Homemade tortilla chips and guacamole

Tortilla chips with a dipping sauce is a quick snack or appetizer in many parties. Flour tortillas are Mexican flat breads similar to Indian chapati. Chips made of tortillas can be seen in any grocery store or restaurants. I always crave for some spicy snack and search for some healthy ideas as well. I love tortilla chips very much, so decided to prepare a batch of baked tortilla chips instead of frying. Also I wanted to try a easy guacamole recipe from Alton Brown. I got the recipes for baked tortilla and guacamole through internet. Click to see the sources for baked tortilla chips and guacamole recipes. Thanks to the authors, we got a big batch of excellent tasting low calorie snack.

Homemade baked tortilla chips with guacamole dipping.

Store bought corn tortillas.

coat with the prepared masala.

Stack them up.

Cut them into  wedges.

Spread as a single layer over a baking sheet.

Enjoy the baked tortillas with guacamole.

Baked tortilla chips:

Ingredients:

Store bought corn tortillas - 12
Extra virgin olive oil - 2 tbsp
lemon - 1
cumin powder - 1 tsp
red chilli powder - 1 tsp
turmeric - 1/4 tsp
salt - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degree F (175 degree C).
Take a mixing bowl and add everything under ingredients except tortilla. Squeeze the lemon to the mix. Take 1 tortilla and spread little masala over it.
Repeat for all the other tortillas and stack them up.
Cut them into wedges, as shown.
Arrange the arrange the tortilla wedges in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
Bake for about 15 minutes. Slightly toss the chips and bake again for 7 minutes or till the chips turn mildly crispy. Don't let them brown.
Take the pans out of the oven and let the chips cool and get more crispier in room temperature. After cooled completely, store in airtight containers or zip lock covers.

Serve with salsa or ketchup or guacamole.

Guacamole:

Ingredients:

Big Avocado / Florida avocado - 1
(Hass Avocado can also be used. But I bought this on that day).
lemon - 1/2
salt - 1/4 tsp
red chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
onion (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp
tomato - 1 (finely chopped)
cilantro (chopped) - 2 tbsp
garlic (chopped) - 1 clove

Method:

Mix everything except avacado.
Mash the avacado with a potato masher or spatula and mix 1 hour before serving to ensure the bright color of the dish.

Serving suggestions:

Serve the tortilla chips with guacamole as starter / snack .
16 baked tortilla chips with  this dip will give around 120 K cal.  (Very low calorie spicy snack).

Note:

Corn tortilla in this recipe can be substituted by preparing some chapati with maida / All purpose flour.
Avacado dipping can be replaced by a simple ketchup as dipping sauce. That too tastes great with the tortilla chips.
Tortilla chips may taste similar to baked thukkada.

Event:

Sending my baked tortilla chips with guacamole to Party snacks event, hosted by Faiza (Sinehidhi) of En Iniya illam.

I am sending the below entries also for the event.
1. Thayir (Curd) vadai

2. Vazhaikkai bajji

Happy hosting dear!

Mother Mary's Birthday (small carrot cake 6 inch)

On September 8 we celebrated Mother Mary's birthday in our house. I made a 6 inch round apple carrot cake and decorated it with butter cream frosting. I started celebrating Mother Mary's birthday since 2008, by preparing a cake and cooking something special. Many Catholic churches hold a feast celebration on that day all over the world. After coming to USA, I came to know that many children celebrating this day at home by baking a cake with blue frosting and wearing blue dresses, as blue is Mother Mary's favorite color. On seeing those kids enthusiasm, I too got encouraged and we celebrate that feast day with great fervor. Here are some pictures from our celebration of Mother Mary's feast day.

Basic coat and finishing required 4 tbsp butter cream frosting. 1 tbsp of pink frosting for writing, 2 tbsp of yellow icing for roses, 4 tbsp of blue icing for scallop border in top and bottom. See, how small the cake looks....it can sit on that little saucer:)

Happy Birthday Mother Mary!

I have already published this recipe while I made cup cakes for Easter. But I thought it would be good if I have the measurements for my small cake pan.

Ingredients for a 6 inch round cake:
wet ingredient 1:

egg - 2 (small)

sugar - 2/3 cup
oil / butter - 1/3 cup + 1 tsp for greasing the pan

Wet ingredient 2:

Carrot - 1 (small)
Apple (small) - 1/2
shredded coconut (dry) - 2 tsp
vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
orange peel - 1 tsp
walnut - 2 tbsp (chopped)
raisin - 15

Dry ingredient:

All purpose flour - 2/3 cup

baking soda - 2/3 tsp
baking powder - 2/3 tsp
salt - pinch

cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp

ginger powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:

Shred the carrot. Core, peel and shred the apple.
Preheat oven to 350 deg (175 deg C) for at least 30 minutes before we start baking.
Grease and flour the cake tin. Keep aside.
Beat the eggs in a mixer or using a fork till fluffy. Then add vanilla essence, sugar, oil and beat till its fluffy.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt TWICE.
Put it in a mixing bowl and add the liquids from mixer.
Mix well
Add the shredded carrot, coconut, orange peel, cinnamon, coarsely chopped walnut and mix slightly.
Now the batter is ready!
Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake for 40 - 50 minutes.

Carrot apple cake is ready!