Soni's Food

Indian Inspiration!

Citrus Bloghop-Orange Lettuce Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

07 | 01 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

After stuffing myself a bit-too-much during the holidays, I’m now in a mood to eat light and healthy.So when my friends suggested citrus as the theme for this month’s blog-hop, I was super excited, because I could post my favorite salad and at the same time not deviate from my healthy-eating plan.When I say healthy food, salad comes to my mind and what better way to start the New Year with a healthy salad recipe.What can I say about this beauty!I call it the King of all Salads as it has all the things you look for in a salad or at least all the things that I look for in my salad.Its sweet, tangy, crunchy, peppery all-in-one.It has the ability to transform a dull meal into this lively elegant supper!
Orange and Lettuce Salad with Honey Lime Dressing 1
Pair it with your favorite rice,pasta or sandwich and there you have it!A piquant tasting salad that’s beautiful in taste and looks.The dressing in this salad has now become my favorite dressing for all kinds of salads!The hint of ketchup and the sweetness of the honey combined with the tanginess of the vinegar and lime juice makes all the difference and gives it lots of flavor.
Orange and Lettuce Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Citrus Bloghop-Orange Lettuce Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Ingredients:
  • Minneola Orange-1 peeled and sliced into rounds
  • Lettuce-2 cups
  • Crumbled Feta-3 tbsp
  • Pimento stuffed Green Olives-10-12
  • Ready salted sunflower seeds-2 tbsp
  • Golden raisins soaked in water-2 tbsp

Honey Lime Dressing:

  • Lime juice-1 tsp
  • White Wine Vinegar-1 tsp
  • Honey-1 tsp
  • Ketchup- 1tsp
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil-3 tbsp
  • Salt and pepper-to taste

Instructions
 

  • Assemble all the salad ingredients and arrange on a platter.Whisk together the dressing and pour all over.Enjoy with your favorite meal!

I am so excited to share this recipe as part of our citrus bloghop for this month.I am co-hosting this event with these amazing bloggers and request you to check out their amazing creations.
You can link up any of your citrus recipes from the month of January 2012.Our twitter hashtag is #Citruslove.
A Little Bit of Everything ~ Roxana ~ @RoxanaGreenGir astigvegan.com ~ Astig Vegan ~ @astigvegan
Baker Street ~ Anuradha ~ @bakerstreet29BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBakerCafeTerraBlog ~ Terra ~ @CafeTerraBlogCake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @cakeduchessCakeballs, Cookies and More ~ SueEasily Good EatsElephant Eats ~ AmyGeorgiecakes ~ Georgie ~ @georgiecakesHobby And More ~ Richa ~ @betit19Mike’s Baking ~ Mike ~ @mikesbakingMis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakkNo One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ TR ~ @TRCrumbleyOh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshoseParsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives ~ Lisa ~ @parsleynsagePeaches and Donuts ~ Sylvia ~ @PeachesandDonutSavoring Every Bite ~ Linda ~ @SpicegirlflaSimply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreemSmart Food and Fit ~ Lisa ~ @LisaNutritionSoni’s Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood That Skinny Chick Can Bake ~ Liz ~ @ThatskinnychickThe Art of Cooking Real Food ~ Laura ~ @TAofCRFThe More Than Occasional Baker ~ Ros ~ @bakingaddictThe Spicy RD ~ EA ~ @thespicyrd  The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarianVegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattackVegetarian Mamma  ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMammaYou Made That? ~  Suzanne ~ @YouMadeThatblog

Sending this post to February Food of the Month (Salad) 

 

 

 

Rice Noodles with Chicken and Mushrooms

02 | 01 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

Happy New Year!I was out of town for Christmas and New Year’s eve and had a great time vacationing with family!Hope you all had a great time as well.The amount of food we eat during the holidays is just unbelievable!The midriff keeps expanding and when its all over, that’s when you start thinking of how to get rid of those extra pounds or kilos that you’ve gained during this period.Time to start eating healthy and time to start exercising, getting back into shape.

Kicking off 2012, I have a great recipe, quite healthy and delicious, quick and easy at the same time!My family loves Chinese food and since I haven’t added any Chinese recipes here yet, I thought now would be a good time to do so.This recipe is inspired by the numerous noodle dishes from the Chinese restaurants in China Town in London’s West End that we frequented on a regular basis.

I use Yellow Peppers, Baby Bella or portobella mushrooms and boneless chicken thighs.The use of Oyster Sauce and Soy Sauce is very common in Chinese dishes and they impart the savory flavor to the dish.You can make it spicy or non-spicy according to your preference.

Rice Noodles with Chicken and Mushrooms
Print this Recipe



Ingredients:


Rice Noodles-1 pck
Boneless skinless chicken thighs- 6 cubed
Yellow peppers-1 sliced
Portobella or Baby Bella mushrooms-1 pkt Cubed
Onion-1 chopped
Garlic-3 sliced
Dried Red Chillies-3
Oyster Sauce-2 tbsp
Soy Sauce- 3 tbsps
Fish sauce- 1 tsp
Brown Sugar-1 tsp
Oil ( Peanut, Sesame or Vegetable)-3 tbsp





Process:


Cook the Noodles according to instructions.Keep aside.
In a separate bowl mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and brown sugar.

In a wok heat 1 tbsp of oil and add the chicken pieces.Season with salt.Continue to cook until slightly browned.Remove the chicken pieces.Add 2 tbsp of oil.Add the garlic and red chillies.Follow with onion and mushrooms, cook until they are golden and then add the peppers.Add the sauce mix.Throw in the chicken and the noodles.Mix well.Check and adjust the seasonings.Serve hot!


Elegant Indian Inspired Thanksgiving Menu

20 | 11 | 2011
By Soni Sinha

I’m not a big Turkey fan, something to do with an unpleasant aftertaste every time I eat it. Hence I normally cook Chicken instead of Turkey during Thanksgiving.This time I’m inspired to give it an exotic Indian touch,something I haven’t done before.Yet I don’t want to spend the entire day cooking in the kitchen, instead, enjoy the Holidays with my family.That said, food still has to be top-notch.So I came up with idea of keeping it simple yet elegant at the same time, sort of “East meets West”.

I am making Indian style Spicy Couscous with Cranberries,Raisins and Slivered Almonds served with Indian Spiced Roast Chicken.Sounds tempting?Wait till you try it.The combination of sweet with the spicy gets your tastebuds dancing.You don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to make these dishes. You can make them any time of the year.You can also serve the chicken as an appetizer with some chutney, or you can use it on a bed of rice with salad as your weekday or weekend meal.Enjoy!

Spicy Couscous with Cranberries,Raisins and Slivered Almonds/Indian Spiced Roast Chicken

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the Spicy Couscous

  • Couscous- 2 cups
  • Water- 2 cups
  • Oil-2 tbsp
  • 1 medium Onion- chopped finely
  • 3 Green Chillies Jalapeños-chopped finely
  • Black Mustard seeds-1 tsp
  • Curry Leaves available in Indian stores- 3
  • Sweetened Cranberries- 1 cup
  • Raisins-1/4 cup
  • Slivered Almonds- for garnish
  • Salt-to taste

For Indian Spiced Roast Chicken

  • Drumsticks and Thighs-8 pieces
  • Oil-1 tbsp
  • Salt-to taste

For the Green paste

  • Coriander leaves chopped-3-4 cups
  • Ginger-1 inch chopped
  • Garlic-4 cloves
  • Turmeric-1 tsp
  • Ground Coriander-2 tsp
  • Ground Cumin-1 tsp
  • Red Chili powder or Cayenne pepper-1 tsp

Instructions
 

Spicy Couscous:

  • Boil 2 cups of water with some salt.Once it starts to boil add 2 cups of couscous.
  • Turn off the heat and cover the pan.Leave it for 2 minutes.Your couscous is cooked.
  • Gently stir it with a fork.Keep aside.
  • In a skillet, heat oil and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves
  • Once it splutters add the onions and green chilies. Saute until onions are light brown.
  • Mix into the couscous along with cranberries and raisins.Garnish with slivered almonds.

Indian Spiced Roast Chicken

  • Start by preheating the oven to 420 degrees F.
  • Make the green paste using all the ingredients above.Once the paste is ready,place the chicken along with oil,salt and green paste into a ziplock bag.Seal firmly and mix the contents together.Leave it in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours.
  • Place the marinaded chicken pieces on an aluminum foil on top of a baking sheet.Bake for about 40-45 minutes, turning the chicken once so that both sides are golden brown.
  • Once ready, let it rest for a little while before serving.

 

Aloo Gobhi (Potatoes and Cauliflower)

21 | 10 | 2011
By Soni Sinha

Its the season to eat, eat and eat some more, but don’t look down that region called the “midriff”.Just pretend it doesn’t exist or just block it off from your memory for sometime.At least that’s what I do! I must admit that I’m a foodie and to be honest its not my fault, it runs in my family.My parents are the most amazing cooks I’ve known, my mom an amazing vegetarian cook, who also cooks the most delectable fish curries and my Dad, the ultimate authority on mutton dishes that are absolutely divine, so food has been a big part of my life 🙂

Marriage hasn’t changed me one bit, since DH is a food lover just like me!He likes to whip-up his own creations every once in a while.We love food from around the world and are always looking to try out different cuisines wherever we go. Most of the traditional North Indian food I cook,I’ve learnt it from my parents with slight variations here and there to make it easier and quicker, more suitable for our fast-paced lifestyle without losing the essence of the dish itself. 
My Aloo Gobhi is one such dish and it comes together quite effortlessly and packed with lots of flavor.It pairs really well with some Roti or Rice.

Aloo Gobhi 3

Aloo Gobhi (Potatoes and Cauliflower)
Ingredients
  • Potatoes- 1 cup (Peeled and Cubed)
  • Cauliflower- 2 cups (Cut into florets)
  • 1 Medium Onion-Sliced thinly
  • Garlic paste-1 tsp
  • Ginger paste-1 tsp
  • 2 Tomatoes-Chopped
  • Turmeric-1 tsp
  • Coriander Powder-2 tsp
  • Cumin Powder-2 tsp
  • Red Chilli Powder-1/2 tsp
  • Oil- 3 tbsp
  • Salt-to taste
Instructions
  1. In a deep skillet heat about 1 1/2 tbsp of oil.
  2. When heated add the cut vegetables and fry them with a pinch of turmeric until they are a little brown on the edges.
  3. Take them out and in the same pan add the remaining oil.Drop in the onions and fry for abt 2 mins until soft.
  4. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for another minute.
  5. Add the chopped tomatoes and all the dry spices and cook until oil separates.
  6. Now add the fried potatoes and the cauliflower and mix well with the rest of the spice paste(masala) in the pan.
  7. Cook until potatoes are soft and cauliflower is cooked but firm and not mushy.
  8. Serve hot with Naans,Parathas, Puris or Rotis (Chapatis).Enjoy