Sunday, May 31, 2009

Tangy Lemon Sorbet

Sorbet is a frozen dessert made with sweetened water (sugar syrup) and flavourings like fruit juice or fruit puree.This is a simple lemon sorbet with the added goodness of ginger and mint.The recipe is very simple to follow yet perfect for summer.

Ingredients:
Lemon Juice: 1 cup
Sugar: 1 cup
Water: 1 cup

Mint: 15+ sprigs
Ginger: 1 very big piece peeled

Preparation:
Prepare a simple syrup by boiling water and sugar in a pan till the sugar dissolves.Take off the heat add the mint leaves and finely chopped peeled ginger.Keep a few leaves and another ginger piece aside.Let it sit there for 10-15 minutes until the flavours seep into the syrup.

Meanwhile in another small bowl,add a little lemon juice,rest of the mint and peeled chopped ginger and using a pestle simply try to crush it so that the juices are extracted from both mint and ginger.You can also puree it in a blender.Strain it and keep aside.This crushed addition depends on your taste though.If you are not a minty or gingery person avoid it.

Strain the sugar syrup into another bowl so that the mint and ginger residue are removed and add the lemon juice and crushed mint-ginger juice through the strainer itself if possible.Mix well.

Pour into a metal pan and freeze it for atleast 6 hours and then process in a blender so that the slightly grainy sorbet texture is obtained.After processing you can freeze it for atleast 45 minutes or till serving time.


Enjoy the refreshing sorbet as a dessert or anytime!.If your lemons are tart then increase the simple syrup by quarter cup more.The addition of mint and ginger is completely optional and depends on your taste.I certainly find it refreshing though.

The tangy healthy lemon-mint-ginger sorbet is on way to Weekend Wokking:Lemons,this time held by the creator of the event herself, Wandering Chopsticks




Reminder:Today is the last day of FIC:Favourite,an event by SunshineMom and hosted currently by Yours Truly. Do send me entries in your favourite colour till May 31st(today) 11:59 PM your time wherever you are!

Friday, May 29, 2009

Moroccan Mint Tea

Mint tea is almost a national drink of Morrocco.Moroccan style mint tea is served all over North Africa and has become a part of culture.It is made using the green tea powder available there or rather imported from China and it is also called the Chinese gunpowder.The preparation varies from region to region. Basically we require the Moroccan tea pot for doing this but it can be done using the normal tea pot or generally any pot .I always prefer milky tea and am no lover of black tea but I like green tea.Add to this the additional refreshing flavour of mint,the taste was a surprise for me.The mint and green tea balance each other perfectly.

Ingredients:
Green Tea: 1 tsp
Boiling water: 1-1.5 cups
Mint:10-12 sprigs
Sugar: 1-2 tbsp

Preparation:
Boil water .Keep the tea pot ready.Add a little boiled water to the tea pot and swish it out.This is just to warm the teapot.This is optional though.

Add mint sprigs,green tea,sugar to the tea pot.

Pour boiling water onto this into the tea pot.
Let it sit for a a few minutes so that the tea is brewed and the flavours are absorbed.You can also stir with a spoon.

Pour the tea into a glass and then pour back in.Repeat it once more.Also make sure you pour from a little height.This pouring twice make sure the flavours are well blended and the sugar is dissolved and pouring from a height ensures foam on top of the glass and also cools it a little bit and this is the way it is supposed to be done in Morocco.

Pour into a serving cup through a strainer/seive so that only the liquid remains in the cup and the green tea and mint residue remain in the tea pot.Normally Moroccan tea pot have a strainer in the beak which ensures only the liquid is poured into the serving cup.

Garnish with mint and serve.


The recipe serves one.you can also substitute the sugar with honey or agave nectar.I used part honey and part sugar.For a video on this visit here.

I am a tea drinker and this way is slightly different from making the normal milky tea.Also the pouring from the height is almost a ritual related to coffee or atleast to me.Remember glass full of foaming decoction coffee served in SouthIndia or similar restaurants.This is a bit similar though I prefer it foamless.Anyway the simple yet refreshing Mint Tea is onway to JFI:Mint, an event by Indira of Mahandi and currently hosted by Ashwini of SpicyCuisine


Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Tofu & Vegetable Cacciatore with Microwave Polenta

This is a simple yet very delicious meal that I made by combining 2 recipes from FatFree Vegan Kitchen.I had bookmarked her tofu cacciatore which she had served with roasted spaghetti squash.Since spaghetti squash is not available here,I searched her blog again and found this quick polenta recipe which she had served with grilled veggies.She had made a herbed polenta in the microwave in minutes.So I decided to combine the two and the result was a delicious vegan Italian meal.


Tofu & Vegetable Cacciatore

Cacciatore means hunter in Italian."Alla cacciatora" refers to a 'hunter style' meal with onion,tomatoes,bell peppers,herbs and mushroom.It is normally or popularly made with braised chicken or rabbit and I found a suitable vegan version in Susan's Tofu and Vegetable Cacciatore.

Ingredients:
Onion: 1 medium coarsely chopped
Bell Pepper: 1 medium
Mushrooms: 1 cup chopped
Tomatoes: 2 small chopped
Tomato Paste: 3tbsp+ as per taste

Tofu (extra firm): 1 small pack cubed
Carrot: 1 medium
Eggplant:1 medium

Garlic: 1 clove chopped
Basil: 1/2 -1 tsp dried or few leaves fresh
Oregano: 1-1.5 tsp
Thyme: 1/2 tsp
Pepper: generous grating.
Salt: as per taste

Veg Broth" 1.5 cup +

Preparation:

Place tofu on paper towels and let it drainfor 10-15 minutes.It does not need to be too dry though.If you have frozen the tofu,thaw in the fridge overnight and then do this.Chop the carrots,and the eggplant into cubes or slices.Coursely chop all the other veggies of onion,tomato,bell pepper and mushrooms.

Heat a large skillet or pan with olive oil and saute onion till golden.Add the garlic ,rest of the veggies except tomatoes and little salt and cover and cook for few minutes till thet start to become tender.Add tofu cubed and half cup of veg broth and cook unconvered for about 1 minute.

Here I have used broth rather that the wine mentioned.Cacciatores do contain wine but it can be replaced with veg broth.

Combine rest of the broth (1 cup) and tomato paste and stir until smooth.Add this and the tomatoes chopped to the pan.Add the spices and more salt and stir well.Let it cook covered till tender for around 20-30 minutes on low heat.If you are adding fresh basil (I did),then add during the last few minutes.

Serve with bread,rice,pasta or polenta.

Microwave Herbed Polenta

Polenta is made from boiled cornmeal.You can use white or yellow cornmeal though the latter is healthier.Traditionally it is a slow cooked dish,though several shortcuts are available.Basically it takes atleast 1 hour with constant stirring or you can leave it on stove top with no stirring for hours.Cooked polenta can be cut into your choice of shapes and can be pan fried,fried, baked etc.I used the quick polenta recipe of Susan where she served grilled vegetables with microwave herbed polenta.

Ingredients:
Water:2 cups
Yellow Cornmeal:1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp
Salt:1tsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil :1tsp (optional)
Black Pepper: generous grating
Basil/Oregano/other herbs: optional and to taste

Preparation:
Put the water, cornmeal, herbs and salt into a large microwavable casserole dish. Cook at full power for 6 minutes. Stir well and cook again at high power for 4 more minutes.The total of (6+4) minutes depends on the power of your microwave.Mine took only 6 minutes in total (4+2).Remove from the microwave, stir in the optional oil and more pepper and herbs. Stir well.

Put in an oiled loaf pan/suitable dish,smooth the top and chill for atleast 1 hour in the refrigerator so that it sets. Remove from the pan/dish,cut into your choice of shapes and lightly brown in a non stick pan.Serve with Tofu Cacciatore.




This was the first time I was trying both the dishes and they turned out well .I was a bit varied about the polenta,but I liked it as I had made it very spicy.Thanks Susan for the wonderful recipes and obviously a warm plate of this delicious vegan meal is off to Vaishali who is currently hosting Tried & Tasted:FatFreeVeganKitchen,an event by dear Zlamushka.


Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Savoury Roasted & Grilled Salads

These are simple salads that I tried out.I desperately wanted to make a strawberry soup but decided to go for a savoury peppery salad and that too after marinating and grilling strawberries.Why grilled -just like that for a change.Also I had one red bellpepper that I wanted to use as well.So I roasted the red bell pepper and eggplant and tossed in chopped fresh tomatoes to obtain another salad in my favourite colour -red.So here are both .

Strawberry Pepper Salad

I know strawberry season is over in India.But I managed to get two small boxes from Kovai where I have been for the last two days on a very short break.They come from Ootty.Whatever it is I managed to make a savoury salad for Lisa 's NCR. This is a simple yet different recipe where I gave a peppery marinade to strawberry and then pan fried them and tossed with other ingredients.

Ingredients:
Strawberries: 10 + sliced
Onion: 1 small quartered
Cucumber: 1 small deseeded and chopped
Cottage Cheese /Paneer : few cubes/tbsps crumbled
Cilantro: few sprigs

Marinade
Soy Sauce: 1-2 tbsp or more
Ginger: 1 small piece
Garlic: 1 clove
Pepper
Salt
ChilliFlakes

Preparation:
Make the marinade by mixing all the ingredients together in a big bowl.Toss the sliced strawberries and quartered onions into this and let the flavours blend for about 30 minutes.

Heat a grill pan or skillet and spread/spray little oil on it.Add in the marinated strawberry and onion and let it grill for 1 minute per side.

In another bowl,toss in the pan fried/grilled strawberries and onion and chopped cucumber and crumbled cheese and chopped coriander/cilantro sprigs.Garnish with more pepper and salt and optionally a tinge of the remaining tangy marinade.


I didnot add any lime juice to the marinade as the berries are already tart.The leftover marinade will be more tangy as it may also include the tartness of berries.So just a tinge of marinade is enough for the salad.If you like a sweeter salad go for honey drizzle.The salad is a twist to the normal sweet strawberry salad and tastes peppery and bit tangy.


Tomato and Roasted Pepper Salad
This is another simple salad that I adapted from the BBC Mediterranean CookBook. I had some leftover red bell pepper which I roasted along with eggplant and onion and tossed in with fresh chopped tomatoes to obtain a salad in my favourite colour -red.

Ingredients:
Red BellPepper: 1
Chinese/Japanese Eggplant (long purple): 1
Red Onion: 1 medium cubed
Tomato: atleast 1 big
Garlic: 1 clove unpeeled

Lemon Juice
Olive Oil
Fresh Mint
Pitted Black Olives(optional)

Preparation:
In a big bowl,toss together chopped red bell pepper,sliced eggplant,sliced onion and 1 single unpeeled garlic clove with olive oil and salt and roast in a preheated oven at 400F for 15 or more minutes by spreading in a lined/greased baking sheet.

In another bowl,add chopped tomatoes,lemon zest and lemon juice and little salt and pepper.Add in the roasted ingredients and stir in mint and optionally pitted black olives.Serve chilled or at room temperature.


The simple salads are easy to prepare and are a twist on the normal and sweet salads.Both can be served as a side or whatever way you want.The strawberry pepper salad is on way to No Croutons Required: Savoury Berry Edition hosted this time by Lisa .

The tomato and roasted pepper salad is on way to FIC:Favourite an event by SunshineMom and currently hosted by yours truly.



Reminder:Kindly send entries in your favourite colour to FIC:Favourite and I would definitely love to know you through your favourite colour.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Moist Mango Muffins

Mangoes are the current favourite here in India.Summer means mangoes,mangoes and more mangoes.I am not a Mango Person .I like say one or two pieces from a fully loaded mango plate.Now I know thats an exception.But this time I wanted to try something with mangoes.So when the first stock were bought I prevented my family in hoarding these and why not.They got a wonderful treat of mango muffins that I adapted from here .I halved the recipe and made some changes that made this recipe very easy.Only defect is that the muffins do not look as peaked as the baking soda was old or passed the expiry date.But thankfully they did not sink .

Ingredients:
Thick Plain Yogurt : 1/2 cup
Vegetable Oil: 1/4 cup

Sugar: 1/2 cup
Ripe Sweet Mango :3/4 cup finely chopped
Fresh grated Coconut: 1/4 cup

All Purpose Flour: 1 cup
Baking Soda: 1 tsp
Salt: 1/4 tsp

Preparation:

In a big bowl mix together yogurt and oil.Add chopped mangoes,coconut and sugar and mix well.In another small bowl,whisk together the dry items of flour,soda and salt.Then add the dry mix to the wet mix and stir just until combined.

Pour into lined or greased muffin tins and bake in a preheated oven at 375F for 20-25 minutes or until the tester inserted in the centre comes clean.Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then cool completely on a wire rack.

I replaced the soy yogurt and sourcream with plain thick yogurt and also omitted the extracts and the rum in the original recipe as well.I used normally sweet fresh grated coconut though the sweetened dry one was used in the original.You can also used other egg replacers in this recipe as well.Also you can bake it as mango bread by doubling the recipe and putting the entire batter in a greased loaf pan and baking it for almost 1 hour at 350F.

The moist muffins are on the way to MBP:Mango Masti an event by Coffee and currently hosted by Neha.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Experimental Focaccias

After seeing Simran of BombayFoodie baking some delectable breads from A Year in Bread I too decided to take the plunge.After missing it for past month,I did not want to miss this time as well.My chosen bread was Kevin's Focaccia with grapes and rosemary.I cannot say mine was as perfect though.

Though the topping was grapes I was not sure how the result will be.So I decided to make 2 focaccias from the dough and made one with grapes and dried rosemary( had run out of fresh rosemary and could not buy more ,just my luck!) and other with cherry/grape tomatoes and fresh basil.I loved the tomato one but my husband who normally likes tomatoes went for grape one.Only thing he complained was the lack of more grapes!. recipe itself was quite simple and easy except for the proofing/rising time.

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour: 3 1/4 cups +

Instant yeast : 1 tsp
Warm Water: 1 1/4 cup
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 1/3 cup
Sea salt: 1 1/2 tsp

Topping:
Seedless Mixed grapes & Fresh RoseMary
Cherry Tomatoes & Fresh Basil

Preparation:

In a big bowl,add warm water,yeast,sea salt,EVOO and 3 cups of flour.Knead to form a dough adding additional flour as and when needed.It took me just 1/4 cup more though it took one more cup for Kevin.Thoroughly knead the dough for about 10 minutes or more.The dough will be moist but not sticky.

Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead into a round ball.Keep the dough in an oiled/sprayed bowl turning it once so that it gets a coating of oil and keep the bowl covered in a plastic wrap.Allow the dough to rise until double in volume about 1 -1 1/2 hours.

Line a baking sheet (I also used a glass pie pan) and then oil or spray the liner.Put the dough on to the sheet and let it rest for 5 minutes.Then what I did was divide the dough into two almost equal parts and then with oiled hands stretched the dough half onto the baking sheet till it was almost 1/2 inch thick rectangle.If the dough resists then allow it to rest for 5 more minutes and then continue stretching. Make small indentation on top of the rectangle using fingers and spra olive oil on each of these indentations.Press the grapes into these indentations and then sprinkle chopped rosemary and sea salt on top.Cover the dough with a plastic warp and let it rest for about 30 + minutes until doubled.For the second half I used cherry tomatoes and chopped fresh basil.

The dough looks like .........


Bake in a preheated oven at 375F for 20-30 minutes or more until it turns golden brown.Since I went for smaller ones I went for 20-22 minutes .The tops were not browned though the grapes slightly shrivelled,but the bottom had started blackening so I pulled them out.You can also rotate the two baking sheets midway though I did not as my OTG was smaller with top and bottom coils.The baking time also depends on your oven as well.Cool for 5 minutes and then serve sliced.


It does not look perfect but not at all a disaster I definitely enjoyed the making process as well as gorging process.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Pineapple Coconut Cake

This is a simple pineapple cake that I adapted from here and also referenced the mini pineapple cake by veganyumyum.I wanted to make a spring cake with berries but the berry season being over here in India I made a pineapple cake.The recipe is simple and easy. It was an already eggless cake recipe where sourcream was used as a substitute.I used thick yogurt instead.

Ingredients:
Cake:
Self-raising flour : 2 cups (I used AP Flour with rising agents)

Confectioners Sugar: 3/4 cup
Unsalted Butter: room temp: 3/4 cup
Yogurt: 4 tbsp
Pineaapple juice: 1.25 cups
Coconut: 1/2 cup

Pineapple rings

Caramel sauce:
(adapted from veganyumyum's pineapplecake)
Brown Sugar 1/2 cup
Butter 1/2 cup

Preparation:
Caramel Sauce:
In a completely dry saucepan melt both sugar and butter stirring only when necessary.When the mixture bubbles up remove from heat and let it cool.

Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Use self raising(sf) flour or substitute 1 cup sr flour = 1 cup APFlour + 1 tsp Bakingpowder + 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp salt.

Line the base of the cake tin with greaseproof paper and grease the paper. I used an 8 inch square dish though a 8 inch round pan was suggested.I also lined it with aluminium foil and then used an olive oil spray on it.Then I slightly applied a thin coating of the caramel sauce and then topped it pineapple rings.To be honest,I used a very thin coating only as I was not sure how mine will turn out and did not want it to look too brown ..

In a big bowl,cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the yogurt and mix well.Stir in the coconut, then half the flour and pineapple juice. Add the remaining flour and pineapple juice; stir well to obtain a thick batter.If using thick yogurt or sour cream you can also add 1 tbsp of water. Spread the mixture on top of the pineapplerings without disturbing the layer. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a tester inserted at the centre comes clean.Mine was done in 32 minutes.

Let it cool and then invert into a serving plate and then serve with additional pineapple slices and caramel sauce or as such.


After inverting it looks like .....

On slicing .....

The cake looks a bit heavier but infact is very simple and tasty.The heaviness or the bulky look could be due to the different pan sized or atleast thats my assumption.

Anyway a slice of cake is off to Meeta's Monthly Mingle where the theme is SpringCakes.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Giambotta

Giambotta is an Italian vegetable stew that makes use of seasonal vegetables.It is full of vegetables and can be served as a soup or a stew with crusty bread or pasta.I came across this when I was searching for quick menu ideas for summer and I adapted the recipe from Racheal Ray's version.The vegetables are added as per the cooking time starting with the longest and so you sort of work near the stove and drop veggies into the pan as you chop.


Ingredients:
Onion: 1 medium size
Garlic: 1-2 cloves

Potato: 1 big
Eggplant: 1(Chinese long purple)
Zucchini: 1 small
Green BellPepper: 1 medium

Tomato Paste: 2 tbsps

Veg Broth: 1/2 cup +
Fresh Basil: 4-5 leaves
BayLeaf: 2-3 small dried

Preparation:
Chop the onions finely and peel and chop the garlic.Chop the potatoes and other veggies into bite size cubes or quick cooking sizes.Heat olive oil in a thick bottomed pan and add bayleaf,onion and garlic.Saute for a few minutes till the onions turn transparent.Add the chopped veggies starting with the one with the longest cooking time in this case potatoes.Add salt and pepper and one by one other veggies -eggplant,zucchini and bell pepper.Saute an cook for around 5- 10 minutes till they start to become tender.Add the tomato paste,veg stock and cover and cook until tender.During the last 1or 2 minutes add in chopped basil.Serve warm with crusty bread or rice or pasta garnished with more basil and adjusting salt and pepper.

The dish is not highly spicy as it has only the pepper and bayleaf giving spice and taste.But it is definitely healthy and comforting and a versatile dish as you can use it as a soup topped with cheese and croutons or a stew with bread/rice.You can even add in pasta while adding the stock and turn it into a main course.


The stew is simple,easy and you can add whatever veggies are in season and can be served cold in summer and also warm in winter.It tastes even better the next day.A nourishing bowl is off to the Simple and Nourishing Carnival by Kim,the NourishingGourmet

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Soba Noodle Salad with Vegetables and Wasabi Sauce

Soba is a thin Japanese noodle made from Buckwheat flour.It is used in a variety of situations and forms like salad and soups with vegetables and tofu.In contrast udon noodles are thick noodles made from wheat. I obtained a chilled soba noodle salad from here where it was served with julienned veggies and wasabi and ponzu sauce.The ponzu sauce is a common sauce in Japanese cuisine which is tart and citrusy.The post also mentioned substituting ponzu with a mix of soy sauce and lemon juice and I did exactly that.

Ingredients:
Soba noodles: atleast 1/2 pkt

Sesame Oil: 1 tbsp

Ginger: 1 inch piece shredded/grated
Green bell pepper: 1 julienned
Zucchini: 1 small julienned
Spring Onion/Scallion: 1-2 chopped
Mushrooms: few quartered
Carrot : 1 grated/julienned

Sauce Mix:
Ponzu Sauce: 1/4 cup or 3 tbsp of soy sauce + 1 tbsp of lemon juice mixed well
Wasabi Paste: 1/2 tsp + depending on taste

Preparation:
Prepare the soba noodles as per instructions. They already have salt added in them so no need of extra salt.

Heat sesame oil in a wok/pan and add the vegetables julienned ,chopped or quartered and stir fry till tender.Here the veggies may sweat and so no need to add the water or even salt to them.Make sure the veggies are crunchy and not overcooked as the dish is meant to be a salad.So on high flame stir fry them.This takes a few minutes only.Allow them to cool.

Make the sauce by thoroughly mixing the soy sauce and the lemon juice.Add the wasabi paste around 1/2 tsp and them continue mixing/whisking till it blends.


In a serving bowl,add the noodles,vegetables and sauce and mix well.Chill for two hours in the fridge and serve.It can also be served hot or at room temperature.I served it a little warm.Alternately,keep the cooked ingredients and the sauce as such in three different containers and mix each at the time of consuming as per taste.


The noodles were delicious and filling.This was the first time I was making Japanese and the only thing I knew about it was sushi unless you count chef Morimoto.I did not even knew than vegan or vegetarian Japanese existed.I had bought a sushi meal kit but when I found this recipe I decided to go for it.The wonderful thing is this is a saltless recipe ie the noodles have salt in them and the rest of the needed salt is supplied by the soy sauce.So unless you are a very salty person no need to add salt.

A warm bowl is on way to AWED :Japan, an event by DK of CulinaryBazaar and currently hosted by Lavi of HomeCooks.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Fruity n Healthy Sprouts Salad

This is actually a sweet and simple salad that I made using Horsegram Sprouts and fruits available.Horsegram also known as gahat,kulith/kulath,kollu,muthira,ulavalu in India is an excellent source of iron and can be sprouted as other legumes.Sprouted horsegram is also known as matki in Hindi.Both horsegram and its sprouts are used in several Indian dishes and also salads.I wanted to have a different dish with the sprouts had and since sweet dishes based on this are less,I made a fruit,nuts and oats salad with this.The recipe is quite simple.

Ingredients:

HorseGram Sprouts: 1/2 cup
Old fashioned Oats: handful
Almonds: handful
Mixed fruits: 1/2 cup
(I used apples,pomegranate,small banana,sweet lime etc )
Dried Cherries,raisins,cranberries etc :handful .(I used green cherry halves).

Honey
Ginger Powder
Lemon juice: 1-2 tsp (optional)

Other optional Topping Ideas:
Sweetened whipped cream
Any fruit Yogurt
Lightly toasted bread or puffpastry circles

Preparation:

Lightly steam sprouts for 10-15 minutes or until they become soft.Horsegram sprouts retain the shape and do not turn mushy.You can optionally add just a small pinch of salt to it while steaming.I did not.In a small pan/skillet,dry roast oats till it starts to brown.Remove and keep aside.Similarly dry roast almonds and keep aside. Chop the fruits into small cubes or pieces,peeling and deseeding if needed.

In a big bowl,mix together sprouts,chopped fruits,oats,almonds,dried cherries or raisins and powdered ginger and honey.Chill well adding little lemon juice so that the fruits do not turn black.

Serve as a dessert or quick breakfast topped with more honey or nuts or dried fruits or whipped cream.Also can be used as a topping to ice cream or alternatively use with sweetened whipped cream or fruit yoghurt on top of toasted bread as sweet canapes.


You can use your choice of sprouts or mixed sprouts.Instead of oats you can use riceflakes or whatever you feel like.Also make your own choice of fruits,dry fruits and nuts.

Generally sprouts are rich in digestible energy, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins etc and these nutrients are essential for human health. (wiki).Though raw sprouts can also be consumed,I prefer lightly steaming them for salads or even pressurecooking them.The cooking time varies for different sprouts.

While googling on Horse Gram sprouts ,some delicacies I came across were:
Sprouts Pongal and Sprout salad by Jayasree of KailasKitchen
Sprouts Sambar by Priya of PriyasEasyNTastyRecipes
Sprouts Curry by LG of Taste of Mysore
and several prominent ones.Also checkout the BlackEyed Peas Sprouts Pasta by Yasmeen of Healthnut.

This fruity n healthy Sprouts Salad is on its way to Weekend Wokking :Sprouts,even started by Wandering Chopsticks and currently hosted by KC of Kitschow.


Friday, May 1, 2009

FIC: Favourite May 2009

Each of us in all stages of life are influenced by colours.Blue for boys,Pink for girls right from infancy we hear.We grow watching the seasons change and along with it the respective colours of nature -White for winter,Orange for summer etc.Every season we categorize as per colour.We ourselves prefer different colours during each growth stage -Shy colours during childhood,bold colours during the teen years and a different colour for each mood swing and lighter and more sophisticated as we mature.Definitely we can see colours in the dishes we prepare.

But sometimes a particular colour travels right from beginning with us and influences us.We feel it makes us feel powerful,shows our temperament and is definitely our favourite colour and our Lucky one.Be it choosing a dress,car or furnishing apartment and even sometimes while facing interviews or writing exams we are influenced by it.

While not going into the details or scientific explanation of colours and their influences,lets celebrate the colours we like or prefer over others.So this time the Food In Colours started by Sunny Sunshinemom of TongueTicklers celebrates the favourite colours with FIC:Favourite here at TastyCurryLeaf


(image courtesy: Internet)

Prominent rule this time:
ONLY ONE COLOUR CAN BE THE FAVOURITE.

Multiple entries are allowed
A blogger/non -blogger with Red as favourite can send in several dishes where red is prominent .

Other regular rules are
  1. Raw vegetables are not allowed except if used as such in salads or prepared food!
  2. Multiple entries of a single favourite colour are welcome as long as they are posted between 01.05.09 and 31.05.09.No Linking back to the previous posts
  3. The food item should be vegetarian which means no eggs, the post should be a vegetarian post.
  4. If your food is cooked from any other blog or site please link your post with the name of the blog/site rather than 'here'. Also link your post to this post announcing the event and also to SunshineMom's Event Announcement .
  5. The use of logo is optional,though recommended.
  6. Email me at -tastycurryleaf(at)gmail(dot)com, replacing the (at) with @ and (dot) with . alongwith these details
  • subject line - FIC Favourite,
  • Your name,
  • The name of your blog and its link,
  • Your Favourite Colour
  • The name of the dish and the link and 300 px width/height picture
If you do not have a blog, just email the recipe and a picture and the favourite colour


The last date for entries : 31st May 2009 till midnight your time wherever you are. So do send me delicious and new entries in your favourite colour and the celebrate the best colour in your life.

Looking forward to colourful participation......

Thanks for visiting my Blog

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