Savory Lemony Quinoa (Indian Style)

Eating healthy....I used to think is a myth :) How can something healthy be tasty??  In 2009, I proved myself wrong...I wanted to change my (rather my family's) food habits and started looking for healthy options.  I found South Beach Diet.  I do not believe in dieting...cause I love food...both eating and cooking.  But, this was an eye opener to many foods which I had never heard of before and also the health aspect of them.  I started experimenting...how to make this more tasty and still keep it simple...Below is the result of one of those experiments....

 

Ingredients:

• Quinoa - 3 cups (cooked).  See the note below for more information
• Olive Oil - 1 table spoon
• Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
• Cumin seeds - 1 tea spoon
• Curry leaves - 10-12 number
• Onion - 1/2 cup chopped finely
• Peanuts - 2 tablespoons (optional)
• Green Chilies - 3-4 finely chopped (add per taste)
• Turmeric powder - 1 tea spoon
• Salt - 2 tea spoons (add per taste)
• Lemon juice - 1 table spoon (optional)

 Method:

 

To a pan on medium heat, add Olive Oil.  Add the Mustard and Cumin seeds.  Let them splutter.  Add the Curry leaves and then the Onions.  Saute them till translucent.  Add all the other ingredients except Lemon juice and Quinoa.  Stir fry for about 1 minute.  Then add the Quinoa and Lemon Juice.  Mix well.  Savory Lemony Quinoa  is ready to enjoy...guilt free :)

 

Note: 

• Quinoa can be bought in most grocery stores now.  You get them in black and white variety.  I like the white one.  The black one is a little crunchy and nutty. 
• I cook Quinoa in the rice cooker just like rice (1 cup rice to 1 1/2 cups water).  You can also follow the cooking instructions at the back.
• For more information on Quinoa, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa

Simple Eggplant curry in a hurry

Eggplant is one of those vegetables which is very easy to cook and takes on the flavours very well.  This recipe is for one of those week nights when you don't have enough time or energy to make something elaborate but, want to eat something tasty, healthy and easy to make.

 

 

Ingredients:

• Eggplant - 2 cups
• Onion - Sliced thin and long - 1/2 cup
• Tomato - Chopped fine- 1 cup
• Cilantro - 2 table spoons - finely chopped
• Coriander powder - 1 table spoon
• Cumin powder - 1 tea spoon
• Turmeric powder - 1 tea spoon
• Garlic - finely chopped - 1 table spoon
• Salt - 1 table spoon (add per taste)
• Red chili powder - 1 table spoon (add per taste)
• Olive oil - 1 table spoon
• Water - 1 cup (add additional per desired consistency)

Method:

To a pan on medium heat, add onions.  Saute till translucent.  Add Tomatoes and saute till soft.  Add all other ingredients and close the lid.  Cook until the eggplant is soft.  This will take about 15 minutes.  Serve it with some Chapati, Roti or Rice.

Peppered Chicken

It is strange how certain smells...tastes…reminds you of certain time period in your life...certain people…certain incidents…

This is one of those preparations which reminds me of one of my good friends…the times we spent together…laughing, chatting, eating, listening to music….inspired by whose preparation I tried this...

Ingredients:

·         Chicken – 2 pounds cut into bite size pieces (Boneless skinless)

·         Ginger paste – 1 tea spoon

·         Garlic paste – 1 tea spoon

·         Pepper Corns – 1 tea spoon coarsely crushed

·         Red Chili powder – 1 tea spoon

·         Crushed red pepper – 1 tea spoons

·         Onion – ½ cup chopped fine

·         Olive Oil – 2 table spoons

·         Cumin powder – ½ tea spoon

·         Clove powder – ½ tea spoon

·         Cinnamon powder – ½ tea spoon

·         Coriander powder – ½ tea spoon

·         Fennel seeds – ½ tea spoon

·         Turmeric powder – ½ tea spoon

·         Curry leaves – 8-10

·         Mustard seeds – ½ tea spoon

·         Lemon – ½ a medium (add per taste)

·         Salt – 1 table spoon (add per taste)

Method:

To a pan on medium heat, add oil.  Let it heat and then add the Mustard seeds to it.  Let them splutter.  Add Curry leaves and Onions.  Sauté till the Onions are translucent.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the Chicken.  Sauté them till u can smell the fragrance.  Add Chicken and sauté with the rest of the ingredients for 1-2 minutes.  Close the lid and let cook for about 8-10 minutes on medium heat.  Chicken breast meat cut into bite size pieces cook really fast.  Then, open the lid and sauté till all the water has evaporated.  Squeeze half a lemon before serving.  Serve it hot with chapatti, Nan, rice or Fragrant Ghee Rice.  This can be served as an appetizer with a glass of good Cabernet or Port. 

Hatch Chilli Fish / Tofu

My husband loves spicy food.  On one of our trips, we found roasted hatch chillies and fell in love with them.  They are so flavorful and makes any preparation finger licking good J  Below is one of the fish preparations.  It takes less than 30 minutes to make and is very easy.

Ingredients:

·         Hatch chillies – 1 cup (roasted and coarsely pureed)

·         Garlic paste – 1 table spoon

·         Salt – 1 table spoon (add per taste)

·         Fish / Firm Tofu – 1 pound cut into desired pieces (I used Sole)

·         Onions – ¼ cup chopped finely

·         Butter – 1 tablespoon

·         Cumin powder – ¼ table spoon

·         Cinnamon powder – ¼ table spoon

·         Clove powder – ¼ table spoon

·         Water – ½ cup (add per desired consistency)

Method:

To a pan on medium heat, add butter.  Let it melt.  Then add onions.  Saute till translucent.  Then add Hatch chillies, Garlic paste, Cumin Powder, Cinnamon powder, clove powder and water.  Cook covered till it comes to boil.  Then, add the fish and salt.  Cook covered for 10-15 minutes or until the fish is cooked.
Serve it hot with Fragrant Ghee Rice

Note:

·         You can substitute firm or baked tofu for fish.

·         Please remove the seeds of the Hatch Chillies if you think they are very spicy.

Simply Easy Pomogranate Salad

My husband reminded me today that it has been a loooonnnngggg time since I posted any recipes on my blog.  Work and life has taken over all my time :)  I have still been creating and cooking quick and easy recipes..I need it more now than ever!! 

Here is a quick and easy salad recipe that goes with any dish or by adding some grilled chicken, you can make it a meal in itself.

Ingredients:

• Romaine lettuce - 4 cups shredded or chopped finely
• Pomogranite seads - 1.5 cups
• Carrots - 1 cup shredded or chopped

For the dressing

• Agave Nectar - 1 tea spoon (you can also substitute this with Maple syrup)
• Lemon Juice - 1 table spoon
• Salt - 1/4 tea spoon
• Nutmeg powder - a pinch
• All spice powder - a pinch

Method:

Mix all the salad ingredients in a salad bowl.  Whisk the ingredients for dressing and toss it with the salad just before serving.  Else, the salad will wilt.  Simply delicious as a side to any main dish or add a few pieces of grilled chicken and this can be a delicious and light meal in itself!!

Moong bean curry (Whole Green Gram) - Crock pot style

Yet another recipe for those evenings when you get back home from work and smell the sweet fragrance of 'no cooking tonight..dinner is ready'!!

Ingredients:

• Moong - 3 cups (dry)
• Onion - 1 medium sliced
• Garlic  - 3 pods crushed
• Ginger paste - 1 table spoon
• Jeera (Cumin seeds) - 1 tea spoon
• Garam Masala powder (Curry powder) - 1 table spoon
• Tomatoes - 2 medium coarsely chopped
• Salt - 1.5 table spoons (add per taste)
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 table spoon (add per taste)
• Turmeric - 1 tea spoon
• Water - 7-8 cups
• Kasoori Methi - 2 table spoons
• Cilantro - 2 table spoons

Method:

To a Crock pot, add all the above ingredients and turn it on slow cook for 8-9 hours.  Hot Moong bean curry is ready to eat. This goes really well with chapati, roti or just plain rice or Fragrant Ghee Rice.

Note: 

1. For a non-spicy version, take some aside before adding chili powder. Continue cooking for 30 more minutes to get the raw smell of the Chili powder.
2. You can find Sambar Powder in most of the Indian Grocers.  Every brand makes it a different way.  For this recipe, you can use any brand.
3. When using Sambar Powder make sure that you compensate for the chili powder used in it.  Some brands add chili powder to the Garam masala.

Onion Bhaji

Onion bhaji reminds me of those monsoon nights back home.  When it is pouring and cold outside, we would all cuddle up and eat those hot onion bhajis mom made.  I can almost smell them!!

Ingredients:

• Besan (chickpea flour) - 1 cup
• Rice flour - 1/4th of a cup
• Baking soda - 1/2 tea spoon
• Red chili powder - 1 tea spoon (add per taste)
• Green chilies (optional) - 2-4 finely chopped
• Cilantro - 2 table spoons
• Onion - 2 cups - sliced long and thin (I used the red onions)
• Peanuts (shh...this is my secret ingredient) - 2 table spoons
• Jeera (Cumin seeds0 - 1 tea spoon
• Salt - 1 table spoon (add per taste)
• Water - about 1-2 cups .  Adjust per consistency. The consistency should be that of a pancake batter.
• Oil to fry - about 2 cups (I used Canola and Olive oil is a little difficult to fry with)

Method:

Mix all the above ingredients to form a batter of pancake consistency.  Heat oil in a deep frying pan.  You can check if the oil is ready to fry by dropping a few drops of the batter in it. If the batter rises up, the oil is ready for frying.  With a table spoon, scoop the batter and drop it in the oil slowly without splattering.  Turn the heat to medium.  Fry the bhajis till golden brown.  This takes about 3-5 minutes.

Serve it hot with hot and sour sauce or tomato ketchup.