Pasta with hummus:new trend:vegan alternative to healthier version of pasta:swap cheese with hummus

Good news for hummus lovers and pasta lovers, because lets marry the two!
Swap cheese with hummus.
It works wonders. The creamy texture of the hummus gives pasta great  creaminess and if you dont know, you cannot make out that there is no cheese in the dish you are eating. It is that good.
 You can make healthy version of carbonara or alfredo.
In a pan, dump in some butter, followed by a couple of tablespoons of hummus, add some pasta water , thin it out , cook for couple of minutes and add your cooked pasta. 
This is the base recipe, you can add shrimp,chicken, whatever your heart desires.
You can even add color to pasta in form of mixing spinach with hummus or beetroot. Who does not like colorful food and it is basically two birds in one stone. Nutrition+Color. Great way to induce veggies on your kids plate.
Try it out, I have been trying to lose weight, so started thinking of healthier alternatives. A vegan food video is the inspiration of this idea. A lot of vegan restaurants all over the world use hummus-based sauce for their pasta which is actually a healthier alternative for cheese. I tried it , everybody loved. Now its your turn.

Places to visit in Columbus Ohio | Columbus attractions and sightseeing

Columbus is the capital city of the state of Ohio and located at the center of the state. There are many places to visit within the city and around it.

 I will start with downtown. Columbus downtown is a very relaxing place on any given day unlike downtown of other bustling big cities. 

 1. The Ohio Statehouse 
1 Capitol Sq, Columbus, Ohio-43215
You can go inside and take a tour yourself or guided tour, buy Columbus souvenirs from the State gift shop inside the building. Entry is free and airport style checking.You can park your car in State house parking lot  or COSI  parking lot or street parking.

 2.Columbus Zoo and Aquaruim

Click here to visit the official zoo website. It is fine zoo with Polar bears and other fun activities mostly for kids. Columbus kids are lucky.


3. Scioto Mile and Bicentennial Park
Scioto Mile is the place to see the Columbus skyline reflecting on the Scioto river. Walk along it or sit on the swing benches at the Bicentennial Park. There are fountains and restaurants, all ingredients for lovely evening. Parking is tricky here. You can park your car in the COSI  parking lot or street parking.

4. German Village
It is a historic neighborhood in Columbus consisting of German style streets and little homes and good restaurants serving scrumptious German food like Schmidts and Barcelona. Schiller Park located in the heart of the neighborhood is a beautiful peaceful place where you can even park your car for free and stroll around the place. 
Click here to visit the German village community website.

5. Topiary Park
This is a beautiful park where trees have been trimmed to create Seurat's painting "A Sunday afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte" but I personally feel this is an overrated place. It is a good place to visit ones . click here The park is not maintained well. You can park your car in the Orange Garage for $10 near it or if you are visiting Columbus Museum of Arts nearby, you should park your car there for $5.

6.  Columbus Museum of Arts 
Good place for a one time visit according to me. Free entry on Sunday. The sculpture garden at the entrance is good to sit and enjoy the sun.

 Now, lets focus around the hidden gems around Columbus.

7. Alum Creek Dam
This is a Sate park and a huge area consisting of a dam, Below the dam recreation area, a beach, parks, camping and boating. Select where you want to go. I suggest you visit Alum creek below dam area in Lewis Center. Click here to know more.Free parking.

8. Inniswood Botanical Gardens and Metro park
Best time to visit is the spring when this place looks like a fairy tale filled with tulips and so many other flowers. Beautiful and very well maintained park.Click here to know more about this park. Free parking.

 9. Hoover Dam
Columbus has its own Hoover Dam, which is quite impressive. Full of activities all around, nice and energetic place for a jog or a game. Free parking. 

 10.Polaris Fashion Place
This is shopping mall in Westerville, 20 minutes from downtown,which is beautiful and has all the big names like Macys, JCPenny,Disney and more under one roof and an amazing food court and many good restaurants like the Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza and so on.

 With this list of places I hope you have an amazing time whenever you are in Columbus and looking forward to tour the city.
Thank you.

Complete trip planner for Wild wild west tour-Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Death Valley & Lake Tahoe


 
 






 Recently I went on a one week tour with my husband across 4 states(Arizona, Utah,Nevada and California) in USA. Planning is crucial and the blessing of the Weather God.
It was a very successful trip and I am going to share with you all the details of the trip along with tips and tricks and dos and donts.
1. Places we traveled- We made Las Vegas our base. We flew down to Vegas, rented a car and went to Grand Canyon south rim, stayed a night there, drove back to Vegas again. Stayed a night there and drove through the Death Valley and all the way up to Lake Tahoe on top of the Sierra mountain ranges. Stayed two nights there ,came back to Vegas and stayed for another two nights. 


 2. Type of car that you should rent- You should rent all-wheel drive cars or SUVs. They are perfect for this occasion as the elevation of the four states,namely, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and California, fluctuates so much and so often and these cars offer a much better situation for the driver.

 3. Flights- Frontier airlines offer very cheap tickets to Las Vegas compared to other airlines but their baggage policy is strict so that is another problem.  Click here to check rates now.

 4. Travel partners- This trip is going to be straining, lots of driving almost like an extensive road trip,tiring. So select your partners well. For this trip you need people who can adjust to any situation, can sit with their eyes open beside the driver for 11 hrs, can eat whatever you get at that given point and have lots of patience.
For example, we failed to find out such people so we went out alone, I mean just the two of us.

 5. Things to carry- These places are very dry, arid and hot, weather changing very fast. So carry  all things comfortable like cotton tops and pants, long sleeved shirts to save yourself from the wrath of the sun and tanning, hat ,sun-glass, sunscreen,hand sanitizer. Buy a nasal moisturizing spray because the weather conditions are so bad that lumps of blood can form in your nose so a nasal spray will be helpful, you are going to thank me for this. Carry a jacket for the cool nights and sudden weather changes.

 6. Things to buy there- You need to buy lots of water, sports drinks like Gatorade, trail mixes because these help you to maintain the electrolytes of your body. Buy muffins and fresh fruits to snack on the entire driving time. 

 7. Restrooms- This factor can be a problem specially the women. In most of the places to visit like Death valley and lake Tahoe there will be primitive style restrooms which are complete nightmares but will help you to survive in some situations. Use those at emergency only, because they stink. Ladies, use a wet tissue to wipe your private part after using such a restroom.Otherwise, you will get gas stations at regular intervals and all gas stations comes with a local store equipped with life saver normal modern restrooms. So run to those stores every time you stop to refill your car. Don't forget to buy something from the stores.

 8.Hotels- 
Las Vegas-Some of the hotels at Las Vegas are quite cheap actually during week days, prices soar up during the weekends. Luxor, Excalibur are on the cheaper side of the price factor whereas Caesars Palace and Bellagio which are situated on the heart of the Vegas Strip are very pricey specially on weekends and on seasons.
Grand Canyon- Food and Lodging are pricey here because of the location. The most basic motel room for a night can cost about $200 or more. We stayed at Red Feather Lodge, very close to the Grand canyon entrance, decent rooms,several restaurants around and pricey.
Lake Tahoe-Hotels on the bank of the Lake Tahoe can be pricey because of the location and window view of the emerald blue lake water whereas if you decide to stay in Carson city which is about 20-30 minutes away from Lake Tahoe, you will have more option, better price and more comfort. Views are also not bad from here. We stayed in the Hampton Inn at Carson City and we could see the snow capped mountain peaks of the Sierra Nevada from the bed and amazing complimentary breakfast which I could not forget to this day.

 9. Death Valley points:Here is the list of spots where we stopped and had a time of our life.
#Dantes View
#Devils Cornfield
#Zabrieski Point
#Mesquite Dunes
#Vista Point
I could not stop by #Devils golf course which is beautiful and I highly recommend this. Off course, you have to accept that you cannot see everything in one trip, there will always be something or the other which you will miss out but it is okay. We should thank God for whatever opportunities he gives us. The entire journey of Death Valley was amazing, very picturesque place, strange landscape, mining areas, colorful mountains which are best to see at sunrise or sunset which is little difficult.
Special mention: On the way to Lake Tahoe, comes a little town called Bishop in California. It was a beautiful town ,green all around,cattle and you can see the snow capped mountains like a page out of a storybook. 

 10.Lake Tahoe points:Lake Tahoe is in the border of Nevada and California. 
#Emerald Bay beach, California- Highly recommend. Amazing view of the entire bay area from the paid parking place ,then you have to go down 2 miles to the beach and Vikingsholm.
# Lincoln Highway, the highway surrounding the Lake Tahoe is amazing,enjoy the drive and in and out of Cave Rock. The road felt like it was one of the road from the computer game bike race Road rash.
#Sand Harbour beach- It is the best beach of Lake Tahoe. Go to the other side of the beach for more views and photographic scope.
I tried going to Secret cove but it has no actual entrance and beach. The spot beside it is Chimney beach which has a parking place but no paved way to beach and it is a good hike going up and down. If you are adventurous enough, you can give it a try. Water is crystal clear. Those beaches are nude beaches and hence so much secrecy I think to guard it from getting overcrowded.

 11. Las Vegas points: Why should I tell you? But there are some free shows which everybody sees.
#Bellagio fountain show in the evening after dark
#Mirage volcano show
#Flamingo birds habitat
#Hoover Dam
Get a strip view room and you are all set to enjoy Vegas.
For the famous buffet, I dont recommend it that much. It is not worth it. But you should try one.
Enjoy


Homemade salsa with tomatoes and Pineapple:Zesty flavour


Recently I made this super flavorful zesty salsa with pineapples,onions and tomatoes. It is sweet, tangy with a little touch of heat from green chilies. Perfect with tacos , for which I actually made this.

 Ingredients:

 #Tomatoes(I used roma tomatoes which are quite hard because you have to take only the flesh/wall part. Cut into small cubes)- half cup

 #Pineapples(cut into small cubes)-half cup

 #Onion(red/yellow,cut into small cubes)-half cup

 #Green chilies-depends on how much heat you prefer. I used 2 green chilies

 #Chilli flakes- a pinch

 #Zesty italian dressing-2-3 tbsp
If you dont have this dressing you can make your own by mixing<* juice of 1 lime/lemon, 1tsp white vinegar,salt,black pepper,sugar 1 tsp, chilli flakes, red bell peppers cut into very small pieces.*>until it is of syrupy consistency.

 Procedure:
 Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a spoon until everything is coated in that zesty sauce.
Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.

 Try this at home and let me know if you liked this. I love this salsa much much more than a store bought jar of salsa. I served this with shrimp and chicken tacos, Doritos and even as a salad dressing.

 Thank you.
Tell me what recipes you would like me to post.

Wild rice with stir fried chicken and veggies



Wild rice with stir fried chicken and veggies is a  quick and delicious dish together and can be enjoyed separately with other sides as well.

 Wild-rice recipe:
 I had my first wildrice pilaf at Red Lobster, an American seafood restaurant and since then I am in love with wildrice. I buy wild rice from Whole Foods Market, it is available in other markets as well. Though it is wild, it is a pricey item. 
 You can even mix up some basmati rice with the wild rice.
Ingredients:
Wildrice 1cup
Water 2 -3 cups
Butter 1tbsp
Salt to taste

 Preparation:
Soak rice overnight.
Wildrice takes abnormally a very long time to get cooked. So, soaking it overnight or 24 hrs makes it easier.Wash rice well and drain excess water.

 Procedure:
1.Saute wild rice in butter for 2 minutes.
2.Pour 2 cups water initially, then 1 additional cup water if required.
Some people like their wild rice al dente , that has a bite to it, for them 2 cups should be good. Add additional water for softer texture.
3. When the rice is ready, check and season with salt.

 Chicken and veggies recipe:
Veggies include mushrooms, green beans, bell peppers, onions. You can add carrots and broccoli too.
Stir fried version:
Ingredients:
oil 1-2 tsp
black pepper half tsp
salt to taste
Paprika or Kashmiri chilly powder half tsp
Chilly flakes half tsp
Zest of half a lemon

 Procedure:
1.In a frying pan, add 1-2 tsp vegetable oil. Start frying the chicken on high flame, season with salt, pepper and Paprika.
2. Add mushroom, green beans and then add bell peppers and other veggies.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes and then stir again on high flame.
3. Now add chilly flakes,lemon zest and check salt. Stir 1 minute.

 Baked version:
In this version, you can use potatoes as well, potatoes cut into small dices.
Ingredients:
Olive oil 1 tsp
black pepper half tsp
salt to taste
Paprika or Kashmiri chilly powder half tsp
Chilly flakes half tsp
Zest of half a lemon
Cumin a pinch

Procedure:
1.In a baking pan with high sides, mix all ingredients (chicken,veggies and spices)together.
2. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
3. If chicken is skin on then no need to cover, but if the chicken is boneless and skinless, cover the pan with an aluminium foil. But if you cover the entire time , chicken and veggies will release all their water and that will be there, so you can cook 15 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered.

Enjoy!


Netflix Dreamworks Spirit Riding Free Review



This is brand new animated series on Netflix.  This show is set in the wild wild west, horses and rail roads. The story is about a girl named Lucky and her horse she named Spirit. 

 Spirit could not be tamed but somehow Spirit chose Lucky to ride him, and like that Lucky became the owner of the strong headed horse who cannot be kept under any boundary or cannot be roped. Spirit is wild but at the same time he is caring, understanding and loving. 
 I will give the show 8 out of 10. Worth your time. 

 The show brings out something very different, horse aspects that were not explored before. Horses are kept captive against their own will, forcibly trained and even not taken care of always and so on. Horses are such magnificent animals , they are faithful and risk their lives to save the lives of their masters. Horses must be loved more , seen with more respect and you will fall in love with horses more after watching this show.

Chicken Pesto Pasta with green beans, bell peppers and diced tomatoes


Chicken Pesto Pasta with green beans, bell peppers and diced tomatoes can be cooked in 15 minutes, stove to table. This is an excellent dinner or a brunch recipe. Easy and delicious.

 Ingredients:
1.Chicken cut into bite size pieces- 1 cup
2. Penne pasta(or any pasta)- 1 cup
3.Green beans cut into halves- 100 grams
4.Bell peppers- half cup
5.Diced tomatoes- 1 piece |or|cherry tomatoes cut into halves- half cup
6.Basil Pesto- 1 tsp
7.Salt and pepper to taste
8.Vegetable oil- 1 tbsp for frying

Procedure:
1. In a  pan full of boiling water, generously salted , boil pasta of your choice. I used Penne pasta because I have that on hand now, you can use any pasta that you have. Save little pasta water, you may need it later.

2. Simultaneously, in another frying pan, heat up 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and start frying the chicken on high flame.

3. After 5 minutes or when the chicken is about 70% cooked, put in all the green beans, season with salt and pepper.
Salt every layer.

4.After 3 minutes, put in the bell peppers. I used bell peppers of different colors like red, yellow and orange. You can use any bell pepper or you can even skip bell peppers if you dont have it.

5.Add the tomatoes just before adding pasta. We dont want the tomatoes to be completely cooked and mushy. Tomatoes should be 50% cooked. But as the flame is on high, it will take only a minute to cook down the tomatoes.

6.By this time, pasta is perfectly cooked.6-8 minutes is perfect for al dente pasta but please check packet instruction of your pasta. Drain and put the pasta and little pasta water in the frying pan. Mix.

7. Put in a tsp of Basil pesto, I used store bought pesto which has lots of Parmesano reggiano in it , so it will be very salty.

8. Give everything a good stir so that every thing gets nicely coated in the creamy pesto sauce, check salt and pepper. 

Pasta in ready.
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