Small Wonders Series and Reposting for Event

After a hectic weekend filled with activities for the kids, I felt I needed to unwind by posting something(even if it was a repost) and do some bloghopping...my daughter also wanted me to post a Rangoli(also known as Kolam or Alpana) that was her entry for an exhibition at a temple here in the Bay Area this weekend...She was of course very excited to send in the entry(but then there is very little she doesnt get excited about) and even more excited when she got a certificate and plaque for sending in her entry...she was walking on cloud nine the whole of yesterday imagining herself as the next Picasso:))) So here it is, the medium that she  used for the Rangoli was lentils, colored powder/Rangoli powder and glitter powder:

Repost for Usha's Healthy Inspirations Event - Salads:

My first entry is a Recipe for Vibrant Mixed Fruit and Veggie Salad...this salad is not only colorful with varied flavors from fruits, vegs, nuts and dryfruits...it also packs a healthy punch of anti-oxidants and is ready in under 10 minutes...a great accompaniment to breads, pastas, rotis and even great as a snack by itself!!!

My second entry for the same event:  Easy Tangy Green Beans Salad with a crunch.
This is another 10 minute recipe and very versatile as a side-dish or salad...could be served warm or cold.

Another Award + Fruity Yoghurt Side Dish

My fantabulous blogger friend who blogs @ Joy of Cooking...Jagruti has bestowed this Tag Award upon me...She is a wonderful blogger who has an eye-catching blog and equally eye-catching recipes...not only Indian but also from different corners of the world...Thanks, Jagruti for this Tag award...awesome of you to think about me!

This award comes with certain rules...the first rule being that you link and mention the person that tagged you(Jagruti, how can I forget you?)...secondly, I need to pass it on to seven blogger friends...so I have chosen seven blogger friends randomly by picking names after assigning consecutive numbers to my blogger pals' names and asking my family to pick seven random numbers. The toughest part always is to pick just a certain number of blogger friends to tag. So here goes:

Jyoti of The Veggie Hut

Rachana of Veggie Fare

Latha of A Peek into My Kitchen

Gita of Gita's Kitchen

Shahana of Me N My Apron

Daisy Blue of  Spicy Lounge

Love2cook of Love2cook-msia

Thank you for your awesome support and hope you enjoy these awards, my friends!

As part of the rules for accepting this award, I am also required to post one or more of my favorite pictures...which I will post next week...

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Now, for today's Fruity Yoghurt Side Dish aka Fruity Raita with Dahi:

This is part of my ongoing effort to incorporate as many fruits and vegs. as possible into my family's daily diet...I always find that whenever we buy fruits, most of them tend to sit on the counter...isnt it funny how kids never reach for a fruit when it comes to snack-time...it is always the fried or sugary food that holds their attention. So now I sneak fruits just as much as vegs. into almost every meal.

This fruity yoghurt side dish or raita would be a great accompaniment to rotis, rice dishes or even as a sandwich-stuffer. The best part about this is that you can pack in multiple daily servings of fruits and vegs into one super-simple dish.

Recipe for Fruity Yoghurt Side Dish or Raita:

Serves:4

Prep/Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

Pears - 2 ripe but of crisp variety(like the Asian Pears), grated finely

Carrot - 1 grated finely

Cucumber - 1 seedless or de-seeded and grated finely

Tomato - 1 cut finely

Red Onion - 1 cut finely(optional - I have made these fruity yoghurt raitas with and without the onion)

Green chilli pepper - cut finely or slit in half

Yoghurt - 1 1/2 cups ( I like the thick Greek yoghurt variety - lowfat or nonfat for this dish but any variety should work good)

For seasoning: salt, pepper and cilantro

In a bowl, add all the ingredients and top with seasonings and mix well till well-combined.

Serve chilled or at room temp.

Asian Pear