Saturday Brunch- Pasta!!!

Happy Saturday to all! Lazing around & eating good food is all I want to do. So thought of sharing a brunch recipe, Chicken Pasta in Red Sauce.

Chicken Pasta in Red Sauce

Ingredients
Penne Pasta: 200 g
Chicken: 1 cup small cubes
Broccoli: 1 small
Peas: 1 cup
Baby Corn: 5-6
Onion: 1 medium
Vinegar: 1 tablespoon
Red sauce (tomato based): 1 tablespoon
Oregano: 1/2 teaspoon
Fresh Grounded Black Pepper: 1/ 2 teaspoon
Salt: as per taste
Olive Oil: 1 tablespoon

Preparation
1. Boil the pasta, till it becomes tender. Strain the water & keep aside.
2. Dice the vegetables in 1 inch pieces. Marinate the chicken in vinegar, salt & pepper for 10 min
3. Toss the vegetables till golden in a little oil. Keep it aside in a bowl.
4. Toss the marinated chicken on low flame, cover it till it is cooked & the chicken secretes the fats. Add the vegetables to it & let it cook for some time.
5. Add the pasta to the mix & toss it well, add salt & freshly grounded pepper.
6. Add the sauce & mix it well. Sprinkle the oregano over the recipe & it is ready to be served hot.

A Happy Saturday with a happy brunch....

Healthy Chicken Recipe: Herb Grilled Chicken Breast

Hi Friends!! Today I present to you the very tasty healthy herb grilled chicken breast recipe. Chicken is high in proteins & has high tryptophan (amino acid) which helps in production of serotonin to help fight depression.

Herb Grilled Chicken Breast

Ingredients:
Chicken Breast (boneless): 3 pieces
Dried Oregano: 1 teaspoon
Dried Basil: 1 teaspoon
Dried Parsley: 1 teaspoon
Lime juice: 1 tablespoon
Garlic: 1 clove grated
Raw Papaya Juice: 1 tablespoon
Olive oil: 2 teaspoon
Salt: as per taste

Preparation:
1. Take the chicken breast pieces, and place it on the slab to tenderize the pieces. Use a tenderizer or the blunt side of the knife & pound it for a while.
2. Take the pieces in a vessel & mix it with the papaya juice (can grate the raw papaya & press it to get the juice). Cover it with a lid & refrigerate for 1 hour. Your chicken breasts will be very tender.
3. To the same vessel add the other ingredients herbs, salt, lime juice, garlic, olive oil. Mix it well & refrigerate the marinade.
4. Grill the chicken for 20 min approx at 300 F. Check if cooked with a fork.
5. Serve it with mustard sauce.

Let's enjoy a healthy grilled chicken today. Thanks!!

Healthy Chicken Recipe: Tandoori Chicken

Hi Friends! Today the famous tandoori chicken from India on your platter. It is very tasty & yummy and believe me my variant has less fats too. I will just straight run down to the recipe.

Tandoori Chicken
Ingredients:
One Chicken: cut into 4 pieces
Yogurt: 2 tablespoons
Turmeric: 1/2 teaspoon
Red chili powder: 1 teaspoon
Ginger Garlic Paste: 2 teaspoon
Cashew: 7-8 nuts paste with small amount of milk
Whole Garam Masala: Cloves (4-6), Cardamon (4), Cinnamon (2 inch), Cumin seeds (1/2 tablespoon), Corriander seeds (1 tablespoon), Black Pepper (10), dry red chilies (1-2)
Olive oil: 1 tablespoon
Salt: as per taste

Preparation:
1. Take the chicken pieces & wash them. Make slits on the chicken pieces.
2. In a heated open pan  dry roast till it becomes fragrant. Then grind it well to get a fine powder. If the quantity is too less, just double the quantity & keep the powder for future use.
3. Mix the yogurt, ginger garlic paste, cashew paste, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala powder & olive oil to get a smooth mixture. Add the salt to the mix as well.
4. Marinade the chicken pieces with this mixture completely & refrigerate the marinade for 2 -4 hours.
5. Now preheat the oven to use for broiling or grilling at 425F or 220C.
6. Place the chicken on an aluminium foil wrapped baking tray & cook in the oven for 20 min- 30 min, turn around the pieces once in between.
7. Check if the pieces are completely cooked by poking it with a fork, if cooked the fork can be inserted easily.

And your tandoori chicken is ready, I have allowed a high time for marinating the chicken because it helps the chicken to become soft & supple. If in a hurry a good 1 hour is fine for marination.You will not also get the traditional red color for the food as I have not used any food coloring agent. You can enjoy this with roti or Indian bread, with a green chutney (a paste of mint & raw mango with yogurt base). I hope this recipe is liked by you.

Foods for Depression

Hi Friends! First of all thank you all for providing continuous support.
This post is in continuation to my previous post on Deal with Depression. I would list down some foods which have been linked to help fight depression. In research it has been shown that diet has an important role to play in fighting depression.
Before writing about foods which have a good effect I would like to write particularly about sweets or sugary confectionery. Mind you this has a very negative effect on your mood, due to spikes in blood sugar level which is directly related to the functioning of the brain. Please ensure to avoid this food from the list.

Now coming to foods which will help you overcome depression:

1. Dark Chocolates: They are not only great into fight excess kilos you put on but also the antioxidants polyphenols & flavonols which help fight high blood pressure & makes you calmer. This has shown improved results in fighting depression.

2. Poultry: Poultry meat like chicken & turkey are high in tryptophan an amino acid which helps increase the production of Serotonin production. This chemical is a feel good chemical your body produces naturally.

3. Fatty Fish: As we all know they are rich of Omega-3 fatty acids which help fight heart disease & reduces inflammation, it also fights depression by inducing Serotonin levels by the brain. A partial study has proved that it helps the movement of serotonin across cells. Fishes like Tuna, Salmon, Cod, Hilsa are best in the category, other fishes like rohu, catla are good but the level of Omega-3 fatty acids might be lower & vary from each species.

4. Walnuts: They are source of monounsaturated fatty acids as well as proteins like other nuts. Along with this walnuts is the only source of Omega-3 from plant sources & has a similar effect on the serotonin as mentioned above.

5. Whole Grain: They are complex carbohydrates which helps fight depression. They help the moods improve quickly & are good for serotonin secretion by the body. This is also good for controlling the blood sugar levels. So whole wheat, whole pasta, oatmeal etc. are good choice of food for this case.

Diet is an important factor for fighting depression and you are asked to take special care for your diet. Hope the above article will help you make & your close ones make good choices for diet. Thank You!