Buttered Vegetables in Fresh Cream Dressing

Buttered Vegetables are classic salad recipes which you can find in any buffet spread. The first time when I tried this was at Taj Fishermen Cove.I simply loved it. The veggies were fresh, crunchy and delicately cooked in butter. Salads are never boring if you find your own way of tossing them in your favorite dressing. Here, I have used fresh cream dressing to toss the vegetables in addition to butter and this just tasted yummy. Fresh Cream and butter are source of good fat. Fat is never an unhealthy option. Good fat taken in the right amount helps in absorption of proteins,amino acids and also reduces risk of stroke.

This is highly low in carbohydrates and high in good fat making it ideal for Ketogenic Diet.

Serves:2

Ingredients

1. Unsalted Butter - 2 tbsp
2. Mixed Italian Herb Seasoning - 2 tsp
3. Pepper - 1.5 tsp
4. Fresh Cream - 2 tbsp
5. Water - 1/4 cup
6. Sugar - 1/2 tsp
7. Needed Salt

Veggies Used

• Red Bell Pepper - 1/3 cup(cubed)
• Yellow Bell Pepper - 1/3 cup (cubed)
• French Beans - 4 (cut in 1 inch length)
• Baby corn - 4 (cut lengthwise)
• cauliflower - 6 florets
• Onion - 1 (sliced thinly)

Vegetables sauteed in butter

Method

1. Rinse all the vegetables nicely. Soak cauliflower in hot water with a tsp of rock salt for 15 mins. If there are any worms inside the cauliflower, it will come out in this process. After 15 mins, rinse and strain the cauliflower once again.

2. Heat butter in a non stick pan, add all the veggies and saute well on a medium-low flame.Add needed salt,sugar and saute well until onions turn transparent.

3. Add water to the above pan and cover the lid. Allow the vegetables to be steamed on low flame. Ensure the vegetables are not overcooked and they are just cooked 90 percent.

4. After the veggies have cooked, add the fresh cream, mixed herb seasoning and pepper. Give a gentle mix. 

5. Serve the salad warm with sprinkled pepper/ seasoning of your choice.

Cauliflower Soup With Caramelized Onions and Roasted Walnuts

Did you know that a boiled and smashed cauliflower can be a very good vegan substitute to a cheese?? Oh yes, I once tried this cauliflower soup and gave it to my sister and immediately she asked me have you added cheese to it?? it looks so cheesy and creamy..:) Now doesn't that sound interesting. Highly healthy and a low carb vegetable can easily be made to replace a cheese. This soup is again another dish to my low-carb series. This is extremely creamy, tastes great and also low in calories. Satiates your hunger and keeps you full in just 2 bowls. What more do you need for an ideal weight loss. Go ahead and try the soup right away which is so simple, comforting and tasty. This is also kid's friendly and can be given to toddlers above 1 year.

serves:2

Ingredients

1. cauliflower florets - 1 cup
2. Onion-1 (thinly sliced)
3. sugar - 1 tsp
4. salt - 1 tsp
5. Walnuts - 1 tbsp
6. Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
7. Garlic pods - 4
8. Salt and pepper to taste
9. Water - 2 cups + 1 cup

Sauteing of cauliflower and garlic in Olive Oil

                           

Caramelised Onions and Roasted Walnuts

Method

1. soak cauliflower in water for 2 mins. If there are any worms, it would come out. Wash the cauliflower once again.

2. Saute the florets with garlic pods in olive oil for 2 mins in a pan or cooker.

3. Pressure cook for 3 whistles with 2 cups of water. Allow the contents to cool down.

4. Strain the contents and blend them at high speed in a mixer.

5. Transfer the puree to a pan. Add 1 cup of water if required depending on the consistency required for a creamy texture.

6. Add the required amount of salt and pepper and simmer the soup for 5 mins.

Seasoning

• Heat olive oil in a pan, add onions and walnuts and roast them on low flame. Add a tsp of sugar and tsp of salt.
• Keep stirring occasionally until the onions shrink and turn in golden brown color as shown in the picture.

Serving suggestion

Add the soup to a bowl, top it with some caramelized onions and walnuts. Serve hot with toasted breads and it tastes just yummmmm. :)

Gobi Manchurian

This is one of the most important recipe from the Chinese Cuisine and always kid's favourite.Goes very well as a starter and also as a side dish.Tastes best when used as an accompaniment for Veg Hakka Noodles and Veg. Fried Rice. This recipe is very similar to my recipe Baby Corn Manchurian.

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

1. Chopped Cauliflower - 10 florets 
2. Oil for deep frying
3. Salt as needed

Batter Ingredients

1. Cornflour - 1/4 cup
2. Maida/All Purpose flour - 1/4 cup
3. Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
4. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
5. Black pepper powder- 2 tsp
6. Salt needed

Manchurian Sauce

1. Garlic Pods-5-6 (Chopped finely)
2. Ginger- 1 inch (chopped finely)
3. Green Chilies-2 (chopped finely)
4. Soy Sauce - 2 tsp
5. Vinegar - 1 tsp (Rice Vinegar or any vinegar)
6. Spring Onions-Finely chopped (Both leaf and the onion part)
7. Cornflour paste- 1 tbsp with 2 tbsp water
8. Tomato Ketchup- 1 tbsp
9. Red Chili Sauce - 1 tbsp
10. Pepper Powder - 2 tsp

Garnishing

Spring Onion leaves &  the spring Onions bulb- Chopped

Sauteing of vegetables in sauce

Adding fried Gobi and stir frying

Garnish with spring onions

Method

1. Mix the ingredients under batter with required amount of water.The batter should be of thick pouring consistency.

2. Boil the cut cauliflower in water for 2 mins with a tsp of salt.Pat dry them.

3. Dip the cauliflower in the batter and coat them well with batter.

4. Deep fry the coated cauliflower till the color turns light golden brown and keep it aside.

5. Heat some oil in a pan.Add spring onions,ginger,garlic,chilies and saute till the onions turn transparent and the garlic turns light brown in color.

6. Add soy sauce,tomato sauce,vinegar and red chili sauce sauce and cook for about a minute.

7.  Add 1/4  cup water,salt,pepper powder and cook for another few minutes.Add cornflour paste for thickening and also to get a glaze saucy texture.

8. Add the fried  cauliflower and saute well till they are coated completely with the sauce.

9. Add chopped spring onion leaves and serve hot.

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

1. While deep frying the florets,ensure the oil is at the right temperature and perfectly hot.If the oil is not hot, the florets will draw in more oil and it will become soggy.At the same time, too much heat can cause the florets to burn.
2. Soy sauce already has salt and hence adjust the salt accordingly.
3. You can also garnish with normal onions and capsicum after sauteing them with salt for a minute.

Gobi 65

I am very sure there can't be a single person who would hate this dish. Everybody loves Gobi 65 and this is one of the most famous starters in any of the vegetarian restaurants.This is a very simple and easy to make dish,especially when you have large number of guests coming and you are just left with no time.I had prepared this when my friends had come over for Lunch. Here goes the recipe for this sizzling Gobi 65.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1. Cauliflower (small/medium size) -1 (Cut into small florets)
2. All purpose flour /Maida-1/4 cup
3. Cornflour-1/4 cup
4. Kesari/saffron powder/any red food color-A pinch (Optional)
5. Pepper Powder - 2 tsp
6. Red Chili Powder - 2 tsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Water as needed

Method

1. Take a bowl of water,add 1/2 tsp of turmeric and 1 tsp of salt to it.

2. Chop the Cauliflower into small florets.Soak the chopped florets in above water for 15 mins.

3. After soaking for 15mins, strain the florets and once again wash the florets in running water.This is a mandatory cleaning process for cauliflower to remove germs and worms.

4. In a large bowl,mix all the ingredients listed under ingredients(except cauliflower) to form a thick batter. Adjust the batter consistency by adding little water. It should be of thick pouring consistency.

5. Pat dry the florets.Dip the florets into the batter.Make sure the florets are completely covered with the batter. 

6. Marinade the contents in refrigerator for 1 hour.

7. Deep fry them in hot oil till it becomes golden brown. 

8. Garnish with spring onions and server hot :)

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

1. While deep frying the florets, ensure the oil is at the right temperature and perfectly hot.If the oil is not hot, the florets will draw in more oil and it will become soggy.At the same time, too much heat can cause the florets to burn.
2. After marinating the cauliflower with batter nicely, refrigerate it for half to 1 hour.This makes the cauliflower much crispier while deep frying.
3. I have used kesari/Saffron powder as food color to give a nice orange red shade.However,you can omit this if you don't have one.
4. Marinating in fridge helps the flavors to be absorbed well by the gobi, and also results in crisp Gobi.