One Day At A Time!

Hello everyone! Hope you all are doing well. Texas weather is too hot now. For a couple months, we will be confined to indoor activities.  Lets talk about a 5 minute snack. Such quick recipes are a blessing in summer, when I don't feel like cooking much.  In February, I had blogged about Corn meal coated Air fried Ravioli . Let me share an oil free , hassle free version of enjoying store bought Ravioli. My picky 10 year old loves this as an after school snack. How to cook Ravioli in an Air Fryer: Line the air fryer basket with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Arrange frozen ravioli in a single layer. Air fry the ravioli at 400 degrees for 4 - 5 minutes or until you see some brown spots. My air fryer has a glass door, so I can see the ravioli puffing up while cooking. Your instant snack is ready to devour!

Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing well. We are blessed with Goldilocks weather in Texas these days, especially in the mornings. I love my early morning walks on such days. Lets talk about a Sugar free Homemade Nutritious Protein Bar recipe. In January of 2023, I had blogged about Dates Syrup Laddoo . Today, I'll share an easier version of this treat using a food processor. Even Vegans can enjoy these. Ingredients: Dry desiccated Coconut - 1 cup Roasted Mixed Nuts - 1 cup  Date Syrup - about 1/2 cup Grated Nutmeg/Jaiphal - 1/8 tsp How to make Homemade Vegan Sugar Free Protein Bars: Dry roast coconut at very low flame for about a minute or until coconut slightly changes in color. Let it cool. Meanwhile, in a food processor, add roasted Mixed Nuts of your choice. Blend them in the food processor as fine or coarse you would like the nuts to be. Next, add grated nutmeg and roasted coconut. Pulse it again to mix all the ingredients well. Lastly, add Date Syrup and blend until all th...

Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing well. Weather is pleasant in my part of the world. Lately, I have been trying to explore healthier ingredients for our everyday cooking. It's a work in progress. Last post, I shared about a no added sugar Tomato Sauce product. Today, I'll share a healthier snack. Popcorn kernels. You can make homemade popcorn in a big pot on a stove-top or in a microwave. Let me share the way I made Popcorn in a microwave under 2 minutes. If you are looking for snacks with no additives , this post is for you. Ingredients: Popcorn Kernels Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1 tsp Salt Black Pepper Powder How to make Popcorn in a microwave: In a microwave safe bowl, add 1/4 cup popcorn kernels, 1 tsp ghee, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Cover the bowl with a lid or a plate. Microwave for 45 seconds. Bowl might be very hot. Keeping the lid on, shake the bowl for a few seconds. Microwave for another 45 seconds and your homemade Popcorn is ready to binge. This is th...

Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing well! Weather is cloudy, yet pleasant in my part of the world. Today's post is about my kiddo's favorite food. I call this Semi-homemade Cooking . Recently, my 10 year old has started enjoying pasta. Alfredo for pasta and Pesto for pizza. These store bought sauces make my everyday cooking easier. Feel free to share your family's go to meals. Ingredients: Alfredo Sauce Tomato Sauce Pesto Sauce Chickpea Pasta Black Pepper Powder Sliced Onions  Sliced Bell Peppers Sour Cream Oil Salt How to cook Chickpea Pasta in 3 different ways: Boil chickpea pasta according to the package instructions.  Drain the water and put the cooked pasta in a microwave safe glass container. I don't add salt while cooking pasta. My kiddo doesn't like veggies in pasta. For my kiddo, I add about 1 - 2 tbsp store bought Alfredo sauce, pinch of salt, pinch of black pepper powder to the cooked pasta. Microwave for about a minute or so. Voila, Alfredo Chickpea pas...

Hey everyone! How is winter treating you guys? Snow in Texas is long gone. We are blessed with lovely weather these days.  As you all know, I have a picky 10 year old who still eats mess free finger food. Today's Toasted Ravioli is another favorite item added to my kid's lunch box menu. Such semi homemade delicacies are a life saver for me. Feel free to share your time saving recipes. Ingredients: Frozen Ravioli - 10  Corn Meal - 1 cup Spanish Paprika - 1 tsp Garlic Herb Seasoning - 1 tsp Egg Beaten - 1 Cooking Spray or Oil How to cook Crispy Toasted Ravioli in an Air Fryer: Grease the air fryer tray with cooking spray or oil. In a bowl, beat an egg with a pinch of salt. In a big plate, add corn meal, garlic herb seasoning and paprika. Mix well. Feel free to use any seasonings of your choice. Add one frozen ravioli in the egg wash. Coat it well and then add it to the corn meal plate. I use a pair of forks to coat the ravioli with the corn meal crust. Repeat the same for eac...

Hey everyone! How is life? My part of the world is cloudy, yet beautiful for a walk. Today's recipe is especially dear to me. Why? My pickiest family member ate it with gusto. My kiddo eats healthy home cooked food, but very specific and only a few items. I get a sense of accomplishment when I can add an item to my child's limited menu. Here it is: Air fried Marathi style Batatachya Kachrya .  Ingredients: Russet Potato - 4 medium Paprika - 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Aamchur/Dry Mango powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - about 1/2 tsp Cooking Spray or Oil How to cook crispy Potatoes in an Air Fryer: Soak the potatoes in a big bowl of water for about an hour. I cook the potatoes with skin. Soaking makes scrubbing the potatoes easier. Skip the soaking if you like to peel the skin off potatoes. Wipe the cleaned potatoes with a kitchen towel. Dice the dried potatoes the way you like.  Grease the airfryer tray with cooking spray or oil. Add diced potatoes, 1 tbsp ...

Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing well. It is super hot in Texas. I have been cooking a lot of light meals. More vegetarian and vegan food. Today's Gluten Free Pasta is ideal for vegetarians. And for foodies who like Low Carb Recipes. I like pasta because I can sneak in multiple veggies for my kiddo. Let me know some of your summer recipes. Ingredients: Dry Uncooked Chickpea Pasta - 2 cups Sliced Onions - 1/2 cup Sliced Bell Peppers - 1 cup Tomato Pasta Sauce - 3/4 cup Full Fat Whole Milk - 1/2 cup Cream Cheese - 1/4 cup Red Jalapeno Garlic Seasoning - 1/4 tsp Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp How to cook Veggie Chickpea Pasta: Prep the veggies of your choice. I used onions and bell peppers. Based on what is available, I change the veggies. Spinach, kale, spring greens all taste good with this pasta. Boil water in a big pot and cook pasta according to the instructions. I do not add salt for cooking pasta. While pasta is getting cooked, heat oil in a pan. Add sliced onions and sauté for a ...

Hey everyone! Hope you are having an amazing day!  My kiddo is at home. No school for a week. Yay! No lunch box! On the other hand, I'll have to come up with lots of fun activities to keep my child busy. For today, we ended up baking.  Our first venture this Thanksgiving holiday season is Fudgy Brownie Cupcakes . If your little one likes to spend time in the kitchen, this post is for you. Ingredients: 100% Pure Cocoa Powder - 3/4 cup Unsalted Melted Butter - 1/2 cup Eggs - 2 Dark Brown Sugar - 1 + 1/4 cups Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1/3 cup How to bake Cupcake Brownies: Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Or line 8 inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides and grease with cooking  spray. In a bowl, whisk cocoa powder and butter until blended. In another bowl, beat eggs until frothy and lemon colored. I used a whisk. Feel free to use a mixer on high speed for a minute. Add sugar and va...

Hello everyone! I have been quite busy with back to school routine. Packing a lunch box for my 7 year old is part of my weekday morning. For some reason, my kiddo likes beetroot. Today's kid friendly Airfried Beetroot Vegan Nuggets are packed with colorful root vegetables and greens. Its a family favorite now.. one that works well as a hot meal in my child's thermos. We grownups love these cutlets too.  Ingredients: Boiled Potato - 1 big (about 1 cup) Grated Beetroot - about 1/2 cup Grated Carrot - about 1/2 cup Frozen Green Peas - 1/4 cup Chopped Baby Spinach - about 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Bread Slices - 2 Garlic Powder - 1/2 tsp Onion Powder - 1/2 tsp Paprika - 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Salt Cooking Spray or Oil How to Airfry Vegan Mixed Vegetable Nuggets: Blend the bread slices in a food processor to a fine powder. Microwave frozen peas for 40 - 50 seconds. Let the peas cool down. Finely chop spinach leaves. Finely grate beets and carrots. Make sure spinach leaves ...

  Weekends call for something special. How about an effortless Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake with Peanut Butter Cups? A sweet treat ready in less than a minute. Today's pastry chef is my 7 year old. My kiddo enthusiastically prepped and microwaved this tiny double chocolate cake. I played the sous chef, providing all the ingredients.... clicking pictures. We both had fun baking together. Hope you all love my mini chef's baking venture.  Ingredients: All Purpose Flour/Maida - 2 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - 2 tbsp Light Brown Sugar or Sugar - 2 tbsp Whole Milk - 4 tbsp Oil or melted butter - 1 tbsp Green Cardamom Pods/Elaichi - 2 (seeds only) Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - 1/8 tsp Peanut Butter Cups or any other chocolate topping How to make a Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake with Peanut Butter Cups? Crush the cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle. Instead of cardamom, use any flavor of your choice - cinnamon powder, vanilla extract, almond extract and so on. In a dry microwave saf...

Hello foodies! How is everyone?  Today's photo credit goes to my six year old. My kiddo is my sous chef these days. And photographer -:)  Lately, I have been cooking pasta in my 2 quart rice cooker. Its convenient and quick. If you have one, try this One Pot Creamy Colorful   Vegetable Pasta . Ingredients: Uncooked Spaghetti Pasta - about 1 cup Mixed Frozen (or fresh) Veggies - about 1 cup Cream Cheese - 2 oz. Mexican 4 cheese - about 1/2 cup Canned Tomato Sauce - 1 tbsp. Italian Seasoning - 3/4 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Garlic Herb Seasoning - 1/4 tsp How to cook Colorful Veggie Pasta in a Rice Cooker: Pour 1 cup water, pasta, Italian seasoning, black pepper powder and garlic herb seasoning in the rice cooker. Put the lid on and switch it on. Meanwhile, microwave the frozen veggies for about 2 minutes. The frozen veggie mix I used had broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, green beans, yellow beans. Instead of water, you can use vegetable broth or chicke...

I love this time of the year. This bright sunny weather is a perfect time for picnics. This weekend, we are meeting our dear friends in a nearby park for a picnic lunch. I am making a pasta. Pasta makes everyone happy, both kids and adults. While the toddlers run around the grass, we grown ups can chitchat. I am looking forward to this fun day. Now the best part, let me tell you how I made our family favorite Tomato Pasta . Ingredients: Dry Tricolor Rotini Pasta - 3 cups Heavy Whipping Cream - 1/2 Quart (473 ml) Roma Tomatoes - 3  Onion - 1 small Garlic - 2 cloves Dry Italian Seasoning - 1 1/4 tsp Black Pepper - 1/4 tsp Spanish Paprika - 1/2 tsp Olive Oil - 1 tbsp Salt  How to cook Rotini Pasta in a Whipping Cream Tomato Sauce: Finely chop onions and garlic.   Blend tomatoes in a juicer to a fine puree. Do not add water. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until onions turn slightly brown. Next, add dry Italian seasonin...