I know my Crispy Tofu Fried Rice looks loaded with more vegetables than is the norm. That’s because it’s meant to be a one-bowl meal. I love it. It has that salty umami that we love in Asian food and the added bonus of crisp-outside, juicy-inside chunks of tofu. This Crispy Tofu Fried Rice is a texture and flavour bomb, all in one bowl. How to cook the tofu to…
A Lamb Barley Turnip soup is a good way to get turnip-haters to eat their share. Turnips are a winter specialty and are said to provide warmth from the season’s chill. That said, I’m sure most home cooks will agree that it is far from being a popular vegetable. A turnip soup that packs in the fibre and goodness of pearl barley and the savouriness of meat will (in my…
I made the softest, moistest, amaranth muffins to kickstart 2023. The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2023 to be The International Year of Millets, and what could be more apt than getting back on my blog with a millet-based recipe. These made-for-breakfast muffins are fibre and nutrient rich from amaranth flour, whole wheat flour and rolled oats and bursting with banana. The chocolate chips are the cherry on the…
On hot days, a serving of oven-grilled mackerel makes for a light, nutritious meal. One that doesn’t demand long hours in the kitchen. What makes this dish for me, is the tangy and herbaceous chermoula, generally slathered over the fish. Teamed with a helping of garlic-fried spinach, this plate of oven-grilled mackerel leaves you feeling sated, not stuffed. How to make chermoula Chermoula is a North African marinade/condiment eaten mainly…
Buckwheat banana bread for breakfast almost everyday this week and I recommend it to everyone. I love the idea of cake for breakfast. The beauty of this buckwheat banana bread is that it sings of vanilla-scented, ripe bananas and the earthy wholesomeness of buckwheat and yet, has a touch of sophistication lent by the addition of coffee. …
If you think a healthy dessert is an oxymoron, this post is for you. I’m always looking for mildly sweet, relatively low-cal desserts; probably because I don’t have a hankering for the saccharine. Don’t get me wrong, I savour chocolates and cheesecake as much as the next person but prefer just a kiss of sugar and a smidgen of cream to an overload of both. The mango season is winding…
Meaty. That’s how we all like our burgers. Even the veggie burger has to have that deeply savoury, umami quality of meat to be truly satisfying. The challenge of making a flavour-packed veggie burger for my meat-loving boys made me experiment with everything from tofu to a variety of beans and whole grains. And, in the process I discovered that veggie burgers can be incredibly versatile; even more so than…
Consider a warm bowl of spiced breakfast quinoa on a chilly winter morning. It reaches inside you and touches your soul, warmly hugs you and makes you smile at the world. Quinoa,the “gold of the Incas” is all the rage and what they call a ‘pseudocereal’ – a non-grain masquerading as one. A chai-spiced quinoa lightly tumbled in honey is an easy enough recipe to put together in time for…
Baking a healthy cake like my wholesome Gluten-Free Chocolate Beetroot Cake, gives me bone-deep satisfaction. In the last few months, I’ve struggled to perfect the recipe for a gluten-free, xanthum gum-free, light, moist, healthy and unapologetically chocolaty chocolate cake. Past experiments resulted in a few disasters when the cake crumb alternated between sawdust and sand. So, now that I have nailed that dense, intense mouthfeel of a real chocolate cake, (think…
Big fish are overrated if you ask me. The giant tuna, sea bass and kingfish filets and steaks may be meatier but it’s the small fry that score big on taste, nutrition and sustainability. Fish recipes must focus on everyday catch that have traditionally been a vital part of our diet but are largely ignored these days for more expensive, imported, boneless, supermarket fare. This post on Fresh Anchovies With Coconut…