Chile de Arbol Salsa

Discover the fiery delight of homemade Chile de Arbol Salsa, boasting a smoky allure from perfectly grilled onions and tomatoes. Elevate your dishes with this bold, charred flavor sensation. Spice up your meals with my easy-to-follow recipe.
Continue reading “Chile de Arbol Salsa”

Buttermilk Ranch

Buttermilk ranch goes beyond being a mere condiment; it’s a flavor enhancer that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. The tangy notes awaken your taste buds, while the creamy texture provides a luscious coating that elevates salads, veggies, and sandwiches to new heights. It’s this perfect balance of taste and texture that makes buttermilk ranch a versatile companion in the culinary world.
Continue reading “Buttermilk Ranch”

Cilantro Lime Dressing

Elevate your meals with our homemade Cilantro Lime Dressing! Discover its versatile uses in salads, marinades, tacos, and grilling. Experience the burst of fresh, zesty flavor with every bite.
Continue reading “Cilantro Lime Dressing”

Tomato Chutney

Discover the essence of South Indian cuisine with our Tomato Chutney recipe. Tangy and aromatic, this versatile condiment adds a burst of flavor to your meals while preserving the rich culinary heritage of the region.
Continue reading “Tomato Chutney”

Oven Roasted Garlic Confit

Roast Garlic in the oven following these simple steps for a caramelized, earthy, sweet, and buttery bite.  Use this irresistible garlic confit to spread on bread or to cook amazing dishes.
Continue reading “Oven Roasted Garlic Confit”

Balsamic Vinaigrette

This Balsamic Vinaigrette is a simple and perfect recipe that can be used as a marinade, a dressing, or even a glaze for meats and fish.  It’s rich, tangy, and sweet.  And it takes 5 minutes to make!
Continue reading “Balsamic Vinaigrette”

Carrot Top Pesto

Simple, easy, earthy, and sustainable, this delicious Carrot Top Pesto is a versatile dish that can be used as a sauce, dip, or a topping.
Continue reading “Carrot Top Pesto”

Cranberry Curd

This delicious cranberry curd is made with only 4 ingredients including fresh cranberries.  I love adding it on pancakes, scones, ice cream, or even use it as a pie or tart filling!  It’s a wonderful seasonal treat that you will enjoy!
Continue reading “Cranberry Curd”

Beet Pesto

Vibrantly pink, nutty, tart, and tasty, this Beet Pesto is absolutely delectable.
Continue reading “Beet Pesto”

Homemade Moroccan Spice Blend

This homemade Moroccan Spice Blend is the perfect way to add a little flavor to your meats, fish, or even vegetables!  Roast, grill, saute, marinate, or even simmer in a soup, this blend is versatile and will enhance any recipe you use it in.
Continue reading “Homemade Moroccan Spice Blend”

Avocado Cilantro Lime Dipping Sauce

A big name with big bold flavors, this dipping sauce is creamy, tangy, fresh, and vibrant.  It lightens up any foods you are eating and is great healthy dip to add to your appetizer table.
Continue reading “Avocado Cilantro Lime Dipping Sauce”

Cilantro Chutney

Vibrant, fresh, mildly spicy, and packed with flavor, this Cilantro Chutney is a necessity in Indian cuisine.   This particular chutney is made using fresh cilantro, mint, curry leaves, green chilies, cashews and spices.
Continue reading “Cilantro Chutney”

Mint-y Pomegranate Raita

Can I just say Oh.My.God!  This Raita is probably the most delicious I’ve ever had and to be honest I don’t think I can go back to the usual raita (with cucumbers).

So I just posted my Tandoori Gobi Zucchini Boat recipe a couple of days ago and I paired this with the boats.  I could have gone the traditional route with a cucumber raita but I wanted something different and also, I’m really in the holiday mood right now so most of my food reflects that.

If you know me, you know I like the visuals of color in my food in addition to the taste.  Well, this season, I’ve been obsessed with pomegranates.  So in my obsession for colors, I played around with how I wanted this Raita to shine.  After all, it was the most important finish to the Tandoori Boats.

In addition to the mint and pomegranates (the obvious), I included some serrano peppers to enhance the color and a few spices and garlic to give the flavor profile a boost.

Ok so, you don’t have to pair this raita with just the Tandoori Boats.  Here are a few more dishes you can add this delicious Minty-y Raita to:

Pomegranate Eggplant
Lamb Meatballs
Aloo Paratha Yum
Kathi Roll
Spinach Dal Paratha

From my kitchen to yours, I hope you love every drop of this Mint-y Pomegranate Raita!

Here are the tools I used to make this recipe:

Chimichurri Sauce

This chimichurri sauce is a must have in your kitchen.  Traditionally served with meats, I use it on salads, meats, and vegetable dishes.  I first had this a couple of years ago when I was trying out a new recipe.  I love the simplicity of the flavors combined with the layers of all the elements you can taste. Continue reading “Chimichurri Sauce”

Coconut Jalapeño Dressing

I’ve been really getting into making my own dressings lately.  I like it because it’s easy to control the ingredients, eat healthy, and so fun to get creative with out of the box dressings!
IMG_7473
When I was thinking about this dressing, I knew I had to do something different so that I can keep a hint of the sweet coconut while incorporating other flavors.  As they say, sweet and spice makes everything nice (or something like that anyway).  Of course I had to add jalapeño peppers to this to give it a kick and the best part is you get a hint of each of the flavors without one overwhelming the other.
IMG_7458
I paired this with a Rainbow Crunch Salad (coming soon!) and it was absolutely amazing.
Try out this coconut jalapeño dressing with these other recipes:

Desi Masala Bowl
Zucchini Corn Cakes on a bed of Grilled Peach and Pineapple Salsa
Crispy Chickpeas and Sweet Potato Tacos

Roasted Cilantro Mint Chutney

IMG_7549
Yum

Growing up in an Indian household, chutneys are a must. They are an integral part of any Indian household. Whether you are eating Dosa or Adai Waffles / Lentil Waffles with tomato or coconut chutney, or samosas with cilantro or tamarind chutney, or Kati Rolls or Bombay Masala Sandwiches with chutney used as a spread, it’s always prominent in Indian food.
IMG_7498
There are so many different kinds of chutneys prepared so many different ways, I just love the versatility of these dips.  I tried to a different approach to my Roasted Cilantro Mint Chutney by roasting the cilantro and mint with some cashews, chickpea flour, and plenty of spices.
IMG_7501
As you roast the herbs, they develop a char which carries into the final product and gives it just a hint of smoky flavor and smell when you eat it.
IMG_7509
I’ve used this chutney recipe to eat with Adai Waffles / Lentil Waffles, Paneer Cabbage Cups, Spinach Dal Paratha, Aloo Paratha, and Avocado Roti.  What will you eat it with?
IMG_7535
From my kitchen to yours, I hope this chutney becomes a staple for you!

Grilled Pineapple Peach Salsa

I wanted to do something this Father’s Day and so instead of the typical “Best Dad Ever” shirts or another mug with pictures on it, I chose to create beautiful memories for the girls and their amazing Dad.  I took the family to go peach picking at a local farm one fine weekend and boy did the girls have fun!  We definitely made memories!  We also ended up with a ton of peaches because the girls had so much fun picking them right off the tree, they didn’t want to stop! Continue reading “Grilled Pineapple Peach Salsa”

Spicy Garlic Hummus

I love snacking.  Who doesn’t?!  Hummus is one of my favorite foods.  Since the first time I tried it in college, I was in love.  Recently, S (my 2 year old) has also been snacking on hummus.  And my hubs too.  This is just one of those foods where I like to add it to everything.  A great snack for S with some carrots and broccoli, or on a sandwich for my hubby, or in a wrap for me.  The versatility of hummus is amazing.
Most hummus recipes have a key ingredient – tahini, which is a paste made of sesame seeds.  Well, I didn’t have any around but I was craving hummus so here is my versions of tahini free hummus.  Hope you enjoy it!

20180225_113458.jpg
That’s my little helper.  She loves helping me cook in the kitchen and makes me so proud!
Drain the garbanzo beans and reserve the liquid – you’ll be using it later.  I used canned beans but you can use dried beans and soak them and cook them.  If you do, reserve the water that you cooked it in.  It’ll be used later.
20180225_113503.jpg
In a blender, combine the garbanzo beans, garlic, salt, pepper, Sriracha, lemon juice, half of the reserved liquid and olive oil.
20180225_114521.jpg
I just love Sriracha!  The kick it adds at the end of each bite when you eat this hummus is the perfect touch!
20180225_115849.jpg
Blend it so it becomes a good chunky paste.  This picture is deceiving – it really is chunky!
20180225_141413.jpg
Serve it with your favorite veggies!  S’s current fave is carrots as she gets a kick out of dipping them in her hummus.  Hope you enjoyed this as much as our family did!

Ingredients:
1 ½ cans garbanzo beans, drained
½c liquid reserved from the garbanzo beans
juice squeezed from 1/2 lemon
1 Tbsp Sriracha sauce
4 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp EVOO
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and grind into a chunky paste.  Serve with your favorite veggies and crackers.  Enjoy!

Tzatziki Sauce

IMG_5078
I can never get enough of this!  Forget using it as a condiment, I can lick this yogurt dip out of the bowl! I use this sauce for so many things.  Lamb kabobs, Pomegranate eggplant, falafels, the list goes on.  The best part…. it takes less than 5 minutes to make! Here’s how:

Ingredients:
1 1//2 c plain, lowfat yogurt
1 persian cucumber, diced into 1/2″ cubes
1 Tbsp dried dill
juice of 1/2 lemon
generous pinch of salt

In a bowl, whip the yogurt to a smooth consistency.  Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Enjoy!