Edamame salad

Edamame sounds like a strange bean.  Many of us aren't aware that, it's nothing but soya bean, when it is young.  They harvest it before it hardens and turns into soya bean. It is mostly cultivated in Asian countries but became quite popular in the western world.  It is available in the market either fresh or frozen. Edamame is rich in Carbohydrate, protein, dietary fibre and other essential nutrients.
Ingredients:


Edamame  - salted and Boiled or steamed
Cherry tomato- washed and cut in half
Celery- washed and cut in pieces
Carrots- washed, peeled and cut into julianne or grated
Green pepper - washed and chopped or sliced
Dressing:
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
garlic -  finely chopped
vinegar

Note: I added chat masala powder to bring Indian flavor to the salad.
Edamame can be substituted with other beans for a change.




Method:
Cook edamame according to directions on package. Rinse with cold water to cool. Combine edamame and other vegetables in a bowl and mix together.
Whisk olive oil, vinegar , garlic, salt and pepper and seasonings together. Pour dressing over combined vegetables and mix thoroughly. Adjust seasonings to taste. Refrigerate and serve.

Broccoli raisin salad

Ingredients:
Broccoli - washed and cut into florets
Golden raisins
dried cranberries
Sunflower seeds
Carrots - Shredded
Cheese - Shredded (optional)


sweet vinaigrette dressing :
Mayonnaise
Vinegar
Sugar



Method:
In a large sauce pan  bring water to boil and add salt. Add the broccoli florets and blanch until the florets turn bright green and slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Drain well, run under cold water to stop further cooking, and drain again.



 Dressing:  In a mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar,  sugar .  Add  all of the above ingredients including broccoli , toss  to coat with the dressing. Refrigerate for 1 hour and serve immediately.


Note:  Quantity or measurements  can be used according to the requirement.

Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

Quinoa  - cooked

Chickpeas - boiled / Canned

Green apples - chopped

Red peppers - chopped

Green peppers - chopped

Honey

Walnut - chopped

Lentils - cooked / Canned

Parsley

salt 

pepper 

olive oil

lemon juice

Method:

Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low . Cover for 10 - 15 mins and simmer until quinoa is tender and water has been absorbed,  Set aside to cool.

 For dressing: Whisk olive oil, lime juice, honey, salt, pepper, chopped parsley together in a bowl.

Combine boiled quinoa, lentils,  chick peas, walnuts, red peppers , green peppers, green apples in a bowl, add the dressing and give a quick toss.

 



Dry fruits and nuts ladoo

"Good things come in small packages"  This stands true, when you look at  the goodness of Nuts.  Nature has provided us with these beautiful nutritional powerhouses, fully packed with heart-friendly fats, protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber and Omega 3 fatty acids.  It's the vegetarian's  main source of protein.  It helps us feel full and suppress the appetite. But, not all the nuts are made equal, each one has its own goodness, amount of calories and protein content.

Health benefits:Walnuts provide the richest source of antioxidants, purifies body from within and making your skin glow, flushing out all the toxins.
Almonds are the ones with the most fiber content, richest source of Vitamin E, which  is good for skin . Cashews are a rich source of iron, zinc and magnesium. It delivers oxygen to all the cells of our body, thereby preventing chances of anemia. Pistachios are dieters choice because of the low calories. These are rich in antioxidant gamma-tocopherol, potassium and Vitamin B6.

How much do we need ? 
A handful is enough to take you overboard. Nuts are good when taken in limited quantities. This limit also extends to the value of daily nutritional intake.  Aren't we glad that nuts can make us healthy, wealthy and wise?.

Bad nuts:
Nuts can be bad for health  if it is coated with sugar, salt or chocolate. Nuts in raw form has more nutritional value. Nuts can cause allergies in some people and can prove fatal.

This recipe is all natural no additives or preservatives.  Can be stored upto a week or two in an air-tight container.


Ingredients
Nuts: roasted and chopped  100 grs each
Almonds
Cashews
Walnuts
Pistachios
Shredded/ desiccated Coconut
Poppy seeds / khus khus
Can use whatever is available in the market like Macadamia nuts, Brazilian nuts, Hazel nuts, Pecans, Sunflower seeds, melon seeds etc.
Dry fruits: chopped  100 grs each
Dates
Figs
Raisins


Jaggery- 1cup or Edible gum - 2 tbsp
Ghee or Melted butter -3 tbsp
Cardamom pwd  for flavouring -1/4 tsp

Method:

Roast the nuts in 1 tsp ghee till brown, and in a blender pulse coarsely.

Chop dates, figs and raisins

Dry roast coconut and  poppy seeds till brown.

If using the edible gum: roast gum with little ghee and blend till smooth. Mix all the ingredients well and roll the mixture to balls with greased palms.

If using jaggery: To a heavy bottom pan, add grated jaggery and 2 tbsp. water and melt on a low heat. Filter this to remove impurities. Add 1 tbsp. Ghee to the jaggery and begin to boil it till it reaches a soft ball consistency. You can drop a spoon of this syrup in a bowl  of water. when you see the syrup can be rolled to a soft ball. Switch off the heat. pour it over the nuts and stir well. Wait for few mins until it is easy to handle and roll it into balls.

Go Nuts Go !!

Creamy Fruit salad

Ingredients:
Apple - 1 cup diced
Grapes - 1/2 cup green or red globe grapes
Banana - 1 cup diced
cantaloupe -  1 cup
Oranges - 1 cup segments
Any kind of fruits of your choice can be added.


for the dressing:
Condensed milk - 1 can
Cream cheese -  50 gr
Sour cream - 2 tbsp.



Method:
Combine condense milk, cream cheese, sour cream and beat together.
Add the fruits and mix well to coat .
Serve chilled.


Variation: If condense milk is too sweet, variation can be made with the combination of Cream cheese , whip cream,Agave

BLT Salad

BLT reminds us of sandwich with Bacon lettuce and Tomato.    I enjoyed this delicious salad at a kids camp, where I was volunteering.  The ladies in the kitchen prepared it for about 200 people.  There were several trays, full of  this colorful salad.   As the lunch time was approaching, I couldn't wait to try to this salad.  The lunch also came with black forest ham sandwich and juice.  The lunch was so delicious!  I thought my family would enjoy it just as much as I did....  I knew the basic ingredients used in this salad i.e Bacon , lettuce and salad.   I put it together and prepared it for weekend lunch.   They loved it all and it was quickly vanished from the bowl!

Ingredients:
Bacon - few strips cut in pieces
Tomato -  1 diced
Lettuce -  romaine lettuce washed and cut into pieces
Marble cheese - shredded 1/4 cup
Cucumber- 1 diced
Frozen Green peas/ sugar snap - 1/4 cup  microwaved  for few mins.  Sugar snap can be used fresh. 
Dressing:
Sour cream - 1 tbsp
Mayonnaise - 1 tbsp
parmesan cheese - 1 tsp
Salt , pepper
vinegar - 1 tsp
sugar - 1/4 tsp

Method:
 Combine BLT and other ingredients in a bowl.
Mix the dressing in a separate bowl and toss it all together to coat the salad.


For Bacon:  Place bacon in a  skillet. Cook over medium high heat, turning frequently, until evenly browned. Drain the excess fat, crumble and set aside.