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Last Week’s Notable Meals {#2}

written by Parita 6 Comments

Happy Monday! I am currently in New York and loving every second of it. Although, the weather could be a tad bit nicer. But that’s not going to stop us from enjoying the city! Anyways, more about my trip in a later post.

I got some positive feedback about my first notable meals post, so I’m going to try to make it a regular thing around here. Lucky for me (and Vishnu) last week’s meals were actually pretty good, so here we go…

Risotto (with artichoke and spinach pesto), Baked Lemon Garlic Chicken, and Roasted Asparagus

Meals of the Week 005

Our friend Jayesh was in town last Sunday for work, so we invited him over for dinner. I knew I wanted to make chicken for the guys (I followed this recipe) but wasn’t sure about the sides. I went with asparagus because that’s one of Vishnu’s favorite vegetables (and ended up being Jayesh’s as well!). For my second side, I looked to Cook Smarts for some ideas. I came across a baked artichoke and spinach pesto risotto recipe that sounded delicious. However, I didn’t think any of my pans were oven safe so I made a stove top version. While it took a long time to make, I think it came out really well. Vishnu said the leftovers tasted even better!

Chickpea Curry + Trader Joe’s Masala Burgers

TJ Masala Burger and Chickpea Curry

I know this doesn’t look all that appetizing, but trust me when I say it was DELICIOUS! First of all, the TJs masala burgers are probably one of my favorite things ever. All I did was take them out of the freezer, cook them in the microwave (one at a time) for 45 seconds, and then grill them in a frying pan over medium heat (no additional oil) for a few minutes on each side until brown. Done!

For the curry, I chopped up one medium onion and sautéed it in a large pan (in a little bit of oil). I also added some garlic and jalapeno to the pan after a few minutes. Once the onions were translucent, I added a can of diced tomatoes. After letting that simmer for a few minutes, I blended the mixture until smooth. After pouring it back into the original pan, I added a few spices – garam masala, turmeric, red chili pepper, and salt. And finally, I added a can of chickpeas. That’s it.

So easy, so good!

Everything but the Kitchen Sink Lentil Salad

Everything but the Kitchen Sink Lentil Salad
Will be making this again…and again…and again!

Pesto Pizza with Artichokes and Cherry Tomatoes

Pesto Pizza

I am one of those people that thinks the tomato sauce makes the pizza.  And the more the better.  Well, after this pizza, I may have changed my mind.  The flavors of the pesto with the artichoke, cherry tomatoes, and cheese were SO good and very garlicky!

To make the pesto I just combined the following ingredients in my food processor – 1 packed cup of basil leaves, 1/2 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 4 cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.  It was perfect!

The crust was made with premade whole wheat dough from Trader Joe’s.  One bag of dough is supposed to make one 12 inch pizza, but because we like our crust a little thinner, I cut the dough in half and made 2 crusts out of it.  I think it worked out well.  And one more tip when working with this particular dough – cook your pizza for an additional 5-8 minutes (on top of the 12 that is recommended).  We tried it after 12 and felt that the crust was a little raw so back in the oven it went.

Veggie “Cheese” Bowls

Notable Meals 004
Vishnu and I are huge fans of veggie bowls – quinoa, roasted veggies, a protein, and a unique sauce of some sort.  This week’s bowls were made up of quinoa, black beans, roasted veggies (zucchini, onion, cherry tomatoes, sweet potatoes), boiled eggs, and cashew cheese sauce.  This vegan sauce was the absolute highlight of this meal.  It was super creamy, a little nutty, and very garlicky (I may have used four cloves instead of just one).

So there you have it…some of our more notable eats from the week! Next week’s post will be all about my New York City meals. Can’t wait to share!

What was the best meal you made/ate this last week?

Written on May 5, 2014 Related:Food, Recipe

Everything but the Kitchen Sink Lentil Salad

written by Parita 8 Comments

You guys. I made the salad of my dreams the other night. No joke. It was everything a salad should be, namely full of texture and flavor.

To be fair, I didn’t come up with it all on my own. I was inspired by the Loaded Lentils salad I had at Café Karibo in Fernandina Beach a couple of weeks ago. I loved the idea of combining lentils, chickpeas, feta and walnuts. I’m pretty sure I licked my plate clean.

Cafe Karibo

And then came another sign that I needed to make a salad with lentils in it. Jen posted a recipe for a Mediterranean Lentil & Couscous Salad that looked incredible.

And that was that. Lentil salad was added to my weekly meal plan.

So like many of the things I make, this is a “recipe.” This means that ingredients can be swapped out and measurements can be adjusted based on personal preferences. For example, I can totally see this salad looking slightly different the next time I make it…instead of using walnuts, I may use pumpkin seeds. A small example but you get the picture!

With that being said, I’m not going to state exact measurements for the ingredients below. I will, however, note how much of each ingredient I used. And I suggest making/prepping more of the things you like so that way you can make multiple salads during the week. Trust me, you will want to eat this more than once!

Lentil Salad1 (4)

Let’s get to it…

Everything but the Kitchen Sink Lentil Salad

Chopped spinach (I used 2 large handfuls)
Cooked quinoa (I used ~1/3 cup)
Cooked lentils* (I used ~1/2 cup)
Boiled eggs, chopped (I used one)
Cherry tomatoes, quartered (I used 6)
Green olives, chopped (I used 5)
Crumbled feta (I used 2 tablespoons)
Toasted walnuts, chopped** (I used ~2 tablespoons)
Basil leaves, chiffonated (I used 4-5 leaves)
Balsamic glaze***
Olive oil (2 teaspoons)

Starting with the spinach and ending with the basil, add each ingredient to a large bowl. Drizzle ~one tablespoon of the balsamic glaze and 2 teaspoons of olive on top of the salad. Mix and enjoy!

Lentils*
I used Trader Joe’s Small Whole Green Lentils, but I’m guessing any kind will work. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup lentils (sorted and rinsed), ¼ cup white wine (I used Chardonnay), 2 ¼ cups vegetable broth, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 35 minutes. When the lentils are done cooking, add a couple pinches of salt and mix well.

Toasted walnuts**
Heat a small frying pan over low heat and add a couple handfuls of walnuts. Every couple of minutes, toss the walnuts around in the pan (this ensures that they don’t burn). Do this for ~5-7 minutes. As soon as they start to brown, try a piece. If it’s crunchy, you’re good to go. If not, keep toasting for a few more minutes.

Balsamic glaze***
Heat a small sauce pan over low-medium heat. Add ½ to 1 cup of balsamic vinegar to pan and allow to simmer. I know this sounds like a lot, but it reduces to less than half the original amount! You know the glaze is done when it coats the back of a spoon.

Lentil Salad1 (2)

So I know this sounds like a lot of work, but it’s really not because a lot of these ingredients can be prepped ahead of time. And in my opinion, it’s well worth the (very minimal) effort!

What are your salad must-haves?

Written on May 2, 2014 Related:Food, Health, Recipe

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