Pad's Veggielicious Den (2025)

24/01/2025

Good Morning people
A travel plan which got finalised in less than five hours ( with ‘n’ number of phone calls) has left both of us with a ‘Soul stirring n Profound experience!’…
“THE MAHAKUMBH”
Have done so many road trips, and travelled to many countries… but this journey to, ‘The Mahakumbh’ has been a life changing experience!
‘The Mahakumbh’ is an unbelievable spectacle of Religion, Culture and Tradition!!

Stay tuned to my posts of my Spiritual journey from Jan 17th to Jan 22nd!!
_the_backpackers

20/12/2024

Good Morning Friday

The Sun is still struggling to show up😒from the cloudy n smoggy Sky!

An espresso shot is the best for this kinda morning…Espresso provides a quick and concentrated burst of caffeine to kickstart the day👍🏼
And when you have a freshly baked batch of Vanilla Muffins in your pantry…the combo is so gratifying!
Have a blessed day

18/12/2024

Morning all

Winter has set in here at Hyderabad a week back…waking up to foggy n cold mornings!
A hot cup of herbal Tea is best for wintery mornings.

Feeling the blustery winter's chill and dampness or the feeling of a cold or chest cold coming on? Turmeric chai is a quick n healthy remedy.
Turmeric is rich in Curcumin, a compound which has strong
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
‘Golden Spice’ is in all the Indian kitchens…’TURMERIC’

Ginger n Turmeric along with a few roughly crushed Peppercorns is all that is required for the herbal tea.
Use the back of a large spoon to peel the fresh Ginger n Turmeric roots and then roughly chop the roots into small pieces.
Add the above along with a tsp of roughly ground Black peppercorns to water (depending on how many cups you need) add bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.
Strain this golden elixir into your favorite mug and add a dash of Honey n a few drops of fresh Lemon juice.
Gingerly sip and let the ingredients percolate and permeate your body’s ecosystem!
Ain’t it easy?

08/12/2024

Morning folks
Woke up to a rainy morning here at Hyderabad and the weather is really pleasant.
Today’s breakfast in my home is Poha with a healthy twist
🧑🏻‍🍳…
2 cups home made fresh Coconut Milk
3 cups thin variety of Poha washed well
Salt to taste
Finely chopped Cilantro for the garnish

Seasoning:
1 tbsp Sesame oil
2 tbsp Peanut halves
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Mustard seeds
5 Birds eye dried chillies (we bought in Sringeri )

Add the Coconut milk to the washed Poha and let it soak in it for a good 10 minutes.
Add the hot seasoning over the Coconut Poha, salt to taste n garnish with Cilantro.
Give a good mix and serve.
It was delicious and yes ..the chillies were thoroughly enjoyed by my dear hubby.
Happy weekend people🤗

07/12/2024

Good Afternoon people
We are all talking about how Plastic is polluting our environment but how many of us are doing our little part to make the environment better?
A simple initiative was taken by the local veggie vendors and they stopped giving poly bags for veggies. They asked the people to bring their own bags(which we both always do) and I really felt happy about it…but this happiness was short lived!
The vendors were back to giving poly bags/ covers and the reason was they said some customers insisted!
How pathetic indeed!
But one man is really helping the environment…’Akshayakalpa’
(Remember I wrote about our farm visit at Akshayakalpa?)
Veggies are packed in broad dried leaves and tied with a jute string like good ol’ days. His entire team is sincerely working and following the management’s instructions.
It is high time we all wake up before it is too late and be aware of what we are leaving for the future generations.
Our attitude towards plastic and other pollutants has a direct impact on the quality of life for the future generations!

29/11/2024

Good Evening people
Reached Sringeri on Nov 26th evening but got busy visiting Temples.
The drive from Tumkur was simply amazing!
Coffee plantations all along the way, with Coconut n Areca trees lined on either sides of the road.
Passed by Chikmagalur to reach Sringeri and wow the freshly brewed Coffee tasted so good.
A few lines of this Coffee land…
The first Coffee crop in India was grown in 1670 in the Baba Budan Giri Hills. Later, the Coffee industry flourished in India and became the primary source of employment in Chikmagalur.
Today, Chikmagalur is popularly called 'the Coffee land of Karnataka'.
Since we both love Coffee, we stopped by and enjoyed every sip at two Coffee shops.
And guess what…I had my cuppa with an air-fried spicy Okra!

After our Temple visit, we headed to buy some Arabica Coffee Beans
‘’Arabica Dominance"…Chikmagalur is primarily known for producing Arabica coffee beans, which are prized for their smooth, nuanced flavor and aroma. The Arabica beans grown in Chikmagalur are often considered among the finest in the world!

26/11/2024

Morning people
Left Tumkur and headed to Sringeri by 7.40 am
The roads are great, no pot holes etc but yes, quite a few stray dogs!!The roads on both the sides are lined up with Coconut n Areca trees.
Time for breakfast and we could see the dosa tavas and idli steamers from a distance in an open mini tempo .
As always on the roadsides, such food trucks are a family activity. The couple were all set to serve hot breakfast and we were lucky to be their first customer of the morning. They welcomed us in all smiles and in less than a minute told us what all breakfast dishes were ready!
We prefer Idlies when in South cause it is healthy n steamed good.
When we saw the size of the Idli, I was 😳.. it looked like the Father of idlies!! It is ‘Thatte Idli and it was super soft n we could have just one each which was delicious.
Took pics n headed for a hot cuppa Filter Coffee at Koustubha Restaurant.
Now, back on the road to Sringeri.. enjoying every bit of our trip and filled with ‘Gratitude’

25/11/2024

Good Afternoon folks
Attended a typical Andhra Wedding at Bangalore. Had an amazing time, met ol’ pals n made loads of new friends!
Had authentic Andhra food served on Banana leaf and had lots of fun.

16/11/2024

Morning Saturday

What’s cooking today from my farm visit greens?
It is the fresh n dainty aromatic Dill leaves tossed in Potatoes and garnished with Salt n a dash of Turmeric powder.
The slightly cooked Dill never looked so green!
If you’ll have an Organic farm close by, go n buy fresh produce.

About Dill leaves….
Dill is a green leafy vegetable that has incredible therapeutic benefits.
It belongs to the Celery family and though it is mostly native to the Mediterranean region and Southern Russia, it is extensively cultivated and used throughout the world.
Known as Suva Bhaji in Hindi, fresh dill sprigs have a strong flavour and an appealing dark sea-green colour. Owing to it’s mild citrusy flavour, dill leaves or the seeds of dill can often be employed as a condiment spice, used as a dressing for salads, flavouring agent to add taste to soups and curries and much more.
The quarry of antioxidants and vitamin C present in this herb has been used since ancient times to battle germs and shield the body against various infections.
So, go ahead and include Dill leaves in your dishes👍🏼

15/11/2024

Good Evening people
Bought a bag full of organic Veggies from Akshayakalpa farm after the farm tour.
Made creamy Hummus and had it with boiled Beet slices and I must say Beets never tasted so good!
Our farm visit was worth it and we have decided to go once a week and buy freshly harvested veggies n greens.
Have a nice evening

13/11/2024

Hey folks
Got a bit busy and couldn’t find time to post the Almond Cake recipe.
So, here it is…

Ingredients:
Step 1..
3 cups All Purpose Flour /Maida
2 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
Mix all the above and set aside

Step 2..
1 cup flavourless Oil
2 cups Yoghurt
1 1/2 cups Brown sugar
Few drops of pure Vanilla
Mix all the above to a smooth consistency and set aside

1 cup mix of Almonds n Walnut bits tossed in a tbsp of flour
Now, gently add in the dry ingredient mix into the yoghurt mix and mix in one direction. Add in the Almond n Walnut mix.
Pour the thickish batter into a greased baking tin and set to bake in a pre heated oven at 180 deg C for 30 to 35 minutes or till a skewer comes out clean.
Once the bread comes to room temperature, serve warm n thick slices with a hot cup of Coffee.
This combo is pure Heaven😋

09/11/2024

Good Morning folks

Woke up to a lazy n calm Saturday. Skipped breakfast and sat down to have an espresso shot after the routine morning chores (which are never ending)
Did a bit of reading on ,’Espresso’ this morning and here I am sharing with you’ll.
The history of espresso is a rich and fascinating journey …it’s humble beginnings in the coffeehouses of the Arabian Peninsula to it’s rise as a global cultural icon!

WHERE DOES THE WORD ‘ESPRESSO’ COME FROM?
Considering all those Italian inventors, it’s no surprise that the word espresso comes from… Italian!
Espresso is the past participle of the verb, ‘Esprimere’, which means
‘press out’.
This verb stems from the Latin exprimere, which means ‘press out’ or ‘squeeze out.
Angelo Moriondo invented the first ever espresso machine and made coffee using both water and steam.

Caffè espresso is the full Italian name for this punchy maestro, although it’s often called ‘espresso’ for short. The caffè espresso first appeared in the Italian dictionary in 1920 for Luigi Bezzerra’s invention.
Bezzera invented the world’s first single-serving espresso machine. This speedy device made strong coffee in just 30 seconds and could make it per uno! Bezzera introduced the portafilter to the espresso machine, plus several other espresso machines.
But, again, there was an issue because Bezzera’s machine used pressurised steam, which only produced a limited amount of pressure.
Entered Giovanni Achille Gaggia in 1938, this supersmart Italian invented the ‘Lampo’ system, which made espresso coffee using hot water pressure rather than steam. Previous espresso makers could only climb up to 1.5-2 bars of pressure. Now, 8-10 bars (and awesome coffee) were totally possible!

Pad's Veggielicious Den