Madeleine

Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks - Unsalted Butter
3/4 cups - All Purpose Flour
4 - Large Eggs
a pinch - Salt
2/3 cups - Sugar
1 Tbsp - Orange Zest
1 tsp - Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp - Baking Powder
1/4 tsp - Baking Soda (Optional)
Non-Stick spray to grease the Madeleine Pan
Powdered sugar for dusting

Procedure:
1) Preheat the oven for 350 degrees.
2) Grease the pan with non-stick spray.
3) Melt the butter to ghee (by heating them in med-low for about 10 mins) and strain it on a paper towel over a mesh strainer. Leave them aside to cool.
4) Whisk the eggs along with the salt on high speed for about 3 mins till it doubles/triples in quantity.
5) Add sugar and whisk continuously in high speed for about 2 mins till the mixture becomes thick.
6) Fold in Orange zest and Vanilla extract with a spatula.
7) Stir in the all purpose flour & baking powder (& baking soda) until they are mixed completely.
8) Spoon the molds 2/3rd full and bake them for about 7 - 10 mins. Edges should be golden brown in color. Poke with a toothpick and be sure it comes out clean.
9) Remove them immediately from the pan and cool them in a rack and dust them with powdered sugar.

Non Fried Masala Peanuts

Ingredients:

1 Cup - Peanuts

1/2 Tsp - Chili Powder

1/2 Tsp - Garam Masala Powder

1/4 Tsp - Chat Masala (Optional)

Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice for taste

Salt to taste

2 Tbsp Olive oil (or any other oil)

1 Tbsp - Besan Flour

1/2 Tbsp - Rice Flour

Procedure:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Mix all the spices with lemon juice, salt and 1 tbsp oil.

3) Add peanuts to this mixture so that the spice get nicely coated to peanuts.

4) Spread them in single layer on a big cookie sheet.

5) Spray or brush 1 tbsp oil on top. Put them in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove them from oven and allow them to cool completely.

Satisfying Healthy Mixture

Serves 10 to 15

Ingredients:

1 Cup - Peanuts

1 Cup - Honey Buzzers

1.5 Cup - Whole Grain Oats Cheerios

1.5 Cup - Whole Grain KiX Corn Puffs

1.5 Cup - Corn Chex

1.5 Cup - Kellogs Corn Flakes

1/2 Tsp - Turmeric Powder

1/2 Tsp - Hing/Asafoetida

1/2 Tsp - Red Chili Powder

 2 - Dry Red Chilies broken into two

4 - Garlic Pods roughly crushed

1 Tbsp - Oil

Few Curry leaves

Salt as required

Procedure:

1) In medium high, add oil in a pan, when hot enough add garlic, curry leaves, red chilies and peanuts. Toast peanuts till it becomes brown.

2) Reduce the flame to medium, add all the cereals, turmeric powder, red chili powder (adjust to your spice level), hing and salt. Toast them for 5 minutes, mixing them once in awhile.

Enjoy guilt free mixture.

Baked wheat chips

Ingredients:

1 Pkt - Whole Wheat Flatbread
Salt to sprinkle

Procedure:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Cut the flatbread to small triangles.

3) Bake them for about 5 to 7 minutes depending on the thickness of flatbread used. Check the crispiness after 5 minutes. Take it out from the oven as it becomes 80% crispy, it will become more crispy when it cools down.

4) Enjoy them with your favorite dips.
Jalapeno Cilantro Hummus
Guacamole

Medhu Vadai

Ingredients:
Makes around 15 - 20
1 Cup - Urad Dhal
1 1/2 Inch - Ginger
3 -4 - Green Chilies
few Curry Leaves or Chopped Cilantro
Salt as required
1/4 Cup - Copped Onions (optional)
1/2 Cup - Grated Carrots (optional)
Oil for frying

Procedure:
1) Soak Urad dhal in water for at least 2 to 3 hours.
2) Grind urad dhal, green chilies and ginger to fine paste without adding water. Just sprinkle some water now and then if the mixer gets stuck. I use my Ultra wet grinder.
3) Add salt, copped onions, carrots and curry leaves/cilantro, mix them well.
4) Divide them into small lemon sized balls. Dip your hand in cold water, keep the ball in your palm, flatten a little bit, make a hole in the middle and put it into hot oil.
5) Deep fry it and serve with your favorite chutney.

Aloo Bonda

Ingredients:

For Filling:
4 - Potatoes
1/2 Cup - Onions, chopped finely
1 - Green Chili, chopped finely
1/4 Cup - Cilantro, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tsp - Ginger finely grated
1 Tsp - turmeric
1/2 Tsp - Chili powder
Salt as required

For Outer Layer:
2 Cups - Besan flour
1/4 Tsp - Chili Powder
A pinch Baking Soda
Salt as required
Oil for frying

Procedure:
1) Boil potato with a tsp of salt and smash them completely.
2) Heat up a pan with 2 Tsp of oil. Add green chili, ginger, turmeric, onion and fry them till the onion becomes transparent.
3) Mix the onion mixture to the mashed potato with extra salt if required.
4) In a bowl add besan flour, salt, chili powder, baking soda and water and mix them to dosa/pancake batter consistency.
5) Heat up oil in a kadai for frying. Make small balls of potato filling, dip them into besan batter and deep fry them once the oil is really heated up.
Best if served with Coconut Chutney.

Mysore Bonda

Ingredients:
4 Cup - All Purpose Flour
1 Cup - Rice Flour
1 Cup - Yogurt/Curd
2 Tbsp - Sour Cream
2 pinch - Baking Soda
2 Tbsp - Oil
1/2 Cup - Minced Onion (Optional)
5-6 - Minced Green Chilies (Optional)
2 Tbsp - Chopped Cilantro (Optional)
Salt as required
Water as required
Oil for frying

Procedure:
1) In a large bowl mix all the above ingredient except baking soda & oil used for frying.
2) Add just enough water to get a Idli batter or pancake consistency. Let them rest for at least 4 hours.
3) Heat the oil. Just before frying add the baking soda to the batter. Drop the batter with a spoon or with your fingers into the oil ,fry until golden brown in a medium flame. Blot them with a paper towel. Enjoy them with spicy peanut chutney.
Note: The white plate bondas are with onion, chilis & cilantro. The bondas in black plate are plain version.

Spicy Tangy & Sweet Asparagus Fritters

Ingredients:
15 - Asparagus
3 Tbsp - Cornstarch
3 Tbsp - All Purpose Flour
2 Tbsp - Tomato Ketchup
1 Tsp - Ginger Garlic Paste
2 Tsp - Chili Powder
about 1/4 cup - Water (as required)
1 Tbsp - Milk (Optional)
1 Cup - K-Special strawberry Cornflakes
1 Tsp - Garlic Salt
2 Tsp - Italian Seasoning
Salt as required

Procedure:
1) Select tender asparagus or discard the hard part of them. Microwave them in water for about 5 mins. Strain them and blot them with a paper towel to make them dry.
2) Mix cornstarch, flour, chili powder, ginger garlic paste, ketchup, milk, salt with water to a thin consistency.
3) Grind the K-Special cornflakes to fine crumbs. Mix garlic salt & Italian seasoning to this. Also add a pinch of salt.
4) Heat up the oil in a pan. Dip asparagus first in the spicy mixture then roll them into crumbs and deep fry or shallow fry them.

Note: To bake them preheat the oven to 400 degrees, spray some cooking oil on top of the coated asparagus and bake them for about 15 - 20 mins. (check them in between). In this case the 1st step can be skipped.