Pumpkin Dip to Enhance Immunity

Do you know that the orange colour in pumpkins comes from a pigment called beta carotene.Beta carotene has been known as an immunity booster especially in the elderly.Some studies have also shown that increased consumption of beta carotene can reduce the risk of cancer.It is also well known for it's anti-aging and antioxidants properties.
Today's recipe is a very healthy and immunity boosting pumpkin dip.This dip has been made using curd which has numerous health benefits.I have mentioned about curd in my previous post.

You will need
Pumpkin-1/2
Curd-1.5 cups
Water-3 cups
Salt to taste
For tempering
Sesame seeds-1/2 teaspoon
Green chillies-1
Curry leaves-3-4
Mustard seeds-1/4 teaspoon
Oil-2 teaspoons
Method
-Peel the pumpkin and wash it and cut into small pieces.
-Take a deep vessel and add 3 cups of water to it.Add the cut pumpkin pieces and salt.Let it boil till the pumpkin is cooked well.Drain the water and let the pumpkin cool completely.
-In a separate pan heat oil and add the tempering ingredients and let it crackle.
-Now add the pumpkin and stir it for 2 minutes.
-Whisk the yogurt.Add it to the cooked pumpkin.
-Blend yogurt and pumpkin in a mixer.
 Enjoy the delicious dip with chapati,tacos or pulao.

Healthy Salads for Summer

Capture the sunny taste of summer with some light and healthy vegetables and tangy fruits.The salad recipes that i will share with you today will delight your taste buds.These recipes are full of antioxidants,vitamins and calcium and are also easy to make.

1.Tangy Vegetable Salad
Ingredients
Cucumber-1
Onion-1/2
Carrot-1
Tomato-2 small
Green chilli-1
Lime juice-2 teaspoons
Peanuts- 7-8 roasted
Cilantro- 1 teaspoon finely chopped
Salt to taste
Method
-Finely chop the onion,green chilli and tomatoes.
-Peel the cucumber and carrot and grate it.
-Heat a pan and slightly roast the peanuts.Allow it to cool and pound it.Keep aside.
-Take a bowl and add all the vegetables and salt.Toss it properly.
-Cut the lime into half and squeeze the juice out and keep in a separate bowl.
-Add lime juice to the tossed salad and mix well.
-Sprinkle the roasted peanuts and chopped cilantro on top.

2.Chick Peas Salad 
Ingredients

White chick peas(kabuli chana)-1.5 cups
Onions-1
Tomato-1
Green chilli-1(optional)
Shredded Coconut-2 teaspoons
Chaat masala-1 teaspoon
Lime juice-1 teaspoon
For tempering 
Oil-1 teaspoon
Curry  leaves-3-4 leaves
Mustard seeds-a pinch
Method
-Soak the chick peas for 7-8 hours and boil them in a pressure cooker by adding a little salt and 5 cups of water.Cook for 3-4 whistles.When cooked, allow it to cool completely.Take out in a separate bowl.
-Finely chop the onions,green chillies and tomatoes.
-Heat a pan and add oil.Add mustard seeds and curry leaves.Let it splutter.
-Add chopped onions,green chilli and tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
-Add the tempering to the cooked chickpeas.
-Add lime juice and mix and sprinkle shredded coconut.

  3. Sweet Corn Salad
Ingredients

Fresh Sweet corn-1
Salt-a pinch
Butter-1 teaspoon
Processed cheese-1 small cube
Black pepper powder-1/4 teaspoon
Method
-Boil the sweet corn till it's properly cooked.
- Hold the stem end of the corn cob and cut the corn kernels by using a sharp knife.
-Mix the corn kernels with salt and black pepper.
-Add melted butter and toss again.
-Add shredded cheese on top and serve.

4.Bell Pepper salad
Ingredients 
 Red bell pepper-1
Green bell pepper-1
Yellow bell pepper-1
Sweet corn-4 tablespoon
Black olives-4-5
Fresh basil leaves-3-4
For the Dressing
Extra virgin Olive oil-1 tablespoon
Vinegar-1 teaspoon
Castor sugar-1/2 teaspoon
Method

Dressing
-Mix all the ingredients for dressing together in a bowl and stir thoroughly.The sugar should blend completely in the dressing.Keep aside.
-Cut all the above ingredients except the basil leaves and keep in a bowl.
-Add the dressing to the salad and toss.
-Put the basil leaves on top.

5.Green Moong Sprouts Salad
Ingredients
Green Moong dal-1/2 cup
Tomatoes-1
Carrot-1
Onion-1/2
Green chilli-1(optional)
Chaat masala-1 teaspoon
Method
To make sprouts

-Soak the green moong dal overnight.Take a clean muslin or thin cotton cloth and put the soaked moong dal on it.Tie the cloth by taking two opposite sides at a time.Make a tight knot.Sprinkle a little water on the tied cloth and keep it in dry and dark place.You can see sprouts coming out the next day.
-Finely chop the green chilli,onion and tomato.
-Peel and grate the carrot.
-Mix all the vegetable with the moong sprouts and mix with a spoon.
-Sprinkle chaat masala on top and toss again.

6.Green Salad
Ingredients
Cucumber-1
Radish-1
Carrot-1
Beetroot-1
Tomato-2
Onion-1
Lime -1
Salt to taste
White pepper powder-1 teaspoon
Method
-Wash the vegetables thoroughly and peel the beetroot,carrot,radish and cucumber.
-Cut all the vegetables into thin rounds.
-Cut the lime and make thin slices.
-Place all the cut vegetables on the plate and sprinkle slat and pepper on top.
-Add the lime slices on top.

Banana PanCakes in a Jiffy

In my previous post I had mentioned about the several health benefits of banana.
Today  I will give you a simple pancake recipe using banana.
Basic Banana Pancake
Ingredients
Bananas-2 ripe medium size
Sugar-3 tablespoon
Honey-2 tablespoon
Castor sugar/powdered sugar-1 teaspoon 
For the Batter
All purpose flour-2 cups
Salt-a pinch
Baking Powder-2 teaspoons
Cardamoms-2 powdered
Milk-1.5 cups
Oil-2.5 tablespoon
Method
-Take a bowl and mix flour,sugar,salt,cardamom powder and banking powder and mix well.
-Slowly add milk to the flour stirring it constantly to make a nice thick batter.Make sure there are no lumps in the batter.
-Mash the ripe bananas to make a smooth consistency.Add this to the flour batter.Mix well again.
-Heat a frying pan and add oil.Take a big spoon of batter and slowly spread it to make a circle on the pan.
-Keep the flame on medium heat and let the pancake cook.
-Carefully turn the pancake to the other side and let it cook for 2 minutes.Repeat the same steps to make pancakes from the rest of the batter.
-Serve on a plate and add honey,sliced bananas and castor on top.
**You can also add raisins,chopped cashew nuts to the pancake batter.Adding grated coconut to the batter also gives it a nice taste.**
You can make the pancakes for breakfast or have it for snacks.Try it and do send me your feedback.

Wonders of Oats and OatMeal

Oatmeal is one of the healthiest foods known for its high nutritional values.Oatmeal has been approved as a heart friendly food as it lowers cholesterol and lowers the risk of heart diseases.

Types of Oats and Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a whole-grain cereal made from ground oat groats.It has very low fat content and is rich in soluble fibers called Beta-Glucan.
Oatmeal comes in several forms:

• Instant Oatmeal-It is dried and precooked.It often contains sweeteners and other flavours as additive.
• Rolled Oats-This old fashioned oats is steam processed and rolled into flakes.This helps the oats to stay fresh for a longer time.Rolled oats are used as an ingredient in muesli and granola.
• Steel-cut Oats/Irish Oatmeal-The oat groats are chopped into small pieces using  large steel blades and are usually roasted.

Nutrition

• Vitamins-Oatmeal is a good source of B-complex vitamin.Vitamin B is water soluble and is important for metabolic functions.
• Minerals-Oatmeal cereal is a rich source of magnesium, zinc,iron,manganese and selenium.It also contains calcium,potassium and phosphorous.Magnesium supports the immune system and zinc promotes healing and growth.Phosphorous and calcium are good for bone and teeth.Iron helps to create red blood cells and thus prevent anemia.
• Protein-One cup of cooked oatmeal has 6 grams of protein.It provides all the energy required by our body.
• Carbohydrate-A cup of cooked oatmeal contains 28.08 g of carbohydrate.

Health Benefits

• Soluble fibers present in oats and oatmeal lower the LDL or bad cholesterol in the body.
• Phytochemicals in oats and oatmeal  can lower the risk of developing cancer.
• Avenanthramides, a type of antioxidant are present in oats.This helps to reduce the risk of colon cancer.
• Insoluble fibers in oats help to stabilize blood sugar and this can help patients with diabetes.

 Tips to make your Best Oatmeal

• Oats can be slow cooked and even reheated.Reheating does not reduce the nutritional value of oats.
• Instant oatmeal usually has higher glycemic index,you can add a little fat free or low fat milk and a few nuts to lower the glycemic index.
• Steel-cut and rolled oats are considered superior to instant oats as they contain more fibers and nutrients.Steel cooked oats take atleast half and hour to cook while rolled oats can be cooked in 15 minutes.Add 2 parts water to one part oat while boiling.
• You can add soy milk or low fat milk to your oats to get more calcium.
• Pieces of fresh fruits like strawberry,kiwis,apple,banana or chikoo can be added to the oats.You can also add dried fruits like raisins.
• Add a dash of Cinnamon,pumpkin seeds or even cocoa to make your oats topping  more delicious.

 

Quick and Crispy Pakoras(Snacks)

Pakoras are a great choice for evening snacks.A cup of hot beverage with hot and crispy pakoras,a perfect way to enjoy a Sunday evening with family.
Indians relish different kinds of pakoras.They can be made with almost any vegetable.The batter usually is made with gram flour,rice flour,corn flour and even chana dal and urad dal.
I'm going to share some delicious and quick to make pakoras recipes. 

1.Onion Pakora(Kanda Bhajia)
Ingredients
Onions-2 large
Gram flour-4 tablespoons
Rice flour-2 tablespoons
Red chilli powder-1 teaspoon(optional)
Salt -to taste
Water-3-4 tablespoons
Oil-2 cups for frying
Method
-Finely slice the onions.Add the above ingredients except water and mix well.
-Now add 3-4 tablespoons of water and mix again.The mixture should should be a little hard and not watery.
-Heat a pan and add oil to it.Wash your hands and take small amount of the mixture,gently press it between your thumb and four fingers and add it to the heated pan.Do not crowd the pan as it will not let the pakoras be crispy.Add only 5-6 small portions of the mixture.
-Put some tissue papers on a plate and put the fried pakoras.
-Serve with fresh green coriander chutney(Click to see my post on green dhania chutney)

2.Cabbage Pakora
Ingredients
Cabbage-1/2 small cabbage
Garlic-5-6 pieces
Green chillies-2
Onion-1/2
Corn flour- 1/2 cups
Water-8-10 tablespoons
Salt-to taste
Oil-2 cups for frying
Method
-Make a fine paste with garlic and green chillies adding little water.
-Finely chop the onion.
-Finely chop the cabbage and add the above ingredients except water.
-Now add water and mix properly.
-Heat a pan and add oil .Take a small portion of the mixture and fry it in oil.Follow the steps given above(onion pakoras)
-Place some tissue papers on a plate and put the fried pakoras.
-Serve hot with Chutney.(click to see my previous post on chutneys)

3.Chana dal Pakora
Ingredients
Chana Dal-1.5 cups
Garlic-5-6 pieces
 Onion-1
Green chillies-2
Curry Leaves-3-4
Salt to taste
Oil-2 cups for frying
Method
-Soak the chana dal for 4-5 hours and wash it properly
-Finely chop the onion.
-Add salt,green chillies and garlic to the chana dal.Use a mixer to grind the ingredients to a nice thick paste.Do not add any water.
-Now add the chopped onions and curry leaves to the chana dal paste.
-Heat oil in a pan and fry the pakoras.
-Serve hot with chutney.

4.Potato pakora
Ingredients
Potatoes-2 large
For the Batter
Gram flour-1.5 cups
Rice flour-4-5 tablespoons
Red chilli powder-1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Water-1/4 cups
Oil-2 cups for frying
Method
-Cut the potatoes into very thin slices.Do not peel the potatoes.
-In a bowl add all the above ingredients except oil and water.
-Mix these ingredients properly and now add little water.The batter should not be thick nor very watery.Beat the batter with spoon or mix with hands in a circular direction.
-Heat oil in a pan.
-Dip 1 slice of potato in the batter and fry it in the pan.Repeat this for the rest of the slices.
-Serve the potato pakoras with chutney.
**You can use any vegetable of your choice with the batter mentioned above.Try with cut capsicums,Chopped spinach leaves,Chopped fenugreek leaves,cauliflower or any seasonal vegetable.**

Turmeric- The Amazing Health Food

Turmeric(Curcuma Longa) is a sharp tasting spice derived from a root and is commonly used as a culinary spice in South Asia.This spiceccomes from the underground stem(rhizomes) of the turmeric plant.It has a sharp,woodsy taste and pungent aroma.It has been widely used as a traditional remedy to cure many ailments in Ayurvedic as well as Chinese medicine.

Potential Nutrients
The main nutrient in turmeric is Curcumin which is consumed in diets and is used as herbal remedy in many countries.Curcumin  in turmeric has strong antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,anti cancer and cortisone -stimulating properties..
Other compounds include ascorbic acid,carotene,polysaccharides and ar-turmerone.These compounds also have medicinal properties.

Health Benefits of Turmeric

• It helps to stimulate the gallbladder and improve bile flow.This helps in treating many gastrointestinal problems.
• It helps to remove bloating,gas,heart burn and acid reflux.
• It can be applied on the skin to treat wounds,insect bites,eczema and other inflammatory skin conditions.
• Turmeric has as a powerful anti-inflammatory property which helps to relieve symptoms of arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases.
• Some medical studies have also proved that curcumin in turmeric has several anti-cancer properties.These studies suggest that curcumin should be considered as an anticancer agent and must be included as part of daily diet.Some studies have also shown that curcumin inhibits the growth of certain tumors.
• It has the power to thin blood and reduce the ability to form clots.This helps people with high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
• Research has also shown that use of turmeric or curcumin might protect against Alzheimer's disease, stomach ulcers and heart diseases.

How to select Turmeric
It is advisable to buy turmeric powder from reputed manufacturers.Go for organic brands if possible as this will ensure that the product is free from adulteration.

Storage Tips
Store in a cool and dark place away from heat and direct sunlight.Always store in a dry and clean jar and seal the lid after use.

Precautions

• Pregnant women should always consult doctors before taking turmeric supplements.
• If taken in high doses it may cause nausea and diarrhea.
• People suffering from liver problems,gallstones and jaundice should not take turmeric.
• Turmeric may have possible interactions with some drugs,so it is advisable to consult your doctor before taking any curcumin supplement.

How to make Kids Eat their Veggies

When my son was a toddler,I had to go through some trial and error every single day.Mealtimes were like challenges for me but I slowly learned some important lessons.Today I'm going to share some ideas that really worked for me and I hope this will help you guide your kids to eat more veggies.
Why Kids Should Eat Vegetables?
Vegetables have high nutritional values which protect us from many diseases like cancer,diabetes and heart diseases.Vegetables are rich in vitamins,minerals,antioxidants,fibers,low in calories and fat free.They are essential for the development of children's brain and body.
Instilling good eating habits in children at an early age can set up a lifelong habit of healthy eating.Getting kids eat more vegetables can sometimes be a battle.It can be intimidating but with a little effort and creativity you can surely do it.

• Make a schedule and be Consistent-Offer kids meals and snacks at the right time.Make veggies a part of your routine and serve atleast one vegetable with every meal.You can choose raw vegetables like carrots,cucumbers,tomatoes or cook a vegetable.

• Experiment with Dips-Try Hummus ,Chutneys and yogurt dips with  vegetables. You can find the recipes for some healthy and easy dips in my previous posts.

• Set a Good Example-If you are eating enough vegetables then this will also encourage your kids.Fill your plate half with different kinds of vegetables or salads.Your good eating habits will send the right food message to your kids.

• Let Kids be the Chef-Involve them while cooking.Ask them to pick a vegetable and encourage them to make their own recipes.Kids will love to eat what they have created.

• Plan Weekly Menus with Kids-Take kids to the supermarket and introduce them to the varieties of vegetables available.Explain how each vegetable can help him become stronger and taller.You can find healthy weekly menu plan in my earlier post.

• Fun with Veggies-Make interesting faces with cut vegetables.A blanched broccoli florets may resemble a tree and cauliflower the clever brain which will make him more smart.You can give silly names to your veggie creation.

• Sneak in Veggies-Make carrot purees and add to soups,grate vegetables and add to rice,finely chop bell peppers and onions and add to omelet.

• Do not force  your Child to Eat-Don't force your child to eat if he's not hungry or doesn't want to have a particular veggie.This can be frustrating for you but according to experts,forcing children to eat something can make them avoid eating it.

• Introduce New Foods Slowly-Serve some familiar veggies plus one new veggie slowly.Introduce the new vegetable in an interesting way.Make funny stories and ask your child to try it.If you are introducing broccoli tell him how it's different from the cauliflower in colour.Tell him that it's the favourite veggie of his superhero because it gives him strength and keeps his eyes healthy.

• Reward Your Child- Enthusiastically praise your child and reward him for eating vegetables.They will slowly want to try new veggies and will also learn to like them.Introduce rewards into your dining routine and encourage kids to love their veggies.

• Don't Give Up-If your kid still isn't eating vegetables-don't give up.research shows that kids need to taste a food atleast 10 to 15 times before appreciating it's taste.So keep trying.As they grow up their tastes will also change.