Sub Sandwich

Whenever we go out I always prefer Subway sandwich to Burger.I am posting my way of making 'subway style' sandwich here. I have added only French dressing (The one which I used here is egg-free).You can add Mayonnaise,Mustard sauce,Thousand Island dressing etc if you prefer.I am giving the base and you can make it your own style.

Ingredients:

Sandwich Bread

Lettuce ,Cucumber,capsicum,White onion ,olives       -    as needed

French dressing             -  as needed

Cheese slices                 -   as needed

Method:

• Chop Lettuce leaves,white onion,capsicum,cucumber and olives.
• Cut the sandwich loaf horizontally.Don't cut it all through.
• On the bottom layer,arrange a layer of lettuce leaves,place white onion cucumber,capsicum and olives over it.
• Add the French dressing(or dressing of your choice) on the top.
• Top it up with another layer of lettuce leaves.Place cut slice of cheese on the top layer.Close the layers and your sandwich is ready.

Note:

• Use Sliced pickled Jalapenos if you prefer it spicy.
• You can also toast the bread after slicing until slightly browned in the oven and proceed with arranging the veggies.

Paneer Butter Masala

Paneer Butter Masala is one of my favourite Paneer dishes.Though I make few other versions of it,I always come back to this recipe which I learnt from my friend.The preparation is simple yet it gives good result every time.If you want a richer version just substitute the Milk with Fresh cream.

Ingredients:

Paneer	200 gms
Tomato	1
Milk/Fresh cream (see note below)	1/2 cup
Kasoori methi	1 tsp
Salt	As needed
Butter	1 tsp
Oil	1 tblsp
To grind
Onion	2
Garlic cloves	3
Ginger	1 small piece
Red chilli or Red chilli powder	As needed
Coriander powder	3 tsp
Cumin powder	1 ½ tsp
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Cashewnut	6
Coconut grated	1 tblsp
Cinnamon	1 small piece
Cardamom	2
Cloves	2
Pepper	4

Method:

• Take 1 tsp oil in a pan and fry the chopped onion till they turn translucent and allow to cool.
• Roast the Paneer cubes in a fry pan by adding little oil till light golden in colour and place them in a bowl of hot water .
• Grind the fried onion along with all other ingredients given in "To grind" list to a fine paste.
• Heat a pan,Add butter,oil and add the ground paste and fry in low flame till the raw smell goes off and it turns light brown in colour.
• Add the chopped tomato and fry till it shrinks.
• Add 1 1/2 cups of water,salt,cover and cook for 5-6 mins.
• Slowly add the milk stirring continuously and add the fried paneer cubes.cook in low flame for 3 mins.
• Add little water if needed to get the desired gravy consistency.
• Crush kasoori methi with your hands and add it to the gravy.cook for 1 min and your Paneer butter masala is ready to serve.

Note:

• I added 1 whole kashmiri chilli while grinding to get nice colour.
• If you want a richer version, omit milk and add beaten fresh cream.I added only milk in the recipe posted above.

Pistachio Apricot Biscotti

I made this Pistachio Apricot Biscotti for the Baking eggless group.Initially I was little sceptical as I had not tried baking a biscotti before.I used Flax seed as the egg replacer and the biscotti came out very well .The original recipe uses Orange Blossom water,a flavouring used in French and Middle eastern cuisine.I din't use Orange blossom water and also din't use any substitute for that.I just added a dash of extra vanilla and proceeded with the recipe. 
          I loved the mild orange flavour from the orange zest combined with the crunchy pista and soft apricots in between and the whole batch got emptied so quickly that I had to rush to take some photos.
          I just halved the ingredients from the original recipe and got around 15 biscotti plus few small pieces.Though the procedure sounds lengthy at first it is a simple recipe.Try it yourself and enjoy.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour	1 cup
Sugar	½ cup
Baking powder	1/2 tsp + a pinch
Salt	A pinch
Butter	50 gm(1/4 cup)
Orange zest	1 tblsp
Vanilla essence	1 tsp
Flax seed powder	1 tblsp
Pistachio	½ cup
Apricot chopped	½ cup

Method:

• Mix flax seed powder with 3 tablespoon warm water in a bowl and keep aside.
• Preheat oven to 180 °C.
• Sift Flour,salt and baking powder.
• Take the sugar in a bowl and rub orange zest to it till the sugar becomes moist.
• Take the butter(room temperature) and the sugar in a mixing bowl and beat well using an electric beater till fluffy.
• Add the vanilla essence and the prepared flax seed liquid and beat well for 2 mins.
• Now add the sifted flour to this and beat till it is just combined.Don't over beat. 
• Add the pista and chopped apricots and mix gently.
• I divided the mixture to two parts.Form two logs and slightly flatten using wet fingers.
• Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 180°C for 25 mins till it turns slightly golden and is firm to touch.
• Cool on the sheet for 10 mins.Transfer to a cutting board and slice them into 1/2 inch pieces diagonally.Arrange the pieces with cut side down on the baking sheet and bake again at 170 °C for about 15 mins till they turn crispy.
• Once done cool completely and store in air-tight container.

Corn flakes Mixture

I like to make snacks which is healthy as well as easy to prepare.This Cornflakes mixture is one such snack which is different from the regular mixture which is deep-fried.Here I have roasted all the ingredients using minimum oil.Try it and am sure you will like it too.

Ingredients:

Corn flakes	½ cup
Poha(Rice flakes) Thin/Medium variety	½ cup
Peanuts	¼ cup
Roasted gram dhal(pottukadalai)	2 tblsp
Golden raisins(kismis)	2 tblsp
Curry leaves	Few
Salt	as needed
Chilli powder	as needed
Turmeric powder	A pinch
Asafoetida	A pinch
Oil	3 tsp

Method:

• Heat a pan and add 1 tsp oil and add the Poha(rice flakes/Aval) first.Spread it out evenly and fry till they pop up a bit and turn slightly golden.Transfer to a plate.
• Add 1/2 tsp oil and fry the cornflakes in the same way till they puff up a bit.Transfer to a plate.
• Add little oil and fry the peanuts and keep aside.
• Fry the Raisins till they plump up and keep aside.
• Finally add 1 tsp oil and add the roasted Gram dhal followed by Asafoetida and chopped curry leaves.Once the Gram dhal is roasted add all the previously roasted items Poha,cornflakes,peanuts,raisins.Add salt,chilli powder,turmeric powder and mix well.Corn flakes mixture is ready.Store in an air-tight container.

Note:

• Roasting in a Fry pan is easy than roasting in a kadai as the fry pan has flat surface we can roast them quickly and evenly.
• Adding cashewnuts or other nuts is optional.I din't add any.I used store bought cornflakes (kellogs) regular one.