Skinny Banana Pancakes with Walnut & Mascarpone Cheese Topping

Skinny, because I can't flip the other kind...lol!
.
My friends think I'm lucky that frosted cakes or cream and sugar decorations don't tempt my fancy. Though I like to spend time admiring those kinds of edible works of art, I can't seem to cajole myself to eat more than a bite of them, I like 'em plain.

But Mascarpone is another story :) I like to keep a container of Mascarpone cheese with me at all times, if possible ;) It is something that I enjoy, and yes I know it is 75% fat or something like that :) Purists may scoff at my use of Mascarpone, but I'll let you in on a food secret of mine, after all, my blog, my rules ;) I like to have blob of mascarpone with some sugar as my quick shrikhand fix....lol! I find it too irresistible :)

In this recipe I've mixed up mascarpone with some sugar and ground walnuts.......trust me on this one, try it and lemme' know ;)
.
Skinny Banana Pancakes with Walnut & Mascarpone Cheese Topping

Banana Pancake
1/3 cup all purpose flour / maida
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp semolina/sooji
2 bananas, mashed
2 tsp walnut powder
buttermilk to make the mix
1/2 tsp elaichi/cardamom powder
1/2 tsp baking soda/Eno fruit salt
pinch salt
Oil for shallow frying
.
1. Mix all to get a pouring consistency like a regular pancake.
2. Heat a griddle and spray some oil.
3. Pour 1/3rd cup of the mix and swirl the pan to spread the batter.
4. After 3/4 minutes flip the pancake and drizzle oil around the edges and cook till done.
5. Make all pancakes.
.
Walnut Mascarpone Topping
.
4 tbsp mascarpone (OR as per your liking)
2 tbsp walnut powder (coarse)
1 tbsp sugar (as per taste)
.
Mix all.
.
To serve:
Serve Banana Pancakes with a dollop of Walnut Mascarpone topping!
Enjoy...

So, how do you like your Mascarpone cheese? :)

Red Lentil Soup with Fried Onion, Lime, Mint and Cilantro Dressing....

Red Lentil Soup has a lot many variations worldwide! One of the wonderful ways to dress up a bowl of hearty lentil soup is by adding crunchy fried onions mixed with lime juice and lots of chopped cilantro and mint, it makes for a burst of flavors!!! This one is an adaptation from the middle eastern way of cooking.
I use my trusted pressure cooker to finish off the job in a few minutes........ I mean, I like to think I've a life....lol! You sure can simmer it in a sauce pan!

Red Lentil Soup with Fried Onion, Lime, Mint and Cilantro Dressing....
.
1 cup Red Lentils/Masoor Dal
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 tbsp celery, chopped (optional)
1 tomato chopped OR 1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp oil/butter
1 tsp cumin powder
1tbsp coriander/dhania powder
salt & pepper to taste
.
Garnish:
4 tbsp fried onions
4 tbsp finely chopped coriander/cilantro leaves
2 tsp mint leaves, chiffonade
4 tbsp lime juice, use as per taste
.
1. Wash the lentils well and soak in water till you chop the vegetables and get the other ingredients ready.
.
2. Chop onion, carrot and celery. The mix of these three together is a base for almost all kinds of soups and is also known as 'the trinity' or 'Mirepoix' in French cooking! Don't ya love those fancy terms ;)
.
3. Heat oil, add the mirepoix and saute on medium till they soften. Take care not to brown the onions, that changes the taste of the soup.
.
4. Add ginger and garlic, saute 30 seconds. Add chopped tomato/paste.
.
5. Add drained lentils, spices and about 5/6 cups of water. Cook till done. It takes just one whistle in my pressure cooker, about 40 minutes in a saucepan. Add salt an pepper to taste.
.
6. Some people like to blend the soup, at this point, I don't. I like this soup a little on the runny side which helps take on the dressing flavors better, in my opinion. Do as you please :)
.
7. Now comes the incredible dressing part, which in itself is yummmmm :) Mix 1tbsp fried onions, 1 tbsp chopped cilantro, 1/2 tsp mint chiffonade and 1 tbsp lime juice, garnish over the soup and serve immediately.
.
8. The crispy onions and the tartness from the lime juice make for one amazing tasty soup! I won't recommend this soup without these two!
Definitely one of my favorite soups, serve with any bread you like for a delicious meal this winter or any season for that matter!!
.
Variations:
You can add greens like spinach, kale etc when the soup is cooked and simmer till the greens wilt for an extra healthy serving :)
You can always omit the mint if you don't have access to it.
.
Enjoy..........