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...

Read more »

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...

Read more »

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...

Read more »

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...

Read more »

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,...

Read more »

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 minsCooking Time - 30 minsMakes...

Read more »

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...

Read more »

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,...

Read more »

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...

Read more »

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...

Read more »

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...

Read more »

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...

Read more »