Sweet Potato Parathas

This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Rubbermaid® however all opinions expressed are my own. 

I'm not sure about you, but I could live off off veggies. I whip up a dish of roasted veggies just about every night and wow they're delicious! I assumed my family would be the same way, but nope.

They cringe when they see veggies on the dinner table. Over the years, I've had to learn how to get a little creative. I know they need them in their diets, but it gets tricky!

If you know our family at all, you know we love Indian food. As I was trying to decide how I could get a little creative with our veggies, I thought about the perfect fall dish.

Sweet potato parathas.

I whipped up a batch of these boys today and they were gone before my husband could even try one. Can you guess who the culprits were?My boys! They loved them! They're full of sweet potatoes, but in their eyes it was simply Indian bread.They even asked me to whip up more with dinner tonight! I think that's one thing I can happily oblige too! They're beyond easy to make and you only need a handful of ingredients!I made up a batch in under thirty minutes and I can already tell you these are going to be a new staple our house this Fall!Admit it... Your mouth is watering just looking at the pictures!These are the perfect side to dinner or even a quick afternoon snack. Sneak in some sweet potatoes for the family and enjoy these bad boys![amd-yrecipe-recipe:30]

Chef Tips And A GIVEAWAY!

Whether you are a professional chef or the resident chef for your family, you need to check out the Rubbermaid Fresh Works Produce Savers! They come in all different sizes and work hard to keep your veggies fresh longer! I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for ways to save money for my family.We're a family of 5 and our food bill quickly adds up! The worst part is looking in my fridge at the end of the week only to find our fresh produce has gone bad. I always think I'll get to it in time, but then life happens!These Rubbermaid Fresh Produce Savers have saved me twice this week already! Their containers are designed with us in mind! They're easy to use and when you're done simply toss them in the dishwasher!Did you really think I'd talk about them and not help you get one of your own? Enter my giveaway today and get a chance to win your own!All you need to do to enter is share this recipe with your friends and comment with one chef tip of your own!

*Based on strawberries in FreshWorks™ containers vs. store packaging. Results may vary depending upon produce and use.*

Father's Day Is Our Chance To Tell Him How We Feel

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CelebrateAllSummer #CollectiveBias

Father's Day is right around the corner and my boys are getting excited! They've been planning out the perfect day to let their daddy know how much they love him.I've loved seeing the relationship my boys have with their daddy. In the beginning, they were complete momma's boys. I could tell my husband was nervous that they'd always be that way.Then I saw it happen before my eyes. I'd find them searching through the house looking for dada and the look on my husband's face was always priceless. His heart was completely full in those moments.Over the years, I've seen him do everything he can to be the best dad for his boys. He works harder than so many people I know, he always makes time to throw the ball around the yard with them, and he's showing them what it means to be an amazing man.Father's Day is our chance to let him know how much we love him.As life get's busy we don't always take the time to tell each other how we feel. We assume they just know what we think and how much we appreciate them.American Greetings is there to help us find the words we want to say. Father's Day is the perfect time to let it all out. These dads work hard all year to be an example to their kids and much like every other parent, they don't always think they're doing great. This is our time to let them know how much we appreciate everything they do.My kids had a blast choosing out their cards. My four-year-old found a card with a "superhero daddy" and my other boys found cards that fit their personalities perfectly.This year for Father's Day, my kids are going to spoil their daddy with cards that tell him exactly how they feel and a delicious brunch. We even decided to mix together two of my husband's favorite things... Indian food and pizza.We've decided to whip up a delicious batch of Curry Spiced Waffle Pizza. If he could survive on Indian food and pizza, I know he would. I let his taste buds be the inspiration for our tasty Father's Day brunch menu. [amd-yrecipe-recipe:24]Whether you want to find the perfect words to tell dad you love him or you just want to celebrate your best friend, American Greetings is there for you. Sometimes it's hard to find the words to describe how we feel about the close people in our lives, but these cards are perfect.We went to Walmart looking for Father's Day cards and ended up leaving with cards for Hug Your Kids Day and Finally Summer! I had to cut my kids off in the end because they wanted to leave with them all!I love American Greetings because they don't just have cards! We were able to get everything we needed for Father's Day in one simple trip! We picked up our favorite cards, a gift bag, and even tissue paper! They have it all!Pick up your American Greeting cards today, but don't forget to use this coupon!Are you an Ibotta fan like me? You should be! They have a ton of great savings! You could head over to Walmart today and purchase any American Greetings® Card at Walmart and Earn $1 on Ibotta ! They've even sweetened the deal by offering another deal! You can purchase any American Greetings® Card at Walmart and Earn $1 on Ibotta !

Quick and Easy Samosas

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RealFlavorRealFast #CollectiveBias

This week has given us a little taste of the beautiful weather North Carolina has to offer. We wake up in the morning and it's already warm outside. The last thing we want to do on these warm days is heat up the oven. Instead, we go straight outside and turn on the grill.Today, we grilled up a gorgeous piece of Smithfield Marinated Pork. We love using their pork because you can create real flavor real fast! They use 100% pork and none of that nasty added stuff.* It's perfect for a midweek meal because it hardly takes any time at all to cook!It was so easy to cook and it smelled heavenly. It hardly took anytime at all for it to reach the right temperature and then we brought it inside to put together our samosas.The best part of these quick samosas is that you can fill them with anything! My families favorite is meat and potato. They're filling and perfect for any meal!Traditional samosas take a bit of time from your day. You have to make the dough from scratch, wait for it to rise, and then start the rest of the process. Not today. We made it easy by using a tortilla!

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:21]Head over to your local Walmart and pick up your own Smithfield Marinated Pork. They have so many options on the types of marinades you want to fit everyones tastebuds. You can use them to whip up your own homemade samosas or eat them on their own!They've taken all the work out of it by marinading it for you! All you need to do is sauté it, roast it, or even throw it on the grill! Our family loves to grill up our Smithfield Marinated Pork and then use the left overs in our samosas the next day! Seriously delicious meals two days in a row!

*FDA has determined that there is no significant different between milk derived from rBST-treated and non rBST-treated cows 

20+ Easy Indian Recipes

Are you looking for a few new recipes to try? Check out my round up and see all of my favorite Indian recipes!

Over the years, I've become increasingly obsessed with Indian food. My husband and I got together and he showed me just how amazing Indian food could be. Then I decided to learn how to make it.The journey to being able to make Indian food was hard! I'll never forget the first dish I made. I decided to surprise my husband with chicken curry one night. He called on his way home from work, asking what I was making for dinner. I told him and you could hear how excited he was right away.I spent all day getting the ingredients, finding a good recipe online, and prepping the dish.When he got home, he expected to instantly smell delicious chicken curry when he opened the door. You could even see him inhale as he walked in. However, his face didn't show the excitement I was hoping for. He looked confused.He walked over to the pot simmering on the stove and turned his head.As we sat down for dinner he took a bite and oh so graciously asked what I used to make it. He said it didn't taste like his moms and he was curious if I used the right spices... First of all, my wonderful and amazing husband has learned over the years to never compare your wife's cooking to his mothers!No one wants to hear that after she spent hours cooking, but over the years I realized just how right on he was!I found an American version of chicken curry and even used a curry powder I found at a local grocery store. I used the wrong type of chicken, the wrong spices, and it took 20 minutes compared to the hours of simmering traditional chicken curry needs.The simple answer is you need to find a delicious traditional recipe if you're looking to taste authentic Indian recipes.

20+ Of My Favorite Indian Recipes

I want to make it easy for you and to prevent you from finding disappointing Indian recipes online! Here are a few of my favorite Indian recipes that have been passed down to me from my in laws. They're delicious and simple to make!

Simple Indian Dinners

Almond Chicken CurryChicken Tikka MasalaBaked Tandoori ChickenSamosa Hand PiesTraditional Butter Chicken RecipeLahori Fish FryKarahi ChickenSimple Pav Bhaji (Vegetarian)Keema Curry

Sweet Indian Desserts

Indian DonutsVermicelli KheerMango Lassi SmoothieChai Spiced Donuts

Tasty Indian Side Dishes

Cumin Salad DressingGarlic NaanHyderabadi CabbageCoconut Green BeansCoconut Chana MasalaKhichidi Lemon RicePappu

Which one is your favorite?

Don't forget to PIN this round up for later!

Garlic Naan Recipe

I have been racking my brain on what recipe to introduce all of you to first, then it hit me… GARLIC NAAN! It's my favorite thing to make with just about every Indian dish. Naan is served with almost every Indian dish. It's the peanut butter and jelly of Indian cuisine.Delicious.It's a tasty, buttery bread that melts in your mouth. Follow the recipe below and you will see first off all, how easy it is, and just how addicting it becomes![amd-yrecipe-recipe:18]

**Update: I've been getting a lot of questions about what I use to cook the naan. Traditionally, you a clay oven to cook your naan. I use a grill pan and it works great!**

Summer Recipes

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Summer is almost here! My favorite season in the Pacific Northwest is definitely the summers! It's perfect outside! My family and I have been soaking it up. We had a Mother's Day Tea, which was the cutest thing ever! We went to the funnest park around! Then of course some good old thumb sucking.  The other reason I love summers is that it's the perfect time to host dinner parties! My husband and I love inviting people over to indulge in some delicious Indian food.Most of our friends have always either loved Indian food or super excited to try it. I quickly stumbled upon a routine for our get togethers. I have a list of dishes I will make if people have never tried Indian food, tried it and loved it, vegetarians, and spicy food addicts. Here are a few party menus for you to try on your next early summer party!Never tried Indian food before? Here are a few dishes for you!Keema CurryChicken KeemaNaanDo you LOVE Indian food and can't wait for more? Here you go!Chicken CurryChicken Tikka MasalaParathasButter ChickenAny vegetarians in the house?Delicious DalGreek YogurtHyderabadi CabbagePotato MasalaWhat are your favorite Indian dishes? 

Paratha Recipe

As I'm sure you know by now, we make a lot of Indian food in our house. This means we need to have rice and roti (Indian bread) on hand. Typically, I will buy a huge bag of parathas and keep them in my freezer. While they are extremely delicious, I decided we needed some homemade, fresh from the skillet parathas around here! I posted this recipe a few years ago and decided to update it. This is a great recipe because you can tailer it to your specific tastes. It's a very forgiving dough and you can see where your imagination takes you. Ingredients:2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flourWarm water2 tsp oil1 tsp salt1 tbs garam masala1 1/2 tsp fenugreek leavesDirections:Pour all of your dry ingredients into a bowl. Mix them, add your oil, and slowly add your water until all of the dry ingredients come together. The stickier your dough, the more moist your parathas will be. Make sure you don't make it too sticky, otherwise it will be too hard to work with. Knead your dough for two minutes and then set it aside for twenty minutes.Pinch off a chunk of the dough and roll it into a ball. It should be about the size of a golf ball.Roll out your dough to about half an inch thick. Brush the top with oil and sprinkle with flour. Cut a small slit in your dough.Roll your dough like shown in the picture. This by no means needs to look nice or be perfect.Place the tip of this in your palm or on the counter and press down to flatten.Roll your dough out one more time.Heat a pan on medium high heat, add a small amount of oil, and fry up your parathas. Cook them until they turn golden brown or start to bubble.These are delicious, flaky, and make your mouth water as you begin to smell them! Serve this with butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, chicken curry, or any other Indian dish. I turned my back for one minute and already found bit marks from  my little boys.

Chapatis

What are a few staples in your meals throughout the week? 

 

I make a lot of rice, bread, and vegetables. Every one of my meals has one of those incorporated in. It always helps on those less creative evenings. Instead of having to think up a unique side dish, I can pull out one of the staples. I also know my whole family likes all three of those. 

 

What are the staples in Indian meals?

 

They use a lot of rice, roti (bread), and lentil dishes. I don't think I've ever had an Indian meal without one of those things. 

 

Today, I’m going to share a little secret with you. I’m going to give you the roti recipe!!! Roti simply means bread. A few types are naan, chapatis, parathas, etc. 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup of flour

1/3 cup warm water

2 tbs oil

 

Directions:

 Mix all of your ingredients together. The dough should be a little sticky. Sprinkle a bit of flour on your surface and rolling pin. Pinch off a bit of dough and roll it out to about 1/4 of an inch. 

 

Heat a pan to medium high heat. Add a bit of butter and fry your chapati. Add butter and flip when golden brown spots start to appear on the bottom. 

 

You can make these to you or your family's preference. If you'd like them to be more moist, add a bit of water. You can also decide how thick you'd like them to be. 

 

These are traditionally made with whole wheat flour, but my family likes white flour best. 

 

You can serve these with chicken tikka masala, chicken curry, lentil dishes, etc. 

 

Enjoy!