Carrot and Potato Soup / Winter Soup

     It’s raining in my place. So I made carrot and potato soup, it came out really creamy and delicious. Vegetable soups are a healthy and comforting food to include in your diet. This thick carrot soup is very easy to make, it has got bright orange color and a hint of exotic smell. Adding smoked paprika and Italian seasoning gives a nice spark to this potato soup. Try this carrot and potato winter soup and let me know your feedback.

    Ingredients

           1 Large Size Red Potato, Finely Chopped
           2 Medium Size Carrot, Finely Chopped
   1 Large Yellow Onion, Finely Chopped
   2 Garlic Cloves, Finely Chopped
   4 Mushrooms, Finely Chopped
   1/4 Tsp of Italian Seasoning
           1/2 Tsp of Cayenne Pepper
   Pinch of Smoked Paprika (Opt)
   1/2 Cup of Milk
   3 Cups of Vegetable Broth or Water
           2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
           Salt and Pepper to taste

    To Garnish

           1 Green Onion, Finely Chopped
   Dollop of Sour cream or yogurt
           Few Crackers

Method

Heat a pan with olive oil, add onion and garlic, saute this for 2 mins.
Add carrots, potato, mushroom, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, saute this for 2 mins.
Add required amount of water, bring it to rolling boil, then simmer it for 15 mins in medium-low flame until vegetables are tender.
Add milk, cook it for 2mins and turn off the flame.
Carefully transfer carrot-potato mixture to a blender or food processor. Take 2 tbsp of carrot- potato mixture, keep this aside in a separate bowl.
Blend until smooth, add salt and pepper, if necessary.
Serve this in a soup bowl along with 2 tbsp of carrot-potato pieces, garnish it with chopped green onions and sour cream or yogurt at the top.
Enjoy this hot soup with crackers on a rainy day.

Tips

If you eat meat, then you can add beef pieces to it.
You can use butter instead of olive oil.
Adding smoked paprika is optional, it gives a smokey flavor to the soup.
You can use chicken broth or vegetable broth to the soup instead of water.
You can add any kind of cheese to this soup.

Health Benefits of Carrot and Potato Soup

Potato are high in fat and calorie content, potato soup is a good source of calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B-12
Carrot soup is rich in beta-carotene, a phytochemical compound with antioxidant activity that can protect you against some chronic diseases.

Creamy Avocado Pasta

      I’m a big fan of avocado. I always eat avocado in a guacamole form. They are really very good for our health because of the presence of vitamins & good fat in it. For a change, I tried with pasta, it tastes really yummy.

    Just Avocado, that’s all you need for this delicious avocado pasta.
    No cheese..
    No butter..
    No Cream..
    It’s taste really wonderful how creaminess of avocado replaces the creaminess of using traditional alfredo sauce. Addition of lemon juice gives a tangy taste. Chopped onion, tomato and garlic flavor gives a extra kick to this dish. On the whole, avocado gives the pasta, a gorgeous green color. This dish is very easy to make and it can be on your table in 15 mins.

   Ingredients

         2 Handful of Multigrain Spaghetti
   1 Large Avocado
   1 Medium size Onion, Chopped
   1 Roma Tomato, Chopped
   1/2 Tsp of Garlic Powder
   Dash of Black Pepper Powder
   Dash of Salt
   1 Tsp of Lemon Juice
   2 Tbsp of Cilantro Leaves
   1 Tbsp of Vegennaise or Mayonnaise (Opt)

   Method

   Cook Pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook spaghetti according to package directions. Once it done, drain the water and rinse it well with cold water to avoid stickiness. Keep this aside.

Prepare avocado Sauce

Chop onions and tomatoes into a small pieces and set aside.
Add avocado to a bowl, then use a fork or spoon to mash into chunky paste. Add chopped onion, tomato, garlic powder, lemon juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. For extra creaminess, add vegennaise to it, mix well. Taste it and adjust salt and pepper accordingly.

Here is the video for you to make guacamole

Combine sauce and pasta

Combine both pasta and sauce in a bowl. Use two spoons or tongs to toss. Serve immediately. Make 2 servings.

Tips

Buy avocado 2-3 days in advance of your preparation day. Most avocado you find in store are rock hard so leave them outside to soften up for few days. This is to speed up the ripening process.
Use avocado when it is in dark green colour.
Onions are the mainstay for this recipe.It gives distinct flavor.
If you don’t have garlic powder or use crushed garlic or try with rest of the ingredients.
If you have any unused avocado, store them with seed so that you can use it later. Other trick is adding lime juice which prevents avocado from oxidation.
Do not reheat the pasta dish due to avocado in the sauce. Serve immediately.
Pasta dish is best eaten on the day it is made.

Health Benefits of Avocado

Inhibits the growth of cancer.
Rich in folate and vitamin C
High in beta-sitosterol, a compound helps to lower cholesterol level.

Easy Uppu Urundai recipe / Kara Kollukattai

Easy Uppu urundai recipe / kara kozhukattai are tasty and healthy snack for kids and adults. My mom used to prepare and give me this uppu urundai when I come back from school. This easy uppu urundai recipe is quick to make snack from rice flour. There are two versions sweet kollukattai and savory kollukattai. Sweet are made with coconut and jaggery filling. Savory / kara kozhukattai are made with rice flour and tempered with spices.

Ingredients for easy uppu urundai recipe

1 and 1/2 Cup of Rice Flour
1 Cup of Water ( The amount of water depends on the quality of rice flour so adjust accordingly)
2 Tbsp of Coconut Flakes
Salt to taste

To Temper

2 Tsp of Oil
1 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
1 Tsp of Urad Dal
1 Tbsp of Bengal Gram Dal
3 Red Chillies
Pinch of Asafoetida
Few Curry Leaves
1/4 Cup of Chopped Red Onion

Other Ingredients

Few Cilantro Leaves

Method to make kara kozhukattai recipe

Heat oil in a pan, add all the ingredients listed under ” To Temper” After they splutter, switch off the stove and transfer all the tempering items to a bowl containing rice flour, salt, cilantro and coconut flakes.
In the meantime, boil the water to 100 degree C.
Pour this to a bowl containing rice flour and tempering items. Mix well with a wooden spoon or a fork. Let this cool down for 5 mins.
Knead well and make a soft and smooth dough.

Heat idly pan in a stove. Meanwhile, make a equally sized balls out of the dough. Place this in a idly plate and stream it for 10 mins. Switch off the stove.

Check it by inserting a tooth prick if it comes out clean then your rice balls are ready.
Serve hot with peanut chutney or any chutney of your choice.

Tips

You can also make rice dumplings with rice batter instead of using rice flour.
You can add nuts of your choice.
You can also do this dumplings with fillings like you do for sweet kollukattai.

Health Benefits of Rice Flour

Rice are great source of carbohydrates, it acts as a fuel to the body and normal functional of brain.
Excellent source of vitamins and minerals.
Low in sodium, good for high blood pressure people.

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