Flavor Pantry

Irish Soda Bread

2010-09-25T18:19:00.004-05:00

The leaves are starting to change. The air is crisp and cool. It was bound to happen sooner or later, being that it is September already. Autumn is making its annual appearance once again. It is a bittersweet time of year really. In one sense, you are sad as the end of another summer is coming to a close, so long hot weather, so long sunshine, winter will be knocking at the door soon. In another sense, Autumn brings with it so many wonderful things: the fall foliage that is beautiful, apple cider and pumpkin pie, that wonderful feeling that you get when you sit down with a hot cup of coffee or tea, not to mention the fall fashions like boots, cardigans, and pea coats!

So this morning, when I woke up and the temperature had dropped 15 degrees from the day before, I decided that I was in the mood to bake. So I fired up the oven and decided to bake a loaf of bread. Being of Irish origin, there are not many breads out there that I feel are better than old fashion soda bread.

Irish Soda Bread is extremely simple to make as it only requires four ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda and buttermilk. Instead of using yeast that is usually the main ingredient when baking bread, baking soda is used as the rising agent. The lactic acid in the buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to create little bubbles which push the dough to expand and rise.

As with most Irish recipes, Irish Soda Bread comes with its share of superstitions. Before baking it, one usually cuts a cross into the top of the dough. According to the Irish, this could be for two reasons: 1) the cross wards off evil spirits or 2) the cutting of the dough before baking allows fairies to escape.

So whether you want to ward off evil spirits or let your fairies out, Irish Soda Bread is bound to warm your tummy on a crisp Autumn day!

Irish Soda Bread

4 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda

Sift flour, salt and baking soda into a bowl and mix together. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour your buttermilk in. Mix the dough with a wooden spoon.

Put dough out onto a floured workspace and kneed with your hands. Dough should be very soft, but not wet. Form into a loaf and put on a baking tray. I brushed some vegetable oil on the top just to get that nice golden brown color, but it's not necessary. Cut a cross into the top of the loaf with a knife. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.

Pesto Pasta

2010-09-12T19:06:00.005-05:00

Long time, no blogging! Hope all of you are doing great. I had a bit of an itch to cook today, so much so that I made lunch and dinner and cooked all day long! We have been trying our hand at growing some plants indoors and we planted Ghost Peppers and Basil. The Ghost Peppers seem to be growing taller and taller without producing any peppers! The Basil, however, has come along very nicely. I decided that I wanted to try and make a pesto pasta for lunch. It turned out great and here is what I did:

Pesto

2 c. basil
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. pine nuts (I used peanuts, as I didn't have any pine nuts)
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. minced garlic
salt

Put all ingredients into a food processors and blend well. Serve over pasta and enjoy!

Garlic Hummus

2010-01-03T11:52:00.005-06:00

First of all, Happy 2010! January has come back around and here we are at the beginning of another year. I hope this new year is full of wonderful moments and you all stay happy and healthy.

To start this new year off, I decided to post a recipe to a great party appetizer, and since we are just wrapping up a full season of holiday parties, I had some time to perfect this recipe. This dip is full of protein and is a great accompaniment to some of the other not so healthy cheese dips of the season.

Garlic Hummus

1 15 oz. can of chick peas, drained (garbanzo beans or channa)
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. chopped garlic
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground cumin powder
1 tbsp. red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Put chick peas, lemon juice, chopped garlic, garlic powder, cumin powder, pepper flakes, salt and pepper into a food processor. Turn processor on and pulse for 3 pulses. Slowly add the oil a little at a time, alternating between a few pulses with the food processor and adding more oil. As you add more oil, the mixture will become smoother. You may need to add more or less oil than what the recipe calls for, until you get the consistency you want. Taste the mixture and add more salt and pepper as you see fit.

Happy New Year!

A.W.E.D. Caribbean Round-up

2010-01-03T10:42:00.021-06:00

With the winter months upon us, this month's A.W.E.D. Round-up will warm up your taste buds and transport us all to the sunny Caribbean. We had some amazing creative entries for this wonderful vegetarian event which was originally created by DK of Chef in You.

Let's get down to business...

Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen has submitted:

Trinidad Doubles

Sweatha of TastyCurryLeaf has submitted:

Simple Fried Bananas

Aranitas - Little Spiders

Tostones - Twice Fried Plantains

DK of Chef in You has submitted:

Yellow Rice

Priya of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes has submitted:

Caribbean Tomato Choka

Trinidad Sada Roti

Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge

Finally, from my Flavor Pantry, I submitted:

Banana Coconut Cake

Jam aican Jerk Zucchini

Thank you so much to all who participated! Enjoy!

A.W.E.D. Caribbean - Jamaican Jerk Zucchini

2009-12-13T17:58:00.008-06:00

The most famous dish in all of Jamaica is something called Jamaican Jerk Chicken. Being that the A.W.E.D. Caribbean Event , started by DK of Chef In You, is a vegetarian event, it would not be prudent to make Jerk Chicken as an entry. So I thought why not take the Jerk seasoning blend used on the chicken and apply it to veggies! I had some zucchini in my refrigerator and thought I would give it a try. Here is what I did...

Jerk Seasoning

1 T. dried minced onions (or onion powder)
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. ground allspice
1 t. ground pepper
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. cayenne pepper (or more if you like it spicy!)
1 t. salt

Jamaican Jerk Zucchini

2 zucchini, sliced round and halved
1 medium onion, sliced
2 T. Jerk Seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
1 T. extra virgin olive oil

Heat oil in pan. Add onions and zucchini and saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add Jerk Seasoning and continue to saute until zucchini is tender.

A.W.E.D. Caribbean - Banana Coconut Cake

2009-12-13T13:48:00.007-06:00

For one of my entries for the A.W.E.D. Caribbean event, I am submitting a Banana Coconut Cake. What can be more Caribbean than that!

I have been fortunate enough to travel to the Caribbean on several occasions and once I visited a banana plantation. We rode through the banana trees on a tractor drawn wagon and found that we was surrounded by thousands of bananas hanging in clusters above our heads.

The climate and soil in that region must be extremely conducive for growing bananas. And unlike some bananas that grow in the states, these Caribbean bananas were large AND tasted wonderful! Most US grown bananas are large and tasteless.

So for this cake recipe, I used bananas and sweetened coconut which turned out quite nice. The A.W.E.D. Event was originally started by DK of Chef In You, and is hosted this month by Flavor Pantry. Enjoy this taste of the islands!

Banana Coconut Cake

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. butter, room temp.
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. shredded coconut
2 eggs, beatened
2 1/3 c. mashed bananas

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8 in. baking pan.

Combine flour, banking soda and salt, mix together well.

In a separate bowl, cream together brown sugar and butter. Mix in eggs, bananas and coconut until well blended. Add half the dry ingredients at a time, and blend until well blended.

Pour into baking pan and bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Let cake sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

November A.W.E.D. Event: The Caribbean!

2009-11-16T17:32:00.009-06:00

It has been quite awhile since I have blogged, but I came back especially to host DK's (of Chef in You) November A.W.E.D. event. This month, we are headed down to the where the warm tradewinds meet the turquoise blue waters in one of the most beautiful places on earth: the Caribbean!

Countless people in history and present have written about its beauty, artists have sung about its tranquil attitudes, poets have mused over its seascapes. Now its our turn, fellow food bloggers, to experience the Caribbean through cooking!

Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of African, Amerindian, British, Spanish, French, Dutch, Indian and Chinese cuisine. These traditions were brought from the many homelands of this region's population. In addition, the population has created styles that are unique to the region.

And with an array of wonderfully bright and vibrant vegetables and fruits, it shouldn't be hard to find amazingly tasty vegetarian dishes to submit for this event! So sit down, turn on some Bob Marley or your favorite Steel Drum band and put on your colorful straw-hat thinking caps and send over your best or soon-to-be best vegetarian Caribbean delight!

Here are the rules:

This event runs from 12th November 2009 - 12th December 2009.
You can send in as many entries as you like to this event.
You can send in recipes that you might have submitted to other events also.
Any recipes from your archives can be accepted ONLY if they are updated and re-posted especially for this event. Please do not send in links to an old post.
Non-bloggers are welcome to join in. Just send in your recipe to me with a photograph if you have one and all details mentioned above, and I will add it to the round-up.
It would be lovely if your entry is accompanied with a photograph. Preferred size of photograph: 350 pixels wide.
As mentioned above, do describe your creation - just a couple lines telling us about the recipe you have chosen to enter into A.W.E.D. Caribbean this month.
And don't forget to link your entry this announcement and to DK's blog @ Chef In You.
Please post the A.W.E.D. Caribbean logo on your event postings.
Email your entries to me at jamiekhambatta@gmail.com along with you name, name of your blog, name of your entry, the url link to your entry, and a short description of your creation.

Egg Salad

2009-05-19T07:41:00.007-05:00

I think it may be a warm weather thing. My husband and I were having a cup of coffee on Saturday at a local bakery/sandwich shoppe and on each of the tables was a little sign announcing their new springtime sandwich: Egg Salad. I love egg salad. My brother and I used to have egg salad all the time when we were little. So that little sign made me hungry for my own egg salad and that is what we had for dinner last night with some vegetables.

Egg Salad

6 eggs
2 tbsp green olives, chopped
1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
1 tbsp dijon mustard
3 tbsp fat free mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Place eggs in a medium size pot and cover with 1 inch of water. Place on the stove and turn heat to high. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and cook for 1 minute. Turn off heat and cover the pot and let sit for 12 minutes. Drain hot water from the pot and fill with cold water. Drain and then fill with cold water again. This just keeps the eggs from cooking longer.

Peel shells from the eggs and smash up the hard boiled eggs with a fork. Mix all other ingredients in and refrigerate until cold. Serve on two pieces of wheat bread and enjoy!

PS...I just wanted to wish my husband a very happy 2nd wedding anniversary!

Meatloaf

2009-05-18T14:33:00.004-05:00

The whole concept of meatloaf is pretty baffling. You take ground meat, form it into a football, and serve in slices or in a sandwich. Now, many of my blogging friends are vegetarian, but if you are not and if you have family members who are not, I have a meatloaf recipe that is super good. It is the first meatloaf I have made that I actually liked. It's tender with lots of flavor.

Meatloaf

1 lb ground meat
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 bell pepper, finely diced
1 piece of bread, torn into dime size pieces
1/4 c ketchup
1/4 c dijon mustard
2 eggs
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp basil, chopped
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp red chili flakes
1/2 c powdered parmesan cheese
1/4 c milk
salt and pepper to taste
6 pc turkey pepperoni

Mix all ingredients except for the pepperoni together with a spoon, making sure everything is distributed evenly. Put mixture into a greased baking dish. With hands, shape mixture into a loaf or whatever shape you would like. Place 6 pieces of pepperoni on top of the mixture. Fill baking dish with water until it reaches about an inch from the bottom. Bake covered in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for two hours.

Corn Casserole

2009-05-14T15:35:00.005-05:00

Corn has always been one of my favorite vegetables...or is it a grain? Anyways, this particular dish was something my mother made every single Thanksgiving. It is so easy to make, if you can find the ingredients. It is a comfort food for sure, however, I took the recipe and tried to make it as low in calories as possible. Hope you try this one, it's a family favorite!

Baked Corn Casserole

14 oz can of whole kernel corn (don't drain)
14 oz can of creamed corn
1 c fat free sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 stick butter, melted (I used the new I Can't Believe It's Not Butter stick)
8.5 oz box of corn muffin mix (I used Jiffy)
1 tsp sugar (I used Splenda)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and pour into 9" by 13" greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour.

Tried & Tasted - Banana Pudding

2009-05-13T15:20:00.005-05:00

This month's Tried & Tasted event is being hosted by Vaishali of Holy Cow! We are cooking from a blog I have never been too before, and that simply is the genius of this event. It introduces all of us in the cooking blogsphere to something that we may not be familiar with. This month, we were asked to look through the hundreds of recipes at Susan's FatFree Vegan Kitchen. She has so many wonderful recipes that are figure friendly, vegan, and tasty! That is a combination you don't see too often :)

After spending about an hour cruising Susan's blog, I decided on a dessert that reminded me of childhood weekends spent at my grandmother's. Without fail, we would always be served pudding after dinners. The flavor changed, but they were always so good. So, I decided to give Susan's Southern-Style Banana Pudding a try. Not only was it pleasing to the eye, it tasted wonderful!

Thank you Zlamushka for creating such a wonderful event, thank you Vaishali for hosting this month, and thank you Susan for a wonderful recipe that will be Tried and Tasted again and again!

Turkey Pepperoni & Veggie Pizza

2009-05-12T07:25:00.006-05:00

Since being on a diet, the one food I have been craving is Pizza. So yesterday, my husband and I spent some time in the kitchen and cooked up a pizza together. Although we didn't make our own dough (we used store bought dough), it turned out great!

Turkey Pepperoni & Veggie Pizza

1 frozen pizza dough ball
1 c pizza sauce
1/4 c maggi hot & sweet
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp red chili flakes
3 tbsp sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
turkey pepperoni
bell peppers, diced
jalapenos
1 c asiago cheese, grated
fresh basil, finely chopped

Spray frozen dough with non-stick spray, cover with paper towel and let thaw for 2 to 4 hours. Once thawed, roll out the dough to the desired size. Spray with cooking spray (or brush with oil) and cover with plastic wrap to let settle for 15 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle oregano onto dough, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let sit 5 minutes.

Mix pizza sauce, maggi, sun dried tomatoes, garlic powder, and chili flakes together. Spread sauce on baked pizza shell, leaving an inch at the edges. Layer pepperoni on top of the sauce. Layer diced peppers and jalapenos on top of the pepperoni. Sprinkle the asiago cheese on top of the peppers, and then sprinkle the chopped basil on top of the cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

PS...yesterday afternoon, I was out window shopping and ran across a gourmet dog store. They had the neatest cookies that were specifically for dogs. I bought Winston a piece of pizza so he wouldn't feel left out while we ate ours :)

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

2009-05-09T10:58:00.005-05:00

I have been seeing that a lot of my blogging friends make homemade ice creams and yogurts and sorbets WITHOUT an ice cream maker. I was very intrigued by this process, and although it seemed like a labor of love, I wanted to try it. The other day, I ran across a blog that I hadn't been to in a long time: Deeba's Passionate About Baking. Deeba is a wonderful baker and cook and her most recent post is a frozen yogurt made with an Indian Berry. After looking through her site, I found a recipe for Strawberry Frozen Yogurt and thought I would give it a try.

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
Adapted from Passionate about Baking

1 lb frozen strawberries
2/3 c. sugar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 c. fat free Greek yogurt

Place the frozen strawberries in a strainer and run warm water over them. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add sugar to the strawberries and mix well. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes and then mash strawberries with a masher until a puree has formed. Add lime juice and yogurt and stir well until smooth.

Place in the freezer. Every 30 minutes, take the mixture out and stir it until smooth. Each time it will be a little firmer. I did this 4 times until it was completely set. I found that the creamier the yogurt (Greek yogurt is very thick), the creamier the strawberry frozen yogurt will be.

Reminiscing - Green Beans

2009-05-07T07:58:00.007-05:00

Usually when grocery shopping, I am often the sucker who gets swayed by sale signs and beautiful displays. Yesterday, when walking into the produce section of the grocery store, I was greeted by a wonderful green bean display and before I knew it, I was grabbing handfuls of beans and shoving them into the produce bag.

I was lucky enough to grow up in a rural part of northeast Ohio. We lived on a farm and right next to my maternal grandmother and my aunt and uncle. With the three families living right in a row, we had a huge pasture in the back for our animals (horses, cows, pigs, goats, etc.) and we also shared a pretty big garden, I am guessing it was 50 feet by 50 feet. My uncle was the person who usually got things started with tilling the ground. Then we all would take turns planting. Even as a child, I remember sitting there watching my uncle turn the earth and helped him plant the rows of vegetables and fruits.

When the plants would grow, my brother and I would get a quarter for every bushel of strawberries and green beans we picked. I remember vividly that my grandmother, mother, my aunt, and I would be going through the green beans picking away, and once done, would meet up at my grandmother's picnic table where we would combine our beans into one giant bowl. We all would sit there and snip off the ends, break the beans in half and separate them into three bowls: one for us, one for grandma, and one for my aunt and uncle. So while I stood in my kitchen, snipping the ends off the green beans I had bought at the store, I enjoyed reminiscing back to those days when I was young and things seemed so perfect and simple. I miss those days. I realize that things change, people come into our lives and people go out of our lives. But no matter what, I feel very blessed to have had the childhood I did, the family that I had then and the one that have now, and all the wonderful memories that go into making a lifetime.

With that said, here is what happened to those green beans after we were done snipping them on my grandmother's picnic table:

Green Beans

1-2 lbs green beans (fresh or frozen)
1 medium onion, diced
vegetable stock, approx 2 cans or 1 box
1 1/2 tbsp of ham bouillon (use vegetable bouillon for vegetarian option)
2 tbsp bacon bits (there are vegan alternatives out there for this)
2 tbsp slivered almonds
1 tbsp pepper

Combine onions and green beans into greased pot and turn stove to medium. Once you hear the onions start to sizzle, add vegetable stock. The stock should cover the vegetables. Add bouillon, bacon bits, almonds, and pepper and cook covered over medium heat until the beans become soft. This could take anywhere from 15-20 minutes. Add salt if necessary, but usually the bouillon takes care of the sodium.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

2009-05-06T11:42:00.008-05:00

Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday celebrated on the 5th of May. I guess I always thought that it was Mexico's Independence Day, but I found out yesterday that it isn't! It's actually a day commemorating the Battle of Puebla in which an outnumbered Mexican army defeated the much better equipped French forces. It isn't celebrated everywhere in Mexico, however, it is celebrated in the US and other parts of the world as a recognition of Mexican heritage and culture.

In our household, we tend to celebrate every holiday we can. Our excuse? We adopted a puppy last year and our philosophy is that we don't know what he is, where he came from, so we say 'Let's celebrate every holiday, just in case our dog Winston is from there!' So just in case Winston is from Mexico, we celebrated Cinco de Mayo yesterday with some yummy Tostados! And in an effort to follow our diet, we did the low calorie version.

The best thing about Tostados is that you can put whatever you want on them! Our Tostados 'buffet' had the following: ground taco meat, shredded lettuce, sauteed green peppers, jalapenos, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, cheese, rice, and cilantro. Instead of buying fried tostados, I bought flour tortillas and baked them in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 7 minutes. I sprayed them first with cooking spray and lightly salted the top and baked them two at a time. They became nice and crispy, but without the fat!

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

2009-05-04T16:24:00.004-05:00

I have realized that if I cook chicken in the slow cooker, it always comes out nice and tender. So instead of making chicken curry on the stove top, I decided to give the slow cooker a try. We are trying really hard to watch our calories and carbs. I can honestly say that I didn't use ANY oil in this dish, and it still turned out fantastic. It's just basic chicken curry, but when it turns out so tender, it just seems extra special.

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

1 lb chicken
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger powder
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp turmeric
2 whole cloves
2 whole green cardamom
5 dried red chilies
3/4 c. vegetable broth
2 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp cold water
salt to taste

In a greased slow cooker, mix onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, chili flakes, turmeric, cloves, cardamom, and dried chilies. Place chicken pieces on top of the onion mixture in the slow cooker. Pour broth over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

After chicken is done, remove the chicken and set aside. Combine the corn starch with the cold water and mix into the remaining juices in the slow cooker. Turn slow cooker on high and cook for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add chicken back into the slow cooker and add salt to taste. Serve over rice with curd.

Tried and Tasted - Green Tea & Curry Rice

2009-04-29T08:33:00.010-05:00

We are really big rice eaters at my house. Although we try to be conservative with our carbs, we usually always have a carb side item for our dinners. Whether its rice, pasta, or potatoes, they are always a nice addition to our meals. I received a rice maker for Christmas, and although its a wonderful invention, I don't think I can be as creative with my rice dishes with the rice cooker. So when it come to creative rice dishes, you don't need to go any further than Lisa's Kitchen, this month's Tried and Tasted blog! She has a rice recipe for every occasion. And since I love ALL the ingredients in this particular recipe, I am sending this post to Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen. Thanks so much Aparna for hosting this great event! Also, please stay tuned to Zlamushka's Spicy Kitchen to see who is hosting her Tried and Tasted event next!

Please click HERE for Lisa's recipe to her Green Tea & Curry Rice! The only change I made is I added dried cranberries instead of raisins, simply because I found out after I started cooking that I had no raisins!

I tried it, tasted it, and LOVED it!

Going Green for our Planet!

2009-04-23T08:22:00.008-05:00

Because I feel this is such an important issue, I wanted to share a post with you that I put on my other blog today. I know it's a long post, but I feel that it is something that we all can use. The prices and products described in this post may not be applicable to all of us as we live in different parts of the world, but the message totally is! Thank you for reading...

Yesterday was Earth Day, and although it's not a big holiday like 4th of July, I think it has gained in popularity over the past decade. Now more than ever, people are making more of an effort to live environmentally friendly, or 'green'. People are building houses made from Green materials, they are using cleaning products made from non-harsh chemicals, its a popular phenomenon gaining speed. And its a good thing, because the earth has undergone permanent changes due to environmental warming and will only get worse.

Image Source

Here are the 5 biggest effects of global warming:
Obtained from Environmental Graffiti at http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/sciencetech/5-deadliest-effects-of-global-warming/276

1. Because of greenhouse gases, the northern countries of the world are warming up. With this temperature change comes increased migration of insects who may be carrying diseases like malaria.

2. Because the temperature of the world's oceans are rising, there is an increased threat of stronger weather patterns like hurricanes, typhoons, and tornadoes.

3. In non-coastal places, the rise in temperature means intense heat waves and droughts. Africa and Europe could see the worst of it.

4. A secondary effect of global warming and the effects above is how the economy will be affected. Hurricanes cause millions of dollars in damage, disease would cost money to treat, tempers flare and conflicts could occur.

5. The polar ice caps are melting. This means the ocean levels are rising, the global ecosystems are getting thrown out of balance, the global temperature is rising, and because there will be less white in the arctic circle, the earth will absorb more of the suns light which causes an additional increase in temperature.

Those are some pretty serious and scary situations. Most likely, they won't effect us in our lifetime, but what about our children's or our grandchildren's lifetimes?

Here are ways to help RIGHT NOW! These will not only help the environment but also help you save money. I learned these tips while watching the Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday!

1. LED Lightbulbs will be hitting the shelves shortly. Although they are expensive ($40 each), they last for 10 years!! They last 25 times longer than normal lightbulbs and can save you $740 over the lifetime of the bulb! If you want to go green but not spend $40 on a lightbulb, look for Compact Florescent (CF) bulbs. They last 10 times longer and could save $5.40 per bulb per year.

2. Get a programmable thermostat. These little energy savers cost between $40 - $70 and take out the guess work in your home's temperature (We just bought one on sale at Lowes for $20!). For every degree you lower your thermostat in the winter, you are going to save 1% on your electricity bill. And vice versa in the summer time. In the winter when its cold, open your blinds and let the sun & heat in. In the summer when its warm, leave your blinds drawn to keep the inside of your home cool.

3. If you are going TV shopping, like my husband and I did recently, opt for a LCD TV rather than a Plasma. They both will last the same amount of time, however LCD costs less to operate than Plasma. Also, the smaller the TV the less electricity it will need. For example, a 32" LCD costs $34 per year to run. A 40" Plasma will cost $70 per year to run. Also look for the Energy Star logo on the TV while shopping. Energy Star TVs are about 30% more energy efficient than non-Energy Star TV. Another idea for your new TV is to get a Smart Power Strip. Most come with remotes and you can turn your TV and all your lamps off with the touch of a button!

4. Get a $2 Water Aerator for your kitchen faucet. They reduce the amount of water coming out of your tap, and can save you 1 to 5 gallons of water on your monthly water bill.

5. Get a water filter pitcher or faucet attachment, like Brita or Pur. By filtering your own water instead of buying bottled water, you can save $300 a year! The pitchers cost anywhere from $15 to $30 and the filters are about $5.

6. Get Energy Star kitchen appliances. Although they are more expensive than the non-Energy Star appliances, they can save you $800 a year on energy costs. Also, turn off the dry function on your dishwasher and don't pre-rinse. Dishwashers today are much better and you could save $20 on your water bill per wash!

7. Turn down your water heater. If you turn your water heater down from 140 degrees to 120 degrees, you won't even feel the difference. Also, buy an insulation blanket for your water heater to help it stay warmer longer. These two small changes could save you $20 a year.

8. Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins. Buy a lunch box or bag instead of packing it in a paper or plastic bag. When getting ice cream, order it in an ice cream cone instead of a paper cup.

9. Finally, use household ingredients instead of buying harsh chemicals for cleaning purposes. For instance, 3 Tbsp of vinegar + 1/3 tsp of liquid vegetable soap (like castile soap) + 2 cups of water will give you a streak-free, chemical free window cleaner. Making your own cleansers can help save you $600 a year!

Tarragon Dijon Vinaigrette

2009-04-21T08:23:00.004-05:00

My husband and I are trying to eat healthy. We are watching our sugar intake and our carbs, along with normal exercise. Some days are better than others. Every night we try to eat a salad. 1) Salads are normally good for you, 2) the lettuce contains a lot of water and will help fill you up before you get to your meal. Lately, we have been getting awfully bored with our salads, as we make them the same way every night. So last night, I grabbed my Salad Cookbook (Salads by Jane Price) and made a salad dressing. It was simple, healthy, and oh so good!

Tarragon Dijon Vinaigrette

1 shallot, finely diced
1 tbsp dijon mustard
3 tbsp tarragon infused vinegar
2/3 c. extra virgin olive oil

Whisk shallot, mustard and vinegar together. Slowly add the oil while whisking the dressing.

That's it! If you want to keep this dressing healthy, its important to use the extra virgin olive oil instead of another type of oil.

This particular salad had butter lettuce, reduced fat feta cheese, mixed nuts, and this lovely dressing. Enjoy!

Think Spice - Spiced Pepper Chutney

2009-04-20T16:58:00.012-05:00

I was really excited about this month's Think Spice! event as I had never even heard of the featured spice: Kalonji. The event was created by Sunita of Sunita's World and our host this month is Dee of Ammalu's Kitchen. Dee tells us that Kalonji is Hindi for Nigella Seeds, which are sometimes mistaken for Black Onion Seeds and Black Sesame Seeds. After doing some research, it really seems that Kalonji is used quite extensively in Indian and other Asian cuisines. So I headed over to my local Indian grocery store and low and behold they had a packet of Kalonji. I looked online for recipes that use the spice and I came across a Chutney recipe on RecipeZaar from a poster named French Tart. Although I followed her recipe pretty closely, I did make some minor changes to suit our tastes. Please check out French Tart's recipe for Spiced Ruby and Emerald Indian Pepper Relish-Chutney and see below for my version.

Spiced Pepper Chutney

3 bell peppers (2 red & 1 green), seeded and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 large green apples, cored, peeled and chopped
3 green chilies, diced
1 c. brown sugar
2 tsp allspice
2 tsp kalonji
1 tsp ground peppercorns
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 1/2 c. malt vinegar
1 tsp salt

Put all chopped vegetables and fruit into a large pot.

In a separate bowl, mix sugar, allspice, kalonji, ground peppercorns, mustard seeds, and vinegar. Add to vegetables and bring to a boil.

Turn heat to medium and simmer until the vinegar reduces and its a thick mixture, stirring occasionally to prevent burning (mine took about an hour and a half). Add salt and put into container for storage or eat it right away! I think the longer this sits, the better it gets, but it still tastes pretty good right out of the pot!

Dee place accept this recipe for Think Spice - Think Kalonji!

RCI - Pondicherry Cuisine

2009-04-14T13:27:00.017-05:00

I am not very familiar with the region of Pondicherry, India. I do know that it is south of Chennai, but other than that, I am clueless. As you may know, RCI was started by Lakshmik of Veggie Cuisine and our host this month is Lavi of Home Cook's Recipe. She mentions that Pondicherry has a large French influence and therefore, we might have to combine a French recipe with Indian ingredients or vice-versa as there are not a lot of resources available for Pondicherry cuisine. After doing some research, I came across a scrumptious sounding snack that is sometimes served as a main meal in Pondicherry. It has a lot of my favorite ingredients and I am turning this one into Lavi for RCI: Pondicherry. I guess this is usually deep fried, but I am choosing to bake this instead.

Tandoori Potatoes

2 medium potatoes
1 c. paneer
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 green chilies, finely chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp tandoori powder
1 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

Wash potatoes thoroughly. Leaving the skins on (more nutrients that way!), slice the potatoes lengthwise. Sprinkle them with some oil and salt, and place slice side down on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Once cooked, let the potatoes cool completely. With a spoon, scoop out the middle of the potatoes so that they resemble little cups, setting aside what you scoop out. Leave some of the meat of the potato along with the skins.

Heat oil and saute green pepper and chilies. Add black pepper, garam masala, and tandoori powder. Cook until peppers are tender. Add paneer and scooped out potatoes and cook for 5 minutes. For instructions on how to make paneer, click HERE.

Place potato 'cups' into a greased baking pan. Scoop paneer mixture into potato cups and bake for 10 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Taking a page from Asha of Foodie's Hope, click on the titles to see what I thought of the movies and books I have watched/read this week!

This week, I've watched: Jaane Tu...ya Jaane Na and Fast & Furious.

This week, I've finished reading: Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.

Cranberry Lemon Scones

2009-04-10T10:42:00.004-05:00

In honor of Easter and my parents visiting our new place for the first time, I decided to make some scones for breakfast. I have never made scones before, but they didn't appear to be that hard. I got my recipe from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa. She made the same scones but used Orange instead of Lemon. I am a big fan of Lemon and after making Cham's Lemon Bread from her Spice Club blog, I was ready for another round!

Cranberry Lemon Scones

4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp lemon zest
3/4 lb unsalted butter, cold and cubbed
4 eggs
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. dried cranberries
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1/2 c. confectioners sugar
4 tsp lemon juice

In a mixer, mix 4 c. flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.

Add cold butter cubes into the flour mixture on a low speed. Mix until the butter becomes the size of peas. We want the butter to stay the size of peas throughout so that it helps make the dough fluffy and light while baking.

Combine 4 eggs and cream together. Add to the flour mixture on low speed. Mix for about 2 minutes.

Comine 1/4 c. flour and cranberries. Add to flour mixture on low speed until well blended. The dough will be lumpy and sticky.

Flour a flat dry surface for rolling out the dough. Flour your hands and a rolling pin so the dough doesn't stick. Kneed the dough and then roll out to 3/4 in. Use a round cookie cutter to cut out scones. Place scones on a cookies sheet lined with parchment paper or foil.

Combine 1 egg and 2 tbsp milk. Brush the tops of each scone with the egg wash and then sprinkle with some suger. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. Once baked, let cool for 15 minutes.

Combine lemon juice and confectioners sugar and drizzle over scones.

Important Note: The time for baking is contigent upon the size of your cookie cutter. For a 3 in. round cutter, bake for 20-25 minutes. For 2 in. cutter, bake for 15-20 minutes.

Moroccan Chicken

2009-04-09T13:30:00.006-05:00

I really don't know what to call this. I got an idea to try this after watching Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller on the Food Network. She made some sort of Moroccan Beef Brisket dish with parsnips, onions and apricots. I decided to use the spice mixture that she used, except I used it with chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions and dried mangoes. Here is what I did:

Moroccan Chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium onion, cut into large pieces
1 large potato, cut into large pieces
hand full of baby carrots
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
hand full dried mangoes
3 dried red chilies
1 1/2 c. vegetable stock
2 tbsp honey
salt & pepper to taste

I used my crock pot (slow cooker) for this recipe but the same can be done in the oven. Grease the inside of the crock pot and put onion, potato and carrots in the bottom. Add salt and pepper for flavor.

Place chicken on top of the vegetables. Add mangoes and red chilies around the chicken.

Mix together the vegetable stock and honey and pour over the chicken.

In a separate bowl, mix coriander, cumin, garlic, cinnamon and nutmeg together. Sprinkle spice mixture over the chicken and cook covered on low for 6 to 8 hours.

This is really good served over some couscous or quinoa!

Curried Quinoa with Vegetables

2009-04-07T11:16:00.005-05:00

I have never made quinoa before. My mom used it once in a recipe and it tasted a lot like rice. She told me that it was said to be the perfect protein. Recently, I saw that DK of DK's Culinary Bazaar had made some dinner rolls with quinoa, which reminded me that I should give this ingredient a try. It is healthy, gluten free, and perfect protein for those of us who don't eat a lot of meat.

Curried Quinoa with Vegetables

1 c. quinoa
1 tbsp oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 dried red chilis
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 c. water
1/2 c. mixed vegetables, frozen
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Wash the quinoa thoroughly with cold water. Repeat three times to make sure that the natural coating called the saponin comes off. If not rinsed properly, the quinoa will taste bitter.

Heat oil in pan and saute onion. Add ginger, chilis, and quinoa. Mix and cook for about a minute.

Add turmeric, coriander, salt and cinnamon and stir well. Let cook for about a minute, stirring constantly. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add mixed vegetables and cover to cook for additional 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Pad Thai

2009-04-06T07:51:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite dishes is Pad Thai. This noodle dish is the national dish of Thailand and is loved all over the world. I love it because it is sweet and salty, I love the eggs and sprouts...it is just really satisfying. I have found however that there are no two restaurants that make the dish the same. So when I was watching the Food Network and saw that Paula Deen was making Pad Thai, I took note. I have made some changes to her recipe to fit our tastes but it is pretty much the same. To make this dish vegetarian, omit chicken and add vegetables or tofu. For her recipe, click HERE. For mine, see below.

Chicken Pad Thai

6 oz. medium rice noodles (thicker the better!)
1 lb. chicken, sliced thin
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 c. fish sauce
1/4 c. lemon juice
4 tbsp sugar
1/4 c. peanut oil, split
2 tbsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp red chili flakes
1/2 c. green onions, chopped
3 eggs, scrambled
1 c. mung bean sprouts
1/2 c. peanuts, chopped

Soak rice noodles in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Mix sesame oil and cornstarch together, then toss sliced chicken until well coated. Set aside.

Mix fish sauce, lemon juice, and sugar together until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Add 1/2 the peanut oil into a wok or deep skillet and heat. Add chicken and cook through. Remove chicken from pan and put onto a paper towel covered plate so that some of the oil drains off.

Add the other 1/2 of peanut oil into the wok or deep skillet and heat. Add garlic, chili flakes, and green onions and saute for 1 minute. Slowly add the scrambled eggs into the pan, stirring constantly. Once eggs are cooked, add the chicken back in as well as the rice noodles. Stir well. Add fish sauce mixture and stir again. Remove from heat. Top with chopped peanuts and bean sprouts.

A.W.E.D. - Tofu Bulgogi

2009-03-30T16:12:00.006-05:00

For the A.W.E.D. event, hosted this month by PJ of Seduce Your Tastebuds and created by DK of DK's Culinary Bazaar, we had to make a vegetarian dish from Korea. Korean cooking is known for its heavy use of red chilies and ingredients such as sesame oil and garlic. Although I am a big fan of Korean Kimchi (pickled cabbage), I decided to try something new. The Korean dish Bulgogi is usually made with sliced beef. The word Bul means 'fire' and Gogi means 'meat'. My husband loves this dish so I decided to give it a try. For him, I used beef, but for me I used extra firm tofu instead so it would become a vegetarian dish! Here is the recipe for the Tofu Bulgogi.

I am sending this Main Dish recipe over to PJ for the A.W.E.D. Korea Event. For more informationn on which countries we are visiting next, check out the A.W.E.D. MENU.

Tofu Bulgogi

12 oz extra firm tofu, cubed
5 tbsp sugar
1/2 c. soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 c. green onions, split length wise
1 Serrano pepper, sliced length wise
1 tbsp olive oil 1 red bell pepper, cubed
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
1 c. carrots, thinly sliced (optional)

Mix all ingredients from tofu through Serrano pepper and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Heat olive oil in pan and saute bell pepper and onion until tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

After mixture has marinated for 2 hours, place in pot and cook over medium heat for approximately 10-15 minutes. Add carrots, bell pepper and onion, and cook for another 3 minutes. Serve over rice.

Pasta with Meat Sauce

2009-03-30T07:57:00.004-05:00

This is a simple supper idea. If you have any kind of pasta and a bottle of tomato sauce in your pantry, you are all set. If you want to make it non-veg, just add a pound of ground meat and you have yourself an easy dinner.

Pasta with Meat Sauce

1 lb. ground meat
1 c. pasta, cooked
2 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
10 oz jar tomato sauce
salt to taste

Heat oil in pot. Add onions and cook until tender. Add garlic and cook until light brown. Add red chili flakes and Italian seasoning. Add ground meat and vinegar and cook for 8 minutes, stirring often. Add tomato sauce and salt. Cook covered for 10-15 minutes. Serve over pasta.

Lime Rice

2009-03-28T13:17:00.004-05:00

I wanted to make rice this week, but I didn't want to make plain old boiled white rice. I was serving it with a curry so I didn't want it to be the star of the meal either. I remembered once going to a South Indian restaurant and they served something called Lemon Rice, which had a slightly sour taste that complimented the dish. So I decided to go with Lime Rice instead.

Lime Rice

2 c. rice, cooked
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp peanuts
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp curry powder
2 tbsp lime juice
salt to taste

Mix lime juice and salt into the cooked rice. I waited for my rice to cool down a bit so I wouldn't smash up the cooked rice.

In a pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add chili flakes and mustard seeds. Wait until mustard seeds start to pop, then add peanuts, turmeric, ginger and curry powder. Stir to mix and immediately add rice. Stir to mix well over low heat. Make sure there is no white showing on the rice. Heat until rice is heated through, then serve.

Paneer & Vegetable Curry

2009-03-26T07:58:00.006-05:00

We tried out a wonderful Indian restaurant here in our new town called Taj Mahal. It is run by a Punjabi couple, and it was SO good. The masalas were so tasty and aromatic, and also very creamy. I am sure that it isn't healthy at all, but it is definitely a place we could go for special occasions. After going there, I kept thinking why I can't seem to make flavorful masalas like the ones we have had there at Taj Mahal. So last night I went through my cookbooks and came across a little cookbook I picked up in Dehradun called Nita Mehta's Still More Paneer. I found a recipe there that I wanted to try because the masala sounded very good. I tweaked the recipe as I didn't have some things in my pantry, but here is what I came up with. After telling you what I did, I will tell you what I would change.

Paneer & Vegetable Curry

paneer (8-10 cubes)
1 c. frozen mixed vegetables
4 tbsp oil
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 large onion
1 c. water
1 tsp tandoori masala
1/4 tsp sugar

Tomato-Yogurt Paste
1/2 c. yogurt
1 large tomato
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tbsp cashews, soaked
pinch of turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala

Combine all ingredients for Tomato-Yogurt Paste in a food processor or blender. Set aside for later.

Blend onion into a separate paste. Heat oil, reduce heat to medium and add garlic and cook until light brown. Add onion paste to pan and fry until golden. Add the tomato-yogurt paste to the pan and fry for 8 to 10 minutes on medium heat.

Add water and bring to a boil. Add tandoori masala and sugar. The sugar is optional only if the yogurt is sour. Next add the mixed vegetables and cook for 5 minutes.

In a separate pan, stir fry the cubes of paneer. After the vegetables have been cooked, add the paneer to the pan. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes and then remove from heat. Serve over rice with yogurt.

Now, after making it this way, it was very very good...however, the next time I make it, I am going to use 1/2 an onion, double the cashews and double the tomatoes. I think it will be richer. Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Salad

2009-03-23T17:43:00.010-05:00

Spring is here which means it's time to pull out the Grill! Unfortunately, our community has a ban on charcoal and gas grills so we are forced to use our little tiny counter top grill, which works just fine. This recipe was adapted from a dinner we had with some friends of ours down in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. It is simple, healthy, and very good.

BBQ Chicken Salad

1 lb. chicken tenderloins
1/2 c. BBQ sauce, split in two equal parts
1/4 c. white vinegar
lettuce (I used butter and romaine)
sweet corn
green onion, chopped
cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 c. low fat ranch dressing

Mix 1/4 c. BBQ sauce and vinegar together. Put chicken into BBQ mixture and marinate for 3 hours. Afterwards, grill chicken pieces until done. Mix 1/4 c. BBQ sauce and Ranch dressing together for the salad dressing. Arrange lettuce in a bowl. Top with chicken, sweet corn, green onion, tomatoes, and dressing mixture. Enjoy!

RCI - Lucknow

2009-03-23T16:25:00.017-05:00

This month's RCI event is the cuisine of Lucknow, which is hosted by Lavi of Home Cook's Recipes. Regional Cuisines of India or RCI was first started by Lakshmi of Veggie Cuisine. Lucknow is the capital of Uttar Pradesh, the most populated state in India which borders Nepal in the north. Lucknow cuisine is famous for biryanis, kebabs, and breads. However, they say the best chaat in India is from Lucknow. I love chaat almost as much as I love paneer. So, I decided to take this opportunity to experiment with the chaat I love the most: Aloo Tikki.

Aloo Tikki

2 medium potatoes, boiled then shredded
1/2 c. peas, cooked
1/2 c. paneer, cubed
1/4 c. peanuts, chopped
1 tsp. chat masala
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. amchur powder
salt to taste
1/2 c. bread crumbs
oil for frying

Mix together shredded potatoes, paneer, peanuts, chat masala, cumin, chili powder, amchur, and salt. Once mixed, stir in peas. Oil your hands and roll the mixture into balls. The size depends on what you would like. Gently smash balls into little disks. Put bread crumbs into a plate and roll disks to coat with crumbs. Heat oil in a large pot/pan. Fry tikkis in oil on low-medium heat until crispy brown, then flip. Cook second side until crispy brown and remove from pot/pan. Serve aloo tikkis with curd, tamarind chutney, mint chutney, chopped onions, cilantro, chick peas, etc. Enjoy!!

PS..Thanks to Bee of Jugalbandi for helping me fix the color balance in my photo!

A New Kitchen & A New Recipe

2009-03-21T08:47:00.006-05:00

Did you know that 85% of people looking to buy a house consider the kitchen one of the main factors in whether or not to purchase the home? There are so many things in a kitchen that make it appealing: lighting, counter tops, backsplashes, counter space, sinks, appliances, faucets, storage, etc. Having moved a few times, I really am getting to 'test-drive' some different styles of kitchens, so when it comes time for me to design my own, I will be ready! The new kitchen that we have now is the nicest one I have cooked in yet, due to all the natural light and the abundance of counter space. It has a gas stove which is wonderful and a nice deep double sink. I wouldn't say its my ideal kitchen, however, it is perfectly suitable for us.

Chicken Teriyaki

2 lbs chicken pieces (I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
1 tbsp ginger powder
1 20 oz can pineapple chunks w/ juice
1 c teriyaki sauce/marinade
1 tsp red chili flakes

For this recipe I used a slow cooker, but it can also be baked in a closed pot in the oven. I greased the inside of my slow cooker and placed the chicken pieces at the bottom. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and place the cooker on low to cook for 6-8 hours. The chicken will be so tender, it will fall apart! Serve over rice.

I am back....with Keema!

2009-03-17T16:57:00.016-05:00

After way too long, I am finally ready to start posting again. As many of you know, my husband and I have moved to Pittsburgh, PA for work. I have been busy unpacking and setting up our new place and am very excited to be able to cook again. With a new kitchen, I thought it only appropriate to update the look of my Flavor Pantry as well.

I decided to make Keema and Rice last night for dinner. For those who aren't familiar with it, Keema is an Indian dish that consists of minced meat, any type of meat but traditionally lamb, made with spices. It reminds me a lot of the American favorite Sloppy Joes. Most of the time that I have had Keema it has been served with peas in it. My recipe is pretty simple, however, if you want something even quicker, see below for a short-cut for an easy to make Keema with tons of flavor!

Keema

1 lb ground meat (I used ground chicken)
3/4 c. white vinegar
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ginger paste
1 tbsp. coriander powder
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tbsp. red chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Mix garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, and turmeric into vinegar. Add vinegar mixture to the meat and mix well. Marinate for at least 3 hours.

Saute onions, peppers, and chili flakes in oil until tender. Add marinated meat along with marinade and stir until combined. I have done a lot of research and the consensus is that if you cook your meat along with its marinade, as long as you bring it to a boil for 5 minutes, it should kill any of the bacteria in the marinade and it will be safe to eat. After bringing it to a boil, simmer mixture for 15-20 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Serve over rice with yogurt on the side to help combat the heat.

Short-cut: If you shop at an Indian grocery store, look for the Parampara Spice Mixture packets (shown in the picture). I like to use the Mutton Kolhapuri mix. Instead of all the spices listed above, just mix a packet of Mutton Kolhapuri into the vinegar and marinate the meat in it. The taste is amazing!

Almost Ready...

2009-02-13T08:50:00.007-06:00

We are making the final preparations for our move to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We found an apartment that we really love, we have scheduled a move-in date, and we are packing our belongings. On Monday, the movers come to whisk our things towards the snowy north, and my DH and I will be following in our cars the middle of next week. Things are moving so fast, but it is very exciting. The best part of all is that we managed to book one last vacation before my DH starts his new job.

But onto the important news at hand...what meal to cook to christen my new kitchen with! I am very excited about cooking again, and my new kitchen is going to be the biggest I have had yet. Granted, it is still an apartment but the counter space is ample and there is lots of natural light. Here is what I am thinking...

Choice 1. Aloo Tikki. I know this is not a meal but I crave this. On our last trip to India, I would wake up in the mornings while we were in Delhi and hope against all hope that we would be making a trip to Great India Place Mall where the most fabulous Aloo Tikki's are made in the food court. We miss them and we can't find comparable Tikkis anywhere!

Choice 2. Rajma Chawal. Its such a warm comforting dish. I love it with curd and tamarind chutney.

Choice 3. Pad Thai. I really don't want to say I have a favorite food because I have so many, but this would definitely be towards the top of the list. I have never made it at home before, just had it at restaurants. I love it. I don't prefer it in a red sauce, as sometimes restaurants make it that way. I found a recipe that looks fairly straight forward, so I have been dying to give it a try.

Choice 4. Butter Chicken & Naan. My DH's favorite. It is certainly one of mine as well.

Choice 5. Sambhar Chawal. Sambar is a wonderful dish on a cold day. And it will be cold cold cold in Pittsburgh.

These are the dishes I am thinking about. If you have any input or any other suggestions, I would love to hear them. Otherwise, you will just have to stay tuned to find out what I make!

PS...Flavor Pantry will be getting a brand new look after our move to PA. A Fresh Start for a new Kitchen!

Happy 2009!

2009-01-20T08:31:00.003-06:00

My goodness, it is halfway through January and I am just wishing everyone a very Happy New Year! I know I have been missing in action from the blogging world since July 2008, but I have been a very busy girl. Here is what I have been up to:

At the end of July '08, my husband finished his graduate schooling and we packed up our belongings, put them into storage and took off to India for a vacation. While in India, we ended up extending our stay so we arrived back in the States in October. Since then, we have done some other traveling and have been searching for jobs. We have been calling North Carolina home for the past few months and have enjoyed spending time with my family.

In the coming month, my husband and I will be moving to Pittsburgh, PA (brrrrrrrrr) where he will start a new job and I will begin blogging again once my kitchen is up and running!

I have missed all my blogging friends and am sorry for such a long delay in my posts. I look forward to getting back in touch with all of you and making new friends and doing what we all love to do best...Cooking!!

Hope you all have a Happy and Healthy 2009!

More Quiche Please!

2008-07-08T15:08:00.001-05:00

I have been very busy lately, and unfortunately, my blogging has taken a backseat to other important things going on. We are in the process of packing up our apartment to move to North Carolina at the end of the month. Needless to say, my ability to cook and post will be reduced during this time. After the big move, my husband and I are going to

India

for a month on vacation. After that, I am hoping things will return to normal. I will try to check in to your blogs frequently and leave comments, however, there might not be too much action on my Flavor Pantry for a while.

With that said, I am trying to use what I have in my refrigerator and my freezer to reduce the amount of food wasted when we move. I was able to throw together another great quiche that is 100% fat free (well, I am not sure what type of fat is in the pie crust as it was store bought, but I can’t imagine very much).

Broccoli Cheddar Quiche

4 egg (I used egg substitute)
1 c. broccoli florets cooked
1 medium onion diced
1 c. fat free milk
2 c. fat free cheddar cheese
2 T. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
2 t. red chili flakes
1 9” unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with foil. Place pie crust onto of the cookie sheet. Mix together flour and cheddar cheese and put in the pie crust. Next sauté the onions (I used a non-stick spray) and place on top of the cheese along with cooked broccoli. Mix together eggs, milk, salt, black pepper, and red chili flakes and pour into the pie crust. Bake for 50 minutes.

Study Snack - Spicy Corn

2008-06-30T12:33:00.003-05:00

My husband is diligently working on this Master’s thesis which is due to be finished in about a month. He has been going to school it seems like forever and has been working so hard. This weekend, he spent most of his time at his laptop pounding away at the keyboard. Because I know nothing about Fluid Dynamics and Mechanical Engineering, the only help I can be to him is to give him encouragement and the occasional snack to cheer him up. So far, his favorite study snack is Spicy Corn!

Spicy Corn

1½ c. corn
2 green chili diced
½ medium onion diced
½ t. cumin powder
½ t. coriander powder
½ t. garlic powder
juice of ½ lime
salt to taste
1 T. extra virgin olive oil

Heat oil in skillet. Saute onions and chili for about a minute. Add spices and cook some more. Add corn and lime juice and saute for a few minutes longer. Add salt to taste and serve.

~~~

If anyone has any other ideas for snacks for my dear husband while he is working so very hard at his thesis, please pass them on! Thank you!

Tandoori Style Chicken

2008-06-28T17:06:00.002-05:00

I have made this before, and every single time I make it, it turns out so juicy and delicious! This is the perfect dish to try if you have the afternoon free as there is some marinating involved. I love this chicken, and I don’t eat a lot of meat, but I do really love this chicken. If you aren’t a vegetarian or if your family members aren’t vegetarian, I highly suggest it!

Although I don’t have a Tandoor, this is as close as I can get to making homemade Tandoori Chicken! And best yet, there is not ONE ounce of oil in this dish!

Oven-Baked Tandoori Style Chicken
Adapted from Greatest Ever Indian Cookbook

5 chicken cutlets
1 c. fat free yogurt
2 t. ginger powder
3 t. garlic powder
2 t. chili powder
3 t. cumin powder
3 t. coriander powder
3 t. salt
1 T. tamarind paste
2/3 c. water

Mix yogurt with ginger, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander and salt. Make slices in your chicken for it to absorb the flavors while marinating. Cover the chicken in the yogurt mixture and put in the refrigerator to marinate for 3 hours.

Mix tamarind paste with water until dissolved. Add tamarind mixture to yogurt and chicken and mix well. Place back in the refrigerator for another 3 hours to marinate.

Pour chicken and marinade in a 9” by 9” baking dish. Preheat broiler to high on your oven. Broil the chicken for 30-35 minutes.

Parathas!

2008-06-27T20:25:00.006-05:00

I did it! At least I think I did! Last night, for the very first time I made parathas. Now, to be completely honest with you, I am not very sure what makes a paratha a paratha or a roti a roti, but my husband says it has something to do with the flour and the manner in which it is cooked (I guess rotis are made of wheat and don’t use any oil). So last night when I was making parathas, I tried to use very little oil as we are trying to eat healthy. And I didn’t make just any paratha, I made Paneer Paratha!

Paneer Paratha
Adapted from Greatest Ever Indian Cookbook

Paratha

2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. white flour
1 c. milk
2 T. butter melted
½ c. water
salt

Paneer

1 c. paneer crumbled
1 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin powder
1 t. coriander
salt to taste

I started with the paratha dough. Mix flours together and put in mixer bowl. Add the milk, butter, and salt and turn on the mixer. My mixer has a bread kneeding attachment so I used that. Slowly add the water until all the dough comes away from the sides. Let sit for about 10 minutes before rolling it out.

In the meantime, mix all the ingredients for the paneer and put aside. Once dough has rested, start separating the dough into equal size balls about the size of a golf ball. One at a time, use your fingers to flatten the ball into a little circle and dip both sides of the dough in some wheat flour so it won’t stick to your roller. On a clean counter top or other rolling surface, start rolling the dough out with a rolling pin, occasionally flipping it over, until it is as thin as possible. I needed to add extra wheat flour throughout this process so it wouldn’t stick. Set the first one aside. Take a second dough ball and repeat. Once it is rolled out, take a spoon (or brush) and add a little bit of oil or butter around the edges. Put crumbled paneer in the center and spread it out being careful not to spread it too far out towards the edges. Take the first paratha that you rolled out and place it on top of the paneer. Pinch the edges together (this is important!). Use a rolling pin and roll out gently just to smooth the surface.

Place paratha on a hot skillet over low-medium heat. Cook the paratha until you notice brown spots starting to show up on the bottom. Then flip it, and do the same to the other side. Once brown spots start to develop on the bottom again, add a little bit of butter to the top of the paratha and flip again. Cook for another minute and add a little bit of butter to the top and flip again. So basically you cooked both sides without butter first, then cooked both sides with butter. Remove the paratha from the skillet and place on a plate under a cover to keep warm while the other parathas are being made. This recipe yields 10 individual parathas (5 paneer parathas).

An Original Recipe - JP Stuff

2008-06-25T09:29:00.004-05:00

Do you ever have those recipes that evolve over time and become something so far gone from the original recipe that it’s hard to believe they were even related? Well, that is the story with this next recipe. About 5 years ago, my husband (who was then my boyfriend) and I met three friends of ours in Orlando, FL for a week long vacation. It was such a wonderful time. We went to Disney World and we shopped and shopped and hung out in the pool, it is still to this day one of the best vacations. We were lucky enough to reserve a condo that my parents owned for the week and it was in this beautiful resort with tons of pools and palm trees. We just had the best time.

Because we were trying to save some money (we were college kids!) we tried to eat in as much as possible. One of our friends is from

Turkey

and she decided that she was going to make a Turkish dish for us one evening for dinner. It was a pasta dish with ground beef with a butter and red chili sauce, which was topped with salted yogurt. We liked this dish so much that we continued to make it at home. We called it Nurci Stuff (pronounced New-gi) as that is her name.

Well, over the years we have changed it here and there to adapt to our diets. One night my husband and I were making this dish and we decided that we would rename it to ‘JP Stuff’ (as in Jamie and Parvez) as it has truly turned into our own creation. We still make Nurci Stuff on occasion, but last night we had JP Stuff and I would like to share the recipe with you!

JP Stuff

1 c. pasta (usually rotini)
1 lb. ground turkey
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. cumin seeds
1 medium onion diced
1 green chili diced
½ c. lightly salted peanuts
½ c. distilled vinegar
1 T. red chili flakes
2 t. chili powder
salt to taste
yogurt

Cook pasta as per the instructions on the box. Heat oil in a pot and add cumin seeds until they sizzle. Add onions, green chili and peanuts and sauté for 3 minutes. Turn heat down to medium and add ground turkey. Use your cooking utensil to break up the turkey as much as you can. Turkey has a tendency to clump together so try to break down those clumps. After about 2 minutes, add red chili flakes, chili powder, salt, and vinegar. Cook turkey until done. Once done, turn up the heat and try to brown the turkey without burning. This browning gives the turkey a great flavor that works really well in the dish. Once done, mix the pasta into the turkey mixture. Serve with yogurt mixed it and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I took the picture of this dish prematurely. It has been many months since I have made this dish and I forgot to mix the pasta in with the turkey. I feel it’s important to mix the two together as those juices and oils stick to the noodles and adds a great taste. So please disregard the photo as it’s technically incorrect. If you follow the recipe, you should be fine!

Sevian

2008-06-24T10:15:00.006-05:00

Yet another recipe from my new favorite cookbook that I found in the bargain aisle of the bookstore. This dish looked interesting, but the real reason I made it was because I was cleaning out my pantry and I came across this thin pasta in a package. My mother-in-law apparently had brought it with her with she visited us last and it has been sitting in my pantry ever since. So I asked my husband what it was and he told me it was used to make an Indian dessert called Sevian. So I looked it up in my new cookbook and gave it a try.

Indian Vermicelli
Adapted from Best Ever Indian Cookbook

3 T. ghee
1 c. vermicelli broken
¼ c. almonds sliced
½ c raisins
½ c. golden raisins
4 c. fat free milk
4 T. brown sugar
2 T. white sugar

Heat ghee in a pot and add vermicelli to sauté for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add almonds, raisins and gold raisins and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add milk, brown sugar and white sugar. Turn heat down to medium and bring milk to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer and cook until vermicelli is soft. This can be served warm or chilled.

~~~~

Devi Priya from Food is Bliss has tagged me for a MeMe. Thank you so much! If you haven't checked out her blog yet, please do so. It's a wonderful collection of recipes that will keep you busy for hours! I have actually already done this MeMe and for my answers please click HERE.

Paneer Paneer Paneer

2008-06-19T12:08:00.011-05:00

As many of you know from the various comments I leave on your blogs, I LOVE Paneer. I honestly could exist on a diet of paneer only and I think I would be quite happy. There is just something about it that I can’t put my finger on. Maybe it is because it is such a perfect base for any spice or curry. The flavor of paneer by itself is very mild, but it absorbs flavors so well, its just the perfect food in my opinion.

The other night, I decided to make paneer from scratch as I usually do, and instead of making a specific dish like Saag Paneer or Mutter Paneer, I just decided to make a super simple dish that has lots of peppers and onions and that’s about it! We were in such a hurry to eat that we didn’t even wait for the paneer to set into cubes. We prepared it with crumbled paneer and it was lovely! In fact, it really doesn’t even have a name. I don’t even know what to call it, other than Simple!

Simple Paneer

2 c. paneer crumbled
1 large onion diced
1 green bell pepper diced
3 green chilis split down middle
2 t. garlic minced
2 t. turmeric
2 t. chili powder
2 T. Maggi Hot and Sweet (or ketchup)
2 T. distilled vinegar
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 t. cumin seeds
salt to taste

Heat oil in a pot and add cumin seeds. Once the seeds sizzle, add garlic, onions, green peppers, and green chilis. Saute the veggies for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add paneer and mix well. Add turmeric, chili powder, salt, Maggi Hot and Sweet and vinegar. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste to check the spices and serve with rice and yogurt!

I would like to thank Sukanya of Hot N' Sweet B owl for passing along the Inspiration Award to me! I started the award a couple of weeks ago and I am so excited to get it! Thank you so much Sukanya for thinking of me!!

Banana Cake

2008-06-17T09:57:00.004-05:00

There they were. Turning brown in the bottom of my refrigerator. I needed to do something quick. Not that I forgot about them, but they just didn’t get eaten this time. Bananas…they go bad so quickly. So I did what any woman in my position would do, I made cake!

The cake recipe I used was adapted from a muffin recipe I found on Deeba’s Passionate about Baking. If I am in the mood to bake, I always search through her blog for ideas. This muffin recipe looked especially good. Please click HERE to see her original recipe.

Banana Cake

1 c. flour
½ c. whole wheat flour
1 t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ t. cinnamon
¼ c. butter melted
2 bananas mashed
½ c. white sugar
2 egg yolks
1 t. vanilla extract
¼ c. walnuts chopped
¼ c. milk chocolate chips
¼ c. coconut shredded

Mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together. With a mixer, blend melted butter, bananas, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla extract together. Once mixed, slowly add the flour mixture, the walnuts and the chocolate chips. Pour batter into a greased 9” x 9” baking pan and bake at 375 degree F for 25 minutes. With 5 minutes remaining, sprinkle coconut on the top.

This is SO good served warm with vanilla ice cream!

Tried and Tasted - Granola

2008-06-16T15:43:00.003-05:00

I am excited to enter into this month’s Tried and Tasted event created and hosted by Zlamushka of Zlamushka’s Spicy Kitchen. The event allows anyone to try a recipe by one of our fellow bloggers. This month, the chosen blog was Nupur’s One Hot Stove. I have been a big fan of One Hot Stove, even before I started blogging myself. It is full of thoughtful and easy to follow recipes that will make anyone’s taste buds happy. As soon as I read that Zlamushka picked Nupur’s blog, I knew exactly what I wanted to make: her Granola!

I have been hooked on Granola for a couple of months now. Before, my breakfast consisted of Cheerios or Corn Flakes. I bought some Granola cereal one day at the grocery store with the intention of putting it on my yogurt. I decided to try it as cereal one morning and I have been hooked ever since! I remembered seeing Nupur’s granola from a while back and couldn’t wait to try it!

I followed her recipe word for word, cup for cup, teaspoon for teaspoon. It was absolutely wonderful. I liked it so much, I went out and bought the industrial sized rolled oats!

If you like granola, you will love Nupur’s recipe. Please click HERE to see how to make her Crunchy Granola!

Wannabe McAloo Tikki and Another MeMe

2008-06-13T10:31:00.010-05:00

I really hope that there is someone out there who agrees with me, but isn’t McDonald’s in

India

ten times better than the McDonald’s in the States? The McAloo Tikki’s and those paneer wraps, so wonderful! Vegetarian options at McDonalds in the States consist of french fries and salads, and….that’s it. We recently just planned another visit to

India

for August and ever since then, I have been dreaming of Indian McDonald’s.

So…

While wondering what to make for dinner last night, I was checking out the histories of some of my favorite blogs and I came across a recipe that I had bookmarked back in May. Arundathi of Arundathi’s Food Blog made these mouth watering vegetable cutlets and it just seemed like the perfect thing to make, seeing that I had all the ingredients for it. It also reminded me of the McAloo Tikki Sandwiches served at McDonalds in India! I followed Arundathi’s recipe, except instead of adding carrots and beans, I had a bag of mixed vegetables (peas, green beans, carrots, corn) in the freezer and used those instead. I also threw in some diced green chili.

I ate mine with a fork and lots of Maggi Hot and Sweet. My husband ate his smashed on a piece of toast with Maggi and pickle. They were a big hit! My cutlets definitely do not look as wonderful as Arundathi’s, but they were darn tasty.

Please click HERE to see her recipe.

Thanks Arundathi!

Another MeMe:
Sashree of A Warm Welcome to all the Foodies tagged me for a MeMe. Thanks Sashree and please see below for my responses. For anyone who hasn’t done this MeMe yet, please pick up the tag!

Last Movie Seen in a Theater?
I am embarrassed to say but it was that Zohan movie with Adam Sandler

What Book are you Reading?
I just finished Imperial Woman last night by Pearl Buck. It was fantastic. Next on the list is Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Favorite Board Game?
Monoploy

Favorite Magazine?
National Geographic Adventurer

Favorite Smells?
Vanilla, the Ocean, Coconut, and Curry!

Favorite Sounds?
Laughter, Rain on the Roof, and Race Cars!

Worst Feeling in the World?
Being taken advantage of

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
“It can’t be 7:00 am already!”

Favorite Fast Food Places?
Subway and Wendy’s

Future Child’s Name?
Honestly, I have no clue! It’s too early to think about that

Finish this Statement – If I had lots of money I would…?
Invest, donate to charities and go shoe shopping!

Do you drive fast?
Yes

Do you sleep with a Stuffed Animal?
No

Storms – Cool or Scary?
Cool

What was your first car?
1987 Honda Accord

Favorite Drink?
Coffee or Tea

Finish this Statement – If I had the time, I would…?
Travel, travel, travel

Do you eat the stems of broccoli?
Yes

If you could dye your hair any color, what would it be?
I never want to dye my hair. I like it just the way it is

Name all the cities you have lived in?
Youngstown, Cleveland, New Concord, Gainesville, Fort Walton Beach

Favorite Sport to Watch?
Auto racing!!

One nice thing about the person who sent this to you?
Sashree is a wonderful cook and has a wonderful spirit

What is under your bed?
Empty suitcases

Would you like to be born as yourself again?
Sure

Morning person or Night Owl?
Morning Person. I fall asleep by 10:00 pm!

Over Easy or Sunny Side Up?
Over Easy

Favorite Place to Relax?
On my couch in our living room

Favorite Pie?
Rhubarb and Coconut Cream

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?
Vanilla or Caramel

A Salad, Awards, and A Game of Tag!

2008-06-11T10:29:00.006-05:00

Sometimes we get bored eating the same old salad every single night. We usually prepare a green leaf salad (usually Butter Lettuce) with cheese, mixed nuts, olives and dressing. Nothing special really. It’s pretty easy to make and it tastes pretty good. But night after night of eating the same thing can get pretty blah. So I decided to throw together some veggies and some balsamic vinegar to make a fresh summer salad to change things up!

Summer Salad

2 medium onions diced
2 medium tomatoes diced
1 large cucumber diced
½ c. balsamic vinegar
salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together and you have yourself one nice salad.

On another note, a big THANK YOU goes out to Sashree of A Warm Welcome to all the Foodies for passing along the Nice Matters Award and the Rockin’ Girl Blogger Award and also to Uma of Essence of Andhra for giving me the Rockin’ Girl Blogger Award as well!

“Nice Matters Award is for those bloggers who are nice people, good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world.”

Thank you so much Sashree and Uma!! You are both so sweet for thinking of me!

On yet another note, Dana of Dana McCauley’s Food Blog has tagged me so that I can share a little bit more about myself with you. Thanks Dana for the tag, I love these things!

What was I doing ten years ago?
Well, ten years ago I was enjoying the summer before my senior year of high school. No doubt I was working a summer job, trying to earn money for my coffee/tea addiction. I (along with tons and tons of other people) felt I kept Starbuck’s profit margins sky high during the late 90’s. Since I played basketball for my high school varsity team, I was probably attending some basketball camps or going to open gyms to get ready for my last year.

What are five things on my to-do list for today (non-work related)?
1. Fold the laundry
2. Take my puppy Winston for a walk
3. Go to Karate class tonight and try not to mess up
4. Read another chapter in a super fascinating book I started ages ago but can’t seem to finish
5. Go to bed at a reasonable time so I can wake up early and beat the heat for a walk outside

What are five snacks I enjoy?
1. Doritos (doesn’t matter which kind)
2. Chocolate Chips
3. Honey Roasted Peanuts
4. Pretzels filled with Peanut Butter
5. Almonds

What things would I do if I were a billionaire?
Well, I would take a quarter of my billion and invest it. That’s a pretty responsible thing to do right? Then I would pay off all my school loans and any other debt that my husband and I have incurred. I would pay off my brother’s debt and pay off my parent’s mortgage. I would pay for the best health care available for my Aunt. I would give some money to a couple of charities, yet to be determined.

I would take an around the world cruise with my husband and see all the wonderful places I have always wanted to. I would start a school in India for my Mother-in-Law to run as she has always wanted to do that. My husband could get his pilots license like he has always wanted to and we can buy a tiny jet. I would buy first class airline tickets to India instead of economy. I might get a new car for myself and one for my husband and one for my Father-in-Law. I would hire a personal trainer to get me in shape. And I might do a little shoe shopping…

Places I’ve lived:
Youngstown, OH
New Concord, OH (undergrad)
Cleveland, OH (graduate school)
Gainesville, FL
Fort Walton Beach, FL (currently)

Jobs I’ve had:
Manufacturing Assistant (summer job during high school)
Human Resources Assistant (Playhouse Square Foundation in Cleveland, OH)
Office Manager (Archaeological Firm in Gainesville, FL)
Human Resources Manager (currently)

Tag You’re It!
1. Sashree of A Warm Welcome to all the Foodies
2. Sukanya of Hot N’ Sweet Bowl
3. Srivalli of Cooking 4 all Seasons
4. Rachel of Tangerine’s Kitchen
5. Sangeeth of Art of Cooking Indian Food

Just before posting this, I see that my dear friend Sashree has tagged me for another MeMe!! Thanks Sashree! That one is a little longer so I will post it tomorrow, stay tuned!

Turkish Delight - Muzlu Sut

2008-06-10T13:24:00.006-05:00

I have very little experience cooking Middle Eastern Cuisine, although I do enjoy eating it. I have had quite a lot of Turkish food as my best friend is from

Turkey

. So it was an easy choice for me as to which country to pick! From my experience, I have found that in

Turkey

, they like to eat a lot of meats, especially beef, lamb, and seafood. So finding a Turkish vegetarian dish was something I had never looked for before. I hope that you all don’t think I took the easy way out by making a beverage, however, I liked this drink so much that it has become a part of my weekly diet!

Muzlu Sut
1 serving

1 banana
1 t. ground blanched almonds
1 t. honey
1 c. milk

In a blender or food processor, blend banana until smooth. Add ground almonds and honey and blend again until smooth. Add milk and blend. Enjoy!

I am submitting this dish to the A.W.E.D. – Middle Eastern Cuisine Event created by Dhivya of DK’s Culinary Bazaar and hosted this month by Siri of Siri’s Corner.

Nutty Chicken

2008-06-09T09:55:00.003-05:00

I bought a new cookbook yesterday! I was in the bookstore, walking through the bargain book aisles and I saw the newest edition of a cookbook that I absolutely love! It’s called Bet Ever Indian Cookbook by Baljekar, Fernandez, Husain & Kanani. I bought a book last year by the same name and it has served me very very well. It has step by step instructions with pictures along the way. I was so excited that I made a dish from the book last night. Although I made some tweaks to the recipe, I thought it was really good!

Chicken in Nut Sauce
Adapted from Best Ever Indian Cookbook

2 medium onions quartered
2 T. Maggi Hot & Sweet (or tomato paste)
½ c. peanuts
1½ t. garam masala
1 t. garlic minced
1 t. chili powder
1 T. lime juice
¼ t. ground turmeric
1 t. salt
1 T. yogurt
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
¼ c. raisins
1 lb. chicken cubed
½ c. water

In a blender or food processor, blend onions into a paste. Add Maggi, peanuts, garam masala, garlic, chili powder, lime juice, turmeric, salt, and yogurt to the onion paste and blend well for about 1½ minutes. Heat oil in a pot. Once hot, turn down heat to medium and add paste to pot and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add raisins, chicken and water and cook for 12 minutes more. Make sure chicken is done and server hot over rice.

The recipe actually called for cashews but I didn’t have any on hand. It was very nice with the peanuts, but I would like to give it a try with the cashews. The recipe also called for lemon juice instead of lime juice, and tomato paste instead of Maggi Hot and Sweet.

Mango Madness - Mango Shake

2008-06-08T13:24:00.012-05:00

With summer approaching, we feel a need to add more fruits to our diets. While picking up some fresh produce at the grocery store the other day, we got the urge to check out the mangoes in the hopes of finding some Indian mangoes. We walked over to inspect, knowing that the bright red mangoes were not from

India

, and sure enough they were from

Mexico

. However, almost hidden beside the giant red mangoes were smaller yellow mangoes that looked and smelt just like some of the ones that our Nana grows in his back yard. Even though they were a bit expensive (4 for $5 USD) we picked some up. As soon as we got home and put the groceries away, we got out our blender and made Mango Shakes!

Mango Shake
1 serving

1 ripe mango diced
¾ c. milk
3-4 ice cubes
sugar to taste

Throw all ingredients into the blender and blend well!

I am entering these lovely yellow mangoes and this mango shake into this month’s Click! Event, hosted by Bee and Jai of Jugalbundi. This month’s event is a very special one and the theme is Yellow in honor of our dear blogger friend Briana Brownlow of Figs with Bri who is having a reoccurrence of breast cancer. Please do go to the event webpage to see how you can help Bri fight her fight.

Inspiration Award

2008-06-06T13:33:00.008-05:00

I wasn’t sure if there was a protocol for this sort of thing, but I have so enjoyed blogging and getting to know other bloggers through their recipes and pictures, that I felt inspired to start an award. There are so many blogs that I can just sit down and loose myself in. Recipe after recipe, story after story, picture after picture…they either make me really hungry or totally inspired to try it myself! That is the idea behind my award. It is based on Inspiration. What inspires you when you cook, when you dream, when you go about your everyday life?

The Inspiration Award

This is given to bloggers whose stories and recipes inspire us. Whether it’s to eat healthier, dive back into our past to conjure up something we ate as children, or just make the light bulbs in our brains go on with a new idea for a recipe.

As recipients of this award, please share with us what inspires you and then pass on the Inspiration Award to 4 other deserving bloggers.

Please let them know what the award means and what to do with it.

Feel free to post the Inspiration Award Logo on your site for the whole blogsphere to see. (logo photo taken by my inspiring friend and co-author of Dueling Foodies, Beth.)

To start things off, I would like say that I am inspired by:

1. An empty dishwasher/kitchen sink and a full pantry full of ingredients.
2. The beautiful sunsets that we are blessed with every night here on the Gulf Coast of Florida.
3. My mom who cooked for us every night when we were growing up; when it comes to her cooking, I have some big shoes to fill.
4. My husband who, no matter what I make, always tells me it’s the best he has ever had.

Although there are so many of you who inspire me on a daily basis, I am passing the award on the following bloggers as they all have been so kind and encouraging:

Arundathi of Arundathi’s Food Blog
Sashree of A Warm Welcome to all the Foodies
Pravs of Simply Spicy
Asha of Foodie’s Hope

Congratulations!

Summer Picnics - Shredded BBQ Sandwiches

2008-06-03T10:35:00.004-05:00

I grew up on a farm in Northeast Ohio. We had cows, pigs, goats, chickens, dogs, cats, and horses. We had a big garden and grew our own vegetables. We had a saying regarding our corn crop…it had to be ‘knee high by the Fourth of July’ and if it was, we knew it was going to be good. I have many wonderful memories of my childhood but one thing I remember very fondly was our many many family barbeques outside. Our house was right next door to my maternal grandparent’s house and on the other side of them was my aunt and uncle’s house. So every Sunday we would get together for lunch at grandma’s after church and then in the summers, we would get together for a picnic in the evening. One dish to always grace our picnic table was Shredded BBQ Sandwiches. You can make these sandwiches with any type of meat you would like.

Shredded BBQ Sandwiches

1.5 lbs meat shredded
2 c. water
2 medium onions diced
1 T. butter
1 T. garlic powder
2 T. vinegar
2 T. worcestershire sauce
16 oz. ketchup
1 T. red chili flakes
salt to taste
1 T. paprika

Cook the meat in the oven or in a crock pot with water until tender. Add whatever spices you would like to the meat before cooking it (I add garlic powder and chili flakes). Once meat is tender, shred it. Meanwhile, melt butter in a pot and sauté onions. Add remaining ingredients and cook for about 5 minutes. Add sauce to the shredded meat and mix well. Taste and play around with the seasoning. Eat plain or between two pieces of bread.

Fundraiser for Bri

2008-06-02T11:06:00.004-05:00

This is an appeal on behalf of a group of food bloggers who are friends of Briana Brownlow @ Figs With Bri.

Bri was diagnosed with breast cancer two and half years ago. A mastectomy, chemotherapy and two years of relatively good health later, the cancer is back. It has metastasized to other parts of her body. At the age of 15, Bri lost her 41-year old mother to the disease. Now, she’s waging her own war against breast cancer. More about it here.

She is going through intensive chemo and other treatments and needs to focus single-mindedly on healing and finding what treatment works best for her. Her health insurance, unfortunately, does not cover holistic alternatives which she would like to try. Bri and her husband Marc have enough on their plates right now in addition to worrying about her medical bills.

The team organising the JUNE edition of CLICK at Jugalbandi has organised a fundraiser to help Bri and her family meet her out-of-pocket medical costs for ONE YEAR.

CLICK is a monthly theme-based photography contest hosted by Jugalbandi. This month’s theme is: YELLOW for Bri

Yellow is the colour of hope. Through the work of the LiveStrong Foundation, it has also come to signify the fight against cancer.

The entries can be viewed HERE. The deadline for entries is June 30, 2008. The fundraiser will extend until July 15, 2008.

The target amount is 12,000 U.S. dollars. We appeal to our fellow bloggers and readers to help us achieve this. Bri deserves a chance to explore all options, even if her insurance company thinks otherwise.

There’s a raffle with exciting prizes on offer. After viewing the list, you may make your donation HERE or at the Chip-In button on any participating site.

Your donation can be made securely through credit card or Pay Pal and goes directly to Bri’s account.

This month’s photo contest also has some prizes. Details HERE.

You can support this campaign by donating to the fundraiser, by participating in CLICK: the photo event, and by publicising this campaign.

A Smile

2008-05-30T09:49:00.003-05:00

I meant to tack this onto my last post, however, it slipped my mind. I was very flattered to receive a wonderful award from dear Sashree of A Warm Welcome to all the Foodies... She passed on the You Make My Day Award to me. I think we all know how special it is to see that someone has left a comment on one of our posts that we are so very proud of. Sashree, if you hadn't given me this award, I would have most definitely given it to you for all the encouraging comments you leave for me. I am really glad I made your day! I would like to pass this onto the following five bloggers:

Arundathi of Arundathi's Food Blog
Uma of Essence of Andhra
TBC of The Budding Cook
Dana of Dana McCauley's Food Blog
Jenn of Design Nest

Arundathi, I always know there will be a comment from you and you honestly do make my day!

Uma, your comments are always so encouraging and sweet!

TBC, although you just recently came across my blog, I am so glad you did!

Dana, your comments always make me laugh. Your blog is so witty, I just love reading it!

and Jenn, although your blog is not a food blog, I just really hope everyone looks at it to see one of the most adorable babies ever!

Time and Thai Again - Thai Chicken Curry

2008-05-29T17:33:00.005-05:00

About a week ago, Parvez and I went to a restaurant called Cheeseburger in Paradise. It’s a chain restaurant owned by Jimmy Buffet. We were in the mood for tropical drinks and island food. We ordered these amazing strawberry coladas (which I hope to replicate and post on here!) and Chicken Satay. The sauce that they served with these chicken kebabs was just amazing. It was this Coconut Curry sauce and it had just enough sweet in it to not make you sick, but just enough to make you want to put it on everything!

We don’t have a grill so I couldn’t make chicken kebabs, so instead I just decided to make a chicken curry while trying to replicate the same taste in the sauce from the restaurant. I have to say that I did NOT successfully accomplish that task, but I did come up with a tasty dish. I present my Thai Chicken Curry!

Thai Chicken Curry

1 lb. chicken breast diced 1 inch pieces
2 t. curry powder
2 t. garlic powder
1 t. red chili flakes
¾ c. unsweetened coconut milk
1 T. creamy peanut butter
¼ t. ginger powder
2 t. lime juice
2 T. soy sauce
½ t. garlic minced
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Heat oil in a pot. Turn down the heat to low and add chicken. Add curry powder, garlic powder and red chili flakes. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine coconut milk, peanut butter, ginger powder, lime juice, soy sauce, minced garlic and salt. After 10 minutes of cooking the chicken, add the coconut milk mixture and cook until chicken is completely done.

Simple with Flavor - Aloo Capsicum

2008-05-28T11:22:00.008-05:00

I was very happy to see that the Vegetable of the Week and the JFI Event were focusing on Bell Peppers. This month, Pooja of My Creative Ideas who also happens to be the creator of Vegetable of the Week is hosting both events jointly. The Jihva For Ingredients Event was the brainchild of Indira of Mahanandi.

There are so many different kinds of peppers to choose from at the grocery stores these days. Some are hot and some are mild. Some are colorful and some are green. Some are sweet and some aren’t. No matter what type of dish you are making, Bell Peppers will always fit the bill. They are a nice compliment to what ever you may be cooking. As my entry into these events, I choose to make Aloo Capsicum as it is a simple dish, with a lot of flavor.

Aloo Capsicum
(serves 4)

4 medium potatoes peeled and diced
1 medium onion diced
3 large green bell peppers diced
1 t. black mustard seeds
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. turmeric
2 t. red chili powder
2 t. red chili flakes
3 t. salt

Heat oil in a pot and add mustard seeds. Once seeds start to sizzle, add diced potatoes. After about 10 minutes, add onions and peppers. Reduce heat to medium and cover for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add all spices and cover until potatoes are tender. Serve hot with yogurt. I made it really spicy so I needed a lot of yogurt!

CLICK! : Full Moong

2008-05-28T10:07:00.007-05:00

Out of all the lentils that I have in my pantry, Moong Dal is by far the prettiest in my opinion. They are tiny green pearls with little black and white eyes that fall through your fingers. When this month's Click Event was announced, created and hosted by Bee and Jai of Jugalbandi, I knew that I would like to use these tiny little lentils. I took two photos I liked, but I will be submitting the top photo to the Click Event: Beans n' Lentils.

Very Special Day - Chocolate Creme Brulee

2008-05-20T11:56:00.011-05:00

This post is a very special one. May 19^th was our first wedding anniversary. It was this time last year that my husband and I gathered about 30 of our closest friends and family on a beach in San Juan, Puerto Rico for our wedding. It was such a perfect event, couldn’t have been better in any way. My husband, who was born and raised in

India

, came to the

for college. We met in undergrad and dated for 6 years before tying the knot last year. Our first wedding in Puerto Rico, was very untraditional to say the least. It was held on the beach at sunset and was a non-denomination ceremony. The very next day, both families and a few friends joined us on a Caribbean cruise for 7 days. It was a wonderful time filled with many fond memories. The following photos were taken by our photographer James Perez of James Perez Fine Images in Puerto Rico.

We wanted to have a wedding in the

and also a Hindu wedding in

India

. Because of school and work schedules, we weren’t able to make it over to

India

before this past January and that was when our Indian wedding was held. After two ceremonies, we are thoroughly married!

The custom in the United States in regards to first wedding anniversaries is this: after the wedding, the bride and groom must freeze their wedding cake and not eat it again until their first wedding anniversary. As I mentioned, our wedding was a bit untraditional, and we didn’t have a wedding cake. Instead, we had a wonderful sit down dinner with a choice of chocolate crème brulee or warm caramelized apples. So, to celebrate our first anniversary, I decided to make chocolate crème brulee. I have never made any type of crème brulee before, so this was quite an adventure. Here is what I did…

Chocolate Crème Brulee
(2 servings)

2/3 c. whipping cream
2 T. & 2 t. of white sugar
3 T. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 egg yolks
1 t. vanilla extract
2 T. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place two 6 oz. ramekins in a 9”x13” baking dish. Fill water in the baking dish until about ¾ of the way up the ramekins. Bring cream and white sugar to a simmer on the stove, whisking constantly. Once it simmers, remove from heat and add chocolate. Whisk until chocolate melts and it becomes creamy. Take two egg yolks and break them in a bowl, stirring them together. Take and scoop three spoonfuls of egg yolks into the cream mixture, one at a time, whisking constantly (this is how I measured 1 1/3 egg yolk). Once all three spoonfuls have been added and blended in, add the vanilla and mix well. Pour mixture into ramekins. Place baking dish with ramekins in the oven for 50 minutes. Once done, remove from oven and sprinkle brown sugar on top of custard. Place under the broiler for 4 minutes until sugar melts. Let cool before eating. You can eat it warm or put it into the refrigerator and eat it chilled.

Quiche Please!

2008-05-16T09:12:00.011-05:00

I have been wanting to make quiche ever since we visited our friends Gaurav and Larissa in Boston last year. She made this really yummy quiche and she made it look so easy, so finally I just broke down and made one! I do have to admit that I did use a pre-made pie crust. I think I will try to make the crust myself next time as I felt the one I used was too doughy. Also, I choose to use bacon in this quiche, but please feel free to substitute with green peppers or broccoli or any other vegetable or meat that you like! So, in honor of our friends Gaurav (who absolutely eats the most eggs of anybody I have ever met!) and Larissa (who is a fantastic cook!), here is my quiche!

Bacon Onion Quiche

1 9” unbaked pie crust
4 eggs beaten
1 c. milk
2 c. cheese shredded (I used Colby)
2 T. flour
8 strips of bacon chopped
¾ c. red onions diced
1 t. black pepper
2 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie crust on a cookie sheet covered in foil. Mix cheese with flour and spread evenly in the pie crust. Next fry up the chopped bacon until desired crispiness. Scoop bacon onto some paper towels to absorb the oil. I then removed the fat oil from the pan and then fried up the onions for about 2 minutes. Add both onions and bacon on top of the cheese in the pie crust.

Mix together beaten eggs, milk, and spices. Carefully pour the egg mixture into the pie crust. You will notice the cheese and bacon and onions may rise to the top. Place quiche on baking sheet in the middle of the oven at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Enjoy!

Little Italy - Lasagna

2008-05-14T11:31:00.003-05:00

Our house smelled wonderful last evening. The aroma of garlic, onions and tomatoes filled the kitchen. On the menu was lasagna and garlic bread with a romaine lettuce salad. For whatever reason, I don’t think it’s necessary to follow a recipe when making lasagna. As long as you have your layers down pat, (noodles, meat/veggie tomato sauce, and cheese) you can’t go wrong. One great thing about lasagna is that it can be made with meat or veggies or both! It was a “Little Italy” night.

However, did you know the origin of lasagna actually has been claimed by the Greeks and British as well as the Italians? It certainly seems Italian and maybe the way we eat it now was perfected by the Italians, however, the word lasagna is derived from the Greek word laganon, which was a kind of flat sheet of pasta dough cut into stripes. The recipe for lasagna was featured in the first cookbook ever written in England, leading to an urban legend that the dish originated in the British Isles. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Where ever it came from, it certainly is a favorite among many people from all over the world.

Lasagna

8 lasagna noodles
1.5 lbs of ground meat (or veggies!)
3 c. tomato sauce
1 large white onion diced
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 t. garlic minced
2 t. garlic powder
16 oz. ricotta cheese
2 eggs
½ c. parmesan/ramano sprinkle cheese
1 t. oregano
1 t. parsley
2 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. black pepper
8 slices of mozzarella cheese
1 c. mozzarella cheese
salt to taste

Cook noodles as per the instructions on the box in salted water. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pot and add onions and minced garlic. After cooking for about 3 minutes, add the ground meat (or veggies!) and cook until done. Add the tomato sauce, red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix ricotta cheese, eggs, parmesan/ramano cheese, oregano, parsley, black pepper and salt.

Put a little bit of the sauce on the bottom of a 9”x13” baking dish. Then add a layer of noodles (4 noodles). Next add half the tomato sauce mixture. Next add the slices of mozzarella cheese. Next add half the ricotta cheese mixture. Next layer is back to noodles, then comes the rest of the tomato sauce mixture, followed by the rest of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top the ricotta cheese with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Note: You may notice that the top of my lasagna looks a little orange. Well, I thought I had picked up some shredded mozzarella cheese at the grocery store but I hadn’t. I had to use cheddar and provolone instead. I would definitely recommend mozzarella though.

Top 10 Picture MeMe

2008-05-12T13:19:00.014-05:00

Thank you so much Sashree of A Warm Welcome to all the Foodies for tagging me for a Top 10 Picture MeMe! Although I barely have 10 photos, I am very happy to share my favorites! In return, I would like to tag:

Arundathi of Arundathi's Food Blog
Prema of My Cookbook
DK of DK's Culinary Bazaar
Deeba of Passionate about Baking

My Top Ten Picture MeMe in no particular order:

Pista Kulfi

Rajma Chawal

Sour Cream Chicken

Poha

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

Paneer

Fiesta Pasta Salad

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

Vegetable Chowder

Spiced Chai

RCI - Rajasthani Teenmel Dal

2008-05-11T00:11:00.003-05:00

Yes, you heard me correctly, ‘Teen’mel Dal. If you are thinking, wait a minute, the Rajasthani Dal is called Panchmel Dal, you would be right. However, being miles away from an Indian grocery store, I was forced to use what I had on hand, and unfortunately, I only had three kinds of lentils. Normally, Rajasthani Panchmel Dal has five (five = panch in Hindi) kinds of lentils: chana, moong, urad, toor, and masoor. My Teenmel Dal has three (three = teen in Hindi) kinds of lentils: chana, moong, and urad. I hope, even though it isn’t authentically Rajasthani, that this dish will be acceptable for the RCI: Rajasthan event created by Lakshmik of Veggie Cuisine and hosted this month by Padmaja of Spicyandhra.

This recipe was sent to me from Ms. Nadeem Qureshi all the way from Calcutta, India. I had called my mother-in-law to ask for some advice regarding a Rajasthani recipe. I had traveled throughout Rajasthan on my first trip to India, however, was very unfamiliar with the cuisine that we had. My mother-in-law asked Ms. Qureshi to send me some recipes, and even though she was a little under the weather at the time, she most graciously did. So thank you Ms. Qureshi for these wonderful recipes from Rajasthan. I hope I did the dish justice, even though I was two lentils short.

Rajasthani Teenmel Dal

¼ c. chana dal
¼ c. moong dal
½ c. urad dal
½ t. turmeric
3 T. oil
4-5 cloves
½ t. cumin seeds
1 in. piece of ginger
2 dried red chilies
2 T. coriander leaves
2 green chilies
1 t. coriander powder
1 t. cumin powder
½ t. red chili powder
2 medium tomatoes diced
pinch of asafetida
½ t. garam masala
salt to taste

Soak lentils for 3 ½ hours, then cook in salted water with turmeric until done. In the meantime, make a paste out of the green chilies and ginger. Heat oil in a pot on the stove and add asafetida, cumin seeds, dried red chilies and cloves. Once cumin seeds start to turn brown, add green chili/ginger paste along with coriander leaves. Let cook for 2 minutes. Add cumin powder, coriander powder and red chili powder and cook until brown. Add tomatoes and cook until oil separates. Add lentils, salt and water if necessary and cook for 10 minutes. Add garam masala and serve hot over rice.

Taking a Stab at It - Rajma

2008-05-10T10:14:00.003-05:00

Have you ever tried to make something and the moment you get started, you think you have gone wrong? That was my experience with Rajma Chawal. It is a dish that my husband likes a lot and I had extra kidney beans in the pantry so I decided to give it a try. I wasn’t following a recipe, just trying to do it from memory. Before starting, he coached me to make sure I cook the vegetables really good, almost burn them so that the flavor is really strong. Armed with only those instructions, here is my recipe (which turned out really good I might add) for Rajma Chawal.

Rajma Chawal

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 15 oz can of kidney beans
1 medium onion diced extra fine
5 garlic cloves diced
1 t. ground ginger
3 green chilies, sliced once down the middle
3 tomatoes diced
½ t. turmeric
½ t. ground coriander
½ t. garam masala
1 t. chili powder
salt to taste

Heat oil in a pot and add garlic, ginger, and green chilies. Cook uncovered until they are getting a little brown, stirring constantly. Add onions and tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Add salt and turmeric and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add kidney beans, chili powder, coriander, and garam masala and stir well. Cook for another 10-15 minutes. Serve over rice with some yogurt.

Comfort Food - Vegetable Chowder

2008-05-09T08:12:00.004-05:00

I was away for work for the past couple of days and so after a 5 hour drive yesterday, I didn’t feel like doing much. My husband, being the sweetheart that he is, cleaned the house and did the laundry while I was away. After learning of this, I was energized and felt like making him something nice in the kitchen. I decided to make this great soup recipe I found in a cookbook by Rachel Ray, the queen of the Food Network. It was one of her early cookbooks and the name of it is called Comfort Foods. When I started to make the soup, it quickly took a turn away from the recipe on the page and after eating it last night, is a soup I hope to make a lot of in the future. And please believe me when I tell you, except for the 2 T. of oil to start the soup off with, there is absolutely ZERO fat in this dish. So while eating this Comfort Food, you can be comforted by the fact that you aren’t increasing your waistline!

Vegetable Chowder
Adapted from Comfort Foods
By Rachel Ray

3 medium potatoes cubed
1 medium onion diced
1 green bell pepper diced
1½ c. frozen corn
2 T. vegetable oil
3 T. all purpose flour
1 14 oz. can of stock (I used vegetable stock)
2 c. fat free milk
1 T. Old Bay seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a pot and add potatoes. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add onion, bell pepper, salt, pepper, and Old Bay seasoning. (Just incase you are not familiar with Old Bay seasoning, it is a grounded mix of mustard seed, celery seed, red pepper, bay leaves, cloves, allspice, and paprika. It is used a lot to flavor soups and meats.) Cover vegetable mixture and cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, stir in flour and let cook for about 3 minutes.

Add corn, stock, and milk and stir well. Bring soup up to a boil, then simmer for 7 to 10 minutes over medium heat. The soup will thicken as it simmers. I had to add extra salt and pepper at the end as I didn’t feel like there was enough. So make sure you taste the soup before you serve it. This makes a pretty big pot, which is great news because you will want to eat more and more of this!

Think Spice...Think Cardamom

2008-05-08T08:01:00.011-05:00

To be honest, I don’t have a lot of experience with cardamom. I have had a lot of dishes with cardamom in it, but I have not used it much in my cooking. So when it was time to Think Cardamom, a monthly blog event created by Sunita of Sunita’s World, I went to my pantry. On my last trip to

India

, I brought some green cardamom pods home with me, but I had no ground cardamom on hand. A friend of mine, Beth, is a genius cook with tons of great ideas and recipes. Not too long ago she came across a recipe for Kulfi that I had wanted to try and since its main spice is cardamom, I thought this would be a great time to do so. The recipe called for ground cardamom, which I had none. So feeling lazy and honestly intimidated by the idea of grinding up my own spices, I went off to the grocery store in search of ground cardamom. I was completely shocked when I saw that the only bottle of ground cardamom at the grocery store was a 6 oz. bottle for $9.00 USD! I actually gasped out loud and exclaimed to the woman standing next to me, “I can’t believe I need ½ t. of this and they want $9.00 for it!” So I quickly put the bottle back on the shelf and drove home. I got 8 green cardamom pods from my pantry, dry fried them on low heat, put them in my grinder and ground them up as fine as I could. When I opened up the grinder and smelled the cardamom, it was a wonderful and victorious smell!

Pista Kulfi
Adapted from Indian Cooking
by Suvir Saran and Stephanie Lyness

1 can (12-14 oz.) evaporated milk
1 can (12-14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 c. cream
¾ c. ground pistachios
½ t. ground cardamom

Blend all ingredients together in a blender. Pour into a loaf pan (or other container) and place in the freezer overnight. One tip I learned about the hard way, line your container with plastic wrap so when you remove it from the freezer and turn it over, it won’t stick to the container and it will come right out.

I am submitting this recipe to Think Spice…Think Cardamom, hosted this month by EC of Simple Indian Food. Thanks so much EC for hosting. I look forward to the round-up and all the other cardamom recipes now that I am armed with the power to grind my own spices!

The Big Easy - Sour Cream Chicken

2008-05-05T09:57:00.008-05:00

My husband asked me the other night if I remembered a recipe his mother had prepared for us last year when his family came over for our wedding. I wasn’t quite sure so the search for the elusive chicken recipe was on. Finally, after a couple of calls to

India

, I tracked it down and I have to say that it is one of the easiest recipes I have ever come across for chicken. Again, I made mine with fat free ingredients, but feel free to use whatever you want.

Sour Cream Chicken

1-1½ lb. chicken cutlets cubed
1 c. sour cream
1-2 green bell peppers sliced
1-2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 t. black mustard seeds
1 t. red chili flakes
salt to taste

Heat oil in a pot on stove. Add chicken cubes and cook on medium heat until all sides are white. Move chicken to one side and add mustard seeds and green pepper. Once mustard seeds start to sizzle, mix everything together and add red chili flakes and salt. Stir in sour cream and cook on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes.

Almost Cinco de Mayo

2008-05-02T13:51:00.011-05:00

Where I grew up in Northeastern Ohio, we had a plethora of Italian restaurants. As far as ethnic cuisine, that was pretty much it. There were the national food chain restaurants like Chi Chi’s and all the little Chinese places, but if you didn’t like Italian food, you were going to be disappointed. In grade school, every month the school’s cafeteria would send the next month’s school menu to our homes so we could decide which days we wanted to pack our lunches or which days we wanted to buy our lunches. My mother normally always packed my lunch for me, but there were certain days that I wanted to buy. One of those days was when they had Tacos.

Tacos were a big treat as we didn’t have many Mexican restaurants around. A few nice ones crept in just before the time I moved out of the area. When I moved to Florida a few years ago, I discovered that the further south you go in the

United States

, the more Mexican food you will find. I am sure it grows by twice as much the further Southwest you go. I have been fortunate to have traveled to

Mexico

many times and have tasted authentic Mexican food. There really isn’t anything else like it. That is why when I saw that DK of DK’s Culinary Bazaar was holding “A Worldly Epicurean’s Delight” and was featuring Mexican food, I started racking my brain for what to make.

This is what I came up with. SUPER simple and so light and delicious. For this attempt, I used all fat free ingredients and it turned out great. I can only imagine what it would taste like with full fat ingredients!

Fiesta Pasta Salad
Adapted from Easy Dinners: Vegetarian
By Carrie Holcomb

2 c. pasta (I used rotini)
¾ c. frozen kernel corn
½ c. sour cream
½ c. salsa
1 T. cilantro snipped
1 T. lime juice
1 15 oz. can of black beans drained
3 medium tomatoes chopped
1 medium white onion chopped
½ c. shredded cheddar cheese
corn chips

Cook pasta according to directions on the package. With about 5 minutes to go until pasta is cooked, add corn. Once done, drain then rinse with cold water. Drain again.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, salsa, lime juice and cilantro. Mix well and set aside. In a larger bowl, combine black beans, tomatoes, onion, cheddar cheese and pasta/corn mixture. Stir in sour cream mixture until everything is well coated. Cover and place in the refrigerator until chilled (or eat it immediately like I did!!). To add a bit of texture, I topped my salad with corn chips for a nice crunch.

Made My Day!

2008-04-30T15:22:00.010-05:00

I was finishing up work for the day and just before I shut my computer down, I thought I would check on my blog to see if anyone had left any comments for my latest post. I am sure everyone goes through this, but when you are new to blogging, it is such a wonderful feeling to get a comment from anyone regarding your posts. Low and behold, I had a comment and it was from Arundathi of Arundathi's Food Blog. It wasn't just any comment, but she was letting me know that she was passing on the Yummy Blog Award to me. Arundathi, if you could have only seen my excitement! Needless to say, I was very touched and so very grateful that Arundathi passed the award onto me.

The award was originally started by Roopa of Kitchen Treats. Roopa said that the "Yummy Blog Award is the award given to the blog with the most yummy recipes/photos”. By receiving this award, I have to share with you my two favorite desserts and also pass the award onto four other fellow bloggers.

I would have to say my most favorite dessert would probably be Key Lime Pie. I had it for the first time on a family vacation to the Caribbean and I have been trying to replicate it ever since! Another favorite dessert of mine would have to be Jalebi. The first time I had Jalebi was in Mussoorie on my very first visit to India about 6 years ago. My husband's Nana lives in Dehradun and we went on a day trip to Mussoorie and we stopped for some freshly made Jalebi. I thought I was in heaven!

Thank you again Arundathi for thinking of me for this award. In turn, I would like to pass it on to the following bloggers for their wonderful blogs and recipes:

Pravs @ Simply Spicy

Gretchen @ Canela & Comino

Nupur @ One Hot Stove

Padmaja @ Spicyandhra

Please see Roopa's blog for complete instructions, but in short, please post the Yummy Blog Award logo on your blog for all to see along with a description of what the award means. Also, discuss two of your favorite desserts and pass on the award to four deserving bloggers! Congratulations!

One in a Million - Poha

2008-04-28T09:11:00.007-05:00

Probably my favorite of all Indian breakfast dishes is Poha. For those of you who are not familiar with what Poha is, it is rice that is flattened into light dry flakes. It is mostly used in Indian snacks or breakfast dishes. I know there are an awful lot of ways to prepare this dish, however, mine is simply onions, potatoes, chilies, peanuts and poha. On our last visit to

India

in January, we had Poha prepared with peas and corn. Because I love this dish, I would be very interested to know how other cooks prepare their Poha. Please leave me a comment if you’d like to share your ingredient list. Also, what type of chutneys or condiments do you use with yours?

Poha

2 c. thick poha
1 medium onion diced
2 green chilies diced
3 medium potatoes peeled and diced
½ c. lightly salted peanuts
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 t. cumin seeds
1 t. garlic minced
1 t. turmeric
1 t. chili powder
2 t. salt
1 t. red chili flakes
¼ c. distilled vinegar

Place poha in colander, rinse thoroughly with water, and let sit to absorb. Heat oil in pot on stove and add cumin seeds and minced garlic. Add potatoes, onions, green chilies, and peanuts. Cook uncovered for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly so the vegetables don’t burn. Add chili powder, salt, and red chili flakes. Reduce heat to medium and stir occasionally until potatoes are soft. Add the poha to the vegetable mixture, stirring well. Add turmeric and vinegar, cover and cook on low to medium heat for 10-15 minutes. I find that vinegar adds a tangy flavor and helps create moisture in the pot so that the poha can absorb all of the spices in the vegetables. Lime juice might also be a nice substitute. I serve hot with yogurt and Maggi Hot & Sweet.

CLICK! : Almond Glow

2008-04-23T08:49:00.009-05:00

April's Click theme is 'Au Naturel' and I have decided to enter a picture of some almonds in my mortar. Almonds are amazingly good for you. A handful of almonds everyday can help lower your cholesterol and may even aid in weight loss/maintenance. I try to eat five almonds in the morning with some raisins and then again in the evening. Because Almonds seem to be the 'wonder nut', I have picked them as my entry into the April Click Event, hosted by Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi.

Easy Vegetarian - Aloo Gobi

2008-04-22T16:36:00.010-05:00

I am not a vegetarian, however, I rarely eat meat. I just enjoy vegetables much more than meat, so I tend to choose vegetarian dishes. Because my husband craves meat, I can’t just do what I want and make all vegetarian dishes for dinner. However, there are a couple of vegetarian dishes that he just loves, and on those nights, I can get away with not cooking any non-veg. Aloo Gobi is one of those dishes. It was one of the first Indian dishes I learned to make. Parvez showed me how he used to make it when he was growing up in

India

, and my mother-in-law shared a few tips as well. Although it takes a while to fully cook the potatoes and cauliflower, I think this dish is pretty simple.

Aloo Gobi
(Indian Potatoes and Cauliflower)

1 head cauliflower (separate into bite size florets)
5 medium potatoes cubed
2-3 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 t. cumin seeds
2 t. turmeric
1 t. salt
1 t. chili powder
1 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. garlic powder

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. After the cumin sizzles, add cubed potatoes and cauliflower florets and stir. Turn the heat down to medium and add turmeric, salt, chili powder, red chili flakes, and garlic powder. Once potatoes and cauliflower are coated with the spices, cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally. When the cover is put on, it will trap the moisture from the vegetables in the pot and enable them to cook. Cook until the potatoes and cauliflower are soft.

Sick Day - Pulao

2008-04-16T13:57:00.006-05:00

I was not feeling well this weekend, I think I might have come down with a cold. As I am sure you know, no one feels like eating anything when they are feeling sick, let alone prepare a meal. I decided that Pulao might be a good option as its super simple and nice and warm. I highly recommend this dish, or one of the other million ways to make it, if you are having a sick day.

Pulao

1 c. rice
2 c. water
1 t. cumin seeds
¾ c. mixed vegetables
1 t. turmeric
1 t. garam masala
1 T. salt
chopped cashews (optional)

Wash rice well. Dry fry the cumin seeds in a medium sized pot on the stove. Add washed rice, water, mixed vegetables (I just used the store bought mixed veggies in the frozen food aisle), turmeric, garam masala, and salt. Stir and turn heat to low. Cook for 45-50 minutes or until rice is cooked and water has evaporated. Serve hot with chopped cashews on top with plain yogurt on the side.

What a Wonderful Smell

2008-04-14T16:00:00.008-05:00

One of the most wonderful smells is bread baking. It’s that soft, warm, comforting smell and you can’t wait to try it as soon as it’s done. Banana bread is no exception. There are not many things better that a warm slice of banana bread with butter and a hot cup of tea or coffee in the morning for breakfast. As much as I love bananas, I thought I would add a few extra ingredients to make my banana bread more like a dessert. It still needs some tweaking so if you have any suggestions, please feel free to share them with me. Here is my first attempt at Banana Bread:

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
½ t. nutmeg
½ t. cinnamon
½ c. butter (room temperature)
¾ c. brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
3 large bananas mashed
½ c. shredded coconut
½ c. mini chocolate chips
1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9” x 5” baking pan. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a bowl. In the mixer, cream the butter with the brown sugar. Add the eggs, mashed bananas, coconut, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Once mixed well, add the banana mixture to the flour mixture. Use a spoon and stir the two mixtures together until you have a slightly thick batter. Pour the batter in the prepared baking pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean. Let bread sit for about 15 minutes before eating.

I am sending this to Not Quite Nigella for her Banana Bread Bake-off. I can't wait to see all the other entries for this event!

A Strawberry Delight

2008-04-13T16:23:00.007-05:00

This recipe is one my mom used to make when I was little. It’s great to take to a picnic or a family get-together and is a big hit with kids since it has jello! This recipe can be made with lowfat or fat free ingredients as well as full fat ingredients. I have always used strawberries but I am sure you can choose another fruit and another jello flavor. It’s a very simple dessert and I hope you all enjoy it!

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

First Layer – Pretzel Crust

3 c. pretzels broken up
¾ c. butter or margarine melted
3 T. sugar

Crush up pretzels by putting them in a zip-lock bag and rolling them with a rolling pin. Pretzels should be in pieces, not ground into a powder. Combine crushed pretzels with melted butter and sugar. Spread out the pretzel mixture in a 9” x 13” baking dish and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Second Layer – Cream Cheese Filling

8 oz. package of cream cheese softened
1 c. sugar
8 oz. container of Cool Whip

Beat together cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Add the Cool Whip and mix well. Once blended, pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the baked pretzel crust and spread out evenly.

Third Layer – Jello

2 c. boiling water
1 large box of strawberry jello
1 pint frozen strawberries

Empty the strawberry jello into a bowl and pour the boiling water over it and dissolve. Add frozen strawberries (I quartered mine) to the jello and let it set slightly. Don’t allow to set all the way. Once the jello is starting to get a little thick, pour the mixture over the cream cheese layer and place the dish in the refrigerator to firm completely. Best to give it 3-4 hours before eating.

Trying to Replicate an Old Favorite

2008-04-11T15:23:00.015-05:00

I grew up in Northeast Ohio (Youngstown, OH to be exact) and one of the best things about living up there was the food. One restaurant that I love, especially when I was little, was a place called Max & Erma’s. It is a chain restaurant so they were in a lot of places up north. They were known for their cheeseburgers, but what I remember most were their Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches. They were divine. Once my husband and I started dating, we stopped at Max & Erma’s one night, and I was raving about these sandwiches. Parvez, being Indian, loves anything spicy so he tried it, and it soon became his favorite meal there as well. Now that we have moved south, we sure miss those sandwiches. Some restaurants in the area have them, but they are just not the same.

Why I haven’t tried to make it before, I am not sure, maybe I was worried I wouldn’t come close to the real deal. But last night, I decided to go for it; Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained.

I don’t want to say I replicated it, because I know I didn’t. But it was pretty tasty and my husband liked it a lot, so I guess it’s a keeper. I prepared it with Cajun Potato Wedges and Asparagus. Here is what I did:

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

5 chicken breasts skinless/boneless
1 ½ c. bread crumbs (I used Italian store bought)
1 t. paprika
1 t. chili powder
1 t. salt
1 t. garlic powder
½ t. ground cumin
½ t. ground pepper
¾ c. buffalo wing sauce
whole wheat buns
blue cheese crumbles

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9" x 13" baking dish. In a shallow bowl, mix all dry ingredients (bread crumbs through pepper above). Dip chicken breasts in buffalo wing sauce and then coat them with the bread crumb mixture. Place chicken in baking dish and bake for 50 minutes or until juices run clear.

After they are done, serve on a whole wheat bun with a splash of buffalo wing sauce and blue cheese crumbles.

Cajun Potato Wedges

3-4 medium white potatoes
3-4 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. hot sauce (I used the same sauce I used on the chicken)
1 t. poultry seasoning
1 t. paprika
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper

Cut potatoes into wedges. I quarter the potato and go from there. In a large bowl, combine oil, hot sauce, poultry seasoning, paprika, and cumin. Toss potato wedges in the oil mixture and line them up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle salt and pepper over them and bake them in the oven at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Asparagus
(A recipe from my friend Beth)

1 bundle of asparagus
¼ c. extra virgin olive oil (I use a non-stick spray instead)
course salt

Cut the ends off the asparagus, not the lovely bud ends, but the stalk ends. Depending on the asparagus, I usually cut off an inch to an inch and a half. Rinse the asparagus well. Put foil down on a baking sheet. Rub oil all over the asparagus and line them up on the foil. I usually spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray and then line the asparagus up, and then spray them again once they are on the sheet. Sprinkle salt on the asparagus and place them in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Calorie Counters Beware - Koftas

2008-04-08T16:32:00.011-05:00

I am a calorie counter. Sometimes I call it a diet, sometimes it’s a ‘lifestyle change’, but call it what I will, it’s still counting calories and to be honest, I am not that great at it. I try really hard to watch what I eat and try to prepare our dinners in the least fattening way possible. But every now and then, I just can’t help myself. Last night was one of those nights. This dish is a long time favorite of mine and my husband. In order to cut down on the calories, I bake my koftas in the oven instead of frying them up in a pan. Everything else is pretty standard. Serve with rice and yogurt. Bon Appetite!

Alou Paneer Koftas
(Potato covered Cheese Dumplings)

Ingredients for the Koftas:

2 medium potatoes boiled and mashed
1 c. paneer crumbled
1 green chili diced
1 t. coriander
1 t. red chili powder
2 t. salt

Ingredients for the Masala

1 t. mustard seeds
1 medium onion finely diced
1 green chili diced
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. ginger paste
½ c. cream
1 t. turmeric
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. garam masala
1 c. tomato puree
½ c. water
¾ c. cashews chopped
1 t. red chili powder
1 t. salt
1 t. extra virgin olive oil

First make the Koftas. Preheat oven to 350. Combine the green chili with the mashed potatoes. Add 1 t. of salt and mix well. Next, combine crumbled paneer, coriander, red chili powder and 1 t. salt together. Divide paneer mixture and make tiny round balls, about the size of a quarter. Next, divide the potato mixture and use it to cover each ball of paneer so the paneer is completely enclosed in potato. When done, you should have anywhere between 8 to 10 koftas, depending on their size. Take each kofta and place them in a greased muffin pan. Place pan in the oven and bake for 50 minutes.

While koftas are baking, heat the olive oil in a pot and add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds start to pop, add the onion and green chili. Sauté for about 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger paste, coriander, turmeric and salt. Stir and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add tomato puree, cream, garam masala and red chili powder. Stir and cook for 10 minutes. Add cashews. If the mixture is getting thick, add the water. If you don’t mind it thick, omit the water. Add the oven baked koftas to the gravy, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. You are ready to eat!

To make this dish a little more figure friendly, use skim milk instead of cream and omit the cashews (although the chopped cashews give it a great texture).

Love of Paneer

2008-04-07T23:27:00.022-05:00

If I had to pick my favorite Indian food of all time, I would say without hesitation that it would be Paneer. I don’t quite remember the first time I had paneer, but I am sure I tried it after learning it was the Indian ‘equivalent’ to cottage cheese. I love cheese, any type of cheese, especially cottage cheese. So for those of you who have had paneer, you can certainly imagine my surprise when I tried it and it tasted nothing like cottage cheese. However, it must have tasted awfully good because I have been hooked ever since.

Paneer is not difficult to make, it is just time consuming. In fact, if we lived near an Indian grocery store, I would buy it pre-made to save myself some time. However, if you don’t live near an Indian grocery store and you have about an hour to spare, you can make paneer from scratch. Here is what you need:

Ingredients:

1 gallon whole milk
½ c. lime juice (lemon juice or distilled vinegar can be substituted)
Whole lot of patience

Pour milk into a pot on stove. Turn heat to almost full (stoves with numbers, I put mine at 7 out of 8). Bring milk to a boil. This is the hardest part of the entire process. The milk, once it starts getting warm, will require constant stirring so it does not burn on the bottom. If you have a LOT of patience, you can turn the heat down to medium and stir occasionally. It will just take longer for your milk to boil. I cannot stress enough that one must watch the milk towards the end of the cooking. I learned the hard way that when milk decides to boil, it does it quickly and it shoots out and over the top of the pot and onto your stove top, and counter tops, and kitchen floor, etc.

Once you notice a gentle rolling boil around the edges, remove from heat immediately. Add ¼ c. lime juice for starters. While stirring, you will notice the milk starts to curdle. Add the remaining ¼ c. of lime juice and continue stirring. Once the white curds separate completely from the yellow whey, you are finished.

This is where my process varies from a lot of other recipes. Most people use muslin cloth to drain the whey. To do this, they line a colander with the cloth, and dump in the curds and whey. They gather up the curds in the cloth and wring out any additional whey. Next, they hang the cloth for about 20 minutes to make sure all whey has been properly separated from the curds. Finally, they tie the open end of the cloth, put it under something heavy to smash it down, and then they are able to cut the curds into cubes.

Because I don't have muslin cloth, I drain my curds in a colander as much as possible. Next, I scoop the curds into a square plastic container, like a Glade sandwich container. I press the curds to take the shape of the box. I use the lid of the container to drain any excess whey and then I left the container sit on the counter for about an hour to set. Afterwards, I am able to cut the curds into cubes, and like magic, I have paneer.

After you have made the paneer, there are a number of wonderful dishes you can use it in. Some of my favorites are Paneer Makhani, Mattar Paneer and Paneer Tikka.

Good Luck!