Baby button mushrooms in fresh coconut gravy

A simple experiment which yielded very refreshing yet complex flavors. We called this our south indian and thai plate in one :) 

The story : This week's shopping landed me with loads of fresh dessicated coconut, some of which i used for my coconut chutney.The site of still more coconut (phew!) ,coaxed me to randomly enquire for ideas from a friend. She generously shared her recipe with me. Here's how i recreated the same in my kitchen. 

Vegetarian Gumbo and Black bean quesadilla with minty sour cream

This winter we went on a road trip from Dallas to New mexico-- the land of hanging 'ristras',which is mexican for bunch of long red chillies. And incidentally yesterday,i  sited these Egyptian red chilies- pictured above ,in a hypermarket here and.. bang! did life flashback? indeed it did :)

The fiery red looked so pretty that i cudnt muster myself to cut chop the chilies just yet..still oogling them , totally chilli-struck!  lol. But the memories that flashbacked gave me a reason enough to recreate what we had at this mom and pop store in downtown Santa Fe- Bean quesadilla with piping hot vegetarian gumbo. It was perfect to soothe us on that cold snowy night then.

So here's how i recreated the entrees for the two of us last night.

Eggless chocolate mousse

I am ecstatic today ! This recipe has empowered me in a strange way as i am the one keeping tabs on my dessert police.. my husband now. lol. The culprit is captured and the proof of his crime is what u see above:) 

What's with men not liking sweets , may be liking but how on earth not overindulging ;)  Mini mousse is what i made when we invited some work friends home recently. Made it again today and we clinked clanked our way to a satiated and a happy weekend.

Columbus would have celebrated his discovery of America sometime in retrospect and but I celebrated mine right here right  now.. on discovering another guilty sweet tooth beside me ;)  Still intoxicated with the flavors , here's the recipe to the luscious little chocolate devil.

Words are few - Mumbai meri jaan..

Watermelon balsamic skewers

Its a balmy weather by the gulf today. And i wished not to drink a glassful nor eat a plateful , just when this new idea fitted well. Take a look.

Vividly remembering the day when we first stepped in this city, and how i was mesmerized by the beauty and colors of the gulf in front of our hotel suite! Waking up one morning to get immersed into this beautiful view of water again, i was humming some lines to myself and surprised i was, for they rhymed :)  and thus i became a one day poet as my husband puts it now. Let me share those lines with you- amateurish certainly. but here it goes:

                                  This Persian gulf and its varied hues, from black velvet to royal blues.

                                  The sun  howling through the day, the gulf growling in emerald grey.

                                  The coral whites shinning bright, telling a story for the sky to site.

I was taken by the beauty not just literally but more on a deeper level which u may have learned in the lines above. The sun by this side of the world is so scorching that anything living would get light headed outside if  not cautious.. and its this irony between us (the living) and the nature around  that struck me then! For as the sun was turning into a ball of fire with the day, the gulf was gleaming brighter and much more brighter as if adapting its colors to suit the sun. The battle if i call it or an inner instinct to survive, the gulf always outshined the overbearing sun ,usually by deep noon. And in my mind i learned --change is best embraced when adapted to accordingly, becoming my first lesson for our move beside these new shores :)

Well today taking the same red from the sun and emerald from the sea, i have a very quick very enticing appetiser/ palate neutralizer for you. The idea for my no-not-so-much-a-recipe germinated from a beautiful picture which i saw on - The cool hunter( via facebook )