Categories
Food Lite Blogs

Recipes to fulfill your cravings

Grey skies, light drizzles and the earthy aroma of monsoons give us that much-needed escape from the sweltering heat. There’s a misty veil over the city, and the moment calls for a hot cup of tea or filter coffee. But is the moment really completing without a steaming plate of tasty snacks?

Celebrity Chef Kunal Kapur shares a few recipes that fulfil your cravings without compromising on taste and won’t set you back when it comes to your fitness goals.

Chatpata tandoori mushroom cheela

For all of us, cheela for breakfast is an all-time winner in any North Indian household. It is light, healthy and can be a quick-fix for time-pressed mornings. For this delicious chatpata tandoori mushroom, marinate the mushroom in ingredients like salt, ajwain, sooji, water and leave for 15-20 minutes and in another bowl prepare cheela batter with besan, sooji, ajwain, haldi, salt and water.

Make sure, the batter gets a dosa like consistency. Then, heat a kadhai or frying pan and add the marinated mushroom to it and toss on high flame to soak excess moisture. You can also use a microwave or oven to prepare the tandoori mushroom.

Now, place a tawa on medium flame and grease it with some oil. Pour some cheela batter at the centre of the tawa and spread it out. Cook till the edges turn golden brown in colour. Flip and cook the other side. Add more oil if needed. Add some mushroom filling on one half of the cheela and fold. You may add some cheese to the filling to make it tastier.

Ingredients:

. Besan- 1 cup

. Sooji- less than half cup

. Water- as much needed (to bind)

. Salt- as per taste

. Ajwain- half teaspoon

. Haldi- a pinch

. Saffola Gold Cooking Oil- For cooking the cheelas

Ingredients for Tandoori mushroom filling:

. Mushroom- 2 cup (each sliced into two halves)

. Onion- 2 (finely sliced)

. Capsicum- 1(finely sliced)

. Green chillies- 2 (chopped)

. Tandoori masala- 1 tablespoon

. Dahi- 3-4 tablespoon

. Fresh coriander leaves- 1-2 teaspoon (chopped)

. Salt- for taste

. Lemon juice- 1-2 teaspoon (optional)


Honey chilli makhana


Makhanas are rich in protein and hence make an amazing addition to fasting food. The health benefits of makhanas are attributed to its antioxidant and aphrodisiac properties since it improves physical strength, increases stamina, and helps to manage diabetes and other diseases.

Dry roast the makhana with a small portion of Saffola cooking oil in a pan for 5 minutes, tossing them regularly to make sure they don’t burn. Alternatively, you can roast them in the oven at 170 degrees C for 5-6 minutes. This will make the makhanas crunchy. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool at room temperature.

In the same pan, heat ghee and add jaggery. Keep stirring till all the jaggery melts and there are no lumps. Turn off the heat. Once the flame is off, immediately add chilli flakes and Saffola organic honey. They will cook in the residual heat. Pour this mixture over the makhanas and mix till they are evenly coated. You can have them any time as a snack!

Ingredients:

. 150 g plain makhana

. 25 g Saffola organic honey

. 40 g organic jaggery

. 10 g chilli flakes

. 5 g sea salt

. 1 tsp of Saffola Gold cooking oil

Aloo tikki chaat

A cup of hot tea or coffee paired with a healthy bowl of Aloo Tikki Chaat enjoyed in the comfort of your home during the monsoons is a ‘me time’ luxury like no other! First, boil and peel potatoes and mash them when warm, add corn flour, breadcrumbs (grind bread slices in a food processor) and lemon juice and mix well to make a stiff dough. For the stuffing, heat one tablespoon of cooking oil in a deep pan.

Add washed and soaked (for two hours) chana dal, peas and grated carrot, salt and red chili powder. Mix well and cover the masala to cook on low flame for 10-15 minutes. Turn off flame and let the masala cool down at room temperature and make small balls out of potato dough.

Place the balls in between your palms and press to flatten them gently. Put one teaspoon of masala in the centre. Close the edges and give a round shape again and flatten it little with the help of your palms. Heat oil in a deep pan for frying. Shallow fry the tikkis at a medium temperature till golden brown in colour. Take them out on a kitchen towel to soak excess oil. Serve hot with a sprinkle of chat masala, beaten yogurt, pomegranate seeds, tamarind chutney and coriander chutney.

Ingredients:

. 2 large Potatoes

. 5 Bread slices

. 2 tbsp Corn flour

. 1 tbsp Lemon juice

. 1 cup Peas

. 2 cup Carrot

. 1 tbsp Chana dal

. Salt to taste

. 1 tbsp red chilli powder

. Saffola gold cooking Oil for shallow frying

. 2 tsp chaat masala

. 1 cup (thick and fresh) Yogurt

. 2 Onion

. 1/2 cup Pomegranate seeds

. 1 cup coriander chutney

. 1 cup Tamarind chutney

Oatmeal and Raisin pancakes

Perfect for those with a sweet-tooth who like to lead a healthy life, these Oatmeal and Rasin Pancakes will become your go-to monsoon meal. Start by preparing the pancake batter by whisking the eggs, honey, vanilla extract, and Saffola gold oil together.

Add the oatmeal, raisins, and buttermilk. Mix and set aside for the oatmeal to soften. In a separate bowl, mix together the whole wheat flour, baking soda, nutmeg, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ones. Fold till the dry ingredients are just incorporated; do not over-mix. Now the next step is to cook the pancakes. Preheat your griddle or frying pan to medium-high and then lightly brush the oil onto the griddle.

Ladle the batter and let it cook for a few minutes, before flipping and let it cook through. Keep in mind these pancakes do take longer to cook than regular pancakes. Serve immediately with warm Saffola honey.

Ingredients:

. 2 large eggs

. 2 tbsp Saffola honey

. 2 tsp vanilla extract

. 1 .5 tbsp Saffola gold cooking oil

. 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (quick oats)

. 1/3 cup raisins

. 2 cups buttermilk (or plain yogurt)

. 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

. 1/2 tsp baking soda

. 2 pinches freshly-grated nutmeg

. 1/2 tsp baking powder

. 2 pinches ground cinnamon

. 1/2 tsp sea salt


ALSO READ-Squid ghee roast : A must try delightful seafood delicacy

Categories
Food Lite Blogs

Cream mixed with rich cashews, the best ever Afghani Chicken

Ingredients

For the 1st Marination

  1. Chicken -800gms
  2. Ginger Garlic paste-2tbsp
  3. Lemon-1tbsp
  4. Salt-1tbsp

Ingredients

For the second Marination

1.cashews-10

2.coriander leaves-1 up

3.mint leaves-1/2cup

4.onion-1(chopped)

5.green chillies- 6

Other ingredients

1.fresh cream-1cup

2.curd-1cup

3.garam masala-1tsp

4.chat masala-1tsp

5.pepper powder -1tsp

6.kasoori methi-1tsp

7.cardamom-4

8.cloves-4

9.cinnamonsticks-1

10.butter-2tbsp

11.oil-2tbsp

Method

  1. In a bowl add in the ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, salt and washed and drained chicken. Mix everything well and keep it to marinate for half an hour .
  2. In a mixer grinder add in the coriander leaves ,mint leaves cashews ,green chillies ,onion. Grind this to a paste and transfer this to a bowl. In this mixture add curd, fresh cream, chat masala, kasoori methi, garam masala, pepper powder. Mix everything well.
  1. Now add the chicken Marination to the grinded mixture. Combine everything nicely add salt accordingly . Marinate it for half an hour.
  2. Heat a grill pan apply  2tbsp of butter on it . Grill the chicken pieces alone, reserve the extra marinade aside ,fry the chicken on both sides for 8to10mnts until browned an keep it aside.
  3. Heat another pan on medium low flame add the butter an oil. Add the cloves , cardamom, cinnamon sticks. Saute for a minute. Add the resumed gravy and grilled chicken in it an mix everything.
  4. Add half a cup of hot water to it. Adjust the salt if needed. Close and cook it for 7 to 8minutes on low medium flame. At last garnish it with coriander leaves.
  5. Serve with roti and naan.

ALSO READ-Healthy and easy recipes to cook at home

Categories
Food Lite Blogs

Nutella crunchies:  A classy recipe for cookie lovers

INGREDIENTS

  1. Brown Sugar – 1 cup
  2. Butter- ½ cup
  3. Powdered Sugar – ¼ cup
  4. Milk – 2 tbsp
  5. Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp
  6. All Purpose Flour – 1 ½ cup
  7. Baking Soda – ½ tsp
  8. Nutella – 6 tbsp [ for filling]

For topping

  1. Dark Chocolate – 1 cup

METHOD

  1.  In a sheet of baking paper, start  scooping out a tablespoon of Nutella and drop it on the baking paper.
  2. Try to use the Nutella that’s been in the fridge or else it will be too runny.
  3. Keep this in the fridge for atleast 30 mins so that it will be easy to handle.
  4. In a mixing bowl, add butter, brown sugar, caster sugar, milk and vanilla essence.
  5.  Mix everything together with a whisk until well combined.
  6. Add in your dry ingredients, flour and baking soda and bring the dough together.
  7. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 mins.
  8. Take a scoop full of cookie dough and flatten it out, then take a tablespoon of frozen Nutella and keep it in the centre of the cookie dough and wrap it up.
  9. Shape the cookie and flatten it.
  10. Keep  the cookies on the baking tray and bake it for 15 min until golden brown

Method for the topping

  1. Make the glaze by melting the dark chocolate. Pour it on the cookies.
  2. Keep it in the fridge to set.

    Voila! Your cookies are ready.

ALSO READ-Delectable and refreshing recipes for summer

Categories
Food Lite Blogs Recipes

Delectable and refreshing recipes for summer

A perfect summer meal should consist of ingredients that boost up energy levels and keep you “full” throughout the day…writes N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe

Amid the season of beaches, watermelons, sunglasses and long days overshadowed by the sweltering heat, we tend to constantly seek cold treats and snack to hydrate our body. This has its own demerits, when you crave for something cool you go for an ice lolly instead of a glass of fresh juice. Hence, it’s time to make nutritious and smart choices when it comes to preparing our favourite summer delights. It’s time to indulge in eating right and eating fresh.

A perfect summer meal should consist of ingredients that boost up energy levels and keep you “full” throughout the day.

Here are some power-packed recipes prepared from Saffola Oats shared by celebrity chef Kunal Kapur that are absolutely delectable and refreshing to consume during the summer heat:

Oats Mango Smoothie

Serves – 2

Cooking time – 3 mins

Prep time – 3 mins

Ingredients

1 Cup Mango pulp

Oats 1/2 cup

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon chia seeds

Method

* Soak oats in 1 cup of milk, refrigerate it overnight for 5-6 hours

* Now make the smoothie, add soaked oats in the blender. Add Mango pulp, and milk, blend it to a smooth consistency

* Pour mango smoothie into a serving glass, top it with mango cubes and chia seeds and honey

Summer Oats Beverage (Vegan)

Serves – 1

Cooking Time – 2 mins

Prep time – 2 mins

Ingredients

Oats 2 tbsp

Cold Water 1 1/2 cup

Mint, Chopped 1 tbsp

Coriander, Chopped 1 tbsp

Roasted Jeera, Crushed 1/2 tsp

Black Salt 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Method

* Blend together the oats with water to make oats milk

* Add the rest of the ingredient to balance the flavours and seasoning and serve cold

Oats Thayir Sadam (Oats Curd)

Serves – 2

Cooking Time – 6 mins

Prep time – 5 mins

Ingredients

Oats 1 cup

Yoghurt 1 1/2 cup

Ginger, Chopped 1 tsp

Garlic, Chopped 1 tsp

Green Chillies, Chopped 1/2 tsp

Red chilli whole 1 pc

Mustard Seeds 1 tsp

Chana Dal 1 tsp

Coconut Oil 1 tsp

Pomegranate 1/2 cup

Coriander, Chopped 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Pepper, freshly ground to taste

Method

* Wash excess starch from oats. Whisk the yoghurt and put the oats in the yoghurt to soak and thicken

* In a pan, heat the coconut oil and allow it to smoke. Once smoked, reduce the heat and add in the chana dal, as it begins to get a reddish tone, add in the red chilli and cook for another 30 sec. Add in the mustard seeds and as it begins to pop add in the chopped ginger, garlic and green chilli

* Once it begins to become aromatic, turn off the heat, allow to cook for 1 minute and add the soaked yoghurt and oats in the pan

* Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped coriander and pomegranates and serve at room temperature

ALSO READ-Good food for good health

Categories
Food Lite Blogs Recipes

Let’s make it bit more sweeter

This year, Myprotein India encourages everyone to have some lighter moments as they workout and immerse themselves in the colourful festivity as pleasing the mind with an eventful celebration to celebrate festivals.

S’mores Cupcakes

Ingredients:

100g plain flour

75g caster sugar

30gVegan Protein Blend

7.5g apple cider vinegar

1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda

35ml oil

150ml dairy-free milk

12 vegan marshmallows

Method:

Mix together the flour, protein powder, bicarbonate of soda and sugar.

Mix in the milk, oil and apple cider vinegar.

Pour the mixture into 6 cupcake cases.

Put a marshmallow in the centre of each cupcake.

Bake at 180 degrees for 20 mins.

Leave to cool and top with a marshmallow.

High Protein Yoghurt Toast

Ingredients:

2 slices whole wheat bread, or your preferred bread

2 medium sized egg whites

50g Greek yogurt

10g protein powder

Few drops of flavdrops

Method:

Press bread using your fingers to form a depression square.

Mix the filling: yogurt, egg whites, protein powder, flavdrops.

Pour into the depression of the bread.

Top with fruits, I used strawberries.

Bake at 175eC for 15 mins. Alternatively, you can use an airfryer.

Serve with sugar free syrup and/or powdered sugar.

Chocolate Brownie Pudding

Ingredients:

oats

cocoa powder

1 scoop whey chocolate brownie

chia seeds

milk

custard

choco chips

Method:

Mix the oats, hot chocolate powder, whey, milk & chia seeds and keep it in the fridge.

Keep the custard in the fridge separately.

Mix all ingredients.

Cinnamon French Toast

Ingredients:

6x slices bread (without crusts)?

20g whey protein powder?

50g Greek yoghurt?

1x small egg?

30ml milk?

Vanilla Flavdrops?

1x tsp Cinnamon?

1x tsp sugar?

Sugar free golden syrup?

Method:

Roll each slice of bread flat with a rolling pin. Carefully cut off crusts

In a bowl, combine the Greek yoghurt and protein powder. Spread onto each bread slice, and roll up.

In a bowl, combine eggs, milk and vanilla flavour drops.

In another bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon and put to the side.

Dip each roll-up in the egg mixture, and pan fry in a skillet until all sides are golden brown.

Remove from the skillet and dip into the cinnamon sugar, and roll until completely covered.

Top with your syrup?

Protein Lava Cake

Ingredients :

45g Oat Flour

45g Chocolate brownie Impact Whey Protein

22g Cocoa Powder

2 Tbs Sweetener

20g Coconut Oil

62ml Almond Milk

1 Egg

20g Biscoff Spread

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C and prepare 2 ramekins or single cake tins.

Sieve oat flour, protein, sweetener and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Add coconut oil, almond milk and egg to the bowl and mix to combine.

Add half your batter to your prepared ramekins, dollop 10g of Biscoff into each ramekin and top with remaining batter.

Place in the oven for 10-12 minutes, remove and enjoy warm.

Protein Cheesecake

Ingredients:

40gVanilla Impact Whey protein

8-10 dropVanilla Flavdrops

220g hung curd (made with low fat dahi)

1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk

40ml slim milk

1/4 tsp lime zest

Method:

Mix all the wet ingredients and add the whey protein

Thoroughly combine so that there are no lumps

Line a muffin tray and divide the batter into equal parts (this recipe makes 4 servings)

Bake in a preheated oven at 180eC for 15 minutes. Turn down the temperature to 150e and bake for another 5 minutes

Cool outside the oven for 20 minutes and refrigerate for 4+ hours before enjoying chilled

*For a biscuit base, place cookie/biscuit of choice at the bottom of the liner before adding the cheesecake batter*

Protein Biscoff Donuts

Ingredients:

Donuts:

50g Flour

30g Vanilla Impact Whey Protein

2 Tbs Sweetener

3g Baking Powder

2g BiCarb Soda

150g Low Fat Greek Yoghurt

1 Egg White (approx 40g)

5ml Vanilla Essence

Filling:

90g Biscoff

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C and prep a patty tin (or dome dessert mould).

Sieve flour, protein powder, sweetener, baking powder and bicarb into a mixing bowl and whisk to avoid clumping.

Add yoghurt, egg white and vanilla essence and stir to create your dough. (You can also add any flavdrops here if you want to!)

Spoon mixture equally into 6 domes and place in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until cooked, then remove to cool.

While donuts are cooling, take the jar of Biscoff out of the cupboard and have a mental battle with yourself because you just want to eat it out of the jar.

Once doughnuts have cooled and you’ve had your battles, cut into your donut with a knife to create a pocket, then pipe (or spoon) biscoff into the middle of your donut.

Take a step back, realise you’ve just made a few lil beauties and then just annihilate each and every one, because they’re low calories.

ALSO READ-Start off this Diwali with homemade delicacy of Naan Khatai

Categories
Food Lite Blogs

Let’s make some paneer & pear fritters

This snack is yummy and less time consuming and can be eaten as an afternoon snack. Perfect definition of healthy and delicious. I’m sure your kids and your loved ones would love this snack. Pear as a fun fruit makes the dish very unique and our paneer adds richness to it. Apart from being all this, it acts as a healthy vegan snack and can be made instead of traditional chicken cutlets/fritters. You can enjoy this with tea and a little ketchup, without further-a-do let’s look into our recipe. Pear and paneer fritters

INGREDIENTS

  1. Paneer-250gms
  2. Grated peer- 1 medium sized grated (squeeze the juice out)
  3. Potatoes (boiled and mashed)- 1 medium sized
  4. Onion chopped-1
  5. Ginger garlic paste- 1tsp
  6. Turmeric powder-1/4tsp
  7. Cumin powder-1/4tsp
  8. Red chilli powder-1tsp
  9. Chat masala-1/2tsp

10. pepper powder-1/2tsp

11. Salt to taste

12. Bread crumbs- 1/2cup

13.Oil- for frying

METHOD

  1. Heat 2tsp of oil in a pan on a low medium flame add the onions saute till it is translucent.
  2. Add the ginger garlic paste and green chillies saute till the raw smell goes.
  3. In low medium flame and the masalas. Turmeric powder, chilli powder, chat masala powder, pepper powder, cumin powder. Saute for a minute
  4. Add the mashed potatoes and mix everything well. Switch of the flame.
  5. Add the grated paneer and pear and salt to taste mix everything well.
  6. Make round shape balls and flatten it.
  7. Roll it in bread crumbs and keep it aside.
  8. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the fritters until golden brown both the sides.

ALSO READ-Minty Black Chickpea Salad: A perfect recipe to boost heart health

Categories
Food Lite Blogs Recipes

Healthy recipes for worthy lifestyle

Luke Coutinho, Co-founder of You Care Lifestyle shares some healthy recipes.

Puran Poli


Puran Poli is a flat roti stuffed with sweet lentil filling made from split Bengal gram/chana dal and organic jaggery. In Marathi, this sweet filling is called puran and the roti is called poli.

Ingredients:

For Puran:

1 cup organic jaggery (250ml) – 1 cup chana dal (skinned split Bengal gram soaked for 12 14 hours with water being changed every 6-7 hours) -3 cups water to pressure cook the chana Dal -2 tsp ghee (A2 organic ghee)

1 tsp cardamom powder

1 tsp fennel powder – 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder

For the Poli(roti):

1.5 cups organic khapali wheat 4 tbsp ghee (A2 organic ghee)

1/2 tsp pink salt

1/4 tsp organic turmeric

Water as required to knead the dough.

Method to make the Puran:

Rinse the soaked chana dal, in a pressure cooker

Preparing the poli(roti):

– Take a medium-sized ball from the dough prepared to roll it to 3 inches in circumference on the rolling board.

– Place the Puran mixture in the center.

– Bring the edges together and join all the edges. 4. Sprinkle some flour and start rolling the dough till a medium-size poli is made.

– On a heated griddle, spread some ghee and place the poli.

– When the inner side gets brown flip it over and apply ghee.

– If everything is done well the Puran poli will puff and brown spots will appear.

– Serve hot with a topping off ghee on top.

Notes: Soaking of chana dal for 12- 14 hours releases the phytic acid and they become more easily digestible.

– Soaking helps in faster cooking of the chana daltoo and hence making it softer and easily digestible.

– Cardamom resolves digestive issues.

– Nutmeg boosts immunity and fennel powder hasanti-inflammatory properties.

– Organic jaggery is loaded with antioxidants andminerals.

– Puran Poli is loaded with iron, calcium and is acereal pulse combination which makes it acomplete protein.

– Khapali wheat is rich in complex carbs, fiber, trace minerals, and amino acids.

Alu Vadi

Pelting Mumbai rains call for the most comforting tea-time snack -Alu Vadi is a perfect tea- time match.

Equipment

Steamer

Sharp knife

Ingredients:

6 large fresh colocasia leaves arvi/arbi/taro leaves

200 g chickpea flour besan

50 g rice flour

50 g sattu flour

2 tsp ground cinna

1 tsp immunity powder

2 tsp ground Ceylon/Srilankan cinnamon

1/4 tsp Ajwain

1 tsp ground fennel seeds

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 inch ginger peeled and grated

2 green chillies optional

5 tbsp fresh tamarind pulp

100 g jaggery powder

500 ml water

For the tempering

For the tadka:

1 tbsp cold pressed coconut oil or unrefined mustard oil

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tsp asafoetida

2 tbsp sesame seeds

10-12 curry leaves

2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves to garnish.

Instructions:

To prepare the Colocasia leaves:


– Begin by wiping the colocasia leaves.

– Clean with a damp kitchen towel.

– Clean both sides thoroughly.

– Use a sharp knife to laterally trim the thick spine that runs down the leaf.

– Simply run the knife across the stalk to flatten it so it feels flat to the touch.

– Continue this process for all of the veins that branch out from the centre.

– Repeat the trimming for all the leaves.

To make the batter:


– In a large bowl, combine the chickpea flour, rice flour,sattu flour, ground cinnamon, immunity powder, ajwain,ground fennel seeds, ground cumin seeds, chilli powder, and salt.

– Whisk to combine.

– Add the grated ginger, green chilli paste, tamarind and jaggery powder.

– Slowly add the water, whisking all the time to ensure a smooth paste is formed without lumps.

– Continue whisking for 5 minutes until the paste is smooth.

– Set aside for 15 minutes.

To assemble the Alu Vadi-

– Organise the colocasia leaves by size.

– The assembly process will begin with the largest leaves to the smallest leaf.

– Take the largest colocasia leaf and lay it (dull side up) out on a clean, flat surface.

– Top with a large spoonful of batter.

– Use a rubber spatula, or your hands to spread the batter over the leaf.

– Take the second largest leaf and place it dull side-up in the opposite direction to the first leaf.

– It should look like a butterfly, the four corners resembling wings.

– Repeat the spreading process so that the second leaf is covered and place the next leaf in the opposite direction once again.

– Once all the five leaves are stacked, cover it finally with more batter.

– Fold one side of the leaves down to the center.

– Repeat for the other side so the leaves meet in the middle.

– It should form a rectangle.

– Cover with more batter.

– Starting from the short side, begin to form a tight roll.

– Ensure the roll is as tight as it can be without the batter squeezing out or the leaves breaking.

– Rub any remaining batter on the outside of the log to stick down any loose ends.

To steam the Alu Vadi:

– Heat up water and place the pot in a cooker.

– Grease a dish with a few drops of oil and place it in the pot.

– Place the rolls on the dish with the sealed side facing down.

– Close the lid and steam on medium heat for 15 minutes.

– Let it cool down and cut the roll into in wide pieces.

To finish the Alu Vadi:

– Slice the cooled Alu Vadi into 1/2cm pieces using a sharp knife.

– If you prefer a lighter snack, you can eat them steamed too.

For the tampering:

– Heat the oil in a pan.

– Add the mustard seeds once they crackle, add asafoetida, sesame seeds and curry leaves.

– Arrange the Alu vadi slices in the pan and cook on both sides until golden brown and crispy all over.

– Remove from the pan and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

– Serve warm or at room temperature with masala chai.

Important Note:

– Do not consume taro leaves as a raw vegetable or in their raw state.

– They should be soaked first in clean water and then cooked for at least 30 minutes.

ALSO READ-Ways to practice intermittent fasting

Categories
Food Lite Blogs

Tasty and healthy recipes to cook fast

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and dietician Sonia Sinha of Fitfoodyin come to the rescue and share five tasty and healthy recipes that can be prepared in the nick of time…reports N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe

Working from the office alongside your colleagues and friend has resumed. While most of us secretly wished for offices to open, going back to the office routine still feels hard. The two most challenging issues in the office routine are waking up early and preparing a healthy breakfast. A meal that does not consume much time and is easy to prepare so you can reach the office on time.

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, a firm believer in healthy eating, said, “Most of us took a step towards a healthy lifestyle during the pandemic and the travel time that we saved every day, helped. But now offices have opened, this means leaving office in a hurry. But don’t break the momentum of eating healthy. Remember that it is important to add lots of vegetables and fruits to your eating habits for a healthy, balanced diet. Don’t forget that raw vegetables and fruits may be laden with pesticides and germs as they travel places before reaching you. Hence, it is crucial to thoroughly clean your vegetables with a natural action vegetable cleaner like Nimwash before consuming them.

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and dietician Sonia Sinha of Fitfoodyin come to the rescue and share five tasty and healthy recipes that can be prepared in the nick of time.

Broccoli Toast

Heat sufficient water in a non-stick pan and add sweet potatoes to cook till they are done. Trim the edges of the bread slices and halve them. Heat another non-stick pan to place bread halves in it and drizzle a little olive oil to make them golden and crisp. Mash sweet potatoes. Remove pan from heat, add salt, butter, cream, and red chilli powder, and mix well. Remove the toasted bread pieces from the pan and place them on a plate. Heat orange juice in the same non-stick pan. Add salt and crushed peppercorns, mix well and let it reduce. Add broccoli, mix well and cook till the broccoli turns a little soft. Transfer into a bowl and let it cool slightly. Spread some mashed sweet potato mixture on each toasted bread half. Place some broccoli over the sweet potato and serve immediately.

Oatmeal and Mushroom Breakfast Stir Fry

Dry roast oats in a non-stick pan till light golden. Remove from heat and set aside. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in another non-stick pan. Add the garlic and saute till golden. Add the onion and saute till translucent. Add the button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, salt, crushed peppercorns and torn thyme sprigs, mix and cook on high heat for two to three minutes. Add three cups of water, mix and bring to a boil. Add the roasted oats and stir continuously till it is cooked. Add the spinach, mix well and remove from heat. Heat some olive oil in another non-stick pan. Break in an egg, sprinkle some salt and crushed peppercorns and cook till golden from the underside. Similarly, prepare with remaining eggs. Put some oats-spinach mixture on individual serving platters, place one fried egg on top and serve hot.

Dietician Sonia Sinha of Fitfoody.in said, “As most of my clients are working, I share a list of easy to make healthy recipes that are balanced and do not take too much time to prepare, so they don’t feel burdened in the morning. I also advise my clients to plan their meals a day before so they have all the ingredients in place. If they have limited time, I suggest they wash the vegetables with a herbal cleaner like Nimwash before chopping and storing them. Remember, only selected vegetables can be chopped and stored a night before, so choose wisely.” Dietician Sonia Sinha shares the following balanced meal recipes to make the morning routine easier.

Palak Mushroom Sandwich

Add 1tbsp of chopped ginger, garlic and green chilly in 1/2 tsp oil. Add onion, mushrooms and boiled spinach and stir fry till the mixture is dry. You can put some herbs or masala of your choice and add a little paneer or low-fat cheese to the mix. Stuff it in toasted bread, and your sandwich is ready.

Palak Paneer Rolled Oats

Add some chopped garlic, ginger, green chillies and onion in 1tsp oil. Put some carrots, beans and 1tbsp peas. Add the rolled oats and stir fry. Put the chopped or steamed spinach (with water) and paneer cubes in the mixture. Add some water if required and stir. Put some salt, pepper or mix herbs as per your taste. If you want to add more protein, break one egg on top and sprinkle salt on the egg. Cover the lid and cook for 2-3 mins. A fit and yummy Oats recipe are ready.

Besan Chilla

A perfectly balanced meal that takes no time to make is Besan chilla stuffed with sauteed veggies. Make a thin batter of besan and curd, add black pepper and salt according to taste and make a thin chilla (like dosa). Now, chop your favourite vegetables like capsicum, bell pepper, carrot, tomatoes, beetroot etc. and saute. Once the besan chilla is crisp, stuff it with the sauteed vegetables and serve with green chutney.”

ALSO READ-Have some healthy vegetarian options for Eid

Categories
Food Lite Blogs Recipes

Yummy recipes for festive season

Easter is a time for joy and celebration. Easter is celebrated with equal zeal and enthusiasm all over the world. We enjoy the festivities as we do at all other festivals. No Easter is complete without a lavish meal shared with friends and family. While many restaurants have special Easter menus, staying in and cooking a meal at home together is a great way to spend Easter.

Here are some fun recipes from Voltas Beko that you can make using simple ingredients and appliances for some yummy dishes:

BANANA MUG CAKE FOR BREAKFAST

Duration: 10min

Serves: 1-2 people

Ingredients:

* 1 gm banana

* 2 tablespoon milk

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

* 1 Pinch baking soda

* 2 tablespoon brown sugar

* 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

* 5 tablespoon all-purpose flour

* 1 Pinch salt

Garnishing:

* Chopped coriander leaves as required

* 1 cheese cubes

Steps:

* Put the peeled ripped banana in a bowl and mash it well using a fork.

* Once mashed, transfer it to a microwaveable cup.

* Add sugar, milk, vanilla essence and oil to the cup. Combine them well with the mashed banana.

* Now add flour, baking soda and salt.

* Whisky well till there are no lumps and you have a thick and smooth mixture.

* Slide the cup in the Voltas Beko microwave oven and let it cook for 2 minutes.

* Once done, garnish with banana slices and serve.


FRITTATA IN A MUG FOR A RELAXED AFTERNOON

Duration: 25 mins

Serves: 1-2 people

Ingredients:

* 2 egg

* 1 tablespoon chopped tomato

* 1 tablespoon coriander leaves

* 1/2 teaspoon oregano

* salt as required

* 1 tablespoon chopped capsicum (green pepper)

* 1 tablespoon black olives

* 1 cheese cubes

* 1/4 teaspoon powdered black pepper

* 1 teaspoon butter

Steps:

* Prepare the microwave-safe mug and brush with melted butter.

* Crack 2 eggs in that mug, and salt and black pepper to taste.

* Whisk it with the help of a fork.

* Add chopped vegetables and stir well until everything combines

* Lastly, add shredded cheese and stir once last time.

* Now, cook it in the Voltas Beko Microwave oven for about 1 minute and 50 seconds.

* Garnish with coriander leaves, oregano and serve.

EASTER CHOCOLATE FUDGE TO CLOSE THE DEAL

Duration: 1hr 5 mins

Serves: 24 pieces

Ingredients:

* 397 grams condensed milk

* 400 grams milk chocolate broken into pieces

* 25 grams butter

* 100 grams icing sugar

* 90 grams Cadbury’s mini eggs roughly chopped

* 90 grams Smarties eggs roughly chopped

Steps:

* Preheat the Voltas Beko microwave oven to 180o C

* Line a tin (20 cm square tin) with grease proof paper and place to one side.

* Place the condensed milk, chocolate and butter into a microwave safe bowl and place in the microwave for 3 x 30 second intervals, stirring the mix well each time.

* Continue to melt the mix in the microwave at 10 second intervals until the mix has completely melted and is smooth. (This should only take another 30 seconds).

* Sieve half of the icing sugar into the bowl and mix thoroughly with an electric whisk.

* Add the second half of the icing sugar (again sieved) along with 2/3rds of the Cadbury mini eggs and Smarties eggs.

* Tip/pour the fudge into the lined tin and gently push to the sides making it as smooth on top as possible.

* Sprinkle the surface with the remaining Cadbury mini eggs and Smarties eggs.

* Chill in the Voltas Beko refrigerator with StoreFresh for at least 1 hour until set.

* Cut it into squares before serving

ALSO READ-Nutrient-dense foods to boost health

Categories
Food Lite Blogs Recipes

Coconut cookies: Perfect recipe for coconut lovers

If you’re a coconut fan, then look no further than these Eggless coconut cookies. Made with a handful of simple ingredients, these crispy, and delicious egg-free coconut cookies will hit the spot. They’re the perfect grab-n-go kind of cookies that are super easy to make and taste incredible. These cookies are chewy from the outside with a soft cake-like texture from within. They are just sweet and not overly sweet.

It can be ideal as an evening snack and can be eaten with a cup of tea or a filter. cookie recipes are not popular in Indian cuisine and have been imported from foreign recipes. but since the introduction of cookie recipes in India, it has become a huge hit. One such hugely popular cookie recipe is the coconut cookies recipe or biscuit recipe ideal for all occasions. I personally love a crunchy afternoon snack. So, without further ado let’s look into the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

  1. Unsalted butter -50gms (room temperature)
  2. All-purpose flour-1cup
  3. Desiccated coconut- 3/4cup
  4. Baking powder-1/2tsp
  5. Milk- 2 and 1/2tbsp
  6. Salt-a pinch
  7. Vanilla essence-1/2tsp
  8. Sugar-1/2cup
  9. Desiccated coconut-for garnish

Method

  1. Preheat the oven at 170degree to 10mnts.
  2. In a large bowl Swift, the dry ingredients all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Keep aside.
  3. Take another bowl add the butter and beat it with a whisk for a minute.
  4. Add the powdered sugar whisk them until creamy and smooth
  5. Add the vanilla essence and the desiccated coconut- mix well
  6. Now add the dry ingredients- all-purpose flour salt and baking powder. Mix everything using your hand gently. don’t put too much pressure.
  1. Add milk occasionally and knead it into a dough as needed. if the dough looks very softcover, it and keep it in the fridge for 15mnts.
  2. Line a baking tray with butter paper. Pinch a ball sized dough make round shaped balls and flatten it between your palms to give it a shape.
  3. Dip each cookie in the desiccated coconut so that it gets well coated on both sides.
  4. Place them on the baking tray giving good space in between. Bake them at 170degree for 15 to 20mnts until light golden in colour.
  5. Remove the cookies and keep them cool. The cookies will be soft at this time. Let it come to room temperature. After cooling store, them in an airtight container and enjoy your cookies.

ALSO READ-Minty Black Chickpea Salad: A perfect recipe to boost heart health