Roasted Vegetables

Roasted veggies is one of my favorite way to incorporate vegetables in any meal. Roasting in high temperature will caramelize outside of veggies creating a sweet flavor while inside is still soft.  You can serve them with your favorite dip or with a protein(Chicken/fish/lentils soup) on side for a perfectly healthy satisfying meal.

If the vegetable in my recipe is not your favorite replace them with the ones you like.

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower chopped
• 1 large zucchini chopped
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
•  hand full of baby carrots
• 10 oz mushrooms sliced
• 1 medium potato cubed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degree Fahrenheit
2. In a large bowl toss the vegetables together with olive oil, salt , pepper and garlic powder
3. Divide the veggies and spread them on two baking sheets
4. Roast vegetables for 30 minutes , removing vegetables from oven every 15 minutes to stir.

There are few things to remember while roasting veggies

Roast in a very hot oven. Wait until oven temperature reaches 425 before placing your veggies.

Cut all vegetables evenly. Else you will burn some of them.

Never crowd the pan. Spread in a single layer.

Never leave them alone. Always check vegetables in between while they are in the oven

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Pan-fried Salmon

As a working mother and wife I am all for easy and quick meals. This pan-fried salmon will be ready in less than 10 minutes. Serve with baby spinach salad,  you have a hearty healthy meal. Salmon is rich with Omega 3 fatty acids and high in proteins. This is one of the healthiest meal you can serve for your family. Perfect for any one who want a low carb  but satisfying meal..

Ingredients

• 4 center cut salmon
• 1 lemon
• 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1 tsp pepper powder (add more if you prefer spicy)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 2 tbs olive oil

Directions

1. Squeeze lemon. Combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, ginger powder and lime juice into a bowl. Add 1 tsp water if mixture is too dry.
2. Marinate Salmon in the mixture.
3. Heat nonstick skillet with oil over medium high heat.
4. Place salmon in the pan and cook until golden brown on one side- around 4 minutes.
5. Turn the fish and cook for another 4 minutes.
6. Transfer to plate and serve.

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Tips:-  You can bake the salmon instead of pan frying. For that preheat oven to 450 degree F. Place salmon skin side down on the baking dish .Bake until salmon is done for about 15 minutes.

 

Creamy Broccoli soup

Broccoli’s are great for soup. This is a simple,  less than 30 minute recipe to make thick and flavorful soup. Don’t be hesitated with the color. They taste very creamy and delicious I am sure you will love it. I used Broccoli  from my garden for this soup, some of them have turned in to flowers already but are great for soups. So I used them anyway.

Ingredients

•  4 cups of broccoli florets
•  1 tbs olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chipped
• 1 medium potato, cubed
• 4 -5 baby carrots, cubed
• 2 -3 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 cup Parmesan grated

Direction

1.  Add olive oil in a medium sized pot and saute onion, garlic cloves,  celery and potato cubes, carrots for few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.  I used a pinch of red chili powder also since i like it a little spicy. But it is completely optional. Add broccoli , broth and let it simmer for 10  minutes.
2. Add milk and simmer for 3 minutes.
3. Pour the mixture in a blender and pulse it for few times until it forms a thick puree. You can add more milk or water to thin the soup
4. Serve into bowls and sprinkle Parmesan on top .
5. Garnish with the broccoli florets and croutons and serve.

Tips:-

If you want more creamier soup use half- half or cream instead of milk

Always can add water to puree to adjust thickness

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Creamy Homemade Mango PopSicles

Summer is near here in Texas and my daughter wants to eat Popsicle every day !!! So I made this guilt free Popsicle for her yesterday. She absolutely loved it. This doesn’t have any white sugar added and are a perfect after school snack when she gets home.

Ingredients

1. 1 mango peeled cut into piece
2. 1 cup Greek yogurt low fat
3. 2 tsp honey
4. 1/4 cup milk

Directions

Blend mangoes, 1/2 of honey, 2/3 of milk and 2/3 of yogurt in a blender. Keep them in the side. Blend rest of the yogurt , honey and milk together. Now you have mango mix and yogurt mix. Add the mango mix into Popsicle mold. Then add yogurt mix. Alternate  between mango and yogurt mix. Freeze them for 4 -5 hours.

To remove Popsicle from mold run  under hot water until they are released.

Enjoy !!!!!

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Cauliflower Pancakes

Cauliflowers are great for low carb recipes. This pancakes taste so good , my family finished it in few minutes. I barely got one saved to take a picture for the blog 🙂 . They are full of flavor and are perfect for lunch or ‘breakfast for dinner’. If you don’t use the whole mix, it refrigerates well for the next day also. Use gluten free bread crumbs for gluten free recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup green onion(optional)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp pepper powder
• olive oil

Directions

1. Cut cauliflower into florets. Cook them until tender. (I microwaved them for 3 -4 minutes)
2. Mash them in a food processor when it is still warm
3. Stir in cheese , eggs, bread crumbs, onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well
4. Heat skillet and pour 1 tsp of olive oil
5. Scoop a big spoon full of mixture into skillet and spread it with the back of the spoon into thin pancake shape.
6. Let it cook in medium flame for 3 minutes per side.

Enjoy  …. !!!!!

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Oven Baked zucchini crisps

Carving for chips , but still want to eat healthy? This Zucchini chips will be your delicious nutritious alternative.

Ingredients

• 1 large Zucchini
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used panko)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/8 tsp salt
• ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat Oven to 425.  Slice zucchini into 1/8 inch thick rounds. In a large bowl combine zucchini slices with oil. In a small bowl combine bread crumbs , Parmesan, salt and pepper.  Dip zucchini slices in the mix one by one  coating it evenly on both sides and arrange on the nonstick  baking tray in a single layer. Bake for about 10 minutes until golden.  (Careful not to burn). Remove  with a spatula and serve immediately.

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Tips

• For Gluten free alternative use gluten free bread crumbs.
• Keep checking after 5 minutes to avoid burning. Cooking time depends on thickness of Zucchini.
• Chips will continue to get crispier while cooling.

Pizza Roll ups with hidden Vegetables

This cheesy whole wheat pizza rolls are packed with veggies. For kids who had hard time with textures and flavors of vegetable this rolls will provide their veggie servings.  Excellent for making in batches and perfect for lunch boxes. Home made whole wheat crust and blended veggies make this  perfect meal for every one.

Sauce

• Marinara sauce – 1 cup
• 1 cup of chopped veggies(Spinach, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, carrots, zucchini )

Saute chopped veggies for 4 minutes . Blend them with marinara sauce and keep it aside.

• 2 cups of Mozzarella cheese

Crust

• 2 cups of wheat flour (can use 1/2 all purpose and 1/2 wheat if u want to)
• 2 tsp of rapid yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup warm water
• 3 tbs olive oil

1. Mix sugar in 2/3 cups of warm water and dissolve yeast in it for 15 minutes.
2. Combine this with flour, salt and olive oil and knead into a soft dough ball. It might take around  4 minutes.
3. Place dough in a large ball , cover with wet cloth or tissue. Allow to rest for 30 to 45 minutes until dough is double the size.
4. Place dough in a lightly floured surface and roll it using a rolling pin to 1/2 inch thick rectangle.
5. Preheat oven to 400 F.
6. Spread sauce on it and sprinkle mozzarella cheese.
7. Roll the dough until you have one large roll.
8. Slice it into 15 slices  and place them on a baking sheet.
9. Bake for 15 minutes until rolls are golden brown and cooked thorough the middle.

     

Wheat Dosa with Vegetable filling

If you are a busy person looking for quick and easy way to pack lunch for kids or looking for a to go meal this is just for you. Wheat Dosa has only one ingredient – Wheat flour !! And will be ready in five minutes. You can prepare filling ahead of time and keep it refrigerated. Just make the dosa and stuff the filling and you are ready to go ..

For Dosa:-

Ingredients:-

1.  Wheat flour -1 cup
2. Water – 2 cups
3. pinch of salt

Directions :-

Combine the flour and water with salt in the bowl. Mix well to achieve a medium thick consistency (like pancakes). Heat a non stick flat pan and  pour 2 spoon of  batter and spread. Let it cook for 3 minutes one side. Flip to the other side and let it cook for one minute. Remove the dosa from pan to a plate (Pictures shown)

     

For Filling :-

Ingredients:-

1. Green beans – 1 cup
2. Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
3. Small onion (Shallot) – 1
4. Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
5. Salt
6. Vegetable oil -1 tsp

Directions :-

Heat oil in a pan and saute onion. Once it is translucent add grated coconut. add turmeric and salt    and mix in green beans. cover the pan and reduce the flame and let it cook for 10 minutes. stir occasionally.

Tips:-

Feel free to use any of your favorite vegetable. Broccoli or  carrots or any non vegetarian like minced chicken or shrimp as filling. just make sure it is well cooked and is in fine pieces. Once filling is ready place the dosa in a plat and spread 2 spoon full of filling. Fold the top and bottom flaps towards the center. Pull the right flap of dosa over the contents towards the center. Fold the left side over right to form a tight pouch.  Serve with ketch up or your favorite dip or chutney.

  

Banana Date Smoothie

This is a everyday smoothie with no extra sugar added. If you are concerned about eating healthy this smoothie recipe is your answer. With banana and dates this can be a healthy alternative to ice cream for kids.

Ingredients:-

1. Frozen banana -1
2. Dates -5 -6 d
3. Milk – 1/2 cup
4. Cinnamon powder – 1 pinch

Directions:-

1. Peel banana.
2. Remove all seeds from dates.
3. Put all ingredients into a blender and blend to smooth.
4. I used frozen banana to avoid putting ice cubes in my smoothie. Just keep a banana in the freezer over night and you have your banana ready for smoothie. You can add more milk if you want a milkshake consistency or less milk for ice cream consistency.
5. Enjoy !!!

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Home Made Granola With Honey

Making home made granola is super easy and healthy. You can use your imagination to add as many as nut or seeds or dried fruits you want to get the flavors you carve.

Ingredients

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup roasted nuts chopped(I used pecans and peanuts)
• 1/4 cup roasted seeds ( sunflower or pumpkin) 
• 1/4 cup dried fruits chopped
• 2 table spoon honey
• 1 table spoon oil (coconut or olive oil)
• 1/4 tea spoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips(optional)
• pinch of salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 F. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl . Use your clean hands to mix. It worked better to combine everything. Spread the mix in a thin layer on a  baking sheet  and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Be care full not to burn the oats.  Cool  before storing in a  air tight container. This can stay in refrigerator for up to a month.