Lemons & Rinds

When it comes to kid lunches, we never run out of options. Especially, if your kid loves easy, simple, delicious no fuss food, you are a winner. I dnt fancy eating Thalipeeth much while in India. But now after becoming a mommy myself, I'm always looking for options for healthy easy meals. Thalipeeth comes a winner than. With your choice of vegetables, mostly root vegetables go very well since they can be grated and added to this). Just the other day, my mum was complaining about my father being fussy with his Thalipeeth. He likes it only with onions and spices. However, since my brothers also eat, she likes to add red radishes, cabbage or carrots too. So now what? She looks for options to please everyone. To add spice to this fight, I informed that my lil one likes it with lots of raddishes and carrots!!! Super healthy!!! Anyways, this is one dish a staple in my house. Here's what I do: Flour of different types rather whatever is a staple in the pantry. I try to add mor...

Firstly, all the good things about Barley http://vegetarian.about.com/od/glossary/g/barley.htm The only bad news...it has Gluten. Barley is my best food discovery of the year though since it is another addition of rich protein and fiber to our semi-veggie diet. Kids love them because of their texture. I was reading 2011 Spring's issue of Baby & Toddler. That featured a recipe of Barley with cooked Zucchini and Yellow Squash. It is among the best whole grains to add to our diet, esp kids. Since, I am a novice cook where this grain is concerned, I definitely did some research on recipes. Finally, I went the safe way. I made a simple Khichdi (Pongal for some, Porridge for the rest) with Moong Dal, vegetables, cumin and butter. How wrong could you go? Also, I had to keep it a bit bland since my son was accompanying me on this lunch menu. Here's what I did: I actually soaked 1/2 cup of Barley in the night. For cooking, took 1/3 cup of washed Moong Dal in a P...

Nobody starts cooking curries right from day one. Today, when I see teenage girls/boys struggling to chop and cook or using readytocook masalas, I cannot help but go back in those days when at the age of 13-14, my mum/grandma would call me to help her with salads or peeling vegetables.  Though, I would honestly admit that, while growing up in Mumbai, India, I hardly helped my mum in the kitchen. Why? Studies, friends, cousins, shopping, cinema...plenty of reasons for being out of the kitchen. However, self-realization always takes its course. So, I started with the sides like chopping veggies for salads/"Koshimbir", grating coconut; again there were issues since our family used the traditional Indian tools and I had a hard time getting used to them, infact till date...now of course my knife skills have sharpened with different courses of life. So, anyways, the other day we picked some perfect looking corn on the husk at out favorite Farmer's Market. The...

Ciabata is a delight to have around in the house all the time, even more than slice whole wheat bread. I recently discovered how much our son loves it. So on our farmer's market visits, we have to pick up a few. They go extremely well for sandwiches with stir fried greens (spinach in particular), and cheese. I do use mint chutney typically since I always have it on hand. Sprinkle some Parmesan i desired for an added kick. I enjoy mine with some Sriracha. My son would have it without any accompaniments. Do we really need any 'Panera Bread' around???

I hate to throw away super ripe bananas, and I equally hate to eat them. So have to use it in baking. This is not my invented recipe. It is from Laura Vitale (I like to watch her videos). Here is her recipe.  http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/all/episode.php?episodenumber=131 However, I had to make certain changes as per the ingredients on hand which I do to almost any recipe I pick from the internet or a cook book. I am not among those who would take a list and go grocery shopping to make one particular recipe. So here's what I used from the pantry. 1 1/2 very ripe bananas 1 egg 1/3 cup oil 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla essence 11/4 cup flour (I used all purpose) 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I had morsels) 1/4 cup shredded dry coconut (optional) 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt Preheat 400 deg oven. Mix wet ingredients first. For the chocolate chips, mix them with 3 tsps of flour and keep aside. Sift the dry ingredients excluding the coc...

Around 10 years ago, my dad and I bought a Samsung Convention Microwave oven for casual baking and roasting. I personally did try making a few pizzas and roasting chicken, but never a cake or cookie. The enthusiasm slowly died down. Than, my mum used it only for warming food (of course that too made her life easy, but that's it). I am talking about finding baking ingredients in Mumbai (India) 10 years ago. In fact, buying a whole cake was much cheaper than the resources to bake one, including electricity. However, that's not the case anymore. With a spurt of multinationals and supermarkets, its easy to find baking powder even at the local grocery store. We surely can afford melting cheese at 500 deg F too. The last time I heard, my mum had a guest who baked some delicious brownies in the same oven. Voila!!! I am appalled with the passion at which people are building designer kitchens especially those that hardly cook or bake anything in the...

Its hard to digest when parents say their kids do not like vegetables or whole grain items. Something so delicious like fresh and seasonal produce is so satisfying to the palate, especially during warm days. Its simply a matter of how they are served. Each produce has its own unique taste and there are herbs to enhance its flavor.  Its spring time and our farmer's market is full of seasonal vegetables and fruits. We grabbed a bundle of tender asparagus stalks over the weekend and our little one is eager to find out what mum's going to do with it. So the first thing this morning, he got the asparagus out, and since than I have been wondering what to make. I browsed for a curry for dinner, and while chopping that, I made a quick pasta for lunch with asparagus and grape tomatoes. How convenient and healthy can that be! So here's what I did for the pasta: 1 cup whole wheat pasta few cut into half grape tomatoes 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste 1/2 cu...

I usually do not let out any opportunity to sneek in veggies in my toddlers meals. Here is another example. I

More than cooking for grown-ups I enjoy cooking for kids. As it is they are a challenge in them-self and their taste buds added to that. When my toddler was around 1 1/2 years old, it was a huge test to cook a meal for him. He was very picky (or I was amateur about infant food) that many times I wouldn't know what to cook and all the more what to do with the leftovers. I would try different combinations, different textures, sometimes a bit of salt and sugar, sometimes completely bland relying on the natural taste of the fruit or the vegetable. Anyways, today I can say that those days have swiftly passed by, with some bitter sweet moments. Here is one such breakfast item that I have gone from lots of misses to a final hit. I have tried different textures of oatmeal, checked out end number of You Tube videos, and finally,found a Sanjeev Kapoor video on baby food. I have taken some inspiration from there and created my own version to suit my son's taste ...

I have mentioned the Farmer's Market on Rt 9 end number of times. However, off late we hvnt been finding the best of apples there. They have brownish marks inside, hence not much appetizing, and throwing them is not justifiable. Hence cooking them is the best solution, maybe into Apple Muffins. Since I tried out this recipe, we are hooked on to it. I do make some variations every time I make them, either by topping with some walnuts or oats. Here's what I take (everything right out of the pantry) 1 cup apples 11/3 cup whole wheat four or you could take 1/3 APF and 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 cup canola oil 1 egg 2/3 cup light brown sugar 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder Make the muffins as usual. I preheat oven to 375 deg. Mix the liquid ingredients first, than mix the flour mixture. Than fold in the chopped apple. Scoop into the prepared muffin tin. Bake in preheated oven. In my oven it usually takes around 10-15 min. They...

Happy Holi!!! Puran Poli Honestly, I was in a 'blogging boredom', maybe it was the weather...or..maybe not, not very certain. But atleast till next boredom season strikes, I do have plenty to write about, a resolution I have made to myself. Holi Haiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!! Ok, so this year too as the tradition goes, I did make a few Puran Polis/Bobatloo..or whatever each one calls it in their region. However, just a day before I realised that we dnt have much Chana Dal (just a couple of table spoons). So I did some research on mixing it with Tuar Dal. I found out that people make it with either of the dals, no mix and match. This all the more gave me some motivation to trying mixing them both and see what happens (yeah, watch too many Curious George with my son). The Puran Poli results were the same like every year. I did not find much difference in taste, ultimately it tasted the same with a stuffing of cooked dal, jaggery, nutmeg powder and cardomom powder stuffed i...

These days whenever I make some special, my toddler is the first one to hunt for the camera. So this post is very special. We all love Ukadichey Modak very much. We finish them all in one meal (usually 7 or 11 in count), and We means (Big champ, lil champ and I). So this time on Anant Chaturthi when I made Ukadichey Modak (as it goes by the tradiiton), our son ran to grab the camera. My modaks also came too good., not exactly like my mum's, but still GOOD!

Anytime passing through Monginis in India, or any bakery that sells Puff Pattice, I had to grab a couple. Their crispy texture, just wakes up any dead taste buds. They are just too easy to make here in the US. Puff Pastries are available in any super market these days. I always have them stocked up in my freezer. Their stuffing can be anything. I usually use the same ones as for Samosas. Once I tried using homemade jam and some cheese. Use anything to stuff or just plain with some Cinnamon Sugar, they are superb. Within a jiffy, these delicious snacks are ready for afternoon tea snacks, or even an accompaniment for brunch. P.S. Once again, I did not really do much to make them picturesque for this blog. I click photos as is, no presentation skills at test here.

Date: Aug 22 2011. A boring Monday! 6:55am : Woke up to takeout my husband's lunch box from the refrigerator and hand him over;) 9am: Woke up once again. Our lil champ is up to. 9.30 am We are still in bed playing and chit chatting 9.45 am Brushing and cleaning finally 10 am Breakfast, for me just tea and cereals for my son, while watching some video clips of our past weekend outings (our son's favorite past time) 10:30 am received some phone calls for birthday wishes. 11 am Off to our local Farmer's Market with lil champ. 12:15 pm Lunch of cracked wheat khichdi with pickle and yogurt 12:30 pm some more India calls 2:00 pm Reading and of course 'Facebook' time 3:00 pm Back to the Grocery Store for a cake mix and some dairy products 4:00 pm Lil champ down for a late nap after I meltdown (my mercury levels were soaring and I dumped his leftover M&M pouch in the garbage. Long story cut short) . 4:10 pm started my bday cake baki...

A hearty breakfast of Thalipeeth, 'LONI', Tea This post is dedicated to my dearest friend (I do not need to take her name, she is the only one with a gluten free diet). Thalipeeth takes us back to our roots in rural India. Every family has their own way of making a 'Thalipeeth Bajani', rather it depends from individual to individual about what grains they want to add to Thalipeeth. It serves as an excellent breakfast, or even a quick lunch with lots of veggies, homemade white butter on the side and a glass of butter milk. Offlate I have been using my mom's method of using a plastic carry bag to pat the dough, and a cast iron pan to roast it with enough oil. I have been making Thalipeeth from the flour that my mom had made for me during my last India visit 6 months back. However, now it will be my next challenge to make it at home here in the US. I will typically have to depend on the ingredients on the Indian stores here, and of course the quality of ingre...

Got to admit that I am a wanderer in the massive blogging world. That one link leads to the other and I have completely lost track of where I began and where am I suppose to land. Surely, lot of them out there share this thought. It is so much fun to  read and browse blogs than writing one. Anyways, after all these days reading blogs and food articles, I have some drafts ready to be published. The first one is a simple toddler/ adult lunch. Now who dsnt like Egg Salad Sandwich! Our picky toddler is also no exception. Ons some lazy days, I give him super healthy sandwich toasted with some of his favorite vegetables like broccoli or cherry tomatoes. Sometimes we do it open faced with cheese and toast it in the oven, or grill it like a Panini. This is what I add to this sandwich typically: Boiled eggs, mayonnaise to combine, hint of mustard for flavor, salt, pepper, cheese (sliced or grated, whatever is on hand), some grated veggies (again something that goes well on...

The other day at the Farmer's Market, I grabbed some Italian Eggplants. Not much difference from the regular Big Eggplant, these are bit smaller in size. Also, now with the temperatures reaching 90deg, I try to finish up cooking in the mornings in just an hour or so. This idea of grilling the Eggplant is my way of cutting cooking time as per the season. All the more because, our toddler relishes the simple grilled eggplant and for the adults I add it the Bharta Masala. For this one my handy gas grill was used. I sliced 3 medium size Italian Eggplants in roundels, not fine slicing though, otherwise it will fall apart.  Grilled them skin on with olive oil, salt and pepper. Till here, it is for kids to be relished with a sour cream dip. For adults, I chopped 3 bird chillies, 1 medium size onions, some ginger and garlic (thats to taste and yes, I have given up making those ginger-garlic paste and storing in the refrigerator, it dsnt do any good to the dish, waste of time...

 My father always asks me if plums in the US are tangy or sweet? since in India most of the times plums are very sour. So my family back home has stopped buying them altogather. My parents are not one to eat much of sour or tangy food. Every season I say that plums in the US are really PLUM and sweet. Only the skin is tangy sometimes. However, I had to take back my words the other day. I bought some plums from our local Farmer's Market and they were a mix of tangy and sweet. There were no buyers for it in the house. Out little toddler declared "Plums are Sour". So I had to go hunting for a recipe to turn them into something the whole house would smell divine. I could not ball down on one fix recipe, I was missing on ingredients. So finally, I decided to come up with my own version. I do not follow these kind of recipes exact, and modify it according to what is on hand (as is I was trying to use up the sour Plums, why do extra shopping?) Here is how I made this Plum ...

  Chocolate Fudge Cake with Chocolate Derby Filling   Last weekend was busy organising our little toddler's birthday bash. Not many guests, though for us every party is special (not to mention a couple of families cancelled at the last minute). Anyways, it was a lot of fun. We believe for toddlers, the best time to cut the cake should be when they are at their easiest. For our champ, morning or afternoon is the best. So some brunch idea were in place. The cake was ordered from La Bonbonniere ( http://www.labon.com/ ) in Edison. So far they are the best bakery we have found in NJ. While visiting Labon for the cake order, we discovered their excellent red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. My husband could not resist without ordering them for the party (another reason being the cupcake stand we had brought from MICHAELS). Desserts done, appetizers and main course was a jiffy. Taco Bar and Pizza (Gourmet Pizzas from Prontos on rt 9).  Savor...