L & L Shrikhand

I love Winter..honestly..then followed with Fall then Spring and then really i don't like it..but it just falls in place...yep! talking about Summer. And now that Spring is upon us..i can see all my neighbours scurrying around..planting flowers, veggies...going insane with the mower and just making that darn yard beautiful. Now..usually this does not bother me much..because by nature i am really indifferent to what others do...but this year my front yard is horrible. It was never a sight to behold..but this time it has taken itself personally to the next level. I think i have got weeds enough to fill 10 lawns..so instead of flowers on the flower bed..i got weed people..and nope..this is the garden variety ...pesty crap..don't go get crappy ideas..sheesh!. So i have this Monday chalked out to pull the weeds out...and keep it clean. Nope..i am not planting any flowers..it will look barren..but it will be neat and that is enough for me. Now..you may think Monday!..why did she choose that day? Well..on Monday i officially do not workout..yesssr..it is my official break day...the other days...i pretend that i need to workout..but postpone things long enough to make it late and do a miserly 15 mts or postpone it to the next day with a solemn promise that i will get it done by am!..yeah! i can see that working out (roll eyes)

Anyway...warm weather calls for a cool and refreshing desert and i know there is a million Shrikhand floating around..well...here goes one more to the list. I wanted to make it low fat...and please sub low fat stuff to 'normal' counterparts if you are those lucky chicks who do not have hippa-hips ;)

Btw....L&L stands for Lite and Luscious ;)




Ingredients:

1. Fat free yogurt - 1/2 carton
2. Fat free sour cream - 2 tbls (for a bit of tang)
3. Part skim ricotta cheese - 1/2 cup
4. Splenda - 1 cup,i used 1.5 cups..because the dude loves insane level of sweet
5. Cardamom - 1/2 tsp.
6. Almonds - 20

Method:

1. Strain the yogurt,sour cream and ricotta in a mesh strainer lined with paper towels in the fridge for 4-6 hours. Place a paper towel on them then place a plate with some cans of beans on top of the yog-sour-rico mix to weigh it down.

2. Mix the splenda and the cardamom and keep aside.

3. Take the strained yog-sour-rico mix..add the splenda-cardamom to it and mix it gently...till well incorporated.

4. Refrigerate till you are ready to eat.

5. Before serving..you can top it with some nuts..i had almonds that day...so it was the lucky winner...personally...pistacios would be better.

Note:

1. If you get fat-free ricotta..u can use that in place of part-skim.
2. I like using splenda in cool desserts...feel free to sub for sugar....

This is off to Easycrafts who is so sweet to let me post this really really late entry. She is hosting this month's Think Spice event that was started by Sunita .

Cream Of Mushroom Soup

When i was a kid when i wanted to do something which my mom did not want me to..her answer would be....do this in 'your' home...how rude huh!!..when i wanted a puppy..i got this answer..when i wanted to enter the puja-room when i had my periods (gasp!)..i got this answer....so now when i have my 'own' home ;D..i have added another set of rules. I only cook what we both like..so i refuse to make something that only jeeves likes...but i do at-times make something i like..coz afterall i am the person cooking it ;). But..these rules have taken a toss when i am watching what i eat...i prefer to make things that he likes and i don't..this keeps me away from sampling the no-no food. So..in my kitchen..mushrooms..brinjal..okra and arbi are the kings..atleast for a few months.

For the MBP i decided to make mushroom soup and i got it from a good
buddy's blog. i love her blog..coz the food looks delicious..and i have tried few of her recipes and they were awesome. I also like that there is no fancy ingredients...and are recipes that i usually would make in my kitchen too. I did make some changes...so will be writing the recipe here..but for her recipe..you can go
here




Cream of Mushroom Soup:

Ingredients:

Mushrooms (shitaki) - 1 pack (i used frozen organic ones)
Garlic: 1 pod
Water: 12 oz
Veg Bullion cube: 1
Butter: 2 tbls
Onion: 1/2 cup, diced
Red chilli flakes: 1 tsp.
Heavy Cream: 12 oz
Rosemary: 1 tsp. (dried)
Chives: 2tsp.
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a pan, add the butter and when it melts add the onions,garlic with salt,red-chilli flakes,rosemary,pepper and saute till the onions are soft.

2. Add the mushrooms in and cook till the water evaporates (coz i used frozen) and then add the water and veg. bullion and cook in medium flame for 20 minutes.

3. Cool this mixture down and blend with with heavy cream to a smooth texture.

4. Return this to the pan and simmer till the soup is heated through.

5. Ladle the soup to a bowl and sprinkle with herbs...i used dried chives...

Notes:

I think having a hand blender would make my life so much easier...i know sig, tbc, richa..after buggin u chicks for reco....i still did not buy it..i am going to buy it soon..

This is off to:

Raaga of The Singing Chef who is hosting MBP-Soups and Salads .

Madhuram of Eggless Cooking who is hosting Your recipe rocks series .

Sai-Bhaji...my way!

The first time i tasted sai-bhaji was in school. We used to have a monthly event in where each grade 6-10th would be assigned a month..where they would get food from home and sell it in school for generating money to be used for the hostel run by our convents for children in their boarding school. The purchase was an accident and to be honest..the bhaji was pretty bad. I was pretty pissed on losing my Rs.5 to an inedible dish..but oh! well..i threw it out. i was off this bhaji for a while. When someone would say sai-bhaji..i would gag..seriously!! it shook me to the core ;D...but now as i am an adult who is obsessed with food..i decided to give it a go few years back from a recipe in Deccan Chronicle. The bhaji was delicious and i have to say it does feature quite regularly at my place.
Now...i just follow the guide-lines of the bhaji..but add in couple of ingredients i have at home..instead of shopping for it. Jeeves is hardly at home..and i think i am refusing to go to the grocery stores..as the freshly baked bread keeps calling my name..so i do make do with what i have at home...and the bhaji received the same treatment.

Here is the bhaji my way...as Ina Garten would say 'with the volume turned up'..just kidding :)



Ingredients:

Baby Spinach - 1 10 oz bag
Lima Beans - 1 cup
Asparagus - 1 bunch (dispose the extremely woody part)
Green beans - 1 cup
Peas - 1 cup
Brinjal - 1 cup
Onions - 1
Tomatoes - 2 diced
Chana Dal - 1/2 cup (soak for an hour before cooking)
Tamarind - small lemon (need not soak it prior to making the bhaji)
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp.
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Garlic - 3 cloves
Ginger - 1 inch
Oil - 2 tsp.
Salt - as needed

Method:

1. Grind the ginger and garlic to a paste. (i use a mortar-pestle)

2. In a pressure cooker..add the oil...then the cumin seeds..then fry the ground ginger-garlic paste...add the onions and fry for a few minutes.

2. Add the rest of the veggies..tamarind,salt, chilli powder,turmeric and saute for a few more minutes...the add the chana dal..2-3 cups of water and pressure cook this for 12-15 mts.

3. When the pressure cooker cools down...open it and mix the bhaji well so that the whole thing comes together. Adjust for salt and serve it with rice..rotis or bread.

The original sai-bhaji in the recipe called for Spinach..Khatta palak (can use gongura),Brinjal,Carrots,Potatoes,Gavar-beans as the veggies....