Thai Salad Corn Tacos

Summers are here and so are the days of enjoying crunchy- fresh Salads. Today, i have for you all a Thai style salad which is bursting with fresh flavours, looks gorgeous and is very exciting. I did say exciting right?? Now, whats more exciting than crunchy taco shells ! It is a healthy, ZERO OIL guilt free salad which is not loaded with heavy mayo dressings but has a nutty flavour from coconut milk, sesame seeds and peanuts. So, here it is.. presenting a fun meal for all – Thai Salad Corn Tacos 🙂

The theme for this week is Zero Oil. For many people, that means a non palatable dish. People associate oil with taste but that is a big myth. Zero Oil does not mean that you have to eliminate fun and taste from your meals. Thinking in that direction, i began to think of all the factors of food that makes it interesting and appetizing. One thing that struck me was the colorful vegetables. Keeping that in mind, i decided to dedicate this post to those beautiful produce and create a dish which you would “want” to eat. So, here it is ! Thai Salad with crunchy corn Tacos. Yummy right? The concept was inspired by an Indian appetizer dish called as the “Masala Papad” where lentil crackers are laced with fresh tomato onion salsa. Read the recipe below and make it at home today ! This dish is made with corn, cabbage, peanuts, sunflower seeds, tofu, sesame seeds and bell peppers.

Thai Salad Corn Tacos

Servings: 2
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: simple
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Corn tacos

4 small corn tortillas

For Thai Salad

1 cup mixed red/ orange/yellow bell peppers, thin sliced
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded purple cabbage
50 gms Tofu, cut into cubes
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

Dressing

2 tbsp roasted peanuts
1/3 cup coconut milk, light
1/2 tsp crushed red chili flakes
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 clove of Garlic
1 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Method

We will begin with preparing the tacos from the tortillas. If u like, you can also buy corn tacos from the store and go ahead with the step 3.
Pre-heat the oven at 365 F. Place the tortillas in a U formation between the gaps of a muffin tray and bake for about 7-10 minutes till the “U” shape retains. Remove from the oven and let it cool down. The corn tacos are ready.
We will begin the Thai salad with the dressing. For that, put all the ingredients for the dressing in a mixie and make a smooth paste.
In a bowl, put in bell peppers, carrot, cabbage, spring onions and tofu. Pour in the dressings on top of the salad mix and toss well using 2 forks.
Sprinkle coriander, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds on top and combine. The thai salad is ready.
To serve, place 2 tacos on a plate and fill them with the Thai salad. Serve immediately.

Suggested serving size : 2 tacos

Now, for some health talks and facts:

Corn – Fortunately for people with diabetes, corn is a nutrient-rich food classified as a starch on the Diabetes Food Pyramid, along with grains, potatoes, peas and beans. With a glycemic index (GI) of 42, corn is also classified as a low-GI food, meaning that corn raises blood sugar by a relatively small amount.

Purple Cabbage – Eating cabbage is an inexpensive way to add vitamins K and C and antioxidants to your diabetic diet. Cabbage is also a good source of manganese, fiber, and vitamin B6. Adding cabbage to our diets may help prevent many diseases including diabetes and may help alleviate some skin conditions and inflammation. A cup of green raw cabbage has 21 calories, 0.11 grams of fat, 3.2 grams of sugars, 2 grams of fiber, and 1.3 grams of protein.

Sesame seeds – Sesame seeds are full of high quality protein making up 20 percent of the seed with 4.7 grams of protein per ounce. Sesame seeds contain magnesium and other nutrients. Sesame oil has been shown to prevent diabetes, and it can also improve plasma glucose in hypersensitive diabetes. Sesame helps lower cholesterol levels, because it contains phytosterols that block cholesterol production. Black sesame seeds are especially high in phytosterols.

Peanuts – Peanuts have a low glycemic index, just 13, making it appropriate for the diabetic diet. Foods with a low glycemic index do not trigger a spike in blood sugar, which helps people with diabetes maintain normal blood glucose. Eating about 2 ounces of nuts daily in place of carbohydrates may be beneficial to people with type 2 diabetes by lowering bad cholestrol levels and improving blood sugar control.

Tofu – Tofu may be especially beneficial for diabetics, because it is a complete protein that enables better regulation of sugar levels. In multiple animal studies, soy foods have been shown to lessen insulin resistance by increasing the synthesis of insulin receptors. However, this increased formation of insulin receptors only appears to occur in the presence of other dietary circumstances, like a moderate amount of polyunsaturated fat intake.

bell peppers – Most peppers contain about 5 to 7 grams of carbohydrates per cup of raw vegetable, although some, such as hot chili peppers, can contain as much as 9 to 10 grams of carbohydrates per cup. Peppers are also packed with vitamins A and C — just 1 cup of chopped red, yellow or orange peppers provide more than 100 percent of the recommended daily value for both vitamins. All shades of peppers provide plenty of fiber, folate, vitamin K, beta carotene and an array of minerals.

sunflower seeds – Some of the nutrients in sunflower seeds that make them unique are copper, vitamin E, selenium, magnesium, and zinc. Sunflower seeds have about 3 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein in an ounce of kernels. The best part is that sunflower seeds, while high in total fat (about 14 grams), contain mostly polyunsaturated fat, which researchers believe is the best type of fat to combat diabetes.

So, when are you making this dish and trying it out for yourself 🙂 Find more DFT recipes from Divine Spice Box HERE

Disclaimer

I am not a nutritionist or dietician. My knowledge and information is based on my research and reading from different resources. Please consult your doctor or dietician before making any changes to your diet.

Interesting Read on Diabetes : http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/10-healthy-resolutions-for-diabetics/

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