Couscous Veggie Salad#Improv

 

This salad with couscous & veggies is just about perfect, it's an easy vegetarian and vegan couscous salad recipe bursting with flavors and a light balsamic dressing. It's perfect as a side dish to accompany anything you're putting on the grill, or, it makes a nice and light healthy vegetarian lunch.

Ingredients

1 Cup Couscous
1 Cup Hot Vegetable Stock Or Chicken Stock
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
¼ Cup Corn
¼ Cup Chopped Carrots
¼ Cup Chopped Onions
¼ Cup Sliced Olives
¼ Cup Chopped Bell Peppers / Capsicum
2 Medium Cucumbers - chopped
2 Medium Tomatoes - chopped
Salt & Red Pepper Flakes & Black Pepper Powder - to taste
For The Balsamic Dressing
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
2 Cloves Garlic - grated
2 Tablespoons Chopped Coriander leaves or Mint leaves
1-2 Teaspoons Sugar

Method 
Place the couscous in a bowl & pour the hot stock over it & stir with a fork. Cover the bowl & leave it for 4-5 minutes or until it absorbs all the stock.
Meanwhile, put all the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl & mix well. Keep aside.

Heat a olive oil in a pan sauté the onions for a minute or until just translucent. Add in the carrot, capsicum, corn and sauté or a minute or two. Switch off the flame, add salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper powder to taste, mix well. When cooled add in the sliced olives, cucumber, tomatoes and lightly mix it add in the half of the dressing. Mix well, cover and keep aside.
Fluff up the couscous with the fork. & pour the remaining dressing over it, mix well with the fork add in the veggies mix and give it a good toss.

Take your serving plate & tip the couscous on to it. Garnish it with mint leaves. Serve and enjoy. For serving, you can either serve warm or cold.

Labels: Couscous, Corn, Capsicum, Olives, Balsamic Vinegar, Cucumber, Salad, Improv Cooking Challenge, Middle Eastern

For Improv Cooking Challenge this month our theme is Summer Salads

Corn and Black Bean Salad from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Couscous Salad with Gouda & Fresh Cherries From Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Couscous Veggie Salad From Sneha's Recipe
Grilled Nectarine and Feta Salad From Magical Ingredients

2 Ingredients Bagels#BreadBakers

These homemade bagels are just 2 ingredients which are plain thick yogurt/Greek yogurt and self-rising flour! The recipe doesn’t require any yeast or proofing. You can have fresh chewy and soft bagels in less than an hour.

These bagels have a thicker chewy skin and an airy and chewy interior. They do have a slight tangy taste from the yogurt. It makes them taste almost like sourdough bagels. These bagels don’t expand to be quite as large as traditional flour yeasted bagels but they are a great personal size. You can top with whatever toppings you like. I actually love my bagels plain but made a quick everything bagel seasoning and topped them with it and then baked them.

Served these warm homemade quick bagels with some Nutella and they vanished in a jiffy.

1 Cup Measurement =250Ml
Makes 5 Bagels
Ingredients
1 Cup Thick Yogurt / Greek yogurt
1½ Cup Self-Rising Flour
For The Toppings
Everything Bagel Seasoning
1 Egg yolk - whisked

Method
Preheat oven to 175°C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl, add yogurt and flour. When measuring out the yogurt, make sure that you strain out any extra liquid. Any extra liquid sitting in your yogurt will cause the dough to be too wet.
Using a large spoon or spatula, mix together flour and yogurt until it begins to form a crumbly dough. Use your hands to push the dough together into one ball. The dough will be very sticky. Take this dough into a lightly floured surface and knead till it forms a smooth dough.

Oil your hand a little and cut into 5 equal parts.
Dust the work surface with flour. Roll them into round ball. Flatten it lightly and poke a finger into it and roll it in floured surface to make a nice big hole.
Place them in a lined tray and brush them with egg ( I had an egg white used that to brush but didn't then rich brown color had I to use an egg yolk only), sprinkle bagel seasoning.

Bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden. 

Let bagels cool a few minutes before slicing and making a sandwich with the filling of your choice. 

Served them with Nutella. These are perfect quick breakfast or an snack. 
Labels: Bagels, Bread Bakers, Quick Bread, Breads

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

                                       

This month's Bread Baker's theme is Bagels. 

• 2 Ingredients Bagels from Sneha’s Recipe
• Cardamom Scented Sweet Potato Sourdough Bagels from A Messy Kitchen
• Savory Sun-Dried Tomato and Cheese Bagels from Cook with Renu
• Sourdough Blueberry Bagels from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Sourdough lemon blueberry Bagels from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Tomato Bagels from Magical Ingredients  

Poulet Fafa#EatTheWorld

Poulet Fafa is a French Polynesian chicken dish, which is an incredibly easy and delicious recipe. This dish gets it name Fafa, since fafa is taro leaves which is also called “Polynesian spinach”. This also makes a perfect low carb/keto dish.

Taro is rich in minerals, iron and calcium. Since taro/fafa leaves have an irritating effect on the throat, these must be cook for a long time in salted water to avoid a slight irritation on the tongue/throat after eating them ( in India we use tamarind to remove this irritation on the throat /tongue from the leaves). I added tamarind juice, salt to the water, then cooked the leaves, drained the water and then used the leaves in the dish.  

If taro leaves are difficult to find, then you can use spinach as a substitute. If you are using fresh spinach leaves then no need to boil them in tamarind & salt water. You can use this directly while making the dish. If using frozen spinach, thaw first, then squeeze dry before adding to the chicken. It is very easy dish to make

Serves 3
Ingredients
300 Grams Taro leaves (Fafa) or Spinach
1 Tablespoon Heaped Tamarind paste
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
600 Grams Boneless Chicken Thighs
1 Medium Onion - finely chopped
2 Cloves Garlic - minced
1 Small Piece Ginger - minced
½ Cup Chicken Stock or Water - I used Chicken Stock
Salt & Black pepper powder to taste
1 - 2 Teaspoons Cornstarch or Arrowroot powder
1/3 Cup Coconut Cream **see notes

Method 

If using taro leaves, bring a large pot of water with the tamarind paste & ½ teaspoon salt to a boil. Add the taro leaves, reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and place them in ice cold water to stop the cooking process . Then squeeze them dry.
Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large pot.
Brown the chicken on all sides in the hot oil and remove to a plate. 

Sauté the onion, garlic and ginger in the remaining oil until the onion is translucent.
Add back the chicken pieces and the chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes. Add the taro leaves or spinach and simmer for another 15 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
Stir the arrowroot powder into 2 or 3 tablespoons of cold water and then stir the slurry into the simmering sauce to thicken it lightly.

Stir in coconut cream to finish and serve over rice. I enjoyed this with cauliflower rice.

My Notes
Coconut cream is the thick coconut milk that rises to the top of a can of coconut milk. Avoid shaking the can before you open it and you can skim it right off the top.
I used coconut cream powder, mixed 1½ tablespoons coconut cream powder in 1/3 warm water.

Labels: Chicken, Main course, French Polynesian, Eat The world, International Cuisine, Low Carb, Keto

                    

Each month Evelyne of CulturEatz invites us to visit a country and explore their foods. This month it's French Polynesian.

Check out all the wonderful French Polynesian dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Find out how to join Eat the World here and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us! 

 A Day in the Life on the Farm: Poisson Cru 

Culinary Cam: Dreaming of the Tropics with Chevrettes à la Vanille et Coco, Poisson Crû, and More Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Vanilla Bean Lemonade 

Sneha’s Recipe: Poulet Fafa

Palada Payasam#SundayFunday

Payasam prepared with palada (rice ada) is common gluten free sweet delicacy prepared in almost all Kerala households during festival of Onam and many other occasions. There are many variations of  this is gluten free desserts which uses only basic ingredients like rice ada ( Ada made of raw rice), milk, sugar to make best palada payasam. 

I used store bought rice ada from the Kerala store. Try this and you will love it, this rice ada you will find it online too.

Ingredients
3 Tablespoons Palada/Rice Ada
2 Tablespoons Chopped Almond
1 Tablespoon Raisins
1 Liter Full Cream Milk
1/4 Cup Heaped Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cardamom Powder
1 Tablespoon Rose petals
A Big Pinch Kesar

Method 

Heat the milk add the palada and cook till the milk reduces and palada cooks and thickens. Then add sugar and rest of the ingredients. Cook till sugar melts. Stirring continuously. Take off flame.  

Serve warm with garnish of nut and rose petals.

Labels: Desserts, Kerala, Kheer, Gluten Free, Navratri, Vrat, Rice, Milk, Sunday Funday, Payasam

Sunday Funday

Gluten Free Desserts

• Motichoor Rabri Parfait by Cook with Renu
• Gluten-Free Matcha Chocolate Pie by Culinary Cam
• Palada Payasam by Sneha's Recipe
• Snickers Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Raspberry Mousse by Mayuri's Jikoni
• 3 Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cookies by Amy's Cooking Adventures   

Keto Mini Blueberry Coconut Flour Pancakes#Foodieextravaganza

These breakfast or dinner style Keto Pancakes aren’t thin and eggy, and neither do they fall apart and taste delicious. I love my pancakes with a drizzle of maple syrup! Have this with my delicious Bullet Coffee and you're full.

I have used ¼ cup almond milk to make the batter. The almond milk used to make batter will vary in the size of eggs, so add milk little at a time to than nice semi thick batter. If your batter is too thin then the cooking time may vary. If you want these more sweet then increase the stevia powder, for me they were just right in sweetness.
The macros for these pancakes are fantastic.

Serving Size: 4 Pancakes - Net Carbs 6Grams
Makes 16 Mini pancakes
Cup Measurement - 250Ml
Ingredients
50 grams Butter - melted
1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
6 Large Eggs
¼ Cup Almond Milk -coconut, macadamia or any will all work)
½ Cup Coconut Flour
¼ Cup Golden Flaxseed powder
¼ Teaspoon Pink Himalayan Salt
¼ Teaspoon Stevia
1 Teaspoon Baking powder 
½ Cup Fresh Blueberries

Method

Combine the butter, vanilla extract, stevia, eggs and nut milk into a medium bowl and combine using a whisk until the thoroughly mixed.
In a another large bowl combine the coconut flour, flax seed meal, salt and baking powder well.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and whisk together until you have a uniform batter. Set aside for a couple minutes to allow it to thicken.

Preheat a large skillet to medium low heat and grease using a spray, ghee or coconut oil. I used my mini pancake/uttappam pan. 

If you use a normal skillet they tend to spread. When the skillet is heated, using a ¼ measuring cup add the batter to the skillet. Place 3 -4 blueberries on top. 

Cook on medium low heat on first side for 3-4 minutes and then flip and cook till this is golden for about a minute.

Work in batches until all the batter has been used.

Serve immediately with desired toppings, such as sugar free syrup or pure maple syrup and additional blueberries.
Best stored in a zip top bag or air tight container in the fridge up to 1 week.

Labels: Foodie Extravaganza Party, Keto, Pancakes, Blueberry, Breakfast, Low Carb, International Cuisine, Healthy

• Blueberry Lemon Turnovers from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Fresh Blueberry Syrup from Food Lust People Love
• Grilled Pork Chops with Herbed Blueberry Sauce from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Grilled Peach and Blueberry Salad from Palatable Pastime
• Keto Mini Blueberry Coconut Flour Pancake from Sneha's Recipe
• Oatmeal Spice Cake Mix Cookies with Blueberries from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice