Beans

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Cuban Inspired Rice

Other day I saw this cooking show “The Global Menu” on Indian channel. It featured some Cuban recipes. Saw this rice recipe on it and since I don’t write down recipes, it’s what I remember. What I noticed in all Cuban recipes , spices were same and they were garlic, bay leaves, chili powder, cumin powder and oregano. I had black beans cooked in the fridge so before I forget I decided to make it.I thought oregano will give this rice a different taste. Here’s the recipe:

  • Heat oil and add chopped garlic. Saute , throw bay leaf in.
  • Then goes chopped onion and then chopped grape tomatoes.
  • Now chopped colored pepper and cook.
  • Add cooked black beans. I added tofu for extra protein. Alright it needed to be used so I threw it in.
  • Add cumin powder , red chili powder , oregano.
  • Now chef added some stock and I had made my Ayurvedic veggie soup so I took some water from it. Felt so smart to get this idea. Bonus point to self .
  • Added left over cooked basmati rice. Add salt , mix well.
  • Tada… Cuban rice ready.
  • Oh wait, garnish with some home grown cilantro leaves.
  • I don’t know how it taste yet since I made it for work lunch. So it will be a surprise tasting lunch tomorrow at work.
  • Enjoy!
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Mexican For Kids

If one looks around Indian Vegetarian lunch box recipes for kids around net, it’s mostly this and that rice dishes. Rice doesn’t provide enough nutrients to growing kids. And roti and little curry sadly doesn’t either . I like Mexican dishes littler better. Why? Let’s break it down .

  • First pinto beans , black beans provide good protein and so good for vegetarians. Easy to cook them home. No cans plz.
  • You can sauté veggies like mushrooms, spinach , colored peppers and add them to it.
  • Some fresh chopped lettuce , tomatoes, cilantro , green onion ,corn , pineapple are good to top with.
  • Fresh Avocado is another good addition which will provide more nutrition and healthy fat. Make sure you use fresh. Aldi store has good avocados and they come very cheap often.
  • You can add any extra like cheese and wrap it in a burrito or few chips on side or just have it like a salad.
  • It’s easy and you can customize.

You want to give good foundation to kids, don’t you?

Adults can also enjoy this healthy, nutritious food. Start with yourself .

Today I made enchiladas with pinto beans and veggies. Left over will be tomorrow’s lunch to take to work. I had lettuce , avocado on the side and will do same for work. Pack a septum container with salad.

Enjoy!

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Fusion Salad Bowl

Today is India’s Independence Day. Are we really independent? We are slaves of our habit. Can’t function without our morning tea, coffee what not. We need our so called healthy Indian food most of the days . Right ? Well, we can always break a habit.

In India , people complain that things are not available. So here’s the idea to make fusion Mexican salad bowl with the ingredients available in India.

  • Whenever I cook beans , I freeze some for rainy days. Today I used small red beans known as chori in gujarat.
  • Sauté some shredded red cabbage , carrot and add spices you like. Cook only 2-3 minutes so it retains crunchiness.
  • Add spices you like to beans and mix with cabbage . I added garlic powder, cumin powder , salt.
  • Add some chopped tomatoes, salsa if you have , green onions, colored peppers, cilantro, cucumber.
  • Avocado is available at some places so add that if you have.
  • Add yogurt and cheese .
  • You can also add some quinoa or different kind of Millets are available in India. No rice , no wheat plz.
  • Isn’t it easy to put together a nice big bowl of salad no matter where you live .
  • And it’s pretty filling.
  • Enjoy !
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      Palak Lima Beans – Vegan 

      Are you the kind of adult who has to drink milk every day? Do you know what all kind of dairy products you eat everyday not realizing it’s after all dairy? All that butter , cheese , ghee ladden sweets, paneer etc etc. Hope you got the idea. Then try to go vegan for a week and see how you feel just for an experiment. Be your own judge and don’t cheat yourself. Be honest to self. Well, I thought of doing it myself but I hardly eat dairy. Only half cup milk as part of tea. 

      Am not paneer or dairy fan so my palak paneer always is without paneer. Everyone knows to throw chickpeas in it but Lima beans tasted really good. Here’s my simple vegan recipe.

      • Heat peanut , coconut or olive oil and crack few cumin seeds.
      • Add chopped tomatoes and cook it well.
      • Add your spices and sauté for few seconds.
      • Add fresh cooked spinach purée. I used fresh spinach bunch . 
      • Add cooked Lima beans and simmer on medium heat for few minutes.
      • Simple , isn’t it? Tasted really good.
      • If you are trying to diet, add more water and make it more soupy.
      • Enjoy!
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      7 Layer Dip

      One should never start with “I” when you are writing is what I had read long back. But today I was tempted to start with “I absolutely love 7 layer dip”. If you have read anything around spirituality, then you probably know one of the question “who am I?” We always say I did , I like , I love so who is that I?  We don’t know  but it’s always abt “I”. My teacher says : When “I” takes back seat, god comes fore front.

      Here’s the recipe I used. I have yet to taste it but gotta wait. I will serve with organic blue corn chips to make it more exotic.

      http://allrecipes.com/recipe/23176/seven-layer-dip-ii/

      Enjoy!