Posts

Do you have Easter brunch or Easter dinner? My family always has a formal Easter ham dinner, but around here brunch seems to be more popular. Not that it matters for us this year – Jack and I will doing what we’ve done for every holiday this year so far – testing and shooting cookbook recipes. Yep, that’s right – this book project started with Thanksgiving tacos and now Easter weekend will be a smorgasbord of random bits and bobs, tons of dirty dishes, and some really funky combinations of leftovers....

Happy Sunday – thanks for all of your sweet comments the other day about our book announcement! I’ve been hitting the farmers markets pretty hard lately working on spring recipes – something that always grabs my attention while I’m there is chard. Here are a few of my favorite swiss chard recipes, and also a few from around the web that look SO delicious… a few of these are definitely easter brunch worthy: Swiss Chard Penne Pasta Bake Rainbow Chard & Wheatberries Pickled Chard Stems Pickled Chard Quinoa Bowls Rainbow Chard Soup, from Kitchen Konfidence Garlicky Swiss Chard and Chickpeas, from Foodiecrush Swiss Chard and Spicy Peanut Sauce Spring Rolls, from Naturally Ella Rustic Vegetable Chickpea Soup, from Foodess French Chard Tart, from Gourmande in the Kitchen Shakshuka with Swiss Chard, from Food & Wine Mini Polenta Pizzas, from A House in the Hills Sautéed Swiss Chard with Shiitake Mushrooms, from Simply Recipes Swiss Chard with Currants and Pine Nuts, from NY Times

But one fine weekend I was very determined to make Ragda Patties, as I was telling you in my Ragda Recipe post. So I set out making everything from scratch – the green chutney for chaat, sweet chutney (my first attempt) and the aloo tikkis. The green chutney is easy peasy and came together in less than 10 mins. The sweet chutney requires a bit more cooking time and I followed the recipe from a book except for adding dates instead of jaggery mentioned in the original recipe....

I know I’m not the only one who gets weak at the knees at the sight of fresh tomatoes and mozzarella. This authentic caprese salad, or “Insalata Caprese” as it’s known in Italy, is a classic summer dish that never disappoints. This easy caprese salad is my go-to dinner throughout the summer, and I never seem to get tired of it. If you’re looking for more tomato salads, be sure to check out my chopped tomato salad, my favorite panzanella salad with bread and tomatoes, and this easy cherry tomato salad with feta....

If you love creamy pasta that 1) tastes great and 2) makes you feel great, then you need this vegan Alfredo sauce in your life. It’s just as silky and rich as the classic kind, but it’s made with 100% plant-based ingredients. Nutritional yeast adds cheesy flavor, and lemon juice brightens it up. And instead of cheese, cream, or butter (or even vegan butter!), a secret ingredient gives it its ultra-creamy texture....

Meet the BEST vegan ice cream. Ever. Yep, I said it. Over the years, I’ve tried all sorts of vegan ice cream recipes, ones with bases ranging from frozen bananas to cashew milk to almond milk. For me, there’s no contest. As far as dairy-free ice cream goes, coconut ice cream is by far the best. Full-fat coconut milk adds enough richness to create a texture that is super creamy, smooth, and not at all icy....

Tortilla soup is one of my favorite foods. Not just one of my favorite soups (though of course it is), but one of my favorite foods in general. I love how the rich, flavorful broth contrasts with toppings like crunchy tortilla strips and creamy avocado. Now that the temperatures are cooling off for the season, you can bet that I’ll have this tortilla soup recipe on repeat. Tortilla soup (or sopa de tortilla or sopa Azteca) is thought to have originated in central Mexico, though you can find regional variations throughout Mexico and the US today....

When making milkshake, choose ripe fruits. These tasted fabulous just as they are too – sweet and juicy. Another important component is milk. It has to be chilled and preferably whole fat, not the skim or low fat kind, although you can use what you want and have in hand. Amma gets milk from a home that raises their own cows and extracts the cream out of it so all the milk we use at home is naturally lower in fat, yet creamy....

Since we make dosa batter at home regularly, it’s important to have a good collection of chutney recipes to keep things interesting. When I posted my plain dosa recipe, a lot of you asked for the recipe of the white chutney in the picture. I am glad I took two shots of the chutney too while clicking the dosas, I can now share the chutney recipe too. Amma made this chutney very quickly by throwing things together for breakfast....

To be honest, I don’t go out of my way to make cake and brownies healthier. I bake them the way they are meant to be made traditionally (like using this simple brownie recipe) and eat them in moderation. It’s exciting to experiment now and then though and I had been meaning to try baking brownies with atta for a long time now. The usual issue with using heavier flour in baking is the texture....

As soon as I finish writing this post, I’m heading to the kitchen and making more of these zucchini brownies. It’s impossible for me to sit here, looking at photos of their glossy tops and gooey, chocolatey middles and NOT start to crave them. Tell me they’re tempting you too? The really fun thing about this zucchini brownies recipe is that even though is has 2 WHOLE CUPS of zucchini inside it, the zucchini is almost undetectable....

If you’re looking for new summer dinner ideas, you’re in the right place! Below, you’ll find 45 of my best summer dinner recipes. They include easy weeknight pastas, fresh summer salads, quick grilled meals, and more. These recipes are the meals I make on repeat throughout the summer. I love them because they’re packed with the best produce the season has to offer—tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, basil, and more. Using these fresh ingredients is a simple way to add bold flavor to summer meals....

Air fryer potatoes! Have you tried them? They deliver all the best qualities of oven roasted potatoes, but they cook in a fraction of the time (we’re talking under 20 minutes!). These air fryer potatoes are the perfect weeknight side dish. They’re quick and delicious—crispy on the outside, creamy in the middle, and packed with savory garlic flavor. Even picky eaters love them. These air fryer potatoes pair nicely with so many main dishes (find serving suggestions below!...

All-Purpose Curry Masala Recipe Ingredients:Cloves – 10Cardamom – 5Cinnamon – a 3″ pieceFennel seeds – 1 tbspPeppercorn – 1/4 tsp Grind together all the ingredients until its pretty much smooth. This masala is very aromatic and can be used in any kind of curry, though its best suited for vegetarian dishes. Recipes on this blog that use this masala:Gobi Ka KheemaPotato Masala

If your spring dinner rotation needs a refresh, add this asparagus risotto to the mix! I’ve made it a few times over the last couple of weeks, and every time, Jack and I have both gone back for more. Like any good risotto, it’s soft and creamy, with rich depth of flavor from olive oil and white wine. But at the same time, this asparagus risotto is bright and fresh....

Baby Brinjal and Peanut Masala Recipe (Kathirikai Curry) Serves: 2 Ingredients: 8-10 baby brinjal 1/2 cup raw unsalted peanuts 1 tbsp coriander powder 1 tsp jeera / cumin seeds 1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper A generous pinch of hing / asafoetida A pinch of turmeric powder 1/4 tsp red chilli powder A few curry leaves 2 tbsp oil 1/4 tsp mustard seeds A small piece of tamarind or 1/2 tsp tamarind paste Salt to taste How to make Kathirikai with Peanuts Curry:...

The behind the scenes story is that we spent Christmas eve at her place and woke up late the next day. There was nothing in the house to cook with except 2-day old bread and some tomatoes and chillies. With utmost confidence, she chopped, diced and sliced and made this yummy bowl of amazing brunch! So this recipe here is an ideal one for all those bachelors left at home with stale bread in hand and no time to cook a proper meal....

How to Make a Moist and Tender Blueberry Cake This blueberry cake is versatile. We love it with a dollop of whipped cream and extra fresh blueberries. It’s also lovely left plain and I don’t see any reason you couldn’t slather cream cheese frosting over the top. Since the cake has such a moist and tender crumb, it keeps very well. You can make it ahead of time without any issues....

If there’s any recipe that’ll convince someone that they love salad, it’s this Caesar salad recipe. Its base is chopped romaine lettuce and crisp veggies, but shaved cheese, homemade croutons, and a bold, creamy dressing fill it with so much flavor and texture that it hardly feels like you’re eating a plate full of vegetables! This Caesar salad recipe would be a fantastic side dish for a holiday dinner party, but, lately, we’ve even been loving it as a meal on its own....

This cauliflower rice burrito bowl delivers all the best parts of a Chipotle burrito bowl – fajita veggies, cilantro lime flavor, plenty of black beans and avocado – and skips the worst part (aka the food coma that comes when you’re done). To make it lighter, I swap seasoned cauliflower rice for regular rice. Then, instead of piling it with cheese or sour cream, I finish it with a creamy cashew green chile sauce....