Whole Green Channa Summer Salad

This cool summer salad is very nutritious as it contains green channa, vegetables and fruit. Fresh green channa which is available in winter can also be used. Children will love it as a snack too. Try it this Summer.

Serves four people.

Ingredients	Quantity
Soaked Green Channa	½ cup
Chopped Cucumber	½ cup
Chopped Apple	½ cup
Chopped Capsicum (different coloured ones)	½ cup
Chopped Onions	¼ cup
Chopped Tomatoes (de-seeded)	½ cup
Chopped Coriander Leaves	2 tbsps
Mint Leaves	a few
Lime Juice	1 tsp
Honey (Optional)	1 tbsp
Pepper Powder	1 tsp
Olive Oil	1 ½ tsp
Salt	to taste

Method

1. Boil the green channa till cooked. Do not over cook them.


2. Take a big mixing bowl and add all the ingredients one by one except for the lime juice, salt, pepper powder, honey and oil. They will bve used for the dressing. Mix all of the other ingredients together. Chill this salad in the refrigerator till required.


3. To make the salad dressing take a small bowl and add the oil, salt, pepper powder and lime juice and mix them well.


4. Add this dressing to the salad just before serving.


5. Serve this colourful salad in a bowl or in individual bowls.

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Cool Cucumber and Coriander Leaves Salad

Salads are great at any part of the year. However, they are best taken in summer for a cool and refreshing feeling. Also, they are low calorie foods. This recipe has cucumber and coriander (cilantro) with a little lime juice to add a tang to the salad.

Serves a small bowl.

Ingredients	Quantity
Cucumber	2 small or 1 medium
Fresh Coriander Leaves (Cilantro)	2 small bunches
Lime Juice	1 tsp
Salt	to taste
Olive Oil (Optional)	1 tsp

Method

1. Peel and chop the washed cucumber into even sized cubes in a mixing bowl.


2. Grind the washed coriander leaves in a blender with salt and lime juice into a coarse paste.


3. Add this paste to the cucumber cubes and mix thoroughly but gently.


4. Add olive oil if preferred and mix.


5. Cool it in the fridge for about ten minutes and serve it in a serving bowl.


6. Instead of coriander leaves paste, one can use even blanched spinach leaves paste.

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Cool Summer Mango Salad

Come Summer, there is plenty to eat nice ripe sweet mangoes! This wonderful Indian fruit can be included in our cooking other than desserts. They can be used in salads which gives a tinge of sweetness to the salad.This cool salsa recipe can be eaten by diabetics too once in a while.This recipe can be relished by all and for children the spicy green chillies can be avoided. This serves about six people.

Ingredients	Quantity
Tomatoes	3
Onion	1
Capsicum	1
Ripe Mango	1
Finely Chopped Green Chillies	1 tbsp
Chopped Cilantro	1 tbsp
Boiled Chick Peas (Kabuli Chana)	½ cup
Lime Juice	1 tsp
Black Pepper Powder	1 tsp
Salt	to taste
Olive Oil (Optional)	1 tsp

Method

1. Cut the peeled mango into small cubes.Chop the tomatoes,onions and capsicum or green pepper into fine pieces.


2. Take a bowl and add all the chopped vegetables,chick peas,ripe mango cubes,lime juice,green chillies,cilantro, salt and black pepper powder and mix well but lightly.


3. Add the olive oil and mix gently and cool it in the refrigerator.


4. Serve it cool with bread or in canapes or with chappatis.

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Little Cool Cabbage Parcels

These small parcels of salad packed in blanched cabbage leaves is wholesome and different from other salads and is best for a hot Summer afternoon. Try it!

Ingredients	Quantity
Green Cabbage Leaves	4
Grated Carrots	4 tbsps
Diced Cucumber	2 tbsps
Sliced Capsicum	1 tbsps
Diced Tomatoes	2 tbsps
Chopped Onions	2 tbsps
Chopped Cilantro (Coriander Leaves)	1 tbsp
Green Gram Sprouts	1 tbsp
Lime Juice	1 tbsp
Pepper Powder	1 tsp
Olive Oil	1 tbsp
Mustard	1½ tsp
Salt	to taste
Honey (Optional)	1 tsp

Method

1. Take a whole cabbage and cut four fresh and full green leaves and carefully wash them.


2. Blanch them in hot boiling water till they wilt and quickly wash them in cold water so that they retain their colour.Drain the water well.


3. Mix grated carrots,chopped onions,cucumber,capsicum,tomatoes, green gram sprouts, coriander leaves in a bowl with salt and pepper powder.


4. Make a dressing by mixing olive oil with mustard,honey,salt and lime juice and keep it aside.Instead of olive oil Sunflower oil can be used.


5. To make the the parcels,take one blanched cabbage leaf and place it on a flat surface.


6. Put a tablespoon or more of the salad in the center of the cabbage leaf and bring the sides of the leaf together to cover the salad and make a neat package.Do with the rest of the leaves.


7. Place them on a serving plate and pour the prepared dressing over them and cool it in the refrigerator before serving.

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Cabbage Coleslaw

Vegetarian coleslaw is very cool and refreshing in summer.It should be made just before serving to retain the freshness and crispness of the cabbage. Both red and green cabbage or only green cabbage can be used. To make it more colourful,shredded carrots,apple slices or roasted peanuts can be added.Herbs like chopped parsely or coriander leaves can be added.

Ingredients	Quantity
Shredded Cabbage	1 cup
Sour Cream	½ cup
Condensed Milk	1 ½ tbsp
Pepper	½ tsp
Roasted Peanuts	1 tbsp
Chopped Parsley or Coriander Leaves	1 tbsp
Lime Juice	1 tsp
Mint Leaves	for decoration

Method

1. Shred the cabbage and place it in the fridge for a while so that it is cool and crisp.


2. Take a bowl and add all the ingredients except for mint leaves and mix well.


3. Place the coleslaw in a serving bowl and decorate it with mint leaves and serve immediately with sandwiches or chappatis.

Note

The recipe of sour cream is already given here on this blog.

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