Mini Cherry Pizzas

How many of you have heard of Rainier cherries? Not me!! When my son and I had been shopping last week at Sam's ,the store lady was giving out these Rainier cherries to sample. She simply put two fleshy cherries in a tooth pick and handed over to us. The cherries felt soft to the touch. The cherries were mostly red and partly golden yellow. More than me, my son was quite excited to taste them. OK we did taste.They tasted plenty sweet , little bit tart but majorly sweet. So we purchased a 2lb box for $5.88 which is quite cheap when compared to retail , where it costs 5 to 6 dollars a pound. But they are worth every single penny. It's July and it is indeed RAINIER CHERRY season!!!! Common Guys you gotta give this a try!!!

Ingredients

English muffins -3
tomato sauce - 6oz
shredded cheese - a handful for each slice.
cherries- 6( I used rainier cherries)
spring onion -1 (thinly sliced)
salt/pepper - to taste



Method

1. Slice muffins in half.
2. Apply about a tablespoon of tomato sauce or pizza sauce onto each slice.
3. Top with loads of shredded cheese. I used a mixed variety.
4. Garnish with spring onions and cut cherries. If you like,you can also top with onions and green peppers for a simple taste,but addition of cherries gives a sweet twist to the pizza.
5. Season with lots of salt and pepper.
6. Bake in a 350 F oven for 20 min or until done.

Cracked Wheat Upma or Godhuma Ravai Upma

Cracked wheat or Godhumai Ravai ( Tamil) is a product made from crushing raw whole wheat kernels. These kernels are also known as wheat berries or just call them the seeds of the wheat plant. There are 6 classes and 30,000 varieties of wheat. There are 3 parts that make up the wheat. They are the endosperm, the bran and the wheat germ. The endosperm is the largest part of the kernel . It takes up like 80% of the kernel's mass and it is a large storage area of starch from which wheat flour is made up of. The bran is the outer coat of the kernel .There is a good source of fiber in it. It comprises like 14.5% of kernel's mass. The wheat bran is included in whole wheat flour and healthy breakfast cereals in the form of wheat flakes.The wheat germ is the embryo of the wheat plant from which springs new life.It makes about 2.5% of the kernel and it is also included in the whole wheat flour.

Info Source

http://www.library.thinkquest.org/

Ingredients

cracked wheat - 1 1/2 cups

onion - 1 big

g.chillies - 5

frozen tamarind paste - 1 tblsp( this looks like crushed tamarind ice)

water - 3 cups

Seasoning

mustard - 1 tsp

urad dhal - 1 1/2 tsp

channa dhal - 1 1/2 tsp

hing - little

curry leaves - a sprig

Garnish

grated fresh coconut - 1 tblsp

Method

In a stock pot add some oil. Once hot, add the seasonings one by one. Then add chillies and the finely cut onions. Add some turmeric powder and a tsp of salt. Fry well. Now add the slushy, icy tamarind and just saute for a bit till the raw smell is gone. Time to pour the water. Cover and boil for 10 min. Once the water is bubbling hot, add the cracked wheat and mix nicely. In about 5 minutes, the Upma will be ready. Now garnish with fresh coconut. While serving, add a spoon of ghee(clarified butter) to the steaming hot Upma for that special taste. Serve along with coconut chutney!!

I would love to SUBMIT this recipe to the "Show me your breakfast" event.

!!!!!Happy Independence Day to all my Readers!!!!!

Spinach and BlackBean Gravy

This recipe has been inspired by Nupur of OneHotStove.

It is quite a terrific recipe. Except for the canned tomatoes ,

VERY much tempting Goldie's Channa masala and famous black channa, I have used all of your other ingredients. I may have adjusted the method a bit too. Thanks a tonne!!!! I just can't wait to try other recipes of yours.

Gravy
Saute the onions and garlic till golden brown.

Blanch the juicy tomatoes (6 roma) in the microwave until skin peels off for about 6 to 7 min. Now blend all these 3 in the mixie to a thick paste after they cool.

Curry
In another pot, add the onions saute till golden brown.Now add salt( a tsp),turmeric and a spoon of spicy meat masala powder.

Fry for a min , add spinach and saute until spinach is completely wilted.

Now add the tangy onion tomato gravy to the pan.

Let simmer for few min and finally add half a can of smooth and shiny black beans.

Yummy gravy ready to be served with chappathis or curd rice!! Enjoy!!!