Tag: dinner

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’s 2-Step Basil-Parsley Pesto

An Ankitha Gadag original recipe for a super easy pesto

I absolutely love pesto. Not only is it simple and quick to make, it is one of the most versatile recipes ever! Why would anyone ever buy pre-packaged pesto when it is such a cinch to make?! By making your own pesto, you can avoid all the artificial preservatives that come with most store bought products. The recipe I’ll be sharing today is an Ankitha Gadag original recipe! The key here is of course the fresh basil & garlic, but as you will see, every other ingredient can be a concoction of your favorite herbs, nuts and spices.

You can use pesto with pretty much everything. I use mine with eggs, pasta, as a spread in a sandwich, or even as a sauce to a good steak (it’s the italian chimichurri ;))

For this recipe you will need:

Ingredients:

  • Parsley (1 bunch)
  • Basil (1.5 bunch)
  • Garlic (1 bulb)
  • Nuts (1 cup of your choice, I prefer cashews or pine nuts… you can use almonds if you want to keep it healthy)
  • Parmesan cheese (1 cup)
  • Serrano (1)
  • S&P to taste
  • Olive Oil
  • lime juice to taste

ankitha-gadag-basil-pesto

Steps:

  1. Add all ingredients except olive oil into your blender ankitha-gadag-pesto

 

  1. While blending, slowly pour olive oil until it reaches a thick, creamy consistency

ankitha-gadag-vitamix

Enjoy!

Ankitha Gadag’s Baked Whole Snapper Recipe!

A great week night recipe when you are running low on energy and time. Another Ankitha Gadag original recipe!!

Fellow Bloggers & Readers,

First off, I, Ankitha Gadag owe you all an apology. I cannot believe it’s been over 14 days since I have posted a recipe to Ankitha Gadag recipes! This is not the Ankitha Gadag treatment I would like to uphold for my readers.

That said, boy do I have a treat waiting for you guys. Before we get into that, let me update you guys on what has been keeping me busy these last few weeks.

ART

Yes, my passion. I decided a few weeks ago that I was going to take the plunge and give my artwork the fair shot of being visible to the masses. That was really my only goal. I had no idea HOW or WHAT I was going to do to make this happen, but I took it step by step.  Started by researching a few shows nearby, and submitted my work to one that looked easy enough to apply to… and VOILA! Ankitha Gadag is a featured artist at the upcoming Pancakes & Booze art show.  That was the single catalyst that has gotten the ball rolling on all the work I have been procrastinating for… since forever.  (Just to give y’all a sneak preview, here’s one of the pieces I’ll be showcasing 🙂 )

tree.jpg

If you want to see the rest of the work, check out my Etsy page here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AnkithaGadagCreation

Any who, back to why were all here: FOOD!! Today’s recipe was a little challenging for me, but if y’all know me you know me, you know I love a challenge! I love fresh fish, and I wanted to try cooking a whole fish, but I requested that the butcher take out the eyes. He looked at me perplexed, but did it anyways. I didn’t want to have the added anxiety of eyes staring up at me while I was garnishing the fish’s interior.

I used a beautiful red snapper, I highly recommend you request the butcher to de-scale and de-bone the fish!

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Notice: No eyes

Here is what you will need:

  • Fish of your choice ( I used a red snapper)
  • compound butter (I used a garlic herb butter)
  • 2 clove garlic
  • lemon pepper seasoning
  • lemon
  • salt/pepper to taste
  • basil

ankitha-gadag-snapper.jpeg

Method:

  1.  Melt the butter and add the seasoning and garlic into the butter.
  2.  Cover the cleaned finish with the butter seasoning mix. Make sure to dress the cavities of the fish thoroughly
  3. Top with the lemon slices and basil

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Cover and bake for 15-20 mins & enjoy!

 

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How easy is that?? Literally 20 mins and great for a late weeknight meal. Pairs wonderfully with a simple cucumber avocado salad or fresh greens!

 

Let me know how you guys like it!

Thanks for reading!!

Ankitha Gadag

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

Breakfast Veggie Scramble

How to make quick easy scrambled eggs with veggies and cheese

Despite the title, eggs are an all day food. Breakfast eggs, Lunch eggs, and Dinner eggs – this is the typical diet of my vegetarian friends. Eggs come in so many  different forms as well – scrambled eggs, eggs benedict, eggs over easy, fried eggs, omelette… the possibilities are endless. This particular recipe will hopefully inspire your creativity with eggs and help you incorporate a lot of great veggies into your diet.

Ingredients:

-Eggs (2 )

-Garlic (1 clove)

-Onion (1/4th)

-Spinach (handful)

-Bell Peppers (1/4th)

-Jalapenos (1)

-Parmesan cheese (handful)

-any other greens of your choice (kale, swiss chard, asparagus etc)

*Optional: Morningstar Veggie Sausage

scrambled-eggs-breakfast

 

Method:

  1. Start with a little olive oil. Add your favorite spices when you heat the oil. I use a dash of basil, oregano, salt, pepper, chipotle/paprika/cayenne (one of these)
  2. Once fragrant, add in your chopped vegetables. Cook for at least 5 mins20160730_101558-01
  3. Add in the eggs
  4. Make sure you are cooking on LOW heat. This is key to avoid overcooking your eggs and keeping them moist. Cook till the eggs are scrambled, but still a tad runny
  5. Now add in the Parmesan cheese. You can turn off the heat and cover till the cheese is melted