Fusilli Pasta in Tomato Sauce | Easy Pasta Recipes

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Pasta comes in our menu once in a while to get rid of the boredom of the usual breakfast routine. Last time I got fusilli pasta and tried a simple tomato sauce with it. I've already tried penne tomato pasta but this time its a variation with ingredients and with no pasta sauce as last time I had few readers asking for substitute for pasta sauce.

Fusilli Pasta in Tomato Sauce Recipe
Serves 2

Ingredients:

• Fusilli Pasta - 3/4 cup
• Tomato puree - from 1 big tomato (approx 1/2 cup)
• Garlic paste or garlic finely chopped - 1 tsp
• Tomato sauce - 1 tbsp
• Tomato - 1 chopped
• Capsicum - 2 to 3 tbsp cubed
• Pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Cheese - 1 tbsp (just for garnish)
• Olive oil - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Boil water and cook fusilli pasta with salt until slightly soft yet crunchy enough to bite.Drain water and Keep aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic paste and saute until slightly browned. Then add chopped tomatoes and capsicum toss it a min.Then add tomato puree and saute until raw smell totally leaves.Add required salt and pepper, give a quick stir.
3. Then add the cooked pasta and mix well, add tomato sauce and sprinkle little water if the mixture is too dry. Allow it to boil 2-3 mins until the pasta is coated well with the sauce.
4. Switch off and garnish with grated cheese while serving.

My Notes:

• You can also add a hint of mint leaves paste to it to give a nice flavour.
• Adding onions also gives a nice crunchiness and taste.

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Potato Fry - Urulaikilangu Varuval | Potato Recipes

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Potato fry is my all time favorite either with rice or even wit rotis. This is the easiest fry when you are running out of time and pairs well with your meal.We are enjoying the showers here and the climate is so chill that our winters wears are already out. Easy and comforting food has been our daily routine these. I've already posted a different version of potato curry but this potato fry is mittus most fav. This is a very easy and quick version of potato fry. Simple lunch menu ready - Rice , Rasam and Potato fry

Easy Potato Fry Recipe

• Potatoes - 2
• Sambar powder - 1/2 tsp
• Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - a generous pinch
• Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
• Garam masala powder - a generous pinch(optional)
• Salt - to taste

To temper:

• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Split Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Oil - 2 to 3 tsp

Method:

1.Pressure cook potatoes until soft say for about 3-4 whistles. Peel of the skin and cut into bite sized pieces and keep aside.Heat oil in a kadai(I used iron kadai, you can use on stick too) - add mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves - allow it to crackle.

2.Add ginger garlic paste fry for a minute. Then add onions and fry till golden brown. Add the cooked cut potatoes, add turmeric, chilli,sambar, garam masala powders and give a quick stir.

3.Give a stir and fry until the potatoes turn golden brown. Turn over to cook evenly on all sides.

Serve with rasam and rice. It goes well with curd rice too - my fav combo :)

My Notes:

• Add ginger and garlic while adding potatoes to reduce gastric problems.
• While tempering you can add replace urad dhal with jeera / fennel seeds(sombu)
• The advantage of using a nonstick kadai is that even if you add less oil the veggies get roasted well.

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Mcvities Biscuits - Product Review

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I have never thought about reviewing products until I got a mail from Mcvities asking me to review their product. I think most of us like biscuits so do I.....And so when they said the biscuits are healthy as most of them are with whole wheat flour I readily accepted the offer.

I sent the address and totally forgot about it and thats when 2 days back I received a pack of 8 biscuits in different varieties. All their biscuits claim to be Zero cholestrol and no transfat.....How nice is that?!

The brand positioning for the same being ‘Change your habit to a healthy habit’ they have come up with a quirky way of getting the message across to all the health conscious people out there. The concept is to show a spoof on a popular Bollywood character and convey how he’s changing his habit to a healthy habit. This animated spoof features Aamir Khan from Ghajini in a tongue in cheek manner, getting the message across in a hilarious manner :McVitie's Gajhinee Spoof

The first one I tasted was the digestive biscuits and it was totally my kind with less sweetness a bit salty perfect to go with tea time. Additionally they are made with:

• Wholewheat flour
• No artificial flavours or colors
• High fibre

Verdict : Must try for all who love their biscuits to go with their tea

The next one I tasted....Ok I agree my daughter opened these :) was the butter cookies and they were just apt for the name just melts in the mouth, crispy and yummy.

They are also

• Rich in calcium
• Melts in the mouth and
• No transfats again

Verdict : As the wrapper tag says its Simply Butterlicious!!

This is my most favourite biscuit of all oatmeal honey cookies and they call it as hobnobs with the goodness of natural honey, oats and wholewheat...they are healthy and yummy!

Mcvities introduced the wonderful recipe of honobs in 1984. Since then it has perfected the art of baking a delightful oats biscuits complete in its goodness of natural ingredients

So the main ingredients included are :

• Oats for a healthy heart
• Wholewheat for a strong and fit body
• Honey for overall health

Verdict : I can have it anytime of the day, super delicious and healthy biscuits. Oats is not finely powdered, you can even feel the crunch in every bite - that the best part of it. I relished eating each one of them :)

The last biscuit variety I tried was the cream biscuits (as I am not more interested in cream biscuits much but my daughter gave me the feedback even before I tasted them) and these biscuits seemed to have a burst of orange flavour in them. These biscuits are:

• Vitamin C enriched
• Tangy orange flavour

Verdict : A must try for all cream biscuits lovers!

Overall McVities biscuits have been enjoyed the world over since 1850. Baked to perfection, these biscuits are made with the finest and wholesome ingredients.

Disclaimer: This is an unpaid review and my review totally depends on my taste and preferences.

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Aloo Channa Chat | Easy Chat Recipes

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What do you do those days when you crave for chats? When you cant go outside all the way to the chat shop to satisfy your craving?! This is what I make - Aloo Channa Chat, easy to put together at the same time healthy too.

Aloo Channa Chat Recipe
Serves 2
Ingredients:

• Channa - 1 cup
• Potatoes - 1/4 cup
• Chat Masala / Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chilli powder - a pinch
• Green Chutney - 1 tbsp
• Dates Chutney - 1 tbsp
• Onions - 1 small sized chopped finely
• Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp chopped finely
• Sev - 2 tbsp (optional)
• Salt - as required
• Lemon juice 1 tsp

Method:

1. Soak channa overnight for atleast 6-8 hours.Pressure cook channa until soft, drain water and keep aside.
2. Pressure cook potatoes for 3-4 whistles until soft. Peel off the skin and mash it roughly, keep aside.
3. Now in a bowl add channa and boiled potatoes, combine it with chat masala powder, lemon juice, chilli powder, salt, green chutney, dates chutney and mix well. Finally add onions and garnish with coriander leaves and sev on top.

This is sure a healthy alternative to other chats as its oil free.I usually make the chat chutneys at home but this time when I saw the sweet chutney named bhel puri chutney at Nilgiris I readily picked it up as its very handy. Making green chutney is a breeze so now making chats is no excuse :)

My Notes:

• You can also add raw chopped tomatoes. The recipe is totally flexible to our preference so do experiment and enjoy.
• You can alternatively use black channa too.
• This can be served as salad too skipping the chutneys alone

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Caramel Pudding (Caramel Custard Pudding) / Flan Recipe

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I tried this pudding from vahrevah and have made this 2-3 times and its a no fail recipe. The ingredients are easy to fetch from ur pantry with no mess, it comes out perfect everytime.

Caramel Pudding / Flan Recipe - Ingredients

Makes 7-8 small ramekin sized puddings

For caramel:

• Sugar - 20 gms
• Water - 3 tbsp

For vanilla pudding:

• Milk - 500 ml
• Sugar - 50 gms
• Eggs - 3
• Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

NOTE:

Check out my Eggless Vanilla Pudding Recipe posted earlier

Check out my Eggless Chocolate Pudding Recipe posted earlier

Method:

For making caramel :

Add sugar in a dry pan and leave it untouched until the sugar melts down completely and turns slightly brown.Add water and the sugar syrup will start bubbling up.Do not stir just swirl to heat up evenly.

Once the mixture turns golden brown then pour the caramel into moulds or ramekins immediately so that spreads to fill the base. Take a large baking pan and pour water upto 1 inch height. Arrange the ramekins inside the pan with water.

For making vanilla pudding:

Beat eggs until fluffy then add sugar and beat it well until the sugar dissolves completely. I used my whisk to beat until fluffy.

Heat milk and allow it to boil. Once boiled, remove it from flame and cool it down for few mins then add it to the egg sugar mixture and beat for few mins. Add the vanilla essence , give a quick stir. Strain this through a strainer to remove undissolved egg white strands.

Now pour the milk egg mixture into the prepared ramkeins.Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Now leave the pan with ramekins arranged on lower rack of the oven. Bake in 375°F/190°C or 35-45 mins. Check by inserting a fork if it comes out clean, then ur pudding is ready.

Allow it to cool for a while then refrigerate for an hour atleast before serving. At the time of serving run a knife around the edges of the pudding to loosen a bit then invert the ramekins on the serving plate. A delicious caramel coated vanilla pudding or flan is ready :)

The caramel taste hides the eggy flavour giving it a nice outer coating. I luved the way the caramel drops when inverted. A rich and delicious dessert easy to whip up too.

My Notes:

• Dont let the caramel get more dark then the pudding will have a bitter tasting caramel.Also the colour purely depends on your taste, 
• Also allow the caramel to spread through all sides of the bottom base of the container you use for setting the pudding.
• The pudding that went inside the oven had a golden top while the outer ones had the normal cream top. But the taste of the pudding doesnt get affected at all.

My lil one who loves pudding enjoyed this too and whenever she sees the ramkeins she would ask for pudding :) She likes most of the puddings either chocolate or plain custard pudding but she loves this egg pudding a bit more than the other puddings.

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Peanut Butter Granola Bars - Healthy Snack Bars

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If I have the option of having the same snack daily I would prefer these granola bars...Yes I like these bars so much. I relish every bite of it and go sad for the last bite everytime.You can check the other version of granola bars with stepwise here .

Peanut Butter Granola Bars Recipe - Ingredients

Makes 8 bars

Ingredients:

• Quick cooking oats - 1 cup
• Cornflakes - 1/2 cup
• Honey - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp
• Peanut Butter - 1/4 cup
• Butter - 1 tbsp
• Demererar Sugar - 1 tbsp (You can use normal sugar too)
• Water - 1 tbsp

Nuts & Dry Fruits - 1/2 cup

• Almonds - 1/8 cup (broken roughly)
• Walnut - 1/8 cup (broken roughly)
• Golden, black raisins, figs and dates / (any other dry fruit) - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. First dry roast oats, cornflakes, nuts and dry fruits in a pan until a nice aroma comes and oats starts slightly browning up. Keep aside.
2. Now in the same pan, add butter heat it till it melts. Now add honey, peanut butter, demererar sugar and water, heat it until the mixture starts bubbling up.
3. At this stage add the roasted oats, cornflakes and nuts mixture and mix well until honey-peanuts mixture is coated on all sides of the oats cornflakes mixture.
4. Then transfer to a butter paper and spread it using a spoon or a wooden laddle to 1/4 or 1/2 inch thickness. Straighten the edges and make it as a square or rectangle.
5. Cover it with another butter paper and press them down gently.Allow them to cool for 5mins then cut into bars.Bake the bars at 200 deg C for 5-7 mins to make it more crispy , this step is optional but it will retain the bars crispness for a longer time. Cool down and store it in an airtight container.

My Notes:

Dont over roast , as it will give a burnt flavour and spoil the taste.

Dont reduce the honey or peanut butter, then making bars will be tough.Also it will stay as a bar even without baking but make it as a square(when opted for longer bars you need to bake for it to be perfect bars without crumbling)

You can use any type of nuts and dry fruits, the only thing to note down is the quantity.

Baking them at the last step makes the bars stay crisper for a long time.Store them in an airtight container and enjoy them any time.

The granola bars can be stored for about a week in an airtight container. I have been experimenting these bars with various combinations and this one is my fav.

Whenever I go to Nilgiris my first entry to the grocery basket will be Nature Valley granola bars, I have almost tried every combination of it and all of them tastes yummy.As I've already told, me and amma are greatly addicted to it so make these bars often at home too.

Mittu loves peanut butter thats when I started trying peanut butter at home. Its easy, quick and all the more satisfies us that it is homemade. But this time I got funfoods peanut butter(creamy version) for making these bars.

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Potato Podimas Recipe (Urulai Podimas)

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Potato is my fav since childhood days...who doesnt like potatoes?! It is such a flexible veggie when made either as a curry, or podimas or fry or even when added in kurmas it tastes just yum. Potato podimas is my fav , I luv it more than the fry so thought to share it here.

Potato Podimas Recipe - Ingredients
Serves 2

• Potatoes - 2
• Green chilli - 1 slitted
• Onion - 1 small chopped finely
• Ginger - 1 tbsp chopped finely(optional)
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Coconut - 1 tbsp grated
• Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp chopped finely
• Salt - to taste

To temper :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Urad Dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Hing(Perungayam) - a pinch
• Curry leaves - few
• Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

1.Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dhal let it splutter. Add curry leaves, hing, turmeric powder, green chilli and ginger fry for a minute.Add onions fry until slightly browned.Cut the potatoes into half and Pressure cook potatoes for 4 whistles . Mash it well, keep aside

2.Add mashed potatoes, required salt and mix well.Saute for 2-3 mins - add coconut and coriander leaves and switch off. 

Serve with hot rice and sambar.

My Notes :

• You can also add 1 tsp lemon juice for the tangy flavour.
• While tempering you can even add chana dal.

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