One Day At A Time

For our quick meals, I love sandwiches, wraps or cheesy quesadillas. The number of permutations and combinations with these grab and go lunches is endless.... protein rich beans, crunchy vegetables or lean chicken. Any leftover stir fry veggies and meat are good as well. And every time try it with some new seasoning. One of our favorite flavors for chicken is garlic and rosemary.  If you like it too, try these cheesy wraps. Ingredients: Boneless Chicken - about 1 pound Garlic - 2 big cloves Dry Rosemary - 1 tsp Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp Carrot - 1 big Bell Pepper/Capsicum - 1 Green Onions/Scallions - 3 Oil - 2 tsp Salt Pepper Jack Cheese - about 1 cup Tortillas - 5 How to make Garlic Rosemary Chicken Quesadillas: On a big plate/tray, place the skinless chicken breast. Sprinkle rosemary, fresh ground black pepper, red chili powder and salt. Pour the lemon juice and rub it all over the chicken. Co...

When it comes to buying cookware, I am like a kid in a candy store. I love shopping for new kitchenware. But, my minimalistic nature sometimes stops me from picking unnecessary items. I don't like clutter in my kitchen. Anyways, this week I ordered a Danish pan online and here you are reading about a popular South Indian gluten free breakfast - savory mini pancakes called as Paddu or Paniyaram . In Konkani, these soft lentil and rice goodies are known as Appo or Appe . There are many ways of making Appe, both sweet and savory.  For today, lets eat Udid Methi Appe.

Fresh green chickpeas, called as Hara Chana are tender, juicy and a great snack to nibble. Back in Mumbai, these are known as  Harbara . Eat them raw or steam them with kala namak (Indian rock salt).  Here in US, the only option to get these is the frozen vegetables aisle of an Indian store. If not fresh, we relish these frozen green garbanzo beans as a simple curry with a mild coconut flavor.

When it comes to baking, I am still a novice. But some tricks always help me. Like, using sour cream makes a cake really soft and moist. But sour cream is not available everywhere and many readers have asked for substitutes. Thick Whole Milk Yogurt works as the best alternative for sour cream. Hope you like these Banana Yogurt Oats Muffins as much as we loved them.

Call it Chakali or Murukku or Chakkuli as we say in Konkani, this savory crunchy munchy snack is every one's favorite. One can make Chakali in many ways - with urad dal, roasted dalia (phutane), potato, maida (all purpose flour), rice flour. Of all the versions, I like the combination of rice and potato. Potato makes every snack flavorful. Ingredients: Rice Flour - 1 1/2 cups Boiled Potato (grated) - 1 cup Unsalted Butter or Oil - 3 tsp White Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 tsp Carom Seeds/Ajwain/Owa - 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp Sugar - 1 tsp Salt Oil for frying How to make Rice Murukku / Chakali: In a mixing bowl, add the grated/mashed boiled potato. Add melted butter, sesame seeds, carom seeds, chilli powder, salt and sugar. Mix all the ingredients well. Lastly, add rice flour and mix well. Now add water, little at a time and knead to make a soft, smooth dough. I added about 1/2 cup water.  Divide the dough into 4 balls. Heat oil for ...

Brussel sprouts, which look like mini cabbages has become our new family favorite. So far, I have tried cooking them in an oven. As I always say, its quite convenient. Every time I roast brussel sprouts I try it in a new way .... sometimes with a hint of garlic, sometimes topped with parmesan cheese or crunchy pine nuts. Lately, Brussel Sprouts with Thai Sauce is what my family loves. Ingredients: Brussel Sprouts - 1 pound Olive Oil - 3 tbsp Sweet Chilli Thai Sauce - 2 tbsp Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Salt Scallions/Green Onions for garnish   How to roast Brussel Sprouts in an oven: Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. Wash the brussel sprouts well. Discard the bottom hard parts of the brussel sprouts. Dice each into quarters. You can use whole sprouts as well. In a mixing bowl, add olive oil, Thai Sauce, salt and fresh ground black pepper. Add more or less Thai Sauce to suit your taste. Mix all the ingredients well. Spread the Brussel sprouts evenly on a ba...

Many of us are familiar with the Gujarati Kadhi and North Indian Kadhi Pakora . These Indian Kadhi recipes with yogurt and chickpea flour as key ingredients, are globally popular. Today I am sharing a Konkani style Vegan Kadhi/Kadi made of coconut. Coconut is quite integral in Konkani Cuisine. As the name suggests, this kadi is spiced with cumin (jeere in Konkani) and whole black peppercorns (meeri in Konkani). Pretty simple, yet flavorful accompaniment with rice. Ingredients: Shredded Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1 1/2 cups Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp Whole Black Peppercorns/Kali Miri - 6 Green Chili - 1 Oil - 1 tsp Salt Tempering/Tadka/Phanna: Mustard Seeds/Sasam - 1/2 tsp Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Curry Leaves/Kadipata/Karbeo - 5 leaves Oil - 1 tsp How to make Konkani Jeere Meere Kadi: Pat the green chili dry and chop it into 2 pieces. Also, pat the curry leaves dry. Heat about 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, whole peppercorns and green chilies. S...