Thursday, May 23, 2013

SUGAR- FREE HEALTHY BISCUITS (COOKIES)



INGREDIENTS

oats 1 cup
ripe bananas mashed 2 big
dates 1/4 cup
ragi pdr. 1/2 cup
chopped nuts( almonds/ walnuts)  3 tbsp

First mix well mashed bananas & dates, if the dates are a bit dry, then soak in warm water for some time, drain & mash well with bananas. then add the other ingredients, mix well. In case, you find it a bit dry, then add little milk. I didn't add any milk or baking pdr. Bake in pre-heated oven at 200 deg. C for 10 min. or till done. as this depends on the capacity of the oven.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

HEALTHY AND FILLING PANCKAE

INGREDIENTS


  • 1 cup  whole wheat flour/ atta
  • 3/4 cup broth or water
  • 1 egg
  •  2-3 cups packed, shredded cabbage
  • 1 carrot,grated
  • 1 small zucchini, grated
  • 1 green onion, sliced
  • Worcestershire sauce to taste
  • mayonnaise to taste
  • green onions to taste, sliced
cheese grated/ slices ( optional)
salt little as sauce as some salt

METHOD

  1. Mix the flour, broth, egg, cabbage, carrot, zucchini, salt and green onion in a large bowl.
  2. Heat some oil in pan.
  3. Pour in mixture on a hot griddle/tawa.
  4. Cook on medium heat until golden brown on both sides, about 5-15 minutes per side.
  5. Top with Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise and green onion slices.
  6. Or after turning one side, when the 2nd side is half-cooked, you can put some grated cheese or slices of cheese, cover the pancake & cook on low fire, so the cheese will melt !

Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Quinoa Salad


Ingredients
  • 1/2 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1 cup mushrooms, quartered
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme, chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups water or broth
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup  feta or any other soft  cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup vinegar ( optional ) or add some more water

Directions
  1. Toss the cauliflower and mushrooms in the oil, thyme, salt and pepper, place on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in a preheated 400F oven until they start to caramelize, about 20-30 minutes, turning them in between, so they get well roasted on all sides.
  2. Meanwhile, bring the water and quinoa to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the quinoa is tender and has absorbed the water, about 15-20 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes, covered.
  3. Mix everything and enjoy.

Option: Serve warm or cool over sautéed or fresh greens like spinach, or lettuce.
 Or with the addition of  oiled chickpeas, it will become a complete meal by itself.


Wednesday, May 15, 2013

whole wheat buns


Ingredients
Warm water 1/3 cup
Warm milk  1 cup
oil 1/3 cup
Brown sugar OR Honey  ¼ cup
Yeast  2 tbsp
Salt  1 tsp
Egg   1
Whole-wheat flour  3 ½ cups

Method
Combine water, milk, yeast, oil, sugar OR honey – mix well and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Beat the egg. Sieve the flour.
Add salt, egg and flour to the liquid mixture and mix well. Keep aside for 15 minutes.
Grease round-shaped moulds with unsalted butter.
Pour mixture into the moulds.
Bake at 400 to 425 degrees for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until they turn light brown.
Exercise care to ensure they aren’t over baked or it will be too hard to eat.
Homemade whole-wheat buns are ready! Serve it however you like.

Beetroot raita


Ingredients
 Yoghurt  1 cup/ 250 grams
beetroot  1/4 cup Boiled and puréed
 beetroot  1 Boiled and cubed
 Powdered sugar   2tsp
Cumin/ jeera powder  1/4 tsp
Salt  to taste

Method
First, beat yoghurt with a hand whisk or a hand beater till it is smooth.
Add the beetroot purée and mix with a spoon.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix.

Wheat Apple Cake


Ingredients
3 cups Wheat flour
4 Eggs
1 ½ tsp. Baking powder
1 ½ cup Oil or butter
1 ½ tsp. Cinnamon powder
2 cups Sugar white/brown
2 tsp. Vanilla essence
4 Grated or finely chopped apples

Method
Sift wheat flour and baking powder in a bowl
Beat eggs and vanilla essence in a bowl
Beat oil and sugar in a separate bowl until light and creamy, and add to the egg mixture.
Add all the dry ingredients, apples and mix well. If the batter is very thick, add some milk.
Line the baking pan with butter and pour in the batter.
Set the oven at 150°C, and bake for 30 minutes
Stick a knife in to see, if done. If there is a sticky residue on the knife, bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Cauliflower and Cashew Curry

Ingredients

cashew nuts 1/2 cup
cauliflower 1 medium
coconut milk  1 cup
curry pdr.  1 tbsp
salt to taste
pepper pdr. 1/2 tsp
peanut butter  2 tbsp
lime juice of 1 small lime
red chilli pdr/  1 tsp or tot aste
oil 

Method

Heat oil, fry cashews till golden brown. Stir in chopped cauliflower, salt, pepper pdr., curry pdr., coconut milk.
cook till cauliflower are almost tender.
add peanut butter, lime juice & chilli pdr. stir, simmer for a minute & remove.




Friday, May 10, 2013

SOME FACTS ABOUT CHOCOLATES


1) It's not up there with spinach, but dark chocolate is usually your healthiest bet. The darker chocolate is, often the less fat and sugar it has.

Plus, dark chocolate usually is least processed -- that means it has the most antioxidant-like flavonoids, which may help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. The higher the percentage of cocoa, typically the more flavonoids the chocolate has.

But don't eat lots of chocolate in hopes of better health. A serving size is about the same as a package of dental floss.

2) Chocolate does have caffeine. But if you're looking to get a caffeine boost, chocolate isn't your best bet.

You’d need to eat 14 regular-sized (1.5 oz) bars of  milk chocolate to get the same caffeine as you’d find in a 8-ounce cup of coffee! That would have about  3,000 calories and more than 300 grams of sugar -- compared to only about two calories in black coffee.

Dark chocolate does have more caffeine than milk chocolate. Even then, it would take four bars to give you the same buzz as one cup of regular Joe.

Chocolate has hundreds of chemicals, and some work on the brain. According to some research, eating chocolate stimulates your brain to make opioids -- kind of giving  you a natural high that makes you feel happy like when you are in love.


3) Want to give your brownies or other chocolate baked goods a little extra chocolate-y goodness? Try adding a bit of instant espresso powder -- a teaspoon or less -- in your next recipe. Espresso powder can ramp up the chocolate taste in cakes, brownies, and cookies without adding coffee flavour or many calories.

4) Don't blame chocolate for your acne. Although diet -- especially greasy foods and chocolate -- are often blamed for breakouts, there's little proof that there's any connection.

However, people with migraines aren't so lucky. Their headaches may be triggered by certain foods. And chocolate is a common trigger.

5) All sweets are not created equal when it comes to your teeth. A piece of chocolate actually does less damage to your teeth than dried fruit because you eat it and it dissolves. Dried fruit -- and hard candy -- leave sugars that stick to your teeth.


It's always a good idea to brush after eating sweets to get rid of that sugar. If you can't brush, at least rinse your mouth with water and swish some sugar away.

6) Plain low-fat milk and low-fat chocolate milk have the same amount of protein -- about 8 grams in an 8-ounce glass. But chocolate milk has about 50 calories more per cup and nearly twice the sugar. One 8-ounce glass of chocolate milk mixes out your recommended sugar limit for the whole day!

Next time you want a chocolate fix, raiding the baking supplies in your pantry probably won't cut it. Baking chocolate is made from the finely ground centres of cocoa beans and no sugar is added. That's why it's bitter and called unsweetened chocolate.

Ready-to-eat chocolate can have lots of sugar. A plain chocolate bar, for example, can have 24 grams. That's about as much added sugar as you should have all day -- just in one candy bar!

7) Dutch-processed or Dutch chocolate is when cocoa powder or chocolate liquor has been treated to end up with a milder taste and a darker colour.

Dutch or alkalized cocoa is used in delicate, European-type baking. Natural, unsweetened cocoa powder is more intense and often used in brownies, cookies, and cakes.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

SPROUTED LENTILS

Ingredients
green moong dal sprouted  2 cups
coconut milk  1 cup
oil 2 tbsp
cumin seeds  1 tsp
onion 1 cup chopped
sugar 1 tsp
water 1 cup
salt to taste
fresh coriander leaves  2 tbsp chopped fine

For masala
coconut grated  1 tbsp
turmeric pdr  1/4 tsp
ginger 1/2 "
garlic 2 cloves
sugar 1 tsp

Method

heat oil, add cumin seeds, sauté for a minute.
add onion, fry to a golden brown.
add ground paste, fry well.
add sprouts, water, salt to taste.
when almost cooked, add coconut milk, sugar.
simmer for some time.
serve hot garnishing with fresh coriander leaves.

CAPSICUM PULAO

Ingredients

basmati rice  1 1/2 cup
cabbage cut 1 cup
potatoes 2 cut into big pieces
capsicum 2 cut into long pieces
green peas  1/2 cup
onion 2 big
garlic pods 2  chopped
cardamom 2
cloves  2
cinnamon stick 1"
ghee as needed
salt to taste
cashew nuts 1/2 cup fried
onions 2 fried to brown separately
apricot/ prunes   1/4 cup  chopped

For masala paste
coriander seeds  2 tbsp
coriander leaves  1 cup
ginger  1/2 "
green chillies 3-4

Method

fry cardamom, cinnamon, cloves in ghee for 2 minutes.
add washed rice, ground masala paste, vegetables, onion pieces, garlic, salt to taste. sauté for few minutes.
add warm water just enough to cook all ingredients.
cover the pan & cook on medium heat till almost done.
now add cashew nuts, apricot & fried onion, mix well, & cook for few minutes.
serve hot with plain curd or raita of your choice.

VEGETABLE STEW

Ingredients

sweet potatoes   1/4 kg
potatoes  1/4 kg
yam  1/4 kg
carrot  1/4 kg
green peas  1/4 kg
onion 2 cups finely chopped
tomato 1 big chopped
ghee as needed
turmeric pdr  1/4 tsp
chilli pdr 1 tsp or to taste
brown vinegar  1/2 cup
salt to taste
sugar  2 tsp

Method

wash & chop all the vegetables in small pieces, pat them dry, fry in ghee till cooked, drain well.
in little ghee, add onion, fry to golden brown, add tomatoes, sauté for a few minutes.
add turmeric & chilli pdr., mix well, add vegetables, salt, vinegar, sugar, mix well.
simmer for 5 minutes till dry. 
serve hot with rice, roti/ puri/ bread.

SWEET PURIS WITH NUTS AND DAL

Ingredients

for stuffing

tuvar ( arhar dal)  1 1/2 cups
sugar  1 cup
almonds chopped 1 tbsp
pistachios chopped  1 tbsp
glace cherries chopped  1 tbsp
orange peel chopped  1 tbsp
charoli   1 tbsp
ghee 3 tbsp
vanilla essence  1/2 tsp
rose essence  1/2 tsp
nutmeg pdr  1/2 tsp
cardamom pdr 1/2 tsp

for pastry

 refined flour  1/2 cup
semolina / rava   1 tbsp
ghee  5 tbsp
salt 1/4 tsp

Method

wash dal & pressure cook till soft, mash it. 
mix ghee & sugar, cook stirring constantly till it leaves the sides of the vessel.
add the nuts, cherries, orange peel & rest of the ingredients, mix well, let it cool.
make a smooth paste of 2 tbsp of flour & 2 tbsp of ghee.
with the rest of the flour, semolina, ghee & salt, make a soft dough.
divide into 4 balls. roll each into a round of a quarter plate.
apply ghee/flour paste between each rooled dough & put them one over the other.
now roll into one big round, place the dale stuffing in the centre, fold it from all sides to form  a round cake, roll it lightly.
bake in a pre-heated oven at 175 deg. C till evenly cooked or light brown.

PURAN POLI

Ingredients

chana dal  1 cup soaked in water for 2 hours, drained
refined flr. ( maida)   1 cup
jaggery ( gur)  1 cup
oil/ ghee as needed
 cardamom pdr/  1/2 tsp
salt a pinch

Method

boil dal till soft in a pressure cooker. 
drain & grind to a fine paste.
add jaggery, salt, cardamom pdr & cook till the paste gets thick.
remove & cool.
mix flour with water, a pinch of salt & little oil to make a soft dough.
make small balls of the dough, roll each into a 4 cm disc.
put a small ball of the sweet mixture in the centre, form into a ball.
roll out each as thin as possible.
cook on a slow fire on a dry griddle till brown spots appear on both sides.
serve hot with ghee.

FRESH CORIANDER LEAVES BADI

INGREDIENTS

coriander leaves  3 cups chopped
wheat flour (atta)  1 cup
besan ( gram flour)  1 cup sieved
sesame seeds ( til)  2 tbsp
peanuts  1/2 cup roasted & coarsely pounded
turmeric pdr  1/4 tsp
chilli pdr   1 tsp or to taste
garam masala pdr  1/2 tsp
sugar  1 tsp
oil  
salt to taste

Method

mix both the flours, sesame seeds, coriander leaves, peanut crushed, chilli pdr., turmeric pdr., garam masala, salt & sugar.
Add water & make a paste of dropping consistency.
Heat 2 tbsp & ad to the mixture.
Grease a deep platter & spread the paste evenly. 
Steam for 15 minutes in a pressure cooker without using weight.
Remove, cool, cut into desired shape.
Deep fry/ shallow fry in a tawa or those who are health conscious, bake in oven by just greasing the plate  & spraying some cooking oil light over the pieces.
Serve hot with chutney or sauce of your choice.

Health benefits- coriander leaves are rich in Vitamin C, wheat flour has fibre, besan good source of protein along with peanuts. Sesame seeds are rich in calcium. So, if it is baked, this will be a very healthy dish.

Tomato gravy

Ingredients

grind together
coconut 1/2   cup grated
cumin seeds  1/2 tsp
green chillies  3
black peppercorns  4

tomatoes  2 big
oil  2 tbsp or as you need
cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
mustard seeds  1/2 tsp
asafoetida( hing)  1/4 tsp
curry leaves  a sprig
fresh coriander leaves chopped   1/2 cup( most of it use to grind with coconut, reserving some for garnishing)
sugar 2 tsp
salt to taste

Method

Boil the tomatoes in 3 cups of water. Remove, peel, reserve the liquid. 
Mince in the blender. Mix coconut paste, liquid, tomato pulp & check for the consistency.
Add salt & sugar. Heat oil, add cumin & mustard seeds, as they crackle, add hing, curry leaves.
Pour over the gravy & boil it well to the required consistency.
garnish with some grated coconut, coriander leaves.
Serve with plain hot rice.