This chickpea salad is a refreshing summer salad filled with fresh produce. It tastes great served as a side salad or your main lunch meal. Best of all, you don’t need to make a special dressing for this salad.
Continue reading “Chickpea Avocado Salad”
It doesn’t get any tastier (or easier) than this delicious Citrus Herb Salmon topped with a sweet and spicy Mango Pico on a bed of Cilantro Lime Brown Rice. Ready in 30 minutes (yep, even the brown rice), this is the perfect healthy meal to serve your family. Continue reading “Citrus Herb Salmon with a Mango Pico and Cilantro Lime Rice”
Sweet, flaky, melt in your mouth delicious, and best of all, perfect to make in a pinch or for a simple dessert that looks as if you spent hours making it!
Figs are one of my favorite fruits and every year, I look forward to seeing them at the Farmer’s Market. I saw the most delicious looking figs at the market last week and knew I had to get them. I’ve been eating them with my chia pudding parfait, and just snacking on them throughout the day but wanted to jazz them up a little more.
These Fig and Pistachio Tartlets are so perfect to elevate the figs without completely losing them in a myriad of ingredients. They are extremely easy and quick to make too! I used store bought puff pastry squares (though a large sheet cut into squares works just as well), added a little butter and brown sugar to help caramelize the base, some ground pistachios to give it a nutty flavor and balance the earthiness of the figs, layered on the sliced figs and finally topped it off with some honey. Yep, I’m drooling thinking about them again!
What if Figs are not available anymore?
Yes, I dread when the Farmer’s Market doesn’t have anymore figs because they have such a short season that I try to get my figs in as much as I can during that time. But no worries! Here are a few more fruits you can use:
How do I serve the Tartlets?
Warm and fresh out of the oven is the best way to eat these. I’ve found that if I let them sit for too long, the puff pastry can get a bit chewy. Also, don’t forget the vanilla ice cream to go with these babies.
From my kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoy eating this delicious Fig and Pistachio Tartlets!
Here are the tools I used for this recipe:
If you want to check out more desserts, here are some of my favorites:
Mango Coconut Panna Cotta Tart
Vegan Amaretti Cookies
Thandai Infused Rainbow Crème Brûlée (Vegan)
Rose Pistachio Ice Cream
Bright, crunchy, colorful and easy to assemble with a creamy coconut jalapeño dressing, this salad is a perfect addition to your meal.
Easy to make, this salad has plenty of texture, meets my rainbow requirements, and is quick to pull together for any meal. A twist on the traditional slaw, the Rainbow Crunch Salad is a healthier version with a low cal coconut jalapeño dressing to finish off a delicious salad.
With school started, life still crazy between Covid, fires, and whatever else you want to throw in there, I want to keep it easy and quick for this salad. Chopping the veggies doesn’t take very long and the Coconut Jalapeño dressing is blended in less than a minute.
Here’s what you need for the salad:
I’ve used this as a lunch meal, a side salad for fish and chicken dishes, or even a quick afternoon snack if I had some leftovers.
Try it out! From my kitchen to yours, enjoy!
Growing up in an Indian household, chutneys are a must. They are an integral part of any Indian household. Whether you are eating Dosa or Adai Waffles / Lentil Waffles with tomato or coconut chutney, or samosas with cilantro or tamarind chutney, or Kati Rolls or Bombay Masala Sandwiches with chutney used as a spread, it’s always prominent in Indian food.
There are so many different kinds of chutneys prepared so many different ways, I just love the versatility of these dips. I tried to a different approach to my Roasted Cilantro Mint Chutney by roasting the cilantro and mint with some cashews, chickpea flour, and plenty of spices.
As you roast the herbs, they develop a char which carries into the final product and gives it just a hint of smoky flavor and smell when you eat it.
I’ve used this chutney recipe to eat with Adai Waffles / Lentil Waffles, Paneer Cabbage Cups, Spinach Dal Paratha, Aloo Paratha, and Avocado Roti. What will you eat it with?
From my kitchen to yours, I hope this chutney becomes a staple for you!
This is the most perfect afternoon drink on a hot summer day. We’ve had temps in the high 90’s and low 100’s lately so we’ve been making ice cold drinks to stay cool. One of our favorite is this Tropical Fruit Smoothie. Though we can’t be in the tropics, the girls and I decided to bring the flavors of the tropics home. Continue reading “Tropical Fruit Smoothie”
So, traditionally, a carpaccio is an appetizer made of thinly sliced meat. I decided to take the technique and make my own summer version of that. The sharp tang of lemon, the fresh fruit, and the crunch of toasted pistachios on top are an amazing combination. This Fresco Carpaccio is great as an appetizer for any dinner or party you are hosting, or just follow what I did and make a plate for yourself, and enjoy it in the sun!
Yum
I really didn’t want to stop eating it! Hubby and I finished it within minutes and this has become another of our favorite summer recipe.
The best part, this is so healthy for you with not too many calories or fat, there’s no cooking involved, and it takes 10 minutes to make (I’m not counting how long you have to wait for it to marinate).
Notes:
I highly recommend marinating this as the flavor of the dressing will be sharper and will help breakdown the raw taste of the zucchini since you are not cooking it.
I used a mandolin for this but if you don’t have one, no worries. Use a potato peeler and make thin ribbons of the zucchini and cucumbers.
What fruits and veggies will you use? Share your pictures!
From my kitchen to yours, enjoy this carpaccio as much as we did!
Ingredients:
1 zucchini
1 cucumber
1 avocado
1 lemon, zested and juiced
¼ c Avocado Oil
2 Tbsp pistachios
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix together lemon zest and lemon juice. Whisk to mix well.
2. Add in oil and whisk 2-3 minutes until oil and lemon juice have emulsified.
3. Add in salt and pepper and whisk one last time to mix. Set aside.
4. Trim the ends of the zucchini and cucumber. Using slicer or peeler, make very thin ribbons.
5. Add zucchini and cucumber ribbons to dressing and toss to coat each ribbon equally.
6. Cover bowl and marinate in fridge for 30 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, on a med flame, heat up a small skillet. Add in the pistachios and toast 3-5 minutes until they are nice and crunchy.
8. Give the toasted pistachios a rough chop and set aside.
9. Pull zucchini and cucumber out of fridge.
10. Thinly slice avocado.
11. In a plate, line up each fruit with one slightly on top of the previous one. If you have any dressing left, drizzle a little on top. Garnish with toasted pistachios.
Enjoy!
The weather has been so nice lately and we love spending the days in our backyard as much as possible. The evenings have also been amazing so we have been grilling and BBQ’ing more often. Continue reading “Grilled Veggie and Couscous Salad Yum “
A while back, my aunt and her family came over for dinner and she brought this pasta salad. I never was a big pasta salad person because they usually have too much mayo, not enough flavor, and are just too uninspiring for me.
So I tried her pasta salad because I didn’t want to be rude. I should’ve known. My aunt is a pretty amazing cook and I don’t know why I ever doubted her abilities with even a pasta salad. Ever since I’ve started making this salad, I’ve had to remind myself I can’t eat it for every meal …. or can I? It’s just so delicious, healthy, and fresh!
There’s crunch from the bell peppers, sweet from the juicy, plump raisins which take in all the juices of the dressing, and a hint of spice from the cayenne.
I’ve altered it slightly, but like my aunt says, there is no wrong way to make this – it’s that easy and delicious!
One of the changes I made is adding pan roasted corn seasoned with paprika. This makes for a delicious side for any meal, and a great addition to this pasta salad.
I changed up the dressing ratio slightly too. I added a little more yogurt to the mix as it makes the raisins more plump.
This recipe is great for big gatherings, potlucks and summer BBQ parties. I tend to make it the day before because as it sits in the fridge cooling, the dressing saturates into the pasta emphasizing all the spices in every bite you take.
From my kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do. Try it out and let me know!
Ingredients:
1 lb package of rotini pasta
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 14oz can of black olives, drained, rinsed and sliced
1 14oz can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 14oz can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup raisins
1 ½c corn
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp EVOO
For the dressing:
2 ½c yogurt
1 c light mayo
1 package Italian seasoning
Directions:
Cook pasta per package instructions.
While you’re boiling your pasta, dice up the bell peppers, cucumbers, slice up the olives, and drain/rinse the beans.
On the side, heat up the oil and add in the corn. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes, then add in the salt, pepper and paprika. Mix well, turn off the stove and let cool to room temp.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with cold water.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the pasta, all the veggies, the beans, the cooked corn, and raisins.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, mayo, cayenne pepper and Italian seasoning. Whip it until the dressing is a creamy consistency; add it in with the pasta and veggies and mix well. Taste and adjust salt and pepper per your flavor profile.
Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. Serve cold.
Phew! That’s a long name for sure. And the name lives up to the punch that it packs! We had a BBQ on the 4th and had plenty of food leftover. I definitely didn’t want to eat the same stuff for the next few days so I figured, this is when I need to get creative and upcycle it. Continue reading “Zucchini Corn Cakes on a bed of Grilled Peach and Pineapple Salsa”
I wanted to do something this Father’s Day and so instead of the typical “Best Dad Ever” shirts or another mug with pictures on it, I chose to create beautiful memories for the girls and their amazing Dad. I took the family to go peach picking at a local farm one fine weekend and boy did the girls have fun! We definitely made memories! We also ended up with a ton of peaches because the girls had so much fun picking them right off the tree, they didn’t want to stop! Continue reading “Grilled Pineapple Peach Salsa”
Summer is here which means so many things in my household. Getting the grill out for bbq’s, eating all the fun fresh summery foods, and trying to eat healthy to get in shape for a beach body (this is always a struggle!). Typically in the past, the hubby and I have done standard bbq’s – burgers, corn, potato salads, chips and dip, etc. etc. etc. This year, we have been inspired to grill almost everything we eat.
One of my husband’s favorites is Peaches. So I of course go out to Costco and buy a whole case (or 2) then realize, how are we going to eat so many?! Well, I promised him we would grill some since he fell in love with the idea of it last year. I also love avocado and have recently seen them grilled in my dishes in restaurants. Hey, why not add it in? If anything, it’s a good source of protein and adds a little meatiness to the plate.
Summer also means that I can harvest some of the vegetables, herbs and fruit in my garden. I am so excited about my garden that I literally watch it like a hawk every single day and get so happy over the tiniest fruit growing. Well, we have an abundance of arugula growing as well as Basil. Oh how I love the peppery smell and taste of both of these leaves! So delicious especially when they are fresh! I put Basil leaves in my salad? Yep. Don’t get ahead of yourself. I used the leaves but …. I made a basil vinaigrette to go on my salad.
When I told my husband about all the different components of this salad – he was a little skeptical. How can so many different flavors work together? Won’t I overshadow the grilled peaches for which this salad was created in the first place? I decided to find out. Am I so glad that I did! The sweetness of the peaches with the peppery arugula and basil was the most divine combination.
Quarter the peaches and avocados and brush with some EVOO.
Heat up the grill (or griddle) and place all the fruit down on one side. After a couple of minutes, flip to the other side. Oh I love those grill marks. And the peaches smell so delicious, I can’t wait to try them!
To assemble the salad, lay down the arugula first, then add some raw cashews. For the goat cheese, use a fork to crumble it into the salad and finally, add the grilled fruit. Then, a drizzle of the basil vinaigrette and you’re ready to enjoy a fun, healthy, summery salad!
Ingredients:
For the Salad:
2 c fresh Arugula
1/3c raw cashews
2oz goat cheese
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and quartered
2 ripe peaches, pitted and quartered
EVOO to brush on the fruit
For the Basil Vinaigrette:
3/4 c fresh basil
1/4c red wine vinegar
1/2c EVOO
2 garlic cloves
salt
freshly ground pepper
For the salad:
Brush fruit with olive oil and set aside. Heat the grill on high heat. When it is heated through, place the fruit side down on one side and keep for 2 minutes. Flip to the other exposed side of the fruit and grill for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Assemble the salad with the arugula at the bottom, followed by the cashews, the fruit and the goat cheese crumbled in. Drizzle with Basil Vinaigrette.
In a blender, add all the ingredients for the Vinaigrette and blend to a smooth texture. Store in an airtight bottle in the fridge.
Enjoy!
