An Ode to Ageing.... !

pun intended .... having a conversation with my self today about how essential its become to watch what we eat and How much to eat ... came across the chart here , and found this pretty interesting ...

thinking of how our " Prana level " (the life force ... or to put it simply... the energy level in the body ) is affected by what we eat and do .... forces me to stick to meditation and soulful eating.... no am not there yet , as far as eating healthy and exercising is related ... but am def. motivated by an innate urge to stick to what inspires me more now .... 30's is a good age to be in :) and am strengethened to believe that i truly live my own truth now... not minding much of whatever comes my way and not bothering enough to go on lengthy explanations about the choices that i make now.... these are the benefits of ageing :)) and maturity is the PF that comes along....

However ....i feel the craving for sweet at times quite a lot , and i feel an apple /grapes / Papaya satiate my zap in energy levels much more for long than a induldgence in nutella ! ;P

Apart from Yoga and Pranayama ....Cardio work out is another new interesting arena i am getting attracted to ... watching videos by Jeanette Jenkin's are totally motivating ! hope i walk the path truthfully !

anyways .... so here is to HAPPINESS and HEALTHY LIVING ! 
Remember.....
Orange Juice diet is GOOD for the system .... so one day fasting this way would do a LOT OF GOOD i know!
Doing some sort of deep breathing each day is a great way feel connected positively to our selves and our surroundings...
MEDITATION is a good way to go about this... just repeat something in your mind with eyes closed .. could be a mantra or just "God - God -God" or some inspiring quote u know by heart , preferably short n sweet ! :) ....
just repeating whatever you choose in your mind.. for a few minutes ... focusing ... but in a relaxed ... unhurried manner .... till your concentration... turns around and becomes a kinds of " awarenes.."  where your sense perception gets a lil more heightened and sensitised... YOU WILL know  you are ...................... " experiencing meditation "  when u fall back within your own self... feeling calm and more relaxed from when you started.
If possible.... do some course ..like Art Of Living or any other that would introduce you to some Kriya (basically pranayama only but much deeper in their affect) for getting well guided ... step by step...
and be Thankfull.... for everything in life ! Stay Blessed.... and don't do anything which you would not like to experience your own self  ... God Bless ... and Cheers ;) to ageing !

Water + Flour = Yummiest CAKE ? yup..... :) try this Vegans

Yes.... went looking for a few recipes for vegans , that were low on oil as well as hassle free ... esp. for my Mom in Law as she is a vegetarian .. the curd cake is nice but sometimes fails u... the milk cake is there too but then i needed something more simpler ..... and oh baby baby...... did i stumble upon a few variations... and i chose some tips and measures from 2- 3 ppl to come up with this version.... if you LOVE dark chocolate like my daughters .... go exactly as i specify ... or twist n turn the recipe as per your liking ...

What you need are 2 bowls.... one for wet and one for dry ingredients ... like we do for muffins usually...

in bowl A :1 and a half cup of whole wheat flour or all purpose flour whichever you prefer .
1 and a half tsp of baking powder
3/4th tsp of baking soda
2 tsp of instant coffee powder
2 tblsp of Bonvita or whatever malt u prefer .
half a cup Cocoa powder (or a lil less if u do not want it D-A-R-K choc. )

Bowl B :1 cup of warm water
1cup sugar
1/3 cup oil (1/4th c oil incase you are using all purpose fl.)
1 tblsp vinegar or lime juice
1/4th tsp salt

mix all these till the sugar dissolves .... a tip for newbei's in baking __ always use the same cup for measuring any ingredient in a recipe :)

Just pour the wet that is bowl B ingredients into bowl A . Mix with a baloon whisk till incorporated , transfer into the baking dish after oiling it or lining it with paper to be more sure that it does not stick to the base when taken out  ... bake at 180/ 170 for an hour ...

Simply Superb a cake ... best for Icings too... Go on honeybun's :)  give it a try and drop by n say hi to me some time ;) thinking esp. of my skool buddies Barkha and Shivangi while posting this ... hope you try this my sweets ... <3

Simple ... and has become the fav. for my family ... !

KACHORI'S ....... anyone ?? :)



Kachori (s) ... with a dry filling within ... spicy n yum !


The kachori is supposed to have originated in Uttar Pradesh or Rajasthan states of India... In these states it is usually a round flattened ball made of fine flour filled with a stuffing ...in Rajasthani cuisine, the Pyaaj Kachori (onion kachori) is very famous...

In Gujarat, it is usually a round ball made of flour and dough filled with a stuffing of yellow moong dal  (split yellow lentile or Split Yellow Peas you might know it as ), black pepper, red chili powder, and ginger paste.

i induldged into MAKING these at home for my kids tiffins .. (:P though onion kachori's are one of my favs. !) children are moody , and one has to keep them engaged and surprised... andthis was a complete HIT ! with both my daughters ... :) says a happy momsei !

The Dough wz prep by my daughter  .. i prepared these at night before calling it a day , because i def. DO NOT  have much time at hand in the morning to do all this !! :)

For the dough you will need _

1 cup maida
2 tblsp oil as moin ... the oil that we add in the dough is called such in India
salt half a tsp or less.
knead with little water....!

rolled it to n fro motion into a flat roti kinds ..

                                                

                                     

for the method to close the filling ... follow the above snapshots ... dust the workstation with lil bit of flour and roll a bit ... very lightly so that the filling does not break out the dough ......




Now....For the filling , i chose tomake my own version with cauli rice :) mom spirit gets in d way always ! :))

1 onion chopped
Nigella seed 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds ,
fennel seeds 2 full tsp
Hing (asofetida) a pinch
fry onions when pinkish.... add cauli rice  _ that is grated cauliflorets and saute Cook somemore
CAULI RICE ...i used about 3-4 tblsp
2 tblsp Besan that is gram flour... roast this for 2-4 minutes till an aroma envelopes ..
corriander powder 1 tsp,
garam masala half a tsp,
salt as u like
and amchurpowder (dry mango powder) a pinch


this is how it looks :)

filling of caulirice n onions , plus dry massal's

FRY long DURATION in order to make them reallly crisp... medium heat.





for a crisp exterior... cook at a low flame ...for a long-long-li-long-long-long ooo yea ... time ! :))



I CLD NOT RESIST ;P ... tiny bite still :)) heehe ... enjoy the spicy - tangy tastes of India ! ... for a twist ... you could drizzle some sweet n salty curd over it and serve it with spicy green corriander chutney and tamarind chutney... slurrup !! :)

MEDU VADA .... simply awesum !



MEDU VADA... SPICY DOUGHNUTS ! :)




soak urad dal , that is skinned and split black lentils ....overnite... next morning grind it with least amount of water > This is Very IMPORTANT an info ... you don't wanna forget !

... add salt and hing( a pinch) , cumin seeds about a tsp.. i added red pepper flakes too for a kick... :D after its done ,
add chopped onion 1 ,
green corriander leaves ,
grated ginger...
Make a donut and deep fry in the oil it turns to golden colour... the oil is medium hot..

NOTE-- when making the shape wet both your hand .. keep a bowl filled with water beside , and poke a hole wid your finger...

Now for the sauce/chutney accompanied with this , you will need _
Chutney...
rai seeds,
3 whole red chillies,
one onion sauted till golden ...
kadhi patta (curry leaves) chopped...
ginger...
2 small tomatos.. cook till tender.. add salt and a qrtr sugar... cool and grind...

all together to blend :)

the final look of the sauce/chutney... i personally like this color and flavour , you can add more or negate the chillies in it to suit your pallate ..





enjoy the awesum flavours ! hmmmm :)

PAV BHAJI MOST SATISFYING VEGETARIAN DISH ♥

BHAJI...

This is the QUEEN (i warned ya ! am a feminist ;)) of mixed veg !
and Indian spices concocted the way , i will be telling you later in this post.... is THE magic ingredient of this one... so FOLLOW... WORD BY WORD... i advice  :)

You will need _2 ONIONS -chopped.
equal quantities of cabbage and cauliflower i took half of each ... and cut them roughly then pulsed in the mixie to make them finely chopped kinda ;))
5 tomatoes... i used 3 local tomatoes which are khatta/sour by nature n 2 salad tomtoms.
... gingr-garlic paste (add green chillies to this if u like spicy) a med. spoon.
handful of frozen peas.
2 med. sized potatos.boiled__ i microed it after piercing. for 5 mins... or else they will burst ,i case u did not know :D

Steps you need to do now...

1) pressure cook 2 whistles _ cabbage , cauli and peas wid half cup of water.
2)in 4 tblsp oil saute onions till brown , add gingr-garlic paste , then add tomatoes and cook till leaves oil.
3) mash the potat. and mix with the veggies boiled. mashe all if desired. i felt no need.
4)mix it in to the tadkaa.cook further 10 - 15 mins.
5)add the dry massala powder we prepared. chk salt. put in a spoon ful of butter and green corriander ... serve with hot buns/pavs all buttered up


THE ....Pav Bhaji dry massala : ))
2 big brown cardamoms ,3-4 tsp full coriander seeds , 1-2 tsp cumin , black pepper a few , fennel seeds - 2 tsp full , dry red chillis 1-2 , cinnamon - 2,3- half inch pieces , dry mango powder - as per your choice... i omitted it completely because>> i used DESI/LOCAL variety tomtoms that are stronger in flav. but thinner skinned and sour :)
dry roast these together till golden. and grind them or crush wid the rolling pin as i did.
For the Pav's ... either buy from the market or make these as i did with sourdough... :)

My Home made Sourdough Pav's

MISSI ROTI... taste of Indian flat bread.. esp. for curries

missi roti ♥ the flat bread from India .... to die for ! :D well ,don't wanna take it literally then it would do you good to skip the tsp of glistening clarified butter ... or just jog an extra mile ... the latter would be worth the taste ! :)

You will need 1 cup aata... that is whole wheat flour ,
1 cup besan ... that is gram flour ,
2 tblsp ghee ... clarified butter ,
1 tblsp kasturi methi ... that is dry fenugreek leaves ,
salt , pinch of hing (asofetida) , turmeric powder , cumin seeds....

looks like this ...

knead all in to a soft dough and let it sit fr half n hour ... make balls and roll it with a rolling pin NOT very thin ... they have substance and attitude mind you :)) so keep them a lil thick ... and cook them over low flame so that they get cooked well __ both sides , and swell up ... like a balloon... igf some do not... never mind they are still okay .. !

:)

baste with a tsp of Clarified butter and serve with Curries ... go esp. well with an Indian dish called "Saag" ... that is a vegetaria dish made out of Spinach and likes .. :) but you will enjoy these with any curry, i assure !

CHOCO CHIP BANANA n OAT MUFFINS :))

These are a sure shot hit ! ... mind you , very healthy too !



For CHOCO CHIP BANANA n OAT MUFFINS :)) u will need ....Pour half cup milk,
a small mashed banana,
2 tblsp of oats,
1/3 cup melted (semi actually)butter ,
1 egg ,
3/4 sugar(u can lesser it if u want)

in another bowl : 1 cup AATA ... that is whole wheat flour :D ,
1 tsp FULL baking powder (or levelled 1 n a half) ,
1/2 tiny tsp salt ,
half cup of chocochips (i added more... u know me by now ! addiction has no ends lo!)

POUR the liquid ingredients into the dry , and fold them in till just incorporated .... its a THICK batter... scoop out into d moulds... i baked these for about 23 mins or so at 180... am sure you and your family will fall in love with these !!