Look back at 2013 and New Year Wishes :)

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Wishing you all a very Happy, Healthy and Joyous 2014. Hope your year is filled with good times with family, friends and near and dear ones, lots of laughter and lots of success :) Can you believe 2013 is already coming to an end. It seems to me every year flies at a rapid clip, but this year seems to have come and gone in a blink of an eye and the sense of disbelief I feel that the year is coming to an end is quite indescribable. As with each year, as I look forward to new things/plans for the year, it is also a good time to look back and take stock of the highlights and events of the past year.

From the perspective of the blog, this has been a pretty good year for  Veginspirations.  The site has had some interesting firsts it this year.  For the first time a recipe from this site got featured in a magazine. This quick veggie oats upma got featured in Shape magazines Vegetable breakfasts that are not omelets.  Then this site also got featured in the top 30 blogs of 2013 in Rediff.com. I cannot express how honored and touched I feel, both these events have been really motivating and gratifying. This year has also been the first time that I have begun to add a few video clips on some of my older posts and newer posts to explain techniques a tad bit better, and have begun to include stepwise pictures more often. 

For 2014 I have a lot if things planned for this site, and am hoping I am able to execute all of these plans.
Every post that makes it into this space has a special place in my heart, but there are a few that either are or  become somewhat extra special. Here are a few of my favorite posts from 2013 ............

Carrot coconut rice

An easy,  flavorful rice with an unusual combination of carrots and coconut. A perfect one dish meal :)

Sprouted white peas misal pav

From the western region of India, this simple and humble combination of cooked beans with some rustic Indian bread has been one of my favorites since the first time I tried it:) 

Bread Besan Toast

A vegan savory French toast that is both kid friendly and adult friendly too. A perfect snack for those "don't know what to make now" moments or even as a weekend breakfast :) 













Instant buckwheat dosa

Buckwheat dosa/ Savory Indian crepe is made with minimal ingredients, yet is wholesome, gluten free and delicious :)











Carrot chutney

Easy versatile chutney that can be used as a side for various items, or as a dip or even in a sandwich :)

Punjabi Aloo Gobi

This simple, yet classic combination of potatoes and cauliflower never gets boring. 

Coffee frozen yogurt

One of my rare forays into trying something with coffee, even though tea is my preferred beverage of choice. But this experiment made me want to try many more frozen treats with coffee :)







 Avocado brownies

You would never guess these decadent, egg free brownies have something as healthy as avocados in them :) 

Mung ladoo

A super easy Indian dessert made with Mung bean lentil/ mung dhal/ pasi parappu. This one takes so little time and effort to make, but the results are so gratifying :)

Palak chana dhal

Spinach and collard greens combine with split chick pea lentil in this healthy, low fat and delicious dhal. Perfect with plain steamed rice or with any Indian flat bread.

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A look back at 2012 with a few of my personal faves....

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Is it that time of the year already ? Where does the time go ? Every year I experience this odd sense of disbelief that the year is already coming to a close. It seems like yesterday we were eagerly awaiting the start to 2012, making plans and resolutions for the year and already it is time to bid goodbye to it.Did this year feel kind of odd to you too? It definitely did to me, especially the month of December. It felt like every other day we heard all kinds of strange things, everything from doomsday theories to pronouncements of some big event happening just because Dec was the last time we would see a sequential date this century(12/12/12)

On a personal front this has been a somewhat of a mixed bag kind of year. Not all of the year has been smooth sailing, but I have much to be grateful for and I am thankful for every good thing in our life :) It was also a year when I wasn't able to blog as much as I have in the previous years, a lot of personal stuff and traveling contributed to my posts appearing only about once a week at times.  But I have plans to change that in 2013 and hope to blog much more often and have been planning a lot of fun stuff for this space next year.

In the meanwhile, here is a look back at some of my personal favorites that I blogged about this year. If you feel that there are a disproportionate number of sweets and desserts in this list please do not blame me, blame my sweet tooth :) It ensures that sweets are always well represented in any list that include the words  "favorites" and "food". So moving on, here are a few of my faves from 2012.........

Click on the title or the picture to take you to the post

Quinoa Cashew Payasam




Instant low fats oats paniyaram




















Avocado Flax Roti / Indian Flat Bread



Sambar without tamarind version 2.0 

 


Low fat Black Bean Brownies



Vegan Bell Pepper Curry / Korma

Quinoa tur dhal dosai / Savory Indian Crepes




Mughlai style Medley curry 



Slow cooker Carrot Cashew Kheer/ Payasam/ Indian Pudding



Vegan Chewy Orange Oatmeal Cookies 



Mixed nuts burfi 

 

This post is off to the Best of Year 2012 event being hosted by Srivalli

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A look back at 2011 with a few personal faves :-)

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It is amazing how quickly 2011 has flown by, it seemed like yesterday when the year started and we were discussing resolutions and  plans for the year and here we are, already staring at the end of the year.The end of the year also means its that time of the year when we look back and reflect and review the year that went by.......I thought it would be nice to look back at 2011 with a few of my favorite posts/ recipes that made it into this space :-)

Click on each title to go that post for the recipe

Curried Mung Bean and Barley Soup
As in any meal , I would like to begin with soup. This hearty Curried mung bean and barley soup continues to rank among my all time favorite soups. This simple and nutritious soup can double as a curry if required and is hearty enough for a light meal with some bread on the side.

Thai Inspired Pasta 

Thrown together on an impulse just because I felt like having something with Thai flavors rather than Italian, this pasta was a very pleasant surprise even for me when I first made it, now of course it has become one of my favorites and  features frequently in my kitchen:-)

Methi Thepla Spiced Flatbread 
Thepla (Spiced Indian flatbread) is a convenient handy dandy item to have on hand when traveling. It tastes good on its own, does not require refrigeration for a few days and beats some of the unhealthy food choices that one encounters when traveling.


 

Sundried Tomato Chutney
This sundried tomato chutney/dip that I tried on a whim has now become my favorite way to use sundried tomatoes.






Tandoori Paneer Pizza
I am always intrigued by fusion of two completely different styles of cuisine. No wonder I was enthralled by a paneer pizza I tasted when I visited India. In a bid to recapture and recreate that taste, I ended up making this pizza that has become a family favorite now. Of course my version is a little healthier because of this Oat wheat pizza base and this homemade tandoori sauce :-)

 

Instant Savory Wheat Dosai (savory Indian crepes)
Usually the instant dosais that I make have a mix of two to three flours, so I was pleasantly surprised when my sister in law Anu introduced me to this dosai that used only wheat flour as its main ingredient. Now whenever I am in a hurry and dosai is on the menu this one comes to mind since it is the least fussy and simplest of recipes :-)

Microwave Crunchy Mung Bean Snack with no oil
Snacks are my weakness and I tend to snack a lot at times. It figures then that I always try to keep some healthy snacks on hand, this one fits the bill beautifully. Its quick and easy to make and has absolutely no oil, just some lentil protein in a crunchy form to enjoy with movies or television.:-)

Peanut and Flax ladoo
I have a sweet tooth and feel guilty every time I make sweets because I know I am going to be tempted to eat more than I should :-) When I made this sweet the first time,  I thought now here's something that is so full of healthy and "good for you " ingredients that it makes me feel just a little better about indulging my sweet tooth :-) Did I mention that whenever I make this my entire family loves it and no one can make out there is healthy stuff like flax in this......

 

Maharashtrian style Rava Ladoo
I have always wanted to make the Maharashtrian style rava ladoo (semolina coconut sweet balls) and when my sister in law's neighbor was kind enough to share her recipe with us, I couldn't wait to try it. This has become my go to recipe for entertaining or when I am making sweets for friends and family :-) 

Dried Apricot Jam 
This dried apricot jam was the first time that  I solely used a dried fruit to make jam and the result surprised me. I do not even like dried apricots very much but in this jam I enjoyed them a great deal :-)  




So that's it folks, some of my  personal favorites from 2011. Hope you all enjoy your year end celebrations with friends and family. I'll be back next week and next year with some more posts, have planned a lot of fun stuff for the next year. In case any of you want to see something specific in this space do let me know and I'll see what I can do to post that here :-)

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