Appetizer

MIXTURE/CHIVDA- Savoury Spicy Indian Granola

August 23, 2017 By Asha Shivakumar

Mixture/Chivda. A perfect tea time treat: chivda, savory granola. It’s a sweet and spicy treat made with puffed wheat, flattened rice, cornflakes, nuts, and all sorts of goodness.

It’s no secret that I love celebrations. Celebrations of all kinds.

August arrives, bringing along a long festive season for Indians. We have something every month until January. This one might be the biggest of all, and a religious one. It’s Ganesha Festival/Ganesha Chathurthi. A festival to celebrate the Elephant God….

Paneer-Bhaingan Bhurji /Eggplant Cheese spread Bruschetta

June 14, 2017 By Asha Shivakumar

An easy appetizer to sip with some wine. Eggplant with Paneer scramble aka Paneer-bhaingan bhurji is so good topped on a lightly buttered and toasted french bread. The perfect summer pick me up. Thanks to Revol cookware for sponsoring this post.

Right now, I am over the moon thrilled and thankful to all of you for reading my previous post about my book announcement. It has been one of the most read posts in the last many months and that shows how supportive you are. Thank you!! I will fill in more details very soon. For now, sharing one of the dishes I enjoy making for company or just for the family with some rotis.

Indians have a love affair with paneer. Before we were introduced to mozzerella, parm or all the variety of cheese that’s available now, we knew only paneer in India. It’s often compared to ricotta or halloumi. We use it in curries, grill it and even deep fry it. I often find myself scooping just one more nibble of chewy, milky-tasting paneer from the dish long after I’m officially full. It’s that delicious….

Roasted Garlic and Onion Relish in pickling spices/Bruschetta

April 19, 2017 By Asha Shivakumar

It’s National Garlic Month! Here, the Gilroy Garlic Fest is considered the Ultimate Summer Food Fair. So today, I have Roasted Garlic and Onion Relish. It goes great with pretty much everything. Top it on bruschetta like I did here, or add it on burgers as a relish, or even top it on a broccoli and pea soup to bring it all together. It’s a relish you will be eating in spoonfuls.

Happy mid week!!

Fun Fact. Did you know that Gilroy, California is known as the garlic capital of the world? It is, although China is said to be the biggest producer of garlic.

Gilroy, a short drive away from where we live hosts the biggest festivals that the little town sees every year. It’s in the midst of the scorching hot summer. It’s the Coachella for garlic lovers. There’s even Miss Gilroy Garlic and her court, ensuring a garlicky good time.

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Curried Crisp Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate and Peanuts- South Indian Style

November 17, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

The Autumn of 1996, cold and lonely.

I could not step out without the loud chatters of my teeth and my numerous layers of clothing. I was cooped inside for those three months, and do remember, I live in beautiful California, where the temperatures are pretty perfect.

I remember the beautifully decked malls, and the grocery shops filled with ingredients I hadn’t seen or tried or heard of. A new world, new friends, a new life. I never really understood the sitcoms. I continually complained about Seinfeld being dry humor.

My best friend (my only friend then) and I enjoyed our funny moments together. Our apartment was ten minutes away from the grocery store, so we would walk to it. Those trips were always quite interesting. We would go with the intention of getting only one bag and come back walking with two in each hand, weighing a ton.…

Butter Bean Walnut Hummus and Broccoli-Spinach Butter Bean Pasta

October 3, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

Life is Perfectly Imperfect.

The last three weeks have been blurry, chaotic, rushed, and imperfect in a way. My car is messy, it looks like my garage has been hit by a mini torpedo, and my carpet, in a few places, looks muddy. While folding laundry, I noticed my teen’s pants have rips…. I had to be careful that my little human boy has not been bitten in his private area ;). I am more jittery, forgetful and haven’t got the time to spend a cozy huggy time with my human boys.

WE GOT A PUPPY. Waffles. He is a doll, a sweet sweet baby who turns rowdy for just a few minutes a day.

Yes, my laundry doesn’t get done fast enough. My to-do list has been growing a little bit too fast, nothing gets ticked off. As I drive off to a meeting, I have puppy hair on my pants. My hair smells like Waffles, our home suddenly smells like a puppy.

I haven’t had anyone cling to my feet in 10 yrs. All I do now is send pictures of Waffles shake hands, behave and just his cutest little pointy ears to everyone who shows the merest interest. I’m like this crazy mamma.

As crazy as life sounds and looks right now, isn’t it what it is all about?! Life is a learning process. Sometimes, small simple struggles are exactly what we need in our life. I had a period when everything was calm, and life was always quiet and peaceful. Now, I appreciate the peace and silence, even if it’s for an hour a day. When we have it all, we don’t miss it. Why do we only miss something when it’s taken away?

I like my chaos. I love my Waffles, the energy and endless kisses and love he gives us. I like that my boys feel responsible for someone. I feel COMPLETE.

Loving life in all it’s imperfections is the best. Don’t you agree?

This pasta, in a way, is what I call my accidental recipe gone good. A bit of this, a touch of that, and some cheese, and it’s perfect in all it’s hotchpotch mess.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Butter Bean Walnut Hummus and Broccoli-Spinach Butter Bean Pasta

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

35 mins

Author: Ash

Recipe type: Appetizer Lunch

Cuisine: American, Middle Eastern

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

For the Hummus

2 16 oz cans butter beans rinsed and drained or 1 cup dried beans soaked in water overnight
6 cloves of garlic
¼ cup walnuts
1 tsp red chili flakes
3 tbsp lemon juice
½ lemon zest
2 tbsp chopped cilantro(optional) or parsley
1 tsp toasted and crushed cumin
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp of freshly cracked pepper
1 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp water

For the pasta

1 tbsp oil
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 head of broccoli chopped to small 1 inch size
1 cup of chickpeas/garbanzo cooked(use canned or cooked)
1 cup packed spinach finely chopped
½ cup of the hummus
½ cup pasta water
4 cups cooked wheat/semolina fusili pasta
Pepper jack cheese to top the pasta with or flavored hard cheese

Instructions

For the Hummus

If you are using dry beans, soak it in water overnight. Cook with 4 cups of water with NO SALT. After about 15 minutes, check if it is cooked. Then add some salt, let it sit in the salted water for few minutes and drain. This way you will ensure that the beans are lightly salted and it does not get tough or rubbery. Cool before making hummus.
If you are using canned, it's very easy, just drain and rinse well before using.
Add everything for the hummus in a food processor except for the water and whip and grind it under a coarse paste is formed. If you want add a few tablespoons of water to make it slighly thinner. The thicker consistency is great for dips with crackers or bread sticks.

For the Pasta.

Cook the pasta for 8-10 minutes in salted water or until al dente. Drain it, keep some pasta water aside.
In a saute pan, add a tbsp of olive oil, let it get hot and add the fennel seeds and let it splutter. Add the chopped broccoli and salt it, saute and cook for a minute. Then add the chickpeas and the spinach and saute until the spinach wilts. Add the hummus and add hot pasta water to water it down and mix well. Add the cooked pasta, mix through and turn off the heat.
Add the cheese and serve immediately.

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Butter Bean Walnut Hummus and Broccoli-Spinach Butter Bean Pasta |foodfashionparty|

Spicy Baked Cauliflower Fritter(pakoda) TACO with Mango Sauce and Red cabbage Slaw(Vegan)

May 17, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

The love of food the four of us shares is quite intense.

We all love to try different things, quite tough critics, and we might enjoy one more than the other. We enjoy a good hearty Lamb chop meal as much as we enjoy a loaded salad with some dressing.

Trying to balance out the carnivore loving boys with a lighter fare which suits our taste is a challenge I take on happily and love. I try not to fall into the routine of recipes and when variety is there, it makes it so much more fun.

This was one such thing.

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Garlicky Spicy Egg Fry – Egg Masala Bruschetta

April 26, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

There are some dishes we make when there’s nothing in the refrigerator. There are some dishes we make when you have no time at all. There are some dishes we make that are purely comfort food and remind you of home. This dish is all of those things for me………

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Red Rice Sweet Paniyaarm/fritters stuffed with Coconut and Palm Sugar

March 22, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

It’s that time again for Indians to slap colors on each other. A festival which brings people together, a festival of camaraderie and jollity. Holi – the festival of COLORS.

India does have a lot of festivals, and the whole country turns into a colorful atmosphere. Among these festivals, some are religious, some are based on seasons, and some are of national importance. I consider this festival in particular to be a more free spirited, joyous occasion for the young and old and everyone in between. It’s a festival where people forget anger, sadness and join in for a day of fun, food and become kids at heart.

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Lentil-Radish Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing (Guest Post)

March 17, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

Lentil-Radish Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing |foodfashionparty|Guest post by @boxofspice

With the rain and winds, the Bay Area is filled with pollen too. The only way I can communicate now, without messing my vocal chords completely, is to whisper. For some reason the husky and sexy voice(as someone called it) doesn’t seem to suit me and I’ve had a few people feel bad, laugh and make fun of me all at the same time :). It’s one of the worst sore throats I have ever had, and I refuse to go to the doctor. Trying to have green tea with honey, fresh turmeric and everything to soothe my poor little throat. I am so very thankful and grateful to Rakhee from boxofspice to fill my space today with one of her impressive salads.

As Rakhee puts it, we’ve known each other for the longest. I fell in love with her gorgeous photography and this post in particular Chaat Salad, and now we are great friends and I am in love with her personality too. She’s all ears when I want to and makes me feel like a million bucks (what more can anyone ask). Her artistic eye for dreamy and moody photography requires a standing ovation and her salads all belong in a magazine. Without further ado… Here’s Rakhee. Take it away my dear…..

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Taro/Arbi Spicy Stir Fry

March 3, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

She comes home and finds an empty container, which, only a couple of hours ago, had the very best tangy-spicy, oily, fried taro.

A year is a long time to be away when you’ve stayed with someone for 21 years. A trip to India after I came to US was an in-explainable feeling, and an exciting one. There were a lot of things I wanted to enjoy, first being the food. All the things I was overwhelmed to cook or plain didn’t know how to cook were the things I asked mom to make. Sometimes we just have a mind block, don’t you think? You believe it’s hard to cook something, just because. This was one of those things….