Pitas or Flat bread with hummus

Ingredients Required:
Pitas or flat bread
Roasted Red peppers hummus:
Roasted red peppers - 1 small
1 cup cooked chick peas or canned
Olive oil - 2 tbs
Tahini - 2 tbs
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lime
Finely minced parsley
Salt and red chilli flakes for taste
Method:
1) Puree all the ingredients but for parsley into a smooth paste
2) Add finely chopped parsley
kalamata olives hummus:
Ingredients Required:
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 cup cooked chick peas or canned
Olive oil - 2 tbs
Tahini - 2 tbs
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lime
Handful cilantro
Salt and red chilli flakes or chilli sauce for taste
Method:
1) Puree all the above ingredients into a fine paste but for chilli flakes
2) Garnish with chopped olives and pinch of red pepper flakes.
Toast pita or flat bread and enjoy with any hummus.

Artichoke spinach pizza with Greek flat bread

Ingredients Required:
Greek flat bread
Spinach - frozen or fresh, a bunch
Roma tomato sliced
Artichoke hearts - store bought
Pinch of oregano and basil
Other Toppings - Roasted red bell peppers, olives, Jalapenos and cheese(any kind you prefer, I use soy cheese, lactose free and fat free)
Method:1) Cook spinach for couple of minutes with little olive oil, pinch of oregano, basil, salt and red pepper flakes
2) Brush little oil on flat bread, add spinach as the 1st layer, then arrange tomato slices on top of that.
3) Add artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, olives and jalapenos
4) Spread a layer of cheese on top
5) Bake for 10 minutes and enjoy

Quinoa salad and Broccoli, leeks and Asparagus soup

Quinoa Salad:

Ingredients Required:

Quinoa - 2/3 Cup
Green and Red peppers diced - 1/2 if big or 1 if small
(Can add other color peppers as well if available)
Cucumber diced - 1/2
Small tomatoes diced - 2
Avocado diced - 1
Handful of lettuce (any kind)
Capers - chopped 1 tsp(optional)
Kalamata olives - 12
Red onions chopped - 1/2(optional)

Salad Dressing:

Balsamic vinegar - 2 tsps
Dijon mustard - 1 tsp
Grated ginger - 1 tsp
Red pepper flakes - pinch
Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt required
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil - 3 tbs

Method:

1) Add 2/3 cup quinoa to 1 and 1/3 cup boiling water and cook at medium heat for 10 minutes. Switch off and close the lid and let it cook for 10 more minutes
2) Mix all the chopped veggies together
3) Whisk together balsamic vinegar, mustard, ginger, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, lemon juice. Add olive oil little by little and whisk together to make the dressing
4) Few minute before you are ready to serve put together cooked quinoa, veggies and salad dressing and mix together
5) Serve topped with croutons for extra crunch.

Broccoli, Leeks and Asparagus Soup:

Ingredients Required: (for 2)

Leeks chopped - 1/2 cup
Broccoli florets - 1 cup
Asparagus chopped - 1 cup
Potato chopped - 1
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and Pepper for taste

Method:

1) Cook potatoes and keep aside since potatoes takes long time to cook
2) Heat olive oil and add leeks, once its cooked, add asparagus and broccoli. takes only few minutes to cook. Add water and close the pan and cook for a while.
3) Blend boiled potatoes and the cooked veggies in a blender into a smooth liquid
4) Transfer the soup back to pan, add salt, pepper
5) Add lemon juice when you are about to serve

Barley and Black beans(or any beans of your choice) stew....

Ingredients Required: (for 2)

Barley - 2/3 Cup
Black beans or any beans of your choice soaked overnight - 1/4 Cup
Carrots diced - 1
Celery stick chopped - 1
Leeks - little
Shallots - 4 (optional)
Potatoes diced - 1
Asparagus diced - 4
Zucchini diced - 1/2
Green beans diced - 6
Tomatoes diced - 2
Tomatoe paste - 1 tbs
Peas - little
Chopped Greens a small bunch (spinach or swiss chard)
Italian herb mix - 1/2 tsp or mix of basil, oregano, thyme
Chopped parsley - a handful
Salt and pepper for taste
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Juice of half a lemon
Olive oil

Method:

1) Pressure cook barley together with beans and keep aside
2) Heat oil in a pan and start cooking onions(if using) and leeks
3) Add chopped carrots, celery, potatoes, beans, tomatoes and cook
4) Add asparagus, zucchini, greens, tomato paste
5) Add cooked barley and beans to this stew, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and the herb mixture
6) Once all the veggies are cooked switch off the heat and add lemon juice,chopped parsley

Note:

This stew is very hearty and refrigerates very well. Its a very good left over for lunch. Also takes less time to cook.

Wheat rava and oats Idlis

Last night, I was not in the mood to cook a big meal. I just looked into my pantry to see what i have and I found wheat rava. I thought why not make quick idlis with this. I also added some oats to make it more healthier. This dish is diabetic friendly as well. This can be a healthy replacement for regular rice idlis or rava idlis. Just try this recipe sometime and enjoy!

Ingredients Required: (Makes 12 idlis)

Wheat rava - 1 Cup
Oats - 1/2 Cup
Finely chopped green chillies - 2 or more
Grated ginger - 1 inch
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves few
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Yogurt - 1 Cup
Chopped Cilantro - handful

Method:

1) Heat 2 tsp oil and add mustard seeds, once it sputters add urad dal and channa dal, roast them, followed by ginger, chillies and curry leaves, finally add asafoetida
2) Add wheat rava to this and roast for few minutes
3) Transfer the rava mix to a bowl and add oats, cilantro and required salt and let it cool
4) Add yogurt to the mix to make it into a idli batter consistency
5) Set this aside for 1/2 hour
6) Pour into the idli plates and steam for 10 to 12 minutes

Side dish suggestions:

I made mixed vegetable sambhar since the idlis themself dont have veggies in it.
Or can make any spicy tangy chutney as side dish ( corriander chutney, peanut chutney or tomato chutney....)
If you wamt to make more nutritious idlies, add grated steamed veggies to the mix (carrots/ zucchini, peas, beetroot, cabbage)

Home made corn tortillas with black bean salad and Simple pumpkin soup

Home made corn tortillas:

Ingredients Required:

Masa Harina - 1 Cup ( can make 8 or more tortillas)

 

(Can use store bought Tostitos as well)

Salt - 1/2 tsp

warm water

Any oil - 1 tsp

Method:

1) Mix salt, oil to masa harina and warm water little by little to make a dough

2) Make small balls of dough

3) If you dont have tortilla press (available online) or I dont have one, so I use 2 zip loc covers, coat them with oil and keep a ball inbetween the zip locs and press hard with a plate. Helps in building upper body strength as well:)

4) Gently peel the tortilla from the sheet and cook it in a pan like rotis.

Black bean salad:

Ingredients Required:

1/2 cup black bean ( soak over night and cook in pressure cooker) or use canned black beans

Diced green peppers - 1/2 or 1

Seeded, diced tomatoes - 2 or 3

Diced Jalapeno pepper - 1

Diced red onion (optional)

Corn kernels steamed ( frozen/ fresh / canned) - 1/4 Cup

Finely chopped cilantro - a handful

Juice from one lime

Oregano - 1/2 tsp

Salt and pepper for taste

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together. Add lime juice when you are ready to put everything together.

Mix everything together. Add lime juice when you are ready to put together everything

Baked tortillas topped with the salad:

Grated cheese ( mexican, cheddar or anything you like) - required amount ( I use soy cheddar cheese, low fat option if you like to consider)

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 350F

2) Place the corn tortillas on a cookie sheet, top each tortillas with a layer of black bean salad and finally top with grated cheese ( or if you are using store bought tostitos, arrange a layer of them on a cookie sheet and top with bean salad and cheese)

3) Bake for 5 minutes until the cheese melts

Can add avocadoes as toppings

Simple pumpkin soup:

Ingredients Required:

Pumpkin - 1/2 cup chopped pumpkins

Chopped carrot - 1

Celery stick - 1

Leeks - little

Shallots - 2 (optional)

Ginger - 1/2 inch

Nutmeg - a pinch

Salt and pepper to taste

Butter or olive oil

Milk or half and half cream - 1/4 cup ( optional)

Lemon - 1/2

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350F

2) Coat chopped pumpkin and carrots with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes.

3) Heat little butter or olive oil in pan and cook celery, leeks , ginger and shallots( if using)

4) Puree all the veggies together in a blender and pour it back into the pan

5) Add required salt, pepper, nutmeg and milk( if adding) and heat for couple of minutes

6) Add some lemon juice to the soup while serving ( optional)