Hi everyone,
After a long (really long!) hiatus, I have decided to make a come back to my blog. A lot has happened since I last wrote. I am now married (yes, that did happen and begs another post), have moved to the United States (the D.C. area this time) yet again guess what, I did meet the man of my dreams while learning to cook bhindi (okra). Well not literally, but figuratively- because both of love good food! That combined with the attempts to keep our body weights in control makes for a fairly joyful relationship. That's my husband and I (when we were still dating). Guess what the ornaments are made of! Edible grains. (Yes!) Bengalis can be crazy about food- and this just proves it!
I should say this though. Over the last seven months since getting married and learning to run a household, keep myself fit and working on some crazy projects, I have picked up the art of being able to figure out the best possible solution to decorate the dinner table. My husband and I are crazy about good food, but the elaborate prep time is simply not available. We try to eat at home as much as possible- so Chinese/ Thai take-outs and pizzas are not an option. Strangely enough, in a country which has an abundance of food and restaurants, finding good /healthy food can be frustrating and annoying. Chinese take outs are loaded in sodium and floating with oil, American food contains meat with largely pork and beef and dollops of cheese and Indian food tastes like it was coated with baking powder! And then there is the likes of Fried Chicken, Lean Cuisines. Ugh!
Part of the reason for dusting off the blog is to also record the ways in which we can promote healthy eating and make cooking a fun exercise at home!
Here is one of my absolute favorite recipes, cooked at home. Absolutely low on calories, sodium and spicy (just the way we like it!) I decided to call it Spicy Eggplant with Fresh Basil.
Here is what you need:
1/2 Eggplant (cubed)
1/2 Green Pepper
1/4 Onion (American Onions are HUGE, and excess onions can give the food a sweeter taste than normal)
3 Cloves of Garlic
2 dried chillies (red ones that can be found at an Indian grocery store or crushed red pepper)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1-2 Green chillies (optional)
2 tbsp Soy Sauce (please pour according to
1/2 tbsp Vinegar
1 tsp Brown Sugar
2 Fresh Basil Leaves
Heat the skillet and pour the oil in. Add the dried chillies first, and when they start to get brown add the cubed eggplants. To make this cooking process faster, always add a little water and salt. Once the eggplants are about done, add the onions, garlic and green pepper. After 2-3 minutes, add soy sauce and vinegar and the sugar. I also added a little bit of black bean sauce bought from the Asian grocery store for the extra touch of spice. Add the black pepper. And garnish with green chillies and the basil leaves. Allow for some cooking time when you add the green peppers, but take care that the vegetables don't get mushy. Here is what my dish looked like:
After a long (really long!) hiatus, I have decided to make a come back to my blog. A lot has happened since I last wrote. I am now married (yes, that did happen and begs another post), have moved to the United States (the D.C. area this time) yet again guess what, I did meet the man of my dreams while learning to cook bhindi (okra). Well not literally, but figuratively- because both of love good food! That combined with the attempts to keep our body weights in control makes for a fairly joyful relationship. That's my husband and I (when we were still dating). Guess what the ornaments are made of! Edible grains. (Yes!) Bengalis can be crazy about food- and this just proves it!
I should say this though. Over the last seven months since getting married and learning to run a household, keep myself fit and working on some crazy projects, I have picked up the art of being able to figure out the best possible solution to decorate the dinner table. My husband and I are crazy about good food, but the elaborate prep time is simply not available. We try to eat at home as much as possible- so Chinese/ Thai take-outs and pizzas are not an option. Strangely enough, in a country which has an abundance of food and restaurants, finding good /healthy food can be frustrating and annoying. Chinese take outs are loaded in sodium and floating with oil, American food contains meat with largely pork and beef and dollops of cheese and Indian food tastes like it was coated with baking powder! And then there is the likes of Fried Chicken, Lean Cuisines. Ugh!
Part of the reason for dusting off the blog is to also record the ways in which we can promote healthy eating and make cooking a fun exercise at home!
Here is one of my absolute favorite recipes, cooked at home. Absolutely low on calories, sodium and spicy (just the way we like it!) I decided to call it Spicy Eggplant with Fresh Basil.
Here is what you need:
1/2 Eggplant (cubed)
1/2 Green Pepper
1/4 Onion (American Onions are HUGE, and excess onions can give the food a sweeter taste than normal)
3 Cloves of Garlic
2 dried chillies (red ones that can be found at an Indian grocery store or crushed red pepper)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1-2 Green chillies (optional)
2 tbsp Soy Sauce (please pour according to
1/2 tbsp Vinegar
1 tsp Brown Sugar
2 Fresh Basil Leaves
Heat the skillet and pour the oil in. Add the dried chillies first, and when they start to get brown add the cubed eggplants. To make this cooking process faster, always add a little water and salt. Once the eggplants are about done, add the onions, garlic and green pepper. After 2-3 minutes, add soy sauce and vinegar and the sugar. I also added a little bit of black bean sauce bought from the Asian grocery store for the extra touch of spice. Add the black pepper. And garnish with green chillies and the basil leaves. Allow for some cooking time when you add the green peppers, but take care that the vegetables don't get mushy. Here is what my dish looked like:
The second reason why I decided to reignite my blog was to record all the food adventures that my husband, my sister, my brother-in-law have been on. Trust me- discovering hidden gems in NY / DC and adding to our culinary skills at home has taken up a lot of time and energy. So it would be a crime not to share it with all the folks who love eating and drinking as much as we do! Here is a picture from a gem of a place in Brooklyn, NY (Le Gamin) that my sister found. We loved the brunch here., as you can guess from our happy faces. (Only my brother-in-law is missing from the picture).
I would love to hear any comments, feedback-- and yes, food recommendations! After all, that's essentially what makes our world go around. Here's wishing all of you and your families loving, wholesome and healthy meals.
