Spinach Potato Naan/Flatbread - Stove top method

Notice the difference in my pictures in this post? My image copyright appears smack in the middle of the pictures. I used to think it was not very aesthetic to put my copyright overlaying in the middle of my images. But now with the frequency of plagiarism I see around, I would rather compromise with the beauty of my pictures rather than make it eye candy and leave it out there in the open. Thanks Sangeeth for caring enough to make me understand how important this is. She did mention that adding the copyright at the corners would be too way too easy for people to crop it out and re-post (which makes perfect sense.)

Seriously, it is not worth making your blog, pictures, and post look nice and perfect (without proper precautions) when somebody else is going to be effortlessly lifting it right in front of your eyes.
Here are some good articles from Sangeeth and Cham on how to protect your blog and pictures. Read them, implement them if you care.

If you remember, I had done a Garlic and Red chilly Naan/Flatbread using the oven method. It was my first try and I am sure getting better at this.
Who needs an oven when you can make these in a jiffy with resources that you have on hand?

Here is another nutritious version using the stove top method.
Requested by a reader, I have tried to make a better illustration this time for those who really would like to try it out.
Points to note:
That tiny bit of potato adds a nice softness to the bread. So I would call that ingredient mandatory.
I used 100% stone ground Atta (Indian whole wheat flour, it does give best results for this type of bread.
The dough is a sticky one inititally when you start to put everything together, so please be mindful of the water that you add while kneading.
Roll the dough out thin (check in the illustration below), it does tend to puff up when you toss it on the hot pan.

Head out to restaurants for naan?... nah! I think mine worked like a charm.



Spinach Potato Naan/Flatbread - Stove top method

Ingredients:

Atta/White Whole wheat flour - 3 1/2 cups
All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Frozen Spinach - 2 cups (Thaw and squeeze out moisture completely)
Potato - 1/2 cup (Boiled and mashed)
Caraway Seeds - 2 tsp
Salt - To taste
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Yeast - 2 tsp
Warm water - 1/4 cup

Method:

Add yeast to warm water and let it rest for 10 min.

After the yeast has frothed, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. You may or may not have to add more water depending on the moisture content from the spinach and potato.

Add warm water and combine to form a nice loose dough. Knead for 15 min by hand on a floured surface. Dust with flour as and when needed during the kneading process.
The dough should look like this when you are done.



Cover and let it double in size, which would take anywhere from an hour to two. Mine took two hours. It should look like this.



Fold the dough over about 4-5 times.

Heat a non stick pan on medium-high heat.

Dust a board with flour and pinch out a ball and roll it out with the help of a rolling pin. (Spreading with hands does not work for me)
I divide my dough equally, they will rise a little as you make the rest, so knead each ball slightly right before you roll it.

The rolled out dough should be thin, as it tends to puff up on cooking, giving it a flatbread texture. You can see how thin I rolled it out.



Transfer the dough gently onto the pan and cook till you see bubbles start appearing.



At this point, I like to smear a wee bit of little oil/butter on the top side and then flip it over.

Cook on both sides till you get a nice brown color and the bread is cooked through.

It will continue to cook for a while after it comes off the pan, so let it rest for a few minutes.

Dab a little butter/spread on top, and serve warm.

I store them out for a couple of days without refrigeration. You may re-heat by wrapping them up in a paper towel and microwave them till slightly warm. Alternatively, you may wrap them in aluminum foil and warm in the oven.

Yields: Around 10 flatbreads



Some great events that I am sending this to:
Susan's Yeast Spotting
Sangeeth's Eat Healthy - During Pregnancy

Savory Semolina Kichdi with Vegetables - Mom's Best

This is for my brother and the recipe is from my mom.
My mom is one of the best, no... "the" best cook I have ever known. If cooking comes naturally to me, it is probably because of her. And her desserts!... they are to die for!
Especially now that I cook quite a bit (and get to eat just what I cook), I do miss her food a lot. I am a reasonable cook, but somehow cooking for oneself can be quite, Ahem... boring at times.

Kichdi is a pretty traditional Indian dish, and is basically a jazzed up version of the humble Upma. The fragrant spices and the array of vegetables kicks it up a notch.
Since this recipe calls for a variety of ingredients, some of which you may or may not be familiar with, I did a picture representation of the most important ingredients this time for easy understanding. (Check list in the recipe section below)

I made peanut chutney to go along with it, but really any kind of chutney goes well.

Rava/Semolina/Sooji varies from place to place and the water that it can absorb while it cooks also varies. So please adjust the water content accordingly. Check recipe for more info.

Off topic, I promised one of my readers a Naan/Flatbread recipe this week, a variation from the one I made earlier but had to put that on hold for this one. I will shortly post that one too. Sorry!

This kichdi has a pretty long ingredient list, so hang in there.



Savory Semolina Kichdi with Vegetables

Ingredients:

Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 3 cups
Water - 4 cups (I used less water, since I do not like it to be gooey, but if you like a more binding kichdi, please add 1 cup or more of water, which would make it 5 cups)
Carrots - 1/4 cup diced
Peas - 1/4 cup
Beans - 1/4 cup cut into small pieces
Corn - 1/4 cup (optional, you may increase/decrease other veggies as you like)
Red onion - 2 cups diced
Tomatoes - 3/4 cup diced (I omitted this, since I do not like tomatoes in my kichdi)
Green chillies - 2 tbsp chopped
Ginger - 2 tbsp chopped
Garlic - 2 tbsp chopped
Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon stick or powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - Two pinches
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Cilantro/Coriander - A handful
Curry leaves - A few
Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp
Urad Dal - 1 tbsp
Channa Dal - 2 tbsp
Salt - To taste
Cashewnuts - A handful
Oil/Butter - 4 tbsp (I used Extra Virgin Olive oil)



Method:

Dry roast the semolina/rava till it is lightly toasted and set aside.

In a pot/pan (which has a lid for later use), heat the oil and add mustard seeds, let them splutter, add urad dal and channa dal and dry them on medium heat.

Add the cashews and saute well (You may roast them separately and add them at the end as garnish too, it remains crunchy that way, I kinda like mine blended into the dish). Take care not to burn them. Add cloves.

Then add the ginger, garlic, curry leaves, cinnamon, turmeric, green chillies, asafoetida, salt and pepper and roast.

Toss in the red onion and cook till lightly browned.

Now, mix the vegetables, tomatoes (if you like), turmeric and cook halfway. It will continue to cook after we add water. So do not over cook them now.

Add the water and cover and let it come to a boil.

Remove lid, reduce the heat to medium, add the semolina/rava slowly in a stream but keep mixing with your other hand continuously. Or else it will form clumps.

Cover immediately and let it cook on low-medium heat for 5 minutes.

Uncover, add the chopped cilantro, lemon juice and a wee bit of butter, mix well and serve.

Chutneys go great as a side for this dish. Get your pick here.



This dish goes to Sangeeth's Eat Healthy - During Pregnancy event

Low fat Almond and Oats Cookie - Eggless

It is amazing that the amount of different varieties of cookies I make, and yet this is my first post on my blog under "Cookies"!
Yay! This day marks the creation of my new label!

And how did I land up on this one? The last place I would look to find a cookie recipe...when my hand reaches the trash can to toss something, nope, it is not yet inside it :) That would be gross!

Just when I was throwing away a plastic bag which previously contatined oat flour. My eyes grew wide and my hands trembled with excitement!
Well, not exactly... I just had to stare hard enough to read the recipe by itself, it was that small !
Yep, found this treasure right there. Lesson learnt.
So the next time look out for those recipes on those packages. You are bound to find something that interests you.

The recipe was in original not a very healthy one, had butter and sugar enough to make me sick. But with a little adjustments, I was able to turn them into the best cookies I have ever tasted! And healthy too.
Trust me on this one okay? I don't give my approval nod that easily, and I promise delight to those of you who care to try it.
It is not that difficult, so what are you waiting for?

Low fat Almond and Oats Cookie - Eggless

Ingredients:

Sifted oat flour - 1 1/4 cup (May substitute by grinding quick cooking oats, and sifting it if you dont have ready made oat flour on hand)
Almond meal - 1 cup (May substitute by grinding whole almonds into a powder)
Butter - 3-4 tbsp
Sugar - 4-5 tbsp (depending on your sweetness level)
Pure Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp

Method:

Preheat oven at 300 F.

Grease cookie sheet and set aside.

Using a hand mixer blend butter and sugar together until creamy (about 4 min)

Add the oat flour, vanilla extract and almond meal and mix with a rubber spatula until well combined.

Form into small balls and place on the cookie sheet. They spread out, so leave enough place between the cookie dough balls.



Bake for about 30 min. Or till slightly cracked and brown on top.

Remove from tray and let them cool. They will firm up on cooling.

You may roll them in more sugar if you want, but I doubt if you can ever keep away from them for that long! They are one of the best cookies ever!

Yields: 20 medium cookies. They are crunchy, not soft.



Here is a lovely set of events I am sending these cookies to:

Vandana's Baking for Beginners
JZ's Santa's Holiday Challenge
Sharmi's Cookie Baking Event
Trupti's Winter Treat Event
Purva's Festive Food - Christmas
Happy Cook's Home Made Christmas Gifts Event
Sangeeth's Eat Healthy - Pregnancy
Susan's Christmas Cookies

Quesadilla with Leftover Veggies and Whole grain tortillas

What I eat as everyday food, is not just the breads, cakes and fancy stuff that I write about. So, here is one meal that you can quickly put together with just a few leftover and essential ingredients from your pantry and fridge. I used some leftover veggies from making eggs the previous days.

Quesadillas are one of my favorite Mexican foods that can be easily re created at home and is relatively healthier depending on what you decide to stuff in them.
This is one of the dishes where I like mine better than the restaurant served ones.

I have not given any measurements for the recipe, as it is really is upto you to add how much and whatever you want.
My most common problem with making quesadillas is overloading the veggies. Use lesser than you think you would need. That should do the trick.

And when buying re-fried beans (that normally come in cans), and if you are a vegetarian, check for the ingredient list at the back of the can. Sometimes they do add some kind of meat products/derivatives.
So in short, check for 100% vegetarian beans. Fat free is even better.

This is as easy as it gets.



Quesadilla with Leftover Veggies and Whole grain tortillas

Ingredients:

Whole grain tortillas - 2 (One folds into two, so really depends on how much you want)
Leftover veggies - I used Zucchini, Onions, Jalapenos, Cilantro, and Olives
Fat free re-fried beans - To spread
Jalapenos - A few sliced
Cilantro - Chopped
Part skim mozzarella cheese - Grated
Red chilly flakes, Pepper and Salt - As need be
Olive Oil - As need be

Method:

Heat a non stick griddle on medium heat.

Lay the tortilla and spread warmed re-fried beans. Sprinkle cheese, and layer the veggies on top of it.



Season with salt, pepper / red chilly flakes.

Top off with cilantro or any herb or your choice.

Folder over, and lay it on the hot greased griddle, and cook on both sides with a little bit of oil.