Vegetable Tawa Puloa | Tava Pulav

Know What You Eat: Tava Pulav | Tawa Puloa is a term every Mumbaikar's are well verse with, and its as famous as Mumbai's Pav Bhaji, found in every nook and corner almost in every restaurants and in everybody's menu options..Tawa Pulao can be instantly put together with cooked rice | leftover rice and Pav Bhaji masala, addition of  vegetables and other hot Indian spices makes it more enticing and mouthwatering.This recipe originally is prepared on a hot smoking tava / griddle, as the name suggests. But you can also use a regular pan / wok. Butter is usually used but you can  substitute it with regular cooking oil and ghee (clarified butter) in 1:1 proportion. Here's how to make Pav-Bhaji which will compliment this rice dish.

Vegetable Tawa Puloa | Tava Pulav Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 C Boiled or Steamed Rice, (each grain separate)
• 1/4 C Green Peas Boiled
• 2 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Medium Tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Medium Bell pepper, chopped 
• 1 Medium Carrot, diced
• 8 Cloves of Garlic, chopped
• Cilantro, chopped
• 2 Green Chillies chopped finely
• 3 tbsp Butter Or Oil ( I used Amul Butter)
• 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric (Haldi)
• 3 Tbsp Pav Bhaji Masala
• 1 Tbsp Garam Masala
• 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• Salt as per taste
• Lemon juice per taste

Method

• Cook rice on stove, not in pressure cooker, strain under cold water to get each grain separate. Keep it aside.
• Heat a wok, now add butter or oil, once it is hot add cumin seeds, when they crackle stir in chopped garlic. Saute for a minute on low fire.
• Add chopped onions and fry until crisp and golden brown.
• Its time to add chopped carrots, bell pepper, cook it for a while and then add chopped tomatoes and cilantro along with all the spices | masalas and required salt.
• Cook it for another 5 mins and combine well with a spoon. Once all the spices and vegetables mix in well its now time to stir in cooked peas and rice. 
• Mix and toss it very well but be gentle you dont want to break rice and make it like a khichadi .
• Squeeze in lemon juice, and garnish it with chopped cilantro and serve it warm with or without yogurt.

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Upside Down Pineapple Cherry Cake Recipe | Eggless

Know What You Eat: My First upside down cake..I always wanted to make an upside down cake and when I saw this recipe, it sounded interesting. Also, this happens to be an egg less one. Now don’t you believe that everything happens for a reason ;)?  I got lot of pineapples from framers market the other day, thinking I will juice it everyday, up till 2 days we enjoyed fresh pineapple and sometimes combo juices, then my older one started to complain "I am not drinking anymore,you know how they are if the same juice was packed in a nice  colorful carton, oh he will drink juice instead of water....anyways so I  thought  I got the chance to make a fancy cake..shhhh I know this has all the ingredients my family is not too use to....The cake was moist and soft & the flavor was just perfect. when it cooled down, and I had a piece and it was just the right flavor. You can also enjoy the same cake recipe for cupcakes having small chunks inside the cake mixture, oh that will taste divine...or simple a slice of this cake with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream..

Upside down Pineapple Cherry Cake Recipe
Recipe source: Nestle Milkmaid Recipes  

Ingredients

• 6 Pineapple Slices, canned (I used fresh)
• 5-6 Tbsp Sugar for caramelisation
• 1 Tbsp Water
• 1/2 Stick Butter, soften at room temperature
• 1 tin (400) Milkmaid (Sweetened Condensed Milk)
• 2 C All purpose flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Soda Bicarbonate
• 3/4 C Aerated soda
• ½ tsp Pineapple Essence

For Garnishing
Fresh/Canned Cherries – few
Couple of Blueberries (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven at 180º C/ 350 F/ 155º C (for fan assisted oven), 10 mins before baking.
• Grease a 9” round cake tin with butter. Arrange the pineapple slices at the base of the tin.
• Add water to sugar & heat it in a pan till it melts and becomes brown.
• Pour hot caramel onto the pineapple slices and leave aside.
• Add Milkmaid to the softened butter and beat well.
• Add pineapple essence to this & mix well.
• Sieve together flour, baking powder and soda bicarbonate. Keep aside.
• Add flour & soda to the Milkmaid mixture, alternatively, starting & ending with the flour.
• Repeat the process till the flour & soda is used completely. Pour batter into the prepared cake tin and bake at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from oven, loosen sides of cake using a knife and immediately turn onto a plate.

Notes: 

• Do not allow Pineapple upside-down cake to cool before removing from the tin.The caramelized sugar hardens and results in the cake sticking to the tin . 
• The cake batter should be used for baking immediately after mixing the ingredients. If the batter is allow to stand, it loses its lightness.
• You can also add few pineapple chunks in the cake batter before baking, it tastes awesome.

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Team Continuum - Pixels Of Promise | Immediate Care Fighting Cancer

Team Continuum is a non-profit organization dedicated to taking immediate care of anyone involved in fighting cancer.They give cancer patients access to the everyday cure fill in the physical and emotional gaps of support so cancer patients can have the strength to focus on their treatment. They also provide funding to health care facilities and foundations, to enhance the delivery of care, communication and educational services for cancer patients. To  learn more about Team Continuum please visit Pixels Of Promise.Org

Benefits include coaching, race day gear, and a private pre-race pasta party. For more information visit our website www.teamcontinuum.net or call 917-595-4168.

How it all Began

In 2003 a man with stage 3 Myeloma asked his doctor if he would be able to run in the NYC Marathon. Considering be was about to go through a stem cell transplant, surgery on his left arm and a few rounds of chemo, his doctor thought he was crazy.

After figuring he was in fact serious, his doctor was so inspired he decided to run with him, and raise money doing so. That man was Paul Nicholls, the founder of Team Continuum, and he finished his marathon so others could do the same.

Since 2003, he and his volunteers have raised over $3.5 million to help families battling cancer and to provide funding to improve cancer patient care programs, at some of the largest cancer treatment facilities in the country.

Goal

Their goal is to maximize and expand our partnerships with endurance sports that mirror the challenges, commitment, hope and strength required to endure living with cancer, as well as the ultimate reward in emerging victorious. Because as a patient, family member, friend, caregiver, or Team Continuum supporter we're all in the race together.

Team Continuum has always prided itself on being the custodians of funds donated to their  organization by the general public.You can always join the team as a volunteer, an athlete, or as a sponsor just like Eitan Hochster, David Circle, Kevin Lester, Justin Wunderuch, Ada Vassallo Robert Galvin and many such athletes are  part of Team Continuum.

Not Called Team CAN For Nothin'

Team Continuum is honored to be an official Charity Partner of the New York Road Runners. With several hundred entries we are among the largest independent teams in the world-class 2010 ING NYC Marathon.  Team Continuum has always prided itself on being the custodians of funds donated to their  organization by the general public.You can always join the team as a volunteer, an athlete, or as a sponsor just like Eitan Hochster, David Circle, Kevin Lester, Justin Wunderuch, Ada Vassallo Robert Galvin and many such athletes are  part of Team Continuum.Athletes who did not get in via the lottery or did not register at all can secure their entry by joining the team and registering online at www.teamcontinuum.net. 

Disclaimer “This sponsorship is brought to you by Team Continuum who we have partnered with for this promotion.”

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Churma Ladoo/Modak for Ganesha ( Healthy Whole Wheat & Jaggery Balls)

A Very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to Everyone !!!

Know what you eat: Wheat-The Whole Truth

The health benefits of wheat depend entirely on the form in which you eat it. These benefits will be few if you select wheat that has been processed into 60% extraction, bleached white flour. 60% extraction-the standard for most wheat products in the United States, including breads, noodles and pastas, baked goods like rolls or biscuits, and cookies-means that 40% of the original wheat grain was removed, and only 60% is left. Unfortunately, the 40% that gets removed includes the bran and the germ of the wheat grain-its most nutrient-rich parts. In the process of making 60% extraction flour, over half of the vitamin B1, B2, B3, E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, iron, and fiber are lost.

Women Who Eat Whole Grains Weigh Less, also reduced risk of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, chronic inflammation, gallstones, promotes womens and gastrointestinal health.

Churma laddoo, sinfully rich in ghee, are famous in Gujarat / Rajasthan, and are specially served in the form of Prasad, or any auspicious occasion. Originally these ladoo's are made OF fist shaped balls which are deep fried in ghee, pounded well to make a fine powder, later jaggery, coconut, sesame, poppy seeds cardamom & nutmeg powder are added. It is then shaped in balls using mould or simply with your palms. Below is my mom's version of making low fat ladoo which tastes equally good, there are some special additions of barley flour, almond powder, dry ginger powder for added health benefits.

Ingredients

2 C wheat flour, coarse if possible

1 Tbsp Barley Flour (optional)

3/4 C Jaggery OR 1/2 C Jaggery + 1/4 C Brown Sugar (both combinations works fine)

3 tbsp Ghee (Clarifed Butter) for the dough

2 Tbsp Almonds, powder or coarsely pounded

1 Tbsp Poppy Seeds (khus khus)

1 tsp Cardamom Powder (Elaichi)

1 tsp Nutmeg Powder (Jaiphal)

1 tsp Dry Ginger Powder (Optional)

Milk / Water to make stiff/hard dough

Ghee ( if deep frying)

Method

1. Take wheat flour, add warm ghee and mix it.

2. Add little water to make a hard dough and keep aside for 15 mins.

3. Divide the dough into 6 equal parts. Shape the parts into the shape of your fist and press with your fingers in the centre of each part. Heat ghee in a kadhai and deep fry the dough parts on a very slow flame for 25 to 30 minutes until they becomes golden brown in colour. Drain on absorbent paper and keep them to cool. Pound the dough in a mortar and pestle to coarse pieces. Grind the pieces further in a mixer to get a fine powder (churma).

OR TRY MY MOM'S LOW FAT VERSION

3. Make small bakris or thick chapatis and roast them on a griddle/tawa on low flame till the bakri becomes like a biscuit, Or, untill bakri is well baked specially in the centre.

4. Make all bakris like such, and after they cool make fine - semi coarse powder in a mixie/ food processor.

5. Put the powder in a microwave safe bowl. Now melt ghee & jaggery in another bowl and mix it in this powder, along with khus-khus cardamom & nutmeg powder.

6. Mix it well till there are no lumps found. Then make laddoos (small balls) out of them using a mould or simply with hands.

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