Scary Fingers..Getting Ready for Halloween!

Scary Fingers..Getting Ready for Halloween!

I recently found these batty err nuts at Berkeley Bowl recently. Any ideas what they are?

Batty err Nuts!


Chicken Fingers


Who ate them all?


Given, its Halloween tomorrow, what else does one write about other than creepy, crawly, scary food!!! I was inspired by all the crawlies on Food Network which led to these awful looking, but yummy tasting chicken fingers!

Btw, Are people celebrating Halloween tomorrow? If yes, what are people planning to dress up as??? I am still unsure..have a whole bunch of costumes from the last few Halloweens ranging from a devilish angel (how original ;), to a gangster's moll to..u get the drift ;)

Scary Chicken Fingers
Ingredients
1. 1/2 pound chicken breast
2. 2 tsp Cajun Creole seasoning. You can use Paprika instead.
3. 1 tsp black pepper
4. 1-2 tomatoes for the nails
5. 1 tsp olive oil
6. Salt to taste
Method
1. Clean and thaw the chicken breasts to room temperature
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
3. Cut the chicken in thin, finger like shapes. Taper the front to be thinner than the other end
4. Season with the cajun spice (or paprika), salt and pepper
5. On a cooking sheet, drizzle some of the olive oil
6. Place the chicken fingers on the sheet. Drizzle with the remaining oil
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees
8. Cut tomatoes to small nail like shapes. Using a tooth pick piece, nail (ahem!) the tomato pieces to the chicken fingers.
Enjoy :)

Ode to Kalyn's veggies event

Ode to Kalyn's "Guess 2 popular veggies event"

Crostinis all laid out

Nothing beats fresh basil!

Take a bite!!

A few days ago, the wonderful Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen asked her readers to vote for the 2 most popular vegetables. I had no idea then that my simple response of Tomatoes & Basil, 2 of my all time favorite veggies would win me 2 awesome books! I just received my 1st book, Vegetables Everyday, which is filled with the most wonderfully simple vegetarian dishes. Can't wait to try them out. Thanks again Kalyn!

As a tribute to these super popular vegetables, I made my friend S's basil and tomato crostinis. Again, so simple to put together, yet packed with flavor. The combination of mozzarella with basil, tomato and some good balsamic vinegar is to die for!

Tomato Basil Crostinis
Ingredients
1. 1 packet mini toasts (I get mine from TJs) or bread (baguette/sour dough) cut into bite sized squares
2. Fresh mozzarella cheese
3. Fresh basil
4. Cherry tomatoes cut in half. You could also use regular tomatoes, but tastes better with the cherry tomatoes
5. Good quality balsamic vinegar. I recently bought the balsamic vinegar spray from TJs, and LUVD it, It is such a great idea as the quantity of vinegar is just right when sprayed and spreads evenly!
Method
1. Assemble the mini toasts/bread pieces
2. Layer the mini toast with a slice of the cheese, then topped with the cherry tomato and a leaf of basil.
3. Spray/Drizzle with balsamic vinegar
And really thats it! Enjoy :)

Non Fat Chips (really ;)

Non Fat Kale Chips..That ought to bring on a smile!

Very Green Kale


Ready to Eat!

Kale is a very healthy, and very versatile vegetable! It is rich in vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C and calcium. I was shocked to find that Kale was one of the most common vegetables in Europe up until the Middle Ages. Now how do I know all this? Why, thanks to Wikipedia of course !

Kale chips are extremely healthy and tasty. They have almost no fat, and in my opinion tasted better than most of those scary oily, trans fat laden chips out there! I first heard of this recipe from a nutritionist who was brought into work one day to help us all get healthy and live better (ahem!) lives. The only 2 things all of us remember from that session was this wonderful Kale chips recipe and the amazing food the nutritionist handed out at the session (tch tch..I know thats sad :()

I hope I am redeeming myself by posting this recipe, hoping someone out there will get off their potato chip addiction (I soo hope the nutritionist who tried to help us useless souls is reading this :P)!

I am sending this guilt free chip thats actually err good for you to Hima for her Whats your favorite diet food event! Check out her event if you want to purge yourself of all those tempting holiday goodies :(

Now if that doesn't make you smile, may be this will?

The Feed A Hungry Child (FAHC) campaign aims to feed every hungry children, one at a time. This was envisioned by VKN of My Dhaba. To share your smiles with children around the world, visit Vijay, Mahanadi or Jugalbandi's blog along with a few others listed on their blogs to make your contribution. As if the smile was not enough, these wonderful bloggers have thrown in some great prizes like books, spice extracts, dinners, sarees for kids n more!
Kale Chips
Ingredients
1. 3-4 leaves of fresh kale
2. 1 tsp Olive oil or Non fat olive oil spray
3. 1 tsp paprika powder (optional)
4. 1 tsp ground black pepper
5. Salt to taste. Make sure you use less salt that normal as kale absorbs salt, and your regular amount may render the chips to be salty
Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Wash and dry the kale leaves
3. Cut/tear the kale leaves into bite sized squares. Make sure to discard the thick fleshy center
4. Lay them out on a baking sheet
5. Drizzle with olive oil
6. Top with salt, pepper and paprika (optional)
7. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or till they become crisp. Be careful as these chips bake really quick, so you may want to check after the 1st 5 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Marathi Series: Sabudana Wada

Marathi series: Sabudana Wada or Sago Fritters

Sabudana/Sago being Soaked


Sabudana/Sago Wada Land Slide




I think most of you know by now that I grew up in Pune in Maharashtra. Pune is a beautiful city which seemingly has it all: an abundance of hills, rivers, greenery and moderate climate for most part of the year. While most will point out that all that is rapidly changing with dried up river beds, construction on the hillsides, I have faith in the people of Pune who are trying to reclaim Pune's beauty. There are several initiatives in Pune to curb hillside construction, create a waterfront area that people can enjoy among other community projects around organic farming and vermi-composting!

I will be posting easy to make dishes from my hometown and state off and on this month. Why you ask...may be its the nostalgia of missing home during the soon to arrive festive season of Dassera / Diwali, lots of family birthdays and just an ode to the city I love!!

The 1st in the series is the ever popular Sabudana Wada or Pearl Sago fritters which are usually eaten when one is fasting! I know, with a meal like this one, I can fast all year round ;). More fasting recipes and details can be found in an earlier post here.

Several fellow bloggers have done an amazing job with the same dish. Check out 2 of my favorite versions at Tee's and Manasi's blog.

Sabudana Wada/Sago Fritters
Ingredients
1. 2 cups sago/sabudana
2. 2 medium sized boiled potatoes,
3. 2-3 green chilies finely grated
4. 1/2 cup coriander leaves
5. 1/2 cup peanut powder
6. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
7. 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
8. 1-2 pinch sugar (optional)
9. Salt to taste,
10. 3-4 cups oil for frying
Method
1. Soak sabudana in water. Drain off all the water and keep overnight
2. Mash the boiled potatoes.
3.Combine sabudana, chili paste, mashed potatoes, coriander leaves, peanut powder, cumin seeds, sugar, lemon juice. Mix well
4. Make small balls of the mixture and flatten them slightly.
6. Heat the oil in a pan.
7. Deep fry these vadas till golden brown and crispy.
Serve with Peanut Chutney

Peanut Chutney
Ingredients
1. 2 tsp red chili powder (add more if you like more spice)
2. 2 cups plain yogurt
3. 1/2 cup coarsely ground peanut (make sure the peanuts are roasted prior to grinding them)
4. Salt to taste
Method
1. Mix together red chili powder with ground roasted peanuts and salt.
2. Add plain yogurt and mix well
Enjoy :)

Cookies 2 way: Saffron & Coffee, Saffron & Orange

Cookies 2 way: Saffron & Coffee, Saffron & Orange

Coffee & Orange Cookies

As promised, I am writing more on the Blogging by mail event. The contents of the package I sent consisted of my home made saffron and coffee cookies, my mom's Kolhapuri masala, organic Japanese cacao and some local fresh produce from my farmer's market. I am a huge fan of the local farmers market which has introduced me to some incredible tasting vegetables and fruits which elevate cooking and eating to a whole new level! You can read Becke's comments on the package I sent her here!!

This is what I sent for the the blogging by mail event

Beautiful honey from my local market

Indian chutneys and sauces made and packaged 10 miles away!

I have posted some of the recipes made using my mom's Kolhapuri masala which I consider worth its weight in gold ;) in some of my earlier posts that you can see here and here. Today, I wanted to share cookies I sent Becke, that use another spice worth its weight in gold, yes the beautiful saffron!

I adapted the recipe from Nupur's original holiday nankhatai recipe. I wanted to make it lower in fat, so replaced the butter with oil and sugar with honey. The end result was crunchy cookies, where the taste was elevated by the addition of saffron and coffee!

As suggested by Asha and the Happy Cook (thanks guys!), I am sending this to Sunita's Think Spice event, where this month's theme is what else, the amazing Saffron!

Saffron & Coffee Cookie (adapted from Nupur's original Nankhatai recipe)
Ingredients
1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1/4 cup honey or 3/4 cup powdered sugar
3. 1/2 cup olive oil
4. 1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter)
5. 4 tsp brewed coffee (add more if you want a stronger coffee flavor)
6. 1 tbsp cup slivered almonds, toasted
7. 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
8. 1/2 tsp. cardamom
9. 1/4 tsp saffron soaked in milk
10. Pinch of salt
For decoration:
1. Almond slices
2. Saffron strands
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven at 350 degrees
2. Mix all the ingredients into the dough. Knead very gently to form a dough, using a little water if necessary
2. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes if it is too sticky. Form small balls with the dough
3. Flatten each ball to form a fat disc
4. Decorate with almonds and saffron strands
5. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes till the bottom of the cookie is just browning
6. Turn off the oven and let the cookies stay inside the warm oven till the top is slightly golden
7. Remove and let cool on a rack.

Saffron & Orange Cookie (adapted from Nupur's original Nankhatai recipe)
Ingredients
1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1/4 cup honey or 3/4 cup powdered sugar
3. 1/2 cup olive oil
4. 1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter)
5. 1 tsp good quality orange extract (add more if you want a stronger orange flavor)
6. 1 tbsp cup slivered almonds, toasted
7. 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
8. 1/2 tsp. cardamom
9. 1/4 tsp saffron soaked in milk
10. Pinch of salt
For decoration:
1. Almond slices
2. Saffron strands
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven at 350 degrees
2. Mix all the ingredients into the dough. Knead very gently to form a dough, using a little water if necessary
2. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes if it is too sticky. Form small balls with the dough
3. Flatten each ball to form a fat disc
4. Decorate with almonds and saffron strands
5. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes till the bottom of the cookie is just browning
6. Turn off the oven and let the cookies stay inside the warm oven till the top is slightly golden
7. Remove and let cool on a rack.
Enjoy :)