Want to make onion soup at home from scratch ( yes, I am talking about not using any sort of onion soup base)..well then this vegan french onion soup recipe could be quite interesting.
Ingredients/ Method
2 shallots
1 large white onion
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
6 stalks of fresh Thyme
Salt per taste
2-3 tbsp oil for cooking
1/2 tsp pepper
Vegan Cheese for garnish
1 bay leaf
3-4 cups of veg broth ( can be substituted by water)
– Caramalize onions along with salt and thyme in a pot with little bit of oil. Takes about 30-35 mins (also depends on the quantity of onions you are using)
– Then add balsamic vinegar and cook further for 5-10 mins. Add broth, pepper and bay leaf. Bring to boil then simmer for 15-20 mins.
– Garnish with daiya cheese and serve.
Want to try some more tasty soups? Take a look at our soup recipes.
Learn how to make Rasam (South Indian spicy, flavourful, tamarind soup) with this recipe video. This soup can be served as an appetizer or as a main with some sort of rice dish. Every family has their own rasam recipe and here’s mine 🙂
Ingredients/ Method
-Small piece of tamarind to make tamarind juice- 1/2 cup of water to soak pulp in
– 2-3 tbsp oil
– 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
– 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
– 1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)
– 1 dried red chilli
– 10-12 dried curry leaves
– 2-3 cloves of garlic chopped
– 1/2 tsp turmeric
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 1/2 tsp pepper
– 2 small tomatoes
– 3-4 cups of water
– cilantro leaves for garnish
– Begin by soaking small portion of tamarind pulp in water. After about 10-15 mins, remove the pulp and pass the juice through a sieve. Set the juice aside.
– Heat Oil in a pan and fry mustard+cumin seeds. Add asafoetida, curry leaves, dried red chilli (crushed or whole as per your preference), garlic cloves. Fry for 3-4 mins.
– Add tomatoes. Add turmeric. Let tomatoes become tender.
– Add tamarind juice. Mix well. Add water and bring to boil. then let simmer for 4-5 mins.
– Add salt, pepper and garnish with cilantro leaves before serving. Serve warm.
Veg Momos is a tasty Indian street food which can be steamed, deep fried or pan-fried. It originates from Nepal and Tibet but nowadays has become very popular in Northern region of India. So, if you are thinking what to make this New year’s Eve for your friendly get together then give this recipe a try.
1 cup flour ( i used 3/4 cup all purpose flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat)
Roughly 1 cup of water
1 tsp of oil
For stuffing:
3-4 garlic cloves chopped
Small piece of chopped ginger and onion
2-3 tbsp oil
2-3 cups of veggies of your choice . I use mushrooms, carrots, beans, corn and peas
Salt Per taste
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1-2 tsp soy sauce
Method:
Prepare the dough by mixing flour, water and oil. Let Dough stand for 30 mins covered in a wet cloth or lid
Prepare the stuffing in a pan/wok by stir-frying veggies , spices along with onion, ginger and garlic.
When you are ready to make the momos, add stuffing into small portion of flattened out dough. Seal the ends and shape as you like.
Place all the momos in the steamer and cook until done. This bamboo steamer needs 10-12 mins and I place the momos either in a foil or parchment paper.
I Love summer. Picnics and pot luck get togethers with friends, Long drives with family and splash parks with kids, so much fun. Here I am sharing an exciting healthy and easy summer salad recipe with you: Cold Tofu Noodle Salad, hope you like it.
Ingredients/Method
1 Pack of Somen Noodles (Thin Wheat noodles, you can use any kind of noodles you like) 350 gms of Firm Tofu (Cut Tofu into cubes and Marinade it with 1 tbsp Soy Sauce and 1 tbsp Lemon Juice)
Veggies of your choice but here’s what works well: 1/2 cup matchstix carrots (Or thinly sliced ) Small thinly sliced piece of Red Pepper (about 1/2 to 1/4 cup) 1/2 cup Green Onion
For dressing 1/2 tsp Red Chilli flakes 1 tbsp grated ginger 3 tbsp Vinegar 1 tbsp soy sauce Few drops of Fish sauce
(If you require, you can add salt and pepper, although I find that salt content in Soy sauce is good enough for me)
Garnish with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Peanuts (optional- some raisins)
– Cook Noddles per package instructions. Run them in cold water and then put them in a large bowl. – Add in marinated tofu. I like to marinade tofu atleast overnight for best taste/flavour but if you are short of time, half an hr is good too) – Add in all the veggies and dressing. ( For dressing, mix grated ginger, red chilli flakes, vinegar, soy sauce and few drops of fish sauce) – Mix well and garnish with peanuts. Let it chill and then serve.
Here is an easy recipe for Mushroom Upma which is a popular South Indian breakfast dish. Upma is traditionally made out of Semolina (sooji) and here I have used Cream of Wheat (breakfast cereal) for this dish. It’s quick and tasty. Give it a try if you are craving something savory in the morning or looking for healthy snack ideas.
Ingredients/ Method 2 tbsp cream of wheat ( finer version of sooji/semolina) 1-2 tbsp oil ( or clarified butter) 1/4 tsp mustard seeds 1/4 tsp cumin seeds 4-5 cashews 1 tbsp chana dal (split yellow lentil) 2 tbsp chopped onions 4-5 chopped mushrooms 3-4 dried crushed curry leaves ( fresh work wonderful but dried ones are a good substitute) 1/2 tsp salt ( or as per taste) 1 cup of water
Method: Begin by dry roasting sooji/cream of wheat. Once it starts turning brown, take it off the heat. In the same pan, add 1-2 tbsp oil and fry mustard and cumin seeds. Remember oil needs to be hot. Give seeds 30 secs and then add cashews and chana dal, followed by onions and mushrooms. Give them 2-3 misn and then add salt and 1 cup of water. Add cream of wheat and cook until water dries up or semolina puffs up and is tender enough to eat. Serve warm with a cup of chai tea.
If you like Indian Snacks, here are few other ideas for you to try . Enjoy 🙂
Easy, Healthy, Fresh and Hearty- This Quinoa salad is perfect for any summer potluck or for a quick lunch.
Ingredients/ Method:
1 Cup Cooked Quinoa
2 cloves of Garlic minced
1/2 cup chopped avacado
2 tbsp chopped onions
1/2 cup tomato and peppers (red and yellow)
1/2 tsp Roasted cumin powder
1/2 to 3/4 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 to 1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried mint leaves ( you can use other fresh herbs too)
Just toss all the ingredients together. Let the salad chill for atleast 15 mins and then serve.
Bonus Quinoa Salad Recipe: Here is another exciting Quinoa Salad Recipe which I really like because it is sweet, super easy and really delicious. Best part is it’s kids approved.
Ingredients/ Method
1 Cup cooker Quinoa
1 cup fresh chopped strawberries
1-2 cups dry fruit of your choice
(We used raisins, cashews, lightly salted and roasted peanuts and walnuts) Almonds, pecans, pistachios can also be used
Dressing- Honey Mustard Vinagerette made by using
2 parts Honey ( 2 tbsp Honey)
1 part Mustard (1 tbsp Mustard)
1 part Balsamic Vinegar ( 1 tbsp Vinegar- you can use vinegar of your choice)
Optional- Salt-pepper ( although we didnt use any and the result was really tasty)
Mix all the components. Prepare the dressing and add over the quinoa. Let everything chill for at least 15 mins before serving.
Today, world cup fans will see a match up between Australia and Netherlands, Spain and Chile as well as Cameroon and Croatia. If you are like millions of other fans, who couldn’t go to Brazil to watch these matches in person then you are actually in luck because you can enjoy these matches from the comfort of your own home, office or even your favourite sports bar.
Now, if you do decide to catch the action from your own tv, then why not make the experience really awesome by having these snacks on hand to eat. Better yet, invite your friends over and have an ultimate soccer party. Here are few snack ideas, you can try :
Carlos Queiroz’s men take on the Super Eagles later today with both eager to begin the tournament with a win. Will we see any excitement at Arena da Baixadain in Curitiba? I don’t know, we’ll have to see. Last time Iran faced Nigeria was in 1998 and Nigeria was the champion. Here are two players to watch out for as per the Sport Gurus.
Ashkan Dejagah – The Fulham attacking midfielder is one of the most recognisable figures in the team. He has four international goals in his 14 appearances for Iran.
Kenneth Omeruo – The defender signed for Chelsea back in 2012 but was immediately loaned out to ADO Den Haag and spent last season with Middlesbrough, making 14 appearances. He made his international debut at the age of 19 and is set to vie with Celtic’s Efe Ambrose for a spot in Keshi’s starting line-up.
Eagles: Nigeria will hope to soar into the last 16 and beyond in Brazil
Projected lineups
Iran (4-4-1-1): Daniel Davari; Mehrdad Pooladi, Amir Sadeghi, Jalal Hosseini, Steven Beitashour; Masoud Shojaei, Jevad Nekounam, Andranik Teymourian, Alireza Jahanbakhsh; Ashkan Dejagah; Reza Ghoochannejhad.
Nigeria (4-3-3): Vincent Enyeama; Juwon Oshaniwa, Godfrey Obabona, Kenneth Omeruo, Efe Ambrose; John Obi Mikel, Ogenyi Onazi, Ramon Azeez; Victor Moses, Emmanuel Emenike, Ahmed Musa
Although I am not too invested in these two teams, it’s just fun to watch a match with my kids who are starting to get into soccer. I actually enjoy prepping the snacks and indulging during the matches. Since this match is in the late afternoon for us, I am going to enjoy some Kebabs with a cup of tea. Here is a simple Lamb Kabobs recipe, you can try and enjoy during your favourite teams matchup.
Ingredients:
250 gms Lamb pieces
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 Green Chilli
1 tbsp cilantro leaves
2 tbsp Yogurt
1/4 tsp turmeric
Method:
Marinade lamb with yogurt, spices and green chilli/cilantro paste for atleast 4 hours. I prefer to leave it overnight. Thread onto skewers and cook in the oven at 425 F for 5-6 mins. Then lower the temp to 350 F and cook for another 10-15 mins. Serve with chutney of your choice as an appetizer or over rice with naan for a complete meal.
Hey Foodies, here’s a recipe for a healthy snack- Curried Sweet Potato Chips and these are baked not fried so you can munch on them guilt free. They are easy to prepare and are ok to store in an airtight container for couple of days (once they are completely cool)
Ingredients and Method:
1 Small Sweet Potato ( or 1/2 of one large one)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 to 1 tsp curry powder
1-2 tbsp olive oil ( or other vegetable oils)
Thinly slice the sweet potato. You can use good old knife and if you have one of those fancy kitchen gadgets like Mandolin Slicer, even better. Mix the above ingredients thoroughly and then spread out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put in a preheated oven ( 250 F) to cook for 2 hours. Turn them half way through to ensure even cooking. Let cool and then serve and enjoy!
Having a ladies night at your place, why not prepare this tasty snack for your girlfriends.
Sharing with you my recipe for Tandoori Chicken ( a shortcut way and from scratch)
Ingredients and Method:
If using a shortcut, simply prepare the marinade by mixing yogurt along with tandoori masala ( usually 1/2 tbsp in 3-4 tbsp yogurt for 1/2 kg chicken)
From scratch
750 gms of chicken ( We used bone in meat for extra flavour. mostly drumsticks are used for tandoori chicken recipes)
4-6 tbsp yogurt
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp garam masala ( you can substitute this for cumin and coriander powder as well)
Salt per taste ( 1/2 tsp to a tsp)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp Paprika ( I find paprika mild compared to red chilli powder and use it primarily for its color. It gives that nice red tone to the chicken)
if using kashmiri chilli pwd or red chilli pwd, be mindful of how much you add. )
Simply have fun with spices and make it your own version of Tandoori chicken, You can add more spices or adjust them to your liking.
Begin my adding all these spices along with yogurt and ginger garlic paste onto chicken. Rub thoroughly and let chicken marinate for 4-6 hours. Overnight is even better. Then bbq, grill or bake until done. We BBq at 440 F for 10-15 mins ( 5-6 mins on each side). Once nice charcoal marks appear on the chicken and it is no longer pink inside, consider it done. Add a generous squeeze of lemon and enjoy on its own or serve with rice dish of your choice or with a simple salad.
