Salad

The word salad refers to a dish of raw leafy green vegetables, often tossed with pieces of other raw or cooked vegetables, fruit, cheese, or other ingredients seasoned and served with a dressing.

Salad consists of three major parts:

1. The Base
2. The Dressing and
3. The Garnish.

Given below is a table consisting of salad base,dressing,seasoning, toppings and a protein.
You can easily mix and match to make a wide variety of salads.
A Friend gave this table as a reference, works great!

Any one of the ……	Atleast 5	Atleast 1-2	Any one	Atleast 1
Salad Base	Toppings	Seasonings	Dressing	Protein
Spring Mix Leaves	Cucumber	Bread Crumbs (wrapped)	Balsamic Vinegar in Olive oil	Moong sprouts
Spinach Leaves	Carrots Shredded	Spiced pepper and salt	Redwine Vinegar in Olive oil	Chick peas
Romaine & Iceberg lettuce	Tomato slices	Walnut Slices	Herbal ranch dressing	Red kidney beans
	Olives sliced	Almond slices	Oriental Sesame	Tofu baked
	Capsicum slices	Raspberry dried	Southwest (Mexican)	Panneer baked
	Green whole olives	Jalapeno peppers sliced		Endamame (soya beans)
	Black whole olives			Grated cheese
	Celerie chopped			Egg whites burgie
	Artichokes			Boiled egg pieces NO yolk
	Brussel sprouts			Whole green peas
	Baked eggplant slices			Whole small potatoes
	Asparagus			Green Beans
	Minestrone soup veggies			Lima Beans
	Cherry tomatoes
	sliced Mushrooms
	shredded broccoli

Mint Onion Chutney(Pudina Venkaya Chutney)

There are many ways to make mint chutney. This one is made with onions and tomatoes.
Ingredients:
1 Bunch Mint Leaves
1Large onion(rough chopped)
1 Tomato (rough chopped)
1/2 Tbsp Fennel seeds
4 Dry Red chillies
1/4 Tsp Tamarind concentrate
3 Tbsp oil
1 Sprig curry leaves
1 Tsp mustard seeds
1 Tsp Urad dal
Salt to taste.
Method:
Remove the mint leaves from the stalk and wash thoroughly.
Heat 1 tsp oil in a kadai, add onion, fennel seeds, tomato,onion and saute.
Let the mixture cool.
When the mixture has cooled down, grind it with tamarind, red chillies and salt.(you can vary the amount of red chilly according to your spice needs)
Add water as required and grind to a smooth paste.
Make tadka with the remaining oil, mustard seeds,urad dal , curry leaves and garnish the chutney.
This chutney is great with Idly and dosa.

Beetroot Sothi

Ingredients:
1 Beetroot (cubed)
7-8 Small onions
3- 4 green chillies ( modify the amount of chillies according to your taste)
1/2 can lite coconut milk
1 Tsp Sambar powder
1 sprig Curry leaves
2 Tsp oil
1/2 Tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 Tsp Urad dal
1 Pinch Asafoetida
Salt to taste
Method:
Slice the small onions.
Heat the kadai , add oil and the mustard seeds and urad dal.
when the dal browns add curry leaves, small onions, chillies ,beetroot and saute.
Now add sambar powder and water, let it cook till the beetroot is tender.
Add salt to taste.
Now add the coconut milk and Asafoetida and let it simmer .

This Recipe can also be made with , green beans and potato .
This Sothi taste great with white rice.

Note: This is not a lunch box recipe, the coconut tends to separate from the water.

Kari milagai (Medium hot long pepper fry)

Growing up on the hilly border of kerala & Tamilnadu, the cuisine in our house had influence from both the styles. One such dish is kari milagai. It is my All time favorite. This dish can only be prepared with very few types peppers. (due to the heat). So When I found the Medium hot long pepper in the grocery store, I had to try it.(This kind of looked like the ones in my home town.)
Ingredients:
3 Nos Medium hot long peppers
Salt
4 Tbsp oil.


















Method:
Wash and cut the peppers in half.
Take the half and slit vertically and stop just before the ends.
Smear salt on the inside of the peppers.
Set aside fot five minutes.
Heat oil in a small kadai, and shallow fry the peppers .
Serve hot.This is Great with Rasam rice, curd rice or any other bland rice for that matter.
Ps:- It is not very hot ! Give it a try!

Karamani Pulikuzhambu

Karamani or Black eye bean pulikuzhambu is my favorite curry. It tastes great with rice, the curry is also great with idly and dosa.
Ingredients:

• 11/2 cup Karamani
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 1 Tomato chopped
• 4 Dry red chillies
• 1/2 cup Coconut (shredded)
• 2 Tbsp Puli kulambu powder
• 1 Tbsp Tamarind paste
• 1/2 Tsp Asafoetida
• Salt to taste
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2 Tbsp oil
• Urad dal, mustard seeds for tadka.

Method:
Soak the karamani over night.Wash, cook and set aside.
Grind tomato, coconut and red chillies to a smooth paste.
Heat oil in a kadai, add urad dal mustard seeds and make a takda.
Add curry leaves,chopped onion and saute.
Add puli kulambu powder, tamarind paste , ground coconut paste and saute.(add water as required)
Add the cooked black eye beans and add salt.
cover and cook till the raw smell leaves.
Add asafoetida and cook for a minute.
Serve with rice.

Cabbage Rice

Cabbage my favorite vegetable! It is full of Vitamin C.It is a very versatile vegetable, and best of all it is available any time you want it.
Ingredients:
2 cups Basmathi Rice( cooked)
1 Tsp G/G Paste(Ginger/Garlic)
1 Tbsp Cumin seeds
1 Large onion (chopped)
11/2 cup Cabbage(shredded)
2 Green chillies (sliced)
1/4 cup Coconut Milk
11/2 Tbsp Coriander powder
11/2 Tbsp red Chilly powder
2 Tbsp oil
Salt to taste.
Method:
Heat oil in a kadai, add the cumin seeds and let it splutter.
Add onion , green chillies and saute.
Add G/G paste to it.
Now add the cabbage and continue sauteing for 5 minutes.
Add chilly powder, coriander powder, salt and coconut milk.
Add 1/4 cup water cover and cook for a minute.
Now add the boiled rice, and mix the cabbage mixture.
Cover and cook till all the water is absorbed.

Mochaccino Cup

Last night i went to My local grocery store and saw this Mochaccino cup.I simply could'nt resist it. It was Yum!
The outer layer is chocolate! Filled with a layer of chocolate cake topped with chocolate mousse, which is topped with Mocha creme.
Garnished with Chocolate powder and a Marsh mellow!
Can You resist it!

Plantain Podimas(Vazhakai Podimas)

Plantain podimas is a very common dish in most south Indian household.
Ingredients:

• 2 Plantain/Raw Banana (small)
• 1 Large Onion ( chopped)
• 1 pinch Turmeric powder
• 4 Green chillies ( chopped)
• 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 sprig Curry Leaves
• 1/2 tsp Urad Dhal
• 2 Tbsp Coconut (grated)
• 3 Tsp Oil
• Salt to taste

Method:
Peel the outer skin of the plantain . Cut them into small rectangular shape pieces and keep the pieces in water.
( so that the plantain does not turn black.)
Boil the cut pieces with salt & turmeric powder till soft and strain the water.
Heat the oil in a kadai and add the mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves and saute.
Add the chopped Onion, Chillies and continue sauteing.
Add the cooked plantain pieces and shredded coconut .
Add salt if required. Cover and cook for a minute and remove.

Mint Chutney (Pudina Chutney)

Mint chutney is one of my favorite chutneys.There are many ways to make mint chutney, I made this one with coconut.
Ingredients:

• 1/4 Bunch Mint leaves
• 1/4 Bunch Coriander leaves
• 6 Nos Green chillies
• 1 Cup Coconut(shredded)
• 1/4 Tsp Tamarind Paste
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 Tbsp oil
• Salt to taste.

Method:
Wash the mint and coriander leaves.
Heat oil in a kadai and add the urad dal.
When the urad dal turns golden brown, remove the dal and keep in a bowl.
Add the mint, coriander and green chillies in the kadai and saute.
When the leaves have cooked, let it cool down.
When the leaves cool down, grind the leaves along with salt, tamarind, and coconut.
Add water as required.
Grind to a smooth paste.Garnish with the urad dal.
Serve with Idly, Dosa.

Carrot Halwa

As we were having coffee, my hubby wanted to have something sweet, He also wanted me to make it quickly for him. I had not made halwa in along time. So I made carrot halwa.
Ingredients:

• 1/2 Lbs Carrots
• 2 Cups Milk
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Ghee
• 2 Tbsp Nuts(sliced for garnishing)(almond, cashews, pista)
• 5 Strands saffron
• 1/4 Tsp Cardamom powder

Method:
Peal and grate the carrots.
Heat milk in a kadai, bring to a boil.
When the milk boils, add the grated carrots.
Keep stirring.When the carrots have cooked nicely, and the milk starts to thicken, addsugar and cardamom powder.
Now add ghee and saffron .
Stir on low heat till the mixture collects in a soft ball or the ghee oozes out.
Serve hot, decorated with a chopped nuts.
Note: it can also be served cold.