WOYP Day #66 Vanilla Custard Cookies

Custard is one of my favorite cold desserts, as a kid mom made it with fruit salad or with just bananas and I would go through a big bowl of it in no time! I always have a big can of the custard powder in my pantry for anytime the custard craving hits. A great use for this custard powder apart from making lip smacking Custard is in Cookies. Custard powder is basically flavored Corn starch. 

 Vanilla Custard Cookies

You will need:
Makes 16-18 cookies

3/4 cup All purpose flour
1 stick (113 gms) Unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp Vanilla Custard powder (I used Brown&Polson)
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1/3 cup powdered sugar 

*Substitute for Custard powder: 3 tbsp Cornstarch plus increase Vanilla extract to 1 tsp

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350F.

Cream the butter using an electric mixer or a whisk until smooth and lightened, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, beat/whisk to combine. Add the flour and custard powder and beat on low to combine. Use a spatula to bring the dough together. It will be a soft dough. 

Pinch off a tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Place on the parchment paper. Using a fork, gently flatten the ball to make a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are a light brown. Baking times vary from oven to oven so after the 11 minute mark, keep an eye on these cookies!

Baking these for the right amount of time is important to get a flaky, crispy yet melt-in-the mouth kind of cookie. If you under bake them, they will be soft and if you over bake them they will be hard with a rough bite to it. 

Remove from oven and cool on pan for 2 minutes. Gently remove to a cooling rack and cool completely. Store in an air-tight container for up to a week. 

The custard powder adds a rich vanilla flavor and a pleasant yellow hue to the cookies.

WOYP Day #65 Black Bean Burritos with Pineapple Salsa

Made these Black Bean Burritos last week for a quick dinner night. I've made Five-Layered Burritos before which has Black Beans, rice, cheese, tomatoes and corn. I was in a pinch for time hence these shortcut quick burritos. I also had fresh pineapple on hand so made a Pineapple Salsa, which I pretty much ate by the bowlful because it was that good!! Glad I made plenty. We also had Picco De Gallo and Guacamole. You can also pair it with this Mexican Salsa. A colorful healthy meal! 

Black Bean Burritos: 

You will need:

For the Burritos:

1 (8oz) can Black beans
1 tbsp Oil
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Red chili powder (adjust to taste)
Salt to taste
1/4 cup Yellow corn
1 tbsp Chopped Cilantro, plus more

Ready-to- cook Tortillas
1/2 cup grated Sharp Cheddar
2 tbsp Sour cream, whisked
Salsa (optional) 

For the Pineapple Salsa:

1 cup small chopped fresh Pineapple
1/4 cup chopped Red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped Red onion
1/2 fresh Jalapeño, chopped (adjust to taste)
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1/2 tsp Lemon juice
Chopped cilantro

Make the Salsa: Combine all the ingredients, cover and chill for 30 minutes to an hour. This will allow the flavors to come together. 

Make the Burrito Filling:

Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped onions and garlic, saute until soft. Add the chopped tomatoes and rinsed, drained black beans. Add the cumin powder, red chili powder and salt to taste. Combine and cook until tomatoes are soft and spices are fragrant. Stir in the corn and chopped cilantro. Combine well and turn off heat. Cool slightly.

Cook the Tortillas - I recently came across these Guerrero Fresqui- Ricas in Kroger -Tortillas that need to be cooked. They are easy to make, they puff up well, are light and fresh. Cook them as per package instructions. I used these for the Burritos this time, if you can’t find these Tortillas, use the regular flour or corn tortillas. 

Assemble the Burritos:

Spread little cheese on the tortilla. Place a few tablespoons of the filling over the cheese. Top with Salsa if using and a little bit of sour cream. Roll the tortilla to form a burrito. Serve warm with Pineapple Salsa, Pico De Gallo and Guacamole.

WOYP Day # 64 Thai Yellow Curry

Thai Yellow Curry is one of three major types of curries found in Thai cuisine. The other two being Panang curry and Green curry. Like the other Thai curries, this too is a combination of aromatics and spices. The cinnamon, cloves and chilies bring in the heat while the cilantro and peanuts balance the flavors. 

I recently bought a big can of organic, cold-pressed virgin coconut oil. Smells heavenly and reminded me of home back in Mysore, when dad used to get the dry coconut pressed to oil, fresh and pure!! It's not necessary to use coconut oil for this curry you can use any oil you have on hand. This was the first time I used Coconut oil in cooking.

Thai Yellow Curry
You will need:

For the Yellow curry Paste: 

1/2” piece Galangal (or Ginger)
6 cloves Garlic
1/4” piece Cinnamon
3 Cloves
2 green Cardamom
1/4 cup Cilantro with stems
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
3 dry red chilies (spicy variety, adjust to taste)
2 tbsp roasted peanuts, skinned
1 tbsp Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 cup Onion chopped
1 tsp Lime zest
2 tsp Lime juice 

2 tsp light brown sugar 

For the Curry:
1 (8 oz) can Coconut Milk
1 onion, cubed
2 Carrots, skinned and cut into 1” strips
6 Baby corn, cut into 1” pieces (fresh or canned)
10-12 Green beans, cut into 1” pieces
 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1” thin strips
2 tbsp Coconut oil (or Vegetable oil)
Salt to taste

Make a smooth thick paste of all the ingredients listed under the Yellow curry paste. Add water only as needed. 

Steam the carrots, beans and baby corn.

Heat the coconut oil in a large pan. Add the cubed onions and green bell pepper, sauté until done. Add the ground paste and sauté for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Now add the coconut milk, steamed veggies, brown sugar and salt to taste. Combine well and bring to a simmering boil. Simmer for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Turn off heat and serve hot with steamed Jasmine rice or any steamed rice. 

Fragrant, flavorful curry made for a hearty wholesome meal!

WOYP Day #63 2- ingredient Pizza Dough

I have simply lost count on the number of times I’ve made pizzas and burgers at home since March..since the time we’ve all been confined to our homes! We do order Pizza on occasion but for most part I’ve been whipping up different kinds of dough to keep my boys happy and go mmmm..that’s delicious pizza :D Dramatic indeed, but that’s what keeps my kitchen running..haha! 

Whole wheat pizza dough rates first but that does involve yeast and proofing the dough, and takes time, so when I’m in a rush I make this 2 ingredient Pizza dough. Yes you heard it right, all you need is simply 2 ingredients - Self Rising flour and plain Greek yoghurt!

 
It makes the most amazing thin crust pizzas, dough is ready in 8-10 minutes and the pizza bakes in 13-15 minutes so scrumptious pizzas are ready to dig into in less than 30 minutes!! That’s always a winner in the kitchen. This recipe has been around for years so I can't take credit for it, I did tweak the measurements though. 

Self Rising flour is flour that has salt and baking powder already added to it. If you are unable to buy it now where you live, you can make some by measuring out 1 cup All-purpose flour. To this add 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking powder and 1/2 tsp Salt. Stir to combine and use as needed. 

2-ingredient Pizza dough
You will need:

1 cup Plain Greek yoghurt (full-fat, fat free, 1%, anything works!)
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups Self rising Flour

Pizza sauce
Pizza toppings of choice 
Grated cheese
  
Tools:

1 large baking sheet
Cooking oil
Pastry brush

In a large bowl, add the greek yoghurt and 1 1/2 cups self rising flour. Using a wooden spatula or silicon spatula combine to form a soft slightly sticky dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. If the dough feels very sticky add more flour a tablespoon at a time until it forms a firmer dough. Knead the dough for a minute gently to form a soft ball of dough. 

 That’s it! The dough is ready to roll out and bake!!

Preheat oven to 425F.

Using a pastry brush generously grease the baking pan with oil. Oil helps crisp up the dough as well as in easy removal from the baking pan. Normally I use Semolina but with this dough oil works best. So don’t skip that!

Divide the dough into 4 portions. Roll out each piece into a thin circle. At this point any shape is fine!! Don’t stress over the circles. I was able to make two pizzas at the same time on one sheet.

Spread pizza sauce (I use a combination of marinara & ketchup). Spread a layer of grated Mozzarella or any pizza cheese of your choice. Top with veggies - I used thinly sliced onions, mini sweet peppers, green bell pepper and thinly sliced baby corn (canned), and some yellow corn too since the kids insisted! :D Spread little more cheese on top, a generous sprinkle of oregano and chili flakes. 

Place in the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes until the cheese is melted and the edges are nice and crisp. Baking time depends on your oven so keep an eye after 12 minutes.

Remove from oven, slice and serve!! 

  
The quickest pizza you will ever make and eat and the best part is its not frozen!!