Vibrant Purple Pasta

Purple cabbage, more commonly known as red cabbage, is a colorful variety from the brassica family. Purple cabbage has a relatively high ratio of nutrients and vitamins

Cooking Cabbage:

When you cook the purple cabbage, avoid boiling it, as the water will sap the nutrients from the vegetable. Sauteing purple cabbage works well for most dishes. When comparing purple cabbage to other varieties, the notable difference is the antioxidant levels. The deeper pigmentation in purple cabbage indicates a richer supply of anthocyanins, which can help lower your risk of cancer, heart disease, macular degeneration and many other diseases. (read more Here)

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pasta (off your choice) : 1 cup
Purple cabbage - Shredded -2 cups
Chopped green bell pepper - 1/2 cup
Chopped Tomato - 1/2 cup
Alfredo sauce - 1/2 cup
Olive oil - 1 Tbs
garlic - 1 clove chopped finely
Salt and pepper
Dried basil, Rosemary, thyme
Prego pasta sauce (optional)

Easy steps:

1. Boil pasta according to the package.
2. While pasta is cooking,  prepare purple cabbage
3. Heat oil, saute garlic for few seconds.
4. Add purple cabbage, tomato, pepper
5. Add salt and pepper to taste
6. Give a nice mix, and saute them.
7. Cover and cook for couple of minutes.
8. Now add Alfredo sauce and turn the heat to low. saute if for couple of minutes.
9. Add the dried herbs.
10. Add the cooked pasta and pepper to taste
11. Mix it gently.
12. Serve the warm pasta with pasta sauce like prego (optional)
13.  I served with boiled corn to make my plate more colorful and healthy.

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Vibrant Purple Pasta

Filling and Satisfying Cucumber and Cheese Rice roti ( Akki Rotti)

This is very delicious and filling food. Since vighnesh started to go to MBA school in the evening after office hour, he will not come home for dinner. So I am packing something very easy to eat and filling dinner for him. He said, this roti was very filling and easy for him to eat during break time at school. The other day I prepared paneer, red radish and cheese paratha. It was yum!. I will post the recipe soon.

Ingredients:
Rice flour - 2-2/12 cups
1 big cucumber - washed and grated (do not remove the skin: It gives you more nutrients)
1 tomato -  chopped finely
1 small onion - chopped finely
1/2 cup of finely chopped parsley or cilantro
Curry leaves chopped finely
Salt - to taste
Garam masala powder - 1 tbs
Mozzarella cheese - 1 cup
Pepper - 1/2 tbs ( I used less because Arushi won't eat spicy food)
Sugar - 1 tbs (optional)
Oil or Ghee - 2 tbs

Method:

• Add all the ingredients except rice flour in a big bowl.
• Stir couple of time to make sure all spices are evenly distributed.
• Now start adding rice flour while mixing in one hand.
• Do not add water.
• Kneed well to make a tough dough. Add more rice flour if required.
• Add oil or ghee and kneed well.
• Cover the dough and let it rest for 1/2 an hour or so.
• Heat a nonstick pan on a medium-high flame.
• Take a aluminum foil, apply oil on the side that you are going to make roti.
• Take a handful of dough and start pressing with the hand on the foil to make roti.
• Apply some oil to your hand to avoid dough sticking to your hand.
• You have to make this roti only with hand, It will very difficult or not possible from the rolling pin.
• Once the pan if hot, take the foil carefully placing your hand in the center. Carefully place the pressed roti side on the pan and use the flat spatula to carefully remove the foil from the roti.
• Drizzle little bit of oil, after a minute use the spatula to flip the roti carefully.
• Cook other side for a minute.
• Cook both side until browned.
• Enjoy!.

Serving Ideas:

• You can serve this roti with chutney like mango chutney or peanut chutney.
• You can eat this with Yogurt and Chutney powder or pickle.
• You can run the knife to cut into bite size pieces and eat just like that.

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Filling and Satisfying Cucumber and Cheese Rice roti ( Akki Rotti)

Mac & Cheese , Seasoned Green beans and Fresh Salad with fresh Guacamole dip

The above title was today's lunch!. It is very healthy and delicious meal. I wanted to make Vighnesh and Arushi eat avocado somehow so I tried this guacamole and finally I am successful!.

Below are the recipes of the complete lunch plate. Enjoy and stay healthy.

1) Guacamole Dip :

Ingredients: Serving size 2 adults

Avocado - 1

Tomato - 1/2 finely chopped

Onion - 1 Tbs, finely chopped

Lime Juice of 1/2 lime

Tabasco sauce - 1/4 tbs or less ( optional)

Method:

•  Cut the avocado in to half; lengthwise.
•  Run the spoon close to the skin of avocado to remove the flesh of avocado.
• Remove the pit.
• Mash the avocado until your desired smoothness. Add the tomato and onion.
• Add the lime juice, salt and pepper and stir well.
•  Keep it aside.

Fresh Salad :

Chop all your favorite veggies to get your daily serving of vegetables.
I used : Thinly sliced carrots, couple of lettuce leaves, Thinly sliced red radishes, tomato and zucchini and some sprouted mung beans.

 

Seasoned Green Beans:

Recipe is here

And Finally Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:
Macaroni elbows pasta - 1 cup
Butter - 2 Tbs
Flour - 2 Tbs
Milk - 1 cup
Sharp cheddar cheese; shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
Yellow Mustard  - 1 tbs
Grated Zucchini - 1/2 cup
Breadcrumbs - 1/2 cup
Method :
• Cook pasta according to the package instruction.
• Meantime, heat butter in a pan, add the flour whisking continuously.
• Add milk and keep stirring to avoid lumps.
• Add the mustard, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of cheese, Mix it properly.
• Add the cooked pasta, zucchini.
• Pour this mixture into baking pan.
• Heat the oven to 350F
• Melt 1 tbs of butter and add the crumbs. mix it well until all get wet.
• Spread this over the pasta in the baking pan.
• Keep it in the lower rack and bake it for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let it cook for 5 minutes before serving.
• You can serve this pasta with pasta sauce.

All put it together :

Our  healthy lunch plate Looked like this 

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Mac & Cheese , Seasoned Green beans and Fresh Salad with fresh Guacamole dip

Vegetable Couscous quesadilla and Tomatillo salsa

Ingredients for Vegetable Couscous quesadilla :

Whole grain tortilla or Chapathi
Couscous - 3/4 cup
Vegetables of your choice - I used : Beans, carrot, peas, corn and green bell pepper,
Cheese - of your choice - I used: Sharp Cheddar cheese, Grated
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste
Olive oil - 1 Tbs
Cumin - 1 tbs

Ingredients for Tomatillo Salsa:

Tomatillos - 4,  husked and rinsed
Jalapeno Chile - 1
Pepper - 1 tbs, freshly ground
Garlic -  2 cloves
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbs of Salt
Basil or cilantro - 1/2 cup roughly chopped

Easy Steps: 

Salsa:

1. Preheat the broiler, place tomatillos on cooking sheet.
2. Turn tomatillos when they start to blister and blacken.
3. Remove from broiler once the other side blisters, and let cool
4. Remove the blackened spots. 
5. Grind the tomatillos , jalapeno, lime juice, salt and garlic to make chunky puree.
6. Place a puree in a bowl, add chopped cilantro or basil and stir to mix.
7. Cover and let stand until ready to serve.

Quesadilla:

1. Cook the couscous according to the package instruction. OR check my other recipe for cooking instruction. and set aside
2. Chop the vegetables.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add  cumin.
4. Add all other vegetables and cook on a  low flame until tender.
5. add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Now add the cooked couscous and mix well.
7. Place tortilla or chapathi on the pancake pan. Turn the heat to low.
8. Spread desired amount of cheese on and couscous mixture and freshly prepared tomatillo salsa.
9. Spread another round of cheese if you like.
10. Place another tortilla carefully over the stuffing's.
11. Once the below tortilla turns brown, carefully flip to cook another side.
12. Once the other side of the quesadilla turns brown, take it out from the heat.
13. Run the pizza cutter in the middle of the quesadilla to divide.
14. Serve warm with tomatillo salsa, sour cream and freshly shredded lettuce.
15. Enjoy

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Vegetable Couscous quesadilla and Tomatillo salsa

Kidney beans, Paneer quesadilla / Protein rich beans stuffed inside chapathi

Kidney beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber.When combined with whole grains such as rice, kidney beans provide virtually fat-free high quality protein.  In addition to providing slow burning complex carbohydrates, kidney beans can increase your energy by helping to replenish your iron stores. (Source : WHFoods ).

Ingredients:

Kidney beans - Soaked overnight

Paneer - 1 cup Grated

Carrot - 1 cup Grated

Salt and Pepper to taste

Whole grain tortilla (Chapathi)

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Kidney beans, Paneer quesadilla / Protein rich beans stuffed inside chapathi

Sweet pongal and Khara/Spiced pongal



Sweet Pongal



Sweet Pongal:

» 1 cup Raw Rice

» 1/2 cup Green Gram Dal

» 1 cup Milk

» 3 cups Jaggery (powdered)

» 4 tbsp Ghee

» 2 tbsp Cashewnuts

» 2 tbsp Raisins

» 5 no Cardamoms (powdered)

» 2 no Cloves (powdered)

» 1 small piece Nutmeg (grated or powdered)

» A pinch of Saffron

» 2 1/2 cups Water

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Sweet pongal and Khara/Spiced pongal

Akki shavige/ Simple and Easy Home made shavige/ Banana rice noodles

One of my all time favorite, Easy to make this rice noodles. Try it out

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 2 cups

Banana - 2 long one's

Sugar - 2 tbs

Salt - 3/4 tbs

Cumin seeds - 1 tbs

Water - ~1 cup

You need Idli maker and chakli press.    . This will be helpful making any kind of idli.

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Akki shavige/ Simple and Easy Home made shavige/ Banana rice noodles

Vangi bath/ Eggplant rice

Warm vangi bath

This is one of my all time favorite dish. We had a guest at home last Sunday and had prepared vangi bath for them and they loved it. It tastes yummy, trust me.

Ingredients you need for Vangi bath Masala :

Channa Dal : 3 tbs

Urad Dal      : 3 tbs

Coriander Seeds : 1 tbs

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Vangi bath/ Eggplant rice

Subway Sandwich (My version)

I prefer to make and eat cool, soothing sandwiches over hot rice sambar during summer days. This will be our lunch for couple times a week in the summer days.

I usually use swiss or mozerilla cheese but this time I used something different. We went to wisconsin for a vacation. you might be knowing, wisconsin cheese is very famous and tasty. We witnessed the cheese making  in one of the country side store and bought some cheese. Truely it is very tasty!.

What I used? (for foot long length bread)
Lettuce - sredded  1 cup
Tomato - thinly sliced 5-6 pieces
Cucumber - thinly sliced 5-6 pieces
Banana pepper - a few
Cucumber Pickle - 4-5 pieces

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Subway Sandwich (My version)

Today's Lunch plate - Spinach ranch Pasta and Mung sprouts Quinoa Salad

Today's lunch was pasta salad and vegetable salad. This was a nice soothing lunch for the hot day today.

I was not thinking to add this recipe to my recipe book earlier, just prepared and came out very well so writing here to share with you.

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Today's Lunch plate - Spinach ranch Pasta and Mung sprouts Quinoa Salad

Sweet Potato rice

Sweet Potato has many nutritional facts. This is high source of dietary fiber, low in cholesterol, sodium and saturated fats. It is  a very good source of vitamin A and C. I try to use it often in our diet. Sometime bake them or I make curry or rice item like this.

Ingredients: Serving 2-3 adults

Basmati Rice  - 2 cups

Sweet potato - chopped in to cubes ~1 cup

Peas - 1 cup

Carrot - 1/2 cup chopped

Green beans - chopped in to 1 inch lengthwise

Onion - 1 cup chopped

Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped finely

Ginger - 1 inch cube grated

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Sweet Potato rice

Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• Basumati rice - 1 cup
• Vegetables like Cabbage, Beans, carrot peas - 1 - 2 cups
• Capsicum - thin sliced - 1/2 cup

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Fried Rice

Methi Rice

The reason i like methi is because it is Rich in protein, calcium, phosphorus and iron in their natural forms, its mineral and vitamin contents are also very high and this is easily assimilated by our body. Though it is little bitter, it tastes awesome.

• Ingredients: Fenugreek leaves (finly chopped)- 2 bunches ( It should be cleaned because it contains lot of muds and sands)
• Basumati rice - 1 cup
• onion finly chopped - 1/2 cup
• green peas: 1/2 cup
• cloves - 2
• cinnomon - 1 piece
• cashew - 2 tbs
• Ghee - 1 tbs
• black pepper - 1/2 tbs
• green chillies - 2
• cumins - 2 tbs
• lime juice - 1 tbs

Soak the rice in the water for half an hourBoil the rice (rice:water : 1:1 1/2) Spread the boiled rice to the plate and let it cool.Bring the pan for seasoning.Heat oil in the pan, put cumins, cloves and cinnomon.After it starts spluttering, add onion and fry it until it becomes light brown.Add the green peas and methi leavescook for 2-3 minutes.Now add to the cool down rice.Also add lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix well and Garnish with the grated cheese ( optional).

Searve hot with the cucumber raita.

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Methi Rice