Lemony Green Tea

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Green Tea (scientific name: Camellia sinensis) is one such drink to which I am totally addicted to. I make this once a week and store in my refrigerator to drink in when ever I am bored to just water. And its numerous health benefits makes this addiction of mine even more worth while..:))

Research says that the Green tea has high amount of essential anti-oxidants that help to prevent atherosclerosis, particularly coronary artery disease. Also it lowers total cholesterol and raises HDL ("good") cholesterol. Moreover, this tea has such properties that lower the risk of various types of cancers like Bladder Cancer, Breast Cancer, Ovarian cancer etc.

...Surprised to know how much goodness can this simple tea can give us. Even I am , as I was not aware of these health benefits when I got ADDICTED to it..:DD. Now, that I know....'I am even more happy!!!'..:D

.. A usual green tea can be made even more flavorful by adding every day ingredients such as ginger, mint and lemon. Here is one such 'Lemony Green Tea' recipe which I am forwarding to Coffee's JFI:Lime/Lemon event.







Adapted from here.
Serves: 6

You need:

6 Green Tea bags
3 ounces of Ginger - peeled and thinly grated
few Mint leaves. ( I am not big fan of Minty flavor, so used very few of them!)
1/2 cup Honey
2 tbsp Lemon juice
Water

How to make:

1. In a flat saucepan over high heat, combine the ginger and 6 cups of water and bring to a boil.
2. Remove from heat and add the mint and tea bags.
3. Cover and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid into a large pitcher.
4. Now, add the honey and lemon juice. Stir the contents well.
5. Chill in the refrigerator and Serve when desired.



Due to its anti-oxidant properties as mentioned earlier in the post, this also qualifies for Cate's ARF:Tuesday event!

~ Siri

Oven Baked Chickpea Falafel

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It was one lazy Sunday afternoon and we were in a mood to have something light and preferably a *healthy* snack.

...As I was flipping through my to-do list of recipes( as usual with some dreamy eyes at their drooling pics! ..), I came across this mouth watery Falafel dish which I wanted to try out from a very long time.. But, 'No Oil for deep frying' was one of our strict rules.. So, I thought why not oven bake them ( as in Baking Bites).

.. We were in a no mood to have Pita bread with Falafel which is the usual combination - just had this as our EVENING SNACK.



Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas
1 medium sized chopped onion
2 slices of whole wheat bread
salt - to taste
Butter spray
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tbsp black pepper
3/4 tbsp cumin powder
fresh coriander
1/2 tbsp red chilli powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 to 6 tbsp of flour (for binding)

How to make:

1. Grind the chickpeas into a coarse paste .
2. In a bowl, mix the chickpea paste with the rest of the ingredients and make batter which is neither too wet or dry.
3. Refrigerate it for couple of hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 deg.



5. In a baking tray, spread foil (or) parchment paper and make balls out of the batter. I made them round and flat so that they bake properly.
6. Bake these for 10 minutes, flip them and again for 10 minutes until golden brown.
7. Serve with any chutney or sauce.

...The verdict was - 'Simply Superb' , 'Yummy' and finally 'Good Job'! and I am happy gurl by the end of the day!!!



Off these go to Susan's 'My Legume Love Affair' event.




~ Siri

Tomato Rice

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'Comforting Food' - to me is something which I look forward to every single time, which peps me up on one gloomy day, which instantly rejuvenates me!!

....as Meeta aptly says - "It's the type of food that picks us up when we are down, warms us when we are feeling lost and cold and blurs out the bad mood. The first mouthful takes us straight back to the familiar, the good; to the time when all was well. "



Yes, I made this dish a zillion times before, but I am never ever bored of it. It is THE thing-fling between me and this dish since childhood and oh, it still continues.. U could say its my FIRST LOVE or Love at first sight (..*taste*)..I still remember the day, my mom made this for me ... *on a Sunday morning*..and since then there was no stopping for both of us...:)

.. and its none other than .... ***** TOMATO RICE *****



Thanks to Meeta, I got another good reason to meet my love and spend some silent, comforting moments with it..:DD

You check out the recipe here, the slight variation is, I used Biryani Pulav Masala, instead of normal Garam Masala!

Also sending this to Mala's "Kid's Food Event" - this being my favorite food since childhood!



~ Siri