Dear Readers,

I hope that you are all having a lovely day. I had a pretty intense conversation with my middle daughter this weekend. She told me that a girl in her class told her that she (Esha) would be much prettier if she was White. I was a bit taken aback and had to take a minute to process. Before I could ask her how she felt, she followed with: “But, I wasn’t upset about it because I know she is wrong, I am beautiful just the way I am.” Wow, this kid. But, she then said, “but I used to think that she was right, especially when I was only one of two girls with darker skin in my class. But I don’t feel that way now.” We did some more reflecting and realized that with the move to her new school, which is a bit more diverse than her old (also really wonderful) school, she had a pretty big shift in perspective. And that gave her the confidence to feel much more comfortable in her own skin.

I was really proud of her insight and her courage. But, this situation did also show me how this bias can be so insidious. It reminded me that I need to continue to always build up my girls – and not only because they are brown. I believe that as mothers with daughters, we are always combatting someone judging them based on their looks – whether that is skin color, height, the fact that they wear glasses, the clothes that they wear, etc. Adiche, a Nigerian writer, has a beautiful way of thinking about this issue – the Danger of the Single Story. She did a TED talk on this that I think is really wonderful – we watched it as a family some time ago. It is about what happens when complex human beings and situations are reduced to a single narrative. I think that this is a perspective that we need to continue to encourage in our children: they are not “just” brown or girls or short or a million other things, they are full, multi-dimensional human beings. And I hope from this, they will continue to always build on their confidence and self-worth.

Watch the TED talk here if you are interested: https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story

So, overall, I think that conversation was a “win” for Esha.

The “lose” that I am referring to, is the attempt at making Caramel Tapioca Pudding. I will share some of the beautiful pics below – but will spare you the recipe, since it did not taste anywhere near as good as it looked. And, my husband said that it looked like poo in the pics. Stay tuned for another “real dessert” recipe – the girls have been complaining that there is only “real food” on here!

Love to you all,

Pooja

Happy Tuesday everyone! Today is another beautiful sunny day – much needed after all of the rain. The East Coast is not as lucky as us – right now they are being pummeled by winter storm Stella.

The warm weather prompted me to look at this link and I saw some lovely things. The dresses inspired my daydreaming about vacation….

http://www.marieclaire.com/fashion/news/g4502/best-summer-dresses-2017/?src=nl&mag=mar&list=nl_mhb_news&date=031417

Along with this weather comes a heap of summer squash. Every time that I get a bunch of it (from our local CSA – Imperfect Produce – if you haven’t checked it out, seriously, you need to! Saves the produce that farmers would not typically be able to sell so prevent food waste. And, I get my organic fruits and veggies at much less than the farmer’s market price)…I make this dish.

This is basically an Indian, vegetarian, meatball and gravy dish. I serve it over basmati rice. The kids love it – and they don’t typically eat zucchini squash in other forms. It does take a bit of prep, but it’s worth it in the end, I promise!

Zucchini Kofta

Ingredients: 

4-5 medium summer squash (green or yellow will work)

1-2 1/2 cups chickpea flour

Tomatoes (2-3 fresh, or one can of tomatoes)

1 clove garlic

1 medium onion

Ginger powder (or fresh if desired)

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp cumin

Salt, to taste

Cream or milk (plant milk also ok) – if desired for the gravy

2 cups water

Oil – for shallow frying

Instructions: 

1. Prepare the zucchini balls first: grate the zucchini using a box grater. Squeeze out excess moisture with cheesecloth if desired. Add salt to taste (approx 3/4 teaspoon), cumin, and chickpea flour. Incorporate well using your hands – the mixture should be able to hold shape into patties – add more of the flour until the desired consistency in achieved. I didn’t squeeze out the extra moisture, so I needed about 3 cups of the flour.

2. Heat oil about 1 inch deep in a frying pan and, once hot, place the patties into the oil. Let them cook until golden, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Flip, and cook through on the other side.

3. Place on paper towels on a cookie sheet to drain the excess oil.

4. Now, make your gravy. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium sized pot. When hot, add chopped garlic, chopped ginger (if using) or ginger powder. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Add the onion and cook until translucent, 3-5 minutes, constantly stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn. Then add the tomatoes (chopped) or the sauce. Cook until the oil starts to separate out from the mixture, 7-10 minutes. Add additional oil as needed to prevent sticking.

5. Once the oil starts to separate, turn off the heat and blend the mixture to form a smooth past – add water as needed. You can do this using a bullet or a hand blender or a food processor. Put the paste back into the pot, add the garam masala, turmeric and 2 cups water and mix well.

6. Simmer on low for 10 minutes to incorporate all of the flavors. Add a splash or cream or milk, if desired.

7. Turn off the heat and place the balls into the gravy, let soak for minimum 30 minutes before serving.

8. Enjoy!

Love,

Pooja

Hello Dear Readers, I hope that you are having a good start to your week. The last few days have been anxiety-provoking as the powers-that-be continue to remain silent about all of the hate that has arisen in the last few months. I saw this video last night and it gave me hope, I encourage you to watch it if you need a dose of that right now too: http://valariekaur.com/2017/01/6348/

On a sweeter note, I made this crisp the other day because it is getting to the end of the winter fruit season and I am getting tired of eating apples and pears. I can’t wait for peaches and nectarines and berries! The nice thing about this crisp is that it is gluten free, comes together quickly and it can be made with whatever you have on hand: apples, pears, or a mix of both. I eat this in the morning for breakfast with a dollop of greek yogurt, but it can be enjoyed as a snack or dessert with ice cream too.

End of Winter Crisp

Ingredients:

4-6 pears or apples, cored and chopped into bite size pieces

2-3 Tablespoons sugar (to taste)

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon corn starch

1 and 1/2 cups oats

1 cup almond meal

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 Teaspoons salt

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tablespoons butter

Instructions:

Thank you for visiting – until the next time we meet!

Love,

Pooja