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Tag Archives: nourish

Moroccan Carrot Soup

Soups, Vegetarian June 14, 2018 Comments: 4

I have always been a huge fan of soups and it’s made round the year in my home. But during winter, the frequency increases manifold. After all, what can be more comforting than a steaming hot bowl of soup on cold, wintry nights!

While I make a lot of soups at home, many of the recipes do not make it to the blog. But with increasing requests from readers, especially during this season, I have decided to update the blog with more recipes, both vegetarian and non vegetarian. Starting with this delicious Moroccan Carrot Soup….

Moroccan Carrot Soup - thespiceadventuress.com

Carrot is a much loved vegetable in our home. It’s one I can get Sam to eat without any fuss and as for Adi, he behaves like Bugs Bunny around it. Even though I have made carrot soup plenty of times, I have never tried the Moroccan style before. But the memory of having it at one of our favourite Middle Eastern restaurants has always stayed in my mind. The spices used to flavour the soup make it a standout and really intensifies the sweetness of the carrots.

Then I came upon a carrot soup recipe by Rebecca Katz, which calls for saffron as a special ingredient. Now that was interesting and I really wanted to give it a try to experience what saffron adds in terms of flavour to a soup like this.

And it turned out beautiful. A tiny pinch of saffron is enough for a dish like this or it will overpower the flavours completely and totally ruin it. But in the right amount, it works magic along with the other spices to make this the best carrot soup ever.

Kept the garnish simple and traditional, with sourdough croutons, coriander leaves and a pinch of paprika.

And before we get on to the recipe, here are five of my all time favourite soups….

Potato and Parsnip Soup

Beer and Cheddar Soup

Scandinavian Pumpkin and Potato Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup with Brown Mushrooms

Moroccan Carrot Soup - thespiceadventuress.com

Ingredients:

  1. 1 kg carrot; cut into chunks
  2. 1 onion; diced
  3. 1 celery stick; diced
  4. 3 tbsp olive oil
  5. 1 tsp ground cumin
  6. ½ tsp ground coriander
  7. 1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
  8. 1 dried bay leaf
  9. Salt, to season
  10. A pinch of saffron (soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk)
  11. 1 litre vegetable stock
  12. 1 tsp lemon zest + lemon juice

To garnish:

  1. Sourdough croutons
  2. Sweet paprika
  3. Coriander leaves

Method:

  1. In a large pot, heat oil and add the onions, celery and carrots. Cook on high heat for 5 minutes with regular stirring.
  2. Then add the bay leaf, cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli flakes, saffron with milk and vegetable stock. Season with salt and mix well to combine.
  3. Bring to boil and then simmer gently till the carrots are completely cooked (takes about 20-25 minutes).
  4. Cool slightly and add the lemon zest. Blend into a soup like consistency using a stick blender. If using a mixer, blend in batches.
  5. Return to heat and add half of the lemon juice. Taste and add more if necessary. Also add water to get the desired consistency if the soup feels too thick.
  6. Serve warm garnished with croutons, fresh coriander leaves and a pinch of sweet paprika.

Moroccan Carrot Soup - thespiceadventuress.com

 

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The Pink Lady

Beverages/Drinks June 29, 2017 Comments: 5

After being down with one of the worst flu experiences I have ever had in my life, I am slowly returning back to my juice/smoothie routine in the mornings.

Breakfast has always been a challenge for me; I just can’t get myself to eat a full, proper meal in the mornings. Over the years, I have tried a zillion different ways to do this but I have finally come to accept my body and listen to it instead of eating the way that is often described as ‘ideal’.

I love to eat fruit in the mornings and that’s what I generally do on most weekday mornings after that mandatory mug of coffee. Sometimes, I have a whole fruit while working and sometimes, it’s a juice or smoothie. It might seem like very less food to most of you, but that’s all I can bring myself to eat in the mornings.

And since my appetite had gone all haywire during the flu, I felt completely drained of energy even though I have recovered mostly. So I decided to have The Pink Lady, because this concoction is great for energy and immunity, both of which I need generous amounts of.

The Pink Lady - thespiceadventuress.com

I also decided to add bee pollen, which has a whole lot of health benefits. Not usually a person who reaches out for fancy ingredients, but I was given a couple of ingredients like these to try out by the generous folks at Dandenong Market. And since the bee pollen is so good for the body, I have made it a frequent addition to my smoothies.

The Pink Lady is a simple drink; but what makes it high energy is the use of bananas and cranberry juice. This one’s also high in Vitamin C and B complex, again nutrients that are great to build immunity and gut health.

Most of the smoothies I make in the mornings are posted on Facebook, and very few make an appearance here. So if you like to get more of those recipes, follow me on any of the social media channels.

The Pink Lady - thespiceadventuress.com

And if you make this drink, do tag me in your post using #thespiceadventuress so that I can view it too.

(Recipe adapted from 101 Fantastic Juices and Smoothies)

Ingredients:

  1. 2 ripe bananas
  2. 6-8 raspberries
  3. 200ml cranberry juice
  4. ½ tsp bee pollen
  5. A drizzle of Manuka honey

Method:

Blitz all the ingredients in a blender and enjoy.

The Pink Lady - thespiceadventuress.com

 

Fire roasted Bell Peppers, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetarian June 14, 2017 Comments: 15

If you follow me on Insta stories, you would have seen my weekly cookbook series. I do not have a huge collection but a handful of old, new and trusted ones that I cook from often. And last week, I had spoken to you about ‘The Food & Wine Lover’s Guide to Melbourne and Surroundings’.

Whenever we take a holiday in and around Melbourne, I always try to incorporate a bit of food wine experience into it. A visit to a farm, local food store, farmer’s market, restaurant or winery….something unique that celebrates the region. And this book has come handy on so many occasions for this purpose.

The book also features a few recipes from Chefs, restaurants and food producers of different regions. This salad really stood out to me because of the combination of flavours. Tomato and mozzarella is a classic combination but the addition of fire roasted bell peppers, watercress and the mustard dressing takes it to a whole new level.

Fire roasted Bell Peppers, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad - thespiceadventuress.com

What I loved most about this dish is that it can be served as a salad or as a side dish to grilled fish, meat or perhaps some grilled paneer/tofu. It’s warm and so full of flavour that makes it a delight even during the colder months. We enjoyed it as a salad with our Indian thali and also as a side with grilled fish, both times equally enjoyable and delicious.

This salad is all about the freshness and quality of ingredients. And using different varieties of tomatoes makes it all the more delicious. If you have a local deli nearby, then that’s probably the best place to get your hands on the buffalo mozzarella. I prefer fire roasting over oven roasting whenever possible; that burnt smoky flavour is hard to replicate completely inside an oven. But you can roast the bell peppers any way you wish to. Roast just enough to char the outsides but the flesh inside still has a bite to it.

Roasting bell pepper - food photography - thespiceadventuress.com

Enough said! Let’s get on with the recipe….

Ingredients:

  1. 1 heirloom tomato; sliced
  2. 1 ox heart tomato; sliced
  3. 1 medium red bell pepper
  4. 1 medium yellow bell pepper
  5. 1 large mozzarella ball
  6. ½ cup picked watercress
  7. 1 tsp seeded mustard dressing
  8. Olive oil
  9. 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  10. Salt, to season
  11. Freshly milled black pepper; to season

Method:

  1. Roast both the bell peppers over an open flame till nicely charred all around. Cover with a cloth for a few minutes before peeling off the skin (this makes the process easier). Deseed the bell peppers and slice into thin strips. Alternatively, oven roast the bell peppers and then do the same.
  2. Cut the mozzarella ball into wedges and keep aside.
  3. In a bowl, add the sliced bell peppers, mustard dressing and watercress.
  4. Heat olive oil in a pan and flash fry the sliced tomatoes for a few seconds, season with salt.
  5. Cool slightly and add the tomatoes to the bell peppers along with the mozzarella wedges.
  6. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle balsamic vinegar and toss lightly.
  7. Serve immediately.

Fire roasted Bell Peppers, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad - thespiceadventuress.com

 

 

 

The Breakfast Smoothie

Beverages/Drinks August 26, 2016 Comments: 7

So I am back peeps, after a brief hiatus…..with a delicious breakfast smoothie.

The Breakfast Smoothie - healthy, nourishing and delicious - thespiceadventuress.com

As many of you are already aware, I moved homes last week. Just a couple of streets away, but the move didn’t turn out exactly how I had envisioned in my head. It was more intense, full on and plenty of work involved; coupled with bad organization, it turned out to be more stressful on our minds and bodies.

But finally, we are almost settled in the new place. There are still boxes to unpack but the basics are sorted and we are all beginning to feel at home again. Feeling at home again…..that’s a hard one to achieve when you move into a new space. A couple of my friends said that I invest a lot emotionally and physically in a rented property but for me, this space is home. It doesn’t matter who holds the ownership rights….for now, it’s our space and our home which we want to fill with happiness, stories and memories. So yes, I have always and will continue to invest a lot physically and emotionally in every home I live in.

One of the biggest changes has been the fact that after 3 years of our life in an apartment, we moved into a free standing house.  I am ecstatic about the larger space, more storage (for my props!) and a small but real backyard, but I feel a little lost at the same time. I keep forgetting where I have put stuff and then I run around like a headless chicken searching for it. Sigh.

So when it came to doing a blog post, I thought of sharing something simple and everyday like this breakfast smoothie which I made a lot during the past couple of days. High on nutrients to keep me nourished till lunch time and with that dash of chocolate and peanut butter for an indulgent luxurious feel.

The Breakfast Smoothie - healthy, nourishing and delicious - thespiceadventuress.com

The Breakfast Smoothie - healthy, nourishing and delicious - thespiceadventuress.com

 

I thoroughly enjoy using oats in my smoothies rather than the porridge form; gives the drink a lot more body. I went for almonds because it’s my favourite but use any you wish to or maybe even a handful of different ones. If you have never used peanut butter in a smoothie, then do give it a shot folks; lends such a rich, silky and amazing texture with that hint of nuttiness to the drink.

And of course the chocolate….I was initially leaning towards coffee but then couldn’t look past the delicious blocks of Australian chocolate with 60% cocoa and hints of smoky oak, raisins and dried spices that I picked up from the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice CreameryYarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery (if you haven’t been here, you do need to check it out; perfect for a spring/summer day trip).

The Breakfast Smoothie - healthy, nourishing and delicious - thespiceadventuress.com

PS – That ladder has become my new best friend; the cupboards are so high in this house that my puny self cannot function without it!

The Breakfast Smoothie:

Ingredients:

  1. 1 cup oats
  2. 10 almonds
  3. 1 tsp chia seeds
  4. 1 tbsp grated chocolate
  5. 1 tbsp peanut butter
  6. 2 cups milk
  7. ½ cup water
  8. A dash of honey

Method:

  • Blitz all the ingredients together in a blender.
  • Enjoy

Note:

In summer, add ice cubes and extra milk for a chilled drink; children will love it.

I used honey as a sweetener but you may use fruits like bananas or dry fruits like dates or prunes for the same.

The Breakfast Smoothie - healthy, nourishing and delicious - thespiceadventuress.com

 

Tempered Cauliflower Rice

Mains, Rice, Vegetarian August 17, 2015 Comments: 26

I have finally jumped on the ‘cauliflower rice’ bandwagon!

The rise of the ‘raw food’ trend has been momentous in the recent times, especially given the current focus on health and natural living.

Cauliflower, perhaps, is one of the first ingredients that began to be used in its raw form as a substitute for grains. If you haven’t got the concept, cauliflower florets are blitzed to a finely grated form to mimic rice. A couple of brilliant cooks and chefs began to come up with delicious and unique ideas of using cauliflower beyond its traditional form. And today, it has a cult following around the globe.

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Though I have come across quite a few recipes using cauliflower in this new avatar, I really didn’t intend to make it. And I almost certainly wouldn’t have if not for the editor of the community magazine where I freelance. ‘R’ has been asking me for an Indian inspired cauliflower rice for months now and I kept putting her off. But finally, here I am with the simplest ‘cauliflower rice’ dish.

So this tempered cauliflower rice is a simple, non fussy dish drawing inspiration from the rice dishes of South India.

A no-brainer really! All that I did is borrow the idea of ‘cauliflower rice’ and the South Indian style of tempering rice and merged it together. Easy peasy, just as Adi would say.

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There are so many ways you can use this tempered cauliflower rice. Have it as the main dish (like I did) with a side of pickle, pappads and salad or you could make a Buddha bowl with chickpeas and an assortment of veggies. It is great as a filling for burritos replacing the lime rice or a nice accompaniment to your steaks (hugely cuts down the guilt factor!).

Before we get down to the recipe, if the idea of ‘cauliflower rice’ has tickled your fancy, here’s another delicious dish I would totally recommend. Sneh is a brilliant cook and she has come up with the perfect pot of cauliflower rice biryani salad!!

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Ingredients:

Note – Make sure that you only buy really fresh and good quality cauliflower, especially when you are using it as a raw food.

1. 1 whole cauliflower; separated into large florets
2. 2 tsp ghee/clarified butter
3. 1 tbsp sesame oil
4. 1 tbsp raw cashewnuts
5. 1 tbsp raw peanuts
6. 1 tsp mustard seeds
7. 2 sprigs curry leaves
8. 3 dry red chilli
9. 1 green chilli, slit in half
10. ½ tsp turmeric powder
11. Asafoetida/hing, a pinch
12. Juice of 1 lemon
13. Salt, to season

Method:

• Wash the florets well and dry completely.
• In a food processor, blitz the florets to get the grainy, rice like texture. If you do not have a processor, then finely great the cauliflower.
• Heat ghee and oil in a large deep pan; roast the cashewnuts and peanuts separately and keep aside.
• In the same oil, crackle mustard seeds and then add curry leaves and dry red chilli.
• Reduce heat and add green chilli, turmeric powder, asafoetida and the blitzed cauliflower along with the roasted nuts.
• Season with salt and add juice of ½ lemon. Mix well and toss on high heat for a minute or two and then remove from heat.
• Taste and add more lemon juice if necessary.
• Serve warm with a dollop of love!

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