Chicken Couscous salad

A combination of chicken and couscous makes this 20 minutes one dish meal. This recipe has flavours of cumin, cinnamon, ginger and cayenne pepper to give it typical Middle Eastern feel.
Couscous is a traditional North African dish of semolina (granules of durum wheat) which is cooked by steaming. It is traditionally served with a meat or vegetable stew spooned over it. Couscous is a staple food throughout the North African cuisines of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania and Libya.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Serve:                    2
Preparation time:    20 minutes

Ingredients:
Chicken breast:                       400 grams (cubed)
Couscous:                               1/2 cups
Olive oil:                                  1 tablespoon
Onion:                                      1 small (finely sliced)
Vegetable stock:                       1 cups
Garlic:                                       1 clove(thinly sliced)
Cumin:                                       1/4 teaspoon
Cinnamon:                                 1/4 teaspoon
Ground Ginger:                          1/4 teaspoon
Cayenne Pepper:                        1/4 teaspoon
Carrot:                                       1/2 cup (Shredded or cut in small pieces)
Raisin:                                        1/4 cup
Almond:                                     5-6 (toasted and slivered)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

1) Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute 3 minutes.
2) Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to pan and saute 3 minutes, stirring. Add garlic, cumin, cinnamon, ginger & cayenne. Toss it for another minute.
3) Add vegetable stock; bring to a simmer. Add carrot and raisins and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
4) Stir in couscous. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.
5) Serve topped with almonds.

BON APPETIT..

Lemony Bulgur Salad with Shrimp and fresh Mint leaves

Bulgur is a quick-cooking form of whole wheat; it is usually soften with the boiling water. For this terrific main-course salad, I simply soften it in hot vegetable stock before tossing it with mint leaves and pre-cooked shrimp. This lemony flavour salad is a quick fix for any meal. Green colour and flavour of mint with a light pink colour of radish and shrimp makes it a perfect summer salad.
Serve :          1

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Coarse bulgur:                       1 cup
Vegetable stock:                    2 cups
Lemon zest:                           1 teaspoon (finely grated)
Lemon juice:                          4 tablespoon
Extra-virgin olive oil:              2 tablespoon
Shrimp:                                 1 cup (deveined and cooked)
Mint leaves:                           1/2 cups
Radishes:                               4-5 (thinly sliced)
Pine nuts:                               2 tablespoon (dry roasted)
 Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

1) In a bowl, add the bulgur with hot vegetable stock and cover it with a kitchen towel. Let stand until the grains are tender, about 15-20 minutes hours. Use a fork to make it fluffy.
2) In a large bowl, whisk the lemon zest with the lemon juice and olive oil. Add the bulgur, shrimp, fresh mint leaves, sliced radishes and pine nuts and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

3) This salad can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. Add the mint, radishes and pine nuts just before serving. Serve Cold.

BON APPETIT...

Salmon Green with Roasted Garlic Dressing

A happy salad is alway low in calorie and high on protein. Salmon green with roasted garlic dressing is a perfect summery, happy salad. This salmon salad  recipe has a roasted garlic-and-lemon dressing that is tossed with greens, Parmesan cheese, and topped with broiled salmon to make a light and colorful summery dish.

Serve:           1
Preparation time:          1 hour (including marinating)

Ingredients:

Salmon Fillets:              1 frozen, skinless
Olive oil:                      1 tablespoon
Garlic:                          3 cloves
Lemon juice:                1 tablespoon
Light soy Sauce:          1/4 tablespoon
Dijon-style mustard:     1/2 tablespoon
Water:                         1 tablespoon
Pepper:                        1/4 teaspoon
Fat free yoghurt:           1/4 cup
Nonstick spray for coating
Green salad leaf mix     1 big bowl
Red onion:                   1/4 cup (thinly sliced)
Parmesan cheese:         2 tablespoon (freshly grated)
Cherry tomatoes:          4-5 (halved)
Kalamata olives:           6-7 (pitted and halved)

Method:
1) Heat olive oil in a small pan over medium-low heat. Stir garlic in hot oil for 1 to 2 minutes or until garlic is lightly golden. Put garlic to a blender container and add lemon juice, soy sauce, mustard, water, and pepper. 2) Cover; blend until combined. Reserve 2 tablespoons of garlic mixture; set aside.
3) Add yogurt to remaining garlic mixture in blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Chill until serving time.
4) Thaw salmon, if frozen. Rinse salmon and pat dry using a kitchen tissue. Coat the reserved garlic mixture evenly over salmon. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
5) Spray the grill pan with non-stick coating. Place the salmon on it and grill 8 to 12 minutes or until salmon flakes easily when tested with a fork, turning once.
4) In a large bowl toss together green salad mix, onion, and Parmesan cheese. Place salmon fillet on the salad mix. Top with tomatoes and olives. Serve with chilled yogurt mixture.

BON APPETIT..

Chicken Waldorf Salad

Salad are said to be great for health. It can be a perfect mid day meal or a late evening dinner. In this recipe dried cherries, walnut, and rosemary enhance a simple chicken and apple salad. You can make it even more fabulous with smoked chicken from your local grocery store.

This salad was first created between 1893 and 1896 at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City. Other variations such as turkey, grapes, and dried fruit (e.g. dates or raisins) are sometimes added to give it a twist.  Another variation known as an "Emerald Salad" replaces celery with cauliflower. The salad also may include zest of oranges and lemons. A variation popularized in "Belfast's Lunches To Go" is made with peanuts. This variation is known as "Peadorf Salad".
(Source: Wikipedia)

Serve :     2
Preparation time:     30 minutes plus cooling

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast:               300 grams (Cooked, Shredded or cubed)
Green Apples:                 2 cups (coarsely chopped)
Dried Cherries:                1/3 cup
Walnut:                            1/3 cup (chopped)
Mayonnaise:                     2 tablespoon
Celery:                             2 tablespoon (chopped)
Sour cream/ yogurt:          3 tablespoon
Lemon Juice:                    1 tablespoon
Honey:                             1 tablespoon
Dried Rosemary:              1 teaspoon (crushed)

Lettuce leaves to serve

Method:

1) Combine chicken, apples, celery, cherries, and walnuts in a large bowl.
2) For dressing, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, rosemary, lemon juice, and honey in a small bowl. 3) Stir dressing into chicken mixture just until evenly coated.
4) Cover it and refrigerate, Serve on lettuce leaves.

BON APPETIT..

Tuna Bites and Insalata Caprese Open Sandwich

Feeding a picky eater can be real nightmare for the mothers. Some kids just don't like the look and feel of the food. It may be the smell or the texture of food bothering them. Lastly it could simply be a power struggle  because they really don't want anybody telling what and when to eat. Whatever be the reason mothers are always at the receiving end. And to help all those I am here with few eye pleasing, healthy, quick and minimum ingredients recipes. We will talk about all do's and don'ts of feeding a picky eater all this week. My son is already enjoying these fancy quick meals. These are real simple recipes hence I am sharing both vegetarian and non- vegetarian options for all kind of food habits.

Today we are making:
1) Tuna bites, this is basically a 3 ingredient quick sandwich to suffice your kids hunger and even fathers can make it.
2) Insalata Caprese Sandwich is inspired by a famous and simple Italian salad called Insalata de Caprese. It's again a 4 basic ingredient quick recipe.

Both these recipes can also be used as an antipasto/ starter for a full meal menu.

Tuna Bites

Serve:           2 (makes 10 mini bites)
Preparation time:             10 minutes

Ingredients:
Cucumber:                20 slices
Tuna fillet:                 50 grams (canned)
Mayonnaise:             2 tablespoon
Cherry tomato:         cut in half to garnish (optional)

Method:
1) Mix the shredded tuna fillet and mayonnaise in a small bowl.
2) Put the mixture in the center of 10 cucumber slices
3) Cover with rest of the slices and press gently.
4) Garish it with cut cherry tomato and serve cold.

Insalata Caprese Open Sandwich

Serve:          2 (makes 6 sandwiches)
Preparation time:     10 minutes

Ingredients
Buffalo Mozzarella:           6 thick slices
Big Ripen Tomato:            6 thick slices
Bread slices:                     3 large (multigrain)
Basil leaves to garnish
Pesto sauce
Olive oil, salt and pepper

Method:
1) Roll the bread using a rolling pin to flatten it a bit. Cut a circle or the desired shape using a cookie cutter. Make 6 such shapes.
2) Place the sliced mozzarella over it.
3) Spread some pesto sauce over the mozzarella, drizzle it with olive oil, salt and pepper.
4) Top it up with tomato.
5) Garnish it with fresh basil leaves.

BON APPETIT..

Cool Cabbage salad with roasted coconut dressing

Salad has been always an important part of everyone's life. Today I am trying to make a cabbage and capsicum salad with roasted coconut and tomato dressing. Cabbage is a good source of beta-carotene, vitamin C and fiber. Cabbage is used in many ways, ranging from eating raw and simple steaming to pickling, stewing, sauteing or braising. It has always been a major part of any diet program. Adding colorful capsicum enriches the salad nutritional value as well makes it more scrumptious. It's a super simple and quick recipe with only four major ingredients.

Ingredients:

Chinese cabbage:              4 big leafs ( Substitute: Normal cabbage)

Red Capsicum:                  1/4 ( fine Julienne) 

Yellow Capsicum:              1/4 ( fine julienne)

Desiccated Coconut:          1 table spoon

Tomato:                             2 large

Salt to taste

Freshly grounded pepper

Olive Oil

Method:

1) Take out the middle vein and cut the cabbage leafs in big square. Keep aside.

2) Cut the tomato in half and take out the seed. Brush a little of oil and roast it in the oven for 15 minutes. 

3) Once cold take out the skin and puree it.

4) Dry roast the desiccated coconut for 30 second on a hot pan.

5) Heat 1/2 table spoon of olive oil in a pan and toss the capsicum for 1 minute on high flame. Add cabbage and toss again. Add roasted tomato puree and  roasted coconut. Season it with salt and pepper.

6) A colorful and healthy salad is ready to go with any meal.

BON APPETIT...

Exotic Insalata ( Romanesco Broccoli Salad)

I found this alien looking broccoli in near by food store. Was super exited to try this in my recipe. It offers a distinct, nutty flavor described as more intense than broccoli, this pale, green vegetable tastes like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower. I am using few more fancy vegetables to make it a real exotic salad. Simple recipe but turned out to be very tasty.

Ingredients:

Romanesco Broccoli:            10-15 floret
Baby cabbage:                      4-5 ( cut in half)
Round carrot:                        4-5 ( cut in half)
Baby Corn:                           4-5 ( cut in half)
Red Bell pepper:                   1 (cut in julienne)
Feta cheese:                          Cut in small cubes
Pickled cucumber:                 4-5 small pieces 
Pickled pearl onions:              4-5 pieces
Salt to taste
Garlic:                                    4-5 Crushed
Fresh basil:                             4-5 leaves
Black Pepper
Olive Oil:                                1 Tablespoon

Method:

1) Heat the olive oil in a wok. Add garlic as smoke starts, immediately add all the vegetables (Broccoli, cabbage, carrot, bell pepper and baby corn. Season it with salt toss until few crust forms over the vegetable.
2) Transfer it in a salad bowl. Add feta cheese, pickled cucumber and onion with some freshly crushed black pepper. Throw some roughly chopped basil leaves.
3) Mix well and you are ready with a exotic, sumptuous and super healthy salad.

BON APPETIT..

Arab Tabbouleh

I got the first hand experience of Tabbouleh in Turkey. Its Turkish variation is called Kisir locally. A fantastic cold mezze to start of your meal. Super simple and full of nutrition. Today I am sharing a kisir's recipe. Like hummus, baba ghanouj, pita and other elements of Arab cuisine, tabbouleh has become popular all over the world.

Tabbouleh  is Arab salad traditionally made of bulgur, tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, mint, onion and garlic, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and salt, although there are various other variations such as using couscous instead of bulgur.Traditionally served as part of a mezze in the Arab world. Mezze has roots in antiquity, the word and usage came from Turkey. A meze is not a meal course like an appetizer (although meze dishes can be served as appetizers), but rather a dish, hot or cold, spicy or savory, often salty, that is served, alone or with other mezethes, as a separate eating experience.The purpose of the meze is two-fold: to complement and enhance the taste of the drink (wines, ouzo, raki, etc.), and to provide the backdrop for a social gathering.

Ingredients:
Bulgur:                    1 cup
Boiling water:          1cup
Tomato paste:         4table spoon
Hot chili paste:        2 table spoon
Cucumber:              1 Cup (diced in small cube without seed)
Green onion:           1/2 Cup (finely sliced)
Green Parsley:        1/2 Cup (finely chopped)
Banana Pepper:      1/4 Cup (finely chopped)
Chili flakes:             1/4 tea spoon
Mint leaves:            1 small bunch ( finely chopped)
Salt to taste
Black crushed pepper:
Cumin powder:        1/4 table spoon
Lemon Juice:           4table spoon
Olive oil:                  4table spoon
Romaine Lettuce
Cherry tomato

Method:
1) Melt tomato and chili paste with some salt in 1 cup boiling water. Add bulgur and cover it with a kitchen towel. Keep it aside for 10 minutes.
2 ) Cut all the vegetable and herbs as suggested in ingredient section.
3) Fluff the bulgur using fork after 10 mins. Add all the vegetable, olive oil, cumin, chili flakes, crushed pepper and lemon juice.
4) Mix well and refrigerate it to cool. Kisir is usually served on a lettuce bed with slices of tomato on the side.

BON APPETIT...

Melting Potato ( Grilled potato salad)

Saw these red skinned potatoes in a super market, just couldn't resist buying these beautiful looking king of vegetable. Potato are the most versatile and can be used in various forms of meal. Red potatoes are a perfect choice for soups and potato salads because of their firmness and texture. These are Fat-free, Very low sodium, Source of fiber, High in vitamin C, Cholesterol-free. I am sure this recipe will be a great hit among all my diet conscious friends. This is a super quick recipe with some Italian blend. Boiled potato is marinated and grilled to get a crusty look.

Ingredients:

Red potato:           3-4 medium sized ( You can use white potatoes also)
Lemon juice:          4-5 Spoons
Garlic powder:       1 spoon
Dried Basil:            1/2 spoon
Dried Oregano:      1/2 spoon
Sea Salt to taste
Black pepper:        1/4 spoon
Chili flakes:             1/4spoon
Olive oil:                 2 spoons
Butter:                     Small cube
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese

Method:

1) Boil the potato and slice it in a round shape with skin.
2) Mix lemon juice, garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, chili flakes. olive oil and butter. keep it aside for 10 mins.
3) Get an oven proof serving dish and put a layer of marinated potato top it up with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Put another layer of sliced potato and again top it up with cheese. Repeat the process to get a mountain like structure placing the bigger slices below.
4) Put it in the oven to grill at 180 degree Celsius for 15 minutes. See the cheese melting and a light brown crust over the top.
5) Sprinkle it with some parsley leaves. Serve hot as a starter or a side dish.

BON APPETIT..




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