Desserts

Posted in Desserts, Maharashtrian, Superfoods

नाचणीचे लाडू / Nachaneeche Ladoo / Ragi Laddoo

This is my mom’s speciality and I simply love these laddoos. Forget about being healthy, they are so good, they just melt in your mouth and you won’t be able to make out the main ingredient which is नाचणी / Nachani or Ragi or Finger millet She always asks me to eat Nachani (Ragi) more often as it contains lot of calcium. Toady on the occasion of Thanksgiving day, I made her speciality to express my gratitude towards my mom. [purerecipe]

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Posted in Desserts, Superfoods

Rose Chia Pudding

Grown in Mexico, Chia was a staple diet of the Aztecs and Mayans. The seeds nutrients provided sustained energy during lng hunts and had numerous medicinal benefits. Revered by the people, Chia was often used in religious ceremonies which led to its ban by the Spanish during their conquest of the region. In the list of rediscovered forgotten foods, the Chia seeds have topped the “Super-foods” category. The oval shaped, nutty flavored seeds are packed with  ALA(alpha-linolenic acid) an Omega-3 essential fatty acids (150%) and fibre (16%) Chia seeds are extremely easy to consume, you can add these to oatmeal, yogurt, salads…

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Posted in Desserts, Festival Special, Maharashtrian

रव्याचे लाडू / रवा नारळाचे लाडू / Rava Coconut Laddoo

Nothing makes me miss home more than not being there for Diwali… Waking up early in the morning, getting an oil massage from mom, then a bath with ‘santoor-sandle’ soap bought specially for Diwali, helping her to make rangoli, wearing new clothes, then unlimited firecrackers followed by scrumptious faral with family… Happy Days! Here’s wishing all my readers a very happy diwali. May the auspicious festival of lights illuminate your life in the year ahead with  Happiness, Health and Prosperity ! To cherish those happy moments from my childhood, I decided to make grandma’s speciality – rava laddoo. These laddoos are…

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Posted in Continental, Desserts, Entertaining, Happy Moments

Coconut Macaroons

It was a cold winter day and we were driving pass Santa Cruz mountains. I was craving for cappuccino while S wanted an oven fresh pizza. Before I could realize he had parked in front of Domino’s. Since pizza doesn’t really fit into my ‘fat-friendly’ list, I started exploring other options. I saw this small bakery shop which looked very inviting. The smell of fresh bread was very tempting. While I was still deciding the owner brought out a tray full of coconut macaroons just out of oven. He dipped one macaroon in chocolate and insisted me to try. That…

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Posted in Breakfast, Desserts, Snacks

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Two years and two months, I had successfully put off the urge of making chocolate chip cookies at home. Finally I gave in and decided to make S happy by making his two favorite dishes – Sabudana Khichadi and Chocolate Chip Cookies. The debate still continues whether firm and thin or soft and chewy is the perfect texture but we both agree that fresh, warm, just-out-of-oven cookies with a glass of cold milk is a pure bliss! It would have been a lot easier if there were one master recipe for each classic dish. After going through numerous websites I…

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ulunthan kali
Posted in Desserts, Quick n Healthy, South Indian

Ulunthan Kali

This was my first time participating in Indian Cooking Challenge and I was very excited about it. Srivalli had asked us to prepare a traditional sweet from Tamilnadu. I had never heard the name before and surprisingly none of my Tamil friends were familiar with its name – “Ulunthan Kali”. As Srivalli explained, its known by various other names such as  Kummayam or Adi Kummayam or more popularly Thiruvadhirai Kali. The recipe was given by Padma. The most impressive thing about this dish is its ingredients.; urad dal, rice, jaggery and sesame oil; all combined together to make a deliciously…

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Posted in Breakfast, Continental, Desserts, Snacks

Banana Walnut Bread

Even though I think about calories, fat, saturated fat and of course, the price I end up buying banana walnut bread at Starbucks. The cakey delight is so hard to resist. Today I decided to try it myself at home using whole wheat flour instead of maida (all purpose flour) to make it a little healthier. My husband could not tell the difference 🙂 [purerecipe] Food For Thought Walnuts are often referred to as “brain food”, not only because of brain-like appearance of their lobes but because of their high concentration of Omega-3 fatty acids. They also promote bone health…

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Posted in Continental, Desserts, Entertaining

Chocolate Brownies

Rich, Cakey, Chocolatey Goodness !! I bet you are smiling already. 🙂 This is one thing I have found hard to resist. Even though they are easy to make at home, next time I would rather but them by the piece just to keep my weight loss goal on track. I found couple of recipes with slight variations in amount of chocolate, cocoa powder and eggs used. The one I used came from my colleague’s mom. She has been baking these brownies for last 50 years, how wonderful is that! I think i did a good justice to her recipe and made…

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Posted in Desserts, Entertaining, Maharashtrian, Superfoods

खजूर साटोरी (Stuffed Dates Paratha)

Healthy twist to  a traditional Maharashtrian dessert Satori (साटोरी) is a traditional Maharashtrian dessert prepared with khoya, coconut and suji (semolina) stuffed in a poori made with maida. I have given a healthy twist to this traditional sweet dish by adding khajoor (dates), poppy seeds, sesame seeds and dried coconut stuffing inside a puri made with mainly whole wheat flour and some maida. Instead of deep frying, I lightly roasted them with ghee. The result was delicious yet healthy khajoor satori ! [purerecipe] Method Stuffing – Chop pitted dates as small as possible. Roast sesame seeds in a small frying…

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