OOh LaLa Diner- Week 1

Someone is back in her game . Our in house restaurant Red Rose run by Shruthkirti has reopened again . This time with a new name - OOh LaLa Diner . The sisters worked together to put up an excellent dinner - Chief Chef Shruthkirti with the able assistance of her sister Shreedhari who also doubled as a waitress. Ideas were borrowed from the Forest Feast collection .
Shankar Ratneshwaran and I were strictly out on " customer mode" and were advised to take it easy for the evening . 

They made a yummy dinner from scratch - braided garlic bread , asparagus pistachio pizza from store bought pizza dough , Greek yogurt parfait for dessert . Drink on the side was mint ginger lemonade . Feeling so full and content . 😊
I'm always intrigued to see Shruthkirti eventually return to her cooking / restaurant business after exploring a ton of other stuff . For months she indulged in exploring home made make up products followed by a "mad scientist" phase . Cooking beacons her again . Starting her ownYouTube video channel is on the wishlist . Being the A type personality that she is , I also know that it would be a full time commitment for me ! 😉
Gearing up for much more action to come . But for now , content with a full stomach from a yummy dinner made by my sweetheart .

https://www.facebook.com/sangi.shankar/posts/10210460865614676

OOh LaLa Diner- Week 2

https://www.facebook.com/sangi.shankar/videos/10210537635053864/

This is shruthkeerthi blogging here. Today I made banana mufffins or as I like to call them banana banana muffins. So I am going to tech you how to make the best egg-less and homemade  banana muffins ever! You can also use this recipe for banana bread just grease your pan before starting. 

Indigents
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar 
1 banana ( substitute for eggs )
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

Directions 
  
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. 
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. 
2. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.


                                                 I love this recipe and I hope you like it to.
           
                     
                                                                       ENJOY

04/17/2016: Cracker Dosas

Last week while making dosas for her sister , Shruthkirti got an innovative inspiration and made bacon strips, funny faces and cracker dosas . Couldn't take a snap of the others before they got gobbled by her sister, but the cracker dosa I managed to. She crumbled crackers and mixed it with Dosa atta.

April 7, 2016 - Restaurant Calling :Pasta and tofu salad for lunch from Red Rose

So when Shruthkirti got back from her morning HS classes she was in a mood to cook and declared that Red Rose was open and was catering to lunch. We decided to " eat out" at the restaurant and ordered a blueberry & honeydew melon smoothie, a tomato vegan pasta and a vegan salad. She made them so well  all by herself with no help from anyone and " delivered " it at home. The salad was especially very yummy- tofu, avocado and onion salad with a dressing of coconut cream, paprika and salt. Very yum!! 

We all enjoyed it thoroughly while watching a documentary on how the Beauty and Beast was based on a real story of a man suffering from hypertrichosis in Austria. An awesome afternoon all in all. 

March 17, 2016- Cooking falafels

Ever since my MIL is visiting from India , we have been cooking and introducing her to various world cuisines. After Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, American and a plethora of vegan foods, it was now our turn to make Mediterranean food . So we chose falafels in a pita wrap.
I made homemade falafels with a twist and of course someone promptly jumped in to help me and her grandmom. Substituted fried falafels with baked ones, the couscous tabaoulleh with a millet one and instead of yogurt served a sun dried tomato cashew dip.
 Shruthkirti helped with making the hummus and cashew dip in the Vitamix .
Everyone loved the new , improved, healthier version of this amazing Mediterranean food and Shruthkirti learnt yet another valuable lesson in the art of substituting and tinkering in the art of making vegan food.

March 30, 2016- The Pull of Innovation : Blueberry tea

Shruthkirti invented blueberry tea. She squeezed juice out of a cup of frozen and thawed blueberries, boiled water, mixed the two and added honey. The result was really yummy!