Curry Masala

How can i not feel hungry all the time..

2012-03-16T16:15:00.001-07:00

OMG I have to share this, I feel this a lot lately, hungry all the time???
So I wanted to get things straight, is this because I started walking a lot lately, makes me feel good about myself but then this..hunger attacks..don't know.
Found this great article , wanted to share with all of you my friends
http://running.about.com/od/runningandweightloss/f/avoidhunger.htm

Hope I get over this..lol

ENjoy
Ishita

My baby.

2012-03-16T15:47:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe my little baby will be three already!!
Already missing his baby smell. His hair curls..all grown up now. When they start talking back you just want to curl up and cry..baby slow down i will miss everything out.
Now he started writing letters and would tell me what goes where. I am not ready yet, i still call him baby at times but he does not like it, he wants me to count me as a grown up, he got his own choices there! well happy birthday me dear baby..no matter how much you grow, you are still my darling little baby.
Love now and always,
Mom

Spinach Waffle

2012-02-21T15:16:00.002-08:00

MMMM....
Because I am tasting it right now..
Do not resist yourself...give it a try.
Recently my hubby got me a waffle maker...just love it not because i can make waffle but i can skip frying all together and still enjoy my flavors...

Ingredients:
to make one waffle :

1/2 cup of waffle mix
2 table spoon of pureed mixture of spinach, green chilies and ginger & garlic
( my total puree was 2 cups of fresh spinach, 2 green chilies , 3 cloves of garlic and a half inch piece of ginger , but for each waffle just two table spoon mixture is enough for flavor and color)
1 and 1/2 teaspoon oil
1 table spoon water

Method:
Preheat your waffle iron .
Brush your iron with butter , pour your batter . Let the waffle iron do the magic and you have the best crunchy appetizer for your family on the table.

Serve it with cool cucumber chutney or sweet tamarind chutney.

picture is not the whole waffle because , just before i could take the pic..my daughter who tastes it loved it so much that i only have half a waffle to take pic of!!

Enjoy
Ishita

Wear your red day!!

2012-02-01T09:48:00.000-08:00

Any plan for Friday girls? I am planning to wear red Friday..Can't wait.
Its the national wear your red day on Feb 3rd, that is Friday.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/educational/hearttruth/materials/wear-red-toolkit.htm
Lets make the change.
Enjoy
Ishita

Super plans for the big game

2012-02-01T09:34:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
Lately it has been so busy that I have not been able to squeeze time for my blog..sad though but will keep up.
Big game coming up this weekend and some of you may be planning for something special that evening.
Well you can easily entertain a large or a small group of friends if you plan well ahead.
It's not too late to start planning if you are still up for entertaining.

Start with the list for the friends that are coming over, look for allergies if any kids are coming.
Make list for what is it that you want on the menu, a go to food , an excotic menu and so on..

Possible ideas:

make ahead pizza dough and make your own pizza with assorted toppings and cut in to bite size pieces and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
use the store bought tortilla (prefer flavored ones like sun dried tomatoes or spinach ) make a quick wrap with roasted veggies and a dollop of hummus and a hint of hot sauce.
cheese platter is always a hit.
try indian food: make samosas ( puff pastries filled with spicy potato and peas filling ) and serve with cilantro chutney and mango chutney.
Also I like Mediterranean menu, very exotic, the fabulous feta cheese with olives, baba-ganoush..mmm...yumm and slightly roasted pita chips for the dip/ accompaniments.
Make small cute shot glasses of Mango Lassi ( sweet accompaniment with a spicy food), cold cucumber soup, chilli ( all time favorite).

7.make a quick jalapeno poppers : mix 1 measure of cream cheese to 1 measure of sour cream, add green onions about a handful, salt and pepper, teaspoon of cayenne pepper for that extra kick. In the mean time in a separate bowl mix 1 cup of all purpose flour with some salt and pepper and just enough water to make it a paste for coating. In the third bowl you can use the bread crumbs, left over rice crispies crushed or the panko breading. Slit your Jalapeno chili in the center, stuff with the cheese mixture and roll it first in the flour base and then roll it in your bread crumbs bowl. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Now place your poppers on a oven baking dish, spray with non stick oil and bake until golden brown. You will love this lighter version instead of frying.

8. Chips and dips are always a hit. You can substitute kale with your regular potato chips ( prehear oven, wahs and dry your kale leaves, sprinkle salt and pepper and olive oil, bake until crispy for about 10 minutes. Yum..o

What are you making?

Share with me on my page. Would love to learn great ideas from all of you.

Keep it simple, keep it entertaining and in the end enjoy the whole gathering!

Home made Focacia Bread

2012-01-19T13:07:00.000-08:00

Hello all,
Come weather changes we all crave for hot /warm soups but think about the accompaniments.. nice loaf of bread works out best.

Here's to all those soups out there..

Ingredients:
5 cups all purpose flour, plus a little more for kneading
1 tablespoon sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1 3/4 th cup warm water
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon salt

Method:
Combine yeast, sugar and warm water in a bowl. Put the warm water bowl aside for 15 minutes.
In a bowl combine the flour, salt 1/2 cup olive oil and yeast mixture. Mix the dough. Once the dough comes to a form soft dough transfer the dough to a lightly floured bowl knead gently for 2 minutes and cover it with a plastic wrap and put it in a warm place for 1 hour ( minimum) until the dough doubles in size.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat your flat oven proof sheet with olive oil and transfer the dough to the pan and flatten it using your fingers..( let kids do it makes them feel the part of helping you cook the meal)
Drizzle your left over olive oil on it sprinkle some salt on it ( at this point you can sprinkle finely chopped garlic or herbs on it )
Cook it in your oven for 25 - 30 minutes( on your center rack), or until the top is golden brown.
Enjoy your bread.

Ishita

National unclutter your desk day !

2012-01-09T16:26:00.000-08:00

Hello all,
Since its a national unclutter your desk day had to share it with you all.

http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/inc-well/How-to-Unclutter-Your-Desk-136956283.html

Enjoy,
Ishita

Fashionista gone wrong.

2012-01-09T15:51:00.000-08:00

I love hiedi klum's fashion style but this style has gone awful..
Just had to share it with all of you.

Enjoy
Ishita

My new love !

2012-01-06T15:40:00.000-08:00

Since last year I had two passions to take care of : creativity and food , of course.
Well food is something i do not have to make much effort but creativity, art is a work from heart and devotion and dedication.
Not all the time i get to have the work finished from the get go of it. But thanks to the studio that I visited : Work of Heart ( located in the heart of Campbell ,CA) , I just fell in love with the new inspirations and creations that you can create with just a little pinch of tender love from the fabulous teacher/owner Andrea.
I signed up for the amazing classes and have been there couple times now and I absolutely love it. I would love my daughter to go there and learn being creative as she has one amazing creative palette.

Loved this article about creativity, would like to share it with all of you:

http://www.jpb.com/creative/creative.php

my creation 2011

Some of Andrea's creations:

Thanks to Andrea @ Work of Heart for making my dream come true and letting me post her work of art on my blog.
I will always come back for more.

Love
Ishita

Surprise visit

2012-01-05T20:51:00.000-08:00

This Christmas break i had a chance to visit my very old best friend from college days..we go way back many years.
I had a very good break, kids got their fair share, we had made a trip to disneyland.
Kids enjoyed, especially the princess part that my daughter is crazy about.
We had a chance to go visit her down south in L.A.
Ami, i just wanted to thank you for the amazing time together that we had and kids still don't stop talking about it.
We should definitely do it again.

I loved the beauty of nature around her house, just wanted me to move there!

http://friendship.about.com/od/Types_of_Friendships/f/When-Friendships-End.htm
love this article from about.com, this is to you all friends out there ~ may our friendship last forever.

love
Ishita

tofu taco

2011-11-21T17:14:00.000-08:00

lately a lot of experiments happening with tofu!!!
Sounds like what would i be doing actually but turns out tofu is a fun food condiment...i put it in that category as it got me thru the entire last week.
Lovely, i shall share my experiments with all of you.

So let's get down to the business:
Ingredients:
8 ounce firm organic ( extra rich in protein tofu )
1/2 shallot or onion finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped mushroom
1 cup beans of your choice ( cooked)
1 cup salsa ( spicy i prefer, to kick up the flavor)
lettuce chopped 1/2 cup
1 avocado finely minced
Salt to taste
teaspoon of cayenne pepper,
teaspoon of cumin
teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic minced
oil to cook
cilantro to garnish
yogurt to top it with

method:
heat the pan, put some oil in it and add onions or shallot .
cook until they turn translucent ,add crumbled tofu - let it cook for atleast two minutes then add mushroom at this point. let it cook, do not stir them too much they will become very tough, do not salt them yet.
once they start to loose water salt them, add garlic add beans. add the cumin powder, cayenne pepper and black pepper.
Leave the mixture on the heat for another minute to simmer.
When the mixture cools start assembling your taco.
Warm your choice of tortilla, spread a layer of the vegetable - bean mixture, top it with salsa, avocado lettuce and cilantro. top it with yogurt.

Unfortunately i do not have any picture to share because we ate it up all so quick and we finished it all!!
But promise u next time , i will get a snap shot of it...

Enjoy

Turkey or no turkey

2011-11-21T16:44:00.001-08:00

Hmm...
i have been getting all this questions around from friends: turkey or no turkey for the thanksgiving.
Its totally a personal perspective but should not be loathed on anyone.
Be respective of others wishes.

I just found few of these pointers that i guess i won't mind sharing:
# keep a positive attitude about you being vegan. Instead of arguing
about it speak positively about the things that were positive in your life for being vegan.

# please , please dont get preachy. encourage people to explore vegetarian / vegan lifestyle by the way you live. Just set an example.

# enjoy the meal with friends and family...no matter what its a fun times..so enjoy, relax turkey or no turkey we are thankful to a lot of people around us who play a very important part in our lives it starts from the youngest family member of our home who teaches us patience everyday,.. to the mail man who teaches us not to stop working not matter what weather ...to that old lady in that senior center who says its gonna be a great day today-positive attitude.
My salute to all of them and many more...this thanksgiving to all you very many thanks.

ENjoy the fun times.

GIft for your host...

2011-11-21T16:28:00.001-08:00

Hi all:

I was browsing around sites about this crazy black friday deals, i don't get it.

Well here's something i saw would be a perfect little gift for your host on the thanksgiving day.

Its the cranberry and orange sauce:

oh my i love it so much. it taste so holidayish !! i know its not a word but just could not resist myself.

i got it from .Crabtree-evelyn.com .

Hope you like it too.

ENjoy

Happy darling days!!

2011-11-17T09:33:00.001-08:00

How would you spend your happy day? alone or with someone special or go out for a treat for bunch of friends, family ,or just make it girls night out? gosh so many choices. I am planning to do family time out.

I feel like deceiving my old girlfriends, thinking back in school we were the fantastic four and had enormous amount of fun going to the malls after school , eating out, hanging out at someone's home ..fun old times need to do it again. Now that we have different priorities in our lives it happens that we just keep finding excuses to now be able to sneak out time for ourselves.

Here's to my darling girlfriends..love you all and see you soon this holiday season.

Cheers,

Ishita

Awesome Corn Chaat

2011-10-19T16:16:00.001-07:00

Hi all,
I am so happy so share this corn chat with you all.
I promise you will love to share it with your friends and family the next time you are having a gathering.

Ingredients:

2 cup corn
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoon garlic , finely chopped
1 teaspoon chili pepper
chopped coriander to garnish
salt and lemon juice to taste
one teaspoon oil

Method:
In a hot pan put a teaspoon of oil and add onion, garlic to saute until onion is translucent.
Let the mixture cool and now add the corn and chili powder, salt to taste and lemon juice to taste.
Garnish with coriander and serve with a nice warm cup of tea/ coffee.

Enjoy the rainy day snack.

Cheers,
Ishita

Silent features of Heart Attack !!

2011-10-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Recently came across this article about heart attack would love to share with all my fellow moms.

Heart attack is the number one killer in women.

As a girl, friend, sister, daughter, mom....we all need to learn about it.

Take care,

Here is the link:

These Four Silent Heart Attack Symptoms Happen Right Before a Heart Attack

http://www.goredforwomen.org/about_heart_disease_and_stroke.aspx

Love ya all

Warm soup in a jiff!

2011-09-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Cold weather is approaching, time to bring out our slow cookers! Yay!

Here is a quick recipe for this nice warm yummy soup, its a mixture of lentils, carrot and butternut squash.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup yellow lentil
1/2 cup green split lentil
1 cup lentil ( it just says lentil on the packet , u may get it from Safeway or trader joe's)
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1/2 cup roughly chopped carrots
1/2 cup roughly chopped butternut squash
1/2 cup onions( or celery ), chopped
4 cups of broth / water
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon oil

Method:
Preferred if you can soak lentils for few hours (at least 4 hours)
Do not drain the liquid, save it.
Heat a pan, put one tablespoon of oil.
Add onions / celery cook until translucent.
Add garlic , immediately add all the soaked lentils, stir for a minute add carrots and butternut squash.
In the mean time place another pot to boil water or your vegetable broth.
Transfer this lentil and vegetable mixture to you slow cooker add your vegetable broth to your slow cooker.
Turn on your slow cooker to high for three - four hours, depending on your slow cooker.
When ready add salt and pepper to taste.

Yum, yum yum...serve hot with nice crusty bread or eat it just by itself.

Have a very great weekend!

It's flu season.......

2011-09-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow mom's and friends,
I cannot believe this year is just flying by for me !! well its flu season.
Be sure to vaccinate your little ones and your spouse and yourself. Of course the elderly would definitely benefit from this vaccine.
Today i went to Costco..and the amount of people sneezing and coughing already made me scared.. definitely getting all of us vaccinated this coming week.........
Also as you know the best way to prevent is proper hand washing and use of hand sanitizer, its CDC (deparment of disease control) approved.
Teach your kids going to day care or school the proper technique of hand washing....best way is make them sing " Happy Birthday.." song..and by the time the song is over their hand washing should be done. They will be happy singing the song and you will be happy making sure they cleaned properly. otherwise we know how they wash their hands , at least my little one, he counts one , two three all done! really? , so i had to taught him to sing !
Also remind them to wash hands after :
- coming back from play ground
- before and after eating food
- after using bathroom / potty
-if u sneeze / cough
and the list goes on..

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/

Here's the link i am posting for more information..
Be safe with the little ones as the weather has been changing a lot lately..especially this weekend feels like fall already in full bloom..so cold. All my cold accessories are out with extra's in the car for emergencies...haha. Also started to give kids ginger and lemon water..(in a sneaky way) to prevent cough.

Take care
Enjoy
Ishita

PLan for the weekend!

2011-09-23T18:27:00.001-07:00

This weekend oakland is having a eat real fest.....looks a great way to spend a day out.
Will try to stop by there at some time...hope to see you there, if you can

http://eatrealfest.com/event/Oakland/California/2011

Have a great weekend.

Enjoy
Ishita

Heart healthy

2011-09-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

Hi all ,
I found this article that i really wanted to share with you all. Please share with your loved ones too and take care !

http://health.yahoo.net/caring/5-foods-that-can-trigger-a-stroke

~ Ishita

Celebration!!

2011-09-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

This year my little girl started Kindergarten and today was her very first official spelling bee test and she did great and was crowned Spelling queen of the class!! So its celebration time..

How do you celebrate your special days?

We made her favorite fries and milkshake but home version.
We decided to make sweet potato fries.

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato cut into long strips
oil for frying
salt for taste

Method:
Bring the oil to heat.
Start frying your precut sweet potatoes until golden brown color.
Sprinkle salt for taste.
Serve with ketchup or your favorite dip.

ENjoy and have a great weekend ahead !

Just thinking !

2011-09-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

I wanted to thank all my reader friends for supporting my blog.
This blog is dedicated to all of you out there, all my fellow moms and food lovers. I would love to hear what do you think about my blog and is there anything you would like me to add on or change.
Enjoy your rest of the evening.

Green Pasta

2011-09-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Yesterday i was experimenting with my garden herbs basil, cilantro...and ended up making one delicious pesto.
Here's how i did. We made a green pasta out of it and also i made some green sticks out of it for my daughter's snack for school. Hope you all like it.

Ingredients:
1 cup walnut ( i liked the walnuts better than the pine nuts in this combination for pesto)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese ( grated)
1 clove garlic
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cup spinach ( fresh)
1 cup basil
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (u can substitute with parsley if desired)
salt to taste

Method:
In a food processor, begin first pulsing your walnuts until bread crumb consistency.
Next add finely chopped garlic (this will prevent getting large chunks of garlic in your dish)
Add spinach, basil and cilantro.
Start the food processor on medium speed and from the top add olive oil to blend the pesto.
Once the mixture starts to look like paste add Parmesan cheese and salt to taste.
Blend for another minute or two.

This pesto can be made days ahead and freezes well.

Now for Green Pasta:

Boil the pasta of your choice according to the package direction.
Before draining pasta, reserve some fluid and drain the rest off. This reserve liquid will help you make pesto sauce.
Now in a large pan place one teaspoon of oil and add your drained paste, mix the amount of pesto you like and to get it mixing add reserved pasta water as needed to make the sauce.
Serve with garlic bread on the side.
Enjoy.

Green stick:
You will need a home made bread dough or store bought pizza dough.
Bring the dough to room temperature.
Roll it out on a large surface by sprinkling some flour on the surface ( to avoid sticking).
Now spoon out our pesto mixture on the bread as a layer, sprinkle some fresh finely chopped basil if desired.
Roll it in a twisted shape. Bake it at 375 for 10 minutes or until the bread sticks start browning.
Let it cool before serving it.

This is a great school snack or after school snack and so healthy that kids will ask for more.

ENjoy

Capsicum Rice

2011-08-31T17:07:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Today I am going to share a rice recipe that i love.

Ingredients:
2 cup basmati rice
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 and half cup roughly chopped green bell pepper
2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 table spoon butter
salt to taste
1 teaspoon garam masala
Water

Method:
Take a heavy bottom pan
Start with 2 tablespoon butter, once it starts melting add onion, ginger garlic paste. Once the butter starts to separates add bell pepper, let it cook for a minute and add tomato paste. Cook the mixture for another minute.
Add the rice .
Add salt to taste. Add water. (now rice has a 2:1 ratio with water, for every 1 cup of rice 2 cups of water)
Bring to boil, then reduce to medium heat and cover and let it cook until rice is done.
At this point add garam masala and stir.

This rice dish is good by itself or can be served with yogurt and onions.

Enjoy.

Paratha - carrot, paneer and a sweet surprise

2011-08-31T16:43:00.000-07:00

Hi,
For me its very easy to hide all the vegetables i want my kids to eat in the paratha.
Anyways so i decided to try a different combination usually potato and paneer are versatile so i just kicked up a notch and substituted potato for sweet potato and carrot.
I hope your family will enjoy this recipe as mine.

Ingredients:
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup boiled and mashed sweet potato
1 cup shredded paneer ( indian cottage cheese)
6 -8 Precooked roti or tortilla of your choice depending
1 cup shredded or small cubes of mozzarella cheese
salt to taste
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoon ginger - garlic paste
oil to cook

Method:
Mix in a large bowl carrot, paneer and mashed sweet potato, add ginger garlic paste and salt to taste.
Now on a board/plate start assembling your paratha - first place your cooked roti on the plate and layer the veggie mixture on it. On top of it place your cheese just like you would be making quesadilla.

Now fold it in to half. Mean time heat a nonstick Tawa, place your paratha on it.
Now your ingredients does not need much cooking time and your roti is cooked too. So here we are just melting the cheese.
Add a little oil to get the nice golden brown color.

Cut in to triangle and serve hot with a dollop of salsa or hummus of your choice.
This serves as a great meal, after school snack or even better send it in your kids school lunch box. Very nutritious and healthy.

Enjoy