Announcing event~ Lets cook Preserves, Jams and Chutneys

We are soon approaching Christmas and there is nothing better than receiving a delicious homemade preserves, jams or chutneys. In this event I am inviting all foodies to link any Jams, preserves and chutneys that you have made.

To Participate:

1.Prepare any  vegetarian recipe as part of the Ingredient   (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.

Event announcement~Flavours of USA and Canada

We are continuing our travels in the Flavours of series to our final destination USA and Canada.

American Cuisine and the names Keylime pie, Jambalaya, s'mores, peanut butter nad jelly are just a few names that come to mind. American cuisine is very diverse and very multicultural since there are so many nationalities with in the country.The cuisine is rich and diverse with wonderful flavours.
Canadian cuisine and the name maple syrup, nanaimo bars and yellow pea soup come to mind, Canadian cuisine has a lot of chinese influence as well as European.There are a variety of cdishes in both Countries which are worth tasting.

To Participate:

1.Prepare any vegetarian recipe (eggs allowed). Link your post using the linky below by entering your Post Name and Post URL
2. Please link this event announcement with your entry, this is mandatory.
3. Use of logo is not mandatory but usage is encouraged as it helps to spread the word visually if you can use it.
4. Multiple entries are allowed, archived are only allowed if reposted and updated with this event link.
5. 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.

Pumpkin Pudding

Rich creamy and delicious with lovely aromatic spiced fragrance.

Ingredients:

I cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup full cream milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon all spice
2 tablespoons clarified butter(ghee)
5-6 almonds sliced thin

Method:

1. Add the clarified butter to a pan and add the pumpkin puree.
2. Saute the puree for 3-4 minutes until the puree thickens.
3. Add the milk and sugar and saute the mixture for about 8-10  minutes until the pudding thickens and starts to leave the sides of the pan.Add the all spice and mix it into the pudding.
4. Transfer the pudding to mini serving glasses and garnish with almond slices.
Can be served hot or chilled.

You may like :
Coconut Shrikand

Submitting to:
Javelin Warriors Cook with Love
Lets cook with Pumpkin event by simply.food
Flavours of USA and Canada event by simply.food

 

Pumpkin Rice

Delicious and tasty spinach and pumpkin rice.

Ingredients:

250g / 8 oz white basmati rice
500 ml boiling water
100g fresh baby spinach
1 white onion finely sliced
3 oz finely diced pumpkin
1 medium potato peeled and finely diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 green chillies finely chopped

Method:

1. Wash the rice and soak it in cold water for 30 minutes.
2. Wash the spinach leaves and remove the stalks, place the spinach in a blender with 2 tablespoons water and blend to form a paste.
3.In a large pan heat the oil when it is hot add the onions and sauté them on low heat until translucent.
4.Drain the rice and add it to the onions and sauté the rice until all the grains are coated in the oil.Stir the rice gently so that the grains don't break.
5. Add the spinach paste, potatoes, pumpkin, salt, turmeric, pepper and chillies. Mix the vegetables with the rice.
6. Add 500 ml boiling water and bring the rice to boil.
7. Reduce the heat to lowest setting and cover and cook the rice for 25 minutes.During this time do not open the pan lid.
8. After 25 minutes open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
9. Transfer to serving dish.

You may like:
Singapore five spiced rice

Submitting to:

Lets cook with Pumpkin event by simply.food
Flavours of USA and Canada event by simply.food

 

Pumpkin Muffins-Secret Recipe Club Challenge 21 st November 2013

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 The avid Appetite written by Rachel. Since its October I wanted to cook with pumpkin and I found the perfect pumpkin muffin recipe on Rachels blog.The only changes I made were that I replace evaporated milk with full cream milk and left out the glaze.The pumpkin muffins were delicious.

Delicious  pumpkin muffins with an aromatic spicy taste.

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon all spice
1 tablespoon egg replacer (or 1 egg)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup butter room temperature
3/4 cup full cream milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 200 degrees C / 400 degrees F
2. In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, all spice and baking powder.
3. In a  blender jug add the pumpkin puree, milk and butter nad whip together all the wet ingredients.
4. Gently fold in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Do not over mix.
5. Spoon the mixture into 10 muffin cases nad bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes until golden brown.

The original recipe suggested a glaze but I did not glaze my muffins.

You may like:

Cinnamon and upside down apple muffins

Submitting to:

Lets cook with Pumpkin event by simply.food
Flavours of USA and Canada event by simply.food

 

Launching my cook Books Easy to cook Snacks and Potatoes and a super giveaway.

Commitment leads to action. Action brings your dream closer. 

Marcia Wieder

simply.food will be celebrating its 5th Blog anniversary on 28th October, it only seems yesterday when I entered the food blogging community. I never knew that food would become such an integral part of my life when I started blogging.Over the last 5 years simply.food has grown from strength to strength, I have made numerous friends all over the world, attended many foodie events, worked with many brands, learn't to cook some very innovative dishes ranging from Indian, to international to Asian and continental.

Like any other food blogger, as my confidence grew with my posts, I started to dream of writing a cookery book. I made notes, did lots of brainstorming, sourced ingredients and set about experimenting with different flavours textures and cuisines. I had no budget for a food photographer or food stylist so I began learning about food photography whilst developing recipes for my book.My critics, tasters and judges were my family.Finally I settled on an idea to write two books consisting of 50 recipes in each, one based on simple snacks and the other on  recipes with potatoes the chief ingredient.

 

I have spent over three years creating, tasting, styling and re styling ,clicking not forgetting numerous proof readings and adjustments and  liaising with the publisher. All the hard work and stress has paid off and  I am so proud that my two vegetarian cook books  Easy to cook Snacks and Easy to cook Potatoes are finally ready and available to purchase. Both books offer a selection of  vegetarian multinational cuisines and are all accompanied with colourful photography and easy step by step recipe instructions.They are neat and compact lightweight so perfect for your kitchen shelf ready at hand when you need that simple recipe idea. Both books are perfect for young students living away from home who want a taste of home cooking that is easy and quick to make.

The books are available to purchase on line in Europe, India, China, Australia and in the UK from Waterstones Book shops. They are retailing at £ 9.95 each  and are perfect for Eid, Diwali, Halloween and Christmas Presents.The books can also be purchased directly from simply.food  and as special introduction offer to the celebrate the launch of these books simply.food is offering  25% discount  plus free postage for UK orders when both books are purchased together making them £ 15.00 per pair. (Postage will apply for overseas orders.)
Please complete the order form to place your order in time for Diwali and Christmas.
Fill out my form!

To mark this double celebration of  simply.food's 5th anniversary and the launch of my two new cook booksI am giving away one set of books to one simply.food reader.The giveaway is open worldwide as simply.food has so many readers all over the world and would like to thank each and every one who has visited the site, inspired and motivated me and shared so much love in the form of comments and visits.

Rules:

• Competition ends 28th November 2013 6.00 pm
• This giveaway is open to all readers WORLDWIDE who are over 18.
• The winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter (which uses random.org) and announced on this page. 
• The winner will be contacted by e-mail, if they do not respond within a 7 days another winner will be chosen. 
• There is one prize of a a set of books (Easy to cook Snacks and Easy to cook Potatoes)
• By entering you are **agreeing** to share your address with simply.food to receive the prize.
• The decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. simply.food reserves the right to **substitute** the prize for one of a similar type / value if the prize above is not available. 
• Instructions form part of the terms and conditions.
• All entries will be verified, failure to follow instructions correctly will result in participants being disqualified. Please do not cheat.

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.
• 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

Mex grocers Mexican evening at Lupita East

I have recently been cooking Mexican cuisine for the Flavours of Mexico event at simply.food. The cuisine is very veggie friendly with many vegetarian dishes that are both tasty and delicious. I love the spicy flavours that are part and parcel of Mexican cuisine and they are perfect to satisfy my Indian palate. Some of the Mexican dishes I have prepared are Quesadilla, Mexican Rice Arroz Mexicano, Fajita, Mexican veggie tart, Mexican corn salad and Tortilla wraps with beans

Couple of days ago I was invited together with two of my food blogger friend to a "Discover the taste of Mexico" evening by Mexgrocer.co.uk an online shop for authentic Mexican ingredients.The evening was hosted at Lupita East a wonderful Mexican restaurant in the heart of London's Liverpool street.

The evening started with drinks as we mingled amongst other foodies and we met out  hosts Katya Torres de la Rocha the CEO of Mex grocer and also the head chef Marco Cuervo of Lupoita East. We were invited to scrutinise their amazing range of authentic mexican Ingredients. The range included some finest and unique Mexican  products such bottled cactus, cactus tortillas, blue corn tortillas, an array of different chilis and sauces together with flours, refried beans and many other Mexican Ingredients.The range was spectacular, some even being gluten free and suitable for vegetarians.

Marco shared some wonder knowledge of Mexican cookery with lots of tips and advice on Mexican cookery, we learnt the secret of how to make a perfect tortilla wrap to how to roast and pound chillies for a delicious Habanero sauce. His passion for his native land Mexico oozed in abundance and his passion for Mexican cookery was very apparent in the lovely Mecicaanapes we sampled.

The canapes were Guacamole artesanal, ripe avocados pounded in a mortar and pestle, with tomatoes, onions and fresh coriander and served with crunchy tortillas chips made fresh in the Lupito Kitchens.Next we tried the Chicharron de Quesco, a crispy rolled cheese.Tostadas de Nopales was an amazing canape and one I have never tried before, it was tender baby cactus served over refried beans and a fresh salsa Pico de Gallo.In addition we tried the Harbenero sauce and warm chrispy cheesy tortillas. the sauce was smoky and fiery and simply delicious. It was seriously delicious and I have fallen in love with it.

For the non vegetarians there were many more canapes; Cochinita Pibil Tacos, this was made with slow roasted pork, served on corn tortillas with refried beans and red onions pickled with Habanero chillies. The chef was very kind and made us vegetarian version of this which was delicious.The other two non vegetarian canapes were Tacos Gobernador - soft corn tortillas with marinated prawns and Tinga de Carne Tostadas- shredded beef cooked with smoky chipotle chilli served on a bed of lettuce, creme fraiche and ranchero cheese.

It was lovely to spend the evening with my two friends Jagruti of Jagrutis cooking Odyssey and Tina of The Spicy Pear sampling the canapes that awere really delicious and enjoying the warm hospitality of Mexgrocer.co.uk and Lupito East. The evening was very informative and delightful and we thoroughly enjoyed our education and insight into authentic Mexican cuisine

 I would like to thank Mexgrocer.co.uk and Lupita East for inviting me and my friends to this lovely event and also for the wonderful goody bag that they gifted us. I have been inspired and I am going to make the amazing Habanero sauce as soon as I can get the correct chillies.You can purchase authentic Mexican grocery from the Mexgrocer.co.uk and to sample the amazing food you can visit two amazing restaurants Lupito East and Lupita Central.

Cinnamon and Apple upside down muffins.

The month of October brings with it chilly weather and an abundance of apples.My friend has an apple tree in her back garden and she gave me a bag full of cooking apples.Sour and tart they are perfect for baking with. I am sure most people will agree that Cinnamon goes hand in hand with apples and they are a marriage made in heaven.On my recent trip to the USA I bought a patterned muffin tray so it was the perfect choice to bake these cinnamon and apple upside down muffins.

Beautifully moist and fragrant cinnamon and apple upside down muffins that will melt in your mouth wanting a second bite, one will not be enough.

Ingredients:

Apple filling:

3 medium cooking apples peeled and finely diced
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon

Muffin Batter:

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground Cinnamon
360g  / 12 oz plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
4 tablespoons Rachels strawberry yoghurt
1/3 cup sunflower oil
3/4 cup water
240g / 8oz sugar

Icing:

2 heaped tablespoons icing sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees/ 180 degrees C
2. Toss the diced apples in 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and place in a saucepan.
3. Cook the apples on a low heat for 2-3 minutes until all the sugar has melted and the apples are just softened.(Do not overcook the apple pieces need to hold shape) Remove from heat and leave to cool.
4.Sieve together the flour, baking powder,bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon together in a large bowl.Stir in the sugar.
5. In a jug mix together the yoghurt, water, oil and whisk together.
6. Add the wet ingredients from the jug to the dry ingredients in the bowl and fold together with light hands.Do not over mix.
7. Oil the muffin pan using a pastry brush dipped in oil, this is important as we will need to make sure after baking muffins come out of pan without sticking.
8. Spoon a tablespoon of batter in each hole of the muffin pan.
9. Add on top of this a spoonful of apple mixture.
10. Add a second spoon of batter on top of the apple mixture. Muffin pan should only be 2/3 full.Do not over fill.
11. Place the pan in the oven to bake for 12-15 minutes.Once muffins are golden brown remove them from the oven and leave to cool.
12. To de mould the muffins, run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn the muffin pan over a wire tray and tap gently..
13. Add the icing sugar to a small bowl , add the cinnamon and the water and make the icing.
14. Make a paper cone with some parchment paper and fill it with the icing.
15. Place the cooled muffins onto a serving platter upside down and pipe some lines of icing over the muffins.
16.Before serving sieve some icing sugar over the muffins.

The cinnamon used in this recipe was sent to me by Cinnamon Hill and the yogurt used was sent to me by Rachels Organic.

You may like:
Banana muffins

Submitting to:
Lets cook with Apples

Five minute Tropical Trifle.

Do you ever crave for a sweet treat at the oddest times?? My cravings almost always occur when I am working late at night on my blog. This is when my tastebuds tingle for something sweet. This lovely tropical trifle is a five minute speedy dessert.(Of course it does not include the 30 minute photo shoot!!!:))

Creamy, delicious tropical trifle -Taste of tropics and faraway shores in every spoonful.

Ingredients:

100g Rachels Organic low fat mango yoghurt
90g / 3 oz small diced fresh pineapple
4 sponge fingers or leftover cake
Squirty fresh cream( the kind in an aerosol)
30 ml tablespoons tropical  juice(any fruit juice will do))

Method:

1. Get two tall glasses and place a sponge finger in the bottom of each glass.(You may need to break the sponge finger into two pieces.)
2. Spoon a tablespoon of tropical juice on top of the sponge finger. Add some diced pineapple on top of the sponge fingers followed by two tablespoons of mango yoghurt on top of the pineapple.
3. Add the second sponge finger, top it with a spoonful of tropical juice, followed by some more pineapple a finally some more mango yoghurt.
4. Finish off by squirting a dollop of cream from the squirty and add a final garnish of diced pineapple.

Thank you to Rachels Organics who sent me this scrumptious mango yoghurt that I have used in this recipe.Also not only did we eat all the yoghurt but we recycled the the empty pots to create Halloween treat gift pots. Check this video.

You may like:
Coconut Srikand

Round Up-Lets cook with Coconut

Thank you to everyone who participated in this event. Here is the wonderful round up of all the recipes:

Cinnamon Coffee and a Cinnamon Hill Cinnamon Review and Giveaway

I am not a big coffee drinker but occasionally I enjoy a cup of really milky coffee with lots of froth on it. I have been experimenting with spice and I have discovered this amazing coffee flavour which has become a real firm favorite of mine.

Aromatic spicy cinnamon coffee perfect for warming up on a chilly winter day

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons instant coffee
2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
100 ml  milk
100 ml hot water
Pinch of freshly grated  Saigon Cinnamon

Method:

1. Boil the water
2. Place milk in a large mug and grate some fresh cinnamon in it.
3. Place the mug with the milk in the microwave for 2 minutes, making sure it does not boil over.
4. Get two serving coffee mugs and add 1 teaspoon coffee and 1 teaspoon sugar in each mug. 
5. Add the hot water to half fill the mugs, stir the coffee and sugar until they are dissolved.
6. Remove the milk from the microwave and froth it up with a milk frother or whisk.
7. Pour the frothy cinnamon milk onto the prepared coffee.
8. Grate a little bit more cinnamon on the top and serve immediately.

Cinnamon is the peeled bark of the cinnamon plant grown across Asia. There are many types of cinnamon but the two most highly prized types are Ceylon cinnamon which comes from Sri Lanka and Saigon cinnamon which comes from Vietnam. Supermarket cinnamon generally comes from Indonesia or China.Cinnamon is used in savory as well as sweet dishes. It is very aromatic and sweet smelling spice that is generally associated with baking, desserts and puddings. However in a lot of Asian recipes, cinnamon is used to add to curries and savory dishes. To get the best flavor from cinnamon it should be freshly grated as and when needed.As well as culinary uses, cinnamon has many health benefits including reducing blood-sugar levels and lowering bad cholesterol, and it is a good alternative sweetener, helping with weight control. 

Cinnamon has been used in Asian medicines for digestive ailments for centuries.