Kala Chana Chaat | Black Chickpeas Salad~ Easy & Healthy Vegetarian Salad Recipe

A long absence from the blog makes me feel really low, ever since I quit my hectic corporate life (of course by choice) for my kids, I feel my life simply revolves around both of them and I am happy about it. The two months long summer vacations is over and my kids are back to school and here I am trying to get back to my normal routine, trying to find my “ME TIME”.

I made lots of dishes, some new some old during these two months and also tried to teach and help kids cook. It was so much fun cooking with kid, sharing the kitchen with them. I have never done that in my childhood because my Mom was too sacred for me entering the kitchen. And today it’s the same Mom who wants me to teach her grand daughter everything including cooking. May be my mom doesn’t want my daughter to struggle in the kitchen the way her daughter did when she got married . Yes to me cooking was really a huge impossible task for many years till I realized nothing is impossible and if I can work in the office under tremendous pressures I surely can do anything to everything on this earth.

All of us go through such phases in life and I am glad I have overcome my fear for cooking and here I am now happily cooking for my kids and sharing my learning’s in my blog. They enjoy my dishes and I enjoy more looking at them. It’s a special feeling to see kids grow .

I made this simple easy and quick Kala Chana chaat/ Black Chickpeas Salad and felt this also needs to be posted in my blog. Its healthy and super easy…all you need is boiled Kala Chana/ Black Chickpeas and some chopped veggies with some spices.

I find this Kala Chana chaat to be really filling to such an extent that I can replace this for a full meal. You can serve this for lunch or dinner and can even prepare in small portions for salads along with your regular meals. I enjoy this most along with curd .

You can add veggies of your choice along with the Kala Chana and experiment it to suit your tastes, along with onions tomatoes and boiled potatoes you can also add in chopped raw mangoes to make it more tangy. I am here sharing the basic and the simplest way of preparing this chaat.

Enjoy this quick to make and delicious to taste dish !

Stuffed Potato Shells with a refreshing Summer Cooler drink| Mothers Day Special ~ Happy Mother’s Day

“A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.”  ~Tenneva Jordan

I am blessed to have a super Mom and a super Daughter :)! My Mom is a super strong women who is a cancer survivor patient and is still fighting its after effects on daily basis from years. I salute her strong will power and positive attitude towards life. A women who cannot eat regular meals till now due to undergoing oral cancer few years back but still makes her kids and loved ones eat happily and feeds us all with delicious meals whenever possible with no regret towards life. I am proud of my Mom and pray god to make me strong and positive women as my Maa. Also I am thankful to god that my Mom is there with us despite all the illness…..

It is a special day for me today because my daughter planned a surprise on mother’s day for me. A morning that began with a long hug, cuddle and special wishes on being the best Mom by both my Kids. I adore all this ….It’s such a sweet feeling to be loved and made to feel so special.

I was told to take an early bath (on a weekend) by my daughter and not to enter the kitchen till she permits me too , I knew for sure something is cooking but I kept silent and obeyed her. It is nice to be ignorant once in a while specially when you know its something “JUST FOR YOU” by your loved ones.

It was pre planned, menu all decided and ingredients related to it stored well in advanced. My domestic help also was looped in to help my daughter in the kitchen for today mornings breakfast, which I got to know later. My daughter turned into her teens this year and I have seen a major change in her, though she was always so caring but now I feel she really goes out-of-the-way to make Mamma comfortable and happy in all times :).

She prepared a special breakfast for me today and I can’t stop blogging about it here in my space as I am so touched and feel blessed. The love and feelings behind such small things make a huge difference in life.

I was told to shut my eyes and sit like a good mommy without opening my eyes at the dining table. And then came a special surprise for me. Beautifully styled and deliciously prepared Stuffed Potato Shells with a refreshing Summer Cooler drink ! I was touched and tears started to flow down my eyes. it’s good to show your emotions on such sweet occasions, isn’t it???….

When asked, when she learnt this and how she made all this, I was told she took the help of a Nita Mehta small pocket sized cook book for both the recipes and prepared it in the presence of our domestic help. She knows Mamma still doesn’t allow her to experiment in the kitchen alone .

How my Son wished me Happy Mother’s Day – Quick, Easy and Hassle Free but straight from the Heart !!!

Boys are Boys , above pic shows how my son wished me, no wasting time just because playing basketball or cricket is more important but at the same time he needs to compete with sis to wish mamma better than her . A quick less than 5 minutes work, a small paper, pen and his thoughts. But the most important is what he feels….. there are kids who don’t express the way other kids do and my son is among those who are loving, sensitive and caring but do things differently without wasting too much time … lol! He surely knows how to make his maa happy… all his 5 minutes acts on special occasions can melt maa nicely and shower blessing and love… one imp question he always ask me is – Maa! Why do we not have Son’s Day..like the world celebrates mother’s day, daughter’s day, father’s day, grandparent’s day etc etc ?????? I still can’t find an answer to this…..if any of you have an answer please do share with me too , at least I can revert to my lil one….though I nicely tell him that every day is a Son’s day and we don’t need a particular day to celebrate Sons …..they are just adorable as always .

Without being too emotional anymore, let me share my daughters special breakfast recipe which she adapted from a cook book…. I loved it not because it was prepared by her but also because it was really awesome, delicious and worth sharing it here :).

And now the recipe for the Summer Cooler ~ A two layered Drink!!!

A perfect drink for hot summers, easy quick and yummy.

Happy Mothers Day to all ~ Stayed happy and stay blessed always .

Mango Pomegranate Parfait | Healthy Recipe

My kids enjoy making parfait on their own and they love the colors in the glass. it is so much fun for them. I keep making Mango Yogurt Parfait,  Strawberry parfait at home and also another one that is a big hit with my kids is the fresh fruit salad with yogurt, they can just have all this anytime of the day.

I am hooked to having parfait for my breakfast and so are my kids now ! We all love to have parfait in any combination so long as it suits our taste buds. My daughter said she wants to have a mango parfait with some difference, so I added Pom pearls to it with vanilla flavored yogurt. You can also add nuts of your choice. This time in my parfait I did not add any kinds of nuts but surely if added they will add to the flavor of the parfait along with some granola too.

Layers of Mango chunks and Pomegranate pearls one after the other ~ In-between the fruits some flavored yogurt. it is simply heavenly!

You can use any flavored yogurt for this Parfait but personally I feel vanilla flavor goes best with this combo.

It is quick, easy, healthy and delicious!

 Aam Ka Pana | Refreshing Summer Mango Drink

Summers begin and my house is all flooded with loads of milkshakes, shorbet, summer coolers, mint ice tea and my traditional Aam Ka Panna. I and my kids like to have lots of liquids during the summers. So my focus shifts from cooking various dishes to making my kids happy by preparing variety of milkshakes and summer drinks.

As soon as the Mango season starts, I ensure to get lots of Raw Mangoes along with the Mangoes :) in my kitchen. It is such a delight to have this fruit every season. I love to make Aam ka Panna, instant Mango Pickle and the traditional Mango Punjabi Pickle every season. Also I like to add the raw Mango chunks in my dal and rice to enhance the flavor of the dish.

I have fond memories of having this drink and I use to enjoy my mom’s aam panna. She use to add little extra sugar for us with lots of mango pulp and less water. Her recipe was without the mint leaves, however now my son loves to have aam panna with the mint flavor so I prepare it as per his taste. You can always adjust the recipe according to your taste. It is easy and a quick summer drink with both sweet and tangy flavor. Also I remember my mom telling us that this drink helps you protect from too much heat.

So why wait, catch hold of some raw mangoes and there you go with a refreshing Mango Summer Cooler ~ Aam Ka Panna!!!!

How to make Mango Lassi Recipe| India Sweet Yogurt Fruit Drink/Smoothie Recipe

Mango Lassi is a very simple traditional north Indian beverage. It is perfect treat for the summers. Lassi is an all time favorite drink among Punjabi’s mainly and during the mango season it’s a double treat by adding the King of Fruits into the Lassi. My family is crazy for Mangoes, specially my son, he loves Mango Milkshake and now that the markets are flooded with Mangoes, this special fruit is a must all the time in my house. My kids always demand for various Mango recipes. Though the most commonly made is Mango Lassi, Mango Milkshake and the Eggless Mango Cake. I also make Mango Phirni many a times during this season and it’s a hit at my place, all love it.

Now coming back to this quick and easy traditional Mango Lassi, all you need is one ripped Mangoes preferably Alphonso or any other good quality Mango. In South India the famous Mango variety is of Baganpalli, this Mango comes from Andhra Pradesh. It’s sweet, juicy and comes in real big sizes . Half a cup of yogurt, some honey or sugar, cardamom powder and Mint leaves. You can replace sugar with honey and avoid adding sugar incase the mangoes are over sweet. This lassi tastes good when it’s thick in texture. Avoid using watery curd, it should be rich and thick for excellent flavor.

I remember my mom use to add in Roohafza (Red Rose Syrup) to this Mango Lassi for a little twist in the flavor and also to change the color to light pink. If you wish you can also try having it with 1/2 teaspoon of Roohafza syrup per serving. It’s a nice variation to the traditional drink.

So here I go with this super easy recipe of Mango Lassi…enjoy!!!

Dates & Almond Vanilla Milkshake | Simply Heavenly

Dates along with Almonds is a healthy combo! I make this Dates & Almond Vanilla Milkshake for my kids mostly along with the afternoon after school snacks. At that time they are hungry the most and always want something filling. I love preparing this milkshake because I like the combination of dates with vanilla ice cream and almonds.

It’s again easy and quick milkshake recipe. All you need is the main ingredients on hand and trust me you will love it. Only thing to be kept in mind is that you use good quality dates for this milkshake as that’s the main ingredient for making this one.

I recommend the California or Medjool Dates but if you are unable to get those then you can prepare it with the regular pitted dates. If you want you can soak the dates in warm water for half an hour before you start to prepare this Dates & Almond Vanilla Milkshake.

You can prepare Almond meal or powder in advance and store it in an air tight container. It’s always handy to use if you have it in your pantry already. Makes life much easier I must say, I keep a lot of things stored in my pantry because then I don’t feel handicapped if I wish to prepare so instant dish or have some unexpected guests at home.

This Dates & Almond Vanilla milkshake can be served with snacks and is also one of the perfect options as a healthy filling breakfast milkshake. It keeps your stomach full for quite sometime ! So why wait… try this and share with me how you liked it…..

Enjoy Milkshakes and beat the heat !

Pomegranate & Potato in Yogurt | Anardana Aloo Ka Raita Recipe|Navratri Recipes

It’s one of those real simple recipes where you don’t need to put in lot of effort or preparations. I make this regularly at home , my daughter loves to have Boondi Raita a lot or for both my kids it has to be plain yogurt with sugar. Fruits in Yogurt, Mango Parfait or Strawberry Parfait. They just love all these.

Anardana Raita is a simple recipe, you need  plain yogurt,  nicely beaten and thick. If you don’t like too thick then you can add in very little water to it. This time when I made it, it was Navratri going on and our fasting day. It goes very well with Navaratri Food and also with regular meals. I love it both with rice and parathas.

All you need to keep in mind is that if you are using the homemade curd then it should not be sour or too liquid, it should be served chilled. So incase you plan to serve this for dinner then do prepare it in the evening and keep the bowl to chill. It tastes great when chilled. Do not add in boiled potatoes to the raita when they are hot, allow them to nicely cool and only then add in to the bowl of curd.

You can also adjust the spices and sugar that needs to be mixed into the Raita. If I make it specifically for my kids then I prefer to keep the spices little less as have shared in the recipe. Else you can also add little chopped green chilies too !

Check out this simple and super refreshing Recipe and enjoy!

Perfect to beat the heat !

Muskmelon Juice | Simply heavenly

Refreshing and so soothing. I love to make this in the summer season. Melons are my anytime favorite fruits, be it watermelons or muskmelons. I normally make these fresh juices at home for my kids. My kids love having watermelon juice  also. It’s really simple to prepare and not at all time consuming.

Muskmelon is also called Cantaloupe. They are rich in potassium and have abundant vitamin C. I prefer to make this juice at home instead of having it outside at the juice corners purely because of hygiene reasons. It’s always recommended to prepare juices at home. Though you need to be careful while picking up the right kind of melon for the juice. I prefer little over ripped ones for the juice. You can also add one or two oranges along with the melon as one of the options. But I made my juice just with the muskmelon. For little extra sweetness add in one spoon of honey.

If you wish to have a sweet juice then add sugar to it but I prefer my juice to be just the fruit with no sugar unless it’s just not sweet naturally. But in the recipe I have shared adding sugar, it’s a personal choice as per the taste, sometimes kids don’t prefer without the sugar then I am left with no choice but to add and make the juice more sweet artificially .

It’s really a quick option whenever you feeling too drained out due to the summer heat…. my kids also have Mango Milk shake or Mango Ice Cream  in this season particularly because it is a Mango season out here and everything will is focused around mangoes in my kitchen .

Use as many fruits as you can to beat the heat this summers and enjoy!

Please don’t forget to pick some ripe Melons for the juice to enjoy the real flavor !

Swang ke chawal (barnyard millet) ki tikki ~ Vrat Ka Khana | Navratri Fasting Recipes 2013

It’s a feast day today for me!!! Oopps not Feast but Fast day but no less than a feast while you fasting. Navratri fasting is something I really enjoy because I get so much to eat while I am actually fasting .

To me while I was a child, navratri fasting day meant Aloo ki Sabzi, Kuttu Ke aate ki Puri/Poori, Jeera Aloo, Aloo Raita, some chips to munch, fruits and a few milkshakes to drink and no actual fasting but now ever since I have started blogging about food, I happen to learn a lot more recipes for Navratri Fasting. I am actually amazed to see my collection and feel too happy to have learned so many new dishes. You can check “my Feast while you Fast series here“. Earlier everything revolved around Aloo for me during this time :), though it still does but with many variations now and lot more options to cook and serve.

I am fasting today and prepared for my family Swang Ke Chawal ki tikki, I made these last year also but never blogged about it. So this time I am too tempted to document it out here in my space because this is really awesome and share it with all my readers too.

These are crispy from outside and soft from within. I have kept this recipe very simple and easy to prepare. All you need is Swang ke Chawal - Vrat ke Chawal with some boiled potatoes for binding and few dry spices and it’s done.

My mom today morning told me that we can add crushed peanuts also in the mixture, next time I will add peanuts also, I am sure it will add to the flavor. I served it with Aloo Ki Tari wali Sabzi. Planning to prepare some more new dishes for the dinner and hope to share the same with you all soon !

It’s really a delicious option while you fasting and too easy to prepare at home and enjoy the day you are fasting .

This is a quick post with no focus on food photography and styling, the idea is to share the recipe with all those who are fasting today ! Hope you will enjoy making these as much as I did cooking and serving my family.

Let’s check the recipe now ….

Happy Navratri Fasting 2013!

Thandai Ice Cream ~ Holi Festival Recipes

Festivals are at the heart of people’s lives in India. As a kid I always loved Holi festival and so did my brother and now that we have grown up, I see the same excitement in my kids. A day full of colors, water and loads of good food to eat, surrounded by friends and family. India is truly a land of festivals too!!!

Every year on Holi, I prepare Gujiya, malpua or something special for the entire family. But this year I decided to make something mainly for my kids just because they are not too much into traditional Indian festival sweets. I wanted something traditional at the same time it should suit my kids taste buds also.

After lots of thought, I decided on preparing this Thandai Ice Cream for them along with the routine sweets for the day. While searching on the internet, I came across an easy recipe by Mrs Tarla Dalal and I felt this is it ! I am a big fan of Mrs Tarla Dalal and I keep trying many of her recipes for my family specially my Kids. This Ice Cream recipe was almost similar to the Ice Creams I have been hooked to off late ~ Mango Ice Cream & Oreo Ice Cream. Only thing to be added to my basic ice cream recipe was the thandai Masala and I found this one to be the best. Also adding the cornflour made a difference to the texture of the Thandai Ice Cream and made it too creamy and smooth.

An easy, flavorful & creamy Thandai Ice Cream is what I got, too apt for the occasion. My kids simply loved it, though for my lil one the flavor was little spicy ( in his language ) may be because of the white peppercorns but Thandai has to be with such strong flavours. He ate 2 bowls of the same Ice Cream though ! May be kids generally associate an Ice Cream with just the sweet and fruit flavored cold frozen cream.

It was something I prepared for the first time and I was too happy with the results, though I could not manage to click the step by step pictures for this recipe still it is worth sharing on my blog and is surely a keeper. Next I am going to try Thandai Smoothie since it’s summers already and milkshakes and smoothies are going to be regular at home.

This is a post that was kept in my draft ever since I prepared this Ice Cream but I just could not share it here in my space due to some personal commitments.

Do prepare this at home for your loved ones! Trust me they will love it…..

Recipe adapted from Tarla Dalal’s – here and sharing the same below also, enjoy…

Ingredients
Milk – 1 ltr (full cream)
Sugar – 1 1/2 cups
Cornflour – 1/4 cup
Fresh cream - 1 1/2 cups (300 grams)
a few saffron (kesar) strands & sliced pistachios

To be ground finely for the thandai flavouring
Almonds - 1/4 cup
Poppy seeds (khus-khus) - 2 tbsp
Fennel seeds  – 2 tbsp ( I used regular sauf whereas the original recipe used Lucknowi saunf)
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
White peppercorns - 15 – 20

Method –

1. Dissolve the cornflour in ¼ cup of cold milk. Keep aside.
2. Dissolve the saffron in 2 tablespoons of warm milk. Keep aside.
3. Place the rest of the milk in a heavy bottomed pan and bring it to a boil.
4. Add the sugar and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add the dissolved cornflour and simmer for another 5 minutes while stirring continuously, till it is of a coating consistency. Add the thandai flavouring and mix well.
6. Remove from the fire and allow it to cool completely.
7. Strain the mixture through a strainer.
8. Add the cream and dissolved saffron to the milk mixture. Mix well.
9. Pour the mixture into a shallow dish, cover and freeze till slushy.
10. Divide the mixture into 2 batches and churn each batch separately in a blender till it is smooth.
11. Transfer into a shallow container, cover and freeze till it is firm. Scoop, garnish with sliced pistachios and serve.

 Enjoy this creamy, smooth, rich Thandai Ice-Cream at home with your loved ones !