Love and Calories!!

Whenever I thought of making a simple omelette for my breakfast, I always wanted to try out the Spanish version of it but never made for the simple reason that it is super rich & heavy. But last weekend, I just couldn't resist & committed this sin. But my tummy was at peace. Ah! Tortilla! Sabroso! "Spanish Tortilla" is one of the popular Tapas dish in a Spanish cuisine. You should not miss out on this one. This Potato & onion filled thick omelette wedges complete any tapas combination. "Tortilla" in Spanish means "Little Cakes" & this sure looks & tastes like one. You can make these delicious rich tortillas and pack them up in your kids lunch boxes or can even serve as an appetizer at any evening parties. Hot or Cold....Spanish Tortillas can be relished however you want. Yeah...but you need to put aside your guilt for the time being...Remember...I serve you food with love & calories...... ;) Ingredients: 5 large eggs 1 large pot...

I bring you another popular dish from Goa after "Prawn Balchao" . Its the famous "Xacuti" Curry. Xacuti is pronounced as Sha-koo-ty and its origin is from Portugal. As I have mentioned earlier that Goan cuisine is largely influenced by the Portuguese Culinary basics, so you can expect lots and lots of flavourful spices in any of the Goan curries. "Xacuti" masala is prepared by dry roasting all the popular whole spices with grated fresh coconut and combining it with a tang of tamarind juice. You can add chicken, lamb, mutton, seafood or even paneer to this masala and make a delicious Goan Curry. Here I have used mushrooms in my Xacuti Curry to please both vegetarians & non-vegetarians. :) Ingredients: 8 whole cloves 10 whole black peppercorns 1/4 tsp ajwain (carom seeds) 1/2 tsp saunf (fennel seeds) 1/2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds) 2 tbsp coriander seeds 1 cinnamon stick 2 star anise 4 dried red chillies 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg (powder) 1 tbsp poppy seeds 1 c...

I have got something special for the pasta lovers this time . With this recipe, turn your simple pasta dish to a delicious Italian "Fine Food". Steamed Chicken parcels are super easy to make and in no time too. Steaming allows you to cook without fat & these little foil parcels retain all the natural juices of the chicken. So cook up some delicious Italian Chicken parcels and bring your routine simple cooking to restaurant standards. Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 cup fresh basil leaves 2 tbsp hazelnuts 2 garlic cloves 250 gm pasta (any shape, penne or fusilli preferable) (I have used whole wheat pasta, which is a much healthier option) 2 tomatoes (can use sun dried tomatoes also) (chopped) 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp olive oil 10 olives (pitted, green or black) salt & pepper to season Method: Place the chicken breasts between pieces of cling film & eat with a rolling pin to flatten evenly. Blend the basil leaves, hazelnuts, garlic with some...

This is a refreshing and very nutritious salad. Add the dressing just before serving so that the leaves do not become soggy. The total calories are only 130 and its absolutely healthy and filling. I saw this recipe in a food magazine & thought to share it with all of you. :) Ingredients: 250 gm spinach leaves 2 oranges 1/2 red onion Wash the spinach leaves & dry them thoroughly on a kitchen paper. Remove any tough stalks and tear the larger leaves into half. Peel the orange and carefully slice between the membrane of the orange to remove the segments. Reserve any juices for the salad dressing. Finely chop the onion. Mix together the spinach, orange segments & arrange in a serving dish. Scatter the chopped onions over it. SALAD DRESSING: Ingredients: 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp squeezed orange juice 2 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp honey 1/2 tsp mustard seeds salt & pepper to season Whisk together the above ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour the dr...

Potatoes served at Breakfast, At Dinner served again, Potatoes served at Supper again, forever and Amen!! I read the above quote somewhere and absolutely loved it. There will be hardly any one who loathes potatoes. Be it any country, any person, everybody loves this underground jewel. I have already praised a lot about potatoes in my previous posts and I don't want to brag about it again. So I will directly go to my post which is of course a delicious yet simple "Crispy Potato Fry". No Indian meal is complete without this dish. Be it a South Indian or a North Indian Thali, you will find at least one potato dry dish as an accompaniment. Bachelors can make use of this recipe as it is quickly made with absolutely no complications. No boiling hassles at all. Its easy to make and equally delicious. Ingredients: 4 medium potatoes 2 green chillies ( slit and cut them in half) 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 1/4 tsp asafoetida (heeng) 2 tbsp oil 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp red chil...

While I was going through the "Index" of my Blog, containing the list of recipes that I've tried, I realized that I have not made anything from the eastern region of India. I have always mentioned about North, South & Western Indian cuisine but never about the Eastern sector. I should be seriously ashamed of it. So I decided to introduce the "Eastern" Indian cuisine to all of you by including the recipe of the most popular dish of West Bengal "Macher Jhol". It literally means, Fish (Macher) & Jhol (Water). It is a typical runny Bengali fish curry cooked in mustard oil. Many of my friends are Bengali & I have truly relished the Bengali cuisine at their home. I can closely associate myself with Bengal as I hail from the state Kerala. Both the states are miles away from each other but there are umpteen similarities between them. Be it Communism (We shall not talk about it), football fans (for a change, is not cricket they fancy), the sweet...

It is the Year of the Dragon, according to the Chinese calendar. The Chinese New Year has begun from 23rd January 2012 & all are in a celebratory mood especially the people living in China Town all over the world not to forget the country China itself. Last year I witnessed the New Year Celebrations in China Town, Manchester where the festivities were in full swing. The Lion dance, Dragon parade, the fire works, Kung Fu show and more. And of course how can I leave out the delicious food. Oh it was yum!! Keeping New Year as a reason, I thought of baking some "Fortune Cookies". I had never tried it before & this was a good chance for me to bake some. A Fortune Cookie is a crispy biscuit made out of flour, egg whites, butter & sugar. The biscuits take very little time to bake but folding needs to be quick. As I read on about these cookies, I came to know that they were originated by Chinese Americans. Each biscuit contains a message, usually a proverb or a Chi...