Tag Archives: Light Meals

FOOD

A creamy, delish, cabbage and spinach soup

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I was cleaning out a few things in the fridge today and pulled out a few remaining veggies, some stock, a bit of leftover focaccia bread and pondered how I could use all of this up in one go.

Given the current environment, every morsel of food is even more precious. And what emerged from this mishmash of ingredients was a delicious, creamy, good for you soup. Here’s how I went about the transformation.

Ingredients for soup:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped into small pieces
  • 2 cups cabbage, finely chopped, and washed
  • 1 packed cup baby spinach, washed and finely chopped
  • 2 green chilis, finely chopped
  • A sprig of oregano
  • 1.5 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp salt

    For croutons (you can use store bought ones)
  • Some leftover bread, cubed
  • A tbsp of olive oil
  • A bit of red pepper flakes

    For garnishing
  • A tbsp or two of grated parmesan cheese
  • Some olive oil
  • A sprig of oregano

How to:

1. Heat one tbsp olive oil in a pan. Add the onion and sauté for five minutes on medium heat.

2. Add the cabbage, spinach, green chilis, oregano, vegetable stock, and salt, mix well and cook till the cabbage and spinach appear wilted. This took about ten minutes on medium heat for me.

3. Transfer the veggies to a blender or use a hand blender to puree the veggies till smooth.

4. If making croutons, heat a tbsp of oil in a pan. Add a bit of red pepper flakes and toss the bread cubes, frying till crisp (about ten minutes).

5. Transfer the soup into two bowls. Top with the croutons, some parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

6. Enjoy!

 

FOOD

A delicious breakfast made from the unloved end pieces of bread

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Please don’t judge me. I do not like the bookend pieces of bread that come in every loaf. The thick, slightly stubby pieces that I eat with reluctance, only to not waste them. But this morning, faced with four of those slices that I had saved from two packs of the low carb 647 bread, I decided to do something a little different; something that turned out to be super delicious. I have always loved the dish called poha, flattened rice flakes made into a delicious savory breakfast with onions, tomatoes, spices and more and that’s exactly what I decided to do with the four lonesome pieces of bread. The result was a delicious breakfast that I totally enjoyed with a steaming cup of cappuccino. Oh and one nice benefit of this dish was that I used a bunch of odds and ends lurking in my fridge.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp cooking oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • A pinch of asafetida
  • 1 green chili, finely chopped
  • 1/4 inch piece of ginger finely chopped
  • 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small tomato, finely chopped
  • A handful of baby spinach finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 end slices of bread with crust cut into small cubes
  • 1 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
  • A tbsp of fresh, grated, coconut (optional)
  • A tsp of lemon juice (optional)

How to:

1. Heat oil in a pan for a minute and then add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and asafetida.

2. When the mustard seeds stop crackling, add the green chilies, ginger, and yellow onion. Sauté for five minutes.

3. Add the tomato, baby spinach, turmeric powder, and salt, and sauté for a couple of minutes.

4. Add the bread cubes, and toss so all the veggies and spices are mixed in well with the bread cubes.

5. Turn off the heat, garnish the dish with the finely chopped cilantro, freshly grated coconut, and the lemon juice (if using).

6. Divide into two bowls and enjoy hot with a cup of coffee or tea.

FOOD

A beautiful, spicy salad with couscous pearls

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It started with the spotting of whole wheat pearl couscous in the aisles of Wegmans, the familiar packaging of Bob’s Red Mill grains beckoning me. I have never cooked with pearl couscous before, but the idea of turning these beautiful grains into a healthy lunch sounded good. I looked up a few recipes that used regular couscous and decided to throw together things in my fridge and pantry to create this wonderful, deeply satisfying salad.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole wheat pearl couscous
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1.5 cups water
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 14 cherry tomatoes
  • 8-10 nuts of your choice (I used leftover macademia nuts)
  • 2 tbps raisins or craisins (I used craisins)
  • 2 tsps ras el hanout (a north African spice mix available on Amazon)
  • 2 green chilis finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
  • Juice of 1 lemon

How to:

  1. Roast the couscous in a pan for 10 minutes till light brown and set aside.

  2. Bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil, add the roasted couscous and salt and cook over a low flame till the couscous is cooked and the water has evaporated. This took me about 12 minutes.

  3. Transfer the couscous to a large bowl.

  4. Heat 2 tbsps of oil in the pan that you used to cook the couscous, add the chopped onions and sauté till the onions turn brown. Add the cherry tomatoes, nuts, raisins and ras el hanout and toss till the tomatoes are coated with the spice.

  5. Turn off the heat and toss the onion mix into the cooked couscous.

  6. Now add the chilies, cilantro, parsley and lemon juice. Give the contents another toss and serve warm or at room temperature.


    Note: If your tolerance for spices is low, cut back the ras el hanout to one tsp and use one chili instead.