Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet Potato fries are one of my favorite small appetizers I love to munch on. They were on my to do list for a long time & the time has come for me to experiment a healthy version of these at home. I saw many recipes but one caught my eye with the crispy texture I'm looking for. Baked sweet potato fries are tend to get soft in texture. Then I came across a recipe suggested adding corn starch for a crispier texture. The end result was satisfying as they were crispier out side & softer inside. One thing I would love to change the next time I'm making this fries is cutting them a little thicker than I have done here. Other than that they were perfectly good to munch on without any guilt. 

Prep Time-10mins 
Cook Time -30mins 
Serves-2people
Ingredients
2Big sweet potatoes
1Tbs corn starch
1Garlic grated / 2Tsp garlic powder 
1Tsp cumin powder {Coarsely grind} 
1Tsp chili powder
2Tbs oil 
Salt 
Directions 

- Pre-heat oven @350 degrees. Layer a cookie sheet with foil & keep aside.
- Wash & peel sweet potatoes. Wipe them with a cloth before slicing them. Cut them in lengthwise as see above. 
- Take a zip lock bag & add in sliced sweet potatoes to it. 
- Add in corn starch & lock it. Now shake it to coat corn starch evenly to slices. 
- Next add in garlic, cumin powder, chili powder, oil & salt. Lock the bag & shake it well. Make sure all are coated very well.
- Now transfer them to baking sheet & layer them neatly, while leaving space in between. 
- Bake them @350 degrees for 15-20mins. Remove from oven reverse the fries. 
- Again bake them for 5-10mins & remove them from oven. 
- Cool them off a bit & serve with a ketchup or your choice of dip. 
Note
- You can use your choice of spice mix to flavor it up. 
- Baking time varies from oven to oven. So check in between to avoid burning them.
- Make sure you are cutting bigger pieces rather than thin slices.

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Baked Asparagus

Baked Asparagus is a simple yet healthy snack to enjoy. Asparagus is a good source of dietary fiber & lot of other nutrients which benefit your health. This veggie can be made a part of our daily healthy diets & enjoy the goodness of this veggie. I generally stir fry this veggie in a stove top method, but some time when the oven is heating up I love baking them too. 
Enjoy this healthy dish!!!

Prep Time-5mins 
Cook Time-15mins 
Serves-2people
Ingredients
20 or a small bunch of asparagus
A generous grind of black pepper powder / 1/4Tsp chili powder
2Tbs parmesan cheese
Pinch of salt
1Tbs oil
Lemon juice {Optional}
Directions
- Pre-heat oven @350 degrees.
- Wash & dry asparagus on a towel.
- Cut the tough ends of asparagus & take them in to a bowl.
- Add in pepper powder, cheese, salt & oil. Mix them thoroughly before laying on a baking sheet.
- Add them to baking sheet & bake them for 15mins or more.
- Remove them from oven & cool them before serving.
- Sprinkle little lemon juice & serve them.

For a stove top method stir fry follow the below recipe. It is easy as the baked version too.

Asparagus Fry

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Sun-dried Tomato Pinwheels

Me and my blogger friends are starting on a month long journey with "Fire Up Your Oven All This April". Enjoy the delicious baked recipes I will be sharing here & do visit the other bloggers too for awesome recipes. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 51.

Pinwheels have been on my to do list for a longtime. Snacks are made very occasionally at home & I got an opportunity of making this snack for world cup series. We totally enjoyed them with sun-dried tomato filling along with generous amount of cheese to make you tempt for more. The store bought pastry sheets with make the job much easier & the filling can be of your choice so be creative & greedy about the fillings. 

Prep Time-40mins {Thawing the pastry sheet + making pinwheels}
Cook Time-15to20mins
Serves- 18 to 20 pinwheels {Depends on the shape of puff pastry}
Ingredients
3Square shaped puff pastry sheets thawed
1Cup cheddar cheese
1/2Cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
1/4Cup chopped cilantro & spring onions
1Egg + 1Tbs water
1Tsp black pepper
1/4Tsp salt
1/4Cup all-purpose flour to roll
Directions

- Pre-heat oven @350 degrees.
- Break egg in to a bowl & mix it well with water. Keep aside.
- Dust the surface with little flour & roll the pastry sheet a little to flatten the layers.
- Brush the sheet with egg mixture.
- Sprinkle the cheese as needed. Then add in sun dried tomatoes, cilantro & spring onion.
- Roll the sheet & cut them in circles.
- Arrange them on a baking sheet leaving a little space in between.
- Bake for 15mins or more as needed till the outer layer turns to light brown in color.
- Remove from oven & allow them to cool on counter top.
- Serve with a ketchup or as they are.
Note
- Baking time varies from oven to oven. Do adjust accordingly.

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Paneer Pakora

Pakoras/Fritters are a easy to make snack. With a mix of few simple ingredients you can make any kind of pakora in minutes. You can use you choice of veggies in making pakoras. Onion pakora, aloo pakora, plantain pakora, eggplant pakora & few more are the most common one's. But you don't have to limit them just to veggies & can sure enjoy them with paneer, tofu or any choice of your meat too.
I made these paneer pakoras as a evening snack & they turned out to be awesome. The spices & lemon juice sure make this pakora's tempting. Pakora's don't need any side chutneys, but if you want you can enjoy them with ketch up, green chutney or any side dip of you choice. 
For this week theme on BM we are showcasing "North Indian Party Starters". I'm starting this marathon with "Paneer Tikka" recipe. Enjoy the dishes & don't miss the update. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 47.

Prep Time-10mins 
Cook Time-15mins 
Serves-4people 
Ingredients 
20Bite size paneer pieces 
Oil for deep frying
For Batter
3Tbs gram flour 
1&1/2Tbs rice flour
3Tbs water 
1/2Tsp lemon juice
2Tsp chili powder {adjust as needed}
2Tsp ginger garlic paste 
1Tsp coriander powder 
2Drops red food color
Salt to taste 
Directions 
- In a bowl take all the batter ingredients other than water.  Mix them all with 3tbs water  to a smooth thick paste. Adjust salt & chili powder if needed.
- Heat a deep pan with oil.  Add a drop of batter & it should lift back immediately. Oil is ready for frying.
- Roll paneer pieces in the batter & coat them well around with it. 
- Drop in the batter coated pieces one by one as many as the pan fits. 
- Fry them on both sides to crisp. Remove pakoras on to a paper towel layered plate. 
- Add in the next batch off paneer pieces & repeat the same. 
- Serve them with finely sliced onions & chopped coriander leaves. 
Note
- While frying don't overload the pan with battered pieces. Leave them some space to fry all around. 
- You can totally skip food color in the batter. Pakora will look dark yellow in color instead of red. 
- Replace paneer pieces with your choice of veggie to make some delicious pakoras. 

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Green Peas Cutlets

Green Peas Cutlets are a easy to make snack or appetizer. They can be served as a party starter or can be enjoyed as a teatime snack too. Cutlets can be deep-fried or can be pan-fried, so in this recipe I pan-fried them to keep them light on tummy with no compromise in taste. So here I'm sharing a simple recipe for yummy cutlets, which will make your taste buds happy. 

For this week theme on BM we are showcasing "North Indian Party Starters". I'm starting this marathon with "Paneer Tikka" recipe. Enjoy the dishes & don't miss the update. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 47.

Prep Time-30mins
Cook Time-15mins
Serves-10Cutlets, 5People
Ingredients 
2Small potatoes 
1Big carrot finely chopped 
1/2Cup green peas
1Onion Finely chopped 
3Garlic cloves minced 
15Mint leaves chopped 
1/4Cup breadcrumbs + 1/4Cup breadcrumbs to coat the patties
1Tsp chili powder {adjust as needed}
2Tsp garam masala 
2Tsp amchur powder 
Salt to taste 
1Tbs oil
Oil for frying cutlets {pan frying}
Directions 
- Steam boil potatoes. Peel the skin off & keep them aside.
- Heat a pan with 1tbs oil. To that add onions & garlic mince. Cook them till onions are little soft. 
- Add in carrots & green peas to pan. Stir them with onions & cook them on low heat with a closed lid for 10mins. If carrots are cooked perfectly then switch off heat or cook for few more until carrots are cooked. Switch off heat & allow them to cool.
- In a bowl add potatoes, veggie mix & mint leaves. Smash them to a smooth paste with no lumps. 
- Add in 1/4cup breadcrumbs, chili powder, garam masala, amchur powder & enough salt. Mix them well & balance the salt & chili powder if needed. Divide the mix in to 10 equal balls. 
- Take 1/4cup of breadcrumbs in a bowl. Now take a ball of mix & press it to get a circle shape. Coat it with the breadcrumbs on both sides. Repeat the same with rest of the balls.
- Mean while heat pan with little oil. Place the patties in frying pan as many as it fits & cook them on each side till they are little crisp. 
- Remove them on to a plate & repeat with rest of them. 
- Enjoy this cutlets along with ketchup, green chutney, sweet mango chutney or any of your choice one's. 
Note
- Add in a 1Tsp of cumin coriander powder for much added flavor. 
- I used extra hot chili powder, so adjust the chili powder as needed.
- I added the breadcrumbs to make stiff patties. 

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Paneer Tikka

For this week theme on BM we are showcasing "North Indian Party Starters". I'm starting this marathon with "Paneer Tikka" recipe. Enjoy the dishes & don't miss the update. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 47.

Paneer Tikka is a delicious appetizer or a starter dish for any kind of occasion. I made a individual piece tikka's, which are easy to serve. Paneer tikka's are basically made in tandoori oven's when they are served at restaurants & not having a tandoori oven will not stop one to make them at home. Few easy ways to make them are you can pan fry them on stovetop, grill them in oven & can also barbecue them to attain the restaurant style taste. Marinating time plays a big role in making delicious tasting tikka's. The longer the veggies & paneer sit in marinade the better they taste.

Prep Time-45mins {marinade+prepping}
Cook Time-10-15mins
Serves-4to6people 
Pairs well with mint chutney, sweet mango chutney or green chutney.
Ingredients 
12Big pieces of paneer cut in cubes 
1Small chopped in to big pieces 
1bell pepper chopped in to big pieces 
For marinade
1Cup thick curd 
1&1/2Tsp chili powder
1Tsp chat masala powder 
1Tsp garam masala powder
1/2Tsp turmeric
Salt to taste 
12New toothpicks
Directions 
- In a bowl mix all the marinade ingredients. Adjust salt & spice's if needed. 
- Add in chopped veggies & paneer. Mix the well & make sure the marinade has covered the veggies & paneer. Allow it to sit for minimum of 30mins & it can extend up to 2hrs. 
- Screw veggies & paneer as shown in the picture. I used 2onion's, one paneer piece & capsicum. Repeated the pattern with rest of the ingredients. 
- Heat a non-stick pan & slightly oil it. Add the screw's to pan one by one & leave some space in between for them to cook perfectly.
- Rotate the skewers to evenly cook them on all sides. Once they are cooked perfectly, add rest of the skewers to pan & cook them perfectly on all sides. 
- Paneer tikka's are ready to serve. 
Note 
- You can add cumin coriander powder to the spice mix for an added flavor.

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