baked glazed carrots

       Carrot is such a lovely vegetable.I love the color and specially the nice tender ones are sweet and so crunchy.Full of beta carotene ,which are great for eyes, I try and use them in various ways in my diet.The other day,the carrots were too many and needed to be used up.I really racked my brain and thought of how they could be combined with other things to make them work on my palate.They needed to be luscious and a bit of sweet and mmmm a bit of spice and .......basically a bit of everything and that too baked.My tongue and mind were playing a havoc and finally came to this recipe.I served it with savory waffles.This can be also eaten as a warm salad too.

Ingredients
Carrots peeled                                   5 nos
Onion slices thick                               1 no
Red bell peppers chopped                  1/2 no                              
crushed garlic                                     3 nos
grated ginger                                      1 tbsp
crushed chilli flakes                            1/2 tsp
Crushed pepper                                 1/4 tsp
honey                                                1/2 tsp
Italian herbs                                       1/2 tsp
Oregano                                            1/4 tsp
Olive oil                                            1-2 tbsp
salt to taste
Lime juice as per choice

Method
Cut carrots into 1 cm ovals diagonally.
In a baking dish put in the carrots,onions,bell peppers,crushed garlic,ginger and everything else too.
Mix them well.
Add about 1/4 cup of water and cover well with aluminium foil.
Bake in pre heated oven at 180 deg for 15-20 mins.
Remove the cover and bake again for 10 mins till the edges of carrots brown a bit.
See that there is a bit of juice from the carrots still in there.
Top with lime juice and serve.They luscious and delicious.

Palak missi roti

    One good way of giving nutritious food is having missi roti.I love the various ways you can make them.Anything can be put in and you make these rotis and serve them with makhani dal and pickles.It has a lot of texture and the flavors which blend well.I make them various ways, this being one.Serve them HOT smeared with butter for best effect!
Ingredients
Wheat flour                                1 cup
Besan                                        1/2 cup
Ragi/millet or any other flour       1/2 cup
Oil                                             2 tbsp
Curd                                          2 tbsp
Chopped spinach                       1 cup
chopped onion                           1/2 no
chopped chilli                             2 nos
Ground flax seeds                       1 tbsp
chilli powder                               1/2 tsp
coriander powder                       1 tsp
Tumeric powder                         1/2 tsp
Hing                                           a big pinch
ajwain/carom seeds                    1/2 tsp
salt to taste
Method
Take the spinach in a bowl and add all the spices,oil,chillies,onions,curd and mix well.
Add the flours and mix into a dough.Keep for half an hour.
Make small ball,roll into a small roundel.
Smear a bit of oil on it.Fold the edges and make a ball again.Roll into a small 6" roundel.
Cook on medium heat on both side till golden brown.
Smear with butter an serve hot.

Snacky french fry

There is hardly anyone who does not like french fries.I love to give my family the ones we bake, less fat and less guilt.But by themselves, it can get pretty boring.I tried this like a salad/snack with my dinner and we all loves it.Its good to have it even as an evening snack to kids or lunch box recipe.Must try.
Ingredients
French fries                   250gms
Sliced tomatoes             2 nos
Sliced onions                 1 no
Skiced bell peppers       1/2 no
Sliced red raddish          2-3 nos
Halved green olives        8-10 nos
Lemon juice                   2 tsp
chilli flakes                     1/4 tsp
Tobasco sauce               a few dashes
salt to taste
Chopped parsley/chives/basil for flavor
Method
Bake the fries with a bit of salt till they are crisp (about 180deg temperature).
In a bowl,mix all the ingredients and toss well.
Top with a sprig of green and serve at once.

5 peppers spicy pickle

This time when I peeped into my fridge I had lovely red chillies, green chillies 2 different kinds and thought this time I would try and put all the different chillies I have in the house and make a nice spice mix that I can use as a chutney, relish or as an addition in another dish.I tried this new one and it was fantastic.I mixed it with some cooked rice and melted butter, spicy red rice is ready too.Enjoy with a nice salad.
Ingredients
Big red cillies                               5 nos
Big green chillies                          3 nos
Sharp thin green chillies                5 nos
Dry red chillies                             5 nos
Pickled green peppercorns           1 tbsp
garlic pods                                   3 nos
tomato paste                                3 tbsp
salt                                              3/5 tsp
yellow mustard seeds                   2 tbsp
Vinegar                                       2 tbsp
Olive oil                                      150 ml

Method
Clean all the fresh chillies.
Soak red chillies in vinegar for 30 mins.
In a blender put the chillies,garlic,yellow mustard seeds and vinegar chillies and grind to a coarse paste.
Heat oil and add this mixture and cook on high heat to evaporate the water in it.
Add the salt and tomato paste and keep cooking.Now add the pickled peppercorns.
Cook till all the water is gone and the oil seems to come out.
Cool and store in jars.
Enjoy with anything that needs spicing up.

Tofu burritos

   Though I have studied hotel management, we never really cooked Mexican food and I did feel a bit left out from its tastes.Its such a lovely cuisine and I feel it is pretty similar to Indian foods, loads of spices, use of tortillas and loads of beans. The last visit to the super market had me pulling out a packet of tortillas to try make something delicious.So "burritos" it was, with a nice summer salad.My family loved it.We still have 2 more left, would make something with it tomorrow.Tofu is a great way of having quality protein in the diet.
Ingredients
Tortillas                                      6 nos
Tofu chopped                             150 gms
Boiled kidney beans                    100gms
Sliced onions                              1 no
Crushed garlic                            2 cloves
Chopped red bell peppers          1/2 no
Chopped tomatoes                     4-5 nos
Cumin powder                           1 tsp
Chilli powder                             1/2 tsp
Cayenne pepper                        1/2 tsp
Garlic powder                            1/2 tsp
oregano                                    1/2 tsp
Coriander powder                     1/2 tsp
       Or
Readymade Mexican spice mix    2 tbsp
Oil                                               1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Cheese sliced as required.
Method
Heat oil and drop in the chopped garlic.Add the onions and saute well
Now put in chopped tomatoes and cook till soft.
Add the spices and salt and mix well.
Put in the tofu, chopped peppers and kidney beans.Cook till well integrated.
Heat the torillas in microwave for 10 secs each or in the oven for 10 mins or on a skillet/tava for 2 mins.
Put in the mixture and cheese and roll up the tortillas into long rolls.
Serve hot with fresh salad.

Rhubarb chutney

My 1st encounter, if I may call it so, with rhubarb was many years ago when I came to Germany.A friend treated me to a rhubarb cake and I was not used to a cake that is sour.In India cakes are always sweet even if they added fruit, they added more sweet to counter the sourness.
   I saw the rhubarb sticks in the super market and thought I should try using it in my kitchen too.I made rhubarb with red beans and since it was my 1st time, I ended up adding too much and we had a hard time finishing it .For me a chutney would just be the way of adding it to my plate.I made this chutney with fresh mint and boy,was it great!It tasted really good and we had it with crackers and now eat it with rotis too.It tastes like mango chutney,though I must add I found its raw smell too overpowering for me.Try and see.
Ingredients
Rhubarb sticks cleaned and chopped             250 gms
Chopped garlic                                              5 cloves
chopped big red jalapeño                               1 no(adds a lovely color)
Fresh mint                                                      1 fist full
dry red chilli                                                   1 no
mustard seeds                                                1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds                                                  1/2 tsp
Oil                                                                 1 tbsp
Tumeric powder                                            1/2 tsp
chilli powder                                                  1/2 tsp
coriander powder                                          1/2 tsp
sugar                                                             1/4 cup( as required to taste)
Hing                                                              1/5 tsp
pickled green peppercorns                             1 tsp
salt to taste  
Method
Heat oil in a pan, add hing and red chilli.Put in the mustard and cumin seeds and let them splutter.
Drop in the garlic and let it cook till golden.
Put in the rhubarb and red jalapeño peppers and mix well.
Sprinkle all the dry spice powders and salt.Add about 1/4 cup water and pressure cook or cover to cook till soft and mashy.
Now add the sugar,peppercorns and mint leaves and cook to evaporate water till it is thick consistency.Add more/less suagr according to taste.Mix with back of the spoon to integrate all the things well.
Serve with crackers ,as a dip or with Indian food.