Heart, healthy, hummus delicious warm or cold. Keep refrigerated hummus,on-hand and ready for a quick snack; enjoy with warm pita, or French bread. Hummus, is hearty, healthy and can be enhanced by roasted vegetables, acidic fruits, any herbs and spices, of your own choosing; add your own flavorful additions, some may even be considered unconventional, enjoy your hummus creations or combinations, serve either hot or cold…

For those not used to cooking and for those who are bad at this, please know, the keys to being better (even in the kitchen) is asking and trying. Ask for help when stuck or ignorant from those who have gone farther than you in your field of interest and keep on trying to be better as today’s great men (or Chefs) used to be little boys (or bad cooks). Also know that there is no one way to do things. Meals are basically edible products of one’s imagination. Tweak it a little here and there, and get something different from the norm

I have lived in the US for 12 years (I live in Europe now) and during my stay, I have indulged myself to spicy and some delicious Mexican dishes that really satisfied my taste buds and since I come from the Indian subcontinent (countries that include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives), some of the dishes have a similar version where I come from. The fact is that I love cooking and enjoy trying out dishes from other countries and also blending them in with Indian style dishes which I find it as a creative thing to do.

Back in October of 2011, I remember being inspired to add new twists to traditional, packaged side dishes. Mac and cheese was one of my first inspirations, a go-to comfort food, at least for me and my family. There are so many different variations that can make your cooking preparation and imagination healthy or exotic vegetable and spice combinations. Creating recipes is joyous if you have time, patience and apply innovation- by using your taste buds as testers, and your ability to imagine color and food working together as collaborations that can be tasty, innovative and fun for anyone to enjoy!

Soulful Spinach salad; Spinach is a very versatile side dish or salad, it’s delicious when well-seasoned, it brings out incredible texture and flavor. Also, a healthy, dark green iron-rich, calcium containing,nutritionally beneficial vegetable. Many recipes in the southern part of the United States are made with greens; being spinach, collards, kale or any preference shows reference to our family way of eating and also sheds light on soulful ways that we choose to keep our traditional family recipes current, shared or eaten in today’s world.