How to make perfect homemade Salsa!!!

Are you in love with Mexican? Do you want something with your tortillas or tortilla chips? Are you looking for how to make homemade SALSA? Then you are at right place. Today, we are going to discover the simple but delicious recipe of making salsa.

There are lot of variations of Salsa!!! You can make cooked salsa or uncooked salsa. Here we will make some uncooked salsa. so no cooking required.

INGREDIENTS:

3 Ripe tomatoes or plum tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 Medium onion, finely chopped
1 Jalapeno or Chili pepper, finely chooped
2-3 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
2 tablespoon of lemon/lime juice
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste



PREPARATIONS:

• In a bowl mix together the tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, cilantro, and lemon/lime juice. Season it with salt and black pepper. Cover it and put it in the refrigerator to cool before serving. Serve it with tortillas or tortilla chips.
• You can remove the pulp and seeds of tomatoes before chopping them. This will make your salsa more chunky and less watery. If you remove the pulp, add more tomatoes to the recipe. Tomatoes give the major volume to your salsa, so do not hesitate to put them in the bowl.
• You can use red onions or sweet onions. Red onion add different flavor and color, so do the sweet onions. It is just your choice, preference or availability. 

Looks Yummy!!!!!! Isn't it!!!! Make it for yourself and upload your pics and share your experiences!!!!

Few must have's in your Refrigerator!!!!

FEW MUST HAVE'S IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR!!!

This is an article about few things you should always have in your refrigerator to deal with last minutes guests or spice up your food. Whether it is summer or winter, day or night? These are going to help you round the year, round the clock.

• Lemons or Lime: They are the panacea of all, from beauty fixes to food. Mix lemon juice with sugar to make homemade scrub for your body. Squeeze lemon or lime on our food for a little tangy taste or put it in water for refreshing drinks. Decorate your cocktails / mock-tails / or drinks with a wedge of lemon or lime. Do not throw the peel, keep it in the fridge to bust the smell. There are so many uses of lemons or lime, that I just decided to write a separate blog on it. 

• Tomatoes: Always keep tomatoes in your refrigerators. They not only colors to your salsa but also taste to your food. Cut your tomatoes, few drops of lemon, add sugar and salt to taste and you have homemade salsa to serve with chips. You can add onions, peppers, and chilies to add flavors and colors.

• Cilantro or Coriander: It is a very versatile herb which add flavor and taste to your food. Make it in form of chutney or paste, or just garnish salads, pastas, rice, entrees with it. It gives you endless possibilities. You can chop them or just use the leaves, it is totally up to you.

• Pasta Sauce: They are not only great for preparing pasta dishes on short notices, but also works great for entrees. There are lot of variation in the market, from veggies to cheese to meat. Pick the one appeals to you and try them differently. Use as a pizza sauce or add it to sauteed vegetables. If you are a big fan of curry and do not have time to sauteed onions and tomatoes, add spices, kidney beans or garbanzo beans and water to pasta sauce. Heat it up for 15 minutes and your curry is ready. Garnish it with cilantro and serve with rice. (NOTE: I am not advertising for 'Classico'. You can use any brand.)

• Frozen Veggies: I am a big fan of fresh vegetables, but believe me sometimes a packet of frozen corn or peas was a life saver for me. Microwave them and you have a vegetable side just in minutes. You can add them in your salsa or salads. I add frozen vegetables to my pasta to make it more healthy. It tastes great and I get my vegetables without worrying about them. (NOTE: You can select any brand. There are some brand which are organic.)

• Cheese: It doesn’t necessarily matter what flavor—you just want something you can quickly slice or cut into one-inch cubes. Take the cheese out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature before serving, which brings out its flavor. Add it to salad, or serve them with crackers. Add them to your tortilla chips, microwave for 1 minute, and here are you nachos with cheese. 

• Yogurt: This one is my favorite. They make a wonderful side dish in minutes. Add you leftover salsa or   any vegetable. (If you can eat it you can add it to yogurt. I mean do not use raw beans or potatoes, boil them). Add a little salt and sugar,  add some water, garnish it with cilantro, and serve. Add fruits and some sugar and get a instant dessert. 

• Eggs: Do not forget them. Boiled eggs, half boil, omelette, French toast, etc. Endless possibilities of tons of quick fixes. For beauty fixes: put egg white on face as homemade mask, or whisk it and put is on your hair as conditioner. 

These things will give you lot of options as well versatility to your cooking. If you have any other suggestion, do not forget to post it in comment box. 

5 Easy and healthy choices!!!

5 Easy & Healthy Choices!!!!

Whether you are looking to loose weight or gain weight (I know it seems crazy to lot of people, but I know people who are trying to gain weight) or maintain weight, you always want to stay healthy and eat healthy. Eating healthy has a lot of long term benefits (like keeping your health issues and doctor away, hence lowering your medical bills), but it also shows its effect immediately (like reducing skin problems, glowing skin, addressing weight issues).

These are very simple 5 choices that you can make in your daily eating habits to start your healthy day today!!!

• Water is life:   Try to take 3-4 glasses of water each day. Yeah, you don't have to take 8 glasses. Juices, tea, curry, soups, fruits and vegetables are great source of water in your diet. If this is the case, how will I know how much water to drink? Great question, now here is the answer. If your urine is clear, you are properly hydrated. However, if it is not; it is time to hydrate yourself with water or other  things which has water content in it.

Will Soda count in it? Unfortunately, YES. Here is a trick. Substitute your soda cravings with a glass of water. A normal soda has about 100 calories on an average. So if you substitute three soda a week by glass of water, you are cutting down around 16000 calories/year, which is about 5 pounds/year. 

I drink Diet ones?  They are only good if you count calories. They have high Sodium content, which results in water retention in our body, which leads to weight gain and high blood pressure. 

NOTE: Add lemon/lime to give a little flavor!!! Healthy and refreshing!!! Lemon is good for detoxing purposes.

• An Apple a Day:  Fruits are a great source of vitamins and minerals. Oh, you don't like fruits or don't have time to eat them or include in your diet. My husband make the same excuses, "I do not snack, so when would I eat my fruits?" Start with a fruit a day. You can include them in your salads, desserts, or midnight snack. I give him fruits when he comes from his work, before his dinner. 

Try to get seasonal fresh fruits. You can get them from farmer's market or go to local seafood stores. Replace your midnight snack or dessert with a fruit. Toss your favorite fruit in salads. Make fruits and vegetable plate as appetizers. 

• Add Veggies: I know you are tired of this, but vegetables are very necessary in our diet. But they do not have to be only green. Yes, that's true. Why would we have so many colors is we need only green? Do not restrict to green, add colors to your salads, pasta, pizzas, and basically anything. 

Apart from good source of vitamins and mineral, they are also good in fibers. Fibers are very important in our diet. Fibers make us feel 'full' after meals. 

• Yogurt: If you in love with ice-creams like me, yogurt is a great low-calorie substitute. Try places like Yogurtland or Munchees. They have nice flavored yogurt with lot of toppings. Low calories and healthy choice. Yogurt has good bacteria which helps in digestion. Even the McDonald's Vanilla cone had 150 calories and low on nutritional facts, where as yogurt has around 100 calories.  

NOTE: If you do not want to go out, add fruits to yogurt in your refrigerator. Simple, economic and delicious dessert right there in your home. 

• Portion Size: Sometimes it is not about what we eat but how much we eat. I was surprised when my nutritionist showed me the portion sizes. Like a rounded handful - or about half a cup coked or raw vegetables or cut fruit or 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta. I know... I too hate portion sizes, but this is the truth.

Make a little change a day and follow it further. These little changes in your diet will help you remain healthy.

EAT HEALTHY!!!!

STAY HEALTHY!!!!

FEEL HEALTHY!!!!

First Blog Ever!!!

Welcome to my blog!

This is my very first experience of blogging. As a first time blogger, I am confused about what to write about. Ideas are endless. I can start writing about relationships, food, weight issues, creativity, ideas about saving money, and many more. I think that's it..... I am going to start from these only, things that are related to us on a daily basis. 

Let me tell you a little about myself, so as a reader you know where the blogs are coming from. I am a young married women, living in the Los Angeles. I was born and brought in India and come to US for my college education. I completed my Masters' in Marriage and Family Counseling from University of Florida. Oh yes, I am a gator. 

Now you may be thinking what inspired me to do blogging!!! Due to my Visa (H4), I am not allowed to work in US. Moreover, I am not ready to give a 4-year commitment to a place for PhD. So, after marriage, I was managing my home and husband :). After 4 or 5 months, I started looking for things to keep myself busy when my sister-in-law suggested me to write my ideas in the form of blogs. So I decided to go ahead and give it a try. I have a lot of time in my hands and can utilize it to express my thoughts and get the feedback from others. 

If you want me to write about somethings in particular, leave your comments or feedback. You can also email me at blogbymenu@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you.

Keep blogging!!!