tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76808260763338340062026-01-19T02:20:23.113-05:00Vegetarian Recipes for a healthy lifestyleUshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.comBlogger557125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-16779306080035284202017-01-16T16:40:00.001-05:002017-01-16T16:40:48.768-05:00

Wishing all my readers a very happy, joyous and wonderful new year. Also sincere apologies to all regular readers for my long absence. It has been so long since I posted anything in this space. Every time a friend, cousin or relative asked me last year, I assured them I would be back to blogging soon. Yet the effort of taking pictures of the things I make just seemed too much. With traveling and

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-26486453894880585302016-01-12T09:57:00.000-05:002017-07-11T10:08:59.518-04:00

Wish all my readers a very happy and joyous new year. Hope you all had a good start to the year. Sorry I haven't been very active in this space for the last few months. Every time I make something new that I love, I keep thinking I should blog about it, but finding the time to take pictures can get difficult and I end up putting off the post for a little more time. One of my new year resolutions

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-81891339570522713942015-10-07T07:48:00.000-04:002017-07-11T10:26:08.531-04:00

In the comfort food category, dhal ranks very high on my list. Especially when I am looking for something simple and comforting to go with my rotis, I like to have some dhal. The only issue I have is that most dhal recipes I make,  have a base of onions and tomatoes. And when I cook for my mother in law I have to find ways to avoid onions since she doesn't eat onions on most days of the

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-33919940892449472322015-06-15T14:45:00.001-04:002017-07-11T12:34:43.484-04:00

These past couple of weeks, the weather in our neck of the woods has been hot. Sometimes it is so hot that I fondly look forward to fall and cooler weather. Yeah, I am not much of a summer person, sweltering heat is not one of my favorite things. But there is one thing about this time of the year that I really enjoy, the sheer variety of fruits that are available right now. Between peaches,

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-14422031220800204432015-05-12T10:24:00.001-04:002017-07-11T12:38:38.470-04:00

Spring has sprung and along with frequent showers, blooming flowers and warm weather it has also brought back my craving for salads. Throughout the cold months of fall and winter, I crave soups and hot curries, come spring and summer and I want much more salads.And salads that combine protein, some veggies and are filling enough to qualify as a one dish meal, are my favorite kind. This quinoa

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-19718257763854023562015-04-15T13:18:00.000-04:002017-07-11T12:40:15.920-04:00

Its been a while since I posted in this space.  Ever since I opened my online jewelry store I have been super busy with setting it up and even though I have made some really interesting recipes recently that I want to and hope to post in this space soon, I haven't been able to more than peek at this space these last few weeks. I guess I have yet to learn to balance both my passions. But I

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-79340470934672758142015-03-25T16:19:00.000-04:002017-07-11T14:18:41.330-04:00

First let me share my big news. Ever since I made some jewelry for the first time a few years back, I have been hooked onto it.  Before I knew it, making jewelry became a very important part of my life and turned into a passion. Since last year I have been wanting to make this big part of my life even bigger. After months of planning, agonizing over small details and working on so

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-17543503980574666842015-02-25T15:34:00.000-05:002017-07-11T14:20:14.119-04:00

Bhel puri is a popular fast food / street food in India. Every eatery, from the smallest snack shack to the largest restaurant offer this item on their menu. It is made with puffed rice, some veggies, a combination of sweet and spicy chutneys and some crunchy sev.  The description of this chaat definitely does not do justice to this yummy snack. No wonder than that bhel puri easily ranks

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-49397731675560626612015-02-05T12:52:00.000-05:002017-07-11T14:21:41.195-04:00

A couple of weeks back, I wanted to bake a cake for my neighbor. When I was going through the options, I was pretty sure that chocolate cake would be a good choice, since her little boy seems to have a decided partiality to all things chocolate. And I have to admit I completely understand the partiality, since I feel the same about all things chocolate :) Since I have a lot of chocolate desserts

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-42778698660641090102015-01-28T15:45:00.001-05:002017-07-11T14:23:19.767-04:00

Finally after a long break from this space I am back. The last couple of months have been so busy and hectic that I have hardly had the time to peek into this space let alone check through my emails and respond to the comments from my readers. If I've missed responding to your email, sorry for the delay, I have been playing catch up ever since I got back and hope to catch up on all my emails

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-46129758034181132232015-01-12T19:57:00.000-05:002017-07-11T14:26:48.159-04:00

Happy New Year to all my readers, hope you all had a wonderful start to the year with friends and family. My apologies for not wishing you all earlier.  The last few weeks have been so strange and busy that I haven't even been able to find a little time to peek into this space, let alone complete this post. I travelled to India in early December to spend a few weeks with my family.  It

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-40572778017590303722014-12-16T20:24:00.000-05:002017-07-11T14:41:35.443-04:00

When it comes to super foods, quinoa is most definitely a winner, at least  in my book.  Quinoa is full of nutrition, is a great source of protein and is so versatile that it works in a variety of recipes. So far I have  tried it in everything from dosas to khichdis , pulao and even payasam/ kheer. Recently for the first time I also tried quinoa in a soup for a weeknight dinner. &

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-8867718952569811942014-12-10T07:05:00.000-05:002017-07-11T14:45:16.354-04:00

Weekends are usually when I plan more elaborate menus and potter around in  the kitchen way longer than usual. But even on the weekends there are days when the idea of a simple lunch combination, sounds way more appealing than an elaborate lunch.  Something hot, tasty, simple and nourishing sounds like heaven on such days. A few weeks back when I was in the mood for a simple weekend

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-9276465087904978882014-12-03T06:27:00.001-05:002017-07-11T14:47:43.406-04:00

Every time I travel, I find that  food choices at airports or rather the lack of choices quite frustrating.  I mean yes,  I do find the occasional salad at some restaurant, but for most part the choices are either unhealthy or unappetizing or both :-(  As a result, I find that by the time I reach my destination, especially when I take long haul flights, I start to crave

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-29967092304113273992014-11-25T07:50:00.001-05:002017-07-11T14:57:13.435-04:00

One of the first things I realized when I started working on pictures for my blog is that props are a very important part of a good picture. As a result,  I am always on the lookout for good props that I can use in my pictures. These days, this task is even shared by other members of my family. In addition to buying unique and pretty bowls and such, whenever I find the time I also try and

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-7085533495115927672014-11-18T16:01:00.000-05:002017-07-11T15:04:40.328-04:00

Rajasthani cuisine has  been on my " to try" list for some time now. When we travel to India, our family likes to frequent a restaurant that serves Rajasthani food and we always enjoy the experience. When we get home, I always think this is something I would love to make myself , but somehow I never got around to doing it,  that is, until recently.   This creamy potato curry

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-43038863049594316512014-11-11T15:17:00.002-05:002017-07-11T15:06:43.408-04:00

The temperatures in our neck of the woods have plunged considerably in the last few weeks. In addition to the cold, some days are cold and wet. A combination that always makes me want to switch on the oven and start baking. On one such cold and wet day, I had a sudden craving to make brownies and ended up making this oat banana brownie. I first started trying out oat brownies when I was working

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-85562552219254402742014-11-04T15:48:00.000-05:002017-07-11T15:08:14.310-04:00

Pindi chole is a type of curry made with chana/ chickpeas with a light coating of spices/ gravy. It tends to be a tad bit drier than the conventional chole or chana masala. While I was reading up about this chole I came across various sources that mentioned that this chole originated in Rawalpindi. I also came across a few that stated that this kind of chole originates from villages in northern

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-56933033305272285452014-10-28T10:48:00.000-04:002017-07-11T15:10:18.315-04:00

Festival season with all it's sweets and snacks always leaves me craving something light, healthy and nutritious. Something that is healthy to the core and is completely unlike all the rich calorie laden food that is inevitably an integral part of any festival season. Something like...... this kosambari. Kosambari is a salad that originates from South Indian cuisine. It is made with either

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-82449617473908070772014-10-21T12:59:00.000-04:002017-07-11T15:11:45.110-04:00

You know how it is some days, you just want something with chocolate in it :)  One such day when I was tinkering in the kitchen , and was in the mood for something chocolatey,  I decided to try modifying my earlier doodh pedha recipe and make a chocolate version of pedha.  It was the perfect chocolate fix and was so quick and easy to make that I could not resist adding this to my

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-58566350332273949132014-10-19T15:41:00.000-04:002017-07-11T15:17:37.929-04:00

Ever since I tried oats in an Indian sweet for the first time when I made this oats kheer/ payasam,  I feel more confident about using oats in Indian sweets.  I use oats often in my bakes and oatmeal bars and know that it works well in sweets. But initially I was a little wary of using it in Indian sweets. Once I did and realized how well it works, I have been keen to try oats in more

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-38268222613584134352014-10-16T16:13:00.000-04:002017-07-11T15:19:55.643-04:00

Can you believe Diwali is less than a week away ? Time really flies, it seems like just yesterday that 2014 began and we were wishing everyone for the new year. And just like that, in a blink of an eye it seems, it is already mid October, the year is almost coming to an end and the festival season is upon us.  I've had some requests from my readers for Diwali recipes, and I will do my best

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-47870249095462962022014-10-14T16:54:00.000-04:002017-07-11T15:25:11.627-04:00

Fall is officially here, although some days it is so warm here that it feels more like summer than fall. But the vegetable section at our local grocery definitely feels like fall with the variety of squash available there. I like all kinds of squash, but butternut squash and pumpkins are particular favorites of mine. Both of these are so versatile that they can easily be used in everything from

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-20956946536711613832014-10-10T10:38:00.001-04:002017-07-11T15:27:24.048-04:00

A few years back, my mother in law mentioned an idea she had come across of making poha with a variety of veggies. This idea appealed to me a lot and since then, from time to time I make a version of poha with veggies in it . A couple of months back when I happened to flip to a cookery channel, I caught the last bit of a show, where the chef made poha with chana/ chickpeas in it. His version had

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680826076333834006.post-381881686937888922014-10-08T10:30:00.000-04:002017-07-11T15:28:59.294-04:00

Ever since the first time I tried this pasta sauce, I have been wondering how it would turn out if instead of processing the veggies into a sauce, I sautéed the veggies and tossed them with cooked pasta. Each time I made the sauce I kept thinking I needed to try it with just sautéing the veggies. Since I do not make pasta very often these days, my plans to experiment kept getting deferred.

Ushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18159439721918620898noreply@blogger.com0