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I got these cute and convenient popsicle moulds at IKEA... and wanted to use the smoothie recipe as a base to make these pops. I wanted to make 2 different layers with the strawberry and blueberry layer, you could change it up to make it more fun and vary the flavours as well. The banana and yogurt give this a lovely smooth texture and made for an enjoyable treat. If you don't have gree
Like most kids, mine love macaroni and cheese and I usually try to appease them by making a baked version of macaroni and cheese with some broccoli and a crunchy crust (with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, which I also have to post some time). But, then I saw this video from a website (weelicious) of this cute mom and son duo who cook up this ridiculously easy version of mac'n cheese u
I can't believe that it's been more than a month since I posted last... this year really seems to be running by at top speed. The work meeting that kept me away from the kids for a week (that I had referred to in my previous post), went on quite well and the family managed just fine by themselves. We have had a rather extended winter this year and even had some snow during the last
My apologies for not blog-hopping as much - work has been positively crazy lately with back to back meetings (around 7 in a day, believe it or not) and that means sitting glued to the computer for most part and that is definitely not a healthy thing and my back is complaining a lot these days as a result. To add on to my work woes there is an offsite meeting in a different city next month and the
My aunt (Sumathi athai) would make this kuzhambu once a year for thiruvadhirai and since that usually would come during the months of Dec/January there would be a good supply of winter veggies, especially mochai. She would use 21 different veggies, if I remember right... which explains the name of the dish since it's a medley of vegetables. For some reason, my mom or grandmother never&n
Trying to get a balanced meal on the table on weekends is not an easy task and if you take into consideration some other variables such as what each person likes and what is easy enough to pack for lunch the following day etc. it just makes it even more complex. I find that if I don't plan what to cook ahead of time it takes a longer time to make dinner.. One such evening, I had no clear pla
So many of us are trying to adopt healthier eating patterns and usually fruits and vegetables are the most important feature of such meals. As I've mentioned many times earlier, while I love soups, salads have not always been on my favorite list but there are some versions that I have begun to favour. When my SIL mentioned that she has a new favorite dressing - lemon poppyseed, I decided to try it
So, it was our anniversary yesterday and as usual my husband wanted me to make his favorite Pound Cake but I wanted to try something different. I typically experiment with atleast one new sweet during Deepavali but last year since we didn't celebrate, the family was not subject to that tasty torture. It so happened that I saw this recipe few days ago and the laddus looked absolutely tempting (even
It's always exciting & healthy to cook different greens, besides spinach. There was once a time when I would stick to just spinach or methi leaves but now I have recipes that my family loves that involve kale, swiss chard, bok choy, gongura, beet greens etc. Red Swiss Chard can be made into a kootu but this thoran works so perfectly and it results in a flavourful, tender curry that is gre
It's so hard to get back to the normal schedule of work, gym, school, classes etc. after a relaxing break. We got a lot of rest, reading, playing, meeting friends, catching up on movies, cleaning, organizing etc. done. Hope you all had a lovely holiday with family.Coming to the recipe I have for today... My husband loves plantain chips and my MIL used to make them as one of the snacks&nb
I am sure everyone is in a holiday mood and is relaxing with family and friends - I have the week off and have a huge list of things I want to do but with both kids at home, I'm not sure how far on the list I'll get but atleast it will be some much needed downtime. There may also a fair bit of entertaining going on. It's always fun and satisfying to invite people home, cook for the
Making candy at home is always exciting and knowing how it will thrill my kids I was really looking forward to making these Salted Caramels by David Lebovitz... the process sounded relatively simple, I had all the ingredients and a candy thermometer so I just had to find some free time and I was good to go. I decided to included these caramels in the gift packs I was planning to give my neig
This is a dish that I almost always order when eat at a Thai restaurant... I definitely prefer this to pad-thai and love the spicy kick it has with the fragrance of thai basil permeating the entire dish. Even though it is pretty spicy, this is something my daughter loves to eat and it's usually accompanied with a whole lot of hissing and several gulps of water but she still finds it irr
We've been having some wonderful weather the past two days and I've been making sure I go out for a walk to maximize it.. My dad found this pathway which is surrounded by tall trees and has a small brook flowing alongside it.... it's usually very peaceful and quiet there save for the scurrying of some squirrels, tweeting of birds and the occassional deer or two grazing and running to hide. I
It has been over a month since I've written anything here and what a month it has been.... First, we celebrated Anushka's birthday (she is 7 now and growing up super fast) and I had every intention of posting the cake that I made for her birthday this year.... She couldn't decide on what she wanted this year and eventually picked a 'Crown Cake'.... but before I could post anything , I received wor
I talked in my earlier post about incorporating celery in a sneaky manner... I add it to soups typically and I have a friend who even adds it to sambar. Cooking the celery or sauteeing helps mellow the strong flavour of celery and the fibrous texture as well. This pasta dish is another great way to incorporate celery... It gives a lovely savoury flavour and the tiny bits of vegetables add a deligh
I'm sorry for the long hiatus... Although I have been clicking pictures of new dishes and there are quite a few recipes that I am yet to post, there just hasn't been enough time to actually write a post. Our office has been going through some rather painful changes and all I can look forward to is more pressure and long hours but hopefully it will also mean that I will learn new things and figure
In my mind, this dish is like the North Indian equivalent of Aviyal, because I get to utilize leftover bits of veggies in the fridge to make a scrumptious curry. This makes for a great combination with rotis and some dhal. I keep varying the veggies based on availability and preference and this is yet to disappoint me... so feel free to substitute with some of your favorite veggies. I typical
I'm finally here with the recipe for the Layered Pineapple and Cream cake that I made for my brother's birthday..... this is like the one we get at the bakeries in India - a light, sponge cake (made with no butter or oil that gets it's fluffiness from beaten eggs) that has been layered with pineapple pieces and luscious, velvety whipped cream. It was moist and light and I used this awesome recipe
My brother visited us over the last two weeks and we had a fun, relaxing time with him.... He is 8 years younger than me so our childhood memories have less instances of us playing together and more of me bullying / teasing him... :) Anyway we spent an evening talking about these memories and the fun we had with the two cousins who lived with us (while they were in college).... One mem
Remember how I dreamt of a pizza when I laid eyes on some tomato basil feta cheese... well, here is that dream becoming a reality... This is my take on a greek style pizza which is inspired by the Garlic Spinacci pizza we get at Vocellis (a pizza joint) which I really like... I added a few extra ingredients into the mix and some spiciness to add a kick. I must say that this was quite a hit w
We returned last week from our trip to India and are settling back into our routine here. We had a wonderful time though it went by much too fast for our liking. The kids in particular had an awesome time with grandparents, relatives, cousins, old friends & some new friends that they made. They loved the auto rides, playing in the water, visiting temples where my son would point to all t
So, it's been a while since I added any new recipes - though I've been clicking pictures, haven't really had much time to post the recipes. Summer usually means a bit more relaxing time atleast in terms of the kids' schedules (no homework to deal with, no need to rush my daughter out for the school bus at 7:15am) - or so I thought but it has been just as hectic... I have been shuttling her to and
It's been so long since I posted a round-up of recipes that I've tried and loved from other blogs.... Whenever I am running low on ideas or have a craving for something new, all I need to do is do a quick rundown of my bookmarked recipes or browse around to either get inspiration from or even better - get tried and trusted recipes that are sure to please my family... So, a big thank yo
I think this is my first recipe with Quinoa (Keen-wah)... although I've been including it my diet... the rest of the family did not follow suit. It definitely wasn't love at first sight but since I had read that it is pretty healthy combined with the fact that it has a fair bit of protein, I gave it another try when my mom made ven pongal with it, substituting quinoa for rice and loved it...
I can't believe I haven't posted this dish so far since this is something I make very often.. atleast once every 2 weeks especially when I'm hard pressed for time... this may have a lot of veggie chopping involved but it still works out to be a fast dish and a wholesome one since it has an array of vegetables and tofu simmered in spicy thai curry infused coconut milk. Initially I used to mak
My mom would often make these when we ran out of idli/dosa batter or if we needed a really quick meal since these are super instant (no fermentation or waiting time required) and quite tasty too. However, I was never a fan of these godhumai dosais - I can't really think of why specifically... Now that I do like quite a few things I didn't enjoy as a kid... e.g. upma, I decided to try these out on
I wanted to make something different than the usual Vegetable Noodles recipe and when I saw this pack of spaghetti, decided to try a peanutty version.... The last time I made something similar was inspired by the thai red curry, so I added some red curry paste and a touch of coconut milk but this time it was coated in a smooth peanut sauce and delicious. Once the veggies are cut, this
Wanting a quick snack over the weekend, I decided to put the rather large bag of Pita chips that my husband got from Costco, to use.... We had some of it plain, some with hummus but lately we had been ignoring it... so an idea to use those chips instead of the regular papdis came into my mind... They were crunchy yet sturdy so would be a perfect replacement. Having store bought tamarind date chutn
I already shared this avocado-tomato open faced sandwich that I quite love and this sandwich is essentially similar but it just incorporates a few more ingredients to make it even more satisfying - the key ingredients are Eggs (whole or just whites, your preference), Avocado & Tomato hence the name E.A.T.When it comes to Avocado, though it has a lot of fat, it's the good kind (mono-unsaturated
Like I've mentioned several times before we are not really salad people - although I truly wish I was for the sake of my figure (or rather the lack thereof) :)However there are some salads that even appeals to us such as the few that I've blogged about before and this is another one that we can add to our repertoire. When I saw some tomato basil feta cheese at the grocery store, I dreamt of a yumm
I'm sure many of you have tasted these tasty Tofu Lettuce Wraps from P.F. Changs... Wanting to re-create it at home I gave it a shot one day but tweaked it a lot by adding spinach and other veggies and put roasted chestnuts instead of water chestnuts since that's what I had at home... Though palatable, it did not taste like the one from P.F. CHangs at all. After that I tried this version and we we
It has been a rather busy month - workwise and also since we all were taking turns falling sick (inspite of the gorgeous weather we've been having). Haven't been able to post or blog hop much as a result but wanted to squeeze in this super simple recipe. Beetroots are usually not well received by my husband and I end up sneaking them in these vegetable cutlets, or in vegetable biryani or make burg
Once in a while we get burritos from Chipotle and I quite like the combination of rice, beans, veggies, salsa (I add the spicy ones), cool guacamole, a tiny dollop of sourcream, corn & lettuce whether it's in a bowl (my favorite option) or wrapped tight in a humongous tortilla. Even my parents liked this and it goes over quite well with my daughter too.... she loves everything with sourcream.
When I want to make something quick for my husband's lunch this Tawa pulao is something I can whip up quite easily and is spicy and tasty. I add paneer and peas (didn't have any peas when I made it this time) for some protein and also bell peppers for some crunch. Since he's not a big fan tomato, I skip it entirely and add a dash of ketchup to get some tang and colour. What sets apart a tawa pulao
I was pleasantly surprised to find a pack of whole Ragi in my pantry - I had been putting it away assuming it was a pack of mustard seeds until I took a closer look at it one day and discovered that it was infact Ragi. The first thing that popped in my head was ragi dosai.... My mom made these amazing ragi dosais which were crispy and chewy at the same time and we would usually have it with this s
We recently lost 2 wonderful food bloggers and both losses came as a total shock for me. First, it was Jayasree and now Miri (Raji). I could hardly believe my eyes when I read about this news from several bloggers... Just that weekend I was browsing Miri's blog and made her urulai roast for a friend's baby shower. She exhibited such enthusiasm and energy in all her posts and I particularly loved t
It has been my kind of winter this time.... not too cold and just a dusting of snow 3 times so far and even experienced spring like temperatures a few days in January. Even when the groundhog predicted 6 more weeks of winter I didn't feel sad for a moment because this kind of winter I can definitely handle for 6 more weeks :) That said, temperatures are still on the cold side on some days and on o
Happy New Year folks! I hope you all had a nice celebration to welcome the New Year. I had a rather unique experience this year and was at the temple for a special midnight puja to welcome the New year! This was definitely my first and i had no idea that such a thing existed... I've even been to a church for a special New Year mass but never the temple before... it was definitely a nice feeling an
I trust everyone is in a festive holiday mood... I have 2 weeks off and I couldn't be more thrilled... this is much needed downtime after a rather busy year at work. I hope to spend some fun times with the kiddos and also with some friends who are visiting us. Having the kids at home with me means lesser time for the things I usually do in my free time such as blog hopping, posting new recipes and
I know that this is not a popular vegetable and it wasn't mine either growing up but now it's a different story... My kids & husband are not totally crazy about it but there are certain recipes that can hook them in and this is one such. This recipe was inspired by the eggplant dish one finds in Chinese restaurants... you can make it as spicy as you want it and it goes great with some fried ri
It's not common for my husband to like healthy food.... (like salads and soups) but I have to admit that he has come a long way and now eats broccoli, tofu and a whole lot of other vegetables that he once refused to even look at.... So I was quite surprised when he complained that I haven't made the summer rolls in a long time - essentially they have a salad of veggies and seasoned tofu wrapped to
Using the oven on a cold night gives the kitchen a cozy feeling and the tummies a delicious meal. Last week, I whipped up these zucchini crisps for dinner and they were devoured by the family. Thin slices of zucchini are coated with seasoned breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and baked till crisp... As for the first coating, you could use egg or a mixture of all purpose flour and water if you don't e
This dish is a combination of spicy and tangy flavours with a favorite, popular veggie - potatoes that get cooked delicately in this curry and absorb all the spices... This goes great with pulao, naan or rotis and is sure to tickle your tastebuds. This gravy would look pretty with little baby potatoes but since I didn't have them, I just used normal potatoes that had been cubed.SPICY DAHI ALOOIngr
Now that the cooler weather is upon us I'm including a lot of soups in our diet and this recipe is something that even kids will like (skip the red chilli flakes when making for them). Combining finely chopped broccoli (the frozen packs make this a breeze) with some smooth, creamy cheese is sure to warm you up in such a delicious way. The tiny specs of carrot add colour & nutrition.BROCCOLI
My dad would often try new recipes at home.. he was the one who introduced us to lauki koftas, home-made chocolate and this sabudhana khichdi among other dishes. He made this sound so simple and since I loved this, I decided to surprise my inlaws with this upma one day and didn't know how to soak the sabudana and soon it became a gooey mess - much to my disappointment. My dad on the other hand wo
I'm sure everyone is feeling pretty stuffed and sweet after Deepavali and Halloween... :) I know I am. Eventhough this year I didn't feel like making a whole lot of things, I still made 7 cups burfi (always reliable and always yummy) and chaklis and thankfully both came out really well.. and for Diwali dinner we had an elaborate meal with vadai and semia payasam. I trust you all had a lovely celeb
I've been meaning to post this recipe for more than a week now but with my son falling sick and work days being filled with meetings and more meetings I couldn't get to it until now. My daughter turned 6 on October 10th and for her birthday this year she was contemplating between a Butterfly cake and a Flower cake and finally after much thinking and some 'Eenie Meenie Minie Mo' she decided on the
When I saw this on Giada's show, I was quite impressed by how fluffy it looked and thought my kids would definitely love it knowing how they enjoy both cheese and pasta. The addition of eggs makes for a filling lunch as well and since this comes together so very easily and tastes just as good at room temperature, it makes for an ideal lunchbox dish.I had some leftover pasta in the fridge and some
It's amazing how quickly days fly by and before you know it a week is gone, then two and then an entire month slips away in an instant... Things have been way too busy on all fronts.. work and home - it leaves me pretty much no time to relax and get to my hobby of blogging. There has been a fair bit of cooking going on though and i have quite a backlog of recipes and pictures waiting to see the da
