Tip of the Day

"Use the water of boiled vegetables for gravy,doing so you get more flavour and you don't lose the nutrients which otherwise drain off with water.."

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

Vote for me.....


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

Looking forward for your votes.....


*Yummy Carrot Salad

Salads

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's a salad recipe for you.

Carrot Salad


Ingredients
  • Grated carrot- 2 cups
  • Olive oil- 1 tsp
  • Green chillies- 2, cut into small pieces
  • Cilantro/Coriander, finely chopped- 1 tbsp
  • Curry leaves- 3-4
  • Lime juice- 2 tsp
  • Mustard seeds- 1-2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
  • Salt to taste
Method
  • Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.Once they splutter add curry leaves and green chillies.

  • Then add grated carrot,turmeric powder and salt (add very little).Cook for about a minute not much.

  • Put off the flame and add lime juice. Mix again.

  • Garnish it with cilantro and serve.

  • See, its so easy.Salad is ready.
Serves 2

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

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




*For All My Blogger Friends

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

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

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

Here are some rules for the Butterfly award.
  1. Add the logo in your blog.
  2. Add a link to the person who gave you the award.
  3. Nominate 10 other blogs of your choice.
  4. Don’t forget to add links to those blogs in yours.
  5. Also leave a message for your nominees in their blogs, informing them about the award.
I know its a rule to pass the Butterfly award to 10 bloggers, but I would really like to pass the above awards to all my fellow bloggers with their lovely blogs. You all deserve these awards..

*Happy Diwali And Prosperous New YearTo You All

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


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

*Celebrating my 50th post with Bread Pizza

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?





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

Thank You Friends

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

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


I pass this award to

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


This lovely award goes to

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

The rules of this award are:

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

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

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

I pass both of these awards to

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


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







*Chinese Tortilla Samosa

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

Chinese Tortilla Samosa

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

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

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

Ingredients:
For cover:

  • Large Tortilla's (regular) - 3 no.s
    All purpose flour+ water paste (to seal)
For filling:
  • Cabbage, shredded - 3/4th cup
  • Carrot, shredded - 1/2th cup
  • Capsicum, finely chopped - 1/2th cup
  • Green/regular onion, finely chopped - 1/2 cup
  • Boiled noodles- 1 cup
  • Cilantro - 2 tbsp
  • Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
  • Soy sauce - 2-3 tsp
  • Tomato ketchup - 2 tsp
  • Vinegar - 1 tsp
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil - For frying

Method:
  • Put all the filling ingredients in a bowl, except noodles and salt and mix well.
  • Add the noodles and salt (as per taste) and again mix well.

    Keep the filling aside.

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

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


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

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

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

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

Serves 4-6

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





*Soup for your good health....


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

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

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

Method:

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

  • Add salt, ginger and garlic pieces.Add water if required.
  • Blend them thoroughly.
  • Take in a bowl and add pepper powder while serving.
Serving 1-2

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



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


Note:

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

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







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

Amiri Khaman

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

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

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


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

For garnishing:

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

*You can also add Pomegranate

Method:

  • First crumble the dhoklas by hand and keep them aside.
  • Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, sesame seeds, curry leaves ,green chillies, ginger and garlic.

  • Then add the dhokla crumbles,sugar and salt.Mix well.

  • Cook for about 5 mins covered.Once again mix well and put off the flame.

  • Garnish with chopped cilantro, sev and grated coconut and serve.


Serves - 2

*I am Back......

I am Back !!!!!!!

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

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


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


God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!
God's Pharmacy! Amazing!!!
  • A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

  • A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

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

  • A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.


  • Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.Celery,


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

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

  • Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.



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

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

*Badge and a Short Break....

Badge and a Short Break....


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

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


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


*Shower of Awards

Shower of awards...

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

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

I pass this award to:

Skribles
Shubha
Ivy
Sunshinemom

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

I pass this lovely award to:

JZ @ Tasty treats
Sireesha
Uma
Bhags
Mansi
Nupur

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

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

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


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


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

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


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

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

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

Here are the rules for the award recipients
  • The person who receives the award should display the "Yummy Blog !" logo on their blog and also the meaning of the award which is "Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos".

  • The receiver should also quote their favorite yummy-licious :) dessert(s) that they have ever prepared/eaten. Don't restrict yourself to any dessert, chocolate bars also welcome:).

  • Also the receiver should pass on the award to four other bloggers who's blog they find "yummy" and let them know about the rules:)
I would love to pass this award to:
A big thanks to you all for passing all these lovely awards to me...that's really encouraging for me. Congrats to all the winners.