Marinated Veggies!

          Who says veggies have to be boring? Try this recipe to see how they get elevated in terms of taste and appeal!

          Steamed vegetables in a tangy, spicy dressing provide an elegant way of serving vegetables.

Ingredients-
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 stick cinnamon (dalchini)
2 bay leaves (tej patta)
4 cloves (laung)
3 onions, sliced
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
red chilly powder to taste
1 teaspoon dried herb - thyme, marjoram or oregano
vegetables- 1 medium-sized cauliflower, cut in florets
1 cup peas
200gm mushrooms, sliced
2 red, 1 green, 1 yellow pepper, sliced
200gm French beans, sliced diagonally
10 carrots, sliced diagonally
1 small broccoli cut in florets
1/2 kg small round potatoes
5 tablespoon fresh finely chopped basil (tulsi)

Method-

1. Heat the oil and drop in the whole spices. After 30 seconds, add the onions. Sauté till golden brown.
2. Add the garlic and fry another minute. Add the rest of the ingredients for the dressing. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes. Check seasonings, adding salt or sugar as needed.
3. Steam all the vegetables. Make sure they are crunchy, not overdone and squishy. Boil the potatoes.
4. Pour the hot dressing over the vegetables and leave them to 'sit' for a few hours.
5. Serve at room temperature garnished with basil.

This was the original recipe which I came across. I made variations and tweaked it a lot. They are
as follows-

• I left out the red and yellow peppers, broccoli and potatoes (since we all are weight-watchers here), included only two big carrots, substituted fresh mint for basil.
• I had to use twice the amount of dressing mentioned here to coat all the veggies neatly.
• I microwaved the vegetables for 5 minutes so that they remain crunchy but not under-cooked.
• I used very less amount of chilly powder as I did not want to make it very spicy.

The final product was so tasty and delicious that I had planned to serve it in main course along with steamed rice. But, it was over before the rice serving. Sadly, I forgot to click the photos!
   
          Try it! Your family will love this interesting twist!
 

Chocochip Oat Cookies

Here is a recipe of lip-smacking cookies which I made in my Convection Oven. The smell of freshly baked cookies is reason enough to gather your family members around the kitchen. And you won't be guilty as well for indulging them because it contains oats which makes them nutritious. You can substitute sugar with sugar-free substitute for dieters!

Ingredients-

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 large egg
• egg white from another egg
• 2 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 11/2 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 21/2 cups oats
• 1 cup choco chips

 

 Method-

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
• In a large bowl, beat both the sugars and margarine with an electric mixer until well blended, occasionally scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Add the egg and egg white, vanilla essence and beat until smooth.
• Whisk in flour, baking soda and salt. Skip salt if your margarine is salty.
• Stir in oats and choco chips and mix with a spoon.
• Spoon on an ungreased large tray, 2 inches apart and bake for 12-13 minutes or until golden.
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Store in tightly sealed containers for up to 3 days.

My tweaks and tips-

• I substituted Amul butter in place of margarine and omitted the salt.
• I made exactly half of what the recipe suggests. Still, I had to bake the cookies in 2 batches. It amounted to 20 cookies if you ignore the last bits of lumps!
• You could bake them on cookie sheets. I baked them on Microwaveable Grill Tawa.
• Though the recipe tells to use an ungreased tray, I greased it with a little butter.
• Make sure you beat the sugar mixture so well that it should almost get dissolved.
• While spooning the mixture, flatten it so that it won't bulge like mine did!
• You could use broken cooking chocolate pieces if choco chips are not easily available.

And lastly, incorporate the help of your children. It makes for fun bonding.

Why a blog?

         
          First, a few submissions!
          In my college days, cooking and me were as different as chalk and cheese! I hated to cook the normal boring daal, subzi, chawal and roti. Yes, but I learnt various stylish recipes by attending a few culinary courses.
          My love for cooking evolved as I got married. My husband's love for food, my MIL'S great cooking skills all led to improvise on  my cooking. My MIL is my biggest source of inspiration. She has taught me a lot in cooking right from everyday menus to weekend specialities!
          My blog will feature easy recipes which I have tried at home followed with photographs. Being a 21st century homemaker, this blog will also feature some microwave recipes, day-to-day tricks and tips to overcome this huge responsibility!
          So get ready to have a truly satisfying culinary experience!