Tomato Rasam (Spiced Indian Tomato Soup)

Rasam is one of the best comfort foods, spicy, tangy, flavorful and goes perfect with cooked Quinoa or Rice and can be made in a jiffy. There are so many different kinds of rasam and this is one of the simplest and easiest one. With bare minimum ingredients and very quick to make, this will be very handy if you are rushing against time and are still aiming for home cooked healthy meals.Cooking Time: 10 to 15 minsPreparation Time: 5 minsServes : 2 to 3IngredientsSmall sized tomato chopped into pieces - 1Green chilly - 1 (if you want really spicy increase it)Chopped Cilantro - 2 table spoonsAsafoetida - 1 small piece or 1/2 tspWater - 3 cupsCooked thoor dhal along with turmeric powder - 1/2 cupRasam powder - 1 tsp Tamarind - small lemon sized...

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Eggless Whole Grain Oat & Wheat Carrot & Walnut Cake

Cakes synonym of carb and sugar. I wouldn't say this cake is  guilt free nor I am promoting this as a health food, however i used whole grain, raw sugar, carrots and walnuts. This is a much better choice than sugary processed store bought cakes. Also used Xylitol for icing instead of icing sugar. I made this cake almost a year back, now i am more into baking with Almond Flour instead of grain flour will post them soon but I still have couple of Cakes and Cookies made using Grain. So after finishing the back log of recipes using whole grains will post the Almond Flour recipes.Preparation Time - 5-10 minsCooking Time - 15-20 minsServes - Around 12 cakesIngredientsOat Flour - 1 CupWhole wheat flour - 1 cupRaw sugar - 1/2 cup (Increase...

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Pineapple Salsa/Salad

Pineapple is such a perfect juicy fruit with its a vibrant tropical flavor that balances the tastes of sweet and tart. Pineapple is available year around at a very nominal price. I  made this salad with the leftover pineapple and few of the veggies in hand and it tastes delicious. Try out this flavorful salsa and you are sure to love it.Know what you Eat - Pineapple is an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. Vitamin C is the body's primary water-soluble antioxidant, defending all aqueous areas of the body against free radicals that attack and damage normal cells. It is also a good source of vitamin B1, vitamin B6, copper and dietary fiber.Cooking Time – None Preparation Time – 10 – 15 Mins Serves - 2 IngredientsFresh Pineapple...

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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 minPreparation Time : 10-20 minServes 4 to 6.IngredientsThoor...

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Coconut Quinoa

Know what you Eat - A recently rediscovered ancient "grain" native to South America, quinoa is high in protein, 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. Coconut is a tropical fruit that is rich in protein. Coconut boosts energy and endurance, enhancing physical and athletic performance. It quickly creates a nutritional boost of energy that lasts. Coconut prevents weight...

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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 minPreparation Time: 5-10 minServes – 2 Ingredients Brown basmati Rice - 1 cupMoong Daal - 3/4 cupGinger grated – 1/2 tspGreen Chilly – 1 to 2 (optional)TemperingBlack Pepper - 1/2 tspCumin- 1/2 tspCurry Leaves - fewAsafoetida - 1/2 tspOil - 1 tablespoonGhee - 1 tablespoonGrated...

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Home Made Healthy Multigrain Graham Crackers

Know what you Eat – Graham Crackers comes under the list of healthy snacks but if you read the ingredients most of them are made with partially hydrogenated oils and very few are made with whole grains. Typically to make graham crackers one has to use graham flour which is made by grinding finely the endosperm of winter wheat. The bran and germ layers are returned and mixed in, resulting in a coarse, brown flour with a nutty and slightly sweet flavor. Today, some commercial granaries remove much of the wheat germ to prolong the shelf life of the flour. So most of the brands available in the store all you get is stripped out and processed graham cracker. Graham cracker was in my must bake list for a long time and instead of just going for whole...

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Avial(Vegetables in Coconut & Yogurt Sauce)

Know What you Eat : Coconut oil is very useful in reducing weight. It contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that help in taking off excessive weight. It is also easy to digest and it helps in healthy functioning of the thyroid and enzymes systems. Further, it increases the body metabolism by removing stress on pancreases, thereby burning out more energy and helping obese and overweight people reduce their weight. Hence, people living in tropical coastal areas, who eat coconut oil daily as their primary cooking oil, are normally not fat, obese or overweight.Avial is an authentic South Indian side dish cooked with vegetables, grind coconut, green chili and yogurt.Cooking Time: 20 minsPreparation Time: 15 minsServes : 4 to 6IngredientsCooking...

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Raw Mango Pickle

Know what you Eat Mangoes are  high in prebiotic dietary fiber, vitamin C, polyphenols and provitamin A carotenoids. Mango peel also contain other phytonutrients, such as the pigment antioxidants – carotenoids and polyphenols.If you want more vitamin C, try eating a raw mango rather than a ripe one.  The fiber content in mangoes is also higher than other fruits. Ingredients Raw mango – 1 (Chopped into small pieces) Salt – 2 tsp or to taste Red Chili powder – 2 tsp or to taste Turmeric powder – 1 tsp Methi/Fenugreek/Vendhayam seeds – 1 tsp Asafoetida powder – 1/2 tsp Sesame oil – 3 Tbsp Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp Method 1) Dry roast fenugreek seeds till you get a slight aroma and changes dark brown in color(do not allow it to become black)...

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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 cupsBroccolli florets - 1 cupBell pepper(Red & Green) - half eachCarrots(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 Method1) 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...

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Homogenized Milk not good for Heart

The gallons of milk carton we bring from the store thinking that is good for health goes through the process of Homogenization and pasteurization. This unbeatable health food, causes more bad than good because of all the processing it goes through. In many of the states in United States selling raw milk is not legal. However you can find them in your local co-operative and visit this site www.realmilk.com to find a local coop near you.When milk is homogenized, it passes through a fine filter at pressures equal to 4,000 pounds per square inch, and in so doing, the fat globules (liposomes) are made smaller (micronized) by a factor of ten times or more. These fat molecules become evenly dispersed within the liquid milk.Milk is a hormonal delivery system. With homogenization, milk becomes a very...

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All about Artificial Sweetners

If you are trying to control your Sugar intake and take artificial sweetner, please read this article before taking another spoonful of this harmful chemical.Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-MeasureAspartame can be found in thousands of products such as:•instant breakfasts•breath mints•cereals•sugar-free chewing gum•cocoa mixes•coffee beverages•frozen desserts•gelatin desserts•juice beverages•laxatives•multivitamins•milk drinks•pharmaceuticals and supplements, including over-the-counter medicines•shake mixes•soft drinks•tabletop sweeteners•tea beverages•instant teas and coffees•topping mixes•wine coolers•yogurtAspartame is made up of three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol.Aspartic acid is an amino acid. Taken in...

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Almond Cashew Brittle(Vegan)

Know what you Eat – Deepavali the festival of light is synonymous to sweets and celebration. But not all sweets are sinful this brittle made with toasted Almonds and cashews and made with Jaggery(Panela) not only tastes great, easy to make and very easy on your waist line.Almonds which is high in monounsaturated fats, that is good for the body and is associated with reduced risk of heart disease. In addition to healthy fats and vitamin E, Magnesium and Potassium. Not only do cashews have a lower fat content than most other nuts, approximately 75% of their fat is unsaturated fatty acids, plus about 75% of this unsaturated fatty acid content is oleic acid, the same heart-healthy monounsaturated fat found in olive oil.  This nut is also rich...

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Lemon Rasam(Soup)

Rasam is a spicy, tangy South Indian soup prepared with tamarind juice or lemon along with pepper and other spices.Know what you Eat - A half-cup of juice meets 100% of the RDA for vitamin C. Cooking Time: 10 to 15 minsPreparation Time: 5 minsServes : 2 to 3Ingredients1 Small sized tomato chopped into piecesGreen chilly - 1 (if you want really spicy increase it)Chopped Ginger - 1 tspChopped Cilantro - 2 table spoonsAsafoetida - 1 small piece or 1/2 tspWater - 3 cupsCooked thoor dhal along with turmeric powder - 1/2 cupRasam powder - 1 tsp Lemon - Juice of half lemon (Increase this if you want to taste it more tangy)TemperingOil - 1/2 tspMustard Seeds - 1/2 tspGarnishingChopped Cilantro - 1 tsp1) In a pan combine water, tomato pieces, green...

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Ragi(Finger Millet), Black Chick Pea & Mung Bean Pakoda(Snack)

Know what you Eat – Craving for some fried snack, go for this low carb and high protein and tastypakodas. Finger millet is actually a seed which is much more superior to rice or wheat in nutritional terms, providing highest levels of calcium,antioxidants, phytochemicals and highlevels of dietary fiber  which makes it easy and slowly digestible. This slow digestion is very useful for people with diabetes as it does not cause any sugar highs. The bulkiness of the fiber and the slower digestion rate makes us feel fuller for a longer time. Black Chick Pea & Green Mung bean are verygood source of protein, iron and dietary fiber. This is very ideal for carb watchers, kids and peopleon gluten free diet. Finger Millet is a staple in our house...

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No bake Healthy Granola Bars

Know what you Eat - Oats, via their high fiber content, are already known to help remove cholesterol from the digestive system that would otherwise end up in the bloodstream. Now, the latest research suggests they may have another cardio-protective mechanism. Antioxidant compounds unique to oats, called avenanthramides, help prevent free radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Almonds the health nuts - 90 percent of the fats in almonds are unsaturated, and the nuts are high in protein, fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E, and other antioxidants. Almonds help prevent osteoporosis and they regulate blood pressure. Chia(The Magic Seeds) - The chia seeds may have great benefits for diabetics...

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Besan(Bengal Gram) Kheer/Payasam/Pudding

Know what you Eat - Bengal gram is very high in protein and very low in glycemic index. This bean 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 chana dal is younger, smaller, split, sweeter, and has a much lower glycemic index.Cooking Time - 15 minsServes - 4IngredientsBesan flour(Kadalai Mavu/Bengal gram flour) - 1/2 cupMilk - 3 cupsWater - 1 cupRaw sugar/Jaggery(i used jaggery) - 1/2 cup or to tasteGhee - 1 tspElaichi powder - 1/2 tspSaffron - few strandsGarnishingGhee - 1 tspRaisins and nuts - 3 tspThis is one of my mom's recipe and whenever we have unexpected guests, she used to make this in a jiffy...

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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...

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Baked Spicy Peanuts & Apple, Banana, Kiwi Coconut Shake

Know what you Eat – Peanuts contrary to its name belong to the legume family and are a rich sourceof mono unsaturated fat and an array of other nutrients that, in numerous studies, have been shown to promote heart health. Peanuts are good sources of vitamin E, niacin, folate, protein and manganese.In addition, peanuts provide resveratrol, the phenolic antioxidant also found in red grapes and red wine.Apples are a good source of antioxidants and fiber, flavonoids that are good for the heart. You'll get impressive amounts of flavonoids in the skins and pulp of apples - and these flavonoids have plenty of tricks up their sleeve for helping protect your heart health. Bananas are a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of vitamin C, potassium,...

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Sesame Quinoa

Know what you Eat - Quinoa, is an extremely nutritious seed. It has a protein value that is extremely high (12-18%) and the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essentialamino acids. Quinoa is easy to digest and naturally contains no gluten. It is also a good source of dietary fiber, phosphorous, magnesium, and iron. If you are on a weight loss program or aiming for ahigh protein low carb diet, go for quinoa. Rice, Wheat, Corn, barley even if they are whole grains theydo add to weight problems, but a seed based diet like Quinoa, Ragi(Finger Millet) will allow you totake charge of your weight. Even though whole grains, contribute an important part in the foodpyramid there are various views on this and some...

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Rajma(Kidney Bean) Salad

Know what you Eat - Kidney beans are an excellent source of molybdenum. Molybdenum (MO) is an essential trace element although its functions are poorly understood. These are not fully understood at this stage, but it is thought that molybdenum aids in the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates, is involved in protein synthesis, is vital for the utilization of iron, protects against cancer, prevents anemia because it is necessary for iron metabolism, is necessary for the formation of uric acid, promotes a feeling of general well being and helps to prevent tooth decay.Preparation Time - 10 minsCooking Time - NilServes - 4IngredientsCooked Kidney Bean(Either home cooked or canned one) - 2 cups(16 oz)Tomato - 1Scallion - 4 stalksSalad DressingOlive...

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Vegan Fat free Banana Oat Nut Bar & Banana-Beet Milk

Know what you Eat – Oats, via their high fiber content, are known to help remove cholesterol from the digestive system that would otherwise end up in the bloodstream.Bananas are an exceptionally rich source of fructooligosaccharide, a compound called a prebiotic because it nourishes probiotic (friendly) bacteria in the colon. These beneficial bacteria produce vitamins and digestive enzymes that improve our ability to absorb nutrients Almonds which is high in monounsaturated fats, that is good for the body  and is associated with reduced risk of heart disease. In addition to healthy fats and vitamin E, Magnesium and Potassium. Jaggery (Panela) is a "natural" sweetener made by the concentration of sugarcane juice WITHOUT the use of...

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Mixed Vegetable Quinoa(High Protein/Stamina Food)

Know what you Eat: Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) was once called "the gold of the Incas" for increasing the stamina of Incan warriors. Quinoa, is an extremely nutritious seed. It has a protein value that is extremely high (12-18%) and the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. Quinoa is easy to digest, contains no gluten., a good source of dietary fiber, phosphorous, magnesium, and iron .Cooking Time : 15 minsPreparation Time : 10 minsServes : 4Quinoa is a highly nutritious food and can be substituted instead of rice in any of dishes. It has a slightly bitter taste if not soaked for atleast for 30 mins and rinsed before cooking. It is a very versatile grain and in our house this is the...

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Low fat Channa dal(Bengal Gram) Fritters

Know what you Eat : Channa Dal(Bengal gram) is very high in protein and very low in glycemic index. This bean 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 chana dal is younger, smaller, split, sweeter, and has a much lower glycemic index. You can substitute chana dal for garbanzo beans in just about any recipe.Preparation Time : 5 minsCooking Time : 10 minsServes : Around 15 frittersIngredientsChanna dal - 1 cupChopped cabbage - 1/2 cupChopped mint leaves - 1/4 cupChopped onion - 1/4 cupGreen chilli - 1 or to tasteOil - 2 tspSalt to tasteI am using the appam pan for years. I use different batters to...

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