Lapsi or broken wheat(dalia) halwa and 2 awards

Lapsi is a sweet halwa or porridge made from dalia or broken wheat or bulgar wheat or cracked wheat, known by diffent names in different region. This is very similar to semolina or suji halwa and very easy to make. Lapsi is nutritious as it is unrefined wheat, therefore high in fibre and manganese. It is a famous sweet dish of Indian state of Rajasthan. It is also very nutritous for infants who has just started eating soild. I make this for my toddlers and they love it.

Ingredients :

Dalia or broken wheat : 1 cup
Milk : 1 cup
Sugar : 1/2 cup
Solid Palm jaggery : 1/2 cup (shredded)
Cashew nuts : 1/2 cup(chopped)
rainsins : 1/4 cup (Chopped)
Cardamom or elaichi powder : 2 tsp.
Ghee : 2-3 tblsp.

Method :

• Heat the ghee in a pan,add broken wheat or dalia. Fry stirring coninuously till it's golden in colour.
• Add enough warm water to cook. Lower the flame or allow to cook. Otherwise, I cook in the pressure cooker. It cooks fast.
• When broekn wheat is done, add milk, sugar and jaggery, Stir continuously, otherwise it tends to stick to the pan. Add as per your taste. Finally add chopped cashew nuts and raisins. Mix and remove from flame.
• Lastly, after removing from heat, add cardamom powder. Serve in room temperature or cold.
• Decorate with rainsins, almonds or any kinds of nuts or dessicated coconut.

Ok, with this sweet note, I want to complete one long pending work...i.e., my new blogbuddy, Sayantani of A Homemaker's Diary, has passed me 2 awards about 1 month back, one of them "Kreative blog Award", which I received earlier from other blogpals, another one is "beautiful blogger award", but It was a sheer pleasure and a great achievement to get from you, Sayantani, as you are one of the talented and creative blogger with a warm personality in the blogosphere. I am delighted to get to know you, dear.Thanks a lot for sharing with me, Dear Sayantani....

Now, I want to pass these awards to these 7 wonderful bloggers :

Deepti of Panchamrutham

Priya of Priya's Easy n Tasty recipes
Parita of Parita's World 
Indira of Krishnakolee'r Kitchen 
Sudeshna of Cook Like A Bong 
Pari of Foodelicious 
Shanthi of Shanthi Krishnakumar's Cookbook

Microwave Homemade Tomato Soup

One of the best gastronomic delights in the world is sipping spoonfuls of steaming hot, savory tomato soup. It is a comfort food that is both delicious and healthy. Especially if it is made out of fresh, ripe red tomatoes. You can get 40 percent of your daily vitamin C requirement from a single tomato. Plus, it is also rich in potassium, vitamin A, and antioxidants such as lycopene.
Tomatoes get their luscious red color from lycopene. Lycopene is a carotenoid, which is a natural food pigment that occurs in vegetables and fruits. Lycopene is not produced in the human body, hence it is essential to get it from dietary sources. Tomatoes have numerous health benfits other than having lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidants, that helps fighting cancers. Tomato is a good blood purifier, so consumption of tomato everyday helps in improving skin texture and color. tomato is a natural antiseptic, so it can help protect against various infections. Nicotinic acid present in tomatoes help to reduce blood cholesterol, thus helps prevent heart diseases. Tomatoes help dissolving gallstones. And tomatoes contain large amount of Vitamin C, provides 40 % of daily requirements.

Another interesting point is that lycopene is absorbed more efficiently by the body when the tomato is cooked or processed, and not when it is consumed raw. So, the best way to get benefits of Lycopene from Tomatoes, is to make a warm, hot Tomato soup that will not only delight your taste buds, but also give you the health benefits you need.
This time, I tried to make tomato soup in Microwave, it was quite easier than I expected, in less than 30  minutes you'll get a healthy and nutritious tomato soup to indulge...try it out

Ingredients :

Ripe tomatoes : 4 (medium)
Carrot : 1

Onion : 1(medium)
Garlic pods : 2(crushed)
Flour/wheat flour/corn flour : 1 tblsp.
Milk : 1/4 cup
Sugar : 1 tsp.
Salt and black pepper to taste

Butter : 1 tblsp.

Method :

• Cut tomatoes in quarters or in halves. Cut carrots in small chunks. Slice onions lengthwise.
• Place tomatoes, carrots, garlic and onions in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in high for about 5-6 minutes until veges get soft. Take out in between and stir to avoid foods to burn.
• Cool and puree mixture in a blender, adding a little water about 1 cup. Strain the mixture to remove tomato skin and seeds. Set aside.
• Now, in another big bowl, melt butter in microwave. Take out, and add flour, stir briskly. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Then add milk slowly stirring continuously to avoid forming of lumps. Microwave for 2-3 minutes on HIGH or until thick. Stir in between. 
• Take out, add the pureed tomato mixture. Mix well with the white sauce. Add sugar and season with salt and pepper. Then microwave it for 2 minutes.
• Stand it for 2-3 minutes and remove from oven. Garnish with little butter and crushed black pepper.
• Serve hot with grilled sandwiches or with croutons.

Sending this piping hot soup to Sara of Sara's Corner who is hosting this month's MEC : Soups , event started by Srivalli of Cooking 4 All Seasons.

And to another event Healthy Inspirations event - Soups , hosted by Usha of Veg Inspirations