By cooking, I mean working magic in a clean kitchen. Playing with ingredients..adding a little bit of this or that with Martini in hand and some fun Bhangara playing in the background. Being organized enough to clean as I go and sitting down to that meal with the only concern – tossing a coin to see who would wash dishes and who would dry.

But…if I had to be honest, I would admit that I HATE making dinner.

Fast forward furiously and you have my life now, post Neha (age 9) and Aria (age 7). I still love to cook – when I get the chance. But more often I’m the enforcer – making dinner and ensuring that my young girls appreciate it and eat enough of it to fuel their bodies and their little growing minds. There are days when I admit I positively hate this process.

Though my girls eat really well compared to most – they can be finicky in their own ways. Neha was born when I was a commodities reporter for Bloomberg News – rushing up and down two flights of stairs to pop myself in front of a camera affixed to a balcony at the top of The Chicago Board of Trade financial futures floor. Do you ever watch Rick Santelli on CNBC? Well, I was his neighbor on most hits and his Bloomberg counterpart (though could never love financial futures the way that man does!)

Needless to say, working early mornings meant Neha got quick, easy, fresh meals and ingredients. She got a ton of fruit and veggies. Very little prep, and the less complicated the better. That’s how she eats to this day. Clean. Fresh. But not always available when we go out. She’s the one that will fuss if pizza has too much sauce. She won’t even try lasagna (even though she manifested herself into Garfield at age 3 for six months straight). On one visit to Oahu, Hawaii when she was an infant, she lived on sliced tomatoes for three days straight until she got a major diaper rash and I finally thought to take her to my favorite Indian restaurant down the street from the University of Hawaii campus. Dal was our savior that night.

Aria is the exact opposite. She loves sauces, dips, and ketchup on anything and everything.

Making a meal that they are both perfectly happy with takes work, patience, and a lot of tongue biting. But, I’m learning it can be done. In the coming weeks and months I’ll tell you more about how you can do this with your own kids – teach them how to love fruits and veggies, without having the hide them in their favorite foods.

But first..let me clue you in on something that will help you immensely in the daily fight to get dinner on the table. Prep. Prep. Prep.

That’s right. Something that the best chefs know about but that home cooks often overlook in their haste to get groceries put away and in their excitement to get right into a meal. I know to do this very thing whenever I host a party or cook in someone’s home, but in my own home for the last year I have to admit we’ve been skating by. It’s been quite frustrating having been in the middle of a major book project but still needing to feed a family at the end of the day (because the rule is always not to want to eat what mommy tested that day). And so the weekly battle of what to make and finding the time to actually make it would become one more burden to bear in my day.

Until I came across a recent Tribune article about how to effectively shop Farmer’s Markets. In it, reporter Monica Eng gives one especially critical tip – prep! Take your groceries home and immediately get them ready to go. Don’t put them in the fridge w/out trimming and cleaning. Because once they are stuffed in all the crevices in plastic bags, you’ll either forget about them or get too overwhelmed after a busy day and just order take out anyway.

So, for the last 2 weeks I’ve been adhering to this advice religiously. Every time the organic shipment is delivered on a Wed. afternoon, and/or when I come home with groceries, I take all the cucumbers, cauliflower, celery, apples, oranges..etc. etc. out of their respective packaging, put them in big bowls of water for a wash and scrub down if needed, and then onto a large dish towel for drying.

A few tips on cleaning. You know all the lemon halves that you’ve squeezed the juice out of during the week? Keep them in a bowl in your fridge and then throw them in the bowl with your fruit and veggies. The small amounts of juice that is left will help cut through dirt without hurting a thing. Though there are vegetable washes out there, they’ve never been truly proven to work – so why spend the money?

Get yourself a veggie scrubber as well. Available about just about anywhere kitchen tools are sold, these bristly little brush will do wonders on carrots, daikon, and potatoes, getting the grime off and often eliminating the need to use a peeler. Though many folks say avoid washing items like strawberries and blueberries ahead of eating because they will spoil more quickly – I find that they are just fine if I dry everything first.

Do not put your produce back in your fridge wet. Take the time to let it sit out for an hour and dry out or take a dish towel and hand dry your items as best you can. Our berries are magically gone as soon as they are washed, trimmed, and put in the fridge. The alternative is that they sit and eventually spoil because everyone was too lazy to grab, wash, trim, and then eat them as they hurried out the door to start their day. Better yet, layer paper towels or a dish towel on the bottom of your crisper or containers before putting things into the fridge so that the small amount of dampness can continue to be absorbed.

This process that likely won’t take you more than an hour — will save you so much time and effort during your week you’ll want to kiss me. I used to detest making my girls’ lunches. Now, everything is prepped and washed, and putting together a salad take seconds…a seemingly simple carrot and celery stick snack actually is so simple, because I don’t have to drag the veggies to the sink, then peel them, then cut up. Even going to pick up the kids from school is now a breeze. I just grab a few pieces of fruit, cut them up and throw them into a large container. The kids can then pick and choose whatever they want in the car on the way home.

A couple of tips that I’ve learned a long the way — for fruit that has a thick peel, i.e. watermelon and pineapple, cut it into small triangles with the rind still attached to one side. So, instead of all the fruit going bad quickly – it seems to last a lot longer and stay fresher in lunch boxes. For bananas, just cut pieces with the skin intact. The kids can peel them at school or on the playground – it’s much better than cutting the whole thing up and expecting it to hold up to lunchtime.

Eng, in her article, recommends putting some music on and making this a fun process. I recommend that AND enlisting the help of your little ones. Aria loves using the veggie scrubber, and Neha feels so grown up if I let her use a knife (supervised of course) to trim the carrots or daikon. Both, whenever I have them help, tend to dig into the produce, munching away while ‘helping’.

Of course this process will take a tad longer than going it solo, but it gets your little ones thinking about and appreciating good food and the time and effort it takes to put their meals together. And who knows, it may just make you (the cook)…love, love, love to even make dinner.

I know I’ve almost been converted!

My mother tended to blur the lines of this ‘give up’ day and expand it to include ‘no junk food’ or ‘no tv’ – likely because in our house meat was rarely made and/or served. In my husband’s home, where it was more commonly made and eaten, this day of sacrifice was singularly devoted to paneer.  Early in the week, his father would trudge to the grocery store, purchase gallon after gallon of whole milk (which became skim over the years) for my mother-in-law to boil with lemon, yogurt, or buttermilk to form a cheesy layer on top. This layer was then skimmed, drained, and cubed into Tuesday’s mattar paneer, or spiced peas and paneer.

When I got married and moved to Chicago from Philadelphia, I was treated to this family delicacy every Tuesday. Although we lived downtown, my husband would eagerly set up our work schedules to include dinner at his parent’s west suburban home every Tuesday. And every Tuesday, it would be the same menu: Mattar Paneer with basmati rice on the side for me and roti for everyone else.

I must admit, it was pure heaven. I could never imagine duplicating the taste of that mattar paneer, nor for that matter the taste of my mother’s. Precisely why it took years for me to actually attempt making it at home myself. It didn’t help that the few times I tried, I failed miserably. Either the paneer just didn’t set properly, or the broth for the peas and cheese was either over spiced, too heavy on the tomatoes, or just not perfectly balanced like those that I’ve tasted before me.

But, I didn’t give up. I finally managed to get the elements just right. And, I even managed to Veganize it for my next book, Vegan Indian Cooking (Pre-Order your copy now). Now, mind you. My husband will NEVER eat mattar paneer with tofu, but coming from me – someone who loves tofu and tends to be allergic to dairy, the tofu swap out is well worth a try.

I can’t tell much of a difference – but also can’t blame my husband for spotting a ‘paneer’ fraud on the first bite after all the years eating it week after week. Hopefully the recipe below will satisfy both the Vegan and non-Vegan in you. And yes, you can make your own paneer - I teach folks how to do so through recipes in my books and classes, but that lesson will come in future blog updates. I think it’s worth a post all on its own.

Groceries you’ll need:
Oil (Grapeseed/Canola/Vegetable/Ghee), onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, green chile peppers (Thai or serrano),  tomato paste, cilantro, paneer (found at most grocery stores) or organic, extra-firm tofu, peas (fresh or frozen).

Spices you’ll need:  Cumin seeds, turmeric powder, cinnamon stick, black cardamom pod, garam masala, ground coriander, red chile powder or cayenne, coarse sea salt.

2 tablespoons oil
1 heaping teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 2-inch cinnamon stick
1 black cardamom pod
1 large yellow or red onion, peeled and minced
1 2-inch piece ginger root, peeled and grated or minced
6-8 cloves garlic, peeled and grated or minced
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2-4 green Thai, serrano, or cayenne chiles, stems removed, chopped
3 cups water, divided
1 heaping teaspoon garam masala
1 heaping teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon red chile powder or cayenne
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1 pound fresh or frozen peas (16-oz. bag)
1 14-oz. package of paneer cubed or extra-firm organic tofu (baked first)*
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

1. In a large, heavy pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and cardamom and cook until the seeds sizzle, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the onion and cook until browned, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the ginger root and garlic. Cook for another minute, stirring to avoid sticking.
5. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, chiles, 1 cup of water, garam masala, coriander, red chile powder, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
6. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and cardamom. Blend the mixture, either using an immersion blender or by transferring to a blender or food processor. (This step is not necessary, but it adds smoothness to your final dish.)
7. Add the peas, paneer or baked tofu cubes, and remaining 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes uncovered.
8. Garnish with the cilantro. Serve with roti, naan, white or brown basmati rice.

* Baking tofu makes all the difference when trying to sub it for paneer in an Indian curry. It’s very simple to do. You can even do a bunch at one time, cube it and store it in the fridge or freezer for use later. Simply take your tofu and slice it into 1/2-inch thick strips. Lay the strips out on an oiled or non-stick baking sheet and lightly spray the top with oil again. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, flipping in between. Cube it once you pull it out of the oven and allow it to cool. I have cooked the tofu for even longer and like the consistency even more. You be the judge.

I implore you to stop a moment and take pause. Over the last year, I’ve reached for an alternative that’s been the wake up call in my mom’s house for years, and has now become a go-to for my husband and myself – we’ve witnessed the effects first hand. It’s like a mini cleanse.

Hot water. Lemon. Turmeric. Sea Salt. Sucanat. Red Chile Powder (or cayenne).

In Ayurvedic Medicine warm, lukewarm, or hot water with lemon has long been touted as a body cleanser. Growing up in an Indian home, I was always told to drink more water with lemon. When you drink it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach it immediately revs up your digestive system and cleanses your body.

It works to also flush your liver and kidneys of toxins, which can lead to weight loss (I’m still working to see this benefit, but definitely see that it cleans me out – I know, I know TMI but I know your wondering. My ever-so-cynical husband has noticed such a difference when he drinks this concoction that he actually gets up to make it if I don’t.)

What’s fascinating to me, is that after years of growing up with this practice, I’m seeing it touted more and more in various health and fitness magazines. Back in January, Whole Living magazine mentioned the practice as a great way to flush out toxins, not to mention Yogi Cameron Alborzian in his book The Guru in You (I haven’t seen the book, but he was on an episode of Dr. Oz where he talked about the benefits of drinking hot water).

Now about that coffee. Though it has many great aspects – warm, delicious, comfort in a cup, keep in mind that it is extremely acidic and prone to agitating rather than soothing your stomach. It’s best to have coffee while you are eating something, rather than on an empty stomach.

I tried to quit coffee and did for 3 months, but missed the taste of it. So thought, heck, life’s too short. I’m back to drinking it, but I limit myself to only one cup a day – but just not first thing in the morning. And am filling the rest of my days with green or white teas – and feeling a heck of a lot better (and leaner) for it.

Now, for that concoction:

In a mug, add
juice of 1/2 lemon (freshly squeezed is best)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric (why not get its amazing healing properties wherever you can.)
pinch of red chile powder or cayenne (boosts metabolism)
pinch of coarse sea salt (or alternatively use Bragg Liquid Aminos) *
pinch of raw cane sugar like Sucanat (my mom insists a little raw sugar helps stimulate the brain – but you can decide.)

Add 1 – 1 1/2 cups boiling water and stir well.

Drink down like a tea. The turmeric will collect at the bottom, so I keep a stirring spoon handy. The combination of all the elements are hands down amazing if/when you have a cold or sore throat. As soon as I feel ‘that feeling’ start to come on, I’ll drink this concoction three times a day and am usually always on my way to feeling so much better.

ADDED bonus: Try adding another delicious and incredibly healthy element: Amla. An Indian gooseberry that grows on trees tart and greenish yellow, it can be purchased dried and unsalted/unsweetened from an Indian grocery store. Grind in a spice grinder and add a 1/2 teaspoon for an added boost of vitamin C and antioxidents. Amla is touted these days as THE new superfood with many benefits, including being the richest natural source of Vitamin C. I often skip grinding it and just add pieces dried to my hot water concoction and chew on the pieces after drinking down my lemon water.

* One nutritionist suggested subbing Bragg Liquid Aminos if you’re avoiding salt. It tastes a lot better than I’d imagined, so I keep it handy as an alternative.

Teaching classes. Traveling. Promoting my new Spice Tiffin in Williams-Sonoma stores around the country. Launching a new spice line. Driving the kids to and from school, piano, tae kwon do, and swimming. Doing laundry. Cooking. Making dinner. Reading, changing, and rereading the edits on my new book, Vegan Indian.

I often feel the futility, like drinking from a fire hydrant.

As I type, I’m (Sun. 02.26.12 9 p.m. pacific) I’m sitting at the airport in Seattle waiting for the red-eye back to Chicago. I land at 5:10 a.m .. head home..and start making lunches for the girls. The one time saver is that I’m traveling in my workout gear so I’ll head straight to the gym for bootcamp. (Now you know one of my secrets – sleep in your clothes as much as you can get away with it!:)

I won’t lie – it’s not easy keeping it all together in the midst of launching a new company and developing a new brand, but what helps is all of you. So, stay with this blog and I promise I will continue to update it with fun, exciting recipes and cool pictures.

For now, I want to share a recipe from my upcoming book, Vegan Indian. Those of you who know Indian cuisine intimately, you’ll know this as Baingan Bharta. For those of you that don’t, I call it Roasted Eggplant Dip.

Granted, in North India, we eat this roasted, blended and spiced eggplant with roti or rice, but in my cooking demos I’ve been serving it up as a quick eggplant dip with toasted pita chips. I refer to it as ‘an Indian version of Baba Ganoush’ and people actually get it. Like it. Love it. And ask for more. That’s what happened this weekend at the Williams-Sonoma in Bellevue, where I was signing copies of my current book. First, can I say what an honor it was to see copies sitting on the shelves of Williams-Sonoma?

Try making this eggplant dish or dip yourself and you’ll be absolutely amazed by how easy it is – especially if you keep my Spice Tiffin handy. Travis, the amazingly wonderful manager of the store in Bellevue (he took my cold call one weekday and immediately had me in to cook and demo), would love, love, love to sell you one, so stop in soon and pick one, two, or like me a dozen up for all your cuisine categories and spice needs. He and Dianna, their culinary director there can even help you with spices to fill your box. I personally have 2 boxes for Indian, a box for Italian, East Asian, baking, Oatmeal Toppings, Soup, Sundae Sprinkles, and even one for everyday Tabletop. Spice Rubs, Specialty Salts – the possibilities are endless.

If you purchase one of ours tins and email me, I’ll even send you the spice categories I’ve created for each cuisine. The plan is to eventually make clear labels for the box and inner containers but for now you can use the categories I’ve created to give you ideas on how to group your spices.

For now, here’s that eggplant recipe that not only makes perfect use of the spices in your box, but also gives you a fun, healthy, and alternative way to spice up eggplant. One thing to note – there is no curry powder here!

Roasted Eggplant Dip
Baingan Bharta, makes 5 cups

3 medium eggplants with skin (purple variety)
2 tablespoons oil (canola, vegetable, or grapeseed)
1 heaping teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 large yellow or red onion, peeled and diced (2 cups)
2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated or minced
8 cloves garlic, peeled and grated or minced
2 medium tomatoes, peeled (if possible) and diced (1 cup)
1 – 4 green Thai, serrano, or cayenne chiles, stems removed, chopped
1 teaspoon red chile powder or cayenne
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

1. Place oven rack in second-from-top setting. Preheat oven to broil. Place aluminum foil on a baking sheet to avoid a mess later.
2. Poke holes in eggplants to release steam and place on baking sheet. Cook them in oven for 30 minutes, turning over in between. You want the outside skin to be charred and the eggplants to look sunken when they are done. Take tray out of the oven and let eggplants cool for 15 minutes. Take a sharp knife and cut a slit lengthwise from one end of an eggplant to the other. Pull the eggplants open slightly. Carefully scoop the inside eggplant ‘meat’ and put into a bowl. Discard the skin, and make sure you pick out any skin that ends up in the bowl.
3. In a deep and heavy pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add cumin and cook until the seeds sizzle, about 30 seconds.
5. Add coriander, garam masala, and turmeric. Mix and cook another 30 seconds.
6. Add onion and brown for 2 minutes.
7.  Add ginger and garlic – cook for another 2 minutes.
8. Add tomatoes and chiles, cook for 3 minutes until the mixture softens and thickens.
9. Add the ‘meat’ from the roasted eggplant and cook for another 5 minutes, mixing occasionally to avoid sticking.
10. Add red chile and salt.
11. Blend this mixture together using an immersion blender or a traditional blender. Serve with toasted pita chips, rice, roti or naan.

Have fun with this one — spread it over toasted bread or spooned into a baked potato. Some folks even asked me to jar it and sell it to them. Hm…they got me thinking!

We’ve been served such amazing dishes – simple and scrumptious at the same time. Take the funniest dish so far – ‘egg in bed’ – which we were served every morning during our stay at a residential homestay in Thalassery (Tellicherry) in North Kerala.

I found out later this was simply a South Indian Appam, or thin rice flour pancake with an egg cracked into it and cooked just before serving. There was also the complex-flavored tamarind prawns, beet chutney, and spicy rassam. Simple dishes but delicious, wholesome, and oh so memorable. Easily duplicated only once you’ve actually seen them made.

The most fun on this trip was walking into the Executive Club of the Westin on our first morning in Mumbai and finding sambhar, idlee, coconut chutney, and tomato chutney on the food bar along with oatmeal, salmon, and toast. I made a beeline for the Indian eats and immediately had to ask for the recipe for tomato chutney – it was that good. I have tried making it before, and even have a recipe in my next book which I like a lot, but this had something special added to it, and I just had to know what. 

Chef Harvinder Matta immediately came to my table upon request and gave me his personal recipe. His trick, he says, is to temper the chutney twice.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
1 pinch turmeric
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated or chopped
1 – 2 green Thai chiles, chopped
1 teaspoon roasted split gram (chana dal) *
1/2 teaspoon red chile powder or cayenne
2 – 3 large tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
6-7 curry leaves
salt to taste

1. Heat the tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add asafoetida, turmeric, ginger, chiles, split gram, red chile, and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes completely soften.
3. Take pan off the burner and cool.
4. Grind tomato mixture in a blender until smooth and transfer to a bowl.
5. In a shallow pan, heat teaspoon of oil over medium-high heat.
6. Add mustard seeds and cook until the seeds pop and start to become aromatic. (You might need the lid of the pan to prevent the seeds from popping out.)
7. Add curry leaves and cook until slightly browned.
8. Add salt (1 teaspoon or so) and add this tempering to the blended tomato chutney. Serve with toast, as a side to a typical South Indian meal of sambhar and idlee, or with some rice with an Indian meal.
*Typically, in India you can purchase split gram pre-roasted. In the states that’s tougher to do. Just purchase it from an Indian grocer and dry roast it for about a minute or two yourself, being careful not to burn it.

The beauty of this chutney is that it has a double tempering (infusion of hot oil with spices), which I never thought to do, but is a mainstay for Chef Matta, who used to work in Newcastle in England as a chef at the Spice Cube restaurant. He says he loves being a chef because he ‘learns something new everyday’. It’s fun to meet someone so talented yet so humble. 

I always talk about eating healthy – making your own food at home – enjoying the process and not just the get – teaching your kids how to eat healthier and all I feel like is a fake. The last week as I geared up to land in Mumbai (Wed. evening) for a full-fledged food tour of Kerala, I was so packed with teaching classes and getting deadlines met that all I did was stress. And that stress made me want to eat. Not fresh salads and green smoothies like I normally espouse and consume, but pizza and Chinese take out.

Anyone that knows me knows that’s a very unusual me. But, I wanted to come clean with all of my readers. There are days and weeks when you’ll slide seemingly backwards. So maybe I’m not really a full-fledged fraud, but instead a more or less human like everyone else. Sure, my resolution is to lose 5 pounds, but maybe it will just take a few weeks longer.

For now, I’m happy to type this confession cuddled up in my King-sized bed in a room at the Mumbai Westin in hopes that my food adventure that starts tomorrow in Calicut, Kerala, will also spark some life back into my taste buds. I’m excited to explore new dishes and ways of cooking Indian foods, and meet some of the leading chefs in the area. Not sure if it will happen, but we’re also slated to go lobster fishing at night.

As you battle your own daily food demons know that you’re not alone. I’m right there with you. And realized that sometimes healthy eating is just a meal away. Snap out of the downward spiral and make a healthy salad for yourself. Spend a little time enjoying that dal with the spicy tarka (tempering) over a simple bowl of basmati rice, or a quick Rajmah in the slow cooker (page 74 of my book). Sometimes it just take one little meal to pull you out of the boring routine.

Though I’m traveling, I’m determined to cut a few pounds. Not by saying no to everything, but eating it in moderation. My team of two photogs is also trying to cut the calories and pounds. So at O’Hare, instead of getting two large paninis we ordered one portabella and split it. Instead of chips, I had a side of beans. It was perfect. So try my little idea of the self-imposed 50 percent diet. Eat half of what you would normally eat at any given meal (safe the rest for later) and you’ll see a big, big difference. Try to make a majority of your meals vegetarian – don’t fall back to meat just because that’s your safety zone. If you love meat, sure eat it, but make sure the dish is worth having meat in it. Gregg, who is traveling with me, had never had portabella mushroom (that’s a topic of another blog post), but he said he loved it. AND for someone who typically goes for the meat selection, that was a huge first step in trying to cut back a tiny bit.

I hope I’ll have some amazing recipes to share with you once I start this trip, along with some spectacular video and pictures. Stay tuned and as always Facebook me.

p.s. one thing i’m completely proud of..I went to Trader Joe’s on Monday and did NOT – after a long stare down – buy any dark chocolate-covered peanut butter cups. Though plenty of you have facebooked me to tell me you’re enjoying them on my behalf. I’m living vicariously through all of you!

I grew up eating mostly Indian food.  Even our spaghetti usually had a hint of cumin.

This means my weeks were 99 percent filled with vegetarian meals of lentils, curried vegetables, and homemade rotis (not naan as everyone now mistakenly thinks). Meat made for that one percent. We did eat dairy in the form of paneer and drank milk.

In grad school back in the mid 1990′s I started to get sick. My immune system was shot, my stomach would cramp up randomly, and I just felt listless. A naturopath suggested I eliminate dairy, meat, and seafood for 6 months.

The meat and seafood was easy but the dairy – as it is for many Indians – was tough.

I have never felt better.

I just replaced cows milk with soy milk and went back to eating all those beans and lentils I grew up on. I also started eating more tofu, which was easy because I lived in Hawaii at the time and had also learned to appreciate it while living in Japan.

I am not encouraging anyone to go to extremes that seem out of your norm. I’m just encouraging everyone to start thinking a little outside the box and realize that there’s a whole world of plant-based foods out there that are delicious, wholesome, and fulfilling. AND you are what you eat – even if we’re all trying to brainwash ourselves from believing it. More veggies, fibre, and anti-oxidents can only help, not to mention all the heart-healthy spices Indian food has to offer.

Try it for a meal, a day, a month, a lifetime. The choice is yours and yours alone.

I was on WGN helping my publisher promote a new book, Vegan 101. It’s a compilation of vegan recipes from various cookbook authors at Agate Publishing and a great way to get you started. It takes you through soups, salads, main courses, and even desserts. My mustard greens recipe is in there. The tofu curry recipe below is one from my upcoming book, Vegan Indian. Thought I’d post the recipes for all of you to enjoy.

Mustard Greens with Spinach (Sarson ka Saag)
5-quart slow cooker, cook 6 hours on high, 1 hour on low (total 7)

1 pound mustard greens, trimmed and washed (8 packed cups chopped)
1 pound spinach, trimmed and washed (4 packed cups chopped)
1 large yellow or red onion, peeled and roughly chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
10 – 15 cloves garlic, peeled
6 – 8 green Thai, serrano, or cayenne chiles, stems removed
1 tablespoon coriander powder
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
2 cups water
1 teaspoon garam masala

1. Put all ingredients except garam masala in your slow cooker.
2. Cook on high for 6 hours.
3. Add garam masala and turn slow cooker to low and cook another hour.
4. Serve with roti, naan, corn rotis, rice, or over vegan cornbread.

Tofu Curry
We’ve all heard of chicken curry, but tofu? I wanted to try it, but had a very suspicious test subject – my husband. He is a carnivore and loves paneer, so I knew he’d be a tough sell. I managed to get this one past him by baking the tofu first. That’s the key to a successful dish that may just get the carnivore in your life eating tofu too.

1 small red or yellow onion, peeled and cut into 4 pieces
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and trimmed
1 medium tomato, quartered
2 – 3 green Thai, serrano, or cayenne chile peppers, stem removed and chopped in half
1/2 cup plain, unsweetened soy yogurt (make sure it’s not sweetened)
1 heaping teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi), lightly crushed to release flavor
1 teaspoon red chile powder
2 tablespoons oil (I use grapeseed)
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (hing – optional)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 2-inch cinnamon stick
2 green cardamom pods (slightly crushed)
2 whole cloves
1/2 cup water
14 oz. extra firm, organic tofu, baked and cubed *
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

1. In a food processor, grind onion, ginger, garlic, tomato, and chiles until you have a smooth, slightly watery paste. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Add yogurt, salt, garam masala, fenugreek leaves, and red chile. Mix well.
3. In a deep, heavy pan,  heat oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add asafoetida, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. Heat for 30 seconds until the seeds sizzle.
5. Add yogurt mixture and water. Bring to a boil and then turn heat down and simmer for 3 – 5 minutes until mixture thickens slightly. This step is key. The spices need to cook and blend evenly.
6. Add tofu. Simmer for another 4 – 5 minutes. Remove whole spices, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately over a bed of brown or white basmati rice.

* For baked tofu, slice one 14 oz. package of organic, extra firm tofu into strips. Lay on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and spray lightly with oil. Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes on each side.

But, before we discuss that, let’s first talk process. Simply put, the method in which you do something – anything. For me, it’s the hours, sometimes days it takes to perfect a recipe. Or, the months it takes to write a book – nights of giving up socializing with the other school moms, or lost play dates for my kids. Or, the struggle to lose my last 10 pounds, which seem to be stuck to my middle and holding on with dear life.

I’ve realized that to attain any goal you have to go through a process. It can be a lengthy one. It can be a short one. But there are steps and it’s never easy.

Like when I used to surf in Hawaii. Sure, it’s fun to say you surf (and dress the part) – but paddling through the waves to get to the one you finally stand up on is the process. And, it typically takes about 90 percent of your surfing session. So to say you love surfing is one thing – but to say you love paddling through the whitewash to get that wave is likely more accurate.

In the last year as I’ve struggled to finish my second book, Vegan Indian, I’ve realized that if you don’t enjoy the entire process – you’ll never truly enjoy the get. My book will be published – it will be on Amazon, and we hope it will be the success that the first one was. But, I feel like I’ve already succeeded. I’ve become a better recipe tester. I’ve learned to be more efficient in the kitchen testing recipes. And, I’ve become an even better writer. Truth-be-told I’ve become a better dishwasher too, but that’s not part of the process I can say I’ll ever truly enjoy.

As we all head into the New Year keep this in mind as you make your New Year’s resolutions. Mine – like many of yours – is to lose weight and eat even healthier than I already do. But that’s not going to happen overnight.

Here’s what will happen:

I will stop eating when I am not hungry.

I will drink more water.

I will continue to work out with bootcamp three times a week, a swim once, and yoga in between.

I will eat more Vegan meals, and I will eat out less.

I will also stop buying Trader Joe’s dark chocolate covered peanut butter cups. Yes, they are delicious, but I’m starting to believe they might have a little conspiracy going against my gut.

Most importantly, I will eat homemade food – mostly Indian – 90 percent of my meals. Why? Because when I eat healthy, homestyle Indian, I find that I actually feel better, healthier and lose weight. It’s some of the best food on the planet – I know it because I grew up on this type of eating (99 percent vegetarian – no cream – little oil and heart healthy spices). And now, many of you know it from using my first book. (The emails I still receive daily prove it.)

So, as you set your goals for the New Year – don’t just think about the get. Think about the day-to-day struggle. Embrace it for what it is. Know that it will make you a stronger person. And know that you may fail your battle one day only to win the war later. And..remember we’re in this together!

Now onto Chana Masala.

In Hindi, Chana means chickpeas. Masala means a mixture of spices. Put it together and you have the name of the spices used to spice the dish with the same name. Confusing? Maybe. But, it all begins to make sense eventually. And, it’s all delicious so that’s all that matters anyway.

For my next book Vegan Indian (to be released June 2012) I have been determined to take a step back from boxed mixed spices and canned beans (don’t even get me started on why you should NOT be eating canned foods), showing you how to make things from scratch. So, the process for chana masala (the dish) will be a three-step approach but don’t worry, it’s worth it.

Chana Masala (the spice):Granted, you can purchase this mixed spice blend from an Indian grocer store or from this website for that matter (I launched indian as apple pie spices in 2011), but it’s fun to make your own. When purchasing pre-made blends, keep in mind that they do sometimes add salts and other additives – definite red flags in my household – and something I avoid in my blends. The key to chana masala the spice is that it uses dried wild pomegranate seeds and some black salt for its extra tang. For both  you’ll need to head to an Indian grocer.

1/4 cup cumin seeds
1/4 cup coriander seeds
1/4 cup dried pomegranate seeds (anardana)
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
10 whole cloves
2 black cardamom pods
4 green cardamom pods
3 3-inch cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorn
5 medium cassia leaves, broken into pieces (or bay leaves)
10 whole dried red chiles, broken into pieces
1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
2 tablespoons dried mango powder (amchur)
1 tablespoon dried, ground ginger
1 tablespoon black salt (kala namak)

1. In a shallow, heavy pan, dry roast all ingredients except the powders (mango powder, ground ginger, and black salt) over medium heat. Stay close, and keep shaking the pan to prevent the spices from burning. They will become reddish brown and aromatic when done. After about 4 minutes of roasting, transfer to a plate and cool for 15 minutes.
2. Once cool, put ingredients in a coffee grinder reserved for spices or the dry jug of a Vita Mix blender. Add mango powder, ginger, and black salt and process into a fine powder. Sift for a finer blend. Store in an airtight container for up to six months. * Cassia leaves are often mistakenly called Indian bay leaves. They come from a different tree and are actually unrelated, though the two can be used interchangeably. Cassia leaves are larger, more brittle, and have a muskier taste than European bay leaves and are found in most Indian grocer stores. 

Cooked, Plain White Chickpeas
Slow cooker: 3 1/2-quart, cooking time: 4 hours on high, Yield: 7 cups

I know it’s so easy to run out and grab a few cans of chickpeas. But, canned beans typically taste mushy and often include added salt and other additives (Not to mention the BPA issues lately). I tend to opt to cook beans and whole lentils in a slow cooker with just water, and then keep them up to a week in the refrigerator or up to three months in the freezer. They can be used on salads, added to soups, or used for quick stovetop Indian curries. The possibilities are truly endless and so much more nutritious.

3 cups whole, dried white chickpeas, cleaned and washed
5 cups water

1. Put chickpeas and water in the slow cooker.
2. Cook on high for 4 hours.
3. Rinse beans in a colander with cold water to stop the cooking process and drain any excess liquid.

To make in a five-quart slow cooker, double the ingredients and cook for four hours. A double recipe makes 14 cups. 

Chana Masala (the dish):
I love chana masala. It’s so easy to make, amazingly delicious, and with everything above prepped minutes away!

2 tablespoons oil (grapeseed, canola, vegetable)
1 heaping teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons chana masala
1 large yellow or red onion, peeled and diced (2 cups)
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated or minced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and grated or minced
2 medium tomatoes, diced (2 cups)
1 – 3 green Thai, serrano, or cayenne chiles, stems removed, chopped
1 teaspoon red chile or cayenne
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1 cup water
4 cups cooked chickpeas

1. In a deep, heavy pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add cumin, turmeric, and chana masala and cook until the seeds sizzle, about 30 seconds.
3. Add onion and cook until softened, another minute.
4. Add ginger and garlic, cook another minute.
5. Add tomatoes, chiles, red chile, salt, and water.
6. Bring to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes until all ingredients blend.
7. Add chickpeas and cook through. Serve over brown or white basmati rice or with roti or naan.

For all of you who are interested in starting the year off right with healthy, homestyle Indian, I’m offering a New Year’s special. Head to the ‘Spice Tiffin’ link on this page, and order one of my patent-pending Tiffins for your spices and I will send you the basic set of 6 Indian spices (cumin seeds, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chile, mustard seeds, and garam masala) on me. That’s actually a $40 value. Orders must be placed before January 17th – when I head to South India to start working on my cooking show! 

Good luck with all of your resolutions. Please post how you are doing – can’t wait to hear how you do!

Until one fateful summer day.

Our teacher handed out an unexpected math quiz. A one-page list of multiplication problems. We were instructed to go through the sheet as fast a possible and answer as many as we could. When the teacher called time, everyone put their pencils down with most of our sheets completed. I looked over to David. He was hunched over his paper, gripping his pencil tight and sweating. He was attempting to still put the final touches on his second line of sums. He only got that far because he’d spent so much time carefully crafting each numbered answer; looping his 2 carefully at the top, making sure that 5 had the perfect tail, and that his 3′s were to die for.

But none of that perfection mattered in the race to finish and in time. His inner perfectionist held him back from completing the task at hand and more than likely that day he took home his first failing grade.

As a writer and a mother and a wife and a chauffeur, line cook, nurse, and everything else I do in my day I want my time to curl my 5′s and loop my 2′s just so. It ‘aint happening. So if I’m waiting for the perfect time to sit down and write that perfect blog post – you the reader will never get it. And if I wait to find the perfect amount of 15 minutes to sit and reply to all my emails likely my in-box will be jammed with the 1,968 unanswered emails that sit there to this day. And if I wait to put those shoes at the door away because the rest of the house is a crazy mess, the crazy mess will just keep piling and piling and piling up.

For most things in your day-to-day good enough IS just that. Good enough. Not because that’s all you have to give, but because rather than doing it absolutely perfectly you just got it done. No. Better yet – you just got it started. And THAT my friends is true, realistic perfection.

To this day, I still wonder whatever happened to David – Mr. Perfect. I have one thing to say to him:

“Eat your heart out. I may not be perfect, but at least I’m getting it done!”

I love cooking Indian food because there’s never a need to be a perfectionist. Whenever I teach classes and give lectures, I emphasize that Indian food is incredibly forgiving. No worries if you add a little extra ginger…garam masala…or chilies. There’s always a way to offset it (maybe with a little more water or by adding lemon juice). Unlike other cuisines you don’t have to be precise with your chopping and cuts. The less precision, in fact, the tastier. That’s what delicious homestyle Indian is all about.

Here’s a salad that will help you get it done without jumping through hoops. It’s so incredibly simple, easy, nutritious, and incredibly kid friendly. Neha and Aria actually love this salad in their lunch boxes. You can give it to them as is or serve over a bed of rice. The nice thing is that the lentils hold up really well until lunchtime.

(Photo by Brave New Pictures for Anupy’s upcoming book on Vegan Indian Cooking)

Indian salads are so easy to make and so much fun to eat because they are delicious. Cilantro and spices provide flavor rather than oil, making these salads some of the healthiest around. You can use any cooked beans or lentils, but one of my kids’ favorites is brown whole lentils (masoor dal). Feel free to sub any veggies as well. I love grating anything and everything in from beets to carrots to chopped cooked potatoes or even celery.

4 cups cooked beans or lentils (see recipe below for slow cooked)
1 medium red onion, peeled and diced (1 cup)
1 medium tomato, diced (1 cup)
1 small cucumber, diced (1/2 cup)
1 medium daikon, peeled and grated (1 cup)
1 – 2 green Thai, serrano, or cayenne chilies, stems removed, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1 large lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black salt (kala namak)
1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
1/2 teaspoon red chile powder or cayenne
1 teaspoon fresh white turmeric, peeled and grated (optional)

1. Mix all ingredients together in a deep bowl. Serve immediately as a side salad, wrapped in a lettuce leaf or do as I do and serve with a side of warm brown basmati rice as a quick meal for the kids.
Note: It’s not easy to find fresh turmeric let alone white turmeric, but if you happen to come across it (it’s mostly found at Indian grocery stores), a little grated and sprinkled over the salad will provide an extra layer of taste as well as nutrition.

Making whole beans and lentils in your slow cooker is so easy it’s almost laughable that we go out and buy more expensive and less nutritious canned or frozen options. For the above recipe I used brown, whole Masoor Dal. That’s the lentil that when split and skinned looks salmon colored (though when you cook it turns yellow – go figure). You can find it at just about any grocer, Indian or otherwise. Just put 3 cups of the whole form of the lentil (cleaned and washed) into a 3 1/2 quart slow cooker. Add 5 cups water, cook on low for 3 hours. When finished, drain in a colander and use right away, put in fridge for up to 2 weeks and up to 3 months in the freezer.

I obliged and showed up at the Smithsonian wearing a black skirt, blue wool sweater, and heels. I waited patiently for the limo to pull up and the Congressman’s friend step out. He took one look at me – up, down, up again – and let out a whistle. My guard was up. A Smithsonian staffer gently said, “Mr. Gillespie, this is John Conyers’ aid.” All the stranger said was, “Woo Hee. That cat’s got good taste.” Everyone laughed. Including me.

It’s hard to stay mad at a personality like Dizzy Gillespie.

It was a year before he was to suddenly be taken away from us. (How were we to know?) And I had just written up legislation for him to be honored with the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor (it was never passed). I was there to meet him and John Hasse, the curator of the Jazz Department for the Smithsonian was there to show everyone around the Smithsonian’s acquisitions of various jazz greats including Duke Ellington.

What followed is a much longer story for another time, but one moment still sticks even after all these years. We were standing in an open area and people were starting to whisper all around us. Slowly, people started walking up to us, asking us slowly and meekly if it was indeed THE DIZ. He nodded and obliged with autographs. After the swarm slowed down, he turned to me, put one arm around my shoulders and whispered, “How do they know who I am?”

I stared silently for a moment – incredulous – thinking he was surely joking. Then I whispered in his ear with a slight smile, “Well, maybe because you have on a very colorful African-print jumpsuit with a name tag stitched on it that says, “Dizzy”. He laughed a huge, bellied laugh and gave me an even bigger hug.

That day I met a true celebrity. Someone who gives everything of himself not to become famous but to share with the world. Not to be recognized on every street corner but to be recognized for his notes. His cheeks and his songs. His vibe. His energy. And how it makes you feel when you hear those notes dance from his famous trumpet.

As I now navigate the world of food celebrity I am always brought back to that moment. There are the true heroes and celebrities who are on stage and TV to make a connection with the audience rather than a name for themselves. Chefs who just love taking questions, look you in the eye when they talk to you, the ones who talk to all the prep chefs in the back kitchen.  The ones who are as excited to meet you as you are them.

And then there are the others. Folks who loudly complain about the lack of equipment in a demo. The ones who criticize their sponsors for providing a stove that happened not to light that day of the demo. And other chefs who walk around with so much ‘support staff’ that even getting in a word in edgewise would require security clearance. Who are these people? And what has given them the right to be so inaccessible when their careers were determined by the very people who they are trying to now avoid? This past weekend I was disappointed to listen to a chef talk on stage into a microphone about Indian cuisine and another celebrity chef disparagingly. I won’t add to the negativity by naming names, but I have to say it was a huge learning lesson for me as everyone in the audience whispered their surprise at the omission.

Focus on the message. Forget the garbage. And love, love everyone. Dizzy did…

While he played..and played…and played.

That’s my new life motto. Every day, whether I am running on the track, driving to the grocery store, or putting the kids to bed I’m mentally chanting what is fast becoming my personal mantra. Harness my time. Don’t let it slip needlessly through my fingers.

It’s easy NOT to harness. Especially with kids I have no idea where my time goes. And I find myself angry, resentful, and frustrated that my to-do list awaits me while Aria throws one more temper tantrum about not wanting to brush her teeth in the morning. Even this blog post has taken me weeks to put out when it should have been days. WTF?

What I’m realizing is that I’ve been wasting too much time looking for something that’s no long at my disposal. I don’t have hours to sit down and focus on any one project any more. My life is increments of 15 minutes. And if I don’t take charge of those 15 minute moments then I’m doomed to a life filled with unachieved to-do lists and tasks.

My first move to clearly harness was last week before my bootcamp session. I get to the gym at 8:30 a.m. after dropping off the kids, and wait around for bootcamp to start an hour later. That’s one hour of work I could be doing. What I was doing was heading to the locker room and chatting … lounging … waiting. No longer. These are the moments that I am now arresting and using for this blog and writing. In just one extra hour a day and one week I’ve managed to put this blog post together and finally get it out. Often starting a task is all you need to do to finally cross it off that list.

I know it won’t work every time, but make it your mantra too. Stick that laundry basket in the kids room and fold a little here and there while the kids work on their homework. Chop those veggies and prep dinner in the few minutes before that run on a Saturday morning. Eliminate the excuses and start focussing on what you do have. The glass is half full and waiting to be filled again, and again and again…it may never be completely full but with kids that’s what you signed up for. So, do like I am trying – and start harnessing those increments of 15 minutes and see where it gets you! You just might be surprised!

Baked, Spiced Chickpeas: Lately, chickpea poppers have been all the rage on various food blogging sites. I learned about them two years ago from a fellow mom at school. Chasity told me how she would bake spiced chickpeas for her boys – call them poppers – and they would eat them up – the perfect kiddie finger food. I was immediately fascinated.

Being Indian-American I had hundreds of ways to cook chickpeas, but we always cooked them with a curried base or masala. I’d never thought about taking them cooked and then baking them with garam masala. How cool, I thought. And apparently so did my girls. The first time I made them, Neha and Aria not only ate them up but actually insisted that I put them in their lunch boxes the next day.

I loved that idea even more – I’m always looking for high protein, vegetarian options for their lunches. Look no further. Once you make these, you’ll not only make them again and again, but likely you’ll also take my tip to heart that many other food bloggers have yet to get: don’t use canned chickpeas if you can avoid them. Start with dry beans and cook them in the slow cooker (crock pot). They’re not only more delicious, they also hold their texture much better. And, I’d argue, they’re much more nutritious for you – less salt and more nutrients.

So, your first step is to pull out your slow cooker. I use a 3 1/2 quart Cuisinart with a built-in timer. I like to make my batches of beans in a smaller slow cooker so that I’m not overwhelmed and get through them rather quickly.

Dry Chickpeas

Sookha Kabhuli Channa

LOW COOKER SIZE: 3 1/2-QUART, COOKING TIME: 4 HOURS ON HIGH                         Yield: 8 cups

3 cups dried chickpeas, cleaned and washed                                                                                   5 cups water

Put chickpeas and water in slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours. Once finished, drain in colander. Whatever you don’t use immediately, store in the freezer, where it can last up to three months. In the refrigerator cooked beans will last up to a week. Folks, try making chickpeas this way and stop using needlessly expensive canned varieties. They not only have additives, they are also mushy in texture. You just can’t beat eating a bean cooked from dried. Though, I always do keep a few canned beans on hand just in case I’m in a pinch.

Now…onto the good stuff.

Chickpea Poppers Yield: 4 cups                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   4 cups cooked chickpeas (cook in slow cooker or use 2 12 oz. cans)                                           1 tablespoon masala (garam, chaat, chana, or sambhar)                                                               2 teaspoons coarse sea salt                                                                                                                 2 tablespoons oil                                                                                                                                 1 teaspoon red chile pepper, cayenne, or paprika                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Adjust oven rack to the highest level in the oven closest to the burner and preheat oven     to 425 degrees. Place sheet of aluminum foil in baking tray for easy clean up.

Drain the chickpeas in a large colander for about 15 minutes to get rid of as much               moisture as possible. If using canned, rinse first.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together gently and then pour onto a baking sheet.

Cook for 15 minutes. Take tray out of oven carefully, mix gently so that the chickpeas cook evenly, and cook another 10           minutes.

Cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with red chile powder if you’re daring. Paprika works            great too!

Try This! Make an easy chaat with these poppers. With one cup of cooked chickpeas, add chopped onion, tomato, cilantro, lemon juice and a pinch of kala namak. Top it off with tamarind chutney. Serve it all on individual lettuce leaves for a fun variation on a salad.

It has the power to induce disdain. Nose-wrinkling. Repeated diatribes – especially from hard-core carnivores. Oprah is a famous one that comes to mind. I’ve never seen someone recoil physically as much as she does even at the mere mention of eating the stuff. Then the audience laughs knowingly. Everyone nods in agreement, and a sacred pact between carnivores is again silently affirmed: nothing – especially not tofu – will threaten the ability of anyone to eat and enjoy their meat. In my mind I liken the reaction to NRA members discussing gun control and Republicans discussing Democrats – a give-them-an-inch-and-they’ll-railroad-us-completely mentality.

It’s a funny thing when these same people actually take the time to stop talking and start tasting tofu that’s prepared well and cooked perfectly. Their entire demeanor changes. I’m a practicing vegetarian – mostly vegan – married to someone who eats like I do at home but has to order meat when we go out. He and his like-minded friends also have to throw in a dig or two when I’m trying my dishes out with tofu versus the ‘normal’ ingredients. But, invariably, they’ll want to try my dish or concoction and often concede that my choice in food was as good if not better than theirs.

Largely, because it was prepped well. I’ve traveled the world and lived in Japan and Hawaii, where eating tofu – essentially made from soybeans – is a way of life. It comes in so many shapes, sizes, and varieties, it’s hard not to love it. In those countries it’s not sold as a ‘hippie meat substitute’ but as part of the cuisine, as a fantastic source of plant-based protein that is just one part of a usually varied diet that does still include a little meat and lots of veggies.

The key to a delicious tofu dish is to prepare it with spices or marinate it well. To all you carnivores out there, I hate to break it to you, but this is the same for meat. When have you been satisfied with a piece of chicken raw, uncooked and marinade free?

So, give tofu a break. Try it before judging it. My Masala Tofu Scramble should be enough to convince you!

I like to start with extra firm tofu for this one. Here’s what I found works really well:

My recipe is a take on the Masala Omelette that my mom made for us growing up and that is often served on the streets in India and made in many households – served alongside a stuffed Indian bread or Parantha.

Masala Tofu Scramble, Makes 2 cups

1 14 oz. package extra firm, organic tofu, crumbled
1/2 small white or red onion minced (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 inch ginger, peeled and grated (1 Tablespoon)
1- 2 green Thai, serrano, or cayenne chilies, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon red chile powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon kala namak (optional)
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1 tablespoon oil (canola/vegetable/coconut)

1. Crumble tofu with your hands, place in a colander set on a plate and allow to drain while you prep the remainder of your ingredients. With extra firm tofu there won’t be a lot of excess moisture, but every little bit helps.

2. Heat oil in heavy, flat pan over medium-high. Once hot, add cumin. After the seeds start to sizzle, add onion, ginger, green chilies, and turmeric. Continue to cook and brown for about 1 – 2 minutes, stirring to prevent mixing from sticking.

3. Add tofu and mix well to ensure the entire mixture turns yellow from the turmeric.

4. Add salt, kala namak (it will give you the egg-like smell and taste), and cilantro. Mix well. Serve with toast, a warm roti, or rolled in a wrap. The tastiest is eating this with a warm parantha.

Notes: Kala Namak can be found at any Indian grocery store. Kala means black and namak means salt. Mined from soft-stone quarries in central india, this salt is high in minerals and gives off a sulphureous smell and has a tangy tastes. Adding it to cold foods including street foods heightens flavor and give your snack foods more punch. Kala Namak is often used in Raita (savory yogurt) and on cold salads with lemon and white salt. The only mainstream store I’ve found it so far has been Treasure Island, but there it was incredibly expensive compared to the options at the Indian Grocer on Devon Ave. here in Chicago.

But, finding creative ways to get rid of all the food when you’re testing is often a bigger obstacle. Last year, writing a book on slow cooker Indian food had me swimming in dals, rajmah, and chicken curry. What to do?

After a few dishes went down the garbage disposal I turned to my community on Facebook and Twitter. Anyone that was interested could turn up on my doorstep with containers that I would fill with steaming and fragrant dishes. For free!

All they had to do was give me honest and balanced feedback on recipes. Feedback that proved invaluable. My buddy James took my mock keema and used it as a filler for his mushroom caps. That tip went into my book. My buddy Meg told me the spice levels were too low for her and her hubbie. It helped me up the spice levels on most dishes. And my friend Karen was just happy to eat anything and everything.

What came of the whole process was not only a place to send my food, but a way to develop more meaningful relationships with people that I might normally pass by with a quick nod or ‘hello’. My neighbor Karen and I are close to this day…James became a good friend to my girls…and I was offered everything from free babysitting to help with getting rid of a dead squirrel in the back of our house when my husband was traveling. The experience was priceless. Through the year I must have fed up to 300 Chicagoans.

Now that I am writing my next book, Vegan Indian, I want to resurrect the whole taste testing process. But, there are a few guidelines as my list of potential tasters grows.

1. I must know all tasters in some personal way. Whether it’s through a Facebook connection that I feel comfortable with..a phone conversation…or we’ve met in some way in the past. You’re coming to my home to pick up food so I just need to feel comfortable. If you’re testing for me, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t pass along my personal information without clearing it with me first. Sounds obvious, but you’ll have to live in Chicago to benefit!

2.  Please come prepared. You’ll need to bring your own containers. I only use glass in my home and if I start giving my containers often I don’t get them back in time and am scrambling to put food away after a day of testing.

3. Don’t feel that you need to stay. My favorite testers were those who picked up food, chatted for a few moments, and then left. Testing is a crazy, busy process!

4. If you want to come in…I don’t mind, but I hope you don’t mind taking off your shoes. We don’t wear shoes in our home. It’s cultural. We’re Indian-American and I’ve lived in Japan and Hawaii.

5. Review the food within a week on this blog – in the comment section of the most current post. Part of the testing process is to put information out on the blog. This helps with that process. If you don’t review the food in a timely manner, I just have to put you at the bottom of the tasting list. Sorry!:) You can also feel free to Tweet or Facebook about your experience.

6. Don’t feel you have to write a lengthy review. I just want some general feedback. An ideal comment would list the dish tested and some thoughts on how you liked it or ate it. Was there something you did differently with it? One friend used my mango chutney over rice as a quick, low-cal dessert.

7. If you have food allergies or a dislike of Indian Food…this is the not the project for you!:)

8. Food is Fresh: I only offer my taste testers food that’s been cooked either that day or day before. After that, I don’t offer it up to anyone except my family.

9. Have FUN. The point of this is to have fun and spread the word about good food, indian AS apple pie, and my upcoming book. I hope once you try all these recipes you’ll start to believe in the concept of the next book and share it with the people in your lives.

10. How do I sign up? Send me an email at anupysingla@indianasapplepie.com. It might take me a little time to get to you, but be patient and don’t worry. There’s a ton of food to be eaten!

OKAY…BACK TO COOKING. SEE YOU SOON!

It was off to the side under the kitchen window, along the house itself and purposely planted in a barren dirt patch.

This small spot of green would swell by the minute in the spring and summer – after, mind you, surviving the onslaught of winter. Nothing can kill mint. If you’ve ever grown the stuff, you know that it’s as aggressive as a weed and impossible to control.

That is, until I was sent by my mother to tackle it.

Armed with an oversized stainless steel bowl and a pair of kitchen shears, I was always instructed to enter the ‘mint zone’ just hours before any big weekend party. In those days (the 70s and 80s and before catering became a fad) mom cooked almost everything from scratch for our some 30 guests — Indian friends in the area that were even closer at times than the blood relatives thousands of miles away in India. It was a group  that took turns at the time throwing weekend get-togethers on a regular rotation.

I would carefully clip the stems to the bottom in bunches, throw them in the bowl, and strip each stem naked with fingers that turned green by the end of it. All the leaves would then be carefully washed and primed for a quick crush in the blender. Some lemon juice, onion, ginger, garlic, a green chile pepper, salt, and red chile powder was all it took to make a deeply fragrant mint chutney.

The word chutney, derived from Sanskrit, means so many things to so many people. It can be sweet. It can be savory. It depends on which region of Indian you are from and how you’ll be using it. It’s traditionally used as a garnish for a meal or as a condiment on sandwiches and crackers.  Our leftover mint chutney was slathered on bread along with butter for a chutney sandwich which the thought of,  to this day, still makes my mouth water.

Some chutneys are made completely from fresh ingredients, relying on a simple splash of lemon juice for acid. Others have you pour a light tempering of heated oil and spices over your fresh ingredients. And still others have you cook all ingredients together with sugar and vinegar to create a jelly-like result. Mango chutney is the best example of this last one. The possibilities, frankly, are endless.

This summer, after having access to fresh, local strawberries in my Irv and Shelly’s Fresh Picks shipment, I decided to give Strawberry Chutney a try. The result was an amazingly easy, delicious treat. I hope you’ll try it out yourself.

All your ingredients...

Strawberry Chutney Yield: 1 cup

1 pound strawberries, hulled and chopped (about 3 cups)                                                         2 tablespoons (30 mL) distilled white vinegar                                                                         1/3 cup light brown sugar (slightly more if you like it sweeter)                                               1 (1-inch) piece of ginger, peeled and grated                                                                             2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated                                                                                                   3 whole cloves                                                                                                                           1 green cardamom pod, lightly crushed                                                                                         1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick 1 pinch garam masala                                                                           1 pinch red chile powder or cayenne                                                                                               1 pinch salt

1. Put all ingredients except salt in heavy, deep pan on medium-high heat. Stir to ensure the sugar dissolves.

put everything in but the salt...

2. Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn the heat to medium and allow it to continue to simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

3. Add the salt, remove whole spices, and cool for about 20 minutes before serving. You  can refrigerate for about two weeks. Eat as a snack with crackers, use a dollop in your yogurt parfait, use as a filler for muffins and crepes, try it on pancakes and waffles…the possibilities are endless.

positively yummy!

Note: If the strawberries are the small, locally-grown variety, I like to keep them whole. But, if they are the conventionally store-bought size, I prefer to chop them up to make it easier to use the chutney as a spread.

Try This! Use the mixture as a spread with butter or Nutella on your favorite bread.

I was standing in the heart of Waikiki with my 9-foot long board leaning against my side. Vikram Seth – world famous Indian poet and novelist, and author of A Suitable Boy stood next to me dripping in his slightly too-long-to-be-cool orange shorts. As we waited for our ride – Kristin – to pull up her makeshift surf mobile – I asked him about process.

At the time, I was supposed to be writing my thesis on Japanese foreign investment in India. Instead, I was immersed in one of his most accomplished works.

I’d met Vikram over an extra glass of water (inside joke) at a conference and asked him if he wanted me to teach him how to surf. I never expected him to say yes.

He did.

In the week I got to briefly know him, I also became mildly obsessed with what I deem as one of his most creative and beautiful pieces of work, A Suitable Boy – 1,349 pages, and one of the longest novels ever published in a single volume in the English language. There was something about his poetry and how he weaved it into his writing that pulled me in. Truth-be-told I was less impressed with his surfing – but that’s a story for another blog post. 

As he stood there, he stared down at a funny little Hawaiian bird pecking away at a corner of the hot sidewalk contemplating life – his next book – meeting me? Who knew? I asked him how he found the creativity to write. How he managed to put so much into his work. His answer was focus. That’s all he was striving to do. He wasn’t planning marches, leading literary expeditions…organizing people to learn more about what he deemed important on any given day. Back in 1994 he certainly wasn’t on Facebook or Tweeting. He was writing books. He was traveling reading his works, and then he was getting back to his home and hopefully writing some more.

For someone like myself who lives on the constant edge of being creative, but also needing to lead – administrate/organize – rally friends around causes I think are important, this complete investment in one aspect of your art really struck me. The focus and dedication and lack of deviation was so impressive to me, a person who can always be swayed from my writing task at hand to do whatever else seems appealing at the moment – start up a random conversation with a stranger at a coffee shop or organize my sock drawer.

You can’t administrate to create is what I heard him saying.

So much of my last six months have been spent administrating. Traveling, publicizing, and pitching my first cookbook. I went from Baltimore to Manhattan, Minneapolis – Philadelphia – Indiana – Long Grove, Illinois for book signings, cooking events and on-camera appearances. I had a booth at the Chicago Housewares Show in March to showcase my new product, The Spice Tiffin (We sold it to Williams-Sonoma).

I taught classes at Whole Foods and Sur la Table. I taught for the City of Chicago’s cooking school, World Kitchen. I appeared at Printers Row Lit Fest and Chicago’s Family Fun Tent in Millennium Park. We’ve sold more copies of my book The Indian Slow Cooker than we ever expected – it’s still the No. 1 Indian cookbook on Amazon since its release last October despite the release of two other Indian cookbooks by acclaimed Indian chefs.

But. But. But. There was little time to write. To create. To type these words in between. Maybe some of this was a lack of self discipline. So much of it was life taking care of two little girls – having a husband who travels for work – and a household to run on top of all the other stuff.

Now, as I type at 3:33 in the morning on a Saturday I realize it’s my time to sit down and write. Create and give you recipes once again. Thank you to all of you for your patience. And thank you to Vikram for reminding me that you can’t be everything to everyone all the time. I’m still waiting for you to include me and a surfing scene in your next book. I was right there when you caught your first wave in Waikiki. I saw your mouth open wide and the look in your eye that only someone who successfully rides a wave in – however small – feels.

But, as I wait for your next piece of great, I will write. Cook. And write again. Because at the end of the day I’m only fulfilled if I’m creating with words and in the kitchen.

I hope you’ll stay tuned for my next blog post: Strawberry Chutney. In one word – utterly addictive. And, I hope you’ll write me on how your managing to successfully block out the noise as you continue to create in your own worlds.

Aloha.

Megan Pringle of WMAR-TV Baltimore interviews me about The Indian Slow Cooker this morning. Megan even tried her hand at spicing the chicken curry with The Spice Tiffin. From the taste testing afterwards — it looks like she got it just right!

I got to show Stacey Baca, anchor and reporter with the ABC news affiliate here in Chicago not only how easy it is to make lamb biryani in the slow cooker, but also how incredibly easy I’ve made it to throw your spices in with my Spice Tiffin. While I prepped and mixed, I let her measure and spice. The key to my biryani is mint leaves, cilantro, garam masala, turmeric and a few other key spices. Remember, if you don’t care for lamb, it’s incredibly easy to swap that out for chicken breast, turkey, paneer or even tofu. When I use paneer or tofu, however, I like to sautee the onions with some chopped tomatoes before putting into the slow cooker for added taste and moisture.

Stacey I know from early morning reporting. We used to be a handful of reporters out on the first story of the day – and I wondered if she’d remember me, as we never officially met. It was a competitive shift and we didn’t always sit and chat with one another even though our live trucks were all lined up together and usually on the same top story of the day. When she walked on set the first thing she said was, “I know you!”

I just remember watching her in action working a story at 4:30 a.m. I learned a lot from her, Kim Vatis (NBC) and Marcella Raymond (WGN). I was the new kid on the block working for a scrappy station with limited resources in the newsroom and out in the field. My background was business/international news and when I was thrust onto the local news scene I had to scramble to learn what questions to ask, who to go to for the best information, and which reporters would be helpful and which ones would just treat you like chewed gum on the bottom of their shoe.

It wasn’t an easy shift – but it was so much fun because you always had to be on and you never wanted to get scooped. I’m just glad I get to cook now instead of scramble for the best soundbite, the newest tidbit, and the latest video.

The lamb biryani is on page 120 of my book, The Indian Slow Cooker. If you’ve tried it and loved it, post some feedback!

The Spice Tiffin that I developed and designed myself (patent pending) is just about ready to hit the market. I thought the best place to debut it would be right here in Chicago at the annual International Home and Housewares Show and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing this weekend. Our booth will be in Gourmet – S2274. I’ll be signing books and cooking as well. There’s more to come, but I wanted all my blog readers to get the first look at my new take on the traditional Indian masala dabba.

Thanks for all of the initial feedback. I’ll have a link soon on just how you can purchase this box. It will be available through this blog at first. Sure, we’ve  been approached by all kinds of retailers – but I’d rather sell to all of you directly at first. Just be patient…another 2 weeks and we should have all the details up.

Thank you to everyone who has purchased a copy of my first book, The Indian Slow Cooker. It’s you who have helped it sell out consistently. And, it’s partially because of you that we are now heading into our fifth printing in about four months in the midst of fantastic press. While I continue to recipe test and write, I am also shooting a cooking show with a team of former co-workers in the news business who believe as much as I do that there needs to be an Indian cooking show out there that’s for the everyday person — just like us — struggling to get good food on the table quickly and effectively. I’m not exotic. I’m not gourmet. I’m certainly no goddess. I grew up in a blue-collar community outside of Philadelphia and just happened to have a foot in the States – with another foot in my country of birth, India. I want you to all realize that learning how to make wonderfully nutritious Indian food is incredibly simple. Adding simple Indian spices to your everyday foods will make them pop with flavor without too much fuss. If I can do it – you can do it. This video clip is part of a 30-minute show that we are editing in the hopes it will be picked up by a station one of these days. In the meantime – enjoy. This is my gift to all of you!

Recently, my book has gotten some great press. The February issue of Clean Eating magazine features The Indian Slow Cooker as part of their Book Club on page 26. Thank you to the editorial team there for recognizing that Indian cuisine is – at its core – incredibly healthy AND delicious. Many non-Indians are just realizing this, while many Indians and Indian-Americans, I argue, have actually forgotten as we’ve deviated from the cuisine we grew up on. It’s comfort food at its best, explained beautifully by New York-based journalist Lavina Melwani on her really fun blog lassiwithlavina.com, where she graciously reviewed my book. The Indian Slow Cooker continues to rank #1 Indian cookbook on Amazon and is listed in the triple digits in terms of ranking. In the Quick and Easy and Healthy categories it’s also one of the top. Amazing. Sure that might change, but I’m going to take a second to savor the moment with you.

Ahhh, with the moment of savoring out of the way, let’s head to questions:

Salt: Before cooking up my recipes, check out page 31 and my paragraph on white salt.  In all of my recipes I used Kosher or sea salt, which has crystals that are larger than the more-commonly found table salt. If you are using table salt, reduce the amount of salt in my recipes. So, if it calls for 2 tablespoons of salt, use 1 tablespoon or 1 1/2. Also remember that all of my measurements are LEVEL measurements except where I call for heaping. My recipes were written so that you can dole them over rice, sit down at the table and eat without sprinkling more spices or salt over them. This is how I eat at home..but that doesn’t mean I presume to know how you eat in yours. To be safe..always start with a little less salt you can add more later and tweak your recipes as needed. Some garam masala blends, I’m hearing, also come with added salt. When purchasing this spice take an extra look at the ingredient list and if it does include salt, adjust the recipes so that it works for you. If a recipe ever feels like it is heavy on the salt…just balance it out by adding a little more water and allowing it to boil, cook a bit more or by adding some milk, cream, or yogurt to lighten up the taste.

Cooking Times: One of the most frequent questions I get is about cooking times. For some, their food cooks faster than what I’ve indicated. Neither of us is right or wrong. There just simply is no gold standard in slow cookers. You should use my times as general guidelines and know you might end up going a little longer or shorter depending on the type of slow cooker and how old it is. I did have one user say that her beans did not soften after the appropriate amount of time. After some emails back and forth, I realized that likely it was because she has a slow cooker with only an on and off switch. To sucessfully cook raw beans you should have a high setting in order to really get them to soften and break down.

Can I Shorten Cooking Times?: You absolutely can, especially with the lentils and bean recipes. One way is to immerse them in water and soak them overnight. If you do this, discard the water the next day and reduce the amount of water used in your recipes by 2 – 3 cups. You’ll have to be the judge of how much you reduce the water. Just be sure to jot it down so you remember for the next time. Another little trick if you are short on time and don’t have time to soak your beans or lentils, is to use boiling water in your slow cooker. You can reduce the cooking time by a few hours with this little trick. Again, you’ll have to play with it to get it just right.

When I halve the recipe from a 5-quart to a 3 1/2-quart, what is the cooking time? The cooking time is the same. That’s why it was not changed or indicated in the subtext.

Can I substitute other beans and lentils in your recipes?: Sure, why not? I had one friend make the Rajmah recipe on Page 74 out of large, white beans instead of kidney beans. These recipes are simply guidlines and once you become more comfortable working inside the box, you’ll become a master at cooking outside the proverbial box.  

Why are there so many damn chickpea recipes in this book? I want more meat! Yes, there are some of you who have been alarmed that indeed there are so so so many lentil and bean recipes in this book. There are a variety of reasons for this. First…that’s what many South Asians on a regular day-to-day basis eat. Those dishes that are more familiar to some like chicken vindaloo…chicken tikka masala…butter chicken…are items that are found on most Indians menus outside of India. But, this book is familiarizing folks with homestyle Indian. It’s giving you a true window into one aspect of the Indian world. Indian food is one of the few cuisines that truly takes legumes to a whole new level. They are incredibly tasty made this way, and why not try and fit them into your diet if you can. With this book you now have a reason to want to do so.

Man this book is hot – and I don’t just mean how fast it’s selling: Yep. The dishes are spicy. They are meant to be. That’s how we eat this food in our homes. Now, my mother is from a home in India where food is less spicy. In my father’s village food is made spicy the way I’ve indicated in the book. I’ve eaten in some South Indian’s friends’  homes where I could not mange to eat the food it was that spicy. So, there are ranges. Again, I gave you a window into my world with my spice levels. But, you know your palatte. Don’t go there if you truly can’t handle heat. Work up to it. I’m not judging you. The point is that you should love the food. The food should be delicious to you. Keep in mind as well, that as the dishes sit, the immediate heat of the chili also subsides a bit. If you make a dish and it’s a little too much, just add a little milk, cream, or yogurt to it to balance it out. A good example would be to do this for my palak paneer (spinach and cheese) recipe.

Why is my chicken not RED?? Before you go and post a one-star review on Amazon as a result of this, I want you to note that in a normal world chicken is never red. That’s right, folks. Not even Indian chickens. You’ve only been brainwashed to think so (and I was the same until I started to cook myself) because the Tandoori paste in which chicken and other meats are marinated in most Indian restaurants is infused with good old basic red food dye. This chicken is often grilled and served dry. Or, it can be cut up and put into a chicken tikka masala sauce. The chicken tikka masala recipe in my book gets a little bit of redness from paprika. That’s it. And, the chicken curry dish on page 108 should be brown in color from the masalas that are added. If you are looking for red chicken curry in South East Asia – that’s likely a blend of Indian and SE Asian spices. Often that is served in countries like Malaysia and Thailand. If you want to eat healthier kick the red dye habit to the curb. It’s gross and it might even lead to negative behavioral issues in young children. It’s totally not worth it. And for the guy in Thailand that just can’t understand why he ended up with a greasy mess (ironically that’s after 1/4 cup of oil in a 5-quart slow cooker and three pounds of chicken), you are welcome to email me. I’d love to buy my book back from you. This was such a labor of love, I’d rather not have you even be bothered to keep the book a minute longer than you’d want to…My email? anupysingla@indianasapplepie.com.

I’m Indian…and the recipes in this book don’t seem authentic: This one I’m a little over the top on. If you are Indian than you realize the country and culture AND cuisine is so vast there is no authentic. I never claimed that this book represents an entire country. We stated in the beginning that it’s a Punjabi’s take on Indian food. Keep in mind, my husband and I both come from Punjabi families and we still have vastly different tastes in everything from rajmah to kardhi. So, don’t review this as ‘not authentic’. You might say it’s different from what you are used to if you’re from another state outside of Punjab..and if you want the recipes to taste closer to home then just make your modifications and notes right in the book. There are many Indian cookbooks out there that I use as a reference but have yet to find one that really rings true to the way I grew up eating – well, except for mine – because I was the one to write this one. I don’t criticize other Indian chefs or authors. I just love that they have a different way to speak the same culinary language. Why not mix it up — and as Indians why not all rejoice in the celebration of all of our points of views? Because there is no one way to cook Indian food.

Simplest of Simple Yellow Lentils (page 55): Cook this one 7 hours on low. I’ve also clarified that this is the moong dal: dried split, and skinned yellow moong dal.

Simple Spinach and Lentil Soup (page 56): Cook this one 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high. Same thing as above, this is moong dal.

Simple Split Chickpea Curry (page 65): Yes, folks. You are right. You SHOULD NOT use 33 cups of chana dal. It should be 3 cups, which can be figured out by taking a look at the 603 g measurement. Thank you to the folks who helped catch this typo early – we fixed it after the first print.

Chicken Tikka Masala (page 109): Kudos to the reader who realized that red chile pepper was listed twice – eliminate the first reference and use 1 tsp – 1 tablespoon. Thank you for pointing that out and I appreciate that it did not dissuade you from trying out the recipe and others in the book. Hugs!

Chicken Vindaloo (page 114): The correct cooking time is 7 hours on high.

Rice Pudding (page 127): The correct cooking time is 3 hours on high. Some folks have asked if you can make this one with brown rice. For some reason, using brown has not worked for me in the past, but if you have tried it sucessfully please, please add your comments and maybe we can include that as part of the recipe at a later time.

Where do you shop?  I am currently compiling a list of grocery stores and online vendors where folks can purchase spices and goods. Please share your favorite spots – names, addresses and even phone numbers if and when possible. These are places that you’ve tried and trust. I will try and put a post out soon with your findings. In the meantime, I want to let everyone know I’m on my way to offering my own spice blends, which will be available shortly. You’ll be able to purchase a starter kit of spices through this blog.

Again, thanks to all the rest of you. Please continue to check back as I will be adding to this post as the questions continue to filter in.

Don’t worry, this is still a blog about Indian food. But, homemade Indian is a way I’ll be reaching my weightloss goals…so I see the tie in. You all helped me finish my first book, so I’m hoping you’ll also help me with this.

Here’s how my second week into this project is coming along:

Day 1 (January 1, 2011): Woke up determined I would jump out of bed ready for a new year, but just wanted to sleep more. I actually slept 9 hours (what is wrong with me?) but still didn’t want to head to the gym and workout. BUT…I did. Three miles and 50 pushups later I feel great and very proud of the fact that I pushed past my initial resistence. Although I felt good, I was struggling after the initial 8 laps around the track. But, I thought of all of you reading this post and I determined to finish the next 4. What’s your goal today. Did you meet it? If not, when do  you plan to start? Get going, folks. If I can do this, so can you!

Day 2 (01/02/11): Woke up with a plan to swim and then just couldn’t stick to it. That’s fine – I think making a resolution is about taking it a day at a time, sometimes even minute-by-minute and dealing with things as best you can as they’re thrown at you. Today ended up being devoted to the kids and running errands. But, I’ve got to say. I feel really healthy. Just a tiny bit more in control and leaner. Today’s win was saying no to a muffin with my coffee (that’s our usual Sunday splurge). I was also pretty good with portion control through out the day: small bowl of oatmeal with flax and berries, 1/2 veggie bagel sandwich, bowl of soup with side of rice chips, and homemade pizza. I did OD on the pizza. But at least it was all healthy ingredients. Tomorrow will be an even better day. I’m determined. Oh, and I did go for the waterbottle consistently. How are you all doing?

Day 3 (01/03/11): Why is it that I always start the day on a good note but end it a failure? A friend heard this sentiment on Oprah’s network this week and I couldn’t agree with it more. So, today, I determined I would not feel like a failure. No late-night binges or splurges. I am determined to stay strong all day…and I did. The started strong with a 45-minute workout with Will and ended with a cup of warm, ginger-infused chai and a small piece of dark chocolate. Along the way? A banana with peanut butter, a bowl of kitchari (dal and rice), 2 small slices of homemade pizza, and a homemade burrito with my kids’ famous guac. Lots of water and not cheating with the pizza and onion rings the kids had for lunch. Now off to drink some water…

OKAY. I ADMIT IT. I FELL OFF THE WAGON A BIT. I got majorly sick (the last 2 times I’ve actually gotten the flu have been right after doing yoga at the gym…hmmmm). No working out for the last seven days for me. But tomorrow I’m back to it..and back to writing. Habits take at least 3 weeks to really cement, right folks?