Green dal and Red Raddish Soup

Papaya Promise: Papaya-Carrots-Beets-Yellow Pepper Smoothie

 What makes this a stand-out smoothie is that perfect bonding between the papaya and the ginger: the fruit's smooth taste seamlessly picking up on where the tuber's sharper notes start to fade off.
As a fruit, I am never really fond of papayas, except when you pair it up with mint or, like in this recipe, sync them up with veggies with a stronger character. However, what I truly admire about the papaya is its vibrant color and the way those little seeds nestle against each other in the fruit's flesh. A visual stunner, no less. Which is one of the reason why papayas make for such good table decor. More of that later.

 Serves 2-3
Preparation Time: 7 minutes.

Ingredients:

 2 cups peeled and chopped papaya
2 large carrots
1 medium beetroot
2 large yellow peppers (if yellow is unavailable, red peppers would do just as well)
1 cup almond milk or soy milk
1 generous length of ginger (vary according to your taste, I like more of my ginger)

Instructions:

1) If you are using a juicer, juice the peppers first, followed by the carrots, beets and ginger. In a blender, run the chopped papaya with the almond or soymillk for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the vegetable juice and blend till smooth.

2) If you are using just a blender, peel and chop carrots and beets, chop the pepper and mince the ginger. Run the peppers with soymilk or almond milk at low speed till well blended, then add the papaya, followed by the other chopped vegetables

Vitamins Plus: Celery, Green Apple and Red Pepper Juice

Celery-Green Apple-Red Pepper Juice

Once done, this juice is almost transparent that you can see right through the glass to the other side. Loaded with vitamins, this  is perfect for those days when you don't have too much time for juicing and want to juice on the go. Also perfect for an early morning drink to cut out those caffeine cravings. Works like a dream if you are migraine-prone (which I am), for it gets the blood pumping to weed out the ache. Migraines, at least for me, are signals that I am not drinking enough water, so you cannot do better than this juice bursting with hydration potential.

Serves 2-3 people
Preparation Time: 7 minutes

Ingredients:

4 stalks of celery

3 large green apples or granny smiths

2 large red peppers

Juice of one lemon (optional)

Instructions:

1) Start with the red pepper, follow up with the celery.

2) The apples go in last and then the lemon. You may substitute one pear for one of the apples.

3) Drink as soon as possible. Refrigeration robs those precious vitamins.

All Purpose Herb and Garlic Infused Olive Oil

 I am not normally hooked to cookery shows on TV, but when I do come across a show that seems interesting enough, I like to take notes. The operative words for me, when taking such notes, are that the recipes are simple and the chef makes it seem simpler. I really do like Australian chef Curtis Stone's  ratings-busting show Take Home Chef, though I mostly catch re-runs on Netflix. Which is how I saw him demonstrate this amazingly simple recipe for herb-infused olive oil that I simply had to try for two reasons: 1) I do a lot of grilling and toasting of breads and 2) I thought this could also do really well as a salad dressing, along with, say, a little dijon mustard. I am yet to try this on salads, so will update once I get there.
But for now, this recipe is a keeper.

Note:  1) You can make and store this in larger batches, however there may be a little loss of freshness. It is so easy, takes just about five minutes to make, so if you like your herbs fresh, use it up the same day.
2) Curtis Stone demonstrated this recipe with fresh rosemary, which I did not have with me, but there was a jar of dried rosemary and fresh basil. And it turned out to be truly delectable. The message: experiment with different combinations of  fresh herbs and dried herbs until you get your desired flavor and strength of infusion.

Serves: 2-3 people
Preparation Time: 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
 2 stalks of fresh basil
3 cloves garlic/.
1 tsp dried herb (I used rosemary, but you could mix and match)
A pinch of sea salt.

Instructions:

1) Start with the garlic and herbs. Peel and mince the garlic, chop the basil. Use the flat blade of the knife to crush the garlic.

2) Crush the already crushed garlic along with the salt in a mortar and pestle, till the juices are released. Add the chopped basil and dried rosemary and crush and mix some more.

3) Warm the olive oil in a pan on low-medium heat. Remember to never, ever let any olive oil smoke, leave alone the extra virgin variety. The oil should be just warm enough for you to safely dip in a finger without getting scalded. Throw in the garlic-herb mixture and let warm together for a minute more.

4) Transfer to a bottle and close for about 20-30 minutes, the longer the better. Do not refrigerate. The oil is ready to use when you can sniff the dazzling aroma if you open the bottle to catch a whiff. Let stand longer or lesser according to your desired infusion strength. Just before using, add a pinch of black pepper and/or paprika and shake well.

5) Spread liberally along with the herbs on bread/baguette slices before toasting on an open griddle.

Other uses:

1) Add a pinch of black pepper and/or paprika and some grated parmesan cheese for a great tasting bread dip.

2) Use as barbeque oil for grilling.

3) Mix with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and/or dijon mustard, a pinch of black pepper and some salt and use as salad dressing.

Very Berry Smoothie with Beets and Carrots

Ever tried drinking your breakfast? You can, with this one. The beets and berries make for an instant energy boost, while the carrots and apples hydrate. And if you still hesitate to throw in the beets with the berries, just look at that electric color.

You would want to WEAR this juice, it is so velvety smooth!

Serves 3-4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen blueberries or blackberries or raspberries or a combo of all three
2 large red apples
1 medium sized beetroot
4 large California carrots
1 cup soy milk or 1/2 cup low-fat yogurt

Instructions:

1) If you are using a juicer, juice the apples first, followed by the beets and carrots

2) Run the blender with the soy milk or yogurt at low speed, add the berries and smoothen. You may need to add a cube of ice or two to make it smooth enough. Add the juice and blend. Serve.

3) If you are using just the blender, chop the vegetables into small pieces, then run in a blender with the soymilk or yogurt till smooth. Add the apples and berries, one after the other and blend. Add ice cubes if it is too thick to drink out of a glass. Serve.

Note: Add 3-4 mint leaves along with the berries for extra punch.

Multi Bean Soup with Barley and Side of Garlic Bread Toast

 

 

 

Serves: 2-3 people

Preparation Time: 45 minutes (including 30 minutes. of simmer time) if using a crock pot or 4 hours if using a slow cooker

Ingredients:

1 cup of any mix of dried beans, soaked for 6 hours (I use the 16 Bean Soup Mix by Goya, available in most grocery stores)

2 cups vegetable broth or stock

1 cup sliced carrots

1 green pepper-chopped

1 medium sized  boiled potato with skin-chopped

1 bay leaf

1 medium yellow onion-sliced thin

2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried parsley leaves

1/2 tsp red chilly flakes

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and black pepper powder to taste.
1 tablespoon of chopped scallion to garnish

Instructions:

1) Place the soaked, rinsed and drained beans in a slow cooker or crock pot.

2) Add the broth or stock along with some salt.

3) Tear up the bay leaf and drop in. Add the ginger-garlic paste.

4) Place the coriander seeds in an infuser and drop into the mixture (If you do not have an infuser, skip the coriander seeds altogether and substitute with a teaspoon of coriander powder. This is entirely optional, except for giving the soup the 'curried' flavor.

5)  Saute the chopped onions and garlic in the olive oil in an open pan and drop into the mixture

6) Bring to a boil in the open vessel and let it boil for about a minute or so. If you are using a slow cooker, turn to the 'High' setting and wait for the mixture to start boiling.

7) Turn down the flame, put the lid on and simmer for about 30-35 minutes till the beans look well done. If you are going with the slow cooker, turn down to the  'low' setting and simmer for about 3-4 hours.

8) Add the chopped green pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley and red chilly flakes.

9) Continue simmering for about 5 minutes in the crock pot or for about 15 minutes in the slow cooker.

10) Turn off the heat, fish out the bay leaves and toss them out.

11) Add salt and black pepper to taste.

12) Garnish with chopped scallion and enjoy with  a side of grilled/toasted garlic bread (recipe below)

Note:  I do not like my green peppers over cooked, so I always drop them in with just enough time to let their juices seep into the boiling liquid.

Also, I am a great fan of potato skins, so if you want your soup tasting the same delicious way mine did, keep those skins on.. Great for texture too.

How To Make Garlic Bread Toast:

1) Slice up a baguette or Italian bread into bite sized pieces.

 
2) Heat up a griddle till it is almost near smoking.
3) Liberally dab the bread slices on both sides with  home made all-purpose herb and garlic infused olive oil, making sure you get enough of the herbs onto the slices.
4) Toast on griddle till crispy and golden brown on both sides.

The Big Boost: Broccoli-Banana Smoothie

Now, before you go all a-shudder at the thought of drinking your broccoli raw, remember this: broccoli is best when it has not been put on a stove. Not just broccoli, most of its other Brassica cousins too lose their anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-cancer properties once you cook them. If the idea of raw broccoli absolutely turns you off and you are the kind that would  have no broccoli at all rather than raw broccoli, then you can perhaps get off with steaming your brocs, but then that would only be second best. So, get used to it, take your brassica as is.

Now, here is the good news. You will neither taste nor smell raw broccoli in this smoothie. What you will taste instead are the bananas and the cilantro. Plus the luscious tomatoes. So, it is definitely a win-win.

Serves 3-4

Preparation Time: 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

 1 cup broccoli florets

2 large ripe bananas

2 large ripe tomatoes

1 large kiwi

1 cup chopped parsley/cilantro or a combination of both

1 cup chopped spinach

1 large cucumber

3 stalks of celery

1 lime, peeled.

1/2 cup water or unsweetened soymilk  (if using just a blender)

 Instructions:

1) If you are using a juicer, juice the greens, cucumber, celery, broccoli and lime. Chop tomatoes and kiwi and place in blender. Pour the juice into the blender and run on medium-low speed till well mixed.

2) If you are using just the blender, blend the broccoli, greens and cucumber first on medium-high speed with the water or soymilk. Add the remaining ingredients--all chopped--and blend till smooth.

3) Add a dash of squeezed lemon, if desired, before drinking.

Note: This smoothie tastes best if consumed immediately, but can also be stored for up to a day in air tight bottles in the refrigerator. You may experience some loss of nutrition upon storing, so go ahead, gulp it down straight out of the blender.