Pineapple Banana Shake

A delicious shake for my No Cook Event hosted here.

I used:

Pineapple chunks-1 cup
Banana-1 small
Sugar to taste

Blend together all the ingredients adding a little water.Sip!!!So very simple!!!

Pineapple Salsa with a twist

Today I am posting two recipes with pineapple.Here is pineapple salsa that is slightly Indianized because of the garnish.


I used:

Pineapple,chopped-1 cup
Onion-1/4,chopped
Tomato-1/4 chopped
Lime juice to taste
Salt to taste
Kasuri methi[Dried fenugreek leaves] and grated purple radish to garnish

Mix the pineapple chunks,tomato,onion,salt and lemon juice in a bowl.Serve garnished with kasuri methi and grated radish..

Colorful and healthy!!!



This is for my No Cook Event hosted here.

Radish [Mullangi] Chutney

Remember that mystery vegetable from PJ'smystery files #1?Yes its radish as quite a few friends had guessed!

I first thought it was a new variety of beetroot.Then on the way home I thought it might be carrot so went ahead to prepare chapathi with carrot stir fry.

Only when I grated it did I find out that it was radish!!!So I prepared this colorful chutney that day and we had it with Corn dosa and another day we had it with pongal.Tasted good with both the dishes.There was no trace of radish in this chutney.

The first time I prepared it Lil angel kept asking for 'strawberry chutney',MIL and hubby guessed beetroot chutney!!!


Here is the recipe for you...

I used:

Radish-1 ,grated
Onion-1,chopped
Tomato-1,chopped
Ginger-1” piece
Garlic-2 pods,chopped
Red chillies-3
Mustard-1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - few
Salt to taste
Oil-1 ½ teaspoon

1. Heat a little oil in a pan and put in the onion, garlic and ginger, red chillies
2. Sauté till the onion turn translucent.
3. Put in tomato and cook till mushy.
4. Add the radish and cook till the raw smell disappears.
5. Cool and grind with a little water.
6. Transfer into a dish and add salt. Mix well
7. Heat the remaining oil and put in mustard, cumin seeds and curry leaves.
8. When the mustard splutters pour over the chutney
9. Mix well and serve as a side dish.

Doesn't it look colorful!!!

Here are another more purple color dish that is going to give you a treat for the eyes and the tastebuds...

Forbidden rice pudding

Colorful cooking...

Keerai Sambar

I know you are surprised by the name!Yes,we have heard keerai kootu and keerai masiyal but keerai sambar!!???Well,this is as simple as a recipe can get and tastes just as yum!



I used:

Greens- 1 large bunch,chopped
Toor dhal-1/2 a cup
Onion-1,chopped
Tomato-1,chopped
Garlic-3 pods,whole
Sambar powder-2 teaspoons
Red chillies-2
Salt to taste

Seasoning

Mustard-1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
Channa dhal-1 teaspoon
Oil-2 teaspoons
Curry leaves-a few

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and put in the seasonings.
2. When it splutters add the red chillies, onion and garlic and sauté till onion is soft
3. Put in tomato and cook for a minute.
4. Put in around 2 cups water[adjust to suit the consistency that u prefer] and bring to a boil.
5. Add the sambar powder,salt,dhal and greens.
6. Mix well and cover and pressure cook for 15 minutes or till dhal is cooked.
7. Remove from heat and serve hot with steamed rice.

Featured here are Steamed rice with Keerai sambar,Rasam,Potato curry

This a favorite meal in our household and sending this to Shama for her event- Family's favorite food


Whenever I make this sort of gravy with green,the curry is always potato based.This curry featured here is the one that MIL used to prepare often.Very simple ingredients and its ready without any fuss.All you need are a few potatoes,garlic and a bit of seasoning and a lovely garlicky potato curry is ready.This combo of greens and potato curry is a winner hence packing it off to Pari's Combo event

Healthy cooking....

Vegetable Sandwich

The best thing about sandwich is that it can be made with any filling-sweet or savory. Even the raw fillings are great. Here is one such sandwich that needs no cooking

I used:

Capsicum-finely chopped
Carrot,grated
Cabbage finely chopped
Onion,finely chopped
Garlic butter
Coriander leaves

Bread slices

In a bowl put in all the ingredients except garlic butter and mix well. Apply garlic butter on the bread and place a small portion of the filling between the slices and a tasty sandwich is ready!

Pair it up with cofffee/tea!!!

This is going to be a part of my No cook event

Spicy Garlic Butter for Toast

There is a restaurant here that has serves garlic toasts.They are so crisp that it hard to stop eating just one. Their cream of mushroom soup and these garlic toasts are so good together.

The other day I planned to make my own version of garlic butter and it was a great hit!



I used

Butter
Garlic
Dried red chillies

Blend garlic and red chilles for a few seconds and mix into softened butter. You can adjust the ingredients to your taste. [Add salt if required.]


If you are pressed for time or in no mood to grind the garlic and red chillies, here is another easy way.Grate the garlic into the butter .Add red chili flakes and mix well. The spread is ready in a jiffy.


To serve, toast a piece of bread and while it is still hot spread it on the bread and enjoy as a snack or serve with some soup..

This spread is going to my No cook event

Farfelle al arrabbiata- Farfelle in Spicy Tomato Sauce

I don’t know if anyone prepares this dish with farfelle [I have seen a lot with penne and not with farfelle].Since I had a huge bag of farfelle pasta ,I tried it out and it was so addictive!! Simple ingredients but very delicious.



I used:

Farfelle – 1 cup
Tomato -1 large,chopped
Garlic-3 cloves,grated
Red chilli flakes -1 teaspoon
Oil- 1 teaspoon
Grated low fat cheese, coriander leaves to garnish
Salt to taste

1. Boil the pasta according to the direction on the pack with a little salt.
2. Drain and run over cold water and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and put in garlic and cook till garlic turns brown.
4. Put in tomato and chilli flakes and cook till tomato turns mushy.
5. Put in cooked pasta and mix well to coat.Add a little water if the mixture is too dry.
6. Add salt if required.
7. Cook on low flame for few more minutes and serve hot garnished with coriander and grated cheese


Sending this to Jothi’s Pasta party.

Strawberry Lassi-A delightful combo of yogurt and luscious strawberries!!!!!

A simple Lassi for my No cook event.Lassi is a popular drink from North India whose fame has spread to other parts as well. This flavored lassi is my favorite.


I used :

Yogurt -150ml
Water-50ml
Strawberries - 5
Honey to taste

Blend all the ingredients till smooth and sip.

PJ's Mystery Files # 1

Let's play a mystery game..

Last week I went the new farmers market that has been opened near our place.So much of fresh produce!!I was super excited seeing the fresh fruits and veggies and went around buying a whole load of vegetables.

In one of the shops I saw this vegetable and the elderly lady of the shop said it was good for the body.The vegetable was new to me but the word healthy made me buy it without a second thought.

I guessed something and it turned out to be totally different..

Can you guess the vegetable?You have 3 days to tell me what it is and I promise you 3 delicious and colorful dishes with this mystery vegetable...

Updated:A few of my friends got it correct.Yes, it is purple radish and here are a few dishes that I prepared with this colorful vegetable

Purple radish paratha

Purple radish chutney / relish

Bon Appetit...

Vegetable Kurma

Vegetable Kurma is the most preferred side dish for Chapthi / Poori /Parotta in South India. Each restaurant or household has its own version and each one is as tasty as the other.Here is my version of kurma.



I used:

Boiled mixed vegetables:2 cups [ carrots, beans, peas, cauliflower, corn, potato]
Onion-1 ,small,chopped
Tomato-1,small,chopped
Bay leaf-1
Curry leaves a few
Mustard-1 teaspoon
Chilli powder-1 teaspoon
Oil- 2 teaspoons
Salt to taste

Grind to a smooth paste with a little water

Grated coconut -5 tablespoons
Cinnamon-1 small piece
Fennel seeds-1 teaspoom
Garlic-5 pods,small
Ginger-1/2 ” piece,chopped

1. Heat oil in a pan and put in the mustard, bay leaf and curry leaves.
2. When it crackles add the onion and sauté till translucent
3. Add the tomato and cook till mushy.
4. Put in the ground paste, chilli powder, salt and mix well. Add a little water if it is dry.[The color of the kurma will be pale at this stage.On further cooking the color will deepen.]
5. Cook for a few minutes till the raw smell of the masala disappears.
6. Add the cooked vegetables and water to get the desired consistency.
7. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat.

Serve as a side dish.

Here is our favorite combo-Chapathi with Vegetable Kurma

Sending this delicious pair to Pari for the Combo event.

Bon Appetit...

Hearty Pasta and Vegetable Soup

I am now on a kind of detox diet.Not to lose weight or anything but to get rid of those fatty deposits in those places that are being masked by clever dressing!Detox is a little confusing and I read that some research says that a healthy body can eliminate toxins on its own and there is no need to do a detox yet many others stress the its need.

Whatever be the research and their conclusion, the aim in doing this dieting is to eat the right food at the right time. I wanted to do something like this many times before but was either lazy or bored to start /sometimes started and left it half way. This time though, Srivalli was a so sweet to invite friends to start on a diet so that we could motivate each other. She has been recording her diet daily and posting it and I have planned to do a weekly roundup with the menu for each day.

Its just the beginning and I want to continue this for as long as possible.No starvation or magic pills just healthy food and a bit of exercise and lets wait to see the results….

For this diet stuff,I thought soups would be great for lunch instead of rice.I have been avoiding rice for lunch for the more than 2 weeks and yesterday I wanted to make soup for lunch.

I found 2 packs of whole wheat pasta [Fusilli and farfelle] and felt it would be a great idea to add them to the soup. The fridge had some spinach, peas, tomato, carrot, bean sprouts and they too went in. Some seasonings and a fabulous soup was ready.

You can alter the ingredients, omit or add vegetables and seasoning and yet this is so very tasty and healthy. Did I tell u that this is a fat free soup?



Here is what I did….

Microwave the

pasta,[a little of each,]

for 10 minutes or till just done.

Drain,rinse in cold water and keep aside

In a large microwave proof dish put in

Grated ginger and garlic
chopped carrot ,tomato,peas,spinach
around 2 cups water
1 teaspoon Soya sauce

And microwave on high for 8 minutes or till carrots are cooked

Put in

bean sprouts

Mix well and microwave on high for 2 minutes

Let it rest for 2 minutes inside the microwave

Add salt and pepper and serve.

Just one bowl of this soup for lunch and I was full. The crunchy bean sprouts and the soft pasta and vegetables complimented each other .It was so good that lunch was just this soup and no bread / bun with it .

This wonderful soup is being shipped off to Srivalli’s MEC event where this months theme is soups @ Sara's blog and to Pasta party @ Jyoti's blog

Coffee Banana Soy Milkshake for T & C

For this months Taste and Create ,I was paired with Megan who writes @ A bolder table.She has a beautiful blog where she talks about the need for a healthier food.

As usual I found many recipes that I wanted to try but due to some traveling,I was not able to try them all and to top them all,I thought I still had time to try a couple of recipes when it struck me that today is the dead line!So I made this shake for breakfast this morning and it was delicious as I munched along a handful of sunflower seeds.

The original recipe is here

I used:

Soy milk-150ml
Banana-1,ripe
Instant coffee-1 ½ teaspoons, dissolved in a little warm water
Cinnamon - a pinch

Combine all the ingredients and blend. Your tasty shake is ready!


I did not add sugar as the banana was very ripe and it was sweet enough to suit my taste.

Strawberry Yoghurt for T &C

Here is another of my favorite for Taste and Create from Megan’s blog

Megan correctly points out that there is no need to buy colored and flavored yogurt from the market when it can be easily prepared from home.

Here is what she does.I used plain homemade yogurt for this. All that has to be done is chop up a few strawberries and blend with yogurt for a couple of minutes and healthy and natural strawberry yogurt is ready!!

Makhana kheer

Lotus seeds /Lotus nuts[ or Makhana in Hindi]as it is called, is an ingredient that is very new to me.Lotus seeds are a part of East Asian cuisine and are used extensively in Chinese medicine and Chinese desserts.


I used:

Milk- 5 cups
Lotus seeds – 15 numbers
Almonds -10 numbers
Pista nuts-10 numbers
Saffron-a few strands,soaked in a tablespoon on warm milk
Cardamom powder- a pinch
Sugar to taste
Ghee-2 tablespoons
Roasted pista nuts- to garnish

1. Microwave the almonds for 2 minutes and remove skin. Soak pista nuts in hot water for 5 minutes.
2. Grind almonds and pista nuts to a smooth paste adding a little water and keep aside.
3. Heat ghee in a small pan.Put in lotus seeds in batches and fry till it puffs up/turns light brown. Drain and keep aside.
4. In the same ghee put in pista nuts and fry till golden brown.Drain and keep aside.
5. Heat milk in a heavy bottom pan and when it comes to a boil, simmer.
6. Put in the ground nut paste, sugar, lotus seeds and mix well.
7. Keep stirring once in a while so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
8. When the volume of milk reduces to ¾ th, put in cardamom powder and saffron.
9. Let it cook for a couple of minutes and remove from heat.

Serve warm or chilled garnished with pista nuts.

A different kind of kheer with a different taste!!!

This is one of the dessert that I prepared for lil angels b'day a couple of days ago.Her birthday falls on the day before spring festival and notyet100 has invited us to share something fresh and festive celebrate the spring festival and her blog anniversary.So sending it to her for her event - Let's Celebrate with colors

Bon appetit...

Badha Kopir Tarkari-Bengali Style Cabbage Stir-fry

After a long time I am posting a North Indian side dish.Of late,I have been trying out a lot of dishes from my blogging buddies and yes,this one too is from a fellow blogger,Sudeshna,who writes at Cook like a Bong.

I have a soft corner for cabbage,[famed as a stinky vegetable] and prepare many types of dishes right from stir fry to mixed rice variety and this version is a Bengali style stir fry that goes well as a side dish with steamed rice and Chapathi.

I used :[The original recipe is here]

Cabbage-1 small,finely chopped
Potato-1 small,peeled and finely chopped
Fresh green peas-a handful
Onion-1,small,chopped
Grated ginger-1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder- 1 teaspoon
Cumin powder -1 teaspoon
Chilli powder-1 teaspoon
Green chillies- 2,chopped
Bay leaf-1
Curry leaves- a few
Garam masala: ½ a teaspoons
Mustard-1 teaspoon
Fennel seed-1/2 a teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil-2 teaspoon

1. Cook potato and peas till tender but not mushy and keep aside.[I microwaved it for 6 minutes on high].
2. Similarly cook cabbage and keep aside.[I microwaved it on high for 5 minutes].
3. Heat oil in a pan and put in mustard,fennel seeds,curry leaves,bay leaf,green chillies .
4. When the mustard splutters add the ginger paste and onion and saute till onion turns translucent.
5. Put in chilli powder,garam masala,salt,cumin powder,turmeric powder and mix well.Sprinkle water if the mixture is too dry.
   
6. Add the cooked cabbage,potato and peas and stir well.
7. Simmer and allow the flavors to blend.Sprinkle water if required.
   
8. After a few minutes,remove from heat and serve.
   

I wanted to make it without any changes but by force of habit added mustard and onions and forgot tomatoes.The original recipe calls for sugar but I was skeptical as my folks like spicy stuffs so left it out too.Nevertheless,I shall still call it a Bengali dish and needless to say we enjoyed it!!

Ginger Pear Tea

This is another drink that I like to have on cold days.Tea with ginger and brown sugar with crunchy of pieces of pear floating present a pretty picture and sip it you will definitely fall in love with the taste.


I used:

Pear-1/2,peeled and chopped
Water-200ml
Tea dust-1/2 a teaspoon
Ginger-1" piece
Brown sugar to taste

In a pot combine water,pear,tea dust and ginger.Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes.Remove the ginger piece and spoon out the pear into a serving cup.Strain the tea into the same cup .Add brown sugar to taste and sip....



Note:

• You need not cook the pear till soft.The crunchiness adds flavor to the tea.
• Don't chop or grate the ginger.Lightly crush it and add to the pot and it will be easier to remove it later.

Bazaar Jaisey Aloo[Potatoes in tomato]

This one is adapted from Jaya’s Blog.She had cooked it for ‘This book makes me cook’ and on reading it I was literally drooling. This recipe is from Madhur Jaffery’s book -'Climbing the mango trees' where she talks about her childhood , her life and of course food!!

After reading Jaya's review on Madhur Jaffrey’s dishes and book, I was tempted to make this one and after preparing it I now want to read her book!

The color of this dish may look fiery but the taste is so good that you will be making this often. The spices give out a wonder taste that is sure to please your tastebuds.

Here is the original recipe from Jaya’s blog.[I have changed it a bit.]


I used:

Potatoes- 4 ,peeled and halved
Tomato-3,large and ripe,finely chopped
Cumin seeds-1 tablespoon
Fennel seeds-1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds-1/4 teaspoon
Red chillies -3
Grated ginger-1 tablespoon
Curry leaves – a few
Asafoetida- a pinch
Oil-2 teaspoons
Salt to taste


1. Boil the potato,cool and crumble them coarsely
2. Heat oil in a pan and put in cumin seeds, fennel, fenugreek , chillies,asafetida, curry leaves.
3. After a few seconds add the grated ginger and sauté for a minute.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook till the it is mushy and color turns deep red.At this stage oil will ooze out from the tomato.
5. Lower the heat and add around 1 cup water,salt and add the coarsely crumbled potato. Stir and bring to a boil.
6. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes stirring a couple of times in between.
7. Remove from heat and serve

This is a great side dish with Chapathi

Chapathi with Bazaar jaisy aloo and poondu rasam

I had some leftovers and used it as a filling for Barley adai and it tasted great too!!!



Bon Appetit...

Barley Adai

I first saw this in Priya’s blog, and immediately wanted to prepare it.I have modified the recipe slightly. The texture of this adai is really soft and we loved it.


I used:

Barley-2 cups
Rice-1/2 a cup
Mixed lemtils -2 cups[Urad dhal,toor dhal,gram dhal,moong dhal,soya bean]
Red chillies-10
Ginger-1” piece
Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
Curry leaves- a few
Asafoetida powder-1/8th teaspoon
Salt to taste

1. Soak barley,rice and lentils,red chillies overnight.
2. Drain and grind in batches along with ginger using a little water to get a batter that is neither too smooth nor coarse.
3. In a large bowl put in the ground batter and add cumin seeds,salt,asafetida,curry leaves and mix well.
4. Adjust the consistency of batter by adding water[It should be slightly thicker than dosa batter]
5. Heat a griddle and pour a ladle full of batter and spread to a circle.
6. Cover and cook till the edges leave the griddle.
7. Flip it over and cook.
8. Remove from heat and serve with chutney / sambar /Milagai podi.

I even made it like masal dosa with Bazaar jaisey aloo and it was yum!!!



Bon Appetit...