One Day At A Time

Hello there! How is everyone? I am enjoying a perfect fall day with pleasant weather.... not too hot, not too cold. Last couple months I hardly cooked anything. Its been takeout, eating out or frozen dinners. My child does not like me spending any time in the kitchen.

Cheese and bread.... comforting and hearty! You can never go wrong with this duo. Well, my family loves Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Cheesy Quesadillas, Paneer Paratha. These are my go to meals for Sunday brunches or any special day. This weekend I made Paneer Pyaaz (Onion) Paratha. Melted butter on those golden brown parathas makes it totally irresistible. Ingredients: Paneer - 400 gm Onion - 1 big Durum Wheat Flour/Atta - 3 cups Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp Chat Masala - 1 tsp Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp Green Chilies - 3 (finely chopped) Grated Ginger - 1 tsp Grated Garlic - 1 tsp Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Oil - 2 tbsp Butter or Oil for roasting How to make Paneer Onion Paratha: Start with the dough. In a mixing bowl, add wheat flour and little salt. Add little water, at a time and knead until the dough gets soft and smooth. Cover the dough with plastic food wrap and let it rest for 20 - 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the Paneer pyaaz stuffing . Finely ...

Paratha is a great way to include some veggies in our everyday diet, especially when your little one does not eat something like creamy Avocado guacamole. The soft and moist avocado flesh makes the parathas very soft and flaky. What I love about this fruity flat-bread is its easy to make, its oil free and my kiddo loves it. Roll the paratha with some sautéed potatoes and your child will love it even more.

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...

These days I rarely make sweets. Or I must say, both cooking and blogging have taken a back seat in my life. Everything revolves around my playful toddler. Its fun to be a kid again. Schedules and plans no longer work for me. It has turned out good for me. Now, I just go with the flow. Gudi Padwa is right around the corner. And festivals are a good excuse for some sweet indulgence. How about a healthy Oats dessert! Ingredients: Instant Oats - 1 cup Unsweetened Desiccated (Dry) Coconut - 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup Pistachios/Pista - about 2 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 4 pods Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1 tbsp Whole Milk - 1/4 cup How to make Oats Coconut Ladoo: Crush cardamon seeds in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Set it aside. Roughly chop pistachios. You can use any other nuts of your choice or any dry fruits like cherries or cranberries to add some color to the ladoo. Heat a heavy bottom pan and dry roast oats for a couple minutes. Make sure the oats are heated...

Its been ages I cooked Roti Sabji in my kitchen. Its either no fuss pastas or one pot meals. Well, today I made an easy Aloo Baingan Masala to go with soft phulkas. A simple and homey no onion garlic meal with very few ingredients. Ingredients: Potatoes - 2 big Brinjal/Eggplant/Baingan - 6 small Tomatoes - 2 medium Cilantro/Coriander/Dhania Leaves - few sprigs Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp Oil - 2 tbsp Salt How to cook No Onion Garlic Aloo Baingan: Peel the potatoes and dice it into bite size cubes. Place them in a bowl of water. Next, discard the stems of the eggplants and chop them into bite size pieces. Add the eggplants too in another bowl of water. Heat oil in a pan. Add the potatoes and sauté for about a minute. Next, add eggplants and saute for about 2 minutes. Now add 2 cups of water and cook it covered until both veggies are cooked. Meanwhile, dice the tomatoes into bite size pieces. If you are not a fan of toma...

Hey everyone! I am back after a long break. Well, last few months were quite memorable. We celebrated our child's 1st birthday at Shedd Aquarium. Later, an amazing trip to India, visiting family and friends. One month just flew by. 25 hours air travel with a one year old was the only exhausting part, but it all went well. Today's post is inspired by my India trip - an Indo-Chinese style soup with mixed leafy greens, carrots and chana dal. A spicy low calorie vegan soup with loads of veggies and protein is perfect for this cold weather.    Ingredients: Mixed Greens - about 200 gm Carrots (thinly sliced) - about 100 gm Chana Dal/Split Chickpeas - 1/4 cup Onion - 1 medium Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp Soy Sauce - 2 tbsp Oil - 2 tbsp Salt  How to cook Vegan Mixed Greens and Lentil Soup: Soak chana dal in about 1 cup of water for about an hour. Wash soaked dal well. Finely chop onions. Heat oil in a pan. You can use butter if you li...