Tofu, nutritional yeast, seasonings, and lemon combine in a food processor to create a smooth and creamy dairy-free ricotta alternative that’s perfect for pasta, lasagna, or spreading on crackers. This vegan tofu ricotta is a versatile and healthy alternative to traditional dairy ricotta. It’s perfect for adding a creamy, protein-packed element to your favorite vegan dishes. Also, with just a few simple ingredients and a food processor, you can whip up a delicious batch of tofu ricotta in no time....

Ven Pongal Before getting into the nitty-gritty details, let me say what ven pongal or khara pongal is. Traditionally pongal is a savory dish prepared with rice and yellow moong dal, and it is quite popular across South India. It’s a mild dish where we cook the rice and dal together and then temper it with cumin seeds, whole pepper, cashews, ginger in ghee. You can find this version of ven pongal on my blog as well....

Today we are going to the ‘Land of Kings or Land of Kingdoms’, Rajasthan, previously known as Rajputana. It is India’s largest state by area and is located on the north western side of India. The main geographic features of Rajasthan are the Thar desert and the Aravalli Range. The northwestern region of Rajasthan is generally sandy and dry because of the Thar desert. The Aravalli range and the lands east and southeast of the range are generally more fertile and better watered....

Rava Kichadi This week’s blogging marathon theme is Combo Meals. The first dish that I am preparing is the Rava kichadi along with coconut chutney. I love upma and kichadi. It is a one pot comfortable meal which can be prepared quickly. Upma is a generic term and we explicitly say rava upma, cracked wheat upma or semiya upma. Kichadi is prepared with sooji and semiya (in lesser quantity) and it is also loaded with veggies....

Theme: Cooking with Capsicum/ Peppers Dish: Roasted Red Pepper & Pistachio Pesto with Cheese Ravioli Its time to start this month’s Blogging Marathon, BM# 34. My theme for this week is ‘Cooking with Capsicum/ Pepper’. I use bell peppers a lot in my cooking either to make a curry or sambar or add them to rice dishes. So when I saw the theme, I thought I should try making some new dishes with peppers....

Here’s another crunchy and delicious snack recipe from Jyothy. Here’s what she said on how and what made her make these murukkus for her daughter Raaga:“Cheese puffs are my husband’s favorite junk food and he keeps them stocked at home much to my annoyance. Raaga has been munching on them lately and it got to a point where she has to have a handful of them EVERY evening while I make dinner....

I love smoothies and porridges for my breakfast, and my recent favorite is this sattu porridge. When I shared it on my Instagram, many had asked for the recipe. So I thought of creating a video and sharing it here on my blog as well. It’s a straightforward recipe, but before looking into the recipe, let’s see what sattu means. Sattu Drink Mix: As Wikipedia puts it – Sattu is a flour-mix from the Indian subcontinent consisting of a mixture of ground pulses and cereals....

Be it in grocery stores deli section or the kitchen section or even in pizza places; you would have come across this cold pasta salad. And yeah, most of the summer parties and potlucks will have this pasta salad as well. I tasted this pasta salad in one of the pool parties and instantly fell in love with it. Our friend made it just with veggies, but in grocery stores and other places, you can different varieties of this cold macaroni salad—some with tuna, some with bacon, and some with eggs....

Calling all potato lovers as this Soya Saag Aloo (Indian Potatoes Dill leaves) recipe will literally rock your taste buds! ‘Dill’ leaves which are also known as ‘Soya Saag’, is yet another winter produce in India that we eagerly wait the entire year to consume. And who doesn’t love Potatoes!!! So this recipe is a great mix of two of our favorite veggies: Dille Leaves + Potatoes. This recipe is a great side to any Indian meal or you can serve it with flatbreads/rice or any other side of choice....

How long it takes: 50 minutes Equipment you’ll need: baking pan Servings: 4 to 6 side servings My family loves spaghetti squash. I often stuff it with whatever strikes my fancy. We love pizza stuffed spaghetti squash and chicken fajita stuffed spaghetti squash as a main course. You can go crazy adding whatever you like to your “pizza” or “fajita.” For a simple side dish, I like to serve spaghetti squash with Parmesan and herbs....

This is one of my family’s all-time favorite dips, right up there next to my Taco Dip and Jalapeno Popper Dip! Simply the Best Spinach Artichoke Dip Allow me to introduce you to one of my current top pregnancy cravings: Spinach Artichoke Dip. Creamy, cheesy, and easy to make, it’s dangerous to have all of the ingredients for this dip in my house at one time. Since it’s evidently important to make sure I’m getting enough calcium during the third trimester, it’s also incredibly easy to justify whipping up a batch....

Sautéed brinjal or eggplant is cooked with onions, garlic and tomatoes to make this scrumptious dish. This is a great side dish to serve with rice and Sri Lankan dhal mallum. About the recipe I love eggplant aka brinjal or vankaya and I am always looking for new eggplant recipes. This Sri Lankan brinjal pickle aka wambatu moju is one of my favorite. It is easy to make and absolutely delicious....

As I mentioned in my previous rasam recipes, rasam is a South Indian soup with or without lentils. We usually make paruppu rasam, which is made with lentils and rasam powder. You can make a similar one with freshly ground spices, which we call arachuvitta rasam or Mysore rasam. You can also make instant Kerala-style rasam with ground chili and coriander, and yeah, let’s not forget the soothing and comforting jeera milagu rasam/cumin pepper rasam....

I love salads. I have mentioned this before on my blog; I started exploring different salads only after coming to the US. Kosambari (Moong dal and veggie salad) and carrot-coconut salad are something that I grew up eating. But I started enjoying green-based salads and wraps only in the US. Now coming back to this salad, I tried this salad for the first time at one of our office potlucks....

Have you ever wanted to make a beautiful Swiss roll (AKA chocolate roulade) but been intimidated by the process? I get it, this cake appears complicated, intricate, and maybe even a little bit unapproachable, doesn’t it? Despite the stunning-ness of the Swiss roll, it’s actually not as complex as it seems. The most important part is having a solid cake recipe, and this recipe is solid (I rejected dozens of versions and tested this one at least another dozen times to make sure!...

Making pickles at home is quite easy. You just need to find the right balance of flavors. This sweet avakaya is easy to make and absolutely delicious. It is sweet, spicy and sour - all at the same time. Serve it with steamed white rice with ghee or curd rice and enjoy!! About the Recipe Growing up, I was not a big fan of mixing sweet and savory things. But with age, I think my palate developed and now I appreciate the nuances of sweet and savory in a dish....

Why You’ll Love this Arugula Salad Simple: Sometimes we overthink salads. I read a long time ago that ideally a salad shouldn’t ever have more than five ingredients. Meet this classic arugula salad: arugula, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and Parmesan cheese. Add a little salt and freshly ground black pepper and that’s it! Classy: Think of it as the little black dress of salads. Simple and stunning. Versatile: Great with any type of meat main dish, and also amazing piled atop a pizza....

The Best Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Homemade buttercream might sound like a pipe dream, but I promise, by the end of this post, the only thing you’ll be piping is this perfect vanilla frosting! For the longest time I was on a mission for the best vanilla buttercream recipe, and I finally hit the jackpot with this one. This buttercream is deliciously creamy with a delicate, sweet vanilla flavor thanks to real vanilla beans throughout....

Origin of Vada Pav While the exact origin of Vada Pav’s creation is not pinpointed to a specific individual or place, it is the amalgamation of culinary influences from different regions of India that have contributed to its evolution and widespread popularity. Over time, Vada made its way to the streets of Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, where it underwent a transformation and became an integral part of the iconic street food dish called Vada Pav....

Day 18: Brazilian French Toast Recipe from Vegan Brunch: