Methi Pakoras for Chalks and Chopsticks

 
The Spice Box

If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, why on earth is my Aditi still single?

Aayi had asked the question a million times in the last 10 years and at least a dozen times this morning.. Not once did she see Aditi wince, which she did each time.

Aayi almost made her regret the deft magic she could spin in the kitchen. The kind that left people scraping the bottoms of serving dishes and licking their fingers at the end of each meal.

Aditi tuned off and turned to scrubbing away the small but thick and gooey mess left behind by the pakora batter that she had just finished putting together for this evening’s visitors.  The drops of besan, prettily specked with red chili powder and green methi, clung stubbornly to the black soapstone kitchen platform.

Another Sunday about to go down the drain, she thought silently, pulling the loose end of her sari around her waist to tuck it in and out of the way. Another day of cooking one dish after another to lure some stranger and his family.

They would praise the food, smile politely, ask her a couple of questions, and then take off never to be seen again. Weeks later they would send word through Nadkarni, the matchmaker, that the girl was okay but it wouldn’t work...she was too dark.

Or too short. Or too tall.

Someone had even turned her down because, they said, she looked too intelligent.

“You should never have gotten that master’s degree,” Aayi would say after each missive rejecting the daughter she adored. “Who’s going to marry you if you’re more educated than the groom is? You even make more money than most of these men do! They have their pride, you know.”

Aditi could think of a million things to say to that, but she swallowed them all. Arguing with Aayi usually ended with the older woman crying a bucket, and that was too much for Aditi to deal with right now. She still had to put together the rest of the meal.

These matchmaking events, usually so momentous for a young woman, had turned for Aditi into routines that arrived with certain and unwelcome regularity. They had started 10 years ago, right after she turned 21. Each episode began with Nadkarni bustling unctuously through the door, smiling ear to ear. Panting visibly like a dog with even her tongue hanging out a little, except there was nothing cute about the square, eager face. Oil would have seeped out from her hair and onto her forehead, and over it the heat would have formed perfectly round beads of perspiration

Stocking A Vegan Pantry: A Guest Post

I have for you today a guest post from Preeti Bhatt, the Zengirl, who blogs at Happy Heart and Mind about, in her own words, "finding simple harmony in life including health and food."

I have been ambushed with work these last few days, and unfortunately blogging has had to take a backseat. Preeti was kind enough to offer to tide me over by writing a post on stocking a vegan pantry. Since this is something I'd thought of doing in the past but never got around to, I jumped at her offer.

As Preeti points out, the list may not be a surprise to someone who is already vegan, but it can be a great resource to someone who, like Preeti, is a lacto-vegetarian trying to become vegan. It is also a great resource for just about anyone looking to create healthy and delicious meals.

For those who don't already know Preeti, she and her husband, Parag, gave up hectic jobs and lifestyles to embark on a simple life free of most material trappings, along with their two sons. Preeti's  life is a daily experiment in how living on less can make life richer and more meaningful.

This month she has been blogging about living on $300 for the whole month. I also enjoy reading her inspiring, recurring series like 10 Life Lessons I Wished I'd Learned Earlier and  101 Changes.

Here's her post. Enjoy!

Vegan Pantry Basics
 By Preeti the Zengirl

Having the right and basic ingredients in your pantry means you can cook a healthy meal, hopefully in a short time after you come home from a busy and tiring workday.

I am not an expert, I bet many of readers here will know more than me already. What I have is a willingness and eagerness to learn and love all vegan and vegetarian food and live and eat healthy within a limited budget.

Holy Cow! was one of the few blogs I started reading a few years ago, even before I knew what a blog was. I was searching for a vegan recipe and landed here and got hooked ever since. Even though I have not met Vaishali, I felt connected with her right away because she has a zest for life, compassion for all animals and the creativity to create beautiful and imaginative stories that go well with her yummy vegan recipes and even yummier images. I usually salivate as I read her articles and then rush in my kitchen to make something similar right away based on what I have in my pantry.

I must confess I am not 100 percent vegan yet-- I am a vegetarian who is almost a vegan. I still eat yogurt and occasionally cheese. For those of you who are vegan for a long time, this list may not have any surprises. I have created it for those who are at the beginning stage of becoming a vegan, like me. I hope regardless of where all of us are in life, you will find something useful in this post for healthy cooking.

Fat-free Spicy Black Bean Burgers

 
I haven’t had a chance to talk to you about Freddie or Lucy recently, and I wanted to post an update for those among you who have been wondering what’s up.

Lucy’s doing pretty great. She’s almost through her chemotherapy now, and will then go on a maintenance dose. Our experience, overall, has been much better than what we anticipated. Chemo for dogs is not as life-wracking as chemo for humans can be, because the doses are much smaller. This means side-effects are minimal-- in Lucy’s case she gets nauseous for a day or two, stays away from food, and then it’s back to getting into everyone else’s food bowl.

As for being three-legged, she does tire more easily than she used to because she is a big dog and there’s one less leg to support that weight. So long walks have to be punctuated by a few sitting-down breaks, but that works perfectly for her walking companion Opie who loves nothing more than to sit around and people-watch, thank you.

African Sweet Potato-Peanut Stew

 
I made this African sweet potato-peanut stew for dinner last night because I was craving something easy, nutritious and exotic.
The stew makes a complete meal, with some brown rice. And it is, honestly, to die for. Creamy, spicy and sweet all at once, it is chock-full with the goodness of chickpeas and all sorts of brilliant-red veggies.