Spinach, Pea and Paneer Curry

So today I decided to put two famous paneer curries into one.

Palak and matar paneer reinvented and super tasty. Using fresh spinach adds such a rich flavour. I can’t wait to delve in!

INGREDIENTS 

1 red onion chopped

1 tin tomatoes crushed 

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp ginger

1 tbsp oil

Pinch of asofoetida

Pinch of Mustard seeds

Pinch of Cumin seeds 

Little dried chilli flakes

1 star anise 

1 tsp cumin & coriander powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste 

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp dried mango powder

I block paneer cubed 

1 bag fresh baby spinach pureed 

1 cup frozen peas

METHOD 

Heat the oil on a medium heat in a large saucepan with the mustard, cumin, chilli flakes, asofoetida and star anise. Once the seeds start to sizzle stir in the chopped onion, garlic and ginger

Reduce the heat to slow.  Add the tomatoes with the rest of the spices 

Combine and cook for 5 minutes. Place the paneer into the tomato base, cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes stirring occasionally 

Last thing is to add the pureed spinach and peas. Cook off for a further 10 minutes and your curry is ready to eat!

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A Mediterranean Ebli Salad

Shivaay Delights has definitely turned a leaf this year by going more healthy. That’s not to say I don’t crave my sweet baked treats! Some brownies have just been taken out of the oven! 😉

This salad attempts to capture strong tangy Mediterranean flavours that really make you appreciate good food!

Enjoy! A gnocchi recipe coming up soon. Much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 cup ebli durham wheat pre cooked
1 small bag of baby spinach
1 tin chickpeas drained 400g
1 red bell pepper diced
Big handful of plum/cherry tomatoes
1 roasted aubergine cut into chunks
Crumbled feta cheese to taste

Dressing

5 tbsp olive oil
Lemon juice of 1 small lemon
1 heaped tsp wholegrain mustard
Salt to taste

METHOD

Assemble all the salad ingredients. Toss well to mix and pour over the salad dressing

*I roasted the aubergine on the stove. You can roast it in the oven with the skin on until crinkly and tender

The Green Thirst Quencher

Recently my husband and I went out on a dinner date to a lovely Japanese restaurant, where I sampled a green juice similar to the one I have made here. What is so lovely about this particular juice is that you can taste all the different levels of fruit and veg within. Blending the pulp as well keeps all of the goodness in!

I can totally see myself having this drink over and over again definitely a thirst quencher whether in the winter when you need a immune vitamin boost or in the summer when you need something so very refreshing!

INGREDIENTS

2 sticks of celery
8 green grapes
Handful of fresh mint
Handful of spinach
100ml apple juice
50ml water
Dash of fresh lime

METHOD

Add all ingredients into a drinks blender and whizz til smooth

Serve cold, but do stir as the celery will sink to the bottom of the glass

Israeli Cous Cous Salad

For someone that is not partial to cous cous I had never tasted Israeli cous cous until a few weeks ago. Not very cous cous like but is actually little pearl like pasta. I found it to be filling and goes well with all sorts of vegetables. I am writing this post up as I wait here for my husband to come home and try this salad for the first time. I will let you know his verdict. I know it will be good 😉

Enjoy your day, much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Israeli cous cous (cooked as per instruction on packet)
285g tinned sweetcorn
1 bag of baby spinach
1 large courgette sliced thinly
12 cherry tomatoes
6 unpeeled cloves of garlic
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Lemon juice
Cheddar cheese grated

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°c, put the courgette, cherry tomatoes and garlic into a shallow roasting dish.  Drizzle over with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  Place in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until tomatoes are cooked through and the courgette slices are soft and tender

In a large salad bowl, combine all the ingredients, the pre cooked cous cous, sweetcorn along with the roasted vegetables fresh out of the oven

Mix well, smash the cherry tomatoes a little to release some juice for flavour, season with salt and fresh lemon juice

Serve on a bed of baby spinach and sprinkle with cheese.  Feta cheese here would also be a lovely choice

Sweet Corn and Spinach Curry‏ – Guest Post by Dimple of Shivaay Delights

I am absolutely honoured to write for our dear friend Aruna @ Aharam. Hope you all enjoy this curry! See you soon, much love D x

Comforting Food Always!

I always find myself making and discovering new recipes but don’t tend to make recipes that I’ve previously developed. Not because it becomes repetitive, more that I’m always looking for new things to cook!

So, this weekend I decided to change things up a bit and go back to a recipe that I made a while back and adored the first time round. I made the tomato sauce a bit more Mexican and spicy and reversed the filling and sauce around. This is The first dish and now for what we had at the weekend. I think it makes for a nice winter meal as the heat of the spices warms you through.

So very easy to prepare in advance if you have guests coming round or so quick to make when you want a simple, fast meal. Hope you all enjoy it!
Have a mesmerising Monday, much love D x

INGREDIENTS

For the filling

A large bag of baby spinach 400g
1 large garlic clove
150g full fat soft cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

For the sauce

430g tomato passata
1 small white onion chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 tsp taco/mexican seasoning
1/2 veg stock cube
1/3 tsp cayenne pepper/paprika
1 level tsp salt

6 large tortilla wraps
Grated mature cheddar cheese

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 190°c

Blitz all the filling ingredients together in a food processor…DONE!

For the sauce

Heat up the Olive oil. Sauté the chopped onion on a low heat until golden brown. Pour in the tomato passata along with all the seasoning, stir well. Cook through for 10 to 15 minutes

To see the set up of the enchilada go to…Mexican spinach enchiladas

Once all layed out in baking dish, pour over the tomato sauce. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and has is all golden

Serve with a salad of your choice

Spicy Spinach & Cheese Omelette

How lovely is it that the tables have turned and you are able to cook for your parents now. It was so lovely when my mum came to spend time with me last Friday and requested me to make her a spicy spinach and cheese omelette! She loves loves chilli, don’t know where I  get that from? 😉

So to heat up the flavours, I decided to shallow fry off the 2 chillies in the oil base.  This way the oil started to infuse the spicy heat and this then transferred itself to the whole yummy omelette!  Such a simple and tasty dish yet so satisfying.  Mum was happy and so was I!
Here’s to more foodie requests from our families for us to make for them!

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded spinach
1/3 cup grated mature cheddar cheese
1 green chilli finely chopped
1 tbsp milk
Salt to taste
1/3 tsp ground cumin powder
Pinch of turmeric powder
1 tbsp olive oil

METHOD

Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan on a low heat. Beat the eggs and milk with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine well

Pour into the frying pan and still on a low heat let it set. Once set, place a lid or plate onto the pan so that the top of the omelette cooks in its own steam

Wait a few minutes, making sure all of it is cooked through

Serve with some buttered toast and savour the spiciness!

Gujarati Khandvi With Baby Spinach

This is one of my favourite traditional dishes of the region of Gujarat in India. Gram flour and fresh yoghurt based pasta sheets, rolled into tasty little delights. This is the second time I have made them and normally coriander is used as a garnish but I wanted to change it up a bit as I do! I found some crisp fresh baby spinach, shredded it and garnished the khandvi along with coconut

Have a look Tangy rolls of khandvi with baby spinach

Try them out and let me know how you like them..Have a gorgeous weekend friends! Much love, D x

Saag Aloo, I’m back to being healthy!

So the plan was to take a cheeky break from our relatively healthy diet that both my husband and I are on. We did for a while…And I’m extremely happy to say I am back to eating healthy and even healthier! Yay!

The reason for the termination of the cheeky break was that I started to feel horrible physically. I felt bloated and guilty that I had to go back to the wonderful way it was!

I think anyone can tell you to eat healthy, but it’s only when you see what a difference it makes to you! It’s when you realise it’s the best thing for you. You feel better, not only physically but emotionally too!

So what better way to celebrate then to share my saag aloo recipe with you all. Fresh vivid green baby spinach draped over soft spiced new potatoes! It just couldn’t get better. Enjoy, much love D x

INGREDIENTS

500g new potatoes quartered and par boiled
200g baby spinach
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 green chilli finely sliced
½ tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp sunflower oil
¼ mustard seeds
¼ tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of dried red chilli flakes
⅓ tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp coriander & cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste

METHOD

• Heat up the oil in a large saucepan with the chilli flakes, mustard and cumin seeds. Once they start to pop, gently add in the garlic, ginger and par boiled potatoes, mix well and ensure the potatoes are coated in the oil

• Throw in all the spices and seasoning, combine well, pour in a little water to aid the cooking process (½ cup)

•Cover and simmer on a low heat for 10-15 minutes.

• Put in the whole bag of baby spinach and cover to allow it to wilt, stirring occasionally

• Leave to cook for a further 10 minutes, ensuring that the potato is now soft and fluffy. You may like add a little single cream to make the curry a little richer (leave out if Vegan)

• Serve up with some naan bread or chapattis

A Broad Bean & Rice Soup

A broadbean and summery spinach soup! Ummm laced with rice and garlic..love this! Enjoy friends!

Shivaay Delights

“Start as you mean to go on!”, well that is the saying! I’ll try, but I can’t promise to be really healthy all the time. I do intend to make more healthy foods and enjoy them in many different ways, so come explore with me in 2014!

Broadbeans!!! Ummmm not one of my favourite things until very recently! They have always been around me and making an appearance as my Dad just loves them. I used to pick them out from anything my Mum used to make with them in it. My Dad’s plate came in extremely handy and he loved them being passed over to him.

So what’s changed? I really don’t know, maybe my palette has transformed and I’m quite enjoying them now. Strange what taste buds do in our life times!

This soup is an interesting combination of luscious healthy greens plus rice that I just adore!…

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