Oven Roasted Brussels sprouts

N is a Brussels sprouts fan, for the reason that it’s very healthy. It looks like miniature cabbages, and it has anticancer compounds. Whenever he goes to Trader Joes, he gets a full bunch of Brussels sprouts on stalk which is as fresh as ever, which is of course a lot for a 4 people family. So, I always get frustrated that again I have been given an opportunity to waste some food. By the time I use everything, I had to throw a bunch of it as it will get spoiled by then. As said, he got it this week as well and for a change, this time, I was looking for options not to spoil it, so started browsing the internet and found a good one.

FYI, tips from couple of recipes is used in this recipe.

10 Brussels sprouts

2 tsp Pepper Jera powder (change it according to your spice level)

5 garlic cloves (cut each into 2 if it’s big) (optional)

Salt to taste

Oil to coat the vegetables (Canola/olive, or any oil of your choice)

1 tsp lemon juice
Cut the Brussels sprouts into quarters or a little more depending upon the size of the vegetable.

Mix all of the above ingredients and keep in the toaster oven on 400 degrees for 45 mins.

Remove it from the oven and eat it hot. A very healthy snack is ready without much effort.

If you are not a garlic fan, you can ignore that in this recipe.

Lemon Pickle

 I've always been thinking of making pickles by myself. But didn’t get a chance to do it. Actually I did try few years back and it didn’t come out well. It got spoilt easily. So, I just left it, thinking it’s not my kind of thing. But now, we recently got lots of lemons from our friend and didn’t know what to do with it. So, I had to attempt this pickle again.

Searched for many good recipes and finally ended up taking tips from everything. It got surprisingly awesome comment from N for this. He had the pickle just by itself and he flattered me with his comment. It did come out really well. Here is the recipe

4 lemons cut into pieces

3 tbsp of lime juice

3 tsp Salt

1 tsp of fenugreek powder

3 tsp of red chili powder

1 tsp of asafetida

2 tbsp of oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

5 to 10 curry leaves

1 red chili

Cut 4 lemons on any size of your choice. I wanted it to be little, not tiny or big quarters. I took off all the seeds from it.

Mix 3 tsp salt. Mix it thoroughly with a dry spoon. Add 1 tsp of asafetida, 3 tsp of Red chili powder and 1 tsp of fenugreek powder to the lemons. If you don’t have fenugreek powder, dry roast the fenugreeks and grind it. Don't add too much of fenugreek, as it will make the pickle bitter. Take a pan, add 2 tbsp of oil tamper it with mustard and curry leaves with one red chili if needed. Allow it to cool off and then add this to the lemons. Don’t add the hot tampering as it will make the pickle soggy. Add 3 tbsp of lime juice taken without seeds to this mixture. Again mix it thoroughly and keep it aside.

Once every day from then, mix the pickle well at least once a day. In a week, the pickle is good to eat.

Lemon Pickle After a Week

It goes well with Roti and/or Rice.

Mushroom masal

1 packet of mushroom

1 inch cinnamon stick

2 cloves

2tsp Garlic paste

2tsp Ginger paste

1 tbsp Ghee

1 full onion finely chopped

1 tbsp Red chili powder or according to your spice level

Little coriander

Salt to taste

Cut the mushrooms into small pieces. Put ghee in a pan with a little salt and sauté the mushrooms until the raw smell is gone. Then in another pan, tamper with cinnamon sticks and cloves, add curry leaves, and then add ginger garlic paste, 2 spoons each. Then add onions, finely chopped. Sauté them well. Once the onions turns brown in color, add the mushrooms to it, then add red chili powder, turmeric and salt. Once the mixture is cooked well, then add a cup of coconut milk and let it mix thoroughly. Once the oil on the side oozes out. Turn off the stove. Sprinkle coriander at the end and serve.

It goes well with Chapatti or Rice. 

Thakkaali (Tomato) Pachadi

1/2 cup thoor dhal half cooked

3 Ripe Tomatoes chopped

3 green chilies slit

1/4 onion chopped

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp urud dhal

Few curry leaves

Little coriander leaves chopped

1 pinch asafetida

1 pinch turmeric powder

1/2 tbsp sambar powder

In a pan, put 2 tbsp oil and tamper mustard seeds and urud dhal, after that add curry leaves. Then add onions and green chilies. Once onions are slightly brown, add tomatoes. Put some salt, turmeric powder and sambar powder. Let the tomatoes cook well and the raw smell of the powder goes away. By the side, half cook 1/2 cup of thoor dhal in a pressure cooker, it should not be a paste. You should be able to see the thoor dhal itself but cooked. Once the tomatoes are cooked well, add asafetida and this dhal to it. Simmer it for 5 mins and then garnish with coriander leaves.

Add this to plain white rice with ghee and a potato fry on the side.

Almond Chutney

For Grinding

One hand full of Almond soaked in water for 5 to 10 mins

2 or 3 green chilies

One spoon of Roasted gram (Pottu Kadalai)

Small piece of tamarind

1 Garlic Clove

1 inch ginger

Pinch Asafetida

For Tampering

1 tsp. Mustard Seeds

1 tsp. Urad dal

1 Red Chilly

Curry leaves

Grind all the ingredients in the 'For Grinding' section together. Then tamper all the tampering ingredients in a little oil and add it to the grinded mixture with salt as needed. Yummy almond Chutney is ready.

This Badam/Almond chutney is as yummy as the regular authentic Coconut chutney. Moreover this has less cholestrol when compared to the coconut chutney.

Aval Upma

3 cups of Thick Poha/ Aval

3 green chilies

1 red chili

1/2 onion cut

Little coriander

Little curry leaves

Mustard, urud dhal and Bengal gram for tampering

Little bit of lime juice

Pinch of turmeric

Salt to taste

Soak the poha in water for 2 minutes or just wash the poha in water. Then transfer it to the colander to drain the water away. Just give a little press to the poha, to drain of the excess water in it. Don’t squeeze it, as it will become mushy. Then transfer it to another dry bowl. So that they are separated out. In a pan, pour a little oil and add the tampering stuffs and then add curry leaves, red chilies and green chilies one after another and add onion sauté well then add pinch of turmeric. Now add the poha to it and mix it thoroughly. Add the lime juice, coriander and salt to it at the end. Switch the gas off. Quick and easy poha upma is ready.

Enjoy it with Almond Chutney.

Guacamole spread

3 avocados mashed with hand

2 green chilies finely chopped

Little coriander finely chopped

Little onion finely chopped

Little tomato finely chopped

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 lemon made into juice

Salt to taste

Mix everything together and keep the seed of the Avocado in the final Guacamole, to avoid turning brown.

Pesto spread

One bunch of basil leaves/coriander leaves

One hand full of walnuts or skin peeled almonds

One lemon (squeezed to juice)

One garlic clove (if you use basil leaves)

Little bit of ginger (if you use coriander leaves)

Salt to taste

Blend all the above in the blender and without adding water. Instead add olive oil to grind. And take the paste and put in the refrigerator and spread on your favorite bread. Yummy breakfast is ready in minutes...