Healthy living

Guests still home after Thanksgiving?? Bored of eating leftovers?? Not in a mood to cook anything tedious?? Here is the perfect solution for all of these problems! Try these stuffed mini-peppers that use ingredients that you  already have in your kitchen, doesn't take long to put-together & is a crowd-pleaser!! When I made these, I ate half a dozen of them right when they came out of the oven!! My husband loved them and so did everybody else! It was gone before I knew it. The best part: it is also a great make-ahead item for get-to-gethers! You can stuff the peppers and keep it in the refrigerator a day ahead and bake it just before guests arrive. Or, you could bake it and keep it in the fridge couple of days ahead of time and then just warm it up when your guests arrive & serve it piping hot! Your guests will be quite impressed: I guarantee!! Do try it. You will love it! Servings: 8-10 Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 8-10 mins Total time: 23-25 mins Ingredients: Sweet Mini-p...

My husband's birthday was in the recent past. His favorite cake is the Cheesecake! He absolutely loves cheesecake.  So, I set about making a cheesecake for him. I have made "no-bake" cheesecake before and didn't quite like it. This time I wanted to make a cheesecake that is baked. At the recommendation of a close friend, I decided to follow a simple recipe from the wrapper of the Philadelphia cheese. The recipe was for a classic cheesecake. I modified it  and transformed it into a raspberry cheesecake.The cheesecake was very simple and easy to make and the result was delicious!! My colleagues loved it, but it was my husband who raised the bar.  My husband, who is a man of few words, announced that this cake was as good as what you get in the stores!! For me, there is no higher compliment!! The only downside of this cake is that you cannot make it in a rush.The advantage is that you can make it ahead of time and therefore is perfect for gatherings like birthdays, thank...

What exactly is Mangalore Buns?? Like the name suggests, it is Buns that is found in the small city in Southern India. So what is buns?? It is basically fried dough, the batter for which is made with banana and yogurt. It is absolutely delicious! It can be served hot or even after it has cooled down. It is not oily while eating and does not loose it's taste upon getting cold. It is soft and fluffy on the inside.  It is ubiquitous in all the small restaurants and tea stalls in that region. It is usually served for breakfast and for evening tea, accompanying either tea or coffee.  It is quite easy to make. It can be made sweet or savory.  In the hotels it is served with coconut ginger chutney or sometimes sambar too.  My mother likes to add black pepper powder in the batter so that it can be eaten as is. Some add cumin seeds or a pinch of cumin powder hot flavor. I like it plain without anything in the batter or accompanying it. I modified it for my little ones by spri...

My husband and I both love paneer. My husband more than me ! The other evening, I had this sudden urge to eat paneer jalfrezi. This is a very simple and delicious dish that has bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, spices and of course paneer! It is usually a dry dish with very little sauce, but there do exist versions with sauce. To me, Jalfrezi  is dry & flavorful. Will you believe me if I tell you that I made this dish in under 15-20 minutes?? Yes, I did. When I tell someone that I did something in such a short time, people find it hard to believe!! But it is possible!!  The reason I can make a dish this quick is because I prep as I cook. While I pan fried the paneer, I got the vegetables I required out of the refrigerator. I chopped the onions and kept ready. While the pan was getting hot, I chopped my tomatoes. When I sautéed the onions, I chopped the bell peppers & the paneer and kept ready. When everything was in the pan and coming together, I even cleaned the kitchen...

The falling temperatures and the shorter days, not to mention the on & off cold and cough that accompanies the fluctuating weather, drive us towards food that is warm and comforting. In Fall, soups seem very attractive when compared to salads or anything else for that matter. Soups soothe the throat and rejuvenate the body. The Fall bounty of a myriad variety of squashes , gourds and pumpkin makes soups colorful and desirable. I love all vegetables with their festive colors.  In this soup, I have used butternut squash and pumpkin. I have added orange lentils for their protein and fiber and some barley to make it wholesome, balanced and a complete meal! I have to admit that the lentils took away the attractive appearance of the soup but the taste was delicious and filling!  Usually after drinking a soup, I feel hunger pangs in no time! This time however,  I wasn't hungry ! I also added ginger and a little curry spice for it's anti-inflammatory properties! It is super-e...