Chocolate Chip Cookies - Gluten free,Dairy free and no refined sugar.

 

Ingredients 

• Gluten free flour(Pillsbury brand) - 1 and 3/4 cup 
• Unrefined coconut oil at room temperature in solid state -1/2 cup
• Canola oil - 1 tblsp
• Egg - 1 ( replace it with flax seed powder if u want it vegan)
• Jaggery(sugarcane powder) or dark brown sugar - 1 cup
• Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
• Baking soda - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Vegan Chocolate chips (Enjoy life brand)- 1 cup

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. 
• Beat the egg. Add coconut oil,jaggery,vanilla extract and beat it well .
• Mix all dry ingredients together except for chocolate chips. 
• Mix wet and dry ingredients together to form a thick dough. If too wet add a little bit flour. If too dry add some oil. 
• Add chocolate chips and mix gently . 
• Add canola oil at last to prevent it from sticking. Dough is ready.
• Make small balls and put it on a baking tray.
• Bake for 7-8 min(small mini cookies) and 10-12 mins(big cookies).
• Bake until corners r slightly brown . Do not overbake.

 

Guacamole - Chipotle Style - Avocado Dip - Healthy and super delicious

Ingredients :

• Avocado -2 
• Red onion -1 small
• Jalapeño-1(deseeded)  (or) red chili flakes -1/2 tsp
• Lime or Lemon-1
• Cilantro - a few leaves
• Salt

Method :

• Slit the avocados lengthwise. Discard the seed. Scoop out the flesh in a bowl. Roughly mash it with a fork. Let it be lumpy and not very smooth.
• Finely chop the onion,jalapeño, cilantro. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 or full lemon according to your taste.
• Mix everything in a bowl along with salt. Adjust salt, chili, and lemon according to taste. 
• Serve with tortilla chips or use this as a spread in Sandwich, Tortilla, or Roti.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Helloo everyone. Took a looooong break from blogging due to personal reasons. Being a stay at home mom makes me appreciate all the free time I had before.LOL. I used to sit hours and hours styling my food, taking pictures, drafting recipes. Now free time is a luxury. Though I miss blogging I do love all the precious moments with my little one. These tiny humans grow up so fast and I wish I could record each and every moment. Seeing the world through my baby’s eyes is a whole different experience and I'm grateful for everything God has given me.

So, back to blogging with a new recipe. These Lemon Crinkle cookies melt into your mouth. They are not too sweet and perfectly tangy balancing your palette. Let's go on to the recipe.

Ingredients :

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tblsp lemon juice
• 1 tblsp lemon extract
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar 
• 2 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

Method :

• Combine all the dry ingredients and keep aside. Cream together butter and sugar until it’s really creamy and fluffy. 

• Add in eggs, lemon juice, lemon extract, food coloring(if using) and beat until well combined. Add the dry ingredients into this and mix well without lumps. Do not over-mix.

• Slightly thick and sticky dough is formed. Chill it for a few hours in the refrigerator. Take out the dough and roll it into small balls. Take powdered sugar in a bowl. Coat each ball evenly in it.

• In a preheated oven of 350 F, place the balls onto a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 mins. The cookie should be soft when you touch. Cool completely and serve it.

Chapathi Noodles

Chapathi Noodles - Thinly sliced roti pieces are cooked in Chinese style and smeared in lip smacking sauces.This recipe is unique and extremely addictive that u will make it more than once for sure. This is something I make when I have leftover roti in the  refrigerator but feel like having a Chow mein and can't go out. This is healthy, low fat tangy and spicy and so its a perfect kid friendly lunch box recipe.It remains crispy and it goes very well with a side of peanut sauce,ketchup or Mayonnaise.

Ingredients :

• Chapathi - 5 to 6 
• Onion - 1 
• Green Capsicum - 1
• Red Capsicum- 1
• Cabbage - 1 cup
• Ginger - a small piece 
• Garlic - 3 to 4
• Green chilly - 2
• Soya sauce - 1 tblsp
• Red chilli sauce (optional) - 1/2 tsp
• Chilli Vinegar or Rice Vinegar - 2 tblsp
• Tomato ketchup - 2 tblsp
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Chinese Sesame oil or Cannola oil - 3 tsp
• Scallion or green onion - few sprigs 

Method :

Roll each chapathi and cut them into thin slices.

Chop all veggies into very thin slices.Finely grate ginger and garlic.Slit the green chilies lengthwise.Chop green onions into small pieces.

For Chinese cooking keeping the flame high is really the key. So the pan has to be hot and cooking is done mostly in high flame to get the perfect crunchy noodles. If kept in medium or low flame the result is soggy noodles.

Take a deep bottomed pan or a wok ,add 2 tsp oil. Add garlic,ginger,green chilies,onion and saute until they are cooked but still crispy about 2 min.Add very rhinly sliced cabbage and give a stir.Add both the capsicum and and saute for just a min. 

When the veggies are half done ,add soya sauce,red chili sauce,tomato ketchup and mix well.Toss the veggies gently.

Now add thinly sliced chapathi and toss gently until it is well coated. Now keenthe flame high and add one more tsp of oil and chili vinegar. Toss them again. Don't keep stirring continuously as this might make it mushy.

Garnish with a general dose of chopped green onions. 

Crispy Banana Waffles - 4th Anniversary Blog Post

It has been 4 years since I started this blog and this makes me immensely happy.A big thank you to everyone for all the love and support !! Your love keeps me motivated :)

I have been meaning to post a waffle recipe for so long. Traditional waffles are yummy healthy,crispy on the outside and a bit spongy on the inside.But I always like my waffles crispy.This recipe is nice and crunchy both on the inside and outside.

I am a big fan of banana bread and combining the flavor into the waffles made it even more yummy.It is healthy and nutritious.

Golden Organic bananas

Nutella Mug cake in a microwave - Super moist,Eggless,No Baking,andunder 2 mins

Everyone loves Nutella. I am a Nutella addict and I have been using it in a lot of recipes.They are creamy,buttery nutty and have chocolate in it.What more can you expect ? :)

This mug cake recipe is something I have been trying for a while now .I have been experimenting with quite a few ingredients in various quantities and finally came up with a recipe that is super moist, soft ,has the right texture of a cake, doesn't get grainy even if it cools off and it has ooey gooey nutella in the center.It is egg less,can be made under 2 mins and all you need is a microwave. This is a quick fix dessert when you have friends come over.If you serve these warm mug cakes right out of the microwave,your guests are going to love it for sure.

So what are you waiting for ?? Go ahead and make this mug cake and I hope you enjoy every bite of it :)

Preparation Time : 1 min

Cooking Time : 70 sec

Serves : 2

What you need ? 

• All purpose flour -1/4 cup

• Unsweetened Cocoa - 2 tblsp

• Baking powder - 1/4 tsp

• Sugar - 3 tsp

• Salt-1/8 tsp

• Milk - 1/4 cup + 1 extra tblsp

• Canola oil - 2 tblsp

• Nutella - 1 tsp

Method:

Bread Rollups - Easy veg stuffed bread snacks - perfect appetizer for parties.

These bread rollups are so easy to make and they make a perfect evening snack especially with coffee or tea.You can make these in three ways - Baked , Pan fried or Deep fried . In this recipe im gonna pan fry or shallow fry that requires minimum amount of oil.

The stuffing can be anything you want - vegetables, fruits or chocolates. I did a filling with the leftover stuff in my refrigerator - Potatoes :)
Serve these yummy crispy snacks with tomato ketchup , sour cream  or any other dip you like.

So, lets get started....

Kala Chana / Kondakadalai Sundal - Navaratri recipes

Happy Navaratri everyone !! As festivities start in full swing all the gollu steps are readily arranged with silk dhoties or sarees covering them.Then comes all the cute dolls which we have been collecting over the years.We bring down all our dolls from the attic and clean them. With mom's  help the dolls are arranged in the steps in no time.We invite friends and family over to see out beautifully displayed arrangements of dolls and wait for them to start appreciating...And all those hard work pays right off..This is the tradition of gollu in my house.Hope you all have similar wonderful gollu stories like mine.

And the best comes in the last. - Sundals.

Every evening mom makes yummy sundal and we get to taste it before the guests arrive...My favorite of all sundals is the kala chana or kondai kadalai sundal.

They are legumes which are dark brown in color and have a strong earthy nutty taste.They make an awesome evening snack and makes you feel full for a really long time.Its packed with nutrients and are so yummy to eat.

Ok lets move on to the recipe,

Saffron Banana Oatmeal - Breakfast series

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day blah blah....But honestly most of us skip it no matter how free we are at home.Why is that ? The truth is breakfast is not fun unless its sweet.

I would love to have cakes or a brownie for breakfast but we all know that's not good..Oatmeal has been the most trending breakfast these days and I used to love the different oatmeal which we get in stores.But nightmare stuck when I read the label .They are full of artificial flavors and preservatives .
So I mixed and matched few fresh fruits and nuts and the oatmeal turned out to be really fun.

This recipe calls for the the most scrumptious elegant saffron and the ever sweet banana with a hint of cinnamon.

This recipe is very nutritious and it just takes 3 mins to make.

Ingredients :

• Oats - 1/2 cup
• Water - 1 to 1.5 cups
• Banana - 1 chopped
• Saffron - few strands
• Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - a pinch
• Brown Sugar or Honey - 2 tblsp (optional)
• Sliced almonds - a few pieces

Method:

• Take a pan and add oats and water.Boil in medium flame for 1 min .
• Add the rest of the ingredients and let it cook for 2 min.
• Add few tblsps of warm almond milk or regular milk if needed . Since this recipe is vegan I have not added anything.
• Take a cute bowl and pour some oats.Top it off with some sliced almonds and saffron.Serve warm.

If you have interesting oatmeal ideas please do share it in the  comments section below.

Breakfast Recipe series - Tomato Mozzarella Panini

The Breakfast series is something which I wanted to start for a really long time.But I have been so tardy because taking pictures with camera,editing and posting here is a long process.So unlike other recipes which I take with camera,these breakfast series are gonna be quick posts using Mobile Photography.You can check out  Laavy's Kitchen Instagram page for daily recipes.

Well the first recipe is Tomato Mozzarella Panini inspired from "Panera bread".

Chana chaat - Masala puri with a twist

The one food I never get bored of is Chaat.The famous Indian street food is so tangy and delicious that I could eat them every single day.Yummy !! I literally drool just by seeing the pictures.Who doesn't love chat.Every state in India has its own version of chaat and almost every area has a small shop at the end of the street full of crowded people eagerly waiting for their turn to eat the yummy goodness.Undoubedly it should be named the National food of India. Do you guys agree? :)

In case you are wondering why I named it Chana chaat, it is a small twist to the traditional Masala puri.Instead of green peas I have used Chickpeas and made chana masala .In the tradional recipe, we crunch the puri and pour the masala over it but I like eating the puri with all the stuffing inside and stuff my mouth with all the tangy goodness.Hence the name Chana chaat.

Healthy chocolate Ice cream , Fat free,gluten free and Vegan - Second Anniversary Blog Post

Cannot believe its been 2 years since I started the blog.It is a really long and wonderful journey.Thank you everyone for the amazing support and encouragement.

Ice cream - The magic word kids love to have before food or after food. In a few cases ice cream even replaces food..well like me :)

The one thing about ice cream that we love is the creamy rich taste and the cold feel in our tongue.Its good to have ice cream once in a while but that cant happen everyday because it has fat and sugar.

What if I tell you that you can eat ice cream everyday which is fat free,gluten free and vegan.Yes,with this recipe you can make fat free ice cream within seconds,fresh at your home with healthy ingredients and most importantly without adding sugar !!!!

We are going to use frozen banana ,milk and cocoa powder.

Bananas are an excellent source of vitamin B6, soluble fiber, and contain moderate amounts of vitamin C, manganese and potassium.Peel the banana and store them in a zip lock bag and put them in the freezer for atleast 6 hrs.They can stay fresh for weeks but try to use them as soon as possible.

Caribbean Fruit Salad with zesty lemon dressing

Caribbean Fruit Salad is a tangy and hot tropical salad.You can use all the seasonal fruits of your choice.
This is perfect snack for a warm summer day.Pineapple and Papaya always go well together.

This recipe has a hot lemon dressing for the salad.You can use any kind of citrus fruits like orange,key lime,blood orange etc

If you want to reduce the heat you can leave out the red chilli flakes in this recipe.

Chipotle style Corn Salsa / Mexican Corn Salad

I love Mexican food and when it comes to Chipotle Mexican Grill , I love the Burrito bowl.This recipe is inspired from the Chipotle Mexican salsa which is tangy, sweet and irresistibly delicious.Its simple and healthy and can be made within a few minutes.This is a great party side for chips or nachos.

Seasoned Raw Mangoes - Summer can't get any better !!

Summer in southern parts of India is so extreme that you can literally fry things on top of your car.I am not kidding.Trust me,  its that hot !!!

Raw mangoes mark the beginning of summer.These little beauties hang down from trees at perfect height so that kids can jump up and grab them.When kids steal these mangoes from their neighbour's trees,it is believed to taste more delicious than the ones from their own .Funny but true :)

In my home back in India, my mom has two mango trees.She has been taking care of them for the past 20 years.They have grown so tall that we need a long stick to grab the mangoes with so much technicality.But at the end of the day,the taste is worth all the efforts.

Loaded Potato Soup - A quick and easy soup.

Loaded Potato Soup

Hi guys.Its been so long since I posted a recipe. We relocated to a new location and things were crazy.Anyways, now I am back to blogging :)

Now I am back with a yummy soup made with potatoes.

We all know the importance of carbohydrates in our daily lives.No wonder potatoes are the king of carbohydrates.They are the building blocks of our body.

We all love potatoes boiled,baked,fried and what not.They are one of the most delicious and highly consumed vegetables of all times. I love potatoes when they are fried with a hint of aromatic spices.This is my first soup recipe and I decided to try it with my favourite vegetable 'Potato'.

Just keep in mind that when you make this soup , be sure to balance the rest of your meal for the day.You can have this soup as a starter followed by a salad or bread toast.This is a heavy soup which will make your tummy full :)

Saltine crackers go perfectly well with this soup .You can add croutons too.

Valentines Day Roti - Heart shaped Roti

Happy Valentine's day everyone :)

February - The month of love.

Love is always in the air and it comes to life in February ,especially on Valentine's Day.

February is doubly special to me as I got married in this month of love.Love is something which is felt naturally by everyone.Love is everywhere.To make this Valentine's Day more special , I made some heart-shaped Roti to surprise my loved one.