Winter Special

Posted in Desserts, Festival Special, Maharashtrian, Quick n Healthy, Winter Special

Til-Gul / Tilachya Wadya / Sesame Candy

तीळ गूळ घ्या गोड गोड बोला! Makar Sankranti, marks the transition (Sankraman) of the Sun into Capricorn (Makar) rashi on its celestial path. Traditionally this has been one of many harvest seasons in India and being agriculture based community, harvest season and festivals always go hand in hand. Known by different names, it’s celebrated all over India. In Maharashtra, we celebrate it by exchanging til-gul laddoo and halwa as token of goodwill and we fondly say “तीळ गूळ घ्या गोड गोड बोला” which means “Savor this sweet Til-Gul and may the sweetness fill your thoughts and speech”. The Til-Gul literally translates to Sesame…

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Posted in Soup, Winter Special

Butternut Squash Soup

Hearty Soup for cold winter days The best thing I loved about butternut squash is that it’s practically indestructible. It lasts for months (as long as you store it in a dry, cool place) I was instantly attracted to buy a butternut squash and I did think of making soup on the very same day. The day did arrive only after few months. I peeled it and was pleasantly surprised to find it in a perfect condition. And hence the story of my butternut squash soup ended on a sweet note. Trust me, peeling it is the hardest part. Adding…

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Posted in Breakfast, Smoothie, Superfoods, Winter Special

VitaMAX Smoothie

The inspiration for this smoothie came from the ‘Power Juice’ recipe by Chef Parag. He used beet root and carrot juice together with lemon juice. I was looking for a creamy texture so instead of just using juices I decided to make a smoothie. Needless to mention it’s loaded with vitamins and mineral from beet root and carrots and hence the name! To make sure it’s perfectly sweetened I used dried figs and dried apricots and also raisins, I know I am genius 🙂 The result was outstandingly creamy, sweet, a beautiful pink smoothie which we have made a regular part of…

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Posted in Appetizers, Gujarati, Snacks, Superfoods, Winter Special

પાલક મેથી ના મુઠીયા / Palak Methi na Muthiya

“They look green, so they must be healthy!” I must admit, I love Gujarati Farsan. Khaman, dhokala, shev-khamni, khandvi, locho, muthiya, mathiya, handva …. so much variety and so yummy! Muthiyas caught my attention because these can be made healthier as compared to other fried items. They get the name from the way they are made using feasts. Muthiyas can be made with different vegetables. Here is my version of spinach and fenugreek muthiya. They taste slightly bitter and I think that’s the best part. My neighbor once said “they look green, so they must be healthy!”. Ingredients – 2 cups spinach leaves,…

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Posted in Maharashtrian, Quick n Healthy, Salad, Winter Special

बीटाची कोशिंबीर / Beetachi koshimbir / Beet Salad /

Sweet, salty, tangy, crunchy beet salad  Beets are highly nutritious and calorie friendly root vegetables. They are a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains which provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support. These betalains undergo a steady loss as cooking time increases, so make sure you keep steaming time for beets under 15 minutes. Reference –whfoods.com This is a simple, easy to make, yet a tasty recipe from my mom.   Ingredients 2 cups shredded steamed beet (around 2 medium beets) 1/4 cup ground roasted peanuts 1/4 tsp fennel seeds (optional See Notes below) 1 tsp lemon juice 2 tsp तिळाची चटणी or 1 tsp sesame…

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Posted in Maharashtrian, Quick n Healthy, Salad, Winter Special

गाजराची कोशिंबीर / Gajarachi Koshimbir / Carrot Salad

Eating salad is a proven way of cutting down calories without compromising on necessary nutrients. A typical Maharashtrian Koshimbir is the best example of such a salad. Even if you don’t like raw carrorts, I bet you will enjoy this Gajarachi Koshimbir –   Ingredients 2 fresh medium carrots, grated 1 medium tomato, chopped 2 tb spoon peanut(groundnut) powder 1 tb spoon sugar 1 tb spoon fresh lemon juice 2 medium green chiliis, finely chopped salt to taste 4 springs of cilantro, finely chopped This is the simplest recipe so far. Grate carrots , chop tomatoes and ground roasted(optional) peanuts. Mix everything…

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Posted in Appetizers, Continental, Entertaining, Winter Special

Deviled Eggs

With Easter just around the corner, this is a great time to try this  deviled egg recipe. These are cute, little, very tempting and especially go well for a potluck party and take no more than 5 minutes when you have boiled eggs ready! The tricky part is getting the perfect hard boiled eggs and lengthy part is to peel the eggs but my ‘Pro Tips’ section has covered both the tricks so stay tuned! This is a slightly modified version of classic recipe with a spring twist that comes from fresh cilantro. You can subbed cilantro by any fresh herb…

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