of sugar
  • ½ tablespoon cinnamon
  • For chocolate almond butter popcorn
  • 1 packet of popped Extra Butter Pop Secret Popcorn
  • ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup almond butter

Instructions

  • For curry leaves popcorn
    First heat butter and then add mustard seeds, red chilies then when mustard seeds pops add curry leaves, turmeric, asafetida and mix well. Add this to bowl containing popped extra butter Pop Secret Popcorn. Mix well so that curry leaves mixture gets coated all over the popcorn. 
  • For churros popcorn
    In a small bowl add ¼ cup sugar and cinnamon and mix well and set aside.
    Add sugar and water and boil until sugar melts also add 2 drops of lemon juice and heat until sugar melt and caramelized then add cinnamon and mix well. Add this mixture to popped extra butter pop secret popcorn coat well then add cinnamon sugar mixture and coat that too and set aside.
  • For chocolate almond butter popcorn
    Melt chocolate chips in microwave and set aside. Then microwave almond butter and set aside. Add this chocolate and almond butter mixture into popped popcorn and coat really well.
    Enjoy.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 332mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 295IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Snyder’s-Lance Inc, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #Pop4Spirit  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV”

 

Peach Chia Strawberry Yogurt Popsicle

· 23 Comments

Delicious  peach and chia  and strawberry  yogurt Popsicles  made with fresh fruit. strawberry yogurt layer compliments with sweet peach layers. 

If you are looking for a simple and easy popsicles made with Peach and strawberries, two best summer fruits. Then try this it has extra boost from from superfruit strawberry, kiwi greens powder. 

School is going to re-open next week.  Means I and my  kids going to be busy. This summer is eventful as we made short trip of India and spend time with friends and family. Even though continuous rain trying to disturb us most of the time.  Once we reached back home my daughter asked me to make her favorite Popsicle. I decide to make this delicious Peach Chia Strawberry yogurt pops which my daughter loved very much. I used Barlean’s Superfruit Strawberry Kiwi Greens™ Powder to make this Popsicle.

I need to make popsicle in my house more often, so I am always in search of new popsicle mold, I made this popsicle in Zoku Mod Pops which is compact one which make 6 popsicles at a time. I want to make two in one popsicle. Half of which is made with fresh peach puree and chia seeds and Nectevia.  I think honey or maple syrup will work also sweetener. The other half I mixed with Greek yogurt and Barlean’s Superfruit Strawberry Kiwi Greens™ Powder.  I added little bit Nectevia for sweetness.  You can skip that if you want.

If you are not person of fruit and greens. Then this Barlean’s Superfruit Strawberry Kiwi Greens™ Powder is the one for you. Just mix it in the drinks or popsicles like me. It is tasty, and kids approved. There is chocolate Silk Greens™ Powder also you can add it to milk to make it chocolatey drink.

Next time I am going to make a peanut butter popsicle with chocolate Silk Greens™ Powder. I think I can give this to my kids as after school snacks also. By making popsicle at home we can control how sugar and other preservatives. So, I like to make homemade ice creams as well as popsicle. Next time when you make some afterschool treat or for get together add this Barlean’s powdered greens thus way it will delicious not simple yet delicious treats for family.

Give it a try and let me know how it turned out for you.

 

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5 from 19 votes

Peach Chia Strawberry Yogurt popsicles

Delicious  peach and chia  and strawberry  yogurt Popsicle  made with fresh fruit. strawberry yogurt layer compliments with sweet peach layers. 
Prep Time10 minutes
6 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fruits, popsicle
Servings: 6
Calories: 64kcal
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • For peach layer
  • 2 peaches pureed
  • ½ tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 ½ tablespoon Nectevia / Honey / maple syrup
  • For strawberry yogurt layer
  • 1 ¼ cup Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup 1% fat milk you can use any nut milk also
  • 1 ½ tablespoon Barlean’s Superfruit Strawberry Kiwi Greens™ Powder
  • 2 tablespoon Nectevia / Honey / maple syrup

Instructions

  • First process peaches into fine puree and add chia seeds and Nectevia and mix well. And fill half of the popsicle mold with peach puree and freeze for about 2-3 hours.
  • While peach layer is freezing make strawberry yogurt layer by mixing, yogurt, milk, Barlean’s Superfruit Strawberry Kiwi Greens™ Powder and Nectevia. After 2-3 hours fill the rest of the popsicle mold with strawberry yogurt layer and freeze for another 4 hours or overnight.
  • Enjoy.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 64kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 28mg | Potassium: 193mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 206IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

 

 

This shop has been compensated by  Barlean's .  All opinions are mine alone . #Barleans #popsicleparty

Antioxidant rich Beet Berry and Banana Smoothie bowl

· 17 Comments

Schools are going to open within 15 days and it means my morning routines will change and the sleep which I get now will not be there. And to get some extra time in the morning, I need to make smoothie bowls and smoothies for my breakfast. This is a simple and easy smoothie bowls.  Thus, I made this  antioxidant rich Beet Berry and Banana Smoothie bowl akka triple B smoothie bowl.

Beet gives excellent color and taste to dishes, still I don’t like them as raw, so I cooked, if you like raw beets like my hubby you can try raw beets. I also used raspberries and blueberries. If you want, you can use strawberries too.  I also added banana to bring out creaminess of the smoothie bowl and to make it thicker. I think you can add avocado instead of banana if you want to increase thickness.

I think I went a little bit crazy on toppings, I added raspberries, blueberries, banana, kiwi and hemp seeds. If you have all these in hand, use it otherwise top with your favorite fruits and nuts. This beautiful red bowl packs a nutritional punch with help from the beets, hemp seeds, berries and banana and coconut water.

Who can resist a colorful breakfast occasionally, this is not only colorful but also delicious. I used Nectevia you can use honey or agave or your favorite sweetener. My hubby and I enjoyed this triple B smoothie bowl.

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5 from 13 votes

Antioxidant rich Beet Berry and Banana Smoothie bowl

This beautiful red bowl packs a nutritional punch with help from the beets, hemp seeds, berries and banana and coconut water.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Smoothie bowl
Servings: 1
Calories: 273kcal
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • ¾ cups raspberries
  • ¾ cups blueberries
  • ⅓ lightly packed cup coarsely grated red beet
  • 1 banana
  • ½ Tbs. Nectevia use honey or agave
  • 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup coconut water
  • Topping
  • Hemp seeds
  • Kiwi
  • Blueberries
  • Raspberries
  • Banana

Instructions

  • Process everything into a blender or food processor into into a smoothie consistency.
  • Serve with banana, blueberries, toasted hemp seeds etc.

Nutrition

Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 893mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Vitamin C: 51mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

Dukkha Sourdough bread

· 16 Comments

Delicious and simple Dukkha sourdough bread made with Egyptian spice blend Dukkah on the seasoning crust. Which is really flavorful with nuts and spices.

After a short visit to India I am in a lazy mode, and to get back to my original self, I decided to start work with my sourdough. They are my best buddies, always motivates me to bake something.  I baked a sourdough that too Dukkha Sourdough bread.

I have seen this recipe in Clevercarrot blog. As usual I changed the ingredients in both bread and Dukkha seasoning and made this bread.  Dukkha is the Egyptian spice blend made with nuts and spices, some uses hazelnuts. I don’t have it in my hand, instead used almond. This is unique spice blend served as dip for bread and olive oil.

Dip your bread in the oil, then in the dukkha – a perfect appetizer, snack, or healthy breakfast in the Middle East. Dukkha blend is also ideal for crusting poultry or fish. As spice and seasoning fanatic, I love to experiment new spice blends.

From now on I am going to try to bake one sourdough bread a week, thus trying to improve my scoring skills as well as bread stencil skills. I always think but not put on practice, this time I am going to make it happen.

 

This is simple crusty bread with dukkha seasoning on the crust, maybe I think I can incorporate into the bread next time.  First day make the dough and shape. Then next day bake the bread.

If you like sourdough bread, then give it a try you will love it. Once you get a hang of making and baking sourdough you will like it. Artisan bread are easy to make once you get to know it. Why wait, start your own sourdough starter, after 10 days you can start baking delicious bread with it.  Next sourdough bread I am planning to make is with chocolate chip and blueberries. So, stay tuned.

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5 from 12 votes

Dukkah Sourdough bread

Delicious  and simple sourdough bread  made with Egyptian spice blend Dukkah  on the seasoning.
Prep Time5 hours
Cook Time36 minutes
Total Time5 hours 36 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Bread, Dukka Sourdough
Servings: 12
Calories: 221kcal
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • Dukkah
  • ½ cup whole almonds
  • 3 tablespoon sesame seed toasted
  • 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 2 tablespoon pistachios toasted
  • 2 tablespoon cashew nuts toasted
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds toasted
  • ½ tablespoon fennel seeds
  • ½ teaspoon dried mint
  • Pinch of Aleppo pepper flakes
  • Bread
  • 50 g ¼ cup active, fed starter **
  • 380 g 1 ½ cup +2 tablespoon water, preferably filtered
  • 500 g 4 cups plus 2tbsp bread flour
  • 9 g 1 ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ** My starter is 50/50 bread flour + whole wheat 100% hydration

Instructions

  • For the dukkah, place the almonds and rest of ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped. You want the texture not too chunky, yet not too fine. Store in an air-tight container until ready to use.
  • To make the dough: in a large bowl, combine the starter, water and bread flour. Mix everything until the flour is absorbed. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  • Add the salt. Lift and fold the dough over itself several times, and squish with your hands to incorporate. The dough will tear slightly as you fold, and the salt will not fully dissolve. 
  • Stretch & fold: To strengthen your dough, do a series of stretch and folds every 30 minutes for 2 hours during bulk fermentation. Simply gather a portion of the dough, stretch it upwards and then fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl ¼ turn and repeat until you have come full circle. You will have completed 4 folds.
  • Then set aside for 5-6 hours at room temperature until the dough double in volume and feels soft. 
  • Shaping the dough: When your dough has risen nicely shape the dough. Remove the dough from the bowl, and place onto the floured section so that it does not stick. You do not need to 'punch down' the dough; it will gently deflate as you fold and shape it. If you want single loaf set aside as such or cut it into two loaf. 
  • Gather the dough, one side at a time, and fold it into the center. Flip the dough over and place it seam side down. 
  • To coat the dough just sprinkle the dough with water and add all your dukkah to a large bowl. Roll the dough around in the seed mixture until well coated. If there is too much flour on the dough, the dukkah will not stick.
  • Second rise: Place your seeded dough into a banneton. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  • When you are ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to rest for about ½ hour (in the banneton). Preheat your oven to 450F with pizza stone. Carefully invert the dough into a parchment paper.
  • Slashing the dough: Right before your bread goes into the oven, make a shallow slash about 2 inches long in the center of the dough. Use a bread lame, sharp paring or serrated knife.
  • Baking the bread: Place your bread into the oven (lid on) and bake for 35minutes or until deep, golden brown. Check the bread doneness but registering internal temperature 205F
  • If you want crisp crust during the last 10 minutes of baking, crack open the oven door. This allows the moisture to escape, leaving your bread with crisp crust.
  • Cooling: Remove the bread from the oven, and cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing. The longer you wait, the easier it will be to cut. Don't slice into it too soon or else the texture will be gummy. 

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 221kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 295mg | Potassium: 141mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

For  the recipe of sourdough  starter here.

 

Grilled Veggie Burger Pita with Yogurt Tahini Sauce

· 15 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias #MorningStarFarms #MakeRoomOnYourGrill
This content is intended for readers 21+

If you are looking for a weekend cookout or everyday dinner meal solutions, then here’s a lighter version of the pocket sandwich: with new grilled MorningStar® Farms Veggie Lovers Burger served in a pita with a flavorful and yogurt tahini sauce. Make it a great meal with extra dose of veggies like cucumber, tomato, onion, olives etc.  If you wish you can wash it down with your favorite wine or drinks of choice.   Best part of this deal is you can get this new Veggie Lovers burgers at your local Walmart.

Do you know MorningStar Farms® is a perfect, healthier meal solution for any occasion. Whether it’s meatless Monday, a summer barbeque, or kicking off football season, MorningStar Farms® has options that everyone will love, and now with no artificial ingredients, made with non-GMO soy, and vegan options. I used their new Veggie Lovers Burger which is packed with 12 different veggies, 2 seeds & 2 grains, plus 10 grams of Plant Based Protein. There is a Meat Lovers Burger too, A “beef-like” taste and texture that packs 27 grams of positive Plant Based Protein.

The MorningStar Farms Burger Bar. Truck will be driving around to visit Walmart stores around the country, click below to see if they are coming to a Walmart near you!

You don’t need to work hard to make this recipe that is the fun part, just grab Veggie Lovers Burger from the freezer aisle of your local Walmart along with rest of produce and pita bread.  Then fire up your grill and grill Veggie Lovers Burger until you get grill mark on both side.  Only thing you need to make it is the yogurt tahini sauce which is simple too.

With one Veggie Lovers Burger you can make two pita sandwiches. Yes, you need to cut it into two, and fill the pita pocket with veggie lovers burger, lettuce and rest of veggies and olives. You can incorporate your own favorite veggies. This makes great complements to veggie lovers burger and make it wholesome meal.

Summer means firing up the grill and good barbecue, so why wait, you can do that too with this tasty new Veggie Lovers Burger. Enjoying good food in the sun is always fun. Why wait, fire up the grill and make this delicious pita pocket sandwiches.  Please look for this Ibotta offer of  $.40 on  purchase of  MorningStar Farms Frozen veggie burger.MorningStar Farms Frozen Veggie

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5 from 7 votes

Grilled Veggie Burger Pita with Yogurt Tahini Sauce

Here’s a lighter version of the pocket sandwich: with new grilled MorningStar® Farms Veggie Lovers Burger served in a pita with a flavorful and yogurt tahini sauce.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Keyword: Grilled veggie burger pita with yogurt tahini sauce
Servings: 8
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • For Grilled Veggie burger pita
  • 4 grilled MorningStar® Farms Veggie Lovers Burger
  • 4 pitas about 6-inches in diameter, warmed sliced into two
  • Yogurt Sauce recipe follows
  • lettuce
  • 1 large tomato sliced into cubes
  • ¼ onion sliced into cubes
  • ½ cucumber sliced into cubes
  • 3 tablespoon olives slices
  • 3 tablespoon Feta cheese crumbled
  • Yogurt Tahini Sauce:
  • ½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon tahini
  • 2 teaspoons finally chopped mint
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper

Instructions

  • For Yogurt tahini sauce
  • Process everything in a food processor or blender into fine puree and set aside.
  • Grill the grilled MorningStar® Farms Veggie Lovers Burger until you see the grill mark on both sides.
  • Make a veggie mixture by mixing onion, cucumber, tomato, olives and salt and feta cheese.
  • For the sandwich
  • Place half of Grill the Veggie Lovers Burger into each pita, fill with veggie mixture and then top with a dollop of Cucumber Yogurt Sauce and enjoy with your favorite drink.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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Mixed Berry Crumble Cake

· 29 Comments

I have been looking forward to making crumble and crisp cake every summer with fresh berries. But never got a chance to make it. Because all the time I was afraid how long will it take us to finish the cake, my kids won’t even look at it if there is no cake base. So, decided to try this mixed berry crumble cake as it has their favorite berries raspberries and blueberries. The crumble makes it crunchy top.

A dessert that can please everyone at a party is rare, and yet, this fruit-laden crumble cake manages to fit three classic treats into one. There’s a hefty dose of fruit for the fruit dessert fanatics, a buttery oat-pecan topping for the crumble lovers, and a fluffy vanilla cake for the cake-obsessed ones. Bring it all together and the result is something perfect for a summer afternoon snack or to finish a dinner party. Blueberries and raspberries joins hands together very well. If you want, you can serve with vanilla and cinnamon ice cream.

I like it without any add ons, so enjoyed the slice as such. This recipe is adapted from Mixed berry Rhubarb crumble cake. Again, I didn’t want to make the whole cake as not sure how we were going to finish it. I halved the original recipe and I didn’t have rhubarb in my hand so skipped that one. Add an extra egg. The vanilla cake base is perfect treat, we can use it for other recipes too. Both blueberries and raspberries married perfect with oats and pecan toppings making every bite a unique experience.

If you like to enjoy berries with cake and whipped cream, try this. This is simple version of that sans whipped cream. I added raspberries and blueberries, you can add strawberries or blackberries whichever you favorite. There is no hard and fast rule to make this cake. First make cake batter, sprinkle berries and top with crumble topping and bake and enjoy.

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4.95 from 20 votes

Mixed Berry Crumble Cake

A dessert that can please everyone at a party is rare, and yet, this fruit-laden  mixed berry crumble cake manages to fit three classic treats into one.  Three layered cake with vanilla cake at bottom then filled with fresh strawberries and blueberries  then topped with buttery oat-pecan  crumble. 
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time42 minutes
Total Time57 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cake, Mixed Berry crumble cake
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • Crumble Topping:
  • ¾ cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup ½ stick cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • Cake:
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, plus more for dish
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for dish
  • ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ tablespoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries

Instructions

  • First make the crumble topping: Mix oats, flour, brown sugar, pecans, and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter and knead until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  • Then make cake, preheat oven to 350 °F. Lightly butter a 8x8 inch baking dish. Dust with flour and tap out excess. Using an electric mixer, beat butter on medium until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
  • Whisk baking powder, salt, and flour in a bowl. With mixer on low, add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Transfer batter to prepared baking dish.
  • Mix blueberries, raspberries and half of crumble topping in a large bowl; sprinkle mixture over batter. Top with remaining crumble topping.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean, 42 minutes, let cool and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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10 Recipes for Homemade ice creams

· 5 Comments

Kid are enjoying summer holidays, they are at home means they want some thing to munch on. Mainly they like ice cream a lot.  So, I try to make it at home, these are best as I know made with fresh ingredients. Some ice cream recipes are exotic as it is hard to find them in grocery store aisle.  Give it a try your loved ones will thank you.

 

  1. Dulce -de-leche ice cream
  1. Homemade strawberry ice cream

 

  1. Blueberry ice cream
  1. Mango lime no churn ice cream

  1. Jackfruit ice cream  
  2. Strawberry cheesecake ice cream

 

  1. Home made fresh pineapple ice cream

 

  1. Mango ice cream with touch of cardamom

  1. Caramel cashew ice cream

  1. Almond-pistachio-kulfi frozen dessert

 

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10 Recipes for Homemade Dinner Rolls/Buns

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These are THE BEST. Soft, lightly sweet and golden-yellow buns or dinner rolls , which made with butter and egg or some time without it.  Yes, sourdough buns, these simple buns are perfect for burgers, but also fine for any kind of sandwich.

If you are looking for stuffed buns with cheese that one also available. You want whole wheat buns then there is recipe for that also. Choose which ever one is favorite and give it a try. You will love it as these are tried and tested my home kitchen.

There's nothing like a warm batch of homemade buns straight from the oven! These homemade buns recipes that are sure to please the whole family.

  1. Jalapeno Cheddar Whole Wheat Buns 

  1. Levain dinner rolls

 

  1. Sweet potato dinner rolls

  1. Cheese stuffed dinner rolls/Buns

  1. Chocolate Stuffed cardamom buns
  2. Pani popo/samoan coconut buns
  3. Khara buns/savory buns with herbs

  1. Syrian onion bread

9. Sourdough pumpkin rye rolls

 10  Spiced pumpkin dinner rolls

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Mango Lime No Churn Ice Cream

· 15 Comments

I too decided to jump into the wagon of no churn ice cream. Usually I make ice cream with help of my Cuisinart Ice cream maker. This time decide to give it a break and made this Mango Lime No Churn Ice Cream. Mango is a favorite with both mother and daughter’s. My daughter like ice-creams a lot.  So, for her I made this, and she loves homemade ice creams a lot.

My earlier mango ice cream recipe was made only with sugar, milk and heavy cream and mango puree. This is also the first time I am using condensed milk and powdered sugar in ice cream recipe.  Earlier I tried only with granulated sugar. After little bit of research, I came to conclusion that, for no-churn ice cream, a must use ingredient is sweetened condensed milk. Also, I tried this recipe with combo of milk and heavy cream and the second one heavy cream alone. From these two versions both I and my daughter’s favorite is one with only heavy cream, as it has more creaminess. This recipe is adapted from Food network magazine recipe, I needed to skip coconut cream from the original recipe and found that adding ½ cup instead of ⅓ cup of  sweetened condensed milk  leads to richer taste.

I also tried this recipe using both hand held mixer and Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I found Kitchen Aid makes more creaminess. This recipe uses about ¾ cup mango puree and I used about 3 ataulfo mango which is sweeter than rest of the counterpart available in the market.

If you ask me no-churn ice cream still have some ice crystals, where as churned ice cream doesn’t have.  But during the summer and hot sunny days, we need something to cool off, then this no-churn ice cream will come in handy.

 

If you love mango and want a change from your usual recipe, then give this Mango Lime No Churn Ice Cream recipe a try.

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5 from 7 votes

Mango Lime No Churn Ice Cream

Delicious mango and lime no-churn ice cream, great to cool down hot summer days. 
Prep Time5 minutes
4 hours 40 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: ice cream, Mango Lime No churn ice cream, no churn icecream
Author: Swathi ( Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup thawed frozen mango pulp
  • ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
  • Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
  • ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1 ½ cup cold heavy cream

Instructions

  • Whisk the mango pulp, condensed milk, lime zest and juice add confectioners' sugar in a bowl until smooth; set aside.
  • Add 1 cup heavy cream and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Add ½ cup whipped cream into the mango mixture with a rubber spatula until combined, then fold in the remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain.
  • Spoon the mixture into a freezer-safe 9-by-5-inch loaf pan or 2-quart baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm and scoopable, at least 6 hours or overnight. Let soften about 20 minutes at room temperature before scooping.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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Strawberry Rose Agua fresca

· 15 Comments

Delicious strawberry and rose flavored agua fresca made with fresh strawberries, lime juice, rose water and sweetener. Summery drink.Strawberry Rose Agua fresca

Summer bounty fresh sweet strawberries are easily available in the market. My daughter’s loves strawberries and her breakfast are a bowl of strawberries and whipped cream. I love to make desserts with strawberries too.

So, every trip to the market has a pound or two of strawberries in my shopping bag. I thought of making some strawberry lemonade but changed the idea at the last minute and made this strawberry rose agua fresca.

This is festive easy drink you can make with fresh strawberries and mint. Yes, my herb garden has lot of mint, and I decided to make use of that too. I also added rosewater.

In Indian cuisine, rosewater is a must to make an exotic Indian dessert. I used Nectevia sweetener which is diabetic friendly so that my hubby can enjoy it, if you can’t get hold of it use honey or sugar.

Strawberry Rose Agua fresca
You can make puree ahead of the day when you plan to serve and when ready to serve add ice and club soda. For kids you can try with sprite or any other lemon soda.
Aguas frescas is a Spanish word for cool waters and literally means fresh waters. These are light non-alcoholic beverages made from one or more fruits, cereals, flowers, or seeds blended with sugar and water.

They are popular in Mexico and the United States. Some of the more common flavors include tamarind, hibiscus, and horchata.

Not only strawberry is delicious fruit, laboratory studies has also shown that consumption of strawberries may be associated with decreased cardiovascular disease risk and that phytochemicals present in strawberries have anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties.

Strawberries is also one of the favorite fruits of my two kids, my son who only loves banana and strawberries.

Strawberry Rose Agua fresca
When you get fresh strawberries, try to make this strawberry rose agua fresca. Next time when looking for a drink for get-together, then try this one, if you don’t like rose water, then try with orange blossom water.

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5 from 31 votes

Strawberry Rose Agua fresca

Delicious strawberry and rose flavored agua fresca made with fresh strawberries, lime juice, rose water and sweetener. Summery drink.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: strawberry rose agua fresca
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped hulled strawberries
  • 10 mint leaves
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon Nectevia or use your favorite sweetener Increase amount if you want more sweetness
  • ½ cup cold water
  • ½ teaspoon rose water use orange blossom water if you don’t like rose water
  • Club soda
  • Ice cubes

Instructions

  • First process, strawberries, mint leaves and lime juice in a blender into fine puree with ½ cup water.
  • Fill the glass with ice and add ⅔ rd of glass with strawberry -rose-mint puree and then top with club soda and enjoy.

Video

Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

Strawberry Rose Agua fresca

Turkish Ramadan Pide / Ramadan Pidesi

· 26 Comments

Delicious Turkish Ramadan Pide /Ramadan Pidesi  is a soft bread traditionally baked during the month of Ramadan in Turkey. Soft crust bread goes well meat or soup.

Turkish Ramadan Pide / Ramadan Pidesi

Inspiration comes in various ways is it. Yes, I decide to make this bread inspired from a 1-minute video in insider in Facebook. This is month of Ramadan, where people fast whole day and in the evening after the sun set they break the fast. In Turkey they make this delicious soft bread called Turkish Ramadan pide to go with meat and soup. It is traditionally served for the iftar and sahur meals during the holy month of Ramadan.

This is simple bread made with flour, yeast, sugar, milk, oil and water. But uniqueness of this recipe is that the characteristic crisscross pattern is made after egg wash using the fingers without any tool. I tried my best, but my technique still requires some improvement. This bread is best served with spicy curry or meat.

Turkish Ramadan Pide / Ramadan Pidesi

I have tried pide earlier not this Ramadan pidesi, so decide to make this. Ramadan pides kilogram price was announced as 7 pounds 20 cents. In Ankara, 275 grams of pide will be sold at 2 liras read in one of the newspaper.  This Ramadan pidesi is either round or flat in form and having a weave-like patterned crust sprinkled with nigella seeds and sesame seeds.

I also read that people will line up near bakeries before the sunset and buy this warm Ramadan pidesi as it comes of out oven. The sale is also at a brisk pace with lines spilling over the pavement. Turkish bread is baked fresh, daily. It doesn’t have preservatives, so it tends to go soft and chewy after just a few hours.

Turkish Ramadan Pide / Ramadan Pidesi slice

My love of breads inspired me to bake this Turkish bread. Even if you are not fasting, try this bread this just simple recipe. I love to connect with food from various countries even if I can’t make a trip there.

Here comes my version of Turkish Ramadan Pide / Ramadan Pidesi which I got from various recipes as well as from YouTube videos.

You can have this Turkish Ramadan pide  with 

Turkish spoon salad

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5 from 86 votes

Turkish Ramadan Pide / Ramadan Pidesi

Delicious simple soft bread traditionally baked during the month of Ramadan In Turkey. It has soft crust and chewy interior goes well with bowl of soup or meat. 
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Total Time58 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Turkish
Keyword: Turkish Ramadan pide
Servings: 3 pide
Calories: 775kcal
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswthy)

Ingredients

  • 4 ½ cups 585g all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼-ounce packet/7g instant dry yeast
  • 1 ⅓ cups warm water
  • ½ cup warm milk
  • 2 tablespoons/25g olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon/15g sugar
  • 1 teaspoon /5g salt
  • 1 large room-temperature egg yolk
  • ½ cup plain room-temperature yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon nigella seeds

Instructions

  • n a small bowl add 1uke warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar mix well and set aside.
  • In a kitchen aid mixer bowl add yeast-sugar mixture and then milk. To this add oil. Then add flour, salt, rest of sugar and process the dough for about 10 minutes using the dough kneading hook. If you choose to knead by hand, knead the dough in the bowl for 15 minutes Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about five minutes more. The dough should be very soft. If it’s too firm, knead in another tablespoon of olive oil until smooth.
  • Transfer the dough into a greased bowl and set aside for double in a warm place. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rise for about two hours.
  • After two hours, the dough should be about double in size. Remove the cloth and turn it out onto a floured surface. Divide the dough into 3 pieces ( 352g each) with a dough cutter or sharp carving knife.
  • Make them into small round and set aside in a parchment covered baking sheet. Set aside for 10-20 minutes.
  • Then after 20 minutes shape the pidesi loaves into 3 rounds of about ½ inch thick.
  • Make egg wash with egg and yogurt and then spread into the shaped round pides.
  • Then carve, first cut about 1 inch in from the edge to make a circle all the way around the loaf. Then, inside the circle, make diagonal cuts in opposite directions to make a diamond pattern. Do the same with the other loaf.
  • Sprinkle the sesame and nigella seeds evenly over the tops.
  • Bake in a heated oven at 400 F (205 C) oven with a shallow tray of water placed at the bottom for about 30 minutes, or until the top becomes deep, golden brown.
  • Serve the pide hot out of the oven.
  • Bake the pides for 18 minutes, or until lightly golden with a crisp crust around the edges. Transfer them to a wire rack. If you want them to retain their softness, wrap them in aluminum foil or in a dry towel while still warm.

Video

Notes

To keep the pides soft and warm, place a dry towel over them when fresh out of the oven. You can also reheat them before eating; just sprinkle them with water and place in a hot oven (180 C/ 350 F) for a few minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 775kcal | Carbohydrates: 148g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 824mg | Potassium: 340mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 197IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 161mg | Iron: 9mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

Grilled Corn Salad

· 3 Comments

Grilled corn, onion and cherry tomato salad with minimalist dressing and fresh avocado. Great to serve as such or try to scoop with tortilla chips.

 

In Texas, we eagerly wait for the summer to begin, and that is also the start of the grilling season. I rarely grill meat, but love to grill vegetable goodies. I have tried grilled corn as such but never tried to incorporate in a salad. This recipe is simple you need to grill corn, veggies and make a simple dressing and combine everything. It is a great tasting, healthy and filling salad. Try this grilled corn salad next when you fire up the grill.

In India corn is directly grilled on hot charcoal and salt and chili powder is added along with some time lime juice to eat as snack. Since my kids love corn but don’t like it with chili powder, I just grill them and brush with butter and salt.

Grilled Corn Salad with spoon and water

This is spice less corn salad than my earlier recipe. Hubby prefers the other one this. But I like this as I can get the very slightly charred corn, cherry tomato and onion on every bite. You only need a touch of Dijon mustard, hot sauce and   lime juice to bring out the flavors.  These salads are best when you scoop in with some tortilla chips.  You can serve them as a side dish too if you want.

Here is the few  other Corn salad Recipes you may like it 

Corn Chaat 

Fresh Spiced Corn Salad

Masala Corn

Summer is not only best time for fresh corn, but also best for juicy tomatoes. I have added tomato in salad but never tried as grilled form. I think now on I will grill them. Fresh avocado slices give creamy bite to this salad, and requires only 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Also, this one is not drenched in dressing, only minimum amount just to coat everything.

Grilled Corn Salad with cherry tomatoes

If you like corn and want to try it different way try this one. If you are not a spice lover like my hubby try this recipe.  Make this and enjoy your movie night with bag of tortilla chips. That way you don’t need to use any store-bought dip. This is best used the day it is made.

Give it a try and let me know how it turned out for you. You love corn like me isn’t?

Grilled Corn Salad cherry tomatoes

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5 from 6 votes

Grilled Corn Salad

Grilled corn, onion and cherry tomato salad with minimalist dressing and fresh avocado.  Great to serve as such or try to scoop with tortilla chips.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: Corn recipes, Corn salad
Servings: 4
Calories: 193kcal
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 2 ears corn husked and grilled about 1 ½ cups
  • ¼ red onion
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 avocado
  • 2 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon hot sauce
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • Zest of one lime
  • 1 tablespoon chopped basil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • First grill the corn, onion and cherry tomatoes by slightly brushing with olive oil. And set aside
  • Then make dressing with rest of olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, hot sauce, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
  • To this add corn, chopped onion, cherry tomatoes, avocado, basil and cilantro, salt and pepper and coat everything well.
  • Enjoy as such or scoop out using a tortilla chip.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 42mg | Potassium: 470mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 378IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

Cauliflower chickpea burger, Tandoori chicken bites and Chocolate chip muffins for Backyard Blasts

· 11 Comments


This shop has been compensated by Tyson, Unilever, and Ball Park Buns Inc. All opinions are mine alone. #MasterSummerCampaign

Schools are going to close soon, at the end of this month, and that means summer vacation in full force. You don't have to go anywhere to have a blast. At times for easy fun in the sun, you can easily prepare this menu and make your patio a venue for this crowd-pleasing meal. I made cauliflower chickpea burger to go with  Ball Park Tailgaters Crustini buns, Tandoori chicken bites with Tyson Chicken breasts, grilled hotdogs with Ball Park Beef Franks and Chocolate chip muffins with Country Crock original tub, everything you can buy it from your local Sam’s club .

I like to shop at Sam’s club because you can get entire month worth of products at affordable prices and they even provide samples most of time. Also, I can get Tyson, Unilever and Ball Park Buns products there. I bought a few products from each brand.

I love a good veggie burger always, so made this protein rich cauliflower and chickpea burger, when the grills fill up with other goodies, I bake a batch of this burgers. Even-die hard meat burger fan like my hubby love to taste it. This simple recipe is made with cauliflower, chickpeas and spices. It is filling, hearty meal with sweet Ball Park Tailgaters Crustini buns.

Being spice lover, whenever I get good chicken breast pieces I love to make tandoori chicken kaboobs when firing the up grill. For this you need Tyson All Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken breast which you can find in the frozen food section of the Sam’s club.  

Just cut them into pieces and marinate with tandoori spice mix and grill or broil or cook it according to your convenience.

My kids love simple grilled hotdogs with less mustard and extra ketchup as one of  their favorites, so I made that too with Ball Park Beef Franks .

 

Chocolate chip muffins are for my chocolate chips lovers, my daughter and son.  For them any dessert should come with chocolate chips no matter whether it is ice cream or cookies, cake or muffins. So, I made muffins with Country Crock tub which turned out to be one of their favorites. Both asked me “Mamma can you make more muffins”. Even they booked some muffins for Santa. As a mother what else do you want when your little guys are telling you, that you made good food.

When you decide to have a family get together or backyard blasts for this summer, make sure to shop at local Sam’s club and buy Tyson, Ballpark, Country Crock tub and make this delicious meal.  Summer is a time to enjoy the sun with good food and make memories.

What are your favorite summer recipes? Make sure to try these delicious recipes and let me know how it turned out.

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5 from 5 votes

Cauliflower chickpea burger, Tandoori chicken bites and Chocolate chip muffins for Backyard Blasts

Are your ready for backyard blasts with cauliflower chickpea burger, Tandoori chicken bites and chocolate chip muffins. 
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
8 hours
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Dessert, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cauliflower Chickpea burger, Chocolate chip muffins, Tandoori chicken bites
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • For Cauliflower Chickpea burger
  • ½ head cauliflower
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 15 oz 425 g chickpeas, 1 can, drained, rinsed
  • ½ cup small onion finely chopped
  • ½ cup red bell pepper finely chopped
  • ½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro finely chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon curry powder
  • ½ teaspoon coriander powder
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 4 Ball Park Tailgaters Crustini Buns
  • Hellmann’s Mayonnaise and mustard mix made with equal amount of Mayonnaise and mustard
  • 1 to mato sliced
  • Lettuce
  • Sliced red onion
  • Tandoori chicken bites
  • 2 Tyson Chicken breasts thawed and cut into 3 inch pieces
  • For Tandoori marinade
  • 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic
  • 2 tablespoon tandoori masala
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon pepper
  • 1 juice of lemon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon fat free sour cream/Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
  • For grilled hot dogs
  • 4 Ball Park Beef Franks
  • 4 Ball Park Tailgaters Brat Buns
  • Mustard
  • Ketchup
  • Sweet relish
  • For Chocolate chip Muffins
  • 1 cup / 130g all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon /4g baking powder
  • Scant ½ cup /80g granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup/ 52g Country Crock Original
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ¾ cup /132g semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  • For Cauliflower Chickpea burger
  • Preheat oven to 350˚F/180˚C.
  • Place a towel over a large bowl. Using a box grater, grate the head of cauliflower down to the stem over the bowl. Add ½ teaspoon salt to the cauliflower, mix it in, and allow it to sit for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, squeeze out excess water from the cauliflower and return it to the bowl.
  • To this add chickpeas, onion, bell pepper, garlic, cilantro, and spices to the cauliflower. Using a potato masher, mash the ingredients until thoroughly mixed together.
  • Take a heaping ¼ cup mixture and shape it into a patty using your hands. Repeat with the remaining mixture to create four patties.
  • Take the patties and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
  • Place mayonnaise and mustard mix (made with equal amount of mayonnaise and mustard) on both sides of buns, then place lettuce, and cauliflower chickpea patties, then tomato, and sliced onion and again bun.
  • Enjoy!
  • Tandoori chicken bites
  • Cut the chicken, coat with marinade and marinate for about 3 hours or overnight.
  • If grilling, preheat your grill at 400 degrees and cook chicken 6 minutes on each side.
  • If broil place the marinated chicken pieces in baking sheet sprayed with cooking oil and broil high for 6-8 minutes or until internal temperature reads 165 F Serve with yogurt sauce
  • For grilled hot dogs
  • Grill the beef franks until has grill marks, then place it in hot dog buns, topped with mustard, ketchup and sweet relish.
  • For Chocolate chip Muffins
  • Preheat oven to 375 F and line muffin tins with 6 liner and set aside.
  • In a big bowl sift flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
  • Another bowl beat ¼ cup/ 52g Country Crock Original spread and sugar well. To this add egg and beat once again, then add milk and vanilla extract and mix once again.
  • To this add dry ingredients and mix until it just mixes in, make sure not to over mix. Then gradually fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Transfer the dough to prepared muffin tins and bake at 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Enjoy.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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Pampushky/ Ukrainian garlic bread

· 12 Comments

Pampushky/Ukrainian garlic bread a simple and delicious bread goes well bowl of soup. These bread with touch of herbs and garlic and salt crust and soft fluffy interior.

I baked one more bread, this time it is from Ukraine. This is just a simple delicious garlic bread with lots of flavor. I got this recipe from the book Mamushka a cook book by Olia Hercules. When I bake bread from other part of the world and get it right, I get immense satisfaction. After debating whether to bake today or tomorrow I made this Pampushy/Ukrainian garlic bread.

The pampushky are traditionally served with red borscht. In Ukraine, they use new or wet garlic, I couldn’t find it here, so used regular garlic. Also, nowadays I get one additional taste tester for my recipes, yes, my hubby’s co-worker. She is from Ukraine, as usual my hubby shared this bread. She immediately said this is pampushky, my hubby had only mentioned it as an Ukrainian garlic bread. I had kept my faith towards the recipe and did not make any changes. She said it exactly tasted like the way It would tastes when her mother makes it.

This is simple recipe, make a sponge on first day using half of flour, yeast and sugar and keep it in refrigerator. The next day, mix rest of flour and do a single fermentation and bake it on high heat. I am skeptical of baking bun type bread at 425 F for 22 minutes, but that high temperature is required, or you can’t golden beauty at the end.

 

You need fresh parsley and garlic to finish it this bread, but as usual I didn’t have parsley. So, I used cilantro (you can use parsley in it), since I don’t have time to run to store.

Pampushka in Ukrainian means plump women, this pampushky is plump bread and goes well with good soup. We ate it without soup they are great even after one day. I baked it in the evening, had a few and the remaining the next day as breakfast. These are best with touch of herbs and garlic and salt crust and soft fluffy interior. Give it try you will love it, everybody loves good bread isn’t it?

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5 from 43 votes

Pampushky/ Ukrainian garlic bread

Pampushky/ Ukrainian garlic bread, simple and delicious bread goes well  bowl of soup. 
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Ukrainin
Keyword: Ukrainin bread
Servings: 8 Rolls
Calories: 54kcal
Author: Swathi(Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 21/4 teaspoon/7g instant yeast
  • 1 cup +2 tablespoon of warm water
  • 1 teaspoon caster sugar
  • 2 ½ cup/ 390 g of white bread flour
  • 1 ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ tablespoons regular garlic crushed
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil plus extra for oiling
  • Lightly beaten egg to glaze
  • fine sea salt
  • Half a bunch of parsley/ Cilantro finely chopped

Instructions

  • For the bread
    First make a sponge by dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water (make sure it is warm water not hot). Add half of the flour and mix roughly. Cover with clingfilm and leave to proof in the refrigerator overnight.
  • The next morning, add the rest of the flour and 1 ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt to the starter and knead on a well-floured work surface until the dough is smooth and comes away from your hands easily.
  • Divide the dough into 8 pieces of 77g and shape into round buns. Put them side by side in an oiled round ovenproof dish or a 9 ½-inch round cake tin, cover and let them proof room temperature, until doubled in size. They will join just like hot cross buns do.
  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. To make the basting oil, simply stir the crushed garlic and cilantro into the oil with a small pinch of sea salt and let it infuse.
  • When the pampushky look plump and ready, brush them generously with some beaten egg to glaze and bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until they form a glistening golden crust. Take them out and baste them with the garlic oil. Serve immediately

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 54kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 511mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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Iron man popcorn and energy bites: Kids snacks

· 19 Comments

This post has been compensated by #SCJohnson. All opinions are mine alone. #ZiplocSummer

When you have a little hero at home who loves Superheroes and villains you also love getting into it. He is the one who teaches me who is who and even sometimes tells me the stories. He has a good collection of Super Hero toys, and he is also excited about the movie Avengers: Infinity War, as his favorites Iron man and Star Lord are together. To surprise him, I decided to pack his lunch and snack items in Ziploc® brand Sandwich Bags in his lunchbox, which we can get from the local Walmart. See Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War

I don’t know whether I can live without using Ziploc® brand Sandwich Bags. These have become a part of my everyday life, and I use the containers for everything, whether it is my daughter’s favorite slime with glitters, or as hubby’s toiletry bag. The Ziploc® brand Sandwich Bags are very convenient for on the go snacks.  I use them to pack snacks like fruit, vegetables and crackers.

I have Ziploc® brand Sandwich Bags and containers in my refrigerator and freezer, kids room (storing crayons, toys), living room (storing TV remote), car, medicine cabinet, etc. For my baking project, it is for crushing the nuts, storing the cookie dough and piping the frosting. I will tell you a secret, I also use them to maintain my favorite sourdough culture. I like them because it is convenient, air tight and clear.

When I saw the Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War characters printed on Ziploc® brand Sandwich Bags, I couldn’t resist packing some favorite goodies for my kids.

Best part of these containers is that they include at least four designs based on Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War featuring Iron Man, Gamora, Doctor Strange and Thanos. Take a look here: https://ziploc.com/

I made Superhero popcorn which my son likes to call it, as it has yellow and red color in it. It is a simple snack you can make by adding red candy melt to half of popcorn.

My daughter likes to take simple homemade treats for her school lunch. I made these kid-friendly energy bites with oats, honey, flaxseed meal and  almond butter. These are really protein-rich snacks with toasted hemp seeds and almond butter - and not too sweet. I also love these energy bites as my afternoon snack. You can conveniently pack them in a school lunchbox. I like it when they eat some healthy stuff along with their favorite treats.

If you have Marvel Avengers fan in your house then try to buy Ziploc® brand products featuring Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War characters for packing their snacks, lunches or even favorite activities materials which you can get it from your local Walmart. They will be happy and excited when they open their lunch box. #InfinityWar

Are you ready for making iron man pop corn and this energy bites you can make it for movie night or even as travel snack.

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5 from 7 votes

Iron man popcorn and energy bites: Kids snacks

Here are two easy snacks for your kids’ lunch box: Energy Bites and Superhero Popcorn packed fun and flavor. 
Servings: 4
Author: Swathi ( Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • For Superhero Popcorn
  • 1 bag of popcorn use favorite popcorn
  • 1 bag red candy melt
  • Ziploc® brand Sandwich Bags
  • For Energy bites
  • ¾ cup whole rolled oats (not instant) *
  • ¼ cup unsweetened flaked coconut
  • ¼ cup ground flax seed
  • ⅛ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
  • ¼ cup almond butter
  • 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons toasted hemp seeds
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

For Superhero Popcorn

  • In a microwave-safe bowl melt red candy melt according manufacturer’s instructions and mix with half of popcorn to make red color popcorn.
  • Fill Ziploc® brand Sandwich Bags printed with Iron Man, first half with normal butter popcorn and top with red color popcorn.
    Enjoy
  • For Energy bites 
  • In a large bowl add the oats, coconut, flax seed, toasted hemp seeds and salt and mix everything well.
  • Add the almond butter, coconut oil, honey and vanilla extract until well combined
  • Take a small portion of dough (about 2 teaspoons) and roll into a ball. Place the ball on onto a sheet pan lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Repeat until you finish entire batch of dough
  • Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

Notes

*Use gluten-free oats if you want gluten-free energy bites
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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Fresh Spiced Corn Salad

· 14 Comments

Fresh corn and berries are bountiful in Texas during summer. This week when I went to my local grocery store HEB I found fresh corn on sale, 7 corns for a dollar. I usually make my favorite Japanese corn potage, but this time I make this Fresh spiced corn salad.

 

I found a fresh corn salad recipe in Diabetic living magazine which I liked.  I added some extra spices, like turmeric, roasted cumin, chat masala (if you can’t get hold, then use gram masala) and pepper; as the original recipe has only salt and pepper. Also increased spice level with a small Thai chili. You can skip them if you can’t take heat. I also added fresh lime juice. My fresh spiced corn salad turned out instant hit.

Cook the ingredients only for 5 minutes in the pan to remove the rawness of corn, orange bell pepper and onion. This is great salad for parties too, and can be served both cold and warm.

This recipe is entirely different from this masala corn recipe I tried earlier as it doesn’t have bell pepper.  The fresh spiced corn salad has perfect marriage of sweet corn, orange bell pepper with spices and tangy lemon juice. In every bite you can get the taste of sweet, sour and spicy kick.

Next, I am going to make southwestern corn chowder or spicy Mexican corn soup as I have poblano pepper in my hand. If you are looking for a simple and tasty salad to go with any favorite beverage or glass of wine, then this recipe is good for you. Best part is that this salad is not drenched in salad dressing or need any extra add ons. Give it a try and let me know how it turned out.

 

 

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5 from 5 votes

Fresh Spiced Corn Salad

Delicious spiced fresh corn salad made with sweet corn, spices, orange bell pepper and onion.  
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Corn salad
Servings: 2 ¾ cup each
Calories: 104kcal
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 2 medium ears of fresh corn
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • ½ orange bell pepper sliced in thin strips
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon chat masala if you can’t get hold of it try gram masala
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 small thai chili
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • ½ lemon juice

Instructions

  • Cut the corn kernels from the cob and set aside about 1 ¼ cups
  • Heat oil in a skillet or thick bottomed pan, add onion and Thai chili ,corn, bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Then add spices, salt, pepper and lemon juice and finally cilantro leaves.
  • Serve the salad warm or chilled. Enjoy.

Nutrition

Calories: 104kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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Blackberry Sweet Tea Punch

· 17 Comments

“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Milo's Tea Company, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #MakeItWithMilos  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV”

Sipping ice cold drink in your patio or backyard during hot summer day is always bliss. Yes, summer is here and it is the grilling season, and it is time to make memories with good food and drink. To celebrate this summer, I decide to make this refreshing blackberry sweet tea punch using Milo’s tea. What I love about the summer months is the availability of fresh berries and fruits.

We are avid tea drinkers; India has a custom of drinking tea any time of day or night. We don’t restrict tea to just morning and evening.  Now this habit is continued with help of Milo’s sweet tea, you can get it in a gallon container which I buy and store in refrigerator, so that I can drink anytime.  Summer holidays are not complete without Milo’s Tea!  Do you know National Iced Tea Month is June, and the National Iced Tea Day is on June 10th ? Milo’s Tea is fresh brewed, features natural ingredients, and includes no preservatives or added acids.

Milo’s Tea is the beverage for summer meal entertaining and get-togethers. Milo’s Tea is available as sweetened with pure cane sugar, no calorie and there is also an unsweet version. It is interesting to know Milo’s Tea Company is a third-generation family owned, certified woman owned business located in Bessemer, AL.  Milo’s was founded as a restaurant in 1946 by Milo and Bea Carlton when Milo returned after serving his country in World War II.  Milo’s philosophy was simple – use high quality, fresh, natural ingredients, listen to your customers and never sacrifice taste.  Milo and Bea’s vision still guides the company today as Milo’s continues to source only natural ingredients, fresh brew all their teas and never use colors, acids, additives or preservatives.  Read the simple ingredient list on their juices and teas, and you will see the difference.

Coming to this Blackberry sweet tea punch you need to buy Milo’s tea. I used No calorie sweet tea for the recipe. I found Milo’s tea Tea at my local Walmart in the refrigerated juice section but they are available with lots of retailers. Find a store near you by using the store locator. You can make this sweet, plum-hued beverage using fresh or frozen blackberries.

Once you have Milo’s tea and fresh blackberries then making drink is just easy. First make puree of blackberries then mix in Milo’s No calorie tea and then give some extra zing to your punch add ginger ale. And enjoy with lot of ice, refreshing drink makes your summer get together extra ordinary. Are you excited to check out recipe, then here it is?

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5 from 8 votes

Blackberry Sweet Tea Punch

Refreshing delicious, sweet, plum-hued beverage using fresh or frozen blackberries made with fresh blackberries, Milo's Tea and ginger ale. Greats summer  drink to  sip during hot sunny day. 
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: sweet iced tea punch, blackberries
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 6 oz/170g blackberries I used fresh
  • 1 ½ cup Milo’s Tea I used No-calorie sweet tea
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 8-10 mint leaves
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 7.5 oz Ginger Ale
  • Ice cubes
  • 3-5 blackberries
  • 2 sprig mints

Instructions

  • In a bowl add blackberries, baking soda, mint leaves, sugar and mash well with masher/ muddler or put it in blender.
  • Once it is pureed well strain the seeds and set aside.
  • In two cups /mason jar add ¼ cup blackberry-mint puree and ice. Then add ¾ cup Milo’s tea and finally finish it off with ginger ale. Garnish with extra blackberries and mint sprig.
  • Refreshing Blackberry sweet tea punch is ready for sipping.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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Mango Pancakes

· 19 Comments

Delicious filling mango pancakes with fresh mango puree, mango pieces super fruit seed blend and coconut oil . You can have it for breakfast or brunch.


Mother’s Day is almost here and I can’t believe another year has gone by. Mango is not only my favorite fruit, but it was also my mom’s too. One good thing here in US is that I can get mangoes year around, while in India, it is only during the summer months.

After lot of nerve racking thinking I decide to make this mango pancakes as it is good filling meal for a brunch. Yes, I made it with Barlean’s coconut oil and Super fruit seed blend.

Little about Mango pancakes

After all a brunch needs to be extra special and if you are making it for mom. When I searched whether mango pancakes existed earlier, I found that yes, it is.

In Australia, there is soft pillowy mango pancake dessert, found commonly at Yum Cha restaurants, Asian bakeries and dessert shops.

This delicious dessert is made from cold, fresh mango chunks topped with fluffy whipped cream and then wrapped in a mango flavored crepe. I decide to try American version as my kids love that when comes to pancakes.

I made it filling hearty pancakes with mix of flour and whole wheat flour, Barlean’s culinary coconut oil and super fruit seed blend and of course star ingredient mango puree and mango pieces. Extra mango pieces were added for topping.


When it comes to cooking I like to use coconut oil for my traditional south Indian recipes. We use coconut in all form, whether it is coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut water or coconut as such. I am happy to find Barlean’s culinary coconut oil not only I can use it in my curries also substitute them in my bakes. This culinary coconut oil has no strong smell and taste of coconut.
I have earlier tried Barlean’s butter flavored coconut oil in my kid’s favorite chocolate chips cookies.
If you want extra boost to your smoothie, waffles or pancake add this Barlean’s Superfruit seed blend it has ground flaxseed with bits of shredded coconut and little powdered berries.
You can get Barlean’s culinary coconut oil and Superfruit seed blend from Whole food market or Amazon.

Print Recipe
4.89 from 17 votes

Mango Panackes

Delicious filling mango pancakes with extra boost of coconut oil and Super fruit seed blend.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: #mangorecipes, #pancakes
Servings: 12 pancakes
Calories: 61kcal
Author: Swathi (Ambujom)

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoon water
  • ¼ cup mango puree I used homemade
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoon Barlean’s Culinary coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoon Barlean’s superfruit seed blend
  • ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 All-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoons brown sugar Increase if you want sweeter pancake
  • ¾ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cups of chopped mango pieces
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • In a bowl, mix together the milk, mango puree, egg, oil , brown sugar and vinegar.
  • In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
  • Stir into the mango mixture just enough to combine. Finally fold in ½ cup mango pieces
  • Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately ¼ cup for each pancake. C
  • ook the pancakes on 1 side until they are set. When small bubbles appear on the uncooked surface, flip the pancakes and cook until golden on both sides, about 8 minutes.
  • Transfer pancakes to a warming plate in the oven while you make the rest. Serve hot with rest of mango pieces and your favorite syrup.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 61kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 108mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 111IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

Cleaning Windows Like A Pro: Secret Revealed

· 20 Comments

This post has been compensated by @SCJohnson. All opinions are mine alone. #WindexSparkle

House cleaning is a tedious job especially when you are the mom, host, cleaner, dishwasher and clothes washer. This product is great so when you have a house wherein the kitchen and family room share a long wall with eight full-length windows and a glass door, it is easy to clean. I loved it when we built our house because the windows bring a lot of sunshine into the house, but I never thought of all the dust and dirt that’s going to stick to the windows. Finally, I found a solution for that problem, the Windex® Foaming Glass Cleaner makes my glass and mirrors shine. I can get this cleaner from the local Walmart.

Before I had kids, I used to clean everything meticulously, even spot free. Now with two kids and their constant demands on my time, my spot free cleaning is not occurring the way I want it to be. Up till now my love-hate saga towards the windows continues, when they are clean I love looking through them to our beautiful front and backyard. But, I hate the windows when they are dirty. If you assume that I clean the windows on a regular basis then you are wrong. I clean them only when they are dirty and dusty and prevents a clean view. Now that I have found a solution with Windex® Foaming Glass Cleaner, my window cleaning can be done in less time. It is one of the best aerosol glass cleaner and gives unbeatable streak-free shine*!

Before this, I was using glass cleaner, vinegar etc. to clean. Nothing I did completely cleaned the windows or the glass. What I like about Windex® Foaming Glass Cleaner is that it stays and sticks to the surface when you spray it and doesn’t drip everywhere. So, you don’t even need to run to catch the dripping behind like your kids. Even though we moms are better runners, catching is not fun always.

I tried Windex® Foaming Glass Cleaner on all of the glass surfaces in my home; from the study room French glass doors, bathroom mirrors, shower doors, windows, and even my glass coffee table. My glass coffee table always sits with a sad face requesting “why don’t you clean me” as my hubby and kids love to drink their coffee and milk there.

I found it hard to believe that after cleaning with the Windex® Foaming Glass Cleaner that there would be no visible residue in the windows and mirrors, but I was surprised and thrilled to find perfectly cleaned shining windows for the first time.

I have tried Windex® Foaming Glass Cleaner to clean glass, mirrors and the kitchen sink. You can also clean stainless steel & chrome, sealed granite counter tops I will do it in future.

Have you started your spring cleaning, if not give this Windex® Foaming Glass Cleaner a chance and you will be surprised to see the wonderful result. After all, having clean windows and doors enhances the beauty of the house, and everybody’s pride.

(*Based on lab testing against leading competitor aerosol glass cleaner per AC Nielsen 52 weeks ended 1/28/17.)

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Jackfruit milk Shake

· 10 Comments

Here is the delicious jackfruit milk shake made with fresh jackfruit,  milk and nectevia, you can use your favorite sweetener.

When you buy a $20 jackfruit what you will do? You want to save every bit of it and enjoy. I did that too. I made Jackfruit muffins, Jackfruit pudding, and a jackfruit milk shake. I didn’t used any ice cream in it as jackfruit and milk are itself creamy and delicious.

In my hometown Trivandrum, during the summer months we used to drink different types of fruit drinks to cool down from the heat. Royal milk shake, Sharjah shake, jackfruit milk shake, pineapple milk shake are some of them.  I miss Nongu/Ice apple drink which my dad used to buy for us during its season. When I visit India, I would like to try and let my kids experience the tastes. These drinks have lot of nostalgic memories attached to it. Normally these recipes don’t contain any ice cream.  They freeze the milk and use it in the recipe. I didn’t do that in my jackfruit milk shake.

Jackfruit is largest tree-borne fruit native to south and southeast Asia, but is also cultivated in Central and South America, as well as Hawaii, California and Florida. If you can get hold of it, please try it even though cleaning them is little work but worth all the effort. Here is link how to clean the whole jackfruits.

I used chilled milk and some ice cubes and jackfruit along with Nectiva to make this drink. Nectiva was used to sweeten up a little, you can increase the amount if you want sweet drink.  I only made two servings.

My hubby who was skeptical about this drink also gave warning that don’t spoil this expensive fruit. I told him don’t worry it will taste good. He agreed with after the first sip.

Look for HEB or Asian store to buy fresh jackfruit. You can try it with canned Jackfruit too, but do not use any additional sugar. Here is the recipe let know how it turned out for you.

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4.73 from 11 votes

Jackfruit milk shake

Here is the delicious jackfruit milk shake made with fresh jackfruit, milk and nectevia, you can use your favorite sweetener. 
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: Jackfruit mik shake, Jackfruit recipes
Servings: 2
Calories: 773kcal
Author: Swathi ( Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 10 jackfruit pieces Fresh/canned
  • ¾ cup milk Use diary free milk for vegan
  • 1 teaspoon Nectevia |Stevia Infused Agave Nectar/ your favorite sweetener
  • Ice

Instructions

  • Process everything in a blender to smooth consistency and enjoy

Nutrition

Calories: 773kcal | Carbohydrates: 180g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 54mg | Potassium: 3503mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 149g | Vitamin A: 979IU | Vitamin C: 103mg | Calcium: 285mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

Jackfruit Coconut Muffins

· 19 Comments

Delicious Jackfruit coconut muffins made with tropical wonder fresh jackfruits and nutty coconut . Goes well with a cup of tea or coffee.

I am suffering from throat pain and that made me lazy girl, and therefore yes, I am yet to write a blog post. I had bought a big jackfruit from Hong Kong Market a few days ago with the intention of making few recipes. My hubby started asking me yesterday if I was going to use jackfruit in any of my recipes.  He knows my love for jackfruit, and I decided to make Jackfruit coconut muffins.

Whole jackfruit

 

Cleaned fruit

Jackfruit coconut muffins, turned out a great tasting muffin, it has subtle sweetness of jackfruit with the nuttiness of the coconut. The taste of the toasted coconut on the top and the lingering after taste makes it very hard to stop with just one. I only made 6 muffins as it is was an experiment. Now I regret I should made  a dozen, so feel free to double it. If you are sweet muffin person, try to increase the sugar by ¼ cup sugar, or you can simply garnish with turbinado sugar. It really tastes wonderful with a cup of morning coffee.

 

If you don’t know jackfruit, it is one of heaviest fruits of world and produce sweetest fruit. Ripe jackfruit has more custardy taste combo of mango and pineapple. In Kerala (my home state), most houses would have a jackfruit tree in the yard.  We like to eat jackfruit in all from forms whether it is raw or ripe. Young green fruits are used to make curry. I have seen vegans using the young green jackfruits as pulled pork counterpart. It is meaty and starchy too.

Since I made almost everything jackfruit, from traditional puddings, desserts, curries, cookies and ice cream. I decide to make the one which I have not tried earlier; this recipe is inspired from my own mango muffin with some changes. I added coconut, as when we make traditional sweet recipes with jackfruit and add coconut or coconut milk.  I didn’t incorporate pureed jackfruit into the recipe but added it as whole pieces.

You can find jackfruit in  HEB stores, Asian stores, buy whole ones and cut and make preserve or eat as such or make these delicious recipes with it. Or you can try canned ones, in that case use only jackfruit piece not the syrup.

Let me know your feedback. Here is the recipe for you.

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4.98 from 37 votes

Jackfruit Coconut Muffins

Delicious Jackfruit coconut muffins made with  tropical  wonder fresh  jackfruit and nutty coconut . Goes well with a cup of tea or coffee. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: #Muffinrecipes, jackfruit coconut muffins, Jackfruit recipes
Servings: 6 pieces
Calories: 417kcal
Author: Swathi ( Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup 125g all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup 53g granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoon 28g brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup 60g butter (unsalted melted)
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup desiccated coconut + 2 tablespoon for topping
  • 1 cup chopped jackfruits

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375F and line muffin tin with 6 liners.
  • In a bowl sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
  • To this add granulated sugar, brown sugar and coconut and mix well and set aside. 
  • In the bowl whisk egg, sour cream, vanilla extract and mix at low speed.
  • Drizzle melted butter into the mixture while mixer is running low speed until everything combined well
  • Add dry ingredients and mix at low speed until it just combined, do not over mix even if there are little dry bits is there that is fine.
  • Remove bowl from stand mixer and just fold in the ¾ of Jackfruit pieces using rubber spatula.
  • Fill each muffin mold with ⅔ full batter. Then top with rest of the Jackfruit and sprinkle coconut you set aside for garnishing
  • Bake for about 15 minutes and then rotate the pan and continue to bake until tooth pick comes out clean about 7 minutes or more.
  • Enjoy with cup of tea or coffee. 

Video

Notes

I used fresh jackfruit, if you can find them in Asian stores, if not use canned ones drain the syrup use only flesh. 

Nutrition

Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 383mg | Potassium: 369mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 727IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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Pazham pradhaman/ പഴ പ്രഥമൻ /Plantain sweet pudding

· 9 Comments

I made this dish for our festival Vishu, which we celebrated last Sunday. This is one of traditional sweet pudding. Now I am almost out of traditional recipes of sweet pudding which we make it in Kerala, South India.  Yes with 8 years of blogging and posting two pudding each year let with only two varieties after this Pazham pradhaman/ Plantain sweet pudding.

We use plantains in all forms.  When it is green we make them into chips, they are better than potato chips. When it is ripe we turn them into dessert. I also  made Rellenitos de platano /Plantains stuffed with black beans,. Plantain cashew bread,  Thai Style Banana fritters/ Kluay Kaek  Roti Gulay/Thai Banana Roti/ Thai banana pancake and Baked Sweet Plantains/ Al horno Maduros.

For this pradhaman, you need follow a few steps, first cook ripe plantains, then remove the skin and veins along with seeds and cook again with jaggery (Indian raw sugar) which is milder version of molasses and coconut milk. And in the end, it is spiced with cardamom.  If you like molasses, then you will love it. My daughter who is not that fan of jaggery pudding loved it and asked me to make it more.

Just like pineapple, ripe plantain develops a little tang when it is cooked. I have seen several recipes of Pazham pradhaman/ Plantain sweet pudding. Some says 1:1 ratio of plantain and jaggery. For me that sounds too much sugar, so used 1: ½ ratio, it was perfect.

I think our love for plantain starts from a very young age, yes dried green plantain puree is one of the first food given to infants. Plantains are rich in fiber. At the local grocery store they have plantains, so after every grocery shop visit, I come home with both green and ripe plantains in my bag. You can understand my love for this fruit.

If you looking for a change to dessert recipe then give this on a try, I am  sure you will enjoy it.

 

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5 from 10 votes

Pazham pradhaman/ Plantain sweet pudding

Delicious  plantain sweet pudding made with ripe plantains, coconut milk, jaggery and cardamom. One of the traditional recipe from state of Kerala.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time36 minutes
Total Time1 hour 1 minute
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 801 g of ripe plantain about 4 big one
  • 250 g jaggery
  • ¾ cup canned coconut milk
  • ¼ cup sabudana /tapioca pearls
  • ¼ cup coconut pieces
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ghee
  • 5 crushed cardamom
  • 2 ½ cup water + extra for cooking sabudana/ tapioca pearls and plantain

Instructions

  • Cut plantains into 3-inch cubes and boil for about 10 minutes and set aside.
  • Once the plantains are cool enough to touch remove the central vein with black spots and puree it into thick paste.
  • In another small bowl add sabudana / Tapioca pearls and add water to cover it and cook. Change water 3 -4 times and continue to boil until it become translucent.
  • Melt jaggery in a small pot with ¼ cup water.
  • In a heavy bottom pan, add plantain puree and strained jaggery water and mix well. When it starts thickens add 1 teaspoon of ghee and mix once again.
  • To this add 3rd coconut milk (if using canned coconut milk, add ¼ cup coconut milk+ 11/2 cup water to make 3rd coconut milk) and continue to cook until everything thickens bit.
  • Then add 2nd coconut milk (Add ¼ coconut milk + ¾ cup water) and sabudana/ Tapioca pearls. When it again thickens add first coconut milk (¼ cup coconut milk) and cardamom and switch of flame.
  • In a small skillet heat 1 tablespoon ghee and add ¼ cup coconut pieces and fry them until it is golden brown in color.
  • Then remove from the fire and add it to prepared pazham pradhaman.
    Enjoy 
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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Chipotle Mango Michelada

· 6 Comments

Delicious  Chipotle Mango Michelada a Mexican beer based cocktail with clamato, fresh mango juice and chipotle sauce. This sweet and spicy drink is perfect for Cinco de Mayo celebration.

If you are looking for  delicious and easy beer cocktail then try this  delicious Chipotle Mango Michelada with  few ingredients, fresh mango, tomato cocktail, fresh lime juice with touch of chipotle pepper sauce adds both spiciness and  sweetness to the drink. 

What is Cinco de Mayo Festival? 

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in the United States on May 5th, and is a blend of American culture with Mexican-American traditions. It is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War.

I got chance to know about Cinco de Mayo and started celebrating it a few years ago. I try to make some tasty Mexican dishes every year, and this year I'm making Chipotle Mango Michelada using Clamato® Tomato Cocktail from Walmart.

 

Walmart's Grocery Pickup service? It is just awesome. Just order online on the Grocery Pickup website or using the App. I ordered around 9 in the morning, and set the pickup time from 4 - 5 PM. They will send you Email and message when they are ready. When you are ready, indicate that you are on your way to Walmart, and when you go reach the Grocery Pickup area, an associate will be there waiting for you in the Grocery Pickup area with a full Grocery cart!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Other beer recipes are 

Shiner bock beer bread 

Shiner bock  and cheddar  soup 

Print Recipe
5 from 32 votes

Spicy Chiptole Mango Michelada

Delicious Spicy Chiptole Mango Michelada beer based cocktail with clamato, fresh mango juice and chiptole sauce.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Beer cocktail recipes, Spicy Chiptole Mango Michelada
Servings: 4
Calories: 137kcal
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • Chipotle Mango Michelada
  • 2 oz fresh mango juice
  • 6 oz Clamato® Tomato Cocktail
  • 1 oz fresh lime juice
  • ½ teaspoon Chipotle sauce*
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 cold light beer
  • Ice
  • Tajin/ chili-salt for rim
  • Mango slice
  • Lime wedge
  • * by grinding one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce with 3 tablespoon water
  • Breakfast Tacos
  • 6 small flour tacos I used small tacos
  • 3 eggs for making scrambled eggs
  • ½ cup chopped lettuce
  • ½ cup cooked black beans
  • 2 tablespoon cotija cheese
  • ½ cup pepper jack cheese
  • 1 tablespoon freshly minced cilantro
  • ½ cup pico de gallo you can use store-bought or homemade
  • Fresh lime slices
  • First make scrambled eggs and set aside.

Instructions

  • n a small shallow bowl add Tajin/ chili-salt mixture. Rub beer glass or any other tall glass with lime then dip glass into the dish to create a chili-salt rim.
  • Fill glass with ice, add mango juice, chipotle sauce, lime juice, Clamato® Tomato Cocktail, cold beer and garnish with slice of mango and lemon wedge.
  • Enjoy with breakfast tacos
  • Warm the tacos, then fill with scrambled eggs, lettuce, black beans, pico de gallo. cotija cheese, then pepper jack cheese and finally garnish with minced cilantro.
  • Enjoy with Chipotle Mango Michelada

Notes

Chipotle Mango Michelada : 1 servings
Breakfast Tacos:3 servings

Nutrition

Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 387mg | Potassium: 232mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 697IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 165mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. This content is intended for readers who are 21 and over. #ClamatoLovesCinco

No bake chocolate caramel cheesecake mousse

· 11 Comments

Delicious No bake chocolate caramel cheesecake mousse with Raspberry sauce  easy  summertime treat 

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DelightfulMoments #SplashOfDelight #CollectiveBias

<img src="No bake chocolate caramel cheesecake mouse with raspberry sauce .jpg" alt="No bake chocolate caramel cheesecake mouse with raspberry sauce in plates">

I love Spring and summer months as I get to enjoy the outdoors. Right now, with the temperature in the 70’s, it is the time of berries, which I love to use in it my desserts. My days always start with a cup of coffee, and I love to add different flavors of International Delight® creamers to make my cup of coffee to perfection. You can get International Delight® creamers at your local Walmart.  I made this No bake chocolate caramel cheesecake mouse with raspberry sauce using International Delight® HERSHEY’S® Chocolate Caramel.

<img src="No bake chocolate caramel cheesecake mouse with raspberry sauce .jpg" alt="No bake chocolate caramel cheesecake mouse with raspberry sauce in plates">

I like to use International Delight® creamers in my recipes as an ingredient. As I had made cookies, Popsicle with it, I wanted to try to make no bake chocolate caramel cheese mousse with raspberry sauce with International Delight® HERSHEY’S® Chocolate Caramel.  My hubby loves cheesecakes, and he like this Cheesecake mousse too now.

<img src="No bake chocolate caramel cheesecake mouse with raspberry sauce .jpg" alt="No bake chocolate caramel cheesecake mouse with raspberry sauce in plates">

 

Do you know, three new flavors of International Delight® creamers are now available, one is International Delight® HERSHEY’S® Chocolate Caramel, International Delight® REESE’S® Peanut Butter Cup and International Delight® Almond JoyTM, and all comes in 32 oz size.  I bought International Delight® HERSHEY’S® Chocolate Caramel and also International Delight® Almond JoyTM as I like both chocolate caramel and Almond joyTM a lot. You can get your favorite candy in coffee. Check the in-store display that includes a tearpad with a recipe and $0.50 coupon valid in April.

 

You can grab all the ingredients for this recipe from your local Walmart. I know cheesecake with raspberry sauce is summer time classic combo, hence I incorporated that concept in the no bake chocolate caramel cheese cake mousse. Also, I made it in a small jar, which not only looks good, but also is of individual serving size.

You only need to make raspberry sauce and mousse. Rest is just assembly, you can assemble this no bake chocolate caramel cheesecake mousse with raspberry sauce when you are ready to serve. The International Delight® HERSHEY’S® Chocolate Caramel creamer goes well with cream cheese, cocoa powder and cream to make perfect mousse.  If you like thicker version of mousse add gelatin. Once you make the mousse, refrigerate it. Then assemble and serve when you are ready. Chocolate caramel creamer flavor perfectly matches with the tangy cream cheese and raspberry sauce. I served with fresh raspberries.

<img src="No bake chocolate caramel cheesecake mouse with raspberry sauce .jpg" alt="No bake chocolate caramel cheesecake mouse with raspberry sauce in plates">

 

Thus, you can incorporate International Delight® Creamers to not only add to your morning coffee, and to make delicious summer times favorite desserts.

Are you ready to make this no bake chocolate caramel cheesecake mousse with raspberry sauce, then grab International Delight® HERSHEY’S® Chocolate Caramel creamer and enjoy with your favorite summer time activities.Visit this Pinterest page to find recipe inspiration for delicious, seasonal treats.

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5 from 8 votes

No bake chocolate caramel cheesecake mousse with Raspberry sauce

Delicious No bake chocolate caramel cheesecake mousse with Raspberry sauce  made with cream cheese, International Delight® HERSHEY’S® Chocolate Caramel., cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Perfect summer time treat,
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
2 hours
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • Raspberry Sauce
  • 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
  • ⅓ cup cold water
  • ½ teaspoon lime or lemon juice
  • 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen raspberries
  • Cheesecake Mousse
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • ½ cup International Delight® HERSHEY’S® Chocolate Caramel.
  • ⅓ cup powdered sugar
  • ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon coca powder
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Base
  • ¾ cup crushed graham crackers
  • 1 ½ tablespoon packed light-brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoon butter melted

Instructions

  • For the raspberry sauce:
    In a small saucepan, add granulated sugar and cornstarch, cold water, lime juice and mix well and then add raspberries. Cook over medium heat whisking frequently, until mixture reaches a boil. Stir in between and until raspberry get cooked and sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and force sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl or airtight container. Cover and refrigerate.
  • For the cheesecake mousse:
    In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on high speed, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Then add powdered sugar whip until stiff peaks and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, using electric hand mixer set on medium-high speed, whip cream cheese until very smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. To this add International Delight® HERSHEY’S® Chocolate Caramel creamer and then mix in cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Fold in the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture until combine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 8 hours. 
  • Base: 
    In a small mixing bowl, whisk together crushed graham crackers and melted butter and light-brown sugar. Using a fork or clean fingertips, blend in everything. Cover bowl and refrigerate until ready to assemble.
  • To assemble:
    First layer the base and then add ¼ cup chocolate caramel cheesecake mousse. Then layer of raspberry sauce and then chocolate caramel cheesecake mousse. Topped with fresh raspberries and mint
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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For more coffee creamer recipes

Pumpkin pie spice latte

 

Dirty Apple Cocktail

· 5 Comments

Delicious Dirty apple cocktail, 3 ingredients Coffee flavored cocktail made with Kahlua coffee liqueur, apple juice, cream. Served with ice. Coffee lovers dream.

If you like coffee, then you will like this cocktail. Even though its name is dirty apple cocktail, nothing dirty here. Only Kahlua (coffee liqueur), apple juice and cream. If you like cold coffees, then this nice change for you.

I bought Kahlua to make tiramisu or to bake some cake, cheesecake or make ice cream with it. It has been in Drinks cabinet for a while. Finally, I decide to make cocktail with it, as it is Friday today. I am die hard coffee fan. My days starts with coffee and ends with it if possible. Earlier I used to drink more black coffee in between. Now it has been reduced only two one in the morning and one in the evening.

Normally many people sip Kahlua by itself over ice after dinner, it is the star ingredient in several popular mixed drinks. You can create a variety of cocktails using this delicious liqueur. I was looking for 3 ingredient cocktails with Kahlua thus made this one.

Do you know Kahlua is a dark liquid without the creaminess of Baileys? They both taste of coffee, but Kahlua is much stronger. I didn’t add any vodka, or Tequila along with Kahlua while making this cocktail. Just coffee liqueur, cream and apple juice. I was skeptical about mixing coffee flavor with apple juice. Trust the coffee flavor is strongest here, so I can feel only just hint of sweetness from the apple juice.

You don’t want extra booze just a simple drink after dinner or lunch go and make this one. You will love just to like us. Give it try after it is coffee and cream.

 

Let me know you loved your Dirty apple cocktail. What your favorite cocktail with Kahlua?  I will be making few of the classic cocktail with it.

 

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5 from 5 votes

Dirty Apple Cocktail

Delicious 3 ingredients Coffee flavored cocktail made with kahula coffee liqueur, apple juice, cream. Served with ice. Coffee lovers dream. 
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Dirty Apple Cocktail,, Kahulacocktails
Servings: 1
Calories: 276kcal
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur
  • 2 ½ oz apple juice
  • 1 oz cream

Instructions

  • Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake well Strain into a highball glass filled with ice cubes and serve.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 417IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

വിഷു സദ്യ വിഭവങ്ങൾ/ Vishu Sadhya Recipes

· 3 Comments

കണിക്കൊന്നയും  കണിവെള്ളരിയും

പൊൻപണവും  കണി കൊണ്ടു  ഉണരാൻ

ഒരു  വിഷു  കൂടി വരവായി

വിഷുആശംസകൾ

 

Wishing all my Readers and friends a Happy Vishu

 

Another Vishu is coming and knocking at my door. Vishu is a harvest festival of Kerala, South India my home state. It falls on April 15th which is Medam according to Malayalam calendar 1st. Vishu is celebrated with a Kanikannal ritual which is done at 3. AM in the morning before the sunrise. Vishukkani is a beautiful arrangement of kanikonna and other flowers, fruits, vegetables, rice, pulses, coconut, betel leaves, areca nuts, gold jewelry, gold and silver coins, kasavu, mirror, bell metal lamps and vaalkannadi, all arranged in a bell metal vessel called uruli in front of the idol of Srikrishna. This symbolizes hope and promise and is followed by a sumptuous lunch with various dishes and delicacies, mostly made of seasonal fruits and vegetables especially mango and jackfruit. Then there is a tradition that the oldest member of the family would give kaineettam to all those younger to him. I still remember getting Kaineetam from my dad.

 

Even though Vishu is celebrated throughout Kerala, Northern part of Kerala has more prominent celebration. They prepare lot of traditional dishes unique to that area. After a scrumptious Sadhya a feast there will be Fireworks in the night. However Southern part of Kerala only has kaineetan and kanikannal and a sadhya no fireworks. Every dish prepared in the feast will feature stars like mango and jackfruit. The sadhya has jackfruit chips, jackfruit pudding, jackfruit curries, mango curries, mango pudding, etc.

 

Here is the list of unique vishu recipes.

Vishu breakfast recipes include

Vishukatta,

 

Vishu kanji, savory version

 

Vishu kanji sweet version

1234

 

For the evening snack, there will be kaniyappam/Deep fried rice pancake , Vishu ada. Next in my list is to try Vishu ada.

Traditional curries made during vishu Sadhya recies.

Mampazha kalan

Chakkakuru/Manga curry

 

Mampazha pulissery

Idichakka Thoran/ Tender Jackfruit Stir Fry With Coconut

Pazhamanga perukku/ Mango ripe chutney 

Following 12 varieties of payasam / pradhaman  please check the link for recipes.

  1. Chakka pradhaman with chakka varatti/ Jackfruit pudding with Jackfruit preserve
  2. Chakka payasam/Jackfruit pudding with fresh jackfruit
  3. Ada pradhaman
  4. Palada pradhaman
  5. Semiya payasam
  6. Kadalaparippu pradhhaman
  7. Aval pradhaman
  8. Rava payasam
  9. Black rice paysam
  10. Pal payasam
  11. Pazham payasam / Aranamulla Vella sadhya special
  12. Ariyum parippum payasam

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Rye and Wheat Sourdough Bread

· 10 Comments

Delicious rye and wheat sourdough bread goes with bowl of soup or slather with some butter or olive oil.

It has been a while since I baked sourdough bread. And it is because my 4-year-old sourdough starter died suddenly. I ended up growing the sourdough starter from scratch. Then it didn’t work as I thought first time. The second time I did get an active sourdough starter. This is the first bread I made with it. I wanted to know my new starters’ ability.

Sourdough bread are my weakness, hubby was asking me the other day why you are not baking rye bread. Rye is one of favorite grain I like to use it in Sourdough bread. This bread is made with modified recipe form Flourish. When it comes to sourdough bread I like to use only sourdough not with instant yeast. I like instant yeast to make rich egg and butter bread.

You want to experience the magic of bread making then try sourdough, it only needs flour, water and salt. Nothing else and it makes a delicious bread without any added fat. After all wild yeasts creates wonders. Make sure you feed an active starter, then make levain, and finally make bread dough. Do the first proofing then for second proofing you can do it in refrigerator overnight. Bake the bread next day.

Once you have made the bread, cut the slice and dip them in olive oil or spice or even just brush with butter and enjoy. This bread has a nice tang. I used rye flour along with white flour and whole wheat flour, you can go ahead your favorite flour. If you want it entirely in whole wheat skip the white flour.

Since I got back my starter I am going to make more Sourdough bread. These breads are not only delicious but also good for you. I am working on my scoring part, still struggling and learning.

Why wait start making sourdough bread if you love a simple and tasty rye and wheat sourdough bread.

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4.89 from 9 votes

Rye and Wheat Bread

Delicious rye and wheat sourdough bread goes with  bowl of soup or slather with some butter or olive oil. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
16 hours
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 loaf
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • Levain
  • 50 g Sourdough starter
  • 200 g cool water
  • 200 g white flour
  • 50 g Whole wheat flour/Atta
  • Dough
  • 310 g lukewarm water
  • 270 g all-purpose flour
  • 87.5 g rye flour
  • 42.5 g whole wheat flour
  • 10 g sea salt fine grind
  • 180 g levain

Instructions

  •  On the day before baking mix all the ingredients in the levain and set is aside for 8 hours at room temperature.
  • In big bowl, mix the all the ingredients for the dough including leaven except salt and mix everything well and leave it for 30 minutes.
  • After 30 minutes mix in the salt and fold the dough for 10 times and leave it aside for another 30 minutes at room temperature. Repeat the process of folding for another two 30 minutes intervals.
  • Then leave the dough for about 3-4 hours until it doubles in volume. see the sourdough activity
  • Prepare the proofing basket with rice flour and all purpose flour. Transfer the dough to slightly floured surface and shape it into round ball, and transfer to proofing basket.
  • If you are baking the bread on the same day, leave it for another 3-4 hours. Or transfer the dough to the refrigerator and do a overnight cold fermentation.
  • When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven 475F, you can preheat the oven with Dutch oven or pizza stone. If you are done overnight cold fermentation, then transfer the dough to parchment paper dusted with cornmeal.
  • Carefully remove the lid of Dutch oven and transfer the dough, if you want you can score them.
  • And close Dutch oven with lid and bake it for about 20 minutes. Then remove the lid and parchment paper and bake it for another 15 minutes and if the bread is not dark brown give another 5 -10 minutes.
  • Let cool the bread for 45 minutes and then slice and enjoy.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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If you are looking for more  rye bread check these 

Blueberry Sourdough Rye bread 

Shrimp Kebat

· 9 Comments

I like to try different recipes at home, as we rarely go out to eat at fancy restaurants. I made this new dish Kebat from the book Burma superstar. It has recipes of tofu, shrimp, chicken and beef Kebat . Since I had tried fiery tofu recipe from the book and had loved it, I decide to try shrimp Kebat.
Kebat is a classic Burmese stir-fry dish that is common throughout homes in Myanmar, but not typically found in restaurants there. I loved the Kebat spice mixture ingredients and decide to try it at home. I made small changes to the recipe to suit my taste. As original recipe in Book doesn’t uses Kebat spice mixture for the shrimp, but I decide to add it as I want to try this recipe because of the interesting spice combo. Also, I used fish masala instead of Madras curry powder. You can feel free to used curry powder.


This is a simple recipe using shrimp, tomato wedges, onion, mint (I was out of it so didn’t used it) and tamarind and Kebat spice mixture. It says if you make homestyle then you don’t need Kebat spices. Since the spices are my weakness, I decide to add it. As I added spices it become restaurant style shrimp Kebat. If you want home -style shrimp Kebat skip the Kebat spices. If you want, you can make it with fish, lamb, chicken and tofu. This is different from other Kebat as it has ginger and garlic.


This stir-fry goes well with a bowl of rice. If you like, you can also make Burmese coconut rice. Next in my list to try is tofu Kebat. This is not spicy, as it has only heat from the fish masala and a thai chili, if you want to make it spicier add two Thai chilies. Also, to make this stir fry you need to marinate the shrimp that helps to absorb the spices better. I cooked my shrimp well with onions and tomato. If you want crisper veggies you can add more at the end.

 

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5 from 6 votes

Shrimp Kebat

Simple and delicious side made with shrimp, Kebat spices. Unique stir fry you can only find in Burmese household.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Burmese
Servings: 4 serving
Author: Swathi ( Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 16-20 jumbo shrimp
  • 2 teaspoon Fish Masala / Madras curry powder
  • 1 thai chili
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup chopped red onion
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced onion
  • 2 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 Roma tomatoes each cut into 6 to 8 wedges
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind water
  • Cilantro sprigs for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon Kebat spice mix
  • Kebat spice mix
  • 3 green cardamom pods
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon sugar

Instructions

  •  For Kebat spice mix first crush the cardamom seeds along with cumin seeds in mortar and pestle to coarse powder. To this add salt, and rest of ingredients and mix well.
  • In a bowl or Ziploc bag marinate shrimp with fish masala/curry powder, fish sauce, ½ tablespoon Kebat spice mix and salt. Keep aside at room temperature while you are making other ingredients.
  • In a pan heat oil and add chopped onion and cook until it changes the color. Then add half of tomato wedges and cook until it softened. Then add ginger, garlic and rest of Kebat spices and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add shrimp and cook with stirring in between until it done. Then add the sliced onion and rest of tomato wedges cook for 1-2 minutes. The onion should be firm and crisp. Finally add tamarind water or lime juice. Garnish with cilantro. Enjoy with bowl of rice.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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Kulich: Russian Easter Bread

· 15 Comments

Delicious Russian Easter bread Kulich made with raisins, apricots with orange zest and exotic cardamom. Great traditional bread made only during Easter Time.

I love to bake breads from all around the world during Easter and Christmas. Yes, I take culinary travels through different countries. In India where I born and brought up, doesn’t have any yeasted bread that are made during Easter and Christmas. My journeys in the previous years led me to Greek Easter bread, Italian Easter bread and Greek Easter cookies. This year I decided to try Kulich Russian Easter bread rich in butter and eggs. I made three small bread.

 

Kulich is a lightly sweet, rich yeast bread. It may also contain raisins, almonds, candied or dried fruit, lemon zest, and various spices including cardamom or saffron depending on the recipe and personal choice. When I searched in the internet I found a YouTube video showing a small Russian bakery woman baking kulich with raisins. So, I used raisins and dried apricots and added cardamom as it is my favorite spice.


Kulich is part of Easter celebrations in Orthodox Christian traditions in most countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Kulich has its own unique shape usually baked in coffee tins. The name kulich is derived from Greek word "kollix," which means “a loaf of bread.”
The top of each loaf is called a crown. It is usually topped with a powdered-sugar frosting which is allowing to drizzle down the sides of the bread. The spikes created is reminiscent of Christ's crown of thorns.


Kulich is traditionally eaten only during Easter. It is placed together with Easter eggs and served with rich cottage cheese dessert made with, dried fruits, nuts and butter. Before consuming, Kulich is taken to a priest to be blessed on the Thursday service before Holy Friday.
I read that there is a traditional method to carving a loaf of Kulich. First, the crown is cut off, and then the loaf is sliced horizontally and then cut in wedges to be distributed to members of the family. The crown can then be placed back on top, keeping the aesthetic appeal of the loaf and preserving its moistness.

Kulich is usually round and tall. It is an important ceremonial duty of women of the house to bake the Kulich, as the fate of the family depended upon it. I also read a superstition related to baking of Kulich. If it rises well and has a nice dome, then the family will be alright, but if the dough does not rise in the oven or it crust cracks then expect disaster.
The Kulich is traditionally frosted with a thick, powdered sugar glaze, which can drip down the side. It can be glazed or not glazed. In some peasant households in Russia, the top is often not glazed and is simply marked by cutting a cross.


I watched few videos of Kulich making and based on the common themes, came up with this recipe. I didn’t make the glaze with raw egg whites, as I needed to give to kids and didn’t think it would be safe. If you use glaze with egg white it is thick, and drizzle will be small. I used lemon juice and powdered sugar to glaze. And let my kids to top them with colorful Easter egg sprinkles. They were happy to help in that case.
Give it a try and let me know how it turned out.

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5 from 74 votes

Kulich: Russian Easter Bread

Delicious  Russian Easter bread Kulich made with raisins, apricots with orange zest and exotic cardamom. Great traditional bread made only during Easter Time. 
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
3 hours
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Russian
Keyword: Easter bread recipes, Kulich, Russian Easter Bred
Servings: 8 serving
Calories: 295kcal
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • For Bread
  • 400 g All purpose flour
  • 8 g instant yeast
  • 1 cup milk /240g
  • ¼ cup butter /50g
  • ¼ cup 50g/ sugar
  • 1 large egg and 1egg yolk
  • Zest of one orange
  • ½ teaspoon /8g salt
  • ½ cup /71g raisins
  • ⅓ cup/ 51 g dried apricot
  • 5 green cardamom powdered
  • For Glaze
  • 2 cups of confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Easter sprinkles to decorate

1 egg + tablespoon of milk is used for egg wash

Instructions

  • In a small bowl add 50g of flour, ¼ cup of luke warm milk and yeast and mix well and set aside until it becomes frothy and bubbly.
  • In a large bowl add flour, salt mix well and set aside.
  • In another bowl add egg, egg yolk and sugar and butter and mix well. If you want beat, you can do that at this time.
  • Then add egg -butter-sugar mixture to flour mixture and add yeast mixture mix (sponge) cardamom, orange zest, combine everything until it become soft sticky dough.
  • Transfer to lightly floured area and knead well until you get a soft and supple dough. Transfer to greased bowl for double in volume it takes about 1-1 ½ hours depending upon the kitchen temperature.
  • While the dough is doubling, puff up the raisins but adding them to hot water and drain and set aside. This step is optional, but I did it.
  • Once the dough double in volume punch down and spread it as rectangle and add raisins and chopped apricots. Try to incorporate well. This recipe makes about 833g of dough. I divided two 333g and one 167g. You can divide the dough depending upon size of the tin.
  • Transfer the divide dough balls into well buttered floured tins. Set aside for until the dough double to slightly above ¾th of tin.
  • Bake it in pre heated oven at 375F for 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350F and bake it for 20 minutes. If the top start to brown cover with aluminum foil and bake.
  • Once the tin is cool enough to touch, slightly run the knife through the sides of tin and carefully remove the Kulich and set aside.
  • Make a thick glaze with confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice and drizzle over the top of the bread. Add sprinkle on the top.
  • Enjoy

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 238mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 346IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

Fiery Tofu Stir Fry

· 6 Comments

Delicious fiery tofu stir fry with tofu veggies and spicy sauce with sambal oelek and soy sauce. Goes well with bowl of rice.

 

Fiery Tofu Stir Fry

For me tofu and its non-vegan counterpart Paneer are bland, however if you dunk them with spices then they taste best. My hubby hates Paneer Indian cheese and says it is a punishment, when I make dishes with it. And I will have to eat most of the dish. But Tofu, he loves it if cooked with spices or in the form gravy.  Usually I make curries with tofu, for a change I decide to try fiery tofu stir fry which I got the recipe from book “Burma Super Star”

Fiery Tofu Stir Fry

I have developed a liking for Burmese cuisine, after I tried few of their recipes as it has spice touch just like Indian cuisine with uniqueness of adding fish sauce, oyster sauce in it. This recipe also has oyster sauce, if you want to make full vegetarian skip that. As the name suggest it is fiery with Sambal oelek, a spicy Southeast Asian Chile sauce made from hot red Chile peppers, salt and sometimes vinegar. I love it and usually add it to breakfast rice noodles. I will share the recipe if I get time to photograph it. As usually, I would think there would be enough to photograph it after the breakfast but there is hardly anything left. As I have only one kind of soy sauce I used that that. If you have dark and light soy sauce, then use that.

Fiery Tofu Stir Fry

This stir fry has not only sliced tofu, but also has red bell pepper and   green beans. It is a perfect side for a bowl of rice.  This stir fry uses Chinese dry-frying technique in which food is fired, the drained is oil and then stir-fried with seasoning. This way tofu and vegetables will retain its perfect structure and carry the spicy sauce.

Make sure to use extra firm tofu so that it can hold the shape. And this sauce is versatile you can use it in meat and fish. I love it and going to try it in other recipes too. If you want to make a change to your normal tofu recipes, then give this one a try and let me know how it turned out.

Fiery Tofu Stir Fry

 

Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

Fiery Tofu Stir Fry

Delicious fiery tofu stir fry with  tofu veggies and spicy sauce.  Goes well with bowl  of rice. 
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Burmese
Servings: 4
Calories: 115kcal
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ tablespoon chili garlic sauce/sambal oelek
  • 1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce
  • ¾ tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 cup green beans
  • 4-6 oz extra firm tofu sliced into bite size stripes
  • 1 half red bell pepper seeded and sliced into thin strips
  • ½ tablespoon minced garlic
  • ½ tablespoon minced ginger
  • Basil leaves I didn’t add it as I don’t have it hand

Instructions

  • In a bowl add the chili garlic sauce/ sambal oelek, soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar and sugar. Mix well and set aside.
  • In a skillet heat oil over medium heat and add green beans and stir well so that oil gets coats the beans and begin to blister about 1 minutes. To this add bell pepper and fry for another 1 minute, then add tofu and fry until tofu get slightly brown. Transfer the tofu and veggies into a plate.
  • Bring back the skillet to heat and add minced garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 20 seconds, return tofu and vegetables to the skillet and pour in the sambal mixtures. Cook for a minute or so until the tofu is nicely coated in the sauce. Stir in the basil ( if you have in hand ) and enjoy.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 804mg | Potassium: 179mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1121IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

Mango cheesecake tart

· 18 Comments

Delicious mango cheesecake tart is made with short crust pastry and fresh mango puree and cream cheese and topped mango slices.

This shop has been compensated by Thyme &Table. All opinions are mine alone #WhatAGoodThyme

Mango cheesecake tart

 

Mango always reminds me of spring and summer vacations to me. I have a profound weakness for Mango, so, whenever I see them at the grocery store they end up in grocery cart. I decided to make this beautiful mango cheesecake tart using my new kitchen tool collection set from Thyme & Table which we can get from Walmart.

Mango cheesecake tart

 

The two aisles in Walmart that I never fail to visit every trip even if I had just gone to pick up some milk is the Kitchen tool section, and their baking pan aisle. My hubby says nothing will change from every week’s visit to that aisle. But this time is he is wrong I have seen Thyme & Table kitchen tools in my local Walmart.  They are unique and useful kitchen tool selections, yes, their spatulas come with beautiful design on side and have measurement on other side. This is helpful while measuring ingredients for baking.  I fell in love with the copper ladle, spoon and turner. They have everything whether it is knife, grater, or measuring spoon, cups etc.

wine bottle

Copper winged corkscrew is perfect to open your favorite wine bottle. My son was helping me in zesting the lime using small grater for making the mango cheesecake tart crust.

lime zester

If you are looking forward to upgrading old kitchen tools, or to give a newlywed as housewarming gifts buy Thyme and Table kitchen tools. Sometime getting gifts for yourself is fun as you get newer tools. Or if you gift these tools to your friends or loved ones they will remember you every time they use it. Here is the short video I made with my collection of  Thyme and table kitchen tools.

Coming to recipe for mango cheesecake tart, I made shortbread crust pastry for the tart, and used lime zest in the crust, and then filled the crust with mango cheese cake filling.

Mango cheesecake tart

 

Fillings were made with cream cheese, heavy cream and off course fresh mango puree. I want mango element in everything not only in the topping. Then topped with perfectly sliced mango slices with help of Thyme and Table knife and chop board.  They are very sharp, so please handle with care.

Mango cheesecake tart

 

Make sure to buy sweet mango to make this tart. Next time when you shop at Walmart, take the time to stop and buy Kitchen tool collection from Thyme and Table and grab some fresh mango to make this dessert.

I am sure you will love both.

Print Recipe
4.91 from 10 votes

Mango cheesecake tart

Here is the delicious mango cheesecake tart with fresh mango and cream cheese, mango puree and topped mango slices. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
chilling time1 hour
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 serving
Calories: 688kcal
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • Sweet shortcrust pastry You will use only half for this recipe
  • 2 ½ cups / 300g all purpose flour +extra for dusting
  • ¾ cup/ 90g confectioner’s sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup + 2 tablespoon/200g unsalted butter cold cut into small cubes
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 4 teaspoon cold water
  • For Mango cheesecake filling
  • 80 z cream cheese
  • ¼ cup fresh mango puree about 1 Ataulfo mango
  • 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup/70 g confectioners sugar
  • 3 ataulfo mango skinned, pitted and cut ¼ inch pieces

Instructions

  • To make sweet shortcrust pastry
  • In a bowl add flour, sugar, salt and mix well. To this add butter, lemon zest and mix well until everything reaches bread crumb consistency. To this add egg yolk and water and mix until everything comes together as dough. Then transfer to lightly floured surface and knead well to form a ball. Divide the dough into two and slight flattened as disc and refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour or up to 3 days. 
  • Lightly grease 9 inch tart pan, and lightly flour the surface and spread dough into 13 inches /33 cm wide and ⅛ inch /3 mm thick. Drape the pastry over the pan and gently press it into place filling any cracks and trim the sides if needed. Refrigerate the pastry for another 30 minutes to rest and chill. 
  • Preheat oven to 400F/200C and line pastry pan with parchment paper covering the base and sides and fill with rice or dried beans. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove the rice and paper and bake uncovered for another 6-7 minutes or until sides are golden and dry. Set aside for until you make filling. 
  • For mango cheesecake filling
  • In a bowl add cream cheese, heavy cream, mango puree and sugar and beat well until everything becomes thick mixture. Transfer the mixture into prepared tart pan. And arrange with mango slices starting from outside to inside overlapping each other. For center keep mango slice slightly roll it into rose shape.
    Enjoy slightly chilled. 

Nutrition

Calories: 688kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Cholesterol: 176mg | Sodium: 165mg | Potassium: 310mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 2895IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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Avocado and Tofu Toasts

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The busiest time for me is the morning, so I try to make some easy and at the same time filling breakfast dishes. This Avocado and tofu toasts recipe is from a cookbook. On Facebook I saw a video in which Avocaderia restaurant in New York only make avocado dishes and sell it which I found interesting. So, decided to try this avocado and tofu toasts.
This recipe is from the book Power Plates: 100 Nutritionally Balanced, One-Dish Vegan Meals by Gena Hamshaw. Since most of the Indian curries are vegan I decide to check it out.


The introduction segment in this book has information about noteworthy ingredients and macro nutrient building blocks.
There are 6 chapters namely for breakfast, salads, soups, bowls, skillets and stovetop and Bakes.


Among the 20 breakfast recipes, starting from Shortcut steel-cut oats to French toast, whole grain waffles, avocado and tofu toasts, I tried avocado and tofu toast.
The chapter on Salads (chapter 2) comes with 18 different salads, I found Brown rice Tabbouleh salad and Guacamole quinoa salad with black beans the most interesting.
Soups recipes are included in the chapter 3 and there are about 15 recipes such as Mulligatawny, Moroccan tagine with tempeh and chickpeas and Spicy cabbage soup with rice and chickpeas etc.


Chapter 4 is about whole some meals in a bowl. I like Sweet potato bowls with cilantro lime rice and black beans, Mediterranean quinoa bowls with roasted fennel and black-eyed peas are few.
There is also a segment about skillet and stovetop (chapter 5), I would like to try Golden Beet Risotto, Spanish quinoa with tempeh. Creamy curried lentils and quinoa.
Final chapter is about Bakes, which includes sweet potato nacho fries, home-style stuffed shells.


I tried avocado and tofu toasts recipe from this book. I made my own version of baked tofu as there is no baked recipe given. It is simple and easy to put together breakfast. If you like simple, wholesome meals like me then go and buy this book.
Here comes the recipe of avocado and tofu toasts.

Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Avocado and Tofu Toasts

Delicious breakfast tofu made with whole grain bread, avocado spread, tomato and baked tofu. 
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 slices
Author: Swathi ( Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

  • For toasts
  • 4 slice whole grain bread
  • 1 large avocado halved pitted and peeled
  • Fresh ground black pepper and salt
  • 1 ripe tomato cut into thin rounds
  • 4 ounces of baked tofu
  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice optional to prevent blackening of avocado
  • For baked tofu
  • 4 ounce extra firm tofu
  • 1 ½ tablespoon chili garlic sauce
  • 2 teaspoon sesame seed oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Instructions

  • For Baked tofu
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a shallow dish, whisk together all ingredients except tofu.
  • Drench each piece of tofu in the sauce ingredients then lay flat on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping each piece of tofu after 15 minutes.
  • For avocado and tofu toasts
  • Toast the bread, mash avocado flesh with fork and add ½ teaspoon lemon juice to just to prevent from blackening of avocado. Then spread it into bread. Sprinkle salt and pepper top with single layer of tomato slices and then layer of baked tofu slices. Enjoy
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

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"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."