Crunchy Stir Fry

Once again I find myself on a weight loss / eat healthy trip. I am doing my best to work out 60 to 90 minutes a day and really don't want to be eating the wrong thing and undoing all my good work. Inspired by a friend (who is on a similar regime), I wanted to try out a warm stir fry kinda salad. Of course it was the weekend and I had no where to go, nothing to do and no one to do it with; so I turned it into an evening of fun with a Netflix binge, some lovely white wine and myself for company.

A post on social media had someone ask me for the recipe and since I still had a glass of wine in my hand & humour in my head - here is what I gave her. 

Pictures by ime ©

Ingredients

Garlic, thinly sliced

Mushrooms, cubed

Carrots, cut on the bias; blanched

Green beans, cut on the bias; blanched

Baby corn, cut on the bias; blanched

Spring onions, cut on the bias

Spinach leaves, cut to 1" squares

Olive oil

Salt, freshly ground lemon pepper

Some white wine (I used a lovely California White)

Method

Pour a glass of wine. Enjoy it. Pour another and get to the stove. 

Pictures by ime ©

Use the bare minimum olive oil you would need in a nonstick heavy bottom pan. Add the garlic and then turn on the heat to low. 

Once the garlic is cooking (be careful not to burn it), toss in the mushrooms and sauté. 

Increase the heat & add the beans, carrots and baby corn & lots of freshly ground lemon pepper and keep tossing so that it cooks but doesn't get soggy.

Refill your glass.

Add the spring onions and spinach and allow it to cook just enough for the leaves to slightly soften.

Add a dash of salt. Toss vigorously and remove off the heat immediately. 

EAT

Don’t forget to refill the glass again. 😊

Note

These are just the vegetables I happened to have on hand; you can add in paneer, bell peppers, broccoli, potatoes, you name it. The key is to cook with allowing the vegetables to go soft. 

If you don't have lemon pepper (In India Keya sells it); substitute with freshly ground black pepper and fresh lemon juice. Careful not to put too much and to stir it in fast so it doesn't cause sogginess. 

If you don't have a California White, any other nice white or blush will do 😊

Cheers & happy eating!

Mango & Mint Sangria

Mangoes and summer afternoons; a tale that goes back to the beginning of time (or so it seems)..

I love mangoes (don't we all) and every year I try and see what new I can do with them! Flashback to last Sunday (yes, I know its been just 3 days); my husband and I were expecting friends over to watch the cricket and we got talking about what to serve them. Its hot where I live, so it had to be something cool and fresh. A chilled white wine sangria fit the bill especially after I realised I had some ripe and sweet mangoes in the house. I tried the old trick of looking up a recipe on the internet but didn't find anything that made sense, so I decided it was time to concoct my own. It was a resounding success! I say this because we ran out and had to make more half way through the day. I hope you enjoy it..

Ingredients

Pictures by ime ©

2 bottles white wine (I used a Sauvignon blanc)
4 shots white rum (or vodka)
1 cup sugar
1 to 1 ½ cups mango juice (store bought)
1 cup mangoes (the ripest, mushiest parts)
3 cups mangoes, diced small (to serve)
Handful of fresh mint leaves
Lemon / Sprite
Club Soda
Ice

Method

Combine the wine, rum, sugar, juice, ripe mangoes and ice & refrigerate. After an hour, do taste the mixture and adjust the juice, sugar, lemon (if too sweet) to your choice. Different wines have different sweetness / acidic levels
Take half the mint and break it down with a mortar and pestle with a little sugar and lemon & water if need be (I used a short cut and used a few tablespoons of Sprite - which worked superbly too). Allow it to rest.
To serve, first strain and squeeze the ground mint into the sangria, then strain the whole thing into the jar of your choice.
Prep the glasses by adding a few spoons of the diced mango and fresh mint leaves to each one and then pouring half a glass of sangria. Top with ice and soda.

And there you have it.. To good health & happiness..

Salud y felicidad!

Caprese

Many women all over the world have been where I found myself a few weeks ago. It was on my way home from work that an impromptu plan was made. Some friends decided to come for dinner. Fortunately they agreed to go halfsies on take out. That still left some appetisers to create.

When in doubt stick to the simple and easy - it usually is the best tasting too. Here's one of my versions of a quick, easy and delicious Caprese. 

Pictures by ime ©

Ingredients

Fresh tomatoes, cut to rough chunks

Mozzarella, roughly shredded

Fresh basil, sliced thin and fine

Salt & freshly ground pepper

Olive oil

Method

Take a shallow glass bowl and sprinkle lightly with olive oil. 

Layer with chopped tomatoes, shredded mozzarella, salt & pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. 

Repeat the layering. 

Final garnish with the basil & microwave or bake in the oven till the cheese has melted. 

Note

Left overs make super sandwiches - open or closed.  

That's all there is to it.. if you make it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.. Please write and tell me, I would love to hear from fellow foodies. 

"Food is an important part of a balanced diet" ~ Fran Lebowitz

Sangria

I love cooking with wine...

...sometimes I even put it in the food!

Many years ago I got elected to create cocktails for a fancy-schmancy party (I also cooked the entire meal, now that I think about it). The birthday girl's favourite drink in those days was red wine sangria, so naturally this was part of the menu. I looked online and found a couple of recipes but none of them spoke to me. So I decided to create my own and boy am I glad. I am still making them this way and not a drop gets wasted. Here goes.

Pictures by ime ©

Ingredients

1 bottle red wine
2 shot glasses white rum (can sub with vodka)
1 shot glass lemon juice
1 cup sugar
3 cups fruit, diced small (apples, pears, oranges, grapefruits, strawberries; depending on the season)
Club soda

Method

Combine all ingredients (except the soda) and chill for at least 6 hours
Serve topped with club soda, garnish with fruit.
Serves 4

Salud Amigos!

Bell Pepper & Feta Salad

Sometimes I like to cook when I don't need to, if you know what I mean. I get home from work and just feel like pottering about in the kitchen. The last time I felt like doing this, here is what I made.

Pictures by ime ©

Ingredients

Garlic paste

Bell peppers

Feta cheese

Spinach (optional)

Olive oil

Mixed herbs

Pepper (freshly ground)

Method

Heat the garlic & olive oil in an thick bottom pan. Once you can smell the garlic cooking, add the bell peppers and toss them to coat well. Continue stirring / tossing them so that they cook but don't go too soft. The fragrance should tell you when they are heated through. 

Plate them on a bed of roughly torn spinach (if using), crumble the feta on top and season with herbs & pepper

& there you have it. A quick and light lunch, or a nice salad to accompany your dinner. Works both ways.