Balsamic Honey Paprika Bell Pepper Salad

Balsamic Honey Paprika Bell Pepper Salad 

For me a salad's success largely depends on the dressing. I don't mean that I would want my salad to be drenched in the dressing but a good dressing can definitely make a boring salad extremely delicious. 

I believe it is only balance alone which keeps everything in its place. Just like you vcan't simply keep on indulging in unhealthy fattening food you can't go on eating low calorie salads without a break. A break I did take last Saturday with an indulgent meal which included a cheese tart and brioche au chocolat so it was time for a nice healthy low calorie salad again . With a tangy sweet and sour dressing this salad is a keeper for me. The dressing is a classic one with a tiny twist

Serves 1

2 small tomatoes
Half a red bell pepper
Half an yellow bell pepper
1 tbsp dried cranberries
2 dried prunes

For the dressing

1 tsp honey
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
Salt as per taste
1/2 tsp finely chopped mint leaves

Chop your salad to make long stripes and chill it for 1 hour. Just before serving whisk together the ingredients mentioned in the dressing to create an emulsion and pour over your salad and enjoy this tangy sweet delight.

Healthy Bell Pepper Soup

Healthy Bell Pepper Soup 

It doesn't take much effort to be healthy and no healthy doesn't mean one compromises on taste. Its tasty in its own way. For this soup you actually need some good quality homemade stock be it vegetarian or chicken or even fish. Its very nutritious and with 1 tsp oil its a perfect meal after a good workout. On top of everything else one who loves soups of most kinds such as myself its soul warming and comforting.

Serves 1

1 medium sized yellow bell pepper
1 medium sized red bell pepper
2 small tomatoes
3 to 4 medium sized garlic cloves
1 small sized onion
1 tsp olive oil
Salt as per taste
250ml good quality chicken stock or vegetable stock or fish stock
1/2 tsp paprika

Simply chop the bell peppers and tomatoes  , slice the onion and smash the garlic after peeling them. Now heat the oil on low flame and add the garlic and onions and cover and let it get sauteed for 50 seconds. This covering and cooking  softens the onion with that little oil. Now add the tomatoes and bell peppers and cover and cook on low heat. The juice of the tomatoes will soften the vegetables.

After 2 minutes stir and add the paprika and cook for another 2 minutes but check from time to time to make sure it doesn't burn. After the vegetables have softened add half the stock and bring to a boil and then cool and blend to a smooth consistency.

Now put the blend pepper soup in the pan with the rest of the stock and being to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes and serve.

Yes its that easy :)

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.

Healthy Egg Chicken Sandwich in Whole wheat bread

Healthy Egg  Chicken Sandwich in Whole wheat bread 

To be fair I am a firm believer that what you make at home tastes best. Sure that jar of mustard, that bottle of hot sauce is superbly tasty but anything that comes out of a jar is something I do not use. My point is, if our grandmothers could then we can as well.

So on a day when I overslept while taking my afternoon nap I got up and realized that I hadn't really eaten much that day thanks to the oppressive heat which anyway kills your appetite at times. Lucky for me I had a freshly whole wheat bread sitting in my kitchen, a jar of homemade  hot sauce , a jar homemade mustard , some boiled chicken waiting to be made into a sandwich.

So my basic aim is to be keep this as healthy as possible and if you do not have homemade sauces do use the ones you buy from outside :) but what I firmly will say is there is no mayonnaise or butter involved. Ultimately the healthy sandwich was delicious enough for me to turn it into dinner.

Serves 2 as a snack and 1 for a meal

So this is what you basically need : -

4 slices of whole wheat bread . If you want the recipe for wholewheat bread , here it is
Roughly 1/2 cup of shredded boiled chicken.
1 boiled egg
Half a red bell pepper chopped into bite sized pieces
2 tsp Mustard sauce.
2 tsp hot sauce . If you want the homemade version here it is
1.5 to 2  tbsp olive oil
2 fat cloves of garlic sliced paper thin
1 tsp paprika
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp rosemary leaves

Heat the oil and saute the bell pepper and garlic with the chicken and rosemary and keep aside. Make thin slices of your boiled egg (I made 4 slices) . Now in the same pan toast the bread till it attains a light brown colour but make sure it doesn't brown too much. Now simply assemble the sandwich by placing some sauteed vegetable chicken ,placing two slices of eggs add some mustard sauce and hot sauce some more sauteed chicken vegetable and top up with a slice of bread. To make sure everything stays in place, place a heavy stone utensil on top of the last slice after assembling the sandwich, this way when you eat it everything would not come out. Enjoy a healthy snack or a healthy meal.

Cold Cucumber Soup

Cold Cucumber Soup 

A tropical country with all the mangoes and fresh fruits in the summers is still dreadful even for people who have been born and raised in this beautiful land which turns terribly hot from march till almost June when the first showers bring some relief.

Exhausted and dehydrated I have stocked up on a lot of summer vegetables and the cucumber is one of the coolest summer vegetables and extremely versatile. You can use it in salads, use it as a healthy alternative to snacking with dips and then there is the no cooking cold cucumber soup a perfect solution to this oppressing weather because spending hours in the kitchen during the summer months can be quite challenging. This is quick and chilled and a delight

This is what you need for 2 servings : -

1 fat cucumber de-seeded
1 large yellow bell pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of paprika
1/2 tsp dried Oregano
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp mint leaves
Salt as per taste
250gm curd
3 to 4 sliced jalapeno from a jar which is soaked in vinegar

Just simply blend everythign together and chill for 2 hours and serve.

Simple lemony bell pepper salad

Refreshingly delicious this salad is not only for those who are on a diet but for anyone. It is healthy and delicious. The sweetness of the crispy fresh bell peppers interspersed with the lemony tangyness and sweetness of basil it  is an ideal summer time salad. Unfortunately in India we get the very best quality of bell peppers during the winters but going by our temperature and weather this can be taken at any time of the year. With a side of poached or grilled chicken it makes for a perfectly low calorie healthy meal. In case you are a green fellow you can use some sauteed mushrooms. The recipe is simple enough for anyone to try their hands on .

Serves 2

2 large bell peppers , I recommend using one red bell pepper and one yellow bell pepper for that lovely colourfulness which makes things cheerful

For the dressing
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped basil
Salt and pepper as per taste
Pinch of chili flakes

Simply julienne the bell peppers. Make the dressing by first mixing everything together except the extra virgin olive oil and then slowly adding the oil little by little and whisking vigourously to create the emulsion for a delicious dressing.

It is very important  to use the dressing right before serving or still better serving the dressing in a separate bowl or jug. You see if you dress the salad ahead of your meal it makes the salads watery and soggy. You can always chop the bell peppers and keep it in the refrigerator and then prepare the dressing and serve it on the dinner table.

Stuffed Bell peppers

Stuffed vegetables are loved all over the world be it the "Potoler Dolma" (stuffed pointed gourd from an Eastern region of the Indian sub-continent) to stuffed bitter gourd, stuffed tomatoes and even the meaty stuffed eggplants from turkey. In the beginning of this year I had hosted a small special birthday party for my little cousin brother.

Wanting to serve something different yet easy I read through thousands of recipes. While it is easy to put together a dinner party for people who have fewer dietary restrictions and have an ever evolving taste bud which readily accepts new taste I knew that my guests were particularly expecting me to put together something European. Not wanting to simply serve Italian pasta and it being the hot month of April pies and other such heavy dishes were immediately chucked out. Ah I knew I had hit upon my pot of gold when I came across this Romanian recipe called "Ardei Umpluti" a delicious stuffed bell pepper (usually rice, meat etc) dish cooked in a tomato base from the beautiful country of Romania. Later I did watch a beautiful culinary programme on one of National Geographic's channels where Turks have claimed that they were in fact the inventors of stuffed bell peppers which then spread over to other parts which is quite possible given their history. Anyways whosoever might have invented it this dish is a superb culinary triumph. Though essentially a winter's dish it can be cooked throughout the year. Now you can simply let your imagination flow when it comes to the stuffing. That first time I had put together mushrooms with small grained rice , three different kinds of meat, spicy pork sausages, lean ham and mince chicken and two variants of cheese which of course was a great triumph and why wouldn't it be . Just check the ingredients. :)

Well well I have created variants of the dish by sometimes leaving out the tomato sauce base entirely.

Today I found three beautiful bell peppers sitting in my refrigerator and immediately decided I wanted stuffed bell peppers for lunch. I had about 1 hour in my hands and it takes 1.5 hours to 2 hours to just make the tomato sauce and so did not have time to make the tomato sauce but the end result was wonderful for a daily meal. Stuffed with lean meat(chicken mince) , short grained rice, fresh herbs etc and oh mama was it a delicious meal even without the sauce. I did have as I always do, some lovely chicken stock handy which saved the day. P.S. I did have some homemade stored sauce made out of roasted bell pepper, garlic and onions which I used.

Total time taken :50 minutes to 1 hour

3 large bell peppers
1/2 cup uncooked rice
2 to 3  cups chicken stock
1 stalk of fresh dill leaves
1 tsp chili flakes
A good pinch of dried thyme
3 tablespoonful of grated cheddar
Salt as per taste
Pepper as per taste
Roasted bell pepper sauce 4 tablespoonful /You can replace it with homemade tomato ketchup
1 tablespoonful of finely minced garlic
200gm to 300gm of minced chicken
Half a small bowl of shelled peas
Olive oil for brushing the peppers and the pan and 1 tsp to 2 tsp for frying

Start by washing the bell peppers and patting them dry. Cutting the top and scooping out the contents but reserve the heads to be used for baking at a later stage . Brush the peppers with oil and use salt on the outside and Preheat oven to 220C and then bake the peppers for 30 minutes bottom side up since you would bake the contents again with the stuffing inside bottom side down later on. Do brush the baking pan with oil.

While the peppers bake cook the rice in 1 cup of chicken stock and then heat 1 tsp oil saute the garlic and add the minced meat , peas and then the roast bell pepper sauce. Finely chop the dill leaves and throw that in and the thyme and then finally the cooked rice with salt and freshly ground black or white pepper and the chili flakes.  Once the bell peppers are done in the oven now stuff them with the rice mix and cheddar cheese and put the heads on and bake at 220C for another 20 minutes to 30 minutes till they are well baked and soft. Check after 20 minutes and if the softness is as desired stop baking else bake for 5 more minutes and check and so on and so forth so that you do not end up overcooking. Let it cool and serve a delicious yet healthy lunch.

As I have always believed using everything that is homemade enhances taste, so reaching for that can of chicken stock or tomato sauce does diminish the taste.

Roast bell peppers aubergine salad

Roast bell peppers and aubergine with a kiss of cheese 

Just another evening

R: "Go ahead it will be fun to watch you roll around "
E: "What is the problem though, I want to stay healthy"
R: "Oh So, you think you can stay healthy by just leaving everything out and exercising. Just wait till you get hunger pangs at midnight and then realize you lost your chance to make dinner and head straight for the 100gm cheese or worse make chocolates and finish off everything"
E: "So what do I do"
R: "Here is something useful. You have walked your 4.6km. You are exercising. Have those colourful bell peppers say 1.5 of them, half an eggplant and you cover 3 servings of the 5 serving recommendation of vegetables. Add 50gm of mozzarella. stop making that silly face. You yourself copied the list of recommended servings per day. 40gm cheese is allowed when you are not having meat. Besides you know how a little  fat makes your skin glow. "
E: "How do I have raw eggplants please"
R: "Why silly billy why do you have to always think in one line. Raw is not the only way to health. Grill them of course, add a dash of that gorgeous extra virgin olive oil you just bought and add a splash of lemon juice, a dash of parsley and see what it does to you , you silly thing"

With this conversation between my rational side and emotive side of the brain I call them R and E and a scribbled recipe I went ahead and grilled the 1 whole red pepper and half a yellow bell pepper and eggplant. Word of caution, I would not recommend the eggplant to be grilled. Takes up way too much brushing of oil.

What you need

1 whole red bell pepper
Half a large eggplant
Half a yellow bell pepper
Dash of parsely
Dash of chili flakes
Extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoonful for drizzling
Olive oil for brushing the veggies with
Juice from half a big lemon (increase or decrease the amount as per your taste buds)

Cut the bell peppers in half and the aubergine in circular patterns and use salt to marinate them with,  for 15 minutes. brush them with olive oil. First grill them outer side up . You might want to turn them over and keep grilling till the upper side of the bell peppers and one side of the aubergine is fully done. Now add very thin small slices of cheese which adds up to a total of 40gm to 50gm on each bell pepper. Grill this side and the other non-cooked side of the eggplants. After the fourth brushing of oil on eggplants I was a bit annoyed and did use a shortcut method. By then it was half cooked. So took them off the rack. sprinkled water and cooked them on the gas stove covered.
Stack them , drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice add the dash of parsley and chili flakes and you have a whole lot of healthy going on. If serving with meat I suggest using half of this for each diner. If eating ti all by oneself simply dig in.

Grilled fish with smoked bell pepper marination

Healthy can be tasty alright but the same process might just get boring. So while I have cooked 4 different styled poached fish in the past today when the weather is cool and your hands and feet feel dry I wanted something different. Closed my eyes and thought for a while and while the poached fish repulsed me all of a sudden the image of a nicely grilled fish made me look forward to lunch. 

I had eyed this Eastern European condiment recipe ajvar for a long time. While I did not follow the original recipe I did gas roast my bell peppers, onions and garlic , blend them smooth marinated the fish with salt , pepper and the mixture and oh what a lunch ti was. The sweet roasted bell peppers was the perfect lunch for the approaching winter.

 The cucumbers are suddenly fresher than the freshest ones in the market and with so many options healthy can never be boring again. P.S. while my fish grilled I admired the roses my grandmother had planted some 40 years ago. Winter is round the corner indeed.

So its easy , you need

2 small sized Pomfret fish
Salt and pepper as per taste 
Half a red bell pepper
Half an yellow bell pepper
4 cloves of fat garlic 
1 small onion 
Half a tsp black pepper. 
Olive oil  1 tablespoonful 
1 tsp red wine vinegar 

Start by first brushing the fish with oil and applying salt. Leave it to marinate for 15 minutes. In the meantime flame roast the bell peppers, garlic cloves and onion. Scrape off the blackened parts of bell peppers and the skin of garlic and onion and blend with black pepper , olive oil , salt and red wine vinegar. Marinate the fish with this mixture for 2 hours. Grill both sides well and you have a beautiful lunch of fish on a bed of cucumbers.