To learn about the benefits of eating seeds & nuts, you may want to check out:
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#SimpleBreakfastIdeas #HealthyEating #GoodBreakfast
 Vegetarian Tomato Omelette (without eggs) Here is a yummy and nutritious tomato omelette recipe full of super foods and that which is totally suitable for vegetarians and vegans. To make this egg-less omelette, you need around two cups of gram flour, also called (wrongly) chickpea flour or Besan (in Hindi- most packets indicate it as such). Besan is black gram flour not a white chickpea flour! To this add just a table spoon or so of wheat flour. If you want to make this gluten free then you can skip wheat flour, though you may face a few challenges while flipping the omelette. Oh well- you can let the griddle get really hot and smear a little extra coconut oil to help with the flipping step. Now, back to making our omelette batter. To our wheat and gram flour mix, add around a cup and half of water to achieve smooth consistency- where it is flowing but not too watery. Then add around one and half tea spoon of oil. This not only helps to bind the veggies and the flour, it also makes flipping quite an easy breeze! Finely chop up two medium tomatoes, half a medium red onion and half a green bell pepper. If you like it spicy- then add finely chopped serrano peppers (to taste). Add these veggies to your batter. Next, add finely chopped cilantro, sea salt (to taste), freshly ground black pepper and coarsely ground cumin and coriander seeds. Wisk a bit more and allow batter to rest for 30 mins or so- for these flavors to come together. Next- heat up a flat griddle (like a crepe pan). Smear a little coconut oil on the pan and pour some batter and allow to cook at medium temperature. Once one side is well-done (it comes off the griddle easily), then flip it and cook further. Once it is well done- then you can add a little organic butter on top to further enhance the taste as well as increase its nutritional value. Of course, if you are counting your saturated fat intake or want to make it dairy free then you can easily skip butter. Enjoy it warm with a little butter, coriander chutney or by itself. :-) This is originally an Indian ethnic recipe (from Maharashtra-Goa region). It is balanced in nutrition and taste according to Ayurvedic principles. Ayurveda is ancient Indian healing science. I will shortly also share a modified fusion version with the same Ayurvedically balanced goodness but for a more western/European taste. Also check out...
Its summer and time to hang out with friends on deck for long “meaningful” conversations! ;-) What better foods to eat than a string of sensational and yummy tapas. With that in mind, let’s make this amazingly simple and taste-filled Chicken Sausage tapas. For those of you that are not familiar with Tapas- these are special finger foods (almost similar to appetizers) that are served in Spain. But unlike appetizers, where folks are expected to order a main course later thru the meal, there are Tapas bars in Spain; where friends gather and spend an entire evening chomping on tapas and drinking delicious concoctions (alcoholic and non!). Tapas are typically noted for their beautiful looks and can be quite hearty and filling. Of course, in addition to specialty Tapas bars which seem to be everywhere in Spain, you can also find them served at specialty market stores, i.e. Spanish version of a farmer’s market- food court.  Chicken Sausage Tapas So, now back to making our Chicken Sausage Tapas. :-) Finely chop up some red onions and pepper. You can choose the type of pepper based on your taste and heat-tolerance. I am being quite daring here and am using Habanero. But any variety including vibrant sweet peppers will do! Next coarsely slice up some garlic and finally thinly chop up an uncooked chicken sausage. Here I have used feta and spinach chicken sausage. But you could use plain chicken sausage or veggie (non-meat) sausage. This recipe would work well with chorizo or any other sausage as well… Start with heating some olive oil in an iron griddle. You can use a steel pan, but there seems to be something ‘just special’ about using an iron griddle for such type of grill/pan cooking. Add a little whole cumin to hot oil. As it starts to release its aroma, add the chopped peppers and garlic. Sauté them for just a little bit and then add the chopped chicken sausage. Sprinkle some fragrant dried oregano and thyme on this mix. Freshly grind some black pepper and sea salt to taste as well. Finally, add the finely chopped onions, mix and sauté this till sausages have cooked well and have browned a little on each side. Note that you can also use this mix to make Chicken Sausage and Mushroom salad. To serve- slice up some whole grain French bread. Spread some cream cheese on it. Here I have used a tasty version of Ricotta- Herb Cheese spread. Be sure to check it out by clicking on the link. Top up with our chicken sausage mix and viola- an amazingly tasty Tapas is ready. Enjoy it hot, warm or even a little limpid. That’s the best part about these dishes- since one enjoys it over a conversation, you want to ensure, it will still taste good when it has got cold ‘waiting’ in the plate! Do let me know if you have any questions or if you used any amazing variations. Tell me and others about your experience by writing in comments below…  Chicken Sausage Tapas  Fresh yellow, orange and red tomatoes It was great to find a huge varieties of tomatoes coming in at the super market. Seems like winter is finally over and it's time for spring and summer- time for fresh veggies! Tomatoes have essential nutrients such as vitamin B6, folate, potassium and niacin. These nutrients help reduce the risk of heart disease. Potassium-rich diets have been found to decrease high blood pressure as well. Folate and vitamin B6 help the body convert a harmful chemical known as homocysteine into nonthreatening molecules. Homocysteine in high quantities are linked to a higher risk of heart disease, stroke and heart attack. Chromium in tomatoes help control blood sugar levels. Several studies have come to show that tomatoes help reduce risk of cancers including stomach, lung, mouth, cervical, colon, ovarian and prostate cancer. The cancer fighting properties in tomatoes are called lycopene, which give tomatoes their red color. Raw tomatoes have less lycopene than processed ones. Cooking tomatoes let out the lycopene by getting rid of cell walls. The blend of lycopene and other phytonutrients in tomatoes makes it a great cancer fighting food. In fact, it is found that orange and tangerine colored tomatoes are even a better source of lycopene, since they provide it in a way that is better absorbed by the body. Plus these varieties pictured above are supposed to be lower in acidity! Beta-carotene, vitamin A and C are other antioxidants found in tomatoes that help repair damage to cells. Together with lycopene, they help counterbalance free radicals in the body and lower inflammation. Enjoy this healing goodness of tomatoes as a simple salad by itself or perfectly paired with chicken-pesto angel hair pasta! Yum yum yum :-) Read about healing health benefits of including tomatoes in your diet. Learn more about how seeds and nuts can help you...
 Cheese & Corn Microgreens Salad Here is another easy to make, super yummy salad! Taste all the cheese without the guilty feeling of all-purpose flour in conventional pizza. This is also good for low carbohydrate types of diet needs. Plus these fresh microgreens adds an extra quotient of nutrition. So, here's how to make it:  Cheese & Corn Microgreens Salad making- 1 Heat some olive oil in a pan and add few pieces of Boconncini (fresh mozzarella pearls) and finely chopped onions. Next sprinkle a little multi-purpose herb mix (such as Italian herbs) and some dried parsley.  Cheese & Corn Microgreens Salad making- 2 Then add corn- fresh will taste better, but frozen will work as well. Let corn cook for a few minutes (but not too mushy). Add sea-salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Remove it in your serving plate and top with generous amounts of freshly harvested spicy-tasting microgreens (e.g. Red Clover). That's it- it's easy to make and super yummy to taste...  Cheese & Corn Microgreens Salad making- 3 If you are like me, there are evenings where you so very crave a wonderful bowl of chips. You compromise and say- "sure I will eat the multi-grain baked ones". But somehow are still left feeling guilty because it was not nutritionally complete and balanced. Well, now here is a salsa idea, which is almost like a salad. You can heap your chips with veggies and whole grains, making your fun evenings guilt-free! To make the salsa-salad base, finely chop up half a red onion, one large tomato and add half a can of black beans. Rinse out the black beans, so you don't get any cruddy water and the texture looks so much better. Plus, doing this step also helps in removing some of the "gas-creating" negativity from beans. 
Tomatoes, Onions and Black Beans salsa-salad base
Heat some olive oil in another pan and add finely chopped green chilies. You can try jalapenos or serrano. Then add corn and cook for a few minutes, till corn is cooked but still firm to touch. Switch off heat and let it cool. 
Making corn for our nutritious salsa
Now mix cooked corn (cooled to room temperature) to the salsa-salad base. Add juice of half a lemon and garnish with finely chopped cilantro. Mix well and serve with multi-grain chips. 
Nutritious Salsa- Salad
In case, you are eating this dish as a salad, then crumble some chips on the top to give more texture and flavor to your salad. 
Nutritious Salsa and Multi-grain Tortilla Chips
This is a very easy to make super-healthy, super-foods salad. As we know sprouted grains and microgreens are very healthy for us- when you bring them together in this mouth-watering salad with a few other herbs and spices; you truly have a completely balanced one-dish meal! 
Making of Sprouted Mung Beans Mix
In a small pan heat some flavorful and healthy oil like first-press Sesame Oil. Next add a little powdered mustard (seeds) and large chopped garlic. Let garlic roast for a few minutes. This is really important, so it lends a very mild kick to our salad without being over-powering in it's raw flavor! Once garlic is semi-roasted (light brown color), add sprouted mung beans and mix well. Add a pinch of all-purpose seasoning (western herb blend) and sea salt to taste. Cook for a few minutes till mung beans are firm to feel but well-cooked. In a separate bowl/salad plate take half cut gem tomatoes (in varied colors & flavors), add our warm sprouted mung mix, top with crumbled fresh feta cheese and top up with Broccoli Brassica microgreens. Aromas and texture of this salad are amazing! When we eat a morsel, it seems to simply melt in our mouth, releasing a thousand flavors! 
Tomatoes, Sprouted Mung and Broccoli Microgreens Salad
Is it Salsa or Salad?- it's both! Here is an easy to make super nutritious recipe that you can eat like a salad or top up on nachos and enjoy like salsa. Either ways, it's yummy!  Sprouted Multi Grain Salsa For starters, sprout a handful of multi-grains. Once that's done (does take couple of days in a sprouter or you can buy in any natural food store) then heat some sesame seed oil in a pan. It's healthier to add asafoetida but if you don't like the taste you can skip it. Add some cumin, few cinnamon pieces and couple of bay leaves. Once they start to release their aroma, next add sprouted grains and mix well. You can dried chilies as well if you like it hot. I like to add these dried chilies to obtain flavor and some heat, but not eat these pieces- so in a way, you get best of both worlds! :) Finally add fresh or frozen corn and some chopped coriander leaves. Mix well- add a little salt to taste and cook covered for a few minutes. Note: I added some turmeric and saffron to increase it's healing, nutritional value. These spices can be a bit strong, but even a little pinch can go a long way in making your dish a "healing experience" for your body!  Sprouted Multi Grain Salsa In a bowl, add some chopped tomatoes and tomatillos. Also cut up ripe avocado. It's important that avocado is very ripe, almost mushy, so it can mix well to give a semi-dip style consistency to this salad/salsa. Add cooked sprouted multi-grains and corn to tomatoes and avocado base. Mix well.  Sprouted Multi Grain Salsa Lastly, add some petal Parmesan cheese and mix well. Serve it with some multi-grain nachos and enjoy a guilt free delicious, nutritious salsa. Or simply eat it like a salad. It can be a filling, one-dish meal.  Sprouted Multi Grain Salsa Here is a quick and easy way to make Peas and Cous Cous salad which is tasty as well as nutritious; making it a perfect brunch item on a lazy long weekend Sunday! To start, make cous cous or utilize if you already have your cous cous salad base pre-made. For cous cous base: For this boil some water. In another bowl, take half a cup of cous cous. Once water is boiled, add it cous cous- till water just covers it. Cover the bowl and wait a few minutes. Cous cous will soak up water and turn almost double it's quantity! Next add finely chopped onion and very finely chopped green chilies (optional). Finally drizzle a little oilve oil, fluff the cous cous and mix well. Next heat a pan on stove and add a little butter and green peas. Fresh taste even better, but frozen will do. Cover and let these peas soak up butter quite well. Next add your cous cous base, mix well, add salt to taste and your wonderful yummy Peas & Cous Cous Salad is ready!  Basic Peas & Cous Cous Salad To add more flavor, sprinkle some crispy thin-spiced vermicelli (called Sev in Hindi). It is available in most Indian stores in the snack aisle. If you want you can also break fried noddles into small pieces and sprinkle over it. Though sev makes a better accompaniment and easily mixes in the salad for a nice eating experience. You can also garnish it with finely chopped cilantro.  Peas & Cous Cous Salad garnished with Sev Mix well and eat warm. Without adding sev, this salad will keep well in the refrigerator and can also be enjoyed cold. But, it tastes tons better if you are to eat it warm with sev and fresh cilantro garnishing. Hope you enjoy making this- it's yummy and so very easy to make. This is a good brunch or lunch salad. Do let me know your experience and how it turned out for you in comments below...  Peas & Cous Cous Salad This is a healthy, hearty and flavorful Mediterranean Salad. You can eat it fresh and it also refrigerates quite well. Plus you can add other veggies (more posts to follow :)) to this cous cous base and make other tasty and hearty salads. This is so filling and nutrituous, it is almost a one dish meal! For this salad- first make your cous cous. For this boil some water. In another bowl, take half a cup of cous cous. Once water is boiled, add it cous cous- till water just covers it. Cover the bowl and wait a few minutes. Cous cous will soak up water and turn almost double it's quantity! Next add finely chopped onion and very finely chopped green chilies (optional). Finally drizzle a little oilve oil, fluff the cous cous and mix well. Next in another bowl, add one can of organic chick peas (well-drained). Add juice of half a lemon, zest of one lemon, a pinch of oregano, a few fresh basil leaves roughly chopped and mix well. Drizzle a little olive oil to mix in and hold these flavors. Finally, take handful of spinach leaves- roughly chop them up, mix with prepared cous cous and chick peas and viola- you have a very tasty and wonderfully healthy Mediterranean Salad.  Mediterranean Salad with Chick Peas, Spinach and Cous Cous Salad  Thai Basil Green Curry Pilaf This morning I was writing to a friend about the wonderful benefits of turmeric (and ginger)! It can at times be really difficult to get 'healing' quantities of turmeric thru regular food recipes, since this spice really needs to be added cautiously. A little extra and it can make your dish taste weird, really yucky goofy!
One of the dishes that allows for nice generous quantities of turmeric is curry! So I decided to make this Thai Basil Green Curry pilaf. Very easy to make and yummy to taste. Not to mention, it has amazing healing herbs and spices. Like many of my foods, this is my own recipe creation- and I really loved it's taste & texture! Do let me know your thoughts in comments below... To start, heat some coconut or sesame oil in a pan. Next add some cumin seeds. Once cumin starts to release it's aroma, add a few dried Thai chilies as well as finely chopped fresh green Thai chilies, onions and garlic. Mix well and saute for a few minutes, till onions soften and turn a little golden. Now add shrimps, generous quantity of dried basil leaves (but remember, its a taste lending spice- don't over do it! :)), green Thai curry powder, an extra pinch of turmeric, a little dried ginger powder and salt to taste (prefer to use either Himalayan Black or Pink salt). Mix well cook for a minute or two. Then add previously cooked parboiled rice, mix further- cover and cook on medium to low heat for a few minutes. This really allows these ingredients to cook softly and for the flavors and aromas to blend well. Lift lid, add a sliver of organic butter and dried chilies flakes. Cover and cook for a few more minutes... Dried chili flakes, lend a nice color and texture to this dish. They are not really spicy anyways- but if you are sensitive to hot & spicy foods, then adjust chilies in this recipe accordingly. Finally switch off heat, remove lid- mix well and serve hot. Garnish with a few dried coconut flakes and your one-meal dish is appealing to the eye, fantastic to taste and very healing for your body. This recipe has some of the awesome healing herbs- turmeric, ginger, cumin, basil as well as capcisum (in chilies). Note: Even though some recipes ask to add rice and water and then cook in the pan, I find these rice pilaf flavors more vibrant when we add previously cooked and cooled par-boiled rice.  Yellow Lentils with Fenugreek Leaves- Methi Dal Fenugreek leaves have wonderful healing properties. In addition to many others- it's best effect is as a blood cleanser and it's effect in lowering blood sugar levels!
Here is a traditional Indian Methi Dal recipe. You can serve it with warm basmati rice or with Indian flat breads- roti, naan or kulcha. Heat some olive oil or sesame oil in a pan. Add black mustard seeds and a little asafoetida. Once the seeds pop, add a few dried chilies and finely chopped garlic. Next add cooked dal (yellow lentils) and a little water. Then add finely chopped fenugreek leaves, turmeric, just a pinch of madras curry masala (a type of Indian spice-mix). Continue to cook for a few more minutes. Add Himalayan pink salt or good quality sea salt to taste and serve warm with Indian flat breads or rice. Note- you can make this dish with Kasoori methi- which is typically available in dried packets. I prefer to use fresh methi leaves as much as possible. It has less strong and a mild-flavorful taste. Kassori methi can be quite bitterly and can over-power your dish. It goes much better with potato dishes (in another post :)) where potato can better help curb it's bitter taste. 
Indian Shrimp Masala
This is a very easy way to make Indian Shrimp Masala. The key is marinating shrimp in the appropriate 'masala' or spice mix. Usually couple of hours before cooking is good enough but it's okay if you marinate it for longer. That's way, this is a easy quick-fix, since as you will note further, once this step is done- the rest only takes a few minutes! Marinating mix- you can apply whichever spice-mix you prefer! Personally I like to use garam masala, turmeric, chili powder (to taste or atleast the one which is not hot but lends good color, cumin-coriander powder mix, ginger powder/paste and garlic paste. Apply evenly and let sit for couple of hours. Making of Shrimp Masala: Heat sesame or coconut oil in a wok/pan. Here I am cooking in traditional Indian iron cook-ware, but you can easily make this in any good quality (thick bottom) steel pan. Next add a little asafoetida and black mustard seeds. Once the seeds have popped, add a few dried red chilies and finely chopped red onions. Saute the onion for couple of minutes and then lay those marinated shrimps on top of the onions (see step 1 picture). Lower heat so shrimps cook slowly with mild heat. Now, now- don't get impatient, considering these are shrimps, they still cook in just a few minutes! Then mix well (see step 2 picture) and add a little of sea salt, or Himalayan pink or black salt as well as finely chopped cilantro and mix well (see step 3 picture). Serve on a bed of white rice and enjoy warm! Steps in making of Indian Shrimp Masala Make-shift Pizza Okay guys! Picture this- It's nearing weekend and there's not a whole lot of fresh groceries in the refrigerator. You are hungry but are not willing to settle for any store bought food. You have couple of slices of bread left and some few items like shredded cheese, condiments etc.- what can you do? Viola- a "make-shift" pizza. Don't go by the name, since it tastes awesome! And it's very easy to make. Take your bread slice (fresh or frozen) and top with a think layer of shredded cheese. Here I have used Mexican cheese mix, which is a mix of mozzarella, light cheddar and Monterrey jack cheeses. Next top it with whichever condiments take your fancy (and are available). Here I have used pickled peppers. You could use sun-dried tomatoes, green and black olives etc. Finally top with your favorite herbs- hey we need to always be conscious of the nutritional value, right? ;-) Pop it in a toaster over for seven minutes at 400F and your "make-shift Pizza" is ready. Enjoy...  Making of make-shift Pizza 
Curried Chick Pea Warm Side-Salad
On Monday evening, when one is so tired and just not in the mood to cook up a fine gourmet entree, but is not willing to compromise; here is a perfect "quick fix me upper"! :-)
Curried chick peas- warm salad. This one is a modified quick-fix version of traditional Indian Chana Masala (i.e. Chick Pea Masala) You can serve it with roti, naan or kulcha (Indian flat bread) or eat it topped on spinach and lettuce or as a warm side dish or even by itself! Now for the easy way to make it: heat some organic coconut oil in a flat iron wok or girdle. Next add generous quantities of cumin and asafoetida. Next sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper, but in case you are not much for hot taste, you can skip black pepper. Once cumin start to give off their fine aroma, add rinsed organic canned chick peas. Mix well and add Madras curry spice, coriander seed powder and salt to taste. I prefer to use Himalayan black salt for it's eclectic (though strong) taste and beneficial qualities, but you can use any good variety of plain sea salt i.e. not flavored/spiced. Mix further and allow to cook for a few minutes. As the masala (spice mix) cooks, you can see it blend well with chick peas. Finally add lots of cilantro for that exotic taste and for cilantro's beneficial cooling and curry-balancing properties. Serve warm with Indian flat breads or freshly cooked basmati rice or as a salad- on a bed of baby spinach or simply enjoy by itself. Your dinner is ready- quick to make and yummy to taste! :-) |
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AuthorJuma Vera comes from the original Vedic Tradition, one of world’s oldest living cultures. Books
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