Cook With Red Event 1 And Giveaways

Christmas and New Year is around the corner. Everywhere in London I see sparkling trees, snowy decorations and glowing lights- so jovial isn't it? Don’t you just enjoy witnessing the beautiful red- Santa caps, socks, jingle bells? I personally love red- the colour of passion, love and energy. So let’s follow the red trend in the blogging world as well and celebrate Christmas and New Year with red as themed colour this time.

Yes! all you have to do is cook with red ingredients’.  Some of the examples of red food are apples, red lentils, pomegranate,strawberries, red onions, carrots, red chilies, cherries, beetroot, tomatoes etc etc. Yup! Put on your thinking caps and cook anything red. Here is the collection of my recipes which were cooked with red things- roasted tomato soup, red lentils tadka, chocolate strawberry cake, nutty carrot salad, red onion paratha, Spaghetti in Arrabiata Sauce .

Rules for the event-

• Cook with anything red. Red ingredient must be the main one and not just used in garnishing.
• Looking for fresh entries thus try out new recipes. So, no archived posts will be entertained. Your post has to between November 2013- Janruray 2014.
• Multiple entries are welcome and appreciated.
• The event has to be linked back as Cook With Red Event announced at Merry Tummy. (Compulsory)
• Usage of logo is optional but I would be happy if you could use it, as it helps spread word.
• You have to like Merry Tummy's Facebook Page and Follow Merry Tummy. (Compulsory)
• Follow me on Twitter
• Only after your first entry, share the event details at facebook page.(I want more people to know about the event). Keep your this post public in Facebook so that I can see it.(Compulsory- have to do only once)
• Please use the linky tool to link your recipes below. (Mention the name of the dish you make and not your name.)
• Else Send a mail to agrawal.shweta.n@gmail.com with the subject line as Cook With Red  and with the following details:
• Your Name
• Recipe Name
• Blog Name
• Recipe URL (Please send the Recipe URL and not the blog URL)
• Pic of the recipe (If it is not on the blog)
• Non bloggers are most welcome to participate. Just send me the recipe details with a click of the recipe to the above mentioned email.

Lucky Giveaway - Yes there is one giveaway. I will choose one lucky person through random.org. I will then ask the winner to choose from cookware, bakeware, cook books or kitchen accessories as prize. Once again, the giveaway is open for people who can give Indian address :) There will also be certificates for top contributor, best innovative recipe, best recipe, best click and participation award. 

Surprise Giveaway- I am also keeping one surprise prize. Anyone who comes with beautiful decorated cake will get one special prize. So keep baking. (This is valid for my friends in the UK and India both)

Here is a glimpse of what I have send so far to the winners of the events.

Cookware-Non Stick Frying Pan; Bakeware-Butterfly shaped 3 silicon cake moulds; Cookware- Branded pigeon cute small frying pan.

You all lovely people have made my events- Cook With white and Cook with Yellow a mega success. I have seen some amazing recipes and spotted passionate bloggers-kudos to you. Again, thanks very much- means a lot.

Hope you all will like the theme. Red is in the air :-). Send in the tasty dishes ladies :)

(Image Source: logo, Cutchi kicthen, babitha Costa and Spicy Foood)

Roasted Tomatoes Garlic Soup With Baobab Fruit Powder

When most of the people are still cooking and enjoying pumpkin, I must say I am totally bored with them. I am so drained seeing and reading about pumpkin soups and dishes. No, soup is not the trouble; in fact I must mention that I am a soup devotee.  I read somewhere-“Worries go down better with soup” and I agree with this statement entirely.

Rainy day or a cold night- my husband and I wish to have a warm cup of soup. Now, we can’t have soups that look pale or colourless, we need spicy, rich and creamy ones. Tomatoes soup which is so common is also not our cup of tea; we find it very artificial in flavours and not up to the mark. So here is a makeover of the old boring tomato soup. Why not roast red plum tomatoes with garlic pods, black pepper, mixed herbs and bay leaf –sounds nice, isn’t it? Trust me when all these ingredients roasts with good dash of olive oil the whole kitchen oozes with aroma.  A perfect comforting soup!

No doubt that this is a very healthy soup, but another jewel in the crown is Baobab fruit powder from Eden Projects. I read a lot about Baobab fruit powder before accepting this product to review. Based on my research I can sum up that baobab fruit has six times more vitamin C than an orange and more calcium than a glass of milk. Baobab also benefits from having three times more iron than red meat, six times as much as potassium than in bananas and more than three times as much antioxidant than blueberries. Impressive- I thought in my mind and agreed to review it.

Eden Projects Baobab Fruit Powder is tangy in taste and thus makes it suitable for sweet and savory dishes. I used it in the soup as a tang booster and thickening agent. I always have used corn flour to thicken the soup, but this alternative proved out to be blessing, as it not only uplifts the taste but also increases its nutritional value. I am so very much going to use this healthy supplement and enjoy the virtues of this wonderful African super fruit.You can use it in to so many dishes, some of the suggestions from my recipes are:

• Add a teaspoon in paratha dough for enhanced nutrients.
• Zap up your salad and chutney by adding a sprinkle.
• Add to curries and soup to enhance the flavour and consistency.
• Simply muddle up in the patties for more zingy taste.

Ingredients:

4 tomatoes

4 garlic cloves

1 bay leaf

5 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

10 Coriander sprigs

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

2 tablespoon baobab fruit powder

1 cup water

Method:

Preheat the oven at 200C. Take baking tray and lay silver foil on it.

Chop tomatoes in 4 parts and keep aside.

On the baking tray mix garlic, bay leaf, black peppercorns, coriander sprigs, tomatoes, oregano, basil olive oil, salt.

Roast everything together for 15 minutes. Once cooled, blend in the blender with 1 cup of water and keep aside.

Heat a pan and sieve the above blended mixture to it.

Take Baobab fruit powder and mix in 2 teaspoons of water and add with above mixture. Let it boil.

Notes:

I like the creamy soups, so I sieved it but this step is optional.

Add corn flour instead of Baobab fruit powder to adjust the consistency.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Eden Projects for sending Baobab Fruit Powder for review.