I am still in a state of shock after what happened yesterday. How did it happen? How could it happen? I am not an American to understand the nuances of the Electoral Collage system in detail but I do know that Hate Cannot Win! Sadly it did. Way back in July, Michael Moore predicted Trump's win and gave 5 reasons in plain simple english . I happen to read it today and yes, it made perfect sense, though it is too late now. Here's hoping the next 4 years will be remembered for growth, progress and spreading positivity instead of spewing hatred on each other. Coming to today's recipe, the title says it all - Green Mashed Potatoes! I saw Mark Bittman make this dish with dandelion greens which I conveniently with some spinach and spring onions. Any kind of greens will work and do make this for upcoming Thanksgiving to surprise your family & friends. Bon Appetit.
[Updated on 3rd July 2014] This recipe has won the KitchenAid India contest at Indian Food Blogger Meet held at Bangalore. It was an absolute pleasure to be appreciated on such an amazing platform and it gives me that much needed boost to cook, learn and write more. Thank You!.
Let's talk today about an easy dessert recipe using plums. Remember this Homemade Fruit at Bottoms I posted sometime last year? Well, I thought there was no better way to enjoy this tart fruit other than with yogurt. It is like match made in heaven: stewed plums + cold yogurt. Today's recipe proved me completely wrong and am so glad it did. :-) Read on to get the recipe for Plum Crisp with Dried Raisins.
Yes, that's me. Quietly sitting in our balcony, watching the rain and digging into the hot jar of plum crisp.
“The kitchen, reasonably enough, was the scene of my first gastronomic adventure. I was on all fours. I crawled into the vegetable bin, settled on a giant onion and ate it, skin and all. It must have marked me for life, for I have never ceased to love the hearty flavor of raw onions.” ~ James Beard (1903-1985)
The concept of Thanksgiving was alien to me until a few years ago. When I went to US to study, it was quite intriguing and fun to just watch, with how much gusto people over there celebrate their holidays from now onwards till New Year. Many meticulously plan their Thanksgiving dinners ,looking forward to entertain their out-of-town relatives and get into the spirit of the season. I have seen that most of them are quite nervous about how their family would react to the food that's served!. ;-).
I personally don't celebrate Thanksgiving as a holiday, but I love the spirit of it. As I said in my last year's post, where I made some Rosemary Cheese Biscuits - "Its a time for remembering, cherishing and being thankful for all the wonderful things one has been blessed with". Indeed am surrounded with tons of positive minded people who became pillars of strength during my good and bad times!
a painting made by a little girl Kavita from Vaidehi Ashram.
This year I am particularly thankful to the wonderful readers of this blog. Thank you for being a part of my little journey, reading what I write and just supporting the cause I truly believed in. It still feels like a dream that I was able to raise about 4.5 Lakh Rupees through twoFund Drives this year and helped those little girls at the Ashram.
Thank YOU for having faith in me and trusting me. On this happy occasion of Thanksgiving, I am so super excited to announce that the entire amount of Rs 3,20,107 raised from the Fund Drive held in February 2012 has been spent for the children of Vaidehi Ashram with the recent of cheque of Rs 50,700 as their school fees. Click here for more details on how the money was spent. Words cannot describe how happy they are for the love and support you guys have showered on them.
Our responsibility to give the girls a better future doesn't end here. There is a constant need of funds for Kid's Education Fund (Vidya Nidhi) as every month more than 25,000 Rupees has to be paid as school fees for about 100+ school going girls. If you wish to lend a helping hand to the girls at the Ashram, please feel free to send me an email at - info[dot]siri[at]gmail[dot]com. I will be happy to coordinate in any which way you want to contribute. Thanks in advance. :-)
For most of the Thanksgiving meals must-have is a potato dish on the menu. Hence, here is a super simple, quick to make recipe - Vegan Potato Latkes (Potato Pancakes). Serve it with any kind of accompaniment or just as-is. These taste best when served warm.
Makes around 10 small pancakes Adapted from Vegnews
Ingredients:
2 big potatoes (~ 500 gms)
1 small onion, grated
1/4 cup all purpose flour
few tablespoons of chopped coriander/cilantro
salt -to taste
(Optional spices) - 1 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder
few tbsp of oil, for shallow frying.
Preparation:
1. Peel and grate the potatoes. Squeeze out excess liquid from the potatoes. Place the grated potatoes in a bowl and add grated onion, flour, cilantro, salt, cumin powder, chilli powder and coriander powder. Mix well. Don't add any water.
2. In a skillet, add a tbsp of oil. Take a heaping tablespoon of batter and flatten it before gently placing it in hot oil. Make three or four more potato pancakes and add to skillet without crowding pan. Cook on low-medium heat until golden brown on both sides.
3. Repeat with remaining potato mixture, adding more oil as necessary. Remove cooked potato pancakes to paper towels to drain excess oil. Transfer to an ovenproof platter (if serving a little later) and keep warm in oven until all pancakes are cooked. Serve.
That's exactly how the weather is here in Hyderabad right now. Temperatures are dropping rapidly day after day, a clear indication that the winter has already arrived and its here to stay for few more months to come! It is always the case with me that when cold settles in, I need to make some thick, hot soup to warm up myself, from deep within - perfect to brighten up rather a dull, morose winter's day. Today's recipe of Tomato & Carrot Soup is one such hale and hearty dish. Its filled with goodness of vegetables & herbs with tingling ginger note at the background and a light sprinkling of red chilli flakes at the very end, for some heat.
I highly recommend to make this soup, wrap up warm and with a book in hand enjoy with a buttery, crusty bread to keep the chill out.
2 cups of chopped tomatoes
1 cup of chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, peeled, minced
4 cups of water
1 tsp olive oil
3-4 pieces of roughly chopped ginger
1/4 cup coriander leaves
1/2 cup milk
salt - to taste
1/2 tsp or more black pepper
few pieces of bread & butter
red chilli flakes + beaten yogurt for topping
Preparation:
1) Boil 4 cups of water. Add chopped carrots, coriander leaves and ginger. Cover and let it simmer for 15-20 mins. Discard 2 pieces of ginger from the stock.
2) Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan and add garlic & onions. Saute for 3-4 mins until light golden brown. Add tomatoes. Cook until mushy on low-medium heat for 15-20 mins. Add boiled carrots along with stock, coriander leaves and ginger. Season with salt & pepper. Mix well and Let it cool a bit.
3) Blend everything into a smooth soup-like consistency. Add milk and bring the soup to a simmer again and water or stock if desired.
4) Melt a bit of butter in a pan. Place few pieces of bread and cook until golden brown.
5) Top with few red chilli flakes + beaten yogurt and serve soup with toasted bread on the side.
It is Holiday Season and best time to spread some happy cheer all around. Its time to give-away something special to my lovely readers who support me all along the way. Two lucky winners (**not applicable for Indian readers. Check this Canon Powershot Camera giveaway and enter there) will be chosen for an opportunity win these two exciting give-aways:
Here is what you need to do to win either of these give-aways
1. Leave a comment on this post. As simple as that.
To increase your chances in the random drawing, do one or more of the following and leave a comment once you did so. 2. Follow Cooking With Siri on Facebook and/or Follow me on Twitter. - @sirime
4. Tweet about this giveaway. Feel free to use the below text - {Holiday #Giveaway} #Enter for a chance to #win $25 @Amazon and @Olivegarden #giftcards at @sirime's blog. Details - http://tinyurl.com/giftcardsgiveaway
If you are already liked me on facebook, following on twitter or subscribed to RSS feed, just leave a comment letting me know and you are entered in the giveaway automatically! You don't have to be a blogger to win these give-way(s). Last date for participation is November 30th 2012 midnight IST and two winners randomly chosen will be announced on December 1st 2012. ***********************************************************************************************************************************
"He who thanks but with the lips Thanks but in part; The full, the true Thanksgiving Comes from the heart."
~ J.A. Shedd
Thanksgiving and food traditions go hand-in-hand. There are many popular veggies that has to be on a thanksgiving dinner table & a sweet-potato is one of them. These lend a nice, bright color and natural sweetness to the entire spread.
Well, I might have the perfect recipe for you which is very easy to put together. Just peel, cut, toss and bake. Not just for thanksgiving, this recipe serves best for any occasion.
What does this remind you of? Thanksgiving ofcourse! - a time for remembering, cherishing and being thankful for all the wonderful things one has been blessed with. It 24th November this year and am sure those who are in US have already started preparing elaborative menus, ready to cook up a storm for their loved ones. I have many friends who eagerly wait for this special time of the year to cook, eat & just relax and gain a few extra pounds by the end of it. ;-)
Oh, and there is also 'Black Friday', which is the very next day of Thanksgiving and that is when many retailers race to advertise their deals, open until wee-hours and backslash the prices on most of their products. For past couple of years, due to recession, the mojo to shop for stuff for many has decreased dramatically. I hope it is better this year!...
Ingredients List.
Planning and making a Thanksgiving dinner is always fun. There are loads of delicious recipes that can be done apart from roasting a turkey. How about go vegetarian for one year. :-) Here is a simple recipe for Rosemary Cheese Biscuits which are perfect for any occassion. Make them and watch how they disappear from the table within minutes. Enjoy..
Rosemary Cheese Biscuits
Tastes best when served warm with some soup (or) just as-is.
2. In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and garlic powder. Whisk. Add chunks of cold butter. Using fingers or fork, mix the ingredients until it is coarse and pea-sized.
3. Add canola oil, cheese, rosemary and basil. Now, slowly add milk and stir everything together until the dough is moistened, no longer dry or powdery.
4. Drop 1/4 cup portions using large spoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet (or) on silpat sheet directly.
5. Bake for 15-20 mins, until bottoms are lightly browned. Note: the top will still be white.
Once out of the oven, brush with melted butter. Simply love it!
6. Meanwhile, melt butter and add garlic powder (avoid it if you don't want it to be garlick-y) and fresh coriander. Once the biscuits are out of oven, using a brush spread the garlic butter on their tops.
Serve as-is or as an accompaniment to any soup....
Wanna grab one?
A special mention about the biscuit-tasters of the day - Pooja, Satish and Vissu (my dear colleagues at office). They loved them and am sure you will too..!
