A minty avocado,watermelon and a feta salad

Whether it's indulging in a third large cup of coffee ,an extra slice of pizza in lunch ,too much beer in Tuesdays Happy Hours or just binging to your hearts content during the festive season,the result is the same.You feel like crap afterwards.The more you eat in excess the more emptier you feel.

After the larger than life Indian festivities which revolve a lot around tempting delicacies and mindless eating it's time to detox now with some recipes screaming health.Its a good time to cleanse your body of the toxins with the Christmas air setting in,much reason to eat,shop and be merry ....again!!

Dietary detox is basically eliminating certain foods, avoiding alcohol and caffeine and loading up on fresh fruits, veggies and juices.Sometimes it results in weight loss and increased energy. Starting your
meals with a salad helps you to attain weight loss and reap many health benefits too.

Salads are a meal in itself or accompaniment to a meal.The word Salad itself sounds so healthy...light,quick and easy to digest.But a salad can turn treacherous if we top it up with creamy,cholesterol laden dressings and fatty high calorie mix ins.


This refreshing Avocado watermelon feta salad not only screams health but is tasty too and the mint leaves impart a fresh minty flavour to it.The dressing is lime juice,seasonings and a drizzle of olive oil which is essential fats and is needed by the body to absorb nutrients from the salad.

This salad is being shared with Lisa of Lisa' s kitchen and Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes for their blog event No Croutons Required this month.

03 Servings
You require

01  large Avocado,peeled and diced
01 long Cucumber,peeled and diced
01 C watermelon,diced
01 medium Tomato,diced
01 small red onion,sliced thin
100 gms Feta cheese,cubed
2 tbsp ,fresh mint leaves,chopped
1/2 C pomegranate kernels
Juice of 01 Lime
Extra virgin Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

• In a large bowl ,add all the ingredients except the lime,olive oil and the seasonings.
• Squeeze the lime juice on the top, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper .
• Stir gently and serve.

Kidney Bean Pasta Soup

Soups have the power to comfort. When the weather turns brisk there is nothing cozier than a big bowl of soup made with the season's harvest.A piping hot bowl of soup filled with goodness satisfies my soul.In fact mostly dinner at our place is a filling low calorie soup with a salad.It satisfies both the taste buds and the desire for optimal health.


There is no doubt that the taste of homemade soups beats out the commercial ones.But sometimes when I don't want to make a soup from scratch I do opt for convenience,I combine my own ingredients with soup from packets or tins.I add some zing to it with finely chopped or grated veggies with a sprinkling of fresh herbs and serve it with a slice of whole grain bread and lo and behold..... you have a nourishing meal that can make you feel better anytime.
My post today is an immensely satisfying vegetarian or vegan soup which I had come across while surfing the net .This spicy, tangy soup has kidney beans,pasta and veggies which makes it a full meal in itself.You can play around with the veggies and omit and substitute according to your tastes.
This spicy soup goes off as an entry for the event No Croutons Required-spicy soups started by Lisa of Lisa's kitchen and Holler Of Tinned Tomatoes.


You Need:
1cup cooked kidney beans
1cup penne or rigatoni pasta cooked al dente
1 big carrot sliced thin diagonally
1 potato peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1cup sliced green beans
1/2 cup green or red pepper chopped
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch hing or asofoetida
1 tiny pinch cayenne
1/2 tsp ground fennel
1 tsp dried basil or fresh minced
1 tsp dried thyme or fresh minced
1/2 tsp dried marjoram or fresh minced
1 cup any spicy or zesty basil tomato sauce or can substitute bland one with cayenne,black pepper and grated ginger
salt to taste
4-6 cups water
1 tbsp grated cheese (optional)
Method:
1. Cook the pasta in salted water,drain ,rinse with cold water and keep aside.
2.Heat the oil in a pan,add hing or asofoetida then the veggies and saute for 5 mins on med/high heat.
3.Add the herbs and spices and saute briefly.
4.Add the cooked kidney beans to the veggies.If using tinned beans then drain and rinse them,then add to the veggies.
5.Bring to boil and cover and simmer the veggie and beans.
6.Then add the tomato sauce and the cooked pasta and as much more water as you like.Cook for 5-10 mins more.
7. Serve hot with grated cheese on top.
If you are using a slow cooker or crockpot put everything in the pot including the tomato sauce,add 4 cups boiling water,cover and simmer until veggies are tender i.e 1-2 hours.When the veggies are tender add pasta ,tomato sauce and salt and simmer for 15-20 mins more.
Enjoy!!


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Lemon coriander soup-No croutons required

I am not at all happy with my blog snaps :(.....this is the first time i am using the camera for food photography and I am just not aware of the different settings of the camera. I think I desperately need my hubby's help!! I have been blog hopping the whole morning .....kudos to all you food bloggers! How do you manage to click such beautiful snaps?Please do help me out with your advice regarding photography.

Today i am going to post a refreshing soup,lemon coriander soup with mushrooms and carrots tried from Nita Mehta's new Chinese collection. It's got a hint of ginger in it which is quite soothing if you are suffering from a bad throat.I am a die hard fan of Neeta Mehta,her recipes turn out to be lip smacking and are meant for the Indian palate.So i will leave you with the ingredients and the method.Wish me luck.......for photography of course!!Enjoy the aromatic soup!!
I am sending this soup as my entry for "no croutons required" event started by Lisa of Lisa's kitchen and Holler of Tinned tomatoes.

You need:
Stock:
5 cups water
1 stick lemon grass chopped or 1 tsp lemon rind( i used 4-5 sticks dried lemon grass)
1/4 cup chopped coriander with stalks
1" pc ginger,sliced
2 laung ( cloves),1 tej patta (bay leaves)
2 seasoning cubes( maggi, knorr or any other brand)

other ingredients:
1/2 carrot or 1/4 cup carrot ,sliced paper thin diagonally
2 mushrooms cut into thin slices( optional)
1 tsp oil, a pinchof red chilli pwdr
salt and pepper to taste( the seasoning cube already has salt)
2-3 tbsp lemon juice,1/4 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cornflour dissolved in 1/4 cup water
2 tbsp coriander torn roughly with hands

Method:

1.For stock, mix all the ingredients under stock with the 5 cups water,bring to aboil and keep on low flame for 2-3 minutes.Keep aside.
2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan, add apinch of red chilli pwdr and immediately add carrots and mushrooms.saute for 1 min at medium flame.
3.Add pepper,check salt and add more if required. Boil.
4.Strain the prepared stock into the vegetables in the pan.
5. Add the cornflour dissolved in water, stirring continuously.
6.Add lemon juice,sugar and corinder leaves,simmer for 2 mins.Remove from fire and serve hot.