Fruity Custard #FoodieExtravaganza

This Fruity Custard is pure vegetarian, healthy, filled with fiber. When this months event - Hosted by Wendy Klik , who choose the theme fiber filled, heart healthy recipes for Foodie Extravaganza {Party}, was very happy since I,  had just prepared this sweet dish for my hubby who very rarely eats a full fruit and refuses to eat a banana . He will eat a slice of any fruit .. that's it.  Give it to him in this form and he will eat a bowl full of fruits.  To make him eat fruits, have devise different ways.. since he has a sweet tooth, I try to make sweet dish with fruits and some time add  nuts too.

Most fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, so it's  good  to include them in your daily diet. Here for this recipe,  have not peeled the  apples, and pears since peeling can reduce the amount of fiber in fruits and vegetables, so one should eat the peel of such fruits . According to nutritionist fiber supplements won't provide the same vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients offered by fiber foods.  Thank you Wendy for choosing this theme. Let's go to the recipe...

Ingredients 

For custard
500 Ml Milk - I used full fat milk can use low fat too
4 Tablespoons Heaped Sugar
2 Tablespoons Heaped Vanilla Custard Powder
Chocolate Sauce as required  
1 Banana -   sliced 

1 Apple - cubed

2 Kiwis - cubed

1 Pear - cubed

1 Cup Cubed Musk Melon 

1 Cup Pomegranate seeds

1/2 Cup Tinned Cherries

1/2 Cup Cubed Papaya
100 Grams Sweet Biscuits  - broken into pieces

Method

Mix in  vanilla custard 2 tablespoons water or cold milk ( I used milk ) till it dissolves.

Heat milk, add sugar and bring it to a boil, keep stirring in between so that is does not burn at the bottom. When it comes to a boil,  add the custard powder mixed in cold milk, stirring continuously ,  cook till sightly thick and creamy (it should be ribbon consistency).  Take off flame and whisk it well to make smooth and silky. Keep aside to cool.

Arrange the biscuits in the base of a serving dish,( have used different sweet biscuits ) sprinkle 2 tablespoons of  tinned fruit syrup, on the biscuits.

Arrange the bananas slices and add the fruits.  

Drizzle  little chocolate sauce.

Pour the cold custard drizzle with chocolate sauce. Then take a fork or tooth pick and swirl it to give a marble look.  Serve chilled... enjoy this healthy and fiber filled dessert.

Labels : Fresh Fruits, Milk, Sweets & Desserts, Healthy, Foodie Extravaganza Party 

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays or cook and bake together with the same ingredient or theme each month.




Wendy Klik is hosting this month's event, with the theme Heart Healthy Fiber Rich Foods. Here are some of the delicious, fiber filled, heart healthy recipes.
5-Way Cincinnati Chili Spaghetti Squash Boats from Palatable Pastime 
Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Bake from Cookaholic Wife
Baked Oatmeal from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Black-eyed Pea Salad - Saladu Ñebbe from Food Lust People Love |
Cranberry Nut Muffins from Hardly A Goddess
Easy Breakfast Oatmeal from Basic N Delicious
Farmer's Salad from Fearlessly Creative Mammas
Fruity chewy granola bars from Caroline's Cooking
Fruity Custard from Sneha's Recipe
Heart Beet Smoothie from Sew You Think You Can Cook
Moroccan Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Vegetarian Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps from cookinandcraftin

Talniche Modak / Fried Modak

Ganesh Jayanti is known as Maghi Ganpati this  is an auspicious day dedicated to Lord Ganesha and it's "Ganesha's birthday". Modak's are Lord Ganesha's favorite, so here are Talniche Modak / Fried Modak, the covering is of wheat flour. 

I have already posted  Ukadiche Naralache (Coconut) & Chocolate Modak.

 

Ingredients
For the outer covering or shell:
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Warm Melted Ghee
Water as required to knead the dough

For the Filling

4 - 5 Tablespoons Jaggery - grated 
1 Cup  Freshly Grated Coconut  - can use dessicated  coconut 

2 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame seeds
1/2 Teaspoon Cardamom powder
A pinch Nutmeg powder

A Teaspoon Ghee

Method

For the Covering

Sieve the flour with salt and add warm ghee and mix well, then  knead it into a smooth dough by adding little water at a time and keep it covered aside for 15-20 minutes. 

Meanwhile let's make the filling

In a pan add ghee and jaggery,  when the jaggery starts to melt add the  coconut and mix till the jaggery melts and the mixture is dry, add the  sesame seeds, nutmeg and cardamom powder. Keep the mixture aside to cool.  When it is cool, divide this into small equal sized ball. keep aside to cool.

Making the Modaks

Take a small ball of dough and oil the surface and roll it into in thin and round circle,( I used the puri maker) 

Place it into the greased modak mould. 

Place the ball of filling onto the dough

Close the mould tightly remove the excess flour from the side and with bottom flour 

fold it to seal the modak. 

Modak is ready. Likewise make all.

Deep fry the modaks in medium hot oil or ghee ( I used ghee) till golden browned.  Drain on kitchen towel.  Talniche modak are ready.  

Share these with your family and friends and enjoy. My hubby and daughter, loves modak.

Labels: Sweets & Desserts, Festival Sweets, Coconut

Veg Minestrone Soup #soupswappers

Wendy has started a new group, Soup Saturday Swappers, on every third Saturday of each month, our group will be posting soup recipes based on a theme. This month's theme is "healthy".

Since many of us make resolutions in the new year to start living a more healthy lifestyle.  I too took this theme seriously and made a healthy and nutritious  soup.  This is a comforting and delicious soup full of veggies and takes just few minutes for prepare. Try this healthy soup you will absolutely love it.

Ingredients

1.1/2 Cup Homemade Pasta Sauce - recipe follows
1/4 Cup Coloured Bell pepper - finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Carrot - finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Celery - finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Cauliflower - finely chopped
1 Tablespoon French Beans - finely chopped
5 Cups Water
1 Cup Boiled Chick Peas - Lightly mash a few of them
2 Teaspoons  Basil Pesto Sauce
Salt and Pepper powder to taste
1 Cube  Veg Soup Cube

Method

In a pot add the water, soup cube , pasta sauce, all the veggies,  chickpeas, basil pesto sauce,  salt and  pepper to taste.  Bring the ingredients in the pot to a rolling boil. Reduce the flame and let it simmer for a 4 to 5 minutes. Your soup is ready, taste for seasonings, add accordingly.   Enjoy this healthy and delicious soup in this cold weather.

Labels: Soup, Vegetarian, Pasta sauce, Basil, Pesto Sauce, Soup Swappers, Healthy, Vegetables, Minestrone Soup

Check out the link up, for more nutritious soups.

An InLinkz Link-up

Mackerel And Dill Mini Tartlets #FishFridayFoodie

The theme for this month Fish Friday Foodies is Seafood Pie or Tart and our Host is Stacy, thank you dear for hosting this event.

These mini tarts are perfect  as a starter or appetizer . They can be made ahead and warmed through in a hot oven for 5 to 7 minutes. In these tartlets I, have not used cheese, but, if you wish, can grate cheese on top and then bake. These are yum without cheese too.

Ingredients

For the Tartlets
1 Cup All Purpose flour
50 Grams Butter
Pinch salt

For the Filling
100 Grams Flaked Mackerel Fish
1 Small Onion
1/4 Teaspoon Red Chilly Powder
1 Teaspoon Butter
Salt to taste

Other Ingredients
A Few Sprigs of Fresh Dill
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Bechamel sauce
1/4 Teaspoon Steakpeper seasoning

Method 
Preheat the oven to 180ºC
Prepare the pastry 

Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl, rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs, add a teaspoon of cold water if necessary and bring together to form a dough.
Roll out on a floured board and using a mini cutter, cut out  rounds.
Use the pastry rounds to line the patty tins.  Blind bake them in the preheated oven or 10 - 12 minutes or  till done.  

For the filling

Heat the pan add the butter and onions, saute till translucent, add the flaked fish, salt to taste and chilly powder, saute for a minute.  Take off flame and cool.

For the topping

Beat the egg and bechamel sauce together, season with steakpepper and keep aside.  To assemble

Divide the fish filling between the pastry cases 

Top each with a few sprigs of dill  

Carefully pour the prepared sauce into each case, taking care not to overfill.  

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.  

Serve warm or cold. 

My Notes: 

I have used fresh Mackerel, cleaned and removed the inside of the Mackerel, then just steamed it in a pan without water.  Then flaked it when cooled.  This fish is very thorny, take care to remove  the smallest of thorns. 

Labels :  Mackerel, Dill, Tart/Pie/Quiche, Fish Friday, Bechamel Sauce, Seafood/Fish 

An InLinkz Link-up

Makaronah Bil Beshemel - Baked Bechamel Pasta - Egypt

Makaronah Bil Beshemel is  easy to prepare, baked pasta dish.  This is a one dish meal, we enjoyed it with a bowl of soup or  you can have it with  salad.  This is an healthy and delicious dish which has no cheese, yet taste divine.  

Quick and easy to make, have all the ingredients ready and  this dish is ready in minutes.  Here, I, have used Bezar spice, which is an arabic spice and goes very well with this dish, this spice mix has an awesome taste and flavor.

Serves 2 
Ingredients
1 Cup Heaped Macaroni  Pasta
1 Tablespoon Oil
1 Teaspoon Bezar Spice Mix  - see recipe
1  Onion - chopped
200 Grams  Boneless Chicken - finely cubed 
Salt to taste
1.1/2 Cups Thick Bechamel sauce - see recipe 

Method

Cook pasta in 5 cups or waters as per the packet instruction or till al dente.  Drain and add a teaspoon of warm oil and toss it, keep aside.

While pasta cooks, we prepare the chicken layer.

Heat oil in a frying pan, add onions and saute till onions are translucent.  Then add the chicken and saute till it turn pink to white then add the bezar spice and saute  for 2 to 3 minutes, cover and cook  till the chicken is done.  Open the lid and evaporate all the moisture or till the mixture is dry. Keep aside to cool.

In the meantime preheat the oven  at 200 degrees.

Butter a casserole dish well,

Spread 2 tablespoons of bechamel sauce  

Now spread half of pasta 

Spread layer of  chicken mixture

Top with remaining pasta

Pour the  bechamel sauce evenly on to dish. Sprinkle a little   bezar spice and place it in oven till it browns on top .

See the layers.. looks too tempting.. na.

Cool it a little and cut slices of this  rich dish,  enjoy with soup or salad of your choice. 

My Notes 

You can use any pasta of your choice.
Can use lamb or beef mince for the filling too.

Bezar spice is an Arabic spice and has a flavorful taste, try this spice you will love it.

Labels : Bechamel Sauce, Bezar,  Spice Mix , Chicken, Mena cooking club, Pasta & Noodles, Healthy, Egypt