Announcing Event ~Lets Cook for Easter

April brings the celebration of the festival of Easter, with the long weekend its the perfect time to get together and cook up a feast for your family and friends. In this event I am inviting all foodies out there to ccok and link up your Vegetarian Easter dishes.(Eggs Allowed)


To Participate:

1.Prepare a dish vegetarian dish  (eggs allowed) please link your dish using the linky below by entering your Dish Name and Post URL
2.Please link this event announcement with your entry, this is mandatory.
3.Use of logo is  not mandatory but it helps to spread the word if you can post it..
4. Multiple entries are allowed, archived are only allowed if reposted and updated with this event link.
4. In the event of problem using linky you can email me the entry at simplysensationalfood@gmail.com

Please use this format
Your Name:
Recipe Name
Recipe URL
Image no larger than 300 pixels.

An InLinkz Link-up

Inito Restaurant Review

On Saturday a group of like minded food and lifestyle bloggers got together for a fab evening of food and drink at the Inito restaurant in Liverpool Street London , We were invited there by Nitin Dattani who is co founder of the place. 

Visiting Inito was like a culinary journey through the streets of India. The restaurant has been decorated with a "no frills" deco portraying an urban setting of an India dabba. Rustic wooden tables with benches and cushions, metal signs and corrugated iron and crates were tastefully placed to create an ambiance to give you a wonderful street food experience.

On arrival we were greeted and seated at our table by Bruce who is the brainchild of this amazing restaurant from the planning, setting the place up and for the amazing decor of the place. 

The menu has been created by Chef Saurav Nath, who has worked in Michelin star restaurants such as Benares and Gymkhana. We were told that we would be provided with a sampling menu, little were we to know that the evening was going to be a culinary marathon of amazing mouth watering  dish after dish.

As we awaited for everyone to arrive, we enjoyed refreshing salted and mango lassi's and as all food bloggers do, we started clicking photos of the place. Inito caters really well for vegetarians which made me very happy.

Soon our starters of Aloo chat, Masala dosa and Chicken lollipos arrived. The dosa were impressively crisp and the potato filling was delicately spiced and delicious. Chef Saurav was very kind and even shared his secret with me for the ultimate dosa batter and furthermore gave me a tubful to take home too. 








The vegetarians were also served Aloo Tikki chaat,  a spiced potato cake served with tamarind chutney, green coriander chutney and yoghurt chutney garnished with nylon sev.This was absolutely delicious and I could have stopped at a plateful of this only.

We next ventured onto a traditional street food Pani Puri which is served on every street corner in Mumbai. Small crispy puffed puris filled with a chickpea and potato filling and drenched with a spicy mint pani. In Mumbai it is commonly known for people to compete with each other who can consume more than 25-30 of this puffy snacks in one sitting!!!As each puri is popped into your mouth the street vendor makes you a new one, how he keeps account of how many you have eaten is a science of its own!!!

Next course was  Aloo papri chaat , a tangy potato and chickpea dish chaat served with lashings of tamarind and yoghurt chutney and garnished with crispy nylon sev a fried chickpea savory noodles. We also sampled  Bhel Puri another famous Indian street food made from puffed rice, masala peanuts, tamarind chutney and nylon sev. I found this a little spicy with slices of green chillies in it and had to gulp almost three cups glasses of water much to the surprise of my European friends!!

Already having devoured so much food , there was more to come yet as we were served Roti wraps, these were traditional Indian rotis filled with various different fillings. For the vegetarians there was the paneer wraps filled with delicious spicy paneer, spinach, kidney beans, tomatoes and lettuce drenched with a spicy sauce. The non vegetarians enjoyed a selection of prawn, chicken and lamb roti wraps.The Roti wraps were served with a platter of sauces.

At this point our stomachs were really feeling the tightness, but Chef Saurav was insistent that there was more to come. After a short break we were served succulent Paneer tikka and amazing Pav bhaji a freshly baked bun served with a vegetable ragout and garnished with delicately sliced onion salad.The non vegetarians enjoyed a patter of tandoori lamb, tandoori fish, garlicky prawns and chicken called Pav sliders.

With all these amazing food and flavors out taste buds were on fire. Never have I had such an amazing fusion of taste.The hospitality and service we received at Inito was superb and even when we said no more food now, Chef Saurav persuaded us to try the final main course before moving onto desserts!! 

The vegetarins were served Palak Paneer a wonderful spinach and cheese dish sauteed with cumin and garlic and Baigan aur mirch ka salan, aubergine and jalepeno sauteed in a peanut and onion sauce served with the most amazing vegetable biryani. I just wish I had had more room in my bursting stomach to eat the whole portion.The non vegetarians enjoyed Murgh Makhni a chicken dish cooked in a creamy tomato sauce and a lamb curry.The biryani was exquisite cooked in the traditional way in the oven with a dough covering to keep it succulent and moist making each grain of rice separate. It was served with a lovely cooling yoghurt raita.

At this point we were all on serious food overload, and the mention of dessert had us almost wising we had left room for it. However as Indian hospitality goes, the host will will not let you leave without feeling you have done justice to every dish so along came the desserts not 1 not 2 but 4 different desserts. 

First came the Auguri Rasamalai, delicate cheese balls in a sweetened milk sauce, garnished with pistachios followed by warm Gulab Jamun a fried round doughnut type ball soaked in a cardamon sugar syrup.Following this we were presented with a Garam masala chocolate fondant with Horlicks ice cream and a citrus sauce and finally cooling Rose and cardamom kulfi. What an awesome gastronomical experience we had. 

We would all like to thanks Inito for inviting us for this amazing feast. I can't wait to return to Inito again with my family. Next time I will limit my self to 3-4 dishes to give them full justice. 

If you would like to visit Inito you can find them at:
Inito 
31 Bell Lane
E17LA

Tel: 0207 2477145
I was invited to Inito for a meal, all views opinions and thoughts are of my personal experience. I was not asked to write a positive review. 

The bloggers who accompanied me to the restaurant are:

Manjiri Chitnis

Sylvia Filoz

Tina Chawla

Fiona Macclean

Madeliene Morrow

Andy Hatten

You can read all the other reviews here:

An InLinkz Link-up

Marbled Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins

print recipe

Marbled Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins

by Nayna Kanabar March-25-2015

Delectable cheesecake flavours in a delicious soft muffins.

Ingredients:

• 125 g Cream Cheese
• 150 g Plain Flour
• 175 g Caster Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 100 gCooks Dark Chocolate
• 50 g Butter
• 100 ml Buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and line a muffin pan with muffin cases.2. To make the cheesecake mixture, beat the cheese, 25 g flour, 50 g sugar, 1 egg and the vanilla extract. Mix together and keep aside.3.For the chocolate mixture, break the chocolate and place them into a heat proof bowl, add the butter and place the bowl over a pan of simmering water to melt the chocolate.Add the sugar and mix well. Remove the bowl from the heat and leave to cool.4.Sift the remaining flour and bicarbonate of soda on top of the melted chocolate in the bowl and add the egg and the buttermilk and mix well.5. Fill the muffin cases with alternate spoonfuls of the chocolate mixture , followed by the white cheesecake mixture. Using a cocktail stick swirl the mixture slightly.6. Bake the muffins in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Once baked remove the muffins from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 12 muffins

This post is in collaboration with Dr.Oetker, who want to inspire bakers to bake and to create recipes with their chocolate range. I have chosen this Marbled Cheesecake  muffin recipe which is from their selection of Chocolate recipes.
I have chosen this recipe over others as my family love both cheesecake and muffins and when I saw the recipe there was no better way to combine the two than in this delicious marbled chocolate cheesecake muffins.

Dr.Oetker are also inspiring everyone to get baking and enter their competition via twitter.
How can you enter??

Details:
 Dr. Oetker Twitter Competition

• Dr. Oetker is encouraging bakers to celebrate chocolate by making a yummy chocolate bake.
• Dr. Oetker believes that chocolate tastes even better when you share it, so they want to know who you’ll be sharing your chocolate bake with.
• To enter, just tweet @DrOetkerbakes a photo of a chocolate bake you've made and tell them who you'll be sharing it with, for the chance to win a deluxe hamper of chocolate products from Dr. Oetker using the hashtag #evenbetterbaking

I was sent a selection of Dr.Oetker chocolate products to create my chocolate recipe.

Vegetable Soup -suitable for 5-2 diet

print recipe

Vegetable Soup

by Nayna Kanabar March-23-2015

A delicious vegetable soup made with courgettes, mushrooms and potato with baby soup pasta.

Ingredients:

• 1 Courgette finely diced
• 1 Small red onion finely diced
• 2 Medium Mushrooms finely diced
• 1 Small potato peeled and diced
• 6 Medium tomatoes finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon Olive oil
• 500 ml Water
• 30 g Baby Soup pasta

Method:

1. In a saucepan add the oil and saute the onions until they turn pink, add the diced courgettes, diced potato, diced mushrooms and saute the mixture for 3-4 minutes.2. Add the water and the tomatoes and simmer the soup for 7-8 minutes until the vegetables are cooked. 3. Transfer half the soup to a blender jug and blend it to a smooth consistency.4.To the remaining soup in the pan add the pasta and simmer the soup for another 5 minutes.5. Transfer the blended soup to the pan with the rest of the soup and season the soup with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and serve the soup hot.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 2 servings

Suitable for 5-2 diet
This calorie count does not include the bread.

Calories Per Serving	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
208	36	4	11	664	12

Submitting to:
In my VEG BOX ~Courgettes event by citrusspiceuk and guest hosted by sliceoffme

Walkers Sunbites

I was recently sent a selection of Walkers Sunbites snack range to sample. In the Sunbites range avilable are crispy crackers, pitta bakes, crackers and dip and crispy snacks.
These bitesize snacks are simply delicious for nibbling on, perfect for lunch boxes or for that savory treat as they are 30 % less fat than ordinary crisps.They areavailable in most major supermarkets.

The crackers are available in cream cheese and chive, oven roasted onion, lightly salted and rosemary and sunripe sweet chilli flavour.

The oven roasted onion and rosemary crackers also come in individual packs with a pot of caremelised red onion chutney and sunripe sweet chilli flavour crackers come with roasted red pepper salsa.

I was sent a bag of cream cheese and chive crackers and an individual  pack of red pepper salsa and crackers. We really enjoyed the salta , it was delicicious with the crackers and had a lovely spicy kick.

The cream and chive crackers again were delicious, but we We did find that many of the crackers in the bag were broken so dipping them in the salsa to devour was a little difficult.I think this is due to the fact that they are very light and airy and despite good packaging they tended to break easily.





The Sunbites pitta bakes which come in 3 flavours Vintage cheddar and caremelised onion, roasted red pepper nad chilli flavour and oven roasted rosemary and onion flavour.

I was sent the Vintage cheddar and caremelised onion pitta bites which were moreish and delicious with perfectly balanced flavours. However the contents of the bag was very little and a lot of the pitta bites were broken. This did not deter us from enjoying them as I sprinkled the crumbs on top of salad to give it an added crunch.


We enjoyed the sunbite snacks very much and look forward to trying all the other flavours that are available in the range. We were sent these snacks to sample by Walkers, all the views and opinions in the post are true and unbiased.