SanJan Paakshala

Ganesh Chaturti 2022 🙏🏽

Happy Krishna Jayanti 2022! Celebrating the glory of Lord Krishna with vella aval, ragi pakodam and banana chips. Also sharing a beautiful WhatsApp forward I received that encapsulates the significance of the Lord beautifully.

*Krishna* was born in the darkness of the night, into the locked confines of a jail.
However, at the moment of his birth, all the guards fell asleep, the chains were broken and the barred doors gently opened.

Similarly, as soon as *Krishna* ( Chetna, Awareness ) takes birth in our hearts, all darkness ( Negativity ) fades. All chains ( Ego, I, Me, Myself ) are broken. And all prison doors we keep ourselves in ( Caste, Religion, Profession, Relations etc ) are opened.

And that is the real Message And Essence of Janmashtmi.

Food collab alert! The theme is “favorite foods”. My favorite meal is a simple well-balanced thali:)

Here we have a hearty bowl of kodo millet served with sambhar, pumpkin kootu, beetroot poriyal, yoghurt, and air-fryed masala vadas. Other condiments include thayir molagai, cucumber salad and fryums.



Hosted by👉
cooks home


team💖🥂

Quick weeknight meal they said! And I said well, quick weeknight “healthy” meal . So a quinoa salad is what I made, with fresh roasted vegetables and whipped almond yoghurt dressing. Serving this bowl of deliciousness with store bought gluten-free bread. It’s healthy and tasty all at once 🙂





🍛🧆 Hosted by:

Time for yet another collab and the theme is street foods. The best food that comes to my mind to beat the scorching heat is a hearty bowl of Thayir vadai - delicious and refreshing for the weather

Hosted by👉
cooks home

Collaboration Alert! Here we have a Mediterranean Gyro bowl with Roasted Chick Peas, Greek Salad, Quinoa, homemade Baked Polenta Fries, Marinated Olives and Tzatziki




Thanks to the Hosts for organizing this collab:

Happy Mother’s Day to all❤️Honestly this was not what I was planning to do for mother’s day this year. But I woke up feeling a bit under the weather and decided to keep it simple!

Presenting Mango Kesari - a traditional semolina based sweet with some mango pulp for seasonal flavor. As with most of my recipes, I used raw cane sugar rather than white sugar to keep those calories down 😀

Kesari was a staple growing up. It is what the ladies of our household made on most festivals and poojas. I am grateful to have been raised by three strong women - Amma, Chiti and Patti. I’m equally blessed to have a mother in law who raised the most wonderful son. ❤️



Hosts:

So I walk into the kitchen and find that I have nothing except three potatoes and a slab of paneer! No onion, tomatoes or any other vegetable.

So was it time to order from UberEats? 🤔 Of course not! It was an opportunity to get creative!! 😊😇

Presenting Dahi Aloo - potatoes cooked in a tangy yoghurt based gravy, and Paneer Jeera Rice - rice cooked with stir fried paneer, cumin seeds and several spices. The yogurt is home-set while the paneer is store bought.

The end result was a delicious and healthy plate of food :)

Presenting my entry to the 'Rice dish' Collab organized by

cooks


I decided to make my two most favorite rice recipes - Ellu Sadam (Sesame Rice) and Thayir Sadam (Curd Rice) served with Potato Stir-Fry made using my grandmother's special recipe. 😊 Homemade apple pickle and store bought boondi complete this delicious meal 😊 This is comfort food at its best 😇😇♥️

team

Happy Vishu and Tamil New Year 2022🙏 Wishing everyone a blessed year ahead 😊

Shri Rama Navami Celebration - Kosambari, Sambharam and Mango Burfi

Bhagwan Shri Ram ki Jai🙏

Does this look like popcorn?? 😉 It's actually something much healthier 😇😇 Presenting my entry to the Collab organized by &


Here we have two super healthy and delicious snacks for your movie nights - Masala Jowar Puffs and Kerala Banana Chips. Both homemade with a dash of coconut oil and lots of love 💖 This is a combo that will help you enjoy your movies without the guilt of loading your plate with carbs after😊 And yes this is protein-rich, gluten free and weight loss friendly❤️

Back to Instagram with an awesome collaboration after a brief hiatus :)

Welcome to the FRIED MEALS" Collab
Hosted by👉
cooks



Presenting Millet and Oats Arancini ♥️

This is a super healthy version of arancini- the filling has little millet, lots of vegetables and a little pepper jack cheese. The balls are held together using powdered oats 😇 This recipe can be made vegan by using vegan cheese 😃

team💖🥂

❤🧀❤🧀 welcomes you to our amazing collaboration- “CHEESE LOVERS CHEESY COLLAB” 🧀❤🧀❤

Presenting my dish ➡️ Dum Paneer. Credit to for the recipe

Thanks to all hosts for organizing this event:
traveling.foodie

I've never really experimented with Chinese cuisine beyond the typical Indo-Chinese dishes that are popular in India. So, I used the food Collab as a way to learn more about traditional Chinese cuisine.

I found an awesome Lunar New Year special recipe shared by . This is a Coconut Sticky Rice Cake. I've replicated the original recipe except for substituting white sugar with raw cane sugar. This is a vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free dessert 😇♥️

Lunar New Year Wishes to All ♥️

IBC Collab is hosted bykitchen



With featuring partner:

Presenting my entry to the "New Dish"

I've been meaning to experiment with Horsegram, which is one of the best sources of protein for vegans and vegetarians. So for my new dish, I combined Horsegram with Quinoa and Oats to create a healthy, protein-rich, and weight-loss friendly patty that I've served with homemade Whole Wheat Burger Bun. 😇😊😊 I added a touch of storebought harissa mayo to give the burger a little extra oomph! The result was one scrumptious dinner 🙌😁

Thank you to the amazing hosts who inspired me to try something new ❤️
cooks

Presenting my entry to two exciting food collabs :) My go-to platter to best the freezing weather 🥶🥶

Spicy Punjabi Chole (yellow garbanzo beans cooked in an onion-tomato gravy sauted with an array of spices) with Cholia Chawal (green garbanzo beans and rice)

Cholia is a winter special bean that is full of nutrition and delicious

🌈"COLOURFUL COLLAB"🌈.

Thanks to all hosts for organizing this lovely collab:
traveling.foodie



"SWEET and SPICY COLLAB"


Hosted by

Thali #29
Happy New Year🎉🎉 is finally back with a thali 🥳 This one is a North Karnataka and Mangalore special. Long ago, I had prepared a thali celebrating Udupi and Bangalore-Mysore cuisines (Thali #6) and have been waiting to honor the rest of the region. There are so many more dishes that are popular across this vibrant state that I look forward to trying and sharing with you all ☺️

Today's platter includes:
North Karnataka dishes: Karindi (green chillies and flax seed chutney), Puttandipudi Kosambari (roasted bengal gram and cucumber salad), Menthya Soppu Palya (fenugreek leaves and tuvar dal/lentil stir fry)

Mangalore dishes: Millet Neer Dosa (little millet and coconut pancakes), Matta Rice, Kadala Manoli Sukka (ivy gourd and chick peas stir fry), Soutekayi Huli (yellow cucumber and tuval dal/lentil gravy)

Served with typical must-haves in a Karnataka thali - Masala Majjige (spiced buttermilk) and Salt

is excited to contribute to two amazing food collabs this weekend. Presenting a main course that can serve as the entrée for a Christmas-theme party :)

Vegetarian Shepard's Pie with creamy mashed potatoes laid on a bed of quinoa and veges. We have served it with fresh corn salad. The serving is protein-rich, vegetarian, eggless and gluten-free. I've used butter and milk, which can be easily replaced with vegan butter or coconut oil and oat milk.

THE PARTY FOOD C0llAB
Hosted by👉
cooks

Presenting 9th Hgg Collab by team💖🥂

CHRISTMAS FUN MAIN COURSE SPECIAL &
Hosted by ⤵️




kitchen
Featuring partners ⤵️

An ideal Christmas dessert that is irresistible and decadent, yet super-healthy, gluten-free and protein-rich 🤔☺️😇

Yes, this holiday season you can have it all with this Ragi - Almond cake. The cake is made with equal portions of ragi or finger millet and almond flour, and sweetened with jaggery powder.

We just enjoyed it with some vegan vanilla ice-cream. Perfect for a Sunday evening and none of that Monday morning guilt or fear of the extra pounds 😉


Thanks to all hosts for organizing this event:
traveling.foodie

December is here and we are super excited to kick start the holidays with two fun collaborations :)

Presenting Jalapeno Poppers topped with buttered powdered oats in place of bread crumbs. So we have a gluten-free, super healthy and delicious Christmas starter



Organized by




Christmas Joy Collab
&
🎅 Hosted by




kitchen

🎅 Our awesome featuring partners ⤵️



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There is nothing healthier than incorporating seasonal vegetables in our diet. Today I have the perfect winter combination that will help you body naturally adjust to the cold weather.

We have Bajra or Pearl Millet Kichidi and Mixed Seasonal Vegetables Stir-Fry.

Kichadi is made by pressure cooking equal portions of pearl millet (soaked overnight) and yellow moong dal (soaked for an hour). Cook this upto 4-5 whistles. Finally, temper with ghee, mustard seeds and curry leaves for a healthy, delicious and wholesome lunch.

Vegetables in the stir-fry include turnips, potatoes, carrots and green bell peppers.

Pearl millet is one of the best sources of plant-based protein. It is gluten-free, rich in fiber, omega-3, iron and antioxidants, and ideal for weight loss and diabetes management. It is considered a body warming element in Ayurveda, which makes it ideal for beating the chilly weather. Do try it incorporating millets in your diet for better health and overall well-being 😇

Happy Thanksgiving 2021 :) Presenting my vegetarian, super healthy Thanksgiving spread:

Whole roasted cauliflower at the center with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, creamed spinach, honey roasted carrots, whole wheat dinner rolls, roasted turnip and arugula salad, and almond cake with cinnamon-spiced apple topping

When you go deeply into the present, gratitude arises spontaneously. Gratitude is there when you acknowledge the aliveness of the present moment - Eckhart Tolle

I'm grateful to be alive, thankful to be surrounded by love and joy❤️

My entry for the Collab today is Vegetable and Paneer Biryani served with Mirchi Ka Salan and Boondi Raita.

🙏🏻❤️Thanks to our wonderful hosts for organizing this event:



traveling.foodie

Diwali wishes to all 🪔🎆

Wishing everyone health and happiness with poha chivda (flattened rice snack) and gajar ki burfi (made with carrots, jaggery and milk)

In the SanJan world, celebrations usually call for a full-fledged thali. This time we decided to switch things up and prepare our favourite snacks to celebrate our anniversary!!

We have Vada Pav, Dabeli and Khaman Dhokla made with lots of carbs and lots of love 🤣☺️ sometimes

It's been windy 🌬️ and rainy 🌧️ all week!! So we decided to treat ourselves to something warm, healthy and seasonal!

Shalgam or Turnip is a winter root vegetable packed with fiber, iron, folate and several other essential nutrients. It's great for weight loss and diabetes management

Today I've prepared Shalgam ki subzi, bhindi or okra masala, homemade whole wheat tandoori roti and masala onion salad served with a katori of dahi (cup of yoghurt)

Do incorporate seasonal vegetables in your diet. Not only are they healthy and delicious, they also come super cheap if locally sourced ☺️❤️

🍱Welcome to . The theme for today is "Favourite Dinner"

Growing up, the most exciting dinners we had was when our parents would surprise us with a trip to either or 😍 So, when planning for this Collab I decided to go the Indo-Chinese route.

Presenting Kodo Millet Noodles and Chilli Paneer

Thanks to the lovely hosts:
cook bysujin

Happy to all 🙏

Prasad ki Thali: Karamani Sundal snd Dry Fruits Peda

My entry for

hosted by c
berries






Featuring partner:
[email protected]

Also my entry for the collab 🤗

Hosted by 🔽 kitchen

And it's a bake collab 😊 Few weeks ago I baked my first ever batch of cookies. And today I've attempted baked pasta for the first time 😊😇

Presenting spinach pesto and mozzarella cheese spaghetti

Thanks to the amazing hosts who inspired me to try something new:
Sandy .kitchen
Rashmi
Vini
Monsumee
Fiona
Ketan

Fall breeze 🌬and autumn leaves🍂🍁🌾
🤩Welcome to our amazing collaboration. We are celebrating “FALL” this time!!.

As summer turns into autumn and the temperature falls, I usually crave something warm, comforting and flavourful. And of course, healthy and protein-rich 😇

Presenting my mini-thali with homemade Whole Wheat (atta) Naan, Bhindi Masala, Kadhai Paneer, Quinoa Kichidi and Cucumber Raita.

Thanks to all hosts for organizing this lovely coll ab:

traveling.foodie

Today we are celebrating International home made cookies day. When I was invited to this Collab, I felt quite nervous coz I have never made cookies before.

I present to you my first ever attempt at baking cookies. In frame we have healthy ragi or finger millet cookies served with garam chai 😇

The dough is made with ragi or finger millet, whole wheat, jaggery, cashew nuts, milk and butter. You can make this vegan but replacing the milk and butter with oat milk and almond butter ☺️

Finger millet is a protein-rich whole grain, and perfect for weight loss and diabetes management.

Thanks to the wonderful hosts



🎊Do visit to celebrate the amazing creations baked by my fellow food bloggers🎊

This time the has an exciting theme - Childhood Memories 🍭🍭 🍫🍫🍡🍡

My favourite childhood meal was the snack I would get to have as soon as I returned from school. It was usually a veg sandwich - Modern sandwich bread 🍞 filled with green chutney, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, a slice of Amul cheese 😊 and a side of Maggi hot and sweet ketchup 😋It's the food that got me started on my homework every evening 🤣 I loved these sandwiches so much that I wanted to open a sandwich shop when I grew up 🤩 Hoping it will happen someday 😉❤️

Hosted by👉cooks .bysujin

Excited to showcase traditional South Indian breakfast as part of

I've served matta rice puttu, a traditional steamed dish made using a vessel called puttu kudam. Matta rice is soaked overnight and then ground into a coarse powder. A little water is incorporated into the powder until it is comes together enough to hold shape. And then we are ready to steam!! Typical fresh grated coconut is added in between layers for texture and of course, taste😊 Puttu goes well with kadala curry (typically made using black beans but I have used chick peas) and papad.

Matta rice is an indigenous variety of rice that is more nutritious than white rice. It is gluten-free, and rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Do try incorporating wholegrains in your diet for better health and overall wellness 😇

🙏🏻❤️Thanks to our wonderful hosts for organizing this event:



traveling.foodie

I'm excited to present my entry for the IBC Spices & Herbs Collab 💕

I've prepared Milagu Rasam (pepper and tamarind curry), Jeera Alu (cumin-spiced potatoes), Karuvepalai Thogayal (curry leaves chutney), Rice and Papad.

The stars on this platter are pepper, cumin seeds and curry leaves.

As a child, I always thought spices were about flavor. I would wonder how just a handful of curry leaves or a little spoon of urad dal really added to that large bowl of sambar 🤔 It was much later that I realized how important that little pinch of turmeric or that tadka of mustard seeds was in digestion, absorption of essential nutrients in the body, and overall physical and mental health. Spices and herbs truly demonstrate how something small can create everlasting change in us and the world around us ❤️

♥️ This flavorful collab is hosted by 👇👇👇
kitchen






🤩 Don't forget to visit to take a culinary journey through the awesome creations of my fellow foodies🤩

Ganesh Chathurthi 2021 🙏 May Lord Ganesh bless us with wisdom, happiness and prosperity

On Teacher's day, I'd like to pay gratitude to my first teacher - my mother.

During childhood, I don't remember ever seeing my mother sit down, relax and enjoy her morning tea. Hustling and bustling in and out of the kitchen, making sure everyone gets their coffee/tea, breakfast and packed lunch boxes, and ensuring the pooja room was ready for my father's hour-long prayer was the order of her morning. 😪

I also realized a few years ago that I didn’t really know a lot about my mother's food preferences. Everything prepared at home was either to the liking of the kids or the men in the household. Yes, I was aware she loved her gugni (chick peas) and rajma (red kidney beans), but did not know much more! It was only recently that I found out that mom loves kootu, a very simple preparation where lentils and vegetables are cooked in coconut paste.

So to honor my first teacher, I have prepared podalangai or snake gourd poricha kootu and served it with parupu thogayal (a thick paste of roasted tuvar dal/lentil, peppercorns, red chillies and coconut), green apple pickle, matta rice and appalam. The plate has loads of nutrition packed with a lot of love ❤️

Krishna Jayanthi 2021 celebration

The going will get tough and the tough will get going. Let us learn from Krishna to smile through the tribulations and be joyous always♥️

Presenting our Prasad ki Thali - Vella Aval (flattened rice in jaggery syrup), Ribbon Pakodam (deep fried snack made using rice and gram flour) served with Krishna's favourite butter and yogurt. Flowers are fresh from our garden.

I'm excited to participate in yet another hosted by & .bysujin

The theme is DREAMY-DISH 🤤 - THE FOOD THAT BRINGS YOU THAT HEAVENLY TASTE & POSITIVE VIBES EVERYTIME YOU EAT IT

For me that dreamy dish is Pesanja Thayir Sadam or Curd Rice with Tempering and Potato fry. It's my go to meal for celebration and frustration and all emotions in between. In fact, there is scientific evidence that eating curd rice can boost brain activity and make one happier ❤️ Dreamy food indeed 😇

team💖🥂

Thali #28
Presenting our 😇 We chose to prepare our favourite dishes from the state of Kerala for this thali. The array of homemade dishes served today include:

Sambhar, Rasam, Parupu, Avial, Cabbage Thoran, Kootukari, Olan, Vellarika Kichadi, Pineapple Pachadi, Puli Inji, Manga Urugai, Banana Chips, Parupu Pradhamam, Sambharam or butter milk served with Rice and Papad. A ripe banana and some salt is also added to the plate as per tradition.

The Thali is also my contribution to the festival collab ♥️🤗
Please visit the hashtag to see our beautiful Onam gallery by our awesome fellow bloggers😍 🤗

Thank you to our lovely hosts 🤗
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🌺.kitchen
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Along with these amazing featuring partners🤗
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