Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pasta

Hello everyone! Christmas is just few days away and the market place looks so festive and merrier. Especially the bakery shops. I tried some mini cakes but the homemade cakes 🍰 have no equals. Christmas joy inevitably indulges you into sweets, bakes, cakes or heavy meals. So a light, yet fullfilling meal is  a wise choice.

This pasta recipe has an amazing taste of roasted red bell pepper that gives this pasta recipe a smokey flavoured sauce, instead of regular tomato based sauce or cream sauce, that we usually make. Adding cream is totally optional, or you can use coconut cream (or milk) instead. You can also make the bell pepper sauce ahead and store in refrigerator for upto 2 days or in freezer for upto a week. So try this pasta recipe and cook the natural way!

Coconut-Chocolate Truffles

 Look at these truffles, aren't they so inviting? These truffles are so addictive that they disappear the moment you serve them😁! Just 3 ingredients and you are done. These truffles are so easy, so quick and so simple to make. They are perfect for busy Christmas days! Serve them or eat them or gift them, you gonna love them!

These truffles have an amazing nutty flavour of coconut. They are sugar-free, dairy-free and glutenfree. The cool thing about these truffles is that you don't necessarily need to keep them in fridge to set. You can serve them right away. So try them and enjoy these guilt-free truffles!

Lemon-Thyme Brined Chicken

Hello everyone, Happy day to you all! I know you must be very busy with your Christmas preparations. Be it  home or a room makeover, make-ahead meals, shopping, guests, to name a few, . Still you need to keep the home festive-ready, need to cook festive treats and need to entertain guests. So few no-fuss recipes is what you need to make your work easier. And this recipe, with few ingredients, would just serve the purpose. Although it has very few ingredients, the way it is cooked, is what brings out an amazing taste! 

Lemon with any herb is a heavenly combination, isn't it? This chicken recipe has a beautiful lemoney flavour with the freshness of thyme. It is not a very spicy dish, but has a mild-elegant taste. And brining, yes the magic factor, takes any meat recipe to another level. I wet-brined for this recipe. With few spices, the brining creates a smooth spicy hint to the dish. So get the recipe down below and try it out and impress your family and friends. Wishes from cook the natural way!!!

Almond-Choco Cookies

Christmas without cookies 🍪 is incomplete, and freshly home baked cookies is what makes the home smells so festive. Whether baking them for the family or gifting them, home baked cookies bring so much joy and satisfaction. Diwali and Christmas are two of my favourite festivals that I love to celebrate to the fullest.Winters, Christmas, cakes, cookies, celebration, oh What a great time of the year!! Well with this recipe, I am starting my Christmas 🎅🎄 special series. Hope you like it. 

These cookies, as the name suggests, have the goodness and the richness of almonds . They add a beautiful sweetness and taste. And chocolate, who on Earth doesn't like chocolate cookies?! I have also used "cut out method" to shape the cookies (for a cleaner look) and with a slight difference, they came out perfect, a little crispier than the molded ones. You will also notice in the recipe that I have used cream instead of butter, Reason?- it makes softer cookies. Crispy outside and soft inside, these cookies make a great gift for your friends and family! So go-ahead and prepare these delicious cookies.  Happy holidays, enjoy the food to the fullest and for a while forget to cook the natural way 😉! hahaha!

SPICY PINEAPPLE FRITTERS with CASHEW CHUTNEY

I love pineapples🍍, they have a very addictive taste. The flavour is so refreshing and distinct. But cutting a pineapple has always been a big task for me, Thanks to the tips and tricks on internet on  "How to cut a pineapple" , that made things a lot easier. This tropical fruit is loaded with Vitamin C and manganese and is also a good source of potassium, copper, calcium, B6, thiamin and folate. It has an enzyme called Bromelain, which aids digestion and reduces swelling. In fact, this enzyme is used in  making medicines also. But people who are taking blood thinning pills should avoid this fruit. Well, the center stalk that we usually throw away, has the maximum benefits and it is tasty too. And the outer tough skin can be used as stirrers in drinks! (good idea💡, isn't it?).

Well, now how I got the idea of adding them into Fritters (aka tikki, or pakora). Whenever I go to any barbecue restaurant, there is one skewer I always wait eagerly for, and that is the pineapple skewer. I just love the bomb of flavours bursting in my mouth (spicy, salty and sweet). So one day I decided to use this amazing flavour, and tried this recipe. OMG, it was soo good and now it is in my "must try recipe list". Every time I prepared these fritters, every time it got appreciated! And the cashew chutney goes very well with them. I kept the chutney less spicy, so to balance the spiciness of the recipe.  So Go and try them and cook the natural way!!

VEGETABLE SANDWICH in CHEESY SAUCE

Winters make me eat a lot 😋😋, I become a food freak, and it is not the regular meals that I crave for, but I want "something special" to satisfy myself. And this encourages me to try different recipes! I have prepared vegetable sandwiches many times before, but these sandwiches stole my heart and that's why I am sharing them with you. I wanted to make sandwiches which had more vegetables and less butter or cream or mayo, but still creamy and delicious. So I added brinjal (eggplant), yes eggplant 🍆. It made the sandwiches "melt in mouth creamy" and the cheese sauce doubled the taste! You can use any vegetable of your choice but don't forget to add the star ingredient ( that is the eggplant) to these sandwiches The crusty bread outside and creamy filling inside, oh it was so delicious!

Well the year is heading towards it's end and Christmas is on it's way. So I am gonna warm myself near my oven and try out my baking skills. This year I had frequently been "on and off " on my blog for so and so reasons, but I am really glad to find all my friends here, still in touch with me. I love you all for that 💗. So I hope you like the recipe and always cook the natural way!!

Corn-Celery Soup

Hi everyone!! It's getting cold here and what a better way to comfort yourself is to have a warm bowl of soup. And if it is healthy, it's great ! I know everybody loves corns and this soup has it's beautiful combination with celery. The sweetness of bell pepper and the creaminess of cashews make this soup a treat in itself. If you are vegan, you can use olive oil in place of butter. So welcome winters with this golden yellow soup and cook the natural way!!

Cucumber -Coconut Pasta Salad

Are you bored of tomato and cheesy pasta? Then you must try this pasta recipe! I have tried this recipe many times before sharing it with you (that's what I always do) and trust me every time it got appreciated. The star ingredient here is the coconut. It adds wonder to any dish it is added to, isn't it? Although it has started raining here but still sometimes the weather gets hot, and a Pasta salad is just perfect .

Well I had been a little unwell lately, so I was kind of away all this time. But the food was always on my mind. I could hardly managed to cook and posting a recipe was way beyond for me... Hehe! But I am glad that I am curing myself through natural ways and I am so impressed by the power of every day food. I would like to share my experience in my coming posts soon. Anyways, back to the salad, this tasty pasta salad is simply quick and easy recipe. The yogurt and cucumber also make the salad perfect for summers. So try this Pasta recipe and cook the natural way!

Paneer Lababdar

So finally my vacations are over, now back to routine! let's start with this popular Indian Paneer recipe- PANEER LABABDAR. Yummmm the name itself is so tempting, isn't it? This dish has many variations. I love the one which is the easiest of all, hehe! So enjoy this recipe with naan, roti or rice and cook the natural way !!

Beet-Sweet Potato Stuffed Prantha

Hello everyone, I couldn't write about the little break that I took, in my last post. So here I am after a month or so. But my blog has always been on my mind. Well, today I am very happy to share this recipe. Actually one day my friend asked me to give an idea to add beetroot in paranthas (flat bread) for her kid. And the challenge was not to make the kid realise it. So I thought it over n over n over. Without anything on my mind to start with, I went buying vegetables.

And when I reached to beetroots, I saw SWEET POTATOES next to them and voilà, I got the right combination to work with. It clicked me that very moment what to add more into the stuffing :-) The sweetness of sweet potatoes can easily overtake the distinctive taste of beetroots. So I went home excitedly to try it out. And that was just the thing I wanted. It was a big hit at my home too. So you see sometimes you get the inspiration from anywhere.

Well, talking about sweet potato, this versatile, inexpensive and easily available vegetable is a must-have in my diet. It is super rich in B6, vitamin C, Vitamin A and Vitamin D. I didn't know about the viatmin D until I learned about it one day and hence I found one more good reason to love sweet potatoes.Vitamin D is very important for our bones and immune system. And since there are just countable food that are rich in Vitamin D, Sweet potato is a tasty option. Sweet potato is also high in iron and magnesium. And the beetroots also, rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. So this recipe is now in my must-try list. These pranthas have a very nice sweet and tangy flavour and goes so well with the green chutney. Try it someday and as always cook the natural way!!!

Fig-Almond Milk

So, the Holi is just one day away. Many must have prepared the guest's list, set the menu or done with the shopping. Here is a quick recipe to enjoy this colourful festival a little more. It will be great to serve this drink to your guests as a welcome-drink to get them charged for the festival fun!!

This milk drink is just perfect for holi, I think, because it is quite heavy on stomach, so it means you will be getting enough energy to enjoy the festival easily. After all you have to run after each other to get them (or get yourself) colored....hehe! Honestly I don't like getting coloured, but once I get trapped, I fully enjoy the spirit of holi to the fullest. It is just the start that seems so difficult to me, what about you? :D

Well, this drink has the goodness of figs and almonds. The crunch of fig seeds what you get while sipping, is truly fun. The addition of HOMEMADE CONDENSED MILK gives it a nice rich depth. Well, not only for festivals, but also for your health in general this drink is very nutritious. Just skip the condensed milk and add honey instead to avoid refined sugar. So don't wait to try this awesome drink anytime and cook the natural way!!

HAPPY HOLI TO ALL OF YOU!!

APRICOT RICE PHIRNI | APRICOT RICE PUDDING

Hello everyone, I think Holi without kheer or phirni is incomplete. Holi is a festival of fun, frolic and of course food! Gujjia, malpuas, sweets and snacks all bring out the festive magic. Well, this phirni recipe has a brilliant touch of apricots. I love to cook this phirni on special occasions. It's a heavenly treat. This creamy delicious phirni will be a delish for your friends and family this holi. So don't forget to try this awesome phirni this holi and cook the natural way!

Sooji-Nariyal Ladoo | Semolina-Coconut Balls

Holi (the festival of colours in India) is round the corner and the food blog world is flooded with delicious and tempting sweets. And here is mine. Well, now when we have learnt to make HOMEMADE CONDENSED MILK, let's use it to make these delicious ladoos. I think when we add Coconut to any recipe, it creates a magic. The food tastes amazing. What do you think? In these ladoos (balls) also coconut is dominating. I have also added cashews that give these ladoos a very distinct taste. So, you can say, it is a combination of kaju katli (cashew fudge) and nariyal ladoo (coconut fudge). It is an easy and very popular sweet here. So try these ladoos (balls) this holi and cook the natural way! 

Makhane-Khajoor Ladoo | Foxnut-dates Energy Balls (Vegan)

Well you don't need any occasion to enjoy these Ladoos (balls). They are so delicious and healthy too. Why healthy? They are refined sugar-free, give you energy and have the goodness of dates and foxnut (makhane). When I was a kid, I used to relate foxnut with popcorns....hehe! Well foxnuts (makhane) are actually lotus flowers seeds which are puffed. They are very nutritious and has medicinal properties too!They are low in calories and high on vitamins and minerals. Foxnuts are a good source of antioxidants, protein, magnesium and fibre. They can be eaten raw or roasted or can be blended with other ingredients. It has almost a nude taste, but distinctive, so they blend well with many ingredients. And they are gluten-free as well. I used them in powdered form to make these dates energy balls (khajoor ladoo) even healthier. These ladoos (balls) has a very nice sour and sweet taste. The addition of lemon brings out a fun element in these ladoos (balls). And they are vegan and gluten-free too! So try them this festive season and cook the natural way!!

Homemade Condensed Milk

Celebrations are on it's way, so let's get ready with the festive recipes! First thing first, make condensed milk and get yourself well equipped, as many Indian sweets get their amazing mood lifting taste from it! Condensed Milk is really easy to make at home, although it needs a little time and effort, but it is worth doing so. Why?? Well,

1. It costs lesser.
2. You can adjust the amount of sugar or butter according to your preference.
3. Canned condensed may contain added synthetic stabilizers to increase the shelf-life, you can avoid them!
4. Lastly and importanly, it is really satisfying!!

You can use condensed milk in almost any dessert to get an amazing taste and texture! Even a generous layer of condensed milk on a toast is a dessert for me :) !! So get ready and let's cook the natural way!!

Beetroot-Strawberry Smoothie

Happy Thursday everyone! Well, if you are my regular visitor (rather my blogger friends), you know that I am addicted to smoothies. Blending healthy ingredients together to satisfy the body and soul, is just a smoothie all about. What I like the most about smoothies, is that it gets ready in no time. Now, this smoothie is not just healthy it is super delicious too. Beetroots strengthens your immune system, strawberries provides antioxidants, banana helps loose weight, milk & yogurt make bones stronger. Plus the goodness of all the vitamins and minerals. This smoothie is a health blast in a glass to kick your day ahead! It is sugar-free too!! So gather the ingredients listed below, make this smoothie and cook the natural way!!

Dried Fenugreek Potatoes

Here is my lazy Sunday fix. Sundays should be relaxing, what you you think?  On Sundays I have a mental set back and I feel so spoiled! Even Kitchen seems to be an uninviting place, hehe! At least there should be a complete "chill-out day" in a week. Even studies have proved that having a lazy day in a week can help reduce stress, high blood pressure, stroke! Wow, I get a great boast when I learn about such cool things *happy face*. Well, still you have to cook sometimes and  that is the time when you start thinking about all those rescue recipes- easy and quick. This recipe will do just that thing for you. Potatoes with fenugreek are one of the best combinations and every Indian household must have tried it once or more. I tried to bring out a nice change to the recipe. The perfect blend of choicest spices will sure make you try this again and again. It is easy, vegan, glutenfree, healthy and super tasty!
 Potatoes, or rather poor potatoes, have a very bad image among weight watchers. But having potatoes once in a while will NOT make you look bad, trust me. It is not the poor Potato who is the culprit, it is the way that you cook it, makes the difference. Be it the deep fried chips, fries or even baked but with lots of cheese and oil will bring more harm than health. In fact potatoes are low in calories and high in fibres! They are a very good source of vitamins and minerals, easily available and easy to digest. So you can try eating potatoes with this less oil healthy recipe (though I have also added cream which is totally optional) and always cook the natural way!

Corn-Broccoli Fritters

Hi, my valentine hangover is finally over at last, hehe!! Well, last week was ultra busy. Anyways, I am a little obsessed with vegetables. It is hard for me to even think about cooking without them. And always find new ways to eat them but of course in a healthy way. Today I am here with this healthy and tasty fritter recipe. Broccoli with corns, what a nice combination! Broccoli's health benefits now needs no introduction. The world is enjoying this vitamin C and vitamin A enriched green vegetable in many ways. Broccoli also contains anti-oxidants, fibers and other vitamins and minerals. It helps to protect against many diseases .But thyroid patients should avoid it. Well, these fritters not only look tempting, they are delicious too!! The perfect blend of herbs and spices makes these fritters really tasty. They are vegan, gluten-free and with less-oil. So enjoy these fritters with a cup of tea or coffee and cook the natural way!! Happy Snacking!!

Valentine's Day Special Recipes

 Let's celebrate valentines's day with these easy and quick recipes!

Fruit Love (valentine special)

Ok how about a fruit salad, after breakfast, with your valentine? With a little effort and clever ingredients you can transform a simple fruit salad into a delicious and healthy dessert!! This fruit salad has my HOMEMADE FIG JAM but you can use any jam instead. Nothing is awesome than a bowl of fresh fruits, it charges you and your mood too! So make this easy and quick salad and have some sweet fruity chit-chats with your valentine!! And yes, you know it, cook the natural way!!

Beetroot Besan Cheela | Beetroot Gramflour Panrolls

Here comes the lovable month of the year!! Well we all love our loved ones but sometimes we take "expressing our love" for granted. We assume that our loved ones know how much we love them!! But this "expressing of love" is what nurtures a relationship! (of course not made-up, but real!) So let your feeling pour out this valentine!

And if planning to cook something lovable for your love than I have just the recipes for you! This besan ka cheela (gramflour panrolls) needs no introduction, every Indian kitchen is well known with this easy and quick recipe. And that's what we need "easy and quick", after all who wants to spend hours in kitchen to express their love,duh?
This gluten-free breakfast recipe with the goodness of beetroot and a gorgeous colour, will surely bring a smile on your valentines's face! Lately, the lentils flour has become really popular for healthy gluten-free recipes! And this cheela is a must-try! Have them with chilli sauce and boiled potatoes (just sauté cut boiled potatoes in oil, cumin, Salt and red chilli powder). So try this beetroot cheela, which is not only beautiful but healthy too and cook the natural way!

Dates-Mint Chutney

Finally a little relief from chilly weather here. Well whatever be the season or weather is, enjoying food must go on. And what a great way to make your food interesting than enhancing it's taste with chutneys or dips. They make any flat boring dish very perky and fun. This chutney has all the flavours in it - sweet, spicy, salty and sour.  Hmm interesting huh? Dates with mint is a great combo. This versatile chutney can go well with any kind of food, be it snacks, with meals, vegetarian dishes, meats or so on. So take out those dates lying in your kitchen somewhere, make this chutney and always cook the natural way!!

Kiwi-Celery Smoothie

I love winter season but winters make me lazy too. Do you feel lazy too in winters? Well this lazy feeling discouraged my this year's health-resolutions to have a gala start. So I concentrated more on eating healthy. Hope you liked all of my healthy recipes this month. Ending this health-conscious month with this healthy smoothie. This gorgeous green smoothie has a perfect balance of health and taste. Kiwi with celery goes so refreshingly good. And it is totally vegan and raw too. Less calories and more nutrition is just what you get from this smoothie!! Celery is known for its fiber contents and kiwi for Vitamin C. So this smoothie helps you loose weight and strengthens your immune system as well. And other ingredients adds to it's nutritional value. 

There is nothing like eating fresh fruits and vegetables . Eating them raw or blending them together to create something taste good, is a great way to add them in your diet. And a smoothie is a cool way. Just blend and just go healthy! So start trying more smoothies and cook the natural way!!

Oat-Cardamom Parfait

In french parfait means perfect and this dessert is indeed a perfect dessert for me! It is sugar-free, gluten-free, can-be-vegan, full of fruits and above all satisfies the sweet cravings the healthy way! Parfait is usually made using cream or yogurt but I like it with oats. It gives additional health benefits too! The cardamom flavour gives this parfait depth and lemon perks-up it's taste.
The first month of 2016 is about to end and you all must be working hard towards a healthy-you. Having  a healthy dessert is an award for all the diligent efforts you have made so far. So make this dessert and have a treat from my side :P and always cook the natural way!!

Sweet Corn Soup

It's really cold here and I cannot survive these chilling evenings without a warm bowl of soup! Sweet corn soup needs no introduction. This soup is everybody's favourite and the food blog world is flooded with it's recipes, all different, all tasty. Now here is how I make this soup. The addition of coarsely grounded corns accentuates the corny flavour and basil gives a nice herby hint to the soup. Hope you like it and cook the natural way!!

Spicy Dried-Fig Jam

When it comes to desserts, I don't think too much but only the portion-size. A small piece of sinful dessert means heaven to me. But then there are some healthy desserts too. They serve the purpose without making us being thoughtful about the portion-size. Well, this is not a dessert recipe , but this sugar-free jam can be used in many desserts, I mean healthy desserts!! Dried Figs are one of the best dried fruits that one can eat. These sweet chewy dried fruit with crunchy seeds are a very delicious contributor to your health and wellness. They are a very good source of fibre, minerals (like potassium, calcium, zinc and magnesium), vitamins (like A,E and K) and antioxidants. This jam can be a healthy sugar-substitute. I eat them in breakfast as in these banana sandwiches below, trust me I don't miss the peanut butter at all :) Just spread the jam on the bread slice, place sliced bananas, top  with another slice of bread and just grill, voila!! your breakfast is ready in a jiffy!!

The spicy kick of cinnamon and pepper, the tanginess of lemon make this jam interesting and fun!! I have added sugar, just for my kiddo, but you can skip adding it. So buy some dried figs and try this jam and make your desserts healthier. And never forget to cook the natural way!!

Corn - Celery Soup

Ok who wants soup?? I don't know about you but every winter evening, I crave for a warm bowl of delicious soup, and that encourages me to try different ingredients to make something different than usual! This soup is not only delicious but also fullfilling, and low in calories too. Corns are everybody's favourite, celery has a unique taste and bell peppers gives this soup a nice sweetness. So try this soup someday and cook the natural way!!

ROASTED CAPSICUMS SALAD with SUNFLOWER SEEDS

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS, well they sound good, but need efforts, don't they? According to a survey, more than 60% of new year resolutions are related to health and fitness. So this month, I am going to share some recipes here which may help you to achieve your set health goals. Let's kick start the new year with something healthy, nutritious and of course tasty! This gorgeous coloured salad is easy with very simple and basic dressing and no oil. But the combination of roasted capsicums, raw vegetables and fruits and pickled chillies, they all together lift up the taste of this salad.

Sunflower seeds adds to its health benefits. Sunflower seeds are a very good source of Vitamin E, magnesium and antioxidants. Eating them on regular basis will improve your health. I eat roasted unsalted seeds as a snack! So do try them and cook the natural way!!

Best of 2015

Hi everyone, hope you are having a great start of 2016!! Ok, here are some of my best recipes of 2015. Hope you like them all and get inspired to cook the natural way!!

Clink on the TITLES for the recipes.