Pineapple and Grapes Jam- No added color or preservative

             
            Here I am presenting a pineapple and grapes jam without using any color or preservative. Store bought fruit jams are always loaded with harmful colors and preservatives. So, I thought to prepare a fruit jam at home which is delicious along with health benefit. Kids love fruit jams and the jam can be enjoyed with sandwiches, chapatis , parathas rolls and much-more.

Ingredients:

• Sliced pineapple : 2 cup
• Green grapes : 1 cup
• Sugar : 2 cups or as per your taste
• Small lemon :1

Method:

• Wash and peel a ripe pineapple. 
• Slice the pineapple after removing the spikes carefully.
• Take grapes and pineapple in a mixer jar to prepare fine pulp out of the fruits.
• Strain the fruit pulp through a strainer.
• Mix together fruit pulp and sugar in a pan.
• Boil the mixture on medium flame.

• Cook the pulp until it gets semi solid texture.
• Turn of the flame when the fruit pulp is properly cooked.

• Squeeze and mix lemon juice in to prepare jam.
• Let the jam cool for two hours.
• Pour the jam into a sterilized and airtight jar.
• Keep it in a refrigerator.

Notes:

• One can prepare any type of jam from the citrus fruits like orange, strawberry, kiwi or mixed fruits.
• Don't overcook the fruit pulp otherwise it turns hard after cooling.
• Lemon juice improves the flavor and also works as a preservative for a jam. 

Spinach Rice

              Here is another version of rice. The dish has spinach and other green vegetables.  You can have it any time of the day. It  becomes a full meal when served with daal fry or daal tadka.

• Ingredients:

1. Cooked rice 3 cups
2. Spinach 1 bunch
3. Chopped coriander leaves 1/2 cup
4. Garlic paste 1/2 tbsp
5. Chopped french beans 1/2 cup
6. Chopped carrots 1/2 cup
7. Chopped onions 1/2 cup
8. Chopped capsicum 1/4 cup
9. Garam masala 1/2 tbsp
10. Cream 1 tbsp
11. Whole lavang or cloves, cinamon 2 each
12. Oil 2 tbsp
13. Whole jeera 1 tsp

• Method:

1. Heat water in a pan and cook spinach  for few mins.
2. After that strain cooked spinach and wash it with cold water.
3. Keep it a side.
4. Take coriander leaves ,cooked spinach and cream in a mixer jar and blend it.
5. Keep it a side.
6. Heat oil in a pan and add cloves, cinamon and jeera to it.
7. Let it splutter.
8. Add garlic paste to it and cook until leavs aroma.
9. Add onions, carrots, capsicum and beans.
10. Cook them for a while.
11. Add the spinach paste to it.
12. Add garam masala and salt to taste.
13. Cook it until spinach gravy becomes dry.
14. Add cooked rice to it and stir  well.
15. Serve hot.

Zomato:

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Methi Chilla

           Here is another quick and tasty dish. You can have it as a breakfast or dinner. It goes well with green chutney or simple masala curd.

• Ingredients: 

1. Gram flour or besan 1 cup
2. Semolina 1 tbsp
3. Chopped fenugreek or methi leaves 1/2 cup
4. Finley chopped tomatoes 1/4 cup
5. Carom seeds or ajwain 1 tsp
6. Curd 1/4 cup
7. Garlic paste 1 tbsp
8. Oil

• Method:

1. Take besan and semolina in a bowl.
2. Add curd, methi leaves, chopped tomatoes, carom seeds and garlic paste to it. 
3. Add salt to taste and mix  well.
4. Add water to make consistency like dosa better.
   
5. Let it rest for half hour.
6. Heat one non stick dosa pan and add 1 tsp into  it.
7. Pour a ladle full of better and spread it like circular motion.
8. Let it cook from one side.
9. Than flip the side.
10. Cook another side for few mins.
11. Methi chilla is ready to serve.

Mint Carrot Deep

            Here is  one type of simple yet tasty deep. This minty deep is full of flavors and refreshments. You can serve this deep or raita with chapati, paratha or rice.

• Ingredients:

1. Curd 1 cup
2. Chopped mint leaves 1/4 cup
3. Shredded carrot 1/4 cup
4. Chopped onion 1 tbsp
5. Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
6. Pepper powder 1/2 tsp
7. Oil 1 tsp
8. Dry pickle masala or mustard seeds powder 1 tsp

• Method:

1. Take chilled curd in a bowl and add mint leaves, onions and shredded carrots to it.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add dry pickle masala.
4. Heat oil in a small pan and cumin seeds to it.
5. Turn of the flame when cumin seeds splutter.
6. Pour this mixture over curd and mix all together.
7. Serve chilled.

Stuffed Puri

               A tasty and healthy  breakfast recipe. Stuffing contains two different types of lentils(daal) and other  healthy ingredients. To make it low fat, prepare stuffed Paratha instead of Puri..Serve with raita, masala-yogurt or pickle.

• Ingredients:

1. Wheat flour 1 cup
2. Semolina 1 tbsp
3. Moong daal 1/2 cup
4. Moong daal with skin 1/2 cup
5. Lemon juice 1/2 tbsp
6. Garam masala 1 tsp
7. Coriander leaves
8. Oil
9. Carom seeds 1/2 tsp

• Method:

1. Wash both the daal twice and soak it in hot water for 1 hour.
2. Keep it a side.
3. Mean while take wheat flour and semolina in a bowl .
4. Add 1 tbsp oil , carom seeds(ajwain,ajma) and salt to taste.
5. Mix all to gether.
6. Knead a dough like paratha.
7. Keep it aside by covering with damp cloth.
8. Steam both the daals for 10 mins.
9. Take steamed daals in a mixer jar and make coarse paste without using water.
10. Add lemon juice, garam masala, chopped coriander leaves and salt to taste.
11. Add 1 tsp semolina to it.
12. Semolina or suji will soak extra water from mixture.
13. Mix it well.
    
14. Make small balls out of the dough.
15. Roll out small puris out of it.
16. Take small amount of daal's mixture on rolled puri and cover the mixture with puri.
17. Again make a ball out of it.
18. Press the ball with your hands and  roll out medium thick puri.
19. Mean while heat the oil for frying.
20. Fry the rolled puri into hot oil until they puffed up and slightly changes the color.
21. Serve stuffed puri with masala curd and papad. 

Pav Bhaji flavored Rice

                  Here is a spicy and delicious pav bhaji flavored rice. This is my own creation of rice. If you want to have pav bhaji for dinner but you don't have too many vegetables in your fridge and also you don't have enough time to prepare pav bhaji then this recipe is for you. It will give you exact taste and aroma of pav bhaji.

• Ingredients:

1. Cooked rice 3 cups
2. Chopped tomatoes 1 cup
3. Chopped capsicum 1/2 cup
4. Shredded carrots 1/2 cup
5. Sliced onions 1/2 cup
6. Ginger garlic paste 1/2 tbsp
7. Pav bhaji masala 1 tbsp
8. Chilly powder 1/2 tsp
9. Dhania jeera powder 1 tsp
10. Lemon juice 1/2 tbsp
11. Butter or oil  2 tbsp
12. Chopped coriander leaves   
13. Black salt 1/2 tsp

• Method:

1. Take 1 tbsp oil in a pan.
2. Heat the oil and add chopped onion, capsicum and carrot to it.
3. Saute on medium flame until they are cooked.
4. Keep it a side.
   
5. Take another pan and add 1 tbsp oil to it.
6. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute.
7. Add chopped tomatoes to it.
8. Add chilly  powder, dhania jeera powder, pav bhaji masala and salt to taste.
9. Add black salt and lemon juice to it.
10. Cook it on low flame until tomatoes are totally cooked.
11. Now add sauteed onions, capsicum and carrot to it and mix well.
12. Add cooked rice and salt to taste.
13. Mix all together.
14. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
15. Serve hot with lemon slice. 

Khandvi

                     This is a one type of gujrati traditional dish.You can have it as a side dish. It is so delicious easy to make and low fat dish. you can  have as a tea time snack. Khandvi will melt in your mouth.

• Ingredients:

1. Gram flour 1 cup 
2. Butter milk 3 cups
3. Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
4. Oil 1 tbsp
5. Mustard seeds 1 tsp
6. Cumin seeds 1 tsp
7. Asafoetida 1/2 tsp
8. Coriander leaves
9. Dry coconut powder

• Method:

1. Mix together gram flour(besan) and butter milk in a thick bottomed pan.
2. Mix it properly until all lumps are gone.
3. Add turmeric powder and salt to taste.
4. Mix well.
5. Put the mixture on medium flame and stir it continuously with ladle.
6. Stir it continuously until it leaves the sides of the pan. 
7. Cook it for almost 10 mins.
8. Turn of the flame when mixture gets paste like form.
9. Take a big size of flat plate and spread the mixture on the opposite size of plate .
   
10. Spread the mixture as thin as possible.
11. Let it cool down completely and then cut it in to vertical strips.
12. Make roll out of each strips and keep it aside in a plate.
13. For tempering heat the oil in a pan.
14. Add mustard and cumin seeds.
15. Add asafoetida when mustard splutters.
16. Turn of the flame  and pour this oil on the rolls.
17. Garnish it with coriander leaves and dry coconut powder.