Chocolate Tarts with Berries

 

  

A pinch of sea salt, a coconut dusting,
on chocolate, raspberry, strawberry,
a spoon of vanilla, a sprinkle of chili,
I used agave but you can use honey......
Chocolate was my very first post,
when I began this blog 5 months ago,
I made this tart with almost the same things,
Its just so good, it makes my heart sing :-)
I'll copy down the recipe once more,
Do make it now if you haven't before......

 

Filling:

3 Avocados
1/4 cup Agave (or Honey)
2 tablespoons Cacao powder (or more if desired)
1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
a pinch of Sea Salt
a sprinkling of Chili powder (optional)

Blend or process. Make it sensual and glossy,
taste, adjust, then wait.....

Base:

1 cup ground Macadamia (or Almonds)
1/2 cup fine dessicated coconut
1 tablespoon Agave
pinch of salt

Mix all till it holds together.

Method :

Use a ring or cutter. Press the base mixture at the bottom.
Make a thin layer.
Scoop the filling on top and pack it in.
Make the surface even.
Set in the freezer for 3 hours.
Unmold with care.

You can draw melted white Chocolate,
or dust some dessicated Coconut on the surface.
The last time I'd used banana slices, this time it was
raspberries and strawberries.....

 

Notes :

Use firm and ripe Avocados, but take care

that they are not over ripe or discolored.

Avocados and nuts are both natural healthy fats,

high in nutrients and delicious too. 

I had some Van Houten cacao powder,  

so I used it this time,it is dark and quite intense. 

Otherwise I use Green & Blacks organic Cacao, 

or Raw cacao that I order online.

Please adjust the quantities of both cacao and agave,

as strong or sweet as you desire....

I like a bit of heat and chili works wonders

with cacao :-)

Chocolate is very hard to handle and photograph,
it simply gets all over the hands, clothes and surfaces....
I guess I'm just clumsy and end up making a real mess!

Oh well, practice makes perfect, so it just means

I'll have to make Chocolate more often ;-)

Keep it Simple. Be Creative.

Taste and Play. Find your Own Way.

Prawns Hariyali

 

It has been a fish-y weekend once again,

Trevor asks for nothing else these days!

So yesterday it was Kerala fish curry,

for lunch today Prawns hariyali,

served with delicious raita and rotis,

tonight Amritsari fish fried in a hurry......

I made a ton of other stuff too,
a tiring day through and through,
now all I want is to soak in a bath,
then close my eyes for the next few hours.....

Ingredients :

750 gm uncooked Prawns

2 tablespoons Oil

2 Onions - finely chopped

1 big tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste

1 teaspoon Turmeric powder

1 teaspoon Cinnamon powder

1/2 teaspoon Cardamom powder

1 teaspoon ground black Pepper

1 tablespoon Cumin powder

3 tablespoons dessicated Coconut

2 cups Green Paste

2 teaspoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon sea salt or more if required

Lemon Juice

Green Paste :

Fresh Coriander, Fresh Mint, Curry leaves
Ratio of 1 : 1/4 : 1/4
Process all together to make a thick paste,
adding a little water as needed.

Prawns Hariyali :

Heat the oil in a deep pan,
saute the chopped onions till they change color
and become light brown.
Add the ginger garlic paste and fry on gentle heat.
Add all the dry spice powders, salt and a drizzle of water just
to keep it very lightly moist.
Saute it all together for a couple of mintues.
Add the dessicated coconut and fry for another 2 minutes.
Then add the Green paste and fry together till all
the ingredients are cooked, nothing remains raw.
Finally add the uncooked prawns and mix gently till
the prawns are coated with the Green masala.
Let it simmer till the prawns are cooked,
Be careful not to over cook the prawns or else
they get rubbery and lose their right texture and taste.
Add lemon juice to garnish before serving.

We ate this Jhinga Hariyali with mint and cumin Rotis,
and a cucumber Raita (Yogurt - goats milk)

Notes :

I've realized it is quite an art to photograph Indian food.
And I have a long long way to go!
I am not happy with the pictures I took today,
sometimes whatever you do, it just doesn't flow right,
so just one picture will do.....

I'm off to sleep, hope you enjoy this dish, it really was
very delicious and yummie :-)

Right now I can't think of anything else I want to say,
nothing comes to mind, sorry, it has been a long day......

Keep it Simple. Be Creative.
Taste and Play. Find your Own Way.

Happy Sunshine

 

From HippieMom and Kelli I received Happiness,

and then HippieMom came around and gave me

some Sunshine too.....what more does one want in life?!

Thank you thank you thank you for making me happy

and brightening my day :-)

Happy & Sunshine - two awards for my two blogs....

They fit so well together, lets keep them like that,

so I'm going to give dual awards to other blogs too!!!

Here are the rules :

Happy Award - List 10 things that make you happy. Try to do at least one of them today, and tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day. For those 10 bloggers who get the award, you must link back to my blog.

Sunshine Award - This award is easy peasy. All you need to do is give it to 12 other bloggers who bring you sunshine! And link back to the person who gave it to you.

So here is what makes me Happy :-)

1) Being with Trevor and Saatchi

2) India in all its colors, tastes, sounds, 

smiles, people, contradictions ............

3) Books, books and more books!

4) Music & Dancing in the kitchen while cutting, chopping, cooking :-)

5) Blogs, bloggers and blogging - transformed my world!

6) Reaching out, connecting, smiling, sharing.....

7) JUICING !!!!!

8) Food Photography, passion, obsession, huge satisfaction :-)

9) Scribbling simple words, rhyming, following a melody, expressing, flowing.....

10) If you want Love, Be loving, if you want Happiness, Be happy.....
      Happiness is a muscle, use it.....
      I do......

Passing on some Happiness and Sunshine to :

Archana 

Pam 

Lynn 

Fleur

Susan 

Nags 

Nina 

Nupur 

Shaheen 

Jenn 

Thanks a lot all of you for being my inspiration, my daily stop.....

deep gassho and namaskar......

New Domain address

Hello Everyone,


This blog has finally moved to a new domain.....

www.neetashealthyplate.com

It might take a couple of days for the process to be completed,
I have my fingers crossed that this switch goes smoothly,
as I am quite rubbish where it comes to technical computer stuff!!!
Computer savvy is definitely not me ;-)

Weekend Colors - Salads and Fruits

 

A drizzle of olive oil, a spoon of balsamic vinegar,
throw in walnuts and raisins,
sprinkle sea salt and black pepper.....
A yearning for something simple,
pure tastes without complication,
sweet and sour, smooth and crisp,
colors and textures are a fascination.....

A weekend of fruits and salads,
pleasure for the eyes and palate,
No instructions or recipe,
just photos to make us happy :-)

  

  

 

Kale Chips

 

Some days I think of food,
and of what I'd like to eat,
I think in terms of color,
and melt in your mouth treats.....
apples, radishes, cherries,
Mangoes, carrots, nectarines,
artichokes, lettuce, broccoli,
plums, prunes and aubergines......
A rainbow of high nutrients,
a big broad palette to use,
paint your plate with variety,
from fruits and veggies you choose.......

 

Method :

1 big bunch of curly Kale

1 tablespoon olive oil

sea salt

mixed dried herbs

paprika or chili flakes

Wash the kale leaves, pat dry then tear off the leaves

from the stem into bite sized portions.

In a bowl drizzle the olive oil, and massage gently

to coat the leaves, then add the herbs and salt......

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread 

the kale leaves in one layer.

Bake at 140C for 10 - 12 minutes till crisp and done.

Be careful, depending on your oven the timing will differ,

and in two minutes the crisps can burn, so after 10minutes

keep checking......with practice in your oven, you'll get

the timing perfect........

  

I began making Kale crisps two years ago,

and I usually use my dehydrator instead of the oven,

but both work just fine.......

Kale has the highest nutrient density of all greens.

I use it in smoothies but I have never really enjoyed cooked kale
or kale in salads either.......
So crisps are a wonderful way of getting all those green nutrients
inside you in a way that is totally pleasurable!

  

Other Variations : 

With oil and sea salt:

cumin powder, dried tamarind powder, chili flakes.....

garam masala, garlic flakes, grated lemon rind......

tahini, honey, orange juice.......

balsamic vinegar, paprika.......

For crisps with wet dressings, like honey

or balsamic vinegar etc, you might need to 

turn them over after 10 minutes or so, and bake

the other side for around 5 minutes more.....

These crisps are just like any other in the sense,

once you start you can't stop - the difference is

that these are Good for You, so you can indulge

and enjoy this treat, it is totally guilt free!!! :-)

 

Keep it Simple. Be Creative.

Taste and Play. Find your Own Way.