Oven Roasted Vegetables

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F 
2. Cut vegetables into pieces that are uniform in size.
3. Mix olive oil and Italian seasoning, salt, onion, and garlic powder in a large bowl until combined.
4. Add vegetables to the bowl and mix until well-coated.
5. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.
6. Spread vegetables evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.
7. Roast in the preheated oven until vegetables are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
8. Serve hot.

Tongue-Tickling-Stir-Fried Green Beans

We had been to a sichuanese restuarant some days ago and apart from the other items that we liked, this simple Green beans were excellent.

So I tried to recreate them in my kitchen!

You need-

1 pound Green beans

1 tbsp Sesame seeds

1 tbsp minced Garlic

1 tsp Red chilli flakes

Salt and pepper to taste.

1 tbsp Vinegar

i tsp Soya sauce

1 tbsp Oil

Method-

Remove the stems of the beans and wash them well.

Heat oil in a pan or a wok.

Put in the sesame seeds.

Toast them until they crackle.

Then add the garlic and brown it.

Put in the green beans.

Stir well.

Add vinegar, soya sauce, salt, red chilli flakes and pepper.

Mix well.

Stir fry on high flame for 5-8 mins.

And serve hot as a side dish.

Enjoy!

Spicy Bittergourd

This is my mom's Recipe.

I know Bittergourd is not a very likeable vegetable...the name says it all.

But still I tend to somehow like it.

And when I make it this way, it really doesn't taste that bitter!

The recipe is quite simple though.

First of all, Cut the bittergourd into thin roundels.

Apply salt and leave them for around half an hour or so.

Then rinse them well in water a couple of times.

This is supposed to remove atleast some of their bitterness.

Then take a skillet.

Heat some oil and shallow fry the bittergourd pieces till golden.

You dont have to deep fry them so the quantity of oil should be quite less.

Remove and drain them on a paper towel.

Then in the same skillet, in the remaining oil, add finely chopped onions.

Also add, lots of finely chopped garlic.

Saute well till the onions turn brown.

Then throw in some finely chopped tomatoes.

Again, cook till the oil seperates.

Then put in all the dry spices like-

Red chilli pwdr, Coriander pwdr, Cumin pwdr, Turmeric, Garam Masala pwdr and Salt and a pinch of sugar.

Again, roast it well.

Finally add the roasted bittergourd pieces.

Garnish it with a lot of Cilantro.

And enjoy it with hot Phulkas.

Spicy Drumsticks(Saragawa)

Drumsticks are green stick like vegetables.
They are tough from outside but soft and fleshy from the inside.
The only portion that is consumed is the inner seeds and soft flesh.
While the outer stem is discarded after properly sucking the juice out of it!

The drumsticks are normally boiled before use so that they turn softer.
This drumsticks dish is a spicy side dish which is loved by my family.

Its easy to make and tastes great too!

You will need -

6-8 Drumsticks, cut into finger-length pieces
You can peel some of the outer hard skin
(you can use the frozen precut variety too)

Oil, 1 tbsp
Salt, to taste

Hing, 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli Pwdr, 1 tsp
Turmeric, 1/4 tsp
Coriander Pwdr, 2 tsps
Cumin Pwdr, 1 tsp

Garam Masala Pwdr, 1/2 tsp

Juice of 1 lime or 1/2 tsp Dry Mango Pwdr

Cilantro to garnish.

Method-

Wash, peel, cut and boil the drumsticks for around 10 mins.

Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a pan.

Add hing and turmeric.

Add the boiled drumsticks.

Put in all the dry masalas and salt.

Mix well.

Roast for around 5 mins.

Add the lime juice.

And Garnish with Cilantro.

And its ready to serve.

A Soup and A Stir-Fry

I often make this combo for a vegetarian Dinner.

It is vegetable Soup and Broccoli Stir-Fry.

The recipe of the soup comes from the kitchen of Rachael ray with slight variations and the broccoli stirfry is just a simple Indian variation for a vegetable that I like very much!

All in all this combo is very healthy and low cal.

For the Vegetable Soup-

You will need-

1 big Onion

2 Tomatoes

1 tsp chopped Garlic

1 cup chopped Celery

2 Carrots

A hanful of Green Peas

A handful of Green Beans

1 Potato

Salt

Black Pepper Pwdr

Poultry Seasoning(optional)

Olive Oil

Method-

Chop all the vegetables roughly.

I normally follow-chop and drop principle.

In a big vessel, heat 1 tbsp Oil.

Saute Onion and Garlic for a while.

Add Celery and Tomatoes.

Mix well.

Add the Carrots,Potato, Green Beans and Peas.

Keep stirring it occasionally.

Add salt and pepper and 1 tbsp poultry seasoning.

Instead of poultry seasoning you can also add Italian seasoning or any other combination of herbs of your choice.

Roast well and then add 2 glasses of water.

You can also add vegetable stock.

Boil well and serve immediately.

You can also add pieces of boneless chicken in the soup if you like.

And instead of vegetable stock you can add chicken stock too.

The Broccoli Stir-Fry is a very easy, quick and healthy dish.

You will need-

1 head of Broccoli chopped into florets

1 medium Onion, chopped

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Red Pepper flakes

Salt and Black Pepper pwdr

1/2 tsp Garam Masala pwdr

1 tbsp Oil

Method-

Heat oil in a skillet.

Splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

Add the onion.

Saute till it turns pink.

Add the broccoli florets.

Put in all the spices and salt.

Cook on high flame till all the spices coat the broccoli well and it is just tender,but still has a crunch to it.

Serve immediately just like that or with Rotis or Rice.

Gobi Paratha

Parathas are an all-time favourite at our home.

So I try to make different kinds of parathas every now and then.

Recently I have been making Gobi -Parathas a lot!

I dont follow any particular recipe, but whatever I feel like adding ..goes in!

So this is just a basic guideline you can alter the ingredients according to your taste.

To make 4 Gobi Parathas, You will need-

2 cups grated Cauliflower

1 green chilli, chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 tsp cumin pwdr

1/4 tsp garam masala pwdr

1/4 tsp dry mango pwdr

salt to taste

2 cups of wheat flour

Water

Oil.

First of all knead the dough adding salt and water.

It should neither be too soft nor too hard.

Keep it aside for half an hour.

Take a bowl and put in the grated cauliflower, onion, cilantro and all the dry masalas.

Add salt at the end when you are about to roll out the parathas.

Mix all the ingredients well.

Divide this stuffing into 4 equal parts.

Divide the dough also into 4 parts.

Make a ball of one part and roll out a little.
Fill it with stuffing in the centre and roll out again to make a paratha.
Cook on a hot griddle putting oil or ghee on both the sides.

Serve hot with curd or pickle or sauce.

Enjoy!!

My simple lunch today

Usually for lunch I always have some leftovers from the previous night and I just have to make chappati or rice to go with it.

But at times there are no leftovers or there are days when I feel like making something fresh and simple, even though its for me alone.

Today was one such day!

I decided to make a Gujrati Lunch.

So I made 'Gobhi Sambharo' i.e.cabbage vegetable and 'Gujrati Dal' to go with it.

When I was in school, I often visited my Aunt to spend my vacations with my cousins.

And they were in Gujrat. I enjoyed the train journey from Bombay to Gujrat as much as the stay there. My aunt would make all types of gujrati dishes and farsans like sev tomato, Undhiyo, Carrot sambharo, Khaman Dhoklas, Dhabheli, Kachoris and the list is really endless.Though I was not much interested in cooking then, but I did help her in the kitchen often. And so now I try to recreate those dishes in my way for my family and remember those times!

For the Cabbage Vegetable-

1 small head of cabbage, chopped

2 Green Chillies, slit

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Asafoetida(Hing)

1/2 tsp Turmeric Pwdr

1 tsp Coriander-cumin Pwdr

Salt to taste

Oil

Cilantro to garnish

A pinch of Sugar

Juice of half a lime.

Method-

Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a pan.

Splutter mustard seeds.

Add hing and green chillies.

Put in the chopped cabbage.

Cover and let it simmer till the cabbage is half done.

Keep stirring in between so as it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Then add the coriander-cumin pwdr, salt, sugar, turmeric and mix well.

Cook for a little bit more timetaking care that the cabbage a still crunchy and not over cooked.

Garnish it with cilantro and lime juice.

For making the Dal-

1 cup Yellow Lentils(Toor Daal)

2 Tomatoes, chopped

1 green chilli, chopped

5-6 Curry leaves

1 tsp mustard seeds

1tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Asafoetida(Hing)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp red chilli pwdr

Salt to taste

Sugar, a pinch or more according to your taste

Juice of half a lime

Cilantro to garnish

Water

Oil.

Method-

Pressure cook the dal in 2 cups of water till its done.

Then mash it with a wooden churner or hand blender.

Heat oil in a pan.

Splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

Add the curry leaves,hing, tomatoes and green chillies.

Saute for a while.

Then add turmeric, red chilli pwdr, salt and sugar.

Put in the mashed dal.

Mix well.

Add water for the desired consistency and let it boil well.

Garnish it with cilantro and lemon juice in the end.

I had my dal and vegetable with chappatis for a nice, simple and satisfying lunch!

Peas Pulao with Sai Bhaji

'Sai Bhaji' is a traditional sindhi dish that is made with Spinach, yellow split peas(chana dal) and a combination of everyday vegetables like onions, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bottle gourd and so on. We love to have this dish with Peas pulao.

This dish is also very easy and quick to make if you have the vegetables at hand. And when I am not in the mood of making chapatis and I have spinach at hand, I quickly dish out this healthy combo.

To make Sai Bhaji, I used-

1 bunch of fresh Spinach

1 cup Yellow Split Peas(chana dal), soaked for 1/2 an hr in water

1 big Onion, chopped

2 Tomatoes, chopped

1 big Potato, chopped

1 cup chopped Bottle Gourd

2 Green chillies, chopped

1/2 tsp grated Ginger

1 tsp chopped Garlic

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Turmeric Pwdr

1/2 tsp Red Chilli Pwdr

1 tsp Coriander Pwdr

1/2 tsp Cumin Pwdr

1/2 tsp Garam Masala Pwdr

1 tbsp oil

Salt

Method-

First of all clean the spinach, remove the stalks and wash well and then chop it and keep aside.

(You can also add methi leaves and dill leaves if you have them. Wash and chop them and add with the spinach.)

Heat Oil in a Pressure Cooker. Add the cumin seeds.

After they splutter add ginger, garlic and green chillies.

Then put in the onions and saute well.

Add the tomatoes next.

Also add salt, turmeric and all the powdered masalas at this stage.

Do not overcook the tomatoes.

Put in the potatoes and bottle gourd.

(Sometimes I use potatoes only. As we are not very fond of bottle gourd and eggplant. But you can also add carrots and green beans)

Also add the chana dal at this point.

After roasting all the veggies and the dal for sometime, put in the spinach.

Saute for a couple of mins and add 1/2 a glass of water and put the lid of the cooker and pressure cook it for 2 whistles.

Let the pressure drop on its own.

Then open the lid and churn the vegetable with a wooden churner, till the vegetable is well blended.

And its ready to serve.

For the Peas Pulav-

1 cup Basmati Rice

1/2 cup Green peas, selled and rinsed.

2 cups water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of Turmeric

Pick and rinse the rice and soak it in water for 1/2 an hour.

Heat Oil in a pan. Splutter the cumin seeds. Add turmeric.

Put in the green peas. Saute.

Drain the water from the rice.

Add the rice to the pan and saute well for 5 mins.

Then add water and salt.

Let the rice cook on medium flame till it is nice and fluffy.

Serve it hot with Sai Bhaji.

A Grilled Platter

In India, summer is like any other season. It is not a season that we wait for. But here in the US, summer is something to be excited about! Oh, how everybody waits for this season here is not surprising. After all those cold snowy months comes out the sun, bright and shining, and so come out the grills and the barbeques and the parties!

I had never grilled in India, So I was so excited about this whole grilling affair!

First was the difficult question of what type of grill I want...After much thinking and research I settled on an indoor grill pan rather than an outdoor one. The main reason for me was that if I have a stove top grill then I can grill anytime no matter what the season, rain or shine!

Then the next challenge was the recipes , since this would be my first experience in grilling I didn't want to fail at the first shot. So I brought a couple of good grilling cookbooks from the local library and started going through them.

The most important thing that I learned was that it is a common misconception that high heat would somehow speedup your grilling. It will just damage your grillpan. What is important is that you heat your grill pan over medium heat until very hot.To do this place your grillpan on the stove on medium heat and leave it undisturbed for atleast 5 mins.

The next important thing is that the food that you put on the grill pan should be at room temperature. This is particularly important with poultry, meat and seafood.

And always keep in mind that you dont have to turn food on the grill more than once. Let it rest and cook nicely, dont be in a hurry to turn it. This is very important for all those impatient souls ou there like me!

And the last but not the least is the cleaning of the pan itself. Because of all the ridges that it has, the most effective tool for cleaning the grill pan is a hard nylon scrubber, which allows you to reach between those ridges.

This was enough of that grilling gyan, now lets get to cooking, oops I mean grilling!

I used Boneless chicken thighs and an assortment of veggies that I had at hand, like onions, tomatoes and bell peppers.

Also an important step in grilling is the marination, particularly of poultry and meats.

I marinated the chicken in the morning and kept it in the fridge. While the vegetables were coated with the marinade towards evening, just a while before I started grilling.

For Marination I used-

Chicken tandoori masala(Everest brand)

Salt

Black pepper pwdr

Ginger-Garlic paste

Red chilli pwdr

Lime Juice

This is just a basic outline you can determine the quantity of ingredients according to your requirements.

Preheat the grillpan well before you start.

Then place the chicken pieces on the pan and do not turn them for atleast 5 to 8 mins.

Drizzle them with some oil.

When the flesh is ready to be turned it will lift off the pan easily.

Turn and cook them on the other side and again pour some oil.

Remove them from the pan when they are fully cooked and tender.

Similarly grill the vegetables, but they wont require as much time as the meats.

You can use Paneer, mushrooms and potatoes too.

Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Mushroom Bhaaji

Ingredients-

1 packet button mushrooms, cut in halves.

2 onions, finely chopped

1 tomato, finely chopped

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp cumin pwdr

1/2 tsp red chilli pwdr

salt to taste

Cilantro leaves for garnishing

Method-

Heat oil in a pan and saute onions and ginger-garlic paste till golden brown.

Add tomato, garam masala, salt, red chilli pwdr, cumin pwdr and saute for sometime.

Add mushroom and sprinkle some water.

Cook till the mushrooms are tender.

Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

Tip-

Do not wash the mushrooms. It will make them soggy. Instead just wipe them with a damp kitchen towel.

Radish parathas

Paratha is a food item that is popular in most of the Indian homes.

Delicious Stuffed Parathas make a wonderful breakfast or brunch.

But I am yet to master the art of making a perfect Paratha!

This is one of my attempts at making a Paratha.

And this is my 'R' entry for Nupur of One hot stove's, Indian vegetable series.

Ingredients-

For the dough-

3 cups wheat flour

salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

water

For the stuffing-

1 big radish, grated

1 tsp ajwain

1 tsp ginger, grated

2 green chillies, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/4 tsp mango powder(aamchoor)

1/4 tsp garam masala

salt

Method-

Mix the flour,salt and oil and knead the dough using water.

Keep it aside for half an hour.

Add a little salt to the grated radish and keep aside for 10 minutes.

Then squeeze out the water nicely till it is completely dry.

(I used the squeezed out water from the radish for kneading the dough)

Then add the cilantro,chillies,ginger,mango pwdr,garammasala,ajwain,salt and mix well.

Divide the stuffing into 6-8 equal parts.

Divide the dough also into 6-8 parts.

Make a ball of one part and roll out a little.

Fill it with stuffing in the centre and roll out again to make a paratha.

Cook on a hot griddle putting oil or ghee on both the sides.

Serve hot with pickle or chutney.

I like to eat mine with curd. It tastes awesome.

Carrot Spinach Rice

This is a very easy, colourful and tasty dish for kids but the grown ups would love it too!!

You will need:-

2 cups of cooked Rice

2 cups of chopped Spinach
2 carrots, grated
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 big onion, sliced
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tbsps ghee or oil

1 maggi seasoning cube(optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:-

Heat the ghee and add the cumin seeds.

When they crackle, add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.

Add the carrots and Spinach and saute for another 3 minutes.

Add the cooked rice, seasoning cube, salt and pepper and mix well.

Cook on a low flame for 5 minutes or till the moisture evaporates.

Serve hot with curd or just like that!

Palak Paneer

There are many recipes of palak that I make often.Peas Palak, Aloo Palak, Spinach salad but I had never tried Palak Paneer until recently.
One fine day when I opened my Refrigerator(which is usually overflowing with meats and vegetables) I only found a bunch of spinach and some paneer staring at me. So I immediately decided to try my hand at Palak Paneer.
So I scurried through my recipe books to find a quick recipe for Palak Paneer.
And I was successful! The book of Nita Mehta came to my rescue and the dish was ready in less than 30 minutes!!

Ingredients:-

1 bunch spinach(palak)
200 gms paneer-cut into cubes
1 medium onion-finely chopped
1 inch piece ginger-chopped
5 flakes garlic-chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
a pinch of asafoetida(hing)
1 tbsp ghee
salt

Method:-

Boil the spinach leaves for 5 minutes in 1/2 cup of water.
Cool. Blend in a mixer to a puree.
Heat ghee in a pan.Add Hing,Chopped ginger and garlic.
Saute for sometime and then add the finely chopped onion to it.
Reduce flame and fry onion till light brown.
Add tomato puree and mix well.
Then add the diced paneer.
Increase the flame and fry for 2 minutes.
Then add the palak paste to it.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low flame.
Remove from fire and serve hot with Chappati or rice.

TIP:-You can also add 1 tbsp fresh cream in the end before serving.

And this is my entry for Nupur's A-Z of Indian Vegetables.

Chilli Chicken with Fried Rice and Asparagus

Oh how we love chinese food! I mean the Indian chinese food!!
So I try to make chinese food often at home.
I had started with fried rice and noodles. Then went on to make manchurian which turned out pretty well.
This week I tried my hand at Chilli Chicken. It was really delicious. And I served it with vegetable fried rice and Asparagus.

Chilli Chicken

You need:-
2 Chicken Breasts(boneless,skinless)-cut into bite sized pieces
1 large green bell pepper - cut in quarters
2 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp All Purpose Flour(Maida)
soya sauce
vinegar
1 tbsp Tomato ketchup
1 egg
A dash of salt and black pepper powder
Oil
1 tsp grated ginger
1 pod of garlic finely chopped
1 bunch of scallions(green onions)
2 small green chillies-finely chopped
Cilantro to garnish

Method:-
First marinate the chicken chunks with cornflour,maida,1 egg,1 tbsp soyasauce,1 tsp vinegar,salt and black pepper powder.Keep aside in the fridge for atleast half an hour.
Take a generous amount of oil in a pan and fry the marinated chicken pieces till they are golden brown in colour. Remove from the pan and keep them on a tissue paper to drain out the excess oil.
In the same pan, add chopped garlic,ginger and saute for sometime. Then put in the finely chopped scallions leaving aside the green part for putting in the end.
After 3 mins or so put in the bell pepper and green chillies.
Then add the fried chicken pieces. Mix well.
Add a tsp of soya sauce and vinegar.And 1 tbsp of tomato ketchup.
Then add salt and pepper to taste.
And garnish it with green part of the scallions and finely chopped cilantro.

This would be dry chicken chilli. If you wish to make it with a little gravy then add a tsp of cornflour in a cup of water and add it in the pan and bring it to the desired consistency.

Fried Rice

You need:-
2 cups cooked Rice(not fully cooked but almost 3/4th done)
2 carrots finely chopped
1/2 a cup of green peas(fresh or frozen)
a cup of finely chopped green beans
a pod of garlic finely chopped
1 large onion sliced
oil
salt and black pepper powder
soya sauce
chilli sauce
vinegar

Method:-

Take 2 tbsps of oil in a pan. Put finely chopped garlic and sliced onion.

Roast it for a while on high flame and then put in the carrots,peas and green beans.

Saute well for around 5 mins.

Then add a tbsp of soya sauce and chilli sauce and vinegar.

Then sprinkle salt and pepper.

Then add the cooked rice and mix well.

And its ready to go!!

Asparagus

I simply trimmed off the hard ends of the asparagus and immersed them in boiling water for 2 minutes. Then removed them from the water and sprinkled salt and black pepper on them. Believe me they taste awesome!!

Stir Fry Vegetables

To make Stir fried vegetables you will need:-


10 florets of cauliflower
10 florets of brocolli
10 baby carrots or 2 medium carrots, cut lengthwise
1 big onion sliced
1 pod of garlic cut into slivers
2 green chillies cut into slivers
half a cup of sweet corn kernels
a cup of baby spinach
Slivered peppers(green,red,yellow, all or whichever is available)
1 tbsp stir fry sauce (optional)
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp chilli sauce
1 tsp vinegar
a dash of salt and pepper
Olive oil or vegetable oil.


Method:-

Heat oil in a wok. Add garlic and roast it well, be careful not to brown it.
Add the sliced onions and chillies and fry them.
Keep the flame of the stove on high.
Then add the cauliflower florets and carrots.
Stir fry for sometime and then put in the brocolli,spinach,corn kernels and peppers.
Now add all the sauces, vinegar, salt and pepper.
And its ready to serve!!

My Favourite Street Food

Mumbai Pav Bhaji

This is my most favourite food of all times. Yummy Pav Bhaji. I can eat it anytime, anywhere!
And whenever I am in the mood of eating some healthy street food, so this is the first choice.

For making the Bhaji for the Pav you will need -

The following vegetables in whatever proportion you prefer,

• Potatoes
• Cauliflower
• Green Peas
• Carrots
• Capsicum
• Onions
• Tomatoes

Apart fom the vegetables u will also need-

• Pav (Bread)
• Butter
• Pav Bhaji masala (I use Everest or Badshah, you can use any brand)
• Red Chilly Powder
• Garlic
• Cilantro
• Oil
• Salt
• Lime

First of all boil the potatoes, cauliflower, peas and carrots till they are tender.
Then mash them coarsely and keep aside .
Heat oil or butter in a pan .
Add minced garlic then add finely chopped onions and also finely chopped capsicum and saute till they turn brown.
Then add the grated tomatoes and blend well.
Add the red chilly powder , salt and pav bhaji masala and saute well.
Then put in the boiled and mashed vegetables.
Add little water if required.
Cook well.
Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Preparing the Pav-

• Slit the pav across the center, apply butter (generously) and warm it on a griddle .
• Serve the Bhaji with buttered pav, chopped onions and lime slices.

Enjoy !!

Veggie Salad

I was not very fond of salads until we were invited to a friend's place for dinner. She had prepared an exotic salad and we just loved it . And that is the day I realised that there is much more to salads than meets the eye. So I immediately phoned her the next day for the recipe. I made the same salad a couple of times and then started experimenting various combinations and dressings and the result each time was really very good. So today I will share with u the recipe of a very simple yet delicious and a healthy salad.

This simple salad needs veggies like- Lettuce (any kind that u like), cucumbers,onions,tomatoes,red cabbage,Oranges,apple,pineapple,carrots. Basically whatever u can eat raw and have in ur fridge ! And the quantity of each ingredient can also be as per ur liking. I usually take 1 each of all the veggies and fruits. u can use any fruits or veggies that u like. For the dressing u need olive oil,honey,salt,vinegar and ground black pepper. I also use a store bought dressing for a change at times like the thousand island dressing.

Wash all the vegetables and fruits well. Cut the lettuce in bite sized pieces and put them in a big salad bowl. Cut the cucumbers,onions,tomatoes,apples,carrots,cabbage in thin strips (juliennes) and add them into the bowl.Peel the skin of the orange and cut the slices into cubes,Half a cup of pineapple cubes (either fresh or tinned ) add them all in the bowl.

Then prepare the dressing. Take a tbsp of olive oil,a tsp of vinegar,a tsp of honey,a dash of salt and pepper and whisk them all together and pour it over the salad and mix them all together and serve.

Instead of the above dressing sometime I use the thousand island dressing and it tastes really great. I also add asparagus to the salad sometimes. Cut off the hard ends of the asparagus and cut them into 2" long sticks.wash them and put them in boiling water for 2 mins , remove and cool and put them in the salad bowl along with the other veggies.

Health Tip - When eating an orange make sure not to remove the 'white thread like' fibres (pericarp) surrounding the fruit with its rind removed. According to Wikipedia the pericarp is an excellent source of dietary fibre and has equal amounts of vitamin C as the fruit.