healthy salad

Tofu Kimchi Salad and 10 years of blogging

March 6, 2021 By Asha Shivakumar

Kimchi Salad. Crispy marinated spicy tofu, crunchy napa cabbage, sweet carrots, fresh cucumbers with peanuts, all tossed in a spicy dressing. A salad you will love and make often. HEALTHY and Tasty!

It has happened so quickly, seemingly days apart. Events, life changing ones. TEN YEARS!! Of blogging and Life. And what a delicious journey it has been!

The growth

We have a new member in our family, our love, Waffles.

My then seventh grader who jump started the blog, is in third year of college.

You’ve read why I call my little boy, ‘baby bear”. From running around a five year old skinny little boy to seeing him get his licence, my readers have seen it all.

Hubby has published a book, writing another one…but, the biggest change in him: he has been living and promoting a sustainable lifestyle.

If gray hair is also known as wisdom highlights, I am wiser for sure. 😉 A cookbook and a blog that turned into a business, not too shabby eh?!

Gained some meaningful relationships.

Went through very dark moments with events that made me broody about mortality and humans and life.

Part of me really feels that the love of food, the love of family and the support from readers has kept me going through these 10 years….

How to grow mung bean sprouts

April 16, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Mung bean sprouts filled with nutrients and are a common ingredient in Indian homes. It’s great raw, steamed or pureed, they provide a crisp, healthy addition to any meal. Growing mung bean sprouts is easy and when done right, they are perfect in less time.

Mung Bean is a legume that is commonly used in the Asian countries. Mung Beans go by many names in different parts of India. Pasiparuppu in tamil, mung sabut in hindi, pesalu in telugu , hesarukalu in kannada, cherupayar in Malyalam. Green gram is high in protein fiber, vitamins and nutrients. Sprouting any legume increases it’s nutrition value and it’s easy on the tummy and easily digestible.

Two ways to sprout mung beans

The first method is to put in a jar or box and put a tight lid on and keep in a cool place. The second method and my favorite method is to sprout it in a cotton cloth, hanging it in a warm dry place in the kitchen.

Tips on how to sprout mung beans

Get the best high quality fresh green gram. Older stock of mung beans will not sprout well.

2. Organic mung beans, take longer time to soak and as well to sprout.

3. Hybrid variety soaks faster and sprouts faster

4. If you want your sprouts in few days, plan ahead. It take 36 hours to grow sprouts.

5. Wash and rinse the green gram with clean water 3-4 times to avoid the risk of contamination.

6. Use slightly lukewarm water to soak the green gram.

Method on how to grow mung bean sprouts

There are two methods of making sprout.

Method 1

Once you’ve washed and soaked the mung 8 hours, drain it well. You can use any clean thin cloth you have to sprout. Add the drained mung beans in the middle of the cloth and pull the sides together and tie it. Hang this on a hook in a slight warm dry place. Every 6 hours sprinkle some water on the cloth. Do NOT soak it. The cloth should be slightly damp. The sprouts will be ready in 36 hours.

Method 2

After soaking it for eight hours, drain it well. Add it to a jar or any container, cover with a tight lid. The sprouting will take again about 24-36 hours.

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Chinese “Chickpea” Salad

May 20, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

Healthy, plant based, gluten free Chinese Chickpea Salad will change your salad game forever. The crunch from the chickpeas, the sweetness from the oranges and the sweet and spicy dressing, umami of flavors.

When your little boy says, this is a “life changing salad”, you know you are on to something.

It’s no secret that we love chickpea, it’s a great protien for vegetarians. It’s so versatile, taking on the flavors of the dressing or sauce they are paired with. I love my healthy food, but it has to taste good and not feel like I am on some diet. This salad makes an appearance every week. We love our Asian flavors and salads… hence the creation of this amazingly flavorful Asian/ Chinese Chickpea Salad.

This simple, plant-based salad is fresh, hearty, has great crunch and the best flavor!…

Lentil-Radish Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing (Guest Post)

March 17, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

Lentil-Radish Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing |foodfashionparty|Guest post by @boxofspice

With the rain and winds, the Bay Area is filled with pollen too. The only way I can communicate now, without messing my vocal chords completely, is to whisper. For some reason the husky and sexy voice(as someone called it) doesn’t seem to suit me and I’ve had a few people feel bad, laugh and make fun of me all at the same time :). It’s one of the worst sore throats I have ever had, and I refuse to go to the doctor. Trying to have green tea with honey, fresh turmeric and everything to soothe my poor little throat. I am so very thankful and grateful to Rakhee from boxofspice to fill my space today with one of her impressive salads.

As Rakhee puts it, we’ve known each other for the longest. I fell in love with her gorgeous photography and this post in particular Chaat Salad, and now we are great friends and I am in love with her personality too. She’s all ears when I want to and makes me feel like a million bucks (what more can anyone ask). Her artistic eye for dreamy and moody photography requires a standing ovation and her salads all belong in a magazine. Without further ado… Here’s Rakhee. Take it away my dear…..

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Garlicky Mung/Moong Bean-Dill-Pomegranate Spicy Warm Salad

January 21, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

After a couple of years of pretty severe drought in the Bay, the wet weather for the past few weeks is a welcome change. I definitely am happy to hear the pitter-patter of the rain and rumble of the leaves. The deep brown soil turning brown and the dry brown grass on the mountains turning green are some very pretty sights.

Waking up to dark gray clouds, the sounds of rain, the trembling trees all makes us want to snuggle a bit more. Turning and struggling to wake up, going down for a hot cup of coffee and to a silent almost ‘pin drop silence’ except for the rain was an ideal start to my perfect day.

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Burmese Tea Leaf salad

March 10, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Around this time, a few years ago, was when I started enjoying green tea. An introduction to an actual green tea salad came way later, with a lot of resistance. I am not a salad lover, let alone a fermented green tea salad… That’s a stretch.

If you visit San Francisco and you have some time to wait in line to grab a bite, do not miss Burma Superstar. The food is delicious, and the fermented green tea salad is outstanding. What I don’t enjoy is the wait (which is crazy), and it’s even worse when you go there hungry. So, you know, I had to find a way to make one my favorite salad at home. I was inspired by the excellent salad I ate there, and just had to make my own version.

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