Beetroot Soup

Beet root is one of my favorite veggie, I love it because of its vibrant color and various health benefit. Other day I visited my friend Parsley Sage blog and saw a wonderful red color beetroot soup. I can’t resist making my version of beet root soup the very next day and telling you it comes out great. A warm comfy beetroot soup in winter evening sitting on a cozy sofa listening to my favorite songs is just….. too heavenly.

Ingredients:

Beetroot grated 1 cup
Garlic clove    1 chopped
Roasted cumin and coriander powder  ½  tsp
Butter ½  tbsp
Vegetable stock   3 cup
Sour cream  1 dollop
Fresh cilantro chopped
Corn flour ½ tsp (optional)
Sugar   a pinch
Salt and pepper  to taste

Procedure:
In a pan heat butter, add chopped garlic. Saute and then add grated beetroot. Stir and then add vegetable stock. Let it boil and cook it for 7 to 8 minutes then add salt, sugar, pepper and roasted spice mix. Mix well, if you want your soup a bit thick then mix corn flour with little water and add it to the soup and cook for another minute. Put off the flame. Serve hot with dollop of sour cream and few chopped cilantro. Your warm comfy beetroot soup is ready. The mild flavor of garlic when mingle with roasted cumin and coriander powder it taste awesome. I hope you will love this beetroot soup.

Be Happy And Stay Healthy.

Ads

Smorgie.com - Make and Share lists of Yummy

I came across an extraordinarily wonderful site that all food lovers will love to try - Smorgie.com. I must say thanks to Foodie Blogroll for giving me the wonderful opportunity to test and review this site. The best thing about this site is, it helps to keep track of the restaurant one have eaten or like to try. The database is huge, you only name the restaurant and the nearby location and it will show all the possible names found and from that you can easily choose the one you are looking for.  It will give the type of cuisine that is served , their address, phone number and the best is, there is an automatic map that's generated of all the restaurant locations on the list. You can make a list of your favorite restaurant and also share it with your friends.


Friends of mine who live in USA send me the names of all the delicious restaurant which prepares awesome Indian meals with the name of all the special menus prepared there, I am telling you it’s very hard sometime to remember them in time of need. So I create a list of the Indian restaurant. I create  this list so that next time when I will visit USA for vacation or any other reason I will not miss my home food. The fun part is I can share this list with my Facebook friends, twitter followers, pinterest and send email to a friend or relatives who are looking for Indian food in USA.

Smorgie is on iPhone too so there is no way you can miss track on the list of your favorite restaurant.One more feature of this site is, you can add friends from Smorgie.com and search their list and add restaurants from their list.This way you can come across many new food spot that are worth remembering and keeping track on.

For me Smorgie com is not only a user friendly site but also very helpful for all foodies who love to eat out. I am fan of  Smorgie.com.

It is a brand new site and I hope it will add many new and interesting features that will make this site more fun filled and exciting in coming days. I want in near future, Smorgie add restaurant from all over the world so that traveler or tourists can easily get the name of restaurant and foods they are looking for. I am looking forward to see more of my foodie friends on Smorgie .com.

I am recommending all my blog readers and friends to try this new website it is absolutely free and easy sign up. I want to see a large Smorgie community where we food lovers can explore new food destination and keep track on our favorites.


Smorgie.com - Make and Share lists of Yummy

Disclaimer: This sponsorship is brought to you by Smorgie.com who I have partnered with for this promotion.

Be Happy And Stay Healthy.

Ads

Buttered Peas With Chicken Chunks

Winter means lots of fresh veggies in the farmers market and one of my favorite is sweet fresh peas. The other day when I visited the market I can’t resist buying a large lot of fresh peas. Now the game begins after I buy the lot I could not found out any suitable recipe. Then one of my favorite chef came into my thoughts and she helped me ……. Guess who? Its Julia …..our Julia Child. This recipe is inspired from her buttered peas from her book the Art of French Cooking.
I just add chicken chunks with this recipe and I am telling you when peas and chicken are mixed in such a friendly ambience they work wonder.


Ingredients:

Shelled fresh green peas    2 ½   cups
Chicken cube   ½ cup
Garlic    1 clove 
Sugar   1 tsp
Butter   3 tbsp
Fresh mint leaves 3 tbsp finely chopped
Lemon juice   1 tsp
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Procedure
First take the chicken chunks and boil with chopped garlic and salt till they are tender. Drain. Now in a pan boil water and drop the peas and cook uncover for 5 minutes until they are almost but not quiet done. Now in a pan take ½ tbsp of butter and roll the boiled chicken chunks in it with a little salt and pepper. Keep aside. Now in that pan roll the peas over moderate heat for a moment so that the moisture evaporates. Then roll them with sugar, salt pepper and butter and cover and cook over low heat for about 6 to 8 minutes, tossing occasionally, till the peas are tender. Now add the chicken chunks adjust seasoning. Put off the flame. Mix freshly chopped mint leaves and lemon juice. Take it in your serving dish and serve hot as soon as possible. I hope you will like my version of buttered peas.

Be Happy And Stay Healthy.

Ads

Hearty Chicken Clear Soup

Chicken soup are always soul soothing. In coming festive season when you will be bombarded with heavy brunch menus in parties what do you do in between to keep yourself fit? Well for me chicken clear soup comes as a savior. The restorative powers of chicken soup are legendary; a ultimate comfy food is what I want to share with you all, as I think this will be very helpful for you in this season. This chicken clear soup is very delicious, simple and easy to make and I promise it will keep you guilt free in midst of all those meaty, spicy, creamy and chocolaty menu.
Ingredients:

Chicken cube    1 cup
Water     3 cup
Bay leaves  1
Garlic    1tsp chopped
Onion     1 medium size chopped
Carrot  1 sliced
Parsley leaves  1 tbsp chopped
Saffron  few sprigs
Butter /diet butter  ¼ tsp
Spring onion  1 tsp chopped
Salt  and pepper  to taste

Procedure:
Heat water in a sauce pan then add all the ingredients except butter and spring onion. Cover with a lid .Let it boil till the chicken become tender and well cooked. Now remove from heat and cool slightly then strain the broth through cheese cloth. Now add butter and garnish with spring onion. If you wish you can sprinkle little black pepper above it. Serve hot. Hearty chicken clear soup is ready. I hope you will love it.

Be Happy And Stay Healthy.

Nutritious Entertaining: Make a healthy grocery list for success

When you are preparing for the Thanks giving party and all the celebration coming up  one after another in the next month, it is very hard to make a healthy grocery list for perfect meal. So today I am not sharing with you any recipes but a guest article which will be a great help for you all. This guest article is from my friend Melissa C. I think you all will enjoy the read and find helpful tips for perfect delicious and healthy meal.

It’s easy to get trapped in the idea that healthful entertaining is too much work. If you plan a healthy grocery list beforehand, there’s no reason your next get together won’t be a rousing success. When you’re in control of the menu, you can make the right choices to ensure every course stays healthy.

Good-for-you appetizers

Many hosts start the meal out on an unhealthy foot and only get worse from there. When you plan in advance, you can avoid this pitfall. Stick to low-calorie and high-flavor dishes, like spiced shrimp or crab ceviche, and your guests will be satisfied but not stuffed before the main event. You can also choose fresh and seasonal vegetables as an easy alternative if you want to cut down on preparation time.

A healthy main course

The main course is the biggest part of the meal, so it’s essential that you choose a healthy dish. You can find some inspiration from the menu at your favorite health-oriented restaurant, or you can check pick out a dish from Eating Well. Don’t be afraid to make two dishes if you’re hosting a large group of people. That way, people can choose the option that suits their tastes better. You should also consider portion size when plating to make sure you aren’t giving your guests too much of a good thing

Delightful, guilt-free desserts

The dessert course is another place where health can be thrown out the window for taste, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Fresh fruit is always a good option for the time and nutrition conscious host. It’s easy to prepare, it contains all kinds of nutrients, and it tastes wonderful. If you’re looking for something a bit more complex, try out a lightened up version of your favorite dish. It doesn’t take much to make a healthy lemon cake or some healthful oatmeal cookies. Dessert is your chance to show off your skills at making delicious treats that are still good for you.

After you’ve planned out the perfect meal, it’s time to put together your list and make a trip to the store. Before you head out, go through the big night in your mind and think about how the cooking and entertaining is going to go. If you don’t see any issues with timing, then you’ll be ready to make your next night of healthy entertaining a success.


Wishing you all A Very Happy Thanksgiving!

Be Happy And Stay Healthy.

ADS

Herbed Soya Nuggets With Butter Toasted Cashew

Soy nuggets(TVP)which also popular as soy meat or soya meat is a meat analogue or nutritious meat extender made from defatted soy flour. This is also known as textured soy protein is a versatile substance, different forms allowing it to take on the texture of whatever ground meat it is substituting. Using textured vegetable protein, one can make vegetarian or vegan versions of traditionally meat dishes chili, spaghetti bolognese, sloppy joes, tacos, burgers, or burritos. Sometimes I feel like going vegan for a day in such times I use this soy meat or soya nuggets in my dishes and I am telling you it is very good substitute of regular meat. If you try then you too will love it for all those who are new to soy meat and for others who are soy chunks lovers here is my experiment with soy spices and cashew. I am sure you will love these herbed soya nuggets with toasted cashew.


Ingredients:

Soya nuggets  1 Cup
Beet root   ½ cup thick slice blanched
Carrot   ½ cup thick slice and blanched
Green bell pepper  ½ cup sliced
Butter/ Olive oil  2 1/2  tsp
Garlic chopped  ½  tsp
Oregano   ¼ tsp
Basil     ¼  tsp
Tomato sauce 1 tsp
Chilly garlic sauce 1tsp or to taste( optional)
Cashew nuts  ¼ cup
Salt and pepper  to taste 

Procedure:
Soak soya nuggets in warm water with salt for at least half an hour. First in a pan take ½ tsp of butter and toast the cashew, if you are health conscious then you can dry roast the nuts and keep aside. Now in that pan take 1 tsp of butter or olive oil and then add the drained and squeezed soya nuggets now fry for a minute with a pinch of salt and pepper for a minute then keep aside in bowl. Now in that pan give rest of the butter then add chopped garlic stir for few second then add all the vegetable toss add all the sauces , basil, oregano and fried soya nuggets adjust seasoning and toss all the ingredients well. At last add butter toasted cashew mix and serve hot with corn tortillas or tacos or simple flat bread with onion rings. I am sure you will love the taste of this herbed soya nugget with butter toasted cashew.
Give it a try and let me know how you like it.

Be Happy And Stay Healthy.

ADS

Tomato Apple Date Chutney And Todd Wilbur Cook Book Review

Chutney is one such delicious condiment which always makes our meal more tasty. In winter I prepare a special chutney with tomato, apple and date and this one is my family favorite since ages. My granny use to make it and then my Maa (Mom) and now I take the responsibility to carry forward this heritage recipe to gen next. Lazy me sometimes use this chutney as my bread spread or pour a spoon full in my boiled vegetables. I am telling you this is one of the best way to skip cooking and still have something super delicious.

Ingredients:

Ripe red Tomato   4  pureed
Apple   1 chopped into small pieces
Dates    ½  cup seeded and chopped
Ginger  ½  tsp chopped
Roasted mixed spice powder ¼ tsp
Vegetable oil  1 tbsp
Lemon juice   1 tbsp
Sugar  1 ¼  cup
Salt  to taste
Water  3 to 4 cups

Procedure:
First let me tell you how to make roasted mixed spice. Take ¼ tsp of cumin, 2 cardamom, ½’’ cinnamon, 4 clove,1/2 bay leave, ½ whole dry red chili. Now dry roast this spice and then grind to make a fine powder. You can use this spice mix in your salad or mashed potato. This spice have very unique flavor when used in tomato apple date chutney, it add to its taste.
Now take oil in pan add the pureed tomato and dates mix well. Now add water and salt and let it boil so that the dates completely mixed with tomato. Now add ginger and sugar and sliced apples. Cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Then put off the flame and the roasted spice mix and the lemon juice . Mix well. You can store it for 4 to 5 days in your freezer. Serve chilled or in room temperature try it with KFC Fried Chicken or anything that you like.

The best thing is that you can now make the original KFC fried chicken, Burger King Onion rings, Apple Bee s Oriental chicken salad and many such mouthwatering hot favorite recipe in comfort of your own home. America’s original food cloner Todd Wilbur has opened the vault and shared his best recipes in an exclusive eSpecial from Plume! THE TOP 25 GREATEST TOP SECRET RECIPES. America’s best copycat recipes for duplicating your favorite foods at home. For two decades, Todd Wilbur has worked doggedly to reverse engineer America’s most famous foods. In this eSpecial collection, Wilbur reveals the secret formulas for your all-time favorite restaurant dishes and brand-name foods. With top-secret blueprints and easy-to-follow instructions, it’s simple to fool your taste buds and save money when you make these amazing original clones at home.
I love this small little book which can be with me any time anywhere and with the help of this I can amaze my guest with the some mouthwatering American brand dishes. The best part of this book is, it is written in a very simple language and easy to follow instruction and perfect detail timing instruction needed for preparation and cooking. I think even beginners with little patience and passion can successfully made this favorite dishes. My personal favorite are Apple Bees Oriental Chicken salad …. Crispy oriental greens topped with crunchy chicken fingers, toasted almonds and crispy rice noodles, tossed in light Oriental Vinaigrette, KFC original fried chicken and Olive Garden Italian Salad dressing. I will definitely give try all this recipes from this wonderful little magic cookbook. You will get THE TOP 25 GREATEST TOP SECRET RECIPES: America’s best copycat recipes for duplicating your favorite foods at home (Plume eSpecial, for just $2.99; available wherever eBooks are sold).
Happy Cooking!:)

Be Happy And Stay Healthy.