Maha Shivarathri

Maha Shivarathri festival generally falls in the month of February or March which depends on the 6th night of the dark Palghun. This is the famous festival for Lord Shiva celebrated by all Hindus. Shiva devotees will sacrifice their sleep on that night and chant mantras on Lord Shiva and offer abhishekams and prayers to him. Its also believed that one will attain Mukthi if they pray to Lord Shiva the whole night of Shiva rathri by chanting Shiva Nama. Devotees observe fasting on the day of Shivarathri. In all the hindu temples, special prayers, abhishekams and annadanams would be conducted and devotees would visit the temple to get a glimpse of Lord Shiva on the day of Shivarathri.

Mantras to be recited on Shivarathri Day :

Sri Bavaya Namaha:
Sri Sarvaya Namaha:
Sri Rudraya Namaha:
Sri Pasupathaye Namaha:
Sri Ukraya Namaha:
Sri Magadevaya Namaha:
Sri Beemaya Namaha:
Sri Eesanaya Namaha:

Also, its good to recite Lingashtakam on Shivarathri Day.

Prasadams

Generally for Prasadams, as devotees fast for a longer period, they eat light prasadams like Moong Dal Kheer / Payasam , Tamarind Aval, Aval soaked in Curd or Milk, etc., But in my mind, I wanted to make a nice and different prasadam for Lord Shiva which should resemble him. Blueberry Kesari came into my mind. I could not find any other suitable prasadam to offer to my Lord Shiva.

Blueberry Kesari

For knowing the recipe of Blueberry Kesari , click down...

Blueberry Kesari

Kale Poriyal / Kale Sundal / Kale Curry

Kale, the dark greenish vegetable is the king of all vegetables. Its rich in dietary fiber, dieter's dream food as it fights against fat. Its an excellent source of nutrients and vitamins like Vitamin A, Manganese, Calcium, beta -carotene, etc., It protects the eyes, helps the human body's immune system, prevents cancer and heart disease considerably. After knowing all these benefits, who would not stock Kale in the Kitchen. I also get tempted to buy some fresh Kale and try out different food items out of it. Kale Poriyal with lentils is the food item I tried with kale and the poriyal was very tasty, rich in protein and fiber. The taste reminded me of the Drumstick Leaves Poriyal which my mom used to make during my childhood. It can be kept as one of the sides in any vegetarian thali we make at home. A cup of Kale Poriyal, cup of brown rice and a cup of fresh cucumber raita is an excellent meal option for weight watchers.

Ingredients

Kale - 1 Bunch

Payatham Paruppu / Moong Dal / Pesara pappu - 1 Handful

Fresh Coconut Flakes - 2 tbsp

Oil - 4 tsp

Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp

Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp

Dry Red chillies - 3 or 4

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Salt - To Taste

Sugar - 1 Pinch

Method

• Soak the Moong Dal in warm water. Meantime, wash the Kale leaves and chop them nicely and keep it ready.
• Half cook the Moong dal in the cooking pan by adding little water and keep it ready.
• In the frying pan, add oil first. When its heated, add the Hing, Mustard Seeds, Cumin seeds, red chillies and finish the tempering process.
• To the pan, add the half cooked Moong Dal and the finely chopped Kale Leaves and turmeric powder.
• Mix them well with a pinch of sugar and sprinkle some water into the pan.
• Allow the contents to get cooked thoroughly on medium flame. Occasionally open the lid and check whether the water is enough for the leaves and dal to get cooked. If required, add little more water.
• When the Kale leaves and dal are completely cooked, ( it might take roughly around 5-6 minutes or more depending upon the Kale leaves ) add required amount of salt and fry them openly for 1-2 minutes.
• Switch off the flame and add the fresh coconut flakes at the end. Mix them well and serve this side in your healthy vegetarian thali.

Asparagus Fry

Using Asparagus, I tried few food items like MorKootu, Mor Kuzhambu, Milagu Kootu before and enjoyed the taste of every item. This time I wanted to make a fry. It came out well like a Bindi / Vendaikai fry...Just added few red onions to asparagus just to coat some indian taste. It goes very well with plain rasam rice / charu. As asparagus is one of the healthiest food item in Top 10 list, its recommended to eat this tasty vegetable at least once a week. To kids, its the most healthiest choice as it increases the immune system.

Ingredients

Tender Asparagus Stems - 1 Big Bunch

Red Onion - 1/2 finely shredded

Oil - 3 to 4 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp

Cumin  Seeds -  1 tsp

Urad Dal / Ulutham Paruppu / Minna pappu - 2 tsp

Curry Leaves - 6 or 7

Dry Red Chillies - 3

Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Salt - To Taste

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp ( Optional )

Method

• Wash the Asparagus and chop into small pieces and keep them aside. Cut the red onions into small pieces and keep it ready.
• In the frying pan, add oil first. When it gets heated, add Hing, Mustard Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Urad Dal, Channa Dal, Curry leaves, dry red chillies first. When they sputter, add the red onion pieces and fry them with a pinch of salt for 2-3 minutes till they turn golden brown slightly. Add turmeric powder now and mix them well.
• Finally add the asparagus cuts and cover them with a lid. Let them cook with the steam inside for few minutes, say 4-5 minutes.
• When its cooked, add required amount of salt and a tsp of red chilli powder and fry them well for another 3-4 minutes on a low flame.
• Serve this healthy fry with any hot rice combinations.

Variations / Tips

Do not add water while cooking the asparagus. Allow them to cook with the steam inside.

Instead of red chilli powder, you can sprinkle some black pepper powder too.

Green Capsicum Chutney

Green Pepper / Capsicum is one of my favourite vegetables which has numerous medicinal and health benefits. So, i love to make use of this green pepper / capsicum in my cooking as much as possible. When I tasted the green capsicum chutney with Idlies at my friend Preetha's house, I really got so impressed with this combo and especially this spicy chutney. Needless to say the taste of her softer idlies with a dip of this flavourful chutney was divine....So I got the recipe of this green capsicum chutney from her. Earlier, I got the recipe of Red Capsicum Chutney from her and posted before. Thanks Preetha for sharing this healthy recipe with us...

Ingredients

Green Pepper / Capsicum - 1 Big

Fresh Coconut Flakes - 2 tbsp

Urad Dal / Minna Pappu / Ulutham Paruppu - 2 tsp

Channa Dal / Kadalai Paruppu / Senaga Pappu - 2 tsp

Groundnuts / Peanuts - 2 tsp

White Sesame Seeds - 1 tsp

Tamarind - 1 tiny pinch

Dry red chillies - 3 Medium

Salt - To Taste

Sugar - 1 pinch

Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Oil - 3 to 4 tsp ( Depending upon the size of Capsicum for frying )

For Tempering

Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Curry Leaves - 3 or 4

Oil - 1 tsp

Method

• Wash and cut the green pepper into small pieces and keep them aside.
• In a frying pan, add oil first. When its heated, roast the urad dal, channa dal, groundnuts, dry red chillies, sesame seeds, tamarind to golden brown and transfer them to the mixer grinder.  In the same pan, add the green pepper pieces and fry them with a pinch of salt for 3-4 minutes till they get cooked and fried.
• Transfer them to the mixer grinder and grind them along with coconut flakes coarsely.
• Transfer the chutney into a bowl. Add required amount of salt and a pinch of sugar to the chutney and mix well.
• Do the tempering process in the pan and pour them over the chutney and mix well...
• Good to serve with idlies, dosas and even with rotis / chappathis or any upma.

Tips / Variations

You can omit the sesame seeds if you wish.. I added it as we like the taste of the addition of few sesame seeds in this chutney.

Likewise, you can increase / decrease the number of red chillies while making..

Coarse paste gives the right taste than the smooth paste.

Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup, is a thick Italian Soup which is made with vegetable stock, tomatoes, onion, celery, carrots and other vegetables with an addition of some pasta and beans. If you wish to have a wholesome meal at nights, you can very well go for this soup. It fills the stomach and the soup contains everything needed for an one time meal. Happy to mention that some leftover soup was totally enjoyed by my daughter and she requested me to make this often.!!!

Ingredients

Tomato - 3 Big or 32 Oz Tomato Puree Can

Carrot -- 1 Medium

Potato - 1 Medium

Butternut Squash - 1 Cup cubed
Zucchini - 1 Medium

Green Pepper / Capsicum - 1/2 Medium

Celery Sticks - 2

Green Peas - 1 handful

White Onion - 1/2 Medium

Cooked Pasta - 1 Cup ( preferably mini size pasta )

Coriander Leaves or  Parsley  - 2 tbsp

Crushed Garlic - 2 tbsp

White beans / Red Beans cooked - 1/2 cup

Beans - 7 to 8 Medium

Vegetable Stock - 4 to 5 cups

Salt - To Taste

Dried Oregano Seasoning - 1 tsp
Dried Thyme Seasoning - 1 tsp
Dried Basil Seasoning - 1 tsp

Black Pepper Powder - As required

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Parmesan Romano Cheese - To Garnish on its top before serving

Method

• Wash and cut all the vegetables into tiny cubes. Keep them ready.
• In a thick bottomed soup pot or vessel, add the Olive Oil first. When its heated, add the crushed garlic and onion and fry them till golden brown. Then, add the other vegetables and fry them for 2-3 minutes. Cover the lid for a while tilll the tomatoes get mashy and cooked. Cook all the vegetables for another 3-4 minutes on a low flame.
• Add the vegetable stock now and if required, add some water into the pot and cook everything on a medium flame till the vegetables get cooked completely.
• Finally add the italian seasoning powder, required amount of salt, black pepper powder into it and allow them to get blended well for few more minutes.
• Garnish with parmesan cheese and shredded coriander leaves or Parsley ( of your choice ) and serve in a soup bowl. Serve with a side of toasted garlic bread.

Tips / Variations

You can add any seasonal vegetables of your choice while making this soup. I have not added few due to unavailability. In addition to Italian seasoning powder, we can add crushed basil leaves to make it more flavourful.

Mint Coriander Pesto

Lots of fresh mint leaves and coriander bunches in the fridge really tempted me to make this Pesto. Though I am a hardcore fan of the regular Basil Pesto, I tried this version and served with a butterfly shaped Farfalle Pasta. It was indeed very tasty with few coats of Olive Oil, Parmesan Cheese on its top. I customized the Pesto and made it little spicy as we wanted. With a side of Minestrone Soup, I tried to bring some Italian Flavour into our Kitchen during dinner last night....

Ingredients
Coriander Leaves Bunch - 1 Big
Mint Leaves - 1 Bunch
Walnuts - 1 Full Handful or 1 Cup
Garlic Pods - 2 or 3
Black Pepper Seeds - 1 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1/4 Cup
Grated Parmesan Cheese - 1 tbsp
Green Chili - 1 Medium
Salt - To Taste
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

Method

Roast the raw walnuts slightly on medium heat. Switch off the flame. On the heated pan, add the coriander leaves, mint leaves, garlic pods, green chili, black pepper seeds and toast them slightly with the existing heat. Grind them together with all the other ingredients in a mixer grinder coarsely. ( Not a fine paste ). Store it in a glass container as we might use it for a week.

Pasta with Mint Coriander Pesto

Cook the Pasta with little salt and keep them ready. In the cooking pan, add 3 tsp of Olive Oil. When its heated, add the cooked pasta and few spoons of Pesto as required and required amount of salt, black pepper powder and stir them nicely for 2-3 minutes. Add grated Parmesan cheese on its top just before serving on the plate. A healthy, quick meal is fixed and also a good treat for the kids.

Veg Paneer Kofta in Spring Mix Green Gravy

Really frustrating to see some of the Spring Mix Salad bought from Costco getting spoiled at the end, though we consume a considerable quantity to our level of satisfaction...I really wanted to make use of all the Spring Mix that we buy from the wholesale Costco. Before I used to make Pappu out of the leftover Spring Mix salad but  this time I wanted to try out something different with this salad mix. Using Paneer ( which is an all-time favourite at home), I made some crunchy Koftas and made them to dance in my healthy Spring Mix Green Gravy...I followed the same procedure of Palak Paneer for making this Green Gravy. With few tricks, the dish got upgraded and a perfect Kofta gravy was achieved...( with my leftover Spring Mix salad..!!!) . More than that, I felt so relieved while throwing the big Spring Mix Salad Box without any wastage in it.

Ingredients

Photo Courtesy by Wiki -- Spring Mix Salad

For the Green Gravy
Spring Mix Salad - 5 cups fully
Ripe Tomatoes - 2 Big
Green Chillies - 1 Big
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp


For the Koftas
Potato - 3 medium
Carrot - 2 medium
Peas - 1 Handful
Beans - 6 or 8
Green Pepper / Capsicum - 1/2 Medium
Paneer - 1 Cup shredded
Yellow Corn Flour - 1/2 cup
Water - Little to make the corn paste.
Salt - To Taste
Turmeric Powder  - 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Dhana Jeera Powder / Coriander Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 pinch
Oil - Enough for frying the Koftas

For the Main Process
Oil - 1 tbsp
Butter or melted ghee - 1 tsp ( just for flavour , optional )
Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp
Garlic Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
Onion Shredded / finely sliced - 1/2 cup
Turmeric Powder - 2 tsp
Red chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Cumin / Dhana Jeera Powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 Pinch
Thick whole Milk - 2 tbsp
Salt - To Taste

Method

Paneer Veg Koftas

Kofta Preparation

In a big thick bottomed vessel, cook all the vegetables including Green Pepper / Capsicum completely and keep them ready. To the cooked veggies, add the crumbled paneer and the other ingredients as mentioned above, and make small balls. In a plate, add the yellow corn flour and add few drops of water and make a moist powdery paste.( Not like bajji batter...). Roll the Veg Paneer Kofta ball on the surface of the moist corn flour so that it gets coated uniformly in all the directions.

Fry them till golden brown in the oil. Continue the process for the rest of the balls and keep the fried koftas ready.

Gravy Preparation

In the cooking pan, add the Spring Salad Mix, tomatoes, green chillies and cumin seeds and allow them to cook inside for few minutes. No need to add water. Let them cook with the steam inside on a low flame. When its cooked and shrunk in size, grind them together with little water and keep the green gravy paste ready.

Main Process

• In the cooking pan, add oil and little melted ghee / butter first. When its heated, add cumin seeds.
• Add the ginger garlic paste and fry them till the raw smell vanishes.
• Add the onion pieces next and fry them with a pinch of salt for 2-3 minutes.
• Add all the powders as mentioned above and fry them again for a minute.
• Add the green gravy paste and required amount of salt, 1 tbsp of thick whole milk and add some water if required.
• Allow the gravy to cook well with all the spice powders for 5-6 minutes.
• Switch off the flame when the gravy is done which can be noted with the appearance of little oil oozing out of the edges, in the middle slightly.
• Finally before serving, place the koftas in the serving bowl and pour the gravy on its top.

Tips / Variations

• You can add Tofu, shredded cabbage, tiny cauliflower florets or any other suitable vegetables of your choice while making the Koftas.
• You can add few drops of fresh cream on its top just before serving to make it more appealing and richer.