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Easy Moroccan Chicken one pot meal

February 20, 2015 by manjirichitnis 22 Comments

The chill in the air is just right for warming one-pot meals. Make them healthy, quick, and easy to put together and you have a winner on your hands. Last year at the Cake and Bake show which I attended with a dear friend and fellow blogger,  I ended up spending a bomb (£££!!!!) on four different sized pots – non – stick being one of their biggest virtues. One of them is a huge wok which I intend to use to make a stir fry over the weekend. The coating is said to last for years and each vessel comes with a glass lid. I can apparently also shove them directly into the oven but haven’t tried that yet. The big and rather saucepan is what I use as my crockpot for making one-pot meals in. In fact, there is something very comforting watching a warming curry or gorgeously tasty and nutritious one-pot meals!

heaven in a saucepan - healthy , happy meals begin here!

Ok so coming back to my one pot recipe. I had a bag of baby spinach leaves in my fridge and was craving a wholesome soupy stew with lots of vegetables. So managed to gather a few things that I think would taste great together and then added in Knorr onion gravy pots and Knorr mixed chilli pot for flavour and the result was so very satisfying.  But the best part was adding in Ras El Hanout a delicious and fiery moroccan and North African fragrant spice mix. The delicate dried rose petals look so pretty , that’s why I decided to name my dish Moroccan Chicken one pot.I also devoured it for lunch today – umm.

 Moroccan Chicken one pot meal

Make this in a large quantity and it will freeze well. Batch cooking is highly recommended as it saves you time and ensures that you do not eat things that you will end up regretting when you are hard pressed for time and simply cannot cook.The freezer is a wonderful boon, use it!

I purchased a beautiful Red Leicester and Pumpkin seed batard to go with my meal – it is soul-satisfying to mop up the thick gravy with the bread while sitting on the couch watching my fav crime show on the telly, feeling all warm and happy.

The best part of this recipe is I haven’t added in potatoes or extra sugar to taste and yet the flavours are so well balanced. (Though both gravy pots do contain sugar) I love stocking up on these tiny Knorr flavour pots they are life-savers!

A recipe with enough spinach to make Popeye jump with joy! Spinach has several health benefits and is known to be a great source of folic acid and several essential vitamins and great levels of iron too. Best part is a big bag of spinach can be consumed in no time as the leaves are high in water content and it reduces in size when cooked.

 Moroccan Chicken one pot meal

Easy Moroccan Chicken one pot

Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Fusion
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tsp Olive oil
  • 1 Large Red Onion
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 270 Grams Mixed – Broccoli, Carrot and Cauliflower
  • 500 Grams Chicken thighs
  • 75 Grams Trimmed green beans
  • 4 or 5 Chestnut Mushrooms
  • 1.5 Knorr onion gravy flavour pot
  • 1 Knorr mixed chillies flavour pot
  • 4 tbsp spinach leaves
  • 3/4th Cup Red lentils – without skin and halved
  • 1/2 tsp Ras El Hanout
  • 1/2 tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
  • Salt as per taste
  • Water

Method
 

  1. Remove the skin from thechicken thighs after washing thoroughly under running water
  2. Chop the chicken thighs to make strips of the flesh leaving just enough on the bone
  3. Wash and cut the broccoli, carrots,cauliflower, green beans and chestnut mushrooms bitsinto bite sized pieces
  4. Slice an onion lengthwise into fine strips
  5. Remove the skin from the garlic cloves and chop into tiny bits
  6. In a large saucepan or stockpot heat olive oil on a medium flame, when the oil becomes to heat up add the finely chopped garlic and saute’ until they turn a golden brown then add in the sliced onion
  7. Stirring occasionally allowthe onion to sweat and just when it begins to brown add in the chopped vegetables and saute for half a minute
  8. Then add in the chicken thighs and saute for another minute
  9. Then wash and add the red lentils , add enough water to create a thick gravy – enough to allow the lentils to cook and not soak up all the water. Then add in the Knorr flavour pots and mix well
  10. Then add the washed spinach leaves, cumin powder and cover and cook on a medium flame for 15 minutes
  11. By now the lentils will have cooked and the chicken will almost be done too
  12. Then taste the soupy water and if it is too spicy add just a very tinypinch the Ras El Hanout , I added 1/2 a tsp as the tastereminded me of garam masala. Ras El Hanout is a moroccan mixture of fragrant spices with rose petals and gives the stock pot a gorgeous full bodiedflavour
  13. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes on a gentle low flame
  14. Serve in large bowls with a big portion of the pumpkin batard bread
Big, beautiful pot of healthy goodness - absolutely irresistible!
Gorgeous Bowl of goodness with immunity boosting spinach and delicious veggies
Moroccan Chicken one pot meal recipe

Filed Under: Food, Healthy, Meat, Quick and Easy, Recipe Index Tagged With: @manjirichitnis, broccoli, carrot and cauliflower, chestnut mushrooms, chicken thighs, easy dinner recipe, easy recipes for healthy meals, eat healthy, garlic, Healthy, healthy recipe, Knorr mixed chilli pot, Knorr onion gravy pot, less oil, Manjiri, Manjiri Chitnis, Manjiri Chitnis Kulkarni, manjirikulk, masoor dal, Moroccan Chicken one pot, North African fragrant spice mix, olive oil, one pot recipe, quick and easy to put together meal, Ras El Hanout, recipe developer, Red Lentils, red onion, spinach, travelsfortaste, Trimmed green beans

Avocado,Spinach and fruity Green Smoothie

February 18, 2015 by manjirichitnis 23 Comments

It’s a relatively bright and sunny but chilly February morning and the bright sunlight streaming through my kitchen window is not letting me sit down work due to the blinding light getting into my eyes. I have now moved to a cozy spot on the couch but it’s making me drowsy…

While I was away in India and eating all the wonderful local food, I also started reading up on a lot of things related to food, what we eat and how it affects us and how our body reacts to it all.

Now let me share some facts about myself – I am lazy – very lazy and not the type who will ever go the gym even twice a week – I have ended up wasting money in 2 currencies and 3 cities so I should know that however fabulous the gym it simply does NOT work for me.

Nor does dieting – I feel deprived and end up stuffing my face even more.

So what’s the way out when I have finally made a decision to eat sensibly and loose as much weight as I can without going mad. Well, past 2 weeks I have broken down my meals to smaller portions, trying to eat 5 small meals instead of 3 every day and have drastically cut down on sugar consumption. By sugar I don’t mean granulated sugar but sugar hidden in various food.

I have procured a chart about which foods are high in carbs and thus break down into sugar while they are being digested. Am consciously trying to read up more and steer clear of obviously sugar laden foods and any sugary foods are out. Thankfully I quit sugar in my tea years ago so that is not a problem but yes saying no to alcohol and other foods is not going to be easy. But then nothing good come by too easy does it?

Avocado, Spinach and Fruity Green Smoothie - Bursting with the goodness your body NEEDS every day!
Avocado, Spinach and Fruity Green Smoothie – Bursting with the goodness your body NEEDS every day!

So here goes, my morning smoothie recipe – an attempt to start the day on a healthy note :

Avocado,Spinach and fruity Green Smoothie

5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 5 minutes mins
Servings: 2
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Fusion
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 Banana
  • 1/2 Pear
  • 1/2 Big Avocado
  • 1 Apple
  • 8 tbsp Baby Spinach Leaves
  • 2 tsp Ginger

Equipment

  • 1 Blender

Method
 

  1. Chop the ginger into small bits after roughly removing the skin, if the ginger is super fresh you can use the back of a spoon to easily peel of the fine layer of skin
  2. Roughly chop all the fruitsinto chunks. Break the banana half by hand
  3. Simply chuck all the aboveingredients into a food processor and add very little water just to give the smoothie some movement and consistency

I prefer a thick consistency the type you can scoop out using a spoon as it is simply more satisfying and increases the feeling of being full.

This made 2 small glasses and I had both of them , simply double up the quantity for 2 people and so on and so forth.

Avocado, Spinach and Fruity Green Smoothie - Bursting with the goodness your body NEEDS every day!
Avocado, Spinach and Fruity Green Smoothie – Bursting with the goodness your body NEEDS every day!

Leafy, green, tasty, bursting with fruity goodness and taste, this smoothie is an immune system booster and full of all things good for your body. It will definitely boost sagging energy levels and induce a feel-good factor. The smooth creamy taste added by the avocado is a bonus!

I have linked up my recipe with Credit Crunch Munch which is a frugal food recipe sharing challenge developed by Helen over at Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla over at Fab Food 4 All and guest hosted by the lovely Elizabeth who blogs at Elizabeth’s Diary,  linked up for Feb 2015 on her blog post too.

Filed Under: Food, Healthy, Recipe Index, Smoothies Tagged With: apple, avocado, banana, breakfast smoothie, eat raw, eat with a spoon smoothie, fdbloggers, foodblogger, foodie goes green, ginger, green smoothie, Healthy recipes, how to stay healthy and positive, live healthy, Manjiri, Manjiri Chitnis, Manjiri Chitnis Kulkarni, Manjiri Kulkarni, pear, raw foods, recipe developer, recipedeveloper, sliceoffme, small changes for a better life, smoothie a day keeps the doctor away, spinach, start small, the goodness of raw, thick smoothie, think healthy, travelsfortaste

Easy Ham and cheese tart recipe

February 17, 2015 by manjirichitnis 12 Comments

Hello Everyone!

I have been away on a long holiday in Indian for almost four weeks. I got back last week and it has taken my system a few days to throw off the jet-lag completely and my internal thermostat to acclimatise to the massive difference in the weather.But am back now all refreshed and raring to go! So expect a lot of new and fun recipes, LOTS of travel posts and many photographs from my foodie and travel adventures – oh yes not to mention more exciting competitions, fabulous restaurant reviews and events that I will be going to soon – woohoo!

While I was in India I did a fair bit of travelling to Chennai, Pondicherry and shuttling between Mumbai and Pune. So all the resulting fatigue has taken it’s toll too.

Besides have discovered that I do have a fair amount of catching up to do with my blogging as well. hummm

So dinner the day after I landed had had to be a simple affair, because my body clock was still following IST. We decided to make a quick and super easy yet delicious Turkey, Ham and cheese tart using my own recipe. Hubster and me are both big fans of Jus-Rol as it really can save the day when things are crazy busy or plain lazy 😉

I have made a few minor tweaks to the original recipe but other than that it was smooth sailing. Here is my version:

Manjiri Chitnis

Easy Ham and Cheese Tart recipe

5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 8 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 320 Grams Puff pastry ready rolled sheet
  • 2 medium-sized Onions peeled & chopped fine
  • 100 Grams Cooked Ham diced
  • 1 – 2 tbsp Oil
  • 3 tbsp heaped Smoked Chilli Honey
  • 250 Grams Cooked Turkey Diced
  • Salt & Black Pepper as per taste
  • 75 Grams Grated Parmesan Cheese

Method
 

  1. Heat oil in a large pan, gently sauté the onion until it is translucent, then add the diced ham and cook on a low flame for about 2 minutes
  2. Meanwhile remove the puff pastry ready rolled sheet and allow it to rest while the filling is being prepared.
  3. Add the turkey, season to taste and then add the smoked chilli honey. Stir continuously to ensure the chilli honey does not burn and cook on a gentle, low flame for a further 2 minutes
  4. Preparea baking tray by lining with a baking sheet and carefully place the puff pastry ready rolled sheet onto the baking sheet
  5. Pre heat the oven to 220°C or 200°C for fan assisted ovens or Gas mark 7
  6. Spoon out the Turkey and Ham mixture onto the baking sheet and sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese over the mixture
  7. Bake in the pre heated for 20 minutes and serve hot
IMG_9451 (Copy)

I remember going to buy Jus- Rol at a supermarket two years ago post Christmas and it simply wasn’t available anywhere. Clearly people had been smart and stocked up on this lifesaving fridge fav for all those leftover meals after the big day. And have since then made a mental note to stock up well in advance for future occasions. There have been numerous dinners and surprise tea time treats for unannounced but welcome visitors who have been fed piping hot treats with several hot cuppas thanks to that pastry roll lying in my fridge! So like many of my store  cupboard essentials this is one of my life savers and will almost always be found living in my refrigerator.

I loved this recipe and now am looking forward to more experiments with Jus-Rol .

If you need more inspiration to get creative with Jus-Rol why not check out these gorgeous recipes on the Jus-Rol website ?

*With thanks to Jus-Rol and the  PR team for sending vouchers to buy some samples of Jus-Rol  for review . No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Filed Under: Food, Meat, Product Reviews, Quick and Easy Tagged With: chop, dice, emergency tart recipe, Gran Luchito smoked chilli honey, Ham and cheese tart, ham and turkey tart recipe easy, Jus- Rol blogger review, Jus- Rol product review, Jus- Rol review and blogger recipe development, Jus-Rol Turkey, Manjiri Chitnis, Manjiri Chitnis Kulkarni, Manjiri Kulkarni, onion, parmesan cheese, peel, quick and easy meal ideas, quick dinner recipe, recipe developer, sliceoffme creative kitchen, travelsfortaste, travelsfortaste cooks, turkey tart recipe

Beetroot and Chickpea salad

February 6, 2015 by manjirichitnis 19 Comments

Who doesn’t love a salad that you can put together in no time? This easy to make and super quick to put together Beetroot and Chickpea salad recipe is just the thing when you want to eat healthy and not compromise on taste at the same time.  I have added in amchoor powder which is a tangy  dried mango powder which will give this salad a fabulous twist when combined with balsamic vinegar.

IMG_9354 (Copy)

If possible try and buy baby beetroot cooked in vinegar as these would be the perfect size and also have the right amount of vinegar. If you are not sure of how much balsamic vinegar you can handle, add 1?2 tbsp first and then if you feel brave add another half. I have a whole collection of flavoured vinegar and if you can get your hands on cranberry infused vinegar, I highly recommend adding that in as it will totally elevate the flavour of your salad.

IMG_9357 (Copy)
Manjiri Chitnis

Beetroot and Chickpea salad

Print Recipe
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Salad
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 Can Boiled and Cooked Chickpeas
  • 250 Grams small beetroot cooked and peeled
  • 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 small Red Onion slicedl ength wise
  • 2 tsp Amchoor Powder
  • 2 tsp Heaped Pomegranate Seeds

Method
 

  1. In a large mixing bowl add the chickpeas
  2. Chop the cooked and peeled beetroot into bite-size chunks. Add them to the chickpeas. Add the chopped onion and pomegranate seeds
  3. Add the vinegar and the amchoor powder and mix well
  4. Serve and sprinkle with more pomegranate seeds if desired
IMG_9356 (Copy)

I have found the perfect linky to add my virtuous yet superbly delicious salad to. It’s this month’s Spice Trail with the theme ‘ Temple Food‘ hosted by the lovely Vanesther on her blog called ‘Bangers and Mash’. The whole concept of respecting your body by treating it like a temple is really apt for the way I have recently begun to think about food. I have to re-think and re-align what I feed my system and actually begin to ‘listen’ to what my body is speaking to me. It’s important that after years of neglect I FINALLY pay attention to what is entirely my own – my body.

By linking to this challenge I take heart in knowing that I am not ALONE. There are other like-minded foodies who are re-thinking their ways of eating. I do hope my recipe is one of the many delicious, innovative, and beautiful ones that will help my readers on their journey to eating healthy and feeling more energetic.

Filed Under: Food, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Recipe Index, Salads, Vegetarian Tagged With: amchoor powder, be a fit foodie, beetroot salad recipe, chickpea salad recipe, easy Indian salad, easy salad recipes, eat healthy, foodies can eat healthy too, Manjiri, Manjiri Chitnis, Manjiri Chitnis Kulkarni, Manjiri Kulkarni, manjirikulk, pomegranate seeds, quick and easy salad recipes, recipe developer, recipe development, red onion, sliceoffme, sliceoffme creative, travelsfortaste, travelsfortaste recipes

Chakra – Indian Fine Dining in Notting Hill

February 5, 2015 by manjirichitnis 2 Comments

Chakra poppadums
Chakra Rajma Galouti
Chakra 3
Chakra 4
Chakra 5
Chakra 6
Chakra 7
Chakra 8
Chakra 9

I am on vacation in India but I have a bunch of passionate foodies hard at work in London, sampling the best that the city has to offer, so that you, my readers can continue to get the latest reviews, news, and views from the world of food  – after all someone’s got to continue doing all the hard work while I party ;). A few days ago my buddy Harish, who is also a passionate foodie went to Chakra to sample their menu and this is what he thought. Having just returned from a two-week-long vacation in India, the flavors of my real home were ever-present on my palette reminding me of the good times spent navigating the gastronomical haunts of both Delhi and Mumbai. Expectations were thus pretty high when Flavia, an Italian colleague of mine from work, and I made our way to the swanky Indian restaurant in Notting Hill called Chakra for dinner this last Wednesday. We arrived for our 8 pm seating and were promptly shown to our table, amidst an already buzzing restaurant which clearly indicated its popularity amongst the locals. The interiors were dim, the décor modern and the music modern; all adding to the distinct vibe of this favored Notting Hill establishment. A plate of spicy mini “papads” accompanied by a sweet mango chutney made their way to our table first. The appetizer was crispy, not too oily, and very flavorful just perfect to set the stage for the meal to follow. An amuse-bouche followed the “papad” plate.  Rajma Galouti – mini red kidney bean kebab with yogurt chutney. This was particularly disappointing, as it was cold and lacking any flavor. Having seen previous reviews, I knew that the dish was dressed down. A part of the meal the management team can safely omit from the offer. Appetizers followed and Flavia and I decided to get a mixture of vegetarian and non-vegetarian starters.  We decided to go down the more traditional selection path and got ourselves a portion each of the Malai Kebab Ke Dande, tender chicken breast pieces marinated in yogurt and fresh cream grilled to perfection in the clay oven, Tandoori Paneer, gorgeous chunks of cottage cheese marinated in yellow masala and cooked just right and finally the Chakra specialty, The Lahori Kebab. These succulent skewers of lamb seasoned just right, just melt in your mouth and leave you wanting more. Simply scrumptious.     Chakra is fairly unique in its offerings of the main course. Strangely it offers up the vegetarian options in half portions (sides) with a similar option lacking from the non-vegetarian options. Needless to say, there was plenty to be thankful for, for what we were about to be served was an absolute delight. Central to our order was a Blackened Cod Fish. Tender, well marinated, and again cooked to perfection. By the beaming smile on Flavia’s face and the mutterance of approval in Italian, I knew she was pleased. Frankly so was I. I can safely say that the tandoori Black Cod marinated with lime juice & a cracked pepper yoghurt marinade is reason enough to visit Chakra. The supporting cast to the Chakra Black Cod performed appropriately as well.  The Butter Chicken (perfect blend of a delicate tomato-based gravy and shredded chicken), The Kali (black) Dal (black lentils which were buttery yet not overwhelming) Zeera Aloo (sautéed tender baby potatoes with cumin seeds, ginger, and chili), and Chakra Saag (paneer tossed with spinach, petit pois flavoured with ginger & nutmeg & fenugreek) accompanied by Tandoori Rotis (Indian bread) were just wonderful. At this point in the meal, I am usually loosening my belt, being stuffed to the brim. But somehow the meal at Chakra did not end up having a similar effect. The concept of sides is simply brilliant and allowed the Flavia and myself to experience the full spectrum of offerings at Chakra. I say we have a wined with this concept.   We had eaten like royalty. The Nawab of Hyderabad himself at this point would have been twirling his mustache and rubbing his belly experiencing nothing but utter satisfaction. But no Indian meal is complete without the essential “sweet dish” (dessert). Flavia chose the Gulab Jamun (3 Indian sweet dumplings in sugar syrup, accompanied by vanilla ice cream) and I the Mango Kulfi. The Jamun’s were sensational; Piping hot with just the right texture, sugar syrup seeping through and all. They brought back fond memories of my recent wonderful trip to Delhi. That is what good food is supposed to do; excite all the senses and throw up a flashback or two, of good times, spent with those near and dear. This was the perfect end to a perfect meal. On our way out I asked Flavia what she thought of Chakra. She instantly replied “I must go to India and eat”. If this is the response that this Notting Hill establishment (Chakra) can generate from one who hails from one of the most gastronomically gifted countries of the world then I can safely say this. “If you haven’t been to Chakra yet, you must do so now”. Experience the true flavors of India, without leaving Notting Hill, London. **** In my book of great eats.

*With thanks to Humayun Hussain and Chakra for the invite. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review.

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: Chakra London, food and travel blog, food and travel blogger, London based food and travel blogger, Manjiri Chitnis, Manjiri Chitnis Kulkarni, Manjiri Kulkarni, Notting Hill, Restaurant Review, Review, travelsfortaste

Young Entrepreneur Farrah shares how MOOSE MAPLE BUTTER was conceived- in her first-ever Interview.

July 26, 2013 by manjirichitnis 12 Comments

This is the first ever interview Farrah has given, she confessed, when we spoke over the phone trying to decide where we could meet. I told her that I would promise to keep it simple and conversational and I am so glad we spoke like long-lost friends exchanging ideas and chatting away. We decided on a beautiful pub called The Bolingbroke in Battersea and it was a hot, summer evening with the sunlight streaming in through open doors onto thick wooden tables.

Farrah is an especially inspiring person to meet; she seems to emit these waves of positivity around her in tiny, invisible bubbles; landing on me, they made me feel as if I could win any war I wanted to.

A high-flying lawyer by profession, Farrah divides her time between New York and London; and when she isn’t acting as legal counsel to some very big names, she is busy in her home kitchen making an extremely delicious spread called Moose Maple Butter. And yes, the recipe is a secret!

Read on to find out how she came about making this heavenly tasting, pure, wholesome goodness of butter.

(As it goes with my interviews, we shall refer to me as MJ and to my new-found friend as FM short for Farrah ‘’Moose’’; MMB is short for Moose Maple Butter)

MJ: What inspired you to create this amazing new product?

FM: Soon after a detox in France, where I spent a few weeks learning about healthy eating habits and especially learning to avoid “added sugar’’ in my diet, I was in New York for work and having breakfast at a hotel. I was looking for something sweet to spread on my already buttered, hot toast but I wanted to avoid added sugar at any cost. The jam and chocolate spread options available on the table were all laden with sugars and other artificial nasties that I really wanted to avoid! Finally, and really through a lack of choice and an insatiable desire for a sweet taste that morning, I poured some of the organic maple syrup – on the table for pancakes – over my toast. It was that ‘’Eureka’’ moment, coupled with the fact that I couldn’t find maple butter to buy in any shops, either Stateside or in England, that prompted me to experiment at home until I came up with my current recipe for Moose Maple Butter.

Image 1 MMB sample close up shot

MJ: Great! That’s an interesting and ever so creative way to make a whole new product. Now for my old favourite trusted question, why the name Moose?

FM (With a big smile) Well I have to admit, even though it’s probably going to make me sound a bit odd, that I have been obsessed with moose for years.  I have moose things everywhere!  I was doodling for the maple butter logo and cute, funny images of moose kept appearing … Moose Maple Butter just seemed a natural choice, especially as there are generally moose around where maple syrup is produced!

MJ: I must mention here that Farrah has the most beautiful and neat handwriting I have ever seen and her notebook has beautiful doodles, hardly doodles really, but neat, cartoon creations of a moose which ultimately became her logo, I even managed to get this quick picture of her final drawing that is now her officially registered logo. I love it. The little black doodle near the jar at the bottom of the page is the moose’s nose; talk about perfection and practice!

How the MOOSE logo was born

MJ: So now that you have created this wonderfull product and christened it, what happens next?

FM: Well, I have only just had the brand and logo registered, both in Europe and the US, so I now feel confident about getting Moose Maple Butter out there to as many people as I can! It’s a brand awareness campaign in full swing from now until November this year, when hopefully you’ll find Moose Maple Butter on the shelves of supermarkets!

MJ: Wow, that’s good news, pity you can’t give away any names (naughty smile). Any other ways of promoting MMB then? (Moose Maple Butter = MMB)

FM: Yes! I am looking at actively promoting MMB at various food fairs, events and festivals in the run up to November. As you know, I had a stand and basically introduced MMB, at the recently concluded Food Blogger Connect (FBC5). That was wonderful for MMB! I’m so glad they found me.

(Heck, so am I Farrah, or I wouldn’t have met you and would have lived my life not knowing Maple Butter existed! No way!)

MJ: Tell me more about your ‘’Eureka’’ moment and what followed.

FM: Initially, I was really only making Moose Maple Butter for family and friends and then also supplying, on request, to family and friends of friends! Everyone kept asking for more and where they could buy it and it all got me thinking!  Every time I had kids over at home, I had a little ‘’tasting’’ session and would lay out hot toast slathered with my maple butter spread along with some toast with chocolate spread on it and some with the usual butter and jam. It was always reassuring to see ALL the toast with Moose Maple Butter being gobbled up in comparison to the other offerings! That, along with lots of encouragement from everyone around me, gave me the shove I needed to sell Moose Maple Butter at a few of last year’s school Christmas fairs, in London and Los Angeles (Farrah’s second home). I have been flooded with requests ever since from a rapidly growing group of mothers and fathers alike and have been selling tubs of MMB ever since.

Of course there are all the not-so-fun things to deal with, like premises inspections and registrations and food hygiene certification and all the rest! I was so relieved when the local council left very impressed with my clean and shiny, brand-new kitchen!  I think I have a bit of an obsession on the cleanliness side!

(Farrah: I totally agree – I am sure I have cleanliness OCD geee)

MJ: I notice you have a very nicely done Facebook Page for Moose Maple Butter, I love it!

FM: Thank you! I love sharing art work done by my little fans who send me their pictures. You will see quite a lot of creative ones on the page. Of late, a lot of food bloggers have asked me for samples too and have created so many beautiful and delicious recipes.

Any recipe that calls for butter and sugar is a possible one for using Moose Maple Butter instead and results in a more wholesome but equally tasty outcome!

MJ: How does MMB compare to butter and spreads in its nutritional content?

FM: I am so glad you asked this question! MMB in comparison to say a chocolate spread is much more well ‘’spreadable’’ and hence you use up much less than say a thick peanut butter. Since I only use purely organic Maple Syrup at all times, what you get is much more taste with very little MMB.

So in the case of Moose Maple Butter a little goes a long way!

So everyone looking for any alternate spread, especially to chocolate spread, Moose Maple Butter it is!

I must say I agree with Farrah here, my first bite of Maple Butter was enough to make me fall madly in love with this new find – Hook, Line and Sinker if you will!

 To put this into perspective:

10 gms of average chocolate spread = 53 calories and one needs at least 30gms to properly cover one slice of toast, whereas only 10 gms of Moose Maple Butter will go a long way on that same one slice of toast! Brilliant! And tasty!

close up MMB close up shot with table details

MJ: So if I was to ask about the shelf life and nutritional contents of Moose Maple Butter what would you say?

FM:  I have currently given samples of MMB to Eclipse Scientific who will provide me with an accurate analysis of the exact shelf life and the precise nutrient content. But like any butter, it needs to be kept refrigerated.

Moose Maple Butter has no artificial additives; it has no E numbers, nothing. It is absolutely nothing but pure fresh butter and pure grade A maple syrup – with a dash of sea salt.  It is a superb alternative to processed sugar-laden products. It is a great, quick and easy breakfast option and just melts into the grooves of a hot crumpet and is of course best paired with pancakes.

Wow! That mention of hot crumpets makes me want to quickly grab hold of those cute sample jars from the table and run home for some tea and crumpet time. But to avoid such madness Farrah has kindly agreed to part with a large pot of Moose Maple Butter just for me to sample and make something delicious out of! So folks watch this space, in a few days you will see some delicious recipe posted on my blog Travelsfortaste with Moose Maple Butter as the divine ingredient.

MJ: What would you like to make of this new venture Farrah? Or put it plainly where do you see yourself in 5 years time

FM:  I’d just love to see Moose Maple Butter become a household name. I think the biggest kick would be when some kid I don’t know asks me if I’ve ever had Moose Maple Butter – that would be a great moment.

Our conversation becomes something of a friendly banter. The glorious sunshine refuses to go away but the shadows have shifted. The pub is filled with loads of families, kids running around; there is a buzz of activity. The usual lone ranger, armed with a net book and ale, occupies the table opposite us and looks down on me with disdain as I take some snaps of the cute jars.

(Image below is a picture of Farrah – the creator of Moose Maple Butter)

Farrah's Pic

I hate to tear myself away from this happy pub and evening chat but the promise of a dinner and movie by the hubby beckon.

Just realised that, of all the entrepreneurs I have met so far, 4 in all including Farrah, three of these entrepreneurs had never been interviewed before!

(To read the older blog posts with these inspiring entrepreneurial stories just click on the links below:

  • Dum-a-Dum Biryani Biryani & Kebabs – An Interview with an entrepreneur and a passionate foodie
  • Interview of Pune’s Leading Fruit Wine Manufacturer
  • Escape the Urban Jungle – Go Adventure ”Eco Camping” at Panchgani

I am sure Farrah is as excited as I am if not more,about her first ever interview where she has shared her story and how Moose Maple Butter was born. Now can’t wait to use her creation in my home kitchen!

Apart from the fair amount of persuasion it took to meet the two first time interviewees in India, I must admit that the one common thing amongst ALL entrepreneurs is their humility and their generosity to share their dreams, a few apprehensions and most of all, their time. I cannot thank you all enough.

Do leave your thoughts and comments about this interview and while you are at it, spread the MOOSE!

Say Hello to MOOSE at: http://www.moosemaple.co.uk/

Find MOOSE on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/MooseMapleButter

Follow MOOSE on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarrahMoose  (@FarrahMoose)

Buy Moose Maple Butter (or pick up a free sample) at The Petal Pusher in Kew.

Share the MOOSE folks!

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Miscellaneous Tagged With: 2013, Battersea, blogging, chocolate spread, Delicious.Spread The Moose, detox, E numbers, eat healthy, Eclipse Scientific, entrepreneur, Exclusive First Interview at sliceoffme, food and travel blogger, food blogger connect, food blogging, food lovers, France, great BRITISH summer, hot buttered toast, hot crumpets, Kew Gardens, Lawyer, london, Los Angeles, Manjiri Chitnis Kulkarni, Moose Maple Butter, Mumbai, New York, no artificial additives, nutrients, organic maple syrup, Pune, Pure, Share the Moose, simple, tasty, testing for food, The Bolingbroke, The Petal Pusher, You read it first on Sliceoffme, yummy

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