Chicken Salad

 Chicken salad is one of my favourite salad's, it  can be made in many ways with different ingredients, though main ingredient is chicken , but one can add nuts like walnuts, roasted pecans, slivered almonds and fresh herbs to bring out the flavours of this dish. It is  served cold and leftovers can be used  for preparing chicken sandwiches.

Ingredients
2   medium sized boneless ,skinless chicken breast
1/4 tspn  finely chopped tarragon leaves
1/4 cup finely diced green onions and chop the stem of the onions too
1/2 cup finely diced celery stalks
1 boiled egg cubed
1 bowl freshly chopped lettuce leaves 
1 bag mixed greens salad leaves
1 cup seedless red and green grapes cut into halves.
Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tbspn honey
2 tspn salt
1 tspn black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Chicken Salad 

Method.
1. Brush each chicken breast with olive oil, season them ,both sides salt and black pepper,rubbing it all over the chicken breast nicely. Place onto a baking tray and bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes at 375 degrees, till the juices from the chicken breast appear clear and chicken is done., then cut chicken into 1/2 inch cubes and place into a salad bowl.
2. Next for the dressing take  mayonnaise in a separate  bowl , add in 1 tspn salt, add butter milk ,1/2 tspn pepper, honey to lessen the acidity from buttermilk and tarragon leaves. Slowly mix in olive oil and Whisk together and dressing is ready.
3. To assemble this salad , to the chicken  add in green onions, salad leaves and diced boiled egg , next, pour in  prepared dressing. lightly mix in the grapes . Cover and refrigerate for an hour , enjoy this salad any way you like it, over lettuce leaves, or in a sandwich :))

Spicy Poha

Spicy Poha 

Poha is made from flattened rice , often eaten for breakfast or as a snack to go with tea. It's light and nutritious snack. It is easy to prepare, and tastes delicious...

Ingredients:
 2 Cups poha • 4 Green chillies chopped fine• small Onion chopped fine• 1 medium Tomato chopped finely• 1 tspn Mustard seeds • 1 tspn Cumin seeds 1/4 cup raw peanuts• 1/2 tspn Turmeric 
• Salt to taste • Few curry leaves, and 1/4 cup freshly grated coconut.• 5 tbsp oil, 3 to 4 finely chopped green chillies. 1/4 cup green peas and carrots frozen.

Poha 

Coriander chutney

Method:
1. Soak the poha in water for about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain out the water and keep the strained poha aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds,allow to splutter,adding in cumin seeds,chilli and curry leaves.
3. Add in onions, green chillies and stir to to turn onions slightly brown.Add tomatoes and turmeric. Add in the peas and carrots, continue to cook another 3 to 4 minutes.
4.Add in 2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice and now add in the drained poha. Carefully stir for a minute or two and serve hot poha ,garnished with shredded coconut and coriander leaves. You can  serve  with coriander chutney. enjoy with tea or as a snack.

Enjoy~

Event Awards Announcement

Hi Friends,

The month of December, with all its celebrations, was a busy month for all of us. Yet some of you took out the time and effort to take part in the Herbs and Spice contest and the result is in front of us.There is great collection of interesting recipes for all of us to enjoy. Thanks Julie for giving me this opportunity to co host the event , it was a pleasure and would love to continue  hosting many more events.

The  event round up is given below,so please take your awards and post them on your blog :)

In all there were 5 categories of awards

1. Participation award
2. Top contributor award
3. Healthy dish award
4. Innovative recipe award
5.Best Presentation  award

It was very hard to pin point as every one's dishes were special in their own way. But still as its important to mention the following are the results.

1. Participation award is for all participants. Please paste this award on your blog page as a big thanks for the effort and you deserve it fully.

To All Participants 

2. The most number of dishes were sent by Sandhya  Ramakrishnan of  My cooking journey. She  has sent 16 entries .Congratulations Sandhya and thanks for sharing such wonderful recipes. Please collect your two awards Participation award and Top contributor award for this contest.

Award  given to Sandhya of My cooking journey  http://www.mycookingjourney.com

3. The Healthy dish award goes to Kitchen Queen (http://realhomecookedfood.blogspot.com) for the yummy and healthy Methi Dhebras. Please collect your Healthy dish award and paste it on your blog. Also collect the participation award too.

Award given to Kitchen Queen of realhomecookedfood.blogspot.com

4. Innovative dish award goes to Nandini from  http://www.nandinisfood.com for  her dish of Chicken lollipop that she has made and presented so well. Please collect this award and the participation award too.

Award givent to Nandini from www.nandinisfood.com

5. The  best presentation  award goes to Chandrani of cusine delights  http://cuisinedelights.blogspot.in for the  dish Tangri kebabs she made using the micro wave. Please collect your award for the creative dish and another award for participation.

Award given to Chandrani of cusinedelights.blogspot.in

Thanks,
Viya S

Bharva Baingan~stuffed baby eggplants

In this dish, baby eggplants are slit and stuffed with spicy mixture of ingredients and cooked over low to medium heat, with potatoes.

Bharva Baingan with Potatoes

Ingredients

5 to 6 small eggplants

1 medium sized potato
4 tbsp Oil

Ingredients for stuffing

1/4  cup chopped coriander leaves

1/2 cup crushed unsalted peanut powder

2 tsp Gram flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp asafetida

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp shredded coconut
1 tsp Lemon juice

Method

1.Wash and remove the stalks of the eggplant, and make a slit baby eggplant, keep aside

2.Take a medium bowl, add in peanut powder and add all the other ingredients, one by one.Now add in 2 tsp of lemon juice and 2 tsp oil to create a paste. Keep aside.

3.Fill the slits in the eggplant's  slit with spice paste. Cut the peeled potato into four halves.

4.Heat a wok ,add oil. Add in the stuffed eggplants and potato,add in any  remaining paste.Stir gently and add little water only 1/4 cup. Cook on medium heat for about 10 to 12 minutes covered with lid , till the eggplants and potato are cooked. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice or chapatis.

Gujarati Kadhi

Gujarati kadhi , is one of my favorites when it comes to  comfort food's especially when it is enjoyed with rice. Kadhi is made from buttermilk that is cooked over low heat with spice powder, and a little sweetness to give that complete taste , this dish is from the Western part of India , from the state of Gujarat.
.It is usually served hot with pooris, rotis, or have it with rice.

Gujarati Kadhi

Ingredients (Kadhi)
3 cups yogurt (curd) plain
2 cups of water
2 tbsp gram flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar/jaggery
For Tempering (Vaghar)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds 
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
1/2 tsp Asafetida (hing)
2 to 4 curry leaves (kadhi patha)
2 to 3 cloves
1/2 inch stick of cinnamon
2 tsp oil
1 tsp clarified butter(ghee)
1 tsp ginger -green chilies paste


Method:
1.Mix the yogurt with water in a medium size mixing bowl, using a whisk. Add  gram  flour,continue to whisk till no lumps of gram flour is visible,add crushed ginger,green chilies,salt, sugar. 
2.For tempering, Heat a wok,add oil and clarified butter,add cumin seeds,allow them to splutter, add cloves, cinnamon stick,fenugreek seeds,asafetida and curry leaves , carefully add the curd and gram flour mixture, stir together.
3.Continue cooking on low to medium heat for the next 15 to 20 minutes,add in lemon juice.Check for salt and cook for just another 10 minutes or until the mixture boils well.
Enjoy hot kadhi with rice.

Kadai Paneer ki subzi

Paneer (cottage cheese) is  a milk based ingredient, and can be used to prepare a number of dishes. Like Paneer butter masala,  paneer pakodas (cottage cheese fritters),these dishes are yum but can be quite heavy so some times one  feels like just having the paneer (cottage cheese) prepared in a lighter and quicker way, this is just that dish and kids love it too:) great for Vegetarians!!


Ingredients:
500 gm paneer (cottage cheese) cut into cubes
1 medium green bell pepper cut into little cubes
1 small onion cubed small
1 inch ginger piece chopped fine
2 to 3 cloves of garlic crushed
2 green chilies chopped fine
1 tsp salt ( as per taste)
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1/3 cup water.

Paneer Kadai Subzi

Method:
1.Heat oil. in a wok. Add cumin seeds, coriander seeds,allow to splutter.Add in diced onions, stir and   brown a little add in tomatoes,continue cooking on low heat.
2.Add the bell pepper,ginger ,garlic ,salt,red chili powder.Add 1/3 cup water and cover with a lid for about 5 minutes to allow capsicum to get softened but not too soft.Add the paneer cubes, stirring gently, simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes and your kadai paneer is ready.
3.Garnish with dried fenugreek leaves or freshly chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with Indian bread.
Just takes less than  20 minutes to serve an easy to prepare healthy dish for you and your family.