Celebrating 1st Blog Anniversary with Avocado Shrikhand :)

Hi all....I am Good Food and I am the birthday baby.......yes, I just turned 1 today :). Hurray !!   I like to thank all of you who have been a part of this journey with me. Hope you could find your destinations...I mean, a good food here :) I thoroughly enjoyed a year long journey with you all, I appreciate each one of you for stopping by and hope to see you all the coming year too :)

Friends...It's celebration time.....its my blog's first anniversary. Though I had saved a few recipes in my blog which was private initially, I made my lil space visible to all on this day, last year.  I can't believe that a year has passed by. Still I feel I am a novice in this blogosphere. I am not a cooking expert..but I am just a foodie, who loves to cook, learn, share and experiment.

I would like to initially thank my husband who has encouraged me right from the beginning.  Without his support, I could have never reached here. Then I would like to thank my lil naughty son, who made blogging as a challenge to me by making me busy all the time...I am happy I have won that challenge so far :). I would like to thank my mother who is a wonderful cook from whom I picked up the basics of cooking and my sister who is also a good cook , she gave me some lovely props too. Finally I would like to thank each one of you for your constant support, encouraging words and wishes. The best part is that blogging gave me many friends and a handful of close friends.  A big THANK YOU to all dear friends and readers out there.

Another great news on this lovely occasion is that I have won a $20 gift card as a giveaway prize from Sangeetha of San's Kitchen. This was really a surprise and I will cherish this as this is my first giveaway win ever. Thanx a lot Sangeetha for the lovely gift :)

To celebrate this special day, I am presenting yet another simple and yum recipe...Avocado Shrikhand...sounds interesting rt? I just love this fruit and I am trying to include avocado in different and interesting forms in our diet. This is the second time I am making this dessert.  Lovely green colour and yummilicious one  ...very simple to make...special  dessert for any special occasion :)

Dedicating this special post to my husband and my son :)

Serves 2-3

You need...

1 cup Hung / Greek Yoghurt (Refer Notes below)
1/2 cup Avocado (scooped out)
1/2 cup Sugar
2 tbsp Milk
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
2 tbsp Almonds / Pistachios

To prepare...


Blend avocado, milk, sugar and cardamom powder into a smooth thick paste.

Mix thoroughly the yoghurt and avocado paste with a spoon in a bowl.

Add some nuts and mix (save some for garnishing).

Chill this for 2-3 hours.

Serve it with some nuts as topping. Enjoy the lovely Avocado Shrikhand.

Notes:

* It is best to prepare this fresh and enjoy the dessert at the earliest as green colour of the avocado might slowly fade off.

* How to prepare Hung yoghurt at home?


Put the regular yoghurt in a thin clean cloth, tie it tight and hang inside the refrigerator for few hours. Keep a bowl under it so as to collect all the water drained. After this process, you will get very thick creamy hung yoghurt.

You can also buy the Hung / Greek Yoghurt from store. I have used store brought Hung yoghurt here.

* What if you haven't used up the whole Avocado for making Shrikhand ?

Try one of these recipes : Avocado Milkshake or Eggless Avocado Cake or a lovely Mexican dip Guacamole :)

Sending this to the following events:

Kitchen Chronicles- Summer Splash hosted by Sangee, an event by Kalyani. 
I'm the Star by Rasi
Healthy Morsels event at Taste of Pearl City 
Fast Food, not Fat Food event hosted by Uma , an event by Priya 
ABC Series: Fruit Fiesta by Ramya
Beat the Heat at My Cook Book

Paneer Moong Balls

If there is any leftover food, most of us try to come up with some interesting and innovative dish rt. This is exactly what I did too when there was some leftover cooked whole moong or green gram in my kitchen. So I made some quick snack with the moong by adding some paneer and spices, made into balls and dipped them in wheat-rice flour batter. Finally I used my wonder pan......paniyaram or aebleskiver pan which hates oil :)....what more you need to enjoy a very healthy and protein rich snack !! Kids who don't like green gram will never really know that there are some of it hidden inside the paneer balls. This delicious snack tastes excellent when served hot. Dip these yummy balls in chutney or tomato ketchup...and enjoy with hot coffee or tea !!

Check out other healthy snacks made in paniyaram pan:
Corn Bonda, Paneer Stuffed Paniyaram, Egg Spinach Bonda, Paneer Spinach Bonda, Paniyaram, Oats Savoury Appam

Makes about 21 balls or fritters

You need...

For the batter:

1/2 cup Wheat flour

1/4 cup Rice flour

1/2 tsp Chilli powder

A pinch Asafoetida

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds (optional)

Salt

Water as required

For the filling:

1 1/4 cup grated Paneer

1 cup cooked Whole Moong / Green Gram

1 Onion chopped

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1" pc Ginger chopped

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Chilli powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala

1/4 tsp Chaat masala (optional)

few Coriander leaves chopped

1 tsp Oil

Salt

To prepare...

Combine all the ingredients under For the batter to form a smooth paste with no lumps and with medium consistency.  The batter should be able to form a coating.

Heat oil in a pan. Splutter cumin seeds. Add ginger and saute for a minute. Now add onions and saute until it turns transparent. Now add turmeric, chilli, coriander powder, garam masala and chaat masala, saute for few seconds without burning the spices. Mash the cooked whole moong slightly and add it. Now finally add the grated paneer and salt, combine everything well. Add the coriander leaves and mix. The filling is now ready. Make equal size small balls out of it and keep aside.

Heat the paniyaram or aebleskiver pan. Put few drops of oil in each hole. Dip each ball in the batter and place in each hole. Cover and cook in medium heat for a couple of minutes. Once browned, slowly turn it over and let the other side get brown too. Remove from pan. Serve hot with any chutney or tomato sauce.

Sending this to the following events:

Healthy Morsels event at Taste of Pearl City

Bon Viviant Moments#2- Savory by Sumee

Snack Recipes at My Culinary Creations
Show Me Your Hits - Fiber Rich Foods by Sangee Vijay 

Love Lock Series - Legumes hosted by Vardhini , an event by Vidhya

Fast Food, not Fat Food event hosted by Uma , an event by Priya

Eggless Choco Coffee Cupcakes

Chocolate and Coffee is a wonderful combo....this is a hit even in many drinks like my Hot Mocha. I wanted to try this combo in a cake from a long time. I am so glad I did and so sad I took so long :). Most of the times (this time as well ), I use wheat flour instead of all purpose flour for baking. I feel that if you are using wheat while baking, texture of the cake or bread slightly changes, but there is no much difference in taste and sure a healthy option rt. If you love chocolate and coffee just like me, you will love these cute cupcakes for sure.  They came out so soft, moist and yummy. I felt that coffee flavour wasn't very dominating and they were more like a chocolate cake. My son just loved them and he was saying " I love these brownie cupcakes" :)

Makes about 9 Cupcakes

You need..

1 cup Wheat flour ( or use All Purpose Flour)

1 tsp Baking powder

1/2 tsp Baking soda

2 tbsp unsweetened Cocoa powder (I used Hersheys)

1 tbsp Instant Coffee powder  (I used Nescafe)

A pinch Salt 

3/4 cup Sugar 

1/2 cup Milk

1/2 cup Oil

1 tsp Vanilla essence

1.5 tbsp Hot water

2-3 tbsp Chocolate chips

To prepare...

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a muffin pan or use some muffin liners.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt and keep aside.

Whisk sugar, milk, oil, vanilla essence until sugar is completely dissolved. 

Dissolve coffee powder in hot water. Add to the wet ingredients and mix well.

Combine both wet and dry ingredients. Do not overmix. Finally add the chocolate chips and give a quick mix.

Pour the cake mix to about 3/4th of each muffin liner. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the centre of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.

Cool for a few minutes. Serve them with or without chocolate sauce topping.

Sending this to the following events:

Show Me Your Hits - Fiber Rich Foods by Sangee Vijay
Bake Fest hosted by Kalyani, an event by Vardhini
I'm the Star by Rasi 

Healthy Morsels event at Taste of Pearl City

Snack Recipes at My Culinary Creations

Fast Food, not Fat Food event hosted by Uma , an event by Priya

Moru Curry / Seasoned Yoghurt Curry

Moru curry needs no introduction to those from Kerala. It is a simple curry prepared very frequently in most of the houses in Kerala. This is such a comfort food and we can enjoy a light lunch when it's served with rice. There are many variations to this curry.....you can add garlic, red chillies, fenugreek, tomatoes......each of which will make the curry more flavourful. My mother used to make this a lot when I was a kid as this curry helps in digestion. The cumin, ginger, turmeric, curry leaves along with yoghurt makes a lovely combo and does the trick. If you do have the buttermilk, you can directly use it to make this curry.  Enjoy this simple and delicious curry !!

Serves 3-4

You need....

1.5 cups Yoghurt

3/4 cup Water (approx)

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1" pc Ginger finely chopped

2-3 Green chillies chopped

3-4 Small Onions chopped

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

4-5 Curry leaves

1 tsp Coconut Oil 

Salt

To prepare...

Whisk yoghurt and water thoroughly . Add salt to this and mix well. Adjust the consistency of yoghurt by adding more water if you desire.

Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard and cumin seeds. Saute small onions, ginger , curry leaves and green chillies until onion changes colour. Reduce the heat to low. Add the turmeric powder and mix. Now add the yoghurt and stir continuously so that it won't curdle. There is no need to boil the curry, just keep it for a couple of minutes and then the curry is ready to be served with rice.

Sending this to Kerala Kitchen, hosted by Prathibha , original event announcement here.
and to Kitchen Chronicles- Summer Splash hosted by Sangee, an event by Kalyani.

Chickpeas Biryani

Hot steaming biryani always tempts me a lot...As I have said before, I am always ready to eat any rice variety. Biryani is one of my favourites....very flavourful, spicy and delicious rice. Served with a simple raita, maybe a pickle and papad...its just heaven for me :) I can finish it off in no time !! Chickpeas biryani is a healthy and delicious one, I would say a complete meal. I make biryani in pressure cooker itself which I find very simple and an easy method. I served it with a simple onion tomato raita. Hope you all will try this out.

Serves 3-4

You need...

1 cup Basmati rice

3/4 cup cooked Chickpeas

1 Onion chopped

2 small Tomatoes chopped

1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

1 tbsp broken Cashews

2-3 tsp Biryani masala

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Chilli powder

2-3 Green chillies slit

2-3 tsp Ghee / Oil

some Coriander leaves chopped

1.5 cup Water

Salt

Whole Spices

1" pc Cinnamon

2 Cloves

2 Cardamoms

1 Star Anise

1 Bay leaf

To prepare...

Wash and soak the rice for half an hour. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add all the ingredients listed under Whole Spices. Fry until it leaves aroma. Now add cashews and fry till slight brown.

Add onions and ginger-garlic paste, saute until onions become transparent. Add tomatoes and green chillies, saute until tomatoes turn mushy. Now add turmeric powder, chilli powder and biryani masala. Saute for a minute.

Add the cooked chickpeas, coriander leaves and salt to this, saute for a couple of minutes. Now add the rice and combine everything well. Finally add the water and mix well. Pressure cook for 2 whistles. Serve the hot biryani with a raita, pickle and papad.

Sending this to the following events:

Show Me Your Hits - Fiber Rich Foods by Sangee

Kerala Kitchen, hosted by Prathibha , original event announcement here.

SpotLight: Colourful Holi at Cuisine Delights

Nutella Banana Milkshake

The overripe bananas are always a common scene in my kitchen. This time I felt that a couple of neglected bananas were shouting at me, "don't u ever notice us?"....Yeah, true !! They were so greenish yellow and pretty when I bought them. Now they have got black spots everywhere and felt like they were saying "pick us atleast now" ;). Usually I make Banana Bread or Banana Dates Milkshake when I have such neglected bananas. This time I thought of making something very quick and yummy...so I asked the bananas to hop into my blender with the lovely Nutella and milk to form a yummilicious drink :).  This milkshake can be included in breakfast for kids who hates the regular milk. You should try this out...kids will finish it off in no time for sure !! Since we all love Nutella, we enjoyed this lovely drink.

Serves 2-3

You need....

2 ripe / overripe Bananas

2 tbsp Nutella (increase if you desire)

1.5 cups Milk

Honey / Sugar to taste

To prepare..

Blend the bananas with a little milk into a smooth paste. Add rest of the milk and Nutella to it and blend well. Add honey or sugar as per your taste. Enjoy the yummy drink !!

Notes:
* You can add condensed milk, ice cream , chocolate syrup etc for a rich and better taste.

Sending this to the following events:

Show Me Your Hits - Fiber Rich Foods by Sangee, Kitchen Chronicles- Summer Splash hosted by Sangee, an event by Kalyani , ABC Series: Fruit Fiesta by Ramya, Beat the Heat at My Cook Book, I'm the Star by Rasi and to  my event Just "4" Fun 

The Chef's Favourites Series : Chocolate Mocha Cupcake with Mocha Cream Frosting - A Guest Post by Vineetha

I welcome all of you to The Chef's Favourites guest post for the month of March. This is a monthly guest post series where I invite some of my blogger friends to share with us one of their favourite recipes . They will also answer some simple questions so that we can know more about them :). If you missed the previous guest posts, do check them out here. 

The Chef for this month is Vineetha of Ruchi. Thanks to blogging which has given me a few good friends, maybe they are miles apart, but we share a special friendship which I would cherish all the time. Vineetha is one such blogger friend who has become a very close friend of mine :). Our friendship started when we learnt that we have a friend in common and we quickly became friends. Now we talk regularly about so many things especially about our kids :). She has a wonderful space Ruchi with so many lovely recipes. What I like about her posts are her short scribbles which she writes straight from the heart, simple clicks and explanations. She is a talented cook and I love all her recipes especially the cake recipes. Please do visit her space to check out yummy recipes. Thanks a lot dear for accepting my request to do this guest post :)

Chef Vineetha of Ruchi is sharing with us one of her favourite recipes, Chocolate Mocha Cupcake with Mocha Cream Frosting...sounds yummy rt? :)

Thanks Vineetha for such a lovely guest post :) Please accept the below award as a token of Thanks dear :)

Over to Chef Vineetha now........

Blogging world has gifted me a handful of good friends and Sobha is one among them. Our friendship grew through comment columns in our blogs and later on through Facebook, we talked a lot in Facebook about blogging, cooking etc and of course about our lil ones too...She is a good cook who always comes up with good foods and  she has chosen an apt  name for her blog !! I myself has tried one of her muffin recipe and it was so good, I still like to try out few more recipes from her and  in days/months to come I will be trying her recipes again.

It was on my birthday in February I got this mail from Sobha asking me whether I am intersted in doing a guest post in her space. I didnt even have to think twice before grabbing the wonderful opportunity and I considered her request as a special birthday gift from the blogging world :)

About me...

I am a Mum and a home maker. I believe that  Family and Friends are the most important thing in the world, not even a single day of mine goes without talking to my family or  atleast one of my  friends.

I have got a wonderful cook at my home, its none other than my hubby. I love  to eat what he cooks  ! One more budding cook is growing up in my home, its my 3 1/2 year old son who loves to watch me cook and bake. He has his own pots and pans and whenever I cook he too will be cooking with his pots and pans. Now he wants to help me with cooking too which I find a bit annoying. When I bake he never leaves the kitchen until the cake is out from the oven. Now I involve him in baking too and allow him to put measured ingredients on the mixing bowl, putting sprinkles on icing etc !!

Favourite Recipe here @ Good Food

All her recipes are delicious but since I have tried her Eggless Oats Banana Muffins and loved it I will go for  that one now :)

Favourite Cook Book

I dont really have any fav cook book but I have a recipe book which I  scribble when I see good  recipes in  TV's, cook books, magazines, blogs etc. The book is now almost 6 years old and is  very precious to me.

Favourite Chef

I love vah reh vah chef Sanjay, I have tried so many recipes from him and it never lets me down .

Favourite Spice

Pepper, its a universal spice and goes well with all the cuisines :)

Favourite Restaurant 

My favourite restaurant  is Northern Frontier  in Pune. I used to love eating out there.

Favourite Cuisine

Without doubt its Indian, apart from Indian I love Chinese, Thai, Italian and now Korean too (new found love).

Favourite Food Show

Its Taste of Kerala which comes in Amrita TV and Magic Oven in Kairali TV. Miss watching both the shows here :(

Favourite Recipe

I love cakes and chocolate cakes has been my favourite cake while growing up. I simply loved the idea of coffee in chocolate cake and thats how I tried this.

Here goes the Recipe of Chocolate Mocha cup cake with Mocha cream icing.

Chocolate Mocha Cup Cake with Mocha Cream Frosting 

Ingredients 

Flour - 1 1/4 cup
Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Eggs - 2
Oil - 3/4 cup
Coffee powder - 1 tbs
Hot water - 3 tbs
Milk - 1/4 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch

For Frosting
Butter unsalted - 1/2 cup
Icing sugar - 1 cup
Coffee powder - 1/2 tsp
Cocoa powder -1/2 tsp
Warm water - 2 tbs

Preparation 

In a bowl sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt .
Cream egg and sugar.
Add oil and mix well.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture  and fold in until it is incorporated.
Finally add milk and mix well.
Bake it in a preheated oven at 175 degree centrigrade for 25 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

For Frosting
Beat the butter and add sugar little by little until all of the sugar is used up.
Dissolve cocoa powder and coffee powder in warm water and add it to the icing mixture and beat till it is mixed well.
Transfer the icing to a piping bag and decorate the cupcake as u wish :)

My Cooking Tip / Advice / Quote

I dont think I am professional enough to give cooking tips, so I will share a basic tip I know.
If you add a pinch of salt while sauting onions it will speed up the process and you will get your onions sauted quicker :)