The word "khana" in Indian Khana Made Easy means food. So come on, let's explore and cook some easy Indian food together including gluten-free and vegan dishes.

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January 6, 2018

Time for Reflection and Renewal


Happy New Year everyone!!

Date and Almond Laddu
I always take time to reflect on the past year and look to the new year for renewal. This past year so much has happened that I am truly grateful for. My toastmasters club (Open Door Toastmasters) elected me club President for the 2017-2018 year, I became Area Director (for 5 Toastmasters clubs in District 83), and got married to my longtime friend and college classmate, Michael. I'm also thankful for my parents and good friends who always supported me.

We wanted to start off the new year with a healthy, sweet treat: Date and Almond Laddu (balls). Below are the ingredients and instructions on how to make this yummy treat; enjoy anytime of the year.


Ingredients
- 10 oz / 285g Pitted dates
- 2/3 cup Almonds
- 2/3 cup Milk Mava powder
- 2 Tbsp ghee or melted butter
- 3 to 4 drops of Pure Vanilla extract

Procedure
In a food processor, add dates, almonds and blend them coarsely (approx. 6 to 8 pulses). Next add mava powder, ghee and vanilla extract. Pulse again 3 to 4 times until all ingredients are blended well. Remove the mixture from the jar and make 1" round balls or laddu. Mixture makes about 15 to 18 laddus.

Quick Tips:
1) If desired, roll the laddus in dry coconut. Food coloring can be added to the coconut powder for festive appeal.
2) If milk mava powder is not readily available, you can also use coconut milk powder.

Wishing all a very happy and prosperous new year. How did you celebrate the new year? Please share your stories with us. 



August 14, 2017

Martha Stewart Inspired Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake


What do you do when you're craving something sweet? 


I bake. I was home by myself for a few hours last week and was feeling restless and stressed out. So, I went online and looked for baking ideas. I came across this recipe for Chocolate Bundt Cake by Martha Stewart. I printed the recipe and starting putting the ingredients together before I changed my mind. 

Ingredients for the cake
- 8 oz (or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream (or 4 oz)
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

We didn't have regular milk, unsalted butter, unsweetened cocoa powder or regular sour cream! I Google searched substitutions for butter and found 10 substitutions for butter including olive oil, avocado, Greek yogurt, coconut oil, etc. I settled on coconut oil because it was 1:1 ratio. I also substituted unsweetened cocoa powder with Special Dark Hershey'c cocoa powder and used lactaid milk and fat free sour cream. 

Below are the directions with the substitutions I made:

Directions
1) Make the cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 14-cup Bundt pan with coconut oil. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Mix milk and sour cream in a glass measuring cup. 

2) With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat coconut oil, and sugar until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in 2 batch, alternating with the milk mixture and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined. 

3) Transfer the batter to prepared pan; smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely. 

I crossed my fingers, mixed all these ingredients together and hoped for the best.

Result? The cake was heavenly. You can't even tell that I made those substitutions. It was moist and sweet enough for me. I opted out of making the glaze as per Martha's recipe.


A Slice of Heaven

Instead of making the glaze, I poured Prager Port Chocolate Drizzle over slices of cake to make it more decadent. Mama mia, it was delizioso. 

Can't wait to make this cake again with all the substitutions and less calories...definitely worth it. What do you think?