A lot has happened in my personal and professional life since 2011 and I wanted to start something fresh.  I felt that this new beginning needed a fresh canvas, and I am very excited about my new space: Divya Yadava Photography and Culinary Consulting!  I am still very much the same person and I will still continue to blog on my new website with recipes, but the focus will be creating better quality content and pushing my creative limits in the area of food photography, food videography, recipe development and the production of creative digital publications. If you would like to read more, the Editor’s Note on page 3 of my magazine contains additional detail.

As part of this move to a new home, I am thrilled to launch the latest edition of my Fall/Winter magazine! As you may (or may not) know, I have been working on this issue for the past few weeks and was trying to wrap up all the finishing touches this week. Click on the image below to access the magazine or click on this link.

I am hopeful that all of you will continue to follow my journey there, whether it be directly on the blog, on Facebook, or via RSS!  I would love to hear from you!

I look forward to connecting with you www.divyayadava.com.

Cheers,

Divya

Quinoa cocoa puffs

Zaatar baked shrimp (gluten-free)

 Carrot pudding

Cranberry & kiwi mocktail

Curried chicken fingers

See you next week!

Hello! It’s been rather quiet around here, hasn’t it? Well, as you may already know it’s magazine season for me, so things are getting busy with all the cooking and photo shoots. There will definitely be more posts to come during the next few weeks. I have a few guest posts and interviews lined up for the next two weeks and after that a special video! And then soon after that, the magazine will be out. I’m really excited about this issue because it’s a little different from my previous issues and I’ve got an amazing set of guest contributors. Can’t wait to tell you all about it! But for now, I’m going to keep my lips sealed.

In the meanwhile, I’m leaving you with a recipe card for shrimp and rice made with Indian flavours.

Imagine that you’ve run out of fresh produce. So, what’s a girl got to do in that case? Run to the grocery store? I think not… That’s when I rely on what’s stashed in my freezer. Frozen ingredients aren’t as bad as most of us think they are. Let me rephrase that, frozen ingredients that are not “processed” aren’t that bad for us. Don’t even get me started on the processed stuff. Stay away from that at all costs. It amazes me how many people resort to frozen pizzas and dinners, especially when cooking something can take less than twenty minutes if you choose the right recipe. Anyways, I digress. My point is that frozen foods (unprocessed) may not taste as good as fresh, but they are certainly a decent alternative and you can’t beat the convenience .

This recipe is a simple way to use up frozen shrimp and peas from the freezer. To keep things interesting, I added mild Indian flavours. If you’re not into Indian spices, feel free to experiment with different spices and herbs to make this recipe your own.

Anyways, here’s the recipe in a printer-friendly format. Enjoy! See you around!

]]> http://www.flavourfiesta.com/recipes/coconut-shrimp-and-rice/feed/ 7 http://www.flavourfiesta.com/recipes/dark-chocolate-quinoa-cake/ http://www.flavourfiesta.com/recipes/dark-chocolate-quinoa-cake/#comments Sun, 16 Sep 2012 21:28:43 +0000 Divya http://www.flavourfiesta.com/?p=4247 Hello my lovely readers! 

Today I’m writing a guest post for my friend Nadia over at Nature Insider.  When Nadia approached me to write a guest post for her blog, I knew I wanted to do something creative and unique. The result of countless days of debating what to make for her? A dark chocolate quinoa cake with coconut cream and oranges! With a video too!

You can read the full post and the recipe on my new blog, here.

Hello my lovely readers!

After my first recipe video (which is here in case you missed it), I was itching to start working on the second one. I wanted something different from the first one in terms of the look and feel, so I went with bolder and brighter colours, as well as flavours!  So here it is…kale chips with a touch of Mexican flavours.  Yes, I know you’ve probably been bombarded with kale chips over the last few years, but you have to admit, they taste pretty darn good, don’t they?

Easy to make them, isn’t it? Yes and no. Kale chips are easy to make for the most part, but you can just as easily mess them up. Read on for my tips on how to get kale chips right and for the recipe…

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So, I’m not exactly a “kale chip” expert, but I have found that doing things in certain ways leads to better results. It’s probably the inner scientist in me that keeps wanting to experiment to get perfect results.  Here are my “findings”:

1. This one is a no-brainer, but I’m still going to mention it – start off with fresh kale. If it’s been sitting in your fridge for a while and is starting to wilt a little, the chips aren’t going to taste very good. Look for the perkiest bunch of kale you can find at the grocery store for best results.

2. Dry, dry and dry again. After washing kale, you’ll notice that a lot of moisture sits on the leaves. That moisture needs to go..completely. If you have a salad spinner, by all means, bust it out and use it. If you’re like me and have a closet-sized kitchen, most likely you don’t own a salad spinner. In that case, just drain the excess water by shaking the leaves and then dabbing them dry. Allow them to completely air dry before attempting to make chips. I tried to make chips once before they were completely dry, and they turned out to be a chewy mess. Patience my friend..

3. Don’t use too much oil/sauce. If you do, the chips won’t crisp up as much due to the weight of all the stuff you put on top of them.

4. Use the right temperature. You’ll find thousands of recipes for kale chips online that recommend baking them at 350 degrees F. These recipes work, but there’s one thing you should know. Higher temperature means more “burning” and less “drying”. Yes, it’s tempting to try a recipe that says that you’re just 10 minutes away from kale chip heaven, but the chances of burning the chips or having brown spots all over them isn’t worth the temptation. Use a lower temperature for a longer time. Better results, guaranteed! If you happen to have a dehydrator (which is on my wish list), just use it. Much better results and more nutrients retained. It’s a win-win situation.

5. Grease the baking sheet properly. Yes, the kale leaves probably already have enough grease on them after you oil them, but if you want to make sure they don’t stick to the baking sheet, just grease it.

6. Don’t season the torn kale leaves with too much salt. You have to remember that as they bake the leaves will shrink …big time. So use less salt, you can always season them later when they are done baking.

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So now that you know what to do, here’s the recipe.

Enjoy! ]]> http://www.flavourfiesta.com/recipes/video-recipe-kale-chips-with-chipotle-cumin-lime/feed/ 9 http://www.flavourfiesta.com/recipes/coconut-and-garlic-dry-chutney-the-perfect-condiment-to-spice-things-up/ http://www.flavourfiesta.com/recipes/coconut-and-garlic-dry-chutney-the-perfect-condiment-to-spice-things-up/#comments Sun, 02 Sep 2012 01:42:15 +0000 Divya http://www.flavourfiesta.com/?p=4132

Hello my lovely readers! 

Do you remember the post I did a few weeks ago on my love of chili/chile peppers ? Well, I got a message from Melissa’s Produce the other day after they read that post and they asked me if I wanted to try the Savina habanero pepper. It happens to be the second hottest chile pepper in the world! It just came into season and I would be one of the first ones to lay my hands on it. Of course I said yes! I’m always looking for a challenge and what’s more of a challenge than trying out an extremely hot pepper? Caution: gloves required..these babies are HOT!

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So what is a Savina habanero pepper? It’s the second hottest pepper in the world and comes in at 577,000 Scoville Units, which is about 65 times hotter than a jalapeno. It sounded a bit like suicide for my taste buds, but they aren’t too bad if you remove the seeds first. They have a nice piquant flavour that I can see going well with any type of cuisine, especially Mexican and Indian cuisine.

As I anxiously waitied to get the Savina habaneros in the mail, I started thinking of ways I could use them. Hot sauce, wings, turkey chili and the usual spicy dishes crossed my mind, but I didn’t want to make something had been done before. After some brainstorming, I decided to marry to flavours of Mexico and India in a garlicky, spicy dry chutney made with desiccated coconut, garlic, Savina habaneros, cumin and onion powder. It’s one of my favourite recipes so far and has been officially taste-tested by the hubby. He absolutely loves it and can’t wait for me to make it again. It’s a winner in my house, so if you’re anything like me and love some spice, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this!

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So, why a dry chutney and not a “wet” chutney? Well, I wanted to try something a little different. I came across dry chutneys for the first time while blog-hopping last year. Apparently, it’s a popular Indian condiment, but somehow I never knew about it. My recipe is inspired by the traditional Indian coconut and garlic dry chutney made by Maharashtrians which is just grated coconut, garlic, chilies and oil.  Since grated coconut isn’t always easy to find, I used desiccated coconut instead and added some cumin powder and onion powder for more flavour.

The chutney keeps well in the fridge for a few days, so make a bigger batch if you like. Just make sure it’s in an air-tight container to prevent the coconut from drying out too much.

How do you eat this chutney? Well, there’s no right or wrong way. I’ve been sprinkling it on eggs in the morning, adding it to quinoa salads during lunch and even adding it to stir-fried veggies at dinner. You can sprinkle it on almost everything..well almost. I even had a bit of this chutney with a spoonful of peanut butter. Just chutney and peanut butter! Does that make me sound a little crazy? What can I say, I can’t get enough of the chutney. Ok, I’m going to stop raving about it and give you the recipe.

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If you can’t find Savina habaneros, you can get them shipped from Melissa’s Produce. If you’d not ready for the heat, this recipe will taste just has good with any other milder chile pepper.  Feel free to experiment!

Question of the day: Have you ever tried a Savina habanero? What’s the hottest chile you have ever tried? ]]> http://www.flavourfiesta.com/recipes/coconut-and-garlic-dry-chutney-the-perfect-condiment-to-spice-things-up/feed/ 8 http://www.flavourfiesta.com/drinks/blueberry-lemon-cooler/ http://www.flavourfiesta.com/drinks/blueberry-lemon-cooler/#comments Tue, 28 Aug 2012 01:48:36 +0000 Divya http://www.flavourfiesta.com/?p=4103  

Hello hello! For today’s post I’m bringing over another recipe from the last issue of my magazine. That way it’s easier to search for the recipes and print them. Today’s recipe is a blueberry lemon cooler that brings together the sweetness of blueberries with a hint of citrus with lemons.

I made this blueberry lemon cooler as part of series of homemade blueberry liquer-based cocktails. If you don’t have any blueberry liqueur, you can always substitute with any other fruit liqueur or vodka. It won’t taste the same, but it will still be pretty darn delicious!

Enjoy!