Beetroot Kheer/Beetroot Payasam

Ingredients:

Beetroot - 1 cup, grated

Milk - 1 1/2 cups

Sugar - 1/4 cup, adjust according to taste

Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp

Cashews - 2 tsps, broken

Ghee - 1 tbspn

Method:

Heat ghee in a pan and roast the cashews till golden brown. Set aside. In the same pan add the grated beetroot and saute till it gets cooked (approximately 8 minutes). Cool down and grind them in a mixer. Now add the pureed beetroot to the pan. Add the milk and sugar. Simmer and let it cook for few minutes. Switch off the stove and add the cardamom powder. Garnish with the roasted cashews. Serve it hot or cold.

Marble Cake

Serves 10

Inspired from here

Ingredients:
Semisweet Chocolate - 5 ounces (140 grams)
All Purpose Flour - 2 1/4 cups
Baking Powder - 2 1/2 tsps
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Unsalted Butter - 3/4 cup at room temperature
Granulated White Sugar - 1 1/4 cups
Eggs - 3 large at room temperature
Vanilla Extract - 1 1/2 tsps
Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt - 1/3 cup at room temperature
Milk - 1/2 cup at room temperature

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the rack in center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick spray, a 10 inch (25 cm) bundt or tube pan. 

In a heatproof bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and sour cream.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk to the batter, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Remove a little more than half of the batter and place into a separate bowl. To the remaining batter stir, or beat, in the melted chocolate. Place the batters into the prepared bundt pan by alternating spoonfuls of vanilla batter with the chocolate batter. Then, with the end of a wooden skewer or knife, gently draw swirls through the batter to marbleize it. Don't over mix.

Bake for about 35 - 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center just comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes before removing the cake from the pan to cool completely. Can dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder or powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature. This cake is best the day it's made, but it will keep for a couple of days at room temperature or it can be frozen.

Green Plaintain Burger

Ingredients:

Green Plaintain(boiled and mashed) - 1 1/2 cups(approx 1 big)

Potatoes(boiled and mashed) - 1/2 cup

Baking Powder - 1 tsp

Cashews - 1 tbspn(powdered)

Onion - 1/4 cup, chopped

Garlic - 1 clove, finely chopped

Green Chilies - 1, finely chopped

Red Chili Powder* - 1 tsp

Cilantro - 1 tbspn, chopped

Turmeric - a pinch

Salt as per taste

Oil - 1 tsp + more for cooking the patties

Burger Buns - 3

Lettuce - 3 leaves

Cheese Singles - 3

Cucumber - 9, cut into circles

Tomato - 9, cut into circles

*Omit this if you are using Green Chilies.

Method:

Heat a tsp of oil in a kadai and add the onions, garlic and green chilies(if using). Saute till the onions turn translucent. Switch it off. Now mix the sauteed onions, red chili powder(if using), cilantro, turmeric and salt.

Divide the mixture into 3 patties(depending upon the size of the burger). 

Heat a kadai and cook the patties with little oil till golden brown on both sides.

Toast the burger. Place the patties, cheese, cucumber, tomato and lettuce and serve it with tomato ketchup.