Carrot Halwa

Carrot halwa is a classic indian dessert that goes for any celebrative occasion or season. It’s an evergreen indian dessert made all over india. Simple ingredients such as freshly grated carrots, milk, sugar and ghee make this recipe a great treat for all!

Ingredients:

      1)     Carrots – 2 lbs, grated

      2)     Condensed Milk - 1can (14oz)

      3)     Whole Milk - 1cup

      4)     Milk Mava powder – 2 cups 

               (or substitute with Ricotta cheese, 2 cups)

      5)     Sugar – 1 cup

      6)     Ghee (Clarified Butter) – 4 tbsp

      7)     Cashews – 2 tbsp, chopped

      8)     Raisins – 1 tbsp

      9)     Cardamom powder- ½ tsp

Preparation:

Add 1 tbsp ghee to an empty pot and grease well on the bottom and to the sides. Add grated carrots, condensed milk, whole milk, milk mava powder, 2 tbsp ghee & sugar to the 6 quarts crock-pot. Mix well and set on high for 5 hrs. After 3 hrs briefly stir the contents and continue to cook for 2 more hrs. If you still see moisture left in the crock-pot, remove the lid and cook it on high for another 30 minutes. Finally, fry cashews and raisins in the remaining amount of ghee (1 tbsp) in a separate pan and add to the cooked halwa and mix well. Serve hot or chilled, left in the refrigerator (not the freezer) for about 6 hours.

Sambar

Sambar is a very popular South Indian lentil-based vegetarian stew made with tamarind. You can add choice of vegetables with most common ones that are used in the Sambar being, Carrots, Green Beans, Onions, Tomatoes, Squash (mostly all kinds), Eggplant, Drumsticks etc. Sambar goes well with white rice, or can be used as a side dish for Idly, Dosa etc.

                                                                                

Ingredients:

1. Toor Dal – 1 cup (soaked for 3-4 hours and made into a paste)
2. Tamarind – 1 tbsp (soaked in ½ cup of water and made into a pulp), alternatively you can use concentrated tamarind paste, about 1 tsp.
3. Vegetables – 2 cups, chopped (I used carrots and green beans)
4. Onion – 1, chopped
5. Tomatoes – 1 big or 2 small, chopped
6. Sambar Masala – 1.5 tbsp (available in Indian groceries stores)
7. Garlic – 3 cloves, crushed
8. Red Chili Powder – ½ tsp.
9. Sugar – 1.5 tbsp (if you like more spicy and less sweetly, reduce sugar to ½ tbsp)
10. Water – 7-8 cups
11. Salt to taste
12. Cilantro – for garnish

For Tempering

1. Vegetable Oil – 2 tbsp
2. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
3. Cumin seeds – 1tsp
4. Hing (Asafoetida) – ½ tsp
5. Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
6. Curry Leaves - about 10 (optional)

Preparation

• Add all ingredients (except tempering) into a 6 quarts crock-pot and put it on low for 8 hours.
• For tempering, heat oil in a small saucepan; add the tempering ingredients and turn-off the heat as soon as you hear crackling sound.
• To finish off, add tempering to the cooked sambar and garnish with chopped cilantro. Server will white rice and ghee (optional).

Red bells mushroom soup

Red bells mushroom soup for Paleo food lovers.

Ingredients:

• 2 big red bell peppers (about 1 pound), seeded/chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 can of Coconut Milk
• 8 oz. Mushrooms
• Salt to taste
• Jalapeños (optional)
• Cilantro for garnish

Preparation:

Blend red bells, garlic and coconut milk to make it into a purée (add a jalapeño for that little extra kick!) Transfer the mixture from the blender into the crockpot. Add salt and chopped mushrooms and set the crock-pot on high for 2 hours. Cooking times vary based on the crock-pot used. I used a 6-quart crock-pot; for a smaller crock-pot, increase the cooking duration by 30 minutes. Add a dash of olive oil, if desired at the end. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

Creamy Beetroot Curry

As you may all be aware, there are several amazing health benefits of beetroot; but some people, actually most of them do not like eating beetroot; despite the health benefits. Not really trying to boast-off, but this recipe will make even the toughest beetroot resisters to fall in love with beets. This is a very delicious, colorful, nutty, creamy, flavorful and nutritious. Serve hot with rice or chapatti.

Eggplant Masala

Eggplants, specifically the small round ones are used in a wide variety of dishes in southern part of India, especially, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, which has a unique way of cooking the eggplant (called as Vankaya, in Telugu) in traditional spices. If you had always worried about cooking an eggplant in a gravy curry, yet keep the eggplants intact, this recipe will sure put your worry to an end. The crock-pot style cooking will sure keep the eggplant in shape so that you can savor the flavor either serving it with steamed rice or chapatti. Enjoy!

Dum Aloo (Potatoes cooked in Indian Spices)

Dum Aloo (also spelled as Dam Aloo) Dum Aloo is a popular recipe cooked throughout India originating from Jammu & Kashmir. The potatoes, usually smaller ones, are first deep fried, then cooked slowly at low flame in a gravy with spices; but for healthy crock-pot cooking, I have added raw potatoes directly into the recipe. If you love potatoes, then this recipe is the one you will probably die for. Serve with rice, but tastes great with roti as well.

Aloo Gobi (Potatoes & Cauliflower) Curry

Aloo Gobi is a delicious main dish made with potatoes, cauliflower, and a simple blend of Indian spices. This is the simplest dish you can make in a crock-pot, yet turns out to be delicious. This curry can be served with either rice or roti.