Escarole Pakoras- Escarole Fritters

Pakoras are served as a snack or appetizers. There's nothing which can compare to crispy hot Pokaras with a cup of steaming hot tea or coffee. Pakoras are basically vegetables, bread, paneer or even chicken dipped in a batter of gram flour and deep fried. This is what I made last evening for my tea time snack. I made Escarole Pakodas.

Now before you start thinking, whats up with this girl..she's obsessed with all the green vegetables. Yes I did post a recipe on Escarole Wali Dal and Vegetable Farfalle with Spinach and now Escarole Pakoras. But let me explain my situation. I guess I've figured it out. Whenever I go to the farmers market for my vegetable shopping I end up with way TOO much. Its like a kid lost in a candy store. Seeing so many fresh vegetables and fruits around you, I just get carried away. End result so many vegetables and with just 4 members in my family..do you think we'll be able to do justice to these poor vegetables..so thats whats been happening. I guess now when I go next time..I'll just be a littler more in check... So guys this is the last of the Escarole I had..so made these cripsy Pakoras/Fritters which I tried for the very first time and they turned out good as my kids and DH finished them all...Good thing I took some clicks just before I served them... LOL.

Ingredients :

• 2 cups chopped Escarole
• 1 1/2 cups gram flour/Besan/Chickpea flour
• 2 green chillies finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp amchur/dry mango powder
• salt to taste
• water
• oil for deep frying

Preparation :

• Mix the gram flour, turmeric powder, red chili powder , amchur powder and salt with little water to make a thick batter. Mix it well and make sure there are no lumps.
• Now add the chopped Escarole and green chillies and mix it well and make sure the batter is still of thick consistency. (Now at this step, you could add a little water if its too thick to make the pakoras or add a little flour if the batter is too thin. It shoud be of a spoon drop consistency).
• Now's the fun part...Carefully scoop the batter with your hand and gently drop them into the hot oil. You could even use a spoon to do this. Take a spoon full and gently drop them. Deep fry the Pakoras in hot oil on a medium flame till golden brown in color.
• They are ready to serve with green chutney or ketchup and a hot cup of tea.
• This recipe yields 16-20 Escarole Pakoras/Fritters which could serve 4 .

Easy Cheesy Vegetable Farfalle and Awards

Farfalle is a bow-tie shaped pasta. It is derived from the Italian word "Farfalla" which means a butterfly.
Today's recipe has been inspired by the pasta recipe at Sheba's blog- Art, Food and Travel Chronicles. She has an awesome space and it is indeed about art, food and travel as the same specifies..In short its a celebration of life...Sheba has shared 'I love your Yummylicious Food Blog' award with me. Also let me mention Maya and Lakshmi these talented buddies from Yummy O Yummy.. In a short span of time they have won many hearts(or should I say stomachs) with their yummylicious recipes. They have shared a bunch of awards with me as well. Thanks Sheba, Maya and Lakshmi.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked Farfalle pasta
• 2 cups of baby spinach
• 1 cup sliced mushroom
• 1 bunch broccoli florets
• handful cherry tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic sliced
• 8- 10 ounce Velveeta Cheese (Kraft)
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste

Note : Velveeta is pastereized cheese

Preparation :

• Cook pasta as per package directions. Just when the pasta is almost cooked, add the baby spinach and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain pasta and spinach.
• In a pan heat oil. Add garlic and fry for about a minute. Add the sliced mushrooms and broccoli. Fry for about 2 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes. Next add the Velvetta cheese and milk and keep it on low flame. When the cheese is almost melted, add the cooked pasta and spinach to it. Season with salt and pepper. Stir it well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Cheesy Vegetable Farfalle is ready t o serve. This recipe serves 4.

Now is the time to celebrate the love and support of my fellow blogpals who have shared these Awards with me, which I dearly cherish... I dedicate these awards to all my fellow bloggers. Happy Blogging !!!.

Escarole Wali Dal - Escarole and Red Lentils

Escarole and Red Lentils

Escarole according to Wikipedia is a broad-leaved Endive(Endive is a leafy vegetable). It has pale green leaves and is less bitter than the other varieties like Bavarian endive, Batavian endive, grumolo, scarola, and scarole. Escarole is rich in fiber, folic acid, vitamin A and vitamin K.

The inspiration for this preparation was Palak dal (Spinach Dal). Since I'm always excited to try out new recipes and combinations, this combination was put to the test and this dal was an instant hit at our house.

Split Masoor dal - Red lentils

Ingredients :

• 1 cup split Masoor dal /red lentils
• 1 bunch of Escarole chopped
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 2 large tomatoes chopped
• 4 green chillies slit
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic freshly grated
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• pinch of hing / asafoetida
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin-cilantro powder
• 1/2 tsp amchur powder/dry mango powder
• 3 tbsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation :

• Wash the dal. Wash and chop the escarole. Pressure cook it with 4 cups of water, salt and turmeric till cooked.
• For the seasoning/Tadka - Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds. When they splutter add hing. Add the chopped onion and saute till no longer get the raw smell. Add the grated ginger-garlic and fry for about 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and slit green chillies. Fry for about 2 minutes and add red chili powder, cumin-cilantro powder and amchur powder. Fry till the oil leaves the masala. To this add the cooked dal and escarole and bring it to a boil. Adjust the seasoning and let it simmer on low heat for another 2-3 minutes.
• Your Escarole Wali Dal is ready to serve. This goes well with rice or any Indian bread of your choice.
• This recipe serves 4.

Carrot and Honey Milkshake

When I eat fresh fruits and vegetables I just feel healthy already. I know we should exercise as well. I'm guilty as I don't exercise as often as I should. So at least I try to eat right. This morning as I looked at my fresh vibrant orangy carrots I could'nt resist the temptation for a chilled glass of Carrot and Honey Milkshake. Also its been pretty hot since last couple days..But I'm not complaining since I love when the sun's out and everything around you looks gorgeous. Lets toast to this beautiful sunny weather...

Even Mr. Carrot here approves of this healthy Milkshake. !!!! This has been inspired by my dear blogpal Padhu from Padhu's Kitchen , who is a queen of vegetable and fruit carving and ofcourse has a wonderful collection of delicious and creative recipes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups grated carrot (2 large carrots)
• 4 cups milk
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup ice
  

Procedure :

• Wash, peel and grate the carrots.
• In a Blender , add the grated carrots and about a cup of milk and blend till smooth. Now add the rest of the milk , honey and ice and blend.
• Serve immediately. This recipe serves 3-4.

Now you could strain the milkshake through a fine strainer before serving or serve as is. Also you could add a little sugar if the carrots are not sweet enough.

Bhindi Masala- Okra Masala

This Bhindi/Okra recipe is quick and easy to prepare. The main key ingredient is Cilantro/Coriander. This recipe uses freshly chopped Cilantro and also uses dried powdered Cilantro.

Ingredients :

• 1 pound Bhindi/Okra
• 1 onion finely sliced
• 1 large tomato chopped
• 1 " piece of ginger cut into julienne
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp cumin-cilantro powder
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro
• 3 tbsp oil
• salt to taste
  

Preparation:

• Wash and dry the Bhindi/Okra. Cut both the ends and slit them horizontally.
• Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they splutter add the onion and fry till golden brown. Add the chopped tomato and ginger. Fry for about a minute.
• Add turmeric powder, cumin-cilantro powder and freshly chopped cilantro. Fry for about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the Bhindi/Okra and salt. Mix well. Cook covered over medium to low flame till almost cooked. Stir occasionally. Cook uncovered on high flame for the last 2-3 minutes till Bhindi Masala is fully cooked.
• Bhindi Masala is ready to be served. This recipe serves 4.

Easter Bunny Cake.

Wishing Everyone A HAPPY EASTER. We baked an Easter Bunny Cake today and it was a great fun project especially frosting our bunny cake. Its basically a simple vanilla cake recipe adapted from here and we used Betty Crocker's Rich and Creamy Vanilla Frosting.

Ingredients:

• 2 round vanilla cakes (9" each)
• 1 can Betty Crocker's Rich and Creamy Vanilla frosting( 160z)
• M&Ms and Twizzlers for the decoration(eyes,nose,mouth and whiskers)
• Yellow food coloring for the bow tie(optional)
  

Preparation : Assembling of the Easter bunny cake can be done as follows:

Bake two round cakes. Let them cool for about an hour before you begin frosting.
Now cut one of the round cakes as per the click below. This will be the bunny's ears and the bow tie.

Now assemble them on a cookie sheet or cardboard lined with aluminium foil.

Let the fun begin. Frost the cake and give some character to our bunny.

Tomato Rasam and Awards

Today's recipe is a quick and easy recipe. Tomato Rasam goes well with plain hot rice. It could also be served as is as a Soup.

Also today is April 1st, which is also known as April Fools' Day. So do you believe in this day and enjoy pulling pranks on your friends and loved ones. I have to confess I do..and I love this day...I'm not telling you what mischief I'm upto today..maybe in my next post...Enjoy and be careful the day is not over yet... You still have time for some mischief and to FOOL someone or be Fooled and I know its all in good faith...Its alright to have some fun, right ....

Ingredients:

• 4-5 tomatoes
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 2-3 green chillies slit
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Sambhar powder
• 1/2 mustard seeds
• pinch of asafoetida/hing
• 2 tsp oil/ghee
• 2-3 curry leaves
• 5-6 black peppercorns freshly crushed
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro freshly chopped
• 3-4 cups water
• salt to taste

Preparation :

• Boil enough water in a pan. Add the whole tomatoes to the boiling water. Bring it off the flame and let it cool. Within minutes the tomato skin will peel off. Now chop these tomatoes.
• In another pan add 3-4 cups of water and let it boil for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, grated ginger, green chillies, turmeric power, salt and freshly crushed peppercorns and let it cook on medium flame till the tomatoes are cooked and look well incorporated (for 8-10 minutes).
• Now add the Sambhar powder and chopped cilantro and mix well.
• Next is the tempering, take a small tempering pan/Kadai and heat the oil/ghee. Add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the curry leaves and asafoetida . Add this to the rasam. Mix well.
• Tomato Rasam is ready to serve. This recipe serves 4.
  

Its Award Time now..... I'm a bit embarassed that I took so long to collect my awards. I love each and every one of them. It shows the love and support of my fellow blogpals. As always Its an humbling feeling. Thanks !!!!

Shahana from Me N my Apron is a dear blogpal who has passed me the following awards. I can't thank her enough for her kindness and friendship. I love her blog and her repertoire of recipes combined with her awesome eyecatching photography.

Shahana and Vineetha from Ruchi have gifted me with this awesome sunshine award. Thanks Vineetha you are a sweetheart and I enjoy visiting your space with a diverse range of recipes.

Shahana and Cecily Anthony has passed me this , "Honest Scrap award". Thanks a lot. When I visit Cecily's blog I'm always impressed by her cake creations. They are just Perfect... and so detailed. Her other recipes are equally impressive too !!!.

Rules for accepting the Honest Scrap award:
Thank the giver, display the award , say 10 honest new things about yourself and pass it on to 10 people.

10 honest new things about me....Believe me its so hard to write about oneself.

1. I admire my mom and dad for the way they raised us and I try to instill the same values in my kids.
2. I'm very impatient and I am married to a guy who has tons of patience. I guess after being married I'm developing my patience..but there's a long way to go.
3. I 'm a outdoorsy kind of a girl. I love going for long walks and hiking and being out admiring nature.
4. I could be impulsive at times.
5. I love drinking tea and I am always looking for some company for tea...Interesting gupshup(chitchat) over tea never hurt anybody. In fact I can never really understand when occasionally I'll meet someone who says he/she does not drink tea/coffee.
6. I love listening to music. Be it in my car or at home. It could be any kind of music. My favorite though still are Kishoreda's old songs.
7. I must say I'm very sensitive and get affected by mean remarks and manipulative people. I'm also surprised as to how a few people could be so vicious when life has so many beautiful things to offer.
8. I collect a lot of costume jewelry and my favorite attire is Salwar Kameez. Its so elegant and classic and you could go from being casual to formal and I love to match it up with the matching costume jewelry.
9. I could get angry so quick and lose my temper and within minutes be back to normal. My mom used to call me a pressure cooker. I have gotten much better at this (thats what they all tell me).
10. I like to say a prayer before going to bed every night and I have my kids do the same. I feel its our way to show gratitute to God and be thankful for all that we have.

I would love to pass on this "Honest Scrap award" to - Vinolia, Sangeetha , Sangeetha , Ms. Chitchat, Sayantani, Vineetha, San's Kitchen, Asha, Tina, Sarah Naveen.