My Creative Flavors

The Very Hungry Cheesy Caterpillar !

2012-05-27T14:43:00.001-04:00

Every celebration starts with food + smile and definitely ends on a happy note with a "Cheese, Smile" :)))
The happy and cheesy moments give a handful of pictures to cherish, and a bag full of memories of the beautiful time spent with family and friends. Revisiting the memories of all the parties I had at my place or have been to reminded of the fact that 'cheese' is our companion at all happy and special occasions in our lives. Cheese is there in the celebration and makes the party look so special, be it an appetizer, a main course or a dessert.
Couple of years back I visited my sister's place and she gave me an a book on 'Cheese' ! Yes, it wasn't a recipe book as at that time I had little ventures and adventures in the kitchen. The book was on a business fable "Who Moved My Cheese" by Dr. Spencer Johnson. The book has an amazing message on how to deal with change in your work and in your life. That day I learnt a different perspective of looking at Cheese. It gives a message of being soft and warm to yourself and others and quickly adapting to change. 'Cheese' is a metaphor of what we want to have in personal and professional life @ job, relationship, health, wealth, name & fame :) Each of us have our own idea of what cheese is and we pursue it because it makes us feel happy. If we get it, we feel attached to it and if we lose it, we feel sad and it changes our lives :(
I appreciate the opportunity given to me by the team of Foodbuzz tastemaker program to make a post on 'Kraft Singles' and share my precious memories. I sat back and reflected to realize that a plenty of cheese dishes roll out in my kitchen every 'day and night.' Perhaps my favorite memories are when I was a kid and used to make a cheese tomato sandwich for midnight snack during the exam days. The recipe is simple yet classic and withstands the present time. The very soft texture of the cheese singles makes it a perfect pair with breads, cookies and soups. I used to make a lot of 'Cheese Cookie Sandwich' to nibble a snack made in no time and satiating hunger for quite a while !
This post of mine is inspired by the famous book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Here we end our circle time, take a break to have a look into"The Very Hungry Cheesy Caterpillar" !

Cheesy-Toasty, What-say ?

Ingredients:
Bread Slices: 4-5 (White bread cut into round circles with cookie cutter or lid)
Cheese Slices: 5-6 (By Kraft Singles)
Campari wine Tomatoes: 4
Salt, Pepper: to taste
Roasted peas: just few to decorate
French beans: 2, to decorate
Broccoli florets: 2, to decorate

Lovely ingredients - Kraft Singles & Veggies !

Method:
Cut the bread into circular discs of about 11/2''inches with cookie cutter (can also use cap of any bottle as I did). Cut one big disc about 3'' for the face of the caterpillar.

Nice & Round - Simple !

Arrange the bread discs in a platter.
Similarly cut the cheese slices into circular discs and arrange.
Finally cut the tomatoes discs horizontally with a sharp knife. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Here we start assembling this project...

Preheat the nonstick pan and slightly spray with cooking oil or butter.
Roast the bread till it becomes light golden brown yet soft to eat.

Here comes the legs & the Head :)

Arranging the Cheese Caterpillar:
Place the bread face first followed by smaller discs and arrange in the format of caterpillar.
Quickly place all the cheese discs on top of the bread followed by tomato discs.
Close the sandwich by putting another layer of bread slices.

Finally the Guy's here - A Very Hungry Cheesy Caterpillar !

Decorate with more cheese triangles and lightly roasted peas.
The double cheese gave a nice softness to the sandwich, lending it more flavor.
The legs of the caterpillar were made with cutting the french beans into 1/2'' small pieces.
Eyes are made from kids craft (borrowed the eyes from my son's kit). Else olives can be used.
Finally the antennas of the caterpillar were made from broccoli florets.

The very edible and hungry cheesy caterpillar is ready to roll out... :)

My caterpillar is all hungry for classic cheese and tomato sandwiches. So I made plenty of them so that the Sniff, Scurry, Hem & Haw at home amongst ourselves are able to satiate their hunger and enjoy this long weekend !

Disclosure: "As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I received a coupon for Kraft singles and a stipend."

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Pirouettes Pearl Chocolate Cake for My Peter Pan !

2012-05-19T22:10:00.001-04:00

May'18th is a big day for us , It's the Birthday of our little man !

And with a merry twinkle in his eyes, my little Peter asked me, "Mommy, what cake are you going to bake for me this year ?", I could feel the mystery expectation for a something Special cake. This pressed me and his dad hard to search a cake made of chocolates and decorate it as per his liking. Our radical surf around the nook and book came to an end with this artfully decorated cake - "Pirouettes & Pearl Cake with Chocolate." Just seems yesterday when we celebrated the first birthday and he was dressed up in pearl white little angel dress handmade by his Grandma, just for him.
The other day his teacher gave him a task sheet at home to be completed, "When I grow up I want to become....." and guess what, he muttered, "A Butterfly".....Yay, I want to stay in the park whole day and will be more than happy to camp in the parks :)))))) It is so much fun to chase butterflies and wave to aeroplanes ! These years were blissful yet the best years are still to come, I guess. This anecdote reminded me of John Lock's Theory of “tabula rasa”. When a child is born, the mind is described as a 'blank slate' in Latin. An individual grows up as a product of interaction between his environment and heredity. A doze of positive reinforcement and modeling helps to develop self esteem and identity in the child. The energies can be channelized to harvest the best potential which will enable a child to carve a niche on the world map. I really wonder if my little one might become Wright Brothers, an Einstein or a Vinci, one day ! Each day I'm growing with him, I'm learning and exploring the wonders of our little world. So it's time to celebrate... !

Featured on Foodbuzz Top 9 on May 21, 2012

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour: 1 Cup

Baking powder: 1/4tsp

Baking soda: 1/4 Tsp

Sugar: 1/4 cup
Salt: a pinch

Milk: 1/4 cup

Vanilla extract: few drops

Eggs: 3

Butter : 1/2 Stick (at room temp)

Unsweetened Cocoa: 1/4 cup
Chocolate Bar: 1 (8oz, melted)
Coffee: a pinch (for richer color)

Pepperidge Farms Pirouettes: 16 (one box full box)
Silver Pearls: for decorations

Pepperidge Farms Pirouettes are perfect to add zing to celebrations !

Crispy 'n' filled with Hazelnut deliciousness !

Chocolate hazelnut spread for frosting:
Mix cream cheese(2 tsp), Butter(1/4 stick), sugar(1/4 cup) and cocoa(2 tsp), Nutella (2 tsp)

Method:

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar.

Bring chocolate bar to room temperature and grate it or melt it with butter in a microwave.
Set aside .

In a separate bowl whisk milk, vanilla extract, eggs.

Gently fold flour mixture into liquid mixture and chocolate until well blended.

Pour this mix into a cake pan layered with parchment paper.

Else, oil the pan well and sprinkle some flour.

Bake it for 30 - 35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Assembling & Dressing the Cake:

Let the cake cool down.

With a sharp bowl or knife cut out two small circular cakes to make a double decker cake. (Bake two separate cakes in two pans of equal size).

Layer the two cakes with chocolate hazelnut frosting.

Then smoother the cakes with frosting all around.

The more the frosting, merrier is everyone.....!

Decorate the sides of the cakes by fencing it with Chocolate and hazelnut filled Pirouettes.

Tie it with a ribbon to secure the pirouettes and a pearl string.

Dust the top of the cake with cocoa.

Top Shot.... What 'say !!!

Finally throw a fistful of teeny tiny silver pearls to complete the setting !

Cake made with Love by Mamma & Papa

Awesome........A gorgeous piece of love and art activity is ready !

For his special day he just wanted to have cakes and more cakes through out the day. So the day started with a pan cake, then some cup cakes , some home made pan pizza and finally got his treat of chocolate cake. I'm so glad that the whole project ended as an art and family project and we had fun decorating it with pirouettes and pearls !

'A very Happy Birthday to my little Peter as you happily march from the age of fairytales to age of make believes !' Luv - Mom & Dad

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Lentil Cake with Kiwis & a Strawberry Heart for Mothers Day.

2012-05-13T16:29:00.000-04:00

"Mother's Day is a time for warm thoughts and fond memories, for expressing the feelings and words that often go unspoken, for letting those special people in our lives know that they are loved and appreciated - always". A Lentil Cake with Kiwis & a Strawberry Heart made with loads of luv especially for the Idol of love - A Mom. This is an ideal dessert for a mother who makes umpteen recipes to nurture her family with her deep reservoir of affection and love. Isn't it amazing to see how a mom juggles between different roles she plays. She swiftly goes from being an ideal mom to caring wife, from a perfect daughter to a loving sister, playing all these roles with an ease. Today is a special day to honor every Mom for being there for all of us, Always !!!

Featured on FoodBuzz Top 9 , 15th May 2012

This recipe is inspired by a very famous snack food from a state of Gujarat 'Dhokla'. I added hand full of more grain flours to the gram flour mix to make it more nutritive. Next I Topped it with garden fresh fruits (kiwi & strawberries) instead of coconut shreds. Can also top it with any of your favorites - blueberries or raspberries, all taste amazing and is an ultimate combo. Best of all An Instant Cake to Make & Gorgeous to Present to a 'mother - always on the go, who looks after her family 24/7 rain or shine.' .

Ingredients:
Gram flour: 1 cup
Oats: 1/2 cup
Semolina: 4 tsp
Rice Flour: 4 tsp
Lime Juice: 1/2 tsp
Lime zest: 1/4 tsp
Ginger Zest: 1/4 tsp
Sweet Bell Peppers: 4tsp (finely chopped)
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Yogurt: 11/2 cup
Eno (fruit salt): 1 sachet/1 tsp

Seasoning & Topping:
Water: 1 cup
Kiwi glaze: Made by combining 4 tsp of sugar to 1sliced kiwi. (Cook for 8-10 mintes on a low heat and add 2 drops lime juice, let it cool down, filter & use)
Fresh slices of kiwi
Strawberry for topping

Method:
In a pan slightly dry roast the oats.
Let it cool and grind with a mortar and pestle, else electric mixture.
Give a quick toss (1/2 minute) to gram flour, semolina and rice flour in the pan. Let it cool down.
In a bowl mix with a spatula moving it in a circular motion couple of times to allow for air circulation.
Add salt, sugar, lime and ginger zest, lime juice and finely chopped bell peppers.
Whip the yogurt with little water. (To avoid lumps in the yogurt and batter).
Gradually add yogurt to the seasoned flour mix, till both are well blended.
Spray a micro wave safe baking dish with little oil.
Finally add 1 tsp of Eno to the batter, it will rise immediately and pour it to the baking dish.
Bake it in a Microwave for 6 minutes. Leave it there for another two minutes.

"A Lovely home grown Strawberry Heart"

Cake Topping:
In a pan, warm up some water on medium heat and gently pour it on the cake.
The cake will soak up the water and will rise a little bit making it soft and spongy.
Top up the cake with fresh slices of kiwi, kiwi glaze and a garden fresh strawberry :)))

Nutritious cake for all the beautiful moms on the go after their kids :)))))

Share this instant and oil free cake enjoy with your family :)

Hugs and kisses to all the Beautiful Mom's of the blogging world, XOXO !

Baked Cauliflower 'Tree of Life' for Earth Day

2012-04-24T16:42:00.002-04:00

"Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue." {Buddha}.

We all call it "HOME", we all call it "Mother", It is 'Our Planet Earth'.... ! The God created Earth. The earth is the common denominator which unites us all as human beings. And if we love God we need to love its magical creation, Earth or as we call it Mother Nature, becoz Nature blesses us with blissful life...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As we celebrated the annual Earth day on April 22, for the 42nd time, I feel blessed to live on the most beautiful planet of our galaxy "The Earth". Lets Pledge together to make it a green planet by contributing our every little bit to save it from global warming. In our personal quest to carve a distinct niche for ourselves, we start playing and manipulating with nature. No matter how much personal and professional success we acquire, at the end of the day and life, we need to have blue skies and river, fresh air and water and naturally organic food. For all this, we need to obey the Nature to live longer and merrier !!!

We get a beautiful lesson of life and continuity from our epics. Last night I narrated a story to my son about how Every day was a Earth Day for our ancestors and sages. He questioned me,"How"?
I told, they woke up early and started their day with offering water to the first rays of sun and chanted mantras looking at the blue sky; then took a dip in the holy rivers, ate fresh and seasonal fruits/veggies in their meals; and spend rest of their day in sowing and cultivating (to preserve natural resources). It is believed that those who plant a tree/shrub by themselves shall always find plenty of shade. I have seen my dad setting a personal example in front of us by doing his every best to conserve the environment and in turn to preserve our most precious asset "Earth". One fine day he got a Solar Cooker to optimize solar energy plus make nutritious food full of vitamin D. So as kids we used to hop around it like bunnies to fill our little bowls with 'Kheer' (family Indian dessert) being cooked slowly and slowly using natural heat and energy. I still have reminiscences of the 'pure and distinct taste' over stove cooked Kheer.
Now hearing the whole story, my son said, I also want to have kheer made by solar system :)
This post of mine is dedicated to "My Dear Dad"!

"Cauliflower Tree" Symbolic of Life

This recipe is adapted and tweaked to pure vegetarian version from Vikas Khanna, Chef of Junoon restaurant in NYC. Through this post I wanna share the lesson of life we learn from nature. This Cauliflour recipe, commemorate with flowers, trees and principle of continuity in our lives !

Ingredients:

Cauliflower: 1 (makes for 2-3 trees)
Gramflour: 1/2 cup
Salt, chilli: 1/2 tsp (to taste)
Garam Masala: 1/2 tsp
Ginger powder: 1/2 tsp
Coriander salsa : 1 tsp (churning coriander, ginger and green onions)
Spring onion greens to garnish
Chilli tomato sauce to garnish

Cauliflower Trees symbolic of Life n Happiness

Method:
Wash the cauliflower in warm water with salt.
Completely dry it with paper towel, so it is free of any moisture.
Place the cauliflower on a chopping board. With a sharp knife cut 2 to 3 trees by cutting it vertically from the center.
Preheat the oven to 350 C.
In a bowl, mix gramflour with little water to make a thick paste and season with desired spices to taste. (salt, chill, garam masala, ginger, coriander salsa).
Place the cauliflower in a lightly greased baking tray.
Spray little oil/butter and coat it generously with the gramflour mix.

Baked Cauliflower Trees, 'Indian Pakoras'

Bake it for 15 minutes till it gets light golden color.
Garnish with micro greens and Chilli tomato sauce.

'DO IT WITH DIET GREEN '

After talking and cooking green whole day, we ended up having a tug of war for the last tree bite, all dressed up in the platter. And finally my little boy came and said, 'Shall I' :)))))))))))))

Enjoy cauliflower trees or shall I call baked version of Gobhi Pakoras, with a cup of Green tea :)))

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Blood Orange Cupcakes for the Spring Break !

2012-04-13T08:27:00.002-04:00

My quest for experimenting with intriguing produce continues this week. It all started last weekend when I landed myself a bag full of Blood Oranges. I had been thinking a lot in the past about what I can do with the great color & flavor this fruit might have to offer. Finally a combo of unlikely factors - My Son being home for spring break & having not baked a cake for a few weeks let to this simple yet interesting creation.
I have always loved cream cheese frostings, and I asked my son (knowing his love for anything citrus)- How about he helps me in making "Blood Orange Cup Cakes". By the end of the day we had a Happy Toddler & happy Mom situation :)

So lets see how we went about it !

Ingredients: -

For Cupcakes:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tablespoon blood orange zest

1 1/2 cup APF

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
A few Chocolate Chips, optional

For Frosting:

1 Cup Cream Cheese

1 cup sugar

1 cup extracted blood orange pulp

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon blood orange zest

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method for Cupcakes: -

Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl mix the sugar with the zest till sugar becomes wet.

At this stage whisk in the APF, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the blood orange juice, butter and vanilla extract.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and whisk until smooth–the batter will be quite thin.
Throw some chocolate chips.

Using an ice-cream scooper add batter to muffin tins (lined with plain white cupcake liners), filling each well no more than 3/4rths full.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean

When done place cupcakes on a wire rack for at least 25-30 mins to cool down to room temperature.

Method for Frosting: -

Combine the blood orange pulp, sugar, zest and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and place over medium-low heat for 15-20mins (keep a close eye, don't let it burn).

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the B.O. pulp begins to breakdown, creating a thick, chunky sauce, about 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Set the puree' aside to cool to room temperature (at least 30-45 mins)

In a bowl, whisk cream cheese, sugar, blood orange puree'.

Put this mixture in a ziplock bag and can do frosting as desired.
I cut the bottom of the frosting bag and squeezed out the frosting in circular motion, starting from outer moving to the inner layer and ending at the top.
Really quick and easy :)

These are great when made ahead (at least a few hours) and stored in a tightly covered container at cool room temperature. The flavor grows with time - making in the morning & consuming the evening is a good idea to have balanced results.

Yumm... is what my Kiddo said & by the time my husband arrived from work supplies were diminishing. He helped the cause & things vanished quick :)

Nothing compares to a feeling of satisfaction that you get when your recipes are adored by your loved ones.
Happy Spring break to everyone...Cheers !

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Indian Culinary World Rocks @ Varli Food Fest in NYC

2012-04-08T16:19:00.000-04:00

Indian Culinary world rocked at the Varli Food Festival hosted in New York on April 5 2012. The Varli Food festival is an Annual Food, Wine and Dessert tasting event that brings the amalgamation of finest Indian chefs from all over the world. The Varli fest was hosted by Emmy Award nominee and Top Chef Host Padma Lakshmi. The event showcased the culinary expertise of top most Indian restaurants and Chefs by sharing their signature dishes. The festival celebrated the success of India's culture and cuisine.

It's 'Me' at the venue - Metropolitan Pavillion, NYC

A glimpse into the Art of Indian Cooking. It was a fabulous experience to see how the constellation of top Indian chefs were sharing their hand made dishes and desserts, each with an underlying different flavor and concoction. The mission of the festival is to celebrate and appreciate the success of indian cuisine in the international food market. I was so glad to experience the vigor and enthusiasm with which people from cross continents were eager to try different indian fusion food and appreciate it whole heartedly. I appreciate all the underlying hard work by Varli Singh, Publisher and founder of Varli Magazine in pulling diverse crowd and making this fest a huge success !!!!!

It was a great moment to see Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor in person.

In sheer excitement, I reached the venue of the event - Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan much earlier than the start time 5 pm. Got into spotlight by media, pics plus interview. The first thing first was to feast with my eyes on these various dishes from the finest Indian restaurants in the US.

Assorted cupcakes with Indian Flavors

It was a special experience to sample and taste the delicacies. The terrific presentation and the warmth and smile with which they were shared was making it more wholesome experience. The decor reflected upon the traditional and contemporary India.

Cake representing Diverse heritage and colors of India

Feeling happy to join this fest, I started capturing pictures and pictures whilst enjoying refreshing drinks to desserts. I loved the mango cupcakes, lotus root flowers, dosai rolls, spinach bites...and many more dishes.

Most Popular Indian Sweet - Ladoo's at its best

The live cooking demos by experienced chefs were a great experience. I promise to share more pictures, some newly learnt recipes and tips with you soon.

Sumptuous desserts !

This is my checklist of favorite places to eat. I simply loved their exquisite vegetarian dishes. Next time when you want to give yourself a treat, pamper yourself with the best Indian food around. I was elated to explore that I have tried food at more than a dozen of the participating restaurants.
Some of my personal favorites -
Urban Spice, Moghul, Sarvana Bhawan @ Edison-NJ; Mantra @ Boston-MA; United States; Masala Zone@ Earls court, London; Harry's @ Venice, Italy; Indian Kitchen @ Shanghai, China; Bukhara, Yellow Chilli @ Delhi, Haldirams @ Gurgaon ; Gopals @ Chandigarh ; Chokhi Dhani @ Jaipur, Rajasthan; Dasaprakash@ Agra ; Indian Coffee House @ Shimla, India.

I came back chock'o'bag full of my favorite Indian spices plus a cookbook to inspire me to learn more and share more with you... !!!

Disclosure: All the observations/comments are my personal opinion of the event. I visited the event purely on my discretion as a food enthusiast.

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Baked Stuffed Kumatoes - for a Sumptuous Sunday Brunch

2012-04-03T21:31:00.000-04:00

Kumato = Brown Tomato ?? , yeah almost... as per wikipedia Kumato is a trade name given to the variety of tomato developed in Spain. It is a green to reddish brown, and sweeter than typical tomatoes. I have always had Kumatoes in varios salad forms. This time I thought of using this stuffed tomato recipe from allrecipes.com to do something different, stuff my Kumatoes with couscous. The recipe is simple, fun, full of flavors & very nutritious. So lets see how we go about stuffing & baking my Kumatoes.

Love these Brown Beauties

Ingredients: -

4 medium Kumatoes

1 vegetable broth

1/4 cup freshly chopped tomatoes.

1 cup couscous

1/4 cup Shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (for topping)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or Spinach

1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Salt to Taste

Directions: -

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut the fresh tomatoes crosswise in half and scoop out the pulp; set aside.

Invert the Kumato shells on paper towels to drain.

In a small saucepan, bring the veggie broth and tomatoes to a boil.

Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the couscous.

Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

Stir in the mozzarella cheese, basil, mint and pepper.

Place the Kumato shells in an 11x7 inch baking dish.

Spoon the couscous mixture into the shells, pressing the mixture firmly into the shells.
Top with some shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.

Flavors were yummm & texture of the filling was great, cheese topping perfectly complemented the textured filling.

Loved the way this melted cheese is oozing out !!!

All my Kumatoes disappeared quick, definitely made the Sunday Brunch-eon effort worthwhile.
Hope you liked the recipe & will give it a try.
And yes, dont forget to tell me how you did !!!

Cheers, Sonia

Foodbuzz 24X24 : A Tandoori Feast Party to Welcome Spring !

2012-03-25T11:18:00.000-04:00

~~~ Spring is Nature's way of saying, "Let's Party!" ~~~

This quote by Robin Williams inspired me to start partying as spring is already in the air. The Plants are the first to feel the spirit and start blooming with happiness. The spring indeed sets the mood to be merry and have loads of fun n frolic. I am so glad to welcome official onset of the spring (though enjoying warm sunny days for almost a month now)... Thanks to Steve Jobs for keeping us hooked to his itech world in the shady winters and stay tuned to our family n friends. But now its already spring and I like to go for morning walks sans my ipod. Is time to enjoy listening to the natures music over your favorite numbers - the majestic rattle made by bells and chimes; chirping of the birds; quacking of the little ducks; blooming of flowers and bursting trees nodding to the fresh breeze in the air. The glowing grass with dew drops is perfect to step out and have power yoga in fresh air and doing some gardening with sowing seeds in my tiny pots. I simply love everything about spring and I'm Loving it more this season... !!!!!!!!

Spring is in the air... Yay !

So one thing is for sure that spring brings hope, happiness and lots of party time. It's time to spread love... ! It's time to relish food and cherish the moments spend with family and friends. This weekend I planned to have a small party with friends to welcome spring and a fabulous opportunity to join hands with passionate team of 24 bloggers across the globe during 24 hour period to make and share meals for Foodbuzz 24x24. Here is the Menu of A Tandoori Indian Cook Out Party @ Home !

We started with Appetizers: -

Tandoori Achaari (pickled) Potatoes on a Stick

Who can resist this... raise your hands !!!

Recipe of Achaari Aloo (Potato) Kebabs:

Baby Potatoes: 10-12 (Washed and parboiled)

For Marinate :

Yogurt: 2-3 tsp
1/2 tsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Ginger garlic paste

Salt & Red chilli powder to taste

1/2 tsp Chaat masala
Achaari Masala: 1/2 tsp
Tandoori Paste: 1/2 tsp

1/2 tsp Jeera (cumin) powder

Finely chopped Cilantro leaves

Method:

Wash and par boil a bowl full of baby potatoes.
Heat Olive oil in a pan. Add ginger garlic Paste & all the spices. Roast lightly for 5-6 minutes.

Add this mix to Yogurt in a bowl and gently mix to make a paste like consistency.
Now put the potatoes with jackets in the mixture and toss to coat all the potatoes well. If you want, you can peel the skin too.
Cover the bowl and keep in refrigerator for atleast 45 mins to 60 minutes.

Take a wooden skewer and put the marinated potatoes.
Repeat the process to make more skewers.
Spray oil on the grill and slowly lay the skewers.
Turn the skewers around after 5-6 minutes to ensure all the sides are grilled.
A dash of chat masala on skewers makes it little more tangy.
Enjoy with Fresh Mint/cilantro chutney...!!!

Mini Sweet peppers on skewers with a Healthy Diet of Greens

Fresh Lot of smoky mini peppers ready to go...

followed by some piping hot Grilled Tomato & Cilantro Shorba (Tangy Curried Indian Soup).
and a visit to Kiddie special snack bar

Kids loved these little Choco Eggs...

Moving on to main course: -

Stuffed Paneer Steak (Indian cheese marinated with spices, stuffed with mint sauce & grilled to perfection)

Love the color !!!

Recipe of Paneer Steak:

Paneer (Indian Cottage cheese): 250gms

Fresh mint sauce (mint- coriander Chutney): 2 tsp

Tandoori Paste: 1 tsp
Sweet tamarind sauce to garnish

Cilantro to garnish
Chaat masala - dash to sprinkle on top

Method:
Thinly paneer into squares almost 1.5 inch X 1.5 inch.
We need two squares to make one steak (2=1; 8=4).
Spread chutney on a paneer slice & place another slice on top of it.
Gently coat it with tandoori paste.
Leave in refrigerator for min 45 mins.
Grill for 7-8 minutes on each side, till you get the smoky flavor.
Sizzle a dash of sweet tamarind chutney and garnish with cilantro.
Sprinkle some chat masala on top, & here you go...

Onion Kulcha - Oven roasted Indian bread served with Tangy Onion spiced chickpeas

These disappeared in no time !!!

For sides we had: -

Spicy Indian Fried Rice

Healthy Tomato Rice with spinach greens

And finally desserts: -

Gulab Jamun with Ice Cream - an all time fvt at all Indian Parties :)

Roasted nuts Panjiri Mix - we made a fresh batch for the occasion

Crunchy & Yumm... Best for last !!!

We had a great time having our friends over, cooking & eating with them. Hope you enjoyed this virtual feast. I plan to share some more recipes in coming posts. So watch the space.

Enjoy life churning your best self to the hilt till the sun rises with spring surprises for your dear ones. Take Care .........!!!!!!!!!!!

Intriguing Kumquat Marmalade with a hint of Ginger

2012-03-18T08:10:00.001-04:00

Every day has a new beginning and I simply love learning new recipes from different regions and cultures from across the world. I learnt cooking from the scratch, umpteen dishes and desserts from all YOU awesome cooks. Recently, I experimented making some marmalade with kumquats. I have always been fascinated by Kumquats, the lovely plant with its lush green leaves and bright tiny Kumquat fruit. Last weekend I was lucky to have found much awaited wintery/spring fruit-fresh kumquats at the local Trader Joe's. After capturing plenty of shots of these beauties, I threw a couple of these in my bowl of salad.It was a blend of sweet and tangy. Then I thought of making Kumquat salsa to enjoy it with crackers but eventually made a marmalade so that it lasts longer :)

Little Gems are Gorgeous !!!!

My wish to make these stay at my house still persists, so with utmost care I took out the seeds, washed and dried and sowed a few in my little Pots. Now keeping my fingers crossed and really wish that seeds germinate real fast ....!!!!!!!

Ingredients:

Kumquats: 1 Cup (finely chopped & de-seeded)

Orange: 1 (peeled, de-seeded)

Sugar: 1 Cup

Lemon Juice: 1/2 tsp

Ginger: a dash (squeezed to juice 1/2 tsp)

Method:

Wash and thinly slice the kumquats.

Peel one orange, deseed and add to the bowl of kumquats.

3 Step Process - Cut in Half horizontally, de-seed, thinly slice

Add powdered sugar and let it sit for at least 4-5 of hours (preferably overnight).

Now take this mix in a pan & start simmering over low heat for 10-15 mins.

Bring the mix to boil, & keep it boiling for 5 mins
Now, lower the heat again, keep at low heat for 20-25 minutes till you get a jelly kind of consistency (natural pectin in the fruit will start oozing out & gelling at this stage).

Squeeze in lemon juice and add a dash of ginger juice.

Simmer for at least 5 mins more.
Skimm of the foam if any, remove from heat & keep ready to unload into a glass jar.

Now fill the marmalade into your glass jars.
Let the jars cool down to room temperature before putting on the lid.
Seal the jar & refrigerate.
If you can sterilize the jars ahead, with hot air - it will keep longer.

Enjoy a generous spread as the marmalade is rich in antioxidants (Vitamin A,C,E) essential oils and fibre.

We have been loving our kumquat marmalade on our toast every morning since last week.
I like biting into a spoonful every now & then - it's tangy, sweet & Yumm !!!!
Hope you will like this creation & give it a try.

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A Play Date in New York with Kelly Ripa & World Champion Brandi Chastain

2012-03-13T18:24:00.000-04:00

"And then ultimately what I tell the kids is: coaches can give you information, they can give you guidelines, and they can put you in a position. But the only person who can truly make you better is you...And to learn, you have to be willing to push yourself." - World Champion Brandi Chastain

This is a very special season for me. Can you guys guess why ?????? Courtesy FoodBuzz & Electrolux -Me & My 5 year old had a wonderful playdate with none other than Kelly Ripa and World Cup Champion, Brandi Chastain at Chelsea Piers, New York......Wohoooo!!!!!!!

Today I'm gonna share my "Memorable Moments" with one of the America's fave role models of our generation. The Soccer icon - Brandi and Celebrity Spokesperson - Kelly exhibited a perfect blend of being a loving moms and a true professionals who have carved a coveted niche for themselves on & off screen. Both the women are utterly busy yet always supportive of a noble cause. Both KR and BC with a bunch of bloggers moms teamed up for raising funds for cancer at the meticulously planned event by Electrolux "Kicking and Cleaning' in association with Foodbuzz.

The Chosen Few - Us Blogger Moms with Kelly & Brandi

7th March 2012 was a perfect sunny and warm day. Me and my little 5 yr old were all set in the morning, feeling thrilled to capture clicks of these amazing women with my camera.

Lovely Ladies & Cutie Pie Kids ...

I was moved from the core of my heart on getting words of inspiration for my budding sportstar.
So here are some snapshots from the trip:-

Brandi was so warm & friendly , made us feel at home immediately !

Tanish & Brandi - The Inseparables

His highness being treated special by the World Champion !

Electrolux is raising awareness for Cancer Research Fund with its campaign of 'Best Moments'. Electrolux will donate $1 toward OVRF for each best moment shared on http://www.facebook.com/Electrolux. A little step of this social responsibility towards other humans is a HUGE HUMANITARIAN ACT... !

And a great cookie in a bag to go !

It was a whirlwind of a trip and we returned exhausted yet happy. Thank you so much to FoodBuzz & Electrolux for inviting us to be a part of such an important event and a noble campaign.

Disclosure:

My participation in this event was sponsored by Electrolux in association with FoodBuzz who provided me with travel arrangements to and from Chelsea Piers, NYC.

Classic French Onion Soup - to warm up your afternoon

2012-03-04T19:58:00.004-05:00

French Onion soup is an all time classic that'd been sitting on my recipes to do list for some time now. Like all things french I'm normally a bit cautious playing around with the french recipes. In all fairness following a classic french recipe brings out the best in ingredients, so why play !. Here I am trying my hands on a recipe which is mildly inspired by a method I found on foodnetwork website. Being a vegetarian I have done some minor tweaks, which I'm happy to state worked out well. So let's see how we go about it.

Featured # 1 at Foodbuzz on 6th March 2012

This French Beauty turned out Lovely.. What say ??

Ingredients: - (serves 2)

2 medium yellow onions

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cups apple cider

1 cup vegetable broth

Thyme sprigs, 1 chopped garlic clove, bay leaf and parsley

1 French baguette, sliced

1 teaspoon sugar

Black pepper powder

2 slices low fat swiss cheese
Spring Onion Greens to garnish

Method: -

Peel the onions and thinly slice them.

In a skillet take butter and let it melt.

Now add sliced onions in form of a layer and sprinkle with a little salt.

Now start stirring occasionally & wait for onions to turn golden brown.

This should take approx 15-20 mins. Make sure you don't burn the onions.

Stir in vegetable broth, apple cider, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and sugar; Bring all the ingredients to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium; and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Pour the soup into an overproof bowls.

Top the bowls with a slice of baguette each and top with Swiss cheese. Can also add a dash of pepper over here.

Place bowls under preheated oven for 2-3 minutes at 350 C until cheese is melted & bubbly.

The lovely aroma indicates that our soup is done. Take it out with a caution and season with some finely chopped green onion and now simply ENJOY............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its nice, subtle in taste and am loving the blend of cheese & bread over it...
Hope you like my version of French onion soup.

Have a Warm week... Sonia!

You will also like:
- Apple almond soup
- 15 Bean Soup

Sending this recipe to Tidy Mom for the SoupaPalooza "Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid,Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset"

Tandoori Gobhi with a Twist - Curried Oven Roasted Cauliflower

2012-02-26T17:04:00.001-05:00

How to define Tandoori Gobhi, closest description perhaps is - "Perfectly succulent cauliflower marinated with perfect tandoori spices & grilled to perfection". As yumm as it sounds, grilling the whole cauliflower can be an interesting & tricky experience. So today we will stick to basics of tandoori cooking & go a step further to add some flavors which I'm sure will surprise you. Lets go for it...

Ingredients: -

1 medium size cauliflower
1 Cup Yogurt
1 tsp Olive Oil

2 tsp Ginger garlic paste

Salt & Red chilli powder to taste

1/2 tsp Chaat masala

1/2 tsp Jeera (cumin) powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 Finely chopped Green chilli

Few Cilantro leaves

For Curry paste:
Onion: 1
Tomatoes: 2 (can also use tomato puree)
Ginger: 2"
Parmesan cheese: to sprinkle generously
Spices to taste

Method: -

Cut the stem at the base, remove extra leaves & wash cauliflower with warm water.
Now take a biggish pan & heat some water. Add 1 tsp of salt to water and boil the water.
Soak the cauliflower in the water for 4-5 minutes (dont over cook at this stage else the florets will fall apart/disintegrate).
Take out the cauliflower on a paper towel & dry it well.

For Marinade: -
Heat Olive oil in a pan , add ginger-garlic Paste & spices. Roast lightly for 3-4 minutes.

Add this mix to freshly whipped thick Yogurt in a bowl, gently mix to make a paste like consistency.
Add freshly chopped coriander leaves into the marinade paste.
Rub the cauliflower with marinade, make sure to cover the whole flower well, wrap in a plastic bag &
refrigerate in fridge for at least 4-5 hours.

& to make Curry paste:
Heat oil in a nonstick pan. Saute chopped onion, tomatoes and ginger and season to taste.
Let it cool down and grind to make a smooth puree.

Method to bake cauliflower:
Pre-warm oven to 350 degrees
Take a baking pan, spray some cooking oil & keep aside.
Place the marinated cauliflower in the baking pan & bake it for 30-35 minutes till it turns golden brown.
Now take the pan out and pour the curry paste over the top of cauliflower and generously sprinkle some parmesan cheese.
Bake it for another 20 minutes and wait for the magical gobhi to get ready (in the meantime set ur platter with pickles, salad and naan)....

I can smell it and yessss.. my guts are right ..............ITS A TIME TO ENJOY!!!!!

Cut and serve with piping hot paranthas / naan or any of ur fave breads.

And yes don't forget to squeeze a few drops of lime juice on the top to add a great zing.

We thoroughly enjoyed it in on this sunday brunch and hope you do it too.

You may also Like: -

Multigrain Tandoori Pizza

Paneer Tikka

India in Pictures - A Visit to Delhi Haat

2012-02-24T18:20:00.002-05:00

We were in India this January. One of my fave places to hang out when I am in Delhi is "Delhi Haat". Haat means marketplace and this place is literally a big marketplace for best craft you can find anywhere. It's an amazing experience talking and buying from craftsmen directly. Besides lovely work of art from all 30+ states in India, you get amazing variety of local food. Some great music makes the atmosphere festive, 24X7. Expectedly, we came out with bags loaded , tummy full & empty wallets.......!!!!!!!
It was a very satisfying experience (can't wait to go back again !) & here's a sneak peek into what we loved, bought & ate.

Welcome to Delhi Haat

Shoe fetish ? - Join the gang :)

Sunshine's my Friend !

Lovely handmade Johla bags !

and beaded Hand bags, & yesss... I bought one !

Choodiyaan - The Bracelet Treasure !

Yours Truly - couldn't help trying this Tie & Dye Shawl - whatsayy ??
(Bought the Blue one eventually..)

Ladies + Candle = Lady Candle ?

Love these Musical Puppets from Rajashthan !

I used to own the elephant & it was big - I could ride it when I was a Kindergartener !!

Small Jewellery Boxes - So this is a Box-in a Box-in a Box

Yum Yum, Appam's & Stew - From Kerala !!!

and.. a rich Rajasthani Thali - Can you spot Dal-Bhaati-Choorma ?

Wrap up Time...

We had a great time at Delhi Haat, and as I said earlier, I cant wait to go back.

Hope you enjoyed what I shared, I have some more pics coming up... soon !

Cheers.. Sonia!

Dark Temptations - Homemade Donuts dunked in a cranberry choco sauce

2012-02-17T14:00:00.004-05:00

Just back home after a short yet comforting visit to my home country - India. The sweet memories of meeting family and friends is making me nostalgic and to be honest the elaborate menu laid on the table right in the morning...Gosh, anytime of the day and so much to nibble and munch to satiate your senses, still missing wonderful food made by all of them and just for us. But one thing is for sure, nothing can beat the aroma and freshness of home made food and sweets.... !!!! And the best part is that you can enjoy the different courses in plenty whiling sitting cozily and chatting in the warm sun. Thanks guys for all the efforts you took in making those rich delicacies and of course the lovely times.....am gonna a miss it all over here !!!

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary and hubby dear got us a amazing Chocolate Silk Cake. I was more than happy, but the cake left me in a dilemma and an urge to make'n'bake something special for him too. Inspired by my Moms (after eating loads of home made sweets !), I wanted to try my version of sweet - simple and a healthy dessert. Thinking hard about his Likes, I thought of making mini donuts, his latest admiration. And here I go to share my recipe... !

Ingredients:

APF: 1/2 cup

Sugar: 2-3 tsp (I like mild sugar, can add more to taste)

Oats: 2 tsp

Salt: a generous pinch

Baking Powder:1/2tsp

Baking Soda: 1/2tsp

Milk: 1/4 to 1/2 cup (warm, add to make a thick paste)

Butter/Oil: 2tsp

Egg: 1

For Coating Donuts:

Cranberry Jam: 2tsp

Chocolate Spread: 1/4 cup (made by melting a chocolate bar + adding little milk in a microwave ).

Method:

In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients first - APF, salt, baking powder, baking soda, oats and sugar.

Mix well. Add warm and melted butter or oil, egg and stir again.

To make a nice yet thick batter, slowly add some warm milk to get the desired consistency.

Generously grease the donut pan with oil spray.

Fill the moulds with 3/4th of the batter and bake for 6-7 minutes.

Wait for another 5 minutes before opening the moulds and let it cool down before drizzling chocolate.

Dark, Devilish & Delicious Sauce ready to go on the top of these beauties !!!

I love the supple texture added by perhaps adding milk to the batter and make it more photogenic by garnishing with your favorite topping.

To add sparkle to my festive mood, I threw handful of silver balls on the top.

Real yummm, soft and warm donuts are ready to be nibbled with evening tea and chocolate cake.

Enjoy these tiny donuts till I unpack my bags and share my shopping and gifts with you..........!!!!!!!!!

Sizzling Mini Uttapams with myriad dressings

2012-02-10T05:00:00.002-05:00

Nothing compares, even comes close to my love of South India food. It is light, nutritious, uncomplicated, diverse, easy to customize & simply Yummm !!!! As you would have been noting, my cooking boundaries are being pushed these days by the latest chef in the house (as if two were not enuff to start with) my 5 yr old boy. The latest subject of his creativity was Uttappams. These are light savory pan cakes often topped with healthy veggies. These are a quick answer to my husband's & mine South Indian Breakfast needs. But our Son added a spin to the tale when he suggested that I should marry these with his new coloful cereals. Hence the Idea !!!

Ingredients Rice Uttapam:
*Rice: 3 cups (I used white rice but brown can also be used)
*Urad Dal: 1 cup
Fenugreek Seeds: 1 tsp
Rice Flakes: 2 tsp
Salt: 1 tsp or to taste
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Dry Coriander flakes: 1/2 tsp

Ingredients for Rava Uttapam:
Semolina: 1 cup
Rice flour: 1 tsp (optional)
Yogurt: 1/2 cup
Water: 1/2 cup approx (add as required)
Salt: 1 tsp or to taste
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Dry Curry leaves: 1/2 tsp (gently crushed)

For toppings:
Onions: 1 (round rings or chopped)
Tomatoes: 1 (round rings)
Sweet Peas : 1/4 cup (if frozen, soaked in warm water)
Sweet Corn : 1/4 cup (if frozen, soaked in warm water)
Potato sev: 2 tsp (spicy snack mix)
Cereals: 2 tsp
Enjoy with Tomato Ketchup/Coconut Chutney

*PS: To make batter in small quantity take a small measuring cup/ladle and vice-versa.

Method:
For Rice Uttapam:
Wash and soak rice, dal, rice flakes and fenugreek seeds overnight.
Drain the excess water and grind to make a smooth but thick paste.
Keep this batter for few hours to ferment. Season the batter with salt to taste. I also like to add little Cumin and dry coriander flakes to the batter.

For Rava Uttapam:
Mix semolina and rice flour in a bowl. Add some yogurt and water and whip the batter to make a smooth paste. The instant uttapam mix is ready to be made into pancakes.
Heat griddle and spray cooking oil. Take a small spoon full of batter and pour it in circular motion to make a mini uttapam.

and Toppings:
Top it up with your favorite dressing -sweet peas, sweet corn, onion, tomato, cereals for kids, potato sev or even nutella, choice is all yours and choices infinite :)
Cover the pancake with a lid for 3-4 minutes and then flip to other side until done.
Sizzling hot and cute mini pancakes are ready to be enjoyed straight from the griddle either with ketchup or traditional coconut chutney and sambhar.

We had a great time feasting on our variety of uttappams (you can see a proud Kindergartener holding his creation). Hope you'd give this recipe a try & like it. And yess...don't forget to tell me how you did :)

Hugs... Sonia

Wordless Wednesdays - 8th Feb' 2012

2012-02-08T21:45:00.000-05:00

India Gate - Amar Jawan Jyoti ("The flame of the immortal soldier")

Taken: New Delhi, India
Camera : iPhone 4G S

Pure Divine Desi Ghee

2012-01-31T06:06:00.001-05:00

Pure Desi Ghee is a must have with various Indian foods. For a western taste it might give a bit of cooked fat flavor, but over a period of time you would fall in love with this cooking fat. Use it to deep fry your goodies or pour it on top of your veggies, curry, rice or bread. This is an all time classic that never ceases to amaze. Today we will make Desi Ghee from unsalted butter from your supermarket.

Featured on FoodBuzz Top 9 - 2nd February' 2012

Ingedients: -

2 Sticks of unsalted butter

Chessecloth to filter the Ghee

A Glass Jar, completely dried in warm oven

Method: -

Lets start by taking butter out of fridge and bringing it to room temperature.

Now, in a medium/small heavy saucepan we will start boiling butter over medium heat.

The butter will start foaming in 4-5 minutes and once the foam completely covers butter, we will reduce it to a very low heat.

Continue to cook butter, stirring occasionally, until a thin crust begins to form on the surface and the milky white solids fall to bottom of pan, about 8-10 minutes.

Continue to cook butter, it is very important to keep watching constantly and stirring occasionally to prevent ghee from burning, until solids turn light brown and butter deepens to golden and becomes translucent ~15 minutes.

At this stage your kitchen should be very fragrant with the aroma of ghee as it develops.

Remove ghee from heat and pour through a sieve lined with atleast a triple layer of cheesecloth into a glass jar.

Pure ghee has a divine golden color and great Aroma.

And when it solidifies it has a great pearl white color with a lovely grainy texture.
Goes really well with a piping hot parantha or your toast of bread.

This is very easy recipe, you can also use heavy cream, will take a few more minutes to crack & melt.

Only tricky bit is making sure you don't overcook & burn the Ghee.

So pls go ahead, give it a try & Let me know how you like it...

Cheers - Sonia.

The Ultimate PBJ Sandwich - Can you resist this one ?

2012-01-18T20:19:00.001-05:00

PBJ... three words when put together spell Magic... !!!! And what can be better than doing a recipe suggested by your 5 year old. So here's your all time favorite "Peanut Butter Jam" done the way my little one designed to do. We are using Skippy's Peanut butter & Smuckers organic cranberry Jam. If it escaped your attention we have a final layer of Nutella with some whipped cream to top it.

Featured on FoodBuzz Top 9 - January 20th' 2012

Ingredients: -

Six slices of Multigrain Sandwich Bread

Skippy's Chunky Peanut Butter

Smuckers Cranberry Jam

1 table spoon Nutella

Some Whipped Cream to Top it...

Method: -

Take a slice of bread & spread a spoon full of Jam liberally.

Place snother slice of bread on top of it & spread a spoon full of peanut butter on this slice.

Do another Jam & another Peanut butter layer.

Now spread a spoon full of Nutella on the last slice & close the deck with the final slice of bread.

Put some whipped cream on the top & you are ready to go !!!

Me & my Son made this Multi-Deck beauty in less than 10 mins.

Then we cut some slices by holding the sandwich together & slicing down vertically.

It was a quick & lovely kitchen experience.
We enjoyed making this lovely sandwich & then feasted on it all afternoon :)
Hope you'd like this Mommy & Baby creation.
and let me know if you try it...

Cheers... Sonia !

Spicy Shredded Mango Pickle served with Mathhi

2012-01-11T19:55:00.000-05:00

Do you often crave to munch something in the afternoon after lunch, yet not cooking at the spur of the moment. Today I got to share a yummy snack without any hastle. One of my favorites are roasted peanuts with rewris or gajaks and second is mathi (savory crackers with pickles). Third, freshly roasted lentil popadum with cucumber dip...its yummmm i must confess, a platter full to eat yet no cooking....YES !!!!!

Have fun in the afternoon with these easy afternoon snacks. Just did a little homework by making a quick pickle ahead and enjoying it later for weeks. It gave me a plenty of time to spend rest of my evening getting cozy and watching tv and playing some board games with my little one :)

Ingredients:
Mango: 1
White chickpeas: 1/2 cup (Soaked overnight)
*Ginger: 2-3 tsp (Juliens)
Kalonji (Onion seeds): 1tsp
Olive oil: 1/2 cup
Salt: 2tsp (to taste)
Chilli Powder: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
Fennel Seeds: 1 tsp (gently crushed)
Pickle/Achaar masala: 4-5 tsp (available in indian grocery stores) optional
Mathhi (fried savory crackers): available in Indian grocery stores

Method:
Wash and peel the mango and shred it thickly with a vegetable grater.
Soak the chickpeas overnight and let'm dry thoroughly on the paper towel.
Get the juliens of the ginger.
In a pan heat olive oil and add onion seeds, chilli, salt and turmeric powder.
Switch off the gas/heat and let it cool for a while.
In a bowl add the grated mango, ginger and dry chickpeas.
Toss some freshly crushed fennel seeds and achaar masala and top it up with the warm oil (with spices). Mix well and toss again.
Store in a clean and dry glass jar with a tight lid.

Keep tossing your pickles regularly and give them some sunshine too.

Yum Yum... I recommend again, if you haven't tried this combo, dont wait.

This is a perfect company to your afternoon Cuppa' Chai.

Pls Note: -
*Adding ginger definitely enhances the taste but lowers the shelf life, so to preserve it for longer skip adding ginger.
* No preservatives added to this pickle but can add sodium benzoate to preserve for a longer time.

My Top 10 Flavors for the Year 2011

2011-12-31T11:00:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how time flies, it was this week last year when I decided to finally start blogging seriously, we moved our subjects from under the light bulbs into sunlight, I started taking photography & writing seriously. And almost a year down the line & so many posts, this part of me is one of the best things in my life. Quoting G.B.Shaw "There's no sincerer love, than the love of food", my explanation would include - Creating+Photographing+Feeding :) the Food. It's this love of food & the love I get back from you all that keeps me going. With My.Creative.Flavors I have tried new cuisines, made new friends & learned a whole lot from new friends. I hope this journey continues in 2012 as we make new Friendships & cook-up some new Flavors on mycreativeflavors.com

I didn't want to follow the cliche' and bake myself a My.Creative.Flavors 1st B'day cake, but I'm gonna look back and pick my favorite posts from 2011 & remember the good times. Food & Photography experts have their opinions, I personally feel that if you have a vision for your own recipe and it has to show through your recipe+ingredients+styling+photography. What I learned was that various subjects like dim lights or lengthy shadows & some may like bright exposure, perhaps even a cross+process. My interpretation of my food has been driven a lot by the moods my recipes evoke. It is important the your photography reflects your vision and not get constrained by "The Picture Perfect Shot". Most of the times incidental ideas make the best recipes, incidental props make the best pictures & inadvertent angles make the best shots. Enough talk, back to our agenda.
So here are my Fvt creations in no particular order...

Vegetarian 15 Bean Soup and Some Rain

Celebrating Fall with a Chocolate Peared Cake

Classy Poached Pear in Spicy Mango Nectar

Fresh 'n' Spicy Super Healthy Quesadillas

Classic Samosa with Four Fillings

Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Cinnamon Yogurt

Pesarattu (Green Lentil crepes) for a great Breakfast

Hot 'n' Crisp Jalebi served with a choice of Rabdi & Milk

Fun with Beet Kanji - A great way to treat your beets

Banoffee with Candied Hazelnut for Mothers Day

Unbelievable, how 1 year can change the way you think about food. It's safe to say as a Food Blogger all you do is dream about food. Hope you like this quick recap and yes ...

"Have great 2012, May you and your family have a best of everything & all your wishes come true".

Hugs, Sonia

Vegetable Pakoras, Sweet Peppers & Fritters: Guest Post for Rasa Malysia

2011-12-25T21:23:00.000-05:00

This time of the year is all about fun - fall - family and festivities. In these chilling winters, I just want to curl up in a cozy blanket and watch my all time favorite movies and enjoy my hot cuppah chai with mixed vegetable pakoras. U bet its a great feeling - difficult to beat. What better than do what you like to do & get a chance to do a feature on Bee's fabulous site "Rasa Malaysia". I have always been very found of her easy to make and authentic recipes and look forward to her collection for all special occasions. I am really happy to do this feature & hope I will do justice to the high standards Bee sets for Rasa Malaysia.

So today we are going to do some Mixed Vegetable Pakoras - one of the most popular Indian snacks. Pakoras always make a special place on the table as appetizers loved by family and in formal buffets too, across the globe. It's an interesting way to add some spice and zing to the veggies once in a while and the hot combo is simply irresistible.

Have you ever tried Stuffed peppers with spiced potato stuffing and coat in chickpea flour batter and fried as pakoras. Must do !!!

Enjoy it piping hot from the pan to the platter with sweet tomato, coriander and tamarind chutney and of course hot cup Five spice chai or Belgian Hot Chocolate.

So lets head to Rasa Malaysia to see the recipe,
Hope you will enjoy this experience...

Love all, Sonia !

Rockstar Bhatura with Channa Masala with - A Breakfast Surprise

2011-12-19T18:08:00.001-05:00

Why weekends are so special, why we all always look forward to weekends, why we plan so much to finish on these weekends, and try so much to catch up with ourselves, family n friends ??? Well, a gud weekend makes your rest of the week and then you are at your best at work. At least this holds so TRUE for me and a hearty brunch on a weekend wintery morning can put life back on the track... ! Last weekend my MIL made a surprise breakfast for us all and we had loads and loads of fun + food, right first thing in the morning...few days have passed but still every morning I wake up and look at the table to be laid full of some surprise food...

Featured on FoodBuzz Top 9 on 12/21/2011

Here's our Rock Star.. Channa Masala + Bhatura = Magic !!!

Any how here is a quick and easy recipe for making delicious platter of Channa masala (Chickpea curry) enjoyed with Bhaturas (Deep fried APF bread) & served with tangy pickles and Salad.

Ingredients for making Channa Masala:
Chickpeas: 1 cup
Onion: 2 medium sized
Tomatoes: 4, chopped
Ginger : 1 tsp, juliennes (save some for garnishing)
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Black tea bag: 2 (optional, for making dark brown channas)
Salt: 2 tsp or season to taste
Chili Powder: 1/2 tsp
Chat Masala: 2 tsp
Channa masala: 1 tsp (Roasted + grounded Black cardamom, cloves, cumin, pepper corns and cinnamon)
Coriander : for garnishing

Method: -
Wash and soak the chickpeas in warm water for couple of hours or preferably overnight.
In a pressure cooker add water, chickpeas, teabags, salt and cook on low heat till they are tender.
In a nonstick pan, saute chopped onions, tomatoes, freshly grated ginger.
Add seasoning of salt, chilli, chaat masala and channa masala to taste. Let it cool for a while.
Puree the mix (Tadka) to make a smooth paste.
This tadka can be made ahead and added to boiled chickpeas.
Add this masala to chickpeas and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
Serve hot with few ginger julliens and a spring of coriander.
Enjoy sizzling chickpeas with Bhaturas.... !!!!

Ingredients for making Bhaturas :-
All Purpose Flour: 1cup
Semolina: 2 tsp
Salt: a generous pinch
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Warm oil: 1 tsp
Yogurt: 1/4 cup
Bread slice: 1
Warm water: 2 -3 tsp (just add slowly as required)
Baking Powder: 1/2 tsp
Oil for frying

Method:-
In a bowl, sift APF and semolina.
Add salt, sugar and baking powder and sift the ingredients again.
Crumble a slice of bread in the mixture and add some warm water and oil.
Mix the yogurt and knead the mixture to make a soft dough.
Cover the dough and let it rest and ferment for some time.
After approximately 2 hours or so, the dough is ready. Give it a knead again.
Take a small ball and roll it in long discs as thin as possible.
Heat the oil and check if its temperature is ready by dropping a small ball of dough.
If it rises rapidly, the oil is hot and ready.
Drop the the thin discs in the hot oil and it fluffs up readily to make a yummy and delicious bhaturas.

Can't wait to take a bite ...

This time my platter was already ready with channa, pickles and salad and was just eagerly waiting for a bhatura to be dropped straight from the stove and enjoyed it thoroughly and later did the shooting....!!!!

Mango pickle & onion/tomato salad , adds to this magic !

Do try this easy and festive recipe in the upcoming holidays with your family....!
I wud love to hear your feedback and sincerely appreciate all your valuable comments at my space. Wish you ALL a wonderful time and stay tuned to my blog till I come back with another festive recipe.

Happy Holidays All...Have fun and Stay Warm.....!!!!!

Mexican Hot Chocolate

2011-12-04T07:23:00.000-05:00

As promised I'm back with a recipe from my Foodbuzz 24X24 post & today we'll be making some Mexicano style Hot Chocolate. If I remember correctly, I saw Ina Garten make this version on TV & like every other recipe she makes, I fell in love with this one too. It is easy, delicate, sophisticated & hot flavors have gotten me addicted. As you'd see the recipe is simple but the way flavors blend & bring out the bite that this beverage has to offer - It will never cease to amaze you. So lets go ahead & give it a shot...

Ingredients: -

4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli chocolate chopped)
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

apinch of ground cinnamon

cayenne pepper, a small pinch - My fvt addition :)

Long cinnamon sticks for stirrers

Directions: -
In a pot add milk and brown sugar , place on simmer.

Reduce the heat & stir in the chopped bitter sweet chocolate, vanilla, ground cinnamon.
Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes as chocolate dissolves.

Add a pinch of cayenne pepper, stir again & allow to steep for 2-3 minutes.

Now reheat the hot chocolate mix over low heat until it simmers again.

:) and yes we're almost done !!!

A good practice is to strain the hot chocolate before you pour into mugs.

For Stirrers use long cinnamon sticks (and lick some chocolate out of these :P occasionally )

Perfect for a Nippy December afternoon !!!

You would love the flavors & love the bite of this beverage.

This is one hot & refreshing cuppa'...

So go ahead & make your own cup, & let me know if you like it !!!

Hugs, Sonia

Foodbuzz 24x24 : The Great Hot Chocolate Party

2011-11-27T13:29:00.000-05:00

Time flies fast ...it's almost December and we are sharing our Thanksgiving Hot Chocolate party we had with our family friends as a part of Foodbuzz 24X24. This post is inspired by the hottest festive ingredient - 'CHOCOLATE'. And what better time to saveur "Hot Chocolate" than the advent of Winters.

A bit of History - Hot chocolate or hot cocoa/ cocoa/ chocolate milk/ cafe au Chocolat in French) is a heated beverage typically consisting of shaved chocolate, melted chocolate or cocoa powder, heated milk/water, and sugar. Drinking chocolate is made from melted chocolate shavings or paste, not as sweet and is a powdered mix that's soluble in water. The first chocolate beverage is believed to have been created by the Mayas around 2,000 years ago. The beverage became popular in Europe after being introduced from Mexico in the New World, and has undergone multiple changes since then (source : Wikipedia)

The special aroma of cocoa can lift your spirits and add gloss to any party. Todays menu for the party is full of great hot chocolate drinks. This Party was organized at our home in New Jersey & we created a Hot-Choco-Bar in our dinning area. No better way to name this party than what my son suggested "The Great Hot Chocolate Party"

For this Party we invited our Family friends who had kids of same age group as ours. All the Hot Chocolate recipes were served fresh from Hot Pot and with various Do-it-Yourself options available at a D-I-Y Hot Chocolate Bar.

Menu for the Party - Our menu included 7 great Hot Chocolate recipes from around the world.....!

Mexican Hot Chocolate
Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
Belgian Hot Chocolate
Peanut Butter Hot Cocoa
Chai-Infused Hot Cocoa
Hot Chocolate on a Stick

First thing to come of the Bar was Ina Garten inspired Mexican Hot Chocolate Recipe, this was an instant hit & quickly disappeared of the shelves. Best thing I personally love about this concoction is addition of cayenne pepper. Its Hot Hot & Yum Yumm.... :) Mexican hot chocolate was served with a cinnamon stick as a stirrer, so happy every one loved it.

Time for a Kids only section - a Peanut Butter inspired Hot Chocolate with a DIY Ice Cream infusion activity. It is safe to say this was the most enjoyble part of the evening & I could see most Adults in the room finding hard to resist jumping in to join three happy kids :P

Kids Delight - Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate with Resse's Ice Cream

This was my Husband's Idea & the session at the bar was led by him, we used Hershey's Hot cocoa along with Salted Caramel Soiree, the bug Coffee mug was topped with some whipped cream, Caramel & a pinch of sea salt

Here's the recipe (inspired by Savoury Sweet Life)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Caramel syrup, heated to luke warm (else use dulche-de-leche)
Hot Chocolate (4 tablespoons of ganache plus 6 oz. of milk, heated)
Canned Whipped Cream
Pinch of Medium Coarse Sea Salt

Method: -

Pour 2 Tablespoons of caramel syrup into a mug so the inside of the mug is coated well.

Add hot chocolate and stir everything.

Top off with with cream, drizzle with remaining caramel, and sprinkle with sea salt.

Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa, big & sinful !!!

Wittamer inspired, Belgian Hot Chocolate

Ingredients: -

4 Cups whole milk
4 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method: -

Warm about one-third of the half-and-half or milk, with the chopped chocolates and salt, stirring until the chocolate is melted.

Whisk in the remaining half-and-half or milk, heating until the mixture is warmed through.

Add the cinnamon.

Use a hand-held blender, or a whisk, and mix the hot chocolate until it’s completely smooth.

Served very warm with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Light, creamy & Majestic - Belgian Hot Chocolate !

The most Innovative creative of the day was Chai infused Hot Chocolate served in Indian style earthen teapots.

Chai Infused Hot Chocolate

Peppermint Hot Chocolate was another Kids favorite and a big hit with everybody, the use of candy canes as stirrers was loved by all

Pepper Mint Hot Chocolate

And Finally - Hot Chocolate on Stick ! We had made these a day ahead as recipe calls for chocolate to cool down over night before cutting into square chunks served on tooth picks.
As one of the guests at the party commented, "A Fitting Dessert @ a Chocolate party".

All my guests went home happy & it was a very satisfying experience for us.

I will be sharing most of the recipes pretty soon in my following posts.

Hope of you all had wonderful Thanksgiving parties at home with near and dear ones (followed by Friday shopping spree....)

Enjoy the festive Season and Stay Warm... !!!!!!

Hugs, Sonia

Healthy yet Sinful - Kissed Oatmeal Cookies

2011-11-23T23:59:00.001-05:00

Hershey's Kisses, you love them or you hate them - I bet you cant resist'em. We were in Hershey's Chocolate World in Pennsylvania a few weeks back & my son brought back bags full of chocolate. We packed Kisses on the packaging line, made our own Hershey's Chocolate bars in the factory & loved the every bit of Hershey's story. Ever since I've been thinking of doing some thing creative with my Hershey's Kisses. So here it is - Healthy Oatmeal Cookies which is the our recipe today, inspired by Martha Stewart & re-mixed to suit the palette of my boys who love anything with Hershey's Kisses.

I'm happy to feature this post on Kankana's blog - Sunshine and Smile. She is a dear friend, a photographer with a great sense of humor and great culinary skills (Deadly Combo, ain't it ??). I'm sure you would fall in love with her space the way I did when I visited it for the first time.

Featured on Foddbuzz Top 9 On 26th November 2011

This recipe is healthy with the goodness of oats, raisins, currants & eggs.

And we top these soft mushy cookies with our favorite Kisses to add the wow factor

1 Kiss, 2 kisses, 3 kisses & this keeps getting kissier as we keep adding Kisses to these healthy Oatmeal Cookies.

Soft & Sinful - You'd love'em !!!

Healthy, Sinful, Yummy....these cookies have all the attributes of a great Comfort food that both Kids and Adults will adore. Hope you'll try these a try & share with me how you did !!!

So lets head over to Sunshine & Smile to read the recipe details.

Hugs... Sonia