Pasta salad

Whole wheat pasta is rich in fiber,minerals,and nutrients.This is also good for people who are diabetic and those are trying to watch their waistline.Whole wheat pasta and vegetables makes a healthy and delicious meal for either lunch or dinner.

Ingredients
2 cups cooked whole wheat rotini  pasta
2 tablespoon sour cream
2 tablespoon mayonnaise or veganasie
2 teaspoon  chilli ,garlic paste
1 teaspoon cilantro
                                          2 tablespoon defrosted Lima beans
                                          salt and black pepper to taste

Method
1.Mix sour cream,veganasie, chilli garlic paste.Add in cooked pasta and toss it well.
2.Add in lima beans, cilantro, salt and pepper.Mix everything well.
3.Serve and enjoy.

Any other vegetables can be be used in this salad.After a long day at work prepare this salad for a healthy dinner for your family.

Kale Chips

Chips is a go to snack for kids of all ages.They love BBQ chips,Lays and so on,but this kale chips goes faster than you would expect  and you would end up making this over and over again.Kale is one of a super food which is packed with nutrition.


Ingredients
1 bundle of kale
1 table spoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder    
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
                                          salt and black pepper to taste

Method

1.Preheat the oven to 300 degrees .
2.Clean kale by taking out the hard part of the leaves .Rinse it under cold water and then pat dry it with a towel.Roughly chop the leaves and place it in a bowl,Add  all the above ingredients and massage it gently.
3.Arrange  kale evenly on a baking sheet and bake it for 10 minutes or until kale becomes crispy. 4.Serve and enjoy.

Note keep an eye on kale when it is in the oven to avoid  from burning.

Tomatillo salsa

While growing up my mom used to make salsa with red tomatoes and we loved to eat it with anything and everything.After migrating here I started to experience some new food and tried to incorporate it to our traditional dishes.So I served tomatillo salsa with yucca ( cassava) as it is called in the Fijian language.

Ingredients
4 tomatillo cleaned and washed
4 garlic
9 Thai red chillies or 2 Serrano peppers
1/4 teaspoon agave nectar
                                          1/2 cup cilantro
                                          1/2 onion
                                          1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
                                           salt to taste

Method
1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.In baking sheet place tomatillo ,onions,chillies,garlicand roast it for 10 minutes
2.Stuff the roasted vegetables and all the other ingredients   and blend it for 2 to 3 minutes for chunky salsa. Enjoy  Fijian style with cassava or just with any chips .

Rolled Zucchini with cream cheese

Zucchini is made up of 95% of water and has only 18 calories.It is also good for soups,salads, and sandwiches.Zucchini also helps in prevention of most kinds of diseases such as cancer,heart disease and diabetic.

Ingredients
2 zucchini cut lengthwise
2 tablespoon cream cheese
1 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground garlic
                                         1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
                                         1/3 cup basil leaves

Method
1.Brush the sliced zucchini with oil on both sides,season with salt and pepper.Place it on a baking pan and roast it  on a preheated oven (350degrees)until lightly brown or grill it for 4 minutes on each side. Make sure zucchini does not start to break ,other wise it will be hard to roll it.
2.In a mixing bowl combine cheese,cilantro,lemon juice,garlic and mix it together.Put 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture on the zucchini slices ,about 1/2 inches away from the end, then place one basil leaf on top of it and roll it up,Place it seam side down on the serving tray and serve.

This is a very good as an appetizer for any party or just as an snack in between meals.Roasted eggplant can also be used instead of zucchini.

Bara ( Lentil patties)

Bara is  mostly served as a snack but if if placed inside a pita bread o wrap around a tortilla with some vegetables will become a complete meal.In Fiji Indians mostly cook this dish mostly for Holi or Diwali.But in my home I cook bara for my daughter for after school snack over tea or coffee  or as an appetizer for parties.This is very tasty and healthy as it is made with yellow lentils.

Ingredients
2 cups yellow lentils
2 cloves garlic
1/ teaspoon ground cumin
3 green chillies finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
salt to taste
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon turmeric( optional )
                                                       oil for frying

Preparation
1.Soak lentils for 4 hours or overnight. Drain the water and grind lentils in a food processor  with garlic until smooth. Place it in a bowl.
2. Add in cumin ,chillies,baking powder, cilantro and salt and then mix it together.
3.Heat oil in a deep skillet,take a little bit of the mixture and form into patties  and then add it to the add and fry it until golden brown and cooked through on medium low heat.
4.Drain it on a paper towel and serve it with ketchup ,ranch ,or mint and cilantro chutney.