Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Vijayadasmi Day




This is such a auspisious day in this festive season. Saraswathi pooja and Vijayadasmi are my favourite festivals and very close to my heart. These two days fill my heart and mind with bursting new positive energy.

My grandfather always insisted us to do all the things you want to excel in this day. Till marriage, my grandfather and my dad made me and my brother to sit with our favourite books all day. They also encourage us to do our favourite art form. They have taught us that to excel in different areas of our interest , start it on vijayadasmi. So I make it a point to start / practise the arts or studies on this day.

This practise has made me gain more interest on my passions.  I read and do things I want to excel in this day.

Thank you thatha and appa for inculcating this beautiful habit in me.

Happy Vijayadasmi. Stick to your passions and strive for excellence in the same.

Wishes =)

 

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Strawberries are rich in nutrition like vitamins. Bananas add more taste and healthy values to this dish. This Saturday, we were watching The Lord of the Rings. My god !  It was a long movie and it made us hungry. So I decided to make a smoothie with strawberry and bananas.

The smoothie turned out to be the tastier drinks we had.

Ingredients

Strawberry pulpy extract - 1/4 cup
Milk - 3 cups
Banana - 2 (small)
Cardamom - a pinch
Steamed rice - 1 cup
Ice Cubes

Steps

Blend all the ingredients into a smooth drink.
Toppped it with shredded chocolate.


PS: I didnt add sugar. Sugar or honey can be added to the drink.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Hasselback Potatoes : Recipe




Everyone loves potatoes. While googling for different potato dishes, I found this funny dish of potato. This was an easy dish. I was curious to surf how this recipe was named. Then I found that these Swedish version of baked potatoes are very popular in a restaurant named ' Hasselbaken Hotel'. Hence the name.

I loved the dish. My hubby was happy too. ;)

Ingredients:

Potatos - 2-3
Salt - for taste
Ghee (Clarified butter) - 3 tsp
Italian Seasoning - for sprinkling

(Italian seasoning has dried red chilly flakes, basil, oregano, rosemary, etc)

Steps:








 


Thinly slice almost all the way through the potatoes

Drizzle with ghee, salt and Italian Seasoning.

Bake at 425 for about 40 min.

It is a yummy treat. I end this post with a beautiful quotes

" The discovery of a new dish does more human happiness than the discovery of a new star"

Priyaa's Coriander Rice

Lunch for saturday should be different according to me. So I tried a simple rice variety with fresh coriander leaves. My husbands sambar and rasams all days in the week.

I wanted a relaxed, yummy lunch. Hence coriander rice. The taste was very good, light and filling.

Ingredients

For coriander paste

Coriander leaves - handful
Onion - 1 medium sized, finely chopped
Ching's Schzewan paste - 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp
Hing - a pinch
Salt as required

For Tempering

Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Main Ingredient

Steamed Rice 2 cups

Steps

1. Grind all the ingredients to make coriander paste
2. Heat the oil in the pan and add mustard seeds to it and let it burst.
3. Put the paste in the oil and saute till the oil seperates
4, Mix steamed rice with the paste well so that the rice are seperate
5. Serve hot with raitha

 

 

Yummy. I had this rice with a cup of Tomato Italian bread soup made by my hubby. He is the sweetest man ever.
 
 
Good food not only feeds but brings happiness on many levels.
True..
 

 

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Ellu Sadham (Sesame seed Rice)




One of my favourite rice item that goes very nice with potato fry is Sesame seed rice. "This is the favourite food for Hanuman and Perumal " says my grandmom. So on saturdays, since my childhood, atleast one spoon of this rice will be served in our plate.


This rice has very good nutritional values.

Ingredients:

Sesame seeds (white/black) - 3 tsp
Dried Red chilli - 3-4 No
Curry leaves - 5 - 10 leaves
Thoor dhall - 1 tsp
Asafoetida powder - a generous pinch
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Salt for taste
Cooked rice - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp


Steps:








 


Heat the pan with oil. Once the oil is hot, put mustard seeds and let it burst fully.
Put Thoor dhaal, Sesame seeds ( I used black sesame seeds) , then red chillies
Add asafoetida powder and curry leaves, then salt. Stir well until cooked.

Once the ingredients emit a pleasant aroma, place them in a mixer and grind them throughly.
(Do not add water)

Mix the ground seeds with hot rice and serve hot.





As I mentioned it goes well with potato curry.