Category Archives: Food

Easy Instant Pot Pesto Chicken Soup Recipe

I’ve been on a major soup kick lately. It’s been so cold these past few weeks and so the kids and I haven’t really got out of the house much. To be honest, we’ve barely gotten out of our pajamas, let alone made it to the grocery store.

That’s the great thing about soups. It doesn’t really matter if you haven’t left the house.

You can really make them with nearly anything–or nearly nothing, if that’s what you have.

I made this hearty Pesto Chicken Soup in less than 30 minutes using my Instant pot and random ingredients I found in my fridge, freezer and pantry. The flavors were outstanding, even the baby loved the broth.

If you’d like to give this recipe a try, click below to get the recipe! I hope you like it!

Easy South Indian Style Lemon Rice Recipe

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I love the food from Southern India. Truthfully it might be my favorite cuisine. The beautifully balanced flavors–spicy, tangy, sometimes a little bit sweet–I just can’t get enough! This South Indian Style Lemon Rice is no exception!

Quick and delicious, lemon rice can be made with fresh or leftover rice. It can also be eaten by itself or as a side dish.I often serve it along with a simple fried egg for lunch. So simple, yet nearly nothing beats it…

Click below to check out the recipe!

Instant Pot Cauliflower, Sausage and Kale Soup Recipe {Keto/Low-Carb/Gluten Free}

I have been really thankful for my Instant Pot lately.

Although Minnesota winters are always pretty cold, these past few days have been brutal. With windchills nearly reaching -40 degrees F –yes, MINUS 40 degrees–we haven’t got out of the house much.

Being stuck in the house with a “threenager” is no joke. Arjun has so much energy that after tending to him I barely have time to make myself a cup of coffee, let alone cook. It’s ridiculous.

We could go to the mall or the (very few!) indoor toddler/preschool activities around town, and we probably should. It’s just so hard with two little kids, especially when it’s cold/flu season…

So instead of making the trek to the grocery store, I’ve resolved to using up some of the foods I have in our freezer or pantry. We’ve been enjoying a lot of soups lately, and this recipe has definitely been a favorite!

Piyush said that it reminded him of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana soup. I suppose it is sort of a copy-cat recipe, but having never ordered the Zuppa Toscana I can’t be sure how close it is.

Give it a go, and let me know what you think! Get the recipe by clicking below:

Fish Pakoras: Spiced Up Fish Fry Recipe {Gluten-Free!}

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Pakoras (fried vegetable or meat fritters) are one of my family’s most favorite Indian snacks. Not only are pakoras crispy, salty and down-right delicious, but they’re the perfect compliment to a steaming glass of masala chai. **Bonus!**

They can also be made with nearly anything. Veggies, meats, legumes…

What more can one hope for?

When Piyush’s parents were visiting here a few years ago, Maa would occasionally fry tilapia fillets and we’d have them for lunch or tiffin.

Funny Story: Sometimes we’d try to eat healthy and bake the fillets. We’d smother them with spices, making them as flavorful as we could-while still keeping them relatively healthy. Maa hated the baked fish and would eat the rest of her dinner, saving the fish to fry the next day!

The fried fillets were delicious. Simple, but packed full of flavor. I was pregnant with Arjun at the time and couldn’t get enough! They’re like fish-sticks, only fancier!

If you’re looking for a simple, yet special, fish recipe that even your kids will love–try making fish pakoras!

They’re the perfect, spiced up, alternative to the “All American” fish fry.

Get the recipe below!

Mango Date Chutney with a Bengali Touch

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It’s the end of May, and I’m so happy to announce that Winter has finally decided to leave Minnesota! In all my memory–granted, that’s a little less than 30 years–I have never suffered through such a horrible, never-ending season. It was terrible.

The -60 degree F (-51.1 degrees C, for all you non-American peeps out there) windchills not only made life miserable for me (actually, this winter life was miserable for nearly everyone!) but it also took it’s toll on my beautiful gardens.

Sadly, my beloved lavender plant did not survive. It’s dead stems are still protruding out of the ground and I keep hoping maybe–just maybe–they’ll send out some new, green shoots. So far, no luck.

I’ve been meaning to get a few new posts up on this space for quite a while now, but I’ve just been so busy with cleaning the yard/gardens, mulching, and planting. I keep telling Piyush that he gets the better end of the deal. He pays for the supplies and I do all the labor while he’s out golfing. Haha…after all, a happy marriage is all about compromise!

Last week our local market had mangoes on sale. The mangoes we get here in Minnesota are mostly tasteless and I don’t really enjoy to eat them plain as a snack. However, they do star wonderfully in a delicious, homemade chutney!

Typically (or at least what Piyush tells me), in India mango chutney is made with green, unripe mangoes. But because ours have little flavor I always choose to let them ripen until they’re at their sweetest.

Continue reading →

Simple and Delicious Gobi Sabzi: Indian Spiced Cauliflower

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There are certain foods that have the fascinating ability to transport me to another place and time. Sometimes it’s the taste of a fragrant, freshly baked slice of bread. One bite and I’m nine years old, back in my grandmother’s farm kitchen giggling with my cousins. Oh how I miss my cousins…

Other times it’s one sip of a cheap keg beer at a friend’s wedding causing me to remember my college days and all the (embarrassingly fun) moments with long-lost friends whom I’ll probably never cross paths with again (even you, crazy Toby!).

And then there is is this. Continue reading →

Easy Lemon Cheesecake with Blackberry and Ginger Spiced Topping

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There are few desserts as rich and delicious as cheesecake. Personally, I prefer cookies, but Piyush–who swears he does not like sweets!–is definitely a “cheesecake man.”

In fact, he likes it so much that it’s all he wanted for Christmas. No presents, just cheesecake. Heck, that’s easy enough!

I first made this particular cheesecake during the last season of Master Chef. There was a pressure test where the contestants had to bake a cheesecake in an hour. I was stunned! At that point I had never actually baked a homemade cheesecake before, but I knew it had to take longer than an hour! Continue reading →