Isha's Kitchen

Pita Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0000

Pita Bread

Pita bread is a popular staple in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. It is a very simple yet versatile bread,you can serve it with a variety of dips and spreads,make sandwiches and wraps,even make chips out of it. I love it specially with hummus.

The recipe basically uses white flour,but I have used an equal proportion of white and wheat flour (to make it healthy). The bread turned out very soft,you can change the proportion of the flour according to your convenience.

Ingredients

Warm water - 2 cups

Active dry yeast - 1packet
Honey - 1Tbs
Wheat flour - 21/2 cups
All purpose flour - 11/2 cup

Salt- 2 tsp

Olive oil/vegetable oil - 1tsp

Method

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add honey and stir until dissolved.Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.

Combine white flour, wheat flour, and salt in large bowl. Making a small depression in the middle of flour add warm yeast water.

Then slowly add the remaining water as needed and mix with a spatula or hand to form an elastic dough.

Place the dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. When the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, it is done.

Coat large bowl with oil,I used olive oil and place the dough in bowl. Turn it upside down so all of it is coated with oil. Allow to sit,covered in a warm place for about 2-3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Once doubled punch down and knead the dough lightly.

Meanwhile preheat the oven (350 degree F) and lightly oil the baking sheet.

Make small balls out of the dough about the size a bit larger than golf balls.It will make about 10-12 balls. Let the dough balls sit covered for 10 minutes.

Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles to a thickness of about 3/8 to1/4 inch thickness(For larger or smaller pita bread pieces, take more or less dough).

Place on baking sheet and bake at 350°F on the lowest oven rack for 4-5 minutes until the bread puffs up and then turn the pitas and bake for another 3-4 minutes

Remove done pitas with a spatula and bake the remaining similarly.

Take spatula and gently push down the puff.Pita bread is ready. If you plan on storing the pitas for later eating immediately place them in storage bags.

For immediate use serve it with hummus or any other dip and enjoy.(Hummus recipe coming next)

Storing Pita bread

Pita bread can be stored for up to a week in a pantry box, and up to a month in the freezer,take care to use freezer bags

Pita bread dough can also be refrigerated for up to one week in the refrigerator.

Farfalle with Tomato-Goat Cheese Cream sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0000

I saw this recipe in Vegetarian times magazine.....it looked so delicious. I decided to give it a try. I have done some minute changes in the original recipe.

Background image source:Vegetarian times

Ingredients

12 oz farfalle /Bow-tie pasta

Creamy tomato soup - 1 1/4 cup prepared (You can buy ready made soup or prepare it,will post the recipe soon.)

Creamy mild Goat cheese* - 2-3 Tbs

Frozen petite peas - 1 cup

Sunflower seeds-2 tsp (the original recipe had pine nuts)

Olive oil 1/2 Tbs

Garlic - 3 cloves minced
Salt and Pepper-as desired

The original recipe also had:

Regular/nonfat half-and-half -1/2 cup &

Dry white wine(optional) - 1Tbs

I skipped these two ingredients.

Method

Cook pasta in boiling salted water pot as per package directions until al dente,add peas during last 2 mins of cooking. Drain in a colander.

Return the empty pot to the burner.Wait a few seconds until the pot looks dry,then lightly toast the sunflower seeds on a medium flame for half minute or until fragrant and toasted.Transfer the seeds to a plate.

Heat oil in a pot and saute garlic until just beginning to brown.

Stir in the prepared soup,simmer over medium high heat until the soup is slightly reduced and begins to thicken,stirring occasionally.Add goat cheese and cook 2-3 minutes more, or until the cheese is completely melted into sauce,stir.Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Stir in pasta,peas,sunflower seeds,toss well and serve.

Ummm......the result is a creamy pasta with a tang!!!!!!

* Mild Goat Cheese gives a unique tang to the orange colored sauce.If you don't like Goat cheese,you can use low-fat cream cheese.

Bharli vaangi----Stuffed brinjal

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 22:00:00 +0000

Bharli Vaangi-Stuffed Eggplant

I am not a fan of eggplant...I feel like eating it but somehow can't eat it,donno y????? But my husband loves eggplant and he's a huge fan of this curry.Though I don't eat eggplant,I love the masala of this curry.....so I just feast on the masala :)

This post is specially for you my dear hubby.

Stuffed eggplant or Bharli vaangi as called in marathi is a very simple, easy and yummy recipe.......

Ingredients

Eggplant-4 small
Onion- 1, finely chopped
Roasted peanut powder-1/2 cup
Garam masala-1 tbsp
Red Chili powder-1 tbsp
Turmeric powder-1 tsp
Oil -1 tbsp
Salt -to taste
Water

Method
For stuffing/masala

In a bowl mix chopped onions, red chili powder,turmeric powder, garam masala, salt and roasted peanut powder. Mix it properly and add 2-3 tbsp of water to bind all the masala together.Take care not to add too much water.

Wash the eggplant and remove the stem.Then slit them vertically and horizontally like a plus sign from the opposite end of the stem without breaking them into halves.Keep the eggplant in water to avoid browning.

Then stuff the above prepared masala in the all the eggplants through the slits. Keep the leftover masala.

Heat oil in a nonstick pan ,once hot add the leftover masala and saute it in oil.

Keep stirring and cook the masala till oil starts separating. Then add the stuffed eggplant one by one,mix well.

Cover and cook on medium flame for about 3-4 mins,then remove the cover and add water according to the consistency you want.

Add salt (just remember that we have also put salt in the stuffing/masala.)

Once again cover and cook the eggplant on a medium flame for 8-10 mins.

Keep stirring in between as the masala may stick to the bottom of the pan.

Then turn the eggplant to cook evenly on both the sides and stir. Then cover again and cook till the eggplant gets cooked properly.

Remove the stuffed eggplant and garnish with cilantro if u like.

Serve with roti ,paratha or even rice.

Back to Blogging.....

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 21:27:00 +0000

Hi friends,I know its been a very very long time that I have been away from blogging. All my family and friends keep on asking me what happened to my blog,did I post any new recipes????? They keep returning to the blog to see if there's something new in the blog.It feels so nice to see all of them so concerned and that they would love to see me back in the blogging world.

I loved blogging,it actually helped me to meet and come to know so many talented bloggers who apart from being gr8 cooks also are wonderful people.I learnt a lot about different food, different cuisines, learnt so many new recipes. Blogging has its own advantages,its a unique learning journey.I really missed blogging and so am planning to return to this world.

I will try my best to post new recipes and interesting food and nutrition information regularly.Just wish me luck all of you :)

Do keep visiting the blog and give your valuable advice and suggestions to improve my blog.

Finally want to thank my family and friends for their love and support.

Foodie Bloggers Unite

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:11:00 +0000

Hi

This is a call to all Food bloggers in and around Los angeles.

All thanks to the trio : Sanyukta Gaur (Bayes) from Creative Sanyukta, Lavanya from The Diary of a disaPlaced HouseWife and Priya (Yallapantula) Mitharwal (Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes), a foodies meet is being planned during the upcoming 2010 holidays,though the date is not fixed yet.This meet can be a great way to network if you enjoy meeting other people, showcase your exclusive recipes and share/meet fellow bloggers and enjoy a day filled with food and fun.

I am happy to be a part of this group and would love to see u all there. So check out the Foodiebloggers meet blog for more information and hope to see u in the group soon.

Luv,
Hetal (Isha)

My recipe is in top 10......vote for me!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:32:00 +0000

Vote for me.....

Hi friends,I am so happy that my Healthy soup recipe has been selected in the top 10 in the Eat healthy:Fight Diabetes contest organised by Sangeeth of Art of cooking Indian food blog. So please vote for my recipe here(the poll is on the right hand side bar). You can check out the Healthy Soup recipe here. Don't forget to check out the wonderful healthy recipes in the round up.

Looking forward for your votes.....

*Yummy Carrot Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:13:00 +0000

Salads

..........For me salads are a healthy addition to our diet. Normally a Green salad is low in calories, low in fats and nutritionally very rich but the addition of wrong ingredients can make it unhealthy. Salads are often neglected in our diets,they should be an integral part of our meals,. A salad can even make a healthy low calorie meal by itself with the combination of proper ingredients.

These are some ways you can make your salads nutritionally rich:

Instead of using canned and frozen vegetables,use fresh fruits and vegetables (including green leafy vegetables).

Instead of the adding too much salad dressings which are high in calories and fat , ust squeeze a fresh lime juice and put in some herbs like basil which improve the flavour of the salad.

Avoid adding croutons and other extra toppings, instead add some nuts or flax seeds which make a better nutritional choice.

Cheese are a rich source of Calcium and Protein,so just take care on how much cheese you are using. Adding too much of cheese adds many extra calories.
(Source: About.com)

You can make a variety of salads, try adding a different healthy ingredients every time you make a salad.

Here's a salad recipe for you.

Carrot Salad

Ingredients

Grated carrot- 2 cups
Olive oil- 1 tsp
Green chillies- 2, cut into small pieces
Cilantro/Coriander, finely chopped- 1 tbsp
Curry leaves- 3-4
Lime juice- 2 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1-2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.Once they splutter add curry leaves and green chillies.
Then add grated carrot,turmeric powder and salt (add very little).Cook for about a minute not much.
Put off the flame and add lime juice. Mix again.
Garnish it with cilantro and serve.
See, its so easy.Salad is ready.

Serves 2

** Carrots are an excellent source of antioxidant compounds, and the richest vegetable source of the pro-vitamin A carotenes. Carrots' antioxidant compounds help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer and also promote good vision, especially night vision.
(Source WHFoods.org)

I am sending this yummy carrot salad recipe to JFI - Carrots hosted by The Cooker.

*For All My Blogger Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:47:00 +0000

I know that I have not been regular since I came back but thanks to my blogger friends who with their awards and wonderful comments motivate and encourage me to be regular enough in the blogging world. I have so much to share with you all but something or the other keeps coming in between. Anyways a big thanks to all those bloggers who appreciate me and my work by showering me with awards.

My friends Arundhati of Gourmet Affair and Ramya of Memory archieved passed me this Hard Working Food Blogger award- Thanks a ton,I will definitely try to be more hardworking and be regular :)

My another good friend Ivy of Kopiaste passed me the Yum-Yum Blog award. I really appreciate it.
I also got the lovely Butterfly Award from Sudeshna of Bengalicuisine and Kitchen Flavours .

Here are some rules for the Butterfly award.

Add the logo in your blog.
Add a link to the person who gave you the award.
Nominate 10 other blogs of your choice.
Don’t forget to add links to those blogs in yours.
Also leave a message for your nominees in their blogs, informing them about the award.

I know its a rule to pass the Butterfly award to 10 bloggers, but I would really like to pass the above awards to all my fellow bloggers with their lovely blogs. You all deserve these awards..

*Happy Diwali And Prosperous New YearTo You All

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:15:00 +0000

Hi friends,Diwali is a festival of lights and happiness.On this auspicious occasion I wish you all a very Happy Diwali and a Great New Year.May all your dreams come true and may God bless you all.

Have a wonderful Diwali.....Enjoy!!

*Celebrating my 50th post with Bread Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:06:00 +0000

Yeeeeee!!!!!! My 50th post

(Image source:Google images)

Hi friends, sorry I couldn't post any recipes since last week.There was some problem with my laptop. I am so happy and excited,this is my 50th post. This is just a beginning for me , hope to get your love and support in the future also. I want to share many more recipes and food tips with you all.

Celebrating my 50th post with a wonderful, yummy recipe my mom makes. It is a favorite at my place. This recipe is a different version of a pizza,you can say a low fat version as it does not have any cheese.Weight conscious people,you can eat this dish without any guilt. You will love this sweet and spicy combination.

Bread Pizza

I have seen and heard about many bread pizza recipes, this is a bit different from those.So lets give this recipe a try.

Ingredients:

Bread (of your choice) - 4 slices
Onion- 1 medium ,finely chopped
Capsicum- 1 medium, finely chopped
Tomato (optional) - 1 medium, finely chopped
Tomato Ketchup
Butter ( low-fat)/Ghee (for toasting bread)

For Chutney:

Cilantro(Coriander) - 1 bunch (use the stems also)
Mint leaves - 8-10 no.
Ginger - 1 small piece
Green chillies - 2, small
Lime juice- 2 tsp
Salt to taste

To garnish:

Fine sev

Method:

For chutney:

Clean the coriander.Peel ginger and remove stems from green chillies .Wash all these ingredients thoroughly.
Grind these along with the remaining ingredients into a smooth paste in a food processor.
Store in a bowl.

For pizza:

Apply a tbsp. of chutney,then a tbsp. of ketchup on a slice of bread. (The amount of chutney and ketchup can vary as per your taste.)
Heat a girdle or tawa and toast the bread slice,chutney side up with little butter till the downside becomes brownish and little crispy.
Top the toasted bread slice with little chopped onion,capsicum and tomato.
Garnish it with sev and serve hot.

Serves 2

Note: Start making the pizza when you are about to serve or else it will become soft and soggy.

I am sending this recipe to the WYF: Party Food event hosted by easycrafts of Simple Indian food blog.

*Semolina(Sooji/Rava) Sheera

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:20:00 +0000

Semolina(Sooji/Rava) Sheera

Semolina sheera is a favorite in our Indian households,mostly prepared during festivals and puja. But for those who love it,they don't need to wait for either of these to eat it...... :) Such is the case in my house,my hubby likes this sheera very much. So Rava sheera is made more often compared to any other sweet.

It is basically made from semolina and milk. Its a bit heavy because of the added ghee,but sometimes you should just forget about your weight and enjoy such delicacies...hehehe!!! So what are we waiting for,lets get to work.

Ingredients :

Semolina (Sooji/Rava) - 2 cups
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 2 cups
Milk - 2 cups
Water- 1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Cashewnuts -1 tbsp

Method:

Take Ghee in a non stick pan and add Semolina to it. Roast until semolina turns golden brown. (Take care not to burn semolina).
Continue for 2-3 minutes on a low flame.
Remove the roasted semolina in a plate.

In the same pan roast the cashewnuts and keep them aside.

Now take milk and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil.Add cardamom powder and keep it on a low flame.

Slowly add semolina to the above milk mixture, stir the mixture well with a spatula and avoid any lump formation.

Add the cashews to this mixture and cook it till the ghee separates from the semolina.

Serve in a bowl.You can decorate it as per your liking.

Serves: 4

This recipe is making its way to 4 events:

Yummy Festival Feasts - Diwali hosted by Pallavi of All Thingz Yummy .

JFI - Festival Treats hosted by Srivalli of Cooking 4 All Seasons.

The Saas, Bahu Aur Sensex Contest hosted by Nags of Edible Garden.You can check the movie website here.

Satisfy your sweet tooth event hosted by Sudeshna of Here I cook blog.

*Potato (Aloo) Fry...

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:19:00 +0000

Today's recipe is Potato(Aloo) Fry. This is a very tasty and quick to make recipe. Serve it with chapati,paratha or just enjoy it with rice and dal,its simply amazing. I just love it!!!!

Potatoes.......who doesn't like them???? They are one of the widely used vegetable all over the world. They can be boiled, baked, fried, and micro waved, steamed, roasted, mashed, and placed in salads, with or without the peel.

Friends,check out this cool "Potato Song" video I found in Youtube :

The potato is thought to be just a high source of calories and that it is fattening .This is not true. You will surprised to know that it is almost fat-free. In fact the addition of high calorie toppings like butter,sour cream,mayonnaise dressing,etc make the potato recipe fattening. It has many nutritional advantages.

Here are some facts we should know about potatoes:

Potatoes contain a number of important vitamins and minerals. A medium potato (150g/5.3 oz) with the skin provides 27 mg vitamin C (45% of the Daily Value (DV)), 620 mg of potassium (18% of DV), 0.2 mg vitamin B6(10% of DV) and trace amounts of thiamin,riboflavin,folate, niacin,magnesium,phosphorus,iron and zinc.
Moreover, the fiber content of a potato with skin (2 grams) equals that of many whole grain breads,pastas and cereals.

Potatoes also contain an assortment of phytochemicals,such as carotenoids and polyphenols.

The notion that “all of the potato’s nutrients” are found in the skin is an urban legend. While the skin does contain approximately half of the total dietary fiber, more than 50% of the nutrients are found within the potato itself. The cooking method used can significantly impact the nutrient availability of the potato.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Check some interesting facts about potatoes here .

Ingredients:

Potato- 2 big
Olive oil - 3 tsp
Mustard seeds- 2 tsp
Cumin seeds- 2 tsp
Asafoetida (hing)-A pinch
Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Red chilli powder- 2 tsp
Lime juice -1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Peel the potatoes and cut them into long slices.
*Add about 3 tsp of salt to the potato slices,mix well and keep aside for about 30-45 mins.
Then squeeze the slices to remove all the water.

Heat oil in a pan and add curry leaves,cumin and mustard seeds.Once they crackle,add the potato slices and mix well.

Cook till the potato slices become crispy and light brownish.

Then add turmeric and red chilli powder and lime juice.Mix and cook for about 2 mins,then switch off the flame.

Serve hot with Roti,paratha or rice and dal.

Serves: 2-3

* Addition of salt helps in removal of water from the potatoes and make the recipe crispy.Use this method to make potato chips.

I am sending this recipe to the 'Monthly Mingle-Sensational Sides' event hosted by Ruth of Ruth's kitchen Experiments and started by Meeta of What's for lunch, Honey?

*Thank You Friends..........

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:46:00 +0000

Thank You Friends

I am so happy to get some new awards from my blogger friends. I feel so good that even though I was on a break,my friends remembered me and showered me some wonderful awards.I am so sorry that I am posting about them so late.Thanks you all a lot..

Farida of Farida's Cookbook has passed me the 'Arte y Pico' Award.Thanks for this lovely award.

I pass this award to

Swapna of Crafts and Cooking has given me the 'Blogging Forever Friend' award. Thank you swapna for making my day...

This lovely award goes to

Aartee of Nalabhagam and Aditi from My Kitchen Stories have passed me this beautiful 'Wylde Woman Award'. Thank you both and you have lovely blogs out there.

The rules of this award are:

1.You can give it to one or one hundred or any number in between - it’s up to you. Make sure you link to their site in your post

2. Link back to this blog site http://tammyvitale.typepad.com/.Tammy can go visit all these wonderful men and women and remember the Purpose of the Award: To send love and acknowledgment to men and women, who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy.

My friend Aditi has also passed me the 'Friendship Award'.May our friendship grow in the coming years..I also got the 'Friendship Award' from Vaidehi of Chakali.

I pass both of these awards to

Aparna from Three mangoes passed me this wonderful postcard.I am so happy to receive this postcard.

Congrats to all the award winners.Have a great day!!!

*Chinese Tortilla Samosa

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:30:00 +0000

Today I present you yet another quick and tasty recipe which you can make for parties or dinner and surely impress your family and guests. Moreover its very easy to make and it saves your time also. You must be wondering what is this dish??? So I wont make you wait any longer and tell you what are we going to make here today.

Chinese Tortilla Samosa

This recipe is called Chinese Tortilla Samosa. Samosa......well, who doesn't like them? It serves as a good accompaniment with tea or you can just eat it like that. Unlike our regular samosas with the potato filling, these samosas have a Chinese style filling...... and it tastes awesome!! It makes a wonderful appetizer and so easy to make that it saves you a lot of time.

Wait.....there's one more twist in the recipe. In these, I have used tortilla's as a cover or crust of the samosa rather than making them with all purpose flour(maida) which is again a tidious process. So you can avoid the all purpose flour (maida) and use ready made tortilla's which you get easily in the grocery stores. Nowadays you get so many different varieties of tortilla's...you can choose according to your liking. I used the regular tortilla's and believe me you cannot find any difference between the regular all purpose flour cover and tortilla cover.

So friends, what do you think about the idea of using a tortilla for the samosa cover? I love it ,it saves so much of my time and tastes awesome. I have used them in regular samosas also. Just give it a try and you will surely love idea. So let's start...

Ingredients:
For cover:

Large Tortilla's (regular) - 3 no.s
All purpose flour+ water paste (to seal)

For filling:

Cabbage, shredded - 3/4th cup
Carrot, shredded - 1/2th cup
Capsicum, finely chopped - 1/2th cup
Green/regular onion, finely chopped - 1/2 cup
Boiled noodles- 1 cup
Cilantro - 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Soy sauce - 2-3 tsp
Tomato ketchup - 2 tsp
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Oil - For frying

Method:

Put all the filling ingredients in a bowl, except noodles and salt and mix well.

Add the noodles and salt (as per taste) and again mix well.

Keep the filling aside.

For samosas:

If you have taken the tortilla's from the refrigerator,they tend to be hard. Heat them for a minute in the microwave with a wet cloth or tissue over it. This makes them softer.
Fold the tortilla into half and cut it from the center. Now you get 2 halves.
Again fold these two parts into half and cut them.In total now you get 4 pieces from a single large tortilla.
Now you are ready to make the samosas.
Take care to remove the water from the filling before filling it in the tortilla.

Take one tortilla piece and make a cone as shown in the picture below.

Put the filling in it. (Don't put too much filling...see that it doesn't come out of the cone.)
Apply the all purpose flour paste on the top flap and seal the samosa cover.

Repeat it with all the tortilla covers.
Deep fry them in oil and serve the crispy samosas hot with ketchup.

*I tried to bake them but they did not turn so well,may be there's some problem with my oven. I think the baked one's will also taste good and they will be a much healthier option.

*I advice you to make the samosas when you are about to eat or serve them. If you make them many hours before,they tend to get soft,lose their crispiness.

Serves 4-6

This recipe is rushing to the WYF: Party Food event hosted by easycrafts of Simple Indian food blog.

*Soup for your good health....

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Its so good to be blogging once again. Keeping in mind the saying "Health is Wealth",today I am posting a healthy soup recipe. This soup contains a combination of healthy vegetables which help to maintain the good health of your body as well as your heart. It is rich in fibre and many nutrients and one more thing.................it doesn't taste bad at all :D !!!!

Healthy soup

Ingredients:

Beet - 1,medium (Dont remove the skin and don't discard the beet leaves,use them.They are also good for your health)
Bottleguard- 1 cup (cut in big pieces)
Spinach - 2 cups (Remember....spinach reduces to 1/3rd its quantity after cooking)
Ginger- 1 small piece
Garlic (optional)- 1 clove
Black pepper powder- 1 tsp
Salt - To taste

Click the vegetables to know more about them and their health benefits.

Method:

Pressure cook the vegetables (Beet,bottlegourd and spinach) with very less water and let them cool.
Remove the skin of beet and put the vegetables in the blender.

Add salt, ginger and garlic pieces.Add water if required.
Blend them thoroughly.
Take in a bowl and add pepper powder while serving.

Serving 1-2

This recipe is my entry to the WYF - Salad/Starter/Soup event hosted by Easycrafts of Simple Indian Food blog.

I find this recipe very apt for the 'Eat Healthy Fight Diabetes' contest hosted by Sangeeth of Art of cooking indian food.So here it goes......

Note:

* I prefer to keep the soup oil free.You can season it with cumin and mustard seeds..

* Individuals with already existing and untreated kidney or gallbladder problems or those who have a tendency to develop kidney stones may want to avoid eating beet and spinach or take your doctors advice first.

*Leftover magic...........

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:00:00 +0000

Amiri Khaman

There is leftover Khaman dhokla in your kitchen and you are wondering what to do with it,dont worry!!!! Just do what I usually do when I am in a similar situation.......turn those tasty khaman dhoklas into much tastier 'AMIRI KHAMAN'.

Whattttt...... you don't know this recipe,you have never tasted it ? Then make it fast.Once you make this dish I am sure you will love it and never forget it. Its a Gujarati delicacy.The actual process of making Amiri khaman is different. You have to soak the dals,its a bit tidious process. What I am going to show is an easier way of making it.

The taste is a little better when you follow the long process.But in this method you will save your time and you can make the best use of leftovers. So are you ready....?

Ingredients:

Leftover khaman Dhoklas - 6-8 no.s
Juice of half lemon
Oil - 2 tsp
Green chillies - 2 (cut lengthwise)
Curry leaves - 3-4
Ginger(grated or paste) - 2 tsp
Garlic (grated or finely chopped) - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Sesame seeds - 1 tsp
Sugar to taste
Salt to taste

For garnishing:

Cilantro,finely chopped - 1/2 tbsp
Nylon sev - 1 tbsp
Grated coconut (fresh) - 1 tbsp

*You can also add Pomegranate

Method:

First crumble the dhoklas by hand and keep them aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, sesame seeds, curry leaves ,green chillies, ginger and garlic.
Then add the dhokla crumbles,sugar and salt.Mix well.
Cook for about 5 mins covered.Once again mix well and put off the flame.
Garnish with chopped cilantro, sev and grated coconut and serve.

Serves - 2

*I am Back......

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:36:00 +0000

I am Back !!!!!!!

Hi friends,I am so happy to be back to the blogging world.I really really missed you all and your wonderful blogs. I am so sorry that my so called short break was not really short......it got extended for one or the other reason,it was a longggggggggggg break!!!! But now I am all set in this new place and once again continuing the blogging with double enthusiasm and excitement.

I want to thank you all for visiting my blog and leaving your wonderful comments,asking me to come back soon.I also wanna thank my blogger friends who passed me many wonderful awards. I promise to post many more wonderful recipes in my blog and hope the same support from you all like before.

I want to share with you all an interesting mail my friend sent me,it feels so true and amazing.....I never thought about this,have you? Hope you all like it and let me know what do you think of this post.

God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!

God's Pharmacy! Amazing!!!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.
A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.
Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.Celery,

Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breast.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body..

*Badge and a Short Break....

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Badge and a Short Break....

I am proud to show off this Winner's-1st place badge which I won in the Kids friendly cooking contest held by Great cooks community fair.I am so much excited and happy to receive this badge.

I thank everyone who voted and supported me from the bottom of my heart.

Hey friends,I will be on a short break from blogging as we are moving to Los Angeles,CA. So, I will be pretty busy with the moving and all other things.See you after a break,will miss the blogging world.........If I get time will try to peek into your blogs and check out whats going on.Chao....Bye for now!!

*Shower of Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:51:00 +0000

Shower of awards...

Friends I am on Cloud 9,in last couple of weeks I got so many awards from my fellow bloggers.I am so overwhelmed and excited.My heartiest thanks to my blogger friends for their continuous support and appreciation. I am a bit late in posting about some awards as I am a bit busy,sorry for that friends.

I received the 'Giant Bear Hug' award from dear Madhavi ,Sireesha, Maheshwari and Sharmila.Thanks a lot friends for this big hug.....You all have lovely blogs and you all rock gals..

I pass this award to:

Skribles
Shubha
Ivy
Sunshinemom

Maheshwari also passed me the 'Yum Yum blog award' and also has tagged me for a me.Thanks a lot dear.I have already posted that meme,you can check it out here.

I pass this lovely award to:

JZ @ Tasty treats
Sireesha
Uma
Bhags
Mansi
Nupur

My sweet friends, Sireesha and Vani passed me the 'Award of Friendship'..I am proud to receive this friendship award from you both,its great knowing you and would love to know more about you both.This award is very special,thanks a lot!!

I pass the Friendship award to

Sunshinemom passed me 'You make my Day award'.You made my day by passing this award to me,thanks a lot.I am so sorry to post about this award sooooo late,I don't know how come I missed it in my earlier post....

This award goes to:

Mrs.Srilekha passed me the 'Blogging with a purpose' award.Thanks a lot for your appreciation.You have a great blog...keep up the great work!!!

I pass this award to:

Sripriya of Srikar's Kitchen passed me the 'Nice Matters award'.Thanks you so much for this award.You have a great blog,I will make sure to visit it regularly.

'Nice Matters Award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world'.

I pass this award to :

JZ @ Tasty treats passed me the 'Yummy blog award'.I admire your blog and love to visit it,keep up the great work you are doing..

Yummy Blog award was first conceptualized by Roopa of Kitchen Treats. Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with the most yummy recipes/photos.

As per the rule I pass this award to other 4 bloggers:

I have already mentioned my favorite desserts in my earlier post about this award,see it here.

Here are the rules for the award recipients

The person who receives the award should display the "Yummy Blog !" logo on their blog and also the meaning of the award which is "Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos".
The receiver should also quote their favorite yummy-licious :) dessert(s) that they have ever prepared/eaten. Don't restrict yourself to any dessert, chocolate bars also welcome:).
Also the receiver should pass on the award to four other bloggers who's blog they find "yummy" and let them know about the rules:)

I would love to pass this award to:

A big thanks to you all for passing all these lovely awards to me...that's really encouraging for me. Congrats to all the winners.

*Open Sesame II voting........

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 01:00:00 +0000

Hi friends,today is the last day for the voting of Open Sesame II event at the Dining Hall by Siri and Divya. I have submitted my Tomato Casserole recipe for the same,so dear friends please vote for me.To vote you have to be a member of the Dining Hall, you can vote here.

Here's the picture of my recipe and you can check out the recipe here.

I just want you support as always..waiting for your votes!!!

*Fat-Free Frozen Mango Yogurt

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:40:00 +0000

Fat-Free Frozen Mango Yogurt

This is a fat-free,healthy and a yummy recipe with a touch of mint and strawberry jam which really adds to the taste. Do try this recipe for sure.I am sure you will love it.... Yogurt is a fermented dairy product made by adding bacterial cultures to milk, which causes the transformation of the milk's sugar, lactose, into lactic acid. It is a rich source of many important nutrients including Calcium,phosphorous,proteins,vitamins B-2, B-12, zinc,potassium and many more.For more details click here.

Ingredients

Non-fat yogurt 1 1/2 cup
Mangoes 2 cups
Mint leaves 1/4th cup
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Strawberry jam 3 tbsp
Cocoa 1 tsp
Sugar to taste ~1-4 tsp

Method

If you are using fresh curd and mangoes,mix together and freeze them.
Puree the above frozen mix in a blender with the remaining ingredients,except the sugar.
Blend them thoroughly.
Taste and add in as much sugar as per your taste.
Pour the mixture into a container and put it in a freezer.When serving remove from the frozen curd from the freezer and let it stand for 15-20 minutes at room temperature or else it will be too hard.

Note: You can keep the yogurt in the freezer for up to a week, in a covered container.

This Fat-free frozen yogurt recipe is my entry for :

Frozen Yogurt Event hosted by Siri.

Joelen's blogging adventures-Fruit recipes event by Joelen.

Herb Mania Event hosted by Dee.
Ice Cream, You Scream: Blogging Event hosted by Nikki of Nik Snacks.

MM - Mango Mania Event hosted by Meeta of What's for lunch honey?

You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream for Frozen Desserts! Event hosted by Mike of Mike's table.

One recipe......Six events,this is called killing 6 birds in 1 stone :D (he..he..he).I am very very happy to be a part of so many wonderful events.

*Lasun (Garlic) Chutney for Your Recipe Rocks ,T&T and AFAM

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:11:00 +0000

Lasun(Garlic) chutney

I just came across this wonderful recipe in Nupur's blog and immediately decided to make it.This is one of my favorite chutneys. This chutney reminds me of my childhood,when I was small if some vegetable which i didn't like was prepared at home,I used to eat this chutney(instead of the vegetable) with chapati,I just love it !!

After coming to US, I haven't tasted this chutney.Thanks to Nupur and all these blogging events that I got to eat my favorite chutney once more . The events I am talking about are Your Recipe Rocks by Madhuram of Eggless Cooking,T&T by Zlamushka of Spicy kitchen (in which we had to prepare a recipe from Nupur's blog One Hot Stove)-I must say that Nupur has a wonderful blog with so many different and tasty recipes and AFAM by Suganya of Tasty Palettes -Coconut is this month's theme.

Ingredients

1/3 cup Dry shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1/3 cup Peanuts
4 cloves Garlic
5 dried Red chillies
1 tbsp Sesame seeds
1 tbsp Poppy seeds
Salt to taste

Method:

Dry roast each ingredient (except salt) seperately on low heat till toasted.
Grind all ingredients together to form the chutney. Store in a dry container.
(Recipe by Nupur of One Hot Stove)

I tried to keep the recipe same as the original,I just skipped tamarind and reduced the quantity of Garlic.You can see the original recipe here. This chutney can serve as an accompaniment for most of the Indian meal.

This recipe is my entry to Your Recipe Rocks ,T&T and AFAM.

*Tomato Casserole and a Click for Bri...

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:34:00 +0000

Open Sesame II event at the Dining Hall designed and started by Siri and Divya is a wonderful event.Last time I missed the event...so I had decided that this time no way I am gonna miss this interesting event .I had so much fun solving the riddle.I picked the box no. 2 and got the following riddle:

I think I am a pleased woman since I blush so much
I am so soft and shiny to your delicate touch
But look what I have for relatives, so different with no common string
one used for smoking, one for hotness, one used to refer idler and one referred as veggie's King.

I am not what you refer to me most often
I am 'fruit' of labour but never called one so
I am neither a wolf nor a peach in the scale of one to ten
but then why do you think I am called one as so?

I can go green with envy, or completely red with anger
A little crown on my head makes my walk look like a swagger
You cant do without me in your day to day cooking
Tell me what veggie I am without too much thinking.

The answer is Tomato.

Without much thinking I got the answer in the first attempt itself,I am so happy about it.That was a wonderful riddle Divya.

Now its time to post a wonderful tomato recipe for this event.You can find so many recipes of tomato as its an integral part of our day to day cooking. I wanted to make a new and a different tomato dish. After much research I finally decided to make this recipe which I found tasty and healthy too.I have customized the recipe accordingly.

Tomato Casserole

Ingredients

For Sauce

Butter 3 tsp
Onion 1,cut into long slices
Skimmed/Low fat milk 1 small cup
All purpose flour 1 tbsp
Bread crumbs 1 cup
Black pepper powder 2 tsp
Salt to taste

For the Casserole

Tomatoes:
3 -chopped into medium size pieces &
2- cut in round slices
Capsicum 1/2,cut into medium size pieces.
Corn kernels 1/4 cup
Black olives,Sliced/chopped 2-3 tsp (optional)
Black pepper powder 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cheese (Part skimmed milk) 2 tbsp

Method
For Sauce

In a small, heavy saucepan butter over low heat.
Saute onions till they become golden brown.
Blend 1 tablespoon of flour into the melted butter and add salt and black pepper powder. Cook over low heat, stirring, for 4 - 5 minutes.
Slowly add milk, stirring constantly and continue cooking slowly until smooth and thickened.

Finally add the bread crumbs and mix well.

For Casserole

Preheat the oven to 375° C .
After you finish making the sauce keep it aside and let it cool.
In a pan, cook tomatoes pieces(not the slices) and capsicum for 5-6 mins till they become a bit soft.
Take a casserole or a baking dish and layer half of the tomato capsicum mixture in the bottom.
Sprinkle a little crushed red pepper if you have and then add half of the sauce mixture over the tomato layer.
Layer remaining tomato capsicum mixture and then put the remaining sauce layer over it.
Sprinkle half of the cheese over it.

Now top with corn kernels and round tomato slices and olives (optional).
Bake at 400° C for 25-30 mins or till the tomatoes are tender.
Remove from the oven. Let it cool.

Garnish with remaining cheese and serve.

Serves 2-4

This recipe makes it way to the Open Sesame II event hosted by Siri and Divya.

Note : Beware of the recent Salmonella outbreak related to tomatoes.

A Click for Bri....

Click is a monthly theme-based photography contest hosted by Jugalbandi. This month’s theme is: YELLOW for Bri,Yellow being the colour of hope. Its so good to see that the target for the fundraiser has been achieved.

I thought this time I won't be able to send my entry for the Click event as this month has been very busy for me, first guests had come at my place,then I was on a vacation for a week. I was so sad but I wanted to send my entry for the event....for dear Briana. So I was checking some photos that I had taken a some time back to find something related to the event so that I could send it and I found some pics which I thought were good for the event. Thanks to my love for photography....at last I found that Click I was searching for.

This picture is my entry for JUNE edition of CLICK,the theme is YELLOW for Bri.

Dancing with joy...

Hey I found one more lovely picture,check this out......

Enjoy the Casserole and the pictures.......

*Couple of awards and a meme

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:08:00 +0000

Couple of awards and a meme....

Its always a great feeling to be appreciated for your work,and I am lucky that my blogger friends have always supported and appreciated me by showering so many different awards on me. A very Big Thanks to you all...Last week I was on vacation but I was delighted to see a couple of awards and a meme waiting for me when I came back :). I am very sorry for posting this so late.

My friend JZ of Tasty Treats passed me the Nice matters blog award. Thanks JZ for this wonderful award, you have a wonderful blog and I love visiting it.

"Nice Matters Award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world.”

I would like to pass this award to..

Sireesha
Madhavi
Sukanya
Asha
Farida
Sashree

My dear friend Sireesha of Mom's recipes passed me the 'Blogging with a Purpose award'. I am so happy to receive this wonderful award from her,thanks a ton.You rock girl....

I would love to pass this award to...

Shubha
Ivy

Mansi
Madhuram
Lisa
Lore

Skribles of Food with a pinch of love has tagged me for a meme. Thanks you so much and you have a beautiful blog.

What was I doing ten years ago?
I was in studying in school.

What are five things on my to-do list for today (non-work related)?
Cooking and other kitchen stuff
Blogging and checking out other blogs
Cleaning the house
Chatting with friends
Reading news

What are five snacks that I enjoy ?
Any kind of Chaat like Chana chat,peanut chaat,corn chaat.....the list is very long.
Sookha Bhel
Veggie sandwich
Onion Pakoras
Khaman Dhokla

What things would I do if I were a billionaire?
Hmm....this is a very big dream,lemme get so much money and then I will think.

Places I have lived at?
Mumbai,Solapur,Warangal and Houston......

Jobs I have had..
I worked as a nutritionist in a Fitness center and now I am a full time Home-maker..

I further tag these fellow bloggers..

Shubha
Andhra Flavours
Sashree
Vani
Kalai

Enjoy writing this meme,though its not a compulsion....

Congratulations to all the above bloggers.

*College Chaat

noreply@blogger.com (Hetal) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:47:00 +0000

Hey friends I am back from my vacation.Last week I had been to my aunt's place.It was so much fun,felt like I was in India.But I really missed blogging. I was not in touch with the blogging world,I know I have so many wonderful recipes from my fellow bloggers to catch up with.

College Chaat

MBP-Street Food event hosted by Sia of Monsoon Spice and started by Coffee of The spice cafe is a wonderful event which helps us to explore other wonderful food blogs.

For MBP-Street Food event,I chose this delicious chaat recipe from my friend Shubha's blog. This is a yummy chaat which I frequently make and love it!!! I made a few changes in the original recipe,you can check out the original recipe here.

Ingredients

Peanuts,roasted and dehusked - 1 big cup (I used the roasted and salted peanuts we get in market.)
Tomato,finely chopped - 1 medium
Onion,finely chopped 1 medium
Green chillies (finely chopped)/Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Raw Mango pieces - 1/3 cup (optional)
Cilantro,finely chopped 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method

Take all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Keep some cilantro for garnishing.
Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Serves 2

** Beware of the recent Salmonella outbreak in raw tomatoes. You can read more about it here

Isha's Kitchen

Pita Bread

Farfalle with Tomato-Goat Cheese Cream sauce

Bharli vaangi----Stuffed brinjal

Back to Blogging.....

Foodie Bloggers Unite

My recipe is in top 10......vote for me!!!!!

*Yummy Carrot Salad

*For All My Blogger Friends

*Happy Diwali And Prosperous New YearTo You All

*Celebrating my 50th post with Bread Pizza

*Semolina(Sooji/Rava) Sheera

*Potato (Aloo) Fry...

*Thank You Friends..........

*Chinese Tortilla Samosa

*Soup for your good health....

*Leftover magic...........

*I am Back......

*Badge and a Short Break....

*Shower of Awards

*Open Sesame II voting........

*Fat-Free Frozen Mango Yogurt

Taste and add in as much sugar as per your taste.

Pour the mixture into a container and put it in a freezer.When serving remove from the frozen curd from the freezer and let it stand for 15-20 minutes at room temperature or else it will be too hard.

Note: You can keep the yogurt in the freezer for up to a week, in a covered container.

*Lasun (Garlic) Chutney for Your Recipe Rocks ,T&T and AFAM

*Tomato Casserole and a Click for Bri...

*Couple of awards and a meme

*College Chaat