WANT SMOOTH, FLAWLESS SKIN ? EAT GUAVA SALAD!

All of us desire it, lust after it and spend thousands on it, yes I am talking about flawless skin, it is every Woman's dream and envy at the same time, yet there is nothing as beautiful as good skin, have you ever touched the skin of a new born?, oooh pure bliss!.Let's make a super salad that takes you closer to the skin of your dreams, and I promise you if you have a bowl everyday, in a month's time your skin will absolutely glow :).To make this you require-

• Guavas (firm green one's)-2


• Carrot- 1 large


• Radish- 1 small


• Baby spinach- few leaves


• Walnuts- a handful


• Lemon juice- as required


• Salt and black pepper to taste

Slice guavas lengthwise, discard seeds, slice guava, carrots and radish into matchsticks, wash spinach well, toss together in a large bowl squeeze lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle walnuts on top.Chill for half an hour so that flavors mingle in, serve.

I used the freshest baby spinach you can ever use, plucked right off my kitchen garden :)

• Guavas can help improve your skin texture and avoid skin problems more than the best of beauty creams or skin toner gels can do. This is chiefly due to the abundance of astringents in its fruits (more in immature ones) and in leaves. It will tone up and tighten the loosened skin.In addition to the astringents, guava is very, very rich in vitamins A, B, C and potassium which are very good anti-oxidants and detoxifiers and keep your skin glowing and free from aging, wrinkles and other disorders.


• Carrots are regarded as the 'herbal healer' of skin diseases as they promote the repair of skin tissue. Carrots are a valuable source of Vitamin A, which is a major vitamin for skin health. Carrots are rich in antioxidants, including phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals, which protect, nourish and moisturize the skin. Nutrition received from carrots helps to reduce photosensitivity to promote skin renewal and protect the skin from sun damage.


• Ever noticed that Popeye has great skin as well as bulging biceps? Probably not :). But you can credit his love of spinach for his great health. Spinach - and other leafy greens like cabbage, kale and watercress are a great source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, E and the mineral iron - essential for keeping your blood healthy and your skin bright. They're also rich in B vitamins, so they have the added benefit of boosting your energy (and so in turn your activity levels and your 'glow' factor). Try adding rocket, watercress or baby spinach to your regular salad and in sandwiches.


• Eating walnuts regularly is a good way to help improve the general smoothness and softness of the skin.Walnut oils contain linoleic acid, which helps to maintain the skin's structure, keeping it well hydrated.Vit E and Zinc, also found in walnuts are great for the skin.

Reason enough to go make a bowl of this salad???

I am a dietician/nutritionist by profession, mail me if you have any diet related queries :)

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HOT & JUICY~ FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

The other day I came across some green tomatoes at the farmer's market and bought them with Fried green tomatoes on my mind, trying to imagine what they would taste like but not really getting it, when I did make them however I was pleasantly surprised, they were just what my tastebuds crave- sour and deliciously crispy, they really looked like tikkis or cutlets and no one could make out by just looking that there is a hot and juicy tomato slice inside!

They are incredibly simple and with very few ingredients, yet they are fun and tangy, you can bread them ahead of time and keep in the fridge, even a day before, I even took them to work for breakfast with scrambled eggs and toast and they were very good!, here's what all you need to make them-

• Fresh green tomatoes-4


• Egg-1


• Salt and black pepper to taste


• Fresh or dried breadcrumbs-1 cup


• Refined oil for frying

Wash the tomatoes and dry, chose very firm unblemished tomatoes, slice 1/2 inch thick and pat them with paper towel to soak excess liquid, crack open egg and beat well with salt and pepper.For the fresh breadcrumbs I simply take 3 slices of brown bread and pulse in my coffee grinder, ta-da fresh breadcrumbs are ready!.Season breadcrumbs with salt and pepper too, if like me you like it hot, sprinkle some chilli flakes in too :), now take the tomato slice and dip in egg, coat well with the crumbs and press down gently so that they stick well, shallow fry in a non-stick pan till golden and crispy, serve immediately.

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HEART WARMING CARROT CAKE

Deliciously soft and moist, in fact one of the best cakes I ever made! my brother was raving about carrot cake and pressing me to make it, I just did not understand what the fuss was all about, but never the less decided to give it a shot, maybe because of my fixation for carrot halwa, I thouight it might taste somewhat familiar, though it does not taste even a wee bit like halwa but this sure has turned to be one of my favorites, and will be making it all through the cold winters, since this cake is so heart warming.

The thing here is that I used clarified butter or desi ghee as we call it here, to make this and boy! was I glad, it was sooo good, Desi ghee is a staple in all Indian households and especially here in Northern India we tend to stock it up for the winters, and a dollop is lovingly put on top of all lentils and veggies, to give it an extra special warm taste that is so good for the soul! .To make it at home- melt butter in a pan and let it bubble away gently till the residue at the bottom turns golden, cool and filter into clean jars, this clarified butter will keep for several months, I think I will be using desi ghee for a lot more baking from now on...

This cake has a lot less amount of fat than normal, I guess since the carrots are also moist and with just a subtle hint of cinnamon, very good with some Vanilla Ice cream or clotted cream, a friend at work tasted it, raved about it and said it would be even more awesome if I sandwiched a layer of icecream and did a flambe with rum on it! hmmm good idea, I still have some left :)... to make this cake u require-

• Clarified butter-3 tbsp (60 gms)


• Sugar (powdered)-1 cup


• All purpose flour-1 cup


• Baking powder-2 tsp


• Carrots (grated with the big holes side of grater)-1 and 1/2 cups


• Raisins- a handful


• Walnuts (if desired)- a handful


• Eggs-2


• Vanilla extract-1 1/2 tsp


• Cinnamon-1/4 tsp

Beat softened clarified butter and sugar together till creamy, add the eggs and vanilla essence, tip in the carrots and mix well.Combine flour and baking powder, and add to the egg mixture, next add the raisins, nuts and cinnamon.Pour into prepared cake tin, bake in preheated oven at 180 C for 45 minutes or till a skewer inserted comes out clean.

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THIS WINTER FALL IN LOVE WITH...WARM APPLE PIE!

It's getting colder with each passing day, Winter's upon us after the sveltering summer heat, our food choices are greatly influenced by the weather and these days I find myself cooking up more soups, stews and ...warm apple pie!...and of course lovin every minute and bite of it!!.

Apples are in abundance here and the availability of so much good local produce is enough for me to dream up the best way to enjoy them, I made these pies in miniature form so each could have their individual pie with clotted cream or Ice cream as they wished.The shortcrust pastry is the easiest you can come across and very good to work with, I chanced upon the recipe at BBCgoodfood.com and it can be found here.

I baked the individual pastry cases in a muffin pan, so that I could have six at one go, the texture of the pastry is very tender, buttery and flaky, the filling is sweet apples doused in a buttery cinnamon syrup, the end result is truly warming, very decadent and rich, with a wonderful sticky crunch to it that comes with the addition of raisins and nuts.To make these mini apple pies you require-

• Shortcrust pastry- 1 recipe, (can be found here alongwith video pictorial).


• Apples-3


• Sugar-1/2 cup


• Butter-1 large knob


• Nuts-1/4 cup


• Raisins-1/4 cup


• Cinnamon-1/4 tsp


• Preserve of choice-2 tbsp (preferably peach)

Assemble shortcrust pastry first acc. to recipe, roll out into small rounds that fit into a muffin tray, make six of these and press down carefully into pan like in the below pic, dip a fork in flour and press down edges to give a neat look, bake till slightly golden, don't forget to reserve some dough for trimmings on top, keep aside.

To prepare filling-Peel and core apples, dice.In a heavy bottom sauce pan combine all the ingredients for the filling except preserve and add 1/2 cup water, cook on slow flame till apples are tender, about 15 minutes, and there's only a little thick sugar syrup left, keep aside.To assemble, brush the insides of all pastry cases with preserve this is required to prevent pastry from getting soggy, spoon in prepared filling and roll out reserved dough into strips, place in lattice shape on top, brush with egg wash and bake till golden at 180 C, in a pre heated oven, Serve warm dusted with castor sugar and more ground cinnamon.

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Tuberoses (rajnigandha)

My favorite flowers..your's too?

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CRISPY~CRACKLY~CHAKLIS and SOME RANGOLI!

Never thought that I could make these at home! They look just so perfect, and that crackly texture, oh my!, but I am so glad I did...they turned out soooo perfect I could HARDLY BELIEVE IT, will be making them all the time now for sure, they are the perfect accompaniment for my evening cuppa :)

• Rice flour-1 cup


• All purpose flour-1 cup


• Ghee/clarified butter-2 tbsp


• Urad dal-2 tbsp


• Cumin seeds (zeera)-1/2 tsp


• Fenugreek seeds (methre)-1/2 tsp


• Asafoetida( hing)-a pinch


• Sesame seeds (safed til)-1 tsp


• Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp


• Salt to taste


• Refined oil for frying

Dry roast the dal, cumin and fenugreek seeds, cumin and asafoetida, cool and grind finely in a coffee grinder.Combine the rice flour and refined flour, rub in the ghee till it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, add the ground mixture alongwith salt and with the help of water knead into a soft, smooth dough(this takes about 10 minutes), oil the insides of a chakli press and take small portions of the dough to roll out into circular shapes using star disc, slip these into medium hot oil and fry carefully till golden, drain and serve, or store in airtight container, will keep for several weeks.

These are very good with tea or coffee, I am having some right now with some hot ginger tea, and really they DO NOT last long in my house as they are very addictive :)

Diwali has come and gone but the memories linger on...I made some free hand rangoli at the entrance of my home, pics of which I absolutely must share with you all...

as darkness falls...

another one which I had posted earlier too...

ENJOY!

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