http://cooksjoy.com/blog A vegetarian cooking blog with recipes that tickle your taste buds and leave you craving for more !!! Mon, 17 Jun 2013 05:47:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/rhubarb-pickle.html http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/rhubarb-pickle.html#comments Mon, 17 Jun 2013 05:42:11 +0000 Vardhini http://cooksjoy.com/blog/?p=12430 I had always thought rhubarb to be sweet since the only dishes I heard about were desserts made with rhubarb. So, I was surprised when my friend Rachel handed me a bunch of rhubarb and said that they were pretty tart. Since I have never cooked with rhubarb before, she was also kind to point...]]> http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/rhubarb-pickle.html/feed 5 http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/rava-sooji-upma.html http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/rava-sooji-upma.html#comments Sat, 15 Jun 2013 06:46:46 +0000 Vardhini http://cooksjoy.com/blog/?p=12472 Upma is a South Indian dish that is normally made for breakfast. It is very easy and takes only minutes to cook. We can make upma with vermicilli, oats, rice, left over idlis, poha and so on. Of all the types, rava upma is the most common one I grew up with. This is the...]]> http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/rava-sooji-upma.html/feed 1 http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/pineapple-rasam.html http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/pineapple-rasam.html#comments Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:59:25 +0000 Vardhini http://cooksjoy.com/blog/?p=11292 Rasam is such an important staple in my house and has been my life saver on the days I am pressed for time. The basic kind of rasam that can be fixed in a jiffy uses this homemade rasam powder and there are other kinds where we prepare the masala fresh each time. Rasam, rice and...]]> http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/pineapple-rasam.html/feed 1 http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/avocado-banana-milkshake-smoothie.html http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/avocado-banana-milkshake-smoothie.html#comments Mon, 10 Jun 2013 22:00:31 +0000 Vardhini http://cooksjoy.com/blog/?p=12523 Only in the past few years I have been buying avocados. For starters, avocado is pretty bland, but it is healthy and blends well in a lot of dishes. It is soft and feels like butter. Of late the avocado bug has bitten K and I have made this crunchy avocado salad countless times in...]]> http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/avocado-banana-milkshake-smoothie.html/feed 5 http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/cucumber-pineapple-salad.html http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/cucumber-pineapple-salad.html#comments Sat, 08 Jun 2013 06:13:53 +0000 Vardhini http://cooksjoy.com/blog/?p=12345 With the kids having summer vacation, things are pretty crazy at home. Simple salads and quick fix dinners are my life savers at the moment. I would have never thought of combining cucumber and pineapples until K came home with the English cucumber. I am not sure why it is called so, but it is...]]> http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/cucumber-pineapple-salad.html/feed 5 http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/jalapeno-poppers-with-greek-yogurt-reduced-fat.html http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/jalapeno-poppers-with-greek-yogurt-reduced-fat.html#comments Thu, 06 Jun 2013 06:17:52 +0000 Vardhini http://cooksjoy.com/blog/?p=10851 Jalapeno poppers are basically jalapenos stuffed with a cheese mixture, drenched in egg, coated with breadcrumbs and is then deep fried or baked. The first jalapeno poppers I tasted were the frozen ones from the store. It was generously stuffed with cheese and coated with bread crumbs and baked to perfection. We just had to...]]> http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/jalapeno-poppers-with-greek-yogurt-reduced-fat.html/feed 7 http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/strawberry-greek-yogurt-muffins.html http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/strawberry-greek-yogurt-muffins.html#comments Mon, 03 Jun 2013 06:19:49 +0000 Vardhini http://cooksjoy.com/blog/?p=11433 The first muffin I made was a banana walnut muffin and that was years ago. Being very new to baking I still remember how proud I was with the result. I had no idea how a muffin would taste, but it rose well and looked good. My friends who tasted it later said that it...]]> http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/strawberry-greek-yogurt-muffins.html/feed 9 http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/dish-it-out-lentilslegumes-and-vegetables-event-announcement.html http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/dish-it-out-lentilslegumes-and-vegetables-event-announcement.html#comments Sat, 01 Jun 2013 21:53:51 +0000 Vardhini http://cooksjoy.com/blog/?p=12518 Dish it Out is hosted here this month and the ingredients for the month (June 2013) are “Lentils/Legumes” and “Vegetables“. Lentils are a main source of protein for us and we prepare lentils in one form or the other daily.  The event runs from June 1st to June 30th 2013 and the rules are as follows....]]> http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/06/dish-it-out-lentilslegumes-and-vegetables-event-announcement.html/feed 6 http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/05/vatral-kuzhambu-vatha-kuzhambu.html http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/05/vatral-kuzhambu-vatha-kuzhambu.html#comments Fri, 31 May 2013 05:41:27 +0000 Vardhini http://cooksjoy.com/blog/?p=11638 Kuzhambu is a tangy gravy that is normally mixed with rice. It can also be used as a dip for idli, dosai and so on. There are tons of variations based on the spices and the vegetables used. This kuzhambu is made with “manathakkali (Dry Nightshade berries) vatral”. ‘Vatral’ is something that has been sun-dried. The...]]> http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/05/vatral-kuzhambu-vatha-kuzhambu.html/feed 8 http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/05/hash-browns.html http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/05/hash-browns.html#comments Thu, 30 May 2013 00:54:56 +0000 Vardhini http://cooksjoy.com/blog/?p=10022 Hash brown is made with potatoes and is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. One of the first few things I tasted in fast food restaurants was hash brown. It tasted great, but I felt it to be a bit on the oily side due to deep frying. I almost gave up on...]]> http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/05/hash-browns.html/feed 6