Akki Payasa / Indian Rice Pudding

According to the panchanga or the Hindu Calendar, yesterday was the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya. It falls on the third lunar day of the month of Vaishakha. Akshaya, in Sanskrit, means infinite, somethings that never ends. In a culture, where every event is performed after taking the auspicious moment into consideration, this day is at the top of the list.
According to legend, this is the birthday of Lord Parashurama and this is also the day when Lord Ganesha and Sage Vyasa started writing India's most famous epic, The Mahabharata. Another legend states that this was the day when the river Ganges descended to the earth from the heavens ! This day is considered to be a day to start new ventures. I also remember that many Indians bought gold on this day, even if in trivial amounts, because it was considered that gold purchased on this day would only grow and never recede :-)
Akshaya Tritiya is also considered an auspicious day by the followers of Jainism.
So much for legends and gold {sigh}
Although I don't remember my mother making any such purchases, however insignificant ( we were a strictly middle class family), I do remember her making some or the other kind of dessert to commemorate the occasion. I decided to keep that part of tradition going and made Rice pudding, Indian style.
It is a pretty straightforward recipe, not needing too many ingredients.



Ingredients:
1 C rice  ( any kind will do - basmati or long grained)
3 C whole milk
1 C light coconut milk
1/4 C - 1/2 C sugar (according to taste)
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 C mixed nuts (almonds , cashew nuts, pistachios)
2 Tbsp raisins
1 tsp ghee / canola oil
4 - 5 strands of saffron

Method:
1. Wash the rice and put it in a pot (preferably non stick) with the whole milk.
2. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the rice is cooked. If the mixture starts getting thicker, add more milk until its cooked perfectly.
Note: On hindsight and after conferring with my expert (my mom), I realized that I should have cooked the rice in water first instead of trying to cook it entirely in milk. This would have yielded a creamier pudding.
4. Once the rice is cooked, add the coconut milk, the sugar and the spices. Gently simmer until the pudding becomes creamy.
5. Roast the chopped nuts and the raisins in the ghee / canola oil and pour into the pudding.
6. Soak the saffron strands in a little warm milk and then mix into the pudding.

Notes: The pudding was pretty good and was enjoyed by my family. The next time, however, I am going to pulse the rice in a blender to get broken rice and then I will cook it in water before I add the milk and the sugar.  Do try out this pudding!

Annie's Homegrown Rising Crust Pizza - Review and Giveaway (3 winners!)

                                                This giveaway is now closed !
As a family, we are not big pizza enthusiasts. In a country, where the pizza industry is worth a whopping $30 billion and people eat around 350 slices of pizza every second, that might come as a big shock :-)
The biggest reason is because when I was growing up in India in the 80's and 90's, my parents were blissfully unaware of this pie. It was only after I started working in a software company that I got introduced to this Italian specialty.
After I came to the US, it was as if there was a pizza explosion ! There were pizzerias at every corner, lots of advertisements for various stores, pizza brought in for sustaining the software development teams during long hours at the office and even served at birthday parties ! Although I do enjoy an occasional slice of vegetarian pizza, I am not a very big fan. My son seems to enjoy pizza, however, so we either order in pizza or bake it at home so that we can control the ingredients that go on it.
The main reason that I am apprehensive about ordering in pizza is because I am not always certain about the cheese that is used. Specifically, the enzymes used to make the cheese - I am trying to avoid products containing rennet and its difficult to verify if a company uses cheese made using animal enzymes.
So when I got the opportunity to try out Annie's Homegrown Rising Crust pizza through Moms Meet, I decided to give it a try because I like most of Annie's Products. They are all natural, do not have any artificial flavors, colors or additives and the products specify that they use cheese made using vegetable rennet.
I picked up the 4 - cheese pizza from Whole Foods (The only other vegetarian option available was Spinach Mushroom and we are not that fond of mushrooms!)



I baked the pizza according to the instructions to get a crisper crust and 20 minutes later, my family and I
enjoyed piping hot pizza. My 5 year old really enjoyed his pizza dinner! We liked it as well. The crust was pretty crisp (I could have probably left it in the oven for a couple of minutes longer to get it even crisper !).
There was a sufficiently thick layer of cheese and the pizza was big enough for our family of 2 adults and a 5 year old. The one year old was sneaking in little bites of the crust after his own dinner ;-)

The overall taste was pretty comparable to pizzeria pizza, although I would have loved to have had more vegetarian options. I would definitely buy this when I wanted to appease my son's craving for pizza.
I liked that fact that all ingredients used were organic with 8gms of whole grain per serving and with 100% real cheese made from milk not treated with rBST. There are 4 different varieties available and these can be purchased in the freezer section of Whole Foods at a retain price of $9.99

For more information about Annie's and their products visit the following sites :
Annie's Homegrown website 
Annie's Facebook page

And now for the giveaway ! Three readers will get the opportunity to try out any one of Annie's Homegrown Rising Crust pizza for free. They will each win one voucher for a free pizza which they can redeem at Whole Foods ! This giveaway will run till Apr 19th, 2012. The giveaway is open to US residents only. Please leave a comment telling me what your favorite pizza topping is and dont forget to include your email id ! 



Disclaimer: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

Yoplait Trix for kids and a Giveaway !

                               This giveaway is now closed ..Congrats to katychicks for winning the prize pack

My family loves yogurt, especially homemade. My 5 year old relishes it and even my one year old likes it. Thankfully, neither of them is lactose intolerant. I usually prefer to make yogurt at home and very rarely buy the flavored ones from stores, because they have so much added sugar and other unwanted ingredients.
Sometimes, though, my son likes to have them and then I look for the ones that have the least number of ingredients and those with low sugar contents.
When I got the opportunity to review the Yoplait Trix for Kids yogurt, I was in two minds. The brand had undergone a change and had reformulated their yogurts to remove artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and HFCS. That was encouraging news !
They are available in 4-cup packs, with two bright and natural colors that can be swirled or eaten at once in every cup. There are 5 interesting flavors to choose from, to suit every kid's taste.
My son certainly liked these and enjoyed them at snack time and in his lunch bag.



I liked that the ingredients are natural and free from artificial flavors and colors. The added sugar content is also not too high. Although the total sugar content in each serving is 14 grams, some unsweetened yogurts have 11 grams of natural sugars in them..The one factor that would prevent me from buying these is that these yogurts have gelatin added as a thickener...Since I am trying to move my family away from products containing these animal products, that would be a deterrent for me.

One reader of this blog will win a prize pack containing all the things pictured above.
Just leave a comment telling me how your kids would enjoy their Yoplait Trix yogurts!
Please leave your email addresses so that I can contact you if you win !
The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S only and will end on Mar 31st 2012.

Please visit the following links for more information about Yoplait Trix Yogurt

• Yoplait Products Website http://my.yoplait.com/TrixYog
• Yoplait on Facebook http://on.fb.me/YoplaitFacebook
• Yoplait on Twitter http://bit.ly/YoplaitTwitter

Disclosure:  The Yoplait Trix Yogurt prize pack, information and coupon have been provided by Yoplait through MyBlogSpark.

Spicy Tomato Jam

I had been on the lookout for a tomato jam recipe for some time.Although I had made jam a couple of times before, I am no expert when it comes to preserving fruit ! That's when I came across this recipe and it looked intriguing and delicious.. When my local Sprouts Farmers market had a 3lb/1$ tomato sale, I knew it was time to get busy in the kitchen...with jam, that is !
I made a few changes to the recipe. It turned out really well. I think this recipe is a keeper !



Ingredients:
2 lb tomatoes (I used roma tomatoes) - chopped
1 C brown sugar
2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp ground roasted cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients in a heavy bottomed pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Reduce the heat and then simmer for about 1.5 hours until the mixture reaches a jam consistency.
3. Stir often to prevent the jam from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

This recipe yielded about 2 cups of jam...I poured it into a previously cleaned jam bottle with a tight lid.
Since we were going to use it daily, I didn't refrigerate it, but you could do that to extend its life !

Notes:
1. I used brown sugar instead of white, because the brown sugar gives a depth of flavor to the jam. Next time, I will try with a little less sugar..I might have to simmer for longer to get the desired consistency.
2. I roasted the cumin before grinding it. The roasted cumin has a bolder, smokier taste.
3. Since my Indian palette can accommodate more heat, I used about 1/ 2 tsp of cayenne pepper...feel free to adjust to your taste and preference.

The jam goes well in PBJ sandwiches and also pairs up well with chapatis (Indian flat bread) and dosas (Indian crepes).
Do give this recipe a try..you will not be disappointed !

Have you ever tried any home made jam recipes ? Any observations or tips ??

Green Veggie Bhath / Spiced Rice with Green Veggies

Having browsed a significant number of blogs specializing in South Indian cuisine, I have come to the realization that rice dishes are very popular among us..Its probably got to do something with the fact that the southern states of India are the rice basins of the country as opposed to the northern states where wheat is primarily grown and hence consumed. Using up the previous day's extra rice before cooking up a fresh batch for the day's meals must have given rise to the idea of mixing up the rice with vegetables and various spices, thus creating a substantial lunch box item or a hearty brunch. (It should however be noted that in a lot of traditional households in India , in villages, especially, day old rice was not consumed..it was probably fed to the cattle of the house - the Ayurvedic premise being that freshly cooked food is always the best !)
I would love to be able to serve freshly cooked dishes for every meal without having any leftovers, but in this day and age, when time is at a premium and help is not always available, its not always practical ! 
Anyway, this creation is a godsend to the cooks who need to come up with a lunch or dinner idea on the fly with minimal ingredients and minimal expenditure of time and energy. With a few frozen vegetables from the freezer and a few spices from the pantry, you can whip up a delicious and filling lunch or dinner. Pair it up with a yogurt based raita or even plain yogurt , Indian pickles and a papad or two (in my house, it means roasted papads , not fried :D ) and you have a nice spread for yourself and your family.
My kindergartener loves this dish and doesnt mind it for his lunch box. My hubby likes to take this for his lunch as well. It travels well, can be easily reheated and keeps its flavor well.



Green Veggie Bhath / Spiced Rice with Green Veggies
Serves 2 -3 

Ingredients
1.5 C mixed veggies (green beans , green bell pepper, zucchini, etc) diced
2 C rice , cooked and cooled - white or brown
1/2 onion chopped or thinly sliced
2 tsp oil
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 Tbsp raw peanuts / cashew nuts
1 tsp  red chile / paprika powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp dhania - jeera powder ( coriander - cumin powder)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
lemon juice
3 Tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped

Method : 
1. Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add the fennel, cumin and mustard seeds and the peanuts.
2. When the seeds start spluttering, add the onion and saute till the onions are soft.
3. Add all the spice powders and mix thoroughly with the onion.
4. Add the diced veggies, mix in the salt, sprinkle a little water and cook until the veggies are tender, yet not mushy. You can cover the pan to hasten the cooking process.
5. Add the cooled rice to the veggie mixture and mix well with a gentle hand. You dont want a lumpy rice and vegetable mixture !
6. Mix in the lemon juice, sprinkle the cilantro leaves and serve hot !

Tips:
1. If serving to my kindergartner, I make sure that the vegetables are not too large. My son seems to have an aversion to big vegetable pieces, but he doesnt mind if they are diced small.
2. I generally use the red chile powder, but you could try green chiles for an interesting variation.
3. You can use a variety of vegetables instead of the ones used here. Use seasonal vegetables for a healthier option !

4. We are certainly not a fat free family, although I do strive to keep our fat intake optimal. I believe that we do need a certain amount of healthy fats to keep our system functioning smoothly. I have used 2 tsp of canola oil in this recipe. Feel free to substitute olive oil or coconut oil. Reduce it for a lower fat option, or saute the veggies and spices in water for an even lower fat option !