That's So Swa!

I did it. God help me, but I did it. This recipe is a winner. No pics because John ate them all before I could take a picture. Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes Serves 4. To be mixed into a filling: 1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain) , dry roasted and lightly crushed 1/4 cup grated onions, squeezed 2 tsp grated ginger (adrak) 2 tsp crushed garlic (lehsun) 1/2 tsp chilli powder 1/2 tsp garam masala 1 tbsp coriander (dhania) powder 1 tbsp dried mango powder (amchur) salt to taste For the batter: 1 cup besan (Bengal gram flour) 1/2 tsp chilli powder 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi) 2 pinches of asafoetida (hing) 1 tbsp hot oil 2 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania) a pinch of baking soda salt to taste Other ingredients: 2 cups paneer (cottagte cheese) , cut into ½" cubes 2 tbsp chaat masala oil for deep-frying chutney of your choice for serving Method: For the batter Mix all the ingredients together with a little water to make a thick batter. Keep aside. How to p...

John tried something like this at an Ethiopian restaurant and this was a pretty close replica. It was my first time working with phyllo which I bought very affordably at T&T. A nice samosa alternative. You also can omit the potatoes. Serving Size: 1 Triangle Source of: Folate Good Source of: Vitamin A INGREDIENTS: 1 cup peeled and diced sweet potato vegetable oil 1medium onion, finely chopped curry powder ground cumin turmeric salt pinch cayenne pepper pinch 1 cup cooked green lentils, also called French lentils phyllo pastry sheets melted butter METHOD: PREHEAT oven to 375ºF(190ºC) if baking right away and not freezing appetizers. Soak lentils. The cook until eatable, but not mushy. Set aside. In a pan, heat oil over medium heat cook onion, stirring until soft. STIR in curry powder, cumin, turmeric, salt, cayenne and cook for 2 minutes. ADD cooked lentils until heated throughout. LAY 1 sheet of phyllo on work surface keeping the oth...

Got a zucchini lying around? Try this! "I don't like zucchini, but this is not bad." - JC INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs (or flour + corn meal) 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons fat-free milk (I added ginger garlic paste to the milk) 2 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini (about 2 small) Olive oil METHOD: Preheat oven to 425°. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place coated slices on an ovenproof wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet. (I just used a pyrex dish - although the wire method makes great sense for crispiness. Next time.) Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

Videsh made this dip while visiting us during Diwali week. So good. Arguably better than guacamole, definitely better than traditional chickpea hummus. INGREDIENTS: one can of navy or cannelini beans 1-2 gloves of garlic - you control this green jalapeno pepper - 1/4 - 1/2 depending on the heat 2 green spring onions (scallions) 1/2 bunch of cilantro 1/2 tsp salt olive oil ~ 1/4 cup - adjust to consistency lime juice (2 limes) - adjust to level of tartness you like 1-2 tbs sesame seeds - optional METHOD: Blend and enjoy with pita or tortilla chips or as a sandwich spread.

Surprisingly good and simple. A delicious alternative to red sauces. And even Meghan ate it and liked it, despite inherited mushroom aversion. INGREDIENTS:  freshly cooked pasta 200 g/7 oz mushrooms, cremini, Portobello or common button mushrooms 1/2 clove of garlic a small bunch of parsley 100 ml/0,42 cup fresh cream salt fresh ground pepper butter or extra-virgin olive oil METHOD: - Put mushrooms, garlic and parsley in a food processor and run for a minute or two until everything is chopped into small pieces. Or chop by hand, it's pretty quick that way too. - Cook the mushrooms in butter or olive oil over medium heat until the liquid has evaporated. - Add cream, pepper and salt and continue to cook until creamy, then add to the freshly cooked and drained pasta. - Serve as it is or with freshly grated parmesan.

A weekend morning staple... INGREDIENTS: 1¾ cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 1 Tbsp granulated sugar 3 eggs 1¾ cups whole milk ½ cup vegtable oil ½ tsp pure vanilla extract (optional) or dash of cinnamon METHOD: Mix and cook in waffle maker. Batter needs to be thick enough. CAUTIONS: 1) Never forget the oil, otherwise you wreck your waffle maker. 2) Don't overfill. Underfill. Otherwise batter spills out the sides and makes a mess that can get inside the grooves in a way that is hard and annoying to clean. 3) Even worse, dried batter left in a waffle iron that is put away attracts bugs that hide in the inner workings of your machine. Often weevils. Weevils and other bugs will likely be protein sources of the future. In 2020 you might be serving weeviled waffles and just casually call them "protein fortified" and seem vaguely impressive. In 2012 however, we call this a shit circumstance.

And for when you want to retox.... INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup peanut butter 2 cups mini white marshmellows 2/3 cup chocolate chips 1/4 cup coconut flakes (optional) handful of walnut or pecans  or crunchy cereal (optional) DIRECTIONS: Melt and butter, choc chips, peanut butter. Take off heat. Add coconut flakes and marshmallows. Transfer to greased baking dish. 9 x9 or 12 inch pie plate. Put in fridge till solidified. Cut off chunks and enjoy. Hide as necessary.

Ok everyone. Sometimes you get sick. Could be a cold. Could be food poisoning. Could be wanting to clean up your insides after a stretch of poor eating. This is the soup start and cement your recovery with. We should all really be eating this weekly, and I always find myself making it on a Sunday. And it's actually a wonderful thing to eat first thing in the morning. Also, if you are up in the middle of the night for whatever reason, that can be a good cue to soak some mung beans because you'll be too busy or distracted in the day. This soup is simple, incredibly nutritious, easy to digest, good on its own or with rice and really delicious. INGREDIENTS: 1 cup of organic Mung beans, soaked for min 3 hours 1 big clove of Garlic 1 chunk of Ginger 1 tsp Himalayan salt 1/2 tsp Turmeric 3-4 tbsp Coconut oil 4 cups Water METHOD: Soak the mung beans for a minimum of three hours. Heat a pot. Add coconut oil. Add chopped ginger and garlic. Saute. Add salt (start ...