Aloo Methi is a very classic Indian recipe where the potatoes are cooked along with the very aromatic fenugreek leaves.  A very well loved recipe in our family, I make this whenever we get fresh methi/fenugreek leaves.

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More purple potatoes! A salad which definitely wears a stunning look – colorful, vibrant,  full of goodness and almost freaky.

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Shredded carrots, oranges and nuts softly kissed with orange blossom water, orange and lemon juice and mint.

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A very quick sides recipe; raw, tart green tomatoes and earthy mushrooms stir fried in fragrant sesame oil.

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A delightful week night side dish; quick, easy with a slight hint of spice. The cauliflower florets are cooked in the pan till tender and then sprinkled with nuts, dried fruits, green onions and some dressing.

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The Spring air smells good. Along with the change of season comes the colorful blooms of the pretty flowers & some fresh vegetables& fruits  in the market. The local market got crates of fresh corn & avocado. (I was somehow under the impression that the corns came during fall..) Anyway. we got quite a few of these. Today I saw Corn Salsa in Peter G’s (Souvlaki for The Soul) Blog. His pictures tempted me to make some salsa with the hass avocados & corn right away.

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This dal is one of my comfort foods. Every time I make it, the sound of the sizzling spice & the aroma reminds me of home, of my childhood…. Masoor dal used to be a staple food for me – for I rarely would want to try any other dal. Why? Because I love the flavor these special spices cooked in Mustard Oil- yes that is what is used to season this dal. If you are not aware, traditionally most of the recipes in Bengal use mustard oil for cooking. It cannot be denied that the flavor that mustard oil adds can not be replaced with any other subsitute. To season this recipe, you would need a very little of the oil- & I would warn that this would not taste the same without this particular combination of  Mustard Oil & the Panch Foron (very commonly used spice mix in Bengal to temper lentils & vegetables….I have explained that later in the post).

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Remember all the groans & whines we came up with when we were forced to eat Karela/Bitter Melons when we were little? I have heard only of a handful of kids who eat this bitter vegetable without pulling a long sad face. I have found some ways (like this one), where the karela actually tastes not like karela. My kids (& my husband) do not whine when I make this stirfry. They Potatoes & the Karela are crispy, & has a nutty flavor.

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“Breadline Africa is an internationally registered charity that seeks out partnerships of hope and growth in Africa.” Breadline Africa launched its Blogger Bake Off, which is an online campaign aimed at connecting people to care, at getting bloggers to talk to their communities about poverty in Africa, and at having these communities to donate to Breadline Africa.

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Hummus is Chickpeas in Arabic.  And as everyone knows there are a lot of variations to the traditional Hummus. I love Middle Eastern food, with all the flavors in it, but when I cook at home I do tweak it to cater to my taste and mood. This is a very spicy hummus with a tinge of sweetness of the roasted bell pepper. The traditional Hummus calls for the use of Tahini, But I have used whole sesame seeds instead. I like the crunch of the broken sesame seeds, as well as the coarse peanuts that I have used here.

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