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Salad using Cartini fine dicing knife

A salad a day is the easiest route to staying healthy. It allows you to eat a variety of vegetables in one go, without bothering about the combinations, like we do when preparing a subzi. It the one dish where spinach, cabbage, bell peppers, carrots, lettuce can all live happily in one bowl.

In the constant challenge to eat 5 servings of different vegetables in a day, having a good quality knife like Cartini's Fine Dicing Knife, makes it so much easier. Whether in chopping up vegetables and lettuce for a salad or to prepare a hearty filling of mixed vegetables to go inside a quesadilla, this Fine Dicing Knife makes chopping an easy chore.

I have two recipes for you today. The first one is a colourful salad to go with any meal. Taking care to choose vegetables with different colours ensures that you get a whole variety of vitamins and antioxidants.

To prepare one portion of salad, using Cartini Fine Dicing Knife chop up into thin shards 1/4 cup cabbage, 1/2 a carrot, 1/2 a yellow bell pepper and a handful of fresh greens, be it spinach, lettuce or rocket.

It is important that you cut the vegetables just before you toss the salad and eat it, to preserve the nutrients to the maximum. Add all the chopped vegetables to a large bowl. Toss in juice of half a lemon and 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, along with some salt and pepper. Serve with any main course dish. This is a simple no-fuss salad. To make a meal out of it, add some whole grains like cooked millet or brown rice, toasted nuts and a few dried fruits like cranberries.

The second recipe is kid-pleaser. Quesadillas are a Mexican dish where tortillas are stuffed with a filling and cheese and toasted on a pan until crisp and golden, with the cheese inside all melty. Not just the kids, the adults love it too!

Veggie Stuffed Quesadillas
Serves 2 kids

2 ready tortillas or prepare healthier version of tortillas using a mix of healthy flours
3 tsp oil
1 clove garlic
1 medium onion
1 medium yellow bell pepper
3 cups finely chopped spinach
1/2 tsp salt
ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup grated cheese

Using the Cartini Fine Dicing knife, finely chop the onion, slice the garlic. Finely dice the bell pepper.
In a pan, heat 1 tsp oil. Saute the garlic and onion for 1 minute. Add the yellow bell pepper and saute for 2 minutes. Add the chopped spinach, and stir on high flame for 1 minute or so until spinach is wilted. Add salt, pepper, oregano and stir to combine.
Take a non stick skillet or tava. Grease with a few drops of oil. Place one of the tortillas. Lightly brush with oil and spread the entire veggie mix over this. Spread the grated cheese. Cover with the other tortilla, press down well and cook over a medium flame for 2-3 minutes until golden and crispy on the bottom side. Spread some oil over the top and carefully flip over and cook this side until it is golden and crisp. Press down well with a spatula all along so that the cheese melts and the two tortillas stick to each other.
Using a pizza cutter, cut into 4 or 6 pieces. Serve hot with sauce of choice.
*You can also use leftover rotis instead of tortillas.