It's been almost three months I logged on to my computer!! Nope, I can't say that I did log on to my laptop to upload loads of photos as I told you in my earlier post that I have been traveling.  I just came back from a long holiday of one and half months in Amsterdam.  Visiting family is always welcoming that too when you are needed to help them out is a blessing, as at least somebody thinks you are needed! I could say this trip which did not start as a pleasure trip ended up as a good holiday for me, especially in the last week as my sister pampered me so much and I had a good rest with no moving around and enjoying lots of TV shows and food served right onto my lap and also with loads of filled up mugs of teas and coffee every now and then what more can I ask for.  Hmmm..., that was bliss.

Are you wondering why all the fuss? well, I went to this cheese factory which I fell in love with ( stay tuned will post the pictures soon ) asked the owner if I could get some photos he was reluctant  had to convince him a lot at first then, when I showed him my website and my photos he was quite impressed (and I was glad! somebody was impressed)  after all that he gave me permission take photos, once when done I came out climbed onto the car and was about to leave the premises suddenly I remembered that I had forgotten to take a good picture of the entrance!! asked my sister to stop the car, I got out with my camera in my hand turned around walked 2 steps back trying to focus and Lo! my foot just gave away! that was unexpected.  The autumn leaves had covered a concealed little dent in the road and  I staggered and toppled onto the ground with my camera flying from my hand.  Like an acrobat, I caught hold of my camera and saved it from hitting the tar road but I simply forgot about where my leg was heading out!  Ouch! it hurt so badly I couldn't get up, tears came rolling down my cheeks without my consent like little transparent pearls of water from the colourful leaves falling to mingle with mother nature soaking my torn jeans.

I sat there for some time, as my sister never realised that I was lying on the ground it wasn't her fault, as I can't blame her for my stupidity, how could she know that I was going to fall (that was the lecture she gave me later on as she was so worried about my leg). Actually, the lady from the next farm saw me in the act she could have waved at my sister and could have pointed at me, but she walked past with her wheelie bin and came back the same way looking at me all the way!!  can't blame her either right?  It was all my fault.  Anyways I pulled my leg slowly got on to my feet dragging it through went to the car, that was when my sis realized I was in trouble, she was so terrified scolded me all the 30 minutes driving back.  Coming back home I sat to remove my shoes, when I removed my socks I knew that something had happened to my ankle it was fully blown up to my knee I had a lot of bruises, long story short I am alright now back home went to my GP she got  some x-rays done thank God! I haven't got any broken bones she suspects a stretched ligament and also declared I have sprained my ankle very badly so I need to take few more days of rest (which hasn't happened after coming back I should have stayed some more days in Amsterdam).  That's the end of my story.

winter soups

Sun  is minimal  and the days are becoming shorter as well. The warm weather  is slowly drifting away, from the brighter skies to cold, gray obscure gloomy parasol.   Colourful T-shirts and leggings are replaced with Jumpers and Jackets to ward off the nippy weather.  But, the question is  which side of the coin you are in?  Do you feel if you are slipping into a fantasy land  and dreaming of drizzling  snow steadily onto the ground like a white blanket, Hearth buzzing away furiously burning logs of firewood, the crackling sound and the puffing smoke seeping through the chimney and you cuddling on your sofa with a warm blanket, a book and a bowl of warm soup with a home made bread and enjoy the wonder world  OR  feeling somber, going through the winter blues and dripping into a cocoon only to wake up after six months!! I would prefer the dream world looking out in the window from my sofa where I can see the white crystal flakes falling obliquely into the crisp clear starry black night onto the ground against the lamp light is my favourite sight.

Winter brings us squashes of all varieties.  I buy them now and then as they literally have a long  shelf life, they don't seem to die at all.  Butternut  squash is one such winter squashes which my hubby keeps buying because he likes the soup I make out of it.  So, here is our hero today and now I have to tell you how I make it and if you like it as well ping me on one of my social media hashtag @ #myvegfare and I will be one happy blogger.

Let's get back to the recipe then...

Recipe Author : Jayasri
Recipe Type: Soup
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cook time : 20 minutes
Serves : 4
Shelf life :2 to 3 days in refrigeration

Ingredients:

1 Butternut squash (approx..750grms)
2 cloves garlic
1’’ Ginger
1 onion
1 litre vegetable stock (using stock cube)
2 sprigs of Basil
½ tbsp of oil
1 tbsp of mixed seeds (sunflower, linseed, pumpkin, sesame and chia)
6 cashew nuts
½  tsp cumin seeds
½  tsp coriander seeds
½  tsp Black pepper

Method:

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the pith by removing the seeds.  Peel the skin and cut into cubes.
In a wok/pan heat oil add cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black pepper fry for a minute then add chopped garlic, onion and ginger sauté for few minutes till the onions become translucent.
Now add the cubed squash and cook stir-frying it for 5 more minutes with a lid closed in a medium flame.  Within few minutes it gets well cooked. Add the basil leaves give a stir for few seconds within seconds it wilts.
Allow it to cool down, when it is cooling down prepare the stock using around 4 cups of water.
Once it is cool blend it in a food processor or in an Indian mixie to a smooth consistency. (Or you can pour the stock into the pan using a hand blender you can blend in batches until you get a smooth puree).
You can pass it through a sieve into a clean saucepan and pour the vegetable stock (keeping aside ¼ cup of water) season it with salt, taste and adjust the seasonings.

In a small skillet heat a tsp of oil toast the mixed seeds for few minutes with cashew nuts. Grind them into a smooth paste using little stock water add this ground paste to the saucepan and heat through gently for few more minutes keep an eye so it doesn’t get stuck to the bottom as it starts thickening. Switch off the stove, to serve ladle the soup into bowls garnish with few more basil leaves and toasted seeds.  Serve it with a bread of your choice or with crunchy croutons.

Make your own crouton:  It’s easy to make your own crouton. Crush using a pestle and mortar a clove of garlic and herb of your choice with 3 to 4 peppercorns and salt. Take a day-old bread, cut into cubes marinate the cubes with the above said mix.  Heat a little olive oil in a skillet add this marinated bread mix and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. It’s now ready to go on the soup.

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Creamy Butternut Squash soup #Vegan #Glutenfree

Vegan and Gluten free winter squash soup is also creamy and delicious hearty meal in itself.

Course Soup

Cuisine International

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Jayasri

Ingredients

• 1 Butternut squash approx..750grms
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 ’’ Ginger
• 1 onion
• 1 litre vegetable stock using stock cube
• 2 sprigs of Basil
• ½ tbsp of oil
• 1 tbsp of mixed seeds sunflower, linseed, pumpkin, sesame and chia
• 6 cashew nuts
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp Black pepper

Instructions

• Cut the squash in half and scoop out the pith by removing the seeds. Peel the skin and cut into cubes.
• In a wok/pan heat oil add cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black pepper fry for a minute then add chopped garlic, onion and ginger sauté for few minutes till the onions become translucent.
• Now add the cubed squash and cook stir-frying it for 5 more minutes with a lid closed in a medium flame. Within few minutes it gets well cooked. Add the basil leaves give a stir for few seconds within seconds it wilts.
• Allow it to cool down, when it is cooling down prepare the stock using around 4 cups of water.
• Once it is cool blend it in a food processor or in an Indian mixie to a smooth consistency. (Or you can pour the stock into the pan using a hand blender you can blend in batches until you get a smooth puree).
• You can pass it through a sieve into a clean saucepan and pour the vegetable stock (keeping aside ¼ cup of water) season it with salt, taste and adjust the seasonings.
• In a small skillet heat a tsp of oil toast the mixed seeds for few minutes with cashew nuts. Grind them into a smooth paste using little stock water add this ground paste to the saucepan and heat through gently for few more minutes keep an eye so it doesn’t get stuck to the bottom as it starts thickening. Switch off the stove, to serve ladle the soup into bowls garnish with few more basil leaves and toasted seeds. Serve it with a bread of your choice or with crunchy croutons.

Notes

Notes: If you do not want to do it on stove top you can grill or bake in the oven until the veggies become soft. Then fry the spices in a skillet and continue as above.
Make your own crouton: It’s easy to make your own crouton. Crush using a pestle and mortar a clove of garlic and herb of your choice with 3 to 4 peppercorns and salt. Take a day-old bread, cut into cubes marinate the cubes with the above said mix. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet add this marinated bread mix and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. It’s now ready to go on the soup

The post Creamy Butternut Squash soup #Vegan #Glutenfree appeared first on My Veg Fare.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 Kg Butternut squash
1 tbsp methi seeds (Venthyam / Fenugreek)
1 tsp channa dal
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp tuvar dal
2-3 red chillies (optional)
1 sprig curry leaves
Lime Size Tamarind
Marble size jaggery (optional)
a pinch of asafoetida
3-4 tbsp oil
2-3 tsp of Rasam Powder
3 to 4 cups of water
1 or 2 tbsp of Rice flour

 VARIATION:  Instead of Rasam powder you can substitute it with Red chilli powder  and a tsp of Coriander powder. Tamilians use Gingely oil instead of other oils in their cooking which gives a special flavour to the dish. In India people usually use different kinds of oils.  Most of them I think have adapted to  from which state they have come from.  People from Tamil Nadu use Gingely oil in their cooking.

I do not exactly know why they use it is it because of a very warm temperature or Humid conditions do not know exactly why? If anybody know about this do enlighten me about it.

METHOD:

Soak tamarind in warm water ( 1 cup), squeeze and take out the clean extract and keep aside.

Take a wok, add oil, when it gets heated up add methi seeds  add all the dals and  chillies and saute until a nice aroma comes out of it and  they would have changed colour too.

Then add the diced squash and saute it for few minutes with the curry leaves, Keep the stove in a low flame, add a tsp of salt and close the lid the vegetable will cook fast

Once the vegetables are evenly cooked add the tamarind juice, add some more water and allow it boil for some minutes, until the raw smell ceases.

Add 2 to 3 tsp of Rasam Powder allow it to boil for few more minutes, If it is becoming very thick add more water, add jaggery and allow it boil, for 2 to 3 minutes.

If u find the sambhar is very watery, Take a tbsp of rice powder dilute it in water and pour it into the sambhar, within minutes the sambhar gets thickens.

Serve it with hot rice & a tsp of oil

NOTE: you can increase or decrease the quantity of Rasam powder as you like it because you might be using a different kind of Rasam powder, Always change the quantity of the powders to your liking of taste for spiciness. I have mentioned optional to chillies and jaggery because some of us do not like the taste of sweetness in their food.  If you  like to have it very spicy they can omit this, If you wish to add Rasam powder more in replacement of chillies then that is also fine.
Add water boil for few minutes dissolve rice flour in little water and add it to the Kuzhambu this will thicken the gravy.
NOTE: When using fenugreek in any recipe do not over fry since it becomes bitter, add at the very end or fry in a low flame so by the time all the other spices this will change  into golden brown in colour.

VARIATIONS:
You can cook this recipe with all these vegetables:

• Okra
• Violet Brinjals
• Yellow or Sweet Pumpkin
• Squashes
• Tomato and onion
• colocaesia
• Vatrals  of all kinds

Vatrals are Vegetables and seeds which are sun dried and preserved. These kind of Vatrals are vastly available in Tamil Nadu, well, now a days you get it in all Indian stores too. Vatrals like Ladies finger, Manathakkali, Cluster beans, Sundaikai, Bitter Gourd, Karamani

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Venthya Kuzhambu (Fenugreek sambhar)

A Sambhar from Tamil Nadu which is not just tasty but is a combo of sweet and tangy as well

Course Main Meals / Luncheon / Dinner

Cuisine South Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Author Jayasri

Ingredients

• 1/4 Kg Butternut squash
• 1 tbsp methi seeds Venthyam / Fenugreek
• 1 tsp channa dal
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 tsp tuvar dal
• 2-3 red chillies optional
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• Lime Size Tamarind
• Marble size jaggery optional
• a pinch of asafoetida
• 3-4 tbsp oil
• 2-3 tsp of Rasam Powder
• 3 to 4 cups of water
• 1 or 2 tbsp of Rice flour

Instructions

• soak tamarind in warm water ( 1 cup), squeeze and take out the clean extract and keep aside.
• Take a wok, add oil, when it gets heated up add methi seeds add all the dals and chillies and saute until a nice aroma comes out of it and they would have changed colour too.
• Then add the diced squash and saute it for few minutes with the curry leaves, Keep the stove in a low flame, add a tsp of salt and close the lid the vegetable will cook fast.
• Once the vegetables are evenly cooked add the tamarind juice, add some more water and allow it boil for some minutes, until the raw smell seizes.
• Add 2 to 3 tsp of Rasam Powder allow it to boil for few more minutes, If it is becoming very thick add more water, add jaggery and allow it boil, for 2 to 3 minutes.
• If u find the sambhar is very watery, Take a tbsp of rice powder dilute it in water and pour it into the sambhar, within minutes the sambhar gets thickens.
• Serve it with hot rice & a tsp of oil

Notes

you can increase or decrease the quantity of Rasam powder as you like it because you might be using a different kind of Rasam powder, Always change the quantity of the powders to your liking of taste for spiciness. I have mentioned optional to chillies and jaggery because some of us do not like the taste of sweetness in their food. If you like to have it very spicy they can omit this, If you wish to add Rasam powder more in replacement of chillies then that is also fine.
Add water boil for few minutes dissolve rice flour in little water and add it to the Kuzhambu this will thicken the gravy.
NOTE: When using fenugreek in any recipe do not over fry since it becomes bitter, add at the very end or fry in a low flame so by the time all the other spices this will change into golden brown in colour.

VARIATIONS:
You can cook this recipe with all these vegetables:

Okra
Violet Brinjals
Yellow or Sweet Pumpkin
Squashes
Tomato and onion
colocaesia
Vatrals of all kinds
Vatrals are Vegetables and seeds which are sun dried and preserved. These kind of Vatrals are vastly available in Tamil Nadu, well, now a days you get it in all Indian stores too. Vatrals like Ladies finger, Manathakkali, Cluster beans, Sundaikai, Bitter Gourd, Karamani

The post Venthya Kuzhambu (Fenugreek sambhar) appeared first on My Veg Fare.