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...

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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 MinutesCooking...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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