Antipasto for Dinner

On days that I don't feel like cooking much (apart from grilling a few Zucchini and Yellow Squash slices) this is a fairly simple but lavish spread. All my boys love this for a change from our usual dinner and we kick off the weekend on a happy, fun and exciting note.

This feast consists of the following goodies. Best thing is there are no rules and there are no recipes so go all out and pair with whatever your heart desires.

FRUITS: Fresh Brown Figs and Sweet Babydoll Grapes (you can use regular, i found them fresh so they went well with my off-beat theme :)

MEATS: Prosciutto (dry cured ham), Sopressata, Dry Coppa (rubbed with black pepper and wine)

CHEESES: Bucheron (soft ripened goat cheese) and Brie (I love it with a little drizzle of fresh honey)

OLIVES: Stuffed Green and Pitted Black ones cured in oil.

VEGGIES: Grilled Zucchini (on a cast iron grill pan) and a medley of pickled veggies and banana peppers (carrots, bell peppers, cauliflower to name a few)

BREAD: A Crusty Roasted Garlic Bread

SALAD: Caprese (tomato, basil, mozarella medallions with a drizzle of honey balsamic vinaigrette) 

Hope you enjoy this with your friends and family. 

White Beans and Kale Soup (Vegetarian)

Last few days have been amazing with the preview of what Fall is all about. I have been loving this weather and have been craving our staple soup for fall season. Its the White Bean and Kale soup that is vegetarian, hearty and screams Fall. I have been making this for years and had to search high and low to give credit to the amazing column USA Weekend for featuring this years ago.

I know all my recipes say quick and simple a thousand times over but in all honesty it is just that and extremely satisfying. I try to purchase organic vegetables most of the time since we consume so much of them but its totally a personal preference. 

White Beans and Kale Soup

RECIPE: White Beans and Kale Soup

Ingredients
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
6-8 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 White Onion, chopped
3-4 Cups Kale (I use both Curly, lighter color and Flat, darker color for different nutrients)
4 Cups Vegetable Broth
1 Can Cannellini  Beans (Yes! I use canned beans too, not worth soaking and boiling for such a small quantity)
1 Can White Northern Beans (do not Drain, either one)
4 Tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp Italian Seasoning powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Cup Parsley, chopped
Ricotta Cheese and Parsley for garnish

Method

1. In a deep pot heat some Olive oil on medium heat. Saute the onions and garlic till they are soft and translucent.
2. Add Kale and saute till it wilts.
3. Now add the beans with the liquid, vegetable broth, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, parsley, salt and pepper.
4. Simmer for about 15 minutes till it thickens a little.
5. Garnish with a little dollop of Ricotta cheese (or butter) and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Serve this with some toasted Garlic and cheese bread. Hope you and your family enjoy this heart warming soup.

Chopped Kale, Garlic, Onions, Tomato and Parsley

Cut out the hard stems from Kale

And if the kids ask to save the leftovers for them you know you did something right :) They enjoyed it even more the next day for dinner. Hope you can enjoy some with your friends and family.

Banana Sushi...What?

My 6 year old comes back from school and demands (few tears were shed) I make him some Banana Sushi. He is not a big fan of the regular Sushi so it was surprising. I asked him what he was asking me for and with his :Really Mom!" expression he politely asks me to "google it". To my surprise there are about a million versions out there.

Till date I get a different story of where he heard or saw Banana Sushi but I am so grateful he discovered it. Its our favorite snack these days and its super balanced and healthy. I have my own version of it with Hemp Seeds.

Hemp is a high protein seed containing all nine of the essential amino acids. Great thing about it is that he protein is a very digestible form and easily absorbed. It also has high amounts of fatty acids and fiber as well as containing vitamin E and trace minerals. It has a balanced ratio of omega 3 to 6 fats at around a three to one ratio.

Banana Sushi

RECIPE: Banana Sushi

Ingredients

1 Ripe Banana
1 Tbsp Peanut Butter (yes! I like JIF)
1 Tbsp Hemp Seeds (You can use anything you have)

Method

1. Peel the banana and slather it with peanut butter. Sprinkle hemp seeds on it and cut into slices. Is this easy or what. You can use any seeds you have, Chia, Flax even crushed nuts like Pistachios, Walnuts, Cashews. Get creative and send me pictures of your own version.

This is making me so hungry. Time to eat some Banana Sushi with a cup of coffee. Hope you all have a great day.

Quick Hummus and Veggie Wrap

This was posted on my Instagram and Facebook page (click on link to follow: priyakapoor) a few days ago. I have not heard the end of it so here is my version :)

I get my Lavash bread for these wraps from Trader Joes. All I did was spread some Hatch Chilli Hummus and topped it with Red Pepper Flakes, Romain Lettuce, Broccoli slaw (yes you will see a lot of that), thinly slices Fuji apples and roll it up. Great for a lunch on the go or even a simple dinner with a glass of milk.

Bean Trio Salad

I eat pretty healthy in general but there are times when I go through phases of extra healthiness if that is even possible and they are usually triggered by ingredients I find randomly on my grocery store visits. Anyhow, I am going through one of those moments this week and am trying to reduce meat in my diet and replace it with beans and legumes for plant derived protein in my meals. On one of my recent visits to Costco I found this sprouted Bean Trio Mix from "tru Roots" and inspired me to make this salad. It is a colorful and nutritious blend of lentils, adzuki and moong beans. Perfect for soups, salad or side dishes.

If you live in an area that does not have this bean trio mix available, you can replace it with any type of beans fresh or canned. 

This is a post from an earlier Draft (you can see the difference in the old pictures and recent ones). Thanks to technology and self-help tutorials, I have now graduated from an amateur food photographer to a "slightly" better one :)

RECIPE: Bean Trio Salad
Ingredients
2 Cups Bean Trio Mix, uncooked
1/2 Cup Salted Almonds, roasted and coarsely crushed
1/2 Cup Corn Kernels
1 Cup sweet peppers, chopped
1 Cup Baby Spinach, finely chopped
1 Avocado, chopped
1 Cup Cucumber, de-seeded and chopped
1 large Tomato, chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
Green chilli, chopped (optional)
handful coriander leaves, chopped
For Dressing:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 lemons, juiced
2 tsp Coriander seeds, roasted and ground
2 tsp, cumin seeds, roasted and ground
1 tsp Paprika

Method

1. To cook the bean trio mix, add 2 Cups of the mix with 6 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes. Drain the excess water and set aside.
2. Chop all your veggies next.
3. Prepare the dressing by mixing all the ingredients.
4. Now assemble it all together with the cooked bean trio, chopped veggies and drizzle it with the dressing.
5. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Step-by-step process,

To cook the bean trio mix, add 2 Cups of the mix with 6 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes. Drain the excess water and set aside.

Chop all your veggies next.

Prepare the dressing by mixing all the ingredients. Now assemble it all together with the cooked bean trio, chopped veggies and drizzle it with the dressing.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and crushed almonds.

Bean Trio salad served with Chicken keema and flat bread

Enjoy!!!

10 minute: Tilapia and Broccoli Slaw Salad

Ya'll have been asking me for quick fix lunch/dinner ideas. Here is my lunch today, done in 10 minutes on a stopwatch. Its Pan Seared Tilapia Fillet on a bed of Broccoli Slaw and Fuji Apples tossed in a Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette. Toss the salad while the fish is cooking and it literally took 10 minutes.

Mini Heirloom Tomatoes and Mozzarella Salad

Have you ever been to a grocery store without a list of things you need and just walk the isles. I did that today at my local Trader Joes and picked up ingredients that spoke to me. This salad is a product of my shopping spree. Its quick, easy and has 4 ingredients. Can't get any easier and healthier than that. Top it up on toasted slices of bread or eat it as a side.

This is going to be my new favorite way to shop (without lists). I picked up things from the store that I would never think of putting on my grocery list and it has been such a good change from our usual eating. Plus, you can never go wrong with fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Fresh Tomatoes are one of the best sources of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps protect cellular structures and DNA, just one great reason to add them to your everyday diet.

Mini Tomato Mozzarella Salad

RECIPE: Mini heirloom tomatoes and Mozzarella Salad

Ingredients

2 Cups Mini heirloom tomatoes, halved
1 Cup marinated Mozzarella balls, halved
fresh Basil, cut in ribbons
dash of Balsamic vinegar
fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

Method

1. Toss it all together and enjoy.

This is not in any way sponsored by Trader Joes. :)

5-Minute Shrimp saute: Recipe from nessecity

I posted the picture of Shrimp saute on Instagram and Facebook last night and you all have blown up my comments for the recipe. 

This recipe was non intentional and totally out of what I had in the fridge/freezer because it was dinner time and we were too tired from the day excursions to go out again. I  literally opened up the fridge and pulled out Frozen Shrimp (always have a back up of quick thawing products like shrimp and fish for last minute meals), fresh flat leaf parsley, garlic, dried curry leaves, red pepper flakes, onion seeds and lemon juice. 

Quick Shrimp Saute

Recipe: 5-Minute Shrimp Saute
Ingredients

1 Lb Frozen Shrimp, thawed
2-3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2-4 Tbsp Fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp onion seeds
5-6 curry leaves, fresh or dried
1 Tbsp Sunflower oil
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat the Sunflower oil and add the dried curry leaves and Shrimp. Saute it till the Shrimp turns pink and are almost cooked.
2. Add the garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, onion seeds, salt and pepper. Saute it for another couple of minutes. You will smell the aroma of garlic cooking.
3. Lastly add lemon juice and serve.

Black Onion Seeds, Flat Leaf Parsley, Shrimp, Garlic, Curry Leaves, red Pepper Flakes

That's it,  told you how quick and simple it was. It turned out delicious. You can have this with steamed rice and a side of edamame, toss it over a salad, make shrimp tacos with lettuce, avocado and pico. Hope this helps you get creative with some of your last minute meals. Comment below and share some of your quick and creative tips. Hope you all had a great Labor day weekend.

Left-over Shrimp Tacos for Lunch

Side: Edamame

How do you stay so fit?

This is the most asked question, "How do you stay so fit when you love to cook all these amazing foods?".

I will try to explain as best as I can. I am not a nutritionist and no one person is alike so what works for me might not work for you. This is solely based on what I have figured out from trial and error. This works great for my husband and I. He has recently lost almost 20 lbs by following my eating guidelines :) in conjunction with exercise, of course.

I like to extensively read books, articles, journals and white papers on nutrition and how foods affect the human body. I try to cook clean and there are several definitions of "clean" out there. To me, clean eating is incorporating a lot of fresh foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats in my diet. Having a healthy lifestyle which includes healthy eating and exercise is a key factor. A lot of food has been replaced by nutrients i.e, processed foods and I try to stay away from them as much as possible. I do not follow any fad diets but try to eat products of nature. Going back to ancient times, if its not from nature (food in its natural form), its not good for you.

Moderation is KEY, we eat everything but in moderation (reminds me of our little outing to Baskin Robins last night). Anyone who really knows me knows that I am a fast food, burger eating machine but I don't do that every day or every week. Its occasional, but when I do indulge I thoroughly enjoy it and absolutely guilt free. I also, want to touch the subject of "portion control" here. What that means is you do not need several plates full of food to fill up. Eating smaller portions several times a day is very important.

Having a clean healthy diet does 90% of the work in maintaining my weight and staying healthy and 10% of it is attributed to exercise. Unless you fix the eating, no matter how many hours you put in the gym, it will not make any difference to your weight and physical appearance. I had posted a while back how following these few simple steps has made a huge difference in my Annual checkups with my physician.

I workout 3-4 times a week. Hour long cardio 3 times a week at the gym and 1 hour a week with a personal trainer. Shout out to my fabulous trainer Sumi Singh. Another misconception is that if I lift weights then I bulk up, that is NOT the case. Believe me I have been lifting hard for the last couple of years and no one has asked me if I'm related to Hulk Hogan. To gain that kind of muscle is not an easy feat especially for the average person like you and I. Lifting weights is just as important as cardio if not more in boosting your metabolism. Building strength in your bones is crucial after a certain age to maintain bone density in the latter part of your life.

Starvation is not an option (been there, done that). No living being can sustain that and is a quick recipe for failure. On the other hand common sense eating is a sure success so you have to take your pick. You cannot expect miracles to happen. I always preach (in this case) slow and steady...

A recent favorite book of mine is the #1 New York Times Bestseller, "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. Its #1 for a reason, talks sensibly about natural foods and none of the confusing fad diets that are making the general population so paranoid.

Hope you can follow some of the recipes here and get on the healthy eating journey with me. If you have any specific questions you can comment below or send me a private email (in contacts). I would like to hear your success stories and learn from you.

Savory Bruschetta

I have not known anyone who does not appreciate a well made Bruschetta. A traditional Bruschetta is made with chopped fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar, served on toasted slices of French or Italian bread. I was flipping through the Costco magazine and came across this savory version from Delano Farms and had to absolutely try it. It looked absolutely amazing and refreshing with grapes being in abundance right now.

Savory Bruschetta

RECIPE: Savory Bruschetta

Ingredients

11/2 Cups seedless Grapes (red, green or black)
1/4 Cup dried Cherries
dash of Cinnamon powder
dash of Nutmeg powder
dash of Clove powder
1 Cup part-skim Ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp finely chopped Candied Ginger
1 Tbsp chopped walnuts
French Baguette or Italian bread
Fresh mint leaves for garnish

Method

1. Chop the grapes and drain any liquid. Add the cherries and sprinkle with cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. set aside.
2. In another bowl blend together ricotta cheese, chopped candied ginger and chopped walnuts.
3. Toast the bread slices, spread the ricotta mixture, top with a spoonful of the grape mix. Garnish with some mint leaves.

Here you have a perfect and healthy snack that is quick and easy to make. Serve it for an after school snack or serve it as an appetizer. It will surely be a huge success. Hope you enjoy it with your family and friends. Post your own pictures and comments when you do try it. Hope you all have a great day.