Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Spicy Assorted vegetables

Here is a recipe for an easy and healthy appitizer.It contains a variety of vitamins like
Vitamin A from carrots,tomatoes,herbs [dried],Celery
Vitamin B complex-from broccholi,beans,soya,celery
Vitamin D&K-from the soya sause
Iron -Onions,dried herbs
Carbohydrates-from the potatoes
Garlic -which helps in killing the cholesterol
Here is the recipe for weight watchers also.

Ingredients:
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Broccholi - 1cup
carrots - 1cup
Diced potaoes - 1 cup
Diced tomatoes- 1 cup
beans - 1 cup
Onion - 1 large
garlic - 2-3 cloves
celery - 1 cup
cauliflower - 1cup
Salt -1 tsp
Pepper powder-1tsp
Italian seasoning-1/2 tsp
Basil powder-1/2 tsp
Soya sauce-3tsp
White vineger-1 tsp


Method:
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1. First take a pan or a skillet.Add about 1 1/2 tsp of olive oil or simple vegetable oil.
2. Add chopped carrot and saute them .Then add potatoes, celery ,cauliflower,beans ,broccholi,onion and garlic .
3.Season with salt, pepper, vineger and soya sauce.
4.cook until the edges of veggies turn brown.
5.Then add 1/2 tsp each of italian seasoning and basil(If you dont have these then 1/2 tsp of freshly chopped mint leaves or even kasoori methi,or even the fresh coriander leaves can be added.)
6.Serve as an appetizer or even as a side dish with rice.

South Indian Style -Spinach Sambar

Dear friends ,
Here is a simple recipe of s a very healthy dish,rich in vitamin A and B.It is a rich source of Iron and calcium with certain minerals .

Ingrediants required:
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1 pound - spinach
4-5 -coves of garlic
1 cup - grated coconut
6-7 - curry leaves
1tsp -cumin seeds
1tsp - methi seeds
1tsp -urad dhal
3tsp -coriander seeds
7-8 - red chillies
1 pinch -hing
1tsp -oil for frying

Meth0d:
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1.Wash and clean the spinach.
2.wash clean and chop them up.
3.cook spinach with little water salt,chilly powder ,turmeric powder for about 4 min in microwave
4.Take a small pan and stir fry allthe rest of ingredients until urad dhal turn slightly brown keep it aside.
5.Heat little oil and season it with red chillies and hing.
6.Now blend all the ingrediends along with a cup of grated coconut into a smooth paste by adding 1/4 cup of water.
7.Now add this paste to the cooked spinach and kep it on a medium flame.cook this by adding salt as per taste and allow it to boil.
8.In a small pan add a little oil or ghee and then add garlic to it and roast till they turn golden brown .Now when its just done add the curry leaves and stir for a minute and add this to the boiling saambar.Give a stir.
9.Now add 1/2 tsp of mustard with 1 red chilly [ dried] wait till it splutters and then add this to the sambar.

Serve with rice rotti or even with plain rice.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Banana Halva


Here is a recipe of a sweet dish which is very famous in the south Indian states especially Karnataka and Kerala. It smells awesome and even the taste is so good. The mouth watering taste of this recipe makes you get edicted to it. The recipe is very easy and you can never get it wrong.It contains less fat and good for health too.
Banana is considered to be the most nutricious fruit .Its rich in many salts and minerals which are very essential to our body like pottasium and zincBanana is a rich source of carbohydrates and fat .It also softens the stools and helps in pushing out the wastes from our body timely and in a easy manner.Hence one must always involve it in thier routine diet may be in different forms if desired.

Required Ingredients:
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10 big bananas - Mashed properly with hand
3 cups - sugar
1 tsp - cardammon
4 Tsp - ghee
2tsp - ghee tosted cashews



Method:
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1.Take a heavy bottomed pan.Heat it and then add the mashed bananas to this heated pan
2.Continously stir it till it turns slightly brown now add 3 cups of sugar
3.Continue stirring it till it turns dark brown and it starts leaving the bottom of the pan and forms a combined single mass.
4.Now add ghee and stir ,then add the cashews and stir.Be carefull at this pointTO prevent it from stick to the bottom of the pan.
5.Greese a plate with oil/ butter /ghee and keep aside.
6. Now pour the mass of the banana into this plate and allow it to cool.When its almost cool draw lines in desired shapes and allow it to cool completly then cut and store in a box.It lasts for more than a month .

Pav bhaji



Here is a tasty dish which is healthy, good and well balanced too.It takes very less time to prepare but looks awesome and tastes yummy. This is recipe which can be eaten for brakefast, lunch or dinner .

Ingredients :
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1 big Onion- finely choped
1 big tomato-chopped finely
1 cup- cauliflower chopped
2 large carrots-diced
2 large potatoes-diced
1 cup- of peas
1 cup- chopped beans
2 tsp- of coriander leaf or spring onions (for garnishing )

For seasoning:
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2 tsp- cumin
2 tsp- salt
1 tsp -turmeric powder
1 tsp -red chilly powder
1 tsp- pepper powder
1 tsp-garam masala powder



Method :
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1. Take a pan, add about 2tsp of oil
2. Then add cumin to it and wait till it splutters
3. Then add onions and fry till they turn transparent.Then add cauliflower and saute them
4. Now put all the veggies in a vessel add some salt and chilly powder for better flavour and pressure cook them and keep it aside .
5. After the veggies are cooked ,mash them coarsley into tiny chunks.
6. Now add this to the pan and saute them for a couple of minutes
7. Add all the seasoning powders andstir them occasionally.Simmer and allow it to boil and cook properly
8. Now garnish it with either coriander leaves freshly chopped or spring onions
9. Add a small cube of butter to the top and allow it to just melt.
10. Serve it with hot toasted bread or pav buns in side.