Elixir of Life !

**** Picture courtesy of Free Nature Pictures****

Almost everyone on this earth knows that drinking water is essential to us human beings and that it is recommended that we have a daily intake of about 8 cups of water...But how many of us actually do take in that much water everyday ?
I started pondering on this fact because one day I actually measured the amount of water that I was drinking throughout the day...I had always thought that I was a good water drinker .. ummm...good at drinking water i.e. (and sometimes at making up words ..hee hee ) but what it actually came down to was that I was always sipping ...I never ever went over 5 cups of water...and try as I might, drinking 8 cups didn't come naturally at all..
But I have decided to put a little effort into it and make sure that I get plenty of water in me...Why, you ask ?? Well...read on !
Here are some known and maybe some unknown facts about the elixir of life (yes...I am talking about water...though some opinions on what qualifies as the elixir of life may differ :D:D:D )

* Roughly 70 percent of an adult’s body is made up of water.
* Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water intoxication. Water intoxication occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain.
* While the daily recommended amount of water is eight cups per day, not all of this water must be consumed in the liquid form. Nearly every food or drink item provides some water to the body.
* Somewhere between 70 and 75 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water.
* By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount.
* All the water that ever will be is, right now ! ( and that is why we have to make sure that we respect this god given gift and make proper and careful use of it...you are thinking that I am going to have a big boring lecture on water preservation and conservation up my sleeve...you would be right....except ..thats for another post !! )

There must be about a hundred or more different reasons on why we should drink water..but here are a few that compel me to drink up !

# A person can live for about a month without food, but only about a week without water.
# Water helps to maintain healthy body weight by increasing metabolism and regulating appetite.
# Water leads to increased energy levels. The most common cause of daytime fatigue is actually mild dehydration.
# Drinking adequate amounts of water can decrease the risk of certain types of cancers, including colon cancer, bladder cancer, and breast cancer.
# For a majority of sufferers, drinking water can significantly reduce joint and/or back pain.
# Water leads to overall greater health by flushing out wastes and bacteria that can cause disease.
# Water can prevent and alleviate headaches.
# Water naturally moisturizes skin and ensures proper cellular formation underneath layers of skin to give it a healthy, glowing appearance.
# Water aids in the digestion process and prevents constipation.
# Water is the primary mode of transportation for all nutrients in the body and is essential for proper circulation.

One of the ways that I motivate myself to drink more water is to keep a nice clean glass of sparkling water, right where I can see it ...There is something about a full glass of cool, crisp water that has me reaching for it every time I pass it !
How do you keep yourself hydrated ?? I would definitely love to know !
Well, until then...bottoms up ! ( with a glass of water, i.e. :-))

Wishing Everybody a Sparkling and Prosperous Deepavali !!!!

Fantastic Fruits Series - Bountiful Banana

Bountiful Banana
I always marvel at Nature's repertoire of products...such a vast array of flora and fauna !People spend their entire lives cataloging known species and are always on the quest to find newer ones...For those of us who would still like to witness nature's handiwork without having to travel far and wide , we only have to look into our fruit bowls to get a glimpse of this miracle ! So many fruits...each with a different texture, a different colour, smell and of course a different taste ! Its a plethora of sensory stimuli !
The world is now getting smaller and smaller in more ways than one...All kinds of fruits,both the everyday kind and the exotic ones are available right at your grocery stores and usually at an affordable price too ! Wouldnt it be nice to know a bit about different kinds of fruits, the various uses of the fruits and different types of recipes to go with it ?
I have decided to do just that, experiment with all available fruits and jot it down on my blog, more for my own reference than anything else :)
I will not always go in the alphabetical order ( now where's the fun in that :D , also..since fruit availability doesnt necessarily follow any particular order, I might have to wait for a long time to proceed with my series if I decided to do that ;-)

So to inaugurate this series, I decided to look at the world's favourite fruit - the banana !


Here are some interesting facts about the banana :

• The banana's origins are traced back to Malaysia. The fruit initially gained popularity in countries like India, China, Madagascar , the Caribbean among other countries, before finally making an appearance in America.
• The banana plant is not a tree. It is in fact the world's largest herb.
• A cluster of bananas is called a hand and consists of 10 to 20 bananas, which are known as fingers.
• Bananas are harvested every single day of the year !
• Bananas ripen best off the plant.
• Each banana plant bears only one stem of fruit.
• Banana plants have been in cultivation since the time of recorded history, thus encouraging horticulturists to believe that this was the first fruit on earth !
• The word 'banan' is Arabic for finger.

Medicinal Uses :

• Bananas are high in iron content and can help in treating anemia by increasing hemoglobin production.
• Bananas are also high in potassium and less salt, thereby making them excellent snacking options for people with high blood pressure.
• It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronic ulcer cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
• The inside of a banana skin can be rubbed over insect bites. It has been known to reduce redness of skin and swelling ! Who knew insect bite creams were available right under your nose ?
• Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
• Last but not the least, bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin. This is a mood enhancer, it makes you relax, improves your mood and makes you happier ! Now who could ask for a better mid morning or afternoon snack ?

I decided to use this super fruit in a moist delicious muffin.
Found the recipe at this site , made a few changes and came up with a keeper !

Banana Crumb Muffin
Serves : 10 fairly big sized muffins


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup yogurt
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• a handful of coarsely chopped walnuts

Method:

• Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder,salt and half of the spice mixture (cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg)
• In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, yogurt and oil. (I just mashed the bananas with my fingers and then mixed everything else as well as I could with a wooden spoon).
• Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened.
• Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
• In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and the remaining spice mixture. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
• Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Verdict
The muffins were amazingly moist without being crumbly.
With a taste of bananas in every bite and the crunch provided by the walnuts, these were a hit at my house :)
If you like bananas, then these are definitely for you!

Lauki Kofta (Bottle Gourd dumplings in Tomato gravy)

Many a times when I returned home from school, I used to see my mother at our doorstep waiting for us to return home, chatting away with our neighbour, who was waiting on her doorstep for her children...Our neighbours had become an extended family for us, since our own immediate family was nowhere in the neighbourhood..we celebrated festivals together, played games with the children, shared our successes at school and generally had a good time.
Its only after coming to the US that I realize how important those relationships were and how much I miss them here...For the past few years that I have been living here, I never had neighbours at my front door, coming in to chat about inconsequential matters, inquiring after me, my work or my kid, sharing food or sharing some new recipe...
But all that changed when we moved into our home..I discovered to my delight that my next door neighbours were a full fledged Indian family, complete with kids and in-laws :D. Their kids come to my house and play with my toddler, the mom-in-law (henceforth known as Aunty-ji) comes in to talk and the lady of the house is also very friendly..It reminds me of what would have been if we were living in India and makes me less homesick...Its just good to have a nice relationship with your neighbours, because you can then be there for each other in times of need! The fact that they keep plying me with home grown fresh squashes is not that bad either ! (Just kidding, am not that selfish ! )
But its true that they have been offloading some extra produce this year, in the form of the bottle gourd (lauki, sorekaayi, haalu kumbalakaayi, doodhi).Initially I used them in subzis and sambhars. I even made a lauki halwa one day.
Then I remembered that Aunty-ji had mentioned that they made koftas with it and had even rattled off the recipe..Well...that was it then...I would try my hand at making koftas...

Recipe for Lauki Kofta











Source:
1. Aunty-ji (Elderly Neighbour)
2. Adapted from this recipe.

What You Need:

For the kofta:
1 medium bottlegourd
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp All Purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp chile powder
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1 cup gram flour (besan)
oil for deep frying

For the gravy:
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup Finely chopped Onion, almost pureed
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 inch fresh ginger, finely minced
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Cumin Powder
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1 tsp chile pepper (add more for increased heat)
1 cup Tomato Puree
1/4 tsp Nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
1 tsp kasoori methi (Dried Fenugreek leaves)
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

How to proceed:

Kofta:

1. Peel the gourd and grate it.
2. Put the gratings in a paper towel and give it a slight wring to take out excess water, if any.
3. Add the salt, A.P flour, baking soda, chile powder to the grated bottle gourd.
4. Sprinkle in the bread crumbs. Mix well
5. Let stand for 15 minutes.
6. Make balls, roll in dry gram flour.
7. Deep fry the koftas in hot oil over medium heat until golden brown.
8. Drain on paper towels.
(Note: Use a small - medium pan for deep frying and use only the optimum amount of oil. That way you can minimize the use of the oil.)

Gravy:
1. Add the oil to a pan. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and saute until onion is translucent.Make sure that the garlic doesnt burn.
2. Add the turmeric poweder, cumin and coriander powders and the chile powder. Stir fry for a couple of minutes, taking care that the spices dont burn.
3. Add the tomato puree, nutmeg powder, cinnamon powder, kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves). Bring to a boil.
4. Simmer on medium heat for about 7 - 8 minutes.
5. Add the water and bring to a boil again.
6. Adjust the seasonings according to taste. Add more water if consistency is too thick.

Add the koftas to the gravy and simmer for an additional 2 -3 minutes.
Garnish with fresh chopped coriander and serve with any kind of indian bread.
(rotis, naans or parathas)


Verdict :
The koftas were delicious(if I say so myself ! ). The thickness and the flavour of the gravy complemented the creamy flavour of the koftas. Mind you, these koftas are nothing like the malai or paneer koftas that are served at restaurants. Nonetheless, these taste good when accompanied with bread and can be savoured with rice as well !
Although I loved the outcome, I am not sure I will make these very often. But that is only because I detest deep frying ! The dish itself is quite simple and finger-licking good, if a tad time consuming !
(Aunty-ji was quite gratified that I had made good use of both her produce as well as her recipe ! )

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.