Tomato soup

I had a lot of tomatos in my refrigerator and right away, I knew what to make off it. Tomato soup of course and with the start of the cold season, what's better than some piping hot soup.

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate packaged soups. They taste horrid. I tried a few brands a few years ago and I have never bought a packet ever since. Some are so gummy from all the corn starch used. Some are too sweet from the abundance sugar added. The worst part is the addition  of Monosodium glutamate or  MSG, also known as the "infamous" Ajinomoto. Ugh! Makes me lose my appetite.

So, instead of cribbing about bad soup, why not make some good soup at home.

I use cashew paste as a substitute for corn starch to thicken my soup. The depth of tomato flavor in this soup is very refreshing.

I would have loved some croutons as a garnish on them as well. But, I had run out of bread :(

Ingredients:

• Butter – 2 tspns
• Oil- 1 tbspn
• Onion – 1medium
• Peppercorns –7-8
• Bay leaf – 1
• Cloves- 3
• Garlic – 4 large cloves
• Carrot – 1/4 of a medium sized carrot
• Cumin seeds – 1 tspn
• Chilli powder – 2 tspns
• Tomatoes – 8 large
• Water – 2 &1/2 cups
• Raw cashews - 5 (ground to a smooth paste)
• Sugar –  1 tspn ( I used brown sugar)
• Salt - to taste
• Cracked pepper – to taste
• Coriander leaves – to garnish
• Cream – 4 tspns (optional) 

Directions: 

• Heat 1 tspn butter and oil in pressure cooker pan. Add onions,  bay leaf, cloves, pepper corns and garlic. Saute till transparent . 
• Add cumin, carrots, chilli powder and salt. Add tomatoes and sauté for 2 mins. 
• Now add water and close pressure cooker . Cook for 3 whistles.
• Then remove the bay leaf and cloves and discard. Puree the rest of the mixture in a juicer and sieve.
• Now, on a low heat, add remaining 1 tspn butter in a  pan. Add the cashew paste and saute for a minute. (Cashew paste acts as a thickening agent)
•  Add the extracted tomato puree. Add sugar . Stir well. for a few mins. till the soup thickens.
• Add pepper  and salt to taste.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and cream.

Sprouts salad with pomegranate

Yum, yum and yum is all I can say about this salad.

Green gram sprouts (Moong sprouts) are super yum and easy to make at home. Wash and soak a cup of green gram in water overnight. Next morning, discard excess water and tie the gram up in a wet cloth for about 12-16 hours. Your green gram sprouts are ready.

The dressing was a simple mix of lime juice, salt and powdered cumin. The ruby-like pomegranate seeds added sweetness. This salad is a power house of protein and anti-oxidants. 

Ingredients: ( serves 2)

• Green gram sprouts - 1 cup
• Pomegranate arils - 1 cup
• Onions - 1/2 of a small onion
• Tomatoes - 1 medium sized
• Green chilli - 1
• Coriander leaves - few sprigs
• Lime juice - from 2 limes
• Powdered cumin - 1/4 tspn
• Salt - to taste

Directions:

• Finely dice onions, tomatoes and chillies. 
• In a mixing bowl add all the ingredients and toss.
• Serve immediately.

Tip :

• Grated carrot also can be added to this salad.

Pomegranate Breakfast Soda

Pomegranate is one of my favorite fruits. When it comes to nutrition content, this fruit is one of the toppers. On most days, my breakfast includes fresh orange juice and I shift to pomegranate when they are in season.


This breakfast soda is great for a sunny morning. The beauty of it lies in its simplicity . This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten.

I made fresh pomegranate juice at home. Care needs to be taken while blending the pomegranate seeds. Just pulse about 5 times to extract the juice. Too much blending will lead to a very grainy discolored juice. Straining the juice works best with a muslin cloth or small-holed mesh strainer.
(Always use gloves when removing pomegranate seeds as it stains fingers.)

Ingredients

• 100 ml pomegranate juice
• 100 ml sparkling water ( Soda)
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar(optional)

Directions:

Mix the ingredients together in a pitcher and serve over ice.

Very berry breakfast smoothie

" An optimist in the human personification of spring" - Susan J. Bissonette

I Love spring for the rain. Love spring for the singing of the birds. Love spring for the first baby leaves bursting out of the bare branches of trees. Love spring for the first flowers after winter. Love spring for the tulips. Love spring for the yawning winds lifting my spirits anticipating summer. Best of all, love spring for the fresh and vibrantly colored berries found in abundance at every store and market.
Here is my very berry smoothie. A power packed breakfast. The berries make the smoothie really sweet, so sugar can be avoided. Now, isn't that SUWEEET!

Ingredients : (Makes 2 servings)

• Cold Milk - 2 cups
• Strawberries -3
• Raspberries - 1/4 cup
• Black berries - 1/4 cup
• Blueberries - 1/4 cup
• Fresh mango pieces - 1/2 cup
• Chiquita banana - 1
• Pitted bing cherries - 1/2 cup
• Ice cubes - optional

Directions :

• Blend all the ingredients in the blender and serve. (Blend in the ice cubes only if you want your drink exceptionally cold)

Luv 'n' luc'

Smitha

Salad with honey balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Autumn has set in and the thought of winter makes me sigh. I love the snow. But it's the dark, cold, gloomy days that I dread. But, there's nothing we can do about it. Time can't stand still. Right?

Then a bulb glows in my head.
Aha! There's one thing that I "CAN" do. Enjoy the days before winter sets in. I had to make use of the wonderful fruits and veggies I saw at the stores. With the last of cherries, apricots and spring mix salad leaves on the market, I made this salad a couple of weeks ago.

Oh ya! It, sure, was soul gratifying. The bright colors in the salad were enough to lift my spirit. The sweetness from the fruits and the slight bitterness from the radicchio, subtle bite of the salad leaves and the tangyness of the vinaigrette ......altogether, it was a party in my mouth.

I have listed ingredients for 2 kinds of salad mixes. the first one has the fruits mentioned above. For those of you who have run out of luck finding these ingredients can try the second option of the salad mix. I'm not mentioning any measure for the salad leaves and fruits. Use as much or as little as you like.
Ingredients:

Salad Mix No.1:

• Baby romaine
• Tango
• Radicchio
• Baby spinach
• Apricots
• Cherries
• Plums
• Steamed french beans

Or

• Salad Mix no.2
• Lettuce
• Baby spinach
• Valencia oranges
• Apple
• Grapes
• Carrots
• Onions
• Pecans
  

Ingredients:
For the honey balsamic vinaigrette

• Honey - 3 tspns
• Lemon juice - 4 tspns
• Aged balsamic vinegar - 5 tspns
• Olive oil - 2 tspns
• Salt and pepper-to taste

Directions:

• Blend all the ingredients for the vinaigrette together with a blender or beat well with a whisk.
• Pour over the salad mix and toss. Serve immediately.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Oven-baked Tandoori Chicken

I'm going straight to the recipe today.

Ingredients:( serves 3-4)

• Skinless chicken legs - 10
• Tandoori chicken masala - 3 tspns ( click here for recipe)
• Chilli powder - 1 tspn
• Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tspn
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
• Salt- to taste
• Ginger-garlic paste - 3 tspns
• Lemon juice - 2 tspns
• Yoghurt - 2 tbspns(or greek yogurt- 1 tbspn)
• Beetroot( beets) juice - 3 tbspns ( optional )
• Oil - 2 tspns

Directions:

• Place 2 tbspns of yoghurt in a tea-strainer and let it stand for 20 mins. This helps the whey water to drip away from the curd and leaves you with a thick yoghurt. Throw the water away and use the strained curs in the marinade. For those of you who have greek yoghurt, you can omit this first step.
• Mix all the ingredients together and marinate the chicken for about 2-3 hours or best overnight.( the beetroot juice is a natural source of color and is used to add more color to the chicken. I use it to avoid using artificial color )
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F( 177 C).
• Then place a pan on medium heat. Roast the chicken in the dry pan for about 3 minutes.This is called searing. Turn the chicken over to the next side and roast for 3 mins.( we do this for the masala not to taste raw ).
• Transfer the drumsticks to a baking tray lined with alumium foil .
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes in the centre rack of the oven.
• Then turn the chicken legs over to the next side and bake again for 15 mins.
• Remove chicken from oven and cover chicken with additional foil( this is done to avoid it from drying out)
• Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees F( 260 C)
• When the oven reaches 500 F, remove the covering foil of the chicken and bake it on the top most rack of the oven for 5-6 mins. (till the chicken gets a nice char on it) .
• Serve with onions and lemon.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Spiced Buttermilk/ Sambaaram

There is no better way to beat the heat than with some cool buttermilk. Why would anyone want coke and pepsi with all the artificial stuff in it when there is simething all natural which can reduce your body tempreature as well as good for you. I like my buttermilk spiced with just ginger,salt and some bruised curry leaves. My husband likes it with some chopped green chillies as well. Do it any way you like. Stay healthy and happy.

Ingredients:

ButterMilk - 2 cups

Water - 2 cups

Salt - to taste

Curry leaves - scant 20-25 leaves (bruised with your hand)

Coursely mashed ginger - 1 inch piece

Chopped green chilli - 1 (optional)

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and let it rest for 30-45 mins in the refrigerator.

Serve cold.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Roasted bell pepper soup and something special for the deserving.

Hey guys. Hope all of your are in the pinkest of health and happy about good weather too. I'm doing great. I'm taking a long break from blogging for a month. Quite a lot of travelling, parties and picnics on the way. I'm really excited.

Before I go, I would love to pass on a very special award to some very special food bloggers . This award was given to me by Muneeba. I would love to hand it over to some of my blogger buddies in whose pages I see more of a "raw passion" for food and cooking than mere blog posts. According to me, these few have a big time infatuation with food. Their zeal never fails to impress and I'm always surprised at the time and effort that goes into each post of theirs. Love their recipes too.
So here's to that gusto.
Asha,
Superchef,
Ria,
Poornima.
I really meant every word and you are truly deserving.

About today's post. It's roasted bell peppers soup.I know summer is not the time for soups. But summer is the time when you get good bell peppers in the market. So why not make good soup? Here is a wonderful recipe of a wonderful fresh soup.

Bye everyone. See ya after a month. Y'all have fun and so will I:)

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 onions, chopped
• 1 small carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoons oregano
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup milk
• 3 bell peppers (red,yellow and orange)
• 1 small russet potato, peeled and chopped into 1 cm. cubes
• 1/4 cup dry red wine(optional)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 (3/4-inch thick) baguette slices, cut into 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubes
• 1/8 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/8 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. To roast bell pepper, cut each into four pieces and remove the seeds. Toss the peppers in 1 tbspn olive oil and put them onto a tray lined with aluminium foil. ( I place them skin side down)
Roast for 20 mins. When done, put the hot peppers into a plastic box and let them sweat for 5 mins. This makes it easier to remove the skin of the pepper. When the skins are removed, set them aside.

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, and oregano and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add wine and let the alcohol in it evaporate completely( takes about3-4 mins)
• Add the broth, bell peppers, potato and sugar. Bring to a simmer over high heat.
• Add salt and pepper. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Partially cover and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.Add milk and cheeses and simmer for another 2 mins.
• Cool the soup slightly.
• Puree the soup in a regular blender, taking care while blending warm liquids.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and saute until they are crisp and golden, about 8 minutes.
• Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with croutons.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Cheers to one more award and the coming of spring - Cranberry Mint Cooler

The weekend was wonderful. We had temperatures of 75 and 76 F. It was really awesome.

For today, thought I'll post something simple. A healthy mocktail. Mocktails are the non-alcoholic counterparts of cocktails. A mix of juices. Refreshing, cold and just the right thing to pull you back up on warm days. The mint in this mocktail adds a kick and zing .

In addition to the onset of spring, I received another Friends Award from the very kind Poornima and Superchef ( of poornimastastytreats and superchef-mirchmasala )

Big, big thanks to them. I really appreciate it.

That's reason enough to celebrate right? So, here's to spring and the awards which make me "spring" :).

This award comes with a clause (as typed below)
"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated."It also says : "Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

Here comes the toughest part. Choosing just 8 friends to share this award with. But, I have to and I've chosen to pass this award onto 8 very special people :
Preety
Asha
Varsha
Suparna
Shabs
Sia
Neha
Tina

Cheers! To all of you.

The snaps from this post are my final entry to the magnificient click contest

Ingredients :(serves 2)

• Ice cubes -10-12
• Cranberry juice - 1-1/4 cups
• Fresh mint leaves- 12 leaves ( plus more to garnish)
• Sugar - 2 tspns ( or as per taste)
• Lemon juice - 1/8 cup
• Club soda - 1/2 cup

Directions:

• Muddle the cranberry juice, sugar and lemon juice in a jar.Allow sugar to dissolve.
• Crush mint leaves with your fingers and add it to the jar with the juices.
• Allow to sit for 5-6 mins.
• Add the soda and ice cubes before serving.Mix well.
• Serve on the rocks.Garnish with mint leaves.

Thunda, thunda.....Cool, cool!
Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Soup for the soul - Sweet corn chicken soup

Winters in Missouri, where I currently live, are unpredictable. Funny, because sometimes temperatures are as high as 10 degrees Celsius in the midst of January and sometimes they dip to minus. Like last week, it was ruthlessly cold. Temperatures sank to -15 degrees Celsius. But, the sun peeped out this morning and that made my heart light. Somehow, sunshine brightens up my day even though the temperatures don't. But,the forecast says by midday, dark clouds will hurry-by and speedily bury the sun. No silver lines.The weather is so untrustworthy.I decided not to let mother nature spoil my spirit and bring me down. I just wanted to keep going.
The first idea that came off the top of my head was soup. We (soup and I) decided to pair up against the cold. It was a day saver. A hot cuppa soup can warm you from the inside out. My favorite soup for many years has been sweet corn chicken soup and I order it as often as I can in any restaurant which serves it. When making this soup at home, I realize how that it's also easy to fix and feeds your soul.
This soup is everything you expect and more. Incredibly yummmmm..... and you will be hooked forever. Ofcourse, it tastes smooth along with surprise bites of chicken and sweetness from the corn. It is an extremely light soup, light on your tummy and guilt free comfort. It is perfect to curl up on the couch to on a dreary winter day.
Ingredients:( serves 2)

• Sweet corn kernels - 1/4 cup or cream of corn - 1/2 can
• Chicken stock - 350 ml
• Corn flour - 2 tspns
• Garlic- 2 cloves(chopped)
• Ginger - 1/4 inch piece(chopped)
• Oil- 1 tspn
• Shredded broiled chicken - 50 gms
• Egg white - from 1 egg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• In a medium sauce pan, saute ginger and garlic in oil.
• Add chicken stock and boil. After 3-4 mins, strain the stock through a strainer and discard the ginger garlic pieces. Return the stock to the sauce pan and turn-on the heat.
• Add corn kernels. Stir and cook for 2 mins.
• In a small bowl, mix cornflour well with 1/4 cup of milk. Add it to the chicken stock.
• Stir constantly.
• Beat egg white and stir it into the soup. Stir well so the the egg white scrambles in the soup.
• Add pepper, salt and the cooked chicken shreds.
• Serve hot with a couple of drops of soya sauce and green chillies in vinegar.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha