Spring Bean Salad with Apricot Orange Vinaigrette

It's salad time...I usually don't eat salads, it's not because I don't like it but I always try to get some salads from grocery store and keep it in fridge and let them get spoil and throw in trash. So now I decided to eat salads at least once in a week from today. So I decided to eat every Tuesday nights and called it as "Tuesday Salads" and with no meat in it.:-)

And my inspiration behind this bean salad recipe is from Manjula's kitchen website. She is doing a bean salad contest for this month and so thought of trying some bean salad with spring colors and make it tasty and healthy so that I really don't miss my usual dinner on the plate. :-)

After I ate this salad I bet you, I was more satisfied with lots of yummy flavors going on in my mouth and filled my stomach more than ever and accomplished the first day of my goal. Hurry!!

Ingredients:

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1. 1 can Black Beans rinsed and drained

2. 1 can Pineapple rings in pineapple juice - 5 pineapple rings chopped

3. 1 bag of Italian blend salad bag ( I used crunchy Romaine and zesty Red Cabbage, you can use any salad blend you like)

4. 1/4 cup Roasted Red Pepper chopped (I made this earlier at home just by putting the red bell pepper in a baking sheet lined with a parchment paper and put under the broiler in the oven and roast it for about 5 mins each side and remove it and place it in a freezer bag and zip it up and let it steam for about a 5 mins and remove and peel the charred skin and use it , you can get one from store) I am jut posting the picture for you.

5. 3 tbsp Cherry Pepper Slices chopped (optional or can reduce the quantity) (I used Bell-View brand which comes in a glass jar)

6. 1 medium size Shallots chopped
7. 1/4 tsp Chili powder
8. 1/2 tsp Cumin powder
9. Salt and Pepper to taste
10. 2 tbsp flat leaf Parsley chopped
11. Home made Apricot Orange Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
12. 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar (optional)


Method:
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APRICOT ORANGE VINEGRETTE RECIPE:

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• Ingredients:
• --------------
• 1/4 cup Apricot Preserves
• 2 tbsp Orange Juice
• 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
• 2 tbsp Canola oil
• 1 tbsp Water
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• Dash of Black Pepper powder

Method:

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1. Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid; shake well. Cover in a air-tight glass bottle in the fridge and use it as needed.

Assembling the Salad:

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1. Wash the Italian salad and place it on a paper towel so that the extra water is drained off.

2. In another bowl mix all the ingredients except the Italian salad (beans, pineapple, shallots, salt, pepper, roasted red pepper, chili powder, cumin powder, apricot orange vinaigrette and apple cider vinegar).

Note: you can use the apricot orange vinaigrette as much as you need - I didn't measure it but may be I used a 1/4 cup or little bit more :-)

3. Now in a serving bowl or plate (I used a bowl), arrange the Italian salad and spoon the bean salad and enjoy your salad as much as I did.

Re-posting this recipe to send to the event "Salad Spread" hosted by Taste Junction

Strawberry in two avatars - Milkshake and Shrikand

I am putting the strawberry season to full use. And this is the first time I have access to strawberries which doesn't cost a bomb. And we are nearing the end of the strawberry season here. I have frozen quite a few and made two bottles of jam. The easiest way to use them is to make milkshake for breakfast. Its made atleast twice in a week during the season. Occassionaly, I make strawberry flavored Shrikand too. That is also quite easy except that hung curd has to be made. Often I forget to reserve the curd to prepare hung curd and by the time I realise I would have churned the curd to make buttermilk. At home, we prefer buttermilk than curd. Though the plain Shrikand is not much favored by husband, he loves the strawberry flavored one. So here is two super easy recipes with strawberry. In fact, there isn't much to write about  in terms of the recipe. Here is I how I make it.

Strawberry Milkshake

You need

• Strawberries - 10 -12 nos
• Chilled milk - 2 cups
• Sugar - 2 tblspn (Or use honey)

 Method

Wash and hull the strawberries. Cut into halves. Blend the halved strawberries along with sugar to fine puree. Add the chilled milk and pulse for few second. Pour into glasses and chill it if you are not serving immediately.

 

Strawberry Shrikhand

You need

• Hung curd - 1 cup
• Strawberries - 8 to 10 nos
• Sugar - 2 tblspn
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tspn

Method

To get hund curd, take 4 cups of curd in a cheese cloth. Tie it and hang it to drain the whey or the liquid in the curd. What remains is the creamy curd. I usually hang it in inside the fridge so that the curd doesn't turn sour.

Puree the strawberries with sugar. Beat the curd till smooth. Add the sweetened strawberry puree. Mix well. Finally add cardamom powder. Chill and serve. Garnish with chopped pistachios/almonds/chiroli  while serving

Stuffed Eggplant Fry (Guthi Vankaya Fry)

Yesterday Shoj got these eggplants and wanted me to make his favorite stuffed eggplant curry (Guthi Vankaya Curry in Telugu). I always make it the curry style with thick gravy. But today I wanted to make it without gravy, but wanted to keep the stuffed masala intact inside the eggplant which I thought would make it more tastier. Guess what....I was not wrong, I liked it more than the curry style and Shoj also liked it so much that he said he could not stop eating more. I was so happy, this is the way I get inspired to do and try new recipes and make the usual recipes taste more better every time. :-)

This yummy recipe can be served with steamed rice or fulkas or roti's.

Ingredients:

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12-15 medium size purple Eggplants, washed and quarted and kept intact with the stem

Note: You can make the same recipe with green eggplants too, make sure that the eggplants are medium sized and not too small or too big because too small eggplants are difficult to stuff and too big eggplants does not make tasty curry and more chances are that the stuffing will come out after they cook.

1/4 cup Peanuts

1/4 cup Sesame seeds

1/4 cup Coconut grated ( I used the dry grated coconut)

5-6 dry Red Chili's

2 tbsp Coriander seeds

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp whole Black Peppercorns

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

1 medium Red Onion chopped

1 sprig Curry leaves

2 tsp Tamarind paste

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

1/8 tsp Fenugreek seeds

1/4 Inch Cinnamon stick

1 Green Cardamom

3 Cloves

3 tsp Oil

Method:

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1. In a pan add 1 tsp oil, add the dry red chilis, curry leaves, cumin seeds, peanuts, coriander seeds, Cinnamon stick, cardamom and cloves and roast them until they turn slight brown, now add the sesame seeds and grated coconut and roast them until the coconut truns slight brown.

2. Allow it to cool and add the tamarind paste, turmeric powder and salt to it.

3. Now grind this mixture to a coarse to fine paste and transfer it to a bowl.

4. Now take a plate and keep the eggplants and stuff the ground paste into each of the eggplant in between and keep it carefully back on the plate.

5. Now in a heavy bottom pan (use a pan so that you can arrange all the eggplant for cooking instead of overcrowding or overlapping). Add the rest of the oil, when it's hot add mustard seeds, and when they sputter, add the asafoetida and fenugreek seeds.

6. Now add the ginger-garlic paste and saute it until the paste turns brown.

7. Add onions and saute them until they turn transparent.

8. Now place the eggplants and add a little water for about 2 tbsp and cover and cook making sure to turn the eggplants after every few mins.

9. Cook this for about 15-20 mins or until the eggplant is cooked and the oil floats.

10. Serve this hot or warm with steamed rice or fulkas.