Yogli Mogli

Summer is on its way out. Temperatures are dropping, light fades fast, leaves are changing color... Not many days remaining to eat popsicles or frozen yogurt. One day last week, it was really hot and I stopped by at Yogli Mogli.

This is a self serve frozen yogurt chain that I discovered this summer. The yogurt contains no gelatin (yeah, I asked that the first time I visited) and comes in flavors such as Georgia Peach, Cookies-n-Cream, Strawberry, etc. Many of the options are low-fat/zero-fat too. This time, I picked the Georgia Peach flavor.

There are two kinds of toppings. One kind (as you can see on the left) includes gummy worms, M&M candies, licorice candies, cookies, etc. Most kids make a beeline to this section. Who could pass up all that sugar? Sigh. Well, I have. I have never stopped at this section. My favorites lie ahead.

How can you possibly resist plump lychees, tiny blueberries, juicy mangoes and peaches, cranberries and kiwi fruit? Absolute yumminess. I generally load up on fruits, piling them high into my bowl.

That bowl (on the right) cost a little over 4 dollars.

I have got frozen yogurt from Yogli Mogli so many times. And loved it. This last week was good too but the yogurt had a watery texture. I am not sure - did I select non-fat? But it missed that yummy creaminess that sets off the fruits perfectly. Hopefully, it will be nicer next time although I am not sure if that next time will be anytime soon.

Lunch @ Cafe Momo

Lunch today came from Cafe Momo. A busy cafeteria nestled inside Peachtree Center, the place has a bunch of vegetarian options, as I discovered today.

I sauntered through the aisles checking out the warm/cold salads, pastas, meats, greens, etc. before going up to the made-to-order items menu. 

Was almost going to get a Roasted Veggie Quesadilla before I changed my mind and ordered a meatless sandwich on multi-grain bread. It contains fresh mozzarella, Roma tomatoes, fresh basil and spinach with sun-dried tomato spread. I also asked the guy to throw some honey-mustard on top.

 End result? Pretty tasty, actually. The mozzarella was not very soft (I really wonder how fresh is "fresh") and the tomatoes lacked the fresh juiciness that I have been raving about on the last few posts. However, the basil and spinach added a nice chewiness to the sandwich. Also, the sun-dried tomato spread was a great sweet-sour combination that provided the perfect foil to the mozzarella. If the sandwich could have been recreated with fresh seasonal ingredients, it would have been a total killer.

Oh, I asked for the sandwich to be toasted. I like those burnt grill marks plus I am not the biggest fan of cold sandwiches. All in all, a decent lunch.

Samosas... YUM.

Samosas are truly beloved in the Indian snack world. Imagine a deliciously spiced mix of potatoes and green peas encased in a triangular shell of flour and then deep-fried in golden oil. What emerges is a true favorite, the stuff that love stories are made of, at least love stories like mine where food played a big role. P's aunt is well known for her lip-smacking samosas. I, for one, have never even entertained the remotest thought of making this at home. How could I, a mere upstart of a cook, even dream of tackling the mighty samosa?

Well, it's not all that scary making a samosa, I am sure.

Enter Deep Frozen Samosas. Now I am most certainly not a fan of frozen food. Most frozen foods lack praana, the essential life force energy that we derive from food, water, air and so many other sources (meditation being one of the most vital and also my favorite one). But I can make an exception especially when delicious samosas are in question.

These samosas don't contain onion or garlic but they have the perfect blend of spiciness for my palate. Also, the packet contains 2 pouches of chutney. P is confident that the chutney is a mix of coriander-green chilli type and the regular date-tamarind type. Hmmm, I am not so sure because I couldn't discern much of a sweet flavor in there. Anyway, we took the frozen samosas out, thawed them for a bit (probably 15-20 minutes?) and then baked them. 350 degrees, 30 minutes.

Voila, you have the perfect snack for the dull and rainy evenings! And possibly the best accompaniment to your steaming cup of masala-mint chai.

Basil Pesto

I am a late entrant to the basil pesto fan club but I am a loyal fan now. Think of basil pesto as an Italian take on the ubiquitous mint-coriander chutney that is so common in Indian cooking. In fact, I can match ingredient for ingredient between the two recipes! Let's try that out...

Coriander and mint leaves == Basil leaves

Roasted peanuts == Roasted pine nuts

Garlic == Garlic (Well, garlic isn't really a mandatory ingredient for coriander-mint chutney)

Ok, the standard pesto departs from coriander-mint chutney at this point but the important points are covered, don't you think?

So, you start with fresh basil. I picked a bunch from Harry's Farmers Market. The packet mentioned that it's grown hydroponically (not sure what that means), and if I keep the roots submerged in water, it'd last longer.

Chop it finely. Put in the mixer jar. 

I didn't have pine nuts at home. So I roasted some walnuts on a skillet (be attentive to the skillet or else you'll end up with a bunch of burnt walnuts!) and used them instead.

Next chop up some garlic and throw that in there as well. Most times, I don't have garlic at home. But this time, I did and so I used it. I am sure purists will disagree but I have made pesto before without any garlic and it tasted perfectly wonderful.

Pesto also contains cheese (mostly Parmesan or Romano, as this recipe mentions). I had paneer at home, and so I used that instead.

Pulse it all together. Don't forget to add salt and pepper. Pour in some olive oil while it's getting pulsed. I bought this brand from Dekalb Farmers Market. You can also see the smaller bottle of chili oil next to it, the Braggs bottle behind and possibly the can of sesame oil towards the right of the picture. Hmmm, just giving a mini-tour of the oils and seasoning cabinet for all of you... :)

You can also add the oil later after the pesto is made. You end up with a shiny and creamy fresh basil pesto that's pure YUMMINESS.

Slather it over toast, toss it with noodles... any other ideas? Let me know in the comments.

Braggs Liquid Aminos

Some of you may know that I am an instructor and volunteer with the Art of Living Foundation. It was at the international Art of Living Center in Montreal, Canada that I first came across Braggs Liquid Aminos.

There was a bottle of Braggs (as we called it) on every other table in the dining area. I saw people drizzle it over salads and soups. I did the same and found that it really enhanced the flavor of food. It has a slight saltiness and so, if you plan to season your soup/salad with Braggs, it is a good idea to go easy on salt during the cooking part.

Braggs is made of non-GMO soybeans and contains 16 amino acids. It is gluten-free.

I have been cooking with Braggs for a while now. I generally cut up vegetables (peppers, tomatoes, asparagus, pretty much any vegetable that can be eaten raw or lightly cooked) and tofu and let them soak in a mixture of Braggs, soy sauce, ginger oil and chili oil. I cook pasta al dente and then toss it with the soaked vegetables. It's a one-pot dish that comes together in a matter of minutes, is incredibly flavorful and tasty, looks fantastic, and is easy to digest. Moreover, it tastes wonderful cold also!

Here are some pictures of pasta salad I made a while back.