Healthy Green Chili Pickle

Any meal is incomplete without a spicy Pickle and crispy Poppadum in Rajasthan and your scrumptious meal will be always judged by how good you are in making pickles! My mom's house is full of ceramic jars bursting out with new pickles every season, most of which goes to some of the relatives nearby or to unexpected guest who would have praised her cooking after a hearty meal at home.

Oil and salt act as a preservative to the pickles and help it stay fresh for long. Most of the pickle varieties have oil floating up to the brim of the jar, which eventually avoid the formation of molds and fungus and increase its shelf life.

My mom makes a pickle which is water based, and we call it as 'Paani wala Achaar'! I am not a big fan of pickles but often make some of these oil free versions to go with my stuffed Indian flat breads. These two pickle recipes which is very popular in Rajasthan and need less oil.

Most of the houses in Rajasthan eat plain or stuffed chapatti (Indian flat bread) for their breakfast, pickles make a lovely accompaniment. Since I and my hubby do not like much of oily foods, such Pickles make a rare appearance on our table. But there are a few recipes which require minimal oil and can be a good substitutes for any oil laden pickle.

For making the pickle we require a special kind of chilly which is called Athana green chillies, it is broad & fleshy and is found mainly in Jodhpur city of Rajasthan in India. You could make the same using any other chilly which is slightly broad and fleshy. Normally the chillies are pickled whole with a stuffing of various flavorful spices.

Traditionally these green chillies are pickled along with the seeds for that fiery taste, but I remove the seed for a much mellowed pickle.

Preparation time:

20 minutes

Cooking time:

20 minutes

Serves:

4 persons

Ingredients:

12-15 Athana Green chillies or any fleshy chili pepper

1/2 cup coarsely ground mustard seeds

1 tbsp fenugreek seeds

1 tbsp coarsely ground aniseed powder (saunf)

1 tsp. Turmeric powder

1 tsp dry mango powder (optional)

1 tsp onion seeds (optional)

1 tbsp. rock salt/table salt

1/2 tsp. asafoetida (hing)

1 lemon

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

Preparation:

Method; Wash the green chillies and pat dry them carefully using a kitchen napkin. The chillies should be clean and dry without any traces of water on them.

Make an incision or slit in each green chilly length wise from top to the end part. Remove the seeds with a kitchen knife if you want your pickle to be less spicy and fiery.

Take a large bowl and add all the dry ingredients except the oil add lemon in it and mix it well. Stuff the mixed spice mix in each slit green chilly. Fill the stuffed green chillies in a clean jar. Heat oil in wok and pour over the chillies.

1st version (No-oil) ; Take a clean glass jar and fill it with all the stuffed green chillies. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the pickle and cover with a muslin cloth. Keep this jar in sunlight for 7-8 days before consuming.

2nd version (less oil); The other way is to heat oil in a wok and cook the stuffed green chillies for just about 1-2 minutes, without much stirring so as to avoid the stuffing coming out of the chillies. Fill the same in a jar, squeeze the juice of one lemon and keep it aside for a day for the flavors of spices to get infused in the pickle.

This pickle stays good for about a week when refrigerated. Add extra oil to preserve the pickle for longer time.

Serve the pickle with any Indian flat bread of as an accompaniment to any rice recipes.

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In case you like to indulge on food, do visit my other site for exotic and grand recipes, or read about places to visit in India;

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Going Green - Leafed: Balancing Nutrition As a Vegetarian

With the ability to produce and import various foods throughout the year that is not only organic, but also cheaper than years past, it's a very great time to explore different eating lifestyles that suit your individual wants or needs. For anyone planning to, or currently eating as a vegetarian, it's important to know that while eating vegetables and fruits is extremely healthy, your body still needs protein, calcium and other nutrients not common in those food groups; luckily, it's very easy to have access to such nutrients.

Why Go Vegetarian?

Being omnivores, humans are able to adjust their eating habits to suit their environment. Over the centuries, various cultures found non-meat foods that contained nutrients once thought to be exclusive to meat. Many "green" foods offer just as much nutrition as meat minus the negative effects. Avoiding meat, especially red meat, means that you won't have to worry about cholesterol or saturated fats, both of which are linked to obesity. On top of that, eating foods grown from the earth means less processed foods and that cleanliness in your diet will reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure as well as increase energy, skin cleanliness and the body's natural glow.

What Nutrients Are Easy to Get? Eating vegetables and fruits gives you access to a majority of nutrients. Some examples are:

• Fiber-any tough vegetable such as celery contains cellulose which contains fiber. This helps maintain a healthy colon by scraping away excess waste in our gastrointestinal tract.
• Potassium-an important mineral used for neuromuscular reactions, bananas are a plentiful source of potassium.
• Essential Carbs-fruits like apples, peaches, oranges, etc all contain glucose or variations of sugar. These are what give your body immediate energy and are used very quickly. Tubers like carrots and potatoes contain starch which are a good source of long-term energy.
• Vitamin C-fruits that contain citric acid, such as lemons, grapefruit, oranges and limes contain vitamin c, which is a natural stimulant and immune booster.

What Are Other Essential Nutrients?

Setting aside fruits and vegetables, it's vital that you have a source of iron, calcium, protein, and unsaturated fat. What's good about being a vegetarian today is that you can get access to such nutrients without having to resort to meat or even supplements! Some examples are:

• Iron-Pop-eye wasn't eating spinach for nothing! Iron helps the blood to carry more oxygen throughout the body. It's also used in clotting processes. Other foods that have it are red beans, tofu and oatmeal.
• Calcium-milk and cheese are the most obvious sources of calcium, which are needed for bone support and growth. However, kale, broccoli, and other legumes also contain sufficient amounts.
• Protein/Unsaturated Fat-without meat, one may think getting protein is going to be difficult. However, tofu, nuts, and wheat's also have very excellent sources of protein, not to mention good sources of unsaturated fats. Protein is needed for muscle growth and development, while unsaturated fat is used by the body in various metabolic processes.

The famous axiom, "you are what you eat" is truer now more than ever. With processed beef, feed lots, and chemically enhanced food the need for going green takes more of a priority now than ever. There are exceptions of course, given that all organic food in Germany requires the traveler to carry international travel insurance just to eat a salad. Overall however, the good totally outweighs the bad, both in long-term health payout as well as energy levels needed for any given day. On every level, the first step to avoid the health issue what you put in your mouth.

Original article

What Led to Use Of Hydroponics Systems in Green Houses

Did you ever notice that the market nearest to your house has equal number of racks dedicated to tinned food and fresh vegetables? Yes, this is the outcome of an age where no one has the time to stop and think. Therefore, no one seems to notice that fresh vegetables and fruits are the outcome of synthetic additives being extensively used in farming practices. In the past decade, the age old practice of growing vegetables in private kitchen gardens had lost its popularity. This was due to an increase in the number of high rise buildings.

More and more people started living in apartments or flats that did not provide the space required for gardening. Fast lives and busy schedules slowly converted the lifestyle of urban masses and therefore today, the harmful effects of fertilizers and chemical pesticides have come as an eye opener for everyone. Yes, people have been forced to stop and take note of the various effects of fertilizer residues found in the so called 'fresh' vegetables and fruits.

The Crisis and Its Solution: Green Revolution

Scientists and food experts claim that nitrate compounds found in these fruits and vegetables have been found to cause cancer and other disorders like the Blue Baby Syndrome. They immediately suggested the many advantages of using organic vegetables. To be very precise, organic vegetables are developed under controlled natural conditions and do not use any fertilizer or pesticides to promote plant growth. This advancement came as a great boon for the common man.

It brought back the popularity of vegetables and fruits grown in private gardens, as organic vegetables are essentially produced in a similar manner. The only difference between kitchen gardening and present day organic food production practice lies in the fact that natural conditions are created in the latter. Yes, organic vegetables are produced in green houses, that optimize all natural conditions required for plant growth.

Sunlight is trapped to enhance the warmth inside the green house and moisture is provided to the plants using humidifiers or hydroponics systems. In America, home green house kits are made available to families who want to build their own green house, and produce fruits and vegetables in them. These kits come with the necessary requirements to set up hydroponics systems in your green house. You only need to make sure that you install the green house according to the steps mentioned in the guidelines.

Hydroponics systems are easy to maintain and highly used in most green house systems in America. It uses a gutter-rack system that channelizes the water to the roots of the plants in those racks. So if you are planning to go green, the right way, then fetch yourself a green house kit, that is updated with an easy to use hydroponics system.

If you are looking to purchase a well planned green house kit that incorporates hydroponics systems, then UrbanFoodFarms.com may be the right solution for all your needs.

Original article