Avocado Spinach Paratha

Do you like Avocados? Do you like Spinach? If you answered no to either of the two, you are sure to change your mind after trying the recipe I am sharing today! I promise, you will start loving these two super greens after you try this healthy Avocado Spinach paratha (bread). If you answered yes, then you definitely want to try the recipe to fall in love with them again.These soft, melt-in-mouth parathas can be served with either a bowl of cool yogurt or warm soup of your choice. Treat upon these delicious Avocado Spinach paratha for your next meal for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner and you will be in for a surprise!

Avocados are one of my favorite fruits that turn into my meal at times when I am limiting my intake of carbs and calories. The creamy and soft avocados are easy to prepare and very fulfilling. Also, Avocados are an excellent source of Omega-2 fatty acids (fats that are good for our body), beta carotene, potassium and magnesium. 

On the other hand, spinach is exceptionally nutrient rich leafy vegetable packed with fiber, iron, calcium, vitamins C & K. Spinach is versatile and can be eaten raw in salads, cooked as curry or pureed for smoothie, soup or added in parathas to help sneak in some greens in your kids' diet. 

Here I have combined these two super nutrients to make some delightful parathas that can be enjoyed by adults and kids alike. My family loves these parathas. I always prepare enough of them to last for evening snack or next day breakfast. My kid just rolls up the paratha and eats it without any fuss.

Let's get started with the recipe...

Serves 4-6
Prepare time -20 minutes
Cook time - 20 minutes


Ingredients -




4 Cup Wheat flour
1 Big or 2 small Avocado
3 Cup Spinach
1 Green chili
1 Small piece of ginger
Water as needed
Salt per taste
1 Tsp red chili powder
1/2 Tsp turmeric powder
1/2 Tsp Cumin powder
1/2 Tsp sugar (optional)
2 Tbsp oil
Oil for frying Paratha


Instructions -

Peel and slice Avocado(s). Cut the stems of spinach and wash the leaves. Add them both to the blender along with green chili, ginger and some water. Puree the mixture, transfer it to a bowl and set aside. Make sure the puree is not too watery. It should have thick consistency like a smoothie. 

Now add wheat flour along with all the dry ingredients, oil and spinach-avocado puree to food processor to prepare a soft dough. You can also prepare dough by adding all the elements in a mixing bowl and kneading into a soft dough by hand. You may use a little bit of water to knead dough if necessary. Also, be sure to add the puree little by little while kneading dough.

Cover the dough and set it aside for 10-15 minutes. After that make about 10-12 equal balls from this dough.

Roll out about 8 inch diameter parathas on chakla or rolling board with rolling pin. Use some dry wheat flour to prevent the parathas from sticking on the board. 

              

Put Paratha on hot tawa/griddle, flip when bottom starts to cook and you see some brown spots.

               


Brush a little bit of oil or ghee on both side. Lightly press with flat spatula on both sides, paratha will puff up as it cooks completely.


                                              

Hot and yummy Avocado Spinach Parathas are ready to serve!. You could enjoy these warm Parathas with either some chilled yogurt or warm soup. Eat well!

Veggie Quesadillas with quick Salsa & Guacamole

Hola foodies, hope you all are having a great weekend! Today, I will be sharing one of my favorite and easiest Mexican recipes of all time - Veggie Quesadillas with quick Salsa and Guacamole. It is one of the simplest and classic Mexican dishes that you can try to start your journey for the Mexican comidas (foods) or simply further your quest...

So what are Quesadillas? Originated from Mexico, the name Quesadillas come from Spanish word Queso means cheese and it literally translates to "cheesy little things". Traditionally the tortillas are toasted with melted cheese and sautéd vegetable or meat. I usually buy tortillas from the store as you can get many varieties that suits your need. In a quest to make this dish healthy, I try to buy whole wheat tortillas. You can also find them prepared from white flour, corn flour, or mix grains. This time I brought whole wheat tortilla with chia seeds. I love making these for my kid as I can add all sorts of veggies and sometimes beans too. These get eaten without any complains as they taste so yummm especially when I layer them with cheese! 

 

Mexican meal is incomplete without Salsa, Guacamole and tortilla chips. No matter which Mexican dish I make, I always have these sides to make a complete dish. The combination of Salsa, Guac and crunchy tortilla chips is just something that I can never get enough of. So, I will also share a quick Salsa and Guacamole recipe to make with Quesadillas. I do have a special recipe if I am making them for a party or for guests. I will keep that recipe for some other time. :) 

Most of all the health benefits come from the cheese and the type of veggies added to make the quesadillas. Cheese is healthy if eaten in moderation as it provides much needed calcium and protein to our bodies. Typically when I am preparing Mexican meal, I choose to go with four cheese Mexican blend (mix of Monterey jack, Cheddar, Asadero and Queso quesadilla cheese) which gives so much more flavor to the food. Veggies, as as you may know, have abundance of nutrients and are low in calories and fats. 

                         

Additional notes/ tips

• Any assortment of veggies can be used for stuffing. In my opinion, the vegetables that taste best in Quesadillas are corn, spinach, mushrooms, squash, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, colorful peppers, onions, etc...
• Cheese is an essential ingredient for this recipe. However, if you wish to keep this recipe vegetarian, you would want to pick some vegetarian cheese. A lot of cheese brands use enzymes from animal rennet in making cheese, so look for vegetarian rennet or microbial rennet on the ingredients label of the cheese.

Let's get started with this simple yet delicious Veggie Quesadillas with quick Salsa & Guacamole recipe...

Serves 4

Prepare time 10 minutes

Cook time 20 minutes

Ingredients 

For Quesadillas

1 Pack Tortillas (6 ct)

1 Cup cheese

1/4 Cup Vegenaise (optional)

1/2 Corn (Boiled)

1 Medium Zucchini

1/2 Green pepper

1/2 Red pepper

1 Tbsp cumin powder

1 Tsp oregano

1 Tsp black pepper powder 

2 Tbsp Oil for grilling vegetables

Oil for toasting Quesadillas 

Salt to taste

For 5 minute Salsa (Mild)

2 Medium tomatoes

1 Small red onion

1 Small bunch cilantro

1/2 Tsp Oregano (Prefer Mexican oregano)

1/4 Tsp Black pepper powder

1/2 Lemon

Salt to taste

For 2 minute Guacamole 

1 Medium Avocado

1/2 Lemon

1 Tbsp salsa 

Salt to taste

Instructions

Evenly dice all the vegetables listed above for Quesadillas, i.e. red and green bell peppers and zucchini. Remove corn kernel from the cob.  

Heat up oil in a pan and add all the diced vegetables and corn, and sauté them for about a minute. 

         

Add salt, cumin powder, black pepper powder and oregano. Mix everything well.

 

Sauté the vegetables for 4-5 minutes until they turn slightly brown. Turn off the heat and transfer the veggies to a bowl. Let the stuffing cool down. 

While the veggies are cooling down, let's quickly make the Salsa and Guacamole. 

To make Salsa, roughly chop tomatoes, onions and cilantro. Add them to the chopper along with salt, pepper, oregano and lemon juice. 

Chop everything finely and voila Salsa is ready. Transfer into a bowl and garnish with lemon slice and cilantro. 

To make Guacamole, cut the avocado to half and de-seed it. Roughly chop avocado and add to the chopper along with salt, lemon juice and one spoon of salsa you just prepared.

Since avocados are soft, when you run chopper they will turn into smooth creamy dip - Guacamole. Alternatively, you can also make Guacamole without a chopper. Just use a fork to smash the chopped avocados and mix the spices. Transfer in a bowl and garnish with avocado seed. The avocado seed also helps to keep the Guacamole from turning black. Quick 2-minute Guac is ready to serve!

Getting back to Quesadillas, once the stuffing has cooled down, spread vegenaise on the tortilla. Just spread on one half of the tortilla as shown in the picture below. This step is optional, if you don't have vegenaise, just skip to next step. However, I recommend adding vegenaise to make the Quesadillas creamy! 

Now spread the sautéd vegetables over the layer of vegenaise on the tortilla. Here you can add as thick of a layer of veggies as you desire.

Next generously spread cheese over the veggies. Again you can add as little or more cheese per your desire. 

Fold the tortilla and keep it aside. Repeat the same process on the rest of the tortillas.

Next heat up the pan on a medium flame. Drizzle about 1 tbsp of oil.

Place two of the folded tortillas on the pan as shown in the picture below. Toast them for about a minute or until the tortillas are nicely toasted with brown spots at the bottom. 

Flip them over to toast the other side. If you are comfortable, you can flip them inside the pan. Otherwise transfer them to a plate, flip them and slide back to the pan. 

                             

Again toast them for another minute to toast evenly. 

Transfer them to a plate and repeat the process with the rest of the folded tortillas. Slice them with a knife or cutter in your preferred shape.

Hot, cheesy and loaded with veggies Quesadillas are ready to eat. Serve them with tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole.