Twists & Treats

NUTRITIOUS LUNCH (SALAD TOPPED WITH WALNUTS, QUINOA & MIX DAL)

I recently replaced brown rice with quinoa to go along with lentils.. All I do is in a teaspoon of olive oil I add cumin seeds & black pepper to enhance its flavour & my brain thinks it’s jeera rice 🤩..

Do let me know if you do the same to replace rice with quinoa with dal, rajma curry or any other lentils..

Avocado pomegranate rye toast with beetroot carrot soup

I just love the combination of avocado & crisp sourdough bread, this time it is Rye sourdough bread well toasted.. goes very well with any soup..

ROSEMARY WHOLEMEAL FOCACCIA

I’ve been wanting to try my hand on wholewheat focaccia bread for some time, so here I am with it.. I’m excited to share my static pics from dough proofing to baked focaccia. As usual I added some olives, jalapeños, feta & sundried tomato while kneading the dough to give a burst of flavour in every bite.



@ London, United Kingdom

Nutella Swirls

These pastry treats are a great anytime snacks, my variation is Nutella this time.. They are so quick to make and taste delicious. All I needed was some melted Nutella & a sheet of thawed puff pastry.. you can use your creative ideas of shaping these pastries..

Hope you like them..

@ London, United Kingdom

PAU BHAJI

From Juhu Beach, Mumbai to formal restaurants India or Abroad Pau bhaji has always been part of any menu.. this wholesome meal is just perfect for lunch or anytime snack.. in the frame is bhaji served with homemade Pau.. mildly spiced topped with some butter..

❤️ @ London, United Kingdom

GAJJAR KA HALWA
Gajjar ka Halwa is a quintessential Punjabi dessert and a true winter comfort food as this Indian pudding screams love, care, tradition and of course calories 🤩.
I have my childhood memories of this dessert simmering in our home kitchen with delicious aromas of carrots, ghee and green cardamom wafting through the house. This famous carrot pudding is a must on wedding menus too especially in north India as Carrots peak in the winter season in Northern India. I am glad While staying in London for many years we don’t miss on getting Indian red carrots in our Indian grocery stores in winter. So this year this is my first batch of red carrot Halwa in the frame. My recipe is very quick & has few basic. In a pressure cooker I added grated carrots, milk & sugar. At high flame after 1 whistle switched off the flame, carrots had wilted by then to half , I add cardamom powder & let it cook on medium flame till the water evaporated, added fresh Khoya (store bought fresh khoya) let it cook for another 10 minutes on medium flame. In a pan heat desi ghee & fry nuts.. decorate & serve..

I am contributing this recipe to collab hosted by .nimrata

@ London, United Kingdom

GULAB JAMUN
Happy Diwali 🪔 everyone
No one says no to Gulab jamun especially when it’s Diwali.. these enjoyed by everyone in my family so I made them with actual Milk khoya not milk powder.. these melt in mouth gulab jamun recipe can be found on my Insta feed already.

@ London, United Kingdom

DIWALI TEA TIME SNACKS

WISH YOU ALL A SAFE & PROSPEROUS DIWALI..

After a long time I thought of making some variety of tea time snacks & it had to be MATHRI..
I had some left over rice flour too so made some curry leaf chekkallu.
This is my kick start to Diwali cooking..
In the frame I have
TIKONI MATHI
METHI MATHRI
CHEKKALLU
DRY FRUIT KACHORI
I have used 50:50 APF & wholewheat flour to make mathri & as usual they came out super crispy..

Hope you like it..
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TEX-MEX INSPIRED LUNCH
SPICY ENCHILADAS
COOL GAUCOMOLE
MUSHROOM EMPANADAS

@ London, United Kingdom

GRAIN FREE CRACKERS
I have been experimenting many grain free crackers earlier, every time I make a batch it vanishes in hours in my house. Do u like munching on guilt free snacks? If yes then this one is for you.

This time I experimented with GROUND SUNFLOWER SEEDS, GROUND FLAXSEEDS, SESEME SEEDS & FINE ALMOND FLOUR I also added some spices & nutritional yeast too..

Just mix all these dry ingredients & add warm water to make semi soft dough. In between 2 parchment paper roll it out evenly & cut to desired shapes & bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 1 hour or until crispy..

Hope you like it.
@ London, United Kingdom

HAPPY NAVRAATRI
First of all HAPPY NAVRATRI TO EVERYONE OUT THERE.. it’s been very long I have not been active on Instagram due to some family priorities & emergency..
Thankyou everyone for your wishes for my family 🙏
I missed Insta & now I am back again with my Navratri Thali in the frame.

Thali has RAJGIRA AMARANTH SAGO UTTAPAM, TOMATO POTATO CURRY , PEANUT CHUTNEY, HOMEMADE CURD & SOME FRUITS.

Hope you like..
follow for more upcoming posts.. .

Please pray for my family 🙏.

AVOCADO CACAO FUDGE
Who doesn’t adore fudge whether it’s a chocolate, salted caramel or plain white chocolate fudge.. I am sure each one of us love it.. during the lockdown period I tried many avocado recipes & one of them was avocado cacao fudge so I thought of sharing it with you all.. it’s super easy yet super delicious if you are a fan of avocados 🥑 as I am..

All you need is 2-3 riped avocados, 1 heaped tbsp Cacao powder, 1/3 cup warm almond milk & 2 tbsp maple syrup to give that caramel flavour. First bloom cacao powder in warm almond milk & in a food processor dump in everything & blend till combined add a pink of salt as well.. In a square brownie tin pour in the fudge mixture decorate with walnuts & freeze till completely set.. cut into squares & enjoy.. just keep them freezed in a zip lock bag.
This fudge is completely vegan at the same time super healthy guilt free as I haven’t used any refined sugar or butter.. if you want you can add coconut oil for extra fudgy texture.

I am contributing this recipe to hosted by sponsored by

I nominate .fascination_ to participate in this lovely contest

AQUAFABA GLUTEN FREE PAVLOVAS
In the frame I present to you my AQUAFABA GLUTEN FREE PAVLOVAS, these are completely vegan.
I recently discovered a miracle ingredient I.e chickpeas viscous water (AQUAFABA) to achieve egg white like consistency. I got amazed with the effects..
The recipe is quite straightforward I replaced all purpose flour with fine almond flour.

I am contributing this recipe to contest hosted by sponsored by

I nominate

@ London, United Kingdom

EDAMAME ASPARAGUS CREAMY SOUP TOPPED WITH CRISPY TOFU
Edamame are immature soy beans in a pod. They have Beautiful green colour with creamy texture. Both edamame & asparagus are green in colour with very high antioxidants level in them. So I decided to make a fusion soup that is completely vegan.

Recipe
1/2 cup edamame beans
1/2 cup cut asparagus
1 cup Soy milk
1 cup water
2 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger
Lemon juice
Salt, pepper to taste
Crispy baked tofu for garnish

In a saucepan put water to boil, add garlic, ginger, edamame beans to boil, add soy milk & simmer, add asparagus, salt , pepper let it cook for 5 minutes. Cool the mixture, blend it well add lemon juice, sesame oil & crispy tofu.. it’s a no oil soup recipe thus very nutritious for anyone.

Hope you like it.

I am contributing this recipe to contest hosted by sponsored by

I nominate .fascination_ to participate.

H**P SEEDS & SPINACH CRACKERS TOPPED WITH SUNFLOWER SEEDS PATE
In the frame I present to you my SPINACH & h**p seeds crunchy crackers along with completely vegan oil free sunflower seeds Pate. Both crackers & Pate are easy to make with a little bit of preparation in advance. THESE BITE SIZED CRACKERS ARE COMPLETELY VEGAN & GLUTEN FREE. For the crackers all I did was combined finemilled flaxseeds first, made a purée of spinach leaves & combined it with flaxseeds, hulled h**p seeds , salt, pepper, garlic powder & some nutritional yeast for some cheesy flavour. I didn’t add any extra water as spinach did the job. Rested the dough for 10 minutes in fridge, on a parchment paper rolled the dough cut circles with a cookie cutter & baked them for 10 minutes on 180 degree preheated oven. For the sunflower seeds Pate I soaked the seeds overnight, in a blender combined soaked seeds, tahini, garlic, salt & pepper, blend everything well combined & creamy, I prefer to soak seeds overnight as they plum up. The entire combo is completely vegan & somehow oil free if you replace oil with water as I did.

This is my contribution to week 2 of contest hosted by sponsored by

I nominate to participate

@ London, United Kingdom

GLUTEN FREE RASPBERRY SQUARES
In the frame I present my gluten free berry squares, these are bursting with flavours without any guilt whatsoever. I have replaced all the refined stuff with whole grains & natural sweetener. The recipe is divided in 3 easy steps. The base of these bars consists of Roasted jowar flour with some coconut oil & finely ground flaxseeds , the filling is made with fresh raspberries purée without any added sugar, all I did was combine 2 cups of raspberries with 1 tbsp jaggery powder, & the top has crumble made with almond flour, rolled oats & coconut oil. All I add was layering & baked them in a tin for 20-25 minutes at 180 deg preheated oven.. I have experimented by adding jowar flour in these squares & to my surprise these came out to be super delicious.

Hope you like it.

This is my contribution to contest hosted by sponsored by

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RHUBARB JUICE
Rhubarb is said to be both fruit & Vegetable. The taste of rhubarb is quite sour thus one has to incorporate a lot of sugar to combat the sourness of the stem. I replaced refined sugar with Jaggery that’s why the colour of my Rhubarb juice is little dark. Otherwise with refined sugar the colour is light pink. Rhubarb juice contains high dose of important minerals like potassium, phosphorus, sodium, copper and zinc. It also contains good amount of Vitamin B-complex. Juice is very easy to make. You only need 3 ingredients Rhubarb cut into pieces, Jaggery & water . In a saucepan I took 1 ltr water, 1/2 cup rhubarb pieces & 1/4 cup Jaggery bring everything to a boil on high let the rhubarb cook for 10 minutes & blend the ingredients well, strain through a fine seive , I infused few mint leaves for some extra flavour too..

This is my another contribution to hosted by sponsored by

I nominate .fascination_

BRUSSELS SPROUTS SLIDERS

In the frame o present these ‘CUTE’ Little BRUSSELS SPROUTS SLIDERS filled with roasted red bell peppers, roasted cherry tomatoes & avocado dip with peanut butter dip..

These are bite sized sliders but hearty healthy & delicious of course guilt free.. I have only used smooth peanut butter dip to go along with these sliders..

INGREDIENTS
Brussels sprouts halves
Bell peppers diced
Cherry tomato halves
Salt, pepper & avocado oil to marinate..
Dip- smooth peanut butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper, chilli flakes, few drops of avocado oil..
First marinate the veggies for 15 minutes & airfry them as per your air fryer.. I assembled them on a toothpick. For dip mix everything until smooth..

This is my third contribution to hosted by sponsored by

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@ London, United Kingdom

GREEK YOGURT BUNDT CUPS
BLUEBERRY & PISTACHIOS, STRAWBERRY PEANUT BUTTER & PUMPKIN SEEDS & I included 1 extra one that’s my favourite GREEN TEA AVOCADO APRICOT GREEK YOGURT BUNDTS..
When the heat strikes, 🌞🔥 you gotta have something frozen and refreshing to cool you off, 💦💦 usually we jump on ice creams or ice lollies which have a ton of sugar or sweetener that aren’t great for our health, so I usually keep frozen Greek yogurt bars or banana based icecream in my freezer. This time I decided to give them a Bundt shape to make them look attractive.

The main ingredient is Greek yogurt I added few flavours to include other nutrients in these Greek yogurt Bundts. These flavours are my personal favourite you can make any flavour of your choice or just can have them plain with some fruits in Greek yogurt. The best part of these frozen treats is you can have them anytime as a quick snack.. keep them stored in a zip lock bag once frozen.. for sweetness you can add honey but I didn’t use any sweetener nor any honey as fruit has their natural sugar.

Do let me know in comments which one is your favourite flavour out of 3, would love to know.. 🤩

This is my humble contribution to contest hosted by sponsored by

I nominate

@ London, United Kingdom

OATLY MATCHA GREEN SMOOTHIE
My love for green smoothies have been there forever now.. can have it as my breakfast or as a light snack anytime..
Well you must be wondering how I got that bright green shade well that’s holy MATCHA magic.. ofcourse avocados 🥑 too.. this 1 glass of green smoothie has powerful antioxidants, minerals, dietary fibre, protein, calcium etc etc etc.. I am sure you got the point all those superfoods our body admires.. I bet you would gobble this glass of green smoothie in a jiff as it’s creamy & luscious..

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup Homemade Oats milk
1/2 avocado 🥑
1/2 green apple 🍏
Handful of spinach washed
1/4 frozen banana
1 tsp Matcha green tea powder
1 tsp maple syrup
Blend blend blend

Hope you like it

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CARROT NUTS & SEEDS SMOOTHIE

If you are a fan of CARROT CAKES then this one is for you. We all know how good are carrots for our eyes.. did you know carrots cleanse our systems by flushing out the toxins from our bodies. Why not start your day with this luscious carrot cake inspired smoothie.. I can truly have this smoothie every day it’s that good.. Easy Peasy too..
INGREDIENTS - 2 large smoothie mugs
3 large carrots
2 fresh Apricots
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups unsweetened Almond milk
2 tbsp coconut cream (optional)
2 tbsp roasted unsalted sunflower seeds
Chopped Pecans & walnuts
I didn’t add any sugar if you want you can add coconut sugar..

Blend all the ingredients except nuts

Hope you like it

This is my humble contribution to week1 of hosted by sponsored by

CHIA’ GARLIC PAPRIKA CRACKERS
We all know how good are Chia seeds for us. Chia seeds are “super” because, they provide the maximum amount of nutrients with minimum calories. Chia actually got its name from the Mayan word for “strength.” It was a staple in diets of Aztecs & Mayan before the Spanish Conquest.

In the frame are garlicky Chia seeds crackers with Rosemary yogurt dip. Recipe is very easy

RECIPE
Just soak 1/2 cup Chia seeds (add flavourings like garlic powder, onion powder & Paprika first) in 1 1/2 cups water for 3-4 hours. I didn’t add salt in crackers as I ate them with 2 dips which had Himalayan pink salt. You can add salt if you want.

On a baking tray lined with parchment spoon out the crackers spreading with your fingers. See my story I have shared few clips.
Bake them for 1 hour in a preheated oven at 300 F. Let them air dry. They will be crackling.

This is my humble contribution towards week 3 of hosted by sponsored by

I nominate .fascination_

@ London, United Kingdom

ALMOND & DARK CHOCOLATE LOAF CAKE
Nothing like a home baked cake & that too if it’s healthy, nutty & tasty.
In the frame I present Almond dark chocolate loaf cake. This is a experiment I did using almond & oats flour as the main flours in the cake. To my surprise it came out so soft & light. To give some volume to cake I used little extra baking powder & baking soda as it’s an eggless cake. I also bloomed dark chocolate first to intensify the chocolate flavour. Yogurt makes this cake extra soft. The cake had crumbly texture because of almond flour, Recipe is very straightforward.

Ingredients - dry ingredients
1/2 cup almond flour (fine milled)
1/4 cup fine oats flour (I made a fine powder of quick rolled oats)
1/3 cup All purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
Sift all dry ingredients first.
Wet ingredients
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup warm almond milk
1/2 cup dark chocolate chopped
1 tbsp white vinegar

First melt the dark chocolate in microwave for 30 seconds stirring occasionally. Add 1 tbsp milk & mix well, keep it on side. In a food processor add oil, sugar & yogurt blend them well till pale creamy mixture, add dry ingredients in 2 intervals mix well, add warm milk slowly to make a ribbon consistency batter at the end mix well white vinegar, divide the batter in 2 equal portions & mix dark chocolate in 1 portion. Pour in a loaf pan alternating both mixture, bake at 180 degrees for 40 minutes. I served it with mango glaze.

This is my humble contribution to week 4@3 hosted by

I nominate .noors.kitchen to participate.

@ London, United Kingdom

ASPARAGUS SHORBA, BROCCOLI LOLLIPOPS WITH LEMON AIOLI

It was a rainy evening & it had to be soup & something crispy to go with it. Usually it’s only me who go for vegan & healthy options in my house, to my surprise this time it was my family’s choice too when I mentioned asparagus soup, as whenever I make it everyone likes it. I consider asparagus & broccoli not only as superfoods but also medicines for our soul. They both come with ton of health benefits.

To reap more benefits of asparagus I don’t blanch it I straight away cook it in unsweetened almond milk. Almond & asparagus go very well together, this make the soup creamy, low calories yet very tasty with almondy taste.

For my broccoli kebabs I just processed broccoli florets in food processor, added some vegan cheese, Panko breadcrumbs, salt pepper & garlic, pressed them on toothpicks & airfried them for 5 minutes. I served these with my homemade lemon Aioli which is super easy to make. Just take vegan mayonnaise, lemon zest , lemon juice , salt , pepper & EVOO, mix them all very well & it’s ready

Asparagus soup
Heat 1 tsp walnut oil in a saucepan, add chopped garlic, onion & oregano, sauté for 5 minutes until onions become soft, add 1 cup water & 1 cup almond milk, let it come to a boil now add cut asparagus (remove the woody ends of asparagus) add salt & pepper to taste. Let it cool down & blend the mixture until smooth it won’t take long. It will be a light green colour liquid, super light. I prefer a shorba consistency. Quickly heat up the shorba again slightly & serve.

This is my another contribution to week 2 hosted by

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@ London, United Kingdom

SUNDRIED TOMATO SPINACH PINWHEELS

In my home everybody looks for some variety all the time. My idea is always to use my leftovers first to make something new especially for munching while watching a movie 😁 cuz that’s the time no one cares what has gone into the dish as long as it tastes good. This time it was some of my homemade paneer. I blended up the paneer with some fresh cream, garlic & black pepper to give it a texture of cream cheese. Also added sundried tomato & spinach spread it over store bought puff pastry sheet, rolled & cut into pinwheels. Baked them until golden.

This is my entry to hosted by sponsored by feature

I nominate to participate

@ London, United Kingdom

GNOCCHI
(Beetroot gnocchi with creamy mushroom sauce, spinach & carrot gnocchi with roasted garlic tomato sauce)

Gnocchi is a pasta originally made with Potatoes, I thought of replacing potato with semolina & thought of adding various veggies to give it a new twist. Kids love it too. I used beetroot, carrots & spinach. I then decided to serve the beetroot gnocchi with creamy mushroom sauce. Also for spinach & carrot gnocchi I made roasted tomatoes & basil sauce.

GNOCCHI (beetroot, carrot & spinach)
1 cup semolina
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt
Divide the dry ingredients in 3 equal parts & add veggies purée & make a dough ball. Shape the gnocchi with the help of fork & rest them on sprinkled semolina surface. I used semolina for that chewy texture of gnocchi.

Creamy mushroom sauce
1 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp oats flour
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sliced mushrooms
Salt
Black pepper
Oregano
Cheese if your choice I used fresh parmasan.
In a pan heat Oil, sauté mushrooms, add salt & oats flour cook them till oats flour cooks slightly add black pepper & milk slowly, let it simmer till creamy texture add oregano & cheese.
Roasted garlic Tomato & basil sauce
1 cup roasted Italian tomatoes crushed
2 roasted garlic cloves
Few basil leaves
Salt
Black pepper
1 tsp brown sugar
In a pan mix all ingredients & let it cook for 5 min sauce is ready.

This is my entry to the second week of hosted by

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@ London, United Kingdom