Soni's Food

Indian Inspiration!

My first Blog Anniversary,Top 10 Recipe Round-up and a Huge Thank you!!!

28 | 10 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

Today my little blog marks its first Anniversary :)It was exactly this day a year ago that I decided to share my recipes with the world and now one year on it feels like I’ve accomplished a huge milestone that seemed impossible when I first began!This journey has been very very rewarding in terms of the knowledge that I’ve gained, the way blogging works, the importance of social media, the importance of those amazing pics, posts, but most importantly meeting some of the  most amazing people that I’ve become friends with over this past year.Its been so amazing to connect with people from different parts of the world who share the same passion for food and to know them and interact with them has been priceless.I just want to thank each and everyone of you who has visited my little space here and made a huge difference to me and my blog!

So in preparation for this event, as you all can see, I have given my blog a completely new look!!I recently switched over from Blogger to Self Hosted WordPress and couldn’t have been more happier with my move!Like I said the knowledge that I’ve gained since I’ve started blogging and the communities that I’ve become part of have played a major role in creating my own little space that I’m so proud of 🙂

To honor this day, I bring to you a recipe round-up of my Top 10 posts! Posts that brought a tremendous amount of traffic to my site and was hugely popular all across the board!

1.Indian Spiced Sweet Potato Patties

This recipe needs a special mention because its my most popular recipe to date, especially on Pinterest where it has been pinned over and over and over again!It has exceeded over 15000 pageviews and continues to do so 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Rigatoni with Pumpkin Ricotta Sauce

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.Spicy Mexican Pasta Bake

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.Indian Spiced Quinoa Patties Cutlets

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.Baked Vegetable Spring Rolls

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.Easy Chocolate Chilli Fudge 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.Indian Spiced Chicken Meatballs

 

 

 

 

 

 

8.Spinach, Artichoke and Mozzarella Koftas

 

 

 

 

 

 

9.Vegetable Pulao

 

 

 

 

 

 

10.Chicken Burgers with Curried Cabbage Slaw

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blogging has been fun, engaging, satisfying, and a huge learning experience and as I enter my second year of blogging I will continue to bring to you more exciting recipes and hope to find continued support and love from all of you 🙂

A huge Thankyou to all you wonderful readers out there who’ve been to my site,who’ve read my posts and who’ve come back again and again!I love you all !!!You are all AMAZING :)Hugs!xoxo

 

Pumpkin Masala-Spiced Pumpkin

22 | 10 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

With the abundance of Pumpkins this season, its always a challenge to come up with new and exciting recipes that are easy to make, yet different and of course taste delicious.My recipe today is the result of exactly that, an experiment that was successful and received a thumbs up from the taste testers aka hubby and kids 🙂 We recently went Pumpkin picking and got ourselves some gorgeous looking pumpkins in two different sizes one large and one small.The smaller pumpkin is what I’ve used here today.It was unripe and I would recommend using unripe Pumpkins for this preparation, since they are not overly sweet.

On a recent twitter chat when some friends asked about some good pumpkin recipes to try, I recommended Pumpkin Curry!My friends immediately wanted recipes and that gave me the idea to come up with an Indian inspired Pumpkin recipe on my blog.So here is a savory Pumpkin recipe that will totally blow you away with all the different layers of delicious flavors.Its savory, spicy, tangy all in one and its totally different from the sweet creations thats normally associated with Pumpkins.

 

Indian Spiced Masala Pumpkin

Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • Small Unripe Pumpkin- 2 cups Cubed
  • Onions-1 cup chopped
  • Crushed Ginger-1 tsp
  • Crushed Garlic-1 tsp
  • Jalapenos/Green Chili-1 chopped
  • Large Tomatoes-2 pureed
  • Ground Coriander-2 tsp
  • Ground Cumin-2 tsp
  • Garam Masala-1 tsp
  • Turmeric-1/2 tsp
  • Red Chili Powder Cayenne-1 tsp
  • Water-2 cups
  • Salt- to taste
  • Oil-3 tbsp

Instructions
 

  • In a skillet, heat oil and add the onions.
  • Saute until slightly golden and add the ginger and garlic.
  • Add the spices and saute on low heat for about 2 minutes stirring constantly.Add the jalapeno/green chili
  • Add the tomato puree and continue to cook on medium heat, until the oil begins to separate from the sides (about 8 minutes)
  • Add the pumpkin pieces.Stir and mix well.Add salt and water.Mix well, cover and cook on medium until fully cooked (about 10-15 minutes)
  • Serve hot!

Carrot and Coriander Soup

16 | 10 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

Autumn brings with it this craving for comforting foods!Foods that simmer on the stove tops or in the oven, foods that develop those lovely flavors that warms you up,foods like soups, stews  and warm desserts!I have a soup for you that not only warms you up, but is rich in anti-oxidants and beta carotene!

My Carrot and Coriander Soup is the most satisfying, flavorful, extremely easy to make and so vibrant!Its reminiscent of the time when were in England.Its easily available in all the supermarkets over there and when I couldn’t find it here in America I started making my own!Its earthy, sweet, a little spicy, a perfect autumn food~

Carrot and Coriander Soup

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 6 Carrots-peeled and cubed
  • 1 medium Onion-chopped
  • Olive oil or butter- 1tbsp
  • Ground Coriander-1 tbsp
  • Orange Juice- 1/4 cup
  • Water -3 cups
  • Salt-to taste
  • Pepper-1 tsp
  • Fresh Coriander-for garnish

Instructions
 

  • In a deep pot, heat oil or butter and add the chopped onions until soft.
  • Add the carrots and saute for a few minutes.
  • Add the water, salt and pepper .
  • Cover and cook until the carrots are done.
  • Now add the orange juice and the ground coriander.Let it cook for 2 more minutes.
  • Puree the soup in a blender and garnish with fresh coriander.Serve hot!

 

 

 

Rigatoni with Pumpkin Ricotta Sauce ~ All things Orange #SundaySupper

07 | 10 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

Autumn colors are indeed magical.Nature seems like a canvas painted with beautiful warm colors.Pumpkin patches, halloween, trick-or-treating all the fun and the excitement has begun! Autumn also brings along with it some glorious orange colored foods from pumpkins to squash to sweet potatoes and its no surprise then that our friend Pam chose ‘All things Orange’ for today’s SundaySupper!

pumpkin ricotta rigatoni

My entry for this event is an easy Rigatoni with Pumpkin Ricotta Sauce that captures the essence of fall colors and flavors into a gorgeous creamy pasta dish.I found a Martha Stewart recipe and tweaked it by going for the Ricotta instead of heavy cream and adding nutmeg!The result is an elegant pasta dish that takes no effort to prepare and yet makes a strong statement in terms of flavors and texture.

pumpkin+ricotta+rigatoni3

The sage adds this sweet lemony touch and fragrance to the dish and the pumpkin with the ricotta is pure magic.The nutmeg is essential in enhancing the creamy flavors and the grated parmesan is all you need to finish off this gorgeous sauce.I was so happy to see my kids enjoy the dinner as much as we did :).They were very excited to know that there was pumpkin in the sauce. Something about Pumpkins and Halloween that gets them all excited 🙂

Rigatoni with Pumpkin Ricotta Sauce ~ All things Orange #SundaySupper

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Rigatoni-3 cups uncooked
  • Pumpkin Puree-3/4 cup I used canned
  • Ricotta Cheese-1/2 cup
  • Milk-1/4 cup
  • Grated Nutmeg-1 tsp
  • Sage leaves-10 cut into strips
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil-1 tbsp
  • Grated Parmesan Cheese-1/4 cup
  • Salt-to taste
  • Pepper-1 tsp

Instructions
 

  • Cook the Rigatoni in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente.
  • In a bowl mix together the pumpkin puree, ricotta,milk, sage leaves.
  • In a pan on medium heat, add the Olive Oil followed by the pumpkin sauce.
  • Gently mix together until all creamy.You can add more milk to reach the desired consistency.Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
  • Add the cooked pasta into the sauce and add freshly grated parmesan cheese to finish off.Serve hot!
 

The #SundaySupper family is using the spirit of the season to inspire you and will be sharing some fabulous dishes at the #SundaySupper table this week, and we do hope that you’ll join us!

Just look at all of the fabulous dishes being offered up this week:

Sunrise (Breakfast and Brunch)

Sunset (Dinner and Main Dishes)

By The Bonfire (Sweets, Snacks and Sips)

That is one great list of orange culinary delights. What a way to brighten up a meal. A feast for the eyes and the tummy!

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET and you do not want to miss out on the fun. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check our our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

 

Easy Chocolate Chilli Fudge~5 Ingredients or Less #SundaySupper

30 | 09 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

You look to create complex dishes all the time, but sometimes its the simplest of things that surprise you!Simple pleasures that require no extra effort and yet bring you this immense joy.Joy in the form of a chocolatey delight that only takes 5 ingredients to make!Its soft, moist, chewy and decadent!This week our #SundaySupper group is contributing recipes featuring Dishes with 5 Ingredients or Less hosted by the lovely Amber Poole!
fudge1

For somebody who’s not much of a baker, this is my ideal kind of dessert, since it requires no baking and tastes delicious!This fudge is the easiest treat you could ask for with no effort and it comes out perfect every single time.Its a perfect treat for those night time cravings that creep-up after you had your dinner and the kids are tucked in bed!A perfect little bite of soft indulgence that melts in your mouth.

fudge

Once the mixture is in the baking pan, you should leave it for at least 2 hours, but my kids were not patient enough and forced me to take it out earlier.As a result they don’t look perfect, but believe me if you leave it for the stipulated time, it will set properly and come out better looking 🙂 The chilli in this fudge gives just the right amount of heat in the background without disturbing the balance of flavors.Easy, rich, foolproof chocolatey treat for your sweet cravings~

Easy Chocolate Chilli Fudge

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Semi Sweet Chocolate chips-12 oz packet
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk-14 oz can
  • Chilli Powder-1 tsp
  • Vanilla Extract-1 tsp
  • Butter-2 tbsp

Instructions
 

  • Line an 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.In a saucepan on low heat mix all the ingredients and cook until well combined and smooth.
  • Pour into the prepared baking pan. Refrigerate for about 2 hours or until firm.Turn it upside down on a plate and peel off the parchment paper. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Here’s a sneak peak at what everyone is bringing to our #SundaySupper table. Be sure to stay after dinner at 7pm EST as we share our recipes during our #SundaySupper live chat!

Breakfast, Starters, Butters and Jams:
Main Dishes:
Desserts:
Beverages: