‘ONLY’- COOKING WITH BREAD & The Giveaway Of The Month

Hi!

Bread is one of the few things in the world that has remained as an important part of our lives throughout history. It doesn't matter  you live in which part of the world, bread will always have a special place on all our dinner tables. It may not be the centre piece of our daily meal, but we would surely feel its absence if it wasn't there.

So here’s your chance to cook something with bread, bread crumbs or even a bread completely. We used bread crumbs as binders or to provide the crunch, similarly the bread can used to make so many varieties, for eg. toasts, sandwich, rolls, cutlets etc. One can come up with so many varieties of breads, it can be a bread from any part of the world right from Focaccia to Naan  or a Pita, one can use them as a base to make many more variations, imagination is all yours..

Rules For The Event
• Any number of fresh entries can be sent but only 2 entries from the archive will be accepted. Archived entries to be reposted, else will not be accepted.
• Only vegetarian ( eggs allowed) entries will be accepted.
• Use of logo is mandatory as it helps spread the word.
• The entry should be linked back to this announcement page.
• Winner will be chosen by me by any random method after the round up is completed.
• Please send an email at cookingoodfood@gmail.com with the subject line "Only- Cooking With Bread" in the following format.

• Name
• Blog's name
• Blog url
• Recipe name
• Recipe link
• Picture(resized to 300pixel)
• Country (This is an important field)

Non bloggers don't get disappointed, you can also participate, and send me the entries and the details to my email. I will post the round up within 7 days of event completion unless caught in some emergency and also, I am not eligible to win the giveaway being the host.

In case you want to host this event in future, drop me a line at cookingoodfood@gmail.com. The host line up and details of the event can be checked here.

Now coming to the giveaway, this month we have only one giveaway (we will have CSN giveaways in alternate months) i.e from http://www.tarladal.com/. The winner from India will get a book on  Sandwiches.

Tarla Dalal has written a large number of cook books for diabetics, some of which are


One can buy these books online from here.
All the best and keep cooking.

 

.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Veggie/ Fruit A Month, Event Announcement For February

Hi!

Veggie/ Fruit a Month is an event which is the brain child of a very sweet person Priya Mitharwal of Mharo Rajasthan Recipes. She has posted a lot of recipes from Rajasthan in her blog, do stop by her space to check that. I am thankful to Priya to provide me an opportunity to host her event.

This month is the month of choosing a fruit and as you must have  guessed from the logo, the fruit I have chosen is Strawberry. It is available abundantly here right now and thus providing us an opportunity to indulge more into it. Bake a cake, make a dessert, a dip or a chutney choice is yours. So wear your cook’s hat and come up with innovative recipes.

Coming to the rules:

• The chosen veggie or fruit has to be the STAR of the recipe.
• It can be cooked in any way or can be in its raw form in the recipe.
• It can be any course of the meal (appetizer/main course/side dish/dessert/beverage or breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack).
• Recipe has to be strictly vegetarian (eggs are allowed). This is simply to re-enforce the fact that we can eat veggies without any meat and also for all our vegetarian friends, who do not eat meat.
• You HAVE to make new recipes and old archived posts are not allowed, so that we try and make new fresh recipes :)
• Please send in your entries before end of February 2011.
• If you are a blogger, you can simply send your Name and URL of your recipe and a pic of 300 pixel size of the preparation to cookingoodfood@gmail.com with the subject of "Veggie/Fruit A Month – Strawberry".
• Non bloggers can email me your name, recipe and picture at cookingoodfood@gmail.com and I will include your recipe in the round up.
• Link your post to the original event post along with the event announcement for this month.
• Use of logo is appreciated as it helps spread the word.

So, what are you waiting, start cooking innovative recipes and send them in..

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Potato-Sesame Toast..Indo-Chinese Way

Hi.

A few days back me and the kids were watching a cookery show on TV and this particular recipe was shown, my elder son on watching it said, it seems quite easy to make, Mummy why don’t you make this for us. I agreed but I must confess I had not seen the recipe with full concentration. Now, that I agreed I decided to surprise him by making it for his lunch box. I did modify the stuffing as I did not remember watching it properly but I sticked to a gram flour topping with Sesame seeds. If there was no gram flour in it, it can be called a completely Chinese preparation.

Ingredients For Potato Mash
4 medium potatoes boiled and peeled
1 tbsp red chilli sauce
1 tbsp green chilli sauce
1/2 tsp white pepper
3 garlic pods crushed
1/2 inch piece ginger grated
2 onion whites chopped
3 tbsp onion greens chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
salt to taste
For gram flour paste
3 tbsp gram
water
a pinch of turmeric
half tsp red chilli pwd
salt to taste
and
finally sesame seeds
brown bread
oil for frying or roasting
Method
Mix all the ingredients under potato mash and apply about 2 tbsp of this mix on bread and then apply the gram flour paste and sprinkle a few sesame seeds on it.

One has a choice to deep fry or shallow fry the toast. I deep fried for my kids and made a very low oil shallow fry for us, the pics of which I have posted.

The kids loved their snack in the lunch box, the younger one finished his lunch box completely but sadly my elder one got only a few pieces to eat as his friends and teachers finished the rest.

It’s surely a quick snack to make and perfect for lunch box as it’s quite filling. Since my kids have loved it, it’s going to frequent in my kitchen. One can make their own variations by adding more veggies into the potato mix.

Sending this to Aipi and Priya’s

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Som Tam /Som Tum

Hi!

Today I share an excellent salad which is very popular in Thailand and one should try and taste it to know why. ‘Green Papaya Salad’ or Som Tam  is a beautifully unique and flavour-filled dish that will make a great impression. It’s so healthy, high on fibre, low in calories, very high in taste and eating satisfaction, helping you stay slim. This salad recipe is crunchy-delicious, whether served as a side dish/appetizer, or as the main course. It is normally served with the sticky rice but I had a bowl of it without any accompaniments.

I have tried to veganize the preparation, the original recipe asks for the use of shrimp paste and fish sauce which I have surely avoided here but one is free to use them if they like. These sauces add to the saltiness of the salad for which I have used soy sauce.The slightly tart flavour of the green papaya combines well with the spice of green chillies and the saltiness of soy sauce, plus the sweetness of honey/sugar.

Ingredients

3 cups green papaya grated

1 medium tomato deseeded and cut into strips

4-5 green chillies finely chopped

about 3 tbsp coriander finely chopped

2-1/2 tbsp lemon juice

about 1/2-1 tbsp tamarind pulp

2 tsp sugar/honey

1 tsp light soy sauce

salt to taste

about 1/2 cup crushed roasted peanut

Method

Mix all the ingredients and chill for about an hour before for the flavours to get mixed and imbibed by  the papaya. One can adjust the spiciness, tanginess and sweetness as per their taste.

 

Sending this to my event ‘Only’ Salad,  guest hosted by Prathibha.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Broccoli & Mushroom Curry

Hi!

Being a vegetarian I look forward to cooking exotic vegetables in  more innovative ways in this season. One such vegetable that I fondly cook surely is broccoli. In other seasons this vegetable is most of the times so heavily priced that a small head can cost a few hundreds. Gladly, it is not so in winter and I cook it a lot surely in all possible ways as it is not only tasty but very nutritious too.

I had some broccoli and a few mushrooms left so thought of combining the two to make a curry using fresh whole spices. I also added a few peas to increase the volume but in case you have more broccoli and mushrooms they can be completely avoided.

Ingredients

broccoli half head separated into florets and blanched

a handful of blanched peas

5-6 mushrooms sliced

2 large onions sliced

5-6 garlic pods

1-1/2 inch piece ginger

2 tomatoes chopped

1 inch piece cinnamon

3-4 green cardamom

2-3 bay leaves

2 tbsp coriander pwd

1/2 tsp turmeric pwd

1 tsp degi mirch

2 green chillies finely chopped

a pinch of garam masala

oil for cooking

Method

Grind together onion, tomato, ginger-garlic, cinnamon and cardamom to a paste.

Heat oil and add bay leaves followed by the paste and roast it till it leaves the oil. Add the chopped chillies, the turmeric, chilli powder and coriander powder and saute. Add a table spoon of fresh home made cream and saute again.

Now add the sliced mushrooms and cook for about 2-3 mins and add salt to taste.

Add the broccoli and peas and adjust the consistency of the curry by adding about a cup of water. Bring the curry to a boil, cover and cook till done. Sprinkle garam masala and mix.

Garnish with some fresh cream and serve hot with rice or roti.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Tortilla Chips with Cheese Sauce and Salsa

Hi!

With all major stores announcing end of season sale it gave us a good opportunity to shop, so the last weekend we had gone to the mall for some shopping and I picked up a few pieces for my kitchen and I simply loved my herb chopper which I had been eyeing for sometime.

After all the shopping we landed at the food court and ordered our meals. The younger one ordered the Tex-Mex Nachos. The chips were good but the salsa along with it was pathetic. After cajoling him for a long time he managed to finish his stuff but I promised myself that I will make a better version for him.

So one fine morning when I saw the sun coming out and giving us some warmth I thought of indulging into the Tortilla Chips,  tomato salsa and a Cheese sauce which I made in the microwave in a jiffy. The kids absolutely loved it and the younger one declared that the chips were the best made in the world. S, after tasting the salsa said that the chefs should learn to make the salsa from me. I was surely on cloud nine after getting such hearty compliments from the family. I personally thought that, not only the home made chips are tasty and healthier but making them comes out really cheap as compared to the price one pays for buying them, really wonder why the readymade ones are so heavily priced!!

Ingredients for Tortilla Chips

1/2 cup corn meal

1/2 cup APF

2 tsp oil

salt to taste

hot water for kneading

some APF for dusting

Ingredients for Tomato Salsa

5 tomatoes roasted

1 spring onion white chopped

1 onion chopped

2 tsp oregano

salt to taste

1/2 tsp black pepper crushed

4 green chillies roasted

3-4 tbsp finely chopped coriander

2 tsp lemon juice/ 1 tsp vinegar

CHEESE SAUCE can be checked here.

Method to Make the Tortilla Chips

Mix all the ingredients under the heading tortilla chips and knead it into a soft dough. Keep it covered for half an hour and then knead again.

Divide it into 6-7 equal portions and make balls.

Roll out thin chapatis using APF and prick all over it so that it does not puff on frying.

Cut it into 8 triangular pieces.

Deep fry them till crisp on a medium flame and remove on a kitchen towel. Ensure that they do not change their colour.

Method to Make Tomato Salsa

Roast the green chillies and tomatoes directly on the flame.

Peel the tomatoes and chop 3 and grind the remaining 2.

Finely chop the chillies. Heat oil and add the onions and saute. Add the chillies, oregano, salt to taste, pepper. Also add the tomatoes and cook till the mix thickens.

Cool the mix and add the lemon juice and chopped coriander. This salsa can be stored for a few days.

Serve the tortilla chips with salsa and cheese sauce.

 

 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Cottage Cheese In A Red Capsicum Gravy….From 660 Curries

Hi!

There are some recipes that you want to try  the minute you see, this curry has been in my mind since a long time ever since I had read it in Mirch Masala who herself adapted it from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer.  I have read rave reviews about the book and I want to buy this book some point of time, I do not mind S or any of my friends gifting this to me. I was so desperate to try it the minute I marked it but the unavailability of the red bell pepper that time made it postpone.

Now that the peppers are readily available I was keen to try. I told S that I am going to make a gravy using bell pepper. He was quite surprised and sounded a little sceptical too but I was super excited to try the red pepper in a gravy, somehow I found the concept too inviting and new too.

When I read the recipe, realized there’s no use of oil and there is absolutely no roasting of the masala unlike all the curries that I make. This curry was surely challenging me as my regular readers would know how much I stress on ‘bhuno’ the masala to get the flavours out. To my surprise the curry turned out awesome and I did not miss out roasting the spices and masala here. The curry is smooth with delicate flavours and a perfect delight for cottage cheese lovers. It is a perfect curry for a hurried dinner or even when you have unexpected guests as it can be cooked in very less time. After I cooked this the first call I made was surely to…….

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper cubed

1/3 cup cashewnuts

2-3 green cardamom

4 green chilies

1 tsp red chili pwd

200 gms Cottage Cheese Cubed

salt to taste

Method

Boil a cup of water and add the bell pepper, green chillies, cardamom and cashewnuts to it and cook till the peppers turn soft. Remove from fire and cool.

Grind the bell pepper- cashewnut mix to a paste.

Pour it in a pan and bring it to a boil, add salt to taste, red chili pwd and cottage cheese. Cook for 10- 15 mins on low flame till the gravy thickens.

Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with Naan or Kulcha/ Roti.

 

Sending this to Priya and Aipi’s Bookmarked Recipes

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mixed Veg Salad in a Spicy Yogurt & Mayo Dressing





Mixed Veg Salad

   Hi All!

After I have come back from my holiday the days are passing by at a jet speed. New year has surely made me realize that my sabbatical should end now and I should get back to work. Last few days were surely hectic in a sense that I was doing many things at the same time, on top of it my laptop needed formatting urgently, so that surely explains why my blog hopping has been minimal and I do I regret missing out so many wonderful posts. I know things are not going to be as smooth as earlier as I start my job search again and once I am into a job I just pray that I am able to post at least few times in a month. I am already dreading that people are going to forget my name eventually :-(.

With so many veggies available these days I am freaking out on salads. I love salads especially when I want to eat light and yet want to have a wholesome meal. I do make our traditional Maharashtrian koshimbir with variations here and there, else indulge into new ones.

This particular salad is my innovation, it is a spicy and tasty preparation. The dressing, as a  matter of fact even the salad is something that can be eaten as a whole or filled in a bread and made into a sandwich, choice is entirely yours. I had a big bowl of this for my dinner and that helped me keep my stomach light.

The mayonnaise I have used here is eggless and is relatively low in fat. The recipe of the eggless mayonnaise I will post in a few days in my other blog KITCHEN-BASICS.

Ingredients

1/2 of large carrot grated

1/2 cup sweet corn boiled

3-4 broccoli florets blanched

3-4 babycorn blanched and finely chopped

a small piece cabbage finely chopped

3 tbsp yogurt

3 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp mustard powder

1/2 tsp red chili pwd

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp freshly crushed pepper

salt to taste

 Method

Mix the yogurt, mayonnaise, chili flakes, red chili pwd, garlic salt and salt to make the dressing.

Mix all the veggies and mix the dressing into it.

Chill the salad and serve.

Sending this to my event ‘Only’ Salad, guest hosted by Prathibha.


If any of my blogger friend wants to host the "ONLY" Series for the month of April, kindly mail to cookingoodfood@gmail.com

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Healthy Baked Vegetable With Broccoli & Cauliflower

Hi!

Blogging has made me quite a passionate baker, whether it’s baking bread, cake or a vegetable, I surely get hooked. With winter hitting our bones in this part of India, cooking can be torturous at times especially when the tap water is at the freezing point, one does not feel like touching it.

I indulge in quick cooking using a lot of vegetables these days as I am surely overwhelmed looking at the variety available and one such vegetable surely is broccoli which has finally come to a rate where common man can buy it easily and use in abundance.

It was quite some time that my family had a baked vegetable so thought of making a baked vegetable using broccoli. A soup, garlic bread and baked vegetable was on the menu. I just loved the idea that my kids would eat so many vegetables.

I made a healthy white sauce to make my baked vegetable, I call this sauce healthy as I used low fat butter, whole wheat flour to make it. Believe me one does not miss out using APF here, I find this sauce quite tasty. I personally love the white sauce less thick, one can make a thicker version. So here goes the recipe..

Ingredients

1/2 large cauliflower separated into florets

1/2 large broccoli separated into florets

a handful of peas

handful of corn

2 tomatoes sliced

mozzarella + cheddar cheese grated

1/2 tsp mustard pwd

1/2 tsp white pepper pwd

1 tbsp chili flakes

1 tsp mixed herbs

4-6 tbsp whole wheat flour

6 tbsp low fat butter

about 2-1/2 cups toned milk

salt to taste

Method

Blanch both the florets in salted water for 2-3 minutes, drain.

Melt the butter and roast the flour without letting the colour change and then gradually add the milk, stirring continuously. Add the mustard powder, mixed herbs, pepper powder and chili flakes. Season with salt. Let the sauce thicken.

Mix the florets into the sauce and also add the peas and corn.

Transfer the contents into a baking dish and layer the top with tomato slices.

Spread the cheese on the top.

Bake it on 220C for 10-15 minutes or till the cheese melts.

Serve immediately.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad