Day 3 - 30 days to Better Food Photography

I have been following "Learning Food photography" site by Neel past 1 year. If you are amateur like me this website is starting point for food photography.  Last month he announced an challenge/event called "30 days to better food photos". I signed up immediately to participate in that challenge and I am glad about my decision. Today is the 3rd day of the challenge. Last two days assignments were more of observing and taking notes. Today is the first day where I started experimenting what I’ve learnt from assignments/posts.

Today's topic is composition and angle of the food for taking better food pic. Here are the pics that I took using different angles.

Out of all the angles my favorite one was top angle (90 degree angle for this picture)

Appreciate if you can provide constructive feedback.

Drink: Mango, Orange Lassi

Simple Black-eyed peas salad

To keep the tradition of posting healthy snacks posting this simple yet protein filled snack.



Ingredients:

1 cup black eyed peas -Soaked for 3 hours. If you are short on time like me just soak for 15 mts and pressure cook with 1:3 water with pinch of salt. If you soaked for 3 hours then water ratio should be 1:2
1 small onion -finely chopped
2  thai chilies/jalapeños finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tomato- finely chopped
salt as per taste
1/2tsp chaat masala (optional)
1tsp lemon juice

Preparation:

Pressure cook soaked black eyed peas with pinch of salt. Cool and drain excess water from cooked black eyed peas. In a large bowl add cooled beans, chopped onion, chopped tomato, chopped cilantro, chopped chilies, salt, chaat masala(spice powder) and lemon juice. Toss and mix well. Adjust spices.

Enjoy healthy snack along with tea or have it as lunch or dinner.

Guilt free, Uncooked Date Nut fudge

How many of you can stop eating an evening snack? I cannot :(  Evening snack with a cup of tea/coffee is my weakness. To feel less guilty I just try to make healthy snacks most of the time. Today's snack is one of those guilt free snacks. It just takes 10 mts to prepare these yummy fudge.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups of chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup of walnuts roughly chopped
1/2 cup of almonds roughly chopped ( You can add any other nuts like pistachios/cashews too.)
pinch of sea salt (optional)


Procedure

Step 1: In a food processor, process all nuts coarsely( I like it coarse. If you want you can finely process)
Step 2: Remove the nut mixture and keep it aside.
Step 3: In the same food processor / indian mixer,  process chopped dates coarsely. Now add nut mixture pulse till you achieve dough consistency. ( you can check by pressing the dough into your hands and it should hold together. )
Step 4: Add dough on the parchment paper or wax paper on a baking sheet or pan and distribute the mixture evenly and press with your hands until flat and firm.
Step 5: Keep baking sheet in the refrigerator for few hours to chill. Cut into whatever the shape you want and store these yummy fudge in air tight container.

These can stay fresh for 10 days in refrigerator.







Sending this recipe to  Healthy Me and Healthy Us event hosted by Priya .

Vegan Zucchini bread

Last week my friend brought me organic zucchinis from farmers market. Looking at fresh zucchinis first thing that came to my mind was to make zucchini bread.  Since last week was my volunteer work at Shiridi Sai baba temple I decided to make this bread vegan so I could distribute it in the temple. I am glad that everyone in the temple loved it and wanted me to share the recipe. 

Here is the recipe for the same





Ingredients:

3 cups of all-purpose flour
2 tea spoons of Organic vanilla extract
2 cups of grated zucchini
3 flax eggs - ( 1 flax egg-- 1 tbsp ground flax seeds into 3 tbsp warm water. mix and keep it aside)
1 tea spoon baking soda
1/2 tea spoon baking powder
1 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
1/4 cup of dried cranberries
fistful or 1/8 cup of raisins
1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 tea spoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tea spoon nutmeg powder
1/4 tsp salt

Yields 2 loaf pans or 1 loaf pan and 24 muffin cups.











Preparation:

Pre heat ove 350 degrees F. Grease loaf pans. ( I used on loaf pan and one bunt pan)

Dry Ingredients:
Sift flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, spices(nut meg and cinnamon).

Wet Ingredients:
In a large bowl beat  sugar, oil, once sugar is dissolved slowly add flax eggs and beat. Once mixture turns into creamy add vanilla extract. Now add zucchini and mix well.

Now add dry ingredients to the creamy mixture(wet ingredients) slowly and mix well. Add nuts and dried cranberries, raisins and fold the batter.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 40 mts or till tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. I always keep my timer for 30 mts and check if it is still not done and increase the time to 10 mts interval so that I don't burn the cake/bread

Cool the bread on a rack for 20 to 30 mts or till it cools completely.
Yummy and delicious bread is ready to be served.

Cut the bread in slices and serve..

A perfect evening snack for a rainy weather -- Fritters or Bajji

There is something about the rains; it always brings the child out in me! The pitter-patter of the rain drops on my window makes me want to snuggle up on my couch, with a hot cup of tea/coffee and just watch out of the window.

Just like the rain water cleanses mother earth, I feel cleansed from within with new hope and a longing to try out something new or maybe something old. And what better than good old Bajji/ Onion Fritters.



Here is the simple and easy perfect snack for a rainy day.




Ingredients:

1 cup of all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1tsp of jeera/cumin seeds
1 big or 2 medium sized Onion finely chopped/ or julienne
1 small piece of ginger finely chopped
2-3 green chillies cut into small pieces (As per the spice you can adjust ) this can be replaced with red chili powder as per your spice level.
Salt
Oil to deep fry



Preparation:
In a bowl add all purpose flour,chopped onions, chopped green chillies, ginger, cumin seeds ,salt, baking soda with water like a thick batter. Keep it aside for 10 - 15 mts. In a frying pan heat oil.
Once oil is hot use your fingers to drop batter in the form of fritters in hot oil or use spoon to drop the batter in the oil. Using laddle turn the fritters so that fritters cook evenly. Fry them till they turn golden color on medium heat. Once fritters turn golden color remove from oil and keep it on paper towel. This helps to absorb excess oil.

Serve it hot with ketchup or any chutney. Perfect evening snack for a rainy day.