Black Bean Burger & seeking your suggestions on Soy Products

As a health freak, i was so obsessed with favorite health food(Soy). I was extensively using soy milk, extra firm tofu replacing paneer(cottage cheese), silken tofu to fortify roti dough, soy chunks, soy crisps, soy burgers, soy bars and what not for couple of years. As you all know in this country you have the whole sale clubs so that everything can be bought in bulk and your basement can be filled with them. Well i was one too, i used to buy cartons of soy milk and store in my basement as buying in bulk worked out cheap if you are living on it. All this continued for years until year and half before. My younger one was having lot of feeding issues and we were struggling hard so that she comes atleast in the graph(0-5 percentile of the growth chart) and through a common friend met with a doctor. He suggested certain supplements and asked us to give protein rich food to her. I proudly talked about our protein rich diet habit with soy milk and all the products i listed above. He immediately said don't give her soy milk and tofu and you also better stay away from it. He said commercially manufactured soy products/protein is not good and may even cause cancer. We were shell shocked and googling more found the following

Soybeans in fact contain a large number of dangerous substances. The act of fermenting soybeans nullify the anti-nutrients & toxins , cooking and precipitation do not. Although hese enzyme inhibitors are found in reduced levels within precipitated soy products like tofu, they are not completely eliminated. For this reason, if you are going to consume soy, USE fermented products only, like tempeh or miso. Only after a long period of fermentation (as occurs in the creation of miso or tempeh) are the antinutrient and phytate levels of soybeans reduced, making their nourishment available to the human digestive system. There is lot of information available on this when you google and my head was swirling, so as a layman what i decided was to throw away the 2 packs with a dozen each of soy milk from my basement in the trash and not to go for tofu or soy burger any more. If you gals have more information to share on what all soy products are safe to use and a safe quantity to consume, please enlighten. So that was the reason i started making my own burger in batches and freezing them. Now coming to the recipe.

Know what you Eat - Black beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other legumes. In addition to lowering cholesterol, black beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. Oats are an excellent source of iron, dietary fiber and thiamin. They also contain antioxidants that are believed to protect the circulatory system from diseases such as arteriosclerosis, which affects the arterial blood vessel. Chia seeds are very good source of omega - 3, dietary fiber, antioxidants. They also contain calcium and protein.

Cooking Time : 20 - 30 min
Preparation Time : 10-20 min
Serves : Makes 6 patties

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups(12 oz) - Cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup finely chopped red,yellow,green bell pepper
1 small onion finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tsp Onion powder
1/2 tablespoon Oregano powder
1 tsp or taste cayenne pepper
1/2 Cup of Powdered Chia(Powder Chia in a food processor into fine powder)
1/2 cup of Oats powder (Use quick cooking and make a fine powder in your food processor)
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp

Method

1) Rinse and drain black bean thoroughly and let it drain compeletly without any water.
2) In a food processor run the celery through you will get a coarse paste
3) Heat Oil add chopped onions and saute till translucent, now add the chopped peppers, celery paste, 1/4 tsp of salt and saute till the peppers are well cooked.
4) Now add the drained black beans, onion powder, oregano, salt and cayenne pepper saute for 5 minutes and then switch off the stove
5) Using a thick spoon mash the black bean, once well mashed add the powdered chia, oats powder and combine thoroughly.
6) Preheat oven to 375 degress.
7)Divide the mixture in to balls and flatten them with your hand and place them in parchment paper in a baking pan and bake for 10 minutes on each side and then broil for 5 minutes till the pattie is well baked.
8) Serve in a burger bun with vegetables and ketchup of your choice.

Event Participation

This dish goes to Low fat eggless baking event hosted by Madhu.
This dish goes to My legume love affair twelfth helping event hosted by Annarasa created by Susan.
Original Recipes - Monthly Round up hosted by Lorie.

This dish is our contribution to AFAM-Bell Pepper event, hosted by Priya orignially started by Maheswari.

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Nutritious Oats and Peanut Butter Cookie

Know what you Eat - Contrary to what their name implies, peanuts are not true nuts but a member of a family of legumes related to peas, lentils, chickpeas and other beans. Peanuts are a very good source of monounsaturated fats, the type of fat that is emphasized in the heart-healthy diet. Studies of diets with a special emphasis on peanuts have shown that this little legume is a big ally for a healthy heart. Peanuts contain oleic acid, the healthful fat found in olive oil and are rich in antioxidants. Roasted peanuts do rival the antioxidant content of blackberries and strawberries, and are far richer in antioxidants than apples, carrots or beets. Oats are an excellent source of iron, dietary fiber and thiamin.

It is summer break for the schools now. Kids when at home, like to snack more than eat proper meals. I know every Mom has to scratch her brain to come up with healthy snack ideas and i came up with this one. It was little sweet for me, but was great hit amongst the kids.

Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - 15 mins
Serves - Makes 12 cookies

Ingredients

Quick Cooking Oats - 2 cups
Peanut Butter - 1/2 cup
Honey or Maple Syrup - 1/2 cup
Canola or Sunflower oil - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda(aluminium free) - 1/2 tsp
Chocolate chips or nuts - handful

Method

1) Take 1 cup of Oats and grind into a flour in your blender.
2) Toast 1 cup of Oats slightly till the raw smell is gone.
3) Combine Salt, cinnamon powder, baking soda, Oat flour, Quick Cooking oats thoroughly.
4) Now add peanut butter, maple syrup, oil to the above mixture and knead into a dough.
5) Roll into small balls and flatten them into circles using the center of your hand.
6) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7) Place parchment paper in a baking tray and place the cookie one by one leaving enough space to expand.
8) On top of the flattened dough place chocolate chips, nuts etc of your choice and bake for around 10 minutes.
9) Once baked remove it from the oven and let it cool completely as they will be soft and crumbly when hot.
10) Store in an airtight container and enjoy.

Event Participation

This dish goes to Spill the beans- Sunday snack event hosted by Priya.

This dish goes to Low fat eggless baking event hosted by Madhu.

This dish goes to My legume love affair twelfth helping event hosted by Annarasa created by Susan.

Original Recipes - Monthly Round up hosted by Lorie.

This dish goes to JFI-Peanuts August 09 hosted by Pavani and started by Indira.

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Tomato Onion Chutney & Idli(Steamed Rice & Lentil Dumplings)

Know what you Eat - If you are looking for a fat free food Idli(Steamed Rice & Lentil Dumpling) is the top food on the list. Idlis are made from a combination of rice and urad dal which is fermented and then steamed. Both these processes are very good for the digestive system and involve cooking with no oil at all. Most restaurants however use baking soda to speed up getting the idli batter ready and while too much baking soda does destroy nutrients and affects the digestive system in the long run. This is a very popular breakfast item in South India.



Now coming to the nutrition in this food, the carotenoid lycopene found in tomatoes (and everything made from them) is a very useful antioxidant and has cancer-preventing properties. Urad Dal(a type of lentil) is a very good source of dietary fiber and protein. Parboiling rice drives nutrients, especially thiamine, from the bran into the grain, so that parboiled white rice is 80% nutritionally similar to brown rice.

From yesterday's Chole puri from the North we are travelling down to the traditional Idli chutney of South. I always have Idli batter in my refrigerator and this is one of the quick breakfast item on a time crunchy day.

Tomato Chutney

Preparation Time - 1o mins
Cooking Time - 15 mins
Serves - 4


Ingredients

Tomato - 2 big ones ripe and firm but not over ripe
Onion - 1
Red chilli - 4 or to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Split Urad dal - 2 tsp
Asafaoetida powder - pinch

Method

1) Chop tomato and onion into small pieces and corsely grind in a blender along with red chillies(do not puree, otherwise it will become like tomato ketchup).
2) Heat oil, add mustard seeds. Once they stop spluttering add split urad dal, asafoetida powder and saute till urad dal becomes slightly brown.
3) Now add the tomato, onion, red chill paste and simmer in the gas stove for 10 to 15 minutes till the water evaporates.
4) Add salt to taste and serve with hot idlis.

Idli


Ingredients

Urad Dal(whole) - 1 cup
Idli Rice(Puzhungal Arisi/ ParBoiled Rice) - 2 1/2 cups**
Salt to taste

Method

1) Rinse and drain Urad dal till you get a clear water. Now soak in enough water for 2-3 hours.
2) Rinse and drain Idli rice and soak in enough water for 6 hours.
3) Using a stone grinder/blender grind the urad dal adding the soaked water little by little till you get a smooth fluffy batter.
4) Now grind the rice into a fine paste adding water little by little.
5) Mix the Urad dal batter, Rice batter and Salt and mix them thoroughly.
6) Leave it over night for the batter to ferment nicely, on cold winter days switch on the oven light and leave the batter inside the oven overnight. The heat from the light will make the batter to ferment.
7) The trick to get a soft spongy idli is proportion, the grind urad batter and rice batter should be in equal quantity, so based on how much batter you are getting from the urad dal adjust your rice batter.
8) Now use cooking spray and grease the idli plates, thoroughly combine the fermented batter and pour the batter in the greased plates and steam them for 15 minutes on medium heat in a pressure cooker or pan till they are cooked.
9) Serve with Chutney.

Event Participation

This dish goes to My legume love affair twelfth helping event hosted by Annarasa started by Susan.

This dish goes to Delectable Combinations hosted by Kamalika originally started by Sunshinemom.

This goes to EFM June Breakfast series hosted by Srish.

*This rice measurement depends on how much batter comes out from the urad dal, for most of the varieties available in India you can add as much upto 5 cups of rice. But the ones available here i use anywhere between 2 1/2 to 3 cups of rice. The fluffy urad batter and the rice batter should be in equal quantity to get a soft idli. So adjust according to the quality of your urad dal)

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Apple Pecan Multigrain Pancake

Know what you Eat - Apples are rich in antioxidants , fiber, flavonoids and help to maintain a heart-healthy diet. Flavonoids unique to apple - including phloridzin - are thought to play a potentially key role in the special ability of apples to support lung health. Pecans are a very good source of Vitamin E. Oats are an excellent source of iron, dietary fiber and thiamin. Whole wheat is rich in dietary fiber and is good source of iron. Brown rice is good source of complex carbohydrate. It provides 15 essential nutrients, including B-vitamins, niacin and potassium. Buckwheat contains almost 86 milligrams of magnesium in a one-cup serving. Magnesium relaxes blood vessels, improving blood flow and nutrient delivery while lowering blood pressure-the perfect combination for a healthy cardiovascular system. Chia seeds are very good source of omega - 3, dietary fiber, antioxidants.

I normally don't use all purpose flour and try to come up with different recipes substituting it, when i first tried this recipe i was little hesitant to mix all these flour together as there is no all purpose flour and sometimes they might stick to the griddle, but the Chia powder i added binds it together and makes it easy to prepare the pancake. I use powdered chia in most of these mix grain/flour experiments and it really helps. I have made this multigrain pancake couple of times and it comes out really great.



Cooking Time - 15 mins

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Serves - (Makes around 12 pancakes)



Ingredients



Brown rice flour - 1/2 cup

Buck wheat flour - 1/2 cup

Oat flour - 1/2 cup

Whole wheat pastry flour - 1/2 cup(use pastry flour not the regular whole wheat)

Chia powder - 2 tbsp (I used this as an Egg substitute for binding)

Yogurt - 1/4 cup

Milk - 1 1/2 cups

Apple - 1(small)

Pecans - handful chopped

Raw sugar - 2 tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 4 tsp



Method



1) Wash apple and chop into small pieces and steam for 5 minutes till they are tender

2) Combine Brown rice flour, buck wheat flour, oat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, Chia powder, Salt, Sugar, Cinnamon powder, Baking Soda, Pecans and the apple pieces.

3) Now add the yogurt and milk and make a smooth batter.

4) Heat a griddle and pour a ladle full of batter into a circle and add 1/2 tsp of oil around the batter.

5) Cook both the sides on the griddle and serve with maple syrup and fresh fruits of your choice.



Event Participation

1) This goes to EFM June Breakfast series hosted by Srish.

2) Original Recipes - Monthly Round up hosted by Lorie.

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Baked Pakoda(Healthy Bengal Gram Flour Snack)

Know what you Eat - Besan (Bengal gram flour) is very high in protein and very low in glycemic index. This bean from which this flour is made looks just like yellow split peas, but is quite different because it doesn't readily boil down to mush. It's more closely related to garbanzo beans, or chickpeas. The differences are that Bengal gram is younger, smaller, split, sweeter, and has a much lower glycemic index, in fact much lower than the Garbanzo(not the dark colored chick pea but the light one). Onions are a very good source of chromium, a molecule that helps cells respond appropriately to insulin. Clinical studies of diabetics have shown that chromium can decrease fasting blood glucose levels,improve glucose tolerance, lower insulin levels, and decrease total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Chromium levels are depleted by the consumption of refined sugars and white flour products. High fructose corn syrup decreases this trace mineral too, so check for your labels when you buy food products in the store next time.

Bengal Gram Flour(Besan) is available in Asian Indian grocery store, or you can find it in the International Food Isle. Ever since i saw this recipe in Uma's blog i have tried it out several times. I atleast bake this once a week and it is awesome. Comes very handy for a after school snack for the kids as well as for moms to recharge.

Cooking Time - 20 mins
Preparation Time - 5 mins
Serves - 4

Ingredients

Chickpea Flour (Besan) - 1 cup
Rice Flour - 2 tbsp
Red onion (medium sized) - 1
Cayenne pepper - 1/2 tsp or to taste
¾ tsp Baking Powder
2 tbsp Butter, melted
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt as required
Little bit of water

Method

1) Preheat baking oven to 400 degrees.
2) Mix besan, chopped onions, cayenne pepper, rice flour, butter and salt. Add little bit of water and make a thick dough, you should be able to spoon it in a baking pan.
3) Grease a baking sheet and spoon the batter into small portions, leaving enough room for them to expand while baking.
4) Bake till the pakodas turn golden(not brown for around 15-20 minutes).
5) Serve it hot with ketchup of your choice and enjoy these protein rich guilt free snack.

Event Participation

This dish goes to Spill the beans- Sunday snack event hosted by Priya.

This dish goes to Low fat eggless baking event hosted by Madhu.

This dish goes to My legume love affair twelfth helping event hosted by Annarasa created by Susan.

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Whole Wheat-Oats Onion Roll & Awards

Know what you Eat - Oats are an excellent source of iron, dietary fiber and thiamin. They also contain antioxidants that are believed to protect the circulatory system from diseases such as arteriosclerosis, which affects the arterial blood vessel. Whole wheat is rich in dietary fiber and is a good source of iron. Onion is a powerful anti-septic that is rich in vitamins A, B and C. It is a potent source of folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, chromium, iron and dietary fiber.

For the saturday morning breakfast i normally try something new and last week end baked these onion roll. Next time when i bake i am going to add some chilli peppers or cayenne pepper to make it real spicy.

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - 30 mins

Makes - 6 buns

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pastry flour - 1 cup

Whole Oat flour - 1 cup

Yeast(for whole grain) - 1 1/2 tsp

Warm Milk- 1/4 cup

Onion 1 small - chopped into fine pieces

Salt - 1 tsp or to taste

Sugar - 1/4 tsp

Butter - 1 tsp(room temperature)

Oil(Olive/Canola/Sunflower) - 1 tsp

Method:

1) Soak yeast in warm milk along with sugar and let it sit for 15 minutes to foam and rise.

2) Once the yeast is activated mix the Wheat flour, Oat flour, Salt, onion, butter and the yeast mixture.

3) Knead and make it into a soft dough.

4) Cover and leave it in a bowl for about 1 hour till the dough doubles in size.

5) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

6) Now knead the dough one more time and make it into small balls and keep in a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Flatten the balls slightly in the middle.

7) Brush the top with oil and bake till a knife inserted comes out clean.

8) Enjoy with a cup of hot coffee or tea.

Event Participation

1) This is our entry to Susan's yeast spotting event.

2) This goes to EFM June Breakfast series hosted by Srish.

3) This dish goes to Original Recipes - Monthly Round up Event hosted by Lorie.

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Cabbage-Celery Soup

Know what you Eat - Cabbage belongs to the family of cruciferous vegetables, which includes, kale, broccoli, collards, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kohlrabi. Cabbage is a rich source of vitamin C, of fiber, of iron, calcium, sium. The odor that it emits comes from the sulphur content of cabbage which helps the body to resist bacteria and protects the protoplasm of the cells. It is said to aid in producing glossy hair. Celery is high in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Potassium, Manganese, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium and Magnesium.







Cabbage is a vegetable which i like to stock up, it is very healthy and versatile and the whole one can stay fresh for couple of days. It goes into stir fry, cole slaw, upma, curry, kootu and what ever was the balance went into this soup. But when sauting cabbage, the odor from the sulphur is not very inviting and i decided to use celery to counter the pungent smell and the soup came out really well. That too with the addition of coconut milk it was really tasty, creamy and kid certified.



Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 25 mins

Serves : 4



Ingredients:



Cabbage- 4 cups(finely chopped)

Celery - 1 1/2 cups(Chopped)

Coconut Milk - 1 can (120z)

Mint - handful

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Water

Oil - 2 tsp(i used coconut oil)



Method



1) Wash, rinse, drain and chop cabbage.

2) Wash the celery and chop into fine pieces.

3) Heat a pan, add 1 tsp of oil and then add the chopped cabbage and celery pieces.

4) Saute till they are tender.

5) Let this cool and then transfer to a food processor and puree it adding little water.

6) Now peel the ginger and cut into thin strips.(Always peel the ginger and use the inner part alone).

7) Heat 1 tsp of oil and once hot add the mint leaves and ginger strips and fry till you get a nice aroma.

8) Now add the pureed cabbage and celery mixture, coconut milk and water to the desired thickness and let this simmer for 10 minutes.

9) Add salt and pepper to taste and serve it hot with your favorite bread.



Event Participation:



Original Recipes - Monthly Round up hosted by Lorie.







Cooking for Kids leafy greens hosted by Pavani originally started by Sharmi of Neivedyam.

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Mango Quinoa

Know what you Eat - A recently rediscovered ancient "grain" native to South America, quinoa was once called "the gold of the Incas," who recognized its value in increasing the stamina of their warriors. Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. Quinoa's amino acid profile is well balanced, making it a good choice for vegans concerned about adequate protein intake, also quinoa is especially well-endowed with the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair. In addition to protein, quinoa features a host of other health-building nutrients. Because quinoa is a very good source of manganese as well as a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus, this "grain" may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis. The raw mango is a valuable source of vitamin C. It contains more vitamin C than half-ripe or fully ripe mangoes. It is also a good source of vitamin B1 and B2 and contains sufficient quantity of niacin. These vitamins differ in concentration in various varieties during the stages of maturity and environmental conditions.

Quinoa has become a staple in our house over taking rice. So when you have to cook and eat a grain every day, you have to be innovative to come up with different dishes so that you don't get bored. So what ever dishes are possible using rice like mixed rice varieties i do all of them using quinoa. This is one of them.

Preparation Time - 15 mins
Cooking Time - 15 mins
Serves - 2

Ingredients

Cooked Quinoa - 2 cups
Grated raw mango - 1 cup (firmly packed)
Peeled and grated ginger - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves chopped - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Roasted Peanuts - 1 handful
Chopped coriander - handful for garnishing
Salt to taste

Curry powder

Channa Dal(Bengal gram) - 2 tbsp
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Coconut - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 2 or to taste

Method

Cooking Quinoa
1) Soak Quinoa for atleast 30 minutes and rinse thoroughly otherwise you will get a bitter taste out of the cooked quiona.
2) Add 2 measures of water to 1 measure of quinoa and cook till it is soft and fluffy. I normally pressure cook till 1 whistle and switch off.
3) Let it cool completely( if possible cook quinoa the previous day and refrigerate it).

Curry Powder
4) Dry roast channa dal, coriander seeds and red chilli. Once the raw smell is gone and the ingredients are slightly brown in color add grated coconut and switch off. The heat in the pan is enough to roast the coconut, if you are planning to keep it for a few hours or use the curry powder next day roast the coconut nicely. Keep this aside to cool completely. Once cooled, dry grind into a coarse powder

Final Touches
4) Heat oil add mustard seeds and leave till it splutters completely.
5) Now add the curry leaves and the grated ginger ,mango, salt, turmeric powder.
6) Saute on a low flame for 10 minutes once cooked completely add curry powder and cooked quinoa and stir thoroughly so that all the spices are mixed evenly.
7) Switch off and add the roasted peanuts and garnish with chopped cilantro.
8) Serve with raita of your choice. You can have this power food for breakfast or lunch.

Event Participation

1) This goes to Mango Mela hosted by Srivalli.

2) This goes to EFM June Breakfast series hosted by Srish.

3) This dish goes to Original Recipes - Monthly Round up Event hosted by Lorie.

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Oats-Almond Meal Cookies with Strawberry Filling

Know what you Eat - Almonds are low in saturated fat and contain many other protective nutrients - calcium and magnesium - for strong bones, vitamin E and compounds called phytochemicals, which may help protect against cardiovascular disease and even cancer. Oats are an excellent source of iron, dietary fiber and thiamin. They also contain antioxidants that are believed to protect the circulatory system from diseases such as arteriosclerosis, which affects the arterial blood vessel.

My Uncle passed on this recipe from some Online Vegan forum, ever since i got this recipe i have baked these several timeswith different combination of fruit spreads. It just comes out very well and the best part is it doesn't have all purpose or evenwhole wheat and has the goodness of Oats and Almond with out compromising on the taste. I am trying various variations with this base recipe using Pistachio ,Cashew etc. If successful will post soon.

Cooking Time - 15 mins
Preparation Time - 10 mins
Yields - Around 18 cookies(depends on the size you make)

Ingredients

Oats(Quick Cooking not instant oat meal) - 2 cups and 1/4 Cup
Almonds - 1 cup
Honey - 1/2 cup
Strawberry spread/jelly/preserves - 1/2 cup( Or any fruit of your choice)
Sunflower/Canola Oil - 1/4 cup(2 oz)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

1) Measure 1 1/4 cup of Oats and grind into flour in the processor.
2) Transfer all the almonds to a food processor and grind into a powder, this need not be a fine powderbut can be little coarse Almond meal.
3) Combine the grind Oats, Almond and the rest of the ungrind Oats, Salt and Cinnamon powder
4) Add Oil, Honey and mix thoroughly and form a dough.
5) Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.
6) Grease a cookie tray
7) Roll the dough into small balls and flatten them in your hand, make a small depression in the middle andplace them in the cookie tray one after another leaving enough space between the cookies as they will expand.
8) Fill the centers with Jelly of your choice.
9) Bake for 10-15 minutes until well baked, they get baked quickly so keep a watch on them otherwise you will get brown or burnt cookies.
10) Cool them and transfer to a airtight container. They are sweeter the next day.

Note - The original recipe uses Maple syrup, when using maple syrup use 1 cup of Oats flour and 1 1/4 cup of Oats.When using honey the texture becomes little soft and crumbly so i tried to change the proportion and it did work well.The original recipe uses 1/2 cup of jelly, i make it 1/4 when making for our family as this 1/2 cup is too sweet for us. But if you have a sweet tooth this
1/2 cup will be just right or may not be enough.

Event Participation

1) This goes to Low Fat Eggless Baking event Hosted by Madhu.

2) This dish goes to My Kitchen Treasures for the Strawberry Event .

3) This dish goes to Fruit & Nut event hosted by Mansi.

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Bell Pepper Raita(Pachidi)

Know what you Eat - Brightly colored bell peppers, whether green, red, orange or yellow, are rich sources of some of the best nutrients available. To start, peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C and vitamin A (through its concentration of carotenoids such as beta-carotene), two very powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants work together to effectively neutralize free radicals, which can travel through the body causing huge amounts of damage to cells. Free radicals are major players in the build up of cholesterol in the arteries that leads to atherosclerosis and heart disease, the nerve and blood vessel damage seen in diabetes, the cloudy lenses of cataracts, the joint pain and damage seen in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and the wheezing and airway tightening of asthma. By providing these two potent free radical destroyers, bell peppers may help prevent or reduce some of the symptoms of these conditions by shutting down the source of the problem.

This raita i make frequently and some times i saute them by adding ginger and tomato pieces also. Since i wanted to send this to Priya's bell pepper event, didn't want to add too many things in here.

Cooking Time - Nil
Prepartion Time - 10 mins
Serves 4

Ingredients

Yogurt - 2 1/2 cups
Red bell pepper - 1 medium sized
Green bell pepper - 1 medium sized
Pearl Onion - 4
Grated ginger - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli paste - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Salt to taste

Garnishing

Cilantro - 1 tbsp chopped

Method

1) Wash dry and chop the green and red bell pepper into small pieces.
2) Chop the pearl onion into small pieces, you can also use the regular onion but pearl onion has a distinct taste and flavor.
3) Add grated ginger, green chilli paste, salt and yogurt mix well.
4) Garnish with Cilantro and serve


Event Participation:

This dish is our contribution to AFAM-Bell Pepper event, hosted by Priya orignially started by Maheswari.

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Methi-Mint-Multigrain Paratha & Tomato Scallion Raita

Know what you Eat - Whole wheat flour is a good source of dietary fiber, calcium, iron and other minerals. Jowar(Sorghum) calorie wise Jowar is same as wheat, except it is rich in Iron. Bajra(Pearl Millet) is rich in iron and calcium.Oats contain high fiber, protein and couple of more nutrients.Fenugreek helps lower blood glucose and cholestrol levels, and an effective treatment for both type 1 and 2 diabetes. Mint is a strong diuretic and therefore, helps in eliminating toxins from the body. When included in the diet on a regular basis, mint reduces the growth of bacteria and fungus in the body.

We are going through a total food(life) style change based on our doctor's input. Dr. R is a very knowledgeable person and he introduced us to some of the grains which has become a staple in our diet like Quinoa, Chia etc replacing Rice and Wheat to a large extent. He oriented us to go for multigrain rather than a single grain in any food. So lot of the dishes i make have more than one ingredient in them and i don't find a big difference in the taste. Next time i am going to add Quinoa flour also to this.

Preparation Time - 15 mins
Cooking Time - 20 mins
Serves around - 15 Parathas

Ingredients

1/2 cup Whole Wheat flour
1/2 cup Oats Flour
1/2 cup Bajra Flour(Sorghum)
1/2 cup Jowar Flour(Pearl Millet)
1 tsp oil for dough
2 tbsp oil for frying
3/4 cup washed, drained,chopped fenugreek leaves (methi)
3/4 cup washed, drained, chopped mint leaves
2 tsp sesame seeds
3 tsp lowfat yogurt
1 tsp green chilli paste
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric pwd
Salt to taste
Ghee 2 tsp (optional)
Water to mix the dough

Method

1) Mix together all the ingredients,then add enough water to make a stiff dough and set it aside for 15mins.
2) Divide the dough in small balls, using floured board roll out not too thin circles.
3) Heat a iron griddle, grease some oil and place the parathas. Once it is golden brown in color, apply some oil on the uncooked side and turn over.
4) Press gently and remove it once cooked.
5) Apply little bit of ghee for flavor and serve hot with side dish of your choice. Serve with Raita.

Tomato Scallion Raita


Ingredients

Yogurt - 2 Cups
Chopped Scallion- 1 cup
Tomato - 1 medium sized chopped finely
Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Fresh ground pepper - 1/4 tsp or to taste
Cilantro - 1 tbsp(optional)

Method

1. In a big bowl, combine yogurt, salt, & black pepper together.
2. Now add chopped scallion, tomato and cilantro to the above mixture and serve.


Event Participation:

This dish is our contribution to SWC- Cooking with greens event, hosted by Sowmya.

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Sweet Appam but not so sinful

Know what you Eat - Brown Rice Flour, Oats, Whole Wheat all are rich in dietary fiber. High fiber foods reduces cholestrol in the digestive system that would otherwise end in the blood stream. Bananas are good source of Vitamic B6 and C, Potassium and dietary fiber. Potassium gives you instant energy to the body. Coconut is fruit rich in protein and helps to keep your soft wrinkle free.

My mom makes these appams during lot of festivals and each time depending on the occassion the ingredients will vary. Sometimes it will be rice and little bit of urad dal or wheat flour alone. Normally it will be fried or shallow fried in the appam pan. But i didn't want to do either because i made this for a quick after school snack, so less time and wanted all the nutrition. I combined Oats, brown rice flour and wheat flour and it did taste very nice.

Cooking Time - 15 mins
Preparation Time -10 mins
Serves - Makes around 20

Ingredients

Brown Rice Flour - 3/4 cup
Oats Flour - 3/4 cup
Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup
Jaggery powder - 1/2 cup or to taste
Banana - 1
Elaichi powder - pinch
Coconut(Small Chopped pieces not grated) - 2 heaped table spoons
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Water
Oil/Ghee(Clarified butter) - 4 tsps

Method

1) Add little bit of water to the jaggery and heat it till all the jaggery dissolves. Switch off and let this cool for few minutes.
2) Meanwhile slice the banana and make a puree and add it to the jaggery.
3) Add elaichi powder, salt and the coconut pieces to the dissolved jaggery.
4) Now combine all the three flours and add the jaggery mixture to this and add enough water to make idli batter consistency.
5) Heat the appam pan and add drops of oil in each of them and then pour the batter. Cover it and let it cook till one side is completely cooked.
6) Now turn it and leave till the other side is cooked.
7) Enjoy these nutritious guilt free snack.

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