Sunday Mornings- My favorite time of the week.

Most of us have jobs where we spend the whole week commuting to work early in the morning, working all day and then coming home when it's dark. This does not leave any time for relaxation or to unwind. I also work on Saturdays which means that my weekends are cut by 50 percent. This makes my Sunday mornings really precious and I really cherish them.

I love waking up early, hearing the birds twittering outside and sitting in the conservatory or lounge just savoring the silence while I enjoy my early morning cuppa, a light breakfast and getting my hands on the crisp clean pages of the Sunday Times before anyone else gets there. I hate it when the newspaper pages are out of order or someone has crumpled them and folded the paper badly.

Strange as it may seem but I have routine, I make a pot of tea, yes a pot of tea none of that tea in a huge mug business! Tea needs to be enjoyed from a fine china cup with a saucer. Next I slice some fruit, fill a bowl with granola top it with my favorite greek yoghurt and toss some fruit on the top. Of course one also needs warm croissants and pastries too. Once my breakfast tray is prepared. I take it into the lounge.

Over a leisurely breakfast I flip through the paper glancing at the main news. Once I have had a quick overview I go back and read the stories that most interest me. Glancing through the paper today,  I was particularly interested to  read an update about the Sugar Smart App that was launched last month.The App allows parents to check the sugar content on products by scanning the barcode with a smart phone. The launch of the app horrified parents as it highlighted the levels of sugars found in baby foods.The article today about the government app says that all baby foods have been removed from the app by Public Health England (PHE) as it was found that the app could not differentiate between good natural sugars and bad refined sugars. There is a major confusion amongst parents as to what really is healthy and what is not since even large amounts of natural sugars are bad for children.

On the health front it was particularly interesting to read that scientists are developing a 10 minute DIY test for cancer. David Wong, a professor of oncology at the University of California said it is possible to detect tumour DNA Circulating in bodily fluids with 100% accuracy.The test is entering clinical trials and it is hoped that it is approved in two years. The test is thought to be able to detect all types of cancers. I think this would be an amazing breakthrough.

I always leave the any inserts and magazines that come with the paper till last. This week the Sunday times have launched The Sunday Times magazine. Glancing through the magazine, I was most interested to read an article about " The Life Project, which began in 1946. The study is a portrait of tens of thousands of peoples lives in Britain. The study is very interesting highlighting topics about peoples lives and the effects it has on them. The "how to live well article " follows cohorts of children from 1946 to 1990. It shows things that were learnt from people's lives and how they are helping in shaping our future. You can read about The Lie Project:The Extraordinary story of Our Ordinary Lives by Helen Pearson.

Being a foodie I love reading the recipes, I am loving all the amazing food features and the droolworthy photos and recipes.This week's magazine had a refreshing blood orange and rosemary juice recipe and a Chestnut pancake recipe. I immediately fell in love with both and I have added them to my short list of recipes to recreate.

The Sunday Times paper with all the extra magazines is not just a paper for me its plays an important part in my Sunday relaxation routine. You can also get a digital pack of the Sunday Times, currently there is a special subscription offer of £20.00 for 13 weeks.

This post is in collaboration with the Sunday Times.

Kaju Katli ~ Indian cashew nut sweet

Kaju Katli is a very popular Indian sweet that is eaten all over India. It is a fudge type sweet made from powdered cashewnuts cooked in a sugar syrup and then left to set. This year for valentine's rather than gifting the traditional chocolates, I made this delicious sweet for my other half. Although I cannot say it's a healthy treat since it has sugar in it but at least it does not contain lots of clarified ghee that most Indian sweets contain.

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Kaju Katli

by Nayna Kanabar February-14-2016

A traditional delicious nutty Indian sweet.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Cashew Nuts
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup Water
• 1 pinch Cardamom Powder (Optional)

Method:

1. In a pan dry roast the cashew nuts for 2-3 minutes on low heat but keep them moving and do not let them colour.2.Remove the cashew nuts from the pan and let them cool.Once cooled grind them to a fine powder I used my Froothie Optimum 9400, it made the job super quick.3. In a non stick pan add the water and sugar and bring to boil until sugar has melted. Simmer the sugar syrup until it reaches one thread consistency.(108 degrees C)4. Once the sugar syrup has reached one thread consistency, add the ground cashew nuts and the cardamom powder and keep stirring the mixture on low heat until the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan and comes together into a soft ball.5. Remove the mixture from the pan and allow to cool until you can handle it. Knead it to a soft smooth dough and then roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper to 5mm thick. Once it has cooled cut the Kaju Katli into diamond shapes.(This is the traditional shape of the Kaju Katli) NB- I did not add cardamom powder to my mixture as I like my kaju katli to have a pure white look, cardamom powder tends to show small black specs)

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 20 pieces

NB It is important to grind the cashewnuts to a fine powder, I used my Optimum 9400 which is a powerful blender that grinds, pulses, chops, grates, cooks and makes icecreams at a flick of a switch. You can read a review about my Froothie Optimum 9400 here.

At the moment  the Optimum 9400 is available at a special offer introductory price of £339 which includes a 30 day trial so that you can return it back postage free if you are not totally satisfied with it. I love options like this because I feel that if I do invest in a gadget I want peace of mind that I can be100 percent happy with it.Also being a brand ambassador for Froothie any one purchasing through this post can you can get  Extra 2 years warranty to get this use the code "Special Ambassador Offer" on purchase

Vegetarian Hot Pot

I love cooking and when I am creating an authentic recipe, I like to recreate it as true to the recipe as possible, right from the ingredients to the traditional cooking process and the traditional utensils that are used in cooking. In many countries a lot of authentic recipes are cooked in earthenware and clay pots .Using this type of utensil and the slow cooking of the recipe gives the recipe a flavour that is second to none.

When I was travelling around India I saw most of the villages using clay pots to cook in. The flavour the pots imparted was amazing and made the dish really homely. I was very tempted to buy them but since the pots were not treated in any way I was worried that they would not work well on the gas and electric hobs we have in the UK. The clay pots in India were also made with the rounded bottoms to sit on an open fire.

Three years later my search for Clay pots was still on after returning to the UK, but I am pleased that I have now discovered Sapori a line of cookware created to meet the needs of people wanting to cook without compromise and are looking to enhance flavours of their cooking whilst discovering traditional recipes.

With Italian know how in the field of cookware the pots are made from High Fire Stoneware clay to provide the best cooking technology. The pots are beautifully made and coated with ceramic glazes and they have a non-stick double layer of corflon coating. The Sapori pots are also suitable to be used directly on the hob, in the traditional oven and also in the microwave. The pots will require treating the first time you use them but this is highly recommended to increase the lifespan of the pot.

The Sapori range comes in traditional white or red and you can get a variation of sizes in the pots. The range includes small bowls and dishes, potato pots, shallow casserole dishes and deep stock pots and a tagine too.

The pots are beautifully crafted and will great in any kitchen. I have really enjoyed cooking in my Sapori pot and can’t wait to add more of the range to my collection.

I created this wonderful mixed bean stew in my Sapori pot and it was cooked to perfection.

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Vegetarian Hotpot

by Nayna Kanabar February-3-2016

Mediterranean vegetables layered and cook in a delicious tomato sauce with a layer of crispy potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 1 Large dutch aubergine cut into thin slices
• 2 Green and Red pepper diced
• 2 Medium Carrots peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 Medium red onion finely chopped
• 2 Cloves of garlic finely minced
• 3 Medium potatoes peeled and finely sliced
• 4 tablespoons Bread crumbs
• 400 g Precooked butter beans
• 400 g Chopped tinned tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Chilli powder (optional)
• 3 tablespoons Olive oil
• 10 Cherry tomato cut in halves

Method:

1. In a frying pan add 2 tablespoons of oil and shallow fry the aubergine slices in batches. Keep them aside.

2. Add the potato slices in boiling water and blanch them for 3-4 minutes. Drain and pat them dry and keep aside.3.In a pan add 1 tablespoon oil and saute the onions and garlic for 1-2 minutes, next add the carrots and peppers and saute them for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the chopped tomatoes with the juice and then salt, pepper, turmeric, chilli powder, black pepper and oregano. Cook for 5 minutes 5. Stir in the drained cooked beans and mix through. 6. Take an ovenproof dish (I used my Sapori casserole pot)and add half the tomato sauce, Add a layer of aubergines and sprinkle with half the bread crumbs. Add a layer of potatoes.7.Repeat the layering again until you finish with a final layer of potatoes.8. Brush the potatoes with a little oil and scatter some cherry tomato halves on top.9. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C 35O degrees F and bake the hotpot for 45 minutes or until the potatoes start to crisp up and turn slightly golden.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 20 mins Yield: Serves 4

No Bake Energy Balls ~Secret Recipe Club Challenge 18th January 2016

This is my assignment with the Secret Recipe Club.The aim of the club is that you are allocated a blog from which you have to select a recipe and try it and blog about it. For the month of January my assigned blog is Happy Go Lucky The blog is written by Kara, not only does the blog have lots of recipes  but it also has lots of DIY ideas that are fun to create. I really enjoyed browsing through her blog and wanted to try out all the arts and craft posts but since the secret recipe club is about food I have book marked and will try out the craft ideas at leisure.
Having over indulged over the festive period it is time to get back into shape for the new year.This means eating healthy regular meals. Kara's No bake energy balls were the perfect  for on the go breakfast idea. I recreated them using similar ingredients that I could get in the UK.

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No Bake Energy Balls

by Nayna Kanabar January-18-2016

Delicious cereal and nut balls that are perfect for snacking.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Dried strawberries chopped
• 1/2 cup Dried Papaya chopped
• 1 cup Quick organic Oats
• 1 cup Maple and Pecan crisp (Cereal clusters made with oats, crisped rice & maple flavoured syrup, garnished with chopped pecans and almonds)
• 1/3 cup Honey
• 1/2 cup Almond Butter

Method:

1. Add the honey and almond butter in a large glass bowl and microwave on medium for 30 seconds.2. Add the oats, dried fruits and the maple and pecan crisp into the melted honey and butter and mix together till it all sticks together.3. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and keep aside.4. Pinch walnut sized balls of the mixture and form round balls. Place them on baking tray and make all the balls.Store in an air tight container.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 1 mins Total time: 16 mins Yield: 18 Balls

An InLinkz Link-up

Swede Soup ~5-2 diet

The weather has taken a turn and it's really wet and cold.On nights like this I love to enjoy a heart warming bowl of soup. This soup is simple to make very very economic, vegan, low in calories but absolutely delicious.

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Swede Soup

by Nayna Kanabar January-12-2016

Creamy and delicious swede soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium Swede peeled and diced
• 1 Medium Potato peeled and diced
• 2 Spring Onion finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon White Pepper
• 1/3 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 250ml Water

Method:

1. Add the diced swede and potatoes into the ThermoCook and add 250ml water. (Alternatively you can cook the soup in a pan on stove top)2. Set the thermocook on smooth soup setting and cook on auto.3. Once soup is cooked stir in the salt, pepper and ground cumin and adjust seasoning to required taste.4. Transfer the soup to serving bowls and garnish with finely chopped spring onion.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: 2 servings

Suitable for 5-2 diet

Calories per serving	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
92	18	1	3	589	7

I cooked my soup in the ThermoCook which I have been trialling. I love the versatility of the ThermoCook.

What is the ThermoCook?

ThermoCook is a multi-function cooking appliance that has loads of functions. It consists of a large 2 litre stainless steel power blender that blends as well as cooks and steams.  It has over 20 functions that include stirring, steaming, kneading, cooking, blending chopping, whipping, mixing, emulsifying and milling.

The Optimum ThermoCook includes auto-programs that are pre-set to make Smoothie, Quick Soup, Thick Soup, Chop, Sauté, Stir, Steam, Stew, Warm, Reheat, Boil, Yoghurt, Rice, Porridge, Kneading. You can also use the ThermoCook to create your own recipe and save the programme to come back to it again and again.

If you like the sound of the ThermoCook this is what it comes with:

• 30 Day Money Back Guarantee – Includes Return Postage

• 2.0 Litre detachable stainless steel jar for blending and cooking 

• Butterfly and kneading blade 

• Stainless steel blade assembly 

• Large 70x50mm LCD screen 

• Separate Precise Glass Scale 

• Soft silicon rubber spatula 

• Simple pre-set auto programs and unique DIY program 

• Adjustable timer and temperature gauge 

• Dishwasher proof (non-electrical parts only) 

• Comprehensive recipe book 

Currently the ThermoCook is on special offer at £495.00, it may sound steep for a gadget but trust me it really does do everything it states and much more. You can actually prepare your whole meal using this one gadget.Think of all the washing up you will save.

If you want to take advantage of this awesome gadget you can check it out here.