Blog & Baby Turn Two!

My blog & my kid both turned two last week! It's unbelieveable how quickly time has flown. It does not seem that long ago that I was talking about akki rotti and my pregnancy and now, it's been two years already since then! Blogging has done me a world of good - apart from sharing my recipes, it's given me a place to talk shop and let off steam, introduced me to a lot of friends and it's been wonderful knowing I'm not alone in my thinking. The tips I received, especially related to child care (read food intake), have been so helpful. Hearing your stories and reading about your lives has enriched mine. Thanks to all of you!

And little M turned two as well. We had a small party with some friends on Saturday. M loves Dora and so we had a Dora themed cake, which she was mighty thrilled with! Menu was vada pav, dabeli, crackers/cheese & chips/dips for snacks. For dinner, we had spinach rolls, Seekh kabab, nargisi koftas, baingan bhartha, raarha goat masala & daal makhani with rice, naan & pasta. Rasmalai for dessert. All food (except snacks & pasta) came from Punjabi Rasoi, a small family-run eatery that makes some of the best Punjabi food I've had in the US. Made a huge pitcher of Mojitos that was just lovely! Here are some pictures. Enjoy!

Here she is, in a lehnga that my cousin K got stitched for her, She loved wearing the lehnga so much that she refused to change! Here' she's struggling to climb stairs but little Miss Independent does not want to be helped! She struggled all the way up to the top managing not to trip in the lehnga, while holding on to the balloons!

Carrot & Alfalfa Sprouts Kosambari

Kosambari is a delicious & healthy low-fat Indian salad but the addition of alfalfa sprouts take them to a new level of nutrition! Alfalfa sprouts are high in dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, protein, vitamin A, thiamin, pantothenic Acid, calcium and iron (Source ). Sprouts also contain concentrated amounts of phytochemicals that protect against diseases. Most grocery stores here carry a wide variety of sprouts (including moong, sometimes). I usually just eat them as is or with a dash of lime juice. Made this simple carrot & alfalfa sprouts salad when I had some people over one day.


Tossed shredded carrots, alfalfa sprouts & coconut powder in lime juice & oil tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves & green chillies. Seasoned with salt.

This is my entry for "Healthy Cooking" event, hosted by Mansi. Thank you, Mansi, for hosting this lovely event!

Thanks to Lothi & Rekha for the "Blogging with a Purpose" award.

Srilekha gave me a "Yummy Blog" award. Thanks, Srilekha!

Sireesha sent me Giant Bear Hug. Thanks, S! A bear hug to you as well and to all my readers!