The current unprecedented circumstances has left us all bound to our homes. While we are at home staying safe and taking time out to do things we never had time to do before, it is more important more than ever that we eat in a healthy and smart way. Chef Sameer Shah of Saint Amand, our in-house hospitality brand has a few ideas on quarantine cooking and intelligent ways to manage your pantry.
Chef Sameer is a true culinary maestro with more than 20 years of rich experience across leading hospitality chains like Taj, Oberoi and Leela. He is the backbone of the Saint Amand hospitality team, catering to every need of our patrons with a personal touch. Before joining the Saint Amand team, he was the Executive Chef at the world-renowned and prestigious Taj Rambagh Palace at Jaipur.
Below are a few ideas from Chef Sameer
1. Quick and healthy recipes for the lockdown that can be easily made at home
Crunchy Granola Recipe
A crunchy granola recipe that's so easy and delicious. Perfect for a healthy breakfast.
Ingredients (8 servings)
2 cups rolled oats or Quaker oats, 2 cups almonds whole or pieces, 1 cup walnuts or pecans, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup flaxseeds, 1/4 cup chia seeds, 1-2 pinch sea salt, 1/2 cup honey , 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
Method
Signature green Smoothie
Ingredients (single serving)
1/2 banana, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1 cup milk or almond milk or soy milk, 1 teaspoon lemon juice , 1 tablespoon honey, 12 leaves of spinach (medium size)
Method
Blend all ingredients in a blender.
2. A few immunity boosting drinks for entire family
Immune booster shot
This immune booster shot recipe has everything you need to raise that immune system and fight off illnesses during sick season!
Ingredients 1 tablespoon honey, Juice of 1 lemon, Juice of 1 orange, 1-2 cloves garlic minced and set aside 10 minutes, 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated, Dash of sea salt (or regular salt), 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder, Grind of black pepper, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon hot water
Method
Warm water with honey and lemon
The hailing potion has all it takes to detox you and give a natural boost to your immunity. Honey happens to be a traditional cough suppressant. Lemon on the other hand is enriched with vitamin C that could rev up your immune system.
1 cup hot water, 1 tablespoon honey, Juice of ½ lemon
Method
Take hot water in a cup and stir in lemon & honey and drink!
3. How to stock the pantry intelligently during these difficult times?
It is important to stock up on foods that pack a nutritional punch.
Fruits and vegetables :
It is good Idea to keep both your freezer and pantry Loaded up with fruits and vegetables. Do pick up unsweetened fruits and unseasoned or low – or no added sodium veggies
Long lasting fruits : Bananas, apples, grapefruit orange and clementine’s. You can also slice and freeze them for snacking or to toss in smoothie’s down the line.
Frozen food : Load up on frozen berries, pineapple, mangoes and peaches which are perfect for making smoothies to topping yoghurt and oatmeal.
Frozen dried fruits : Crispy, freeze dried fruits supplies vitamins and minerals and is perfect for snacking and adding to trail mixes.
Long lasting veggies : Veggies like broccoli, pepper and cauliflower, which, when unwashed uncut, stay fresh for several days. Carrot and potatoes last even longer.
Protein
You want to make sure that you are getting sufficient proteins throughout the day since your immune system cells rely on it.
Chick pea and lentils : These shelf stable foods pack way more protein and fibre.
Seeds : Seeds such as Pumpkin seeds and chia seeds, supply proteins as well as fibre.
Nuts : Variety of nuts such as walnut, peanuts, almonds and pistachio can be used to boost the nutrition and tastiness of a range of meals and snacks.
Milk : A cup of dairy provides 8 grams of protein. Unflavoured, Shelf stables variety sold packaging are a great choice for emergency situations.
Grains and grains alternatives
Single ingredient grain : Whole grains, such as steel cut oats, quinoa and brown rice.
Flours : Stock up an assortment of flour such as chick pea flour, almond flour and whole grain flour these flour provide more nutrition than processed, white flour.
4. Any food preservation methods for the food to stay longer during these days?
Jellying : It is one of the most important preservation for any kitchen. There are different ways of making jelly of fruits which can be preserved for a longer period of time. Whenever somebody is overrun with fruits and veggies, they can make a delicious jelly out of it that you and your family will enjoy for months to come.
Root cellar : Some food are very easy to preserve with no recipe or fancy equipment’s needed. This method would be one of those methods. Basically, you can store use vegetables such as carrot, onion, potato and other root veggies to be stored in dark location that is a cooler to keep the food fresh.
Freezing : Freezing is a super simple method to preserve practically anything.
