Colorful Peppers Pulao#Improv

Colorful Peppers Pulao is an easy, quick and delicious one-pot meal rice made with 3 different bell peppers/capsicum, aromatics and herbs. The best thing about this recipe is that you can use leftover rice too. Perfect for lunch box or kid's tiffin.

Ingredients
½ Each of Red, Yellow, Orange & Green Bell Peppers
½ medium sized Red/ purple Onion
3 Green Chilies - thinly sliced
1 Teaspoon Urad Dal
1 Tablespoon Homemade Curry Powder
1½ Cups  Rice 
2-3 Tablespoons Oil 
2½ Cups Water

Method  

Dice into little cubes all the colored bell peppers
Heat a frying pan with a tablespoon of oil and sauté the peppers, sliced green chillies and with a pinch salt, and a teaspoon of curry powder. Remove and keep aside.

In the same pressure cooker heat 2 tablespoons of oil, add the urad dal, when it starts to brown add in the rice and sauté it for a minute lightly stirring it or else the rice will break. Then add in the curry powder and sauté again for a minute, add salt to taste and give a good mix. Add in the water and bring this to a rolling boil. Close the cooker and take 2 whistles on high flame. After 2 whistles switch off the flame. 

Let the pressure release on it's own. Open the cooker and stir in the sautéed bell peppers and green chillies lightly fluff the rice with a fork so that the bell pepper as incorporated and the rice is loosen nicely. Serve warm, garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Enjoy this simple yet completely healthy and wholesome one pot meal! 
Labels: Colored Bell Peppers, Capsicum, Pulao, Pressure Cooker, Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten free, Improv Cooking Challenge, Main course, Curry powder, Homemade

December Improv Cooking Challenge

Red & Green Foods
• • Red and Green Quinoa and Steak Bowl by Pandemonium Noshery
  • Strawberry Spinach Salad by Palatable Pastime
  • Colorful Peppers Pulao by Sneha’s Recipe
  • Tuscan Tortellini Soup by A Day in the Life on the Farm
  • Grinch Green Pancakes by Cookaholic Wife 

Eggnog Waffles#Foodieextravaganza

These are classic waffles,  which come together for a quick and easy morning breakfast, creamy eggnog with cinnamon and nutmeg spice is a prefect combo flavor.

Makes 8 Waffles
Ingredients
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg powder
¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon powder
2 Eggs
2 Cups Eggnog - I used my Homemade Eggnog
¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract

Method

Preheat your waffle iron.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Whisk to blend.
In the bowl of a stand mixer/food processor, combine the eggs and the eggnog and blend until smooth. Add in the dry ingredients until just combined. Add in the oil and vanilla. Make a smooth batter.
Cook waffles according to your waffle maker's directions until they are golden brown and cooked through.

Serve with maple syrup and a cube of butter. 
Labels: Breakfast, Egg, Eggnog, Foodie Extravaganza Party, Healthy, Juices, Milk, Non-Alcoholic

Event for Foodie Extravaganza , for this month the theme is "Eggnog ". Take a look at the other recipes.  

• Eggnog Banana Cream Pie by Palatable Pastime
• Eggnog Crème Brûlée by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Eggnog Oreo Ice Cream by The Spiffy Cookie
• Eggnog Snickerdoodles by Culinary Cam
• Eggnog Waffles by Sneha's Recipe
• Homemade Eggnog Americano Coffee Drinkby Our Good Life

Homemade Jujube /Jelly Sweets#SundayFunday

Jujube or Jube, is the name of jelly candy or gummy sweets. Jujube's are sweet in taste, colorful, made with different flavors using the corresponding essences, like orange color and orange essence. Jujubes are light and melt in the mouth. These have a shelf life of a month or more.

Ingredients
4 Oz Citrus Juice - see notes
5 Pouches Unflavored Gelatin - see notes
5 Oz Water
500 Grams Granulated Sugar
Color & Essence - of your choice

Method

Most important - keep the well oiled tray's with a drop of color and essence ready.

Soak Gelatin in the citrus juice.
In a heavy bottomed pan add the water and sugar, keep this on medium flame stirring till the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar dissolves add the soaked gelatin, increase the flame to high and with a wooden spatula stir it continuously breaking the lumps of the gelatin for exactly 4 minutes ( set a timer). Once 4 minutes are up. Switch off the flame.

Divide this into the oiled trays accordingly, remove the layer of scum from top so that you get clear jelly sweets/candy.
Let this set covered with a lid taking care that it does not tough the candy layer. Keep it over night on your counter top. Do not refrigerate this.

Then next morning. Take a cutting board and spread a generous layer of caster sugar on top. Then loosen the sides of the tray with a well oiled knife. Unmold on to the caster sugar and cut into desired size and shape of your choice. 

I have also set them in silicone molds that are well oiled. These too keep overnight to set.
Take a bowl filled with caster sugar as required for coating the jujube's.

Once you cut the desired shape that immediately place them into the bowl of caster sugar and roll them well so that the are well coated with caster sugar. Shake them afterwards in a colander to remove any excess sugar coating.

Store them in a airtight container for a month or more.
Kid's and adults too love these candies, do try them.

My Notes

One pouch of gelatin is 10 grams. So you require 50 grams unflavored gelatin.
For the Citrus Juice - Use one Large orange and one large lemon to extract the juice.
Add the gelatin as soon as the sugar melts, do not bring the sugar syrup to a boil.
Set a timer once you add the gelatin to the sugar syrup and increase the flame to high.
I have used pizza cutter to cut the candy.
Labels: Jelly Sweets, Candy, Gelatin, Christmas, Sunday Funday, Homemade, Kids delight 

• Christmas Tree Peanut Butter Blossoms from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• German Chocolate Caramel Bars from Palatable Pastime
• Homemade Jujube Jelly Sweets from Sneha’s Recipe
• Maritozzi from Culinary Cam
• Two-minute Quick Fudge from Food Lust People Love
• Vegan Air Fryer Churros from Cook with Renu 

Leftover Chocolate Cake & Chocolate Pudding Cups - No Bake Dessert#SundayFunday

I had some frozen leftover cake lying in the freezer for quite sometime. So made this delicious dessert using my Homemade Ready Chocolate Pudding Mix.

Delicious chocolate custard dessert cups which is not only easy to make but taste fantastic. This cups are so addictive and makes a great party individual dessert.

Ingredients 
500 ml milk
1/2 Cup Homemade Ready Chocolate Pudding Mix
1 Teaspoon Gelatin
1 Tablespoon water
Leftover  Chocolate Cake

Method

Press  a thick layer of crumbled cake into  the cups 

then add a layer of pudding.   Let it set in the refrigerator. 

Again add a layer of cake 

then pudding, let it set in the refrigerator to chill.

Grate chocolate on top and cling wrap each cup and refrigerate till cold.

Enjoy this delicious dessert. 

Labels: Sunday Funday, No Bake Desserts, Chocolate, Homemade, Chocolate Pudding, Leftover series, Sweets & Desserts  

For Sunday Funday our theme is Clean out the Fridge

• Beef Vegetable Soup from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Leftover Chocolate Cake & Chocolate Custard Cups - No Bake Dessert from Sneha's Recipe
• Tortellini Carbonara from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Turkey Tetrazzini from Palatable Pastime

Creamy Zucchini Soup#SoupSwappers

Had some frozen zucchini in the freezer decided to make a delicious creamy soup with my DIY/Homemade Cream Of Soup Mix. This is so quick and delicious to make do try this recipe.

Ingredients
½ Cup Level Cream Of Soup Mix -DIY/Homemade
1 Big Vegetable Stock Cube
4 - 5 Cups Water
2 Cups Diced Zucchini - I used frozen
1 Clove Garlic - minced
1 Small Onion - finely chopped
A Dash of Black Pepper powder
Salt to taste
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Teaspoon Mixed Herbs
Toasted Chopped Almonds - as required

Method 

In a sauce pan add the butter , garlic and on medium low flame sauté for a minute, immediately add the onions and sauté till its translucent. Add the cream of soup mix and stir it with a whisk for a minute or two. Now add the diced zucchini and sauté till it softens. Add the stock cube and water and whisk till it is lump free. Continue to whisk on medium low flame till it comes to a boil. Taste for salt and pepper, give the soup a good mix. Puree this in a blender. Add this puree back into the soup and again give it good whisk and heat it if necessary. 

Serve this into big bowls, garnish with a dash of pepper powder and few fresh basil leaves and chopped toasted almonds ( this is optional), the toasted chopped almonds give an awesome crunch to the soup. Enjoy it as a meal or as an appetizer.

Labels: Zucchini , Vegetarian, Main course, Appetizer, Soup, Soup Swappers, International Cuisine

Want some great ideas for soups with frozen vegetables? Check out what the rest of the Soup Saturday Swappers group created for this! 

• Creamy Zucchini Soup - Sneha's Recipes   
• Curried Carrot and Red Pepper Soup from Magical Ingredients
• Easy Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup - Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Quick and Healthy Butternut Squash Soup - A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Slovakian Green Bean Soup - Pandemonium Noshery