THE KITCHEN AFFAIRE

We love Mediterranean food. After Thai and Italian, Mediterranean wins our vote :) Well, I am not sure of this order though. :) Fadi's and Kasra are our current favorite Mediterranean eat outs. We are yet to try other new places. Nothing can beat the rich and creamy Hummus at Kasra. Nor can anyone beat the awesome Lentil Soup from Fadi's. But friends, if you think someone can, do let us know. We would loveee to try it out :)  So today, I was all determined to turn the first night of the long weekend into a Mediterranean night.  I was all pumped up to cook a perfect spread. ahem ahem. Or at least a near to perfect spread. hi hi. ;) Cmon guys, it did turn out good. :) In fact, I successfully made Pita Bread, Tahini paste and Hummus . Whistle whistle!!! :) And the yummy spread was celebrated with a second round of wine ;) Here is the recipe for you guys out there :) All thanks to this Mediterranean website - > DedeMed . Ingredients Flour - 3 C +...

How can I even dream of having a Pita bread without this yummy creamy dip --> Hummus of course. :) Like many other cuisines, Mediterranean was also introduced to me by my hubby dear. He loves Hummus and now, me too :D And thats how I ended trying to make it at home. Ingredients Yogurt - 1/4 C Garbanzo Beans / Chick Peas - 2 C Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste) - 1/2 C Lemon Juice - 1/2 C Garlic cloves - 3 Salt - 1/2 t Citric acid - 1/4 t Water - 2 T Mint Leaves - a few For garnishing Parsley - 2 T Cayenne Pepper or Paprika - 1 t Olive Oil - 1/4 C Method   In a food processor, add the garbonzo beans, garlic, lemon juice and salt, blend until smooth.  Next add yogurt, tahini, water, citric acid and mint leaves. Spread the hummus in a plate and garnish with parsley, cayenne pepper and olive oil. Serve with pita bread.

The first time I heard about "Chipotle" was from Arun. Now I am an ardent fan of "Chipotle" too, like him. :D Chipotle Mexican Grill is a fast food restaurant chain. The name "Chipotle" means dried jalapeno chilli pepper in Spanish. For us vegetarians, this is a very relishing cum healthy fast food option. It is at "Chipotle" that I had "Gaucamole" for the first time. "Gaucamole" is a spanish dip and I have to say that it was awesome. It looked a lil' too green but it tasted too good and reminded me of "Mike Wazowski" (Monsters Inc.). :D Try this out folks. You will love it. Ingredients Avocados - 1 Jalapeno pepper/Green Chilli - 1/2/1 Red onion, chopped - 1/4 Cilantro, chopped - 2 T Lime juice - 1/2 t Salt - 1/4 t Method Shell out the avocado pulp into a bowl. Add rest of the ingredients into it and mash until it forms a smooth paste like consistency. Adjust lime juice & salt to taste. ...

Ranch, Thousand Island and Garlic Sauce are few among the many popular dips that I have tried and loved. But the only problem with these dips is that they are made up of creamy fatty products. This restrains me from feasting on them. And thus starts my hunt for healthy dips. :D My first stop was at Soma's eCurry. And I have to say the Tomato Lentil dip tasted great. Thank you Soma for this easy and tasty recipe. Ingredients Chana dal- 1/2 C Tomato- 3 Garlic- 2-3 Cloves Oil- 1 T Red dry chili pepper crushed- 1 T Salt Black pepper- 1 /2 t Curry Leaves- few leaves Lemon juice- 1 t Method Heat 1/2 t oil in a frypan and lightly roast the lentils till they are golden and just starting to have spots on them. Set aside. Heat 1/2 t oil in a frypan. Add garlic and dry red chili and let them heat up together. If you are going to roast/broil the tomatoes in the oven, half the tomatoes and drizzle this oil on the tomatoes and broil/roast till the tomatoes are c...