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 the wheezing and airway tightening of asthma. By providing these two potent free radical destroyers, bell peppers may help prevent or reduce some of the symptoms of these conditions by shutting down the source of the problem.

This raita i make frequently and some times i saute them by adding ginger and tomato pieces also. Since i wanted to send this to Priya's bell pepper event, didn't want to add too many things in here.

Cooking Time - Nil
Prepartion Time - 10 mins
Serves 4

Ingredients

Yogurt - 2 1/2 cups
Red bell pepper - 1 medium sized
Green bell pepper - 1 medium sized
Pearl Onion - 4
Grated ginger - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli paste - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Salt to taste

Garnishing

Cilantro - 1 tbsp chopped

Method

1) Wash dry and chop the green and red bell pepper into small pieces.
2) Chop the pearl onion into small pieces, you can also use the regular onion but pearl onion has a distinct taste and flavor.
3) Add grated ginger, green chilli paste, salt and yogurt mix well.
4) Garnish with Cilantro and serve


Event Participation:

This dish is our contribution to AFAM-Bell Pepper event, hosted by Priya orignially started by Maheswari.

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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 of the grains which has become a staple in our diet like Quinoa, Chia etc replacing Rice and Wheat to a large extent. He oriented us to go for multigrain rather than a single grain in any food. So lot of the dishes i make have more than one ingredient in them and i don't find a big difference in the taste. Next time i am going to add Quinoa flour also to this.

Preparation Time - 15 mins
Cooking Time - 20 mins
Serves around - 15 Parathas

Ingredients

1/2 cup Whole Wheat flour
1/2 cup Oats Flour
1/2 cup Bajra Flour(Sorghum)
1/2 cup Jowar Flour(Pearl Millet)
1 tsp oil for dough
2 tbsp oil for frying
3/4 cup washed, drained,chopped fenugreek leaves (methi)
3/4 cup washed, drained, chopped mint leaves
2 tsp sesame seeds
3 tsp lowfat yogurt
1 tsp green chilli paste
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric pwd
Salt to taste
Ghee 2 tsp (optional)
Water to mix the dough

Method

1) Mix together all the ingredients,then add enough water to make a stiff dough and set it aside for 15mins.
2) Divide the dough in small balls, using floured board roll out not too thin circles.
3) Heat a iron griddle, grease some oil and place the parathas. Once it is golden brown in color, apply some oil on the uncooked side and turn over.
4) Press gently and remove it once cooked.
5) Apply little bit of ghee for flavor and serve hot with side dish of your choice. Serve with Raita.

Tomato Scallion Raita


Ingredients

Yogurt - 2 Cups
Chopped Scallion- 1 cup
Tomato - 1 medium sized chopped finely
Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Fresh ground pepper - 1/4 tsp or to taste
Cilantro - 1 tbsp(optional)

Method

1. In a big bowl, combine yogurt, salt, & black pepper together.
2. Now add chopped scallion, tomato and cilantro to the above mixture and serve.


Event Participation:

This dish is our contribution to SWC- Cooking with greens event, hosted by Sowmya.

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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 all the nutrition. I combined Oats, brown rice flour and wheat flour and it did taste very nice.

Cooking Time - 15 mins
Preparation Time -10 mins
Serves - Makes around 20

Ingredients

Brown Rice Flour - 3/4 cup
Oats Flour - 3/4 cup
Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup
Jaggery powder - 1/2 cup or to taste
Banana - 1
Elaichi powder - pinch
Coconut(Small Chopped pieces not grated) - 2 heaped table spoons
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Water
Oil/Ghee(Clarified butter) - 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) Meanwhile slice the banana and make a puree and add it to the jaggery.
3) Add elaichi powder, salt and the coconut pieces to the dissolved jaggery.
4) Now combine all the three flours and add the jaggery mixture to this and add enough water to make idli batter consistency.
5) 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.
6) Now turn it and leave till the other side is cooked.
7) Enjoy these nutritious guilt free snack.

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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 so they are considered as magic seeds. Eating the seeds helps dieters by making them feel fuller faster so they will be less hungry.

I just love granola bars, but the store bought ones are too sugary and lot of additives like partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup etc. I have made several attempts to bake one very unsuccessfully. The sides will be burned and the inside will be fine and i will end up eating the burned sides, because there will be no takers and i won't feel like throwing so much hand baked in the trash. This recipe does work and make sure the peanut butter is creamy and not solid and lumpy.
Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - 5 mins
Serves - Around 20 bars


Ingredients

Oats (Old fashioned or Rolled Oats with extra thickness) - 1 cup
Oats Quick Cooking(Not instant) - 1 cup
Peanut Butter - 1 1/2 cups(Unsalted & new with a creamy texture)
Whole Almonds(not silvered) - 1 cup
Grated Coconut - 3/4 cup
Chia seeds - 1/2 cup
Honey - 1/2 cup
Dates - 1/4 cup(Chop them finely)
Raisins - 1/4 cup
Oil(Sunflower or Canola) - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

1) Dry roast Oats both old fashioned and quick cooking separately (do not mix them) in stove top till the raw smell is gone.
2) Dry roast grated coconut, chia seeds and almonds till it slightly browns(make sure they don't become black and slightly brown) or in a preheated oven bake combine the old fashioned oats, chia seeds, coconut, almond for, 350 degrees 7-10 minutes stirring in between till they are roasted and the quick cooking oats 3 minutes till the raw smell is gone.
3) Grind the quick cooking oats to a coarse powder.
4) Crush the almonds into small pieces. (Wrap them in paper towel and use a pounder or put them in plastic zip loc and use a thick bottomed pan to crush it).
5) Combine Oats, Oats powder, Almonds, Chia, Coconut, Dates and Raisins and keep it ready.
6) Combine honey, oil and peanut butter in a pan, add salt and cinnamon powder and heatit till the peanut butter melts and everything is well combined.
7) Now transfer the Oats mixture to the above and switch off the stove.
8) Mix everything thoroughly and transfer the contents to a greased pan and use a spatula to even it out.
9) Now put it in the refrigerator and leave it for 2-3 hours, once the bars are well set, take it out and make bars with a knife and store in a airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy these bars as a quick breakfast on any busy day or as a guilt free snack anytime of the day.

Event Participation
This dish goes to Show me your Breakfast event hosted by Divya Vikram.
This dish goes to Original Recipes - Monthly Round up Event hosted by Lorie.



Sending this to Food for 7 Stages of Life - Healthy Fast Food hosted by Radhika and Sudeshna.

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Jain Sev Tameta Nu Shaak ( Sev Tomato Curry)

Know What You Eat: Antioxidant Benefits of Lycopene


In the area of food and phytonutrient research, nothing has been hotter in the last several years than studies on the lycopene in tomatoes. This carotenoid found in tomatoes (and everything made from them) has been extensively studied for its antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties. The antioxidant function of lycopene-its ability to help protect cells and other structures in the body from oxygen damage-has been linked in human research to the protection of DNA (our genetic material) inside of white blood cells. Prevention of heart disease has been shown to be another antioxidant role played by lycopene.

Preparation Time : 5 mins

Cooking Time : 15 mins.

Serves / Makes : 2

Ingredients:

4 C Chopped Tomatoes
1/2 C Sev (Bengal gram fried noodles) (Sev amount can be increased as per taste)

1/4 tsp turmeric pwd

1/2 tsp red chilli pwd

1/4 tsp garam masala

1 C water

Salt to taste

For tempering:

2 tsp Oil

1/2 Cumin / Mustard Seeds

A pinch asafoetida (hing)

Method:

1. Heat oil, as the cumin seeds spluters , add tomatoes, salt, turmeric pwd, red chilli pwd, garam masala pwd cook for a while.

2. Add water to cooked tomatoes, and bring it to boil..once it has started to boil, add sev and put the flame off.

3. Let is sit for a while, and serve with Bhakri / Roti (Indian flat bread)

Event Participation:

This dish goes to RCI Jain Saatvik Cooking, hosted by PJ & Lakshmi

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