Mixed Quinoa Salad Served In Taco Shells: Quinola Mothergrain Review

Some food was introduced to me only after coming to the UK. Things like baobab fruit, kale, flaxseeds and quinoa. Four years back quinoa was the trend setter in the food market and internet food world. Everyone was talking about it, buying it, cooking it and writing about it on blogs. I too did some research and found out that the much hyped quinoa is actually healthy. Researchers, dietitians, health freaks everyone proved with their stories and data that quiona is health food superstar. Two years back I tried quinoa and posted Indian style steamed cakes- quinoa and oats dhokla recipe.

Quinoa, pronounced as ‘keen-wa’ is a great wheat-free alternative to starchy grains such as rice and pasta.  Recently Quinola Mothergain sent me three packets of red, white and black quinoa.

Pearl (white) - the smooth one.

Red-the nutty one.

Black- the crunchy one.

At Quinola they are convinced that you will fall in love with quinoa. That is why they only do quinoa based products. Their quinoa is Peru’s finest and tastiest and has won many awards for its quality. It gluten free, vegetarian and gets cooked in 20 minutes-what else could you wish for! Well they are also into express quinoa (one that is instant), baby quinoa and kids quinoa . For more detail on what is quinoa, what are the benefits and recipes do check-http://quinola.com/ 

They give you 5 reasons why everyone should try Quinola and I am totally convinced :)

I mixed 1/4 cup each of Quinola quinoa and tossed along with sweet corn, bell peppers and some seasoning and made a quick salad. It looked colourful and the taste was nutty, crunchy and smooth-all in one. Later, I filled the salad into taco shells for Mexican touch and to complete the meal. That is what I love about quinoa, you can serve it as a side salad, mix it up with chickpeas, beans or just some veggies, roll it tacos or enchiladas for a complete dinner meal -the ideas are endless.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup white (pearl) quinoa

1/4 cup red quinoa

1/4 cup black quinoa

1/4 cup sweet corn boiled

1/4 cup bell pepper chopped finely

1 green chilli chopped

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil/butter

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 and 1/2 cups water

4 taco shells

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Add butter/oil. Reduce heat to slow.

Throw all the three quinoa into the pan. Roast the quinoa on a slow flame till you hear popping sound.

Add water and salt. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take a fork and fluff the quinoa seeds.

Mix bell peppers, sweet corn, green chilli and lemon juice.

Heat taco shells in the oven at 180C for 2 minutes. Fill the taco shells with quinoa salad and serve.

Notes:

You can use any kind of quinoa, not necessary to use all three kinds.

Mix boiled chickpeas, red kidney beans for more filling meal.

Serving suggestions.

Serve as a side salad with any main dishes like burger or pasta.

Roll this salad in tortilla wraps with some patties and serve.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Quinola Mothergrain for sending quinoa for review.

Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing For Salads And Real Foods Review

You like or admire someone? Well good, there is no harm to be fond of somebody. There are lots of people I admire and respect, but I don't necessarily want to be like them. I'm too happy being myself. That’s the story- you are unique, you are special and you are outstanding. I think every person has their own identity and beauty. Everyone being different is what is really beautiful. If we were all the same, it would be boring. Right???

Imagine everyone wearing same clothes; or theaters showing same movies; or restaurants selling same meals? How unexciting?? Thank God we live in the world where innovations are born daily, where minds don’t think alike always, where we all have different needs and tastes. Not everyone is a vegetarian, not everyone follows vegan diet, not everyone prefers gluten free products, not everyone believes in raw food. When it comes to food at times it becomes difficult to make people understand that why you have special dietary needs. Well there can be many answers -may be you have some allergies or you have become habitual to some diet since birth. I am vegetarian and I enjoy being that. People say me-‘’you should eat meat, you don’t know what you are missing.’’ Oh! Well yes, I don’t know because I have never tasted it and thus I never crave for it. I have never had meat in 26 years and you can’t expect me to change now.

If you are fed up looking and explaining people why you have special dietary needs then I must say Real Foods will understand it well. A website that caters into raw, vegan, vegetarian, gluten free products-right from fruits, vegetables, pasta, rice to bakery, supplements and beauty goods. The site is easy to use and is loaded with great information about each product. Things like special seeds, gluten free pasta and flours or organic cereals are difficult to find but Real Food has it all and is just few clicks away.

I was looking for good quality Raw Apple Cider Vinegar since many days and it was immediate choice from the site. A raw apple cider vinegar is one which is light, never heated or pasteurized and has pale to medium amber colour. It is used in making pickles, killing weeds, cleaning coffee makers, polishing armor, losing weight and treating hair problems. For me it is a great ingredient for salad dressing. So when salad season has officially started its time to buy some fresh vegetables and fruits and enjoy the pours of acidic tangy dressing on your salads.

When you come home after long day at work, when heating sun have snapped all your energy, or you have no mood to prepare elaborate meal then cold and filling salads should make their way. You might fancy carrot nutty salad for the crunch, or basic Indian Kachumbersalad as side or white beans salad for proteins-whatever it may be but dressing is what boosts the taste and make salads out of the ordinary. Here I have quick, easy and healthy apple cider vinegar dressing to jazz your boring salads and tickle your taste buds. C’mon it renovated the most unexciting fruit apple so well, imagine what will this dressing to do other colourful bits on your plate.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw organic apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teapsoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder

2 tablespoons olive oil

Method:

Heat a small pan on medium low heat. Heat vinegar till bubbles appear.

Mix honey, salt, sugar, olive oil and black pepper powder.

Keep mixing and let it boil.

Let it cool and enjoy of any fruits or vegetables.

Notes:

Being tangy and acidic are the qualities of vinegar, if you like sweeter add more honey or sugar.

This dressing can be stored in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Real Foods for sending Apple Cider Vinegar for review.

Kachumber, Basic Indian Salad

Some people/places/things are so famous that they need no introduction. If I mention Sachin Tendulkar, I am sure you will know who he is. Or if I say Taj Mahal, you know where it is. Or I if I speak of Brad Pitt, you again recognize who he is. Similarly some dishes like aloo parathas, massala chaas, poha, pav bhaji are so popular that even a little mention of it explains the rest.

Kachumber [kuh-choom-burr] is one that thing - so common and basic, one that you and your parents and their parents have eaten, one that is still enjoyed in many homes, one that is healthy summer relish, one that is the FIRST salad Indians ever knew. In Hindi, Kacha means 'Raw or uncooked' and Kachumbar is literally small tiny pieces of raw vegetables. No fuss salad, no fancy dressing, no exotic ingredients- just pinch of love (salt), drops of smile (lemon juice), dash of kindness (chilli powder). Period!!

Growing up this was my most beloved salad. I loved rolling the word of my tongue and enjoyed eating it. This quick simple salad is prepared daily in my kitchen and I was shocked when I realized that my favourite salad is not in my blog. I was like- whaaaattt, how is that even possible?? So I herby rest my case and present before you kachumber- my way. I say my way because there can be hundreds if not thousand recipes of it.  No specific method or ingredients. Just add in or remove what you like or don’t like. My secret elements are homemade chaat massala and roasted cumin powder- both of it infuses perfect balance of flavour and taste.

Cucumber -This wonderful, low calorie vegetable indeed has more nutrients to offer than just water, it provide just 15 calories per 100 g. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. It is a very good source of potassium, which is a heart friendly electrolyte helps bring a reduction in total blood pressure and heart rates by countering effects of sodium.

Onions-This pink looking bulb is also very low in calories and fat. It is a very good source of dietary fibre and also good in antioxidants, vitamin-C and mineral manganese. I know this vegetable makes you cry but if eaten raw has many benefits like – it normal blood pressure levels, less stress, fewer colds and flues, lower cholesterol levels, healthier urinary tract and less blood clotting.

Tomatoes-The juicy vegetables as we all known is major source of vitamin C. Tomatoes also reduces the chance of heart attacks and stroke- they contain lycopene which is a serious inhibitor of heart disease (lycopene prevents skin damage from ultra-violet (UV) rays and offers protection from skin cancer). Because of their all-round qualities it is recommended that everyone must eat tomatoes.

Carrots-Are very low in calories and contains zero cholesterol. Its nutrition benefits come particularly from fiber, vitamins, minerals, and unique plant derived anti-oxidants. The orange one are also rich source of B-complex vitamins and minerals such as iron, manganese, copper, and magnesium. Beet is also said to increase the blood flow in the body and improves the hemoglobin count.

Lemon- They not only add tang and zing to the salad but also has antibacterial, antiviral, and immune-boosting powers. Lemon juice is a digestive aid and liver cleanser. Lemons contain many substances--notably citric acid, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C-that promote immunity, weight loss and fight infection.

To conclude, if you had a busy day at office or you are lazy to cook something fancy or you need to have healthy diet- then this salad is the savior. It is said-‘let you food be your medicine and your medicine be your food’ and this recipe justifies this saying. One of the vital rule to follow while following healthy lifestyle is to eat more and more raw vegetables- so why not have Kachumber? Apply on toasted bread or cracker; or as a side with tava pulav or parathas; or just the way it is. Below is the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 medium sized onion/pyaz
2 medium sized tomatoes/tamatar
1 small carrot/gajar
2-3 small sized cucumber/kheera/kakdi
¼ cup coriander leaves/dhaniya chopped finely
1 teaspoon lemon juice/nimbu ka ras

1/4 teaspoon homemade chaat massala

1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder/lal mirch
1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder/bhuna jeer
Salt to taste

Method:

Chop onion, carrot, tomatoes, cucumber into very small cubes. 

Next mix in all the spices just before serving.

Kachumber is ready.

Notes:

You can also add chopped beetroot, green chilli or mint leaves also. If using green chilli, skin red chilli powder.

Add spices just before serving else it will water down.

Some also grate carrots and cucumber instead of chopping. Choice is yours.

Sending this for Independence Day Event at Cooking With SJ for Hudson giveway

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes With Fennel

Pinterest is one amazing concept and those of you who use it will surely agree with me. It is one place where you can spend hours pinning pictures from all genres or perhaps come across quotes that could inspire you. I have totally fallen for these one:-

 “Life is an experiment in which you may fail or succeed. Explore more, expect least.” 

“Experience is the past tense of experiment.” 

“Theories might inspire you, but experiments will advance you.” 

Yes the common word is “experiment” Experiment is one adventure that everyone must perform without worrying about the end results. And we, as cooks, always tend to experiment in the kitchen; so do you think about the results or you become happy that you tried something new?

Me?? I love to have desi tadka in international dishes like Bell Pepper Noodles or mix two old classic recipes to make a new one like Palak Mutter Paneer or simply give makeover to leftovers like Cabbage Subji Paratha. Honestly, Sometimes I am thrilled with the great outcome and sometimes I am satisfied that I atleast tried -but I am never sad.

So today I bring before you an experimentation that I did and the consequence was totally worth sharing here. You know how the restaurants in the Europe serve some side with everything; French fries with pizza or salad with sandwich. In my recent trip to Paris (remember I shared the picture HERE) I had roasted tomatoes with pasta. The pasta was simple penne with tomato sauce and cheese and roasted tomatoes had same Italian seasoning (herbs, olive oil and garlic) but I liked the idea of roasted tomatoes as side a lot, yes a looott. It was then it clicked me to infuse some Indian spices and ‘experiment’.

I decided to exploit Cherry tomatoes as it has always grabbed my attention for its cuteness and petite shape. Cherry tomatoes roasted to perfection with fennel seeds and black pepper do create some magic. Roasting tomatoes is a great way to bring out their natural sweetness. The flavor profile of the tomato intensifies and you are left with something so simple yet so elegant, you won’t believe your taste buds. You don’t need any method but you do need lot of time to roast the tomatoes, but, what the heck- keep in the oven and forget till your oven rings. *smile*smile*

The recipe is a keeper; well of course you can play with ingredients and experiment. You can have this as a side salad or just apply on toasted bread or toss them up in the pasta dishes- the ideas are unlimited. What you must do is, buy cherry tomatoes and make this.

Ingredients:

4 cups cherry tomatoes

5 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

Salt to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven at 180C

Wash cherry tomatoes and drain the water.

Take the baking tray and lie with foil.

Chop the tomatoes in half. Mix everything together and put on the sheet. Toss with your hands to coat well.

Bake till tomatoes begin to caramelize and skin shrinks. I baked till 45 minutes.

Notes:

Yes you can use simple tomatoes as well. Just chop them in four parts.

Add garlic and oregano for Italian taste. I like this more :-)

This can be stored in fridge in air-tight container for 15-20 days.

Homemade Chaat Masala, Indian Spice Mix

Every massala in Indian cooking has its own importance and may be that’s why many people believe that Indian cooking is a complex process. For me, Indian cooking is multifaceted route that has no boundaries. Don’t you think so?

Most Indian snacks, street foods, roasted and fried food and salads rely on for the instant zing and the perk of Chaat Masala. Chaat Masala is the blend of hot-salty-tangy mix of spices and is usually added to the food after cooking and right before serving. Wouldn’t you love to have little sprinkle of chaat massala on Paneer Tikka, Til Tikki, ChanaChaat? Or may be shake on nutty summer salad or mojito or cucumber cooler? Why not have dusts of it on carrot raita or chutney?   I take the pleasure in having a dash of on raw tomatoes or cucumber with lemon juice- ah simple things are the best :-)

Well, There are some recipes that you inherit from your family, same way, I am sharing my Naani's (my mother’s mother) recipe- she added in some secret elements that would upgrade the taste to the next level. I remember her wrinkly hands tossing, mixing and grinding the massala. She used to say that every Indian woman must make all spice mix, as nothing beats the homemade fragrant massala. Back then I thought why waste energy when you can buy fairly nice ones from the market, now I realize the value of her words and hard work.

When you make it yourself you have the power to adjust the spices as per your taste. If you like hot- add more pepper or add more amchoor (dry mango powder) if you like tangier. While there are dozens if not hundreds of recipes for chat massala, but amchoor  and kala namak (black salt) are the ‘must’ ones. Overall, you can play around and mix up ingredients the way you like.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoon coriander seeds/dhaniya

4 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

1.5 teaspoon carom seeds/ajwain

2.5-3 tablespoon black salt/kala namak/rock salt

5 red dried chiles, stems removed

4 teaspoon dried mango powder/amchoor

1/4 teaspoon asofoetida/hing

1/2 teaspoon black pepper/kali mirch

1/2 teaspoon rec chilli powder/lal mirch

1 teaspoon dried mint/sukha pudhina

Method:

1. Roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and the carom seeds separately at a very low flame for a few minutes only. They will change bit dark and become fragrant.Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Combine all ingredients and grind into a fine powder.
3. Store in air tight containers.

Notes:

This can be stored for 12 months.

Makes up to 3/4 cup.

Increase or decrease amount of any ingredients as per your taste

Dried mint brings lot flavour. Just wash the mint leaves and dry them on towel. Next keep in sunlight for some days. When the leaves dry completely store in the air tight containers.

Nutty Summer Salad With Penn State Trail Mix

I am sure one snack that we all love and can munch any time are nuts. I mean who does not like nuts-right? That is why when Penn State asked me review their assorted trail mixes of nuts I just could not say no. We do get sweet and salty peanuts, almonds and cashews here, but Penn State trail mix are with some awesomeness included. My husband is allergic to nuts and that is why all the packs were only enjoyed by me *happy dance*.

I tried Hikin Sweet Trail Mix which is a mix of white chocolate coated raisins with yogurt flavour, almonds and, peanuts, cranberries and colourful sugar coated beans. I haven’t tasted anything like this before; the yogurt flavoured raisins are too good and unique. This snack can be used in so many ways, I mean use them in cake to make fruit and nut cake or simply drop them in whipped cream with some strawberries. This is truly a crunchy sweet delight.

Other one is Back Pack Classic Trail Mix. Such an attractive name isn’t it? I am just impressed how can they give different taste and flavour to simple nuts. This one as the name suggest is actually a perfect backpack snack. This gives you satisfying energy boost and refreshes you taste buds. The mixture of peanuts, cashews and jumbo flame raisins is a pleasant combination of taste and crunch. I was bored eating same roasted nuts and this mix is a good change.

Sweet & Salty Trail Mix is my favourite as a dash of salt does wonders to this pack. This is also a mix of peanuts; milk chocolate coated flakes and salted almonds. The grouping of sweet and salty is a just right and apt for any occasions. I just made a salad out of it and it turned out be tastier and better. You get tiny surprises in your mouth- sometime it is sweet chocolate flakes and other time you have salted almonds, for a moment it is a soft white chocolate coated cranberry where as other minute you get peanuts. Well on to the salad recipe now.

I prepared nutty salad with cucumber and carrot-Ah! a must have in summers. Coolness of cucumber, sweetness of carrot and a hint of lime juice when combines with these nuts proves out be a wow combo. Summer happiness is certain with this salad. Do try :-)

Ingredients:

1 cup of sweet and salty nuts (I used Penn State)

½ cucumber sliced
Pinch Chaat Masala

½ carrot sliced

½ teaspoon lime juice

¼ teaspoon salt

A pinch black pepper crushed.

Method:

Mix cucumber, carrot and nuts in a bowl evenly.

Finally add in lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix well and serve.

Notes:

If you don’t get sweet and salty nuts then just mix in some chocolate chips with roasted salty nuts and use.

Make this right just when you want to serve else it will get soggy.

Taste:Sweet, salty and crunchy.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. With thanks to Penn State for sending snacks to review.

Cannellini Beans/White Bean Salad

After making Cannellini curry some days before, I can surely say that Cannellini Beans are my new favrioute.  It is very refreshing and perfect for the weather.
I made it on Sunday for light lunch. It was quick and tasty.

Ingredients:

1-Canned cannellini beans drained
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 c. finely chopped onions
2 T finely chopped cilantro/coriander/dhaniya
1/2 t salt

¼ cup chopped cucumber

¼ cup chopped tomato
Black pepper as per taste
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Method:

Place the beans in a large bowl. Add olive oil, onions, tomato ,cilantro, cucumber, salt, lemon juice and pepper to taste. Stir gently. Serve at room temperature.

Tip:- If you do not find canned beans, then soak the beans overnight and next day boil them with little salt.

-Any kind of beans can be used for this recipe; example- kidney beans, lima beans, black eyed beans etc.

Carrot Peas Fenugreek/ Gajar Matar Methi Subzi

Gajar Methi Matar is my kitchen experiment; I made it when I had nothing else in my fridge but only carrots, fenugreek and peas. Methi/ Fenugreek bring very nice aroma and taste to this dish. Carrots and frozen peas are easily available throughout the year, so I make this dish very often.

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots washed, peeled & cut into small pieces
• One large bowl peas
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
• 1 pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• ½  tsp haldi (turmeric powder)
• ½ cup chopped methi (fenugreek)
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tsp dhaniya powder (coriander powder)
• ¼ cup water
• ½  tsp garam masala powder
• ½ tsp dry mango powder (amchur/khattai)
• Salt

Method:

1. Heat oil in the pan, add cumin and asafoetida and allow cumin to crackle.
2. Then add in it chopped carrot, peas, fenugreek, salt and turmeric. Mix well and cover it with the lid
3. When carrots are half done mix in it coriander powder, red chilli powder and water. Stir well.
4. When carrots are soft add dry mango powder and mix. Its ready.

Serve hot with Fulkas.

Sev Tomato Nu Shak

Sev Tomato Nu Shak is a Guajarati recipe which simply means Sev(Namkeen) and Tomato ki sabji or curry. My husband is not Guajarati by caste but being born and brought up in Gujarat Sev Tomato is his favourite. I am sure those of you haven’t heard about it must be wondering how will it taste? But I can bet; if you will make this curry you will never end up disappointed, instead you will have blast of flavours in your mouth. So let’s get ready!......

Ingredients:

2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
1/2 cup Sev (As per taste)
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp cumin seeds (Jeera)
1 tsp red chili powder (Lal Mirch)
1 tsp coriander powder (Dhaniya)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Procedure:-

• Heat oil in a pan, add in asafoetida and cumin seeds, as it starts to splutter add in ginger garlic paste and chopped onions.
• When onions are soft add in tomato.
• Cook on slow gas for about 2 to 3 mins, add in 1 cup water and with all masalas - turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, salt and sugar.
• Cook till tomatoes are soft and masala leaves oil.
• Finally “just before serving” add in sev and mix lightly, serve immediately with rotis or phulkas.

Kaale Chane Ki Chaat

Grams and pulses are very high in protein, so I make sure that I eat them quiet often. In one of my post I made black chickpea curry, another form in which I use kaala channa/Bengal gram/ Black chickpea is “Chaat”. This is very tangy spicy in taste and is among the popular street food in India.

Ingredients:

2 cups boiled kaala chana(Bengal Grams/Black Chickpea)
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 Tomato, finely chopped
1 Green chilli, finely chopped
Salt to taste
1 tsp homemade chaat masala 
1/4 tsp Black pepper powder
1/4 tsp Red chilli powder
Cilantro/Coriander to Garnish

3 tbsp of Thin Sev (thin namkeen)
Juice of a lime.

Method:

1.Soak channa overnight.

2.Next day pressure cook them with salt with enough water.It is okay even if you cook it bit longer (as it will not turn mashy)

3.Drain the water away and add chaat masala, black pepper, red chilli powder and salt and mix well.

4.Mix in it onions, green chilli , tomato and lime juice.

5.Garnish with coriander leaves and thin sev.

Tip:-This is also quick salad recipe

-Do not waste water which was used in pressure cooker; use it to make rice, gravies and even kneading the dough for bread.