Fresh Strawberry Heart Cake#FoodBloggerLove

I’m so happy to participate in the #FoodBloggerLove event this year! This is my first year of taking part in this event organized by Allison of The PinterTest Kitchen!

This Fresh Strawberry Heart Cake is my Valentine’s Day celebration with my trekking friends. It' s my late night baking. This cake cannot be overturned since it's a sticky cake.

Ingredients
100 Grams All Purpose Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

50 Grams Butter - I used salted
110 Grams Caster Sugar
1 Large Egg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla essence
1/4 Cup Milk
1 Tablespoon Yogurt
100 + 50 Grams Strawberries - sliced

Method

In a heart shape 6 inch baking pan butter it well with a tablespoon heaped butter, arrange the slices of strawberries and sprinkle a heaped tablespoon of granulated sugar.

Whisk the milk and yogurt till incorporated.

Finely chop 50 grams of strawberries.
In a bowl sieve the flour and baking powder keep aside.

In a another bowl beat the butter and sugar till light and creamy, add the egg and essence and beat till incorporated. Fold in the flour alternating with the milk yogurt mix till incorporated. Add the chopped strawberries and mix it well.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan arrange the remaining strawberries, sprinkle a heaped tablespoon of granulated sugar. 

 Bake for 25 to 30 or till a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Cool and slice it and enjoy with your valentine friends.

Labels : Cakes, Strawberry, Food Blogger Love, Valentine

If you’re looking for some more blogger love, check out the #FoodBloggerLove linkup here:
Inlinkz Link Party

Heart Salmon Cakes For A Romantic Meal#FishFriday

Salmon is rich in protein, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids making it a very nutritious choice of protein.  One should include Salmon fish in their diet at least once a fortnight. 

These Heat Salmon Cakes is a simple and delicious way to prepare fresh salmon using staple pantry ingredients. These cakes can be made for a light and delicious lunch or supper.  I have  used of fresh salmon  and  it gives a richness of  flavor to the cakes.

This goes to our event for Fish Friday Foodies our Host is  Camilla our wherein she asked us to make Seafood Dishes for a Romantic Evening.
Makes 6 - 8 depending on the size
Ingredients
400 Grams Cleaned Fresh Boneless & Skinless Salmon
3 Tablespoons Heaped Mayonnaise
A Juice of half a Lemon
2 Big Bread slices - choppered
2 Tablespoon Chopped Flat Parsley
1 Teaspoon English Mustard
2 Scallions / Spring Onion - Only Whites - finely chopped
½ Teaspoon Black Pepper powder
¼ Teaspoon Paprika powder
½ Teaspoon Chopped Chives
3 Cloves Garlic - finely chopped
½ Teaspoon Sea Salt or to taste
For the coating 
Panko Breadcrumbs as required
1 Egg - lightly beaten
Oil as required for shallow frying

Method 
Cut the salmon into small cubes and pat them dry with a kitchen towel.

In a chopper add the onions, chives, parsley, salt, paprika and pepper powder and pulse it two or three times. Now add the mayonnaise and choppered bread and pulse it till mixed once or twice. Add the salmon cubes and pulse it again for two or three times ( do not pulse it for more time or else it will form a paste ) the salmon should be in tiny cubes. 

Take this out into a bowl and add the lemon juice, mix well and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours for the flavors to develop and also at this stage it is difficult to handle. The mix will firm up in the refrigerator.

Remove from refrigerator, divide the mixture into equal balls and  shaped them into heart cakes. As you can see made some small hearts and two big ones. Roll these in bread crumbs and keep this in the freezer for 15 minutes only.

In the meantime let's get prepare for the shallow frying. Heat a non-stick pan/skillet with oil.  Beat an egg lightly add a pinch of salt.  In a plate spread the panko bread crumbs. Keep aside .

Now that we are prepared for frying. Take the cakes out from the freezer.

Dip each cake in egg. Roll it in bread crumbs and immediately place it in the frying pan. Fry on medium high heat till golden on both sides. 

Serve them topped with Creamy Italian Dressing With Mayo & Red Wine Vinegar (recipe will be posted on 14th February ) and on a bed of Tabbouleh Salad With Glass of Pink Lemonade Vodka Cocktail. 

This was a real Romantic Meal / Valentine's Day celebrated in advance. If you have such a beautiful prepared meal with candels lit up who wants to wait for 14th Feb.

 Ahh! Yes if you have not had a Romantic meal like this, then do it !! Worth the effort!!

Labels :  Seafood/Fish, Kebabs, Cutlets, Starters, Salmon, Romantic Meal, Fish Friday 
See other recipes that our Foodie Friends have prepared.
Braised Cod Peperonata for Two by Karen at Karen's Kitchen Stories
Curried Coconut Citrus Cod by Stacy at Food Lust People Love
Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish Garlic Shrimp) by Caroline at Caroline's Cooking
Heart Salmon Cakes For A Romantic Meal by Sneha at Sneha's Recipe
Lobster Thermidor by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
Mediterranean Shrimp with Olives, Tomatoes and Feta by Sue at Palatable Pastime
Miyagi Oysters with Pomegranate Mignonette by Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Tabbouleh Salad

Tabbouleh is made using Bulgar. Bulgar is broken wheat that has been partially cooked. It’s an ingredient  used in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes. Tabbouleh is a very versatile salad. This simple and takes very little time to make.

This is  great potluck and summer picnic side-dish. 

I have paired this Tabbouleh Salad with Heart Salmon Cakes. This also makes a perfect combo with Seafood, Grilled Meat/ Chicken or Seekh Kebabs, wraps, or grilled veggies and almost any thing you wish.

Ingredients
For the Bulgur

½ Cup Bulgur
1 Cup Water
1 Teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Other Ingredients
½ Cup Parsley - finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Mint Leaves - torn
2 Cucumbers - chopped
10 - 12 Cherry Tomatoes - chopped
1 Medium Red onion - finely chopped
1 Cup Pomegranate seeds
A few Romaine Lettuce - chopped
A Few Basil Leaves - torn
For the Dressing
A Juice of one big  Lemon
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Salt or  to taste
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Method

For the Bulgur
In a sauce pan add the water and Bulgar, season the water with salt, pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Bring it to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or till Bulgar is cooked through. When cooked take it off flame and fluff it with a fork. Leave at room temperature or in the refrigerator for two to three hours, so that the Bulgar can continue to absorb any extra liquid and swell.

For the Dressing

In a small glass jar or a bowl, combine lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Shake well to combine all the ingredients.
To Assemble

 In a large mixing bowl, add Bulgar ,onions, tomatoes, cucumber, half of the herbs and pomegranate seeds. 

Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Keep this in the refrigerator to chill.  

Spoon the  salad on to a serving bowl garnish with  remaining herbs, pomegranate seeds and  chopped cherry tomatoes. Serve and enjoy.

My Notes

You can keep tabbouleh refrigerated in a tight-lid container for 2 days or so. It’s important to try and drain some of the juice out before refrigerating leftover.

Labels : Main Course, Salads, Side Dish,  Mediterranean, Vegan

Potato Hearts#Foodieextravaganza

Today is  event day for Foodie Extravaganza  our  Host is Anne Lawton. Since February 8th is National Potato lovers day  she asked us to share our favorite  recipe. Thank you Anne for hosting this month's event.

These potato hearts are pan fried. Made these as starter for girls who came home to practice for the Mehendi dance. 

Ingredients 
6 Large Potatoes
1/4 Cup Olive oil
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 Teaspoon Mixed Herbs
½ Teaspoon Paprika powder
Juice of Half a Lemon

Method

Fill a pot with about 2 liters of water, add a tablespoon salt, bring to boil, then reduce heat to gentle simmer.

In the meantime peel potatoes, slice them, into 1/4 inch thick slices, then take a small metal cookie cutter and cut into hearts,  and keep aside. 

Cut out as many hearts as you can. 
Cook potatoes in simmering water for just 2 minutes, drain potatoes and let them cool slightly  and  coat them in oil.
Combine all the ingredients for the marinade, coat the potatoes, let it sit for 10 minutes.

Then heat a non stick pan  and pan fry them till golden on both sides. 

Serve hot.  These are really yum and  do not require any dipping sauce.  Potato Hearts will vanish as they are being served, be sure of that.

Labels: Foodie Extravaganza Party, Potato, Potato Hearts,  Starters, Side Dish, Pan Fried,  Vegan, Gluten free

Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly food fest, where a group of bloggers all create and share a recipe around one of the monthly food 'holidays' as detailed in The Nibble. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook pageFoodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out HERE.
See all the other recipes for today's Foodie Extravaganza
Air Fried Potato Chips by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Baked Rosti with Spiralized Potatoes by Karen's Kitchen Stories
Colcannon Potatoes by Simply Inspired Meals
Creamy Cheeseburger & Veggie Hot Dish by Faith, Hope Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Healthy Twice Baked Potatoes by Simple and Savory
Jansson's Frestelse - Creamy Anchovy Potato Bake by Food Lust People Love
Krumplileves (Hungarian Potato Soup) by Tara's Multicultural Table
Potato Hearts by Sneha's Recipe
Sausage Stuffed Red Potatoes by Jolene's Recipe Journal
Schwabischer Kartoffelsalat (German Potato Salad) by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Scottish Macaroon Bars by Pandemonium Noshery
Wet Breakfast Burrito by Palatable Pastime
Waffled Hash Browns by Reviews, Chews & How-Tos

Quick & Easy Vermicelli /Semiya Upma

This is popular South Indian breakfast.  A quick and easy recipe, this is made from vermicelli, a type of pasta. This is so satisfying and delicious to prepare when you want a quick and easy breakfast.

When I was working my  South Indian  friends used to bring different types of vermicelli upma  for tiffin / lunch box and enjoyed having them.  This is one of the most simple and quick upma to prepare.  Instead of cashew nuts you can add raw peanuts and fry them till brown.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Oil
1 Teaspoon Mustard seeds
1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 Teaspoon Urad dal

1 Teaspoon Chana Dal
A Sprig Curry leaves

2 Dried Red Chillies
10-12 Cashew nuts
1 Medium Onion - chopped
1 - 2 Green chillies - choppedSalt to taste

A Pinch of Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric powder

1 Cup Vermicelli
 2 Cups Water  or as Required

1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
MethodHeat oil in kadai, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds,  dals, curry leaves and cashew nuts.

Saute them  till the dals are golden.  Add onion and green chilly, fry till translucent. Add salt and turmeric powder and vermicelli fry for a  minute. Slowly add water.  Bring this to a rolling boil and then cover the pan  and let it cook on medium low flame for a while to let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes.  Take  off the lid and check if the water has evaporated and the vermicelli is cooked.  

If there is till a little moisture  in the kadai then cook on high flame for minute stirring lightly.  Switch off the flame, cover  the kadai and let it stand  for 2 -3 minutes all the moisture will be absorbed by the vermicelli. Sprinkle lemon juice  and serve hot.

Delicious Vermicelli Upma is ready.

Labels: Mustard seeds, Urad dal, Chana Dal,  Curry leaves, Cashewnuts, Onion, Vermicelli, Pasta, South Indian, Breakfast, Lunch Box