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Carrot zucchini cupcakes

Carrot zucchini cupcakes

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly

2 eggs

1 cup shredded carrot (1 large)

1 cup shredded zucchini (1 small)

1/3 cup milk

Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl whisk the sugar, butter and eggs separately. Add the shredded carrot and zucchini to the egg mixture with a spatula and beat until it is mixed. Stir in the flour mixture and milk alternately in three additions beating until smooth.

Scoop the batter into a prepared muffin pan and bake in a 350F oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and tops of the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a rack.

For a variation we can add 1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut to the batter.

This recipe is from the book 150 Best cupcake recipes by Julie Hasson. Cupcake fans will really like this book. There are lots of recipes to choose from depending on our preference and mood. The content of the book is separated into introduction, chocolate, fruit, nuts, adults only, kids, with spices, new twist, vegan and frostings. The sources and the index are very helpful.

The author explains the basic tips and techniques on how we can decorate, the tools and equipment, types of ingredients and the differences between different chocolate, coffee, diary etc. This is good for people who are learning to decorate and novice bakers; it may also refresh the knowledge of advanced bakers.

The recipe is excerpted from 150 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson © 2012 Robert Rose Inc.www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. All rights reserved on photographs and opinion of the written content Torviewtoronto © 2012 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Vanilla ice cream without eggs

2 cups whipping cream

1 cup milk

3/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1 vanilla bean

In a saucepan heat 1 cup cream, sugar and salt. Put both the vanilla seeds and pods in the pan. Stir the mixture over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add the rest of the cream and milk. Mix well.

Chill this mixture in the fridge for several hours or overnight until it is completely cold. Take the vanilla bean pod out before churning. Process the mixture in the ice cream machine for about 25 minutes. Put the ice cream in an airtight container and let it firm by freezing it for several hours.

This recipe is adapted from here.

This recipe goes to show me your dessert.

Cauliflower fritters

cauliflower cut into 1" flowerets

boiling water

1/4 tsp salt

Leave the cauliflower in salted boiling water for 5 minutes before putting in the batter and frying.

batter

1 cup chickpeas or began flour sifted

3/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp ground pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper optional

Put the flour in a bowl and gradually mix the water until it becomes a thick batter that will coat the vegetables. It may not be necessary to add all the water. Add all the other ingredients to the batter and mix well.

oil to fry 1 to 2" high

Heat oil in a medium high heat. When the oil is hot dip the cauliflower in the batter and fry until the all sides are golden brown. When the cauliflower is dropped into the oil it should rise to the top and not stick to the bottom, put a few cauliflower flowerets at a time without crowding the pan. If the oil is too hot it will brown too fast, if this happens reduce the heat.

Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel. Serve the fritters hot on its own or with sauce.

I made this cauliflower fritters or pakora recipe by adapting the batter ingredients of the Vegetable pakoris from Madhur Jaffrey's 1st published book, An Invitation to Indian Cooking. This book was published in 1973. It has easy to make dishes and interesting stories about how the author first started to cook and share recipes that led her to write this book. The beginning of the book has samples menus and details about spices. Although, there are no pictures in the book it has lots of flavourful recipes. The author explains about the methods, spices and cooking procedures in detail as it is written for people who are not familiar with Indian cuisine.

Pickled green chillie

green chillie *
1/2 cup vinegar

1 cup water

2 tbsp sugar (can add more to taste)
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste up to 1/2 tbsp)

*enough to pack the jar about 30 to 40 (1/2 lb).
Wash the green chillie and pack into a clean jar.
Heat vinegar, water, sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and put the liquid into the packed clean jar of chillie.
When it is cool, seal and leave in a cool place or fridge.

It stays well for more than 6 months in a tightly closed container. It doesn't have to be refrigerated, but if you want you can.

Although, the pickled chillie can be eaten by the next day it tastes better over time as the chillie will become less spicy. Use a clean utensil to take the pickled chillie. It is delicious to serve with rice, flatbread and shawarma.

Sweet snack (murukku)

For the dough

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp margarine

water to knead

Knead everything to form a smooth soft firm dough. Let the dough rest for about 1/2 hour or more. Dust flour lightly on the board and roll it thin, as much as you can :)

Then score with a sharp knife horizontally, then diagonally to make individual diamond shapes. Remove the cut pieces and leave it ready to fry in a lightly flour dusted tray, so it is easy when frying.

oil to fry about 2" high

Heat the oil in medium high heat. The oil is ready when the the dough rises quickly to the top and puffs. If it is getting dark too fast reduce the heat and fry. Fry the diamond pieces until it become golden brown, it shouldn't not get dark.

Turn the other side so all sides get evenly golden brown.

Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain it in a platter with paper towels for it to cool.

For the syrup

3 tbsp sugar

4-5 tbsp water

1/4 tsp saffron thread

1/4 tsp cardamom ground optional

Combine everything in a big pan and bring to a boil. When the syrup thickens; one string consistency, remove from heat and add the cooled fried snack to the hot syrup.

Toss the pan to make sure all the pieces are coated; try not to break the murukku if you are using a utensil to toss. This step has to be done fast :) It will become sticky.

Let the sugar coated murukku cool before storing in an air-tight container. This will last for more than a week or more, I haven't got a chance to keep it for too long because everyone in our home likes to snack on this murukku.

Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating :)

Calligraphy card I made

Caramelized carrots

6 carrots peeled and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp sweet paprika *
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp vinegar **
salt to taste
1 tbsp minced parsley for garnish

* I used 1/2 tsp chillie powder
** I used apple cider vinegar

Combine everything except the vinegar, parsley and salt.
Cover and cook the combined ingredients over medium low heat for about about 12 to 15 minutes until carrots are lightly caramelized. Add the vinegar cook for a minute then remove from heat. Add salt, parsley and serve.
This recipe is from the book Cooking at the Kasbah.

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2012 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Salmon burgers, TurboCharged and Julia Child book giveaways

Salmon burgers recipe from the book TurboCharged recipes.

2 salmon fillets skinned and chopped (1 1/2 lbs) I used 1 lb

2 tbsp chopped red onion

1 egg

2 tsp grated lemon rind

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp pepper

I added 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped and 1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

Combine everything except oil. The book suggests to form 4" patties, however I made 10 mini patties as I served it with small buns. Chill the formed patties for about 2 hours or more.

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Cook patties until it is cooked through. The book suggests 3 minutes per side, however I cooked for a little bit more. Serve with buns with the topping you prefer.

This book TurboCharged recipes has lots of useful information and recipes. There aren't any pictures so it doesn't look attractive to open and start reading :)

Most recipes use only a few ingredients. All the recipes in the book are easy to follow and understand, as the instructions are simple. We have to figure out about certain methods and change the cooking time to our preference.

The beginning of the book talks about healthy eating, answers a lot of questions we all have i.e. should we go organic, getting kids to east healthy etc... The book goes into brief detail about benefits of different vegetable, herbs and spices.

I liked suggestions on how to use a variety of herbs, which is good if we are looking to add new flavour into our daily food i.e. quick fried single sage leaves adds a delicious flavour to cheese.

The book is separated into sections such as i.e. beverages, dips and dressings, appetizers, soups stews salads, vegetarian, eggs, fish, meats, pulpy and desserts. This makes it is easy for us to find something we want to make quickly.

Some tips from the book...

If the eggs aren't organic we should skip them. Organic eggs have 1:1 ratio of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. Commercial eggs have 19 times more omega 6 than omega 3, which is unhealthy.
The book gives a list of produce that we don't have to worry if it is organic or not.
It is important for us to read food labels. Did you know if the ingredients are listed as one of the first ingredients then that is the main one?
The book has a list of other names that sugar is presented on labels that we maybe unaware of i.e. agave, brown rice syrup, cane syrup, cornstarch, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, lactose, sorghum, rock sugar, pulled sugar, treacle etc.
The book lists the terms in the ingredient list that signals the presence of MSG under names such as autolyzed yeast, calcium caseinate, gelatine, glumate, glutamic acid, hydrolyzed corn gluten, mono potassium glumate, sodium caseinate, textured protein, hydrolyzed protein (wheat/soy/vegetable protein)
Store bought dressings have lots of additives.
It is better to keep separate cutting boards. We can keep our cutting boards sanitized by washing with 1 tsp chlorine bleach mixed with 1 quart of water. Dip and dry.
To quickly bake potatoes boil first for about 10 to 15 minutes then bake or grill.
Steam cook with minimal oil and water.

Check out more about health on their site. This book is available online and amazon.

Giveaway: If you would like to win this book please leave a comment on this post. The giveaway ends on August 25th open to people in Canada and US.
Update: The winner is Sanoli

Many of you may know about the JC100 event that started in May where bloggers participated by making specially chosen recipes from Julia Child. I participated in the 2nd week of the event by making chocolate mousse.

Giveaway: To celebrate the 100th birthday of Julia Child on August 15, 2012 I am hosting a giveaway for someone in Toronto (due to postage) to win a copy of this Dearie: The remarkable life of Julia Child a biography by Bob Spitz. Please leave a comment on this post or email me before August 25th if you would like to win this book.
Update: The winners are Asiya and Cheryl

Millet flour steamed meal (puttu/ pittu)

1 cup millet flour

1/4 cup coconut grated

2 to 3 tbsp water

1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt to taste

Dry roast the ground millet flour. Add the grated coconut, salt and sprinkle water 1 tbsp or less at a time. Using the finger, crumble the mixture.

Don't use a lot of water, the mixture should be a crumble it should not be too wet or sticky.

Heat a pan that can attach a steamer with 1 cup of boiling water. When the water is boiling and the steamer becomes hot, put the mixture over the steamer and steam for 2 to 3 minutes.

Don't steam for a long time as the pittu will harden.

Serve this pittu or puttu with curry, sambal or jaggery.

This quantity will serve 1 to 2 people.

A reminder :) I am guest hosting Jagruti's Know your flours: Millet flour event from July 10th to August 9th; hope you can link your entries on the post. Check out the delicious entries that are already linked.

This goes to cooking with seeds rye and millet and SIC series event #1.

Bitter melon curry

soak
1 1/2 cups (2 to 3) bitter melon sliced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
hot water

grind

1/2 tbsp coriander seeds

1 to 2 dried red chillie ground to taste

1 tbsp coconut grated

1 tbsp coconut or olive oil
1 tbsp onion
1/2 tbsp curry leaves
1/2 tsp garlic chopped
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt to taste
1/2 tbsp tamarind pulp
1/4 cup water

Let the sliced bitter melon soak in the hot water with the lemon juice and salt for about 20 minutes. Then squeeze the bitter melon and throw out the water. I usually put only salt to remove the bitterness, but this time I added lemon juice as well which helped.

Grind the coriander seeds, red chillie and coconut together and keep it aside.
Heat oil in medium heat, and sauté the onion, curry leaves, ginger and garlic. Add the turmeric and bitter melon without the water; sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ground spices and cook covered in low heat until the bitter melon is cooked.
Extract the tamarind pulp with 1/4 cup water and add to the bitter melon. Mix and let it cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the flavours have incorporated. Remove from heat and serve as a side dish.

First time planting a Bitter melon plant in our backyard.
This picture is after a few weeks of planting it.

This bitter melon image goes to black and white wednesday hosted at Divine food and art.

The recipe goes to Gayathri's Walk through the memory lane event and MLLA #50. I am also sending this to the 30 minutes meal mela as I served it with plain white rice and other curries.

Kellogg's Krave cereal, granola and crisps

I tested the products below from Kellogg's Canada. Chocolate lovers will enjoy the Kellogg's Krave, which is made with 8 whole grains and source of fibre. Krave is available in chocolate and double chocolate flavours. It makes a delicious breakfast or snack that children will easily like. It tastes better with milk. I like to mix it with some cornflakes :) as I am not a big fan of a chocolate breakfast.

Special K low fat granola cereal is made with crunchy whole grain oats and a touch of honey. The box states that the cereal has 50% less fat. It is made with high source of fibre and protein. It tastes better when we add yogurt and fruit or have it with milk. I would prefer to mix it with other cereal or fruit/nuts instead of having it on its own. It would be better if the cereal only has honey as a sweetener instead of including other sweeteners such as cane juice, molasses, sugar and corn syrup.
This cereal kit is cool and useful to have breakfast on the go. It keeps the milk cold and cereal fresh. The milk cup has a non-toxic freezer gel so freeze it before pouring the milk. Hand wash the container and don't put it in the microwave.

Our sweet cravings can be indulged with the Special K Crisps anytime of the day. The crisps are available in chocolate and cinnamon brown sugar flavours. Each pack has 2 crisps, perfect for a snack on the go or to enjoy anytime. It is crispy on the outside and has a filling on the inside. The crisps have a chocolate or vanilla drizzle on top.

Fun facts about Kellogg's
W.K. Kellogg found the company in 1906 as the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company. His signature has always been the brand logo.
Tony the Tiger was introduced in 1951.
Eggo waffles (part of Kellogg's brands) celebrated their 75th birthday.
Kellogg's products are manufactured in 18 countries and sold in more than 180 countries.

Pages

Carrot zucchini cupcakes

Vanilla ice cream without eggs

Cauliflower fritters

Pickled green chillie

Sweet snack (murukku)

Caramelized carrots

Salmon burgers, TurboCharged and Julia Child book giveaways

Millet flour steamed meal (puttu/ pittu)

Bitter melon curry

Kellogg's Krave cereal, granola and crisps

Giveaway and My other site