Tilapia in Basil & fennel

 Today my morning yoga  routine was a let down.The abductor muscle is acting up again and the groin hurts every time I try to get into the asanas without keeping my knees soft. I am still struggling with bhujapidasana and it is funny because the harder I try the harder I fall on my bum...lol BUT I keep falling and keep trying.Guruji says:" practice & it will come to you" I am already looking forward to tomorrow's practice , everyday the body tells you how it feels and it is wonderful to listen to it and pay heed to what are its limitations and then gradually with time and practice free the body of its limitations.

Okay so we have some good weather here on the east coast for this weekend after the short onset of cold temperatures,  we are looking forward to a warmer weekend starting today.The leaves have started to fall  off on this tree which is on my deck and  I was reading  trees can be tricked into  loosing leaves by extreme environmental conditions it is sad because I see fallen leaves everywhere and no change in the color so far,I was told  the fall colors this year will be delayed,I only hope they are still as pretty as they always have been in the past and all the storms and adverse weather conditions have hopefully not destroyed that phenomena.

So to celebrate the warm temperatures today and to get in the weekend mood let us all enjoy this fish .This is the very first time I have cooked with fennel.It has a nice licorice y taste and this sweetness when combined with garlic, tomatoes,celery and basil gives a very nice sweet and herby taste with a garlicky punch. I salted the fish with some kosher salt and sprinkled some dried basil and parsley and left it for 20 minutes while I prepared the sauce.You can also get out on the deck and fire your grills today and grill this fish or bake it .Do what your heart says.....

Here goes the recipe and the ingredients you will need:

Tilapia Fish: 2 pounds
Black pepper: crushed a pinch
Salt: to your taste
Dried basil:1/4 tsp
Olive oil: 1 tbsp to rub all over the fish along with the salt and dried basil


Note: You can mix oil ,salt ,pepper and basil in a small bowl and use your hands to rub this on the fish.


Sauce:
Celery: 2 stems/stalks or ribs diced 
Tomato: 2 no's diced into small pieces
Garlic: 3 cloves chopped fine
Basil fresh: chopped 1 tbsp
Parsely: dried 1/4 tsp
fennel Bulb: 1 about 10-12 ounces ( discard the rough outer leaves)
halved bulb thinly sliced
Olive oil: 1 tbsp

Method:


1. take the fish and rub salt,oil and black pepper all over on both sides and then sprinkle dried basil.
2. leave it for 20 minutes or more if time permits
3: heat the oven at 350 d Fahrenheit and bake on the lowest rack in a baking tray (you can line the baking tray with the aluminium foil)
4. If grilling/broiling heat the oven at 400 d Fahrenheit (gas oven) and grill for roughly 12-15 minutes or till the fish is flaky and turned completely white on the inside.


Sauce method:
1. Take a pan and heat 1tbsp oil
2. add the chopped garlic and wait till it turns brown on the edges( roughly 1 minute)
3. Now add the diced tomatoes along with salt
4. Cook the tomatoes for 4-5 minutes and mash them with the back of the spoon
5. Add chopped or diced celery and thinly sliced fennel.
6. add the chopped basil now and also add the dried parsley at this stage.
7. If you like your veggies with a little crunch cook this for further 3-4 minutes without covering the pan. If you want the celery and fennel to be soft ,cover the pan .


Serving:


Take the serving plate and dish out two spoonfuls of the sauce on the plate and neatly arrange the grilled fish on the plate with some spring leaves.Bon appetit !!!

My Tribute To Steve Jobs

Today, I wonder what Steve Jobs will be in his next avatar.

 I say that because like all Hindus I believe in reincarnation. The body dies but the soul lives on and finds a new body. There is also  something called as an elevated consciousness within  a person who has been very driven and passionate about something all his life, Such a person when breathing his last moments is still aware  of that force which drives him. A person   such as this ,will carry the imprint of that force on every single cell in his body so much so that he will be capable of choosing what he wants to be in his next birth. So elevated souls who have accumulated good karma in  this life by their deeds and who have become one with their souls and understand SELF either by means of higher intellect or hard work are people who are empowered by awareness when they breathe their last .

Steve Jobs was a ,"yogi" not in the conventional sense but if yoga stands for mental, physical and spiritual discipline than he certainly was someone who despite all odds lived his life by all these standards. So I consider him a true Yogi. He was working hard, not for money but because there was this futuristic vision which was driving him to come up with magical inventions even before people thought they would need something like that. He was a dynamic visionary & a wonderful human being.

Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he was a Buddhist

God creates very few men like him and takes them away for a reason.

Penne Pasta cooked in fresh ingredients

After eating this pasta prepared with minimal seasoning I have come to the conclusion that we sometimes tend to kill the natural and authentic flavors of the dish,by over seasoning it . When we use very little seasoning or a single spice for seasoning we allow the flavors from other ingredients to stay bold and distinct.This pasta preparation allows you to savor each and every ingredient in every single bite.The seasoning used in this is kosher salt and crushed black pepper along with some fresh herbs.I tossed the pasta in Kate's Butter (a product from Maine) and some mahjoub organic olive oil. Give this preparation a try and you will understand the power of less is sometimes more :)!

Mahir was on one of his travels when in my quest to surprise Manasi with something special,I came up with this recipe coupled with the fact that I had shopped for some organic stuff yet again in the pursuit of  feeding our bodies  some pesticide free and naturally grown food. I always try hard to spend less on things that make us look pretty on the outside and consciously & willingly make efforts to spend that extra buck on the food that is grown naturally and in return support the farmers community who strive consistently  to provide us with these healthy options . After-all We are -What we eat


I also went a step ahead and spread the meal on the picnic table on the deck,I know my Aquarian girl loves it when things are done differently:) I cannot forget the smile this dinner brought on her face,also these were some of the last few days of summer left before she would leave for college.So they were anyways special. Here is a picture from that evening :)

I had baked some ciabatta a day before so drizzled some olive oil and and some crushed garlic and toasted it a little in the oven and enjoyed this with the penne pasta and a glass of wine....mmm...mmm the simple pleasures of life... my friends go for 'em

Ingredients:


Penne pasta: 1/2 packet (I used Trader Joes Organic whole wheat pasta)
Butter: 1tbsp ( I used kate's 100% pure butter)
Note: This butter tastes incredible,I bought this at Caraluzzi's but later found it in stop& shop too)
EVOO: 1tbsp ( I used Mahjoub organic gifted by a very dear friend)
Grape tomatos: About 20( washed and halved if you like)
Basil: 20 leaves roughly chopped
Rosemary: 1 sprig(separate the stem and roughly chop the leaves)
Sun dried tomatoes: 3 tbsp chopped in tiny bits
Salt: to taste
Black pepper: little more than a pinch
Pine nuts: 2 tbsp pounded lightly
Grated Parmesan cheese: You set the limits




Manasi loves it and sprinkles a ton of it and puts a heap on the side to eat with the bread and olive oil;)


Method:


Boil the pasta in hot water with some salt till al dente and strain and keep aside
Take a pan and add the butter and olive oil.
When hot add the chopped basil,rosemary,sun dried tomatoes and the grape tomatoes and saute them for a couple minutes.
Add salt and crush fresh pepper and toss the pasta and give it a good shake. Turn off the flame. 
Transfer this to a serving bowl and sprinkle Parmesan and pine nuts and savor the flavor that every ingredient brings to this pasta preparation. Bon Appetit!!!

Shahi Tandoori Paneer/ Royal Cottage cheese

Time flies...seasons change and so do our food habits with every passing season. Especially this time of the year when there is so much to celebrate: Diwali, Halloween,Thanksgiving Christmas and so on....

I am glad we have Patel's not very far from where I live,which just opened here recently. Up until now I used to shop at a very  nondescript Indian grocery store. The fact that these big stores with large turnovers give the shoppers the opportunity to buy big saver packs which always is the attraction when you shop at store chains. I recently bought a large( about 2 1/2 kg slab )of Nanak Paneer and cut half of it in cube sizes and transferred it to zip-lock bags and saved the rest of the slab as it is for making Bhurji.

Hmmm life is so much easier when you have a well stocked refrigerator:) I had friends over last weekend and it did not take me very long to figure out the menu, there was everything I needed to make this shahi Tandoori paneer : Fresh tomatos, ginger & garlic ,cream,garam masala and paneer,Yes- you read it right,this is all you need to make this super delicious paneer dish.It can be prepared in a jiffy too,and is loved by everyone. The color is so appetizing and rich as is the unbeatable taste. So what are you waiting for-Go ahead and make yourself some and tell me I was right !!!

List of Ingredients You will need:


Paneer: 10 - 15 small cube sized pieces weighing roughly 250 gms
Tomatoes: 2 large deep red tomatoes boiled and then pureed without the skin
Ginger & garlic: 1tsp each paste
Kasoori methi: roasted and crushed 1 tsp
Honey: 1 tbsp
Light fresh cream: 2-3 tbsp (substitute it with skimmed milk if you are watching calories)
Salt: to taste
Deghi Mirch: 1 tsp or more if you want that extra kick
Olive oil: 2tbs
Cardamom: 2-3 crushed
Cinnamon: 1/2 a inch stick
Clove: 2-3
Ground garam masala: little more than a pinch


Method:
Take the paneer cubes and sprinkle some salt and red pepper and 1 tsp oil and stick it in the oven and broil/grill for 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn it over once so that it is grilled evenly.


Meanwhile take a heavy bottomed pan/kadhai and add the whole garam masala and wait for a minute till the aroma emanates and your kitchen smells great ( if your smell sense is not too good-don't take chances;) )


Now add the ginger & garlic and subsequently add the tomato puree along with salt and red pepper and cook till the sauce becomes a little thick .


Take the grilled paneer and add this to the sauce. Also add the honey and cream/skimmed milk,mix it gently and sprinkle the garam masala and cook for 2-3 minutes. Finish it with the roasted and crushed kasoori methi and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves. Bon appetite!!!

Sarson, dohi diye mach/Fish in mustard sauce & curd

Manasi off to college,Irene hits the east coast AND I am  more than glad I have my yoga routine to keep me strong and happy and stable despite all the odds. I am also hoping everyone managed to stay safe and sound from Irene's wrath & fury. We were without power for 5 days and the neighboring towns had 98 to 100%  power outage. Luckily there were no damages  to our property, and that came as quite a relief as we were away when Irene hit the east coast,and got back exactly a day after Irene had rampaged and moved further up to RI and Vermont,we opened the doort to our basement with bated breath and heaved a sigh of relief on finding everything under control.

I hope and pray everyone out there is safe and healthy. I am also hoping I will be more regular with my blog henceforth. Manasi is in college now and her first two weeks have been very good, she has settled well and has made many new friends. She also mentioned that she loves the food ,which makes me happy-though I was secretly hoping she would say that she missed the food I made her;) jus' kiddin' it actually came as quite a relief.

Mahir loves fish and now with Manasi away its all about Mahir,I have started preparing  fish lot more than I did while Manasi was home. This recipe was prepared by Tamal  our friend at one of the pot luck dinners and I knew I will be making this soon right after my first bite

. It is a very simple recipe and does not require too many ingredients and the taste is incredible.Traditionally this recipe requires that the mustard be ground on the ," sil-batta" but the lack of time and in the absence of   traditional flat stone and cylendrical grinding stone, it is best to use the mixer and grinder. Just make sure you soak the mustard in water overnight to get rid of any unwanted bitterness.  Also very integral to this recipe is the green chillies,they balance the bitterness from the mustard and compliment each other. So here is the recipe Tamal shared with me:

Ingredients:
Salmon Fish: 4 steaks
Mustard soaked overnight in water: 1/2 cup
Greek yogurt: 1 cup
Green chillies: 10-12
salt: to taste
Lime juice: 2 tbsp
Some oil for basting

Method:
grind the soaked mustard to a fine paste along with green chillies.

Mix this with the curd salt & lime juice and apply it to the fish and leave the fish in this marination for 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the time available on hand.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 d farhanite and grill the fish for 10 minutes  or till it turns flaky and done on the inside ,basting with oil in between.

Enjoy it on a bed of spring salad and  have some ciabatta bread lightly toasted and a glass of wine and  raise a toast to all that we are blessed with . Cheers:)))!!!

Kavita's Kitchen: Joy Bauer & Buffalo Chicken Chilli

http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/i-heart-summer-slim-down.aspx

Kavita's Kitchen: Joy Bauer & Buffalo Chicken Chilli

Joy Bauer & Buffalo Chicken Chilli

Joy Bauer & nutrition go hand in hand . She is the best selling author of Your Inner Skinny ,Joy's life Diet & Joy Bauer's Food Cures. She is the nutrition & health expert for the Today Show.

I was in India when I was asked by her team if I would be interested in partnering with her to reach out to her audience,Joy would earn a link  to her site through my blog and to start with I was offered these wonderful books as a review give away. I was absolutely thrilled at the idea and once I went through the recipes in her book- Slim & Scrumptious I was overjoyed at having received these gems. Along with the fabulous recipes that the book has to offer,the introduction covers a lot of basic rules to eating healthy,wholesome  fresh and nutritious food while keeping a check on your pockets too. I am very impressed with her simple and easy to maintain health guide while eating delicious & healthy meals cooked at home,the tips are so easy to stick to and follow if you are ready to have just a tiny bit of discipline. I have already tried so many recipes from her book  with super success and have enjoyed the attention they got me . At the end of every recipe there is a nutritional information,which makes me and I am sure all of those out there who like to keep a check on their nutrient intake, very comfortable. I am also adding a link to her website at the end of the recipe.

The book on food cures starts with the Welcome to her office where she talks about her motto in life which is:

LIFE IS HARD......FOOD SHOULD BE EASY

I was drawn further into  reading the book  after the motto and have read it from cover to cover . I think her writing is honest and she offers very simple guidelines for all of us who enjoy their food but worry over what is right  for our bodies. There is a line in her book which I will quote for everyone here," We have a strange love/ hate relationship with food. We want to eat cupcakes but be as slim as Jennifer Aniston." 

This book in short is the answer to eating your way to a healthier life .With the right foods you can actually manage and treat some life threatening diseases. This book has become my reference point for so many  unanswered questions about certain foods. 

The book covers many aspects on healthy eating some of them you would be interested in are:

Decoding a nutritional Label

Loosing weight

Her 4 step plan for healthy hair/teeth & how to keep your skin healthy

4 step program  for type 2 Diabetes

4 step program for Insomnia

4 step program for premenstrual syndrome

4 step program for migraine headaches

4 step program for Arthritis

These are some of the topics I have listed here apart from these there are charts on foods rich in anti-oxidants, ultimate grocery list,top 20 fruits and vegetables and nuts,meal plans and so on and so forth. I wish more and more people would read these and find healthy alternatives to a strong and beautiful life. Here I would like to quote Ann Curry news anchor for Today and dateline NBC on this book," Joy wants to help you live longer.What better gift could you give the people who love you?"

Here's a recipe I made from her book Slim & Scrumptious. I wanted to share this with all as I am a huge fan of buffalo wings and when I found this alternative to buffalo wings I was thrilled and could not wait to put it together and devour it till the last spoon. It turned out super fabulous and with less than half the calories that you will find in the standard chilli preparation. I enjoyed my Buffalo Chicken Chilli and did not have to worry about eating unhealthy . Kudos to Joy Bauer  :)!!!!

Serves 4 [ serving size : 2 1/4 cups with topping]

Chilli

6 carrots,peeled,halved lengthwise,and sliced into half moons

6 stalks celery,sliced

6 cloves garlic,minced

2 pounds ground chicken breast(99% lean)

2 tbsps chilli powder

2 tbsp all purpose flour

4 cups low-sodium vegetable or tomato juice

1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce

1/4 tsp kosher salt

Topping

1/4 cup non-fat sour cream

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

Preparation:

1.   Liberally coat a large pot or dutch oven with oil spray,and preheat it over medium high heat.

2.   Add the carrots and celery and saute,stirring occasionally,until tender,about 10 minutes: add water,a tbsp at a time,as necessary to prevent scorching.

3.   Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute

4.   Add the ground chicken,reapplying oil spray if necessary. Saute, stirring continuously and breaking the chicken into small pieces,for 5 minutes or until cooked through.As the chicken cooks,continue scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge any large bits.

5.   Sprinkle in the chilli powder and flour,and stir quickly to distribute them evenly.Immediately add the vegetable juice and hot sauce,and bring to a boil.Reduce the heat to low and simmer,partially covered,stirring occasionally,for about 20 minutes.

6.   While the chilli is simmering,prepare the blue cheese topping; In a small bowl mash together the sour cream and blue cheese with a fork until well combined.Set aside.

7.   Season the chilli with the salt.Ladle the chilli into serving bowls and top each with about 2 tbsp of the blue cheese topping.

Nutrition information: calories-369, protein-53 g,carbohydrate-33 g,total fat-4 g,saturated fat-1 g, cholesterol-135 mg,fiber-7 g,sodium-665 g

Notes From Me : I have made tiny changes to suit my needs- I made fresh tomato juice at home by running the tomato's in the food processor and and then sieving them. I used the left over chicken stock from earlier cooking( made fresh at home)

I have reduced the chilli powder and the hot sauce in the given recipe and would expect everyone to use it at their discretion.

http://www.joybauer.com/food-cures.aspx