PROTEIN SALAD

PROTEIN SALAD

Loaded with high proteins, this nutritious salad is super yummy to fill up your bellies!

Ingredients

1 cup Tata Sampann Kala Chana

¾ cup green moong

200 grams cottage cheese (paneer), cut into small cubes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium tomato, finely chopped

2 tbsps freshly chopped coriander leaves + for garnish

¼ cup roasted skinless peanuts + for garnish

1 tbsp raw mango, chopped + for garnish

Black salt to taste

2 tsps roasted cumin powder

2-3 green chillies, chopped

¼ tsp black pepper powder

½ tsp chaat masala

1 lemon, cut into half

Method

1. Soak Kala Chana overnight and drain. In a damp muslin cloth, add the chana in it and form a bag. Hang it overnight and let them sprout. Similarly, sprout the green moong as well.

2. In a large bowl, add Tata Sampann Sprouted Kala Chana, sprouted green moong,paneer cubes, onion, tomato, chopped coriander, roasted peanuts, raw mango, black salt and roasted cumin powder.

3. Add green chillies, black pepper powder and chaat masala. Squeeze lemon and mix till well combined.

4. Transfer the prepared salad into serving bowls, garnish with chopped coriander, raw mango, and roasted peanuts. Serve immediately.

GRILLED CHICKEN AVOCADO CAPRESE SALAD

GRILLED CHICKEN AVOCADO CAPRESE SALAD

PREP TIME: 35 mins

COOK TIME: 10 mins
TOTAL TIME: 45 mins
SERVES: 4


INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 tsp. brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. ground basil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
2 chicken breasts, cut into smaller pieces
1 avocado
¼ cup basil, chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

DIRECTIONS
1.Combine the first 8 ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2.Put chicken in another bowl and top with about 3-4 tbsp. of the dressing/marinade. Turn to coat.
3.Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
4.Grill over high heat for about 10 minutes or until no longer pink. Cut into bite sized pieces.
5.In a large salad bowl combine the rest of the ingredients.
6.Add chicken and dressing and toss.

CAESAR SALAD

CAESAR SALAD

A Caesar salad is a green salad of romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper.
In its original form, this salad was prepared and served tableside.

The salad's creation is generally attributed to restaurateur Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who operated restaurants in Mexico and the United States. Cardini was living in San Diego but he was also working in Tijuana where he avoided the restrictions of Prohibition.[3] His daughter Rosa (1928–2003) recounted that her father invented the salad when a Fourth of July 1924 rush depleted the kitchen's supplies. Cardini made do with what he had, adding the dramatic flair of the table-side tossing "by the chef."  A number of Cardini's staff have said that they invented the dish.

INGREDIENTS

200g sourdough baguette, cut into 1cm cubes
olive oil cooking spray
6 rashers rindless bacon, chopped
1 large cos lettuce
50g parmesan cheese, shaved

CAESAR DRESSING

2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 large garlic clove, chopped
4 anchovies, chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Step 1
Make Caesar dressing Place egg yolks, mustard, garlic, anchovy and vinegar in a food processor and process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add oil until dressing thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 200°C. Arrange bread on a large, flat baking tray. Spray with oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss bread pieces gently to coat, spraying with more oil if necessary. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden. Set aside to cool completely.
Step 3
Meanwhile, heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add bacon. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes or until bacon is crisp and golden. Drain on paper towel.
Step 4
Tear lettuce leaves into 3cm pieces and place in a large bowl. Add bacon and croutons. Pour dressing over salad. Season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Top with parmesan. Serve.

FISH TACOS - The Traditional Mexican Dish

FISH TACOS

A taco is a traditional Mexican dish consisting of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling. A taco can be made with a variety of fillings, including beef, pork, chicken, seafood, vegetables, and cheese, allowing great versatility and variety. Tacos are generally eaten without utensils, often garnished with salsa, chili pepper, avocado, guacamole, cilantro (coriander), tomatoes, onions, and lettuce.

Beginning from the early part of the twentieth century, various types of tacos have become popular in the United States and Canada. An early appearance of a description of the taco in the United States in English was in a 1914 cookbook, California Mexican-Spanish Cookbook, by Bertha Haffner Ginger. The most common type of taco in the US is the hard-shell, U-shaped version, first described in a cookbook, The good life: New Mexican food, authored by Fabiola Cabeza de Baca Gilbert and published in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1949. These types are sold by restaurants and by fast food chains, while kits are readily available in most supermarkets. Even non-Mexican oriented fast food restaurants have sold tacos. Mass production of this type of taco was encouraged by the invention of devices to hold the tortillas in the U-shape as they were deep-fried. A patent for such a device was issued to New York restaurateur Juvencio Maldonado in 1950, based on his patent filing of 1947 (U.S. Patent No. 2,506,305).Such tacos are crisp-fried corn tortillas filled with seasoned ground beef, cheese, lettuce, and sometimes tomato, onion, salsa, sour cream, and avocado or guacamole.

TIME

Prep: 40 m
Cook: 20 m
Ready: In 1 h

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup beer
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno pepper,minced
1 teaspoon minced capers
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 quart oil for frying
1 pound cod fillets, cut into 2 to 3 ounce portions
1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas
1/2 medium head cabbage, finely shredded

DIRECTIONS

1. To make beer batter: In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Blend egg and beer, then quickly stir into the flour mixture (don't worry about a few lumps).
2. To make white sauce: In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt and mayonnaise. Gradually stir in fresh lime juice until consistency is slightly runny. Season with jalapeno, capers, oregano, cumin, dill, and cayenne.
3. Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Dust fish pieces lightly with flour. Dip into beer batter, and fry until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Lightly fry tortillas; not too crisp. To serve, place fried fish in a tortilla, and top with shredded cabbage, and white sauce.

CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE

CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE

Molten chocolate cake is a popular dessert that combines the elements of a flourless chocolate cake and a soufflé.[citation needed] The name derives from the dessert's liquid chocolate center chocolate moelleux(fr), tortino al cioccolato con cuore caldo, and chocolate lava cake. It should not be confused with chocolate fondant, a recipe that contains little flour, but instead a lot of chocolate and butter, hence melting on the palate (but not on the plate)

The United States-based chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten claims to have invented molten chocolate cake in New York City in 1987, but the French chef and chocolatier Jacques Torres disputes this, arguing that such a dish already existed in France. According to Vongerichten, he pulled a chocolate sponge cake from the oven before it was done and found that the center was still runny, but was warm and had both a good taste and texture. Regardless of who invented the dish, Vongerichten has been credited with popularizing it in the United States, and it became almost a de rigueur inclusion on high-end restaurant dessert menus.

Recipe Servings: 2
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Total Cook Time: 40 Minutes


INGREDIENTS

135 gm dark chocolate
95 gm butter
100 gm icing sugar
2 egg yolks + 2 whole eggs
35 gm flour

DIRECTIONS

1.Pre heat the oven at 200 degrees.
2.In a microwaveable bowl add chocolate and butter. Melt it. (You can melt using the double boiler method too.)
3.In another bowl whisk together sugar and eggs.
4.Mix together the chocolate-butter mixture with the sugar-eggs mixture.
5.Fold in the flour.
6.Strain the mixture to remove any lumps.
7.Keep this in the fridge for 5-7 minutes to chill.
8.Pour the batter in greased ramekins.
9.Bake for 9-10 minutes.
10.Serve with whipped cream / vanilla ice cream or fresh fruits.

Red Velvet Doughnut With Cream Cheese Frosting

Red velvet doughnut with cream cheese frosting

This dessert (or breakfast or snack!) is perfect for all holidays, what with all the rich red color and the delicious chocolate flavor.

Donuts are always a crowd favorite, although they’re typically fried – which I’ve tried to do in the past, without much success – so the fact that these donuts are baked make them so much more loveable for how easy they are to throw together.

To make them you will need a donut pan for this recipe, so if you’d like to have homemade donuts in your house every week it would be worth picking one up. I was a little skeptical that the pan would work as well as they claimed, but as long as you don’t overfill it (pro tip: shoot for filling it half way) the donuts will turn out perfectly.

And even if you do overfill a few, don’t worry – those donuts will still taste just as good.

Because those less-than-perfect donuts?

They are the ones you get to eat on your own, fresh out of the oven with all the leftover frosting, before anyone else gets to have some.

Sometimes those are the donuts that taste the best.

In the past, I’ve decorated the donuts in two different ways: some I just dipped in powdered sugar, so the tops have a nice dusting of sweetness. It was a nice, light compliment to the moist donuts, and they looked beautiful.

But usually I whip up a super easy vanilla cream cheese frosting and drizzle it across the top, like the donuts pictured here.

I’m partial to the ones with the cream cheese frosting, but then red velvet always seems to go hand in hand with a little extra sweetness.

For the cream cheese frosting you will need cream cheese (duh), butter, vanilla extract, a touch of salt, and confectioners’ sugar. You’ll want to make sure your cream cheese and butter are both very soft before beginning this process.

To bake the donuts you’re going to preheat your oven to 350 degrees (F). Pro tip: Make sure you generously grease your donut pan before filling the molds. If you don’t, they will stick.

Bake the donuts for 9-10 minutes, or until they’re just firm enough to spring back slightly when touched. Make sure you cool them completely before frosting them!



Don’t be surprised if you find yourself dreaming up any excuse to bake these.

If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment below and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #bakerbynature on Instagram! Seeing your kitchen creations makes my day. ♥

Red Velvet Donuts
prep 10 mins
cook 10 mins
total 20 mins
author bakerbynature
yield 6 baked donuts
Baked red velvet donuts topped with cream cheese frosting! Ready in just 20 minutes.

Ingredients

For the red velvet donuts:
1 cup all-purpose baking flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons red food coloring
For the cream cheese frosting:
3 ounces cream cheese, VERY soft
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, VERY soft
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions

For the red velvet donuts:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Generously grease a doughnut pan and set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla, and egg. Gently fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture - don't over mix! Fold in red food coloring and stir until combined.
Spoon mixture into prepared doughnut pan, and bake for 10 minutes, or until the doughnuts spring back when lightly pressed. Allow doughnuts to cool a few minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire wrack to cool for a few more minutes.
For the cream cheese frosting:
In the bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until completely smooth; about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sifted confectioners' sugar. Add in the milk. Once the milk is combined beat frosting on high-speed for 1-2 minutes.
Spread frosting on cooled donuts.

Nutella & Hazelnuts Churros

NUTELLA AND HAZELNUTS CHURROS

Churros are a Spanish doughnut recipe prepared from choux pastry, the same dough that dessert items like cream puffs and éclairs are made of. The most familiar version of the churro to North Americans is the long piped doughnut, but their shapes can vary from being spiraled or straight. One of the most usual ways to eat a churro is dipped in dulce de leche or hot chocolate, which turns this sweet treat into a heavenly dessert. It is no wonder that Tessa, the author of ‘Handle the Heat’ recipe blog, decided to fill her churro recipe with Nutella hazelnut spread for a dessert that is over the top.

The most common way to make churros recipes is with a choux pastry dough, which is prepared on the stove. Choux pastry is an eggy dough that is common in French cuisine to prepare cream puffs, éclairs, and the classic French cruller recipe. The dough is so light and airy that when baked or fried, it can form a hollow in the center, which is ideal for filling with pastry cream. The ingredients for churro dough recipes are very simple, involving just six ingredients, like flour, butter, and eggs. The dough is combined on the stove with one egg being incorporated one at a time. The eggs are the most important component of a proper choux pastry recipe because they are what leaven the dough and give the dough their texture. The process for how to make churros always ends up using a piping bag and large star piping tip as well. The star piping tip allows each doughnut to have its signature crispy edges when fried in the oil.Often churro recipes will involve piping the dough directly into the oil, which sometimes result in odd shapes for the churros. For more uniform shapes, Tessa has the genius option of piping out the churro dough onto a baking sheet and chilling it so that it is firm enough to drop into the preheated oil. Every churro will end up the perfect shape rather than curved banana shapes. If desired, you can even experiment with knotting the churros or twisting them into pretty designs.

INGREDIENTS

50 grams unsalted butter

1 teaspoon sugar

Pinch salt

100 grams flour

4 tablespoons water

4 tablespoons milk

4 medium eggs

100 grams Nutella

50 grams roasted hazelnuts

2 tablespoons popping candy

2 liters oil for deep frying

50 grams caster sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon powder

DIRECTIONS

1.Place the butter in a pan with water and milk, sugar and salt.

2.Bring to boil and add the flour, beat to form a paste.

3.Gradually incorporate the eggs little by little to get a thick paste.

4.Place into a piping bag with 1.5 centimeters fluted nozzle and pipe into 4 centimeters lengths.

5.Pop this into the freezer to firm up or pipe the mixture directly into the oil, pre-heated to 160C, snipping 4 centimeters segments as you go.

6.After 2 minutes or so, drain the churros on kitchen paper and toss in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

7.Grab a straw and push all the way through.

8.Place the Nutella in a piping bag and soften for 15 seconds in a microwave.

9.Pipe the chocolate into the churros and top with hazelnuts and popping candy.