I believe the heart of the family beats in the kitchen. Food fuels our body and nourishes our soul.
I share here real food made using whole ingredients with big flavour, fresh herbs and health-boosting spices, all influenced by my roots in India and my travels. That’s what you will find here. But I’m also not one to spend hours in the kitchen, as you can tell from my healthy shortcuts and tips in every post. My kitchen is a little complicated — we have a number of food sensitivities in the family — so I tend to make food that is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and tomato-free. Often but not always.
Choose what's good for us, and the planet too. Here's how.
Good Food, Healthy Planet
Your Kitchen Companion to Simple, Practical, Sustainable Cooking
Fun, Frugal and Hyper-local: Grow Microgreens
How to sprout your own microgreens at home Farmers’ markets are winding down, and so is Canada’s growing season. As we go into the winter season, people are worrying about rising grocery prices once again. Puneeta was on CHCH Morning Live on Oct 7 to discuss a fun, frugal and hyper-local way people can eat green, and grow it themselves too. Microgreens! HERE’S WHY: Many of us know that seeds like lentils, beans and many spices are nutritious powerhouses; what we may not know is that when we sprout them, we TRIPLE the benefits and make it easier on our...
Redefining Good Food
I believe food is so much more than fuel. Good food fills us up and tastes good, and is good for us, yes but our life is about more than just us. For good food to be truly *good* it must also be good for the planet. I learned at an early age in my childhood to use what we have and reduce what is thrown away; you’ll see these principles in my cooking and videos. You’ll learn quickly that I waste very little in my kitchen. 58% of the food grown and produced in Canada is thrown away, so...
Decadent No-Waste Carrot Halwa
Of all the halwas that my mother makes, this used to be my least favorite. And then a few years ago, well after my 40th birthday, one day sitting at my mom’s dining table in India, something changed. I remember thinking, “Wow, how could I have ever disliked carrot halwa?” It’s not just the luxuriant, mellow flavours, it’s also that this dish is made with CARROTS. That’s it! Carrots. And if you’re a juicer, as in you juice vegetables every morning for a smoothie, you can even make this decadent dessert with spent, wrung-out, leftover carrots. Watch my TV segment,...
All kinds of Stuffed Peppers
My mom used to make stuffed peppers for dinner all the time. Peppers are one of the veggies that grows quite easily and is available aplenty in season. She would stuff them with a mixture of spiced potatoes and then top with cheese. I loved the little bit of crispiness that a quick broil would bring to these stuffed peppers. So, when I started to make these peppers a few years ago I tried the recipe out with leftover rice and it worked like a charm to add a delightful crunch to every bite. Watch my TV segment, Cook Once,...
Pink and Lovely Beet Raita
This pink-tinted, beet-forward raita has over the years become a steady favourite. It's absolutely gorgeous, impressive enough for company, and downright easy to make on a busy weeknight. Watch my TV segment, Cook Once, Eat Thrice, on CTV's The Social for tips about this recipe. Pink and Lovely Beet Raita 2 medium beets, skinned, roasted and finely chopped1 cup yogurt1/4 tsp cumin powder1/2 tsp salt to tastepinch of red chili powder, optionalwater to dilutemint leaves for garnish Whisk yoghurt to loosen it up. Stir in a little bit of water if needed to dilute the texture to make it a...
Top 10 Foods to Stay Cool This Summer
food can either have a heating effect on our bodies or the reverse, a cooling effect. Here is my Ayurveda-Inspired list of Top 10 cooling foods this summer. There is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of stew on a cold winter's night. It never fails to make me feel warm and cozy as the temperature drops. But with rising temps, the sun beating down and sweat trickling between the shoulder blades, a bowl of hot soup is probably the last thing on your mind. That's when you need something crisp and refreshing to cool the palate and the body....
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