mayurisjikoni

A simple dish of boiled pasta can be made into a tasty, delicious, satisfying meal with the addition of different sauces. FoodieMonday/Bloghop group members made 9 different lip smacking pasta sauces for the their #134th theme which was PASTA SAUCES. Click on the name of the pasta sauce and it will take you directly to the recipe. Spinach Sauce  Spinach Basil Almond Pesto Basil Pumpkin Seed Pesto and Tomato Sauce Roasted Pepper Sauce Three Cheese Sauce Lentil Bolognese Coriander Mint and Cashew Nut Pesto Marinara Sauce Alfredo Sauce

MEGA BLOGGING MARATHON -SEPT 2017 #80TH BLOGGING MARATHON THEME: PROTEIN RICH DISHES DAY:14    Bangalore, Montreal, London, Nairobi are some of the places where I can access a kitchen to try out ingredients that I don't readily get in Mombasa. Portobello mushroom is one of them. The first time I ever had a portobello mushroom was some years back when I went to Nando's in Leicester with my sister and her family. Knowing my love for mushrooms she suggested that I should try the portobello mushroom and halloumi burger. I loved the burger and taste of the portobello mushroom. After that I've had portobello mushrooms either grilled or as a filling for burgers. However, I'd not made anything with the mushrooms at home. So during the recent trip to Montreal, cooking with portobello mushrooms was ticked off my list.    Belonging to the crimini family of mushrooms, portobello mushrooms are low in calories, rich in both protein and carbohydrates. Its a good source of fiber, co...

too hot   The past few days have been so hot and humid. I am completely zapped of any energy by afternoon. Usually around this time of the year it begins to get hot but at the same time we get a lovely breeze too. However, this year things are different. The weather is changing. It's all to do with global warming. Our greed for better homes, infra structures and better goods is all destroying our environment. Trees are disappearing at an alarming rate. 3 years ago when we moved to the apartments we are living in at present, we could see lots of trees from any of the windows you may choose to look out from. More building and second hand car yards are destroying the trees. Some of the newer apartments coming up are trying to leave a few trees but the second hand car yards are chopping down neem, mango and coconut trees. For a town (its officially classified as a city) like Mombasa, its baffling to see every second business is selling second hand cars. The roads are narrow, infra stru...

not eggplants again !   During my holiday in Italy, I was a bit disappointed that the choice for vegetarians was very limited. Margherita pizzas, pasta with tomato sauce, pasta with mushrooms or cold grilled vegetables. Usually it would be grilled eggplants, zucchini and pepper. No garlic or onion flavour and forget about getting any chilli flakes. Pizza hut and Dominos spoil us by giving us endless satchets of chilli flakes. Italian restaurants in India and Kenya give us chilli oil, yummy chilli sauces, pestos that are chilli. However, visit any restaurant in Italy and its difficult to find any of those extra condiments... no extra olive oil, chilli oil, chilli flakes, salt or pepper ! I had vowed to my hubby dear that once we get back to Mombasa, I was not going to buy any eggplants for a long time. On my return, dear Esther, the veggie lady who comes door to door, brought lovely huge eggplants. I didn't buy them. She comes the next day with fresh ones again and I just couldn...

fragrant and cooling    Basil is a herb which is highly fragrant. Walk into a greengrocers shop and you will be able to smell basil if he/she is selling it. Related to the tulsi (holy basil) family, it tastes different from the tulsi. The name basil is derived from the old Greek word basilikohn which means royal. The name denotes that in the ancient culture it was considered a noble and sacred herb. Basil reduces swelling and inflammation, is rich in antioxidants and has anti aging properties. It has anti bacterial properties and is a rich source of Vitamins A and C, iron, manganese, calcium,potassium and magnesium. Basil is widely used in herbal teas,sandwiches,soups, with chicken, fish, pasta, meat, in salads by adding the leaves to the salad, or in a dressing. I simply love the herb basil. I have tried growing it in a pot but have not succeeded. But will keep on trying. Did you know that you can use basil infused water to dab on your face to combat pimples. Add a few leaves...

Toothache :(     Since mid January, I have been having some teeth problems. Can I blame my 50+ age, approaching menopause or genes? Since childhood I have been pretty regular with brushing, flossing, mouth washes etc. By the way after all these years of bombarding people with adverts of the benefits of mouth washes, some health gurus claim that mouth washes are actually bad for our teeth. Whatever, its just given me an excuse to stop buying those expensive, coloured, gum burning liquids and go back to the salted water gargle. So during my umpteen visit to the dentist, I came across a recipe of bread with feta,olives and basil in a home living magazine. Mentally noted what the filling was all about and went to sit on the dental chair. Yesterday, I thought I must bake the bread before I forget about it. In spite of the extremely hot weather, I kneaded the dough for  12 minutes non stop.... yes good workout for the arms (though my arms still appear as though I am a sumo wres...

full of herbs Baking bread is a delight. I just cannot describe the feeling when a perfect loaf comes out of the oven. When I baked basil garlic bread, I couldn't wait for the loaf to cool down a bit. The aroma was too overwhelming and made me feel soooo hungry. Yes, arm muscles were at work again but its worth the effort. So, how many of you have tried baking  bread at home? BASIL GARLIC BREAD 2 small loaves or 1 big one 3 cups plain flour or bread flour 1 to 1¼ cups warm water ( lukewarm) ¼ tsp sugar 1 tsp salt 2¼ tsps instant dry yeast 2 tbsps olive oil ½ to 1 tsp minced garlic 2 tbsps of coarsely minced fresh basil extra flour for dusting extra oil for rubbing on dough, hands and bowl Sieve flour, sugar and salt together into a big bowl. Add the instant yeast and mix well. Rub oil into the flour. Add the minced garlic and herbs and mix into the flour. Add the lukewarm water and form a dough. Knead the dough with the heel of your palm for 10 minutes till it is smooth and silky. ...