Vegan Russian Salad | Go healthy with Washington Apples

An Apple a day keeps the doctor away.  

Today its not just a proverb but a proven fact.

The mystical or forbidden fruit is actually good to you.Rather its not forbidden anymore. It is said that an apple or atleast three a day gives you the full benefits of apples and help you live life healthy and beautiful.

They raise the good cholesterol, lower the bad one and supports weight loss. In general it keeps you and your family healthy. They reduce the chances of heart diseases and cancer and keeps lungs healthy.

So go healthy with  the best apples a.k.a. Washington Apples

To increase the awareness about the goodness of apples, the SCS group and Washington State Apple commission had held an interactive session where renowned nutritionist Sheela Krishnaswamy shared tips on healthy eating and answered queries.

Washington State Apple Commission  is a state owned but self governing body from the prominent apple state of Washington. SCS group is a Gurgaon based agri business firm that helps bring the healthy apples from Washington state in USA to your homes and on your plate.

Though unable to attend the show, I got to review the apples and try out the interesting recipes that were demonstrated at the vegan restaurant Carrots in Koramangala, Bengaluru where the talk was held. Especially the Vegan Russian Salad with Cashew Mayonnaise.

I am posting the recipe verbatim though you can definitely play around with the quantities of the ingredients based on your taste as I did .

Ingredients:
 Red Delicious Apple: cubed 30 gms

Sweet Potato: cubed 20 gms
Carrot: cubed 20gms
Green Peas: 20 gms

Cashew Mayonnaise: 100 gms

Preparation:
Steam/boil the sweet potatoes, carrot and peas.
Mix these with cashew mayonnaise and apple cubes.

Chill for an hour atleast and serve as a delicious salad.

The recipe is simple and quick but healthy and yum.You can go for your choice of mayo but I preferred the cashew mayonnaise the recipe suggested.

I made my own cashew mayo but more on that later..

Now get healthy by munching a Washington Apple as no other apple comes close.

Corn Bhel | Perfect Summer Snack

I remember seeing two or three bhuttewallas in Bangalore when I came first. It was my first winter here and was seeing a streetside grilled corn and vendor was very new. But definitely times change. I remember the steam corn vendor stall at a popular supermarket that I frequented and these days I also see ready to eat corn packets  and even instant steamed corn on cob in a nice packaging. 

I know they are timesavers. I too have enjoyed them . But all it takes is just few minutes for you to steam your frozen corn and add salt and seasonings of your own rather than buy preservative laden ready to eat ones. Even frozen sweet corn now comes in various spiced up versions.

The lure of such things is very big though most of the time (truthfully) I prefer to steam corn in my own kitchen anytime. Recently I tried out corn bhel and it was pretty easy and very filling. You can actually add whatever items you need with the spices you like. 

Ingredients:

Frozen Corn : atleast 1 cup
Tomatoes: 1 medium size deseeded and chopped into smaller than bite sizes
Onion: 1 medium finely chopped

Lemon juice :as per taste (avoid if using dried mango powder or raw mango pieces)

Spice Powders as per taste:
Chaat Masala: 1/2 tsp +/-
Salt & Black salt: as per taste
Chilli Powder: 1/4 tsp +/-
Cumin Powder: a pinch (optional)

Additions:

Raw Mango: few pieces based on taste
Potaotes: boiled peeled and chopped
Sprouts: raw/lightly blanched

Preparation:
Steam corn in a steamer or other appropriate dish for 5-10 minutes while you get other ingredients chopped and ready. You can also blanch corn in salted water for few minutes instead of steaming but I prefer steaming.Else microwaving for 3 minutes also works wonders.

Add to it tomatoes -deseeded and chopped, finely chopped onions and other additions as you prefer. I added chopped raw mango pieces after lightly peeling the mango. This adds a touch of colour and tang. Add salt, chilli powder and chaat masala as per taste and mix well. Do add the cumin powder and black salt based on how spicy you want your chaat.

On the other hand if you do not have chaat masala, definitely add black salt, cumin powder and even a pinch of amchur or dried mango powder.

Add lemon juice, mix well ,taste again,adjust the spices and serve as a healthy snack or side.

This is very filling snack and perfect for those tetimes when you crave for something and dinner is a long time away. You can add several optional ingredients like sprouts, potatoes etc and even experiment with different seasonings and the regulation chutneys that are a part of bhelpuri, the popular streetside snack.

As always there are several versions for several tastes but make sure you make your own version and given here is my way. I suppose being a salad this qualifies for Lisa's NCR: Vegetarian soup,stew & salads this month.

Chickpea,Cucumber & Pomegranate Salad | Summer is here

Summer I feel is like an unwanted guest. We want the sun in winters but when sun shows its might we feel scorched,parched and basically mad. But look at the positives, it is the time for getting a shorter haircut (my daughter got), get summer clothes (is my H listening) , trendy up yourself to show off your fit sleeveless arms and wait more important ..

Runaway from kitchen!

The sun helps us to avoid being in the kitchen more than just necessary. While people are cautioned about about the diseases  the changing climate or scorching sun gives us, I am more interested in making cool quick desserts and salads and cold soups and going out and sleep more now that the schools are closed.And going out to cooler locales. 

Now don't think about hillstations.

Anything with an airconditioner is ok. The Bangalore sun is getting harsher day by day. I am happy to sit inside a/c room with iced deserts in hand. 

Anyway rather than continuing this silly monologue lets see the refreshing cucumber,chickpea and pomegranate salad. Its supposed to be a Spanish style salad very colourful and served during Thanksgiving. I can have it anytime. 

Ingredients:

Kabuli chana/White Chickpeas: 1/4 -1/2 cup presoaked and cooked.

Pomegranate: 1 medium to big size deseeded

Cucumber:  2 medium sized lightly peeled & chopped into small pieces

Garlic Clove: 2 small minced ( I used only 1)

Fresh Basil: handful chopped

Red Wine Vinegar: 1tbsp

Olive Oil: 2 tbsp 

Salt: as per taste 

Preparation:

Mix together the ingredients of chickpeas,pomegranate, cucumber, garlic and basil. Drizzle in vinegar and oil. Add & adjust salt and toss well.

The taste improves on sitting.A refreshing salad this is. The tangy dressing is apt for the comforting chickpeas,refreshing pomegranates, crunchy cucumber and wow basil. 

Simple, Comforting & Summery.

Irio | Comfort Kenyan Style

Now I know we all have our own comfort foods. Sometimes we try to add a twist here and there and make them taste more comforting. A little extra spice/seasoning, sometimes replacing an element with another. All these jazzes up our comfort food. 

Exactly the same I felt when I made irio. This is actually Kenyan style mashed potatoes with corn and peas. Atleast thats what I have googled and found. The basic recipe is supposed to be made using dried peas and usually takes hours if done stovetop.

But the wonders of frozen peas and corn have reduced this time. Thats what I understood and made use of when I made this from here. A jazzed up mashed potato with a greenish tinge. Perfect as a side and usually served with steak.

Ingredients:

Potato: 1-2 medium-big 

Frozen peas: 1/2 cup

Frozen corn: 1/2 cup

Salt & Pepper: as per taste

Butter: 1 tbsp (optional) I have not used any

Preparation:

Peel and chop the potatoes into smaller cubes and cook them in boiling water until fork tender.Few minutes before the potatoes are done, add in the thawed peas as well. Drain this together reserving a small cup of the boiling liquid incase it is needed.

Simmer the corn in salted water for few minutes and keep aside.

In a wide vessel mash together peas and potatoes to get a greenish tinged puree. Stir in corn along with little of the reserved liquid. Adjust salt & pepper and serve as a comforting side.You can even add in a tablespoon of soft butter while mashing. This will definitely make it more rich but then its not vegan.So you can make your choice. I went for vegan all the way without adding butter.

A simple jazzed up spud salad which takes it to all the more comforting. If  you have any leftover mash then you can even turn it into tikkis or cutlets the next day.

Potato Salad with Ginger & Lemongrass | Comfort Goes One Up

I love spuds and this fact has been repeated several times here. I also love trying several salads with spuds . Ofcourse, potatoes are full of carbs and mostly a no no to people on diets , but still once in a while you have to have your comfort. Especially this one which I recently tried out with lemongrass dressing from here. Compared to the mayo rich traditional American potato salads or even the sourcream/yogurt based ones , this one is much more lighter. It was also awesome and different and perfectly vegan as well. Basically it was like taking your comfort food one step higher. It was easy to make and was perfect as a side salad or even as a starter. 

Ingredients:

Potatoes: 2 peeled & chopped into pieces

Cilantro Fresh: few tbsp + more for garnish

Dressing:

Sesame Oil: 1 tbsp

Lemongrass: 1-2 stems finely chopped

Rice vinegar: 2-3 tsp

Lemon Juice: 1-2 tsp (optional)

Fresh Ginger: 1-2 tbsp minced

Chilli Paste /Chilli Sauce/finely chopped green chillies : 1 tsp +

Salt & Pepper: as per taste

Preparation: 

Boil water in a deep pan with  salt and add the potato pieces. Cook until fork tender. Drain and keep aside.

Heat sesame oil in a pan and add lemongrass to it. Remove from heat and let it sit for few minutes so that the oil is flavoured.

Add in fresh ginger, rice vinegar, lemon juice,chilli sauce, little salt & pepper. Whisk in till it emulsifies. 

Add in the drained potatoes along with few tbsp of cilantro. Toss gently and adjust the salt and seasonings. 

Garnish with more cilantro and serve as a side salad.

Here I have used both lemon juice and vinegar. You can opt for either or both. I am not a big fan of sesame oil and I wanted to avoid its taste in the dressing. Hence I added lemon juice also. Also you can add another stem of  lemon grass if you want it to be predominant. It gives a subtle flavour when consumed and this is followed by fiery heat of the ginger.Adjust the ingredients as per taste.

The salad reeks of comfort in general. It also goes well as a filling for sandwiches & wraps and a topping for canapes. Comforting salad which is taken one step higher.

The salad also goes to NCR:Potato Salads at Tinned Tomatoes.

Chickpea, Broccoli & Tahini Salad | Leftover Magic

This salad reminded me how much I have missed using tahini. All this started with me wondering what I should make as I had few cooked chickpeas sitting in my fridge waiting for the turn. Ofcourse the added attraction was entry to NCR:Leftovers at Lisa's.A simple search and I found this recipe and used it my way.An excellent chickpea & broccoli salad with Tahini dressing!. Yum & Filling. 

Ingredients:

Chickpeas: about 1/2 cup cooked  

Broccoli: about 1 cup

Red Onion: 1 medium chopped long 

Salt & Pepper: as per taste

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 2 tbsp

Tahini: 2.5-3 tbsp tbsp 

Garlic: 1 big clove minced

Soy Sauce/Tamari:1.5-2 tbsp

Water: 1-2 tbsp

Preparation:

Lightly steam/blanch broccoli and mix it with cooked chickpeas. You can use canned chickpeas as well which is drained.Lightly steam/blanch broccoli. It just takes few minutes. The idea is to preserve the green colour of the vegetable and not overcooking it. 

Anyway mix together the onion,chickpeas & broccoli adding salt & pepper. In another bowl, mix together the dressing ingredients of soy sauce,oil,tahini ,water and garlic. You can use a blender for this for a smooth dressing or prepare in a bowl and put an effort on your hand.

Pour the dressing on the veggies and mix well. Adjust the salt and serve with crisp toasted bread as a filling lunch or even as a side for lunch/dinner.

It can be done under 30 minutes and is definitely Yum O as Rachel Ray says. :D

And off it goes for NCR:LeftOvers @ Lisa's. 

Curtido -El Salvador Fermented Cabbage Salad

Sometimes I am surprised how some dishes just come to me. I was searching for something else and then found this word 'curtido' and little more googling led me to several mouthwatering recipes of this El Salvador style coleslaw. This unless coleslaw is much lighter but equally tasty unless you do not mind the tanginess of the vinegar used. I had found that it traditionally uses pineapple vinegar which is fruity and tangy.  I had used regular white vinegar here though feel free to use a mix of vinegars. It is usually served with pupusas which is an El Salvador national delicacy. 

Ingredients:

Shredded cabage: about  2+ cups

Shredded Carrots: 1 cups+

Finely chopped Onion/white part of scallions: 1/4 cup +

Jalapeno/Green chillies : 1 finely chopped (optional) (as per taste)

Oregano: 1/2 tsp + as per taste

Boiling Water: 1.5 cups

White Vinegar: 1/4-1/2 cups as per tartness needed

Salt & Pepper : as per taste

Preparation:

Finely shred cabbage and carrot and add in a big bowl along with finely chopped onion. Pour about 1 cups of boiling water on top of this and let it steep for 5 minutes. Drain and mix in with remaining water,vinegar ,salt,pepper and finely chopped chiles. Adjust the salt and seasonings.

Chill in the fridge for atleast 4 hours or overnight for the flavours to mingle. Serve as a crunchy tangy side salad. 

A tangy dish that requires a complimentary spicy mains. I liked the dish as I like tangy tastes.You too might like it.

Roasted Cauliflower Salad

It seems I am becoming a huge fan of roasting. Thanks to the cold weather and warmth and taste induced by smoking, I recently tried roasting cauliflower and turned it into a salad. And not just any salad, but a Calabrian style perfectly vegan salad which I adapted from here.It seems Calabria in Southern Italy developed its own style of cooking thanks to it being conquered by several nations.. The salad is supposedly adapted with changes from the "The Food of Southern Italy" by Carlo Middione.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower: 1 small head
Garlic: 1 big clove minced

Olive oil: 1-2 tbsp divided


Black Olives : handful : chopped
Capers: 1 tsp
Italian flat leaf parsley: 2 tbsp+/- chopped
Red Chilli flakes: 1/4 tsp
Lemon Juice: 1 big squeeze or as per taste
Salt& Pepper: as per taste

Preparation:

Cut the cauliflower into bite sized florets and thoroughly wash them. I put them in warm salted water for a minute or so ,so as to rid them of small worms if any. Drain the florets and thoroughly dry them in paper/kitchen towels.

Put them in a large bowl along with minced garlic and drizzle with 1-2 tsp of olive oil. Toss them and spread in a lined baking sheet.add a nice sprinkle of fresh grated black pepper.

Roast in a preheated oven at 425F for about 10-15 minutes or until they start browning. Switch off the oven and let them site so as they are nicely caramelized. Caramelization brings out the natural sugars of the vegetable and takes taste to another level. Make sure the florets have a nice flat base so that they start caramelizing and make sure your florets are almost equal sized.

Take out and cool the florets and then toss in with other ingredients of olives,parsley,capers,red chilli flakes, lemon juice and remaining oil. Adjust the seasonings and salt as per taste.

Serve as a side salad.

A simple fuss free salad. Roasting cauliflower definitely  its taste. Very flavourful, the sweetness and smokiness of the cauliflower balanced by the tangy capers,olives and lemon juice while the chilliflakes add the spiced and warmth.

Asian Style Spaghetti Salad

Whenever I try something new, sometimes I am left wondering, how to use it. I  mean, if its a paste or sauce then how can we use it in a dish. I faced a similar problem with sambal oelek as it was very spicy. Now I had plans to use it in a dip, but the heat from the chiles always pulled me back. Then recently I tried a soup in which I added it to he dressing along with coconut milk and found that though sambal oelek makes he soup spicy, it does not assert itself too much. Something similar happens when we add wasabi to a dish. Since the soup was a hit, I decided to try out a dressing with sambal oelek and coconut milk for my spaghetti and tuned it into an Asian style salad.

Ingredients:

Spaghetti: 1/2 pack or for 2-3 people.

Broccoli: 1/2cup +/- chopped into medium pieces

Carrot: 1/2 cup+/- chopped into medium long pieces

Bean Sprouts: handful

Peanut Oil : 1-2 tsp

Dressing: 

Coconut Milk: 1/2-3/4 cup

Sambal Oelek: 2 tsp +/-

Soy Sauce: 3-4 tsp

Preparation:

Prepare spaghetti as per package instructions. Just 2-3 minutes before it is done, add in the carrot and broccoli pieces and continue. The intention is to blanch them so that they are cooked but still crunchy. 

While the pasta is being cooked, prepare the dressing. Add together the coconut milk,soy sauce and sambal oelek and you will get a light brown colour dressing (white coconut milk + brown soy) with specks of red (from the sambal oelek). I used medium thick coconut milk for this though please use as per your choice. If you feel the dressing is too thick, then add pasta water to dilute the dressing.

Once done , drain and keep aside the pasta water and drizzle little peanut oil so hat the mix does not turn dry.Add in the dressing and toss together so that the flavours are  mingled. 

Serve warm in bowl as a hearty meal.

Simple,easy to make and spicy and comforting. The sambal oelek is not overpowering thanks to the coconut milk but it does provide the warmth needed in the chilly nights.Its definitely coconut milk that asserts itself and thus this comforting dish which finds its way to NCR: Coconut at Tinned Tomatoes.

Taco Salad

The last two posts dealt with Mexican cuisine,so I thought why not make it three in a row. Hence here I am with a simple taco salad. Now what is a taco salad?. Again there are two types of taco salads both involving fried tortillas or hard shell tacos. 

The first one has salad ingredients like shredded veggies,lettuce etc along with guacamole,salsa and  sour cream  served in a taco shell. The second one involves a salad in which we add crushed hard shell tacos or fried tortilla chips similar to nachos. I had tried this second version of taco salad and its very simple to make and very filling.

Ingredients:

Rajma/ Red Kidney Beans: 1/2 cup pre soaked and cooked

Sweet Corn: 1/2 cup lightly steamed

Tomato: 1 big chopped and deseeded

Red Onion: 1 chopped finely

Garlic: 1 small clove finely minced

Fresh Cilantro: a small bunch finely chopped + more for garnish

Green Chilli: 1 -2 finely  chopped (optionally deseeded)

Salt:as per taste

Sugar: a pinch

Lemon Juice: as per taste

Baked Taco Shells: 1 or 2 broken into pieces 

Preparation:

I basically mixed together all the ingredients pico de gallo style. I chopped and deseeded tomatoes, placed them in a colander and let it sit for about 45 minutes. After 15 minutes, I tossed  in chopped onion,garlic,green chillies and cilantro and let it continue to sit . Then I tossed in drained kidney beans and steamed/cooked corn to this. Also added the salt, pinch of sugar and lemon juice and tossed everything well. Let it sit for atleast 15 minutes so that the flavours enhance.

Just before serving, toss in crushed taco shells and serve as a snack or side or even a light meal. You can even serve this canape style or whatever way you prefer. 

Simple and very filling salad and very healthy too. You can go for your own ingredients for the salad/salsa. Add more or less spices or seasonings.You can even go for taco chaats wherein you add crushed tacos to the regular chaats or Indian style street snacks. 

Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil

This is a simple side that is well liked in my home and is easy to prepare. Everytime I prepare this, I forget to take pics and postpone it to next time. Well, somehow this time I made sure I clicked and hence I am posting this. Its very straight forward recipe which I sourced from Allrecipes.

Ingredients:
Green Beans: about 1-1.5 cup or so halved or chopped into bite sized pieces
Water: just enough for blanching the beans

Butter: 1.5 tbsp
Fresh Basil Leaves: few
Garlic Salt: 1/4 tsp or 1-2 cloves crushed/minced garlic
Salt,Pepper :as per taste
Sugar: 1 tsp
Cherry Tomatoes: halved : 1/2 cup +

Preparation:

String and chop the green beans into slightly larger pieces. In a large vessel, boil water adding salt and blanch the beans. It would take just a few minutes, especially if the beans are young/tender. Drain and keep aside.

In a deep pan, melt butter and stir in the sugar, both the salts and pepper and basil. Stir well and then add in the cherry tomato halves.Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes till the tomatoes start to soften. Add this to  the blanched beans and mix well.

Serve warm as a side salad optionally garnished with cheese.

A simple dish which is buttery and herby -I love basil- and bring out the best in beans.Make sure you do not over cook the beans. Healthy and simple side or you call it as a salad.You can also add toasted pinenuts for more crunchier dish.

Money Salad

It is said that black eyed peas is lucky for you if taken at the start of the year and brings you wealth,luck and overall prosperity. I had tried my luck first time at the end of last year with  my Hoppin John and to accelerate the Good Luck I decided to try my bookmarked salad from Food Network. This is Sunny Andersons Money Salad and I remember watching the episode which was a part of Christmas Celebrations in 2008. It was the first time I had seen black eyed peas in a salad and also heard it being "Lucky". The salad is so named as it is believed to bring in more money! :D Well, lets see what happens (psst.. keeping fingers crossed ).

Ingredients:

Black Eyed Peas: 1 cup

Red Onion: finely chopped about 2-4 tbsp

Celery : 1  stalk  chopped roughly 1/4 cup 

Roasted Red pepper: 1 small chopped up

Cilantro: 2 -3 tbsp

Cumin Powder: 1/4 tsp

Hot Sauce: 1-2 tsp or as per taste

Fresh Grated Ginger: 1/2 -1 tsp 

Salt and Pepper: as per taste

Preparation:

Presoak and cook black eyed peas. You can even use canned ones. Drain the water away from the cooked peas and toss with the remaining ingredients. Adjust the salt and seasoning and serve in salad bowls in lettuce cups or within wraps. 

A simple and easy salad. It taste better as it sits. I tasted it just after tossing everything together and then I felt that ginger was not that effective in it. After it sat for an hour or so when I tasted it again, voila, the effect or zing of ginger was there and all the ingredients were in perfect harmony.

A filling and tasty salad and it goes straight to NCR: Black Eyed Peas at Lisa's. Hope you enjoy it too and yes make loads of .... health and wealth!

Gaji Namul -Eggplant Side from Korea

This is one of the simplest eggplant preparation or a salad that I have made. Very appetizing and an excellent side with rice and your choice of gravy. In fact the way of preparation intrigued me. Never before I have steamed eggplant and used. Anyway if I am to use cliche, this is a simple side easy to make and very appetizing or hunger enhancing. I have adapted it from Maangchi, an excellent site for Korean recipes.

Ingredients:

Eggplants:  2-3 medium sized Asian -purple coloured long thin - eggplants chopped into 1-2 inch strips lengthwise. 

Garlic Cloves: 2-3 small minced
Scallion/Spring Onions: 1 chopped
Toasted Sesame Seeds: 2 tsp
Hot Pepper Flakes: 1-2 tsp
Sesame oil :2 tsp +
 Soy Sauce: 2tbsp +

Preparation:

Chop the eggplant into small strips lengthwise. Steam the pieces in a bowl for about 10 minutes or until cooked in a steamer or pressure cooker on high-med heat. Remove and Keep aside to cool.Once cooled you can drain off all the water collected in the bowl.Lightly mash the eggplant.

Add in  the minced garlic,hot pepper flakes,sesame seeds,chopped scallion,sesame oil and soysauce to the eggplant bowl and mix well. I presume that spicy Korean hot pepper flakes are needed,but I have gone for the regular chilli flakes. Adjust the taste as needed. Salt is present is soysauce and is hence avoided. Serve at room temperature as an appetizing salad.

As per the original recipe, the more the sesame oil and garlic ,much better the salad is. I agree with oil part. But not too sure of the garlic part. I am not a fan of the raw garlic and if you are too lazy to mince the garlic while preparing the salad then you may end up biting into one garlic piece which will put others off you.!I went with the 2 small cloves and it was nicely garlicky without going overboard.But suit yourself. The perfect aroma from the dish will invite you to eat more dinner. 

Rice Salad- Indo-Chinese Style

Salads are quick and easy dishes.Earlier the assumption was it was just veggies with an oily dressing or 'ghaas poos' (grass in Hindi)as some may put it. But you can definitely make a salad healthy and interesting,and even get the kids addicted to  it.These days we find several things -raw or cooked -added to the salads and rather than being just a 'healthy-but-to-be-ignored' side it has come out and started hogging the limelight even in parties.The several salads you see these days are proof of this.

Basically you whip up a salad when you find there is no enough time to cook an elaborate meal or you want some free time. But you make sure it is healthy as well. Atleast thats what I aim for.You add lots of veggies and also rice and it becomes a whole meal. I tried out Chinese style Rice Salad from Rajani of MyKitchenTrials with whom I am paired with this Blog HopWednesday, by Radhika and guess what, I had lots of free time in my hand and it was healthy and delicious. Its like -Killing two birds with one stone -don't you think? :D

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice: atleast 1/2 cup (preferably Basmati)

Onion: 1 small chopped

Carrot: 1 small

Bell Pepper: 1 small

Cucumber: 1 small 

Tomato: 1 small

Frozen/Fresh Green Peas and Sweet Corn: handfuls

Salt,Pepper & Soy Sauce: as per taste

Preparation:

Chop all the veggies into small bite sized pieces.Optionally blanch the veggies-except cucumber- for a minute of two after chopping. 

Put them in a bowl along with cooked rice adding salt,pepper and soy sauce. Keep salt to minimum as soy sauce has salt in it.

Combine gently without breaking the rice grains. Do the taste test and adjust the seasoning. Keep aside for 15 minutes for the flavours to blend and warm for a minute or two just before serving.

Hearty salad. A full meal with less cooking time. A favourite for all seasons as well.The weather here makes me feel lazy to cook and it sorts of drags. This one solved the problem and was ready in about 15 minutes or so. In summer,rather than spending hot and long hours in the kitchen, this salad seems perfect as well. Add more cooling veggies like cucumber and you have a winner in your hands. Healthy salad and a comforting meal this is.Surely a keeper recipe.

Pumpkin Raita -Pumpkin Yogurt Salad

I always try pumpkin in gravies and rarely experiment with it. I have tried it in cookies,quick breads and also pasta. But in a salad never though soups were high in my wishlist. But the moment this salad was posted by Prathibha, it was in the top in my list,but ofcourse laziness took over. But this time when NCR:squash was announced, I did make it and enjoyed heartily. The original recipe is from Sukham Ayu by Jigyasa and Prathibha Giri.

Ingredients:
Pumpkin: atleast 1/2 cup peeled and cubed
Onion: 1 small finely chopped
Green Chilly: 1 or more as per taste
Coriander Leaves: 1 tbsp finely chopped
Yoghurt: 2 tbsp or as needed

Seasoning: 
Ghee/Oil: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Black Gram Dal (Urad dal) : 1/2 tsp
CurryLeaves: few
Asafoetida /hing: a pinch

Preparation:

Lightly peel and cube the pumpkin and steam it for few minutes. Let it cool to room temperature.Finely chop the onion and chop the chilli and coriander.

'Lal bhopla' or red pumpkin which is in season during winters is much preferred for this salad and it will be done in lesser time than the regular yellow ones. But I have used regular yellow pumpkin and it turned out just fine. 

Mix in the chopped onion,chilli and coriander with pumpkin pieces, salt and yogurt. Chill in  the fridge for atleast an hour for the flavours to blend.

At the time of serving, take out and prepare the seasoning. Heat the ghee/oil, add in mustrd and when t splutters add in urad dal and let it turn brown. Add in the curry leaves and hing and take it off heat. Pour the seasoning on top of the salad -saving little for garnish - and mix well.

Serve cold garnishing with remaining seasoning.

A simple healthy salad very South Indian Style.The pumpkin has a crunch ( lightly steamed and not cooked to a pulp or puree) and sweetness. The onion definitely add crunch and the yogurt sort of thickens the salad.   The curryleaves impart their own flavour as well and the coriander leaves with yogurt combo is refreshing. Simple,healthy and delicious the salad goes straight to NCR: squash at Tinned Tomatoes. Thanks Prathibha for introducing this unique tasty salad.

Cheesy Herbed Potato Salad

I love spuds and this fact has been vouched for in several other spud posts as well. So we will directly go into the recipe of this creamy cheesy salad which I had adapted from this potato goat cheese salad from Food and Wine site and made using feta.

Ingredients:
Potatoes: 2-3 big well scrubbed

ExtraVirgin Olive Oil: 4 tbsp +
Red Wine Vinegar: 4 tbsp + (same quantity as EVOO)
Salt & Pepper: per taste

Feta : crumbled 1/4 cup+

Garlic: 1 small clove: minced
Oregano: dried: 1 tsp or as per taste OR Fresh: few tbsp chopped
Fresh Basil: 1/4 cup + chiffonaded + more for garnish
Black Olives: few chopped into rings

Preparation:
Cook the potatoes till fork tender in salted boiling water. Drain,cool and peel and cut them into bite sized pieces or small triangles onto a serving bowl.

Whisk together the oil and vinegar adding salt and pepper into an emulsion. Drizzle this over the potatoes and stir well to coat.You can add more salt and pepper as needed after the taste test.

Just before serving, add crumbled feta to the potatoes and also toss in finely minced  herbs -fresh basil and fresh/dried oregano and olive rings to this. Serve garnished with fresh basil or more olive rings etc.

A comforting warm salad which is easy to make and very filling.The moment you add feta you can see that it coats everything and makes the salad looks very creamy. You can even have it even as a light lunch if you are a spud lover. The pics were taken in a hurry as I wanted to eat. Now this is not a low fat recipe and obviously you need to work out more once you consume this salad.But thats the spud effect. 

Pantzarosalata -Greek Style Beetroot Dip

As you know, I like trying out several cuisines. The moment I read about Pantzarosalata -actually came across,nit too much info,I wanted to try it out. Somehow, I could not do so immediately and even during AWED:Greek. Something or other happened and I kept on postponing until I saw a recipe perfect for me in  Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian.

Pantzarosalata is an  easy salad/dip made using boiled beets,olive oil and red wine vinegar. There are several versions and variations available -some with boiled and sliced beets,some having beet greens,some with potatoes,some fully mashed like a dip  etc. It is usually  served in the appetizer or mezze course as a dip/sauce for bread /fritters etc. 

Ingredients:

Beet root: 1 big one boiled and then peeled
Walnuts: 3-4 tbsp
 One Day old bread :about 2-3 tbsp
       OR
 Boiled and peeled potato : 1 small about 3-4 tbsp (I used a potato)
Garlic: 1 small clove
Olive Oil: 4-6 tbsp
Red Wine Vinegar: 1-2 tbsp
Salt: to taste

Preparation:

Chop the boiled and peeled beet coarsely.In a blender add all the ingredients and blend to a thick smooth puree. Serve as dip with spiced fritters or tortilla/pita chips.

 You can adjust the quantity of oil and vinegar to get your choice of smoothness and the acidity/sourness needed. What I got was a sweet -sour dip which pairs very well for spiced chips/fritters or even meat. The sweetness of beets balances the sourness of the vinegar while giving you the comfort of potato which are used instead of bread in the dip.Or at least thats the way it should be. But I must confess that my family members did not take too  much to this though I loved it. So if your sourness taste buds have to be tickled do try this at least once. I am planning to make this again at least for me.

Watermelon & Feta Salad

In my childhood days, summer meant the arrival of watermelons and holidays. Or rather when you see lots of watermelons on the sides of the streets, you knew summer is not far away. Though I preferred the holidays more,the melons meant the expectations towards the hols and also a tension for the approaching annual exams. Even now, the melons are abundant in the summer but they are available throughout the year.Usually I like to have these as  such or occasionally in a soup. However the once I tried the gazpacho and knew that it was palatable, I decided to further experiment and obviously the next recipe was the classic Greek watermelon and feta salad.I was actually vary of trying the combo of fruit and cheese especially melon and feta. But I could not resist trying the recipe from food and wine esp after I saw this pic and it turned out GREAT. All the flavours intact it was irresistable.

Again this is not a traditional recipe of the salad. Hot sauce or even harissa can be added to this,but all those elements have worked together to make this a winner.I have adapted it slightly that I used mint instead of parsley.

Ingredients:
Watermelon slices : sliced into thick rectangles: few
Black kalamata Olives: chopped/sliced into rings
Red Onions: finely chopped : almost 1/2 cup +
Feta Cheese: 3-4 tbsp crumbled
Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley/Fresh mint leaves: little or as per liking chopped up + for garnish
(I used mint)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 2-3 tbsp
Lemon Juice: equal qnty as EVOO
Hot sauce: 1/4 -1/2 tsp

Salt & Pepper: as per taste

Preparation:
Whisk together the oil and lemon juice till it emulsifies. Whisk in the hot sauce, salt and pepper.

Arrange the watermelon slices in the serving dish. Top with onions,mint,olive rings and crumbled feta in that order. Drizzle the dressing on top and serve immediately.

An excellent starter this is and much preferred during hot summer months but equally best in other seasons as well. You make it and taste and see how the flavors mingle and play with your taste buds. The sweetness of melon gives way to the heat of the sauce and the tanginess of the olives and then leaves with us the citrus flavours and the freshness of mint. Adjust the quantities as per you need.A super trouper salad.

Salata Adas- Lebanese Lentil Salad with Cumin & Mint

I am not a great fan of lentils in salads but occasionally I use them to make chaats and other type of salads.Normally its the soup or sides  that comes to my mind whenever I think of lentils.But this is a simple Lebanese style salad which I adapted from Kalyn. The original is supposed to be from Saveur and it turned out wonderful or much tastier than expected. I have prepared this with brown lentils or whole black masoor or Egyptian lentils as they are also known. Green Lentils or French lentils also work fine with this recipe.

Ingredients:
Whole Black Masoor/Brown/black/Egyptian lentils: atleast 1/2 cup

Lemon Juice: 2 tbsp +
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 2 tbsp +
Garlic Clove: 2-3 cloves finely minced

Cumin Powder: 1/2 tsp +
Allspice Powder: 1/4 tsp +

Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley: 1 -2 tbsp chopped
Fresh Mint : 1-2 tbsp chopped

Salt & Pepper: as per taste

Preparation: 

Cook the lentils in water till tender. Make sure they are not mushy. Stove top cooking for 15+ minutes is better here than pressure cooker which may make it mushy. I soaked the lentils for around 15-30 minutes in hotwater before cooking and it was cooked under 20 minutes. Drain and keep aside.

In a small pan,heat around 1 tbsp of EVOO and add minced garlic to it. Saute the garlic till it starts perfuming the oil and is just about to change the colour.Turn off the heat.

Whisk together the rest of the EVOO,lemon juice, cumin powder and crushed allspice berry till it emulsifies to a smooth silky dressing. Add this to the warm garlic-oil and turn on the heat for another minute. Pour this garlicky spicy hot dressing on the lentils and mix well. Toss in chopped herbs and salt and pepper. Adjust the seasonings and serve warm as a side salad.

You can also have this as a mini meal or snack or  light lunch and can even use this as a stuffing for tortillas /ricepaper rolls /pita breads.You can serve it with couscous of pasta mixed in for a hearty comforting meal.I had as a side salad and found it filling and comforting. The freshness of herbs with the comfort of the lentils is heartily appreciated.

Right now, the salad is on way to visit NCR:Lentils at Tinned Tomatoes.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Beans & Chili Dressing

I haver never tried sweet potato in a salad and have been wanting to do so ever since I tried out roasted sweet potato chili. So I just hit the correct recipe in the NYTimes and so tried out the hot spicy salad with the comfort as well as familiarity of beans and roasted sweet potato. The recipe is very simple and I made simple adaptations as per things I had. 

Ingredients:
Sweet Potato :almost 1.5 -2 cups- peeled cubed
Red onion: 1 medium -chopped into bite size pieces
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 2-3 tsp

Pink/Pinto /Any other Beans: 1/2 cup or more
Tomato: 1 medium - chopped,deseeded and depulped
Cilantro: 1 small bunch

Dressing: 
Fresh Green Chilly: 1 -2 as per taste and heat required
Garlic: 1 small clove
Lemon juice:  juice of a 1 big lemon or atleast 2 + tbsp
EVOO: 2+ tbsp as required for the dressing
Salt & Pepper: as per taste

Preparation:

Soak beans overnight and cook till done in a pressurecooker. You can use any beans and I used pink beans. Peel and chop the sweet potato into small but almost equal sized pieces. Also chop the onion into bite sized pieces.  Remove the pulp/flesh of the tomato and chop into small pieces. Finely chop the coriander/cilantro.

In a baking sheet toss together the sweet potato and onion cubes with 2-3 tsp of oil (as needed to coat the pieces),season with little salt and pepper and roast in a preheated oven at 400F for 25-30 minutes,turning sides as and when needed. Keep aside.

Meanwhile blend together the small garlic clove, fresh chilly along with lemon juice and olive oil as needed and  salt and pepper. 

In a big bowl, toss together the cooked and drained beans,roasted onion-sweet potato mix,little chopped cilantro and the dressing. Do the taste test and adjust the salt and pepper and garnish with more cilantro.

Serve as a hearty chunky dip with chips or even a a healthy snack.

A quick to make salad with a hot and spicy dressing. You can add roasted red peppers instead of tomato and also go for you own variations like adding mango pieces to reduce the heat and a fruity touch. If needed you can tore up tortillas/rotis into small pieces and mix in with the salad to make a quick lunch with a bowl or curd/sourcream. 

Anyway the salad as such is on way to NCR:Hot Peppers at Lisa's where we can see a HOT roundup this month. Perfect salad and perfect theme for the chilly weather we are having here.