Tag: cooking

Refreshing healthy salad


There are time when  I do feel the guilt of stuffing my face with comfort food every now and then, and considering my laziness I try and cook up something relatively easy to lower the guilt meter.It’s at these times that this easy as nothing salad comes to mind. Few ingredients, fewer work steps and lip smacking, tangy, juicy and delicious and oh so satisfying, and yes.. I do feel healthy the moment I apply it to my face.

the best part of this salad is the beautiful colours and the juiciness they render and the crunch in your mouth is veryyyyy refreshing.

Ingredients

1 cucumber

1 ripe, red juicy tomatoe

3-4 sticks of celery, leaves removed.

chopped coriander (optional. I didnt put any in mine, but it gives wonderful flavour)

juice of 1 fat lemon.

zest from the same lemon

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp chopped basil dried (you can use fresh if available)

that’s all folks…

chop them vegetables into not very tiny pieces and not too sizeable chunks either. Big enough to look pretty and small enough to effortlessly enter your mouth.

in another bowl squeeze the lemon and mix in the lemon zest. add in the salt, pepper and basil and mix with a frenzy to form a juicy, tangy dressing.. yummm. my mouth started watering as I wrote this.

Spread this all over your chopped vegetables and mix well to cover each vegetable piece with this wonderful dressing. If you like more salt in your dressing go ahead and add some.

Once everything is incorporated dig in, and feel less guilty about the cheese macaroni you had last night.

Eggplant mash


A delight on your table, a wonderful treat for family and friends and easy as a breeze to cook up.Though a traditionally Indian dish, it can be altered anyway to suit your palate.

I have done the most basic version and yet it’s wonderful aroma wafted throughout the entire house making it impossible to concentrate on the calorie burning I had been promising myself at the gym. Not too heavy on the calories either. It’s a very simple recipe infused with deep flavors.

Easily eaten with bread of your choice or just plain as it is.

Eggplant Mash (baingan bharta)

One big onion finely chopped

One big juicy tomato finely chopped

2-3 garlic cloves finely grated

ginger (half the amount of garlic) finely grated

1 eggplant/brinjal roasted-skin removed and mashed (you can either do it in your oven or on a gas top. I did it on a gas top. )

cumin seeds – big pinch

3/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp red chilli powder (on your taste actually)- i like it spicy but my husband likes it mild.

salt to taste

2-3 tbsp water.

1 tbsp vegetable oil.

Assemble your chopped ingredients

In your favourite cooking utensil, it could be a wok/deep pan.. anything convenient, put in the oil on medium heat, and once its hot enough add in the cumin seeds. Once they start to splutter, tip in the onion, ginger , garlic and mix well.

saute to the point that it changes its color to a nice brown, this is the time to add in the turmeric powder, and keep browning. Take care that it doesn’t burn, at which point add in the water.

around 8 minutes of this and you’d have a beautiful, fragrant brown mixture. destroying the monotony, add in the tomatoes and give them the same treatment till the tomatoes completely mix into the onion mixture.

once its all cooked through its time to add in the spices- mix in your garam masala, cinnamon powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and salt and mix thoroughly to combine. use some more water in case its drying out.

once its all cooked through add in the eggplant and mash in into the mixture. Just work it through to make sure that its evenly distributed throughout.

I usually keep on tasting it in between to check the salt and the flavour. you can of course vary the content of the salt and chillies according to your like.

all that’s left is to put in the water and cover it with a lid and let it cook for a few minutes or until the water evaporates a bit.

Eat it hot, garnish with a few coriander leaves, and just smell your house.. it’s Heaven !!!