With my family away doing different things, in different continents, I found myself at a loose end this past weekend. Luckily, a friend who was in the same situation came up with a plan and we decided on a weekend getaway in Newport, Rhode Island. Long known for its fancy mansions, sailing culture and of course seafood, Newport has been the perfect summer destination for the New York crowd for ages! Day 1 Just over a 2 hour drive away, we got to Newport right in time for lunch. We decided to have lunch at the poolside restaurant at our hotel, the Newport Harbor Island Resort. It was an ab ..read more

Here’s a step by step recipe for a quick weeknight Salmon Quinoa Bowl. It is healthy, high protein, low sodium, gluten free and chock full of flavor. Budget friendly too! The key is to start with the longer cooking elements (the quinoa pilaf) and take care of the rest in parallel – gets you dinner on the table in 30 minutes (or less!). So delicious and so very satisfying! There are 4 elements to this salmon quinoa bowl: Quinoa Pilaf Salmon Bites Sauteed Spinach Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce Ingredients Quinoa Pilaf 1 bag of frozen sliced onions and mixed bell peppers 1 bag of frozen roasted corn A ..read more

Ground meat recipes are a boon to the time-strapped cook! No need for marinating or long braising times! Every culture seems to embrace this idea and puts their own spin on a ground meat recipe! Keema originates in India and is a dish made of ground meat, onions, tomatoes, spices & herbs. Traditionally, keema calls for lamb or mutton but here I’ve used ground turkey. This recipe comes together in about 30 minutes, is high in protein and fiber, low in sodium and gluten free too! Not a meat eater? No problem. Try my vegetarian Masala Peas that skips the meat but has a similar flavor profile ..read more

As the weather cools and we start spending more time indoors, I am drawn to heavier, more hearty meals. Recently, I saw a post on anti-inflammatory foods to eat regularly and one of them was mushrooms. Now, I love mushrooms but not sure why its not a regular on my grocery list. To correct that, I decided to try a new Mushroom Bourguignon recipe. Here’s my low sodium, vegetarian version of the traditional French stew, Beef Bourguignon. What an absolutely lovely gloss on that stew! Ingredients Olive oil Assorted mushrooms (I used a total of 32 oz of assorted mushrooms) 1 white onion, diced 5 c ..read more

Theplas are a spiced, unleavened flatbread from the Indian state of Gujarat. They can be made with a multitude of flours. This article in Bon Appetit magazine by Hetal Vasavada gives you a more traditional recipe for Theplas. I tried some that my friend Veena Mahesh had made on our trip to Arizona. She used almond flour and flaxseed meal in equal portions for keto-friendly Theplas. My low sodium husband was all over it and so I decided to try it out with the addition of chickpea flour and sorghum flour as well. These turned out great! Ingredients 1/2 cup almond flour 1/2 cup ground flaxseed ..read more

Have you ever wondered why peas always seem to get cast in a supporting role and rarely get center stage? Well, I have a lovely dish for you to try that uses peas as the main ingredient. Masala Peas is as simple as it is nutritious and full of flavor. There are no other ingredients like Paneer, Potatoes, or Mushrooms that would delegate the peas to sidekick status. Rather, the peas remain the main event. And let me tell you, it’s delicious! First let’s talk about peas. We all have a bag of frozen peas in the freezer (whether you eat them or use them in lieu of ice packs for booboos!). If you ..read more

I love the combination of rice and chicken. It just works! This is a relatively easy one pot recipe for a chicken biryani that you can make at home. It only sounds daunting – if you follow the steps, it is actually quite straight forward! The history of biryani in India is very interesting and there are many many versions – some vegetarian like my Paneer Biryani and some non-vegetarian (the options vary by switching the protein, varying the spices, and also by cooking method). I have simplified this recipe and made it low sodium as well so we can all enjoy this classic and iconic dish! Ingred ..read more

As soon as the weather starts to cool right around in September, I get a craving for warm desserts – especially crumbles that can be topped with cream or simple vanilla ice cream. There is nothing better! Here’s my take on a Mixed Berry Crumble. The key is, of course, the crunchy topping but when it is also gluten free, I call that a win! This is a very forgiving recipe – play around with the fruit choices, the amounts of sugar etc. As long as you have a nice even proportion of fruit to crumble, you are good. If it turns out a bit tart (especially when you go stingy on the sugar), you can alwa ..read more

When you have exhausted every possible way to use the best tomatoes of the summer, along comes another must-try recipe – Stuffed Tomatoes! This is an old favorite courtesy of my friend Anju Gupta who shared this delicious treat with me circa 1994. I must confess it has been a while since I made this but I am so glad I dug into my old recipe book! This recipe is tried and true – the most delicious combination of tomatoes and cheese with all the warm Indian spices to complement the sweetness from the tomatoes. So good! This is a wonderful side dish to impress your guests but works just as well w ..read more

This past weekend, my friend Srinivas Alladi made an awesome Shakshuka for a bunch of us in the Poconos. I was so inspired, I had to try out an easy, low sodium version of this iconic North African/Middle Eastern dish. At the most basic level, it is simply eggs poached in a spicy, tangy, tomato based sauce. Here is my attempt at making this as flavorful as possible while limiting the sodium. This one is a winner! Ingredients A quarter of a red onion, finely chopped Assorted colorful bell peppers, diced 2 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped Handful of corn 4 tbsp No Salt Added Salsa (Love the Tr ..read more