Tomato Rose

Anyone can make beautiful Tomato Rose garnish to dress up your delicious dishes.  It is an elegant way to present a simple dish looks beautiful.

To make a tomato rose you will need:

Sharp paring knife or Peeler

Cutting board or other flat surface

Medium size tomato (firm to the touch)

Start off by peeling from the bottom part of the tomato,carefully cut a continues strip of skin from the tomato.

I got the Tomato Rose Making Techniques from here.  

Comments

Healthy Salad Lunch

It can sometimes be difficult to scale down recipes to cook for one  or two persons. But If you plan ahead, you can enjoy home-cooked meals without a lot of extra fuss. You can really enjoy preparing healthy food at home for 1 or 2 .

INGREDIENTS :

• Chopped Kale – 1/4 cup
• Celery stalk, chopped – 1 no
• Seedless Cucumber, peeled and sliced into 4" long– 1/4 cup
• Baby carrots, peeled and thinly sliced - 1/4 cup
• Pomegranate Seeds – 1/2 cup
• Cooked Rice – 2 Tbsp
• Unsalted cashew nuts – 3 or 4 no's
• Almonds – 3 or 4 no's

METHOD:

• Wash well all the vegetables.
• Kale’s curly leaves provide multiple traps for dirt, so kale should be cleaned carefully. Wash kale in a deep bowl of cold water, stirring it a bit to release the grit, then lift it out. Pour out the water, and refill the bowl with fresh water. Repeat until you no longer see any grit in the water.
• Then spread the leaves out on a large kitchen towel and roll them up into a cylinder. This dries the leaves.
• If you want to remove the stems from the leaves ,  you can either fold each leaf in half, then cut away the stems or grab the leafs with your hand and pull the steam away in the opposite direction.
• Now chop leaves in  desired size and rinse in colander.
• Wash well, peel and slice baby carrots and Cucumber.
• Wash well, Cut both ends off  a celery stalk.
• Rinse celery stalk thoroughly in cold water and dry with a paper towel and chop them.
• De-seed Pomegranate :Instruction is here : http://ourharsha.blogspot.com/2013/11/how-to-open-and-de-seed-pomegranate.html
• Place all the cut vegetables and Pomegranate Seeds  in a  bowl and mix well.
• Transfer half of the mixed Vegetables and Pomegranate Seeds  to a serving plate with 2 Tbsp Cooked rice, Unsalted cashew nuts (3 or 4 no's) and Almonds ( 3 or 4 no's).

Note:

• This healthy Salad is enough for two servings.
• You can make healthy and tasty salads using  your favorite vegetables and fruits.
• Raw foods are low in calories, so incorporating more raw foods in your diet can help aid weight loss and help detoxify our bodies.
• Raw foods contain a high water content which helps to cool down your body and keep you hydrated.

Comments

Kale Banana Juice

Kale is being called “the new beef”, “the queen of greens” and “a nutritional powerhouse.” Kale, also known as borecole, is one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet.

INGREDINTS:

Curly  kale leaves, chopped and stem removed – 3 cups

Ripe banana – 2 nos

Honey – 2 Tbsp

One cup of chopped kale contains 33 calories and 9% of the daily value of calcium, 206% of vitamin A, 134% of vitamin C, and a whopping 684% of vitamin K.

 

METHOD:

How to wash and clean Kale leaves:

1. Place a colander in your sink and place whole kale leaves in it . Rinse the kale leaves under cold water to remove any grime.
2. Now spread the leaves out on a large kitchen towel and roll them up into a cylinder. This dries the leaves.
3. Fold each leaf in half, then cut away the stems. Otherwise, Lay the kale leaves flat on your cutting board. Run your knife vertically down the side next to the stem to remove one side of the leaf, then repeat the process on the other side of the stem to remove the other portion of the leaf. Repeat the process on the other leaves, and then discard the stems.
4. Chop the kale leaves into 1” pieces.
5. Now add chopped kale to the blender, along with 2 cups of water.
6. Blend kale leaves until they are completely broken down and smooth.
   Add one cup of water if needed.
7. Gradually pour the kale mixture through a fine mesh sieve or strainer or JUICE STRAINER  to separate the pulp from the juice. Press to extract as much juice from the mixture as possible. Add additional water, pressing through the solids, as needed.  The pulp can be used in composting or to make veggie burgers and baked goods.

• Now pour the extracted juice back to the blender, with chopped banana and honey.
• Blend on high for 2 minutes till creamy and smooth.
• Pour into glasses and enjoy.

Kale is low in calorie, high in fiber and has zero fat. One cup of kale has only 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and “O”grams of fat.

Comments

How to open and seed a Pomegranate

Pomegranate, the ‘Jewel of Autumn’, is a  beautiful fall-to-winter fruit, delicious and full of antioxidants too. Pomegranates contain high levels of flavonoids and polyphenols, potent antioxidants offering protection against heart disease and cancer. A glass of pomegranate juice has more antioxidants than red wine, green tea, blueberries, and cranberries.

Place the pomegranate on top of a cutting board. Cut 1” off the top and bottom. Use caution, the ruby red juice of the pomegranate will stain your clothing. You can protect your hands with rubber gloves.

The fruit should be in a cone shape after your cutting.

Score the skin at each section.

While holding the pomegranate underwater, pull the fruit apart. The pomegranate should divide where you made the cuts in the skin. Holding the fruit underwater will minimize the amount of juice that may squirt onto you. Gently push out the seeds with your fingers.

Loosen the seeds (arils ) in the water :: The pomegranate seeds will sink to the bottom and any membrane or pith will float to the top of the water. Skim off the pith with a spoon or your fingers.

After skimming off the pith, drain the water from the bowl or pour into a sieve. Rinse the pomegranate seeds briefly under cold water. The seeds are now ready for use.

For eating or juicing, select pomegranate by weight, no color. 

The outside of a ripe pomegranate can vary from light pink to a deep ruby red. The color depends on the potash availability in the soil. A darker or deep red will have a sweeter flavor than the lighter colors which are more tart. Should avoid fruit with cracks and splits in the skin.

Comments