ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH, BEET AND SPINACH SALAD - WITH BALSAMIC DRESSING



Hello readers!.............Trust everybody had a lovely holiday......... and those celebrating, had a lovely Eid with their family and friends..........!
I had an amazing Eid this year with my entire family. I hosted this Eid at my place this year and it was amazing! Thoroughly enjoyed pampering my family...............and time spent with my baby niece was lovely. enjoyed every bit of it.

Surrounded by good food and family........ for a good 10 days! Followed by a trip to Langkawi with my daughter......just her and me for 4 days enjoying every bit of the sand, sea and sun! My turn to get pampered ;)
And just when I was thinking ...........can life get any better? School re-opened ....:D Hahahahahaha............triple whammy!!!!!!!!

After all this excitement I had to drag myself to do a blog post today! Still feeling super lazy!!



After all that over eating and unhealthy eating, today's post had to be a vegetarian salad. Roasted pumpkin/ butternut squash is always yum. beetroot too is delicious this way...........tastes like chips!the pinenuts give you that necessary crunch.............and fetaaaaaa.....needs no introduction ;)
p.s - the reason why you can see too much of beetroot is..........most of it burnt in the oven coz I took it out a bit too late! so watch out for the beetroot. coz it cooks fast...............

Mum and me detoxed with this salad and some garlic bread for lunch!Simple and filling :)



SERVES 2
INGREDIENTS;
butternut squash - 400 g
beetroot - 200 g 
baby spinach - 60 g
pinenuts - 3 tbsps
sesame seeds - 2 tsps
garlic, minced - 1 clove
extra virgin olive oil - 1.5 tbsp
dried mixed herbs - 1/4 tsp
feta cheese, crumbled - 2 - 3 tbsps
coarse sea salt - to taste
chilli flakes - sprinkle
balsamic vinegar 
honey - optional

PROCESS:
  • Peel the butternut squash and cut them into bite sized cubes.
  • peel the beetroot and slice them in rounds as thin as you can.
  • wash the spinach and dry them on a kitchen towel.
  • preheat your oven at 180 degrees
  • in a bowl place the cubed squash. Mix in the olive oil, herbs and the garlic. Give it a good toss.
  • line a baking tray with parchment paper and neatly arrange the squash on it.
  • in the same bowl, toss in the beetroot. coat it with the leftover oil in the bowl. 
  • then, neatly arrange the beetroot on the same baking tray next to the squash.
  • sprinkle with sea salt
  • place in the oven.
  • beetroot will cook faster since its thinly sliced. so keep a watch and remove within 10 minutes.
  • the pumpkin takes 20 minutes to cook.
  • keep aside.
  • take a small saucepan and dry roast the pinenuts and sesame seeds till they are slightly golden. remove and keep aside.
  • in a serving bowl or salad bowl , put the spinach, pumpkin, beetroot. then sprinkle the toasted pinenuts and sesame seeds on top. sprinkle some chilli flakes.
  • before serving, top with some crumbled feta cheese and drizzle some honey and balsamic vinegar on top


GARLIC BUTTER NAAN - INDIAN FLATBREAD


I wanted a nice naan recipe to go with my Butter Chicken. Finally chose the recipe from  Hebbars Kitchen. The first time I made this recipe, my stove was a mess. This was because I started to brush the naan with the garlic butter before I turned the tawa over the flame! All the garlic started dropping from the naan directly onto the flame. Man!! Was it difficult to clean up!


Realized my mistake and the next time around, I finished making the naans first and then brushed the hot naans with the garlic butter. Turned out perfect. Love the consistency of the dough.............. and its softness is beautiful!! The original recipe calls for 1 cup all purpose flour. But I did half all purpose flour and half wheat flour! Just coz it makes you feel better..................:D This recipe is defintiely a keeper! You can brush the tops of the naan with plain butter too.........

Iv made whole wheat naans before using yeast. They were also good. But I personally prefer the ones without the yeast. These naans go perfectly well with Butter Chicken/Murgh Makhani , Paneer Butter Masala, or Lahsooni Methi Paneer and many more............




INGREDIENTS:
All purpose flour - 1 cup , more for rolling
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Yoghurt - 1/4 cup 
garlic grated - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsps
Salt

Garlic butter:
Butter - 3 tbsps
Garlic, minced - 1 clove
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped - 1/2 tbsp



PROCESS:
  • Mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, garlic and salt.
  • Add in the yoghurt, oil and mix to form a dough. You might need to add in more all purpose flour if the dough is too sticky to handle. knead for 10 minutes. 
  • Just brush the tops with the oil and cover with a damp cloth. Rest for about 2 hours.
  • divide it equally into small balls .(slightly bigger than a lime size)
  • Dust your table top with flour and using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into an oval shape . It must be neither too thin or too thick. 
  • Heat a tawa. Take the rolled out dough and brush it with water. Put it on the tawa, water side down. (the water will help the dough to stick to the tawa.)
  • when you notice small bubbles on the surface, turn the tawa over so the dough is in direct contact with the fire. 

  • You can see brown spots on the naan.
  • Turn it over and then turn the naan over the other side so that it browns the other side too.. brush both side with the garlic butter and serve.
  • for the garlic butter:
  • melt the butter and mix in the garlic and coriander leaves

HONEY MUSTARD SALMON




This is a fairly new recipe I came across a month ago when I was searching for salmon recipes. My husband is a huge fan of salmon. I have a few recipes up my sleeve............which I can post if anyone is interested!

So................... Ali's recipe popped up on my feed and the pictures made me drool all over my screen! 
We've made this recipe many times this past month...............and will do so till we get bored! Isnt that how it works?
Moreover, a recipe cant get easier than this! Just mix the marinade, pour it over the fish.............and then stick it into the oven! how cool is that? Don't even need to marinate the salmon for hours together! Don't we just LOOOOVE  such recipes!?!!I  just serve it with a salad and I'm done!






Our Indian cooking on the other hand is such a longgggg process of cutting( and I meant loadsa stuff), sauteing, boiling, tempering......and a whole lotta mess in the end...........not to mention a whole lotta dishes to be washed too! ..................but what the heck???A whole lotta yummiess too! did I just complain ??? oops........................and totally off point.................sorry!
Might be seeing fewer recipes on the blog this June, as my entire family is visiting me. InshAllah! We are all so excited. Mum is coming tomorrow..........and the entire family will follow suit...................:)




INGREDIENTS:
Salmon, skinless - 2 fillets
Coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbsps(optional)

for the marinade:

Whole grain mustard - 1/3 cup
Honey - 1.5 tbsps
Lemon juice - 2 tbsps
Garlic, minced - 4 cloves
Chili powder/paprika - 1/2 tsp 
Salt - 1/4 tsp

PROCESS:
  • In a bowl, just mix all the ingredients stated under 'marinade'. Keep aside.
  • Preheat the oven to about 190 degrees. 
  • Cut a piece of silver foil big enough to wrap both pieces of salmon.
  • Take a roasting pan and place the silver foil on it. Place the salmon pieces on it side by side.
  • Now smear your marinade all over the salmon (top and sides)
  • Now close the salmon by bringing the foil from the edges and sealing it on top
  • Press close the sides too.
  • Place them in the oven for about 10- 15 mins
  • Then bring the pan out and carefully open the foil. 
  • Turn up the temperature of the oven and set it to the 'broil mode'.
  • Scrunch up the sides of the foil, so as to make a pocket on all sides (to stop the marinade and juices from flowing away! (as shown in the pic)

  • Place the pan on the top most rack for 4  minutes so the top gets slightly done.
  • All done!

MASALA APPAM/ SAVOURY KULI PANIYARAMS






I first tasted these savoury appams at Sree Krishna sweets, back home in Chennai. It soon became a regular snack dish each time I visited my grandma...............coz it was just opposite to where she stayed... ............sadly I don't think they make it anymore. But a lil birdie told me they make these at Grand Sweets (another sweet shop) now :) can't wait to try em out!

These are super easy to make. All you need is some left over Idli Batter and then you can whip these up in a jiffy. You can find the recipe for my Idli Batter here. Oh yes! You also need a Kuli Paniyaram pan that you can find in most indian stores. Incase you haven't seen one before I have attached a pic below. That's how it looks like.



This recipe is super healthy and you can serve them for breakfast or even as a snack. Perfect for kids (you can just adjust the chilies and ginger as per taste)

Serve them with your favourite chutney. I served them with our favourite tomato chutney/thokku and some coconut chutney. 





This recipe make about 20-21 appams.
INGREDIENTS:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 6
Onions, chopped - 1/2 cup 
Green chili, chopped - 4
Ginger, grated - 1 tbsp
Coconut, grated - 2 tbsps( or if you like coconut bits go ahead)
Salt
dosa batter - 2 cups (recipe here)
Coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbsp(optional)
Oil


PROCESS:
  • In a small wok heat 1-2 tbsps oil
  • Add the mustard seeds and wait till it starts to splutter. Then add in the curry leaves, hing and the urad dal.
  • Add in the onions and green chilies and saute till the onions turn slightly brown. Add in the ginger and the coconut and saute for about a minute or so.
  • Add in the coriander leaves and the salt and switch off the flame. Keep aside.
  • Now, take a bowl with the dosa batter. Add in the onion mixture and mix. Add more salt if necessary. 
  • If the batter is too thick you can add a bit of water. Batter must not be too thick nor runny. Somewhere in the middle. (Don't worry about the consistency too much. Just make sure its not of pouring consistency.)
  • Grease the kuli paniyaram pan and place it on the stove.(I used a non stick pan, so I just added a drop of oil in each mould. thats why my appams look a bit dry. but if you don't mind the oil, go ahead and add some oil in each moud before spooning in the batter.)
  • When the pan has been pre heated on low flame, scoop the batter into each mould. When you can see its become slightly browned on the sides, flip them over. Usually take about a few minutes on each side.
  • You are done. Just serve them with tomato chutney, coconut chutney or your favourite dip!

GUACAMOLE






I am not a big fan of Avocados. But I'v read about the 101 nutrition facts about it..........
Decided to make this fun dip for an after school snack for the kids and they enjoyed it......it was slightly on the spicier side for them ......but I loved it.......

It would be the perfect starter/snack for a party!



Its been a busy week...........and with the holidays approaching.............its just gonna get crazier. My family is visiting for Eid ........and we can't control our excitement! Its gonna be a full house. We have a very special person visiting us for the first time..............my little baby niece!! All of us are super excited and counting the days for her visit!:)



serves 3- 4 people
INGREDIENTS:
ripe avocado - 1
onions, chopped - 2 tbsps
tomato, chopped - 3 tbsps(use a firm tomato and remove the seeds. use only the firm part)
jalepenos, chopped - 3 or 4 tbsps
lime juice - 1 tbsps
chilli sauce - 1 tsp
garlic powder -  bit less than 1/4 tsp
coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbsp (optional)
salt to taste
plain tortilla chips to serve

PROCESS:
  • Discard the seed and take out the flesh from the avocado and place it in a bowl.
  • Using a fork, roughly mash the avocado.
  • Add in the onions, jalepenos, lime juice, chilli sauce and salt. mix well.
  • Next add in the tomatoes and mix gently with a fork
  • Guacamole ready.

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