I wanted to share a part of my culture with my audience. Since living outside of India I have developed a huge respect and appreciation of Indian cuisine. There is so much variety and the recipes are also vegan-friendly. Daal is a great example of this. It actually reminds me of my childhood when I would come back home all tired and hungry from school. My mom would pull out a nice hot bowl of daal and roti for me and that was all I needed!...

What is Lassi? Lassi is a popular traditional beverage from India that is known for its refreshing and cooling properties. It is a yogurt-based drink that has been enjoyed for centuries, especially in the northern regions of India, such as Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Lassi holds significant cultural and historical importance in Indian cuisine. I made it vegan by swapping the dairy yoghurt with a plant-based alternative. It’s that simple. In its simplest form, Lassi is made by blending together yogurt, water, and sometimes a touch of sugar or salt....

As the new school year kicks off in our region, many of us are working to settle back into our routines. This week also brings a break for Labor Day and the celebration of Vinayaka Chaturthi, so I’ve put together a slightly more elaborate menu. Feel free to adapt it to your schedule and traditions. I’m also sharing daily meal inspirations on my WhatsApp and Instagram channels, so be sure to join in for fresh ideas each day....

Last week, I caramelized a big pan of onions and shared how to make caramelized onions with you. From there, my mind naturally turned toward French onion soup, one of my absolute favorites. French onion soup looks and tastes so impressive but the ingredients are pretty basic: onions, beef broth, cheese, bread. How long it takes: about 90 minutes to caramelize the onions and an additional 20 minutes to make the soup Equipment you’ll need: large heavy covered pan (Dutch oven) Servings: 8 I encourage you to to try this onion soup recipe....

Gobi Matar or Gobhi Matar is a staple Indian dish that gets made almost every week at our place and I especially love eating it with paratha. If you are from Northern India or traveled to North India or eaten Northern Indian cuisine, then you’d be very familiar with this recipe as it’s a quintessential part of the cuisine. As popular as this dish is, it’s extremely simple to make and the ingredients can be easily found in almost ALL kitchen....

South India is known for its dry curries and gravy curries. While every South Indian state has its version of dry curries, today, I am going to share a grated carrot poriyal, which is popular in Tamil Nadu. This carrot poriyal with coconut and without onion and garlic is a perfect side for your lunch menu. You can find this poriyal called as carrot thuvattal or carrot thuruval, all meaning carrot stir fry....

Mostly the restaurants carry either Green Papaya Salad or Green Mango Salad. The Papaya salad is known as Som Tum in Thai, and the mango salad is known as Yum Mamuang. But I thought why not combine both together and present a vegan/vegetarian version without any fish sauce and shrimps. Also, I did not use any soy sauce for my dressing so its a non-soy version too. :-) Kis Approved?...

How long it takes: about 20 minutes Equipment you’ll need: oven-safe skillet Servings: 4 Honey Garlic Salmon Perfectly balanced sauce. Salmon works well with sweet sauces and glazes but you never want it too sweet. This honey garlic salmon has the perfect sweet and savory balance, with umami soy sauce and garlic (lots of it!) balancing the honey. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for a hint of citrus, or leave it out....

Perfect for salads, soups, stuffed (think chile relleno), or to eat unadorned, roasted poblano peppers are just plain delicious. Sweet, smoky, with gentle lingering heat, tender roasted peppers are a must have in any kitchen. They add tons of flavor and goodness to many recipes. Poblanos with cheese is a match made in heaven! You all know how much I like roasted vegetables. Roasting vegetables brings out so much sweet flavor because the high heat caramelizes the natural sugar in vegetables....

Toasted pecans are flavorful, crunchy, and healthy. Whether you’re eating them by the handful or tossing them onto a salad, pecans can be part of a healthy diet. They contain protein, fiber, and nutrients (Healthline). How long it takes: 5 to 10 minutes, depending on which method you choose Equipment you’ll need: oven (or toaster oven), microwave, or skillet Servings: Toasted pecans keep well so toast as many as you like....

Instant Indian Jalapeno Pickle: Homemade pickle is a very common side in most Indian homes and this one is extra special as it’s my mom’s recipe. I’ve been making it just the way she taught me for the past many years and the results are always amazing. Although I’m making it with ‘Jalapeno’ but can be made with any chili (red or green). It’s also popularly known as ‘Hari Mirch ka Achaar/Aachar in India (hair = green and mirch = chili)....

Are you new to meal planning and prepping or looking for new ideas? I have been sharing 5-day weekly meal planners for the past two years, and I have over 42+ Indian vegetarian meal planners on my blog. You can check them out all under the “meal planner” category. Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section. In my previous meal planners, I had shared why to plan meals and the advantages of the same....

Macaroni and cheese probably falls directly behind freshly popped buttered popcorn on my list of weaknesses. There’s just something about creamy, cheesy pasta that I cannot get enough of. How long it takes: less than a half hour Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot Servings: 8 Truth be told, I’m not all that discerning when it comes to macaroni and cheese. You’d have to really screw it up for me to dislike it....

How long it takes: 30 minutes Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot, measuring utensils Servings: 6 Naturally, even as my list of Instant Pot recipes grows, I’m still always looking for more ways to use it, and I’ve been getting so many requests from all of you! You wouldn’t believe how many people ask me for more Instant Pot recipes so clearly I’m not the only one with an infatuation. I’m nearly as obsessed with one pan pastas as I am with pressure cooker recipes, so it’s probably no surprise that the two recipe categories collided at some point....

It seems like everyone has a favorite recipe for chili, doesn’t it? How long it takes: less than an hour Equipment you’ll need: pressure cooker, immersion blender (optional) Servings: 6 There must be hundreds of ways to make chili, each recipe as individual as the cook making it. Sometimes I wonder what the qualification is, what actually makes it chili. Is it the beans? No, there are so many recipes without beans....

Ingredients: Jasmine Rice: 1 cup Water – 2 cups Celery Stalk – 1 Green onions – 2 Salt – 1 tsp Pepper powder – 2 tsps Peanut oil – 1 tsp Roasted white sesame seeds for garnishing. Steps: Cook the rice in your preferred way by adding salt. Heat the kadai and add oil. Once the oil is hot add the chopped green onions and chopped celery. Add the pepper powder and cook them till the veggies are soft and tender....

Jowar or sorghum is a whole grain millet. It is an excellent source of dietary fiber and is also gluten-free. Therefore a great grain to include in your daily diet. About the Recipe Sorghum is a healthy and nutritious whole grain. It is gluten-free, rich in fiber and iron, full of protein and the list goes on. HealthifyMe has a great resource on the nutritional values of jowar (sorghum). Idli is one of the quintessential South Indian breakfast....

Country: L for Lebanon Dish: Mujadara (Rice & Lentils dish) We are going to Lebanon, a country that is located in Western Asia. I think my first experience with Lebanese cuisine was at the local Mediterranean restaurant near my office. It was run by a super active mother-daughter team. They would memorize the orders in their heads and never wrote them down – no matter how big the order was....

I mean, this is my second shot glass-contained dessert in under two weeks. They’re just so cute, and easy to make and delicious, and perfectly portioned and I can’t get enough of them. Oh, and did I mention they are NO BAKE? It’s a trifecta of perfect layers on a soft, walnut based crust. Creamy and sweet, refreshingly lemony, light and fluffy… Perfection. Honestly, I don’t really consider myself to be a huge fan of lemon desserts (except this lemon curd)....

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner as a pauper ! We never have time in the morning to make anything as we always late or rushing for things……hence mostly we end up eating cereal/bread/fruit…..our definition of a king’s breakfast 😉 Long story short…..hence we are always looking for quick and healthy breakfast recipes. Something that not only to satiate our hunger but also provide us some part of our daily nutritional value and off-course the biggest reason – It has to be yummy in my tummy !...