Being Vegetarian

                                                
                  Food has a big and beautiful history.Food varies as per region,culture,economic and social factors.
                   During the course of time,people have embraced vegetarianism.Broadly defined a vegetarian is a person who doesnot eat meat,poultry and fish.They mainly eat fruits,vegetables,legumes,grains,seeds and nuts.
                    Yoga tradition has differentiated food as stvic,raajsic or taamsic.

                     Coming from medical field,I can ensure that being vegetarian can help ones health a lot.vegetarian food is usually low in fat,high in fibre,reduces obesity hypertension and such illnesses,reduces risk of cancer and of course saves money.
                    
                    Being vegetarian#eat healthy food#have a hale and sound life.

 

Pickled Onions|How to make pickled onions

Pickled onions is a very popular and loved accompaniment all over India and world.

Pickling can be done for many veggies like cauliflower,cucumber and so on.It is done either in oil or vinegar or both.In many parts of world it is done in wine too.

This is a family recipe and is loved so much at my place that I always have a jar of pickled onions ready.It also ends fast so I have to keep preparing it often.But its all  so worth it.

Prepare it yourself and you will agree with me.

Cooking time:10 minutes
Preserving time:9 hours

Ingredients:

1. 15 to 20 shallots(peeled)
2. 200ml Vinegar
3. 2 tbsp. sugar
4. 3 to 4 bay leaves
5. 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
6. 4 cloves
7. 4 green cardamom
8. 1 dried red chilli(as per taste)

 RECIPE :

1. Take a pan.Add vinegar to it.Add sugar ,bay leaves,cinnamon stick, green cardamom,red chilli ,cloves to it.
2. Bring it to boil.Let it simmer for two to three minutes on high heat .
3. Let the mixture cool down for some time.Now add this               mix in an airtight sterilised  jar filled with shallots .
4. Keep this overnight and enjoy pickled onions.

Check out the following recipes too:

Deep Fried poached eggs|How to m ake deep fried poached eggs,Plum and apple jam|How to make jam at home|Homemade jam,Paneer Manpasand recipe|How to make paneer manpasand,Vanilla Cupcake| Basic Cupcake recipe| How to make Cupcake recipes,Baked Kaccha kela kabab| Baked Raw Banana Cutlet|How to make kaccha kela kabab,Stuffed Dough balls|How to make stuffed dough balls

Baingan Ka Bharta(Eggplant Veggie)

This recipe is a popular one in all parts of India.it is made by a number of ways...........what I am going to explain here is one of the easiest  fastest and tastiest method to  cook it.

Preparation time:20 minutes

 Ingredients

1. 4 to 5 small brinjal /one big brinjal

2. 2 onion

3. 3 medium sized tomatoes

4. 3.5 tbsp. refined oil

5. 1tsp hing

6. 1tsp danamethi(fenugreek seeds)

7. 1tsp turmeric

8. 1tsp red chilli powder

9. 4 tsp coriander powder

10. salt as per taste

fresh coriander leaves to garnish                                                                                 

Recipe:

Cut brinjal in large chunk sizes.Slice onion  and rough chop tomatoes.

Now in a pan take refined oil and add hing,fenugreek seeds to it.let it crackle.

Put slices of onion to it and sauté it(brown it).

put chunks of tomatoes and add all spices that is turmeric,red chilli powder,coriander powder to it.

Add pieces of brinjal to the pan.
it should look like the image below.

Now add three fourth cup water to it.

 Cover the pan with a dish and let it simmer for three to five minutes on low flame.now open the pan and mash all the ingredients together.as the ingredients are soft they will mash easily.and we get our baingan ka bharta in minutes.as this is my first blog ....I am bound to make mistakes.

I forgot to  take pics of the final outcome.but I guarantee you all..........it was yummy.                                                                                                                                                                                        

   Check out the following recipes too:

Dahi Vada,Penne pasta in white sauce,Bread Bonda(Fried bread and potato dumplings)  ,       Bharva Karela(Bitter Gourd Veggie)   , Bharva Gobi(Cauliflower Veggie) ,   Garlic bread (a loaf)                 

                                                                  

Penne pasta in white sauce

I love pasta.Its a great comfort food,easy on stomach,filling,delicious and most importantly fuss free.

So my dear ladies,new cooks and youngsters this one dish is for bookmarking.I have opted for penne pasta but elbow/macroni pasta work equally fine in white sauce.

 Preparation time:25minutes
Cooking time:30 minutes

Ingredients:

1. 250gm penne pasta
2. 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil(for adding in pasta)
3. 1/4 cup all purpose flour
4. 2 cups milk
5. 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil(for making sauce)
6. 1 big onion
7. 4 cloves of garlic
8. 3 tbsp Extra virgin Olive oil(for vegetables)
9. 4 to 5 florets of broccoli
10. 1/2 cup corn kernels(boiled)
11. 1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
12. 1/2 tsp oregano
13. salt and crushed black pepper as per taste
14. 1 cup grated cheese (locally available)

RECIPE:

1. Take a medium sized bowl full of water.Add pasta to it and cook till al dante.Drain the pasta.Wash the pasta in cold running water to stop cooking process.Add olive oil to pasta and set aside.
2. Take a pan.Add olive oil to it.Add finely chopped onion and galic to it.Donot sauté them brown.Just soften them in oil.Add broccoli and corn to pan  and saute them for two minutes.Keep aside.
3. Take another pan.Add oil to it for white sauce.Now take a bowl and make a mix of milk and flour.Whisk it so that there are no lumps.Add the mix to pan.Keep whisking so as to avoid lumps.
4. Now add black pepper,sauteed vegetable and salt to the sauce.Add herbs and oregano.Let it simmer for one minute.
5. Add cooked pasta to pan followed by cheese.Give a quick mix and take it off heat.Serve hot with 

Garlic bread|Homemade Garlic Bread

                    check out the below mentioned recipes too:            

Banana kiwi fruit smoothie,Plum and apple jam|How to make jam at home|Homemade jam,Paneer Manpasand recipe|How to make paneer manpasand,Vanilla Cupcake| Basic Cupcake recipe| How to make Cupcake recipes

Stuffed Cauliflower|Tandoori cauliflower|How to make Tandoori cauliflower without Oven

A work of art,a spectacular view,eyecandy,any word is just not enough to describe this tandoori cauliflower.

It is such a crowd pleaser by looks that you dont feel like destroying the dish by slicing it.But watering mouths indicate that for a while we should forget about art and concentrate on eating!:)

Stuffed cauliflower|tandoori Cauliflower

Preparation time:15 minutes
Cooking time:30 to 45 minutes

 Ingredients:
For masala:

1. 2 medium onions(paste)
2. 1 inch ginger(paste)
3. 4 cloves of garlic(paste)
4. 3 tbsp refined sunflower oil
5. 1tsp turmeric powder
6. 4 tsp coriander powder
7. 1 tsp red chilli powder
8. 2 tsp garam masala powder
9. salt as per taste
10. 1/2 cup water

Other ingredients:

1. one medium cauliflower(without small stems and leaves)
2. 4 tbsp. refined sunflower oil
3. 1 tsp turmeric powder
4. 1 tbsp salt

For garnish:

1. 2 medium potatoes(sliced)
2. 3 tbsp refined sunflower oil
3. 1 tsp turmeric powder
4. salt as per  taste
5. 1/4 cup water

RECIPE:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.Add turmeric and salt to it.Immerse head of cauliflower in it and let it cook for 15 minutes till tender and blanched.
2. Take a pan,add onion paste to it and saute till brown.Add ginger garlic paste to it and let it cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add turmeric powder,red chilli powder,coriander powder and garam masala to the mix.Add water and let it cook for 3 minutes.Add salt and let it simmer.
4. Now  once masala mix cools a bit,carefully stuff the head of cauliflower with it.Fill in between all florets and underneath too.
5. In the pan of masala mix,place the stuffed cauliflower.Add oil,let it simmer.Add water and cover it with a lid.Let it cook for 5 minutes.After 5 minutes,take it off heat.
6. Now for garnish,take another pan.Add oil to it,toss sliced potatoes,water,turmeric powder to the pan.Cover the pan and let it cook for 5 minutes.Once potatoes are soft,take it off heat.
7. Serve the hot cauliflower with sliced potatoes and any Indian bread.

Check out the following recipes too:

Dahi Vada,Mushroom and Corn Puffs,Bread Bonda(Fried bread and potato dumplings),Arum Fry Veggie(Kurkuri Masala Arbi),Punjabi Chole Masala

     

                                    

Garlic bread|Homemade Garlic Bread

With Pizza outlets starting everywhere in India few years back,I was introduced to a dish which I (didnt realise then)was going to stay in my recipe book forever.

Whether eaten with soup or eaten with cheese and sun dried tomatoes as starter,Garlic bread is a crowd pleaser.My mouth is drooling as I am a bread lover and can eat bread even without seasoning.

My kid doesnt eat garlic daal but give him this bread at anytime and the whole tin gets empty.

                     

Preparation time:2 .5 hours

Baking time:25 minutes.

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups of all purpose flour
2.  15 garlic cloves
3. 1/2tsp salt
4. 2 tbsp. sugar
5. 2  tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
6. 2 tbsp. dry active  yeast
7. 1 cup lukewarm water(for kneading)
8. 1/2 cup lukewarm water(for making yeast mix)
9. 1 tsp dried mixed herbs

RECIPE:

1. Peel garlic cloves and roast them in a pan for one minute.
2. Mash roasted garlic in a mortar and pestle and keep aside.
3. Add sugar in water and stir.Now add dry yeast and keep aside at rest for 5 to 10 minutes.keep in warm place for yeast to bloom.
4. Take a bowl and add flour,salt,extra virgin olive oil, mashed garlic and yeast mix to it.
5. Add Lukewarm water and knead the dough very well for 5 to 8 minutes.
6. Now place the dough in a greased bowl.Apply little  olive oil on the dough and cover it with a dry kitchen towel.
7. Keep the bowl in a warm place for two hours for dough to double up.
8. After 2 hours take the dough and knead so as to remove air bubbles.
9. Make a log of that dough and place it in a greased bread tin.
10. Cover the tin with towel and let it rest again for 30 minutes more.
11. After 30 minutes,apply  dried mixed herbs on the dough(donot knead now). Place the tin  in a preheated oven(at 180 degree Celsius) for 30 minutes.
12. Remove the tin after 30 minutes and let it cool on a wire rack.
13. Serve the delicious loaf of bread with butter, cheese and toppings of your choice.

Check out the following recipes too:

Dahi Vada,Penne pasta in white sauce,Bread Bonda(Fried bread and potato dumplings)  ,       Bharva Karela(Bitter Gourd Veggie)   , Bharva Gobi(Cauliflower Veggie) ,   Garlic bread (a loaf)                 

                    

Home made pizza base

Pizza has a very big and colourful history.It is an Italian dish but is now available all over the world.

I am sure it must be a loved dish in your households too.My son has certified me the best mom on earth beacuse of this one dish

.

Preparation Time:3 hours
Baking Time:20 to 25 minutes
Serves:2


Ingredients:

1. 2 cups of all purpose flour
2. 1/2 tsp  salt
3. 2 tsp sugar
4. 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
5. Some more olive oil for greasing
6. 2.5 tbsp active dry yeast
7. Readymade pizza sauce
8. Toppings of your choice(like chopped tomato,capsicum,boiled corn) with added salt and crushed black pepper
9.  Mozzarella cheese(available in super markets) as much as you want 
10. Luke warm water

RECIPE:

1. Mix yeast and sugar in a bowl with little luke warm water and keep aside to rest.Dont touch it for fifteen minutes.Keep it in a warm place ( like near gas stove) to bloom.
2. Mix flour,olive oil,salt in a bowl.Pour yeast mixture to it.Start kneading with luke warm water.
3. Knead the dough with the help of dry flour for 8 to 10 minutes on  kitchen counter.Knead the dough by stretch and fold method.This type of kneading will help in getting soft and airy pizza base.
4. Take a bowl.Grease it with olive oil.Place the dough in it and  cover it with dry towel. Keep it in warm area for two hours.Dough will double in size.
5. After two hours punch the dough  so as to remove air bubbles.Knead for five minutes and place it back in bowl.Cover it with towel and keep it again for second rising for half an hour.
6. After half an hour Pizza dough is ready to roll.Cut the dough in small pieces with the help of a knife and use a rolling pin to flatten it.Pizza base is thin in centre and little thicker at edges.Poke fork at various places of the rolled base so as to avoid it from rising or inflating during baking.
7. Dust the baking tray with flour.Place the rolled base on baking tray with the help of pizza lifter.
8. Preheat oven at 180degree celsius.Either you can bake the base and keep it for later use or you can place pizza sauce,toppings and cheese and make a fresh pizza ready to serve.In both cases baking is to be done for 20 to 25 minutes.The result is  a soft,fresh and hygienic home made pizza !!!Whats more...it is made by you so your little one will love it all the more.

Deep Fried poached eggs|How to m ake deep fried poached eggs,Plum and apple jam|How to make jam at home|Homemade jam,Paneer Manpasand recipe|How to make paneer manpasand,Vanilla Cupcake| Basic Cupcake recipe| How to make Cupcake recipes,Baked Kaccha kela kabab| Baked Raw Banana Cutlet|How to make kaccha kela kabab,Stuffed Dough balls|How to make stuffed dough balls

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