All Natural Orange-Lime Sorbet

How to make Orange-Lime Sorbet

         Last winter, we took a break from the sub-zero temperatures here & sneaked out to the Sunshine state, for a couple of days. It was an awesome trip - check out the pics, below. On our first day we ventured out to a local farm for Orange picking. We chose to pick a seedless variety of Navel oranges.  It was so much fun, strolling through the grove and taking in the fragrance of the Orange blossoms. Our day ended with a 4 x 4 ride through the 2500 acre estate. 

         As we departed on our ride into the farm, I had a feeling that the herd of cows were a bit restless, in anticipation of something; which proved to be right, later on. On our return trip, the driver handed each of us some oranges & asked us to throw the oranges out, for the cows to eat. That was the first time, I had heard of cows eating oranges. My 3 year old wasn't keen on parting with his orange, so I decided to lend a hand and feed a hungry cow. Little, did I know, what was going to happen next - my preschooler started yelling at the cow, who ate his orange - "Hey Cow!! Give me my orange!!" Not once, not twice; it went on for a few minutes - I bet he(cow) understood, what was being asked of him. You should have seen the look on that poor cow's face.... :)

Vengaya Kai Kari

How to make Vengaya Kai Kari (Semi cooked medley of Raw Mango & Cucumber with pearl onions)

        Vengaya Kai Kari in Tamil, literally means 'Onion - Vegetable Curry'. Now, I could really use your help with this one. The semi cooked veggies, make it crisp & crunchy; with a good bite to it, also keeping it rich in fiber. This can be eaten as a salad or served as a side with a meal platter. For a change, I will leave it to you, to decide how you want to classify this dish ;o) This is from my recipe diary, written down from a show of the late Chef Jacob. I've altered a few steps in the recipe, though. Sharing this recipe with Sri Valli's CCChallenge.

Palak Bahar (Sauteed vegetables on a bed of pureed spinach)

How to make Palak Bahar (Sauteed Vegetables on a bed of pureed Spinach)

          If  I were expecting company, I would probably pick something like this, to serve. The colorful sauteed vegetables, laid on a bed of pureed spinach has got to impress, with its beautiful & vibrant color contrasts. Serve with any unleavened bread or mildly flavored Pulao & you have a winner. This is a very versatile recipe - in the sense that, you can play with the vegetables used on top & still get a delightfully delicious entree, which can be served in 3 ways :)

         When I made this, the last time, my older one, decided to take only the pureed spinach & not the veggies. That reminded me of a story, that I had read, when I was a child. Here it goes - There once lived a poor man, with his pet goat and a parrot. He was in a financial crisis and had very few Paise/Cents on hand to feed all three of them. He went to the market, and after some careful consideration; came home with a water melon. He cut it up and ate the fruit, fed the rind to the goat and the seeds to the parrot. Problem solved! This entree could serve you in a similar way if need be.

Ingredients

Spinach - 2 medium bunches/10 oz - blanched
Carrots 2 medium - cut into thin diagonal slices
French beans 6 - cut into diamonds
1/4th of a Cauliflower- broken into florets
Green chillies - 1
Oil - 1 1/2 Tbsp
Ginger - 1 inch piece, chopped
Garlic - 4 cloves, chopped
Onions - 1 large,  chopped
Tomato - 1, chopped
Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 2 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves - a few sprigs, chopped