Salad Ideas -Kala Chana Salad

This distant dark cousin of  garbanzo, Mr Kala channa might be one of  my favorite kind of beans. When cooked right,it has the right amount softness and bite to it. Though it tastes good in pretty much any preperation, Kala channa salad is my favorite. It brings back fond memories of childhood. Its healthy yummy and very close to my heart.


Kala chana cooked 1 cup
( I soak it overnight in water and then pressure cook it with little salt)
cucumber chopped half cup
Tomatoes chopped 1 large
Carrots chopped
Chopped raw mango(optional) / Amchur
Lemon juice
green chilies-1 finely chopped
Chilli powder to taste
cilantro- 2 spoons finely chopped
Mustard oil-1 tsp( substitute with extra virgin olive oil or omit if not a big fan)
Salt to taste
Mix the veggies and kala channa. Add seasonings to taste and enjoy.  Tastes good even when it sits for a long time. It can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. Just hold out on adding salt and lemon. Remove required quantity whenever needed and mix in salt and lemon. It is an extremely satisfying and filling salad and a great hit with my daughter.

Peanut chutney ....Sandard PB and J alternative

Bored of the standard American breakfast, PB and J? Try a couple of these alternatives with toast for variety. My kids love them too ....and they are healthy. Double whammy!
 Peanut butter is very nutritious...High in calories but nutritious. Couple of ideas to include Peanut but reduce the sugar. I am not a big fan of the sweet-salty taste, plus I like to mix it up. Nothing more boring that eating the same thing everyday...And variety is fun especially when you are trying to eat healthy.

Peanut chutney ( green) 
Peanuts- 1 cup
Dried red chillies -1-2 ( Reduce or increase according to taste)
Green chillies-1-2
Cilantro( coriander leaves)- Handful
Mint leaves-Handful
Ginger-finely chopped - 1 spoon
tamarind Paste Half a spoon
Salt to taste
   Dry roast the peanuts in a pan till golden brown. Transfer peanuts and all other ingredients to the blender. Add about half a cup of water and grind to paste. Peanut chutney is ready to be eaten with Dosa, Phulka  or Bread. It should be stored in and airtight container in the refrigerator, and lasts up to a week to 10 days.

Peanut chutney ( Red)
 Chana dal- Half a cup
Peanut  - Half a cup
Dried red chillies- 2-3
Tamarind paste- half spoon
Garlic pods - 3-4 finely chopped
Dry roast chana dal in a hot pan till golden. Transfer to a blender and grind to a smooth paste.
  Great combo spread on a dosa. A quick fix lunch on bread with tomatoes and cucumber.





With the weight loss on track..I hope to continue exercising . Eating yummy healthy food is the funnest part :-)

Tandoori Tofu

I am always trying to include Tofu in my diet. Especially when I am not using any other form of  proteins in my food.My personal opinion is that Tofu does not go with any Indian preparations. It has a characteristic smell that cannot be masked. Or, atleast I thought that till I found this recipe. Love the way it turned out.

Ingredients-
           Tofu- Firm or Extra firm ..Cubed 1 inch
           Yogurt- Fat free or 2% - 1 cup
            Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
            Paprika/chillipowder-1 Tsp
            Turmeric-half tsp
            Garam masala half Tsp
            Salt to taste
            Bell Peppers - Red, green and yellow -cubed-2 cups
            Onion - 1 - cubed -large pieces





Method;
To the one cup of Yogurt add ginger garlic paste,
paprika/ chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala powder and salt .
Pat dry the cubed Tofu to remove any excess water. Gently mix in the yogurt with the tofu cubes, and let it marinate. For best results, leave it in the refrigerator overnight. A min of 4 -5 hours is necessary for th spices to penetrate the tofu.
    Lightly grease a griddle/ tava with oil and cook the tofu pieces on every side till golden brown .Reserve the left over marinade.

Mix the Veggies with a spoonful of oil. and put it under the broiler. Slightly charred edges give a nice flavor. Alternatively veggies can also grilled/ sauteed. Once the veggies and cooked half way remove from the broiler, mix in the yogurt mix and grill for a couple more minutes . If sauteing, add yogurt to the mix and heat till it gets warm.
   Transfer to a serving platter. Arrange the tofu on top. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Served with Phulkas or home made Whole wheat naan ( no butter- recipe coming soon), Awesome!
A little bit from every food group! My motto is Healthy food can be fun ...It need not be boring.
Ciao!

Some bean salad Ideas( Garbanzo and Vatana)

"Salads that are healthy and filling" ....
  Some days my lunch is Salad. Just veggies? Have to get back into the kitchen looking for more food in an hour or 2. Adding Cooked beans/lentils/peanuts into the salad helps endure hunger for longer time.
In India we would find this as street side food. I have fond memories of eating such salads on train travels to my grandma's place. Warm boiled/roasted peanuts or Kala channa( A distant dark cousin of Garbanzo bean ) with finely chopped Onion, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber and sometimes raw mango. Add a dash lime juice, Salt, chilli powder, chat masala and mustard oil .....Hmmm one of my yummiest memories. Hearty and healthy.

Couple of Ideas for these salads
.1)Green Vatana
This Salad is in the lines of Masala puri , a very popular street food in Bangalore. I use Green Vatana/ Dried green peas...It is almost a cross between a soup and salad.
Pressure cook a cupful of green Vatana with tamarind,salt and ginger to taste till soft.
I like it when some of the peas are over cooked forming the gravy.

Toppings-
Green Chutney- grind together 1 cup coriander/cilantro leaves
                          Half cup Mint leaves
                          Green chillies/ red chillies
                          2 pods of garlic(optional)
                           dhania zeera powder 1tsp
                          spoonful chopped onion
                          half tomato chopped
                          half spoon tamarind paste
                         Jaggery/ brown sugar 1--2 spoons ( optional)
                         Salt to taste
                          Kala namak- half spoon
                  This can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week. Eaten with pretty much anything.
Onion  - finely chopped
Tomatoes- finely chopped
carrots - grated
Peanuts-dry roasted till crunchy..can be fried too
Sev -Store bought ...the only fried indulgence in this dish. Can be omitted.
I guess a couple of teaspoons wont hurt :)
Cilantro finely chopped
Lemon juice to taste

Serve in a cup with choice of toppings ...I love it with a couple of tsps of everything

1] Garbanzo bean salad

Garbanzo bean ( kabuli channa)- 1 can/cup  drained and washed( cooked)
Can also be soaked in water overnight and cooked till tender.

Romaine lettuce-1 cup
Baby spinach- handful

red cabbage sliced finely- half cup
carrots sliced finely- half cup
cucumber- sliced/chopped- half cup
Dressing
   Olive oil 2 tsps
   Lemon juice- half lemon
   salt, pepper,Paprika, chat masala
 Mix well and add to the the above mixture
Enjoy ..
Can even be stuffed inside a pita or tortilla to make a wrap.

Will post more ideas of filling salads ...as and when I make them.
I hope to lose some weight before my sister's wedding in November. I need to exercise regularly.Wish me good luck!

Everything Burger

Every thing Burger, It has everything but the Kitchen sink :--)). Well! Sometimes I need to clear the refrigerator of leftover veggies. A bit of everything. This is a great and healthy way to finish all the veggies.

INGREDIENTS
One cup each of finely chopped
Onion
mushrooms
carrots
capsicum
peas
corn
Brinjal/ Eggplant
any combo.....
Half cup finely chopped ginger
Half cup Brown rice cooked
Half cup rolled Oats
Cooked lentils half cup.
1 boiled potato/ cooked Mashed beans ( black or red) 1 cup
2 slices bread ...slightly crumbly couple of days old bread
Half cup Cilantro
1-2 Egg

Method:
In a pan saute with a little oil all the veggies till soft.
Add ginger,rice, lentils and oats. Add a little water to let the oats cook ...cook in low heat ....
When it starts to get together in a gooey mass ....Switch off the heat and cool.
Mash boiled potato/ bean paste and add...Let the mix cool
Reserve  2 tsps raw chopped onion. Add to the mix onion and crumbled bread. Add egg and seasoning to taste.
I added salt, pepper, paprika and garam masala.
Make it into patties and cook on low heat with a lil oil on a Tava.
Enjoy with bun as a burger or just like that ..with sauce.
Great way to get my kids to eat veggies.

I can be made into balls and baked in the oven at 350-400 F for about 20-30 mins ...Works great for wraps in pita bread or just as a snack.
I made it a couple of times with different ingredient. Once wrapped in a pita bread with baby spinach and tomatoes,and once with Asian style ..Sweet and sour noodles. Everybody loved it :)

Idly and Sambhar

I have fond memories of my college days. Living in the hostel had its own advantages. We friends would chat/ study late into the night and end up running late for the morning classes. We'd rush to college without breakfast.
My staple brunch after the morning classes would be a couple of idlis with sambhar at our college canteen. It is healthy, fills you up and does not leave you with a feeling of guilt even when you over eat.
  Idly with sambhar is usually my Sunday/Saturday brunch now. It is my all time favorite recipe ...A slightly modified version of our 'good old Standard South Indian Breakfast '.

                           

IDLY
Ingredients
Brown rice 4 cups( standard short grain or long grain)
I use this instead of the usual White Idly rice to make richer in nutrients.
Urad Dal/Black lentils ( shelled is white) 1 cup
Methi/Fenugreek seeds 2 tsps
Salt to taste
METHOD
Soak rice and lentils separately in water for about 3-4 hours . Wash them well before soaking. Soak the fenugreek seed along with the lentils.
Though a stone grinder is ideal for this, a blender would work as well. Heads up , If you are using a blender you may want to reduce the rice to 3 cups. the proportion can be played with to get the right consistency of idly.
Grind the lentils and fenugreek seeds in the blender till smooth, it should be light and fluffy. Keep aside.
Grind the rice with a little water till smooth batter is obtained. Some people like to keep it a little coarse. It is entirely upto you. Add salt and mix together both the batter with hand. Note, It has to be by hand.
Leave the container in a warm place to ferment. In warm weather it usually takes around 3-4 hours.
Fermented batter is light and airy. Mix the batter a couple of time to get an even mix.

Pour into greased idly molds to steam. A saucer used instead to steam, will make a bigger idly .
Steam for about 10 mins in medium heat. Idly's come out puffed and beautifully soft.
I can eat it just like that, but Sambhar makes it a complete meal.

                           

Especially being a vegetarian,Sambhar satisfies the need for veggies and proteins. Its traditional to make Onion Sambhar with Idly...I like to make with all veggies. It needs to be a complete meal :)
INGREDIENTS
Toor dal( split pigeon peas) 2 cup
Tamarind size of a lemon ...if using paste use 2 tsps
Veggies -about a cup sliced ( carrots, peppers,pearl onions )
Tomatoes diced -half a cup
Sambhar powder-Store brought or home made- 2tsps
    Recipe- Dry roast equal quantities of Channa dal, Coriander seeds and red chillis. Powder and store in airtight container. Use a couple of tsps when necessary.
Curry leaves and mustard seeds for tempering .

METHOD
Traditional method is the cook the veggies in the tamarind water and sambhar powder before adding the cooked dal. Just to make my life easier, I put all the ingredients Dal, tamarind, veggies,sambhar powder in a pressure cooker. Add double the amount of water ...that is 4 cups, cook on low heat for about 20 mins .Once the Dal is cooked down and mushy, add tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves.  Yummy sambhar is ready.

There are never any leftovers of this meal. If any left over ...Crisped up on a hot pan with a little oil, my kids devour it :-)



















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Rice and Lentil salad

I just turned 30 last week ! Not the best day of my life....My husband meets with an accident( He's safe,that is all matters. Only the car is bashed up). A trip to the Doctor ....My son fell sick :-( , and my daughter did not take an afternoon nap. Nonetheless it was my birthday and I wanted to celebrate. Reaching 30 is a milestone of sorts, in my head. A wonderful husband , adorable kids and loving friends and relatives. I have a lot to be thankful to God for. ( I just hope my career, that is at the back burner now come to the fore soon ). Is not celebrating Birthday's , celebrating life? Thanking God to have put you on earth to enjoy such wonderful life and experience beautiful feeling like love.
   I made myself a quick Salad with brown rice and lentils I made for kids on the lines of Tabbouleh salad. Traditionally Bulgur is used, not rice.This Mediterranean  Salad has wonderful flavors, that I happen to Love. Happy birthday to me!

INGREDIENTS

Brown rice- 1cup
green lentils- Masoor with shell- half cup
Half cup each of chopped
cucumber
tomatoes...I like to use cherry tomatoes
Peppers ( Capsicum ) all colors
Avacado( not traditional in Tabouleh, but I like it)
Parsley ( key ingredient , I like curly one better for this)
Mint leaves-4-5 leaves
Garlic 1 clove finely minced
Extra VirginOlive oil --2-3 tsps( always used in Salads gives a wonderful aroma
Lemon 1 large
Zatar Spice( optional)

 METHOD
Add Brown rice and lentils to the rice cooker. Add twice the amount of water, approximately 3 cups. add salt to taste and let it cook. Once cooked, I usually add a spoonful of olive oil and mix it up so that the rice does not get mashed up.

For the Dressing : Juice one lemon , add finely chopped parsley, mint  and garlic. Add Zatar and salt to taste. Zatar can be substituted with ground thyme or omitted. I love its flavor . Add Extra Virgin Olive oil, mix well and keep aside.

   When ready to eat mix about half the rice and lentils mix to the chopped veggies and dressing. Mix well and give it a taste. Ingredients can be added according to taste. Enjoy.
Slight variations can be made , like  grilling veggies like peppers, broccoli and mushrooms and serving as a side. Kiddos get it with the veggies finely chopped and rice slightly overcooked.

Thank you God! for this wonderful life. And Mom :-) Love you