Food

Recipe: Indian Eggs
Recipe: Indian Eggs 3264 1836 Nadir Keval

Lately, I’ve been wanting to take some major steps to make some major changes in my health and lifestyle. I’m determined to make healthy living my reality, and one of the biggest components comes from the food I choose to eat. It’s far, far, far too easy to fall into this comfort level of eating the things that are most easily accessible to us. But, let’s leave that to a separate article, because it’s a big topic! In the meantime, check out this egg recipe for a healthy and hearty meal! Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below! What are some of your favourite things to add to eggs? Have you ever tried these ingredients?

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 medium Tomato (deseeded and diced)
  • 1 medium Jalapeño (diced; deseed to decrease the heat)
  • 4-6 White Mushrooms (roughly chopped)
  • 2-3 tbsp Cream (milk for a healthier option)
  • 1 whole Egg
  • 3 tbsp Egg Whites
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp Unsalted Butter

Instructions:

  1. In a mixing bowl, beat in the contents of whole egg, the egg whites, and the cream/milk.
  2. Add tomatoes, jalapeno, turmeric, red chili powder, and salt/pepper to the egg mix.
  3. Heat a frying pan to medium heat.
  4. Add olive oil and butter, moving pan in hand to cover the cooking surface of the pan.
  5. Add mushrooms and spread around pan to cook evenly.
  6. Once the mushrooms are cooked, add the egg mix.
  7. Keep mixing the eggs in the pan, until the eggs cook through.
  8. Serve and enjoy!

 

A healthy and hearty breakfast for my dad and I: Indian Eggs 🙂 Stay tuned for the recipe later today!

A photo posted by Nadir Keval (@nadirkeval) on

Recipe: Creamy Pomodoro Linguini
Recipe: Creamy Pomodoro Linguini 769 374 Nadir Keval

I really had fun with this one. I wanted to make something simple, quick and easy to make, and something everyone would choose. I had my family try it, and their wow reactions really made me smile, so I knew I had to share it with all of you. Give it a try, leave a comment below, and share it with your friends 🙂 Thank you!

Much love,

– Nadir

Ingredients:

  • 2 small onions
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2-3 tomatoes
  • Olive Oil (to cook with)
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil (to dress with)
  • 1 medium Jalapeno
  • 2-3 tbsp. chopped Basil
  • ¼ cup Evaporated Milk
  • Linguini
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Ground Flax Seed (optional)

Prep work:

  • Quarter and slice onions
  • Finely dice garlic cloves
  • Chop tomatoes into 1-inch chunks
  • Slice jalapeno
  • Roughly chop basil
  • Put a well-salted pot of water on to boil

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan, add olive oil, until based of pan is oiled.
  2. Heat oil to medium heat, and add sliced onions.
  3. After onions begin to become translucent, add garlic.
  4. Add dry linguini to boiling saltwater pot. Stir occasionally while cooking up the sauce.
  5. After onions and garlic reach a golden brown, add tomatoes and jalapeno.
  6. Cook until tomatoes break apart (crush them in pan to help them along).
  7. Add jalapeno and basil to sauce.
  8. Add salt, pepper, and flax seed to taste and personal preference.
  9. Stir sauce occasionally, then add evaporated milk, and allow to cook for 5 -7 more minutes.
  10. Continue stirring until pasta is ready (al dente). Then, add pasta from the pot into the saucepan using tongs, allowing some of the pasta water to get into the sauce.
  11. Toss the pasta with the sauce until the sauce is distributed evenly.
  12. Plate, and dress with a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Garnish with a few small leaves of basil.

Recipe - Creamy Pomodoro Linguini - Nadir Keval

Recipe: Gnocchi in Pomodoro Sauce
Recipe: Gnocchi in Pomodoro Sauce 1536 2048 Nadir Keval

So, this has to be one of the best and most enjoyable dishes I’ve made, simply because it’s easy to make, takes hardly any time, and is so filling! And most importantly, it’s my best friend’s mom’s recipe, and she’s an Italian chef that has kept this Gentle Giant (or GG as some have chosen to nickname me in the past haha) fully attached to the wonderful world of Italian cuisine.

Often, when you think of Italian food, you think pizza or pasta. One dish that’s often forgotten is the deliciously filling and fulfilling Gnocchi. This potato-dumpling is very easy to make, and even easier if you buy it ready-made. In this case, I made it using ready-made gnocchi, and then called up my second mom (my best friend’s mom) to ask how to make the best possible sauce to go with gnocchi. Here are some pictures, along with the recipe.

Gnocchi in a Pomodoro Sauce

Gnocchi in a Pomodoro Sauce

Serves: 3-4 people

Ingredients:

  • 500g Gnocchi (see below for pic of which one I used)
  • 5-7 medium Roma Tomatoes
  • 1-2 small white onions
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Dice tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Put aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in medium sized pot at medium heat.
  3. Add onions. Stir until almost golden brown.
  4. Add garlic. Stir until both garlic and onions are golden brown.
  5. Add tomatoes (some like to boil and peel the tomatoes, but I like the skin on there, so I left it on).
  6. Cover and let the sauce cook for 20-30 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally, to make sure nothing sticks.
  7. When the sauce seems about 5-10 minutes from being cooked, begin boiling a pot of salted water, large enough to hold the gnocchi.
  8. Once the water comes to a boil, add the gnocchi.
  9. Strain the gnocchi when ready – you know the gnocchi are ready when they begin to rise and float. Don’t forget to keep stirring the sauce!
  10. Add to sauce. Stir together slowly (you don’t want to break the gnocchi!).
  11. Cover and let it cook some more for a few more minutes. This isn’t necessary, but I personally like to give the sauce and gnocchi a chance to marinate together, get to know each other better 😛
  12. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with parmesan cheese (I like it cheesy, as you can tell from my jokes :P), and enjoy!

 

 

This is the Gnocchi I used. Let me know if you have suggestions for any others!

This is the Gnocchi I used. Let me know if you have suggestions for any others!

Diced Garlic and Onions

Diced Garlic and Onions

Diced Roma Tomatoes

Diced Roma Tomatoes

Olive Oil heating (do not use Extra Virgin Olive Oil!)

Olive Oil heating (do not use Extra Virgin Olive Oil!)

Getting the onions and garlic golden brown

Getting the onions and garlic golden brown

Tomatoes added and cooking for about 15-20 minutes already

Tomatoes added and cooking for about 15-20 minutes already

Start adding the cooked Gnocchi

Start adding the cooked Gnocchi

Stir and let it sit at low heat for a few minutes

Stir and let it sit at low heat for a few minutes

Gnocchi in a Pomodoro Sauce

Gnocchi in a Pomodoro Sauce

Recipe: Herb chicken with a sweet potato and veggie medley
Recipe: Herb chicken with a sweet potato and veggie medley 2560 1920 Nadir Keval

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

  • 2 whole boneless chicken breast
  • 1/2 cup Canola or Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp Dried Basil
  • 1 tsp Tandoori Masala (for color)

Veggie Medley

  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 whole sweet potato, halved (length-wise) and sliced
  • 2 small whole Roma tomatoes
  • 3 stalks asparagus (sliced into diagonal pieces)
  • 3 stalks green onions
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp evaporated milk
  • To taste Salt
  • To taste Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1 tsp chopped dried rosemary

Directions (Serves 1 person):

  1. Into a ziplock bag, combine boneless chicken breast, oil, dried basil, and tandoori masala. Close the bag and shake it – a lot. Place in fridge. (In my recipe, it was marinating for almost two days – although, the longer it marinates the better, I would think that a minimum of 6-8 hours should suffice.)
  2. Prep vegetables: half (length-wise) and slice the sweet potato, chop the tomatoes into big chunks, diagonally slice the asparagus (after cutting off the bottoms), and finely chop the green onions.
  3. Place large skillet on medium heat.
  4. Add butter. Spread around whole skillet base.
  5. Add sweet potato into skillet, making sure that all the pieces are flat on the skillet.
  6. Let each side of the sweet potato pieces cook for 1.5-2 minutes.
  7. Reduce heat.
  8. Add tomatoes and asparagus. Add salt. Toss and allow to cook.
  9. While it cooks, cut chicken breast into cubes.
  10. Add chicken. Toss and allow to cook.
  11. Add green onions, lemon juice, evaporated milk, ground black pepper, red chili flakes, and rosemary.
  12. Toss and allow to cook. Keep on heat until chicken is fully cooked.
  13. Serve 🙂

Enjoy!

 

Herb Chicken with sweet potato and veggie medley

Recipe: Spicy Mozza Chicken Penne
Recipe: Spicy Mozza Chicken Penne 2560 1920 Nadir Keval

Usually, Saturday nights are my cheat meal nights, where I finally get some time to myself and so this week, after posting a picture of my meal on Instagram and Pinterest, I was asked to post the recipe. So, I thought this would be a great idea for a new series of posts I could put up.

From now on, every Monday, I will post the recipe and picture of my Saturday night cheat meal. My meals throughout the rest of the week are usually not all that special or anything, so there’s not much need to post pictures or recipes for them. They’re usually health conscious meals where it’s natural ingredients cooked in a simple way. I remember when I started out with making healthy meals and I often found it very difficult to eat healthy while also enjoying the flavour in my meals – it was always so bland and boring. After gaining some experience and embracing my passion for cooking, I find it easier to put together healthier options. So, if any of you would like recipes like those to be posted as well, just leave a message in the comment section below letting me know what kinds of ingredients or meals (i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks) you’d like to get recipes on, and I’ll do my best to post some.

And now, on to the Spicy Mozza Chicken Penne recipe…

Spicy Mozza Chicken Penne

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Dry Whole Wheat Penne
  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 cup Boneless Chicken
  • 1 clove Garlic
  • ½ Onion
  • 3 stalks Asparagus
  • 4 halves Stewed Tomatoes
  • ½ Jalapeno
  • to taste Salt
  • to taste Ground Black Pepper
  • to taste Dried Basil
  • 1 ½ cup Fresh Parsley
  • 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella

Directions (Serves 1-2 people):

  1. Fill a pot with water and add salt. Bring to a boil, then add whole wheat penne. Once cooked, drain out water.
  2. While penne is being prepped and cooked, begin preparations for sauce.
  3. Roughly chop boneless chicken into desired piece sizes. If you don’t have any boneless chicken, just debone any pieces you may have (in my case, I used leftover boiled chicken pieces from the night before).
  4. Chop ½ onion and slice garlic clove.
  5. Place a large skillet on a medium-high heat stovetop and add butter. Move skillet around to ensure that the butter spreads around the whole pan.
  6. Add chicken to skillet.
  7. Before chicken begins to brown, add onion and garlic. Cook until onions are tender and chicken is lightly browned.
  8. While chicken, onion, and garlic cook, diagonally chop asparagus and chop jalapeno.
  9. Once chicken, onion, and garlic are cooked, add asparagus, jalapeno and stewed tomatoes halves. Break tomatoes into chunks while in skillet (this keeps the juices in the sauce, adding liquid to it).
  10. Allow sauce to cook for 1-2 minutes, then add salt, pepper, and basil to taste, as well as olive oil.
  11. Reduce heat to low-medium, then add cooked and drained penne to skillet.
  12. Allow sauce to cook for a few more minutes while you roughly chop the parsley and shred the mozzarella.
  13. Toss pasta, then add parsley and mozzarella. Toss till cheese is melted.
  14. Serve 🙂

Poached Eggs on Spinach and Tomato Oatmeal
Poached Eggs on Spinach and Tomato Oatmeal 2000 1500 Nadir Keval

Made a meal inspired by @instagramfitness and @cherie_amour05. My pic doesn’t look anywhere near as good as the one they posted does, but here’s my first attempt at it. It was my first time making poached eggs at home, which were then topped on to a bed of oatmeal, spinach, tomato, ground flaxseed (I include these in almost every meal because of the great health benefits flaxseeds hold), oregano, ground black pepper, red chilli powder, and a pinch of salt. Now, it’s time for me to dig in and enjoy! 😀 If you try it out, be sure to share your experience and thoughts with me! 😀

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • Water
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • 2 packets or 56g of Regular Quaker Instant Oatmeal (I just find it easier to portion this way)
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 27g raw spinach
  • 81g tomato
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp ground flaxseed
  • To taste: ground black pepper, red chilli powder, and salt

Instructions

  1. Place eggs in ramekins or small bowls – one per bowl. The point of this is to let them come to room temperature, which helps in the cooking process.
  2. Fill a deep pan, 2 inches deep with water.
  3. Add 1 tbsp vinegar. The vinegar helps in the egg whites staying intact and not scattering while cooking in the water.
  4. Place on stove at a heat that is not too hot and not too cold. I determined the heat by putting it at medium heat until I saw bubble forming in the water on the bottom and sides of the pan. I brought it to a lower heat, and adjusted it to the point where the bubbles remained, but they stuck to and didn’t detach from the bottom and sides of the pan.
  5. Put eggs in the water, one at a time, by placing the edge of the bowl in the water, and slowly dropping the egg in.
  6. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, ladling the cooking water over the eggs.
  7. When the egg whites become white and are no longer clear, spoon out the eggs and place them on a few sheets of paper towel, to let the excess water drain off of the eggs. If the eggs got stuck to the bottom, use a spoon to lightly lift the eggs off the pan bottom, and then take the eggs out.
  8. Using a strainer, pour out the rest of the water, so that you are left with the leftover egg whites from the water (if there was any).
  9. Place the strained egg whites on the paper towel with the poached eggs.
  10. While the eggs dry, use the pan again to cook the spinach and tomato oatmeal.
    • Put olive oil in pan, allowing to heat
    • Place cut spinach and tomatoes in heated oil
    • While vegetables heat, cook instant oatmeal in the microwave according to the instructions on the package, using water
    • In the pan with the vegetables, throw in the oregano, flaxseed, chilli powder, salt and pepper
    • After oatmeal is cooked in microwave, mix it in with the vegetables
  11. Once cooked, spoon the oatmeal into a bowl.
  12. Slowly take the poached eggs off of the paper towels, and place on the oatmeal. I would suggest placing it in such a way that the egg yolks lean TOWARDS the center of the bowl, to make it easier to incorporate some egg into every bite.

And that’s it! Enjoy!

Poached Eggs on Spinach and Tomato Oatmeal

Pho’real, it’s delicious!
Pho’real, it’s delicious! 1500 1125 Nadir Keval

People keep talking about Pho being amazing, so I thought I’d give it a try. I went to a couple of restaurants around my house, but I couldn’t find any that were halal, so I decided to make my own at home. I have to admit, I can taste the hype living up to it’s rep! This stuff is absolutely incredible! I’ve never tasted Pho before, so I don’t know if this is what it tastes like, but, my family and I loved the results!

To make this, I checked out a bunch of different recipes online, found their similarities, and then customized it to fit my own taste. So, when you make this, you can adjust it, subtract from it and add from it whatever you’d like.

Cooking is somewhat of a stress-relief for me, and I always find that I need to do at least ONE thing every week in order to de-stress, otherwise I get pulled into this downward spiral of overwhelming thoughts and emotions. So, insha Allah, whenever I get the desire to cook something new or interesting, I’ll post it on here 🙂

Salmon Pho (2 servings)

INGREDIENTS:

Broth

1 cup diced white onion
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cups water
3 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 whole cloves
1 bunch fresh cilantro (stems only – save the leaves for later)

Protein

6 oz fresh salmon filet, thinly sliced (1/4-1/2 inch thick)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground coriander

Toppings

1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tbsp Sriracha Hot Sauce
Leaves from bunch of cilantro

Base

100 g uncooked rice-stick noodles (rice vermicelli)

PROCESS:

  1. In a large pot, sauté onion, ginger and garlic in vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
  2. Add water, broth, fish sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, soy sauce, cloves, and cilantro stems.
  3. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer broth for 20-30 minutes.
  4. As the brother boils, begin preparing the salmon and the noodles.
    • slice the salmon
    • sprinkle the slices with 1 tsp sugar, coriander, and ground black pepper
    • prepare the noodles according to the directions on the package – I boiled mine with a pinch of salt
  5. After the broth has simmered for 20-30 minutes, strain out the solids in the broth, so that you’re left with only the liquid.
  6. Put the broth back on the stove, and add the toppings (shredded carrots, green onions, Sriracha hot sauce, cilantro leaves to the broth.
  7. Bring the broth to a boil.
  8. As the broth boils, prepare two deep bowls. Place half of the salmon and half of the noodles into each bowl.
  9. Ladle the boiling soup/broth into each bowl, basically drowning the salmon and noodles. The boiling hot broth will cook the salmon 😀
  10. If you’d like to add more kick, you can experiment with more Sriracha and lemon juice.
  11. And that’s it! Grab some chopsticks (forks if you need to) and a soup spoon, and enjoy!

Remember, I’ve never had Pho before, so I have no idea if this is what it’s supposed to taste like. But, it was DELICIOUS!

Try it out, and let me know what you guys think! 😀

SAMSUNG

Simple Eats
Simple Eats 1500 1156 Nadir Keval

One of the things I’ve learned in my journey towards better health is that it’s important to keep things simple. Often, people overwhelm themselves by complicating things beyond their personal levels of comfort. I was definitely one of those people. Then, it dawned on me. My greatest success has been when I’ve taken the challenge I was facing and ran it through my filter and life motto, “Simplicity, with a dash of elegance.™”

As I worked towards finding my ideal “diet”, I decided to break things down to the bare components of what I knew was healthy and good for me, and what wasn’t. These are the components I came up with:

Proteins

  • These would derive from lean meats such as chicken breast, turkey, fish, beans, nuts
  • Another source is through protein shakes, but be sure to educate yourself on a type before buying it, because a lot of protein powders have things you may not need in them, or may include fillers

Carbohydrates

  • It’s important to consume carbs from good sources, which as a general rule of thumb would include whole wheat and whole grain foods
  • Avoid the white bread, white rice, etc. because those are full of sugars and have been refined to the degree the majority of their nutritional value

Fibre

  • For this, I usually include ground flax seeds (from what I’ve read, our bodies can’t digest the whole seeds, so they must be ground) in sauces, protein shakes, etc.
  • I also eat oatmeal, and Metamucil (yes, Metamucil – the orange flavoured stuff tastes AMAZING!)
  • There are two types of dietary fibre, soluble and insoluble (I’ll discuss those in a separate post soon)

Fats

  • There are good fats and there are bad fats
  • Most processed foods, and things jam-packed with sugar (a.k.a. junk food) are filled with bad fats
  • Good fats come from healthy oils, fish, nuts, and things like that

Fruits/Veggies

  • These are personal favourites for keeping myself full throughout the day, and helping me not get hungry. If I get hungry, I munch on them
  • They are filled with natural sugars, fibre, and loads of vitamins
  • I avoid fruit after 7-8 p.m. because of their sugar content

Water

  • I drink so much of this, you’d think I was a water well haha. But seriously, water is your best friend. Still, too much of a good thing is bad for you, so make sure that you’re sticking to a healthy amount for your age, height, weight, lifestyle, etc.
  • There’s no cookie-cutter amount of water consumptions that fits everyone. For more details on knowing how much you can consume, here’s a short, simple article by Jillian Michaels (How Much Water Should I Drink?)

Now, remember, this is just my own personal guideline. I stick to eating from these different groups, and watch my caloric intake using myFitnessPal. As I’m very indecisive about my meal choices, I don’t bother with making a meal plan, but instead, cook up or grab something using these categories. I’ve tried meal plans before, and every time I go to make something, I get lazy and just end up eating the thing I have quickest access to.

Like I said, every person is different. Finding your own way is part of this journey towards getting into your personal ideal shape. Find what works for you through trial and error, and make an effort to educate yourself, not only because what you eat is 70-80% of your healthy lifestyle and dietary success, but also because this is a lifestyle change. This process will take time, so if you’re seeking a quick fix, know that it will only last as long as it took to reach. The more time you take working towards your goals, educating yourself, and working vigorously towards reaching your ideal, the more permanent the results will be.

I wish you all the best in this journey, and if you have any comments, suggesting, or ideas that you’d like to discuss, include them in the comments below, and maybe we’ll get to learn a thing or two from each other. Remember, this is a positive journey, so let’s stay positive and motivate each other towards success!

Back to top