Real Food

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.

Incredibly Juicy Roasted Turkey Breast | Maple and Marigold

Oven-Braised, Incredibly Juicy Roasted Turkey Breast

Disclaimer: I am writing this post as part of Canadian Turkey’s #TryTurkeyToday campaign. The narrative and recipe as always is mine. Celebrations are more important now than they have ever been! So many of us are marking milestones with fewer people around the dinner table. This dish — roasted turkey breast, made incredibly juicy when […]

Masala Chai Recipe | Homemade | MapleandMarigold.com

Cool Weather Comfort with Masala Chai

In India, Masala Chai is everywhere! Literally everywhere. From the tiny tea shop on the corner to the fancy restaurants in five-star hotels, everyone has Masala Chai on the menu. This warm spicy drink is my go-to comfort beverage (after turmeric milk) and the aroma of spices will uplift your senses too. Culture in a […]

Going behind-the-scenes into apples | What you need to know before you go grocery shopping | From Branch to Bowl

From Branch to Bowl: What you need to know about Apples

Apples are a nutritious, delicious and CRUNCHY fruit. Join me as I take you behind-the-scenes to the apple orchards of Ontario. Here I share with you tips for shopping and cooking with apples, simple steps to make apple sauce and an apple hack that you wouldn’t believe. All that you need to know about this […]

Homemade tomato sauce | Meal Prep hacks | Maple and Marigold

Meal Prep with Homemade Tomato Sauce

Homemade Tomato Sauce as a meal hack? When I first made it, it almost seemed too easy. “It’s just tomato sauce,” I thought! Stay with me for a moment here. Simmered with spices like fennel, turmeric and garlic, this sauce is full of flavour and is so good for our health. Prep it on Sundays […]

Squash and Lentil Curry | Maple and Marigold

Squash and Lentil Curry Recipe

For as long as I can remember, Kaddu ki Sabzi {traditional Indian squash curry} has been a staple in our home. This recipe is my version of squash and lentil curry. It is big on flavour, uses pantry staple lentils and makes a delicious and wholesome one-pot meal. Traditionally, Kaddu ki Sabzi is a sweet, […]

Assortment of seeds

What’s the Deal with Seeds?

They say that good things come in small packages. And no ingredient is smaller than the topic of this post – seeds! But don’t let their size fool you. These tiny seeds are full of energy and have incredible health benefits. And you don’t have to eat a large quantity to take advantage of those […]

Super Simple Tahini Dressing | Good Mood Foods | Maple and Marigold

Super Simple Tahini Dressing

I love quick recipes that use healthy ingredients and work for family dinners in a variety of ways. This simple tahini dressing is just that – easy to make, simple to customize and oh so delicious on just about everything. What is Tahini? Tahini is a paste made with sesame seeds, ground and then stored […]

What's the deal with Barley | Good Mood Foods | Foods that Heal | Maple and Marigold

What’s the Deal with Barley?

In India Barley is a widely popular whole grain under its Hindi name Jau but I wasn’t familiar with it till years after I moved to the other side of the world to Canada. And even then I wondered, “What’s the Deal with Barley?” What is Barley? Well, it’s a grass that grows and looks […]

Seriously Delish Quinoa Salad Recipe | Good Mood Foods | Maple and Marigold

Seriously Delish Quinoa Salad

Quinoa often has a “health food vibe” that puts many meat and potatoes kind of people off. This recipe though that I call my seriously delish quinoa salad is not only well, delicious, it also elevates this often underappreciated food to one that kids and adults will love. Quinoa is a pantry staple in my […]

Ingredient - Quinoa

What’s the Deal with Quinoa

Raise your hand if Quinoa was not in your vocabulary, let alone in your pantry till a few years back. Raise your hand if this still feels like a mystery ingredient, even after you have eaten it multiple times in restaurants. Somehow, it tastes better or more exotic in a restaurant setting. Many of us […]

Barley Pulao Recipe | Good Mood Foods | Foods that Heal | Maple and Marigold

Barley Pulao

Barley is an awkward food, right? I never know how to “sell” it to my kids. But once I started cooking with it there has been no turning back. If this whole grain is as new to you as it was for me then start with this pot barley recipe. Barley pilaf (or as I […]

Simple Tuna Salad Recipe | Maple and Marigold

Simple Tuna Salad

Canned tuna has been a pantry staple for as long as I can remember but in the beginning, it took me a while to get used to this humble ingredient. What did help was how my kids took to it, and this simple tuna salad became one of their favourite lunches. Canned fish comes in […]

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