Lifestyle - Travels for Taste

5 neat ideas to utilise space efficiently in small homes using 3M Command Hooks (review)

May 14, 2014 by manjirichitnis 6 Comments

Post it notes have become a part of our daily lives , so much so that when I make a mental note of stuff I imagine a small yellow post it stuck inside the folds of my brain 😉 Even my laptop at work would have yellow reminder 3M e-post-it’s lurking in some corner of the screen.

So when I was sent 3M Command hooks for a review I knew this was going to be a fun experiment !

I had a few wooden frames I have been wanting to put up on a bare wall for the past 2 years – yes am lazy like that .And my rental agency has scared me silly saying that I wasn’t to use any nails or whatsoever . Coming from India where we live in homes with strong bricks walls and no requirement for heating but an A/C instead it has taken me a while to get used to my creaky wooden floorboards in the beautiful Victorian house conversion which we occupy. Add to that walls that are wooden and have gas pipes lurking everywhere its quite a nightmare trying to decorate walls. Add to that the fact our rental flat is little more than a small match box we really need all space conservation ideas and intelligent use of available space! Enter 3M then the saviour in such situations!Fabulous for personalising your rental house and adding a touch of homely decor ideas here and there.

Neat Idea #1

I have finally managed to get that frame up on the wall and can’t stop beaming with a false sense of pride each time I turn and see it , which is often!The frame is hung using a 3M Command Picture and Frame Hook which holds frames up to 27.9 cm x 43.1 cm ie. 11 x 17 in.It comes with sturdy two-sided easily removable tapes which won’t peel off your paint. It does not work on wallpapered walls though and after attaching the hook to the wall one has to wait for an hour to have it settle in properly.

This frame has been up for over 10 days now and hasn’t fallen off and am quite sure it won’t – result Happy me and happier wall 😉

Neat Idea #2

And these pretty ‘red heads’ have now a place they can ‘hang around’ in style in my kitchen which is nothing more than the size of a rather compact postage stamp!They are mounted on 3M Command Wire Hooks which hold 225gm.

Neat Idea #3 &4

I discovered some white 3M Command hooks during my visit to my local supermarket and purchased a few after these satisfying results from the samples I was sent and I now can hang pretty frames like the one below 🙂 and also have 2 of these hooks tucked away into the panel inside in my wardrobe and have some pretty scarves and belts hung there too! All done in a days work I say.

Neat Idea #5

I also received Decorative Hooks in black which hold up to 1.3 kilos for review. I have ordered in some curtains from Ikea which weigh 2.7 kilos so am going to buy some more of these hooks and use 3 hooks per curtain to hand my new curtains. During summer I get very bright sunlight and the house heats up like an oven .Am hoping the curtains kill the heat.Will post a photo here once this little experiment is done 🙂

The sheer amount of things that can be done using these various 3M hooks and removable adhesive tapes is mind-boggling. All those pretty lights I purchased before Christmas last year will go up around my windows for our biggest annual celebration the festival of Lights – DIWALI 🙂

*With thanks to 3M for sending me various types of hooks for review.No monetary compensation was provided for this post. All views expressed are my own.

Shree Krishna Vada Pav, Hounslow – A review

May 6, 2014 by manjirichitnis 14 Comments

Anybody who is good friends with me knows for a fact that I can be bribed with food especially if it involves chaat. Now I have a perpetual crib that the ONE thing I really miss about my life in Mumbai is good chaat. Well, if there ever was a moment when I felt I the way navigator and explorer Vasco da Gama did after he found India then it was when I bit into the Vada Pav at Shree Krishna Vada Pav at Hounslow. This was some time in 2011 when hubster and I were out hunting for Indian eateries and discovered this gem.

Image Credit :Shree Krishna Vada Pav

Its on the high street on Hounslow east and a very busy high street at that.Advance Warning its extremely crowded on weekends and don’t expect great decor just a basic ,clean space with comfy chairs and tables. But then the food is so good that the decor and other mundane stuff takes a backseat.Actually that is true of the Harrow branch as you can see in the image below the Hounslow one is pretty cool!

Image Credit :Shree Krishna Vada Pav

Being a Maharashtrian myself its good to see they stock products that I crave like Chitale Bandhu export quality bakarwadi,Laxmi Narayan Chiwda, some dry chutneys and snacks that I would hoard on and buy easily from any corner shop in Pune and Mumbai and yes they also stock fresh soft hand made puran polis!

Image Credit :Shree Krishna Vada Pav

Need more coaxing to make a visit well they now have another branch in Harrow which also I happened to visit last month while I stayed over at my best buddy from school’s place -S her OH and kids were hyper excited to be eating there and we greedily ate almost 1/4th of the options on the menu. The paneer bomb literally exploded in my mouth and left me gasping for more , now if only all scary bombs turned into paneer it would put an end to bomb scares and hunger too humm – please ignore that I think I need another cuppa;)

Must try items on the menu – Misal Pav a mixture of peas curry spiced up sprinkled with crunchy chivda or farsan and served with a soft pav – this dish originates from Kolkapur in Maharashtra ,India and is served with a small bowl of red coloured chilli powder in dangerous volume to make a dipping sauce from hell- only the VERY brave survive – I avoid it like a rash lest it gives me hiccups first , a possible coronary and immediate urge to visit the loo **begins to sweat at the brow at the mere mention**

Also must try the star attraction and the dish which is part of their name – VADA PAV – This notoriously famous street food is famous amongst Mumbaikars of all ages – I was inoculated against any possible food poisoning attacks for the rest of my lief by repetitively consuming suspicious looking vada pav near Kurla stage at that point in my life when even after finishing a rather expensive college degree I had to ask Baba for travel expenses – don’t laugh I passed out in the year when 9/11 happened and markets crashed,jobs were scarce and I worked my butt off. And now I can proudly look back and say I worked for 12 long years before taking a break and choosing to walk the path less trodden – and that is why here I am – blogging away.

After that short detour into my dark past lets get back to the menu at Shree Krishna Vada Pav a much more interesting subject of discussion.NO self respecting foodie should walk out of this place without eating several plates of potato,onion and mixed bhajiya plates with several cups of hai for company and loudly discuss Indian politics with your Indian friends 😉

Image Credit :Shree Krishna Vada Pav

Another street food close to my heart is Dabeli, I remember wandering the streets of Ghatkopar in Mumbai ,with my mother and getting her to buy me this deliciously tasty snack off street vendors carts as a thank you for carrying her heavy grocery bags. Please avoid doing such things do – no no, I don’t mean eating Dabeli – just carrying heavy grocery bags – am sure it has largely contributed to messing with my poor hands and therefore the carpal tunnel operation on both hands 🙁

{Please do not take that literally, always seek professional medical advice for any health issues however big 0r small , I was recently operated for carpal tunnel decompression on my left hand and have to undergo the same on my right hand soon booohoooo!}

When the craving for a proper Indian snack strikes a plate of samosa can never be far away and if your really lucky than a proper grilled sandwich. To fully appreciate this phenomenon of veg grilled sandwich I must tell you how its made on the streets of Mumbai.Generally there is a small little space enough to hold a rather fragile human being and his small ”stall” which is a large tripod holding a gas stove and a plank of wood on which he magically balances loads of bread generally Wibs 🙂 , chopped onions, different types of chutneys in steel dabbas, lots of Amul butter packs, mashed potato,sev packets and a stash of cucumber,tomatoes,cheese and green capscium alongwith small little boxes with salt and spices. With a knife super sharp and knife skills that would put a trained chef to shame he expertly chops the veggies at lightening speed and slams them on slices of bread slathered with butter and chutney ,then depending on how shameless the customer is ( in my case shame of any sort especially when asking for extra cheese is totally absent.) he grates a tiny mountain of cheese into the already bulging sandwich.then without so much so aas dropping a single slice of wiggly tomato he slams this inside a hand held contraption and claps it shut! Then it goes onto the hot hot stove where it is tossed and turned till your grilled sandwich is done. Do yourself a favour eat this when you go to Mumbai and the mantra is to keep repeating ”germs don’t exist, to hell with hygiene” only then will you will truly relish this superb Mumbai street food!

Image Credit click here

Image Credit : The Guardian

Image Credits for the 2 images above: Wise Monkeys

This is the delicious samosa plate at Shree Krishna Vada Pav with the superb dry garlic chutney and a fried green chilly to go , just eat the outer green layer of the chilli and leave the seeds behind its a fab combo with the samosa.

Last but not the least don’t miss out on the Mango Panha now as mangoes are in season – at least in India, they are – Hapoos Mania grips the country around this time of the year with rates skyrocketing to obscenity and second only to the rate of gold! This tangy drink is a homemade treat at ours with large jars filled with green mango pull and spices mixed and then served diluted with chilled water. But aai is now too old to make that …so I plonk myself uninvited to my maushi’s house in Pune – tehehe there’s always a way out for a foodie!

Did you know that Shree Krishna Vada Pav were one of the sponsors for last years food blogger conference called Bloggers Buzz? I can still remember the fabulous hot food in our lunch plates courtesy them ummm!

These are photos of the superb Alphonso mango trees in my grandmothers garden at her house in Pune. These are ideal for making Kairee Panhe .Sighhhh….

Disclaimer: This review is thanks to my multiple visits to Shree Krishna vada Pav and their consistent great food. I have always paid for my own food and have written this review of my own accord. I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated monetarily for this post.Like all my previous posts about events and reviews, ALL opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Ink Restaurant, London – A review (Permanently Closed)

May 6, 2014 by manjirichitnis 6 Comments

Very excited at having won the ‘Write for a Bite’ Contest by Zomato I booked a table at the Ink Restaurant by Zomato. With hubby in tow, we set off for dinner on a rather chilly weekday evening. After my smartphone map app took us took the center of an isolated park we were lucky to get directions from a local. After trudging through a long and lonely lane we finally reached Ink. Do make it point to walk straight up to Palmers Road and turn right at the top of a hill, walk right to the end of the lane and walk up the stairs, Ink is on the left.

The minimalist interiors and the modern space are in stark contrast to where this restaurant is located. We were greeted warmly and could pick and choose where we sat amongst the tables available.

Thanks to having lost our way and the chilly weather we had managed to work up quite an appetite. We had scallops made in a sweet pea and mint puree, pancetta crumble and tomato crumble served with delicious onion and edible flowers, and hubster ordered the soup of the day. My scallops went down well with my white wine and I was hungry for more.

Our mains were very cooked to perfection, delicious, and of a good portion size too. I like my steak well done and the 28-day dry-aged 8oz sirloin steak with 3 types of mushrooms was perfectly done, succulent, and very juicy. I can almost feel the taste in my mouth even now while I write this Ummm. Hubsters main of braised lamb cooked in oyster juice and wrapped in a cabbage leaf was so soft and tender it simply melted in our mouth.

Our dessert of Rhubarb with lightly baked meringue was tastefully decorated but left us wanting more. Do eat the beautiful edible flowers scattered on top they are lovely! Sensing that I guess the chef got us some complimentary again melt in your mouth delicious. Nice.

The menu is limited but the food is excellent. Portion size on the starters and dessert was a bit of a shock but when taste takes precedence over portion size, it’s definitely worth it. In spite of eating 3 full courses, we were not overfull but appropriately satiated.

My only regret is we didn’t go for lunch it would have been lovely to sit by the canal and enjoy a relaxed lunch but that wouldn’t have been possible on a weekday. Nevertheless, this restaurant is a find and a good option for the coming warm summer days.

Disclaimer: With many thanks to Zomato Uk for the vouchers sent to me. It partly paid for our dinner but we were happy to pay for the bulk of our very delicious meal. I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated monetarily for this post. Like all my previous posts about events and reviews, ALL opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Lunch at Le Porte des Indes, Marylebone, London – Review (Permanently closed)

May 6, 2014 by manjirichitnis 7 Comments

Influence of the British Raj on India,its culture and their indelible influence on the railways , architecture and the many places of tourist interest is common knowledge but India was also ruled by Mughals,the Portuguese,the French and the Dutch. Each of these colonies bear distinct stamps of a deep-rooted influence especially on the food with some beautiful foods that have become a part of the local community and recipes developed by such confluence of are not only brilliant in taste but also a mixture of flavours that otherwise would not have been combined.

I had heard so much about Le Porte des Indes and Chef Mehernosh Mody who has been awarded Ethnic Chef of the Year 2012 at the Craft Guilds of Chefs Awards for people who pay attention to things like that. So when Fiona who blogs at London Unattached asked me to accompany her for a lunch at Le Porte des Indes it was an offer too tempting to pass up!

Le Porte des Indes literally means Gateway to India. The decor is warm and welcoming and I felt was in some old, Indian palace with intricate wood carvings, huge artefacts, paintings especially replicas of Raja Ravi Verma’s magnificent originals and stone statutes which reminded of the ones at Khajuraho. Indoor plants are similar to ones I would see probably at The Taj Hotel in Mumbai, India lots of wooden statues of Lord Ganesha too.

We started by ordering some drinks I ordered for a Tamarind Martini while Fiona ordered some white wine.My gin,tamarind and limoncello martini came adorned with a slice of Star Fruit on the side .The sight of the star fruit took me back to my college days when my friends and me , about ten of us would get off the train and trade the crowded bus journey on way back from school and walk home instead on the dusty footpath – our treat for walking, a tangy snack packed in an old newspaper sold by a haath – gaadi or hand cart street food vendor which included roasted peanuts in shells, tamarind -imli and star fruit slices sprinkled with chilli powder and topped with a squeeze of lime – very ,very tangy but totally fun. On a good day when we had some extra change between us we would follow this up with a fizzy drink from a small shanty opposite the gates of the IIT,Mumbai campus mummm – simple pleasures. Seems so far away now and I only ever see my friends on Facebook and comment on old scanned photographs 🙂

I fell in love with the beautiful cutlery and the copper plate sighh…

Our starter was Demoiselles de Pondiche’ry – seared king scallops with a hint of garlic in a delicious saffron sauce – succulent and morish…

The cuisine is a mix of French,Tamil and Creole influences and lots of fusion recipes using the chefs imagination.

Next up was a platter of starters with kebabs and a fish called ”Patra ni Machi” or Parsee fish (Patra – leaf , Macchi – fish) this divine fish was made using fillets of sole encased in a mint and coriander chutney steamed in a banana leaf.I remember eating this fish at a Parsee friends wedding feat in Bombay 5 years ago and it had green chillies in a generous amount in the green chutney.There was a mild hint of chilli in our fish ,just perfect, excellent in fact and I could have made more,no wonder this is Chef Mehernosh Mody’s speciality. The other starters on our platter were Kathi kebabs – spiced lamb kebabs rolled in an egg served with a dark fruity chutney. Murgh Malai Kebabs – tandoori grilled chicken tikkas marinated in a creamy cheese sauce with spices.A twist on the usual onion and potato pakoras we ate Chard Pakoras – red and green chard rolled in gram flour, green chillies,coriander, turmeric and caraway seeds and fried crisp – very tasty!All this served with Garlic and Coriander Naan.

In the picture about L-R :Murgh Malai Kebabs,Parsee fish,Chard Pakoras and in the middle Kathi kebabs.Peaking on the right side corner is a rice cracker with a roughly ground green chilli chutney with a cooling yoghurt and saffron dip.

In the picture above is the Pomegranate Raita -Natural yoghurt with pomegranate, a touch of cumin and paprika.We then ate this most perfectly cooked white fish in a rich tamarind sauce steamed in a banana leaf – pure pleasure.

For our mains we got a large assortment of dishes served Basmati Saffron Pillav Rice, Seed Naan and Red Rice– Steamed organic red rice.

L -R in the photo of our mains platter below:

Tandoori Barra Chops: British Lamb Chops Char-grilled with cinnamon, cardamom and cloves finished with caramelised onions -everything you expect from a tandoori lamb really – smoky,soft,packed with flavour and juicy ,falling off the bone.Prawn Assadh curry as it is made in Pondicherry with turmeric,ginger, green chillies,coconut, mustard seeds and green mangoes – so creamy and delicious we couldn’t get enough of it scooping it off our plate with our naan stuffed with spiced lamb.Poulet Rouge, spécialité de notre maison is a gallic inspired dish – Chicken Slices marinated in yoghurt and red spices, grilled and served in a creamy sauce. Rougail d’ Aubergine: Smoked aubergine crushed with red chilli, ginger and green lime also called Baingan ka bharta in Hindi.I was most delighted to find we had a portion of mutton – it is not easy to get goat’s meat locally and this Mutton Braised home style as in Pondicherry with robust spices and laced with coconut milk was a delicious curry with the mutton having soaked up all the flavours of the spices .With the Saffron rice it was very good.Chef Mehernosh Mody also let us in who his regular suppliers who he told us are all local British producers.

We also had a selection of chutneys to go with the naan.Though I was stuffed I was hoping I could manage to have some dessert. After all a grand meal like this is not complete without some Indian sweets!;)

Fiona had to leave in a hurry and only managed to taste some the many treats on our mixed dessert platters.

L-R : Frozen dessert – Rose flavoured kulfi -the indian home-made ice cream with no artificial flavourings or stabilizers, made using Jersey & Guernsey Milk with pistachios ,followed by a mini chocolate filled samosa – thin pastry stuffed with chocolate and deep-fried ,Belgian Dark Chocolate Mousse(55% Cocoa Solids) served in traditional leaf cup – in India its is common practice to serve desserts in a dried leaf folded into the shape of a cup especially at large public gatherings like the Sarvjanik Ganpati Festival and during Navratris – these are bio-degradable and much better option over plastic or foam cups, a fruit tart and a slice of mango carved artistically.

Chef Mehernosh Mody then took me on a tour of the premises .There is so much room for big parties in the Maharajah room which is very tastefully done up antique Indian artifacts, the Shamiana perfect for weddings and a lovely,a fully private big dining room with French colonial decor for corporate lunches too.If that is not enough there’s a Jungle Bar complete with cane furniture ,palm trees and tiger skin rugs so while you sip on a tropical signature cocktail called Karma which has – oh yes coconut juice and vodka, you can pretend your on the beautiful shores of Pondicherry ne Puducherry with pristine beaches of blue water and warm silky sand and are about to set off for a hunting expedition in a while with your buddies! Did you know that Puducherry meaning New Town is also referred to as ”The French Riviera of the East”?

That’s not the talented Chef Mody also conducts live cooking classes in the restaurant where the chef and his team unravel the mysteries of Indian cooking , explain the intricacies of the spices and how to cook a great Indian Meal – fab idea for team building exercise I say where you actually eat the fruits of your labour!

The Beautiful dome of the former Edwardian ballroom this adds to the grandeur of the place.

One of the private dining rooms, notice the beautiful statues at the back? 🙂

At the Jungle Bar it was common practise for patrons to throw peanut shells across the floor and then walk all over them on crunching shells!Fun I say.

For the images of the dome, the private dinning room and Jungle bar – Image Courtesy -Le Porte des Indes

Disclaimer: With many thanks to Chef Mehernosh Mody, the attentive team at Le Porte des Indes and Fiona. I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated monetarily for this post. Like all my previous posts about events and reviews, ALL opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Pasta Please Challenge April’14 Round Up

May 3, 2014 by manjirichitnis 7 Comments

Last month I hosted my first ever food challenge linky called Pasta Please created by Jacqueline Meldrum of Tinned Toms Blog. The theme was ”Olive Oil” In the past month I have infused 2 large bottles of good quality olive oil with various herbs, garlic and chilli and used this oil for cooking, especially for Italian recipes it gives your dishes a new level of good taste.

Thanks to all bloggers who linked up and Thanks to Jacqueline for kindly letting me host #PastaPlease for April’ 2014.

The first entry was from Corina of searchingforspice blog. Her –Tagliatelle with Chorizo, Garlic and Sundried Tomatoes is a delightful pasta dish made using various bits of leftovers. I am always impressed with what can be made by salvaging leftovers which we may otherwise be inclined to chuck. I love chorizo and it pairs very well with pasta. The way she has described the juicy tomatoes bursting when you bite into them is enough to make me want to make my own pasta using her recipe!

sundried-tomato-chorizo-tagliatelle-500x373

Fusilli with Baked Eggplant and Marinara Sauce by Ridhi of Drizzling Delicacies Blog which is a meat-free and eggless recipe blog is an easy recipe which uses baked eggplant in a thick and delicious tomato sauce.I love using fusilli and penne pasta which are great for scooping off the sauce. And olives in a veggies pasta must add a definite crunch and saltiness that is so good on the palate.

Easy Entertaining: Stuffed Pasta Shells by Katie of Feeding Boys Blog is a Gennaro Contaldo recipe – a cheesy mix of ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella then baked with a tomato and basil sauce, for the Good Food Channel website that was part of the Spring photoshoot Katie cooked for. This one is fab for impressing guests on a weekend and giving the impression of having slaved for hours. I love such recipes! Conchiglioni rigati (large pasta shells) being shovelled into the mouth with melted cheese and other goodness is so so…. tempting …Ummm.Sharron’s image is to die for too!

Chicken Riggies: A Utica, New York Pasta Speciality by Rachel at The Crispy Cook Blog is one of the most intriguing entry in the link-up simply because it is made using very saucy, spicy chicken with rigatoni (the “riggies” part) and chopped hot red peppers. This recipe is native to the Italian-American community in Utica, NY and Rachel’s version is Gluten-free -Brilliant!

Red Peppers in Pasta Bake, Stuffed and in Soup by Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe Blog or triple G as I am going to remember her blog from loves green and dreams of being tall and graceful as a giraffe 🙂 She lives in Australia and has hosted the #PastaPlease challenge before. This was the first pasta bake of the 2 which linked up to the challenge. I love the main 3 ingredients in this bake – Angel hair pasta, red peppers and mozzarella cheese. Also, I had never heard of Tofu Bacon before I read through Jo’s post. While reading through her about me section I notice that all the foods she dislikes I like very, very much especially eggs and mangoes and GASP……Fresh Coriander and ermmmm very spicy food! Well dislikes aside Johanna’s blog is a treasure trove of veggie recipes and I ended up reading many of her posts!

Extremely Delicious Vegetable Lasagne by Chris of Cooking around the world blog came into the linky just when I was wondering why hasn’t any lasagne recipe made an appearance! This veggie recipe has a secret ingredient too – Radish, I have no shame in admitting I like a radish – no not love just like but that’s good enough I guess. Chris’s dish is dripping with deliciousness and flavour and its a must try with all the gooey cheesy goodness and each distinct flavour layered into this fab bake.

Farfalle with Sicilian Pesto by Torta di Rose is what I was hoping to see in the linky because it has pesto with anchovies whizzed through the food processor, I am a fan of anchovies ever since I was kid, growing up reading Enid Blyton and all the seniors at Malory Towers asking the junior students to make them some anchovy on toast ahhh good old days. Rose’s photo is magazine quality awesome I think and kudos to her for writing her blog in Italian and English!

Gnocchi with Asparagus, Sage & Prosciutto by Louisa Foti of Eat your Veg blog made me realise the sheer variety that exists in the types of pasta. Gnocchi is that type of pasta which is so sinfully good and tasty. I love when Louisa says ”The heady pairing of lemon and sage work really very well with the slight salty tang from the slithers of prosciutto”. Louisa’s blog is full of family-friendly recipes and in most of her posts, her 2 adorable kids are seen ‘helping’ her cook :).A recipe apt for the Asparagus season this is packed with goodness.

Eat-Your-Veg-Gnocchi-with-Asparagus-Sage-Prosciutto

Spicy Chorizo Pasta with loads of veggie goodness – last but not the least an entry by yours truly this was my attempt to get a ton of greens into OH’S tummy without the cribbing and using chorizo in a tasty sauce to mask the veggies. The things I have to rest to just to get him to eat all his greens, well well well.

I hope all of you had as much fun cooking and sharing your recipes with me and Jacqueline as we had hosting the #Pasta Please challenge for April’2014 with all of you.

Hope you liked my first ever round up too.

In my Veg Box: Cauliflowers – Recipe Linky Challenge

May 1, 2014 by manjirichitnis 19 Comments

Am back in May with another exciting challenge! This month, I am guest hosting In My Veg Box, an event run by Nayna Kanabar of Citrus Spice UK. This month’s theme is Cauliflowers.

Cauliflower – ”The kale of 2014, the budget-friendly superfood, the most underrated vegetable” is what the Huff Post, Canada mentions in a recent article about the 10 health benefits of cauliflower.

Did you know that Cauliflower is an aid to weight loss? Yes! That’s why it is the new kale and tastes much better too, don’t you think? My favourite new way to use cauliflower creatively is by shredding it in a food processor and cooking it with some water in a microwave as a replacement for rice.

Cauliflower is bursting with various vitamins like Vit B and C, potassium and phosphorous that can support your body’s repair and maintenance of the nervous system, immune system, muscles and bones.

Its name is from the Latin caulis (cabbage) and flower.

A brassica, like cabbage and broccoli, cauliflower is a mass of tiny, tightly packed flower heads (called curds), which grow from a thick central stem to form a single, round head, cupped by green leaves. It has a firm, almost waxy texture, and a mild, delicate flavour. Most cauliflowers are white, but it’s also possible to find green and purple varieties, as well as the sweeter Romanesco cauliflower, with its distinctive pointed florets.The orange cauliflower is also rich in beta-carotene and vitamin A.

I tasted the orange and purple coloured variants of cauliflower for the first time a few years back and my love affair with the beautiful Romanesco cauliflower has only just begun! Did you know that the English call romanesco – broccoli, the French – cabbage and the Germans and the Poles – cauliflower. Some of the undecided place it somewhere between broccoli and cauliflower. Taking into account its shape, romanesco rosettes bring to mind the pyramids or minaret towers, the theory, that it fell out of a flying saucer would seem to be rather interesting.

According to the BBC Good Food Guide: Like all brassicas, cauliflower smells very unpleasant if overcooked, so brief cooking is essential.

With me and my husband, cauliflower and green peas, bhaji made using a simple hand-me-down recipe from my Aai (mother in Marathi, my mother tongue) is a firm favourite. I make it at least once a week. My Aai, my sister and her kids love it too, we are a veggie-friendly family that way!

If all this has not put you in the mood for cooking up something interesting or simple and easy with cauliflower then what will?! 😉

So get cooking, clicking and link up but first a few rules! I know, I know RULES. But I promise the rules are dead easy to follow!

Rules to Participate:

Please prepare any vegetarian recipes using Cauliflowers and link your dish to the linky code below. You will need to enter the name of your dish, as well as the URL of your blog.
The current theme is CAULIFLOWER.
You must link this post to Travelsfortaste and to Citrus Spice UK.
Use of the logo is not mandatory but it helps to spread the word if you can use it.
Multiple entries are allowed.
Archived entries are also allowed, only if they are re-posted and updated with this event link, as well as the Citrus Spice UK link.
Recipes must be added to the linky by 31st May 2014.

In the event of any problems with using the linky code, please email me your entry to manjiri.chitnis@gmail.com. Please include your name, recipe name, URL and an image no larger than 300 pixels.

Thank you! Can’t wait to see a variety of recipes that I am sure are possible with the humble cauliflower! Get Cooking Bloggers!

References: Wiki, Huffington Post Canada

In my veg Box – Theme Cauliflowers – all entries.

New Beginnings

April 20, 2014 by manjirichitnis Leave a Comment

I think its time to finally share with all of you that am letting go of my blogs old name and moving to a new, shiny blog with a new name .Moving to a blog that is entirely mine which means a cooler look, great new competitions and much more content . So the whole moving of stuff around will take a while, not too long though but I promise to keep all you updated through my Facebook page and of course Twitter.

For the new name – humm will take a while to reveal – no drama here just a few things to be sorted out first 🙂

But the biggest news ever – I am now Mami (aunty) to a cute little boy, am hoping to see him real soon for he is so far away, several thousand miles away… in another continent …sighh

I have also been staying away from my computer for a while as my hand is still recovering from a carpal tunnel op but it is not as sore , but while I was recovering just after the surgery I found a whole new addiction – watching back to back whole seasons of legal dramas on the TV on one of the subscriber services! Damn I have been so so guilty. Its unstoppable ! Almost a crazy obsession that has taken over my whole life … but I think thanks to the brilliant weather am finally able to tear myself away from the telly and get back to being my old self (notice how I am avoiding using the word ”normal” self – but that is a discussion we shall not have right now

Spring seems to have really got some beautiful new buds blossoming in the garden of my life I must say. There is a lot more to look forward to – happy things , things that make me smile , people who make me smile …..a new chapter has unfolded hasn’t it ?

Oddly enough all thats NEW coincides with us just having celebrated New Year or ”Gudi Padwa” as did many other communities who bring in New Year on different days , according the Lunar Calendar which we follow. This brings to my mind a new year poem by Thomas Hardy-

The Darkling Thrush

I leant upon a coppice gate
When Frost was spectre-grey,
And Winter’s dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires.

The land’s sharp features seemed to be
The Century’s corpse outleant,
His crypt the cloudy canopy,
The wind his death-lament.
The ancient pulse of germ and birth
Was shrunken hard and dry,
And every spirit upon earth
Seemed fervourless as I.

At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
Of joy illimited;
An aged thrush, frail, gaunt and small,
In blast-beruffled plume,
Had chosen thus to fling his soul
Upon the growing gloom.

So little cause for carolings
Of such ecstatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
Afar or nigh around,
That I could think there trembled through
His happy good-night air
Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew
And I was unaware.

Pasta Please Challenge – April 2014

April 1, 2014 by manjirichitnis 29 Comments

Spring is here and so is April, Easter breaks around the corner. With kids being at home it is a great time to cook up some delicious, healthy, and quick pasta recipes for the whole family. I love cooking pasta because it is a great way to bring smiles around on full tummies and its a great way to combine lots of greens with meat or leave out the meat totally and get a very healthy meal on the table. Its also a thrifty meal idea to use up things from your larder and fridge that would otherwise face sure death. Pasta comes to the rescue always!

This is the first-ever food challenge and linky that I shall be hosting so am nervous and hopeful that everyone participates with great enthusiasm 🙂 Thanks to Jacqueline who blogs at Tinned Tomatoes, for letting me host this lovely food challenge for April’14.

The theme for this month’s entry is – OLIVE OIL. I have just infused a bottle of olive oil with crushed garlic,chilli flakes and fresh Italian herbs! Am very excited to create something tasty with this oil and use some of large packet of Pappardelle Pasta I purchased yesterday!

Sounds exciting? Ready to join in the challenge?

The rules ARE:

PASTA PLEASE – Food Blog Challenge – April 2014

To join in, simply post a pasta dish on your blog by the 28th of April 2014

Link to Travelsfortaste and Tinned Tomatoes.

Use the Pasta Please logo in your post.

If you use twitter, tweet your post with @tinnedtoms and @manjirichitnis using the hashtag #PastaPlease and we will re-tweet it to our followers.

Current theme is Olive Oil.

Vegetarian dishes and with any dishes using meat,sea food,pork,beef,chicken,dry fish are allowed (any non-vegetarian
dish).

One entry per entrant.

Recipes must be added to the linky by 28 April 2014.

Please email me your post with one image on fruitsnveg@yahoo.com.(Why? because the Linky has a GREMLIN inside and is not working! Thankfully its the last day to link up -phew!)

Entries So far :

Tagliatelle with Chorizo,Garlic and Sundried Tomatoes by Corina of searchingforspice blog.
Fusilli with Baked Eggplant and Marinara Sauce by Ridhi of Drizzling Delicious Blog.
Easy Entertaining :Stuffed Pasta Shells by Katie of Feeding Boys Blog.
Chicken Riggies: A Utica,New York Pasta Speciality by Rachel at The Crispy Cook Blog.
Red Peppers in Pasta Bake, Stuffed and in Soup by Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe Blog.
Extremely Delicious Vegetable Lasagne by Chris of Cooking around the world blog.
Gnocchi with Asparagus,Sage & Prosciutto by Louisa Foti of Eat your Veg blog.
Spicy Chorizo Pasta with loads of veggie goodness! by me 🙂

Wordless Wednesday – a new beginning.

March 26, 2014 by manjirichitnis 23 Comments

Have been meaning to start off a Wordless Wednesday series with a linky and blog hog for ages now – for this week though will share these 3 images and by next week will set up the linky and/or blog hop.Would love to have all you wonderful bloggers, photographers, readers out there linking up from next week 🙂

Both the images above have been sent by the lovely Bintu who blogs at Recipes from a Pantry.

The photograph below was taken by me ages ago when I didn’t have an DSLR am , it was a clear day almost 3 years back and I was chopping these brilliantly coloured peppers to make Pav-Bhaji 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday Folks !:)

P.S: Leave any queries you have as comments on this post and if you would rather email me ,my id is fruitsnveg@yahoo.com – I try and reply to all my emails asap !

Hot, Pink and Fresh Off the Grill! (Permanently closed)

March 12, 2014 by manjirichitnis 11 Comments

Hot Off the Grill! – Hot Pink Healthy Grill, Wimbledon – review – New kid on the Block

Whoa! Did I just read the words Healthy and Grill together? Or was it just my rumbling tummy playing tricks on my mind?

It was out of sheer curiosity to find out what this new place on Wimbledon High street was that we dared step in, Back in September last year the place had hardly opened about a week ago and my ma-in-law was visiting. She was most thrilled to know that there was even a healthy eating out option available after the onslaught of pub food, Italian dinners, and a host of other places I have dragged her to 🙂

The interiors are very welcoming with the huge armchairs that you can sink into but they were taken – obvious as they are next to a miniature bookshelf – ideal seating I’d say!

Image Credit: Hot Pink

And the many odds and ends as artifacts scattered around seem to add to the character of the place apart from the POP pink colour which is their general colour scheme.

The menu is quite neat too, the concept is to pick a main, choose one of the sides and a sauce served on the side, and to tempt you further with the promise of only 150 calories there is a skinny custard too! Perfect if you are watching your weight, looking at a healthy eating out option 0r simply being good and not negating all those hours in the gym or worse still spent running out in this fabulous weather aye?!

I was quite pleased to see a side of sweet potato wedges as well – just what the world has been waiting for I say! And if your guilty conscience is on a perpetual vacation like mine is then their award-winning chocolate brownie is what you should be ordering – pronto!

We shared some grilled chicken wings with a Hot Pink Sauce, quite scrummy and juicy.

So ma was really good and ordered a Grilled Salmon and Caesar salad (not the very best I’ve had I must admit ….) while the hubster went for chicken skewers and a side of roasted veg and I got myself a Cumberland sausage with the sweet potato wedges.

I made the mistake of ordering some Hot Pink Cola which is pretty weird to taste, maybe next time I will try one of their skinny slushes or the Hot Pink Lager made using just barley, hops, and water humm.

So let us see on a really hungry evening you could spend anywhere between £16 to £20 (whole sea bass in garlic and herb sauce with brown rice and lentils side for £13 with a brownie for dessert £5 and a fizzy £2.5) per head for a healthier than usual 3-course meal and a drink, not bad eh?

Need more reasons – umm lemme see – Breakfast can look like that :

Image Credit: Hot Pink

Takeaways available, Lunch deals at £6, a loyalty programme, and cheesecake on the menu 😉

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Pasta Please Challenge – April 2014

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Wordless Wednesday – a new beginning.

Hot, Pink and Fresh Off the Grill! (Permanently closed)

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