Quick to make summer delights

T-Mag Wednesday 18/July/2018 14:27 PM
By: Times News Service
Quick to make summer delights

Summer months in Oman are generally longer and most of the time it overstays as well. And with the heat and humidity comes the desire to have food that is not only easy to make but also lighter on the stomach.

Fruity Chickpeas Salad
This easy and quick-to-make summer salad is loaded with fresh fruits and the goodness of health.

Ingredients
1 tin of chickpeas
1/2 cup cucumber, sliced
1/2 cup orange segments, peeled
1/4 cup apples, finely chopped and peeled
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup lettuce, torn
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped coriander
1 and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation
Combine all the ingredients except salt and pepper and chill. Just before serving, add salt and pepper and mix well. Serve chilled.

Hakka Mushrooms
This delectable, stir fry mushrooms can be made in a jiffy and eaten the way it is or served with noodles or fried rice.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon cornflour
2 1/2 tablespoons soya sauce
1 tablespoon oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
2 cups mushrooms, cut into halves
1 cup spring onion greens, finely chopped
Salt to taste
A pinch of chilli powder

Preparation
Dissolve cornflour in 2 tablespoons of water and soya sauce and keep aside. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add garlic and green chilli and sauté for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and salt and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add cornflour mix and sauté for about a minute till the sauce coats the mushrooms well. Add spring onion greens and mix. Sprinkle chilli powder immediately and serve hot with noodles or eat it just as it.

Celery Garlic Toasts
This is a twist to the humble garlic toasts with the goodness of celery.

Ingredients
1/4 cup celery, coarsely ground into paste
2 to 3 garlic cloves
Salt to taste
4 slices of whole wheat bread

Preparation
Apply the ground celery paste equally on all the four toasts and also add the minced garlic and salt. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 10 minutes or till the toasts are evenly browned. Cut into the halves and serve immediately while hot.

Carrot Milkshake
A nutritious and scrumptious milkshake made from baby carrots that will refresh your soul and palate as well.

Ingredients
10 baby carrots
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups, cold milk
Pinch of vanilla essence

Preparation
Peel the carrots and wash them well (though baby carrots need very little peeling). Blend with the remaining ingredients.
Refrigerate for 1/2 hour before serving.

Spinach Fusilli Soup
A silky and comforting bowl of soup made from spinach and pasta with fresh hints of mint.

Ingredients
1/2 cup spinach purée (blanch spinach and purée)
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon garlic, crushed and chopped
1 vegetable stock cube
1/2 cup boiled fusilli pasta
1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
2 tablespoons cream for garnish

Preparation
In a pan add spinach purée with 1 cup water, milk, garlic and stock cube and bring to a roaring boil. Add fusilli pasta in the soup. Simmer for 3 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with mint and cream.

Oneza Tabish is a food blogger, consultant, and columnist based in Oman. She is also the owner of Oman’s popular Facebook group ‘What’s Cooking Oman.’