Healthy Ramadan Recipes

We all know the benefits of intermittent fasting but it’s interesting to note how we cab benefit dry fasting by choosing right food and beverage at iftar time.

These 3 salads are a must try if you are looking for healthy option.

Roasted eggplant salad

If you want to choose just one salad this Ramadan then this should be the one. So light and refreshing specially because it has the yoghurt dip that gives it right flavor.

It’s good for two people, you can double the quantity.

Ingredients:

Eggplant: 2 small

Tomato: 1 small chopped

Yoghurt: half cup

Cucumber: 1

Olive oil: 3 tablespoon

Balsamic vinegar: 1 tablespoon

Lemon juice: 2 tablespoon

Roasted cumin powder: 1 teaspoon

1 clove garlic crushed

A handful of greens

Salt ( I use Himalayan salt)

Method:

Heat oven to 300c

Cut egg plants in quarters length wise.

Toss eggplant with 2 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Roast, until eggplant pieces are deeply golden. Remove from the oven.

Grate the cucumber coarsely on a box grater. In a medium bowl, stir the cucumber into the yogurt, along with the garlic, and the juice of half the lemon Add the ground cumin seed. Add salt. It should be nicely seasoned.

In another bowl toss chopped tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and remaining olive oil. Add greens to tomatoes.

In a dish and place yoghurt dip and layer eggplant on it. Top it up with tomatoes and greens. Check the taste and add more seasoning if you like.

quinoa Mediterranean salad.

Ingredients:

Quinoa: 1/2 cup ( rinsed and boiled with one cup of water)

Chick peas: 1/2 cup (boiled)

Multi color Capsicum chopped: 1/2 cup

Sweet corn: 1/4 cup

Red onion chopped: 1/4 cup

Tomatoes chopped: 1/4 cup

Crumbled feta: As desired

For the sauce:

Olive oil: 1/4 cup

Balsamic vinegar: 2 tablespoons

Peri peri sauce: 2 tablespoon

Garlic powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Dried Parsley: 1/2 teaspoon

Oregano:1/2 teaspoon

Method:

In a small bowl mix sauce ingredients well.

In a salad bowl add veggies, chickpeas and quinoa. Pour the sauce. Crumbled feta.

P:S: you can always leave out the ingredients that you don’t have. If you don’t have Quinoa, increase the quantity of chickpeas.

How to make Quinoa :

To cook your quinoa, you’ll need first rinse your quinoa well. If you don’t rinse the quinoa, it may have a bitter aftertaste. You’ll want to use 1/2 cups of water for 1/4 cup of quinoa. Place the water and quinoa in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, then cover the pot and let the quinoa simmer for 13-15 minutes or until tender. Turn off the heat and let the quinoa stand for 5 minutes. Fluff it with a fork, then you’re ready to use it.

Chicken Asian Salad

Ingredients:

Chicken thighs with or without skin : 500 grams

Shredded Cabbage: 1 cup

Shredded carrot: 1 cup

Green onions : 1/2 cup

Mangoes: 1/4 cup

Roughly shreddedLettuce: 1 cup

Fresh Coriander : 1/4 cup

Peanut sauce: store bought

For chicken marination:

Light ( msg free) Soya sauce: 2 tablespoon

Oyster sauce ( optional) : 2 tablespoon

Hot sauce: 2 tablespoon

Honey : 2 tablespoon

Rice vinegar: 1 tablespoon

Crushed ginger: 1 tablespoon

Corn flour: 1/4 cup

Method:

Marinate chicken with all the ingredients. Keep in refrigerator for two hours.

Bake it on 250c for 45 minutes. Broil it for 5 minutes.

Assemble all the veggies and mangoes in the platter. Place chicken and serve it with peanut sauce.