Spicy Paneer pizza with pesto sauce

Let us first make our pesto sauce before we put other ingredients together for our spicy paneer pizza.
Wash two cups of basil leaves, washed and dried.  Put in the grinder, add 1/2 cup of olive oil, add 3 tablespoons of walnuts, 2 cloves of garlic, juice of one lemon, 1/4 cup cheddar cheese(grated) and  black pepper.  Once this sauce is made store it in a box in the refrigerator.

When I realised that mozarella cheese is very fattening, I thought about ways to make my pizza healthy without compromising the taste.  So I started using cheddar cheese and spicy paneer as a topping for my pizza.

For paneer topping:
In a big pan, put 2 litres of milk to boil.  Just before it boils add lemon juice or white vinegar( about 2 tblsp) to curdle the milk.  Strain the curdled milk through a muslin cloth to allow all whey and moisture to drain.  Hang it on a kitchen sink tap.  Once water drains, put it under weight for an hour or so to set this in a block.  Once block is set, cut paneer into small cubes and put it aside.  In the meanwhile, take a heavy skillet, heat a tsp of oil, add a tsp of cumin seeds to splutter, add one big diced onion and one green pepper(optional).  When onion turn light pink, add salt to taste and a tsp of coriander powder and 1/2 tsp of lemon pepper.  Now add paneer cubes to it and saute for a minute or so.  
Now put aside some diced onions, tomatoes, green pepper(bell pepper), black olives and grated cheddar cheese.
Putting Pizza together for baking:
Take a wheat flour nan, spread some pesto sauce on it. 

Add paneer mix, grated cheddar, diced onions, tomatoes, green pepper and olives on the pesto basted pizza base.

Now bake in the pre heated 400 degree F oven( or 250 degree C) for 12 minutes.

This afternoon we had this pizza for lunch.  My husband who is not too generous with complements said: "Wow, this pizza tastes excellent."

So try this home made pizza and surprise your family and friends.






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Whear Flour Nan(Indian Bread)

Ingredients:
2cups wheat flour, 1 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp sugar, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp any cooking oil,  1/2 cup yogurt(plain), 1/2 cup or little less warm milk, butter or oil for brushing nan, chopped garlic, parsley or chives for sprinkling on the top.
Method:
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a big bowl.
Make a well in the centre and add oil and yogurt. Add half of milk and mix everything to form a ball.  Here see if more milk is needed.  Dough needs to be soft so that if you poke your finger into the dough, it should leave an indentation.  Knead for about 7 to 9 minutes.
Keep covered in a warm place for 2 hours.  Although dough will rise a little but it won't be double as that happens only with yeast.
Heat a heavy bottom skillet.  Divide dough into three balls.  Roll each ball into a round shape.  (if you want to use nan with some vegetable mix  you may divide the dough into six balls and roll each ball into a teardrop shape.)  Since I use this nan as a base for my pizza I make it big and round.
Sprinkle whatever garnish or leave it plain.  Brush other side of nan with water and place the water side down onto the skillet.  Cover with a lid.  After a minute when the top of the nan starts bubbling, cook the other side on the direct flame or in the same skillet.  Brush with ghee and enjoy.

Coriander the anti inflammatory spice

Coriander is a warm, spicy and flavorful spice.  In India, coriander is used as a curry spice and a main ingredient in cooking.  It has also gained a reputation as an aphrodisiac.  Ayurvedic healers used it to treat digestive complaints, allergies and urinary problems.

 

Coriander arrived in China from India during the Han dynasty (207 B.C. to A.D. 220).  At that time it was used for enhancing lovemaking.  Modern Chinese herbalists use it to treat dysentery, measles and hemorrhoids.

Hippocrates and other Greek and Roman physicians recommended coriander as a digestive aid and gas remedy.  The Romans also used coriander as a meat preservative.

Coriander seeds candy was popular in 16^th century England and it is said Queen Elizabeth (First) loved these candies.  This center hard candy evolved into modern day jaw breaker candy.

Some studies indicate coriander helps settle the stomach although some other spices like caraway seeds are certainly more effective even though coriander is tastier than caraway.

The Romans believed that coriander is a meat preservative as it contains substances that kill certain bacteria, fungi and insect larvae which attack meats.  That is probably the reason that coriander is used in marinating meat and poultry.  To support this, if you put coriander powder on a minor cut, after it has been thoroughly washed, it will work as a healing ointment.

One study shows that coriander has an anti-inflammatory action, suggesting it might help relieve arthritis.

Coriander belongs to the Umbelliferae family and other herbs of this family are carrots and parsley.  Its botanical name is Coriandrum sativum.  Its seeds as well as its lush green leaves are used in food, although its leaves are called cilantro.

Lemon cake that melts in mouth

Big juicy seedless lemons were growing in our front yard so could not resist the temptation of making something lemony with it, hence,  I baked this lemon cake with lemon glaze on the top.  We had some visitors over.  When I served this cake with tea, I got complements like" this cake melts in the mouth" or "the best cake ever eaten" etc etc.  Here is my recipe of the same lemon cake.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of all purpose white flour, 2 tsp of baking powder, a pinch of salt, 4 large eggs, 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup butter(room temperature) or any vegetale cooking oil, 1/2 cup milk, 1 tsp grated lemon zest.
Method:
Sift white flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl beat  sugar, butter (or oil), milk.  When it blends well, add eggs and beat till very creamy.  Now mix white flour mixture( one table spoon at a time) into the liquid mixture and blend well with a wooden spatula.  At the end add lemon zest. Grease a cake pan and  bake in the 300 degrees F or 180 degrres C for 40 minutes or till the wooden stick comes out clean.  Let it cool for an hour or two.  In the meanwhile make a lemon glaze.
Ingredients for glaze:
1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 1/2 tsp corn starch
Method for glaze:
In a small saucepan mix all the ingredients, stir until well blended.  Over medium heat cook until it begins to thicken. Reduce heat, simmer one minute and pour over the cake.  When it is set, serve with tea or coffee.

Clove a great antioxidant

Clove is the bud of a highly aromatic tropical evergreen tree.  When you enter your dentist’s office, you might smell varied things but chances are clove oil is one of the most powerful smells on the shelf.  It is an oral anesthetic and dentists use it to disinfect root canals.

Ayurvedic healers in India have used clove since ancient times to treat respiratory and digestive ailments.  During the Han dynasty (207B.C. to A.D. 220) those who addressed the Chinese emperor were required to put cloves in their mouths to mask the bad breath.  Traditional Chinese doctors used cloves to treat indigestion, diarrhea, hernia, ringworm, athlete’s foot and other such fungal infections.  In medieval Germany, herbalist Hildegard used clove in her anti-gout mixture. 

During the 19^th century, American physicians were the first to extract clove oil from the

herbal buds and they used it on the gums to relieve toothache.  Modern herbalists use cloves for digestive complaints and its oil for toothache.  Clove oil is the active ingredient in many mouth washes.  Clove oil is about 75 percent eugenol, which is the source of its anesthetic and antiseptic properties.

Japanese researchers have discovered that cloves contain antioxidants.  Antioxidants help prevent the cell damage that scientists believe eventually causes cancer.

It has been proved that clove kills intestinal parasites and exhibits antimicrobial properties against fungi and bacteria.  Probably that’s the reason clove has been used as a treatment for diarrhea, intestinal worms and other digestive ailments since ages.

For temporary relief of toothache prior to visiting your dentist, dip a cotton swab in clove oil and apply it to the affected tooth and gum.  After having starchy food, if you feel the acid reflex, put two or three cloves in your mouth and suck on them slowly.

Clove belongs to the Myrtaceae family and other members of this family are myrtle and eucalyptus.  Its botanical name is Eugenia caryophyllata and is also known as Clavos.

Its flower buds are used when they dry.  Tanzania produces about 80 percent of the world’s supply of cloves.  Cloves also grow in Indonesia, Brazil, Sri Lanka and West Indies.

Cinnamon the oldest healer

We use cinnamon powder in breads, cookies, cakes, hot apple cider and of course in our vegetables and rice dishes.  But cinnamon is not only a sweet spice; it is world’s oldest healer.

Cinnamon grew originally in southern Asia.  Indian Ayurvedic healers used cinnamon for fever, diarrhea and as an antiseptic on minor cuts and scrapes.  Ancient Chinese herbalist used it as early as 2700B.C.  This aromatic herb was introduced to Egyptians by Asian travelers who readily made this part of their healing herbs.  Greek and Romans adopted cinnamon for its aromatic and medicinal properties.  The 12^th century German herbalist,

Hildegard, recommended cinnamon as “the universal spice for sinuses” to treat cold and flu.

Modern herbalists recommend cinnamon to relieve nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and indigestion and as a flavoring agent for bitter tasting dishes.  More than medicinal value, it delights our taste buds.  No wonder, in modern time toothpastes and mouth washes are flavored with cinnamon.  Like many culinary spices, cinnamon has antiseptic properties which kill many disease causing bacteria, fungi and viruses.  If you sprinkle some cinnamon powder on a minor cut after it is thoroughly washed, you will know of its healing power in no time.

Cinnamon does more than add flavor to cookies, cakes and breads and other high fat desserts.  Once you have eaten these delicacies, cinnamon breaks down fats in your digestive system by boosting digestive enzymes.  Some researchers believe that this herb helps in reducing high blood pressure as well.

Cinnamon belongs to Lauraceae family and other popular members of this family are bay and nutmeg.  Its botanical name is Cinnamomum zeylanicum.  Cinnamon tree’s dried inner bark is used as a spice in our kitchen.

Caraway seeds for digestive problems

Caraway seeds are known as Ajwain in Indian kitchen.  Caraway has been used since ancient times to soothe the digestive tract and expel gas.  Caraway seeds are one such herb whose major medicinal use has remained the same throughout history.

 

The ancient Egyptians loved the aromatic seeds.  They were recommended as digestive

aid by  the ancient Greek physician, Dioscorides.  In the Shakespearean era, baked apples with caraway seeds were considered a stomach soothing dessert.  America’s 19^th century physicians believed that caraway seeds gently excite the digestive powers….and are used in flatulent colic, especially of children.”  It is an amazing herb used in ancient times can still be effective today in the same form.

Modern researchers have discovered that caraway seeds have two main chemicals, Carvol and Carvene, which sooth the muscle tissues of digestive tract and help pass the gas.  Moreover, Antispasmodics which are present in caraway seeds also soothe smooth muscles like uterus.

No wonder, in India women are given caraway or Ajwain water after the child birth for one week. Take half a teaspoon of caraway seeds and boil in one liter of water.  When it cools down, fill in a bottle and let the new mother drink it at room temperature for at least one week.  This soothes the uterus and works as a digestive aid for the lactating mother.

These seeds are often used for their aromatic flavor in breads, soups, salads, pickles and meat dishes.  As a digestive aid, take a teaspoon of crushed caraway seeds into two cups of boiling water; let it simmer for five to seven minutes.  Drink it hot or at room temperature.

Caraway belongs to Umbelliferae family and other members of this family are carrot and parsley.  Its botanical name is Carum carvi.  Its fruits or seeds are used as a healing herb.

Garlic the wonder herb

If the term “wonder drug” can be applied to any herb, it is garlic which can get that honor.  Garlic is the most powerful and most researched herb of our times.

The entire ancient world from Spain to China loved garlic but Egyptians enjoyed it more than others.  Garlic was found even in the tomb of King Tut.  Garlic played a major role in the lives of slaves who built the pyramids.  The Egyptians believed that garlic prevented illness and increased strength and endurance, hence; they gave their slaves daily ration of garlic.

Greek athletes ate garlic before any major race and Greek soldiers munched on garlic before a battle.  During World War I, British, French and Russian army doctors treated infected wounds of soldiers with garlic juice.  They also prescribed garlic to prevent and treat amoebic dysentery.

Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin in 1928 started the age of antibiotics and by World War II, penicillin had largely replaced garlic as the choice of treatment for infected wounds.  But Russia’s 20 million casualties in World War II depleted the supply of antibiotics, so Red Army physicians relied on garlic.  That’s when garlic came to be known as Russian penicillin.

When researchers at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals in Switzerland isolated alliin from the garlic in 1920s, the antibiotic constituent of this wonder herb solved many mysteries. Alliin by itself has no medicinal value but when garlic is chewed, chopped or crushed, the alliin comes in contact with a garlic enzyme known as, allinase, which transforms it into another chemical, allicin, which is a powerful antibiotic.

No standard drug can match garlic when it comes to many cardiovascular risk factors.  Several studies confirm garlic’s ability to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol.  Garlic helps prevent internal blood clots that generally triggers heart attack.

Researchers have found that one medium sized garlic clove has antibacterial properties of about 100,000 units of penicillin.  Oral penicillin doses typically range from 600,000 to 1.2 million units.  Hence the equivalent in garlic would be about 6 to 12 cloves.  If you find it hard to chew 12 cloves of garlic together, it is better to chew 4 cloves three times a day in order to reap the benefits.

Garlic belongs to Amaryllidacae family of herbs.  Others herbs of this family are onions, chives and shallots.  Its botanical name is Allium sativum and its bulb is used in cooking.

Most Indians use garlic in vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes thus making them tasty and healthy.