DAY 101 : CONFUSINGLY ADDICTIVE...

And so this new year has bull dozed itself,and its already the end of January.
With all expected stuff..
And the usual...
And some surprises..
And then, there were resolutions that were not made...

In all the vastness of this beautiful month of January...
There were journeys that I planned..
And places that I visited..
And various dishes I cooked..
And pages of words that I wrote..
And conversations that I had..
All this in my head ....

I have let this beautiful month of January draw me into it's arms and have allowed it to unfold it's plans to me, day by day ..
While I sat and snuggled in it's cosy warmth...
With the nip of a winter in my Bay ...

And yes, every morning ,I do yoga that I love ..
That's as much as I'm doing ..
Oh and the occasional run ..
Sometimes I feel if Bradley Cooper had to run on the same path what fun it would be ha ha ha ..
But the reality is ,he does not know I exist ..
If he did, he would be wishing, he ran the path I run ..HA HA HA

One thing I know, is that no matter what, we need to see the humour in things..
They may not be funny at that very moment in time..
But in hind sight if it makes you smile ...it's all good..
God has a wicked sense of humour..
So sometimes we need to just take life with a pinch of salt..

I think I grew up a bit ..
I mean I'm still 5.2'' ha ha ..
But I think I may have a little better understanding of life, I'm not sure, I'm just thinking aloud ...
But growing up does not really mean that , ' I have all the answers" ..
It just means , I have had more life experiences..
And everything taught me something..

This new year, my resolution is to not have a resolution..
I'm going to go with the flow..
To be the person I am ..
And try and not get too involved in everyone else's drama..

Yes be there whole heartedly for the ones who would need me, or want me , but to also be there for the ones who say much in silence..

So as this month of January is getting over..
And this beautiful cold wave is bidding us adieu..
I'm thinking damn, this is 2014...
It's just 10 months more for my birthday ha ha ha ..

I have a lot to do this year..
For starters, I have some exciting news to give you , the reason I was not able to write my blog last year,  was because I was writing a Cook-book.
And realised that contradictory to what I believe, " I'm not super-girl"...
DAMN! What a crushing, but true story that is..

So no I could not cook, write recipes for the book...
Look after kids, home, work-out, meet friends, look after sick Taz, run, do yoga, eat right, devour chocolates, search for songs to fall in love with, pander to the whims of my fancies, be upset with life sometimes, wipe my tears and walk on, be mad as hell but still smile, travel and ......
Write my blog...SO I DID NOT..
So yes I wrote a lot , but was not able to cook and write for my blog..
And so I let it be .

My blog is going to be 4 years old in May this year.
So yes she is a baby and is having her own little problems, because she has a temperamental mum who has a mercurial disposition..
But hopefully, this year, I will be able to finish the book I started , and you will be able to get your hands on it soon..
If you would like to..

It's a labour of love ..
And that's all I can tell you right now..
Yeaaaaah , I'm so excited actually, waiting to finish writing it , and send it for its first edit..
I guess it will all happen in good time.
So that's that..

You know I realised with this book, that writing is a lot like love , you cannot force it, it's either there or not..
I guess because I'm neither writer nor Chef..
I operate like this..
I cook when I feel like it , and write only when I really have words jumping outa my heart..
And sometimes, there is nothing ..
Not a word..
I have nothing to say..
There were days , when I sat with my iPad and nothing came ..
0- Zilch - not a freakin word..
I thought , "Oh my God, my publisher is going to be wondering , what on earth he has got himself into"
But OM Books has been fantastic and patient and lots fun to be with.

So when the words ceased to flow,  I let me be ..
I'm not super-girl..
And that's that..

And so I decided that if there was one vegetable I need to be like , I need to be like a beet-root ..
That is always yummy..
Whether it is raw, boiled, baked...it's always good ..
And so today , I'm going to share with you a simple recipe that is absolutely lovely ..
And really easy...
But deliciously complicated..
Ha ha ha like me ..

INGREDIENTS

Beetroot - 1 big bulb , boiled.
Watercress- I handful
Red bell pepper - half sliced
Juice of 1 orange.
Olive oil- a nice glug
Balsamic vinegar - 1 tsp
Mixed seeds - 1 tbsp

METHOD.

So if you need to know how to boil a beetroot.
Wash the beetroot really well.
Put the beetroot in a sauce pan.
Cover it with water, add a dash of vinegar, so it stops it from bleeding.
And cook it for 30-45 minutes , depending on its size till it is soft.

Then after it is cooked , dunk it in ice cold water .
After it is cooled.
Peel it .

And yes then I do a "Maria " to it ..
Which means , I complicate it ha ha ha ha ...

So take a small non-stick baking tray, dice the beetroots into nice voluptuous pieces, and place it inside the tray.
Add a happy glug of olive oil to it
And toss the beetroot around , so it's nicely coated, then add the orange juice to it, not too much but about quarter inch deep ,and in a pre-heated oven at 190 degrees, just bake it for 40 minutes.
After 20 minutes, open the oven, toss it around and let it continue to bake..
Take it out , pick out the pieces, and place it in your serving dish.
Add the remaining orange juice , balsamic vinegar and stir it around the baking dish, so it picks up all the caramelised bits, add the red pepper to this and give it a good stir.
Add all this to the beetroots in the serving dish.
Add the watercress, and the mixed seeds , give it all a god stir and serve immediately.


So I'm thinking .
A beet-root is the way to be..
It always tastes lovely anyway ...
And does not really lose it's essence ...
It still rosy and beautifully coloured and only gets sweeter if it get's into a heated situation...

And so when you do bite into this salad , you will have the sweetness of the beet, infused with the orange , and the balsamic, the juiciness of the raw peppers , and the crunchiness of the  seeds along with the slight bitterness of the water-cress...
It's absolutely confusing and yet , it's yummy..
By the time you try and figure the taste, you definitely want another biteful.

Confusingly Addictive

" Confusingly Addictive" is what I think this salad can be called, fresh and refreshing , my first foray into the new year, with much love , only from "Maria's Kitchen"..

DAY 67 - GIRL TALK

I love visiting vegetable markets ...

And arguing with the vendors...

Even though I really do not know the prices of most of the things in the market...

But today went in search of the elusive fresh arugula leaves that I'm completely crazy about...

But found a whole lot of other vegetables and MANGOES...

So I stood at the vegetable pile and looked up to the fruit-wala who was selling them and pulled myself up to my entire height of 5.2", and in my most knowledgeable voice said,"Bhaiya, kitne ka dozen...khareedne ka price bolo"....

He just peered down at me and said...Pandhra Sao ...

Did I hear right rs.1500/- for 12 tiny mangoes...

Bloody hell...now what..

So I looked back at him, and made inane conversation about how,everything is so expensive these days...

And then picked up the rest of the vegetables and leaves ..and was getting prepared to leave...

When he said, the golden words,"memsaab... Bonnie kar de "...

Which basically means that since I'm his first customer, he will make the price better and so, I went away smiling with 6 Alphonso mangoes for Rs 550 /-...

And so yesterday after I finished assembling my red velvet cake...

I sent a picture of it to my friends..
Which basically was my non-verbal way of saying, "come over, share a few laughs and calories"

And in the night, a few of my friends came over to devour it...

Mini asked me to keep a piece for her and was coming over for lunch...

So I did..

And also made a simple salad and vegetables with quinoa and some barbecue chicken...
Because I know she likes to eat healthy and frankly I have been trying different things with Quinoa everyday, but dont really get down to taking a photograph..
But I did today so here goes...

So here goes...

ARGULA SALAD

A medium bunch of Argula leaves...pick the leaves , wash and keep with a few cubes of ice in the refrigerator..

1-orange peeled and sliced...

About 8 slices of mozzarella cheese

Dressing

Balsamic vinegar - 1 tbsp

Extra virgin olive oil -2tbsp

A tiny squeeze of lime

1/4 tsp mustard

Fresh orange juice - 2tsp

Let it all emulsify really well , store it in a glass bowl that you must cling wrap and keep in the fridge...

QUINOA TREAT

Cooked Quinoa - a cooked handful

Chili flakes -1tsp

Mushrooms-a packet

Cherry tomatoes -8

Asparagus -5 spears, par boiled

Broccoli - 8 florets, par boiled

Sprouts - a handful

Mixed beans - boiled..a handful

Garlic - finely chopped ..3tbsp

Dried Oregano - 1 tsp

Dried basil - 1 tsp

Fresh basil - - a handful

In a non stick pan, spray some olive oil and add the garlic , do not let it burn, then add, some oregano , chili flakes and some dried basil, add a handful of fresh basil too and then add the sliced mushrooms, when they are cooked, add the sprouts and give it all a quick stir, mix all the rest of the vegetables and the quinoa..

Taste it to adjust the seasoning , and it's ready...

I love it with a squeeze of lime, at the end...

BARBECUE CHICKEN

Chicken legs - 2

Mixed spice powder or garam masala - 1tsp

Garlic - 1 tsp

Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp

Yogurt -2tsp

A dash of Worcestershire sauce

Oregano -1 tsp..

Marinate the chicken well well with the above ingredients...

This is quite a mild marinade...

As did not want any over powering tastes..

Let the chicken rest in a zip lock back for at least two hours if not over night...

Cook it over a barbecue, and baste it while doing so..with a mix of butter and olive oil...

Or then just cook it in a pre-heated oven at 190 degrees for about 30 -35 minutes...

When you are ready to eat..

Mix the Argula leaves with the orange wedges and pour your dressing over it and mix it very gently with your hands..
Roast some pine-nuts and sprinkle them into the salad..

Add the mozzarella and sprinkle with some freshly grated Parmesan ..

And serve the quinoa piping hot , with the chicken ...

This entire dish has a very simple taste ...because nothing is over flavored ...

So it is ideal for a light afternoon lunch ...

And yes it's flavorsome and feels very light on the tummy...

And so you can most happily gorge on some very yummy dessert, followed by green tea and plenty of girl talk...

So that's what Mini and me did......
Talked about food, kids and Boy's on the side...ha ha ha , but guess that's a blog on its own..

So here's presenting ,"Girl Talk " , a very simple, humble , uncomplicated , smart and sensible meal, just like the " GIRLS" in my life , made with lots of fresh vegetables and thoughts of yummy dessert on my mind...

Only from "Maria's Kitchen "...ha ha ha