Tag Archives: continental

All Posts, Salads

Avocado Egg Salad

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I spent a few months with a German friend, who (obviously) made awesome potato salads. And both of us being small eaters who are very fond of salads, that was almost always dinner. So we’d experiment with whatever was in the fridge. This came up one day as a result of those experiments.

Now, avocados are tricky to pick. If you need help with choosing good ones, click here.

Serves 2 – 4
Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado
2 boiled eggs
1 small potato, boiled and peeled (optional)
½ onion, chopped
1 tbsp chopped dill leaves
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard sauce
Salt and pepper

Method:

Scoop the avocado flesh and shell the eggs.

Mash the avocado, eggs and potato gently. Too much pressure will make it pasty. You want it to retain some shape, so be gentle.

Mix in the onions, dill, mayo and mustard sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

To enhance the taste, refrigerate for about half an hour before serving.

All Posts, Easy Recipes, Mains

Spaghetti w Tuna Marinara Sauce

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spaghetti with tuna sauce

This meal is for those days when you want a fairly nutritious meal but don’t want to work too hard. If you’re really lazy, you could even heat up ready-made pasta sauce, throw in canned pasta, and your sauce is ready in 2 minutes.

The time to cook might look a bit long here, but it’s really about some initial work, and then letting it cook by itself.

Time taken: 20 min
Serves 4

Ingredients

350 gms/ 15 oz spaghetti
1 150gm/ 5oz can tuna in brine, drained
6 big or 8 medium tomatoes
1 onion
4-5 cloves of garlic
2 tsp dried parsley
½ cup fresh Italian basil leaves
½ cup dry white wine (optional)
2½ tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Method

Bring a large pot of water to boil.

Meanwhile, chop up the tomatoes and onion finely. (I like my sauce chunky. If you like it smooth, puree the tomatoes and onion separately)

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the garlic, and the onion after the garlic turns light brown.

Once the onions are light brown, add the tomatoes. Add the salt.

Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes, checking occasionally.

Once the water starts boiling, add the spaghetti and cook as per the directions on the pack. Drain.

Once the tomatoes are cooked and mushy, add the wine and allow it to simmer till the sauce is at the desired consistency.

Add the crumbled tuna. Stir and add the basil and parsley.

Remove from heat, serve on top of the spaghetti.

All Posts, Breakfast, Easy Recipes

Roasted Bananas

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roasted bananas

Summers bring with them a much lower appetite. And also plenty of yummy fruits! The Kerala banana, or nenthra-pazham (നേന്ത്രപഴം), is very high in carbs, therefore very filling. And high carbs is exactly what you are looking for, in the perfect breakfast. Pair it up with a glass of milk, and you’re good to go!

This can also be made with the regular big bananas, although the texture and taste will be completely different.

Time Taken: 10 min
Serves: 1

Ingredients:

2 bananas, halved and sliced vertically
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp crushed nuts – almonds, cashews, walnuts
1 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp salted butter

Method:

Spread the butter on a hot skillet and gently place the banana slices on the pan. Cover and let cook.

Turn when it has browned a bit, and cook on the other side.

Place them in a heap on a plate, sprinkle the nuts and raisins.

Pour the honey on top, and serve hot. Can also add a sprinkling of nutmeg for flavor.

All Posts, Salads

Couscous salad

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couscous salad

I first ate this salad as a 14 year old in France, as I watched the sun streaming in through the windows, the smell of freshly baked baguettes floating in on a beautiful Sunday morning. It was also the first time I ate salad for breakfast. And it was love at first bite.

Couscous is often confused with broken wheat. They are not the same. Couscous is really a pasta that looks like a grain, and is made from semolina. It is much faster to cook when compared to broken wheat. If you don’t have couscous, you could probably substitute it with cooked broken wheat.

The most special ingredient in this dish is the parsley. It adds a wonderful freshness.

Time taken: 10 min
Serves 3-4
Measuring cup used: 200 ml

Ingredients

1 cup couscous
1 cup chopped Greek cucumber
1 cup chopped tomatoes
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Cook the couscous as per instructions. Usually this involves soaking it in an equal amount of boiling water and letting it sit covered for 10 min.

Make the dressing by mixing the lemon juice and the olive oil and adding salt and pepper.

Mix the couscous with the chopped cucumber, tomatoes and parsley. Refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Serve cold, topped with pumpkin seeds if you like the crunch.