Plantain & Mixed Pepper Curry

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Serves: 2-3 (side dish with Roti)


Ingredients:

2 C Plantain (cooking banana slightly riped), boiled, peeled

2 C Mixed Color Bell pepper (red, green, orange, yellow), diced

1 C Roasted Peanuts, roughly chopped

2 Tbsp Canola Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Sesame seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds

1/2 tsp Red chilli powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp Coriander-cumin powder

Few pinches of Asafoetida powder

Chopped Coriander leaves, as you prefer

Salt to taste

Method:

1.  On a medium flame, heat oil, add mustard seeds, once it splutters add all the rest of the seeds, asafoetida, then add boiled diced plantain, cover lid to cook faster for a while..stir it as well.

2.  Now add diced peppers and peanuts, and add all the seasonings..red chilli, turmeric, coriander-cumin, garam masala, salt, stir well..cook for a while but do not over cook.

3.  Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve hot as a side dish with Roti (indian flat bread).

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Veggie-Bean Quesadilla & questions for you all on, Flu/Swine flu Shots

The flu season is here and i was thinking of sharing with you all about the flu shots for quite some time, and this was lying in drafts but for some reason was getting postponed. Few years before even with flu shot, i still got the flu ever since we have stopped taking it neither giving it to our kids.  But every year one of us will start with the flu and the others will follow. But since last year we all have started taking Vitamin D supplement and except for my younger one who is very very deficient in Vitamin D(she is also on lot of supplements and i am sure once her body has the optimum level she will be ok), none of us had flu or any sickness.  When i came across this article in Mercola and LewRockwell, i was happy for our decision not to go for flu shots. I am just giving you the gist of the article and do go and check out for yourself. Please do let us know your opinions and what is your stand on the flu shots and vaccines. Your opinions, suggestions are very much welcome.
1. This is the first year mock vaccines have been used to gain FDA approval. Mock vaccines are made to gain approval of the manufacturing method and then the prevalent virus strain in circulation is added just days before it is actually placed into use. Don’t subject your children to experimental vaccines. Yes, these vaccines have been tested on healthy kids and adults, but they are not the same vaccines your children will be given. Those children with asthma, allergies, type I diabetes, etc. are at greater risk for side effects. Children below the age of 2 years do not have a sufficient blood–brain barrier developed and are subject to chronic brain infections that emanate into symptoms that are called autism. Toddlers should not be subjected to injected viruses.
2. The vaccines from different manufactures possibly come with different additives (called adjuvants) and manufacturing methods. The two flu inoculations may be derived from a multi-dose vial and in a crisis, and in short supply, it will be diluted to provide more doses and then adjuvants must be added to trigger a stronger immune response. Adjuvants are added to vaccines to boost production of antibodies but may trigger autoimmune reactions. Some adjuvants are mercury (thimerosal), aluminum and squalene. Would you permit your children to be injected with lead? Lead is very harmful to the brain. Then why would you sign a consent form for your kids to be injected with mercury, which is even more brain-toxic than lead?
3. Over-vaccination is a common practice now in America. American children are subjected to 29 vaccines by the age of two. This means a little bit of disease is being injected into young children continually during their most formative years! Veterinarians have backed off of repeat vaccination in dogs because of observed side effects!!!!. Modern medicine has no explanation for autism, despite its continued rise in prevalence. Yet autism is not reported among Amish children who go unvaccinated.
Now getting back to the recipe of Quesadilla,

A quesadilla is a Mexican snack food made of cheese (and occasionally other ingredients) on a folded corn tortilla and cooked until the cheese melts. The word comes from Spanish, and literally means "cheese tortilla".
I used brown rice tortilla which is gluten free and whole grain, and used kidney bean, onions, green pepper and some firm tomatoes. This is just not a snack, but is a very kid friendly lunch box dish. You can substitute the kidney bean to black bean or anything of your choice.
Ingredients
Tortilla – 2(I used brown rice tortillas)
Onion – 1 small(chopped into small pieces)
Bell pepper – 1 small(chopped into small pieces)
Plum tomato – 1
Cooked kidney bean or black bean – 1/2 cup(I added salt to this when cooking for a better taste)
Red chili powder – 1/2 tsp or to your taste
Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
Vegetarian cheese(without animal rennett) – 3/4 cup
Oil – 3 tsp
Method
1) Heat a pan, add a tsp of oil and saute all the vegetables in high heat adding red chili powder and cumin powder on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes and remove.
2) Heat a iron griddle, apply a tsp of oil on both sides of quesadilla and cook one side.
3) Now place the other uncooked side on the griddle, and spread half of the cheese throughout the tortilla.
4) Once the cheese melts, add the cooked veggies and fold the tortilla mid way to form a half circle and remove from heat.
5) Using a pizza cutter, cut  midway to form wedges and serve with salsa of your choice.
Note – Instead of folding the tortilla mid way, you can cover the tortilla with veggies and cheese and another tortilla and turn and cook the tortilla which you had used for covering. But i find the method described in 4 easier than using two tortillas in the busy mornings.


Event Participation

1) This dish goes to Say-Cheese event hosted by Saraswathi of Sara's corner.

2) This also goes to MLLA-17 hosted by SRA  an event started by Susan.

3) This also goes to Cooking for Kids-Veggies & Fruit hosted by Lakshmi and started by Sharmi of Neivedyam.

4) This also goes to Food for 7 Stages of Life - Kids Special Event hosted by Radhika.

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Vegetable Manchow Soup

Weather is just getting perfect for soups like this..Vegetable Manchow soup is our family's favourite among different soups I make, where it becomes just perfect to have most of the veggies..with very little cornflour, just enough that it looks almost looks more clear than thick...Enjoy this perfect winter & health treat..

MSG is it safe for you ? Your opinions/ suggestions/pros-cons welcome..

Most of us know Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer commonly added to Chinese food, canned vegetables, soups and processed meats. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified MSG as a food ingredient that is "generally recognized as safe," the use of MSG remains controversial.

MSG has been used as a food additive for decades. Over the years, the FDA has received many anecdotal reports of adverse reactions to foods containing MSG. But subsequent research found no definitive evidence of a link between MSG and the symptoms that some people described after eating food containing MSG. As a result, MSG is still added to some foods. A comprehensive review of all available scientific data on glutamate safety sponsored by the FDA in 1995 reaffirmed the safety of MSG when consumed at levels typically used in cooking and food manufacturing. The report found no evidence to suggest that MSG contributes to any long-term health problems, such as Alzheimer's disease. But it did acknowledge that some people may have short-term reactions to MSG. These reactions — known as MSG symptom complex — may include: Headache, sometimes called MSG headache, Flushing,Sweating,Sense of facial pressure or tightness,Numbness, tingling or burning in or around the mouth, Rapid, fluttering heartbeats (heart palpitations),Chest pain,Shortness of breath,Nausea,Weakness,Symptoms are usually mild and don't require treatment. However, some people report more severe reactions. The only way to prevent a reaction is to avoid foods containing MSG. When MSG is added to food, the FDA requires that "monosodium glutamate" be listed on the label — or on the menu, in restaurants. Please let us know about anything you might know about MSG..which could be beneficial to our readers...

Ingredients:


1 Tbsp Canola Oil
2 Tbsp fresh garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
2 C spring onions, finely chopped, set aside white & green separately
5 C Vegetable stock/water
2 C mixed vegetables (carrot, bellpepper, french beans,cauliflower & cabbage), finely chopped
1 Tbsp Ming's dark soya sauce
1 Tbsp red chilli sauce/ OR Tomato ketchup & avoid adding sugar
1/4tsp sugar if using red chilli sauce
2 Tbsp cornflour (thickening agent)
1 Tbsp vinegar/ fresh lemon juice
1/2 C coriander, chopped
2 pinches of black pepper powder
Noodles can also be added, just boil it, deep fry when cold. (optional)
Salt to taste


Method:


1.. Heat oil in a pot. Add ginger, garlic, green chilli and spring onion the whites & black pepper powderfor approximately 2 mins.
2.. Add vegetables then the stock/water,now add salt and bring to a boil. Add soya sauce,chilli sauce, sugar, and simmer for 4-5 mins.
3.. In a cup mix cornflour in 2-3tbs water mix it well, avoid any lumps, now add this mixture to soup. Let it cook untill it gets slightly thick.
4.. Remove from flame, now add vinegar and garnish with spring onion greens,fried noodles and serve hot with Vegetable Chinese Rice.

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