Roasted garlic dressing

Roasted garlic dressing 

Don't you just love it when you accidentally discover a recipe which you immediately love and what more its a bonus when you tweak it to make it absolutely healthy. 

I am tired of vinaigrette. I mean I like a healthy low calorie dressing for my salads and the usual common easy option are different  vinaigrette and so I was browsing through Martha Stewart's website when I suddenly came across this Roasted Garlic dressing. Ah for a garlic lover such as myself I knew it was the right recipe but the original recipe had sour cream among other ingredients and so I tweaked it and had a fabulous salad . You can use this as a great dip as well.

Serves 1 to 2

200gm curd which you have to drain by hanging
1 head of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt as per taste

For the salad :-

1 wedge of iceberg lettuce

Start by first hanging the curd to drain it of all the water. Preheat the oven to 200C and then take a foil and place your garlic head and lop off a bit from the bottom and pour the olive oil wrap the foil and roast for 40 minutes to 50 minutes. Once done let it cool down and squeeze out the creamy roasted garlic and smash it with a fork and then add the hung curd and whisk well and add salt.

Pour it over the ledge of iceberg lettuce for a delightful creamy garlicky meal

Low calorie Creamy Egg Carrot Salad

Low calorie Creamy Egg Carrot Salad 

So you have indulged a bit on Sunday which is much deserved well then Monday is all about the balancing act again but hey if you want a creamy dressing there is no need to worry here is a healthy creamy recipe which uses neither cream nor cheese nor mayonnaise nor butter.

Serves 1 for a principle meal :-

1 large carrot chopped to make  matchstick carrots
2 eggs which are hard boiled
1 cup to 1.5 cups of lettuce leaf kept whole

For the dressing

250ml curd hung to make it thick . In case you are using thick yogurt use about 5 to 6 tbsp
1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 medium sized minced garlic cloves
1 tsp finely chopped fresh parsley
Pinch of chili flakes
Salt as per taste

Simply chop the carrots and then chill it with the lettuce leaves. Now whisk the ingredients for the dressing and mix the carrots in it and chill.

Boil the eggs by bringing the eggs to a boil with water and a pinch of salt and boil for 2 minutes and then cover and leave for 3 more minutes, crack the shell and slice the eggs .

There , a healthy creamy salad 

Poached Chicken salad with Plum Sauce

Poached Chicken salad with Plum Sauce 

I love salads and I love soft tender chicken breast and I love combining the two of them together but the major problem I have usually faced is getting a perfectly soft succulent chicken breast which is melt in the mouth and not stringy. I searched and followed many many tips until I hit upon the right recipe and there is this one crucial advice from my friend Claudia which helped me immensely. 

This post is not only about the salad but about the delightful plum sauce which makes for a wonderful tangy dressing.

Basically its very simple

Serves 1

What you need for poaching :-

1 breast of chicken weighing anywhere between 110gm to 120gm minus the bone
1 clove of garlic if the clove is fat or 2 cloves of garlic in case they are of the medium size
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp finely chopped spring onion
Enough water which covers the chicken
Salt as per taste
Freshly ground pepper

For the salad

1 cup of shredded iceberg lettuce
1 cup of bell peppers (A mixture of yellow bell pepper and red bell pepper)
1 small onion
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh basil

For the plum sauce

The plum sauce serves 3 to 4

Now when I made this plum sauce I had a big bowl of leftover plum sauce and you can always store it in the refrigerator for 2 days to 3 days

4 to 5 medium sized red plums
3 cloves of garlic
1 onion
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
Salt as per taste
Pinch of chili flakes

Start by chopping your vegetables for the salad and chilling it. Now make your plum sauce by grilling the plums, onion and garlic for 5 minutes on each side with a tray beneath the racks which collects all the jucie that bursts out. You can also use the Microwave cum grill mode for 6 minutes at 600W to cook the plums with garlic and onions.

Now wait for it to cool and skin the plums , garlic and onion and then blend it with the extra virgin olive oil, vinegar honey, salt and chili flakes.

For the chicken breast here are some important tips

Use the smallest possible pan to fit the breast in

Now add the garlic, thyme , salt and freshly ground pepper and cover it with water and bring to a boil and then simmer covered for exactly 2 minutes and then cover and walk away letting it cook in the steam for 5 minutes and then take out the chicken and wait for 5 minutes and then slice it. That's it soft succulent chicken breast

No simply arrange the vegetables, chicken with the plum sauce on top.