Beetroot Soup - Borscht

Borscht also borsht or borshch is a soup of Ukrainian origin that is popular in many Eastern and Central European countries. There are numerous variations for preparing Borscht. Beetroot is the one main Ingredient which is common in all the different varieties of Borscht.

Since Beetroot has so many health benefits I am always happy to use it in my recipes. It has a bunch of antioxidants which help fight diseases. Its a great source of fiber. Also said to have anti-carcinogenic properties in the red coloring matter. Also drinking beetroot juice helps lower blood pressure and also helps the digestive system.

Ingredients:

1) 2 cups Beet cut into julienne strips

2) 1/4 cup Carrots cut in julienne strips

3) 1/4 cup Potatoes cut in julienne strips

4) 1 cup Cabbage finely shredded

5) 3/4 cup onions finely chopped

6) 1 cup tomatoes finely chopped

7) 2-3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

8) 2 1/2 cups chicken stock/vegetable stock/Water

9) 2 tablespoon butter

10) 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

11) Salt and black pepper to taste

12) Sour cream for the garnish

13) Dill freshly chopped (optional)

Preparation :

1) Heat butter in a pan. Add onions and garlic and saute till golden brown.

2) Add the cabbage and fry for about 2-3 minutes.

3) Add the Chicken stock/vegetable stock, beets, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and Vinegar.

4) Season with salt and pepper.

5) Bring it to a boil and cook covered and allow it to simmer for about 30-35 minutes .

6) Serve hot and garnish with a tablespoon of sour cream and freshly chopped dill.

Carrot and Peas Oatmeal Soup

" S " is for Soup !!!!!

This is a soup enjoyed by kids and grown ups alike. I Started making this soup for my younger son when he was around 1 yr old and he's tw0 now and still likes it as well as my 6 yr old.

Ingredients:

1) 1/2 Cup Oatmeal

2) 1/4 Cup Peas

3) 1/4 Cup Carrots finely chopped or thinly sliced

4) 2 1/2 Cups Water or Vegetable Stock

5) Salt and Pepper to taste

6) 1 Tablespoon Butter

Preparation:

1) Melt Butter in a Pan. Add the carrots and peas and cook for about 5 minutes until soft.

2) Add the oatmeal and fry for a minute or two.

3) Add salt and pepper and add water.

4) Bring it to a boil and let it simmer on a slow flame for about 5 minutes.

5) Ready to be served. This is a hearty soup. Can be served as is.

I'm sending this recipe to the Cooking for kids- Veggies and Food Event hosted by Lakshmi http://http//delightsofcooking.blogspot.com/2009/11/cooking-for-kids-veggies-and-fruits.html and Sharmi http://www.neivedyam.com/

Jhatpat Vegetable Masala / Vegetable Medley

This is a super duper easy recipe. The most important thing about this recipe is, its quick and can be prepared in minutes. The term "Jhatpat" basically means quick or something in a hurry.

Now many a times when I'm pressed for time I prepare this dish. The frozen vegetables I have used in this recipe consists of carrots, corn, peas, green beans and Baby Lima Beans. You could use your choice of mixed vegetables.

Ingredients :

1) 2 cups frozen Mixed Vegetables (already chopped)

2) 1/4 cup cashew nuts

3) 1/2 cup finely chopped onion

4) 2-3 cloves of garlic freshy grated or finely chopped

5) 1 inch piece ginger grated or finely chopped

6) 1/2 cup tomatoes finely chopped

7) 4-5 green chillies slit lengthwise

8) 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

9) 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

10) 1 teaspoon cumin-coriander powder

11) 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
12) 1-2 Whole red chillies (Optional)
13) 2 tablespoon oil
14) Salt to taste

Preparation.
1) Heat oil in a pan . Add the mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add the whole red chillies.
2) Next add the onions and saute it till golden brown followed by garlic and ginger and fry for a minute.
3) Add the cashew nuts and fry for about a minute and add the tomatoes and green chillies. Fry for about 2-3 minutes.
4) Add all our spices- turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin-coriander powder and salt.
5) Add the mixed vegetables. Cook on medium heat covered for about 8-10 minutes. Since I'm using frozen vegetables for this recipe it should'nt take more time. If you are using fresh vegetables cook for a little longer until the vegetables are cooked.
6) Serve with Parathas, Rotis or could be served as a side dish.

Pav Bhaji

This is one of Mumbai's Popular Street food. Its a spicy and tangy blend of vegetables served with Pav (small squares of white bread).

Ingredients:

1) 3 cups chopped potatoes

2) 3 cups chopped cauliflower

3) 1/2 cup green peas

4) 1/2 cup carrots chopped

5) 1/2 cup capsicum

6) 1/2 cup canned beetroot or boiled beetroot (This is my secret ingredient)

7) 2 cups chopped tomatoes

8) 5-6 green chillies

9) 2 cups chopped onions ( 1 cup for the puree and 1 for the garnishing)

10) 3-4 cloves of garlic

11) 2 tablespoons fresh ginger

12) 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

13) 1/2 teaspoon Chilli powder

14) 2 tablespoons Pav Bhaji Masala

15) 4 tablespoons butter ( 1 stick)

16) 1 tablespoon oil

17) 1 tablespoon lemon concentrate or fresh lemon juice

18) Lemon wedges for the garnish

19) Freshly chopped Cilantro for the garnish

20) 16-20 burger buns or Pavs if you can get it. Tastes divine with the Pav but you could substitute it with the buns.

Preparation:

1) Pressure cook the Potatoes, cauliflower, peas, carrot and capsicum till they are soft. Do not discard the excess water.

2) While the vegetables are boiling make a puree of onion/garlic/ginger and another puree of tomatoes/green chillies.

3)Heat the oil in a pan and then add the butter. Now to this add the onion/garlic/ginger puree and saute till golden brown. Next add the tomatoes/green chillies puree and cook for 2-3 minutes.

4) Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, Pav Bhaji Masala and salt and cook for 2-3 minutes

5) Next mash all the boiled vegetables using a potato masher and add to the pan. Add the left over water from boiling the vegetables too.

6) Now add the canned beetroot or the boiled beetroot. Let it cook for about 4-5 minutes till they are soft enough to be mashed. This will give a beautiful red color to the Bhaji and at the same time make it more nutritious.

7) Cook for another 4-5 minutes and add lemon concentrate/lemon juice. Your Bhaji is ready to be served.

For the Pav:

Heat a Large Tava and roast each side of the Pav in butter.

Serving :

Serve this delicious Bhaji with roasted buttered Pav on the side. Garnish the Bhaji with freshly chopped onions and Cilantro with Lemon wedges on the side. This recipe serves 6.

I'm sending this recipe for the Specialty Food event hosted by Simple Indian Food-An Easy Cooking Blog. This is my very first time I'm participating in an event. Very excited.

http://simpleindianfood.blogspot.com/2009/11/wyfspecialty-food-event-announcement.html

Broccoli Ka Shorba - Cream of Broccoli Soup

Broccoli contains several vitamins(high percentage of Vitamin A and Vitamin C) and nutrients that have been proven useful in fighting diseases like cancer and heart problems. Also it is a good source of dietary fiber as well as Calcium. So in short its good for you. This is an appropriate soup for this cold weather.

Ingredients:

•  2 cups Broccoli florets
•  1/4 cup onions chopped
•  2 cloves of garlic chopped
•  2 cups Vegetable stock / water
•  1 cup milk
•  1/4 cup heavy cream
•  2 tablespoon butter
•  Salt and white pepper to taste

Preparation:

•  Heat butter in a pan. Saute the onions and garlic till golden brown.
•  Add the Broccoli florets and saute for about 2-3 minutes.
•  Add the stock and cook covered for about 10 -15 minutes until the broccoli is tender.
•  Now puree in a Blender.
•  Transfer it back to the pan and add milk and stir it well. Let it simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
•  Season with Salt and pepper and add the heavy cream. Let it simmer for about another 2-3 minutes.
•  Ready to serve. This recipe serves 2.

Besan Rava Ladoos

Wishing Everyone a Happy Diwali and a Prosperous new year.

Ladoos are a favorite around this time of the year. I could'nt decide whether I should make besan or Rava(Sooji) ladoo so ended up making Besan Rava ladoos. I'm also a last minute person (could call myself a queen of procrastination.). Finally made my ladoos before Diwali.I remember as kids preparation for Diwali began ahead of time.You had the Diwali cleaning , Diwali lights, Sweets preparation, buying new clothes and fireworks. You could see beautiful Rangoli at the door steps. Beautiful Diyas....so many beautiful memories.

Here in the States you are thousands of miles away from home. So making these ladoos brings India right into our kitchen. Yeah, I guess I'm getting a bit carried away.

Ingredients:

•  2 cups besan (chickpea )flour
•  1 cup Rava (Semolina)
•  1 cup melted Unsalted butter
•  2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
•  1/4 cup sliced almonds
•  1/2 tsp cardamom powder( freshly ground)
•  Milk if required

Preparation.

1) Heat a pan (thick bottom preferred). Add besan and rava into it. Then add the melted butter.

Now keep on roasting it on a slow flame. The intention is to keep roasting till you no longer get the raw smell of besan.

2) Then take it to a big bowl and add the sugar, almonds and cardamom powder. Mix well.

3) Wait for a few minutes till the mixture cools down a little just enough so that you can make them into ladoos.

4) Now I did add a little milk around 1/4 cup and mixed it well and started making ladoos right away.

Tomato Omelette

Tomato Omelette is basically a breakfast dish in India. But it could also be eaten as an evening snack with tea or coffee. It resembles an omelette so maybe thats how it got its name even though it is an eggless recipe.

Ingredients:

1) 2 cups gram flour (Besan)

2) 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes

3) 1/2 cup finely chopped onion

4) 3-4 green chillies finely chopped

5) Cilantro

6) 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

7) 1/2 tsp red chilli powder

8) salt to taste

9) Water for the batter

10) oil/butter

Preparation:

1) In a bowl add all the above ingredients (1-8) except oil and water.

2) Now gradually add water and make the batter like a pancake or dosa consistency.

3) Heat a Tava (Griddle) and pour a ladleful of batter onto it. Put some oil/butter around the edges of the omelette. Cover and cook. Turn and cook the other side until golden brown.

4) Serve hot with tomato ketchup or green chutney.

This recipe makes 6 tomato omelettes.