Brown Rice Pulao/Pilaf

Summer time. Beautiful  flowers blooming all around, fresh colorful produce flooding the farmers market, no heavy winter clothing to wear and making life whole lot easier to move around and with kids out from school there is no reason to waste even a single minute in this wonderful season. So I settle down to easy to make, healthy and filling one pot meal dishes like this.  This brown rice pulao tastes simply fantastic with all the spices and herbs thrown in and seasoned with some pan fried cottage cheese(paneer) and cashews. Served with some spiced kidney beans(rajma), they are so tasty and filling and keeps you going for hours. If you include brown rice as a part of your diet, you should try this pulao and I am sure you will happy you did it. Do not be intimidated by the long list of ingredients,  believe they are pretty easy to put together.

Preparation Time – 15 Minutes

Cooking Time – 30 Minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients

Brown basmati rice – 1 1/2 Cups

Chopped vegetables – Cauliflower florets, green beans, green peas, carrots, bell peppers(multiple colors) – 4 Cups or more of your choice

Onion – 1 big sliced

Salt – 1 1/2 Tsp or to taste

Coconut oil or clarified butter – 2 Tsp

Cinnamon stick – 2 inch pieces

Yogurt – 1/4 Cup

Water – 4 Cups and add more if required

To be ground to paste

Coriander leaves – handful

Mint leaves – few

Green chilies – 2 or more to taste

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Fennel seeds – 1/2 Tsp

For seasoning

clarified butter – 1 Tbsp

Cashews – few broken

Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) – few cubes

Method

1) Soak the basmati rice for at least 12 hours.

2) Heat a thick bottomed pan add the coconut oil and add the cinnamon sticks, once they are slightly brown add the sliced onions and add a pinch of salt and saute till they are translucent.

3) Now add the chopped veggies and half of the salt cover and cook for 5 minutes. To the veggies add the soaked and drained basmati rice and add the yogurt, ground green paste, water and the remaining salt and cover and cook till the basmati rice is well cooked. Keep stirring in between and add more water if necessary.

4) Heat the clarified butter in another small pan and once it is warm fry the broken cashews till golden and after removing the cashews, fry the paneer adding a pinch of salt till golden and transfer both the cashews and the paneer along with the remaining clarified butter to the cooked pulao and stir gently and serve.

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Spinach, Peas & Paneer(Cottage Cheese) Brown Rice

Brown rice was the every day food in my house couple of years before. It’s been almost two years since Quinoa, replaced this wonderful grain. There are lot of posts still lying in my draft with brown rice as the star ingredient. I love this grain and even though I don’t cook with it very often like before now, I do make dishes occasionally using this high fiber grain.  If you include brown rice in your diet do try this recipe out and I am sure you are going to love it.  Do not forget to presoak your brown rice, I normally soak it for 12-18 hours.



Preparation Time – 20 Minutes

Cooking Time – 30 to 45 Minutes

Serves – 3 to 4





Ingredients





Brown Basmati Rice – 1 1/4 Cup(Soaked for 12-18 hours, rinsed and drained)

Spinach – 1 Bunch(Rinsed, drained, thick stalks removed and chopped)

Frozen thawed peas – 3/4 Cup

Paneer(Indian style cottage cheese cubes) – 3/4 Cup

Coconut Oil or clarified butter (ghee) – 1 Tbsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 Tsp

Yogurt Sour – 1/3 Cup

Salt – 1 Tsp or to taste

Green Chili  & Coriander Paste (Handful of coriander(cilantro), green chili 2 or to taste, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds ground into a coarse to fine paste)

Water – 3 Cups

Cashews – 1 Tbsp

Cinnamon stick, Star Anise, Clove – 2, 1, 1 each

Method





1) Heat a Tsp of oil in a thick bottomed pan, add the cinnamon stick, star anise, clove and once they are slightly brown and fragrant add the green peas and saute for  5 minutes.



2) Now add the spinach and saute for 2-3 minutes. Now to this add the soaked and drained brown rice, water, salt, turmeric powder, chili & cilantro paste, yogurt and cover and cook stirring in between.



3) Once the rice is 3/4 Cooked and still with some water add the paneer(cottage cheese) cubes and cook till the rice is well cooked and the water is all absorbed.



4) Heat the rest of the oil and fry the cashews till golden and transfer the cashews with the oil to the cooked rice and mix gently and thoroughly with a fork and serve hot with raita(yogurt dip) of your choice.

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Brown Rice Puttu(Steamed Brown Rice & Jaggery Sweet)

Navarathri - is a nine day festival and is celebrated all our India in different ways. Each region, state celebrates it differently. We celebrate the nine days by keeping Golu/Kolu an arrangement of dolls in odd numbered steps and each day the Goddess is worshipped and a prasad is offered. Women are invited and slokas and devotional songs are sung in front of the golu and they are given turmeric and kumkum along with prasad. The celebration ends on Vijaya Dasami day which is today and is a very auspicious day to start all kinds of learning related activites. Each day a different prasad is made and offered and this puttu is one such traditional one which is offered normally on Tuesday's or Friday's during Navarathri.

Normally this dish is made with raw white rice and jaggery(panela), I tried this one with brown rice and
definitely didn't feel any difference in the taste at all. So check out this recipe and do give it a try and let me know, how you liked it.

Preparation Time - 20 Minutes
Cooking Time - 45 Minutes
Serves - 4 to 8


Ingredients

Brown Rice - 1 Cup(You can use white rice also if so go for the raw one and the parboiled one)
Water - 1 Cup
Jaggery/Panela - 1 1/4 Cup or more if desired
Cardamom powder - 1/2 Tsp
Grated coconut - 1/2 Cup
Salt - pinch
Turmeric powder - pinch
Cashews - 1 Tbsp
Ghee(Clarified butter) - 1 Tbsp


Method

1) Soak the rice in water for 2 hours(if using white rice, 1 hour is enough)

2) Drain the water completely from the rice and set this aside. Meanwhile
heat a heavy bottomed pan(I used an iron one) and set it on medium heat.

3) Divide this drained rice in three portions and fry this rice in the iron pan
till they are well spluttered and fried stirring in between so that the rice doesn't
get burned.

4) Once the rice is cool enough to handle, transfer the contents to a food processor and make a fine powder out of this rice(fine and not super fine). To the rice flour add the turmeric powder and salt and keep it aside.

5) Heat a cup of water and once it reaches the boiling point, switch off. Pour the water little by little on to the rice flour stirring and checking the consistency. The flour should be all wet and should be able to hold shape when made into a ball.

6) Now, cover this wet flour and in a pressure cooker/pan cook for 3 whistles and switch off. Once the pressure cooker is all set to open, open this and let this cooked rice cool a little bit. After it is cooled enough to handle by hand, using both your hands rub the flour in between to make a nice powder/flour.

7) Dry fry the coconut till it becomes slight brown and fry the cashews in ghee and keep it also aside.

8) Take the jaggery in a pan and pour just enough water to cover its surface and boil it till becomes thick. One point the jaggery would have become thick and if you put the spoon out and take it you will see strings. Now switch off, add the cardamom powder, cooked rice flour and stir well immediately. Add the roasted coconut and cashews and enjoy.

Events

Sending this to Cooking Concepts - Festive Food hosted by Srav's Culinary Concepts.

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Navara Rice Salad with Coconut Milk & Honey Dressing

Have you heard of Navara rice before? If not, don't be surprised because it is a special kind of rice grown in Southern India(Asia in Kerala) and unless you come from that part of the country it is very doubtful if you would have come across it. Unlike brown rice, in spite of its health benefits this rice is still not in the main stream cooking. This rice is an essential part of Ayurvedic treatment used for muscle strengthening associated with certain neuro muscular disorders. This unpolished variety of rice red in color is very  nutritious  and has lot of health benefits associated with it.

There are certain days when  I have little bit of everything  in my refrigerator which will not fit a single meal when cooked alone, I am sure this happens to every body. So I threw in whatever I had to come up with this colorful salad. A cup of  cooked navara rice along with peanuts, blanched carrots, beans, chopped cucumber, bell pepper, raisins & pomegranate seeds not only tastes great but is good for you too. Also my refrigerator was all cleaned up to get more fresh veggies & fruits and I was done with my meal.  Do try out and let me know, how you liked it.



Preparation Time - 15 - 20 Minutes

Cooking Time - 20 Minutes

Serves - 2





Ingredients



Navara rice - 1 Cup (cooked)

Boiled peanuts - 1/2 Cup (salted)

Carrots - 1/2 Cup (Blanched in hot water for 3 minutes)

Chopped Beans - 1/2 Cup(Blanched in hot water for 5 minutes)

Chopped bell pepper - 1 Cup (Red & Green each 1/2 Cup)

Cubed cucumbers - 1/2 Cup

Raisins - Handful

Pomegranate seeds - Handful



Dressing



Coconut Milk - 2 Tbsp

Salt - 1/2 Tsp or to taste

Honey - 1 Tbsp

Freshly Ground Black pepper - 1 Tsp or to taste



Method



1) Add the coconut milk, salt, honey, freshly ground black pepper in a big bowl and whisk together.



2) In a wide mouthed bowl add the cooked rice, cooked peanuts, blanched carrots, beans, bell peppers, cucumber, raisins and pomegranate seeds and to this add the dressing and

toss and stir to combine and serve.

Events

This dish goes to Food palette Series - Rainbow colors event.

This dish goes to Healthy Living event hosted by Yummy in my Tummy.

This goes to Scintillating Salads event hosted by Divya of Dil Se an event started by Meeta.

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Kovakkai Sadam(Tindora/Indian Ivy Gourd Brown Rice)

Kovakkai(Tindora) is a popular Asian Indian Vegetable and is widely used in Indian Cooking. It looks like a small cucumber with a crunchy taste and can be used to make stir fry, stuffed and baked, or pickled raw by adding spices. Tindora is widely recommended for people with diabetes in alternate medicine due to its low glycemic index and its possible role in regulating blood glucose.

I love Tindora and this rice is a nice variation in using Tindora than the regular curries or pickle. Tindora, Onion, Brown Rice, Peanuts and Spices, this combination not only tastes so good but is absolutely good for you too. Who said Healthy Food doesn't taste good?

Preparation Time - 15 Minutes

Cooking Time - 15 Minutes

Serves - 2

Ingredients

Cooked Brown Rice - 2 Cups

Tender Tindora - 1 lb

Big Onion - 1

Roasted Peanuts - 1/4 Cup

Salt - 1 1/2 Tsp or to taste

Coconut Oil - 2 Tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 Tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Tsp

Asafoetida - pinch

Curry Leaves - few

Lemon Juice - 1 Tsp or to taste

Chopped Cilantro - 1 Tbsp for garnishing

Spice Powder/Masala

Split Chick Peas (Kadalai Paruppu) - 1 Tbsp

Coriander Seeds - 2 Tbsp

Red Chili - 4 or to taste

Fennel Seeds - 1/4 Tsp

Grated Coconut - 2 Tbsp

Method

1) Heat a pan and dry roast split chick peas till they are slightly brown, then add the coriander seeds, red chili, fennel seeds. Once all the ingredients are thoroughly roasted, add the grated coconut and saute till slightly browned and then switch off the stove and let these cool for a few minutes and after that grind into a coarse to fine powder and keep it aside.

2) Heat a wide mouthed pan, add a tsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and once it stops spluttering, add asafoetida powder and curry leaves.

3) Add the chopped onion and once it is translucent, add the finely chopped Tindora, 1/2 Tsp salt, turmeric powder and cook till tender.

4) Once the tindora is cooked, add the brown rice, remaining oil, salt, the ground masala powder and saute for a minute.

5) Now switch off, add the roasted peanuts and lemon juice, chopped cilantro and serve with vegetable raita(pachidi/dip)

Event Participation

This goes to WWC- Wholesome Wholegrain Cooking - Brown Rice hosted by Siri an event started by Sanjeeta.

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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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Adai - Protein Dosa

Nutritional Info - Legumes are an excellent source of easily digestible protein, fiber, iron, folic acid, and other B vitamins. Legumes are rich in soluble fiber, which has been shown to help improve insulin resistance. Legumes contain low levels of sodium and high levels of potassium, calcium and magnesium - a combination that is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. Folate, a mineral also found in abundance in legumes, is thought to reduce blood levels of homocysteine, a compound that can boost heart disease risk.



Adai is an authentic South Indian main dish made with a combination of rice and lentils. It can be had for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Cooking Time : 20 min

Preparation Time : 10-20 min

Serves 4 to 6.







Ingredients



Thoor Dhal - 1/2 cup

Channa Dhal - 1/2 cup

Whole green moong - 1 cup

Brown Rice - 1 cup

Split Urad Dhal - handful

Green or Red chilly - 1 or to taste

Salt to taste

Ginger - 1 inch piece.

Curry leaves - handful

Asafoetida - 1 small piece.

Onion - 1 finely chopped.

Oil

Water





Method to make Adai



1) Rinse and soak the rice and dhal together for 2-3 hours.

2) Drain the water from the rice/dhal and add the ginger, curry leaves, green or red chilly, asafoetida and salt.

3) Use a blender and grind the above to little coarse mixture.

4) Add the chopped onions or you can use your own variation of grated cabbage, carrot, scallion etc to the batter.

5) Heat the iron griddle and pour a ladle full of the batter and make a round dosa, put a small hole(circle shape) in the center of the batter,

as it will evenly and quickly cook.

6) Pour a tsp of oil and once it is cooked on one side , turn and place the other side of the adai and remove it once cooked.

7) Serve it with avial, sambhar, chutney, milagai/Chutney powder.

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Brown Rice Pongal

Good to Know -

Brown rice contains complex carbohydrate that provides 15 essential nutrients, including B-vitamins, niacin and potassium. Brown rice is a very good source of selenium, which is essential for thyroid hormone metabolism and immune function. Selenium is an antioxidant that helps in DNA repair. Lab tests have shown that selenium can inhibit proliferation of cancer cells by inducing them to undergo apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

Cooking Time: 30 min

Preparation Time: 5-10 min

Serves – 2



 Ingredients

 Brown basmati Rice - 1 cup

Moong Daal - 3/4 cup

Ginger grated – 1/2 tsp

Green Chilly – 1 to 2 (optional)



Tempering



Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Cumin- 1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves - few

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Ghee - 1 tablespoon

Grated ginger – ½ tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste



Method of Preparation

 1) Soak brown rice overnight or atleast a minimum of 1hour, it is not mandatory to soak but soaking brown rice adds one more amino acid and makes it easily digestible.

2) Add moong daal and rinse and add water (for 1 cup rice i use 2 1/2 water and 1 cup daal - 1 cup of water).

3) Add green chilly, half of grated ginger, half of asafoetida and salt and pressure cook the dhal and rice.

4) Remove the cooked daal and rice and mash it using a potato masher.

5) Heat oil and add mustard seeds, once they stop spluttering add black pepper, cumin, asafoetida, and ginger and curry leaves.

6) Add this to rice and dhal and add ghee and pongal is ready to serve.



Note - If you want to thicken it further put the mashed pongal on a stove top on a low heat and simmer till it thickens to your consistency, if you want it little thinner add more water and salt and simmer for 2-3 to three minutes. Once the pongal starts cooling down, it will thicken automatically.



Pongal is a South Indian main dish prepared with rice and lentil, instead of using white rice i substituted it with brown rice for a healthier version.

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Chinese Vegetable Brown Rice

Know What you Eat - Green Onions, Scallions are actually baby onions picked before a large bulb has formed. Don't confuse them with spring onions, which have larger bulbs.

Cooking Time - 15-20 min

Preparation Time - 15 min

Serves - 4 to 6

Ingredients

Brown rice - 2 cups

Broccolli florets - 1 cup

Bell pepper(Red & Green) - half each

Carrots(big) - 2

Scallion - 1 bunch

Onion - 1

Water

Salt to taste

Soy sauce - 1 1/2 table spoon

Vinegar - 1 table spoon

Red chilly sauce - 1 table spoon (or to desired spiciness)

Oil - 2 table spoon + 1 tsp

Method

1) Soak rice in water for 30 mins.

2) Boil water in a pan(for each cup of rice I used 1 3/4 cups of water) add rice, 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp of salt and wait for few minutes for it to cook.

3) Watch carefully and once the rice is cooked, remove from stove and pour cold water and put in a colander for it to drain completely .

4) Make sure the rice is not overcooked and each grain is separate, if it is overcooked this dish will not come out properly.

5) Heat a pan add 2 table spoons of oil and stir fry on high Onion first for 2 mins, Carrot and Broccolli for 3 mins and Bell pepper for 1 minute.

6) Now add the chopped scallion soy sauce, vinegar and red chilly sauce and add the rice.

7) Combine gently so that the rice is coated with all the spices and switch off the stove.

8) Now taste the rice and if desired you can add some more salt and oil if you need more greasy rice.

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Brown Rice Pasta & Black Beans Salad

Know what you eat:



Just one cup of brown rice will provide you with 88.0% of the daily value for manganese. This trace mineral helps produce energy from protein and carbohydrates and is involved in the synthesis of fatty acids, which are important for a healthy nervous system.



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. When combined with whole grains such as brown rice, black beans provide virtually fat-free high quality protein. You may already be familiar with beans' fiber and protein, but this is far from all black beans have to offer.







If you are looking for whole grain pasta, try out brown rice pasta. It tastes much better than whole wheat and the fiber content is much more than whole wheat.











Cooking Time - 25 mins



Preparation Time - 10 mins



Serves - 4





Ingredients







Cooked brown rice pasta - 3 cups



Cooked rinsed & drained black bean - 1 cup



Chopped vegetables - cherry tomatoes, scallion, celery, black olives



Salt to taste for pasta, bean







Dressing





Olive oil - 2 tbsp



Lemon juice - 1 tbsp or to taste



Onion powder - 1/2 tsp



Garlic powder(optional) - 1/4 tsp



Dried Oregano - 1/2 tsp



Dried parsley - 1 tsp



Mustard powder - 1/2 tsp



Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste.







GarnishingChopped cilantro or parsley











Method





1) Cook pasta as per directions, rinse in cold water and drain completely.



2) Soak black bean overnight and add salt cook till soft. Remove, rinse and drain the water completely.



3) Whisk all the salad dressing ingredients.



4) Combine cooked pasta, black bean and the chopped vegetables.



5) Add the salad dressing and toss gently to combine.



6) Garnish and serve.

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Multigrain Bread with no refined flour

Know what you Eat – Wheat, Oats all in its natural unrefined state, features a host of important
nutrients. Therefore, to receive benefit from the wholesomeness of the grain it is important to choose
products made from whole grain flour rather than those that are refined and stripped of their natural
goodness.  Ragi(Finger Millet) is a super food which contains nearly 15% protein, contains high amounts of fiber, B-complex vitamins including niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin, the essential amino acid methionine, lecithin, and some vitamin E. It is particularly high in the minerals iron,
magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium. Brown rice protein is very good source of protein can be
easily tolerated by people who are allergic to whey protein, soy protein etc, 1 scoop 20gm of brown
rice protein contains 12g of protein.

If you look for whole grain bread in the store most of them will have whole grain combined
with flour or bread flour and not 100% whole grain, unless specifically mentioned.
So when i came across this recipe which was  simple to make , i wanted to try it out. Instead of just
whole wheat, i added oat flour, finger millet flour and organic brown rice protein to fortify it.
I should say i got a thumbs up from my official taster(my elder one), meaning the recipe passed
the taste test and which is always a tough task.

Ingredients

Wheat Flour - 2 Cups
Oat Flour - 1 cup
Ragi(Finger Millet) Flour – 1/4 cup
Organic Brown rice protein powder – 1/4 cup
Instant yeast – 1 packet(2 1/2 teaspoons)
Water – 1 1/3 cups
Vegetable Oil – 1/4 cup
Non fat dried milk – 1/4 cup
Honey – 1/4 cup
Salt – 1 Teaspoon
Method
1) In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl.
2) Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes,
or until it begins to become smooth and supple.
3) Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy
for 60 minutes.
4)  Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log.
Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic
wrap.
5) Allow the bread to rise for about 1 hour, or until it's crowned about 1 inch above the edge of the pan.
A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.
6) Preheat an oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for about 30 minutes, the bread is baked
fully, when you thump the bottom it should sound hollow.
7) Cool it on a wire rack after baking and slice once cooled completely.
8) Enjoy with some peanut butter and honey for breakfast, lunch or snack.

About Brown Rice Protein
You can find organic brown rice protein in your health food store or online. I got mine from
mothernature.com, the brand name is Tribez nutrition. It is slight brown in color and a very fine powder
and tastes little like brown rice flour. You can add it to smoothie or add it to porridge and cook, add
it to your flour while baking. Infinite possibilities. There are so many brands out there but check for
the organic one’s and buy.

Event Participation

1) The bread goes to Baking with Whole Grains – Brown Rice hosted by Madhuram of egglesscooking.com.

2) Sending this to Kids Delight Wholesome breakfast hosted by Srivalli.

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Sweet Pongal(Brown Rice & Mung Bean Pudding)

Happy Pongal/Shankranti to all of you. Pongal/Shankranti is a harvest festival celebrated throughout India and in each state it is called in different names and is basically a festival to celebrate the elements of nature which help in farming. This is one of the traditional sweet made with Rice & Mung Bean and Jaggery(Panela). I wanted to make it little healthy so substituted brown rice with white rice and increased the quantity of mung bean, it did taste awesome. Brown rice is a very good source of complex carbohydrates, mung bean is a good source of protein and jaggery is unrefined sugar and is a very good source of iron. A perfect nutritious sweet.

Ingredients

Brown Rice – 1 cup

Split Mung Bean – 3/4 cup

Milk – 2 cups

Water – 2 cups

Jaggery – 1 1/2 cups (or increase it according to your taste)

Saffron – pinch

Ghee(clarified butter) – 2 tbsp

Chopped nuts – 1 tbsp

Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp



Method



1) Soak brown rice overnight.

2) Dry roast split mung bean for few minutes till you get a slight aroma and don’t over roast it.

3) Combine the brown rice, mung bean, saffron, water and milk and cook in a pressure cooker

for 3 whistles and simmer for 5 minutes and switch off.

4) Take out the cooked brown rice and mung bean and using a potato masher, mash well so that

the grains of the brown rice are well mashed and become soft.

5) Add the powdered jaggery to this mashed mixture and cook till the jaggery is dissolved

and the mixture thickens.

6) Heat ghee, add the cardamom powder and chopped nuts once they are golden brown

garnish the pongal and serve.



Notes – You can increase the ghee according to your preference, and of course the

more the ghee the better it will taste.

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Whole Grain Gluten Free Mac & Cheese and a balanced 3 course meal for kids

Know what you Eat - Just one cup of brown rice will provide you with 88.0% of the daily value for manganese. This trace mineral helps produce energy from protein and carbohydrates and is involved in the synthesis of fatty acids, which are important for a healthy nervous system. Peas are one of the few members of the legume family that are cooked as fresh vegetables. Green peas provide very good amounts of 8 vitamins, 7 minerals, dietary fiber and protein. Celery is an excellent source of vitamin C, a vitamin that helps to support the immune system. Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin K. Carrots are by far one of the richest source of carotenoids.

I had to make something for a small guest one of my friend's daughter(4 yrs old), who came in for lunch and a play date with my kids. Went for this simple and delicious one and they all loved it. I prefer brown rice pasta to wheat, they do taste way much better, you should be able to get Tinkyada rice pasta in health and organic food aisle in your food store.

Ingredients

Whole grain brown rice shell macaroni(uncooked ) - 2 cups
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Frozen green peas - 1 cup
Water

Unsalted butter - 2 tbsp
Grated Cheddar Cheese(Organic rennetless) - 1 1/2 cups
Flour - 1 teaspoon
Milk - 1/4 cup
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp or more to taste
Onion powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Oregano powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

1) Thaw the frozen green peas, cover it with enough water, add 1/2 tsp salt (more as per your taste) cook till tender and set it aside.

2) Bring 2 quarts of water with the teaspoon of salt to a boil in thick-bottomed pan, add the macaroni and cooked through but slightly firm. Drain the water from the cooking pan, and leave the macaroni, add the cooked peas in the pan and keep the stove in low setting.

3) Dice the butter into small cubes and melt it in a saucepan over low heat.Once the butter is melted, begin whisking in the flour.When all the flour is incorporated, continue stirring and cooking for a few minutes. If you plan to be making a white or light-colored cheese sauce, be sure to keep the heat low enough that the flour does not brown. Now add milk and whisk the mixture until its smooth. Allow the sauce to simmer until it has lost its "floury" taste (this will take about 20 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat and gently blend in the cheese and add pepper, onion powder and oregano. If the cheese doesn't seem to be melting sufficiently, you can return the pan to very low heat, but watch it carefully and remove as soon as the cheese is melted.

4) Now add this Cheese sauce to the cooked macaroni and peas and combine thoroughly
and serve hot immediately.

I served this with Soup and for the recipe you can click here, the only addition i did to the soup is adding 3/4th cup of cooked mung bean, mashed finely to make this a complete balanced meal and adding a small piece of beetroot to all the vegetables while cooking to give a nice color. I served Sweetened Mixed Nut Balls for dessert.

Event Participation
1) This goes to What you are Cooking for your Guests hosted by Raji of Rak's Kitchen.
2) This also goes to Well balanced three course meal event hosted by Yasmeen.

3) This goes to C&B Cheese Cheese Cheese hosted by Dido Divya.

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Whole Wheat Sweet Appam

Know what you Eat - Whole Wheat is rich in dietary fiber. High fiber foods reduces cholestrol in the digestive system that would otherwise end in the blood stream. Coconut is fruit rich in protein and helps to keep your soft wrinkle free. Panela(jaggery) is a nutritious form of sugar and rich in iron.

Cooking Time - 15 minsPreparation
Time -10 mins
Serves - Makes around 10

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour - 1 Cup
Jaggery powder - 1/2 cup or to taste
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Rice Flour - 2 Tbsp (I used brown rice flour)
Coconut(Small Chopped pieces not grated) - 2 heaped table spoons
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Water
Coconut Oil - 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) Add cardamom powder, salt and the coconut pieces to the dissolved jaggery.
3) Now combine the flours and add the jaggery mixture to this and add enough water to make pancake batter consistency.
4) 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.
5) Now turn it and leave till the other side is cooked.
6) Enjoy these guilt free snacks.

Event Participation
1) This dish goes to the Janmashtami & Ganesh Chaturthi event hosted by Purva.
2) This dish goes to Cooking for Kids, evening snacks hosted by Divya started by Sharmi.
3) This dish also goes to Food for Seven stages of Life Stage 1 hosted by Radhika and co-hosted by Sudeshna.
4) This dish goes to Sweet & Savouries Event hosted by Sara's Corner.

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Rainbow Meals(A Complete Super Nutritious Meal)-Rainbow Brown Rice, Mixed Veg Raita, Black Eyed Bean Salad & Fruits & Nut Dessert

Know what you Eat - Brown rice is good source of complex carbohydrate. It provides 15 essential nutrients, including B-vitamins, niacin and potassium. Brown rice is a very good source of selenium, which is essential for thyroid hormone metabolism and immune function. Pigeon peas are nutritionally important, as they contain high levels of protein and three important amino acids. Fruits and Vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that may help protect you from chronic diseases. Compared with people who consume a diet with only small amounts of fruits and vegetables, those who eat more generous amounts as part of a healthful diet are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases, including stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers. Yogurt promotes intestinal health, improves lactose intolerance, builds stronger bones, enhances immunity, lowers blood pressure, and may even have anticancer and weight-loss effects. Almonds are low in saturated fat and contain many other protective nutrients - calcium and magnesium - for strong bones and vitamin E. Walnuts are a good source of fiber, protein and omega-3. Beans supply high quality protein which provides a healthy alternative to meat or other animal protein without containing the fat.

You know why i call this rainbow meals, it has all the colors and contain food from all the food group. I made this for couple of guests, yes Kids who had come over for sleep over and stayed for lunch the next day. I normally try to include food from all the food group during the normal days and that too now it is summer time and kids eat lunch at home back from vigorous activities from sports camps, i cook like this almost every day except for the dessert. We don't have the habit of having desserts except when we have guests.

Rainbow Brown Rice

Ingredients

Cooked Brown Rice - 4 Cups

Chopped Vegetables(cut into thin strips) - 4 cups(Keep them separately and do not mix it)

(Include as many colors as possible i used Carrots, purple onions, green, orange, red, yellow bell peppers, Cabbage)

Coconut Oil - 2 Tbsp

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Green Chillies slit - 2 or more if you need it more spicy

Salt to taste

Method

1) Heat 1/2 tsp Oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.

2) Once it stops spluttering add the Green Chillies, Onions and Carrots and once they are tender, add the chopped bell peppers all four colored.

3) Once they are little tender add the shredded cabbage and stir for few seconds and switch off the stove.

4) Now add salt, rest of the oil and cooled brown rice and combine with a thoroughly.

Mixed Vegetable Raita/Pachidi

Ingredients

Mixed Vegetables - 2 cups (Finely Chopped Onions, Grated Carrots and Cucumber(keep cucumber separately), Chopped Green and Red bell peppers)

Yogurt - 4 cups

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Cilantro - 2 tsp for garnishing.

Method

1) Squeeze out the extra water from the cucumber(you can drink this juice don't discard it.)

2) Combine the vegetables, yogurt, salt, pepper and cilantro.

3) Mix thoroughly and serve

Black Eyed Bean Salad

Ingredients

Boiled , rinsed and drained black eyed beans - 2 cups
Chopped tomatoes and yellow onions - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Lime juice to taste
Olive oil - 1 tsp(optional)
Cilantro - 2 tsp for garnishing

Method

1) Soak black eyed beans for atleast two hours and pressure cook adding little bit of salt.
2) Once cooked wash, rinse and drain the water from the beans.
3) Add the chopped vegetables, beans, salt, pepper, lime juice, olive oil, cilantro and combine thorougly.

Fruits & Nut Dessert

Ingredients
Mango - 1
Apple - 1
Chopped Almonds - 2 tbsp
Chopped walnuts - 2 tbsp
Chopped Dates - 2 tbsp
Raisins - 1 tbsp
Honey or Maple syrup- 1 tbsp(optional)
Ghee (Clarified butter) - 2 tsp
Cardamom + Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

1) Heat ghee and roast the nuts till golden.
2) Roast the raisins till they plump and remove.
3) Now add the cardamom + nutmeg powder, dates and the chopped mango and apple pieces and saute for a few seconds and switch off the stove.
4) Now add the nuts and honey or maple syrup to the fruit pieces and combine to serve.
Event Participation
1) All the above dishes go to What you are Cooking for your Guests hosted by Raji of Rak's Kitchen.
2) The Fruit & Nut dessert spiced with Cardamom & Nutmeg go to Think Spice - think spiced sweet treats hosted by Sunitha.
3) The black eyed bean salad goes to the 14th helping of My Legume Love Affair hosted by Susan.

4) This also goes to Well balanced three course meal event hosted by Yasmeen.

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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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Nutritious PineApple Multigrain Muffin

Good to Know - Barley is a very good source of fiber and selenium. It also serves as a good source of the minerals phosphorus, copper and manganese. When buying for barley look for hulled or whole barley as Pearl barley goes through various degrees of polishing, or "pearling". Pearl barley is much less chewy and quicker cooking than hulled barley, but it is also much lower in nutrients, and would not be considered whole grain.



 Ingredients

Oats - 1/2 Cup
Whole barley - 1/2 Cup
Quinoa - 1/2 Cup
Whole wheat flour – 1/2 Cup
Brown Rice flour – 1/2 cup.
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Chia powder - 2 table spoons (chia is very good egg substitute)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Apple Sauce - 1/2 Cup
Pineapple juice - 1/2 Cup
Pineapple Slices - 5
Chopped Pecans - handful
Dates - 5
Honey - 2 table spoons (You can make it to 1/2 cup or to taste, I made a kind of sugar free version so if you want make it sweeter)
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 table spoon
Water - 1 Cup

Method of Preparation
 1) Chop the pineapple into small pieces.
2) Dry roast oats, whole barley and quinoa separately till the raw smell is gone.
3) Combine all of the above and grind it to a fine powder.
4) In a bowl combine Oats, whole barley, quinoa powder, brown rice flour, White Whole wheat flour, Baking powder, salt, Cinnamon powder, chopped pecans, Chia powder, chopped dates.
5) Mix the dry ingredients well and add the Oil, chopped pineapple and pine apple juice, honey and apple sauce.
6) Add water and mix the batter well. This batter should be much thicker than pancake batter.
7) Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
8) Pour this batter to muffin mould (you can pour 3/4 or full as it doesn't raise much) and bake for 20 mins till a knife inserted comes out clean.
9) The muffin was not hard nor very soft and fluffy but tasted good and is very nutritious because of all the whole grains.
10) This muffin wasn't very sweet, so if you want can increase the quantity of honey or serve this with fruit preserve if required and have as a healthy breakfast and as a guilt free snack.

Event Participation

1) Sending this to Whole Grain Baking Event - Brown Rice hosted by Madhuram of Eggless Cooking.Cooking Time: 20 mins
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Serves – 12 muffins

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Quinoa Crepe/Dosa

Good to know - Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is not a grain; it is actually a seed and related to the spinach family. When cooked, quinoa is light, fluffy, slightly crunchy and subtly flavored. It actually cooks and tastes like a grain, making it an excellent replacement for grains that are difficult to digest or feed candida (a systemic fungal infection). Quinoa is a "supergrain" because it contains all 9 essential amino acids that are required by the body as building blocks for muscles.Compared to other grains, quinoa is higher in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, and zinc than wheat, barley, or corn.Quinoa acts as prebiotic that feeds the good bacteria in your intestines.


Cooking Time : 15-20 mins
Preparation Time : 15-20 mins
Serves - 4

Ingredients

Quinoa - 12 oz
Brown Rice - Handful.
Green Chilli - 1 or 2 to taste
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Tomato - 1 medium sized one.
Salt to taste
Onion - 1 chopped.
Oil

Method of Preparation

1) Soak Quinoa and brown rice overnight.
2) Drain water and grind it along with tomato, ginger, green chilli and salt. Do not add water when grinding, quinoa doesn't need lot of water. If needed add water to the batter after grinding. You can grind the batter and refrigerate and take it and use it when required too.
3) Add the chopped onions and mix the batter well, the batter consistency should be little thin than pancake consistency.
4) Heat an iron griddle and pour the batter and add a tsp of oil around it.
5) After one side is completely cooked, turn the dosai and let the other side also be cooked completely.
6) Serve with sambhar or chutney .

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