Figure friendly Ricotta Rolls

Ricotta Rolls
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Courtsey - Curves magazine

Made with protein rich ricotta and laced with dark choclate, these creamy treats count toward your daily value of calcium.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

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wonton wraps - 8
skim ricotta - 3/4 cup
granulated sugar - 2-4 tsp
ground cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
cocoa powder
+ extra for garnish - 1/2 tsp
vanilla extract - 1/4 tsp
chopped dark choclate
+ extra for garnish - 2 tbsp
confectioners's sugar - for garnish

Method:
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1. Heat oven to 350 F. Lay wonton wrappers on your work surface. With a damp paper towel or a pastry brush, wet one edge of one wrapper and fold it over to the other edge , forming a cylinder. Press the edges together and stand the roll upright on a baking sheet. Repeat process with rest of the wrappers. Bake them until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 2 minutes. Then cool completely.

2. Place ricotta and granulated sugar in a medium bowl Beat with electric mixer on high for 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the cinamon, cocoa, vanilla. Stir in the 2 tbsp of choclate.

3. Fill pastry bag with ricotta misture. Pipe the filling into cooled rolls. Lightly dust them with confectioner's sugar, cocoa and then sprinkle with extra choclate around the serving plate.

Nutrion information
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Serves - 8
Per serving - 70 calories
fat - 8 g
cholestrol - 7 mg
sodium - 72 mg
carbohydrate- 8 g
fiber - 2 g
protein - 3 g

Garden Veggie soup ~ Healthy vegetarian soup recipe

Garden Veggie Soup ~ Healthy vegetarian soup recipe
Hello,

Its winter and trying to cook something to warm up my family, I came up with this simple recipe. Easy to cook with ingredients at hand. You can add other veggies like string beans, kidney beans etc.

Prep Time - 15-30 minutes.
Servings 4-6

Veggies:
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Carrot - 1 cup (frozen)
Lima beans - 1 cup (frozen)
Peas - 1 cup (frozen)
sweet corn (or regular corn) - 1 cup (frozen)
Chicken broth/Veggetable broth - 1 carton (approx 4 cups)
onion - 1 small cut into cubes
cilantro - handful, finely chopped
fresh ground pepper
salt
tomato sauce - 8 oz containers, hunts or any store brand
coriander powder - 1 tsp

Method
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1. Saute the onion, salt, pepper  until onion is transluscent
2. Add all veggies, saute for 3-4 minutes
3. Add Chicken broth/Vegetable broth ,tomato sauce (vary according to taste) - at least 4 oz , coariander powder.
4. Bring to boil covered with lid, reduce flame and cook for 5-10 miutes.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning. It is important to have the correct amount of sourness, so feel free to experiment by adding more tomato sauce.

Top it with some cilantro, tiny bit of butter and some bread crumbs...yum...

Chicken soup - simplified ~ Flavorful protein rich recipe

Chicken Soup ~ protein rich recipe
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Hello there,

There is something about chicken soup that always brings me warm memories.
I need some solace in this winter weather and as always turn to chicken soup. Its healing in itself. I came up with what was in my pantry. very simple...yet tasty

Prep time - 15 to 30 mins
Servings - 4 to 6

Ingredients
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Left over cooked Chicken breast - pulled into strips - 1.5 cups
Chicken broth(low sodium) - 1 cartoon
onion - 1 medium chopped
carrots - 1 cup
Thyme - 2 sprigs
black pepper
coriander powder - 1 tsp
cumin powder - 1 tsp.

Method
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1. In a soup pot (or pressure cooker), saute onions, salt, until onions are transluscent.
2. Add chicken ( you can replace left over chicken with fresh chicken cubed), carrots, saute for 3-4 mins
3. Add chicken broth, coriander powder, cumin powder.
4. Bring to boil with lid covered, then reduce and cook for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is done.

Simply top it with cilantro and feel the heal....

You can add different veggies to this soup, especially mushrooms add a ton of flavor.

Paneer Butter Masala recipe - made easy

Paneer Butter Masala - made easy
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Hello folks,

If you are wondering what this dish is doing in a south Indian curry blog, see if this helps. Well as a South Indian there is a certain craving for North Indian food, right?.  I try to attempt to satisfy this craving at home sometimes and that's how I came about this recipe by vah chef. His enthusiasm is contagious. Its my practice to add recipes I love and enjoy into my blog. There is something about writing it in your own words i guess!

Ingredients
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paneer/tofu - 1 to 1.5 cups
onion - 1/2 cup
giner garlic paste - 2 tbsp

For Sauce-
coariander powder - 2 tbsp
kasuri methi - 1tbsp
garam masala - 1 tbsp
tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp
Milk - as required
Heavy/light cream - as required
salt - as desired

Method
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1. Mix the powders by combining coariander powder, garam masala, methi powder, salt, tomato ketch up. Use milk to thin the mix out. Adding milk at this stage will reduce requirement of cream at the end. This should yield about 1 cup of uncooked sauce. Set aside.

2. Saute onions, ginger garlic paste and then add the sauce mix prepared on previous step. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes.

3. Taste the sauce at this point, adjust seasnings, add more tomato ketchup , salt if desired. You can also add food coloring at this stage.

4. Add the cubed paneer or tofu to the sauce and cook for another 5 minutes with the lid on.

5. When the paneer has absorbed the flavors, add heavy/light cream to the sauce to get butter masala taste.

Note : For more calories ( ha ha i meant richer taste), use butter for sauteing and heavy cream, whole milk where ever possible. For lesser calories, use oil for sauteting and light cream, fat free milk. For me I am good with lesser calories !!!

Kalla Veetu kathirikai ~ Authentic Karaikudi recipe

Kalla Veetu kathirikai ~ Authentic Karaikudi recipe

Hi all,
I simply love this delicious gravy. Potato and eggplant(brinjal) are my favourite vegies. And yes this one comes with both and goes very well with Rice and chapathi. I make this for lunch and the left over is had with chapathi for dinner. Two in one! I must admit that I wonder if the recipe name has morphed into something else now and if this was the original recipe name.

Its an authentic karaikudi recipe learnt from a friend. She called it kalla veetu kathirikai. Ofcourse i laughed and asked her why it is so called. She did not know. But after some thought this is the explanation i came up with. In those days they always said stolen fruits and veggies from ur neighbour's garden tasted extremely good.

I usually prepare this in the pressure cooker. It can be made in a kadai although is more tasty when cooked in a pressure cooker due to the fact that the veggies will be softened to the rite consistency of the gravy. Serves 3-4 people.

For masala
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Grated cocunut-4-5 tbsp
sombu - 1 tsp
Garlic- 2-3 pods
Sambhar podi- 2 tbsp(usual sambhar podi)
Split dalia-3 tbsp (pottu kadalai)
Salt-1 tsp(or to taste)

Veggies
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Potato-2 medium sized cut into cubes
Brinjal-2 medium sized cut into cubes
onion-1 small onion
tomato-1 small tomato.

other veggies that can be used
------------------------------
cauliflower
peanuts- soaked and pre cooked in a pressure cooker
meal maker(soya chunks)

I make this with all the above 5 veggies. it just tastes great anyways.


Method
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Note : U can season it with salt at every step. Just add a pinch of salt, that will satue time will be reduced too.
1. Grind the masala ingredients to a smooth paste .
2. Heat oil in a pressue cooker. Let the mustard seeds crackle, saute cardamom,cinamon and clove.
3.Add and saute onion for 2-3 mins.
4.Add and saute tomato for 2-3 mins.
5.Add the masala and saute for another 2-3 mins.
6.Add the veggies and saute for 3-4 mins.
7.Add 1 cup of water. Adjust water to the level that all the veggies are soaked thoroughly and little excess water is there. Mix it at this stage thoroughly and taste and adjust seasonings. You can even add dry chilli powder if you want the gravy to be more spicy.
8.Put the cooker lid on with the whistle and keep the flame at medium. Wait for two whistles and switch it off.
9.Garnish with nicely chopped coriander(cilantro) leaves.

Server hot and enjoy.

Urundai Kolambu ~ Lentil ball gravy recipe

Urundai Kolambu ~ Lentil ball gravy recipe
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Hi,

This is a wonderful old style south Indian recipe. Very tasty and does involve a fair amount of work. Its worth it beleive me!

Ingredients
------------
Toor Dal-1 cup
Channa dal- 1 tbsp
Soak the above for atleast an hour.

Onion - 2 medium chopped
Tomato - 1 medium chopped
Garlic cloves - 4 chopped, 7 cloves slit
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp chopped and some whole.
Fennel seeds - 1 tbsp
Jeera - 1 tbsp
Split Dalai - 1 tbsp
Red Chilli - 6(adjust accordingly to your spice level)
Tamarind
paste - 1 tbsp
Sambar podi - 2 tbsp
turmeric powder - a pinch
Green chilli - 1 slit

For Pappu
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Mustard seeds,urad dal,jeera, clove(1),elachi(1),cinamon stick- 1 inch

Method
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1.Grind fennel seeds, jeera seeds,dalai,red chilli and soaked channa,toor dal coarsely.

2.Add one chopped onion. Make balls and cook for 2 mins in the idly cooker.

2.Make puli kolambu mix. Add tamarind paste, sambhar podi,Turmeric powder,green chillies,salt. Mix and add water as required. Taste and adjust seasonings.

3. Heat oil in wok, do the pappu( Crack mustard seeds,urad dal,jeera). Add elachi,cloves, slit garlic,curry leaves. Saute for a min.

4.Add and saute onion for 2-3 mins.

5.Add and saute tomato. Allow for the tomato cook through for a couple of mins.

6.Pour the tamarind -water mix. Bring it to boil. Reduce the flame and allow the mix to simmer for 10 -15 mins, or until it is just at a consitency that requires only a couple of more mins of simmering.

7.Add the cooked dal balls one by one slowly. Then allow the mix to simmer for 5 more mins. Switch it off and Viola its ready.

Garnish with cilantro.

Serve with Rice. Murungai keerai puriyal goes well this kolambu.

Greens Poriyal ~ simple keerai poriyal recipe

Greens Poriyal ~ simple keerai poriyal recipe
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Ingredients
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onion-medium sized finely chopped
Greens-collard greens , 1 bunch, finely chopped
Red chillies-3 to 5 depending upon the greens bunch size and spice level

for tadka
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mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
jeera seeds-1/2 tsp

Method
--------
1.Add mustard seeds and let splutter mustard seeds.
2.Add Jeera and saute for a half a minute
3.Add the red chillies and saute for another half a minute
4.Add the onion and saute until they are translucent
5.Add the chopped greens, salt and saute and cover and cook until they are done. Need not add water since, the greens will release water themselves.

Note: we can substitue collard greens for arai keerai and make arai keerai poriyal.
In fact arai keerai poriyal is more tastier than collard green poriyal