One Day At A Time

Frederick Meijer Garden, Grand Rapids Hey everyone! Hope all is well with you. In my part of the world, we're enjoying beautiful sunny winter weather. Where I live, two days of snow lead to school closures, which happened a few days ago.  This month, my food blog celebrated its 15th anniversary. It started in Michigan, and now I'm in sunny Texas. It's amazing how life takes you to different places. A sincere thank you to everyone who has visited my online home, left a comment, sent an email, and shared my love of food. "Less is more" is a mantra I learned from my mother, whose cooking style always featured few ingredients. I've adopted that philosophy in my own cooking. My cooking style has changed a lot over the years. I now cook Mexican and Italian dishes frequently in addition to Indian cuisine. I am always on the lookout for healthier alternatives, and often use semi-homemade or store-bought ingredients. I read nutrition labels carefully to find foods with...

Hey everyone! Long time no see! Hope all is well in your world. I am back with a healthier Indian Mithai recipe. It is gluten free and protein rich. Vegans can use Coconut Oil instead of Clarified Butter. I made this for my picky 11 year old. My kiddo eats pretty healthy, but feeding vegan protein rich beans and lentils is a work in progress. Today's sweet treat is made with Chickpea Flour and Jaggery . Jaggery also called as Good in Hindi and Gool in Marathi is a less processed form of sugar. It is darker in color like molasses . Hope you enjoy making this delicacy for your loved ones. Ingredients: Ladu Besan/ Chickpea Flour - 2 cups Ghee/Clarified Butter - 3 - 4 tbsp Jaggery Powder - 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp Saffron/Kesar strands - a pinch Cinnamon/Dalchini Powder - 1/4 tsp Nuts for garnish if you like How to make Homemade Besan Gud ke Ladoo: In a heavy bottom pan, add ghee and besan. Roast it at low or medium flame until you get a roasted aroma. Ladu Besan is a coarse form of chick...

Hey everyone! Hope all is well in your world. Texas heat has mellowed down. We are blessed with pleasant, cool weather these days. Touch wood!  There was a time when I used to cook Whole Wheat Atta Samosas at home. These days, whenever I am unable to make Homemade Samosas, I go for the frozen ones. Too many brands are available. Let me share my two family favorites.  Deep No Onion Garlic Samosa is my personal favorite. I can eat them on fasting days or during the holy month of Shravan. Next best for me is Haldiram's Punjabi Samosa. I did not like the Purani Dilli Samosa of Haldiram's. Airfrying these frozen samosas makes them highly convenient. At times, I airfry them without any oil.

Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing well. My part of the world, Texas is pretty hot these days. Even though I have lived in Texas for more than 5 years, I can't get used to this weather. But, I have been blessed with some amazing friends here in Texas. One such dear friend is Jinu . She makes an effort to stop by my place with some homegrown fresh organic produce like Amaranth leaves, curry leaves, peaches, drumstick leaves and so on. Sometimes, she gets some home-cooked Kerala delicacies too. I am truly grateful for such kind people around me. Fresh produce makes me really happy. I am sharing my joy with my readers through today's video of Fresh Indian Curry Leaves .

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...