Tomato Juice

I love tomato juice - V8 is my favourite but it has way too much salt. I wanted to try for a healthier alternative at home. It tasted good, but it was a bit more effort for the small output (2 small glasses).

You'll need:
5-6 large tomatoes
4-5 celery stalks (no leaves)
salt/pepper to taste
1 tbsp sugar (if needed)

Wash the tomatoes thoroughly. Pour some boiling water on it so that the skins come off.
Boil the skinless tomatoes in 1 cup of water for about 5 minutes.

In a blender, put in the tomatoes and celery stalks and blend till smooth. Add some water if the consistency is too thick (but not the water the tomatoes were boiled in).

Sieve the paste and add water and seasoning to preference
and taste.

Infused Oils

Flavoured oils are great as dressing for salads or as dips for bread. It can also be used for regular cooking as you would use olive oil. This particular bottle was meant as a Christmas gift.

You'll need:

200 ml Olive oil 

4-5 Rosemary sprigs

1 tsp chilli flakes

The quantity is adjustable according to need. Extra vigin olive oil is not required since you'll be heating the oil. Just the regular olive oil would suffice.

Wash the rosemary sprigs and dry them completely (wait for a day if you have to). Any moisture in it will cause deterioration.

Pour the oil in a heavy-bottom saucepan and heat on the lowest heat setting. Add the rosemary sprigs and chilli flakes, and let it remain for around 10 minutes, then turn off the heat.

Once it is cool, pour in bottles. 

Take some of the rosemary sprigs and put it in the bottle. It will continue to add flavour and it looks good.

Refrigeration is recommended but not necessary. Just keep it in a cool place away from sunlight. Note that olive oil changes to semi-solid state when chilled so let it get to room temperature before using. If after a while you see any particles, or it starts to smell foul, discard it.

If you find that the oil has become cloudy, try re-heating it over low heat for 2 minutes. It should clear out.

Use it as:

- drizzle over salads or crostinis

- dip for dinner rolls along with some balsamic vinegar

- drizzle over cooked pasta or baked potatoes

Other possible combinations:

- Lemon zest (but remove lemon peel after heating - don't add it to the bottle)

- A mix of rosemary, sage and thyme

- Basil

- Dried chillies

Eggless Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

I wanted to send some cupcakes for my husband's team at his office after a successful project, but didn't have any eggs at home. A quick search led me to this recipe which I altered a little. It was easy to make and very tasty.

For the cupcakes:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cornstarch
*1/2 cup sugar 
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup yogurt (don't use the whey)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk

*(It's low on sugar because the frosting is very sweet - if making only cupcakes, add 1/4 cup more sugar)

Cream the butter and sugar well - just over a minute, then add the vanilla and mix some more.
Sift all the dry ingredients into a separate bowl.
In another bowl, mix the yogurt and milk.

Add the dry and wet ingredients into the creamed butter alternately, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

Once all ingredients are incorporated, put into cupcake moulds and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 deg Celsius for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool completely before topping it with the frosting.

It gave me 12 medium cupcakes.

Frosting:
200 gm unsalted butter at room temperature
200 icing sugar (sifted properly)
Food colouring (optional)

Cream the butter and sugar well. Make sure there are no sugar lumps as it will interfere when you pipe the frosting. I used a piping bag, but you could also lather it on with a spoon, or improvise and use a ziplock bag with a tiny cut in the corner.

Add sprinkles for joy!

Spiced Pumpkin and Lentil Soup

Just in time for the 'winter' months. Although it is not really winter here, it does get a little chilly in the evenings with strong breezes.

I made this in 2 parts - first the lentil then the pumpkin - then mixed it together for a nice drink on a chilly evening.

You'll need:
*1/4 cup uncooked split mung lentil or red lentil
1 cup of water
1 tsp turmeric
*250 gms pumpkin, peeled
1 large carrot
2 tomatoes
Salt to taste
2 tbsps roasted cumin, crushed
Cream to garnish (optional)
*You can adjust the quantity of the lentil and pumpkin depending which flavour you want dominant

Wash then cook the lentils in the water with the turmeric and some salt. I use a pressure cooker and leave it for just one whistle. Microwaving takes longer (about 15 minutes), and if using an open pot, then add some extra water. The lentils should be cooked thoroughly, and for a smoother texture, just blend it for 10 seconds. Keep aside.

In another cooker, boil the pumpkin, carrot, and tomatoes. Once it is soft enough, blend it in a mixer then sieve and season it with salt. Mix it in with the lentils.

While serving, reheat if necessary and garnish with cream (optional) and the crushed roasted cumin.

Kale Salad done Two Ways

After reading so much about the benefits of Kale all over the Internet, I finally found a place that stores these leaves in Bombay. 

I assumed I would use it as I do any other salad leaf, wash, pat dry, dress, and eat. It is fortunate I looked up recipes for kale salad hoping for a new salad combo I could try. It turns out kale is not to be used like any other salad leaf...it is a much tougher variety. So, the first step is to get the kale ready.

For the Kale:

1 bunch of Kale
2 tbsp walnut or olive oil
1 tbsp cider vinegar or white vinegar or lemon juice

Wash the kale leaves thoroughly. I soak it in salt water for 5 minutes then rinse it our with fresh water. Remove the stalk completely - it is too tough to be eaten. Roughly chop the leaves and put it in a large bowl. 

Add the oil and vinegar, then with your fingers, gently massage the oil into the leaves for a minute or two. Leave this to marinate for 15 minutes at least to 24 hours at the most. It won't wilt like regular leaves.

I used half of the leaves for a dinner salad (top picture), and the other half for lunch (bottom picture) the next day. It still retained some crunch and felt fresh.

Salad 1:

A bowl of the prepared kale leaves

1 chopped red onion

1 chopped tomato (or a few cherry tomatoes)

4-5 walnuts

2 chopped figs

1 chopped carrot

2 tbsp Ranch dressing

1 bunch of other salad leaves (I used rocket and celery leaves)

Mix it all together. I like something crunchy and a hint of sweetness in my salad. Here, onion, walnuts and fig do that, but you can substitute (with something like apples or oranges) or remove any of the ingredients.

Salad 2:
A bowl of the prepared kale leaves

1 chopped tomato

3-4 orange segments (peeled and seeded)

4-5 walnuts

This is a much simpler salad. It can be used as a side but it was a filling lunch for me.

Blondies

I always though brownies were the yummest and easiest to make, till I tried these. The sugar you use makes all the difference in taste.

You'll need:

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar*

1 cup flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Handful of hazelnut, butterscotch chips, walnuts, or chocolate chips (optional)

*A good quality brown or muscovado sugar is the best. Dememara sugar will remain as crystals and won't give you a melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Whisk the butter and sugar till well blended. Add the vanilla and the egg and whisk some more. Sift in the flour and baking soda and powder. Mix well. Pour into a greased baking pan.

If using any of the optional add-ons, mix them in the batter or spread them on top of the batter before putting the pan in the oven.

Bake at 180 deg C for about 20 minutes. Let it then cool for 20 minutes before slicing them up.

Rice Pudding

This is a quick rice pudding with a nice texture. I substituted half the rice with steel cut oats (NOT the regular porridge oats please) and it gave a nice woody flavour to it.

You'll need:
1 cup rice (or half cup if you plan to add steel cut oats) soaked in water for about an hour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup brown sugar or jaggery
2-3 Green cardamoms, crushed
4-5 blanched almonds for garnish (optional)

After the rice has soaked for an hour, grind half of it into a paste. Bring the milk to a boil then on simmer, add all of the rice. If using steel cut oats, then add it directly to the milk. Keep it on simmer till the rice and oats are cooked.

Add the sugar and cardamom. Stir till the sugar dissolves, and the pudding thickens to a gooey paste. Don't dry it out too much because it will thicken some more once you take it off the heat.

Garnish with some blanched almonds. It can be either served warm or cold.