A very happy new year 2016! I had been away for a while and am back with more recipes!
Ingredients:
Baked beans can
Tomato puree
Paprika
Dry mint powder (optional)
Garam masala or any other seasoning of your choice.
Cilantro
Olive oil
Salt
Recipe:
Add oil to a pan and add the seasonings, stir for a minute to cook the spices. Add the tomato puree and cook for a few minutes. Add the beans and salt and stir until well combined. Add cilantro to garnish. Serve warm!
Chia seeds, the Mayan superfood is packed with nutrients! They are great on smoothies, cereal bars, salads, toast, yogurt, the options are endless. Today I am sharing the basic pudding recipe which can be made with any kind of milk and flavor of your choice.
Ingredients:
Chia seeds – 1/4 cup
Milk of your choice – 1 cup ( I used unsweetened almond milk)
Sweetener of your choice – I used coconut palm sugar
Flavor of your choice – I used pure vanilla extract (you can use cacao powder for a chocolatey pudding)
Toppings of your choice – I used blueberries, strawberries and mango
Recipe:
Stir the sugar and vanilla in milk and add the chia seeds. Mix thoroughly and let it sit for 3-4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. The mixture will turn gelatinous once the chia soaks up all the milk, giving it a pudding like consistency.
Top with your favorite fruits and serve cold! Enjoy!
I just can’t wait to share this healthy recipe that also makes for a great snack or dessert for the sweet tooth!
Ingredients:
Pitted dates – 1 cup
Nuts of your choice – I used cashews and almonds – 1/2 cup
Chia seeds – 1/4 cup (you can also use flax seeds)
Desiccated coconut (sweetened)
Cacao powder (optional)
Pure vanilla extract (optional)
Recipe:
Throw the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until you are able to form balls out of the mixture. If the mixture is dry, add few more dates and pulse it again. Makes about 16 balls. Refrigerate the left overs in an airtight container as we have included coconut in the recipe. Enjoy!
Very colorful and refreshing, this salad can be made in no time!
Ingredients:
Onion
Tomato
Cucumber
Mini sweet peppers
Mango/pineapple
Spinach
Cilantro
Caribbean seasoning
Recipe:
Chop the veggies and toss with seasoning and herbs! Serve at room temperature or chilled! Enjoy!
I am a big fan of moroccan cuisine and stew is great with root vegetables!
Ingredients:
Sweet potato, carrots, onion, tomato – diced
Garlic
Spices – cinnamon, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, cumin powder, corriander powder
Grapefruit/Tangerine (optional)
Almond milk (optional)
Raisins
Cilantro
Olive oil
Salt
Quinoa – cooked as per instructions
Recipe:
Add olive oil to a pan, throw in the cinnamon stick and raisins. Saute for a few seconds.
Add the onion and garlic and stir for a couple of minutes till onion softens.
Add the remaining spices and a splash of water to make sure the spices don’t burn.
Toss around and throw in the rest of the vegetables and salt.
Cover and cook until veggies are soft.
Add the grapefruit/tangerine with juice (this is purely optional). I had some in hand and I love the bittersweet taste of the grapefruit.
Add the almond milk for a creamy texture.
Cook until everything combines.
Season with cilantro.
Place the cooked quinoa on a plate and top it with the stew.
Serve hot! Enjoy!
I have been experimenting with high protein recipes and this one just comes in handy. The black bean salad is packed with nutrition and can be had as a salad or wrapped as a burrito.
Ingredients:
Black beans boiled with salt
Silken tofu
Peppers – I used mini orange sweet peppers
Onion, tomato – diced
Avocado
Hummus (optional)
Olives
Sweet corn
Green chilly (optional)
Cilantro
juice of a lemon
Cumin powder, red chilly powder
Olive oil
Salt
Recipe:
Crumble the tofu and sauté in olive oil with the spices. Chipotle spice mix works best for this recipe but I substituted it with some cumin and red chilly powder as I did not have any chipotle spice in hand.
Mix it with the rest of the ingredients.
Top with avocado and hummus.
Serve warm or chilled! Enjoy!
I am back with another chocolate recipe. Very easy with just 3 ingredients.
Ingredients:
Almond milk
Raw unsweetened cacao powder
Organic coconut palm sugar
Recipe:
Blend it all and enjoy!
Tip: Almond milk is very low in calories and tastes best for this recipe.
Peanuts are great source of protein, very healthy and peanut chaat is a famous street food in India. Today I have made a simple salad in chaat style with peanuts.
Ingredients:
Peanuts
Onion, tomato, cucumber, raw mango – finely chopped
cilantro
juice of lemon
Red chilli powder
Salt
Recipe:
Boil the peanuts and toss them up with the rest of the ingredients mentioned above. Enjoy!
Tip: Boiled peanuts are usually served in paper cones along the streets and beaches in India. I made my own paper cone at home 🙂 with bounty.
Boiling peanuts in salted water increases the sodium content, as an alternative boil peanuts in unsalted water and sprinkle salt to taste.
4 days in paradise and back to the grind! I always wanted to visit Martha’s Vineyard and we planned a family trip with my husband, son and my mum last weekend, for my son’s 3rd birthday. The travel plans are entirely mine and I love the prep work that goes into planning every vacation. July 4th is a very busy weekend in the United States and the bookings have to be done several months in advance. This is our first time with Airbnb and we are so glad we did it! We booked a beautiful private room in a quiet neighborhood and got to enjoy the French inspired decor in the house. Though several ferries transport people to the island, there is only one that transports vehicles and it was fully booked. We put our name in waiting list and got real lucky in finding spots both ways and just at the perfect time. Travel blogs and sites really inspired me and I was able to come up with an itinerary for the trip that does not tire us and at the same time we get to see the place. And the trip begins…
Steamship authority ferry transported our car to the island from Woods Hole, Massachusetts. We were asked to arrive at least 30 minutes prior departure to ensure our spot, but we got caught in the traffic towards the last 20 miles and thought we would never make it to the ferry. Luckily, my husband managed to get us 5 minutes before departure and we made it! The ferry ride was beautiful and windy and we got a glimpse of the island.
Reached the island after a 45 min ride and drove to our place of stay. The house owners were very warm and welcoming and made us feel at home at all times. Beautiful blue hydrangeas surrounded the house.
Our private room was spacious and bright and we loved the character the house carried!
Quick freshen-up and we moved to Oak bluffs harbor area. Parking was quite a challenge and we had to park way ahead and walk down, which we totally enjoyed! (No complaints when on an island :)) Life is pretty laid back on the island and the max speed is 45 mph, with only one lane on the roads. So you can imagine the traffic jam on busy days! Ocean park is just opposite the beach and is surrounded by beautiful houses. Most of the bed and breakfasts are on the beach road and right across the ocean. We walked beside the harbor to circuit ave which is the buzzing place in Oak bluffs. All the restaurants, shops are in this street and it is quite busy and crowded. I have been dying to have ice-cream and we pretty much saw everyone holding one!
Sweet tooth followed by Mediterranean dinner at the Chowder Company! Took a stroll in the fishing area and the harbor looked breath-taking! Picked up cake from the local bakery for our lil one’s birthday and back to our little nest!
Happy birthday! Small celebration, some pics and headed out for the day. The day was all about entertaining our son, so the first spot was the alpaca company. He got to pet alpacas and it was real fun! Alpacas have a funny way of defense and they spit! So watch out! 🙂 We saw a baby alpaca that was just 6 days old, awww! If you are traveling with kids, I strongly recommend this place. The entry few was just $5 per person and kids under a year are free.
We drove to Edgartown along the beach road from Oak bluffs and enjoyed the scenic drive. It is about 3.5 miles and totally worth it! Mexican lunch and a little stroll!
The Edgartown road is always high on traffic so plan ahead of time! We drove back towards Oak bluff and next stop was Joseph Sylvia beach. It was a lot of fun with the waves hitting your legs, sitting relaxed under the sun, picking up shells and pebbles, walking along the shore, making sand castles, the list is never ending.
We spent a good afternoon at the beach and drove back to Oak bluffs. East chop lighthouse is right at the top and looked beautiful!
Do not miss the gingerbread houses at the camp ground! They are one of a kind beauty!
The oldest carousel in America, flying horses, still runs at Oak bluffs and they charge a minimal rate of $2.5 a person. There is a tradition of pulling out rings for each round and it is silver rings all the way until the last one, which is brass. The one to get the brass ring gets a free ride, how cool!
Dinner time at Linda Jeans! Great food! I tried to stick as closely as possible to healthier options! More sugar rush with fudge at fudge factory followed by ice-cream at Mad Martha’s. Orange pineapple rocks! (I indulge when I travel :))!
A walk along the marina!
Back to our room! Next day gotta wake up early!
Drive towards Aquinnah which is the left-most of the island, was scenic! We stopped at Alley’s farm stand and got plums and lavender drops.
Gay head cliffs and lighthouse at Aquinnah are a must see at the island. Do not miss it!We walked up to get a view of the cliffs and on the way bumped into these tiny cute shops.
The lighthouse which weighs several thousand pounds was recently moved 50 feet due to threat of erosion and this is a true engineering marvel!
The Aquinnah shop restaurant, right next to the cliffs has a history of 75 years, started at the beginning of world war 2 and is still run by the family. Get outdoor seating and you get beautiful ocean view and great food!
We did not want to miss Menemsha, the fishing village of Martha’s Vineyard, so we decided to stop by on our way to Edgartown.
July 4th parade and fireworks at Edgartown and the traffic was real bad, so we left early. Still could not find a parking spot and had to park a mile away. But the beautiful white houses, built by whaling captains made the walk worthwhile.
Bubble tea at a cafe and we spotted this beautiful wood bike!
The wharf had a really nice view of the marina and the colored boats anchored. It was chill and windy upstairs but totally worth the view! We could also see Chappaquiddick island and Edgartown lighthouse.
These bikes at the Kelley house hotel, look so cool! Parade followed by fireworks and we headed back to Oak bluffs!
Our host prepared the best blueberry muffins every morning and we enjoyed having them in the screened porch!
After breakfast, we bid farewell to our wonderful hosts and took the ferry back to Wood’s hole from Vineyard Haven. Had the best baja food at Quick’s hole taqueria and wrapping up the trip with another round of ice-cream!
Cheers!
Travel again soon…
Halwa is an Indian dessert that is popular in weddings and grand occasions. It is very rich because of the amount of ghee (clarified butter) usually added to it. Today I am sharing a recipe that has absolutely no fat added to it, the dish is prepared from the natural oil from almonds.
Ingredients:
Almonds
Saffron (for yellow color)
Sugar
Recipe:
Soak the almonds in warm water for about an hour. Peel the skin and blend them to a smooth paste.
Add the paste to a pan, add the sugar and saffron and stir until the mixture turns into a lump.
You will find it releasing natural oils and continue stirring until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and rolls into a ball.
Remove it from heat and cool it. Enjoy!
Tip: For 1 cup almonds, try about 1/4th cup of sugar and increase it upto 1/2 cup depending on the sweetness you require.
garlicandcacao 