THE RECIPE LARDER

Guacamole

By Leave a Comment

avocado and all other ingredients ready and prepped for mashing

To be very frank, I’m not a huge fan of Guacamole. Actually not a huge fan of Avocado either. The son, daughter and husband love it though!!

My son is on a full blown -I am going to build my body, and eat healthy – kind of streak, and he makes a lot of Guacamole, or Guac as the kids call it.

This here, is his recipe. Quick and super easy, and very filling. He made it for me last winter when he was here on holidays, and though my eyes don’t start shining in emotional gratefulness at the sight of Guac, I did dip a couple of nachos into it and I must say I was thoroughly impressed with it.

Avocado is not easily available where I stay. It grows in abundance in Bangalore, but the taste, texture and flavour is not as good as the one available in California.  When I went to spend sometime with my daughter in San Jose – California, I accompanied her to the super market. My eyes popped out, seeing the gigantic heaps of Avocado, spilling on to the floor, overflowing from their baskets. And the price!! Oh! Boy, it was being sold for peanuts.

I wanted to take back a few with me to India, but my kid gave me a fairly accurate description of the way it would get squashed and then get in between my clothes and when I would try to pull them clothes out, I would have slimy, gooey flesh smeared on my hands ….. you get the gist, don’t you?! Disheartened I gave up the idea, but began a hunt in Bombay for good Avocados. It was quite a task. They would be either underdone or over ripe and always, always very expensive.

I finally found a store, and now I get ripe to be eaten – the day I want – type of Avocado whenever I so please. It’s still a tad expensive, but it’s exotic fruit (yes Avocado is a fruit!) in India, and we pay for the glamour.

Do try out this recipe. It’s super easy and actually mashing the fruit – I found it kind of stress relieving.

avocados

Storage

Guac gets black very fast, as it starts oxidising when exposed to oxygen in the air. Lemon helps keep its colour, but it still needs further help. As such it’s best to make Guac just before serving, but it’s not always possible. To store Guac without letting the exposure affect it, store in a air tight box, or in a bowl, and cover with cling film, letting the cling film stick right on top of the guac. When you serve the guac, you will have to scrape the guac off the cling film, but it’s worth the effort.

If you want to use only one half of the fruit, retain the stone (seed), push it back into the cavity of the left over half, and cling film it tightly and keep refrigerated. This helps to a certain level, but eventually you better consume the fruit as soon as you can.

Cheers! to good fat!

 

 

 

 

Guacamole
Print Recipe
Quick and easy recipe for a healthy snack.
Servings Prep Time
3/4 pax 10 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3/4 pax 10 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Guacamole
Print Recipe
Quick and easy recipe for a healthy snack.
Servings Prep Time
3/4 pax 10 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3/4 pax 10 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: pax
Instructions
  1. Cut the Avocado from the stem to the root, slicing the fruit into two
  2. Pull apart the two ends, and scoop out the seed with a spoon.
  3. Using a sharp knife, make horizontal and vertical slits into the flesh of the fruit.
  4. Now scoop out the flesh with a spoon, scraping into the skin of the fruit.
  5. Put all the flesh into a bowl.
  6. Add all the ingredients into the bowl with the avocado, and start pulverising with a fork. First break down the fruit and then start mashing the rest of the ingredients with the avocado.
  7. Lastly add the lemon juice and mix some more.
  8. Voila - it's ready to serve with nacho chips.
Share this Recipe

Seed Paté

By Leave a Comment

Some time back, the husband and I started on a diet with Deepika, who works with Luke. She has been in touch with me on a daily basis, and I cannot convey in words how wonderful we both started feeling within weeks of our nutritional plan. Unlike other “dieticians” they don’t nail our heads to a wooden plank, if we cheat or if we don’t follow instructions to the hilt. It’s actually a slow gentle coaxing to start changing our lifestyle and eating habits. So many small issues like sleeplessness, bloating etc are taken care of, using natural home remedies. And I must say it works, because now I sleep like the proverbial log, and in the mornings the bed and I are like lovers – loathe to leave each other.

Without realising, we have now changed our eating habits. The old hogging days no longer appeal to us, and on a very elemental level, we have started opting for healthy, nutritious and wholesome meals. Overeating even a little bit makes us groan and moan unbelievably.

This diet takes care of us very holistically. Small ailments are sorted almost immediately. Over the period of a year, my blood pressure and cholesterol are within normal limits.They care for our mental, emotional and physical health. After all this, we cannot return back to our old ways of eating aimlessly and only for taste. I now look for recipes that are healthy but tasty. This  Seed Paté is one of the many such recipes.

It’s a very versatile recipe. You don’t have to follow it the way it’s written. The dill can be replaced with coriander or any other herb of your choice.  Please read the notes following the recipe, before making the Seed Paté.

It can be used in many different ways. Eat it like a sandwich, mix it in vegetables as a gravy, dip with pita, layered with a salad — the options are endless and left to your imagination.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.


Seed Pate
Print Recipe
Versatile, super quick, easy, gluten free and healthy.
Servings Prep Time
4 pax 5 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 pax 5 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Seed Pate
Print Recipe
Versatile, super quick, easy, gluten free and healthy.
Servings Prep Time
4 pax 5 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 pax 5 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: pax
Instructions
  1. Put everything in a mixie and grind to a coarse mix.
  2. Don't over grind. You want a coarse texture. Even if some seeds are only partially ground, it's fine. That's what you want.
  3. Cut the bread slices into 1 inch broad fingers and toast till crisp.
  4. To serve, heap the paté on the toast and spread. It should be a thick layer.
  5. Garnish with sesame seeds and olive oil and serve immediately. Preparing too much in advance will make the toast soggy.
  6. The paté can also be had as a dip.
Recipe Notes

Seeds : You can use any of these seeds, or a mix of all. I have used Pumpkin, Water melon, Melon, Hemp and Sunflower.

Water: I have used the same water which was left over from boiling the chickpea. The left over water is thick, and sluggish and does not flow easily. This lends a heavy texture to the paté and does not make it runny. If for some reason, you are not using this water, you can use normal filtered water. BUT REDUCE THE QUANTITY. Use a little at a time. You will not need more than 1 - 2 Tbpsn max.

Herbs: The flavour of dill is very strong. But the quantity in the recipe is just enough to give you a hint of flavour. You can do away with dill altogether and increase the parsley. You can also replace it with coriander, or basil. It's totally up to you and your preference. But some herb definitely has to be used.

 

Share this Recipe