Saag Chole -- Chickpeas with Spinach

Tired of the regular Punjabi Chole, there was a need for a variation to the recipe and that is when I remembered seeing this recipe being posted in one of the food groups. It is quick and easy to make and the addition of spinach not only enhances the taste but also makes it even more high on nutrition. Serve it with rice or roti, this one dish meal will take care of your daily nutritional needs. 

Ingredients 

1 cup chickpeas soaked overnight 

1 medium onion chopped 

1" piece ginger 

4-5 cloves of garlic 

1 medium tomato made into a paste with the ginger and garlic above

3 cups spinach chopped 

1 tsp cumin seeds 

1/2 tsp turmeric powder 

1 tsp kashmiri chilly powder 

1 tsp cumin powder 

1 1/2 tsp coriander powder 

1 tsp garam masala powder 

1 tbsp dry roasted and crushed kasuri methi

1/2 tbsp pomegranate seed powder

Salt to taste

Oil as required 

Direction 

Wash and drain the soaked chickpeas and pressure cook till done.  

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the cumin seeds. Add the onions and fry till golden. Niw add the tomato paste and fry till the raw smell disappears. Add the dry spices and fry till the spices start releasing oil from the sides. Do not add the salt yet. Add the chopped spinach and stir. Cover and cook till the spinach is wilted. Now add the salt and the boiled chickpeas, reserving the water. Stir well. Now add the reserved liquid as per your requirement for gravy and bring to a boil. Add the crushed kasuri methi and pomegranate seed powder and check for seasoning. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and ginger juliennes and serve hot with roti/ rice. 

Daal Palak Shorba (Spinach and Lentils Soup)

Adding to the series of healthy recipes posted recently on the blog is this Daal Palak Shorba or Spinach and Lentils Soup. It is a healthy blend of nutritious fresh spinach and protein-laden lentils with a bunch of spices to make it a yummy meal for the weight watchers as well as for a chilly wintery evening when you do not want to get out of that blanket. 

Ingredients

250 gms spinach washed and chopped (stems included)

1/4 cup toor/arhar daal

1/4 cup moong daal

1 medium tomato chopped

1 medium onion chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic chopped

1 sprig of coriander chopped (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Direction

Wash and soak the daals for half an hour. Now take a pressure cooker and cook the daals along with onion, tomato, and garlic and water and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles till done. The daal should be more mushy than usual. 

Now transfer the daal to a big soup pot or deep bottomed vessel and add the chopped spinach. Add about 1/2 cup of water if required and cook till the spinach is done. Let it cool for half an hour and then with a hand blender, blend the soup to a smooth puree. Put the soup back on flame and add salt and pepper. You can now either heat some ghee in a separate pan and splutter some cumin seeds, chopped coriander, and crushed red chilli and add it to the soup while serving or serve it without the tempering but with a tsp of fresh cream or just have it straight from the pot (if you are a weight watcher like me). The choice is yours but equally yummy for all three options!!

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Carrot Bread

There were some fresh carrots lying in the fridge and some wilting spinach in the freezer. There had to be a way out to use them before the carrots loose their crunch and the spinach its life. However, stir fry or salad or sandwich was definitely not on my mind. Not being a vegetable lover, I had to think of something to camouflage the goodies and feed myself and my family. Bread it was and what better way to have a complete meal along with a bowl of soup! A wonderfully healthy and wholesome bread made with 100% wholewheat, goes well even with your faborite dip or a fresh and fluffy Spanish Omelette! 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cup wholewheat flour

1/2 cup carrot puree (boil the carrots, drain and reserve the water, and puree the carrots in the blender)

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup milk powder

1 tsp vital wheat gluten (optional; you can use 1 egg optionally or skip it)

1 1/4 tsp instant dry yeast

100 ml lukewarm water (use the liquid in which you boiled the carrots for maximum health)

2 tbsp olive oil plus more for greasing

For the filling

1/2 cup spinach puree

5-6 slices of cheese

2-3 tbsp coriander and garlic paste (blend together in the grinder)

1 tbsp your choice of seasoning (I used a mix of cumin powder, coriander powder, and pinch of homemade garam masala)

Salt to taste

1 tsp olive oil

Direction

Prepare the filling first. Mix all the ingredients except the cheese slices and keep aside. If you feel it is too watery, drain the liquid and keep it in a bowl for use in some other curry or gravy. 

In a bowl, take the warm water (feels confortable when put on the back of your wrist or 40-45 degree celsius measured on the food thermometer) and dissolve 1 tbsp sugar. Add the yeast and mix thoroughly. Let it stand for 10 minutes undisturbed until frothy and foamy. 

In another bowl, mix together the flour, milk powder, salt, wheat gluten, and remaining sugar. Now slowly add the frothy yeast liquid and start mixing the dough with a spatula in one direction till all the liquid is absorbed. Now add the puree and start kneading with your hands. It will feel very sticky and messy at the beginning. Add the oil and continue kneading while adding some extra flour if required. Do not add too much flour. The dough needs to be smooth, non-sticky, and elastic but will still be a little soft and moist as for wholewheat we need to keep it moist. Oil the dough on the outside and loosely clingwrap it and keep in a warm place to rise for about 1-1.5 hours or until doubled. 

  Now roll out the dough on a clean and lightly floured surface into a rectangle. 

Arrange the cheese slices on top unevenly and fill up the spaces with the spinach puree. Start rolling in towards the other end, pinching the edges as you go.

Now grease two loaf tins and line them with parchment paper. Cut the log of dough into half and keep each half in the prepared loaf tins. 

Cover and keep aside for 1-1.5 hours or until doubled. While nearing towards the end of the proofing time, start pre-heating the oven at 180 degree celsius for at least 10 minutes. Slice thin long strips of capsicum and arrange on top alternating with slices of cheese. 

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes or until browned on top and the tap sounds hollow and the internal temperature is between 80-100 degree celsius (on the higher side). 

Remove from the loaf tin immediately and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. 

 

Spinach and Chickpea Cheesy Cutlets

Sometimes cooking only for yourself can be quite satisfying and rewarding too. You can cook what "you" want to eat and how. My husband is not fond of cheese and so I need to avoid it for most of my dishes. However, I was having this craving for cheese stuffed croquettes or cutlets since quite some time but was not really getting a chance until last evening when husband told me that he has a dinner meeting and won't be home for dinner. I was happy that finally I get to eat something my way and immediately looked into my fridge to see what I have for making some cutlets. I had some boiled chickpeas and frozen spinach and corn. The perfect healthy cheese stuffed cutlets were now just a step away!

                                

Ingredients

1 cup boiled chickpeas

1 cup spinach, blanched and drained

1/3 cup corn kernels, lightly boiled

1" piece ginger grated

1 green chilli

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder 

Salt to taste

2-3 tbsp wheat germ for binding and coating (bread crumbs can also be used)

Cheddar cheese for the stuffing

Oil for frying

Direction

Take the boiled chickpeas and grind it in a blender till smooth. To this, add the blanched spinach and ginger and pulse a few more times till a nice green color is reached. Now take the mixture out onto a bowl and add the corn, spices, and wheatgerm/bread crumbs and mix well. Take small plum sized mixture in your hands and put a tsp of grated cheese or a small chopped chunk of cheese in the center and close it from all sides. Now coat this in a layer of bread crumbs or wheat germ kept in a separate plate and keep aside. Continue the same process for the rest of the mixture.

Now heat oil in a shallow frying pan or grill plate and start frying the breaded cutlets till golden on both sides. Serve hot with condiments of your choice.

                                  

                                  

 

Spinach and Quinoa Bake

So here I am with yet another Quinoa recipe as promised. The grain is truly a wonder and can fill your tummy with just a few spoonfuls! So be aware while choosing your portions. My today's portion went a little overboard and now I have a full big dish to finish by tomorrow. It was incredibly yummy and the best part is again the nutrition value it carries along with the other veggies in the dish. Here I have used Spinach, mushroom, and corn, but you can use any combination you want. 

                                    

Ingredients

3/4 cup quinoa

1 medium onion chopped

1 cup spinach chopped (I used frozen)

2 tbsp corn kernels

1/4 cup button mushroom sliced

1 tbsp garlic chopped

1 tsp mixed dried herbs (I used thyme and rosemary)

3 eggs

1/2 cup cottage cheese/paneer grated (I prepared it at home with 0.1% fat skimmed milk)

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp red chilli flakes (I skipped as I was using storebought spicy breadcrumbs)

Cheese as you like it (I skipped)

3-4 tbsp breadcrumbs

1 tsp olive oil for greasing and 1 tbsp for sautéing

Direction

Boil 350 ml water and add the quinoa. Keep stirring frequently until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked through (transparent with a small white tag). Remove from heat and let it cool. 

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry the onions till translucent. Now add the chopped garlic and fry till slightly browned. Next tip in the mushrooms and fry till they change color. Add in all other veggies now and season with the dry herbs, salt and pepper. You can directly add the chopped spinach here or blanch it first and then add. Once the veggies are tender enough, remove from heat and let it cool.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and then add the grated cottage cheese or paneer. Mix well till it is smooth. Now add the cooled veggie mixture and the cooled Quinoa. Add the quinoa little at a time. The quinoa expands after being cooked. So add as per your judgement. The mixture should not be too thick nor thin. It should be moist enough without any excess liquid. Season with a little more salt if required. Taste the veggie mix before adding into the eggs and you will know just how much to add. You can also add some cheese of your choice to the mixture to make it more rich. 

Pre-heat the oven at 175 degree celsius. Grease a oven safe baking dish, big enough to hold the mixture, with 1 tsp oil. Now spread the breadcrumbs evenly on the bottom of the greased baking dish. Next add the mixture and spread it out evenly. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 40 minutes until set and the edges brown and start coming off the sides. 

Remove from oven and serve hot or warm.

                                          

                                         

Palak Paneer

This is probably a dish which every Indian, and these days the firangs too, have tasted at least once in their lifetime, if not regularly. You go to an Indian restaurant and if not anything else, palak paneer will definitely be on the Menu. It is such a versatile dish that anybody and everybody loves it, if prepared the right way and if you like palak. Apart from the ease of cooking this dish, it is also extremely healthy and is a power house of essential nutrients. If you are making this for the first time, you are sure to love it. If you have been making this since ages, you can still go through the recipe and incorporate the changes next time you are making it to enjoy the difference. Serve it with some jeera rice or naan and you will be blessed for such a heavenly meal!

                                  

Ingredients

250 gms paneer, cubed

20-25 stalks of spinach, roots cut and thoroughly washed keeping the stems intact

3 + 3 cloves of garlic

1/2 + 1 inch of ginger

2 green chillies

2 medium onions finely chopped

1 medium tomato finely chopped

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 bay leaf

1 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

A pinch of heeng or asafoetida

2 tsp kasuri methi crushed

Salt to taste

2 tbsp cream

1 tbsp oil or ghee

Direction

Heat water in a vessel and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the spinach. Cover and let it remain for 10-15 minutes until wilted. Meanwhile, keep a bowl of water in the freezer and let it chill. Remove the spinach from the hot water and keep in this ice cold water for 3-5 minutes. This will help retain the green color of the spinach. Now squueze out the water partly (do not discard the water) and put the palak in a blender along with 3 cloves of garlic, 1/2" ginger, and green chillies. Make a smooth puree and keep aside.

With the remaining ginger and garlic, make a fresh paste or finely grate it. Now heat oil or ghee in a pan and add the bay leaf and splutter the cumin seeds. Add the chopped onions and fry till translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell disappears. Next add the tomatoes and fry till they are soft and mushy. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, heeng, and salt. Mix well and fry for a few seconds. Now lower the flame and add the puree. Be careful as the liquid will splutter. Stir well and add some water if gravy is too thick. Bring it to a boil and continue stirring till the gravy thickens and the oil starts appearing on top. Now add the paneer cubes and stir gently. Cover and simmer the gas and let it cook on low flame for 3-5 minutes till the paneer softens and absorbs some gravy. Add the kasuri methi and cream and check for seasoning. Stir and remove from heat. Serve hot with jeera rice, roti or naan.

                                        

Palak/Spinach Chicken

Greens should be a part of our regular diet as they are very rich in iron among other goodies. However, green is not a very favorite color of mine when it comes to veggies. Spinach is an exception though. Today's recipe is a very easy one and the source is from our very own Sanjeev Kapoor. The highlight of this recipe is the health factor. So without much ado, here is the simple route to yummy palak chicken.

Ingredients

250 gms chicken (I used boneless)

1 large onion chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

1/2 inch piece ginger chopped

2 tbsp yogurt

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

2 each of bay leaf, cardamom, and cloves

4-5 peppercorns

Salt to taste

2 cups spinach shredded

1 tbsp mustard oil

Fried onions for garnishing

Direction

Wash and cut the chicken and keep aside. In an pan, heat oil till smoky hot. Add bay leaf, peppercorns, cardamom, and cloves and fry for a minute. Add chopped onions, ginger, and garlic and fry till golden brown. Add the chicken pieces and the dry spices except garam masala. Add a little salt and fry till the chicken pieces are golden brown and the spices start leaving oil. Add the yogurt one tbsp at a time and fry. Add the shredded spinach and cover and cook on medium heat till the spinach is wilted and mashed. Add garam masala and cook without cover till gravy dries up. Serve hot with plain rice/roti.