*Celebrating my 50th post with Bread Pizza

Yeeeeee!!!!!! My 50th post

(Image source:Google images)

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

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

Bread Pizza

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

Ingredients:

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

For Chutney:

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

To garnish:

• Fine sev

Method:

For chutney:

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

For pizza:

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

Serves 2

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

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

*Semolina(Sooji/Rava) Sheera

Semolina(Sooji/Rava) Sheera

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

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

Ingredients :

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

Method:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Serves: 4

This recipe is making its way to 4 events:

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

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

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

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

*Potato (Aloo) Fry...

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

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

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

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

Here are some facts we should know about potatoes:

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

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


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

Check some interesting facts about potatoes here .

Ingredients:

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

Method:

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


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


• Cook till the potato slices become crispy and light brownish.


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


• Serve hot with Roti,paratha or rice and dal.

Serves: 2-3

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

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

*Soup for your good health....

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

Healthy soup

Ingredients:

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

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

Method:

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


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

Serving 1-2

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

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

Note:

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

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

*Badge and a Short Break....

Badge and a Short Break....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*Fat-Free Frozen Mango Yogurt

Fat-Free Frozen Mango Yogurt

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

Ingredients

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

Method

• If you are using fresh curd and mangoes,mix together and freeze them.
• Puree the above frozen mix in a blender with the remaining ingredients,except the sugar.
• Blend them thoroughly.

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

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

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

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

Frozen Yogurt Event hosted by Siri.


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

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


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


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

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

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

Lasun(Garlic) chutney

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

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

Ingredients

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

Method:

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

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

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

*Tomato Casserole and a Click for Bri...

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

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

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

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

The answer is Tomato.

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

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

Tomato Casserole

Ingredients

For Sauce

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

For the Casserole

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

Method
For Sauce

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

• Finally add the bread crumbs and mix well.
  

For Casserole

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

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

• Garnish with remaining cheese and serve.

Serves 2-4

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

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

A Click for Bri....

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

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


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

Dancing with joy...

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

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

*College Chaat

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

College Chaat

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

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


Ingredients

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

Method

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

Serves 2



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

*Hari-Bhari Roti

I love to experiment with food and try out new recipes. Its so much fun...and when the recipe turns out good it makes me feel so good and I get encouraged to keep on experimenting with different types of food.

When I heard about Roti mela, I wanted to send a recipe which is different,tasty and nutritious too. Taking this inspiration I decided to make this recipe which turned out very well. I am so happy to send it to the Roti mela hosted by Srivalli of Cooking 4 all seasons blog.

I am also sending this recipe to Original recipe by Lore of Culinarty.

Hari-Bhari Roti

Ingredients

• Wheat flour 2 cups
• Oil 2 tsp
• Spinach leaves, chopped 1 cup
• Onion greens,chopped 1/2 cup
• Ginger a small piece
• Garlic 2 pods
• Green chilly 1
• Turmeric powder 2 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method

• Make a paste of spinach, onion greens,ginger,garlic,green chilly and salt. (Don't add extra water)
• Knead a firm dough adding the above paste to wheat flour,oil mixture .(If needed add water.)


• Roast the roti on a tawa or girdle.
• Serve this Hari-Bhari roti with potato sabji or any other vegetable of your choice.
  

You can also make paranthas instead of roti.

Serves 2-4

* Momos

Since I read about RCI: North-East Indian cuisine hosted by Bhags of Crazy Curry,I was so excited to participate in the event but could not find any great vegetarian recipe to make for the event.Thank God....I finally found a wonderful and yummy recipe from North east India before the event end date he..he.

Momos

Momos are steamed dumplings that come from the North east Indian state of Sikkim .Sikkim has its own unique dietary culture with specific cuisine and food recipes.It is a delicious recipe and is just like the pot stickers. The best part is its easy on your conscience too!!! Traditionally they are steamed but you can also pan fry them after steaming.

Ingredients
*For cover

• Wheat flour 1/2 cup
• All-purpose flour (Maida) 1/2 cup
• Salt 1/4th tsp

*For filling

• Oil 2 tsp
• Onion,finely chopped 1/2 cup
• Cabbage,finely chopped 1/2 cup
• Brocolli,finely chopped 1/4th cup
• Green ball pepper(Capsicum),finely chopped 1/4th cup
• Garlic.finely chopped 2 tsp
• Ginger,finely chopped 1 tsp
• Black pepper powder 1tsp
• Salt to taste

Method

• Heat oil in a pan.
  
• 
  
• Add ginger, garlic and onion and saute the onions till they become transparent.
• 
  
• Then add all the remaining chopped vegetables,salt and pepper and saute them for some time till they are semi cooked. (Take care not to overcook them,the vegetables should be slight crispy.)
• 
  
• Remove from heat,drain off excess liquid and let it cool.
  
• 
  
• Mix all the cover ingredients and knead into a smooth dough using enough water.
• 
  
• Keep it aside for some time.
  
• 
  
• Knead the dough for a few minutes on a well-floured surface.
• 
  
• Divide the dough into equal-sized balls and roll into very thin circles of roughly 4" diameter.
• 
  
• Brush the edges of the circle with water.
• 
  
• Put a tablespoon-full of the filling in the centre of each circle. Fold the edges over and pinch and twist to seal or fold the Momo in half (into a semi-circular shape) and then pinch to seal it.
• 
  
• You can try different shapes but make sure to seal the edges well.
• 
  
• Place the Momos in a steaming dish and steam for 10-15 minutes(be sure to keep proper space between the momos as they tend to increase in size after steaming.)
  

• After steaming I pan fried the momos with very little oil in a nonstick pan.
• Serve with tomato chutney or ketchup.

• Momos are usually served with a fiery Sikkimese tomato chutney and a clear soup called Thukpa.

Serves 8-10

This recipe is my entry to RCI: North-East Indian cuisine event hosted by Bhags.This event was started by Lakshmi of Veggie Cuisine .

I am also sending this recipe Fat Chefs or Skinny Gourmets? hosted by Ben and Ivy.