Happy holidays from Arvinda’s

Wishing you ‘turmeric wishes’ for a bright, happy, healthy and loveful holiday season!

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Chai Spiced Creamy Medjool Date mithai

Chai Spice Medjool Date mitai using Arvinda’s Chai Masala

Over the weekend we celebrated Diwali, India’s festival of lights. The celebrations are vibrant, joyous and lit with illuminated tiny lamps called diyas. It is a custom to cook many varieties of snacks and sweets and share them with loved ones.

Although this is the only time of year we eat specific Indian sweets (this is definitely a time of year for treats!) I wanted to make something different as well as “healthy”, if you can call a sweet treat that! Maybe the word I’m looking for is healthier than the typical syrupy and overly sugary Indian mithai (sweets) we often indulge in.

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Mood-enhancing properties of Indian spices

This February, create a warming Valentine’s menu for a loved one using Indian spices known for their mood-enhancing properties.

Here are five common spices used in Indian cooking that do just that!

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Roasted Indian Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Roasted Indian Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Sadly this year I didn’t get the chance to carve my Hallowe’en pumpkin. Just before hurricane Sandy hit a couple of days before Hallowe’en, we were in New York for the weekend. All the the flights out of the state were cancelled and Hallowe’en week didn’t end up happening. With the disaster coming around the holiday, surely Hallowe’en got cancelled in NY and New Jersey this year.

One month later, my Hallowe’en pumpkin was still sitting in my kitchen (uneaten!). Today’s Thanksgiving holiday for our friends in the South reminded me it was a good day to start cooking with that pumpkin.

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Chai Spiced Indian Diwali Shortbread ~ Nan Katai (Khatai)

Diwali, India’s Festival of Lights is not complete without an indulgence of delicious foods!

Nan Katai (Khatai) is Indian shortbread. This recipe uses Arvinda’s Chai Masala for an aromatic accent.

Recently, I had a conversation with Nadine Sharon Anglin for Canadian Living about Diwali foods.

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Happy Diwali!

At Diwali, tiny lamps are lit in homes and on the streets.

As we speak, celebrations in India are on now for Diwali, the festival of lights with people exchanging sweets, rejoicing and indulging.

Diwali’s significance is manifold, including the celebration of good over evil and the worship of Goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu deity of wealth and prosperity. In north and central India, Diwali festivities signify Lord Rama, King of Ayodhya’s return after 14 years of exile after his victory over evil king Ravana. It was a row of tiny lit lamps that showed Lord Rama his way home to the kingdom of Ayodhya.

Although Diwali has a different significance to the many cultures in India, its message is universal and simple.

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A sweetheart of a treat – Strawberry Rose Masala Chai

Strawberry Rose Masala Chai - for two!

For many years we’ve taught a festive Valentine’s Indian cooking class menu laced with beautiful, aromatic Indian spices. I always end the cooking class with a sweetheart of treat — Strawberry Rose Masala Chai. It’s velvety smooth, spicy and sweet and a beautiful ending to an Indian meal.

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My first Lohri party: Til Papdi (Sesame Snaps)

Til Papdi ~ Sesame Snaps for Lohri celebrations.

Ten years ago was the first time I came to know about Lohri when I got invited to a Lohri party. Lohri is an Indian festival celebrated on the eve of the winter’s solstice-the longest day of the year–in the state of Punjab, the ‘breadbasket’ of India.

Not growing up in India, all I heard about was how fun Lohri was and how everyone loved Lohri. Although I didn’t make it to the Lohri party that year, since then I long to be in India for Lohri!

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Curried Cranberry & Almond Quinoa

Good morning everyone…Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

Curried Cranberry & Almond Quinoa adds some subtle Indian flavours to the holiday table.

On Christmas day my family like everyone else’s celebrates with a big meal – but one that’s definitely free of curries! Some years we like to switch things up. One year I had an Italian themed Christmas celebration—everything from the wine to baked pasta stuffed with spinach and ricotta, to the panettone for dessert was eaten with some Italian flair. Buon Natale!

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5 holiday gifts for the last-minute shopper (that won’t clog the landfill!)

Treat a loved one to an Indian cooking class - learning whole wheat handmade naan from scratch is a welcomed skill for any Indian food lover!

This is the time of year when we show thanks to all the people who helped us throughout the year and show expressions of our emotions to those we love through gift giving and words of gratitude. What irks me about the holidays is when this message gets clouded with consumerism and the holidays become more about getting to the mall than spending time with each other. I’ve never been a fan of ‘big-box’ shopping and I must say the mall often leaves me with a feeling of anxiety!

Although I do my best to avoid the malls, I like to go to admire their beautiful Christmas light displays. This year's larger-than-life reindeers at Toronto's Eaton Centre makes the holiday season seem magical.

My favourite gift ideas are those that are handmade, homemade, artisanal, food gifts and experiential in nature keeping the environment at the forefront! If you’re still looking for a gift (that won’t clog the landfill) here are a few ideas:

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