Iron Chef-Bloggers BB7 Round-Up and on to BB8

The challenge last month was to pretend we were Iron Chefs and use one ingredient in two different ways, both inspired by recipes on other blogs. Here are the ingredients, from A to Z and the innovative ways in which they were used...


Anchovies~ Tiny saltwater fish with a pungent and savory flavor. From what I have heard, you either love 'em or hate 'em. At Stephfood, Steph uses them in a colorful orecchiette pasta dish and a creamy green goddess dressing.

Bananas~ Get your dose of potassium with this ubiquitous tropical fruit. Most of us eat them as a snack but the ripening process often happens in the blink of an eye. At SS Blogs Here, SS uses over-ripe bananas in two sweet snacks, chocolate banana bread and cookie-like banana bites.

Beets~ Dressed in opulent shades of purple or red, beets are so much more than just a salad vegetable. At Veg Junction, Veena discovers two new ways of cooking beets, with spicy beetroot kootu and sweet little beet cupcakes.

Bell Peppers~Also called capsicum, the colors of bell peppers- orange, red, yellow, green- entice us in summer. At Pieces of Paper, Squiggly Lines, Lavanya cooks up dishes representing South India with red bell pepper chutney and North India with kadhai paneer.

Bread~ A staple food in so many cultures and often left over from the days before. "Waste not, want not", it is said.
     At Seduce Your Tastebuds, PJ recycles left over bread into two tasty snacks, vegetable toast and eggless masala toast.
     At The Budding Cook, TBC made two snacks too, crisp batter-dipped malai toast and fritters with stale bread and eggs.

Carrots~ The bright orange root vegetable. Carrots are usually inexpensive and available year-round. At Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes, Priya cooks carrots to make a one-pot meal, carrot rice, and a snack, carrot vadas.

Cauliflower~A cruciferous vegetable with notable health benefits and a staple of my vegetable crisper.
     At Tamalapaku, Harini bought a huge cauliflower and used it up in two delicious dishes, a cauliflower kasoori methi curry and cauliflower adai.
     At A Tote Full of Veggies, Sharan made two interesting recipes, cauliflower posto and a cauliflower crust pizza.

Chickpeas~ These beans seem to have it all- a rich nutty taste and plenty of protein and fiber. At Everybunny Loves Food, Sana explores chickpeas in two different cuisines, the Middle Eastern crispy-fluffy falafel and Italian farinata.

Corn~ Sweet corn floods the markets in summer; unlike the processed products made from it, real corn is a nutritious treat. At Super Yummy Recipes, Satya tries something off-beat by using corn to make corn halwa and corn fritters.

Eggplant~A purple beauty of a vegetable, there are hundreds of home-styles ways to cook it. At Enjoy Indian Food, Meera cooked eggplants in two different Indian regional styles, the Konkani way and the Bengali way.

Eggs~ These are a fridge staple for many of us, good for everything from breakfasts to quick dinners to baked goods. At Sinfully Spicy, Tanvi uses eggs in two egg-sotic ways- in Bengali egg rolls (classic street food) and a simple egg stir fry (a side dish for any Indian meal).

Green Beans~ Also called French beans, this tasty vegetable is another summer staple. At Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes, Priya uses green beans to make a curry and a stir-fry.

Horsegram~ Not a very well-known legume, but worth befriending for its earthy taste and rich iron content. At Oh Taste N See, Denny remembers that her grandmother considered horsegram (kollu) to be a cure for the common cold, and battles her own cold with kollu kadayal and kollu rasam.

Kidney Beans~A popular bean in many cuisines. At Our Cherished World, Swetha uses rajma in a time-honored Punjabi rajma masala and a tasty rajma salad.

Mango~A tropical fruit that evokes deep passions in many of us who grew up in the Indian subcontinent. At Palate Corner, Sonu enjoys mango in two sweet ways, thick mango lassi and sticky, fudgy coconut mango burfi.

Mustard~ A pungent spice and popular condiment, used in the form of tiny seeds or a paste. At Peppermill, Miri uses it in an adaptation of a Bengali dish of mixed vegetables and grilled mustard chicken.

Oats~ A great way to eat whole grains for breakfast. At The Taste Space, they are used in two ways, both sweet and delightful, as a whipped banana oatmeal and peach blueberry raspberry crumble.

Paneer~ The milky fresh cheese that is so popular in India.
     At Mimi's Mommy, the blogger learned two ways of using it, both pretty challenging I must say, and produces piping hot paneer parathas and luscious chilled rasmalai.
    At Super Yummy Recipes, Satya confesses that she has a "big crush on paneer" and uses it in two innovative ways, to make paneer kachori and paneer stuffed okra.

Rice Flour~ Rice milled to a fine white powder, a staple in many Indian kitchens. At Live to Eat, Megha uses it in two festive recipes with contrasting, sweet modaks and savory pearl modaks.

Sabudana~The starchy pearls that have a chewy, unique texture. At Queen of my Kitchen, Supriya uses sago pearls in sweet and savory ways, in sabudana thalipeeth and sabudana kheer.

Spinach~ A green leafy vegetable, something that many of us are trying to eat more of. At Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes, Priya uses it in two off-beat ways, in a versatile spinach chutney and in gorgeous green deep-fried pooris.

Tomatoes~ The savory bright red fruits of summer.
     Over at Daily Musings, Indosungod uses them in two different types of preserves, a rich and flavorful tomato pickle and sweet-spicy tomato jelly.
     Here at One Hot Stove, I used them in two quick dinners, for a no-cook pizza sauce and refried kidney beans.

Zucchini~Come summer, many cooks are wringing their hands trying to use up summer squash faster than it shows up at their doorstep. At The Cooker, a zucchini of extraordinary proportions is used in a number of innovative ways, including a zucchini cake and savory zucchini pancakes.

Thanks to these wonderful iron chef-bloggers for playing along!

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The theme for Blog Bites 8 was suggested by the last participant listed above- The Cooker said she could use some fresh new ideas for one dish meals, and I agreed, I could use them too.

Pavani of Cook's Hideout hosted a Monthly Blog Patrol with the theme One Pot Wonders in April 2008 but since over two years have passed since that event, it might be fun to have the same theme again. A single dish that contains all the major food groups, that is filling and satisfying and tasty- these are the kinds of recipes many of us want to include in our repertoire for the daily dinner rotation.

When we think of one-dish meals, many rice dishes like pulaos and khichdis come to mind. I love these, and you are certainly welcome to make them as your entries, but let's also challenge ourselves to make one dish meals beyond rice-based ones, like casseroles, over-stuffed wraps, stews and pasta dishes.

If you are looking for inspiration for the kinds of dishes to make, this post has great suggestions for a variety of one dish meals. If you are a George Clooney fan, then you might get distracted from the aforementioned great suggestions though. For even more ideas, check out these other events featuring one dish meals: a monthly mingle and another one dish event.

The Rules

1. From now until October 25, look through your favorite blogs and try a recipe for a one dish meal. A one dish meal is where the grain/carbs, vegetables and protein are included in a single dish.
2. The recipe has to come from another blog; that is the whole premise of Blog Bites, so please turn to other blogs for inspiration. 
3. Write a post telling us about the one dish meal you made, with the following: (a) A link to the recipes on the inspiring blog, (b) A link to this post (the event announcement), (c) Picture of your dishes.
4. Please write a post specifically for this event. 
5. Please do NOT copy a recipe word for word from another blog- that would be both illegal and unethical. Either re-write the recipe in your own words if you have made substantial changes, or simply add a link to the recipe. One of the reasons I am hosting this event is to remind ourselves that when we use recipes from other blogs, we must be fair and honest in giving them due credit. 
6. Please make sure your entry meets all the rules above. Then, send me the link (URL) of your entry at the following e-mail address: OneHotStove AT gmail DOT com
7. You can send in as many entries as you like.

Have a great week, everyone!