Versatile Vegetarian Kitchen

Pink Lemonade (All natural)

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:51:00 +0000

If you have girls, you would understand how obsessed they are about pink and purple. I still don't get it, but that is how my kids are. If we go grocery shopping, my younger one wants almost every thing in there. But since I tell her that we make better and healthy stuff at home, she has stopped asking for food items except for few things. Last week, when we went grocery shopping, she saw bottles of pink lemonade and instead of asking me to buy it for her, she asked if I could make it at home....

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Blueberry Banana Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:41:00 +0000

Have you ever thought about the way some people buy stuff? I was reading somewhere a story of a frugal lady. She will not buy anything unless it is on sale or she has a coupon to buy it. I was like "How can you buy only the stuff that is on sale or using coupon and survive?". I cannot understand that but, there are some things I will not buy unless it is for a good price or I have a coupon. One of them are frozen fruit. I prefer fresh fruit all the time except when the fruits are seasonal....

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Frappuccino Mocha (Not the frothy kind)

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:14:00 +0000

I love Coffee. And I do like to drink the expensive Starbucks occasionally. Many years ago, I tried their bottled Frappuccino Mocha and fell in love with the taste. They are quite expensive though. Recently, I bought a whole case and when I saw that everyone at home was consuming it with great speed, I thought of making my own. Here is the result of that. This is not the same that you get in the cafe where they have churned the coffee with milk and ice to make it frothy. This is almost like...

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Ten Bagel or Sandwich spreads

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:54:00 +0000

When I started writing this blog almost 4 years ago, I had no idea what it would lead to. I didn't know what kind of work was involved in maintaining it either. My thought was "I make something new almost all the time. All I have to do is take a picture, write the recipe. How big a task is this?" I forgot that with a full time job, two kids and a house to maintain topped with few other hobbies I have, it won't be easy. But, I did put in lot of effort in the beginning posting every day or every...

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Banana Pumpkin Snack cake

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Thu, 09 May 2013 01:27:00 +0000

I don't really know if this happens with all the kids but my kids are tired of what I pack for their snacks. Trying to keep it simple, I have fruit, crackers, pretzels sticks and such things as their snack for their lunch bag. Of lately, if one brings back the crackers, the other one says not to pack pretzels. The only common thing that both of them like are oreos and chips, the same two things that I restrict them from having every day. So, another option that both like and I don't mind giving...

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Poori / Deep fried, puffed bread

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:48:00 +0000

This weekend, I made Poori Saagu for brunch. Best part was the kids wanted to help and my two girls alternately pressing the dough balls (I have a poori press) made it so easy for me to fry them. And they thought it was so much fun that they want me to make pooris every weekend so that they can help. Sometimes, kids have funny questions and my older one asked "Mommy, does every Indian know how to make poori?" and to that I did reply a "Yes". So, technically, this is not an innovative or even...

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Princess Jasmine and Aladdin themed birthday cake

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:15:00 +0000

As you must know as a reader, I like cake decorating. It is a kind of stress reliever for me. So, I offer to make birthday cakes for my friends' kids' birthdays. You see, time is the most expensive deal here and everyone feels like they are bothering me even when I say that I want to do it. So, this year, when I was talking to my friend about her daughter's birthday party, suddenly an idea struck me. She was having a Jasmine princess themed party wherein a person would (from the kid's party...

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Pumpkin Ricotta Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 02:09:00 +0000

Last fall, I had frozen some of the pumpkin puree. That had to be used up along with soon to expire ricotta cheese. So, this recipe was created to serve the purpose. Makes a great snack for kids. I am very short of time these days, so even if I manage to post something, that has to be done with very less time. Enjoy until my next recipe. One Year Back - Coconut Muffins Two Years Back - Whole Wheat Jalapeno Focaccia Three Years Back - Sourdough Chocolate Chip...

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Raising yeast dough faster

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:08:00 +0000

I was out of bread and I had a kid from my younger one's class coming home with her for a play date. Most of these American kids like peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a grilled sandwich and I had to have bread to make either one of these. I could've run to the store to get it (it would be about 30 minutes total) but I had to be home since I had a lot of office work pending. So, I quickly made yeast bread but to make the raising faster, I adapted a method that I had read in a book sometime...

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Pav Bhaji / Indian Sloppy Joes

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 01:46:00 +0000

Recently, I had been to a birthday party where, I met someone who knows about my blog. He asked how the blogging was going and I had to admit that I haven't been baking too many things lately and not blogging. Reason? diversion. Many to mention I should say. That probably explains how I had posted the Pav Bun recipe almost 3 years back and never posted the dish that is served with - Bhaji or vegetable gravy. When I did make it this weekend, I did not have enough time to make the buns myself so...

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Hayagreeva / Lentil and poppy seeds dessert

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:24:00 +0000

This weekend, I had company. On the top of it, it was Tamil New Year on Sunday. Since I had to cook a few different dishes for a few more people than usual, I choose this as the quick and easy dessert. This is actually a dessert that is famous in Madhwa community in Karnataka. Very similar to Akki Kadalebele Payasa but with few additions, few deletions. One Year Back - Gulab Jamun - easier version, Science of Baking - Cookies Two Years Back - Honey Cardamom Snack Cake Three Years Back -...

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Fried Brown Rice and Quinoa - Chinese Style (Vegan, glutenfree)

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:32:00 +0000

I don't know what it is with the names of ingredients that can repel people from even trying it. Quinoa, Brown Rice, Zucchini, Broccoli, Oats, Tofu are in the list so far in our house. Problem is I like almost every one of these and if I cook with these, I will end up eating it alone and I have to cook something else for others which is not something I want to do on a daily basis. I had some spare time between work and on an impulse, I made this dish. Inspired by a noodle recipe on the back of...

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Green Beans and Lentil stir fry / Matodi Palya

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:42:00 +0000

Almost everyone loves their mother's cooking. I am no exception. My mother happens to be one of the best cooks I know. There are a few things I would rather do a little differently than her. She used to be liberal when it comes to using oil. Oil makes it tasty, yes but can I afford to eat that extra TBSP of oil? probably not. No, make it most definitely not. Just because a dish has quite a good amount of fat doesn't mean you cannot make it with less of fat. That is exactly what I did in this...

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10 minute Mango Cake using box mix

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 15:07:00 +0000

What do you do when you have exactly 3 hours to clean your house, cook lunch, gets kid ready and then make some snacks for the friends who are coming over? I know, open few chips packets, crackers, and drinks, make coffee/ tea for the guests. But then I won't be me, right? I decided on making a spicy bread for adults, and a cake of flavor that Indians love - mango. So, there went the baking spree of mine. I made cake mix blondies for kids, made this cake while the dough for spicy bread was...

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How to calculate the calories of a recipe...

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 13:15:00 +0000

Disclaimer: I am not a health professional. All the information given in this post is my understanding. For some time, whenever I posted a baking recipe, I made it a habit of calculating the calorie content of that recipe, how much per serving and all. Trust me when I say this, it is quite a bit of work to calculate and make a neat looking table and adding it to the post. I got lazy, got bored so stopped doing it. One of my blogger friend's usual question about a baking recipe is the...

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Whole Wheat Applesauce Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:46:00 +0000

Inertia - A property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is... This post is being written just to come out of my state of inertia regarding blogging. I am one of those who get saturated (read bored) with something pretty easily. I start off with something, go deep into it and after a while, I lose interest. That did happen to me with respect to blogging. Person who used to blog 4 and even 5 times a week, who...

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Where have I been????

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:25:00 +0000

More than a month has passed since I wrote on this space. Some of you might be wondering what is going on, some of you might not have noticed anything missing. For those who did wonder what happened to the woman who wrote this blog, I am very much here. A small project that started with replacing our family room carpet with hard wood turned into a huge project of remodeling the whole main floor. If shopping for the perfect (for my eyes and wallet) was a pain, deciding on whom to hire...

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Beet Chocolate Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 02:36:00 +0000

If you ask my older daughter to name a few vegetables, her list would be peas, green beans, lima beans and carrots. They are the vegetables that she would eat in any form without fuss. If you ask my younger one to list few vegetables, her list would be tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes and maybe spinach. Not that I stick to only those vegetables, I do make them eat other veggies, but it is not an easy task. I had beets and I thought I would turn them into a cake or muffin. But then, I didn't want...

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Orange Jam

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 02:55:00 +0000

If summers are for making jams using berries and peaches, fall and winter are for making marmalade, orange jelly and probably orange jam. I don't really know why orange jam is not easily available as orange marmalade but here is an attempt to make the jam at home. Needless to say it goes very well with bread or crackers. One Year Back - Vegan Puttanesca Sauce Two Years Back - Applesauce Breakfast Bread, Penne with Spicy Coriander Pesto Three Years Back - Ricotta Cheese Doodh...

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Pineapple Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 02:36:00 +0000

No, I am not having a muffin mania on this blog. I have been making some muffins for the kids' snack and this one was one of them. It doesn't have a lot of fat, but has lots of fruit in it. Very moist and tender. One of my kid loved it whereas the other complained about too much pineapple. Depends on if you like lot of fruit in the muffin or not. One Year Back - Banana Sourcream Cake (Low Fat) Two Years Back - Sweet Corn Raisin Bread, Vegan Tomato Soup Three Years Back - Cranberry Rice...

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Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 02:38:00 +0000

For some reason, no one is interested in eating oranges at our place. Clementines work, but not oranges. The main reason being it is hard to peel compared to clementines. I had quite a few oranges that people gave as part of the gift bag. I had to use it up somehow and I made these muffins. They were not too sweet, citrusy and light and perfect for kids' lunch box snack. One Year Back - Sweet potato Chili Two Years Back - Vegan Mango Cake Three Years Back - Butternut squash Pasta,...

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Rasam Powder / Saarina Pudi / Menasina Pudi

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 02:40:00 +0000

This is something that is staple in every Southern Indian household. Each family has its own recipe and differ in taste. This is my mother's recipe. Many women that I know of who live in U.S are privileged to get this powder from home every time they visit home or through someone. Not me though. It has been few years since I used this powder made by my mother since she is not able to move around and do anything let alone make this powder for me. But, I can smell the same powder every time I...

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Tofu Korma

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 16:01:00 +0000

I am posting two side dish recipes in a row. I have not baked much recently and even though I do want to bake, it is hard to get people to finish it up. Especially in the month of January. Almost every other person's new year resolution is to lose few pounds and until their determination kind of fades away, it is hard to give away the baked goods. Here is a healthy Tofu Korma which tastes great, filling and is filled with protein. One Year back - Kale and Pineapple Rice Two years back -...

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Fenugreek leaves and peas curry / Methi Malai Mutter - Version II

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 22:43:00 +0000

Even though we eat frozen ready food maybe once or twice a month, my freezer always has a pack of Methi Malai mutter. That is because my kids love it with kulcha or naan. I had tried to mimic the exact dish and you can read about it here. I took the same recipe, added few spices, subtracted few and made a big change in the recipe to use tomatoes or canned tomato paste rather. Result was amazing and I think I like this new recipe more even though the older one is more kid friendly. This is easy...

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Super Thick Hot Chocolate (Anne Burrel's recipe)

noreply@blogger.com (Champa) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 02:17:00 +0000

I had decided I would not post any baking recipe for a while after Bake-A-Thon. And at the same time, I had decided not to post any rich, dessert kind of recipe which has good amount of sugar in it too. But, this is something I made when we had a snow storm and it was so good that my kids were asking me to make again. I thought why not share it since it is pretty easy for anyone to make it. I warn you though; after drinking this hot cocoa, you will probably never like Swiss Miss or Nesquick hot...

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