One Day At A Time!

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. My part of the world is blessed with perfect Goldilocks weather. Neither hot nor cold. I love cooking fried food on such cloudy days. Air frying is such a wonderful alternative these days. So, here I am with a Marathi style Bharleli Bhendi  cooked to crisp perfection in an air fryer. This desi Stuffed Okra recipe is ideal for vegans and also for festive Indian cooking with No Onion Garlic . Ingredients: Okra/Bhindi/Bhendi - 20 Roasted Peanut Powder - 3 tbsp White Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 tbsp Dry Desiccated Coconut - 1 tbsp Kashmiri Lal Mirch Powder - 1 tsp Chat Masala - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Cooking Spray or Oil How to cook Bharwa Bhindi in an airfryer: Pat the washed okra dry with a kitchen towel.  In a food processor, add peanut powder, sesame seeds, coconut, lal mirch powder, chat masala and salt. Pulse it until all the ingredients are mixed well. Taste this mix for salt and other seasonings.  Feel free to add ginger, garlic t...

Amaranth plant Hey everyone! Hope all is well in your world. As the title suggests, today's post is about my garden. I have lived in US for more than a decade. Never have I felt the need to grow a kitchen garden. This year was quite different. Two of my friends inspired me to start this new venture. Keeping plants alive and thriving in Texas weather is a challenge. For now, I'll share three of the plants that grew well in this hot weather. Curry Leaves and Mint Amaranth, Curry Leaves and Mint. All plants were given by a dear friend Jinu. For Spring/Green Onions plants, I used the store bought Green Onions bunch. I planted the white parts with roots and within a week, I could see it sprouting.  Do let me know your experiences of cultivating a garden.  Green Onions

Hello everyone! Hope all is well in your world. It is still hot in Texas. Thankfully, mornings are pleasant enough for a stroll.  Over the weekend, I made Mangalore Goli Bhaji as part of our brunch. Over the last few years, I started making a Gluten free version of this beloved Karnataka delicacy with multiple flours. These healthier savory donuts are equally delicious. Do give it a try and let me know. Ingredients: Besan/Chickpea Flour - 1/4 cup Bajri Flour - 1/4 cup Rajgira/Amaranth Flour - 1/4 cup Jwari/Jowar/Sorghum Flour - 1/4 cup Ragi/Nachni/Finger Millet Flour - 1/4 cup Sour Dahi/Yogurt - 1/2 cup Sliced Coconut - 1 1/2 tbsp Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp Finely chopped Ginger/Adrak - 1 tsp Finely chopped Green Chili - 1 tsp Jaggery or Brown Sugar - 1 tsp Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp Salt Oil for frying How to cook Multigrain Gluten Free Mangalore Goli Bajje: In a mixing bowl, add all the flours, yogurt, salt and sugar. Mix well. Now add water, little at a time, and make a thick batter. ...

Hey everyone! How is your summer going? Our summer break is ending soon. I am online shopping for some last minute back to school essentials. On the other hand, Hindu holy month of Shravan has begun. One of the new things I tried this season is Eggless Fruit Custard . A homemade cooling dessert for summer days. Ingredients: Eggless Custard Powder - 4 tbsp Whole Full Fat Milk - 1 litre Sugar - 2 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 4 pods Saffron/Kesar - few strands Apple - 1 Banana - 1 Chopped Nuts - 1 tbsp How to make Fruit Custard: Heat a big thick bottom pot. Add milk, whole cardamom pods and bring it to a boil.  Pour 3 - 4 tbsp of lukewarm milk in a small bowl. Add custard powder and mix well. Make sure there are no lumps. Add saffron strands too. You can add more or less custard powder if you like. I used Eggless Pistachio Custard Powder available at a local Indian grocery store. When milk starts boiling, using a slotted spoon take out the cardamom pods. Discard the cardamom po...

Hi there! How is everyone doing? Texas weather is really hot these days. Fortunately, mornings are still  pleasant for a walk. After enjoying my walk, I am ready to take care of my first baby. My blog! My 9 year old is not too fond of my blog baby.  Today's recipe is a vegan , protein rich Marathi style Kulithachi Usal . Kulith is not so common in my kitchen. I cooked it after decades. Do give this a try if you like lentils. Ingredients: Kulith/Horse Gram/Hulga - 1/2 cup Boiled Potato - 1 small (optional) Red Onion - 1 big Tomato - 2 medium Garlic - 4 big cloves Green Chili - 1 Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/8 tsp Usal Masala - 1 tsp Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp Salt How to cook Kulith Usal: Soak dry Kulith in plenty of water for about 2 hours. Wash soaked kulith well. Drain all the water and set it aside overnight or longer to sprout. Wash the sprouted Kulith well. Add 1 - 2 cups of water and cook it in a pressure cooker. Save the water used for co...

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 ...

Hello everyone! Hope all is well in your world! Today's post is my kiddo's favorite American breakfast - Pancakes! Who doesn't like Pancakes? Right! If you wish to make Pancakes at home, do give it a try. You won't miss the restaurant pancakes. Once a week I make Whole Wheat Pancakes for our whole family. Serve these healthier Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Maple Syrup and you'll love them. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Pancake Waffle Mix - 1 cup Egg - 1 Whole Milk/ Full Fat Milk - 3/4 cup Chocolate Chips - 1/3 cup Cooking Spray or Oil or Butter How to make healthy Pancakes: In a small bowl, beat an egg. Add milk and mix well again. In another big bowl, add pancake mix. Slowly add the beaten egg and milk to the pancake mix. Stir the pancake batter well. Make sure there are no lumps. Add chocolate chips and your pancake batter is ready. Heat a cast iron pan and apply butter or oil. I sprayed a cooking spray. Pour a ladle full of batter on the pan. Cook both sides of the ...

Hey everyone! Hope 2023 is treating you well! I am back after a long time. With a sugar free Dinkache Ladoo recipe.  You might also know this delicacy as  Gond ke Ladoo or Antina Unde or  Kardantu . Usually, jaggery is used as a sweetener for these laddoos. I have found a healthier substitute for my family -  Organic Date Syrup . Date syrup didn't work for our waffles or pancakes, but turned out excellent for this homemade nutrition bar. Ingredients: Date Syrup - 1 cup Roasted Mixed Nuts - 1 1/2 cup Dry Coconut Powder - 1 cup Golden Raisins or Dry Cranberries - 1/4 cup Edible Gum - 1/4 cup Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 tbsp Poppy Seeds/Khuskhus - 1 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 5 pods Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp (optional) Ghee/Clarified Butter - about 3 tbsp How to make Homemade Sugar free Dates Nuts Ladoo: Crush cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. You can add saffron/kesar and/or nutmeg/jaiphal as well. Finely chop roasted nuts of your choice using a kni...

Hello world! Hope you are having an amazing day! Our week long Thanksgiving break just flew by. We got to catch up with some of our friends, after ages. For one of the potluck parties, I made this quick Microwave version of North Indian Rabdi . All my friends loved it. Do try this in your kitchen and let me know! Ingredients: Full Fat Ricotta Cheese - 2 lb Whole Milk - 1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar - about 1/4 cup Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 4 pods (seeds only) Saffron/Kesar- few strands How to cook Ricotta Cheese Rabdi in a microwave: Crush green cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle. Set it aside. In a big microwave safe bowl, add milk and ricotta cheese. Stir well. Microwave this milk ricotta mix for 5 minutes.  Stop the microwave after every minute and stir. Cover the bowl with paper towel to avoid splattering in the microwave. If not a microwave, you can cook this in a heavy bottom pan as well. When you get the desired consistency, add sugar, crushed cardamom and saffron. Microwave for ...