Beetroot Soup

Fall has officially begun and the days have started to get cold. As we feel the little chill in the air, we do crave something warm, soothing and yummy which is filling as well. So this is the first soup I prepared to welcome the season of fall. I made this soup in my soup maker, wherein I just dump everything and get yummy, creamy soup in just 20 minutes. But this can also be prepared traditionally on a stove top.

Ingredients:

Beetroot: 2
Tomatoes: 4
Carrots: 2
Parsley leaves: a bunch or according to taste
Ginger: 1 inch
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Soup Spice Mix (Soup masala) : to taste

1. Wash and chop the beetroot, tomatoes, carrots, ginger and parsley nicely. Save some of the parsley for garnish. 
2. Add little water and grind all the vegetables to a coarse paste. 
3. Transfer this paste to a big boiling pot and add 4 cups of water. Add the salt and the soup spice mix and mix everything well. 
4. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the soup reaches the desired consistency. 
5. Add to the serving bowl, garnish with fresh parsley, sprinkle black pepper and serve hot! Enjoy. 

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Winter care face pack

The summer is past and the cold days of winter will soon be knocking our doors. The weather outside is going to be unsightly, but your skin doesn't have to be! Rough, dry skin is often a result of the harsh winter against our skin, which is often very itchy and uncomfortable. Along with drinking lots of fluids in the cold weather, here's a winter skin care face pack to prevent rough and dry skin and keep it smooth and glowing throughout the winters!

Ingredients:

Daliya (oatmeal): 1 cup
Rice (basmati or any other): 1 cup
Besan (chickpea flour): 1/2 cup
Coffee powder: 1 heaped tbsp.
Cocoa powder: 1 heaped tbsp.
Mint powder: 2 tsp.
Desiccated coconut: 2 tsp.
Almonds: a handful (8-10)
Dried apple: 1
Dried rose petals (or any other flower, I used tulip)
Dried orange peels (according to preference)
Iced tea (lemon flavored): 1 tsp. (optional)
Saffron: 1/2 tsp.

1. Lightly toast the almonds and remove from the flame. Let cool. 
2. Add the oatmeal, rice, desiccated coconut, almonds, saffron, dried apples and dried orange peels to the mixer and grind it to a smooth powder. 
3. Transfer contents to a big bowl and one by one add and stir in chickpea flour, coffee powder, cocoa powder, mint powder, iced tea a crushed flower petals. 
4. Mix everything completely using your hands. This whole pack should be dried and no drop of water or moisture should be added. Transfer contents to an airtight box and store on room temperature. Use everyday. 
   
5. Instructions to use: Mix one tbsp. face pack to 1 tsp. yogurt and mix well. You can also add few drops of rose water. Apply on face and neck and let dry. Wash off with lukewarm water, don't use very hot water as it can make the skin further dry. Pat dry with a towel. 

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Saffron Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken: 600 gm
Saffron: 1/2 tsp.
Cream: 1/2 cup
Cooking oil: 4 tsp.
Onions: 2 large
Ginger-garlic paste: 4 tsp.
Coriander seeds: 1/2 tsp.
Nigella seeds: 1/2 tsp.
Dried red chilli: 2
Salt to taste
Red chili powder: 1 tsp.
Cumin powder: 1/2 tsp.
Coriander powder: 1/2 tsp.
Tomato (chopped): 2
Garam masala: 1 tsp.
Yogurt: 1/2 cup
Green cardamom: 2
Lemon juice: 3 tsp.
Coriander leaves for garnish

1. Wash and clean the chicken and marinate it with the cream and a pinch of saffron and leave for 3-4 hours. 
   
2. Heat oil in a pan and crackle the coriander seeds and nigella seeds. Add the dried red chili. 
3. Make a smooth paste of onions and add to the pan. Fry until the raw smell disappears and it starts leaving oil on the sides. 
   
4. Add the ginger-garlic paste and mix well. Let cook for another 2-3 minutes. 
5. Sprinkle a bit of water. Mix and stir well. Sprinkle little water again after 2 minutes and stir well. Let cook. Repeat this process 7-8 times, keep sprinkling little water and stirring and leaving for about a minute each time. This will make the onion paste creamy without being watery. 
6. Now add the marinated chicken, stir well and fry in the masala. Add the dry spices: salt, red chili powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Mix everything well and fry for about 5-7 minutes. 
   
7. Grind the tomatoes in a paste and add the ground tomatoes at this stage. Add the garam masala. Mix well and let cook for about 8-10 minutes until everything is incorporated in the masala and it starts leaving oil on the sides. 
   
8. Add the yogurt, mix well and cover. Let cook for another 5 minutes. 
9. Remove cover and mix well. Add 2 pinches of saffron and powdered green cardamom. Mix well. Let cook for another 5 minutes and turn of the flame. 
10. Squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken curry, top with the remaining saffron and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot! 

Pao Bhaji in Slow Cooker

I belong to Jaipur and Pao-Bhaji at roadside stalls at Pandit Pao Bhaji has always been my favorite snack all my life. I have always missed the Pandit pao bhaji and have prepared the same many times. But this particular time, as I was exploring the many benefits of my slow cooker, I thought to give a try to prepare the bhaji in the slow cooker; and trust me, I have never been able to prepare a richer, creamier and yummiest pao bhaji before on my stove top.

So here's the step by step method that I followed to achieve the yummiest ever pao bhaji!

Ingredients:

Cooking oil: 4 tsp.
Onion (chopped): 1 big
Vegetables of choice (I used cabbage, capsicum and carrots)
Boiled potatoes: 4
Salt to taste
Red chili powder: 1 tsp.
Cumin powder: 1 tsp.
Coriander powder: 1 tsp.
Mango powder: 1 tsp.
Tomatoes (roughly chopped): 2
Peas: 1 cup (I used frozen peas)
Pao Bhaji masala: 2 tbsp.
Butter to add over the bhaji

1. Add the cooking oil to the slow cooker and add the onions. Turn on the slow cooker on low and let the onions get warm for a while. 
   
2. Add the chopped and diced vegetables next: cabbage, capsicum and carrots. You can use other vegetables as well. 
   
3. Next, add the boiled and roughly chopped potatoes. 
   
4. Add the dry spices: salt, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and mango powder. 
   
5. Add the tomatoes. 
   
6. Add the peas and the pao bhaji masala. 
   
7. Try and stir all of it together. Add a cup of water. 
   
8. Cover and leave overnight. 
9. In the morning, turn off the slow cooker, remove the lid and add the dollop of butter. 
    
   
10. Serve hot with pao bread. Enjoy! 

You can prepare the same on stove top if you don't own a slow cooker using the same recipe or this Pao Bhaji recipe I use to prepare on stove top. 

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Egg and cucumber salad

This scrambled egg and cucumber salad is absolutely cooling and refreshing idea on a hot summer day. This is my favorite salad and I try to eat this for breakfast on weekends. Prepared with minimal ingredients and no dressing, it flavorful and healthy at the same time.

Ingredients:

Eggs: 2
Cucumber: 1
Cooking oil: 2 tsp.
Milk: 2 tsp.
Salt to taste
Black pepper powder to taste
Lemon: 1/2
Parsley leaves/coriander leaves: a few

1. Heat oil in a pan and break eggs in the pan when the oil is hot. 
2. Stir quickly and as the eggs are cooking, just add the milk and stir well. 
3. Let it cook until it reaches the desired consistency. I don't like runny egg scramble so I let it cook until it's just past the runny stage, and it not dry. 
4. Turn off the flame. 
5. Clean and chop the cucumber in thin slices. Don't peel the skin. Plate the cucumber. 
6. Add the scrambled eggs on the side. 
7. Sprinkle salt and pepper and some lemon juice. 
8. Garnish with finely chopped parsley leaves or coriander leaves. 
9. Enjoy! 

Vegetable Spaghetti

Simple, quick and easy option for lunch/dinner which doesn't require much time and efforts: vegetable spaghetti. This is also a great option for lunch box.

Ingredients:

Spaghetti: 100 gm
Olive oil: 3 tsp.
Garlic (chopped): 3 cloves
Onion (chopped): 1
Capsicum (finely chopped): 1
Tomato (chopped): 1
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp.
Mango powder: a pinch
Black pepper powder: 1/2 tsp.
Dried oregano: 1/2 tsp.
Chili flakes: a few
Tomato ketchup: 2 tsp.

1. Fill up a pot 1/2 with water, add a pinch of salt and bring it to a boil. Add the spaghetti according to the instructions on the pack and let cook until its al dente. 
2. Drain in a colander over the sink and keep the spaghetti aside. 
3. Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped garlic and fry until its brown. 
4. Add the onions and fry until they turn transparent. 
5. Add the diced capsicum and sprinkle a little salt. Mix and let cook until the capsicum is done, it should break with the ladle but still has a crunch in it. 
6. Add the tomato and sprinkle red chilli powder, mango powder and mix well. Let cook until the tomatoes are soft and mushy. 
7. Add the boiled and cooked pasta to the pan and mix well. Sprinkle little water to loosen up the pasta if required. 
8. Sprinkle the black pepper powder, dried oregano, chili flakes and the tomato ketchup. Give a good stir and let cook for about 2-3 minutes more. Turn off the flame and serve hot. 

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Cocoa hand-care cream

Hands are the most used parts of our bodies. They are used from typing, cooking, scrubbing dishes to writing documents and giving hi-fives, driving and styling our hair, and practically everything else! Yet they are often the least cared-for body parts while we spend a lot of money on our face and hair-care etc. Our hands go through a lot on a daily basis and still care for our hands, more often than not, falls on the bottom of our list of beauty priorities. But did you know, hands show the first signs of ageing, even before our face? Rough, dried hands, chappy nails, dark spots, veins and loose skin on your hands are no pretty sight; and also they give away your age earlier than your face.

So, it's really high time we start caring for our hands and showing them some love with a regular care regime. With busy lifestyle, it's often easy to ignore our personal care, let alone caring for our hands. I had faced the issue of having dried hands, peeling off cuticles and chapped nails for a very long time and it was almost impossible to take care of hands everyday. I tried some hand creams which gave nice results but are so expensive if I were to use them every single day so I ended up skipping them many times. And then I decided to use something that would keep my hands soft and supple, without splurging a lot of money. With all of this, I was also short of time to experiment making a cream or a lotion from scratch. So I used a regular, basic, flavorless and odorless cheap body butter cream from my local store and converted it into a nourishing hand cream. With the use of this cream in just 15 days, my hands have become softer, cuticles are no longer dry and the nails are getting healthier.

Ingredients:

Basic body butter cream (odorless and flavorless): 6 tbsp. (Use any cream you can find)
Olive oil: 3 tsp.
Coconut oil: 1 tsp. (optional)
Glycerin: 2 tsp.
Lemon juice: few drops
Cocoa powder: 1 tbsp.

1. Take out the body butter cream in a bowl. 
2. Warm the olive oil and coconut oil in microwave for a minute each, in separate bowls.  
3. Add both the oils to the body butter and mix nicely to incorporate the oils completely in the cream. 
4. Add the glycerin and lemon juice. Mix nicely again. 
5. Add the cocoa powder and mix everything vigorously so there are no lumps remaining of cocoa powder.  
6. Warm everything again in a double boiler till it's just warm but not hot and bubbling. 
7. Let cool completely and transfer this cream to a box with a tight lid. Any old and clean cream box would be ideal to store this hand cream. 
8. Use every night before going to bed. It will help keep your hands, nails and cuticles soft and supple and delay ageing. 

How each ingredient helps for the skin of hands?

Olive oil: Olive oil contains omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, which keeps your skin smooth and soft to touch. It is filled with vitamin E which is a famous antioxidant. It prevents oxidation in skin cells so the skin looks much younger and less wrinkles appear on the skin surface. It will make your hands baby soft and smooth. 

Coconut oil: Coconut oil is naturally antibacterial and anti-fungal, it's a natural moisturizer and can penetrate our skin better than other oils. 

Glycerin: Glycerin is a humectant, which means it attracts water. When applied to the skin, it seals in moisture that might otherwise escape. That is why it helps combat dry skin. It helps keep the skin more hydrated and the hands won't look dry and scaly with the use of glycerin. 

Lemon juice: Lemon juice has antibacterial properties and it is used to avoid darkening of skin of hands and it also helps in keeping the skin shining and glowing. It also helps reduce acne and dark spots on the hands. It even moisturizes and tones, and fights wrinkles. 

Cocoa powder: Cocoa promotes collagen for tighter skin, is rich in antioxidants so it helps fight ageing, moisturizes and prevents blemishes. Also it smells good and I love the feeling of smelling chocolate on my hands while sleeping so I can dream of chocolates. ;) 

Use this regularly for best results on hands and nails. Please don't use if you are allergic to any of the products. 

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