Cucumber Tomato Salad

Many of the meals on this blog are meant to be super simple, such as the one pot lentil meals with roti (Indian Flatbread). A great way to make sure you get your vegetables with dinner is to make a simple side salad. Here's one great option!

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

1 Yellow Onion, finely diced

1 Large Cucumber, finely chopped

2-3 Roma Tomatoes, finely chopped

Cumin Powder, to taste

Salt, to taste

Lemon Juice, to taste

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together, per taste. Enjoy! If you're not sure where to start with the spices, add 1/4 tsp of each. Taste it and keep adding 1/4 tsp until you achieve the taste you want to eat over and over again!

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!)

Cauliflower Shak

Serves: 2 
Ingredients:
Cauliflower, chopped small
Cooking Oil
Asofetida (Hing)
Turmeric (Haldar)
3-4 Curry Leaves (Limbdo)
Mustard Seeds (Rye)
Fresh Green Chilis, finely chopped or shredded
Juice of lemon, to taste
Salt, to taste
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

Preparation:
1. In an iron skillet, warm some oil (1-2tbsp).
2. Add turmeric, asafoetida and curry leaves. Now add the shredded green chilis.
3. Next add mustard seeds. When you hear the seeds sizzle, add all the cauliflower.
4. Add salt, juice of lemon and mix well. Let it cook on low heat until cauliflower is soft.
5. Garnish with chopped cilantro
6. Eat with roti, daal and rice!

Culinary Medicine Tip: The use of Iron Skillet's in cooking is returning! Recently, using non-stick cookware has been popular, however there is always the concern of scratching the Teflon which will emit toxic fumes when used at high temperatures. Another great option is an iron skillet. Inspired by my mom, I bought myself one and use it for many of my dishes. The most obvious benefit of using an Cast Iron Pot/Pan is that it adds iron to whatever you cook (many of us are iron-deficient). It also provides even heat distribution so the food cooks evenly. It is non-stick by nature so you don't have to worry about using more oil/grease than you have to, and lastly - this is an investment that you won't have to replace for a very long time! Try one out and let me know what you think!