Grilled tomato and Beetroot Soup

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the Autumn tree." - Emily Bronte

I am loving the beautiful and colorful fall here. I have added some beautiful red and orange leaves in my below pics to bring fall into my pics.. :)

Here is an easy warn soup made with beetroot and grilled tomatoes!

Ingredients:

1. Fire grilled tomatoes - 1 can,~ 400gm
2. Sliced Beetroot - 1 can,~ 400 gm
3. Chicken broth - 2 cups
4. Garlic - 1 clove
5. Salt to taste
6. Pepper to taste
7. Butter - 1 tsp

Note:

• You may grill fresh tomatoes and use it in soup instead of canned tomatoes
• You may use fresh beetroot slices, but need to make sure it is cooked well before bending it in the blender 

Method:

1. Heat butter in a pan and saute chopped garlic in it
2. Add tomatoes, beetroot and chicken broth to it and cook it for 30-40 minutes in medium-low flame
3. Add water to it if the soup is too thick and switch off the flame
4. Blend the above mixture in a blender once it is in room temperature
5. Heat the soup again and add salt and pepper to taste

Serve the soup warm.. It is a mild tasting soup without too many strong flavors in it. You can get the roasted tomato taste and sweetness from beetroot..

I am linking this post to FridayFiesta#94 co hosted by Judi and Stef @ The Kiwi Fruit

Spinach Chicken Curry

We had Spinach Chicken curry with porotta for dinner yesterday... I was too lazy to make chapathi or rice for dinner, so finally used the frozen porotta to go with chicken curry and like most Malayalis I love to have porotta.. :)
We always have baby spinach leaves stocked in our fridge as we try to have it everyday in some form... and mostly it is a part of our morning smoothie. Yesterday I wanted to cook chicken with any new experiment recipe, partly because I am thrilled to post new recipe for the FridayFiesta event every week :)
The curry came out really yummy. Here goes the recipe for the same.

Ingredients:

1. Chicken, cut into small pieces - 1/4kg
2. Yogurt - 2 tbs
3. Pepper powder - 1 tsp
4. Salt to taste
5. Oil - 2 tbs
6. Cardamom - 2
7. Cloves - 4
8. Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
9. Bay leaf - 1
10. Pepper corn - 6
11. Ginger, chopped - 1 tsp
12. Garlic chopped - 1 tsp
13. Onion, sliced - 1 cup
14. Spinach leaves  - 2 cups
15. Tomato - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Marinate chicken with pepper powder, yogurt and salt to taste for 15 minutes
2. Keep spinach leaves in a bowl of hot water for 15 minutes and puree it with minimum water
3. Heat oil in a pan
4. Add ingredients from 6 to 10 and saute it till the cloves start to splutter
5. Add ginger, garlic and onion and saute them till onion is slightly browned
6. Add chicken to this and saute it in high flame till chicken starts to get slightly golden color
7. Add spinach puree, a cup of water and salt if needed
8. When chicken is half cooked, add tomato slices and cook till chicken is well cooked and gravy is thickened.

Serve it hot with chapathi or porotta

I am linking this post to FiestaFriday#93 co hosted by  Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook and Kaila @ GF LIfe 24/7

Halloween Special: Chocolate Banana Muffins

Are you planning to throw away those over ripe bananas?? Please don't, instead make this banana chocolate muffin... It tastes so good that i regret giving away those pretty 9 muffins to my husbands office friends... :D
And yes, Happy Halloween to all!! Today is 2015 Halloween, and my very first Halloween. I wanted to make something special for Halloween and cookies were in my mind for few days.. But I ended up making this banana muffin as i had some over ripe bananas at home and also some left over buttercream frosting too.
The recipe is adapted from Joy of Baking 

Ingredients:

1. Flour - 1 3/4 cup
2. Baking powder - 1 tsp
3. Baking soda  - 1/2 tsp
4. Sugar - 1/2 cup
5. Brown sugar - 1/4 cup
6. Cocoa powder - 3 tbs
7. Chocolate chips - 1/2 cup
8. Salt - a pinch
9. Egg - 3 (small or medium size)
10. Butter, melted - 1/2 cup
11. Banana, mashed - 3 large, about 1 1/2 - 2 cups
12. Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
13. Buttercream frosting - 1 1/2 cups (optional)

Note:

• I have used mini chocolate chips
• You  may mash banana manually or use a blender to do the same. I used a blender for mashing bananas
• Since i had problem with mixing baking powder and baking soda with flour last few times, i have put extra effort to make sure it is mixed very well with flour and other dry ingredients by putting all dry ingredients into a canister and giving nice shakes and stir :)
• I have used a 12 cup muffin tray and 4 silicone cups for baking

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F heat
2. Prepare a 12 cup + 4 cups muffin tray with paper cups
3. Mix all dry ingredients from 1 to 8 very well. Make sure there is no lumps
4. Mix all wet ingredients from 9 to 12 in another bowl
5. Fold in dry ingredients mixture to wet mixture until they are combined and not many lumps in the batter left
6. Spoon the batter in to each muffin cup to fill 3/4 or little more than that of the cup
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or unitl skewer comes out clean when dipped at the muffin center
8. If you are frosting your muffins, you may do it after the muffins are cooled to room temperature. I have used blue color and white color frosting with star tip and round tip. And top it with wilton  sugar eyes. 

I am linking this post to Fiesta Friday

Pumpkin Kulfi

Kulfi is an all time favorite Indian dessert. Here I am giving a twist to the traditional kulfi by adding pumpkin puree to it. Halloween is here in few days and pumpkins are in abundant in markets now. It is a beautiful site to see farm fields filled with large monster pumpkins. But in the below recipe i have used canned pumpkin puree, lazy me :) .

Ingredients:

1. Pumpkin puree, sauteed in a tsp of ghee for 3-4 minutes - 3 tbs
2. Milk - 4 cups
3. Brown sugar/ White Sugar - 3/4 cup
4. Saffron - a pinch
5. Cashew nuts, chopped - 1/4 cup
6. Badam/Almond chopped - 1/4 cup
7. Pecans, chopped - 1/4 cup
8. Cardamom - 2

Brown sugar gives a nice caramel flavor to Kulfi..

Method:

1. Boil milk in a clean pan
2. When milk starts to boil add nuts, spices and sugar to it and stir.
3. Continue boiling the milk under low-medium flame stirring in between till milk is almost reduced to 1.5 cups
4. If you want to go with the traditional kulfi, pour the above mix into a bowl and cool it to room temperature.
5. If you want to add pumpkin puree to it, add it now and let it cook for 3 more minutes and pour it into a bowl and cool it to room temperature
6. Keep the bowl in the fridge for 3 hrs
7. After 3 hrs, stir the mixture again for 2 minutes to avoid water crystals
8. Pour the kulfi mixture in to small bowls or Popsicle mould and freeze it overnight.
9. You may top the kulfi with almond slivers.

I am linking this post to Fiesta Friday

Vegetable spring roll

Do you like to snack in between meals?? Well, who doesn't love that.. How about a cookie or a samosa?? Wait...Think again..do you really want to eat that butter, sugar or oil to satisfy your appetite? Not always..(I know sometimes the answer is "Yes" :) ) Here comes the very fresh, crisp and healthy snack for you.. It is so easy that any one can make it at home provided you have the freshest veggies and rice paper wraps with you..

I love to have vegetable spring roll with peanut sauce dip. The crunch you get at each bite...ah.. you should try it yourself...

Ingredients:

1. Carrot, julienned - 1 cup
2. Cabbage , thin strips - 1 cup
3. Lettuce leaves, small - 5
4. Glass noodles/ Rice, cooked - 5 tbs ( I have used basmati rice)
5. Mint leaves/ Basil leaves - 5
6. Rice paper wraps - 5

Method:

1. Take one rice paper wrap and dip it in warm water till it is soft. (takes less than a minute)
2. Place a small lettuce leaf in the center
3. Top it with  carrots, cabbage and a tbs of rice or noodles. Adjust the quantity of veggies so that you can fold the wrap well.
4. Place a mint leaf or basil leaf on top
5. Fold the wrap according to the pic shown.
6. Repeat the same with all the wraps

Tada..vegetable spring roll is ready to be served.


I am linking this post to Friday Fiesta co hosted by Juju and Indira.