GREEK LEMON CHICKEN SOUP

Deliciously comforting Lemon Chicken Soup—perfectly easy to whip up and guaranteed to warm you on chilly days. 🍋🍲

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, boneless, cut into small cubes

1 onion, finely chopped

1 stalk of celery, diced

1 carrot, finely chopped

5 garlic pods

2 cloves

Zest and juice from half a lemon (extra zest for a burst of lemon flavor)

1 1/2 tsp fresh or dried parsley

4 cups chicken stock or water

1 tsp butter

1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp pepper powder

Method :

Melt butter in a pan, toss in garlic and cloves, sauté for 1 minute. Add onions, celery, carrots, and lemon zest; sauté until onions are translucent. Incorporate chicken, sauté for 2-3 minutes, then pour in stock or water. Cover and simmer for 13-17 minutes until the chicken is tender. Stir in lemon juice, salt, parsley, and pepper. Drizzle the cornflour mixture, simmer until the soup thickens. Garnish with lemon slices and serve piping hot.

Note: Skipped Orzo for my family's preference, but feel free to add it for the authentic Greek Lemon Chicken Soup experience! 🍋

Happy Cooking,

Lena

COCOA BROWNIE with Hershey's cocoa

Ingredients for Cocoa Brownies:

Butter : 1/2Cup( or100g), at room temperature

Sugar : 1 Cup

All Purpose Flour : 1/2 Cup

Cocoa : 1/3 Cup (i used Hershey's Cocoa)

Baking Powder : 1/4 tsp

Salt : 1/4 tsp

Eggs : 2, at room temperatu

Vanilla Extract : 1tsp

Chopped Almonds / walnuts / cashews / peanuts : 1/2 Cup

Method for making Cocoa brownies : 

1. Preheat  oven to 350°F ( 170 degrees ). Grease and line a 9-inch square baking pan.

2. Sift together flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder thrice. Keep aside.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs and  beat well in medium speed. 

4. Now stir in the flour mixture slowly and combine well with a wooden spoon. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan.

5. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares. About 16 brownies.

Recipe Courtesy : www.hershey's.com

OATS UPMA / Healthy Vegetable and Oats Upma

A healthy way to start your day...

The goodness of oats with carrots and sprouts adds a variety to the regular taste.

Ingredients :

Oats : 1Cup( Quick cooking oats)
Water : 2tbsp(mix salt with water)
Onion : 1, medium sized, finely chopped
Ginger : 1/2 inch piece, finely chopped
Green Chilly : 2, cut in lengthwise
Carrot : 1, small, finely chopped
Beans : 2, cut into half inch pieces
Shredded Coconut : 1/2 Cup
Sprouts : 1 tbsp(optional)
Coconut oil : 2tsp
Mustard Seeds : 1/4tsp
Urad Daal : 3/4tsp

Curry Leaves : 1 spring

Salt

Method :

1. Dry roast oats for few minutes till it turns to light brown in color. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds. When it splutters add urad daal and curry leaves. Add onion, ginger and green Chillies and saute till the onion is translucent. Add beans, carrot, sprouts and saute for 2 minutes. Stir fry coconut with the vegetables for a minute.

3. Add oats and combine well. Now sprinkle 1tsp all over the pan and stir well Cover and cook for one minute. Now add another tsp of water and combine well. cover and cook for another minute. Repeat the process till the oats are cooked.  Serve hot , otherwise oats can become hard.

HOW TO MAKE THIS VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL

A special day to celebrate the most beautiful feeling in the world, LOVE. A special day to express your love in a romantic way..Impress your partner with Gifts, cards, flowers, chocolates or with a special home cooked feast :)Here are a few ideas to make Valentine's Day special for your husband

• Select theme as Red and white / Pink and white / Red and Pink / Red / White.
• Arrange Bed cover / pillow cover / Cushion cover / Table cover  in  theme color.
• Select any romantic instrumental music like Prem Joshwas "Sky Kisses on Earth".
• Arrange a dozen red roses delicately in a vase and place it on table.
• Take a new crockery set from shelf than choosing the daily used ones.
• Create Love coupons / vouchers / tiny notes with construction paper and write any love notes / promises you would like to make on this special day. Keep it on bed with a red rose.
• make 3 coupons like 2 naughty and one extremely opposite , eg : 30min head massage or back scrub for your wife. Ask him to choose one. My husband has no luck and always end by choosing 30 min head massage :)
• Wear the dress gifted by your valentine and be ready to surprise him with the arrangements and Valentine's day special dinner.
• Create a special evening at home together.
• Choose a movie from Netflix / Google play (or an old favorite) and watch together.

Here im giving you a special Valentine's menu with my favorite dessert. 

Salad : Emerald Fruit Salad  / Persian Melon Salad / Apple Kale Salad

Emerald Fruit Salad

Persian Melon Salad

Apple Spring Salad

Starters1 : Cheese Croquettes / Egg Croquettes / Golden Prawn Sticks / Chicken Fingers

Cheese Croquettes

Egg Croquettes

Golden Prawn sticks

Chicken Fingers / copycat KFC chicken crispy cicken

Main course : Seafood Pizza / Pizza ai frutti di mare / Corn and Cheese Chowder

Seafood Pizza

Dessert : Butterscotch and Dryfruit Tart / Classic Vanilla cupcakes

Butterscotch and dry fruit tart

RAGI AND CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

Ingredients : 

Ragi flour : 3/4Cup

All purpose flour : 1/4Cup

Cocoa Powder : 2tbsp

Unsalted Butter : 1/4Cup, at room temperature

Vegetable Oil : 2tbsp

Sugar : 1/2Cup

Milk : 1/2Cup, at room temperature

Egg : 1, at room temperature

Baking powder : 1/2tsp

Baking soda : 1/2tsp

Salt : a Pinch

Vanilla Extract : 1/2tsp

Chocolate chips : 2tbsp

Method for making ragi chocolate chip muffins : 

1.Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan with butter or line with paper liners.

2.Sift together the ragi flour,all purpose flour,cocoa powder,baking powder,baking soda and salt and keep aside.

3.With an electric mixer, beat together the sugar,butter and oil until the sugar gets dissolves. Now add the milk beat well. Add the egg and continue beating until the mixture is creamy.

4. Fold the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Now add vanilla extract to the batter and combine well.

5. Scoop the batter into muffin cups almost 3/4th of it. Sprinkle chocolate chips and bake for 12-15minutes.
recipe courtesy : Priya's Versatile Recipes

SQUID FRY / Thrissur Style Kunthal Varuthathu

How to make the perfect Kerala style spicy Squid Fry / Kunthal varuthathu Kerala Style?

Serves : 3 Preparation time : 20 minutes.

Ingredients :

Squids : 500 g
Turmeric powder : 1/4tsp
Red Chilli powder : 1tsp
Curry leaves : 3 springs
Green Chilly : 2, finely chopped
Ginger : 1 inch piece, finely choppedshallots : 10 halved
Oil : 3 tbsp (Preferably coconut oil)

Salt

Method :

1. Wash the squids well and Cut them in to circles.

2. Marinate the squid rings with salt, ginger, green chilly, 2 Springs of Curry leaves, turmeric powder and chilly powder for 15 minutes to 30 minutes(maximum). Now transfer it to a heavy bottom vessel with 1/2 Cup water and allow to cook in medium flame till its soft (15 - 20min). 

3. To this, add finely chopped shallots and remaining curry leaves. Heat in medium flame till the water absorbs and masala starts to stick to the squid rings. Now add 2 tbsp oil and stir fry the squid rings for  10 minutes. (you can cover the pan with a tight lid and cook in low flame. stir well after every 2 minutes)

4. Serve hot with hot rice / chappathi / Kerala parotta.

Similar recipes ,

• Kunthal varattiyathu
• Crab Fry
• Kakka Thoran

Enjoy,

Lena

KADALA CURRY / Spicy kadala curry with coconut milk

Puttu and Kadala curry is one of the most loved breakfast dish for Keralite's. Kadala Curry can be made with coconut, coconut milk, roasted coconut, coconut slices or without coconut. This spicy curry goes well with appam and rice roti too. But nothing can beat its combination with Puttu and it has always been my favorite breakfast. 

Ingredients : 

Kadala(black chick peas / kala chana) : 1Cup
Onion : 2, medium, Thinly sliced
Curry Leaves : 3 Springs
Green Chilly : 1, chopped
Ginger : 1/2inch piece, finely chopped
Garlic : 3, chopped
Coconut milk : 1st, 2nd and 3rd extract from half of a coconut
Chilli Powder : 3/4tsp
Coriander Powder : 1 1/4tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/4tsp
Coconut Oil : 1tsp
Salt

Method :

1. Soak kadala overnight (atleast for 6hours). Wash well and Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add onions. Saute well till its translucent. Now add green chillies, garlic, ginger and curry leaves. Saute for another 2minutes and then add chilli powder and coriander powder. Fry it till you get a nice aroma and add the drained kadala. Saute well for 3-4minutes and add salt, Turmeric powder and enough water to pressure cook it. Turn off the flame after 2whistles.

3. When pressure releases, add 2nd and 3rd extract of coconut milk and allow it to boil till the gravy reduces to half(level of gravy should be lesser than kadalas in the pressure cooker). Now add 1st extract of coconut milk and allow to boil for 1minute. Turn off the flame and Serve hot with Puttu / Rice Roti / appam.

Note : I Pressure cook the kaldala directly in 2nd and 3rd extract of coconut milk. It will appear as curdled when you open the pressure cooker. Let it boil for few minutes and then add 1st extract. :)