Banana Walnut Bread

Quick and easy bread to use up the ripe bananas sitting on your counter by the end of the week!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tbsp baking soda
1 large ripe banana/2 small ripe bananas
1/4 cup chopped roasted walnuts
Some chocolate chips (optional)
Some Turbinado or Demerara sugar to sprinkle on top (optional)

Method:
1. Mash the ripe banana(s) into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add other ingredients, except the turbinado or demerara sugar, to the banana mash.
3. Pour the mixture in a loaf pan, sprinkle with turbinado or demerara sugar on top and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
4. Let it cool and then cut in slices.

Chickpea pastry with Cashews and Dates

This is a really quick and simple dish that is easily put together with little effort!
High on protein and flavour yet feels like indulgence :)

Ingredients:
1/2 sheet of phyllo pastry dough, thawed according to the package instructions
1 can of Garbanzo Beans or chickpeas, drained and washed
5-6 Dates, chunky chops
6-7 Cashews, chunky chops
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 tsp cumin powder
4 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp red chilly powder
2 tsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste
Oil or Ghee for sauté

Method:
1. In a non-stick pan, take some oil or ghee and sauté finely chopped onion until it starts turning translucent, about 4-5 minutes on low flame.
2. Add cumin powder, coriander powder, chilly powder, black pepper powder and salt. Sauté for another minute to cook the spices.
3. Now add the chopped dates, cashews and beans to the pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes.
4. While the beans are cooking, roll the dough to a thin flat bread shape and place it on the baking sheet.

5. Arrange the beans mixture on top of the pastry sheet and bake at 375F for about 20-25 minutes until the pastry is cooked.

Cut into four parts with a pizza cutter and enjoy savoury Chickpea pastry!

Tip: You can also use the chickpea filling as a side dish with lamb, veggies and roti.

Indian style cheese corn puffs

One of the quickest and a popular appetizer is this cheese-corn puff... my twist - spice it up with some  Indian flavours!!
All you need to make sure is that your freezer is stocked ;)

Ingredients:
Some frozen spinach
Some frozen white corn
Some frozen yellow corn
Ready made frozen mini puff pastry shells
Ricotta cheese
Salt
Pepper
Peanut oil
Roasted cumin powder
Roasted coriander powder
Red chilly powder
Garam Masala

Method:
1. Place the frozen spinach with some water, to thaw and cook, in microwave for 2-3 minutes.
2. After this drain and remove most of the water from the spinach so that it is almost dry.
3. Repeat step 1 and 2 with frozen corn.
4. In a pan, heat some oil. Now put chilly powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, pepper and salt - roast for a few seconds.
5. Now put spinach and corn and mix well with the spices.
6. Turn off the heat and let it cool until just warm(5-7 minutes).
7. At this point, add some ricotta(or skip, your choice!).
8. While the mixture is cooling, cook the pastry puffs(typically 20 minutes in 400F/205C oven).
9. Now put the filling inside the shells and serve.

These taste delicious when the pastry is warm but at room temperature they still do justice to their look! :)

Chicken Moussaka

This is a great one pot dish - oven to table - that is also one of my favourite dishes to entertain.
I think it is a little time consuming since it involves cutting and layering and a little bit of cooking as well.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground chicken
2 garlic cloves - finely chopped
1 big eggplant - slices thinly, ~2cm in thickness
2 potatoes - slices thinly
1 medium sized onion - slices thinly
1 medium courgette - slices thinly
3 tomatoes - chopped
Dried thyme
Dried oregano
Salt
Black pepper ground
Olive oil
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
3 cup milk
1 cup Parmesean cheese - grated
Nutmeg powder
1 cup Mozzarella cheese - grated

Method:
1. Marinate: Marinate the vegetables in three separate bowls - poatoes and onions, eggplant and courgettes - with olive oil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper.
2. Potatoes: In a deep baking dish, layer the potatoes and onions in a single layer and start baking at 375F/190C oven for 15 minutes.
3. Chicken: While that happens, in a sauce pan heat some olive oil with garlic in it and then saute it for a few seconds. Now add ground chicken and cook for 5-8 minutes.
4. Once you have broken the meat pieces into chunks, add dried thyme, oregano, pepper and chpped tomatoes. Keep cooking until the mixture is dry.
5. Eggplant: After 15 minutes, take the dish out of the oven and layer it with eggplants and cook for another 15 minutes.
6.  Bechamel sauce: While your dish is baking and chicken is cooking, take another sauce pan to prepare the bechamel sauce. In this start melting your butter with some olive oil over medium to low flame. Once the butter is melted, add the flour and cook for a few minutes. Now start adding milk slowly so that no lumps are formed. Once the sauce thickens, add parmesean cheese, pepper and nutmeg. Season with salt cautiously.
7. Courgettes: Take out the pan and layer the courgettes. Cook for another 7-10 minutes.
8. Final layer: Add some of the sauce to ground chicken to keep it moist while it bakes. Finally layer the ground chicken and top it with the Bechamel sauce. Bake this for another 15 minutes.
9. Final step: Finally layer the dish with mozzarella cheese. Increase the oven temperature to 400F/200C and bake until the crust is brown, around 10-15 minutes.

Let the Moussaka to rest for 10 minutes after it comes out of oven while you enjoy a glass of nice red wine. Enjoy the fruits of your love and labour! :)

Dates-Cashews cake

Want decadent dates for a fancy date! You should try this dates and cashews cake - small, cute - perfect for two. Makes valentine day extra special while keeping your new year resolution still on track! :)
It tastes delicious warm as well as at room temperature.

Ingredients:
1 egg
50gm All purpose flour
50gm brown sugar
1/2 tbsp dark cocoa
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp clarified butter(or regular butter if you cannot find clarified butter)
2-3tsp Baking powder
Some Baking Soda(aprox half the qty of baking pwd)
1/4 cup chopped cashews
1/3 cup chopped dates
Pre-heated oven to 325F

Method:
1. Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, nuts, dates, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl.
2. Add the melted butters and egss to the flour mixture and mix well.
3. Transfer the batter into two pre-greased 4" mini springform pan.
4. Bake at 325F pre-heated oven for about 25-30min.

Serving suggestions: Sprinkle raw cane sugar crystals on top for last 10 minutes and bake.
Serve in a heart shaped mould with chocolate sauce drizzled on top or just as is with nice hot tea as breakfast in bed. After all it just take 35 minutes to make it ;)

  --> this is how you can store and pack for picnic at the beach!

Mango cakes with cranberry-OJ sauce

There is nothing more festive than eating a cake Flambéed right at the table - creating a drama and sensation that everyone loves during Christmas!
Here is my version of a little healthier version of a mango cake that is delicious, satisfies the appetite for a bit of theatrics and is great for entertaining any time of the year!

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 egg
50gm All purpose flour
50gm regular cane sugar
4 tbsp butter
5-6 tbsp pure mango pulp(recommendation is canned Alphonso pulp)
2tsp Baking powder
Pre-heated oven to 325F

Sauce:
1/2 cup cranberries(fresh or frozen)
1 orange zest
1 orange juice
1/4cup sugar
1 star anise

Flambé:
1 cup Bourbon or liquor of your choice
Lighter

Method:
Cake:
1. Mix the butter and sugar in a bowl until sugar is well incorporated.
Note: If your butter is right of fridge or freezer, then melt it for a few seconds in microwave. The consistency should be runny and white, it shouldn't be too warm. Then you can proceed with mixing sugar to it.
2. Now add mango pulp and mix well until incorporated in the batter.
3. Now add 1 egg and mix well until incorporated in the batter.
4. Add flour and baking powder and then mix well until incorporated in the batter.
5. Final step - pour the batter in two 4" by 1.75" pans for two small cakes OR one  4" by 1.75" for one thicker cake.
6. Bake at 325F for ~20-30 minutes. Insert a toothpick and check if it comes out clear. At that point your cake is done.

Sauce:
1. Bring all the ingredients to boil and reduce in a sauce pan on low heat. It should take about 5-7 minutes once it comes to a boil.

Flambé:
1. Warm 1 cup of Bourbon or Cointreau. Transfer the liquor in a bowl.
2. Bring the bowl to the table and ignite the liquor surface with a lighter.
3. Pour half of the liquid flame on the cakes.

Enjoy the show and savor the cakes!