Salad with grilled chicken

Ingredients:
For the grilled chicken
Chicken breast, frozen - 2
Cooking oil spray
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper, ground - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp

For the croutons
Rye bread slices, diced  - 4-6
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper, ground - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp

For the dressing
Olive oil - 1/3 cup
Mustard - 1 tbsp
Balsamic vinegar - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 2 tsp (optional)
Lemon - 1/2 of a large one
Black pepper, ground - 1/2 tsp

For the salad
Salad greens
Granny Smith apple, diced - 1 large
Red onion, thinly sliced - 1/4 of a large one
Almonds, sliced - a handful
Pumpkin seeds - 1/3 cup
Walnuts - 1/3 cup

Method:
Grilled chicken
Place a trivet in the Instant Pot. Add 1 cup of water. Place the frozen chicken breasts on the trivet, ensuring that they don't touch the water. Pressure cook on high for 10 min and allow natural release for 5 min and then release the pressure manually. Spray oil on each side, sprinkle a mixture of red chili powder, black pepper, and salt. Repeat on other side. Preheat air fryer to 200 C/390 F for 3 min, then air fry each side for 8 min or until browned. Cut into strips or dice.

Croutons
In a bowl, mix the oil, garam masala, pepper, and salt. Add the bread pieces and coat evenly. Preheat air fryer in BAKE setting to 190 C/375 F. Place bread pieces in tray and bake for 8 min, shake well, then bake for another 8 min.

Dressing
In a bowl, beat the oil and mustard until well mixed. Gradually add the balsamic vinegar, salt, sugar, and lemon juice and continue beating. Add pepper. Adjust salt and sugar for taste.

Assembling the salad
Add the diced onions and apples and nuts to the dressing and fold to mix well. Add the chicken pieces and coat evenly. Toss with the salad greens.

When individual servings are ready, sprinkle croutons on top of each portion.

 

Author: Shrinkingsodacan 

Parangikkai (butternut squash) poriyal

Ingredients:
Butternut squash, cut into bite-size pieces - 1
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Udad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a handful
Dried red chili - 1
Green chilies, chopped - 2
Asafoetida - a pinch
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 1/2 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 1 tsp (optional)
Coriander leaves, chopped - a handful

Method:
Heat oil, add rai and udad and splutter. Add curry leaves, dried red chili, chopped green chilies, and hing. Add the butternut squash pieces and mix well. Add turmeric powder and red chili powder and mix well. Add a small amount of water, close the lid and cook on a medium flame for 10-12 min or until tender but not overcooked. Mix in grated coconut and a small amount of jaggery. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Source: this recipe.

Mixed vegetable soup with black-eyed peas

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 bunch celery chopped
1/2 onion sliced
1 chayote
1 zucchini
1 beetroot sliced
1 bag spinach leaves
2 cups water
Thick slice of cheese, cut into large pieces
Salt to taste
1 tsp rosemary, crushed
1 tsp thyme, crushed
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp red chili powder
1 cup black-eyed peas, pressure cooked (Instant Pot: 15 min cook + 15 min natural release). The peas should not be mushy, but they should be cooked through.

Method:

Sauté the celery and onion in olive oil. When the onions soften, add the rest of the vegetables and stir. Add 2 cups of water and mix well. Mix in the cheese pieces. Pressure cook (Instant Pot: 3 min + manual release). Use handheld mixer to blend to smooth liquid. Heat on low flame, mix in spices and salt. Fold in the cooked black-eyed peas and cook for 5-10 min on a low flame.

 

Author: Shrinkingsodacan 

Chayote poriyal without onion

Ingredients:
Chayote, cut into large pieces - 2 big
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

Coconut, grated - 3/4 cup
Dried red chilies - 4-6

Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Udad dal - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Green chilies, chopped - 1 big or 2 small
Curry leaves - a handful
Asafoetida - a pinch
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste

Method:
Bring 4-5 cups of water to boil in a pot. Add turmeric powder and salt and mix well. Add the chayote pieces and mix well. Let cook covered until soft (but not too soft).
In the meantime, grind the coconut with the red chilies. Set aside.
In a wok, heat the oil. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the udad dal, chana dal, and green chilies. Add the curry leaves and asafoetida. Mix well and add turmeric powder. Stir. Add the chayote pieces and stir well to coat with the seasoning. Cook for a couple of minutes. Season with salt. Add the ground coconut, cook for a couple more minutes and turn off the flame. Let sit for 5 min.

Serve with rice or chapatis.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Paruppu usli

Ingredients:
Sautéed onions:
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Onion, finely chopped - 1 huge
Salt - 1 tsp
Stir-fried dal:
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Chana dal - 1/2 cup
Dried red chilies - 8
Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
Asafoetida - a pinch
Tamarind concentrate - 1 tbsp
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Udad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 10
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves, finely chopped - 1/4 cup

Method:
Wash and soak the dals for 1 hour with dried red chilies.

In the meantime, heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok and stir fry the onions until they turn translucent pink. Add salt, mix well. Set aside.

Drain the dal. Add salt, asafoetida, and tamarind concentrate and grind into coarse mixture (do not add water). Heat a wok. Add oil. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the udad dal and curry leaves and stir. Add the dal paste and stir to coat well. Break into small pieces and keep scraping the wok if the dal sticks to the surface. Stir and cook well (~10 min). Add grated coconut and continue to cook for a few minutes. Fold in the sautéed onions.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with rice or as a side dish to chapati.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan