August 2012

liebster blog award
Posted in Happy Moments

MyHomeMantra receives two Liebster awards :)

This was truly a special week for MyHomeMantra. My Tiramisu picture received a compliment from Serena Palumbo, born and raised in Italy, she was a contestant in Next Food Network Star season 6. I was very happy to see an Italian chef liking my Tiramisu. It was as good as winning an award. On a very next day to my surprise, I did win a very precious blogging award – the Liebster award. I am proud to receive the award twice by two lovely  bloggers – Preeti and Janani whom I really admire for their wonderful blogs and amazing recipes. Thank you ladies! Liebster…

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ulunthan kali
Posted in Desserts, Quick n Healthy, South Indian

Ulunthan Kali

This was my first time participating in Indian Cooking Challenge and I was very excited about it. Srivalli had asked us to prepare a traditional sweet from Tamilnadu. I had never heard the name before and surprisingly none of my Tamil friends were familiar with its name – “Ulunthan Kali”. As Srivalli explained, its known by various other names such as  Kummayam or Adi Kummayam or more popularly Thiruvadhirai Kali. The recipe was given by Padma. The most impressive thing about this dish is its ingredients.; urad dal, rice, jaggery and sesame oil; all combined together to make a deliciously…

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BalGopal
Posted in Festival Special, Maharashtrian, Quick n Healthy

गोपाळ काला / Gopal Kala for Krishna Janmashtami

Krishna Janmashtami कृष्ण जन्माष्टमी, the birthday of Lord Krishna is celebrated all over India. In Maharashtra its popularly known as Gokulashtmi and it’s celebrated along with “Dahi Handi” with enormous zeal and enthusiasm. People make a human pyramid by standing on each other and the top most person tries to reach the “handi”, a clay pot filled with curd and aims to break it with his hand. This depicts Lord Krishna’s childhood and his love towards butter. We worship bal gopal (बाल गोपाळ ) and we prepare his favorite dishes which include sweets and savory dishes. Then on the midnight of…

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Posted in Breakfast, Continental, Desserts, Snacks

Banana Walnut Bread

Even though I think about calories, fat, saturated fat and of course, the price I end up buying banana walnut bread at Starbucks. The cakey delight is so hard to resist. Today I decided to try it myself at home using whole wheat flour instead of maida (all purpose flour) to make it a little healthier. My husband could not tell the difference 🙂 [purerecipe] Food For Thought Walnuts are often referred to as “brain food”, not only because of brain-like appearance of their lobes but because of their high concentration of Omega-3 fatty acids. They also promote bone health…

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Watermelon Cooler
Posted in Quick n Healthy, Salad, Smoothie

Celebrating National Watermelon Day!

Watermelon is a wonderful wonderful summer treat. Nothing beats the sweet, sugary, red juicy watermelon bites. Very low in calories and rich in Vitamin A & Vitamin C, it’s also a great source of potassium. Today watermelons get their made up holiday, 3rd August is celebrated as ‘National Watermelon Day’ in America. Hence, I am sharing some of my favorite watermelon treats. Personally watermelon juice is my favorite. Squeeze a few drops of lime juice and sprinkle a pinch of chaat masala and you will have a refreshing cooler in no time! Watermelon Quinoa Salad is a popular recipe and…

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