Gooseberry Pickle /Nellikka/Amla Pickle

Happy Onam !!Hope you all had a wonderful Onam Sadya  and said hai to Maveli!

I decided to skip making sadya this year, spend my day in office and had a grant sadya in evening at a Kerala restaurant.

Moist Apple Cake topped with Pumpkin seeds

“Vegetarian is an old Indian word for bad hunter”..Yes,that is my DH’s favorite quote, who also happens to be a hard core carnivore. So you can imagine how our 6 years of marital life would have been. The omnivore me  trying to convince the meat lover about the hazards of being a red meat eater and he in turn  persuading me to try all “delicious” stuff. The other day we went to a Japanese restaurant for dinner

DH: The beef tastes awesome, you should seriously try this!

Me: No way..

DH: The cow will feel bad if we don’t eat it. It’s the cows destiny to be a good steak one day. So you are not letting the poor animal fulfill its destiny!

Me: #&!!!! Huh? Ok I better don’t reply to that ..it  will be an insult to my intelligenceJ.(I will let my actions speak). Gives him one tight pinch

DH: OOO! That hurts!!

Me: So a pinch hurts so badly isn’t it? So imagine the pain the poor animal went through before it became your favorite steak!

DH: Silence ..followed by a big wideJ

13 Bean Soup

Every time I talk to my mom  she keeps reminding me that I was such a super picky eater when I was a kid, there was no way she could make me eat vegetable unless it is all mashed or juiced

I am soo tempted to say that the grown up me is not at all like that but sadly I am still  a picky eater. But of course the pickiness has changed to a different direction. I love my veggies and fruits but started to develop a dislike for hot spicy food somewhere in my late teens and that still continues. I can see some eye rolling, yes coming from India, land of curry and spices I cannot take spicy food. Correction, I can still take..but I will have to spend a pretty long time in toilet the following day.So thinking about a 30 min toilet break, I try to maintain a  safe distance from Super hot food.

Fruit and Seed Balls

After the hit of the Fig and Date balls I am on a steady hunt for no bake, no cook easy yet healthy snack.

Why waste time on whipping, mixing and baking when I can make a super easy dessert in less than 30 min which is healthy ,hearty and guilt free too!

I have been trying different combinations of dried fruit, nuts, seeds and flavorings and there is always a box of this super power balls in my refrigerator.

So here is the latest recipe I have tried with one of my fav ingredient, desiccated coconut.

ABC /Apple Beetroot Carrot Juice

Howz the week coming along?For me not soo good so far…I was expecting a slow week at work, turned out to be exactly the opposite.

On positive note, I joined a pilates class in office clubhouse during the lunch hours, having a fun time stretching and moving and a very hot teacher to inspire us all!Only down side, after 1 hr intense stretches to each and every muscle on my body.I literally have to kick  myself  to keep my eyes open for rest of the office hours.

Paal Payasam/Rice Kheer in Pressure Cooker

Back in Kerala we always look forward to the trip to Moms home during school holidays. The best part of the trip was the drive from my hometown to moms place which is in Thiruvalla. Typically it would take 6-7 hours , but we always end up taking 12 hrs or more.We stop almost every 1 hr or so and enjoy each and every local delights or specialties on the way. It was on one of those stopovers that I tasted the famous Ambalapuzha Pal payasam for the first time.. Hands down, that is the best thing in the world, the true beauty of the payasam  is its simplicity, just three ingredients Rice, Milk and Sugar

The exact taste, texture and the pinkish color of the famous payasam comes from thickening of the Milk. There is absolutely no added flavors like cardamom or saffron or dry fruits. Hands down thatz the best thing I ever had. The only down side is that once you have tasted this king of payasams, any other payasams you have from then on is just another payasamL.

Malted Milk, Oats and Coconut Cookies

What a great evening, start of a 4 day loooong break! Doing the happy dance nowJ

Done with a milestone at work, finally got some breathing space and yes I managed  do some baking after 3 long weeks.

I have made plans to catch up with my two best friends,  a list of to-do items including baking.And I got to catch  up on those scrumptious updates from you all which I have been missing for last couple of weeks

Back to today’s recipe, it’s a mix of my three favorite ingredients: Malt powder / Horlicks, Coconut and Oats.Now that can’t go wrong..right?

Malted Milk, Oats and Coconut Cookies

Ingredients

1/2  Cup Instant Oats

1/2 Cup Flour

1/3 Cup Sugar

1/4 Cup Malted Milk Powder/Horlicks

1/3 Cup Desiccated Coconut

½ tspn Baking powder

70gms Butter

1-2 tbspn Milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180 Degree

Mix together the dry ingredients and make a well in the center

Add the melted butter and a 1-2 tbspn milk and mix well until combined into a soft dough.

Roll tablespoon of batter into balls, flatten lightly and place in a tray.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown

Let it cool on a wire rack and enjoy the crunchy cookies

Apricot Banana Soy Shake

Its Friday and the life has suddenly become all brightJ

I took a day off work, just to get some amble  rest [read it as sleep , sleep and more sleep]

As it is an off day and a day for myself, I made this simple and effortless breakfast for today.

This is a great energy booster for breakfast or a pre workout drink, with all benefits of Soy and fruits

The banana and apricots provide plenty of complex carbo hydrates, the soy milk provides a combo of calcium and protein.

I bet Apricot Banana Soy Shake  is definitely the kind of smoothie your family would love to have !

 Apricot Banana Soy Shake

Ingredients 

1 Cup Soy Milk

6-8 Dried Apricots

1 Ripe Banana

1 tspn Brown or Raw Sugar

Directions

Pour about ¼ Cup boiling water to apricots to soften it. Let it cool down for 15 minutes

In a blender combine the Soy milk, apricots, Banana and Sugar and process until it is smooth.

Top it with some ice cubes and enjoy the breakfast smoothie