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

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Fall is one of the special times of the year. The vibrant colors, the sparkling sun (which is very very soothing after the the burning summer sun of Texas), the light breeze with an occasional nip which reminds you that winter is not far away but at the same time makes you breathe in and soak up the warmth of the daylight, that sudden rustle you hear that gathers up all the fallen leaves to a heap at the corner – it is like the nature is whispering and planning to make everything around look and feel beautiful!
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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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“Insalata Caprese (salad in the style of Capri) is a simple salad from the Italian region of Campania, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, plum tomatoes and basil. It is seasoned with salt, black pepper, and olive oil.” (Wiki).

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Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah), is used  as a whole grain, & has been an ancient food that is cultivated in South American Andes since at least 3,000 B.C. It has been a staple food of the native inhabitants. “The ancient Incas called quinoa the “mother grain” and revered it as sacred. Each year at planting time it was traditional for the Inca leader to plant the first quinoa seed using a solid gold shovel!” (Quinoa from Andes, has great information on Quinoa).

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I love Mediterranean food; any time of the day, any number of days, I can just indulge into the wonderful warm flavors of the food. The best part about Mediterranean cooking is that it combines taste, flavors & the health factor all together.
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The heat is still at its peak. Even after a few spell of showers it has not cooled down, & knowing Texas it will not get better soon. We are still on low carb. diet. Breakfast, lunch & snacks are still mostly salads- fruits & vegetables, nuts, beans & grilled fish/chicken; (more…)

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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It’s time for HHDD #26!

First I started reading Meeta’s post with curiosity, then I was in for some surprise, later came the  total disbelief when I saw my name was up there along with an excerpt of my email to Meeta. She had sent me a sweet email too, but I happened to be in her blog even before I saw her mail.  My entry to HHDD #25 – Shrimp Satay – Grilling with Almond Satay Sauce was the overall winner! There were awesome entries in both the sweet & savory categories, & my humble thanks to all those liked mine. After the initial few seconds of thrill of the win wore off, & I realized that I  have to host HHDD #26, the nervousness & intimidation kicked in, for during these few months of blogging I have never even given any thought about hosting an event. But I am sure with all your support I will make this happen:-)

[I am sending a Big Bag of Thanks to Bron, who guided me though this "apparently"  simple task of posting this announcement for HHDD #26.]

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Last week I was at the bookstore, just browsing & I came across this Book called “Fresh Moroccan” by Nada Saleh. I immediately got drawn to the beautiful picture of a heap of Saffron on the cover of the book. I started looking through it, & my heart refused to come back home without the book. So I listened to my heart & bought it home…Having cooked Moroccan food before, I knew I was not going regret buying this. It is a wonderful book – full of colors of the food & culture, with equally colorful, healthy & easy to cook recipes.

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