Healthy Soya Beans Sundal

Healthy Soya Beans Sundal

Soy beans are considered to be a good source of complete protein. Consuming Soy reduces the rish of having colon cancer. Benefits of this tiny soyabean is countless. So, to have a healthy evening snack as well as a good neivedhyam for RamaNavami, I prepared the Soya bean Sundal.

Ingredients
Soya Beans - 1 Cup.
Mustard Seeds - 1 tbsp.
Jeera Seeds - 1 tbsp.
Asafoetida ( Hing) - 2 tsp.
Red Chilly - 2 Medium Size.
Salt - To Taste
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp.
Curry Leaves - 3 or 4.
Coriander Leaves - Little to garnish.
Coconut Shredded - 4 tbsp.
Grated Ginger - 1/2 tbsp.
Green Chilli Paste - 1 tsp.

Method
1. Soak the Soya Beans in water for 2-3 hours.
2. Cook the soya Beans with little salt in the pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles. Let it cools completely.
3. To the kadai, add mustard seeds, jeera to the Olive Oil. After it sputter, add
red chillies,curry leaves, asafoetida to the oil. Then add green chilli paste, grated ginger to the oil mix.
4. After few seconds, add the cooked soya beans into the kadai. Add little more salt to the soya beans and mix it thoroughly.
5. After 2-3 minutes, add the shredded coconut into the mixture and mix it.
6. Switch off the stove and a healthy neivedhyam is ready now.

Mexican Taco Salad Bowl

Mexican Taco Salad Bowl

I Love Mexican Taco Salad Bowl all the time and my kids love too...Whenever we go to Bajjio or Costa Vida, without even looking at the menu I would order this taco Salad bowl all the time. Its loaded with lots of fresh veggies, cheese, rice, beans, corn roti and this dish has a perfect combination of carbohydrates, protein, calcium and vitamins in it. With a side of a milkshake or cucumber buttermilk, its an excellent combo for all ages. As its very colourful, kids like this variety a lot. Its a good after school lunch or a quick treat for them. Making this Taco Salad Bowl takes very less time. You just have to keep the ingredients ready before making them in place. Though the number of ingredients make you tensed, making this simple salad bowl is not that difficult at all..

Ingredients

Corn Tortilla / Big Tortilla / Wheat Tortilla - 1 ( Of your choice )

Olive Oil - Enough to fry the Tortilla

Mexican Cheese -  3 tbsp

Cooked Sona Masoori Rice - 1/2 Cup

Ripe Tomatoes - Cut into tiny pieces

Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp nicely shredded

Lemon Juice - Few Drops

Cooked or Baked Red Beans or Black Beans - 2 tbsp

Romaine Lettuce or Lettuce of any kind - 2 Handfuls

Cucumbers - 2 tbsp nicely cut into tiny pieces

Onions - 1 tbsp nicely cut into tiny pieces

Avocado Paste -- 1 tbsp

Ranch or Sour Cream or Thick Curd - 1 tbsp

South Western Sauce or Taco Sauce - 1 tsp

Nacho Chips or Corn Tortilla Chips - 2 tbsp Crushed.

Salt - To sprinkle at the end ( optional )

Pepper - To sprinkle at the end ( optional )

Method

Pre-Preparation

         Wash the vegetables and cut the tomato, onion, cucumber, lettuce and coriander leaves into desired shapes and keep them ready.  Take one corn tortilla or wheat tortilla and keep it ready. Take a cup of cooked sona masoori rice. Take 2 tbsp of cooked beans or baked beans and keep it on the side. Take out the sauce, ranch,mexican cheese shredded from the fridge and keep them on the side. Keep the salt, pepper shakers on the side too. If you have a ready made lemon juice available, take it out from the fridge or make 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice and keep it ready.  Take an avocado and scoop the inside flesh,mash and keep it ready too. NOW, everything is kept ready.

Process

Make the Mexican Rice first.

              On a pan, add 1 tsp of Olive Oil. When its heated, add the cooked sona masoori rice, 1 tsp of coriander leaves, little  mexican seasoning powder ( if you have ), pinch of salt and fry them on low heat for just 2 minutes.

Make the Avocado paste next.

            Scoop the inside part of the Avocado and mash it to a fine paste. Add 1 tsp of coriander leaves, pinch of salt and 2   drops of lemon juice to it.

Make a simple, quick tomato salsa kind next.

            On a small bowl, add tiny pieces of tomato, 1 tbsp of coriander leaves, 1 tsp of lemon juice, pinch of salt and pepper  and mix them well and mash it little bit.

Fry the Tortilla on both sides with little oil on its sides. Take a sound shaped vessel or any medium size bowl. Insert the fried tortilla on it and make it hollow inside the bowl.

Add shredded mexican cheese on the tortilla while its hot. Chesse would melt nicely on the Top Layer.

Add the 1/2 cup of  Mexican Rice on top of the melted cheese.

Add 2 tbsp of cooked / baked beans on top of the rice.

Spread 1 tbsp or more of the tomato salsa made on top of the beans layer. On top of it, add 1 tbsp of tiny cucumber pieces, 1 tbsp of tiny onion pieces. Spread them uniformly on its layer. Add 2 tbsp of Avocado Paste we made on it and spread it across..

Now the cut lettuce leaves and some shredded nacho chips or corn tortilla chips on top of the leaves layer. Add 1 tsp of Taco Sauce or South Western Sauce and spread it across. Add some salt and pepper a little bit using the shakers.

Finally decorate the Taco Salad with few beans, ranch and little shredded cheese and serve it to the kids.

Variations

For more spiciness while serving to elder people, you can add taco hot sauce into it.

You can choose any type of Beans you like and add that into the bowl.

If you don't have sour cream or ranch, you can add 1 tbsp of thick fresh curd on top of the Salad Bowl.

You can add corn, small ripe mango pieces into the salad too. It adds more Mexican flavour and taste to the salad bowl. ( As i don't have them right now, i have not added ).

Tips

Choose a crunchy lettuce which makes the salad bowl more fresh and it does not get soggy quickly.

Try to fry the tortilla to the correct level and not deep fried.

If you have the right ingredients for this recipe,the taste will be amazing.

Dal Makhani - Creamy Soup of Lentils / Lentils Soup

We had a Potluck on Saturday night with a full course of North Indian Menu starting from chat...I made Dal Makhani as one of the side dishes..This time I made it with Rajma ( Dark Red Beans ), Kali Masoor Dal ( Black Lentils ), Red Chori ( Red karamani ) not with black urad dal. This brownish bowl of lentil soup fills the stomach of the family greatly and fills my heart with great satisfaction as it contains high amount of protein, folate,vitamins, energy ,etc. Its great for parties as its very easier to prepare this Dal Makhani and the process is also quicker. Did not add the fresh cream at the end as we liked to taste the Makhani with its mild spicyness..

Ingredients

Red Beans ( Rajma ) - 1/2 Cup

Red Chori ( Red Karamani ) - 3/4 Cup

Kala Masoor ( Black Lentils ) - 3/4 Cup

Jeera - 2 tsp

Cloves / Lavang - 4 or 5

Cinnamon Sticks / Pattai - 3 Medium Size

Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

Onion - 1 Medium

Ripe Tomato - 1 Big

Green Chilli - 1 Medium

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp

Turmeric Powder - 2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 1 tbsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp

Red Chilli Powder -  0.5 tbsp

Salt - To Taste

Sugar - 1 Pinch

Coriander Leaves - To Garnish

Method

1. Wash the Red Beans ( Rajma ), Kala Masoor, Red Chori ( Karamani ) first thoroughly and soak it in water for 3 - 4 hours.
2. After its soaked, pressure cook the Lentils with 1 tsp of turmeric powder, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp of salt for 4-5 whistles.
3. Meantime, cut the tomato, onion,green chilli into desired shapes, keep the other ingredients ready on the side.
4. On a thick bottomed kadai, add Olive Oil first for tempering. When its heated, add the jeera, cinnamon stick, cloves first. Then, add the finely cut onion, green chilli pieces and fry them for a minute.
5. Add ginger garlic paste next to the mix and fry till the raw smell goes off.
6. Add the tomato pieces next to the mix and fry them till they all get mashed and pasty.
7. Then, add all the powders as mentioned above and fry them nicely till all the powders get mixed with the tomato paste and fried little bit.
8. Add a pinch of sugar and pour the cooked dal from the pressure cooker directly onto the kadai with the remaining cooked water in the pressure cooker.
9. Add required amount of salt into the kadai and mix all the contents well. Allow them to cook for 4-5 minutes for the Makhani to get settled with all the powders and flavours.
10. After its cooked, switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. It can be well served with a combination of Ghee rice, Jeera Rice, Peas Pulao or with plain chappathi / rotis.

Tips

Soak the Lentils for more time if they are too dry and cook them very well to get a creamy texture of the Dal Makhani.

Add few tsp of ghee or melted butter at the end if its made for a potluck or a party.

Variations

You can add fresh cream at the end on top of the Dal Makhani.

You can add or reduce red chilli powder to fine tune the spicyness of the Makhani.

You can substitute different lentils like Black Urad Dal in this dish with the ones I used.

Dal Shorba - Healthy Indian Soup

Dal Shorba - Healthy Indian Soup

Dal Shorba is a very tasty, healthy, lentil based soup in Indian Cuisine flavoured with Indian spices. This soup is an excellent appetizer for a gathering. I never tried making this soup before. So I am just presenting my Husband's recipe through this post. This is totally made by him with his own customizations. So all plus and minus should go to him.!!! As he always try to upgrade any existing version with his own healthy customization, he did the same for this soup too..He chose three lentils that are pink, red based..( like Red Masoor Dal, Red Moth, Brown Masoor..) for the base and other vegetables like Carrot, Celery, White onion, Broccoli, beans, butternut squash as an addition. He started making the soup from scratch and the soup was awesome for that cold wintery night. Needless to say that he is an excellent foodie who enjoys cooking and always gives right feedback (!!) to my food too. We all enjoyed the soup with a side of few toasted multigrain bread. ( An Appetizer item turned out to be a wholesome meal with a slice of bread for all of us.!!!! ). Recipe follows as described by him....

Ingredients

Masoor Dal ( Red Lentils ) - 1 Handful

Brown Masoor Dal  ( Brown Lentils)- 1 Handful

Red Moth Dal ( Moth Beans )- 1 Handful

Lavang / Cloves - 2

Cinnamon Stick - 1 Small

Bay Leaves - 2

Oil - 4 tsp

Salt - To Taste

Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon

Powders to be added :

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Cumin / Jeera Powder - 1 tsp

Black Pepper Powder - 2-3 tsp ( He added more for his portion..)
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp ( Optional )

Vegetables

Garlic crushed / shredded - 1 tbsp

White onion - 1/2 finely shredded

Carrot - 1 Medium

Broccoli - 12-15 florets

Tomato - 3 Big ripe

Butternut Squash - 1/2 cup cut into small cubes

Celery - 5 Sticks

Peas - 1 Handful

Coriander Leaves - 1 handful finely shredded

Grated Ginger - 1 tbsp

Lemon Juice - 2-3 tsp

Method

• Wash the lentils / Dals and pressure cook them separately or cook them in an electric cooker. Keep the cooked lentils paste and the dal water if any separately.
• Wash all the vegetables and cut them into different size as desired and keep them ready.
• Meantime, dry roast the cumin seeds, black pepper seeds and powder them nicely and keep it ready.
• In a big thick bottomed soup pot, first add the oil. When its heated, add the crushed garlic and onion first. Fry them well with a pinch of salt till the onion pieces get translucent.
• Add the Bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves, turmeric powder into the pot now and fry them.
• Next add the other vegetables like carrots, broccoli, butternut squash, peas, tomatoes into the pot and cook them with some water. At this time, you can even add the remaining cooked dal water into the pot.
• When they are cooked enough, add the cumin/black pepper powder, red chili powder and crushed ginger into the pot. Add the other watery vegetables like celery into the pot now.
• Add the cooked dal paste into the pot and required amount of salt, 1/2 tsp of sugar and water into the soup pot. Stir them well and allow them to get cooked for about 3-4 minutes on a medium flame.
• When the soup is boiled well enough, remove the Bay Leaves, cinnamon stick and cloves from the pot carefully. Using a masher or hand blender, gently mash the soup for few seconds just to set it to the right consistency.
• Switch off the flame. Finally add the lemon juice and mix it well.
• Before serving, garnish with coriander leaves and few drops of melted butter on its top.
• A Healthy and tasty appetizer loaded with protein and good amount of other vitamins is an ideal choice before a healthy meal.

Tips / Variations 

You can include your favorite vegetables in this soup but try to include atleast two watery vegetables in your choice.

Tomato Basil Pasta Salad

Tomato Basil Pasta Salad

We've been growing vegetables and herbs in our small vegetable garden this summer and we are quite happy with the results too. Upon looking at the freshness, we get tempted to make some good healthy recipes using these home grown vegetables. Out of those, we decided to make a healthy pasta salad using our organic, home grown heirloom tomatoes, basil leaves, Green Pepper ( Capsicum ) and few red cherry tomatoes and pearl yellow tomatoes ( heirloom variety) as well. We included few black olives, Smoked cheese cubes ( as we like ) in our preparation too..Freshly made pasta salad tossed with olive oil, black pepper powder and Parmesan cheese was an ultimate dinner for us last night. Of course, we had few pita chips and red bell pepper home made hummus ( which i will post separately ) as sides and our favourite raspberry smoothie for our yummy dessert.

This menu would be best suited for lunch. As we could hardly feel a perfect dinner time during this summer due to very late sunset, we are fine with this dinner menu.!!!!

This is a good and easy option for picnic as its mostly liked by kids. Try this in your home and let me know your feedback.

I will post our favorites "Raspberry Smoothie" and "Red Bell pepper Hummus" in my following posts.

Home grown fresh vegetables except olives and smoked cheese

Ingredients

Tomatoes  - 2 Medium

Fresh Basil Leaves - 2 Cups ( finely crushed )

Red Cherry Tomatoes - 1 cup

Green Bell Pepper -- 1 Medium

Pitted Black Olives cut into halves - 3/4 cup

Salt - To Taste

Black Pepper Powder - As required.

Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

Lemon Juice - 3 tsp

Smoked Cheese cubes - 1/2 cup

Shell Pasta ( Small size ) - 2 cups uncooked.

Parmesan Cheese - To garnish.

Method

• Wash all the vegetables and keep them ready. Keep all the ingredients handy with a big salad mixing bowl.
• Cook the shell pasta in a separate container and keep the drained cooked pasta ready. In the mixing bowl, first add a layer of pasta and add the chopped green bell pepper. Follow this method till you add all the bell pepper into the bowl. Mix them gently.
• Secondly add all the cut tomatoes and the whole cherry tomatoes , crushed basil leaves, cheese cubes and the cut olives.
• Add Olive oil, required amount of salt,black pepper powder, lemon juice and mix the salad uniformly.
• Add Parmesan cheese at the end and mix gently. Now its ready to be served in your meal.

Tips / Variations

• You can add other cheese varieties of your choice in your salad. As we all like smoked cheese cubes, I added them in my salad. You can omit the cheese cubes too if you dont want to include cheese in your salad.
• I don't prefer to add other vegetables in this version of pasta salad. This is mainly to enjoy the freshness of basil and tomatoes and to retain its original flavour.
• Try to use small size pasta in your salad as it easily blends with the rest of the ingredients and looks good too in the salad.