Broccoli Paratha

Broccoli Paratha

There are generic parathas and then there is this paratha - Broccoli Paratha! This is totally a fusion dish. I mean, in India, people have just begun using broccoli since the last few years..at-least the people I know, including me. In fact I first time used broccoli when I moved to US two years ago. I like the taste of it. So far I had only used it in pastas, soups and salads. You can check them here - Pink Spaghetti, Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup and Sesame flavored grilled tofu & veggies.

Fusion Gravy

Fusion Gravy

This is really a fusion dish. I mean, it has something from every cuisine. The black beans which are widely used in American foods, the hummus which is Mediterranean, pasta sauce from Italy and Indian spices! This is one of my creations and I am very satisfied with the result.

Paruppu Usili Curry

Paruppu Usili Curry

This curry is made in just 1 tbsp of oil! There are a couple of processes involved in making this curry. This can be eaten along with sambhar or rasam rice. It is a combination of green vegetables and lentils making it rich in protein and carbs. This is also a popular dish from South India. It is also served in weddings due to its popularity. It is a very simple dish but very tasty.
I made this curry today along with Paruppu Rasam. It is a good combination. Try it and let me know.

Paruppu Rasam

Paruppu Rasam

Rasam and South Indians go hand in hand, well we literally have our hands in them! ;)
For those who do not know what Rasam is, it's made with lentils and spices. It is thinner than soup and is had with rice and any curry. It is tangy to taste. For us it is our "Chicken Soup for the soul". We have it when we are sick too, because its nutritious, rich in protein and easy to digest. It tastes best when hot and is very easy to make.

Carrot and Beetroot Hummus

Carrot and Beetroot Hummus

The more I have it, the more I love hummus. This Mediterranean dish is an absolute favorite in our house. Over time, I realized that I can play around with its flavors by mixing it up with different ingredients. Just the other day I made Hummus from Almond Pulp and it was yum. I had Almond pulp as leftover from making Organic Almond Milk, Since then I have been wanting to try other flavors in hummus.

Personalized Wedding Invite

Personalized Wedding Invite

Weddings are fun! The hard-work that goes into making it a success is even more fun. There is lot of hustle bustle behind the scenes. The couple is busy planning many things. It is very easy to get flustered or overwhelmed. Today, times have changed.

Gift a Painting

Gift a Painting

Paintings are a very important aspect in home decor. They talk about the owners personality, add a new dimension to your house and make it even more beautiful. Paintings also make a great housewarming gift or a perfect way to take it along when visiting someone's house for the first time.

Valentines Day Gift for your Spouse

Valentines Day Gift for your Spouse

We all love this day don't we! There are many gifts available in the market but nothing beats gifting something homemade for your loved ones. Since its made with love it makes the gift more personal and special. I made this gift box for my husband. I didn't want to fill it up with stuff, but keep it selective. There are just 3 items in the box. The box is covered in red paper. The lid is personalized. I have also made a moving heart greeting card along with it. On the inner side of the lid, I wrote him a poem.
The box is compact, oozes love and is a feel good gift!

52 Reasons why I Love You - A new year gift for your Spouse

52 Reasons why I Love You - A new year gift for your Spouse

It was new year's eve. I wanted to gift my husband something special to mark the beginning of the new year. Since we have 52 weeks in a year, I wanted to make something correlating to that. So I came up with an idea to make a customized and personalized jar letting him know why I love him. I have 52 reasons to back it up with.

Toddler Birthday Gift

Toddler Birthday Gift

Anaya is a bright, fun loving and cute little toddler. She is my friend's daughter and it was her 3rd Birthday. I wanted to gift her something fun. I made this goody bag for her. Got her a reusable goody basket. She stores her toys in them today!

House Warming Gift

House Warming Gift

One of my friend's sister recently moved from India to They are a family of three with a young toddler. While talking to my friend, she told me that she wanted to do something special for her but couldn't come up with anything. That is when an idea struck me, I offered to make her a house warming gift.

Gift for a New Born

Gift for a New Born

Our friends recently had a baby boy - Ayaan. He is adorable. He looked so small and serene. I am sure his parents see the other side of him ;) 

Actually his birth marked the occasion of me starting Laksh Creations. I intend to make personalized gifts for all occasions. I cater to orders across USA with a small shipping fee. This was the first gift I made under this start up. So it is extremely special to me. 

Cheese Corn Toast

Cheese Corn Toast

It was the end of the week, my groceries were well used this week and by end of it I only had some potatoes and frozen corn in my fridge. So I knew had to make something using these 2 as my core ingredients. I have made Supremely spicy Mushroom Toast and Hummus flavored Chickpea Toast before.

Oats and Flax Seed Idli

Oats and Flax Seed Idli

I am a South Indian, I have lost count on how many Idlis I would have had in my life. However I still crave for more and more. Guess it's now in my blood! Idlis are like staple food for us. We have it for breakfast, meals, when we sick, in weddings, when travelling long distance or just as a snack. We can have them anytime. They are mainly made of rice and dal. However over the years there have been many variations to this. We have added vegetable paste to make it colorful, tried to make it using brown rice instead of white and even used different flours to get similar results. Have you checked my Pink Idli recipe yet - Beetroot stained Idlis? However the cooking process remains the same. They are still steamed and enjoyed hot on the plate. They digest easily and they are just yum.

Carrots and Peanuts Chutney

Carrots and Peanuts Chutney

My MIL came to my rescue today. I planned to make Oats and Flax Seed Idli today. However just my luck, I ran out of cilantro and coconut to make the chutney to go with it. While talking to my MIL, I shared my dilemma with her. She asked me what I had in my fridge to which I replied, "Oh, just some carrots left!" Her response was, "That is it then, why don't you make carrot chutney instead." Really, carrot chutney! I had never heard of them before. It sounded strange but then she got me thinking.

Tofu cooked with Sesame Seeds and Peanuts

Tofu cooked with Sesame Seeds and Peanuts

If you need to cook up a meal within fifteen minutes than this can be your go to recipe. Its super quick and super easy to make. Just toss them all together and your happy meal is ready. The peanuts and sesame seeds add the right amount of flavor to this dish and make it aromatic. This is also a no onion no garlic recipe. For those who don't prefer tofu can substitute it with paneer or potatoes. I have made stir fry before using tofu. You can check them here - Eggplant and Tofu Stir Fry in Hoisin Sauce and Sesame flavored grilled tofu and veggies .
This  tofu was lying in my freezer for sometime now. It's strips of marinated tofu. I had planned to add it in salads but never landed up using it.

Green Peas and Sweet Corn Soup

Green Peas and Sweet Corn Soup

Continuing with my of soup saga, I made one more! You must have read my other soup recipes here - Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup , Edamame and Spinach Soup and Tomato and Red Pepper Soup. This time I tried another green soup. I always like to combine two or more veggies together to get more flavors and nutrition out of the soups. Adding garlic and herbs also help enhance the taste.

Instant Jalebi

Instant Jalebi

Yippee!! This is my 100th POST on my blog and I am excited. I have to take this moment to thank my family and friends who have stood by me, supported me and encouraged me to do more. The common question I hear from anyone is, "So what did you cook today?" My family and close friends get to see the picture of my latest dish even before it gets on the blog or social media, thanks to Whats app. My MIL tells me that she loves to browse through the pictures I send on the family group. It really feels very overwhelming to get so much love from all. THANK YOU!

Chick Pea Shundal

Chick Pea Shundal

This is a South Indian treat from my kitchen. It is specially made during the Navratri festive season in our households. Shundal as its popularly known, can be made using different legumes and lentils. It is served as an offering to the goddess and then distributed amongst the devotees.

Poricha Kootu (Vegetable and Lentils gravy)

Poricha Kootu (Vegetable and Lentils Gravy)

Everyone has a go to comfort food. I personally believe that we associate it with a childhood memory, something your mom or grand mom made, the specific aroma it generated or the flavor of their hands. It may not necessarily be an exotic dish, but just a regular meal. The memory associated with that particular dish makes it your comfort food.
Kootu is a very traditional South Indian dish. It is made with veggies and lentils and has a semi solid consistency. If you have ever had a friend from south or been to any wedding of theirs, you would have surely tasted this dish. Yes it is the same one! It is healthy as its made with veggies, its boiled and oil is only used for tempering. Only drawback is that it is to be enjoyed with regular steamed rice.

Vegetable Frankie

Vegetable Frankie

If you have ever lived in or even been to Bombay, India you will food stalls selling Frankies at every corner. However the best ones are mainly found around colleges or in Ghatkopar Khau galli. Having lived away from home for a couple of years now, I have realized how much we take these things for granted. I would just step out of my house and there would be food vendors selling all kinds of dishes on the go. Outside railway stations, offices, schools and colleges, it was all on your face. Here, sadly you miss street food so much that now I feel we took them for granted back home. After all we are known for our super tasty street food! I have attempted few of them in my blog. You can find them here - Ragda Pattice Vada Pav Potato Capsicum Grill Sandwich Mysore Masala Dosa Sukha Bhel and Pav Bhaji

Gulab Jamun Pops

Gulab Jamun Pops

Gulab Jamuns have a deep connection with me. Not just they taste good, it brings back very fond memories of my childhood. My mom will make this dish on nearly every happy occasion. Me and my brother would eagerly wait for them to be ready so that we could gorge on them. My brother would not even wait for the gulab jamuns to be soaked well in the sugar syrup.. :)

Spiked Plums & StrawberriesJuice - The Ultimate Refresher Drink!

Spiked Plums & Strawberries Juice - The Ultimate Refresher Drink!

OK, do not judge me, This is the first time I ever tasted Plums! Yes, It is true. Since childhood I have not been naturally attracted to eating any fruits despite being coaxed, forced and threatened to eat it. Sigh, I pity my parents sometimes. How much they tried to feed me fruits with no success!

However today times have changed. Finally I have realized the importance of fruits and now I try and incorporate them in my daily intake in some form or the other. I am still little..OK..very picky about the fruits I eat, but still there is some progress that I made here. I somehow prefer to make fresh juice at home or enjoy an occasional fruity Popsicle. Thankfully they are yummy and turn out in bright colors which keeps me tempted. Check out these recipes here  Sunrise to Sunset drink , Rose flavored Blueberry Popsicle , Watermelon Margarita Slush , Watermelon Popsicle

Healthy Pink Spaghetti loaded with Veggies

Healthy Pink Noodles with Veggies

Don't we all just love the color Pink!!! It's a gorgeous color after all. As a child too, I couldn't resist this color. I wanted everything to be pink. In fact I even dreamt of having Pink noodles someday. Finally I fulfilled my childhood wish and made these super healthy pink Spaghetti loaded with veggies.