Lettuce Salad with Simple Dressing...

Do you ever find yourself stranded in the fruit-and-veggie aisle of the supermarket, desperately trying to figure out which combination will make the best meal? Do you fantasize about that one great salad you had on vacation, and wish you could learn how to replicate it? Or—admit it—have you given up on trying to make your own salads, after that fiasco with the iceberg lettuce, capers, and balsamic vinegar?...

Yes obviously we all go through many such situations in our life...sometimes we dont feel like eating especially during summer...sometimes we desire for change and are bored eating same type of salads...or else sometimes we dont understand what is to be made...and in summer we feel like to stay away from oily food and enjoy fresh and refreshing salads everyday.

Here, is the solution for all the questions...I take you step-by-step through the making of a great salad. The basic idea is to think of adding layers to your bowl: greens first, then toppers and finally simple indian dressing. Use the freshest ingredients, for enhancement of taste...My husband really loves this salad and sticks to it everyday for dinner.

Work your way through this plan and you’ll find this to be very interesting,tasty and nutritious.Here is the recipe for you all...

LETTUCE SALAD WITH SIMPLE DRESSING

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded lettuce salad
4 tbsp of groundnut powder
2 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt
5 tbsp of sweet curd
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp pepper powder

Method:
1.In a vessel place  shredded lettuce (I bought it in the shredded form from market..You can buy entire leaves from market and chop it at home)
2.To it add sugar,salt and groundnut powder.
3.Add curd .
4.Sprinkle oregano and pepper powder on it.
5.Mix it thoroughly and serve it raw...

It tastes awesome and is easy and quick yet very wholesome... and is very very healthy for diet conscious people.You can enjoy it with hot chapatis or pulkas anytime for dinner or lunch.

Linking this to -Serve it-Raw an event by Krithi...fabulous event perfect for summer...

About Me...

Hello and welcome to my new blog,

Today after successful completion of my 25 posts I felt that many are unfamiliar with my blog...so allow me to introduce you to both myself and to my site.

First thing is...It is just a trail blog and not a big well known site designed by an expert.It is simple personal website created and maintained with lot many efforts by me...of course my husband has helped me a lot in designing this website.This one is far different from the one which you will find on internet with thousands of recipes but is my personal with only few hundreds of recipes tried and tasted at home by me and my dear family and may be few of my friends...

Star of my show...is my dear hubby...guinea pig or taste tester...but he would always love it..he being a great food fan or foodie.

I invite you all to try these recipes,go through my food blog and give your valuable feedback,post suggestions in the comments section followed under each article.

As and when I would cook repeatedly, I would find new updates,corrections,new innovative ideas designing recipes...same goes with blogging activity...so do keep in mind that you will always see here work is in progress and may locate changes and variety of ideas on just one click...

How and when did I started with this: From 25th march 2012 I started writing down recipes I had grown up with,which I practice here in USA and posting them to my website.I loved this idea which I got from my hubby a lot.I just love cooking new recipes so also learning new ones from my friends and trying them on my hubby.I developed this hobby only after coming to US...Initially I had never cooked before....US trip gave me golden oppurtunity to cook food for my family and I really thank god for it.

Now cooking has become my passion.

About Myself: I remember those golden childhood days when I used to play Bhatukli with my dear friends in society...We used to prepare delicious dishes with ease and within no time and everytime would offer it to mom.Of course everything used to be imaginary one!Though cooking was not my that favourite hobby I began to take it seriously only after cuming to USA.....

Majority span of life I spent with studying,doing official hectic work and hardly used to cook.Also my mom used to never allow me to cook too much thinking that I after marraige I have to cook compulsorily...and I used to enjoy Maa Ke Haath Ka khana..oh la la really I miss those golden days..I discovered my love towards cooking and contentment to feed my family only after coming to USA.Also infrastructure of kitchen,availability of grocery in malls being ultimate you just cant sit at home idle.

Also I come from a family where both my mom and my mother-in-law are excellent homecooks.Hardly can anyone challenge them in cooking..Even my dad is good chef as he loves to eat well and enjoys trying out new recipes.Hence in order to be like them I started with blogging as new activity so also it will enhance my hobby and will be good project work for me which will help in documenting kitchen trails and errors.

Cooking of recipes in this blog is done in the kitchen of our camden,Brookside apartments in Louisville,Kentucky and had my dear husband over to taste my creations and innovative dishes....

From where I obtained all these recipes might be one question in your mind...To answer this..All the recipes that I have and will be posting henceforth are tried tasted by me at home of course after going through variety of cookbooks,magazines,internet,newspaper,cooking sites and other blogs,and also once that I have learnt from my mom and in laws.I would like to mention here one more thing here...If I pull the recipe from other source I will surely try to mention it clearly in my recipe..so also If I learn it from my family member or any friend of mine then in that case care will be taken that his or her name is mentioned.

Speciality of this blog:Recipes shown here are strictly vegetarian...Which makes use of whole food ingredients only occassionally prepared/readymade foods so also eggs might be used in preparing few food items like cakes.Also I have tried and highlighted benefits or advantages and medical applications in relation to that particular food product so as to derive maximum nourishment after consuming the same.

I believe in varied but healthy diet using real butter cream,lots of vegetables and fruits,proteins from milk,beans and cheese.

About Comments:Comments are most welcome on all the recipes as it will benefit me in improving my style,language and new ideas which will definately improve my method of cooking.

Pictures: Photos are taken by either me or my hubby personally either by simple mobile camera or by our Nikon.

Reason for starting this blog: During my spare time here in USA I used to always search for new recipes and would try at home ...one day list went so long that I was unable to locate the recipe that I really wanted...there my hubby gave me idea of documenting and organizing all my recipes by creating a blog...I followed his advice and started writing down the recipes I tried and tasted and there gave birth to blogging activity...Also with the intention that my dear younger sis after marriage can also refer and try out these recipes so as to make her husband happy I opted for this activity...My aim is to become active participant in this world of food blogging...and hence I created this blog"Food Frenzy".I stumbled into the world of food blogging while searching for a recipe. I have been having a good time reading all the food posts. The blog events sound exciting and fun to do. I got major inspiration for creating this blog by visiting variety of food blogs.I am not a gourmet chef, but I have found a new passion in cooking. I love experimenting with new stuff.Moreover To share with you all delicious vegetarian food items and recipes that I tried in my kitchen in simplest possible way and clear enough so that even a newable in the kitchen can also try them out easily.Spices and sweetness in all the recipes has been moderate and designed me according to my taste.Hence I request all to adjust it according to your own personal taste.

I have another blogs "Treasured Memories" and "Just Rice Recipes for U and Me"...Please go through them also...

Although it has been only few months old still..If you require any recipe or want to provide me with suggestions please feel free to mail me at supriyakotyal@gmail.com

Thanks a lot for visiting my blog and spending your valuable time for me.

So, join me in my cooking experiments.

Bon Appetite

Watermelon Cooler..Thanda Thanda Cool Cool...

Now a days we are experiencing very hot summer days here and temperature is becoming unbearable...All that we crave is for some cool drink which would cool down our bodies.

I am not a great fan of any kind of sodas and I also get bored of store bought juices very soon...So also today I didnt really felt like cooking during afternoon..I wanted to stay away from sandwiches and thought a smoothie or healthy drink would be filling enough to carry me through the afternoon....I had a large piece of watermelon sitting in the refrigerator and decided to use it as the base for a drink...so also would surprise my husband with this one by offering him after his tiresome work at office...for sure he will be delighted as he loves watermelon.

The fact that it is only in season for such a short time means we try to eat it as often as we can during the few summer months when it is at its most refreshing and sweet stage.

Watermelon is a incredibly healthy food for all of us. This delicious food is packed with some of the most powerful antioxidants in nature, including Vitamin C,  Vitamin A and Vitamin B7. These reduce the chance of colon cancer, relieve some symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, according to The World’s Healthiest Foods.

I have, in the past, found few watermelon recipes from internet that was just simple and perfect for what I was looking for. Also There are a lot of recipes floating in cyberspace that sound more like milk shakes than smoothies and I really was looking for something lighter and more healthy...I liked this recipe because It just took five minutes to assemble watermelon drink with less ingredients...so chosed this version.  It's a delicious drink when made with ripe watermelon.It tasted just amazing! Chilled Watermelon juice for a hot day, what else can anyone ask for?... I look forward to have it again and again. I think you might enjoy it as well.

So also This is one of the popular drinks during summer at my native.My mom used to prepare it always for my dad...So here is a summer recipe featuring watermelon flavor....almost loved and liked by kids also...Its really kid friendly recipe...

WATERMELON COOLER-THANDA THANDA COOL COOL

Ingredients:
4 cups cold watermelon chunks
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Chaat masala as per your taste
8 ice cubes
1 Tbsp lime juice(optional)
1 Tbsp honey or sugar(optional)

I didnt used sugar or honey and lime juice while preparing as my melon was very sweet and my hubby doesnt like lime juice..But still it tasted too good! yes my mom used to add as per her taste.

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into glasses.
Serve chilled.

Also Ginger used here not only adds to taste and flavour but is a classic tonic for the digestive tract. It stimulates digestion and keeps the intestinal muscles toned. It acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and is useful with symptoms of arthritis. It also supports a healthy cardiovascular system.

Sending this to SHOWCASE- Fun in the Sun hosted by Divya...

also to CC-Splash in to summer...hosted by Sravs

and to Let’s Cook # 16 ~ Kids Special hosted by Radhika

Thanks all for wonderful themes.....

Crispy Vegan Spring Rolls...

Mumbai: the city that never sleeps one which runs on seconds.. The city I love and miss for so many reasons – it’s the city where I was born and brought up....

When I think of Mumbai, I miss my home, my parents, my school,my college,every lane that is close to home, the crowd, the trains, traveling in crowded buses and in rickshaws, the sights and smells of the city, the familiar places and shops, the haggling of prices with vegetable sellers,Bargaining on fashion street for western fashionable outfits,the festivals and sweets, the galli ka cricket and simple outdoor games with apartment people, and the Mumbai rains...and so on...

But if someone would ask me to name the thing that I miss most about Mumbai, it would be definitely the Mumbai street food.....

Now, I am aware that too much of street food is bad for health. But it’s not my fault that I was introduced and fell in love with the Mumbai junk food during my college days...

I was in Somaiya college till graduation. And for those who are familiar with the college and its surroundings, they would know that it’s a heaven for junk food lovers....There were amazing canteens in and around our college...

I remember those golden days when we used to enjoy vada pav,Dahi puri and misal pav at our KJ's canteen...Walk further for around 5 minutes from college there was medical college's canteen..I was so in love with the samosas, kachoris, and pattices sold in that canteen that I was hoping I would marry someone from their family. Thus began my eternal love affair with junk food....outside college there was Chinese joint where we used to enjoy schezwan dosa and pani puri wala he used to make chaat so very well that we used to enjoy at least once in week...also there was one sandwich wala who used to make awesome sandwiches...oh la la I just cant wait any longer...Yummy...I want to go to my homeland...I missing mumbai a lot...

I used to frequent the junk food joints, eat chat near our college, hog on wada pav whenever I felt like. Of course, my parents saw to it that I did not overdo it. There were times when I used to eat shev puri on my way back from office and then declare that I would eat less for dinner. My mom used to ask me if I had eaten any junk food, and I used to say “No”. Then she used to probe me like a police officer and I used to sheepishly answer in the affirmative.

My chat love often took me to Ghatkopar where two of my best friends resided. We used to take a stroll down “Khau galli” and sample yummy snacks at cheap prices. The chief among them were dabeli and chat. spring rolls is one dish that I used to enjoy thoroughly here in Ghatkopar. I have tried to recreate this with my hubby's help and recollected my sweet old memories....after marriage I tried many new snacks here in USA but spring rolls  never featured anywhere...so I decided to make them at home...I became lazy and bought the spring roll sheets from the supermarket-Walmart. In fact, if you buy spring roll sheets, the whole process is very quick and simple...

Spring rolls are a quick, no cook meal and are surprisingly easy to make.Brimming with vegetables and lots of flavor, these spring rolls make a great appetizer or party food....

spring rolls are a refreshing change from the usual fried variety, and have become a family favorite. They are great as a cool summertime appetizer, and are delicious when dipped in variety of sauces.

Get some help from your husband with the rolling, and you'll be crunching on these delicious spring rolls in no time. As a bonus, this spring roll recipe is also fresher and healthier than the spring rolls you'll find in most restaurants. ENJOY!

Be sure to make a dipping sauce to serve along with your spring rolls! If you need some extra help, see my pictures showing how to roll spring rolls.

This quick recipe for spring rolls will show you how to make this authentic appetizer at home.

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

So here's a step by step look.

CRISPY VEGAN SPRING ROLL

Ingredients for vegetable spring roll filling...

What I Used:
Mixed vegetables - 1 cup, chopped long and slim/shredded (carrot, beans, cabbage, peas, corn, capsicum, etc)
Onions - 1, sliced
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Soya sauce - 1 tbsp
Chopped green chillies - 1
Salt and pepper - to taste
Oil - 2 tsp

How I Made It:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions until transparent and pink.
2. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for another minute.
3. Next add the vegetables and green chillies, sprinkle some water and cook closed until soft, yet crunchy.
4. Turn heat to high and add the soya sauce. Mix well for a minute on high.
5. Lower heat. Mix in salt and pepper. Remove from fire and cool.

This is how I made tasty vegan spring roll filling...You can also add crumbled paneer or tofu as per your taste..Baked vegan spring rolls are also an option but I haven't tried it yet...You can use any mix of vegetables you want. However, cabbage and capsicum really enhance the taste.

Now as your filling is ready

We will start filling our spring rolls

These are the spring roll sheets I got from market..

It consists of many sheets...I used only few of them...You have to defrost them in microwave or thaw them at room temperature before separating the sheets.

Lay out one sheet, add about 2-3 tbsp (depending on the size of your spring roll sheets) of the vegan filling in middle of sheet..place filling diagonally on wrap.All instructions about folding are thoroughly mentioned on sheets...I followed the same ones...

Fold bottom corner over filling and roll snugly half way to cover filling..

        

Fold in both sides snugly against filling,moisten edges of last flap.

Roll wrap up and seal top corner with water or any paste lay flapside down untill ready to cook.

Once these ends are firmly placed, start rolling towards the other end until fully done.

For the store-bought pastry sheets, the end was easy to just stick to the rest of the roll say just with water but ya...you can also use besan-water paste,or corn flour water paste or maida water paste...if it doesnt sticks properly with water...and see to it that it doesnt opens while frying otherwise will create mess...

Once you have made the required number of rolls, deep fry until golden brown.

Your roll is ready for frying....Watch frying demonstrated below in the picture

Spring Rolls are ready to Eat! hmmm....looks Yummy isnt it! Enjoy it with any chutney or sauce.

That's it! Cut them up and serve hot with some tomato sauce or green chutney. They make an excellent and quick starter.I just love them!

=====================================================

This is my contribution for Bon Vivant #5 - Appetizers/ Starters.

 Thanks Sumee for hosting this interesting,fun filled and  lovely event.

======================================================

Maggi Burger...........

Everyone loves a hot juicy burger filled with all sorts of yummy toppings, especially in the summer months...Burgers are a classic staple of American cuisine, and have always been a family favorite.They are now standard all-American fare, served at fast food restaurants, sports arenas, amusement parks and schools and so on...To enjoy  feel of America every now and then we opt for Burger...

Luckily we have options to choose one that best fits our favourite flavour...You can easily increase or decrease the choice of toppings which will be favourably yours...In this recipe I have used Maggi and few veggies along with cheese...maggi being all time favourite of not only kids but of adults too.

You may have your own versions of “Maggi memories” like on those cycling trips with friends, or as your savior when friends drop in without warning or during those late night talks …

Maggi has been a true childhood buddy. It took care of our hunger pangs when we were away from our parents in a hostel or on a camp. Continuing the practice, now it is ‘the food’ kids eat without a fuss. It’s that food which our moms let us have as a substitute to other ‘outside’ food we would have otherwise eaten!

Maggi seems to be just that perfect quick-snack between meals and is so easy to make that kids sometime make it alone. What’s more it seems they now come enriched with calcium and proteins! Taste bhi! Health bhi! scream the smalls kids in the ad!

Wow, Maggi we love so much its just unavoidable...also healthy but only to some extent!

So, let your kid have Maggi but make sure he also appreciates the taste of traditional snacks like upma, poha, idlis which are nutritionally richer than Maggi and are easier to make too. Let Maggi treat be an occasional ritual than an everyday one! Don’t forget the other nutritional culprits like white bread, instant pasta which are eating away your child’s nutritional intake and make sure that you keep a tab on these too.

Did you know that MAGGI is named after its great inventor?

Over a century ago, back in 1884, a genius called Julius Maggi invented a powdered pea and bean soup, to provide nutritious, easy to prepare food for busy women who worked in factories and didn’t have time to prepare healthy meals. This new product really improved the nutrition of common people, and he followed this first MAGGI product two years later with the invention of ready-to-use soups and liquid seasoning.

But he didn’t stop there! Soon afterwards, Julius Maggi perfected bouillon concentrates, first in capsules, then in cubes.

More than 100 years later, MAGGI is still a byword for top quality products that combine healthy and varied nutrition, fast and easy preparation and affordable prices.

The credit of invention of this recipe goes to one of my friend "Swati" in louisville..she made it for all of us when she invited  for dinner and hence it holds a special meaning for me...we both are junkies and our love towards maggi is unimaginable...Thus after enjoying yummy maggi burger at her home ...I asked her for the recipe which was simple easy and quick...so also was very amazed to see the event...one perfect for uploading this different recipe...Thanks for the event...so also thanks swati for the recipe which I made immediately after 2 days when I learnt from her... I know junk food is bad for health but can enjoy it sometime..

This is my contribution to Akila's: Dish name starts with M..

MAGGI BURGER

Ingredients:
4 Burger Buns
1 packet of maggi along with masala in it.
1/2 onion chopped into round slices
few chopped round pieces of tomato and cucumber
1/2 cup shredded lettuce or cabbage
4 cheese slices
2 tbsp tomato ketch-up or tomato pudina sauce or any tomato sauce of your choice.
salt and pepper as per your taste.
2 tbsp of butter

Procedure:
1.On one side prepare maggi else you can prepare it in microwave.
2.Roast your pav or buns on tawa with butter.
3.Apply sauce on roasted bun..side which is inside one...
4.Place 2 spoons full of maggi on it...you can add more if u like more...Iam fond of it a lot so I added it maximum.
5.Now place chopped veggies like cucumber,onion,tomato cabbage,lettuce as per your liking on it.
6.Place cheese slice on it
7.Cover it by another bun. and enjoy....

Its really yummy....mouthwatering....You just cant sit quiet eating only one...you are bound to eat one more for sure...just try it!

Baked Pakoras...

Yesterday only got to know that it has started raining heavily in mumbai from mama...so also saw many status updates on facebook about monsoon...as all were very tired of scorching heat all were thoroughly welcoming rainyseason...Finally Monsoon marked beginning in India....Here in USA even though we are not able to enjoy rain like mumbai...I deceided I will dream that its raining heavily here and we are enjoying pakoras watching rain from patio along with garama garam chai.Indeed pakoras/bajes are really enjoyable in rainyseason...but this time I made baked pakodas....

I was first introduced to this dish when my hubby's friend in camden tried them and got us some for tasting.... We have a lot of bachelors staying nearby here at brookside, and I must say that some of them are really great cooks..good chefs...they all cook amazingly good. I have seen them baking cakes from scratch, trying different cuisines, desserts, vegetables after coming from office. In fact, all of us out here are learning to cook and when something turns out good, we send out a portion for sampling and feedback:-) Anyways, I was intrigued when our friend made these pakoras and was waiting to try them out. You can really make pakoras with anything – onion, potato, cabbage, apples, chilles...and so on.

This is my contribution to Resh's guest hosting-Bake Fest of vardhini...lovely event dear...Baking immediately reminds us about cakes and biscuits....but this time I thought that I have done lot many cakes and will try my hands on something else and hence tried baked pakoras and too its surprise they tasted very good and hence deceided to post for this event.

These Baked pakoras-new concept for me.. are extremely tasty and serve as a good evening snack or a wonderful starter in a full course meal.

Here’s the recipe:

BAKED PAKORAS

Ingredients:
Chopped onion-1/2
Chopped capsicum-1/2
garam masala as per your taste.
salt again as per your taste
oil -1 tsp
Maida-3 tbsp
Wheat flour-3 tbsp
Besan-3 tbsp.
Baking soda-1 tsp
Baking powder-1 tsp
Red chilli powder-1 tsp
yogurt-1/3 rd cup
milk-1/2 cup

Procedure:
1.Heat oil in a pan.
2.Add chopped onions,capsicum,garam masala and salt to it.
3.Cook for 4-5 mins.
4.Take maida,besan,wheat flour in another bowl.
5.To the above flours add baking soda,baking powder,red chilli powder and salt.
6.Mix everything together nicely.
7.Add yogurt and milk as required.
8.Knead dough nicely.
9.With spoon drop dough on cookie sheet...so consistency of dough should be same as you do while making cookies.
10.Spray cooking oil on it and place it in oven at 350 degrees.
11.Cook till golden brown
12.Serve hot with chutney or sauce of your choice.

My Baby's Favourite...Upma

"You are going to have a baby" seven words that changed my life.I and my hubby were excited thrilled to listen these words from nurse.Firstly I thought I was dreaming... my joy knew no bounds....

The feeling that..Now I was going to have a baby of my own, a little person that would be totally dependent on me was indeed amazing... Initially I was really scared a little... I thaught I need to be responsible now....

Finally in the month of August we were blessed with baby boy... He was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. He was my perfect little man. I love him with all my heart! 

How time flies nobody knows...Now that wonderful blessing-my prince is about to complete 2 years...since 1 and 1/2 year he loves upma like anything...till now he is fond of plain upma...It gives me immense pleasure to feed him with warm upma....It gives me feeling of special bond of silk thread that we both share..."bond of love" 

My Cutie Pie-Arnav

Linking this article to event-My baby's favourite food...

Thanks Roma for hosting this amazing event.I liked the theme as it gave me a golden chance for uploading my baby's favourite upma...which has really become his life...he loves it so very much that anytime I start preparing for it he smells it even from distance,comes near me and makes lovely sound from his mouth...yuuuuummmmmmm and also while eating does the action of chaannnn...chaaannnn.I feel satisfied and contented to prepare and give it to him So also Iam very excited to share it with you and to post it in this event.As per your request Iam linking this to..baby food recipes event... also submitting my entry by filling form from baby food recipes website.

PLAIN UPMA

Ingredients:
3 tbsp roasted semolina or rava.
2 pinches Cumin powder.
2 pinches salt.
1 glass full of water.
1 pinch of mustard seeds
1 tsp of ghee.
1 pinch of turmeric.
1/2 glass of milk.
1 pinch of hing.
1 pinch of sugar.

Procedure:
1.Heat ghee in a pan.
2.Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
3.Now add hing and turmeric powder.
4.Pour water.My baby prefers semi liquid foods only so I add more water.You can adjust it as you require.
5.Now add cumin powder,salt and sugar.
6.Allow the water to boil and then rava.
7.Stir it continously so that no lumps are formed.
8.Cook it for 2 mins.
7.Serve hot by pouring hot milk on it.

Your baby will also enjoy it eating.Surely you will be happy excited and contented to feed your baby with this yummy upma which can be made quickly and very easily with ingredients that are easily available at our home.