Vegetable Salad with Hard-Boiled Eggs

It can sometimes be difficult to scale down recipes to cook for one or two persons. But If you plan ahead, you can enjoy home-cooked meals without a lot of extra fuss.

INGREDIENTS:

• Chopped Kale – 1/2 cup 
• Celery stalk, chopped   – 1 no
• Seedless Cucumber, peeled and sliced into 3" long   – 1/2 cup
• Baby carrots, peeled and thinly sliced  – 1/2 cup
• Hard boiled eggs – 2 no's
• Cooked Rice –  2 Tbsp. 
• Black pepper powder – 1/8 tsp.
• Salt – 1 pinch

METHOD:

• Wash well all the vegetables. 
• Kale’s curly leaves provide multiple traps for dirt, so kale should be cleaned carefully.
• Wash kale in a deep bowl of cold water, stirring it a bit to release the grit, then lift it out. Pour out the water, and refill the bowl with fresh water. Repeat until you no longer see any grit in the water.
• Then spread the leaves out on a large kitchen towel and roll them up into a cylinder. This dries the leaves. 
• If you want to remove the stems from the leaves , you can either fold each leaf in half, then cut away the stems or grab the leafs with your hand and pull the steam away in the opposite direction.
• Now chop leaves in desired size and rinse in colander.
• Wash well, peel and slice baby carrots and Cucumber.
• Wash well, Cut both ends off a celery stalk.
• Rinse celery stalk thoroughly in cold water and dry with a paper towel and chop them.
• Remove the shells of the hard boiled eggs,  slice thinly and set aside. An egg slicer is perfect for this job.
• Place all the cut vegetables  in a bowl and mix well.
• Transfer the mixed vegetables to serving plates. This healthy Salad is enough for two servings.
• Now place the sliced eggs on the salad.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper on top of the egg slices.
• Serve and enjoy you tasty healthy Salad.

NOTE:

• You can make healthy and tasty salads using your favorite vegetables and fruits.
• Raw foods are low in calories, so incorporating more raw foods in your diet can help aid weight loss and help detoxify our bodies.
• Raw foods contain a high water content which helps to cool down your body and keep you hydrated.

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Healthy Salad Lunch

It can sometimes be difficult to scale down recipes to cook for one  or two persons. But If you plan ahead, you can enjoy home-cooked meals without a lot of extra fuss. You can really enjoy preparing healthy food at home for 1 or 2 .

INGREDIENTS :

• Chopped Kale – 1/4 cup
• Celery stalk, chopped – 1 no
• Seedless Cucumber, peeled and sliced into 4" long– 1/4 cup
• Baby carrots, peeled and thinly sliced - 1/4 cup
• Pomegranate Seeds – 1/2 cup
• Cooked Rice – 2 Tbsp
• Unsalted cashew nuts – 3 or 4 no's
• Almonds – 3 or 4 no's

METHOD:

• Wash well all the vegetables.
• Kale’s curly leaves provide multiple traps for dirt, so kale should be cleaned carefully. Wash kale in a deep bowl of cold water, stirring it a bit to release the grit, then lift it out. Pour out the water, and refill the bowl with fresh water. Repeat until you no longer see any grit in the water.
• Then spread the leaves out on a large kitchen towel and roll them up into a cylinder. This dries the leaves.
• If you want to remove the stems from the leaves ,  you can either fold each leaf in half, then cut away the stems or grab the leafs with your hand and pull the steam away in the opposite direction.
• Now chop leaves in  desired size and rinse in colander.
• Wash well, peel and slice baby carrots and Cucumber.
• Wash well, Cut both ends off  a celery stalk.
• Rinse celery stalk thoroughly in cold water and dry with a paper towel and chop them.
• De-seed Pomegranate :Instruction is here : http://ourharsha.blogspot.com/2013/11/how-to-open-and-de-seed-pomegranate.html
• Place all the cut vegetables and Pomegranate Seeds  in a  bowl and mix well.
• Transfer half of the mixed Vegetables and Pomegranate Seeds  to a serving plate with 2 Tbsp Cooked rice, Unsalted cashew nuts (3 or 4 no's) and Almonds ( 3 or 4 no's).

Note:

• This healthy Salad is enough for two servings.
• You can make healthy and tasty salads using  your favorite vegetables and fruits.
• Raw foods are low in calories, so incorporating more raw foods in your diet can help aid weight loss and help detoxify our bodies.
• Raw foods contain a high water content which helps to cool down your body and keep you hydrated.

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White Felt Flower

This flower is so easy to make that you can use it as a craft project for kids. It’s easy to work with felt, relatively inexpensive and comes in a rainbow of colors.

This White felt flower is  a lovely embellishment for hair bands, brooches, shoes, room decor-anything. Making them perfect for a last minute handmade gift.

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Kappa (Tapioca) Avial

Kappa Aviyal is just a regular dish in Kerala

INGREDIENTS:

• Yucca root/Tapioca(Kappa) – 1 big ( peel and cut into 3-inch  long thin pieces)
• Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
• Garlic, crushed – 1 pod
• Shallots(Kunjulli) – 4 nos
• Jeera seeds (cumin)– 1/4 tsp
• Curd – 1tsp or Tamarind(Vaalan puli)- little (may be half the size of a gooseberry)
• Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp
• Chilly powder – 1/2tsp
• Salt – to taste

For Seasoning :

• Coconut oil – 1 tsp
• Curry leaves – a sprig
• Shallots(Kunjulli) – 2 nos (cut into small round pieces)

 

METHOD:

• Tapioca should be washed very well before cut  since they tend to collect dirt.
• Peel the brown bark-like outer skin and thick pinkish -white color skin of the tapioca with a peeler or a knife.
• Now wash the tapioca.
• Place the washed and peeled tapioca on a chopping board and cut  it into 3-inch  long thin pieces  with a sharp knife.
• Place the tapioca pieces in a large bowl and wash them under running water for 3, 4 times.
• Transfer tapioca pieces to a thick heavy bottomed pan, Cook them on medium-high heat by adding 4 cups of water.
• When the water starts to boil, drain the tapioca and cook it again by adding enough water to cover the tapioca pieces.
• Add 1/4 tsp salt, a pinch of turmeric powder and cook until Tapioca become soft and tender.
• Switch off the flame, Drain excess water and keep tapioca aside.
• If you using tamarind, soak tamarind in a little warm water for sometime,mash it well with your hand, strain and reserve the tamarind juice.
• Grind together coconut, cumin seeds, shallots, and red chilly powder into a rough and coarse paste.
• Add the drained tapioca pieces to the pan,  add the ground coconut mix and crushed garlic to the  cooked tapioca pieces and mix well.
• Now switch on the heat in low flame and cook the tapioca for 2 minute, stirring frequently.
• Add curd (or 2 tsp of tamarind water) and cook until it is thick.
• Meanwhile heat oil in a small pan and splutter mustard seeds in  it. Then add curry leaves and shallots (kunjulli), sauté till shallots become translucent, and  pour this seasoning to Tapioca/Kappa  coconut mixture and mix everything well. Check for the salt.
• Remove Yucca root /Tapioca (Kappa) Avial from heat.
• Transfer your tasty Kappa avial to serving plates and enjoy !!!!

NOTE:

• Yucca root/Tapioca(Kappa) have 2 layers of skins. The brown bark-like outer skin which is thin while the second layer is thick and pinkish white in color. These skins must be removed before cooking.
• Select the tapioca roots which are firm and without any blemishes or soft spots. The tapioca powder should be checked for lumpiness and best before date.

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Sweet Bread Balls

Sweet Bread balls are quick and very easy to prepare. It is so soft , sweet and truly delicious one. Making Bread Balls is a great way to use leftover bread slices. Both Kids and adult can enjoy this unique Sweet Bread balls. 

INGREDIENTS:

• Bread slices – 6 nos
• Milk – 3 Tbsp
• Sugar – 1 or 2 tbsp (U can increase or decrease the amount of sugar)
• Cardamom powder – 1 pinch  (optional)
• Oil – for frying

METHOD:

• Cut each bread slices to small pieces , place them in a blender and make the bread pieces into fine bread crumbs.

• Transfer the bread crumbs to a mixing bowl.
• Add sugar and Cardamom powder to the bowl and mix everything well.
• Now slowly pour milk to bread sugar mixture. Mix all the ingredients together with your hands & make it into a smooth dough.
• Keep bread dough for 10-15  minutes in a tight container.
• Then make small balls out of the bread dough .

• Heat oil in a frying pan on medium flame .
• When the oil is hot, place the bread balls carefully in the oil and shallow fry them till they become golden brown color (shallow fry the bread balls -when one side is done turn to other side and fry till they become nice golden brown).
• Turn the balls faster as it fries at a faster rate..Don't burn these sweet easy balls.
• Remove from the oil and drain the excess oil with paper towel.

• Transfer to a serving plate and serve warm with hot tea or coffee.

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Flower Border Birthday Card

On birthdays, holidays and special occasions, a card reminds the ones you care about that they're in your thoughts. Even if it only carries a message of a few words, a card helps to reinforce the bond between two people

I download this GSD/studio file from http://shirleystemplates.blogspot.com/and cut this Flower Border file using http://www.uscutter.com/Silhouette-Cameo

With the Silhouette cameo cutting machine, you're able to create and cut your own designs and use the fonts already installed on your computer.

While there are a lot of beautiful and colorful greeting cards available in stores for delighting our friends, family, and colleagues with.. But still there is nothing like a handmade greeting card.

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Birthday Card

On birthdays, holidays and special occasions, a card reminds the ones you care about that they're in your thoughts. Even if it only carries a message of a few words, a card helps to reinforce the bond between two people.

I cut this SVG file using  http://www.uscutter.com/Silhouette-Cameo

While there are a lot of beautiful and colorful greeting cards available in stores for delighting our friends, family, and colleagues with.. But still there is nothing like a handmade greeting card.

With the Silhouette cameo cutting machine, you're able to create and cut your own designs and use the fonts already installed on your computer.

Unique design with sophisticated touch, will increase the beauty of your handmade greeting cards.

Creating  greeting cards is a delightful and tangible way to share your thoughts, feelings and love with family, friends and Colleagues.

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Ice Cream

This  Paper craft is  perfect for birthday cards.

I cut this file using http://www.uscutter.com/Silhouette-Cameo

Using this file you can make ice cream shaped birthday cards or incorporate your cute ice cream designs on a birthday card.

Paper-cuts are chiefly used as decorations. Decorating your home and greeting cards with Paper crafts are really very simple, cheap, and creative alternative ways with handmade or machine cut flowers ,cakes, butterflies, fruits , animals, or anything you like.

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Oatmeal Milkshake

Oats - Chocolate Chip cookie milkshake is super simple to
make and is delicious. Kids and adults alike will love Chocolate Chip Cookie Oatmeal Milkshake. This thick and creamy Milkshake is perfect for everyday breakfast  as well as summer drink.



INGREDIENTS:

1. Oats (old-fashioned ) – 1 cup
2. Chocolate Chip Cookies – 3 nos
3. Milk – 1 and 1/2 cup
4. Honey – 1 Tbsp (optional)

METHOD:

• Boil the milk and allow it to cool. (If you prefer to use chilled milk, take directly from refrigerator, no need to boil it.)
• If you want, you can cook oats by adding 2 cups of water in a small pot for a minute or two, stirring often until it becomes thick and bubbly.
• Remove oats from heat and allow it to cool completely.
• Now place all the 1 to 4 ingredients in a blender /juicer and blend on high until creamy and smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

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Bread upma with chickpeas curry

Here is a delicious Bread upma recipe with leftover Chickpeas (Vella kadala) Curry. It is really quick and easy to make. 

INGREDIENTS:

• White bread slices –  6  nos
• Leftover Chickpeas curry (Kadala curry ) – 2 cups
• Coriander leaves, finely chopped – 2 Tbsp (optional)
• Onion, chopped – 2 Tbsp (optional)
• Oil – 1 Tsp (optional)

METHOD:

• Cut each bread slices to 16 square pieces (make 4 squares from 1 bread slice and, make 4 square pieces from each of the 4 squares, you will get 16 small square pieces from one bread slice). Keep it aside.
• Heat sufficient oil  in a  Non-Stick  Deep Kadai (WOK) on medium heat and pour kadala curry on it.
• When curry starts boiling, add the bread pieces, and mix it well with curry. Check for the salt.
• Reduce the flame. If needed, add 1 or 2 Tbsp warm water, mix everything well, cover and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Remove from fire.
• Now garnish bread upma with freshly chopped coriander leaves and chopped onions.
• Serve hot. No need to make  curry or additional side dish for this Tasty Bread Upma.

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ബാക്കി വന്ന കടല കറി ഉപയോഗിച്ച് ഉണ്ടാക്കിയ ബ്രെഡ്‌ ഉപ്പുമാവ്

ചേരുവകകൾ

• ബ്രെഡ്‌ കഷണങ്ങൾ -  6 എണ്ണം ( ഓരോ ബ്രെഡ്‌ കഷണത്തെയും 10 - 16 ചതുര കഷണങ്ങളാക്കി മുറിക്കുക)
• കടല കറി - 2 കപ്പ്‌
• മല്ലിയില ചെറുതായി നുറുക്കിയത് - 2 ടേബിൾ സ്പൂണ്‍
• ഉപ്പു – ആവശ്യത്തിനു

 
തയ്യാറാക്കുന്ന വിധം

• ഒരു വലിയ ചീന ചട്ടി അടുപ്പിൽ വച്ച് ചൂടാകുമ്പോൾ അതിലേക്കു കടല കറി ഒഴിച്ച് ചൂടാക്കുക.
• കറി തിളയ്ക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങുമ്പോൾ അതിലേക്കു മുറിച്ചു വച്ചിരിക്കുന്ന ബ്രെഡ്‌ കഷണങ്ങൾ ചേർത്ത് നല്ലത് പോലെ ഇളക്കി യോജിപ്പിക്കുക.
• ഉപ്പു കുറവാണെങ്കിൽ  ചേർക്കുക (കടല കറിയിൽ ഉപ്പുള്ളതു കൊണ്ട് ആവശ്യമെങ്കിൽ മാത്രം ഉപ്പു ചേർക്കുക).
• ആവശ്യമെങ്കിൽ 2, 3 ടേബിൾ സ്പൂണ്‍ വെള്ളവും ചേർത്ത് ഇളക്കി അടച്ചു വച്ച് 2, 3 മിനിറ്റ് വേവിക്കുക.
• തീയിൽ നിന്ന് മാറ്റി, ചെറുതായി നുറുക്കി വച്ചിരിക്കുന്ന മല്ലിയില തൂകി അലങ്കരിക്കുക.
• പാത്രങ്ങളിലേക്ക് വിളമ്പി ചൂടോടെ ഉപയോഗിക്കാം.

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APO Milkshake

Apple Dried Plums Oats Honey Milkshake recipe



Homemade Juices, Milkshakes and Smoothies can be a great nutritional supplement for almost any diet and keeping body in healthy.



INGREDIENTS:

1. Oatmeal – 1 cup
2. Apple (Peeled, cored and chopped) – 1 no
3. Dried Plums – 1/4 cup
4. Honey – 1 Tbsp
5. Milk – 2 cups
6. Ice-cream – 2 scoop (optional)

METHOD:

• Boil the milk and allow it to cool.
• If you want, you can cook oats by adding 2 cups of water in a small pot for a minute or two, stirring often until it becomes thick and bubbly.
• Remove oats from heat and allow it to cool.
• Now place all the 1 to 6  ingredients in a blender /juicer and blend on high until creamy and smooth.
• Pour into glasses and serve.

Main difference between juice, smoothies and milkshakes :

• Fruit or vegetable is the principal ingredients of the smoothie. It is  is a cold, almost icy beverage made with fruits or vegetables, lots of crushed ice, and with or without added milk or yogurt.
• Milkshake is also a cold beverage but made mainly from milk and ice cream or iced milk. Chocolate and sweet syrups are also common ingredients in milk shakes.
• Juice is the water and most of the nutrients that have been separated from the fibrous pulp in fruits and vegetables. Juicing removes the insoluble fiber from vegetables and fruits.
• Smoothies are thicker and more filling than juices because they have all the pulp and fibrous cellulose that’s removed from juice.
• Milk shakes tend to have higher fat and sugar levels than smoothies because of their ice cream content.

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Baked Chicken Breasts

Boneless, skinless chicken is an easy dish to bake as well as delicious to taste.

INGREDINETS:

Chicken Breasts – 2 nos

Montreal Chicken Seasoning – 2 tsp  (Montreal chicken seasoning Ingredients: Garlic, Salt, Onion, Black Pepper, Parsley, and Red Pepper, Orange Peel, Paprika, Green Bell Peppers, and Sulfiting Agents)

Red Chilly powder – 1 tsp

Black pepper powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)

Olive oil – 2 tsp

Preparation Method:

• Make Masala Paste: Take the Chicken Seasoning , Black pepper powder  and  Red Chilly powder in a small mixing bowl. Make a thick paste by adding 1  or 2 Tsp of water. Check for salt. If needed, add salt and  keep it aside.
• Defrost the chicken if you are using frozen chicken:

  Place frozen chicken in the refrigerator the day before you plan to cook it. This is the safest way to defrost it.

  Thawing chicken in a microwave is a quick method but is not recommended because of the difficulty in determining the proper defrosting time.

  Thawing the chicken in cold water is a faster method than thawing in the refrigerator.

• Rinse chicken breasts : Place the chicken  breasts in a bowl, set in the sink and let COLD water run over it. The water does not have to be turned on full blast, just a steady stream. Rinse them well under cold running water.

** Hot water on raw meat will cause bacteria to grow and cause a person to get sick.**

• Pat dry them with a paper towel. Discard the paper towels immediately and clean up any chicken juices promptly.
• Cut each chicken breast into 4 pieces. ( you will get 8 good sized pieces from 2 chicken breasts)
• Carefully cut small crosswise slits down the length of each chicken pieces, being careful not to cut all the way through. This will help the marinade penetrate  the chicken better, help it to cook evenly, and it also looks nice when the chicken pieces are cooked.
• Rub the surface of the chicken pieces with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Because boneless, skinless chicken is low in fat, it can dry out very easily in the oven.
• Now marinate the chicken  pieces with spicy thick paste. Rub the marinade all over , coating all the chicken pieces  well.
• Place them in a plastic container or a large resealable plastic bag and let the chicken sit in the marinade for two to eight hours  (or even overnight) in the refrigerator to absorb flavors.
• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Prepare a baking pan :: Line a baking pan or dish or cookie sheet with aluminum foil, and coat the foil with a non-stick cooking spray. This not only makes removing the finished chicken breast from the pan easier, but it will also speed clean-up.

• Place the marinated chicken pieces  in the pan. Arrange them  in a single layer in the pan. Make sure that none of the pieces are overlapping. They should be laid flat and spaced evenly throughout the pan.
• Baking: Bake chicken pieces , uncovered, for about  30 minutes or  bake them until the juices from the chicken run clear. Do not overcook but allow chicken to become a beautiful golden crisp color.
• Remove the pan from the oven when chicken pieces are fully cooked. Let the chicken sit for 5 – 10 minutes before plating. The chicken will still cook for a bit after you remove it from the heat.
• Transfer to a plate and Serve : Place the baked spicy chicken breasts pieces on a plate and Serve.

Note:

• You may use a substitute for olive oil, such as canola oil, coconut oil, or another cooking oil.
• Raw chicken should be rinsed and patted dry with paper towels before cooking. 
• As a general guideline, bake boneless chicken breasts at 325-350° F for 20-25 minutes and bake bone-in chicken breasts at 325-350° F for 30-45 minutes.
• Use meat thermometer to make sure that the chicken is fully cooked . Insert the thermometer horizontally into center of  a chicken piece. For a completely cooked chicken, the thermometer should read between 160 and 165 degrees Fahrenheit (71 to 74 degrees Celsius).
• Cooking time for baking chicken depends on the temperature of the chicken,  how hot the oven is, the thickness of the chicken breasts.

Warning :

• Chicken should never be thawed out on the kitchen counter.
• Raw chicken is a common carrier of salmonella bacteria. Fortunately, the bacteria can be killed with complete cooking, but take care to always wash your hands after touching raw chicken. If bacteria are transferred to work surfaces, utensils, or hands, they could contaminate other foods, as well as the cooked chicken, and cause food poisoning. With careful handling and proper cooking, this is easily prevented. So immediately dispose of any marinade or brining solution,  Cutting boards and knives must be washed in hot sudsy water after using and hands must be scrubbed thoroughly before and after handling raw chicken . Wash well  all the utensils used on the raw chicken. Wash down your preparation area and sink with a cleaning solution.
• Never rinse Raw chicken with warm or hot water. Hot water on raw meat will cause bacteria to grow and cause a person to get sick.

 

I got most of the tips and very good preparation method  from the site http://www.wikihow.com/Bake-Chicken-Breast

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