Life 'n' Such

I watch a lot of television these days, what to do, nothing else to do (you know I am lazy).

Anyhow, here is a recipe I watched on a Television show, that I am dying to try out.

Ingredients:

1 Apple chopped,
1 cup chopped cabbage,
1 cup grated carrot,
1 cup sweet corn,
1 cup orange (peeled and cut into bite sized pieces)
1 tomato chopped,
1 cup cucumber, chopped

For Salad Dressing: olive oil, lemon juice, salt, sugar, black pepper

Method:

Put all the above ingredients in a big salad bowl. Mix the salad dressing in a separate bowl with a fork. And drizzle over the fruits and vegetables. Toss with 2 big spoons. Let it sit for 5-10 mins (this gets the juices flowing out of the vegetables and fruits).

Thats it! Don’t you all think this will be excellent for the hot summer, which is right around the corner? And of course super low calorie too, so excellent if you are dieting.

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Dried apricot and almond

= Cookie? Nah.. I dont think so.

I read on MSN’s website somewhere that it tastes like a cookie, but it so does not taste like a cookie. A cookie is a cookie. No replacement.

BUT, what they suggested does not taste bad. A pulpy dry fruit, and a nut is always a good combo.

Like Raisins and walnuts, that tastes good together.

Fresh Pineapple and fresh avocado is my absolute favorite. I love the sweet, tangy, and crunchy taste of pineapple and the smooth creamy bland taste of avocado together. I think I have written about it earlier too.

Good for snack or dessert time.

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Okay, today I did a freaky thing! Dipped my legs into a fish tank with hundreds of hungry-looking finger long fishes. Freaked out, duh, Yeah, big time!

I had gone to eat Rajdhani Thali today. Confession: I hogged!

Okay, moving on to Fish Spa.

This is a new trend in India. In malls, there are these little 10 ft X 5 ft rooms, where there is a little fish tank in the floor, with no top, and hundreds of fishes called Doctor fishes swimming in it. They wash your feet with water first, wipe them, check if there are any cuts or bruises or rashes. Wipe your feet with a clean towel. Then these girls, convince you that its okay to dip your feet in.

I first went to check it out earlier before my Lunch. It seemed okay to look at feet of another girl covered with hundreds of fishes. So I thought I could do that.

I came back got my feet prepared and then pulled up my pants over a bit and then I froze. I just could not get myself to put my feet in the tank. As I was looking in the tank, all the fishes gathered together in a big bunch right below my feet. If I moved my feet to the right, they would move to the right, if I moved them to the left, they would move to the left. They were hovering over the water surface, ready to attack my poor little feet!!!

I was sweating from my head to toe. I was nervous.

After a couple minutes, I decided, time to be brave, what can the little fishes do? (The girls promised me they don’t have teeth, so biting was out of question). I thought, let me just dip my heels in the tank and see how it goes.

I slowly started to lower my heels in the water, and WHOA!!!!!!!!!!!!

I screamed, and the passerbys stopped to look through the glass wall. I was screaming, but again, I didnt want to freak the fishes out, so I was trying to stop myself, but it was hard. I had taken the 15 minute package (you dip your feet for 15 minutes, and then one of the girls, wipes your feet, and massages your legs for a couple minutes with lotion).

15 minutes felt like a lifetime (not human lifetime, but more like a fish’s lifetime).

It took me a couple minutes to dip my feet entirely in the water. The girls said, it feels like vibrations, somebody else had said, they felt ticklish, somebody said, it felt like a massage.

I felt like, I was getting countless little electric shocks. Not in a bad way, but in a good way. And sometimes it felt like the fishes are trying to pull your feet in slowly.

Weird experience. But definitely worth trying once. I don’t know if this fish spa made my feet soft and that I would go back… but it was quite entertaining (especially for others who were watching)

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Marie Biscuits dipped in Nutella

= Pure ‘Nutty Chocolate-y Heaven’

The end. Thats the recipe.

So what are you waiting for… go get a pack for Marie biscuits ( or Graham cracker like cookies in US), open a jar of Nutella, dip and indulge.

p.s. I am doing it all day today, But I have a warning, excess of anything is bad… so Indulge, but in moderation.

Note: Nutella is made with hazelnuts.

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“When you are feeling blue, all you have to do, is take a look at” Chameli ki shaadi! I guarantee you non-stop laughter. It is a old romantic comedy, with Anil Kapoor and Amrita Singh, and lots of other charming old timers. It is playing right now on Cable TV in India (I dont remember the channel). But, it is one of my favorites. (DDLJ is another one )

So turn on the Tele, and micro some popcorn, and have a good time!

Bon-nuit!

1 Comment | In: About me, Interesting stuff | | #

This is one of the recipes made by Indians when they fast. I think this is made mostly by people in the western region like Maharashtra, Gujarat etc. My mom makes awesome sabu dana khichdi, sabu dana wadas. Sabu dana means the tiny little white balls I think called as sagoo in English.

Ingredients:

sabu dana (about 1 1/2 cups soaked in water overnight),
fresh grated coconut, handful
roasted peanuts, ground, few tablespoons,
boiled potatoes, chopped,
green hot peppers, chopped,
salt, sugar as per taste
lemon juice (1/2 lemon)

Method:

Mix into soaked sabu danas, ground peanuts, grated coconut, salt, sugar, lemon juice. In a big pan, fry potatoes and chillies in oil. Add the sabu dana mix in the potatoes, and mix. Then cover and let it cook on sim. Done.

I love to eat it with simple yogurt. And I also sprinkle some sugar on it. I love it!!!!!!! I hope you all like it too.

I am not too sure, but I think people with wheat allergies, can eat the sabu dana. But please check with your allergy specialist first.

2 Comments | In: Appetizer/Snack, Food, Indian | | #

Okay I admit, I confess. I should be learning to cook from my mom, and instead I am just hogging away what she cooks everyday.

It is just sooooooooooo good.

She just throws together things, and in minutes, voila, one after another fantastic stuff! She makes cooking look so easy!

Ingredients:

fenugreek leaves (‘methi’),
potatoes chopped (‘aloo’),
mustard seeds (‘
onions (chopped,
asafoetida (‘hing’),
cumin seeds (‘jeera’),
garlic chopped,
dried mango powder, (‘amchur’)
red chilli powder (‘mirchi’) or green peppers
jaggery (‘gud’)
corriander powder (‘dhania’)
oil for cooking
salt, as per taste

Method:

In oil add hing, mustard seeds, and cumin seeds, garlic, then add onions and potatoes. Fry till potatoes are half cooked (reddish in color). Add finally the leaves. Cover and cook till all done. After add salt, jaggery, amchur, green chillies or red chilli powder and dhania powder. (cook on sim, cover and cook). Done. Tastes best with rotis or ‘phulkas’ (Indian whole wheat flat bread)

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