Zesty Colorful Sprouted Mung Salad
Satisfying and filling yet cool for this summer, I decided to make sprouted mung salad loaded with fruits, seeds and nuts.
Ingredients:
2 cups of sprouted whole mung daal
1 can of Mandarin oranges ( 10.4 oz., 295g)
1/2 cup of fresh strawberries cut in halves
1/2 head of Baby Romaine lettuce rolled and julienne cut
1 Thai chili diced
1/2 orange or yellow bell pepper diced
1/4 red onion thinly sliced and chopped in half
1/2 cup almonds soaked overnight and skin removed
1 tbsp raw sunflower seeds
1 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp hemp seeds for nutty flavor, protein and omega-3 content
1/2 julienne cut pickled cucumber
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes and pomegranate optional
Dressing Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients and vinaigrette.
Garnishing:
Cheese lovers add sheep or goat Greek cheese crumbled on top.
Crunchy lovers sprinkle sev bhujiya.
Healthy lovers add radish or favorite sprouts.
Note: Salads should be fresh for optimum taste!
Radiatori Pasta
Ingredients:
500g (17.6 oz) of Radiatori pasta or any shaped pasta – follow instructions on the package, don’t over cook!
2 cups of canned olives cut in halves
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 lb., 8 0z (861g) of fresh mozzarella cubed
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 red or white onion chopped
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
sea salt to taste
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes julienne cut
1/4 cup of pesto sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 to 3 stems of fresh basil
Preparation:
Heat olive oil on medium heat, add butter then onion and garlic until golden. Followed by sun dried tomatoes and pesto sauce; red chili and black pepper; Italian seasoning and both salts. Add the cooked Radiatori and stir evenly then add the 2 cheeses and olive halves. Stir for few minutes. Turn of heat and add the cherry tomatoes and basil. Serve!
Chatpata Aaloo Paratha (Potato)
Make this on a rainy day and it will boost your satisfaction!
4 large Idaho, Russet or Yukon yellow potatoes – pierce and microwave for ~ 20 min or boil in water. Don’t overcook. Grate the potatoes so no lumps are there.
Fresh blend–1 big piece ginger, 1 small piece turmeric, 4 to 5 red and green Thai chile, 1 medium size red onion, 1 bunch cilantro - coarse chop and place in the food processor except onion until last and use pulse button.
Masala:
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp MTR garam masala
1 1/2 tsp pomegranate powder or mango powder (aamchur) or both
1 tsp fennel powder
1/2 tsp sambar powder
2 tsp sea salt–salt to taste
1/2 tsp white pepper powder optional
Add all the masala and fresh blend in the grated potatoes. Mix and make large size balls.
Preparation for dough:
4 cups of whole wheat flour, 1/4 tsp salt, pinch of asafoetida and 1/8 tsp red pepper powder–make soft dough by adding water little at a time so it is easy to spread. It’s okay to over work the dough. Cover with a towel for 10 minutes before making the parathas.
Oil hands and make a small ball – flatten and roll. Oil it, put potato ball on top, cover and close dough. Use all purpose flour to spread the paratha thin or thick and remove extra flour before shallow frying on both sides. Your choice to make it soft or crispy. My family gives their request a day before. Enjoy with pickles, mint yogurt, and chutneys or even melted grated Mexican cheese blend.
