Aloo gobi raswali is one of my favorite dishes, but this was not always the case!  As a child, I did not like the taste or texture of cauliflower.  When my mom would make this dish, I would often seek out and eat only the pieces of potato.  As an adult, however, I have grown to love the light and crisp texture of cauliflower.  This recipe is one of my "new" favorites because it is full of many different vegetables and a variety of nutrients.

I made a slight change to my mom's recipe--to cut down on the amount of starch, I use less potato and added chickpeas instead.  The addition of chickpeas makes this an even more well-balanced meal because chickpeas are chock-full of protein.  I really cannot think of many other dishes that are so nutritionally well-balanced!

This recipe is also fantastic because you cook everything in one big pot!  I am a huge fan of making food that requires the least amount of tools--especially on a weeknight--so that there is less to clean up.

The first time I ate fish was on one of my first dates with my husband, six years ago.  I had told him that I wanted to try fish, so he took me to an American "surf and turf" restaurant that he had eaten at previously.  This restaurant offered a tandoori halibut and he suggested that I order it because it was flavorful, light, and did not taste or smell "fishy" (the turn-off of every new fish eater).  I still remember that tandoori halibut and it is the inspiration for today's post!  

My husband and I went to a local fish market over the weekend, and I had set out to buy halibut for this recipe.  When we got to the market, however, the red snapper looked incredibly fresh so we went with it!  

The lesson here:  you can use any type of lean white fish and it will turn out just fine!    If you want to know what types of fish would be a good substitute for red snapper, you can check out the New York Seafood Council's handy fish substitutions chart.  I would suggest using tilapia, rockfish, or maybe halibut.  Tilapia might be a good choice if you are new to cooking and eating fish!

Growing up, I loved eating paalak paneer at parties.  We did not eat it often at home because paneer--a type of non-melting fresh cheese--is not particularly healthy.  Yet, that is exactly why I loved eating it as a child!  In fact I would often pick out the paneer and eat it by itself, leaving the paalak (spinach) untouched.

As I got older, my mother began making paalak paneer at home more often because we discovered that baked tofu is an easy replacement for paneer!  It has a similar consistency, and can be cut into cubes just like paneer.  My mother's recipe is simple, easy, and well balanced:  you get protein from the tofu, iron and other vitamins from the spinach and tomatoes, and spices have been shown to have many health benefits.

Lately, I have been traveling over the weekends--often leaving on a Thursday and not returning until Sunday evening.  Traveling this often makes it tricky to cook dinner at home because I am low on both time and groceries.  Whenever I am in a time crunch, I turn to my favorite kitchen appliance:  the slow cooker.  This week's recipe is great because the slow cooker does most of the work for you, allowing you to unpack your suitcase and throw in a load of laundry while it is cooking!  

I already mentioned that the ability to multi-task while food is cooking in a slow cooker is a huge benefit.  Another thing that is great about slow cooking chicken:  it turns out very tender!  

You may be wondering why there is beer in this recipe!  A bit of "science" about cooking--you need to use an ingredient which will tenderize the meat.  Many ingredients act as tenderizers--including beer!  Other tenderizers include citrus juices (like lemon juice), vinegar, yogurt, and coconut milk.  In the same way that red wine is used in cooking, the alcohol of the beer will be cooked away once it is exposed to heat.

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).