Dads and Mums; Chicas & Chicos
Here’s a fun and easy dinner from Mexico.
Put some tilapia on the grill
With a simple marinade, no fancy, no frill
For the vegetarians, rinse out a can of black beans
Cook’em with a little garlic, by all means.
Grill a little zucchini, bell peppers and onions too
Colorful vegetables to name a few.
You should have garnishes aplenty
I can say that with complete certainty!
Chopped lettuce, lemon slices and salsas galore
Make them at home or buy from the store.
Heat up the tortillas until nice ‘n’ warm
Pile on the fish or the beans
Add the garnishes- there’s the charm.
The grilled vegetables go on the side
Crunchy, tasty and full of bite.
Here’s a meal which makes La Vida
Oh so very, very Bonita!

Recipes

Tilapia: marinate for ab
Saviour Soups! Can a soup be this quick and soul satisfying!!

I just love soups. Even in the warmest of weathers, after weathering a day of kids, I’d be happiest to be offered a big bowl of hot, hot soup. But then, who has the time to simmer and blend, if you open the fridge at 5:30 in the evening to check what could be passed of as a wholesome dinner. Well- why not this yum-yum wonton soup?

Smash and boil 1 small piece ginger and 3- 5 cloves garlic in a pot full of organic chicken/vegetarian broth for 10 minutes. After it comes to a boil, take out the ginger/garlic pieces. Add frozen organic dumplings available in many stores or Chinese stores (veg or non-veg). Add spinach leaves/broccoli/sliced carrots and simmer for a few minutes.Garnish with green onions, a dash of chilli sauce or soy sauce and enjoy.

Souper simple!

Go Green!

A savvy, spinach soup….

In a pressure cooker bottom, saute an onion cut into big chunks for about two minutes. Add some carrots, a tomato and many handfuls of baby spinach. Pour in about a half of organic vegetable/chicken broth carton and pressure cook for one whistle. Blend with a hand blender and season with salt and pepper. Serve with crusty french bread.

Quick Fixes ( who doesn’t need them?)

* Everybody in the family seems to be coming down with cold and fever this week. So out came the bottle of Honey! An ayurvedic doctor recommended one tablespoon of lukewarm honey with a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon powder daily for 3 days. It promises to cure the most obstinate cough as well.
* Speaking of honey, it has beneficial amounts of vitamins and iron. Regular use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles which helps to fight bacteria and viral diseases.
* Blend honey with butter and grated lemon or orange zest for a delicious toast topping.
* Next time when you peel an apple or a peach, don’t throw the peels away. Add them to the blender when making some green chutney (coriander, green chillies, lemon etc). The chutney has a great, unusual flavor – try it in some yogurt as well for a refreshing raita.
* For a sore throat, crush fresh ginger to get 1 tsp of the juice and mix this with equal amount of honey. Take this every three hours to help the soreness.
* Boil a glass of milk with a pinch of turmeric and fresh black pepper powder to help heal a sore throat.
* Sprinkle a good pinch of salt while frying (bhunoing) onions for an Indian curry. They will get browned much faster.
* Roast the saffron slightly before crushing it into milk or water for a better, deeper color.
* Super nutritious chappatis – knead the atta with soft tofu.
* Run short of vegetables for your curry? Add ricotta cheese – it makes it even healthier, and yummy!
* An open bowl of ground coffee in the fridge helps reduce strong odors
* Brewed coffee grinds are a great tonic for indoor plants.
* Chop a bunch of garlic at one go in a food processor, and store it for later use in double ziploc bags in the fridge – a great timesaver.
* If, while bhuno-ing onions and other masalas, the onions get burnt, don’t despair! Add your tomatoes, and blend it all up with a handheld blender. The flavors work very well, and you haven’t lost your work!

For the little ones
Toddler’s favorite dal

Great source of protein and iron.

Gently fry a small, finely chopped onion in a little oil (for about five minutes).Mix in a little garlic, half tsps of coriander powder, cumin seeds and turmeric and cook for about a minute more. Add about a half cup of masoor dal (red lentil), a chopped carrot and enough water to cover the dal. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer for twenty minutes or until the dal is soft and smooth. Add a handful of shredded cabbage and cook for five more minutes. Serve with rice.

Fruity cup cakes with honey

Yummy and rich in Vitamins B6 and C as well as magnesium and potassium. Some cakes are actually good for the kids!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (fahrenheit). Cream together two ripe bananas and 3 oz of butter in a bowl. Slowly add in an egg, 3 oz of milk, 1 tbsp of liquid honey, 7 oz of self -raising flour and 1/4 tsp soda bicarbonate into the mixture. Mix in 3 tbsps or more of raisins. Divide the mixture between small paper cake cups (about 24). Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Decorate with slices of strawberries, and bananas. (You can substitute one banana for 5 mashed strawberries in the mixture.)

out 20 minutes with lemon juice, lime zest, olive oil, salt and fresh black pepper. You can throw in a few good pinches of dried oregano, paprika and garlic powder for a yummier flavor. Grill the fish for 3-4 minutes on high, turn the fish over, lower the grill and cook for a few minutes more.

Vegetables on the grill: Slice the vegetables into large chunks. Toss them all in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat the grill and cook the vegetables for 3-5 minutes on each side.

Tomato Salsa: Toss together chopped tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapenos with lemon juice, salt and pepper. You can also throw in a bit of either mango, avocado or corn along with a drizzle of Tabasco. Yummy!