My second award!!!

Yaaay!!! My second award guys!!! Thank You so much Sini's Menu for having considered me for this award. I know I have been pretty lazy since the new year started to put up new recipes, but this sure is an incentive for me. I promise I shall definitely try harder and put up even better recipes. Now, there are some rules for receiving this award. They are as follows:

1. write 11 random facts about yourself.
2. answer the 11 questions provided by the award giver
3. select 11 bloggers who have less than 200 followers in their list for presenting the award and mention them in your post.
4. create 11 questions that the bloggers will need to answer.
5. tell the person who nominated you  along with the 11 persons you have nominated.

 So, 11 random facts about me, huh....Hmmm, ok, brace yourselves darlins!!

• I am afraid of 2 things, animals and the dark..:P
• When I drink water, I always hold up my index finger...weird huh?!?
• I love hugging people...it's free, might as well give it away..:)
• I cry at the drop of a pin..then again, that's not really random..anyone who knows me knows that already!
• I love surprising people! Gives me a kick to see their happy faces!
• There's no greater joy than seeing people enjoy my food. I wouldn't mind cooking for a million people so long as they are content after my meals.
• Someday, I would like to start my own restaurant. 
• Someday, I would also like to have my own TV show, provided I can keep a straight face when i present it!!
• I love smiling! Like hugs, smiles are absolutely free and come at no extra cost. In fact they light up a person's life. My dear husband thinks I'm a nut though coz I keep showing my teeth all the time!
• I cant think of a 10th point....:P
• The last point has to be special right...I would like to thank my ear husband who has put up with me for the last 4 years and who had encouraged me to go ahead with this blog of mine. He is my best critic and there's no one I trust more than him. Love u A!!!

There, 11 facts. That was tougher than writing this blog! Now, answers to the 11 questions by Sini. Here goes....

• My love for good food and my passion for experimenting.
• City
• Anything mom cooks.
• This one's really tricky..I love both their food equally. Now, that's diplomatic!!
• I am not a dessert person actually, but I love ice cream any day.
• When my little nephew was born.
• If you're happy and u know it, clap your hands! I guess that's not a real quote right>?
• Love me or hate me, you can never ignore me.
• Grapes
• The Maldives
• My grandmother's fish curry.

On to the questions for my 11 blogger friends..

• What is the best dish u have ever cooked?
• What is the biggest cooking disaster you have ever had?
• Describe yourself in one word.
• Which chef do you consider as your role model?
• What is the best gift you have ever received?
• What is the one ambition that you will do anything to achieve?
• What would you consider "comfort food"?
• Given an opportunity to meet someone who rose from the dead, who would that be? 
• What's your mom's fave dish?
• What would be your dream destination?
• Who inspired you to start your blog?

Okay, award time. And the award goes to..........

• The Art of Cooking by Malu Simith
• Sherly's Micro Kitchen by Sherly Aji
• Sini's Menu..the kitchen magic
• Food Lovers
• The Junkie Book
• Easy South Indian Recipes
• EZ Cook Book
• Experiments in the kitchen
• Spice India
• Cakeology
• Flavours from my Kitchen

There we are! These are some truly amazing blogs which I just stumbled up on by chance. So take care guys, and winners, U know the rules!!

Take care and God bless darlins!

Cream of broccoli soup!

I know I posted a similar recipe for Carrot Soup , but I had to post this one too, coz Broccoli is a fave, both of A and his sister too. So this is a dedication to both of them!! This soup is actually for all those broccoli haters, coz once you have this, I can guarantee you, broccoli will definitely be on your must have veggie list! The only thing to be careful of though is to ensure that you wash it thoroughly, which I shall explain in the recipe. For now, let's go ahead and find out how to make this lush, creamy soup.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium sized broccoli
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• Handful of chives (optional- you can also replace with spring onions)
• 1 cup low fat milk (replace with skimmed milk for a healthier option)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (you can also use 2 tablespoons butter)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• Salt to taste
• Pinch of turmeric
• Coriander leaves- Garnish (optional)

METHOD

• Remove the florets of the broccoli and insert into boiling water with a pinch of turmeric for 3 minutes. This is to kill any germs present.
• Heat oil and saute onions and chives. Add a little salt at this stage to cook the onions faster.
• To this add pepper powder and saute for a few seconds. 
• Now add the florets along with the milk and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Switch off the flame and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
• Grind this in a blender or use a hand blender.
• In a pan, heat a tablespoon of oil and saute the flour in this. Immediately add the broccoli mixture to this and warm for another 5 minutes.
• Garnish with salt and pepper. You can also use coriander leaves or fresh cream for an extra creamy flavor.

Tada!! soup is ready. Serve immediately with bread or crackers.

That's it from my end. Do try out the soup and let me know your thoughts! Take care and God bless! Happy cooking!!

Vegetarian stuffed bell peppers!

So, let me guess what must be going through your mind....Bell peppers...and that too stuffed? I was a bit skeptical myself when I first saw the recipe. Off late though, A wants to go on a veggie diet, and I thought of jazzing things up a bit lolz! After all, variety is the spice of life, na? I was getting fed up of making the same old beans and ladies fingers, so, for a change, so  as soon as I saw this on you tube, I had to go for it. The original recipe is from Hema Kundargi who has a lovely channel on you tube titled the Indian Vegetarian. Thanks once again Hema aunty!

Bell peppers are a beautiful vegetable, coz they look so vibrant and full of life. When cutting a bell pepper, always cut through the middle in order to retain the stem. I actually trimmed the stems to make it look better. I have made a few variations to the original recipe I saw, but then again, no one can go wrong with this one. So, let's see how easy breezy it is to make this wonderful, healthy and colorful dish!

INGREDIENTS

• Six bell peppers, cut through the middle. You can scoop out the membrane inside to give more room for the stuffing.
• 1 medium sized can chickpeas or garbanzo beans. I used the brand "California Garden". 
• 6-7 baby potatoes. You can also use the medium sized potatoes, in which case, you will require 3.
• Yogurt- 4-5 teaspoons
• 1 garlic pod, roughly chopped
• Bunch of coriander leaves (you can also replace with mint or pudina leaves).
• Bunch of chives (optional).
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds.
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• Garam masala (All spice powder)- A pinch (optional)
• Red chilly powder- 1/4 teaspoon (optional)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (I use extra virgin)
• Salt to taste

METHOD

• Drain out all the water from the canned chickpeas. Wash them under tap water at least thrice to get rid of the sodium content. Place these into a large bowl.
• Boil baby potatoes along with a pinch of turmeric powder and some salt for 10-15 minutes till they become soft. Mash the chick peas and potatoes together. You can mash potatoes with their skin.
• To this, add yogurt, coriander leaves( you can replace with mint or pudina), chives (optional), the powders and salt.
• In a pan, heat oil and saute garlic followed by cumin seeds till they give out a nice aroma.
• Add this to the chickpea potato mixture and blend thoroughly.
• Scoop enough into each of the pepper halves. Refrigerate the ones that you will not be using.
• Set aside the ones to be used for at least 15 minutes.
• Brush some olive oil at the base of the oven dish. Place the stuffed peppers facing upwards, so that the mixture is on top.
• Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If using a gas oven, bake it gas mark 5 for about 10 minutes. I baked both sides for 10 minutes each, so a total of 20 minutes.

Serve immediately. Garnish with chickpeas or coriander leaves (optional).

And voila! Colorful, tasty stuffed bell peppers are ready!! So, here's the final product.

And another one..

So, what do you think? Easy breezy right? Doesn't it look nice and toasty?This can be served as the starter at a meal, or it can be a meal in itself. If you want, you can drizzle some ketchup or hot sauce on top, though I don't think there's a need to. It contains potatoes which give you your daily dose of carbs, yogurt for calcium, leaves for your general health...So, do try this out and let me know how it turns out! Until next time, take care and God bless darlins!