Quinoa bowl

With the little one taking up all of our time, it is difficult to manage to cook a meal, let alone a well planned healthy one. We still try our best to have home-cooked food but often have to resort to quick fixes and frozen meals. Today we rustled up a quick quinoa dish, where the only cooking needed was the quinoa and the rest of the prep didn't take long either. We were so pleasantly surprised that this quick fix dish tasted so yum and it was really healthy too! Plan to make this more often now :)

 

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa (I've used red and white quinoa with bulgar wheat)

2 cups water or vegetable stock

For the toppings 

1 carrot, grated

1 avocado, sliced

A can of cooked kidney beans, drained and washed

Salsa (find recipe here)

Jalapenos from a jar 

1 green chilli, finely chopped (optional)

For the dressing

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

Method

Put the quinoa in a saucepan along with the stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover and let it cook for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked and all the liquid has been soaked.

Assemble the bowl: Put the quinoa in the bowl and top with the avocado, kidney beans, salsa, jalapenos, carrot and green chilli.

Drizzle over the dressing.

Dairy free blueberry nice-cream

This summer we have seen some really high temperatures, with some days in July being the hottest July days ever! So every time I hear the ice-cream truck come in our lane, I want to go running behind it, shouting for it to stop. Apparently next week again is going to be really hot but instead of chasing the ice-cream truck, I have my own guilt free healthy ice-cream (or nice cream as it is has been termed) recipe, made from frozen bananas, on hand :)

I always store frozen bananas in my freezer. All you need to do is chop the bananas, put them in a freezer bag or a sealed container and freeze for 5-6 hours or overnight. You then blend the bananas to get a nice soft ice-cream scoop like texture. You can experiment with flavours - add cocoa powder to get chocolate ice-cream, peanut butter for peanut butter ice-cream, fruit of your choice and so on and so forth. Today I made blueberry nice-cream.

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, chopped and frozen

100 gms frozen blueberries

1 tbsp pure maple syrup (or as required)

Method

Add the frozen bananas, blueberries and maple syrup to a food processor or blender and whiz. Scrape the sides using a spatula.

Serve immediately and indulge guilt-free! 

Courgette fritters

Our courgette plant is on a roll and has been giving courgettes pretty much every week. So we're now definitely managing to incorporate some veg in our meals :). Today, instead of making the usual salad we decided to make some bhajis (fritters), like onion bhajis (yum!!). Instead of deep frying the bhajis, we shallow fried them in some coconut oil, which added to the taste and was a healthy option too. This was perfect to have with our evening cuppa while lounging in front of the TV (the little one played on her rocker). This is the life! :D

Ingredients

2 courgettes

1/2 tsp of chilli powder

Salt and pepper to season

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/4 cup chickpea flour (or as required)

Method

Peel the courgettes and grate them into a bowl. Add salt and squeeze with your hands and let the water out from the courgettes. Do not drain the water.

Add the chilli powder and pepper and mix well. Slowly add in the chickpea flour to the courgettes and mix till you form a batter which is not runny but easy to stir and spoon.

Heat the coconut oil on a non stick skillet or griddle. Spoon a tablespoon of the mixture onto the skillet and flatten slightly. Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown.

We had them just as they are but you could serve them with some mint chutney or ketchup :)

Cauliflower in kale and spinach sauce

We are absolutely loving growing our own veg and fruits. This year, so far, we have been successful with strawberries, spinach, coriander, lettuce and kale. And hopefully the tomatoes, raspberries and courgettes (which we've planted) will cooperate too and make their way onto our dinner plate soon. My favourite veg to plant is kale. We've planted kale every year and it has never disappointed us. I have added it to smoothies, made kale chips or just turned it into a quick salad. Today we harvested some kale and spinach and after a quick discussion with my mom, made a curry following her recipe. I have used more spinach than kale because it was an experiment and so didn't want to go all out with the kale. 

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

Approximately 175 gms spinach 

Approximately 75 gms kale

200 gms of cauliflower florets (We didn't grow this - I used frozen ;) )

1 tbsp grated ginger

4-5 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 inch piece cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

5-6 peppercorns

2-3 cloves

1 black cardamom 

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (I used can tomatoes)

2 green chillies (or as per taste), roughly chopped 

2 tbsp coconut oil
Salt to taste

Method

Roughly chop the kale and spinach and blanch in salted water for about a minute. Drain under cold water. 

Grind the spinach and kale with the ginger, chillies and tomatoes into a paste. Cover and keep aside.

In a pan, heat the coconut oil. Add the garlic and fry for a minute. Then add in the dry spices - cumin, cinnamon, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves and cardamom.  Add the spinach and kale paste and water (add more water if preferred). Toss in the cauliflower , add salt and simmer for 5-7 minutes. 

You can substitute the cauliflower with potatoes, mixed vegetables, paneer or even chicken (of course if using chicken cook for longer) :)

Peppercorn chicken curry

On Sunday we cooked our first proper meal since becoming parents to a baby girl. For the past few months we have hardly cooked anything as my mom would do most of the cooking while she was here visiting us. Since then Salil has been busy with work and me with the baby so we've mostly just ordered or had ready meals. A few days of eating out and we were already craving a nice home cooked meal so over the weekend, since we could take turns looking after the little one, we thought of cooking some nice spicy chicken curry. We marinated the chicken and left it overnight in the refrigerator, ready for the curry on Sunday afternoon. You could marinate the chicken for an hour before cooking but ideally leave it marinating overnight as this enhances the flavour and makes the chicken pieces tender.

Ingredients 

350 gms chicken thigh fillets, skinless and boneless

2 medium onions, halved and sliced

1 large tomato, cut into quarters

1 tsp coriander seeds

3 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste (I used some store bought paste from a jar)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder (optional)

2 tbsp plain yogurt

2 tbsp oil

Water (as required)

Method

Cut the chicken thigh pieces into chunks and marinate it in the ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder (optional) and yogurt.

Dry roast the peppercorns and coriander seeds for about 30 seconds, remove and keep aside.

Heat the oil on medium heat and fry the onions till lightly brown. Keep aside 1/3 of the onions and grind the rest of the onions with the peppercorns, coriander seeds and tomatoes into a paste.

Fry the paste in the remaining oil (from frying the onions) for 3-4 minutes. Add the kashmiri chilli powder followed by the marinated chicken and fry for a couple of minutes. Reduce the heat and cover and cook for 10 - 15 minutes.    

Add about a cup of water (or as required), add salt and the remaining fried onions and cook for further 15 minutes or until the chicken pieces are cooked.

Serve with parathas or rice.

Babycorn pakodas / bhaji (fritters)

For me, Bhajis or Pakodas of any kind - or anything deep fried in batter, which I do usually avoid - is a weakness. Sometimes, however, I just cannot help but succumb to the pressure of the cravings! So today when my mum decided to make baby corn pakodas (as I mentioned in my previous post, my mom is visiting us and has taken over the kitchen) and bought a plate of these in front of me, I obviously couldn't help but stuff my mouth with them! She kept it really simple and it hardly took her any time or effort to make these, except dealing with the pressure of keeping up with the increasing demand for more while she was frying them ;)

Ingredients

250 gms baby corn (about 15-16)

3/4 cup Chickpea flour (besan)

3/4 cup water

1 tsp red chilli powder (or as per taste)

1 tsp oil

Oil for frying

Salt to taste

Method

Cut the baby corn into about 1-1/2 inch pieces. In a bowl, mix the chickpea flour, water, chilli powder, salt and a tsp of oil to form a thin batter.  Add the baby corn pieces to the batter and coat all the pieces well. Keep aside for 5 minutes

In the meantime, heat the oil for frying in a deep wok or kadai on medium heat. To check if it has reached the required temperature, drop in a little bit of batter into the hot oil. If the batter sizzles and immediately comes to the surface, the oil is hot enough. 

Gently drop the battered baby corn  pieces into the oil, 4 -5 at a time (depending on how big your wok is) and let them cook till they are golden brown in colour. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a kitchen towel to drain the excess oil.

Serve with chutney or ketchup or just have them on their own!   

Palak paneer (Indian cottage cheese in spinach)

These days I have been spending less time cooking as my mom is visiting us and she has taken over the kitchen. I am now usually the sous-chef or assistant whilst also writing recipes down. :) Today we decided to make palak paneer, which is Indian cottage cheese cooked in a spinach sauce. This dish is quite simple to make. Everyone has a different way of making it. This is how my mom made it today - super quick, healthy and tasty :)  

Serves 4

Ingredients

500 gms spinach

2 tsp freshly grated ginger

5 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 medium tomatoes, chopped

3-4 chopped green chillies (or as per taste)

250 gms paneer, cut into cubes

2 - 3 tbsp ghee or oil

1 cup water

Salt to taste

Method

Roughly chop the spinach and blanch in salted boiling water for about a minute. Drain under cold water. 

Grind the blanched spinach, tomatoes, green chillies and ginger together to form a paste. Cover and keep aside (blanching the spinach and then keeping it covered after making the paste helps the spinach retain its vivid green colour) 

In a pan, heat the ghee. Add the garlic and fry till lightly brown. Add the spinach paste and the water (add more water if preferred). Toss in the paneer pieces, add salt and simmer for 5-7 minutes. 

Serve with hot rotis, parathas or rice.

That's how simple and easy making palak paneer can be! :)

Tzatziki

Tzatziki, similar to raita (Indian cucumber dip), is a Greek dip served with starters or alongside mains, usually grilled meat. It is made of cucumber and thick yogurt. I have used low fat Greek yogurt (I prefer it to the full fat) but if you go for full fat it would definitely add to the creaminess of the Tzatziki. The yogurt should be thick Greek yogurt though but you could use whole milk yogurt and strain it yourself. I also use the whole cucumber, seeds and all. (why waste? But if you prefer to remove them, don't throw the seeds away, add some salt and paprika, put on a cracker, makes a healthy snack) 

I personally love Tzatziki with some  cut vegetable sticks such as carrots or some toasted pita. It is a great snack, healthy and super simple to make!

Ingredients

150 gms Greek yogurt 

1 large cucumber

2 - 3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tsp lemon juice

Pinch of chilli powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp mint leaves, chopped

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

Peel the cucumber and grate it onto a kitchen towel and squeeze out all the water into a glass (add some salt and lemon juice to the water, makes a refreshing drink ;))

Add the grated cucumber, crushed garlic, lemon juice and mint leaves to the yogurt, season with salt and mix well. Drizzle over the extra virgin olive oil and add a pinch of chilli powder.

Serve with vegetable sticks or pita.

Panzanella

Panzanella is an Italian salad, originally made of bread and tomatoes mixed in with some olive oil. I think the idea was to use up leftover stale bread to create a scrumptious summer salad, making good use of the stale bread and turning it into the star of the show! 

Now, Panzanella is not just a way to use up stale bread, but has become a great salad recipe in its own right. I had some ciabatta which wasn't quite stale, but I really wanted to give this recipe a try. I have to say, this is now probably my favourite salad recipe! :) The key is to use a good crusty bread - a normal soft loaf will become too soggy. 

Ingredients

1 large cucumber -  halved, seeded and sliced 

3 tomatoes cut into quarters

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 yellow pepper, diced 

1 loaf of ciabatta, about 150 gms (or any crusty bread of your choice)

10 -12 basil leaves, some roughly chopped and a few to scatter over

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Parmesan (optional)

For the vinaigrette or dressing 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar (I prefer the taste of balsamic vinegar).
Salt 

Method

If using a ciabatta or any store bought crusty bread, cut the bread into cubes, drizzle with some olive oil and bake in the oven for 10 -12 minutes at 180 C.

To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and mix well. I use a small jar to make this - place everything in the jar, put the lid on and shake it well. 

Add the prepared vegetables - cucumber, tomatoes, onion and yellow pepper to a bowl. Add the bread and chopped basil leaves, season with salt and pepper and toss everything together.

Add in the vinaigrette and give it a final toss. Scatter over the remaining basil leaves and sprinkle over some Parmesan shavings (optional) before serving.

This salad is great on its own or as a side to any main.

Fish curry

Since this is my first post of the year, first of all wish you all a very happy new year! Hope everyone has had a fabulous start to the year and is keeping up with their new year resolutions! After seeing the benefits of eating well, the only resolution I made this year is to continue eating healthy and nutritious food as we did last year. Although this is the first recipe of the year on the blog, we have been pretty much cooking at home everyday and have been really enjoying having home-cooked healthy meals. This Sunday we rustled up this quick fish curry and enjoyed it with rice :)

Ingredients

250 gms white fish, cut into about 1 inch pieces (I used Basa) 

2 onions, cut into quarters

4 dried red chillies

1/2 inch piece of ginger

3-4 garlic cloves

2 tbsp of oil

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (I've used tomatoes from a can)

1/4 tsp kashmiri chilli powder

Water

Salt to taste

Chopped green chilli and coriander for garnish

Method

Grind the onions, dried red chillies, garlic cloves and ginger to a paste. Keep aside.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them sputter. Reduce the heat to low and add the onion paste to the pan. Add the turmeric powder and coriander powder and mix well. Cook for 3-4 minutes (Add a couple of tbsps of water if you find the mixture dry).

Stir in the chopped tomatoes. Add the fish pieces and gently combine together. Add in the Kashmiri chilli powder and garam masala powder along with one and a half cups of water (or more if required). Season with salt and cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked and starts to flake.

Garnish with chopped fresh green chillies and fresh coriander leaves.