Happy Diwali

~Happy Diwali~ 

Diwali, the festival of lights is certainly the biggest and 
brightest of all Indian festivals. This ancient  five day festival,
spiritually signifies the triumph of good over evil. As per 
the Hindu mythology ,it is believed that Lord Rama returned
to his native city Ayodhya after an exile of 14 years ,to welcome 
him the entire city was lit by clay lamps and beautifully  decorated 
with colorful flowers and buntings. 

There is a festive atmosphere everywhere, the houses are cleaned 
days in advance and  decorated with colorful lights and tiny clay 
lamps called Diyas. Diyas also called a Deepam, deep or deepak 
are the most integral part of Indian celebrations. These tiny 
terracota/clay lamps are filled with oil or ghee (clarified butter) n 
lighted in temples and homes alike. It is believed that the  flame of 
these diyas is divine and illuminates not only the surroundings but 
also cleanses our  mind, soul and spirit. 

People worship the idols of Ganesha & Laxmi and pray for peace, 
prosperity and happiness .Huge colorful patterns called rangolis
 alpanas or pookalams  are made on the floor while  the threshold is 
decorated with the most vibrant yellow marigolds and betel leaves. 
Tiny clay lamps are placed all over the house. 

Over couple of  days , I have been juggling time between work and 
festival preparations. While daughter has been happily helping me 
with all the festive decorations and traditional sweet preparations 
it was my turn to add fun to the snacktime yesterday. Thus made 
some diya on stick pops to adore our table and a few cheesy diya 
topped crackers for a light evening snack . 

Diya on Sticks 

Halved cucumber slices and carrot topped on a satay
stick. Use a tiny piece of spaghetti to attach the carrot
 flame to the diya. 


Easy peasy  Diya appetizers 

These Diwali appetizers are super easy to make, perfect for 
a quickie kiddo party too !!

Smear crackers ( I have used Britannia cream crackers) with some 
flavored cheese spread , sprinkle some oregano/zatar or  chilly flakes 
top it up with a veggie diya of halved cucumber and carrot.
Bunting- Red & yellow pepper triangles. 

May these little diyas light up your life with peace, prosperity and 

happiness !! Have a wonderful and  pollution free Diwali !! 

Happy Dusshera

~Happy Dusshera ~

Vijaydashmi commonly known as Dusshera is one of the 

most important festivals celebrated with great enthusiasm 

throughout India. The day  is celebrated to commemorate the

 victory of Lord Rama over the ten headed demon king Ravana.

 Besides this, the day also marks the victory of Goddess Durga

 over the demons. The festival of Dusshera spreads the 

message of victory of truth and goodness over evil. 

Ravana - the ten headed demon 

As per the Hindu mythology king Rama along with his 

younger brother Laxman  and a huge army of monkeys headed

by monkey deity Hanuman fought a great battle to get Sita, his 

abducted wife back from the demon. The entire narrative is 

beautifully  recorded in the religious epic Ramayana. Several 

plays and performances known as Ramleela are performed

 throughout the fortnight. Actors dress up in colorful masks and 

attire and beautifully enact the life and chivalry of Rama.

Ravana, the primary antagonist of epic Ramayana was a great

 scholar, his ten heads depict his immense knowledge and power

but his unethical desires and proud transformed  him to a demon. 

His 10 heads depict lust, anger, delusion, greed, pride , envy ,

 destructive mind and intellect ,  ill will and ego. Huge effigies of 

Ravana are burnt to remind the mortals that it is very necessary 

to channelize our five senses and five bodily instruments into 

the right direction. 

The share of Dusshera ...... 

We are currently enjoying a Dusshera break here !! While my 

daughter was busy playing with her friends I decided to 

treat them the Little Food Junction way. Watching the tiny hands 

sharing ,eating and laughing is definitely festivity at its best. 

 Garlic and white bean dip ,crackers and veggies.

Eyes- cheese and capers ( use a small piece of straw to cut tiny 

circles), moustache and brow- radish greens, hands- carrot and olives , 

dress - red bell pepper, ground - cucumber shavings (using a peeler)

May Almighty keep showering his blessings upon you, 

To make  your life  prosperous and trouble free throughout.

Happy Dusshera to all my dear readers !!!  

Facts ref - Wikipedia.org , goindia.about.com, indiadivine.org   

Pinks....

~ Lets Paint the town Pink ~

(Pickled eggs and labneh dip)

Spring is the time when there is color and  joy everywhere . Right 

from the vibrant flower beds displaying the most outrageous hues

 to the exuberant colors of the Indian festival  Holi -the enigma of

 Pink seems to conquer the northern hemisphere in the 

colors of celebration. 

With Easter and  Holi right around the corner , what could be better than 

adding a bit of fuchsia to our humble eggs too. These pickled egg appetizers 

are  colorful , healthy , delicious and best of all absolutely a breeze to

make !! After all with all those festivities & fun around who wants to be

 in the kitchen for long........

Spring is the season of garden delight too , its the  time when nature 

awakes from its long sleep to  welcome the colors of warmth and life, 

and the gorgeous trees and  shrubs loaded with bunches of flowers 

silently seem to bid adieu to the winter frost & chill . 

The deep pinks of the pickled eggs are perfect for spring !!!
As per wiki -pickled eggs are hard boiled eggs that are cured in brine .

 Just like  other  preserved foods the recipe evolved in the olden times

 to preserve surplus eggs from the farm , so that they could

 be consumed later . 

While many parts of the world relish this pickled version as a favorite

 hors d'oeuvre some places confine it to as pub food served with pickled 

onions and  fish. Owing to the presence of beets in the pickling solution the 

eggs from  Pennsylvania Dutch country  have a beautiful pink color. 

Pickled eggs 

( The easy peasy way)

Ingredients - 4 hard boiled eggs ( peeled) , 1/2 cup white vinegar, 

1/4 cup beet juice, 1/2 tsp sugar , 6-7 black peppercorns , salt to taste. 

Method - Mix together all the ingredients ( except eggs) till the 

sugar dissolves. Keep the eggs in a glass jar and pour the vinegar 

mix over it. Refrigerate for 5-6 hours . To Serve- drain the liquid ,

divide into halves and  season with some freshly crushed  pepper .

( Don't soak the eggs for too long or else they'd be tough and chewy)
( If you don't like pickles replace vinegar with water for just  
beautiful pink color)

Opt for a healthier yolk free version by removing the yolks and filling up

 the cavities with some freshly whipped caramelized onion labneh dip . 

The mild tanginess of Lebneh and crunchiness of the onion will surely 

leave everyone  craving for some more .....(BTW a generous spread of 

labneh tastes great on sandwiches , pitas and paratha so go 
ahead n indulge)

Caramelized Onion Labneh Dip

Ingredients 

2 cups regular yogurt ( home made curd is perfect too), 2 large red 

onions finely diced, 1 tsp chopped onion greens/ chives , 2 tbsp blanched

 peas ,1 tsp olive oil  , salt to taste 

Method

Combine yogurt n salt and place the mixture on a large muslin cloth . 

Tie from all the four ends and hang on the kitchen faucet to drip . 

Remove after 3-4 hours . Untie and keep the cheese aside. 

Drizzle some oil in a skillet and saute onions till golden .Cool and

mix with the cheese. Mix in peas, chopped onion greens n drizzle

 some olive oil( opt). Serve. 

Easter

~ Easter -1~

Easter is just around the corner which means its time to

 think about those lovely decorated sugar eggs, chirping little chicks 

and  big ear bunnies .... Its the time of the year when the flowers bloom

 and the sun shines bright spreading its love and warmth everywhere. 

Have fun with your kids this easter with these quick  and easy to make 

breakfast ideas. This chick and  rabbit sandwiches will not only
 liven up the breakfast table but will leave you with lots 

of quality time to spend with the kiddos too !!! 

Cheep cheep ..

Whole wheat  bread cut into circle & topped with a sunny side up egg , 

red pepper, olives, cucumber & lettuce ( To make a perfect round egg- 

Grease a large circle cookie cutter n put it on a hot greased skillet ,

 crack an egg and gently pour in the cutter , cook till set ) 

Easter Bunny 

 Whole wheat  bread cut into circle  with a sunny side up egg , sliced 

red radish, olives, cucumber ,peas, cherry tomato , beans , carrot & parsley. 

 (To make a perfect round egg- Grease a large circle cookie cutter n put it on 

a hot greased skillet , crack an egg and gently

 pour in the cutter , cook till set ) 

Adieu Olympics..

~ Adieu Olympics 2012~

While London was busy with the last minute

perfections for today's closing ceremony of

Olympics 2012 , I was busy in the kitchen,digging

through my pantry to create some quick thematic

Breakfast fun for my family . To add a zing to their

breakfast on a bright sunny Sunday morning ,

I just picked up some cookies , honey & fruits :)

These easy to make fruit cookies are our way to thank

the Indian players for the hard work & efforts they have put

in to bring laurels to our nation .

Using a small cookie cutter (a bottle cap will also do) gently

cut out circles from the centre of the cookies, use gentle

rotating motion or the cookies will break....

Ahh!!! these lil cutie leftovers , believe me kids will love

gulping these tiny circles much before you can think of

using these for something else!!!! )

Smear some honey on the cookie rings & top with finely chopped

fresh & dried fruits . I wish we got some blueberries in India :( :(

Anyways I topped the first one with some blueberry preserve &

a few blue sprinkles.Chopped black raisins (Sultanas) were

perfect for depicting the black ring , frozen maraschino cherries,

chopped pistachio & diced mango were perfect toppers for the

red , green & yellow olympic rings.

A cup of warm milk, cookie rings topped with energy

boosting fruits ,loads of fun & laughter , what else do we need to

make a weekend perfect :) :)

Breakfast fun

~Fun with Flavors ~

Review : Quaker Oats in 4 new flavors

A bright beautiful morning , birds chirping , some cool

crisp air & a bowl of hearty healthy breakfast on the table

are somethings we all crave for but life moves at such

fast pace that we tend to miss these small pleasures.Often

we mommies find ourselves in the kitchen planning &

preparing breakfasts to reenergize our tiny tots .

"What if I could make something real power packed ,

yummy & just in a couple of mins & yet spend most of the

beautiful morning out of the kitchen " -we often

ponder . But I have surely found my way out !!!!

A chirpy breakfast

Quaker Oats - 4 new flavors

Few days back I received a packet from Quaker Oats

with several colorful & fun packed samples of their

recently launched Flavored Oats. Flavored Oats- as the

name suggests are the new range of flavors that adds a

yummy punch to the wholegrain Quaker goodness.

Available in 4 delightful flavors - Strawberry with apple,

Kesar with Kishmish , Lemony veggie mix & Homestyle

masala, these little goodies just take 3 mins to pep up .

Cooked with milk Quaker Oats - Strawberry with apple &

Quaker Oats Kesar with kishmish are perfect to pamper the

sweet cravings in a healthy way .

Apple Bird

Prepared Strawberry flavored Oats (cooked a per packet directions) ,

apple slices , java plums

A simple garnish of few slices of apples & a couple of java

plums added an extra fun to the flavorful breakfast . Poof !!!

the breakfast vanished much more quickly than I had imagined .

The luscious flavor of strawberry with sweet & sour chunks of

apple had won over the little taste buds.

The 2 savory flavors - Quaker Oats Lemony Veggie Mix

& Quaker OatsHomestyle masala are perfect to woo the

Indian taste buds - lemony , crunchy & mixed with flavorful

herbs & real chunks of capsicum & vegetables these flavors are

perfect & healthy replacement for savory breakfast delicacies.

I know christmas is far ahead , but the vibrant colors of the

packs and colorful chunks of added vegetables in Homestyle

Masala somehow made me imagine how much fun we will

have lazying a bit more on winter mornings & having fun

during the Christmas holidays with just 3 mins in the

kitchen &a bowl of steaming delicacy . The yummy flavors

paired with a veggie Rudolf garnish were enough

to cheer up the lil one on a warm sunny morning .

Rudolf - the red nose reindeer

Homestyle masala Oats (cooked a per packet directions) ,

capsicum , cherry tomato & olives.

These flavorful sachets are quick & convenient way

of adding a healthy yummilicious twist to breakfast .. just cut

a pack, mix in the milk or water ( as the pack suggests ), cook for

3 mins & ta da its ready ...This great tasting bowl of breakfast

comes at a humble price of INR 10 /- only . Available in

modern retail outlets across India .

Note- A steaming bowl of freshly cooked oatmeal porridge is the

perfect way to start your day . Each tiny grain of this miracle

food is a powerhouse of the dietary fibers required to power

our bodies . The soluble fibre - Beta Glucan is known to lower

cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease & type 2 diabetes.

All pics by Smita Srivastava @ Little Food Junction

Summer

~ A bit of Summer~

"Summer is coming"the soft breezes whisper;

"Summer is coming" the glad bird sing.

Summer is coming - I hear her quick footsteps ;

Take your last look at the beautiful Spring.

- Dora Goodale

The summer season is the hottest time throughout the

Indian subcontinent. Hot & dusty winds & scorching

heat are two inseparable constituents of this season.

The period of Indian summers starts right from April

& lasts till June . Chilled beverages accompanied with

salads & light crackers is the best way to satisfy the

summery cravings .

Tic Tac toe on a summer day

Readymade Crackers topped with sliced olives &

tomato sauce.

The power of Blue.......

Blue Curacao Mocktail -

Ingredients - 4 tbs blue curacao , 1/2 cup pineapple juice,

1 tbsp fresh lime juice , a pinch of salt , club soda- 150 ml ,

a few ice cubes .

Method- Mix together curacao, juices & salt , put in glasses

Top with chilled soda & ice cubes. garnish with a lemon

slice n enjoy !!!

Save our tigers

~ Save Our Tigers ~

Tigers have been an integral part of our culture and mythology . The Indian subcontinent has been home to these juvenile beauties for a very long time . The Tiger reserves- right from Corbett to Ranthambore have been mystical meccas for the tiger lovers . The royal beast is the symbol of strength ,power & leadership . Besides being our National animal , it finds a place of great importance in the Indian mythology- as the carrier of Goddess Durga too. While our National animal is fighting for its survival & our conservation experts are working hard for the noble cause , lets embrace the cause by making our little ones aware of their social responsibility right from the tender years. Little Food Junction pledges to join NDTV's Save Our tigers campaign by creating Tiger themed fun foods on the blog  to make lil ones embrace wildlife in the urban scenario. All good things start with Kids - what say ??? TIGER TIGER on my plate Dhokla (savory lentil cake)- recipe below baked in a muffin cup & garnished with olives , sliced baby/ armenian cucumber (kakdi), olives & tomato sauce. Khaman Dhokla ( savory lentil cake) Ingredients- 3/4 cup gram flour (besan), 1/4 cup semolina ( sooji), 2 tsp powdered sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice 1/4 tsp soda, 1/4 tsp eno fruit salt, salt to taste, water as req. For tempering - few mustard seeds, 1/4 cup water , sugar & split green chili to taste, few drops of oil Method- sift together flour, semolina , soda , salt & sugar. Mix in lemon juice n water to smooth ribbony consistency . Sprinkle eno & drizzle a tsp of water . Mix gently n pour in greased muffin cups. Steam cook for 7-8 mins or till done. For tempering - heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard . Mix in sugar , chilies & water. Pour the hot tempering over the dhoklas . Serve.