Cabbage-Celery Soup

Know what you Eat - Cabbage belongs to the family of cruciferous vegetables, which includes, kale, broccoli, collards, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kohlrabi. Cabbage is a rich source of vitamin C, of fiber, of iron, calcium, sium. The odor that it emits comes from the sulphur content of cabbage which helps the body to resist bacteria and protects the protoplasm of the cells. It is said to aid in producing glossy hair. Celery is high in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Potassium, Manganese, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium and Magnesium.



Cabbage is a vegetable which i like to stock up, it is very healthy and versatile and the whole one can stay fresh for couple of days. It goes into stir fry, cole slaw, upma, curry, kootu and what ever was the balance went into this soup. But when sauting cabbage, the odor from the sulphur is not very inviting and i decided to use celery to counter the pungent smell and the soup came out really well. That too with the addition of coconut milk it was really tasty, creamy and kid certified.

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Cabbage- 4 cups(finely chopped)
Celery - 1 1/2 cups(Chopped)
Coconut Milk - 1 can (120z)
Mint - handful
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Water
Oil - 2 tsp(i used coconut oil)

Method

1) Wash, rinse, drain and chop cabbage.
2) Wash the celery and chop into fine pieces.
3) Heat a pan, add 1 tsp of oil and then add the chopped cabbage and celery pieces.
4) Saute till they are tender.
5) Let this cool and then transfer to a food processor and puree it adding little water.
6) Now peel the ginger and cut into thin strips.(Always peel the ginger and use the inner part alone).
7) Heat 1 tsp of oil and once hot add the mint leaves and ginger strips and fry till you get a nice aroma.
8) Now add the pureed cabbage and celery mixture, coconut milk and water to the desired thickness and let this simmer for 10 minutes.
9) Add salt and pepper to taste and serve it hot with your favorite bread.

Event Participation:

Original Recipes - Monthly Round up hosted by Lorie.



Cooking for Kids leafy greens hosted by Pavani originally started by Sharmi of Neivedyam.

Read more »

Spinach Celery Soup in Coconut Milk

Know What You Eat: Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin A (70 percent of daily requirement), vitamin C (25 percent of daily requirement) and iron (20 percent of daily requirement). Spinach also provides vitamin K, which helps blood coagulate and which, along with calcium, vitamin D and phosphorous, is important for strong bones. Celery is a plant in the parsley family with edible roots, research has shown that celery contains blood pressure reducing properties. Celery contains active compounds called Pthalides which relax the muscles of the arteries that regulate blood pressure allowing these vessels to dilate. It is rich source of Vitamin C.

I hate to do shopping(grocery ) that too to stand in the line to pay for the items purchased when people come in with a big bunch of coupons to be sorted out, all the sorting is done at the cash counter making people wait. To get over it, i quickly graze through the magazines(especially the food related ones) kept near the billing counter. The bad part it sometimes you will be half done and your turn would have come. This is one of the recipe i came across but couldn't go through the whole recipe except the title, so i made my own by adding celery as i just love its flavor and it did turn out nice.

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Spinach - 1 bunch (medium sized)
Celery - 1 1/2 cups(Chopped)
Coconut Milk - 1 can (120z)
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Salt
Pepper
Water
Oil - 2 tsp(i used coconut oil)

Method

1) Wash, rinse, drain and chop the spinach.
2) Wash the celery and chop into fine pieces.
3) Heat a pan, add 1 tsp of oil and then add the chopped spinach and celery pieces.
4) Saute till they are tender.
5) Let this cool and then transfer to a food processor and puree it adding enough water.
6) Now peel the ginger and cut into thin strips.(Always peel the ginger and use the inner part alone).
7) Heat 1 tsp of oil and once hot add the ginger strips and fry till you get a nice aroma.
8) Now add the pureed spinach and celery mixture and coconut milk and let this simmer for 10 minutes.
9) Add salt and pepper to taste and serve it hot with your favorite bread.

Event Participation:

This dish is our contribution to SWC- Cooking with greens event.

Read more »

Plantain & Blackbeans Veggie Patty

Good to know:

Believe it or not, plantain is one of the healthiest foods in the world in terms of its nutritional value.The nutritional value of plantain is even greater than that of its closest relation banana. When cooked, the fruit is extremely low in fat, high in fibre and starch. It is very low in cholesterol and salt too.A typical average size plantain fruit after cooking contains 50 – 80grams of carbohydrate, 2 – 3 grams of protein, 4 - 6 grams of fibre and about 0.01 to 0.3grams of fat.
It is very rich in potassium, and it is commonly prescribed by doctors for people who have low level of potassium in their blood.The potassium in plantain is very good for the heart and helps to prevent hypertension and heart attack. It is also rich in magnesium,vitamins A, B6, and C which helps maintain vision, good skin, and build immunity against diseases. Cooked unripe plantain is very good for diabetics, as it contains complex carbohydrate that is slowly released over time.

** Plantain is also cooked boiled. This is much like boiling potatoes. You place the pilled plantain in a pot and had water to it and allow to boil for about half and hour until tender.


Ingredients

4 Medium sized raw plantain pressure cooked (boiled) peeled & mashed

1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained, rinsed & roughly mashed

1 cup red,yellow,green bell pepper, finely chopped celery & carrot

1 tsp Ginger-Green Chillis paste or to taste

1 Tbsp chopped coriander

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp garam masala powder, or oregano as per taste

1 tablespoon cumin powder

1 tsp lemon juice or amchur powder

Salt to taste

Method

1 Rinse and drain black bean thoroughly and let it drain compeletly without any water.

2 In a food processor chop finely bell peppers, celery, carrot.

3 Now add ginger, green-chilli and coriander, pulse it for few seconds untill everything is mashed or blended.

4 Now add plantain, black beans and just pulse it for few seconds so that all the ingredients are mixed together,make sure the black beans doesn't become a puree but is mashed and combined nicely.

5 Divide the mixture in to patties and bake in preheated oven to 375 degrees.

6 Bake about 10 minutes on each side.

Serve it with green coriander chutney/ketchup

Note: These patties can be also used in veggie burgers, instead of potatoes, plantains are used in Jain religion as they also have a very high nutritional value as above. Plantains can almost replace potatoes in every recipe.

l This is our entry for My legume love affair 11th helping hosted by Taste with eyes.

l This is our entry for Sunday Snack Event hosted by Pallavi

Read more »

Super Healthy Black Bean Burger

Nutritional Info - CHIA the magic seeds are a boon to people with diabetes The gel that is formed in the stomach creates a physical barrier between carbohydrates and the digestive enzymes that break them down, thus slowing the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar. This is one of Nature’s perfect foods, containing essential fatty acids (an excellent vegetarian source of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid), protein, soluble fiber, protective antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and more.

In this burger recipe instead of the usual bread crumbs used for binding, powdered chia is used which makes this a super food.

Cooking Time : 20 - 30 min

Preparation Time : 10-20 min

Serves : 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup cubed red,yellow,green bell pepper, finely chopped celery, carrot and mushroom

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Onion powder

1/2 tablespoon Oregano powder

1-2 Green Chillis or to taste

1/2 Cup of Powdered Chia (Add additional if required)

1 tablespoon cumin powder

Salt to taste

Method to make Burger

1) Rinse and drain black bean thoroughly and let it drain compeletly without any water.

2) In a food processor finely chop bell peppers, celery, carrot and mushroom.

3) Now add the Onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, chilli, cumin powder, salt and blend for a minute.

4) Now add the black beans and just blend only once so that all the ingredients are mixed together.

5) Make sure the black beans doesn't become a puree but is mashed and combined nicely.

6) Mix the powdered chia until the mixture is sticky and holds together.

7) Divide the mixture in to patties and bake in preheated oven to 375 degrees.

8) Bake about 10 minutes on each side.

Read more »

Celery Tomato Carrot Soup

Nutritional Info - Lycopene, the carotenoid responsible for tomato's bright red and orange colors is associated with lower risk of both macular degeneration and several types of cancer. If it's lycopene you are after,the cooked tomatoes contain two to eight times more than raw. Now let us go ahead with the recipe and have a nutritious and delicious soup.




Cooking Time : 20-30 min
Preparation Time : 10-15 min
Serves - 4

Ingredients

Celery - 4 Sticks (finely chopped)
Tomato - 2 big (chopped)
Carrot - 2 big (finely chopped)
Scallion - 4 stalks (finely chopped)
Mint - few
Onion powder - 1/2 tsp
Garlic powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Pepper - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Salt to taste
Coconut Oil/Ghee/Butter - 2 tsp
Water

Method of Preparation

1) Heat 1 tsp of oil and add the chopped celery and carrot and leave it for a few minutes till they are 1/2 cooked.
2) Now add the tomato pieces and cover the vessel and stir in between. Leave it for a few minutes till all the vegetables are cooked.
3) Switch of the stove and let the vegetables cool down.
4) Once the vegetables are cooled completely, transfer them to a blender and blend thoroughly till they become a puree.
5) Heat the rest of the oil and sauté the scallion and mint and transfer the pureed contents to the pan and add water to the desired consistency.
6) Add the onion powder, garlic and salt and stir and leave and switch of once the soup starts bubbling.
7) Now add pepper powder and the soup is ready to serve.

Read more »