Onam 2014

Special Onam dishes I made this year for Onam. I loved making these traditional vegetarian dishes for Onam for my family.

Onam special dishes

Dishes
Sambar
Avial
Chenna Kalan
Pullissery
Beans Thoran
Chekka Ellissary
Ingi Pulli
Pappdam
Sarkara Uppari(My friend got me this from Kerala)

Eggplant Lasagna

Overview
Eggplant Lasagna is one of my favorite dishes. There is no pasta used here the layering is done with slices of roasted eggplants. It is a  filling and satisfying lasagna and has lots of vegetables in it.The cheese sauce is mixed with spinach, carrots and onions which adds an additional texture and flavor to this lasagna.

Eggplant Lasagna

Ingredients
2 Big eggplants sliced length wise 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For Tomato sauce
28 oz  can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 teaspoon dry basil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

For the Cheese sauce
1 packet frozen chopped spinach
1 medium size onion thin sliced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cup shredded carrots
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 cup grated Romano/Parmesan cheese

Steps
1. Heat oven to 400 F. Coat the egg plant slices with olive oil salt and pepper and bake in a oiled tray for about 15 - 20 minutes till the eggplant slices are lightly browned.

2. Mix all the ingredients for the tomato sauce in a bowl and keep aside.

3.  Thaw the frozen chopped spinach and squeeze out the water from it. Heat one teaspoon olive oil in a pan and saute the thin sliced onions in it. Saute\few minutes and add the spinach and shredded carrots to this and mix well. Add salt and pepper as needed and saute for about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let this mixture cool to room temperature.

4. In another bowl add the ricotta cheese with 2 eggs and the Romano/Parmesan cheese mix well. Add the onion and garlic powder to this and mix well. Add the cooled spinach carrot mixture to this and mix well.

5. In the Lasagna pan start layering. First add  a spoon of tomato sauce and spread it at the bottom of the pan. Put a layer of the roasted egg plants on top of this. Then add half the amount of cheese mixture on top of the eggplants and spread well. Add a layer of tomato sauce on top of this and then a layer of roasted eggplants followed by the remaining cheese sauce. Put a last layer layer of tomato sauce and then on top of it the shredded Mozzarella cheese.

6. Bake the lasagna at 350 F for about 40 minutes till the cheese is melted. Turn off the oven and take out the lasagna and let it stand for about 5 - 10 minutes before cutting it.

Mango Pie

Overview
This mango pie is easy to make and is very delicious. There is no baking or cooking for this pie, just mix all ingredients and let it set in the refrigerator. I have used sweetened can mango pulp to make this pie. This pie has silky texture and has a deep yellow ripe mango color. Anyone who likes mango is sure to like this pie.

Mango Pie

Ingredients
1 Can of sweetened Mango pulp (14 oz)
If using unsweetened mango pulp add 8 OZ of sugar to it
8 oz softened cream cheese
8 oz of cool whip
2 packets of no flavor gelatin
2 pre-made graham cracker pie crust

Steps
1. Add softened cream cheese and cool whip and  mix it with a hand blender or whisk till it is mixed well with out any lumps
2. Add the mango puree to this and mix well.
3. Dissolve 2 packet of gelatin in 8 fl oz of tepid water. Strain the dissolved gelatin and add this to the mango puree mixture and whisk well  to make a smooth and consistent mixture.
4. Pour this prepared mixture into the pie crust. Cover the pie crust and refrigerate for  4 hours before serving.

Serve chilled with ripe mango slices.