Quick and easy Healthy Veggie Sandwich

I love to cook but I also realise how lazy I get when I’ve to cook lunch just for me. I’m excited to cook when I’ve people around, but just for myself, it can get boring. Don’t you agree?

I need something fast, exciting and healthy to keep me motivated to enter the kitchen during these lazy and cozy winter days. So, I walk into the kitchen, open the refrigerator & picked out all the veggies I had . I also had a batch of Homemade Basil Pesto that I had made just 3 days ago and decided – why not a healthy yum Veg Sandwich. And so I put it together and guess what – it turned out super delicious. Voila!! The ingredients used are what most of us have in our pantry and takes no time at all. So why wait? Let’s get started.

Ingredients :

• Peeled and grated carrot – 1/4 cup
• Peeled and grated bottle guard – 1/4 cup (optional. I had it in my fridge and wanted to make something healthy. So why not? 😉 )
• Finely chopped onions – 1/4 cup
• Finely chopped capsicum – 1/4 cup
• Cheese slices – 2 ( for 2 sandwiches)
• Oregano – 1/4 tsp
• Pepper – 1/4 tsp
• Salt – as per taste
• Pesto – to apply on the bread
• Brown Bread slices – 4

Method :

• Take a bowl and mix all veggies and the seasoning.
• Place cheese slices on 2 bread slices and apply a generous layer of pesto on the other two slices.

• Scoop 1-2 tbsp of the veggie mix and apply in on the bread slices. Cover with the other bread slice.
• In a pan, add a little butter and place the sandwich.
• Cook till its brown on both sides.

• Serve with ketchup or eat it as is.
• Yay!! Healthy and quick veggie sandwich is ready to be eaten or even packed for lunch.

Hope you all enjoyed this as much I enjoyed cooking it.

Until next time, Adios 🙂

Moong Dal Sabzi/ Split Yellow Lentils

Have you wanted to make something healthy yet yummy? Something that doesn’t require buying 100’s of healthy ingredients before getting started? Well, I’ve been there and most of the time I’m inspired to cook healthy meals, I often end up not doing it because I do not have those ingredients in my pantry and then you know what happens :p Mission healthy food : FAILS! Hahaha

But who comes to rescue during these tragic moments of course my MOM 🙂 This lentils recipe is not only super yummy but super super healthy as well and guess what : all the ingredients used are almost available all the time. So instead of having you all to read more of my stupid tragic stories, let’s just get started.

Ingredients :

• Moong Dal/ Split yellow lentils – 1 cup
• Medium sized tomato – 1 roughly chopped
• Calabash /bottle gourd/ Lauki – 1/2 cup roughly chopped
• Small onion – 1 roughly chopped
• Salt
• Red chilli powder – 1 1/2 tsp (you can add more or less as per your taste)
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Kitchen king masala or Garam masala – 1/2 tsp ( optional)
• Fresh lemon juice – 1 tsp (optional)
• Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves – 4-5
• Ghee/ Clarified butter or oil – 2 tbsp

Method :

• Wash the lentils and let it soak atleast for 30 mins ( It cooks faster if done this way. If in a hurry, it can be skipped as well)
• Put lentils, veggies and a little salt to a pressure cooker and let it cook up to 3 whistles.

 

• Let the cooker cool down, then open it and whisk the dal/ lentils till everything looks incorporated.

• For the seasoning, take a small pan or kadai – add ghee (can be substituted by oil), mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and red chilli powder.

• As you see them splutter, add them to the lentils. Add salt as per your taste.

• Add the Kitchen king masala/ garam masala and switch off the stove.
• Add lemon juice and mix everything together.
• Tada!! The yummy dal is ready to be served with roti’s/ rice or can just be eaten as is.

Note :

If the dal looks dry, you can add water to it. I added 1 cup of water and let it boil before serving it

Hope you all enjoyed this recipe.

Until next time, Adios!

Stay happy, stay healthy 🙂

Bottle Guard Milkshake

 

I used to get very cranky about eating the day my mom prepared launki ki sabji (cooked bottle gourd). I now totally correlate to all those kids who hate eating it and all those moms who want their kids to eat it for the nutrition it provides! Keeping in mind the dilemma of both of them, here is an amazing bottle gourd milkshake that not only is healthy, but something your kid wouldn’t be able to guess what it truly is! And yes, it works very well as a shake when guests come too!!

Serves: 2-3 people

• Let’s start by gathering the following ingredients:
  50 gms bottle gourd
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 2 cardamoms (elaichi) (with skin)
• 1 pinch apple green color
• 1 tbsp cashew nuts (broken)
• ½ ltr milk (raw and icy)
• 2 pistachios (chopped) (for garnishing)

The recipe to make the yummy bottle gourd milkshake:

1. Peel off the bottle gourd skin, cut it into small pieces, and pressure cook to one whistle with a glass of water. I’d personally suggest tasting the bottle gourd from both sides anytime you use it in your kitchen, as a lot of times it turns out to be bitter.
2. Once the cooker opens, discard the water.
3. In a small mixer jar / blender, add the boiled bottle gourd, cardamom, sugar, cashews, apple green color, and blend it to a paste.
4. Transfer this paste to a bigger jar, add the ½ ltr milk, and blend well.
5. Garnish with pistachios.
6. Decorate the rim of the glass with a small pinch of apple-green color touched with the left over paste in the mixer jar.

You can also use spring onion leaves instead of bottle gourd. 8-10 spring onion leaves would do for this recipe.

I prefer to use the apple-green color only when serving for guests at a party, and not for my kids. My opinion is to give it to kids without any artificial coloring, the healthier the better!!