Avocado Mango Sandwich

Serves: 1

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Bread (Minimal Ingredients, No Preservatives)
1/2 Avocado, thinly sliced
1/2 Mango, thinly sliced
Garlic Chutney (Found at Indian Stores)
Feta Cheese, crumbled
Sliced Cucumber
Sliced Tomatoes

Preparation:
Spread a thin layer of Garlic Chutney on one slice of bread. Layer remaining ingredients on the opposite slice, topping it off with crumbled feta. Serve with soup or salad, or enjoy alone for a quick lunch!

Quinoa & Roasted Red Pepper Burgers

Another favorite from the Oprah Magazine. I left out eggs in my recipe and they patties still came out great!

Serves 4 with accompanying dish
Ingredients:
1 cup of quinoa (Cooking: Use 1 cup quinoa, 1.25 cups water. Combine in a pot, let it come to a simmer, then turn heat low)
3 red peppers, chopped
3 small red onions, chopped
salt and black pepper to season
240g of original feta cheese
baby spinach leaves
8 small whole wheat buns
12 cherry tomatoes
6 garlic clove, chopped finely
3 teaspoon of brown sugar
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Olive Oil
Avocado (optional)
Ranch Dressing (optional)

Method
1. Cook the quinoa and set aside.
2. Now preheat the over to 350 degrees on Roast. Place chopped onion & red pepper in an over dish, sprinkle with olive oil and roast until soft.
3. Next, do the same thing with the chopped tomatoes & garlic (which should be topped with a splash of balsamic vinegar and some brown sugar).
4. Once the onions & bellpeppers are soft, mix them with the quinoa and feta cheese. I did not use eggs (which it orginally calls for in this recipe). Instead, I put 3/4 cup of the mix into my Vitamix and processed on the lowest setting until slightly "mushed." Repeat until you have done this for all of the mixture. Add salt and black pepper, to taste. Now you can form them into 8 equally sized patties.
5. Spray an iron skilled with some olive oil. Place the patty on the pan and spray a little bit more olive oil. Cook on the lowest heat setting until brown. Now turn it over and do the same on the other side.
6. You are now ready to put your burger together! Place the burger patty on one side of your whole wheat bun, top with some spinach leaves, the tomato/garlic mixure, some avocado (optional) and some dressing (Ranch or Thousand Island both tasted fantastic!)

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup milk, plus more if necessary

1/4 teaspoon salt

Agave Syrup

4 tablespoons blueberries

Preparation: 

1. Sift together flour and baking powder, set aside. 
2. Mix the milk, salt and artificial sweetener in a bowl. 
3. Stir in flour until just moistened
4. Add blueberries and stir to incorporate.

Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, and spray with cooking spray. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan for each pancake. Cook until bubbly, about 1 1/2 minutes on low-medium heat. Turn, and continue cooking until golden brown!


Variation: Instead of blueberries, try adding any combination of cinnamon/pumpkin spice/nutmeg/walnuts/chocolate chips/apples to the batter and the whole family will be smiling with the IHOP style variety offered in mommy's kitchen!

Grill Cheese Chutney Sandwich

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Bread (Try to buy bread with the least amount of ingredients to avoid foods with preservatives - remember, it should be as natural/fresh as possible). This bread in particular has five basic ingredients: whole wheat flour, water, honey, yeast and salt. 

Green Sandwich Chutney (Available at your local Indian Store)
Pimento Spread 

Mayonnaise (optional)

American Sliced Cheese

Sliced Cucumbers + Sliced Tomatoes

Sliced Potato (Boil in hot water to cook)

Salt, Pepper and Chat Masalo (Indian Spice)

Preparation:

1. Spread the green sandwich chutney on one slice of bread. 
2. Spread the pimento and mayonnaise on the other slice. 
3. Next layer with cucumbers, tomatoes and potatoes.  
4. Add a slice of cheese. 
5. Top it off with salt, pepper and some chat masalo. 
6. Grill the entire sandwich on the stovetop to add warmth + crunch. 
7. Serve with a little Ketchup, Ranch and/or Chalula Sauce. Enjoy!

Neesh's Eggless Breakfast Burrito

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

1 Package of Firm Tofu

Medium Size Whole Wheat tortilla: Try to buy the whole wheat tortilla with minimal ingredients. (You can typically find these at stores such as Jimbos, Mother's Market and Whole Foods) . 

Salsa

4 cheese blend

Sour Cream

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric (Haldhar)
Chopped Garlic 

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Lemon Juice, to taste

1/2 bunch Cilantro, chopped

1 Serrano pepper, finely chopped or Jalapeno Pepper, finely chopped

Cooking Oil

Preparation:

1. Drain water from tofu package. Place tofu block between 2 towels and squeeze together to remove as much water as possible. This will allow the tofu to obtain the optimal consistency and texture. 
2. Cut the tofu into small squares
3. Warm the oil in pan and add turmeric.  P
4. Saute chopped Jalapeno & Garlic
5. Place cut tofu into hot oil and saute as well.
6. Add salt/pepper and saute until slightly browned.  Now mix in juice of lemon & some chopped cilantro. Turn off the gas. 
7. Warm a tortilla in a separate pan (on low heat!) and add cheese.  Once the cheese has melted, place the sautéed tofu on the tortilla.  Top with salsa and sour cream and more cilantro.. 
8. Wrap the tortilla into a burrito. Cook on both sides in the pan until slightly crispy. 
9. Enjoy with some more salsa, sour cream, chalula sauce or whatever you fancy! 

Culinary Medicine Tip:  In this recipe Turmeric is used.  Of course turmeric makes the tofu looks like eggs, but more than that turmeric has many health benefits.  When turmeric is added to the oil it tempers the oil and helps retain the nutrients in the food that oil may normally destroy.  It also decreases the amount of free radicals that are produced by the oil.  Turmeric can also be used to help fight viral infections, wound infections, help with acid reflux and many other medical issues.  Please see our blog post on Turmeric and its benefits. Turmeric is a staple in Indian cooking.

Hungry Toddler

Warm some cooking oil in an iron skillet, add a pinch of turmeric

1

Squeeze in some juice of lemon. Now turn of the gas!

She approves!