Mini Onion Uthappam with Mixed Vegetable Uthappam

Uthappam is a kind of dosa with is very famous in south India. Basically it is made out of sour idly/dosa batter. I always make it with dosa batter. To make it sour I used to add sour curd.

Usually uthappam is make in 8" round and 1/2" thick. TO make it more festive and interesting I made it in small round shapes. And almost all vegetables can be added to the uthappam. Onion uthappam is one type of it.
I make many types of Uthappam such as plain, onion, carrot, peas, cashew nut, coconut, podi........and many more. One of my family's favorite tiffin is Uthappam...This is one of the regular breakfast in my family.
So Onion Uthappam

is my first contribution to Nupar's A to Z of Indian Vegetables event for "O".

Ingredients :

Dosa Batter - 1 cup
Sour Curd - 1/2 cup
Grated onion - 2 tablespoon
Minced Green chili - 2
Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Vegetables cut in small piece - 1/4 cup (i have used grated carrots, corn kernel and peas)

Procedure :

Preheat the dosa tawa

1. Mix sour curd, grated onion, minced green chills, ginger paste to the dosa batter.

2. Grease the hot tawa with some butter.

3. Scoop the batter with a small spoon on the hot tawa. Make 3 to 4 small dosa at once.

4. Sprinkle it with the chopped veggies.

5. Cover the tawa with a big plate for 5 mins or until the dosa is cooked.

6. Remove and serve hot with sambar, chutney and idly podi.

Strawberry Strata

Strawberry strata are a baked fruit dessert. But it can be taken as breakfast or brunch. Basically and custard is prepared and bread slices are soaked in it and the fruit is added to it and baked slow in the oven.



A strata is an Italian dessert and strawberry can be replaced with any other berry or a mixture of berry can be used. Inspiration of this dish is from one of my favorite program in food network. This can be server hot or cold….

So my first contribution for MONTHLY MINGLE is Strawberry strata. I thought that these strawberry strata will perfectly suit this month’s theme “SPRING IS IN THE AIR”.

I bake this Strawberry strata whenever i find fresh strawberry in the farm fresh market. Fresh strawberry are found form the spring season though the entire summer. This is one of my family's favorite fruit desert which i bake often.....

Ingredients :

Cream cheese - 4 ounces (about 1/2 cup)
Ricotta cheese - 4 ounces (about 1/2 cup)
Eggs - 5
Milk - 1 ½ cup
Strawberries – 1 cup (quartered)
Honey - 1/2 cup
Cardamompowder - 1 teaspoon
Nutmeg powder – 1 teaspoon
Bread cubes – 2 cups
Sugar – 2 tablespoon

Procedure :

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

1. Bring all the ingredients to room temperature.

2. Toss the strawberry with sugar.




3. Place the cheeses in a large bowl and stir together.

4. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing until completely incorporated before adding the next.

5. Now stir in the milk, strawberries, honey, cinnamon, and bread.

6. Pour into an 8 by 10 by 2-inch casserole dish.



7. Cover the dish with foil. Bake covered with foil for 45 minutes.

8. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Remove the foil and continue baking for 30 to 35 minutes. Until the surface is golden brown.

Sweet Caramel Popcorn

One of the most popular snack for children and adults is POPCORN..... There are many easy ways to pop a corn...I have made and sweet version of popcorn....... I got this great idea form one of my favourite program in food network channel. I have given an Indian twist to this by using cardamom powder and edible camphor. Both of these ingredients are very refreshing and they both have tonnes of flavors........

Ingredients :

Soft caramel candies – 15
Whole milk – 2 tablespoon
Package microwave popped popcorn – 1
Cardamom powder – ¼ teaspoon
Edible camphor - 1 pinch

Procedure :

1. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper.

2. Spread the popcorn on the cookie sheet.

3. Melt caramels with milk in microwave on low heat until smooth.

4. Stir cardamom powder and edible camphor into caramel.

5. Now pour the caramel mixture on the pop corn on the cookie sheet.

6. And mix it with your hands. And scoop them to your serving bowl.

Spicy Apple Pancake With Apple Sauce

Apple:
Apples are crisp, white-fleshed fruits with red, yellow or green skin. They range in taste from moderately sweet and refreshing to pleasantly tart depending on the variety.

Pancakes:
Pancakes are a type of flat bread prepared from a sweet batter that is cooked on a hot griddle or in a oven. They can be made in different shapes. Pancakes are cooked one side at a time and flipped halfway through the cooking process to cook the other side of the pancake

Spicy Apple Pancake:
I call my pancakes spicy apple pancake because i mix cardamom and cinnamon powder. As we all know that apple and cinnamon marry very nicely together i used cinnamon with apple and i love cardamom in any sweet dish, so i used both of them in my pancake and so i named them as spicy apple pancake.

As apple is this month's pick for AFAM event! My contribution is "SPICY APPLE PANCAKE WITH APPLE SAUCE"

Ingredients :

Pancake:

Granny smith apple – ½ cup (pealed and diced)
All-purpose flour – 1 cup
Baking powder – 2 teaspoon
Milk - 1 cup
Egg whites - 1
Cinnamon powder – 1 teaspoon
Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon
Sugar - tablespoon
Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
Unsalted butter, melted - 2 tablespoons
Salt – 1 pinch
Butter for brushing the iron skillet
Big cookie cutter (I have used heart shaped cutter)

Apple Sauce:

Apple Juice - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Cornstarch - 2 tablespoons
Lemon Juice - 2 tablespoons
Butter - 1/4 cup

Procedure :

1. Heat a non stick pan over low heat to warm up for 5 minutes.

2. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, pinch of salt.

3. In another bowl combine the egg, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom and milk.

4. Stir the dry mixture into the wet ingredients.

5. Lightly fold in the melted butter.

6. Brush the butter on the skillet and add ¼ cup of batter to the pan, spreading the batter to form even 2-inch pancakes.

7. Cook until bubbles cover the surface.

8. Sprinkle some diced apple on the pancake.

9. Flip and cook until golden underneath, about 30-40 seconds.

10. Continue with the remaining batter.

11. Mean while cut the pancake to desired shape using a big cookie cutter. (I have used heat shaped cutter)



12. Serve immediately with whipped cream and sauce.

Apple Sauce :

1. In a heavy bottom pan add sugar and apple juice, bring it to boil.

2. Then add cornstarch and stir it until desired thickness.



3. Then add lime juice and butter and mix it well.

Handy Tips :

Sauce can be thin or thick according to our wish. If we want a thick sauce boil it for a long time.

Spinach Casserole

Leafy green vegetables like spinach with its delicate texture and jade green color provide more nutrients than any other food.


Casserole:
A one-pot meal baked and served in an earthenware or glass dish. Basically in casserole dishes, all the food are cooked and they are mixed with cheese and baked until they marry together.
Spinach casserole is one of such type. Spinach is cooked separately and the sauce is cooked separately and they are mixed and baked in the oven.
Casserole are well know by all for there cheesy and golden crust. My favorite part of the dish is the crust (soooo crunchy). I bake spinach casserole every weekend and my family loves it a lot and they are good for health also. So i have selected this spinach casserole for the event Jihva for Ingredients (JFI) for the special theme "Going Green with Green Leafy Vegetables".

Ingredients :

Spinach – 1 bunch
Green Chilies – 2
Onions – ½ cup
All-purpose flour – 2 tablespoon
Bread Crumbs – ¼ cup
Butter – 1/4 cup
Nutmeg – ½ teaspoon
Garlic – 1 teaspoon
Milk – 3/4 cup
Cheddar cheese – ¼ cup
Parmesan cheese – ¼ cup
Dried Oregano – ¼ spoon
Dried Parsley – ¼ spoon
Dried Basel – ¼ spoon
Salt – ½ teaspoon
Pepper – 1 teaspoon

Procedure :

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large skillet add 1 tablespoon of butter and add the chopped garlic and green.

3. Now add washed spinach to the pan and wilt it for 2 mins.

4. Remove and keep it aside.

5. In the same pan add 2 tablespoon butter and add the chopped onions and saute it for 2 mins.

6. Now add flour to the onions and saute it for few mins until the raw smell is goes.

7. Add milk to the mixture and stir until all are combined.

8. Put nutmeg, salt and pepper.

9. In the mean while mix bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon of butter and dried oregano, dried parsley, dried basal and the cheddar and Parmesan cheese.

10. When the sauce become thick, mix the cooked spinach with the sauce.

11. Spray the casserole dish and transfer the spinach mixture to the bowl.


12. Now sprinkle the bread Crumbs mixture on the top.


13. Bake it until it become bubbly (for 20-25 mins) and keep in broil for 5 mins until the top is golden brown or until the crust is crispy.

Handy Tips :

1. Green chillies can be added to reduced as per one's taste.

2. Green chillies can be avoided and pepper can be added as per taste.

Tortilla wedges

Ingredients :

Flour Tortillas - 4
Cream cheese, softened – 1 Package (8 ounce)
Sour cream – ½ cup
Green Chilies – 4 sliced
Sliced green onions – ½ cup
Tomatoes seeded – 3 tablespoon
Salt and pepper
Marinara Sauce - 1 cup

Procedure :

1. In medium bowl, combine cream cheese and sour cream. Mix well. Stir in chilies, onions and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Spread 1 tortilla with about ¼ cup cream cheese mixture; top with another tortilla.

3. Continue spreading and stacking tortillas until stack is 4 tortillas high.

4. Wrap tortilla stack in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

5. Cut each stack into desired no of wedges.

6. Arrange pin-wheel fashion around cup of marinara sauce.

Mini Sun-dried Tomato Muffin

Hi.. every one.......
Tomato is one of the significant fruit used for cooking. They are very famous for the vibrant colour. Tomatoes come in different forms for the purpose of cooking, such as canned tomato, tomato paste, tomato sauce, tomato puree, tomato juice, sun-dried tomato and many more like this.


Out of these i have choose sun-dried tomato for this event, Jihva for Tomatoes. I have made Mini Sun-dried Tomato Muffin. Commonly muffins are made as sweet goodies. But they taste great as savory dish also. They are very easy and delicious tea time snacks.

Some of my views about tomato is .......

Ingredients :

All-purpose flour – 2 cups + 1 tablespoon
Baking power – 2 ½ teaspoon
Egg – 1
Butter – ¼ cup
Sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil) – ½ cup chopped
Jalapeno – 1 Diced and seeded
Dried basil – 1 teaspoon
Garlic powder – 1 teaspoon
Milk – 1 cup
Sour cream – ¼ cup
Parmesan cheese – ¼ cup
Salt – ½ teaspoon
Pepper – 1 teaspoon

Procedure :

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, garlic powder, dried basil, salt and pepper in large bowl.

3. Mix butter, sour cream, egg and milk.

4. In the mean while cube the sun dried tomatoes and jalapeno and dust it with 1 tablespoon of flour so that they will not sink into the batter. Avoid sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil as they can change the colour of the muffin.



5. Now mix the flour mixture to the butter, sour cream, egg and milk and mix until combined. Do not over work the batter as it will result in tough muffin.

6. Line the muffin cups with muffin paper.

7. Now fold in the sun-dried tomatoes and jalapenos and Parmesan cheese to the batter.


8. Now divide the batter in to the muffin cups evenly.



9. Bake for 12 to 15 mins or till the cake tester come out clean.

10. Remove and serve when it is still hot.

Handy Tips :

The batter can be prepared a head at time. But do not mix the sun-dried tomatoes. Mix it while baking.