I recently went back home for four days to spend time with my parents.  It was a relaxing weekend of time just spent at home.  One of the best parts of going home is getting the chance to eat your mom's handmade food, and this trip was no different in that regard.  We had some of my favorites--aloo paratha, dosa with chutney and sambhar, and a Rajasthani/North Indian dish called daal baati.  Daal baati consists of baked whole wheat rolls topped with spiced lentil soup.  It is a simple dish--but on a cold and rainy spring day, it is a welcome warm comfort.

I vividly remember being a young girl, getting together with some of our family friends, and enjoying daal baati for dinner.  To be honest, when I was really young, I didn't care for daal, so my Mom would just give me the baati with ghee (clarified butter) and sugar.  Which is still delicious and I may or may not have had a few of those when I just went home ...

Anyways, daal baati is a real comfort food, and it was perfect to eat in the comfort of my parents' home.  It was also really wonderful to spend time cooking with Mom and learning from her in person.  As we get older, we realize how those opportunities come less and less.  I encourage everyone to spend at least a little time learning how to cook one recipe from your own mom next time you go home!

Note:  the first ingredients photo is for the daal.  The second is for the baati.

As of today, it is officially winter!  For me, winter equals wearing warm fuzzy socks, snuggling under a blanket, and a cup of peppermint tea.  Basically anything that keeps me warm and cozy.  Food-wise, for me, the ultimate warm and cozy winter food is tomato soup with grilled cheese.  And, perfect for Christmas, this is a red, green, and white meal!

When I visit India, one of my favorite things to eat at a restaurant is tomato soup.  I have loved it since I was a little girl:  the freshness of the tomatoes (the ones we get here in the US just don't compare), the dollop of full-fat cream, and the big handmade croutons floating at the surface of the bowl.  If you've ever had this, you know what I'm talking about, and you know why tomato soup in India is the best!

I obviously cannot replicate soup from India here in the US (again, the tomatoes over there...); but I do my best by making it at home from scratch.  I also include a roasted red bell pepper to my soup because it adds a sweetness which is a nice balance to the acidity of the tomatoes.

It is finally fall!  It has been feeling cooler the past few weeks, but fall officially began a few days ago.  I love the cool mornings and evenings, and the sunny but mild afternoons.  I am one of those people who perks up at the idea of pumpkin-flavored everything, but moreso for homemade pumpkin bread and pumpkin ravioli than a pumpkin-spiced latte.  To me, there is really no better way to celebrate the start of fall than to combine beautiful winter squash with warm and comforting soup!

I adapted this recipe from one in the book The Kind Diet.  I am attempting to be a vegan for an upcoming ten-day religious holiday and was looking for good vegan recipes. This soup recipe is fantastic because it is incredibly filling from the combination of lentils and butternut squash.  It is also packed with all the nutrients you need--fiber, magnesium, potassium, and Vitamins A, C, and E from the butternut squash; protein, fiber, folate, and iron from the lentils; calcium and iron from the spinach; the anti-oxidant lycopene and Vitamin C from the tomato; and of course, the many health benefits of spices like turmeric and cinnamon.  This soup is an absolute health bomb!

My husband and I have been married for three-and-a-half years.  As he and his family are Gujarati, I have learned about and eaten many new Gujarati foods over the past few years.  My husband is a big fan of various types of chaat, a loose term for a snack generally prepared with some type of fried dough, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and various sauces.  In India, you will often find chaat being sold in markets and train stations.  Because my husband enjoys chaat, we often eat it when we visit my in-laws.  One of my favorite dishes that my mother-in-law makes is sev usar--a type of Gujarati chaat.  If you are a fan of ragada patties (another chaat dish), then you will like sev usar too!

I think the first time I had sev usar was during one of my very first trips to my in-laws' home, before my husband and I were even married.  It quickly became one of my favorites because (1) I love soup and anything resembling a soup, (2) I love healthy and light dishes.  Sev usar is an awesome dish to make when you are in the mood for chaat, but you want to be healthy!

Sev usar is essentially a thick soup made of dried green peas (vatana peas), and is topped with tamarind (imli) chutney, onions, tomatoes, and sev (small crunchy noodles made of chickpea flour).  

When I think of classic Maharastrian food, I immediately think of fodni che varan (also known as tadka daal).  Varan is essentially a lentil soup made of "toor daal," or yellow split pigeon peas.

Varan is very healthy and filling.  Traditionally, varan was made in a pressure cooker.  I don't own a pressure cooker, and as a working woman the slow cooker suits my lifestyle much better.

Fodni (known as chaunk, tadka, and vaghar in different languages) is a mixture of spices cooked in "ghee," or clarified butter.  This method of cooking the spices in the ghee releases the essential oils from the spices and enhances their flavor.  You do not have to add fodni to your varan if you do not want to, but it adds a lot of flavor!