Love and Calories!!

The moment I returned from my visit to the " Cheddar " village last month, I wanted to make a yummy bake with the Cheddar Cheese bought from the village. As I had already posted a Tuna Pasta Bake in my blog, I wanted to make a quick Gratin dish. There was one more reason to make a Gratin because I wanted to use my "Le Creuset oven cookware" which was lying in my Kitchen shelves for about 2 months now. Now you must be thinking, look at her flaunting things what she has got but NO..This mini casserole set was given to me by my best friend Shakthi during my last visit to her place. And that was very sweet of her, so I wanted to show her that I am indeed using these Casseroles and not kept to let the dust settle on them. :) Not promoting any brand over here but I recommend Le Creuset if you want to buy a good quality Oven Cookware. Now some good things about the Gratin, I made a "Traditional English Cheddar Cauliflower Cheese Gratin". There are many other n...

I realized that I have not posted any linguine recipe yet in my blog, so here goes another tasty healthy pasta recipe which is very easy, simple & is specially made for the vegetarians. Pardon me but I had to compliment it with some chicken, so I made a quick grill to go with it. So Veggie lovers, please ignore the Chicken part alone. Linguine and lime go hand in hand & with a generous amount of grated courgette, it becomes a wholesome healthy meal. Courgette & Lemon Linguine Ingredients: 250 gm linguine 1 medium sized courgette (zucchini) (coarsely grated) 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped) zest of 1/2 unwaxed lemon juice of 1/2 lemon large pinch of crushed chillies handful of basil leaves (can use dried basil too) 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin olive oil to drizzle salt & pepper for seasoning grated parmesan cheese (optional) Method: Cook the linguine following the pack instructions, then drain quickly so some cooking water is still clinging onto the strands. Tip them...

Lazy Saturday & Pasta comes to your rescue again!! I tried to make it as much veggie as possible and successfully cooked a cauliflower pasta...The unique combination of chilli, lemon, nuts & sultanas makes this pasta & cauliflower surprisingly tasty. Try to use a tubular pasta so that the cauliflorets, nuts and raisins trap inside them and u get the crunch at each pasta bite!! :) Ingredients: 1/2 medium cauliflower (cut into small florets) 250 g pasta (tube shaped) 4 tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves, sliced 1 tsp red chilli flakes 1 tbsp pine nuts (can use chopped almonds) 10 sultanas or raisins zest of 1 lemon juice of 1/2 lemon 4 tbsp chopped parsley 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese Method: Cook the cauliflower in salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop it cooking further. Drain. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to he packet instructions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the cauliflower and fry for 3 min...

Of all the cheeses in the world, which is the most popular one?? "Cheddar" Cheese of course!! And what if I tell you that I recently visited the village from where it first originated?? Wow!! Right?? Some of you must be already knowing the history of a Cheddar Cheese but I recently came to know. Cheddar, is a small beautiful, quiet little village situated in the south west of England in the county of Somerset. Cheddar was our last weekend's long drive destination. When I "googled" about the place, I then came to know that it is the birth place of "Cheddar Cheese" . That made the trip more interesting. I just want to share my experience with you all thus here goes a small travelogue of the Cheddar Village famous for its CHEESE!! This small scenic village attracts many tourists firstly because of the CHEESE which it produces, secondly the Great River Gorge on the base the village is located & lastly the dark, mysterious yet beautiful caves within th...

We don't always get excited about cucumber, because it isn't always served to its best advantage. This refreshing salad takes just a few minutes to put together, but does a cucumber full justice. Ingredients: 1 large cucumber 1 tsp vinegar 1 tbsp olive oil handful of mint or coriander leaves (finely chopped) a pinch of sugar salt & pepper (for seasoning) Method: Peel the cucumber, halve it length ways & scoop out the seeds. Slice into thick half moons. Place in a dish along with the vinegar, olive oil, mint or the coriander leaves & season it with salt, sugar & pepper. Toss together thoroughly. Leave for 15 minutes & serve.