Madhura Deshpande

Land of the Magyars

A 3 hour train ride from Wien (Vienna) gets you to Budapest Keleti station in Hungary. Buda (hilly) and Pest (flat) are actually two different cities separated by the Danube river. Brought together in 1873, this city feels like a gateway into Eastern European sensibilities. Despite reading about its history & culture, I had noContinueContinue reading “Land of the Magyars”

Empowerment

It appears everywhere but it’s rarely found. Everyone talks about it but very few put it into practice. Most people want it for themselves but are clueless about how to give it to others. Then there is utter confusion about employee vs women vs social vs youth empowerment. As a matter of fact, I thinkContinueContinue reading “Empowerment”

Khandeshi Thecha

Recipe Courtesy: Pallavee Amdekar Khandeshi thecha is very famous in certain parts of central/western India. This is a little twist on my mom’s traditional recipe. It can be used as spicy salsa with chips, tacos, etc. This recipe needs several different ingredients that are listed below. Green chillis – 17 or 18 Garlic cloves peeledContinueContinue reading “Khandeshi Thecha”

Fruit & Nut Salad

Recipe Courtesy: Pallavee Amdekar A bowl of goodness! It’s a wonderful natural treat on a hot summer day. The ground dates and almonds give sweetness and thickness to the milk. Gulab and kewara jal impart a nice cooling fragrance; both these ingredients are traditional summer staples in south Asia. This recipe needs several different ingredientsContinueContinue reading “Fruit & Nut Salad”

Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe Courtesy: Rupa Goray Joshi This simple soup is perfect for the fall season. Chock full of nutrition and bursting with flavor, it’s a great go-to meal. This recipe needs several different ingredients that are listed below. Butternut squash cubes (peeled) – 2 cups Carrot chopped (peeled) – 1 cup Mini red bell peppers -ContinueContinue reading “Butternut Squash Soup”

Fueling Our Life Forces (Part 3)

Read Part 1 & Part 2 of this series. For many years, we followed the traditional eating cycles, breakfast-lunch-dinner-snacks. Partly because we didn’t know any better, and partly because the society & work/school schedules dictated that. Then in 2019 the epiphany came! Eating Based on (Authentic) Body Signals Listening to one of Dr. Dixit’s lectures,ContinueContinue reading “Fueling Our Life Forces (Part 3)”

Sanvi’s Mung Beans Salad

Recipe & Narration Courtesy: Sanvi Patwardhan I prepared this mung beans salad for the DuéPasti kids wellness workshop. I had a lot of fun sprouting the beans and making the salad! Here is the recipe. Take 1 cup of sprouted mung beans. Add a pinch of chili powder, a pinch of salt, half of aContinueContinue reading “Sanvi’s Mung Beans Salad”

Curried Spinach & Dill

Recipe Courtesy: Pallavee Amdekar We are always looking for new ways to incorporate dark green vegetables into our meals. This is a delicious way to bring dill into your repertoire of leafy greens. This recipe needs several different ingredients that are listed below. Chopped Dill- 1 cup Chopped spinach- 3 cups Peanuts – 1/4 cupContinueContinue reading “Curried Spinach & Dill”

Chocolate-Almond-Date Torte

Nutrition-dense and sinfully delicious, you will feel great about eating this torte. It’s also gluten-free, and a good source of fiber & protein. If you aren’t particularly fond of dates, substitute with organic sugar (usually 2 – 3 tbsp for 8 dates), but eliminating dates reduces fiber and potassium. Ingredients list is as follows. 2ContinueContinue reading “Chocolate-Almond-Date Torte”

Fresh Fruit Pops

Recipe Courtesy: Pallavee Amdekar Made with fresh fruit & a little sugar to balance the tartness. It’s a super easy summer activity & oh-so-delicious treat for kids! 1 cup of sliced and tightly packed fresh sweet strawberries. 2 tbsp lemon/lime juice and 3/4 tbsp powdered sugar. Puree the strawberries along with everything else on pulseContinueContinue reading “Fresh Fruit Pops”