Almond Blueberry muffins

This is quite a simple recipe, low cal, snack option. I made some of these and eating them with hot cocoa was bliss while enjoying the last few cold days in the year 2010. The snow outside is stubborn and simply refuses to melt away. So I decided to light some vanilla scented candles and cherish the few but beautiful days of 2010...

And here is what you need:

All purpose flour: 1 cup
Sugar : 1/4 cup (more if you prefer the sweeter version)
Baking pwd : 1 tsp
Salt : 1 pinch
Blueberries (I used frozen ones): 1/2 cup
Milk : 1/2 cup
Vegetable oil: 1.5 tbsp
Almonds (sliced) : 1/4 cup
Vanilla extract : 1/2 tsp
Egg : 1
Lemon/Orange rind : 1 pinch

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease/line the muffin pan and keep it aside.
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, Baking powder, salt, sugar). Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl (Oil, milk, vanilla extract, egg). Stir in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and add lemon rind, Almonds and blueberries. Mix lightly as we don't want to crush the blue berries. Now spoon the batter into the muffin pan leaving some space for the muffin to rise. Bake for 20- 30 minutes. Keep an eye as baking time may differs. Muffins are done when they are slightly brown on the top and a skewer when inserted , comes out clean.

Almond Cashewnut Halwa

Almond Cashewnut Halwa is a rich comforting desert, enjoyed during the
winter. I used to buy it from local 'Halwai- shop'.The amount of ghee
they put in their halwa is bit too much though it leaves an amazing
taste in your mouth. So, I tried making it myself.

Serves 2- 3 people
Cooking time - 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Almonds (whole) - 3/4 cup
Cashewnuts - 1/4 cup
Milk - 3- 4 tbsp
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 cup (or more if you prefer a more sweeter dish)
Water - 1/4 cup
Almond essence - 1 drop
Saffron strands - a pinch or Cardamom powder


Method:

1. Boil some water and soak the almonds and cashews in hot water overnight.

2. Peel the skin off the almonds.

3. Grind the nuts into a smooth paste adding milk slowly. A thick but
smooth paste is needed.Set the paste aside.

4. The next step is to prepare sugar syrup.Melt the sugar with the 1/4
cup of water in a pan.

5. Add Almond essence and Saffron strands or Cardamom powder as per
your preference. Saffron gives a nice creamy golden colour to the
halwa.

6. Let the sugar syrup come to a rolling boil.No need to wait for one-
string consistency.

7. Add the ground paste and stir well to avoid any lumps.Keep the
mixture in medium- low flame all the time.

8. Keep stirring this mixture so that it gets cooked.

9. Add a few tbsp of the ghee at regular intervals. Make sure that the
mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

10. The mixture (and in fact the whole kitchen) should smell really of
saffron & ghee at this point.

11. The mixture will gradually thicken and attain a glossy- shiny appearance.

12. Take off Halwa from the pan and let it cool. The halwa will
thicken more on cooling.

13. You can serve the Halwa immediately and see a satisfied grin on
the face of your loved ones.

That means happiness guaranteed for you. You can also store it in the
refrigerator and Microwave the halwa when you are just about to
serve.You just cannot go wrong with this recipe. If the mixture seems
a bit runny , microwave or heat it up a bit more. If the mixture
becomes crumbly or grainy, add a little bit of milk and mix together
to get a nice halwa. It is that easy and literally melts in your
mouth.

" The best things in life are always dripping with ghee!!"

Pomegranate Bhel

Hi everyone... Yesterday I made some 'Bhel' for snacking and added some luscious pomegranate seeds. This is a nice and healthy snack option accompanied with hot tea while its snowing cats and dogs out there...
For this recipe, some 'murmura chiwda' is required.

So for 'murmura chiwda' recipe you will need:

Murmura (or Kurmura- which ever way its called in the stores)- 2 cups
Sunflower oil  - 1 tbsp
Salt  - to taste
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Coconut bits  -  2 tbsp (optional) I didn't use any cos I didn't have any :p
Turmeric pwd  - 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies  - 3 or 4 (to taste)
Cumin Seeds  -  1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds  - 1/2 tsp
Asaphoetida pwd  - 1/8 tsp
Peanuts  ( roasted)  - 4 tbsp
Almonds (roasted)  - 2tbsp (optional)
Curry leaves  -  1tbsp

Method:

Dry roast the 'murmura' for a couple of minutes and set aside. Heat some oil in a wide 'Kadhaai' and add mustard, cumin, and asaphoetida. when the seeds spluter, add green chillies and mix. Fry the chilies for 2 minutes and the add curry leaves, almonds and peanuts. Stir the mixture and then add turmeric pwd and coconut bits. Finally mix in the murmura and salt and sugar to taste. Mix well and remove from heat and allow it to cool completely before storing them in air- tight bottles. This 'chiwda' tastes great alone or can be mixed with a few more ingredients for a healthy snack in minutes!!

Now for the pomegranate Bhel you will need:

Murmura Chiwda  - 1 cup
Tomato (chopped) - 2 tbsp
Onion Chopped  - 1 tbsp
Pomegranate seeds - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves  -  1 tsp
Nylon sev - (optional) available in Indian grocery stores

Method:

Mix everything together and your 'bhel' is ready.