Chickpea Avocado Salad

This recipe is my new favorite. The flavors of spiced up chickpeas and avocado are great! This chickpea and avocado spreadable salad is great on its own as a side or can be spread on toast for a great breakfast or lunch sandwich.  A hint of lemon juice enhances the flavor or do not leave that out.

I made this chickpeas avocado spreadable for my daughter last week. She used it on her toast for breakfast. It is a great alternative to egg salad or avocado toast. It is nutrient rich and keeps you satiated for a long time. That makes it a perfect recipe for breakfast. It is not messy and travels well so it can be used for school lunches as well. It is best kept refrigerated.

You will need
1/2 cup dry chickpeas or 1 can of garbanzo beans
1 avocado
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper powder (increase quantity to taste)
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt and pepper

Soak the dry chickpeas overnight and cook them in a pressure cooker the next day. I usually cook them in the instant pot for 17 minutes on the manual setting. Alternately, you can use canned peas. Rinse and drain the water.

Mash the chickpeas with a fork. Make sure you leave a few chunks.

Wash and rinse the avocado. Cut it into half, remove the seed and the peel. Dice finely.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.

Enjoy!

Ultimate Mixed Vegetable Salad

This salad is put together like you would assemble a salad at a salad bar, a little of this and a handful of that. It reminds me of a trip I took a long time back with my Dad to Mumbai, India. It was a work trip to Gujarat via Mumbai and I had tagged along. In Mumbai we visited a new pizza place and they had a salad bar. I was in school then and had never seen a self serve salad bar before. I took my time choosing the ingredients and I loved it. When my daughter was little I frequently took her to the local salad place. Luckily she is not a picky eater and enjoyed the salad. I remember when she was five an elderly lady from the next table commented on how she and her husband were pleasantly surprised to see a little girl enjoying her vegetables. As a family we enjoy salads and love salads as lunch especially in the hot summer months.

I have been working on salads as meal substitutes for a while. I started with 4-5 ingredients and worked my way up. With my earlier efforts my daughter usually got hungry in a couple of hours. Which meant the salad was more a side than a meal substitute. Given the number of people in the house it is hard to keep a wide variety of ingredients. Finally I believe I have the ultimate mixed vegetable salad. With this salad I have reached my goal of a satisfying meal. It is great as packed lunch as it keeps you feeling full for a long time. If you have a child who loves vegetables and fruits you have to try this.

This is a complete meal in every sense. It is very nutritious and has a good mix of all the major food groups. The beans, broccoli and greens provide the protein. There is no oil but there are healthy fats in the avocado and the sunflower/sesame seeds. Vitamins and minerals in the colorful vegetables. And a healthy carb content. You could add cooked grain groats to increase the carbs if you like. This is our everyday lunch salad.

You will need (2 servings)
1 cup cooked Garbanzo beans or any beans of your choice
a handful each of 2-3 different greens, I used baby spinach, baby kale and baby arugula
a variety of vegetables, diced
at least 1 fruit, I used a pear, apple works well too
2 mushrooms, diced (optional)
1/2 avocado, diced (optional)

Dressing
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt and pepper to taste
red chili pepper powder to taste (I skip it)

Topping
1 tbsp. sunflower seeds, raw and unsalted
1 tsp. while sesame seeds
1 tsp. black sesame seeds

If you are using dry beans, soak them overnight and pressure cook them until tender. Alternately, use canned beans. These are the ingredients I used today. Please note: the quantity of the vegetables shown here is not the quantity used in the recipe. I used only a handful of each of the vegetables.

I dice all the vegetables over the weekend and store it in the refrigerator. I pick and choose quantities of each as needed. The greens, onion, mushroom and fruit I dice as needed as they do not store well when diced.

Cooking vegetables: Diced mushrooms (if using), onions (can be left raw but I prefer them cooked), zucchini, greens beans (I did not use them today), and colored bell peppers. In a pan heat a little water and cook a handful of each of the vegetables. Cooking in water retains color and flavor without an oily coating.

Turn off heat and let them cool. You want the vegetables to be cooked but not mushy. They should retain their shape.

In a large bowl add the beans, avocado, raw vegetables like carrots, broccoli, fruit like pear or apple, the cooked vegetables and the greens.

Add the toppings like sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, slivered almonds or any seeds or nuts of your choice. Squeeze the juice of half a lime. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Mix it all up and let it rest for at least 15-20 minutes. The salad is ready.

Enjoy!

Black Bean and Mixed Vegetable Salad

Today I am posting a delicious Black Bean and Mixed Vegetable Salad. This salad is a complete nutritious meal. Mixed vegetables are a favorite in my family so I usually add a whole different array of vegetables to a lot of my everyday meal. This salad is perfect for weekend lazy brunches. As it is eaten cold it works great for lunch boxes too.

For this salad I cut the vegetables using my Veggie Bullet. But if you do not have a vegetable shredder you could take a little time over the weekend and prep vegetables. Stock up the prepped chopped vegetables separately in glass airtight containers. When needed pull pull the required amount from each of the containers for a salad or other dishes. This is what I do every weekend.

You will need
1 cup dry black beans or 1 can black beans
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 head broccoli, shredded
1 carrot, shredded
1 big handful baby kale, sliced
1 zucchini, shredded
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 lime

If using dry beans, soak them overnight and pressure cook them the next day. Drain and use in the salad. If using canned beans rinse and drain before using them in the salad. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Let it rest for about 5 minutes and serve.

Enjoy!

Summer Fruit Salad

With Memorial day came the unofficial start of summer and on cue the temperature soared. Then we had rain, a lot of rain, but as soon as it stopped raining the temperature rose again. Typical summer weather - where humidity plays with your hair and the heat makes the afternoon nearly unbearable. One way to beat the heat is to snack on cold summer fruit. This salad helps you do just that.

There is really no recipe. Put together a medley of summer fruit. Dice the bigger ones to bite size pieces and squeeze a little lime juice. I like to add apples to bring it all together. Cool in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. That is it!

You will need (4 servings)
3-4 Strawberries
a handful of blueberries
a handful grapes
1 apple (I used Fiji)
1 tbsp. lime juice

Put the berries and grapes in a colander, rinse and allow the water to drain.

Core the apple and cut into bit size pieces. Mix in the lime juice and keep aside. The lime juice will keep the apple from turning brown and add a nice tang to the salad. If the strawberries you are using are large, cut them into 3-4 pieces. Cut the large grapes into two, if they are small you can use them whole. Combine all the ingredients and let them chill for a couple of hours.

Enjoy!

Pachadi

Pachadi is a salad made from fresh fruits and vegetables. On the Maharashtrian thali it is placed just south of the wedge of lemon. It is usually an alternative to koshimbir (another type of salad) but for very special occasions can be made in addition to koshimbir. If you are interested in Koshimbir you will find the post here.

Pachadi can be made with a lot of different vegetables. Most vegetables that can be consumed raw are candidates. Today I made a sampler with 7 different vegetables and one fruit. I used, carrots, cucumber, tomato, turnip, radish, cauliflower and the fruit guava. You have to ensure the produce is fresh and of good quality as it is eaten raw.

Pachadi is flavored with with a variety of mix-ins. Some that I used are shredded coconut, ground roasted peanuts. finely diced cilantro, de-seeded Serrano pepper crushed in salt, soaked and ground chana dal (bengal gram) and soaked and roasted urad dal (black gram). In addition salt, sugar, lemon juice or amchur powder and red chilli pepper powder is used. Lastly, the pachadi is tempered with oil, cumin seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder.

I made all the recipes on this sampler on the same day and we ate it with some poli. However, in a typical thali you would make just one of these recipes, one that goes well with the rest of your chosen menu.

You will need (for 4 servings)
For Vegetable Pachadi
Main ingredients
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
or 2 medium tomatoes, remove seeds and dice
or 3 large florets of cauliflower, shredded
or 1 cucumber, peeled and shredded
or 1 3 inch piece white radish, shredded
or 1 small turnip, peeled and shredded

Mix-in ingredients
1 tbsp. shredded fresh coconut (you can use frozen)
2 tbsp. ground roasted peanuts
1 sprig cilantro, finely diced
1/4 serrano pepper, remove seeds and dice
2 tbsp. channa dal (bengal gram) (if using radish)
1 tbsp. ural dal (black gram) (if using cucumber)

Flavoring ingredients
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. red chilli powder
1 tsp. lemon juice or 1/2 tsp. amchur powder
salt to taste

For the tempering
1 tbsp. oil (I use olive oil)
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 tsp. asafoetida
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder

For fruit pachadi
2 small or 1 large guava, shred on a fine shredder and discard the seeds

1 sprig cilantro, finely diced
1/4 serrano pepper, remove seeds and dice
1/2 tsp, black pepper powder
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. red chilli powder
1 tsp. lemon juice or 1/2 tsp. amchur powder
salt to taste

Soak the channa dal (bengal gram) for half an hour if using and grind coarsely. Keep aside. Soak urad dal for half an hour and drain and roast lightly on a pan until crispy. Keep aside and let it cool. In a separate pan heat the oil for tempering. When hot turn off heat and add the other ingredients. Let it cool.

Prepare the vegetables or fruit.

Prepare the mix-ins.

Add the flavoring ingredients.

Add the mix-ins.

Add the oil mixture.

Mix it all up.

Enjoy!

Black Bean, Spinach and Apple Salad

I love salads. They are quick to put together and can be light or hearty depending upon the ingredients you choose. The Back beans, apple and spinach in this salad make it a full meal. The flavors go well together with the apple adding that little crunch. The best part of it is this can be a dorm room meal after a visit to the grocery store. Shred the carrot and spinach. Chop the apples and pop open a can of beans. Even the dressing is simple and the ingredients store well.

I had previously posted a black bean salad with cucumber. It was while I was prepping for that salad that I realized I had run out of cucumbers and avocado. I had apples and carrots. I decided to add apples and carrots instead. They added such a delicious crunch I knew I had to blog about it. The salad keeps well for a few hours. The lemon juice in the dressing keeps the apple from turning brown. The flavors blend well but the apples do not lose their crunch. I have taken this as packed lunch with great success.

Use organic apple so you can leave the skin on. The avocado should be just ripe so it holds its shape.

You will need
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
a bunch spinach leaves, chopped
1 apple, diced
1 carrot, peeled and shredded

For the dressing
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp. cayenne pepper powder
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients for the dressing. Combine with the other ingredients.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Cucumber and Avocado Salad

Salads make a great meal and so easy to make. I am adding this to my new section of dorm room recipes. The dressing on this salad consists of black pepper, salt, lime juice and cayenne pepper powder. Do not skip the cayenne, it enhances the flavor of the salad. The salad calls for cucumber and spinach or any green of your choice. It would be something you would whip up after a trip to the grocery store. Or if you have access to fresh vegetables in your cafeteria salad bar.

Some schools allow unlimited access to the cafeteria. They also allow you to carry your meals out of the cafeteria. If you are at one of those schools this salad is for you.  Grab a bunch of spinach and cucumber and head to your room. If you have avocado the salad will taste even better, if you don't skip it. Unfortunately, you cannot stock up on avocado but you can stock up on limes and black beans.

This salad is perfect for days you want something fresh but filling. This quantity serves two people. You could either have it as dinner with your roommate or make it for lunch and dinner on a busy day.

You will need
1 can black beans
a bunch spinach leaves, chopped
1 cucumber, diced
1 avocado, seed removed and diced (optional)

For the dressing
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp. cayenne pepper powder
salt and pepper to taste

Open the can of beans, rinse and drain the liquid. Keep aside. In a bowl add all the ingredients including those for the dressing. Toss to mix it up. Leave aside for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Tomato Panzanella

Tomato Panzanella is one of the most flavorful salad you will have. I made it using a day old loaf of ciabatta. I baked the ciabatta for this salad the night before I needed it so I would have a day old loaf. Ciabatta is very high hydration bread and it is one of the lightest loaves I have ever baked. It was perfect for this salad. If you do not wish to bake the ciabatta, though I would highly recommend you do, you can use a store bought loaf.

The day I made this salad my daughter was out for the evening at a friend's house for a project. I made the salad, clicked the pictures and handed the plate in the picture to my husband. He has taken a liking to salads lately but he likes gourmet ingredients. He took one bite and was hooked. Unfortunately for my daughter I had mixed the whole batch for the pictures so by the time she got home the salad was not very crisp. If you plan to eat some of the salad later mix it up in batches.

This week I am showcasing seasonal fruit and vegetables. I had to plan a post with my favorite summer fruit, heirloom tomatoes. The flavor of these fresh tomatoes in combination with the ciabatta is the base for this salad. I used fresh artichoke for the first time but did not cook it right. Fortunately the artichoke did not alter the taste of the salad, but it was inedible and had to be removed. I clicked pictures before I realized the artichoke was not cooked right so it shows up in the pictures. I will figure out what I did wrong and use them again, but for now I would skip the artichoke.

You will need
1 day old loaf ciabatta, recipe here
1 English cucumber
5-7 basil leaves
4 heirloom tomatoes
1/4 red onion
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F. Break up the bread into 1 inch pieces and place in an oven safe dish (I used cast iron). Toast in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the bread is browned, heated through and toasty.

Meanwhile cut the tomatoes into two and collect all the juice and seeds in a mixing bowl. To the seeds add the remaining ingredients except the basil and cucumber. Let the dressing sit aside. Cut the cucumber into thin strips, Dice the tomatoes into long strips and tear the basil. When the bread is done combine everything in a mixing bowl. Let it sit for a couple minutes, not more, and serve.

Enjoy!

Tomato Koshimbir

This is a dish that showcases tomato. Tomato is a very special ingredient in my book. It was rarely or almost never used in the house when I was growing up. Onions and tomatoes were never stocked in the house. My father has very few dislikes but tomato is one of them. My sister is not fond of them either and I like tomato only when it is mixed with something else. Most Maharashtrian recipes do not call for tomatoes so we never bought them unless my mother made one of her specials just for me. This salad was one of her specials. It has onions, powdered roasted peanuts and cilantro in addition to the tomato. There is a variation of this salad that I will post another day.

As luck would have it my daughter loves tomatoes. She is so fond of them she eats them raw as a snack. She swipes slices when I chop them. From the time she was two I have planted cherry tomatoes in the garden every summer. She helps herself to tomatoes whenever she wants. When she was little she would lovingly offer me some and I would tell her there would not be enough for her if I took some. I did not want to tell her I did not like them and influence her tastes. Now she wonders how anyone can dislike tomatoes.

My husband too is fond of tomatoes so I use them a lot. But some dishes like this one will always be special.

You will need
2 large tomatoes
1/2 onion
a handful cilantro
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
1/2 tsp. sugar
salt to taste
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 green chili pepper or Serrano pepper

Dice the tomatoes, onion and cilantro. Grind the roasted peanuts to coarse powder. In a bowl combine the tomatoes, onions and cilantro with the ground peanuts. Add salt and sugar. Break up the green pepper into small pieces. In a small pan heat the olive and turn off heat. Add the cumin seeds and the pieces of pepper. Let the oil cool completely. Pour the cooled oil over the tomato mixture. Combine and let it sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week one, day one of BM #50 for the theme One Ingredient three dishes. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#50.

Colorful Black Bean Salad

Several years ago I watched Rachel Ray put together a black bean salad on her new food show. I tried it and it was a hit in my house. Everyone loved it. My daughter was young enough to count the colors in this salad. Unfortunately, I made it too often and about a year later we grew very tired of the salad. No one liked it anymore and I took it out of my regular rotation. About 4-5 years later I made it again and we all liked it once again.

I do not make this salad frequently but when I do we all love it. I don't always use the same ingredients. I mix them up a little. I usually add some greens but I ran out so I skipped them. The dressing is really simple. Salt, freshly ground black pepper and lime juice.

You will need
3/4 cup dry black beans or 1 can
a handful of frozen corn
30 cherry tomatoes
1 avocado
1 zucchini
1 bunch of greens either torn or cut into bite sized pieces (I skipped these today)
salt and black pepper to taste
juice of half a lime

Soak the black beans overnight. The next day cook them in a pressure cooker until cooked through but not mushy. Alternately, you can cook them in a pan with 2 cups of water on medium heat. It will take about 30 minutes to cook. Drain and add to a large mixing bowl.

Cut the ends of the zucchini. Slice in rounds, sprinkle a little salt and keep aside for a few minutes. Wash the corn and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds with a half cup of water. Drain and add to the bowl of black beans. Wash the cherry tomatoes, slice them and add them to the bowl. Now drain the zucchini, slice finely and add it to the bowl. Finally cut the avocado in half around the seed. Discard the peel and seed. Dice finely and it to the bowl. Add salt and fresh ground black pepper as needed. Squeeze the juice of half a lime over the bowl. Mix it up and serve.

Enjoy!

Copycat Chipotle Veggie Burrito/Bowl

Chipotle is a fast food restaurant with flavors close to the Mexican cuisine. A little of this and a little of that from their lined up stations adds up to a very flavorful bowl or burrito. My daughter is a big fan of Chipotle. She never gets tired of it. Chipotle is always her choice whether it is to celebrate the beginning of school holidays, the end of the holidays, on a trip or any other time. Several years back I tried to make a copycat Chipotle meal at home. Back then I was stumped with the black bean recipe. Since then I have managed to replicate the taste of everything we like from Chipotle. I especially love the tomatillo salsa. Though my daughter would rather go to Chipotle she has to agree this is close.

The veggie burrito/bowl we like consists of the following added in this order
Lime rice, Black Beans, Pico de galo, Tomatillo Salsa, Corn Salsa, Guacamole, Sour Cream, Grated Cheese and Lettuce.

To make the veggie bowl they are added into a bowl. To make the burrito they are added into a warmed tortilla. When it comes to rolls and wraps the Chipotle burrito is King.

Here all the fixings are wrapped in a tortilla as a burrito....

Alternately served in a bowl without a tortilla.

The following proportions should give you 6 servings

Lime Rice

You will need
1 1/2 cup brown rice
1 lime
a bunch cilantro, chopped

Add the rice to a pan with 4 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil, lower heat and let the rice cook completely. Even after the rice has cooked there should be some water in the pan, drain this water and return the rice to the pan. This gives it the texture you see in the rice at Chipotle. Add the juice of one lime and the chopped cilantro. Mix well and keep aside.

Black Beans

You will need
2 cartons black beans (I used cartons from Whole Foods, you can use 2 cans instead)
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
salt to taste

Heat a pan with all the ingredients until heated through. Keep aside.

Pico de galo

You will need
2 tomatoes, diced finely
1/2 onion, diced finely
a bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeño, deseeded and chopped
salt to taste

In a bowl combine all the ingredients and keep aside.

Tomatillo Salsa

6 tiny tomatilloes
1 medium tomato
1/4 red onion
1 roasted red chili pepper
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. coriander powder
1/2 tsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and black pepper to taste

Stick a fork in a red chili pepper and roast it on the open flame of your stove. Chop and use it in the salsa to give it a lovely hot smoky flavor. Pulse everything in the food processor until the desired consistency is reached. Do not puree. If you like a lot of heat use more than one red chili pepper and add a dash of hot sauce.

Corn Salsa

You will need
8oz frozen corn (half a standard size bag)
1/2 onion, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
a bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeño, deseeded and chopped
salt to taste

Thaw the frozen corn, wash and drain. In a bowl combine all the ingredients and keep aside.

Guacamole

You will need
2 avocado
1/2 tomato, diced
1/4 onion, diced
salt to taste

Cut the avocado in half mindful of the seed. Peel of the skin. If the avocado is ripe the skin should peel right off. Remove the seed. Cut the avocado into small pieces. In a bowl mix all the ingredients together. Mash lightly with a masher.  Do not overdo it. You want the guacamole to remain chunky and not turn to mushy paste.

The Final Garnishes

Wash the lettuce, let it dry and tear it to shreds. Whisk the sour cream and shred some cheddar cheese.

Tortilla for the burrito
The burrito is made using tortilla. You could use store bought tortilla or make your own. I use whole wheat poli/chapati. You could modify the recipe for the poli by adding a little all purpose flour. That makes the poli a little more supple and will aid the rolling. I skip the all purpose flour.

To put together the Veggie burrito
Heat the prepared poli. It strengthens it and prevents tearing. Place the poli/tortilla on a plate. Spread a spoonful of rice on it. Next add the black beans.

Now add the pico de galo, tomatillo salsa, corn salsa, sour cream, grated cheese, guacamole and lettuce.

Fold in the sides and roll into a burrito.

Alternate preparation Veggie bowl
Spread a little rice on the bottom of the bowl. Add the black beans, pico de galo, tomatillo salsa, corn salsa, sour cream, grated cheese, guacamole and lettuce.

Enjoy!