in love with food: February 2009

February 22, 2009

CHOCONUT COOKIES

Lately I have been having the mother-of-all cravings for CHOCOLATE, a lot of what I eat is ruled by these cravings, like my craving for this some time back...

I needed something sinfully chocolaty and fast tooo, now most of us would hit a big bar of chocolate at this very moment and be done with it, but I had something else in mind....

These delectable cookies are sure to satiate the worst chocolate craving and are a breeze to make especially the glaze on top which sets amazingly well, I called it CHOCONUT because it has cocoa and nuts in the biscuit and chocolate on top, an interesting variation would be the addition of white chocolate or maybe coffee for the glaze.

The recipe for these cookies can be found here, just add about a half cup of chopped mixed nuts and 1 tbsp cocoa powder to the original, the recipe for glaze is also the same except for the addition of an extra tablespoon of milk to make it more satiny, simply spoon glaze over the cookies and let it set for a couple of hours on some cooking foil, if you are in a hurry to devour them ,like me...pop into the fridge for a couple of minutes :)

Technorati Tags: choconut cookies,chocolate cookies

February 16, 2009

CAPE GOOSEBERRY JAM- EASY EXOTICA

My grandmother was very fond of gooseberry jam and would make it often, today when I made it, I was transported back in time by the aroma.I get that with some foods especially sweets...

"In Love with Food" as readers can see, has gotten a complete makeover, dot on Valentine's day, all thanks to Ashish of technospot.net. Hope you all like it as much as I do!

Cape gooseberries (also known as "rasbhari" in India) are called so because of the "cape" they have, that is the thin papery skin around the luscious fruit, that's what I read recently, don't know how much of it is true. For the uninitiated here's a peep at the fruit...

Gooseberries have a peculiar intense fruity aroma, a rich orange color and a sweet-tart flavor interspersed with crunchy seeds, they are seasonal and don't keep for more than a day or so, all the more reason to turn them into jam...

This is the easiest jam you would have ever come across using just two simple ingredients, since gooseberries are rich in pectin, no artificial agent is added, all of you making jam for the first time-this is THE JAM RECIPE for you...

Ingredients-

Gooseberries-1/2 kg
Sugar-3/4 cup

Method-

Clean, wash and remove cape and stalks from the fruit, pat dry. Puree coarsely in a blender, it's perfectly okay if you have a few whole berries too.Transfer to a pan and put on heat, boil rapidly add sugar, cook for about 20 minutes till it starts getting real thick, stirring all the time.Take a clean steel plate and put a bit on it, it should not be runny, once it is "set" on the plate, take off fire, cool and bottle. That's it!

I loved it on toast for my morning breakfast with a cup of hot coffee.delicious!.This jam is on it's way to FIC-Orange brainchild of Sunshinemom, and eating with the seasons

Can you see the seeds, they go pop in the mouth!If you have taken out the time to read this post, do leave a comment it will just take a minute more of your time, but will make my day!Thanks!!

Technorati Tags: cape gooseberries,gooseberry jam,fic-orange,eating with the seasons

February 14, 2009

CHOCOLATE DIPPED COOKIES

Wishing all of you a very Happy Valentine's day!, a lot of us are celebrating it in a big way judging by the number of entries I received today for my event- MY FAVORITE THINGS- LOVE IS IN THE AIR (HEART SHAPED FOODS), so I too decided to declare my love (for food :)) and make these crisp, fun heart shaped cookies to enjoy over a cup of coffee with Gagan....

Makes 36

Ingredients-

All purpose flour-1 cup +1 tbsp
Castor sugar-1/2 cup
Butter-50 gms
Vanilla essence-1 tsp OR
Orange food colour and flavor- a few drops
Egg-1
a pinch of salt
100 gms plain sweetened chocolate
Milk- 1 tbsp

Method-

Preheat oven at 180 C.Cream the butter and sugar together well, I do this in the small jar of my blender, add the egg, orange colour and flavor/ vanilla essence, salt and pulse for a few seconds in the blender itself, scrape out in a large bowl, tip in the flour and knead to a smooth, tight dough. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 an hour.

Roll out thinly and cut with a heart shaped cookie cutter, bake for 15 minutes.Cool.

While the cookies are baking ,break chocolate into a small bowl and add the milk, heat over a slow fire adding more milk if necessary to melt completely, dip half the cooled cookie in it or spoon over, let set for a few minutes, bite in...yummy!

These delicious bites are off to my event-Love is in the air(Heart shaped foods)

Technorati Tags: chocolate dipped cookies,heart shaped foods,my favorite things event

February 12, 2009

HEALTHY LIVING SERIES-TOP 20 SUPERFOODS

Welcome to the HEALTHY LIVING SERIES...the star today is....

FIGS

STARPOWER- Figs are one of the most alkaline foods on Earth and are immensely helpful in setting right a skewed up system by restoring the ph balance,they are also great for lowering Blood pressure and are high fiber too.The leaves are edible and are very good for diabetics, figs are helpful for those on a weight loss diet as they can easily be substituted for sugar.

Fresh figs are difficult to come by these days, when I was a child we had a neighbor in Dehradun who had figs growing in her backyard and once in a while she used to send them over in a little wicker basket atop a layer of fig leaves, deep purple smooth skin, juicy flesh and crunchy seeds, how we all loved them, I still remember how fragile they were and would bruise easily leaving behind deep stains on our clothes, I guess that is the reason they are so rarely available fresh but to enjoy its goodness all year round they can be purchased in the dried form and used as needed.

Best way to consume- Soak a few overnight, consume first thing in the morning.

Technorati Tags: figs,healthiest food,superfoods

February 10, 2009

STAINED GLASS COOKIES and a Valentine's Gift!Reposted for CLICK May 09!!

I had an eye on these ever since I first saw them, they are fun, beautiful, and definitely delicious too.The recipe is from Passionate about baking Deeba's lovely blog.

Another fun thing I came across recently was in a popular tech blog technospot.net by techwhiz Ashish, it's actually a heart shaped USB pendant!!-Valentine's gift for your geeky girlfriend!!!, Isn't that super?I loved it... don't you???

The stained glass cookie picture is off for theclick event at Jugalbandi, the theme for May 09 is cookies

Technorati Tags: cooking from other blogs,stained glass cookies,heart shaped usb pendant

February 8, 2009

DENSE,DARK...FUDGY BROWNIES!

These are probably the best brownies I have ever tasted with a really intense flavor and deep chocolaty taste.....really brings out the chocoholic in you!

The entire family loved it and though this bakes a small batch you can easily go ahead and double the recipe, they are simply awesome and really easy, do try these out I promise you will not be disappointed!

Ingredients-

Butter- 100 gms
Castor sugar-1/2 cup
Eggs-2 whisked
Dark chocolate bar-100 gms chopped finely
Flour-1/2 cup
Cocoa powder-1 tbsp
Baking soda- 1/4 tsp
Walnuts-1/2 cup

Method-

It is very important to GREASE AND LINE the tin, to avoid any disasters later, preheat oven to 180C, now take a deep saucepan and add butter to it, melt on gentle heat and remove, add the sugar whisking well then add the whisked eggs in a stream, remember the pan is off fire, add chopped chocolate and whisk well.

Tip in the sieved flour, cocoa powder and the soda, add the walnuts reserving some halves for the top, mix well pour into tin, bake for half an hour, a toothpick inserted in the center will not come out clean as these are pretty dense brownies so as soon as they are baked, cover and let cool, slice only when completely cool, ENJOY!

These brownies are off to-Aquadaze for her Nutty Event...Lets go nuts Walnuts and pecans.

Technorati Tags: brownies,fudgy brownies,cakes

February 5, 2009

HEALTHY LIVING SERIES-TOP 20 SUPERFOODS

Being a dietician/nutritionist myself, I find a lot of people asking me that which are the healthiest foods to consume? This has prompted me to start a series on superfoods in which I would be writing about, the health benefits as well as the best way of consuming these foods.A lot of my research is linked to the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda.

The first in this series is FLAXSEEDS

STARPOWER- Flaxseeds can be considered as nature’s gift to health as it is loaded with vitamins and phytonutrients along with being an excellent source of protein and fiber. In addition it contains the immune enhancing omega-3 fatty acids similiar to those found in fish such as Salmon, and is the best VEGAN source for the same. By providing improved immune system, it helps in protecting autoimmune and inflammatory disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and lupus.Benefits of flaxseeds as shown in many studies include lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) levels. Other benefits show that flax seed may also help lower blood triglyceride and blood sugar It may also keep platelets from becoming sticky therefore reducing the risk of a heart attack.

Consuming flaxseed can be a boon for women as it helps in preventing and treating breast cancer along with reducing problems and symptoms associated with PMS, PCOD and menopause.I have personally experienced this, as I used to suffer from terrible PMS but after a month of consuming flaxseed, I found that my condition had really improved.

Along with providing numerous physical benefits, flaxseeds are also associated with emotional health as they help in the effective tackling of depression and even Alzheimer’s disease. According to a research, adding flaxseed to your diet can help you manage your weight, in addition, application of flaxseed oil can aid in the faster healing of sprains and bruises.

Method of consumption-Dry roast lightly before consuming these, do not consume more that a teaspoon per day.I love to sprinkle these on salads as they have a great nutty flavor also on subzis, dals, on yogurt or grind them and combine in my chapati dough, they are so inexpensive that you would be surprised (a packet costs just Rs.10/-)!!!, if you still have reservations then a fun and easy way to get the numerous health benefits of these is through this delicious burfi....

The recipe is exactly the same as for Fresh turmeric burfi, just substitute the fresh turmeric with about 1 tbsp. of fresh roasted and finely ground flaxseeds, enjoy a piece of health everyday!

Technorati Tags: flaxseeds,flaxseed burfi

February 2, 2009

Announcing "MY FAVORITE THINGS EVENT-LOVE IS IN THE AIR(HEART SHAPED FOODS)"

                           "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
                           Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
                           Brown paper packages tied up with strings
                           These are a few of my favorite things"

                          "Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
                          Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
                          Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
                          These are a few of my favorite things"

                          "Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
                          Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
                          Silver white winters that melt into springs
                          These are a few of my favorite things"

                          "When the dog bites
                          When the bee stings
                          When I'm feeling sad
                          I simply remember my favorite things
                          And then I don't feel so bad"

"THIS EVENT IS ABOUT your FAVORITE THINGS and SHARING THOSE THINGS WITH EVERYONE"

Does it ring a bell somewhere?? yesss! I am talking about the song and my event as well, if you have been blogging for at least 2 yrs or more then you are probably familiar with this event, which I had to stop due to certain reasons- previous posts can be accessed here.

I would feel truly blessed if I get the same participation and love that I got from hosting this event earlier...

"My favorite things" is back with a bang in FEBRUARY- THE MONTH OF LOVE, with Valentines Day just round the corner how about we celebrate LOVE!!

THEME FOR THE MONTH OF FEB-09 IS "LOVE-HEART SHAPED FOODS"

JUST COOK UP ANYTHING HEART SHAPED AND SEND IT TO ME, AT bindiyasingh7@gmail.com with a link to this post, your post link and pic EASYYYYY!! Last date for receiving entries is 1st March 09.

It can be cookies, cakes, chocolate, croquettes: anything and everything, just put YOUR HEART into it.....:)