Lentils are an excellent source of proteins and minerals, high in fiber content and helps in maintaining blood sugar levels. As part of a balanced diet, including lentils, beans or peas is a healthy choice and a good replacement for non-vegetarian food. In fact the United Nations declared 2016 as the “International Year of Pulses”, to spread the awareness about its benefits to the world. The term dal refers to the preparation of pulses along with other ingredients in a gravy form, and is an important staple food in Indian cuisine. Combining the super-rich spinach with lentils – it’s a perfect balance of flavour in a healthy way.

I was introduced to this recipe by my mother-in-law, she cooks this dish quite often at home and everybody loves it in our family. She learned the preparation of authentic palak dal from her North-Indian friends a long time ago, and later added her twist with South-Indian ingredients. For those who do not know, there are huge differences in dishes prepared across the various provinces of India. This recipe was new to me as we never cooked green spinach at my home. Whenever we both talk about this dish, she used to tell me the story of how she used to feed my husband when he was a kid with this dish as he was a huge fan of “Popeye the Sailor Man”, he enjoyed it hoping to become strong as Popeye… n that’s how this curry became my husband’s favorite dish…!!

In this recipe I used split pigeon peas /toor dal / tuvara parippu combined with spinach, pressure cooked, and later combined with garlic, green chilies and cumin seeds, blended in a coconut mixture. The consistency of the gravy is slightly thick.

Enjoy, and stay Healthy…!!!

Prep time: 30 mins
Serves: 4 – 5 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ cup spinach (finely chopped)
• ½ cup split pigeon peas / toor dal / tuvara parippu
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ cup grated coconut
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ tsp cumin seeds / jeera
• 2 green chilies
• 1 tomato (chopped)
• mustard seeds (a pinch)
• 2 dried red chilies
• salt (as required)
• 2 cups of water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add dal, spinach, water and a little salt in to a pressure cooker and cook till its whistle blows once.
2. Meantime, make a paste of coconut, garlic, turmeric powder, green chilies and cumin seeds, and keep aside.
3. To the cooked dal, add the coconut paste and boil the curry on a low flame.
4. If you prefer a thin curry then add another ½ cup of water, otherwise skip.
5. In another pan prepare the tempering by adding a little oil, mustard seeds and dried red chilies.
6. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add chopped tomatoes and saute for a while till it turns mushy.
7. Add this tempering to the boiling dal and mix well. Check for the seasoning.
8. When the curry starts to thicken up, turn off the flame.

Serve hot with steamed rice or roti.

The post Spinach Lentil Curry / Palak Toor Dal appeared first on Pepper Delight.

A simple veggie sandwich loaded with mushrooms, avocados, red peppers, spinach and tomatoes, in a delicious combo with a tangy goat cheese!!!

Sometimes all you need is a fresh sandwich which is light to your stomach and keeps you healthy, calm and relaxed, and unwind the rest of your day with some light music.

This sandwich combo is so yummy with the fresh avocados, and vegetables sautéed in olive oil with some crispy bread, makes it light and yummy …

Enjoy…!!!

Prep time        : 10 minutes
Serves             : 1 – 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 2 avocados (sliced into cubes)
• 6 mushrooms (sliced)
• ½ of a red pepper (sliced)
• 1 tomato (chopped)
• 1 handful of spinach
• 2 oz goat cheese (softened)
• 6 slices of multigrain bread (lightly toasted)
• butter (as required)
• salt (as required)
• pepper (as required)
• olive oil (as required)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat olive oil in a pan and saute the sliced red peppers, tomato, spinach, and mushrooms for 2 – 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Apply butter on the bread slices and toast lightly.
3. Spread the sautéed vegetables with sliced avocado on one slice and apply goat cheese on the other.
4. Sandwich them and enjoy…!

Note:

Goat cheese taken out straight from your refrigerator can be hard and chunky, making it difficult to spread. You can either leave it for an hour to warm up to the room temperature and soften, or add a spoon of milk to it and mash, making it light and spreadable.

The post Veggie Sandwich with Goat Cheese appeared first on Pepper Delight.

Fish is my favorite (ha ha, my coastal background pops up again!), yeah that’s the fact, and I cook it regularly at home. But this time for a change I thought to stay away from the usual Indian masala, curry type recipes which I prepare often and try out a non-spicy version, a bread crumbed fish.

This recipe is so simple as it hardly takes a few minutes to prep and another 15 minutes to cook.

I have used tilapia fillets covered in a panko crust (you can also use normal breadcrumbs instead). I was a bit confused with the choice of sides as mostly all of my fish recipes go with rice or flat bread, and so this time I did some research to pick the ideal sides for this tilapia dish. I finally chose a simple rice pilaf and steamed broccoli. And to finish it, a drizzle of lemon juice! Done, your dish is ready!!!

Prep time        : 20 – 25 minutes
Serves              : 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

For Parmesan crusted Tilapia:

Tilapia fillets                                   : 2
Parmesan cheese                           : ½ cup
Italian herbs (dried)                       : 1 teaspoon (optional)
Panko Breadcrumbs                     : 1 cup
Pepper                                               :  1tbsp
Olive oil                                            : as required
Salt                                                     : as required
Fresh parsley                                   : 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Lemon                                               : ½ of one lemon (drizzle)
Broccoli florets                               : 8- 12

For Rice Pilaf:

Long grain white rice                    : 1 cup
Butter                                                 : 3 tbsp
Garlic                                                 : 1 (finely chopped)
White/Yellow onion                      : 1 (sliced into cubes)
Parsley                                               : 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Low sodium chicken broth          : 1 ½ cup
Water                                                  : 1 cup

INSTRUCTIONS

For Parmesan crusted Tilapia:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In the meantime clean and pat tilapia fillets. In a small bowl mix the dried ingredients; panko breadcrumbs, italian herbs (dried), pepper, salt, and parmesan cheese.
3. Brush tilapia with olive oil on both sides and dip it in the prepared dry mixture.
4. Top with chopped fresh parsley leaves.
5. Bake for about 12 to 15 mins until the fish becomes flaky inside. Serve with a drizzle of lemon juice.

Steam cook broccoli and keep aside. You can also drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper if you don’t like plain steamed broccoli.

For Rice Pilaf:

1. Wash and soak rice in water for about 15 minutes.
2. Drain it and keep aside.
3. In the meantime, heat butter in a pan. Add chopped garlic and saute till the raw smell settles down.
4. Add sliced onion, salt and saute on a low flame for about 3 minutes. Ensure not to burn the onions.
5. Add drained rice, and stir and toast well. Toast until the rice become white and starts to crack.
6. Add chicken broth and water, cover and cook the rice till the water dries out.
7. Add chopped parsley leaves, and fluff the rice.

Serve baked tilapia with rice pilaf and steamed broccoli.

Note:

• For this recipe I used panko breadcrumbs which is a Japanese style breadcrumbs commonly used to coat deep fried foods. As it is made from bread without crust, deep frying foods will stay crispy and crunchy. As an alternative you can also use a homemade version.
• Dried Italian herbs consist of Marjoram, Oregano, Thyme, Savory, Basil, Sage and Rosemary, and are readily available in stores.

The post Baked Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Rice Pilaf and Broccoli appeared first on Pepper Delight.