What to eat when you’re trying to eat right

Black bean salad

Ingredients
(Serves 4)

- 400 gms cooked black beans

- 250 gms cooked corn

- 2 chopped tomatoes

- ½ cup minced onion

- 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed

- ½ cup diced red bell pepper

- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds coarsely chopped

- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

- Salt and black pepper to taste

1. Mince garlic and press onions.

2. Mix all ingredients together and serve. This salad will keep for a couple of days and gets more flavorful if you let it marinate in the refrigerator for a while.

Photograph: Earthyfeast.com

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Sweet potato wraps

Ingredients
(Serves 2)

- ½ tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 onion, chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 cup cooked rajma

- 1/3 cup water

- ½  tbsp chili powder

- ½ tsp ground cumin

- 1 tsp prepared mustard

- ½ tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

- ½ cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

- 2 whole wheat phulkas

- 2 slices low-fat cheese (try Britannia Slimz cheese slices)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Heat oil in a medium skillet, and sauté onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce.

3. Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the warm tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet.

4. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve.

Photograph: Sweetpotatosoul.com

5 spice chicken in a bowl

Ingredients
(Serves 4)

- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in 2 inch pieces (170 grams each)

- 4 cups chicken broth

- ½ inch sliced fresh ginger, or ½ tsp dried ginger powder

- 6 whole cloves

- 2 cinnamon sticks

- 5 star anise

- ½ tsp dried fennel seeds

-1 medium-sized onion chopped in big pieces

- 3 cloves garlic chopped in big pieces

- 6 whole medium mushrooms

- A few green beans (ends cut off)

- ½ cup minced green onions

Method

1. Chop onion and garlic.

2. Sauté onion in a medium saucepan over medium low heat for about five minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and continue to sauté for another minute. Add chicken broth, ginger, cloves, cinnamon stick, star anise, fennel seeds and mushrooms. Turn heat to medium high and simmer for 15 minutes.

3. While broth is simmering cut ends off beans and cut in 1-inch pieces.

4. Strain broth mixture (saving mushrooms) and put liquid back in pan. Bring to a boil and simmer on high heat with chicken pieces and green beans. Slice mushrooms and add to chicken and broth. Add green onions, salt and pepper to taste.

Photograph: Savorhomeblog.com