If you are looking for a different summer recipe then you can try this one. It's a healthy snack with an avalanche of different flavors. It's tangy, it's creamy, yet it's healthy! The Socca flatbread is special. It's made with chickpea flour, so it has a nutty smell. Its crispiness is what appeals to most food lovers. It is a traditional flatbread originating in France; though some people think it's from Italy. So, you will find it being used in various French dishes. It used to be a common midday snack for the laborers. In France, Socca is often cooked in fiery grills by the roadside.

Feta cheese originated in Greece and it is made from goat milk. While other types of cheese contain fat, feta cheese doesn't have any fat. So, it's a healthy cheese. If you are a cheese lover, you can add as much feta cheese as you want in this salad.

Ingredients

• Chickpea flour – 1 cup
• Olive oil – 2 tablespoons
• Water – 1.25 cups
• Salt – to taste
• Cumin – a pinch

Tomato salad

• Cherry or grape tomatoes – 2 to 3 cups, halved
• Cucumber slices – 1 cup
• Olive oil – ¼ cup
• Lemon juice or white vinegar – a few tablespoons
• Garlic clove – 1, grated finely
• Herbs – a handful, freshly chopped
• Salt and pepper

Whipped feta

• Feta cheese – 4 ounces
• Cream cheese – 2 ounces
• Herbs – a handful

Cooking instructions

Step 1

Mix the tomato salad and let it stand for some time.

Step 2

To make the Socca flatbread, whisk all the dry ingredients in a bowl, that is, chickpeas flour, cumin, and salt. Then add water and oil to make a smooth batter. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a cast iron skillet. Preheat the oven for 5 minutes and put the skillet there. Pour half the batter into the pan and bake for about 18 minutes. You will notice golden color around the edges and this is when you must take it out from the oven. Then you repeat this process with the rest of the batter.

Step 3

Prepare the creamy feta by putting all the ingredients in a food processor. Add some herbs, pepper, and olive oil.

To serve tear off some chunks of crispy Socca. Dip it in the whipped feta and enjoy the fresh tomato salad. Another way to serve it is by spreading some whipped feta on top of the Socca. Then place some tomato salad over it. You will love it both ways.

Variations

This dish has lots of variations. You can use mascarpone or yogurt instead of cream cheese to make whipped feta. You can try adding different herbs like parsley, rosemary, thyme, and others.

Tips

You should know that the size of your cast iron will affect the thickness or thinness of the flatbread. In Socca, the edges need to be thin and crispy. A 10-inch cast iron skillet is perfect. Try to get the highest quality cherry tomatoes from the market. Your fresh garden tomatoes will also work. Cut the cucumber into thin slices. Add some olive oil and herbs to your salad and mix them well so that the flavor spreads throughout the salad. You can prepare the chickpea flour batter beforehand and refrigerate. It will lower your cooking time.

Health benefits

Chickpeas are very healthy. If you are on a weight management venture, then a Socca made of chickpea flour will help you to maintain or reduce your weight. It is loaded with energy and fiber. It reduces digestion problems. Though Socca flatbreads look, it will fill your stomach due to the presence of chickpeas.

You need a little bit of practice to make Socca perfectly. The crispiness of this flatbread is everything. So, you need to know the right batter consistency. The combination of feta cheese with cream cheese or mascarpone is awesome. The flavor of various herbs revitalizes your senses. Socca with whipped feta and tomato salad can be an excellent afternoon snack. You can also serve it to your friends when they suddenly come over to your place. It doesn't take much time to prepare and your friends will really appreciate the crispiness and creaminess of this wonderful dish.

Detox Rainbow Roll-Ups with Peanut Sauce

If you haven't tried out these roll-ups then it's high time you should. It's an ideal dumpling or bread roll replacement for those who are health-conscious and want to avoid carbs and oil. The base of the detox rainbow roll-ups is made of collard leaf. When you take a big leaf and boil it, the leaf becomes soft and bends easily for you to roll up. You don't need to use any flour to make a dough for the roll. The name 'rainbow' indicates that this roll-up will be colorful. So, if your kids don't like eating veggies, you can make these colorful roll-ups to motivate them to try on veggies.

Ingredients

Rainbow roll-ups

• Carrots, thinly sliced
• Cucumbers, thinly sliced
• Purple cabbage shredded
• Red bell pepper, julienne cut
• Yellow bell pepper, julienne cut
• Collard greens
• Cooked rice or quinoa
• Curry hummus
• Peanuts
• Cilantro

Peanut sauce

• Peanut butter – ¾ cup
• Soy sauce – ¼ cup
• Water – ¼ cup
• Rice vinegar – ¼ cup
• Garlic – 1 clove
• Honey – 2 tablespoons
• Ginger – 1 teaspoon, grated
• Lime juice – 1 teaspoon

Cooking instructions

These roll-ups are delicious and detox-friendly, disproving the common notion that healthy food doesn't taste well. You must make the meal in three steps. First, prepare the vegetables; then make the sauce, and finally roll it up.

Preparing vegetables

You should wash the vegetables properly. Then cut the vegetables into thin slices. As the vegetables are not cooked, you will not like them if the slices are not thin. Put these vegetables separately on a large platter.

Making the sauce

Add peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, lime juice, and maple syrup in a bowl and mix everything. You can add some warm water to get the needed consistency of the sauce.

Make the roll-ups

You need to prepare the collard leaves first. Pick the big and untorn collard leaves and boil them for a few seconds. You will notice that they have become pliable. Put the fillings on the leaves in your desired order. Make sure you add a small amount of veggie as more won't fit inside the collard paper. Now roll the leaves lightly so that they don't break.

When serving the roll-ups put a small pot of peanut sauce for dipping the roll-ups. When you arrange 5-6 roll-ups on a large platter, they will look like a bouquet of flowers. For your convenience, you can prepare the leaves and the vegetables before so that you can just take them from the fridge and roll them up for a quick healthy meal.

Health benefits

This food allows the process of detoxification; so all the toxins are removed from the body. This would lead to improved digestion and your digestive tract will be clear. You will notice an increase in your energy levels. So, you won't experience fatigue anymore. You will have healthier skin and you can maintain your healthy body weight.

When you include various types of vegetables in your diet, you will get loads of useful nutrients. For example, red vegetables have antioxidants, the yellow ones have vitamins A and C. Green vegetables are also packed with useful vitamins and minerals.

Peanut sauce is very healthy as it contains proteins and healthy fats. It also adds a little sweetness to the roll-ups, making them more interesting.

Variations

You can use rice sheets or cabbage leaves instead of collard leaves. If you use rice sheets, damp them before using them. Lay the sheet on your work surfaces and place the veggies there. After putting all your toppings, wrap tightly from either side. Instead of peanut sauce, you can use any other sauce here. If you are preparing this for your kids, you can add bits of meat or egg too. You can mix and match the vegetables to include seasonal ones. Make sure to add vegetables of different colors. For a change, you can add some small cubes of apple or other fruits too.

You can have this healthy dish for your lunch or dinner. It will go with your breakfast menu as well. A delicious dish without oil is rare to find. You can have fun making them along with your kids. The kids will love the vibrant colors of the vegetables and it can be an opportunity for them to learn about the health benefits of different vegetables.

Healthy Winter Grain Bowl with Balsamic Dressing

Getting into a low-carb or carb-less diet can be challenging. Carbohydrate is your main source of energy. So, you must be wondering if a lack of it can cause you to become lethargic. The good news is that you will find different kinds of grains in the market that are a good substitute for traditional rice. These low-carb grains can give you energy and at the same time cut your weight. You can prepare a healthy winter grain bowl for lunch to maintain a healthy diet. Though the name is 'grain bowl', you must add some vegetables too.

Ingredients

• Red beets – 3 large, cubed
• Sweet potatoes – 3 medium
• Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
• Wild rice – 1 cup uncooked
• Dried cherries – ½ cup
• Goat cheese – ¾ cup
• Kale – 8 cups, shredded
• Pistachios – ¾ cup

For the balsamic dressing:

• Balsamic vinegar – 1 cup
• Mayonnaise – 2 tablespoons
• Dijon mustard – 2 teaspoons
• Thyme - 1 tsp finely chopped, fresh
• Rosemary – 1 tsp finely chopped, fresh
• Salt – to taste

Ingredients Explained

Wild rice, quinoa, and farro are all healthier substitutes for the traditional white rice. However, farro gives more vitamins; whereas, quinoa is gluten-free. You have a lot of ingredient options to make this bowl. Here is the basic formula you can follow. Your base must be a grain or leafy greens. Then add some starch and then protein. You need to add colors and crunchiness. Open up your imagination when it comes to toppings. You can have dried fruits, nuts, sauces, balsamic dressing, and others. You can include herbs and pickles as well.

You need to understand what balsamic dressing is. The word 'balsamic' means aromatic odor. It's something that heals. Balsamic vinegar has antioxidant properties that prevent heart-related problems. Balsamic dressing has sweet and sour contents that give it a unique taste and flavor.

Cooking instructions

You first need to cook the wild rice and vegetables. You will bake the vegetables at 425 degrees in the oven. Cut the beets and sweet potatoes into small cubes and place them on the baking tray lined with parchment paper. Roast the veggies for about 30 minutes. For cooking the wild rice, follow the package instructions.

To make the balsamic dressing, put all the dressing ingredients in a blender and make s smooth paste. You can store this dressing in the freezer for many days by putting it in an air-tight container.

Now it's time to mix everything in the bowl. So, put the sweet potatoes, beets, dried cherries, and wild rice together. Add some dressing and toss everything. To assemble everything and serve, place the wild rice mixture on top of a pile of kale. Then sprinkle some cheese and pistachios. At this point, you can add extra dressing if you want to.

Tips

You must remember that the portions of different grains you put on your grain bowl are important. You must also mix the ingredients well and put enough dressing to cover everything. Before you choose the grains and veggies, learn about the amount of calorie intake and benefits of these grains and veggies. This will help you pick the right ones for yourself.

Nutrients

This bowl is full of essential nutrients. The grains, such as brown rice, farro, or quinoa have fibers, vitamins, and minerals. Whereas, vegetables provide vitamins, iron, and calcium. Dried fruits, cheese, and balsamic dressing are healthy too.

The best thing about this winter grain bowl is that you can go creative with it. You can add anything extra to the bowl apart from grains, veggies, dry fruits, and cheese. For example, you can include fried eggs and grilled chicken breast slices. You can also do the dressing with different sauces along with the balsamic dressing.

Variations

The number of variations you can do with this dish is unbelievable. You can add quinoa, ground cumin, coriander, and paprika for a spicy version. You can top it up with honey or maple syrup for a sweeter experience.

Making this winter grain bowl is fun. After you have mixed everything and topped your dish with your favorite toppings, don't forget to take a picture for your Instagram. The colorful bowl will look very attractive indeed. Enjoy this fulfilling dish with your family members. It's very easy to make this dish. So, it's a great dinner option if you work full-time and come home late.

If you love Italian pasta then you should be familiar with all kinds of pasta that exists there. Risoni is one of them that you may not be familiar with. It looks like large rice grains. You can cook a delicious one-pot dish with it. It's ideal for a busy. It's full of nutrition to keep you energetic all day long.

Before we get into the ingredients and cooking procedure, you must know that this type of one-pot dish requires heavy-based cookware, like a cast-iron casserole dish or deep frying pan. This type of cookware is heated evenly to cook the pasta thoroughly. If you have such cookware at home then you will find it very convenient to cook this super yummy one-pot chicken risoni with crispy salami.

Ingredients Explained

Chicken breasts: You need to season the chicken breasts with paprika, garlic, salt, pepper, and sage. These spices will add a unique savory flavor to the chicken.

Salami: You need to fry them crispy and golden. You can choose your preferred salami, beef, bacon, or chicken.

Risoni: it is also called orzo. As the size of pasta is small, it cooks fast.

Chickpeas: it is used to add extra texture and nutty flavor.

Chicken stock/broth: It is needed to boost the taste of risoni. You can also use vegetable stock instead.

Cream: It gives a creamy touch to the pasta. It's also thickens the sauce.

Parmesan: Gives a savory flavor.

Baby spinach: Adding healthy vegetables.

Garlic and onion: Provides aromatic flavor.

Ingredients

• Chicken breasts, 2 (250 gm each)
• Salami stick, 100 gm, chopped
• Olive oil, ½ tablespoon
• Chicken spice

Chicken spice mix

• Garlic powder – ½ teaspoon
• Paprika – ¾ teaspoon
• Sage powder – ¼ teaspoon
• Salt and pepper – to taste

Creamy tomato parmesan risoni

• Garlic cloves – 2, finely minced
• Onion – ½, chopped
• Tomato paste – ¼ cup
• Risoni – 1.25 cups
• Canned chickpeas – 400 gm
• Chicken stock – 3 cups
• Black pepper – ¼ teaspoon
• Heavy cream – ¾ cup
• Parmesan cheese – 1/3 cup, grated
• Baby spinach – 150 gm
• Basil – 2 tablespoons

Cooking procedure

1. Take two chicken breasts and cut them horizontally to get 4 thinner pieces. These pieces will cook evenly. Season the chicken with seasoning spices.
2. Cook the salami till it turns golden and crispy. You may have to stir salmi for 2 minutes over medium-high heat.
3. Take a large pan to cook the risoni.
4. In another pan cook chicken for 3 minutes on every side. You will notice a golden color when the chicken is cooked. You can also use a thermometer to check if it's 67 degrees C. At this temperature, the chicken is fully cooked.
5. Saute garlic and onion in the same pan.
6. Cook tomato paste for 1 minute.
7. Then add the chickpeas, pepper, and salt.
8. Cook everything for 8 minutes stirring occasionally.
9. Add spinach, cream, parmesan and stir.
10. Slice the chicken into thick pieces.
11. Take individual bowls to serve. First, put the risoni and then place the chicken pieces and salami on top. You can then sprinkle some basil and parmesan.

Tips:

• You can use boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts.
• You can add sun-dried tomatoes for extra taste.
• You may use bell peppers, olives, or other vegetables.
• You can pre-cook the chicken and salami the night before and refrigerate it to save time.
• You can store it in the refrigerator for 3 days.
• If you have kept leftovers in the fridge, bring them to room temperature before serving.

This pasta is a very heavy meal due to ingredients like meat, veggies, and chickpeas. If you serve this to guests on any occasion, they will love it. It takes a bit of time to prepare all the ingredients. However, if you plan ahead, you can manage to cook it within a short time.

It is another great Italian dish that you must try. If you like traditional pasta, then you will also like this one. This dish is a wonderful combo of sausage and pasta. 'Ragu' means sauce that is meat-based. This Italian sauce is made of tomatoes, meat, onions, carrots, and celery. Pappardelle, on the other hand, is flat, broad, and long ribbons of egg pasta. Its origin is in Tuscany. Its broad surface is complemented with ragu sauce. You will love this meaty pasta for your lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

• Pork sausage – 400 gm
• Italian seasoning – ½ teaspoon
• Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
• Chilli flakes – ½ teaspoon
• Shallot – 1, finely diced
• Garlic cloves, 2 – finely grated
• Tomato puree – 1 tablespoon
• Plum tomatoes, 400 gm
• Water – ½ cup
• Sugar – 1 teaspoon
• Sea salt – ½ teaspoon
• Nutmeg – 1/8 teaspoon, grated
• Ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon
• Freshly chopped parsley – ¼ cup
• Dried pappardelle – 300 gm
• Freshly grated parmesan (to garnish)

Cooking instructions

1. Take a large skillet and put it on medium-high heat. Add olive oil and then put sausage meat. Sprinkle chili flakes and Italian seasoning. Break them with your spatula. Fry for about 10 minutes or till browned and crispy.
2. Put shallot and fry till it becomes soft.
3. Add garlic and tomato puree. Stir for some time.
4. Add plum tomatoes and break them with the spatula.
5. Pour water into the mixture. Sprinkle salt, sugar, pepper, Italian seasoning and nutmeg. Simmer for 15 minutes. The mixture will thicken.
6. Cook pappardelle according to the instructions written on the packet (roughly 4 liters of water is needed for 500 gm and you need to cook for 10 minutes. Don't forget to add salt!)
7. Add cooked pappardelle to the mixture and combine with the spatula.
8. Sprinkle cheese and parsley.
9. Serve hot.

After eating you can store the leftovers in the refrigerator. You can reheat it on the stovetop later. Just sprinkle some water to loosen the ingredients. You can also reheat in the microwave.

Making pappardelle at home

Ingredients

• 00 flour – 1.5 cups (a fine Italian flour that makes the pizza crust tender yet stretchy)
• Semolina flour – ¼ cup
• Salt – ¼ teaspoon
• Egg – 1
• Yolks – 8

Directions

1. Take a large bowl and mix the 00 and semolina flour along with salt. Make a well to add the egg and yolks. Incorporate the eggs into the flour using a form. Add a splash of water if the dough is too dry; add some flour if it is too wet.
2. Flour the work surface and put the dough there. Knead it for 10 to 12 minutes. You will notice that the dough springs back. At this time, flatten the dough and make it even square.
3. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap. Let it stay for 1 hour at room temperature.
4. Slice the dough into 3 pieces.
5. Use the pasta roller to flatten the dough to ¼ inch. Roll the dough on the widest setting and send the dough through the machine. Repeat.

Customizations

You can create your own sausage ragu with pappardelle pasta recipe with these variations:

• Sausages - Instead of using pork sausage, you can use beef, venison, or chicken sausage.
• Seasoning – You can use thyme, rosemary, or fennel seeds instead of using Italian seasoning.
• Pasta – Instead of using pappardelle you can use any gluten-free pasta as well.

The pappardelle pasta gives a filling taste. With meat, ragu, and Italian seasoning, this dish becomes a must-have on any occasion. The richness of its flavor is unparalleled. Along with the unique flavor, you get the typical Italian cheesy flavor as well.