Hummus

Hearty Breakfast- Hummus on Wheat bread and orange juice

I'm gonna let my pictures do the talking. Black and white pictures are my latest fascination. Remember your mom and dad's old pictures? They look so beautiful and timeless. This is my attempt and creating something timeless with those wonderful memories. 

Hummus?My kids love it. And it is a healthy food .

 

 Recipe For Hummus

Chick peas cooked 1 cup

tahini paste 2 spoons/ thick yogurt 2 spoons 

garlic 1 clove finely minced

( The best)Extra virgin olive oil 3-4 spoonfuls 

Lemon juice of  half a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Blend into a smooth paste and let it sit for the flavors to blend

 Add more Olive oil if it feels dry.

Mix it up----- Add roasted red peppers/ roasted cumin seeds/ roasted garlic for more flavor

Serve with Breads, great for sandwiches.  Or as a dip with veggies like cucumber/celery and carrots

Yay! for Motherhood .....I'm loving it ! 

 

Well, most of the times

Moong sprouts/Pesarattu

Bean sprouts of any kind are healthy and nutritious food . Sprouts like Alfaalfa, broccoli and bean are available in the supermarkets. Ready to be used in salads ,sandwiches and stir fries .  Moong sprouts are the most commonly used sprouts in Indian cooking. I've mostly eaten them raw in salads or cooked in sundal. (Of course my mom's recipes)  They are actually very versatile and can even be used in soups and sabzis too.
   Let me share with you a couple of recipes I tried and liked.
Note- cannot make sprouts out of yellow moong....Its already processed:-)




Method of making moong sprouts.                                         

  SoakGreen Moong Dal  in water for about 3-4 hrs. Remove water and tie tightly it in a wet towel/cloth. If the room temperature is high the bundle must be kept in the refrigerator. It takes about 2 days to germinate. The sprouts can be stored in the refrigerator for almost about a week in airtight container.
    Tossed with cucumber, onion , tomatoes, cilantro with salt and lemon juice dressing , makes a wonderful side for any dish.

 Moong sprouts Sabzi

Moong sprouts 1 cup
Onion finely chopped 1 small
Garlic ( optional)
Tomatoes (optional)
Oil to sautee 1-2 spoons
Cumin/ zeera seeds
Turmeric , chilli powder and salt

Heat oil in a pan, add zeera . once it sputters add garlic and onion and cook till translucent. Add 1 cup of moong sprouts and the  preffered seasonings.Add water to help make it softer. No addition of water is necessary if crunchy texture is preferred.
    My kids are a big fan of this ...especially since it looks like peas. Its good for them and they love it what could be better.

Pesarattu                     
It is a common breakfast in the state of  Andhra Pradesh. It makes a hearty and filling brunch that is high in protein content.

Grind together in a blender
2 cups moong sprouts
2 spoons of rice powder
half a small onion chopped
chopped ginger/ginger paste 1 tsp
cumin/zeera seeds
Salt to taste.
and required amount of water

Spread a ladle of batter on a hot griddle. Sprinkle finely chopped onions and cumin/zeera seeds on top. Drizzle oil( optional- avoid if trying to watch your cholesterol level) flip the pesarattu.
serve hot with chutney.

Note - Addition of vegetables like carrots( vit A), red and yellow bell peppers ( vit C) to the standard onion and tomato chutney increases the nutritional value as well as improves taste.



My weight loss strategy now is to eat a large bowl of salad or raita before every meal, along with regular exercise of course. Need to work on portion control. Keeping my finger crossed .

Bhel puri

I was off for a 1 month vacation to India ( If you could call it that:)) , hence my absence.
One month of preparing for two weddings,shopping, yummy food, people to take care of my kids, being pampered in salons, being more pampered by parents and In laws and more shopping, I am back home in the peak of winter.
                In the last one month, losing weight never crossed my mind. I would have been overjoyed if I had'nt put on any weight. I did lose weight in spite of that ..though only a couple of pounds.( not that it shows ). Need to get back to the exercise and eat right mode. Ok, ....More exercise than eat right mode :)
    Bhel puri is my all time favorite snack. Yummy and healthy and a quick fix.
Bhelpuri reminds me of all the fun times us sisters have had over the years. Its always the first thing that would pop into our head whenever we wanted to have a  midnight snack...after of course ":Maggi ".
It seems to be the perfect thing to make when i am missing them.
My sister is the best bhelpuri maker....I come a close 2nd place:)

Though every body has their own recipe, this is how I like to make it.
Recipe
Half a cup each of
Finely chopped onions
Diced cucumber
Diced tomatoes
Grated carrots
diced boiled potatoes

finely chopped cilantro for garnish
puffed rice cereal 1-1.5 cups
roasted peanuts to taste 
Store bought sev to taste

Green cilantro chutney
Grind together 1 cup cilantro
                      half a small onion
                      garlic 2 pods
                      tamarind paste half spoon
                      green chillies 2
                      salt to taste
Store in airtight container in the fridge.
Sugar/ jaggery( optional) 1 tsp
 Lemon juice to taste

Method
Mix the veggies with couple  of spoons of green chutney .
Add sugar, salt and lemon juice as required.
mix in the puffed rice cereal. The mixing needs to be done fast.
Sev, roasted peanuts and chopped cilantro can be sprinkled on top or mixed in at the end.

Bhel puri should be eaten immediately or it can get soggy. Eating when the rice ceral is still crunchy is the best way to eat.

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!