Posts

I love how simple this salsa recipe is. To make it, simply throw tomatoes, onion, garlic, peppers, and cilantro into a blender or food processor. Pulse everything until chopped, and then season with salt, pepper, and lime. Easy! The ingredient list for this easy salsa is very similar to what you need to make pico de gallo. The only difference is that this salsa is blended, while we chop the ingredients for pico de gallo by hand....

Anyway, on this particular Saturday, the heat was unbearable and TH and I had exhausted the movie CDs we borrowed. With no inclination to go out whatsoever, we decided to nap, something we hardly ever do. I woke up 2 hours later feeling oh-my-god-I-am-hungry and of course, there were no snacks at home that I could immediately bite into. PinWithout thinking much, I grabbed 2 potatoes, grated them, threw in whatever I fancied which I hoped would balance the taste, and shallow fried into patties....

Ridge gourd is not a vegetable I buy very often, mainly because I know very few things to do with a large ridge gourd that would work when cooking for two. However, it cooks down to a much smaller quantity when making this pachadi, resulting in a great tasting pachadi perfect for two, or more. If you want a chutney recipe, then this ridge gourd chutney with coriander would work really well with rice and breakfast dishes too....

Easy Asparagus Crostini This crostini recipe is simple and fast. We love using asparagus, but other veggies work, too — roasted cauliflower and roasted broccoli are two of our favorites substitutes. Most asparagus we buy at the store have pretty thick, woody stalks. We like our asparagus tender and those thick, woody stalks don’t really help us with that. To deal with this, we peel them. Run a vegetable peeler down each stalk before cooking and you’ll be on your way to some seriously tender asparagus....

Welcome to amateur sushi night… Tonight’s dinner was inspired by the leftover bowl of white rice that’s been sitting in the back of my fridge. We’ve been eating enough stir fries lately and I figured Jack was probably kale-d out. Plus I thought this sounded like “group” fun. (Especially for our little Japanese girl who was standing by for floor droppings). We took a class once about 5 years ago at Central Market and I remembered this blackened tuna roll with 7-spice and basil sauce that I’d been meaning to make again....

I love these pickled shrimp as a light dinner and for entertaining (they always go quickly). Serve them with crackers, crusty bread and butter, or make a sandwich. They’re even great added to salads and light pasta dishes (like this orzo pasta salad). I didn’t know how much I loved Southern-style pickled shrimp until our friend Richard introduced us to them. Now, I can’t get enough. Once you try this easy pickled shrimp recipe, you’ll be hooked, too....

This fennel salad recipe is the perfect winter side salad. Move over, soggy lettuce and watery tomatoes—this shaved fennel salad is crisp, refreshing, and bright, just the thing to balance a hearty pasta or other comforting meal. Fresh fennel is one of the most underrated vegetables…and it also happens to be one of my favorites. It has a really lovely anise flavor and, when it’s raw, a great crunchy texture....

With the Rio Olympics coming to a close, it’s time to celebrate with Brazil’s national drink – Caipirinhas! Jack and I have some fond Caipirinha memories – we actually spent our honeymoon in South America and our first stop was Rio. On our first night we had dinner at a great restaurant in Ipanema, the name of which I can’t remember (before the blog I was terrible at taking travel notes)....

Now, a quick word about Chandra Padmanabhan’s cookbooks. Although Dakshin (US | India) is her more popular and award-winning book, I am partial to Simply South and have tried quite a few recipes from it. If you want a set of good cookbooks to guide you through South Indian vegetarian cooking, I recommend her books. I have all three of her books (her latest book is a compilation of best recipes from the past three with a few new ones added and I don’t own this one)....

The Sweet Obsession Gurgaon menu is extremely vegetarian-friendly. In fact, most of the items have one chicken variation and a few vegetarian variations. Amazing for folks like TH who find maximum one or two options in a Singaporean menu. Macho Nachos to start off the meal. Yummy nachos with some shredded vegetables, olives, and lots of cheese. Served with sour cream and tomato salsa. Veni’s grilled chicken with mustard sauce, mashed potatoes and stir fried vegetables....

The other day, I had this intense craving for cheesecake. The timing was a little out of the blue since I eat cheesecake exactly once a year when my mom makes it at christmas time. She makes a family recipe – my Grandma Kissel’s infamous recipe – and no one but her and my Aunt Kathy have it. It’s amazingly creamy and light and perfect and it won’t be getting passed down to me anytime soon....

This is a very ad-hoc recipe that I concocted one night. I had some tofu in hand that needed to be used up and I was in no mood to cook a rice or roti, then a side-dish, etc. This post actually has 3 recipes, in a way. You can stop at two other stages on the way to making the tofu vegetable fried rice or go all the way and make it a one-pot meal....

Growing up in the Midwest, the term “bruschetta” meant one thing: toasted bread topped with diced tomatoes, a little basil, and maybe a sprinkle of cheese. But in Italy, “bruschetta” actually refers to the bread. Toasted on a grill – not in an oven – it’s crisp and lightly charred. When it comes off the heat, it’s drizzled generously with olive oil and rubbed with the cut side of a garlic clove....

During our stay in Paris, we rented an apartment to immerse ourselves in the local culture. In the vibrant streets of the 4th district, just outside our tiny apartment, we could walk to various shops offering wine, cheese, chocolate, and, our personal favorite, a quaint little storefront selling freshly baked muffins. As we passed the window each morning, we noticed someone meticulously measuring, mixing, and filling baking trays. After a few hours, we would return to select from their daily assortment....

Can you imagine getting out of bed in the morning, knowing that a vegan breakfast burrito is already waiting for you in the kitchen? You don’t have to do a ton of prep or clean up. Heck, you don’t really have to do anything except for popping it in the microwave and eating it. Does that sound idyllic or what? Well, my friend, I have good news for you. This vegan breakfast burrito freezes perfectly, so you can a prep stash in advance and keep them on hand for busy mornings....

By popular request: air fryer fried pickles! Recently, a few of you have asked me if I’ve made fried pickles in the air fryer. After getting the question a couple of times, I knew I had to try it. I have to say, I’m so glad I did! These air fryer fried pickles are crispy on the outside, juicy in the middle, salty, tangy, and completely addictive. They’re a great fun, easy appetizer for a summer happy hour, though honestly, we like these air fryer pickles so much that I plan to make them at all times of year....

I love Chilli Chicken and Chilli Fish. Or wait, I should say I loved Chilli Chicken. I have been vegetarian for the past 2 months and going strong so far. It’s easier than I thought and although I didn’t want to talk about this too soon, 2 months is a good milestone. I know it’s ironic I am “celebrating” by posting a Chilli Chicken Recipe but this one is from a couple months back and this Green Chilli Chicken came out so good that I couldn’t keep it away from some of chicken lovers out there....

There are few things I love more than a simple arugula salad. To his credit, Jack knows it. Not far from our house, there’s a little food market/sandwich shop that sells the BEST arugula. It’s crisp, tender, and perfectly peppery. Every time Jack goes out to get a sandwich for himself, he comes home with a box of arugula for me. I’ve used it to make all sorts of arugula salad recipes over the years (this one, this one, and this one, for starters), but lately, I’ve been especially smitten with this combination....