EVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #229 SANKRANTI SPECIALS Happy Makar Sankranti to all my friends, followers and family What is Makar Sankranti? Makar Sankranti, Uttarayan, Lohri, Maghi, Bihu, Thai Pongal, Suggi Habba, Makara Sankramana all fall more or less on the same day. These are all harvest festivals celebrated according to each one’s tradition and culture. Makar Sankranti, is dedicated to the Sun God Surya. It also marks the end of the winter solstice and beginning of longer daylight. While most communities will celebrate Makar Sankranti according to their tradition and culture, it is largely associated with kite flying and delicious food. Importance of Sesame Seeds and Jaggery during Makar Sankranti Most of Makar Sankranti treats will have sesame seeds and jaggery in them. Usually I make…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #226 GRANDMA’S REMEDIES RECIPE: KADHA/HERBAL SPICY TEA What is Kadha? Kadha is a mixture of herbs and spices boiled in water for about 7-10 minutes. Lemon juice and honey/jaggery are added, o make it palatable, This mixture of herbs and spices is a wonderful and beneficial remedy for colds, flus and coughs both dry and chesty. Its usually drunk when its hot or warm depending on who is having it. Usually children are given warm kadha. Kadha Ingredients Ingredients for kadha are usually found in the kitchen. If you don’t have the ingredients then they are easily available from and Indian store or online. In case fresh holy basil is not available then use dried one or add more mint. Water Fresh…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #210 ULTA PULTA RECIPE: BOMBAY MIX/ NAMKEEN CHOCOLATE BARK Bombay Mix/ Namkeen Chocolate Bark is tasty, unique & different . Get the slightly salty, chilli, sweet & crunchy taste all rolled into one. The namkeen or Bombay mix adds a bit of the saltiness and spiciness to the the sweetness of the chocolate. So go on, try something totally different to nibble on. It goes down well at gatherings or parties. What is Namkeen/ Bombay Mix? is fast becoming a popular snack option world over especially with some beer. You can buy a variety of Namkeen or Bombay Mix at any Indian Grocery Store. There are so many different varieties that are available.Namkeen or Bombay Mix is the generic name given to…
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Continue ReadingEVENT:FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME:#190 MINICAKES RECIPE: THANDAI MUFFINS Thandai Muffins baked with thandai spice mixture make a delicious treat for the Holi Party. Both kids and adults love them along with chilled thandai drink. Eggless, these muffins come together in no time. Bake them a day ahead, they stay fresh for a couple of days. Just before Holi, I had baked some thandai muffins to share with my neighbors. The recipe did not make it to the blog on time for Holi. I kept it in the draft file thinking that I’ll use it next year. Yeah, I know its a long time to keep it, but I’m quite good at storing stuff 🙂 FoodieMonday/Bloghop Theme When Preethi suggested a few themes for the #190, I opted…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: A- Z RECIPE CHALLENGE THEME : A DISH BEGINNING WITH THE LETTER F RECIPE: FIG AND AMARANTH COOKIES Fig and Amaranth Cookies are gluten free, delicious, melt in the mouth kind of cookies that can be enjoyed on Fasting Days. Amaranth flour, a bit of butter and sugar with chopped dried figs, these cookies are so easy to make. No baking agent is used as I am not sure if baking agents are allowed during Ekadashi, Shivratri and Navratri Fasting Days. What is the A- Z Challenge? Well, we’re a Facebook group and every alternate month the participants make a dish with the  relevant letter. The group was started in May 2018 by Jolly Makkar and Vidya Narayan. Jolly blogs at Jolly Homemade Recipes.…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOOD BLOGGERS RECIPE SWAP THEME: JANUARY 2019 SWAPÂ RECIPE: INSTANT SEMOLINA IDLI/ RAVA IDLI Instant Semolina Idli/ Rava Idli is a soft, fluffy and moist steamed breakfast or snack option. Healthy, filling and nutritious, it is so easy to make semolina, rava or sooji idli. Add vegetables of your choice. Can also add a bit of turmeric powder to make yellow idlis. Have a sudden craving for idli and cannot wait for the batter to ferment. Then the best option is to try out this instant semolina idli/ rava idli. Food Bloggers Recipe Swap Group After a long lull, the gentle storm has come back. Food Bloggers Recipe Swap has been revived by fellow blogger Mireille who blogs at The Schizo Chef. Her…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: MEGA BLOGGING MARATHON#92 THEME: A-Z Â FLATBREADS AND MORE – INDIAN FLATBREADS RECIPE: WHEAT KHAKHRA Wheat Khakhra is a Gujarati savoury, thin, crispy flatbread that is usually enjoyed as a snack with some tea or khakhra masala. As little oil or ghee is used to make them, khakhras are very healthy and make a good diet snack item. There are so many different varieties of khakhras. Different spices, flavours, herbs, etc are used. Most common ones are masala ones and fenugreek or methi ones. What is Mega Blogging Marathon? Well, its a group of bloggers who get together to post a dish for 26 days according to the chosen theme. For this marathon we had a choice of 3 themes: A-Z Indian Flatbreads that…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: BLOGGING MARATHON #88 THEME: KID’S DELIGHT – HEALTHY DRINKS – WEEK 3 DAY 3 RECIPE: MANGO YOGURT SMOOTHIE For this theme of healthy drinks I’ve decided to concentrate on healthy smoothies for kids that are not only enjoyable but filling and nutritious too. So here’s a delicious mango yogurt smoothie. The other two kids friendly smoothies I made are: Banana Peanut Butter and Oats Smoothie Strawberry Finger Millet Smoothie Kids and Meals – a few tips I constantly to get to hear mums complaining about kids not eating. They tend to force feed toddlers and as a result meals becomes a constant battle between the mother and child. Feed the children when they are hungry Your lunch time may not be your child’s…
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Continue ReadingRECIPE: BANANA PEANUT BUTTER & OATS SMOOTHIE Banana Peanut Butter & Oats Smoothie is a deliciously, thick, filling and nutritious smoothie to enjoy as breakfast or as a snack. I like to add salted peanut butter as gives the smoothie a unique taste, a balance of sweetness from the banana and sweetener and saltiness from the peanut butter. As I mentioned In the Day 1 post for healthy drinks for kids, I want to refrain from using artificial flavors, additives and colors. And today to the list, I add harmful fats like hydrogenated vegetable fats. These are found in baked goods, restaurant foods, sold as margarine, etc. It finds its way into ready made products like peanut butter, and other nut and chocolate spreads. …
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Continue ReadingEVENT:BLOGGING MARATHON #88 THEME: KID’S DELIGHT – HEALTHY DRINKS – WEEK 3 DAY 1 RECIPE: STRAWBERRY FINGER MILLET SMOOTHIE Strawberry Finger Millet Smoothie Get kids to enjoy the health benefits of finger millet (ragi) in the form of a tasty, creamy Strawberry Finger Millet Smoothie. Add roasted finger millet to the smoothie along with fresh strawberries, honey or maple syrup and milk. Blogging Marathon For the next 3 days I will be preparing healthy drinks for kids. Yes, I know I don’t have kids at home, mine are all grown up. Usually its this fact that prevents me from taking part in the monthly Kid’s Delight theme that is organized by Srivalli. However, for the month of May, I participated in this event. The…
