Chocolate Biscuit Cake - Royal Wedding Special

The whole day today, there was only one thing on the television - the Royal Wedding. After watching it for a while, I felt I was part of the celebration. Then I saw the groom's cake and it looked so delectable. So me and my little ''Princess" decided to make this. Aishwarya was a big help; she was happy mixing the butter, sugar and the chocolate, though she sneakily licked some of it :-). Aishwarya tried out her Karate in breaking the biscuits to pieces. This worked out well and we had a nice after dinner dessert.
Original Recipe is from Oprah, courtesy to Darren McGrady, the former Royal Chef.
Ingredients:

8 ounces tea biscuits
4 ounces unsalted butter , softened
4 ounces granulated sugar
4 ounces dark chocolate , for the cake
2 tsp milk
8 ounces dark chocolate , for coating (optional)
Method:
Line 3 individual dessert bowls with cling-wrap film, such that the cling-wrap film is extending out.
(If you are planning to make it as a single cake, use a 6" x 2 1/2" spring-form pan. Grease the sides with 1/2 tsp butter and line the bottom with parchment paper.) Break each of the biscuits into almond-size pieces by hand and set aside.Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl. Melt the 4 ounces of dark chocolate  by double boil method, adding 2 tsp milk. When the chocolate is cold enough add it to the butter mixture while constantly stirring. Fold in the biscuit pieces until they are all coated with the chocolate mixture.Spoon the mixture into the prepared bowls. Make sure there are no gaps while filling.
Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
Optional: If you want to give your cake a beautiful final touch, coat and decorate after removing the cake from the refrigerator.  Pour 8 ounces of dark chocolate over it after taking out the cake from the bowl. Or just dust it with cocoa powder as I did.

Sending this to "Cooking with your Little Sous-chef "Event  at Sugar'N Spice

MAITRI! Strawberry Banana Friendship Smoothie

When Priya and Rashmi, the brains behind the MAITRI movement asked if I would be interested in joining this friendship chain of food bloggers, I didn't think twice before answering yes.

 So when I got my mystery friend, Divya's parcel with the mystery ingredient I was all excited to find out what it was. Along with the secret ingredient, Divya had also sent me a cute Wilton Bunny cookie cutter along with a sweet little card! Thank you, Divya for the lovely gifts and the wonderful card!

I could make out that the mystery ingredient was flaxseed meal, though I never used it in my cooking before. Thanks to MAITRI for expanding my cooking horizon!

Ingredients:
1  banana
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons flax seed meal
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 cup Strawberries, sliced
Method:
Cut banana into small pieces and place into the blender. Add the  milk, flax seed meal, and honey. Blend on lowest speed until smooth, for about 5 seconds. Gradually add the strawberries while continuing to blend on low. Once the strawberries have been incorporated, increase speed, and blend to desired consistency.Serve with a scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt or whipped cream.
Sending this over to  Saffronstreaks seasonal indulgence – series summer coolers event and Ticklingpalates  Fun N Sun event

Upside-Down Double Apple Muffins

I am not a morning person. I don't like to miss my beauty sleep to get up and make breakfast for my family. So make ahead breakfasts are the norm in our house. Of these, apple muffins and banana muffins are the favorites. This recipe uses apple sauce as well as apple - hence the name. This is a healthy breakfast that gives you your proteins, fruits and carbohydrates all in one go. And of course, you can make this ahead of time.
Recipe Source:Mott's 
Serves 12
Ingredients:
2 medium apples
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs water + 1tbs lemon juice
½ cup raisins (or cranberries)
4 tbs butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup apple sauce
1 egg
1 ¾ cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Method:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Cut apple in half and remove core. Cut each half into slices approximately 1/8-inch thick. Stir together brown sugar and water in medium saucepan. Add apple slices. Cook, stirring gently over medium heat, until apple slices are softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle raisins in bottom of lined muffin pans. Arrange apple slices over raisins, drizzling with brown sugar sauce. Set aside. In large bowl or mixer, beat butter with granulated sugar until thoroughly combined. Add apple sauce and egg. In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Gently blend into apple sauce mixture. Spoon batter over apples and raisins, spreading evenly. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool 15 minutes before turning muffins out onto wire rack to cool completely.
Sending this to Show me your muffin event at Dil Se

Yin Yang Tofu

Tofu is a relatively young ingredient in my repertoire. It has only been 10 years since I had started using this in my dishes. Whenever I come across a new recipe for tofu that I think will suit our tastes, I gives it a try.
This is a variation of the recipe that I got from Martin Yan's Invitation to Chinese Cooking. I substituted some of the ingredients with what I had in my pantry. It turned out true to its name - one half soft and sweet and the other robust and spicy. It was indeed a harmony of flavors, colors and textures.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
For Yin sauce:
1/3 cup vegetable stock
3 tbs oyster  flavored sauce (vegetarian)
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp pepper

For Yin Tofu:
1 tbs cooking oil
14 oz. firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2" cubes
5 oz. spinach (or you can use button mushrooms, sliced)

For Yang Sauce:
3 tbs white vinegar
2 tbs tomato  ketchup
1 tsp soy paste
1/2 tsp chilli-garlic sauce
1/2 tsp sugar

For Yang tofu:
1 tbs cooking oil
14 oz. soft tofu, drained an cut into 1/2" cubes
5 oz. spinach (or you can use 2 oz. frozen peas and 1/4 cup water chestnuts, sliced)

Method:
Combine the ingredients for the yin and yang  sauces in separate bowls. Place a wok over high heat. Add 1 tbs of oil, coat all sides of the wok. Add firm tofu, spianach and the yin sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 2 minutes. (If you are using mushrooms, water might come out when cooking, in which case add 1 tsp corn starch mixed with 1 tbs water to make the sauce thick.)
Once the sauce thickens, place it on one side of the serving platter.
Clean the wok and place it over high heat; add 1 tbs oil and coat all sides of wok. Add the soft tofu, spinach and the yang sauce. Repeat the process just as in the case of yin tofu. Place the prepared tofu on the other side of the platter and serve.