Uzhunnu Vada

Uzhunnu Vada / Urad Vada / Medu vada / Lentil Fritter  

                                                                      

Helllllo 😊!!! Hope you guys tried my Mutton Biriyani recipe… How was it?  Please do share your feedback. These feed backs are so very encouraging and inspiring, it motivates me to  try and share yummy recipes 😊😊. Today  I am here with an extremely popular tea time snack 👌. It is loved by all 😍, Yes!!! It is Uzhunnu vada or Medu Vada. Back home in Kerala a good amount of space is occupied by these vadas in all tea shops 😉😉.   This is usually served as a tea time 🍵 snack but you also serve this during breakfast as a combo along with dosa (rice pancake) or pongal (rice / lentil dish). Uzhunnu vada is made with urad dal (a type of lentil) and it resembles a doughnut 🍩 in appearance. They have a crispy exterior and soft interior 😋.  The lentils are soaked in water for a minimum of 2 hours. Then they are ground to a coarse paste. I used mixer grinder for grinding ,extreme care should be taken while grinding. Add water just enough to make it to a coarse paste. It shouldn’t be very coarse 😉.  Then they are beaten well to incorporate air in to it, this is very important as this gives a soft and fluffy vada.  Later on spices like pepper (I used pepper powder), green chilies, ginger, curry leaves and shallots (I used onion) are added 👌👌 . Then it is shaped like doughnuts and it is dropped in to hot piping oil and it is fried. Tasty vadas are ready in minutes 😋😋. It is a perfect tea time snack especially during this chilly weather 😃. Okay then let’s get started….

Cheese Sandwich

Cheese Sandwich

                                                                     

I am always puzzled 😕 when it is time to pack lunch box  🍱for my little one. How about you guys?  If so here comes a simple and easy recipe 😉. It’s a favorite among kids 😊. It is nothing but Cheese sandwich 😋. If you are really late in the morning this recipe is a life saver 😃. It will be ready in minutes 👍. This sandwich is loaded with fatty ingredients so you can sit back and relax as it will keep your little one full and filling 😊. You just need three ingredients to make this lip-smacking sandwich - butter, bread and cheese slice 🍞. You can skip butter and dry toast it if needed. Okay then let’s get started……

Blackberry Muffin

Blackberry Muffin

                                                                             

When you have fresh farm picked berries…. What else you want….😊😊Yup we went blackberry picking few days back.  It was fun, going out with friends is always fun 😃. We had gone for apple🍎 and strawberry picking 🍓 before, but this was our first black berry picking experience . 

Ela Ada

Vishu Ada / Ela Ada/  Elayappam / Steamed Jaggery Rice Cake
                                                                                                                                                                         

Vishu ada or ella ada is prepared in the morning as breakfast for vishu. This can be served as an evening snack also. It is perfect combo for tea or coffee. It is prepared in banana leaf. It smells like heaven when it is getting cooked. The smell of jaggery and banana leaf makes us tempting to eat it. It is a steamed delicacy. I love eating this. We hardly prepare this here; the usage of banana leaf is a must. We hardly get banana leaves so it’s difficult to try this. Still I tried these with aluminum foil but that heavenly taste of banana leaves were missing. When I went to India this January my mom made this special delicacy for me. Without fail I clicked some pics. This was done by me and my mom. "Thank you amma ". Due to unpredictable weather change, Cassia fistula (kanikonna) was in full bloom, that golden shower was a real treat to my eyes and I clicked those. Okay then let’s get started.

Breakfast Smoothie

                                                  

                                                          

                                                     

Yes I’m back with something that is yummy & nutritious. It is a breakfast smoothie or you can call it blueberry banana oats smoothie. Yup  it has all those…  blueberries, banana, oats and milk.  It is very important to have something heavy in the morning.  It gives you the energy needed for the entire day. This breakfast smoothie is very delicious, filling and above all it’s very refreshing to have a perfect start. Moreover it doesn’t require cooking so it’s super easy. You can prepare and store it in the fridge the previous day itself.  As you all know these days all of us are so conscious about our health that we are trying to include all kinds of fruits and veggies in our diet. This smoothie is loaded with vitamins and minerals. Blueberry is a good source of antioxidants. it helps to maintain a good blood sugar level and also has many anti- cancer benefits. Bananas are filled with essential nutrients like potassium and are filled with energy boosters.  Oats a whole grain cereal is a good source of fiber and antioxidants. It helps to lower our blood and cholesterol levels.  This smoothie is a complete meal which can also be served a as a snack. Ok then let’s get started.

Banana Pancake

                        Eggless Whole Wheat Banana Pancake
                                                               

Pancakes are my favorites. They are just yum. International house of pancakes (IHOP) is one of my favorite restaurants.  Back home we have rice pancake (dosa), laced rice pan cake (appam) but never tried pancake with all purpose flour or maida. They are too easy to prepare.  You don’t have to blend the ingredients to make batter or you don’t have to ferment it. Just you have to mix the ingredients in correct proportions. Being bit health conscious here I have used whole wheat over all purpose flour.  Have added jaggery (a kind of brown sugar) insead of sugar. Jaggery has many health benefits. It is rich in iron and potassium and many other phyto-nutrients. Whole wheat banana pancakes are guilt free breakfasts. As they are rich in fiber they are very filling and they keep you feeling full and satisfied throughout the day.  It is best way to use all those over ripened bananas. Ok then let’s get started…..