Kale, Cilantro Flat bread/Roti

How about Roti with Kale for dinner?  I guess everyone who is reading my blog might observe I like to eat kale in different forms. Today's recipe is trying kale in the form of Roti.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup kale
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1tsp minced garlic
1 tsp red chili powder (Adjust as per spice)
1 tsp coriander powder
salt as per taste
1 cup yogurt (If you want to make it vegan use vegan yogurt)
3 cups wheat flour or multigrain flour
1tbsp oil

Process:

Use either food processor or finely chop all green leaves.  I used food processor so it was more of coarse paste than finely chopped.
In a bowl add yogurt, all spices mix well.  Add finely chopped greens or coarse paste of greens and mix well. To this add flour  and make a soft dough. (Add water as needed)  Rest the dough for 10 mts covering with damp kitchen towel.
Or use food processor to make soft dough.







Take the dough and divide into small balls. Dusting with flour roll the dough into flat bread approximately 5" to 6" diameter.

On a hot griddle or pan place roti/flat bread. Cook both sides till it turns golden color drizzling few drops of oil or ghee.

Serve with curry or raita or pickle. Or just eat the roti as it is.

Zucchini Noodles with Pesto

A trip to farmers market on Sunday made me realize in few more weeks Summer is about to end and I will not be able to find fresh summer vegetables like zucchini, corn, basil etc in farmers market. Before they vanish I bought few pounds all my favorite veggies.
Today's recipe is low carb, low calorie, inexpensive zucchini noodles with pesto.  Next time when you really want to eat noodles try these zuchhini noodles instead of regular noodles.

Ingredients:



2 Zuchhinis (I used 2 zucchinis considering 1 per person)- Use a Julienne peeler or mandoline or spiralizer to cut into julienne strips. Always stop when you reach seeds and turn.

Pesto:

2 cups fresh packed organic basil leaves
1 tbsp cilantro (optional)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1tbsp lemon juice
2 green chilies (I like spicy so I added chilies. this is optional)
sea salt

Combine basil, garlic, salt, lemon juice and pulse till coarse in food processor. Add 1/4 cup oil and process until fully incorporated  and smooth.







In a large skillet add 1/4 tsp of oil, once skillet is hot add zucchini noodles, season with salt and pepper and cook for 1 mt or until the veggies are cooked through yet firm.
Remove cooked zucchini noodles in a serving bowl add pesto and give a good stir. Adjust spices as needed.

Healthy, delicious dinner ready in minutes.

Homemade Almond Butter (Preservatives Free)

Whenever I go to Whole foods I always stop at the nut butters aisle. But never bought one looking at the ingredients list. I somehow cannot accept so much sodium in nut butter. So decided to make home made almond butter without any preservatives and added sugar.

Here is the incredibly easy recipe. The best part is you can control what goes in. Who doesn't want control right?

Here is some health information about almonds and almond butter (If any one is interested to know)
Health Benefits




Ingredients:

2 cups of Almonds (roasted or raw)
If you are planning to roast,  Pre heat oven at 350 degrees F.  Lay almonds on baking tray and roast for 8 to 9 minutes. Remember to turn occasionally.
FYI- Raw almonds will take longer time than roasted almonds to get the almond butter consistency.

1/4 tsp sea salt (Optional)


Process:









In the food processor add roasted almonds and switch on button. If you are looking chunky almond butter when almonds chopped coarsely stop the food processor and remove 2 tbsp of chopped almonds and keep it aside. Rest of the batch back to grinding. Depending on batch size it might take some time to get to the right consistency. Be patient. Make sure you stop every few minutes and scrape the sides with spatula. After some time you will finally see the right texture similar to peanut butter. At this time you can add sea salt. This step is completely optional.  Give it a quick mix and remove in air tight container if you are looking for smooth texture. If you are looking for chunkier one, then add coarse almonds which kept aside and give it a quick mix.

Delicious, healthy almond butter is ready for you to enjoy as a snack or as a spread on the toast for your breakfast.

Shelf Life:  up to 2 months without any flavor in the fridge in a airtight container.

Tip: You can also flavor almond butter with 2 tbsp of honey / Agave / Maple syrup. If you add these flavors shelf life will be shorter. So make sure you do smaller batches when you add flavors.

Kale, Chickpeas Salad with Tahini dressing

Past few months have been pretty hectic with many events in my life both professionally and personally. My parents visited us for few weeks after pestering them with many calls J. I guess lot of people can relate to my statement. It is really hard for our parents to stay here for a longer duration. But I am glad they came here and spent sometime with us. Initially, I thought I will blog every recipe which my mom makes while she was here but with a hectic schedule never got a chance to implement my idea.

After my parents left it took me a while to be back on track. Lately I started experimenting with salads. Today’s recipe is one of those salad experiments.

Here is the recipe for crunchy, high protein and nutrient salad. What else do you need to be healthy yet satisfying your taste buds? Try and let me know your experience.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 can of chickpeas

2 cups of chopped organic baby kale or regular kale ( I used organic baby kale)

1 cucumber peeled and diced

1/4 cup of chopped walnuts and pecans or any nuts of your choice nuts 

1tbsp of dried cranberries

1/2 tsp lemon zest

Dressing:

2 tbsp of tahini paste (I used home made tahini)

1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

pinch of cayenne pepper (Optional. If you are spicy eater like me you can add cayenne or else leave this ingredient)

1tbsp lemon juice

salt and pepper as per your taste

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl add greens, diced cucumbers, chickpeas,nuts and cranberries. 

In a small bowl add all dressing ingredients and whisk well. 

Pour the dressing on the veggies and toss well. Enjoy as a main course or a side dish.