Grilled Peru & Pineapple Salad

My husband and I have a favorite summer time...BBQing on my little grill or cooking on our homemade tandoor! Yes, we enjoy grilling. Weekends are mostly spent in the backyard besides the grill. But not just weekends, with long summer days grilling is an easy task to sit back, relax, and prepare dinner even during weekdays.

When it comes to BBQ or using charcoal grill, my husband and I make the most use of it. Not just grilling appetizers, corn or paneer...we cook the entire traditional Indian meal and even desserts on my charcoal grill. Grilled fruit salads are fun too!

Grilling fruit can make the fruit sugars caramelize to give delicious sweet and smoky flavor. It can be combined with fresh spring and summer green and the fruit juice will make a great dressing too.
Pineapple and Guava or Peru as we call it in India are sweet and sour fruits, great for grilling and form amazing tasting dressing over the salad. As soon as I found fresh guavas at an Indian store, I knew what I wanted to make. We do have a gauva tree in our backyard...we are waiting for it to fruit soon!

Ingredients
2 firm but ripe guavas/peru
1/2 fresh pineapple
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp chilli powder
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cups fresh spring greens

• Cut guavas into eights and put in a large bowl.
• Core and cut pineapple into pieces similar size that of guavas. Put in a large bowl with cut guavas.
• Add salt, chilli powder, and lemon juice. Let the fruits sit for 10-15 minutes.
• Gently pierce each fruit piece through a skewer.
• Sprinkle some sugar over it and grill the fruits. Grilling should not take more time. Quick grilling will keep the fruits moist from inside while still obtaining caramelized and smoky flavor.
• Add grilled fruits to the bowl of fresh greens with the remaining fruit juice in the bowl. 
• Serve immediately.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe

Enjoy the Grilling Season!!

Carrot and Avocado Salad

 #MyPlate, a complete well balanced meal recommended by USDA http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Yes, specially for vegetarians, where protein intake is very less, I have been making efforts to add protein to my family's diet and cutting down onto carbs. Even adding lot of veggies to the plate is helping reduce the amount of carbs, giving a full and satisfying meal.

Last weekend my husband and I worked out at the gym. Burnt calories, felt refreshed, and had a healthy meal. Carrot and Avocado salad was born out out of the necessity. I had not planned to add this recipe to the blog. But believe me, it tasted so good that I felt I should share this recipe with everybody. I apologize for not having step by step pictures for this recipe.

We all know how Avocados are good for health and I am so addicted to the delicious taste, that I always have 2-3 avocados in my kitchen for a quick avocado snack or an avocado roti wrap. Yes, I just love them!!

When I presented this complete meal to my husband, he was just WOWed. He did not expect me to cook all this after a workout. In fact, I feel so refreshed, that I enjoy cooking and eating healthy after all those calories burnt. :) As soon as my husband ate the first spoonful of salad, what he said was, "MAST' which means, 'too good' or 'delicious'. YES... YES... YES... I did it... I made him eat avocado which was not in the form of guacamole. He just loved it!!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado cut into cubes.
1 cut shredded carrot
1/4 cup choppied onion
1 chopped tomato
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
Juice of a 1/2 fresh lime
Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients well and serve :) Yes it is just that easy!! The beauty of this dish is the fresh, crisp, shredded carrot with soft, ripe, avocado. Ripe avocado with salt and lime, form a dressing over shredded carrot. I am sure you will love it!

Enjoy this Hearty Avocado!!

Coleslaw Kachumber

Kachumber is an Indian salad made of tiny bits of chopped veggies. Usually tomato, cucumber and onion, are minced together and seasoned with salt and lime juice; this is a basic Indian Kachumber made in most Indian families.

Cabbage Kachumber is my mom's signature salad and my favorite. In her food processor, grating veggies was so quick and easy, that my mom could put this together in just few minutes. She used to make this salad everyday... that's how much I love it!! How I miss those days! But now, I have started making my favorite Kachumber which just takes five minutes to make.

Here are my favorite kachumber veggies. 

There is no fixed proportion.
You could also add beetroot.

My Cuisinart food processor that I have been using since past 8 years. Love, Love, Love it!! 

The blade storage box did not come with this. I bought it separately from another favorite store,
Sur La Table :)
Click here for more information on Cuisinart food processor.

Shredding/grating blade.

Grate all veggies except tomatoes.

Cabbage, Carrots, Cucumber

Remove in a large bowl. Add finely diced tomato and freshly chopped cilantro. Add salt to taste and juice of one fresh lime. Mix well and serve. Season the salad just before serving to prevent it from sweating, and to maintain it's crisp texture.

Eat it as is 

OR

Wrap in thin roti or flat bread.

Happy Healthy Eating!

Burrito

Whatsapp has been so popular in connecting people. It is the easiest way I know, to be able to message people globally. Even my parents tend to use this application a lot. Sharing pictures is also done so easily. Okay, I am not publicizing this application, but with so many friends on Whatsapp and being able to be in touch with so many people worldwide,  it is just my favorite app on phone :)

Getting to know each other, sharing recipes and pictures, brainstorming ideas and so much more interaction has begun via Whatsapp. Planning meals is also getting interesting and easier. With wonderful nutritionist friends on board, there are motivational chats on good eats. One such chat led to this delicious weekend lunch. Yes, most of us planned to cook the same meal over the weekend! Doesn't it sound fun? Yes, it was! So many messages, sharing thoughts, exchanging recipes and sharing pictures of our final product. :)

Summer breaks are fun, but what I miss the most is Mexican feast in my school cafe. It is actually lunch, but I call it a feast. Delicious fresh salsa, guacamole, tortillas and so much good food they serve to the teachers :) Not just the food, but also wonderful fellow teachers and interesting talks add to the feast. It was time for some Mexican at home too! Burrito wraps: a wholesome and delicious meal for the family!

This recipe is not only great for the entire family, but also great for parties, potlucks, and picnics. Make your own taco or burrito would be so much fun!! My sister calls it a 'Chipotle Party'. While my sister was in the US, Chipotle Mexican Grill was her favorite restaurant, and she misses it a lot in India. When I go to India, we make it a point to cook Chipotle style food :)

My list to make burritos:

Fresh homemade tortillas, salsa, guacamole, beans, rice, sour cream, cheese and lettuce.

My trip to local market for fresh ingredients.

Homemade flour tortilla. 

Usually tortillas are made with all-purpose flour. I like to use whole wheat flour to make this meal even more healthy. Also adding spinach puree adds color too :)

Mix 1 1/2 cup wholewheat flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. Add 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. baking powder, and 1 tsp. ghee or oil. Puree 2 cups of spinach with 1/2 cup water. Use this green puree to form a soft dough. Use additional water if needed. Dust the surface and knead the dough well for 4-5 minutes. Cover and keep it aside for at least 20 minutes.

Roll the dough into long roll and divide into 15 pieces. 

Roll each piece into a 10-12 inch thin tortilla.

On a very hot griddle, cook tortilla on each side for 10-15 seconds till you see slight bubbles. Do not over cook it. Keep it covered in a box till it is time to serve.

Fresh Pico De Gallo

Freshly chopped salsa is my favorite. Carlos, one of the chefs at our school cafeteria makes the best Pico De Gallo. Fresh and spicy! He also creates variety of salsa to go with chips :) Yummy!!

Mix 2 cups chopped tomatoes, 3/4 cup chopped onions, 1 cup chopped bell pepper, 1/2 to 1 finely chopped jalapeno, chopped cilantro 1 tsp. salt and fresh lime juice.

Serve fresh Salsa with chips or nachos.

Fresh Avocado Guacamole!

2 fresh, ripe, soft avocados. 1/2 cup chopped onions, 2 cloves garlic, 1 chopped tomato, handful of fresh cilantro, 1 jalapeno.  

In a food processor. mince onion, tomato, garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro. Add avocado and process it to form a smooth dip. I like to keep mine chunky so I only process 1 avocado in the food processor.

I like to roughly mash second avocado with a fork and then just mix with the processed one. That way I get a chunky dip :) Add salt and lime juice to taste. Never discard the seed/pit of the avocado. Let the pit be in a bowl. Some say it prevents avocado from browning.

1 cup soaked, boiled black beans or kidney beans. Saute in a tbsp of oil, 1/2 chopped onion and 1tsp. chopped jalapeno. Add salt the taste and cook for 3-4 minutes.

To 1 cup of freshly boiled rice add 2 tbsp. lime juice, salt, and chopped cilantro.

2 cups Fresh Shredded Lettuce

In 1/2 cup Sour cream add 1 tbsp. lime juice and 3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro. Mix well.

Serve!

Fresh Spinach Tortilla, everything ready to be assembled.

To Assemble:

On a tortilla, put 2 tbsp. of beans, rice, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese and lettuce. 

Wrap well and serve!

This one is for me, without rice :)

Enjoy your Fresh & Healthy Burrito Wrap!