Vegetarian Chili

Its been getting really cold here in Knoxville,TN. I a have been hearing and reading so much about chili that I finally decided to give it a try.And to my husbands' utter horror I decided to make a vegetarian one. All the way along during the preperation he kept telling me that I should change my mind and add Turkey or at least Chicken. But had I not tried this he wouldn't have realized that vegetables do exist and they taste good too. This was an easy recipe full on taste and amazing flavors coming from each of the ingredients.



This time I decided to take pictures of the procedure too they aren't many.Here's the ingredients u'll need.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of minced soy.
1 28 0z can of diced tomatoes.( I used Hunt's chili tomato)
3/4 cup Green bell peppers
3/4 cup Red bell peppers
3/4 cup yellow bell peppers.
1/2 cup corn
1 whole onion chopped
4 cloves garlic chopped
2 jalapenos chopped
3/4 cup black beans
3/4 cup red kidney beans.
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cocoa powder
EVOO
salt and pepper.

Preparation:

Firstly add some EVOO in a pot and fry and break the mince soy till it nice and brown.




keep aside.add some more oil and the onions, garlic and jalapenos.Add some salt and pepper to season the first layer of the dish.Fry till nice and soft.Follow this by adding the peppers .



After about 2 minutes add cumin powder, chilli powder mix and then add the tomatoes. Give it a good stir and then add cocoa powder this adds a good texture and color.Now add the remaining ingredients i.e corn, beans,mince soy.Adjust seasoning.





Cover and cook the chili for about 30 minutes. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro and chips.

Enjoy...Happy Eating!!!

Yummmy Low carb pizza!!

It was really necessary for me to come up with a recipe which did not involve fish,this seems to have eventually turned into more of a fish recipe blog.Ok now a lil' reflection on pizza. When I was a kid it was a delight to gorge on a pizza.It was something which did not seem to be a sin then. But now the mere thot of having a slice drives through a series of guilts and condemning oneself.Ever since my husband has been low carbing I have been trying various recipes for him which could be made low carb.This recipes is just one of them.I have been trying various low carb recipes from Linda's low carb website. The recipes of the crust is hers. The toppings are purely inspired by the pizzas made at home.Yum. Just a word of caution the crust is made up of Flax seeds and need to be consumed carefully as they may be a lil' heavy on digesting. So go lil easy.Here's all you'll need for this recipe.

 

Crust:

1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon granular Splenda
2 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons oil


Mix the ingredients; add the onions, eggs, water and oil. Pour the batter on a parchment lined baking dish roughly forming a circle. Bake at 325º 15-20 minutes.

Topping:

1/4 cup homemade tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken
green bell pepper rings
baby spinach
sliced olives
mozzarella cheese

Start by spreading the tomato sauce followed by layering chicken,spinach, bell pepper rings and sliced olives.Top it with cheese and some italian herbs.

Enjoy...

Happy eating!!

Tuna Patties.

I have lived all my life in Mumbai i.e until my marriage. And after having grown up in Mumbai few can escape the rich and tasty Maharashtrian seafood. Actually I remember all the aunties would gear up early morning on wednesdays to get hold of the freshest catch. After surviving the ordeal of finding the best fish in the hustling bustling fish markets, they would come home to prepare their amazing curries. The smell of these curries effusing from each of their kitchens. Heaven!! I am really lucky to have My Mommy because though we are non- maharashtrians she can cook the most amazing authentic maharashtrian food. Lucky to have you mom!!! Okie. But after marriage I was surprised to find that my husband was totally repulsive to fish, not only that he hated the smell of it.Since my survival depends on fish I decided to slowly convert him too. Simply started off by explaining to him the nutrition and blah blah. After a series of arguments and counter-arguments, victory was on my side and he decided to give it a try. And the result today he enjoys Fish more than I do. I am so proud of myself.Today I am sharing this simple and easy Tuna patty recipe.It wont take much time in the kitchen and you can enjoy it with your family in no time.Excellent as a snack too.



1 6 ounce can Tuna drained
1 egg
2 tbsp chopped celery
¼ cup chopped scallions
1 clove chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tbsp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil

Mix all the ingredients and chill for about half an hour. Heat the oil in the pan and shape the mixture into patties and fry. Make sure not to turn the patties too early as there’s a high chance of them breaking. Brown well. I served them with some nutty cabbage. Yum ready to eat.

Happy eating!!

Herbed Halibut

After the amazing Thanksgiving treat I had at my friends home, It was back to the regular life. However the difference was the weather. It is getting nice and cool here in the southeast. There is some relief from the scorching heat. Now its time for some warmth and a cup of Indian chai flavored with ginger, cardamom and cloves. Well that apart I tried this fantastic recipe called Herbed Halibut. Firstly I am really happy that for Diwali this year I got this great Immersion blender which has a small chopper attachment. It makes my life so much easier to make fine pastes. I used it to make the green paste required in this recipe. Give this recipe a try, u’ll surely enjoy it!!

 

Ingredients:

Halibut fillet
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped mint
1 tbsp lemon juice
6-8 fresh black peppercorns
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp ginger
2 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil.

Preparation:

Clean the fillets and season both sides with salt and pepper.Mix all the other ingredients and form a thick paste.Spread the paste about a tsp on both sides and sear in a pan with olive oil. Do not worry if the paste does not stick to the fish. Once the fish is cooked add just a lil' more oil and 1 tbsp of the paste.mix it thoroghly and layer over the fish. Thats it simple and easy.

 

Happy eating!!

Healthy Kheer.

 

Although its been a while since Diwali has passed but my sweet tooth isn't satisfied yet and I wished to try something without feeling guilty. I decided to try this recipe of Indian Kheer with splenda i.e an artificial sweetener. I usually have it at home as my husband is a low carber and prefers sweetener instead of sugar.I used it and was pretty amazed with the result, it turned out fantastic. So indulge into this sweet delite without feeling sinful and here's just a handful of ingredients u'll need!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Vermicelli
1/4 cup almond meal
2 cups milk
a pinch of saffron
1 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tbsp mixed chopped nuts for garnishing.


Preparation:

Heat Ghee in a pan and add the vermicelli. Fry till it gives out a nice aroma, do not burn! If u wish to make it low fat just skip the ghee and dry roast the vermicelli.
add the milk, when just about to boil add the almond meal. The almond meal gives it a nice thickness.Soak the saffron in 1 tbsp of warm water keep aside for five minutes.Then add it to the milk. Again if you wish go ahead and use 2% milk instead of the whole milk. I used 2% milk and it tasted creamy too.Simmer for about 10 minutes or until desired thickness. remove in a serving bowl and have it warm or chilled. If on chilling it gets very thick just add a lil' water to thin it up and Yum...Ready to be served.Garnish with the chopped nuts.

Happy Eating!!

Batatawada.

 

Yesterday I made these delicious potato fritters, well actually they are not fritters but really good round an inch and a half sized balls dipped in seasoned chick pea paste and fried and called Batawada in India.These are a local favorite in Mumbai city and an easy and accessible snack enjoyed by people of all ages. When it is eaten with a bun its called Vada Pav and served with cilantro and garlic chutney. This is actually nicknamed as an Indian Burger.
This is a quick and hearty snack and sure to please each ones taste buds. And here's how we make it!!

Ingredients:


Filling:
Potatoes 3 large
2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 jalapenos deseeded and finely chopped
7-8 curry leaves
2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp amchur powder(dry mango powder) if u cannot find this add lemon juice about 1 tsp.
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup cilantro

Batter:
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste

Oil for frying

Preparation:

Start with the filling by boling the potatoes.When done mash them and heat about a
1/ 4 cup of oil when heated lower the flame slightly and add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and the curry leaves.When they start spluttering add the turmeric powder, garlic, ginger and jalapenos.Add the potatoes, garam masala powder and amchur powder. Add salt and mix well. when cool shape them into round balls.
Mix the batter ingredients and add water 2 tbsp at a time, so that its thick and easy to coat the potato balls on dipping them. Now if the batter gets watery add some more flour. Heat about a cup of oil, when nice and hot dip them in the batter.Be careful and do not turn till its fried well on one side and then flip otherwise it may break up.Later fry till nice and golden brown. Serve hot with some cilanto chutney.

Mexican tacos with Indian twist.

 

I just tried making these awesome tacos with Indian fried fish for dinner, It was really good and my husband particularly seemed to like it and gave the recipe a five star.So it was logical for me to share this recipe.Here's how i made it...

serves 1

Step 1: Fish

Tilapia 1 fillet cut in chunks
Marinade: 1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Salt
2 tbsp Gram/ chickpea flour
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Mix the marinade with the fish for about 10 minutes and then fry in a pan with about a Tbsp of EVOO.

Step 2: sauce

1 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp fresh chopped cilantro
salt
black pepper

Mix all the above and keep aside.


Step 3: whole wheat tortillas

Heat the whole wheat tortilla on the pan for about a minute.

Step 4: cabbage with onions

1/2 cup cabbage finely shredded
1 scallion chopped
salt
black pepper
1 Tsp EVOO

In a pan add the EVOO and add the scallions wait for about 30 second and add a clove of chopped garlic. Add the cabbage and fry till only slightly tender.

Action time::

On the toasted tortilla, spread some sour cream mixture,fried cabbage and the fired fish and Enjoy!!!!

Happy Eating!!

Happy Children's day!!

Yay I Know everyone must be wondering whats this..well I did a lil bit of research on this. Actually the universal children's day observed by the United nations and UNESCO is celebrated on November 20 each year.However in India it is preponed and is observed on November 14 to celebrate the birthday of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was an eminent leader along with Mahatma Gandhi in the freedom struggle and the first prime minister of independent India.Children's day is celebrated on this day for his love for children as he always lovingly posed with them.The day is celebrated with lots of activities for children and teaching them the right values for being the better citizens of tommorow.

Different countries celebrate children's day on different days. Anyways it was fun sharing this piece of information!! when is children's day celebrated in your country??

Sweet delight!!!

 

Yeah I know this is my second post of the day, but you ought to understand that I am a new blogger and superexcited about it. Anyways I thought I should start my recipe submission with something sweet. I owe the success of this recipe to my mom who is a naturally awesome cook. This dish is called Rasmalai.ooooh my mouth is already watering. My husband is a real fan of this dish and I love making this for family.Rasmalai is made from Rasgulla and saffron flavored milk.The sweet and delicious balls of Indian cottage cheese or paneer which are made from whole milk or cow milk are immersed in a sugary syrup and served as a sweet dish in India.However this dish is primarily native to the eastern parts of India.
The rasgullas can be made at home, but to keep things simple I get them from the store ready made.

Ingredients:

1 can of rasgullas
1 liter or approximately 1/2 quart of whole milk.
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Mixed nuts
2 Tbsp Pistachios sliced
A pinch of saffron

Preparation:

Open the can of Rasgullas and squeeze them to remove the excess syrup and keep aside.
To prepare the flavored milk boil the whole milk and then simmer down for about 15 minute till starts to thicken slightly.We do not want it too thick.Soak some saffron in warm water for about 5 minutes and pour this liquid in the milk to get the magical yellow color. Add sugar and the nuts mix. Finally add the rasgullas and chill for about an hour and serve!!!

Try this recipe at home for your loved ones and you sure will not be dissappointed!!

Happy Eating!!

Fun with Food!!!!

Welcome to the Simple,healthy and delicious food blog!!

All of us belong to various cultural and ethnic backgrounds but there are many things that connect us as humans and make us social and one of them is a simple yet important word FOOD. Being from a culturally diverse country myself, apart from the traditions and customs the thing that interest me the most was regional cooking. But now I am really happy as my penchant for food has urged me to take a plunge into experimenting with international cooking. We all eat to live and it is really the best time of the day to eat a simple and healthy yet delicious meal with our family.

To make my meals more fun I try to experiment with various types of cuisines make them as simple as possible and tweak them to suit my tastes and needs. After all it is my food!! And of course something of supreme importance is healthy food, not a diet follower but simple application of nutritional science to live a healthier life!

I will be posting any new recipe that I try possibly with a picture and also post my favorite Indian recipes that I make at home. I am open to any suggestions, corrections or help if anyone needs. I would really appreciate your comments and suggestions not only on any new recipe that you try but also on ways to make this blog better.

so until next time,

Happy eating!!!!!