Rice & Corn Salad; Light Meal On Monday; Vegan Recipe

Hi all!

Wish you all a very Happy New Year. This happens to be my first post of 2016. I had actually started wondering whether I would be able to post anything in this month or rather the next few months. The younger one appears for his X boards this year and currently he is writing his pre-boards.

2015 was a very tough year for the family but I’m more than glad that we fought and have survived it so far. God willing we would sail through it. Next few months are challenging till we finish the boards, after that I and kid will get some breathing space. I’m so looking forward to visiting my Mum whom I have’nt visited in 2years. I also intend to take a vacation with the family if S gets leave from his office. Our family vacation is equally due.

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Rachana's Arugula-Cottage Cheese & Pasta Salad With Honey-Mustard-Lemon Vinaigrette- Stepwise Post; Light Meal On Monday - Post 4

Hi!

I’m back with another post on Light Meal On Monday. Last Monday happened to be my birthday so there was definitely no light eating on that day, hence did not post a light meal.

About two months back we met our long time friends Rachana & Mohit after a long interval of 7yrs. It was our first social interaction at a family level after moving to Mumbai. I was in no mood to cook as I was on a cooking spree ever since we moved to this city and insisted Rachana to meet outside for a lunch so that she also gets a break from the kitchen along with me and we all could chit chat without the baggage of cooking and feeding our families.

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Three Recipes- Arugula/Roquette leaf Pesto Two Ways; Bruschetta With Arugula Pesto, Product Review- Maharaja Whiteline Flora Mixer Grinder

Hi!

After moving to Mumbai, I have explored many more exotic vegetables which were not easily available in Chennai, one of them is the Arugula or Roquette Leaves. I'm in love with this leafy vegetable which has a sharp taste and adds a punch to the food with it’s distinguishing flavour. It has a taste which is a milder combination of radish and mustard leaves put together.

With the winter setting in and loads of winter bounty to cherish, it's soups and salads for us at nights. I'm going to post  more  recipes using the Arugula, as it's a great ingredient for salads, topping for crostini and appetisers.

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Idlis in Jackfruit Leaves-Stepwise; Khotte/Khotte Kadubu; Light Meal On Monday - Post 3

Hello!  I couldn’t post anything last Monday as my head was too occupied with Chennai floods disaster and during that week I was feeling to low to cook or post anything elaborate when so many out there in Chennai had lost their homes.

I have a sentimental attachment with the city where I have spent 5 good years of my life, during two stints and have lived their till 8 months back. Many of my blogger friends spent days without power and proper food, I went sleepless during those days, feeling helpless and miserable.

All the while I prayed, that God shows mercy, the rain stops and people could get back to their normal lives. Now that things have normalised in the city, my head and heart can focus back on the blog

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Spicy Soba Noodles & Tofu Salad In Peanut Butter-Basil Dressing;Maharaja Whiteline TurboMix King Hand Blender’s Review; Light Meal On Monday- Post 1; Step Wise

Hi!

I work through the week and also make three meals a day, so when weekend comes, my only requirement is to break the monotony and eat out. And probably like me, many families relax on weekends and eat out, so it becomes important that to balance it, we eat healthy and light food on the Monday, giving due rest to our stomach, which finally keeps our digestive system healthy and improves digestion.

I have been planning to start this series of ‘Light Meal On Mondays’ for quite some time now but somehow it was just getting postponed because of the currently more important commitments at home. I know I’m pushing my boundaries but I am going to really try hard and post a recipe to a light meal once in the week, preferably on a Monday hence forth.

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Galauti/Galawati Kabab- Vegetarian Version | Vegan Preparation

 

Hi all!!

I love making Kebabs, which is quite evident from the number of kebabs I have posted earlier. Just to name a few here, there are two versions of vegetarian Shami kababs, one made using elephant foot yam and the other using soya. Then there are a few versions of vegetarian seekh kabab, to name a few, there’s one made using yellow lentils and then there’s another unique one made using green peas and walnut.

Recently, S got an entire raw Jackfruit from his office tree. And when we cut into it, we realised how tender and fresh the fruit was. Since, there was an entire jackfruit cut into pieces, we made many preparations using it, which I would gradually share here but I’m starting off with a kebab. I have posted a Jackfruit biryani for my 100th post and have also posted a unique Jackfruit and raw banana cutlet earlier using this wonderful, fibrous fruit which yields a meaty texture on cooking, enabling it to be used as meat replacer in vegetarian preparations.

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Kid’s Lunch Box Ideas| Thin Red Beaten Rice/Poha With Veggies | Step Wise | Vegan

 

Hi!

I had taken an opinion poll on Facebook fan page, on what all of you would like to read next on the blog and I got an overwhelming response and most of them asked for a healthy kid’s lunch box recipe, it goes to show that the prime concern for all mothers is how to feed healthy food to their children.

As a mother of a teenager, I thrive to feed veggies to my son in every possible way. I find his lunch box most crucial as it’s the meal he has at school in the afternoon. I have to keep coming up with ideas which sound interesting to him and he can proudly share with his friends. As I’ve mentioned earlier that his friends look out for his lunch box and a boring lunch box is not what he would like to show to his friends. I can’t give him junk food or a deep fried items regularly too, which he would most happily eat to increase my discomfort.

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Red Bell Pepper-Tomato-Basil Sauce | Sauce Recipe | Multipurpose Sauce | Vegan

 

Hi all!!

Today I’m sharing one multipurpose sauce which is so easy to make. It is uncomplicated and yet so yielding. The sauce is so versatile that it can be used as a spread, dipping sauce, or pizza/pasta sauce. The kid liked it so much that he kept licking it out of the bowl.

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Purple Cabbage & Kidney Beans Salad in French Dressing | Salad Recipe

 

Hi all!!

Given a choice, I prefer to have a light meal for dinner and a bowl of salad or soup is what I will always look forward to. Since I make them at night, I rarely get a chance to click them and post here. Realising that many of you would like to see more of such recipes, I decided to make small batch in the morning and click the pictures. So, henceforth I would consciously try to post more of such recipes here.

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Five Spice Flavoured Cottage Cheese Balls Stuffed With Plums and Chinese Plum Sauce | Step Wise | Food Presentation Ideas-2

 

Hi all!!

I can’t believe at myself, I’m posting like I’m running a marathon. This is my fourth post in the last four days which  also happens to be my fourth consecutive post on plums and it is yet again a savoury preparation in which  I’ve used plums in two ways; stuffed and prepared a sauce. I’m trying hard to avoid the sugar but I might land up posting something sweet..temptations are bad!! As you must have guessed this post is again for Kitchen Aid Contest for IFBMeet, where I’m trying to win a Kitchen Aid Chopper.

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Plums & Peri Peri Chillies Salsa | Quick To Make Dip

 

Hi all!!

I’m in love with the salsa of all kinds. Love their piquant flavour. I keep concocting various versions as they are easy and quick to make dips which could be used for snacking. Also, they are low in calorie, light to eat and one of the better ways of using fruits. I had posted a  Raw Mango Salsa earlier in the month, which I had made several times during the mango season, as my son loves it. It was an easy way to make him eat mangoes which he otherwise eats rarely.

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Sabudana vada in a new avatar- low oil and cheese stuffed version | कम तेल में बना,भरा हुआ साबुदाना वडा | Gluten Free | StepWise

 

 

Hi!

Being the foodie that I’m, I love collecting kitchen utensils, appliances and tools and one such utensil that I’m very fond of in my kitchen, is my non stick paniyaram pan. I love it to the core, as by using this I’m able to make low oil kofta, fritters and many snacks which are fried otherwise.

Recently I read a recipe using a paniyaram pan in a  food group on face book, that I follow religiously. The group is very inspiring as I learn something new everyday. The members there are so creative and encouraging. They love to share their food creations and are ready to teach and learn from each other. This recipe that I’ve created is inspired by a recipe posted in the food group.

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Raw Mango Salsa | Winner of Only Event Of June

 

Hi All!!

The monsoon has arrived and it’s time to say bye bye to the king of fruits in India- The Mango. I’m glad that I enjoyed eating the fruit through the summer and tasted many varieties. Ate it raw, pulped it, pickled it, brined it, made instant onion mango pickle, cooked chitranna, made lentils with raw mango (touvve), made tokku, also made  a spicy red chutney (maavinkaayi chutney) and the green chutney frequented the kitchen regularly. Other than these, made sweet things like juices, shakes, murramba, trifle, ice-cream, pana cotta and with this post  on salsa I made it back to the spicy flavour using this wonderful fruit.

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Grilled Chilli Paneer Cubes | Easy Starter Recipe | Bachelor’s Cooking | Gluten Free | Finger Food | Step Wise

Hi All!

As I have mentioned in my Mango & Dark Chocolate Trifle Post, that the kid is 14yrs old now and what I didn’t mention was that he is in the 9th grade and due to which the study pressures are very high. His school hours have got extended by an hour now and post school he rushes for his coaching class, so he is invariably out for 11-1/2hrs and by the time he comes home, he is very tired and hungry. Though, I ensure that he carries two lunch boxes but at a growing age, the children are always hungry and they need to eat food at short intervals.

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भेंन की सब्ज़ी| Lotus Stem Curry | Main Course | Side Dish | Low Calorie | Winner Of Only Event

Hi All! Wishing all Mom's a very happy Mother's Day.

My friends who keep reading my posts and pictures believe that I keep cooking gourmet food every day and I find it very difficult to tell them it’s simple food that’s presented stylishly for my blog. I do not use any gourmet products in most of my cooking but with the ingredients available easily at home, I try to cook decent food. For me that’s the real challenge, with most basic ingredients how to cook different food. I must admit that a home-maker’s job is ever challenging but these daily challenges make me feel motivated and keep me going and of course when readers send me mails praising my food, it’s a bonus. I look forward to your reactions, criticism and praise, so do keep them coming.

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मिश्र दालों की स्टफ़्ड खाण्डवी | Reena’s Stuffed-Mixed Lentils Khandvi & PaperBoat Drinks At a Glance | Step Wise

Hi all!!

Unfortunately for me, I’ve turned quite a loner after moving into this city, which happened ages back, but the huge language constraint,  and the cultural difference has definitely prevented me from finding like minded friends here!

Though now I do have a small group of friends from the locality with whom I got connected through FB, but then that’s all of my social life here. 

A few months back, longing for some social connect, and also driven by the inner urge to connect with school friends, I created a group on the WhatsApp. Gradually, many more friends from my batch joined there, where we have been able to walk down the school’s memory lane together!

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तन्दूरी भेंन कबाब​ (Lotus Stem Kebab) | Gluten Free | Vegan | Pregnancy Recipes | Step Wise |

Hi All!!

Ever since I’ve announced the current event in my blog, I’m nostalgic about my pregnancy days, so many memories but what I remember the most is my stay at Mom’s place..As a custom I had gone to stay with my parents by the end of 7th month. And friends custom or no custom, I personally feel that there can be no other place more comforting than parents home. Living your entire life with them, the ease and comfort one experiences that can’t be replaced by any other person or place especially when one is going through so many internal changes, one needs emotional support. The love, the attention parents shower on their daughter and the baby is unimaginable.

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Kairichi Vaatli Daal ( low oil version)..a Chaitra specialty from Maharashtra, Step by Step

Hi All!

The month of Chaitra in the Hindu Regional calendar is considered as the first month of the year. In Maharashtra the month of Chaitra starts with celebrating Gudi Padwa, i.e the first day of the year and ends with Chaitra Amavasya. 'Chaitra Gauri' on Gudi Padwa is an important event for ladies who invite each for Haldi Kunku or Haldi Kumkum in Hindi. Women observe nine days, called 'Devichi Navaratri' starting with 'Chaitra Gauri,' all the way till ‘Akshaya Tritiya’. 'Paanpoyi' or large pots of water are specially set up in public space in order to help the needy. "After the puja of the water pots, the very act of offering water to one and all is important on Gudi Padwa. People can distribute water this way till Akshaya Tritiya.

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Baked Couscous and Cottage Cheese Rolls

 

Wishing all my readers and friends a Very Happy New Year. I pray the God almighty to help all fulfil their dreams and wishes. I also hope and pray that the year brings in more peace and harmony through out the world.

I’ve just returned back after visiting my parents and the temperature and weather change is trying to show it’s effect on my body and I’m trying hard to push it. I know I’ve not been able to acknowledge a few entries sent for ‘Only’ Cakes and Cookies, have patience, I’ll make it to your blogs in a day or two. I could not do it as my dad’s computer was not functioning properly.

I am overwhelmed by the response my first cookbook review received. Do understand the word ‘response’ should not be identified with the number of comments, in those terms my blog is amongst the back benchers, LOL,… ‘response’ clearly means the page views the post received and the many mails I received congratulating me on my effort. I’m motivated to make more attempts in this field. I also want to thank all my blogger friends and others who stopped by to leave a note for me for the review post, I’m touched and your encouragement means a lot to me.

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Baked Crispy Lentil Fingers

 

Hi!

I am on a baking spree and trying to innovate healthy, tasty and at the same time low oil and low calorie preparations. As I mentioned in my Yellow Lentil Seekh Kabab, that for vegetarians like me, lentils are a big source of proteins. Continuing to experiment more with the lentils and especially the Yellow Lentils as these are quick to cook and easy to digest, I attempted making baked crispy fingers. I was a little apprehensive about how these would taste after baking but the fears disappeared quickly the minute I tasted them.

The fingers are just perfect, nicely crispy and well spiced, good enough to tease the taste buds. Perfect for people on diet and for those who do not mind eating high calorie food, these can be fried too. It can make a great starter as well as a finger food. Apt for growing children as it’s loaded with proteins as well as anyone who needs a high protein diet.

I am also happy to inform you that my Yellow Lentil Seekh Kabab won second prize at Neha’s Kids Menu Event and I have won the book Cooking with Pedatha, since I already have the book, she has very kindly changed it to a gift voucher. I will surely share what I buy with that in future, but for now the recipe..

Ingredients for Lentil Fingers

about 3/4 cup yellow lentils

3 green chilies

a small piece ginger

1 garlic pod

2 tbsp coriander leaves

salt to taste

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

a pinch of good quality asafetida

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp coriander pwd

1 tsp cumin pwd

a large pinch garam masala

1/2 tsp dry mango (amchoor) pwd

1-1/2 tbsp oil

cooking spray

Ingredients For Minty Coriander Yogurt Dip

2 green chilies

2 tbsp yogurt

a small handful coriander leaves

a small handful mint leaves

1/4 tsp rock salt

Method

Soak the lentils for half an hour and then grind it to a smooth paste along with salt, green chilies, ginger, garlic and coriander.

Heat oil and add cumin and fennel seeds followed by asafetida. Reduce the flame and then add the lentil paste.

Stir continuously  and add all the spices, mix thoroughly. Once the mixture starts thickening and starts leaving the edges and forms like a ball, switch off the flame.

 

Grease a square plate and spread the lentil mix evenly using hand when hot. If required wet hands and then spread.

Refrigerate for an hour and then cut fingers.

Preheat the oven at 220C and place the lentil fingers on a greased baking dish, spray some cooking spray over it too and bake them for about 10 mins on one side and then turn the fingers and then bake again for 5 mins on the other side, till the crust is golden in color.

For the dip, grind all the ingredients together under the heading dip.

 

Serve hot the fingers with the Minty Coriander Yogurt Dip.

 

Sending this to-

MLLA 27 an event by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.

my event ‘Only’- Low Oil/Low Calorie guest hosted by Priya Mitharwal of Mharo Rajasthan’s Recipes.