Veggie Pita pockets.

I had mentioned a few days back that I am here on an internship in India and also mentioned about my brother being my best food buddy. I mean really I guess its all about Biology. We have almost the same choices when it comes to food tastes, picky veggies and our eating joints.He always enjoys whenever I try something in the kitchen.And not to forget we always feel hungry at the same time esp. when it comes to the evening snack.

That brings me to the point: Todays recipe was just the same situation where we were hungry and hoped to have something hearty and fun to cook.

These veggie pockets are made right from scratch and the pita pockets included, It was truly fun making them.I made them out of 100% whole wheat flour which made them super healthy.I'll be posting the recipe soon.The best part is one can play with the veggies and try various combination as per ones taste.

2 whole wheat pita pockets halved
1 cup kidney beans seasoned with some fat free vinaigrette( I used Balsamic)
1 cup steamed broccoli
1 cup mixed peppers( red, yellow and green)
1 cup baby spinach
2 low fat American cheese slices cut into half triangles
Cilantro chutney
Pizza Sauce
1 tomato cut into thin slices
1 medium onion finely chopped

Cut the pita bread into halves, I made 1 set Indian style and 1 set Italian.

Italian:

Spread the pizza sauce on the inside, line with cheese and then start stuffing.

1)Spinach
2)Broccoli
3)peppers
4)onion

Spray with non stick spray and keep aside.

Indian:

Spread the Cilantro chutney on both sides. Start by layering the cheese and then the tomato slices. Stuff with:

1) Spinach
2) onion
3) beans

Spray with non stick spray.



In a preheated oven at 350 F bake them for about 8 - 10 minutes.

Ready to eat!

Quick Veggie noodles!!

No meal can be quicker than throwing all the ingredients of a well balanced meal in the same pan. This recipe is a quick,delicious and satisfying meal.I was in a mood for a complete veggie meal and that explains the addition of tofu.



8 0z extra firm tofu drained and dried
1 green pepper sliced
1 orange pepper sliced
1 medium sized onion cut into half moons
4 cloves of garlic chopped

1 cup mushrooms sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce( low sodium)
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tsp sambal olek
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp honey
8 oz whole wheat noodles
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the noodles as per package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Mix the soy sauce, vinegar, sambal olek. Divide the sauce in two parts.Use the first half to marinate the tofu and keep for about 10 minutes. Lightly saute the tofu on a pan sprayed with non stick spray.

In a large wok, add the oil garlic, onion and cook until onion is soft. Add the pepper and mushroom and cook until done but still crisp.Add the tofu and cook for about a minute or so. Add the remaining sauce mixture, honey ,salt and pepper. Add the noodles and mix well.

Top with toasted sesame seeds and dried red chilli flakes.

Black Bean Vegetable Chowder.

With the ongoing trend of vegetarian recipes since the past few posts, I continue it again by posting a really nice and simple chowder I found in Betty Crocker’s Vegetarian cooking.



Ingredients:



1 ½ cups Black beans
1-cup broccoli
½ cup frozen corn
¼ cup frozen green peas
½ cup chopped onion
2 cups Low fat milk
1-cup veggie stock
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 ½ tbsp whole-wheat flour
½ cup Monterey jack cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp Jalapeno hot sauce
Salt & pepper

Preparation:

Heat EVOO, cook onion, stirring occasionally until crisp tender. Mix flour, cumin, garlic powder and paprika in a bowl, whisk in the milk and add this mixture to the onions. Stir in the vegetables. Heat to boiling and stir. Keep it on heat for about 1 minute.

Remove from heat and add the cheese until melted. Add the cilantro and serve with chopped scallions on top.

Serves 4

Per serving
Calories- 264 Carbohydrates- 15g Fiber- 4 g Protein- 6 g

PS- I added some jalapeno hot sauce for myself to just give it some Zzing.

Zucchini cakes

I have been roaming around the blogosphere a lot these days and have found some really cool and interesting sites and blogs. I came across this grrrrrreat recipe on Roni’s site. She used Spaghetti squash to make these cakes. When I read the recipe I was so excited to make it, but alas my Squash decide to spoil on one corner today. I peeped into my refrigerator and decided to experiment these with the Zucchini’s. Here is Roni’s Spaghetti squash cake.



Ingredients:



2 Zucchinis shredded yields 1 ½ cup
2 egg whites
¼ cup whole-wheat flour.
¼ cup Red and green bell peppers chopped
¼ cup onion chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
¼ cup shredded carrot
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
Salt & pepper to taste
Non-stick cooking spray


Preparation:

Shred Zucchinis and press out as much water as possible. Mix egg whites and Flour thoroughly and keep aside. Mix the Zucchini with the other ingredients and the flour+ egg mixture.



Form into cakes and Fry them in a pan heating with non-stick spray.



Makes 8 cakes.

Per Cake:

Calories: 27
Carbs: 5
Fiber: 1
Fat: Trace
Protein: 1.75

Black Bean Cakes

I love chicken and seafood. However being Indian, Vegetarian food forms a major part of our cuisine. In a typical Indian platter, Lentils or Legumes take the spot for protein, a whole wheat flat bread called Roti is the carbohydrate element in the food and a side dish in the form of veggies and salad fortify the food with the much needed vitamins, minerals and fiber. This is a typical well-rounded meal and is an everyday staple at our home.

I am always surprised by the innumerable variations that can be done with vegetarian food. Being a huge legume fan I was excited with the idea of making these cakes with mashed beans. First I thought of making burgers out of them but I ran out of buns and decided for small patties instead. I served it with a creamy low fat yogurt dip. Believe me even if you are a carnivore you surely will enjoy these be sure to give them a shot. I’ll be glad to hear about your experience with these.

Ingredients:
Patties:
1-½ cup black beans
1 small carrot shredded
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup chopped green pepper
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp EVOO

Dip:
¼ cup low fat yogurt
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tsp chopped jalapeno
Salt and pepper
1 tsp EVOO



Preparation:

Mix all the ingredients for the dip and set aside.

Wash and rinse the black beans and mash then really well. Add all the ingredients and season to taste. With the help of an ice cream scooper, scoop out equal quantities and shape evenly. Heat the oil and fry these patties.

Serve with the yummy dip!!

P.S.---Do not flip the patties until the first side is nice and firm, coz' there are huge chances that it will break.

Happy eating!!

Chick pea curry!!

Ok this is one of my favorite, favorite legume. Also called as Garbanzo beans,chana, bengal gram or chole.This legume is just as versatile as its name. There are a 100 different ways to prepare this. This simple chick peas curry is my favorite and is usually had with rice, samosa or the very sinful Bhature( Deep fried Indian Bread).

Nutritionally Chickpeas can be classified as a 'Super Food', no wonder it is substituted by Vegans and Vegetarians as a source of Protein.

Chick peas is rich in Proteins and minerals like Zinc, magnesium and Iron.This Super food is also a great choice for Diabetics due to its low Glycemic index( Slowly rises the blood sugar levels and prevents Insulin spike). It is a source of good carbohydrates, coz' its packed with fiber.

Chick peas is not only consumed as a whole legume, but also in ground form as Chick pea flour or gram flour.The flour is used as a coating for fishes and as a base for the vegetable fitters and onion bhajiyas.

Here is a simple recipe for a curry called as Chole or Chana masala.



Ingredients:

1 cup chick peas
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 medium roma tomato ground into a paste
1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1 tbsp EVOO

Preparation:

Add oil, when the oil is nice and hot add the cumin seeds.add the onion and the GG paste. Mix well till the onion and translucent and browning on the edges.

Add the tomato paste,turmeric, Red chilli, Garam masala and corainder powder. when the paste starts showing the oil seperation our paste is good and cooked. add the chick peas and about 1 and 1/2 cup of water. Add salt and let it come to a boil. Simmer for 7-8 minutes and serve. I served it to my husband with Rice and myself had it with a big salad.

Vegetarian Chili

Its been getting really cold here in Knoxville,TN. I a have been hearing and reading so much about chili that I finally decided to give it a try.And to my husbands' utter horror I decided to make a vegetarian one. All the way along during the preperation he kept telling me that I should change my mind and add Turkey or at least Chicken. But had I not tried this he wouldn't have realized that vegetables do exist and they taste good too. This was an easy recipe full on taste and amazing flavors coming from each of the ingredients.



This time I decided to take pictures of the procedure too they aren't many.Here's the ingredients u'll need.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of minced soy.
1 28 0z can of diced tomatoes.( I used Hunt's chili tomato)
3/4 cup Green bell peppers
3/4 cup Red bell peppers
3/4 cup yellow bell peppers.
1/2 cup corn
1 whole onion chopped
4 cloves garlic chopped
2 jalapenos chopped
3/4 cup black beans
3/4 cup red kidney beans.
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cocoa powder
EVOO
salt and pepper.

Preparation:

Firstly add some EVOO in a pot and fry and break the mince soy till it nice and brown.




keep aside.add some more oil and the onions, garlic and jalapenos.Add some salt and pepper to season the first layer of the dish.Fry till nice and soft.Follow this by adding the peppers .



After about 2 minutes add cumin powder, chilli powder mix and then add the tomatoes. Give it a good stir and then add cocoa powder this adds a good texture and color.Now add the remaining ingredients i.e corn, beans,mince soy.Adjust seasoning.





Cover and cook the chili for about 30 minutes. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro and chips.

Enjoy...Happy Eating!!!