FoodPanda- Review

My hearty greetings to all viewers. Hope all of you had a wonderful Diwali! After a long break I am back :) not with a recipe but a review!
Life is pretty busy and hectic with two kids as we get to face more challenges while they grow up . Even cooking seems to be a big and difficult task for me.
I came across this website which makes life a easy for many people who don't have the time to cook and it becomes an hassle.  

Foodpanda is a network of smart people who have provided a simple yet smart solution which makes life easy for people while hungry! Through Foodpanda you can order your food online from anywhere. All you have to do is go to this site foodpanda,   Enter your city, area or street, Select the restaurant here from where you want to order your food in your vicinity, you can see the menu and price of the food too.Select pay online or cash on delivery and your food is on its way to your home! Life is so simple isn't it!! This way you can even explore what restaurant you have in your area! You can take all the time in the world, customize your order to your preference and eat till your tummy is happy !!

 

 

Foodpanda has its network worldwide so wherever you travel one need not worry on which restaurant to go and what to eat.  The restaurant index also includes address and delivery hours.

 They also have nice discounts and offers like movie vouchers etc. Whether you’retired eating your own cooked food, can’t stop watching the cricket match ball-to-ball, simply fed up of standing in line for service, dealing with grumpy waiters, Can't get out of office meetings, having a party at home, FoodPanda has a solution for every one of you !!

For the busy life we have in a IT hub like Bangalore where life is busy 24/7, I very much recommend such innovative ideas.  So this weekend is going to be something delicious delivered to my home by this panda :) This Panda loves spreading joy and happiness, leaving smiles on people’s faces and celebrating food. Happy Eating !!

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf - A whole New Experience !

Born and brewed in Southern California since 1963, The Coffee bean and Tea Leaf is the oldest and the largest privately held specialty coffee and tea retailer in the United States.

 

While I was invited to review CBTL as it is called in short, the most interesting part was the decor which impressed me. It has a lovey and chic outdoor seating arrangement.

 

 

 

 

CBTL has a wide range of hot, cold coffees, ice blended drinks, coffee free drinks, fruit teas, iced coffee and espressos and many many more.....

Genmaicha Green tea 

 

Lemon Chamomile

Known for sourcing and providing the finest ingredients and flavours, through a relationship, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® has built a relationship with best private tea estates and coffee farms, selecting only the world’s top 1% Arabica beans and hand-plucked, whole leaf teas. Following the philosophy of “carefully nurtured from seed to cup”, the beverages available through the café are high quality and developed to derive the best flavour profiles from the ingredients.

These are some of their flavours in Tea!

Swedish Berries for flavoured ice tea

These are the spices used in the Masala Chai!

 

This year, the iconic brand celebrates 50 years of heritage and passion of delighting its patrons worldwide.

To add to the celebrations, a new food menu with variety of gourmet and healthy eating options has also been introduced. From all day breakfast, gourmet bites, fresh bakes, main course to desserts, the new Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® menu is a foodie’s delight offering novel options like Chilly Cheese Baguette, Pizza Curl, Banofee Cake, Silky Chocolate Mousse to name a few.

 

Granola Bars 

I loved these Grilled Paneer Sandwiches !

3 cheese pizza!

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® has also unveiled a new logo on the occasion, which bears the words: “passion for coffee and tea”. The logo reiterates the landmark in the brand’s history, paying tribute to its patrons and thanking consumers for their continuous support over the years. In addition, baristas at all outlets will reaffirm to produce the best tea and coffee beverages across the globe.

 

 

My overall experience was really very good and I highly recommend this place which is not at all heavy on your pocket! Its a perfect hangout for a relaxed weekend brunch !



About Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf:

Founded in 1963, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® is the oldest and largest privately-

held chain of specialty coffee and tea stores in the United States. With a reputation

for excellence, the company is a leader in product innovations, having developed

the original Ice Blended® beverage. Providing the highest quality coffees and

teas for 50 years, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® currently has more than 1000

stores. These stores blanket the world in markets such as Germany, California,

Arizona, Nevada, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines,

Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Mongolia, UAE, Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain,

Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kurdistan, Turkey and continue

to expand both domestically and internationally. For additional information, visit

www.coffeebean.com

National, March 2013: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® (CBTL), founded in 1963 by
Herbert B. Hyman in Los Angeles, has been a pioneer in bringing gourmet coffees
and teas to the global connoisseur. Over the years, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® has
established itself as the oldest and most trusted brand, preferred by coffee & tea
lovers across the world.
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® is the oldest and largest privately-held specialty coffee
and tea retailer in the United States with more than 1000 stores across 25 countries.
This year, the iconic brand celebrates 50 years of heritage and passion of delighting
its patrons worldwide. Plans are afoot to reward consumers for their loyalty that has
played an enormous role in achieving this milestone. From 50 th anniversary exclusive
merchandise to special anniversary offers, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® will gratify loyal
patrons across the globe for their continued love and support over the years.
Operational in India since 2008, the brand also completes 5 successful years in India,
where again it has played the pioneer’s role in introducing the finest coffees & teas
from around the world to Indian coffee & tea lovers.

DISCLAIMER: This is not a paid review. The opinions and thoughts mentioned in the post are purely mine and done by tasting.

And the winner is ....

Firstly, thanks to all the participants for their lovely wishes and comments. I was away from my blog as my kids had exams... Hoping to post something this week :)

My Kids have selected 2 winners randomly ! They are Preety and Sharanya. Congratulations to you !

My Hearty Thanks to all of you and Cuponation for making the event a success!

Advance Ugadi wishes to all !

Gujiya and a Giveaway on my 6th blog Anniversary

Neivedyam is going to turn 6 in March and what else can be a better way to celebrate than a lovely giveaway to all my readers. First get a virtual taste of this delicacy Gijiya and later we can talk on the giveaway:)

Ingredients

For Outer Covering:

2 cups refined flour (Maida)
3 tablespoons oil + to deep-fry

For Filling

2 1/2 cups khoya/mawa, grated and roasted
3 1/4 teaspoons desiccated coconut
15 cashew nuts, chopped
15 almonds, balanced and chopped
20 raisins
A pinch of nutmeg powder
1/4 teaspoon green cardamom powder
10-12 saffron strands
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup grated choclate (optional)

Preparation

For preparing the covering, sift refined flour and rub in three tablespoons of ghee or oil.  Add cold water and knead into a stiff dough.  Cover it with a damp cloth and set aside.  Add powdered sugar and khoya in a pan. Heat it on low flame and mix the sugar and khoya well. Other way is to buy sweet Khoya and skip adding sugar. Add desiccated coconut, cashew nuts, almonds, raisins, nutmeg powder, saffron strands, sunflower seeds and green cardamom powder to khoya and mix well.  Add grated chocolate and mix properly. Remove from heat and let it cool.

With oiled hands divide dough into small balls.  Roll out dough balls into small puris(flat roundels).  Place the stuffing on one half of the puri.  lightly dampen edges and fold the other half over the stuffing and press edges firmly. I did the sealing with my hands. You can do it with fork too.  Keep gujiyas covered with a damp cloth.  Similarly use up all the dough and stuffing. You can do it with a mould too or roll out puris, cut with a katori(metal bowl of four-five inch diameter) to get a proper round shape. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai(wok) and deep-fry gujiyas on medium heat till golden brown.  Drain and place on an absorbent paper.  Let them cool slightly before serving, as the stuffing inside may be very hot.

This recipe is adapted from Chef Sanjeev Kapoor.

Now lets get into the details of the Giveaway.
Here you have a chance to win 2 gift vouchers one is a flipkart e-gift voucher for Rs 700 for the readers in India and the other is Amazon gift card for 15USD for the viewers of USA.

Something about CupONation

CupoNation is the new destination to help save a lot of money when shopping online. Get guaranteed working Coupons, Deals, and Discount Vouchers for free. So the next time you’re planning to buy something online, do check out their vast collection of active coupons. CupoNation is the new destination to help save a lot of money. They help find the newest deals and promotions and help save money. Cuponation provides its users the latest and most lucrative deals offering huge discounts from leading brands and retailers.

What you have to do?
It's very Simple-

1. Leave a comment mentioning which is your favourite recipe in Neivedyam.
2. Mention your location - US or India so that you are entered for the corresponding drawing. 
3. To increase your chances in the random drawing, do the following
4. Like the CupoNation facebook page or follow them on G+ and mention in your comment which can be a separate one.
5. Like Neivedyam on Facebook and mention in your comment which can be a separate one.
6. Spread the word about this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook and other social media networks you have access to and mention in your comments.

You can post your comments form 1st March to 31st March. The winner will be declared in the first week of April.

 

Yam n flat Beans Subzi

Ingredients

2 cups yam (cleaned, washed and cubed)
1 cup flat beans cut into 2 inch size
1 inch ginger
2-3 tbsp tamarind pulp
1tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp dry coconut powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

for tempering
2 tsp oil
1/2 mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp chana dal
2 dry red chillies
1 sprig curry leaves
roasted cashewnut for garnish (optional)

Preparation

After cleaning the yam and cutting into cubes add 2 cups water to it. Pressure cook yam and broad beans separately in the cooker for 2 whitles. Do not add water to the broad beans. Once the veggies cool down, drain the extra water from the yam. In a pan add 2 tbsp oil and fry the yam pieces till slightly brown and crisp. Set aside.
In a pan add the tempering ingredients in the given order and let them splutter. To this add finely chopped ginger, the beans and fry for 2 minutes. Add tamarind pulp, dry coconut, coriander powder, tumeric powder and mix well. To this mixture add yam pieces and salt. Mix well and cook for few more minutes.
Garnish with cashewnuts or coriander leaves and serve warm with roti or rice.