Promises kept and unkept.

Wow! Just... wow! Talk about coming through with promises. My gratitude to a certain someone for the massive bump in the traffic. Now, it is my turn. Here are the solutions.
Across
Establish our identity by our nourishment. (2,3,4,2,3)
WE ARE WHAT WE EAT (straight clue)
Bread? Sounds more like the animal lovers' assoc. (4)
PITA (as it sounds like PETA)
Add a little something, something... (5,2)
SPICE UP
Org. of dark forecast. (3)
FDA
Between cooking and slicing of meat. (7)
RESTING (straight enough, I guess)
Investigate and learn. (9)
ASCERTAIN
Singular piece of unattainable fruit. (4,5)
SOUR GRAPE
Tuscan red wine. (7)
CHIANTI
'Bellissimo!', in 'Zakirese'! (3)
WAH
Creamy dessert! (7)
PUDDING
Adrak to Imli: ____ of Indian spices (1,2,1)
ATOI (Not very happy with either the clue or the phrase)
Cogitation with respect to consumption. (7,3,4)
THOUGHT FOR FOOD

Down
Alcoholic drink (4)
WINE
Olive oil that has never been kissed? (5-6)
EXTRA-VIRGIN
Wine or chicken meat type. (5)
WHITE
Choose. (5)
ELECT
Aloo curry and ____. (5,4)
PUFFY PURI (Reminds me of my high school Sunday afternoons)
Harshly critical cooking vessel? (3)
PAN (Two meanings of the same word)
In Italy, grasp a raging bull containing edible shoots from a plant. (8)
Asparagi (Italian for asparagus)
Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V. (8)
RECREATE
Seasonal liquid or the ingredient that gives the local flavour to liquors? (6,5)
SPRING WATER (season = spring, liquid = water)
Persian beverage popular in the Indian City of Nawab. (5,4)
IRANI CHAI (of course!)
Spice or hair color or a horrible singer! (6)
GINGER
Dry fruit gone nuts and topsy turvy! (6)
WEHSAC (Cashew spelt the other way)
Jump or the soure of malt for beer it is! (3)
HOP (two meanings of the same word)
Related to sound. (5)
AUDIO
Entity in Methi 'n ginger. (5)
THING
Lassi or revenge best served ___. (4)
COLD

Hope the clues and solutions were clear. I have quite a lot of ideas for the next few puzzles. Stay tuned!
Oh, what was that? You like the banner picture, you say? You can direct your bouquets to this person.
Thanks Priya!

So loo shuns!

Here are the solutions to the cryptic clues.

"~=" represents an anagram/jumble.
"==" represents synonym (approximate)

Note, it arcs carelessly like a sword! (8)*
Note = MI + IT + ARCS, ~= SCIMITAR = kind of sword.

One less person of Spanish origin is an unwanted extra undergrowth. (7)*
Spanish origin = HISPANIC - I (one less) = HSPANIC ~= SPINACH = extra undergrowth (secondary meaning).

Trivial currency cannot buy this sweater! (8)
Trivial = MERE, currency = CASH, CASHMERE

Ha, kick out hundred trousers! (5)
HA, KICK - C (out hundred) = KHAKI

Aquatic plant around the eastern branch of mathematics. (7)
ALG {E. BR.} A

Decapitated citizen is in a peaceful state of mind. (3)
CITIZEN - CITI (head removed) = ZEN

Snake, tangled around a traffic deadlock sleeps in these. (7)~
ASP == snake, a traffic deadlock == A JAM, P{A JAM}AS

A variant is out! (6)*
is out == Not in. A VARIANT - IN ~= AVATAR (a variant).

The "Great Charter" is a fishing vessel without gravity! (9)*
The Great Charter == MAGNA CARTA - G (gravity) ~= CATAMARAN == fishing vessel

Endless chain of a hot beverage. (4)
CHAI (you know me...!)

Maybe, it is the destiny of a thousand kites. (6)
M KITES ~= KISMET == destiny

Strangely, his age is for a man's lighthearted entertainment. (6)
HIS AGE ~= GEISHA == man's lighthearted entertainment

A precept. (5)
precept == SUTRA

Market strange teetotallers asleep in bar. (6)
teetotallers == AA, asleep == Z, BA {Z AA} R == market

Chant in adamant rage! (6)
ada(MANT RA)ge => MANTRA == chant

It hung, go make it work zealously! (4, 2)~
hung go ~= GUNG HO == work zealously (close enough, I guess...)

Fifty thousand go backwards around you, a media person. (5)
L(fifty) GO M (thousand) around U (you)=> MOGUL

Dull aggregate of Chinese food items. (3, 3)
DIM SUM

Music for salvation! (7)
NIRVANA

Greg's wife is the divine law. (6)
DHARMA

Mark a strange consequence. (5)
MARK A ~= KARMA == consequence

A tree potted by a bison, perhaps. (6)
A BISON ~= BONSAI == potted tree

Good badge of rank is an aphrodisiac! (7)*
G(ood) ENSIGN (badge of rank) ~= GINSENG == aphrodisiac

An ascetic is a highly talented child without the Public Relations Dept. (4)~*
highly talented child == PRODIGY - PRD ~= YOGI == ascetic

Two vehicles flank a band of travellers. (7)
CAR{A}VAN == band of travellers

Not seen in Chinese energy! (3)
CHINESE - SEEN (not seen) == CHI

As promised, here is a list of people who solved most or all of the puzzle(s) and guessed the theme (not in any particular order):
Charbee, Pappu, Laddu, Durbha, Nandana, Sumi, Chinni, Vera, Nambu.

Thanks for all the feedback, people! Mucho appreciato.
Now, what I need from everyone is a bunch of ideas for the next theme. Please contribute and make this easier on me.