During the summer/monsoon months, my interest in cooking kinda dwindles. Parts of the country are still waiting for the rains. Till yesterday Delhi was hot, humid, and suffocating. We finally got some rain but it’s just not enough to beat the horrible weather we had last week.
The point is: Right now, I want a delicious, homemade meal….but cooking? Not so much.
Years ago, I learnt that keeping a good sauce or two on hand is the fastest and easiest way to add pizzazz to a really simple meal! No extra cooking required!
It absolutely makes sense right?! Think about the most amazing meal you have had out at a restaurant. I bet there was a delicious sauce that brought it next level, right?
Since that saucy epiphany, I am always sure to take a few minutes (yep, MINUTES!) to make an easy sauce or two at the start of the week. That way, those simple, throw-together meals that I am bound to make during the coming days are still mouth-wateringly delicious…without much extra work. Here are some of my favourites…
- Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing
- 5-Minute Green Goddess Dip
What about you? What sauce do you LOVE to drizzle on all the veggie-loaded things?
Recipe Of The Week
Honey Mustard Dressing
I use this dressing over a salad, as a dipping sauce for a veggie platter/ chicken nuggets, drizzled over grilled chicken or shrimp or with a spoon (no judgment, because I’ve done it.)
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Plain Yogurt
- ½ Cup Olive Oil
- ½ Cup Dijon Mustard
- ½ Cup Honey
- 4 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Sea Salt
Method
- Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl or large measuring cup.
- Whisk together until smooth. Taste and add extra salt or garlic powder as desired.
- Enjoy and/or store leftovers in fridge for about 5 days.
Green Goddess
You are going to want to dip all the veggies in it. And drizzle it on all the salads, Buddha bowls, grain dishes, grilled goodies and everything in between! If what you are about to eat up looks blah, just slap some of this dip on it and your tastebuds will sing.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Plain Greek Yogurt – I suggest full-fat or 2% for the best flavour
- 2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
- 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Honey Optional
- 4 Tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Cup Packed Chopped Fresh Parsley, Cilantro, or a combination of both
- 1 Cup Roughly Chopped Chives Or Scallion
- 1 Cup Chopped Fresh Dill, Basil, or a combination of both
Method
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender. Blend until the herbs are very finely chopped and no large pieces remain. Scrape down the sides and blend again for a few seconds to ensure everything is well incorporated.
- Taste the dip and add more salt and some ground black pepper as needed.
- Serve dip immediately or store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Your Grocery List
Did You Know
Whether you’re craving a quick afternoon snack or need something to munch on while you binge-watch Netflix, popcorn may be your go-to snack. But is popcorn healthy? “For the most part, yes,” says Deborah Cohen, D.C.N., R.D.N., associate professor, department of clinical and preventive nutrition sciences at Rutgers School of Health Professions.
1 cup of popcorn has 3gms of fibre. Now that’s a good way to get fibre in your system. it can improve blood cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. It also contains small amounts of magnesium, iron & b12 making it a good addition to your diet.
When it’s air-popped and lightly seasoned, popcorn is an efficiently healthy snack. That’s because it is a whole grain, and high-fibre whole grains have been linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers and other health problems.
Let me be clear we are not talking about the easy microwaveable popcorn packets that come in different flavours. We are talking about corn kernels that you get in the market and you can make this either in the microwave or in the pressure cooker with the whistle off like I do.
Pour about 1 tablespoon or two of olive oil, avocado oil or butter in a deep saucepan/cooker, and swirl it around. Heat the oil, then add enough popcorn to cover the bottom of your pan. Keep the heat on medium-high. Cover with a lid but leave a little part open so that there is airflow. Air-popped corn is the best. Move the pan back and forth on the burner so the popcorn doesn’t burn or stick. It’s ready when the popping noises slow down to every few seconds. Don’t worry about un-popped kernels; you typically have a few.
By the way, another health benefit of popcorn is its high satiety. Because of popcorn’s high fibre content, low-calorie count popcorn is considered to be a food that can aid in weight loss. For example, popcorn has been shown to make people feel fuller than a similar calorie amount of potato chips.
Let’s go pop some corn!
Hack Of Week
Get Lemon Juice Faster
Lemons are something you use in your kitchen on a regular basis. Then you know how it is not easy to get the juice out of them instantly after you take them out of the fridge. It takes a lot of effort to squeeze the juice out of them, and the result is still unsatisfactory.
There is a little trick that you can try, which will make it much easier. After you take the lemon out of the fridge, you can microwave it for 10 to 20 seconds. This will help you squeeze out a larger amount of juice with much less effort.
Meal Plan This Week
Recipes To Help You Through The Week
Muesli
Upma
- ⅓ cup finely chopped Onions
- 1 Tsp chopped Green Chillies
- 1 Tsp finely chopped Ginger
- 2 Tbsp Coriander leaves (cilantro)
- 8 to 10 Curry leaves
- 10 to 12 Cashews
- 1 Tsp Chana dal
- 1 Tsp Urad dal
Method
- Add cumin seeds and chana dal to a hot pan (with oil)
- Add the cashews
- Saute the chopped onions along with the dal & cashews
- Toss in the chopped curry leaves, green chillies and ginger. (1 dried red chilli also optional though)
- Saute and boil water
- Add salt and a tsp of sugar.
- Start adding sooji/ rava in batches to the mixture and stir immediately after putting it.
- Once done, cover the upma and allow it to steam.
- Serve warm!
Bharwa White Onions & Potato (Pyaz Ki Sabzi)
Thepla
Beetroot Bhel
Ingredients
- 1 large Carrot
- 2 medium sized Beets
- 1 small or half a medium Onion
- Juice of 2 Limes
- Few pinches of Red Chilli Powder (optional)
- 4 cups Puffed Rice
- Salt to taste
- 1 Tsp neutral Oil
- 2-3 Green Chillies (optional)
- Roasted peanuts
- Roasted Sesame seeds
- Bhujiya or Sev (optional)
- Pomegranate (optional)
Method
- Wash, peel and grate the carrot and beets into a medium sized bowl. Finely chop or grate the onions into the same bowl.
- Slit the green chillies and toss it in if using.
- Juice the two limes into the bowl and add salt. Toss the mixture together.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes, marinating in the salt and lime juice. This will make the onion a little less pungent.
- If your puffed rice has been sitting in the pantry for a while, lightly toast in a dry skillet to make it crisp. Set aside on a plate to cool.
- In a large bowl, add the puffed rice. Add in the oil and mix to coat it evenly.
- Now add about 3 -4 tablespoons of the beet mixture to the puffed rice along with the beet juices and mix it well. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Garnish it with peanuts, sesame seeds, sev or pomegranate. Serve immediately.
- You will have enough beet mixture to make this quantity two-three times
Cherry Frozen Yoghurt – Serves 6-7
Ingredients
- 400g Plain Greek Yoghurt
- 200g Cherries, Pitted
- 2 Tbsp Honey
- 50g Cherries, Pitted
- 50g 70% Dark Chocolate Chips/Chunks
Method
- Put the yoghurt, cherries and honey in a blender. Whiz until smooth. Taste, and adjust for sweetness.
- Chill the mixture well and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Add in the cherries and chocolate chips ( if using) to the churning mixture in about ten minutes. Continue with the ice cream maker’s instructions.
- Once the ice cream is ready, in about 20 minutes, you can serve it immediately or turn it out in a pan and freeze it for 6- 8 hours to get a slightly harder/ scoopable consistency. Scoop into bowls/ cones, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
KSP Team
Ankita Jain
Mansi Zaveri
