LAVENDER TRUFFLES

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I am finally in India! Met my parents after almost a year. It feels so different- being at home after your marriage. I am still trill trying to comprehend the feeling I have, so it would be difficult to put it in words right now. The journey was long- more so thanks to my fever and cough.

I had a four hour wait at LA airport and thought I would blog to kill some time- but, the internet service was really bad at the airport, so guess the post had to wait. It was just not the greatest time for me to board a flight. Amidst excitement of meeting everyone back in India and of course the sadness of leaving V alone for such a long time, I was also fighting a terrible cold accompanied by severe body ache and fever. The day of my flight I was up in the morning at 3, waking V up and exclaiming how am I going to take the flight today- I just had no strength. Definitely, this was not a good time to get sick.

I hate travelling alone- I mean I really hate it- especially if I have a lot of luggage- which, of course, I did. And to travel with a fever and cold- well, hate would be too mild a word for the feeling I have. It kind of surpasses the excitement and the sadness- and the feeling that I had was to just get to India in one piece.

In the plane, though, I had a revelation. I watched 127 hours. (127 hours is a true story of a real life mountain climber Aron who gets trapped in a boulder for more than five days and has to amputate his arm to free himself. The movie is based on Aron’s book Between a Rock and a Hard Place). It kind of made me realise how petty my problem was- it was just a fever, cold- nothing a medicine couldn’t cure- and that gave me strength to enjoy the rest of the journey and not keep saying- why me,God! why now! (I tend to be a drama queen at times!) So, by the time I reached Dubai, I was all excited to meet my parents and everyone at home!

I never had a favorite color- it kind of keeps changing. Black has been constant but the rest evolve. Now, for a long time I have had this obsession with the color purple and all its hues. My iPhone case is purple. One of my favorite scarfs is purple. From Denver I picked up these measuring cups and spoons from Sur La Table for my mom and they too were purple and well, the list goes on. This obsession with purple might explain my current inclination to use lavender in the food I make. (My friends from the coffee group have promised helping me set up a herb garden once I’m back. I plan to have my own lavender plant and some other herbs.)

So, the other day, while going through Helen’s blog Tartelette for her macarons tutorial I stumbled on her lavender truffles recipe. (I love her blog- she is a true inspiration!) I knew I had to make this. I did not have enough of the ingredients called for so I did add some hazelnut creamer (I was out of cream). It gave a nice nutty toasty flavor to the truffles. Adding lavender made them so exquisite and a perfect gift to give some one!

In case you just want to use heavy cream, add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and don’t add the creamer at all.

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REALLY,REALLY HEARTY SUNDRIED TOMATO BREAD

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Two days prior to my India journey, I am down with a cough! Great! I took precautions- covered myself- head to toe- but the Denver cold got to me. Its the walk we took near the Cherry Creek Mall that’s the culprit. Well, it’s not that bad yet. That’s the key word- yet! The last time I got down with a bad cold- it started out as not being that bad- just a sore throat- nothing big. The starting symptoms are the same this time, but hopefully it won’t get any worse- there’s a slight fever but I’m hoping some rest will take care of it!

The first day in Denver, we had amazing bread at the hotel restaurant, The Lift, while waiting for our main course. It was a white bread with a hint of garlic and presumably, a lot of parmesan cheese. But one bite into it and you could taste the cheese and all its goodness. I love white bread and even though whole-wheat is supposedly more healthy, etc etc I still miss an all white bread at times.

But, the other day, back at home I made this really hearty and flavorful sundried tomato bread. I cooked up this recipe or would it be baked up (?!). Thought of adding herbs but decided against it, since I did not want too many flavors playing in the bread. I also restrained myself from adding cheese- though instead its better to grill it with cheese instead. I did add dill for some added flavor.

By the way, this bread is full of goodies for your body! The Wheat germ is rich in nutrients, Vitamin E (good for anti-aging and your reproductive organs) and fiber. Fiber helps in digestive cleansing, cleaning your system off toxins and bacteria. Another benefit of having fiber-enriched food is that you feel full sooner- that ways you don’t overeat. (and thus, helps you in keeping your waist slim!)

Flaxseeds too are rich in fiber, besides they are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids which are good for lowering cholesterol and heart related diseases. They are rich in antioxidants too.

Besides the seeds, the flours used also have their health benefits. Everyone knows the benefits of whole-wheat flour.  Soy Flour is a great source of high quality soy protein, dietary fiber and important bio-active components which provide a good source of iron, B vitamins and potassium.

I wanted to add 1/2 cup rolled oats, and make it even more healthy, but I had the quick one minutes ones (never buying them again after reading they have the hulls removed), and wasn’st sure how they will work and also did not know how healthy they would be after the hull is removed. (Any info would be appreciated for the uninitiated me!) If you do decide to add oats reduce the bread flour quantity by the same amount and you might need to add/reduce water.

I did add a tablespoon more of water even though it did not look dry, but I know that soy absorbs a lot of water so the dough might need that extra tbsp- when making bread, its always better to err on more water and have a sticky dough than to have a dry dough. But, I ended up adding more flour, so guess the earlier proportions might have been perfect. (Have mentioned the initial proportions in the ingredients list- but if more water is required, add a tablespoon at a time).

Hope you enjoy this bread and its benefits as much as we did!

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ZUCCHINI PASTA- GLUTEN FREE RECIPE

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Happy Republic Day to all Indians!

Its Day Two of Denver and I got myself to go to the gym! Last night, we had Indian food at this place called India Tavern. V and I both enjoyed the food- it was really good and the host was a very sweet and friendly guy. We both ended up overeating, so gym today was definitely in line! I also tried eating healthier (as much as I could)- fruits and bagel with light cream cheese (yes, yes – “light” cream cheese- I really do need to lose weight!). (FYI dinner still awaits so I shouldn’t be jumping my gun.)

And, if you think I am bad with my weight issues, V is paranoid. He found a teeny weeny bit of paunch- and he has been freaking out since then- standing in front of the mirror, frowning at his almost negligible waist! And then, today on being asked what did he have for lunch, prompt came his response – a salad! Like, he could dream of eating anything else! (and here I am rejoicing for choosing “light” cream cheese instead of “regular”) Oh, the shame he brings to the Punjabi in me 😉 (Punjabi people in India are known for eating a lot- and eating food full of butter and cream!)

So to keep the spirit of being healthy (or well, trying to be), I decided to post the low-carb zucchini pasta recipe I tried a few days back. I remember hearing/reading (memory fails me here) about this pasta a long time back. The idea stuck on my mind for some time, and the other day when I passed the zucchinis at the supermarket I thought I’ll give it a try. Luckily, I found a similar recipe online too. (Click here for the link).

The recipe is quick and easy to make. It would have been quicker had I a mandolin, but since I did not, cutting the zucchini into long strands did take some time. Loved the flavors, and more so because it is so healthy!

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