"I got 99 problems but a meal ain't 1"
Self-Taught Vegan Chef :: Food Network Champion :: TV Host
Last weekend a legend passed away: Michele Ferrero the owner of Nutella (not to mention the richest man in Italy) died on Valentine’s Day (of all days!!!). In his honor, I had to use Nutella this past weekend (let’s be honest, it was just another excuse for me to use Nutella). Recently my mom made …
This past Christmas we decided to relax at home and I cooked up a vegetarian Italian feast! I decided to make Eggplant Rollatini as the main dish, but of course with a twist. I first made a homemade marinara sauce using San Marzano crushed tomatoes the night before. I spiced up the traditional ricotta filling …
I love green vegetables (how can I not, I’m vegetarian!). I specifically loveee broccoli, spinach, brussel sprouts, asparagus, etc etc ETC. I had some fresh broccoli and brussel sprouts on hand, so I decided to combine them. Below is a super simple and fast side dish you can put together if you have these veggies …
Does this really need an introduction? Burrata with Truffled Cherry Tomato-Basil Salad: 1 fresh burrata cheese – good quality burrata is now available at Costco (Whole Foods sells the same brand) 1 box fresh cherry tomatoes – can be any size box, no real measurements here a hefty handful of fresh basil black pepper salt …
Not sure if this needs any introduction at all, but that this was the first time I made Eggnog. I’ve generally not ventured into the realm of eggnog, as it is super fattening and most of the time it is raw (there are recipes where you can temper the yolks so they’re cooked, or a …
There are a lot of vegetables that are overlooked, especially when it comes to vegetables used in Italian cooking. My family (especially my dad) have always loved long Italian hot peppers – they’re usually offered at Italian restaurants in Staten Island. This Christmas when we decided to cook an Italian feast I decided I’d make …
I don’t think these need much of an introduction, but just picture moist red velvet cake flavored with the delicate flavors of rose and en-robed in rich cardamom chocolate ganache. Yeah. Trust me, even those who don’t like “exotic flavors” (hate those people), will love these. Perfect for Holiday parties! I actually made these for …
It was Mexican night at the Naik household this past weekend! We wanted something simple yet satisfying, and of course I just worked with ingredients that we already had on hand – was not about to venture out in the freezing cold for some nachos ya know. We decided on Quesadillas since we had a …
What do you do with tons of leftover Halloween candy? Make them even better. I love scones – they’re easy, egg-less, and everyone loves them. You’ll probably notice that I have a few scone recipes on my blog, so this is just adding to the collection! Also, my new colleagues loved them 🙂 Reese’s Peanut …
I recently left my job at VivaKi for a new opportunity. As I’ve mentioned in tons of other posts, I’ve become very close to my colleagues here and they are now my really good friends. As part of my several parting gifts, some of my friends surprised me with an awesome going away gift – …