10-minute Tuna Veggie Toss

Hope you are enjoying making these recipes. I have had a lot of fun creating them and for today's dish we have a low-carb, low-fat but rich in protein and nutients recipe. The kids ate Indian stuffed naans for dinner last night and I was in no mood for a carb-rich dinner. So once I had the kids in bed for the night I rummaged  through my fridge to look for what I could make for my own meal. I had been craving meat and veggies after all the vegetarian food I had been eating lately :). I also wanted to keep it low-carb since it was late in the day and I absolutely did NOT want another Salad...

Anyhow, I got Tuna steak from my freezer and found kale and green beans that were almost wilting so they needed to be cooked soon. Let me tell you that some of my best creations have been through these random cravings. Lets get this cooking. I was not planning to document this but I got a few pictures so you will get the picture of what I am talking about.

RECIPE: 10-minute Tuna Veggie Toss
Ingredients
Olive Oil Spray
4-5 Oz Tuna Steak, fresh or frozen cut into cubes chunks
1/2 Onion, chopped into big
1 Cup Kale, chopped
1 Cup Green beans, chopeed into 2" long segments
5-7 Garlic cloves, peeled 
1/4 Cup Marsala wine
Salt to taste
Red peper flakes (optional)
2 tsp Garam Masala, Roasted and ground (how I like it, from scratch)

Method

1. Spray the non stick pan with some Olive oil and throw in the whole garlic cloves. Keep it on hight heat and let them sizzle to a light brown. Add the Onion chunks and cook till caramalized, still on hight heat. Don't let it burn. This should take 3 minutes.
2. Add the marsala wine to get them all glazed and juicy. Reduce heat to medium and add the kale and greenbean. Saute for a couple of minutes till the kale wilts and the green beans are a little soft. I like to keep my veggies crunchy and bright colored. Overcooking not only loses the vibrant color but also depletes the flavor and nutrients.
3. Add the tuna and cook for a couple of minutes. Tuna does not take very long to cook. Overcooking will make it tough and chewy.
4.  Add salt, pepper flakes and garam masala. give it a good toss and there you have a perfect meal that is not a salad.

Onion and Garlic

Garam Masala, roasted and ground

This has been the best meal in a long time and totally hit the spot. Enjoy!!

Blackberry Cobbler Cake

Blackberries, are a sweet, juicy, low-calorie food that adds a variety of nutrients to your diet.


NUTRITIONAL FACTS: Blackberries, like most berries are low in calories and high in nutrients. Per half cup, blackberries have 37 calories, 9g of carbohydrate and 4g of fiber. Other nutrients in blackberries include vitamins A, C, and K, magnesium, potassium, and fiber. Vitamin A helps maintain eye health while vitamin C promotes wound healing, keeps gums healthy and helps the body absorb iron. Vitamin K, along with magnesium, are important in promoting bone health. Potassium plays a role in health blood pressure levels. And fiber helps control cholesterol and keeps you regular.

(Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/110325-blackberries-nutrition/#ixzz1izqK1C7L)

This sweet and tangy dessert is perfect after a Sunday lunch and a great way to use up a tart batch of Blackberries. I saw these yummalicious berries in my supermarket on sale and had to buy them, Ofcourse...

RECIPE: Blackberry Cobbler Cake

(Adapted from John Shields)

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla
1 pint (2 cups) fresh Blackberries
1/2 to 1 cup sugar, for berries
1 cup hot water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 by 8-inch baking dish.
2. Stir together 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 2 Tbsp butter, 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla .
3. Toss the berries with the sugar to taste and stir into the batter.
4. Spoon the batter into the baking dish. Pour 1 cup hot water over all and bake for 45 (50 minutes for frozen berries), until the batter rises to the surface around the edges of the pan and is light golden brown.
5. Serve plain or with vanilla Ice-cream.

Step-by-step proccess,

 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 by 8-inch baking dish.

NOTE: I get asked a lot, "Do I have to use an 8 by 8 inch dish or do I have to use a tube pan for a recipe?" Answer is NO you don't. You can use whatever you have on hand. To demonstrate, I have used an oblong dish that I use for serving food. You don't need every pot and pan that a recipe asks for. Just get creative and use whaever you have. I promise it will taste delicious no matter what shape or pan you use :) Since there was less surface area exposed to the heat it took about 8 minutes more in the oven so make sure you adjust the timing depending on the size of your vessel.

Stir together 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 2 Tbsp butter, 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla.

   

Toss the berries with the sugar to taste and stir into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the baking dish. Pour 1 cup hot water over all and bake for 45 (50 minutes for frozen berries), until the batter rises to the surface around the edges of the pan and is light golden brown.

   

Serve plain or with vanilla Ice-cream or green tea sorbet.

Enjoy!!! The sweet-tart and savory cobbler was just perfect ending to a perfect meal.

Bean and Spinach Stew/Soup

This recipe is from a couple of weeks ago when it was raining very hard in Autsin.

It has been raining cats and dogs since yesterday (Jan 24). Flash floods, power outages, tornado warnings and thunder so loud that the windows in my house rattled last night. So this weather calls for a hearty bean soup/stew that will warm and comfort us all. Best part, it is super healthy. This chilli is packed with protein, fiber and nutrients and low on fat as well as calories. This pairs really well with some corn bread. So lets get this baby cooking...

RECIPE: Bean and Spinach Stew
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5oz)

1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed & drained

1 can black bean, rinsed & drained

1 can white beans, rinsed & drained

4 cups fat-free low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

 

Method

1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in 4-quart saucepan. Add onion and sauté about 5 minutes, until softened but not browned. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Do not brown garlic.
2. Add spices and tomatoes and simmer about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups (2 cans) of beans and 2 ½ cups of broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.
3. Place remaining beans and broth in bowl of food processor or in blender. Add cilantro and puree until smooth. Add mixture to stew.
4. Add spinach and heat just until wilted. Stir well and serve hot.

Step-by-step process,

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in 4-quart saucepan. Add onion and sauté about 5 minutes, until softened but not browned.

Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Do not brown garlic.

Add spices and tomatoes and simmer about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups (2 cans) of beans and 2 ½ cups of broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.

Place remaining beans and broth in bowl of food processor or in blender. Add cilantro and puree until smooth. Add mixture to stew.

Add spinach and heat just until wilted. Stir well and serve hot.

This is just a perfect meal seved with some corn bread and avocados.