Cheese Plate 2.0

July 28, 2013 karishma

Ahh I love cheese. So much that if I was stranded on an island and I could only have one thing, it would be cheese. Sharp Cheddar is my all time favorite but Gouda and Brie are runner ups.

Remember my first cheese plate creation? Well, on this cheese plate 2.0, I did something different. Since figs made an appearance for the season, I wanted to incorporate them into a dish. So I sliced the gorgeous figs, put them in a small baking dish and baked for about 5-10 minutes at 350º F (until the figs were soft). For easy clean-up, I placed sliced Brie on parchment paper and then carefully place the warm figs on the cheese and drizzled honey. The warm figs softened the Brie just enough without melting it. I served the figs & cheese with whole wheat toasts and French baguette slices. I also added some almonds, dark chocolate and of course, red grapes to the plate.

Banana-Walnut-Chocolate Chip Muffins

July 24, 2013 karishma

I had these two overly ripe bananas sitting there staring at me. These sad looking bananas didn't deserve to be in the trash so I immediately decided to make banana bread. Then I realized that I didn't have enough of these deathly looking bananas to make a loaf of banana bread, so I decided to cut the portions in half and made muffins instead. I used my previous Banana Bread recipe and just added chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.

Stuffed Mushrooms

July 11, 2013 karishma

For some reason it seems as if all vegetarians are automatically required to like mushrooms because that is the considered "meat" for vegetarians. Unlike most vegetarians, hubby and I never liked mushrooms. The thought of them being fungi has turned us away from trying them. However, everything changed for me when we were invited to our friend, Priti's parents' house for dinner a few weeks ago. Priti's adorable mom made stuffed mushrooms that looked and smelled scrumptious so I decided to give it a try. They were FANTASTIC! They were cheesy with a hint of spice. I had to dive in for seconds! This was quite adventurous of me so I had to stop and pinch myself to make sure this wasn't a dream. :) And of course, I got her recipe and made it myself.

Basil-Walnut Pesto

June 12, 2013 karishma

Here's an easy peasy pesto recipe.

Quinoa Pilaf

June 12, 2013 karishma

Quinoa, my new found love, a great alternative to carb-loaded rice. I've been cooking a lot with quinoa lately (also, remember this salad?), I even eat Indian food with quinoa. It is a good source of protein for vegetarians and it is loaded with fiber, which is always good. Quinoa picks up the flavor of whatever you add to it so you can be creative with the spices and herbs you use.