Baked Baingan Bharta / Baked Eggplant Curry

Baingan Bharta, is a dish commonly prepared in the North region of India. Also known as Ringda no Oddo in Gujrati, it is originally a curry of smoked eggplant mixed with spring onion greens and spices. Traditionally, the eggplant used to be smeared with oil and garlic and roasted in a charcoal fire. With time, this technique evolved and we can prepare the same dish on the regular flame stove. In my home, we have an induction stove and hence I decided to try a baked version of this recipe.
Best enjoyed with Khichdi / Lentils and Rice pressured cooked, this is a favorite recipe in the winters.

Baked Baingan Bharta

Baked Baingan Bharta

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant, whole
• 1 bunch of spring onion greens, finely chopped
• 2 green  chillies, finely chopped
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, whole
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Curd/ Yoghurt
• 1/2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds / Jeera
• 1/2 tsp hing / asafoetida powder
• 2 tsps Red Chilly Powder
• 1 tsp Haldi Powder / Turmeric Powder
• 2 tsps Garam Masala Powder
• Coriander for garnish

Method

Baked Eggplant Curry

• Preheat the oven to 400 F and keep ready
• Meanwhile, slit the eggplant and insert the garlic cloves. Smear the whole eggplant with oil and bake for 45 mins
• Once the eggplant is baked, let it cool. 
• Once cool, remove the skin and de-seed the eggplant, if any
• Collect the roasted garlic pods, add salt and grind them to a paste in a mortar and pestle
• Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, asafoetida powder, spring onions, garlic paste and fry well
• Add the tomatoes and let the cook
• Add all the powdered spices, roasted eggplant, lemon juice and mix well
• Add the curs / yoghurt and cook until the water evaporates
• Garnish with coriander and serve hot

Baked Eggplant Curry

Three Berry Smoothie

The Berry Smoothie is a regular breakfast item for hubby and me, loaded with berries of course, walnuts and almond milk. As the name suggests, it is a combo of my favorite three berries and lots of milk. As soon as spring arrives, I love the sight of strawberries and other berries on the aisles at the supermarket. Try this quick berry smoothie which is also a huge hit with the kids. I also like to add a banana once in a while. You can also use regular milk, however based on Ayurveda, an ancient science from India, it is recommended not to mix fruit with milk. This was an eye opener for me and I thought I should share it with my readers.

You can also try this smoothie with the Hershey's strawberry syrup, when fresh strawberries are out of season.

Berry Smoothie

Ingredients

Three Berry Smoothie

• 1 Banana, optional
• 4-5 Strawberries, diced
• 4-5 Blackberries, whole
• 3-4 Blueberries, whole
• 1 glass of Almond Milk
• 4-5 Walnuts, soaked overnight

Method

•  In a blender or bullet, mix all the ingredients and your smoothie is ready.Simple, isn't it?

A very berry smoothie! Fresh, vegan a great grab and go option.

Three Berry Smoothie

Paalak-e-Aloo

A very famous and common dish found in the Northern part of India is Aloo Palak (Spinach puree with potato). This is my version of the yummy green dish, however I like to use chopped Spinach instead. Best served with freshly baked bread, this can also be used as a filling in sandwiches or burritos. Sounds different but tastes yummy. Skip the onion if you want to make non onion-garlic version

Ingredients

Paalak-e-Aloo / Spinach Potato Curry

• 1 bunch of spinach, finely chopped
• 1 big yellow potato, cut into cubes
• 1 onion, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp Yellow Asafoetida Powder (for the non-onion garlic version)
• 1 tbsp, ginger chilly paste (green chillies preferred)
• 1 tomato finely chopped
• 1 cup Curd, beaten
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2 tsps Red Chilly Powder
• 1 tbsp Garam Masala
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Ghee (Clarified Butter) or Oil

Paalak-e-Aloo / Spinach Potato Curry

Method

Paalak-e-Aloo / Spinach Potato Curry

• In a food processor, chop the spinach and keep aside.
• Heat ghee in a pan, add the ginger-chilly paste and onions and fry well.
• Add the potatoes, turmeric powder and salt and fry well till the potatoes are softened
• Add salt carefully, as spinach is naturally salty.
• Add the tomatoes and fry well till the tomatoes leave water.
• Add the red chilly powder, garam masala and let the gravy cook well.
• Add spinach and mix well until the spinach is cooked. 
• Do not cover the vegetable, to retain the green color of the spinach
• Serve hot with Rotis or refrigerate for a day or two to use as a filling.

Lunch Thali

Creamy Oreo Cups

Hubby and I dont really have a sweet tooth, but once in a while we like to indulge in a dessert. I mostly store buy sweet treats for the family, simply to minimize the effort it takes to prepare one.

However, this year on Valentine's Day, I decided to try something myself at home and surprise him. Inspired from mason jar desserts, Creamy Oreo Cups is a quick (ten minutes to be precise) preparation. Needs limited ingredients, this dessert is a great option for a last minute preparation.

Creamy Oreo Cups

Ingredients

• 10-12 Oreo Cookies
• 5-6 Wholewheat Biscuits
• 1/2 cup Condensed Milk
• 1/2 cup Cream Cheese
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Essence
• 1 tsp Hershey's Strawberry Syrup
• Mint leaves for garnish
• Blueberries for garnish

Creamy Oreo Cups

Method

• Separate the cream from the oreo cookies and keep aside.
• In a food processor, crush the oreo and whole wheat biscuits to a crumb and keep aside
• In another bowl, mix the condensed milk, cream cheese, vanilla essence, strawberry syrup, oreo cream (removed from the cookies) and beat well with an electric beater.
• Before serving, take cups / glasses of your choice and freeze them for five mins in the refrigerator
• Add the biscuit crumb, cream mixture, mint leaves and repeat this process twice or more depending on the size of your glass
• Garnish with blueberries, mint leaves and drizzle a little strawberry syrup on top.
• Freeze for 15 mins in the refrigerator and serve cool.

Creamy Oreo Cups

Creamy Oreo Cups

This goes very well as a small portion dessert on a pizza night. Enjoy a casual evening with this yummy combo.

Eggplant and Spinach Bake

As a family, we love our Indian food and a second favorite is Italian. I have heard and read that Italians are very similar to Indians with regards to food and family life. No wonder we can relate to them and have a strong liking to their cuisine. Back in India in the early 2000's Italian for me was just pizza and pasta. As I explored more I came across many other dishes that I would love to try. One such recipe was the Eggplant Parmesan. The Eggplant and Spinach Bake is inspired from the Eggplant Parmesan, a classic Italian recipe. Broken down into three parts, this recipe is time consuming, but completely worth it.

Eggplant Spinach Bake

Ingredients

Eggplant Spinach Bake with Cheddar Cheese

• 1 large eggplant, cut into round slices
• 1 big bowl of spinach leaves, finely chopped
• 1 bowl of grated mozrella cheese
• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese, fresh or powdered
• 2-3 tomatoes, boiled and pureed
• 2 garlic pods, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Oil
• 1 tbsp red chilly flakes
• 1 tsp mixed Italian herbs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Eggplant Spinach Bake with Mozrella

Method

• Cut the eggplant into round slices, sprinkle salt on both sides and leave aside for 30 minutes. this process helps to remove the bitterness from the eggplant. 
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic and fry till golden brown. add the tomato puree and mix well. 
• Once the tomatoes are cooked, add salt, pepper, red chilly flakes and mixed italian herbs. Keep aside.
• Take a kitchen towel and press the egplant slices in that and pat dry
• In another flat pan, heat oil and roast the eggplant slices until both sides are golden brown.
• Take a baking dish, layer the eggplant slices, tomato sauce, spinach leaves, parmesan and mozrella cheese in the order mentioned.
• Bake at 180 C / 350 F for 30 mins and serve hot

You can even use Cheddar cheese instead of Mozrella cheese. I have tried both and it tastes equally good.

Roasted Bell Pepper and Corn Salad

My second recipe in the salad series is the Roasted Bell Pepper and Tomato Salad. This is my take on the Mexican Roasted Tomato Salsa, however I chose to use bell peppers as my main ingredient. This salad can also serve as a Salsa for your Mexican Meal and can even be mixed with Avocados to have a creamy Guacamole.

Roasted Bell Pepper and Corn Salad

Ingredients

Roasted Bell Pepper and Corn Salad

• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, cut into dices
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, cut into dices
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, cut into dices
• 4 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 yellow corn cob / corn kernels
• 1 tbsp spring onion greens, finely chopped
• 3-4 chopped jalapenos
• 1/2 tsp Tacos seasoning
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp paprika powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Oil for roasting

Method

• Heat a grilled pan and rub with oil. Roast the bell peppers till brown and keep aside
• In the same pan, roast the corn cob 
• Once cool, remove the corn kernels and keep aside. In case you want to skip this, you can add boiled corn kernels
• Take a bowl and mix the bell peppers, corn, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, jalapenos and keep aside
• Just before serving add the taco seasoning, salt, paprika and lemon juice.
• Serve as a stand alone or with Tacos. My favorite are the Cheesy Blasted Tacos.

Roasted Bell Pepper and Corn Salad

Roasted Bell Pepper and Corn Salad

You can even make this a part of a Mexican Buddha Bowl (Coming soon) on the blog