Green Pea Soup with poached egg

Soup is one kind of food which we always think of as comfort food. Be it any kind, tomato soup, mixed vegetable soup, lentil soup or in this case peas soup. It fills us with happiness on cold evenings. It is like a hug in a big bowl.

I love soups in general and is always ready to try new soups anytime. This soup came from the necessity of using eggs. Since Navratri is starting soon I wanted to finish all remaining eggs in my fridge. So instead of eating it normally like omelette, I decided to use them as poached with a soup.


Poached egg goes very well with green pea soup. When you cut through that perfectly cooked poached egg, the ooey-gooey yolk flows out it and gives an extra edge to the already oh-so-yum soup.

Give it a try. Trust me it is worth it. Please leave any suggestions or comments you have about the recipe. :)



Ingredients:

1 cup peas boiled
1/4 cup onion
1 inch piece of ginger - finely chopped
2-3 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2-3 whole black pepper
1 tsp crushed black pepper
salt to taste
1 tsp oil

For poached Egg:

5 cups water
1 large egg
1 tsp white vinegar

Recipe:

1. For poaching egg, take water and vinegar in a medium size container and boil it over high heat.
2. Break the egg separately in a small bowl.
3. Once water starts boiling close the heat and with a help of spatula or eating knife stir water vigorously in one direction.

4. Take the spatula out and pour the egg in the same direction as water rotation.
5. Let the egg wrap in its own white and leave it for 2-3 minutes.
6. Once cooked and covered totally, take it out gently in a plate. Keep it aside for serving with pea soup.

For soup:

1. Take a pan, add oil and heat it over medium heat. Once heated, add ginger.
2. Once ginger cooks half way, add cumin seeds,fennel seeds and whole black peppercorns
3. Once they start crackling, add onions. Cook them until translucent in color.
4. At this point, add peas and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add 2 cups vegetable broth and crushed black pepper and salt to taste.
6. Let it boil for 5 minutes.
7. After 5 minutes let it cool for 10 minutes than transfer to a blender.
8. Blend the mixture properly. After blending reheat it after transferring it to a pan.
9. Add lemon juice and mix well. If you want a thinner consistency, add little more vegetable broth at this time.
10. Take it off heat once it starts to boil.
11. For serving, take soup plate. Place poached egg at center and fill rest of it with the soup. Serve hot and enjoy.

Quickie Veggie Sandwich

This is a very quick sandwich recipe which I make when I am in a hurry and super hungry. This can be made in very less time and tastes awesome.

You get goodness of veggies and good fats from cheese added. Do give it a try. It will surely become your favorite once you make it.


Ingredients:

1/4 green bell pepper - cut in small cubes
1/4 red bell pepper - cut in small cubes
1/8 cup julienne carrot
1/4 cup grated cottage cheese/paneer
1/4 cup onions
1 tsp green pepper - finely chopped
salt to taste
1 tbsp black pepper - crushed
6 slices of bread - I used whole wheat and honey bread. You can use any other variety you like
1 tbsp of butter

Mixture Sauces:

2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp honey mustard sauce
1 tsp green chili sauce
2-3 tbsp grated mozzarella cheese

Recipe:

1. Cut all the vegetables as directed above.
2. Take a pan, add 1 tsp of oil on high heat. Once heated add green chilis.
3. When green chili start to cook and give flavor, add onions. Please keep adding little salt at a time as soon as you add vegetables in order.
4. Once onions are translucent add green and red bell peppers.
5. As soon as bell peppers starts to get al dante(cook to bite) add carrots.
6. Once everything is cooked add cottage cheese and black pepper to taste.

7. Taste the mixture at this point and let it cool for 5 minutes.
8. Add all the sauces and cheese to the mixture.

9. Now heat a griller or a grill pan with a little butter. Fill the mixture between two pieces of bread. Once the pan is heated cook the sandwich on both sides.

10. Serve hot. You don't need any other sauces with it since we already added everything inside the mixture but if you like you can have it with anything you like. I am eating it with a healthy green juice

Healthy Green Juice

I used to drink banana shake in the morning and have recently started this green healthier version of juice/shake for an active and awesome morning start.

And best part about this juice is that it is homemade and quite tasty to drink. Give it a try you will love it.

Ingredients:

2 handful organic spinach
2 handful organic romai


ne lettuce
1  handful organic kale
1 green apple
1 pear
1 banana
1 celery stick
1 lemon juice
11/2 cups water

Recipe:

1. Put everything in the blender and blend it until a smooth juice like consistency.
2. This will make 3 cups of juice.

Mushroom Corn-Peas Veg

There were times when I didn't like mushroom at all. Also it was not that frequent of a dish to make at home too. But from the time I  moved to US I started  using it quite a lot. Got to know of the benefits of using mushrooms.

They are quite good source of vitamins and minerals. And it is quite good to include them in your diet routine. There are various recipes out there on how to make them. This is my take on them.

Hopefully you will like it. Please try these and let me know if you have any suggestions/comments.

Ingredients:

3 cups sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup peas
1/4 cup corn
2 large tomatoes
1 inch piece of ginger
2 green chili's
1 tbsp cooking oil
4 cups water

Spices:

1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp coriander  powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp cumin seeds
pinch of asafoetida

Tempering:

1 tbsp butter
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 green chili - thinly sliced
8-10 bay leaves

Garnish:

chopped coriander to garnish

Recipe:

1. Make a paste of tomatoes,ginger and green chili.
2. In a deep large pan, add oil. Heat it over high heat, once heated add cumin seeds and asafoetida.
3. Once cumin seeds start crackling, add tomato puree' and rest of the spices. Cook until oil starts to separate out.
4. At this point, add mushrooms, peas, corn and 3-4 cups water based on the consistency of the gravy you want.
5. Let it cook for about 10-15 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked properly.

6. At this point, lower the heat to low. And on other side prepare tempering for the dish.
7. For tempering, take a small pan and heat it over medium heat. Add butter to it, once butter melts add all the ingredients for tempering. Close the heat as soon as mustard seeds start crackling. Do not burn the butter.

8. Pour this over the mushroom gravy. Serve hot with roti or rice as you like.

Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake filling

This is a very basic strawberry whipped cream filling recipe. It is quick and easy and you can make mousse too out of the remaining filling :)

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup icing sugar
7-8 strawberries - puree'd

Recipe:

1. In a large bowl, using stand mixer or hand mixer start whipping the cream on high, after a minute add sugar.
2. Keep whipping for another 4-5 minutes or until soft peaks form.

3. Add strawberry puree and mix it with light hands.

Fried Okra or ladyfinger

Okra is one vegetable which gets sticky when made normally. I still like it that way, but most people I come across like the fried version better. Obviously this means more calorie, but more taste too.

We can also make this in oven with very little or no oil, I will be posting that recipe soon too. But for now this is a pure indulgence oil fried okra. Please enjoy and let me know in comments if you like it or not. :)


Ingredients:

1/2 kg okra
2 tbsp gram flour
1 tbsp rice flour
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp roasted cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp dry mango powder
salt and black pepper to taste

Recipe:

1. Cut off the tip and bottom of okra. Thank slice in half and cut each half in thin slices. Do this with all the okra.
2. Once cut, mix and squeeze the okra slowly with your hands to remove excess big seeds of okra.
3. Once seeds are separated, transfer the okra in a big bowl.
4. Add all the spices and leave the okra to leave little water for about 10-15 minutes.
5. After 15 minutes, mix gram flour and rice flour. Coat okra properly in them.

6. Heat oil in a flat pan (take atleast 1/2 inch deep oil layer). To check if it is at right temperature, place one okra in it and if it comes up slowly to the surface then oil is at right temparature.
7. Now cook okra in batches, donot try to overfill the pan. Each batch will take around 7-8 minutes to cook.

8. Let it cool and server crispy okra with rice and lentil or any other combination you would prefer.

Coconut Chutney

This is a south indian speciality and staple in every household. This chutney goes very well with idli or Dosa. But I like it with anything. Whats not to like it is coconut :)

Please enjoy a very simple and quick coconut chutney to make.

Ingredients:

chutney:

1 cup grated coconut
2 tbsp of Gram Lentil
1 inch piece of ginger
2 green chillis
cumin seeds
salt to taste
1 cup water

Tadka/Tempering

1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
10-12 curry leaves fresh
2 dried red peppers whole
Washed Urad lentil

Recipe:

1. Mix all the chutney ingredients in a mixer-grinder and make it in a smooth paste adding water in between grinding adjusting according to the consistency you want. Do not add 1 cup in a single go.
2. For tadka/tempering, take a sauce pan. Add oil and heat it over medium heat.
3. Add all tempering ingredients and cook until urad is cooked and mustard seeds start splattering.

4. Add the tempering over the coconut chutney paste. Mix well and serve with idli/Dosa.