Cooking Healthy Dinner Recipes - Lemon Poached Chicken & Potato Salad

Many people feel that dinner is one of the important meals in the day. Most of the people in the metropolitan cities pursue a very hectic lifestyle. This hectic lifestyle devoid them from maintaining a proper routine for daily breakfast and lunch. It is the most enjoyable meal for some people. You can relax after a hectic day at work and enjoy your dinner with your family in complete peace. On the other hand there are many people that come home and prepare the dinner themselves. It can turn out to be a pretty tedious task. It would be a real blessing if one gets hand on some recipes that are not so time consuming and healthy alike. There are many ways that can make cooking dinner recipes fun, quick, healthy and easy. One must consider it as a time to be involved with the family and kids. There are a number of recipes that even kids can contribute with. These recipes can help you strike a chord between fun, cooking, health and taste. Get the kids involved in helping prepare the meal. They can do things like washing and tearing up vegetables and measuring out ingredients. One must add proper dash of fruits and vegetables to the dinner meals. Vegetables and fruits are often regarded as one of the healthiest ingredients while preparing a dinner meals. These fruits and vegetables are easy on stomach and easily digestible. It also helps in providing a sweet and tangy punch to the meal. Try to chop the essential fruits and vegetables days prior to store it in the fridge. You can store them in containers in fridge and use them as per your needs. This would work wonders for the working class people that cook dinner after reaching home drenched in tiredness. Let us discuss a not so time consuming dinner recipe which is tasty and healthy alike. You can involve the kids too in preparation of it.

Lemon Poached Chicken & Potato Salad

Ingredients

4 small chicken breast fillets, trimmed

1 lemon, rind removed (see hint), juiced

750g kipfler or pink fir potatoes, scrubbed

100ml extra-virgin olive oil

150g baby green beans, trimmed, halved

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut into thirds crossways

1 tablespoon dill leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped chives

Method

Place chicken in a large, deep frying pan with lemon rind. Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes. Remove chicken from pan. Cool slightly. Slice across the grain.

Meanwhile, cook potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Using tongs, transfer to a chopping board. Stand for 10 minutes or until still warm but cool enough to handle. Peel potatoes and cut into chunks. Place in a large bowl.

Using a fork, whisk oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice and salt and pepper in a jug. Drizzle three-quarters of the dressing over potato. Stir gently to coat.

Place beans and asparagus in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Stand for 3 minutes. Drain. Add to potato with chicken, dill and chives. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Toss gently to combine. Season with pepper. Serve.

Hint: Use a potato peeler to remove the rind from a lemon, avoiding the white pith which can make the poaching liquid taste bitter.

This recipe would take 20 mins for preparation & 30 mins to cook.

There are many websites and video channels online that provide many such healthy dinner recipes and cooking tips. India Food Network is one such website which you can refer to learn these easy to cook instant healthy recipes. It also provides many nutritional tips and ingredients list for cooking fanatics. Visit the India Food Network website for more information.

Healthy Recipes to keep you Fit – Chicken and Peach Salad

Preparing food the old fashioned way—at home in your own kitchen—doesn’t have to be time consuming or complicated. With some simple guidelines, you can create quick, delicious meals the whole family will enjoy. Many people feel too busy to take 15 minutes for breakfast every day. But this vital first meal of the day gets your metabolism going and gives you energy. People who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight. Breakfast can be quick, easy, and nutritious. If you have a busy schedule, lunch can often be a rushed meal—a takeout eaten at your desk or a quick bite in a diner or restaurant. But with a little planning, it’s easy to prepare a nutritious and tasty lunch yourself. Things like sandwiches or leftovers from a previous dinner can make quick, easy, and healthy lunchtime meals. You must strike a perfect balance in the ingredients that make a pivotal part of your breakfast and lunch recipes. Most of the people nowadays lead a hectic lifestyle. This makes it very hard for them to maintain proper balance in their early morning breakfast and lunch routine. There are many recipes that you can consume to maintain proper balance between enjoying tasty food and eating healthy. Let us discuss one such recipe which is not much time consuming in preparation. Along with that it also helps you to strike a chord between taste and health.

Chicken and Peach Salad

Ingredients:

    7 green onions

    1/4 cup soy sauce

    2 tablespoons red wine

    1 tablespoon honey

    1 tablespoon brown sugar

    1 garlic clove, crushed

    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    4 small chicken breast fillets, trimmed

    120g mixed lettuce leaves

    30g snow pea sprouts, trimmed

    1 Lebanese cucumber, sliced

    415g can peach slices in natural juice (see note), drained

    1/2 cup pistachio kernels

    1 avocado

Dressing

    1 teaspoon sesame oil

    1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

    1 teaspoon sweet chili sauce

    2cm piece ginger, peeled, grated

Method

Thinly slice 3 onions. Combine soy sauce, red wine, honey, sugar, garlic, cinnamon and sliced onions in a large, shallow ceramic dish. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight, if time permits.

Make dressing: Place oils, sweet chili sauce and ginger in a screw-top jar. Secure lid and shake until well combined. Set aside until ready to serve.

Preheat a barbecue grill on medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes each side or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Cover with foil and stand for 5 minutes. Slice.

Thinly slice remaining onions. Combine onions, lettuce, snow pea sprouts, cucumber, peaches and pistachio kernels in a large bowl. Peel, quarter and thinly slice avocado. Add to salad. Pour over dressing and gently toss. Spoon salad onto plates. Top with chicken and serve.

           

There are many internet sites and channels that provide an array of recipes to make your off day subtle. India Food Network is one such website which is very well known for different types of recipes both vegetarian and no vegetarian. It also provides many health tips and recipe short cuts to make cooking a fun filled hobby. Visit the India Food Network website to check out more.

Be High on Nutrition: Add Fruits to your Diet

Try to eat dinner earlier in the day and then kind of observe fast for 14-16 hours until breakfast the next morning. Early studies suggest that this simple dietary technique—eating is applicable when you’re most active and it gives your digestive system a long break each day. These smart eating techniques also help to regulate weight. After-dinner snacks tend to be high in fat and calories so are best avoided. Fruits and vegetables are regarded to lay foundation levels of a healthy diet. They are very low in calories and absolutely high in essential nutrients. These fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. One must try and consume a huge number of fruits and vegetables every day. Every meal should contain ample amount of these fruits. Colorful, deeply colored fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—and different colors provide different benefits, so eat a variety. Aim for a minimum of five portions each day. These are some of nutritional foods that should certainly be part of your food plate.

Figs

When you think of potassium-rich produce, figs probably do not hit the high note, but you may be baffled to learn that six fresh figs have 891 mg of the blood pressure-lowering mineral. Figs help constitute almost 20% of your daily need and it is almost double the nutrition that you may find what in one large banana. In a recent 5-year study from the Netherlands, high-potassium diets were linked with lower rates of death from all causes in healthy adults age 55 and older. Figs are one of the best options that contain calcium, with nearly as much per serving (six figs) as 1/2 cup of fat-free milk. You can try figs in various methods and recipes. For e.g. chopping it and adding to yogurt, cottage cheese, oatmeal, or green salads. Figs can also be used as a savory snack to have a bite every now and then.

Blueberries

Blueberries may very well be the most apt nutritious food jam-packed with antioxidants. Tangy-sweet wild blueberries (which are smaller than their cultivated cousins) contain the high quantity of absorbable antioxidants. Research shows a diet rich in blueberries can help with memory loss, prevent urinary tract infections, and help get rid of eyestrain. Add up to 1/2 cup of blueberries to your diet a day for maximum health benefits, recommends Ronald Prior, PhD, adjunct professor of food science at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. This alone provides just about double the amount of antioxidants most Americans get in 1 day.

Asian Pears

One large Asian pear has a whopping 10 g of cholesterol-lowering fiber, about 40% of your daily need. People who ate the most fiber had the lowest total and LDL cholesterol levels, according to a recent study of Baltimore adults. The same researchers found that people who ate the most fiber also weighed the least and had the lowest body mass index and waist circumference. Serve by dicing it into a salad of Boston lettuce, crumbled goat cheese, walnuts, and mandarin oranges. Or make it a dessert: Add peeled and cored pears to a saucepan with 1 cup white wine, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, and enough water to cover the pears. Cover and simmer 40 minutes or until pears are soft.

Apples

One of the healthiest fruits you should be eating is one you probably already are: the apple. The Iowa Women’s Health Study, which has been investigating the health habits of 34,000 women for nearly 20 years, named apples as one of only three foods (along with pears and red wine) that are most effective at reducing the risk of death from heart disease among postmenopausal women. Other massive studies have found the fruit to lower risk of lung cancer and type 2 diabetes—and even help women lose weight. In fact, one of the only things that could make an apple unhealthy is mixing it with sugar, flour, and butter and stuffing it into a mile-high pie. Instead, have one as an afternoon snack with a tablespoon of peanut butter, or add slices to sandwiches or salads.

These fruits can be easily blended into a wide range of recipes. These fruits will help fulfill your basic nutritional needs and yet provide you with yummy recipes and desserts. There are many websites and video channels online that provide many such healthy recipes and cooking tips. India Food Network is one such website which you can refer to learn these easy to cook instant healthy recipes. It also provides many nutritional tips and ingredients list for cooking fanatics. Visit the India Food Network website for more information. 

Calcium helps in Making Bones Stronger: Calcium Rich Recipes

Calcium is often regarded as one of the most essential components for a healthy body and living. It is one of the key nutrients to keep the body strong and healthy. It is essential for many different reasons; it also acts as a building block for stronger bones in men and women alike. This is the reason your mom must be doting on you since a tender age to consume more milk. Milk is known to contain high quantities of calcium. A person and his bones benefit a lot from having calcium rich food included in their diet. It limits the foods that deplete your body’s calcium stores, and helps you get your daily dose of magnesium and vitamins D and K—nutrients that help calcium do its job. 

There are many products that are rich in calcium. Dairy products are the top notch products for proper intake of calcium. Dairy products are very rich in calcium and can be easily digested. It provides calcium in such form that it can be easily absorbed by the body. Various dairy products include Milk, Yoghurt and cheese. Other foods high on calcium are vegetables and fruits. The various green vegetables are very high in calcium components. Try turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, romaine lettuce, celery, broccoli, fennel, cabbage, green beans, asparagus, and crimini mushrooms. Another rich source of calcium is the beans. Black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans, black-eyed peas, or baked beans are regarded as rich sources of calcium. Let us discuss couple of calcium rich recipes that won't fail to satisfy your taste buds too.

Broccoli-stuffed Pasta

6 ounces (18-20) jumbo pasta shells

1 16-ounce bag frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

1 pound low-fat cottage cheese

8 ounces (2 cups) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tablespoon grated onion

½ teaspoon pepper

2 cloves crushed garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 15 ½ ounce jars marinara sauce (or spaghetti sauce)

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain. Combine broccoli, cottage cheese, 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion, pepper and garlic.  Fill shells with cheese-broccoli mixture.  Spoon enough marinara sauce into bottom of 9-by-13-inch baking pan to cover the bottom.  Arrange shells in single layer; spoon remaining sauce over shells.  Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella cheese on top.  Cover pan with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes, until heated thoroughly.

Serving: 6

Calories per serving: 437

Calcium per serving: 493 mg

Old-Fashioned Hot Cocoa

5 Tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups water

4 ½ cups whole milk

1 cup instant nonfat dry milk

½ teaspoon mint extract (optional)

Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in a 2-quart saucepan.  Add water.  Boil and stir constantly.  Boil and stir for 2 minutes.  Stir in liquid milk and then slowly add dry milk, stirring continuously.  Heat thoroughly but do not boil.  Stir in extract, if desired.  Just before serving, beat with a hand beater until foamy.

Servings: 6, 1 cup each

Calories per serving: 202

Calcium per serving: 365 mg

Give your Tasty Recipes a Healthy Touch of Fiber

      Fiber is a fundamental nutrient required for proper digestion of foods, proper functioning of the digestive tract at large, and for helping fill your tummy. A deficiency of fiber can lead to constipation, hemorrhoids, and high elevation of cholesterol and sugar in the blood. Likewise, an excess of fiber can lead to a bowel obstruction, diarrhea, or even dehydration. The body needs proper amount of fiber to fulfill the body requirements. There are many different types of ingredients which can help in providing the amount of fiber needed for the body. There is nothing more apt on a chilly morning like a steaming bowl of creamy oatmeal. Oats are regarded as one of the best ingredients to get soluble fiber, the kind that can help slide down your cholesterol levels. Start your day with a cup of cooked oatmeal and you bless your body with 4 grams of fiber. Top it with a sliced banana (or better yet, add the banana while you’re cooking the oatmeal — it will help make oatmeal more creamy) for an extra 3 grams. With 10 grams of fiber and just 65 calories each, artichokes are a light but filling option for individual interested in dieting. Try them in Creamy Artichoke Soup; it is a recipe which can be made easy by using frozen artichoke hearts.

      Frozen peas are one of the most fast and easy available options to add vegetables to a meal. Peas are also regarded as one of the vegetables very high in fiber with 9 grams per cup. You can take peas and carrots to a whole new level by including it in a plate of pasta with Peas and Carrots. Whole Wheat Spaghetti is another ingredient high in fiber. Replacing regular white pasta with whole-wheat will give you more than twice as much fiber — 6 grams in a cup. Going for 100 percent whole-wheat pasta or bread is a simple way to start getting more fiber (and whole grains) in your diet. Beans are one of the best sources of fiber out there: 1 cup can bless your dish with 12 to 19 grams of fiber. You can also try mixing black beans into a quesadilla, make a white-bean-and-escarole soup or top a green salad with garbanzo beans. Cooked bulgur wheat contains very high amount of fiber amongst all the whole grains. It can be used in various salad recipes. It offers an extra dose of fiber, if blended with lentils. Popcorn counts as a whole grain and has the fiber to prove it. 3 cups of the crunchy tasty popcorn can provide you with 4 grams of fiber for just 90 calories when air-popped. Popcorn is also easy to make. Just put 3 tablespoons of popcorn seeds in a paper bag, fold over the top a few times to keep it closed and microwave it until you hear the pops becoming less frequent.

      There are many fruits which are high in fiber content. Raspberries and pears are one of them. You must have noticed the little seeds dotting raspberries. These little seeds are responsible for raspberries’ high-fiber content. Just a small cup of this low-calorie, sweet-tart berries can provide you with 8 grams of fiber. These berries can be blended with yogurt for a healthy breakfast, tasty snack or dessert. Pears are not too far behind raspberries. Just one pear provides you with 5 grams of fiber. You can snack on them by just slicing them out or layer them onto an almond butter sandwich or give them a French twist in a Pear desert which is tasty yet healthy. These ingredients can be used in scores of recipes, which would be tasty and yet with a proper touch healthy needs.

       It is very essential for the kids to intake proper amount of fiber for healthy well being. Mothers can use these high fiber ingredients to blend it in tasty recipes for the kids. India Food Network is one of the websites that provide large number of recipes made by using these healthy ingredients. You can find a range of recipes varying from deserts, snacks and much more. With the boom of the internet, finding these healthy recipes has become a cakewalk. So what are you waiting for? Healthy and tasty food is just one click away. Log into India Food Network for more details.

Top 4 Healthy Foods to Keep you Healthy

Nowadays along with being tech savvy, people have turned very health conscious. There are lots of people that are dumping the junk food to move on to healthier eating habits. Maintaining a healthy diet is not a hard thing to do. Eating healthy just means eating smart. It all depends on an individual to blend in the healthy ingredients to make the cuisine tasty. Maintaining a healthy diet is all about feeling great and energetic all the time. Eating healthy food and maintaining a proper diet can work wonders for an individual over a stipulated time. It is a myth that healthy eating is surrounded by nutrition philosophies. A person doesn't need to follow a strict and rigorous routine to facilitate healthy eating. It can be achieved by learning some nutrition basics and using them in a way that works for you. You can expand your range of healthy food choices and learn how to plan ahead to create and maintain a tasty, healthy diet. You don't need to analyze your diet in terms of calories and fats.

A person just needs to rate the food to be consumed in variety of freshness and color. If one follows the way, it will be a lot easier to make healthy choices in the food consumed. One can consume any food that he or she likes, it’s only necessary to incorporate the healthy ingredients in the dish. If you have been gorging on junk for years, switching on to a healthy diet overnight is not a smart choice. Start slowly and start making changes to the eating habits over the time. Having a lot of water also plays a pivotal role in maintaining a healthy diet. Always make sure to have water in good proportions. Water helps in flushing the waste products and maintains proper hydration of the body. You don't need to completely eliminate the food you have always loved in process of maintaining a healthy diet. Just think smart, choose smart, eat smart and live smart. Let us discuss the top 4 healthy food which would help to keep you healthy.

Eggs:

Egg yolks are regarded to have a lot of essential and hard-to-get nutrients, including choline, which is inclined towards lowering the rates of breast cancer (one yolk supplies 25% of your daily need) and antioxidants that may help prevent macular degeneration and cataracts. Though many of us have shunned whole eggs because of their link to heart disease risk, there’s actually substantial evidence that for most of us, eggs are not harmful but healthy. People with heart disease should limit egg yolks to two a week, but the rest of us can have one whole egg daily;

Fat Free Milk:

Studies show that calcium isn’t just a bone booster but a fat fighter too. Recent research from the University of Tennessee found that obese people who went on a low-calorie, calcium-rich diet lost 70% more weight than those who ate the least. Vitamin D not only allows your body to absorb calcium, it’s also a super nutrient in its own right. Research shows that adequate D levels can reduce heart disease risk, ward off certain types of cancer, relieve back pain, and even help prevent depression, but most of us don’t get nearly enough of the 1,000+ IU daily that most experts recommend.

Avocado:

One Ohio State University study found that when avocado was added to salads and salsa, it helped increase the absorption of specific arytenoids, plant compounds linked to lower risk of heart disease and macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness. "Avocados are packed with heart-protective compounds, such as soluble fiber, vitamin E, and potassium," says Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of 10 Habits That Mess Up a Woman's Diet. But they are a bit high in calories. To avoid weight gain, use avocado in place of another high-fat food or condiment, such as cheese or mayo.

Red Peppers:

Citrus fruits get all the credit for vitamin C, but red peppers are actually the best source. Vitamin C may be best known for skin and immunity benefits. Researchers in the United Kingdom looked at vitamin C intake in 4,025 women and found that those who ate more had less wrinkling and dryness. And although getting enough vitamin C won’t prevent you from catching a cold or flu, studies show that it could help you recover faster. Vitamin C has other important credentials too.

There are various sites which dish out lots of healthy recipes which include these essential ingredients for kids and adults. IndiaFood Network is one such site which you can refer to for healthy recipes, ingredients lists and much more. You can also refer to this site for cooking tips, healthy tips, cooking lessons and much more. Just remember the motto - Think smart, choose smart, eat smart and live smart.

Choose a healthier Life with Organic Food

As we all know, the life in our body is the totality of the lives in our individual cells, which only lively cells create a lively body. For a cell to become lively it needs first to become healthy, and this depends positioned on the way we consume our food. The most recent research has shown that consuming organic foods is really a healthier choice than cooking it which all the nutrients are saved in their original state when heat isn’t applied to the food.

One of the first things anybody should do when they are going to choose healthy snacks and appetizers over their normal choice of food is to prepare a list before they go shopping and then make sure that they stick to it. Just because you have decided to take on a healthier life style it does not mean that you have to give up on all the foods that you have previously eaten, you just need to learn to make better choices and try to eat more organic and organic foods instead. Even if you find that you are not overweight a diet that also consists some integrated foods will be healthier for you in the long term. So make your list and stay well away from the biscuits and sweet aisles. The first thing you really need to do if you are serious about having a more healthy diet and lifestyle is to clear your kitchen cupboards and fridge/freezer of all those fatty foods that are lurking there. Items that you should no longer have in your cupboards or fridge/freezer are chips and microwavable foods. Once you have rid yourself of all that old junk food and made room for the healthier options, you now need to replenish your cupboards with the healthy options. At the shop buy fruit, vegetables and nuts, which you will be able to use to make fresh appetizers and snacks from.

You may even consider purchasing some dried fruits (bananas, apricots, peaches etc.,) as they are good for snacking on, but remember to keep away from those that have added sugars. If you are able to invest a good quality food process and juicer or just a juicer on its own for making natural juices and smoothies (yoghurt and fruit juices combined) and for helping to chop up all those fresh fruit and vegetables that you are now going to eat. Ensure that you have plenty of space in your fridge for keeping all those healthy vegetables and fruit fresh when you bring them home. A perfectly healthy appetizer for either in the evenings or at dinner parties for guests to snack on is slices of carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber and olives placed on the table with a small container of low or fat free ranch dressing in to which the vegetables can be dipped. However, if you are the kind of person who really must have some sort of meat in their diet, then try having fish or fresh tuna (which can be cooked (seared) quickly) and provide with it some soy sauce for dipping into. If you really do want to stay as fat free as possible and live a more healthy life style then eat as many healthful foods as you can.

Health Benefits of Organic Food

Scientific researches show that eating a varied diet of healthful foods like vegetables, fruits and various types of nuts can help to eliminate the risks of cancers; also, using essential honey rather than sugar or sweeteners will also help reduce diseases like diabetes. Honey is worldwide known for its many uses and qualities and contains been used because the earliest times for colds, sore throats which is even now used in fighting the most popular flu.

How can you consume a raw foods diet nowadays with the temptations around you? This was probably the most frequent one which occurred to those who have heard about living-eaters. And the response to this question was probably “with difficulty”. Everywhere, the countless fast-food places, with bright lights and tempting smells, can often be very difficult to avoid noticing, but a powerful will power can help you fight this battle. Even if you’re not consuming integrated foods at this time, you can start with small steps, like using honey rather than sugar with your tea or coffee, after which go even further and quit coffee all together and all sorts of other foods which are harmful for your body and mind.         

Organic Foods are Best

When considering food nutrition, organic may cost a bit more, but it is the wise choice. People feel best when they include good clean food in their diet. Take the time to investigate this for yourself and you will see that organic is the way to go.

Combat Summer with delectable recipes from India Food Network

Mumbai, May 2013 – India Food Network for all its food lovers brings some summer special recipes this May. Beat the Heat with Basil Punch, Chilled Cucumber and Mint soup, Falafel Salad and much more.

Its that time of the year when eating ice creams and sipping on coolers is a must. Summers are here and you can feel it every waking minute with the scorching sun leaving its after effects. India Food Network brings some interesting recipes which will keep your body temperature in check, weight in place and score a ten on ten on the yummy food meter.

During summers its important to eat food that will keep you hydrated and healthy. Light to digest, water-based vegetables are recommended for the summer. However, it doesn’t seem to excite the taste palettes. India Food Network chefs Asha Khatau an Indian author whose book, ‘Exciting Vegetarian Cuisines of the World’ won Honours at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2011 and Seema Gadh  who runs a popular show on the channel called IFN kaa Dhaba share some lip-smacking recipes for summer.

Celebrate good food and easy to make to make recipes with India Food Network .  Watch the channel on Youtube to learn some exciting recipes like Palak Raita, green pea and lettuce soup , Basil Punch, Chilled cucumber and mint soup and Falafel Salad, etc...

Recipe for Basil Punch By Seema Gadh from India Food Network

Ingredients:

§  2 glasses of cold water

§  5 tbsp of powdered sugar

§  A pinch of black salt

§  Basil leaves grounded into a paste with 1 tbsp of water

§  Juice of 2 lemons

§  Ice cubes

 Procedure:

§  In a jug transfer the basil paste

§  Add the lemon juice

§  Add black salt

§  Add 5 tbsp of sugar

§  Stir well

§  Add the ice cubes

§  Add 2 glasses of water

§  Stir well

Recipe for Chilled Cucumber and Mint Soup By Asha Khatau from India Food Network

Ingredients:

§  450g cucumber, peeled, sliced and salted

§  2 cups thick yoghurt

§  2 cups cold water

§  2 tbsp lemon juice

§  1/2 cup vegetable stock

§  6-7 cloves garlic

§  2 tbsp fresh mint leaves

§  Salt to taste

 Procedure:

§   Put the cucumbers in a liquidiser

§  Add the yoghurt

§  Ice cold water

§  Lemon juice

§  Vegetable stock

§  Garlic

§  The mint leaves

§  And finally salt to taste

§  Churn together till well blended

§  Tip - This drink/ soup is best enjoyed on a hot summer day

§  Your Chilled cucumber & mint soup is ready to serve

Tip - Discard the water remaining in the cucumber bowl to avoid a bitter taste

 Recipe for Falafel Salad By Asha Khatau from India Food Network

Ingredients:

§  4-5 cups of mixed salad greens, torn with hand and soaked in ice cold water (you can either use iceberg lettuce, romain lettuce, lollo rosso or a mixture of all),

§  ½ cup green olives, sliced

§  ½ tomatoes, deseeded and cut into cubes

§  1 green cucumber, sliced and halved

§  ¼ cup spring onions, sliced

§  6-8 falafel bullets (green gram soaked overnight have been pasted and made into bullets)

§  7-8 mint leaves, torn roughly with hands

§  ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled

§  1 tsp sumac

§  For dressing:

§  ½ cup thick yogurt

§  2 tbsp lemon juice

§  ¼ cup ice cold water

§  2 tbsp virgin olive oil

§  2 tbsp tahini paste

§  Salt and pepper to taste

§  Mild paprika for garnish

Procedure:

§  Start by putting all the salad ingredients in a bowl

§  Put the lettuce leaves first

§  Scatter the sliced olives over the lettuce leaves

§  Add tomatoes

§  Add cucumber

§  Add spring onions

§  Add mint leaves

§  Add feta cheese

§  If the feta cheese appears somewhat gooey, cut it with the edge of a knife

§  Add 1 tsp sumac

§  Sumac  adds a nice tangy flavour to the salad

§  Place the falafel bullets last

§  You can either use whole falafel bullets or cut them into two as per your convenience

§  Keep the salad in the refrigerator and allow it to chill for a while

§  For dressing:

§  All the ingredients have to go into a blender

§  Start with the yogurt

§  Add 2 tbsp tahini paste

§  Add 2 tbsp lemon juice

§  Add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

§  Add salt and pepper as per taste

§  Add about ¼ cup of chilled water

§  Shut the lid of the blending jar and churn it in the liquidizer

§  Add dressing as per your requirements

About India Food Network:

India Food Network is India’s first full HD food network & a step by step guide to simple and delicious home cooking. From regional Indian cuisine to popular dishes from around the globe, the focus is on make cooking simple and accessible to all including beginners  IFN videos have loads of quick tips and easy tricks & the recipes are shot and produced in natural home environments. So you too can cook the perfect dish right at home.

Ping Digital Broadcast is a Mumbai-headquartered, start-up broadcast network for digital audiences, building content across knowledge, utility and talent genres. India Food Network  is a part of Ping Digital, a YouTube Partner