Ever Healthy Spicy Mixed Cereals With Nuts

Know what you eat:

We all are aware of the nutrition facts in mixed cereals, well, its full of almost all the vitamins, minerals,protein,also it is low in saturated fat & cholesterol. Of course one should not forget the high content of vita E & antioxidants from all the nuts present in this recipe.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 15 minsServes: 4-6
Note:1. There are 6 different cereals in this Mixture "Chevdo" /"Chivda" Corn Flakes,Rice Crispies,Whole Wheat thins,Granola,Wheat Chex,Shredded Wheat Store Brands cereals should be fine too, make sure its not sweet/sugar coated. Any combination with corn flakes works fine. 2. Works best in breakfast / as a healthy quick crunchy-munchy snack whenever you want.

Ingredients:
2 C Corn Flakes
1 C Rice Crispes
1 C Whole Wheat Chex
1 C Shredded Whole Wheat
1/2 C Whole Wheat thins
1/2 c Granola

Nuts & Dried Fruits/Seeds (Any Nuts/dried fruits you like)
1 C Roasted Peanuts1/4 C Roasted Chana dal (dadia dal)
1 C Mixed Nuts (Broken/Sliced Almonds,Whole Cashew/Black Raisins/Cranberries/Dried banana)


Spices:

3 tsp Red Chilli Pwd
2 tsp Turmeric Pwd
3 tsp Garam Masala Pwd (any brand)
2 tsp Amchur pwd (Dried Mango Powder) OR 1 tsp Citric Acid
Brown Sugar & Salt acc. to taste ( My version is on the sweeter side)

For Tempering:
1-1/2 Tbsp Canola Oil
2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
1 Tbsp Fennel Seeds
1 tsp Asafoetida pwd
Few Curry Leaves

Method:

1. Mix all the cereals with fingers in a disposable Aluminum tray, meanwhile heat oil in a kadhai/frying pan & add peanuts if they are not already roasted,chana dal. Let it become slight light brown, now add all the nuts, then add, cumin seeds, sesame seeds,fennel seeds,asafoetida, curry leaves, fry for a min, then add all the ingredients in "spices" EXCEPT sugar & salt, mix it well and switch off the gas. (Be carefull these spices shoundnt be over cooked)
2. Now add sugar & salt according to your taste over the mixed cereal kept in aluminum tray. Gently mix with fingers.
3. Pour the above prepared oil & spice mixture in already mixed cereal kept in the tray. Gently toss / mix with fingers.
4. The Spicy Cereal with nuts is all ready for you to digg in, You can also store it for future use in an air tight container, stays fresh for weeks.

l This is our entry for WYF Event hosted by EC.l This dish goes to 15 mins Event hosted by Mahimaa.
This dish goes to Show me your Breakfast event hosted by Divya Vikram.

This goes to EFM June Breakfast series hosted by Srish.

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Multi Legume Savory Pancake(Dosai) with Sesame Seeds

Know what you Eat - Breakfast is such an important part of the every day meal and  make sure it is high
in protein to give all the energy to get you going throughout the day. Legumes are so rich in fiber they
give you sense of fullness for a longer time.  Legumes are a valuable part of a healthy diet, because they
are low in fat, do not contain cholesterol, and have a significant amount  of fiber, and are low in sugar and
fat. This is such a wholesome and nutritious pancake, which is  packed with different legumes and the
calcium from sesame seeds. The darker the color of the sesame seed the better nutrition profile it is.
Very suitable for kids, adults and even for people with diabetes and gluten free diet.
If you have a picky child at home, surely the Mom has to be creative to whack the brain and come up
with nutritious dishes. Each and every child is different, some like all colorful dishes some might not
eat slight brown or green ones, that’s why i had to peel the peanuts, had to go for white sesame seeds
instead of black and not include the curry leaves  and cilantro, even though i love them and they give
such a flavor and taste to any dish. You can also add chopped veggies, greens etc to make it even
more nutritious.
Preparation Time – 30 Minutes
Cooking Time – 30 Minutes
Serves - 6
Ingredients
Peanuts – 1/2 cup
Split Moong Dal/Mung Bean – 1/2 cup
Split Channa Dal(Split Chick Pea) – 1/2 cup
Whole Urad Dal( white lentil) – 1/2 cup
Green Chili – 2 or to taste
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp or to taste
Asafoetida – 1 small piece or 1/4 tsp powder
Curry leaves – handful (optional)
Onion – 2 medium sized
Cilantro – chopped 2 tbsp(optional)
Sesame seeds – 4 Tbsp
Oil – 2-3 Tbsp

Method

1) Except the peanuts, rinse and soak the other three legumes together and  soak the
peanut separately overnight.
2) Take handful of peanuts in your hand and roll between your palms so the peanut peel will come out
or if you don’t mind the color of the peel go to step 3 without peeling.
3) Drain all the water from the legumes, add salt, ginger, green chili, asafoetida, curry leaves(add this
only if there are no issue of food color) and grind to fine paste(batter) adding water as needed
at time.
4) Chop the onion into small pieces and mix with batter and add water as needed to get the
consistency little thinner than pancake.
5) Refrigerate and use this batter as needed.
6) When preparing add the chopped cilantro to the batter, heat a griddle(iron and not nonstick
for additional health benefits).  Take a ladle full of batter and spread into a thin circle shape
and take a 1 to 2 tsp of white sesame seeds and  spread on top of the batter and pour a tsp
of oil around the batter.
7) Once one side of the dosai/pancake is well cooked and the batter color has changed on the top
flip it and let the other side get cooked.
8) Remove from the griddle and serve hot with chutney or sambar of your choice. I served
it with Tomato Thokku(Tangy & Spicy Tomato Pickle) and i will post the recipe later.

Notes – If you have the batter ready, it will take a maximum of 30 minutes to make a full breakfast
for 6 people. So even on a time crunchy day, you don’t have to compromise on the your health, but
just prepare this in a jiffy and enjoy.

Event Participation

1) This goes to Cooking with Sesame seeds event hosted by Priya.
2) This goes to Kids Delight – Wholesome Breakfast event hosted by Srivalli.
3) Sending this to Creative Food for Picky Eaters hosted by Sara's corner an event started by Sharmi.
4) This goes to MLLA 19th Helping hosted by EC an event started by Susan.

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Sweet Mixed Nuts Ball & Janmashtami Prasadams

Know what you Eat - Eating a handful of nuts daily may help prevent weight gain and possibly promote weight loss. The fat, protein and fiber in nuts help you feel full longer, so you may eat less during the day. By helping induce a feeling of satiety, nuts may help people feel less deprived and not like they're "dieting." Just limit your portion to a healthy handful.

I was running in a crazy schedule so couldn't post the recipes earlier, i know i am little late, but just wanted to share these recipes with you all. I didn't want to flood the dashboard with all the posts at the same time, so made the last 4 posts with the date of Aug 26. But don't know what went wrong, all of them got published as of today's date.

Preparation Time - 20 mins
Cooking Time - 15 mins
Serves - Makes around 18 balls

Ingredients

Roasted Peanuts - 1/2 Cup
Roasted Cashews - 1/4 Cup
Roasted Almonds - 1/4 Cup
Chopped Coconut Pieces - 1 Tbsp
Panela(Powdered Jaggery) - 1/2 Cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Water

Method
1) Roast all the nuts and keep them aside, remove the skin of the peanuts and chop the cashews and almonds into small pieces, combine and set them aside.

2) Now in a pan add the jaggery and add little bit of water just to cover the jaggery and heat it.

3) Once the jaggery is completely dissolved, start stirring and heat it till the jaggery becomes thick and if you pour the dissolved jaggery with your spoon you will see threads coming out of it.

4) At this point switch of the stove and add the cardamom powder, the mixed nuts and Coconut pieces and stir fast so that the nuts are evenly coated with the jaggery.

5) Set it aside for 5 minutes, now take small amounts of this mixture and make them into a ball and enjoy these nutritious guilt free snacks.



I also made Uppu Seedai(Fried Rice Balls), Whole Wheat Sweet Appam, Ulundu Vadai(Urad Lentil fried dumplings) and Doodh Peda.

Event Participation
1) This dish goes to the Janmashtami & Ganesh Chaturthi event hosted by Purva.
2) This dish goes to Cooking for Kids, evening snacks hosted by Divya started by Sharmi.
3) This dish also goes to Food for Seven stages of Life-Zero hour hosted by Radhika and co-hosted by Sudeshna.
4) This dish goes to Sweet & Savouries Event hosted by Sara's Corner.

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Okra / Bhindi & Peanut Curry

Know what you eat:

This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Protein, Niacin, Iron, Phosphorus, Zinc and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese.

Cooking Time: 15- 20 mins

Prep Time : 10 mins

Serves : 2-3

Ingredients:

1 lb Okra (washed dried & cut in 1/2"length)

2 Tbsp Roasted Chopped Peanuts

1/2 mustard seeds

1/2 cumin seeds

1/2 sesame seeds

1/2 methi (fenugreek) seeds

1/2 tsp cumin pwd

1/4 tsp turmeric pwd

1 tsp red-chilli pwd

1 tsp coriander pwd

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing) pwd

2 Tbsp Canola Oil

Salt to taste

Garnishing:

1 Tbsp Cilantro (optional)

Method:

• Wash the okra and dry thoroughly. 2. Cut off the heads slit from center and cut into 1/2 " lengthwise.
• In a heavy bottom saucepan heat oil, add mustard seeds, once it stops spluttering, add cumin & sesame seeds, in a sec add methi seeds, when it turns light brown, add asafoetida & okra.
• Now add salt and turmeric, little lemon juice and cover the lid for 5- 10 mins on medium flame Or untill they are cooked, keep tossing.
• Once the okra are cooked, add chopped roasted peanuts, red-chilli pwd, coriander-cumin pwd and toss it gently.
• Garnish it with cilantro and serve hot.

Note: Can be served best with Indian Bread (Roti)

Event Participation:

This dish goes to JFI-Peanuts guest hosted by Pavani of Cook's Hideout, event started by Indira.

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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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Peanut Salad

Nutritional Info - Peanuts are an excellent source of protein, low in satured fat yet high in mono and polyunsaturated fats.

Cooking Time : 15-20 mins

Preparation Time : 10 mins

Serves - 4

Ingredients

Peanut - 1 cup
Scallion - 3 stalks
Onion (small) - 1
Tomato (Medium) - 1
Salt
Pepper

Method of Preparation

1) Soak peanut overnight.
2) Pressure cook with salt till 3 whistles and keep it in low flame for 3-5 mins.
3) Rinse the cooked peanut and drain the water completely.
4) Chop the onion and soak in few spoons of apple cider vinegar for 10-15 mins.
5) Chop tomatoes, scallion, squeeze out the onion from vinegar and add all to the drained peanut. You can add any vegetables of your choice.
6) Add salt and pepper and toss the salad.

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