Healthy French Fries

SERVES: 4

PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 45 MINUTES

ingredients

2		medium russet potatoes (about 1 pound)
4		teaspoons peanut or canola oil
1⁄4		teaspoon kosher or sea salt
		Pinch of sugar

instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut potatoes lengthwise into roughly 3∕8-inch-thick slices. Stack slices and cut lengthwise again into sticks to make French fries. Fill a large bowl with very hot tap water, add potatoes, and leave to soak for 15 minutes.Gently lift potatoes from water and lay on paper towels; dry thoroughly. Rinse and dry bowl. Add potatoes and oil to bowl; toss well to combine.
Arrange potatoes in a single layer over two heavy, rimmed baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes, toss fries, switch position of pans, and bake for 10 minutes more or until potatoes are cooked through and golden. Mix salt and sugar in a small dish. Combine potatoes on a single pan, sprinkle with the salt/sugar, toss, and serve.

nutrition score per serving

(14 French fries): 128 calories

5g fat

1g saturated fat

20g carbs

2g protein

2g fiber

14mg calcium

1mg iron

77mg sodium

Jalebis

Ingredients:

2 cups All purpose flour (maida)
11/2 tbsp fine grained semolina or rice flour
1/4th tsp baking powder
2 tbsp curd (plain yogurt)
11/4th cups warm water
1/2 tsp saffron threads, slowly dry-roasted and powdered
3 cups sugar
22/3rd cups water
1/2 tsp green cardamom seeds powder
11/2 tbsp kewra water or rose water
Ghee or vegetable oil for frying

How to make jalebi:

•  Mix the flour, semolina or rice flour, baking powder, curd and 3/4th cup of the water in a bowl (preferably a ceramic bowl). Mix well with a whisk.
• Mix well and then add remaining water and 1/8th tsp. of saffron powder, and whisk until smooth.
• Set aside for about 2 hours to ferment.
• Whisk thoroughly before use.
• Prepare one string syrup by dissolving sugar in the water. Just before the syrup is ready add saffron and cardamom powder.
• Heat oil in a kadhai. Pour the batter in a steady stream ( or coconut shell with a hole) into the kadhai to form coils. Make a few at a time.
• Deep fry them until they are golden and crisp all over but not brown.
• Remove from the kadhai and drain on kitchen paper and immerse in the syrup.
• Leave for at least 4-5 minutes so that they soak the syrup.
• Take the jalebi out of syrup and serve hot.

Healthy Bread Pizza

Ingredients

8 bread slices, lightly buttered

1 cup grated mozzrella cheese
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves, (optional)

For the tomato sauce 

4 large sized tomatoes 
2 bayleaves (tejpatta)
4 to 6 black peppercorns (kalimirch)
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tsp garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree (optional)
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp olive oil or oil
salt to taste

Method

For the tomato sauce

1. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water.
2. Peel, cut into quarters and deseed the tomatoes.
3. Chop finely and keep the tomato pulp aside.
4. Heat the olive oil, add the bay leaves and pepper and sauté for a few seconds.
5. Add the onions, garlic and capsicum and sauté for a few minutes.
6. Add the tomato pulp and allow it to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce reduces a little.
7. Add the tomato purée, ketchup, sugar and salt and simmer for some more time.
8. Finally, add the dried oregano and mix well. Remove the capsicum, bay leaves and pepper and discard. Keep aside.

How to proceed

1. Toast the bread slices in a pre-heated oven at 175°C (350°F) till they are golden brown and crisp.
2. Spread some tomato sauce over each slice.
3. Sprinkle grated cheese on top and then the basil leaves.
4. Grill in an oven at 175°C (350°F) till the cheese melts.
5. Serve immediately.

Andhra Navratn pulao

Andhra Pradesh is very famous for its various kinds of rice! Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg Rice • 50 gm Peas • 60 gm Carrots (chopped) • 25 gm Cashew nuts (chopped) • 50 gm Paneer(cut into cubes) • 20 gm Raisins • 150 gm Curd • 10 gm Garam Masala • 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder • 75g Ghee or butter • 1 Lemon • 1 Small bunch mint leaves • 15 gm Green chilies (chopped) • 75 gm Onions (sliced) • 1 tsp Chili powder • A few Coriander Leaves • 25g Ginger-garlic paste • Salt to taste • Water to coo

How to make Navratan Pulao:

• Wash and soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. • Meanwhile heat oil in a pan and add the paneer pieces and carrots. • Fry the mixture for a few minutes. • Take another pan with ghee and fry onions till they become golden brown. • Now mix vegetables, green chilies, mint leaves, ginger-garlic paste, paneer and dry fruits. • Fry it for 5 to 6 minutes. • Add chili powder, curd, garam masala, turmeric and salt. Again fry it and then remove from the flame and leave aside. • Take boiling water in a separate vessel and add washed rice to it. • Cook until the rice gets half cooked. • Now mix the prepared curry to the half cooked rice and mix well. Cook the mixture on steam until the rice is well done. • Squeeze the lemon juice on dish. • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Choco Lava Cake ♥

Ingredients
(makes three 6-oz ramekin cakes)
- 100g dark chocolate (example, Cadbury Old Gold 70% cocoa), cut to small cubes
- 100g unsalted butter, cut to small cubes
- 2 eggs
- 50g caster sugar
- 20g self-raising flour

To decorate (optional)

- icing sugar and small sieve
- berries
- vanilla ice cream

Additional tools needed
- spatula
- electric whisk (hand-held)
- oven safe ramekins (6-8 oz)

Directions
1. Melt dark chocolate and butter using either the microwave (see cooking note 3), a hot water bath or a double boiler (note: do not use direct stove heat or the ingredients will burn).
2. In a large bowl, use an electric whisk (you can whisk by hand too but it’s more tedious) to beat the eggs and sugar till the mixture turns pale and frothy. This will take a few minutes.
3. Pour melted chocolate/butter you prepared in step 1, into the egg mixture prepared in step 2. Stir in the flour. Use a spatula to mix everything evenly.
4. Grease your ramekins with some melted butter (so that the cake will come off cleanly when it is baked). Fill the ramekin almost 3/4 full with the chocolate mixture and bake in a preheated oven of 180C (356F) for about 10 minutes. Mine took exactly 11 minutes. The cake is deliberately slightly undercooked so as to achieve its ideal consistency which is runny in the middle (hence the name fondant/molten/chocolate lava) but if you over-bake it, you will get a super moist chocolate cake which is yummy too.
5. When it is baked, remove ramekin from oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes. Use a spoon to gently loosen the edges. Carefully invert the cake onto serving plate.
6. Serving suggestion: Use a sieve to dust icing sugar over the cake. Serve a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some berries at the side.