Green green green , green baby Green

So this was one of the few gastronomical challenges that I have taken up. You see a very sweet virtual friend shared how she was on an extreme diet which only allowed green vegetables. Now, I have the greatest sympathy and support for people who try to go healthy no matter how crazy it seems as long as they do not skip meals. You see most people are mean. I have had first hand experience with the whole weight gain saga. While when you are actually slim trim no one really notices, put on a few kilos and the number of people who are concerned will amaze you. Given that many among them will be your true well wishers and being an adult you would very likely know who they are but the other percentage of sympathizers are just like crabs trying to pull each other down. Now I do love salads but colourful ones, going green all the way was quite challenging

So there I was trying to figure out about going green all the way. I mean sure there is the usual broccoli, cabbage , leafy vegetables but I wanted something different and eureka, I was suddenly hit with an idea for all green salad. Now I am personally not on such a strict diet and did use a little bit of Cheddar cheese (the fresh ones from Kalimpong are delicious) but that can be left out.

What you need

2 to 3 cucumbers
One big bunch of spinach leaves
2 tablespoonful of chives
1 whole jalapeno pepper
A few peppercorns
1 tablespoonful of celery
4 to 5  fat garlic cloves
Salt as per taste
2 tsp olive oil.
Cheddar cheese
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Juice from half a lemon

Start by slicing the cucumbers diagonally to form large thin slices. taste one and if you find it bitter take some salt and mix it well with the cucumbers and leave aside. After 20 minutes wash them thoroughly and use it. The salt draws out all bitterness and leaves the cucumbers with a little bit of salt. Wash your spinach well. The easiest way to do so is by immersing them in a pot full of water and then washing them thoroughly under running water. Keep a bowl of ice water ready. Blanch your spinach by bringing a pot of water to boil and immersing the spinach for only 1 minute. Immediately immerse the leaves in ice water to stop extra cookign so that the leaves retain that superb green colour.

Since I was using the salad for 1 person's consumption I used half of the blanched spinach leaves, in case you use the entire lot feel free to increase the amount of peppercorn, chives , garlic etc as per taste. Now put everything except the cucumbers in a blender sand blend away.

Arrange the cucumbers in a neat row . Put a thin slice of cheddar on top and scoop a little bit of the spinach on top and there you have the healthiest possible salad ever. I would not recommend leaving out the cheddar. You might also use the blend spinach a a dip.

Low calorie Orange, Carrot , Cucumber Chicken salad with an amazing bite

While I was drowning myself in aromatic robust flavoured rich Indian dishes I did not realize how much I was missing the simple taste of a simple salad at the back of my mind and so come Thursday I was hopped up on images of fresh salads. That is the funny thing about Calcutta's November , one night you feel cool comfortable and ready for soups and spicy delicacies and the next thing you know its hot again , you are sweating and you need summer salads. Besides what Europe traditionally calls Summers is probably what we call the winters at least the better part of it and to be honest warmer.

 So there I was hopped up on ideas of low calorie salads clicking , browsing, scribbling making quick notes of what is available in the refrigerator and what can be easily stocked from the market and so I note down at least 25 ideas for use and then decided on the fresh sweet taste of an Orange and carrot based salad which were lying in the refrigerator and needed given respect with a herb based dressing which provides the much required bite and a kiss of lemon. All I did was pay a visit to the fresh vegetable market the next day and stock up on some mint leaves while I had some celery and chives lying around. The real twist comes from the green chili which is freshly made in a paste for the chicken.

With a bit of input this turned out healthy delicious and a very satisfying lunch with the knowledge of health and a lasting taste.

What was tossed in

1 large sized red carrot
1 cucumber as fresh as possible
1 whole orange skinned

For the dressing

2 tsp finely chopped mint leaves
2 tsp finely chopped chives
2 tsp finely chopped celery
Juice of half a lemon or less
1 to 1.5  tablespoonful extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper as per taste

For the chicken

1 breast of chicken
1 to 1.5 tsp ginger green chili paste (I used half a chili for subtle taste but you can decrease or increase the amount as per your taste)
Salt
1 tsp olive oil

Start by first using a mallet to flatten the chicken and then marinate with the ginger chili paste, oil and salt and keep aside for 1 hour to 2 hours

Peel the cucumber and then use the peeler to shape the vegetables. The orange must be de-seeded and skinned. Assemble the salad and make the dressing. Here is an interesting tip I learnt from a book which deals with salads alone that I had borrowed from British Council quite some time back but do not remember the name. Never use the dressing from before, else it becomes watery but you can always assemble the salad and store it in the refrigerator. Whisk everything together to make a nice summery dressing.

Steam your chicken and then cut in stripes. Toss with vegetables , add dressing and ooh la la you have the perfect healthy lunch with a summery feel and the right bite. The surprise element from the green chili and ginger makes this a winner.

P.S. I used the micro oven at 900W to steam my chicken and it took 1.5 minutes on each side. Do not over steam your chicken lest they be stringy.

Poached with a bit of cilantro , a bit of parsley

Recently overheard a conversation in a restaurant about how health food dishes have no taste , are meant for people with no interest in food. This is while they were devouring a lovely cheesy baked fish dish. No, no I wasn't being impolite and either staring or eavesdropping but the tables were so close and the seats arranged in such a way it was what it was. God that makes me chuckle. With so many ingredients, so much of option how is it that healthy does not meet tasty. Of course taste is very subjective :P

Anyways coming back to today's lunch this one is dedicated to one of my dearest friends who is a bit plump and has been struggling for years to be a bit slimmer. This one is bursting with flavours yet subtly so.

So fish full of Omega 3 is a wonderful nutritional first class protein but deep fry it and all that nutritive value is just murdered. So while poaching might not exactly bring images of deliciousness to most people this beautiful marinated poached fish full of flavours might just change their mind. In went 4 small cloves of garlic, a wee bit ginger, a bit of parsley, a bit of cilantro , 1 wedge of lemon and 1 green chili , a good marination for 2 hours , poached ready served on a bed of shredded cabbage and tomatoes , tasty healthy lunch :D


I used:

2 small whole pomfret
1 to 2 tablespoon chopped fresh of cilantro and parsley
Salt and pepper as per taste
4 small cloves of garlic
Less than an inch of ginger
1 whole green chili
1/2 tsp crushed dried basil leaves
1 wedge of lemon
2 tsp olive oil

So start by making a smooth paste of everything by adding a little water but the lemon and olive oil and then go on to marinate the fish with salt and pepper and this fresh paste. Marinate for about 2 hours. Useful tip would be to make to cuts across either side of the fish for better marination.

Well once marinated simply poach the fish with all the marination add about 1 to 1.5 cups of water. I covered and cooked for 9 minutes and the fish had soaked all the goodness of the flavours.

For the salad

2 tomatoes
1 small cup of finely shredded cabbage

Make a bed of the cabbage, arrange tomatoes and add the fish. I tried it in two ways by fish eating the fish separately with a orange honey vinaigrette dressing and the second time without any extra dressing where the thick gravy like water from the fish itself gave all the flavorus required. Must say the second one was far better.