A Healthier ME :)

Red Masoor Dal (Brown) Rice

2010-10-23T00:35:00.000-07:00

Whenever i make mixed rice, i normally prepare rice separately and Mixing recipe Seperately. Never i have tried to make a One Pot Meal!!! When i came across this Red Masoor Dal Rice in DK's Blog, i thought of giving it a try. I have slightly modified the recipe,So, for the original recipe please follow the link above.

Ingredients
1 cup Brown Rice
1/2 cup Masoor Dal
1 Large Onion, chopped
1 Large Tomato, Chopped
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
3 green chillies, Slited Lengthwise
1 cardamom and bay leaf
21/2 cups of Thin coconut Milk /Veggie Stock/Water
1 tsp curry powder (Store bought, Mothers' recipes Brand)
Salt to taste
turmeric, hing a pinch
Fresh Coriander,for Garnishing

Method

Soak Brown Rice for 30 Minutes. I soaked the Dal too for 5 minutes, washed and drained. In a Skillet, Heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, , green chillies, cardamom and bay leaf. Add Onions, Ginger-garlic pate and saute till translucent. Add Tomatoes, sprinkle little water and add curry powder, turmeric and hing. Let the Tomatoes cook for a minute or two.

Drain the excess wter from Rice. Add Rice and Dal to the cooked tomatoes, Add Coconut Milk. Now DK says it is Ok to replace this Magic ingredient with Veggie stock or Water. But, i would suggest you not miss this, it really brings out a flavor to the Rice, Trust me!!!! Add Salt and mix well. Cover and Cook for 15-20 Minutes. Garnish with Fresh Coriander and Enjoy!!!!! I had it with some oven-fried appalams!!!! mmm, tasty, tasty, yummy, yummy!!!!

Sending this to T&T-hosted by Priya this month, featuring Chef in you, event originally started by Zlamushka and now taken over by Lakshmi Venkatesh of Kitchen Chronicles. And also to CMT-Rice, hosted by Priya, Event by Jagruti.

Zucchini Kadalai-Paruppu Kootu/Zucchini Chana Dal

2010-09-18T05:50:00.000-07:00

Making Kootu/Dhal with Kadalai-paruppu/Chana Dal has a Divine flavour. Normally i make kootu/Dhal with Moong Dal, since it takes less time to cook, whereas chanadal takes a bit more time and work. Got Zucchini's @ my Local Grocery Stores, so made Kadalai-paruppu/chana dal Kootu. The Zucchini's were light green in colour, so confirmed @ Wiki whether was that Zucchini or not?? yes, it is Zucchini

Zucchini can be yellow, green or light green, and generally have a similar shape to a ridged cucumber, though a few cultivars are available that produce round or bottle-shaped fruit.In a culinary context, zucchini is treated as a vegetable, which means it is usually cooked and presented as a savory dish or accompaniment. Botanically, however, the zucchini is an immature fruit, being the swollen ovary of the female zucchini flower.

Ingredients
3-4 nos. Zucchini
1 small bowl of peas
1/2 cup Chana Dal
2 nos green Chilli
1 tbsp Freshly grated coconut
1 tsp grated ginger

Salt to taste
Fresh Coriander for Garnishing

To Grind
2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Corinader seeds
1 tsp Tuvar dal

For Tadka/Seasoning
2 tsp oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
2 tsbp urad dal
a fistful of curry leaves

Method

Soak Chana Dal Overnight or Atleast 3-4hrs prior cooking, this way it cooks fast. Peel the Zucchinis and cut them as cubes. Grind the Ingredients given under "To Grind" to a fine powder,No Need to Roast, just dry grind. In a pressure pan, Add cut zucchinis and Soaked Chana Dal (after draining the excess water), Slited Green Chillies, Coconut, Ginger, Ground Masala Powder and Salt. Pressure Cook for 3-4 Whistles.

Once the Pressure is Down, Transfer into another bowl, Heat oil in a tadka pan, splutter mustard seeds, add urad dal, once it turns light brown, add curry leaves and pour the tadka over the dal. Yummy Dal is ready!!!! Serve With Hot Roti's/Rice

Sending this to MLLA-27 @ Susan. Also to 'ONLY' Low oil/Low Calorie Event Guest hosted by Priya Mitharwal, Event by Pari of Foodelicious

Multi-Vegetable Kootu

2010-09-07T05:18:00.000-07:00

After a very long break i m back @ A Healthier ME :). Not Necessarily mean, that i wasnt eating healthy, didnt find time to cook myself. Now Back in my Kitchen, Cooking for my Small Family.

Made this multi-vegetable kootu for Lunch. Goodness of Veggie makes it a healthy choice for kids and Low Calories makes its great for all those Diet People!!!!

Ingredients
1 Medium-Sized Carrot
1 Medium-Sized Sweet Potato
1 Capsicum
4-5 Cauliflower Florets
1/4 cup Green Peas
1/2 cup Moong dal
Salt to taste

To Grind
3 Green Chillies
1/2 inch ginger
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tbsp Freshly grated coconut
a Fistful of Fresh Coriander

Method
Wash all the veggies. Peel Carrot and Sweet Potato. Chop them all to slightly bigger cubes.

Grind all the given ingredients under "To Grind" to fine paste with little water.

Take all the veggies in to Pressure pan, add the grinded paster, add Moong Dal and enough water for the veggies to immerse. Add salt and Mix well. Pressure Cook for 4-5 Whistles.

Once the Pressure is down. Transfer it to another dish, Heat a tsp of oil, Splutter mustard seeds and fry some urad dal and add this tadka to the Kootu.

Makes a Healthy Combo with Hot Chapathis/Rotis. I Served this with Rice and a blob of ghee for My 4 year old. No Complaints!!!! :)

Sending this to MLLA-27 @ Susan. Also to 'ONLY' Low oil/Low Calorie Event hosted by Priya Mitharwal Event by Pari of Foodelicious

GAINING THOSE BROWNIE POINTS

2010-08-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

This Story Came out as an article in Friday - Weekly Magazine that comes with Gulf News Newspaper @ UAE. My Hubby took efforts to type this and mail me. Thanks Vaasu!!!

The Story:

Image Courtesy : WWW

The husband has really done it now. The man has lost seven kgs in four weeks.

I would never try to take personal credit for the husband's success, but I might mention that I had talked to him recently (several hundred times actually) about heart attack risks.

I talked to him about the danger of packing on weight around the middle, about the fact that he works outside a lot sweating in the heat and humidity, lugging heavy equipment, and about the fat contnent of ice cream and cheese.

Was it was my nagging that motivated him? No. He decided to knock off some weight before his high school reunion.

You want to know how he did it, right? Well, for a small weekly fee, a special weight-loss supplement called El Placebo, and a DVD of me carping about weight loss, just send a blank cheque and I'll tell you.

Just kidding, I'll tell you right now: He's a man. That's how he lost weight - men lose weight more easily than women. A man thinks, "I'm going to lose weight now," and two kgs drop to the floor.

A woman thinks, "I'm going to lose weight now," and her phone rings. She is asked to make brownies for a social function and dutifully agrees to do so.

She goes into the kitchen, mixes up brownie batter and licks the beater, hoping that no one is watching. She pours the batter into the pan and wipes the spatula clean with her finger, which goes directly into her mouth. She is about to wash the mixing bowl, but sees traces of batter clinging to the slides. Waste not, want not.

Thirty-five minutes later, she takes the brownies out of the oven. They look good, but they would look even better iced. She mixes up that fabulous recipe for chocolate icing which is printed on the back of a cocoa can. She has no choice but to repeatedly test the frosting for consistency.She ices the brownies and thinks what they could really use are some chopped nuts. And toasted coconut. She tests the nuts for freshness and coconut for toastedness.

The brownies look nice in the pan but she decides they would look superb on a platter. She cuts them into serving portions, gathering excess iced brownie with each drag of the knife. This brownie excess is dpeosited on a small plate for someone else to enjoy, but she devours it herself within seconds.

And then disaster strikes. Two brownies break on their way out of the pan. Since the brownies are broken, each piece is no smaller than a regular serving, meaning the calories are smaller, too, so she eats those as well.

The next morning the woman steps on the scale and screams, "Men! They have it so easy!" And that is how the husband lost weight - because he is a man and not a woman.

I refuse to believe it had anything to do with the fact that he cut out all eating between meals, ate smaller portion sizes, reduced the many glasses of milk he dran each day and eliminated all desserts with the exception of 45 calorie frozen fruit bars.

Believe whatever you want. Just dont ask me to make brownies. GAINING THOSE BROWNIE POINTS - sounding off in this Friday.

Story Ends:

This is from my Hubby "Sorry Priya, I know that it is difficult to lose weight being in the kitchen, this article reinforces that. All the Very best."

Being in the Kitchen, It is a bit tough to stay on your diet, but it isn't impossible. Saying that, i haven't checked my weight for the past 2 months :) I m a bit scared!!!!!

Tangy Tomato Baby Corn (Brown) Rice

2010-06-07T02:12:00.000-07:00

What to do when your tummy grumbles and you have nothng but Onion and Tomatoes @ home. This Happened to me last week, Luckily had some Brown Rice. Made this Tomato rice. mm, Happy Tummy!!!

Ingredients
2 cups Brown Rice Cooked
1 Large Onion, thinly sliced
3 Large Ripened Tomatoes, Finely chopped
2 nos Baby Corn
2 green Chillies
1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder'
1 tsp Ginger Juliennes
Salt to taste
1 tsp Oil for the seasoning
hing/asafoetida, turmeric each a pinch

Method

Heat oil in a pan, Spluter Mustard seeds, add hing, turmeric and Green chillies. then add Onions and saute till translucent. Add Tomatoes and saute for 3-4 minutes.Then add Chopped baby corns ,red chilli powder and a cup of water. Add salt. Let it cook in a slow flame for 15 minutes.

Once the rawness of the chilli powder escapes and the tomatoes are well cooked, take it off the flame.

Mix it with Brown Rice, garnish with Ginger juliennes and enjoy with a raita.

Keep the flame low while cooking. Incase, if you feel the veggies are getting burnt, try sprinkling water. This way you can avoid adding extra oil. Whether you are in a Diet or Not, Try this!!!! you will definetely feel the difference.

Karuvepilai Saadam/Curry-Leaves (Brown) Rice - Reposting for Green Gourmet Event

2010-05-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

Another Tasty Recipe using Brown Rice. Curry leaf is used in South Asian traditional medicine to treat the digestive system, skin conditions and diabetes. Its anti-diabetic properties are supported by scientific research

Ingredients
2 cups of Brown Rice, Cooked

2 fistful of curry leaves

3-4 no. Red Chillies

1 tbsp urad dal
1 small lemon-size of Tamarind
Grated Ginger 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Seasoning

1 or 2 tsp Canola oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Chana Dal/Gram Dal

hing a pinch
turmeric a pinch

Method

Wash and Dry roast the Curry leaves, Roast urad dal, red chillies with lil oil. Let it cool, now grind urad dal, chillies, tamarind, ginger and curry leaves together to a fine paste.

Heat oil in a wok, splutter mustard seeds, add hing and turmeric, and chana dal, let the dal roast a bit then add the grinded paste and saute for 2-3 minutes. Take it off the flame and mix with Rice.Enjoy it with a Raita

I made some Cucumber-Onion Raita.

Ingredients

Half a Cucumber

one small Onion

1/2 a cup Low-fat Yoghurt

Salt to taste

Mix them all together and adjust the salt.

Sending this post to Show me your Whole Grains, Event hosted by Divya of Dil Se
Reposting for Green Gourmet Event @ W'rite 'Food

Shall i call it the Hot n cold Salad!!!!

2010-05-23T02:15:00.000-07:00

My Weight hit a plateau last week. I was a bit surprised i have just started to lose, how come so soon a plateau!!!! My dietician advised to check my Thryoid levels, tested and it was under good control. Then she put me under no-carb diet* for 2 days!!!! No Chapthis, No Rice, was allowed to have Lentils, Lot of Veggies and Fruits.

I made this salad for my Lunch, Why the name hot n cold, i have added some raw mangoes, which is a bit of heat and Cucumber which is the other extreme of that!!! Leave the Name, Trust me, the salad was divine!!!

Ingredients
2 sides of one Raw Mango(KiliMooku/thothapuri Mango)
1 cucumber
5-6 nos baby carrots
2 leaves of lettuce
Salt to taste
Hot Sauce for dressing

Method

Wash and Chop the Given ingredients, Mix salt and Sauce and Toss well. Enjoy!!!!

Tried the same salad for Dinner with a handful of Boiled Chickpeas, without raw mango!!!! It was very much filling, you can include this salad as part of your Lunch to reduce rice intake!!! You wont feel eating less!!!!

And about my weight i have started losing again, though its a bit slow, but still happy that something is happening!!! :)

Sending this Twenty-20 Event hosted by Niloufer and to Green Gourmet Event, hosted by Preeti @ W'rite' Food

*note: Check with your Doctor/Dietician before venturing on any diet

Sprouted Moongdal Kurma

2010-05-13T03:34:00.000-07:00

Had some Fresh Sprouts handy, made this kurma for Dinner, tasted great with Chapthis.

Ingredients

2 cups Moongdal Sprouts
2 medium size onions, finely chopped
2 medium size tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp Red Chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1/4 cup Milk
Coriander for garnishing

For making paste
2 tsbp freshly grated coconut
1 tsp cumin seeds
2nos green chillies
a fistul of fresh Coriander

Combine all the above ingredients in a mixie and make a fine paste with lil water.

Method

Pressure Cook Sprouts until soft.. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, add onions and ginger-garlic paste, saute till translucent. Add the tomatoes and add lil water and let them cook.When the tomatoes are cooked, add red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Let it cook for a while, sprinkle some water to avoid burning of masalas. Now add the cooked sprouts, grinded coconut mixture and a cup of water, adjust the salt. Let it cook in a slow flame for 15-20 minutes. Once the rawness of all the masala's escapes, add milk and mix well. Take it off the flame. Garnish with coriander and Serve Hot with Roti's/Chapathi's.

Sending this to CWS-Cumin Seeds, hosted @ Sara's Corner, Event by Priya and MLLA-23, hosted by Susan

Crunchy Berry Shake

2010-05-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

After an exhaustive shopping and lot of walking, i was so famished!!!! But oh oh!!! i have to roll out chapathis for my lunch!!! :( i really didnt have the strength to enter the kitchen and Cook something!!! so decided to make a shake for myself to boost my energy levels. Came across this Crunchy shake @ my Friends place, you can try this with any of the berries. I had Blueberries @ home,so tried with that. mmm yummy!!!!

Sorry for the bad picture!!! :(

Ingredients

1/4 cup Blueberries

1 cup Skimmed Milk, Chilled

1/2 cup Skimmed yoghurt, Chilled

1 tbsp Oats

Honey to taste

Method

Take all the above given ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.Serve Chilled.

Sending this to Thanda Mela, Event hosted by Srivalli.

Nectarine Yoghurt Smoothie

2010-04-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

During hot Summer Days you tend get dehydrated very fast. So, lets keep ourselves well hydrated with some Tanda, Tanda Fresh Juices, Smoothies, Milk Shakes!!!!! Had some Nectarines in my Fridge, but they tasted so sour!!!! so tried this yoghurt smoothie, came out great.

Ingredients
2-3 Medium Nectarines
1/2 cup Skimmed/Low-Fat yoghurt
1 cup Skimmed/Low-Fat Milk
a pinch of salt
Honey to taste (for the CALORIE conscious) or else add sugar

Method
Wash, Pit and Chop the nectarines to small cubes. Take them all in a blender and Blend. Serve Chilled.

Sending this to Thanda Mela , Event hosted by Srivalli.

Corn Capsicum (Brown) Rice

2010-04-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

I have programmed my mind to have rice only during weekends and that too only Brown rice. I try to make a Veggie Rice every time, so i can have more veggies and less of rice. So, here Another Delicious Brown Rice Recipe.

Ingredients
Brown Rice Cooked - 2 cups

2 medium-sized Capsicums, thinly sliced

1/4 cup Sweet Corn (i used frozen)

1 large onion, Chopped
2 red chillies, Slited lengthwise
2 pods cardamom crushed

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (fresh better)

1 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp curry powder (store bought, Mother's Kitchen)
Salt to taste

Method

Heat 1 or 2 tsp Oil in a Pan, Splutter mustard seeds, add cumin seeds, green chillies, hing and turmeric. Now add Onion and saute till translucent. Add Capsicum and Corn and saute for a minute or two. Now add red chilli powder, Crushed cardamom, coriander powder , salt and curry powder and sprinkle some water to avoid burning of masala's. Cover and Cook for 8-10 mins or till the rawness of the masala's escape. Once done, take it off the flame and mix with the Brown rice and serve with any Raita.

Sending this to Show me your Whole Grains, Event hosted by Divya of Dilse and CWS-Cardamom Seeds hosted by Priya

Spicy Bulgur Dhokla

2010-04-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

I met with a Dietician Last Week. After taking all my medical condition to consideration, she made a Diet Chart.I was amazed to see how much i can actually eat and how little i m eating now!!! Eating Less will/can/may Slow down your metabolism and there by slowing down your weight loss. So, guys if you have any underlying medical condition and planning for a weight loss plsssss do consult a doc and dietician, Helps u a lot!!!! Actually when i started this blog and my Dieting for a healthy lifestyle one of my blogger buddies actually advised me to go and meet a Health Coach. Thank you dear for your concern!!!!

Here i m with this post Spicy Bulgur Dhokla which i made for my breakfast!!! Trying to avoid refined products in my daily diet (as advised my by dietician). Tasted so great and a very filling breakfast!!

As per Wiki
Bulgur (also bulghur or burghul)[1](from Turkish bulgur [2], known as πλιγούρι, pligoúri, in Greek, bollgur in Albanian, as burghul (برغل) in Arabic, and as gurgur in Aramaic) is a cereal food made from several different wheat species, but most often from durum wheat.Bulgur for human consumption is usually sold parboiled, dried and partially de-branned. Bulgur is a whole grain. Bulgur is sometimes confused with cracked wheat, which is crushed wheat grain that has not been parboiled.

Ingredients
1 cup Brown Bulgur
1/2 cup beaten yoghurt
2 tbsp Green peas
2 tbsp Sweet Corn
1/4tsp Eno Fruit Salt
Salt for taste

1 tbsp freshly grated coconut
2 green chillies
ginger as per taste
coriander a tight fist

For Seasoning
1 tsp Canola Oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
hing, turmeric a pinch
curry leaves 2 sprigs

Method

Soak bulgur in Hot water for 5 minutes and Drain. This makes bulgur fluffy!!! Grind together coconut, green chillies, ginger and coriander without water. Mix Bulgur, beaten yoghurt, grinded mixture and salt. This mixture should be of Idly batter consistency. At this stage if the batter is too tight jus add 1 tbsp yoghurt. Now add fruit salt and mix well, you can see the bubbles forming as you mix it well.

Now pour this to a greased pan and steam cook it till done. Check by inserting a clean knife/toothpick, when that comes out clean, it is done. Takes approx 20-30 mins.

Once done, take it out of the steamer/cooker, Now for the tadka, heat oil,splutter mustard seeds, add hing and turmeric and curry leaves and pour it over the dhokla. Let it cool for 5 mins, then unmould and Hog!!!!

Sending this to Show me you Whole Grains, hosted by Divya of Dil se and MLLA-22 hosted by Ruchikacooks, Event Started by Susan of Well Seasoned Cook

Cornmeal Roti/Poori

2010-04-19T01:50:00.000-07:00

Tired of the normal Roti, came across Mr.Ramki's OnePage Cookbook, Wow!!! What a collection of Recipes!!! Mind Blowing!!! Well there was a recipe Makki Roti, made using Yellow Cornflour, Tried this with Cornmeal Tasted Good. I think cornmeal/Cornflour are differnent, yellow Cornflour is a real flour, whereas Cornmeal is a bit crumble form!!! if i m wrong pls correct me!!!

Ingredients
1 cup Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Cornmeal
Salt to taste

Warm water for Making the dough

1 tbsp Oil

Method

Mix all the given ingredients together and make a soft chapthi dough. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Roll the dough to thin discs and Cook both sides on a Hot Tava. Serve with Side Dish of your choice, Had some Aloo-Spinach Filling made for my Potato Pie Pockets so, i had my Chapathi with that.

I Made some poori's too with this dough for my Kiddo, He jus loved it.

Cauliflower Pepper Stir fry - Reposted for Health Nut Challenge 5

2010-04-12T03:36:00.000-07:00

Blogging after a week, urgent trip to india, Celebrations and Mouring @ the same time. Took my time off and now i m here to my cozy corner. Cauliflower Pepper Stir Fry, a sudden flash of idea to satiate my hunger pangs. The Chunky Florets satiates both your hunger and your taste buds. It Takes very less time to cook also , can be made in a wink.

Ingredients

5 to 6 Cauliflower florets

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp Canola /any cooking oil

salt to taste

Method

Place the florets in a Microwave Safe Bowl and add enough water for the florets to immerse. Add salt and Microwave High for 8 minutes or until the florets are cooked soft. Let it Cool and Drain the excess water.

Heat oil in a wok, add the florets and saute for a minute and add Pepper, mix well and saute for a minute. Take it off the flame and serve. No Dips/Garnishing required. Tastes Good.

Reposting for Health Nut Challenge 5 - Cruciferous Veggies Hosted by Yasmeen

Broken Brown Rice Upma

2010-04-08T07:03:00.000-07:00

With lot of tension all around me, diet is not going that good, but here and there i find time to cook something healthy.My Mom used to make Delicious Arisi Upma. That too, she makes it in Vengala Paanai, mm yummy the taste!! I tried the same version using Brown Rice, not in vengala paanai though!!!
The taste was good, my hubby wasnt able to find it out!!! The Normal Nutty flavour of Brown Rice wasnt there that much.

Ingredients

2 cups of Brown Rice

2 tbsp of Chana Dal/Gram Dal

2 tbsp of Tuvar Dal

2 tbsp of Moong Dal

1 tbsp of Urad dal

1 tbsp of Black Pepper

For Seasoning

2 tbsp of Canola oil

1 tsp of Mustard Seeds

4-5 nos. Dried Red Chillies

Fistful of Curry leaves

1/2cup Frshly grated Coconut

Salt to taste

Hing , turmeric a pinch

Method

Grind all the given Ingredients (Except the one listed in seasoning :)) to a coarse Rava Consistency in a Mixer.

Heat oil in a Kadai, add mustard seeds, when they crackle, add hing, curry leaves and red chillies. Add enuf water and salt. When the water begins to boil add the freshly grated coconut and add the broken rice mixture to it slowly and keep stirring as you add to avoid lumps. Cover and Cook in a low flame for about 10-15 minutes. Garnish with Coriander. Serve Hot with Any Chutney. I made some Mint-Coconut Chutney from Sailu's Kitchen.

Sending this to Show me your Whole Grains Event hosted by Divya of Dil Se

Microwave Spinach Raita - Celebrating Bloggers

2010-03-28T03:59:00.000-07:00

Raita's for me is normally a mixed veggie raita or plain cucumber raita. Recently tried this Spinach Raita from Suma's Veggie Platter, tasted great and also easy to make. We make More Kootu (Spinach in Buttermilk gravy) with spinach, but this raita is something different, has no hassle of grinding any masalas, Suma has done some tadka to the raita, i have avoided that portion too, thought of avoiding the oil(Blame the Diet!!! :))

Diet was very bad for the past 2 weeks, Lot of travelling, Son not well so got a bit carried away, but now i m back on track.

Ingredients

One small bumch opf spinach, finely chopped (comes approx 2 cups, loosely packed)

2 nos green chillies, finely chopped

1 tsp of ginger, finely shredded
1 cup of Low-fat yoghurt

Method

Take the chopped spinach, chillies and ginger, sprinkle some water and Microwave High for 12 mins. Add salt and cook for another 2 mins. Take it out, Let it cool, Add whisked yoghurt and serve.

Sending this raita to MEC-Celebrating Bloggers hosted by Jayashree, Event started by Srivalli

Sprouts Corn Mango Salad

2010-03-16T23:49:00.000-07:00

Sprouts Corn Mango Salad, huhh such a long name, nothing esle got to my mind. Not Much of cooking needed here, jus mixing, so its easy to make.

Ingredients
Babycorn - 2 nos, thinly sliced
Sprouted Green gram - 1/4 cup
1 small cucumber, finely chopped
1 small carrot, grated
1 small raw mango finely chopped
Coriander for garnishing
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Keep the Sprouts in a Microwave Safe Dish and add enough water for it to immerse and Cook @ High for 8 minutes. Cool and Drain the excess water. Mix with the remaining ingredients, Add salt and Pepper, Toss well, Garnish with coriander and serve.

Sending this Salad to MLLA-21 hosted by Super Chef of Mirch Masala, Event started by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook

Oat Pea Dosa/Crepe

2010-03-04T03:15:00.000-08:00

When was in India, I got this Oats Recipe Book along with Big Jar of Quaker Oats, It has some good recipes with oats. I tried this Oat-Pea dosa from that book, tasted good and easy to make.

Ingredients (Makes 4-5 Dosas)
1 cup Oats
1/4 cup urad dal powder
1 1/2 cups water (approx)
1/2 tsp salt,
oil for shallow frying

Filling
1tbsp oil
2 cups boiled peas
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Method

For the Filling, heat oil in a pan, put mustard seeds, when it crackles, add peas, salt and chilli powder. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Keep it aside

Grind oats to fine powder. Combine oats powder and dal powder and salt. Put enough water to make a battr of thin pouring consistency.

Heat a pan, put some oil and wipe it off. Remove the pan from fire, take a laddle full of batter and spread from inside to outside. Return to fire, when the edges turn brown, put a few drops of oil on the sides and on the dosa. Put some filling, fold over and Serve.

Though the recipe suggests to serve with any Chutney, I didnt feel like having any chutney/side dish with the dosa, as the filling itself was enough.

Sending this Dosa/Crepe to MLLA-21 hosted by Super Chef of Mirch Masala, Event started by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook

And also to Jihva-Breakfast hosted by Suma, Event started by Indira

Note: Dont keep the batter for too long, as it becomes thicker and thicker.

Mixed Bean Salad

2010-02-21T23:33:00.000-08:00

Looking for different variety of salads, so that i too can have some variety in my DIET!!! Come on yaar, Variety is the Spice of Life, So, why not have it in dieting too.

Had some Horsegram @ home, so Sprouted it this weekend, Have made this Sundal/Salad for Navrathiri, tastes good.

Sending this salad to MLLA-20, Event Hosted by Rachel of The Crispy Cook, Event started by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon sprouted horse gram
1 tablespoon Chana Dal/Bengal Gram
1 tablespoon Peanuts
1 Red Chilli
1 tablespoon fresh grated coconut
Salt to taste
Asafoetida a pinch

Method
Cook sprouted horse gram, chana Dal and Peanuts together until soft. Heat oil, Add Chilli and asafoetida Add cooked Mixture. Add Salt, Mix well, Take it off the flame and add freshly Grated Coconut.

This Salad gives you a very good filling feel. you dont get that hunger pangs after having this.With a bit of chilli and coconut it tastes great!!!

I Checked for the Calories too, not too much, so no guilt while munching.

Calories 135 (1 serving)

Total Fat 7.6g   12%
Saturated Fat 2.2g   11%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol   0mg   0%
Sodium   588mg 24%

Total Carbohydrates 12.4g   4%
Dietary Fiber 4.8g   19%
Sugars 2.0g
Protein 5.9g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 9%
Calcium 2% • Iron 8%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional details are an estimate and should only be used as a guide for approximation.

My Kid's Dinner Tantrum

2010-02-18T01:15:00.000-08:00

My Little Angel Narasimhan, he is going to be 4 this june. Day before yesterday night dinner, i made Rasam (pepper water) saadam. He normally has the habit of peeping into the rice bowl to check what rice i going give him, when he saw rasam saadam in his bowl, thats it he started to cry out loud and say "No Amma, no Rasam saadam". I was bit surprised to see him behave this way, coz he never used to demand anything like this. I said i made only rasam da, so you pls have it today.

A Stubborn "NO" came the answer. Next, i asked him what else do you want? mmmm Muruganka Sambar (Drumstick sambar),. Oh ho, where will I go now and get Sambar, Its already his dinner time. I tried to pacify him saying i will make him tomorrow. No, He wasnt ready to accept it.

Poor Mommy!!!! Suddenly came the thought of Grand Sweets Vethakozhambu thokku. Made Rice with that thokku added a big spoon of Ghee. All this time my kiddo was standing behind me and checking whether i m making new rice or doing some adjustments to Rasam Saadam. When he a saw a new bowl with his Sambar(Thokku) saadam he was happy and had his dinner.

When i told my hubby what happened, he started smiling, that proud smile of a Father!!!! My Son is growing, so better dont do all the samalifications what you do with me, was the answer.

I too was feeling a bit proud and at the same time konjam sad, seeing my son is growing, soon he will start to have his own set of everything, Mommy will become a bit lonely.. Suddenly his first day of school came to my mind, i was jus thinking he is going to throw a big cry while getting into his school bus and i was rehearsing how to handle that, But @ the end, he waved me Bye with a Big smile on his face and i was the one Crying cing my son going to school. :( . I think this happens with every Mom. Kids Grow up very very fast!!! But we as parents remain the same.

Chunky Veggie Salad

2010-02-16T06:11:00.000-08:00

Diet is Going good. I m able to keep my Temptations @ bay. For the past one week, i m having this Vegetable Salad before my Lunch. I Will not lie that it is heavenly ,But it doesnt taste that bad, yeah is a Raw vegetable salad, it is healthy!!!! It gives u a feeling of fullness and the taste depends on the dressing you add to it. This is how i do it

1 Large Carrot
1 medium-size Capsicum
1 medium-size Onion
1 medium-size Tomato
2 small Cucumbers
Chilli Sauce - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Juice of half Lemon.

Wash and Chop the Vegetables into Chunky Cubes.If you like Cabbage you add it too. Since i m an HypoThyroid i havent.

Mix them all together, add Chilli sauce, Add Salt and Lemon Juice and Mix Well.

Chopping the Veggies again depends on your taste, i like it Chunky as it satiates your feeling to Chew and eat. So, if you dont like it chunky, cut into Small Cubes.

If you dont like adding Chilli Sauce Try adding Pepper instead. I like adding both :)

My Diet

2010-02-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

Hi all, thought of having a seperate Blog to follow My Weight Loss Progress. Will Keep Posting regularly. Planning to post some Healthy Dishes, which can be had without guilt while on Diet. :)))

Now the Past 2 days, i m following the No Rice Regime, which is working fine so far. Hoping to continue it till the weekend. I Keep on Telling my self, Not to Feast during weekends, thats Hardest Part for me, Everybody @ home and you cook, i m a bit non-resistant there!!!!

My Meal Plan has been Oats Porridge/upma for Breakfast, Rotis for Lunch and Dinner with Veg Curries and a bowl Veg Salad before Lunch. I snack on a Apple/Orange/Nectarine.

So far so good.

Planing to Weigh after 10 days. Hope the Scales are kind towards me.