Green Beans and Mushroom

Overview
A very simple and easy dish to make as a side for thanksgiving. Portobello mushrooms adds a nice meaty flavor to this dish. The only time consuming part for this dish is slicing the green beans. Depending on how spicy you like the dish to be adjust the amount of crushed red pepper flakes. Do not overcook the green beans.

Green Beans and Mushrooms

Ingredients

Ingredients
Green Beans - 1/2 pound
Portobello Mushroom - 1/2 pound
Garlic cloves thin sliced- 6
Crushed Red Pepper - 1 -2 teaspoon
Olive oil - 2 tablespoon
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Clean the green beans and cut into about 3 inches long and split each piece in the middle and keep aside
2. Wipe the mushrooms with a clean wet towel and slice them and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add the thin sliced garlic to this. Saute it till the garlic turn light brown. Add the crushed red peppers to this. mix well and fry few minutes and then add the sliced green beans and mushrooms.
4. Mix well and add salt as needed. Cover pan with lid and cook for few minutes. Do not over cook. Remove lid and mix well till all the liquid evaporates.

Serve hot

Banana Bread with Blueberries and Oats

Overview
A delicious moist bread you can make when you have overripe bananas. Adding rolled oats to this bread adds a nice texture and nutty flavor. Blueberries adds a sweet tang and keeps the bread moist. I have made Banana bread before too but this is with oats and is delicious and healthy.

Banana Bread with Blueberries and Oats

Ingredients
All purpose unbleached flour - 2 cups
Old fashioned rolled oats - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Sour cream - 1/2 cup
Brown Sugar - 2/3 cup
Mashed banana  - 1 cup about 2 ripe
Frozen or fresh blueberries - 2 cups
Vegetable oil - 1/3 cup
Baking powder - 2 teaspoon
Baking soda - 1/4 teaspoon
Cinnamon powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Eggs - 2 large
1 egg  and a handful of oats for glazing

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a loaf pan and keep it aside.
2. Whisk the Milk, sour cream, eggs, mashed bananas, brown sugar, oil is bowl until well blended.
3. In another mixing bowl combine all the dry ingredients - flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon powder, mix well.
4. Pour the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Gently fold in the blueberries.
6. Pour batter in the loaf pan and bake for about an hour until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
7. After about 30 minutes into baking glaze the bread with beaten egg and sprinkle rolled oats on top.
8. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and  cool completely on a wire rack.

Slice and serve

Chickpea Curry

Overview
A very common Chickpea curry served in all Indian Restaurants. This dish goes well with Chapati or Naan. Fresh roasted and ground spices adds a nice aroma to this dish. Ground onions, ginger and garlic makes a thick gravy for this chickpea curry.

Chickpea Curry

Ingredients for Chickpea Curry

Ingredients 
1 cup chickpea - soaked overnight
Red Onions - 1 large - ground to smooth paste
Plum tomatoes - 3 made to a puree
Garlic - 8 - 10 cloves
Ginger 2 inch piece
Red Chilly powder - 1 - 2 teaspoon
Whole coriander seeds - 2 tablespoons
Whole black pepper - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Green chillies - 6 - 8 split in centre
Cilantro leaves  finely chopped - 3 tablespoons
Salt to taste
Oil 4 tablespoons

Steps
1. Cook the cleaned soaked chickpea  with 2 cups water in a pressure cooker till it is cooked well.
2. Grind the red onions, tomatoes and ginger garlic to a smooth paste and keep it separate. Onions in one bowl, tomatoes in one and garlic and onion can be ground together.
3. Dry roast the spices in pan one at a time and keep aside - Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppers and fenugreek seeds. Ground all the dry roasted spices in a coffee grinder to a smooth powder and keep aside.
4. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a pan. When hot and the onion paste to it and saute well till the onions get brown and oil separates. Add all the ground spices along with red chilly powder and turmeric. saute well.
5. Add the tomato puree to this and mix well and keep cooking till oil separates. Add the cooked chickpea with the water to this  and mix well. add salt as needed and let this simmer on slow flame till the chickpeas are well coated with the gravy. Turn off heat.
6. In another pan heat the remaining one tablespoon oil and fry the green chillies, turn off heat and add the asafoetida powder to the oil and pour this to the prepared curry. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with Chapati or Naan

Kerala Fried Chicken

Overview
A simple fried chicken served in Kerala with most non-vegetarian meals. There are many version of fried chicken this is a simple recipe made with very few ingredients. The fried green chillies add an extra spiciness and flavor to the chicken. Serve this fried chicken with fresh sliced red onions.

Kerala Fried Chicken

Ingredients
One small chicken - skinned and cut into small pieces
Garlic cloves - about 8
Ginger 2 inch piece
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Chilly powder - 1 tablespoon
Freshly ground Black pepper powder  - 1 tablespoon
Curry leaves  - 6 - 8 sprigs
Green chilly - 8 - 10
Red Onion one - cut into thin slices
Salt to taste
Oil for shallow frying

Steps
1. Grind or finely chop the garlic and ginger.
2. Marinate the cleaned cut chicken pieces with chilly powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, ginger garlic paste and salt and leave it aside for 2 - 3 hours in refrigerator.
3.  Heat oil in a pan and when oil gets hot add the curry leaves little at a time and then the chicken pieces. Fry the chicken pieces on medium flame till it is golden brown.
4. Fry the green chillies cut in centre in the same oil  and garnish on top.

Serve the fried chicken hot with sliced red onions.