My first week of gluten free, sugar free diet was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I got to eat GF chickpea crepes lasagna, GF parantha made from ragi flour, tandoori chicken with zucchini noodles and a black bean corn tortilla casserole. ; But from today onwards I go raw for a week. I have been posting about my adventures in gluten free and sugar free cooking on my Facebook page and this week you will see how my Going Raw cleanse works out. Today I made homemade almond milk and had it with some crushed cardamom, saffron and pistachios. For lunch, I made a raw cauliflower “couscous” salad which was pretty good, although I have to admit I miss eating something warm and cooked. It’s just my first day and I have six more to go. This week is going to be difficult.

And posting pictures of this potato salad is not helping. Not helping at all!

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So I have been MIA for quite some time. The reason? I have been traveling a lot the past two weeks. First it was Phoenix. V had a week long conference and I tagged along. I managed to do a quick post about the four layer chocolate cake while I was there, but that was about it. We came back Sunday, the week before last. I was home for two days and then I left for a 4 day vacation to New York, sans V.

It was my second time in New York, though the first actually doesn’t count. I was in first grade the first time I went there, and don’t remember my visit at all. So according me it didn’t count. But this one does. And it was the most amazing vacation I have had after a long time. And OMG I am in loooooove with the city! Thanks to my friends and V’s cousin I was able to do a lot- all the tourist-y stuff like Times Square, Wall street, view of Statue of Liberty and the non conventional stuff as well- a 15 mile bike tour of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn! I will share more of my trip to New York in a later post, but for now I must tell you I am totally hungover on the place. I got back Monday early morning, and every time I see something related to New York on TV, I feel like crying. Yes, I miss the city THAT much!

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The other day, when my friend Ram Pyaari asked me to do a guest post for her blog, I was more than thrilled.

Imagine, someone else wants my random blabbering on their blog, and that too, someone who is the author of an upcoming book (translation: knows what writing is all about, unlike me who just goes on and on in unwinding sentences, mostly boring people with my mundane housewife life.)

Yup, I was beyond thrilled. Of course, a few seconds later I had nervous sweat beeds all over my face.

If I am writing on a writer’s blog– I have to do a really good post. And there was this 50 kg load on my brain- and I was busy scouting for ideas that would result in an interesting blog post- worthy enough to be put on a writer’s blog. But then Ram Pyaari assured me its my random blabbering that she wants on her blog, along with a recipe of course.

Poor thing, what can I say, she really did ask for it!

So, there I was thinking what I could guest post about.

My first thought was to share my experience of the first thing I made at my in-laws place right after I got married- halwa!

What a disaster it was!

Luckily, my in-laws weren’t at home when the kitchen catastrophe happened and more luckily enough, their cook was, who came to my rescue and made a great halwa. I masqueraded that as mine and scored brownie points! Well, actually I did not. The honest-me could not take credit for someone else’s work and told them the truth. Well, we all had a good laugh. They liked that I made an effort in the kitchen, knowing very well I had not cooked at all before. Yup, I did score brownie points after all!

But, then today when I started writing the guest post, I wanted to write something else. Also, I had made this lotus root curry that I wanted to post about for Garam Masala Tuesdays. So, I scrapped the original plan and since Ram Pyaari’s book revolves around arranged marriages I thought I’ll tell my “arranged” marriage story today.

Head over to Ram Pyaari’s blog for the story !

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