It’s been a soupy week around here. I’ve said it probably one hundred times before, but I just love the process of making soup. It makes me feel grounded and fancy all at the same time. Simmering flavorful things in a pot (with a glass of wine on the side) is my idea of a perfect night. It could be Tuesday night, it could be Friday night – it doesn’t matter to me....
Our new cookbook Simple Feel Good Food comes out in less than a month! Creating a cookbook is a long process—we’ve been working on this one for over two years. I can’t believe that it will finally be out in the world! I’m so excited to share it with you. Simple Feel Good Food will hit bookstore shelves on April 25, but today’s post is a reminder that it’s available for pre-order NOW!...
We shared these easy cheesecake bars years ago, and they became so popular that Betty Crocker asked to share them as well! The bars are super delicious, with fresh lemon and blueberries! If you love cheesecake, these bars are for you! For more dessert recipes with that blueberry lemon combination, see our lemon blueberry cake, this easy blueberry crumble, and our lemon blueberry muffins! Key Ingredients Blueberries: I love fresh blueberries (when they are in season), but you can substitute frozen berries if that’s what you have....
I’m such a fan of this microwave brownie made in a mug. It’s so much better than I thought it would be. It’s super chocolatey, rich, and fudgy. I love it. As a bonus, it takes about 5 minutes. For my favorite baked brownies, see my fudgy brownie recipe or these one bowl brownies. Key Ingredients The Mug: Use a microwave-safe coffee mug that holds at least 1 cup of liquid....
I’ve made this herby lemon couscous salad so many times over the years, and I’m always happy that I did! It’s one of my favorite summery side dishes for potlucks and BBQs. Every time I bring it, my friends ask for the recipe. The best part is how simple and delicious it is. The ingredients are all fresh, and the salad comes together incredibly fast. While the couscous cooks (takes 10 minutes), you can prep the rest of the salad ingredients....
You will need a bottle of red wine. It doesn’t have to be the best bottle, just make sure it is something you would be happy drinking. Choose a drier wine like Merlot or Cabernet. Poaching the pears takes about 30 minutes, but the best part? You can make the pears 2 days in advance, once the pears are tender, turn off the heat then cool the liquid & the pears....
After a few too many failed attempts, we have stumbled onto the best method for roasting eggplant. This is my family’s favorite way to cook eggplant! Our recipe below for roasted eggplant works with a simple seasoning of oil, salt, and pepper, but if you’d like to spice things up, we highly recommend our spice blend (shared below). It’s super flavorful. Key Ingredients Eggplant: When you are shopping for eggplant, look for it to have smooth and shiny skin and feel heavy for its size....
Our sweet chili wings are sticky, sweet, and spicy, with a bit of crunch, thanks to a handful of chopped peanuts and sliced green onion sprinkled on top. They are easy, too. The sweet chili glaze only needs three ingredients! It’s no secret that we love our chicken wings. For more recipes like this, see our baked buffalo hot wings, BBQ chicken wings, or these Vietnamese wings made with fish sauce!...
It’s tough coming back from a long break to anything and although I have been missing this website and cooking and writing about food, I am so rusty! It took me a few minutes to even figure out the new WordPress layout and editor. But, heading back home to Kottayam always sparks my inspiration, especially my Amma’s inspiration to keep trying something new. She had bookmarked this eggless butter pudding recipe from an Instagram page and bought all ingredients and kept them ready for me to arrive and make it together....
TH and I both like almond-y things like marzipan, almond fudge (the almond version of the popular kaju katli) and frangipane cakes and tarts. So this flourless almond cake was devoured guilt-free over just a couple days. I also shared a few slices with friends and got a ton of requests for the recipe. Sorry guys, it’s been over 5 months now. My bad! The slices in the picture are a bit uneven and crumbly but that’s because I cut the cake right out of the oven....
This post was created in partnership with Pure Leaf. You might not know this little factoid about myself and Jack, but we freaking love iced tea. Black tea, green tea, tea in our cocktails – we’re obsessed, especially now that we’re in the heat of the summer. Although, we’re weirdos that drink iced tea in the winter too, but I digress… Today’s recipe is less of a recipe and more of a really fun, summery way to serve iced tea....
Among many other things in life, I believe that a hearty and healthy breakfast is a dying thing. It’s definitely mourned in the home that I’ve set up now which sees idli or dosa on the best days for breakfast, but rarely anything more elaborate. I try to compensate with a hearty brunch or lunch but it’s just not the same thing. Amma has had help in the kitchen almost always and so the task of making idiyappam is delegated while she makes the comparatively complicated vegetable or potato stew to go with the idiyappam....
This kale smoothie recipe is such an energizing way to start the day! Now that the weather’s warming up in Chicago, it’s made its way into my breakfast rotation of freezer burritos, muffins, and avocado toast. Refreshing and nutritious, it’s what I crave on mornings when the sun is shining, the air smells sweet, and it really feels like spring is on its way. The magic of this kale smoothie recipe is that it doesn’t actually taste like kale....
Pin Podi Curry is a traditional Tamil Brahmin Recipe except that I made a slight twist in it and added pureed onions. You can omit that and you will get a dry fry dish. I wanted something that was slightly soft and not fried. Kathirikai Podi Curry Recipe Ingredients: Brinjal / eggplant – 2 cups, cubed Onion – 1 small, ground to a paste or chopped fine Mustard seeds – 1/8 tsp Oil – 1 tbsp (preferably gingelly/sesame oil) Salt – to taste To dry-roast and grind: Dhania / malli – 2 tsp (or 3 tsp dhania powder) Bengal gram / Chana dal / kadala parippu – 1 tbsp Urad dal / uzhunnu parippu / uzhutham paruppu – 1 tsp Dried red chillies – 4, adjust to taste Curry leaves – a few How to Make Kathirikai Podi Curry...
Let’s make lemon poppy seed muffins! These classic muffins are bursting with fresh citrus flavor, and they have a moist, tender texture that’s punctuated by the poppy seeds’ crunch. I love them plain for breakfast or an afternoon snack, but they’re also wonderful with my quick lemon glaze on top. It makes them a bakery-worthy treat that would be perfect for a special occasion brunch or even dessert. Like all my muffin recipes, these lemon poppy seed muffins are easy to make....
If you are looking for more simple bakes, check out these eggless garlic rolls, Indian pav, or just browse all bread recipes so you can pick for yourself. INGREDIENTS: For bread dough: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for dusting) 2 tbsp milk powder 1 tsp instant yeast 1/2 tsp salt 1/3 cup cold water 1 egg, beaten 1 tbsp sugar 25gm butter, at room temperature For cookie dough: 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder A large pinch of salt 60gm butter, at room temperature 1/3 cup sugar (this makes a sweet bun) 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Sugar for dusting (I used raw sugar) INSTRUCTIONS: To make the bread dough, whisk together the flour, powdered milk, yeast, and salt in the bowl (or the bowl of your stand machine if using one)....
I also love cooking with methi leaves (fenugreek leaves) and the lovely aroma it gives to the final dish. So when I saw this rural Andhra mor kuzhambu (called Thonthana in telugu) in Cooking with Pedatha that uses dal in the mix along with greens and yogurt, I was totally hooked until I tried it. The flavours are simple, yet complex, and the end result is absolutely delicious. Methi (Fenugreek) Leaves Yogurt Curry | Vendhaya Keerai Mor Kozhambu |...
When tomatoes are in season, you’ll find them added to just about everything we eat. It’s our favorite time of year — Fresh Bruschetta anyone? When tomatoes are not in season, we still crave them. The problem is that they are never as sweet and ripe as they are in summer. That’s okay, though, because our solution is to roast them. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness in almost anything — especially vegetables....
I can’t get enough of this incredible homemade apple cobbler. The topping alone is worth making the recipe. It’s somewhere between a soft brown sugar cookie, a flaky pie crust, and a soft and fluffy biscuit. Then there’s the filling, made with fresh apples that soften and release their juices as they bake, creating a sauce with the perfect consistency. This cobbler is truly one of my favorite apple recipes!...
I can’t stop making this poached salmon recipe, and I know the moment you try it, you’ll feel the same way. Poaching salmon is so easy to do. Poached salmon with water, salt, and pepper is delicious, but I love using my favorite aromatic poaching liquid (shared below). Enjoy your salmon on salads, flaked over toast, with creamy grits, or serve with roasted veggies. Key Ingredients Salmon: I use salmon fillets around 1 inch thick because thicker fillets will stay more tender and succulent when poached....
