Baked Beans

I am sure we all love baked beans....buy tins to store it in our pantry.....but its so very simple n easy to try it at home.....It never struck me to post this off....But Thanks to Pragya Goyal for her lovely comment

pragya goyal - nice!! u r sharing your recipes with all...thanks.
One of your recipe of soyabeans..(i think its called baked beans) is really nice and i have tried it a few times....we ate that at your home once before a ddd workshop


All you would require are


1 cup Soya Beans - soaked and boiled
1 small Onion , finely chopped
2 green chillies - finely chopped
1Tbsp Oil
1tsp red chilly powder
Salt to taste
3/4 cup Tomato sauce / ketchup
Bread Slices
Cheese


Heat oil in a pan and add in green chillies and onions, saute until the onions turn light pink
Add in the beans , mix well
Pour in Tomato sauce , add in salt and red chilly powder.Mix well
Let it be on a low flame for 3 - 4mins 


To Serve:


Method1:
You can toast the bread spread a layer of the bean mixture and sprinkle it with grated cheese and serve 


Method 2:
Follow Method 1 and place it inside an oven / OTG for 2 mins or until cheese melts - do not keep this in an microwave else the bread might get soggy


Method 3:
Place the toasted bread in a tawa ....spread the bean mixture and sprinkle cheese , and cover the tawa for 2 mins until cheese melts......remember to have it over medium - light flame so that your bread does not burns 


Method 4:
Toast bread - spread mixture and instead of grated cheese you might add chunks // small cubes of cheese / panner.....and sprinkle it with a little chaat masala....tastes chatpata


Method5:


Grilled Bake Bean Sandwich


Place 2 slices of bread on a board and a cheese slice on both
Spread in some bean mixture, top this with another bread slice
Heat a pan on medium flame and drizzle some olive / vegetable oil 
Place both the sandwiches and cook until both sides are evenly browned
Remove once done, cut in half and serve

COMMENTS

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Poached Figs with Rose Syrup - Dessert

Serves 4

200g Sugar
1 orange, grated zest & juice
6 cardamom pods, just crushed
8 ripe figs
1Tbsp rose syrup ( you can find the same in Indian store - try Haldirams, Roohafaza....)

1Tsp Gulkand - dried rose petals
Plain thick yogurt

Put the sugar, orange zest and juice and cardamom pods into a pan with 250ml cold water

Heat gently until the sugar have dissolved and then bring up to the boil for a few minutes.
Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the figs

Cook for 6-8 minutes until the figs begin to soften, remove the parchment and then remove the figs form the syrup to a serving plate

Drizzle in the rose syrup while warm

Mix Yogurt with Gulkand and serve it along with the figs

Note:

If you want it more sweeter carry on simmering the syrup for another 7-8 minutes to reduce t, add the rose syrup and drizzle it over the figs

You can also eliminate the curd and serve it with a dollop of cream for a complete dessert

Food Signatures

FOOD SIGNATURES !!!

This is interesting info... 

You are what you eat, so eat well. A stupendous insight of civilizations past has now been confirmed by today's investigative, nutritional sciences. They have shown that what was once called 'The Doctrine of Signatures' was astoundingly correct. It now contends that every whole food has a pattern that resembles a body organ or physiological function and that this pattern acts as a signal or sign as to the benefit the food provides the eater. Here is just a short list of examples of Whole Food Signatures. 

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and science shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes. 

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food. 

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food. 

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function. 

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys. 

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body. 

Eggplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? .... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them). 

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbersof sperm as well to overcome male sterility. 

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics. 

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Grapefruits, Oranges, and other citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts. 

Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.



'The news isn't that fruits and vegetables are good for you, it's that they are so good for you, they can save your life .' 

Digestive Biscuit Cream Cake

This is one of my favorite dishes........and may be one of the earliest experiments I started off with......So we shall start off with

6 Digestive Biscuits/Marie biscuits/ Tea biscuits
1/2 cup Chocolate Sauce                    
4 Tbsp White / Unsalted butter          
1 Tbsp Coco powder            
2 Tbsp Icing sugar  ( You can also use powdered sugar in case you do not get in icing sugar)
Milk -  to dip the biscuits


And here it goes

- Mix in butter - coco - and sugar to a smooth paste
- Take a biscuit dip it in milk and apply the paste on the smoother surface of the biscuit
- Take another one, repeat the process and stack it over....It might resemble like

- The final or the 6th biscuit should cover the entire stack

- Now pour in chocolate sauce over this ..............I made the chocolate sauce at home(let me know if you want to have th recipe ....its simple and takes just 5-7 mins)

- Freeze it for 15mins and then transfer it to the fridge until you want to indulge in this sinful delight :)


Note:
You can also add in hot chocolate sauce before serving
Garnish it with nuts
Top it with whipped cream
Top it with choco chips - if you want more of chocolate


Quick FIX............

So here is a quick instant way to the above recipe...all you need to buy

Biscuits
Chocolate cream
Chocolate Sauce

Follow the same method as above and what you get is

And now you can decorate it with your own ways....I tried Coco powder sprinkles :)

ICED CHOCOLATE CREAM

You would require

8Tbsp Chocolate Sauce        
2Cups Vanilla Ice cream      
8Tsp Instant Coffee powder
4Cups Chilled Milk              
1Tbsp Whipped Cream      
Chocolate Vermicilli  - To garnish
2-3Tbsp Sugar                      

Line irish coffee glasses with chocolate sauce n place them in freezer till chocolate sets
Blend vanilla ice cream, coffee powder, sugar and milk in a blender
Pour into the glass
Top with wipped cream and sprinkle some chocolate vermicelli / chocolate shavings
Serve immediately

Vanilla Ice Cream Cake

Last Diwali ...while having a Diwali party i tried this out and it turned to be a huge success.....I have taken 3 - 4 different recipes to experiment this one......and it worked well!!!!

So you can stock in some

1 small tub Vanilla Ice cream

3Tbsp Honey

3 - 4Tbsp Roasted Peanuts 

1 small pack Bourbon biscuit ( here in USA you can try to find it in Indian stores, else bank on Petit Ecolier)

1 Whole grain bar

5 Tbsp Choco chip 

( I also used some snickers - 2 small ones....it tasted more yummy)

Combine the biscuits , grain bar in a bag and beat them until there are some small pieces and some have turned into powder

Crush peanuts separately

In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well

Take another bowl and lay it with cling wrap as a base as well as on sides ...enough to cover the entire bowl

Pour the vanilla mixture and cover it with cling wrap

Freeze until set

While serving scoop out the ice-cream and dazzle it with some honey and crushed peanuts / chocolate shavings...... I have also tried cranberry sauce with this.......goes very well

Note: For variations you can also try almonds / walnuts if you are allergic to peanuts

For biscuits chocolate/ vanilla cookies also work well.......

So now its your time to experiment and let me know how it works

Green Chutney - All purpose

I am sure you would all know to make Green chutney with coriander / mint - green chillies, here s a lil twist to the regular ones and this serves great of sandwiches due to its thick consistency

You can also store this for upto 3 weeks

11/2 cup Coriander Leaves
1/2 cup Mint Leaves    
1/2 Bread slice      
2 Tbsp Peanuts   ( you can either go in for boiled, raw , salted ones)
2 Tbsp Yougurt
Salt -  To taste
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1" Ginger      
5-6 Green Chillies  ( depending on the variety , i used small Indian chillies)

-Wash mint - Coriander and green chillies thoroughly well by soaking it in a big bowl of water and rinsing it a couple of times , for the sand and sediments to be completely removed
-In a mixie / blender add in bread , peanuts and blend it well
-Now add in all the other ingredients and blend until u get in a smooth paste
- Add a few drops of water to adjust the consistency

Note:

If you are planning to store it, use glass bottles or air tight containers, and omit the lemon juice
Add the juice as and when you use it
This is a more thicker version and usually goes well on sandwiches and used as a spread
In case you want a lighter version to go with pakodas / panner tikkas, omit the bread and peanut and you can add some raw mango pieces for a more tangy taste
In case you just want to go for a plain coriander chutney , omit the mint leaves, this will also give you a more lighter  kind of a parrot green color to the plate

Home Bar IV

MANGO LASSI


Summers are here and so are mangoes


1/2 cup Mango Pulp                         
1 cup Yogurt                              
1 tablespoon Sugar                            
Green cardamom powder - a pinch
 2-3 strands Saffron (kesar)                      
 2 -3 Ice Cubes                              

Take serving glasses and place it in the freezer for 5 minutes
In a blender add the Mango, fresh yogurt , sugar and cardamom powder, along with 2 -3 ice cubes
Blend until its of a smooth consistency
Pour into chilled glasses and garnish with saffron strands

Tips for Garnish

- Add finely chopped mangoes
- Add mango ice cubes - puree` the pulp and pour into ice trays to set
- Add Yogurt Ice cubes - beat yogurt until smooth , pour into trays to set
- Mint Leaves
- Pista / almonds sliced thinly

You can also add in some water / milk in case you find the consistency too thick

Pineapple Cheese Sandwich without Bread

Back in India...You can find numerous street stalls , each having its own unique cuisine and flavor.....I just picked this one from them

But Note: This is would not be very appropriate for someone who prays for not having a sweet tooth


So You would require

 4 Cheese slices
[ Alternatives: You can use Tofu / Cottage cheese slices / cubes]
1Tbsp Pineapple Jam
4 thin slices Cucumbers
2 slices Tomato
1 slice Tinned pineapple
Salt and Pepper

Places 2 cheese slices together ( if you think you have not got the desired thickness you can also place 3 cheese slices together)
Spread in the jam and add in cucumber and tomato
Place a pineapple slice and sprinkle it with salt and pepper
Cover it with another 2 cheese slices and serve

Note: This can also serve as a cocktail snack.....for which you need not cover it with another cheese / tofu / cottage cheese cube ....Toothpick it so that it remains together.....You can replace the jam with an olive....Works great