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In the late eighteenth century, against a troubled background of violent change on the continent and rising challenges to the Establishment at home, botanists were discovering strange creatures that defied the categories of ‘animal, vegetable, and mineral’.

The post Animal, vegetable or mineral? [quiz] appeared first on OUPblog.

महंगाई महंगाई महंगाई !!!! आम आदमी के लिए जीना मानो दूभर होता जा रहा है … कोई बचत करे तो तब करे जब कुछ बचे … यहां तो सैलरी आते ही…  इसका बिल उसका बिल, दूध, बिजली, पानी, पैट्रोल , फीस, आदि भरते भरते जेब खाली हो जाती है… बेचारे पिगी बैंक का हाल आप देख ही रहे हैं

news vegetable and fruit rates high in market must read

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List of products to get costlier from June 1

नई दिल्ली। हर महीने की एक तारीख का लोगों को बेसब्री से इंतजार रहता है। 1 तारीख का आमतौर पर मतलब होता है तनख्वाह आना। लेकिन, 1 जून यानी सोमवार को आपकी जेब भारी नहीं हल्की होगी। ऎसा इसलिए क्योंकि आपको मंहगाई का झटका लगने वाला है। सर्विस टैक्स की बढी दरें एक जून से लागू हो जाएंगी। सोमवार से 14 प्रतिशत सर्विस टैक्स देना होगा। इसमें एजुकेशन सेस भी शामिल होगा। अभी सर्विस टैक्स 12 प्रतिशत है। एजुकेशन सेस मिलाकर यह 12.36 प्रतिशत होता है। लेकिन एक जून से होटल में रूकना-खाना, गाडियां, मूवी टिकट की ऑनलाइन बुकिंग, मैरिज वेन्यू, केबल सर्विस, रेल और हवाई यात्रा समेत कई सेवाएं महंगी हो जाएंगी। निगेटिव लिस्ट में शामिल एग्रीकल्चर, मेडिकल, समेत 16 सेवाओं की कीमत में बदलाव नहीं होगा। इससे सरकार की कमाई में 25 फीसदी तक बढोतरी होगी। इस साल 2.09 लाख करोड रूपये मिलेंगे। पहले 1.68 लाख करोड कमाई का अनुमान था। ये सब भी होंगे महंगे-होटल में रूकना-खाना। -वाहन खरीदना। -मूवी टिकट की ऑनलाइन बुकिंग। – मैरिज वेन्यू। -केबल सर्विस। -कुरियर, एप बेस्ड कैब सर्विस। -ब्यूटी पार्लर-सैलून में मसाज। -प्लास्टिक बैग, बोतलबंद पानी। -म्यूजिक कंसर्ट, थीम पार्क। -इंश्योरेंस प्रीमियम भी होगा महंगा। -रेल और हवाई यात्रा समेत कई सेवाएं होगी महंगी। जानें, कितना पडेगा असर-1000 का टिकट 5 रूपए महंगा होगा। -1000 के खाने पर 49 रू. ज्यादा लगेंगे। -1000 रू. के मोबाइल बिल पर 16 रू. ज्यादा। List of products to get costlier from June 1 Read more…

कुल मिला कर इस महंगाई का कोई न कोई समाधान जरुर निकलना चाहिए अन्यथा …

The post महंगाई appeared first on Monica Gupta.

The popular Very Short Introductions series is due to publish the latest in their ever increasing list of titles. Root Vegetables: A Very Short Introduction is to be written by Professor John Onions and publish in October this year.

Have you ever wondered why root vegetables are as popular as they are today? The Very Short Introduction will take the reader through a history of planting, growing, and eating them as well as delving into the economic and social aspects of this humble food.

The demand from the public for a short introduction to this subject was so high that it was decided a VSI to root vegetables must be commissioned. Andrea Keegan, series editor, explains “The interest in root vegetables cannot be underestimated. As well as the obvious health benefits of root vegetables, there is interest in their history and their provenance. Taking a global look at the many varieties of root vegetable, this Very Short Introduction will explore all aspects of this fascinating subject, including the relationship of the root vegetable to the leaf vegetable, the sea vegetable, bulbs and stems.”

The title will sit along other essential subjects such as Globalization, Microeconomics, Physical Chemistry, and English Literature.

April Fools! We hope we haven’t disappointed you too much. Although Root Vegetables: A Very Short Introduction is just a bit of April foolery, there are many other topics covered in the Very Short Introductions series.

The Very Short Introductions (VSI) series combines a small format with authoritative analysis and big ideas for hundreds of topic areas. Written by our expert authors, these books can change the way you think about the things that interest you and are the perfect introduction to subjects you previously knew nothing about. Grow your knowledge with OUPblog and the VSI series every Friday, subscribe to Very Short Introductions articles on the OUPblog via email or RSS, and like Very Short Introductions on Facebook.

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Image credits: (1) Root z05 pastinaken by Zyance CC-BY-SA-2.5 via Wikimedia Commons (2) CarrotDiversityLg. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

The post OUP to publish Root Vegetables: A Very Short Introduction appeared first on OUPblog.

        

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Today is Pancake Day! Also called Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday if you take part in Lent. It’s traditionally a day to eat up all sorts of yummy things in your house that you are promising not to eat during Lent, like chocolate. It’s a long month if you’re giving up your junkiest habit so first of all you need to eat a shed-load of pancakes.

It’s strange people MAKE and EAT pancakes only one day a year.

HOW ODD?! Why only eat such a great food one day out of 365? We must change this silliness once and for all.

But how? …Time for a Seed Agent Mission.

WHAT IF?! We rename pancakes Flippers! Every time we make a pancake we call it a Flipper. Everytime we eat a pancake we call it Flipper. Everytime we see a pancake we call it a Flipper. Soon the world will call pancakes – Flippers!! And then we can eat Flippers ALL year round, and not just on Fat Tuesday.

There’s nothing that can’t be used to fill a flipper, sweet or savoury, hot or cold, the choice is yours Seed Agents! Try some veg-flippers! “Move along old-school lemon and sugar”, “Bye-bye gooey joys of chocolate”, “Hello pongy cheese, spinach and mushrooms!”

Have a go at making your own flippers here and experiment eating them with different fillings. Discover which one you like best!

I often feel compelled to buy summer squash even though none of us are huge fans of it. It looks so cute! So versatile! But then I get home and have to scheme to get anyone to eat it.

Truth be told, I still love the deep-fried squash I grew up with in South Carolina. Ilios Noche, a local restaurant, serves a fantastic updated Greek version of fried squash—with tzatziki!

But I may be onto something here with the basil puree. It definitely gave the squash a nice punch. And it was way easier than making pesto. Don’t get me wrong, I love pesto, but I hardly ever make it.

The basil puree from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian is super simple, basically basil in the food processor with olive oil, lemon juice, a tiny bit of garlic, plus salt and pepper. I can see it with roasted veggies, potatoes, chicken, pasta…lots of possibilities. So glad we planted basil seeds. I had no idea it was so easy to grow from scratch, and now we have an overabundance.

What are your summer squash (and garden veggie) go-to dishes? I’ve also found that soaking the slices in Italian dressing before grilling is pretty yummy.

I was craving a rice salad, but without the rice. Something that’s all about soaking up a good sauce. Roasted cauliflower has been my recent go-to sauce-soaker-upper, and I was really happy with what I came up with. Here’s the skinny:

Olive Oil

1 head Cauliflower, finely chopped

2 or 3 handfuls Grape or Cherry Tomatoes

Dressing:

2 cloves Garlic

Olive Oil

Red Wine Vinegar

1 T Dijon Mustard

tiny drip of Honey (or something else if you’re vegan)

Lemon Juice

a few tablespoons or more Minced Chives

a few tablespoons or more fresh Oregano, chopped (basil or parsley would be good, too)

1 T Capers

Salt and Pepper to taste

Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Oil a baking sheet and throw the cauliflower on it with a couple of garlic cloves. Roast at 375F, for about 20 minutes. Halve the tomatoes and roast them for about 20-30 minutes as well. This brings out their flavor like crazy.

I’m not really a measuring kind of person when it comes to dressing (or, let’s be honest, for a lot of things). If you really want measurements, you could use a basic vinaigrette and add the extras. I think I’d add even more herbs next time. I really wanted something that was so green it would color the cauliflower, but my herb garden wasn’t quite in full swing when I made this.

Chop up the roasted garlic and whisk it together with the other dressing ingredients.

Toss the cauliflower with the dressing and tomatoes. Add walnuts. Yum. I realized later that the dressing flavors were inspired by the broccoli gribiche recipe from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day.

What are you cooking this summer? I’m always on the lookout for interesting salads. Hope you had a great weekend and a happy Father’s Day.

Wow, what a week last week! All the destruction and loss of life in Boston and Texas, then Boston (where many loved ones live) on lockdown all Friday. I don’t know about you, but I’m still kind of reeling from it. My heart goes out to all those affected by these tragedies.

On top of that I’ve got the reverse culture shock that seems to visit me after every big national conversation. It’s often jarring to hear what people say when they’re frightened and trying to make sense of it all.

So it was welcome therapy to dig in the garden with the kids yesterday. We planted annual flowers, not pictured here, but we are so enjoying watching our vegetable garden.

I let the kids pick their favorite vegetables. Our five-year-old chose “salad,” which is what he calls lettuce or spinach. The way he uses the word is very German. Our eight-year-old chose carrots, and they’re coming up very nicely.

I started peppers and tomatoes indoors. They used to look like this:

and this:

But then I set them out for too long in the sun and fried nearly all of them. Ugh. I was so proud of them.

There are still a few that appear to be living, so I’m trying to nurse them back to health.

Meanwhile, I’ve been sewing a lot (very therapeutic), and I’m barreling ahead with some rewrites in my novel. I’ve been getting some ideas from the book Structuring Your Novel by Robert C. Meredith and John D. Fitzgerald. And my protagonist is facing some reverse culture shock of her own, so at least I can use mine.

What about you? Growing anything in the garden this year?

Have a great Monday!

I threw this together the other night when I needed something pretty quick and had to use what I had on hand. It was a perfect easy supper.

It’s inspired by Rachael Ray’s Calabacitas Casserole, which is yummy but more involved, with no beans. I once had it at my sister-in-law’s house, and was immediately sold.

My casserole is based on three main ingredients: black beans, salsa, and pre-cooked polenta. Anything else is icing on the cake.

Quick Black Bean and Polenta Casserole

Measurements are approximated. What you want is enough salsa to give the beans plenty of flavor.

2-3 cups canned or pre-cooked black beans, drained (I used up leftovers I had cooked the day before)

1/2 to 1 jar chunky salsa (I used Herdez salsa, which was great, but would’ve been better semi-drained. I think semi-drained Ro-tel would also be excellent, and maybe even Mexican-style stewed tomatoes)

1 tube prepared polenta, sliced into 1/3 inch rounds (you could also cook your own, then chill and slice)

Olive oil

Optional add-ins: diced scallions, cilantro, chopped veggies, spinach, cheese

Preheat oven to 375 F. I made a smaller version of this (since it was just for me) and cooked it in the toaster oven.

Place the beans in an oiled casserole dish (maybe 8 x 8), and add enough salsa to suit your taste. You want a little less salsa than beans, but enough salsa to add lots of flavor. Lay the polenta rounds on top and brush them with a little olive oil.

Bake for 35 minutes or so at 375 F, then add, if you feel like it, a handful of spinach and chopped scallions, and turn up the heat to 400 F. When the spinach is wilted, the polenta is getting crispy, and the beans are bubbling, it’s done.

The polenta adds structure and has such a great creamy/ crispy texture that I really didn’t miss having cheese. This one will definitely go on my repeat list. I think I’ll add more spinach next time and maybe cilantro. Hmmm…what about sweet potato?

For more of my recipes and recipe trials, click here.

You have less than a day left to join the giveaway for a gorgeous Dawn Hanna print. Details here. All you have to do is comment about which print is your favorite—-you won’t be added to a mailing list. Just enjoy!

I know, I’ve been doing a lot of tacos. I can’t help myself. Here’s yet another simple twist.

I’ve had plenty of spinach and mushroom enchiladas before at restaurants but somehow never thought to recreate something similar until the recipe here, in Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson (she of 101cookbooks fame).

Her version is minus the spinach and uses fancier mushrooms (chanterelles, or Pfefferlinge, if you’re German—btw wouldn’t it be great to see this on a seasonal Pfefferlinge menu?). I just used plain brown mushrooms. Along with the mushrooms, there’s garlic, onions, and a serrano pepper involved. Yum.

I used frozen chopped spinach from Trader Joe’s. I definitely recommend spinning or squeezing it dry if you’re going that route. Fresh spinach would also totally work, of course. Either way just saute it a little in the pan, but separately from the mushrooms so each veggie cooks at the right temp and length.

I find the mushrooms really satisfying and a welcome change from my normal array of vegetables. And it was a quick lunch.

Do you get stuck in veggie ruts? I’m not-so-patiently waiting for the local-ish asparagus to come in. I’m guessing it’s still Rotkohl (red cabbage) season in Deutschland? That’s one of those dishes I’ve only appreciated in restaurants and haven’t yet ventured into cooking myself. (If you’re wondering why I’m talking about German vegetables, it’s because last year this time, we were living in Hannover, Germany).

In other news, our local chapter of the WNBA (no, not basketball—the Women’s National Book Association) had a great joint meeting the other night with the Charlotte Writer’s Club. It was a panel about the process of getting published, with lots of great food for thought from industry folk.

Meanwhile I’m still plugging away at my character interviews led by these questions. Writers, have you ever done this? It’s such a Magic-8-ball/ subconscious-channeling kind of exercise. Feels weird at times, but I’m coming up with lots of good character stuff that relates to the plot.

Oh, and one last aside. I did a Skype call to talk about Slowpoke with a class of first graders last week. So fun. Best question, which still has me laughing: “Are you ever afraid you’ll never finish another book?”

Sautéed spinach, hard-boiled eggs, garlic, lemon, toasted almonds, harissa. These are things I never ever would’ve put together, but they totally work.

This recipe is a perfect example of why I love Heidi Swanson’s work (she of 101cookbooks fame). She can put together ingredients that previously seemed un-mixable, then photograph and write about them in such a way that I HAVE to try them.

I finally finally bought her second cookbook, Super Natural Every Day. Loving it. What took me so long? If you’re interested in cooking with veggies, it’s a wonderful place for inspiration. One of the many best parts is the “Every Day” because the recipes are pared down, simple stuff for week nights. Sometimes it seems like cookbooks are filled only with special occasion dishes.

I’ve had a time looking for harissa, the Tunisian chili sauce, but this recipe works well with Cholula, one of my current hot sauce crushes (the other one is Sriracha sauce—don’t get me started).

Anyway, I love this as a simple winter meal. I seem to be craving spinach lately. And, as usual, anything with spice and citrus. For more of my less-meat recipe trials, click on the Food category.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the book signing on Saturday. What a great crowd! I felt really celebrated.

They say I am a tom-boy but I like to dress up in my ra-ra skirt, even if its a bit grubby after all my adventures with Rio and Albon.

Why, it was only the other day that I got bird poop on my head! URHGHH!!!!!!

If you want to find out why, have a look at ‘A Frisbee to Fly’.

I always have a ‘top tip’ for helping my friends – wherever there is a problem in Seed City I come up with a cunning solution.

Babs and Rio are my best mates and when they get into trouble I am always there to help…or are they the ones that help me?

Just like my namesake Rio Ferdinand I am super fast and fit. I like to be out and about with my friends leading them on all sorts of adventures.

My favourite place to be in Seed City is Leafy Lane Park. If it’s very hot I go down by the lido, otherwise I like to throw my frisbee or kick a football about with a friend like Albon Asparagus.

You’re going to think all we eat are beans around here. Contrary to squeaks from the peanut gallery, it isn’t true. But beans are what I’m into exploring these days.

This was another recipe from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. Really loving that book. The actual title of the recipe is “Baked Chickpeas with Fresh Cheese,” but I didn’t think that did it justice.

Here’s before baking:

You make it with a spicy Indian-style tomato sauce and coconut milk (or cream) and crumbled cheese. I subbed feta for the Indian cheese since I knew it would be a wild goose chase to find it. Sounds a little strange but it was so so good.

Here it is after baking:

We ate it with rice. There were no leftovers. However, while I was cooking it, I got scared I wasn’t going to like it. The smells and flavors just didn’t seem to work together until the last minute, when everything clicked into place, and boy I’m getting hungry just thinking about it right now.

Anyone know the etiquette for posting recipes from cookbooks? I did ask permission for the last one I posted, but I don’t feel right posting a bunch. Here’s a version of this recipe here.  And oddly you can find the page on google books here, but isn’t that kind of weird? Shouldn’t you have to buy it as an e-book? It would make a great e-book since it’s sooooo huge, but the last time I checked it wasn’t available that way.

If you enjoyed this post, you may want to see the one about Jamaican-Style Baked Rice and Kidney Beans from the same cookbook.

1 Comments on Spicy Baked Chickpeas with Cheese, last added: 5/25/2011