Fresh Strawberry and Chocolate Cheesecake

 Strawberry and Chocolate Cheesecake

Just could not resist making this scrumptious cheesecake. Although it is a little time consuming and painstaking, it is well worth the effort

Chocolate Base         

Ingredients

Marie biscuits – 10

Cocoa powder – 2 tbsp (can add more if you want a bitter-sweet base)

Jaggery powder – 3 tbsp

Butter – 2 tbsp

Method

Crush biscuits

Blend together crushed biscuits, cocoa, jaggery powder and butter in a mixie

Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling

Ingredients

Cottage Cheese (Paneer made from toned milk) - 250 gms

Egg - 1
Strawberry compote - 5 to 6 tbsp

Method

Blend the paneer in a mixie to form smooth paste

Beat an egg and add

Mix till blended

Add 4 to 5 tbsp strawberry compote and mix again

Assemble The Cheesecake

Spread biscuit base at the bottom of a springform baking pan

Scoop the cream cheese filling over it

You can add a little strawberry compote on top and make designs

Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees C for about 25 mins

Let it cool in the oven

Refrigerate for a few hours 

Strawberry Compote

Ingredients

Strawberries – 15

Jaggery powder – 3 to 4 tbsp (depending on the sweetness of the strawberries)        

  

            

Method

Cut strawberry into slices

Add jaggery and mix well

Microwave for 3 or 4 mins

Mash well while still hot

Let it cool

(Note: If you want to store it add 1 tbsp lime or orange juice to prevent the jaggery from crystallizing)

Wonder Soups

Bone Building Soups

Chicken Feet Soup

Ingredients

Chicken feet – 2 pairs

Onion – 1 (cut into pieces)

Garlic (crushed) – 4 to 6 cloves

Bay leaf - 1

Cinnamon – 1 stick

Peppercorns - 10

Cloves – 2

Green cardamom (elaichi) – 1

Black Cardamom – 1

Ghee – 1 tbsp

Apple Cider Vinegar – 1 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Method

Boil water. Put the chicken feet into a pot and cover with the boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes

Drain, rinse, and cut off and discard the tips of the claws

Drain the chicken feet completely

Chop off the tips of the claws and discard

Heat ghee in a pressure cooker

Add the spices, onion and garlic and sauté for 5 mins

Add chicken feet and sauté for a couple of minutes more

Add water

Cool and filter

You can refrigerate it if you want to skim off the fat

When it has cooled, it should firm up nicely into a gel

This is collagen

Note: Apple Cider Vinegar helps to pull out the minerals from the soup

Goat Trotter Soup (Paya Soup)

Ingredients

Goat Trotters – 250 gms

Onion – 1 (cut into pieces)

Garlic (crushed) – 4 to 6 cloves

Bay leaf - 1

Cinnamon – 1 stick

Peppercorns - 10

Cloves – 2

Green cardamom (elaichi) – 1

Black Cardamom – 1

Ghee – 1 tbsp

Apple Cider Vinegar – 1 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Method

Same as for Chicken Feet Soup

Note: For both the soups, recycle the material at least 3 to 4 times. I just keep adding fresh onions, garlic and spices. The bones crumble when pressed between your fingers. This is proof that the minerals have leached into your broth

Health Benefits of Bone Broth

Very Nutritious - Bones are rich in vitamins and nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. Brewing connective tissue into bone broth provides the body with natural compounds from the cartilage. Tissues and bones also contain collagen. Cooking collagen turns it to gelatin, which provides the body with amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Good source of amino acids arginine, glycine and proline. Glycine supports the body’s detoxification, supports digestion and the secretion of gastric juices. Also promotes a healthy immune system, digestive tract, and central nervous systems. Proline supports skin health

Supports Healthy, Strong Bones - Bone broth contains minerals in a form that is easily accessible for your body’s use – these include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and trace minerals. The high concentration of these minerals that leach from the bones into the broth provides great building blocks for strong healthy bones

Protects Joints - Bone broth is a source of gelatin, which may break down into collagen in the body. This is especially important in the joints. Cartilage in the joints tends to wear down or shrink through continual use. This can add more stress to the joints, which may become damaged as a result of the added pressure. Gelatin supplementation increases the amount of collagen in the tissues. This may help protect the joints from unnecessary stress

May Help Fight Osteoarthritis - collagen can improve knee joint symptoms, such as pain, stiffness, and poorer physical function, in people with osteoarthritis

Fights Degenerative Joint Disease – Because of its gelatin content.  Bone broth contains glucosamine and chondroiton. These help with arthritis and joint pain (though the science is still being verified)

Heals and Seals The Gut – Gelatin protects and soothes the digestive tract (the mucosal lining) and helps in its healing. It may also help people overcome food allergies

May Help Reduce Inflammation And Heal The Gut - Some amino acids present within bone broth may also be helpful for digestion. The amino acid, glutamine, helps with leaky gut, which irritates the mucosal lining in the intestines and interferes with the body’s ability to digest food. People with inflammatory bowel disease tend to have lower levels of some amino acids in their bodies. Getting additional amino acids into their diets may help with some symptoms of the condition.

Anti-inflammatory - Bone broth contains amino acids glycine, proline, and arginine which have anti-inflammatory effects

May Promote Better Sleep  - The amino acid glycine is a safe therapeutic option to improve sleep. Helps sleep better and with less fatigue during the following day

Oral Health - because of readily available proteins glycosaminoglycans (GAG) that help to repair gum damage caused by bad bacteria

Skin - Bone broth may boost your skin’s collagen, helping to keep skin smooth and firm and reducing wrinkles. helps you look younger because of the collagen content. The ‘plumping’ factor in many beauty products used to diminish the appearance of wrinkles is collagen

Hair and Nails - Promotes hair and nail growth because of the gelatin found in the broth

Fresh Fruit Jam

Fresh Fruit Jam

Winter brings an excess of fruits at home. Many a times there's a lot that is left behind. Best thing to be used up to make some wholesome homemade jam. So there I was, busy looking up simple recipes. And what I came up with were so simple that I had to try them out, also to check if jam making was that simple.  

I came across Apple Jam first. But was a little disappointed when I discovered that the red colour of the jam was because of the food colour added to it. Then I came across Beetroot Jam which obviously did not need any food colour. So my first try was Apple Beetroot Jam. And like I mentioned earlier, it was a breeze! Then I attempted a Mix Fruit Jam. I gathered all the fruits that I could spot in my kitchen - guava, grapes, apples and strawberries; but the majority of it comprised fresh strawberries. 

Beetroot Apple Jam



Ingredients

Beetroot (medium sized) – 2

Apple (large) – 1

Jaggery – ½ cup

Citric acid crystals – 2 pinches (dissolve in water)

Method

Peel and core the apple

Peel the beetroot

Cut into pieces

Add little water and cook them till soft

Cool and blend in a mixie

Heat a non-stick pan and pour the blend in

Keep stirring on low flame till the paste thickens

Add jaggery and mix well

Keep stirring on low heat till the mixture thickens and becomes jelly like

Add the citric acid solution and mix well

Stir for some more time

Let it cool

Mix Fruit Jam

Ingredients

Guavas – 2

Apple – 1 (large)

Strawberries -10

Jaggery – 1 cup

Citric acid crystals – ½ tsp

Method

Peel and core the apples

Peel the guavas (I did not deseed it as I wanted the fibre element)

Clean the strawberries

Cut into pieces

Add little water and cook them till soft

Cool and blend in a mixie

Heat a non-stick pan and pour the blend in

Keep stirring on low flame till the paste thickens

Add jaggery and mix well

Keep stirring on low heat till the mixture thickens and becomes jelly like

Add the citric acid solution and mix well

Stir for some more time

Let it cool

(This jam is free of preservatives so will have to be stored in the refrigerated after a few days) 

(These jams are preservative-free so will have to be refrigerated after a few days) 

Wholewheat Baked Samosas

Wholewheat Baked Samosas

This is my second attempt at baking samosas and I can easily say that I am getting better at it. I think a few times and it could be perfect; almost like the fried variety. You live and learn. Same goes for baking. Although we are trying to make it wholewheat and baked, let me admit that I added 1 heaped tablespoon of refined flour to the wholewheat flour. 

Also, it's non-fried, so I added 2 tablespoon oil while making the dough. Now, I feel it could have been better with 4 tablespoon oil. That's still not too much oil if you consider portion size. One and a quarter cup flour gave me 16 samosas. So calculate the  amount of oil in each samosa! 

Also, I attempted two methods of making the dough. In one I used yeast and kept the dough aside for two hours before making the samosas. The second is the non-yeast, traditional dough with a pinch of soda.
An important tip while baking - Bake in an oven preheated to 120 or 100 degrees C for. This will take almost 45 min to an hour but you will end up with evenly browned and cooked samosas. I admit I tried to rush it up and set the temperature to 180 degrees in an attempt to bake it faster and ended up with a few black spots.

I paired the samosas with spicy green chilies fried in oil and salt and the mint-coriander spicy chutney. Let's get on with the recipes now.

Dough

Method I

Ingredients

Wholewheat flour - 1/2 cup

Maida (refined flour) - 1 tbsp (heaped)

Ajwain (caraway seeds) - 1/4 tsp

Baking soda - a pnch

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Water (chilled) - 1/4 cup (as required)

Oil - 2 tbsp 

Method

Mix the dry ingredients

Add oil and mix to form crumbly mixture

Add water little by little to form a tight dough

Rest for 30 mins

Method II

Ingredients
Wholewheat flour - 1/2 cup
Maida (refined flour) - 1 tbsp (heaped)
Ajwain (caraway seeds) - 1/4 tsp
Instant yeast - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Warm water - 1/4 cup (as required)
Oil - 2 tbsp 

Method
Mix the dry ingredients
Add oil and mix to form crumbly mixture
Add water little by little to form a tight dough
Rest for 2 hours

Filling

Ingredients

Potatoes (boiled) - 3

Green peas (cooked) 1 cup

Ginger (grated) - 2 tsp

Green chilies (finely cut) - 3 to 4

Asafetida (Hing) - 1/4 tsp

Red chilly powder- 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder (dhania) - 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder (jeera) - 1/2 tsp

Black salt - 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Amchur (dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp 

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Method

Heat oil

Add ginger and green chilies. 

Saute for a minute

Add peas and saute

Add all the spices and salt and mix well

Crumble the potato with your fingers and add to the mixture

Mix well and cook for a minute till mixture becomes dry 

Assembling The Samosa

Divide each dough into 4 equal portions

Roll out each into thin oval pieces

Cut each oval into half

Apply water to the edges

Fold to form a cone

Add a small portion of the filling into each and seal to form a samosa

Bake in an oven preheated to 160 for 20 to 30 mins

Mint Chutney

Ingredients

Coriander leaves – 1 cup

Mint leaves – 1 cup

Garlic – 7 to 8 flakes

Ginger – 1”

Green chilies (I chose the thin dark green variety) – 9 (according to spice level)

Lemon juice – 1 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Water – as required

Method

Grind it all together