Announcing Event Taste of Tropics ~ MANGO

For the month of June, I am guest hosting Chef Mireille’s Taste of the Tropics with the theme of MANGO.

Mangoes I love them, I love the raw green mangoes that are prefect for pickles and curries and on the other hand I love the ripe mangoes that ooze with sweetness and remind me of the Tropics.

Mangoes belong to the species of Mangifera and there are more than 1000 names of different mango species. The top five mango cultivated countries are India, Thailand, China, Mexico and Pakistan. Few Indian species of Mango are Alphonso, Amrapali, Bombay, Banganapalli, Bombay Green, Bangalora, Dashehari, Chausa, Fernandian, Fazli, Gulabkhas, Himsagar, Kishen Bhog, Kesar, Langra, Mankurad, Mallika, Mulgoa, Pairi, Neelum, Suvarnarekha, Samar Behisht Chausa, Vanraj, Totapuri, Zardalu. Each has its own shape aroma and flavour.

Mangoes can be used in a variety of dishes, they can be eaten raw or cooked in savoury dishes or desserts.There are so many  recipes that can be created with the mango, so I am inviting all you foodies out there to participate in this event and link your Mango recipes.

To Participate:

1. Prepare any vegetarian recipe with mango as the main ingredient  (eggs allowed) please link your dish using the Linky below by entering your Dish Name and Post URL

2. Recipe should be posted between 1st June -30th June 2013

3. The post must include a link back to this announcement page and Chef Mireille’s page here. Usage of the logo is mandatory.

4. You can link any number of recipes, archived recipes are allowed if reposted and updated with event links and logo.

5.After your recipe is posted, add it using the Linky Tool below

6. In the event of problem using Linky you can email me the entry at simplysensationalfood@gmail.com

Please use this format:
Your Name:

Recipe Name

Recipe URL

Image no larger than 300 pixels.

Announcing Event ~ Lets cook with Citrus Fruits

All citrus fruit are acid fruit. The acid fruits are the most detoxifying fruits and excellent for the health of the body, they contain high levels of ascorbic acid ie Vitamin C.This makes them good antioxidant and they are especially good for getting rid of anti-toxins as they are full of nutrients.

We commonly know oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit as citrus fruits.however you will be surprised to hear that  all these fruits have different varieties  increasing the citrus fruit range to 17 different varieties.
They are:

Clementine  Mandarin  Satsuma  Tangerine  Tangelo

Grapefruit  Pink Grape fruit  White Grapefruit –Sweety  Pummelo

Kumquat  Orange  Minneola  Ugli

Leech Lime  Lime      Lemon  Rough Lemon

This event is all about cooking with citrus fruits, I am inviting all foodies out there to create recipes using citrus fruits  in the list above and share them with this event.

To Participate:

1.Prepare any  vegetarian recipe using Citrus fruits   (eggs allowed) please link your dish using the linky below by entering your Dish Name and Post URL
2.Please link this event announcement with your entry, this is mandatory.
3.Use of logo is  not mandatory but it helps to spread the word if you can use it.

4. Multiple entries are allowed, archived are only allowed if reposted and updated with this event link.

4. In the event of problem using linky you can email me the entry at simplysensationalfood@gmail.com

Please use this format:

Your Name: Recipe
Name Recipe URL
Image no larger than 300 pixels.

Potato Bilinis

Potato Bilinis - A tasty savoury appetizer that is delicious topped with a crunchy tomato salsa and creamy yoghurt mint chutney.

Ingredients:

For the Bilinis:

2 medium potatoes
2  tablespoons self raising flour
1 tablespoon rice flour
3 tablespoons Chobani plain yoghurt
2 green chillies finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon fresh chopped coriander
1/2 teaspoon  chilli powder
Olive oil for shallow frying.

Salsa:

2 medium tomatoes
2 inch piece cucumber
2 spring onions
1/2 tablespoon fresh chopped coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Yoghurt and mint Chutney:

3 tablespoons Chobani plain yoghurt
1 teaspoon mint sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method:

1. In a pan of water boil the potatoes until half cooked (par boiled).Drain them from the water and peel the skin and leave to cool.
2. Grate the potatoes on the coarse side of a cheese grater forming long strands of potato.
3.In a large bowl add the self raising flour, rice flour, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, green chillies, ginger paste, coriander and yoghurt.Mix together to form a paste.
4. Add the grated potato and mix together gently as not to break up the potato strands.(Add a tablespoonful of water if batter is a little stiff)
5.  Heat a large frying pan and brush it with a little oil.
6. Using a tablespoon, drop spoonfuls of the bilini batter on to the frying pan, smoothing each bilini into a 2 in round circle.
7. Cook for 3 minutes on medium to low heat until you see the batter setting.
8. Flip the bilini over to cook the top side.Add a little more oil to the pan as needed.
9. When both sides are golden brown remove the bilinis from the frying pan and repeat for remaining batter.
10. Place the bilinis on a baking tray and keep in a warm oven to keep warm whilst making the rest .

Salsa:

11. Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds.
12. Dice the tomatoes finely and place them in a bowl.
13.Dice the cucumber finely and add to the tomatoes.
14. Dice the spring onion finely and add it to the cucumber and tomatoes.
15. Add the chopped coriander, salt and lemon juice and mix well.

Yoghurt and mint Chutney:

16.Place the yoghurt in a bowl, add the mint sauce,salt and lemon juice and mix well.

Assembling the Bilinis:

17. Place the bilinis on a serving platter.
18. Add a teaspoonful of salsa on top of each one followed by a little yoghurt and mint chutney.

Serve immediately.

Review Fudge Kitchen

I recently received some samples of Devilishly different drinking fudge and two jars of devilishly fudge sauces chocolate caramel and classic toffee fudge sauce from Fudge Kitchen.

 Devilishly different drinking fudge- This drinking fudge came in a box with 6 assorted sachets, the flavours were Moreish mint, tangy orange,dreamy coconut,gorgeous ginger, classic chocolate and mocha choca madness. Just opening the package and reading the names was making my mouth salivate.The drinking fudge was easy to prepare, you just had to stir it into warm milk and once it was mixed in you could warm it up in the microwave for another minute and it was ready to drink. The drinking fudge was rich and creamy and tasted delicious.Of all the flavours I preferred the tangy orange and the gorgeous ginger the best. We did find that for best results the mixture was easier to mix into the milk if the milk was slightly on the hot rather than warm side as recommended on the instructions. The packaging of the sachets was really very sophisticated, each sachet was colour coordinated to its flavour and presented in a coordinating envelope.

The Devilishly fudge sauces - The two flavours I received were chocolate caramel and classic toffee fudge . Both jars were rich, creamy, thick and seriously indulgent. The sauces are perfect for  topping on ice creams, pancakes, waffles and for dunking doughnuts and fruit into them.We tried out samples poured on to cool vanilla ice cream and also also used some of the fudge for toppings for cupcakes by mixing it with butter cream. The flavours were divine and very very delicious. Our only complaint was that there just wasn't enough for second helpings!!!Both the jars came in a lovely gift package and looked really presentable

.

The overall presentation of both the product was extremely inviting and the product looks classy. Both the items would make perfect gifts. Fudge kitchen products can be bought on line from Fudge kitchen. The drinking fudge retails t £ 8.00 for a box of 6 sachets and the Fudge sauces £ 8.00 for two jars.

I would like to thank Fudge Kitchen for sending me these samples, all the views and opinions are my own.

Sweet Mango and Coconut Lassi

Tropical mangoes blended with sweet coconut to make a refreshing and cooling Mango and coconut Lassi.

Ingredients:

450 g  Chobani  plain fat free strained yoghurt
450 g  Fresh  ripe mango purée
450 g Ice cold water
100 g icing sugar(add more or less depending on sweetness of mango purée)
30 g fresh grated coconut
Juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon fresh coconut to garnish
Fresh Mango cubes to garnish.

Method

1. Add the water, yoghurt and lemon juice to the blender and blend together.
2. Add the mango purée and the coconut and blend again.
3. Pour the sweetened Mango Lassi into serving glasses and garnish with the fresh coconut.Thread the fresh mango cubes onto a cocktail skewer and garnish the mango and coconut Lassi.

NB -The consistency of the Lassi can be thinned down by adding additional water if desired.

You may like;
Jeera Lassi

Submitting to :

Taste of Tropics event by Chef Mireille’s Taste of the Tropics with the theme of MANGO guest hosted by simply.food

Made with Love Mondays: Week of 5/20/2013

Ginger, pineapple and cashew-nut fried rice ~ Secret recipe club challenge May 20th

This is my assignment with the Secret Recipe Club.The aim of the club is that you are allocated a blog from which you have to select a recipe and try  it and blog about it.
My assigned blog was A couple in the kitchen .I looked through the blog and stumbled across the Ginger, pineapple and cashew nut fried rice. It looked delicious and since there is an abundance of pineapples available in the market at the moment it was the perfect choice. I recreated the recipe with  a few minor changes.I swapped snow peas for peppers and added a little soya sauce and red chilli.

Delicious Chinese style fried rice with tastes of the orient with ginger and pineapple and cashew nuts.

Ingredients:

16 oz / 480 grams precooked cold basmati rice
3 spring onions  thinly chopped
1 carrot grated
1/2  green capsicum finely julienned
2 slices of fresh pineapple diced into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red chilli  finely chopped for garnish.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dark soya sauce
1 tablespoon cashew nuts

Method:

1. Add oil in a wok and stir fry the cashew nuts till golden brown. Remove them from wok and keep aside.
2. Add the carrots, green pepper, ginger paste  and spring onion to the wok and stir fry for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the cooked rice, soya sauce and salt and toss the rice until its warmed through and mixed with the vegetables.
4. Add the pineapple pieces and cashew nuts and the red chilli pepper and toss again.
5. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot.

NB- To prepare boiled rice wash 1 cup rice in cold water and soak it for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes transfer rice to  a large pan and add 2 pints water and bring rice to boil, reduce heat and simmer rice until tender, drain the rice in a colander and pour over some cold water to wash out starch.
Allow the rice to cool before using it in the recipe.

You may like:
Moroccan Tomato Rice

Submitting to:
Lets cook Rice Dishes event by simply.food

Strawberry Kisses ~Mini eggless strawberry muffins for World baking day.

English summer captured in  every bite in these wonderful strawberry kisses mini muffins for world baking day.

Ingredients:

12 strawberries
12 oz / 360 g plain flour
8 oz sugar / 240 g sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
75 ml sunflower oil
250 ml water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F
2. In a large bowl sieve together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
3. Stir in the sugar into the flour.

4. In a jug mix together the water, oil, vanilla and vinegar and mix well.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry by folding the cake mixture lightly with a metal spoon.
6. Line a mini muffin tray with muffin liners and  keep aside.

7. Hull the strawberries and dice them into small pieces.
8. Fold  the strawberries into the cake batter and fill the muffin liners with the batter.
9. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes until golden brown and tooth pick outs out clean from the center of muffin.

10.Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack.
Serve with cup of tea or coffee

Submitting to:

Kids Delight Sweet treats event by spice your life guest hosted by Nivedhanam

Made with Love Mondays event by Javelin Warriors Cooking  w/ Luv

Provencal Tomatoes

Savoury baked tomatoes with  a herby breadcrumb filling.

Ingredients

4 medium tomatoes
4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic finely chopped
2 tablespoons Pelia olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
pinch of chilli flakes(optional)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander

Method:

1. Slice the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the pulp and seeds.
2. Place the tomatoes in an oven proof dish.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees / 180 degrees C

4.In a bowl add the breadcrumbs, chopped coriander, salt, pepper, chilli flakes,olive oil and garlic and mix well.

5. Fill the tomatoes with the herby bread crumb mixture and bake them in the oven for 15-20 minutes until tomatoes start to soften slightly and breadcrumbs start to turn golden brown and crisp.
Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Submitting to:
Flavours of France event by simply.food guest hosted by Shruti Rasoi
Made with Love Mondays event by Javelin Warriors Cooking  w/ Luv

The Olive oil used in this recipe was sent to me by Pelia. Thankyou Pelia , the oil is very flavour some and perfect for cooking with and in all types of dressings.

OXO POP containers giveway

There can never be enough containers in the kitchen to store the vast selection of ingredients and food that we eat. OXO have created a range of storage containers, known as POP due the ability of their lids to pop up. POP, has been designed to help transform a messy, chaotic kitchen cupboard full of soggy biscuits and disused packets of ingredients into a systematic, neat and tidy pantry that any enthusiast cook or professionalchef can be proud of.

The 11 airtight containers are ideal for storing essential store cupboard ingredients such as cereal, pasta, flour, rice, herbs and spices, and feature a unique push button mechanism that creates an airtight seal with just one touch. The button can be easily operated with one hand, perfect for when you’re juggling several ingredients at once, and also serves as a handle when lifting off the lid. The body of the container is crystal clear making it easy to see what’s inside at a glance.

Each container can be stacked side by side and on top of each other so that they can fit in any space small or large The POP containers are also convenient for storing wet foods such as soups, sauces and condiments in the fridge and feature smooth, rounded corners to allow for easy pouring. Like most of OXO’s products, the lid comes apart for easy cleaning and is completely dishwasher safe so you can keep your cupboards neat, tidy and clean all at the same time.

The POP range is available in 11 different sizes so you can pick and choose the best containers for your store cupboard ingredients. The OXO range is widely available through a selection of national retailers including Lakeland, John Lewis, House of Fraser, Amazon, Dunelm, Selfridges and other leading cook shops.

Thankyou to OXO  who have been very generous and have agreed to supply a  a selection of POP containers in various sizes, worth £50 for one simply.food reader as a giveaway prize.

The prize:

T1 x POP large square container 3.8L
1 x POP cookie jar container 2.8L
1 x POP short large square container 2.3L
1 x POP short rectangle container 1.4L

 How To Enter:

• Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
• Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc
• This competition is open to UK residents only .Please read the rules below .
• Leaving a blog comment is mandatory and failure to do so will void any other entries.
• Closing date - 16th June 2013 6.00 pm
• Read terms and conditions on Rafflecopter widget.

How Rafflecopter works:

·        You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box.Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries.

·        Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog.

·        Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void. 

·        Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf.

·        For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here. 

·        For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries. 

·        If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You may like to read 10 tips on how to De-clutter and organise your kitchen.

My top ten list to do to de-clutter and organise your kitchen

Cooking is is something I really enjoy doing.The best way to learn the art of cooking is to watch and observe, participate, taste and smell the ingredients.Once you start to enjoy food preparation and tasting the different ingredients, and cooking you need to arrange your kitchen so that its neat and tidy so that all your ingredients and utensils are clean and well organised and easy to source. You can be adventurous and add more and more ingredients, utensils and gadgets to your workspace once you have got your basic workspace organised and in order

In this day and age there are some many gadgets, utensils and ingredients that one can purchase, it is critical to have a clutter free and organised kitchen workspace and larder.This is a must to help your food creativity flow and you to enjoy stress free cooking.

Do you kitchen cupboards look like this??

My top ten list to do to de-clutter and organise your kitchen:

1. De clutter your work tops, if you don't use the gadget regularly store it away in a cupboard until you need to use it.

2. Only have essential gadgets on your work top and store those away from space near hob as this area should be free for cooking on.

3. Invest in good quality cast iron pots and pans that will last you along time. Don't fill up your kitchen with cheap pots and pans that are missing handles or are damaged with teflon coating peeling off. Take a deep breath and throw these away.Its far better to have fewer good quality pots and pan than lots of bad cheap quality ones.

4. Invest in good quality bake ware, throw away bakeware that is, burnt, caked with grease, buckled or rusted.

The perfect choice for everyday baking and cooking is the Pyrex’s superior quality metal bakeware collection. It is made of carbon steel to ensure everything is baked uniformly – enabling home owners to achieve the best results every time. Each product is oven safe up to 230°C and dishwasher friendly, while a non-stick coating covers the inside and the outside of the products, allowing for quick and easy food release and easy cleaning.

I tried the pizza pan which had holes in the base to allow even cooking and large easy grip handles to make taking the hot pan out of the oven easier.The tray gave me delicious crisp pizza base whilst baking the pizza . The collection includes cake, loaf, quiche and flan pans in a choice of sizes, six and 12 cup muffin tray options, and a four bun tray – perfect for Yorkshire puddings. There are also two essential springform loose bottom cake pans and a set of four tartlet pans.

5. Have a tool tidy and limit it to 5 or 6 important tools you use regularly. De-clutter your kitchen drawer and throw away spatulas, wooden spoons that are broken or discoloured that you no longer use.Do not hoard.

6. Have a wooden block to store your kitchen knives safely.

7. Have a separate chopping board for fruit and veg, bread and meat.Throw away any very old worn wooden or plastic  boards as bacteria can breed in them.

8. Allocate a cupboard  for your spice storage, opened bags of spices loose their aroma and freshness very quickly, once opened store in air tight containers and use them by the use by date.

To keep my ingredients fresh I have used these wonderful silicon lidded Tricon space saving canisters that are easy to stack and as they are see through you can see the ingredients in them at a glance.The lids double up as a cup-size measuring tool for contents. They keep all the ingredients dry and fresh

9. Invest in a good, some measuring cups,measuring spoons and some good air tight storage containers.

I recently added the 4-in-1 measuring spoon, which  efficiently combines all "spoon keys" into one simple body and is a space-saving, quick-cleaning solution to your cooking and baking adventures.

 In addition the set of four mug shaped measuring cups are useful as they stack together to give the appearance of a drinking mug when not in use and is perfect for measuring all sorts of ingredients. The sizes of the cups are one cup, half cup, third cup and quarter cup and can be popped into the dishwasher for a super-easy clean up. 

Both measuring spoon and measuring cups  are durable, space saving and the cups are stackable taking very little room in my kitchen drawer.

All these three items are available from Umbra

10. Store pasta, rice and flours in air tight containers and make sure you use all your ingredients by the use by date.

These larger quantities of ingredients require a bigger container and these lovely Pop containers by OXO are perfect for the job. The OXO Good Grips POP Containers are airtight, stackable and space-efficient, making it easy to keep your dry foods fresh and your kitchen organised. The Containers have a unique push-button mechanism that creates an airtight seal with just one touch. The button also serves as a handle to lift off the lid. The Containers are designed for modular stacking so that you can efficiently organise your countertop and pantry. In addition, with their square and rectangular shapes, the POP Containers make the most of any storage space, while their corners allow for easy pouring. The POP Containers are available in 12 different sizes to meet your dry food storage needs

Thankyou to Umbra for sending me the measuring spoon and cups and the Tricon storage canisters. Also many thanks to Pyrex for sending the lovely pizza tray and OXO for the wonderful storage POP containers. My kitchen is now well equipped and organised so that all the ingredients are easily accessable

All the views in this post are my own.All these products can be purchased on line through the relevant web sites.

 And finally  an organised set of kitchen cupboards.

French Green lentil salad

A protein packed and delicious summer salad that is vibrant and tangy in flavour.

Ingredients:

400 g precooked green lentils
3 in piece cucumber finely diced
1 red onion finely diced
10 cherry tomatoes halved
3 sprigs of fresh coriander  or parsley finely chopped
Extra lemon wedges for garnish

 Dressing

2 tablespoons Pelia olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
juice of half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 clove garlic finely minced

Method:

1. In a large bowl add the lentils, diced cucumber,diced onion, chopped coriander and cherry tomato halves.
2. In a jar with a lid add the olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, pepper powder,salt and garlic. Screw on the lid and mix the dressing to combine it.
3. Pour the dressing over the mixed lentil mixture and toss together.
4. Cover and chill salad for 30 minutes for flavors to infuse.

Serve with fresh french bread.

NB-Soak 1 cup lentils in cold water, drain and add them to a large saucepan with 2 pints water.Cook lentil until al dente and not mushy. Drain the lentils and use them in salad

The Pelia Olive oil was sent to me to sample by Pelia. Pelia Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive oil is from the region of Ancient Epidavros, in the northern Peloponnese of Greece. The olive oil has a lovely nutty flavour and is perfect for salad dressings . Thankyou Pelia for my miniature sample.


Submitting to:
Flavours of France event by simply.food guest hosted by Shruti Rasoi
Made with Love Mondays event by Javelin Warriors Cooking  w/ Luv
My bowl of salad event by jcooking odyssey

Salted Jeera Lassi~ Chaas

A refreshing drink to cool you down on a hot summers day. Made with natural yoghurt,water and crushed ice.Its delicately flavoured with salt and  ground cumin and garnished with coriander . A cooling accompaniment to a spicy meal.

Ingredients:

454 g tub chobani  natural yoghurt
300 ml water
Juice from half a lemon
1 teaspoon fresh ground cumin (jeera)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander
10  ice cubes crushed

Method:

1. In a blender put the yoghurt and water.
2. Add the salt and half the ground cumin and lemon juice.
3. Blend till  the mixture is frothy. Add the coriander reserving a little for garnish. Blend once more briefly.
4. Half fill 2 tall glasses with crushed ice and top the ice with the salted Lassi
5. Sprinkle with the fresh coriander and cumin powder.

Serve immediately.

NB-To make fresh ground cumin, dry roast the cumin in a pan for 3-4 minutes taking care not to burn it. Let it cool and then grind the cumin to a powder in a coffee grinder.This Lassi can be made with any natural yoghurt.

You may like : Mango lassi

Submitting to :
Made with Love Mondays event by Javelin Warriors Cooking  w/ Luv

The yoghurt used in this recipe was kindly sent to me by Chobani UK. The yoghurt is 100 % fat free and made from skimmed milk.It was rich and delicious.I have previously tried Chobani yoghurts and cooked with them.You can check out the recipes for Yoghurt and coconut chutney and  Sweetcorn drop pancakes that I previously made with Chobani Yoghurts.