Yummm...?

Upma

2010-02-15T15:31:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

1 inch ginger cut into small pieces
2 green chilies cut into small pieces
1.5 cups rava
Water as needed

Coat the pan with 2 tablespoons of oil. Splutter mustard seeds, add green chilies and ginger, add 4 glasses of water to the pan and add salt. When the water boils, pour the rava into the water while mixing. Keep stirring for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle asoefetida, curry leaves and close the pan.

Upma ready!

Recipe courtesy: Jaya.

Idlis

2010-02-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
3 cups idli rava
2 cups urad dal
Soak this mixture in water overnight.

Grind the urad dal until fine. Separately grind the idli rava. Add salt and mix the two until smooth. Store in fridge.

Optional step: Take 2-3 ladles of the maavu in a container and keep slightly warm overnight.

The next day, oil the idli container, pour the maavu into the idli container and steam for 6 minutes. Move the pressure cooker away from the hot surface. Fluffy idlis will be ready in twenty minutes.

Recipe courtesy -- Jaya.

Tomato soup

2010-01-25T10:36:00.001-08:00

Tried this for mom because she had a cold -- she loved it!

Cauliflower Milagupiratu

2010-01-25T10:20:00.000-08:00

So, I discovered this super funny cookery show site: vahrehvah and have been trying out recipes from there. Today, it was cauliflower pepper mix! Like this guy -- makes me laugh :)

The only additional ingredients I added were a sprinkle of sugar and a little bit of turmeric.

Moong dal payasam (paitham parupu payasam)

2010-01-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

Another one of my copy-cat attempts. Mom had a cup of cooked moong dal (broken yellow moong) left over and she asked me to make something out of it. Dal seemed too boring and so I tried a payasam from sailus food.

The only extra ingredient I added was saffron strands.

Kathrikai rasavangi

2009-11-21T19:18:00.000-08:00

Bookmarking kathrika rasavangi recipe from Menu Today.

Mom and k thought it rocked :)

Krishna Jayanthi 2009 -- Semiya payasam

2009-08-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

Ingredients: Semiya:Milk:Sugar 1:3:1 ratio
Elaichi powder 2 teaspoons, broken cashews and raisins - a handful
Ghee 2 tablespoons

Heat ghee in a kadai and add the cashews to it, wait until they turn golden, add raisins and remove when they soak up the ghee. Keep aside. Add semiya and roast until golden brown. Set aside. Add 2 cups and let it boil, add semiya and stir. Reduce flame to medium-low and make sure semiya doesn't stick to bottom of kadai. Once semiya is almost soft, add sugar and mix well. The whole process should take about 25-30 minutes. Add elaichi powder and mix. Garnish with cashews and raisins. Add Allow to cool. If semiya payasam becomes too thick, add milk as desired and mix.

Maanga pachadi

2009-04-17T07:57:00.001-07:00

Mom's recipe that I tried for Tamil New Year's Day this year and it came out pretty tasty!

2 raw mangoes - cut into rectangular slivers, 1/3rd (of mango) the quantity of vellam (jaggery), curry leaves, 3 green chillies chopped, mustard seeds, grated ginger, gingelly oil, salt.

Add water to just cover the mango slivers and pressure cook for 5 whistles. In a pan add the cooked mango and water, melt the jaggery in it and keep stirring on high-heat for 5-10 minutes until the mixture thickens to a suitable consistency.

In a separate smaller pan,splutter mustard seeds in a few teaspoons of gingelly oil, add it to the mango-jaggery mix, add curry leaves, grated ginger and salt on top.

Some interesting tit-bits I picked up about manga-pachadi -- it's usually made on Tamil New Year's Day and it is supposed to have 5 tastes in it - sweet, pulipu (tangy), karam(spicy), kasapu(bitter -- from neem, in my case from karuvepila) and ginger taste (what is it called? Or perhaps from the salt) so your entire year is filled with these flavors. Cool stuff.

Karadayan Nombu Rava Kesari.

2009-03-31T08:11:00.000-07:00

Another quick recipe that I got from here. I had this tin of organic sweetened condensed milk that I wanted to use up before I drank it all on my own and hence this sweet :)

I should have done a better job ketting the kesari mixed in and then it would have turned a delightful yellow like in the original recipe. Anyhow, k liked it :-)

Quick-fix quinoa and veggies - postpartum meal!

2009-03-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a~, I ventured into the realm of the unknown -- quinoa (pronounced keen-wah)!
It is one of the current super foods, I say current because you know how it is with super foods -- broccoli today, gone tomorrow!

This post is all about super quick means because when you are a new mom and are juggling things until help arrives, every second is precious!

Anyway, the procedure to cook quinoa is super simple (thanks again to a~):

Measure one cup quinoa and one cup water (a bit more if you like), pressure cook for 3 whistles. Chop an onion, two green chillies, grate an inch-sized ginger. In a tablespoon of oil, splutter mustard seeds, fry onions, then add ginger and finally add the quinoa and toss a few times and you are done! Garnish with lemon.

The next item on the menu today is the quickest way to cook vegetables when your baby naps :p
The vegetable can be potatoes, brinjal, zucchini, squash and onion, etc. The method is always the same. Chop the vegetable into any sized pieces (Yup, you read that right), coat an oven-safe container with olive oil, add vegetables, sprinkle a generous amount of black pepper, Italian seasoning, add salt in the end and drizzle some more ahem...EVOO :) Don't ask me why I picked Italian seasoning and not say oregano/rosemary in particular. There was this huge bottle of Italian seasoning staring me in the face and so off it went into the dish! Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 30 mins, mix once and bake for 10 more minutes. That's all. Baby's up, time to play!

Oh! And here is a neat picture of the poha that k always makes (used to make...although I think a~ made this one). He is all into proper presentation as you can tell :)

Kuruma

2008-09-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
2 potatoes, 2 carrots, 1 beetroot, 1 noolkol, green peas (1 cup), khus khus (poppy seeds 2 teaspoons), 1 onion, 2 tomatoes, 4 green chillies, garlic, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, cilantro leaves (1 cup), salt.

Recipe:
Soak khus khus in a little water for 30 minutes. Prepare vegetables (peel and cut to 1/2 finger size pieces), pressure cook the vegetables (1 whistle). Beat onion, tomatoes, soaked khus khus, cilantro and green chilies in a mixie until fine. Splutter muster seeds in oil, add garlic pieces and vegetables, finally add the paste to this mixture, garam masala and salt. Stir until raw smell is gone.

Kozhakattai

2008-09-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

Vinayaka Chaturthi kozhakattai - followed recipe from here :)

Now you know what to do with the leftover rice flour dough!

SriJayanthi Gulab Jamoons

2008-08-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

I never could make gulab jamoons like this from even a ready mix. Mom gave me the following tips, am still not confident though :p

1. Use milk instead of water to mix with the dough
2. Be super careful with milk and dough proportions
3. Pour the sugar syrup when it's still a bit hot over the fried gulab jamoon balls

Gokulashtami Appam, Chithundai and Akkaravadisil

2008-08-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

Appam for Krishna Jayanthi (recipe as before from the yum blog):

Chithundai and sweet butter (mom's recipe):

Ingredients: Jaggery (1 cup), coconut shreds (3/4 cup), ghee (1 tsp)

Melt jaggery, mix coconut over low heat with a teaspoon of ghee until it reaches a sticky consistency.

Akkaravadisal (mom's recipe):

Ingredients: Rice (1/2 cup), milk (2 glasses), jaggery (1 cup), raisins, cashew, ghee, cardamom powder as needed.

Cook rice in milk and smash to a paste. Melt jaggery, add rice paste to it. Season with raisins and cashew fried in ghee and add cardamom powder in the end.

Varalakshmi puja & Avani Avittam

2008-08-17T09:28:00.001-07:00

Tried appam with my mom for the first time yesterday for Avani Avittam, not bad at all for a first attempt. Here is the recipe I followed. Thanks to the yum blog.

Badam milk

2008-05-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

I couldn't find badam milk powder at our desi store and started googling for recipes to make badam milk at home. Came across this recipe and tried it out with pretty nice results. Only I soaked about a handful more almonds and didn't bother to remove the skin (Which means we have a lot more biting to do towards the end but am lazy that way :p)

Original dinner!

2008-04-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

For once, both the sambhar-style-kootu and curry-style-stirfry I made are original recipes, straight from RS's kitchen!

For the sambhar-kootu:

Ingredients: a cup of broccoli florets, a cup of yellow moong dal, a cup of crushed tomatoes or tomato juice, 2 tspn sambhar powder, tadka ingredients (2 teaspoons ghee, pinch of hing (asafoetida), few curry leaves, mustard), salt.

This is a quick recipe, ideal for a weekday meal and worth trying especially if your husband, like mine won't eat broccoli unless it's invisible! Pressure cook the moong dal and broccoli in 2 cups of water. In a kadai, mix the moong dal with the tomatoes, sambhar powder, bring to a boil, add salt. In a small pan, add hing, curry leaves, splutter mustard seeds and add to sambhar. Done and no tell-tale signs of broccoli to deal with!

For the stirfry:

Ingredients: Left over veggies - 1/2 cup carrots (sliced), 1 bell pepper (chopped to cubes), 1/2 an onion (chopped to cubes), 1 ridge gourd, peeled and cut to cubes, few table spoons coconut shreds, 2 red chillies, 1 tspn coriander seeds, 1 tspn cumin seeds, hing, 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 tspn turmeric, 1/2 tspn red chili powder, salt.

There is no method to this madness :p I started by lightly roasting the red chilies, coriander seeds and cumin seeds, added onions, coconut shreds and toasted till light brown. I added the mixture to my mortar and pestle and crushed them as best as I could. Just thought it would be interesting to crush the onions too.

In a kadai, add 2 tablespoons of butter, pinch of hing, fry the veggies for 5-7 mins, add the crushed ingredients, turmeric and red chili powder and continue to fry on medium heat. Add a bit of water as needed to avoid browning the veggies, cook closed for about 5 mins stirring in between. Add salt. Simple and tasty side dish even if I do say so myself :p

roasted sweet potatoes

2008-04-03T06:34:00.000-07:00

Sweet potato wedges roasted with a bunch of spices - yummmm!

We were even eating the little scraps left behind on the plate!

More kuzhambu

2008-04-03T06:33:00.000-07:00

Bookmarking this link for future reference, made an amazing more kuzhambu following this recipe yesterday!

Sambhar

2008-04-01T19:35:00.001-07:00

Followed recipe patiently from Padma's kitchen to make a pretty amazing Udipi Sambhar that k absolutely loved. Another successful day with the mortar and pestle! Yay!

Cauliflower kurma

2008-03-30T19:43:00.001-07:00

Got this new mortar and pestle from ikea and really wanted to try it out today, so I made up this kurma recipe which k claims is the second best dish I make!

Ingredients:
1 tspn coriander seeds, 1 tspn fennel seeds, 2 cloves, 1 clove garlic, 2 green chillies, 1 tspn jeera ground together!
1 cauliflower chopped
1/2 onion chopped
1/4 cup grape tomatoes
1/4 cup grated carrot
few tbspns cream (if desired)
mustard seeds, oil for tadka
cilantro chopped

Really simple recipe. Splutter the muster seeds in hot oil, add the ground spices and fry for a minute or so. Fry the onion until translucent. Add the cauliflower, carrot and tomatoes, cook for five minutes. Add cream, cover and cook for 10 minutes on low-medium. Decorate with chopped cilantro.

Black-eyed peas curry

2008-03-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

Yay! Managed to make my first tasty curry with black-eyed peas! I generally don't like the peas and beans variety (green beans and peas are ok :) but managed to follow instructions religiously from onehotstove this time and make a decent curry!

Javvarasi (Sabudhana) kichadi

2008-03-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

Tried this recipe yesterday and it came out tasting great! I think I oversoaked the sabudhana a bit (more than a day) but didn't do too much damage!

Khadi!

2008-03-21T09:21:00.001-07:00

The khadi recipe that works for me. Bookmarking it here for the future :)

Date (Kajur) chutney

2008-01-04T08:38:00.001-08:00

Another chutney I learnt from k's mom:

Ingredients:
A box of dates, 2 teaspoons jaggery, a teaspoon black salt (adjust as needed), a teaspoon amchur (dry mango powder)

Recipe:
Boil the dates in water in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes (until they become soft enough to crush completely). Let cool and mash it in a food processor with enough water to give it a chutney consistency. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate.

Thiruvadirai Kali & Kootu

2007-12-24T09:36:00.001-08:00

Thiruvadirai falls in the month of Marghazhi and is auspicious for Lord Shiva. Thiruvadirai kali and kootu (thaalagam) are traditional dishes prepared on this day. My mom's recipe below.

Ingredients:
Vegetables - potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beans, mochakottai, pumpkin, seppankizhangu, parangikkai (yellow squash)
Tamarind, red chilli powder, asafoetida powder, curry leaves.
To fry: Channa dal, coriander seeds, dried red chillies.

Add salt and turmeric and steam the vegetables in a pressure cooker. Fry the frying ingredients and powder. After spluttering the mustard seeds in oil, add a small quantity of tamarind water, red chilli powder to taste. Add the steamed vegetables to this and stir for sometime. Finally, add powder from previous step and asafoetida powder. Sprinkle curry leaves and mix.

Ingredients:
Broken raw rice, jaggery, ghee, elaichi powder

Heat the broken raw rice, add milk and water and cook the rice. Add jaggery (1.5 to 1 ratio with rice) to boiling water and stir until it melts and thickens. Remove rice from cooker and add it to the jaggery and stir. Add elaichi powder and ghee if needed. Serve with ghee.

Shrikand.

2007-12-12T12:02:00.000-08:00

k's mom taught me this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup full fat yoghurt (I have also tried this dish with low fat yoghurt, that works too)
1/2 cup sugar
cardamom powder - 1 spoon
kesari (kumkuma poo), pista and almonds crushed

Recipe:

Add the yoghurt to a thin muslin cloth, tie a sturdy thread around it and hang it such that the water from the yoghurt can drip down into a vessel. I usually tie it on a knob from my kitchen shelf. This process takes about 1/2-1 hour.

Take the yummy fatty yoghurt on the top of the cloth, add sugar to it and mix it until it looks smooth and creamy (without lumps).

Add cardamom powder, mix well and top off with the other spices. Refrigerate before serving.

Vendakkai/Okra/Ladies-finger

2007-07-26T13:16:00.000-07:00

Made from scratch, desi ishtyle!

Not so bitter anymore :)

2007-05-23T19:36:00.003-07:00

Yet another tasty subji with karela (bitter-gourd) from Safron Trail. k took one whole serving - woohoo!

Groovy Gourd 'n Gravy!

2007-05-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

Bookmarking the best recipe I have attempted successfully for dudhi (bottle-gourd) or podalangai (snake gourd)!

Nutrition and related information...

2007-05-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

I recently started reading about nutrition and such and discovered quite a few shocking facts, some of which I summarized here.

*** *** ***

The information below is basically to help (or try to help) you decide if you really need to buy organic food:

1. Organic milk - a 1 gallon milk carton costs approximately double that of regular milk.

Is it worth the switch? Yes.

Why? You can look at the Horizon Organic website for starters...

Feel good factor - At least these cows get to see the light of the day and feed on grass as they are supposed to.

2. Organic vegetables - costs vary, organic peppers for example cost almost three times more than conventionally grown pepper.

Is it worth the switch? For some vegetables and most fruits, yes.

EWG has a list of vegetables/fruits that they have found to contain the highest pesticide content, the lower you go in the list, the safer it is to buy conventional vegetables/fruits.

3. If you are an ovo-vegetarian, what about organic eggs? Well, I don't really know the cost difference because I don't buy eggs.

Is it worth the switch? Absolutely, yes.

And this is why.

*** *** ***

And being a South-Indian, rice forms a major part of my diet, so recently convinced myself to switch to brown rice (so also for bread), I add turmeric and mix it with rice and water before cooking - the yellow color of the rice makes it look much more appetizing than the brown :)

*** *** ***

Some info about genetically modified food.

*** *** ***

Stainless-steel rocks! Think twice before you buy non-stick (Teflon) cookware and think even more before using it, if it has cracks etc.

*** *** ***

That's my nutrition update for today :)

Edited: Interestingly, Horizon organic itself seems to be in trouble for not maintaining standards. Time to search for another organic dairy provider, I guess...Organic Valley maybe?

Organized!

2007-04-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

This is how organized I would like to be every weekend, but it happens only once in a while!

Linguini with tomato sauce

2007-03-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

This is a mish-mash of various pasta recipes I've been reading on food blogs and seeing on food network (I highly recommend it for wholesome, family entertainment :)

Ingredients:
Linguine pasta (I added as much as I could hold in my hand :p)
finely chopped tomatoes - 2
finely chopped onion - 1
red chili flakes - 1/2 a palmful
mustard - 1 teaspoon
garlic - 3/4 cloves
1/2 a cup shitake mushrooms (I used frozen)
1/2 cup any store-bought marinara/pasta sauce (I used a combination of salsa and a few teaspoons of peanut sauce)
olive oil - 3/4 teaspoons
cheese - 4-5 teaspoons shredded parmesan, a spoonful of cream cheese
lemon juice - 2 teaspoons
salt - as needed
handful of sunflower seeds and dried cranberries

Recipe:
Boil water (enough to cover the pasta), add salt to the boiling water and add the linguini to it (takes 8-10 minutes to cook). Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, garlic, onion and saute for a few minutes, add the sunflower seeds, red chili flakes, tomatoes, frozen mushroom, the pasta sauce, 1/4 cup of water and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add salt, cranberries and lemon juice. Drain the pasta and add the sauce to it. Toss well and sprinkle the cheeses on it.

Panagam

2007-03-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

Copying this recipe here so I can consult it for the next SriRamaNavami :)

Ingredients
6 tablespoon gur, jaggery, or brown sugar.
2 pinches cardamom (elaiche) powder
1 small piece dried ginger
1 teaspoon lime or lemon juice
pinch of salt
2 cups water

Powder the gur and the dried ginger well. Take water and add the above powders and the cardamom powder. Add salt, and the lime or lemon juice. Stir well and serve.

Source: http://www.beliefnet.com/story/165/story_16514_1.html

Ridge gourd (peerkangai)

2007-03-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I ventured cooking with a vegetable that always scared me. After reading several food blogs featuring ridge-gourd, I decided it was time I stood up to it!

So, I tried Priya's recipe to make a peerkangai chutney and also managed to whip up a peerkangai subji with tomato gravy (I used coconut milk for a creamy gravy) - probably the first time I cooked two different dishes using the skin and pulp of the same vegetable!

I was very apprehensive of the chutney but it was even better than the subji! Am scared of ridge gourd no more!

Icecream medley!

2007-03-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Satish and I take credit for this entirely original icecream medley!

Ingredients:
Breyer's Coffee icecream (or any other icecream, as you can see, I am not very particular with the ingredients :p)
a couple of spoonfuls of Graeters butter-scotch topping
2 Chessmen cookies
1/2 a cup full of strawberries chopped into small pieces
couple of tablespoons of honey

The method in the madness:

Crush the chessmen cookies into powder. To one big scoop of icecream, add the powdered biscuits, then the butterscotch topping, add strawberries and a drizzle of honey. Ta da!

Sindhi dal.

2007-03-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

Since k has the sniffles :) and specifically asked for dal bhath, I googled for a dal recipe that's familiar hence comforting but not too familiar and I found this interesting Sindhi-dal recipe. I upped the ginger a bit and skipped the tamarind and we had a nice dinner to drive away the sniffles :)

Beetroot, kale.

2007-03-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

Today's menu - beetroot curry and kale dal (substituted spinach with kale - thought I would try out some seasonal vegetable before the season runs out!)

Source: Mahanandi

Puliinji and cabbage curry.

2007-03-01T19:18:00.000-08:00

Cabbage curry - Never realized cabbage could taste so good (read healthy) with just five minutes of cooking.
Puliinji - I would put it in the vatha-kuzhambu category. Very tasty!

Couscous and banana/walnut pie!

2007-02-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

Couscous upma and banana walnut pie (thanks to Nandyala), for dinner today!

A colorful feast!

2007-02-06T19:10:00.000-08:00

Cooked up a storm today. Including left overs we had: squash in chili sauce, palak paneer, beetroot, pavakai and wild rice. All recipes from Mahanandi.

Salad with a tasty dressing!

2007-01-18T12:25:00.000-08:00

Source: Romaine Lettuce Salad

I went overboard with the garlic (added two cloves instead of one) and had a pretty strong after taste that lasted even after chewing gum :p Other than that, worked out pretty good!

Cheese-brocolli casserole!

2006-12-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

I tasted this really amazing casserole this Thanksgiving and asked my friend, Humeshkar for the recipe, here goes the recipe for one super-simple, super-tasty dish in the chef's own words:

Requirements

A box of Ritz crackers
Broccoli
American Singles Cheese
Butter

First lay out a layer of broccoli, then a layer of cheese,then a layer of ritz crackers,layer of broccoli,cheese and ritz crackers.Then pour a cup of butter(you might use more if you want a better flavour) all over,so that you wet the crackers. Set the oven for 350 degrees.Put in the tray and let it bake for 30 to 35 minutes.Pull out the tray and see if all the cheese has melted and the broccoli has been cooked.You may want to bake it for some more time if you want to do so. After baking the top surface might be uneven.I generally use a knife to make it look more even.

Enjoy!

Easy 3 bean soup recipe.

2006-11-22T08:21:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

1/2 can of - black beans, red beans, pinto beans each

1/8 can of - fire-roasted tomatoes

1/4 cup of vegetable stock, milk each

garlic, ginger, oregano, turmeric, bay leaf, fresh parsley, cheese, salt and pepper

I came up with this really simple recipe on one of those days when I felt super-lazy to cook a big dinner. So, finely chop garlic and ginger, saute in 2 spoons of olive oil or butter on a hot pan, add turmeric (to give it an Indian touch :), bay leaf, oregano. Add the 3 beans and mix well on the pan for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, mix well and let it all heat up for a few minutes. In goes the vegetable stock and then the milk. Mix well and let stand for 5 minutes. Finally add milk, salt and pepper as needed. Turn off heat after a few minutes and then add, finely chopped parsley and a bit of cheese and voila!

Broccoli...finally!

2006-08-07T06:18:00.000-07:00

I finally prepared a broccoli dish that k can ingest!

Source: Google search!

Deviations: I added salt to the broccoli and potato. Also added fresh thyme leaves to the potato.

Results: Quite tasty (for people used to spicy food, feel free to add a lot of pepper/paprika, I went easy and it was a bit bland).

Asparagus!

2006-08-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

Roasted Asparagus

Source: Rachael Ray 30 minute meals

Deviations: none

Results: Super healthy and pretty tasty, I was surprised!

Rice and Veggies!

2006-07-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

Eggplant, Zucchini and Tomato Fry!

Source: Wild Oats

Deviations: I broiled it in the oven for 7 seven minutes instead of using a grill.

Results: Tasty!

Rice salad!

Source: Wild Oats

Deviations: I used brown rice.

Results: Definitely worth trying! Made the brown rice much more palatable and it has a mix of different flavors!

Vegetable stir-fry!

2006-07-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

Ingredients: Onion -1, Squash -1, Grape Tomatoes -5, Apricots -3, Green Pepper -1, Lemon -1, Paprika, Olive oil, Balsamic Vinagarette, Rosemary, Oregano, Nutmeg, Italian Seasoning, Urad Dal - 2 spoons, Pepper and Salt.

Cut vegetables lengthwise (5 inch strips). I added a drizzle of lemon juice to the apricots but skip that if you don't like it too tangy :) Coat bottom of pan with olive oil, add spices, urad dal, vegetables, balsamic vinagarette, stir until golden brown/soft, add apricots, pepper and salt, give it all a toss and viola, you've a bowl of colorful healthy veggies!

Note: Unabashedly borrowed RR's lingo :p

Attempted Recipes!

2006-07-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

Spectacular Strawberry Spinach Salad

Source: Wild Oats

Deviations: Err...no poppy seeds :)

Results: Yummy!

Crunchy Vanilla-Almond French Toast with Fancy Fruit Topping

Source: Rachael Ray 30 minute meals

Deviations: Forgot to add nutmeg, used egg-substitute instead of eggs :)

Results: So-so, the bread became a bit soggy!

Fresh (what else?) Raspberry Juice

Source: Ahem...RS :)

Ingredients: Raspberries (a box), lemons (1), sugar(2 spoons), ice cubes (6), orange juice (1/4 cup).

Recipe: Beat together ingredients to make 4 glasses of fresh raspberry juice!

Results: Yummy!

Simple Vegetable Stir Fry

Source: Wild Oats

Deviations: No red pepper, added balsamic vinaigrette!

Results: Niceee!

Asparagus and Spring Pea Toss

Source: Wild Oats

Deviations: Added cheddar instead of Parmigiano-Reggiano and not so much of it!

Results: Bland!

Apple Cider Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Yams

Source: Wild Oats

Results: So-so...kinda bland.

Hummus!

Source: Rachael Ray 30 minute meals

Deviations: I added peanut butter instead of tahini sauce and I soaked chick peas overnite and boiled it instead of using canned garbanzo beans.

Results: The chick peas still had a very raw taste and didn't improve much even after I added more lemon juice and salt! Maybe the trick is in the tahini sauce :(

To be Attempted Recipes!

2006-07-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

Apple Cider Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Yams

Asparagus and Spring Pea Toss

Source: Wild Oats