Avocado, Spanish Olive & Red Beans Salad (Mexican Style)

                      

Hola Amigos!

Happy Monday pals. Hope you all have a fun-filled week ahead. Since 2-3 days I haven’t posted any recipes on the blog and I am sure my foodie friends must be missing me. So to make up for the wait I’ve got a quick & tempting recipe on the menu for you. Today being Monday, the beginning of a new week, I wanted to cook something quick, delicious & healthy. Something that could be made in minutes & from the ingredients easy available in my home. Since what I found is a can of Red Kidney Beans, an Avocado & some Spanish Olives, I ended up making my own version of Mexican style Salad in 10 mins. It was delicious & healthy. We loved it. Now I am
excited to share the same with you all. Hope you all have fun making and relishing it.

Avocado, Spanish Olive & Red Beans Salad (Mexican Style)

Serving: 2-3 people

Prep Time: 10-15 mins

Ingredients:

1 can of Red kidney Beans

1 cup Spanish Olives

1 Big Florida Avocado

1 small onion cut in thin slices

¼ cup chopped Cilantro

                        

 

For Dressing:

1 tbsp. Olive oil

1 tsp. Honey

1 pc lime or lemon juice (you can also use 1 tbsp. vinegar)

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. cayenne Pepper / Paprika powder (as per taste)

¼ -1/2 tsp. black pepper powder (as per taste)

1 tsp. Taco seasoning

Salt to taste

Pinch of Black poppy seeds & sesame seeds to sprinkle

Method:

Take a can of Red kidney Beans and wash them. Let them drain. Cut onion into thin slices. Remove pulp from Avocado as shown in picture. Cut them into cubes or chunks. Next, wash and drain the olives if they are bottled or canned. Also wash and chop the cilantro leaves. Now add all of them into a serving tray or salad bowl.

      

    

 

Dressing: In a bowl, take olive oil, honey, salt, taco seasoning, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper powder & lemon juice. Mix well and add black poppy seeds and sesame seeds (if available) to the dressing.

       

Now add the dressing to the ready salad ingredients and mix it with a light hand to avoid the avocado pieces from getting mashed. Leave it for 2-3 mins and serve. You can serve it with tortilla chips or any other chips or can have it just like that:)

 

Enjoy:)

Note: I have used canned Red Kidney Beans but, you can definitely soak dry kidney beans overnight or for 6-7 hrs.  Now pressure cook them or boil them adding salt. Once they are cooked, drain water from them and use them for salad.

ALOO GOBI (GUJARATI STYLE)

Hello Foodies!

We all know foodies are all over the world. As mentioned in my profile, I was born, raised and am married in a Gujju foodie family. The one thing I have observed being a Gujarati is we love any type of tasty food. But, in my family, all my family members including me, as much as we love trying different types of food and eating out, we nonetheless need to have home cooked Roti & Sabzi once or twice a week. Only that can satisfy us. LolJ

So, today in my home cooked meal menu I decided to make a simple & delicious Aloo Gobi but Gujju style. I make Aloo Gobi in at least 3-4 different ways. I will eventually share with you, all different types of recipes for Aloo Gobi. But, this is the quickest and simplest. As I was in hurry to cook something quick I made it. My family loves Aloo Gobi. As you all know, Gujarati food is almost always a bit on the sweeter side – we add sugar/jaggery to almost every dish. But, my recipe is for everyone (not only Gujjus). So, even though my recipe asks to add sugar to it, I have kept the measurement / quantity of the sugar to the bare minimum.  This won’t make the dish much sweet. Here the proportion of sugar mentioned in the recipe is only to take away the strong smell & a little bland taste. It will help to make the dish tastier. But, if you like it more sweet, you can definitely add some more sugar.

I enjoyed making it & my hubby having it.  Hope you all enjoy it too.

Here comes the recipe:

Aloo Gobi (Flower nu Shaak in Gujarati)

 

Preparation Time: 15mins

Cook Time: 15-17mins

Serving: 2-3 people

Ingredients: 

1 medium size Cauliflower (cut it in small florets)

2 medium size potatoes

2 pc green chilies

1 tbsp. of ginger (long strips)

2 tbsp. oil

¼ tsp. mustard seeds

¼ tsp. cumin seeds

1/8 tsp. asafoetida powder

½ tsp. turmeric powder

½ tsp. red chilly powder (or More)

½ tsp. sugar (or more)

½ tsp. garam masala powder

½-1 tsp. sugar

2-4 tbsp. Fresh chopped Cilantro / coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Method: 

Buy a clean white cauliflower from any super market. Wash it and cut it into small - but not tiny - sized of florets as shown in picture. Also wash, peel and cut potatoes into cubes. Cut green chilies into big or small size as per your taste. Next, peel and cut ginger in strips or Juliennes. Also wash, clean and cut a small bunch of cilantro leaves.

                     

 Now put the cut potatoes and cauliflower florets in a big bowl in warm or cold water for 10mins. Don’t use hot water else the cauliflower will wilt. This process will help take away the somewhat odd smell from cauliflower. After 10 mins, strain the vegetables in a strainer. Straining the vegetable will help restrict release of much water while cooking and save the cauliflower florets and potato getting mashed. 

Meanwhile heat a nonstick / regular pan on medium heat with some oil. Once oil is heated add mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds start cracking, add cumin seeds and asafoetida to it. Please make sure that mustard and cumin seeds crack properly and change their color. Add green chilies, ginger & little turmeric. Add salt, turmeric, red chilly powder & sugar. Mix the vegetable well and cover the pan with lid.

             

                          

Check the vegetable by opening the lid after and pressing the potato piece by a spatula. You will find little water also in the pan. Now add garam masala to it. Mix it with a light hand so the cauliflower florets don’t get crushed. Again cover the lid for 3-4 mins and check the veg. Once you see that the potato is cooked, open the lid and let the water burn from the veg. When you see all the water has dried from the veg, shut the stove off. 

      

Add chopped cilantro to it and mix it with light hand. 

Serve it hot with Roti / Chapatti. EnjoyJ

Tip: To maintain visible florets of Gobi and chunks of Aloo, make sure to mix the veg, with a light hand, whenever you do so.

Yellow Moong Dal

Hello Everyone! 

I am sure you all are having an awesome 1^st weekend of the season. Welcoming Fall means bidding adieu or goodbye to summer. I love the beginning of fall for its bright colors and cool air. Today, I decided to make quick, simple but tasty Yellow Moong Dal.  I cook yellow dal in many different ways and taste. But, this is simplest and quickest.

Yellow Moong Dal is good for adults and if you cook it thin & without much spices, it’s great for kids, as well. It doesn’t take long time to cook or much of ingredients, low in calories, healthy and yet full of flavor. I like to eat Yellow Moong Dal anytime of the year. I Love to have it with Roti/Chapati or Rice. I am sure you will enjoy it too.

Yellow Moong Dal Recipe

Serving: 4

Preparation time: 20-25mins

Cooking time: 20mins

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cup of Yellow Moong Dal

3 cups of water for pressure cooker

3 cups water for dal

1 tbsp. of ginger chopped or paste

1 tbsp. of chilly chopped or paste

¼ tsp. of turmeric powder

½ tsp. garam masala powder

1 tsp. oil

1 tsp. butter or Ghee (I used Ghee)

2-3 pcs of cloves

½ tsp. of cumin seeds

¼ tsp. of Asafoetida or Hing

2-3 pcs. of dry whole red chilly

1 tbsp. of Lemon Juice

¼ cup chopped cilantro / coriander leaves

Process:

Take the dal in a bowl and wash it well. You can soak it for 20-30 mins in water if, you have time before pressure-cooking. I was short by time. So, I washed the dal, put it in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of and heat it on a stove.  Pressure-cook it for 4 whistle or 20 mins at medium heat. Now turn off the stove and let it simmer for 10mins. Now lift the whistle and let the air release from the cooker before you open. 

Open the cooker and check if the dal is cooked well. If not, add a little water & pressure-cook it again till it is cooked well.

Alternatively, you can also cook the dal in a microwave for about 30 mins.

Now, remove the cooked dal in another cooking pot and add water. You can also use a non-stick pot if you have one. If you like the dal to be thin in consistency, add a little more water than 3 cups. If you are eating the dal with roti, I prefer it to be little thicker. Now roughly blend the dal with a hand blender or stir it hard with a spatula, so you can have some gravy and some crushed dal.

 

Let the dal come to 3-4 boils. Make sure to stir it in between so that it doesn’t stick at the bottom. Let the dal reduce in quantity by boiling some of its water content. Next, add garam masala and bring it to a boil. 

Now it’s time for tadka.

In a small fry pan, add oil & ghee / buter. Heat it and add cloves, cumin seeds, asafoetida and lastly dry whole red chilies. Take it off the stove and add it to the dal. Make sure you reduce your stove’s heat to slow while adding the tadka. Now let the dal come to one more boil and then turn off the heat. 

Add lemon juice to it. Shake well and cover it with a lid. Let the dal rest covered for 5 mins before you serve. Garnish it with chopped cilantro /coriander leaves before you serve.

Enjoy it with Roti or Rice.

Tip 1: If by any chance water is running out of pressure cooker while cooking. Don’t get scared. Reduce the heat to slow and stay away from stove till it stops. Running water out of cooker can only make mess around.

Tip 2: Letting the cooker cool and letting off air from by raising the whistle before opening pressure cooker can prevent accidents.

Tip 3: Any Indian dal needs to be well boiled / cooked. Once the dal is cooked, turn off the heat & let it rest for 5-10mins with the lid covered. This helps the flavor to settle in.

Hope this tips help you well and you enjoy cooking.

Cheers!

Cheese Corn Cutlets

Hello Everyone!

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend. So, any special plans? For me weekend is food, fun and rest. As you all know that I am as foodie as you. So, every weekend I feel like having something special & different for BRUNCH – something quick, hot snack or a filling appetizer. After thinking hard, I decided to have Cheese Corn Cutlets on the brunch menu today. They are good for adults and great for kids. I am going to serve them with mint, coriander chutney, ketchup, tea and cookies.

Here comes the yummy recipe:

Cheese Corn Cutlet:

Serving: 2-3 people (Big 10pcs – Small 14-15pcs)

Preparation Time: 15-20 mins

Cooking Time: 20-25 mins

Ingredients:

3 potatoes washed boiled, peeled & smashed

1 cup frozen corn kernel / can of corn kernel (You can find that @ any super market) or half cooked fresh corn kernel

2 tbsp. shredded cedar cheese

2 tbsp. shredded mozzarella or processed cheese or Amul cheese (Cheese as per your own dietary wishes - recommendation: more for kids & less for adults)

1 tsp. finely chopped ginger or ginger paste

1 tsp. finely chopped green chilly or chilly paste (more if you like spicy)

1 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro / coriander leaves

1 tsp. butter / margarine

6-8 tbsp. oil/butter to shallow fry

1/2 tsp. chaat masala

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Salt upon taste

Process:

First boil your potatoes in microwave (6-7mins) or pressure cooker (3-4 whistles). 
Then wash the corn kernels if you are using them frozen/canned. Now heat butter in a small sauté pan. Once heated add the corn in butter and toast till you see that all the water inside corn has dried and corn has started turning into light golden color. Now add ginger & chilly. Toast it for 30 sec to 1 min and then let it cool.

In the meanwhile, peel off the boiled potatoes and smash them. Add salt, chat masala, pepper, cilantro (coriander) leaves and cheese to it. Lastly, add the half cooled roasted corn into it and mix it well.

Once the mixture is ready, you can make medium size or small size of cutlets out of the mixture prepared. Take a small portion and make round balls out of it. Then press them with your 4 fingers or palm with light-medium pressure. Turn it around; press them again the same way. Now, lift the cutlet and roll it like a wheel on its sides, to make the sides even.

Now the cutlets are in shape and ready to be cooked. On a fry pan, take 2 tbsp. of oil/butter and heat it at medium setting. Toast them on one side, then turn the cutlets with spatula and again add little oil/butter. Toast it till golden brown on both the side. You can make medium or small sizes of cutlets.

If you make medium size, it will be 10 pcs of cutlets & if, small like me 14pcs of cutlets.

Enjoy them hot with chutney, ketchup & tea or coffee :)

Quick & instant Mint Coriander Chutney coming soon. Stay Tuned :)

Note: If you are making corn cutlet for kids, you might want to avoid green chilies and add more cheese which is recommended in recipe as optional for adults.

Glossary:

Tbsp. = Table Spoon

Tsp. = Tea Spoon

Mins = Minutes (time)