October 2, 2007

SPOOKY EGGPRESSIONS AND A LENTIL SALAD


Spooky Eggpressions are my little fun entry to Bee of "Jugalbandi"'s brand new event called "Click". we are the clicking the "Eggs" this October. Thanks Bee!:))


Why? What? Where?
When Bee chose Eggs as the subject for this month's "Click", I immediately thought of making these Eggpressions. Of course, my kids gobbled these up sprinkled with salt and pepper and some eggs were added to dal too after I took the photos. No waste here!!
October is THE month for Halloween. When you have kids at home, Halloween comes VERY early for parents as you mommies and daddies know!:))
What better theme than scaring the heck out of Y'all good people with my spooky bleeding eggs with creepy crawlies coming out of everywhere?!:D
There are just hard boiled Eggs, cooked with my new little gadget "Microwave Egg cooker" which works very well and Eggs are decorated with Ketchup, Gummy worms, plastic Spiders, few black Olives along with a black cat and of course, a scary Pumpkin Dracula to protect the evil ones!!

My camera:
My trusted little cameras is Sony Cyber-shot with 8.1 Mega Pixels. I use Macro mode and auto digital Zoom to take all my photos.

My own Spooky Eggpressions with creepy crawlies!:))

Spooky Eggpressions


Another look:



Have fun!:))

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Lentil Salad, is my contribution to Hima of "SnackORama"'s event called "What's your favorite" with a theme of "Diet food" this month. Thanks for hosting Hima!:)




Diet food:
I personally have never dieted but you can always make your everyday lunches or dinners light, healthy and nutritional by choosing low fat, low calorie dishes which are high in Protein and high in Fiber and have smaller portions.Once in a while, go out or cook and eat whatever you like to your heart's content, smile and be happy!:D
Doctors advice that loosing 2 lbs per week as healthy and ideal rather than loosing 10 lbs a week, binge and gain all that you lost back and some more by crash dieting.Yo-Yo dieting has very bad effect on your heart and on your bones (risk of Osteoporosis). Use your judgment and remember "slow and steady wins the race".
Eating moderately and to have some kind of physical activity/exercise everyday would be more helpful to keep us healthy. To have a little bit of meat on your bones is quite okay too if you ask me!!:D

Whole red lentil salad:
Here is a light lentil salad for you. This recipe serves about 4 people. Salad recipe is adapted from "Complete Low-Fat cookbook" by Anne Sheasby.

Lentil Salad
About this Lentil Salad:
I used whole red lentils or whole Masoor as we call it in India for this dish. They are soaked and cooked until tender and mixed with lightly spiced onions and Lettuce and served with few Cherry Tomatoes, they make a great salad for a light lunch. Jalapeno and Cheddar Tortillas are optional. Nutritional values for this Lentil dish are at the bottom of the post. Enjoy!:))

What you need:


1 cup whole red lentil or whole Masoor, soaked for few hrs and cooked until soft but mashed and drained until dry. 1/2 a head of Iceberg lettuce (or you can use Cabbage too), thinly sliced into long slivers. 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar or any flavored vinegar like Raspberry vinegar(optional).
To season:
1 tbsp olive oil, 1 small red onion sliced into long slices, 2 garlic,sliced into rounds, 1 Bay leaf, 2 cloves, 1 tsp dry or fresh Thyme leaves, 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice,salt and pepper(or/and few red chilli flakes).

To make the salad:


1. Keep the lentils cooked and drained aside. Chop all the veg and onions, keep aside.
2. Heat olive oil, add bay leaf, cloves.When they puff, take them out and add garlic and onions. Saute until soft, slightly reddish.
3. Add thyme, lettuce or Cabbage, stir fry for 3 mins.You don't have to cook too much,still little crunchy to bite lettuce tastes great.
4. Stir in the vinegar, lentils, salt, pepper to taste.Heat thru' for a minute or two and take out.Add enough lemon juice to taste.
5. Serve with a warmed Tortilla,Toast and few Tomatoes or on it's own. Delicious!:)

Lentil salad per portion without the Tortilla has all these approximately:
228 Calories
4.38g Total Fat
0.44g Saturated Fat
0 Cholesterol
8.09g Fiber
and loads of Protein of course!!

One 12" Tortilla has;
210 calories, 5grams Fat, 3g Fiber, 6g Protein, 800mg of salt and 3g of sugar.

Enjoy the delicious and nutritious Lentil salad. Be healthy and happy!:))

78 comments:

Padma said...

Wow loved your entry of Click and yeah the sald looks so comforting...I have masoor in my pantry!

Saju said...

Eggs look egstreamly scary;)
Diet salad looks very tempting and filling

FH said...

Padma, Halloween is almost,thought we would have some fun!:D
Salad was yummy, very light and filling too.

Saju, you got scared for these! Wait until my Halloween post at FH in the last week!:D
Enjoy the salad:)

sra said...

Hey, that's cute! And that pumpkin has an extremely evil grin!

Laavanya said...

That's cool Asha.. the eggs look so scary (and cute) :) The lentil salad looks very wholesome and nutritious.

Mishmash ! said...

How creative is that !!!!!
I LOVED it!!! :)))

Shn

Siri said...

The eggs look scary Ashaji...:) but they are so cute..lovely entry .. and the lentil salad looks so comforting.. :D
Can I say diet food is all about salads and soups?..:D

Sia said...

oh!!!! those eggs look really spooky... especially the one with eyes...eekkkkkkkkk... :)

Richa said...

eeeeeks! those creepy crwalies!
u did a good job there!
loved ur salad, never used whole massoor for a salad, looks so good :)

Srivalli said...

Eggs look lovely Asha

Anonymous said...

you cooked whole eggs ( with shells )in the MW? the salad looks good asha! my mom too makes a similar lentil salad to be served with roast chicken!:)
paati

FH said...

Haha! sra, you should see the collection of evil things my kids have for Halloween! Tushar wants to be a Ninja and he bought all kind of knives and swords etc,plastic ones!:)

Thanks Laavanya. I loved the Lentil salad I had for yesterday's lunch!:))

shn, I thought it was perfect for Halloween season although it's little bit early of course!:D

FH said...

Siri, how boring, huh?
Yeah, but I don't know I can live with soups and salad girl.I will be dying for some good spicy comfort food after a week or so!:D

HeHe!! We ate half of those for dinner yesterday Sups.Yes, eyes, blood and all!:D

FH said...

Richa, thanks girl!:D
you can use any whole grain for this. Masoor cooks faster than others, so it's easy to make and digest too if I am not mistaken!:))

Thank you Sri. I haven't posted any here for more than week until today! That is the first time, a miracle!!:D

FH said...

Paati, that gadget is new.You have to fill the bottom part with water,place the Eggs on the grill like plate and close the lid.It takes 8 mins on high for 4 Eggs in the MW and cooks perfectly!! No more boiling the water and eggs for 12 mins. Really works!:))
Adding Lettuce to the Lentil tastes great too, I tried it for the first time and Thyme gives it a good aroma too.

Sig said...

Hehe those are some scary looking eggs asha.. I saw the pic and wondered if I was in a hole and missed halloween somehow...but you celebrate the whole month :)

I totally agree with you on the meat on the bones part... We do need some curves don't we? :)

KellytheCulinarian said...

Awww, I love the holiday eggs. They are so cute and much better than candy.

musical said...

Now thats so innvotaive and cute, Ashakka! Really cool for Halloween :-D. Like the pumpkin too :). The salad sounds yummy. Masoor daal is my favorite :). Oh, and the microwaving for eggs sounds great!

Anonymous said...

our entry brought smiles to our faces. thank you. i especially love that scary pumpkin.

Suma Gandlur said...

Though I don't buy eggs, I simply loved the way you decorated them.
I love the salad you made with that black kadale more.

FH said...

Sig, kids start harping about "Halloween" the day they start school in Sept and go on and on until it's finally over!:D
Yeah, Indian women usually can't escape from those "curves" anyway!;D

I agree with you Kelly. I am already dreading all the candies my kids are going to gobble up in about 3-4 weeks!:D

FH said...

Hi Musie, glad I found that Egg cooker too! It's so easy now for kids' breakfast,makes life lot easier than to struggle with boiling egge and water etc!:))

Hello Click people. Thank you!:))
Took quite a while to do all that, so I do appreciate your comment. It was fun too, so glad I did!:))

Suma, you can send any photo of Eggs, don't have to cook or buy Eggs.You are a great photographer, try and get one too:)
Kadale tastes great too, good for light lunch always, I sometimes make as a side dish too with rice and sambhar.

Anonymous said...

You are very creative Asha, eggspression are spooky cute. do your kids love to help you with this kind of stuff or just enjoy eating.

Tee said...

It is as spooky as it can get! ;) Very creative picture, Asha :)
I liked the lentil salad...super healthy and delish.

FH said...

Madhu, kids love to help but they were in school, so I made these. Last week this month, they will make something like cake or cookies!:))

Thank you Tee!:)
Good for light lunch too without that Tortilla.
Halloween of course is always fun.Enjoy.

TheCooker said...

The eggs are too cute!

J said...

Those eggs look evil!!! :D Love your salad, will try tomorrow and tell you how it turned!

Anonymous said...

Asha, I love what you've done with the eggs! What a great idea!

And, thanks for the wishes!

Unknown said...

The eggs are totally adorable!! I think the lentil salad looks pretty tastey as well.

Seena said...

Asha, loved the diet salad..and definitely the scary eggs too..:)

FH said...

Thank you TC, more spooky things are coming at FH this month!:))

Hi J, try the salad, add a little chilli flakes if you want, to the seasoning.Tastes great, enjoy!:))

FH said...

Manisha, thank you!:))
Have a great day girl, you deserve it. Enjoy, hugs to you!

Erin, thank you.It was creating them.
I loved the taste of salad, hope you try. Red lentils are easily available in any grocery store, they are so healthy too!:))

Thank you Seena!:)
Those Eggs were fun, kids enjoyed them after they came back from school!

Kribha said...

You are so creative Asha. My son was by my side when I read your post. He said "bug eggs" looking at your plate. When asked him if he wanted to touch it, he said ' uh ah I'm scared'. You really got his attention. Nice work. Loved your salad too.

FH said...

How sweet! May be he likes to do some too, I bet he loves it once he knows it's just Ketchup!You can use colorful jams as well:))
Let him try Kribha.My kids are older, so they just say "cool" and eat them up!:D

Suganya said...

Right on time for Halloween :)

Pooja Na(i)rayan said...

I loved your blog. Picture look faboulous(speak a million word). Happy Halloween

FH said...

Suganya, this was little early but I am planning to post one at FH on the last week this month, more scary stuff!:D

Hi Mocha, thank you. Takes a little time to do all these but I enjoy it.Happy Halloween to you too!:))

Sharmi said...

that is such a cute entry. they all looks so lovely.

Anh said...

Asha, the eggs look so cute! You have done an excellent job with food deco & styling!

Roopa (KitchenAromas) said...

Heh I love the eggpressions.

And the salad sounds awesome - I make lentil salad with lemon zest, juice, cumin powder and cilantro. I will try your version :)

Rajitha said...

bet u had fun decorating with ketchup and stuff...and that salad looks absolutely yum!

Roopa said...

Asha the eggexpression looks so cute. not bad the ketchup and sauce were able to stay until you clicked :) lenthil salad all time favorite!

Linda said...

Hi Asha, I have to admit, I have never been a fan of cold cooked lentils in salad -- but this one looks tasty, esp with the jalapeno-cheese tortilla! Must be I am hooked on lentils now :)

Eggspressions are absolutely adorable!! You are a clever gal Asha, I would never have thought of that!! And all the pics you 'clicked' look great :)

Kajal said...

WOW.......very nice entry for this click photo event. You work nice with egg. You have very nice camera my dear and your camera is 8.1 mega pixels so your photos are clearer with auto zoom. Very healthy and delicious salad with red lentil!!!!!

Neelam said...

Now thats a spooky creation!
I like your lentil salad too!

Anonymous said...

Asha, you are so clever. Those eggs look awesome. I also love your lentil salad. Somehow I do not like the taste of masoor daal when it is cooked and turned into sambhar or rasam, but this salad will do me wonders I am sure ! Tumba channaidde!

Coffee said...

LOL!!! Trust you to come up with such innovative entry! Very cute Asha. :)

Madhuli said...

Nice spooky post!

Viji said...

Very creative Asha. Viji

FH said...

Thanks Sharmi. Kid stuff,right? ;D

Anh, thanks girl.I couldn't find a small tip to squeeze out the ketchup, had to improvise with Ketchup bottle!:P

Roopa, that's how I make it too usually.This is "westernized" version form that book! Tastes good too, try it!:)

FH said...

Rajitha, I did, it was fun!:D
Try the Lentil salad.

Roopa, you are right! I had to put them in the fridge for a while because Ketchup kept on sliding on warm Eggs!:D

Linda, those flavored Tortillas are so tasty. I found Spinach mixed and Tomato Tortillas too. YUMMY!:)
Warm Lentil dish is great, hope you try.

FH said...

Kajal, I like that Camera. Small and easy to photograph!:))
Enjoy the salad.

Thanks Neelam. Halloween is fun for kids, can't wait for the last of this month!:)

Red chillies, thanks. Masoor cooks fast, helps me a lot because I usually forget to soak the Lentils night before.Try it!:))

FH said...

Thank you Coffee, great to see you sweetie.Hope you completely recovered now!:))

Thank you Madhuli.Hope you get in a photo of Egg too!:)

Thank you Viji!:))

Finla said...

Asha it is such a funny and spooky entry.
I have this big smile on me, seeing the photos.
I am sure you had lot of fun doing it.
I loved the one with the eye.....

Raaga said...

I left a comment 3 times and I can't see it even today... from among the first in the queue, I'm now the last one...loved your salad and found your scary eggs soooooooo cute.

Apple said...

Wonderful entry Asha...Loved your halloween theme..Salad looks healthy...

sdf said...

Those eggs are very creative & the pics are soo lovely with the black background...
and a lovely recipe for salad.. sure its a healthy meal..

FH said...

Happy cook, it was fun.I kept thinking how can I make it scarier!!:D

Raaga,yesterday something was wrong with the blogger.I had to type so many comments again and again too!!
Yeah, I had fun, one more post coming up at FH too!:))

FH said...

Thank you Apple!:)
I loved the light flavored Lentils too.Usually make Indian style with those!:))

Thanks Ani!:)
I couldn't think of any other than Halloween eggs for this event! Hahaha!!

USHA said...

Hi Ashaji,

You are good starter always....started celebrating Halloween ,i remember your snaps of Halloween last year very well..Trisha and Trishul wearing scary mask....

Saladlooks very healthy .

Dhana said...

LUVD the ode to Halloween with the eggs. G8 idea for the upcoming festival.

The lentil salad sounds yumm!!!

FH said...

You remember last year's!:)
I am planning a Halloween post at FH too this year.Hope you checked the RCI K round up there girl!Thank you.

Thanks Dhana.I did these only for Click event, real post for Halloween is coming at FH on the last week:))

Hima said...

Thanks asha for lovely and healthy salad entry. See you at round up.

FH said...

You are welcome Hima. I loved this salad.Without your event,I wouldn't have tried this recipe!:))

TBC said...

What a nice entry, Asha!
How did u make those eyes?
I like your lentil salad a lot. Nice change from the usual ones.

FH said...

Thank you TBC. The eyes are just sliced Olives!:))
Try the salad,it's good.

Meeta K. Wolff said...

What a fun entry to the theme Asha. Trust you to have fun with this!

FH said...

HeHe!! You bet I did Meeta, kids loved them too! It was fun :)

Pravs said...

Those eggs are really spooky :D Thats a healthy salad to have. To be on a diet...hmm.. with all this blogging i don't think i will diet for a while :P

FH said...

Hahaha!! That's true Pravs. I often think I shouldn't anything for a week and then I see all the Bajjis and Pakodas and end up frying some!:D
Have a great weekend, hugs.

Susan from Food Blogga said...

I just love, love, love those Halloween eggs, Asha! Even though there are no kiddies in my house, I might be making them anyway!

FH said...

Hahaha!! Great for grown ups too Susan. It was lot of fun to create these!:))

Anonymous said...

Hah hhaa.. loved those spooky expressions oops, i mean eggpressions! they are so cute...

Lentil salad looks colorful n healthy

FH said...

Thanks G! It's fun this time of the year. Before the Winter comes, kids get to enjoy some candies and fun time!:))

Rina said...

Your Egg-pressions are cool!!!! Creative and wonderful presentation.

FH said...

Thanks Rina, I had fun creating them!!:D

Latha Narasimhan said...

Wow! One post for so many events!
Good that I have stopped using eggs!I din't know they can be sooo scarry!:D
BTW, You can leave your children with me and go for a second honeymoon like latha of Masala Magic!:))
I am not joking! this a serious suggestion!:)

FH said...

Thank you Latha, I appreciate the offer!! We have to travel to India, leave the kids with you and travel again!! Phew!!:D
I heard so much about Lakshmi thru' the blogs.You have done a great job with her Latha.I would love to visit you too when in India,don't know when that happens but I will! Hugs to you girl.