Sweet Potato Bread

This is a very easy bread recipe that I found on Allrecipes.com. I haven't made any changes to it at all. I do sometimes swap the sweet potato for puréed pumpkin or any winter squash I have at hand. My husband loves to snack on it, so there is always some in the house.

Sweet Potato Bread

1½  cups white sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1¾ cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/3 cup water

1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes       

½ cup chopped pecans

Combine sugar and oil; beat well. Add eggs and beat. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with water. Stir in sweet potatoes and chopped nuts.

Pour batter into greased 9x5 inch loaf pan (or 2 small loaf pans). Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about one hour.

Crepes Suzette

This recipe is by Nigella Lawson. I found it in her book, Nigella Express: Good Food, Fast, which I had borrowed from the library. She suggests that you use store-bought crepes to make this a quick, last minute dessert. Since I had the time, I made the crepes myself, but I like her idea of buying the crepes. The novelty of flambéing it adds a nice flare if you’re serving this dessert to guests. Serve it hot, with vanilla ice cream.  

Crepes Suzette

Juice of 2 oranges

Zest of 1 orange

¾ cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

8-12 crepes

1/3 cup Grand Marnier, Cointreau or triple sec

Pour the orange juice into a saucepan, and add the zest, butter and sugar. Bring to a boil, and then turn the heat down to a simmer, cooking for a further 10-15 minutes until the sauce becomes syrupy.

Fold the crepes into quarters and then arrange them in a large pan, or any flameproof dish, slightly overlapping in a circular pattern.

Pour over the warm syrup and then gently heat the crepes through for about 3 minutes over low heat.

Warm the orange liqueur of your choice in the emptied but still syrupy saucepan. When the crepes are hot in the orange sauce, pour over the liqueur and set light to the pan to flambé them. Serve immediately, spooning crepes and sauce onto each plate. 

Sweet and Spicy Channa Dal

Sweet and Spicy Channa Dal

We eat this dal at home all the time, maybe even once a week. It is my all-time favorite channa dal recipe. Actually, it’s the only recipe I really like with channa dal. If it’s not cooked like this, I tend to give channa dal a skip. This recipe is simple, and can be made in large quantities and frozen to eat later.

Sweet and Spicy Channa Dal
1 onion, chopped fine
1 ½ cups channa dal
½ tsp ginger paste
½ tsp garlic paste
½ tsp chili powder
1 tsp sugar

 Soak the dal in water for 20 to 40 minutes. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, and when hot add the chopped onions. Fry till it is translucent, at this point; add the ginger and garlic pastes. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the raw smell goes. Next, add the chili powder and the sugar. Mix together well, and put in the dal. Add water only enough to cover the dal. Mix it well, and put on the lid and whistle. Turn the heat down to medium.

Cook till the whistle blows, then turn the heat to low and continue to cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Switch off the stove and allow the pressure to come down for another 20 minutes. Open the pressure cooker (using the appropriate instructions) and check if the dal is cooked. If not, repeat the process. If it is cooked, but there is still a lot of water in the cooker, then turn the flame on medium-high and cook without the lid, till most of the water evaporates. Serve hot with chapatti.

Notes:
* IF YOU ARE USING A PRESSURE COOKER, PLEASE FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS THAT COME WITH THE COOKER. IT CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS IF NOT USED PROPERLY! My recipe instructions are written with the assumption that you know how to use one and this blog is not responsible for your use of a pressure cooker. Every cooker has a slightly different cooking time, and water absorption. If there isn't enough water in the cooker, your food will burn and cleaning that cooker is a pain in the backside!

Sweet and Spicy Peas and Carrots

In my efforts to stick to my diet, my cooking has been repetitive and unadventurous. However, every little while, something new (or newish) gets created, and so here is a new recipe that I tried. The basis of the recipe is from a friend; I, of course, just couldn’t resist adding a few things. So here is a sweet and spicy peas and carrots dish, with very little oil.

In most of my recipes, I do not give the amount of oil, because every cook has their own comfort levels when cooking with fats. Generally, when I say a little oil, it means 1 – 2 tablespoons or just enough to coat the onions or garlic that I am trying to brown.

Peas and Carrots

2 pkts frz peas and carrots

3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 can petite diced tomatoes

2-3 green chilies, finely chopped (remove seeds if you don’t want it too spicy)

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1 tsp (heaped) sugar

1 tbsp white vinegar (or to taste)

Little oil

In a pot, heat a little oil, on medium heat. Brown the garlic, stirring occasionally, so that it doesn’t burn. Add the peas and carrots, salt, chili and turmeric powders. Stir well. Next add the tomatoes and the chilies. Allow it to cook for a minute or so. Stir in about 1/2 – 1 cup water, cover with a lid, and simmer until carrots are cooked. Once the vegetables are done, remove lid and allow any liquid to evaporate. Add the vinegar and sugar, and simmer for 5-8 minutes without the lid. This dish should be dry and without any gravy. Serve hot with chapatti or bread.