Vibrant India: Fresh Vegetarian Recipes from Bangalore to Brooklyn

I’ve never made Indian food, but I’ve eaten it many times, and YUM!

Chitra Agrawal’s book Vibrant India: Fresh Vegetarian Recipes from Bangalore to Brooklyn is a decorative invitation to her world of South Indian cooking. The book itself is a vibrant, fresh experience, and so are her recipes (more about those later).

Agrawal includes family photos in her books—showing that South Indian cooking is indeed a family affair. The index is bold and organized, and following that is a 14-page introduction to Agrawal, her family, and her food. Before the recipe pages, there are three detailed sections: “Indian Cooking Techniques and Tips,” “The South Indian Pantry,” and “Kitchen Tools.” Agrawal even includes a link for looking up Indian food stores in her readers’ regions. All of Agrawal’s stories, descriptions, and tips invite new-to-Indian-food-cooks to feel comfortable trying her recipes and style.

One feature I find especially neat about her book is that she labels her recipes by the season they’d be most appropriate in.

Today I made three recipes: Green Chile and Herbed Cheddar Shortbread (p. 119), Stir-Fried Corn with BasiI and Leeks (p. 87), and Lime Dill Rice with Pistachios (p. 104). I followed the instructions exactly, and each of the recipes was delicious! I was a bit leery—using many new ingredients and methods—but Agrawal’s instruction was thorough and clear. I can’t wait to try new recipes! I quickly realized that I’ve been eating bland food all my life.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Devotions for a Sacred Marriage: A Year of Weekly Devotions for Couples

Thank you, Gary Thomas, for putting my thoughts, doubts, fears, and feelings into words wrapped in truth, encouragement, and purpose.

Thomas’ Cherish transformed my thoughts toward my marriage. So, when I saw this devotional: Devotions for a Sacred Marriage: A Year of Weekly Devotions for Couples, I found myself immediately drawn to it. Earlier this week, I also picked up a copy of his most highly acclaimed book: Sacred Marriage.

Thomas gets it right. He doesn’t say marriage is easy and that we’ll always be adored by our spouses and adore them. He says it’s hard, but worth it. He encourages husbands and wives to love their spouses as God loves them. Thomas shares many truths, encouragements, and ideas: that obligations, not expectations, are key; that by honoring our spouses we honor God, and a gentle reminder that our spouses are God’s children—therefore, in a sense, God is our father and father-in-law.

I read the book in just a few days (not how it’s intended), and as I recalled my reading, I summarized Thomas’ message as this: we need to love our spouses. But because love is not as straightforward as it sounds, we need Thomas’ refreshing, culture-countering book.

This book has a devotion for each week of the year. If you can’t picture you and your spouse sitting down together to read this book, don’t let that stop you—read it yourself. I did, and undoubtedly will be again.

http://booksneeze.com/blogger/resources/9781400203048

The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through BookSneeze®. I was not required to write a positive review.