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 Spicy Chipotle Tomato Sauce

The perfect sauce for your gnocchi. Smoked Chipotle chilli flakes with fleshy tomatoes crushed with garlic salt and pepper and a little bit of rape seed oil. Which in turn gives you a wonderful aromatic spicy and yet tantalizing sauce for any pasta dish!
All you do is blitz all the ingredients and gently cook through to fuse all the flavours.

INGREDIENTS 

1 tin crushed/whole tomatoes

1 medium white onion

2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp rapeseed oil 

2 pinches chipotle dried flakes

1 tsp garlic salt

Ground black pepper to taste

Dried Oregano to taste 

Salt to taste 

METHOD 

Blend the tomatoes, onion and garlic cloves together

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle in the chipotle flakes, pepper, dried oregano  and garlic salt as the oil heats up

Keeping on a slow heat, pour the tomato blended mix. Season with salt, stir and cover the saucepan

Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally 

Serve with gnocci or your favourite pasta

Enjoy!

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

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa With Lime

A winter warmer, so quick. I think it’s too good to be true. Very tasty, healthy and comforting on a cold winter’s night…
Makes a lovely main or even a side dish to go with your Christmas dinner. Have a look and give it a go. Do let me know how you all like it. Love feedback! Until then, much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 large cup precooked quinoa upon instruction

1 aubergine diced
1 bell pepper diced
12 plum or cherry tomatoes
5 garlic cloves
2 courgettes diced 2cm chunks
1 chilli sliced finely
Coriander to garnish
Fresh lime juice to taste
Olive oil
Salt to taste

METHOD

Preheat oven to 200°c, place all the vegetables in a large deep roasting tray.  Season with salt and a generous drizzle of olive oil

Roast for 20 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked through and a little charred

Carefully fold in the cooked quinoa, drench in lime juice to taste.  Use freshly cut coriander to garnish the quinoa

Serve hot with a sprinkling of grated cheese

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

A Quick Mashed Tomato Bruschetta

Sometimes you’ll find that my recipes are all about the assembling! this was my lunch yesterday. I find myself pairing things up that I have and creating something new for my tastebuds nearly everyday!

This keeps food exciting and I get variation aswell as using up ingredients that I have in the kitchen. It’s a win win situation! 🙂

I love tomatoes and in this dish as they are boiled to soften instead of fried, this becomes a much healthier dish. The garlic granules really adds a tasty dimension. You can choose a bagel of your choice either made or bought. I’m still to conquer bagel making, it’s on my list of things to do!

INGREDIENTS

2 tomatoes boiled deskinned
1 bagel (red onion & chive)
Low fat butter spread
Salt
Garlic granules

METHOD

Slice and toast the bagel, spread the butter on both halves

Take one tomato and mash a little, place on one half of the bagel, season with a little salt and a sprinkling of garlic granules

Repeat for the other bagel half

Make a cup of tea and enjoy

A Roasted Garlic & Lemon Dressing On A Super Salad

My husband decided to go on a diet to lose a little weight which is good news for him and his health but not for my cooking passion!
All this food and he will only be sampling?!! So to accommodate this change I decided that I would cook him super healthy food and I too would join him. Though I’m not giving up my love of sweet things, everything in moderation for me! Lol 😉

No carbs, more protein, more fruit and vegetables! So I raided my fridge for all the fresh veg I had and teamed it up with chickpeas. I must say I was delighted by the result and though he had most of it, I secretly wish I had made more for myself too!

I roast vegetables occasionally for pasta and various curries but this was the first time where I made a salad. This inspiration has come from Elaine@Foodbod. I often see her colourful pictures of succulent roasted vegetables! Drenched in mouth watering dressings so I too couldn’t resist. The addition of chickpeas provides this dish with more nuttiness and makes it more satisfying.

I think I will have to go and buy some more exciting fruit and vegetables to explore and create new recipes with! Have a fantastic day! Much love D x

INGREDIENTS

1 medium aubergine sliced finely and then quartered
1 red bell pepper chopped into chunks
1 large fresh tomato in segments
3 garlic cloves in skin
1 tin of chickpeas
3-4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Pinch of sugar

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 180°c, place all the prepared veg into a lined roasting tin. Drizzle a little olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and massage the oil into the vegetables

• Roast for 25-35 minutes until everything is tender and soft. Peel the roasted garlic cloves and set aside in a small bowl

• With a fork smash the roasted garlic, add salt to taste. Pour in the olive oil and lemon juice and then mix in the paparika, dried coriander and sugar. Combine well

• Serve up the roasted vegetables in a large bowl, rinse the chickpeas and throw in. Drench the salad with the dressing and coat all the ingredients well

I wanted some FRESH BREAD…

I’m feeling a little under the weather today, but a girl’s got to eat…so I raided my pantry and found this

Yes ok..it’s a packet job! But boy did it work well.  So well that I had to share, as I always do..still needs to be kneaded and set to rise but ultimately you get a wonderful and tasty…more importantly fresh out of the oven loaf!

I’ve just enjoyed a few pieces and I think I’m now going to drape myself in my pink Mini Mouse blanket and take a nap….can you believe it?..I’m actually going to get some rest…otherwise as most of you know, I am always on the go!  See you tomorrow friends x

Inspired Tabouleh

I finally got my hands on some Quinoa and am so happy to have made it this year. As The Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has officially declared that the year 2013 be recognised as “The International Year of the Quinoa.”

I also had to make it after seeing Sylvia @ Superfoodista version of Faes @ Twist and Tango tabouleh. Both these fellow gorgeous foodie bloggers inspire me everyday! And I just love their recipes!

I didn’t have mint or parsley so used fresh coriander in its place. I must say it worked splendidly! Gave the tabouleh more of an Indian feel. My husband and I have liked this so much that we’ve now had it two days in a row!

INGREDIENTS

50g Quinoa
200ml boiling water
3 spring onions chopped finely
1 tomato finely chopped
Handful of fresh coriander chopped
Fresh lemon to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of chilli powder
Salt to taste
Pinch of sugar

METHOD

• Bring the quinoa to a boil in a small saucepan, then lower to a simmer and cover, cook for 15-18 minutes until tender

• Once cooked drain the quinoa and leave aside

• Combine the rest of the salad and seasoning together with the oil and lemon juice. Mix well and then add the quinoa

• Leave for 30 minutes to marinate and serve with some pitta bread or in our case we had some whole grain crispbread with golden bits of shallow fried halloumi cheese

Fae’s wonderful original tabouleh recipe
Superfoodista’s super healthy tabouleh recipe

A Quick Healthy Egg Curried Breakfast or Lunch

By now as you are getting to know me, you will be aware that I just love my EGGS!!! I’m always finding new ways to prepare and enjoy them.

Once again my dearest friend Anussha came up with this gorgeous recipe. Her food is always sooo full of flavour and delightful in substance. I’m trying to get her to join the food blogging world! She would be excellent and her cooking would inspire many, as she does me! But in the meantime I will share her ravishing recipes with you all, so you don’t miss out!

Have a super Sunday! Much love D x

INGREDIENTS

3 free range eggs
3 fresh medium tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
⅓ tsp grated ginger
Fresh coriander half handful
1 small green chilli
½ tbsp low fat butter/spread
1 tbsp olive oil
⅓ tsp salt or to taste
½ tsp garam masala

METHOD

• Place the 3 tomatoes in a saucepan and pour over boiling water. Parboil for 5-7 minutes until nice and soft. De-skin and put into the blender

• Add the ginger, garlic, chilli, coriander, garam masala and salt to taste and whizz the the tomatoes to combine. Blend until you have a smooth paste

• In a non stick saucepan heat up the butter and olive oil on a low heat. Once bubbling pour in the tomato base and stir. Cook for a couple of minutes

• Make 3 spaces in the sauce and then crack the eggs gently into the spaces

Cover with a lid or plate and cook on a low heat for 5-8 minutes. This depends on how well you want your eggs done

• For a rich soft yolk make sure that the white has just about set. Serve on some wholegrain buttered toast!