Mint and Feta Salad

How about a flavourful mint and feta salad? One of my absolute favourite combination for a salad.

For more such recipes, check out my channel:  https://goo.gl/XBwLLc

Adding feta cheese to a salad makes it so much special. Not to forget the protein content!

This vegetarian feta cheese salad is inspired by the Greek salad though I have put my own Indian twist to it. The combination of mint and feta (in the salad) goes extremely well with all the other ingredients.

A few points to remember:

1.    Always keep the prepared ingredients covered in the fridge till its time to serve.

2.    Add the dressing to the salad body right before serving.

3.    Add only enough dressing to coat the salad and no more.

Serve this feta cheese and veggie salad as an appetizer or as a meal in itself!

Mint and Feta Salad                        Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients:

FOR THE DRESSING:

Extra virgin olive oil – 1/3 cup

Lemon juice – 1 tblsp

Garlic pickle – 1 tsp

Maple syrup or honey – 1 tsp

Red chili flakes – ¼ tsp

Salt & Pepper – to taste

FOR THE BODY OF THE SALAD:

Feta cheese – 50g (cut into small cubes)

Mint leaves – a handful

Cherry tomatoes – 8 to 10 (halved)

Ripe Mango cubes – 3 tblsp

Baby cucumber – 4 (sliced lengthwise)

Pickled shallots or baby onions – 5 to 6 (halved)

Pickle olives – 4 to 6 (sliced)

Moong sprouts – 1/3 cup

Method:

1.    Take a clean small glass jar. Add in all the ingredients FOR THE DRESSING. Close the lid tightly and give it a good shake till the dressing turns slightly thicker. Keep aside.

2.    Take all the ingredients FOR THE BODY OF THE SALAD  in a large bowl (except for the feta cheese and cucumber slices). Keep them covered in the fridge till it’s time to assemble the salad.

3.    Just before serving, give the dressing a final shake. Drizzle it over the prepared salad so that it’s enough to coat them and NO MORE. Mix gently.

4.    Line a plate with the cucumber slices (like rays of the sun). Place the prepared salad in the middle.

5.    Arrange the feta cubes randomly on the salad. Drizzle some dressing on the cucumber slices. Serve immediately.

© Rinki’s Kitchen

Mango Pickle without oil recipe...

How about a Mango Pickle without oil recipe that perfectly preserves the intense flavor of mangoes? It’s an easy recipe that anyone can try out.

For more such recipes, check out my channel:  https://goo.gl/XBwLLc

With the mango season coming to a close, I thought it best to preserve some (raw mangoes) by making this mango chutney no oil recipe.

Just a handful of ingredients is all that is required.

The most important point to remember … NO MOISTURE!

Everything you use must be clean and dry including your hands.

I like to adjust the sugar according to the mangoes. Some are really tart. At the end it all comes down to your taste.

The sweet and tangy pickle or chutney can be used as a spread, served with any meal or had straight from the jar. So even though it will stay good for several months, you may run out of it much earlier than that 😊

Try the recipe…it smells mouth watering!

Note: It goes very well with puri or paratha.

Click the link below for the video:

Mango Pickle (without oil recipe)            Makes about 300g

Ingredients:

Raw mango – 500g

Sugar – 1 ½ to 2 cups or as per requirement

Salt – ¾ tsp

Cinnamon – 1 stick

Panch Foran – ¾ tsp (mix of cumin, fennel, mustard, fenugreek and onion seeds)

Dry spices:

Turmeric/Haldi powder – ½ tsp

Asafoetida/Hing – a pinch

Red chili flakes – ½ tsp

Method:

1.    Soak the mangoes in water for half an hour. Scrub to clean the sap. Wash thoroughly and drain the water. Wipe them dry with a clean cloth.

2.    Peel the mangoes and remove the flesh. Discard the seed. Chop them up into small pieces.

3.    Dry roast the panch foran (Bengali five spices) till it releases the aroma. Cool completely. Once cooled, crush coarsely.

4.    Heat a pan on low medium heat. Add in the chopped mangoes followed by ½ cup of sugar, ¾ tsp of salt and the stick of cinnamon. Mix well. Leave it till the sugar has melted completely.

5.    Add in the dry spices. Mix well. Let it simmer on low heat till the mango pieces look translucent or slightly cooked. Taste the dish and add more sugar if needed ¼ cup at a time. Let the sugar melt. Taste again and add more if required to get the desired taste.

6.    Keep cooking on low heat and mix it from time to time till it takes on a jam or thick chutney like consistency.

7.    Turn off the heat and sprinkle the crushed panch foran over it. Mix well and let it cool completely.

8.    Fill the cooled chutney into a sterilized jar. Store in a dry place. Enjoy the pickle for several months to come!

© Rinki’s Kitchen

Thick Ice Cream Milkshake Coolers

Thick milkshake ice cream coolers can be a real treat on any day ….if you don’t mind the calories. This is a quick and easy thick shake recipe with ice cream that can be served up with three flavor combinations!

For more such recipes, check out my channel:  https://goo.gl/XBwLLc

I have used the seasonal mango (my favourite fruit) as the main flavor. You could try out different flavours too.

It’s always good to have variety!

Click the link below for the video recipe:

Thick Ice cream Milkshake Coolers with mango                Makes 3 large glasses

Ingredients

For the shake:

Chilled Mangoes – ½ cup chopped roughly

Sugar – 3 to 4 tsp

Chilled Milk – 1 ½ cups

Mango Ice cream – 4 to 5 scoops

Vanilla Ice cream – 1 to 2 scoops

 

For flavouring:

Strawberry preserve – 2 tblsp

Bloomed Chia seeds – 2 to 3 tsp

Coconut cream – 4 tsp

Whipped cream – 1 tblsp

Finely cubed mangoes – 2 tsp

For the finishing:

Whipped cream – ½ cup

Finely cubed mangoes – for garnish

Method:

1.    For the shake: Make a smooth paste of mangoes, sugar and a little milk in a mixie jar. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix to form a smooth shake. Keep it in the fridge.

2.   Keep the glasses in the fridge for at least half an hour.

3.    Take out the glasses, to the first glass add in a tablespoon of melted strawberry preserve (melt it in the microwave with a few drops of water). Smear it on the bottom and lower part of the glass. Take some more preserve and smear a band near the top of the glass. Put it back in the fridge.

4.    To the second one, add in the bloomed chia seeds and a few pieces of the cubed mango at the bottom. Put it back in the fridge.

5.    For the third one, mix the 2 tsp coconut cream with the whipped cream. Add it to the glass and smear it at the bottom. Put it back in the fridge.

6.    Right before serving, take out the glasses and the shake. Pour the shake into each glass.

7.    Top it with some whipped cream. Add some strawberry preserve to the first glass,  some chia seeds to the second glass and some coconut cream to the third glass.

8.    Finally garnish with the mango cubes and serve immediately.

© Rinki’s Kitchen