Orzo, Cauliflower Salad with sprouted Moong beans. [Orzo cooked with sauteed onions, garlic and Turmeric.]

I am sharing one more salad recipe that was  prepared for lunch box,   Orzo-Cauliflower  salad with sprouted moong beans. I cooked orzo after long time. I have previous blogged  this mint infused orzo salad recipe. This time I cooked orzo in the flavor base of sauteed onions, garlic and  turmeric powder. Cooked orzo was very flavorful, tasty to eat by itself. I added cauliflower, overnight sprouted Moong beans,Cranberries. Salad was seasoned with  sesame oil, rice vinegar, little agave nectar, chopped green chilies,  and sesame seeds. Final garnish was done with lots of fresh  flat leaf parsley. This spontaneously cooked nutritious and tasty salad combination  was worth repeating so  I quickly took two images  to share here.

Ingredients for Orzo-Gobi Salad : (serves two)

• 3/4 Cup - Orzo (Rinse in water before adding to onion base.)
• 200 gm - Cauliflower piece - broken into 1/2 - inch florets.
• 1 Cup - sprouted Moong Beans
• 1 small size onion - lengthwise sliced into 2  inch long pieces (1 Cup yield.)
• Turmeric powder - heaping 1/4 tsp.
• 4 garlic cloves - sliced lengthwise
• 1 Tb.spoon - Rice bran oil to saute onions, use any oil of your preference.
• 1 Tb.spoon - Sesame oil or any other oil of your choice. (I used separated oil from  Iraqi Tahini paste.)
• 1 tiny green chili - finely chopped, chop more for extra heat.
• 1 Tb.spoon - lightly toasted sesame seeds
• 5 Tb.spoon - dried cranberries rinsed in water and drained.
• 1 T.spoon - rice vinegar
• 1 T.spoon - Agave nectar or Honey
• 1.5 Cups - chopped flat leaf parsley

Cooking Orzo

Heat 1 tbsp rice bran oil or any other cooking oil in a minimum 2 quart pot. Add sliced onions, sliced garlic cloves, chopped green chili, saute for 6-7 minutes over medium heat, stirring often.  Add 3/4 cup rinsed orzo,1/4 heaping tsp turmeric powder  to the sauteed onions. Add 1.5 cups of water, little less than 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, continue to cook over medium high heat until water is almost absorbed by orzo, about 7-8 minutes. Stir often to avoid sticking at  the bottom. Reduce heat to medium add around 3/4 cup more water, cauliflower florets, continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes over medium heat. Put off the heat and drain orzo pasta and cauliflower, save the liquid to use in other recipes. (I use drained liquid to make chapati dough.) Pour half cup more water over pasta to drain off excess starch.

Final Salad assembly

Transfer  drained orzo and cauliflower into a medium size bowl. Drizzle 1 tbsp sesame oil or any other salad friendly oil of your choice, toss and gently stir to coat pasta with oil. I used separated oil from  Iraqi Tahini paste.

Next add 1 cup sprouted moong**, 5 tbsp rinsed cranberries, 1 tbsp lightly toasted sesame seeds, 1.5 cup chopped parsley, 1 tsp agave nectar or honey, 1 tsp rice vinegar or any vinegar of your choice. Mix and toss to combine, check taste to adjust sweet-sour seasoning. Sprinkle little salt to taste. If you need more heat, add small finely chopped green chili. Lastly you may add your choice of cheese, little creamy salad dressing before serving.I packed this salad in lunch box without adding cheese or salad dressing.

Note : **If you don't prefer to add raw sprouted beans, add to orzo pot  along with cauliflower to  get little tender.

Salad packed for lunch.

Chinese Yard long bean Salad with fresh coconut and Carrots.

Today morning first I thought to prepare long bean subzi to pack with rotis for lunch but later change of thought and ended up making  long bean (chawli chya shenga) salad with  lettuce, carrots and sliced fresh coconut with simple drizzle of ready made Greek Salad dressing. This is simple salad  enriched with vegetable and fresh coconut slices, a nice twist to every day subzi. All images in this salad post are taken with the cell phone.

Salad Ingredients :
(Makes one serving of Salad.)

• Iceberg lettuce - Chopped - 2 cup lightly packed
• 8-10 Yard long beans - cut into 1-inch long pieces.(1 Cup yield, Pre boil in microwave for 5-6 minutes.)
• 1 Carrot - cut into small pieces. (match shape with cut beans.) Pre boil in microwave for 4 minutes.
• 1/4 Cup Fresh coconut - thinly sliced pieces
• 1 T.spoon - Diced bottled Jalapeno. (chopped green chillies can be used.)
• 1/4 Cup - fresh cilantro leaves for garnish.
• 1 Tb.spoon - Greek dressing with Feta, black olives and Olive Oil ( I used Kens Steak House.) In absence of Greek dressing use 1 tsp Vinegar, 1.5 tsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp crumbled feta cheese.

Lettuce, Carrots, Fresh sliced coconut, long beans.

Preparation method for Chinese long bean Salad.

1. Slice or tear 2 Iceberg lettuce leaves into small pieces, about  2 cup lightly packed quantity.
2. Slightly snap off both end tips of  each long bean, then slice into 1 inch pieces. Place sliced beans into a microwave safe bowl filled with water, add 1/4 tsp salt, stir and  boil for 5-6 minutes. Drain out water, allow beans to cool.
3. Cut carrot into similar shape and size like long beans, boil in microwave for 3-4 minutes without adding salt. Drain and allow to cool.
4. Cut few pieces from fresh broken coconut, peel off brown skin with potato peeler, slice into thin one inch size pieces.
5. In a medium size bowl  combine chopped lettuce leaves, boiled and cooled carrot and long bean pieces, coconut slices. Add 1 tsp diced bottled jalapeno, 1 tbsp ready made Greek dressing with feta, black olives, olive oil. (make sure you thoroughly shake salad dressing bottle before pouring out.) 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves. Toss to mix well, if needed you can add a tiny pinch of salt. For more coconut flavor sprinkle little fresh grated coconut. Enjoy this salad as a meal or side dish.

Tofu, Scallion, Kale protein balls for Salad.

Today's lunch box salad was enriched with Tofu-Scallion-Kale protein balls.  I prepared these protein balls with turmeric-hing seasoning, for binding Besan and  organic buckwheat flour  is used. Salad base was iceberg lettuce, locally produced cucumber from Porter farms, and black olives. No salad dressing was used except little drizzle of vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. After packing salad for lunch box I saved  few tofu balls to prepare one more serving for my lunch. Recipe for tofu protein balls has evolved from earlier made mix vegetable Tofu-Paneer koftas  which were  prepared for sattvik kofta curry. Later with some alterations and tweaks I  continued to create different tofu balls. Scroll down to see images of tofu koftas prepared earlier. These are Vegan and Gluten free tofu protein balls.

Tofu-Veggie ball salad I enjoyed for my lunch.

Salad packed in lunch box.

Ingredients for Salad with Vegetable Tofu balls :
Makes 12-15 Tofu balls / 2 Servings of salad.
Tofu Ball Ingredients

• 1 block - Firm tofu (8 oz.) , I cut half from 16 oz. slab of tofu.
• 1/3 Cup - Finely sliced scallion greens.
• 1/3 Cup - Tightly packed very finely sliced kale leaves.
• 1.5 Tb.spoon - Besan flour /gram flour ( roasted)
• 1.5 Tb.spoon - Buckwheat flour ( roasted)
• 1 Tb.spoon - fine rice flour to use while shaping tofu balls.
• 1 green chili - finely sliced.
• 1 pinch - Hing/Asafoetida
• 1 pinch - Turmeric powder
• 1/4 T.spoon - salt
• 3 Cups - Chopped Iceberg lettuce leaves.
• 1/2 Cucumber - sliced into thin half moon shape. (1.5 Cup yield)
• Black olives - 12-15 thoroughly drained and rinsed.( I used canned whole pitted olives.)
• 1 T.spoon - oil + 1/2 tsp more to roast flours.

Salad Ingredients : 
3.5 Cups - Chopped Iceberg lettuce leaves. ( about 100 gm)
1 Persian cucumber - 25-30  slices
1 green chili - finely sliced
1 Tb.spoon - Extra virgin olive oil
1.5 T.spoon - Vinegar
1/4 cup - Purslane leaves (optional)
1 tiny pinch - salt
1 pinch - sugar

 How to prepare Tofu protein balls for salad :

1. Preparing Tofu :Cut half portion from 16 oz Tofu block. Rinse under water, press block few times between the palms of your hand, pat with thick two layers of paper towel, absorb as much as water,  then place it in the bowl, break slab by using fork. Take a clean cotton cloth, place in all scrambled tofu, twist and tie cloth tightly, squeeze few times to remove all water content from the tofu. Give 4-5 minutes for water extraction, at least two times open the twisted cloth, move center part of the tofu towards bottom, squeeze again. This will drain out maximum water, I got around 1/2 cup drained liquid. Place water drained tofu back into the dry bowl.
2. In a small saute pan add  1.5  tbsp each of Besan and buckwheat flour, 1/2 tsp oil. Roast over medium heat, stirring constantly  until flour turns dry, slightly grainy and aromatic.This will take little over 3 minutes.
3. In a drained tofu bowl add very finely sliced 1/3 cup scallion greens, 1 tbsp roasted  flour, 1 sliced green chili, one pinch of hing and one generous pinch of  turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp salt. Mix all well.
4. Next add  finely sliced Kale leaves, mix well, sprinkle 1 more tbsp roasted  buckwheat and  besan flour. You can add kale leaves along with scallion greens, I added it later because initially I had thought about using only scallion. Mix and knead well, once smooth ball is formed, divide it into small size balls. I made assorted shaped balls but later I cut roasted bigger size protein balls into half.  It is better to make small bite sized balls because they will cook through quicker and more enjoyable in salads. While making balls first firmly press and create rough round ball, then hold it between the two palms and roll to achieve smooth rounds. If you feel stickiness, dust with rice flour, also oil greased palm will help.
5. Heat  saute pan by drizzling few drops of oil, Place all the balls, cook over medium heat for about 12-15 minutes. Flip the balls very often to get roasted all around. Also 2-3 times increase heat to medium high, heat pan for a minute then  hold pan handle and swirl around for  20 seconds so that tofu balls are cooked through well and form even roast marks around ball.  Next time I will experiment  to bake, grill and steam these tofu protein balls. For better  flavor I added rinsed whole pitted black olives in the  pan along with tofu balls when tofu balls were roasted half way through, after 7 minutes. Remove roasted olives and tofu balls from the pan, allow to cool.

Salad assembly -- I prepared two portions of salad, one I packed for husbands lunch and remaining portion  I ate for my lunch. Chop 3-4 iceberg lettuce leaves to make 3.5  cups quantity. Slice  half persian cucumber into round shape and remaining into half moon shape. Chop one green chili very finely. Mix Chopped lettuce, sliced cucumbers, chopped green chili into one bowl. Add  1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1.5 tsp vinegar, sprinkle one tiny pinch of salt and one pinch of sugar, Toss to mix all well. Serve or pack in lunch box topped with tofu protein balls and roasted olives.(Few larger tofu balls I cut into 2-3 pieces.) In lunch box I set lettuce, cucumber, tofu balls separately. In my salad I additionally added fresh plucked purslane leaves from the pot. If you prefer, season Tofu balls and olives with olive oil and vinegar before adding to salad.

Note : Any variety  of greens can be added along with additional seasoning of cumin powder, hint of garam masala, ginger, garlic, onion, herbs. More tweaking can be done with the use of seeds and nuts. Create variety of tofu protein balls/Koftas by mix and match of ingredients.

finely sliced kale leaves

Roasting whole pitted black olives along with tofu balls.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Images of variety of Tofu balls made in the past.

mix vegetable Paneer+Tofu  koftas for sattvic kofta curry.

Fish+Tofu Koftas for Tava Pulao.

Non-Deep Fried version of Mix veg Paneer and Tofu Kofta.

Square shaped koftas done by using two piece rice cube.(These are pan roasted.)

Capsicum stir fry with pan roasted Pumpkin cubes, garnished with Tuxedo Sesame seeds.[Lunch box sabzi.]

Today morning I took out one Capsicum and a small piece of pumpkin from the fridge to prepare sabzi for lunch box. Just a little change of separately roasting pumpkin cubes in the pan and adding Tuxedo sesame seeds (mix of black and white sesame.) made this routinely cooked vegetable stir fry more interesting. This is single serving stir fry cooked to pack in lunch box. Scroll down to see what I did with the pumpkin seeds.

Ingredients :
(Makes Single stir-fry serving.)

• 1 large Capsicum - sliced into small chunks (1.5 cup yield)
• Pumpkin piece - around 200 gm cut into small cubes. (1 heaped cup yield.)
• 1 medium size onion - chopped into small pieces (1 heaped cup yield.)
• 1 T.spoon - Tuxedo sesame seeds (Mix of black and white sesame.) white sesame seeds can be used.
• 1 green chili - finely chopped.
• 5-6 Curry leaves
• 1 generous pinch - Hing (asafoetida)

StirFry Cooking Method :

1. Heat a medium size skillet/griddle, drizzle few drops of oil, wipe with paper towel to evenly grease the pan surface. Spread cubed pumpkin pieces in a single layer. Sprinkle 1 generous pinch of salt, roast for 12-15 minutes by flipping pieces few times until they are slightly charred and turn golden brown over minimum  2-3 sides. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp black and white sesame seed blend. Mix well with wooden spoon or toss the skillet holding handle few times to coat roasted pumpkin pieces with sesame seed blend. Shut off the heat, leave the skillet over burner.
2. While pumpkin cubes  are being roasted, heat medium size saute pan with 1 tsp oil, add chopped onions,sliced green chilies, 5-6 curry leaves. For first two three minutes saute over medium high heat, stirring often. Reduce the heat to medium, continue to saute for another 6-7 minutes until onions turn soft and start to get brown over the edges.
3. Now add  chopped capsicum, continue to saute over medium heat for 6-7 minutes until capsicum pieces are softened. Add a generous pinch of hing, 1/2 tsp tuxedo sesame blend, salt. Mix well, saute for 2 more minutes.
4. Lastly add  pan roasted pumpkin cubes, gently mix, taste and adjust salt level. Cook for 2-3 minutes over medium low heat. Garnish with cilantro, you may add some fresh grated coconut, serve with roti.

Cooking step - 4, Before mixing roasted pumpkin cubes with sauteed capsicum.

Image taken with cell phone -Samsung SGH-1337

While prepping pumpkin piece, I removed some seeds, instead of throwing them away I sow them in a empty tofu container. I was surprised to see the result after 10 days, pumpkin seedlings looked so pretty.

Sattvik Quinoa Khichadi with vegetables for Makar Sankranti. [First recipe post for year 2015]

This was supposed to be my  first recipe post for year 2015, I am publishing it quite late but happy that I got back to blogging. On Makar Sankranti day I started my morning preparing Quinoa dish to pack in lunch box, since it was an auspicious day of Sankranti I cooked Quinoa in a sattvik manner, enriching it with peanuts and sesame seeds. I  made Quinoa khichdi  with vegetables, it turned out to be a  good festive savory treat. I   packed  khichadi in husband's lunch box and also savored it for my breakfast.
Post published on 30th Dec-2015.

Ingredients : 
(2 servings)

• 3/4 Cup - Quinoa (rinsed well in water.)
• 3 Tb.spoon - split Chana Dal (rinsed and drained.)
• 1/2 T.spoon - Mustard seeds
• 2 whole dry red chillies - I used Arbol chilies.
• 2 sprigs - Curry leaves
• 1/4 T.spoon - whole methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
• 1/4 T.spoon - Turmeric powder (heaping 1/4  tsp)
• 1 pinch - Hing (asafoetida)
• 1 Tb.spoon - oil + 1 T.spoon extra to saute veggies.
• 1 Tb.spoon - melted ghee or extra virgin olive oil to drizzle over Khichadi
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts - ground to coarse powder + 2 Tb.spoon roughly chopped.
• 1 Tb.spoon - Sesame seeds - ground to coarse powder + 1 T.spoon - whole sesame seeds.
• 1 Small size - Red Capsicum, cut into half inch pieces. ( yield - 1 heaping cup)
• 10-12 - Green beans sliced into diagonal shape.
• 7-8 inch long 1 Celery stalk - sliced into 1/2 cm thick in half moon shape.

Procedure to cook Sattvik Quinoa Khichadi with vegetables.

1. Rinse Quinoa in water thoroughly, rub grain in water using fingers or use spoon and  whisk in speed for one minute. Quinoa is very delicate to handle so I use tea strainer to drain water. Keep drained Quinoa aside.
2. Prepping the veggies - Cut red capsicum into half an inch chunks, any color pepper can be used. Cut celery stalk into half moon shape with 1/2 cm thickness. Slice green beans  diagonally  into one inch long pieces.
3. In a pressure cooker heat 1 tbsp oil, drop 3-4 mustard seeds, if they sizzle, quickly add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, increase heat to medium high, cover with lid, wait for 15-20 seconds until most of the mustard seeds crack in hot oil. Reduce heat to medium. Next add 2 dry red chilies, stir with spoon to sizzle until chilies turn slight darker in shade and smokey. Next add methi seeds along with one sprigs of curry leaves and 1 tsp whole sesame seeds, stir-saute for 15 seconds.
4.  Now add  3 tbsp rinsed split chana dal with 1 tbsp water, 1 pinch of hing, 1/4 heaping tsp turmeric powder, saute over medium  heat for one and half minute, stirring continuously. Now add rinsed 3/4 cup quinoa, little less than half tsp salt, mix and stir over high heat for one minute. Add two cups water, continue to cook until it starts to boil. Cover the pressure cooker lid, cook until it blows two whistles. This small 2 liter pressure cooker releases multiple short whistles at the interval of 10-15 seconds lasting for 5 seconds. After 7-8 whistles  I reduced the heat to low and cooked further for 7-8 minutes. Do the same with other types of pressure cooker, after two whistles,  allow to rest for few minutes over low heat setting. Shut off the heat and wait until steam pressure subsides.
5. Once quinoa  is set to cook in pressure cooker you can start preparing khichadi veggies. In a medium size skillet heat 1 tsp oil, add sliced  half moon shaped celery, saute over medium high heat for two minutes, stirring often. Next add sliced green beans and red capsicum along with remaining curry leaves, sprinkle about 1/4 tsp salt. Cook over medium heat for 7-8 minutes until veggies are cooked. Add 2-3 tbsp water to speed up cooking or slow roast veggies over low heat giving more time, while slow roasting keep pan moist by spraying some water. Once veggies are tender sprinkle ground sesame and peanut powder, mix well,  let all veggies get dusted with sesame and peanut powder. Check salt level, add some more salt if needed, cook over medium high heat for one minute, stirring. Put off the heat.
6. Open the cooled pressure cooker lid, throw in 2 tbsp roughly chopped peanuts, sauteed vegetables, mix all well, garnish with cilantro. Serve by drizzling melted ghee or extra virgin olive oil. If you need little more loose consistency,  add 1/4 cup water and cook few more minutes or add 1/4 cup very hot water, mix and let it set for few minutes before serving.

Note :- If you don't prefer whole sesame seed crunch in soft textured khichari, skip adding 1 tsp sesame seeds in cooking step.No -3. Instead of Chana dal you can use split skinless masoor or moong dal or buck wheat goats.

Image for - cooking step-6

Makar Sankranti special - Quinoa Khichdi.

Veggie packed Quinoa Khichdi

Sprouted Masoor stir fry with Broccoli, Celery, Red Radish - [Indian vegetable-lentil Sattvik Stir-Fry.]

Mix and match of three veggies with sprouted Masoor Dal created this wholesome sattvik  vegetable and lentil stir fry. I seasoned it with ginger, cumin, hing, turmeric, spiced it up with green chillies, cooked in extra virgin organic coconut oil and garnished with fresh grated coconut. This is what I packed for today's lunch box with two organic whole wheat mini rotis. I have used one week grown  Masoor sprouts  in this stir fry.

Ingredients :- (serves four portions as side dish. )

• 2/3 heaping Cup - sprouted Masoor Dal/ Red lentils
• 2 tender stalks of Celery - sliced in half moon shape (1 Cup yield.)
• 1 small broccoli crown - stems chopped and florets broken into tiny pieces. (1 heaping cup yield.)
• 5-6 - Red radishes - sliced into thin rounds.
• 2 T.spoon - extra virgin organic coconut oil
• 1 Green chilli - finely sliced
• 1.5 inch - square piece of ginger - grated over microplane.
• 1/4 T.spoon - cumin / Jeera + 1 more generous pinch.
• 1 pinch -  hing (asafoetida)
• 1/4 T.spoon - Turmeric powder
• 1/4 T.spoon - fine sea salt
• 1/4 Cup - lightly packed fresh grated coconut.
• 1/4 Cup - fresh chopped cilantro for garnish.

How to cook Sattvic vegetable & sprouted Red Lentil Stir fry.

1. Prepping the Vegetables : Clean thoroughly  two small celery stalks, make sure all sand residue is cleared, slice them into 1/2 cm thick half moon shape pieces. If celery stalks are not tender, peel out thin layer using potato peeler. Separate stems and florets from  handful size crown of broccoli. Chop tender stems finely, cut florets into half inch size pieces. Rub and clean 5-6 red radishes well, slightly chop off both the ends, slice into thin round slices. Put spouted red lentils into small bowl filled with water for about 5-6 minutes, gently rinse under running water, drain and keep it aside.
2. In a medium size pot heat 1.5 tsp coconut oil,  Add 1/4 tsp cumin and half portion of grated ginger, let sizzle for 15-20 seconds, stir for 10 more seconds then add sliced celery. Saute over high heat for 3-4 minutes by adding 2-3 tbsp water. Cook until  the water has nearly evaporated.
3. Now add chopped green chili, a pinch of hing and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder. Stir and mix well then add chopped broccoli stems and florets. Cook on medium high heat by adding 1/4 cup water, stir at regular intervals, about 3 minutes. Add sliced red radishes, save some slices for last colorful garnish because in cooking process bright pink color of red radishes fades away.  Mix and cook for one minute. Reduce heat to medium.
4. Next add  2/3 heaping cup sprouted masoor Dal, reserved grated ginger, 1/4 tsp fine sea salt,  mix and continue to saute over medium heat. Take one pinch cumin, sprinkle over veggies by crushing between two finger tips. (coarse cumin powder can be used.) If pan dries out add 2-3 tbsp water. After 3 minutes drizzle  1/2 tsp coconut oil,   Saute for 3 more minutes.
5. Check and adjust salt level, check if veggies are tender enough. Add remaining red radish slices, sprinkle fresh grated coconut and cilantro. Shut off the heat, let stay over stove for some time, about 5 minutes before serving with rice or roti or enjoy bowlful of this stir-fry as a meal or use as Taco filling.

Adding Sprouts once Veggies are cooked.

3 veggies and Sprouted Lentil Sattvik stir-fry.

  One week grown Masoor sprouts.

Red Lentil Sprouts.

Recipe published on  3rd April,2016.

Mix vegetable Salad with Raw Mango, Ginger, Parsley Chutney dressing. [Chayote+Sweet Potato+Persian cucumber+Cranberries]

Today I am sharing one more salad recipe that I had prepared in April month to pack  in the lunch box. This salad was made  with available veggies and herbs in my kitchen. Sliced tender Persian cucumbers, julienned Chayote and Sweet potatoes were generously soaked with quick home made chutney dressing. Raw mango brought for the Vishu  Festival initiated me to skip vinegar and  prepare zesty salad dressing chutney. I coarse ground parsley, raw mango, green chilies, ginger in extra virgin olive oil, added little light agave nectar. This salad dressing chutney gave unique flavor to the salad. If you want  refreshing change from vinaigrette dressing salads try this chutney over salad, for more aromatic kick add fresh mango ginger.

Salad Veggies :
(Salad quantity servers one single full meal or 4 small servings as side salad.)

• 2 small tender - Persian cucumbers ( sliced in two different shapes, rounds and sticks.)
• 3 inch long - Sweet potato piece ( julienned ,1/2 cup)
• 1/2 Chayote - seed removed, peeled and julienned, 3/4 cup)
• 2 Tb.spoon - dried cranberries
• 1 Tb.spoon - Extra Virgin olive oil

Ingredients for Salad Dressing chutney :
(Ingredients make little extra quantity dressing which can be used as chutney. I used it to make sandwiches.)

• 1 Cup - tightly packed chopped parsley leaves (chop including tender stems.)
• 2 green chilies - chopped
• 1.5 inch - ginger piece - chopped
• 1/4 cup - chopped raw mango pieces, heaping cup
• 1/4 T.spoon - fine sea salt ( a pinch or two more to adjust salt level)
• 1 Tb.spoon - Light Agave nectar or Honey.
• 1 T.spoon - Lemon juice optional (use if  raw mango lacks sourness.)
• 2 Tb.spoon - extra virgin olive oil

How to prepare Salad and Salad chutney dressing :
Preparing veggies.

Chop off both the ends of two Persian cucumbers, Slice one into 3-4mm thick round slices. Another cucumber slice lengthwise into 6-8 pieces, then cut them into one inch sticks. Transfer to a bowl.

Take half Chayote piece, peel the skin, remove seed and julienne. Transfer to a bowl.

Take a  3 inch long piece of sweet potato, peel the skin, julienne. Transfer to a bowl.

Preparing  Chutney Salad dressing.

Roughly chop handful parsley leaves including  tender stems. Peel 1.5 inch ginger piece, cut into small pieces. Finely chop green chilies. Cut out small piece from raw mango, peel the skin, remove seed portion, cut into small chunks to fill heaping 1/4 cup.

In a small blender jar combine, 1 cup tightly packed chopped parsley, chopped green chilies, chopped raw mango pieces, ginger pieces, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 tsp sea salt. Puree all into a coarse paste. Add 1 tbsp agave nectar, pulse for few seconds. (If mild sweetness is preferred, add half tbsp agave nectar, you can add more after salad is assembled.) Check the taste, it should be sour, spicy and sweet. If sourness is mild then add some lemon juice, adjust salt and sweetness as desired.

Assembling salad.

Place 4-5 tbsp salad dressing chutney over cut veggies, pour one tbsp olive oil. Add 2 tbsp dried cranberries. Stir  and toss to combine all well. Finally adjust taste by sprinkling some salt, lemon juice and agave nectar.

Sauteed mix vegetables Salad with raw Persian cucumber for lunch box. [Mix and Match of onion, celery, chayote, cranberries, corn, carrots,Cilantro & Tofu]

Today I wanted to pack salad for lunch box  but there was no lettuce in the fridge so I made  salad by preparing  a  partially sauteed veggie base with onion, celery, julienned chayote, tofu, cranberries, corn,  carrots, cucumber. Over that I added raw  Persian cucumber slices, fresh cilantro leaves, chopped tender cilantro stems, celery leaves. I packed this in lunch box with very  little salad dressing. This salad is good enough to eat  by itself without any salad dressing or vinaigrette, partially sauteed onion and veggie base makes it very flavorful. I saved little  salad quantity to take image and record this salad recipe, after taking images my daughter  enjoyed  this plated salad.

Ingredients :-
Serves  one as full salad meal with some left over,  Or serves 4 as side salad.

• 1 small onion - finely chopped( 3/4 cup yield)
• 1 tender celery stalk - sliced half moon shape (1/2 cup yield)
• 1/2 Chayote - skin and seed removed , julienned. (3/4 cup)
• 1 carrot - julienned or sliced into small pieces (1/4 cup)
• 1 Persian cucumber - partly chopped enough to measure 1/4 cup. Slice remaining into rounds.
• Frozen corn - 1/2 Cup (use fresh if available.)
• 4 Tb.spoon - dried cranberries
• 1  green chili - finely sliced.
• Firm tofu block - around  80 gm, cut into  1/2 inch cubes (yield 1 cup) sprinkle tiny pinch of salt, toss to coat with salt.
• 1/2 cup - Mix of chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 3/4 Cup - celery leaves (pluck leaves off the stalk.)
• 1 T.spoon - cooking oil to saute onion and veggies.
• 1 Tb.spoon - extra virgin olive oil to drizzle over salad.
• 2 Tb.spoon - your choice of creamy salad dressing. (optional)

How to prepare semi-sauteed veggie Salad topped with raw cucumber.

1. In a small saute pan heat 1 tsp oil, add chopped onions stir fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sliced 1/2 cup celery, 1/4 cup chopped cucumber, 1 chopped green chili, 4 tbsp dried cranberries, continue to saute over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
2. Next add julienned chayote, sliced carrots, 1/2 cup frozen corn,  sprinkle one generous pinch of salt, continue to saute for 3-4 minutes over medium high heat, stirring often. Taste and adjust salt level.
3. Now add  salt sprinkled tofu cubes, gently mix all well.  Let it stay on stove for 2 minutes over medium low heat. Shut off the heat.
4.  Transfer sauteed veggie mix in a medium size bowl,  allow to cool. Add sliced  Persian cucumber, chopped cilantro leaves and stems, celery leaves. Drizzle 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil. Toss to coat.. Another way to serve salad is arrange sliced cucumber, celery leave, cilantro leaves over the top or at one side like I have arranged in the image. Serve with creamy  ranch salad dressing or your choice of  cheese or  just enjoy plain salad.

Snake gourd stir fry with Plums. [Stone Fruit based Tangy Indian Vegetable Stir Fry.]

Today morning I made stir fry with fresh, tender locally produced snake gourd  using two juicy plums. I  made saute base with  red onions and two red vine sweet mini peppers to have contrast color with light green snake gourd slices and  tempered it with split urad dal , curry leaves and  green chili. Pre-boiling Snake gourd kept colors vibrant and saved some cooking time. This is my first time to use Plums in vegetable stir fry, earlier I have cooked cauliflower with oranges  and  green beans with cranberries. This stir fry has nice sweet and sour taste and is packed with natural veggie and fruit flavor. This stir fry has initiated  few ideas to cook many more vegetable stir fries and curries using different  fruits, nuts and seeds. Following images are taken with Canon Power Shot -110.

Sliced Snake gourd / Podalangai/ Potlakaya/ Padavalkai

Ingredients : 
( Serves two with roti or one single generous stir fry serving .)

• 150 gm - 1 small snake gourd, sliced thin in half moon shape (discard formed seeds, retain tender seeds as I did, refer above image.)
• 2 Plums - chopped in 1 cm size chunks, seeds removed.
• 2 Vine ripe mini Peppers - use red colors. cut into small pieces.(substitute with red or green colored capsicum. Use of mini papers  is optional.)
• 1 small size - Red onion, sliced thin length wise. (yield - 1 heaping Cup)
• 1 Tb.spoon - oil
• 1 green chili - finely chopped
• 1 Tb.spoon - split skinless Urad Dal / Black gram.
• 1 Sprig - Fresh Curry leaf
• 1/2 Cup - Fresh cilantro chopped
• 1/2 T.spoon - Honey - Use if plums are sour. You may sprinkle little brown sugar or jaggery powder.

Adding pre-boiled snake gourd to sauteed onions and Plums.

Preparation - Padval Stir Fry with Plums.

1. Slightly chop out both the ends of the snake gourd, cut in the center, make two parts then slit lengthwise. If you find hard formed seeds, remove them. My snake gourd was very tender so I retained inner seed pulp. Cut thin half moon shape slices by placing seed side on the cutting board. (Check image to see how tender pulp looks like.) Place sliced snake gourd in a medium side bowl filled with water, add two tiny pinches of salt, boil in microwave for 6 minutes. If snake gourd is not very tender, give few more minutes. I did this while onions were getting sauteed. Drain water, keep the bowl aside.(use drained water for other cooking, I don't add salt so that I can drink it up after it cools.)
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small saute pan over medium heat, add  curry leaves, chopped green chilies, sizzle for 10-15 seconds. Quickly add 1 tbsp skinless split urad Dal, stir with spoon for 15-25 seconds, add sliced onions as soon as dal turns one shade darker in color. Continue to stir fry onions over medium heat for about 7-8 minutes. In the mean time, you can finish pre-boiling sliced snake gourd.
3. Add chopped plums and chopped vine ripe mini peppers, continue to stir fry over medium high heat, stirring often for about 4 minutes or until plums start to soften.
4. Now add pre-boiled snake gourd  /padval slices to the pan, mix well, add  2 pinches of salt or little more as needed. Reduce heat to medium low, continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Check sweet and sour level, if  sourness is sharp, add 1/2 tsp honey or brown sugar or jaggery. Shut off the heat, garnish with 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. If you have fresh grated coconut add that too.  Serve with rice, roti. Use in wraps, tacos or sandwiches.

Note : This stir fry can be done with all most all vegetables, I would try similar stir fry with Chayote, Turia, Cauliflower, Cluster beans, Tindora, green beans, Zuccini, Bell Peppers, Dudhi. Also baby potatoes, Bitter gourd and Egg plant. Do mix and match of veggies. This recipe can be further tweaked into creamy Kormas by adding  spices and  more ingredients.

Mini yellow colored Peppers, Broccoli and Green peas quick stir fry for lunch box.

Today made this stir fry with mini colored peppers, broccoli florets and green peas to pack in the  lunch box. No spices or masala powder is used, sauteed onions and hand full of fresh chopped cilantro and  one chopped green chili  is  used to build the stir fry  flavor base. Pre boiling broccoli florets in the microwave reduced  cooking time and enhanced  vibrant green glow of broccoli. This is quick vegetable stir fry packed with natural taste of veggies. Check similar stir fry subji recipe blogged earlier where I have used capsicum, broccoli, shelled edamame beans and tofu cubes.

Ingredients :
(One single generous vegetable stir fry serving or this is good for two servings as side dish in meals.)

• 7-8  Broccoli florets - cut into an inch size pieces. (1.5 cup)
• 4-5 Mini colored peppers - chopped into small pieces. (3/4 cup) (substitute - colored capsicum)
• 1/2 Cup - frozen green peas
• 1 small onion - finely chopped (3/4 cup yield)
• 1 Green chili - finely sliced
• 1/2 Cup - fresh chopped cilantro.
• 1 Tb.spoon - oil

Method of preparing Stir fry :

1. Slice mini peppers into small chunks. (I picked only yellow to have contrast with green broccoli.) Break broccoli florets into one inch pieces. Finely chop stem part, transfer to microwave safe bowl, cover with water, add 2 tiny pinches of salt. Microwave on high heat for 4-5 minutes.
2. In  the mean time in a small saute pan heat 1 tbsp oil, add chopped onions, saute for 7-8 minutes stirring often with wooden spoon.
3. Add sliced mini colored peppers and finely chopped green chili, continue to saute over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
4. Next drain pre-boiled broccoli, save water to use in other cooking dishes.  Add broccoli  in the pan, add frozen green peas. Mix well, add 1/4 tsp salt, fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Lower heat to medium  low setting, add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, stir. Put off  the heat after 2-3 minutes.
5. Serve with roti or eat by itself in a bowl by drizzling little salad dressing.

Curry leaves and Coconut Chutney with fresh Mango Ginger root. [Aromatic Sweet-Sour-Spicy Chutney for mini Uttapams]

This coconut chutney is filled with goodness of fresh Mango Ginger root (Curcuma amada/ Ambe Halad) and fresh curry leaves, two strong medicinal and aromatic ingredients are blended together in this sweet, sour and spicy chutney. I made this chutney to serve with  multi grain rice free mini uttappams. Scroll down to check the image of pot grown curry leaves my friend shared with me. Try this medicinal chutney to explore new flavors.

Manga Inji, Curry leaves infused coconut chutney with Uttapams.

Ingredients for medicinal Coconut chutney.

Ingredients :

• 1 Cup - fresh grated coconut
• 3/4  Cup - fresh curry leaves
• 1/4 Cup - sliced fresh Mango Ginger / Ambe Halad  root with skin.
• 3/4 Cup - water, add 1/4 cup more to adjust consistency.
• 2 Jalapeno chilies ( use tender chilies to avoid extreme heat, regular green chilies should be fine.)
• 1 garlic clove - sliced
• 2 Tb.spoon - chopped onion
• 1 Tb.spoon - Coconut oil
• 1.5 Tb.spoon - lemon juice
• 1/2 T.spoon - sugar
• 1/4 T.spoon - iodized fine sea salt

Method of preparing Curry leaves, Mango Ginger infused coconut chutney :

1. Clean and thoroughly rub Mango ginger root skin under running water, slice off bruised and bad patches, roughly slice and keep it aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in a small pan, add sliced jalapeno chilies, saute over medium high heat for 2 minutes, stirring often. Any other type of green chilies can be used. If using smaller chilies saute for one minute.
3. Next add 2 tbsp chopped onions and  one sliced garlic, saute for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring often. Add  3/4 cup curry leaves saute for two minutes then add 1 cup fresh grated coconut,  mix well and quickly shutoff the heat. Allow to rest for 6-7 minutes.
4. In a blender jar add curry leaf coconut mixture,  1/4 cup sliced fresh chopped Mango ginger root, 1.5  tbsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 3/4 cup water, (add more water if you don't like thick consistency.) Grind into fine paste.  Taste for sweet and sour balance, add 2-3 pinches of  sugar and  more lemon juice to suit to your taste, also adjust salt level.

Other method to prepare this chutney :  This chutney can be prepared in another method like we make traditional plain coconut chutney. Mix all listed ingredients except oil, garlic and onion in a blender, grind into fine paste, adjust sweet, sour, salt balance. Transfer chutney to metal or glass bowl. In a tiny pan heat 1 tbsp coconut oil, once hot add chopped onions, allow to sizzle for one minute or until onion pieces get slightly charred, quickly add sliced garlic, saute for 30 seconds. Put off the heat, pour tempering over chutney, mix well. (1/2 tsp Mustard seeds can be tempered before adding onions.) 

Serve this Chutney with idli, Dosa, uttappams or with daily meals. I used left over chutney for preparing sandwiches. I applied 1 tbsp chutney over each square slice of bread, stacked  thin sliced tomatoes and sliced onions. Sprinkled few finely sliced green chili pieces and shavings of Parmesan cheese. Pressed another bread slice over it. Sprayed oil over slices, pan roasted sandwich until both sides turned crisp and golden brown. Unique raw mango like  aroma of  Mango ginger  made these sandwiches very tasty.

Pot grown curry leaves

Kadipatta-Ambe Halad Chutney

Flaxseed meal and Ragi enriched roti with Aashirvaad multi grain Atta [Indian flat bread with reduced gluten - Healthy Roti formula - 2]

Recently I made rotis by adding Ragi flour to Aashirvaad multi grain aata. I tried to reduce wheat gluten by 50%, combined equal portion of Raagi and multi grain atta. I added Ragi flour by adapting  bhakari  dough making  method. I  heated water mixed with flaxseed meal, in that added  ragi flour, made a sticky dough, allowed to cool it for some time then added multi grain wheat flour.  Process of dough making, rolling, frying was easy. I made them few times to pack in lunch box. This formula worked well, roti tasted very good, just like bhakari. I left the dough  in refrigerator over night, next day roti  taste and texture was much better. These ragi enriched rotis are good  option to include healthy Ragi flour into daily diet, to know several health  benefits of Ragi check blogger sm's post.

Ingredients :-

(Makes 6 small size Rotis.)

• 1/2 Cup - Aashirvaad multi grain atta ( any other type of wheat flour can be used.)
• 1/2 Cup - Ragi flour ( also known as Nachani, Maddua, finger millet)
• 1 Tb.spoon - slightly heaped Flax seed meal (coarse powder of flaxseeds.)
• 1 Cup water + extra 4-5 Tb.spoons
• 1/4 T.spoon - fine sea salt
• 1 T.spoon - oil to add in the dough.
• 2-3 Tb.spoon all purpose flour - for dusting dough balls.

Method of preparing Ragi enriched roti :-

1. In a medium size  microwave safe bowl mix 1 tbsp flax seed meal with  1/2 cup water. Heat over high heat for 70-75 seconds.(make sure mixture don't overflows from bowl.)
2. Quickly add  1/2 cup Ragi flour to the bowl, mix with spoon. Allow to cool for five minutes. Add wheat flour, salt, remaining 1/2 cup room temperature water, mix with spoon until rough dough ball is formed. Add  4 tbsp water, knead the dough, you may add little more water to make soft dough based on your desired softness in handling dough. Once soft dough is formed smear some oil  around and knead for 2-3 minutes. ( For better results keep dough covered with plastic wrap for half an hour.)
3. Make 6 equal size balls. Slightly dust each ball with flour. Roll out each ball into 5-6 inch diameter circle. While rolling turn roti clock wise, flip two three times, if needed gently dust with flour. Roll with gentle pressure, maintain uniform thickness all over roti.
4. Fry each roti  for about 2-3  minutes by flipping two or three times. Maintain medium to medium high heat. Well rolled roti will puff  like balloon, also getting multiple puffs through out roti yields soft texture. Use roti press or ball of paper towel to gently press roti while frying. Place fried roti over paper towel lined plate, cover with metal or glass dome lid. Do wipe excess formed steam from inside the dome lid.
5. Serve these rotis warm with  vegetarian curries, subzis ,Chicken or Goat meat curries. Addition of raw onions, green chilies and different herbs adds lot of goodness to the meal. I like to make roti roll  wrapped with finely sliced raw onions, fresh herbs, sliced raw veggies, sour cream or  cream cheese.

Finger Millet (Nachani) & Wheat flour Indian Flat bread.

Chicken curry made with soy chunks.

Chicken and Nutrela Soy chunks curry, Ragi enriched roti.

 Chives tucked in sliced onions.

Post published on 11/22/2013
Previously blogged recipe of healthy roti formula.