Melony Raspberry Fruit Cobbler

Baking is one of my favorite means of cooking. I had made a raspberry dessert recently and to garnish it, I had bought a pack of fresh raspberries. However, the dessert did not turn out as expected and so the pack of raspberries was lying in the fridge along with some fresh musk melon. With nothing to do today evening, I decided to try out this recipe found on Allrecipes and I was quite pleased with the result. The preparation time is exactly 10 minutes (probably even under 10)! How I love such easy recipes. It's just as simple as waving your magic wand!

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup milk

2 cups fruits (raspberry or strawberry or cranberry or peaches or any fruit of your choice)

1 tbsp white sugar 

Directions

Set the oven at 175 degree celsius. Take a 9 inch round or 8 inch square baking dish and put the butter in it. Place the dish in the oven in the upper middle rack and pre- heat the oven while at the same time melting the butter. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add milk and make a smooth paste. Take out the dish from the oven and pour the batter into it. Arrange the fruit pieces carefully on top and sprinkle the 1 tbsp sugar. Bake for about 50 minutes or until golden brown on top and edges start coming off the sides. Serve hot or at room temperature with whipped cream or a dollop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy your deluciously easy cakey fruit cobbler.

                                   

                                   

Palak/Spinach Chicken

Greens should be a part of our regular diet as they are very rich in iron among other goodies. However, green is not a very favorite color of mine when it comes to veggies. Spinach is an exception though. Today's recipe is a very easy one and the source is from our very own Sanjeev Kapoor. The highlight of this recipe is the health factor. So without much ado, here is the simple route to yummy palak chicken.

Ingredients

250 gms chicken (I used boneless)

1 large onion chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

1/2 inch piece ginger chopped

2 tbsp yogurt

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

2 each of bay leaf, cardamom, and cloves

4-5 peppercorns

Salt to taste

2 cups spinach shredded

1 tbsp mustard oil

Fried onions for garnishing

Direction

Wash and cut the chicken and keep aside. In an pan, heat oil till smoky hot. Add bay leaf, peppercorns, cardamom, and cloves and fry for a minute. Add chopped onions, ginger, and garlic and fry till golden brown. Add the chicken pieces and the dry spices except garam masala. Add a little salt and fry till the chicken pieces are golden brown and the spices start leaving oil. Add the yogurt one tbsp at a time and fry. Add the shredded spinach and cover and cook on medium heat till the spinach is wilted and mashed. Add garam masala and cook without cover till gravy dries up. Serve hot with plain rice/roti.

                                      

                                      

Seviyan Upma (Vermicelli Upma)

Breakfast is a challenge for most people. It becomes more of a challenge on weekdays when you have to prepare quickies for people going out as well as for people staying back at home. However, getting up in the morning and to think of cooking something which would please one and all and also easy to prepare is a difficult task. I face this challenge regularly and now have come to terms with it. On most days, I bake some takeaway goodies like pies and stuffed breads which can be easily warmed in the microwave. Today's recipe is a super quick recipe and takes exactly 15 minutes to prepare. The recipe was shared by my sister in law Archita long back and ever since it has become a regular in my kitchen. The best part is even my baby enjoys it and eats it happily. What else can you ask for!

Ingredients

1-2 cups vermicelli (seviyan)

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup peanuts, roasted

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Few curry leaves

1 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Directions

In a pan, bring some water to boil and cook the seviyan till just soft, about 5-7 minutes. In another pan, heat the oil and crackle the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the onions and fry till translucent. Add the roasted peanuts and fry for sometime. At this time, you can add some chopped veggies as well. I skipped as my baby does not like chunky food. 

Meanwhile, drain the water from the cooked seviyan and run it through cold water. Now add the drained seviyan to the pan and mix well. Add salt and stir. Remove from heat and serve hot.