Homemade Salsa

My kids just love Nachos.  I recently found another way to make them eat cheese. I am making them eat extra servings of vegetables as well because of Nachos. Instead of buying salsa from store, I thought of making at home.  I made a whole big bowl of them yesterday for making Nachos.  Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:

1. Tomato - 2 Nos (big)
2. Onion - 1 (big- I used Pink Onion)
3. Bell Pepper - 1
4. Green Chilli - 1 (remove seeds from it)
5. Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
6. Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp
7. Salt to taste.

Salsa

Chop the vegetables into tiny small pieces.  Put everything in a bowl.  Chop coriander leaves finely and add it.  Add lemon juice and salt and mix everything well.  My friend also suggested that we can add a teaspoon of cumin powder to it.  I have not tried that yet personally.  This salsa tasted so refreshing and the good part is its home made.

Cucumber cups

When you are asked to make evening tiffin without using oil, flour, wheat, idly/dosa batter, sugar etc., you will have no other choice other than vegetables. Thats how I landed in this recipe. I was doing bhel pori before, but turns out pori(puffed rice) is rich in carbs i guess. I saw a programme in a local channel where the chef was making tomato cups for dessert. He was using caramalized pineapple and heavy cream topping and all. But after watching that programme, I got the idea of making this cucumber cups.

Ingredients:-

1. cucumber - 1 (Bigger one preferably)*
2. tomato - 1 (finely chopped)
3. onion - 1 (finely chopped)
4. Pineapple pieces - 1 tsp (finely chopped)
5. Coriander leaves - couple of teaspoons (finely chopped)
6. Salt to taste

Cut cucumber into 3 cms thick. Take out the seeds from inside and sprinkle some salt in it and keep it aside for few minutes. In the mean time, chop tomato, onion, pineapple and coriander leaves and mix everything together adding required amount of salt.  Fill the cucumber cups with the vegetable mix and serve it. We can serve it just like that or with a teaspoon of fat free yogurt on top. I made this for my husband without anything. For myself, i just sprinle couple of kurkure on top of it and it tasted really good.  I stuffed the remaining vegetables in tomato also. It also tasted good.  If any one of you have any ideas for some healthy evening snack, please let me know.

Mixed Vegetable Rice

This was our dinner yesterday. It came out very well. The main ingredients are as follow:
Ingredients:

1. Basmati Rice - 1 cup (measuring cup) (soak it for 5 mts.)
   
2. Carrot - 1 - (Chopped in an inch size) (if its a big carrot use only 1/2 carrot)
3. Peas - 3 tbsp
4. Potato - 1 (chopped in an inch size)
5. Onion - 1 finely chopped
6. Garlic - 1 clove finely chopped
7. Oil - 2 tbsp
8. Butter - 1 tbsp (unsalted)
9. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
10. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
11. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
12. Salt to taste
13. Cardamom - 1
14. Cloves - 1
15. Bay leaf -1
16. Cashews - 5 to 7 (acc. to taste)
    
17. Fresh coriander leaves - 2 tbsp (finely chopped)

First, clean the rice and cook it up to 1 or 2 whistles. Do not over cook. Keep it aside and let it cool. Now take a wide pan, preheat the oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add cashews, cumin seeds, Cardamom, cloves bay leaf and vegetables to it. Add 1/2 cup of water and let it cook for 5 to 7 mts. Now add coriander powder and salt to it. Stir it carefully (do not mash the vegetables). Now mix the vegetables with the rice. While mixing the vegetables with a spatula, make sure it won't mash the rice. Now pour the Butter on top it and garnish it with coriander leaves. Now mixed vegetable rice is ready to serve. Potato chips or Onion raita can be a good side dish. We can also replace ghee and oil with cooking spray...

Mixed Vegetable Kurma

This is the easiest way of making Kurma. Believe it or not, it just took me 10 to 15 minutes to finish. Thought of sharing this with you. If you are using frozen veggies or cut veggies just grab cauliflower, beans, peas, carrots, Lima Beans from frozen section. It will take less time if frozen veggies are used.
Ingredients:

1. cauliflower - 1cup
2. beans - 1/2 cup
3. peas - 3 tbsp
4. carrots - 4 tbsp
5. lima beans - 2 tbsp
6. potato - 1 (cut it into small cubes)
7. onion - 1
   
8. Tomato - 1(if its big or 2 if its small)
9. Salt to taste
10. oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds for seasoning.
11. Unsalted butter - 1tbsp
12. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
13. Coriander leaves - 1tbsp.
    

Masala Ingredients:

1. coriander seeds -2 tbsp
2. channa dal - 1 tbsp
3. cashews - 5
4. Almonds - 2 (soak it in water and remove the skin)
5. fresh coconut - 2 tbsp
6. Onion and Tomato (given in ingredients)
7. 2 cloves garlic
8. Green chillies - 3
   

Grind the above said masala ingredients to paste. Microwave(or cook) the above given vegetables for 3 to 4 mts. In a separate pan pre-heat the oil and butter, season it with mustard seeds and cumin seeds to golden brown. Add the masala paste, turmeric powder to it and also add 1/2 cup of water and let it cook for 3 mts. Now add the cooked vegetables to it and let it cook for another 4 mts. Stir it thoroughly. Season it with fresh coriander leaves. This kurma can be used as a side dish for Chapathis, Poori, Dosa or Idly. The above said quantity will serve atleast 5 people.