Most people are always on a diet! And sadly, ‘diet food’ means picking up prepackaged foods with a ‘diet label’ on it! Eating right, really need not be so tough. In an attempt to simplify eat, I’ve started to post recipes of foods that are simple to make, nutritious and fun! This breakfast juice, for example, will keep you full till lunchtime! Try it.
Category: Vegetarian
Grilled Brie with a Peach-Basil Jam and Crackers served with Grilled Figs
This was the showstopper at a dinner date with 7 girlfriends and my sister! Nothing could be simpler to make and look so exotic that people actually start asking you for its recipe even before they have the first bite! At home, a Brie dish is always served as an appetiser, it’s a cheese that makes you look good. It’s exotic and it pairs beautifully with wine. This time however I took the brie a notch higher, yes that is possible, by pairing it with some glorious honey coated roasted figs. Honey and figs, a pair made in heaven!
Aubergine Lasagna
This dish has been one of the hottest selling entrees in both my restaurants. The name has appeal, the simplistic recipe allows you to enjoy the vegetables, it’s healthy so works with the crazy gym-addicts, and me, and it’s a looker!
Aubergine or brinjal is technically a fruit…and you can’t keep me away from fruits for too long. Full of vital vitamins, minerals, fibre and with the ability to lower cholesterol and help manage weight, brinjals have always been a hot favourite in my kitchen. And what’s even more interesting is the ease with which it can be used in any cuisine. Like, tonight, I’m trying a Sweet-Sour-Spicy Aubergine with Sichuan chilli, if I get my hands on it, and am going to serve it with brown rice noodles and a quick 5 veggie stir fry. But coming back to the brinjal, you’ve got to cook it right to prevent it from becoming a soggy mess.
Hot Artichoke and Spinach Cheesy Dip
I’ve decided in the year 2017 my blog is going to see at least one post every week and a lot of them are going to be vegetarian. The one complaint I often hear is the lack of vegetarian recipes, so that’s going to change. And yes it is going to be healthy, though this one sits on the edge. As always this recipe too is super easy and perfect for the wintery evenings, where you crave for something warm with your cup of tea. I made this hot creamy dip twice in a row–my X’mas Dinner night and for my New Year party! It’s festive in a way! With all its amazingly cheesy and fragrant aromas. What’s more it can be dressed with a lot more aplomb if you wish.
Steamed Lentil and Sprouts Cake
I’ve decided to add a travel section to my blog! I’ve realised If I didn’t need to worry about paying bills, I would be the hippie I was born to be 🙂 A healthy hippie, that serves healthy low cal food in a bed and breakfast that’s tucked somewhere deep in the forests where the aromas of pine sap run through the air! You get the picture, right ;)?
Grapefruit Salad with Chinese Beans, Cherry Tomato and Granny’s Apple
The monsoon has already started receding, and has left behind this crazy unbearably hot days! The soups will soon be forgotten and in its place a huge bowl of salad will make dinner light, bright and healthy. Last week whilst driving across our end of town, I came across these delicious grapefruits at the local market, thankfully not as expensive as some food baskets sell it at. The salad was planned right there.
Sweet and Spicy Onion Pickle
I’ve always wanted to have a kitchen shelf lined with homemade pickles…but somehow that vision has never found the right bottles or shelves. Mango pickles are made in plenty–some spicy, some sour, some plain marinated, some made Goan style with vinegar, green chillies and carrot but this time it was these gorgeous madras onions that got me thinking about a good pickle recipe. I mean just plain onion pickled in vinegar was boring and was done to death. When dad handed these gorgeous onion pearls over to me, he had that “put some magic into these” look in his eyes…so that’s what I did! (more…)
Summer Special: Chia Seed Pudding
It’s been a while since my last post! Blame it on the summer…it’s so ridiculously hot that spending hours in the kitchen is something I really, really try and avoid! I’ve also been working on a new section ‘cooking for kids’ a fortnightly section in RobinAge, a weekly children’s newspaper. The recipes are simple, easy to make and involve no flame, and yes it does involve a lot of fun! This recipe is a simple Chia Seed Pudding, a great dessert for someone on a paleo diet too!
Pumpkin, Sweet Potato and Alfa Alfa Sprouts Tikki with Ragda and Wasabi Peas
And you might think I’ve gotten completely carried away with my need to eat and produce healthy food! How can that weird combination even work! But it does. And what I haven’t added in that mighty long title, is that the ragda was made with sprouted white peas. don’t look at me in disdain! try it and decide for yourself. It’s chaat with the same flavours we all love just super healthy and protein heavy!
Veggie Sliders
I love burgers. And cheese stuffed burgers were the signature dish at my second restaurant. We would make them with different meats and veggies always experimenting with the flavours and textures. Soon stuffed burgers were the only way these patties could be made! I wasn’t surprised when my parents requested for them for a celebratory meal to mark their 51st anniversary. Though the family had chicken burgers, my sis is following Lent and was a vegetarian! And she wanted mini veggie burgers!