Nutritious and Filling

In a perfect world we all would like to eat healthy without compromising on health and nutrition. So here is one such recipe that would meet both the criteria. It looks great, tastes delicious and is nutritious too. An interesting side-dish, one which can be turned into a snack or a main dish with a slight twist with the basic recipe. Twists later though, lets get on with the basic recipe first.

Spinach-Corn Delight Recipe:
Ingredients:
3 cups finely chopped spinach
1/2 cups boiled corn ( can use well drained tinned corn)
1 onion chopped
1 large tomato chopped
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp garlic paste
3-4 dried red chilies
salt and pepper as per taste
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp cooking oil

Method:
1. In a pan heat the oil and saute the onions until soft.
2. Break the chilies into 4-5 pieces and fry with the onions.
3. When the mixture is fragrant add the cumin powder,salt, pepper, ginger and garlic pastes, fry well.
4. Add the chopped tomato and cook until, the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
5. Now, throw in the spinach and saute, stir until mixed well.
6. Cover and cook on a med-high flame for 2-3 minutes.
7. Time to add the corn, mix well, cook for 5-7 minutes,stir occasionally.

Spinach - Corn Delight is ready, about the twists to modify it into different meal ideas ....next time.

Easy Cooking...

This recipe for fried rice works well with left- over rice. And if you omit the egg and chicken, it is a yummy vegetarian alternative. A few minutes in preparation and with practice this fried rice is ready within minutes.

Easy Fried Rice Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup of green beans finely cut
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
2 tbsp finely chopped spring onions
2 tbs baby peas
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 eggs
1 cube stock ( vegetable or chicken)
salt and pepper to taste
 3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup boiled chicken shredded ( optional)

Method:
1. In a wok, heat 1 tbsp oil and stir fry the beans, peas, carrots and boiled chicken with the stock cube crumbled, add a tsp of water if required. Fry for 4-5 minutes and set aside.
2. Whisk both the eggs with a dash of soy sauce, salt and pepper. Make an omelet with 1 tbsp oil , cook on both sides and place it on a chopping board. When cooled , roughly cut into small squares. Mix with the stir-fried vegetables.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok and fry the spring onions, add the egg and vegetable mixture. Fry for 2 minutes and add the rice, mix lightly and sprinkle the soy sauce, salt and pepper.
4. Mix well, cover and cook for 5 minutes on low heat. The fried rice is done. Enjoy it with chili chicken.

A well deserved victory............

Yesterday was one of the most exiting days of my life. The Indian Cricket Team won the highest honor in the cricketing world The Cricket World Cup 2011. Wow, I still cannot believe it. We won by a good 6 wickets, thanks to the impressive knocks by the captain  M.S.Dhoni (91) and Gautam Gambhir(97). Though I wish atleast of them would have made a century. India bowled first and created trouble for the Lankan batsmen, with spot on fielding and a catch by Yuvraj was really outstanding. While the opposition fumbled  in that area. So its true that catches win matches! Things could have been a lot different if the Lankans had taken a couple of key wickets or stopped a few more runs through fielding.

Apart from that, it was really thoughtful and rather sweet of the entire team to dedicate the World Cup Victory to Sachin Tendulkar. He deserved it, this probably being his last world cup tournament. But me being the dreamer that I am,who believes in fairy-tales...expected a century from the Little Master so that he could complete his Century of Centuries. After all Mumbai is his home and Wankhede his home ground. Imagine the height of SachinMania then.....Wow the thrill would have been something else.Though it does not matter because Sachin was, is and forever will be the God of Cricket.

I watched the final with a bunch of my close friends, giving hubby dear the ball by ball score via sms. He is in Samoa for his own tournament. I felt so sad for him and missed sharing the thrill of winning the cup with him. All in all, missed centuries, dropped catches, missing hubby does not count , when the bottom line is - India wins the World Cup after 28 years.
Three Cheers for India , Three Cheers for Sachin.............