Strawberry Cobbler With Orange Carrot Frozen Yogurt

Strawberry cobbler is another one of the delectable baking recipes I found in the Book Reader's digest Baking with Love,borrowed from the library here.The book is so cool,I'm not sure I'll ever return it back,I've already renewed it 8 times already now(almost 6 months).The Original recipe called for plums,but I used strawberries instead which are equally delicious ,in fact you could use any kind of berry ,Cherry Cobbler is another classic Cobbler recipe.The warm cobbler served with frozen yogurt made with fresh home made Carrot and Orange juice makes this dessert all the more scrumptious.

And did I say I made this special dessert for a very special occasion,my wedding anniversary.My boys absolutely love juicy berries,more than me or my hubby ,this dessert was most devoured by the little sweet hearts.I'm pleased to send this recipe over to "Cooking for kids With Love",a food event in memory of Pedatha’s spirit of love and nurture, and her innate knowledge of good food..And to two other food events celebrating Love Cooking with Luv For Luv and Made for each other.

Ingredients
10-12 Fresh Strawberries,Hulled(top cut) and sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup unsweetened fruit juice Apple or Orange or Pomegranate or Grape

Crust
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 cup All purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon Cold Organic Butter
2 tablespoon Brown or white sugar
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
1 cup cold Skimmed(fat free) Milk

Method
Preheat Oven to 350F
Put the sliced strawberries,juice and cinnamon stick in a baking dish about 8x8 inches.
Prepare the crust\topping by sifting flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl.Rub in cold butter until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.Stir in sugar and chopped walnuts.Make a well in the center,add the milk and mix to soft(not sticky dough).

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for few seconds.Roll out a rectangle about 1/2 cm thick and little wider than the diameter of the dish.With a sharp knife or pizza cutter or pastry wheel,cut dough in to strips about 1 cm wide.

Dampen the rim of the baking dish with water.Arrange the strips over the fruit in a lattice pattern,pressing each end on to the rim of the dish and trimming the ends of the dough neatly.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the topping is golden and the fruit is tender.Remove
the cinnamon stick before serving.

Serve warm with or without a scoop of low fat ice cream or frozen yogurt.


Adapted from Original recipe at Baking Obsession
Orange Carrot Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients
2 cups unsweetened Low fat Organic yogurt(Use Full fat If desired)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup fresh carrot juice
1/2 teaspoon Orange zest
1/4 cup Fine sugar
2 tablespoon Corn syrup (to prevent crystallization)

Method
Squeeze out all the water from the yogurt by placing it in a muslin\Cheese cloth and set aside.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in bowl,whisk to dissolve sugar,then stir in the fresh juices and the yogurt.Process in a ice cream maker and transfer in a freezer proof container and let freeze for 4-5 hours until firm before serving.

The Orange Carrot Frozen Yogurt is my entry for Sunshinemom's Food In Colors event,the color of the month is Orange and host is Aparna of My diverse Kitchen.

Thank You Note
Lovely bloggers Judy,Malar and Varsha passed me the Amazing Blog Award,Triple Awards,Good Chat Award,Emerald awad,Super Duper Chef award.Thank you ever so much,its immense pleasure to be appreciated with such cool awards.

It's Pay back time!

I'm please to pass this token of gratitude(I designed it myself) to the bloggers who take time to leave encouraging comments and useful suggestions at my blog.

Aalya,Anjum,Ann,Aparna,Asha,Ashwini,Alka,AnuDivya,AnuSriram,
Andhra flavors,Arundhuti,Aquadaze,Armina,Archy,Bharti,Curry leaf,Cham,Cheri,Cynthia,Dibs,Divya Dil Se,Dershana,Deesha,
Deeba,Farida,Gita,G.Pavani,Happy cook,Hijabee,Hema (Adlak's Kitchen),
Indhu,Ivy,Jasmina,Jayasree,Jaishree,Jane(Plainjane),Jennifer,
Joie de vivre,Laavanya,Lubna,Malar,Mona,Navita,Priyanka(notyet100),
Poornima Nair,Rajani,Rajee Karthik,Raaji,Rajeshwari(Rak's Kitchen),Rekha,
Laavanya,Malini,Mahima,Maimoona,MeetaK,Meeso,Mediterranean Kiwi,
Mediterranean Turkish cook,Nazarina,Neema(RecipeSwap),
Nithya Praveen,Noor,Pallavi,Preety,Priya,Purva,Rathna(Asvadha)
Rosa,Sanghi,Sara(Sara's Kitchen),Sara g,Sra,Sangeeta,
Sameera,Selba,Sefa,Seena,Shama,Sharmila,Shaheen Purple Foodie,Shifa Firoz,Sia,Soma,Sowmya,Suma,Sunshinemom,SriLekha,sriharivatsan,Srivalli,
Sunkanya Ramkumar,Sweta(Bonne Nutrition),Swapna Pravin,Syeda,Trupti,
Ujwal,Uma,Umelbanat,Vandana,Varsha,Vaishali,Viki,Vidhas,Vibaas,Vij,
Veggie Belly,Wendopolis,Zainab & Meedo(Arabic Bites),Zee.

Pardon me If I missed any of ya names,please feel free to claim it,I owe it to you.And please pass this on to your buddies around the blog sphere.

An Update: Made for Each other Food Event

The Strawberry Cobbler with Orange-Carrot Frozen yogurt is the winner of Made for Each other Food event,which invited the recipes with foods that make a lovable combo.Here are the lovely entries.Thanks to Rathna for the exciting food event:).

Pomegranate Tabbouleh,a Blogger Aid Cookbook Entry

Blogger Aid is a Social Network of International Food bloggers,founded by Val of More Than Burnt Toast, Giz of Equal Opportunity Kitchen and Ivy of Kopiaste…to Greek Hospitalilty to raise awareness and funds to alleviate hunger world wide .In there latest ambitious project, for raising funds, all foodies are invited to contribute to the Blogger Aid Cookbook.100% of the profit from sales will be directed to a specific program of the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations front line agency. Rules can be found on the forum page of the Social Network of BloggerAid. The cookbook is targeted for sale on Amazon by December 2009. Today(Feb 12th) is the last date to submit the Originals recipes for the cookbook.

The enticing Middle Eastern Salad called Tabbouleh is my entry for the worthy cookbook.Made with the nutty bulgur wheat flavored with aromatic spices and herbs ,this salad makes a tasty start of meal or a delicious filling in pita wraps.I incorporated fresh pomegranates to add a juicy tangy bite to the salad.The recipe will be hopefully be disclosed in the cookbook.

Almond Cocoa with Home made Almond Milk(100% Dairy free), Almond milk Versus Cow's milk

Like many I assumed only dairy products milk\cheese\yogurt as good sources of calcium.Considering how big and powerful the milk industry is,people are made to believe that it is the only good source.Unless one chooses to become vegetarian for better health or search for alternatives due to allergies or lactose intolerance,the equally nutritive alternative sources like Soy ,Almonds, vegetables like Kale,broccoli,Okra,lentils like Urad, remain undiscovered.

In my case it was my son's asthma which lead to hunt for alternatives.Excess intake of Dairy products are not recommended for asthmatics,as it can increase the mucus production.I have limited his intake to Organic reduced fat milk after the diagnosis ,I also substituted with alternative sources like above to make up for the daily required recommendation of calcium.He is used to the flavor of cow's milk,the change to soy milk with a distinct after taste was not liked hence I tried the almond milk with mellower taste,even that he wouldn't take it unless flavored with cocoa.Total transition seems impossible with his picky tastes.But when ever he has an episode of cold followed by symptoms of asthma,I stop all kinds of dairy products for few days until he gets back to normal breathing pattern,that helps the symptoms from getting bad to worse.That's no doctors advice,its purely based on my observation and research in milk's connection with excess mucus\phlegm production.

Even if you don't suffer with any kind of milk allergies,try Almonds for its extra nutrition of Iron and Vitamin E ,totally absent in cow's milk and above all it has Zero cholesterol.

Though prepacked Almond milk may not provide same health benefits as the Whole Almonds ,home made Almond milk is good alternative.If plain is too bland for you,flavor it up with cocoa or the strawberry syrup.


How to make Home made Almond Milk?

Ingredients:
1 cup Raw almonds
3 cups of water(use filtered or nursery water for babies)

Method : Soak the almonds overnight in plenty of water.Remove the skin and process in the blender with 3 cups of water until smooth.Now filter through a cheese cloth\muslin cloth in to a clean storage container.Store in fridge for 4-5 days.
Do not throw away the pulp
Use it in baking cookies ,bread or thickening gravies .You even dehydrate it until dry and flaky then dry grind it to make almond flour.
See a helpful Step-by-Step almond milk recipe


For my brave boy who has been through so much struggle at tender age,this almond cocoa is just for you buddy.
Almond Cocoa (Hot and Cold)
Ingredients
2 cups unsweetened Home made almond milk
2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar or natural sweetener like agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla or pinch of cinnamon for flavor.

Method
Cold
Process in a blender or use a whisk to blend together the cold almond milk,sugar and cocoa until well combined.
Hot
Heat the milk to desired temperature over medium heat,whisk in cocoa and sugar until smooth.Serve warm.

The recipe is off to Alka's Just For You event.

Daily Calcium Needs
How much calcium is one supposed to take for healthy bones and efficient functioning of other vital body processes ?

1 cup of almond or cow or soy milk has about 300mg of calcium.

Please Note:sodium increases calcium losses,so reducing salt intake would also help in calcium absorption in the body..thanks for the useful bit of info Sweta.

Methi Masala Roti(Fenugreek Spice Flatbread) with Lasun(Garlic) Chutney

"Families that cook and eat together healthy meals,stay together"[My motto for healthy family]

In my earlier post of Green Parathas with Tomato chutney I mentioned about how making Indian Flat bread(Roti\Parathas\Chapathi) was our family tradition,we never missed(and never bored) having them for breakfast throughout the year,except on Eid.Every member of the family were involved in making these parathas[Dad or Bro kneaded it then ,Mom and sis rolled and roasted it],back then lazy me, usually opted for just eating them.Better late than never ,I did get serious about learning how to make the parathas after tying nuptial knot with an ever so health conscious person, who prefers whole wheat over white rice.I'm glad to be continuing this healthy tradition ,although my tiny tots are too little to help me in the process of making parathas(I'm hopeful they'll join in as they grow) ,I do get an occasional help in kneading the dough from my dear spouse with a busy schedule of work and workouts.At the end of the day ,a healthy family meal prepared by working together ,not only keeps us fit but also adds lot more love and affection in our relationships.



My persistent craving for spices led me to this spicy version of the plain roti.In this meal I used just about every spice(in moderate quantities of course) I commonly cook with .Nupur's Lasun Chutney is a blend of flavorful spices ,nuts and most importantly one of my most adored nature's best food,Garlic.This dry Lasun(garlic) chutney along with some cooling whipped fat free yogurt was my choice on the side for these parathas,nevertheless you could served them with any of the curries or lentils\legumes.


Recipe Methi Masala Roti
Ingredients
2 cups Whole wheat flour
2 tablespoon flax seed meal(optional,for added nutrition)
2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin olive oil(EVOO)
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 cup fenugreek(methi) leaves or spinach[fresh or frozen],chopped
1/2 teaspoon each of Cumin and coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon chilly powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

Method
Step 1 Blanch the leaves
Blanch the methi leaves by simmering them in hot water for a minute. drain and keep aside.
Step 2 prepare the dough

Take a mixing bowl or round wide and deep platter ,combine all ingredients,make a well in the middle of mixture ,pour in the water and about tablespoon of oil. Mix until the dough is of right smooth consistency.

knead for couple of minutes and let rest for about 15-20minutes before rolling it.
Step 3 Rolling the Roti

Divide the dough in to about 12 portions and roll in to balls. Sprinkle a little flour(I prefer All purpose flour) on the rolling surface. Use a rolling pin to roll them in to round roti.
Step 4 Roast the roti

Preheat an iron pan(Tava) or non stick pan at medium high flame. Roast the roti,flip once and spread some oil and flip again after few seconds. For softer roti use a spatula or a kitchen towel to lightly press and roll them around the pan. Roti is ready to serve when slightly brown on both sides.


Recipe Lasun Chutney
Ingredients
6-8 big cloves of garlic
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
2 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/2 cup dry shredded coconut,unsweetened
3 dried red chillies
1 teaspoon tamarind,dry
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method
Roast all the ingredients except salt on store top on low heat or in oven at 250F.Stir occasionally and let roast until completely dry about 30-40 minutes.
Dry grind them to a coarse powder in a coffee grinder or a food processor,store in air tight container.Is best with bread or rice .


This healthy family meal is off to Meeta's Monthly Mingle : Healthy Family Dinners.Hosting this month's MM is Michelle of What's Cooking Blog, a blog dedicated to "cooking with kids for a better body, planet and community".

Spice up with Spices!
The Spices don't just add heat to your food but also protect our body in many ways.Think beyond salt and pepper,potent spices can help in boosting immunity,fighting cancers and heart disease,to name a few.Read my post about Nature's best spices and ingredients.
A peak in to a typical Indian spice box

1.Mustard seeds,usually used for tempering the lentils or vegetable stir fries.
2.Coriander Powder
3.Garam Masala ,ground cinnamon,cloves,cardamom and cumin
4.Fenugreek seeds,used for tempering the lentils or vegetable stir fries,also its sprouts are very nutritious
5.Cumin seeds
6.Hot Indian chili powder
7.Turmeric,the golden spice of Indian cuisine
8.Cinnamon sticks
9.Pepper corns
10.Cardamom
11.Cloves.
Its better to store the ground spices(2 and 3) in air tight container to preserve its potency.Just for illustration I placed them in my spice box.

Strawberry Milk Shake with Homemade Strawberry Syrup.And a POMWonderful contest Entry.

"Most people associate vitamin C with oranges, but if you look at oranges versus strawberries, ounce per ounce, strawberries actually contain more vitamin C than oranges." A Doc at Center for Human Nutrition
In fact Strawberries have 58mg of Vitamin C verses 50 mg in Oranges.

Not an exciting fact, for folks living were Strawberries are not readily available as Oranges.Growing up in bustling city of Hyderabad(south India) with 365 days of sunshine,strawberries were considered exotic rare fruit and too pricey for daily consumption ,unless you live around the spectacular hill station of Mahabaleshwar(in Western Central Indian province), the hub of Indian Strawberries.

picture courtesy Wikipedia and Sydney alvares at Sulekha.com

In this Indian Grand canyon,known for the scenic hill side drives and misty romantic boat rides,the juicy strawberry farms flourish more than any other region in India.I remember tasting my first strawberry during my memorable visit to this beautiful place few years back.The farm fresh strawberry milk shakes and ice creams sold at the fruit stalls have the unbeatable succulent flavor.The region is also famous for purest honey , tastiest fresh jams and the huge variety of chikkis(Jaggery and nuts candy).

Fast forward 6 years to were I live now in the frozen north(it literally is at this time of the year),thankfully strawberries are available throughout the season,little more in abundance and a few cents cheaper during summer .

Next only to chocolate ,I love to flavor my plain milk with strawberries.But mind you unlike hot cocoa,the strawberry milk shake has to be made cold.Even slight heating can easily curdle the milk shake,and tastes best when chilled.With strawberry syrup the milk shake is smoother cause the seeds have been filtered and not to mention the tasty berry flavor is sure to get the 'ICK' out of picky eaters who dislike milk.

Ingredients
For syrup
12-15 fresh strawberries,washed and sliced
1 cup of water
2 tablespoon sugar(optional,I excluded it)

For Milk Shake
3 tablespoon strawberry syrup
2 cups of Reduced fat Organic Milk or Soy milk or Almond Milk or Oat milk

Method
To make the syrup
Combine the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil,stir occasionally,cook for about 20 minutes. Allow mixture to cool slightly, then process in a blender or food processor ,pour through a strainer in to a storage container,this removes the strawberries seeds from the syrup. Can be stored in a sterilized container for about 2 weeks.Drizzle on toast,ice-creams or use it to flavor the cold milk.
To make the milk shake
Stir in the desired amount(about 2 tablespoon for 1 cup) of prepared strawberry syrup(completely cooled) in to the cold or room temperature milk.Enjoy!


For more kid friendly recipes join in the Cooking for kids food event,featured ingredient this month is milk\cheese ,hosted Preety's Kitchen.

POMWonderful contest

Remember this irresistibly delicious pie I baked last fall with divine POM pomegranates.On Judy's request I'm sending this to the POMWonderful contest at Judy's Kitchen.

Saffron Orange Basundi(Sweetened Milk)

The juicy thirst-quenching Oranges are best during the winter months.Rich in vitamin C,often prescribed for a flu remedy,citrus fruits like Oranges are best defense for our immune system.

Better than a glass of sweetened orange juice ,a large whole orange a day can provide up 5grams of fiber(Daily recommended is 25g for women and 38g for men).


The rich basundi is famous Gujarati(in western India) dessert,the fruity addition adds a layer of nutrition and flavor to the sweet dessert.First spotted at Nupur's blog then recently reminded by Sowmya ,I waited too long to try this zesty dessert.I made this just this morning with gorgeous bunch of oranges we bought during the weekend.It was so good I ate even my hubby's share,who won't mind any way cause he enjoys his oranges whole more than in a whole fat milk. Please note my desserts are mildly sweet so please adjust the sugar accordingly.

Serves 3
Ingredients
4 cups of whole Organic milk
1/4 cup sugar or 3-4 tablespoon condensed milk
big pinch of saffron
2 Juicy Oranges(I used Navel)
1 teaspoon Orange zest
few pistachios for garnish

Method
In a heavy bottom pan,bring milk to a slow boil along with the saffron and sugar,reduce heat and simmer while stirring occasionally until it reduces to half its original quantity,about 2 cups.You can add a teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in tablespoon of water for thickening the milk,cook for extra 5 minutes.Let cool completely ,mixing oranges in warm milk can curdle it.Set in refrigerator until cooled.
Segment the orange,big or small,Remove the white pith entirely ,here is helpful slide show.
Mix these slices in cooled milk,serve or chill for another hour if desired.Before serving sprinkle orange zest and some pistachios.

Served in small portion,I was not satisfied even after 4 servings of this size.


Orange Basundi is my late entry for the Weekend wokking :Oranges ,hopefully the host of the month TS and JS of Eating Club Vancouver will accept it.Weekend wokking a world-wide food blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks to celebrate the multiple ways we can cook one ingredient.

Food Glossary
Orange Zest: The aromatic peel of orange which also has the essential oils.To zest an Orange,use a mini-grater or micro pane and grate just the orange part of the peel totally avoiding the white pith which is bitter.Orange zest adds the unique flavor when used in cookies ,bread or desserts.

Other Orange recipes Posted:



An Award and An appeal
My new blogger buddies Jasmina and Hijabee have honored me with the butterfly blog award,thank you so much ladies:).
Hijabee is raising funds for her friend in need.please check her post for the details of the appeal to donate for a sister in need.

Hachapuri(Cheese bread) with Olives Green Mung Stew

Hachapuri
The Georgian cheese bread Khachapuri\Hachapuri adapted from Nigella's Feast was by far the cheesiest bread I ever baked.I usually don't cook with cheese that is not low in fat.Thankfully in this recipe all the 3 cheeses used are available in low fat\fat-free ,which is appropriate for those concerned about the high fat\high cholesterol in the Cheese.If you love cheese but are worried about its high cholesterol use low fat\fat free cheese which have relatively lower cholesterol,and Organic is even better.
The hachapuri is like the stuffed cheese pizza,only that we don't use yeast but baking soda instead.My hacahpuri seemed to have puffed more that expected,you could slightly reduced the quantity of baking soda if liked.This bread is great for dunking in a hearty stew and can easily feed 4 starving souls.
Ingredients
For Dough
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup fat free Yogurt
1 Organic egg,reserve half for the filling.
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon Olive oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
For filling
3/4 cup fat free ricotta cheese
3/4 cup reduced fat feta cheese,crumbled
1/2 cup partly skimmed mozzarella,grated

Method
Combine the flours ,salt and soda in a bowl.In another bowl,whisk the egg,reserve half of it for mixing in to the cheese filling and with the egg for the dough, mix in the yogurt and butter,using a fork break the butter in to the mixture.Now add this mixture in to flour and make a dough and lightly knead until smooth.Cover and let rest for about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425F.
To prepare the filling ,crumble together ricotta and feta and grate in the mozzarella.Add the reserved egg and beat the cheese mixture together.
Sprinkle some all purpose flour on the work surface.Divide the dough in to 2 equal portions.Roll one portion in to a circle about 4 inches,spread the cheese filling and leave the small border around the edges.Fold in the edges to seal the outside of the bread.Sprinkle some flour and lightly press and place the dough on the greased baking sheet.Repeat the same with the other half of the dough.

Bake the bread for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown.Slice in to wedges while still hot and serve warm with soups or stews or curries.

Any leftovers can be stored for 2-3 days in a refrigerator,reheated before use.
This cheese bread is my entry for BBD-Cheese Bread,hosted by High on Hog

Olives Garlic Green Mung Stew
Bharti's quick fix Tomato and Garlic Mung Soup was the hearty accompaniment with this lofty cheese bread.I added Olives for more flavor and made it in a thicker stew's consistency.

Ingredients
1 cup Green Whole Mung Lentils
1/2 cup green and black olives,pitted and sliced.
3-4 cloves medium garlic cloves,crushed and chopped
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
3/4 teaspoon chilly powder
3/4 teaspoon ground spices(like cardamoms,cloves ,cumin and cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds(Zeera)
1 cup tomato sauce(I used pasta sauce for more flavor)
2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoon chopped herbs,I used Cilantro
Salt as per taste

Method
Wash and Soak the lentils for 15-20 minutes.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker(PC) or skillet with lid,add the cumin seeds,after few seconds add the chopped garlic .Don't let the garlic burn,after about a minute ,add the tomato sauce and spices.Drain all the water from the lentils and add to the mixture along with the sliced olives,add 2 cups of water and season with salt.Cover and cook until lentils are tender 12-15 minutes on medium high heat in a PC and 40-50 minutes in a skillet.Uncover and stir and simmer for another 5-10 minutes until gravy thickens,garnish with chopped herbs and serve hot with bread\roti\parathas.