Ricotta Cheese Kalakand

Ingredients
2 cups ricotta cheese, whole or part skim or skimmed
1 cup sweet condensed milk
1/2 tsp elaichi powder
1 tbsp ghee

Method:
1. Mix the ricotta cheese and condensed milk in heavy bottom pan.
2. Setting the stove on medium high, heat the above ingredients.
3. Halfway through, add elaichi powder and keep stirring the ingredients in the pan, till a golden brown Kalakand remains.
4. Grease a plate with ghee, spread the kalakand and let it cool. Garnish with nuts if interested and cut it into squares and enjoy.

The quantity of condensed milk can be increased if you like sweeter kalakand.

Baked Potato/Chick Peas Cutlet

Ingredients:
1 cup boiled chick peas
1 large boiled potato
1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup carrot, grated
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp green chili, finely chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup egg, beaten
1/2 tsp chat powder
1 tbsp oil
salt, as required

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 365F.
1. Mix and mash chick peas, boiled potato. Add onions, carrot, green chili, garam masala, chat powder, salt and mix thoroughly.
2. Add 1 tbsp oil. Make round balls and flatten them with fingers. Take the flattened ball, dip in beaten egg and then in the bread crumbs. Place it on a cookie sheet covered with greased aluminum foil. Follow the same for rest the cutlets.
3. Place the cookie sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the cutlets around while baking in the oven and half way through the baking, spray some oil.
4. Enjoy the cutlets with some tamarind sauce.

Instant Oats Idli

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup coarse sooji ravva

1 cup fat free yougurt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1 tsp chopped green chillies

curry leaves, as required

salt, as required

Method:

1. Dry roast the rolled oats in a pan. Allow them to cool and grind them coarsely to take care not to grind them completely to fine powder.

2. Mix the ground rolled oats and the coarse sooji ravva. This mixture can stored in an airtight container and can be used when required.

3. Take equal parts of the oats-sooji mixture and fat free yogurt and mix, add little water if required. Add shredded carrot, green chillies, curry leaves, baking soda and salt and mix.

4. Take idli moulds, grease the moulds and pour the batter into the moulds and cook them for 15 minutes until done.

5. Take the idlis out, drizzle little ghee and enjoy them with chutney of your choice.

Fruit and Nut Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup mixed dried fruits and walnuts

1 large egg

1/3 cup sugar

1 stick butter, at room temperature

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp red wine

1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp orange zest

1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

1/2 tsp clove powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp salt

Method:

1. Take mixed dry fruits and walnuts into a bowl, add lemon juice, red wine and honey and mix them properly and close the bowl.

2. Leave them for couple of nights.

3. Preheat oven to 350F.

4. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes. Add orange zest, vanilla extract, nutmeg, clove and cinnamon powder till smooth.

5. Add the egg and mix for another 1 minute.

6. Sift the flour to remove lumps and slowly add the flour to the above and mix slowly (I used a spatula from this point).

7. Also, add the soaked dry fruits and nuts along with any leftover juices.

8. Divide the cookie dough into three parts and shape them into logs and put them in a foil and close the foil tightly around the dough. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

9. Take the dough from the fridge, cut them into 1/2 inch ovals and arrange them on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil.

10. Bake them for 15-20 minutes and cool them off on a cooling rack.

I did these cookies for my husband before Valentines Day and he loved them. The cookies turned more chewy than crispy, so next time I will reduce the oven temperature to 325F and bake them for 25-30 minutes. I came across the recipe for these cookies at http://akshayapaatram.blogspot.com/2009/02/fruit-cake-cookies-eggless.html and tried them last weekend. I substituted ground flax seeds with 1 large egg, pecans with walnuts and increased couple of other ingredients and the cookies tasted awesome. Thanks Akshayapaatram for this recipe.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup dark cocoa powder

1/2 stick butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 oz red food color

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a small bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt to remove any lumps (dry ingredients).

3. In a separate bowl, mix together buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract and red food color (wet ingredients).

4. Beat sugar and butter for 3-5 minutes until smooth.

5. Crack and pour the eggs into the sugar-butter and mix for 1-2 minutes.

6. Slowly add and mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients alternately on medium speed starting and ending with dry ingredients.

7. Pour the prepared batter into cupcake holders and bake for 20 minutes or until done.

After the cupcakes were done, cool them off on a rack. For the icing, I used cream cheese icing and they tasted moist and perfect. I took them to a beach party and they were devoured in minutes.