French Fridays : Chicken liver Gateau

Remember those French Fridays with Dorie ?? When we would prepare something awesome, something French every week and tell the tale of whether it fared well with the kids and the men... Well, sometimes I miss them.... I miss the excitement and effervescence that accompanied those Fridays... I miss the thrill of exploring new techniques, trying new flavors and the anxiety that accompanied on the Fridays when unusual dishes like that Pear Chestnut Soup or this Chicken Liver Cake was on the menu.  

Apple and Beet Quick Bread # Healthy Snacking

Chocolates are delicious and so are chips and they are probably the tastiest way to pacify a rumbling tummy between two meals... That and zillion cups of tea was a regular snack-ritual for me until our son was born... As in other aspects of life, motherhood completely changed my perspective on snacking soon after our little one started table food... His stomach is so little, I thought, on top of that if I let him snack on non-essentials then how will that little tummy ever have space for all the veggies and fruits that he needs... Ever since I have tried to be mindful of what goes into his tummy and into ours in general.

Vegetable "Makhanwala" (made light)

It was almost after a decade that I cooked Vegetable "Makhanwala" the other day... and even before we started dinner I knew that this version was a keeper.....

Pea-n-Feta Cheese Puff

When trying a new recipe, you know you've hit the jackpot when the picky eater reaches for seconds and the husband asks if the next batch is going into the oven soon..  This does not happen too often chez moi... but sometimes it does.. and when it does.. I do my happy dance... then reach out for the laptop to share the excitement with you.

Wholegrain Caramelized-Banana Bread

Banana bread is probably one those things which everyone bakes all the time. Each one following a time-tested recipe of her own which yields a lovely loaf every time. My favorite recipe is an adaption of Tarla Dalal's Banana Pecan Walnut Muffin Cake, an eggless whole wheat banana muffin recipe with layers of flavors added by the addition of nuts and raisins. Adding cocoa powder and chocolate chips to the basic batter always takes the bread up a notch so I unfailingly do it every time.

Kiwi Pear Basil Smoothie

Hi ! Hope you all are keeping well and enjoying summer to the fullest. We've been busy packing our way off USA. With only three weeks left to go to India, the move is finally feeling more real every day. Piece by piece our furnitures are selling off, cardboard boxes are getting filled and stacked around the corners. Our car is sold and right now, we are pretty much dependent on friends and rentals to move around. The move is a little confusing for our toddler. He was born here and to him, India has always meant holiday. He cannot yet understand the need to give away everything before leaving for India... Guess it'll take sometime before the idea of moving countries sink into him..

Toddler friendly Salmon Cakes

I had read about the health benefits of salmon and had ever since been looking for ways to introduce it to my son's diet. While I enjoyed most of the salmon dishes that I tried, my son wasn't very keen on them until I made these salmon cakes the other day.

Hummus # French Fridays with Dorie # Food Revolution Day 2014

Guided by Mardi Michels,  this Friday the Doristas are participating in Food Revolution Day. Food Revolution is a movement started by Jamie Oliver to inspire parents, kids, teens, workers and everyone else to get back to basics and start cooking good food from scratch. This year he chose “getting kids excited about food” as the theme for Food Revolution Day, which is today and our charge from Mardi is to share a recipe from Around my French Table that we think every child should know how to make.

Now my son is only two and a half so I wasn't really thinking of making a meal when I signed in for #FRD2014. The idea was to make something simple that would give the little boy a feel for cooking.. Since last January, we have been experimenting with a lot of recipes. Mostly smoothies and some muffins like this Chocochip Cherry 'n Coke Muffins whose ingredient list alone was good enough to excite him. Keeping his familiarity with the blender and his love for apple and cheddar in mind, I thought Hummus and Savory Cheddar Chive Bread with chunks of apple would be an exciting for him. And I was right. He enjoyed the process of making both. However something about the bread was not right so I decided to keep it off the post and talk about hummus today. 

Personally, I think hummus is a great recipe to have in ones repertoire. It can be prepared in no time... just whir together chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin powder, salt and pepper in the blender and you are done...  

And once you are done, the possibilities are endless.  You can build simple or fancy sandwiches with it as the base, serve it with crackers or make appetizers of all kinds to entertain friends...

And if you are like me, you could simply sit with a spoon and your bowl of hummus and call it a meal..

Thanks Mardi for involving us in #FRD2014. This was fun !

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know the recipes from Around my French Table that other kids found exciting !

I shall be sharing this at some of these weekly parties. 

Blueberry Coconut Friands(Glutenfree)

Happy Mother's Day to all of you ! Hope you all had the most wonderful time with your mothers and your babies... As for us, we had a lovely time with our family friends in the playground, playing with the  boys and eating pizzas for lunch and since all celebrations call for a cake, I baked these Blueberry Coconut Friands later in the afternoon  and enjoyed them for tea... Wish I had thought of baking them earlier for they would have been the perfect treat for our picnic of sorts... 

Green Pea Hummus

My toddler has an unusual love and hate relationship with peas. He claims that he likes them, but will spit it out the moment I give him some.

So the other day I was telling my mother about it and she said,
"Probably its the skin that he dislikes. Try pureeing the peas and see if he likes it that way."

Ever since I had been on the look out for a recipe with pureed green peas and this green pea hummus hit the spot. The recipe is   A Cup of Jo and then decided to make one using my favorite hummus recipe... the one from Around My French Table.

Day one, he had it as a dip with his steamed veggies.
Day two, he had it as a spread over his beet pancake.
And on day three, I just mixed it with his khichdhi and un-suspiciously he ate it all without complaining once about the taste or texture of his food.

I guess Maa was right. It was the skin that was bothering him all this while and in the hummus everything felt fine ! Mmmm it is not for nothing that they say..  moms know best ! They really know it all...

Green-as-Spring Veal Chicken Stew #French Fridays with Dorie

This week the Doristas were assigned to cook Green-as-Spring Veal Stew. We do not eat veal, so I tweaked the recipe a bit and cooked a green chicken stew instead.... I almost followed Dorie recipe, except that I left out the tarragon and returned the veggies into the pot of simmering green sauce along with the meat. I thought the orange of the carrots and the greens of the leaves and herbs presented a pretty contrast. Husband disagreed. He did not like the green at all.. though he thought that the soup was nice. I thought it was lovely. The dill and the lemon was very refreshing and the stew as a whole paired wonderfully with plain rice and Aloo bharta, a Bengali style mashed potato, that we had made to go with it. I guess the toddler felt the same way for he ate his chicken and rice without any fuss.

From experience I have learnt that chicken recipes do not need as much lemon juice as veal ones. So I reduced the amount of lemon juice in the stew and added slices of lemon as garnish. That way I could squeeze in the extra juice I wanted and husband could steer away from it.  

Green-as-Spring Chicken Stew

---

Recipe by Tanusree Khandai

Prep time: 15 minutes                                                                                                 Total time: 2 hours
Serves : 4 adults + 1 kid

Ingredients

• 2 Chicken legs
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 3 small carrots, trimmed, peeled and quartered
• 2 celery stalks, trimmed, peeled, and quartered
• 1 onion, quatered
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 + ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 2 cups arugula leaves
• 2 cups spinach leaves
• ⅓ cup fresh coriander
• ⅓ cup fresh dill fronds
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2-3 tsps fresh lemon juice*
• lemon slices for garnish (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. In a large vessel, bring the chicken broth and water to a boil. Drop the chicken legs, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Stir in the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon of thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook the vegetables along with the chicken legs for 45 minutes.
3. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the chicken legs and vegetables, cover and keep them warm while you make the sauce.
4. Toss in the arugula, spinach, coriander, dill and ½teaspoon of dried thyme in the liquid that is left in the pot.
5. Cook the greens till the leaves wilt. 
6. Switch off the heat, let the mixture cool down slightly, then puree them in the blender.
7. Return the green sauce to the pot, stir in the heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, adjust the salt and pepper and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.
8. While the sauce is simmering, pull off the meat from the chicken legs and slice them into bite-size pieces.
9. Finally return the cooked vegetables and the chicken pieces into the pot, simmer everything for 5-7 minutes.
10. Switching off the heat. Then garnish with lemon slices and serve with rice or noodles.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about this stew. You can find Dorie's recipe for Green-as-Spring Veal Stew here. For more such delicious recipes order your copies of Around my French Table and join the Doristas in this tasty adventure.

I shall be sharing this recipe at some of these parties

Monday 
 Mix it up Monday, The Scoop, Made with love Monday, Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, Recipe Sharing @ Jam Hands
Melt in your Mouth Monday, Inspiration Monday Party, Inspire Me Monday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop,
Meatless Monday :  Meatless Monday My Sweet and Savory

Tuesday 
Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box,  Tasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations, Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home ,  
Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings, Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles,  Tasty Tuesday @ Anyonita Nibbles,
Hearth and Soul blog Hop @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen,
In & Out of the Kitchen @ Feeding Big & More, Tuesday's Table @ Love in the Kitchen, 

Wednesday 
What's Cooking Wednesday @ Buns in my Oven, Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain,
Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, Wine'd Down Wednesday,
Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ All She Cooks, Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Mom's Test Kitchen
Wednesday, Whatsit@White Lights on Wednesday, Wednesday Extravaganza @ Hunger Little Girl, 
What I Made @ Creations by Kara

Thursday
Link it Up Thursday @ Seven Alive, Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs, 
Thriving on Thursdays @ Domesblissity,  Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage , 
 Freedom Friday @ My Turn,  Pin it Thursday @ Sweet Bella Roos

Friday 
Foodie Friday @ Simple Living and Eating,  Friday Linky Party @ The Pin Junkie, 
Get Him Feed @ Anyonita Nibbles,  Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home,
Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes,  Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm,
Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts,
Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club, The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog Recipe

Toddler friendly Tuna Cakes

Bringing your child up in a country where you have not grown up yourself can sometimes be confusing. Specially when planning their meals. Had I been raising my son in Kolkata, West Bengal, I would probably not twice about which fish to buy and feed my toddler... Catfish it would be for most of his meals.. and sometimes Rohu perhaps. They would always be fresh, bought from the local fishmongers selling their early morning catch...

I am pretty sure, families who have been living here for a while and are keen on fresh catches and farm fresh products know which sources to tap and make an effort to tap  them for their everyday needs .. But not us... not yet. We are still finding our way into the system... so largely depend on canned products and frozen food  for all our fish. And all of all the preparations I have tried with canned Tuna, these Tuna cakes happen to be our favorite. Both toddler and I love them... 

The other day the toddler even thanked me for making them :))..

He can sometimes be surprisingly sweet !

He also thought these Easter Eggs were pretty...

and wanted to eat all three...  :)))

Happy Easter everybody !
~ the Khandais

Vegetable Croquettes

I wouldn't really call my toddler a fussy eater..but there are times when hot dog and pizzas are the only things he opens his mouth to... such phases though short-lived get me worried and that is when I consult my most trusted recipe book First Meals by Annabel Karmel. I had bought the book at the local library sale and till date consider it as my best buy from the library. It has a wonderful collection of quick and easy kid-friendly meals and at the end of a clean plate, courtesy First Meals,  I always wonder why had I not thought of the recipe earlier. 

Anyway, these vegetable croquettes were born during one such fussy phase of my little toddlers life. The original recipe had carrots, sweet corn and broccoli, which I traded for spinach and greens peas The result was delicious. Both daddy and son approved of it and recently even the toddlers aunt certified it as a simple and tasty snack.

Poulet à la mode aka Chicken Pot Roast in Port # French Fridays with Dorie & Our Week's Menu

Its been weeks since I have done a French Fridays with Dorie post. The thing is the recipes that the Doristas chose for September were mostly fishy or sweet. so i decided to skip them all together. I was about to skip this weeks recipe too but then changed my mind and adapted it cook Chicken Pot Roast in Port ..

this is not quite what the Doristas had scheduled for this week. The French recipe they chose is Boeuf à la mode. but since we do not eat beef, i adapted it to cook Poulet  à la mode. I followed the recipe in spirit simplifying it a bit was convenience. also i added some veggies just to make it more colorful and visually appealing. the result was a great pot roast. husband, toddler and i loved it.  the toddler usually does eat too much chicken but even he finished his portion of this great roast. We enjoyed it with noodles for dinner and the following day toddler and I had the leftovers for lunch along with mashed potatoes. it tasted good either way.

now my adaption of Dorie's  Boeuf à la mode...  

Chicken Pot Roast in Port  Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Boeuf à la mode recipe in Around the French Table

Preparation Time : 15 minutes                                                                                             Serves : 2-3   Marination Time :  Overnight   Cooking Time : 15-20 min on stovetop + 50 min in the oven                       ingredient to be marinated 1 1/2 pound chicken, cleaned and cut into 4 big pieces 1 onion halved and thinly sliced 1 carrot, trimmed, peeled and cut into chunks 1 celery stalk, trimmed and cut into chunks, the leaves separated and chopped finely the marinade  1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp dried rosemary 1 bay leaf 10-15 stalks of coriander, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, grated 7/8 cup of Ruby Port 1 tbsp olive oil salt and pepper  for cooking and baking 2 cups chicken broth 3 tbsp canola oil 3 tbsp Cognac or brandy (I used brandy) 3 anchovies 1 tbsp tomato paste 1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed 1/3 cup french fried potatoes (I used frozen) -  instructions Give the chicken pieces a salt and pepper massage and put it in a casserole, or bowl or sturdy  zipper-lock plastic bag, big enough to hold the vegetables and the marinade. Put all the ingredients of the marinade in a bottle, shake it well. Toss the onion, carrots, celery in the marinade and add the veggies and the marinade into the container containing the pieces of chicken. Mix everything as best as you can, cover the container or seal the bag and put it in the refrigerator to marinate overnight. Next day, an hour before you start cooking, take the container out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Once you are ready to cook, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Strain the marinade. Reserving the chicken pieces and vegetables, pour the liquid into a medium saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced to half. Now add the chicken broth. When the liquid begins to boil remove the pan from heat. Meanwhile heat 2 tbsps of canola oil in a iron skillet. When the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces to the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer the pieces to a plate and keep it covered with a foil while you cook the vegetables on stove top. To cook the vegetables, add the remaining tbsp of oil and all the vegetables except the potatoes to the skillet. Cook them until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, pour in the brandy, stir and scrape to loosen any bits that might be sticking to the pan. Add 1/2 cup of the port-broth mixture to the skillet, stir in the anchovies and tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes until the anchovy melts.  Now, switching off the heat, add the chicken pieces and the remaining port-broth mixture to the skillet, cover it  with a foil and transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. 30 minutes later, take the skillet out of the oven, add the fried potatoes, cover the skillet with the foil again and bake it for another 15 minutes. Then pulling off the foil cover, bake for another 5-7 minutes. Taste the sauce, adjust the salt and pepper and serve with noodles or mashed potatoes or steamed rice and enjoy.

Though the recipe is a bit long, this dish is actually pretty simple to prepare and can be easily pulled off on a weeknight. And once you've tasted it you'll probably keep coming back to it over and over again.

Visit here to know what the other members of french fridays with Dorie have to say. For many more delicious recipes such as this one order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book

So much for today. Since i could not post my weekly meal plan earlier this week, thought I'll include it here.

	Our Menu this Week
Sunday	Escarole and White Beans with Bread
Monday	Butternut squash pudding Souffle, Chickpea Panzanella
Tuesday	Moong Dhal, Baked Potato Fries sauteed with steamed Green Beans, Beet Root Khichadi, Steamed Rice
Wednesday	Poulet à la mode and Noodles with Broccoli sauce, Steamed carrots
Thursday	Breaded Baked Tilapia, Colcannon, Steamed Green Beans
Friday	Pasta with Butternut squash Parmesan Sauce and scrambled eggs
Saturday	Holiday

Take Care and have a good weekend !

Sharing this with Meal Plan Monday @ Organizing Junkie

I shall be sharing the Pot Roast Recipe at the following parties...

Monday Food : Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Inspiration MOnday Party, Sharing Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Maniac Monday Linky Party,Mix it up Monday, The Scoop

Tuesday Food:  Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box, Tasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations,  Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home,  Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings, Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles, Tasty Tuesday, Hearth and Soul blog Hop

Wednesday Food : What's Cooking Wednesday @ Buns in my Oven, Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain , Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Home Take 2

Thursday Food: Link it Up Thursday @ Seven Alive, Creative Thursday @ Michelle's Tasty Creations, Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs, Thriving on Thursdays @ Domesblissity, Freedom Friday @ My Turn, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage  

Friday Food: Foodie Friday @ Home Maid Simple, Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home, Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes,  Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm , Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts , Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club,  The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog  Recipes