Best of 2008 - Recipe Collection

Time flies faster than you think, and its already time to bid farewell to 2008, and welcome the New year with open arms and loads of dreams and aspirations. This has indeed been a very eventful year for us, both professionally and personally, and 2008 is definitely one of our most memorable years. I'm not going to bore you with details about why it is so, but I would surely like to thank all of you, my blogosphere friends, my readers, subscribers, silent followers and the enthusiastic commentors who keep Fun and Food a cheery place for food-lovers from around the world! This year also saw the launch of Fun and Food Cafe, and thanks for showering your love and support for the new baby just as you have shown to my blog; I'm happy and proud to see that FFCafe has started attracting more traction than I hD expected.

You might have seen a tiny drop in the number of posts on this blog, but that is just because I have enveloped the doctrine that Quality is indeed better than Quantity, at least as far as Food goes - so as personal life gets a bit more demanding, I shall promise to keep delivering good food, nutrition advice and keep sharing all my ideas with you here as well as at Fun and Food Cafe - so keep reading for there's lots more coming in the New Year!

And now, without further ado, here are some of my favorite 2008 Recipes and Articles. Just a recap for those who need a few ideas as you still indulge in the holiday season. I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we did! Off this goes to Srivalli, who's hosting the Best of 2008 event this month!

Best of 2008 - Savory Tidbits
Spicy Tomato & Bell-Pepper Rice
Paneer & Sun-Dried Tomato Muffins
Instant Microwave Khandvi(Suralichiwadi)
Vegetarian Zucchini Crab Cakes
Spinach Fettucini with Garlic & Cherry Tomatoes
Moong Dal Kachori (basket kachori)
Cheese Ravioli with Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce
Gujarati-Style Handvo - Vegetable Cornmeal Cake
Tri-Colored Dhokla Sandwich
Vegetarian Schezwuan Hakka Noodles

Best of 2008 - Curries & Gravies
Kashmiri Dum Aloo
Hyderabadi Baghare Baingan
Tandoori Paneer Tikka with Mango Dressing
Stuffed Bell Peppers (Bharoni Shimla Mirch)
Mixed Vegetable Korma
Paneer Butter Masala
Bhindi Masala with Peanuts & Coconut
Lauki(Ghiye) ke Kofte

Best of 2008 - Desssert Recipes
Chocolate Nutella Cookies
Fudgy Mocha Pistachio Brownies
Spiced Apple Bread Recipe
Layered Chocolate Cake with White Frosting
Baked Strawberry Dessert Pudding
Moist Espresso Kahlua Brownies
Chocolate Banana Bread
No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes
Raspberry Jelly Swiss Roll Cake
Rasgulla - Traditional Bengali Sweet
Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries
Mango Cake with Streusel Topping

Wish you all a wonderful and joyous 2009. May you be blessed with health and happiness, and of course, good food!:)

Whey Protein & Its Role in your Diet

Being a vegetarian since birth, a lot of people ask me how I fulfill the need of proteins in my diet. Do I use protein powders? Well, as most other vegetarians, getting enough protein into our system just by means of diet can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you are trying to gain or lose weight and are on a special fitness regime. I have used protein shakes while following diets, so I'm going to try to address a few basic points about protein isolates, especially whey protein, and what role they play in your daily life.

Protein Powders have long been associated with Bodybuilding, as they are primarily used by those who like to build muscles and beef up their bodies through heavy weight-lifting and exercise. However, protein powder is not just for bodybuilders or those hoping to bulk up and become macho!

A human body needs daily protein because that is what muscles and tissues are built from, and there is no place where the body can store extra protein. The need for adequate protein in the human body is second only to the need for water. Research has proved that ingesting protein powder every day can boost your immune system, speed up recovery of wounds after surgery or injury, and promote healthy skin, all this by increasing muscle strength and development.

Types of Protein Powders
Protein powders are made from four basic sources - Whey (from milk), Egg, Soy and Rice(vegetable protein). Just like any other supplements available in the powder form, Protein powders can contain one or more of the above protein forms processed into the powdered form, so its easy to mix and incorporate into your food. Adding them to water or milk and ingesting it as a protein Shake is one of the most preferred choices!

Importance of Whey Protein
Out of all of these protein supplements, whey protein has the highest biological value as it gives you more usable gram of amino acids than the other forms. It is recommended to consume between 1 and 1.5 grams of quality protein per pound of body weight each day. Just make sure you divide your total protein consumption into 4-5 meals per day, which ensures create an anabolic effect, that build more muscle and burns more fat.

Lots of people consider using Whey Protein Isolates to compensate for the protein deficiency in their diet. Whey Isolate contains around 90 - 96% protein; this process has more of the lactose and fat content removed from the powder, so you get a higher quality protein. Talk to a nutritionist to compare the different types of Whey protein forms, like Isolates vs Concentrates, or a blend of both. Athletes and bodybuilders need a higher level of protein for faster muscle build-up and hence their needs would be different than an average person. Your trainer or nutritionist can guide you through the process and help you choose what's right for you.

For beginners, here is an excellent writeup on understanding Whey Protein. As a part of my diet and exercise plan, I've used Whey Isolates in the form of protein shakes as there's no way I could get the recommended daily intake by means of cereals, pulses and vegetables. And personally, I would recommend the Optimum brand protein powders for quality. However, if you are just an average individual with no special fitness plan, you can easily get your protein from natural sources like fish and seafood, dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt, beans, lentils, soy, eggs, lean red meat, etc. However, make sure you do not go overboard than your required protein intake, as excess of anything is poison!

I hope this simple writeup helps you understand the importance of Protein in your diet, understand the different forms of proteins available, especially Whey (vegetarian protein), discuss your options with a nutritionist and choose the one that's right for you. There's no reason to sacrifice your health, even during the holiday season!

Related Articles
What is Trans Fat & How to Avoid It?
Do Purple Tomatoes Prevent Cancer
How to Break a Weight Loss Plateau?

Low-Sodium Diet Benefits

Human blood contains about 0.9% salt (sodium chloride), and this salt ratio is important for a healthy metabolism, and to maintain the electrolyte balance inside and outside of cells. This appears to be a very insignificant amount, and yet, for those who've experience blood-pressure problems, obesity and several other hypertension-related issues, we know this isn't something to be ignored! Especially as the trend changes towards eating more junk-food rather than balanced home-cooked meals, it becomes even more compelling to watch your sea salt intake, and make sure your salt-to-water ratio is maintained correctly. There are a lot of benefits of switching to a low-sodium diet. Its safe, and will prevent most health problems, and best of all, it's not too hard to follow!

Salt can make your blood vessels and body tissues swell and fill with fluid. This puts an extra strain on your heart and can increase blood pressure, causing Hypertension.

We've all known for some time that people with hypertension can lower their blood pressure by reducing the sodium in their diets. What we didn't know was whether, by consuming less salt sea(sodium chloride, the main form of sodium in the diet), these folks would also lower their risk of heart attacks. Well, recent studies have shown that this is indeed true in most cases, as can be said by the experiments conducted by John Hopkins University, in which candidates having pre-hypertension (diastolic pressure between 80 and 89 mm Hg and a systolic pressure less than 140 mm Hg) were subjected to a low-sodium diet; the results showed that these people faced 30 percent less chance of heart attacks and strokes, angioplasty, and coronary artery bypass later in their lives - similar results have also been published by the British Medical Journal.

However, it is important to know that the results did not prove whether sodium restriction will either lower blood pressure or decrease the number of heart attacks and strokes in people who have neither hypertension nor prehypertension.

Yet, as a writer for a health blog, I believe that Prevention is always better than Cure - you don't have to drastically reduce your salt intake if you do not suffer from Hypertension. But being an Indian, I know its very easy to slip some extra salt into your diet without realizing it. A serving of Ketchup, some salt on your fries, a pinch of salt in your cake where you don't need it all, or regular intake of soy-sauce based food are just a few ways that you can get more sodium into your system than required!

My grandmother has Hypertension, and though her doctor has banned all salt from her diet, at 76, its hard for her to exercise control unless forced to! My mom has started showing signs of high blood pressure too, and seeing her have to pop a pill a day, I'm more inclined to restrict my sodium/salt intake rather than face medication prescribed for life!

Even if you are not a big health fellow, its a matter of educating yourself and your loved ones, and taking things in control. A little less salt will never make your food un-tasty, but a little more than required that goes into your system can create troubles for life.

A low sodium diet(less than 1500 mg per day) is certainly recommended if your blood pressure is higher than normal, 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg); For others, moderate sodium restriction(2300 mg per day) is beneficial, erring towards eating lower rather than more. Here is a great list of low-sodium foods if you are looking for alternatives. A few simple changes in life will go a long way in preventing Hypertension and other Heart-related diseases. Talk to your doctor about this and take the first step towards a healthier you!

Note: The author is not a licensed nutritionist or doctor. Please take this article as a reference read only, and not as a medical advice.

Mixed Fruit Jello Cupcakes

Kids love sweet treats, but its the responsibility of parents to watch what they eat, and how much, so we can prevent childhood obesity. Everyone knows the importance of eating at least 2 servings of fruits per day, and here's an innovative way to get your kids to eat fruits, and enjoy then too! These Mixed Fruit Jello Cupcakes are very easy to make, and extremely versatile. I've made mine using POM juice, cranberries, pineapple, mango and some chopped nuts. And the most important thing, these all natural fruit cups contain less than 2 tbsp of sugar! So, these low-sugar, high antioxidant, high vitamin-C treats are perfect for your kids, and your maternal instincts!

This is my contribution to the MM-Low Sugar Treats event that we are proudly hosting over at The Daily Tiffin this month!

Ingredients
2 cups POM juice
1 cup Kerns Mango-Pineapple juice
1 pkg JELL-O Raspberry Flavor Gelatin
1/2 cup craisins
a handful of chopped walnuts and pistachios

Method
Boil the 2 cups of POM juice till it starts to bubble. In another bowl, take the mango-pineapple juice and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let stand for about 1 min, and allow the gelatin to bloom.

Now pour the warm POM juice into this bowl and stir well to mix the gelatin. Add the craisins and chopped nuts.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Pour the juice mixture into each cup, about 1/2 to 3/4 full. Sprinkle with some more nuts if needed. Then refrigerate it for at least 3-4 hours, until the Jello sets.

Before serving, remove the paper liners and serve the delicious and healthy Mixed Fruit Jello Cupcakes - an ideal treat any time of the day!

5 Basic Frosting Recipes

As all of you start preparing for Christmas, cookies, cakes and holiday treats become common in every kitchen, and what makes most of these foods really attractive is the icing or frosting that goes on these cakes and cookies to deck them up! I'm not so much of a Frosting person, as I find it really sweet, but festive times call for festive efforts, and I give myself some leeway to dabble with some frosting recipes, trying to create artwork on my holiday desserts! So, to add more color and sweet flavor to your holiday cooking, I thought I'd share with you some Basic Frosting recipes that can be easily modified to suit your style!

Pictured above is one of my first fully-frosted cakes that I decorated in my cake-decorating class. As you can see, it is pretty primitive - it uses Buttercream Frosting in different consistencies. This works best for cakes, along with Chocolate frosting. The Cream cheese frosting is greta for cheese-cakes, cupcakes or smaller desserts, while the Royal icing is preferred for decorating cookies. And now, off to the Frosting Recipes!

Buttercream Frosting
(recipe source - Wilton; Yield - 3 cups)
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

For thin (spreading) consistency icing, add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

Chocolate Frosting (Eggless)
(recipe source - Epicurious; Yield - 2 cups)
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a work bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter. Sift the sugar and cocoa powder together and gradually add to the butter, beating well after each addition. Add the cream and vanilla and beat until well blended and fluffy.

Cream Cheese Frosting
(recipe source - Kraft Foods; Yield - 2-1/2 cups)
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups (about 16 oz.) powdered sugar, sifted

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sugar gradually, beating until well blended after each addition. Adjust sugar quantity to your liking, and beat until light and fluffy.

Royal Icing
(recipe source - Joy of Baking; Yield - 3 cups)
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 cups (330 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.
Note: This is the best icing for decorating cookies

Vegan Chocolate Frosting
(recipe source - About.com; Yield - 2 cups)
2 cups organic powdered sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) dairy-free soy margarine, softened
1/4 cup plain unsweetened almond milk or soymilk
3/4 cup unsweetened pure cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium-large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, cream the powdered sugar with the soy margarine until mixture is thick but well combined. Add the almond milk, cocoa powder and vanilla, and continue to mix until smooth.

These basic frosting recipes can be modified to suit your style and flavor - most of them can be adapted to incorporate your choice of flavor by adding a teaspoonful of essence - coconut, orange, mint, almond are a few nice suggestions, but you can customize these recipes as you choose. Add a tinge of food coloring to make colored frosting, and celebrate the festive holiday season in style! For more tips, here's an article on How to Frost a Cake in 5 Easy Steps!

Related Recipes
Layered chocolate Cake with Fluffy White Frosting
Upside Down Cranberry Cake
Best Banana Cake Recipe

Vegetable Korma

Vegetable Korma is a favored curry recipe in Southern India, and as all kind of cuisine gets global, people all over the country have started enjoying the taste of this delicious and nutritive coconut-based curry. It is indeed a wonderful way to savor a generous serving of mixed vegetables - loaded with potatoes, peas, beans, cauliflower, carrots, and flavored with a thick paste made from coconut, poppy seeds, tomatoes, onions and Indian spices, the Mix Vegetable Korma is a filling meal when served with Parathas and/or Jeera Rice.

Ingredients
Makes about 4 servings
1 cup finely chopped green or string beans
1 cup finely chopped carrots
2 potatoes, finely chopped
1/2 cup shelled green peas
1 large tomato, chopped
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon ghee
A few bay leaves
1/2 bunch of coriander leaves (to garnish)

Wet Paste
1/2 cup coconut, grated
6-8 green chillies
1 small onion, chopped
A piece of fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 small bunch of coriander leaves
A little water

Dry Masala
1 tablespoon aniseed
A small piece of cinnamon bark
6 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
** you can use regular Garam masala instead of freshly ground spices

Method

Paste: Place the grated coconut, green chillies, chopped onion, ginger, ground turmeric and coriander leaves in an electric blender or food processor, adding only a little water. Blend ingredients to a fine paste. Set aside.

Masala: Place the aniseed, cinnamon bark, cloves, cardamom pods, and poppy seeds in a heavy saucepan. Dry-roast spices until they give off a strong aroma. Grind to a fine powder in an electric blender or food processor. Set aside.

Place the finely chopped green beans, carrots, and potatoes in a heavy saucepan, add 1 tbsp ghee to it. Roast the veggies a little, then Add sufficient water to just cover the vegetables, and a pinch of salt. Cover pan with a lid, and cook until the vegetables are tender. Now add the green peas, chopped tomato and more salt to taste. Simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Take another small pan, add 2 tsp oil, and roast the onion paste for a couple mins, just so the raw-onion smell goes away. Now add this paste to the boiled vegetable mixture. Mix and add in the masala powder. Stir the korma thoroughly once more. Serve the hot Vegetable Korma with Naan or Parathas!

Related Recipes
Chana Masala Bruschetta
Bharoni Shimla Mirch (Stuffed Capsicums)
Malai Kofta Curry

Upside Down Cranberry Cake

Thanksgiving without a Cranberry Cake is almost incomplete, don't you think? Of course, you could bake a simple cake and drizzle it with cranberry sauce, or instead, you could bake this beautiful Upside-Down Cranberry Cake that will surely be the highlight of your Thanksgiving Dinner! With a touch of all-spice adding to the festive Fall mood, and a layer of slivered almonds & shredded coconut splashed on the sides of the cake to add the perfect crunch to the mushy cranberries, this traditional Cranberry Upside-Down Cake is a lovely addition to your holiday table! But use any fruit that you like, Pears, Plums, Apples, Peaches or Pineapples - this basic recipe for upside down cake can be used to bake any fruit cake that you please!

I'm sending this beautiful cake over to Susan who's collecting "Shiny & Glittery" desserts for this month's edition of Sugar High Fridays! And it also goes to my friend DK who's hosting AWED - American treats this month.

Ingredients
Makes an 8-9 inch cake

8 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 tspn allspice
2 cups cranberries
1 large egg
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup white frosting (optional)
3/4 cup slivered almonds (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the center. Rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons butter.

In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup sugar with the allspice. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over bottom of pan; arrange cranberries in a single layer on the top and spread them out.

With an electric mixer, cream remaining 6 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well combined.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, until well combined.

Spoon the batter over the cranberries in the pan and smooth the top. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Let it cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake, then invert onto a rimmed platter. If you would like to add some slivered almonds or shredded coconut on the sides, apply a real thin layer of frosting (crumb coat) on the sides and slap the toppings onto it.

Before serving, add some fresh cranberry sauce on the top of the cake to give it that fresh shine and glitter! Serve the delicious and ravishing red Cranberry Upside-Down Cake as the perfect dessert for your Thanksgiving dinner!

Wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving, and may you have a great time with friends and family! Have a great holiday weekend!

Related Recipes
Spiced Upside-Down Plum Cake
Mini Pineappple Upside-Down Cake
Layered Chocolate Cake with White Cream Frosting

Festive Fruit Juice Cocktail

Its the season for fresh fruits, with Plums, Pomegranates, Apples, Cranberries and more filling up the stalls at the farmers' market! And one of the easiest ways to enjoy the flavor and health benefits of fruits is by juicing them and drinking them down. Though Cocktails are more preferred on festive occasions, fresh fruit mocktails have a charm of their own! Using some fresh POM pomegranates, plums, raspberries, cranberries and some pineapple, we enjoyed blending them all together to make this beautiful red Juice Cocktail. Pleasing to they eyes, you can even pass it off as a Wine cocktail! It had the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and the small dose of juicy pulp that you can only get from fresh fruits! Healthy, festive and fancy enough to be served at any Holiday Dinner, I might just have found the refreshing Thanksgiving drink recipe I was looking for!

Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
1 cup POM juice or 1 fresh Pomegranate
4 large plums - de-seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped pineapple
1/2 cup cranberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/4 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
sugar (optional, if needed)

Method
Remove the seeds if using fresh pomegranates. Blend them alone to extract juice, then pass through a strainer to get clear Pomegranate juice

Now mix all the other ingredients along with the POM juice and blend well to make a smooth Puree. Check for taste, and add the lemon juice and sugar if required. Add water as needed, but just enough to blend the fruits; don't make it too liquid!

Then strain the juice through a fine sieve, especially to remove pomegranate and raspberry seeds.

Pour the festive fall Juice Cocktail into serving glasses. Garnish with a lime wedge if you like, and enjoy!

Related Recipes
Spiced Cranberry Plum Sauce
Pomegranate Martini
Beetroot Juice

Layered Chocolate Cake with Fluffy White Frosting

When it comes to Layered Cakes, a beautiful layered Chocolate Cake enhanced with fluffy white frosting, and drizzled with some chocolate shavings on the top will never go out of style! Though I love original chocolate cakes with deep dark chocolate buttercream frosting, the white and brown in this recipe creates a wonderful contrast, both, in looks and in flavor. Whether you are celebrating a birthday, an anniversary, or a special occasion, Layered Cakes are the best ones ever! Showing off my recent coursework from my cake decoration class, here's a delicious and moist 3-Layered Chocolate Cake with luscious and fluffy White Cream Frosting.

You can use regular White Buttercream Frosting too, but I found this really nice fluffy frosting recipe from a friend that works much better, as it stays soft and fluffy. It compliments the chocolate cake quite well, which is a recipe I adapted from Martha Stewart Living. By using sour cream and hot water, you end up getting a really moist cake with firm texture. This goes to Lorraine for her Best Chocolate Cake challenge!

Ingredients
Good for 3 individual 9" cake layers

For the Cake
16 tbsp (2 sticks) butter , softened
3 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup cocoa powder , sifted
1 tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups cake flour (not self-rising flour)
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups hot water

For the Fluffy White Icing
5 large egg whites
2 cups icing sugar
2/3 cup water
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup packed chocolate shavings - to garnish the top

Method

Making the Cake
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease three 9-inch round cake pans with butter; line bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the paper.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar on medium speed, about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine eggs and vanilla; add to brown sugar mixture in two batches, mixing on medium speed until incorporated. Scrape bowl thoroughly; beat 1 minute on high speed.

Sift together cocoa powder, baking soda and salt; add to brown sugar mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.

Sift flour. Add 1 cup to batter and beat on low speed until just combined. Add 3/4 cup sour cream to batter; beat on low speed until just combined. Alternate adding flour and sour cream to batter until there's none left. With mixer still running on low, slowly add hot water, beating until just combined.

Scrape bowl thoroughly; beat batter on low speed about 20 seconds. Scrape bowl thoroughly once more, then divide batter evenly among the three pans, about 3 cups per pan. Bake 30 to 33 minutes, or until cake pulls away from sides of pan. Remove from oven. Cool layers in pans about 30 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to one night before assembling.

Make the Frosting
In large deep bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, water, and cream of tartar. With hand-held mixer, beat until foamy at low speed, about 1 minute. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that bottom of bowl does not touch the water. Beat constantly at low speed until mixture reaches 160F, about 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat, add vanilla, and beat frosting at high speed until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes.

Assembling the Layered Chocolate Cake
To assemble the cake, level each cake layer by slicing off their tops. Place bottom layer on a serving platter cut side up. Spread 1/2 cup filling on top. Place middle layer cut side down on top of bottom layer. Spread remaining filling on top. Place top layer cut side down on top of middle layer. Spread top and sides of cake with frosting. Top with a few chocolate shavings, reserving half for later. You can even plaster some crushed peanuts or almonds to the side of the cake as I did. Allow to refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the frosting sets well.

Transfer the layered Chocolate Cake onto a serving platter, then garnish with the reserved chocolate curls or shavings. Then just grab a fork, dig into the cake, pop it into your mouth, close your eyes and experience a taste of sensuous happiness that very few other things can provide!!:)

Related Recipes:
Mocha Pistachio Brownies
How to Frost a Cake in 5 Easy Steps
Mango Cake with Streusel Topping

What is Trans Fat ?

Since past couple of years, Trans-Fat has picked up a lot of attention, and more and more people are trying to include "No-Trans-Fat" foods in their diets. But do we know What Trans Fat really is? And why is it unhealthy? A better understanding of what they are, how they react inside our body, and why should they be avoided is not only a good study on health education, but it will also help you identify trans-fat-containing foods easily, and thereby help you avoid those specific foods! I'm no expert in Nutrition, but I'd like to share what I have learned so far, as that may help you fight the evil called Trans-Fat, something that has become the primary reason for Obesity in many countries around the world! [Image courtesy of Putnam County, NY]

This article is largely based on the information I collected from the University of Maryland's Medical Center, and has been adapted to portray my thoughts on this topic. For further reading, I would recommend a great article on WebMD about understanding Trans Fat and ways to avoid it.

What is Trans-Fat?
I have to admit I never payed quite a lot of attention to understanding this myself, until I saw all the latest supermarket foods being labeled as "Contains No Trans-Fat". The U.S. FDA made it mandatory for companies to include the Trans-fat content on all food labels, and in fact, restaurants in New York city will be required to eliminate the artificial trans fats from all of their foods by July 2008. Intrigued to know what it really was, I set upon to find its composition.

"Trans fats can be natural or artificial. Small amounts of trans fat occur naturally in beef, lamb and full-fat dairy products. But when you add hydrogen to liquid vegetable oil and then add pressure, the result is a stiffer fat, called Trans Fat, also known as "hydrogenated fat"."

How Is It Different from Regular Fat?
We all know about the Good Fats & the Bad Fats. Saturated fats, like those found in butter, cheese, white processed foods, or meat, are bad for our body. They raise the cholesterol levels, clog the arteries that pump blood into our body, and make us more prone to heart diseases. However, our body also contains some good mono-saturated fats, which can help increase the amount of Good Cholesterol, or high-Density Lipids(HDL), which helps keep the system in control, and prevents untimely clogging of arteries.

Trans Fat, on the other hand, is a saturated fat that not only raises the Bad Cholesterol levels (LDL), but it is artificially hydrogenated and altered so that it also causes reduction in the level of Good Cholesterol (HDL), which helps protect our bodies against heart disease. So its like a Double Whammy - it kills the good, and raises the bad, which will undoubtedly raise the risk of having a Heart Disease or on of the millions of other problems related to High Cholesterol.

Foods to Avoid
You should avoid, or at least limit the intake of any and every food product that contains Saturated Fats - whether its Trans-fat or not! And do NOT get fooled by food labels that say "Zero Trans Fat"; It is not required by law to list any nutrients that are present in a quantity less than 0.5 gram per standard serving. So even if your bread is Zero-Trans-Fat, each slice may have 0.5 grams of fat, which means a LOT of trans-fat when you consider the entire loaf of bread!

Trans fats are generally added to packaged foods to increase their "shelf-life"; they are not good for the body, and totally unnecessary for any other value. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill earlier this year to phase out the use of trans fats in California - linked to heart disease, diabetes and obesity, trans fats in foods will no longer be allowed on restaurant menus by 2010, and all retail baked goods in 2011. However, Packaged foods are still exempt from this law! So next time, try baking your own cookies and pastries at home rather than buying them from the stores - they are still high in fats, but not trans-fats!

The Best Advice
The age-old-message to avoid high-calorie, high-fat foods is still the best advice you can give to yourself. Cook at home more often, and when you have to eat out, try to pick a place where you'll get fresh food rather than pre-packaged stuff. Its ok to indulge, but keep a tab on your portion-size, and if you are worried about feeding your kids, try this list of Healthy Kid-friendly Snacks to beat hunger and obesity, both at the same time!

Related Articles:
Foods that Help Lower Your Cholesterol
Are Nutrition Supplements Necessary or Safe?
10 Simple Habits for Healthy Eating

Spicy Tomato & Bell Pepper Rice

Tomatoes and Bell Peppers, are both great sources of antioxidants and useful nutrients for the body. Add to that the fact that they are both colorful, pretty and full of flavor too, and you have a winning combination! These two come together beautifully in this colorfully spicy and tasty Tomato Bell-Pepper Rice. For that extra wow factor, I added a teeny-weeny bit of ginger-garlic paste, some garam masala, and of course, freshly chopped cilantro! Its real simple to make, requires no preparation, and can be enjoyed with a simple Tomato-Cucumber Raita for a light and tasty weekday meal. Its a great variation to the authentic Tomato Rice, and packing up all those antioxidants is an added bonus!

Ingredients
3 cups long-grained rice (Basmati) - washed and cooked
1 small yellow bell-pepper - chopped finely
1 small red bell-pepper - chopped finely
2 medium firm tomatoes - chopped finely
3 tbsp tomato puree
1/2 onion - finely chopped (optional)
2 green chillies or jalapenos - finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro - chopped for garnish
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
3 tbsp oil
salt - to taste
lemon juice - to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chili powder

Method
Wash and cook the rice as you normally do. Using long-grained rice like Basmati helps give it a better texture, but you can use normal rice too, without compromising the taste. Cook the rice and keep it aside to cool down.

Take a wok, add oil and cumin seeds to it. When they start spluttering, add the green chillies and chopped onions and saute till they become soft and glazed. Add the tomato puree and all the dry spices, and mix well. One it starts bubbling a little, add the chopped green bell-peppers and saute again. Add salt and cook covered for 10-12 mins, till the peppers are tender and cooked through.

Now add the chopped tomatoes, along with any of their juice. Saute for a minute or so, then mix the cooked rice to it. Mix everything together gingerly, so it gets colored and the spices are evenly distributed. Add the lemon juice, cover with a lid and allow to cook for another 8-10 mins on low-flame.

When the rice looks cooked, take it off the stove and transfer to a serving bowl. Gingerly sprinkle the chopped cilantro and mix just to combine.

Serve with some Tomato-Cucumber Raita or with a curry of your choice. This simple yet tasty recipe for Tomato & Bell-Pepper Rice is fancy enough to be served to your guests at a party, and won't eat up much of your time!

Related Recipes:
Cheese & Bell Pepper Rice
Lemon & Coconut Rice
Brown Rice & Barley Salad

Skiing in Switzerland - Europe

(Views from our hotel in Interlaken!)

As winter sets in, there's one thing that excites me as much as my Baking, and that is the prospect of going Skiing! I'm not an expert skiier, nor pursue it with great dedication; BUT, I LOVE skiing, and make it a point to indulge in this fabulous sport at least once or twice a year. So, this post is for all of you who share the love of skiing. As we are planning our next Ski Holidays trip, I thought sharing this writeup would be an interesting weekend read if you love winter sports, especially Skiing! Its a weekend post, and I'm entitled to write something other than a recipe on a Saturday, right?:) Plus, many of you asked me to post about my trip, so here's to all those requests!

Living in Northern California, we have several Ski destinations close-by accessible by car. Tahoe and Dodge Ridge remain our favorites, as they are both close by and we can plan a weekend ski trip. But I'd love to go to Colorado sometime! However, after our recent trip to Switzerland, one look at the magnificent Swiss Alps and both me and my husband have become huge fans! It is indeed the best place to vacation, if you like nature and peace! The only place, perhaps, where you can enjoy green fields, waterfalls, sunny lakes and snow-capped mountains, all in the same vacation!

There are several great Ski resorts in Europe to choose from - Austria, Switzerland, Italy and of course, I'd love to ski France too! But for this post, I'll simply share our experience in Swiss and the surrounding countryside. We had the pleasure of visiting Mount Matterhorn, which is famous as the "most photographed mountain in the Alps"; The view of its triangular peak is already breathtaking from the valley village of Zermatt, where we stayed. It is a quaint town to enjoy the country-side, and the best part is, it is Care-free Town! So you either walk, ride a horse-carriage, or use the electric tram within the village!

(can you spot the Skiiers?!)

To enjoy skiing, you'd have to head to Klein Matterhorn, Europe's highest cable station at 12,530 feet. From there, you can ski north to Zermatt (which is the easiest one!), south to Cervinia (in Italy), or just stay at the top of the peak and enjoy some spectacular peaks in the Alps, including the mighty Matterhorn. The best part, this is one place which offers Skiing all year round, so you can make the most of your skiing holidays any time you visit! There are several hotels and ski resorts to choose from, and I'm sure any online travel adviser will be able to help you find what suits your need.

( Happy Vacationers & the JungFrau Express - Me, Bhavin, my brother Arpit & his wife Preeti)

Next we headed to Jungfrau, the top-most peak of Europe, accessible by train or cable car. Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Grindelwald and Mürren are some of the best ski and travel destinations in the world. We stayed in Interlaken, which is aptly known as the "Gateway to JungFrau" With majestic views of the surrounding countryside, glaciers and the renowned Alpine range, its like a dream-come-true for the high-adrenaline adventure sports! BUT, let me remind you that is is NOT for the faint-hearted. Skiing in the Alps is tough, and should not be attempted unless you are an Expert! For those like us who want to have the fun but are scared of the ski slopes, you can always find activities like Snowboarding, Sledging, or the more relaxed Train Ride to JungFrau, which is both, picturesque and safe! Believe me, even if you do nothing, at least take this Train - its about $150 per person, but its totally worth it!

If Skiing is not your forte, don't worry, there's loads of things to do in Switzerland, and you'll not be disappointed. But if you do get a chance, try doing some snow-activity in the Alps - there is no other experience like it!

But hey, now we are back in US, and we'll have to settle for Skiing in Tahoe, so no more lingering on the Alps!! But in a way, I'm happy I got to see those majestic views, and now we can actually enjoy some mediocre skiing in those first and second-level slopes, without breaking a bone or two! All budding Skiiers out there, be good, and be safe! Hope you enjoyed my weekend rant, and I'll be back with a recipe on Monday, I promise!:)

Fudgy Mocha Pistachio Brownies

Baking Brownies is an uplifting process for me! And these Chewy Mocha Pistachio Brownies have become my current favorites! Unlike other baking desserts, brownies are more stress-free, and easily customizable.The texture of a brownie, whether its fudgy, moist and chewy, or light like a cake, depends on the amounts of chocolate, butter, sugar, and flour that you use in the recipe. I chose to go with the Chewy this time. And as it was for a weekend breakfast, I added some flavored coffee powder to my pistachio brownies. I also threw in some cranberries, to make them more chewy, and the result was a seriously decadent Brownie recipe that I wouldn't trade even for a store-bought one!

Coffee lovers will always find a way to enjoy more caffeine in their lives; so off this goes to Meeta's Mingle, featuring Coffee & Tea this month. And as I'm really proud of these decadent Brownies, which have a great flavor combination, I'm sending these to Aparna's Sweet Celebrations as well!

Ingredients
1 packed cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp natural cocoa
4 oz. unsalted butter
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp cafe mocha (flavored instant coffee powder)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup slivered unsalted pistachios
2 tbsp craisins or dried chopped cranberries (optional)

Method
Position an oven rack on the middle rung. Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square brownie pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and spray it with some non-stick cooking spray.

In a double boiler, melt the butter and chocolate, stirring continuously to form a smooth ganache. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Stir in the sugar, salt, and the mocha coffee powder. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, stirring each time until blended. Finally add the flour and cocoa.

Beat well, until incorporated and the mixture is smooth, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the chopped pistachios and craisins, and give a final whisking.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the brownies are thoroughly baked, form a slightly-cracked layer on the top, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out almost clean, about 35 to 45 mins.

Set the pan on a rack until cool enough to handle. Run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan and then invert the pan onto a flat surface and peel off the parchment. set the baked brownie back onto the rack to cool completely.

Cut into squares with a sharp knife. Enjoy your Chewy Mocha Brownies with a cup of hot Mocha, and you'll start appreciating caffeine even better!:)

Related Recipes:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Almond Mocha Iced Frappucino
Mocha Hazelnut Coffee Cake

Vaghareli Khichdi and Gujarati Kadhhi

Its pouring this weekend, and I'm craving for some simple comfort food, something that brings back fond childhood memories, is easy to make, and is indeed warm and comforting in this gloomy cold weather! As me and B sit chatting together, we find solace in a plate of hot Mung Dal Khichdi and authentic Gujarati Kaddhi. "Khichdi", literally means "hotch-potch", where you cook rice and lentils together, and throw in a bunch of spices, and maybe some vegetables of your choice. "Kaddhi" is the perfect counterpart for Gujarati Toor Dal, and is made of buttermilk and besan (chickpea flour) Together, they create a healthy, satisfying and very comforting meal that no restaurant menu can match! Here is a recap of my original Khichdi-Kaddhi recipe.

Ingredients

For Khichdi
3 cups moong dal
2 cup basmati or plain rice
3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
7-8 whole black pepper-corns
1 cup onions - finely chopped
1 cup potatoes - finely diced
1 cup fresh/frozen green tuvar (lilva)(optional, but you can get it in Indian stores)
3 tsp turmeric powder
2 green chillies - chopped
2 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
salt - to taste (about 1 1/2-2 tbsp)
lemon juice - to taste (about 2 tbsp)

For Kadddhi
3 cups sour buttermilk
1/4 to 1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour)
2 tbsp ghee
salt and lemon juice - to taste
jaggery or sugar - to taste (start with less if you like it sour!)
2 green chillies - chopped
1 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
chopped corander for garnish
5-6 curry leaves (limdo)

Method - Khichdi
Take the rice and moong dal and wash them under running water for a couple of times. Then take a pressure cooker, add add 3 tbsp ghee and add the cumin seeds, black pepper-corns, onions, and green chillies. Saute for 2 mins, then add the diced potatoes and the rice and moong dal mixture. Add in the turmeric powder and saute again so everything is mixed well. Now add the required amount of water(I generally use the ratio of 1 cup rice to 1-1/2 cup water), cover with the lid and cok it for 4-5 whistles.

Alternately, you can cook the khichdi separate in a rice cooker, and saute the remaining ingredients (use boiled potatoes in this case) in a frying pan, and add the cooked khichdi to the vegetables later.

Method - Kadhhi
Take a large vessel and por the buttermilk in it. Now slowly keep adding the besan a little at a time, constantly stirring or beating the mixture (use an egg-beater) so no lumps are formed. This is very important, and you should make sure there are no lumps at all or the kadhhi will not taste nice. Taste a little to make sure you do not get a pronounced taste of besan, it should mainly be buttermilk with a hint of besan in it.

Now take a kadhai, put 2 tbsp ghee in it, add the cumin and fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, the green chillies and the curry leaves. When they start spluttering, slowly add the buttermilk mixture and stir. Add about 3 cups of water. Keep the flame on medium to medium-high. Now add the jaggery or sugar, salt and the lemon juice. Cover partially and let it boil. Once it gets a bit thick, but not too tick, check for taste and see that it does not taste like a spoonful of besan. If so, add a little more water. Garnish with chopped coriander.

This is a really simple gujarati recipe that anyone can easily make at home. Serve the Khichdi and Kadhhi hot with pickle and enjoy the taste of a traditional gujarati meal:)

Related Recipes:
Rava Dhokla
Instant Khandvi (Suralichi Wadi)
Methi Palak na Muthiya

Garlic Sev Recipe & Happy Diwali!

Its time for Diwali, one of the most cherished and fondly celebrated Indian festival, something that signifies Happiness and Light! Its a time to forgive and forget, to light the lamps of education, awareness, and faith. For us Hindus, it also signifies the dawn of a New Year, so its extra special! I take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a Warm and Happy Diwali, one that reigns in loads of joy, prosperity, good health and fortune for you and your family. May you be blessed with peace and success in all your endeavors! It is traditional to feed people with Sweets and Snacks on Diwali, so here's some homemade Lehsuni (Garlic) Ganthiya to awaken your taste-buds!

Ingredients
100gm gram flour (besan)
1 tspn ground black pepper
1/4 tspn turmeric powder
1 tbsp soda-bi-carb
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp red-chili & garlic paste
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Special Equipment
Sev no Sancho (as shown in the photo below)(img source)
This can be bought from any Indian store where they sell Indian vessels. It is generally made of copper or brass, and is quite heavy. But it comes with several moulds so you can use it to make think or thick Sev, and also Jalebi, Ganthiya, Chakri and other Gujarati goodies!



Method
Mix besan flour with black-pepper powder and lemon juice, soda-bi-carb, oil, and salt. Add the red-chili and garlic paste, and add enough water and knead into a smooth dough. Shape the dough into a thick cylinder.

Now place this dough in the Sev machine; use a thick-holed mould as the base. Close the lid tightly from the top.

Heat oil in a frying pan and wait till it gets sufficiently hot. Drop a tiny piese of dough in it - if it rises immediately, means the oil is hot enough.

Now holding the machine over the hot oil, rotate the lid and force the mixer through the holes by turning the handle, spreading it out evenly in circular movement in the oil.

Fry the Sev for about 2-3 minutes on medium flame till it is lightly golden-brown in color. Remove and drain on a tissue paper, and repeat with the remaining dough.

This savoury Diwali snack is on it's way to Srivalli's JFI-Festival Treats, originally started by Indira. This Lehsuni(Garlic) Sev tastes great with tea! It can be stored in an air-tight container for upto 2 weeks.

Here's wishing all of you a Happy and Prosperous Diwali!

The Art of Making Swiss Chocolates

There's a reason why people love Swiss Chocolates - because they are absolutely superb, have great innovative flavors, and literally melt in your mouth! The high content of superb cocoa butter, which gives the chocolate its smooth, creamy texture and the high standards of manufacturing make them an attractive indulgence around the world. Made with fresh milk that is produced by healthy and Swiss Cows (more happy than those that come from California!), here's what we learned on our recent Europe trip about what makes Swiss Chocolates the best in the world!

Swiss chocolates are world renowned for their high quality, mainly for the fact that, besides using only the best ingredients for making chocolate, it is the milk which makes all the difference! It is procured from Swiss cows that are raised on an organic diet of fresh meadow grass and remain healthy and happy in the evergreen Swiss countryside.

The Making of Chocolate
The art of chocolate making involves manipulating the crystal structure of the cocoa, fat, and sugar to provide a smooth melt-in-the-mouth feeling. Here's what we found about the chocolate-making process, and I thought it'd be interesting to share this with you all.

1. Refining
The first step is Refining, where fat, cocoa, and sugar are milled to a very fine particle size.

2. Conching
The mixture is then subjected to a process called conching, which is the most critical step in chocolate-making. Conching involves kneading the chocolate mixture with additional cocoa butter for 24 to 96 hours at over 150 deg F to give it its final smoothness and creaminess and remove any residual moisture.

3. Tempering
The final step in the manufacture of chocolate is tempering. As liquid chocolate cools and solidifies, the cocoa butter forms crystals. To temper chocolate, it is heated and cooled under controlled conditions so that a fine, even-grained texture is developed. Typically, chocolate at this stage is not heated above 115 deg F. Lecithin, a natural emulsifier derived from soybeans, is added to chocolate at this stage to prevent Blooming (the process of a white haze forming over chocolate when it is cooled)

Challenges in Chocolate Making
One of the challenges in chocolate-making is that water interferes with the crystallization of the cocoa butter, which can then make the chocolate hard and brittle. So, in 1875 a Swiss manufacturer named Daniel Peters discovered the key to a successful milk chocolate process. Instead of using milk, which is almost 80-90% water, he used milk powder instead! By doing this, he was able to produce a coarse, dry milk chocolate bar. By 1897, however, Mr. Peters had perfected a process using condensed milk to produce an intermediate product called milk crumb. Milk crumb is produced by cooking chocolate liquor with sweetened condensed milk, dry ing this mixture into a powder, and subsequently blending it with cocoa butter to produce chocolate.

What is special about Swiss Chocolates is their quality. They are hard and well-formed with clean edges. The smell of a fine chocolate is full and rounded, but never obtrusive. Good chocolate melts like butter, does not stick to the roof of the mouth or feel gritty, and hardly leaves any aftertaste. The best part about these chocolates is the variety of flavors they come in. From Ameretto and Orange to Almonds and some really exotic flavored liqueuers, the Swiss have some really unique chocolates that you couldn't find anywhere else.

We enjoyed every bit of our chocolate-tasting venture and it was a privilege seeing how its made. So, the secret of Good Chocolates are Happy Cows, and Happy Cows come from Switzerland!

Motichoor Boondi Laddu - For Diwali

Diwali is just one week away, and I'm sure preparations are on in full swing in many Indian households! As one fo the most widely celebrated Indian Festival, Diwali is a time for homemade sweets and snacks, and these Motichoor(Boondi) Laddoos are an apt creation! This Indian sweet gets its name from the Hindi word "Boond", meaning droplets, or "Moti", meaining Pearls!! Motichoor laddus made from fine gram-flour droplets which are fried and then immersed in a thick & delicious saffron flavored sugar syrup, and finally rolled into the shape of Laddoos. It looks like a lot of work, but when you put one in your mouth, you'll know its totally worth it!

An important part of any festival is the fact that you get to do things together, with your friends and family. Being is US, I miss the charm of some Indian festivals, but in my brief India trip, we tried to capture the essence as much as possible! The credit of this recipe goes to Saroj Ben, the lady who helps us make delicious delicacies during festival time, and of course to my Mom! Its great how inspiring and spiritually healing cooking can be.

My mom and my mother-in-law, both wanted to pack as many Diwali delicacies for us as the airlines would allow us to, so I have tonnes of goodies to share with you. For now, enjoy these lovely Motichoor Ladoos!

Ingredients
(Makes about 25 Laddoos)

For Boondi
2 1/2 cups of Gram Flour (Besan)
500 ml of Whole Milk
3 cups of Clarified Butter (Ghee) - for deep frying
1/4 cup dry-fruits - finely chopped (optional)

For Sugar Syrup
2 1/2 cups of Sugar
2 tbsp of Whole Milk
1/2 tsp of Cardamom Powder
A few drops of Saffron essence (for deep frying)
3 and 1/2 cups of Water

Special Equipement
A strainer, colander or fine sieve with droplet-sized or smaller pores

Method

Making the Sugar Syrup
In a large deep vessel, put the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Once the sugar dissolves, add in the milk. Boil for 5 minutes or until scum forms on top. Strain with the strainer spoon and return to stove. Add in the saffron color and boil until it is sticky but no thread has formed. Add in the cardamom powder and mix well. Then set aside.

Making the Boondi
Mix the flour and milk together to form a smooth batter. Heat the clarified butter in a heavy frying pan. Hold the boondi-strainer over the frying pan with one hand. With the other hand, pour some batter all over the holes. Tap gently until all of the batter has fallen into the hot clarified butter. Be careful to stay away from the stove as the ghee might sputter a little. Stir with another strainer and remove once it is light golden in color. Set aside on a paper towel, and repeat the process for the remaining batter.

Making the Laddoos
Partly crush/smash 1/4th of the fried boondi with hand; immerse all the fried boondi in the syrup. Drain any excess syrup and spread in a large plate. Add the chopped dry fruits to this mixture. Sprinkle about 2 tsp of hot water over it. Cover and set aside for 5-10 minutes so the boondi soaks up the syrup and it becomes soft.

Once it gets sticky, and cool enough to handle, take a small portion of the boondi mixture and shape into small round balls with moist palms. Do the same for all laddoos.

Arrange on a plate and keep open to dry so the laddoos solidify. One they are hard enough, you can store in an air-tight container and keep in the regrigerator for upto 2 weeks.

Enjoy these delicious Motichoor (Boondi) Laddus and share them with your friends and guest as you celebrate Diwali!

Need more Diwali Sweets? Try the Kesar Almond Burfi, Coconut Laddoos, Kesar Rasmalai or Bengalli Rasgullas and make your Diwali a memorable one!

Grilled Marinated Tofu Wraps

Tofu is the most under-rated food that I know of, and though I do know about its nutritious benefits, I tend to be restrictive in experimenting with Tofu. But on a rainy evening, when we were not in the mood for an elaborate meal, the idea of making Grilled Tofu Wraps spurred my mind. Wraps are a great way to use up a variety of vegetables in your food, and grilled Tofu adds a wonderful flavor to the otherwise simple wraps. Plus, this is one Fusion recipe that has several regional flavors mixed in it - from Thai red curry and peanut sauce to guacamole and sun-dried tomato salsa, its a fusion of flavors that really works well together! Serve it with any dipping sauce, and these Tofu Wraps are going to sizzle your plate!

Ingredients
1/2 slab of extra firm tofu - cut into thick slices for grilling
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
2 tbspn olive oil
1 tsp peanut sauce

For the Wrap
Spinach or Sun-dried tomato Tortillas
chopped vegetables - tomatoes, bell-peppers, onions
1/2 cup cooked rice - (optional)
chopped lettuce
cucumber - finely chopped
guacamole (or peanut sauce) - (optional)
sun-dried tomato salsa - (optional)

Method
Take the first four ingredients for the Marinade and mix them well. Add the Tofu slabs to this mixture, cover and refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Now heat up your grill pan to medium high. Take the Tofu slices, remove excess marinade, and place them on the grill. Leave a pan underneath to collect dripping fluids.

Grill them on one side for about 4-5 mins, till you see light grill marks start to appear; then turn them over and do the same for the other side.

Once done, remove from grill and allow them to cool down. Then cut these into tiny bite-sized cubes.

To assemble the wraps, take each tortilla and layer it with rice and guacamole. Mix all the chopped vegetables in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Then add the chopped tofu cubes and the vegetables to the wrap. Roll it up and seal it with 2 toothpicks. Or cut it in half and fix with a toothpick.

Serve the Grilled Tofu Wraps with your favorite Dipping sauce! A tasty and healthy meal, ready in no time!

Related Recipes:
Mandarin Thai Tofu Satay
Tofu & Basil Thai Soup
Pad Thai with Tofu

Carrot Soup Recipe- Winter Warmer!

As winter approaches, its time for more Soups in our meals. I haven't experimented with a lot of soups, but when I tasted this delicious Creamy Carrot Soup at a restaurant up in the Jungfrau mountain in the Swiss Alps, I became an instant fan! It was rich and creamy, yet had a beautiful flavor, and a wonderful blend of spices that just accentuated the pureed carrot base. I knew I had to try to recreate it at home, and at the second attempt, I think I've nailed it! It has everything you'd ask for in a hearty vegetarian soup - garlic, curry powder, whipping cream, a hint of coconut milk, and garnished with fresh parsley or cilantro, this is one Creamy Carrot Soup recipe that is fit for the wintery days ahead! Off it goes to the Ultimate Fall Recipe Swap:)


Ingredients
Serves 4 to 6
Adapted from the Curried Carrot Soup recipe at Chow.com

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds carrots - peeled & sliced
1 large onion - finely chopped
6 garlic cloves - peeled
5 whole cloves
4 cups water
2 tbsp coconut milk
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
pinch of sugar
1/2 tsp curry powder (optional)
1/4 cup chilled whipping cream
fresh cilantro or parsley - for garnish

Method
Heat oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, curry powder and cloves and saute until onion is translucent, about 8-10 minutes.

Add 3 1/2 cups water. Cover and simmer until carrots are very soft, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Remove the cloves from broth and discard. Puree soup in batches in a blender. Return soup to same saucepan. Mix in lemon juice and sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Beat the whipping cream and coconut milk together. Now add this to the soup and allow to simmer for a few more mins.

While serving, transfer the Curried Carrot Soup into bowls. Drizzle some more cream if desired, and garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley.

Related Recipes:
Vegetable Hot & Sour Soup
Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Tofu & Basil Thai Soup

Spiced Apple Bread Recipe

Fall is the harvest season, and the markets are flooded with lovely golden Apples, inviting us to cook them, drink them, jam them, or bake them into something delicious! This Spiced Apple Bread is one such treat that exudes the flavors of fall in all its glory. Made with fresh apples and chopped nuts, and flavored mildly with cinnamon and nutmeg, I had as much pleasure baking it, and smelling it as it cooked in the oven, as I had in devouring it like crazy with a dollop of butter and orange marmalade! I have never been too keen about Apple desserts, but I love this Apple Bread, and I know I'll be baking it quite a lot! [img credit: hunnybscakery]

Ingredients
2 cups sweet apples - shredded or chopped finely
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup butter
2 small eggs (or 1.5 large eggs)
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)

Method
Cream the butter (at room temp) with the sugar, then combine with the oil, eggs, and vanilla and set aside.

In another bowl, sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to oil mixture gradually. Finally add the apples and nuts.

Grease one loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the pan, and bake at 325 deg F for about 50 mins (check after 40 mins) till its brown on the outside, appears crusty, and the toothpick test passes.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan after switching off the oven, then let it cool completely on a wire rack.

Run a knife under warm tap water, and use this to slice the bread. Store in an air-tight container. Enjoy this delicious Spiced Apple Bread with butter or honey as you celebrate Fall flavors!

Related Recipes:
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Chocolate Banana Bread
Coconut Pandan Bread

What is Port Wine & Why is it Special?

Port Wine, the famous sweet fortified wine of the Douro River Valley in Portugal, has long been the classic way to end a meal and celebrate an evening. Port is a sweet red wine with about 20% alcohol (as opposed to table wine which is usually about 13%) and rather low acidity and tannin, yet a rich spicy flavor and smooth taste! Port wine range from very sweet, semi-sweet to semi-dry, dry, and extra dry. The wine maker will determine its sweetness based on when and how he interrupts the fermentation process. Often served as the perfect Dessert Wine, here's an attempt to understand what makes Port such an exquisite wine, that draws people by its taste and aroma.

Port is created in a unique way that captures the fruit and flavor of the ripe grapes in wines that possess extraordinary longevity. During fermentation, prior to reaching the point where all of the natural grape sugars have been converted into alcohol, high-proof brandy is added to the vats to stop the fermentation. This leaves a wine with great depth of color and a high natural sweetness. After fermentation is complete, the wines are transported to "lodges" where they rest in large oak casks called "pipes."

The alcohol in port wine is produced under very specific conditions that result from natural and human factors. While aging in wood, port wine's fruity aroma develops through oxidation to create a bouquet that is reminiscent of dried fruit, toasting, wood, and spices. The aging process also adds to its smoothness while making the bouquet more complex. Much older wines have a greenish tint.

The Ageing Method
There are several styles of port, but there are essentially two aging methods, reductive aging and oxidative aging. Ports that are aged using the reductive process are sealed in their container and have no exposure to oxygen. They are smoother and less tannic. The port wines that are aged using the oxidative process are matured in wooden barrels and are slightly exposed to oxygen. Oxidated ports are more viscous and intense.

Types of Port
Vintage Ports are to be held in the bottle for a long time, ten years considered being just a start while truly great vintages can require 20 years and more to reach optimum maturity. This gives them a distinct taste, often known as "grapey". Ruby Ports, on the other hand, are generally young wines that have not lost their youthful ruby-red color. Fruity on the nose, they tend to be very fresh in the mouth. Tawny Ports are aged a long time in wooden barrels, spending 3 or 4 years in casks. They tend to lose most of their fruit and the normal deep red color becomes more of an amber hue as the wine acquires a nutty character. White Ports have different degrees of sweetness due to the manner by which they are made. They have a very floral & fruity flavor, and a minimum alcohol content of 16.5%, comparatively lower than the other port wines.

So all in all, it's an affluence of flavors that makes Port Wine so special. While other wines get a lot of their flavor from fruits and other additives, these dessert wines are naturally sweet and fruity, making them an ideal choice for pairing with any kind of food. And with enough Port Wine choices available for an amateur to a connoiseur, you are sure to find one that suits your tastebuds! But beware of Port wine stains - they can be really hard to get off!:)

Related Articles:
Is Red Wine Good for Health?
How to Pair WIne with your Food?
How to Store & Serve Wine?

Introducing - The Vibrant & Delicious Fun and Food Cafe

I'm back after a long and luxurious vacation in Europe and India, and now I'm fully recharged to take on the world, one step at a time! Thanks so much to all my readers and blog friends who looked out for me while I was gone, kept visiting my blog and kep it alive and buzzing with their comments and feedback. All you folks rock, and I'm ever indebted to you for all your support and appreciation! I hinted about a surprise when I left, and now its time to reveal what I had been working on since past few weeks before my vacation. Please join me in introducing the delicious new site called Fun and Food Cafe, an extension of this food blog in more ways than one!

I started this blog a little over a year back, with the aim of sharing my recipes with the world. I moved from simple recipes to kitchen disasters and then to some highly successful experiments which had even me spellbinded! I discovered a new love for food and cooking after starting this blog, and I plan to keep it alive and kicking as I launch the new home site for this blog. Fun & Food Cafe will be all about Cooking, Eating, Entertaining and Healthy Living, fostering a community that aims at delivering the best in Food and Health.

I had this domain lying around for quite some time now, and finally I decided to give it a stir. There were a lot of ideas brimming in my mind about what I wanted to do with my blog, and it needed a dedicated space of its own. So the FFCafe, as you'll find me referring to the new blog, will be a house of delicious recipes, but not just from my kitchen. You'll find a lot of diversified food out there, tried and tested recipes coming from expert chefs all around the world, and also from house-chefs and my readers who have often expressed a desire to Submit their Recipes. The art of Cooking is limitless, so the FFCafe gives you a chance to explore the expertise shared by foodies and cooks around the world, so you have more to learn and feast on!

Besides food, there will be a lot of talk about Cooking tips and techniques, as well as some interesting foodie products and cookbook reviews. Then there's the Entertaining Ideas and the fabulous Finds section, which will focus on bringing to you the latest trends in being the perfect hostess, so you can impress your guests and win them over!

Through all this, I shall try to put forth the idea of healthy Living, and write regular articles about health, nutrition, fitness and recipes that endorse the importance of a balanced diet and exercise in your daily life. There will also be nifty articles from field experts to guide you and answer your queries.

Does all this new stuff mean that my "current blog" will be neglected? ABSOLUTELY NOT!! This will stay very much alive as usual - HOME tab will take you to the FFCafe, and the BLOG tab will bring you to this space. I'll try to keep the content on both of these to be exclusive as much as possible, so you can Subscribe to both feeds, and experience the goodness of both the worlds!

I'm really excited about this idea, and I sincerely hope that you are too! If you've loved visiting this blog, you'll surely find the new site interesting. I request you to hop on over to the FFCafe and take some time to browse around. tell me what you feel, and what you'd like to have. I promise to accomodate your suggestions, and look forward to the same kind of support and acceptance for the new blog, as you've bestowed on this one.

So go get your tray of cookies, I have the coffee ready - let's meet up and have a ball at the Fun and Food Cafe!

Paneer & Sun-Dried Tomato Muffins

Savory Muffins have a fan-following of their own, and even me, who is an ardent dessert-lover, could not say no to a bit of these delicious muffins made with paneer and sun-dried tomatoes! A recipe that combines classic ingredients in a contemporary style, this is one fusion experiment I love. With Paneer as the star ingredient, I threw in some chopped sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, spring onions, herbs and some more italian cheese. If that does not get you out of bed, what will!? Perfect for your mornings, or as appetizers or mid-day snacks, these savoury paneer muffins are sure to leave a mark of their own!

Ingredients
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4th cup whole milk
1 cup cottage cheese - crumbled or shredded
1/2 cup mozarella and parmesan - shredded (optional)
1 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (oiled ones, finely chopped)
1/2 cup spring onions - chopped (white and greens separate)
8-10 cloves of garlic - minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs - beaten
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
salt and black pepper - to taste
4 tbsp basil flakes (adjust amount to suit your taste)
2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

Method
Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda through a sieve. Add the salt, black pepper, herbs, and red pepper flakes. In a pan, add the olive oil, then saute the white prt of the onions and garlic till it starts giving out an aroma. Allow to cool a bit.

In another bowl, beat the eggs to make them fluffy, then add to the sauteed onions/garlic mixture. Combine this with the flour mixture. Slowly add the cottage cheese, mozarella and parmesan, then keep mixing/folding gently as you add milk little by little. Do not overbeat, just mix to combine the ingredients.

Grease 12-muffin pans with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 350 deg F, then fill the mixture in the muffin pans upto the brim. Bake for 20-25 mins, and not more. Insert a tooth-pick in the center to make sure they are cooked. If the muffin tops look white, tun to broil setting and bake for 15 seconds, not more, or the muffins will get browned (the mistake I did!!)

Once done, allow them to cool on the wire rack. Gently remove from the pan and serve immediately with ketchup or a dipping sauce. Just add a dollop of fresh butter and you can enjoy these cute savoury sun-dried tomato and paneer muffins with your coffee or tea too!!

Related Recipes:
Spinach and Cheese Souffle
Rava Dhokla
Paneer Cutlets

Flavor Sprays - Great Taste & Zero Calories!

Those who haven't heard of and tried the Flavor Sprays from the award-winning chef David Burkes, you are seriously missing something! When I first read about them, I was intrigued and attracted at the same time - it's such a great idea to use Flavor Sprays which can enhance flavor of anything you eat, without adding tonnes of extra calories that generally go hand-in-hand with indulgent recipes! It is no wonder then, that people have caught up to the Flavor Spray Diet - you can actually eat the healthy food you need, without missing on the great flavor factor! These sprays are safe and contain absolutely no fat, no carbs, calories or cholesterol! They work with any and every type of food - so what are you waiting for? Spray some flavor into your nutritious food, and you can pamper your craving, without gaining any extra pounds or disturbing your diet plan!

David Burke, a renowned chef, restaurateur and cookbook author has introduced a line of zero-calorie Flavor Sprays to enable people to put more flavor into diet food like steamed vegetables, boiled eggs, or plain fruits and turn them into tasty concoctions. These are especially formulated for those who are on a low-calorie diet, so they can still cater to their cravings by trying to assugae them using these calorie-free, fat free, carb-free Flavor Sprays.

Flavor Sprays come in 35 flavors, and range from sweet and savory, both naturally-flavored and a combination of natural and artificial. Anybody on any diet or food plan can use the sprays. Though it was introduced a some time ago, it is only recently that the craze has increased. I watched an episode about these on Food Network, and decided to try a couple flavor bottles myself.

The basic idea of using Flavor Sprays is not to substitute actual fresh ingredients, but only to use it as a zer-calorie flavor enhancer on drab or plain foods. Instead of actual cheese, use Parmesan Spray, instead of Chocolate Sauce, spray 2-3 squirts of Chocolate Truffle flavor and your milk might taste better than before! With innovative flavors to choose from like Bacon, Bleu Cheese, Chocolate Fudge, Banana, Cookies & Cream, Memphis Bbq and many more, you can even combine certain flavors together to add the zing missing from your dish.

However, as exciting as these may sound, they are not real flavors, and hence do not taste as great as the names make them look! I found that I had to spray a lot of Chocolate Truffle on my ice-cream to make it taste even close, but Cookies & Cream in my milk had a stronger taste than Raspberry or Banana; so it really depends on your taste, and also the strength in the Flavor Spray. Perhaps the Memphis BBQ or Teriyaki flavors might provide some variety to plain, skinned chicken and steamed or broiled fish when one has tired of all of the seasoned salts and citrus squeezes. It may also be a good idea to use these with kids, as this way you can give them the taste without all that sugar! Or use it on someone who has high cholesterol and loves Bacon - a dash of spray on eggs is all he may need!

Flavor Sprays are a nice compliment to your diet routine, but they cannot substitute the actual ingredients. As David Burke says himself "The sprays do not compete with a gourmet chef or a balanced diet. Rather, they help in adding flavor to food without adding the fat and calories. They complement well-prepared food and a healthy diet plan." With this in mind, a $5.00 bottle of your favorite Flavor Spray can be enticing to try - I loved my Strawberry Shortcake and Cheesecake flavors; I'd urge you to try one yourself, as you might just find the flavor you were looking for!

Instant Microwave Khandvi (Suralichi Wadi)

What is known as Khandvi in Gujarat, and Suralichi Wadi in Maharashtra, is an extremely popular Indian snack. Its like a savoury swiss-roll, made from chickpea flour,spices and sour buttermilk, then topped with a splash of coriander, coconut and sesame seeds. For most people who have only relished it in Snack shops, Khandvi seems to be a very tough recipe; actually, the traditional cook-top method did require monitoring and technique. But with this microwave-recipe, it is easy to make Khandvi whenever you want, and in practically half the original time. The key to making good Khandvi is the exact proportion of ingredients, and the final test which determines if the mixture is cooked or not! So all those of you who have been intimidated by this recipe before, read on and discover the easiest recipe for the best Khandvi, aka Suralichi Wadi ever!

I'm sending this platter of Khandvi to Ruth, who's hosting MM-Sensational Sides event this month.

Ingredients
1 cup besan (chickpea flour)
2.5 cup sour buttermilk
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
a pinch of asafoetida (hing)

For Tempering
1/4 cup grated coconut
1/4 cup fresh cilantro - chopped
2 small green chillies - chopped finely
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp sesame seeds

Method
Prepare 4 medium-sized flat steel dinner plates (upside-down), or use a large pizza plate covered with aluminium foil. You can even use a large cutting board, wrapped with aluminium foil.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the besan, buttermilk, turmeric, asafoetida and salt making sure there are no lumps. Cook the mixture by microwaving for 30-45 second spurts and stirring after each interval.

repeat this procedure for about 4-5 times. After the 4th time, check to see if the mixture appears to be thick enough. Then perform the Test to see if it's done.

Smear a small amount (teaspoonful) of the mixture on a steel plate and let it cool for a few seconds. Try rolling it off the surface. If it comes off easily and can be rolled, it is ready. If it sticks to the plate even after cooling, or breaks when you try to roll it, cook it for some more time.

Once done, evenly spread the mixture onto the upturned plates and spread it thinly, using a spatula. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes or so.

Use a blunt knife to gently cut the sheet into 1 inch wide strips. Then gently roll each strip into a tight roll. Finish with all the rolls and arrange them in a serving bowl. Set in the refrigerator till its time to serve.

Meanwhile, take oil for tempering, add the mustard seeds to it and allow to splutter. Add the sesame seeds, cilantro and shredded coconut. Remove from heat and mix everything together.

Sprinkle this onto the Khandvi rolls and serve!