Hello Again!
Yes! I disappeared and it It’s been looooong…. And Why you might ask??? Well, I changed jobs and moved to Dallas, TX from Central NJ!! Started my new job in middle of a busy season which that lead to longs days at work! Not to mention, packing, moving, unpacking and all that goes with moving. New Job, new city, and new people made it very difficult to blog. Though I have to admit, laziness might have been a small part of it. And once I get out of touch with blogging kind of found it difficult to get back to it. Days passed into weeks and then months have passed since I posted anything on the blog.
However, I do miss blogging immensely so, now that I am done unpacking, have setup my tent in Dallas, and settled in my new job, I will start blogging again 🙂 Thanks and my apologies to all who wrote me and missed my blog posts all this while.
Preena—Bit late, but congratulations on receiving well deserved Versatile Blog Award and Thank you so much for adding Jolly Vindaloo in your top 15 blogs as Great Indian food blog – Your Versatile Blog Award list!
http://ateaspoonofturmeric.com/2011/12/31/versatile-blogger-award/
Wish me luck at my second shot of blogging, and I am looking forward to getting back on the wagon and posting healthy and mouth-watering recipes.
Grilled White Peaches with Cherry and Balsamic Sauce
Ingredients
Sauce
2 Cups Whole Cherries
1/8 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
¼ Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tsp Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Grilled Peaches
3 White Peaches
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Other Ingredients
Vanilla Ice Cream ( I prefer Breyer’s all natural Vanilla Ice Cream)
Mint Leaves for garnishing
Method
Preparing Sauce
- Wash and remove stems and pits from Cherries
- Puree Cherries in a blender. Two Cups of whole Cherries will yield about a cup puree
- In a sauce pan, mix Cherry Puree, Balsamic Vinegar, Brown Sugar, and Coconut Oil and bring it to boil.
- Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat.
- Add Vanilla Extract and mix well
- Let it cool.
Grilling Peaches
- Wash, dry and cut Peaches in halves.
- Remove pits from Peaches.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix Oil and Brown Sugar.
- Brush peaches with mixture and grill them for about 5 minutes or until Peaches caramelize on surface.
Serving
- Place Grilled Peach Half on a plate.
- Scoop a small serving of Vanilla Ice Cream on the Peach.
- Generously drizzle Cherry-Balsamic Sauce over it, Garnish with Mint leaves and Serve.
Now that I am on a track to lose weight and getting healthy, I am also starting to switch to healthy lifestyle which will help me keep the weigh off. Lifestyle change starts with consciously making food choices that have more Nutritional Bang for Caloric Buck as said wisely by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. It is no news, that America diet is at its worst proved by adolescence Boold Pressure cases, Child obesity rising, higher number of adults depending cholesterol control and High BP meds and the list just goes on. One choice at a time we can make tremendous difference to our well being and we can do this without sacrificing the flavor and taste.
Therefore, when I came across the Healthy Cooking Challenge(HCC) series by Smita of My Tasty Treats, I thought that is a great way to start making changes to healthy eating habits. I would like to thank Smita for initiating this HCC Events and giving me the opportunity to host the event featuring Healthy Desserts. HCC is a series of events hosted each month with focus on a course/meal with healthy cooking in mind.
I am a sucker for Desserts and therefore I have chosen it. This is also a tough one as we all love a sweet piece of whatever, and it is usually packed with calories and a lot of it from fats and not to mention empty calories. However, there are many healthy options available. So let’s put your creative minds to work in kitchen to whip up decadent desserts! Please send dessert from any part of the world to this event!
Here’s how Healthy Cooking Challenge (HCC) works:
- Post a recipe on your blog during the dates of July 1st – July 31st 2011.
- I would appreciate if you use the above logo for your post,It helps to spread the word , though it is not mandatory.
- You can use your old recipes however you will need to re-post them.
- You can only post vegetarian recipes and the use of eggs are allowed.
- No recipes which are deep fried please.
- Please link to the Jolly Vindaloo’s HCC Event Page (this Page) and Smita’s HCC Event announcement page.
- Multiple entries are allowed.
Email me at j.vindaloo@gmail.com with the following information
- Name
- Blog Name
- Name of the recipe
- Link to your post
- Picture of the dish
Handava/Handvo
Hello … I know it’s been a while since I posted but just been busy. As you may know, I have been following Dr’ Fuhrman’s diet and this week marks six weeks since I have been on the program. So the total weight loss equals to (drum roll….) 14 Lbs. I did cheat here and there as I was traveling on and off but it’s an achievement. Still following the diet and exercise plan and will post as many healthy recipes as I can. However, everyone else in my family needs to eat normal non-diet food, so made handva/handvo, which, is a savory cake made from coarse flour of rich and a few lintels.
Handvo had always been a popular lunch item on weekends in our household because this is one of my dad’s favorite. It has always been a tasty and filling companion on road trips during summers. I love it because it is a one dish meal and is very flavorful. Every time we introduced our friends to handvo they instantly fall in love with it and ask for recipe. Speaking of which, I had once taken left over Handvo for lunch and was warming it up in microwave. Everyone kept on asking what smells so good and long story short, about 5 people ended up trying it, and I had to buy my lunch that dayJ. Following week I made a tray of it just to take it to work. A slice of Handvo is spectacularly savory and sesame seeds sprinkled on the top crust add a nutty crunchiness to this soft and savory cake.
Ingredients for Batter
2 Cups Handva Flour (Can be bought from any Indian Grocery Store but do not confused this with instant Handvo mix)
2 Cups Shredded Dudhi/Loki (Bottle Gourd)
2/3 Cup Fenugreek Leaves (Frozen or Fresh)
1 Medium Onion Shredded
½ Cup Yogurt
1/8 Cup Shredded Gud
2 Green Chilies and 1 ½ Piece Ginger (Crushed to Paste)
2 Tbsp Oil (I used Light Olive Oil but Corn, Vegetable, or Canola Oil is fine)
1 Tsp Turmeric
½ Tsp Red Chili Powder
¼ Tsp of Soda Bi-Carb or Baking Soda
1 Tbsp Flax Seed meal (optional)
2 Tsp Salt (I used Sea Salt so adjust accordingly. If you are using regular salt, start with 1 ½ Tsp and adjust as necessary)
For Tempering
3 TBsp Oil
½ Tsp Mustard Seeds
½ Tsp Cumin Seeds
2-3 Whole Red Chilies
Pinch of Asafetida
1 ½ Tsp Sesame Seeds
Tips:
- You do want batter to be slightly salty because when baked it will adjust.
- Over all, all flavors should come through in the batter (Sweetness, Sourness, Spiciness, and Saltiness). Otherwise after baking, it will not taste well seasoned.
- Other veggies that work well are Spinach, cabbage, Zucchini, and Corn-Onion.
- For Brunch, Bake Handvo in muffin trays, which also works well for traveling.
- Use mini muffin tray for appetizer Handva Bites.
Method
- In a mixing bowl mix all ingredients for batter EXCEPT Soda Bi-Carb or Baking Soda and mix well.
- Add Water as necessary to make pasty batter (medium consistency).
- Let it sit for at least an hour. I let it sit over night.
- At this point you may have to add more water as it gets soaked.
- Do a taste test and adjust if necessary.
- Add Soda Bi-Carb or Baking Soda and mix well.
- Spray/oil/ butter and flout a baking tray and set it aside. I used Pyrex 8×8, however you can also use 9×11 in which case the thickness of Handva will be less. I actually prefer that because you get nice balance of crust and soft core.
- Pre heat over at 450 F.
- Heat oil for tempering.
- Once hot, add Mustard seeds, Cumin Seeds, Asafetida, Sesame Seeds and Whole Red Chilies let all the seed pop.
- Pour it over batter and mix well.
- Pour Batter into the baking tray and sprinkle sesame seeds generously on top.
- Place in oven on middle rack and lit is bake of 40 -50 minutes. Keep a close eye on it half an hour in to the cooking time as all ovens are different. If you are using 9×11 tray, the cooking time will be little less.
- Bake until edges are reddish brown and top is pinkish red.
- Do a fork/toothpick test to check if it is done.
- If it is baked, set oven temp to Broil and bake for another 5 minutes to form a nice crust on top. Watch it closely so you don’t burn it.
- Take the tray our and let it sit for 10-20 minutes before digging in.
Handva is a one dish meal and tastes delicious by itself, but can be served with Green Chutney, Tamarind Chutney, Pickle, or Chundo. Also makes great tea time snack!
Garden Salad with Creamy Apricot and Orange Dressing
Here is another recipe that you can enjoy without feeling guilty and sacrificing the taste…
Salad
Assemble garden salad with your favorite greens, Cucumber, Cherry Tomatoes, Walnuts, and chopped dried Apricot, Orange Slices or diced Apple.
Dressing
Ingredients
3 Dried Apricots
2 – 3 Tbsp Fresh Orange Juice ( you can use carton’s OJ but taste will differ)
3 Cashews
1Tsp Red Wine Vinegar
¼ Tsp Ginger Juice (fine shred Ginger Root, squeeze shredded Ginger, and collect Juice)
2-3 Leaves Fresh Basil Thinly Sliced
Salt to Taste
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
Method
- Soak Apricot and Cashews in warm water for 15 minutes and drain.
- In a blender (I used Bullet), blend Apricots, Orange Juice, Cashews, Red Wine Vinegar, Ginger Juice, Salt and Red Pepper Flakes together to a smooth paste. Use water or Orange Juice to adjust the consistency as desired.
- Add Basil and Pulse the blender. Do not over process Basil; you want it to be visible in small pieces.
Pour Dressing over the salad and indulge.
This is for one (maybe 2) serving(s).
Jolly Vindaloo 