It’s officially three weeks until Johann and I welcome our baby boy into this world. I often get asked the question, “are you ready?” I’m not sure if you can ever be ready for any life change because there is so much unknown – but we are incredibly excited to finally meet this energetic little guy that has been dancing in belly.
This has quickly become one of our favorite meals as of late. It’s truly a meal that tantalizes all the senses. The base is similar to my Vegetable Red Coconut Curry, but there are a few more ingredients here that add more depth of flavor and texture.
This Vegan Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup uses store bought vegan red curry paste (although I can imagine homemade would be amazing) that adds just the right amount of spice. If you are a strict vegan, make sure to look at the ingredients on the back of your curry paste as many brands include fish sauce. I’ve been using Thai Kitchen brand of Red Curry Paste. They have a roasted variety that has fish sauce so I don’t get that one.
I honestly can’t believe I’ve been in LA for over 3 years without a waffle maker! But leave it to the quarantine and my love for all things sourdough to finally push me to get one. Now waffles are a regular breakfast item in our house and I just love them!
If you’re been following my Instagram account lately, you know I’m completely in love with the whole process of making sourdough bread. Just like so many other people, I’ve used all of the extra time at home during this quarantine to finally embark on the amazing sourdough journey.
Also, with a baby on the way, I know that my low key days are numbered, so I’m using my time wisely to get as comfortable with bread making as I can. Luckily, I’ve had some amazing sourdough mentors so far along the way.
This recipe came about when I was going through a bout of some stomach upset. Ginger tea and ginger ale are always my go to remedies when I feel nauseous, and they work wonders!
I decided to combine the two into a naturally sweetened fizzy beverage that uses jaggery (unprocessed whole cane sugar) and a touch of maple syrup. It’s so refreshing whether you’re feeling under the weather or not!
Saag Paneer and Palak Paneer (yes, they are slightly different), are some of my absolute favorite Punjabi Indian dishes. The Punjab region is in northern India and the cuisine from this region is probably the most well known and most widely found at Indian restaurants around the world. If you love naan, daal makhani, paneer tikka, butter chicken or chole bhature, this is the area from which they hail.
Traditionally, Punjabi food is heavy in ghee (clarified butter), cream and paneer, however, with simple modifications, you can still enjoy all the flavor of these exotic dishes without the dairy.
This dish has officially gone into rotation once a week in our house. It’s one that I leave 100% to my husband because he does such an amazing job with it.
Kitchari, also called Kichdi, is a dish I grew up with. My mom’s version is quite different than this one, but I love both the same. It is such a nourishing and healthy plant-based meal and you will probably find as many versions of this as you will of a basic tomato sauce recipe. Each household has their own spin on it, but the basic ingredients remain the same – rice, lentils (traditionally split moong dal) and spices. You can stop there or add vegetables, which Johann loves to do. Finish it off with some plain yogurt (dairy or plant-based) and some fresh cilantro.
Even though kitchari has been around for thousands of years, it has gained immense popularity with the renewed interest in Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurveda is the ancient (about 5000 years old) system of holistic medicine that originated in India. It is said to be the oldest system of medicine that has inspired all others.
Ayurvedic kitchari cleanses are seen all over the internet right now. They are a wonderful way to reset your digestive system and interestingly enough, growing up, we were often given kitchari when we weren’t feeling too well.
It is also one of the first solid foods given to babies in India because of its easy digestibility and incredible nutritional value.
I will be posting more process photos soon, but for now, I hope you give this recipe a try! It’s the perfect one pot meal and great for your digestion and immune health!
Ingredients: Instructions: *This version of kitchari is heavy on the spices because that's how we like it, but you can use a smaller quantity at first and see how you like it and then adjust more or less the next time you make it.
Ingredients
Instructions
We are officially somewhere around one month into this Covid-19 quarantine. The three times weekly runs to the grocery store have dwindled down to once every two weeks. We are certainly paying a lot more attention to what we buy and eat. It’s so important now more than ever to be mindful of food waste and so recipe testing has been a little more of a challenge as I don’t want to throw out any food that didn’t come out as expected.
In addition, keeping our bodies healthy and immune systems strong has been top of mind – especially now that I’m halfway into my pregnancy. Food is medicine and we are actually loving cooking simple, yet nourishing meals at home every day. It’s a team effort for sure though. Johann has been amazing at getting into the kitchen on the days I just can’t peel myself off the couch.
When I was growing up, I remember often sneaking into the refrigerator to grab a piece of one of the Indian sweets my mom always had a box of. Flavors of cashews, pistachios, rose, saffron and cardamom would entice me and I just loved trying all the different varieties of treats that came in the most beautiful colors and designs.
I still get excited every time I go back home to New York, because I turn into that little girl again, excited to see what sweet treats await me. Truth be told though, I’ve had to be a bit more conscious of what I eat as I’ve gotten older. I simply can’t handle copious amounts of sugar anymore.
The first time I made a meal for my husband, it was a complete disaster. I had just moved to LA from New York and I remember being excited to cook him a meal because that was one thing I knew I could do well. I was so excited to impress him with my culinary skills.
This meal wasn’t even anything elaborate. It was a vegetable stir fry – a dish many would think is one of the easiest to make! I brought it out and waited for Johann’s reaction.