I'm forever looking for ways to include raw foods in our diet, especially fruits, since, I'm not really enthusiastic about eating fruits as they are. One recent addition to my collection of such recipes is this wonderful cold delicious and nutritious salad (or dessert!). So, here it is, without much further ado, straight from Morocco....
Serves 4
Ingredients :
500 gm fresh carrots, preferably orange colored, thickly grated
3-4 oranges, NOT tangerines - get Australian/NewZealand ones which are bright orange in color (orange colored oranges, duh!)
1 cup dates, pitted, sliced not very finely
1-2 tbsp rose water (optional)
lemon juice to taste (optional)
1/2 cup pistachio nuts/ toasted pine nuts/ cashew nuts - chopped in small pieces
icing (superfine) sugar, salt n pepper to taste
Method :
1. Peel the oranges with a sharp knife, removing all the pith, then cut the flesh into segments, catching the juice in a small bowl.
2. Stir in the juice from the oranges, together with the rose water, if using, and sharpen with lemon juice, if you like. Season with a little salt n pepper to taste.
3. Place orange segments in the serving salad bowl. Mix in the coarsely grated carrots. Pour the dressing over and mix thoroughly.
4. Sprinkle dates and nuts over salad with a little icing sugar. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
5. Just before serving, add a fresh sprinkle of icing sugar to the bowl n enjoy.
Note : This salad can be eaten as just that or served as a dessert minus the guilt pangs!
Showing posts with label Healthy low fat salad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Healthy low fat salad. Show all posts
Monday, November 15, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Whole wheat Spaghetti Sesame Peanut Salad
Struggling to come up with an "Oriental" recipe which my son needed to take from home to celebrate the Oriental Day at school, I chanced upon a Sesame Peanut Noodles recipe by Nigella Lawson, and adjusted dressing a bit as per my preference and replaced standard egg noodles with organic whole wheat spaghetti, upping the nutrition quotient.
My challenge was to find a recipe which was NOT Maggi Noodles (ho hum!) and which could be eaten cold as lunch tiffin. This recipe fitted perfectly on all fronts!
Ingredients :
For the dressing -
20 ml Sesame oil
15 ml Soy Sauce
30 ml sweet chilli sauce
30 ml lime/lemon juice
100 gm smooth (not chunky!) peanut butter
For the Salad -
1 Red Capsicum washed, deseeded and cut into thin strips
1 Yellow Capsicum, washed, deseeded and cut into thin strips
100 gm beansprouts washed (optional)
2 bulbs of spring onions, finely chopped along with greens
200 gm organic whole wheat spaghetti
A big handful of fresh coriander chopped
A small handful of white sesame seeds - go by your preference really!
Method :
1. Boil the spaghetti till al dente'(with still a bite left) in boiling salted water, according to the package instructions. Drain and place in a large enough glass salad bowl.
2. Put all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and whisk till smooth. Check the seasoning and add ingredients according to your taste, in case you want more of any!
3. Put both the capsicums, beansprout, spring onions, and chopped coriander in the bowl with spaghetti and mix them well.
4. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix thoroughly so that everything is coated well with the dressing.
5. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the salad, and pack as needed.
Note : if you happen to keep this salad in fridge, please note that it does taste dry on taking out. So, you may want to mix a little bit of dressing (especially oil) and pour before you eat straight from the fridge.
My challenge was to find a recipe which was NOT Maggi Noodles (ho hum!) and which could be eaten cold as lunch tiffin. This recipe fitted perfectly on all fronts!
Ingredients :
For the dressing -
20 ml Sesame oil
15 ml Soy Sauce
30 ml sweet chilli sauce
30 ml lime/lemon juice
100 gm smooth (not chunky!) peanut butter
For the Salad -
1 Red Capsicum washed, deseeded and cut into thin strips
1 Yellow Capsicum, washed, deseeded and cut into thin strips
100 gm beansprouts washed (optional)
2 bulbs of spring onions, finely chopped along with greens
200 gm organic whole wheat spaghetti
A big handful of fresh coriander chopped
A small handful of white sesame seeds - go by your preference really!
Method :
1. Boil the spaghetti till al dente'(with still a bite left) in boiling salted water, according to the package instructions. Drain and place in a large enough glass salad bowl.
2. Put all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and whisk till smooth. Check the seasoning and add ingredients according to your taste, in case you want more of any!
3. Put both the capsicums, beansprout, spring onions, and chopped coriander in the bowl with spaghetti and mix them well.
4. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix thoroughly so that everything is coated well with the dressing.
5. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the salad, and pack as needed.
Note : if you happen to keep this salad in fridge, please note that it does taste dry on taking out. So, you may want to mix a little bit of dressing (especially oil) and pour before you eat straight from the fridge.
Watermelon And Feta Salad
A typical summer treat! Have it for lunch on a hot summer day when it's bright and sunny outside......while you cool your insides with this delicious low fat healthy salad. The original recipe is by Nigella lawson, who, at times, does come up with some thing tasty yet low fat and healthy :)
Ingredients :
1 Kg ripe red WaterMelon, rind removed, deseeded and cut into small chunks, preferably bite size.
2 big lemons (or limes), more depending on your preference
A big handful of pitted, sliced black olives
1 small red onion sliced into half vertically and then cut into thin half moons
A handful of fresh mint chopped
50-75 gm of Feta Cheese
2 tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil
Black pepper to taste
Method :
1. Put onion slices in a small bowl and cover with the lemon/lime juice. Leave it till you prepare the rest of the salad.
2. Place watermelon chunks in a large glass salad bowl.
3. Sprinkle evenly the pitted sliced black olives.
4. Put the onion with the lemon juice in it.
5. Sprinkle chopped mint and tip in olive oil.
6. Sprinkle a generous helping of freshly ground black pepper
7. Mix everything gently, and last but NOT the least, roughly crumble feta and gently mix it in.
Ingredients :
1 Kg ripe red WaterMelon, rind removed, deseeded and cut into small chunks, preferably bite size.
2 big lemons (or limes), more depending on your preference
A big handful of pitted, sliced black olives
1 small red onion sliced into half vertically and then cut into thin half moons
A handful of fresh mint chopped
50-75 gm of Feta Cheese
2 tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil
Black pepper to taste
Method :
1. Put onion slices in a small bowl and cover with the lemon/lime juice. Leave it till you prepare the rest of the salad.
2. Place watermelon chunks in a large glass salad bowl.
3. Sprinkle evenly the pitted sliced black olives.
4. Put the onion with the lemon juice in it.
5. Sprinkle chopped mint and tip in olive oil.
6. Sprinkle a generous helping of freshly ground black pepper
7. Mix everything gently, and last but NOT the least, roughly crumble feta and gently mix it in.
Monday, August 16, 2010
My Greek Salad
When this is a blog on healthy eating, there is no way I can avoid talking about benefits of including raw foods in your diet, specifically salads. Salads can be made of any raw/cooked eatable fruit/vegetable/non vegetarian produce.
The first thing to consider is always the purpose the salad is to serve. Is it the main course, dessert course or just an accompaniment to other dishes on the table? The role salad plays in the whole menu essentially decides what kind of salad it is going to be.
For everyday healthy meals, I find salads the backbone of the eating plan of my family. I have also noticed that we tend to avoid making salads a part of daily meals when we find the process, or the ingredients too complicated for daily eating.
I usually make my version of what is really a 'Greek Salad'. I don't go out with any set ingredients, and usually make use of whatever I have in the fridge. Of course, there is an exception to this rule - I(my family really!) MUST have feta cheese in the salad. We just LOVE the saltiness of Feta combined with the flavors of the salad - a little bitter greens, sourness of vinegar/lemon and other flavors. We just can't do without Feta. Caution : Feta being a very salty cheese, a little really goes a long way and you don't need to add too much to enjoy its unique taste!
Serves 4
Note : There aren't any strict measurements for this recipe....just go with the flow and add less or more of any vegetable according to your preference.....after all, YOU have to eat it:)
My usual Ingredients :
1 cup lettuce/greens torn into bite size pieces (any kind would do really - iceberg, romaine, arugula, any kind of salad leaves!)
1 cup cucumber chopped into little cubes
1 cup cherry tomatoes chopped into halves (you can use cooking tomatoes too, just chop into cubes)
a handful of black pitted olives
1 cup mixed colored bell peppers (green, red, yellow)
1 large orange peeled, deseeded, demembraned(remove the white membrane covering the flesh) and chopped
a handful cranberries (dried or fresh)
1 tbsp flax seeds(optional)
1/2 cup walnuts chopped
50-75 gms feta cheese
Dressing:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp vinegar (I normally use either Balsamic Vinegar/Red Wine Vinegar)
a pinch of dry mustard powder
a minced pod of garlic (optional)
1 tbsp any fresh herb - basil/parsley finely chopped (optional)
Sea salt/freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method :
1. For the dressing, pour vinegar in a small bowl. Add a pinch of mustard powder and mix well. Pour olive oil in a thin stream to this and mix vigorously so that the oil is fully blended. Add the minced garlic and herbs (if using), and salt and pepper. Mix all the ingredients well. and keep aside while you prepare the salad.
2. Assemble all the vegetables in a large glass/wooden salad bowl. Throw in walnuts, cranberries, flax seeds, orange, olives...
3. Pour the prepared dressing over it and mix everything thoroughly.
4. Crumble feta and gently fold it in the salad.
Note: feta is always put in the salad after the dressing has been mixed, since it is a very soft cheese and would totally disintegrate if put in earlier.
The first thing to consider is always the purpose the salad is to serve. Is it the main course, dessert course or just an accompaniment to other dishes on the table? The role salad plays in the whole menu essentially decides what kind of salad it is going to be.
For everyday healthy meals, I find salads the backbone of the eating plan of my family. I have also noticed that we tend to avoid making salads a part of daily meals when we find the process, or the ingredients too complicated for daily eating.
I usually make my version of what is really a 'Greek Salad'. I don't go out with any set ingredients, and usually make use of whatever I have in the fridge. Of course, there is an exception to this rule - I(my family really!) MUST have feta cheese in the salad. We just LOVE the saltiness of Feta combined with the flavors of the salad - a little bitter greens, sourness of vinegar/lemon and other flavors. We just can't do without Feta. Caution : Feta being a very salty cheese, a little really goes a long way and you don't need to add too much to enjoy its unique taste!
Serves 4
Note : There aren't any strict measurements for this recipe....just go with the flow and add less or more of any vegetable according to your preference.....after all, YOU have to eat it:)
My usual Ingredients :
1 cup lettuce/greens torn into bite size pieces (any kind would do really - iceberg, romaine, arugula, any kind of salad leaves!)
1 cup cucumber chopped into little cubes
1 cup cherry tomatoes chopped into halves (you can use cooking tomatoes too, just chop into cubes)
a handful of black pitted olives
1 cup mixed colored bell peppers (green, red, yellow)
1 large orange peeled, deseeded, demembraned(remove the white membrane covering the flesh) and chopped
a handful cranberries (dried or fresh)
1 tbsp flax seeds(optional)
1/2 cup walnuts chopped
50-75 gms feta cheese
Dressing:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp vinegar (I normally use either Balsamic Vinegar/Red Wine Vinegar)
a pinch of dry mustard powder
a minced pod of garlic (optional)
1 tbsp any fresh herb - basil/parsley finely chopped (optional)
Sea salt/freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method :
1. For the dressing, pour vinegar in a small bowl. Add a pinch of mustard powder and mix well. Pour olive oil in a thin stream to this and mix vigorously so that the oil is fully blended. Add the minced garlic and herbs (if using), and salt and pepper. Mix all the ingredients well. and keep aside while you prepare the salad.
2. Assemble all the vegetables in a large glass/wooden salad bowl. Throw in walnuts, cranberries, flax seeds, orange, olives...
3. Pour the prepared dressing over it and mix everything thoroughly.
4. Crumble feta and gently fold it in the salad.
Note: feta is always put in the salad after the dressing has been mixed, since it is a very soft cheese and would totally disintegrate if put in earlier.
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