Category: Lentils, Beans and other Legumes

  • My Dad and Foods to Remember

    My Dad passed away. It’s been just a little over 100 days. Food is an interesting thing when you lose a loved one. Eating it, thinking about it, writing about it – it all seems trivial compared to the loss. On the other hand, my connection to food is so deeply grounded in my relationship with and […]

  • Toasted Coconut Lentils

    Because I get excited about odd things, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about this salty, nutty mixture of coconut, crunchy spices, little nuggets of garlic and strands of spicy ginger. Simple ways to create comfort food with that perfect balance of salt and spice and nutty-hug-yourself goodness. It’s one of my favorite […]

  • Stone Soup

    It gets dark early.  My light fall coat is not really cutting it.  And I should be wearing a scarf.  But I’m in denial that the seasons are changing.  I mean, I know summer is over.  Right?  It’s over.  I know.  It’s over.  But the 48 degree weather outside is practically (by my definition) “winter” […]

  • Help Cleaning Shop & Spicy Black Eyed Peas

  • Red Lentil and Smashed Garlic Soup

  • Lemony Spinach Lentils (Spinach Pappu)

    Two huge events have happened in my life within the last week.  First, I snuck away to have a baby.  Our beautiful baby girl, Surya, arrived last Thursday and we have been completely preoccupied with loving on her ever since.  Second, I’ve turned over my kitchen to my mother for the next three weeks.  Fortunately, […]

  • Market Greens with Split Peas

    Do you have a grocery item that maintains a permanent on your weekly grocery list?  Something you know you can make use of no matter what your weekly menu?  Something that never dies a slow death in your crisper?  Greens.  They are always on my list, and they never go to waste.  Kale, collard greens, […]

  • Locaware: Green Tomato Lentil Stew

    I talk to my parents everyday and each evening I look forward to asking what they’re having for dinner.  It’s always something I wish I was eating too (which is half the reason I started cooking in the first place).  A few weeks back, my dad told me they were having locaware.  Undoubtably, a joke […]

  • Warm Bean Salad

    Still trying to decide what to make for the Fourth of July?  This warm bean salad is a favorite of ours – it combines the creamy, nutty taste of beans with tangy feta, crunchy sharp onions and juicy cherry tomatoes.  The key is to get the beans and the tomatoes mildly warmed.  This makes the […]

  • Charu Au Poix (French Inspired Rasam)

    This is a guest post written by Raj Bala, Nithya’s brother, who is incidentally also a hungry desi. The French settled a colony in India called Pondicherry in 1673 on the Southeast coast of India. Their influence on the city is still evident today even though they didn’t necessarily fare as well in terms of […]