Banana Blueberry Whey Shake(Protein rich power breakfast)

Being a vegetarian, I am always for the look out for good protein sources especially for my kids. Because protein is an essential building block for the body and  growing children do need quality sources of protein in their every day meal. I plan my kids breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack in such a way that there is some protein source in each one of them. I rely on legumes, nuts, coconuts, fruits like avocado, raw unprocessed dairy for my protein sources.

Even with all this planning, morning breakfast is a real challenge. To have some thing filling, fast as well as nutritious on the go especially for the kids. I am sure lot of people who read this face the same problem as me. So I rely on protein supplements like whey protein and brown rice protein to have a power packed breakfast.  I would like to hear suggestions from you all on how you are fortifying your food with protein and what is your best suggested protein source/supplement (Of course a vegetarian source).

Preparation Time – 5 Minutes

Cooking Time – Nil

Serves – 1

Ingredients

Raw Milk – 1 Cup ( 8 oz)

Banana – 4 slices (3-4 small slices are enough otherwise you will have a thick smoothie instead of a shake)

Blueberries – Handful

Whey protein powder – 2 scoops

Xylitol – 1 Tsp or to taste

Method

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth and enjoy.

Note – Brown rice protein and hemp protein are vegan protein and brown rice protein tastes ok and hemp protein you have to get used to the taste. You can add few fruits, coconut milk, brown rice protein and xylitol and come up with a great smoothie. Hemp protein I find tastes better with green smoothies(non sweet) ones like spinach, yogurt, salt and lemon juice. Whey protein with raw milk and fruits tastes more like a milk shake than a protein drink and is the best tasting of all the three. But when you buy whey protein make sure the source is from grass fed organic milk, the protein is cold processed and is a whey protein concentrate and not an isolate.

Events
Sending this to Zesty Palette’s New You Series 3 hosted by Vardhini.

Sending this to Kids delight some thing sweet by Kavitha an event started by Srivalli.

Going to Fast food no Fat food hosted by Priya Sreeram an event started by Priya Mahadevan .

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Cauliflower & Peas in Coconut Sauce(Cauliflower Pattani Kootu)

Kootu is a traditional Tamil comfort food which can be done in a jiffy. Vegetables, lentils and coconut with some spices are the base for this easy and delicious food. A perfect complete balanced food with veggies, lentils and coconut is served traditionally with cooked rice and rasam(spiced soup). I served this with some hot pepper rasam and cooked quinoa. Believe me quinoa tastes great with lot of traditional Indian side dishes like sambar, rasam etc than adding to salads. There are lot of ways this kootu is done and in my family itself it is done in so many ways, either by adding cooked dal, grinding raw dal or with the addition of tamarind juice. Whatever way it is the end result is sure healthy and very tasty.

Preparation Time – 10 Minutes

Cooking Time – 20-30 Minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients

Cauliflower – 1 medium sized(Cut out the florets from the thick stem and wash and keep it aside)

Frozen green peas – 1/2 Cup (Thawed)

Sambar powder – 1 Tsp or to taste

Turmeric powder – 1/2 Tsp

Salt – 1 Tsp or to taste

Raw Thoor dal – 2 Tbsp

Coconut pieces – Taken from 1 half

Rice flour – 1 Tsp

Tempering

Coconut oil – 1 Tsp

Mustard seeds – 1/2 Tsp

Split Urad dal – 1 Tbsp

Curry leaves – few optional

Method

1) Put the cauliflower florets, peas, salt, turmeric powder, sambar powder in a thick bottomed pan and add around 1/3 cup of water at the bottom.

2) Cover and cook till slightly tender, the more you cook the more nutrients will be lost. So cook till desired time.

3) Grind the Thoor dal, coconut pieces, rice flour in to  a fine paste and add it to the cooked cauliflower and simmer for 2-3 minutes and switch off.

4) Warm the coconut oil and then add mustard seeds. Once the seeds stop spluttering add urad dal and cook till slightly brown and then add the curry leaves and transfer it to the cauliflower, coconut kootu.

5) Serve hot with some spicy rasam and cooked main course of your choice.





Note – There are three different recipes I follow for this kootu, ver 1 veggies, tamarind juice,  cooked dal and roasted spices+coconut ver 2 – cooked dal, coconut, rice flour, sambar powder ver 3 – coconut, dry red chili, rice flour, cumin sees and raw uncooked dal. But this one is a combination of ver 2 and 3 because just at the time of adding the cooked dal I realized that  I had ran out of the same.



Events

Sending this to Vardhini’s Healing foods – Cauliflower an event started by Siri.

Sending this to Kaveri’s Kerala Kitchen Event an event started by Ria and Rose.

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Spiced Coconut & Almond Milk a Vegan Treat

Is fat bad? Not really, fat is an essential component your body needs. But the fat needs to be the right kind of fat which comes from nuts, coconut oil,  un processed raw dairy products, avocado etc. Coconut fat is one of those good fats and helps to loose weight when incorporated in the diet. Coconut contains Medium chain fatty acid(MCT). This MCTs promote thermogenesis, increasing your body’s metabolism, producing energy. Coconut has also been found to be helpful to thyroid function, as well as digestion. Coconut milk is a very good source of protein and helps to maintain a soft and smooth skin, in cold dry winter time.

If you are allergic to Dairy and are trying alternate store bought nuts milk, try this one out. Coconut, Almonds, spiced up with cardamom and cinnamon and sweetened with xylitol. This drink just tastes awesome. Do give this one a try and I am sure you are going to love it.



Preparation Time – 10 Minutes

Cooking Time – Nil

Serves – 2





Ingredients





Grated fresh coconut – 1 Cup packed

Almonds – 1/3 cup (Soak overnight or soak in hot water for a hour)

Cardamom – 1 pod

Cinnamon powder – 2 Tsp

Xylitol – 1 Tbsp or to taste (You can substitute this with maple syrup, honey or sugar. Sweetener of your choice)

Salt – pinch

Warm to Hot Water – 2 Cups



Method





1) Rinse the almonds and add it to the grated coconut and place it in a blender along with a cardamom pod.  Add 3/4 cup water and blend into a smooth mixture.



2) Now run this through a cheese cloth and collect the milk and squeeze out the ground coconut, almond mixture and place it once again in the food processor. Add 3/4 cup of water and blend once again.



3) Repeat step two and blend once again adding the remaining water and filter the milk.



4) To the filtered milk, add xylitol and salt mix thoroughly till it dissolves. Pour in two glasses and top them with a tsp of cinnamon powder and serve immediately.





Events

Sending this to Zesty Palette’s New You Series 3 hosted by Vardhini.

Sending this to Allergy friendly Fridays.

Sending this to Breakfast Club – Detox an event started by Helen of Fuss free flavors.

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Low fat Split Chick Pea & Cabbage Fritters(Purple Cabbage vadai in paniyaram pan)

Which your most frequently used kitchen gadget/utensil?  I use my vitamix, pressure cooker and third in the order is Aebleskiver Pan or Danish Cake Pan or the Payiram Pan. I absolutely love fried food, anybody doesn’t here? But when frying lot of nutrients gets lost and also I use coconut oil for all frying and I don't reuse the fried oil. Because of all the wastage involved, some how, don’t get the motivation to fry at all.
When you don’t want to fry, this Aebleskiver pan comes really handy as a substitute for pan frying and you can almost match the taste to some extent. I used Channa Dal(Split Chick Pea) which is very high in protein and very low in glycemic index.  No frying involved, quick to make, high in protein and low in glycemic index, to top it all tastes great. This is a perfect snack for any one to try. If you do, let me know how you liked it.
Preparation Time – 15 Minutes
Cooking Time – 20 to 25 Minutes
Makes around 16-18
Ingredients
Split Chick Peas(Channa Dal) – 1 Cup
Asafoetida – Small piece
Salt – 1 Tsp
Red dry chili – 2 or to taste
Finely chopped purple cabbage – 1 Cup
Coconut Oil – 2 Tbsp
Method
1) Soak the split chick peas for 2-3 hours. Drain and reserve 1 Tbsp of the soaked dal and grind the rest into smooth paste after adding salt, asafoetida, red chili and little bit of water. The batter should be thick and you should be able to spoon it, without pouring it.
2) To the ground paste, add the chopped purple cabbage, reserved split chick peas and mix thoroughly.
3) Heat the paniyaram pan in medium heat and once it is hold, add little bit of coconut oil in each one of the groove and then spoon t Tbsp of batter into each one of the groove and cover and cook for 3-4 minutes.
4) Once one side is cooked and slightly browned,  flip it and cook on the other side. At this time if you want it little bit more crispier add few drops of oil in each one of the groove.
5) After both the sides are cooked, remove and serve hot with chutney.

Events
Sending this to Zesty Palette’s New You Series 3 hosted by Vardhini.

 

Going to Fast food no Fat food hosted by Priya Sreeram an event started by Priya Mahadevan .

 

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Strawberry Parfait

Looking for a high protein, tasty and guilt free dessert? Give this parfait a try. Parfait means frozen dessert in French and in America it is made by layering whipped cream, ice cream, and/or flavored gelatin, cream, fruits in tall glasses. Also it can be done with a combination of sweetened yogurt, nuts and fruits. So parfait is all about layering and I layered it with xylitol sweetened yogurt cheese, layered with some fresh strawberries and toasted nuts and coconut pieces. I use Xylitol extensively as a sweetener and those you are new to my space, xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar substitute which is low on carbohydrates and very low on glycemic index and doesn’t cause cavities like white sugar. But xylitol is slightly difficult to digest. So try out in small quantities and you don’t have any issue in digesting this sweetener, this is the best alternate to sugar and doesn’t have any weird after taste. I some times have parfait for breakfast, sometimes as snack and sometimes as a dessert.  So do you like parfait? If so do you have it for breakfast, snack or as a dessert?
Preparation Time – 15 Minutes
Cooking Time – 5 Minutes
Serves – 3
Ingredients
Greek Yogurt – 4 Cups
Chopped strawberries – 1 Cup and few for topping
Toasted Chopped Almonds, Cashews & Coconut –  3/4 Cup(Use shredded coconut as I found it is much better than chopped coconut)
Powdered Xylitol – 2 Tbsp or to taste
Method
1) Put the greek yogurt in a cheese cloth and squeeze out excess water from it.  Now place this in a bowl and add powdered xylitol and mix thoroughly.
2) Spoon 1-2 Tbsp of this sweetened yogurt cheese in a glass and arrange a layer of strawberries and toasted nuts. Once again spoon another 1-2 Tbsp of yogurt cheese repeat the layering of berries and nuts once again.
3) Top with full strawberry, chill and serve.

Events
Sending this to Zesty Palette’s New You Series 3 hosted by Vardhini.

Sending this to  Ramya’s ABC Series - Dessert

Sending this to Kids delight some thing sweet by Kavitha an event started by Srivalli.

This goes to Cook Eat Delicious Desserts – Refined Sugar & flour free whole some desserts an event hosted by me and started by Raven

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Broccoli Soup

Broccoli the humble vegetable is indeed a super food with near miraculous powers of healing and disease prevention. It contains the highest amount of isothiocyanates, a cancer-fighting compound, of all the crunchy vegetables. With an array of powerful nutrients, these are one of the cheapest and are also low on pesticide load making them the safest among conventionally grown vegetables. Some of the other vegetables which have lowest residual pesticide load are  Eggplant , Cabbage , Banana , , Kiwi , Asparagus , Sweet peas (frozen) , Mango , Pineapple, Avocado, Onion. So next time when you shop for veggies, you know which ones are safe to buy and for which ones you have to look for Organically grown.
Now coming to this recipe if you are soup lover like me, that too in the winters. You should surely try this out. This soup made with broccoli and milk is very easy to make and makes you feel so good about sipping the bowl full of health. If you happen to try it out, do let me know how you liked it.

Preparation Time – 10 Minutes
Cooking Time – 10 Minutes
Serves – 2 to 3


Ingredients


Broccoli florets – 4 Cups
Water – 1 1/2 to 2 Cups(Depending on the thickness desired)
Milk – 1 1/2 Cups
Celery – 1 Stalk(Chopped finely)
Onion powder – 1 Tsp
Fresh ground black pepper – 1 Tsp or to taste
Salt – 1 Tsp or to taste
Coconut Oil – 1 Tsp

Method


1) Wash, rinse and chop the broccoli into florets and keep them aside.
2) Heat a pan and add a tsp of oil, to this add the chopped broccoli florets, celery , half of the salt and saute for 2 minutes and cover and cook for 5-7 minutes till they are slightly tender. Switch off and let this cool for few minutes.
If you want to add some water, you can add it and cook till soft. But keep in mind , the more you cook, the more nutrition will be lost.
3) Now transfer the cooked contents to a food processor. I used my vita mix and add 1 1/2 cups water and puree into a smooth paste.
4) Add the milk to this broccoli puree and add the onion powder and simmer for 5-7 minutes and switch off.
5) Add rest of the salt and pepper and serve hot.

Events

Sending this to the New You hosted by Vardhini of Vardhini’s Creation.

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Orange flavored Whole Wheat Fruit & Nut Cake(Egg free)

Happy New Year to all my Friends & Readers. Wishes for a Happy & Wonderful 2012. This is one of the cake which my Mom & Dad both love. Even though gluten is a rarity in my house, my parents do include wheat in their diet. So I make these and send this across to them whenever possible. So thought will share this recipe with you all and send this virtual treat this year to them. As long as you don’t have an issue with gluten and include wheat as part of your diet, do try this out and let me know how you liked it. This recipe is very versatile and simple to make. You can make it vegan by substituting butter with coconut oil and either way tastes great, presoak the dry fruits if you plan ahead or just toss them and simmer in the mixture and you are ready to bake the fruit cake.

Preparation Time – 10 Minutes
Baking Time – 40-50 Minutes
Makes one 9 inch round cake


Ingredients


Chopped Nuts - 1 Heaped Cup
Chopped Fruits - 1 Heaped Cup (Black & Golden Raisins, Dates, Apricots, Prunes)
Baking Soda - 1/2 Tsp
Whole Wheat Flour - 1 1/2 Cups
Clarified butter (Ghee) or Coconut Oil  - 1/4 Cup
Raw Sugar -  1/3 (Make it 1/2 cup for a sweeter cake)
Water - 1  Cups
Orange Juice - 1/2 Cup
Date Syrup - 1 Tbsp
Grated Orange Peel – 1 Tbsp

Method


1) Mix water, raw sugar, clarified butter, date syrup, chopped fruits, nuts and simmer on medium heat till the sugar dissolves and you get a nice brown color. Now switch off the stove and let this mixture cool to room temperature.

2) Mix the baking soda, whole wheat flour, salt and keep it aside.

3) Preheat a baking oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9 inch baking pan with oil and dust with flour.

4) To the fruit and nut mixture add the orange juice and orange peel and mix it nicely. To this slowly add the whole wheat flour little by little and mix it gently without lumps.

5) Pour the mixture in to the baking pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the middle rack till a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

6) Cool in the wire rack and leave it overnight and slice it next day.

Note – I added date syrup for the traditional fruit cake brown color. If you are planning ahead to make this cake, soak the chopped fruits in orange juice for a day or two. Reserve the liquid and add the soaked fruits to the sugar mixture. Measure this reserved liquid and add more orange juice if required and use it as mentioned in step 4.

Events

Sending this to Yummy Dessert 4 New Year by Prananti’s Kitchen.

Sending this to Baker’s fest New Year 2012 an event started by Vardhini.

Sending this to  Ramya’s ABC Series - Dessert

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