Chickpea Salad

Chickpea-1 cup(Boiled and drained)
Red Onion-1 small(Chopped fine)
Grape/Cherry tomatoes-4 to 5(Chopped to small pieces)
Green Chilies-2 no(Chopped fine)
Coriander leaves-2 tbsp(chopped fine)
Salt to taste
Black pepper-2 tsp(Crushed coarsely)
Orange-1/2 of large one(Juiced)
Lemon Juice-2 tsp
Olive oil-1 tsp

Method of Preparation:
1. Wash and cook the chickpea with enough water till it is tender.Drain the excess water and keep aside to cool.
2. Juice the orange and mix with lemon and olive oil and keep aside.
3. Add all the chopped veggies to cooled chickpea and mix well with the orange dressing along with required salt and pepper.Serve.

Notes:
1. Cut veggies and prepare dressing when it is time to eat them.They are best when its fresh.
2. I used dried chickpea, cooked in a pressure cooker for up to 6 whistles on medium. You can soak the chickpea overnight and then the cooking time will be less. If using canned ones drain and wash them.

Baking Partners:New Baking Group Announcement

Baking a homemade bread, cake or cookies will give the best outcome. However in order to achieve the best results, a  perfect recipe and  right techniques are required.

We are a small group of home baker friends, Reeni (Cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice) , Julie Erivum Puliyumm Tina  ( Pinay in Texas Cooking Corner) , Priya (Priya's Versatile Recipes)  and Swathi  ( Zesty South Indian Kitchen),Archana ( Tangy Minds), Reshmi  ( EasY Cook) , Prathibha ( Cook Ezee), Priya R ( Cook Like Priya), Vidhya (  A Portion to Share), Usha Rao ( My Spicy Kitchen),  Divya Prakash( Divya’s Culinary Journey),  Swasthi Blank ( Swasthi The Health Freak),
Sanoli Ghosh ( Sanoli’s Kitchen) and Suja (Kitchen Corner-Try it) who love and want to learn more about the nook and corners of baking.  We are planning to try out recipes from books/magazines and cooking shows.  Every member gets a chance to present their choice of recipe and share important points with the rest of the group.
Main purpose of this group is to learn the techniques, critic the procedure if there are ways to improve, and to eat a delicious food.

Rules are simple, we will choose one recipe  and send it out to the group by 16th of every month and  the reveal date will be 15th of the next month . On that day we will  blog about it. A linky tool will be open during that time and each member can link their post.

First month we are going to do a recipe, 2nd and 3rd month will be a theme and the 4th month we will be back at  a recipe. By doing in between recipes, we will able to learn more.

All enthusiastic bloggers interested in baking are welcome, please email   at favoriterecipes12@gmail.com.

We will appreciate the use of logo or worded link that will help to spread the word.  A bunch of thanks to Tina for designing this beautiful logo

If you   want to make it a gluten or vegan free diet, you can do those modifications also.

Nan Khatai-Indian Cookies

Recipe source: Shab's Cuisine
All purpose flour-1 cup
Ghee-1/2 cup
Sugar-1/2 cup
Salt a pinch
Cardamon powder-1/4 tsp
Cashew nuts- 2 tbsp(chopped)
Pistachios for garnish(chopped)

Method of Preparation:
1. Sift all purpose flour, cardamon powder and salt,  set aside.Grind sugar to smooth powder using a grinder.
2. Cream ghee and powdered sugar until creamy.
3. Mix flour little by little with creamy mixture using a spoon.
4. Add chopped nuts to the mixture and mix together with hand.
5. Make balls using the dough and place them in a baking sheet with baking paper spaced apart.Softly press the balls and place the pista on top with a gentle press.
6. Bake for 15 min at 350 F.The cookies doesn't have to color.

Notes:
1. You can use dalda(veg shortening) instead of ghee.
2. Nuts can be replaced or removed.

Sending this to Srivalli's Cookie Mela and  Fav Cookie Recipe by Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Carrot Beetroot Pickle

Time is so unpredictable, You need it..it runs and when you dont need it...each second waits for you...making you feel that the clock is struck..Isn't it right?
Everyone once in their life must have thought this..I have been thinking of this until now and sure will be thinking till end of my live...

I think I am not in good terms with time...Its running away from me...Each day morning starts...noon comes and then moon comes..;) I dont find time in between...Its all eaten up by my prince...why shouldn't he eat...after all he is the Prince..

Day starts with the breakfast 8:30... 2 to 3 bites of breakfast and then run fast behind him to feed the rest...
Little food goes in tummy.. then comes...amma njan swantham(Mom...I alone)..Then its miltary rule...plate has to be in front of him...Starts eating... 1 piece into tummy and 10 pieces flying around the table...Even if you run to catch it..you always miss..

Breakfast done...confusion starts...Clean the Prince or the surrounding...Surrounding cleaning..Prince yelling, screaming...Prince cleaned and left near by surrounding is a mess...
A glance at the clock..its 10:30, Run to the gas....Clean, chop ,cook..Mama cooking...Prince busy grabbing stuffs from cupboards and counter tops..I had just cleaned and kept the tomato here..No Prince, No tomato...run to the couch..Oh God..Tomato smeared couch, carpet and Tomato juice bathed Prince..with smoke in the room because of the wok on the stove..and the perfect working fire alarm starting to sing..Again run!!!!!

Cooking done...completely tired...you sit on the couch and a cat mews...You feel like you are in a toy shop that has just been attacked by a gang of monkeys...every thing thrown every where...After few requests to the Prince I finally decide to clean the mess...Things back to the toy room...Couch cleaned..Drinks a cup of water sees again on the couch toys are here and a smile next to it.

Next is the lunch time...which goes pretty well as Prince gets involved too much in cartoon and books and then comes dad.Sleep wraps my Prince which sure prince fights and escapes faster..
The same process continues throughout the day...

Ya I know I can wait till night to clean the messiness...Those days there will be someone dropping in and I will be running grabbing the stuffs so that the guest can sit somewhere...
These are some of the stuffs that happens on a regular day including Prince bathing, Potty training, bicycle riding..etc ..etc...

Now if by any mistake I feel that I should photograph then its all done...I get my board, my food, props(edible) and the camera..and behind me comes the assistant, designer, food/prop tester and the ultimate photographer...
If you take a close look of my photographs...you will find that props and dry foods start missing or decreasing until finally I decide to run with my stuffs..I should say my Prince has an eye on our camera from the day it has come...Its surviving just b'coz I hide it...:)

Looks like I got little time today to scribble after a long long time...Ya but I seriously need some help from all the moms there...How?  How on earth they manage to do all the stuffs?

Now today's recipe has nothing to do with time..it is a simple pickled recipe my mom used to make as I used to run away from carrots and beets...yes I never liked sweet stuffs in my food, and the tongue was so perfect that the mild sweetness of these veggies looked like loads of sugar to me....So this was her way of feeding me...but lucky me my son is just the opposite...ya just like my hus...Perfect opposite..:)

This pickle is made without any perfect measurements..I added stuffs according to the taste...However I have given an almost measurement of ingredients.. This pickle goes well with rice, rotis, wraps...I love to eat just like that too...Not this alone any pickle..:)

Carrot-6 nos
Beetroot-3 no
Garlic-10 to 12 cloves
Ginger-2 inch piece
Green chilies- 8 nos
Chilly powder-3 tsp
Vinegar-4 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:
1. Clean, wash and dry all the veggies.
2. Cut all the veggies including garlic and ginger to thin strips.Mix everything along with chilly powder, salt and vinegar.
3. Wait for a day and use the pickle.Refrigerate after use.

Notes:
1. You can easily adjust this pickle according to your taste buds.
2. The chilly powder here makes pickle spicier, add acordingly.
3. Vinegar can be replaced with lemon.Then cut two lemons to thin pieces and mix with the veggies.In this case the pickle would have to wait a little longer than a day as lemon peel takes time to get mixed.
4. Add garlic according to your taste.

Black Forest Trifle

A quick dessert if you have everything in hand...just layer, wait for flavors to mingle and serve...

Chocolate cake or brownie(Home made/store bought)
Cherry with syrup
Whipping Cream-1/4 cup
Vanilla Essence little
Sugar-1 tbsp
Chocolate shavings
Fresh Cherries to garnish

Method of Preparation:
1. Cut the chocolate cake to small pieces/crumble them/cut with a cookie cutter according to base shape of your glass.
2. Whip the cream with sugar and little essence till stiff peaks form.
3. Keep the cake pieces at the bottom of your glass.
4. Spoon little cherry syrup on top of it and layer the cherries over it.
5. Add the whipped cream on top of cherries.
6. Refrigerate for min 3 to 4 hours or overnight.
7. Before serving add the chocolate shavings on top and decorate with cherry.

Notes:
I used the cake baked for my sons b'day.
Continue the layering if your glass is big one or if you are using trifle cups.
I used small cups and did make small servings.So had single layer.
I had some whipped cream left with me.

My first attempt to put together...Does it look good? Suggest...

Tindora Stir fry

Tindora(Ivy gourd)-25 no approx
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Chili powder-1 tsp
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Coconut Oil-2 tsp
Curry leves-3 to 4 leaves.

Method Of Preparation:
1. Wash tindora and trim the ends. Cut lengthwise into halves and then each half into 3 pieces lengthwise.
2. Heat oil in a wok and sputter the mustard seeds, add turmeric and chili powders and mix, add the tindora along with curry leaves and salt and cook on low closed with a lid.
3. Once tender cook on high for 2 to 3 mins with lid open so that the water in it evaporates.
4. Serve as a side with rice.