Nutty Beet Salad

Ever since FIC-pink/rose has been announced by Priya, so many bloggers have posted recipes with beet as a main ingredient. I thought I should also join them :). Here is a mouthwatering recipe that I found in my latest recipe book with slight modifications of my own.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cooked beet (grated)

1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 apple (I used gala)

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 large handfuls of mixed salad greens

2 tbsp pecan halves (toasted)

Dressing:

2 tbsp non-fat yogurt

2 tbsp reduced-fat mayonnaise

1 garlic clove (chopped)

2 tsp fresh dill (chopped)

salt and pepper as needed

Method:

• Put the beet in a non-metallic dish and sprinkle with vinegar. Cover with a plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
• To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.
• Core and slice the apple. Sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
• Remove beet from the refrigerator and drizzle dressing over it. Add the apples and mix gently to coat with the dressing.
• To serve, arrange a handful of salad greens on each plate and top with a large spoonful of the apple and beet mixture.
• Sprinkle the toasted nuts over the salad and serve immediately.

I would like to send this salad over to Priya's FIC-pink/rose (Food in Color) Event which was started by SunshineMom.

Enjoy!!!

French Onion Soup

Everytime I visit a book shop  (which is on average, twice a week :) ), I grab a table near the shop cafe with various cooking books and just enjoy going through all the delicious pictures of food!! I usually try to resist buying them mainly because of lack of space in my already full cook-book drawer, but, few weeks ago, I came across this wonderful book that I had to buy!!

The pictures are so beautiful, I just can't wait to try my hands at all these yet to be tasted dishes.

With the weather here being super-cold, I thought that soup would be the best dish to try out from my new book and this lovely combination of onions, french bread and gruyere cheese turned out to be perfect for a cold stormy evening.

Ingredients:

2 large yellow onions

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves (3 chopped and 1 whole)

1 tsp fresh thyme (chopped) plus some sprigs for garnishing

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 tsp sugar

4 1/2 cups vegetable stock

6 slices french bread

1/4 cup gruyere cheese (grated) 

salt and pepper as needed

Method:

• Thinly slice the onions. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat, add the onions and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are just beginning to turn brown.
• Add chopped garlic, sugar and thyme. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until the onions are golden brown. 
• Sprinkle the flour and mix properly. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the wine. Gradually add the stock and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper.
• Reduce the heat and let simmer for 50 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, toast the bread slices on both sides. Rub the toasts with the whole garlic clove.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Pour the soup into oven-proof bowl. Float toast slices into it and sprinkle with cheese. Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese has just melted.
• Pour into individual bowl, garnish with thyme sprigs and serve.

I'd like to send this over to DK's Culinary Bazaar for A.W.E.D. France Event.

Enjoy!!!

Dhokla

I think Dhoklas are the most popular food Gujarati food. I have been asked to demonstrate Dhokla preparation by my non-Gujarati friends more often than any other item so far, making Dhoklas an absolutely worthy dish for my posts. Nisarg also loves Dhoklas very much, so I get to make them often :).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups rice

1/2 cup urad dal

1/4 cup yogurt

1 tbsp ginger-chili paste

2/3 cup shredded bottle gourd

1 tbsp urad dal-chana dal

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (I didn't use it this time)

1 tbsp cilantro (chopped) (optional)

1/4 tsp asafoetida

3/4 tsp soda-bi-carb

1 tsp oil

1 tsp black pepper (coarsely ground)

salt as needed

Method:

• Soak the rice and urad dal overnight and grind in a mixture the next day. Add yogurt, 1/8 cup of hot water and allow to ferment for 6-7 hours.
• Add all the ingredients except black pepper and mix well.
• Apply oil spray on a flat metal dish (see picture-2) and pour batter to fill half the height. For thinner dhoklas, make this layer thinner (see picture-3).
• Sprinkle black pepper on top and steam for 13-14 minutes. Repeat with rest of the batter. 
• Cut into pieces and serve hot with green chutney.

I'd like to send this dhokla over to Lubna's FIC-white (Food in color),which was started by sunshinemom of ToungeTicklers.

Enjoy!!!

Apple-Paneer Toasts

My husband, Nisarg, comes home so hungry after the end of his workday that he attacks almost anything that is in vicinity and is edible. Along with that, he also wants something that is light, so that he can exercise/workout properly before we have dinner. This recipe fits right into that category, light and yet satisfying the appetite. 

Ingredients:

2 apples (peeled,cored and sliced)

4 slices whole wheat / multigrain bread

1 cup orange juice

1/3 cup paneer(cottage cheese) (grated)

1 tbsp lemon juice 

8 cashew nuts

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

2 tbsp honey

Method:

• Sprinkle lemon juice on the apple slices.
• Pre-heat the oven at 300 F.
• Toast the cashew nuts in the microwave for 60-90 seconds, till golden. Let cool and crush coarsely.
• Heat a non-stick pan and gently poach the apple slices in the orange juice for about 10 minutes or until soft. Add more juice if needed. 
• Cut the bread slices in half and toast them.
• Mix paneer with crushed cashew nuts. 
• Put about 4 apple slices on each bread slice and cover with paneer-cashew mixture. Sprinkle cinnamon powder and put in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.
• Drizzle the honey on the toasts and serve.

Because this dish is novel and delicious, children and adolescents enjoy eating it. My younger cousins and my nephew-niece really love it. The ingredients used in the food such as honey, oranges, apples, cinnamon etc. are rich in their nutritive values as well, making it ideal for children's snacks.

Madhavi has organized Children's Day Event in her blog, and this recipe is perfect for it!!

Enjoy!!!

Thai Fresh Spring-Summer Rolls

Here is another yummy thai dish I made few weeks ago. 

I was planning to make spring rolls for our guests, but couldn't find spring roll wraps in our local grocery store. So, I had to work with rice wraps. When we tried these wraps for the first time in a restaurant few months ago, it took us some time to realize that the rice wraps were edible :). 

I searched online for the recipe and found some very good vegetarian thai dishes at http://thaifood.about.com/ The recipe I have written here is adapted from the website. 

Ingredients:

1 package of large dried rice wrappers

1 cup firm tofu (cut into strips)

3-4 oz thin dried rice noodles 

1 cup boiled broccoli (cut into small florets)

2 spring onions (sliced thinly, lengthwise)

1 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)

1/2 cup fresh basil (chopped)

1 small onion (chopped)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tbsp grated ginger 

1 tsp oil

Sauce:

2 tbsp vegetarian fish sauce (available at vietnamese stores)

2 tbsp black bean & garlic sauce (optional)

2 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp chili sauce

2 tsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp honey 

3 tbsp water

Thai sweet chili sauce for dipping (available in the asian aisle at the grocery store)  

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan and fry chopped onions, garlic and ginger. Add tofu strips and broccoli florets. Add some water if the mixture gets too dry.
• Mix the sauce ingredients together and add to the pan. Stir-fry for a while and remove from the heat. Do a taste-test. Add some sauces if needed. If it is too salty, add some lime juice.
• Place a pot of water on stove. Bring the water to boil and add rice noodles. Turn off the heat and let it stand for 8-10 minutes. When the noodles are soft, drain them and wash with cold water (to avoid sticking). Keep aside.
• Pour some hot water into a large bowl (large enough to soak rice paper). Make sure it is not too hot, as you will be dipping your fingers into it. 
• Place a rice wrap into the bowl and let it soften. This will take about 30-50 seconds. Lift the wrapper and put it on a flat surface (cutting board) for rolling. 
• Lay out little bit of tofu-broccoli mixture, rice noodles, spring onions, cilantro and basil leaves as shown in the picture.
• Start by folding at the end and then go for the sides. Now lift the long side of the wrapper and tuck it over the filling to create a roll. Press the end down to secure the roll.
• Serve with sweet chili sauce.

These rolls can be made quite in advance. Wrap them in a wet towel and put in the fridge. Remove from the fridge about 30-40 minutes before serving.

I would like to send this over to DK's  Culinary Bazaar for  A.W.E.D. Thai Event.

Enjoy!!!