paratha

This looks like the stuffed version, but its not and its quicker to make. Super simple for breakfast along with jam, chickpea stuffing and so on. Often made with ghee in the dough and folded to create flakiness, but i discovered its unnecessary for one in a hurry. A lot of times, I just grab from the fridge available chapati dough which can be cooked like a paratha just as well (just less flaky, so maybe I invented something new like a chappara?).

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour

salt, as desired

1 T ghee (opt.)

water (start with 3/4 c)

ghee for frying

PREPARATION:

1.  Add salt and rub the ghee into flour if used.

2. Add enough water until a semi soft dough is formed. Start with 3/4 c, add more if needed. Humidity and other factors affect final result. Also, keep in mind that the dough softens more from sitting awhile before cooking. Knead well and leave aside covered for at least 30 minutes.

3. Roll out like chapatis and cook on one side in a cast iron skillet until bubbles form. Drizzle a little ghee on top and flip over (cooked a lot like a grilled cheese sandwich).

4. Cook on other side a few seconds until brown spots form, drizzle on a little more ghee and flip over once more. While cooking the paratha will puff up and you can press down with a spatula to aid the process. Remove from heat and cover with a kitchen towel until ready to offer.

There are videos on YouTube for more help (the folded, flaky kind here). Some use a tava or wok shaped pan, but I just use a cast iron griddle and get good results. These are really worth learning to make and become super simple and quick with practice. Although some call a paratha also a chapati, to my knowledge a paratha is made by using ghee or oil, while with a chapati, a little butter or ghee may be added at the end of cooking it over a separate flame. Also chapati, roti and phulka are basically the same thing, just the words are different according to region, I suppose.

muffins or sweet bread

Many variations may be had by adding things like mashed banana, blueberries, pumpkin puree, chopped various nuts, peanut butter, carob chips...



whatever you are in the mood for, but here is the basic recipe with walnuts and raisins added:

Preheat oven 350 degrees.
INGREDIENTS:
3 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c organic sugar
6-8 T ghee or melted butter
1/4 t salt
1 t cinnamon powder (opt.)
3 heaping T yogurt or sour cream (or use a generous dose of whey or yogurt whey)
1 T baking powder
handful of coarsely chopped walnuts
handful of raisins
water

PREPARATION:
Whisk all the dry ingredients together with the ghee or melted butter.
Add yogurt and enough water to make a semi thick batter. Stir lightly.
Bake in muffin tins or baking pans for 22 minutes or until firm to the touch or a toothpick comes out of the centers clean.
Offer one to Krishna piping hot in a bowl and pour cold milk over it.

BANANA BREAD
As noted above, add bananas and scoop into a baking pan rather than muffin tin to make a banana bread. I use less sugar if they are very ripe sweet bananas and maybe a little nutmeg...and usually skip the raisins...Otherwise it is basically the same recipe.

WANT TO OFFER SOMETHING EXTRA SPECIAL?
Bake some banana bread. Slice into serving portions.Top with generous portions of whipping cream and sliced bananas!

MORE In the rare case of leftovers, here's a link to homemade breakfast cereal.

vaadas

Protein packed urd dahl is used here. I like serving these with rice for a hearty breakfast.

INGREDIENTS:
1 c urad dahl, cleaned, washed and soaked overnight
2 c yogurt
water
cayenne
1/4 t hing
1 t salt
ghee for deep frying

PREPARATION:
1. Drain and pulse grind with water in a blender the soaked urd, a little at a time, adding water and scraping down the sides with a spatula until smoothe.
2. Add more water if needed to get a batter that falls very slowly from your hand.
3. Add hing and salt. Mix well to make fluffy.
4. Form into balls and drop into hot ghee. Deep fry until golden brown and crisp. Drain on a towel.
5. Add to yogurt a couple dashes of cayenne and salt and a little water if thick since the vaadas will soak it up. Stir well then fold in the fried vaadas

whole wheat sauce

Many variations of spice and vegetable combinations can be used with this basic veggie sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 T butter or ghee
• 1/2 c atta flour
• 2 1/2-3 c water, depending on desired thickness
• ground black pepper
• salt, as desired
• cooked vegetables, your choice ( pictured above is broccoli, spinach and paneer also works well)

PREPARATION:

1. Saute the flour in butter about ten minutes to get the raw taste out.
2. Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a separate pot.
3. Gradually stir the boiling water into the lightly toasted flour; stir well with a whisk to get the lumps out. Add more water (it can be cooler) until you get a gravy like consistency. Your vegetables can be a bit watery, too.
4. Add your cooked vegetables and salt and pepper and stir well.

VARIATIONS: Make the sauce as a vegetarian gravy with a tad of molasses and serve with large slabs of tender paneer for a devotional Thanksgiving meal.

avocado milk shake

Ewww. That's what people have said when I tell them this smoothie was made with avocados, but after they taste it, its a different story:

INGREDIENTS:
4 c fresh whole milk
1 1/2 very fresh and ripe avocados, no browning
1/2 c organic sugar

PREPARATION:
Put all in a blender and blend until smooth.

Since this beverage has a green tint, it'd be nice to offer on Lord Rama's appearance day!

Simple Wreathe

Since one's home is a little Krishna temple, it is nice to decorate it for His pleasure and for the pleasure of all who enter there. Here's a simple wreathe idea to grace an entrance way this season, made from whatever is easily available.

MATERIALS
pine needles
small pine cones
wire
hot glue or craft glue
white tempera paint
ribbon
grand kids (optional- to splatter on the paint)

PREPARATION

The wreathe pictured here was made from pine needles and cones gathered nearby. The wire is from the long twistie ties (like around bunches of spinach or broccoli) available from the supermarket. The paper is first burned off of each one.

1. Shape the pine needles into a wreathe while binding them securely with the wire. (It may be helpful to wear gloves unless you don't mind being pricked by the needles a bit.)
2. Glue on pine cones as desired (Hot glue or craft glue is desirable. I didn't have anything but some leftover papier mache paste and....amazingly it worked. They've been stuck on there for weeks now). Then lay the wreathe on a large newspaper and splatter generously with white tempera to imitate snow.
3. Finish with a ribbon and a piece of wire in the back to hang with.

Most recent wreathe here.

What's Cool About Hot Milk

Found this article on whole milk. It's about time milk stops getting a bad rap, and it should be added that refrigerated milk is also in an unnatural state. The best way to take milk is to boil it first, with a little natural sugar (or a little honey after boiling). Boiled milk becomes light and is easiest to digest, and the sweetener slows down digestion to aid absorption. Also Indians are famous for adding varieties of condiments to their hot milk for further health benefits (or according to any ailments to aid in healing power). A favorite in our house is ground cardamom powder.

To derive the many benefits of taking milk, therefore, there's a whole science to discover from the Ayurveda which also calls milk an elixir, an all around healthy food that aids in the development of one's spiritual consciousness.

INGREDIENTS:
4 c whole fresh milk, preferably unpasteurized
2 T sugar
1/4 t cardamom powder
1 heaping T of sweetened whipped cream(opt.)

PREPARATION:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil three times.
2. Garnish with a dab of whipped cream.

VARIATIONS: There are many. A favorite is to add 2-3 t carob powder per cup of milk (and a little more sweetener if desired). Whip the carob with a little milk smooth in a blender first, then add it to the remaining milk in the pot along with sugar. Makes a fantastic breakfast drink on a cold morning. Other additions to experiment with include dates, ground roasted cashews and coconut flakes.

potatoes

Here is helpful advice from a package of potatoes about "handling potatoes":

• Store potatoes in a cool, dry dark place with good ventilation.  A burlap bag (such as a rice bag from the Indian grocer) works well to keep potatoes dry and ventilated.

• Don't refrigerate potatoes- doing so converts some of the potato's starch to sugar.
• Don't wash potatoes before storing; it speeds up development of decay.
• Don't expose them to direct sunlight, this turns them green and makes them bitter.
• Scrape away sprouts or green spots prior to preparing.

And here are a few of the many ways to serve them:

STIR FRIED POTATOES

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 potatoes, chopped
• 3 T ghee
• 1/8 t hing

PREPARATION:
1. Heat the ghee in a skillet until very hot.
2. Add the hing and few seconds later the potatoes.
3. Stir fry the potatoes on high until lighty brown and crispy.
4. Lower the heat and cover until tender.

BAKED POTATOES
INGREDIENTS:

• potatoes, preferable medium to large size
• ghee or butter
• salt
• black pepper
• sour cream (optional)

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Select potatoes of equal size, if possible.
3. Rinse potatoes
4. Prick skins several times with a knife to allow steam to escape and prevent bursting.
5. Arrange on an oven rack.
6. Bake for 1 hour or until soft when poked with a knife.
7. Split each potato open. Add ghee or butter, salt and pepper. Sour cream is also nice.
8. Offer hot

PAN ROASTED POTATOES

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Wash, dry and slice potatoes into 3/4 inch rounds. 
3. Rub a generous amount of ghee onto the bottom of a skillet that has a tight fitting lid.
4. Rub the slices of potato into the ghee both sides and arrange on bottom of the pan
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and any other favorite like roasted ground cumin or Italian seasoning
6. Put a lid on and bake 25-30 minutes or until tender (Best not to use glass lids, if you want them to last longer.
7. No pan with a lid? Try a cast iron skillet or other bakeable pan (lids are optional)

Offer hot

BOILED POTATOES

vegie soup for the soul

INGREDIENTS:
3 c assorted vegetables: celery, cauliflower, potato, carrots...chopped into bite size pieces
water
3-6 T melted butter or ghee
1/8 t hing
1/4 t black pepper
1 t basil flakes
1 t oregano flakes
salt
1 t lemon juice (opt)

PREPARATION:
1. Add enough water to cover the vegetable in a medium sized pot. Add basil and oregano and bring to a boil, then simmer until tender. Mash a little bit to thicken, but keep it soupy.
2. Chaunce in the butter the hing. After the smell comes out, also chaunce a few seconds the black pepper, then pour into the soup
3. Add salt and lemon juice as desired

For some real "soul food", be sure to offer to Krishna before taking. Serve piping hot with wedges of freshly baked bread.

VARIATION: potato soup with fresh basil

Homemakers In Training

“Many girls enter marriage and motherhood without a clue as to what’s required, and they quickly fall into despair. We must tell our daughters of the sacrifices that homemaking demands—but also of the unsurpassed rewards it offers… 'Think of your daughter as your homemaking intern.'"
 
Many women who grew up during the 1960's hippie era, were caught between a generation  that did not pass on to them the things they really needed to know, thus making it very difficult for them to pass on those things to their own children. In fact, many women must spend a good deal of time just trying to figure things out while their children were growing up at a rapid pace. It's difficult to lead when still in training.

But it doesn't have to be that way with your daughters, nor your grandchildren and daughters-in-law. Here is a list of links from this blog that may help to prepare them for married life:

SUGGESTED GOALS:
By the time they are grown, daughters should be able to:

• show appreciation for a life of devotion within her domestic prescribed duties for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada and Krishna.
• demonstrate practical skills needed for this aim
• demonstrate a servant attitude

SUGGESTED DISCUSSIONS AND ACTIVITIES MAY INCLUDE:
(the links give general ideas or ideas to start with)

1. LOVING THE LORD;
This involves development of the heart via:
Nine Ways
Sravanam
Kirtanam
Vishnoh Smaranam
Pada Sevanam
Arcanam
Vandanam
Dasyam
Sakhyam
Atma Nivedanam

2. MAKING YOURSELF INVALUABLE
This involves making a house a home, the foundations of a sane society:

Cooking Lessons
Godly Housekeeping
 
Arts and Crafts (Also 64 arts)
Simple Living Skills

3. RELATIONSHIP IS LIFE
This is what makes us persons, and its possible to make our relationships smoothe and happy. As girls mature the following topics of domestic devotion may be covered, as appropriate:
Know Your Duty
Happy Marriage Secrets
Dharma Patni Challenges
Mother Nurture (best learned assisting mother and or extended family and with younger siblings)
The Lives of Extraordinary Women

4. HEALTH IS WEALTH
Without it, all the above becomes difficult:
Health and Beauty Tips

Home Nursing
Spiritual Health

"Women should be very expert in cooking. That is their natural tendency. They should be educated how to cook nicely, how to please the husband, how to take care of children. This is Vedic civilization.' (Srila Prabhupada, Room conv. Baltimore July 7, 1976)

Cooking Lessons

Suggestions for our homemaking interns (one of these days, I may add links):

COOKING FOR KRISHNA
Three essentials

KNOW YOUR INGREDIENTS
Healthy foods
Using what's available
Sattvic Foods
Ayurveda: Rasa, Vipaka, Virya, Prabhava

SHOPPING
Shopping and food selection, seasonal and local foods
A Bhoga Shopping List
 Reading Labels, "Natural Flavors"
 Food transport and storage

PLANNING
Menu Planning
Perishable items first
Variety, color, texture, tastes...
Food Combinations
Recipe Substitutes
Menu Suggestions

COOKING BASICS:
Reading a recipe- How to chaunce, braise, roast, mince, toast, stir fry, etc
Handy Cooking Tools
Collected Cooking Tips

HOMEMADE INGREDIENTS:
Butter (Makhan) and Buttermilk
Glorious Ghee
Making Yogurt
Fresh Cheese Making (Paneer)
Wheat Meat
Homemade Noodles,
Jam Making
Toasting Nuts
Fresh Peanut Butter
Garam Masala
Mango Powder (Amchoor)
Ginger Powder
Chili Powder
Powdered Sugar
Brown Sugar
Vanilla Sugar

BEVERAGES
Lassi
Strawberry Lassi
Strawberry Banana Nectar
When Life Hands You Lemons
Carob Banana Smoothie
What's Cool About Hot Milk
Avocado Milk Shake
Banana Lime Beverage
Buttermilk

BREADS AND PANCAKES
Chapati
Paratha
Stuffed Paratha
Quick Radish Paratha
Puris
Banana Puri
Atta Dosa
Corn Wheat Dosas
Pudla
Urd Dahl Dosa
Grilled Cheese Chapati
Bread Making
Sweet Pancakes
Muffins
Fluffy Biscuits
Corn Bread; Fried Corn Bread

CEREALS AND RICE
Vegie rice
Vegie rice variations
Spinach rice
Upma
Kichari Step by Step
Vegetarian Nutloaf
Granola

DAHLS AND SOUPS
Split Pea Dahl
Toor Dahl with Eggplant and Tomato
Mung Soup
Toasted Mung Bean Soup
Besan Yogurt Soup
Cream of Pumpkin Soup
Bean Soup
Chili Non Carne
Chickpea of the Sea
Vegie Soup for the Soul
Urd Dahl with Tomatoes
Potato Soup

SUBJIS
Spinach with Paneer
Spinach with Potato
Broccoli Subji
Okra Tomato Subji
Eggplant, Chickpea and Tomato
Tomatoes with Paneer and Yogurt
Pumpkin and Potato Subji
Broccoli and Peas in Tomato
Cauliflower Tomato Subji with Fresh Basil

APPETIZERS
Ginger Candy
Bitter Melon Recipes - stuffed, stir fried, and deep fried

CHUTNEY
Plum  (or Cranberry) Chutney
Tamarind Chutney
Coriander Chutney
Tomato Chutney
Mango Chutney
Coconut Chutney
Apple Chutney
Pineapple Chutney
Banana Chutney

PASTA
Homemade Noodles in Tomato Sauce
Past with Stir Fried Vegies

RAITAS AND SALADS
Spinach Raita
Banana Raita
Tomato Raita
Potato Coconut Raita
Long Bean and Coconut Salad
Cucumber Raita
Chickpea Raita
Salad Dressings
Salad Combinations

DESSERT
bananas 'n cream
carob peanut butter halava
carob brownies
fruit fritters
apple samosa
mango dream
cranberry cake with golden sauce
sandesh
kheer
burfi
malpoura
halava
simple shrikhand
apple crisp
apple sauce
cheese cake
carob chip cookies
stuffed dates

EKADASI FAVORITES
curd patties
Potato Pizza
Hash Browns
carrot halava
Potato Tikkis
Stir Fried Vegies

SNACKS AND SAVORIES
Vegetable Samosa
Chidwa
Popcorn making step by step
Iddlis
Cauliflower Pakoras
Pumpkin Pakoras
Dokla
Quick pizza
Vaadas

MORE ABOUT COOKING
Creating Garnishes 
Cooking Quantity
Tasty Take-outs
Outdoor Cooking

cranberry chutney

For the perfect vegetarian Thankgiving feast:

INGREDIENTS:
(serves 100)
32 cups fresh cranberries
water for blending
5 T ghee
3 T grated ginger
4-8 crushed dried chilis (or 4 t chili seeds)
8 t coriander powder
10 c sugar

PREPARATION:
Blend the cranberries
Chaunce in ghee the ginger. When just beginning to brown add the chilis and cook until ginger is fully browned. Add the coriander powder. Stir and immediately add the blended cranberries. Add the sugar. Cook until thick.

pumpkin and potato subji

Got pumpkin? Try this recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

4 c fresh pumpkin, cubed
4 c potato, cubes
3 T ghee
1/2 t mustard seeds,
1 t kalonji seeds (available at asian grocery)
1 cinnamon stick, 

1/4 t hing
2 cardamom pod seeds
2 whole cloves
2 bay leaves (opt)
1 t ground coriander
1/2 t fenugreek seeds
1 c yogurt
1 t ground roasted cumin
1/4 t chili powder
1/2 t turmeric

1/2 t sugar
2/3 c water
1 t lemon juice


PREPARATION:
1. Chaunce in ghee the mustard seeds, kalonji seeds, and cinnamon stick. When mustard starts popping add hing, cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, coriander, fenugreek seeds and yogurt and pumpkin and potatoes in quick succession.
2. Add the cumin, chili powder, turmeric, sugar and water. Stir and bring to a boil.
3. Then lower the heat, cover and cook until the vegies are tender.
4. Stir in lemon juice.

VARIATION: pumpkin and potato w/ peas and cauliflower
1 t mustard, 2 cloves, 1/2 t fenugreek, 1/4 t hing, 1 t coriander, 1 t gr. roasted cumin, 1/2 t bl. pepper, 1/2 t turmeric, 1 t brown sugar

Don't feel like cutting up and peeling a pumpkin? Bake it semi tender first, peel and chop and add to the potatoes when near done.