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This brown rice adai is a healthier alternative to traditional adai which is usually made with white rice. But switching to brown rice does not really compromise on the flavors and can be a good recipe to make for dinner. Paired with butter and brown sugar, they form an excellent combination that is really tasty and would entice you to go for more. I am blogging about the guilt-free indulgences that I practice at my home this week and believe that making simple swaps to whole grains and flours made of whole grain and eliminating processed food from our everyday diet can bring a big change....

Carrot subzi is something I do not do often and is one of the new recipes that I have tried. I instantly liked this carrot gravy recipe the sweetness in the carrots came out and blended well in the subzi creating a great flavor. For the second day of cooking with carrots for the theme pick one make three, I made this very different carrot gravy subzi. I have made carrot curry, the South Indian way with coconut, and also made carrots combined with many other vegetables, but since I chose carrots as my main ingredients for the theme, I wanted this to shine like the star in my recipe....

This classic Italian Garlic Herb and Cheese Pull Apart Bread is sure to be everyone’s favorite at any holiday party. This Pull Apart Bread is so simple to make and perfect for entertaining. When it comes to making bread, my first choice is Pull Apart Bread. I just love how simple it is to put together and bake Pull apart breads. I have been baking pull-apart breads with several flavor combinations and this Garlic Herb and Cheese Bread happens to be my first favorite....

Kathirikkai Kaara Kuzhambu, or Eggplant Kara Kuzhambu, is a spicy, tangy, and delicious dish that goes well with hot rice. This Brinjal Kaara Kuzhambu uses vinegar, which is not often used in Indian Cooking. Eggplants are in overabundance in our backyard. So for the past couple of weeks, I have been making eggplants almost every other day. I usually freeze the produce that grows in our backyard and use it throughout the year....

This Kenyan Potato Bhajia recipe was love at first sight because of all the different spices it had in the batter. This is a lovely snack and also would work great as an appetizer or party food. For the third day and final day of the BM Kenyan Potato Bhajia is the recipe that I chose to make from Mireille’s space. This bhajia recipe was the first one that I had bookmarked from her space but I had made it the last because I was looking for that right day when we could relax and eat this as a snack....

The most amazing street food from the shores/beaches in Chennai is the Spicy Masala Peanuts loaded with vegetables and perfectly boiled peanuts. This Beach style of masala sundal or masala kadalai, as it is called locally, makes for a great protein-filled snack that is so addictive that you will keep coming back for more. After writing about street foods from Banaras and Pune , I am back in my hometown, Chennai....

If you are looking for a way to start your day with a healthy breakfast, these Oatmeal Banana Pancakes are a perfect choice. Also, I love the whole-grain pancake texture, so I try out any recipe that everyone in my family loves. My husband is not crazy about whole wheat pancakes and says that he prefers the classic ones . Why Make Oatmeal Banana Pancakes Recently, I borrowed a book from the library called The Outrageous Oatmeals, and this is the recipe I tried from that book....

Paneer Makhanwala is a popular Indian side dish made from cottage cheese in a rich, creamy, buttery sauce. This dish used to be a part of Mughal meals, and hence comes the richness and creaminess. Paneer Makhanwala, enriched with butter, cream, and spices, creates a mouthwatering experience that pairs beautifully with naan, roti, or a bowl of basmati rice. Its restaurant-style taste and texture make it a favorite for both special occasions and regular family dinners....

Pineapple Quesitos is a Puerto Rican cheese Puff Pastry that is very simple to make and takes less than 30 minutes. It is made with puff pastry sheets, mildly sweetened cream cheese, and sometimes fruits. Quesitos is a Puerto Rican cheese Puff Pastry which can be found in every bakery in the region. It is a very simple recipe made with puff pastry sheets, mildly sweetened cream cheese, and sometimes fruits added to them....

This single-serve microwave carrot cake is the perfect solution to those late-night sweet tooth cravings. This quick and easy one-minute carrot mug cake has all the flavors of the traditional carrot cake without the work. There is no compromise on the flavors and this carrot mug cake has the perfect cream cheese frosting to give it the traditional taste. We could make it as simple as we want or make it fancy by making it a double-layer cake....

This vanilla cupcake recipe was given to me by my good friend, who happens to be a wonderful baker. The inspiration to make the sports themed cupcake was from Pinterest. It was a lot of fun doing the designs on the cupcakes, and I totally enjoyed it. A child’s Birthday is always a special time for the parents. As a baker, the challenge for the parent increases further because each year, the kids come with a special request....

Recreating my childhood memories with the kids - This Sweet Paratha or Sweet Roti was my favorite kind of flatbread growing up and now it is my kid’s favorite as well. Memories of different food that we used to love as kids are the best ones. I am a South Indian by birth but was raised in Northern India for the majority of my childhood. I have the best memories of food from there and also from my grandparent’s village as that is where I would spend a good amount of my vacation time....

Sweet Potato Curry can be an excellent substitute for traditional potato curry that is served with south Indian meals. The mild sweetness in the sweet potatoes brings a different flavor profile that especially kids love. In my family, Sweet potato is a more common vegetable when compared to regular potatoes. Although they are not too different, the mild sweetness that the vegetable brings has become my kids’ favorite. So I treat them as regular potatoes and make a curry to go along with sambhar or rasam....

Vazhaipoo Vadai is one of the most delicious vadai made with lentils and banana flowers. Banana flower has many health benefits and is also very flavorful and it adds a lovely flavor to this vadai. Making vazhaipoo vadai has been my long-time wish and finally, this mega marathon gave me a chance to make it. Living in the US, we don’t get as many opportunities as in India to cook with this vegetable....

Vegetable Calzones are pizza pockets in simpler form which originated in Naples as folded pizza. It is served as street food in Italy as it is easy to eat when compared to pizza. Pizza, calzone what is the difference? I want to say it in a Tamil movie-style reply, what’s in the name - the filling is inside in one and the filling is out in the other. Calzones are pizza pockets in a simpler form which originated in Naples as a folded pizza....

This Yelumichampazham Sevai or Lemon Sevai makes a lovely lunch box recipe as it is quick to make in the mornings. It is very quick to make the dish especially if you are making it from rice sticks. The recipe selection for the alphabet Y started with Yam and stayed with yam for a long time. I just had no idea what kind of snack or tiffin to make with yam and kept postponing the dish for too long....

Kerala is a state in the South West region of India. It is bordered by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and the Lakshadweep Sea. The state capital is Tiruvananthapuram and the language is Malayalam. Kerala has a heavy seasonal rainfall with almost 120-140 rainy days in a year. Kerala produces 97% of the nation’s total Black pepper and also is one of the nation’s largest rubber producers. They also grow many different spices like cardamom, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon along with coconut, tea and coffee....

Beans Paruppu Usilli is a very traditional and protein-rich side dish made with mixed lentils and green beans. One of the best side dishes to serve with Mor Kuzhambu . This is the last day of the blogging marathon 30 and also my last post under native dishes. After yesterday’s post about my favorite native memory, the Paneer soda, today I am writing about one of the essential side dishes that is sure to be seen in every South Indian wedding lunch platter....

Moong dal tadka with beetroot leaves is a great dal recipe to make to use the delicious beet greens . This Beet Greens dal is incredibly easy to make and works so well with rice or bread. I make this in my Instant pot and it is literally a dump and go recipe . Beet greens or beetroot leaves are in abundance in our backyard and I have been cooking so much with it in the past month....

Beetroot Leaves or Beet Greens are one of the healthiest greens that are often discarded. Beetroot leaves are very healthy and packed with nutrition. This Beetroot Leaves Poriyal or stir-fry is a great way to use them in everyday cooking. They cook incredibly quickly and are so delicious. My husband and I love to garden and have a lovely backyard vegetable patch. We grow many different vegetables and love to experiment with them....