Roasted Chicken Sausage Pasta with Pomegranate Garden Salad

The July sun's scorching up the East Coast, not to mention, late sunsets and long, humid days. The kids love it, however. I mean, who won't like to stay out playing till nine in the night, carelessly chasing fire flies and never wanting to accept that it's almost beyond dinnertime!

The hardest thing for me is to have my little boy stocked up with energy for his summer evening playtime. Summer vacation in a new neighborhood brought with it new friends for him and new challenges for me to keep him up and running. I would have to ensure he's eaten a healthy lunch before he steps out.

I always stash up on boxes of pasta and tons of veggies to make this easy lunch for him. He loves pasta. Yes, most kids do! But, more often than not we all end up cooking pasta along with store-bought sauces. In my case however, my son is not fond of ready sauces, which certainly increases my efforts, but gives me more opportunity to explore new flavors that enhance pasta. So, most often I end up making pasta in other ways.

So, here's a dish that can perk up your protein and satiate your taste buds!

Grilled Veggie Seekh Kabab

Summer's here. Almost synonymous with blazin' hot grills, chilled soda, sun-hats, flip-flops and most certainly a whole lot of fun. The mention of the grill would've probably had you thinking of charcoal burning and meat sizzling away on the heat. But, no. This summer, how about going green? All of us could do with an extra serving of veggies. And, what better way to get them in than make vegetarian versions of popular non-vegetarian dishes? That's what we Free-Spirit Bloggers have in store for you this month. 

All of us have in store veggie versions of recipes that normally are made using meat, poultry and/or seafood - all of which also look non-veggie, too. Hmm! Now, that's reason enough to skim through all our blogs, eh? I'll give you just the place where you can get all of this, so you can take a look at what the other Free-Spirit Bloggers are upto, but before that take a peek at what I have in store for you. I decided to take this month's theme a notch further and do away with much of the oil/grease that normally accompanies non-vegetarian dishes. So, the gill was the answer! Whatcha waitin' for? Better not be Christmas - It's way too far to have your mouth drooling the way it is! Go and turn on your grill and gorge on some grilled veggie seekh kababs.

Rotini Garden Vegetable Salad

Summer is well on its way, and with it comes the thoughts of flaunting yourself. Unfortunately, winter comes packed with loads of festivity and good food which makes our minds and tongues happy, but our waist-lines, well...sad! So, before you head all out to show off that new skirt, but end up getting comments on your bulging love-handles, try gorging down salads through Spring to gear yourself up for a sizzling summer.

This fresh salad combines rotini pasta and garden vegetables, leaving you feeling both satisfied and light. And, adding whole grain pasta only goes further to make it completely guilt-free. Stick to your portion size of one cup of prepared salad (along-side garlic bread if you wish...although I can assure this itself is very filling), and you have conquered your 'What-do-I-have-for-lunch' moment! So, I will stop my jabber and share with you, this crisp, refreshing recipe.

 

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Whole Grain Rotini Pasta, Cooked
1/2 Cup Brocolli crowns, steamed (or boiled)
1/2 Cup Carrots, chopped into half inch cubes, steamed (or boiled)
1/4 Cup Red Onions, julienned
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Lemon juice
1/2 tsp Ground pepper
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (This is optional. You could substitute with Oregano)
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Method
- Combine together pasta and veggies in a large bowl
- In a separate bowl, stir together olive oil, lemon juice, ground pepper, italian seasoning and salt to make the salad dressing
- Pour dressing over pasta and veggies and toss
- Refrigerate for about an hour

SERVES 2

Noteworthy Notes
1. You could add salt when you steam/boil your veggies. Feel free to add more colourful, fresh veggies if you have them on hand
2. You can serve this salad as a hot salad, too. Just skip the refrigeration part.

This salad is off to chill at Madhuri's 'Serve Me Some...Salads' event.

Gurl...what can I say? Devour!

Roasted Oat-Almond Smoothie

Smoothie and Lassi lovers rejoice - for your favourite drink has now scaled new heights.

I happen to love oatmeal. Yogurt finds its way into my daily diet, too. And invariably when we go grocery shopping my eyes do not miss out on the flavoured yogurt and frozen treats section. Key-Lime Pie flavoured yogurt caught my attention at once. It did taste good but had me thinking way beyond just eating flavoured yogurt. So, this luscious drink was born. It is thick and creamy with delicious notes of oats and almonds to make your taste buds dance.

Here's a drink that you can comfortably do a bottom's up without your guilt going up, too!

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Yogurt/Curd (I've used the low-fat variety)
1 tbsp Almonds
2 tbsp Rolled Oats
1 tbsp Sugar (You can opt to use honey or artificial sweetners, too)
2 tbsp Chocolate Syrup (Optional)

Method
- Roast the almonds and oats on a low flame until fragrant
- Blend to a powdery texture
- Whip this roasted oat-almond powder into the yogurt
- Add sugar and whip to a smooth texture
- Pour the chocolate syrup at the base of a glass
- Top with oat-almond smoothie
- Serve chilled

SERVES 1

A healthy drink to start your day if you do not mind skipping the chocolate! And, if you do use chocolate, make sure it is sweet because some syrups can be bitter. Add sugar/honey to sweeten the same to make a perfect snack-time drink or dessert. It is great to serve kids too!



This smoothie is travelling the miles from New Jersey to Namma Bengaluru to participate in Madhuri's Serve me Some...Juices, Shakes, Smoothies event. I hope you like this one, gurl!

Panchratna Daal

Looking for a way to spruce up your daily daal? Look no further! Eat just one spoonful with a bite of a hot roti and you will find yourself reaching for second and third servings of this slurpy gravy. It is packed with proteins due to the five types of daals (from where it gets its name) and is high on taste. So, what is your excuse? Hit the kitchen now!

Ingredients
3 tbsp each of Toor, Urad, Moong, Matki Masoor and Split Channa Daal - Washed and soaked in water for about 2 hours
1 Cup Tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup Onions, finely chopped
1/2 Cup Fresh Coriander leaves, chopped
1 tsp Turmeric powder (Haldi)
1 tsp Coriander powder (Dhania powder)
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Sabji Masala (Optional - I used Everest brand)
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
A pinch of hing/asafoetida
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste!!

Method
- Pressure cook all the daals with half a teaspoon of turmeric powder, half a cup of tomatoes, cumin seeds, a few drops of oil and the hing/asafoetida
- Once the daals are done, pour any excess water left over the cooked daals in a separate bowl and set aside
- Mash the cooked daals to a thick, paste like consistency
- In a large non-stick saucepan, heat oil
- Add mustard seeds and allow to splutter
- Add the chopped onions and fry until translucent
- Add the chopped coriander leaves and fry until they wilt
- Now toss in the remaining half cup of tomatoes and fry until soft
- Add each dry/powdered ingredient one by one and give a stir after each addition(Turmeric, Coriander, Garam Masala, Sabji Masala)
- Pour the water that was obtained on cooking the daals
- Add salt
- Allow to boil
- Now slowly stir in the cooked daals, cover and simmer
- Garnish with coriander and serve hot with rotis or jeera rice

SERVES 4

Spicy Tawa Tofu

Personally, I think the use of tofu in dishes begins and ends with it being a super-protein source. I'm not a big tofu fan and I only buy it to render some soft texture to stir-fries or side dishes. But after this experiment, my opinion changed. You can cheat anyone with this, saying its paneer! This one is pretty much on the lines of my Paneer Tikka, so if you have tried that, this will not be unfamiliar...but, either ways, the name says it all! Yes, I have used the tawa/griddle instead of the oven for this, to keep things simple and quick. And, since its tofu it is healthy too!

Ingredients
Tofu - Cut into cubes (I have used about 1.5 cups of extra-firm tofu cut into rectangular pieces)
1 Cup - Yogurt, whipped to a smooth texture
2 tbsp - Red Chillie Powder (You can substitute with Cayenne/Paprika powder)
1/2 tsp - Coriander Powder (Dhania Powder)
1/2 tbsp - Chaat Masala
1 tsp - Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp - Ginger Garlic paste
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Method
- Mix the yogurt, red chillie powder, coriander powder, chaat masala, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste and salt to make a smooth paste
- Toss in the tofu cubes in it and marinade for about 3-4 hours
- After the tofu is marinated, on a hot tawa/griddle pour a few drops of oil and spread it around
- Once the oil is hot, place the marinated tofu pieces and fry
- Keep flipping the pieces every few minutes
- Fry until they turn a beautiful golden shade on either side and are firm to touch
- Serve hot with freshly chopped salad

SERVES 2

Asian Style Griddle Fried Chicken with Stir-fry Veggies and Salad

Ok. That's one helluva long name, but the dish is pretty darn simple...and you'd take lesser time making it than you would reading this recipe! The only hitch is waiting for the chicken to get marinated, but you could use that time to do your cutting/chopping for the stir fried veggies! So, if you are one of those people who longs to eat chicken but aren't in the mood to make elaborate curries or gravies then this one is for you. It's got just the right amount of spices in the marinade to give your palate a wake-up-call around lunch time. The stir fried veggies and salad side compliment the chicken to make it a 'I-want-more' dish among kids (My son loves this, so I know!). Throw in one or two slices of whole wheat bread to get your carbs if you want to, but I'd say this is as good as a hearty meal on its own.

Ingredients for Griddle Fried Chicken
1 Chicken Breast - Thinly Sliced (Thaw if frozen), Cleaned & Washed
1 tsp Oil

Ingredients for Marinade
2 tbsp Yogurt/Curd
1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1 tsp Red Chillie Powder/Paprika
1 tsp Coriander Powder (Dhania Powder)
1 tsp Garam Masala
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Ingredients for Stir Fried Veggies and Salad
1 Cup Your choice of vegetables - Washed and Julienned/Chopped (I've used carrots, green beans, red bell pepper, broccoli, white onion and cabbage)
You could opt to steaming the veggies that do not cook fast, but I prefer my stir fried veggies a bit crunchy so I do not steam them.
1 tsp Red Chillie Powder
1/2 tsp Soy sauce (optional)
1 tsp Oil
1/2 Cup Iceberg Lettuce - Julienned
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Method
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade and stir to a smooth consistency.
- Drop the chicken breast into the marinade and coat it well. Set aside for about 2 hours
- In the meanwhile, chop/julienne all your veggies
- Heat a teaspoon of oil in a wok/kadai and toss in your chopped veggies one by one -starting from the ones that take a long time to cook
- After about a minute after you have added all veggies add the red chillie powder, soy sauce and salt and stir fry further until it reaches the level of crunch that you like and set aside
- Now, in a shallow non-stick griddle/tawa, pour a very thin film of oil (about 1 tsp) and set it to heat on a low flame
- Place the marinated chicken breast on the griddle and fry on either side until fully cooked. Be sure to watch this and flip sides often, lest you burn it (especially since it is thinly sliced chicken). You could add more oil if you feel the need, but I'd not recommend it. Once fried, place on a kitchen towel to drain off excess oil
- Once ready, place fried chicken, stir fried veggies and salad on a plate and serve hot

SERVES 1

Wholesome Pasta and Lentil Soup

This year soups made their entry into my kitchen a little early - with respect to winters. Well all of us at home had our bouts of cold and cough every now and then during summer which left us wanting to have soups, which we normally like during the cold months. I was totally bugged of having the same old tomato, veggie, chunky chicken soup. So I thought why not extend the idea of a soup into something more substantially filling. And if there is anything that would go well with soups (other than noodles) its pasta. Bingo! And, I decided on making this wholesome pasta and lentil soup. Its not only hearty but very comforting and healthy too.

Ingredients
1 Cup Pasta - Cooked (Click here for instructions on cooking pasta)
1/3 Cup Lentils of your choice (I've used masoor dal, i.e. red lentils) - Soaked for about 3 hours
1 cup Spinach
1/3 Cup chopped onions
1/3 Cup chopped carrots
1 tsp Crushed Ginger
1 tsp Crushed Garlic
1/2 tsp Chillie powder (Or pepper)
1 Cup Vegetable or Chicken broth (Ive not used this. I simply added water since I had no broth on hand)
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste!!

Method
- Heat oil in a deep saucepan
- Add the crushed ginger and garlic and stir for a few seconds
- Add onions and fry until they turn transparent
- Add carrots and spinach and stir until the spinach wilts
- Add the chillie powder and salt and fry for another few minutes
- Drain and toss in the lentils and stir
- Add vegetable/chicken broth
- Cover and cook until veggies are done
- Now add the cooked pasta, lower the flame, adjust salt and cover and cook for about 20 minutes

Noteworthy Notes
1. You can opt to add some corn flour (made into a thin paste by mixing with warm water) after you add the broth. This will make the soup thick in consistency.

SERVES 2

Yogurt Parfait

This particular item caught my attention when I was watching Food Network. One of the chefs so artistically put together simple ingredients that it left me drooling. I tried my hand at it using low fat/fat free ingredients and I think it turned out pretty well....umm, at least it tasted great and satisfied my craving for something cold on a summer afternoon without adding up on unwated calories....And just in case the pictures leave you wondering, yup I ate the whole thing myself - A well deserved treat for an over-worked mom :)

Ingredients

8oz - Low fat or Fat free vanilla yogurt
1 scoop - Fat free Frozen yogurt (Any flavour. I've used Vanilla Chocolate Ripple)
1 Strawberry - Cut into four thin slices (Save the rest for the topping)
2 tbsp - Blueberries
2 tbsp - Green and Red grapes
4 tbsp - Cereal (Parfaits normallly use granola, but I did not have it handy and so I used Cereal instead. Did not taste too bad really!)
1 tsp - Honey
1 Cherry


Method
- In a tall glass or bowl pour the fat free/low fat flavoured yogurt
- Slide in the sliced strawberries from the side. You could cut up any other fruit and slide in in there for mroe colour,flavour and texture.
- Top this with the cereal/granola
- In a separate bowl combine honey with blueberries and grapes
- Add this as the next layer
- Finally, throw in that scoop of frozen yogurt and top up with the cherry


Noteworthy Notes
1. You can skip the ice cream all together and this would make a great brunch for kids who fuss to eat their fruit.
SERVES 1 (and is VERY filling)

Daal not-so-Makhni

Just like Paalak Paneer, Dal Makhni too comes with oodles of fat. So I converted this North Indian delicacy to a more healthy version. Which explains why I call it Daal not-so-Makhni. But, by all means, if you choose to add on those calories... go ahead and use butter instead of oil and throw in some fresh heavy cream in the gravy just before you close it for cooking! This version of the dish is packed with proteins and when combined with whole wheat rotis can sure fill you up like nothing else.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup - Whole Black Gram (Kaali Urad Dal)

1/8 Cup - Red Lentils (Matki Masoor)

1/8 Cup - Raajma (Red Kidney Beans)

1/2 Large Onion - Finely chopped

4 pcs Green Chillies

3 tbsp - Ginger garlic paste (You could grate fresh ginger and garlic too)

1.5 tsp - Corriander Powder (Dhania powder)

1 tsp - Red Chillie Powder

1 tsp - Jeera (Cumin seeds)

1 tsp - Garam Masala Powder

A pinch of hing (Asafoetida)

Oil

And, of course, some salt to taste!!

Method

- Soak the dals over night.

- The next morning pressure cook the dals with salt, green chillies, hing and a drop of oil.

- Once the dals are cooked, mash them to a gravy like consistency. Do not overdo this step if you like the chunky dal taste (I do!) in this dish. If there is excess water drain it out before you mash the dal but do not throw it. Save it for some further steps.

- Now in a saucepan, heat oil

- Add the jeera and allow it to splutter

- Now add the onions and fry until transclucent

- Toss in the ginger garlic paste and fry further

- Add the garam masala, dhania powder and red chillie powder and fry for a few seconds

- Now add the cooked dals and stir. If it happens to be too thick then pour the water left from draining the dals. If you had no water left simply add some fresh water to dilute the gravy to the consistency you want.

- Adjust spices and salt based on your requirement

- Cover and cook on a very low flame for 20-30 minutes

Serving Suggestion

Serve hot with home-made rotis, lemon wedges, onions and salad.

SERVES 4

Low Fat Paalak Paneer

Talk about Paalak Paneer and hot home-made rotis and no one will be left not wanting it. Atleast, it is so in our household. This iron rich preparation is a favourite among our orders at restaurants when our family dines out. Unfortunately for us, along with the iron comes a good portion of fat and empty calories from the heavy cream that chefs like to add to most North Indian dishes and gravies in particular....not to mention, the fried paneer!! So save yourself from those extra servings of flab and try this recipe where I totally omit frying the paneer and use low fat yogurt instead of heavy cream. This one is not only high on taste, but on health too!!

Ingredients 6 Cups Fresh Spinach (paalak) - Washed and drained
Paneer cubes (as much or as little as you desire!)
1/2 Large Onion - Chopped
1 Large Tomato - Cubed
1/2 cup Yogurt (low fat/fat free)
3 Green chillies (add more if you like it really hot)
3 Cloves of garlic
1 tsp Garam Masala (whole or powdered)
Oil
And, of course, salt to taste!


Method
- Soak paneer cubes in warm water and set aside. If you are using frozen paneer, thaw/defrost it before you do this step
- In the blender toss the green chillies, tomato and yogurt and blend to a fine, smooth paste
- Remove this paste into a separate bowl and set aside
- In a wok, heat about a tea-spoon of oil and add the garlic cloves and fry for about a minute
- Add onions and fry until they turn translucent. Add the garam masala and stir.
- Now toss in the spinach and stir until it wilts
- Set aside this mixture to cool
- Once cool, blend this fried mixture to a fine paste as well
- Now in a saucepan, heat some oil and add the 'spinach' mixture that you just blended and fry for a stir for a seconds.
- Next add the tomato mixture and stir in. Add salt.
- Toss in the paneer cubes (which should be really soft by now in the warm water) and cover and simmer for about 5-8 minutes, stirring occassionally


Noteworthy Notes
1. You can switch the paneer with tofu if you are not a paneer fan or simply want to stay away from the calories it can stash on!
2. Skip the paneer/tofu entirely if you want just the gravy made with spinach for rice preparations.


Serving Suggestion
Serve hot with home-made rotis, lemon wedges and onions

SERVES 2

Shepu Chi Bhaji (Dill and Lentils)

While in most parts of the world Dill is considered a herb and is used sparingly only in salad dressings, sauces and vinaigrettes, in India it is used as a vegetable. Surprised? Don't be. In fact, it is one such 'vegetable' that is used very regularly in many Indian cuisines. At home, we often prepare Shepu Chi Bhaji, which is a common Maharastrian/Maratha/South Indian dish. Try this once, and it will be among your top choices when eating healthy!

Ingredients
2 bunches - Dill, chopped
1/2 cup - Lentils (I have used Toor Dal/Split Red Gram)
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
4 tbsp - Onions, finely chopped
2 cloves - Garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds
3 Red chillies
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste!!

Method
- In a large saucepan, heat some water and add salt and lentils
- Allow the lentils to cook almost completely
- Now, add the dill and boil until the dill gets fully cooked
- Let cool, and drain the water into a bowl and set aside if you intend making Ambat Kadan. If not, you can retain the water for the essential nutrients it carries.
- In a wok/kadaai, heat some oil
- Add mustard seeds
- Once they splutter add the red chillies and fry for a few seconds on a medium flame
- Now, add the onions and fry further
- Toss in the cooked dill and lentils
- Stir-fry continuously until the water evaporates

Noteworthy Notes
1. You can opt to use the pressure cooker to cook the dill and lentils, but I find that it makes the lentils too well cooked and mushy.
2. Another alternative would be to steam the lentils for a few minutes before you put them in the water. This considerably reduces the time required for them to cook up on the stove-top.
3. It is not required that you use only Toor dal/split red gram. You can also use Mung Dal/Green gram or any other lentil that you like.

Serving Suggestion
Serve hot with soft rotis along side dal fry OR hot white rice and Ambat Kadan.

SERVES 2

Fully Loaded Veggie Taco

Sometimes it sets me wondering why such simple and easy to make dishes find their way out of our lives and get replaced by time consuming, high calorie foods. All you gotta do here is chop the veggies and throw it onto your taco... and you are good to go!!

Ingredients
1 Soft whole wheat taco
1 [Ready to eat] Veggie Cutlet (Optional)
1/4th Onion - Julienned
4 Baby Carrots - Julienned
4 Cherry Tomatoes - Quartered
1/4th Cucumber - Diced
1 cup Iceberg Lettuce - Randomly chopped
1/8th cup Feta Cheese - Crumbled or cubed
2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup (You can use any other dressing you like. I normally use Maggie Hot and Sweet Tomato Ketchup)
1 tbsp yogurt, whipped to a smooth texture
And, of course, some salt to taste

Method

- Lay the taco on a plate
- Crush the veggie cutlet
- On the taco, smooth the ketchup or dressing as a base layer
- Now, stack up all the chopped veggies, cheese and crushed cutlet
- Drizzle the yogurt for some liquid action
- Sprinkle the salt (And pepper if you desire. I use spicy ketchup so I skip the pepper)
- Fold the taco over and serve

SERVES 1

Pineapple Salad

This one is no big shakes. In fact, all it takes is a stir! And, if you are a health nut, this will not only please your waiste-line but also your taste buds.

Ingredients

8 slices of Pineapple

1/2th Onion - Julienned

1/4th Green Pepper - Julienned

1/4th Iceberg Lettuce - Randomly chopped

8 Cherry Tomatoes - Quartered

1/4th tsp - Lemon Juice

1/4 tsp - Red chillie powder (paprika/cayenne powder)

And, of course, salt to taste!!

Method

- Mix the lemon juice, salt and chillie powder in a large bowl.

- Add the remaining ingredients and stir gently.

- Set aside for about half an hour (You can opt to keep it in the refrigerator if you want to eat it cold)

SERVES 2

This fresh salad is off to Madhuri's 'Serve me Some...Salads' event.

Madhuri, I do hope you like this one!