Pasta Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Ohhh... I've been missing here in action, haven't I? Well, blame it on pure lethargy... to write and post :( Though i have a dozen posts in drafts, they are just pics and i still need to do the writing... And just the way I am, I was too pre-occupied with other things that i didn't feel like blogging.

And today, there was a deadline for my next article in VK and I had to write! Writing as I was, i thought why not start posting something on my beloved blog as well and here I am....

This is one other salads that i make quite often, and had not made it to the blog yet. I usually make a salad to accompany a not-so-healthy meal, like pizza / lasagne, etc just so that the guilt is reduced :D. 

So without much rant here's the recipe...

Pasta Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Ingredients:

Pasta - Fusili or any other shape - 2 handfuls
Apple - 1, cored and chopped

Green, red, yellow Capsicum - 1 cup, deseeded and chopped

For dressing:

Yogurt - 1/4 cup

Mayonaise - 4 Tbsp
Olive Oil - 1 Tbsp

Vinegar - 2 tsp, optional

Italian dried herbs - Thyme/Oregano - 1 tsp

Salt                  - ¼ tsp or as per taste

Black pepper powder - ½ tsp or as per taste

Method:

• Cook pasta as per the instructions on the pack, and allow to cool completely
• Core and chop apples; Deseed and chop capsicum. 
• Mix these in a large bowl
• in another small bowl, mix the ingredients for dressing.
• Give a good shake, and add it to the salad
• Mix well and serve

Notes:

• Add the dressing just before serving as the pasta absorbs the liquid and becomes dry.
• If the dressing seems thick, thin it out by adding a little water or buttermilk 

Pineapple and Capsicum Salad

Here’s one simple salad with pineapple and green capsicum. The juicy, sweet and sour pineapple chunks and crunchy capsicum go very well together. I also like to throw in a chopped apple to my fruit-veggie salads, as it adds volume and blends with almost everything and balances the taste well.

Gets done in a jiffy, especially if using canned pineapples and tastes awesome. Can be made ahead and chilled for parties too.

Here’s how to make it…

Pineapple and Capsicum Salad

Preparation time        : 10 min

Cooking time               : Nil

Serves              :  4

Ingredients:

Pineapple - Peeled and chopped into bite sized chunks- 1 Cup

Apple - 1, cored and chopped

Green Capsicum - 1 big, deseeded and chopped

Walnuts- a handful, chopped, optional

For dressing:

Vinegar - 2 tsp, optional. Use only if the pineapple is too sweet

Pineapple juice - 3-4 Tbsp

Olive Oil - 1 Tbsp

Italian dried herbs - Thyme/Oregano - 1 tsp

Salt                  - ¼ tsp or as per taste

Black pepper powder - ½ tsp or as per taste

Method:

• Peel and chop pineapple into bite sized chunks
• Core and chop apples; Deseed and chop capsicum. You may roast it in a tsp of oil if you wish. Tastes good even without roasting.
• Crush the walnuts into small pieces
• Mix everything in a large bowl
• Add vinegar, salt, pepper, herbs and olive oil
• Give a good shake, to mix well and serve

Notes:

• I mostly like to chop all the veggies/fruits used in a salad uniformly. That makes the distribution even and looks good too.

Creamy Apple and Carrot Soup

Soups are one of the must have’s at our place as part of the dinner menu for guests. Every time I make it, I make sure there is some change in the ingredients and taste, so as to not make it repetitive.

After coming here, Crème Fraiche is one of my favorite grocery items, among many others! It gives such a nice taste to soups, salads, pastas, etc that I have fallen in love with it! When added to this soup, it definitely gives an edge. Along with carrots, potatoes, apple and crème fraiche are the star ingredients here. And the result is a fabulous, flavorful, creamy soup.

Apple and Carrot Soup

Preparation time       : 5 min

Cooking time             : 15 min

Serves             :  4 -5

Ingredients:

Carrot - 1-2 medium sized

Tomato - 1 small

Potato - 1 medium sized

Apples - 2

Ginger - 1” cube

Black pepper powder  - ½ - ¾ tsp

Salt                  - ½ tsp or as per taste

Sugar               - ¼ tsp or as per taste

Water              - 2 cups, change acc to consistency

Milk - ¼ cup

Dried Thyme - ¾ tsp; Can use your favorite herb

Crème Fraische - 2 Tbsp

Method:

• Peel and chop carrots and potato into large chunks; Core apple and chop them too.
• Cook the chopped carrots, potatoes, apples and tomato in a pressure cooker with a little water for one whistle
• Let it cool for a few minutes
• Grind the cooked carrots, potato, tomato and ginger, adding the water used for cooking the veggies if necessary, to make a fine paste
• Strain the puree to a vessel
• Add salt and pepper powder and let it boil for 2-3 minutes.
• Add thyme, and milk and enough water to get the consistency you desire
• Let it boil for a couple of minutes more.
• Put off the heat and add crème fraische and stir well

Note:

• A small onion can also be added to give a different flavor
• Don’t skimp on the crème fraiche. It definitely gives an edge to this soup!

Purple/Red Cabbage Salad

Purple cabbage or Red cabbage as it is called is a wonderful vegetable, packed fully with a lot of nutrients like Potassium, Vitamins C, A, K and loaded with dietary fiber. It is a good anti oxidant and it contains almost no fat at all. It’s a great vegetable to add in salads. Along with the nutritional benefits it also looks great in salads with its bright color.

Seeing purple cabbages here in plenty makes me want to buy it every time! But a full cabbage will be too much for the two of us, and I don’t like to buy chopped pieces. So when I buy it, I end up making various bright-colored stuff out of it, including purple cabbage rice, stir fry, etc. And one of the best ones and the healthiest is a salad.

Here’s one of my versions…

Purple Cabbage Salad

Preparation time        : 10 min

Cooking time               : Nil

Serves              :  4

Ingredients:

Purple / Red Cabbage - 250 g

Carrots - 2 medium or 1 large

Red Onion - 1 small

Red vine vinegar - 2 tsp

Olive Oil - 1 Tbsp

Italian dried herbs - 1 tsp; Can use any of your favorite. I use Basil/Thyme/Oregano

Salt                  - ¼ tsp or as per taste

Black pepper powder - ½ tsp or as per taste

Basil leaves - a few for garnishing

Cream/Sour cream/Crème Fraiche/Yogurt - 2 Tbsp

Method:

• Chop the cabbage length wise into thin long strips
• Peel and chop carrots also similarly
• Do the same with onions - slice them vertically into thin long pieces
• Mix the sliced veggies in a large bowl
• Add vinegar, salt, pepper, herbs and olive oil
• Give a good shake, to mix well
• Finally add cream/yogurt and mix gently
• Garnish with a few fresh basil leaves and serve

Notes:

• I mostly like to chop all the veggies used in a salad uniformly - like in this case, thin ling stripes. That makes the distribution even and looks good too.

Kosambari - Lentils and Cucumber Salad

The month of Shravana has just begun as per the hindu lunar calendar. And this month signifies various festivals, vrathas and poojas every other day. Back home, this month would be so fully packed with all these and there will be ladies of the neighborhood invited for arishin-kunkuma-tamboola- a custom where married women are invited and offered haldi-kunkum along with some fruits/coconut with beetle leaves. Along with this there will be an additional item as well, like tambittu or chigali or sometimes kosambari.

Lentils are soaked in water for a couple of hours and are offered to the god/goddess as neivedya. And later this is tempered with some spices and optionally mixed with some chopped cucumber or grated carrots. These are put into small cups, traditionally something made of fresh/dried leaves, but of late these are replaced by paper/plastic cups and are offered to the visiting ladies.

Has a nice cooling taste and if the tempering is added just before serving it adds to the crunchiness and tasted great. I made this for the Jyothir-Bhimeshvara-vrata / Bhimana Amavasye last week and here it is…

Kosambari - Lentils and Cucumber Salad

Preparation time        : 5 min + soaking time of 3-4 hrs

Cooking time               : 2 min

Serves              :  4

Ingredients:

Chana dal - ½ cup

Yellow Moong dal - ½ cup

Cucumber       - ½ medium sized

Cooking oil      - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds            - 1 tsp

Urad dal          - 1 tsp

Curry leaves    - 2 sprigs

Green chilies   - 2-3

Coriander        - 2 tsp, finely chopped

Coconut           - 2 Tbsp, grated

Salt                  - ¼ tsp or as per taste

Method:

• Soak the lentils for 3-4 hours
• Drain completely and wash it a couple of times thoroughly. Soaked dals have a strong smell and washing is very important
• Chop cucumber into very small chops. You might want to peel it first if the peel is too thick. I prefer not peeling it to have some crunchiness and not to lose out on nutrients.
• Heat oil in a small skillet, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter
• Add Urad dal and roast till golden color
• Add slit green chilies and curry leaves and sauté for a minute
• Mix the chopped cucumber to the lentils, mix the tadka prepared above, salt and grated coconut
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve

Notes:

• The best way to chop cucumber is to hold it up vertically with your left hand, and go on hitting it with a knife in right hand, simultaneously turning the cucumber around so that there are slits in all directions for about an inch thickness. Then place it horizontally on the board, and cut out the slit portion into very small bits. This way, very small chops can be got easily.
• Can use only chana dal or only moon dal or a combination of both in any proportion
• I again stress on washing the soaked dals thoroughly

Broccoli Soup

I had had a Broccoli soup in a European restaurant in Bangalore and had loved it with the flavors of Italian herbs complimenting the broccoli. Wanted to recreate that when i found some fresh Broccoli here and this is what it is.... It was pretty close to the original, sans the extra salt that i had added first time! Next time on, it came out pretty well, with the right salt.

A simple, easy to make soup, to compliment some bread for a light dinner… Just cooking for two of us now, I prefer to do some simple stuff on some days and an elaborate meal on others!

It is pretty cool here, for me who came from a tropical climate, though it is summer now. I wonder how it will be in actual winter! Summer or winter, soups are making a regular appearance in my menu these days, and this is one such.

Broccoli Soup

Preparation time       : 5 min

Cooking time             : 15 min

Serves                         :  4 -5

Ingredients:

Broccoli – 1 cup, chopped

Butter  - 1 tsp

Black pepper powder  - 1 tsp

Salt                  - ½ tsp or as per taste - go easy on this

Water              - 2 cups, change acc to consistency

Corn flour - 2 tsp

Milk - ¼ cup

Fresh cream    - 1 Tbsp (optional)

Thyme – ½ tsp / or any other herb of your choice

Method:

• Clean and chop Broccoli into large chunks
• Heat butter in a pan and add chopped broccoli
• Add water and bring to boil and cook till they are cooked soft
• Let it cool for a few minutes
• Puree it adding the water used for cooking the broccoli if necessary, to make a fine paste
• Strain the puree to the same pan
• Add salt and thyme and let it boil for 2-3 minutes.
• Mix corn flour with half a cup of cold milk/water without lumps and add it to the boiling soup
• Add enough water so that a right consistency of soup is maintained – neither too thick nor too thin
• Let it boil for a couple of minutes more.
• Put off the heat and add fresh cream and stir well
• Add pepper powder and serve hot

Notes:

• A small onion can also be added to give a different flavor

Carrot, Potato and Cashew Soup

In my quest to bring variations to the regular soups, I tried this out. I had read somewhere on using cashews to thicken the soup... and since I like the taste of potato also, this was the combination, finally...


It did turn out very nice and creamy... it was absolutely fatless, as I didn’t add any butter nor cream... but still it had a rich texture and taste when compared to the usual carrot soup, and we all loved it. I can say this was the best soup that I had ever made...

Here’s the recipe...

Preparation time : 5 min
Cooking time : 15 min
Serves : 4 -5

Ingredients:
Carrot - 1-2 medium sized
Tomato - 1 small
Potato - 1 medium sized
Cashews - 8-10
Ginger - 1” cube
Black pepper powder - 1 tsp
Red Chili powder - ¼ tsp (optional)
Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste
Sugar - ¼ tsp or as per taste
Water - 2 cups, change acc to consistency
Milk - ¼ cup
Mint leaves - a ahandful

Method:
• Peel and chop carrots and potato into large chunks
• Cook the chopped carrots, potatoes and tomato in a pressure cooker with a little water and a few mint leaves for one whistle
• Let it cool for a few minutes
• Soak the cashews in a little water
• Grind the cooked carrots, potato, tomato and ginger, along with soaked cashews adding the water used for cooking the veggies if necessary, to make a fine paste
• Strain the puree to a vessel
• Add salt and chili powder and let it boil for 2-3 minutes.
• Add milk and enough water so that a right consistency of soup is maintained – neither too thick nor too thin
• Let it boil for a couple of minutes more.
• Put off the heat and add fresh cream and stir well
• Add more pepper powder as needed, garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve hot

Variations:
• A small onion can also be added to give a different flavor

Notes:
• Use chili powder only if you want the soup spicy. Normally, the ginger and pepper are enough for spice.
• Corn flour is not needed for this soup, as the potato and cashews make the soup thick already.
• You can add cream if you want the soup richer - bu as I said, it was rich enough even without it.

Carrot Soup

Had seen a carrot soup recipe in Sushma’s beautiful blog and had made a mental note that I should try it out. Last weekend, when it rained heavily, Dee wanted some kind of soup for dinner. I went into the kitchen and saw that there was just one small little tomato and a couple of carrots. Ok, I thought, I’ll try out carrot soup. Frankly, I didn’t remember the recipe so went ahead and made it in my own way. And it did come out well. All of us licked our bowls clean ;)

Carrot Soup

Preparation time : 5 min Cooking time : 15 min Serves : 4-5 Ingredients: Carrot - 2-3 medium sized Tomato - 1 small Butter - 1 tsp Ginger - 1” cube Black pepper powder - 1 tsp Red Chili powder - ¼ tsp (optional) Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste Salt - ¼ tsp or as per taste Water - 2 cups, change acc to consistency Corn flour - 2 tsp Milk - ¼ cup Fresh cream - 1 Tbsp (optional) Method: • Peel and chop carrots into large chunks • Heat butter in a pan and add ginger and chopped carrots • Add water and bring to boil • Add tomato and cook till carrots are cooked soft • Let it cool for a few minutes • Grind the cooked carrots, tomato and ginger adding the water used for cooking the veggies if necessary, to make a fine paste • Strain the puree to a vessel • Add salt and chili powder and let it boil for 2-3 minutes. • Mix corn flour with half a cup of cold milk/water without lumps and add it to the boiling soup • Add enough water so that a right consistency of soup is maintained – neither too thick nor too thin • Let it boil for a couple of minutes more • Put off the heat and add fresh cream and stir well • Add pepper powder and serve hot Tips n Tricks: • Use chili powder only if you want the soup spicy. Normally, the ginger and pepper are enough for spice. Variations: • A small onion can also be added to give a different flavor • Sushma uses coriander as well, which gives yet another different flavor

Rice-gruel Soup

I generally cook rice in a pressure cooker. Sometimes, when cooking for some special dishes, I cook soaked rice in a vessel and drain off the water. I feel bad to simply drain off the water, as it’ll be rich in starch....

So made this soup instantly out of the gruel. It was tasty and almost like veg-corn soup. Folks at home did enjoy it. And Dee clicked these beautiful clicks for me :)

Here’s how I made it....

Rice gruel soup

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 5 min Serves : 5-6 Ingredients: Rice gruel / akki ganji / water drained from cooking rice - 4 cups Chopped vegetables - 1 Tbsp (beans, carrot, spring onion, corn kernels, etc) Butter - 1 tsp Black pepper - 1 tsp Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste Water - Acc to consistency Fresh cream - 1 Tbsp or Milk - ½ cup (optional) Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing Method: • Heat butter in a pan and add the veggies • Sauté till they are slightly done • Add the rice gruel and bring to a gentle boil • Add milk, salt and pepper powder • Adjust consistency by adding a little water. Let it boil for a couple of minutes more • Put off the heat and add fresh cream (optional) and stir well • Serve hot, garnished with some chopped coriander leaves Tips n Tricks: • If the soup turns out to be too thin, mix some cornflour in milk and add it and boil it for some time Variations: • Skip the milk and add a spoon of lemon juice

Cucumber Salad

A yummy, crunchy salad made of cool cucumber... It takes just 10 minutes to go healthy way and make this simple and tasty salad...

Cucumber Salad

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 2 min Serves : 4-5 Ingredients: Cucumber - 2 medium sized Cooking oil - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 2 sprigs Green chilies - 2-3 Coriander - 2 tsp, finely chopped Coconut - 2 tsp, grated Salt - ¼ tsp or as per taste Method: • Chop cucumber into very small chops. You might want to peel it first if the peel is too thick. I prefer not peeling it to have some crunchiness and not to lose out on nutrients. • Heat oil in a small skillet, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter • Add Urad dal and roast till golden color • Add slit green chilies and curry leaves and sauté for a minute • To the chopped cucumber, mix the tadka prepared above, salt and grated coconut • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve Tips n Tricks: • The best way to chop cucumber is to hold it up vertically with your left hand, and go on hitting it with a knife in right hand, simultaneously turning the cucumber around so that there are slits in all directions for about an inch thickness. Then place it horizontally on the board, and cut out the slit portion into very small bits. This way, very small chops can be got easily.

Palak (Spinach) Soup

So we wanted a soup for that special Sunday lunch. The first thought I get when I hear ‘soup’ is the reddish-orange ‘Tomato soup’! After a grand success of it the first time I made, I had repeated the tomato soup quite too often! So today, I decided, will not be a tomato-day! Is it not unfair not to give a chance for other soups?

But on the other hand I did not know a proper recipe for any other soup..... Hmmmmmm........ But so what? Can’t I try out something based on my instincts? Sure I can! But what???

At such times of crisis, Dee surely comes to my rescue and solves my confusion. ‘There!’ he pointed out to a bunch of fresh green spinach, ‘why don’t you try out palak soup?’ I was delighted at the idea, and wanted to try it out soon....

So made a mental recipe as to what and how it should be done, what to add, what not to, how much etc etc, as I cleaned and washed the spinach. And there I started out my venture. In about half an hour was ready an inviting big green bowl full of the soup. And in the next fifteen minutes, it was over too! And we were trying to eat out the last spoon of it from the big serving bowl!

Here’s how you make it...

Spinach (Palak) Soup

Preparation time : 5 min Cooking time : 15 min Serves : 4 Ingredients: Spinach - 2 small bunches / 2 cups of chopped spinach Butter - 1 Tsp Black pepper - 1 Tsp Red Chili powder - ¼ Tsp Salt - ½ Tsp or as per taste Water - 2 Cups, change acc to consistency Corn flour - 1 Tbsp Fresh cream - 1 Tbsp Method: • Heat butter in a pan and add black pepper • Once the peppers sputter, add the chopped spinach • Cook till done, sprinkling water if necessary • Let it cool for a few minutes • Grind the cooked spinach adding water if necessary, to make a fine paste • Strain the puree to a vessel • Add salt and chili powder and allow to boil for 2-3 minutes • Mix cornflour with half a cup of cold water without lumps and add it to the boiling soup • Add enough water so that a right consistency of soup is maintained – neither too thick nor too thin • Let it boil for a couple of minutes more • Put off the heat and add fresh cream and stir well • Serve hot Variations: • A small onion can also be added to give a different flavor