EVENT: SUNDAY FUNDAY THEME: GARLIC LOVERS RECIPE: GARLIC PARMESAN HASSELBACK POTATOES Garlic Parmesan Hasselback Potatoes, so crispy from the outside, the middle is tender and soft like mashed potato. Coupled with the flavors of butter, garlic, olive oil, parmesan and chilli flakes these potatoes are to die for! What are Hasselback Potatoes? Hasselback Potatoes, Potato à la hasselbacken or Hasselbackspotatis are baked potatoes that are sliced till the middle and open up like a fan on baking. These were invented by a trainee chef Leif Ellison who worked at Hasselbacken Restaurant in Stockholm. Though pretty popular nowadays this side dish, starter was invented in 1953. They also go by name of Accordion Potatoes or Pillbug Potatoes. I know I’m pretty late in trying out this awesome addictive…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: A- Z RECIPE CHALLENGE THEME : AN INGREDIENT BEGINNING WITH THE LETTER W RECIPE: WHOLEWHEAT & BANANA PANCAKES Wholewheat & Banana Pancakes so soft, fluffy and delicious without refined sugar makes a healthy and nutritious breakfast or brunch for the whole family. Serve it topped with homemade chocolate sauce, fresh fruits and nuts. What are Pancakes? Pancake is a popular breakfast option in many parts of the world, be it sweet or savory. So what is pancake? Basically, its a batter of flour, liquid, a raising agent(leavening agent) mixed together and cooked on a griddle or frying pan. Known also as flapjack, griddlecake or hotcake, there are so many different kinds of pancakes all over the world. Which kind of flour is…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: A- Z RECIPE CHALLENGE THEME : AN INGREDIENT BEGINNING WITH THE LETTER U RECIPE: CHOCOLATE MANGO SMOOTHIE – USING UNSWEETENED COCOA Chocolate Mango Smoothie, using unsweetened cocoa is a delicious, exotic, filling and healthy smoothie to enjoy as breakfast, as a snack or as a light meal. I made this as our Valentine’s Day treat, chocolatey but without any sugar or any other sweetener at all. So yes totally a healthy smoothie and diabetic friendly. Actually, didn’t need to add any sort of sweetener as the mango was sweet. What is Unsweetened Cocoa Quite often when I feel like having a chocolatey smoothie for breakfast I reach out for unsweetened cocoa. Cocoa powder as its mostly available, tends to be unsweetened, that is, no…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: WARM DESSERTS RECIPE: BAKED APPLES Baked Apples As the name suggests, apples are baked with a stuffing. Easy to make, absolutely delicious with a light tangy caramel sauce that develops when butter and brown sugar melts into the fresh orange juice. Best enjoyed warm. Usually, the apples are either cut into halves, cored and stuffed or whole apples are used. Actually, it is so much easier to core apples with a corer. However, if you don’t have one, then patiently cut out the middle of the apple with a sharp paring knife. Incidentally, have you noticed how when you need a gadget the most, you cannot find it? I swear I had a corer and just can’t find it! Not…
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Continue ReadingChocolate Sesame Fudge Delectable, chocolatey and soft, Chocolate Sesame Fudge is a vegan take on the famous chocolate barfi or fudge. I replaced the ghee with olive oil. Also I have used homemade sesame seed paste. Not too sweet, Chocolate Sesame Fudge is different kind of sweet to enjoy during the Makar Sankranti festival. Don’t worry, the ‘must have’ sesame seeds and jaggery are included in the fudge. Happy Uttarayan/ Makar Sankranti/ Pongal Come fly a kite And watch it sail Across the sky, Waving its tail. By Jean Warren What is Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti Once again it Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti. Uttarayan is the Gujarati name for the festival celebrated all over…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #276 KIDS TREATS RECIPE: CARROT BLISS BALLS Carrot Bliss Balls Carrot Bliss Balls with flavors from ginger and cinnamon. Nuts, seeds, coconut, turmeric powder, oats, dates, carrots are added. These balls are not only nutritious but are healthy, full of fiber and free from processed sugar. The natural sweetness comes from the dates. What are Bliss Balls? Also known as energy balls or protein balls, these balls are made with ingredients that provide energy. Most ingredients like dates, nuts, other dried fruits are used. Sometimes other ingredients like seeds, oats, healthy flour, protein powder, healthy powders like maca, spirulina, baobab, ashwagandha, etc are added. It all depends on what one requires from the energy balls. They make ideal snack option, perfect for…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: A- Z RECIPE CHALLENGE THEME : AN INGREDIENT BEGINNING WITH THE LETTER S RECIPE: CHIKOO KULFI/ SAPODILLA KULFI What is Chikoo Kulfi/ Sapodilla Kulfi? Chikoo Kulfi/ Sapodilla Kulfi is a delicious creamy fruity frozen dessert, easy to make and not too sweet. Perfect summer time treat. First, lets clear what is chikoo? Chikoo is the Hindi name for sapodilla (pronounced as sapo-diya) or sapota. It is a sweet fruit that is brown in colour and grows on an evergreen tree. This fruit is native to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. In India it grows abundantly in the state of Karnataka. Whenever I’m in Bangalore and its chikoo season, I have one every single day. I simply love chikoo. I know many don’t like…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #272 DIWALI RECIPE: SEV MUMRA What is Sev Mumra? Sev Mumra is basically an Indian Savory Snack that can be stored for at least a month. Generally, this snack is prepared in a large batch. Basically, there are two main parts to Sev Mumra – the Sev and Mumra. Both Sev and Mumra are mixed along with spices and add ons if one prefers to prepare a snack. Its usually enjoyed during tea time. I prefer making sev mumra compared to other fried snacks as only the sev is deep fried. The proportion of sev to mumra totally depends on your preference. We prefer more mumra to sev. What is Sev? Sev is fried noodle like savory prepared from chickpea flour(besan) and spices.…
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Continue ReadingTheme: Halloween Recipe: Witches’ Finger Breadsticks What are Witches’ Finger Breadsticks? Simply put Witches’ Finger Breadsticks are breadsticks that are shaped into witches’ fingers. These make a fun, spooky Halloween party treat, easy to make and healthy too. These breadsticks are not crispy and crunchy like the more famous Italian breadsticks or grissini. They are more like soft bread. Usually enjoyed with a dip. Halloween Theme You may be wondering why amid Navratri Festival I’m talking about witches’ fingers. Well, Swathi Iyer who blogs at Zesty South Indian Kitchen suggested that we make some Halloween treats as a group. I jumped at the idea as till now I don’t have a spooky Halloween treat post on my blog. This event has given me…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #266 EXOTIC SAFFRON RECIPE: SAFFRON TAPIOCA PUDDING What is Saffron Tapioca Pudding? Saffron Tapioca Pudding is a sweet dish prepared by cooking soaked tapioca pearls or sabudana in milk till it becomes thick. The pudding can be enjoyed hot or cold. Once the tapioca pearls are soaked well enough making this pudding is very easy. I generally soak them for 4 – 6 hours in plain water. Adding saffron is optional but I’m a huge fan of saffron so look for any opportunity to use it whenever I can. What is Tapioca Pearls? Known as tapioca pearls as they look like little tiny pearls or sabudana. Dana in Hindi means small round beads or grains. They also go by the name of…
