Sunday, February 14, 2010

An Award from Nithu!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi All,
Award from Nithu Bala  of Nithu's Kitchen. She has a lovely blog which I follow regularly. 
Thank you so much Nithu. I am honored to receive the award.

This award also comes with two rules, they are,


1. Thank the person who sent you the award.
2. Pass the award to your blogger friends. 
As this award has been already passed to many of my friends,  I would love to pass this award to





And thank you so much for sharing this "Thank You" award to me!

This award is for my all blogger friends who support  and appreciate each others work.

Keep Smiling,

Saturday, February 13, 2010

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

Friday, February 12, 2010

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!):

held by Shama Nagarajan
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,

Thursday, February 11, 2010

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,

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

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,

Monday, February 8, 2010

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 


                                       

AND 


Keep Smiling,

Saturday, February 6, 2010

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,

Friday, February 5, 2010

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!!
Keep smiling,

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