Guacamole

Ingredients:

2 Avocados
1/2 lime, juiced
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 Jalapeno pepper finely chopped (adjust to spice level)
1/2 cup onion pieces
1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
salt to taste

Preparation:  

In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, pepper and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.

Pineapple upside down Cake

Ingredients: 

7 slices canned unsweetened pineapple (20-ounce can)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
7 maraschino cherries or red toothy fruity 3 tbsp
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
6 tablespoons buttermilk

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Have ready a 9x2-inch round cake pan. Drain pineapple and place in one layer on paper towels to absorb the excess juice.
2. Place the 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in the cake pan. Place the pan in the oven until the butter is melted. Tilt to coat all sides with butter.  Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bottom of the pan.
3. Place one pineapple ring in the center of the pan and arrange six more around it. Place the cherries or red toothy fruity pieces in the center of each ring.
4. In a bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar to that add eggs, 6 tablespoons of buttermilk and vanilla extract.
5. Take another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
6. Now add the flour mixture to butter and sugar mixture mix well and add it on the top of the fruit in the baking pan and spread evenly.
7. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and tilt the pan in all directions to detach it from the sides of the pan. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before unmolding.
8. Invert a serving platter on top of the pan and turn the cake onto the platter. Serve warm or cool.

Tip: If you don't have buttermilk take 2 tbsp of yogurt and add 4 tbsp water mix well and use as buttermilk.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients :

White mushrooms/ brown mushrooms  16 ounce (around 30 medium size mushrooms)
cream cheese 1 cup/ 6 0unce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3-4  scallions chopped
3-4  garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp parsley fresh/1/4 tsp dried (optional)
1/2 tsp thyme fresh/1/4 tsp dried (optional)
salt

Preparation :

1. Leave the cream cheese at room temperature until it is soft.
2. Remove the stems of the mushrooms and chop them along with garlic and scallions.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan and add chopped garlic, mushroom stems and scallions, pepper powder and salt and fry for 2 min.
4. Take a bowl and add cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs,  fried mushroom and scallion mixture, chopped parsley and thyme and mix well.
5. Stuff the mushrooms with cheese mixture and bake them in 350 F oven for 20 minutes
6. Serve hot as appetizer.


Tip: If you are using seasoned bread crumbs you can skip parsley and thyme.
       cheese has lot of salt so careful when adding salt

Cauliflower Egg Fry

Ingredients:

Cauliflower  1 ( cut to small pieces)
Onion 1 big Diced
Green chillies 2
Oil 3 Tbsp
Garlic 4 pods crushed
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
cumin seeds 1 tsp
curry leaves 2 strings
turmeric 1/2 tsp
chilli powder
salt
eggs 2

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in the pan and add crushed garlic pods, mustard, cumin, and curry leaves and fry for 1 min until the mustard seeds splutter.
2. To that add chopped onions and green chillies and fry till the onions turn transparent.
3. Then add chopped cauliflower, turmeric and salt and mix well and close with lid and cook on medium heat for 10 min. stir in between.
4. Then add chilli powder according to spice level mix well and cook for 2 min.
5. Add the eggs to the cooked cauliflower mixture mix well and cook for 2 more minutes.
6. Check the seasonings and serve hot with rice or roti.
7. You can skip on eggs if you don't want to add them.

Ridge gourd peel chutney/ Beerakaya tokku pachadi

Ingredients:

skin of 3 large ridge gourds (about 2 cups)
7-8 green chillis
2 cups chopped tomato pieces
4 garlic pods
1cup chopped coriander
3 inch piece of tamarind2 tsps oil
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp jeera seeds
salt as per taste

For seasoning/poppu/tadka:
1/2 tsp mustard and jeera seeds each
1-2 dry red chillis
big pinch asafoetida/inguva/hing
few fresh curry leaves
1 tbsp oil

Preparation:

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in pan add the green chillis and saute for a 1 min. Add the ridge gourd peels (chop them into small pieces) and fry on medium heat for 4-5 mts.
2. Add the tamarind, tomatoes, garlic, jeera, turmeric, salt and fry till the water from tomatoes evaporates.
3. Then add coriander leaves and  fry for 1 min. let it cool and grind it to coarse chutney, adjust the salt and spice.
4.  Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan, add mustard, jeera seeds and let them pop, add curry leaves and dry red chillis followed by asafoetida and stir fry for a few seconds.
5.  Mix the seasoning to the ground chutney and serve with hot rice or dosa.

Ridge gourd milk curry/ Beerakaya palu koora

Ingredients:

 Ridge gourd / beerakaya  3 (peel the skin and chop)

Onions 1 chopped

1 tsp each mustard, cumin seeds and urad dal

Curry leaves few

2 green chillies 

4 garlic flakes (mashed)

Milk 3/4 cup

1/4 tea spoon turmeric powder

1 tsp salt (as per taste)

1 tsp chilli powder

2 tbsp oil

                             

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a pan.  Add mustard, cumin and urad dal.  When mustard starts spluttering and urad dal changes color add onions, green chillies, curry leaves and garlic flakes. 

2.  Fry until the onions become transparent. Add chopped ridge gourd salt and turmeric stir and close with lid and let it cook on medium flame for 8-10 min.

3. Stir the curry in between, once the ridge gourd pieces get transparent and all the water gets evaporated add chilli power and cook it for 2 minutes.

4. Add milk to the curry and cook it till the curry thickens for 2-3 min

5. Serve hot with roti or rice.

                  

Karela Fry (Kakarakaya vepudu)

Ingredients:

Bitter gourd - 6 nos(medium sized)

channa daal - 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - a few leaves

Dried red chillies - 4 nos 

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Garlic clove - 6

Raw coconut pieces/grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Salt and chilli powder - according to taste
oil - for deep frying


Preparation:

1. Slice the bitter gourd into thin round circles. Add salt and turmeric powder to the bitter gourd and let it sit for 15-30 minutes. Squeeze and remove the juice from the bitter gourd.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add bitter gourd pieces to the pan and deep fry them until they turn little brown.

3.  Grind coconut, garlic cloves and 1 tsp chilli powder to fine powder.

4. Take another pan and add 2 tbsp oil and add channa daal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, broken dry red chillies, and curry leaves and fry them for a minute.

5. To that add the powder of coconut, garlic and chilli powder and fry for 3-4 minutes on low until the raw smell of the garlic is gone.

6. Finally add the fried bitter gourd pieces and mix well and check the salt and chillie powder according to your taste. Fry for 3-5 minutes and serve hot with rice