"Aroma From a Guest Kitchen"-(Guest-Aditi Kakde)- Sandwich Delight

Guest = Aditi Kakde
'The Taste of Columbus" Cooking Competition 1st prize winner in the "For Little Connoisseurs-Nutritious but Delicious snacks for Kids" category

The Tri colored 'Sandwich Delight' made by Aditi looked  so colorful and pretty and it all came together to taste great and sure to be your little ones favorite!!!

Aditi tells about her recipe:
I always think that preparing any item for kids is always challenging...since they are the best judges always....

and more over I feel that they usually get attracted to some sort of color combination ...

this inspired me to make a tri-color sandwich which is easy to prepare and also looks attractive ...yet its nutritious values are maintained...

 

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat bread

Butter

For Red Layer:

Shredded beet root

Shredded carrots

Vinaigrette made with olive oil,honey, vinegar and salt

For Green layer

Green Chutney( cilantro, mint,green chilies,lime,salt, sugar and ginger)

Potato boiled and shredded

Onion

Sprouted mung beans

salt

White layer

Cream cheese, paneer and yogurt(mix to make a 'spread' and add salt and sugar)

Cooked corn kernels

Pineapple slices

Method:

1) Cut the edges of 3 slices of wheat bread

2) On one slice apply red layer, on the 2nd apply the white layer and on the 3rd apply the green layer.

3) Toast the sandwich on a skillet with little butter till it is golden brown.

4) Cut into triangles and serve!

"Appetizers"- Grapes coated with Cheese and Nuts

'Navaratri' 2011 celebrations are going on all over.....and we celebrated 'Bhondla' last week here in Columbus! 'Bhondla' is a Maharashtrian 'All Girls' celebration where in......girls and women get together all dressed up in nice clothes.They hold hands and go around in circles singing songs.Some of these songs are hilarious ...praising their 'maher'(mothers side) and talking about how bad their 'in-laws' side is!!!
After the songs ....it's yummy food time!!! Each women brings in some snack/ food item which she won't disclose.Everyone else has to make guesses ....what the dish could be! So...everyone tries to make things that are hard to guess...

Yes...you guessed it.....mine was really very hard to Guess!!!! I made these yummy sweet and sour and nutty grapes.....coated with Cream and blue cheese...
"P' had made similar ones for 'K's birthday with Goat cheese and walnuts .
Ingredients:

1) About 50 Red/ green seedless grapes washed and dried with paper towel
2) 8 oz Cream cheese
3) 1-2 tbsp Blue cheese( If you like....)
4) 2tbsp milk
5) 1 tbsp sugar
5) Finely chopped Pistachios and almonds
6) Grated sweetened coconut flakes

Method:
1) Mix together cream cheese and blue cheese with electric mixer. Add the milk and beat again.
2) Coat the grape with cream mixture with your hands and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment /wax paper

3) Sprinkle sugar on the cheese coated grapes
4)Roll the grapes into chopped almonds/ pistachios/ sweet coconut and place on the wax paper

5) Chill for few hours before serving.Can be made a day or two in advance.

Serve the chilled, sweet and sour- cheese and nuts coated grapes and 'wow' your guests!!

"Everyday Cooking"- Thai Green Curry

Thai food can be easy to prepare and tasty if you take some help from the 'store'. For last weeks party, I did just that...... and the Green curry came out to be perfect and so much easier!!! I bought the canned 'coconut milk' and the 'Green curry paste'. While it would be good to know and learn, what all spices go in the green curry paste, I decided to keep the 'learning session' for the next time and go ahead and use the canned green curry paste!

Ingredients:
2-3  cups canned coconut milk
1-2 tbsp canned Green curry paste (First taste it! If it's too spicy add less or if you like spicier, add more)
1/4 cup each-square cut pieces of  red pepper, green pepper, yellow pepper, onions, bamboo shoots, baby corn, Tofu, green beans,mushrooms etc
1tbsp black Raisins
chopped cilantro for garnishing
oil
salt

Method:

1) Heat 1 tbsp oil, Stir fry the veggies and tofu on high heat.
2) Add the coconut milk, green curry paste and mix. DONE!! That's it!

3) Add salt as per taste and let it simmer for few minutes.Add the raisins and chopped cilantro.
4) Serve hot with Jasmine thai rice

"Sweet Treats" - Thai Iced Tea

This weekend had invited 'A' and 'G''s family over for dinner. On menu was Thai food from start to finish!
Appetizers- Thai chicken satay and Tofu fry
Entree- Veg Rice Noodles with peanut sauce and Green Curry and Rice
Dessert- Thai iced tea and Thai coconut custard
It was the first time I made such an elaborate thai menu all at once!
It was fun to cook and more fun to enjoy the food with friends......

 I love the thai iced tea and every time we go to the thai restaurant I order one. 'R' had gifted me these gorgeous glasses on my birthday and I thought....these would be perfect for Thai icea tea!!!
Now, I did not have 'thai' tea so I used some regular black Indian tea along with a 'Fruit Tea' packet and it worked out PUURRRRRFECTTTT!!!

Ingredients:
2 tsp black tea
3 tsp sugar
2 packets/ tea bags of a fruit flavored tea( I used Black cherry tea)
4 tsp condensed milk
1/4 cup regular milk
4cups water
Ice cubes

Method:
1) Boil 4 cups water, add the sugar and tea, and fruit tea to it. Let it brew for few minutes.The thai tea will usually give 'orange' color.But because I used black tea, my tea was dark brown colored.
Let it cool.Chill in the refrigerator

2) While serving- Fill the glass 3/4th with tea, add a spoonful of condensed milk to it.It will sink to the bottom.Add the ice cubes

3) Add just a splash of regular milk. Serve cold. Mix it up as you drink it!

Sip the Sweet-fruity- cold iced tea along with your favorite dinner or just by itself!

"Sweet Treats"- Besan and Wheat flour Burfi

Sweet Indulgence...
Do you reward yourself at times???
So....past couple weeks I have been working out at 'Tipton Lakes Athletic club.'M' enrolled me in this program, where they give you 3 workout sessions a week with a personal trainer....all for free for this month!!!!
I am planning to take the 'Zumba' dancing class after this session! I have NO idea what that is...but sounds cool..isn't it!!!
I so much needed this....to get back into the habit of exercising, loose that baby weight, get fit and feel good about myself.....The last one is the most important!
 I hope it does:)

Ingredients:
1 and1/2 cups 'Ladoo' Besan (This gram flour has a 'coarse' texture to it and gives nice texture to the burfi or ladoo)
1/2 cup Wheat flour
3/4th cup Ghee/ Clarified butter
1 and 1/2 cup sugar
1tsp Cardamom powder
2tbsp Almond, pistachio slices for garnishing
Cooking spray/ little ghee to coat the tray

 Method:
1) Roast the besan and wheat flour with the ghee in a non stick pan.
2) Roast on low to medium flame till the color changes a little and you smell the roasted aroma of besan
3) Add the sugar and cardamom powder.Mix well. Take off the flame.
4) Coat the tray/ cookie sheet with  cooking spray or apply ghee with hands.
5) Pour the besan mixture in the tray and form into square/ rectangle which is about 2 cm thick

6) Garnish with sliced almonds and pistachios.
7) Let it set for 15-20 mins.
8) Cut into diamond shape with a knife

9) Place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour for hardening.

10) Carefully cut the burfi and store in airtight container.
You can make ladoos with the same mixture

Indulge into the crumbly,buttery, sweet Besan-wheat Burfi!!!

"Fusion Cuisine"- Oatli ( Oat Idlis)

Oatli.....such a cute name isn't it!!!! No.....unfortunately I did not coin that term...someone already did before me:(

I was talking to 'V' the other day and she mentioned about making these 'Oat Idlis' .Couldn't wait to try these.Got the 'Rava' from the Indian store last evening and we had 'Oatlis' for lunch today!!!
There are various recipes out there for the oat idlis..some people use Rice + Oats to make these and the other used Oats + Semolina or rava. I made them pretty similar to the 'Rava Idlis' but more of the rava was substituted by oats....

Ingredients:
2 cups whole grain quick cooking oats
1 and 1/2 cup Rava
3 and 1/2 cups yogurt
1tsp Baking soda
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp grated ginger
2tsp finely chopped  green chilies
1tsp Chana daal
1tsp Urad dal
1tbsp Cashew pieces
6-8 Curry leaves
1tsp mustard seeds
Salt
Water
Cooking spray

 Method: 
1) Dry roast the oats till slightly brownish.Let them cool.Powder coarsely in a blender.
2) Heat 2 tbsp oil , add the mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, grated ginger,green chilies, curry leaves torn into small pieces, cashew pieces and fry till everything is golden brown.
3) Add the rava and roast till it just starts to change color. Let it cool.Add salt and baking soda
4) Mix together the rava mixture with the coarsely ground oats.

 5) Mix the yogurt with little water to thin it out.
6) Spray the Idli pans with cooking spray. Boil water in large pan/steamer for steaming the idlis.
7) For 1 cup of the oats+ rava mixture add 1 cup of yogurt.Mix. The batter is thicker than the usual idli batter. Mix yogurt only to the mixture that will be used up immediately for steaming.Once yogurt is added you have to steam the idlis. If kept longer with yogurt, the soda will loose its action and the idlis will not be fluffy.

8) Steam for 10-15  mins.

9) Serve hot with Sambar and Coconut Chutney

Enjoy the nutritious but delicious fluffy Oatli and feel good about stuffing yourself  to full!

"Everyday Cooking"- 4 colored Capsicum Masala Rice

Last week, it was yet another 'bye-bye' to a friend here in Columbus.  'S'(this is the 3rd friend with name starting with 'S'.... I had to say 'good bye' to in the past few months:(  was going to leave Columbus for good. She and her family were busy packing and I wanted to help her out with the dinner that night. I had these colored Peppers(capsicum) ...green, red, yellow and orange...I love those bright colors and how 'fancy' or 'festive' they make the food!

I remembered 'P' making this delicious and spicy 'Capsicum rice' in New York. Gave her a call...got the recipe and fixed dinner for S's family!

'P' mentioned that she got the original recipe from www.vahrevah.com. 
Here is the recipe from their website:
http://www.vahrehvah.com/indianfood/capsicum-masala-rice/
Basically----
1) Prepare white basmati rice and let it cool.Grains should be separate.
2) Slice the Peppers. Dry roast the 'masala' ingredients given in the recipe. Grind the masala ingredients.

3) Fry the peppers for just couple mins. The peppers should remain 'crisp'. Add the masala powder and fry for few seconds.
4) Add the cooked rice.Toss. Add 2 tsp Ghee.Toss again.

Serve hot along with cool yogurt or curries or your favorite soup. Enjoy!!!

"Aroma From a Guest Kitchen"- (Guest- Prachi Ranzekar)- Zucchini Patties

Guest: Prachi Ranzekar
Prachi was one of the contestants of the 'Taste of Columbus' Cooking contest. She made these incredible 'Indian style Zucchini Patties" for the 'Spice Fusion ' Category, where you had to make an Indian dish using  ingredient that was not so typical in Indian cooking. What I loved most about the patties was, the texture of the crust! It was so crispy and crunchy and stayed so for a long time!!  Prachi had dipped them in corn starch batter and then coated them with bread crumbs.This was a neat idea!!
The patties looked so tempting and mouth watering and all the spectators were drooling...just looking at them!!!

Ingredients:
3medium zucchinis
1/2tbsp red chili powder
1/2tb cumin powder
1 and 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp corn starch
salt and black pepper for taste
oil for frying

Tamarind Sauce to go along with the patties

Method:
1) Grate the zucchinis.Mix zucchini, red chili powder, cumin, salt pepper and 1/4 cup of bread crumbs
2) Mix 1/4 cup water and corn starch
3) Form the zucchini mixture into small patties
4) Dip each pattie into the corn starch mixture and then into the remaining 1 cup of bread crumb mixture
5) Fry in hot oil for about 2 mins on each side till golden brown.
6) Serve hot along with tamarind sauce or ketchup!