Quick & Easy Fried Cheese Balls

As soon as the weather turns a bit chilly or humid, everyone at our home starts craving fried food! Bhajiyas (Fritters) are a hot favorite in pretty much any Indian household during rainy cold days. But you don't really need an excuse to enjoy fried food. It is extremely comforting, and that is enough reason to indulge, at least once in a while!
This weekend we went for a new recipe for fritters. I had to use up the Artisan garlic flavored cheese lying in my refrigerator, so this Fried Cheese Balls recipe caught my eye. Photo by boo_licious. My friend Lisa has another interesting version with Smoked Gouda cheese that she calls Smoked Gouda Cheese Puffs, in case you'd like to try that out.

These cheese fritters are so easy to make, and they are so tasty, you'll be eating away the entire bowl in no time! The crispy exterior with the soft gooey cheesy interior make them perfect finger food, and your kids would especially like them a lot. You can jazz it up by adding chopped onions, maybe some cilantro or basil, even chopped spinach would be great with cheese. Remember to serve them hot, with a side of Ketchup or some dipping sauce, but make sure you leave a generous amount on the side for yourself, or you'll never even get to taste one!

Ingredients
1 cup grated mild cheese or flavored cheese (Gouda works too)
2 tsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
a pinch of cayenne pepper
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
3/4 cup fine cracker crumbs or bred crumbs
vegetable oil - for frying

Method
Combine the cheese, flour, salt, and cayenne pepper in one bowl and mix well.

Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl; beat until they are stiff, holding peaks, about 2 minutes by spoon and hand.

Now gently add the flour mixture to the egg whites base. Pat the mixture into small balls and roll them in cracker crumbs until thoroughly coated.

Refrigerate these cheese balls for at least 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok. When it is hot enough (drop a small piece of bread and it should float up to the top immediately), you are ready to fry the cheese balls.

Put 3 balls in the hot oil at a time, taking care not to crowd the wok. Fry them over medium-heat until they are evenly golden brown on all sides. Remove and drain them on paper towels.

The cheese will become nice and gooey but due to the egg whites and the cracker crumbs, the Cheese Balls will still hold their shape. Serve them immediately with some Dipping Sauce on the side.

Related Recipes
Khasta Kachori Chaat
Methi Pakodas (Fenugreek Fritters)
Vegetable Samosas with Mozarella & Basil

Can I be the Next Food Blog Star?

YES, I CAN! I say this not because it sounds cool, but because I truly believe in myself and my cooking skills. Cooking needs passion, and blogging needs writing skills, and thanks to Almighty, I have both! I started this blog in 2006, when blogging wasn't such a great activity, social networking still meant calling a bunch of friends home for snacks, and spending a 1000 bucks on DSLR's to take food photos was unheard of. But now we are in 2010, where food blogs have replaced famous cooking sites and bloggers have a credibility and a following that is unmatched by others.

I started cooking at the age of 12, and like most other girls, I was influenced by the delicious family meals that my Mom cooked for us at home. My food career started with Indian cooking, but then I went to undergrad school, away from comforting home-cooked meals, which helped me develop my taste-buds further, getting exposed to different cuisines and styles of cooking. A few years down the lane I came to US for grad school, and food and cooking took an entirely new meaning for me altogether. I now had to cook large meals that fed at least 6-8 roommates, but even more challenging was the fact that the food should be delicious enough to satiate foodies from several nationalities. A couple years down the road, I married someone who is no less than a food critic, and I knew I could depend on him to critique my skills and honer them. Thanks to all these diverse experiences, I found myself evolving into a passionate cook!

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes with Orange Maple Sauce

Why Should I be the Next Food Blog Star?
When I try to think of a Food Blog Star, I imagine a person who can turn ordinary food into something extraordinary and exotic. Most of the people who read food blogs are simple men and women with no formal culinary training. They are just looking for inspiration to make a memorable meal for their family or friends, and need a recipe that is easy to follow. Also, the style of blogging is important - it should be simple and personal, and some delicious food photos to showcase your recipes goes a long way in convincing someone that they too can create the same kind of magic in their kitchen!

Toasted Bruschetta with Curried Chickpeas

I believe I have all these qualities as a cook and blogger. Being a vegetarian all my life, my food blog only showcases vegetarian recipes, but they are tasty enough to lure even meat-lovers alike! I love fusion cooking, where I can experiment to my heart's content with ingredients, herbs and flavors of different cuisines and varieties. But yes, the recipes would definitely have a touch of Indian influence that will linger on your minds long after the food is gone!

I add a personal touch to my recipes, no matter whether they are original or adapted. You'll find several flavor twists and recipe variations in most of my recipe posts, so my readers can adapt them to suit their own taste-buds. Also, I love sweets & desserts, especially baked goodies, so you'll find a lot of sweet treats on my blog. This blog is the reason I learned to Make my own Fondant Icing, or make a Layered Chocolate Cake for someone's birthday! But as a mom of a growing toddler, I know how important it is for our food to be healthy, so I try to incorporate healthy into my recipes as best as I can, as well as add ideas and suggestions to make them more kid-friendly. But the most important thing, you will find a lovely picture of the finished recipe in every post, inviting you to take a spoon and grab a bite right off the screen, at the same time enabling you to believe in yourself as a chef and recreate the recipe in your own kitchen. And food looks inviting only if it is presented in a beautiful way, so I try to add tips on how to plate your food beautifully, so you can score accolades for both, the look and the flavor of your food.

Tri-Colored Dhokla Sandwich

Cooking is a skill to be developed, just like any other skill, and it needs vision, passion and commitment from the artist, the chef. Not everyone is born with it, but it is definitely a skill you can cultivate and enhance, and I would love to help in my own small way. As a food blogger, it is my responsibility to share my knowledge and skills with my readers, and I will always deliver it in the form of delicious home-cooked recipes tried-and-tested in my kitchen, along with equally delicious photos as proof that you can do this too! Every note of acknowledgment that I receive re-instates my belief in myself and my skills as a cook. And this is the reason I have decided to participate in Foodbuzz's Project Food Blog, their latest venture of crowning the Next Food Blog Star, And each one of you can help me achieve this goal by voting for my blog as I try to encompass each challenge (Voting badge is on the left sidebar, top of the page).

Remember, good food is the key to win every human's heart, and its not difficult to create good healthy food at home. A little skill, a good recipe, and some easy presentation skills can make you a beloved chef in no time!

What is Organic Weight Loss?

Weight Loss will always be a topic of immense interest and discussion, even decades from now, I believe. However, it is interesting to see how this topic has evolved over time! First there was only Exercise, then there were diet plans, then came weight loss supplements, detox diets, and now its going full circle again with Organic Weight Loss Propaganda. What is Organic weight loss? Have you heard about it? I for sure had not known the term until few days ago, when I came across an article discussing this new trend in achieving weight loss.

You'll find tonnes of products in the market that guarantee rapid weight loss, but the masters of the trade know that there's no quick-fix route for this destination. Healthy food choices with well-structured diet meals, ample exercise and overall fitness is essential in achieving this goal. Organic weight loss is a means to achieve this end, as it focuses on nourishing the body with vital supplements found naturally in food.

The truth is, once you follow a proper diet and exercise regime, there are things that can give you that extra boost you need to finally take the weight off once and for all. One such "extra boost" is organic food. These are foods grown without hormones, preservatives, pesticides, or other harmful chemicals. They are designed to grow naturally in the environment and work within the human body in a natural way, replenishing lost fluids and nutrients, increasing metabolism, and thereby helping lose those excess pounds naturally.

For people interested in this new and upcoming diet loss plan, you must visit Kirstie Alley's Organic Liaision, which is a great resource to understand more about this form of weight loss, and also an introduction to Rescue Me, their unique diet plan. Organic Liaison offers the first ever USDA certified organic diet food delivery. They encourage a healthy lifestyle based on eating organic meals and promote eating fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy foods grown without the use of inorganic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers, growth hormones, antibiotics and other harmful chemicals and toxic substances.

In the end, organic weight loss is not much different from the traditional method of eating healthy food, and focusing on small portions with 5 meals a day. It works with the same philosophy, but is just packaged in a new way. Our bodies are not designed to break down the (toxins)chemicals that are a part of non-organic food products, so we end up placing extra stress on our organs, which results in a build up of chemical substances where fat is stored, and in turn to over-weight and obesity. Smart choices lead to a healthier you, as well as a healthier environment. So take some time to research the importance of organic food, and how it can help you achieve a sustainable weight loss. I just wanted to get a word out about this latest alternative in the market, in the end, you are the best judge of your personal situation!