Radish or मुळा as we call in Marathi is nutritious as well as delicious. It's taste can be little bit overpowering for some then it's really good for your health. Radish greens are totally and completely edible and it also has all the nutrition that any green leafy vegetable has.  Some of it's health benefits are, it increases immunity, it is also said that it prevents diabetes, it has essential minerals and vitamins that helps to fight fatigue.  In Indian kitchen radish can be used to make stir fry or in parathas. Though in US regular radish is not always available but these Young Radishes are always available year round in a Korean Store where I do groceries.    Ingredients 2 bunch young radish greens and all Salt as per taste 1/2 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp chili powder  3 to 4 tbsp besan For Tempering 1 tsp oil 1/2 tsp mustard seeds Pinch of asafoetida 1/4 tsp turmeric powder Garlic Tempering(For topping) 1 tbsp oil 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 3 garlic cloves roughly chopped into small

 What can I say about today's recipe? Paneer is all time favorite at my house and I am sure at your houses too. Paneer is a great option for all vegetarian lovers.  Usually Paneer Bhurji is made when small block of paneer has been leftover in my fridge. I love homemade paneer and believe it or not I have NEVER bought store bought paneer EVER 😀. Fresh homemade paneer has this amazing texture and taste, it adds freshness to any dish you prepare!  Grab recipe for homemade paneer .  Though it says lowfat paneer you can most definitely use whole milk instead of low fat milk which I do these days.  All right then let's get started with Paneer Bhurji recipe! Ingredients 3 cups crumbled paneer 1 medium onion chopped 1 small tomato chopped 1/4 cup chopped green pepper 1 small green chili(optional) 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste 1 tbsp ghee 1/2 tsp cumin 2 green cardamom pods 3 peppercorn 1 small piece cinnamon stick 1/4 tsp turmeric 1/8 tsp coriander powder 1/8 tsp cumin powder 1/4 tsp chil

Last fall we had planted garlic in our backyard, this spring we were cleaning up our garden to get ready for spring planting. Garlic bulbs were growing really nicely, but they are not ready to harvest yet. So to ensure that our garlic grows we cut some garlic greens. Instantly I thought of making this fresh garlic chutney. The garlic greens itself has immense garlicky flavor but I also added couple small garlic cloves to enhance more of that garlic flavor.  Have it on a side with any Indian meal, we loved it especially with bhakri and pithla(Maharashtrian comfort food)! We also tried it on sandwiches, Indian style scrambled eggs(also called as bhurjee), Quesadillas.  Ingredients                                                           15-20 sprigs of green garlic 1/3 cup cilantro 3 green chili's 2 small garlic cloves 1/2 inch ginger  2 tbsp roasted unsalted peanuts(skin removed) Salt as per taste Juice from 1/2 lemon  Little water as required Method Wash garlic greens, cilantro, g

Yogurt is a staple in any Indian Kitchen. It is used to make raitas, kadhi, chutneys, or eaten plain with any rice preparation, but it's not just limited to Indian cooking. Yogurt is also used in smoothies, parfaits, cakes etc. Plain yogurt is all time favorite at my house. Me and my younger son hog on yogurt like there's never tomorrow 😁. Homemade plain yogurt tastes so much better than store bought that once you know the knack of making it you would never go back to the store bought one. It is simple and easy to make, just boil the milk, use culture and dissolve it in the milk and cover and let it sit in warm place, it's that simple.  Growing up in India I have always eaten homemade yogurt, never have I tasted store bought yogurt until I came to US and I missed my yogurt so much that I started making it at home. Now, ocassionally I do buy store bought yogurt when needed in large quantity but I always keep a batch of fresh homemade yogurt in my refrigerator! Let's see

A smoothie is a thick and creamy beverage made with a mixture of fruits and/or vegetables, milk, yogurt or juice. Everything is blended together to make this delicious and filling drink which is perfect for breakfast, light lunch or as a post workout meal!    Ingredients 1 banana sliced 6 large strawberries washed and stem/leaves removed 3/4 cup blueberries washed 1 tsp chia seeds 2 tbs greek yogurt 1 tsp honey 3/4 cup milk Crushed Ice Method Method is very simple, just blend all the ingredients in a blender until well blended.  Alternatively you can also freeze berries and banana slices and blend it, in this case you won't need crushed ice. This recipe will make 3 8oz glass smoothies.  Notes-: You can make it more nutritious by adding your choice of protein powder for a perfect post workout snack!

Ragi is a power grain which has wonderous amount of health benefits. It is rich in calcium, iron, protein and fiber to name a few.  It is also known as Finger Millet or Nachnai in some parts. Ragi flour is made from this powerful grain and can be used in variety of ways. It can be used to make roti, bhakri, sweet kheer, thalipeeth, dosas, cakes, cookies and so on and so forth.   Even with its immense health benefits I feel we still haven't really embraced Ragi in our day to day diet. Todays recipe is a sweet preparation of ragi flour. It is actually a very good option for breakfast or post workout meal. I added some nuts for crunch on top but it is completely optional.  This recipe will serve one. Ingredients 1 tbs Ragi Flour 1 tsp Ghee/Clarified Butter 1/4 cup water 1/2 cup milk 1 tbs Jaggery For toppings chopped toasted mixed nuts like almonds, pecans or walnuts(optional) Also golden raisins for toppings(optional) Method In a pan melt ghee and add ragi flour on low heat. Saute it

Doodhi is also known as Lauki, Bottle Gourd, Calabash. In marathi we call Doodhi, it is a versatile vegetable with lots of health benefits. It has high water content, low in fat and has lot of fiber. We can make sabzi, it can be used in dals/sambar, doodhi muthiya(a gujrati delicacy). It can be used in variety of ways.  Today we are going to see it's sweet preparation, halwa! Halwa is a sweet pudding and can be made with variety of things like semolina, besan, carrots, doodhi or even with whole wheat flour.  Doodhi Halwa is my favorite halwa among all other different kinds. Let's see how to make this scrumptious halwa! Ingredients 3 cup grated doodhi 1 tsp ghee 3/4 cup milk 5 tbs milk-mawa powder 1/3 cup sugar 3 almonds soaked, skin removed and sliced(optional) 2-3 cashews broken in half and roasted in little bit of ghee(optional) A pinch of kesar/saffron(optional) Method Squeeze out little water from grated doodhi. Add a tsp of ghee in a non-stick pan on medium heat. Add grate

Any Italian meal is incomplete without pasta. Pasta has gain a lot of popularity over the years, kids especially love pastas. Pasta comes in variety of shapes and sizes! In today's recipe I have used Penne Pasta.  I prefer pastas with light sauce and veggies compared to pastas loaded with sauce and cheeses.  Pesto is a favorite condiment at our house, it is very much versatile and can be used on pizzas, pasta, sandwiches, on roasted or mashed potatoes, eggs and more! Ingredients for Pasta 5 cup cooked penne pasta or your favorite pasta 1/3 cup chopped broccoli 1/3 cup chopped zucchini 10-12 grape or cherry tomatoes halved if too big 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil 3 tbs prepared basil pesto(recipe below) or store bought Salt and Pepper for taste Grated Parmesan cheese(optional) Crushed red pepper(optional) Method For Pasta Boil Pasta according to package instruction. I had leftover cooked pasta in the refrigerator hence used that.  Add a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan on medium heat .

 The idea for this post came from one of my dear friend. She one day asked me what kind of green leafy vegetables you make. I said to her that I make quite a few. She suggested why don't I post pictures and names of the leafy vegetables that we get here in US. I liked her idea and started writing this post. Just a note that I have mentioned only the ones that I have used in my kitchen. There are plenty of leafy greens out there to try! In marathi we call all leafy greens as पालेभाज्या. My mom makes variety of greens but living in US we might not get all of them as in India. I shop for groceries in a Korean store but they carry all Indian vegetable variety plus all other Indian groceries.  I tried some new leafy greens and tried to make Indian/Marathi style recipes. I have listed names of few greens that I normally cook with. Swiss Chard Young Radish Mustard Greens or Sarson/सरसों का साग  Red Shen Choy/लाल माठ  Gongura/Sour Leaf/आंबाडी Spinach/Palak Methi/Fenugreek Leaves Swiss Char

 Mushrooms are low in calories and sugar and packed with nutrition. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants along with vitamin D. Mushrooms are super food for vegetarians as they can be replaced with meat. They do come in lot of variety like crimini, white button mushrooms, portabello, shitake, oyster and lot more.  Frankly speaking I had never eaten mushrooms growing up in India. I was introduced to them when I came here to US, though my husband devours it as he has been eating them since childhood and so does my elder son. Me and my younger son  not a big fan but we can eat them.  Today's recipe is matar mushroom magic. I have added paneer to this recipe as paneer makes everything special :) and plus I can pick and eat more paneer than mushroom 😉😀 Just a note that I got my mushrooms from Costco so they were huge. Ingredients 8 large or 1 regular sized packet white mushrooms 1 small onion chopped  1 small tomato chopped 1/2 inch ginger grated 2 cloves garlic gra

North Indian cuisine is very popular all over the world. Punjabi cuisine is very rich and flavorful.   Amritsar is a city in Northern part of India in the state of Punjab. I guess this dal originated here and hence the name Amritsari dal. But it is also called as Langarwali dal. This dal is usually cooked and served in Gurudwaras for langar.  Doesn't matter what you call, it tastes delicious.  Authentically this dal is made with whole urad dal(same dal used to make dal makhani or maa ki dal) and chana dal but I made it with chilkewali urad dal and chana dal. Recipe is quite simple and it is made in Insta Pot so it's even quicker! Ingredients 1/2 cup chilkewali urad dal(aslo known as urad dal with skin) 1/4 cup chana dal 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste   1 small onion chopped 1 small tomato chopped 2 tsp coriander powder 1/4 tsp garam masala Salt and chili powder as per taste 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 1/4 tsp amchur powder 1 tbsp ghee/clarified butter 1/2 tsp cumin seeds Method Soak bo

 Raita is a very traditional condiment in any Indian meal. Typical Indian meal consists of a vegetable curry, dal, roti, rice and raita. Raita is typically made with yogurt and some kind of raw or cooked vegetable like cucumber, carrot, cabbage, spinach, beets and many more, possibilites are endless 😃.  There was some spinach left over in fridge and thought I should use it up before it goes bad so made this raita. It actually tasted pretty good, hope you all will like it! Ingredients 2 cup tightly packed chopped spinach 1 cup Yogurt 1/2 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp red chili powder 1/4 tsp cumin powder Salt as per taste 1 tsp oil For Tempering 1 tsp oil 1/4 tsp mustard seeds 1/4 tsp cumin Pinch of asafoetida 1 red dried chili Method Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add chopped spinach and saute just until wilted,  keep aside and let it cool. Whisk yogurt until smooth and add sauteed spinach. Add all the spices, red chili powder, cumin powder, sugar and salt. Mix and keep aside.  For tempering,

 Saag Paneer is a traditional Punjabi delicacy that is eaten in winter. The reason behind eating sarson ka saag in winter is very simple, it helps keep our body warm plus it is packed with micronutrients and antioxidants. Traditionally it is made with mixture of sarson(which is called as mustard greens), spinach and bathua(another winter leafy vegetable) but living in the US it is hard to find bathua, at least I have never seen it in the store where I shop. So adjustments had to made to enjoy this beautiful delicacy by using whatever greens I can find.  Greens that are used in today's recipe is mustard greens(the star ingredient), methi leaves and spinach. But I think you can also add any greens that is available like green swiss chard, collard greens. Let's get started! Ingredients 1 bunch mustard greens 1 small bunch spinach or 5 oz prewashed baby spinach 1/2 bunch methi leaves or a handful of methi 1 green chili 5 garlic cloves roughly chopped 1 inch ginger roughly chopped 1

 As the name suggests it's a panini with classic ingredients like basil, tomato and mozzarella. These three items are like match made in heaven! They taste oh so good together. Crispy panini with ooey gooey mozzarella and fresh basil is a quick fix lunch or dinner option.  Ingredients(Makes 4) 4 ciabatta rolls 1 tomato sliced 1 small red onion sliced Basil leaves as required 4 tbsp basil pesto(store bought or homemade ) 4 tsp hot and sweet Pepper Jelly(I got it from Trader Joe's)  Balsamic Vinegrette (Recipe below) 8 oz Fresh Mozzarella Cheese Crushed red pepper flakes as required(optional) Balsamic Vinaigrette 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp dijon mustard 1 tsp honey Salt and Pepper for seasoning  Mix all the ingredients for vinaigrette and it's ready.  Method Drizzle ciabatta rolls with olive oil and lightly toast them on both sides on panini maker. Arrange lightly toasted ciabatta rolls on  a cutting board for assembling the sandwich. Spread a

I was totally and  completely against buying a Insapot before, then my friends persuaded me to get one and now I have actually started liking it. Why? because it's convenient, less utensils to wash, easier to make one pot meals.   I did try making lot of rice varieties in IP, pulao and biryanis, plain rice. Today's recipe is Peas Paneer Pulao. Veggies in my fridge were depleting and had to make something for lunch so this was how today's recipe was born :)  Ingredients 2.5 Cup Basmati Rice 4.25 cup water 2 medium onion sliced 1 tomato chopped 1 tbsp ginger+garlic paste 3/4 cup frozen peas 1 cup cubed Paneer 5/6 cashews broken in halves 1/4 cup chopped cilantro  2 tsp Chhole Masala(I used Everest) 1 tsp Chicken Curry Masala(you can also substitute any other masala like pav bhaji or kitchen king masala) 1/2 tsp garam masala 1 tbsp dried mint crushed between your palm(fresh would also work) 1/4 tsp chili powder Salt as per taste 1tsp ghee/clarified butter(optional) 2 tbsp cano