I am Back!!!!

Hey Guys I am back after a long hiatus with all my application work for my graduate studies done.oh yeah it's been really time consuming, but I now feel without any work.

I have utilized this month of January for evaluating and accessing many important issues in my life. It is high time I needed to address them. For more of my musings in relation to this check out my new Blog here

Well that said and done I have tried a handful of new recipes and have taken lovely pictures which I am so excited to share with everyone, but there seems to be a problem in the software installed on my computer. So I'll need to reinstall it. I baked a low carb chocolate cake for my husband yesterday...It was his birthday!!!!

I could not believe the outcome, it was really fantastic and tasted YUMMMMY....I think the only problen being the icing on top...It wasn't great tasting....But nevertheless my Husband was really happy and next time I'll make this and share it with all you guys.

I'll see ya'll with my latest recipes soon...Till then Take care!!

Happy New Year!!!!!

Wishing all you people out there a really happy and prosperous new year!!! I know I am really late in posting my new year wishes but I have been really busy with the impending graduate school deadlines.Yes! I plan to continue my education this year....Hence a lot of stuff happening on the educational front....

Well eating wise I have been really laid back in the holidays but now its back to eating healthy food....And of course time for some new recipes too....

So wishing all of you a year full of hope, happiness, good health, cheer and prosperity!!!!

Happy Living!!!!

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!!