Apologies

Hello everyone,
  I just want to take a moment to say that I'm really sorry for being so behind with my posts.I know there are quite a few recipes that I had requests for and am yet to get to them.I'm going to try to work it out so I can post at least a few of them before the end of the month.With a new baby on the way(next month to be exact),I have been finding it hard to get some time to blog.I haven't been cooking as much in the last month as well so I didn't have anything to share but rest assure that I will post the recipes I promised you guys.
  I hope you are all doing well and are in the peak of your healths.Thank you for staying supportive of my blog and I appreciate it more than you think.Take care and hope the new year has been bringing nothing but good things.


With love for food and you,
Renu

Hearty,wholesomeness for a cold day...or any day.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before but I recently purchased a slow cooker that I have been so in love with.I call it the gift to home cooks from the culinary gods.It truly is because what more can you ask than to just pour in your ingredients into a crock pot and at the end of the day have a wholesome home cooked meal ready to be served without the hassle of slaving over the stove for hours.Don't get me wrong,I love every aspect of cooking regardless of it's work load.Just the simple pleasures of seeing the smiles on the faces of the people you serve but once in a while,it's nice to have that ease.So,here's a recipe I made yesterday for my family.It was delicious so I must share with you.

Beef Stew

You'll need:

1/2 cup All purpose flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp  Ground Black pepper (for flour mix)
2 tbsp Ground black pepper (for broth)
4 lbs Beef Chuck-cut into 1 inch cubes -For those of you who don't do red meat,you can substitute with          chicken
Olive oil
2 cups Red cooking wine (you can find the ones with no alcohol)
1 1/2 cups Beef Broth
1 can Pink beans or red beans
2 Onions,sliced (or you could use pearl onions if you like)
1 cup Mushrooms(sliced.Canned if fresh is not available)
1 cup Flat-leaf Parsley (minced)
6 tsp Garlic (minced)
4 Whole Bay Leaves

Special equipment:
Slow cooker/crock pot


Method:
(This is what I meant by easy)

Mix flour,salt and pepper in a medium bowl.Make sure beef pieces are pat dry.Dredge beef in flour.Meanwhile,heat  enough olive oil in a skillet or frying pan over medium heat until hot.Shake off excess flour off the beef pieces and sear on all sides until brown.Transfer to your slow cooker.

Add remaining ingredients excluding the minced parsley and stir well to combine.Cover and cook on either LOW for 4 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours.About 2 hours in,stir in the parsley.If you find the broth too watery,you can mix a tablespoon of all purpose flour with water and pour in to thicken the broth.For those of you who love spice,you can sprinkle some red chili pepper flakes before serving.

I served mine with some Tuscan bread.You can also serve it with some low carb pasta or some delicious sour dough bread.Those of you who are adventurous and are not worried about carbs,you can certainly serve this in a bread bowl to wow your guests or family.

Let me know what you think and also how it turned out for you.I love and appreciate any feedbacks from all of you.You help me grow!Enjoy.


With love for food and you,
 Renu

I'M BAAACCCKKKK!!!

Alrighty ladies and gentleman who follow my blog,
   I am officially back in business.Well not literally but you know what I mean.After a long summer(and fall) break from blogging,I'm here to say that you can expect a good amount of recipes and posts.I recently had to switch my phone due to a little unforeseen accident and lost all my summer cooking pictures so some of the recipes may not be accompanied by a picture for your viewing delight but I'm going to try my best to make sure that I get some pictures for you.The important part is for me to share the goodness with you.I'm starting off tonight with an awesome stir-fry recipe.This is truly an easy and definitely quick recipe.


Spicy Chicken with Green beans,Mushrooms and Cashews


You'll need:

2 Tbsp - Sunflower Oil(you can also use vegetable or canola oil)
2 Tsp - Minced Garlic
1/2 - Small Onion, cut into halves
6-8 - Dried Red Chilis,in whole form(this is to infuse flavor but not spice.For those of you who love spice,halve it to infuse the spice )

1 small can - Mushrooms (slices)

A handful -Green Beans,sliced

1/2 Cup - Roasted Cashew Nuts(unsalted if possible.If not,rinse and dry before cooking)
1/2 lbs -Chicken tender pieces, cut into small bite sized cube

1- Scallion,sliced thinly into strips (for garnish)

1 Tbsp- Soy sauce
1 Tbsp - Sweet soy sauce(this can be found at any Asian grocery stores)
1 Tsp - Fish sauce(you can always substitute this with a teaspoon more of soy sauce
1/4 Tsp - Stevia or Agave to taste
2 Tbsp - Water


Method:


Heat wok or frying pan and add the oil.Add in the minced garlic,dried chillies and onions. Saute the ingredient until aromatic.Add in the cashew nuts and stir fry until it is lightly brown and add in the chicken.Cook until chicken is white.Add in the mushrooms and green beans.Mix well with the other ingredients.Add in the sauce mixture and incorporate all ingredients until well coated with the sauce. Don't overcook the green beans,You still want a crunch to it.Stir fry for another 2 minutes and add in the scallions.You can also use the scallion as part of your presentation after dishing out.

As simple as that.You get a wholesome,nutritional and delicious meal in just minutes.So for those busy moms and dads out there,this will be a great choice for a quick home made dinner.Enjoy!


*For those of you who are totally off sugar,the sweet soy sauce has sugar in it.You can always substitute it with some dark soy sauce.about 1 tbsp and mix in either Agave or Stevia for the sweet part.The dark soy sauce gives your dish the color you see in the picture.


With love for food and you,
 Renu

Hungarian Flourless Hazelnut Cake..........A great no guilt dessert.

I've been put on a 1,300 calories per day diet by my naturopath recently and flour is one thing that I've been asked to limit so being a sweet tooth person,I had to find an alternative to satisfying my sweet cravings.A lot of times you'll find that a flourless cake lack in taste but this one is so scrumptious I couldn't put the fork down once I started.So here's the recipe to this delicious and healthy treat.

Hungarian Flourless Hazelnut Cake


You'll need:

• 12 ounces Hazelnuts (you can substitute this for other nuts such as Almonds)
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• 6 Egg yolks
• 5/8 cup Stevia or 1/4 cup Agave nectar
• 6 Egg whites
• 1 pint Heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup Stevia
• 1/2 cup Fresh blueberries 
• 1/8 cup chopped Hazelnuts, for garnish

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a springform pan and lightly flour it.Shake off access flour.Using a  food processor,grind hazelnut to a fine powder or as close to powder form as you can.Whisk in the baking powder and set aside.

In a large bowl,whip the egg yolks with the stevia until well incorporated.Whisk in the hazelnut powder.

Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer,whisk the egg whites until it stiffens.This process of whisking incorporates air to help the cake rise.With a spatula,mix in 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg yolk and hazelnut powder.Make sure to mix well until all ingredients are well incorporated.Add in the rest of the egg whites.Mix for about 5-10 minutes.You want to make sure there are no lumps and no streaks of batter remains.

Once this is done,spread the batter into your springform pan and using an offset spatula or spoon,spread the batter evenly.Bake in the oven for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes until you have a firm cake.Let the cake cool completely.

While the cake cools down,whip the heavy whipping cream in a bowl with 1/3 cup Stevia.Whip until stiff.Cut the cooled cake in half and spread the whipped cream generously in the middle.Put the cake bake together and spread the remaining whip cream on the top and side of the cake.Garnish with blueberries and hazelnut.You can also use strawberries.You can slice some up and arrange it in the middle on top of the whipped cream center for a strawberry filling.

There you have it...Its delicious and you can use other berries of your choice as well to switch it up a little.Its a great cake to experiment with and the best part is that you don't have to feel guilty about eating it.Its sugar free and low in calories.Not to mention,a great summer treat.So,enjoy and have fun making it especially when you know,you're treating your friends and family to something tasty yet healthy.

With love for food and you,

     Renu

Mango Strawberry Lassi....a great chiller for a hot summer's day!

Our town annually holds a Strawberry festival in June where they celebrate...Strawberries.From Italian ices and strawberry shortcakes to fresh strawberries and even strawberry sodas,they had em all.It was a lot of fun walking around the festival while music played by local bands and singers filled the air.Our spirits were high and with that,my husband was inspired to buy himself a strawberry soda(which sadly they were out) and lots of fresh strawberries and I mean LOTS.So our refrigerator has been well stocked with them and it was time to use them before they went bad.Today was a hot day and so I thought why not make something cooling with the strawberries and not owning an ice cream maker,my options were limited.I had yogurt in the fridge,mangos in my fruit bowl and so I thought,lets blend them.Here's the recipe to a delicious fat free,sugar free Lassi that might be a great treat for the whole family.


Mango Strawberry Lassi


You'll need:


3 cups Fresh strawberries(sliced in half)
1 ripened Champaign mango (flesh scooped out)
2 cups Fat-free yogurt
3 tbsp Stevia or Agave to taste
1/2 cup Fat -free milk
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup Ice cubes

Method:


Lassis are very easy to make.Combine all ingredients in your blender.Mix well and serve it while its still cold.You can keep it refrigerated if you're preparing it beforehand.Garnish with Strawberry slices or/and mango chunks.

Its as simple as that.A great drink for the summer and also to wow your friends and family.Not only is this a healthier recipe for a great drink but it is extremely flavorful.So try it out and let me know how it goes.

Note:For those of you who are lactose intolerant,you can substitute the yogurt and milk with soy products.


With love for food and you,
        Renu

Renu's Banchowal Cookies

As funky as its name is,this cookie that I came up with turned out super delicious.It has an interesting texture which I think works great.Have you ever wanted a cookie and a cake all in one?Here it is.It's got some crunch but is soft in the middle and the burst of flavors are divine.So give this recipe a shot and you'll know what I'm talking about.I almost forgot....Bachowal stands for Banana,chocolate chips and walnuts.

Renu's Bachowal Cookies


You'll need:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1stick unsalted,low fat butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup stevia or 1/4 cup agave nectar (agave is very sweet so use according to preference)
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats(optional)
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted & coarsely chopped

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare 2 cookie sheets with non-stick baking spray or parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl,add flours with baking soda ,sugars and salt.Mix well with a whisk.In a separate bowl using  a hand mixer or stand mixer,beat butter until creamy,add in egg and beat for an additional 30 seconds.Once egg and butter are mixed well,add in vanilla extract and mashed bananas.Beat for another 20 seconds.Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.Once you have mixed the ingredients well (meaning no more dry flour at sight),fold in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.Incorporate all ingredients well.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of batter onto your cookie sheet spacing each about 2 inches apart.I usually spoon about 3 per row and 12 cookies per sheet.Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.Once cookies are done,let them sit for about 10 minutes before removing from the cookie sheet.Once cooled,plate and serve.Cookies can be kept in room temperature for about 2 days.You can also freeze them if you wish to keep them longer.

These cookies are healthy and a great treat for your family and friends.Its low in sugars and sodium and thats what you want in a cookie.Something you can eat and not feel guilty about it.Hope you have a successful try and let me know what you think about this recipe.I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

With love for food and you,

        Renu

Spicy Mango Chutney Turkey Wrap.......low cal and delish!

Today was such a gorgeous day that my husband suggested we went for a picnic at a park.This is a long overdue activity that we have been wanting to do and also it was time to use this really pretty wicker picnic basket that we've had for 5 years but never once used.I wanted an exciting lunch to take with me so I decided to whip up something with flavors I love yet low in calories.So,heres my recipe of a delicious wrap.


Spicy Mango Chutney Turkey Wrap


You'll need:

2 large multi grain Tortilla or wrap
1 Tomato(thinly sliced
 Boston lettuce(this happens to be my favorite but you can use any lettuce)
4-5 slices Deli smoked turkey 
Cheese slices(optional and cheese of your choice)

Spicy mango chutney sauce:

3 tbsp Light mayonaise(you can find a variety of low calorie mayos)
1/2 - 1 tbsp Sriracha chilli sauce (adjust to your spice preference)
1 1/2 tbsp Mango chutney (you can find them in jars at your local grocery store)
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Pinch of Salt
 1/3 tsp Black pepper (optional)




Method:
Add all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix well into a thick spread.Set aside.Line tortilla with 2 pieces of lettuce followed by the turkey meat.Spread the sauce over the meat and top with sliced tomatoes and cheese.You can also use other toppings like sliced green peppers or avocados to go with your wrap.Fold the bottom of the tortilla upwards and roll the tortilla tightly,enclosing filling.Cut your wrap sideways in half if you wish.

I enjoyed my wrap and I'm not that big a fan of wraps in general.I just loved the combination of flavors especially the mango chutney with the turkey.It makes a great summer wrap.You can make it as spicy or not as you wish.Feel free to experiment with your favorite toppings.This sauce goes well for any sandwich.So,have a great wrap filled day and enjoy your summer.


With love for food and you,
   Renu