Mushroom & Broccoli Omelet

I'm very fond of eggs , and I have it 3-4 times a week usually for breakfast. Today when I was thinking as to what I must have for breakfast  my eyes fell on the green fresh broccoli and cut mushrooms which I had bought on Sunday , So I thought of making  Mushroom & Broccoli Omelet.

I had seen the recipe for this on  TV Show , I tweaked it a bit by skipping the cheese and adding little Ginger.It turned out good and its so filling as well.

Ingredients needed, 1 tbsp of Ginger, 3 tbsp of finely chopped Onions, 2 tbsp of chopped Broccoli  and 2 tbsp of chopped Mushrooms.

 Take a non stick cooking pan , spray oil and the veggies and  little salt , cook it for about 7-8 minutes by constant stirring.

Once done , set it aside.

Take 2 eggs and whisk it a bowl add, salt , black pepper and 1/4th tsp of chili powder

In the same pan spray little oil and spread the egg , once cooked turn it upside down so that both sides are cooked evenly.

Take it in a plate and in one half of the Omelet , add the veggies , fold it and relish it with brown bread, and hot morning tea :)

Details of the Recipe

Ingredients :-

1. 3 tbsp of chopped Onion
2. 2 tbsp of chopped mushrooms
3. 2 tbsp of chopped broccoli
4. 2 large Organic Eggs
5. 1 tbsp of chopped ginger
6. Salt as per taste
7. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8. 1/4 tsp of red chili powder
9. 2 tablespoon of oil / Oil spray ( I have used an Olive oil Spray)

Method :-

1. Heat a non-stick pan on medium flame.spray it with an oil spray / or use oil ,add onions , ginger ,saute for a minute,then add the mushrooms and broccoli.Season with salt.Once cooked set it aside.
2. Meanwhile whisk eggs with salt, little pepper and red chili powder for few seconds until you see tiny bubbles.Season with salt and pepper.Drizzle little oil or use an oil spray , Pour in the egg mixture. Let the eggs set before flipping that takes about 2 minutes. Flip and let cook for another minute..
3. Set on the serving plate,arrange the cooked veggies on one half and fold.Serve with brown bread, ketchup and a hot morning tea. 

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Punjabi Chole (Chickpeas) Recipe

Punjabi Chole is quite a famous dish in North India ,Its high in protein with spicy flavors .It tastes great with Bhatura, puri or rice.

First time I tried to make chole, it was in Hyderabad when Shivam told me why don't you make chole, So I went to a nearby departmental store and got Chole ( I didn't know at that time that there is difference between chole as well :P ) by mistake I got kale channe and soaked it in water as per mom's instructions , when Shivam saw it he said "these chole are usually made during navratri...so..well I didn't try to make it till we came to Boston, second time I got these boiled channe..and made it according to a recipe on internet but it was just alright nothing great.

This was my third attempt to make Chole and it came out so tasty :) .This recipe is adapted from Dassana's Punjabi Chole.

The Spices which are needed for the recipe.

Dry roast these spices in a pan.

Grind it into a fine powder.

 Vegetables needed for the recipe.

Add oil in a pan , once warm add Onions and ginger , saute it till Onions turn golden brown. 

Add Tomato to this mixture.

 Add grounded spice powder and green chili to this mixture, and cook it for about 3-4 minutes

Add boiled chickpeas and salt and cook for a while then add amchur powder to this , mix it well.

Serve it hot with Onions accompanied with rice  , poori or Bhature.

Details of Recipe

Ingredients :-

1. 1 1/2 cup chickpeas
2. 2 medium sized onions
3. 2 medium size tomatoes
4. 1 tsp ginger
5. 1/2 tsp garam masala
6. 1 tsp chilli powder
7. 1 tsp amchur powder ( dry amngo Powder)
8. 1 Green chili,finely chopped
9. 1 tbsp oil
10. salt as per taste
11. 4-5 black cardamoms
12. 1 inch cinnamon
13. 5-6 peppercorns
14. 3 cloves
15. 1 bay leaf
16. 1 1/2 tsp of  cumin seeds (jeera)
17. 1 1/2 tsp of coriander powder
18. 1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
19. 2 red chillies

Method :-

1. Wash and soak the 1 and half cup chickpeas in about 4 cups  of  water overnight.
2. In a pressure cooker add the chickpeas, enough water and salt and pressure cook for about 5-6 whistles. Once pressure cooked the chickpeas would be soft.
3. In a pan, dry roast all the spices (4-5 black cardamoms,1 inch cinnamon,5-6 peppercorns,3 cloves,1 bay leaf,1 -1/2 tsp of  cumin seeds (jeera),1- 1/2 tsp of coriander powder,1- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf) , 2 red chillies)on a slow flame by stirring it in between so as not to burn it.Once cool, grind it into a fine powder.

1. Now take a pan, add oil, once warm, add the chopped onions and ginger.Fry till it becomes golden brown. Cook it for about 3-4 minutes. 
2. Add chopped tomatoes , green chili and  powdered spices, cook it for about 5 mins.
3. Add the boiled chickpeas with a little quantity of broth, you can add more broth if you need thick gravy.Cook it for about 5-7 mins on a slow flame then add amchur powder.
4. Our Punjabi Chole is ready to be relished. Serve it hot with Onions.

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La Campania, (Italian Restaurant ) Waltham Ma

last Friday evening we went for our weeks  grocery shopping at Waltham  on our way back home we decided to eat something outside , so many options came to our mind .. Thai or Mexican .Shivam said " lets have Italian", I said "I don't want to have Pizza"  , he had this surprised  look on his face and said " do you feel Italian food is only about Pizza,Italians Will commit suicide if they hear that " ( hehehe :) well no offense to Italians here ) !! hmmm well I said "that's all I know  about Italian food " .So we started looking out for restaurant reviews  and saw that La Campania at Waltham had nice reviews so we thought of checking it out and I'm glad we did as I had never tasted anything like food out there and now my opinion about Italian food has changed as well :) Italian food is just not about Pizza :P

La Campania is a  very authentic looking Italian restaurant,We reached there around 8 pm in evening , the place was pretty crowded and we were lucky enough to get a place , we were seated out near to the kitchen.The ambiance  was relaxing we had this small candle light on our table which  was so beautiful .Interior lighting was flattering, the walls were brick, the rooms furnished with farm tables; vases of tulips were scattered throughout the dining rooms. Our waiter brought us a basket of  fresh bread; soft and tasty slices of olives and sage, we were each given a saucer with two olives, and olive oil for dipping. A superb beginning! 

 For Starters We ordered Warm Eggplant Terrine,Layered with Fresh Mozzarella “Affumicato”, Torn Basil, Plum Tomato Ragout  which was just awesome .I liked the way it was presented.

Warm Eggplant Terrine

and Shivam had ordered Seared Diver Scallop
Cauliflower and Goat Cheese Puree, Chestnut Vinaigrette

For main course we decided on having Hand-Cut Potato Gnocchi “Trifolati”
Wild Mushrooms, White Truffle Oil which was just amazing.The meal was exquisite.

 

For dessert, we chose the baked-to-order hot chocolate souffle with vanilla bean gelato and hot chocolate ganache, which was just heavenly.

It was over all a great dinning experience, price wise it is on the higher end but worth the Quality of food they serve.I would surely recommend this place.

Address:
504 Boston Post Road, Waltham MA 02452
781-894-4280
www.lacampania.com

borgota box music theatre

wellmont theatre seating
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Meethe Pakode ( Wheat and Jaggery Sweet)

Meethe Pakode or Pue is always made by mom as a Karwa Chauth sweet, although I didn't make it for Karwa Chauth ,I ended up making it for Diwali and it turned out to be real nice .This recipe is by mom where in she uses Jaggery as a sweetener. 

Ingredients :-

1. 1 cup Wheat flour
2. 1/2 cup Jaggery
3. 1 cup water
4. 1 tbsp of fennel seeds ( Sauf)
5. oil for cooking

Method :-

1. Take a bowl, add Wheat flour, Jaggery and water. Mix it well so that there are no lumps in it.Set it aside for 2 hours.
2. After 2 hours add fennel seeds to it and mix it well.
3. Take a Wok /Kadhai add enough oil so as to fry the pue.
4. Once the oil is warm , put one spoon full of mixture to the oil.You can add about 4 to 5 at the same time.
5. After a minute turn it upside down so that both sides are cooked evenly
6. You would know the meethe Pakode are ready once its brown in color.
7. Take it off the pan and serve it.

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Flume Gorge, and Lake Echo New Hampshire

We visited  the Beautiful Flume Gorge few weeks back just before the fall, it's a wonderful place and  amongst the America's top ten most beautiful State Parks.The Flume was discovered in 1808 by 93-year-old  “Aunt” Jess Guernsey when she accidentally came upon it while fishing.It is a natural gorge extending 800 feet at the base of Mount Liberty.  A trip into the Flume begins and ends at the Flume Visitor's Center , it houses the Flume ticket office, information center, cafeteria, gift shop, and the state park system's historic Concord Coach. Guests can choose to walk through just the Gorge or do a two mile loop.

The Flume Gorge is right around the corner from Cannon Mountian. The gorge was amazing. There is a trail that takes you right through it where you can stop at different view points that give you a little bit of history about the gorge. It was a really pretty.. lots of waterfalls, streams and huge rock cliffs.

On our way back we visted lake Echo  which is located on the slopes of Canon Mountain in the New Hampshire White Mountain's it  is surely one of the most beautiful lakes. Clear, clean and endlessley scenic.

Following are the few pictures we took.

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Shakarkand Halwa ( Sweet Potato dessert)

Shakarkand is and irresistible sweet dish made from a sweet ingredient! try this unique halwa recipe made using sweet potatoes, flavoured with cardamom powder and enriched with raisins and almonds.Sweet potato is usually eaten by Hindu ladies during fast. One can make  this dish with either sweet potatoes or ordinary potatoes.

Boil The Sweet Potatoes

Peel of the skin and grate it. 

Add ghee in a pan and grated Sweet Potato and cook for about 15 mins

Add Sugar and Cardamom Powder and mix well, cook for about 5 more minutes.

garnish it with Raisins and Almonds.

Sweet Potato Halwa is ready.

Recipe Details

Ingredients :-

1. 2 Shakarkand (sweet potatoes)
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
4. 7-8 almonds
5. 10-15 raisins
6. 1 tsp of cardamom powder

Method :-

1. Boil shakarkand in a pressure cooker by adding 1 glass of water, up to 2 whistles. Lower the heat and cook for 7 more minutes. Turn off the heat. Open the cooker when steam dies down.
2. Peel the skin of almonds, chop it and keep it aside.
3. Peel and grate shakarkand when they are comfortable to touch. Keep aside.
4. Heat ghee in a pan and add grated shakarkand. Stir constantly on low heat. Fry till golden brown (about 15 minutes).
5. Add sugar and cardamom powder and mix well.
6. Turn off the heat when mixture is smooth and cooked. (5 minutes)
7. Garnish with almonds and raisins

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Fruit Salad

Fruit Salad is quick and easy recipe its a good way of having fruits , One can have fruit salad at anytime even as a dessert. I used banana , apple , pear , pomegranate in my fruit salad , you can choose whichever fruits you like.

Ingredients :-

1. 1 banana
2. 1 orange
3. 1 pear
4. 1 cup pomegranate seeds
5. salt as per taste
6. 1 tsp pepper
7. chat masala (optional)
8. 2 tbsp of lime juice

Method :-

1. Wash all the fruits , and dice it into pieces
2. Take a bowl , mix all the fruits together.Add salt, pepper, lime juice and chat masala mix with a light hand.
3. Fruit salad is ready to be served.

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Poha ( Beaten Rice )

Poha, made from flattened rice, is an easy-to-cook, nutritious snack. It is often eaten for breakfast or brunch.It is amongst the first few things I had learned to cook, one of my favorites.

things needed

Wash the poha and keep it aside.

take a pan Add oil , green chili, curry leaves, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and groundnuts.

Add onions to the pan and cook till onions become golden brown.

Add spices and mix well.

 Add Poha.

and mix well.

Poha is ready to be served.

Recipe Details :-
Ingredients :-

1. 2 cups poha (flattened rice)
2. 2 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
3. 1 tsp mustard seeds
4. 1 tsp cumin seeds
5. 8-10 groundnuts
6. 5-6 curry leaves
7. 2 green chillies slit lengthwise (optional)
8. 1 medium onion chopped fine
9. 1 medium tomato finely chopped
10. 1 large/2medium potatoes quartered and sliced very thin (optional)
11. Pinch of turmeric powder
12. Juice of 1/2 a lime
13. Salt to taste
14. Chopped coriander to garnish

Method :-

1. Put the poha in a sieve and wash under running water for 2 minutes. Keep aside to drain.
2. Heat the oil in a pan on a medium flame and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, groundnuts and green chillies.Fry till the spluttering stops and then add the onion. Fry till soft and translucent, then add tomatoes.
3. Drain the poha completely to remove all water and add it to the above mix. Add the turmeric powder and stir well to blend all ingredients.
4. Cook for another minute. Turn off the fire. Pour lime juice over the poha and mix well.
5. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve while hot.

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