Rice Krispies Chiwda ~ A Very Healthy Snack

Sometimes I buy food products only to realize they are not really to my taste. This happened to me again when I bought a big pack of Rice Krispies. I know many people love it and that is what prompted me to buy it. But, soon I realized they are quite bland to my taste. When it comes to cereals, I love the sweet ones. So, this pack of Rice Krispies sat in my pantry unused for a rather long time.

Recently, we had a tea party at one of my friends place and one of my friends brought this Rice Krispies Chiwda. I loved the crunchy snack and immediately asked her for the recipe. Soon, I tried it at home with a few tweaks and loved the results. I am sure my long unused pack of rice krispies will be over soon and I won't hesitate to buy it again! With little oil, brown rice puffs and no frying - it is a very healthy snack.

Instead of Rice Krispies, we can add puffed rice. Here comes the recipe:

 Ingredients:

2 cups Rice Krispies
3 tbsp cashew nut halves
3 tbsp golden raisans
2 dried red chillies torned.
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
7-8 curry leaves
2-3 tbsp oil.
1/4 tsp turmeric powder.
1/4-1/2 tsp red chilli powder.
Salt to taste.
1 tsp sugar.

Process:

1. Heat a deep pan. When heated add oil. Add red chillies, curry leaves, mustard seeds and fennel seeds.
2. Once they splutter add cashew nuts and toast them till they are light golden. Then add the raisans and all the spices.
3. Give a stir and add the rice krispies. Give another good stir and turn off the gas. Give it a good shake. Make sure the spices and salt is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
4. Let it cool completely before storing.
5. Enjoy with a cup of tea and newspaper!

Linking it to Fast Food Not Fat Food. This event is the brain child of Priya.

Warning: Once you start munching it, it is hard to stop :-)! But, don't worry, its healthy stuff.

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday- Swirls

#16 Teaser Tuesday- A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve

"Bridget took a seat in the front of the ambulance. No sirens wailed as they drove to the hospital, a silence that alternately alarmed and soothed her."

Page: 59

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists!

Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard

Synopsis:

Rose Leonard is on the run from her life.

Taking refuge in a remote island community, she cocoons herself in work, silence and solitude in a house by the sea. But she is haunted by her past, by memories and desires she'd hoped were long dead. Rose must decide whether she has in fact chosen a new life or just a different kind of death. Life and love are offered by new friends, her lonely daughter, and most of all Calum, a fragile younger man who has his own demons to exorcise.

But does Rose, with her tenuous hold on life and sanity, have the courage to say yes to life and put her past behind her?

My take:

Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard is a sensitive and emotional read. It is about a forty seven years old lady, Rose and her tumultuous emotional journey and how she tries to recover from her past failed relationship with Gavin, an avid mountaineer and move on in life. Rose is a complex character and the author has very intricately described her, right from her love for her boyfriend-Gavin, the textile work she loves to do that works like a therapy to her, to her bipolar disorder sufferings, about her strained relationship with her daughter and lastly his attraction to Calum.

The novel is not a very easy read. As Rose struggles with her life, the reader's heart aches to reach out to her, to help her heal. It is depressing and haunting at times as it explores issues such as mental illness, grief, regret,  betrayal and heart break but it is redeeming at the end. The description of the landscape of Uist, Skye, and the tiny remote islands of western Scotland is given so vividly, that one will long to be in the place and soak oneself in its beauty.

In a nutshell, Emotional Geology is a thought provoking, intense novel about love, nature, art and how they can heal the most painful scars of heart break and usher one with the confidence and faith to move on with life. I am surely going to read more of her work! To know more about the author and her work visit http://www.lindagillard.co.uk/

P.S: Thanks Lindy for recommending me Linda Gillard's work!

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

Creamy Mango & Saffron Yoghurt ~ Aamarakhand~ Mango Shrikhand

Shrikhand is a yoghurt based Indian dessert. It is creamy and flavourful and popular throughout India. Served chilled, it is definately a means to beat the heat. While traditionally, it requires some patience to make it as it is made from creamy strained yoghurt. Using Greek style yoghurt considerably reduces the time. Mango being in season, I decided to go for the mango flavoured one, Amarakhand ( Aam being Mango in Hindi). I have infused saffron in it for a enlivened flavour.

Saffron is the world most expensive spice by weight. It imparts a distinct taste and colour to dishes. To derive the full flavour and colour of this spice, take a generous pinch of it in a small pestle and mortat and add a few drops of milk or water and rub it and use the resultant. See the picture below for an illustration.

Be careful while handling it as it can give stains to cloths.

Coming back to today's recipe, that is, Creamy Mango & Saffron Yoghurt ~ Aamarakhand~ Mango Shrikhand, you will need:

Ingredients:

250ml Greek style yoghurt.
1 large mango.
1 tbsp sugar (adjust according to the sweetness of the mango)
A generous pinch of saffron rubbed with a few drops of milk.
Sliced pistachios to garnish.

Serves 4

Process:

1. Peel the mango and scrape all the flesh of it. Puree it in a blender. Seive to separate any fibre from the puree.

2. In a large bowl, add the greek yoghurt and add the mango puree. Mix till well blended. Add sugar as required. I needed only a tbsp. Add in the rubbed saffron. Mix well.

3. Scoop them in 4 serving bowl and garnish with sliced pistachios. Keep it in the fridge to chill.

4. Serve chilled.

Notes:

1. Rubbing the saffron with a few drops of milk really brings out the colour and flavour.

2. If you want it creamier, add 60 ml of whipped double cream while mixing the yoghurt and puree.

3. Instead of Greek yoghurt, you can use hung yoghurt. Hang twice the amount, i.e. 2 cups of yoghurt in a muslin cloth over a bowl for 4-5 hours in fridge to get 1 cup of thick yoghurt.

4. If you do not like fruit flavoured yoghurt, try adding only cardamom, saffron, nutmeg and a combination of these. You can even try other fruits like peach, berries, apple etc.

Linking it to Sameena's Mango Recipes Event and Kalyani's Indian Mithai Mela.

Thanks for stopping by!! Cheers!