Lemon Rice (Brown)

Know what you Eat -A platter consisting of Lemon Brown Rice, Pumpkin in Coconut Milk, Ginger Rasam(Spiced Soup), a cup of yogurt or butter milk(is not included in the click) and some dried fruits & nuts for dessert not only fills you up. It is a deliciious whole some meal with all the essential nutrients from all the food groups.



Brown rice contains four times the fiber of white rice and powerful quantities of vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, iron and over dozen other nutrients. A 12-year Harvard Medical School study found 49 percent less weight gain among women who regularly eat brown rice and other whole foods compared with those who eat more processed grains. Ginger has been found to be helpful in blocking the harmful effects of prostaglandin, a substance that can lead to inflammation of the blood vessels in the brain and even cause migraines.



All these dishes are very popular South Indian dish and i substituted white rice with brown rice to make it even more healthier.



For the Olan Recipe check out here.

For the Ginger Rasam recipe check out here.

 Ingredients



Cooked Brown Rice - 2 Cups

Lemon Juice - (Juice of 1 lemon taste and increase it to two based on the sourness of the lemon and to your taste)

Salt - 1 tsp or to taste



 For tempering



Oil - 1 Tbsp (Increase this if you want the rice to be greasy)

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Channa Dal(Split Black Chick Pea) - 2 tsp

Curry leaves - handful

 Green or Dry red Chili chopped - 2 (or increase it if you want more spicy)

Asafoetida powder - 1/8 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Grated ginger - 1/4 tsp

Roasted Peanuts - 1/4 cup



Method



1) Soak the channa dal in water for half and hour and drain the water completely and set it aside.



2) Soak brown rice in water for a minimum of 30 minutes.



3) Drain the water from the rice and measure 1 3/4th cup of water and add it to the rice and cook in a pressure cooker or in a pan till the rice is completely cooked.



4) Once the rice is cooked set it aside to cool completely.



5) Heat oil add the mustard seeds and once it stops spluttering add the asafoetida powder, channa dal, chilli, curry leaves, grated ginger and turmeric powder and saute for a minute till the chilli, curry leaves etc change the color slightly and switch off the stove.



6) Now add the salt, lemon juice to the tempering and add the cooked and cooled rice and mix till all the lemon juice and salt is evenly mixed.



7) Add the roasted peanuts to the rice and serve.

 

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Cucumber Carrot Pomegranate Salad





 I try to include atleast one salad in our everyday meal. I try to be as much innovative as possible, first thing not to get bored eating the same salad again and again and also different fruit and vegetable has different nutrients. So to get different nutrients, one has to try different fruits, veggies and legumes.

This is one such easy salad, but yet tasty and nutritious. However, if you are looking for low carb vegetables, please skip the carrot. Also I have used Nusalt instead of regular salt, which is high in potassium and low in sodium. Normally the taste of this salt is very distinct and one can easily find out the difference, but the addition of carrot and pomegranate adds a mild sweetness and kinds of suppresses the taste. If you are on a low-sodium diet, try substituting this salt instead of regular salt.

Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 2 Minutes

Serves - 2

Ingredients

Pomegranate seeds - 1/2 cup

Carrot - 1

Cucumber - 1

Black Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp or to taste

Lemon juice - 1 tsp or to taste

Nusalt - 1/3 tsp or to taste

Chat Masala - 1/4 tsp



Method



1) Grate the carrots, chop the cucumber into small pieces.

2) Add the pomegranate seeds, nusalt, lemon juice, black pepper powder, chat masala to the

carrots & cucumber mixture.

3) Combine thoroughly and serve.

Events

This directly goes to the Innovative Salad Event-Cucumber.

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Bell Pepper Curry

Looking for quick, easy, delicious and healthy curry recipe. Then this recipe is for you. Bell peppers are an excellent source of vitamins like A, C, B6 and K. Easy to cook, cut and with a yummy taste, this is a must try recipe. Try this one out and let me know how you like it.

Preparation Time - 5 to 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 10 to 15 Minutes

Serves - 4

Ingredients

Green Bell Pepper - 3 big( Washed and chopped into pieces an inch long)

Onion - 1 big

Salt - 1 Tsp or to taste

Red Chili powder - 1 Tsp or to taste

Coriander Powder - 1/2 Tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 Tsp

Coconut Oil -1 Tbsp

Garam Masala - 1/2 Tsp

Curry Powder - 1 Tsp

Besan - 1 Tbsp

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Tsp

Method

1) Heat a pan, add oil, once it is hot add the mustard seeds.

2) After the mustard seeds stop spluttering add the turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chili powder and slightly brown them.

3) Now add the chopped onions a pinch of salt and saute till they become transparent.

4) Now add the chopped bell pepper, add salt, garam masala and saute on a medium to high heat . ( The bell pepper should cook but should not become watery, you can watch them changing color and shrinking in size as soon as you throw them in the pan)

5) Mix the curry powder and besan add to the cooked bell pepper and saute for aminute and switch off.

6) Serve hot with flat bread, rice or cooked quinoa and enjoy!!

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Cabbage Curry

Do you know Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A (which comes from its concentration of carotenoids such as beta-carotene). Polyphenols one of the component of cabbage gives cabbage its rich antioxidant property. So next time instead of grabbing a bottle of antioxidant supplement, grab a cabbage to supplement you.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 15 Minutes

Serves - 4





Ingredients



Shredded or finely chopped cabbage - 8 cups

Dry Red Chili - 2 or more to taste

Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup

Salt - 1 Tsp or to taste

Coconut Oil - 1 Tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 Tsp

Asafoetida powder - 1/4 Tsp

Split Urad Dal - 1/2 Tsp

Curry leaves - 5 to 6 leaves



Method



1) Heat a pan, add a tsp of oil and once the oil is warm add the asafoetida powder and mustard seeds.



2) After the mustard seeds stop spluttering add the urad dal, after it slightly browns, add the split red chilies and curry leaves and saute for a minute.



3) Now add the shredded cabbage and the salt and cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes in medium heat till they become tender. There is no need to add water, as the cabbage with added salt will leave out water when cooking.



4) Once it is tender, there will be little bit left over water at the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat and cook on high for a few minutes till the water evaporates. Now add the grated coconut and saute for a second and switch off and serve.





Note - You can also add turmeric powder when cooking. If you are gluten free avoid asafoetida as it contains wheat.

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Beet Root Kheer(Payasam)

Beets the sweet root vegetables are fun to cook with. It is so versatile you can make curries, salads, add them to cakes and kheers too. These colorful root vegetables contain powerful nutrient compounds that help protect against heart disease, birth defects and certain cancers, especially colon cancer. But if you are on a low glycemic diet and are avoiding all kinds of sugar including dry fruits, then this recipe is not for you. Now getting on the recipe, with very few ingredients the kheer tastes awesome and kids will love its color.



Preparation Time - Nil

Cooking Time - 45 Minutes

Serves - 4



Ingredients



Beets - 2 (Medium sized)

Milk - 2 Cups(Boiled and cooled)

Water - 1/2 Cup

Grated Jaggery(Panela) - 1/2 Cup or increase it more or you can use raw sugar too

Ghee(Clarified Butter) - 2 Tbsp

Chopped Nuts - 1 Tbsp

Cardamom powder - 1 Tsp



Method



1) Wash and cook the whole beets in a pressure cooker for three whistles and switch off.

2) After you open the cooker, rinse the beets in cold water and peel them.

3) Grate one of the beets and keep it aside, puree the other beets with 1/2 cup of water and keep it aside.

4) Heat a pan and add a tsp of ghee and fry the nuts till golden and keep them aside.

5) Add the rest of the ghee and once it is hot add the grated beets and pureed beets and saute till they are cooked and you get a nice aroma.

6) At this point add the powdered jaggery and saute till jaggery melts.

7) Now add the milk and cardamom powder and simmer for 5 minutes and switch off.

8) Chill, garnish with roasted nuts and server.



Note



Pureed beets give a thick and creamy kheer and the grated beets a nice texture instead of a soup like consitency. So i pureed one of the beet and grated the other beet.

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