Mixed daal is one of my favorite lentil dishes that I learnt from my Mom that I’ve been making the same way she taught me for decades. As much as I love this dish, it always amazes me how every time I make it for a dinner party all guests love it just as much.
Continue reading Mixed DaalHere is a salad recipe with the crunch of apples, nuts, seeds and sweet dates. Really an easy recipe that looks great and tastes even better. I tossed the salad with my favorite balsamic salad dressing for a nice filling salad. Serve it with a side of crusty bread and tea and it makes for a wonderful light lunch option.
Continue reading Apple Date Salad with Nuts and SeedsHello and happy Friday! Today I’d like to share a few pics of gorgeous flowers and plants I’ve received the last few weeks. With California opening up fully from our year long restrictions on socialization, we are finally able to get together with friends and extended family . With all of us fully vaccinated we are even getting together and celebrating over dinners, lunches, and teas. With each happy occasion that I’ve hosted at home, I’ve received beautiful flowers and plants.. Enjoy today’s Friday flowers from friends 🥰🌸🌺🌼.
Continue reading Friday Flowers. Flowers from FriendsThis is a delicious salad that is hefty enough to fill you up. Cauliflower adds the fill-me-up factor while the briny olives add a tangy edge. Honestly this is a simple salad that is simply outstanding.
Continue reading Roasted Cauliflower and Olive SaladA pineapple salad that got such rave reviews when I served it that I was pleasantly surprised at how much folks liked it, especially given how quick and easy it was to make. With so few ingredients and a sprig of mint, it was so easy to make yet amazingly delicious. You have to give it a try!
I wanted to make a pineapple salsa type of salad but ended up trying something a little different. I opted to jmake a salad add minced onion, salt and pepper and let the pineapple marinate in the oniony salty juices for a couple of hours. The result is a delicious pineapple salad that tastes like its tossed in a sweet pineapple onion vinaigrette. Refreshing, cool, sweet and salty, this makes for a fabulous chilled salad on a warm summer day.
Serve it along side this other hearty easy to make cauliflower broccoli salad and you have two easy salads on one beautiful platter.
Quick and Easy Pineapple Salad
Ingredients:
1 ripe pineapple cut into chunks
1 small onion finely mined
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Toss the pineapple with the onions, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours for the flavors to marinate.
Serve chilled with garnish of herbs.
Another cobbler recipe? Yes! That’s right! Because its summer and we are swimming in fruits and what better way to use up a large quantity of over rip fruit than in a sweet delicious cobbler. Here is another cobbler recipe to add to your cobbler repertoire. This time its made with summer sweet apricots, blackberries all flavored with sweet dessert wine!
Continue reading Sweet Dessert Wine Apricot Blackberry CobblerHappy Friday! Hope you had a good week. Today I’d like to share with you this refreshing cocktail I had at a friend’s place recently. With our hot summer days in full force a glass of chilled rosé wine is a welcome respite on a lazy summer evening. How about jazzing it up a bit? This cocktail does just that. With in season watermelon juice, a bit of lime syrup, and wine, the result is a delicious cocktail that’s cool and eclectic.
Continue reading Rosé Lime Watermelon CocktailThis salad takes fabulous summer corn, cauliflower, broccoli, and celery to create a hearty dish that can be made ahead and taken to any gathering on a hot summer day. Really creative and delicious, this salad just requires that you cut a few ingredients and buy a green goddess dressing . Super easy and delicious, its the perfect summer salad.
Continue reading Cauliflower Broccoli & Summer Corn Salad with Apples and Green Goddess DressingHello and Happy Weekend! Are you going to see friends, maybe having them over? Planning on serving wine? How about a chilled bottle of chardonnay? And how about the perfect pairing for this full bodied white wine? Try serving it with goat cheese and crackers. A winning combo 👌🏼🥂🧀😋,
Continue reading Chardonnay, Goat Cheese and Crackers. The Perfect PairingThis recipe is for all your beet fans out there who are looking for a creative way to make a delicious beets dish. This one is flavored with toasted sesame seeds and urad daal which are split skinned black gram lentils. These two transform beets into a phenomenal dish that tastes so good you’ll be having second helpings.
I don’t know about you, but for me beets are let’s just say I’m not a fan of beets. I know I know, I apologize to all you beet fans 🙏🏻. Its just that to me veggies aren’t supposed to be sweet, you know what I mean? And let’s not forget the mess beets make with their pinky red color all over the counter and cutting board. Yet, every two weeks I get gorgeous big beets in my farm box. I’ve collected them in the fridge not really knowing what to do. Hitesh on the other hand, loves beets. Enter this beet recipe from my Aunty Uma who visited me this July. She saw these big giant beautiful beets and asked what I was planning on making with them. My response “Do you have any suggestions?” This recipe is what she made.
My Aunty Uma visited me last week and I have to be honest, as excited I was to see her I was even more excited to cook with her! I wanted to learn some new Indian dishes away from my comfort zone and that’s exactly what I got to do with my Aunt this summer.
I knew Uma Aunty’s cooking style is extremely healthy and delicious – she even wrote a book on this topic titled Herbal Transformatiions. Ancient Wisdom Revealed for Health and Longevity. This awesome book showcases how to use the benefits of herbs and spices to enhance our well being.
Herbal Transformations: Ancient Wisdom Revealed for Health and Longevity Using Herbs and Spices, Yoga, Hygiene and Spirituality. The title says it all. My aunt Uma Swaminathan is the author of this wonderful book that gives you valuable information about Indian spices and herbs and also shows you how to use them to enhance the positive aspects of those spices and … Continue reading Herbal Transformations. Ancient Wisdom Revealed for Health and Longevity by Uma Swaminathan
I’m happy to say we cooked so many wonderful dishes together that Its going to take me a while to write them up and share them here. But this beets saute on the other hand is a quick and easy recipe.
For a non-beet lover I have to admit I liked this dish. It has fabulous smoky flavor from the toasted sesame seeds and lentils that offset the sweetness of the beets. The recipe is pretty simple. First beets are cooked until tender. Then all you do is toast sesame seeds and urad daal (split black gram lentils) with a dried red chili or two. Toast until golden in color, then grind in a spice mill. Then sprinkle the mixture over the beets and stir. That’s it! Really delicious and different, this will make a beet lover of me yet.
BEETS PORIYAL. BEETS SAUTE WITH TOASTED SESAME SEEDS AND LENTILS
Recipe contributed by Uma Aunty
Ingredients:
1-2 beets peeled and cut into small chunks
2 tbsp urad daal
2 bsp white sesame seeds
1 dried red chili (optional)
Salt
Cilantro for garnish
Fresh lemon juice from 1 small lemon
Directions:
Cook beets with salt until tender to your liking. Set aside.
In a pan toast the sesame seeds, urad daal and red chili until the lentils and sesame seeds are pale golden in color and release a smoky aroma – about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and place them on a plate to cool. Once cool grind in a spice mill to a fine spice powder.
Sprinkle the sesame seed blend over the cooked beets and stir in. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. Top with fresh cilantro and lemon juice. Beets poriyal is ready!
