Jalapeño Cheddar Scones

Biscuits and scones are a big favorite in my household and I am always on the lookout for new ideas. Regular readers will know I like some spice in my life and so I immediately bookmarked this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. I have so many bookmarked recipes and cookbooks and never can seem to keep up, but I am certainly glad I baked up these little delights. I served these delicious scones with a cheesy Greek mac and cheese dish.

Jalapeño Cheddar Scones

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Smitten Kitchen Published on March 16, 2010 Easy, soft savory Cheddar cheese scones speckled with colorful little pieces of fresh jalapeño pepper — ideal for serving with dinner or as a snack Print this recipe Ingredients: 2 cups unbleached white flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 large eggs 1 1/2 cups fresh grated extra-old Cheddar cheese 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced pinch of cayenne Instructions: Preheat an oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease the baking sheet with butter. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or a knife and fork until the butter is reduced to small crumbs. Beat the eggs together with the cream and pour into the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Fold in the Cheddar, jalapeños and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Shape into roughly 1 1/2 inch rounds and transfer to the baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 10 scones

More savory biscuits and scones you will be sure to enjoy from Lisa's vegetarian kitchen:
Cheddar Parmesan Scones with Dill
Cheddar Dill Beer Biscuits
Raisin Cranberry Tea Biscuits
Whole Wheat Tea Biscuits

On the top of the reading stack: Pure and Simple: Homemade Indian Vegetarian Cuisine by Vidhu Mittal

Audio Accompaniment: Shutov Assembly by Brian Eno

Late Night Peanut Butter and Vanilla Ice Cream Treat

I admit I did not make my own ice cream, but this was an inspired late night creation that turned out even better than I expected.

Drop a spoonful each of natural peanut butter and raw honey over a couple of scoops of real vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, and top with a drop or two of real vanilla extract and a scattering of your favorite variety of granola.

On the top of the reading stack: Dakshin by Chandra Padmanabhan

Audio Accompaniment: Arc of Passion by Steve Roach

Urad Dal with Tomatoes, Spices and Coconut

This soupy, yet creamy curry is very easy to digest and was inspired from 660 Curries, a favoured book that I always browse through when I am looking for a simple, but tasty meal solution. As I have noted before, this cookbook is not vegetarian, but there are tons of creative vegetarian recipes, including ideas for appetizers, spice blends, egg curries, vegetables, legumes, rice and breads. Since I have been eating a lot of dishes with cheese lately, I wanted a vegan meal to cleanse the soul. Serve with basmati rice or Indian flat bread for a complete and satisfying dinner.

Urad Dal with Tomatoes, Spices and Coconut

Adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

1 cup of split urad dal, without skins
3 cups of water
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 inch piece of tamarind
2 tablespoons of ghee, or a mixture of butter and oil
2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
5 green chilies, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
5 dried red chilies, crumbled
1 teaspoon of amchoor powder
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1/3 cup of dried coconut
1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt
a generous handful of dried curry leaves

Soak the tamarind pulp in 1 cup of very hot water for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. Strain the liquid into a bowl with a fine-meshed strainer, squeezing as much liquid as possible out of the tamarind pulp. Discard the pulp and set aside the liquid.

Soak the coconut in hot water for 15 minutes, drain and set aside.

Wash the urad well in a strainer. Transfer to a large pot, along with 3 cups of water, the turmeric and the tamarind water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover and simmer until the urad dal is tender - roughly 20 minutes.

While the urad dal is cooking, heat the ghee or butter and oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds and stir and fry for a minute or so. Now add the chilies, garlic, ginger, cayenne and amchoor powder and stir and fry for a few minutes.

Add the tomatoes to the pan, along with the cocount, salt and curry leaves. Simmer until the mixture is thickened - about 5 minutes. Pour into the cooked dal, stir and simmer for about 10 minutes, adding more water if needed.

Serves 4 - 5

More urad dal recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Urad Dal with Tomatoes
Fennel Flavoured Urad Dal Soup
Savory Rice and Urad Dal Pancakes

On the top of the reading stack: The New Vichy Syndrome: Why European Intellectuals Surrender to Barbarism by Theodore Dalrymple

Audio Accompaniment: Multila by Vladislav Delay

Ricotta Dumplings with Best-Ever Mushroom Sauce

These not-quite-traditional dumplings made with ricotta and Parmesan cheese are creamy, filling, and just plain comfort food. Top them off with a batch of my "best-ever mushrooms sauce" — which is always better than I remember — and you've got a delicious dinner that is an improvement on tradition, as far as I'm concerned! I really could eat the sauce just all on its own, but the dumplings are a serious update — dare I say improvement — on tradition. I have served this sauce with plenty of foods, including scalloped potatoes, black-eyed pea and quinoa croquettes and fresh pasta. It is one of my favorite staple sauces and a big hit with everyone who has tried it.

Ricotta Dumplings with Best-Ever Mushroom Sauce

Recipe by Lisa Turner Published on July 12, 2009 Soft creamy ricotta and Parmesan cheese dumplings smothered in a tangy "best ever" mushroom sauce Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 cup ricotta cheese 2 eggs, separated 2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste fresh ground black pepper to taste 1/3 cup unbleached white flour 2/3 cup bread crumbs 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons cornmeal fresh grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh chives for garnish 1 batch of best-ever mushroom sauce (recipe below) Instructions: To make the dumplings, beat together the ricotta, egg yolks and Parmesan in a large bowl. Add the flour and beat until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture in two additions. Next fold in the breadcrumbs and cornmeal. Fill a heavy skillet or large wok with enough water to reach a depth of two inches. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Drop the ricotta batter by rounded tablespoons into the water. Cover and cook for 4 minutes. Turn the dumplings, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. To complete the dish, place the dumplings on a platter or in a large serving bowl, and spoon the mushroom sauce over the dumplings. Sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper, fresh grated Parmesan cheese and chopped chives. Makes 4 to 6 servings

Best-Ever Mushroom Sauce Ingredients: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 medium onions, chopped 1 pound white mushrooms, or with some creminis, sliced 1 cup plain whole fat yogurt at room temperature juice of 1 or 2 lemons, to taste (3 to 5 tablespoons) 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour (optional) fresh ground black pepper to taste Notes: Use whole fat yogurt at room temperature to avoid curdling. Cold yogurt curdles in response to abrupt changes in temperature. If using fat-free or low-fat yogurt, stabilize the yogurt first by whisking in 1 teaspoon of cornstarch or flour. Instructions: Melt the butter in a large saucepan or wok over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 8 minutes or until they are soft and translucent. Stir in the mushrooms, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are reduced but still slightly plump. Take the pan off the stove and remove the lid. Stir in the yogurt, then stir in the lemon juice, parsley, mustard and salt. Return the pan to the stove. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce without boiling, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes — or longer if you want a thicker sauce. If you want to speed up the process, stir in a tablespoon of unbleached all-purpose flour a few minutes after adding the yogurt and other ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Before serving, add fresh ground black pepper to taste and stir. Makes 3 cups

More mushroom dishes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Cheddar and Mushroom Shirred Eggs
Stuffed Mushrooms with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Olives
Scalloped Potatoes with Mushrooms and Coconut Milk
Wild Rice and Portobello Mushroom Soup
Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Sweet Puttu Recipe / Arisi Vella Puttu – Maha Shivaratri Prasadam

We prepare this sweet puttu recipe mainly on ‘Maha shivaratri’ as prasadam.So we call this as Shivaratri puttu . Some people prepare this arisi Vella puttu/Arisi puttu during Navaratri days.This is made out of rice flour and jaggery. My mil makes home made rice flour to make this puttu.U can try with good quality store bought puttu flour/puttu maavu too.Here I have cooked the rice mixture twice to make soft puttu.Try this method & let me know how it turned out for you :)

Sweet puttu recipe

 Sweet puttu recipe for Maha Shivratri

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 120 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 140 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

To soak in water Raw rice - 1 cup Chana dal/Kadalai paruppu - 1/4 cup For jaggery syrup Grated jaggery - 1.25 cups Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Water - as needed Salt - A pinch

METHOD

Soak the raw rice/Maavu arisi in water for 2 hrs . Soak the chana dal in water for 2 hours.Drain the water and spread the rice on a news paper / cloth for 10 mins so that the excess water gets absorbed. Grind the rice in a mixie or processer to make powder..(rice should be little moist ) .Sieve and again grind it to make a fine powder. **If u use store bought rice flour ,use puttu maavu for best results.If  u use that,u can start from the next step..But u should add little water mixed with salt to make the flour a bit wet. Grease the idli plate with oil and spread the finely ground rice flour .Steam it for 10 to 15 mins.. In the mean time take the soaked channa dal and pressure cook till it blossoms. Do not over cook the channa dal.Usually what we do is , we keep the channa dal in a bowl with water inside the idli pot and allow it to cook along with the rice flour..By the time the rice flour gets ready , the channa dal will also get cooked and blossomed.. After 15 minutes,remove the flour and  break the lumps by spreading in a plate.Sprinkle salted water.The quantity of water should be such that u should be able to make a ball with the flour.(Maavu pidikira padham varanum).Sieve it using puttu sieve (jalladai).This is called Puttu maavu.Again spread the flour in idli plate and steam it for 10 minutes.Grind it once in mixie to break the lumps.Mix the cooked channa dal.  Take the jaggery in a wide mouthed bowl and add little water just to cover it. Melt the jaggery and strain the impurities if any.Allow the jaggery to boil till it becomes frothy and thick. Add cardamom powder,mix well. Now mix the jaggery syrup to rice flour mixture .Mix well and  enjoy by adding a tsp of ghee !!

Note

Please keep in mind,u should steam the flour twice to get soft puttu.For storing puttu maavu,  steam the ground rice flour for 15 minutes,Remove and grind it.Seive it and dry in sun and store in a box.Whenever u need puttu,u can steam it and proceed as given above. The color of puttu depends on the color of jaggery.U can see the difference in color in my old & new pictures..Add more jaggery if u have sweet tooth. Make sure u break all the lumps after u steam the rice flour.For safer side,Grind the flour and sieve once.Then add chana dal and proceed. The consistency of jaggery syrup should be thick else puttu will become a sticky paste. Some people roast the rice flour before steaming.But we don’t do it.We steam the flour directly. Add a tsp of ghee before serving,It adds a nice flavor !

Take care , catch u all in my next post

Technorati Tags: Sweet puttu recipe,Vella puttu recipe,Navaratri recipes,Maha shivaratri prasadam recipes,Shivratri prasad recipes

Very good recipes Tags: Sweets, festival recipes, rice flour, jaggery

Chickpeas and Paneer in a Spicy Creamy Cashew Gravy

I was browsing through the starred items in my Google Reader the other day and came across this mouthwatering creamy chickpea and paneer dish from Sunita's Kitchen that I have been meaning to make for quite a while now. I usually visit my friend Basil on Saturday night and as he loves paneer as much as I do, I decided it was time to make this delicious-looking dish. As usual, I have modified the original recipe somewhat to suit my own preferences. Thanks for the idea Sunita!

If the winter blues are getting you down, this dish is certain to cheer you up. The only positive thing I can say about the snow is that it gives me a chance to get some exercise with all of the shoveling that needs to be done lately. I am especially eager for spring this year. Let the global warming begin!

This is my entry to My Legume Love Affair, a popular monthly event started by Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook and hosted this month by Mirch Masala.

Chickpeas and Paneer in a Spicy Creamy Cashew Gravy

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Sunita Bhuyan Cuisine: Indian Published on March 6, 2010 Plump, buttery soft chickpeas and tender pieces of fried paneer cheese simmered in a mouthwatering spicy cashew and tomato gravy Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas (4 1/2 cups cooked) 4 tablespoons ghee, butter or oil 14 oz (400 g) paneer cheese, cut into cubes Green paste: 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced or grated 3 to 4 fresh green chilies, seeded and chopped Cashew paste: 1 cup raw cashews 2/3 cup cream or milk 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads 1 large tomato, chopped Other ingredients: small handful of dried curry leaves or 1 bay leaf 2 dried whole red chilies 3 black cardamon pods, split in the middle 1-inch piece cinnamon stick 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1 teaspoon garam masala 1/4 cup fresh parsley or coriander, chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste 1 2/3 to 2 cups water Preparation: Rinse the chickpeas and soak for 8 hours or overnight in enough water to cover. Drain and rinse, then transfer to a large saucepan and cover with several inches of fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, then cover and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the chickpeas are buttery soft. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the ghee, butter or oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the paneer and fry for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring and turning frequently, until the cubes are browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Using a blender or a large mortar and pestle, make a green paste of the onions, garlic, ginger and fresh chilies. Add a bit of water if necessary to blend. Soak the cashews in the cream or milk with the saffron for 30 minutes. Transfer to a blender or mortar and pestle, add the tomato, and process until the mixture is turned into a paste. Cooking instructions: Heat the remaining ghee, butter or oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the curry leaves of bay leaf, dried whole red chilies, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and sugar. Stir for 1 minute or until the mustard seeds turn grey and begin to splutter and pop. Add the turmeric, ground cumin, chili flakes and cayenne to the pan, stir briefly, and then add the green onion and chili paste. Stir for several minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the chickpeas and stir for another 5 minutes. Now add the cashew paste, fried paneer cheese, garam masala, parsley or coriander, and salt. Add 1 2/3 cups of water and simmer until the gravy is thickened, adding more water as necessary to achieve your desired consistency. Serve hot with fresh cooked white rice or an Indian flatbread such as roti or naan. Makes 6 to 8 servings

More paneer recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Paneer Mushroom Masala
Macaroni and Paneer Cheese
Kidney Beans in a Slowly Simmered Tomato Sauce
Shredded Paneer with Tomatoes, Chilies, Mushrooms and Chickpeas

On the top of the reading stack: Tales of Love & Loss by Knut Hamsun

Audio accompaniment: Drawing Of Sound by Windy and Carl

Massaman Curry with Paneer Cheese

In the mood for Thai flavours, I simmered up a hot and sour mushroom soup. To go along with the meal, I also prepared this massaman curry with golden brown fried paneer cheese and a fresh and spicy homemade massaman curry paste. I spent many hours in the kitchen that day, as I also made my own nam prik pow sauce to go into the mushroom soup. It was certainly worth the effort and the meal was enjoyed with friends.

I adapted the dish from Thai Vegetarian Cooking by Vatcharin Bhumichitr. According to the introduction that precedes the recipe, massaman curries are influenced by the flavors of Islamic cuisine and very closely related to many popular Indian curries. Usually cooked with beef or chicken, this is of course a vegetarian version, but I didn't care for the tofu that the author suggested — instead, the fried paneer cheese simmered in this wonderful creamy, spicy and highly aromatic coconut gravy turned out to be absolutely delicious, and was the highlight of my amazing Thai dinner.

Massaman Curry with Paneer Cheese

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Thai Vegetarian Cooking Cuisine: Thai Published on March 3, 2010 A vegetarian version of the famous southern Thai curry usually cooked with beef or chicken, this massaman curry has golden-brown fried pieces of paneer cheese simmered in a creamy, spicy, "coconutty" and wonderfully fragrant sauce Print this recipe Ingredients: 6 tablespoons sesame oil 8 to 12 oz (200 to 300 g) paneer cheese, cubed 2/3 cup raw cashews, halved 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tablespoons massaman curry paste 14 oz (400 mL) can coconut milk 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 large shallots, chopped juice from 1 small lemon (2 tablespoons) 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 teaspoons of sugar Instructions: Heat 4 tablespoons of the sesame oil in a large saucepan or wok over medium heat. When hot, add the cheese cubes and stir-fry for about 5 to 10 minutes, constantly turning the cubes to brown them evenly on all sides. As they turn crisp and golden, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Meanwhile, toast the cashews in a small saucepan or frying pan over medium-low heat, stirring or tossing frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside. Heat the remaining oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. When hot, add the garlic and stir and fry for a few minutes. Add the curry paste, stir, and then add the coconut milk and stir well to combine. Add the potatoes, shallots, lemon juice, paneer cheese and cashews, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are just cooked and the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and sugar. Makes 4 servings

On the top of the reading stack: The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters by B.R. Myers

Audio accompaniment: Give Them The Rights by The Congos