Healthy Sunday Family Dinner - July 14th, 2013

This was an impromptu dinner. I wasn't expecting anyone to come over on Sunday night but seeing as no one had any plans, we all decided to get together at my place! Given I only had about an hour and 1/2 before everyone arrived, I had to whip up something super fast. As many of you may not know, I am a vegetarian and therefore everything I make is vegetarian. If you're coming to my place and I'm cooking, you probably won't be getting any meat option (unless I decide to buy a take-out meat dish which I HATE doing because I figure that if someone is coming over to my place, I really ought to spend some time and effort into making a nice nutritious meal). 

Since this was a last minute get-together and it was quite late into the evening (around 7-8 PM), I opted to make some healthier and lighter dishes (plus I'm on this health-kick right now and I want everyone to get in on it). So this is what I made:

Oven-roasted sweet potatoes, garden salad, garlic bread and peppers & paneer

Since most of my family is NOT vegetarian, I was expecting a few moans and groans about the 100% vegetarian dinner however, it was a HUGE success. My uncle even went as far to say that this had been the best vegetarian meal he has ever had and that even though it was super healthy and light, he still found it filling. He also mentioned that if he ate like this every day, he wouldn't need to exercise anymore (I do not recommend this but you get what he meant). 

Had this dinner been earlier in the evening, I would have also created some sort of pasta option but since we were all going to head off to bed soon after, it didn't make sense to eat a load of unnecessary carbs. 

With everything said and done, I feel pretty content with my performance for the night. After all, if these dishes were able impress a group of diehard meat-eaters, who wouldn't feel great :)

MaquillaGINA

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Peppers and Paneer

Peppers & Paneer is one of my go-to recipes that everyone absolutely adores. I could literally eat this every single day and GUESS WHAT; it's actually quite healthy for you!

• Sweet peppers (red, yellow, orange)
• Brar Paneer (1/2 pack)
• Yogurt (1 cup) [thicker the consistency, the better the marinade will adhere]
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (2 tbsp)
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Turmeric
• Paprika

Preparation:

1) De-core and slice your peppers (and other vegetables)
2) Cut your paneer into even cubes

3) Prepare your marinade by mixing 1 cup yogurt with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch each of the following: salt, black pepper, tumeric and paprika (if you can't tell by now, i'm not a big fan of precise measurements)
4) Add the peppers and paneer to the marinade and evenly distribute 

5) Apply plastic wrap over mixing bowl and place in fridge over-night (this is an optional step; when I'm pressed for time, I start cooking right away)

Cooking:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 

2) Place peppers and paneer into a large baking dish and place in oven on bake for 20 minutes

3) After 20 minutes, broil for additional 10 minutes

Voilà, you are done! Finish it off with a squirt of lemon or lime juice if you want a nice tang. Your peppers and paneer should be crisp on top with some nice charring due to the 10 minute broil. The beauty of this dish is that you can throw in other vegetables to make it uber healthy (I opted to add some mushrooms, zucchini and eggplant this time around). 

TRY OUT THIS RECIPE AND LET ME KNOW HOW MUCH YOU LOVED IT IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

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