South of the Border Burrito; Meatless Monday vegan recipe and a giveaway!!

My family is a connoisseur of vegetarian food. Fish and chicken is cooked only occasionally. I love fish and cannot resist grilled chicken. However, my husband and kids prefer vegetarian food over non-vegetarian. Needless to say, I therefore end up cooking more vegetarian dishes than non-vegetarian. Truth be told, personally for me, cooking a vegetarian dish is much easier and quicker than non-vegetarian.

I am a huge supporter of the Meatless Monday Movement. I often feel that people in the West have this misconception that a meal is incomplete without some form of animal protein and that animal protein is essential for normal growth and development.  Indian cuisine proves that this is a myth. Many Indians are vegetarian and lead a healthy, whole and successful life. 

Coming back to the recipe on hand.. when Taylor from Meatless Monday told me about an opportunity to work with Kristi Funk by trying one of her healthy recipes that support her  latest book filled with tons of information regarding breast cancer, how to prevent it with a healthy lifestyle, I was all for it! I am always on the quest for cooking in a healthier manner. I grew up in a family where 1 liter of oil would last the entire month. This recipe of Kristi’s uses no oil at all! I had to try that. I have to tell you, it came out delicious!! 

For those of you who are not familiar with Dr. Kristi Funk, she is a leading board-certified breast cancer surgeon and specialist in comprehensive wellness, including nutrition, fitness, and stress management. Best known as the breast surgeon for Angelina Jolie and Sheryl Crow, Dr. Funk has compiled her accessible and powerful strategies for reducing cancer risk and achieving optimal overall health into a much-anticipated book, Breasts: The Owner’s Manual, which came on shelves May 1, 2018.

Dr. Funk embraces meat reduction for healthy living. She personally provided a selection of delicious Meatless Monday recipes exclusively for us to try. One of them was the South of the Border Burrito. I tried it and everyone at home loved it! It was quick and easy. I would have never imagined that cooking without oil would taste so good! I made some minor changes to it due to lack of some ingredients. I didn’t have cilantro or avocado and therefore skipped it. I used chopped lettuce instead. Instead of Braggs amino acids I used tamari sauce. I have described the recipe verbatim as provided by her.

If you would like a copy of Dr Funk’s book, sign up with your email to participate in the give away! 

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 package (8 oz.) organic firm or extra firm, well drained tofu (prep technique below)

1 onion

1 large green pepper

1 large red pepper

2 handfuls chopped spinach

2 tomatoes

1 tsp turmeric

2 T Bragg Amino acids (or tamari)

Veggie broth to broth sauté

Salsa

1 Avocado

Cilantro to taste

Whole grain tortillas

Directions:

Heat pan with a tiny bit of broth just covering the bottom of the pan. Once the broth is simmering, add the chopped onions, tomatoes and peppers. Sauté until they start to get soft (about 6-8 minutes). Keep adding broth by the tablespoon when pan is gets too dry.

Crumble tofu (I use my hands), add turmeric and Bragg Amino acids and sauté until everything is starting to brown just a bit.

Add spinach, turn OFF heat, and toss for a minute or so.

Taste and decide if you want to add a little more Bragg’s.

Heat tortilla until soft and fill with mixture. Add salsa, cilantro and avocado and wrap into a burrito.

Tip: Draining tofu completely is important. Cut the tofu block in half and press in clean kitchen towels, then wrap in a dry towel and place under a heavy pan (or a stack of books!). Leave for at least 20 minutes and change out towels if they get too saturated. Better yet, buy a tofu press... such a great gadget to have!

I am bringing this salad to all my friends at Angie's Fiesta Friday #223. Her cohost this week is the amazing Mollie @ The Frugal Hausfrau.

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

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Mixed Lentil Penne (Bean pasta); gluten free; Meatless Monday

When Meatless Monday reached out to me about trying out Bean pasta from Modern Table Meals, and coming up with a nice and easy recipe, I jumped at the chance! Why? Because, a) I am an ardent champion of the Meatless Monday campaign. I believe that they are doing a great job worldwide promoting vegetarian eating and thereby healthy eating! Vanessa Protass  is just awesome! b) I don't eat regular pasta as I avoid gluten in my diet. Therefore I was very excited to try a gluten-free pasta!

The package from Modern table came a few days later with two packs of Mixed Lentil Penne, a pack of wooden cooking spoons and a nice tote bag.

I must tell you guys that I was not at all disappointed with the Mixed Lentil Penne from Modern Table Meals.

It looks like regular pasta, it cooks like regular pasta and it tastes like regular pasta! No, No. It is not just me saying this. I had some friends over for dinner when I made this particular pasta dish and they couldn't tell me that it was any different!In fact, they didn't even know that it was not regular pasta until I specifically mentioned that it was bean pasta. It is also light and does not make your stomach feel heavy and bloated . The best part: it is loaded with protein due to the lentils present in it, so you could just toss it with some veggies and a nutritious dinner/lunch is ready!

Do try this quick and very easy recipe! You will not be disappointed . Also, it is a great way to sneak in protein and veggie into your kid's and your tummies!

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Modern table mixed lentil penne pasta: 1 package
Water:
Broccoli florets : 1 small bunch ( around 2 cups)
Endamame: 8 oz pack, ( peeled and shelled,ready to cook)
Olive oil: 1 tbsp
Butter: 1 tsp ( skip butter if vegan)
Garlic: 6-8 cloves, minced
Capers: 1/4 cup
Olives, chopped: 2 tbsp ( any olives may be used, I used black olives); optional.
Dried Italian seasoning: 1 tsp
Freshly ground black pepper: 1 tsp
Salt: as per taste

Method:

Boil water with 1/4 tsp salt,  in a big pot/ saucepan. When the water comes to boil, add the penne in and cook for 8-9 minutes or until al dente. Drain and keep aside. Reserve the water.

Boil the same reserved water. When the water comes to boil, add Endamame  and cook for 2 mins. At the end of 2 mins, add the broccoli florets and cook for another 2 mins. Drain and keep aside. Reserve 1/4 cup of the drained water.

Heat a sauté pan or skillet on medium heat. Add the butter, oil and minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for a minute until aromatic. 

Add in the vegetables, the capers, the chopped olives, the herbs and the reserved 1/4 cup of pasta water. Let it come together for 10 seconds. 

Now add in the  cooked pasta. Toss it all together.

Serve hot.

Enjoy!

I am bringing this very healthy meal for all my friends to try at Throwback Thursday#36, Fiesta Friday#117 and Saucy Saturdays#42! The co-hosts this week are two excellent bloggers, Mollie @ The Frugal Hausfrau and Scarlett @ Unwed Housewife.

Cooking made easy:

One of the things I like to do while making pasta/noodles is cook the veggies with the pasta. Depending on the amount of time required for each one, I add it one after the other. In case of the above dish, the pasta requires to be cooked for 8 mins, the Endamame for 4 minutes and the broccoli for 2 mins or less. So, I would start with boiling the water with salt, add the pasta and keep the timer for 4 mins. At the end of 4 minutes, I would add the Endamame and cook for another 2 minutes, at the end of which I would add the broccoli florets and cook for another 2 minutes. When it is done, drain it all together.

Tip for healthy living:

Reduce the oil/ butter content in pasta dishes and make it healthier. You can still have a pasta dish that is not dry by adding some of the pasta water reserved while draining the pasta! This makes the pasta creamy and delicious!

Food for thought:

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

Surmai Tawa Fry ( Pan-fried Seer Fish/ Kingfish)

Would you believe me if I told you that you can fry fish using just one teaspoon of oil?? Well I did not believe it either. I always either shallow-fried the fish using atleast one centimeter of oil in my frying pan or deep fried it. Of course I have broiled fish before without using oil but that is just that: broiling. Broiling, grilling and baking does not require oil or requires very little oil. Now frying is an entirely different story! The words "frying" and "oil " go hand in hand; in fact are almost synonymous! Hence when I came across this dish in one of the cooking groups that I am part of, I too didn't believe it. I just could not wait to try it to test it for myself! I went to the fish market and got myself just 2 nice pieces of King Fish. King fish is also known as Seer fish/ Surmai/Visonu in India. I must say it was a successful experiment and the fish tasted great. My husband gave me his nod of approval too.. Coming from him it is big! He is very picky when it comes to fish. So here is a recipe to fry fish in a healthy fashion.

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

King fish: 2 pieces ( you could chose any fish that would yield nice slices)
Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 tsp( you can adjust based on your spice level).
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Garam masala: 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Black pepper powder: 1/8 tsp
Salt: as per taste
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Cornmeal ( or sooji) : 2-3 tbsp ( for dipping).
Oil: 1 tsp

Method:

Clean the fish slices thoroughly and keep aside on a plate. On one side of the plate, mix all the above ingredients except cornmeal and oil. Apply it generously to the fish slices and let it marinate for atleast 20-30 mins.

Heat a cast iron griddle/tawa on medium flame. Smear the oil on the pan.

Take the cornmeal in a plate. Dip each fish slice in the cornmeal until well coated.

Place it on the tawa/griddle , reduce the flame and cook each side for 4-5 mins or until done.

Serve hot with onion rings and lemon slices as an appetizer or with steamed rice as a side- dish.

Cooking made easy:

Cast iron pans are great to cook with as they retain the heat( temperature for longer time). While cooking maintain an even temperature. Do not turn the flame high and low as they will alter the rate of cooking of the food on the pan making it more likely that the food would either stick to the pan or be burnt.

Tip for healthy living:

One of the best ways to eat healthy is to reduce the consumption of fried food or the amount of oil used in cooking. While some amount of fat is definitely needed in our daily diet, it is also essential to make sure it is not too much. Fat through oil can sneak into our diet without even us knowing. Use as little oil while cooking as possible. You will be surprised that food can be delicious even when it is not fried and when minimum oil is used. This will keep your wallet heavy and the heart healthy.
References:

Food for thought:

Sometimes love is stronger than a man's convictions.  Issac Bashevis Singer