Lime and Pear Muffins
Pears with Citrus is the thing for the cold. One is comforting while the other refreshes. This recipe calls for lime as it balances the sweetness of pears with its tart acidity better than any other citrus cousin. But, you can easily use orange or lemon zest in its place if you find lime too strong a flavor!
These are great bites for breakfast and will last up to a week when stored in sealed containers, on the counter.
Quick Meal - Gnocchi with Shrimp in Harissa Sauce
The thing in this dish is really the garlicky harissa sauce that gives it the warmth that otherwise is the domain of a cheese sauce. Smashed garlic and generous teaspoon of harissa slowly infuses the oil in which the shrimp is cooked and then add pasta and arugula blanched in the pasta water and you are gold!
Curried Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
To twist out of the traditional dishes but yet embrace the warmth of the flavors of the cuisine, I often incorporate the basics into an international dish. Like this one. Shepherd’s pie is a favorite comfort food. The British/American version is typically heavy on the meat and perhaps just meat in the base layer. The Irish version, that I honestly prefer, has a lot of finely diced vegetables mixed in (for economic reasons obviously). And, now my Indian version takes that up another notch and go all out vegetarian!
Happy New Year!!! WIth the easiest Victoria Sponge Cake ever!!
First, let me start with wishing you all a wonderful and fulfilling year ahead. My wish to you is that this year be full of Life for you - with all its twists and turns - so you may grow stronger, happier and more positive. At the end of 2019, I wish you may look back on the year and say how much better you are then than you were today! For that, I do believe a good dose of all things in the emotional spectrum is needed. In the end, we will remember the happiness and forget the rest as that is indeed survival but there is no happy without the opposite. So, I wish you everything, and a big ladle of joy that will help you live the life of your dreams!
Chocolate Paired For Everyday
Often, when the day has been a tad stressful or just full (of cries, of surprise laughs), I steal a moment of peace and self love with a square of chocolate. Nibbling on it and just staring out has been a cherished meditative escape. Add Christmas lights to that, and my harmony is achieved, over and over. Have you noticed, it is really really hard to be annoyed or sad or frustrated when you stare at a cheerily lit Christmas Tree??!
Here I was tasting chocolates and dreaming of how I would spend my day eating them. So, this is my vision of how I could so easily have chocolate from breakfast through goodnight kiss. Fortunately, I still get to do this atleast once a day and I highly recommend that practice, if you are at all, looking to find a way to steal a moment for yourself :)