Greek Salad

Counting calories is not my cup of tea and I have never bothered to do it ever in the past. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I make all kinds of foods, but I still talk about eating healthy and stick to balanced portions from the 4 food groups in order to stay on track. Using fats liberally is never on my mind and I don't like burdening my digestive system with hard work always.
 
Anyways I love vegetables more than meat. And I am a salad person for sure. Every meal is accompanied with a salad and I gulp down spoonful's of salad each and every time it is served. Salads never bore me. And then they can be prepared in a myriad ways. So I am always looking out for salad and trying them regularly.
 
My latest obsession is Greek food. I am enjoying trying out a few Greek recipes in the last few days. So this salad was always on my list to try and it is incredibly cool and so simple to make.
 
Chill out this summer with a tangy and chilled salads. Smother it with fresh vegetables, add the easy crunch of Greek cheese, or just gobble it up plain. Top it with a tangy vinaigrette drizzle.
 
You will realize that every bite is heaven and delicious. A perfect blend of sweet and sour. Off to the recipe now:
 
INGREDIENTS:

  
10 to 12 cubes Fresh feta
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup marinated olives
1 head of romaine lettuce (very green, check leaves for marks)
Pint of plum tomatoes
1 peeled cucumber
Half of one red onion
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 lemons
Salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
 
HOW TO MAKE:

1) Slice the red onion into two quarters and into slices, as thinly as you can. 
 
2) Place the onion into a bowl , pour the vinegar over it and sprinkle with the oregano.  Toss, and set aside for at least 20 minutes. 
 

3) Cut the tomatoes and cucumber into thick slices, halve both if you prefer.   Wash and cut the lettuce into bite-size pieces.  Pat dry.  Place these ingredients into a large bowl. 
 
4) Cut the feta into quarters, add to the bowl.  Add the olives.  Sprinkle all of this with salt and black pepper.
 

5) Add the onions and the vinegar.  Slice and juice the lemons over the mixture, add the olive oil over the salad.
 
6) Gently toss the mixture, so that the feta breaks up slightly, but not too much.  Wait a few minutes and just let all of this sit and marinate together.
 
7) Serve it chilled. It tastes greate when chilled.

 

 

Fattoush

Ready to beat the heat? Then this tangy Lebaneese salad is a tasty choice. This is a great recipe for a quick summer supper. There aren't many ingredients and doesn't take much time!

Fattoush is basically a Lebaneese dish. It adds all the flair your dinner deserves. Fattoush is so popular in the middle east that you will surely find it in most 5-Star hotel menu books. It in fact deserves to be on the banquet tables of royal courts. And it is terribly  effortless to make - Just gather the right ingredients, and your favorite salad is a snap to make—and super tasty, too!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Romaine lettuce, torn in pieces
1 cucumber
A few tomatoes,seeded and  diced
1 raddish sliced (white or red color)
Green onions sliced
A hand ful of chopped Italian parsely and a hand ful of fresh mint
A green pepper diced (optional)
2 small pita breads
Olive oil for frying the pita breads

For the dressing:

2 small lemons, juiced
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 generous tsps of Sumac ( Sumac is a an Arabian spice that gives a tangy flavor to dishes) you can substitute with vinegar or lime juice if you can't find sumac in your place.

2 or more cloves of garlic mashed in a dash of salt in a mortar. If this salt is not enough, you can add more salt in the salad according to taste.

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Chop all the vegetables for the Salad. Mix them in a bowl.

2) Heat olive oil in a wok . Cut the pita breads into small rectangular pieces and deep fry them in the hot oil.

3) Mix these deep fried bread pieces with the salad vegetables.

4) Now prepare the dressing - Mix all the dressing ingredients well and pour the dressing into the salad bowl and mix well.

5) Serve the salad as it is or you can chill it for a while in the refrigerator and serve .
 

 

 

Russian Salad

Yum-O. Its time to adventure up your palate. I am here with a magical recipe for a luxurious salad which had its origin from Russia. Also called as the Olivier Salad, it consists of diced veggies and fruits mixed with cream & mayonnaise with a dash of salt & pepper.

The mayonnaise is the magical ingredient here which lights up the flavours & gives them a contrasting effect. This salad is guaranteed to make a splash in parties too. You should surely give this a try.

The recipe for a bowl of this fanciful salad is as follows:

INGREDIENTS:

4-5 chopped French Beans
1/4 cup peas
1/2 cup diced pineapple
1/2 cup diced apple
1/4 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup cream
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Boil some water in a small bowl. Throw in the chopped french beans and the peas. Remove them from the boiling water once they are slightly softened. This step takes about 3-4 minutes. Drain them & keep aside.

2)  Mix all the fruits & vegetables in a fresh bowl and add the Mayonnaise, cream, salt & pepper. Mix well till the mayonnaise looks smooth.

3)  Chill and serve.

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY

              RATING  POINTS         :    9/10**

** Some people also add boiled chicken, boiled egg, spring onions, green pepper etc to this salad. The choice is yours if you'd like to add some of these ingredients too.

** If you dont have cream available, add some yogurt instead.

Chicken Salad

I am back to my workplace after a quiet & refreshing weekend. Reading, Browsing, some light cooking & a quick round of grocery shopping were the highlights of this week. Added to this we enjoyed some incredible weather. Thanks to a dull sky. We were treated for some lovely crisp breeze in the evenings.

Saturday morning blues have become a common trend for me every weekend. I feel very quirky when I find my online buddies all set for the weekend in other parts of the world and here I am starting a fresh week with a hectic schedule lined for me.

While I was browsing around in the market a couple of days back, I saw piles and piles of all kinds of fresh greens neatly stacked on the aisle. From Asparagus to leeks, from lemon grass to fresh romaine lettuce, there was so much. I was struck by a nostalgia. So I ended up buying some fresh lettuce & olives. As you can tell, I still do not know how and where I can use asparagus/lemon grass/leeks etc. Anyone out there with recipes for how to use these veggies? I'd love to learn their flavours and their usage.

Since the weather is gradually turning balmy,with a limp appetite, I am in the mood for food that can exhilarate my system & keep me rejuvinated all day. I am determined to hang on to various salads, smoothies, fruits & veggies. This week I opted to try the chicken salad. With the fresh lettuce & the colourful olives, the resulting produce was a vibrant bizarre of colors.

INGREDIENTS:

8 pieces boneless chicken

A small bunch lettuce

1 medium sized tomato

1 green bell pepper

3/4 cup shredded cabbage

2 tbsp Mayonnaise (Optional)

8-10 olives (you can also use pickled olives)

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt to taste

1 Carrot grated

2 tbsp fresh/frozen corn

1 small Cucumber/Zucchini

1/2 cup finely chopped spring onions greens only.

Some parseley/coriander leaves

Fresh black Pepper powdered

Salad seasoning & some vinegar

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Chop all the veggies finely or in any shapes you desire. Keep aside.

2)  Boil the chicken in some water till soft. Shred the chicken once cooled. Shred them big or small. The choice is yours.

3)  Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Toss well. If you have any salad dressing , you can add that and balance the seasoning well. Check taste. Serve.

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY

              RATING  POINTS         :    10/10**


**  The ingredients used can be varied accorsing to ones choice. You can add or subtract some of the ingredients if you like.

**  Chicken can be shredded or cubed or grilled also before tossing into the salad.

** Raddish/beetroot lovers can add some rounds to this salad to enhance the taste. If you dont have lettuce, add lots of green cabbage.

** If you like some fruits into this salad, just toss in some chopped apples/clementine etc.

Moong Sprouts salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sprouted moong
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1  chopped cucumber
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
1/2 cup grated/chopped carrot
1/2 cup frozen corn (optional)
1/2 onion chopped fine


For the Salad Dressing:

1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice, adjust to taste


HOW TO MAKE:

1) Mix all the chopped vegetables in a bowl along with the Moong sprouts.

2) Add all the salad dressing ingredients to this and toss well.

3) Serve.

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY
              RATING  POINTS         :    10/10**

**  For moong sprouts, soak the whole moong for 10 to 12 hours. After soaking, the moong will double in volume. Drain the water and loosely wrap the moong beans with a muslin/soft cotton cloth. Store the soaked beans in a warm dark place. For example, store the beans in a closed oven or cover with a heavy cloth. Within a day or two, the beans will have sprouted. You can store these moong sprouts for 4-5 days in a refrigerator & use.

Green Gram & Vegetable Salad

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup Split Green Gram
1 tea spoon grated coconut(optional)
½ cup grated carrot
1 Chopped cucumber
1/2 Cup Corn
1/2 Onion Chopped
1/2 Tomato Chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 green chilli (optional)
1 tablespoon coriander leaves
4-5 curry leaves chopped finely
Salt to taste

HOW TO MAKE:

1)   Soak the split green gram in water for 20-25 minutes.

2)  Discard the water and add all the vegetables to it.

3)  Add salt, lemon juice, chopped coriander leaves.

4)  Mix well & Serve

 RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY

              RATING  POINTS         :    10/10**

**  The vegetables can be chopped in any shape you like for more creative salads.

Coleslaw

As promised, I am back to post a recipe for Coleslaw. I remember having eaten Coleslaw for the first time in KFC. I wondered how raw cabbage can be made delicious by tossing it with some cream, mayonnaise, sugar and a few spices. This leafy green vegetable is generally not a popular vegetable in my family because of the occasional bitter taste it produces.  Hence the experience of having Coleslaw in KFC turned out to be fruitful as it improved the popularity of cabbage at my place and today cabbage is a compulsion in my grocery list. All credit goes to KFC.

But fried cabbage turns out to be a taste enhancer in most chineese dishes even though fries are not very healthy. Cabbage is a low calorie food and is widely used in many dieting programmes. Neverthless I realise that Coleslaw is a wonderful culinary invention.

Coleslaw can be used both as a salad or as a side dish. The other name for Coleslaw is the Cabbage Salad. It is a creamy finely chopped/shredded raw cabbage salad which is moistened in a sweet and sour dressing made up of mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar , pepper, salt and vinegar or lemon juice. It can be made more colourful by adding a small amount of fresh shredded carrot. Coleslaw also goes well with sandwiches or wraps and tastes best when its eaten chilled and hence it serves as a refreshing dish for a hot day.

Coleslaw is a simple to make but a fabulous dish. This is how the recipe goes:

REQUIRED INGREDIENTS:

6 cups shredded cabbage
1/4 cup shredded carrot
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream or sour curd
1 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice


How to make:

1) Wash and pat dry the cabbage and chop it fine or as shreds.

2) Wash a small carrot and chop it fine or shred it.

3) Mix the cabbage and carrot together in a seperate bowl with the pepper powder.

4) Blend the mayonnaise, sour cream/curds, sugar , salt, milk ,vinegar and lemon juice in a blender for a minute.



5) Mix the chopped vegetables with the dressing mixture in a salad bowl until well mixed and balance the taste as per the requirement.



6) Chill it in the refrigerator until serving time ( For best results, minimum two hours).

So have fun and enjoy the delicious Coleslaw. Thanks KFC