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

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Eggless Vegetable Fritters

A gooey cheesy fritter without egg!.. Loaded with vegetables of your choice.  I preferred courgette, sweetcorn and spring onion.  You could use tomato to give it a bit more and some chili to jazz it up a bit!

Simply done…quickly eaten! Enjoy friends..Much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 grated courgette
1 tin sweetcorn drained
100g mature cheddar cheese grated
1 spring onion sliced
Handful of chopped chives
4 tbsp plain flour
200ml milk
Paprika
Chilli powder
Salt
Oregano to taste
Olive oil

METHOD

Combine all ingredients except milk and flour, mix well into a large bowl

Whisk the milk and flour. Slowly add this mixture to the large bowl

Heat up a little olive oil in a non stick frying pan.  Place a heaped table spoon of fritter mixture into the pan and flatten to make a disk

Gently flip over. Making sure both sides are golden brown

Serve with a coriander chutney

Fuss Free Vegetarian Biryani

Sometimes I do wonder if I can invest more time in photography because of all the wonderful pictures I see my fellow food bloggers post. I do feel strongly however that it is all about the food and recipes so I like to share the recipe as soon as possible and as many recipes as I can.

I do hold my fellow food bloggers in very high esteem that take skilled food photographic pictures. I hope one day to be as half as good as them!

This fuss free biryani, I made a few days back. It went down really well with the in laws and we especially enjoyed the crisped rice that baked to perfection.

Hope you enjoy this dish and are having a wonderful weekend. Much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

2 carrots grated
1 courgette grated
1 red onion diced
1 red bell pepper diced
¾ tsp ginger paste
1 large cup frozen peas
1 tin sweetcorn rinsed
1 tbsp sunflower oil
Pinch of cumin & mustard seeds
Pinch of red dried chilli seeds
2 cloves
2 tbsp Biryani masala to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp ground coriander and cumin powder
1- 2 level tsp salt or to taste
300g tomato crushed passata
2 tsp tamarind sauce
½ tsp brown sugar
Water

A whole large pot of pre cooked boiled rice

METHOD

In a large pot, heat the oil on a medium heat, throw in the mustard and cumin seeds.  Once they sizzle away, sprinkle in the red chilli seeds.  Sauté the red onion and pepper until soft

Mix in the grated carrot and courgette with all the seasoning and spices.  Combine well, reduce to a low heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes

 

Add the sweetcorn, peas and tomato passata. Stir well and simmer for a further 10 minutes.  Meanwhile pre heat the oven to 200°c

Once the biryani veg is prepared.  Layer a large rectangular oven dish with the boiled rice (2cm depth)  pour over all the prepared curry and spread evenly.
Cover with the remaining rice

Place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until the top rice layer is nice and crispy.  Serve with a cooling raita or kadhi

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

Chutney On The Cob

Do you fancy a taste of a barbecue Summer with a funky take on Indian cuisine, well then! This recipe is for you! I have just literally finished taking my last bite of corn with my spicy coriander and lemon chutney I just made. I couldn’t wait at all, to share this with you. If you have these ingredients…you must try this NOW!

It’s so healthy, filling and above all super tasty. Especially as an addition to a meal or in its own. Next time I want to team it up with some baked sweet potato wedges. My creative juices are flowing…I have many more recipes to write up! Better get down to it!

Until then, much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch fresh coriander
1 red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic peeled
1 green chilli
1 tbsp Sunflower oil
Lemon juice to taste
Salt to taste

Sweetcorn on the cob pre grilled

METHOD

This is the easy bit!  Just place all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz for a couple of minutes until you get a grainy paste.

Don’t worry about stalks of coriander not being crushed, this way there is more flavour

Smother the chutney onto the corn, making sure all is covered.  Now ready to sink your teeth in?  ENJOY!

Wordless Wednesday

I am in Sweetcorn Heaven…

Have a fantastic day friends x

Corn & Mozzarella Poppers With Italian Herbs

Since starting my foodie group on Facebook, SHARING FOOD WITH SHIVAAY DELIGHTS. I have met sooo many lovely people. We have all formed a foodie friend community and today I present you with a guest recipe from a very talented and innovative cook and friend Suchit Save

Yesterday he put these poppers up online and had us all drooling!!! So I thought it wasn’t fair, if I didn’t share this superb creativity with all WordPress friends.
Suchit is always coming up with funky food recipes and thinks about flavours and components that go so well together. I feel he is always thinking about food as are we, so he is in great company. I’m trying to convince him to come and join us on the food blogging scene. I know he will have a lot to offer and everyone will take to his genuine down to earth personality and gorgeous food recipes!

I will be hosting guest recipes here more often to encourage those awesome cooks out there, that don’t blog, to blog! and post their recipes! As we are missing out on all this delicious food at the moment…I’m working on it 😉

A very BIG Thank you to Suchit for allowing me to showcase his food and here’s to much more! Have a wonderful day, full of food, love and laughter. Much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 cup boiled corn (Add salt, pepper a little butter and a stock cube for that added flavor)
1 cup boiled and mashed potatoes
Mozzarella Cheese (cubed as per your wish! I kept them a tad bit bigger as I want more cheese to filling ratio)
2 tsp Mixed Italian Herbs (Only Oregano and Chili flakes work best as well)
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp garlic powder+ 1 tsp olive oil/1 tsp finely chopped garlic slowly cooked with a tsp of olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

METHOD

Combine all the above ingredients (except the mozzarella) and set aside. Now, take a tablespoon of the mixture and insert a mozzarella cube in the centre so that it is completely encased with the potato and corn mixture. Repeat till the filling is all used up.

Now here’s the fun part: Take 3 bowls…

Bowl 1: Maida + Salt + Paprika
Bowl 2: Egg (lightly beaten) with a little salt OR buttermilk (for vegetarians)
Bowl 3: Breadcrumbs

Dip the poppers in bowl 1 (shake off excess flour)
Then in bowl 2 (let the excess egg drip away) and finally into bowl 3 the breadcrumbs
Repeat for all poppers

Store poppers in the freezer for at least 15 mins before deep frying them to a golden brown!

Enjoy piping hot with any dip of your choice!

An Indian Sweetcorn & Lentil Dal

A large saucepan of lentil dal in this household will disappear so quickly, you won’t believe your eyes. So very nutritious and comforting that makes you feel good and really warm inside.

The sweetcorn adds buttery speckles of colour to this already vibrant orange dal. It brings the sunshine to your palette!…what more could you ask for

A meal you can prepare in less than 35 minutes and I will be experimenting more to come up with even quicker healthier meals, so watch this space! Enjoy x

INGREDIENTS

2 cups red lentils
Boiling water
1 medium onion sliced in crescents
1 tomato diced
1 tin of sweetcorn drained
½ tsp grated ginger
1 tsp garam masala/ pau bhaji masala
¼ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp dried red chilli flakes
1 tsp coriander & cumin powder
Salt to taste
150g tomato passata
1 tbsp sunflower oil
Freshly chopped coriander to garnish

METHOD

• Bring the lentils to a boil and then gently simmer for approximately 10-12 minutes, making sure there is enough water at all times. Once lentils are soft and a little mushy turn off the heat and set aside for later

• Heat up the oil, mustard seeds and chilli flakes in a large saucepan. When the seeds pop throw in the onion, tomato and ginger, sauté for a few minutes

• Add all the spices and seasoning plus the tomato passata

• Stir and lower heat to a gentle simmer, cook for 5 minutes with the sweetcorn and then carefully pour in the lentils with the water

• Bring to a boil and then on a low heat cover and simmer for 10 minutes

• Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with fluffy basmati rice

A Warm Sweetcorn & Garden Pea Ebly Salad

Ebly is a wheat berry where the entire wheat kernel (except for the hull), composed of the bran, germ, and endosperm is in tact. Wheatberries have a tan to reddish brown color and are available as either a hard or soft processed grain. They are often added to salads or baked into bread to add a crunchy texture. When wheat berries are milled the resulting flour is whole wheat
This side dish is often called Ebly, from the name of the first brand of cooked wheatberries.

My parents first came across this gorgeous grain at a close aunt’s house. She had made a wonderful dish with a variety of vegetables and Ebly and my Mum especially couldn’t stop raving about it! She loved it so much that she instantaneously that week went and bought some. Low and behold I got her Ebly vegetable dish to try out straight away. I now can look back and understand why both my parents took to it so. A comforting grain that feels good once eaten. It is also able to absorb the flavours you throw at it! I too fell in love and now it’s your turn!

A couple of days ago my Dad sent me a couple of pictures via email of his sweetcorn and pea Ebly dish which looked delightful! Yesterday I wrote down his exact recipe and as always couldn’t wait to share with you all, my friends! So here it is, a healthy and light meal for anytime of the day. Thank you Dad for the excellent recipe and pictures! Love you x

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Ebly pre boiled as per instruction
1½ cup frozen peas
1½ cup frozen sweetcorn
½ tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp cumin seeds
⅓ tsp turmeric
salt to taste
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Fresh coriander to garnish

METHOD

• Heat the oil in a large shallow saucepan, throw in the cumin seeds along with the sweetcorn and peas. Mix well and cook for 5-7 minutes

• Season with salt and add turmeric. You may want to add a little water if less moisture. Cover and cook for a further 10-12 minutes

• Stir in the pre cooked Ebly, re-season if need me, squeeze over the lemon juice and combine well and warm through on a low heat for 5 minutes

• Garnish with freshly chopped coriander

Corn On The Cob With Garlic Butter & Lime

I always find myself coming back from my parents home with bags and bags full of food and goodies. My Mum and Dad can’t help themselves but to pack me up lots and lots of stuff! In my goodie bag this week I had some sweet corn and last night had the perfect opportunity to quickly cook and season it for a light dinner.

So simple as dimple as it may seem! ;)…my husband and I really enjoyed the sweetcorn dressed in a salty yet sour dressing with traces of garlic aroma and taste mingling away with the butter and lime

Quickly go get yourself some corn on the cob and try this today! Have a sweet and day! Enjoy! Much love D x

Lime & Garlic Butter Corn On The Cob

INGREDIENTS

2 corn cobs in quarters
2 tbsp low fat butter spread
1 level tsp garlic granules
1 lime
Salt to taste

METHOD

Cook the corn on the cob quarters in some boiling water 4 15 to 20 minutes or until the kernels are tender

Meanwhile mix the butter with the garlic granules combine well as a little salt if you wish at this stage to it

Once the corn is done, carefully spread the garlic butter all over a cob and then drench in fresh lime juice. Sprinkle more salt if you wish