CREAMY SPINACH PASTA

CREAMY SPINACH PASTA

This recipe is as good and tasty as macaroni cheese plus healthy because of spinach. I always like the combination of the white/creamy colour of cream with the green of spinach.

Three years ago when I was in South Africa, my son was throwing a surprise birthday party for his wife. He invited around 50 people to that party, it was organized in his friend's house. My son asked me to make this creamy spinach macaroni and gave other dishes to other ladies to cook in their homes. I did all the preparations in the absence of my daughter-in-law because it was a surprise party.

In South Africa, we hardly get baby spinach, the only variety available there is a long white silver beet spinach, as I mentioned in my Palak Paratha post. I sliced the spinach and kept it in the freezer, one week before the party. This made my job easier and faster for that day because silver beet spinach takes more time in chopping and cooking. While my daughter-in-law was in her office, I cooked this creamy spinach pasta in a big pot for 50 people. Everybody enjoyed the pasta and many ladies were asking the recipe.

I have tried and tested many times that butter and ground mustard seeds go very well in pasta dishes, even some of my friends have started using this tip of mine, which I have also used in this recipe. In this recipe, full fat whipped cream is used which tastes better but for lighter version half cream and the half, milk can also be used.

Remember that my First blog Anniversary event is still running, click here to join the celebration.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 200 gm pasta
• 200 ml whipped cream
• one bunch of spinach washed and thinly sliced.
• One big onion, finely sliced
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
• 2 tbs butter
• 2 tbs ground mustard seeds
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1tbs oil to be added at the time of boiling pasta

Method

• Keep 1L water in a big pot and boil pasta in it with some salt and one tbs oil.
• Once boiled al dente, remove the water and rinse the pasta in cold water and keep it aside.
• Heat butter in a frying pan then add mustard seeds, once it sizzles add spinach and some salt and cook on a medium flame.
• Once spinach is cooked, add pasta and mix well, cover it for 5 minutes.
• Add cream and black pepper powder, now it is ready to serve.

This can be served to 3-4 people as a main dish with some salad of your choice.

I am sharing this recipe as my blog post for the event with Full plate Thursday, with Funtastic 
Friday, and with Fiesta Friday, and with Food and Fitness Friday, and with Meatless Monday, and with Meat Free Mondays, and What'do you do this weekend, and with Tasty Tuesday, and with Cook blog share, and with Hearth and Soul blog hop.,and with Tuesday Tutorials, and with What are you working on Wednesday, and with Happy Healthy and green party,, and with From the archives party,

MY FIRST BLOG ANNIVERSARY EVENT

MY FIRST BLOG ANNIVERSARY EVENT

I can't believe this is my blog's first anniversary, one year has already flown away. When I started my blog, I never thought blogging was going to be a real joy, in which on one hand I was sharing my old recipes and on the other hand learning a lot of new recipes and ideas of different cuisines. In this journey of one year, I met amazing people, some food bloggers and some readers, with whom I have built a bond of friendship. Because of getting enormous support and encouragement from my family, friends, and bloggers, I can say that I am ready to go a long way with this and continue my blogging for many years to come.

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL

Celebrating my first blog anniversary cannot be complete without sincere thanks to all my readers who liked my recipes and posts, not only on my blog but also on all social medias.

I am in a celebration mood, and no celebration is complete without giving away something good. I am running an event on my blog for the first time in which I am giving away a $25 amazon gift card to one lucky participant. This event is valid worldwide and anybody can take part, whether you are a blogger or not.

The event will last for one month from 18^th May to 18^th June 2015. Gift card will be awarded to one lucky winner, I will draw the winner's name randomly, which will be announced on 20^th June 2015 on my web page. The winner will have 3 days to contact me after the announcement, and if I don't hear from the winner, I may draw another winner.

Simply follow these three rules which make you eligible for winning the amazon gift card.

1. Follow me on any two social media.
   (1) Facebook
   (2) Twitter
   (3) Pinterest
   (4) Google +
2. Choose your favourite recipe from my blog and share it on any social media.
3. Leave a comment below, with your name, as I will use this name and enter into the draw.

Good luck to everyone and join in the celebration event!

BAKED ASPARAGUS

Baked Asparagus

Edited: - My this post was featured as one of the best posts at-

1. Hearth and soul blog hop on 26th may 2015,

2  My Two favourite things at cooking and craft weekly party on May 28th, 2015.

3.Also featured at Bake of the week on 5th June 2015

4. This recipe was published in the local Newspaper "Here's the Scoop " of  Airdrie on 23rd of July 2015.

I have hardly seen asparagus in my long stay in Africa. Only in South Africa, they were available for a very short time and very small in size, as compared to what we got in North America. Even in my youth, when I was in India, I had not seen asparagus available in vegetable shops or with vegetable vendors.

Now here in Canada, I am amazed to see this vegetable is available in plenty and in all seasons. I think everybody knows the enormous health benefits of eating asparagus.

In the Hindi language it is called “shatavari”, In Ayurveda (Traditional Healing system of India) it is considered as the queen of herbs and used as a divine medicine. The list of benefits of eating this vegetable in Ayurveda is very long, and it is considered very good for women because shatavari supports reproductive health by toning and nourishing the female reproductive organ and maintains healthy hormonal balance.(Source).

This vegetable can be used in many recipes and in many ways. This is a very simple and nice recipe because asparagus is not over cooked. As we know, in a case of all vegetables, overcooking can destroy the nutrients of the vegetables.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 500 grams asparagus
• Himalayan pink salt to taste *OR kala namak
• black pepper powder to taste
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tbs orange juice
• 2 tbs orange zest
• 2 tbs olive oil
  * Himalayan pink salt is available in Indian grocery shops or any specialized food shop.

METHOD

• Rinse asparagus and remove the hard end/stem of all the sticks.
• Sprinkle salt, black pepper powder, coriander powder and mix well.
• Mix orange juice and olive oil.
• Sprinkle orange zest and mixture of orange juice and olive all.
• Spread asparagus in a single line on a baking tray.
• Heat oven to 200 degrees C
• Bake for 10-15 minutes till they are soft.
• Serve hot as a side dish.

I am sending this recipe as my blog post for first blog anniversary of Delectable flavours and with Funtastic Friday,, and with Fiesta Friday, and with Meatless Monday, and with what'd you do this weekend, and for Vegetable palette for the month of May., and with Hearth and soul, and with Tasty Tuesday C.kids and with Cook Blog Share.,with my two favourite things and with Full plate Thursday, and with Food and Fitness Friday., and with Fabulous Friday Party, and with Meat Free Monday, and with Bake of the week, and with Extra Veg June 2015 with Michelle, and with Real food Friday 93., and with Waywow link up party, and with From the Archives Friday, and with Happy, healthy and green party.

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR COOKIES

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR COOKIES

Aatte ke Biscuit

Happy Mothers day to all mothers.

This post is dedicated to all mothers. We, women, feel really special this day when we not only get gifts and surprises but also a lot of love from our children. The best gift, God has given to women, are her children.

Two days ago when my grandson came from school, he was very excited and told me that he is the only one in his class who is making two cards on mothers day. I asked “why are you making two cards?”, he replied “one for my mom and one for you, because you are also my mom's mom”, I was really touched by the answer. I was actually emotional, then he gave me a big hug, what a great feeling I had at that time.

I love cookies, and I always try new types of cookies available in the shops here. Though I prefer healthy ones like whole wheat, but if I see nice ingredients on the packet, I buy them to test and try. My grandchildren also like chocolate cookies or chocolate chip cookies. These two are the main reasons, you will always find a variety of cookies in my pantry.

My love towards cookies has one more reason- I can not drink tea or coffee alone, I need something with it. Either cookies or some savoury snack is a must for me with tea or coffee, I do not know whether this is good or a bad, but it is just a habit.

Whenever I get time I make cookies because when they are homemade they are even better. The only thing I have to consider is that they should have chocolate chips or chocolate powder so that my grandchildren can also enjoy.

This is the recipe of healthy cookies because it is made with whole wheat flour with little butter and I have also added flax seeds.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup whole wheat flour/brown bread flour
• 1 cup cooking oats (if possible, grind this to a flour)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• ½ cup butter at room temperature.
• 3 tbs flax seeds powder
• 3 tbs Nesquick choc powder/1tbs cocoa powder
• 3 tbs choc chips/buttons
• 1tsp Vanilla essence
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
• 4 tbs milk
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

METHOD

• In a big bowl, take whole wheat flour and mix oats, then baking powder, soda-bi-crab, cocoa and cinnamon powder.
• Now add sugar and mix well.
• Add butter, milk, vanilla essence and flax seeds and mix well.
• Now add chocolate buttons and make small balls and slightly flatten them.
• Heat the oven to 175 degrees C/360 F
• Spread the cookies on parchment paper on an oven tray, they should be 2-3 cm apart.
• Bake in a heated oven 10-15 minutes. 10 minutes for soft and 15 minutes for crunchy.
• When cold put it in a jar. They can stay on the shelf for one month.

I am sending this recipe as my blog post for Full plate Thursday, and for My Two favourite things, with Cook blog share and with Friday Free for all, and with Food Year Linkup, and with Fiesta Friday and with Funtastic Friday, and with weekend creations, and with Meatless Monday, and with Hearth and Soul, and with Tasty Tuesday and with cocoa link party, and with What"d do you do this weekend and with Cooking for all Seasons., and with Food and Fitness Friday, and with Way Wow link party.