A Valentine's Day Surprise

The romantics of the world celebrated Valentine's Day a couple of weeks ago. The cynics would rather call it Hallmarks Day or Flowershop Day or even Hershey's Day because of the volume of sales for cards, flowers and chocolates on this particular day !
But cynicism aside, no woman that I know would refuse a gift of flowers (or chocolates for that matter :P). There is something about the freshness of flowers, the colour and warmth and exuberance that seems to seep into the very air surrounding fresh flowers !
TH and I do not celebrate Valentine's particularly. We do exchange e-cards when we remember and try and get a nice meal, usually at home. So imagine my surprise when the bell rang and I discovered that the UPS delivery guy had dropped off a rectangular box at my doorstop. As far as I knew, we were not expecting any deliveries and I was a little flummoxed. I ripped open the box, (oh yes, I am a very curious person...I cannot wait to open any boxes ! ), I saw that it was addressed to me :) (Thankfully !! else I would have had some explaining to do when TH came home )
Inside was a bunch of assorted colourful tulips, glass vase and all ! The card said that TH had ordered tulips for me and had arranged to have them delivered !!!
Surprise Surprise :) It was a very sweet gesture and I loved it !



Then in order to have something in return, I decided to have a fancier meal than we usually have ! I made sprouts curry, made with sprouted moth and whole moong. Paired it up with store bought masala naan. I made my favourite black bean corn salad as a side.
Dessert was Protein Rich chocolate mousse ! Protein rich, you ask ? Read on !
By the time TH came home, dinner was ready, the house was clean and neat (as neat as it can be with a mischievous toddler in the house) and was smelling fresh and pleasant, due to generous squirts of room freshener !
Dinner was a success and all three of us had a nice time around the dining table !
And so ended this years Valentine's at our house !

Black Bean Corn Salad
Servings - 4 to 6

( Dinner plate on Valentine's Day 2008 - Masala Naan, Sprouts curry and Jicama Black bean corn salad )

Ingredients:

1 can black beans
3/4 C corn (Fresh or Frozen)
1/2 C onion (diced)
1/2 medium sized jicama (diced)
chopped coriander

Dressing:
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp spicy prepared mustard
1 tsp cumin powder
salt and pepper to taste
red chili flakes to taste (optional)

Method:
1. If using fresh corn, boil it until tender but not mushy. It should retain its shape.
If using frozen corn, then thaw to room temperature and drain all water. (I put it in the microwave for about a minute and its ready to use)
2. Mix with the remaining salad ingredients in a bowl. Reserve the coriander for later.
3. Mix all the dressing ingredients in another bowl and whisk until incorporated. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if required.
4. Pour dressing over the bean mixture and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle chopped coriander.
5. Cover and refrigerate until time to serve.


The salad can be served cold or warm. If you prefer it warm, then just cover it until its time to serve. This is a hearty, filling salad and has tons of fiber and protein.
If jicama is not available, diced cucumber can be added for crunch. But if it is available, I would recommend using the crunchy sweet root for a delicious difference !


Tofu Chocolate Mousse
Servings: 6



Ingredients:

1 packet silken tofu ( like the Mori-Nu brand for desserts and entrees)
3 oz semisweet or dark chocolate
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/3 C sugar (more or less according to preference)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
1. Puree the tofu in a blender until smooth. Add a couple of tablespoons of milk if required.
2. Combine chocolate chips, cocoa powder, sugar and maple syrup in a bowl. Place over another smaller bowl container simmering water and stir until chocolate chips melt.
3. Then remove off the heat and stir in vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly until no lumps remain.
4. Add chocolate mixture to the blender and blend again until well combined. You might need to scrape down the sides several times to ensure that no white streaks remain in the mousse.
5. Pour into several ramekins or serving glasses and refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or chopped nuts and enjoy !

The mousse was creamy and rich and sweet and delicious !
The taste of tofu was a little discernible but wasn't odd in any way and did not mar the taste of the mousse. If you have an unused block of tofu, then this recipe is a must try !

Nupur's All American Carrot Cake

The food blog world has become an invariable part of my culinary adventures. Why, you ask ? well, because no longer do I wring my hands in despair and frustration when I cant think of any ideas for lunch and dinner ! I just have to match up the ingredients in my pantry and refrigerator to whatever catches my fancy amongst the scores of wonderful recipes and voila ! Dinner is served !!
(or breakfast, lunch or snacks as the case maybe :D )
The added advantage is that these are tried and tested recipes with mouthwatering photos alongside...the comments left by other readers also helps in deciding the vote :) Its no wonder then that this world of food blogs is a veritable treasure trove..and its also no small wonder that so many recipes tend to become family favourites.
I happened to see this carrot cake featured on Nupur's OneHotStove. This is one beautiful, well written blog and is a regular stop for me. Nupur mentioned that she had used very little oil in the recipe and the sugar could also be reduced as per taste.
I decided to try it out and I was not disappointed !




The cake was delicious, moist and healthy too, with carrots and pineapples in it ! I made a few changes to it, basically to replace the eggs, since I do not use eggs. I substituted with half a cup of pureed tofu.

Also, I varied the frosting recipe a little:
4 tbsp Pineapple flavoured Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
2 tbsp butter (softened )
3 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix these ingredients thoroughly and you have yourself a delicious frosting !



The above picture shows a generous slice of cake with (...ummm..ahem) a little frosting.

I would recommend this cake to everybody !
I sure will be making this again !!!

P.S Nupur has mentioned that she adapted this recipe from Cooking Lite magazine.

A Very Berry Tofu Breakfast !

I think every nutritionist and diet advisor must concur that breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day..one should have a nutritious, healthy and filling breakfast within an hour of waking up..The body gets a chance to refuel its glucose levels, you jump start the day with good calories and you are less likely to have a hunger pang in the middle of the day ! Many experts have also said that eating a good breakfast can also aid in weight loss, the key word here being "good"...I am sure the good doctors would not look too kindly upon chocolate covered doughnuts on the breakfast plate !
But the following options are healthy and can be quickly assembled for the busy working people out there :

* Ready-to-eat whole-grain cereal topped with fruit and a cup of yogurt
* Whole-grain waffles topped with peanut butter, fruit or ricotta cheese
* A whole-wheat pita stuffed with sliced hard-cooked eggs
* Hot cereal topped with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice or cloves
* Peanut butter on a bagel with fresh fruit (banana or apple wedges) and low-fat milk
* Breakfast smoothie (milk, fruit and teaspoon of bran, whirled in a blender)

Other than these, there are scores of Indian breakfasts that you can whip up in the kitchen, some of them need preparation and a little bit of work and others can be made very easily if you have the right ingredients at hand:

* The ubiquitous idli, dosa and other fermented breakfast goodies.
* Upma (made out of roasted semolina and made healthy by adding veggies)
* Poha
* Parathas and chapaties with a side of vegetables
* .....and so many more...

A pat on the back for all those who regularly make good choices for their breakfasts and a simple advice to those who don't: Its not very difficult to incorporate breakfasts into a busy day...there are many grab and go healthy options and if you can do a little prep work the night before, it makes it all the more easier the next morning ! The benefits of breakfast are too important to eliminate it from our routines..

Here's an easy smoothie recipe that can be made in advance and the prep work is really very negligible :-)

Very Berry Tofu Smoothie





Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen berries or berry juice
1 package soft tofu ( I used the Mori Nu silken tofu that comes in an aseptic pack)
2 tbsps honey
1 banana (any fruit can be used...I used a nectarine that was stashed away in the fridge...)
1/4 tsp each cardamom and clove powder (optional)

Method:
Whiz all the above ingredients in a blender.
Pour into container of choice and sip away !


Result:
The glass of smoothie was very filling...the tofu was virtually undetectable, but provided the protein nonetheless ! This is a very forgiving recipe, because any blend of fruits can be used..Its a simple, delicious and healthy breakfast idea !!!
Also, the recipe can be made vegan easily by substituting the honey with either maple syrup, or by omitting sweeteners altogether !