manna & spice – a touch of everyday gourmet

Spicy Southwestern Sweet Potato Noodle Bowl

August 17, 2016 Leave a Comment

It's time to be real. When someone asks me if I'm ready for the kids to go back to school, my response is an emphatic, 'hell yes!' but am I actually ready with the school supplies//shoe shoppings//dental visits//school lunches planned out for the next 20 years like some other parents? Um, no. Excuse me while I crawl back into my hole and pretend school isn't happening this week. Let's pretend August is actually June and we're rushing off to the pool and park, evening ice cream outings and road trips. Wouldn't it be great if we could just June it all year long, with weekends packed with bbqs and evening strolls around the block? But August is real. And August is busy. It's a bittersweet goodbye to summer and a lukewarm welcome to early mornings filled with "I can't find my underwear! Can I just wear the one from yesterday inside out?" (No, child. Just no), complaints about how exhausted everyone is, and finally, me yelling at The Bookworm and Little Diva to get in the car before ...

Succulent Corn Curry

August 2, 2016 2 Comments

Succulent Corn Kadhi (Curry)|www.mannaandspice.com

Ohhithere! Yup, it's me. The return of the lost blogger. In my defense, my summer has been packed, I mean PACKED with things like travel. So much travel. International. Domestic. You name it, I've done it-- at least it seems this way. But I'm hopeful you'll take be back in spite of my prolonged absence because I come bearing corn kadhi (curry). Not just boring ole kadhi, this one is teeming with peak season, sweet, yellow corn. Ya know, the wondrous fruit and vegetables stands that decorate the midwest roadside come prime summer harvest time, bursting with delicious corn? Yes, THAT corn is the star of this show. I hope we can go back to the way we used to be over a bowl of steamy rice, smothered with sweet yet savory peak-season-veggie corn curry. Be still my ❤. I came back from India (!) to a CSA box overflowing with ears of corn. And lucky me and my wholy midwestern family, we got two shares to make up for our holds from vacation. Now, I have 20+ ears of fresh, organic corn, with ...

Chopped Nicoise Salad

May 31, 2016 Leave a Comment

If you're anything like me, you spent your Memorial Day weekend being a little too indulgent. And now, with the week ahead of me, all I really want is a nice leafy, green, fresh salad. Enter the nicoise salad. As in THIS nicoise salad. I'm gonna be real here for a minute and tell you that I've made this salad mutiple times and may have had it for two days straight, every. single. meal. How gorg is this perfectly summertime salad, with its fresh veggies and greens? And did I mention the herby goodness? This is a mid-week pause worthy dinner. As in, forget the takeout/delivery, make dinner like a boss in no time, and enjoy those warm fuzzies because you just had a knock-your-socks off low carb, healthy, grownup, classy meal. All without breaking the bank and without spending a lot of time in the kitchen-- exactly what I need right now with my packed week! Summer is the time to enjoy the outdoors, bbq, run around the with the kiddos, and soak up some much needed (& ...

Guilt-Free Banana Bread

May 25, 2016 2 Comments

You know what's not fun? Battling the flu when there's ample sunshine outside. You're stuck in the house because you've spent the last three days trying to do things normal people things like breathe without feeling like you just ran a marathon. And getting sick with little kids around is like sprinting while holding scissors, just as dangerous and unpleasant as it sounds. You race toward the end, praying there aren't any injuries but the odds are almost never in your favor. The only redeeming part of being sick, while the kiddos are also sick, is the making of banana bread. Really, who can say no to a pathetic little voice that croaks out "banana bread, please" when asked what she wants for breakfast? Now, replace that croak with the sound of an 80-year-old chain smoker and you'll end up very close to what the Little Diva sounds like with a sore throat. And whether out of pity or fear of that voice, I set out to make banana bread. Everyone has should have a go-to recipe that ...

Skinny Tandoori Chicken Caesar Salad

May 11, 2016 Leave a Comment

Excuse me, but I have a mouth full of skinny tandoori chicken caesar salad. Um, what? SKINNY caesar salad? SKINNY TANDOORI CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD? Yes, yes, a thousand time yes! I feel like my flavor world has imploded, with the combination of my guilty pleasure- rich,creamy, caloriffic caesar salad- and spicy, charry tandoori chicken and naan-tons. More on the naan-tons later. This is real life. With real flavor. If I could put life on a plate and serve it up with a mint-cilantro dressing, this is exactly what it would look like because real show-stopping goodness and healthy eating without actually feeling like you're eating "diet food" is the greatness I aspire to. Because food, my dear friends, is meant to be enjoyed, savored, and devoured with pleasure. You can actually eat good-for-you meals without have them drown in an ocean of butter/cream/oil. I promise. My tandoori chicken caesar salad has marinated, grilled, warm pieces of chicken breast added to a bed of that delicious, ...

Herb, Farro & Citrus Salad

May 9, 2016 Leave a Comment

Herb, Farro & Citrus Spring Salad|www.mannaandspice.com

Seriously guys, I kinda *need* spring. Like shed those layers and layers of clothing, reach into the back of your closet to bring out those light, breezy, bright colors type of weather. Something about the first real warm weather of the year (that actually sticks), after the long, dreary days of winter give way to rebirth, green, freshness, and everything wonderful that is glorious spring. But here, we've had a very touch and go sorta spring with glorious sunshine and warmth one day only to have to pull out the winter coats and boots the next. I tell people my favorite season is fall but truth be told, it's actually spring. But when you live in crazy Chicago weather, where we go from blizzard conditions one day to record setting, turn-into-olaf-like-puddle days, you have to learn to channel the weather through wishful thinking (and food). Because spring is, after all, the start of bbq season, thriving herb and veggie gardens, and freshness. Lots of freshness. Like an abundance of ...

Wholesome Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

May 2, 2016 Leave a Comment

Overnight Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding|www.mannaandspice.com

Friends- today's post is a little different; it's not just a recipe today. It's about life. Because you see, though food is my life- it is my love, my passion- good, delicious food is how I connect with people, how I build relationships, there are other parts of my life I tend to neglect when life gets going even faster than normal. And I suspect a lot more of you do the same thing, even if you don't realize it. A part of why I blog and write about food so with each post, I give you a little part of my life, but don't actually paint the full picture. But today goes beyond the love of food. It's about self-care. It's about being kind to myself so that I may be kind to the rest of the world; so that I can continue doing what I do and give it my 100%. Does that sound cliche? Probably. But it's been a serious game changer- I have to remind myself that I deserve need self-care. And my self-care is making the time- no matter how busy I get, or how many boo b00s there are to be kissed, ...

Baked Honey Sriracha Wings

April 9, 2016 Leave a Comment

Today, I bare my soul to you and the entire internetting world so that my top hits list will forever be etched into the mysterious coding language of the blogging world. It's still all a mystery to me, but as long as I can blog and get my love for food out there, I'll let it remain magical and mysterious. For reals though my top five hits list (2-5+honorable mentions are interchangable on any given day and fall on and off the list): The Divine The Mister my crazy kiddos food/this blog/my 📷/you guys (okay, so that's actually a few things) sriracha sauce honorable mentions: my sister and her convincing ways to get me to do the craziest things possible my bed because glorious sleep my gym membership (more love/hate than just solidly love) Why am I telling you about this? Because, did you notice #5? I 💖 sriracha sauce. As in when I heard about a potential shortage of sriracha, I went to Target (and pretty much every other store I could) and cleaned off their shelves. ...

Loaded Lentil Soup

April 4, 2016 Leave a Comment

I owe you a thousand apologies for being gone without notice for the last two weeks. Where was I, you ask? I went on a very last minute spring break adventure to Washington D.C. with the fam. Things lined up perfectly with the kids' spring break and The Mister's work so we packed, albeit haphazardly, and went off to explore D.C. And while it was fantastic to get away from our everyday lives and break the monotony, I sorely missed my kitchen, my tools, and YOU GUYS, my wonderful internet friends and readers who keep me going with this blog! Yes! I thought about you guys often and how I was so far away, without posting anything. But I did manage to capture some pretty cool pictures of the cherry blossoms, which was hands down, my favorite part of the trip. You know, in between eating copious amounts of I-can-only-eat-this-because-I'm-on-vacation sorta outrageously, indulgently delicious food. But before we get back to our (f00d) business-as-usual sorta post, I want to take a minute ...

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash

March 19, 2016 2 Comments

Friends, I need to pause a minute and take this picture in. This is no average dish. Creamy, luscious, cheesy, melty, mashed potatoes cauliflower mash. caauuull-eeeee-flooowww-eeerrrr mash. This is so totally unreal and so totally my new thing. You couldn't see it but I fist-pumped the air and declared victory, with a proud grin when the kids and The Mister called it "mashed potatoes". Mind you, my family is filled with mashed potato purists who take their love of potatoes very seriously. Keeping their commitment to potato purity in mind, I stayed away from the cauliflower-all-the-things trend...until I finally decided to bite the bullet and try it. ZOMG, what have I been missing?! How does such an ugly vegetable, that resembles a giant, ugly flower turn into the world's most incredible comfort food so easily? It becomes an alter ego to the average cauliflower we love to ignore and demands your undivided attention; it becomes the star. For a side dish, this guy sure brings ...

Chicken Tamale Pie

March 16, 2016 1 Comment

Let's go over this. Sweet, soft cornbread + shredded chicken in fiery sauce+lots of CHEESE= delicious dinner is served 😍. THE END. I'm just kidding. But seriously, you have to try this comfort tex-mex classic: chicken tamale pie. Because sometimes, I just don't wanna deal with making a full meal and would rather just do a one-dish wonder with a simple salad. Confession time: I'm really not into casserole-y type dishes that call for "a can of cream of x soup" and "a can of x vegetables". *gasp* I'm just not; they're bland and full of unnecessary fat, and lack texture. I'd rather just eat a giant bowl of ice cream because priorities, man. Priorities. 🍨 But I get why casseroles exist. Casseroles are a quick way to put a meal on the table while stretching the buck. And casseroles usually have a component of a protein and sides built into one single dish. That's a win for busy people everywhere; especially when your 5-year-old is whining because she's hungry even though minutes ...

Quick & Easy Red Enchilada Sauce

March 15, 2016 Leave a Comment

Everyone should have a few enchilada sauce recipes in their repertoire; a green, a white, and a red sauce. Because these flavorful sauces are not just for enchiladas. You can use them for a plethora of dishes like chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, chicken tortilla soup, tamale pie, and the list goes on and on. In fact, I made enchilada sauce today just so I had a fantastic sauce for chicken tamale pie, which will be my next post. Let me recollect myself as I start thinking about that tamale pie... Enchilada sauce is very customizable. It can be mild or extra-spicy; complex in flavor or very basic; gourmet or budget friendly or somewhere in between. My enchilada sauce falls somewhere in between the spicy and complexity range while still being budget friendly. If you don't have an ingredient or don't like one of the peppers/heat sources, you can probably omit them and still end up with a pretty fantastic sauce. As long as you keep the base of tomato paste, chicken/vegetable bouillon, and ...

Slow Cooker Corned Beef

March 9, 2016 1 Comment

Every year, for St. Patrick's Day, I make corned beef and cabbage. Or corned beef hash. Or some variation of corned beef. Why? Because it brings back memories for The Mister. Somewhere down the line, my kids are part Irish and to commemorate a little bit of that heritage, my mother-in-law always sends the kids something green they can wear to school on St. Patrick's Day. Ya' know to avoid those pinches from their fellow classmates. And in the process, I learned that The Mister also grew up eating corned beef and cabbage on/around St. Patrick's Day. With what started off as a culinary challenge and effort to recreate a part of my kids' heritage has now become an adapted tradition in our house. That being said, I have never been a big fan of deli meat. If given a choice between a home roasted meat over a deli purchased one, I will always choose the former. When I first had corned beef, I didn't understand why it was such a big deal. Then I made corned beef, the whole thing, from ...

Cheeseburger Pizza

March 5, 2016 Leave a Comment

I'm just gonna cut to the chase and say these two words: cheeseburger pizza. CHEESEBURGER PIZZA. And I'm also gonna tell you from the get go, The Mister deserves credit for this one. Yes, this larger-than-life pizza is for reals. It's taking me to my happy place because cheeseburger + pizza= 💕💕💕. First things first, let me tell you a story before we get into why your life is incomplete without this pizza. When I was pregnant with Little Man, all I ever wanted was to eat meat. One night, I woke up The Mister up because I had a serious craving for a cheeseburger, hold the bun but keep the trimmings , on top of a slice of pizza. Yes, that actually happened. And as I was getting ready to get defensive about my wierdo cravings, and blame it on Little Man, The Mister jumped right in and told me that my craving was a real food thing. An actual pizza he grew up eating. "Tell me more," I heard myself saying. "It's pizza topped with crumbled burger, diced onions, pickles, and ...

Better Than Takeout Beef & Broccoli

March 2, 2016 Leave a Comment

My favorite type of takeout is a very close call between chinese and thai. I grew up with mostly indian food, and some indianized versions of good ole' american fare. I didn't know that burgers weren't supposed to have garlic and ginger paste, garam masaala, or cilantro in them until I was well into my teenage years. And if it didn't have a healthy coloring of yellow from turmeric, it was bland and tasteless; it was one of the laws of nature in my house. If american fare was foreign to my family, takeout chinese and other types of asian cuisine might as well have come from Tatooine as far as we were concerned. Luckily for me, I went to a friend's house for dinner one night, while in high school, and her family ordered chinese food. Thus began my love affair with chinese takeout. Fast forward to present-day where a night of Netflix binge watching and chinese (or thai) takeout after the munchkins are tucked into bed, is my ultimate way to unwind. It's even better if there is a backlog ...