Theme of the week -Orange,White and Green Round Up...

This year it is little different than last year, I think blog world is having now many immersing and very talented food bloggers around now. Last year it was such a great round up with lovely entries… I couldn’t believe it that this year it is even greater than great :), and all of you have shown your creativity in many different ways, That’s exactly what I love about this Theme . All of you have come up with wonderful ideas to be a part of celebration and that itself is very admiring, Kudos to you all, Now let me start with entries…

It was simple rules followed by me that I love to introduce new participants each time before round up , this year I think it would be easier for me to introduce some old and very lovely buddies of this blog , who in time become my great friends to whom I am very much attached too ! They are

Asha from Foodies hopes- her name is enough to introduce her, right ?
Bee & Jai of Jugalbandi ( whom actually I welcomed as new participants in last year’s Valentine’s Day theme :D ) ,
Harekrishanji , whose tagline always makes me smile :D
Kajal From Recipe with Step by step pictures (she participated first time in Last year's Rday theme ).
Mythreyee, whose bog is now having a nice name – Paajaka.
Viji from Vcuisine , whose blog is full of nutritious recipes and healthy tips along with positive thoughts.

It is just a little change from the normal rule I followed each time ( its even easier too ;) , to list it then to list another 27 new participants ), as all others are the first time participant to any event of this blog :D. I appreciate your hard work in making this Theme successful, though really missing some old buddies who couldn’t make it this time, and very glad to get many new bloggers around too J .

An expert with spices and curries Jayashree is sharing here Matar paneer chanar dalna with a very creative way to depict tri colors with smily face .Thats really lovely Jaya.

Vijaya from Daily meals is sharing here with us Tiranga Salad which is perfectly made suitable to this theme :).

Spreading Aroma of her cooking in all foodies , Asha is sharing her unique recipe of Broccoli and cheese in cream sauce.

Meera from Enjoy Indian food is sharing her 3 wonderful and equally creative entries for this theme ,Narangi ni Basundi ( Basundi of Orange ) , Orange Sandesh & very inviting Mooli ke parathe with carrto and spinach (Indian flat bread made with white radish, carrot and spinach).

Archana is enthusiastic about sharing some really nice information with all of us. Also she created a nice Indian flag with spice drops.

Next here is Maya with here 2 enries for the theme .She created Bell pepper chutney ,
Along with that she wants to share a picture full with color of sacrifice (saffron/orange)

.

Mythreyee from Paajaka is here with a mothwatering Paneer Capsicum Tikka.

It looks so tempting , I bet no one can eat just one : P.

Next is Kalai from Samaithu Paarkalaam, sharing here her Carrot, coriander Uttapam .

Bhawana from Tastes of India brings us her tasty Aloo Palak recipe.

Richa who is as dear as salt to all of us :) , is sharing her highly creative idea to make Carrot and ginger appe to be a part of celebration wit hall of us .

Nanditha Prabhu, From Satvika ,is sharing not only the yummy sandwiches but also a loving article for nation with title – where the mind is without fear. I loved reading each line of it, you will love it too !

We have yet another smiley face created whole different way from Cham of Spice club.

Check out here , here recipe of curd rice and the dish she named – patriotism in plate , you are creative with naming dishes too , Cham ! I think if next time I make new dish and find it hard to get a name I should ask you: D, sometime I really do get confused naming dishes :( , check me here : -? .

Next is Click Bee , oops… :P , Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi sharing their fabulous picture apt to this theme . The first word I had seeing the pic was , simply superb !!! , what did u think when u saw this first time ? ??

Siri is sharing this information about India and our ancient achievement from her corner to this theme, that’s really worth knowing for all people around here.

Superchef Manju has rearranged her spice bottles to make that pic apt for the theme .

Describing her recipe with step by step pictures- Kajal is showing us raw papaya , carrot and greenchilli ‘s side dish along with her another entry tri colored sandwich .

The cook in Nags is sharing with us Beans-carrot thoran, who decided to make this after many thoughts of another tricolored dishes… :D.

Harekrishanji
has sent me few pictures suitable to this theme , to share with all of you . In spite of his busy personal routine with his mother’s hospitalization he thought that “ the show must go on “ .here is what he wrote –

“Sending Photographs for my entry . Pasta and Paneer Tikka Masala,
combination on tricolour.
This was prepared by me wife on 31/12/07. She could not prepared
anything special today. My mother is hospitalized and my wife and son
both are sick.
Still I thought the show must go on.
Hope this will satisfy the criteria”

Competing with my own made Juices here are one more picture from Harekrishnaji …it is Peach & Apricot Crush , Litchi Crush & Kiwi Crush. That is perfect with colors too !

A Special thanks to you Harekrishnaji.

Rajitha of Hunger Pangs made a very comfortable & Creamy Carrot and Leek soup.

Making me hungry all over again, even when I am sick and feeling low with appetite is -> Bharathy of Spicy chilly, with her yummy looking Tofu Sandwich .

Pooja of hunny patch ,clicked something too quick as she learned about this theme on the last day of submission , she is here with a lovely picture of tri colored silk along with a lotus candle votive .

While Cooking from A to Z Krishna has taken a pause to write something to be a part of this theme . there are some provoking thoughts she is sharing with all of us .check it here.

Here is a lovely picture she took to share with us, a fruit kebab with mandarin oranges, apples and kiwis . that’s really lovely Krishna.

Living life with a little bit of spice –Anuzi is here ti be a part with her dish Okra ,rasam and rice .

Last but not the least is Viji , who is sharing her Chutney rice recipe with us,

(Note: As her blog is private , those who are not listed with her blog, cant view this link , you can reach her on email id - viji.jeyakumar@gmail.com, and be a part of her blog too. ) .

Here is the recipe in here own words.

Ingredients:
Basmati rice 1 cup
Cubed veggies 1 – ½ cup (I added tender beans, carrot, fresh corn kernels, green peas)
Greens – fresh coriander and mint leaves (each one small bunch)
Grind into paste
Onion small 2, ginger 1 small wedge, green chili 1-2 (those who like garlic can add here)

To temper
Oil + Butter 1 tbsp
Cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamoms, bay leaves - each 2 pieces
Slit green chili 1
Spices
Cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder 1 tsp each
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Salt to taste (added in batches)

Preparation

Wash and cook the basmati rice with 3/4 water and 1 tsp butter in electric rice cooker for 10 minutes only till ¾ done. Add ¼ tsp salt to it. Once it is cooked, spread it on a plate so that grains are separate.
Steam cook the veggies with a pinch of sugar and ½ tsp salt. You can keep this on top of the rice in electric rice cooker.
Grind onion, ginger and green chili paste and keep it ready.
In a skillet, temper as given. Add the slit green chili and once done, keep it separately for garnishing.
Add the onion paste and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the spices and sauté for few more minutes.
While it is frying – grind both the leaves with a pinch of sugar and salt in mixie. Add little water only. Don’t grind it before hand and keep it ready. The color will go.
Now add this to onion and spice mix and sauté on low flame till the water evaporates. Add the steam cooked veggies now and sauté for few more minutes.
At the stage add the cooked rice and mix gently. Adjust the salt. Once it is mixed well, switch off the stove. I did this only for 1 minute. Be careful not to break the rice.Scoop this rice in a bake ware and drizzle the lemon juice on top. Tie it with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven (150oC) for 10 minutes.

Mix well before serving. Serve with any raita and some salads. Very delicious even when it is cold.

Anamika , is sharing her cake art having all some bits of all 3 colors inside .isn't it a lovely cake ? she decorates it within only 2 hours.... Wow !!!!

One more special entry we have from Krystyna who has shared many interesting health related information about our national fruit -Mango ... :).

Here are entries from me ....

Spinach and carrot falvored rice with plain rice.

Carrot ,White Radish and coriander salad.

Bell pepper Uttapam.

Sprouted Mung(Green beans) Dosa

Carrot , Spring onion and capsicum Spread

Steamed rice with spring onion and orange bell pepper

Kesar ilaichi( saffron & cardamom )Drink(We call it -Royal Drink), Buttermilk and Coriander sorbet.

A huge hug from me to all the participants for making this theme success and showing their creativity in various ways. Well there is one more theme to celebrate together before we actually start with our Vegetable of the week event.

UPCOMING:
Theme of the next week is Valentine's day Special . The rules are same as it was for last year.
I will publish a detailed post about that in a day or two with logo for the theme of the week - Valentine's Day , last date for submission will be 14th Feb 2008. Start preparing your dish now ,and stay tuned to this blog for more :)

About....

Dear all ,

Due to some sickness , I could not publish the round up today , though now it is in its final stage , I hope that will be done by tomorrow evening. After some naps during the round up writing , I am feeling little better now, I wish that better will continue to be best for my health.

Did Archana or Anuzi send along with their entry some Viruses too ;) ? which caught ME lately :)) , well I sincerely hope this is temporary :) .

I hope to see you all soon by tomorrow evening at round up.
Thanks.

-Pooja

Happy Republic Day India :) .

India is celebrating its Republic day with all enthusiasm and spirit toady , check out some details here and here.

Wishing all my Indian fellows reading this "A Very Happy Republic Day. "

I miss those days when in India on this special day we were getting ready in the early Moring and were going to school for its celebrations. Later when at home around from 9 to afternoon time sit in front of TV and watch the live Republic Day parade from Delhi. Golden were those days just as India forever - shining bright as real Gold and proud with its history and current time too :) .

I have never seen these many rules for any national flag as we have for Indian flag,That's why INDIA is Great and different from other countries.
Here is a video of our Beloved National Anthem .Don't forget to stand and give our Matrubhumi it a salute when you play it.



(By any chance you missed to watch the video I posted in last post, check it now, you will truly like it. )

As with our Ongoing theme of the week , it feels so great to see three colors of our Flag all around this blog world, I feel proud to have you all around with lovely worlds for our Nation.
Thanks for to those who have already sent their enteries . The last day to send enteries is today, If you are new to "theme of the week - Orange,White and Green " check out here. Check out round up on monday.


Here are some of the entries from my side for our "Theme of the week -Orange ,White and Green.
Carrot , White radish and coriander salad :


Mix shredded Carrot, and white radish along with little sugar (according to taste ) , and a pinch of salt. Garnish with chopped coriander , mix well before serving. Healthy Salad in minutes.... :D.

Uttapam with bell peppers :

As this blog world is full of people belonging to south region of India, I think Uttapam must be known to you . Even if you are not one of them , you must have many friend like them , Right? I do have too :) . This is Slight twist to make it suitable to theme and full of nutritions :). While cooking on one side carefully spread the Orange and green bell peppers cut into small cube shapes . cook on the other side too so that it will give you better taste and little fragrance too.
bell pepper Uttapam is ready !!!

Sprouted Mung Dosa :

(recipe coming in next week's post)

Carrot , Spring onion and capsicum Spread.

My daily meal consists of at least one raw fruit / vegetable in the form of salad . here I made it from baby carrot white part of spring Onions ( both cut as thin slices ) and capsicum (green bell pepper). Just a little change in decorating salad give immense pleasure , isn't it ?

Steamed rice :


Fresh steamed long grain rice with orange bell pepper and spring onion . I tried this to make it suitable to this theme, I think I will make it lot more time now, as it tastes very very good with nice whirl of aroma around... :)

Healthy Drinks:

1. Saffron Juice.
- Soak few saffron in warm water overnight along with 2 peeled cardamom .
- Strain it and keep aside , add it to glass of water and add sugar . I add half tsp.
- A royal drink is ready to cherish you along with its many benefits., Tastes heavenly .

2. Fresh Butter milk
- Nicely bitten curd with pinch of salt and some water added to it.
- best for summer days, Being Gujarati- for me it is impossible to have meal without it .
3. Coriander flavored Lemon Sorbet.
- In a mixure bowl take few leaves of coriander , grind it with 1/4 inch of ginger , 1.5 tsp lemon juice and some water .
- Strain it and keep aside, in a galss take water add some sugar to it ,stir till sugar dissolves.
- Add strained water of mixture to it. A refeshing drink is ready for you :) .
(Note: Dont forget to add lemon juice at the time of grinding to retain fresh green color of coriander ).

This Picture goes to Bee and Jai of Jugalbandi for this month's Click-liquid .

See you all on Moday with round up for "Theme of the week -Orange ,white and Green". If you are planning to send the entry , Please send it soon today , that will help me a lot to arrange the whole round up.
Have fun buddies and enjoy the weekend with added spirit and enthusiasm of Republic day :D.

TriColored Rice (Spinach & Carrot rice )

This idea came to my mind as I announced the theme , as what else can be perfect for three colors of OUR Indian flag. As I keep getting entries from other bloggers , I feel like there are many thing more appropriate for the theme you also have in mind, so alike we are :)) , well, thats what food bloggers are all about , cooking something with high creativity , kudos to you all who have already sent their nice entries and waiting for many more to celebrate our Republic day with.

Ingredients :
1 cup chopped spinach
1 cup baby carrot
3 cup cooked rice
2 green chillies
Salt to taste
Half tsp Garam masala.

Recipe:

Wash Spinach and cut them roughly. Take little water and let the spinach boil for a while. Do not boil much. Boil until the original green color of spinach is maintained. This will take 2-3 minutes maximum. When done, crush it using grinder or hand mixer , adding 2 green chillies to it, and put it aside.

Cut the baby carrot roughly and grind them to make smooth past , if needed add little water to grind them well. Keep this paste aside.

In a flat bottomed pan take 1/2 tsp oil, when little hot add spinach paste to it cook it till extra water from the it evaporate then add 1 cup cooked rice to this. Finally Mix well , taking care that it should not break the rice. The rice I used for this is long grain (Basmati) rice.

Repeat the same process with carrot paste, when extra water from it evaporates add little garam masala to it, and then add 1 cup cooked rice. Mix well and turn off the gas.

In a flat bottomed vessel serve it with plain white rice in middle.

If making it in little large quantity , I would suggest to make layers of three colors, spinach rice at the bottom , white in center and top of all carrot rice. That will make wonderful treat for eyes ,even while serving it it will look nice. I tried making jeera rice and spinach pulao with layers many time for and every time it was a great hit .

The Spinach rice is a little modified version of my own Palak Pulao ( check out recipe here ), to make this dish a suitable entry to tri- colored theme.

Just have a peek for what’s coming up next.

Many more entries from me are yet to come tomorrow, so stay tuned to this blog , keep your entries posted and send it soon to blogpooja@gmail.com . Last date to reach me is 26th Jan, 2008.

Non- bloggers can also send their entries directly with the description. for more read out the rules here .

Now , Something Very nice for all my Indian bloggers…check out the following video.

Even if you Don't understand Hindi, the message is so clear that you will like it.

(Note : If you already sent email to me and dint get any response in comment or as reply please mention it here, i find that already some of the email were mis delivered to my junk e-mail folder, trying to sort out the problem though , I would appreciate your support in this regards, Thanks )