Gajar ka Halwa (Carrot Halwa)

I made this sweet for all my dear friends in the blog sphere, who visit me every day, care, share and comment on all my recipes weather good or bad no matter what. I am so glad that I am among you lovely people.
I give this treat to all my lovely friends in the blog sphere on the occasion of my birthday.


Ingredients

2cups grated fresh baby carrots.
1cup sugar
2-3tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1/3tsp crushed green cardamom
7-10 cashews and raisins
Almonds to garnish


Preparation

In a heavy bottomed pan add ghee and when it melts add grated carrots. I use food chopper to chop the baby carrots. Makes job easy. Carrots can also be crushed in blender without adding water to small pieces. Fold the ghee and carrots together, cover it with lid and let it cook on low heat for about 20 minutes.
Add sugar and crushed cardamom to this and mix well. Let it stay in medium flame till the moisture is evaporated.
In a separate pan, fry cashews and raisins till golden brown and add to the Halwa. Yummy Gajar ka halwa is ready. Garnish with Almonds or Pistachios.

Melony Breakfast

I made some great healthy breakfast by scooping cantaloupes, watermelon and honeydew melon.
Don't they look great! along with this goes some fresh vegetable sandwiches.

For the sandwich I always use whole wheat bread. Into the bread goes some fresh iceberg lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and little low fat mayonnaise.
To wash it all down, some fresh orange juice of course.

Mixed Vegetable Rice

When it is a busy day, elaborate lunch is impossible. I always go for variety rice like pulao or mixed vegetable rice which make things easy and time saving. It can be just enjoyedwith raita or yogurt and there is no compromising with taste.


Ingredients

3cups cooked rice
2cups chopped onions
1/3 cup chopped carrots
1/3 cup peas
1/3 cup chopped green peppers
1/3 cup paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
1 cup soya chunks (soaked and drained)
2-3tsp biriyani or pulao masala(found in Indian grocery store)
Salt
Oil


To Garnish

Fresh chopped cilantro
cucumber cut in circles
tomato cut in circles
lemon


Preparation

In a wok, add 4-5tbsp oil. When it warms up add onions and fry till translucent. To this add all the other vegetables and saute on medium heat. You can add more variety of vegetables if required. Remember not to add salt initially to any stir fried vegetables. They get watery and lose the taste. Let the vegetables get cooked for 10-12 minutes. Add paneer and soya chunks and saute for 5-10minutes.
Add the pulao-biriyani masala. If not garam masala also can be added. Add salt, stir gently and lower the heat. Leave it that way for 10 minutes. Finally add cooked rice and fold in gently. Remove from heat and garnish. Serve with cucumber-tomato salad and yogurt.