{Easy Summer Drinks} Mango Green Tea Smoothie

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Everybody has their own version of 'a favorite smoothie' recipe. Smoothies are the best way to gulp up a good  number of fruit and vegetable servings required by us, each day. During summers especially, I simply love to have a glass of chilled drink as soon as am back home from sweltering heat outside.

The smoothie am going to talk about today is light, delicious and super rich in essential vitamins + iron. It just needs five minutes of your time and six ingredients to make a healthy mango and green tea smoothie. Its perfect for any time of the day - for breakfast, for those hot afternoons or at mid-evening when hunger pangs are at its peak.

Enjoy!

Quick Pizza Dough Recipe + Thin Crust Breakfast Pizza with Eggs, Tomatoes, Onions and Potatoes

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“There's very little in my world that a foot massage and a thin-crust, everything-on-it pizza won't set right.” ~ G.A. McKevett

Ever imagined serving pizza for breakfast? I do, all the time. I sometimes even dream about waking up to a hot slice of pizza and cup of piping hot coffee. Who wants a bowl of boring cereal if I can whip up a better tasting breakfast in the same amount of time. Isn't it. All you need to do is prepare the dough, let it rise the previous night and stash it in the fridge. Top with whatever veggies you have on hand and don't forget eggs. Only then you can feel good about calling the pizza a breakfast and a sumptuous meal in itself.

Enjoy..

Hyderabad Blogger's Table | Siri's Eat Outs | Thai Pavilion at Vivanta Taj, Begumpet

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Source: Image

It was a hot Saturday afternoon when the first ever meal was served at Thai Pavillion, Vivanta Taj for Hyderabad Blogger's Table, an initiative by Sid of Chef At Large. Its literally a bunch of people who are mad about food and love writing about it. It feels so great to be a part of such great company. Delhi Blogger's Table is already super popular and now its time for Hyderabad to shine. Right now there are just two of us - myself and my blogging pal - Arundati of Escapades in the madness. I wish and hope more bloggers join us in coming days. Do you know anybody who writes about food and is from Hyderabad? Drop their details in the comment section and I will try to get them into the table. I can't guarantee though as the group is pretty particular about the quality than the sheer numbers.

{Simple and Easy Meals} Talimpu Roti | Rice and Green Moong Dal Uppittu (Porridge)

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"I never desire to converse with a [wo]man who has written more than [s]he has read" ~ Samuel Johnson

What have you been reading lately? I, for one buried my nose into the classic Kane and Abel by Jeffery Archer for past 3 straight days (and nights), reading frantically on my Iphone kindle app. Yep, on that small, tiny screen. What a fabulous read it is and what a prolific writer Jeffery Archer is! His portrayal of both the protagonists - Kane and Abel is just brilliant. As a reader, you want both of them to win and taste their share of victory. You root for both of them. There is emotion, suspense, drama in the novel and I was left with a THAT sense of sadness when it came to an end. Doesn't that always happen with every good book we tend to read? :-)

What have you been eating lately? With summer at its peak, I hardly want to enter the kitchen let alone cook. I start sweating so profusely that I feel like having a bath, again.

..a long time ago, I made some talimpu roti (rice and green gram porridge). So long ago that I forgot how it tastes like. So long ago that I almost forgot such a thing exists and it was then an easy super fast breakfast or brunch dish. So I made it again, just to savor its flavor and experience its comfort. The sun god too took a break today and the weather was a little pleasant with slight cool breeze all evening. Perfect with a cup of masala tea to finish with.

Enjoy!

..just two main ingredients...

{Recipe} Talimpu Roti | Rice and Green Moong Dal (Porridge)

Adapted from Sreelu's Tasty Travels
Serve 2-3

Ingredients:

1 cup of short grain white rice
1/2 cup whole green moong dal
2 tsp vegetable/canola oil
1/2 tsp split white urad dal
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp of coarsely ground ginger-green chilli paste (or 1-2 green chillies + 1 tsp of minced fresh ginger)
few curry leaves
water

Preparation:

1. Wash and soak rice in enough water for 20-25 mins. Rinse the whole green moong dal as well. Drain.

2. Dry rice and moong dal separately on towel. Grind them together to a coarse powder (rava). You can make this mixture way ahead and store in an air tight container.

2. For 1 measure of rice-green gram mixture, we need 2 measures of water. Heat oil in a kadai, add urad dal, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, ginger-green chilli paste and curry leaves. Let them splutter a bit.

3. Add 2 cups of water and let it come to a rolling boil.

4. Reduce heat to low and slowly add 1 cup of rice-green gram mixture. Keep stirring while doing so. Cover and let the water get absorbed completely. Finally add a small spoon of ghee.

Serve immediately with any podi or pickle. 

Note: The same recipe can be easily made in a pressure cooker. Follow the same steps and cook for 3 whistles. Allow it to naturally cool and Serve.

...Healthy breakfast ready in minutes...

I made few small, thin pancakes out of the left over porridge the next day. Crispy on outside and with soft insides, these tasted so good. Didn't feel like left overs at all. :-)

..left over rice and green moong dal porridge as small pancakes..

This is Recipe 28 added to my The 100 Recipe Challenge for Year 2013. Check out the rest of the recipes too!

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{Simple and Easy Baking} Peanut Butter Cookies

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I think am one of the very few out there who conveniently despised the taste of peanut butter all of childhood. My ex-roomie always had a super big jar of peanut butter from Costco during my graduation days right on the top of our fridge and I never, ever was even tempted to have some. Such was the dislike.

Fast forward..few days ago..when I was hunting down the aisles for a particular brand of jam, I literally stopped on my heels when a bottle of peanut butter just tumbled down into my shopping cart. I dutifully was about to put it back, that's when my sister asked - Why do you hate it? I didn't have an answer for her. That's when I decided to give this a try. Not as a the very popular peanut butter and jelly sandwich, am not yet ready for that. As a soft, chewy cookie may be? That's today's recipe - Peanut Butter Cookies.

Enjoy!

{Recipe} Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from Saveur
Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1.5 cups maida/all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (avoid if using salted butter)
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 eggs
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 350 F or 180 C. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  Set aside. Beat butter and sugar together in a bowl with a hand mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add egg, beating well after each, until smooth. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

....peanut butter...

...vanilla essence...

 2. Add flour mixture beat until combined using a spatula.

3. Using a tablespoon, portion out dough and roll into balls; place 2″ apart on parchment paper, lined on a baking sheet. Using a fork, press tines over balls in a crosshatch pattern to flatten.

4. Bake, rotating baking sheets halfway through cooking, until golden brown, about 12-13 minutes.

Serve with some chai or just plain milk. Store the remaining in an air tight container. 

..You want one?..

I especially enjoyed these with a glass of cold milk on a hot summer day!

This is Recipe 27 added to my The 100 Recipe Challenge for Year 2013. Check out the rest of the recipes too!

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{Simple and Easy Appetizers} Cornmeal Crusted Potato Wedges Recipe

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We simply love potatoes in our house and can be easily tagged as a perennial favorite. Basically we try to make, eat and taste them in every possible variation - with eggs, with balsamic vinegar, spiced up with kolhapuri masala, sometimes as mini pancakes, as rolls, as tater tots or even in a Christmas pie.

Today's recipe - Cornmeal Crusted Potato Wedges is a result of one such quest to experiment with this humble vegetable. This dish enjoys being different and scrumptious at the same time. These are so yum that once you taste it, you are bound to return for more with an instant craving. I promise.

Enjoy!

the cornmeal seasoning for the potatoes

potato wedges roasting in the oven..

{Recipe} Cornmeal Crusted Potato Wedges

Adapted from Simple Bites
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

4 medium sized potatoes, peeled
1-2 tbsp fine cornmeal (or polenta)
salt - to taste (~ 1 tsp)
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Preparation:

1. Cut potatoes into long wedges and boil for 10 mins. Turn off heat and drain in a colander. Keep aside.

2. In a bowl, mix together - cornmeal, salt, black pepper powder and chilli powder. Gently toss the boiled potatoes in the cornmeal mixture.

3. Preheat oven to 220 C or 425 F.

4. Heat a pan (oven-proof or cast iron skillet if you have one) and add a thin layer of olive oil. Add garlic. Let it sizzle for about 30 seconds and add seasoned potatoes in one single layer.

5. Transfer the contents onto a baking pan and roast for about 30 mins, turning them for every 10 mins. You can skip this step and directly place into the oven, if using an oven-proof skillet or cast iron skillet. 
Make sure you roast them until they are crunchy from out side.

Serve them with any dip and ketchup.

...ready to be served..

Sending this as an entry to Healthy Vegan Fridays and The Wellness Weekend.

This is Recipe 26 added to my The 100 Recipe Challenge for Year 2013. Check out the rest of the recipes too!

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{Easy Summer Recipes} Roasted Beet Salad with Yogurt Dressing

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I am a great fan of the juicy, natural sweetness that beets tend to offer. And a drizzle of a super simple yogurt dressing on the top gives a nice summery, cool twist to my favorite vegetable. Now, that's what today's recipe - Roasted Beet Salad with Yogurt Dressing is all about - as easy as simply tossing the beets in an aluminum foil to roast along with a spice marinade, cutting into wedges and serve some dressing on the side. The recipe is adapted from Modern Spice by lovely Monica Bhide. I owned this copy for quite a while and like many others on my cookbook shelf, I didn't get a chance to cook from it. Until today!

A word of caution - the photographs tend to get messier by the end as I couldn't stop myself from tasting the the gorgeous salad. I hope you wouldn't mind. Its definitely one of the quickest photo shoots I ever did for any recipe. :-) Now, You got to see how greedily I ate right? The below photograph is the proof...

Enjoy and make some today!

 Roasted Beets neatly arranged with Yogurt Dressing in the middle

{Recipe} Roasted Beet Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Serves 3-4
Source: Modern Spice by Monica Bhide

Ingredients:

For the beets -

4 medium sized beets, different colors if possible, trimmed. [I used only red beets]
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
2 tbsp olive oil (original recipe suggests vegetable oil)
1 tbsp coriander powder
few curry leaves (my addition)

For the dressing -

3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 220 C or 425 F. Wash the beets and pat them dry.

2. In a bowl, combine black pepper, vegetable oil, salt, coriander powder and curry leaves. Drop the beets and coat them well.

3. Place the beets in aluminium foil and wrap them tightly into individual pouches. (The original recipe suggests to wrap the beets in a large piece of foil as a single layer). Also if you are using different coloured beets, wrap each color individually. Place them in a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the beets are cooked thoroughly. The beets are cooked when they can be easily pierced with a knife.

I used the remaining marinade as a dip for my bread. It does taste yum with the coriander powder and curry leaves.

4. Take out the beets from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Remove from the foil and the skin should peel off very easily with fingers or a pairing knife. Gently scrape off any spice marinade on parts of beet. Cut them into wedges and arrange on a plate.

5. To make the dressing - Place all the ingredients listed for "dressing" above in bowl and whisk to combine. Add water if you wish to have a thinner consistency but donot add oil.

6. Spoon the dressing on the beets and Serve immediately.

Sometimes messy is so gooooooooooooood!

This is Recipe 25 added to my The 100 Recipe Challenge for Year 2013. Check out the rest of the recipes too!

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{Simple and Easy} Panchmel (Panchratna) Dal | Indian Style Five Lentil Curry Recipe

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Imagine a pot with five kinds of lentils (dals) seasoned with fresh spices and tomatoes  simmering for dinner on a weeknight with hot (or leftover) rice or roti. How comforting does that sound. My mother used to make this irrespective of which season it is. It was wholesome and soupy consistency for summers and during winters this dish helped to banish those winter blues. For a blessedly comforting creaminess, it is important to cook the dal long and slow on low heat. I usually skip the garam masala at the end as we like it relatively plain and simple. Serve with chopped onion and lemon wedges on the side and there you have a perfect meal ready.

Enjoy!

Sending this dal recipe as an entry to My Legume Love Affair # 58, guest hosted at Chez Cayenne. This event was originally conceptualized by Susan and now gracefully run by Lisa.

Check out previously posted dal recipes -

Kerala Style Arhar Dal
Chana Dal and Coconut Stir Fry
Toor Dal Chutney
Yellow Moong Dal Soup with Garlic Basil Croutons

{Recipe} Panchmel Dal | Indian Style Five Lentil Curry

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1.5 cups (in total) of five kinds of lentils - I used a 1/4 cup each of whole black beans, channa dal, toor dal (split pigeon peas), split moong dal and masoor dal (split red lentils)
1 cup tomato puree (or) chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 green chilies
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp oil (or ghee)
chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)
1/2 cup beaten curd/yogurt (optional)
salt - to taste

Preparation:

1. Wash the lentils together multiple times with fresh water and optionally soak for 1-2 hours. Drain. Add 3 cups of water and pressure until 2 whistles, until dals are cooked. Let the pressure be released and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a wide kadai. Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, ginger garlic paste and green chillies. Let them sizzle a bit. Reduce heat to low and into the oil add turmeric, red chilli powder, salt and coriander powder. Saute once and add tomato puree (or chopped tomatoes). Cook until oil separates from the edges.  Mix in the cooked lentils and water (if you want a thinner consistency). Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring once or twice in the middle. Add beaten yogurt, if using. Mix and then finally sprinkle garam masala. Adjust seasoning, if required. Transfer the dal into a serving bowl and top with fresh coriander leaves. This recipe goes well with roti, rice or plain bread.

Dinner Served!

This is Recipe 24 added to my The 100 Recipe Challenge for Year 2013. Check out the rest of the recipes too!

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