Sausage Stuffed Garlic Crescents

When you have a kid fasting at home, then you know how hard it is to wake and make them eat for suhoor (pre-dawn meal). So the food served has to be something that would motivate them to get up and eat. These sausage stuffed garlic crescents will help you a lot with that task. It is super easy to make that you can let them do this with a little help and keep them busy too. So go for it and make your suhoor a breezy experience for you and your fasting kid.

P.S: Didn't have much time to take a proper picture, this is one shot when the crescents were still in the oven. Will update soon.

INGREDIENTS :

1 Pack of 8 frozen crescent roll
2 Tblsp melted butter
1 Tblsp oilve oil
1/2 Tsp garlic salt
1/4 Tsp onion powder
1/2 Tsp black pepper powder
1/4 Tsp dried basil leaves
1/4 Tsp dried rosemary
4 Sticks sausages

METHOD :

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
Cut the sausage into two halves so you have 8 pieces.
Melt butter in a small bowl. Add the olive oil and the remaining seasoning ingredients.
Open the frozen crescent roll pack and separate the dough.
Place a piece of sausage at the wide end and roll them like a crescent. Keep them on the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat this with all the crescent rolls.
Place them on the baking sheet and brush each one of them with the olive oil mixture.
Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve when hot.

Note:
You can bake them the night ahead and warm in a microwave or toaster oven if you want them crispier.
Or you can also roll the crescent rolls, refrigerate and bake right before serving.

Kale Fritters/ Keerai Vadai

Last time I was in my hometown I had these keerai vadai. When we stopped for some coffee at this new Cafe and asked about the snacks there, the staff suggested these. That is the first time we were having keerai vadai and my family really liked them. They were big, crunchy and had a good quantity of leaves in them as if they were just made to use the leaves but and were really crisp to every bite.  Coming back whenever my family talks about the food we tried back home this vadai was talked about too.
I had always wanted to try making them but never found the time or occasion. So when I was planning on  making lentil fritters for Iftar yesterday these popped up in my mind and thought of making them. Usually I try to incorporate as much vegetables as possible to our diet, because it's really hard to do it during fasting. Kids always prefer to have something fried and meaty for Iftar and mostly that is the only complete meal of the day.
Why Kale here because I had fresh frozen kale and wanted to try using them in this recipe. Usually baked kale leaves are an awesome treat to snack on and satisfy the health freak in you. So I was pretty sure using kale in this recipe will turn out good and they did, yahoo!
Kale has this thick texture, so if you are using fresh leaves chop them fine in food processor/dry grinder. You can also use spinach or fenugreek (methi) leaves. So here I'm, blogging about keerai vadai. These can be made for breakfast or as a snack and is a great way to feed the greens to your kids or may be the whole family :). Happy snacking.

INGREDIENTS :

1/2 Cup channa dal
1/4 Cup moong dal
1 Cup fresh kale (or 3/4 cup fresh frozen)
1 Small onion
2 Green chilies
1 Sprig curry leaf
1/2 Tsp fennel seeds
A pinch asafoetida powder (optional)
1/4 Tsp red chili flakes
Salt to taste
1/4 Cup or more oil (for deep frying)

METHOD :

Wash and soak both channa and moong dal in water for about an hour or two. Once soaked drain the water and keep them to dry for about 30 minutes or just spread them in kitchen/paper towel to remove extra moisture.
Take two teaspoons of soaked dal and keep aside. In a food processor or dry grinder pulse the remaining dal to a coarse mix.
Remove them to a mixing bowl.
In the same grinder place onion, green chilies, curry leaves, asafoetida and the kale leaves and pulse them. Just as if they are roughly chopped.
Add to the ground lentils along with fennel seeds, red chili flakes, the reserved whole lentils and salt.
Mix them all together and make small size balls. Keep them aside.
In a deep frying pan, add oil and heat it at medium high flame. One oil is hot enough (if you drop a pinch of the prepared dough it should sizzle and rise to the top) take the balls, flatten them within your palm and drop it in the oil. Reduce flame to medium low and fry until golden brown on both sides approximately 3 mins on each side (this depends on the size of the vadai).
Remove them and keep on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil before serving.
  

Key Lime Nut Pudding

Key Lime nut pudding is one of the original creation of Spicecrafts. 
This is one of the agar-agar pudding you can make for Iftar or any occassion. Agar-agar puddings are one of those must served dish during Iftar in my place. Their refreshing taste and the coolness you enjoy eating it is believed to help with your digestive system after fasting. There is another local reason which I would like to write about in a later post.
But scientifically agar is said to help with digestion and detoxification while acting as a mild laxative. It absorbs bile and is believed to help the body dissolve more cholesterol. It passes through the digestive system quickly and inhibits the body from storing excess fat. Also they help with inflammation reduction and improved respiration.
   Back to the story, I was planning to make agar pudding and wanted to try out something different. I had some left over lemon curd filling prepared for the key lime pie I made earlier. So thought of using up that pie filling. It turned out really good and very refreshing with the strong flavor and that sourness of those limes. I used sunflower seeds, toasted almonds and pistachios and also some dried cranberries for that surprise bite. This pudding is one of those must try.
If you are a pudding fan and if you like agar-agar you will definitely love this pudding.

INGREDIENTS :

8 gms Agar-agar strands
1 Cup water
1/2 Cup key lime pie filling (recipe below)
1/2 Cup half and half
2 Tblsp sugar
1 Cup milk
1/2 Cup chopped dried nuts
1 Tblsp dried cranberries

For Pie Filling:

1 Cup condensed milk
2 Tblsp sour cream
4 Tblsp key lime juice
1 Tsp grated lime zest
   Whisk everything together in a mixing bowl until completely mixed. Stores well in the fridge for a week.

METHOD:
Clean a 8"*4" glass or metal tray and keep ready to set the pudding.
Cut the agar-agar strands into small bits. In a small sauce pan soak these cut agar-agar strands in one cup water for about 20 to 30 minutes. Once soaked heat them over medium heat until the strands are completely dissolved. You can skip the soaking part but it might take a bit longer to cook the strands and also might end up with bits of undissolved strands.
Simultaneously in another pan whisk together milk, the key-lime curd and sugar and heat them over medium heat. Once bubbles start appearing on the sides add half and half and just let it heat through.
Now add the dissolved agar-agar to this milk mix and add the chopped nuts and dried cranberry.
Whisk them together and pour in the tray already kept ready. Let it cool completely and set.
Once cool enough refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes:
You can serve at room temperature too and stays well for a day.
If kept in refrigerator stays fresh for 3 days.
Agar is available in three forms as powder, flakes or bars. Basically, one tablespoon of agar flakes is equal to one teaspoon of agar powder. Whenever a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of gelatin you can substitute with 1 teaspoon of agar powder or 1 tablespoon of agar flakes.

Oats Chicken Soup/Kanji

Usually kanji play is one of the main dish in our iftar meal. Though my kids don't like it very much I make them have at least a small bowl because of its health benefits. It's supposed to give a  gentle start on your whole digestive system and keeps your body from dehydrating. Though during fasting you feel like gobbling the whole world once you break it, the moment the first few drops of water enter your throat the only thing you want to have is water. At this point kanji gives that soothing feel.
  On the first day of fasting I didn't feel like making kanji. So gave up the idea. As iftar time came closer I myself felt like having something soupy and wanted to give my kids that too.
   I was making this filling for chicken puffs and instantly thought why not make this as a base for some soup or kanji. Because not much time left it should be something which can be made quickly. So thought of oats.
   Earlier I have had oats kanji at a relatives' place for iftar. I roughly got the recipe and tried it at my home but no one liked it because the texture went wrong. So this time I thought I could try it again but in a very lesser quantity. Also browsing through internet I learned a small trick which I think helped me with the texture because its one big step in kanji making which I usually do bought totally forgot when I did my first try with oats. This time it came out really well and even my fussy eater had this for suhoor and said she liked it, that's one big compliment. So sharing it here.

INGREDIENTS:
Makes 3 Servings

1/4 Cup rolled oats
1/2 Small onion
1/2 Small tomato
1/2 Tsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 Cup chopped vegetables (mix of carrot, peas, beans)
1 Tblsp chopped coriander leaves
4 or 5 Mint leaves (optional)
1/4 Cup minced chicken (or shredded, cooked)
A pinch of fenugreek seeds
A pinch of jeera seeds
1/6 Tsp turmeric powder
1/2 Tsp chili powder
1/2 Tsp coriander powder
1/2 Tsp fennel powder
1/4 Tsp garam masala
1/4 Cup thick coconut milk (optional)
Warm water 3 to 4 cups
1 Tblsp ghee/clarified butter/olive oil (I prefer ghee)
Salt to taste

METHOD:

   Pulse the oats in a food processor/ coffee/dry grinder and break them into a coarse powder. Just few pulses and take care not to powder them fine.
  In a deep pan heat the oil or ghee and add the jeera and fenugreek to splutter. Then add finely chopped onion and fry until translucent. Then add the ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell is gone followed by tomatoes. Once the tomatoes starts wilting add the mint leaves if using.
  Then add the chicken along with salt and fry them for 3 to 4 mins until its no more pink. If you are using cooked chicken just mix them. Now its time for all the dry spice powders. Once they start to give out the aroma add the oats and fry them for a min or two.
Now add 3 cups water and mix everything well and bring it to a boil. Reduce flame and simmer for 5 mins. Finally add coconut milk (if using) and let it heat through. Check for the consistency and salt and adjust according to taste.
I usually prefer a little watery while some like it bit thicker. The consistency can be adjusted according to personal prefer but make sure to adjsut the seasoning too. Serve hot.

Pull Apart Cheese Biscuits

I had a can of pillsbury grands frozen biscuits. I had been saving that for making a dessert but never got a chance to make something sweet because we had other sweet stuff at home. And wanted to make use of this can before it would expire and hit the trash. I was searching for something easy and different because I didn't want to settle for regular biscuits and gravy. Came across this recipe by this blogger simplybeingmommy. I didn't make much changes because I was in a hurry. Anyways this turned out to be a real hit and kids just had them plain. But feel free to serve with chunky marinara or salsa. Can be served for dinner too, along with fried chicken or steak and gravy.

INGREDIENTS :
Makes 10 serving :
1 Can pillsbury grands frozen biscuits
1 Cup cheddar cheese
1/2 Tsp onion powder
1/2 Tsp garlic powder
2 Tblsp olive oil
1 Tblsp dried parsely

METHOD :
 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin by spraying with non-stick spray or line them with cupcake liners.
Open the biscuit can and separate each biscuit and cut them into 4 or 6 pieces.
In a big bowl mix the rest of the ingredients, add the biscuit pieces and toss to coat on them completely.
Equally divide the pieces into 10 or 12 cups and the extra pieces can be fit into any already filled cup.
Sprinkle the left over cheese in the bowl on top of the biscuits.
Bake for 10 mins or until its brown on the top. Serve hot.

Chocolate Walnut Blondie

Blondies are rich dessert bars which are chewy like brownies and crunchy like cookies. They have vanilla instead of cocoa and brown sugar. The only cocoa element is chocolate chips which again is optional. These can be made with any type of chocolate or butterscotch chips and nuts of our preference. The options are endless.
My lil' baker wanted to bake something for one of their friend who visited for the break. But the friend doesn't like chocolate flavors a lot, so she went for these blondies. A quick and easy to put together recipe but the taste was amazing. So soft in the center and very crunchy on the outside. Give it a try and you will be happy you did because anyone can master this recipe even at the first try.

INGREDIENTS:
Makes 16 4" squares
8 Tblsp unsalted room-temperature butter, melted
1/3 Cup granulated white sugar
1/2 Cup packed light-brown sugar
1 Egg
1 Tsp vanilla extract
1 Cup all purpose flour (leveled)
1 Tsp salt
1/2 Cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 Cup chopped walnuts

METHOD:
   Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare an 8" square baking pan, lining with buttered parchment paper. Leave the paper to overhang on the sides so it will be easy to take them out after baking.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and both sugars until smooth. You can use a hand beater, stand mixer with whisk attachment or feel free to give some exercise to your hands and use your whisk.
Add egg and vanilla and beat together. Add the flour and salt, mix until combined. Take care not to over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.
Pour this into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes. The top is slight golden and the toothpick inserted comes out clean. You can increase the baking time for another 5 minutes if you like your blondies very crunchy.
Cool the blondies completely and remove from pan and cut into sqaures before serving.

Mutton Kothu/ Fried Shredded Meat

Meat kothu curry is a dry fried shredded mutton dish. I usually make a similar recipe from my mom but recently came across this recipe from a blogger. But made a few changes to fit our palette. A very good side for rice, chapathi or naan. You can also make chapathi rolls or sandwiches with a dash of hot sauce or mayo and few lettuce pieces for lunch box. If you love meat then this is a must try recipe and can be tried using lamb or beef too.

INGREDIENTS :
Makes 3 serving
For the meat:
1 Lb boneless meat (goat/lamb)
2 Tsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 Tsp turmeric powder
1 Tsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste
For the spice:
2 Tsp oil 
5 Dried red chilies
3/4 Tsp cumin seeds
2 Tsp coriander seeds
1/4 Cup coconut powder
For curry:
2 Tbsp oil
1 Small onion thinly sliced
10 Mint leaves
Salt to taste

METHOD :
  Clean and cut the meat into medium pieces. Mix it along with the spices given under "for the meat" and pressure cook them with a tablespoon or two of water at medium high heat for 2 whistles and reduce flame to medium low and cook for 10 minutes. Switch off the stove and wait for the pressure to subside.
Heat a pan at medium flame and fry the spices given under "for the spice" until lightly brown and raw smell is gone. Let it cool down a little and then coarsely grind in a dry/coffee grinder.
Open the pressure cooker and check if the meat is cooked completely.  It's better if they are falling apart or you can shred them with the wooden spoon.
In another deep pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil at medium heat fry the onion until brown but take care not to burn them. Add the cooked, shredded meat along with any liquid in it. Fry for a minute and then add the powdered spice, mix well and let the liquid dry if any. Check for salt and add more if needed. Add the mint leaves and fry them until the meat has fallen apart completely and looks dry.


METHOD :

Clean and cut the meat pieces into small cubes. Rub the spices into meat pieces and cook them until its almost cooked through but not falling apart. The water from the meat itself will help in cooking if the meat is fresh or else add a tablespoon or two as needed. Separate the meat and the stock.
Fry the spices along with coconut given to fry and grind until golden brown in oil. Let it cool and powder the spice mix.
Heat a frying pan at medium heat and add oil. When hot enough fry the thinly sliced onion along with a pinch of salt until golden brown. Add the powdered spice mix and the stock from cooked meat. Mix well add the meat pieces and fry for a minute. Using a flat wooden spoon try to finely shred the meat. Make it shredded and dry. Check for salt and add more if needed. Add a tablespoon of oil and chopped mint leaves and give a final stir.
Remove to a serving plate and serve with rice, naan or bread.