open faced healthy tomato sandwiches

Nowadays, i am always trying to make healthy recipes, to maintain my weight.
I firmly believe that you don't have to starve to stay thin and you can always substitute healthy ingredients with the fatty ones and still have a flavorful meal ans loose weight !
So i experimented and loved the taste of these sandwiches. These make a healthy lunch without making you feel guilty. this is a great recipe for tomato lovers. Here it goes...

Ingredients:

2 slices of whole wheat bread
1 tomato sliced
1 tbsp of chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp of semi-soft goat cheese
1/2 tsp olive oil
salt
pepper

Method:
1) Brush the slices of bread with olive oil and toast them on a hot girdle until they get a light golden brown crust.

2) On each slice place the slices of tomatoes.

3) Sprinkle salt, pepper, chopped basil and goat cheese on top. Goat cheese has relatively less calories than mozzarella. But you can always use mozzarella as it goes well with tomato and basil.

4) Place in oven and broil on high for about 10 minutes until the goat cheese starts looking softer and tomatoes are roasted. Voila !

Serves: 1

lauki ka raita

Here the recipe ....

Ingredients:
1/2 C grated bottle gourd (lauki)
2 C yogurt
1 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 tsp jeera(cumin) powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste

Method:

1) In a microwave safe bowl, mix half a cup of water and grated lauki. Microwave for 4-5 minutes until the lauki becomes tender as shown below.


2) In a serving bowl, mix the cooked lauki and rest of the ingredients and serve chilled.


Serves 4

Mirchi ka achar

This is a very simple recipe for mirchi achar. Usually our mothers and grandmothers are expert at making pickles and we leave that task at them. But this recipe is so simple that even novice cooks and brand new wives can make it and enjoy the taste of homemade achar ! So without wasting any time, here it is..

Ingredients:

250 gms green chillies
2 tablespoons white mustard seeds
2 tablespoons saunf
1 tablespoon methi dana (fenugreek seeds)
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons salt
sarson ka tel (mustard oil)

Method:

1) Wash the green chillies and dry them in sun. Chop the green chillies.

2) In a dry pan, roast saunf and fenugreek seeds until you can smell the aroma of spices. Cool them and in a mixer, grind this masala with mustard seeds.

3) In a glass jar mix this mixture with chopped green chillies, add salt, turmeric powder and oil until the green chillies are submerged in oil.

4) keep this achar in a dry place for a week until it is ready to eat.

spicy green chillies and peanut chutney

I am writing after a long long time and that is because i was busy with my masters. Finally its done and i am waiting for my convocation. During this time, i got to know a lot of simple recipes which made my student life easier. This recipe is one of them. Believe it or not , i got this recipe from my brother who lives alone and loves to cook!! here it goes.

Ingredients:

1 bunch cilantro
1/2 cup peanuts
6-7 green chillies
salt to taste
a pinch of sugar
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 teaspoon oil

Method:

1) spread the oil on a flat top or pour in a pan.

2) Roast the peanuts and green chillies together until the peanuts become brown and green chillies are roasted. Let them cool for about 20-25 minutes. This step is important because this leaves the peanuts crunchy in the chutney rather than becoming soggy because of the steam.

3) Add peanuts and green chillies and rest of the ingredients into a blender to form a fine paste.

4) You can modify the amount of green chillies according to your spice level. I usually use the green chillies grown at home which are not that spicy.


Serving size: 2 tablespoons
Serves 4