mitzireddy

Broccoli which is part of the cabbage family is a vegetable that does not appear regularly in Indian cuisine – this could be because it is a cool –weather crop and does poorly in hot weather.

It’s only as an adult that I have eaten broccoli occasionally.
Being on a healthy eating plan, broccoli is one of the few vegetable that is
allowed as part of our diet because of its high nutritional value. One’s
enthusiasm wane’s after a few weeks of eating the same vegetables and of course
one starts looking for different ways to prepare them and I came across this
recipe for the broccoli slaw by Ellie Krieger in her show Healthy Appetite.
It’s difficult to guess that you are eating broccoli stalks – who would guessed
that it could taste this good.

I want to mention some recipes by fellow bloggers that I have used this weekend –
all delish.

Pinkpolkadot’s beetroot salad – used rasberries instead of blueberries – yummy.

Bits of Carey’s choc pots – was a huge hit with my guests.

Scrumptious SA – Juno’s Herby rice salad – its my favourite rice salad – one I use often.

This salad is so interesting with all its wonderful flavours and textures of the seeds and nuts. Its also the perfect for using up the left over broccoli from the recipe for the broccoli slaw.

BROCCOLI SLAW 

Ingredients

• 1 cup lowfat Greek yoghurt
• 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 500gr broccoli stalks (from about1 kg
  broccoli bunches)
• 1 large or 2 medium carrots

Preheat
oven to 180 degrees C. Place sunflower seeds and 1/4 teaspoon salt on a baking
sheet and shake to combine. Toast seeds until aromatic, about 10 minutes. Cool
and keep aside.

Combine yoghurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon
salt and pepper. Whisk until well blended and keep aside.

Peel tough outer layer of broccoli stalks, rinse and shred stalks in food processor
then shred carrots. Combine shredded broccoli and carrots with dressing and
toss to combine.

Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and serve.

Life has been a bit hectic recently and now that things are starting to normalize it time to blog again. I have a lot of catching up to do – have missed keeping up to date with
fellow bloggers posts. With needing to focus on a healthier eating lifestyle I
have been doing some research and have come across some very interesting ideas
which I would like to share with you.

This recipe for the crunchy veggie ranch egg salad from the food network appealed to me because of its interesting flavours and textures – it’s easy to make and is healthy.

It’s the first time that I have heard of Ranch dressing – it is made using mayonnaise, yoghurt and buttermilk – I have included Ina Garten’s recipe for the Ranch dressing

Ranch dressing has been the best-selling  salad dressing in the United States United since 1992, when it overtook Italian dressing. It is also popular as a dipping sauce.

CRUNCHY VEGGIE RANCH EGG SALAD

Ingredients

• 6 hard-boiled eggs
• 2 spring onions, chopped, greens only
• 1/2 small red pepper, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup peas, cooked and cooled
• 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• 1/3 cup Ranch Dressing
• Salt and pepper

Method

Place spring onions,carrot, celery and peas in a bowl and gently mix with a fork

Add chopped eggs and relish and toss with a spoon.

Top with Ranch Dressing and stir.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For lunch: pack in small reusable container
with a side of whole grain crackers or melba toasts for dipping, spreading, or
scooping. Or make it into a sandwich with whole grain bread.

BUTTERMILK
RANCH DRESSING

Ingredients

• 3 spring onions, white and green parts, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 11/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 1/2 teaspoons  salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup good mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, shaken

Method

Place the spring
onions, basil, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in the
bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.

Puree for 15 to 20 seconds to make a smooth
mixture.

Add the mayonnaise, yogurt, and buttermilk and
blend until smooth.

Transfer the dressing
to a container, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour for the flavors to develop.

Much as I enjoy food blogging the downside is in trying to maintain one’s weight especially the increasing waistline in my case. It’s very easy for discipline to disappear especially when one sees the delicious recipes from other bloggers as well.The hot days currently being experienced in Johannesburg means more salads – one needs variety to entice the palate and to help maintain the discipline. A welcome change from the leafy salad variety is a couscous salad.

I have been enjoying couscous for many years but until I had to answer one of Pink’s Friday Food Quiz as to what is couscous – I was blissfully ignorant that it is granules of semolina made from durum wheat and it is also the staple of North African cooking. With instant couscous available in the supermarkets it’s very simple to prepare – just add boiling water and let it sit for about 10 minutes until it fluffs up and it is ready to serve. Couscous is amongst the healthiest grain based products with a more superior vitamin profile than rice and pasta.

The combination of the ingredients in this Moroccan-style couscous and chickpea salad is one of my favorite and the recipe is from the Domestic Goddess – Ideas magazine.

MOROCCAN-STYLE COUSCOUS AND CHICKPEA SALAD

Serves 4

Olive oil, for frying

1 large onion, sliced

5ml cumin seeds

2 medium brinjals, sliced, salted and rinsed

300ml couscous, cooked (I use the Tipak brand and cook according to the packet instructions)

1 x 410g can, chickpeas, drained

100ml soft dried apricots, chopped

50ml fresh coriander, chopped

10ml lemon zest

50ml almonds, chopped

SALAD DRESSING

30ml olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

5ml each ground cumin and coriander

30ml lemon juice

30ml balsamic reduction

Heat a little olive oil and sauté the onions.

Add the cumin seeds and fry for a further minute.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat more oil and fry the brinjals in batches until browned on both sides. Season to taste.

Mix together the couscous and the onion and brinjal.

Add the chickpeas, apricots, coriander, lemon zest and almonds.

Mix all the salad dressing ingredients and pour over the couscous.

Leave to stand until ready to serve.