Are you a picky eater?

Picky eaters, children and adults can cause exasperation to people around. I have seen children who cringe at anything with color in them such as tomatoes, carrots, peppers, even apples and oranges. I also have a friend who eats out of soup cans and has nothing but chicken for almost every meal. She must have started out as a picky eater.

It is so difficult preparing meals for them or making sure that they get a balanced meal. The only solution to this is getting them involved in the preparation and cooking process. Most often you'd find that if they prepare a meal, they'll eat it. If you are dealing with young children another way around this would be to start a small vegetable garden and ask them to plant the vegetables they want. It can pay off in multiple ways. I am thinking chemisty, botany, nutrition, diet, exercise, cooking, cleaning, labor, art, taste and health, an all in one package.

Magical transformation of your vegetables using chick pea flour

Here's a little tip to enhance the taste of almost all Indian and asian vegetables.

After the vegetables cook, add a couple teaspoons of oil to your wok. Sprinkle chick pea or lentil flour mixed with red hot chillie powder on top of the vegetables and saute until the flour coating on the vegetables blend in.

A touch of spices to your leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat

Check out this week's recipe for a great after Thanksgiving lunch.

Hearty Soup for Thanksgiving

How about some hearty soup for a cold Thanksgiving dinner? Here's a good one.

Ingredients:

Mushrooms
Cream
Milk
Ginger
Garlic
Onions
Scallions
Crushed black pepper
Coriander
Vegetable broth
Salt to taste

Pour vegetable broth into a pot, add a cup of cream and a cup of milk. Bring to boil. Puree half the mushrooms, add to pot. Saute onions, ginger and garlic. Mix into the soup. Let the mixture cook for 30 minutes or so. Finally add black pepper and salt. Give it a stir. Right before serving, add about 2 Tbps chopped coriander. Serve hot.

My favorite for Thanksgiving

Now, that the drink is taken care of, what's your favorite Thanksgiving dish?

Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce...

Here's a tasty potatoes recipe, not mashed but roasted.

Boil potatoes with pinch of salt until just done. May leave skin on or peel them. Place them in a shallow dish. Add sage, a touch of butter, some mashed garlic, tsp of crushed black pepper and 1 tsp. of nutmeg. Roast potatoes at 375 to 400 degrees for 30 mins. Turn them over a couple times so they roast evenly. Serve hot right out of the oven. More nutritious and less fatty with a better look on the table. Isn't that what we want?

What's the drink for Thanksgiving?

That's a question that crosses people's minds every year. There are several who don't care for wine, either red or white. Beer is too unsophisticated. What if you are a non-drinker? I'd suggest to go for the apple-cider. They are great when served warm with a kick of cinnamon and spices.

I'd like to go for the fancy ones at times. My favorite for Thanksgiving is Apple Martini. Don't ask me why that for Thanksgiving? At other times, my favorite is a Margharita. I've noticed the non-drinkers really do like that once in a while.

Rice pudding the Indian way

Check out the recipe for Rice Pudding.

Vote for my Soup

Dear Readers and followers,

Please take a minute to vote for me. I was recently invited to join the New England County Soup Challenge. To get to the next level, I need sufficient votes from all of you. Please click on this link to register and vote. After you have registered, scroll down to the read more link. It will open up another page where you cast your vote. You may vote once a day until February 12th.

Please contact me if you have difficulty registering or voting. Thanks so much for your support.

Korma for dinner

The one missing, very important ingredient for korma is fennel seeds. I had not bought this in years since Indian stores in the U.S. carry large, 1 kg. packages. All we need is about a tsp. or two of fennel seeds. So, I had not prepared Korma in years. A relative who had a ton of fennel gave me a packet enough to last a few years.

Well, I decided to make vegetable korma with chappathi for dinner.

There is nothing like a spicy Korma and here is the recipe.

Use 1/2 cup of beans, carrot, potatoes, peas, tomatoes, green pepper. Cut them lengthwise. Grind together green chillies, 3 cloves garlic and a Tbsp. fresh shredded coconut. Saute, 1" cinnamon stick and a couple cloves in a tsp. of oil. Add some fresh garlic, cut onions and saute. Add vegetables one by one so they cook evenly. Add tomatoes and continue sauteing. Add the ground mixture and salt. Cover with a lid and let the vegetables cook. You may add red chillie powder if the korma needs more of a kick. Serve with chappathi, paratha or puri.