Weekly meal planning

Its been a good year so far.. with a new job and an on-going inspiration to loose weight albeit not a new year resolution! My life has been surrounded with lots of new interesting work challenges and equally challenging planning of meals. I say challenging because if I want to get done with a hour-long work-out in the evening, I am left with only 45 mins to get our dinner ready. Don't ask me why and how only 45 mins..lets just say we prefer to finish dinner before 8.30.. 9.00 pm tops!

With that in mind, deciding what to make for at least 4 nights in the week does get to be a task! Much till the mid feb, I would decide the dinner of the day based off my mood aka whatever came to my mind then. Now you can understand that such a schedule would definitely not work out to be best! I would end up with recipes that took much longer than 45 mins or too much left overs.

But after reading this post by Nupur at One Hot Stove, I was totally inspired. What came to mind was instead of writing down each day what we had for dinner, I much rather create a small meal plan for the week! That way I would not only have time to think about dinner in advance (over the weekend) but it would also make sure I have minimal wastage of produce!

I usually do get overly excited about such ideas and so this time I decided to take it slow. For the first week, I decided only on a couple of recipes and checked how the plan rolled out. Fortunately I made it through the week with success and last weekend I finally made a concrete dinner plan for the coming weekdays, 4 days of eating-in!

Below is what we had for the past week:

Mon 3/4 - Rava(Semolina) Idli with Coconut chutney
Tues 3/5 - Sweet potato curry with Vari tandul (Jungle rice) and cucumber raita
Wed 3/6 - Ordered Pizza ( originally planned for Noodles with tofu and bell-pepper)
Thurs 3/7 - Masoor Pulao with Tomato-Cucumber raita
Fri 3/8 - Left-over pulao with snacks

So to compensate for the earlier planned noodles, I made the noodles for lunch today with a side of steamed edamame! Yumm! :)

It wont be a surprise to you guys if I say that reading through food blogs is truly therapeutic for me and I do that for at least 10% of my each day. With that I end up having a plethora of recipes and definitely love to find those which are quick, healthy and delicious! So the upcoming week's meal plan does have such inspirations sprinkled through it! :)
In the hope of still managing through this plan, I am posting my meal plan in advance and will surely report back what happens through the week. So here is the plan:

Mon 3/11 - Moong curry with chapatis and tomato raita
Tues 3/12 - Besan pithla with chapatis and Snehal's peanut chutney.
Wed 3/13 - Fusili with pesto and veggies
Thurs 3/14 - Puliogare rice with black grams and side salad
Fri 3/15 - Eat out!

I am totally stoked by the whole idea and just hope this works well for the upcoming months! Planning this definitely makes my life easy through the week and helps me waste less and in fact save some money! I am sure if executed even more strictly one can easily have a lean weekly budget set for meals! I would surely be interested in hearing what you guys think about this and if you have an such ideas up your sleeve!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Cherished memories

Everyone I am sure has a particular restaurant or a food truck or even a good old stall around the corner of the road that they cherish in their minds for some of the best food they ever had. I have a few in my mind that I cherish oh so dearly and every India trip I make sure I go through that list even if I am suffering from an upset stomach. :P

This past weekend, I was missing the steaming hot idlis and the crispy buttery dosas from a restaurant in Mumbai that goes by the name Sadguru. Every person who has spend time in the suburban area of Chembur knows this restaurant and oh boy did they have huge waiting lines! What I loved about the south Indian food offerings in this restaurant was the fact that they served us three different kinds of chutneys to go with the main dish. I loved each of the chutneys because they weren't the watery kind and had a distinct flavor which made each of them stand out! Infact it was this assortment I was missing more than the actual dosas/ idlis. 

So of course, I got over the craving by making two differents chutneys to go with some instant mix dosas.. I know I know..I hear it..instant..really??? I was just too desperate to enjoy the sides and made way with the instant mix.. ;) One of these chutneys was something I made for the first time, I had the old flavor of the chutney lingering on my tongue and with a little bit of research online, I devised the recipe for this chutney with the help of this recipe. 

Tomato chutney

Ingredients:

2 medium tomatoes roasted and diced

1/2 onion chopped

2-3 cloves garlic 

1.5 tbsp sesame seeds 

3-4 dried red chilies

1 green chili chopped

2 Tsp urad dal
2 Tsp chana dal

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 small piece of tamarind softened or 1 Tsp of Tamarind Paste

Salt to taste

1 tsp  + 1 tsp oil

For tempering:

1 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

3-4 curry leaves

• Heat a pan and dry roast the sesame seeds just until you can smell the aroma. Set aside to cool.
• Heat 1 tsp of oil and add the urad dal, chana dal, cumin seeds and the dry red chillies until the dals turn in to a light brown color. Set aside and sprinkle some water onto this mixture to help soften the dals.
• To the left over oil, add the green chili and the chopped onions. Once the onions are getting transparent, add the fire / oven roasted tomatoes and the tamarind pulp . Allow for it to saute well and until all the water evaporates. Allow to cool.
• Grind the dal mixture along with the sesame seeds followed by the tomato mixture. Adjust the salt to you taste. 
• Transfer the chutney to a bowl and season with the tempering. Enjoy with your choice of idli / dosas.

The tangy flavor of the chutney was truly delicious and even with the effort involved it was truly worth it! 

Green fiesta

First and foremost, I wish everyone a very happy new year! May this year be filled with wonderful moments of joy and cheer! I have had a very fulfilling past year, it was the year I got married, it was the year where we overcame some big obstacles and it was the year we as newly-weds thoroughly enjoyed spending time with friends and of course with each other. ;)

The past year made me realize what marriage really is, its when you realize, 'you' means 'we' and that 'we' becomes the biggest support system you ever had. I am truly thankful for having a life partner, who not only sees the best in me but knows how to push me towards what I can achieve which I surely dont think I can. So with these lovely memories from 2012 of course with its fair share of sorrows, I have stepped into 2013 with great hopes and lots more ambition!

Talking of ambition, I am no different than any other person, who thinks this is the year I will loose a ton of weight! At least I hope so.. :P. So workouts have begun of course, but I am also researching on an easily adaptable healthy diet.. I know diets are never easy, but that's where the nerd in me is challenged to find out why not. :P Since the past year, we have adapted ourselves to eat healthy and of course cook healthy. And so today's recipe is one of those OMG kinds' I havent had in a while now!

Yesterday I went to bed with a question in mind, as to what do I do with one ripe avocado left in my kitchen! I started thinking of pairing it with something, of course spinach was something I had to use up and I put myself to bed asking, will they work together?

Today morning, the first google with my coffee was 'spinach and avocado recipes' and voila I wasn't the first one who tried that. The recipe below had to be tried and it was a true success!  I did not use any cheese or any cream in this recipe since the avocado gives it the needed creaminess.

Pasta with spinach and avocado sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups Baby spinach

3 - 4 cups fusili or any kind of pasta you prefer

1 Avocado - pitted and cubed

4 cloves garlic

1/2 onion sliced thinly

1/2 capsicum chopped vertically

1 zucchini sliced

1/2 tbsp italian seasoning / dried herbs of your choice

1/2 tbsp ground black pepper

1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes

1.5 tbsp olive oil

Salt to taste

• Blend the spinach and the avocado with one clove of garlic and a green chili if you like. Add water if needed. 
• Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the box till al dente. In a sauce pan, heat some oil and add one glove of garlic. Remove the garlic once you smell it. Add the onions and let them cook until they become transparent. Add the capsicum and the zucchini and cook them well. 
• Add the sauce and let it simmer for a few minutes, followed by the herbs. Mix in the pasta and season with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with some parmesan cheese and red chili flakes. We enjoyed it with some home-made garlic bread! Yum!

This pasta turned out totally green because all I had in my fridge was green - spinach, avocado, green capsicum and zucchini. :P This combination has sparked several ideas in my mind and hopefully they will be inspiring me more to continue blogging. 

Something old..something new..

This post has been long due! I was actually suppose to post this one last september but today is the day that I finally got around to posting it. The topic of this post is truly apt! This post started off to showcase my growing love for Mexican food. An idea struck and I wanted to show you why I first started loving Mexican food and how far I have got on experimenting with it!

Back in school, one of our usual lunch options was chickpea burrito from a Mexican food cart. It used to be yummy! And I was truly thrilled to find chickpeas in a burrito!
Since coming to San Diego, I cant seem to get enough of Mexican food. Here in SoCal, its the best cuisine you could find and offers you regional variations in the food. It is here that I learned that eggs are frequently used in Mexican cuisine too and they taste amazing! So last year when I actually started making Mexican dishes at home, experimenting with eggs was a no-brainer.
So today I present you two recipes..

Something old..

Chole burrito (Chick-pea burrito)

Ingredients:
2 cups boiled chickpeas
2 tbsp tomato paste / 1 tomato chopped
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp coriander-cumin powder
1.5 tsp red chili powder
salt to taste
1.5 tbsp oil
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used the mexican mix)
1/4 cup thinly sliced onions
1/4 cup rice (optional)
8 mini tortillas / 4 standard ones

• Add some oil to a pan and let it heat. Once heated add the garlic and let it brown a bit. Drop in the onions and saute them well.
• Add the red chili and the coriander-cumin powder and let the spices get cooked.
• Add in the tomatoes and let the whole thing saute well.
• Finally add the chickpeas and season well. Let the spices seep into the chickpeas and let it simmer for about 5 mins. The chickpea mixture is now ready.
• Now to assemble the burrito. Heat the tortilla on one side and flip it. Now place some cheese at the center and add the chickpea mixture. Top it with some onions and rice and wrap the tortilla, you can seal it by placing some cheese between the fold and turn over the burrito. Let it heat for a min on the other side. 

I usually serve my burritos with fresh guacamole sitting on a lettuce bed and some spicy salsa!  :)

Now for,

Something new.. 

I have actually made several variations of this recipe and it all started with this specific one posted by Kevin from Closet Cooking. 

Asparagus & egg enchilada

I really dont have a specific recipe for this. Since eggs are so versatile, I usually mix them up with a variety of veggies or sometimes just use the basic scrambled eggs recipe. Give it your own spin and you will surely not be disappointed! Another easy thing to use the Indian style egg bhurji which is basically scrambled eggs seasoned with curry masala. 

The same base can easily become a burrito / enchilada. For the enchilada sauce, I usually also keep switching the flavors of my sauce too. I know the pictures aren't the most perfect ones..but it was delish!

 As you see my love for Mexican food is growing and I hope to learn more authentic recipes and someday I hope I get a chance to go to Mexico and try out the real stuff! :)

Summer time rush..

Summer time is supposed to be all about relaxing and chilling out in the sun..but come this summer and I have been rushing through the door day in day out! It has been crazy busy but it has been all great.. :) June began with a work trip to St.Louis and I was physced! The trip went really well and I did get some time to drive through downtown St.Louis and get a glance of the lovely arch! The arch was absolutely beautiful and it was a lovely sunny day to be at. 

On one of the weekdays I drove through a mall nearby and found something really uncommon in one of the artsy stores. They had live crabs for sale called Hermit Crabs!

The shells on the crabs were painted with cute patterns and at first glance one would have really no clue that there was a crab in it! I was almost tempted to touch one of them..

The rest of the June past by with more work and really didn't leave me anytime to bake. This has been the first month in a long time that I did not bake! Hopefully I will make up for it this month. :) I did cook a lot and in fact I can now proudly say that I make really soft fluffy rotis! :) That was one more thing I had to master sooner or later and practice for the past month has made it possible. 

With summer I am reminded about India. This would be the season when one would get the best of the tropical fruits! The markets would be loaded with mangoes, cherries, jackfruits and lychees! It was years since I had a yummy lychee and the other day at the Indian grocery market I spotted them! I literally ran to grab a bunch and the moment I was home I was enjoying the fresh flavor! Along with these lovely fruits the one thing that I miss about India is the 'Naturals' ice-cream. Its a local chain that sells fresh fruit ice-cream which ranges everything from coconut, chikoo to lychee ice-cream! I got so nostalgic that I just had to make it and ofcourse of a healthier kind! The ice-cream came out to be really rich and bursting with flavor. I experimented with the recipe using the basic vanilla ice-cream recipe as my base. Another great way to use lychee / lychee juice is in cocktails! I cant wait to buy my next batch and experiment with it..ummm! :)

Lychee by itself is really yummy and I can finish a dozen in a matter of minutes..really seconds.. :P But the best part about it is the health benefits that lychee has, read on here for more! Though to truthfully say it I love lychee for its flavor and really had no clue about how healthy it really is until recently. 

Lychee Honey Ice-cream

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped lychees or use the canned one with the juice from the can

1.5 cups 2% milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

5 tbsp honey

4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Zest from 1/2 lime 

• In a large bowl, mix the milk,cream,honey and sugar. Once mixed well, add the vanilla extract followed by the lychees and the juice. Let the mixture refrigerate for 1-2 hrs.
• Take the mixture out and mix the zest in and pour the mixture into your ice-cream maker. Follow the instructions on your ice-cream maker and let the ice-cream churn. Transfer to a freezer-proof box and let it refrigerate for 2-3 hours at a minimum. Enjoy!

Work has taken most of my time away in the past month and I am really trying to keep myself on track with my usual schedule..so here's hoping to getting back to more blogging and enjoying the summer with all my readers! Have a great 4th of July everyone! :)