Healthy living

Last Thursday evening I was running several errands. Well, most evenings I have errands to run, but this particular day  was more hectic than the others. The reason for this was that I had to attend the PTA meeting but before an hour before that, I had to meet-up with the out-going treasurer for transfer of information. You see, was kind of cuckolded into the position of treasurer for the PTA. Thursday  also happens to be my day for grocery shopping. In midst of all this, I had nothing for dinner. When I say nothing, I mean nothing cooked!! When I got home from worked, I quickly cooked the rice and the lentils in the pressure cooker and then left for the meetings. When I came back home, I was too tired to make anything. I wanted to cook spinach and lentils separately. I decided to make them together. The traditional dal-palak ( lentil-spinach) stew/soup is made using split pigeon peas. I decided to combine whole orange lentil and spinach and make the stew but in a quick f...

With the soaring temperatures, our urge to constantly  find ways to cool down increases!! The most common method to cool down is to drink something cold.  This often makes us gravitate towards unhealthy drink options like  store-made/ bought Smoothies, Coolattas etc which pack a ton of sugar! These drinks can be made at home within 5 minutes if you have the ingredients at home! If you don't have all the ingredients, you become creative and make use of what you have!  All you need is a blender of some kind; nothing fancy. Summer is a season of watermelons and peaches!! We often buy whole watermelons and then that watermelon occupies a lion's share of space in the refrigerator! I have found that using it in a juice-drink is the quickest way to finish it off! At the farmer's market I get carried away and often buy more peaches than what I can eat! Yesterday evening once we got home after a walk at the park, I decided to use these two fruits and make a drink. I just blen...

I am sure all of you relished Anjana Devasahayam 's Zucchini Hakka Noodles ! I know I did! I made them rice   noodles for dinner and my family just polished it! If you missed it last week, feel free to go back and check it out! You will find a picture of my version too!  This week I have a guest blogger from my part of India, Jayashree T.Rao . She  is a friendly and enthusiastic freelancer blogger who  writes her cooking tales on  EvergreenDishes . It is primarily a vegetarian blog with predominantly Indian recipes. Besides writing recipes, she also writes poems and articles. She   believes in living life to the fullest and loves cooking for husband and teenage children. Her other interests are reading and gardening.  She is a published writer who is sharing with us today, one of her favorite poems. INSPIRATIONS FROM NATURE Nature is at its best, Everything is beautiful So blissful and delightful Is it the mountains or river streams? Fl...

Faro is a newfound grain for me. I did say for ME, because Faro is a very ancient grain. It is a essentially a form of wheat that looks more like Barley and has a nutty taste. It is usually found in salads & soups. I came across this grain thanks to my colleague. She brought me this little bag of "quick cook" Faro from Trader Joe's to try. I had never had Faro until then. I decided to make a salad with it. I wasn't sure what would go well with this grain. My friend told me that she had eaten a spinach- tomato-Faro salad and really liked it. I had both spinach and tomatoes in my refrigerator. I decided to use them. I basically cooked the Faro as per the directions on the package.  I then let it cool down.The yield is amazing. A little bit goes a long way! Just one cup was plenty for 4 people! I blanched the spinach( the reason being these were thick-leaved spinach) and I was not crazy about eating them raw. Of course, the pictures would have looked better with raw ...

I hope you all enjoyed Ansu's Irish Soda Bread last week. My guest this week is an accomplished blogger, Anjana Devasahayam who has done me the honor of writing a guest post. Her blog is both a visual and gastronomical treat with a myriad of recipes and the picture perfect photography. Anjana  started her blog,  At The Corner Of Happy & Harried   in    2013 as a sort of keepsake where she would record her recipes, some crafts and DIY projects. Over time, it has evolved into a food-only blog, where she shares her  family's favorite recipes. Some are heirloom recipes, some are her take on world classics and some are her very own creations. She lives in the US with her family.  She loves cooking and eating delicious and wholesome food made with fresh ingredients. Today, she has brought us a  quick and easy,  healthy version of our favorite greasy Chinese Hakka Noodles. She has transformed it by the addition of fresh, summer vegetables!...

The holy month of Ramadan begins today. This entails to the most part fasting and praying that lasts for 30 days. You can read more about Ramadan here. I am not Muslim but I was born and raised in a country that was democratic & secular. There was never any differentiation between Hindus , Muslims, Christians or any other religion for that matter. We grew alongside each other celebrating each other's festivals with the same amount of pomp. We would look forward to Eid and Christmas with the same enthusiasm that we would look forward to celebrating Diwali. Platters laden with food would be shared between friends. That is the India I remember!  Coming back to Ramadan, fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset. The first meal that is served after breaking the fast is called " Iftar". Iftari usually comprises of rich food with ample meat, fried and sugary food. Today, in this day and age, it is important not to lose the focus on health while indulging in rich food. It is...