My dear mother visited me in the West. She had brought a lot of goodies for me. And one of which is black gram lentil from my hometown. All the time we were planning her trip and packing, she instilled this desire in me for this black gram sweet called "ulundhu kazhi". And finally, when she was here, she promised me that she would teach me how to do it.  And it never happened. We spent our precious days catching up and gossipping, that in the blink of an eye, she had to leave back. The black gram was just sitting there in my pantry untouched.  She described the dish over the phone in such a way, that it painted a complex process in my mind.  I was so shameless, that I asked a friend for the dish and she dearly made it for me twice. She was so nice that she offered to do it no matter how many times I ask.  But one fine day, I mustered the courage to try this dish and to my surprise, it was not complex. It was pretty simple to make and it was DELICIOUSNESS. I later...

It was raining cats and dogs here in CA for the past few days. It's been a long time, I went out to my patio or did any gardening. Yesterday, I went out to get some greens and noticed my strawberry plants coming back to life.  Watching those berry beauties instilled a craving for strawberries right away. You see, I am a very submissive person when it comes to this kind of cravings. You should totally listen to your body when it craves for something. I went straight to the shop, filled my cart with all types of berries. Fast forward to today; Made these pink strawberry smoothie and as if one is not enough, topped with more blueberries and nuttified it for that crunch. Here is the recipe. Ingredients : Banana -1  Strawberry - (7-10) Blueberries or any other toppings (few) Nuts - Almonds, cashew, raisin, walnut, etc of your choice.  Instructions : Blend the banana, and strawberry in a blender. You can add boiled/skimmed milk(which is totally optional). Howev...

You must have heard of dosa. The indispensable south Indian breakfast.  Dosa is to a south Indian, the way pancakes are for the west. It is the Indian version of pancakes or a crepe. It is generally made with lentil and rice mix soaked overnight, grind to a batter, fermented naturally, and used.  Now the world is after fast food, dosa batter can be made instantly too.  This post is definitely not about the traditional dosa or the instant ones.  So last week, I went to my cousin's place here. She was making dosa for breakfast and intending to help I took over the dosa making job from her and mindlessly making it.  After making a couple of ones, I noticed the batter looked way different than what I used to make. She explained to me, it is a mix of rice and a mix of lentils like split pigeon peas, mung beans, etc. And that is her way of feeding nutrients to her little one who is always after dosa mum mum 3 times a day * 365.  Thanks to her for the ...

Spaghetti squash resembles spaghetti strands when cooked and hence the name. It is low in calories and nutrient-filled. If you are on a low-calorie diet and still crave pasta, this is a quick fix. Here is the recipe for 2 servings Ingredients : spaghetti squash -1 small/medium  olive oil - 1/2 tbsp  garlic - 1 minced tomato sauce(pasta sauce) - 16 oz  cherry tomatoes - 4 in no  black pepper - as needed salt  - as needed herbs - fresh/dried. (basil) red pepper flakes  - as needed shredded mozzarella cheese - optional  Instructions : Preheat over to 350° F  Halve the squash, rub olive oil and salt in both the pieces, and slid it inside the oven. Bake it for an hour or until it becomes tender. Take out the squash and let it cool for some time. Meanwhile, in medium heat, heat oil in a saucepan. Add minced garlic and cook for a minute or two. Now add the pepper flakes, salt, cherry tomatoes, and sauce and simmer it briefly...