Lemon Balm Tea

Adrenalin Rush

"The world is like a ride in an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it's very brightly coloured and it's very loud and it's fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time and they begin to question: "Is this real, or is this just a ride?" And other people have remembered, and they come back to us, they say, "Hey, don't worry, don't be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride." And we kill those people"

-- Bill Hicks

Cup of Tea scented with Lemon Balm growing on my patio to soothe the nerves. And with this I admit that Big Sis S has way more spunk than me.


Lemon Balm is a citrusy and fresh scented herb with a delicate lemon scent. A leaf or two in my tea is perfect for a relaxing evening. Known for ages as a medicinal herb, lemon balm has mild sedative properties and has been used to relieve gas, reduce fever, and increase perspiration.Fresh sprigs are used to top drinks and as garnishes on salads and main dishes. Fresh or dried leaves make a refreshing tea, either iced or hot.

I have not used it for any other purpose though it is a beautiful herb with huge potential. Check out this link for more details

This beautiful herb goes out to WHB # 195 hosted this week by Dhanggit's Kitchen.

Grilled Portabella and a Salsa Soup

I am done with my challenge, it ended on Saturday. I had a glorious lunch to go to on Sunday so I ended it one day early, no harm done.

It was really good this time and I did not crave or miss anything at all. The meals were simple and yet we ate a lot of veggies and also heart-healthy fish. I stuck to eating no grains, no processed food, no sugar and almost no meat. I did bend the rules and ate out on two nights. One day it was salad, the other day a chicken vindaloo which we ordered home. I think bending the rules a bit and also a simpler meal plan helped to do the whole thing without any stress and accept it as a life style instead of one week fling.

If you ask me about weights, honestly I did not weigh in, neither before nor after. The weighing machine at home has given up after umpteen weighing of suitcases whenever the parents are here and gets totally messed up if humans are aboard. The gym whose weighing scales I trust was not visited.

I know I am nowhere near the target weight which the BMI calculators predict for me, man I would rather grow vertically than reach that pathetic low weight. But I do feel lighter and better, I think a week of restricted good eating does that to you anyway. The best thing is I have lost in inches, I can feel it , really.

Ok and the real proof of the pudding is in I could gracefully fit into the saree-blouse my Ma got stitched for me and sent over last week. This is no mean feat if you know my Mom and my blouse fitting saga.

My Mom is a health freak and is either exercising or eating small portions of healthily cooked food. She wasn't always like this but her arthritic knee has made her very watchful of her and consequently my weight. She gets my blouses stitched by the tailor whose template is from my wedding days. So most of the time I am huffing and puffing to get into those wry pieces of fabric which think I am Malaika where in real life I maybe Mayawati.

Now I am not sure if the tailor lost his original template but this time his creation was a much easier fit. A reward worthy of the challenge.

Before I go into the recipe I would like to make it clear that the no-grain diet is not necessary the best thing to and will depend on the individual's health and such factors. As some of the readers have asked, whole grains are definitely good for you in small portions.

Basically the No-Grain Diet is based on the idea that meals high in grains, sweets, and starches promote elevated insulin levels, causing you to become hungry soon after you have just eaten. This is referred to as a "grain addiction" - when the cravings trigger you to eat more of the "wrong foods" and a harmful cycle ensues. So getting rid of the grains reduces your carb cravings.

Back now to two more recipes which are much welcome in our home on no grain days are a Grilled Portabella Caps and a Salsa Soup. I have no pics for the Salsa Soup but trust me, it is a wonderfully tasty soup.


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Grilled Portabella Caps

Remove stems and wipe portabella caps clean with a damp paper towel. Combine Olive oil, Lime juice, Sambal Olek or Hot Chili Garlic sauce, little Honey, Garlic salt and Red Chili Powder.Brush the dressing on the outer side of the mushroom. Place mushrooms on their backs, with dark "gill" side up on the grill. Brush dressing over gills. Grill, gill sides up. serve whole or sliced.

The Salsa Soup is a quick recipe from here. Check the original link for measurements. I made a total vegetarian version with little changes and no Tortilla Chips but papad

Salsa Soup

Heat Olive Oil in a deep, heavy pan. Add a pinch of red pepper and about 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds to the oil and stir briefly.
When the cumin sizzles, add chopped onion and fry till soft.
Now add your salsa. Note: Either home made salsa or the jar will work. If you like it hot add chili powder or use a HOT salsa.
Cook the salsa and oil together for couple of minutes, stirring constantly so that it does not burn or stick.
Add the black beans, and the corn. I used a can of black beans.
Next, add the organic low sodium vegetable stock and stir all to blend well. If you don't have stock use plain water, add salt to taste.
Bring this mixture to a full boil and reduce heat to medium low.
Add Lime juice.
Simmer the salsa soup until the corn/bean is completely cooked .
Turn off heat under the cooking vessel and stir in a bunch of chopped cilantro.
Ladle your finished salsa soup into individual soup bowls
Stir in avocado chunks on top . Toss a bit of cheese on top of that.
Top with a few tortilla chips or papad.

Edited on 01/18/2011: Today I made this soup with a speedy homemade salsa. In a blender add
1 firm good quality tomato roughly chopped,
1-2 clove of garlic,
2 hot green chili pepper
a little cumin powder
Process till chunky to get your own salsa. Add some minced coriander to the prepared salsa.It was delicioso.Use this for the soup.





I will be on a break until next week. I haven't been able to visit blogs as much as I would have liked to the last week and the trend will continue for the next week or two. I am sorry but I will be back.


Trivia: Aztec lords started to make a mixture of tomatoes with chili peppers and ground squash seeds as early as 1521. They used it as a condiment, to be eaten alongside turkey, venison, lobster, and fish. It was Alonso de Molina who first gave the name ‘salsa’ to the mixture, in 1571.

Fish Kolhapuri and even a Paneer Kolhapuri

What are meal plans if not to be altered ? So after eating grilled and baked for two consecutive days my heart was craving something fiery. I found that D survives such stuff better, me I want spices in my life.

And then there was this jewel red, fragrant spice that had just arrived.Like a new bride it sat in my pantry, shy and coy, fiery from inside, waiting to be introduced to the rest of the family. I too was waiting for an opportune moment, to make memories out of the first introduction.

To make things more clear lets cut and do a flashback.

Few weeks back Dear Nupur of One Hot Stove had a generous giveaway at her blog. Of the millions who responded I was one. I didn't hope to win. Winning by luck is not my forte, I have better chances when hard work is involved.

So of course I did not win. But life is not totally unfair and there are extremely nice judges like Nupur who will mail losers and ask them if they want the prize even though they have lost !!! And what a prize, the jewel red, fragrant spice from far away Kolhapur, the authentic Kolhapuri Masala.

Cut to present. So yesterday I tossed the idea of baking salmon and made a Fish Kolhapuri with salmon instead.
I picked up this recipe but altered it because I was using the pre-made Kolhapuri Masala. I also got helpful and prompt tips from Nupur on using the masala, the right way.

Fish Kolhapuri with salmon was the best salmon dish we have had till date. With the sweet fresh water fishes that I love, this dish can only get better. It was rich in texture, gorgeous in color and very flavorful and fiery in taste.

Fish Kolhapuri and Dal Fry again flavored with Kolhapuri masala was our meal yesterday night. The challenge is still on but now it more flavorful.

I still had some of the masala paste remaining and since S loves Paneer, I made a Paneer Kolhapuri exactly the same way I made the fish. It was delicious to say the least.

Thanks Nupur. This is a spice mix we will treasure for ever.

If you don't have access to the Kolhapuri Masala, you can make your own from Nupur's blog or this recipe. You can also follow the original fish recipe and make the dish but I bet mine was more flavorful with that gorgeous masala.




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Fish Kolhapuri

Marinate the fish pieces (10-12, 2" x 2" pieces of salmon) in 1 tsp of garlic paste, 1 tsp lime juice, Red chilli powder, salt and 1/4 cup yogurt for half hour or more. Note: use any fish of your choice here.

Meanwhile heat oil in a frying pan/Kadhai

Saute 1 cup of chopped red onion till it is soft and bordering on light brown

Add 1 medium tomato chopped and fry till tomato turns soft and mushy

Add about 1/4 cup of grated coconut and fry for couple of minutes. I used frozen, use fresh if you can.

Add 2 tsp of Kolhapuri masala and mix well. Note: This quantity was enough for me, add more or less if you want more or less spicy

Cool the above and blend the whole mixture to a paste with aid of a little water. You need a thick paste so don't add too much water.

Heat some more oil and gently add the fish pieces. Lightly brown the fish pieces on both sides.

Add the prepared masala paste and saute for a minute

Add salt, a little water for the gravy and simmer over low heat till fish is cooked

Adjust for seasonings and garnish with finely chopped coriander.

Paneer Kolhapuri

Cut paneer in small cubes

Heat oil in a frying pan/Kadhai

Add the paneer cubes and lightly brown them on both sides.

Prepare a masala paste as above in the fish recipes

Add the prepared masala paste, salt, a little water for the gravy and simmer over low heat till paneer is cooked

Adjust for seasonings and garnish with finely chopped coriander.