These are a perfect side dish to your holiday dinner, just don’t binge on them like I usually do and make sure to save some room for a slice of Pecan Pie! Roasted sweet potatoes may not be particularly glamorous and they’re certainly not the most exciting recipe I’ve ever shared, but they’re a holiday staple that everyone should know how to make. In my house, these are a classic holiday dinner side dish, right alongside the homemade cranberry sauce and dinner rolls....

This is it: the BEST banana bread recipe. After over half a dozen recipe tests, I finally landed on a winner. This recipe makes a moist, super flavorful (thanks to our key players: bananas, buttermilk, brown sugar, and vanilla), and easily customizable banana bread, a near cousin to my popular carrot cake recipe. Want to add nuts? Go for it! Like chocolate chip banana bread? Throw them in too. Or, go a little crazy and add both–this recipe can handle it!...

Tired of canned tomato soup’s blah flavor and unappetizing color? Did you know that a popular brand in a red can has 12 grams of sugar and 480 mg of sodium hidden in every serving? Yikes, and it’s not even very good. How long it takes: 1 hour, 20 minutes but most of that time is hands off Equipment you’ll need: sheet pan, soup pan, immersion blender Servings: 6 You’re going to love this homemade smoky roasted tomato soup!...

Theme: Bookmarked Recipes Dish: Soraka Podi Kura from Sharmi’s Neivedyam We are in the final week of June (can’t believe we are about to hit the mid year mark soon–this year seems to just fly past) and also the final week for this month’s BM# 29. My theme for this week is ‘Bookmarked Recipes’ and I tried 3 different recipes that have been in my bookmarks folder for a very long time....

Sweet Potato Peach Smoothie Summer is my favorite ‘Smoothie season’ and these days I’m hooked on this delicious smoothie. This smoothie not only looks beautiful because of the rich bright orange color but can almost pass as a dessert + added health benefits. It’s like drinking your dessert – We can call it Dessert on Straw. How to Make the Sweet Potato Peach Smoothie: Now for this particular smoothie, I’m using cooked sweet potato as it brings out the rich flavor and texture....

Thayir Vadai or Dahi Vada If it was sambar vadai yesterday, obviously it has to be thayir vadai today. :-) Yet another popular South Indian tiffin recipe – prepared by soaking the crispy lentil vadai or vada in spicy yogurt mix. Unlike sambar vadai, this is super simple to prepare. Once you have the vadai ready, this can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes. As I already posted my Dahi Bonda recipe with chutneys, today I am presenting the traditional south Indian style thayir vadai....

The Only Blueberry Muffin Recipe You Need I’m pretty proud of my muffin recipes around here, and today’s blueberry muffins are no exception. With their soft, tender, and melt-in-your-mouth moist crumb with hints of vanilla, plump juicy berries, and slightly sugared tops, my recipe ticks all of the boxes when it comes to perfect, bakery style muffins. They’re simple to make, no mixer required or fussy ingredients required, and they can be ready in under 35 minutes....

The Only Coffee Cake Recipe Worth Making Again Bold claim up there 👆🏻 I know. But I stand by it 100%. Ever since developing this moist coffee cake recipe almost five years ago, I have yet to find another that measures up. Maybe it’s that soft, sweet (but not too-sweet) crumb, or the ribbon of cinnamon tucked away in the center. Maybe it’s that buttery blanket of streusel on the top, or the simple drizzle of vanilla glaze....

I have mentioned about Meenakshi ammal’s cook book. I got the idea of this rasam from her cook book. It’s just the variation of jeera-milagu (cumin-pepper) rasam. You just need to adjust the spice level when adding the thippilis. I didn’t follow her exact recipe, but went with my jeera milagu rasam (I add more cumin than pepper) and included these thippilis. Arisi Thippili is the fruit of the pippal tree whereas kandan thippili is the root....

Happy New Year to all of you. Hope you guys and a good holiday season. We had lot of fun with my mom and sisters family visiting us. Now that the much anticipated holidays have come and gone, we are slowly getting back to routine. Today we are starting the first Blogging marathon of the new year and my theme for this week is ‘Explore the Southern Hemisphere’. First up is this healthy Uruguayan Bean Salad....

For the final day of this week’s theme ‘3 veggies that are fruit’, I have a dish made with eggplant – you know I can’t miss an opportunity to try and post a new recipe with my favorite veggie. I watched this yogurt based eggplant dish being made on a Telugu cooking show. I planted a few eggplant saplings in my backyard this year and they just started to flower and grow....

Bazella is a classic Lebanese dish that is traditionally made with beef or lamb mince. It is flavored with aromatic spice blend called Baharat. This is a hearty and comforting dish to serve with rice. How to make Vegetarian Bazella To make this prominently meat based dish vegetarian, the meat needs to be substituted with plant-based protein. There are plenty of vegetarian/ vegan substitutes in the market right now that can be used in this recipe....

Origin of Vietnamese Noodle Salad Vietnamese noodle salad, known for its harmonious blend of flavors and refreshing textures, has a rich history that reflects the diverse culinary heritage of Vietnam. This beloved dish offers a glimpse into the country’s culinary traditions, influenced by both local ingredients and international influences. Early Roots and Influences: The origins of Vietnamese noodle salad can be traced back to traditional Vietnamese cuisine, which often featured a combination of fresh herbs, rice noodles, and a variety of proteins....

Are you new to meal planning and prepping or looking for new ideas? Check out all my previous meal planners. I have been sharing some meal planners for the past two years. I have shared over 30+ Indian vegetarian meal planners, and you can check them out all under the “meal planner” category. This week’s meal planner and prep work! If you notice my last week’s meal planner, I didn’t rely on leftovers....

Ingredients: Lemon – 10 Green chillies – 12 Finely Chopped Ginger – 1 tbsp Salt – 2 to 3 tsps Methi seeds – 2 tsp Mustard seeds – 2 tsp Hing – ½ tsp Steps: Chop the lemon into cubes and slit the green chillies into two. Dry roast the methi seeds and mustard seeds without adding any oil. Let it cool and grind them coarsely. Now mix the lemons, green chillies, grinded methi and mustard seed powder, salt, hing and ginger....