Salad Archives - Page 2 of 2

Tag: Salad

25
Jun
2013

Skinny Basil Veggie Kebabs with Corn Salad

This week is going to be fun, though I will have to wait for the weekend for really good stuff to begin. I am celebrating my 28th birthday this Friday! I think birthdays should be a month-long celebration but we are all time-pressed in life! Not that it’s any excuse to ignore the small joys life brings our way but sadly, that’s the cruel reality!

Still nothing can slow down the excitement which is coursing through me! Another year has passed by and this year I am feeling more grown-up than ever! It is true that at the moment I am amongst the mayhem in my life as career transition and so much more is happening. Life is a mess right now.. nonetheless a beautiful mess!

Let’s leave it at that and talk about our today’s recipe. It is a very simple yet delicious way to include so many veggies in your dinner. A light yet filling. I made this last week for dinner and it was so gratifying to get to eat it between the all-week ice-cream madness happening in the house!

It was kind of cleaning-my-refrigerator day so whatever I had on hand I put that under the marinade and I was glad I did! You can also throw in whatever you have at home. Button mushrooms would be a great addition! I prepared the marinade the night before so the flavors were super-intense. But you can do this at least 4 hours before grill time. It makes a super-quick week-night dinner!

I don’t own a grill so I used my convection oven which came with rotisserie. Veggies could not get charred at all in the oven but they cooked perfectly. Nice and juicy! But if you own one (needless to say in that case, I’m totally J), it will make a great recipe for a BBQ party and the veggies will char beautifully!

Skinny Basil Veggie Kebabs with Corn Salad

Serves: 2-3

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

Marinade:

1 and 1/2 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup yogurt (I used home-made)
4-5 cloves of garlic
salt and freshly cracked pepper, as per taste
1 tsp garam masala powder
dash of lemon juice

Kebabs:

1 zucchini (medium sized)
1 bell pepper (I used yellow)
1 large red onion
1 large tomato (de~seeded)
200 gm cottage cheese

Corn Salad:

1 cup boiled sweet corn
1 small cucumber, diced
1 medium tomato, diced
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dry basil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp yogurt

Directions:

At least 4 hours before, blend all the ingredients for marinade to a smooth puree. Adjust the seasoning as per your taste. Cut veggies into 1″ cubes and toss with marinade in a bowl. Cover it and refrigerate until ready to cook.
When ready, light grill. Using the wood or skewers, insert the veggies. Place on grill and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes till the veggies are uniformly charred. *I don’t have grill so I used rotisserie function of my convection oven and cooked as per the instruction manual. Hence the char was missing but kebabs were cooked beautifully.
While veggies cook, mix the ingredients for corn salad in a bowl and toss thoroughly.
Serve skewers topped with remaining marinade (if any) alongside the corn salad.

*You can make this recipe vegan – by replacing yogurt with soy yogurt in marinade, replacing cottage cheese with tofu and in corn salad, omit mayonnaise and use soy yogurt instead.

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17
May
2013

Simple Summer Mac Salad with Tomato & Zucchini

categories: Salads, Summer

I love pasta in any and every form. Be it a hot or cold preparation. It’s my favorite at dinner time as it is pretty quick to put together and simple.

Especially this salad… It is perfect for summer nights when you are craving something light and refreshing! I particularly loath anything heavy for dinner… So this one ticks all the boxes for me! 🙂

I love this one so much that it’s been prepared 3 times already in my house! It was much appreciated by our guests too! Its an apt side-dish at any elaborate lunch or dinner parties and a must accompaniment for picnics! I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Simple Summer Mac Salad with Tomato & Zucchini

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

150 grams uncooked elbows
200 grams grape/cherry tomatoes
1 small zucchini, sliced and quartered
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 Tbsp eggless mayonnaise (American Garden’s)
2 Tbsp apple cider/red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp yogurt
2 tsp mustard (optional)
¼ tsp oregano
¼ tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

Cook pasta in generously salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
In a medium bowl, combine onions, mayonnaise, vinegar, yogurt, mustard, oregano, garlic powder, basil leaves; mix well.
Add tomatoes (and any juice from the tomato), zucchini, pasta, salt and pepper to taste, toss well and place in a large bowl.
Serve immediately or keep in fridge till the serving time.

Enjoy chilled with a glass of your favorite mocktail or cocktail! 🙂

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18
Apr
2013

Veggie Shooters

categories: Appetizers

For those who follow my Facebook page would know that I had posted this pic almost 2-3 days back and then happily forgot about posting the recipe. I have been really busy in designing of this blog plus I do have a full-time job to go to & blah.. blah.. blah..

I know its no reason to keep you guys waiting and all these excuses sounds lame even to me! So I am going to keep you all waiting no more and get on with the recipe. 🙂

So this dish, fresh cut vegetables served in individual shot glasses with your favorite dressing makes for an easy, healthy, elegant appetizer. It will be a huge hit for parties!

Another advantage is no double dipping! You don’t have to think about multiple hands going into the same dip bowl!! Eww! Imagine that!!!

Plus, you get portion-control too! 🙂

Think about all the different colored veggies you can use to make it look even more interesting. Raw zucchini or celery would also be great.

Of course you can use store bought dressing for time-saving but whipping up your own batch of low-fat Ranch dressing is super easy. You can make the dip and cut the veggies ahead of time, then assemble when you are ready to serve it. You can easily swap Ranch dressing for hummus, if you are serving vegans.

This is a kids friendly recipe so it would be a huge hit among them over summer holidays!!! 🙂

Awesome way to skip the chips from your party & to avoid over-eating!!! 😉

Veggie Shooters: Servings: 8

Ingredients:

For the low-fat dip:

1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1/4 cup low-fat yogurt
3 Tbsp Eggless Lite Mayonnaise (I used American Garden’s)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp fresh chopped chives or dill
1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1-2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 cup low-fat buttermilk

For the veggie crudites:

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 large English cucumber, cut into strips
2 carrots, cut into strips
8 shot glasses

Directions:

To make the dip: In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic powder, parsley, chives, salt and cracked pepper. Mix well.

Stir in the white balsamic vinegar; the buttermilk. Adjust the seasoning to taste, adjusting the vinegar as needed, the flavors will become bolder over time.

To assemble the shooter: Place 1/4 cup of dip in each glass. Place the strips of vegetables in each glass and serve cold.

This recipe is my entry for Event by Archana’s Kitchen – Summer Fiesta

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17
Apr
2013

Baby Potato Salad with Apples & Chives

categories: Salads

Hello everyone!

I ~~was~~ am quite excited and nervous to be writing this first post for my beloved blog and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. You should know that I have written and re-written this post about zillion times.. sigh!!

As I said already it is my first post, it is but obvious that hundreds of recipes were racing through my mind to give my blog a grand inauguration I think it deserves! 🙂

After thinking about it for over a day (which seemed like forever!!!), I told my brain to ‘keep it simple, silly!’ 😉

So here I make a humble entrance into blogging world by posting this beautiful summer salad using baby potatoes and apples.

Potato Salad with Apples & Chives2 — A perfect side to any elaborate meal/ backyard BBQ/ picnic

Apples add a sweet crunch to every bite of this refreshing potato salad.

You can easily double the recipe if serving a larger crowd.

I hope you enjoy! 🙂

Baby Potato Salad with Apples & Chives

Servings: 5

Ingredients:

1 cup baby potatoes, cut in quarters
2 Tbsp minced celery
1 small onion, finely diced
1 gala apple, peeled and diced into half inch cubes
2 Tbsp minced chives
1 tsp mustard (optional)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider / red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp eggless lite mayonnaise (I used American Garden’s)
salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Boil potatoes in salted water until soft, approx 10-14 minutes, or until soft if pierced with a fork. Drain and let cool.

While potatoes are boiling, combine onion, celery, mustard, olive oil, vinegar and mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper. Mix and let the flavors marinade while the potatoes cook. Once the potatoes are done and cool, mix into the bowl and add chives and apples, additional salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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