Since these waffles are Apricot Preserves & Almond Waffles, I stirred in the apricot preserves right into the batter. It provides the necessary sweetness without adding any more sugar. Also the chunky Bonne Maman apricot preserves give nice chunky, sweet, juicy bites in the waffles. Almond flour is my latest obsession. It is high in protein and low in carbs – it is good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which is essential for brain and heart health....

My Favorite Artisan Bread Today I’m sharing an amazingly simple and EASY recipe for artisan bread. It has the same great flavor and texture we all love about this type of bread, but is incredibly simple to make. I’m talking mere minutes of hands-on time! Not to be confused with your average sandwich bread, artisan bread is the rustic and hearty type best saved for dipping in soups (though it tastes great on its own or slathered with honey butter)....

Indian Recipe with Asparagus Here is another interesting Indian recipe with asparagus. A simple asparagus chutney prepared with urad dal & of course asparagus spiced up with chilies & tamarind. This chutney is excellent rice and a tiffin accompaniment. I would recommend this with rice though. Check out the detailed recipe below. Thogayal or Thuvaiyal or Chutney for Rice is one of the quintessential South Indian Recipe. Rice with Thogayal and chips is a fabulous and filling meal on its own....

Yet another month rolls by and today we are starting this month’s blogging marathon. Big difference for me is I’m joining the lovely BM gals only 2 weeks this month, because it is vacation time and we are packing for a month long trip to India — yay!!!!!! I wanted to skip this month altogether, but Valli’s themes pulled me in. Millets are an ancient cereal cultivated in the dry climates of Africa and northern China....

What is Aloo Tikki? Aloo Tikki is roughly translated to potato pieces but they are a lot more than pieces. It is said that this snack is the vegan alternative to hash browns. The variations of Aloo Tikkis are numerous. Some people consume it as snacks whereas some put it between two slices of bread to eat it like a sandwich. A variety of variations of Aloo Tikki exist thanks to the geographical spread of the Indian population....

Chocolate crinkle cookies, snow cookies, or chocolate crinkles are a classic Christmas cookie recipe that is super easy to make. Soft and fudgy brownie-like cookies coated with powdered sugar, which gives the snowy and crinkly look, makes it super festive, and they are perfect for a Christmas cookie tray, dessert board, or a cookie exchange. Honestly, they are perfect all year round. These mildly sweet chocolate cookies are so delicious and perfect for any occasion....

We call bitter gourd “pavakkai” in Tamil and “karela” in Hindi, though it’s also known as bitter melon or bitter squash. It’s a climbing vine, which I successfully cultivated in California. Despite its bitterness, bitter gourd is quite popular in Indian cuisine due to its remarkable health benefits. Since the internet is filled with details on those, I won’t repeat them here. Among the six tastes—sweet, sour, salty, pungent (spicy), bitter, and astringent—bitter plays an important role and is featured prominently in regional Indian dishes....

Big & Beautiful Blueberry Muffin Cookies I’m absolutely obsessed with these blueberry muffin cookies! The perfect blend of cookie and muffin, these are simply incredible. They have a soft and tender texture bolstered with pockets of crisp, crumbly streusel. A touch of cream cheese and plenty of blueberries keeps them from being too sweet, and the simple glaze is just the cherry on top. I’ve recently noticed a towards larger-than-life, uniquely flavored “gourmet” cookies (Crumbl inspired, perhaps?...

Thick and sweet, creamy and bourbon-y, this caramel is already calling your name, isn’t it? It’s good enough to eat off a spoon, and you might just find yourself doing that. Not like I know anything about that… How long it takes: 15 minutes Equipment you’ll need: Saucepan Servings: 12 If you’ve never made caramel before, don’t be scared! This recipe is nearly fool-proof and you can absolutely conquer it....

You all know how I love exploring new grains and seeds and rotating them in our daily meals. Buckwheat groats are my newfound love, and I have been making khichdi and sambar rice with them. As I read more about it, I realized that it’s one of the famous grains consumed in India, especially during the Navratri fasting time. Dosa, roti, and poori prepared with buckwheat flour are commonly consumed during fasting....

My family has major sweet tooth and I am always looking for new sweet treats to make for them. Luckily the kids have started to enjoy them too. So, I make gajar halwa and rava kesari quite frequently. Today I have carrot sooji halwa which is a yummy combo of gajar and suji halwa. This is my take on popular North Indian shahi halwa recipe. My version is made with carrots along with semolina....

Cheeses of Europe – Cheese Tasting and Tennis Event: A fun and informational evening spent tasting fine Cheese from Europe and a chance to watch Mubadala Tennis tournament. ‘The Secret Ingredient is Always Cheese’ and we had a fantastic time tasting some delicious cheeses in a Cheese Tasting and Tennis event – sponsored by Cheeses of Europe. We love cheese and have traveled a great length to indulge in our cheese-tasting hobby all over the world, however when I heard that ‘Cheeses of Europe’ was doing an event in my backyard, I was super excited to attend....

If there is one biryani that you can’t go wrong, it must be the Chettinad veg biryani. It’s my absolute favorite, and I always make a little extra so that there are some leftovers. Like sambar, biryani always tastes great the next day. I first bought the seeraga samba rice for making this Chettinad biryani, and now it has become an essential ingredient in my kitchen. If it’s biryani, it has to be with seeraga samba rice, and if its pulao, it has to be with basmati rice....

How long it takes: 10 minutes to make marinade, plus time to marinate and cook the chicken Equipment you’ll need: bowl Servings: 4 If you’re looking for a multi-tasking marinade that works well with just about any cuisine, flavor, or side dish, this is the one. Want a marinade you can use for grilling, baking, and also the air fryer? This chicken thigh marinade is the one for that too!...

I was chatting with a friend once who was pregnant with her third child and I mentioned that I wanted to bring her a meal after the baby was born. She was thrilled, telling me she had never had a “new mom” meal delivered to her. Let me stop for a minute. Two previous babies, and no one had ever made her a meal to help her out when she brought home a newborn....

something sweet and crunch but always looked slightly difficult to make (at least that’s how I perceived it) So that’s how it went on till one fine weekend when I was out of them and was in a completely lazy mood to buy them from outside… So attacked my kitchen pantry……was in luck as I had all the needed ingredients along with “Chocolate Chips” BINGO !!!!! So it was finally made and the first two were devoured (not completely cooled n me drooling over them) which after consuming realized were HOT to eat…....

Theme: North Indian Starters Dish: Chole-Aloo Tikki Chaat We are starting our last marathon for this year and my theme for this week is ‘North Indian Starters’. Starters/ Appetizers are not really my forte because most of Indian starters are deep fried and I try to stay away from deep frying. When I saw this theme, I knew this will give me a chance to research on North Indian starters that I can add to my repertoire....

How long it takes: 15 minutes Equipment you’ll need: sharp knife, mixing bowl, measuring utensils Servings: 6 If you love this Greek salad but are more in the mood for a pasta salad, try my Greek pasta salad or Israeli couscous salad. Another one of my favorites is a main course salad, Greek orzo salad with shrimp. Chopped Greek Salad Easy to make: Chopped salads are easy to make. You really don’t have to get too fancy with them....

How long it takes: 15 minutes Equipment you’ll need: food processor Servings: makes 1 cup of pesto Obviously, if you’re on team “cilantro-tastes-like-soap”, this pesto will not be your jam. (Try this arugula pesto recipe instead.) But if you love the bright, bold flavor of cilantro, you’re going to appreciate this recipe. More About Cilantro Pesto Puts that extra cilantro to use. Don’t you love all those recipes that call for a tablespoon of chopped cilantro and then you’ve got a whole bunch sitting in the fridge until it goes slimy and black?...

Can we please declare ‘Frozen Treats’ as the OFFICIAL Food for Summer? Seriously these Coconut Strawberry Frozen Dessert Cups – Vegan and Glutenfree are doubling as frozen treats and breakfast cups on hot sunny days for us. On our quest for making a delicious and quick frozen treat for a weekend get-together (for vegan + gluten-free friends and family), we came across ‘So Delicious Dairy Free®’ Frozen Treats at our local Walmart....