Nasuha Blog

This past week, I was little busy with my daughter's birthday. It was a unicorn themed birthday. I will make a post about it some other time. Nowadays Ramadhan fasting is going on in full swing. At home, my mom makes delicious, mouthwatering appetizers for iftar. It would be a nice gathering of family members during iftar.



Here in the US, I will be trying to make daily different varieties of dishes during iftar time. One among them is this potato and quinoa cakes. I got the recipe from Healthy Living James, which has a collection of healthy and nutritious food, which I like to google always. The recipes on the blog are so simple and less time-consuming.


These potatoes and quinoa cakes are so easy to make. Boil the quinoa and potatoes, mix them along with the spices and bake them till done. A healthy and delicious snack will be ready within minutes.
Ingredients:

1. Boiled Quinoa- 1/2 Cup
2. Boiled Potatoes- 3 nos
3. Onions(chopped)- 2 nos
4. Garlic (minced)- 4nos
5. Olive Oil- 3tbsp
6. Paprika- 1tsp
7. Red Chilli Flakes- 2tsp
8. Lemon Juice- 1
9. Cilantro- handful
10. Salt- as required

Method:

1. Add oil to a pan, saute the chopped onions and garlic till translucent. Add the paprika, chili flakes.
2. Meanwhile mash the potatoes in a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients along with the above-made d onions- garlic mixture. Mix well, shape in the form of patties.
3. Arrange them in a baking tray, spray some olive oil on top and bake for about 40 minutes. Flip in between. Enjoy the yogurt dip.

Yogurt Dip:

1. Yogurt- 1 Cup
2. Lemon Juice- 1/2 lime
3. Chilli Flakes- 2 Tsp
4. Cilantro- few
5. Salt- as required

Method:

• Mix everything and serve.

Amaranth leaves are power packed with lots and lots of vitamins, minerals, iron and so on. These greens form an integral part of Indian Cuisine. As these leaves are loaded with nutrients and proteins, I will make sure to include these greens in almost everything I make.
Amaranth leaves also called as Cheera in our language is a staple green at our place. My mom makes different varieties of dishes with these greens. Because of that, I like them a lot in any form. When we came to the US, these greens were seldom in Indian stores. But when we get this, I buy then in a bulk and so I will wash and chop them and keep it in airtight containers in the refrigerator.  My friends who are close to me, know very well about my love for greens.


Recently for a get-together, I thought of making cutlets using these leaves.  I made these cutlets for the first time, which turned out delicious and my friends liked them a lot. 
Sauting these leaves along with spices and mixing with boiled potatoes, which is then dipped in maida batter and bread crumbs, fried to a nice golden color. is the way to make perfect and scrumptious patties which I think you all might like to try. Let me know how it turned out.


Ingredients:

1. Amaranth Leaves (chopped)- 2 Cups
2.  Potatoes (Boiled and Mashed)- 3/4 Cup
3. Oil- 1 tbsp
4. Onions( chopped)- 1 no
5. Ginger and Garlic Paste- 1 tbsp
6. Red Cilli powder- 1 Tsp
7. Turmeric powder- 1 Tsp
8. Garam Masala Powder- 1 Tsp
9. Salt- as required
10. All-Purpose Flour- 1 tbsp
11. Water- 1/4 Cup
12. Bread Crumbs- 1 Cup
13. Oil- 4- 5 tbsp (for shallow frying)

Method:

1. Mix the Maida in water without any lumps and keep this aside. Spread the bread crumbs on a plate for later use.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped onions and stir fry till it turns translucent. Add the ginger- garlic paste along with the chopped amaranth leaves. Mix well.
3. Add all the powders along with required amount of salt. Saute well till the leaves get cooked. For about 10 minutes on low flame.
4. Transfer this to a mixing bowl along with boiled potatoes. Mix till everything gets well blended.
5. Shape them in the form of patties. Dip each pattie in the maida batter and press them on the bread crumbs and shallow fry them in oil on a low flame till golden color on both the sides.