Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni

'Surya' as we all know means 'Sun' - the supreme light.  Hindus worship Surya as the visible form of god that one can see everyday.  The popular Surya namaskara which is performed at the rising of the Sun is a mode of worship in which ten yogic postures are performed one after the other constituting one namaskara. This same Surya plays such an important role for me here (in this season esp) :-p... OMG never had I worshipped Surya god nor remember reciting his shlokas as much as I do now LOL. Am sure it sounds silly but have realised the importance of Sun now. Alarm goes off in the morning,  get ready leave for work in the dark and return home in the dark. Hardly feel the light. P is waiting for those few hours in a day when he can scooter, bicycle or play in the garden. The clothes on the airer which never appears to get into their place :-p. It looks like even Surya wants to rest now :-p... Oh no we are missing out on the Sunshine :(:( .

 I was lucky to have Mr.Surya yday almost the whole day as my guest ofcourse ;). Kitchen was sparkling and gleaming and attracted me in :). To my surprise the lazy lady vanished and here comes the culinary queen ;);). The Sunlight feels so good and welcoming - it energises you to accomplish anything you want, believe me! I guess  that's the reason facing east is considered good for promising deeds. So I was in a maha mood to spice up our meal. I tried 2-3 dishes and turned out presentable! Here comes my first try out...

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

Serves - 4 to 6     Preparation time - 10min     Cooking time - 1 hour

Ingredients
For the Napoli Sauce
Olive Oil - 2 Tbsp
Tomatoes chopped - 400 gms
Carrot grated - 1
Parsley chopped few
Celery stick chopped - 1/2
Basil Leaves handful chopped
Garlic clove crushed - 1

For the filling 
Spinach chopped and cooked - 500 gms
Ricotta - 300 gms
Egg beaten - 1
Cannelloni tubes
Parmesan grated - 2 Tbsp

Method

• Firstly heat Oven to 190C. Heat the Oil in a pan, add the Garlic, Carrot, Parsley, Celery and fry till golden brown.
• Then add the Tomatoes and Basil. Add half cup of Water and mix well. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
• For the filling, mix the Spinach and Ricotta with the Egg and Parmesan. 
• Spoon this mixture into the Cannelloni tubes and place in the buttered baking try.
• Then add a layer of Napoli Sauce on the top and bake for about 30 - 40 minutes.
• Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni is ready to be attacked!!!

Wishing you all lots of Sunshine and warmth :)

Broccoli & Cheese Balls

Time has come for Ramanya - as my lil brat says for Ramayana. Ramayana is added to his favourites along with the Peppa Pig, Super why, Jake and Neverland Pirates........ This half term holidays made him inquisitive about the story of Ramayana. With Deepavali around I was trying to explain him about the importance of the festival and the way it is celebrated bla bla bla....like any other parent. I took this opportunity and started telling him the snippets of Ramayana. OMG to my surprise he came up with so many Q,  I started smiling so that I could think about the answer ;). Why did Rama go to the forest? How can Sita wear a deer's skin as her dress silly Sita he said....Why is Hanuman's mom face not like monkey face? Jatayu is a bird how can he speak?
Obviously I wanted to convey him only the good part of Ramayana as I felt that was appropriate for a 4yr old kid. Now I too got a bit confused as to should I tweak the Ramayana and say Rama's dad asked him to go and thats why he went and move on.......knowing about bias and so many wives etc might be a bit too much on a pre schooler. Am sure moms with little boys/girls would have had such exp. Please share your views and comments on this so that we all could read and enjoy those innocence....
Here comes one of our trials during holidays - For all those cheese lovers enjoy this yummy dish!

Preparation time : 10 minutes      Cooking time : 15 minutes      Makes : 15 Balls

Ingredients:

Oil - 1 Tbsp
Onions finely chopped - 1/2 Cup
Garlic grated - 1 tsp
Green Chillies finely chopped - 2 ( optional for kids)
Broccoli finely chopped - 1 Cup
Cornflour - 2 Tbsp
Potatoes peeled, boiled and mashed - 3/4 Cup
Salt to taste
Mozzarella Cheese cut into 1 inch cubes or Paneer cubes - 15 Cubes
Bread Crumbs for rolling
Oil for deep frying

Method:

• Heat Oil in a pan, add the Onions, Garlic and Green Chillies and saute for few minutes.
• Add the Broccoli and saute for another 5 minutes till Broccoli is almost cooked.
• Take off from flame, add the Cornflour, Potatoes and Salt and mix well.
• Divide this mixture into 15 equal parts and shape it into a flat round.
• Press a bit in the centre of each round to make a depression, place the Cheese cube in the centre and roll again to form a ball.
• Roll these balls in the bread crumbs.
• Meanwhile heat Oil in a pan, deep fry these balls till golden brown in colour. Drain them on a Kitchen roll and serve hot!