CousCous Salad with Roasted Vegetables

Salads are obviously healthy, but can be incredibly boring. I had a packet of Cous Cous and was wondering what to do with it, when I remembered a sald I had at M&S. It was very very tasty and filling!

CousCous: 1/2 cup
Chickpeas: 1 tin, drained.
Mixed chopped Veggies: aubergines, carrots, potato, onion, Swede, Courgette: total 2 cups
Garlic: 2 whole, unpeeled cloves
Salt
Olive Oil
Butter: a small teaspoon
Cumin Powder: 1 tsp
Lemon
Mixed Salad Leaves

--Take the couscous in a bowl. Add the butter, some salt and pour 1.5 times boiling water and cover and leave for 10 minutes.

--Pre-heat oven to 200C.

--Take a baking tray, add the veggies and garlic and mix in olive oil and cumin.

--Bake for about 30 minutes or until the veggies are well roasted. You can prepare this in bulk and store in a fridge for upto 3 days.

-- Now, combine the chickpeas and couscous. Add the cooled mixed veggies, season with some lemon and adjust salt.

--Serve on a bed of salad leaves.

An added flavour would be Mint/Basil Leaves. But entirely optional.

Crushed Chilli

I know that this does not qualify as a recipe, per se. However, there are days when we refuse to have Molaga Podi or chutney with Idli/Dosa. My grandma came up with this one, and I love it on any given day!

Green Chillies: Spicy ones : 2-3
Salt
Hing
coconut oil: 1/4 tsp
Curd: 3 tablespoons.
Water: 2 tablespoons

Crush the green chillies. You can split them down the middle and squish them with your fingers.
Add the salt, hing, oil and water. Mix well.
Add curd and adjust the seasoning.

Onion Chutney

This is a great combination for Dosa or Idlis. You will need a blender, though.

Urad dal: 3 tablespoons
Red Chillies: 4-5
Curry Leaves: 1 Sprig
Oil: 2 tablespoons.
Onions: 2 medium, sliced thin.
Mustard seeds: 2 pinches
Hing
Salt
Tamarind: size of a cherry soaked and extracted

Heat a wok with oil, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, chillies and curry leaves.

Saute until the dal is pink.

Now add the hing, onions, salt and saute until cooked.

Put the whole lot into a blender with the tamarind extract and blend well.

Vegetable Poha

This is probably one of the healthiest dinners we have had in a while. Very easy too.

Poha/Pawa/Aval: Medium thick: 2 cups.

Cabbage finely chopped: 1 cup
Carrots finely chopped: 1 cup
One potato, cubed
Peas: 1/2 cup.
Onion: 1 medium: finely chopped
Ginger chopped: 1 heaped tablespoon
Green chillies: 2-3 finely chopped.
Curry Leaves: 1 sprig
Lemon: 1
Corriander leaves: to taste
Salt
Hing
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
Peanuts/urad dal/chana dal/mustard

--Begin by washing the poha and draining it. This will soften it.
--Before you start chopping everything, cut the potatoes and cook them separately and drain.
--Chop everything and keep it ready. Alternatively, you can pick up stir fry veggies from a store. saves time.
--Heat a wok with some oil.
--add the peanuts, urad dal, chana dal and mustard with curry leaves and let it splutter.
--Now add the green chillies and ginger.
--Add Onions with some hing and salt and allow it to cook.
--Now add the turmeric and red chilli powder and rest of the veggies and potato.
--When everything has combined and shrunk (takes about 5 mins) add the poha.
--Stir well.
--Pour the lemon juice over the poha, adjust seasoning and garnish with corriander. Chances are, you may have to fix the hing and salt at this point.

One Pot Sambar Rice.

Ever had days when you absolutely couldn't bring yourself to spend more than 5 mins next to the stove? Well, I have those days sometimes and the result is this dish AKA Kootan choru. Easy, wont take more than 5 mins prep.

You need a pressure cooker to make this one. So keep one handy before you start.

Potatoes: 2
Onions: 2
Capsicum: 1
Green Chilli: 1
Carrot: 1 (optional) or any veg that goes into a sambar.
Tuvar Dal: 1/2 cup
Rice: 1.5 cups
Tamarind: a lime sized ball, soaked and extracted.
Hing
Turmeric powder
Sambar Powder: 2tablespoons
Salt

Cut the veggies into big chunks and throw into the cooker.
Add the dal, rice, turmeric, hing, salt and sambar powder.
For regular raw rice, you need 3 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. So, for this quantity you need 6-6.5
Measure the tamarind water and for the rest, add plain water.
Cover the cooker. Leave it on until about 4-5 whistles.
Once the cooker has cooled, mix the whole lot and pour a teaspoon of ghee and some corriander leaves.
This is a really healthy, wholesome meal.

Banana Snack-- Again!

So, the banana toast has been a hit and now I have way too many bananas at home and not enough bread. Ideally this recipe is done with the Kerala Banana/Plantain. But I just made them with the regular ones.

Banana- 2 sliced medium.

Ghee/Butter- 2 tsp

Sugar: 2tablespoons

Heat a heavy bottomed skillet/pan.

Pour the butter/ghee and immediately add the banana pieces. Do not stir yet.

Add the sugar over the banana pieces. Let them sit for a minute or two.

Once the pan is a lil smoky and you can smell the caramel, try and turn the bananas around.

If you fail, simply toss the pan. Let it sit for a minute.

Remove it onto a plate and you are good to go.

Dont miss out the caramely bits. These are to die for! :-)

Yummy Banana Toast

I know that it has been a loooooooong time since I blogged a recipe. Well, here's one for an easy yummy snack!

Bread Slices: 2, Buttered on one side. I prefer white.

Butter: for bread and for toasting. Lets say, 2 tablespoons.

Banana: 1 Sliced.

Honey: 1 - 2 teaspoons.

Cinnamon: a dash. [optional]

--Heat a skillet/pan - something that is thick.
--In the meantime, butter the bread slices and place the sliced banana pieces on a slice and pour the honey over it. Sprinkle the cinnamon powder.
--Place the other slice over the bread with banana.
--On the heated pan, add a knob of butter.
--Place the bread on the pan and hold it down with a flat spoon/spatula.
--Wait for a minute or until the side has browned.
--Turn over the bread and add more butter. Hold it down until the side has browned too.
--Cut the sandwich and serve.

The method is similar to cheese toast. You can substitute the banana with Cheese, onions and chilli for a really nice cheese toast.