Scrambled Tofu

I had scrambled tofu at my office cafeteria and it was love at first "bite"(I can see that my vocabulary is pretty limited!). The mere simplicity is it's USP and in my opinion, it's one of the best tofu recipes ever. Well, if you are like me, you are not a tofu fan, but we do care about food value, don't we? And trust me, I am sure you'll love it.

The ingredients here serves 3/4. Time to cook is approx 30 minutes.

• 1 pack Firm(or Extra Firm) Tofu
• 5 Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
• 10-12 Asparagus stalks and spears (chopped finger size)
• 1 Green Chilly (chopped)
• Salt according to taste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp Olive oil

Method:

• Drain the Tofu. Best way to do this is to place the tofu between layers of kitchen towels, and place a heavy utensil on top of it for an hour or so. But if you lack time, just fly past to the next step :)
• Once drained, crush the tofu block with your fingers.
• Pour olive oil in a non stick pan.
• Add the tomatoes, saute for about a half of a minute, take out and keep aside. Don't let the tomatoes soften by sautéing long.
• In the same pan, add  chilies, chopped Asparagus and salt.
• Sauté for a while. Cover in medium heat for about 5-8 minutes.
• Lift the cover and sauté in high. Make sure there is no water left in the pan.
• Now add the crushed tofu and turmeric and sauté in medium flame for about 8 minutes, until the tofu is dryish and the oil appears at the sides of the pan.
• Add the tomatoes and chilies. Mix all ingredients together lightly.

Serve scrambled tofu any way you like:

• Fix up a brown bread sandwich. Add cheese/honey mustard sauce.
• Serve it hot with white or brown rice and a little butter.
• Make a whole wheat tortilla wrap with some tomato sauce. Pack it for your child's school lunch. Avoid chilies in that case!

Tips:

• Try sputtering up some mustard seeds first in the oil and then go ahead with the rest of the steps. You might need a little more oil in that case.
• Squeeze in a few drops of lemon before serving.

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Magic soups!

Its the dreaded season of flu, cough and cold germs are everywhere and though we take every precautions against them, you might still fall prey. The telltale signs - heavy head, blocked nostrils, dead tastebuds, itchy throat - and you know, the next few weeks are going to be painful.

Growing up, my grandma and mom always had natural and useful home remedies when I or my brother had cough and cold, and those generation old remedies have thankfully imprinted in me and I always dig up my magic potions when my kids fall sick. Thanks to internet and television, I have learned some additional tricks and together my guns are all ready to win the battle against the nasty germs. These home remedies are good for adults too and will give you the much needed comfort you need.

I am going to upload some of the tips/tricks/home remedies on my YouTube channel soon, please visit and do not forget to share and subscribe.

Here  I will share recipes of my goto soups of this season, they are extremely good to boost immunity and help reduce cold and cough symptoms. I call them magic soups :)

1) Ginger + Green onion soup -

Ingredients :

Pasta - 1 cup
Ginger - 1/4 cup, sliced (you can use 1Tbsp grated if you are not scared of spice)
Spring onions/Scallions - 1/2 cup, cut
Carrots - 1/2 cup, cut
French Beans - 1/2 cup, cut
Salt
Black Pepper
Butter - 1 Tsp
Tangerine - 1/2

Method :

1) Boil 5 cups of water in a pan
2) Add salt as per taste
3) Add the Ginger, Spring onions, Carrots, French beans, Pasta and Black pepper
4) Cook until pasta and vegetables are al dente or soft if you prefer.
5) Add the butter and turn off flame.
6) Squeeze the tangerine into the soup, add about 1 tsp of juice to the soup.
7) Serve hot with toasts.

2) Chicken + Orange peel/zest soup -

Ingredients -

Chicken breast - 4-5 pieces, I used halal chicken with bones.
Carrots - 1/2 cup, cut
Onions - 1/2 cup, diced
Orange zest - 1 Tsp
Apples - 1/3 cup, diced with peel on
Turmeric - 1/2 Tsp
Salt
Black pepper
Butter - 1 Tsp

Method -

1) Marinate the chicken pieces with some pepper and the turmeric.
2) Boil about 5 cups of water in a pan
3) Add salt as per taste
4) Add the onion, orange zest, marinated chicken pieces, apples and carrots and boil until chicken is cooked. Add more water if needed
5) Add the butter and turn off flame.
7) Serve hot with some rice. Add as much black pepper as you like.

P.S. Add slit green chilies to the soup for added flavor and heat. Green chilis are known to boost immunity.

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How To Eat Burata Cheese

I love love love Burata Cheese.

From WikiPedia - Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella, while the inside contains cheese produced from buffalo milk and cream, giving it an unusual, soft texture.

I get the low fat version from my grocery store. One ball serves 2 and is 70 calories per serving. However I cheat each time and eat the whole ball myself, not too much still - adds up to just 140 calories.

The proper technique of eating Burata was taught to me by my daughters best friend's Dad. He is an Italian and infact was the one who actually introduced us to Burata. I initially was skeptical because I hate Buffalo milk, too strong a taste for me, but as I pinched my nose and swallowed a bite, it hit my heart, the melting heavenly taste of a perfectly served Burata. Since then, its a part of our regular grocery list, and here is how we like it -

Ingredients -

Burata - 1
Salt - 1 pinch
Pepper
Extra vergin Olive oil - 1 Tbsp
Fresh lime - 1/2 tsp

Method -

1) Take the burata in a plate.
2) Make a small slit on it with a knife
3) Pour the Olive oil on it
4) Sprinkle a pinch of salt and drizzle some pepper
5) Add a few drops of fresh lime.

Ideally serves 2 :) But cheat like me and enjoy, just look at the calorie on the package and buy the lower calorie one, problem solved.

Do subscribe to my Youtube channel to know more about me and more healthy recipes and lunchbox ideas. And don't forget to follow me on Instagram @Tulibh

Minimal Salads

Losing postpartum weight is such a challenge, especially if you just had your repeat c-section. Top that with muscle separation or diastasis recti. I have a tendency to put on several extra pounds during pregnancy, happened the first time when I had my daughter at 26 years of age and then again when I had my son at 34 years. So you cannot blame it on the child's gender or maternal age. I think its just hormones and I have the bad pregnancy hormones like many other women. I remember being so jealous of the beautiful glowing pregnant women at the maternity hospital when I went for regular checkups. What am I doing wrong? I had the perfect pre-pregnancy weight, walked 2 miles most days during the full 9 months, ate healthy, especially after I had borderline GDM my 2nd time, but but but...well my motto - lets not fret about things that cannot be controlled, I am so overjoyed and grateful to God for my two beautiful children. And I know I can get back my healthy body again, I have done it once, and I will do it again :)

So lets start with diet. I try to follow a low carb diet even after I was given the green signal after I delivered my baby that I am free of blood sugar and can get back to my normal eating habits. But to be honest, I liked the GDM diet and am trying to stick to the good habits I have started with help from my then nutritionist.

I have uploaded a video of what I eat in a day on my YouTube channel, hope you will like it. I will upload a few more in the coming days. There I share what I eat and the total estimated calorie intake in a day. I am a breast feeding mom, so once I stop breast feeding altogether, I plan to alter my diet some more.

Recipes for easy salad, I will keep adding as I make and take pictures of them -

1) Spinach/Mango/Sunflower seeds 

Ingredients -

Spinach - 2 cups, washed and cut
Mangoes - 1/2, sliced
Sunflower seeds - 2 Tbsp
Fresh lime - 1/2 tbsp
Quinoa chips - 10

Method -
Super easy, just take the spinach in a plate, top with mangoes, sunflower seeds. Drizzle the fresh lime and take a side of your favorite chips, quinoa chips are healthier choice. I also like lentil chips.

This is best with sweet mangoes. I mangoes are not sweet, add some honey instead of the fresh lime.
This is extremely low calorie food, so make sure to eat some protein with it, like a boiled egg/buratta cheese/chicken breast pieces etc.

2) Kale/Oranges/Almonds

Ingredients -

Kale - 1 cup, washed and cut
Oranges - 1/2, peeled and diced
Almonds - 2 Tbsp
Extra Virgin Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Parmesan cheese - 2 Tbsp
Chicken dumplings - 5 (I used the store bought ones)

Method -
Take the kale in a bowl, top with oranges, almonds and Parmesan. Drizzle the olive oil and take a side of some chicken dumplings. I toasted the store brought (frozen) ones on a pan w/o oil on low heat. Took about 10 minutes to get ready.

Do share your favorite salad recipe in the comments below :)

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Sandwiched!!!

Four easy, simple, delicious and quick school lunch box Sandwich recipes, these are also my absolute favorites. Why you ask? Well for one, these sandwiches are made of fresh vegetables and since they taste so good, no one is complaining. And because they are so super easy and take barely minutes to make, I end up having some time of my own in the mornings.

Now while I talk of these sandwiches as kids' lunch ideas, they taste scrumptious and I am sure parents would love to sneak in a bite. Please pack one for your work lunch, and let me know how you liked them :) Or just eat them at home for lunch or dinner or as a snack like I do.

I always prefer "Sourdough bread", this happened after I watched a documentary on Netflix about "Bread" couple of years ago. Bread was explained so well there, and turns out that Sourdough bread recipe is the only bread recipe that is the "properest" of all, so much so that if made the right way, people with gluten allergy will also be able to consume it. I am not sure if the bread I buy are made the "right" way, since I get them mostly from department/grocery stores, but I did get a chance to test this statement made by the documentary in a way. I had gestational diabetes during my second pregnancy and I struggled to portion my carbs correctly, and observed that my blood tests were always better if I ate a Sourdough bread compared to other varieties like Multigrain, Whole Wheat etc. BTW, while we are still on the topic of gestational diabetes, the best carb out there is Quinoa! Its the most amazing grain! 

Okay, back to bread and sandwiches; here are the recipes, I use Sourdough bread (2 qty), and would recommend them as well, but can be made with any bread -

1) Spinach/Avocado/Mozzarella Sandwich -

Ingredients -

1/2 Avocado - sliced

Butter

Mozzarella cheese - shredded, 1/3 cup

Spinach - 1 cup

Black Pepper

Method -

1) Toast the bread, I like them crunchy.

2) Spread butter on both.

3) While the bread toasts, mix the spinach and mozzarella together and microwave for 1.30 minutes. 

4) Mix in the melted cheese well with the spinach and top one of the buttered bread.

5) Place the diced avocados on the other.

6) Put some black pepper on top, and shut. Cut into half.

2) Spinach/Egg/Cheese Sandwich -

Ingredients -

Spinach - 1 cup

Egg - 1, make into an omelette/scramble/sunny side up (everyone has a favorite :)

Cheese - shredded, 1/3 cup (Mozzarella/Parmesan)

Butter

Black Pepper

Method -

1) Follow the steps above from 1-4.

2) Place the egg on the second bread. Add some black pepper.

3) Shut and cut in half.

Want to know more about me and see the recipe? Please checkout recipe and chit-chat video here - Spinach/Egg/Cheese Sandwich

3) Sweet Potato/Avocado Sandwich -

Ingredients -

Sweet Potatoes - 1/2, cut in medium sized circles, keep skin.

Avocado - 1/2, sliced.

Salt

Black Pepper

Lemon - we will need a few drops

Method -

1) Boil 1/2 cup water in a flat bottomed skillet. Add the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle some salt.

2) Cover and cook on low flame. Once the water is evaporated, test if the potatoes are done with a fork, add a little water and boil some more if needed.

3) Toast the bread.

4) Apply butter on both.

5) Add the potatoes on one bread, avocados on the other.

6) Sprinkle a few drops of fresh lemon, and add some black pepper.

7) Shut and cut into halves.

4) Egg/Avocado/Cucumber Sandwich -

Ingredients -

Hard-boiled egg - 1

Avocado - 1/2

Cucumbers - Few circles

Cilantro - 1 Tablespoon 

Butter

Black Pepper

Method -

1) Toast the bread

2) Butter both

3) Cut the boiled egg into circles and put on one bread.

4) Add the avocado and cucumbers on the other.

5) Sprinkle the cilantro and black pepper

6) Shut and cut in half.

For more videos on cooking and chit-chat, subscribe to my YouTube Channel and don't forget to follow me on Instagram @tulibh