Authentic Mexican Guacamole ; Meatless Monday

Guys, spring is here!!! Even though it does not feel like spring at times...But not to despair!! It will get warm soon enough! We have to now get our bodies ready for summer!!

We are always on the look out for healthy snacks: snacks that are not processed, low in calories and replenishes & rejuvenates the body. One such snack is Guacamole. Made out of ripe avocados, they are filling,nutritious  and flavorful and cooling! Avocados are known as butter fruit in India. 

There are many versions of guacamole. Some make it chunky, some smooth, some add tomatoes and garlic while others don't. I have the good fortune of working with quite a few Hispanics and therefore learn authentic Hispanic dishes. This particular version of guacamole comes from a coworker of mine. I first tasted her guacamole at a workplace event that we had and the foodie in me was impressed to say the least. I loved the freshness of the guacamole and that there was no overpowering taste of one single ingredient. I had to have the recipe.

 She was kind enough to share it with me. I love the ease of making this guacamole with no food processor or blender needed. I use my stone pestle and mortar to make it. This recipe also requires only 6 ingredients including the avocado! Since making this version, I have not made any other.. I like to eat it as a dip with quinoa chips, quesadilla and as a topping on my sandwich or in my wrap.

Today, I am sharing this delicious recipe with you.

Servings: 3-4

Prep time: 8-10 mins

Cook time: 0 mins

Total time: 8-10 mins

Ingredients:

Avocado: 1 large, ripe
White Onion: 1/2 small, diced fine
Serrano pepper: 1, small, deseeded & deveined.
Lime Juice: from 1 small lime.
Cilantro: 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Salt: to taste

Method:

Deseed the Serrano pepper and chop it finely. Add it to a bowl.

Slice the avocado into 2. Remove the seed. 

Using a spoon, scoop it from the peel. Dice it into medium sized cubes. Add it to the bowl.

Add lime/lemon juice to the avocado and mix immediately. Otherwise the avocado will discolor.

Now add the chopped onion, finely chopped cilantro, and salt to the bowl.

Mix well. Mash the mixture gently to get the desired consistency.

Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Preferably serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

One of the problems of avocado is that it turns black. This can be prevented by the addition of lime or lemon juice and also by leaving the seed in the guacamole. The guacamole with remain green even the next day!!

Tip for healthy living:

Eating low calorie dips made using naturally occurring foods like avocado is much better than the high fat and calorie dips that use sour cream, cheese and mayonnaise as a base!

Food for thought:

To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one's own in the midst of abundance. Buddha

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

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Avocado Cheese Burger & Wrap; One Recipe, Two Options. Kids-friendly DFT

My kids are little. They are 3 and 6 year old.Their palates are still evolving. Which means that they are very picky . They will only eat what appeals to them and what tastes good. There is no rationalizing saying " it is good for you". If it does not taste good, they will not eat it!

Happy Kids! Happy Mamas! Team DFT is bringing the kids’ friendly sandwiches, subs, rolls and wraps this week.

Creating Recipes with a Cause!

I am a proud DFT blogger. 

To learn about DFT, read this link. 

To view more DFT recipes, Click here!

When team DFT decided to make this week's theme " kids-friendly DFT" so that kids with diabetes can benefit from these recipes, I was determined to make something that kids would actually eat and something that was easy to make over and over again. I also used my kids as guinea pigs. I figured that if they would eat it, most kids would. Both my kids like cheese ( but they are picky about which cheeses they like!), and they both eat avocado on a regular basis. They both eat rotis(chapati) and bread. The only new thing that I introduced this time was red lettuce, which I must confess wasn't that well received. On the positive note, they enjoyed both the burger and the wrap!! I was very surprised as my daughter usually likes the roti plain with just lots of cream cheese on top and made into a wrap/roll. She will eat the avocado on the side, but this time she ate it together. You see, she does not like too many textures at the same time!!

I have used ingredients in their natural form as much as possible, thereby avoiding anything processed or ready made. This is a no-cook recipe. I have used home-made whole wheat 6- inch chapati/roti for the wrap. You may therefore see some cracks or experience some cracking of the roti while rolling it. It is okay. I have provided the option of the burger for those who cannot make rotis or don't have it handy. The bun used for the burger is whole wheat bun with sesame seeds from Trader Joe. Each bun has only 110 calories.

I have only used a pinch of salt, pepper and a little bit of lemon juice for flavor. No mayonnaise, no dip/dressing of any kind has been used. The cheeses used are low fat variety. I have used low fat Swiss cheese spread ( laughing cow) and low fat shredded mozzarella cheese.The cheeses too, I haven't added too much. 1 tsp cream cheese for spreading and 1/2 tbsp shredded cheese on top of the avocado. Be careful when you add salt as the cheeses already have salt in them.

So here we go:

Servings: 1 ( makes one wrap or burger)Serving size: one wrap/ burger per person.

Ingredients:

6- inch chapati/roti/tortilla: 1 ( use corn tortilla to make it gluten-free)
OR
1 small whole wheat sesame bun.

Avocado: 1 quarter of one small avocado, chopped into bite-size pieces.( approximately 1 tbsp, heaped).
Lettuce: 2-3 small leaves ( I have used red lettuce)
Low fat swiss cheese spread : 1/2 of one laughing cow wedge.
Low fat mozzarella shredded cheese: 1/2 tablespoon
Lemon juice: 1/4 tsp
Salt: a tiny pinch
Pepper powder: a tiny pinch

Method:

Take the chopped avocado in a bowl. Add salt, pepper powder and lemon juice to it. Mix well and keep aside.

Spread the cream cheese on one side of the chapati/ roti or on the inside of the lower half of the bun.

Now layer the lettuce on the cream cheese, then spread the avocados and lastly top it with the shredded cheese. This step is the same for the wrap and the burger.

Now for the roti/chapati/tortilla, place a small strip of wax paper at the bottom 1/4 of the roti in such a manner the the wax paper is folded at the bottom and does not expose the edge of the roti/chapati/tortilla. Slowly wrap it so that the edges of the roti are overlapping each other. Secure it with a toothpick.

For the burger, just top it with the top half of the bun and secure it with a toothpick.

It is ready to be served!

It is great for lunch box and for picnics!!

Enjoy. I am bringing this to my friend Angie's Fiesta Friday #78

Cooking made easy:

Every individual including kids have different tastes. Based upon your child's tastes, the above recipe can be easily modified.

You could add a little olive oil to the chopped avocados  along with salt and pepper. You can also mix 1/4 tsp mayonnaise.( Caution: any dressing that you use adds to the calories!!). An healthier option would be to use peanut chutney or coriander chutney as dressing.

Instead of using chopped avocados you can use guacamole in this wrap.

You can also layer the wrap/ burger with slices of tomatoes and cucumber based on your child's age and taste.

Footnotes( Tip for healthy living):

The primary ingredient in the wrap/ burger is whole wheat. I have previously discussed at length regarding the health benefits of whole wheat over white flour/all purpose flour/maida. You can read it in the footnotes section here.

Avocado is another main ingredient in this recipe. Avocado is a superfood. It provides the body with nearly 20 important vitamins and minerals in each serving. It is a great source of heart-healthy fats.It is a good source of vitamin B, C & E.It is low in sugar, rich in dietary fiber and maintains the blood sugar levels steady for a long time therefore making it one of the choice foods for diabetics.

Low fat cheese in controlled portions is an excellent source of protein and calcium for diabetics. You can find more detailed information in the references cited below.

Lettuce adds bulk to the meal and much needed dietary fiber.It is a calorie free food. I chose the red ones over green as they have a little more nutritional value as compared to their green counterparts.

Disclaimer:I am not a nutritionist or dietitian. My knowledge and information is based on my research and reading from different resources. Please consult your doctor or dietitian before making any changes to your diet.


Other Kids’ Friendly Sandwiches and Rolls by DFT Team!

https://simplyvegetarian777.wordpress.com/2015/07/22/vegetable-pizza-sandwich-diabetes-friendly-thursdays/

https://shailjatomar.wordpress.com/2015/07/22/rainbow-summer-rolls-with-peanut-saucer-dft/

http://www.letscookhealthytonight.com/oven-roasted-falafel-wraps/

http://gorgeandserve.com/2015/07/22/hariyali-paneer-wrap/

https://crackleandtemper.wordpress.com/2015/07/22/egg-burrito-with-a-twist-diabetic-friendly-thursdays/

http://divinespicebox.com/2015/07/22/vietnamese-savory-wrap-banh-xeo/

Food for thought:

Anything unattempted remains impossible. Unknown

Meatless Monday Quinoa Avocado Salad

With the temperatures getting warmer, I find myself back to making salads for dinner. I like to eat salads for dinner as they are filling without being too rich with too many calories.Truthfully, I am not a great fan of garden salads. I eat them occasionally.I eat plenty of greens. They form a staple part of my everyday diet. But, I like my greens cooked. I enjoy other varieties of salads. I make quinoa black- bean salad, chickpea salad, cucumber salad, carrot salad, cabbage slaws; all of which I enjoy. Tonight I was in a rush. I had some leftover cooked quinoa in my fridge. I decided to make quinoa-avocado salad. It's refreshing, wholesome, filling, quick and easy as you will see in the recipe below.

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

Quinoa: 1 cup
Avocado : 1 large, peeled, pit removed and chopped into medium sized cubes.
Cucumber: 1 small, diced
Tomato: 1 medium, diced
Raisins: 1 tsp
Parsley : 1 tbsp, chopped
Olive oil: 3 tbsp
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Pepper: 1/8 tsp

Method:

Boil 2 cups water in a saucepan with 1/2 tsp salt. When the water comes to a boil, add the washed quinoa, reduce the flame to low, cover the saucepan and let it cook for 15-20 mins. When done all the water should be gone and you should see small curly strands on the quinoa. Fluff it with a fork/ spoon and keep aside to cool.

Toss the chopped avocado with lemon juice and keep aside.

In a salad bowl, add the diced cucumber, tomato, cooled quinoa, raisins, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper and mix well. Now add the avocados and lightly toss it.

Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

Avocados discolor upon exposure to air. One way to prevent this is to toss it with lemon juice.

A great way to store leftover avocado slices is to wrap it in cling film in such a manner that the entire surface of the avocado is in contact with the cling film. This will also prevent it from getting discolored.

Tip for healthy living:

Avocados and quinoa both belong to the food category known as " super foods". Superfoods are foods that are nutrient-rich and are beneficial to one's health and well-being. Apart from being  gluten free and a good substitute for grain, quinoa is a great source of protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Avocados are rich in healthy fats, protein, vitamins, protein and dietary fiber.

Remember, while all the above benefits are true,the term "superfood" has no scientific meaning and also seems to have been coined more with the idea of promoting a more healthy and plant-based diet. 

Food for thought:

Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. Mother Teresa

Meatless Monday Guacamole My Way

In my household, avocados are a staple! We all love them. We make it a point to have at least one avocado a day. My kids being vegetarian, this is a great source of nutrition, especially of protein and good fats for them. We generally just slice them and have it with as a snack with salt and pepper. But whenever I have avocados that are overripe and mushy and I fear that they will go bad, I make some kind of dip or guacamole. I always experiment with food and try matching different ingredients and see how they turn out. This time I had the avocado that was overripe, I decided to make guacamole but without tomatoes. I have used yogurt an cilantro in here. Here is the recipe for guacamole, my way!

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

Avocado : 1 , sliced into 4 pieces
Greek yogurt: 1/4 cup
Green chillies : 1 medium sized
Garlic cloves : 2 small
Hot sauce: 1/4 tsp
Cilantro: 10 sprigs, washed,leaves separated.
Lemon juice: 1 tsp
Olive oil : 3 tbsp
Rock salt : 1/2 tsp
Pepper freshly ground: 1/4 tsp

Method:

Put all the above ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined but the avocados are small chunks.

Serve  chilled as dip with chips/ quesadillas/ tacos or even baby carrots!


Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

When you choose avocados to use, make sure they are just ripe. They should not be green and hard and they should not be black and feel mushy to the touch. The right ripeness of the avocado is generally indicated by a nice bottle-green color of the exterior and just a little even softness to touch.

If the avocado is still green, leave it outside at room temperature and it will ripen in a couple of days.

If it is overripe than making a dip is one of the ways to salvage it.

Tip for Healthy living:

Avocados are super fruits which are extremely nutrient-dense. It has tremendous amounts of antioxidants and is rich in good fats which are the mono saturated fats like oleic acid  and are believed to reduce the levels of bad cholesterol in the body. Avocados are also a very good protein source amongst fruits and vegetables providing on average around 4 grams per avocado. It is low in sugar making it a great food for diabetics. It is s great source of potassium and vitamins B, K, C and E.  It also is a very rich source of dietary fiber. All this makes it great food for our good health.

Food for thought:

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship. Buddha