Healthy Mohantal or Chickpea Flour Fudge

'Silence after the storm'..the last few days of high decibel sound, screaming and running around the road to burst crackers has finally come to rest. Even the intermittent spell of rain did not dampen the spirit of festivity for my kids & hubby for whom my garage was the make shift center for bursting crackers. And no, I will not crib about the land, noise, water and air pollution which was left after the festival of lights was over. When I am not able to influence anyone in my home even after 16 years of marriage, against indulging in sugary sweets, oily savories and buying crackers at exorbitant prize (which could actually get me a dedicated server for God knows how many years) then who am I to complain...'to each his own'.

Anyway, I tried my hands making a healthy version of a popular traditional Indian fudge. Often made during festivals and very common in India especially Rajasthan, its called Mohantal. Made with chickpea flour, the ratio of ingredients in this traditional and scrumptious sweet will make your diet chart stumble. With one cup each of chickpea flour, sugar and clarified butter I never got interested to try it at home, but have eaten it many times at my grandmothers' home. And believe me you can't stop with just one piece of traditionally made Mohantal.

I tried to reduce the clarified butter to a great extent and replaced palm sugar with white sugar. The resultant fudge is in no way inferior to the traditional one, and the best part is that I could indulge in it guilt free. Palm sugar gave a distinctive raw and fruity flavor to the fudge.

Preparation time:

20 minutes

Cooking time:

30 minutes

Serves:

4 persons

Ingredients:

11/2 cup chickpea flour

1 cup palm sugar

2 tbsp. clarified butter

2 tbsp. nuts (Charoli/almonds/cashew)

1-2 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. cardamom powder

Preparation:

Heat a thick bottom kadai/wok and pour the butter or ghee in it. Add the chickpea flour (besan) and fry it at low heat. Keep the flame low and fry the flour for about 15-20 minutes till it becomes golden brown in color.

Add palm sugar and cardamom powder and mix it well. Take off from the flame and add 1 tbsp. of milk in it. Mix it well and check the consistency, if it becomes a mass of solid dough the fudge is ready. If it is slightly loose or dry add another tsp. of milk till you get a pliable dough.

Grease a rectangular baking tray or any plate with clarified butter or spread a butter paper on it.

Take the dough and spread it in the greased baking tray or any flat plate. Press it evenly with the back of a ladle or greased hands and make it flat.

Cooking:

I pressed the fudge in a shallow baking tray to get thin and diamond shaped pieces. Let it cool for about 20 minutes and make slices with a knife. Easy to prepare with very few ingredients this fudge makes a wonderful gift option for those looking for some nutritious and yummy treat. Pack the chickpea flour fudge in decorative boxes and share some healthy treats with your loved ones.

Lite recipes for right health. Quick-to-cook, easy and healthy recipes for busy couples, bachelors and all those for whom time is precious. Articles on health and eating right will help you combine nutritional benefits of various food in your cooking.

http://www.litebite.in/

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;

http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.com/

Original article

Tangy Tomato Rice - An Easy and Healthy Lunchbox Recipe

I like how versatile this humble grain Rice could be in various forms of cuisines world over. From more exotic Sushi to Risotto to the simple curd rice from South India, this ancient grain has come a long way. And yes if you are already bored with the time consuming & tedious cooking methods of your Risottos and the Shahi Pulav these quickies will win you over hands down.

I love the simplicity of these recipes with which these can be easily included in the lunch, dinner and can be packed comfortably in the lunchbox too. Each recipe has a distinct color, aroma and taste which makes them unique. Red rice, green rice, yellow rice... no these are not the varieties of rice but the names given to the rice dishes I pack for my children to school. So the tomato rice becomes red rice, coriander rice as green rice and lemon rice takes the name of yellow rice.

The few changes I often make in my MIL's recipe is to add more nutritious brown rice, black sesame seeds, and whole black gram in place of polished white rice, skinned sesame seeds and de husked black gram.

Preparation time
15 minutes

Cooking time
20 minutes

Serves
2 persons

Ingredients

2 cups pre cooked rice*

1 cup fresh tomato juice/puree

1 green chilly

2 tsp. vegetable oil

1 small onion

1/2 tsp. mustard seeds

1 tsp. de-husked black gram

1/4 tsp. cumin seeds

A pinch of asafoetida powder

Salt as desired

A few sprigs of curry leaves

Preparation

Wash and cook the rice and keep it aside. For making a cup of tomato juice you may need 3-4 medium tomatoes. Wash the tomatoes and blend in mixer to make a puree. Filter the puree if you want a clear tomato rice. Peel and slice the onion finely. Chop the green chilly.

Cooking

Heat oil in a wok and crackle mustard and add de husked black gram (dhuli urad dal) & cumin seeds in it. Add the diced onion, curry leaves, asafoetida and green chilly to the oil and fry it for about a minute. Pour the tomato puree in the wok and keep frying for another 3-4 minutes. Take the wok off the flame.

Add salt the pre cooked rice and mix well. Pour the above tempering in the rice and mix it thoroughly. Serve this Tangy Tomato rice with plain yogurt or a yogurt Raita with vegetables.

Lite recipes for right health. Quick-to-cook, easy and healthy recipes for busy couples, bachelors and all those for whom time is precious. Articles on health and eating right will help you combine nutritional benefits of various food in your cooking.

http://www.litebite.in/

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;

http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.com/

Original article

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.

Lite recipes for right health. Quick-to-cook, easy and healthy recipes for busy couples, bachelors and all those for whom time is precious. Articles on health and eating right will help you combine nutritional benefits of various food in your cooking.

http://www.litebite.in/

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;

http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.com/

Original article

Healthy Foods For Vegetarians

Unlike meat, vegetables do not contain cholesterol or any saturated fat but just nutrients and vitamins. That is why models and celebrities in entertainment and sports choose to minimize or even refrain from meat and preferred vegetables since their careers require them to stay fit and healthy. Based on their interviews, here is their common list of ingredients found in healthy foods for vegetarians.

1. Antioxidants

Strawberries, raspberries, cranberries and blueberries are known to be rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help to reduce a person's risk of being infected with heart diseases as well as reducing stress and high blood pressure.

Other foods containing antioxidants are tomatoes, red bell pepper, prunes and green tea. The same goes for fruits containing high amount of water like apples, honeydew, pears and watermelons.

2. Fibre And Protein

Dry nuts like almonds, pistachios and walnuts are another healthy foods that will keep your heart and body healthy as they contain good amount of fibre and protein which helps to prevent heart-related ailments.

Compared to salted peanuts, they are free from cholesterol and monosaturated fats. They can be served as wholesome cereal meals together with fresh milk, flax, pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

3. Calcium And Magnesium

Green veggies like broccoli and spinach serve as excellent sources of calcium and magnesium that protects you against heart attacks.

4. Vitamin B And Folate

White chickpeas and red kidney beans are believed to be healthy sources of vitamin B and folate since they help to build up your immune system and keep your energy levels high for a longer period of time.

5. Vitamin E

A good proportion of coconut, mustard and olive oils can beneficial to you in terms of Vitamin E.

They are also said to keep any sicknesses in check as well as preventing stroke and heart attack.

6. Vitamin C

For those who are addicted to desserts like ice cream and cakes, you might want to consider fruits as your alternative.

As we are told by our parent and teachers since young, fruits are the primary sources of vitamin C. They can be eaten as whole or slices like apples, grapes, honeydew, pears and pineapples. Or they can be served and mixed as iced fruit juices or even hot tea as both drinks and desserts.

Other ingredients include garlic which also contain a fair amount of antioxidants and wheat serving as another source of dietary fibre.

Learn how to whip up a variety of healthy cooking recipes using just vegetables here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amuro_Wesley

Original article

A Delicious and Healthy Pizza Recipe in 7 Easy Steps

Health is wealth as they say. In this age of technology where everything comes lightning fast and people seems to get stuck in a nine to five desk job with unhealthy lifestyles, maintaining to be healthy and fit is becoming a tedious task. Some exercise which is good and some watch what they eat and this recipe is actually to help on the healthy eating.

Who's among us don't like pizza? Of course everyone wants a piece of it. But there's a dilemma we are facing just thinking about eating one: delicious pizza isn't healthy and healthy pizza isn't delicious, right? Or if there's an available veggie pizza it turns out it cost that much more than your regular meaty pizza and it's not available a few blocks from your home.

This pizza recipe is a personal recipe made to fulfill a craving pizza lover who needs to start eating healthy without truly giving-up the delicious food.

Pizza Spectrum

pizza crust tofu (cubed or diced into tiny bits)

butter or oil

mushrooms

pineapple tidbits

cucumber

tomato sauce

green bell pepper

Edam cheese

mozzarella

Procedure:

1. Pre-heat your oven at 375 F (190 C) for 20 minutes.

2. Lay your pizza crust in a baking pan.

3. Spread the tomato sauce evenly on top of the crust. You can actually use any kind of brands of tomato sauce but I prefer Del Monte's Gourmet selection since it has already that distinctive classic taste that you don't need to add anything because the sauce is complete in itself.

4. Then add the grated cheese. For this particular recipe I used Edam cheese since that's what we have available. Though it's perfect since it's a bit salty so it became also a substitute for salt.

5. Meanwhile, fry the tofu in butter or oil. I prefer the tofu almost grounded for it's more crunchy and will appear and taste like unsalted chicharon. But if you don't like crunchy you can just slice it into cubes and don't over fry it so this way it will taste and feel like meat. Then sprinkle it on top of the crust.

6. Next add the remaining ingredients: cucumber, mushrooms, pineapple, and bell pepper and manage to decorate the pizza as well while adding them. Then sprinkle the grated mozzarella on top.

7. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until crust is brown. Then serve with hot sauce or ketchup.

http://kristinabiog.blogspot.com/

My blog that contains random musings and introspection on my journey called life presented through different literary mediums mostly in poetry, reflections, opinions, photography, a glimpse of Filipino culture, food, faith and other things that interest me from time to time like latest music, movies and current events.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristina_Abiog

Original article

Healthy Gluten-Free Baking: Gluten-Free and Flour-Free Banana Muffins

For too long, gluten-free baking has been lacking in flavor, fiber and nutrition as most recipes are dependent upon gums, starches and refined flours. This method of baking, in contrast, uses presoaked whole grains and is a wonderful alternative as it produced baked goods that have great texture, flavor and nutritional quality. It is also much less costly to prepare than gluten-free mixes and traditional gluten-free recipes. This has the added bonus of making wholesome gluten-free recipes affordable and appealing to the whole family. (No more making the gluten-intolerant family member eat differently from the rest!).

I usually refer to these recipes as "blender recipes" because the whole grains are soaked for a period of time to allow for the breakdown of enzyme inhibitors and to increase nutritional value, and then are processed in a blender for use in a pancake, muffin, cake or cookie recipe. The texture of baked goods made from blended soaked grains is superior to those made with gluten-free flours and is much more similar to that of the white flour products we're accustomed to. They are more nutritious and economical too! Gluten-free "blender" recipes are some of my favorites and definitely worth the extra effort expended to set some grains to soak in advance of baking time.

So here's a basic blender recipe for-

Gluten-free Flour-free Banana Muffins

1 1/3 cups brown rice

1/2 cup whole millet

1/3 cup raw buckwheat

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

_________________

1 1/4 cups water

2-3 ripe bananas

2 Tbsp. oil/butter

3+ Tbsp. honey*

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup ground flax

1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. nutmeg

3/4 tsp. sea salt

___________________

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

Soak grains overnight (or for at least 8 hours) in plenty of water plus the 1 Tbsp. vinegar. Drain and then add to blender with the ingredients in the right column. When batter is quite smooth, gently blend in baking powder and soda (sift through a sieve and whisk in to avoid lumps). Pour into oiled muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen muffins.

* or agave or maple syrup

Option: add 1 cup of raisins to muffin batter before baking.

Be sure to oil your muffin cups well so they release easily. I prefer using a baking stone (muffin top style) as the clean-up is simplified.

These muffins keep well and freeze great!

From Everyday Gluten-Free by Kim Wilson

Kim Wilson has spent over 12 years working exclusively with whole foods to develop recipes that satisfy a variety of needs (for those just beginning to eat healthy to serious raw-fooders to those with extensive food allergies and health conditions like candida)- all in a tasty, enjoyable and affordable way. Her recipes are free of animal products, wheat, gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, yeast, sugar and other problematic foods. "What's left," you might ask? Only the good stuff! For more information and recipes visit her website at http://www.simplynaturalhealth.com/ or her WHOLEmade recipe blog at http://www.simplynaturalhealth.com/recipeblog/.

Original article

Healthy Vegetarian Meals For the Holidays: No Problem!

One of reasons people start getting serious about their health come January 1st is not only to have a New Year's resolution but to start setting goals to change their diet, get in shape or lose some weight. Usually people tend to eat more than normal during the holidays in the months of November and December. And if you are like most people....maybe some of the food choices are less than healthy - after all, how can you resist your mom's baking? Between the feasting and drinking, it takes a toll on our bodies. And so goes the resolution.

Don't feel as though you have to continue down this path. You can start a vegetarian lifestyle right now. Healthy vegetarian meals can help with this change and it is a perfect idea to help yourself or those you love. Finding ways to enjoy the holidays AND include vegetarian dinner recipes to your menu does not need to be stressful. The traditional holiday menus that we all love can be sprinkled with healthy choices.

Most people wait all year for enriching holiday moments and special celebrations with their families and friends. Don't let diet strain relationships and ruin holiday cheer. Here are some tips to become a master at creating familiar dishes that are sure to fit within your family's culture and traditions and will appeal to all taste buds.
It is very easy to find vegetarian recipes for Thanksgiving for example - as vegetables are mainstays in many parts of this meal.Instead of your traditional turkey, you can enhance your guests with a herb roasted soy vegan chicken, served with your traditional vegetable side dishesFor those that normally serve "beef" at your turkey dinner, try something like a Vegan Beef Wellington with a traditional salad to entice their taste budsWant to be warm and cozy, serve something like a Vegan Chicken Pot Pie, warm cranberry sauce and some mashed potatoes with a vegan gravy (yummy)A traditional chef prepared Meatloaf, ala vegan style, that would food the Queen of England

People want to be healthy, but they don't want to give up the taste of traditional fare of meat at their holiday meals. Once you realize how easy it is to find vegetarian dinner recipes, you will feel joy in making and eating such healthy fare. You can show people they don't have to give up anything; You will bring delight to the table and health to those you care for.

You can give the gift of health in the next few weeks and months to people who otherwise are engaging in un-healthy diets by sharing your healthy vegetarian meals with everyone at your next holiday! If you do not feel comfortable preparing vegetarian dinners or making vegan meal plans; no worries, you can order them online!

Veggie Brothers Founder, Michael Balducci, suffered from numerous illnesses, experienced fatigue and pain daily, and needed a solution. He recognized the need to change his diet and improve his health to create a permanent lifestyle change that would serve him well. However, he was frustrated with the taste of meatless prepared foods found in supermarkets and resorted to learning to cook dishes that were bland, boring and not enjoyed by others he knew.

Original article

Family Food Chart - Stay Healthy In Winters By Opting For Seasonal Foods

Winters are here and despite global warming, the temperatures are dropping. The nature has its way to deal with both the change in the environment and human body. Seasonal foods provided in bounty are a way to keep the body fit in every season. What are seasonal foods? The foods that are grown fresh in the fields or farms during the current fresh season are known as seasonal food. For example, in summers peaches, plums, avocados, apples are available while in winters, you can relish on beans, potatoes, cabbage, snow peas, cauliflower and zucchinis.

Seasonal foods in or out

It is matter of great debate to seek the relevancy of seasonal foods to the health. Not withstanding what are the results, some of the age-old beliefs stand true to the test of the time. This includes different eating food habits for different seasons such as spring, summer, autumn and winter. Since all the seasons have their associated characteristics which makes the special such as temperature and humidity.

Why warm food in winters?

Winters perhaps, have the lowest temperature and high humidity in the air. One could safeguard against the declining temperature by wearing good quality of warm clothes. It is however, suggested that warm foods are good for intake. You still have to talk, breathe and see through sense organs which cannot be protected by any other means. Warm foods such as root vegetables which are also fresh produce of the market are very popular. Carrots, spinach, sweet potato, fenugreek leaves, garlic, turnips, ginger and nuts such as peanut, almonds, kishmish are some of the most popular winter seasonal foods.

The benefits of warm food

The good thing is that most of the warm foods are fresh produce that puts them in the category of seasonal foods. They are not required to be imported from another place and their nutritional value is high. The produce is less expensive. It is more beneficial if they are organic in nature. Most of the food departmental stores are now specifically dealing with wide variety of organic foods. Organic seasonal foods are produced without the use of fertilizers using some of the best framing techniques and natural methods to improve soil nutrient level. This prevents adulteration of food cycle which does not only comprise of humans but also plants and animals. The seasonal food is rich in all sources of nutrients. You could find rich sources of Vitamin A in carrot, Iron in spinach, mustard leaves and fenugreek leaves, dietary fibre in turnip, Vitamin C in oranges, potassium in radishes. This makes a balanced diet. Our body is constantly rejuvenating while we can easily insulate it from the outside cold temperature with help of various mineral rich and flavonoids-based winter foods.

Therapeutic reasons for seasonal food

Many of the diseases such as cold, sore throat, scurvy (a type of skin disease) can be checked with proper intake of Vitamin C with use of orange as mid-day treat and eating methi (fenugreek leaves ) is good for people having high cholesterol as well as helps the diabetic person to check one's insulin levels. Milk and milk products based dishes are good for people with bone diseases.

These winter seasonal foods can be enjoyed in many ways such as soups, salads, appetizers, main course menus, desserts, hot beverages and snacks. Relish on the hot steaming sweet potatoes or drink kanji made up of red carrots in the coming cool winters with benefits of good health.

I am an avid blogger and IT tech news critic. Self-employed as web designer works with open source technologies such as PHP, Java, MySQL to build up websites using Dreamweaver as platform. In spare time, I like to write about the topics of my interest which includes food, lifestyle, recreation and tech. Weekends are spend creating something meaningful and beautiful craft and life is fun.

Original article