A simple hi protein, good fats recipe, useful on my no grain diet plan. Very popular as a snack, I find its quite filling and can be a meal in itself - plus is spicy, savoury and warm - so is a yummy dinner alternative.
Serves:2
Ingredients:
1) 1 cup of kala chana ( small dark chickpeas). If these are not available consider using- garbanzo, pinto, red, kidney, peas as per your preference
2) 1 tbspn of ghee
3) 1 tspn of cumin seeds
4) 1 whole red chilli
5) 2 or 3 curry leaves ( i left these out in my prep this time, cos i didn't have any)
6) salt and peer as per your taste
7) 2 tbspn of coconut flakes (I use dry flakes but frozen or fresh grated coconut flesh is much better)
Method:
1) If using dry beans soak in double the water one day ahead of preparation
2) Strain and cook beans for 15 minutes in an open pan. ( for faster cooking use a pressure cooker)
3) In a pan heat 1 tbspn of ghee
4) Once the ghee is hot add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
5) Then add red chilli and curry leaves
5) Now add the boiled and strained kala chana/ beans and saute.
6) Add salt, pepper, and coconut flakes.
7) Stir and leave covered for 2 minutes.
Sundal is ready to eat. You can also freeze this and easily take along for a healthy office snack/ picnic lunch anytime.
Another 10 minute recipe - this time featuring Tofu, Edamame and Peanut butter for protein. I love Asian food, but find it very challenging to find vegetarian options. So here is what I came up with - helps me stick to a low carb diet, with plenty of vegetables - and I hope its helps you too. Also since it mostly using ingredients from my fridge - tofu, frozen vegetables - its easy to do towards the end of the week when I am running out of fresh vegetables:)
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1) half a packet of frozen Asian stir fry veggies ( I use Safeway)
2) half a packet of extra firm tofu ( I use O organics )
3) a third of a packet of frozen edamame beans (I use Safeway)
4)1 medium onion
5)1 medium bell pepper
6) 2 tbsp olive oil
7) 1 tbsp peanut butter
8) 1 tbsp soy sauce
9) half a cup of crushed peanuts and half a tsp pepper flakes for garnish
Method
1) Cube up the tofu and brown on all sides in a hot pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil, and set aside on a paper towel to drain
2) Hat some olive oil in a wok
3) Add in finely sliced onion and bell pepper. Saute for 2 minutes till they start to brown
4) Now add in frozen vegetables and edamame
5) Add half a cup of water, cover and cook for 5 minutes
6) Add in soy sauce, peanut butter and browned tofu and stir in.
7) Garnish with crushed peanuts and pepper flakes. ( I like mine with sriracha!)
Eat immediately!
With tofu, edamame and peanut butter this is a high protein recipe, but all the vegetables also provide fiber and crunch that help keep munchies at bay.
We love tacos, but we are trying to eat healthier as well as eat out less. We save eating out for special occasions - trying to set a good example for the 5 y.o.!
We haven't reached the stage of making our own tortillas yet, and I doubt we will for quite some time. We do want to eat healthy, but not to the point where we make everything ourselves and have very little time for other activities. To that end, I have been searching for a healthier tortilla - most tortillas tend to be loaded with carbs and high calorie (150+ calories each). So far, the La Tortilla Factory is the only low carb tortilla I've found in the shops (Safeway to be precise), and it doesn't taste too bad either.
The recipe itself is really simple, takes about 10 minutes.
Serves:3
Ingredients:
1. Tortillas
2. Tomatoes
3. Onions
4. Green bell pepper
6. Grated cheese
7. Can of beans (we use Amy's vegetarian chilli)
8. Your choice of salsa
9. Avocados
10. Lettuce/ salad leaves for crunch
Method:
1. For the fajitas, cut up the onions and bell pepper into thin long strips, stir fry and keep aside.
2. Cut tomatoes, avocados into thin strips as well.
3. Heat up the can of chilli and let it simmer as you heat up the tortillas.
4. Assemble everything on the tortilla - beans first, followed by the fajitas, then tomatoes, avocados, salsa and cheese. We also like to self assemble the Tacos at the table, makes for a much more interactive meal.
5. Fold and eat!
We all love these tacos, and our 5 y.o. gets quite excited about taco night. And since my wife is currently on a no-carb diet, her taco looks like this:
Happy eating! If you happen to read this and try it out, let me know :)
