Moong Sprouts and Veggie Salad

After a decadent Kulfi, it is only reasonable that I share something really healthy and this salad is one of the healthiest thing I have made of late. Without much ado lets see how I made it. This salad is definitely going to add to my presently almost non existent salad recipes on this space. It is not that I do not make salads, I just feel that they are something too simple and too easy to be blogged about. I love sprouts and felt that I must blog about this salad.

Here is something about moong beans one should know:

"Moong beans, apart from being a good source of protein also contain useful amounts of fibre, potassium, and B-vitamins. They contain low levels of fat, cholesterol and sodium. It is useful for those of us who want to increase their alertness and mental abilities. Phosphorous is also necessary for healthy bones and teeth, a fact which makes sprouted seeds desirable for babies and children."

How to make moong sprouts?


Soak the moong dal overnight and it will increase to twice its volume. Drain off the water and keep the moong dal in a warm place for 12-20 hrs for the sprouts to grow. The sprouts grow faster in warm environment. Sometimes, I heat the oven at 50-75 C for 5 minutes and then keep the soaked beans there, for the sprouts to grow.

Click here for the printable version


Ingredients:
1/2 cup sprouted moong beans
100 gm cherry tomatoes
1 carrot peeled and chopped
1/4 cup chopped onions
Lots of chopped coriander leaves.
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp chat masala
Freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Black salt to taste.


Serves 2


Process:
1. The moong sprouts can be cooked or used raw in salad. You can steam them too. I usually pour very hot water over a bowl of sprouts and cover it for 5 minutes and then use them in making my salad. The sprouts thus have a crunchy texture than the cooked sprouts.
1. Toss all the ingredients into a salad bowl and shake well. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve immediately.

Note: You can add any veggie of  your choice. For example: chopped radish, cucumber, cabbage etc. 

Linking it to my event - Healthy and Hearty and to  Only Sprouts Event guest hosted by Priya and started by Pari.

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Dulce de Leche Malai Kulfi

If you do not know what 'dulce de leche' is, then the title of this post may sound a bit intimidating. But, let me assure you this is one of the easiest recipes and quick recipes and once you try this one, I am sure you will make it again. I must add a word of caution here, it can get really addictive.


Dulce de leche is just 'cooked' condensed milk. I had made it for these Banoffee pots and I used the leftover dulce de leche for making these kulfis. I am a big kulfi fan and can have them at any time and of course, weather doesn't count. I can be wearing sweaters and be tucked under a blanket and still can gobble down a whole lot of them. You can find the other kulfi recipes I have posted, here.


Refer to this post to see how I made dulce de leche. If you are apprehensive about trying it that way then read this post by aquadaze where she has described a number of ways to make it, including one in microwave. Sure, that would be a time saver and will come in handy. But, I have discovered something better. On searching a bit more about in google I found that Nestle Caramel is nothing but dulce de leche. I had searched for it in the grocery store and had taken for granted that it would be selling under its original name. So, the next time I have a serious urge to make these kulfis, a trip to the super market will help me a lot. Stocking them up at home can be dangerous!

Click here for the printable version
Ingredients:


180ml dulce de leche
120 ml double cream or fresh cream
120 ml milk, I used low fat.


Yields 6-8 kulfis depending on the size of the molds.


Process:


1. Add all the ingredients in a mixer jar and whiz for a few seconds.
2. Pour into kulfi molds and freeze over night.
3. Allow the molds to remain outside the refrigerator for 5 minutes and then un mold it or run hot water over the kulfi molds to un mold it even quickly. Enjoy!

To sum up in a word, they were just 'AWESOME'. I already have my favorite recipe of the year! Do try it out!

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

#25 Teaser Tuesdays ~ Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

"He was quiet as he turned the car around and headed back to Forks. I waited, wondering if he would bring it up himself. He didn't, and this made me tense."

Page:37

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!


Do check out Lucky Library Picks on this blog. A post for is due this Friday. If you have something, do send in. Cheers!


Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel

When you pick up a book of an author you have previously read and enjoyed, your expectation from his new book automatically increases. I had high hopes from this book - Beatrice & Virgil by Yann Martel. The previous book by the author, Life of Pi is one of my favorite reads of all times. But, all my hopes with his new book came thrashing down as I turned pages after pages of the book without having a clue what the story is all about and then it came to me with a bang. Let me quote the blurb from the back of the book to get started:

"This story is the story of a donkey named Beatrice and a monkey named Virgil. It is also the story of an extraordinary journey undertaken by a man named Henry. It begins with a mysterious parcel, and it ends in a place that will make you think again about one of the most significant events of the twentieth century. Once you have finished reading it, it is impossible to forget."

I was HIGHLY intrigued by this blurb, so much so that I put aside the other books I had been reading and started with this one. Also, since the book was barely 200 pages, I didn't think it would take too long. The story started with a writer named Henry whose previous book was a huge success and he is working hard on a book about 'Holocaust'. He tries to present the stories from Holocaust in a different and 'never told before' style but his style and endeavors are rejected by the publishers. He decides to take a break and shifts to a different city and puts all the thoughts about his book at the back of his mind.

One day he receives a mysterious box containing excerpts from a play by Flaubert and another play which perhaps the sender himself had penned down. Henry traced the letter to a taxidermist and coincidentally his name was also Henry. The taxidermist reads out his play (whose main characters are stuffed animals present in his workshop- Beatrice, the donkey and Virgil, the howler monkey) to Henry.The first scene of the play was interesting where Virgil is trying to explain to Beatrice how a pear looks and tastes like. But from then onwards, the play is a jumble and I found it rather boring, crude and abstract.

And then  a few lines from the book sums up everything:


"Here was irrefutable proof that he was using the Holocaust to speak of the extermination of animal life. Doomed creatures that could not speak for themselves were being given the voice of a most articulate people who had been similarly doomed. He was seeing the tragic fate of animals through the tragic fate of Jews. The Holocaust as allegory."

 That is so bizarrely convenient! Here was an author whose book about Holocaust has been rejected and he comes across a Nazi who had somehow escaped detection and was living a solitary life. I felt aghast as a reader, here I was reading page after page trying to fathom what the author is trying to say and then in just a few lines you sum up the novel. Then in fact, a second thought dawned on me - was the writer Henry in this book Yann Martel himself? I do not know that for sure.

Even though I disliked the book to the core here are a few quotes from the book, I loved and think are thoughts to ponder on:

"To my mind, faith is like being in the sun. When you are in the sun, can you avoid creating a shadow? Can you shake that area of darkness that clings to you, always shaped like you, as if constantly to remind you of yourself? You can't. This shadow is doubt. And it goes wherever you go as long as you stay in the sun. And who wouldn't want to be in the sun?"

" If you are pitched into misery,remember that your days on this earth are counted and you might as well make the best of those you have left."


Linking it to A2ZChallenge for Letter B.


Thank you for stopping by! Cheers

A Tag and some things about me!

Let me just stick to the point, I am very happy to receive 'The Versatile Blogger' tag from a lovely blogger friend- Bhargavi. I love her blog ( and I am not saying this for the sake of it). Her blog is an epitome of creative art, beautiful sketches, thorough book reviews and everyday chronicles. Thank you for tagging me, I feel really honoured. Since this is my first tag it is really special.

But this tag comes with some rules and they are the real fun part of it and tough part of it as well.

The rules of the award are as follows:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for the award (Thank You Bhargavi)
2. Share 7 Random facts about yourself
3. Nominate 15 other bloggers and inform them of the same
4. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your Blog Post

Here are 7 things about me:

- I love reading. Bookstores and libraries are the places for me and I can be there for hours without noticing the time.
- I am a cleanliness and orderliness freak. I hate it when someone dries his hand and leaves the towel crumpled. (You know who I am talking about.)
- I had NO interest in cooking before marriage. I would not be found anywhere near it then. Things are different now, cooking was a necessity when I began, it's an area that I am too eager to explore.
- Baking is therapeutic for me. It is a stress buster. When I am happy, I bake to celebrate and when I am not happy, I bake to uplift my mood.
- I love cooking more than eating.
- I love raw tomatoes and can have them as a meal (Weird... But then it's me!)
- I am an absolute zero when it comes to makeup & fashion sense.

Listing out these 7 bullet points for myself was tough. But, I did manage to pull it off! Yayy!

I would like to pass this award to some of my favourite bloggers:

Rachana of Veggi Fare
This is one blog I follow religiously. Her space is full of innovative, interesting, delicious and healthy recipes. A must space for any food lover!

Puja of US Masala.
A den of lip-smacking recipes with drool-worthy pictures. I have literally bookmarked all her recipes.

Smita of Books, Life and More.
One of the most popular blog around. Her posts are refreshing and fun to read. I loved her 'Senseless Saturday' series and I hope she does more posts on that series again!

Hema of Tell A Story My Way.
One of the first book blog I started following. I have picked a number of books after reading her reviews.

Lindy of LindaLouMac Book Reviews.
She is a veteran book lover and her book reviews are very informative. A must for book lovers.

Saumya of Nascent Emissions
This is one blog I started following recently. Her posts on varied subjects including books are food for thought.

Priya of Tabula Rasa.
Another must blog for book lovers!

Anamika of Taste Junction
A passionate food blogger and baker and a budding photographer. I am awed by her poetic creations and I hope she creates a blog to share them with the world.

Gayathri of My Pressure Cooker
 A fun, bubbly blogger who blogs about food, loves reading books. I hope she blogs more often!

Sandhya of Maradhi Manni
A blog I recently discovered and spent a lot of digging into her posts. You have to visit her space.

Vibha of Literary Sojourn
Her space is a haven for book lovers. I have picked up a lot of books after her recommendation and they have made to my favourites list.

Abhinav of Serendipity
He strikes me as an adventurous person, in love with life and all it has to offer. His thought-provoking posts are food for the soul. His love for running is commendable!

Pavithra of Dishes From My Kitchen
You will be dazzled by the pictures on her blog, they are a treat for your eyes. A passionate foodie and an awesome photographer.

Vardhini of Zesty Palette
Another food blog, I have started following recently. She has a great collection of recipes and the pictures will definitely make you hungry.

15. Harini of Tongueticklers.
A vegan food blog, I have been silently following for some time now. Her photographic skills are awe-inspiring!

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!