Sumee's Culinary Bites

Rava Idli - Steamed Semolina pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:49:00 +0000

This is one of the basic recipes of Indian cooking. Well, I have to admit that my normal idli does not come as fluffy as the rava idli's. So most of the time I prefer to do Rava Idli's. This is my mom's version of idli's that's my kids favorite. Any time of the day Idli or Dosa, they are ready to have them.

Ingredients:

Urad Daal / Black Lentil - 1 Cup
Fenugreek or Methi Seeds - 1 tsp.
Idli Rava/ Thick Semolina - 2 Cup
Salt - 1 tsp.

Batter in the mold, ready to get steamed

Method of Preparation:

~ Wash and Soak Urad dal and Fenugreek seeds overnight or for 4 to 6 hours.
~ Discard the water and rinse them again. Grind them smooth using a grinder or a blender with minimal water. The batter should be thicker than for dosa or pancake batter.
~ Leave it to ferment in a warm place for 4 to 6 hours.
~ When ready to do the idli, soak idli rava in water (just to get it wet and soft) for 15 to 20 minutes.
~ Mix this with urad batter, add salt.
~ Lightly oil the idli molds, bring water to boil in a pressure cooker (with lid open)
~ Pour little batter in all the molds, and place it in the cooker. Cover with lid. DO NOT put the whistle on.
~ Once the steam starts coming out, continue to cook on high for 7 minutes.
~ Switch the gas off, once you are able to handle, remove the lid and take out the molds.
~ Once molds are cooled, using a spoon take out the idli's.
~ Serve it hot with chutney and sambhar.

Note:
- Split urad dal is white in color. But when they are whole bean it's black. Hence the name black Lentil.
- Urad daal increases in volume once soaked, so choose a bigger vessel to soak it in and also add more water.
- It's important to throw the soaked in water. This will make sure the idli's won't trouble the gastric person.

Dill Pancake / Sheppu Bhaaji Poley/ Sabasige Soppu Dosa

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:28:00 +0000

One of my childhood memories is of eating these aromatic green dosa's/ pancakes for breakfast. The aroma of Dill leaves would fill the whole house. I used to call it "Godda Poley", meaning Jaggery Dosa. I didn't know the name of Shepu bhaaji, as we call it in Konkani, until I moved to US. And knowing it's called "Dill" added more fun to it. For those who don't know Hindi language, Dill means "Heart". Isn't it pretty cool. :o)

Dill is supposed to be zero in cholesterol and low in calories. My mom used to say it promotes good digestion. Find more health benefits of Dill here. You can make the batter ahead and keep it in the refrigerator for a day or two.
Prep Time: 10 min + 3 hrs to soak | Cooking Time : 2 min/ dosa |
Makes : About 20

Ingredients:

Dill Leaves / Shepu Bhaaji - 1 Bunch (About 2 cups packed)
Rice - 2 Cups
Cooked Rice - 1/2 Cup
Coconut - 1/2 Cup
Jaggery - 1/2 Cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp.
Chili Powder (optional) - 1/4 tsp.

Method of Preparation:

~ Wash and soak rice for 2 to 3 hours.
~ Clean and wash dill leaves. Grind all the ingredients using a cup of water to a fine paste.
~ Transfer the contents to a bowl and use the water to make a pancake/ dosa consistency.
~ Heat a non-stick pan or a griddle.
~ Pour a ladle of batter onto the hot pan and quickly spread it into a circle.
~ Cover and cook for a minute. Open the cover and continue to cook on the same side to get crisp dosa or flip it over to make it soft.
~ Serve it hot with ghee spread on top.

Note:
- You can make this using Dosa batter too. Just skip rice and cooked rice. Grind everything else and add the 4 cups of dosa batter.
- There is no need to ferment the batter. Since there is cooked rice and jaggery, the dosa turns out pretty soft and fluffy.

Sending this to,
Nayna's let's Cook Rice Dishes

Bon Vivant Roundup #14 - Spring Surprises

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Tue, 07 May 2013 01:18:00 +0000

Spring has really surprised us over here. With weather changing each day drastically and pollen count getting higher than ever. But it also was so beautiful. Little buds, blossoms and flowers covering every inch of the trees.. Sprouting tulips give me immense happiness. They are one of the most beautiful flowers I think.

Here are the Bon Vivant participants who brought even more happiness @Sumee's Culinary. Below is the beautiful roundup of the same. Enjoy your approaching summer holidays!

Banana Apple Breakfast Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:16:00 +0000

I love munching on apple and even my kids. For ages I had never added any apples to my smoothies. And then one of those days when you run out of fruits and veggies to put in your smoothie and you look around.... yeah, that particular moment apples called my name. I said why not, just skip eating it today.. I never use sugar in my smoothies. Boy, I was glad that day, since I realized how sweet they are.. It was actually too sweet for me. But now it's become my sweet tooth fixer. :o) Here is how I do it, but you can make so many variations to it. I keep the skin on apples, since most of the fibers are out in the skin. Just rinse thoroughly to remove the wax on outer layer and you are good to go.

Prep Time: 5 min. | Makes : 8 oz.

Ingredients:

Banana - 1 (peeled)
Apple - 1 small (I usually use Gala apples)
Baby Carrots (optional) - 3
Instant Oatmeal - 1/2 Cup
Cold Almond/ Soy/ 2% Milk - 1/2 Cup
Cold Water - 1/2 Cup

Method of Preparation:

~ In a blender cup add water, milk and instant oatmeal.
~ Cut apple into four pieces and remove the seeds.
~ Add apple chunks, carrots and banana to the blender and mix until smooth.
~ Enjoy the smoothie as it brightens up your day! :o)

Note: For kids, you can skip or add little oatmeal and add a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

Sending this delicious dessert to my event Bon Vivant #14 - Spring Surprises

Pineapple Casserole - A low calorie version

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:17:00 +0000

I first had eaten pineapple casserole some 10 yrs ago. Our friend's aunt who made that graciously gave me the recipe. It has been one of our favorite over the years. The other day I had got a big pineapple and had guests coming over. So I thought I would make it. But I had to make it a low calorie, low fat option so they would have it. I looked for my options online and found my inspiration. It said half a cup would be around 220 Cal. But I tweaked it further to make it even more healthier. It turned out to be a real winner! Loved by everyone. No compromise on taste and flavor. I might just stick to this for years to come now.

Recipe based on TasteOfHome

Prep: 15 min. Bake: 35 min. Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

Pineapple chunks - 1 1/2 Cup (or 1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple)
Butter + Olive Oil - 1/4 Cup
Sugar / Sugar Substitute - 1/3 Cup
4 egg whites
4 tablespoons multi-grain flour
4 slices multi-grain bread, cubed

Method of Preparation:

~ Preheat the oven to 350°.
~ Coat all sides of 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray and keep it aside.
~ In a large bowl cream butter+ oil and sugar together with a whisk.
~ Beat in egg whites and then stir in the flour.
~ Add in pineapple. Lastly gently fold in bread cubes.
~ Spoon the pineapple mixture into prepared dish and bake for 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly golden.
~ Serve warm. You can combine with vanilla ice-cream to top.

Sending this delicious dessert to my event Bon Vivant #14 - Spring Surprises

Also sending it to,
~ Swathi's event hosted @Pallavi's Bookmarked recipes

~ Foodabulous Fest Event organised by Simply TADKA and hosted by Pramitha love cooking

Bon Vivant Roundup #13 - Kids Delight

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:39:00 +0000

Hello everyone, publishing another beautiful roundup of Kids Delight. There was a great turn up at the event. A whooping 153 entries. I think since we all mostly cook for our kids, there was so much enthusiasm. Thank you to all those who participated.

Another announcement is that I am taking a break from hosting Bon Vivant for few months. Reason being I will be travelling to India for next 3 months. I feel I am not giving enough time and attention to all my beloved Bon Vivant party goers. So while I am on the road, I will be giving a small break to the event too. Hopefully I will bring you more authentic recipes back from there.

Here is the great roundup.

Corn and Cucumber Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:42:00 +0000

A simple refreshing salad to serve as a side. What's the special in that you ask. It takes hardly 10 minutes to put together and looks amazing and tastes even more better. There are times when I do this first and keep it on the table for kids to start munching until lunch/ dinner is ready. Check out my Corn Mango salad.

Prep Time: 10 min | Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Frozen/ Fresh Corn - 1 Cup
Pickle Cucumbers - 3 (Finely Chopped)
Pomegranate Seeds - 3/4 Cup (Or you can use colored bell peppers)
Lime juice - Juice from half of a lime
Mint leaves - 3 or 4 finely chopped (optional)
Olive Oil - 1/2 tsp.
Salt - 1/2 tsp.
Pepper - 1/2 tsp.

Method of Preparation:
~ Microwave corn for 3 minutes and drain any excess water. Let it cool.
~ Mix Cucumber, pomegranate with cooled corn.
~ Add lime juice, mint, pepper and drizzle of olive oil.
~ Add salt at the end and adjust the seasoning.

Sending this refreshing dish to my event Bon Vivant #14 - Spring Surprises

~ Foodabulous Fest Event organised by Simply TADKA and hosted by Pramitha love cooking

Peanut Tofu Stirfry

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:41:00 +0000

Another of my tofu stir-fry. These are very easy to put together on weeknights. And gives loads of protein share of the day. You don't have to add any greens to it. But I like to do it, since it gives nice color and texture to it. Have you tried my Tofu and Spinach Stir-fry before? That is another quick recipes.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cooking Time: 15 min | Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Firm Tofu - 2 Cups (1 pkg)
Spinach/ Kale - 1 Cup
Onion - 1 medium - thinly sliced
Garlic - 4 - Crushed
Peanut Butter - 2 tbsp
Sriracha/ Red Chili Sauce - 1 tbsp.
Soy Sauce - 2 tsp.
Chili Garlic Sauce - 1 tsp.
Salt to taste
Sesame/ Olive Oil - 1 tbsp.

Method of Preparation:

~ Chop the tofu in chunks, wash and chop greens thin.
~ In a wok, add oil. When heated through add garlic and onion.
~ Fry until onion is soft and transparent.
~ Add the spinach leaves and saute until they wilt.
~ Turn the heat up a little and add the tofu. Wait for two minutes before turning the tofu, so that it forms a nice crust outside and also doesn't break the tofu.
~ In a microwavable dish heat peanut butter for 20 seconds. Add chili sauces and soy sauce and give it all a stir.
~ Add this sauce mixture and salt to tofu and combine them gently.

Sending this protein power house dish to my event Bon Vivant #14 - Spring Surprises

Also sending it to
~ Foodie Mom Cooks event Healthy Stirfry
~ Foodabulous Fest Event organised by Simply TADKA and hosted by Pramitha love cooking

Lemon Mint Couscous with Sautéed Vegetables

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 01:32:00 +0000

Couscous is one of the easiest to put together and also so versatile. It soaks in any kind of sauce you add. Pearl couscous has become one of our favorites at home. It contains loads of Vitamin C and can be used in place of any pasta. This particular variety serves as one pot meal for weeknights. While serving you can choose to mix them up or serve separately as shown in the picture. Try this fresh mix of vegetables and enjoy all the time that you saved. :o)

Prep Time: 10 min | Cooking Time: 20 min. | Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For Couscous -
Pearl Couscous/ Israeli Couscous – 1 Cup
Olive Oil – 2 tsp.
Water – 2 Cups
Lemon Zest (From one lemon)
Lemon juice – About 1 tbsp. from half of the lemon
Mint leaves – 4 to 5 leaves – chopped fine.

For Sautéed Vegetables (You can pick and choose what you like)–
Asparagus – 15 to 20 stems
Edamame / Soy Beans – 1 Cup
Baby Carrots – handful – chopped into matchsticks
Bell Pepper – 1 small – Chopped into sticks
Chili powder – ½ tsp
Olive oil – 1 tsp.
Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:
~ Boil the water in a small sauce pan or kettle.
~ Heat Olive oil in a wide pan and roast pearl couscous until they are light brown.
~ Add the hot water and let the couscous cook for about 5 minutes.
~ Once all the water has dried up, couscous is cooked, switch off the heat. Now add lemon zest, lemon juice and mint leaves. Cover and let it sit.
~ In another wide pan or a wok, heat oil.
~ Add chopped bell pepper, carrots and asparagus. Saute for few minutes.
~ Add thawed soy beans, chili powder and salt to taste.
~ Continue to saute for another minute or two and switch off. The vegetables need to have some crunch to them.
~ Serve them warm.

Sending this refreshing dish to my event Bon Vivant #14 - Spring Surprises

Also sending it to,
~ Foodie Mom Cooks event Healthy Stirfry
~ Foodabulous Fest Event organised by Simply TADKA and hosted by Pramitha love cooking

Bon Vivant #14 - Spring Surprises

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 02:48:00 +0000

Hello everyone! Welcome to another edition of Bon Vivant. This month we will be celebrating the season. Spring blooms are there everywhere and it's welcome sight to see more sun shine through the day. I love spring season (except for the allergy part! Accchooooo!) Love to watch the little buds and blossoms adorn the plants and trees.

Spring also brings new fruits and vegetables in abundance. So this month cook up something that celebrate spring. Something colorful, feast to the eyes and to the tummy.

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” -Robin Williams

Rules for the event :

~ Multiple entries are allowed. Usage of the logo is a must.
~ Linking back to this announcement page is mandatory to get the word out. I have noticed some of them are not back linked. I will have to promptly remove them if not linked back after one notice.
~ Vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes are allowed. No pork or beef ingredients please.
~ Blog post should be in month of April. Note the change that it has to be a new post
~ Please link up your post using the linkz below. In case of any problem linking please send me an email with your name, recipe name, recipe image and url to sumeesculinary@gmail.com
~ Non-bloggers can email the recipe along with a picture of the dish to the above email address. I will link them up.
~ Or you can post it to my Facebook page here. Add a picture and steps to make the dish in detail section.

Turkey Ragu

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 02:40:00 +0000

Since my kids love kheema, I keep trying several variety to keep their interest. I had seen this recipe on Rachel Ray show, though I think it varied in few places. I tried it the way I remembered and it turned out pretty good. This dish is pretty hardy and can be just served with side of starch. I am sure this can be made with soy meat too.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cooking Time : 25 min | Serves : 6

Ingredients:

Ground Turkey kheema - 1 lb.
Shredded Carrots, Onion, Zucchini - About a cup
Garlic - 5 to 7 cloves
Dry Rosemary - 1 tsp.
Chicken stock - 1/2 Cup
Tomato Sauce - 8 oz can
Olive oil - 1 tbsp.
Salt
Pepper/ Chili Powder

Method of Preparation:

~ Heat oil in a wide bottomed vessel, add turkey meat and cook until brown.
~ Add all the veggies, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper

~ Once the veggies are almost done, add chicken stock and tomato sauce. Bring it to one boil.
~ Serve it hot over Spaghetti or Polenta.

Sending this to Bon Vivant #13 - Kids Delight going on now @SumeesCulinary.

Bon Vivant Roundup #12 - Quixotic Fixes

noreply@blogger.com (Sumedha Bailur) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 20:50:00 +0000

Hello everyone,
Special thanks to those who brought their specialties over to my space. All of them were special and very tempting for me to try. I have already chosen one for my '"Bon Vivant of the month", so wait for that one.

And now coming to choosing a winner for the giveaway, I used random.org to give me a random number out of 57 entries that I had. The problem that I faced was the first two winners did not follow the rules for giveaway, while contacting them gave me NO response, I had to move on. Third one chosen was my recipe!! Ok, right, so at last random generator gave me a my winner! The first person who linked up, first one who left me a comment, "Babitha Costa of Babi's Recipes"

Congratulation dear! Thank you so much for participating. I truly enjoy visiting you. Please message me your address and contact information within 2 days.

Below is all the exotic dishes that were entered for the party. Check them out.

Coriander Pulav/ Cilantro Vegetable Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 13:15:00 +0000

My little one is a big fan of rice dishes. So I keep making various forms to serve some fun. And after her birthday, she has fallen sick and so I have become slow in putting up anything on the blog. This pulav is one that my mom makes with green masala. It's very fragrant and colorful, and to top it, it's very easy to do.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cooking Time : 20 min | Serves : 6

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice - 4 cups
Cilantro/ Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch
Green Chilies - 4
Ginger - lemon size, grated
Garlic - 4 pods
Mixed Vegetables (I usually use Peas, Onion, Carrots, Cauliflower, Bell pepper) - 1 cup
Cardamom Pods - 2
Beaten Yogurt - 1 cup
Lime juice - 2 tsp.
Oil - 2 tsp.
Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:

~ Prepare green masala first. Grind Cilantro, green chilies, ginger and garlic to fine paste using very minimal water.
~ In a wide pan, heat oil add cardamom pods, then add all the vegetables and saute until they are almost done.
~ Add prepared green masala/ paste and fry until the raw smell goes away.
~ Add the beaten yogurt and salt; mix well.
~ Reduce the heat to low setting, add the rice to the vegetable.
~ Give a gentle mix to coat all the rice, check for salt and then add the lime juice.
~ Cover the rice and keep it on lowest setting for 5 minutes and switch off the heat.
~ Serve it hot with Raita

Notes:
1. If using frozen vegetables, thaw it by microwaving them. It reduces the time of cooking.
2. Add the beaten yogurt and do not let it boil, add the rice immediately. This would ensure that the yogurt is not curdled.

Sending this kids favorite to Bon Vivant #13 - Kids Delight going on now @SumeesCulinary.

Foodabulous Fest @SimplyTadka,
Cook Like Celebrity Chef @FoodSrilanka
Let's Cook for Kids @SimplySensational

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 05:00:00 +0000

This very day my baby girl came into this world and completed our family. A very happy birthday to my baby. You paint our world (mostly PINK!) with colors and fill our hearts with your warmth. You wrap us all on your pinky finger, make us dance to your tunes (well to your singing to be precise!) and above all make us fall head over heals in love with ya.. I didn't know I could be so possessive about someone. Love you Goonda XOXO

I made these cupcakes to celebrate her birthday. Yes, I did it a day before because being saturday it's going to be crazy busy if I wanted to do it. She was excited to see them when she came back from school. I let her decorate the frosting with sprinkles and some M n M's. For cupcake I used Ina Garten's recipe. It turned out really moist and amazing.

Prep Time : 20 min | Baking Time : 25 min | Makes : 24 cupcakes
Recipe Source - Ina Garten on Food network

Ingredients:

For Cupcake
All-Purpose Flour + Multi-grain Flour - 2 and 1/2 Cups
Cocoa Powder - 2 tbsp.
Baking Powder - 1 tsp.
Baking Soda - 1 tsp.
Salt - 1 tsp.
Red food Color - 1 tsp.
Buttermilk - 1 Cup
Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp.
Sugar - 1 and 1/2 Cups
Unsalted Butter - 1 stick (1/4 lb) at room temp.
Large Eggs - 3 - at Room temp.

For Frosting:

Cream Cheese/ Mascarpone - 12 oz

Unsalted Butter (softened) - 1/3 Cup

Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp.

Powdered Sugar - 2 Cups

Method of Preparation:

~ Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Line the muffin pan with paper liners
~ In a small bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and food color.
~ In a small bottle measure the buttermilk and add vanilla essence to it and shake it. See notes if buttermilk is not available.
~ In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light.
~ Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat wit the mixture until it's well incorporated.
~ Now start adding dry and wet ingredients in batches to the batter. Always begin and end with dry ingredients. Mix until everything is nicely combined.
~ Scoop with an ice cream scoop or a measuring cup (to give you equal quantity of cupcakes) and pour the batter into the muffin cups.
~ Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
~ Frost once the cupcakes are completely cooled down.

Frosting:
~ Beat butter and cream cheese at until creamy.
~ Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar.
~ Continue to mix them using electric beater until everything is nicely incorporated and peaks are forming.
~ Decorate the cooled cupcakes

Sending this kids favorite to Bon Vivant #13 - Kids Delight going on now @SumeesCulinary.

Cook Like Celebrity Chef @FoodSrilanka
Let's Cook for Kids @SimplySensational

Jamaican Banana Fritters

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:58:00 +0000

Have you anytime had these fritters? If you have, then you know how DELICIOUS they are. You can't stop stuffing yourself. And good breakfast is a very healthy way to start your day. So these fritters are perfect. My kiddos love this crisp on the out and soft inside pancakes.

Few months ago, my son had Family Feast at his school. All the family members were invited to come over to the school, to have lunch with the kids and also bring a family favorite dish to share. I took Papdi Chat with me, though mixed them up so everyone can just serve themselves. That is where I had these fritters. A parent, Toni who hails from Jamaica had got these Jamaican Banana Fritters. It was a hit with everyone, Even though she had loaded a big platter, there wasn't a single piece left at the end.

Toni was kind enough to share her recipe. This is much healthier version than traditional recipe. The changes are in adding multi-grain/ whole wheat flour than all purpose flour. And also adding oatmeal gives it a nice texture.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cooking Time : 3 min for each pan | Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Banana - 3
Brown Sugar (optional) - 1 tbsp.
Quick Oatmeal - 1/3 Cup
Baking powder (optional) - 1 tsp.
All spice powder (Nutmeg will do) - 1/2 tsp.
Salt - 1/2 tsp.
Multi-grain flour (or any kind of Flour) - 1/3 Cup
Oil to shallow fry

Method of Preparation:

~ In a small bowl, mix flour, oatmeal, salt, spice powder, baking powder and brown sugar.
~ Mash the banana's in a larger bowl.
~ Slowly fold in the dry ingredients.
~ Heat a pan, drizzle oil generously.
~ Drop a tablespoon full of batter on the pan and spread it in oval shape.
~ Continue putting more to fill the pan.
~ Flip each one after they are golden brown at the bottom, after a minute. Cook on the other side and take it out on a paper towel.
~ Serve it hot.

Notes:
~ Originally you have to shallow fry this. I use more oil when making initial ones, which my kids eat. For us, I use a tsp of oil for a pan full of fritters.
~ I make a mix of dry ingredients ahead of time, as Toni had suggested. Which makes it a breeze to prepare these in the morning rush.

Sending this kids favorite to Bon Vivant #13 - Kids Delight going on now @SumeesCulinary.

Foodabulous Fest @SimplyTadka,
What is with my cuppa and Nupur's page,
winter Foods @Sizzling Tastebuds
Cook Like Celebrity Chef @FoodSrilanka
Let's Cook for Kids @SimplySensational

Thai Basil Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 22:05:00 +0000

Thai is one of our favorite food option that we go to when eating out. And almost all the Thai restaurants feature basil chicken/ Shrimp. Some of them use ground meat and some chunks. This is one of the dish we usually order. Most of the restaurant dishes though are "loaded" with calories. To begin with, have you seen how much oil is floating around in the served plate? So I try to recreate the favorites at home, so kiddos don't miss out on their favorites.

I came up with this recipe while on time crunch. And this was ready in minutes and it tasted, um umm ummmm... Since then I have repeated this and every time kids have cleaned their plate asking for more. You can serve it on top of brown/ white rice or use it in a roll.

Prep Time : 10 min | Cooking Time : 15 min | Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Ground Chicken/ Turkey - 1 pound *see notes for replacement
Basil leaves - Bunch
Onion - 1 slit lengthwise
Bell Pepper - 1 Slit lengthwise
Cabbage - Cut lengthwise - 1 cup
Chili Garlic paste - 1 tsp.
Soy Sauce - 1 tsp.
Sesame Oil - 1 tsp.
Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:

~ In a wok add sesame oil and put it on height heat. Stir fry Onion and Bell Pepper.
~ Add meat and mash to get through the lumps.
~ Once it's almost done, add cabbage and chili garlic paste, soy sauce.
~ Now top it with cut basil leaves and add salt to taste. Give it a thorough mix and remove from heat.
~ Serve it on top of fresh hot rice.

Notes:

1. You can replace the meat with dry soy chunks. Use two cups Nutrella dry soy chunks or soy granules. Soak it in boiling water for about half an hour (or can pressure cook for a whistle). Use it instead of meat.
2. Fresh soy meat is available in several stores in US. It's fresh and packed with protein. So next time you go to a grocer, look around for this veggie substitute.

Sending this kids favorite to Bon Vivant #13 - Kids Delight going on now @SumeesCulinary.

Hearth&Soul Bloghop @Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Bon Vivant #13 - Kids Delight

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

This theme has been on my mind for long. Though after kids I always cook keeping my kids in mind, just thought will give a platform for all of you to think about it and link your kids favorites or for a kid in YOU. I love seeing the delight on my kids face when I present them with something they love.

Little one is big on anything Italian, cheesy stuff. Anything and everything she asks if she can put some cheese on top! Mozzarella is her current favorite. She loves chicken and fish too like her big brother. Touch-wood, but I love cooking for them as they love eating what I make. Big bro calls himself Carnivorous just like Dino! Geesh, that sounded horrific first time I heard it. But got used to that quickly. So you will see lot of non-vegetarian recipes this month probably.:o)

The recipes can be from any course of the menu. It can be a delicacy that you loved as a kid. Whenever I think about my favorites, many Konkani recipes that my mom would make comes to my mind. My favorite being Sprouted Moong Randhayi. I don't have that recipe on here, do I? Sigh, I always fall short from what my mom makes, so it's never a perfect recipe for me. Will try to post it soon though. Please use your own discretion when linking up the recipes.

Rules for the event :

~ Multiple entries are allowed. Usage of the logo is a must.
~ Linking back to this announcement page is mandatory to get the word out. I have noticed some of them are not back linked. I will have to promptly remove them if not linked back after one notice.
~ Vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes are allowed. No pork or beef ingredients please.
~ Blog post should be in month of March. Note the change that it has to be a new post
~ Please link up your post using the linkz below. In case of any problem linking please send me an email with your name, recipe name, recipe image and url to sumeesculinary@gmail.com
~ Non-bloggers can email the recipe along with a picture of the dish to the above email address. I will link them up.
~ Favorite Bon Vivant of the Month" will be chosen from a recipe linked to Bon Vivant in this month.

So get cooking for the little ones, or the things that you liked a kid and link them up below.

Cucumber Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:37:00 +0000

This particular salad is very quick and easy side dish for any kind of rice dishes or for burger patties. In matter of minutes you have a crunchy side dish.

Prep Time : 5 min | Cooking Time : None | Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Cucumber - Small pickle variety - 3
Red Onion - 1 small
Orange juice - 1 tbsp. (or Lemon Juice)
Chili/ Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp.
Olive Oil - 1/2 tsp.
Salt - 1/4 tsp.

Method of Preparation:

~ Clean and peel the cucumbers. Cut them in long sticks.
~ Slice the onion lengthwise.
~ In a small bowl, combine chili powder, salt, orange juice and olive oil.
~ Pour them over the veggies, give them a toss and serve.

Serving this @ Bon Vivant #12 - Quixotic Fixes - Check out this month's detail and giveaway.

Cheesy Sweet Corn & Peppers Breakfast Casserole - Favorite Bon Vivant of Dec/ Jan month

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 02:30:00 +0000

As in my numerous posts I say breakfast is an important meal of the day in my family. Everyone has to have it, no skipping. I have made casserole before for breakfast. It's very filling and leaves you satisfied. For Dec and Jan month Bon Vivant, when I saw this recipe of Broccoli Pepper and Cheese Breakfast Casserole, I instantly drawn to it because of the pictures. I decided to try it. I have already prepared it few times with few variations. Once I did this for lunch and let the kids mix everything. They were so happy that they wanted to eat bigger shares. :o)

This month I have been slacking writing on the blog, so the delay in posting this month Favorite Bon Vivant for the month. Denny of "Oh Taste n See" needs no introduction. She is a very versatile blogger and has such amazing variety of food spread over her blog. If you are looking for healthy and tasty diet food, hop over and check out her SBD section. You can keep scrolling on her Recipe Index and it won't end.

Coming to today's recipe, I have used different vegetable combinations in it. Sweet corn and bell peppers was our favorite. I sneaked in greens every time. :o) Since I had lot of variation to original recipe I am listing my ingredients below. Check out her recipe.

Prep Time : 15 min | Baking Time : 25 to 30 Mins | Serves : 6

Recipe Source : Denny's Oh Taste n See

Ingredients:

Eggs - 5
Milk - 3/4 Cup
Chickpea Flour/ Besan - 2 tbsp.
Parmesan Cheese - 1/2 Cup + 2 tbsp
Mozarella Chesse - 1 cup
Bell Pepper - 1 - Chopped
Frozen Corn - 1 Cup (Thaw in microwave for 3 to 4 minutes)
Kale / Spinach leaves - 1 Cup (packed) - Finely Chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method of Preparation:

~ Preheat the oven to 375 deg F.
~ Combine all the ingredients, sprinkle 2 tbsp of Parmesan Cheese on top.
~ Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the toothpick inserted comes out clean.
~ Enjoy this yummy, cheesy goodness when warm.

Thanks Denny for sharing this recipe on Healthy Appetite. Find the roundup of Bon Vivant #11 - Healthy Appetite here..

Serving this @ Bon Vivant #12 - Quixotic Fixes - Check out this month's detail and giveaway.

And

Simply Tadka's Foodabulous Fest
Vardhini's Bake Fest - @Surabhi's
Food Corner's Cook Like Celebrity Chef
Hema's Cooking with Love - Spouse
Simply Sensation's Let's Bake for valentine
Breakfast Club @Farmersgirl Kitchen

Chocolate Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 01:43:00 +0000

Last week was such a fun ride! Hubby surprised me by announcing that he would like me to accompany him to Florida... We decided to keep that as a secret with kids and whisked them away from their schools. On our way we told them that we were going to Disney! Two days at Disney theme parks have left a dent in my knees.

For the first time we stayed at the resort itself. Animal Kingdom Lodge was our kids dream come true. It was totally kids friendly. We could see Zebra's, Crane's, Giraffe's roaming around from our balcony. And my my, the food everywhere was so delicious! Each one of the restaurants we tried was too good. I didn't take any pictures of food to come to think of it! Was too busy gorging. LOL. "Boma" and "Sanaa" at the lodge were the ones that stood out! Both were African-Indian themed restaurants. The atmosphere, hostesses and servers, everyone takes care of you as though you are the only guest over there. Isn't that amazing?

Coming to today's recipe these Choco balls came out of me heating up the chocolate block directly in microwave coz I was on time crunch. For chocolate ganache I was heating up some chocolate blocks and completely forgot to do it in steps. It turned little harder than what I wanted, so I ended up adding stuff to it. They were such a hit that I started making these chocolate balls for my kids since then.

Prep Time: 2 min | Cooking time: 2 min | Makes : Depends upon the size of the chocolate

Ingredients:

Chocolate block/ Chocolate Morsels - 1 Cup
Heavy Cream/ Juice/ Rum - Any cold liquid - 2 tbsp.
Graham Cracker Crumbs - 1 Cup
Dry fruits powder (Any kind of nuts would do) - 2 tbsp.
Dry fruits crumbs/ powdered sugar to roll the choco balls

Method of Preparation:

~ Heat chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute and then for 30 seconds.
~ Take it out and mix thoroughly, add cold heavy cream and crumbs. Roll it into required shapes.
~ Decorate them as needed.

Serving this @ Bon Vivant #12 - Quixotic Fixes - Check out this month's detail and giveaway.

And
Simply Tadka's Foodabulous Fest
Vardhini's Sweet Luv

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Hearts

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:30:00 +0000

My kids love marshmallows. Who doesn't right? They are loaded with sugar. I use the small round ones for Watergate Salad. But I usually buy the big chunky ones for my little one. The other day I found these fun heart shaped ones, but round the year you can find cylindrical or square ones.

I have covered the marshmallow bits in chocolate before, but the heart shaped ones seems fun to make for Valentine's. Isn't it cool? I hadn't taken picture and my kiddos jumped at it. I made another batch yesterday and it was the same case, but luckily I could take some pictures for you guys. This is super quick to make, makes a nice treat to pack for kids for Valentine day party

Ingredients:

Big Marshmallows - About 2 dozen
Semi-sweet Chocolate Morsels - 1/2 Cup
Heavy Cream - 1/2 Cup
Butter - 1 tbsp.
Cherries to top

Method of Preparation:

~ In a pan add heavy cream and butter and heat over medium. Keep whisking them.
~ Once it's heated through, add the morsels and switch off the heat.
~ After few seconds, whisk the melting morsels thoroughly so everything is smooth.
~ Keep a plate ready with parchment paper lining.
~ Dip the marshmallow completely and using spoon coat them thoroughly. Take it out on plate.
~ Pat dry cherry and dip it in chocolate and top it on the marshmallow by slightly pushing it in.
~ For half covered chocolate I dipped them half way and took it out. Possibilities are endless.

Serving this @ Bon Vivant #12 - Quixotic Fixes - Check out this month's detail and giveaway.

And
Cusine Delight's Spotlight - Valentine treat
Simply Tadka's Foodabulous Fest
Vardhini's Sweet Luv
Food Corner's Cook Like Celebrity Chef
Hema's Cooking with Love - Spouse

Orange Banana Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:31:00 +0000

This is another breakfast bread. Whenever I make Banana Walnut bread, I have to bake their separate without nuts or grind nuts in. I saw this Orange Banana Bread recipe on Paula Dean show and tried it. It turned out really well. It was very moist and not too sweet. It was recommended for using it as breakfast bread. And I think it suited that way really well.

My kiddos are sucker for Orange flavor. Especially my older one. Last week I had bananas sitting on my counter top. So made these again. As soon as the kiddos walked through front door, they said "Hmmmm.. that smells sooooo good". Sunny boy immediately added "Is that orange cake or something?". LOL, yeah, your home smells divine when you bake this cake.

Try this low fat variation of the bread. You can replace the eggs by Flax-seed flour (2 tbsp. soaked in 2 tbsp. of water.)

Prep Time : 15 min | Baking Time : 45 to 55 minutes | Makes : One pan loaf

Recipe - Adapted from Paula Dean Ingredients:

Flour [Multi-grain + AP flour] - 2 cup
Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp.
Baking soda - 3/4 tsp.
Salt - 1/2 tsp.
Sugar - 1 cup
Yogurt - 1/3 of cup
Eggs - 2 (Flax-seed flour - 2 tbsp. soaked in 2 tbsp. of water.)
Orange Zest - 1 tsp.
Orange juice - 1/3 cup

Olive Oil - 1/4 Cup

Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp.
Banana - 3

Method of Preparation:

~ Preheat the oven to 350 deg.
~ In a small bowl mix flour, Cinnamon, Baking soda, Salt and Sugar.
~ Mash bananas and keep it aside.
~ Take yogurt in a bigger bowl, whisk swiftly. Add eggs and continue to whisk.
~ Add orange zest, oil, vanilla essence and then banana.
~ Slowly add dry ingredients in batches, adding orange juice in between.
~ Mix it all well and put it in the sprayed loaf container.
~ Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Ideas to serve:

- You can serve it while topping with fresh banana and honey. Or any kind of jam you have.
- Toast it a little bit and you can top it with cream cheese or peanut butter. Cream cheese topping has been my favorite so far.
- To serve as dessert, you can toast the bread lightly and serve with vanilla ice-cream.

Serving this @ Bon Vivant #12 - Quixotic Fixes - Check out this month's detail and giveaway.

And
Cusine Delight's Spotlight - Valentine treat
Simply Tadka's Foodabulous Fest
Vardhini's Bake Fest - @Surabhi's
Vardhini's Sweet Luv
Food Corner's Cook Like Celebrity Chef
Hema's Cooking with Love - Spouse
Simply Sensation's Let's Bake for valentine
Recipe's with Fruits @Zesty South Indian
Breakfast Club @Farmersgirl Kitchen

Bon Vivant Roundup #11 - Healthy Appetite

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

New year brought new resolutions. Resolutions made to break, so they say. But not in the blogging world. Everyone tried to keep up with their resolution and worked towards their goal of creating healthy appetite for their family. Below is the proof of how healthy can be beautiful and delicious. There were so many wonderful ideas and recipes. Again choosing favorite Bon Vivant of the month wasn't a easy task. But I went with the one that I absolutely had to try when I looked at it. Will get to that soon....

But for now, enjoy the healthy appetite feast.

Vaali Sungat Randhayi/ Basale leaves with Shrimp Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 04:42:00 +0000

Vaali leaves are one of our favorite type of vegetable. It is commonly used in Konkani household. When we were younger, it was hard to find these in Bangalore. Whenever we were in native place, coastal Karnataka, they were in abundance. Most of my relatives had these vines growing in their backyard. The curry made out of these turns out so good, that you can combine it with any other vegetable or seafood. Shrimp or Prawn are most commonly used combination.

In US I had not realized for a while that we get this in Chinese stores. When one of my Konkani friend pointed out that they are called Saan Choy. Since then there is no turning back. My mom gave me this recipe. I have added a little twist to it to by frying the shrimp first, giving it a nice crunch. It's our family favorite. My little one who usually runs away from any green leafy things actually loves this and always asks for seconds. :) The pictures are from when I prepared this for my DH's birthday on his special request.

Prep Time : 20 min | Cooking Time : 20 min | Serves : 4

Photo Credit - Wiki

Ingredients:

Shrimp/ Prawn/ Sungat - 30 count
Vaali/ Basale/ Malabar Spinach/ Saan Choy - 1 lb or 1/2 Kg.
Shredded coconut - 1 cup
Red Chilies - 5
Red Chili powder - 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.

Coriander powder - 2 tsp.
Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp.
Garlic - 3 or 4 pods
Water - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp.
Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:

~ Remove shell, de-vein and clean the shrimp. Put some salt, turmeric powder and chili powder and set it aside.
~ Clean the Vaali leaves and stems thoroughly to remove any dirt. Note that these leave ooze out some stickiness if handled roughly, so clean them very gently, by soaking them in big tub of water and draining.
~ If you have too much thick stems, it's better to pressure cook, otherwise, roughly chop them. Chop the leaves and set it aside.
~ Dry fry mustard seeds, red chilies and garlic. Take them out and grind them with coconut and coriander powder.
~ Add oil in a thick bottomed vessel. Fry the marinated shrimp for few minutes, until they start to turn pink. Take them out in a bowl and set aside.
~ Add water to the same vessel and bring it to boil. Add the stem part first and then the leaves of Vaali. Cover and cook them for at-least 5 to 7 minutes. The sliminess of the leaves should be gone.
~ Now add the coconut masala that was prepared before and bring everything to boil. Takes another 5 to 7 minutes.
~ Lastly add the fried shrimps, salt to taste and continue to cook for few more minutes.
~ Serve hot with plain rice.

Serving this family favorite at Bon Vivant #12 - Quixotic Fixes - Check out this month's detail and giveaway.

And
Cusine Delight's Spotlight - Valentine treat
Sara's Tasty Buds - Traditional & Native Recipes event

Bon Vivant #12 - Quixotic Fixes & Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Sumee) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Bon Vivant turns ONE! Yeah, you friends have helped me run this event so successfully by sharing all your wonderful recipes at my space. So big THANK YOU to all. I never celebrated my blog-anniversary last July because I was busy with... well what can I say life! There was so much going on at that time, celebrating my little creation was way out of question.

Then there was another milestone when I posted my 100th recipe to the blog. Though I quietly rejoiced with my family, I didn't make any hullabaloo about it either. When I think back to the time I started my blog, I didn't think I would come such a long way.

So in this month of February, my birthday month, month where everyone seems to be in Love, month when Bon Vivant event is embarking on another journey, I decided to celebrate!

Coming for this month's Quixotic Fixes, let me start by explaining the word itself. Quixotic means the most Idealistic, Romantic. The word sounded so exotic that I wanted to use it. So for this month of February when you are cooking it up high notch for your loved ones, I welcome you to join me at Bon Vivant for the celebration. Link up your Valentine's favorite's using the linky below.

Wait a minute, didn't we talk about celebration! So what's the celebration without any gifts right? No, I am not asking you for one, I am planning to send you one. It will be one of my favorite Chef's "Mithai" book. Yes, it's none other than Master Chef Sanjeev's Kapoor's book. This is not sponsored by anyone but me. It will be from my collection.

It contains extensive list of some of authentic Indian sweet recipes. From Mathura ka Peda, Jalebi to burfi's. So what are the rules you ask? Well, it's everything that was in previous Bon Vivant's plus some more. Read on and happy cooking.

To be eligible for giveaway:

~ Leave me a comment about which dish from Sumee's Culinary have you tried or intend to try.
~ Like my Facebook page, join through GFC and/or follow me on Pinterest. Leave me a comment about the same.
~ Non-bloggers too can participate. You can email me all the details of recipe or post it on my Facebook page.
~ Winner will be chosen randomly from the inlinkz list below. I will choose one in first week of March.
~ If you are unable to respond to me with mailing address, I will choose another winner. I need to get reply within 48 hours.

Rules for the Bon Vivant event :

~ Multiple entries are allowed. Usage of the logo is a must.
~ Linking back to this announcement page is mandatory to get the word out. I have noticed some of them are not back linked. I will have to promptly remove them if not linked back after one notice.
~ Vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes are allowed. No pork or beef ingredients please.
~ Blog post should be in month of February. Note the change that it has to be a new post
~ Please link up your post using the linkz below. In case of any problem linking please send me an email with your name, recipe name, recipe image and url to sumeesculinary@gmail.com
~ Non-bloggers can email the recipe along with a picture of the dish to the above email address. I will link them up.
~ Favorite Bon Vivant of the Month" will be chosen from a recipe linked to Bon Vivant in this month.

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