Easy Sphaghetti with tomato sauce

Here, I am back after really long break from my blog with a soooper easy recipe, even if you are running out of time. Its really quick and can be made with a very few ingredients. You may add the vegetables of your choice as well with it.


Ingredients
Sphaghetti - a bunch
Tomatoes - 2 large
Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
Salt - a pinch
Garlic - 2 cloves
Mixed Herbs
Black pepper (freshly ground) - if wanted to taste

Recipe

Take sphaghetti and break and put it in boiling water in a pot. Break into half if you want.

Add 1 tablespoon oilive oil and some salt to the boiling sphaghetti. Let it boil until done and strain.

While the spheghetti getting done prepare the tomato sauce.

Preparing Tomato sauce :

Cut tomatoes into pieces and grind it in a mixer grinder to make a puree.

Heat oil in a pan and add crushed / finely chopped garlic to it.

Add tomato puree and let it boil, add mixed herbs and let it simmer for 2 minutes. This boiling tomato mixture changes color and becomes a bit darker that is a sign that its properly cooked.

Now add the boiled spaghetti to this tomato sauce mixture ans your lunch is ready to be served hot. !!

You might want to keep it in the lunchbox and that is sure to make their day. My kids are a bit fussy when pepper is added to this, apparently that makes their spaghetti a bit spicy for them. Though, if I am having it for a dinner I make sure to add freshly ground pepper to this and  a portion of salad. That makes a perfect dinner to me. 

Hope you all like this !!

Rainbow cupcakes

To make one of these best looking cupcakes you will be adding the food coloring to the cupcake batter. Please follow the recipe of my Soft Eggless cupcakes for the base recipe to be used for these.

For getting the most beautiful cupcakes in addition to the basic batter you would most definitely need :

• Bowls - 3
• Edible food coloring - I have used pink and green for this one
• Cupcake Cases
• Muffin tray

Recipe 

• Divide in batter in three different bowls for different colors.
• Add a few drops of pink to one and green to another one mix properly for having an even color.

• The most vital and time taking part is layering the colors in cases. 
• Put 1/2 spoon mix at a time for one color, then a different color. Keep adding alternate colored batter till the cases are a little less than 3/4th filled.

Now preheat the oven at 150 degrees for about 10 minutes.

• Meanwhile arrange them in your tray and put them inside the in center of oven for baking for 20-25 minutes,

Please keep an eye as times may vary for different types of oven used.

Soft eggless Cupcakes

After going through a lot of different recipes for an eggless cupcake and trying them all, I came across this one and was amazed to see how easy the recipe was and how beautiful was the end result. This recipe is a must try for everyone who is looking for an eggless version of muffins/ cupcakes. 


Ingredients

• Self raising flour - 180 gms
• Sugar - 90 gms
• Baking Powder - 1 tea spoon
• Baking Soda - 1/2 tea spoon
• Vanilla essence - 2 tea spoonfuls
• Salt - 1/2 tea spoon
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Vinegar - 3 tea spoons
• Oil - 1/4 cup

Recipe

• Add vinegar to the milk mix and keep aside for a while. 
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. 
• Add oil to the mix of vinegar and milk and whisk for 15-20 seconds. Add powdered sugar, vanilla essence and whisk for 20 seconds more.
• Now, fold the dry mix to this wet mix together and whisk for a while. Do not over do it.
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
• Meanwhile, divide this mixture into the cupcake cases/ liners and arrange them in baking tray.
• Keep these cupcake cases in the middle of the preheated oven.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes and they should be ready by then. (Baking time may differ slightly for different makes and different types of oven)

Once done take them out and put them on cooling racks to cool down. Once these are done you may frost them the way you like.

I found that these are very soft and moist cupcakes and the ingredients are readily available in most kitchens.

If you want you may use 1/2 cup yoghurt instead of milk and vinegar.

Red lentils carrot and broccoli soup

Ingredients 

• Carrots - 2
• Broccoli - cut into 1 inch  (4-5 pieces)
• lentils - 1/2 cup 
• Garlic - 1-2 cloves
• milk - 3-4 tablespoons
• Butter - 1 teaspoon
• salt and pepper - to taste
• lemon juice - 1 teaspoon

Recipe 

• Soak this lentil for at least 3 -4 hours before you are planning to cook and it will take a lot lesser time to get done. 
• Boil carrots, broccoli and lentils together till they are soft and done.
• Finely chop garlic cloves.
• Put the pan on medium heat and let the butter melt and get hot. Add finely chopped garlic in it.
• Add the boiled mix of lentils, carrot and broccoli to it. Bring it to boil and then simmer.
• Give it a blend with your stick blender and let the contents  blend well.
• Add milk and let it boil for some more time. 
• Finally add lemon juice to it and salt and pepper to taste

Now you may garnish it with coriander leaves and serve while its hot. You may also take it to work in your lunch box and heat in a microwave.

This is a very healthy, nutritious and fiber rich soup to have. I have used the brown version of lentil to cook this time as has the higher fiber content in it. The same way can be done with the red/ pink version too.

Beanie vegetable Patty

Ingredients

• Boiled potatoes - 2 large sized
• Red kidney beans - 1/2 cup
• Green peas - 1/2 cup
• Corn - 1/2 cup
• Coriander leaves - a few
• Salt to taste
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tea spoon full
• Corn flour - 2 spoonful
• Bread crumbs - 1 cup
• Oil - 2 spoon full to fry

 

 

Recipe

 

• Take a bowl, peel boiled potatoes and mash them.

• In a chopper add beans, peas, corn and,coriander leaves and turn it on.

• Add this mix to the boiled potatoes. Add salt to taste and 1/2 cup bread crumbs to it and mix well.

• Start giving them shapes into pattys.

•  In a bowl, separately make a diluted mix of corn flour and water.

• Now dip the patties into the corn flour mix and coat them with bread crumbs. 

• Put the pan on medium heat, put 1 spoonful of oil and start shallow frying the patties in it.

• Keep turning their sides to make sure they are evenly done and adjust the flame accordingly.

 

Kids love it so the adults too. Serve them with some ketchup/ chutney and salad.

 

 

Note :  you may add chillies to the recipes if you like them hot. I mostly do not put them keeping kids in mind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jelly with fruit chunks

Ingredients :

• Weikfield jelly powder (I have taken strawberry and pineapple)
• fruits - apple / strawberry (which you have readily available)
• Water

Recipe - Its quite easy, as below.

• Cut the fruits in small chunks and keep aside.
•  Boil approx 500 ml water in a kettle.
• In a bowl empty the whole pack and pour the boiled water over it.
• keep stirring till it gets completely dissolves.
• Divide the fruits into your jelly molds/ small containers.
• Then pour the warm jelly mix over it and put in in the fridge to cool down.

Variation

If you want it to have a it different and colorful  fill it a little more than half with one flavor and when its set fill the rest with another colour/ flavour. Then put it in the fridge for 1 hour more.

                                                                                                In sealed boxes as a part of lunch

Its a yummy, colorful and fruity version of jelly can be given to kids as a treat !!

Aloo tikki/ potato patty

Ingredients for 4 people as snack portion

• potatoes - 4 big sized
• ginger garlic paste - 1 tea spoon
• fresh Coriander leaves
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2 tablespoons
• Cornflour - 1 spoonful

Recipe 

• Boil and peel potatoes.
• Take a bowl mash the potatoes in it. Add the cornflour and mix.
• Add ginger garlic paste, finely shopped fresh coriander leaves and salt to taste to it.
• Mix well.
• Shape them like small-medium sized patties.
• Now, on medium flame heat a pan. Put one tablespoon of oil and start frying patties. You may would like to adjust the flame and keep turning sides as you wouldn't want them to burn. 

Chlli chinese Idli fry

This weekend, I had some Idlis left over and I was thinking how to get something yummy out of it. Had a look in the fridge and in kitchen cupboards, so here we go -

Ingredients

• Idlis - 6
• Onion - 1 Medium
• Green Capsicum(pepper) - 1/2
• Red Pepper - 1/2
• Soy Sauce 
• Garlic cloves - 2
• Ginger - 1/2 inch 
• Green chilli - optional
• Oil - 1 Tablespoon
• Tomato Ketchup - 1 tablespoon
• Salt

Recipe 
Finely chop the garlic cloves, and ginger. Green chill should be slit into half (that's how I like them to be.)
Cut each Idli into 4 pieces.
Cut the onions, green and red pepper into chunky pieces.
Heat the oil in a pan, add garlic, ginger to it. stir for about 20-30 seconds. Add onions fry for 30 seconds more. Then add green and red pepper and fry for a minute more.
Finally add idli pieces to it. Add soy sauce, tomato ketchup and salt to this. Keep mixing and stirring for a while. 

Serve hot when done !!!!

P.S - If you dont have any idli leftovers and you want some really quick just refer to idli on my blog for instant idlis in cupcake maker.

Poha with peanuts and vegetables

This is a traditional breakfast usually made with poha/chivda with various combinations of vegetables like green peas, capsicum, potatoes, carrots etc. I am making it with carrots, beans, potato and peanuts here.

Ingredients

• Carrots -2
• Green beans -10-12
• Potato-1 medium sized
• Red Peanuts - 
• Poha - washed and drained
• Mustard seeds. - 1 spoonful
• Vegetable oil - 1 table spoon
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste
• Green chillies - 1
• Sugar - 1 teaspoon
• Curry leaves - a few
• Lemon juice - 1 tea spoon

Preparations : Wash poha in a strainer, so the water drains out and let it get soaked (but not lumpy). 

Chop the carrots and beans finely. (I use chopper, my favorite appliance for now  :-D).

Cut potatoes into thin slices.

Recipe

In a pan heat oil, fry peanuts lightly take them out and keep aside. To this oil, add finely chopped green chilies  mustard seeds and curry leaves. As they start crackling add the potato slices fry for about 30 seconds then add the chopped vegetables (Carrots+beans) to it. Cover this with a lid for a while then open and see if its done.

Add salt, turmeric powder and stir it once. Add the soaked, softened poha to it. Keep them turning  and mixing till everything is mixed evenly and has a nice even flavour.

At the end add sugar and lemon juice and mix it well. Now its ready to serve nice and hot with a cup of tea. 

Vegetarian cheesy beans quesadilla

Here, I have something which can be a real quicky and is sure to be delicious. The ingredients are simple and readily available in mostly in our kitchen, so you can please your kids without much a do this time.




Ingredients 

• Tortillas/ chapatis (thin rolled homemade chapati or ready to eat)
• Red capsicum - 1/4
• Green Capsicum - 1/4
• Boiled red kidney beans - 1/2 cup
• Grated Cheddar and mozzarella cheese - 1 cup
• Salt - a pinch
• Optional - Pasta sauce - 2 table spoon

Recipe 

Finely chop the red and green capsicum. 

In a bowl, mix grated cheese, capsicum, beans, pasta sauce together. Add salt to taste to this mixture.

Take a tortilla/ chapati top it up generously with the mixture prepared above. Cover this with another tortilla on the top.

Take a flat pan, grease its surface and put it on the low flame. Transfer the quesadilla to it and carefully keep checking for the cheese to start melting. Make sure to turn the side as the tortilla becomes nice, little crisp and colorful (not burnt). .

Tip : If you want cheese to start melt quickly cover it with a lid like above, your quesadillas will be done much quicker and yummier.

With this recipe kids wouldn't miss guacamole this time, as we have added a flavour of pasta sauce already in it. But very soon I will be adding a quick n easy guacamole recipe to go with it or you may would like to grab some from store.