Hearty Spices

Wash and pat ¼ kg of Okra on a towel and cut into 1 inch pieces. Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan; splutter a tbsp of Mustard Seeds, 2 split Green Chillies, few Curry Leaves and a pinch of asafetida. Add a tbsp of Urad Dal, a pinch of Fenugreek Seeds, a tbsp of Channa Dal and saute for a minute. Add and saute a big sliced Onion along with Salt to taste till they turn light brown. Add the Okra pieces and fry till they lose the raw smell. Add a tbsp of Yogurt to get rid of the stickiness, a chopped Tomato and cook till the mixture is tender.  Allow to cool, add a inch of Tamarind to the mixture and grind along with a tsp of Cumin seeds and fresh Coriander Leaves without water. 

Cream 1/2 cup of softened Butter, 3 tbsp of Cream Cheese and 1/2 cup of Liquid Sugar substitute along with a tsp of Vanilla extract, an Egg in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup of Coconut Flour, 1/2 tsp of Baking Powder, 1/4 tsp of Salt and beat until smooth.  Place the mixture on a wax or parchment paper and mould into a log shape. Wrap the dough and secure the ends. Refrigerate the dough at least for an hour.  Preheat the oven to 350F and line the cookie tray with parchment paper or baking sheet. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut it into 1 cm slices. Place the slices on the prepared cookie tray and bake for 17-19 minutes or until golden brown. 

Parotta -  Take 4 cups of All Purpose Flour, a tbsp of Oil, a tsp of Salt and a tsp of Sugar in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add water to make it a soft dough. Cover and keep aside for 2-3 hours. After greasing the surface and hands with oil, pinch dough to make smooth round tennis sized balls, greasing them with oil.  Roll each ball into a 4 or 5 inch roti and let it rest for 10 minutes.  Take a rolled out thick roti and spread it out thin using a rolling pin or using your palms and fingers to stretch out into a thin sheet while smearing oil as you spread the sheet. Now using the fingers, slowly lift up one end of the sheet and make pleats moving towards the other end. Once its pleated hold one end of the long strip and roll it towards the other end to create a rosette and tuck the end under the rosette. Prepare with the rest of other thick rotis and keep the rosettes greased at all times. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.  On the greased work surface, pla...

Paste - Heat a tbsp of Oi l in a sauté pan. Sauté a sliced medium Onion until soft, add 8 chopped Green Chillies and sauté for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Grind the cooled Onion with a cup of Coriander Leaves, 1/2 cup of Mint Leaves and 10-12 Curry Leaves with 3 tbsp of Water  into a thick paste. Heat 5 to 6 tbsp of Oil in a pan and saute a tsp of Cumin Seeds, an inch of Cinnamon and few Curry Leaves for few seconds. Add finely chopped 2 large Onions and saute until golden brown. Add 3 tbsp of Ginger Garlic paste and saute for another 5 minutes. Add 2 sliced small Tomatoes, Salt to taste and cook for another 5 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp of Turmeric Powder, a tsp of Chilli Powder and mix well. Add 2 lbs of cleaned and drained Chicken pieces and sauté on high heat for 4-5 minutes. Cook for another 8-10 minutes on medium heat mixing in between. Add the green masala paste, a tsp of Garam Masala Powder and mix well. Add 3/4 cup of Water and cook for an...

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, take ½ cup of Butter, chilled and cut into pieces. Add   2½ tsp of baking powder,  ½ tsp of baking soda,  ½ tsp of Salt, a tbsp of Sugar and   rub with your fingertips until mixture resembles very coarse sand. Add 2 cups of All Purpose Flour, a cup of Sour Cream and   ½ cup chopped green onion, knead until dough is moistened, then turn out on to a lightly floured surface and lightly knead until the ball comes together smoothly.  Press dough out until it is ½ inch thick. Use a 2½ - 3 inch round cookie/biscuit cutter to cut rounds, and then place on baking sheet. Dough can be gathered and rerolled once. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until tops of biscuits are golden and sides are puffed and firm. Cool on a wire rack before serving. Makes about 10 biscuits.

Peel, de-stone and cut 2 Mangoes into small pieces and keep aside. Beat 8 oz of Cream cheese in medium bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in 1 1/2 cup of Milk. Add 3.4 oz of Jello Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding mix; mix well. Whisk in a cup of COOL WHIP. Layer half each of the mangoes and pudding mixture in 8 parfait glasses. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of COOL WHIP.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Option 1 - Boil 1 1/2 cups cooked and drained Artichoke hearts and a cup of cut Spinach in a cup of water in pressure cooker for 3 whistles. Strain and grind to rough paste. Option 2 - Steam or Saute 8 oz of cut Spinach until wilted. Coarsely chop 3/4 cup of marinated Artichoke Hearts and mix with the wilted spinach. In a bowl, melt and mix 8 oz of Cream cheese, a cup of Sour Cream, finely minced Clove of Garlic, 1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese, 3/4 cup of Mozzarella Cheese, a tbsp of chopped Parsley, Salt to taste and a tsp of crushed pepper flakes . Add the prepared spnach-artichoke mixture and blend well. Spread the mixture into an oven proof dish and sprinkle 3/4 cup of Mozzarella cheese over the mixture.  Bake for 20 minutes and broil for 2 minutes before serving it hot with nachos, vegetables or crackers.