Arabic fattoush my way

I had a great weekend. 

It’s a creme de la creme part y evening at a  posh location. Men, women walk in wearing their designer ‘closet’. The party gets happier and while the men discuss who is getting Expo 2020, no prices for guessing, women talk about who shed and who lost- of course – weight. The blabber goes.. Hey Natasha, ‘ you look hot.. you have lost so much weight.. how did you do that?’, ‘ don’t be silly, I have gained 2 kilos since you saw me last’ . At the other table- ‘ O my my.. look at you.. someone has been working hard-    ‘ no way.. haven’t gone to gym for a month and have been hogging’ is the reply. 

If there were no weight issues.. what would woman talk , I sometimes wonder. 

To share my weight issues- I was size XL after I gave birth to my daughter  and now I am size Small.  I put in lot of hard work , both for my diet and exercise. Along the way, I made my own salads which I could enjoy, since eating them could be quite mundane. I am sharing a recipe which is my all time favorite.I can guarantee that you would love it too. 

I am sharing some tips which helped me to loose weight as well here. First the tips  and then the recipe for  salad.

1.     Start your day with a bowl of sprouts salad (sprouts, chopped  tomatoes, coriander leaves and cucumber). Avoid adding salt.

2.     Add a handful of nuts  to your mornings as well      ( pistachios, almonds and walnuts)

3.     Do not add sugar to your beverages ( tea, milk, coffee)

4.     Consume your Carbohydrates (breads, rice, potatoes, pasta) by afternoon. Reduce your carbohydrates intake from the current level.

5.     Eat a big bowl of salad everyday (this is other than sprout salad in the morning). Either lunch or supper.( Lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, radish). Avoid any ready dressing.

6.     Have your fruits followed by some yoghurt- this will keep the appetite under control. Sometimes, after fruits one tends to have a hunger spike.

Fattoush- my way

This is a salad which made me full for at least 3-4 hours. Its got vegetables and carbohydrates. It even  tastes delicious and I did not get  bored of it. 

This is also a  salad which my husband loves to carry for his lunch box. He has been eating it for last 3 years, at least twice a week ­and doesn’t seem to have had enough of it.

Lets get started.

Take the serving bowl in which you wish to serve. I use the lunch box since it’s mostly packed for lunch.  Throw in some diced cucumber and bell peppers. 
Wash lettuce leaves and spin in salad spinner. 

 

Now fold one leave into a roll and break it with your hand. Do not use knife. Layer the lettuce. 

Chop 3-4 cherry tomatoes and place on top. Add few slices of jalapenos. Add 2-3 tsp of jalapenos water as well.

Cut cubes of low fat Feta cheese and place on top.

 

Take some olive oil and lightly heat it. Add dried mixed herbs and pour on the salad.  Before eating, gently mix  so that the vegetables are coated with the cheese.

Now the fattoush chips-

I make my own flat bread. I roast it crisp- very crisp and break into chips. It tastes delicious and doesn’t use the oil which  pita bread is fried into for traditional fattoush. Any flour can be used (multigrain, wholemeal). Sprinkle the chips over the salad and serve.

I have used many pictures here. Hope you find them useful and appetizing. 
If you enjoyed the recipe, then take a moment to leave a comment. 


 

HEALTHY CUP CAKES - EASY TO MAKE AND DELICIOUS TO EAT

Kids loved them.. 

My 4 year old  daughter ( going on 5)  had been pressing to have a fairy dance party for her close friends. Finally we decided to have it the following week( which was today). Every single day of last week was spent in planning- guest list, menu for good, dance play list etc.

Earlier today we went to the grocery and I asked her if she would like to bake some cupcakes or buy from the store. Promptly she said- 'bake at home' 

The girls arrived as fairies and surely some activities were planned. From baking cup cakes to crafting fairy magical wands- all had to be done to keep them entertained.The party menu which my elder daughter quickly wrote down on her board:

The girls surrounded me on the kitchen platform. While they munched on home made potato chips and lined the  tray with  paper cups- I mixed the batter. since the group was divided between chocolate and vanilla - I suggested to make vanilla cup cakes and the chocolate lovers could add chocolate sauce on top. I could hear a loud YES. The little girlies took turns to add to the mixing bowl and lo! it was ready. Quickly they poured in the ready tray and while it baked- they  'hand crafted' much awaited wands.


It was an afternoon, they really enjoyed.

Sharing a quick recipe for those cupcakes. 

Very similar to the vanilla cake with a difference in consistency of batter little thicker here.. and without icing sugar.

To make 6 cupcakes-  9 cm wide by 4 cm deep. 

In a mixing bowl, add one cup of whole wheat flour, half cup sugar, 1 tsp flat baking powder, about 1/3 tsp of baking soda, oil, one tbs of walnut- coarsely powdered, 1 tsp vanilla essence, about 25 ml aerated drink, 25 ml of milk. Mix to a smooth batter and spoon into cups. Bake for 15 min at 180 deg. 

 

For those who voted for chocolate- I made them happy by spreading some chocolate sauce.

  

n.b - the chocolate sauce is organic with very low sugar. The gems used are not with artificial colors. Smarties have been used.

Simple Eggless Sponge Cake loved by my whole family

The plight of studying and there after working, without being able to spend any time in the kitchen, was felt for the first time by me when I had to cook for myself. After I got married we went overseas, feeding the two souls soon became a nightmare. Bigger was the burden of not cooking when colleagues in office, I would call them male stereotypes, didn’t think much about woman who couldn’t cook. My state was obviously of astonishment. The ordeal continued for the next 8 years of constantly being reminded that without culinary skills, a woman is not woman enough. 

Then we moved to a new country and I decided to be at home. Now was the time to be there. Every day was a new creation- some delicious some burnt, other days were beautiful presentation without taste. After many hours being poured into improvising, my first triumph came when after an evening party- compliments showered from all over. Starters, main course, dessert- all vanished. .

Encouraged by my friends and family I am sharing a simple recipe here.

I can call this Idiots guide to baking for vegetarians- baking can be very easy if one remembers the basics. Few simple rules to remember- gather all ingredients before you begin. Always make the baking dish ready and preheat the oven. Bake with lower grill on only, not both. Give it a try. 

Feel free to write to me with any questions/feedback

SPONGE CAKE FOR VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS.

Both Vanilla and Chocolate

Vegetarian:

Prep Time- 5 Min

Bake Time-20 Min

What do we need?
 

11/2 cup whole meal flour

Half cup cooking oil (Sunflower, Corn)

1 tsp vanilla essence, 1/3 tsp baking soda,

1 tsp full baking powder

¼ cup coarsely powdered walnuts

50 ml - can of any aerated drink ( I prefer 7 up)

50 ml – milk- low fat/full cream

2 tbs- full icing sugar

1 tsp lemon or orange rind

What to do we do?

Collect all ingredients. Switch on the Oven for baking- lower grill- 180 deg or mark 3. 

Prepare a 5 inch baking tin. (I prefer aluminum. Oil the tin and dust with the flour and keep aside. )

To make the batter- 

In a glass bowl, pour the flour, baking powder, soda, sugar, icing sugar and mix well with a spoon. (I prefer flat wooden spoon). Make a well in the center- pour in oil, essence, aerated drink, rime, nuts and half the amount of milk. Mix well in circular motion to make a batter of smooth flowing consistency. Adjust the consistency with more milk if required.

Immediately pour into the ready tray. Clear off any sticky batter from glass bowl and pour into the baking dish. Do not stir the batter once poured. 

After twenty minutes, check if the folk or pin comes clean. If not, bake for another 5 minutes. Cool onto a cooling tray. 

Enjoy.

For the chocolate version- add 2 tbs full of cocoa powder, 2 tbs sugar (if using unsweetened cocoa) and a pinch of cinnamon. You can also use Almond essence instead of vanilla.  

For Vegan – Use coconut milk instead of regular milk. Other ingredients are vegan.

If you have enjoyed reading this post, please take a moment to post a comment. 

Tell me how did it go? I will try to post some pictures soon. 

n.b: This was the first post on the blog, but got deleted erroneously