Oats Upma -- when you are trying to eat healthy

After eating the totally delicious pound cake for a month, I realized I needed to stop! I mean really, really stop and do something. Of course as a fallout of all the cake eating, there was a question of the weighing scale in my bathroom groaning and complaining. I couldn't let a weighing scale ruin my life could I ? So I actually moved it in the closet and shut the door on it.

But then Big Sis declared a restriction on my eating pound cakes, saying I should only eat one slice a week. It was a difficult rule to stick to, which meant I didn't stick to it, and all slices of pound cakes in my pantry were finally finished. This is when I realized I should really stop and go back to my healthy lunches routine.

I am good with my healthy lunches usually but I have realized if I fall through the crack, the crack morphs into an abyss and I have a harder time getting back up. It had to be something simple and yet tasty to haul me back on track. So I was back at making my Oat Upma. I like my oatmeal with mangoes and yogurt but this spicy oat upma is different. It doesn't make you feel all martyr like and holy and sacrificial because you are eating oatmeal while the world besides you is chomping on a philly cheesesteak. You feel proud about it actually and it only takes minutes to make.

Now in our home, we make this with steel cut oats as that is the only kind of oatmeal we buy(unless we are making oatmeal cookies which needs rolled oats but I will not talk of cookies any more). Also the husband-man usually make the oat pulao  but my method is little different from his !!! This time I bought a quick cooking steel cut oats which cut down the time to make this dish by 1/3rd, so if you find this particular kind in your store, do get it. And no, Bob's Red Mill did not sponsor me or even cares how I make my oats.

Happy New Year with Deepshikha's Pound Cake

There are pound cakes and then there are pound cakes. Well, if I am absolutely honest, all pound cakes are amazing. I love their no-nonsense fluffy taste. But I am not sure if they are all as easy to make as Deepshikha's Pound cake.

It all started when our friend Deepshikha brought over individual cake loafs for us back in November. She has this charming habit of carrying home made goodies every time she visits. And when I say visits, I mean the long 10 hour drives from Ohio. I still remember her oatmeal raisin cookies way back in 2004, when I had no clue that such stuff could be made at home.

This time it was pound cakes. These quaint little loaves of pound cakes were so good that I had to stave off our other friends from finishing them. Actually, I will tell you a little secret. I hid one of the loaves that she gave me and did not take it out even when the other friends we had visiting were asking for more!Yes,I am evil like that.

And guess what the best part was ? These cakes needed only oil, no butter. If you know my baking disasters, you would know my woes about creaming butter and sugar. So any baking recipe that does not warrant that step is very very close to my heart. Also,Deepshikha had baked hers with Olive Oil and it tasted as good.

Here is the recipe she shared with me. I used regular Vegetable Oil. Also I used zest of half an Orange as I love citrus flavor in my cakes. They were so so good. The beauty of the recipe is that it doubles and triples very nicely. So to make 3 loaves of these cakes, just multiple every ingredient amount by 3.
Next time, I will make 6 of these and hide them from the family too.

Easy Pound Cake with Oil and Orange flavor

What You Need

AP Flour -- 1 Cup
Sugar -- 1 Cup

Oil -- 1/2 Cup
Eggs (at room temperature) -- 3

Baking Powder -- 1/2 tsp
Salt -- 1/2 tsp
Vanilla 1/2 tsp

Orange zest -- 1 tsp (optional)

How I Did It

Prep the wet mixture

In a bowl, beat the eggs. For about 3 minutes.

Next add the sugar to the eggs and beat again for 4-5 minutes at medium speed.

Now goes in the oil. Beat again at medium for 3 minutes.

Add the vanilla extract

Dry Mixture

In a separate bowl sift the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the orange zest to the flour and lightly rub it in with your fingers.

Combine

Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, mixing briefly at a very low speed, until everything is combined.

Bake

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan generously with oil and pour the cake batter in it

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes to an hour. Do the toothpick test. Take a clean toothpick. Insert it in the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. If it has batter stuck to it, you need to give few more minutes.
Note: If you see the top of the cake is browning fast but the inside is not cooked, loosely cover the surface of the cake with an aluminum foil and continue baking. Towards the end of the bake time, remove the cover and finish the baking.

When cake is done, take out from the oven and let it cool. Be patient.

Eat.




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Shrimp in a garlic-chili- basil pesto -- quick appetizers

I have been away from my blog for a while. There were more important thing at home that needed attention and so though I was cooking our daily meals, I was not in the mood to take pictures and post them! You know how it is right ? I bet each of you have been through the highs and lows of the ride that is called life. I can only be very very thankful that we have been through it with everything ending on a positive note. **fingers crossed**

Now let's get back to business and discuss finger foods or appetizers for the New Year's eve party. Whether you are having a "dhamaka" party or a quiet family time ushering in the New Year , we all do understand that the most important part is the "food". The New Year will bring many things with itself, the foremost being loads of resolution on diet and exercise. In face of that, lots of lip-smacking appetizers at the year end party, seems like a good start.


1. Shrimp in a Garlic-Chili-Basil Pesto

To make this easy-peasy you start off with store bought Basil pesto and off course store bought Shrimp.

If shrimp is frozen, defrost it by putting it in cold water. Never ever microwave it or defrost in hot water.

Shrimp -- 12 medium sized shrimp

Next, in a blender add
2 heaped tbsp of basil pesto
2 cloves of garlic chopped
2 green chili
1 tbsp Olive oil
Make a smooth paste

In a bowl marinate the defrosted shrimp with
salt,
garlic-chilli-pesto you just made
keep aside for 10-15 minutes

Pre-heat oven to 350F

Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Put the shrimp in it in a single layer. Drizzle some more Oilive oil

Bake in oven for 7 mins. Then turn the tray around and bake for 7-8 more minutes. The shrimp will be cooked by total 15 minutes.

Take it out. Serve with a squeeze of lime juice


2. Puff Tartlets with different filling

This is a very popular snack with the kids. You can do a potato filling, a fish filling or a keema filling. You can prep the stuffing a few days ahead and then you have less work to day on the day of the party

3. Chicken Meatballs

This is another quick and easy favorite

In a bowl add 
1 lb of ground chicken

To it add
1/2 of a red onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic minced
1 geen chilli minced
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Tandoori Masala(Raja Brand is good)
1/4th cup Bread Crumbs
Finely chopped mint and coriander leaves. Dried mint also works very well.
Salt and pepper
few drops of olive oil
Work everything well into the mix and keep aside for 30 minutes

Fashion balls or patties of this mix. Freeze them in single layer. Note: Usually I will make one ball, fry and do a taste test. I will then adjust the seasonings in the mix and proceed to make the other meatballs.

You can either fry them or bake them to serve. While frying very little oil is needed if you have shaped them in small flat rounds.

If you are baking, bake at 350F on a greased tray for 20 minutes or until the meat is cooked. Then take the balls out and shallow fry in a frying pan to brown the outside

For shallow frying, make small round and flat patties. Shallow fry them in hot oil

Serve them on a bed of fresh salad or with a yogurt dip

Another recipe for similar meatballs is here

4. Stuffed mushroom with mascarpone

This stuffed mushroom is my absolute favorite. Read the recipe, there is a version with mascarpone cheese, I absolutely love. If you like mushrooms, you are going to love that one.



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