Chicken Wantons

Stir fry chicken  with hoisin sauce and vegetables makes a delicious first course or a snack and it does not take much time to prepare.

Ingredients

1 skinless ,boneless chicken breast
1/2 of an onion sliced
1 small red green bell pepper cut into strips
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions
2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 inch of ginger minced
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
salt to taste
                                         1 tablespoon black pepper
                                         wanton wraps
                                         oil for frying
Method
1. Finely sliced chicken into strips and marinate it with hoisin sauce,cayenne ,and salt for 30 minutes.
2. Heat skillet on medium high heat and stir-fry chicken  for about 2 minutes or until cooked.Remove from the heat and put it in a bowl.Then stir fry bell peppers onions with garlic ,black pepper and salt for about couple of minutes of until the veggies softens and then add the chicken to the vegetables.Mix and remove from heat.
3.Take the wanton ,place the chicken mixture in the middle and then fold it with the edges.Prick it with a fork.
4.Heat oil in a pan and fry these wanton until brown.drain it on a paper towel.
5.Serve it with any dip or sauce of your choice.
 

Pan fried Salmon

Salmon is  full of nutrition and is very tasty and flavorful.   Growing up on an island my mom used to cook fresh fish with coconut milk ,make soup or just pan fry it.

Ingredients

4 salmon steak
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1teaspoon ground black mustard seeds
1 tablespoon chilli powder
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
11/2 teaspoon lemon juice
salt to taste
 oil for shallow frying
Method
 1.In a bowl mix cumin,mustard  seeds,chilli powder ,garlic,ginger,lemon juice,and salt.Then rub the mixture on the salmon and let it  rest for 10 minutes.
2.Heat oil in a pan and then fry the salmon for 3 minutes each side or until brown and cooked through.
3.Drain it on kitchen paper and serve.

Falafel

Falafel  is a very healthy vegetarian dish which is very common in middle eastern families.This can be eaten as a wrap with cucumbers,carrots  in a tortilla or placed inside a pita bread with any veggies of your choice. Falafel  can also be served as an appetizer.I like this because it is like a go to healthy meal which is very easy to prepare. 

Ingredients

1 cup drained and rinsed chick peas
1/4 of an onion roughly chopped
1 Serrano pepper chopped
                                          2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
                                          1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
                                          1/4 teaspoon tumeric
                                          2 tablespoon flour
                                         2 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
                                         Black pepper and salt to taste
                                         oil for frying

Method
1. In a food processor place in chick peas,Serrano pepper ,onions ,garlic and blend it .
Place it the roughly blended mixture into a bowl and add in tumeric,cumin,flour,cilantro ,and salt and pepper to taste.
2.Mix everything together and form into balls.Heat oil into a saucepan and fry the balls on low heat until golden brown or until cooked.
3.Serve and enjoy.

Note Don't cooked on a very high heat otherwise the inside of the falafel will not be cooked.

Onion Rings

There are so many different varieties of onions such as red,yellow,and white.Onions is being used in all households for cooking  or for salads.Onions can also be eaten raw with just lemon juice and salt and pepper.  There is many different ways of cooking onion rings and this is my method.

Ingredients

1 onions peeled and sliced in rings
1/2 cup besan (chick pea flour)
1/2 cup brown rice flour
                                         1/4 teaspoon baking powder
                                         1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
                                         salt to taste
                                         black pepper to taste
                                        1 cup water
                                        oil for frying

Method

1Mix chick pea flour and rice flour in a bowl.Add in baking powder,cayenne,salt and pepper and Mix it together.Then slowly add in water to form a batter.
2.Add in the onion rings in to the batter and gently stir in .
3.Heat oil in a saucepan.Slowly drop in the battered rings into the oil.Let it cook for couple of minutes or until lightly brown.
4.Drain it on a paper towel and serve.
Onions rings can also used on sandwiches and in salad.

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 .