Healthy Medley

These days I hardly take the time to plan and execute a wonderful slow cooked meal. Its mostly make do with what I have on hand. Here is a medley that turned out to be a lot more tastier than what I expected. I shredded carrots & brussel sprouts in the food processor, sauteed them for a few minutes with seasoning till the sprouts were cooked but still crunchy, added a handful of walnut pieces and whisked the saute in a bowl of yogurt. Creamy & crunchy at the same time with the added texture of walnuts. We were wishing the dish would never get over - it was that good :)

 

Art Show Opening & Reception

A few months back, I wasn't even dreaming of this, but today I am very excited for my second art show happening at The Froth House in Madison, WI. The paintings went up on April 1 and today is the reception. I am happy I will get to see friends I havent seen in a while and a few are coming from far away places (not just for this, but definitely a bonus :)). Will post more pictures after the event, but here is a sample -- an festive elephant & an Om Ganesh. My paintings are generally very colorful and they seem to pop out really well against the red wall of the Froth House! To add to all this excitement - my next show starts in a week! In the meantime, check out www.artbybala.com to see more of my works.

Bamiya from Iraq

Bamiya is a delicious okra stew common in Iraq, Iran, Armenia. It is very easy to make and I can't wait to make it again with home grown okras this summer. I think I made this stew when visiting S in St. Louis - almost a couple of years back!

Ingredients: 2 cups okra - chopped into 1 inch pieces; 1 small onion - sliced; 2 ripe tomatoes - chopped;  Vegetable stock - 2 cups; Salt & Pepper to taste; Lemon juice - 2 tbsp. 

• In a pot, add olive oil and once hot, add the sliced onions and saute till translucent
• Add the tomatoes & let it cook for a couple of minutes
• Add the okra, let it cook for about 5 minutes
• Add the stock, bring to a boil and simmer
• Season with salt & pepper and cook for about 10 minutes
• Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice before serving.

Shakshouka - Version 2.0

This is another variation of the Shakshouka I posted earlier from the middle east. This recipe was adapted from Create TV.

Ingredients: Spinach - 1 cup, cream - 1/2 cup, onions - 1/2 diced; Eggs - 4; Cheese - 1/4 cup (I used Fontina & pepperjack ; Green Chilies - 1; Salt & Pepper - to taste. 

• In a small pan (I used my 6 inch cast iron), add olive oil 
• Once hot, add diced green chilies and let the flavor infuse in the oil for a few minutes.
• Add the sliced onions and saute till translucent.
• Add the spinach let it cook for a couple of minutes. 
• Add cream and season with salt & pepper.
• Add the egg whites first and fold them in.
• Add the yolks and cook for desired consistency.
• Add the cheese around the yolks, let it melt.
• Serve hot with toast!

Missing Our Baby Girl

Its been almost 5 months since we lost our big baby girl to Lyme's disease. We still miss her day in and day out. Kalki especially misses his play mate and doesn't really want to play with other doggie friends. One consolation is that she was a brave lil girl to the very end and we had the opportunity to have a great time with her before we had to let her pass over the rainbow. 

 

Mandala Paintings

I am doing two more art shows in April / May and trying to get things organized in the next week before things get really crazy again. And in the last 10 days I was able to finish a few pieces and though they are not 100% done (still need to finish the sides and attach hanger), I am happy the way they turned out. Both of them have a mirror in the center. It feels like the mirror is becoming part of my signature! 

16x20 canvas with acrylic henna style Mandala

10x10 canvas with a floral henna style acrylic Mandala

A Nostalgic Dinner

These days I am hardly motivated to cook unless I am having friends over. But tonight I got into a cooking spree and made a few dishes that were unusual and something we used to long for as kids. The main dish was Paneer Fried Rice, one of the first Indo-Chinese dishes we have come to love. When I was finishing up school and starting college, these type of dishes were popular where I grew up and I loved the combination of paneer pulav with channa masala. And to add some spiciness I made the egg masala - hard boiled eggs sauteed in pepper and garam masala. To balance the dryness of the dishes I also made a side of raita with onions and boondi. A very satisfying dinner :)

Paneer Fried Rice

Chana masala

Egg masala

Mandala Painting

I finished this henna style acrylic mandala painting on 24x24 wooden panel today. As my month long art show at Mother Fool's coffee house in Madison is wrapping up (last day is 3/1), I am excited to start some new projects. I have sold 6 paintings so far from this show and three of the pieces were really popular! As everything else in life is kind of roller-coaster crazy for the last few months, painting has been very therapeutic and seems to be the only thing to keep my mind occupied without getting distracted. All the paintings in the show are listed on Art by Bala and will be available for sale on March 1st. Affordable original art supporting the community :)