Low fat black bean soup

As most of you might have guessed, my husband and I are gourmands which is great for our taste buds but not so wonderful for our waist line! 😦 But since our families back home are extremely health-conscious, we sometimes feel the guilt of not following their lead. Those are times when we try our ‘diet-foods’. But sadly, these bodhi-esque moments don’t last too long! And our taste buds are back to having a PAARTAY!

One such moment happened to me sometime ago. That’s when I decided to get inspired by my BIL who has lost loads of inches and looks absolutely fab! All you single girlz out there–watch out ;). We started out on a week’s diet of soups for  lunch and dinner, much to the chagrin of hubby dearest! And finding soups that are low in cal is not too difficult. The previous week, a friend of mine had a black bean soup at a nearby sandwich chain. Since I was in no mood to eat (which doesn’t happen very often), I skipped even tasting it. So I decided to make my own version of the black bean soup. We discovered to our utter delight that its a simple, extremely low cal and amazingly comforting dish.

For four large servings:

Black beans-1/2 cup

onion, medium, chopped-1/2 no

tomatoes, medium, chopped-1 no

corn-1/4 cup

green chillies, chopped-2 nos

cilnatro, chopped-7-8 sprigs

cumin powder-2 tsps

chilli powder-1/2 tsp

salt-to taste

Soak the black beans in water for atleast 8 hours(preferably overnight). Pressure cook all the ingredients except the cumin, chilli powder and salt. Once cooked, add the powders, salt and water (if the consistency is too thick). Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or till it comes to a boil.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt (I substituted it for the sour cream that was served in the restaurant) and fresh mint leaves.

Apart from the nutritional value of this dish, the flavor of this dish is so simple, mild and refreshing.

American Chopsuey-A truly desi dish with a firangi(foreign) name

American chopsuey is probably one of the most ordered Indo-chinese dishes in India, after manchurians, hakka noodles and fried rice. Its crunchy texture mixed with the sweet-tangy sauce must make this dish an absolute favorite among the masses. There was a phase when everytime I stepped out for Chinese with friends/family in India , I would order this dish or convince another member in the group to order it and grab a few spoonfuls!

Surprisingly this dish isn’t available in America….how weird is that! I for one think the name could have been something like Cantonese Chopsuey or Indian chopsuey. There are an almost similar dish served in some restaurants across the U.S with a crisy noodle base with sauce on top but nothing compares to the American chopsuey thats served back home.

My mom once made this dish at home and it turned out great. I have been wanting to try this dish by myself  for a while now. And that’s what I did.

For the noodles:

Chang’s Veg noodles-2 packs

Cooking spray/Oil

Heat oven to 350 degree F. Line a baking tray(cookie sheet) with aluminium foil. Break up the noodles and spread it on the cookie sheet. Drizzle/spray oil on the noodles and toss well to cover all the noodles with oil. Bake the noodles for 5 minutes, remove from oven and toss the noodles again to bring the ones at the bottom to the top and bake for 5 more minutes or till slightly golden/browned. Keep aside.

For the vegetables:

Carrots, julienned-2 nos

Green Beans, an inch long pieces-1/2 cup

capsicum/bell pepper, medium, cut lengthwise-1 no

mushrooms, sliced-6-7 nos

cabbage,medium ,cut lengthwise-1/s no.

Garlic, chopped-2 nos

spring onion/scallions-5-6 nos

oil-1/2 tsp

salt-as per taste

pepper-2 tsps

Heat oil in a pan. Saute garlic and the white ends of the scallions. Add the carrots, beans, mushroom and capsicum. Saute for a few mins till they are cooked but still crunchy. Add the cabbage, salt and pepper. Stir and keep covered for a minute. Turn off the heat and keep aside. Reserve the green ends to garnish the chopsuey after assembly.

For the sauce:

Tomato ketchup-1/4 cup

soy sauce-2 tbsps

garlic chilli sauce-1 tbsp

garam masala powder-2 tsps

cornstarch/cornflour-2 tbsps

water-2 cups

In a pan, combine all the sauces, garam masala and water. Bring it to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in little water and add it to the mixture just as it starts to boil.

To serve, place the noodles in bowl, top with the vegetables and sauce. Garnish with the green end of the scallions.

Spicy Thai peanut Noodles with vegetables and tofu

I, like some of my girl friends, have food cravings (Our spouses shudder to think what they would be put through when the ‘actual time’ comes for food cravings). One of my recurring cravings is for thai food. I just love, love, love thai cuisine. I assume its because of its similarity to Kerala cuisine with the amount of coconut milk used! So, when these cravings kick in and I want to make something quick, I make this.

Its my take on the thai peanut noodle salad, just that this ain’t a salad. I also try to give it a little bit of ‘Indianness’ to the recipe with some ingredients. Its a hearty standalone dish that is appetizing to the mouth as well as the eyes. Tofu (bean curd) is a family favorite and one is sure to find a pack of tofu in my refrigerator all the time.  I add it to this dish to give it the extra dimension. After all, isn’t cooking all about infusing flavors and textures?

To make 2 servings:

Spaghetti-1/4 pack(100 gms)

Firm Tofu(cubed)-1/2 pack(80 gms)

carrot(julianne)-1 no.

broccoli-7-8 florets

green pepper(julianne)-1 no.

mushrooms(thinly sliced)-4-5 nos.

cilantro-4-5 sprigs

spring onion/scallion (chopped)-2 stalks

ginger-garlic paste-1 tsp

soy sauce-2 tbsps

chilli-garlic sauce-1 tbsp

tomato ketchup-1.5 tbsps

honey-1 tsp

chilli powder-1 tsp

garam masala-1 tsp

coconut milk-1/4 cup

crunchy peanut butter-2 tbsps(you can use crushed peanuts instead)

Oil-2 tsps

Cook pasta as per directions. Drain, rinse in cold water and keep aside. Marinate tofu in 1 tsp soy sauce for 20 mins. In 1 tsp sizzling oil, saute the tofu till they tun golden on each side. Keep the tofu aside and heat the remaining oil. Saute the white base of the scallions with the ginger-garlic paste for a couple of minutes. Add the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Add the sauces, honey, chilli powder and garam masala. Follow this with the coconut milk and peanut butter. Allow the vegetables to get coated with the sauces. Toss in the tofu and the spaghetti. Garnish with cilantro and the rest of the scallions. Stir well and serve hot.

A spicy and splendid supper for a special someone- YOU!