Recipe Treasure

Tangy Coriander Chutney with Avocado and Mint

I often crave a side dip to go along with a snack, but many times I only have unhealthy options. This mouth-watering coriander chutney (green chutney or cilantro chutney) goes with many dishes and will serve as a healthy alternative. This recipe adds excitement and flavor to any dish it accompanies. It can be used as a spread on sandwiches, as well as a dipping sauce.

When I go to the supermarket, I always make sure to pick up these ingredients so I can whip up this quick and easy chutney immediately.

Be sure to try this recipe out at the next party you throw, it will leave a lasting impression on all your friends and family members. [Read more…]

Summer Baking with Kids: Chocolate Cake with Frosting

By ruchi 4 Comments

Engaging kids into exciting activities is a great way to keep themselves away from video games and televisions for some time. These give them a chance to nurture their creative streak and make them realize that stuffs that don’t include a screen can also be super fun.

My kids love cakes (which kids don’t?) and when their babysitter proposed to them to try baking one, they grabbed the suggestion without any second thought! They rushed to the kitchen and the little cooks began their culinary venture. When kids are involved, things can get messy and lots of wastage might be involved. But the babysitter was an absolute angel! She took great care to keep things in control without compromising with the fun element throughout the baking session. To start with, she made a wise decision to go for a chocolate cake mix instead of baking it from scratch. This snipped down the number of ingredients and allowed the kids to mix them in any order they wanted. She measured each ingredient and added them directly into the cake pan to avoid any chaos. So, the kids were actually just blending them together with a spatula – a job they did with great joy. Sheena, my eldest kid, even dipped her finger once into the batter stealthily and licked it!

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Ginger Limeade Drink – Indian Style

By ruchi 8 Comments

Keep your chilled Cola aside and take a sip of some natural drink to beat the heat during summer. What about a glass of chilled limeade to cool you down? Lime being a common ingredient in your pantry, limeade becomes an obvious choice to churn up a quick, refreshing drink during summer. It’s super-simple and can be improvised by using additional ingredients to pleasure you with new flavors every time.

I like to keep my limeade drink simple. But my Indian taste buds coax me to spice it up and give it an Indian punch. When it comes to spices, a dash of ground roasted cumin or ‘jeera’ works best for such summer drinks. Its earthy flavor pairs well with the playful tang of fresh fruits (lime in this case) and turns each sip into a sensuous indulgence. Most people prefer to use club soda for their limeade. But I would suggest trying it out with ginger ale. This is because the exciting combination of pungent and a tad fiery flavor of ginger with tangy lime juice is simply mind blowing. [Read more…]

Vegetable Cake

By mohini Leave a Comment

Growing up, my ultimate goal was to learn how to cook just like my grandma (or atleast try and get close to her level of cooking) so I would always spend my time with her in the kitchen whenever I’d visit her during my summer vacations. She taught me quite a few things but her tips and tricks always stuck with me and they still come in handy to this very day. I’m actually quite thankful for her quick thinking ability to change a wrong to a right in the kitchen without having to think much while I’d be freaking out about how to fix my mistakes eventually creating an even bigger mess. I still remember when I had first watched her make this vegetable cake recipe, I stood there thinking to myself ‘wow, this looks really easy. I can definitely make this’; however, it was the complete opposite. [Read more…]

Low Fat Peach and Banana Smoothie

By ruchi Leave a Comment

I’m a smoothie fanatic and often blitz one up for a quick breakfast. After all, you hardly need any chef’s skill to chop some fruits and blend them in your food processor to create a rich, creamy drink. And it’s healthy too!

Banana smoothie happens to be my ‘go-to’ drink since it has my favorite fruit in it. No wonder, it was my first option for breakfast this morning. I also had some peaches with me and chose to toss one while blending my smoothie. It was rich and creamy, just the way I liked and looked somewhat forbidding for your waistline! But in reality, it’s low in fat, nourishing and an ultimate energy booster. [Read more…]

Veggie Pita Pocket Sandwich

By ruchi 2 Comments

Meatless Mondays are great to keep you healthy and save you from an overdose of animal protein. But choosing a meal which is both vegetarian and quick to make can be a tough job. An instant choice can be sandwiches but they are so unexciting! So here I am to help you whip up veggie sandwich with a difference! Veggie pita pocket sandwiches anyone?

A small handful of fresh veggies nestled snugly within the pocket of a pita bread carries the essence of a sandwich yet doesn’t look cliched at all. Rather the rustic flavors of the pita bread works perfectly with the crunchy veggies and a creamy dressing is the cherry on top. There are many options to go for when it comes to the dressing. Though hummus works best to bring out the Mediterranean zing in pita pocket sandwiches, you can also use usual dressings like mustard, Thousand Islands or ranch dressing too. I have used mustard in my version of pita pocket sandwich and it was delish! If you ask me, I didn’t miss the hummus at all. I find them the perfect way to enjoy fresh veggies and enjoy a flavorful meal at any point of time. [Read more…]

Creamy Spinach Spiral Tortilla Rolls

By mohini Leave a Comment

Growing up, I had always LOVED spinach since I was an avid watcher of the cartoon series, Popeye, in which the lead character gets all of his power to beat up the villains from eating spinach! Because of my immense love for spinach, I would put it on anything that I could whether it was pizza, juices or even in my salads. It sounds gross but trust me, it was delicious! [Read more…]

Vegetable Tortilla Wrap

By mohini Leave a Comment

Now that summer’s here, everyone’s goal is to load up on healthy food and exercise so they can get bikini/swimsuit ready. Plus no one really wants to eat anything due to this heat and prefer to stick to a light diet so they don’t experience the usual “food-coma” that would hinder their fitness regime. [Read more…]

Spinach and Squash Quesadillas with Salsa

By ruchi 2 Comments

A successful party always calls for great finger-foods. Imagine a lively chat with your friends and family with a boring food for company! Doesn’t sound much appealing right? And that’s why spicy food with a playful tang is a must-have in parties, picnics, potlucks or casual get-togethers. And when it comes to flavorsome food, Mexican dishes work best to keep up with the dynamic spirit of such events.

Quesadillas happen to be one of my personal Mexican favorite. Their yum flavor is not the only reason behind my biasness. Making quesadillas never call for any particular ingredients. All you need are the veggies which you feel like eating (and have within your reach!), cheese and tortillas – the rest is a cakewalk. I love its versatility! [Read more…]

Veggie Hot Dogs

By ruchi Leave a Comment

Being a vegetarian doesn’t mean that you will be deprived of the lip-smacking flavors of hot dogs. During trips to supermarkets and grocery stores, you must have come across frozen faux-meat or tofu hot dogs in the processed food section. They might satisfy your hot-dog cravings to some extent. But if you ask me – I hate them! I find them unusually hard, chewy and obviously unhealthy (don’t forget the preservatives in them)! So, I prefer to make my own version of hot dogs at home. They are purely vegetarian, fresh, easy on pocket and definitely more nutritious alternatives to its fake store-brought counterparts. [Read more…]