HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OF YOU!!:))

Hope you are all doing well now that Spring is here.Lot of bloggers seems to be either on a break or in India these days!Enjoy Mother's day wherever you are!:))

Here are some of my favorite quotes on Mothers:

A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done. ~Author Unknown (Thank you Unknown!)

Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother. ~Oprah Winfrey (I absolutely agree Ms.Winfrey!)

A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest. ~Irish Proverb ( Irish people rock!)

Every beetle is a gazelle in the eyes of its mother. ~Moorish Proverb (HeHe!!So true!!)

The phrase "working mother" is redundant. ~Jane Sellman(Well said!)

All mothers are working mothers. ~Author Unknown(Thanks again Unknown)!)

She never quite leaves her children at home, even when she doesn't take them along. ~Margaret Culkin Banning (How true!)

(Pictures:fotosearch) Have fun Mommies,it's your Sunday!!:))

Now some healthy dishes for moms and family!!

Olive Rye Bread with Feta cheese-Spinach spread:
I thought of baking a cake but thinking of all the sugar and frosting put me off,so here is a healthy tasty Olive(or Raisins) Rye bread for you instead!I made it with Bread Machine with medium dark crust but this recipe I am giving you is for making by hand in either a loaf pan or a round pan for a country style bread.Hope you make this and enjoy it for breakfast.(Recipe:Beatrice Ojakangas)

You need: For 1 1/2 lb loaf:

1 cup warm water (heat between 105F to 115F), 1 cup black olives (chopped), 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp olive oil or canola oil or melted butter, 1 cup dark or light rye flour, 2 cups bread flour, 1 1/2 tsp rapid rising or active dry yeast.

To Mix the dough by hand:

Heat the water until warm, pour into a large bowl and add the yeast.Stand for 5 minutes until the yeast begins to bubble,stirring olives,salt,oil,rye flour and half of the bread flour.Beat until dough forms. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface.Knead, adding little by little the remaining bread flour as necessary until you get a smooth dough.Place the dough back into the bowl,brush with oil, cover and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

To Bake It:

Lightly oil a baking sheet or line it with a parchment paper or spray the 2lb loaf pan,keep it ready.Turn the dough out onto the lightly floured surface.Punch the dough down and shape it to a round or a rectangular shaped loaf.Place the loaf with the smooth side up onto the baking sheet or in the loaf pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1hr).

Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake 25-40 minutes OR until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped and a skewer inserted into the loaf comes out clean and dry.Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Wait until it is cooled to slice the bread. Serve with your favorite savory spread.

NOTE: For a sweetish rye bread,replace 1 cup of olives with 1 cup dark raisins and serve with sweet spreads like honey walnut cream cheese,tastes wonderful with Orange Marmalade too.

Feta cheese-Spinach Spread:

Mix 1 cup soft Feta Cheese,1/2 cup spinach(chopped,cooked and squeezed dry of any liquid),coarse pepper pd and 1 tsp any fresh or dry herb you like, well in a bowl until smooth by a whisk or spatula and keep it in the fridge for not more than 5-7days.

Honey-Walnut Cream Cheese Spread: Mix softened 1/2 block or 1 cup Cream cheese,2 tbsp or more Honey,1/4 cup finely chopped Walnuts or any nuts you like,a pinch of salt well and keep in the fridge to use with Raisin-Rye bread.



Nutritious,crispy Brown rice-multi dal Adai(Pancakes/Dosas) with Green beans Kootu and no-coconut Chutney:

Here is a no-ferment dosas I have been cooking for a long time except this time I used Brown rice instead of white rice.They taste so good,I decided to post these healthy combo for you.Green beans Kootu is mildly spiced and wonderful with dosa and with Chana dalia chutney,it makes a light and fabulous meal. Enjoy:)

You need: 1 cup brown rice,1/2 cup Tuar dal,1/4 cup Chana dal,2 tbsp Urad dal,2 tsp Cumin seeds,2 dry red chillies,salt and 1/4 tsp Turmeric.

To make the dosa:Soak rice and all 3 dals with cumin and red chillies for 3 hrs.Drain the water and grind this to a coarse(Semolina/Cream of wheat like) batter using enough water just to make it to a pouring consistency.Add salt and turmeric and mix well.Heat a Griddle/Tawa to 300F and pour a ladleful of batter and spread to a thin circle.Drizzle some oil around and on top of the dosa ,cook until golden.Flip and cook the other side and serve immediately.Your crispy dosas are ready to serve!

Green Beans Kootu:

Cook 3 cups thinly cut Green beans with 2 cups water and little salt.Heat a pan with 2 tbsp oil/ghee,add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds,1 tbsp each Chana dal,Urad dal,1 dry red chilly,few curry leaves.When reddish,add 1 small onion chopped,1 garlic minced.Fry until soft,add 1 tomato chopped,beans with water,ground masala,cilantro,salt simmer on low heat until little oil shows up on top.It should be thick with a little gravy.Masala:Grind 1/4 cup coconut,2-3 red chillies,1 tbsp Cumin seeds,1 tsp raw uncooked rice,a little piece Tamarind coarsely,not very smooth.No pre-roasting required.



Hurikadale(Chana dalia) Chutney:

Heat a pan,add 1 cup Chana dalia(chutney dal),stir fry for a min just to make them crisp not red,take it out and add few green chillies and fry.Add these to a blender with salt,cilantro,curry leaves,1" fresh ginger minced,mint leaves if you like it,and blend dry first.Then add 1/4 cup plain yogurt to it,grind to smooth paste,adjust the salt and chillies.Take out in a bowl.Heat 2 tsp oil,add 1 tsp mustard seeds and curry leaves and when they splutter,add to chutney,mix.Your healthy chutney without any coconut is ready!!



Quick and delicious Mango dal:

I love this dal made with semi-ripe Mangoes which adds a sweet and slightly tangy flavor to the regular dal.I don't get raw green ones here,so I used a semi-ripe Mango and loved it.Hope you try too.
To make Mango dal:

Cut 1 semi-ripe Mango in cubes.Cook 1 cup Tuar dal with 3 cups water.Heat a pan with 1 tbsp oil/ghee mix,add 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds,1 tsp Urad dal,1 red dry chilly,few curry leaves,add cooked Tuar dal with it's water,mango pieces, salt and simmer until mangoes are almost cooked.Add 1/2 tsp Chilli pd,2 tsp each Coriander pd and Cumin seeds pd,1/ tsp Turmeric,1 tbsp fresh or dry coconut,1/4 tsp Cinnamon pd(optional)simmer for 5 mins.Delicious Mango dal is ready.Serve with plain cooked rice and crispy Papads.





Two Gujarati dishes I chose to try and taste from other blog last week:







I tried Trupti's easy and delicious Spicy Poori with Potato-Tomato gravy.YUM!(I added one small onion,chopped) Thanks T,loved it!:)






Have fun this weekend mommies. I can't wait for Sunday! We will go to our favorite restaurant for brunch and kids usually pool their allowance to buy me something! I will see you next week with Andhra Cuisine.