Category: healthy

Zuppa Toscana – Olive Garden (Copycat) Recipe

Welcome back to Ankitha Gadag Recipes! One of my favorite soups at Olive Garden was the Zuppa Toscana soup. Zuppa Toscana literally means Tuscan Soup, which is a combination of garden vegetables in a creamy broth with spicy meats. This particular recipe was born out of need… I needed to get rid of a ton of veggies in my fridge! But as they say – Necessity is the mother of invention, and this recipe has been one of my favorite soup recipes EVER!! It is creamy, spicy and has a ton of texture from the crispy bacon to the melt-in-your-mouth potatoes.

What makes this recipe extra special is the fact that it meets a lot of different dietary constraints – whether you are practicing whole 30, keto or paleo diets, I have got you covered. It’s so, so delicious and I hope you make it while it’s still soup SZN.

What you will need:

  • kale (1 bunch)
  • onion (1)
  • celery (1 stalk)
  • spicy italian sausage (casing removed) – 1 lb
  • turkey bacon (2 strips)
  • prosciutto (1/4 lb)
  • 1 jalapeno
  • garlic (2 tbsp)
  • sweet potato (1)
  • coconut milk – 1/2 can
  • chicken bone broth (32 oz)
  • fresh herbs (3 sprigs thyme, 1 sprig rosemary, 2 sprigs oregano)
  • arrow root starch (2 tbsp)
  • paprika (1 tbsp)
  • nutritional yeast (1/4 th cup)
  • juice of 1 lemon

Steps

  1. In a large pot or dutch oven, start by browning your chopped prosciutto and bacon. Remove and set aside
  2. Add in some olive oil and saute all your veggies, except the greens ( onion, celery, jalapeno, sweet potato, garlic). Saute for about 5 mins.
  3. Next, add in your sausage. Break apart in the pot till meat is browned.
  4. Mix in the arrowroot starch, until well coated. Slowly add in the broth, while constantly stirring.
  5. Add in the coconut milk along with the herbs, paprika, salt & pepper. Cover and cook for 5-10 mins.
  6. Remove the fresh herbs. Add in greens, nutritional yeast and juice of 1 lemon. Cook for a few mins longer until kale is mixed in.
  7. Serve hot and top with prosciutto/bacon combination. Enjoy!

Ankitha Gadag ‘s home-made spicy chili from scratch!

Ankitha Gadag shares an original recipe for a savory delicious chili…with an exotic twist!

I don’t know about you guys but I love a week-night meal that keeps on giving. Giving heartiness, nourishment, warmth, fulfillment… what I call healthy soul-food. A delectable meal that gets prepared in a batch-style quantity, yet you don’t get bored of it two meals later. That is precisely what this savory spicy chili is.

I used ground beef (85% lean) for this recipe, but feel free to use whatever protein floats your  boat. If you are health conscious and looking for a protein dense meal, use bison. If you want a more melt-in-your-mouth chili, use a less lean version of beef/pork/turkey.  If you’re trying to keep it vegetarian, try using Tofu crumbles, Tempeh crumbles, Seitan, or even just red beans. Make the recipe YOURS!!! 🙂

OK, let’s get started…

You will need:

  • 2 carrots (chopped)
  • 2 celery sticks (chopped)
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1-3 green chillies (1 = mild; 3 = spicy)
  • 1 cup veggies of your choice (I used mushrooms & bell peppers)
  • 1 lb protein of your choice (ground beef, turkey, red beans, tempeh, tofu, other)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • bay leaf
  • 1 tbsp cumin powder
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 3-4 cloves
  • salt & pepper
  • *optional: 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • *optional: 1 can garbanzo beansankitha_gadag_veggies

To prepare:

  1. Start by chopping all your veggies in bite size pieces
  2. Saute the onion and garlic in about 1 tbsp of oil of your choice. Pro-tip: Add salt here, it makes the onion lose it’s water content to cook it faster.
  3. Add in the rest of your veggies
  4. Add in your seasonings. Cover and let it cook for about 10 mins.ankithagadag
  5. Now add in your protein
  6. Add in some water or broth and let it simmah simmah.
  7. Enjoy in about a half hr to an hr!

Let me know how you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for reading! P.S- this tastes great with some crumbled tortilla chips or avocado and toast!

Ankitha Gadag

Ankitha Gadag original recipe- Easy Curried Tofu Scramble

An easy recipe for a Sunday brunch recipe that’s all vegan!

As you may have picked up by now, I, Ankitha Gadag, am NOT a vegetarian or vegan or any variation of that. Ankitha Gadag is and will always be, a  (proud) Carnivore. No offense to anyone who is Vegetarian/Vegan/Other, but I am still primitive in the sense that my hunter-gatherer ancestors and I had one thing in common – our love for MEAT!!!!

That said, this recipe will blow you away. It’s dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, etc and it still tastes delicious. I had to get creative when cooking brunch for a vegetarian friend (FYI, brunch options get REALLY limited when you can’t use eggs…).

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it. It’s relatively easy to make and  needs few ingredients!

Ingredients:

  • 1 package of firm tofu, drained and pressed
  • 3/4 can of coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp of ginger
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • ¼ red bell pepper
  • 4 white mushrooms
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • Lemon zest
  • Paprika
  • 1 serrano pepper

    1

ankitha_gadag_veggies_tofuankitha_gadag_tofu_stirfryankitha_gadag_curryankitha_gadag_tofu_curryankitha_gadag_tofu_scramble

Method:

  1. Saute onions, garlic, ginger and sliced serrano pepper in some olive oil to let out the flavors
  2. Add in the bell peppers and mushrooms and let it cook till soft
  3. Add in tofu and coconut milk
  4. Add in your spices
  5. That’s it! Scoop up some and serve hot.

 

 

 

Balsamic Ginger-Marmalade Glaze for Salmon

How to make a quick and easy sauce for seared salmon

Ever wondered what to do when cooking your favorite fish, other than add good old salt and pepper? This glaze is your answer.

It’s easy and fast to make with ingredients you have at home. I used this recipe for salmon, but it is versatile and will go great with any  fish. I used ginger jam for this recipe since ginger offers great health benefits. Ginger has well known  anti-inflammatory and  anti-oxidant properties that make it ideal for incorporating in everyday recipes. The combination of the gingery spice with the sweetness from the jam, make your taste buds want to dance with joy. However, you can substitute any fruit jam/preserves/marmalade when making this recipe yours (look for all natural ingredients, minus the high fructose corn syrup when choosing your jam)!

Let’s get started!

ginger-salmon-sauce

Ingredients

(for the sauce)

  • 3 Tbsp of ginger jam
  • 1.5 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp dried basil
  • 1 tbsp dried chives
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • salt and pepper to taste

(for the fish)

  • skin-on wild salmon ( 6-7 inches)
  • salt and pepper
  • oil for searing

Preparation:

  1. Start by adding salt and pepper on your fishwild-salmon
  1. Next, sear your fish on a heavy skillet with a drizzle of oil. You will be using the remnants to make the sauce .

  2. Take out your fish after a quick, high heat sear (about 2 mins each side), and bake the remainder in the oven for a 5-7 mins. Total cook time of sear and bake should be less than 10 mins.

  3. Use the searing pan for the sauce. Scrape up all the remnants.

  4. On low heat, add all the ingredients for the sauce

  5. Whisk until desired consistency is achievedIMG_4944-01

Thanks for reading and following!

-Ankitha Gadag

Vitamix Pear-Green Smoothie

Great for a detox after a long weekend or as a juice cleanse! This green smoothie is low sugar, low carb and great for weight loss goals!

healthy-green-smoothie

Green smoothies are a great tasting alternative to get in all your daily vitamins and key nutrients. If taken in the morning they provide a great source of energy and keep you feeling full longer. If you prefer to drink them in the evening they are a great way to end the day with a meal that won’t be too heavy and keep your metabolism working all night. If you live a busy lifestyle, then this recipe is perfect for you. It’s super easy to make and involves little to no prep time (AND if you own a Vitamix – you know how easy clean up is :))

Feel free to mix up this recipe to incorporate your favorite greens. Remember, keeping a variety of deep greens is key to getting all the important nutrients.  You can also switch up the fruit – fruits that I find go well with green smoothies are:  apples, limes, lemons, and pears.

You will need:

pear-green-smoothie

  • 1 leaf rainbow chard (substitute with any green you like, for example: Kale)
  • handful of spinach
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 pear
  • 1 small handful of parsley
  • 1/4 th large cucumber

 

Method

  1. Add all your ingredients to the blender
  2. Add about 1 cup of water and a few ice cubes

vitamix-green-smoothie

  1. Blend and Enjoy!

 

Let me know how you like it guys!!

Cotija guacamole with pepitas

Looking for a creative spin on traditional guacamole? Look no further. This recipe is bursting with flavors  from your traditional guacamole – garlic,  onions and cilantro… while keeping it “fresh”. This guacamole gets an element of salty crunch from the pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and robust full-bodied flavor from the cotija cheese. This recipe is sure to be a hit with your guests.

Ingredients: (2 Servings)

  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 avocados
  • 1/4 white onion
  • 1/2 cup packed cilantro
  • 1 lime
  • sea salt (to taste)
  • pepitas (to taste)
  • cotija cheese (to taste)

 

 

Let’s get started!

 

  1. Chop garlic, onion and cilantro finely
  2. Combine avocados & mash
  3. Add in lime, sea salt and mix well
  4. Top with cheese and pepitas!

 

How simple is that? Leave your thoughts below!

guacamole-pepitas-cojita

 

 

 

Super energy green smoothie

1 Green smoothie a day (probably) keeps the doctor away!
Okay, fine, maybe not… but it sure keeps the caffeine intake at bay. Green smoothies every morning give me the energy to cut down on coffee. Smoothies are not only easy to make, but you can put your Ninja or Vitamix to great use by making this healthy recipe!

 

Personally, I was never a smoothie junkie until I started working at Whole Foods. A lot of my smoothies/juices were inspired from the juice bar we had in the store. Unfortunately, a smoothie a day can really add up when you’re purchasing from the juice bar; so, I invested in the Vitamix (which I ABSOLUTELY adore, Vitamix recipes to come…). This was one of the best decisions I made this year. Not only do you have the convenience of making top-notch smoothies/juices at home at a fraction of the cost, BUT, since you’re blending vs. cold-pressing, the smoothie ends up being more nutrient dense than a cold pressed juice.
This smoothie was inspired by my lovely friend who loves incorporating greens with a variety of fruits and soymilk in her smoothies. This ends up being a healthy green smoothie that is also flavorful and creamy.
green smoothie ingredients
Ingredients (for 4 servings):
  • Kiwi (2)
  • Bananas (1)
  • Spinach (2 handfuls)
  • ginger ( 1 inch)
  • parsley (small handful)
  • Silk Soymilk ( 2 cups)
Steps: 

 

ninja green smoothies
  1. Using your Ninja or Vitamix, add all of the above  ingredients
  2. Optional: Add a scoop of protein powder to make this a complete meal
  3. Enjoy!
super green smoothie
As always, would love your feedback if you tried a recipe and loved it. Otherwise, share how you made the recipe yours 🙂

 

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