Coleslaw to keep you cool

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

One of my favorite salad. Whenever we used to go to Pizza out lets, this one was a must for me. And it is regular in my house.

Fresh cabbage - 1 medium, washed and shredded

Carrot - 1 big, washed and cut into small cubes or grated

Boiled potato - 1 medium cubed, it is optional, but I prefer to add as it blends well with mayonnaise and cabbage.

 Mayonnaise - 1/4 cup ( I have taken more qty as I love it!, you can reduce the qty)

Yogurt - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

White pepper powder - 1 tsp

Mix all the above ingredients in a salad bowl and serve with : 

French fries

Fried chicken

Pizza

Chapati

Bread

Plain boiled pasta with herbs

Sandwich

What else???

Eat just like that!!!

Very refreshing salad.

Sending this to  Sudeshna's

• Carnival of Salads
   

                                       

Keep Smiling,

Beetroot Halwa (Sending my Heart to My Valentine!!!)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Valentine's Day! A day of love!!!

I am missing my husband for this day, as we always celebrated together. Last time, he bought  3 roses, one for me, two for our daughters. This year we are far from him, but still very near in our heart. Hoping that,  next year we will celebrate together this day!

This beautiful red heart is for him!

A very simple sweet, my husband loves it! And me too!So thought of making it on this day of love!

Beet Halwa:

Beet root - 2 big

Sugar - 3/4 cup of grated beetroot

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Cinammon powder - 1 tsp

Ghee - 1/4 cup

Fresh cream or milk powder - 2 tbsp

Crushed almonds - 8 to 10

Split almonds - 10 to 12 for decoration

Peel and grate the beet. Measure the quantity. Take 3/4th cup sugar of measured beet.

Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a thick bottomed (must) kadai. Add beet into it and keep on frying till it looks dry or the water is almost gone from the beet. Add one more tsp ghee mix well. Now add sugar and mix it well. Fry it without leaving for 3 to 4 minutes.(if you are adding milk powder,add it now) Add crushed almonds. Once it starts leaving the sides of kadai, add cardamom powder and fresh cream(if you are not adding milk powder). Add Cinammon powder.

Put some more ghee if you feel its very dry. Mix well and transfer it to a plate. Give desired shape and serve it with garnished almonds.

Even though it is not everyone's favorite in my family, but me and my husband loves it~! And this is dedicated to him and only him! (Am I getting more bollywood!!! No! Missing him!)
So I thought of sending this to the event(breaking the rules of the event!):

This heart is going to 

FAMILY'S FAVOURITE FOOD EVENT -- VALENTINE'S DAY S..

held by Shama Nagarajan. 

AND

This is going to 

Priya 's  Announcing Hearts For St Valentine's Day Event

Keep smiling,

Maha Shiva Rathri Feast

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi All,
Wishing every one a very Happy Maha Shiva Rathri
I am not fasting, but love to have these on this day!

Enjoy with me!

Keep Smiling,

Tomato and carrot soup

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

A simple soup for the soul suffering from cold and cough!!!

This is my elder daughter's favorite!

Tomatoes - 3 big or 8 to 10 small(as in photo)

Carrot - 1 big

Onion - 1 small

Ginger - 1/2" 

Bay leaf - 1

Keep all the above ingredients in a cooker and give 3 whistles. When cool, open the lid. discard the ginger and bay leaf. 

Put the boiled tomato and carrot in a blender for 30 seconds and sieve it to remove the tomato seeds. Keep it aside.

For soup powder,

Dry ginger powder -1/2 tsp

Roasted jeera powder - 1tsp

White pepper powder - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Sugar - 1 tbsp

Butter - 2 tsp 

Butter - 1 tsp to garnish

Heat butter in a kadai, add the tomato and carrot puree. Boil it. When the first boil starts, add all the powders. Boil for 3 more minutes. Garnish with butter and serve hot!

This is going participate in Event Announcement held by Usha of Veg Inspirations.

Keep Smiling,

Fruit and cream, makes you scream!!!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

I know, being on my raw food diet, it is not the time to have this on my diet plan!

But I got the reason! My kids! They both love it. But, after some time,my younger daughter will start eating only ice cream and transferring all the fruits to her sister!!!(She loves to eat fruits, but, she will not touch when there is ice cream!!! )

Do this need any recipe to write down??

Apple - 1, washed, peeled and cubed

Orange - 1, washed, peeled and cubed

Banana - 2 small, peeled and cubed

Grapes - 1 small bunch, washed

And any other fruit of your choice

Chocolate - 1 bar, grated

Ready Ice cream - butter scotch is best for this, but you can choose any flavor you like.

(I will not suggest the ice cream to make at home, as t I am sending this for no cook event)

Salt - 1/4 pinch

Mix all the fruits and salt. Keep it on one side of a bowl. Take a scoop of ice cream and place it on the other side. Sprinkle the grated chocolate on the ice cream.

Serve chilled, without mixing. 

Enjoy the fruit and cream!

I am sending this to PJ's The 'no cook' event!

Keep Smiling,

Salad parade!!!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Salads!!! I love the colors of salad! I feel salad is like India!!! Many raw vegetables mixed in a bowl still brings the best taste, Unity in diversity!!! same like many states, cultures, languages and people make turn India in to a great place to live in!!(forget about dirty politics and few bad things!, They are just like bitter cucumber or spoiled green leaf in a salad!!) Am I writing something wrong!! 

I have already posted these salads before also (Click here for the older post). But the introduction for that was different and it was for another event. And I have added one more salad to this parade.

Hope you all will enjoy the beautiful salad parade.

(The best recipes for raw food diet!)

Simple Raw Vegetable Salad :

Take vegetables of your choice(which you can eat raw)

Cucumber, Carrot, Onion, Tomato, Onion, Chilli, Ginger, Lettuce leaves. Cut in to desired size and shapes. We love to cut in to long peices as it is easy for my kids to hold in the hand.

Salt to taste

Lime Juice as per taste

Vinegar - 1/2 tsp
Green and black olives - 1/2 cup
(Not in this photo)
Olive Oil - 1 tsp
Oregano or mixed herb - 1 tbsp crushed

Mix all in a Salad bowl and enjoy the crispy taste.

Tomato and Onion Salad,

Tomato - 2 big Chopped 

Onion - 1 Medium chopped lengthwise

Fresh Coconut - 4 to 6 tbsp

Dalia powder(dry chana or puthani) - 1 tbsp Crushed

Salt to taste

Fresh Coriander - little

Mix all in a bowl and eat it with crispy Papad.

Veg and Curds Salad

Cucumber - 1 big chopped

Tomato - 1 big chopped

Curds(Fresh) - 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Green Chilly - 1 small chopped(optional)

Fresh Coriander - little

Mix all in a bowl and eat chilled.

Beat and bean salad

Sprouted moong - 1 cup, wash two times to remove the smell

(Green moong, moth, chana, which ever you like to eat raw and sprouted)

Beet root - 1 medium, washed, peeled and grated

Cucumber - 1 big, washed and cut into very small, thin and long pieces.

Salt to taste

Fresh coriander - handful

Lime juice - 1 tbsp

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve.

Radish Salad

This is a very common salad in my house, as my mom loves  to it with jowar rotti. 

Radish - 1 big, washed and cut into small cubes

Radish leaves(fresh) - 1 bowl, washed and chopped finely

Onion - 1 medium, washed, peeled and cut into cubes

Oil - 1 tbsp

Lime juice - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Niger seeds powder - 2 tsp(Click here for the recipe), (Optional, but gives an unique taste to the salad)

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve. Goes well with Jowar rotti.

These all salads are marching into Sudeshna's 

• Carnival of Salads

                                       

AND 

PJ's The 'no cook' event!

Keep Smiling,

Can any one guess what is it?

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Can any one guess what it looks like(I think it is easy to guess!!), But what dish is this???

It is Alu pakoda(Potato fritter), which my mother prepared today evening. And when I took one pakoda to check the taste, this one came in my hand!! 

Recipe for pakoda in few days!

Keep smiling,

Simple but simply great!! Potato Wedges!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

A simple snack for every potato lover!

There is an annual sports week going on in my daughter's school. She comes early from the school. So I need to keep her lunch ready when she is back. Today I went for shopping and could not prepare anything for her.

There was bitter gourd for us, but she does not like it!

Without much thinking, I took potatoes and started peeling the skin. I did not had any idea, what will I make with the potato, but I was sure that it will be  faster and any thing you make with potato it will come out nice.

When I cut the first potato, I saw that I have cut it into the shape of wedge. So, the other potatoes followed the first potato! But I did not wanted it more spicier as my younger one also loves potato. I thought of using less masala. Here is the recipe for Potato Wedges from my side,

Potato - 10 to12, small ones so the shape looks even and nice

Salt taste

Clove - 2

Cinnamon  - 1 small

Dry ginger - 1/4 tsp

Jeera - 1/4 tsp, fry it for half a minute without oil

Oil - 2 tbsp

Apply salt to the potatoes and keep aside for 5 minutes if time allows you! I took the plate directly to microwave oven for 5 minutes on high. Till it was done, I fried the jeera. Mixed clove, cinnamon, dry ginger and jeera and crushed into a coarse powder. 

(If you do not have microwave oven, no problem!! Cut the potatoes and put them in to a very hot water for 2 minutes. Drain the water immediately Apply salt. Keep it aside for 5 minutes.) 

Then follow the next steps.

Heat oil in a kadai, add the coarse powder and immediately add the potatoes. Keep on frying till the potatoes becomes crispy. It takes around 15 to 20 minutes. The wedges were so crispy! I finished 1/4th of the plate before I served my daughter!!!!

I spread the ketchup on chapati, spread these wedges on it. Rolled the chapati and gave it to my daughter. 

She enjoyed it a lot! 

But I did not get time to decorate it for the photo! 

My  younger one was  sleeping, she missed the plate!!! When  I make for her, I will try to click a decorated photo and post it here!

10 -12 small potatoes!! it finished in 12 seconds!!!! So keep in mind about the quantity! 

I was in a hurry and I prepared it for only one person with this qty. And do you believe that, this was first time that I prepared potato wedges at home!! I always had it in Pizza outlets!!

Linking this to
http://sindhirasoi.com/link/potato/

Keep smiling,

C.C? K.P? S.C OR C.C again!? What's there in A name?

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Call it Chilli Chapati, Chilli paratha, kuttu paratha, spicy Chapati!!! What's there in a name! The taste is the same! Delicious!!! 

Last week when Nithu posted Chilli Paratha, I was tempted to make it the same time! I went in the kitchen knowing that I do not have frozen parathas in the fridge. But I knew Ajjiri is going to make chapatis. I told her to make thick chapatis and keep ready.  I promised Nithu that I will come back with the review.(Sorry for the delay, Neetu!)

I have read many blogs who posted same recipe. 

One, I remember is PJ's  CHILLI CHAPTHI, where she added soya sauce. And my sis-in-law tried this recipe and was so happy with the taste.

Now, coming to my recipe,

I tasted this first in UAE. My co-sister brought chicken Kuttu paratha  from "Deira Dubai Appa Kadai restaurant" and told me to taste it. And it was just superb. I did not share it with anyone! Selfish no! but the taste was like that. She told me that we get the vegetarian kuttu paratha in Sharavana bhavan in Abu shagarah in Sharjah. Very next evening I went there and ordered one plate of same! And I just loved it.

Thinking why writing all  the area names? I am missing Sharjah, Abu dhabi and Dubai(the whole UAE) for food!

Coming back to the story,

When I went to the kitchen .....

I got cabbage, capsicum and carrots in the fridge. I thought of using all these.

So here goes the recipe,

Ready chapatis - 10 to 12, cut into pieces.

Oil 1 tbsp

Heat oil in a kadai, Fry the chapatis till they are just crispy and keep it aside.

Oil - 2 tbsp

Jeera or cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Cabbage - 1/2 cup, shredded

Carrot - 1 big, julienned,

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Capsicum - 1 big or 2 small, cut into length

Green chilly - 2 cut into long 

Tomato puree - made of 2 tomatoes(I do not get ready paste, so I boiled the tomatoes in a microwave for 2 minutes and blend it into puree

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Red chilly  powder - 1 tsp

Madras curry powder - 1 tbsp(it gives unique taste to this chilli paratha, if you do not have, use the normal curry powder or skip it)

Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai, Add jeera and curry leaves with onion. Let onion fry till it changes its color, add ginger garlic paste. Fry for a minute and add cabbage, carrot and capsicum. Fry for two minutes. Transfer this in to a bowl or plate. Add tomato puree in the same kadai. When it starts boiling add all the dry powders and green chilly. Fry for a minute. Return back the fried vegetables into kadai. Mix it properly. Now goes the chapati pieces. Again mix properly so that the masala gets mix with chapati pieces. Cook for a minute. Garnish with fresh coriander. 

My chilli chapati or call it any name! is ready to eat!! 

Keep smiling,

A queen of blood meets rice and white milk!! accidentally!!!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Are you thinking that I have started writing novel on ghosts and devils!! I always find this subject very funny and scary movies makes me laugh.( Do not tell me to watch "The Exorcist" or something like that!!!)

Yesterday, I was in a fix to fix a lunch box for my daughter. As you all know she loves to take rice, I have to plan variety of rice for a week and keep it ready in menu .

So, I checked the fridge for vegetables. I did not find anything, as I bring vegetables only in the afternoon of every Tuesday.

I checked the onion basket, thinking that I will make onion rice and send her. Then I saw these red queens sitting and talking to onions! First I hesitated to use these for rice, as I felt may be Rajul will not like the raw smell of beetroot. Then I thought of giving it a try as she likes boiled beet.

I will give you the recipe before I will tell the result!!

Here they come in line:

Rice - 1 cup or 200 gm

Beet - 1 big or 2 medium

Jeera or cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Onion - 1 big, cut into slices

Ginger & Garlic Paste - 1 tsp

Whole garam masala - 1 tbsp crushed.

(1 cardamom, 2 cloves, few shajeera, a small piece of cinammon)

Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp or more if cooking for elders

Tomato - 1 medium, chopped

Then comes the sweet heart of this rice, do not skip this!

Fresh coconut - either grated or small cut pieces to make coarse milk

(I am not getting proper word here, so let me explain you, take few small pieces or grated coconut, put little water and put in a blender to get coconut milk with coarse coconut. I mean, no need to make it full milk. I hope you got me!!!)

Salt to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure to make:

Wash the rice and keep it to dry.

Wash, peel and grate the beets.

Heat oil in a cooker. Add jeera and onion. Fry till brown. Add ginger garlic paste and garam masala. Fry for a minute and add the beet and tomato. Its time to keep on frying the beet till it becomes dry or looks dry. Like this I thought the raw smell will go! and to check whether the smell vanished or not,  read full story.

Now add salt and chilly powder with coconut milk. Fry for half a minute.

Add the rice immediately and fry for a minute so that the red masala will get mix with the rice. 

Here is the place where the queen of blood meets the rice and white milk. So the suspense is over.

Add hot water till the rice is covered. 

Cover the lid and give 2 whistles.

The red beet rice is ready to eat!

Yes! There was no raw smell of beet anywhere! Actually no one will make out that it is prepared with beet.

This was my real invention in a hurry!!! 

Why I am calling these beet as queen of bloods?? All of us know that beet is the house of  highest contain of iron, and regenerates the red blood shells. And doctors suggests to have it more if you want increase your hemoglobin. So what will be the best way to give this to kids, without making them cry! or running and shouting behind them?

The result was, the full day,my daughter was on this rice it self. And in the school her friends took half of the rice from the box. Seeing the color of the rice, even her teacher asked her what is it made of???

Do I need more appreciation?

YES! I want the sweet comments from all my friends here. 

Sending this to silpa of Anita' s Kitchen  APS- Rice Event.

AND

Sending it again to

Priya's Healing Foods - Beetroot Event Guest Hosting
( Linking it to Siri's Healing foods home page)

Keep Smiling,