Renus Kitchen

This was my first year in blogging world and I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey.....hope to have a rocking 2010 in blogosphere.   I wish a very Happy and a Prosperous 2010 to all my readers and their families!!!   Top 12 Searches on Renus Kitchen in 2009 !!!  . [Click each picture to find the recipe] Eggless Carrot Cake Eggless Oatmeal-Walnut Cookies Baked Shakarpara Lobia Curry [black-eyed peas] Jalebi [Indian Muffle Cake] Hyderabadi Dahi Bhindi Zebra Cake Bell Pepper & Potato Fry Potato-Moong Vadi Curry Baked Methi Muthia Chocolate Cake Urad Daal Laddu Sending this to Srivalli's  " Best of 2009 " event

This is my second attempt with Lasgna and each time its getting better. This recipe was passed by a friend, made a teeny tiny change and here it is for you to savor :) Ingredients: No boil Lasagna noodles Tomato-basil [aka. Marinara] Sauce - 1 bottle [store bought or home-cooked ] Italian herbs, oregano herbs, basil herbs - fresh or dried Parmesan cheese Zucchini, carrots, broccoli - 1-1.5 cups, chopped Ricotta cheese - 5-6 tbsp Spinach - fresh or frozen - 1/2 cup[frozen] or 1 cup [fresh] Salt and Pepper Sugar - optional Method: Adjusted the taste and consistency of store bought marinara sauce by adding more salt, sugar, dried herbs and water. Warm the sauce to blend the contents and keep it aside . Thaw frozen spinach in a microwave or just run it under water. Squeeze excess water and mix with ricotta cheese. Add salt, pepper and some dried herbs and let it it sit. Arranging the lasagna: Take the baking dish [mine is 8'x8'], pour 2-3 scoops of marinara sauce. Place the 2 uncoo...

Paav Bhaji is a very popular western Indian street food where 'Paav' means bread and 'Bhaji' means vegetables. Ingredients Potatoes - 3 medium Tomatoes - 3 medium, ripe Onions - 2 medium Carrots - 2 medium Green beans - 1 cup Bell pepper - 1/2 cup, chopped Cabbage - 1 cup, grated Ginger - 1 inch Lime jiuce Green chillies - optional Paav bhaji masala, preferably MDH brand - at least 3 tbsp * Turmeric powder- 1.5 tsp Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp Butter[un-salted] - 2-4 tbsp ** Method: Boil and grate potatoes. Steam chopped carrots and beans. Chop bell peppers, green chillies, ginger, onions and tomatoes. Heat oil [preferably butter], add cumin seeds and let it crackle. Now add chopped ginger, green chillies followed by onions and saute'.Throw in steamed carrots, beans followed by cabbage and bell pepper. Cook the vegetables till they are tender. Add pav bhaji masala,turmeric powder, salt,tomatoes and cook well. Add water to get desired ...

Persimmons are generally light yellow-orange to dark red-orange in color, and depending on the species, They are high in glucose, with a balanced protein profile, and possess various medicinal and chemical uses. When eaten fresh, the skin is usually cut/peeled off and the fruit is often cut into quarters or eaten whole like an apple. How to choose Persimmons: Choose persimmons with deep red undertones and are round, plump, have glossy and smooth skin. Choose ripe persimmons if you want to eat immediately. Store them in the refrigerator when ripe. Firm and raw persimmons can be ripen at room temperature in a paper bag with an apple or banana. Ingredients: *Whole wheat bleached flour - 1 cup Persimmon fruit- 2 in number and chopped Curd - 1/4 cup Baking powder - 1/2 tsp Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp Nutmeg powder- 1tsp Cinnamon powder - 1tsp Salt -1/4 tsp **Egg white - 1 Vanilla essence - 1tsp Lime juice -1/2 tsp Milk 1tbsp Vegetable oil - 1/4 cup Sugar - 2/3 cup Brown suga...

Quinoa [Keen-Wah] , native to South America is a highly nutritious food. It has well-balanced content of amino acids required for human nutrition. When compared with other grains, it has superior quality and quantity of proteins. Health Benefits of Quinoa Help for Migraine Headaches - Magnesium and riboflavin help to reduce frequency of strokes Cardiovascular Health - Magnesium relaxes blood vessels Significant Cardiovascular Benefits for Postmenopausal Women - 6 servings of quinoa is good for postmenopausal women with high cholesterol, high blood pressure or other signs of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Read more here Ingredients: Quinoa, well-rinsed under cold water - 1/4 cup Carrot, grated - 1 medium Beans, steamed and cut - 1/4 cup Green onions, chopped - 2 Green Chillies, chopped - 1 Ginger, chopped - 1 inch Boiled potato, cubed-2.5 cups b Ground cumin, roasted - 1 tbsp Amchoor [Dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp Cooking oil Burger buns Salt To go on side:...

Finally I baked eggless oatmeal cookies...its been on my list for very long time, for some reason kept pushing. While searching for the recipe today I came across Chef in you , I liked the idea of roasting oatmeal and walnuts and grinding them to fine powder. The author has used maple syrup and rice syrup in the recipe. In order to replace these ingredients , I used Madhurams idea of adding sugar and honey. End result, my cookies turned out just great!!!! Ingredient: Oatmeal [quick cooking] - 1/2 Cup Whole wheat flour - 1/2 cup Walnuts - 1/2 cup Vegetable oil [Canola] - 2 tbsp Honey - 2 tbsp Brown or white Sugar - 2 tbsp Raisins - 1/2 cup Cinnamon powder - 1tsp Vanilla extract - 1tsp Salt - a pinch Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp Method: Soak raisins in water and keep it aside. Combine walnuts and oats and dry roast in a pan until it turns little brown and emits aroma. Cool and grind in a blender to make powder. Add salt, baking soda and cinnamon powder In a separate bo...

Indian version of a Tofu dish.....I don't like the raw smell of tofu, therefore I like to sauté tofu before dumping them in tomato gravy. It really takes the "beany" smell.... This dish cooks very quickly and is one of my Saturday meals when I am not in mood of cooking something elaborate, yet healthy :) Ingredients Tofu- extra firm - 1 small packet 1 onion [chopped] - chopped 1 tomato - chopped Corriander powder - 1.5 tsp Garam masala - 1tsp Zeera powder - 1tsp Kashmiri mirch -1tsp Cumin and mustard seeds - 1 tsp Salt - to taste Cooking oil[canola oil] - 2 tbsp Method: Cut open tofu packet, drain water and cut tofu in 1 inch long small pieces Heat 1tbsp oil in a non-stick pan and saute tofy pieces and keep aside In another or same pan , heat 2 tbsp oil, add cumin and mustard seeds and let it crackle sauté onions till they are pinkish and glazed with oil. Add chopped tomatoes and all the dry powders. Sauté well till the powders and tomato gets cooke...