Veggie Lover's Guide to Quick and Easy Meals

We can go on about the goodness of orange vegetables and the beans both in nutritional and calorie fighting value, but here is also an easy and delicious side dish.

Ingredients:
1. One large or two small acorn squash, microwaved in a bowl of water, for about 10 minutes or until soft
2. 1 can of butter beans
3. pinch of nutmeg
4. bacon strips cut in 1/4 inch pieces (optional)
5. 1/4 spoon minced garlic

Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds and scrape out the pulp.  Lay out 4 or 5 bacon chopped strips on a hot pan, if you are not using bacon, you many use olive oil

Add garlic, let it sweat, then add squash

Stir fry on high heat, then add a pinch of nutmeg, stir fry some more

Add the can of beans

This delicious side dish can be served on a bed of rice or pasta, simply by itself or with meat fish or poultry.

Beans are a great source of natural plant protein.  It satiates your hunger effectively, yet provides necessary fibre.  Just back from a trip to sunny Poerto Rico inspired me to write about their bean recipe.  Upon seeing our appreciation of the native cuisine, an enthused waiter led me in on their little secret bean recipe. 

Ingredients:

1. Large can of pink kidney beans (this variety is a bit smaller in size than the red ones, although the red ones will do just as well)
2. 1 stalk of celery
3. 1/2 cup of chopped up cilantro, stalk and all
4. salt to taste
5. 1 clove of crushed garlic
6. 1 large tomato chopped up

Heat a tbsp of cooking oil in a pan, let finely chopped celery wilt in the hot oil

Add garlic and cilantro and tomato and salt

Add the can of beans with liquid, add a cup of water and bring to a boil

Serve with steamed rice

 Fresh green beans make a great complement to any meat or fish dish.  Bean almondine, (broiled with butter and toasted almonds), steamed with garlic and olive oil are some popular methods.  This one is a bit diffent and a touch wholesome perhaps, in that it can be served on a bed of rice and be considered a full meal. 

Ingredients:

1. 4 medium sized potatoes
2. 4 small tomatoes
3. 1/4 teaspoon of black onion seed (kalonji), available in gourmet stores or any Indian grocery stores
4. 1/2 an onion, chopped
5. 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic
6. 1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder for heat (optional)
7. 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder (optional)
8. 1teaspoon of ginger
9. 2 lbs of green beans

Microwave pelled potatoes cut lengthwise with a bit of water and salt for about 20 minutes approx. depending on the power of the oven

Carmelize a tbsp of sugar in hot oil and let the black onion seeds sputter, add the ginger then the chopped onions, that you fry until transparent or slightly browned

Squeeze boiled and cooled potato by hand and add to the pot, brown

Add chilli and termeric if you wish and add 1, 1/2 cups of water

Add green beans cut in, inch long pieces

Simmer, covered until bean is just about tender, but still retains the bright green

Add chopped tomatoes, adjust salt.  Cover and remove from heat

Serve with crackers or toast, tortillas or rice

I often invite my friends, who are like to cook or eat, contribute.  Here's one from Puneet in Mumbai.  Potatoes are easy to store and quite versatile, high in potassium and combines well with other vegetables. The starch stigma it carries is silly if you ask me, as controlling portions is entirely your prerogative.

Ingredients:

1. 2 large potatoes (I like the yukon golden, or russet the best, but any variety should work)

2. Cumin seeds

3. Ginger

4. 2 cups of grated carrots

Peel potatoes and cut into 4 halves lengthwise, add 1/2 cup of water, sprinkle with salt and microwave for 10 minutes, or until you can drive a fork through it easily. Check from time to time, as you do not want to overcook the potato. Let cool and dice them.

Heat oil in a pan, carmelize 1 tbsp of sugar and let 1/4 teaspoon of whole cumin seeds sputter in the hot oil.

Add ginger

Add potatoes, stir fry in high heat till they are au gratin, or slightly browned

Add finely grated carrots, taste for salt, remove from heat and cover immediately.

Serve with whole wheat bread.

 High fibre is the new mantra of good nutrition.  Steamed veggies are boring!  Stir fry this snappy veggie dish in minutes and enjoy the amazing wholesomeness and burst of flavor!

Ingredients:
1. 2 large fresh summer squash, green or yellow, diced into small cubes
2. 1 can of kidney beans
3. small container of ricotta cheese, drained of much of its water content, or 1/2 a block of paneer (available in most Indian stores) diced and browned in a bit of butter.
4. 1/4 teaspoon of whole cumin seeds
5. 2 whole dried red chillies
6. Salt to taste

In a hot pan add 2 tbsp of cooking oil, carmelize one tbsp of sugar, cumin seeds sputter, then add the whole red chillis

Add diced squash in hot oil and sprinkle salt on it, let it brown a bit

Now add can of kidney beans with all the liquid, stir

Add the browned paneer or drained ricotta cheese

Incorporate the ingredients, and adjust salt.  This dish will have a fair amount of gravy.

Serve over steamed rice or with tortillas.

A well stocked pantry might be an investment on time initially, but it offers many a home made delicacy that is easy on your wallet and your waistline!

Ingredients:

1. One can of concentrated mushroom soup
2. Short cut pasta

Bring a can of soup and water to a boil and throw in a handful of pasta into it, simmer till pasta softens.  Enjoy!

Let's face it, dinner alone is not something we ever think about, we simply deal with it. But dinner alone can be quite special. For something quick and simple, healthy and delicious, we need to do just a bit of planning. Stock your pantry well:

1. Cans of your favorite beans, some of mine are garbanzo or chick peas, red kidney beans and butter beans.

2. Frozen veggies, according to studies have just about as much nutrition as vegetables that are 3 days old out of the garden. They are useful to have and quick to make.

3. Minced garlic and seasonings and hard cheeses

4. Keep a bit of your favorite bread, frozen. Yes frozen. Bread freezes wonderfully right out of the store and allows you to chop off portions that you can then toast and use.

Spinach with Butter Beans

In a bowl mix chopped spinach, olive oil, garlic, and one can of butter beans with the liquid

Microwave for 3-5 minutes, or until spinach is smooth and cooked but still retains its color

Top with a bit of freshly ground parmasean cheese

Voila! Turn on your favorite music and enjoy your quick and healthy home made meal with a bit of crusty bread.

Dal or lentil is a very versatile food as it can be cooked in many ways. What is interesting about this group of food is that it is a rich source of plant protein and a good filler, hence aids weigh loss. Masoor is a small grained dal or lentil available in all Indian grocery stores.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup of masoor daal
2. 2 and 1/2 cups of water
3. salt to taste
4. 1 teaspoon of coriander powder (optional)
5. 1 small onion
6. 1 tomato
7. cilantro (optional)
8. butter, or purified butter (ghee)
9. Fresh ginger

Boil dal with salt and 2 large slices of ginger which can be removed after the cooking process.  Cook until each individual grain loses shape. Stir with a wooden ladle

Brown onions in ghee or butter in another pan, add to the daal along with chopped tomatoes and cilantro, cover dal to allow the flavors to infuse for 5 minutes.

May be served with rice with a side of cruchy fries.

 Including veggies in your diet does not have to be so blasé or challenging.  Veggies can be an entre just by themselves depending on how interesting they are.  Here's an easy okra dish that everybody loves!

Ingredient:

1. 2 packs of frozen whole okra
2. "pao bhaji masala", available in the packaged spice section in any Indian store, (optional).
3. salt to taste
4. 2 tbsp of sugar
5. chilli powder for heat
6. 1 teaspoon of garlic
7. cooking oil
8. squirt of ketchup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Put okra in a cookie sheet and toss with spices, except ketchup

Put in oven for 10 minutes, take out and stir, and put pack for another 10

Add 2 squirts of ketchup, stir, put back into the over for the final 10 mins.  Turn off oven and leave on the rack for a dry consistancy

Serve with flour tortillas 

 Perhaps because eggplant is conventionally a poorman's food, and India being primarily a country where many eat a vegetarian diet, some of the most savory and healthy eggplant recipes belong to the cuisine of this region.  However, no one really writes home about it as it is so commonplace. 

Test of a good common eggplant is that it should have a smooth and dark exterior.

Ingredients:

1. 2 large eggplants cut in 3 inch long stirps, about 1/2 inch in thickness.
2. 1 large tomato diced
3. 1 large onion diced
4. 1 teaspoon of "methi" seeds, (also known as fenugreek in health food stores as they are known to calm your nerves and make new mothers lactate)
5. 1 tbsp of sourcream (optional)
6. 1 teaspoon of termeric, chillipowder, corriander powder
7. Fresh cilantro (optional)

Heat oil in a wok, let a tbsp of sugar carmelize, let the methi seeds sputter, brown onions

Add cut eggplants and salt generously, add termeric and chilli and corriander, cover and let wilt. Check for doneness, eggplants should be smooth as butter.

Add diced tomatoes and stir, tomatoes should really not cook much and should retain color

Remove from heat, stirr in a bit of sour cream and add fresh herb if you have any.

Serve with hot tortillas

Aloo Palak is a fairly common North Indian recipe, but here is a low
fat version of it.

Ingredients:

1. 1 bag of frozen spinach
2. 1 fresh tomato
3. 1 tbsp of coriander seeds, roughly crushed
4. 2 dried red chillis roughly crushed
5. 1 large potato boiled and peeled
6. 1 can of garbanzo beans
7. 1 large chopped onion
8. 1/2 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds (optional)
9. 1 tbsp of sugar
10. 1 tbsp of mayonaise (optional)

Heat oil in a pan, carmelize sugar (make sure that it does not burn), let some fenugreek seeds sputter in the hot oil, so that the flavor infuses into the oil

Add chopped onion into the pan and wait till transparent

Roughly squish boiled potato in the palm of your hand and add to the pan and let brown

Add, crushed coriander seeds and red chillis into the pan along with the drained can of garbanzo beans

Add spinach and salt to taste, give it a good stir, cover and cook over medium heat

Taste spinach to see if it wilts in the mouth for doneness, add chopped tomato and adjust salt

Add 1/2 a cup of water, bring to a boil

Remove from heat and stir in the mayonaise

Serve with rice, whole wheat tortillas or toasted Challa bread

Eggplants are a part of most cuisine around the world as this is one vegetable that grows on a wide range of soil types.  Simplicity is close to Godliness, yet again in this easy eggplant dish.  The only trick is to be able to pick a good eggplant.  A good eggplant has a smooth dark shiny skin.  Other fancy eggplants may also be used, the only thing that matters is that the eggplant should be fairly young, and not seedy.

Ingredients:

1. Sliced eggplants into rounds

2. pour enough corn starch to cover the surface of a side plate.

3.  Mix in salt or steak rub

4. Coat eggplant by pressing into the corn starch and seasoning mix

5. Heat Olive oil on skillet, lay down eggplant slices

6. Lift with a tong to see the beginnings of browning, to turn each piece over

7. Cook open for a while, when both sides get color, check for doneness, by poking one, with a blunt edge.  If it is soft as butter, it is done and ready to eat!

Serve with toasted tortillas.