- Very healthy recipes from the kitchen to the table in minutes

So many salsa's out there and many versions of the recipes are available. However, pineapple salsa's is one of my favorite kind of...

Pineapple Salsa

So many salsa's out there and many versions of the recipes are available. However, pineapple salsa's is one of my favorite kind of salsa. I make it often during the football season, especially for super bowl. Yesterday, my niece was having a backyard camp birthday party. Among all the appetizers prepared my sister suggested that we make the pineapple salsa. So we made 3 times the recipe below for the party and it was a big hit. I wanted to document the recipe for everyone to enjoy anytime. 

Gadgets:

Food Processor
Cutting Board
Knife
Measuring Spoons


Ingredients:

Tit bit Pineapple Cans - 1 can
White Onion - 1/3
Note: Taste the onions before using them. It is very strong and spicy use less of it.

Cilantro finely chopped - 1/4 cup
Honey - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Black Pepper Powder - a pinch
Jalapeno - 1/2 seeds removed and chopped
Chilli Powder - a few pinches

Preparation:

1. Add all the ingredients apart from the jalapeno and cilantro into a food processor.

2. Buzz for a few seconds until the onions and pineapple gets blended a little.

3. Add the jalapenos and cilantro. Check for salt and serve with chips.


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In the  new year speech, the founder of Nanadala Seva Samithi, Pujyasri Mathioli Saraswath...

Massikkai: Remedies For Wheezing And Asthma














































In the new year speech, the founder of Nanadala Seva Samithi, Pujyasri Mathioli Saraswathi also called as Sri Akka, mentioned the medicinal benefits of Massikkai. Massikkai  is also known as Gall-Oak or Majuphal or Quercus Infectoria. It tastes like gooseberry or Amla. Here are some of its medicinal properties that she mentioned:
1. It can purify the air, so having one in our house helps in clearing the air.
2. Its powder can be used like you would use Sambrani ( add it over hot coal, the fumes from it inhaled), prevents asthma attacks.
3. It detoxifies the system.
4. Prevents wheezing.
5. Has antiseptic properties and can be compared to Dettol.
6.You can make Maasikkai into small bits. Have a piece in the mouth. The juice along with the saliva can go inside the body and clears the lungs and stomach. It can clear the phlegm in the chest and protects us.















































 It can be purchased at the local medicinal stores (nattu marundhu kadai) in India. I wanted to share this information with all those who suffer from such issues. To make into a powder, dry roast it and powder it. Mix with water and drink. I would also like to mention that these are home made remedy tips and is no medical advice.

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Whenever I travel, within the country or out of it to meet with family and friends, I always prepare something from my kitchen. I enjoy co...

Coconut Burfi Milk Free Version

Whenever I travel, within the country or out of it to meet with family and friends, I always prepare something from my kitchen. I enjoy cooking for my family and friends. These days I am always careful about what I can take for everyone. With allergies becoming very prevalent among most people I want to be extra careful. This week I wanted to make the dairy free version of coconut burfi, as I have already posted on with dairy here. It is a stove top version and can be done easily. 






Gadgets:

Kadai or Wok
Spatula
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Aluminum Foil lined Square Pan
Knife


Ingredients:

Coconut - 3 2/3 cups ( I used the frozen kind defrosted)
Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cardamom - 4 pods powdered

Preparation:

1. Heat the kadai with ghee. Once the ghee melts add the shredded coconut and cook it so that all the water would evaporate from the coconut.

2. Add the sugar and mix well and allow the sugar to melt. Keep mixing the coconut and sugar until it comes together and forms  a ball.

3. Transfer to a prepared tray and allow for it to set. Place it in the fridge and then cut them into squares.



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A very colorful vegetable and highly photogenic is beetroot. Being a big fan of the beets at Sweet Tomatoes, a salad bar in town, I tend t...

Beetroot Kootu /Coconut Curried Beets

A very colorful vegetable and highly photogenic is beetroot. Being a big fan of the beets at Sweet Tomatoes, a salad bar in town, I tend to pick up a bunch at the farmers market often. Made this kootu with the beets and enjoyed with some rice.





Gadgets:

Pan
Seasoning Wok
Spatula
Measuring Cups and Spoons

Ingredients:

Beets - 3 finely cubed
Water - Enough to cover the chopped beets plus 1 cup
Salt
Sambar Powder - 3/4 tsp
Asafoetida Powder- a few shakes
Kootu Podi - 2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Coconut - 3 tbsp
Curry leaves - a few
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Udad Dal - 2 tsp
Cooked Thoor Dhal - 2 ladles
Oil - 1 tbsp
Red Dry Chillies - 1


Preparation:

1. Add chopped beets, water, sambar powder, salt, asafoetida and cook the beets covered until the beets are fully cooked ( 10- 12 minutes).

2. Add cooked thoor dal, kootu podi  and mix well. If more water is required add 1/2 a cup.

3. In a seasoning wok heat the oil, add asafeotida, mustard seeds and allow for the seeds to pop. Once it starts to pop add udad dal, cumin seeds, dry chillies and toast. Add coconut and mix until it starts to toast. Remove from heat and add to the kootu. 

4. Garnish with curry leaves and serve them hot with rice, sambar or rasam.





15 Comments:

A trip along the coast on 101 lets you pass through Santa Barbara. An awesome beach town to visit if you have not. Last week we happened t...

Barley Salad

A trip along the coast on 101 lets you pass through Santa Barbara. An awesome beach town to visit if you have not. Last week we happened to be there and for lunch stopped at a whole foods kind of place called Lazy acres. We decided to shop for some snacks. We did load up of their baked good but what impressed me was their wide salad spread. Among their delicious salads we chose the barley salad. It was very fresh, crunchy and had an interesting texture. Since we enjoyed it so much, we decided to prepare it for dinner last night. Made a big bowl of the salad and we have all been enjoying it since. Perfect for summer because it is a cold salad and tastes better the next day. Travels well for picnics too.


Gadgets:

Stock Pot
Spatula
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Serving Bowl
Cutting Board
Knife
Bottle


Ingredients:

Barley - 2 cups
Water - 4 cups for soaking, 6 cups for cooking and more rinsing.
Salt
Olive Oil - 1/4 cup
Lemon Juice - 1 lemon
Rice Vinegar - 3 tbsps
Fresh Crushed Pepper 
Garlic Powder - 2 tsp
Paprika - 1/2 tsp ( depends on the spice level)
Corn - 1/4 cup
Cucumber - 1 cup mini cubes
Bell Pepper ( Any color) - 1 cup mini cubes
Green Onions - 4 finely slices 9 include the green part too)


Preparation:

1. Clean the barley, wash in water 3 times. Soak over night. 

2. Cook the barley in water for 15-20 minutes with some salt in a stock pot.

3. Check to see if the barley is done,then drain the excess water and store it. This water is very healthy. Rinse the barley in cold water until all the slimy texture is removed.Allow for the barley to cool in a big bowl. 

4. Once it is cooled, add chopped veggies and give it a toss.

5. In a bottle add oil, pepper, paprika, salt, garlic powder, lemon juice, vinegar and give it a good shake until all ingredients combine.

6. Pour the dressing over the barley and mix well. Cover and refrigerator it for at least 30 minutes before serving. Store in air tight container and can be served the next day.



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Today, I wanted to make something special for my family. We have all been busy and have not had our family time in a while. To celebrate t...

Quinoa Kesari / Sweetened Quinoa With Fruit And Nut

Today, I wanted to make something special for my family. We have all been busy and have not had our family time in a while. To celebrate the occasion I decided to make quinoa kesari. Kesari is a sweet dish that is made with semolina or rava. In Sanskrit, kesaram means mane, and kesari is a lion with kesaram. A lions body has the same color of kesari and when the powder is added to the sweet dish it came to be called kesari. I love quinoa with ghee, sugar and nuts. I often indulge in it, with the left over cooked quinoa. This time, I decided to make the sweetened quinoa from scratch. Here is a version that I enjoyed preparing and relishing with my family.


Gadgets:

Heavy wok with lid
Spatula
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Colander
Kettle

Ingredients:

Quinoa - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup ( it turned out sweeter than I expected)
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Cashew Nuts - 1/4 cup
Raisins - 1/4 cup
Water - 2  1/4 cup
Saffron - a pinch
Kesari Powder - a pinch ( optional if you have food coloring allergies)



Preparation:

1. Wash the quinoa well in water. Drain in a colander until all the water is removed. Boil water in the kettle.

2. Heat the wok to medium high and add the wet quinoa and roast it until the moisture leaves the quinoa.

3. Add 6 tsp of ghee and mix it well until a very aromatic nutty smell comes from the quinoa.

4. Add boiling water and mix well. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. 

5. In about 20 minutes, the quinoa will be all be cooked. Now add the sugar, cardamon and saffron and give it a good mix. 

6. The sugar will start to melt, now increase the heat to medium high and allow the sugar to get absorbed. Lower the heat. Add Kesari Powder (optional) and give it a stir.

7. Heat a seasoning wok with 2 tsp of ghee, add cashew nuts, raisins and allow the cashew nuts to roast. Add it to the quinoa and serve it hot. 

21 Comments:

A very special sweet/ ladoo or uranda that I have ever posted. My sister loves it and over indulges in it.   When she was pregnant, my Amm...

Samba Godhumai Urandai/ Whole Wheat Ladoo

A very special sweet/ ladoo or uranda that I have ever posted. My sister loves it and over indulges in it.   When she was pregnant, my Amma asked her what she would like to eat, she asked for this shamba godhuma urandai. How hard can it be to make this ladoo right? Well, it was not hard but tricky, time consuming and highly technique oriented. Teaches patience and focus. 

My Perima, is really good with traditional cooking. She came over to prepare this for my sister. She picked me as a sous chef and I learned the technique from her. It was a whole day of preparation, she made me collect some dry coconut leaves from the back yard, make a broom, cut it into half and use it as the spatula to toast the samba wheat. It did not end there, she used the manual stone grinder  (endera kal) to grind the wheat and sugar. After all the hard work, the urandai (ladoo) that she made with adding ghee was amazing. Here is the recipe that she taught me. 



Gadgets:

Heavy Kadai or Wok
Bamboo Sticks a bunch
Rubber Band
Measuring Cup and Spoon
Blender


Ingredients:

Samba Whole Wheat - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp ( please adjust sugar as per taste)
Cardamom - 5 pods
Ghee - as required
Cashew Nuts - 8 pieces

Preparation:

1. Heat the kadai to medium heat. Add the wheat after cleaning. Add the rubber band around the bamboo sticks. 

2. Using that bamboo stick keep mixing the wheat. Roast until the color changes from golden brown to a reddish brown. Allow it to cool, grind finely with cardamon. Add to a bowl. 

3. Grind the sugar to a powder, mix with the powdered wheat mix. 

4. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee to the wok, roast the cashew nuts and add to the mix.

4. Add melted ghee enough to make ladoo's. Store in a air tight container.





13 Comments:

This weekend I am very excited that I am visiting my friends and family. No matter what material gifts I bring to family and friends, I am...

Puffed Whole Wheat Spicy Mixture/ Puffed Whole Wheat Kara Pori

This weekend I am very excited that I am visiting my friends and family. No matter what material gifts I bring to family and friends, I am most happy when I bring them something specially prepared from my kitchen. With the intention of buying some base ingredients for my snack preparation, I visited my local Indian store. There I saw a whole stash of Indian snacks and I thought maybe this time around, I could buy some snacks. Just then, I discovered a big bag of puffed whole wheat. It resembled a giant puffed rice or a capsule. Curious I picked up the packet and decided to make something with it. For all those who are looking for a healthy snack here is one. It was greatly enjoyed by everyone who received as gifts. 


Gadgets:

Heavy Wok, Kadai
Spatula
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Bowls
Cutting Board
Knife


Ingredients:

Puffed Whole Wheat - 4 cups
Peanuts - 2 cups
Raisins - 1 cup
Curry Leaves - a hand full
Dried Cilantro - 2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 tbsp
Chilli Powder - 2 tsp
Garlic Powder - 2 tsp
Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida Powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil
No Salt need to be added as the puffed whole wheat has a lot in it
Green Chillies - 4 diced
Sugar - a few pinches

Preparation:

1. Heat the wok with some oil ( enough to roast the peanuts) and roast the peanuts.

2. Add asafoetida, chili and turmeric powder, green chilies and curry leaves and give it a toss for a few seconds.

3. Add the puffed whole wheat to it and allow for the spice mix to coat each puffed whole wheat.

4. Keep toasting the puffed wheat on low flame until it gets very crunchy and crisp.

5. Toss in the dried cilantro, raisins and sugar and give it a toss.

6. Serve it warm for snack with tea or cool them in a bowl and then store in a air tight container.

19 Comments: