RecipeMuncher

Here are a few recipes I’ve tried out from other blogs recently with minor substitutions and tweaks:Apple Thokku from AkshayapaatramThe only change I made was to use green chillies instead of red chilllies.Aloo Tikki from Oh Taste ‘n’ SeeNan Khatai from Show Me The CurryMy dough spread out a lot while baking resulting in very flat nan khatais even though I followed the recipe very closely from

Strawberries are available year-round at all grocery stores, but the local strawberry season has been brief and is nearing its end. I’ve been trying to do as much as possible with these sweet and juicy berries before I’m forced to buy the tasteless ones off the supermarket shelves.Recently, I was looking for a recipe where I could do something different with strawberries, but after going through

I made blondies for the very first time last weekend. They turned out very well and were well received by everyone who ate them. They were so good that I’m already baking my third batch, less than a week later. For my first batch, I adapted a recipe I came across on Zesty Cook. I tweaked that recipe and cut down on the butter and sugar, and used a combination of butterscotch morsels and

I picked up a copy of Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa At Home from the library a few months back. One of the first recipes I promptly tried out from the book was the lemon yogurt cake. I watch Ina’s show on television and have made a few of her recipes before with excellent results. This one too turned out to be fantastic. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> Ina uses vegetable oil

Last year, I made jam for the very first time. The process was pretty simple and straightforward and not as daunting as I had thought it would be. Yesterday, after a very long time, I made another batch of the same jam. I used my original recipe but made a couple of changes. This time I added a splash of balsamic vinegar to the strawberries while they were cooking. I also substituted the cloves

Although I love Indian sweets, I usually wait for a festive occasion to make them make at home- preparing sweets seems far too time-consuming and labor-intensive to do so otherwise. These besan laddoos made in the microwave are an exception, though, and take less than 15 minutes to make, from start to finish. I first noticed the recipe on Tee’s blog, Bhaatukli, a few years back and I’ve been

This is a breakfast dish that comes together very quickly using simple pantry and kitchen staples. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> Ingredients: (For 3-4 servings) 2 Tbsp oil1 tsp mustard seedsA pinch of asafoetida4 green chillies, minced4-5 curry leaves1 small onion, finely choppedA pinch of turmeric2 potatoes, cubed2 ½ cups thick poha (beaten rice)½ cup coriander leaves3 tsp

Recently, we had a houseful of friends with us during the Thanksgiving weekend and I had an elaborate menu planned for the evening. I wanted to make something simple to serve as appetizers since I was simultaneously getting the main course ready. I always have puff pastry sheets in my freezer. They’re perfect to have on hand especially when you’re looking to feed a crowd with minimal effort. I

This is a Martha Stewart recipe with my modifications. Ingredients:(For 18 cupcakes)1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp cinnamon A pinch of powdered cloves ½ tsp powdered cardamom Salt 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup oil ¼ cup orange juice 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups grated carrots ¼ cup coarsely chopped walnuts <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]

<!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> I had a lot of cranberry sauce left over from Thanksgiving which I promptly froze till I figured out what to do with it. I pulled it out of the freezer recently when I had some leftover ricotta cheese. I decided to use both cheese and sauce in some kind of a cake. Loosely inspired by this recipe from Inside The Kaganoff Kitchen, I gathered my ingredients

This wonderful cake can be made with little effort. If you like bananas, this is a cake you’ll definitely love - it’s very banana-y. I didn’t bother frosting it but decided to create some swirls on the surface of the batter instead for a pretty finish. I baked this late one night and took it in to work the next day - it disappeared pretty quickly. My cake was inspired by this recipe from Week Of

A few months back, we’d gone peach picking at one of the local orchards and I came back with a whole lot of peaches. I used a couple of peaches to make this chutney. I’d bookmarked a recipe for methamba, a sweet and savory mango relish that I’d seen on Vaishali’s Happy Burp, a long time back but never thought of making the relish when mangoes were still in season. I substituted the mango in

I made these zucchini cakes following the recipe on Ree’s blog, The Pioneer Woman. Ingredients:(for 10 small cakes/fritters)4 small (or 2 large) zucchini, grated1/2 grated onionGarlic powderSaltPepperRed pepper flakes1/4- 1/2 cup bread crumbs1 egg, beaten3 Tbsp all-purpose flourOil for pan-fryingMethod:Sprinkle the grated zucchini with salt and set aside while you get the rest of the

Every now and then, when I’m in the mood for something rich and comforting, I make some macaroni and cheese.I like to add vegetables to my macaroni and cheese. The contents of my refrigerator usually determine what vegetables go into the casserole. This time I added corn, chopped up red bell peppers and a few cauliflower florets. I then spiced up the vegetables with red pepper flakes and

I make Suralichi Wadi, a popular Maharashtrian snack, also called Khandvi in Gujarat, very often following this recipe from One Hot Stove . Over time, I’ve made a couple of minor changes to the original recipe.Here’s what I do:I cook the besan-buttermilk mixture on the stove top- I’d used the microwave for this the very first time, but I find that the stovetop method works better for me.I like

This is a recipe from Sailu’s Kitchen that is now a regular in mine.Ingredients:6-7 small Indian eggplants, dicedTo grind to a paste:1 small bunch of coriander leaves (I used the stalks as well)1-2 garlic cloves1 tiny piece of ginger2-3 green chilliesFor tempering:2 Tbsp oil1 tsp mustard seeds1 tsp urad dalA pinch of asafoetida5-7 curry leavesMethod:Heat oil in a pan and temper it with mustard

This is my second time making a quiche. My very first quiche was one with a potato crust. This time around I decided to go crust-free by following this recipe on Joy The Baker’s blog.Ingredients:For cooking in a pan:2 Tbsp oil1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced2 garlic cloves, chopped2 cups chopped mushrooms3 cups chopped spinachRed pepper flakesSaltPepperFor the custard:4 eggs1/2 cup milk (I used 2

I’ve tried a lot of different brownie recipes in the last few months, but my all-time favorite recipe continues to be this one that I spotted on Dessert First almost 2 years back.I made these cocoa brownies last night inspired by what I saw on Nupur’s One Hot Stove. Nupur, in turn, had been inspired by something she’d come across on Smitten Kitchen. I’ve made a few changes to the original recipe.

I’m always looking for simple recipes that make use of zucchini since I invariably end up with a few of these in my cart during grocery shopping. This vegetable casserole is a great one-dish meal that would be perfect for breakfast, dinner and everything in between. The recipe I followed uses zucchini but any kind of summer squash would work well here. (Adapted from SaraFish’s recipe on

I made these macaroons as holiday treats last Christmas, but they’re simple and tasty enough to be baked and enjoyed all year long. I started out with this recipe but ended up making a couple of changes along the way to give the macaroons a hint of Indian flavor.Ingredients :(For approximately 10 macaroons)1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut (I got mine from the Indian grocery store)½ cup

This savory tart along with a side of roasted potatoes was our dinner yesterday. I’ve used a combination of onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers here since that’s what I happened to have on hand; you can use whatever vegetables you’d like as toppings for the crust. I took the easy way out and used a can of store-bought pizza dough for the base, but if you’re feeling particularly enterprising, you

We just had our second major snowstorm of the season. The snow began to fall late in the evening yesterday and continued steadily all through the night. By noon today, we’d got 20-plus inches of snow.Here are some pictures I took earlier in the day…

(Adapted from a recipe in the Everyday Food cookbook )Ingredients:(For 2-3 servings)1 Tbsp olive oil3 garlic cloves, minced1 small onion, sliced1 small potato, cubed2 medium zucchini, cubedA pinch of red pepper flakes1 tsp roasted cumin powder (I always have a small batch of cumin seeds that have been roasted and powdered, kept in the refrigerator)½ tsp coriander powderSaltPepperMethod:Heat the