Eggless Pancakes

This blog would not exist if it weren’t for my mother whom I fondly call “Amma”, not because she gave birth to me but because the reason of making me a food geek. My mom was the first of my many food idols. From her, I gained a deep inspiration and abiding love for magically transforming raw ingredients into mouthwatering feasts. She could easily prepare a feast for a big crowd with a broad smile in her face. This explains why lunch/dinner parties can’t hold a flame to my mom.

My fondest childhood memories are of me shadowing my mom around the kitchen as she finely used to prepare dinner after a long tiresome day. I mastered the art of lingering next to her chopping board when she was cutting my favorite foods. I’d sigh, roll my eyes casually tell her that I am direly hungry that my stomach was digesting itself. Despite of her being super hungry, she would first feed me with a smile that I greedily used to gobble up.

These days I smile when I find my kids secretly trail her in the kitchen when she prepares family meals. Here’s wishing HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to my AMMA.

Nothing says Mother’s day like sleeping in and breakfast in bed! If your kids are like mine, they wake you up at dawn are full of energy and ready to start the day. Although this early rising motivates to get a good head start for the day, it definitely is always a treat to sleep in. What a better way to wake you up with a cup of hot filter coffee and warm breakfast in bed made by your adorable kids and loving husband. This was my perfect Mother’s day! They made some delicious pancakes with warm butter and topped with maple syrup. I clearly remember this amazing sweet smell.

These pancakes are

Fluffy

Light

Tender

Perfectly sweet

Hearty

Satisfying

Simple

And Fast.

So here’s the recipe for Eggless pancake.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour	1 Cup
Unsalted butter	2 Tbsps.
Baking powder	1 1/2 Tsp.
Baking soda	½ Tsp.
Salt	½ Tsp.
Buttermilk	1 Tbsp.
Sugar	3 Tsps.
Milk	1 Cup

Method:

In a medium sized bowl, combine all the dry ingredients first.

 Then add milk, buttermilk and melted butter.

 Mix the contents really well.

 Now heat a griddle on medium heat. When the griddle is nice and hot, add a little nonstick spray to your griddle and pour the 1/4th cup of batter.

 Pancakes are ready to flip when we see bubbles in about 2 minutes if cooking on medium heat.

 Let the other side brown, then transfer to a plate and serve with warm butter and syrup!

Tips:

Transfer the batter to a large cup; it will be easier to pour.

If you think the batter is too thick, add just a little bit of milk to thin it out.

Walnut Pesto Pasta

The other day I was wandering through the produce section at our local market, and stumbled upon “fresh basil”. It was gorgeous and the scent was intoxicating. I almost believe that fresh herbs can elevate anything and everything. They can rejuvenate a boring recipe with just few chops. Since I was dreadful of missing my flavors that I had experienced in Naples, Italy, I decided that the best thing was to use fresh basil, instead of the dried version.

 There was something about enjoying food in Italy…the amore song, juicy cherry tomatoes and garden fresh basil leaves with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. We are now very careful in selecting the type of restaurant that we go to, as we make sure that kids would have something to eat. But our trip to Europe was at a time when we didn't have kids – so we were able to try and enjoy all types of restaurant and food – from street vendors to fast food to fine dining.

Since my husband and I are big time foodies, we wanted to recreate those good moments spent in Italy. 

         

For those of you unfamiliar with pesto, it is an uncooked sauce made of basil, Parmesan, olive oil and pine nuts. It perfectly showcases ever-abundant summer basil, is extremely flavorful and quick to make and best of all, it just requires a quick mix in the food processor-no heat needed. It is traditionally served over pasta or a spread on toasted bread as an appetizer. The traditional pesto recipe uses pine nuts, but since my family loves walnuts, I added it as a substitute.

I think you guys are going to LOVE this pasta. It’s

Super Flavorful

Savory

Fresh

Simple

Satisfying

Eat it hot, eat it cold or eat it lukewarm-It’s still delicious. This makes perfect for picnic and road trips.

Enjoy with this song as we did: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69O4PXzAQ5Y.    

So here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

Penne pasta	200 grams
Olive oil	2 Tbsps.
Cherry tomatoes halved	10
Salt	To Taste
Crushed red chilies	½ Tsp.
Milk	1 Cup
Walnuts Crushed	8-10
Basil leaves	¼ Cup
Garlic cloves	3-4
Parmesan cheese	4 Tbsps.

Method:

Mix basil, olive oil, walnuts, garlic, salt and parmesan cheese in a food processor.

 Mix until it is thoroughly combined into a fine puree. Add parmesan cheese and blend for 5-10 more seconds. Now you have your pesto ready. Transfer the pesto to a large bowl using a spatula.

Take a medium pot, and add water and salt. Bring it to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain the pasta and add some olive oil to prevent sticking to each other.

 In another nonstick pan, add olive oil, cherry tomatoes and salt.

Cook the tomatoes on low flame with a lid until they become soft.

Once the tomatoes have becomes soft, add walnut, pesto and crushed red chilies.

Next add the cooked pasta and toss them well until the pasta gets a nice pesto coat.

Add milk and cook for 3-4 minutes.

 Switch off the flame and add remaining parmesan cheese.