Soulful Creations

Wow, I actually made it. Next time I need to tackle the challenge as soon as I can but what can I say, I am only putting to action what Mark Twain said-  "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow" Only I always seem to be scrambling to finish the project at the last moment..not next time though. So the January 2010 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-free graham wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca. Luckily, I made the dough before I went on a little trip to Las vegas (that is right, I did not gamble!!!). So it was sitting in the fridge for more about 2 days (thankfully, the dough did not grow tiny feet and walk out the door). I did not make the gluten-free version mainly because I am on a pantry-emptying free and did not want to add new things to it. So I followed the recipe from 101 cookbooks For

For quite a while, I have been interested in learning about different cultures especially their cuisines. I have decided something- there are about 195 countries in the world, most recipes in a given region seem to differ only slightly from their close counterparts, so this year I intend to cook (Vegetarian food, of course) dishes from different countries. Sort of compare and contrast in my mind the cuisines from different regions, you know. As a start- I present to you, a tandoor bread from Azerbaijan (akin to our naan) and tomato-yogurt soup from Afghanistan (akin to tomato kadhi) The recipe for Tendir Choreyi (tandoor bread) is modified from AZ cookbook Ingredients 1 package (1/4 oz / 7g) dry yeast 1 ½ cups (12 fl oz/375 ml) warm water 1 tsp salt 3 cups bread flour, plus extra for kneading 1 tbsp caraway seeds 1 egg yolk, for brushing 4 tsp nigella seeds Method Mix yeast with water until the yeast dissolves. Add the flour to a large bowl. Mix in salt and carawa

I promise.... Anyway a wise person once said- "A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand", and no, the wise person is not me! I made different kinds of cookies this past year and this post is kind of delayed. 1. The bell-shaped cookies are scraps from Linzer cookies I made- recipe source here . 2. Ooh, that is the box I hand delivered the cookies in... 3. Bottom left are the citrusy orange sable cookies- recipe source here . 4. The gorgeous Australian Pistachio-ginger melbas- recipe source here . I am sending the orange sable cookies and Pistachio melbas to the cookies and cakes event hosted by Mahima of Indian vegetarian kitchen . On to the recipes, shall we? Orange Sable cookies Ingredients 1 1/4 cups slivered almonds 1 cup confectioners' sugar 6 tbsp crisco and 6 tbsp unsalted butter  3 tbsp finely grated orange zest (2 to 3 oranges) 1 tsp clove powder 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 1 large egg 1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice 1 1/2 c

Hello everyone, Like most people, I am back after a short break. This past year has been wonderful in terms of the new recipes that I got to try and quality of my posts and photographs (even I could see some improvement!).  More than posting on my blog, I love reading post from great foodies- thank you to all those who keep my enthusiasm to cook going! I hope this continues on in 2010 too and that I become a better blogger in terms of my writing, photography and posting frequency. So let the fun begin y'all... If you ever get bored with my food blog, which I am sure happens once in a while, please do drop by my avatar's blog , I assure you not that, that would be any interesting either!