Strawberry Shortcake Coffee Cake

This cake is from a recipe of Laura in the Kitchen. It smells just like strawberries. The cake, and the strawberries in it, just melt in your mouth. I never made strawberry cake before, and am glad I tried this one! 

As I can't have butter (too rich), I used instead a combination of coconut and corn oils for the cake, and coconut oil in the topping. In place of sour cream (also too rich for me), I used thick, creamy, whole-milk yogurt. I made the cake in an 8-inch glass baking dish, and when I thought the dish had enough batter, the rest went into a smaller glass container for baking. That's why this cake looks different, height-wise, than the original.

Laura in the Kitchen Website, Strawberry Shortcake Coffee Cake 

Laura in the Kitchen YouTube, Strawberry Shortcake Coffee Cake

Laura in the Kitchen Facebook

 Apple Strudel

Throwback to: this Apple Strudel from last Dec. 6th. At that time, I put an extra strudel in the freezer. A couple days ago, I took out that strudel, brushed it with egg wash, and baked it at the same temperature as before, but for a bit longer. Even after being in the freezer, it was still so delicious! It put a smile on my face, and reminded me of my grandma and her mom.

Fresh Strawberries 

(sprinkled with sugar and cornstarch)

These are leftovers from a strawberry cake I made yesterday afternoon. However, I decided the cake would not be cool enough to eat, before nightfall. I thought it would look nicer, photographed in the daylight. Hence, these strawberries are here for today. I know what I'd like to make with them, and if it works out, I'll share a photo here soon. Yay, strawberries! 

Sooji/Suji/Rava Cheela

(Indian Savory Cream of Wheat Griddlecake)

This is based on a recipe from Priya Vantalu on YouTube.  A cheela is an Indian griddlecake, sort of like a crepe. The photo shows how I topped it with some leftover Baingan Bharta (Indian mashed roasted eggplant and tomato). Quite yummy. 

This version contains sooji/rava (like Cream of Wheat), plain yogurt, fresh ginger, dried cilantro, salt, and baking soda, as well as the last of the leftover bhaji veggies from the other day (tomato, onion, and green bell pepper). I mixed the sooji, yogurt, and water together, and left it for two hours (longer than in the recipe), as I hoped that would make a lighter batter. I then added all the other ingredients, and cooked it with as little oil as I could get away with. (I still wanted it to be tasty and somewhat crispy; I just can't eat too much rich food.)

Priya Vantalu YouTube, Sooji Cheela Recipe

Dalia 

(Cream of Rice Porridge 

with Dried Apricots)

This is based on a breakfast porridge from the Northwest Frontier area, now in Pakistan. The recipe is from Julie Sahni in Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking. She says that the dish is usually made with an untreated cracked wheat, and suggests a substitute of bulger cracked wheat (which also cooks more quickly). As I can't have either, I used Cream of Rice, instead. The other ingredients I used are: coconut oil (instead of butter), milk, water, dried apricots, brown sugar (instead of jaggery), and ground almonds. I drizzled some honey on the dish in the photo, as well as sprinkled on a little cardamom. Sahni refers to its "lovely milk-fudge aroma," while I noticed the milk-fudge-y flavor. Yum! Good any time of the day, for a sweet and satisfying meal. 

Matzah Upma (South Indian Savory Porridge)

Upma is a South Indian savory dish made with sooji (like Cream of Wheat), or you can make it with sevai (noodles). I have also made it with Cream of Rice, and seen recipes for bread upma. This time, I thought I'd experiment with a matzah version. Aside from matzah, it includes oil, mustard seeds, a little each of channa dal and urad dal, salt, onion, green bell pepper, tomato, and green peas; served with a squeeze of lemon juice. I was glad to find that it tasted just like upma! 

Mumbai Masala Matzah/Matzah Bhaji 

(Indian Snack Sandwich with Spiced Veggies)

This recipe is based on Rekha Kakkar's Mumbai Masala Pav [Pav Bhaji] recipe, as seen in her recent Instagram post. This was a very quick and simple way to prepare the veggies, with matzah used here as a substitute for the pav (roll). I did have to use oil instead of butter (too rich) to cook the veggies, but ventured to try a little coconut oil for the actual "sandwich" with the matzah. I liked the results, and hope to try this again soon, either with pav rolls, or with any other kind of bread which I have handy. 

@rekhakakkar Instagram, Mumbai Masala Pav video

Rekha Kakkar Photography Facebook