Pasta with brocoli and feta- so good!

May 19th, 2013
Pasta with brocoli and feta!

Pasta with brocoli and feta!

Weekends are meant for r’n'r- aren’t they? Keeping that in mind, I decided to do a typical weeknight dinner for a weekend lunch- and my family couldn’t get enough:)

On the menu this weekend:  a simple pasta with bright green brocoli, garlic, parsley, lemon, red chili flakes, all tossed with creamy feta cheese. Here’s the recipe:

Boil bow tie pasta till al dente (no more, no less!)

Smash and chop 6 plump garlic cloves.

4 bunches of brocoli, cut in medium pieces.

Zest of a lemon and juice

Heat 2 table spoons of olive oil with garlic, lots of red chili flakes, black pepper and lemon zest- stir till fragrant. Add in the brocoli and stir fry for a minute. Then add 3-4 tablespoons of water, cover the pot and steam cook for about 3-5 minutes or till the brocoli is tender. Add salt to taste, the lemon juice and toss everything together with the warm pasta. Sprinkle a little bit of chopped parsley, taste and adjust for seasoning- and serve hot with some crumbled feta cheese on top. So good!!

Tip- you want lots of pepper and chili flakes in this dish to pop the flavors.

 

 

Recipe for Jalebis – yum!

May 13th, 2013
Recipe for Jalebis

Recipe for Jalebis

Hopefully everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day! Mine encompassed Native American culture at the Stanford Pow Wow in the morning, all the way to the reign of Queen Victoria and the Pirates of Penzance for an evening show! I declined the family’s generous offer of dinner out post the play, as it had been a very tiring weekend and all I could think about were my pajamas and warm bed. We got home, ate a quick bite and I began to do my usual forage for something sweet. Chocolates? No. Ice cream? Nah. Cake? Not really. None of these normal temptations were cutting it. I was just about to resign myself to a day without dessert, when my eye fell out something bright and orange on the kitchen counter. Jalebis!  I’m not usually a big fan of Indian desserts, but these just had my name on them. I think I ate 5 :( Having rediscovered their deliciousness, I thought I’d share the recipe with those of you who’d like to attempt to make these at home. Nothing like jalebis that are fresh and hot! My mother tells of going to college in Simla (in the Himalayan mountains of India), and in the freezing winters, walking miles and miles to the nearest vendor who would provide said jalebis, soaked in steaming hot milk! She said it was like manna from heaven!

So, to prepare jalebis at home, you will need:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons gram (chickpea) flour
1/2 cup plain yogurt, beaten smooth
1/2 cup water
A pinch baking soda
500 ml oil, but preferably clarified butter (“ghee”)
500 ml sugar syrup

Saffron

An empty, well washed ketchup bottle (the squeezy kind)

Method:

Mix both flours and add the yogurt and water. Mix well so that the consistency is smooth.
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“Turmeric in my pasta”?! or the many benefits of turmeric….

May 5th, 2013
Turmeric for good health

Turmeric for good health

A friend of mine invited me over for a delicious pasta dinner. When I asked her for the recipe, she listed out the ingredients, “pasta, garlic, tomatoes, a pinch or two of turmeric….”. ‘Turmeric?!”, I asked with great surprise. And then she told me that she adds turmeric to almost everything because of the great, many health benefits of turmeric.

What a great idea! As a child, I ate mostly Indian food which has plenty of  turmeric. However, now our weekly meals are Indian, Italian, Mexican, Chinese/Asian, American (read burgers)- and so we eat less and less of turmeric. Adding a pinch or two of this spice to any dish is not going to alter the taste of the food- pasta or tacos- but it will help with our health:)

Turmeric has the important extract ‘curcumin’ which helps block inflammation- a key cancer causing agent. There is plenty of research undergoing in the medical community around ‘cucumin’ and its cancer prevention potential, and doctors and researchers have stated that turmeric is one of the most potent, natural anti-inflammatories available.

Moreover, we grew up with the awareness of turmeric being a natural antiseptic and healer- which modern day research corroborates. Every time, I had a bad cold, Mom would make a soothing ‘haldi-doodh’ (turmeric milk) that she said would help take care of any mild infections brewing up.

What is less known is that to really absorb the benefit of turmeric, it’s best to combine it with black pepper. It seems that turmeric needs the piperine found in black pepper to be fully absorbed.

I have begun adding turmeric to our daily food- a sprinkle in our rice or pasta, or stir fries and even a pinch in our salads- along with a good grind or two from the pepper mill!

Recipe for turmeric milk (haldi-doodh).

Try some on a cold, winter evening. The warm milk and the spices will help you relax, and the turmeric will fight off small infections.

Heat 2 cups of milk with 1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric powder, two pinches of freshly grated ginger (optional) a pinch of cracked black pepper, and 1 cinnamon stick or two crushed cardamom pods. Cook until the milk comes to a full boil. Add honey or sugar to taste. Enjoy it very warm.

According to Ayurveda, ginger, cinnamon and black pepper are warming spices that help with colds and coughs.

 

 

Movie Review – Chasing Mavericks

April 28th, 2013
Chasing Mavericks

Chasing Mavericks

Selecting a movie to watch on family movie night has become rather challenging. My teenage daughter mostly turns down her nose at her father’s earnest and heartfelt attempts to find movies he thinks we’ll all enjoy together; my almost 12 year old son is more amenable, but also rather opinionated. Additionally, we are back at the stage where things my daughter can now watch (a lot of PG-13 stuff like ” Pitch Perfect”) are not suitable for my son. There was a sweet spot in between where there was full overlap in the type of movies allowed them, but now the grey area has crept back in for a while :)

We had, however, as a family, thoroughly enjoyed “Soul Surfer”, and having just returned from Cabo where we did non stop water activities, my husband selected “Chasing Mavericks” as our movie selection for this weekend. Surprisingly everyone was game! Phew! No battles or sulks! I was silently jubilant and game for anything the movie turned out to be considering this minor victory. The film turned out to be very moving. My short movie review follows.

“Chasing Mavericks” is based on a true story about a young boy from Santa Cruz named Jay Moriarty. From the time he is less than 9 years old, he is obsessed with waves. He already has a system for timing the waves. This is something he ends up sharing with surfing legend Frosty Hesson, hereby heralding the beginning of an incredible relationship and journey. Frosty ends up rescuing Jay from these very waves one night when Jay is on a date with young Kim and her beagle, who’s ball falls into the water.  It also turns out Jay and Frosty are neighbors. The next morning shows Jay bringing out a decrepit old surf board, and upon finding he cannot fix it entirely himself, he walks over to Frosty’s home to seek help. Frosty’s wife says he’s not around, but offers to help him with the parts required to fix his surfboard.  Brenda Hesson turns out to play a warm and sensitive role in Jay’s life, recognizing the boy’s need of Frosty is more than just that of a surfing mentor. We are lead to understand Jay’s father has left them, and his mother is a rather dysfunctional woman.  As a young teenager, Jay is already looking after her – doing her laundry, waking her up in the morning so she can get to her erratic jobs on time, and even loaning her money. Throughout all this, Jay retains an amazing spirit. He is  a kind and well balanced boy whose passion is to surf. He is a tremendously gifted surfer, and this is recognized by Frosty early on.

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Rice flour face mask

April 25th, 2013
Rice flour face mask

Rice for a face mask

A friend recently told me about trying out a rice flour face mask, and how she loves what it’s doing to her face. I was intrigued enough to dig some more on the benefits of a rice flour mask- being aware of its uses as a natural face cleanser.

Here’s what I found:
Rice flour has ceramide, which increases collagen so if used regularly as a mask, the face will become smoother and supple. Rice also has “pitera”- which is a key ingredient in some of the high end brands like SK-II. Pitera is a combination of vitamins, amino acids, minerals and other natural acids which come together to enhance the skin’s rejuvenation process. Used regularly, rice flour mask helps the natural exfoliation process and makes the skin smoother, softer and clearer. It also helps with reducing wrinkles

Wow- that sounds pretty compelling. My friend uses her coffee grinder to make rice powder out of regular white rice, and mixes it with water for a thick paste. She puts it on her face (after cleaning it) and leaves it on for about 20 minutes, and then washes it off. She’s been doing this twice in a week for the last couple of months, and has been telling me how her skin is breaking out much, much less and is feeling softer and clearer. (And yes, she’s drinking more water daily. I am sure that’s helping too!)

So ladies, I am all set with my coffee grinder and rice for this evening.  Or I could stop by at a natural food store and buy ready made rice flour powder- I’ll keep you posted on how that goes.

 

Spring Planting! It’s that time of year :)

April 21st, 2013
Spring plants - vegetables and herbs

Spring plants – vegetables and herbs

One of my favorite parts of Spring is the planting. Whereas for house plants, I have absolutely no idea how to care for them, I am good with outdoor plants, especially vegetables and herbs. Spring planting brings out the farmer in me, and I plant, tend, hover, fuss….and then finally, enjoy! Year after year I have had great success with cucumbers,rosemary (in fact, I have so much, I cut some to dry out in the sun and sprinkle in our clothing drawers!) mint, more recently fennel (makes a fantastic salad, recipe to follow) and tomatoes. This year, I branched out (no pun intended) into beetroots (a newly discovered passion with my kids – it  makes a very healthy juice, too), melon & blueberries. I saw both chardonnay and pinot grape vines at the store as well during my foray yesterday, and have to say I was very tempted, but will research those first before launching into a backyard vineyard ;)

We have beautiful weather in Northern California for gardening, and luckily, our home came with a ready made herb and vegetable plot in the backyard, perfect for a vegetable and herb garden, that gets drenched in sun in the spring and summer months. Here is a list of months and recommended planting for Northern Californian weather:

Spring & Summer (April – August):

beetroot, carrots, collard greens, corn (I haven’t had much success with corn though), cucumber (a favorite in our house, grows fast and well), dill, eggplant, leeks, lettuce, okra (you need to plant a lot of this if your family eats okra regularly), onions, parsley, pumpkins (plant it now for Halloween carving!!), spinach, peppers (we do chili peppers), tomatoes, melons (cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon)

Planting my vegetable and herb garden!

Planting my vegetable and herb garden!

Autumn (September – November):

broccoli (another one to plant in vast quantities if your family are fans), cauliflower, radish, turnips, endive, sugar peas, peas

I will be posting some recipes that use all these fresh, homegrown veggies and herbs soon, so stay tuned, and get out in that spring sun!

Strawberry and mango shake our spring break

April 16th, 2013
Strawberry and mango milk shake recipe

Suhail enjoys his home made strawberry and mango milk shake during his recent spring break.

We didn’t go anywhere this Spring break- unlike our previous breaks spent traveling to Prague, Barcelona, Amsterdam and other such cool destinations. The two big reasons being a) my new job and b) the purchase of a new home. So with the two big news(es), traveling was a big nay- and instead we unpacked, the kids slept in and the big news- Suhail, my 11 year old, learnt to whiz up fruity milk shakes!

I am thrilled: besides making a healthy snack choice, the fact that he was able to blend, pour, serve, clean up everything on his own was a liberating joy. And might I add- the milk shakes were very delicious- quite a nice way to shake up the break!

 Strawberry and mango milk shake recipe:

A half pound of strawberries- washed and hulled

One ripe mango- peeled, seeded and cut in big pieces

One to two tbsp of sugar

One large glass of cold milk

Blend everything till smooth. Add more milk if the shake is too thick. Taste for sugar.

Enjoy, enjoy.

(You can substitute mangoes with bananas as well).

Book Review – The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

April 7th, 2013
Book Review  - The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Book Review – The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

When it was my turn to pick a book for our book club meeting, I pondered whether to pick a brand new book, or something I had read before. The latter option is my fallback if I am short on time (actually, I’m always short on time, so let’s say, even shorter on time than usual!). Third week of March for me saw an impending work trip, so I decided to choose something I had already read and enjoyed. My pick was “The Age of Miracles” by Karen Thompson Walker.

As usual, our book club had disparate views and opinions, which really makes it so much fun. Truly unpredictable!  I enjoyed the book for its interesting theme and the fact that it was easy to read. Some in my book club thought the theme was so intense that it deserved more than being an easy read! I’ll review it below and leave you to decide.

The narrator of this book is Julia, now in her twenties, but the story she tells is of about a decade before that, when she’s 11.  One seemingly normal day, it is suddenly announced that the rotation of the Earth has begun to slow, implying days and nights will grow longer and longer.  Initially, no one really understand the implications of this, as, for the first few weeks and months, it’s barely perceptible. However, as time passes, and nights and days become 18 and 20 hours long, slowly chaos erupts.

The tides change, whales die, and with their circadian rhythms in total disarray, people start getting sick, crops fail, rising oceans flood homes and hoarding begins. A strange, pre apocalyptic aura starts infecting people, with a mentality of ‘to each unto himself’ for survival, and talk of the end of the world. Some even begin to ponder moving to another planet. There is a slow and violent divide soon also among those who want to be ‘real timers’ (stick to whatever time of day it is by the sun), and ‘clock timers’ who say that one should, regardless if it means going to work and school in the pitch darkness, stick to clock time and some semblance of normalcy.

All of this account of what the author refers to as ‘the slowing’ is told through the eyes of a young pre-teen, already going through angst due to her age and stage of life. Julia has a former actress for a mother, who at best is given to the dramatic, a balanced doctor for a father, whose odd behavior traumatizes Julia, and a survivalist grandfather of whom Julia is very fond.

Initially, Julia recalls feeling “not fear but a thrill” — “a sudden sparkle amid the ordinary, the shimmer of the unexpected thing.”  But slowly, she and the rest of the world realize that Read the rest of this entry »

Spring Salad Medley

April 4th, 2013

Spring into the season with these four salads popping with color and flavor! Did I mention: also bursting with health and goodness?

Lettuce and strawberry spring salad

Lovely spring salad with lettuce and strawberries.

Simple strawberry and lettuce salad

Doesn’t get any simpler! Take a bunch of romain lettuce (washed, tough ends discarded and chopped in medium pieces) and toss with two handfuls of strawberries (washed and halved). Add a half red onion, thinly sliced, plus a handful of mint and/or cilantro- well chopped. Dress with some lemon juice and really good quality olive oil, salt and plenty of black pepper. Let the flavors mingle for a bit before serving. Add some walnuts before serving- and enjoy!!

2011_03_28-BlackEyedPeaSalad2Black eyed beans and bell pepper salad

This is one of my favorites-soak a cup of black eyed beans for a few hours. Boil them in two- three cups of water till tender but not too mushy. Usually takes about 20-25 minutes. Drain any water, and add a tablespoon of good quality olive oil. Put the beans in a serving bowl. Now toss in finely chopped spring onions and their greens (3-4), two diced cucumbers, one red and green bell pepper (or any other color pepper) diced, one firm, red tomato diced (optional) and handful of a green herb or a combination (mint, cilantro, basil). Toss everything gently with lots of fresh lemon juice, a little more olive oil, two good pinches of red chilli powder or cayenne pepper, salt and lots of black pepper. (For those that like things more spicy, a finely diced green chilli pepper adds oodles of flavor). Just before serving, throw in a handful of roasted peanuts for added crunch, but it’s entirely optional. Read the rest of this entry »

Good Friday and Easter Sunday

March 29th, 2013
Easter Eggs

Easter Eggs

Today is Good Friday. Good Friday is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday, on which the Crucifixion of Christ is commemorated in the Christian Church. This is the day that followers of Christ commemorate His passion, suffering and crucifixion on the cross. One theory about why it is called Good Friday is that the name comes from ‘God’s Friday’.  It is considered ‘good’ because Jesus Christ died for the sins of humanity.

Sunday March 31st, 2013 is Easter Sunday. Easter is the joyous celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. It is a very well attended Sunday church service, since it is considered a very important day for Christians all over the world. Easter also marks the end of the period Lent. Lent is the 40-day period from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The purpose of this period is self-examination, moderation, fasting and discipline in preparation for Easter. I know a lot of people who choose to give up eating something they are very fond, of (like chocolate :) ). Interestingly, the word Lent is thought to mean spring (in German – ‘lenz’ and in Dutch - ‘lente’). One definitely associates Easter with the arrival of Spring. I find it quite fascinating that both Holi and Easter are around the same time of year, that both are associated with Spring, and both mark the triumph of good over evil and sin!

Easter is popularly celebrated today with easter eggs, and easter egg hunts. Eggs symbolize fertility. The egg shell is thought to symbolize Christ’s empty tomb, from which the bird emerges as a symbol of the rebirth of Christ. It also seems the practice of decorating eggs is ancient, dating back 60,000 years! Of course, no Easter celebration is complete without the easter bunny, who also has a fascinating history.

In ancient times, the hare was considered to be a hermaphrodite. This implied no loss of virginity when the hare reproduced, thus associating the hare with the Virgin Mary, as depicted in several old paintings and portraits, with hares appearing with the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. Also, hares and rabbits can give birth to several litters a year, becoming additional symbols of fertility.

For some Bay Area Easter fun:

San Francisco Spring Extravaganza, Saturday March 30, 2013, Golden Gate Park Carousel Area

Berkeley Spring Extravaganza, Saturday March 30, 2013, Memorial Glade on the UC Berkeley campus

Los Altos Easter Egg Hunt, Saturday March 30, 2013, Main Street

Sausalito Spring Easter Egg Hunt and Parade, Saturday March 30, 2013, Caledonia Street/Dunphy Park

Campbell Bunnies and Bonnets Parade, Saturday March 30, 2013, downtown Campbell

Happy Easter!

 


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