The salad recipe I will be sharing here will be using baby corn, peanuts and chickpeas as its main ingredients.  Also, by adding some vegetables and fruits it will be a complete meal.

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Servings: 2-3

Kitchen instrument: None

Difficulty level: 2/10

Ingredient:

-         1/2 cup chick peas dry

-         3/4 cup peanuts

-         1 cup corn kernels

-         1 cup baby corn (canned or fresh)

-         1/2 cup sliced olives

-         1.5 tsp Italian seasoning

-         1/2 lemon

-         1/2 cup parmesan

-         1 tsp red chili flakes

-         1 tsp green chilli paste

-         Salt per taste

-         2 kiwi cut in desired shape

-         1 cup red bell pepper cut into cubes

Preparation:

1.      Soak chick peas for 8-10 hours.

2.      In a pressure cooker, cook chick peas, corn kernels and peanuts until tender.

3.      If you are using fresh baby corn, cook them in boiling water until tender.

4.       If you are using canned baby corn, you can just use them out of the can cut into desired shapes.

5.      Now add boiled chickpeas, corn, aby corn, peanuts in a large salad bowl.

6.      Add bellpepper and kiwi.

7.      Add salt, seasoning, chilli paste, chilli flakes and squeeze lemon.

8.      Toss and mix well.

9.      Serve with sprinkling generous amount of parmesan.

Tips:

You can add walnuts and fruit of your choice. Also cheese is completely optional.

When you salad is full of protein, fruits and vegetables, what more can you ask in hot summer days. Sprouted beans and falsa fruit will be key ingredient in making this salad. Please note that no dressing will be required since falsa will do the trick. It’s very quick and filling.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Kitchen instrument: Blender

Difficulty level: 2/10

Ingredient:

-          300 gms sprouted beans

-          1/2 green bell pepper

-          1/2 red bell pepper

-          1/2 yellow bell pepper

-          100 gms falsa fruit

-          4 -5 green chillies

-          Salt per taste

-          1 tsp lemon juice

-          Italian seasoning

-          3 cucumbers

Preparation:

1.       Boil water with some salt and add sprouted beans and boil for 3 minutes.

2.       Drain and let it cool down.

3.       Blend falsa in blender to make paste.

4.       Cut all 3 bell pepper in small cubes.

5.       Chop green chillies.

6.       In a large mixing bowl, add boiled beans, bell pepper, green chillies and falsa paste.

7.       Add salt and seasoning and mix well.

8.       Cut cucumber from middle and scoop out the seeds.

9.       Make it hollow and ready for filling.

10.    Fill in the prepared salad and refrigerate it to serve it cold.

11.   You can also serve the salad in a plate with home-made chips as garnish.

12.   I serve the Salad cold so refrigerate it for 30-40 minutes and serve it with wheat tortilla chips.

Tips:

-          You can add as many as fruits as you want. Mongo goes very well. You can serve it cold or room temperature.

It is time to share one more summer cooler salad recipe. One more cold salad but little filling. Avocado and Mangoes are a good combination and when they are added to pasta with creamy dressing, they make great lunch.

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

Kitchen instrument: Stove

Difficulty level: 3/10

Ingredient:

-          1.5 cup bow tie pasta or pasta of your choice

-          1 large ripe Avocado

-          2 ripe mangoes

-          2 cups milk

-          1/2 cup cheese shred

-          2 tsp corn flour

-          salt per taste

-          2 tsp Red chilli flakes

-          3 tsp sugar (optional)

-          Parsley for garnish

Preparation:

1.       Boil water and add salt and 1tsp oil.

2.       Add pasta and cook well until soft.

3.       Drain and let it cool down completely.

4.       Cut Avocado into cubes.

5.       Cut mangoes into cubes.

6.       Mix Milk, corn flour and milk. Mix well to dissolve corn flour completely.

7.       Boil the mixture for 8 minutes.

8.       Add cheese shreds and turn off the heat.

9.       Add Chilli flakes and your dressing is ready.

10.   Let it cool completely.

11.   Now in a big mixing bowl, add pasta, avocado and mangoes.

12.   Add dressing and mix well.

13.   Refrigerate for couple hours and serve it cold with using parsley to garnish.

Tips:

-          You can use fruits per your choice. Also you can add some cheese cubes as well as cherry tomatoes. Adding sugar to your dressing is optional. Instead of making dressing you can just use Ranch or store bough dressing of our choice.

Salad made out of the fruits is the best summer treat you can ever have for lunch. When we have combination of water melon, sweet melon, mangoes and mint, the experience is just heavenly. WE can do it Indian style by just adding a little kick to it. Green chilies of course.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Servings: 3-4

Kitchen instrument: Knife

Difficulty level: 1/10

Ingredient:

-          1/2 small  watermelon

-          1 small cantaloupe

-          2 mangoes

-          1 orange

-          1/2 cup finely cut cilantro

-          1/2 cup finely cut mint

-          1 tsp finely chopped green chili

-          Salt per taste

-          1 tsp lemon juice

-          2 -3 spoon orange juice

-          Cheese shreds to garnish

Preparation:

1.       Cut all the fruits in shapes of your choice.

2.       In a mixing bowl, add mint, cilantro, salt, lemon juice, orange juice and chilies.

3.       Mix it well to make the dressing.

4.       Now toss in fruits and mix well.

5.       Put it in refrigerator for few hours to get the favour and seasoning set into the fruits.

6.       Serve it cold into salad plate.

7.       Shred some cheese on top for garnishment.

Tips:

-          Even though you can choose your own fruit, melon goes great with mangoes or oranges. Use of lemon and cheese is optional. You can use apple cider vinegar instead. Also, feta cheese goes very well with this one.

If your routine is having salad for lunch or dinner, Falafel salad is a great option. The thing about Mediterranean salad is that they are very healthy and filling at the same time.  Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food, commonly served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa; "falafel" also frequently refers to a wrapped sandwich that is prepared in this way. However, we are going to omit Pita bread altogether and serve it as salad. Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

Salad:

-          1 lettuce loosely cut with hands

-          1 cucumber cut in slices

-          2 tomatoes cut in slices

-          3 tsp olive oil

-          1 tsp lemon

-          2 tsp pickled jalapeno

-          1/2 tsp pepper

-          1/2 tsp salt

Falafel:

-          2 cups dry chickpeas

-          1/4 cup parsley finely chopped

-          1/2 cup cilantro  finely chopped

-          5 cloves garlic (optional)

-          1/2 cup onion chopped (Optional)

-          1 tsp salt

-          2 tsp chickpea flour

-          6-7 green chilli

Cilantro Yogurt Dressing:

-          1 cup cilantro

-          1 cup plain yogurt

-          pinch of salt

-          3 green chilli

Preparation:

1.       Soak Chickpea for minimum 10 hours or overnight.

2.       In high-speed food processer add drained and soaked chickpeas, garlic, onion, green chillies and salt.

3.       Process on high speed to make paste.

4.       Now take into a mixing bowl and add parsley and cilantro and mix well.

5.       If you want to use frying option, heat oil in a pan and form small balls to fry them up until golden brown.

6.       However, I will use baked option here. Heat oven to 375 Degree F

7.       You can use the cookie tray and form patties to bake. You can also use cupcake tray.

8.       I will use Appam tray to bake them until both sides are golden brown.

9.       You can lightly grease tray before pouring the paste in individual cups.

10.   Bake both sides on low heat until golden brown.

11.   In a Bowl, add all the salad ingredients and let marinate in refrigerator for couple hours.

12.   For cilantro dressing, add all the ingredients in the blender and blend it to make dressing.

13.   Serve salad in a large bowl with falafel patties and cilantro dressing.

Tips:

-          If while frying the paste doesn’t stick in a ball, you can add more flour to it. This will bind the paste together.

What is your New Year resolution? Lose 10 pounds/kilos by xx/xx/xxxx? Weight loss or being fit is always #1 New Year resolution. In 2016 we can make joint efforts to reach your goal. I will give you a jump start with this excellent and quick salad recipe. Spinach is favourites of salad recipe and we will continue to include it.

Ingredients:

-          200 gms baby spinach leaves

-          1 cup cherry tomatoes

-          1 cup purple cabbage long shreds

-          1/4 cup walnuts

-          2 tsp apple cider vinegar

-          1 tsp sugar or sweetener

-          1 navel orange

-          2 tsp peanut butter

-          2 tsp apple cider vinegar

-          1/2 tsp chilli sauce or chilli flakes (optional for extra kick)

Preparation:

-          Wash spinach leaves and tomatoes and place them in drainer for all water to drain out.

-           In a salad mixing bowl add spinach and tomatoes.

-          Add Cabbage shreds.

-          In a small mixing bowl, add vinegar, peanut butter and chilli sauce and mix well.

-          Your dressing is ready.

-          Peel orange and cut thin slices.

-          Add them to the mixing bowl.

-          Now pour the dressing and with a mixing tong mix it well.

-          Take out in the serving plate and sprinkle walnuts on top.

Tips:

-          You can add some sundried tomatoes and sunflower seeds to the salad.

-          Also you can always toss some crumbled feta cheese on the top.

-          You can turn this salad into a lunch by simply use it as filling to a wrap. Just use any tortilla (roti/paratha) and add the salad as a filling. I normally use Spinach tortilla to make tortilla wrap. Add a side of baked pita chips and your lunch is ready.