Dhaniya Chicken

You can't beat the aroma of dhania or coriander leaves in the winters :)
So here's a recipe that you can enjoy for dinner.

Its healthy and is low on calories.

Ingredients:

700gms Chicken
3tsp garlic paste
3tsp ginger paste
1cup sliced onions
1/2 cup curd
4tsp kasoori meethi
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
3 tsp chicken masala
salt to taste

Method:

1. Marinate chicken with ginger, garlic paste, curd and salt and keep for about 2 hours

2. Heat about 2tsp of oil in a non stick pan and fry the onions

3. After the onions turn golden brown, add chopped tomatoes and fry them

4. Add the marinated chicken
5. Also add the kasoori meethi,salt and chicken powder and fry till oil starts separating from the masala

6. Add about 1 cup of water and let the chicken cook in the gravy

7.  Add chopped coriander leaves and garnish

Mixed Raita

The best accompaniment to any meal is a nice preparation of raita. It is one meal which not only quick and healthy, but never fails to impress you.

Just chop some vegetables and whisk with yoghurt. Your healthy and spicy raita is ready to serve.

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced cucumber
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup sliced tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped coriander
2 cups whisked yoghurt
3 tsp chaat masala
2tsp pepper powde
3 tsp black salt
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Whish yoghurt and keep aside

2. Add the chopped vegetables to the whisked yoghurt

3. Add chaat masala, pepper powder, black salt and salt to the mixture

4. Add chopped coriander

The raita is now ready to serve.

You can also grate the cucumber before adding to the yoghurt. However, I prefer my raita crunchy.

Winter is here - keep your body ready !!

It is that time of the year again when hot steaming cups of coffee and a nice warm blanket looks very inviting. Yes, its winter again. Though we all love the respite from the hot and sultry weather, winter brings along a scurry of health problems along with it.

Its a time when half the population around you is coughing or sneezing. Infections spread easily and can throw your health completely out of gear.

So, here are some simple tips for staying healthy. If incorporated in our daily regime, it can go a long way in a healthy and happy winter season.

1. Include more fruits and green leafy vegetables in your diet: Winter brings along a variety of fruits and vegetables. Be innovative and include them in your daily diet. Fruits rich in Vitamin C are a must, especially oranges.

2. Drink more water: We invariably tend to decrease our water intake during winetrs as compared to the summer months. Make sure to drink atleast 6-7 glasses of water daily.

3. Gargle every morning with warm water: This is absolutely essential given the fact that people catch a cold very fast this season. So gargling with salt water every morning is just a precaution to flush out any anti bodies that might have accumulated in your system

4. Keep yourself warm: Well, this you can do in style ;) try lovely winter jackets and sweaters. Bring out those lovely stoles and keep yourself warm. This will prevent you from catching a cold

5. Replace those coffee cravings with healthier green tea: While we understand the constant urge to sip on hot coffee, it is great if you could keep the temptation away and try green tea. Put in a piece of ginger while boiling and the heavenly flavour will beat your craving your coffee. Read up on the benefits of geen tea and you will be satisfies you made the choice of sipping on green tea instaed of coffee. There can be a separate post itself on the benefits of ginger green tea :P

6. Sip on anything warm to keep your system warm and happy: This is the season of soups and stews. Go into the kitchen and innovate and you might surprise yourself with the variety that you can come up with in terms of soups and stews.

7. Exercise: Be it summers, winters or the spring, exercise never lets you down. So continue your regular regime. Though it gets a little difficult to leave home during winters as you feel lethargic, don't miss out on going for a walk in the lovely afternoon sun. Those will be memories to keep all your life

8. Eat Healthy: Like exercise, this is one habit you must never dump. Winters are usually the season when we tend to indulge our taste buds but go slow on yor diet. Healthy food can be tasty too. Try cooking up healthier versions of your favourite food. A healthy diet will keep you happy, both inside and out

9. Follow basic hygiene: With people sneezing and coughing all around you, it sometimes becomes very difficult to keep infections at bay even with the best possible precautions that you take. Therefore, it is important to wash your hands regularly with a medicated handwash. Never forget to carry your hand sanitizer wherever you go. It comes in especially handy when you are outdoors meeting people.

Pasta - quick chinese style recipe

Who doesn't love a hearty plate of pasta. Yet we avoid it because of the sauces that come with it. White sauce and red sauce come loaded in calories and are high in cholesterol levels thanks to the butter and cream used.

So here is a healthy yet yummy option for pasta which can be easily cooked at home. The best part is you can put in all your favourite veggies or egg, chicken and mushroom and make your own version of this !

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups boiled pasta
2. 2 large onion
3. Spring onions
4. 2 springs of lemon grass
5. 4 cloves of garlic finely sliced
6. I cup slices vegetables like carrots, beans, bell pepper
7. Green chillies
8. 1 tsp soya sauce
9. 3tsp tomato sauce
10. 1 tsp black pepper sauce
11. Herbs like oregano if available
12. Black pepper

Method:

1. Take about 1tsp oil in a non stick frying pan
2. Fry the garlic, onion, spring onions, lemon grass and bell peppers
3. Once the onion starts going brown, add the chopped vegetables and stir fry
4. If you are using meat or egg, add them now
5. Add the sauces and let the veggies/meat cook with the sauces
6. Once it is cooked, add the pasta, oregano or other herbs, salt and mix well
7. Add green chillies and black pepper if you want. You may also add coriander for that extra flavour

Heart healthy Oats cheela

Oats is a wonder food. It has numerous health benefits and nutritionists swear by it. Rich in dietary fibre, it has great cholesterol lowering properties. It helps in lowering LDL cholesterol levels and keeps blood pressure in control. It is a boon for people looking to lose weight as it is low in calories.

Oats is one of the most adaotable ingredients and can be used in various forms in cooking. Therefore, with a little bit of imagination, one can easily come up with a delicious yet healthy recipe.

Here, I have listed a simple and quick recipe which promises to be healthy and yummy. It can also be regarded as a vegetarian omlette.

Oats cheela

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup dry roasted oats
2. 1/2 cup besan
3. 1 small onion
4. 1 small tomatoes
5. Chopped coriander
6. 3 cloves of garlic
7. Salt to taste
8. 1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Method:

1. Mix the dry roasted oats and the besan with water to make a batter
2. Add the chopped onion, tomato and coriander with the batter
3. Add red chilli paste, salt, garlic etc and mix well
4. Heat about 1/2tsp of oil in a non stick pan. Once heated, pour some batter on the pan and make it circular in shape as in a omlette
5. Once one side appears golden yellow, flip it and cook well

Sprinkle some chat masala and the cheela is ready to be served.

Use of a non stick pan is recommended as it greatly reduces the use of oil in this recipe and the batter doesnt stick to the pan.

Serve it with ketchup or green chutney and a healthy, tasty breakfast option is ready in minutes.

Please do drop in your feedback.

Health benefits of Garlic

Garlic is an essential part of Indian curries. Because of its strong pungent flavour, it is highly preferred to add the extra twist to dishes. However it has great  medicinal properties as well especially for the heart.

Garlic contains anicillin which has great anti bacterial and anti viral properties.

It reduces blood pressure and helps to keep it in check.

It reduces LDL cholesterol levels and keeps cholesterol levels in check

Apart from all this it has very high anti cancer properties.

So it is advisable to include garlic in your daily diet.

Healthy snacking II - Masala Muri or jhaalmuri

Here is the 2nd option in our healthy snacking series.

Healthy snacking is one thing we all look out for in between meals be it at home or at office. As advised by doctors, it is healthier to eat smaller portions of food in regular intervals. However, many a times at office or on the go, we often settle in for unhealthier options as they are more easily available.

A little creative thinking can help us eat healthy while also satisfying out hungrr pangs. The best part is you dont really have to compromise on taste.

So, we bring to you the recipe od masala muri or jhalmuri as it is popularly called in the East.

You just have to put all the ingredients together and add a dash of lemon. Your tasty snack is ready.

2 cups puffed rice or murmura
1 medium onion
1 cucumber
1 tomato
1 cup of mixed sprouts
2 tsp of lime juice
2 tsp chaat masala

Put all the ingredients together and mix well.

While the street side vendor puts in a lot of oil and fried stuff ( like bhujia or chanachur), we have added a healthy yet easy twist by adding sprouts and bringing in spice by adding lime juice.

Bengali recipe - Doi maach ( fish in yoghurt sauce )

This is primarily a bengali recipe but if cooked the right way, it turns out be very healthy.

Fish, as we all are aware, are loaded with omega 3 fatty acids which is considered to be great for heart health. Because if its healthy fat content, it is also a favourite amongst the people who are on a diet.

Yoghurt is also considered to be healthy and aids in digestion as it is rich in probiotics.

The best part is that it is cooked in minutes.

Ingredients :
1. Rohu fish or any fresh water fish
2. 1 onion ( sliced )
3. Yoghurt (about one cup)
4. Turmeric powder
5. Red chilli powder
6. Coriander powder
7. Cumin powder
8. Coriander
9. Green chilies
10.  Garlic paste
11. Aniseed (a pinch for tempering)

Method :
1. Marinate the fish with a lil turmeric powder and salt
2. In about 1 tsp of oil, lightly grill the fish pieces and keep aside
3. In a non stick wok, heat about 1/2 tsp of oil, add aniseeds for tempering.
4. Add onion, garlic paste and lightly fry it till it turns brown
5. In the yoghurt, add turmeric powder, cumin powder, chilli powder and coriander powder and mix well
6. Add the yoghurt paste to the wok
7. Put the fish pieces in the yoghurt paste
8. Add water as per your requirement in the paste if you want more gravy
9. Add salt as required
10. Cook for about 7-8 mins
Garnish with coriander

Smart snacking series I - Sprouts salad

Snack time is often the time when  we are  tempted to binge  on unhealthy  stuff.

Whether you are at your  work desk  or at home chatting with  friends or   catching up with the latest book , you often look for the perfect snack to give you company .

Remembering to eat healthy even when giving in to ur urge to eat is the idea here. Therefore, we bring to you a snack series wherein we will discuss some healthy yet tasty snacking ideas.

Here goes the first one - sprouts salad. Its not just tasty but is loaded with necessary fibres and can be put together very easily. You just need to remember to soak the ingredients overnight.

Ingredients :
1. 1 cup black fram or chana
2. 1 cup whole moong
3. 1 cup matar
4. 1 onion ( sliced )
5.  2 tomatoes ( sliced )
6. 1 cucumber ( sliced )
7.  2tsp chaat masala
8. Green chilies as desired
9. Juice of one lemon

Method :
1. Soak the chana , moong and matar overnight to get  the best results. 
2. Mix all the sprouted pulses  together . 3. Add in the onion , cucumber, tomatoes together
4. Add the lemon juice , salt   and chaat masala
5. Mix well and the sprout salad is ready to serve
6. You can add chopped coriander leaves also for added flavour.

This salad is loaded with proteins , fibres and vitamins . This helps in lowering cholesterol levels too. Its a favourite with people who want to lose weight.

Mango Juice - quick yet yummy !!

Hey there ! The season of mangoes is here !!

Mangoes are not only tasty, they help you to keep your cholesterol levels in check as well.

The high levels of fiber, pectin and vitamin C to lower serum cholesterol levels, specifically low density Lipoprotein (Bad cholesterol) 

For some other interesting health facts about magoes, try this link: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-health-benefits-of-mangos.html
Try this delicious mango Juice recipe to tantalize your taste buds on a sultry summer afternoon.

Ingredients:

Sliced Mangoes - 1 cup
Water 1/2 cup
Sugar / Honey - according to the sweetness of the mangoes

Process

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process 

And, the yummiest mango juice will be ready in seconds !

Eating your breakfast - why is it so important ?

People on the go usually skip breakfast to save precious time in the morning. Some even think that skipping breakfast cuts down your daily calorie intake.
However, research proves that it is the most important meal of the day.

Breakfast as the name suggests is the meal which helps us break our night long fast. Breakfast is the meal which helps us refuel our body to meet all the needs of the present day and therefore, it should be a hearty and healthy meal. Ideally, breakfast time should be within 2 hours of a person's waking up time. 

It kick starts your metabolism for the day: 
It send information to the brain that it needs to start the metabolism process for the day. Therefore, it helps to burn the excess calories A good breakfast provides the necessary carbohydrates to the brain to start functioning and helps us with our concentration levels and makes us stress free.

It helps you to keep a tab on binge eating:
If you do not have a proper breakfast in the morning, chances are that you will feel hungry much earlier in the day as the body need energy to function. There are high chances that you  resort to food which have a high fat content rather than smart snacking.


Having a good meal at the start of the day peps up your day and adds that extra energy that you need at the start of the day. Not eating a proper meal makes you sluggish and has a negative effect on your day.As it helps in the functioning of the brain, it also keeps you in a good moos.

Therefore, one should take special care about a person's breakfast menu. A little imagination can help you to come up with tasty breakfast ideas.

Tomato & Dhaniya ka Shorba (Tomato & Coriander Soup)

This soup makes a healthy dinner.

 Low in calories, the ingredients are loaded with tons of benefits.

Tomatoes are known for its antioxidant properties and play a major role in maintaining cardiovascular health. Coriander is also known to increase HDL Cholesterol in our body which is popularly known as the good cholesterol and is extremely important for a healthy heart.

Ingredients:
4 medium tomatoes
Coriander (about 1 cup)
Garlic (about 2-3 pods)
Cumin seeds
Black pepper
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Cut the tomatoes into 4 halves and pressure cook them for about 10 mins
2. Once cooled, mash the tomatoes properly 
3. Blend together the tomatoes and the coriander to make a smooth paste
4. Strain the mixture to remove tomato skin if any
4. Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds start to crackle, add the tomato & coriander mixture to the pan
5.Add about 1/2 cup of water and cook till it starts boiling
6. Add salt & pepper
7. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot

What exactly is Dietary Fiber ?

We have often come across the word " Fiber " whenever we read an article on heart health or general well being. But do we exactly know why the right kind of fiber is necessary in our daily diet ?

Here, lets take a look at some of the basic facts on fiber :

As we all must have read in our Biology books in school, dietary fiber is mostly known as roughage or bulk. It mainly forms the part of the plant body that human body can not absorb or digest. Hence, it is the "extra" bulk. All other food categories like fats, carbohydrates, proteins are digested by our body but the fiber moves out of our body. Hence, it is essential for our bowel movement.

There are two kinds of fiber: Soluble and insoluble fibers

Soluble fiber dissolves in water to form a gel like material and mainly helps in lowering blood cholesterol. They are mainly found in oats, apples, citrus fruits,peas etc

Insoluble fiber helps in the movement of undigested food through our systems and relieves constipation. It is mainly found in Whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, nuts, beans and vegetables, such as cauliflower, green beans and potatoes.

Apart from ensuring good bowel movement and bowel health, it plays a major role in lowering cholesterol as the bad cholesterol gets dissolved.

 It is also proven that they help lower blood pressure and contributes majorly to maintain a healthy weight as it makes you feel full for a longer time.

So be sure to include lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grain food stuff in your diet.

Coriander Chutney / Dhaniya ki Chutney

For a healthy lifestyle these days, we often avoid oily food.


However, sometimes we miss the extra spice of pickles alongside our main course.However, we cant always give in to our temptations as pickles contain a lot of oil.

So, here is some healthy & quick alternative that will definitely add that extra zing and is no less in taste as compared to pickes.
Coriander Chutney

Things you need: 

1.Coriander leaves - 1 bowl finely chopped
2. Lemon juice - 3tbsp
3. Green chillies - 2
4. Sugar - a pinch
5. Salt - to taste

Process:

1. Grind the coriander & green chillies together
2. To the paste, add the lemon juice, sugar and salt.


Mix well and your spicy chutney is ready to be served.

Coriander not only adds a great flavour to all your dishes, it also has numerous health benefits. It also lowers LDL(bad cholesterol) cholesterol and increases HDL(good cholesterol) cholesterol levels apart from aiding in digestion, curing intestinal gas, preventing nausea & urinary tract infection. It lowers the blood glucose levels in diabetics and prevents skin problems too.

Rava idli

This is a breakfast recipe loaded with loads of health and taste.

A simpler yet quicker version of the regular idli recipe, this instant version of the idli can be made within 20 mins.

Lets take a look :

Things you need :

1.suji or semolina - I cup
2. Curd - 1/4th cup
3. Curry leaves
4. Sesame seeds
5. Water - 1cup
5. Salt to taste
6. Coriander
7. Soda bicarbonate - a pinch

Process :
1. Mix the suji with the curd and water and keep for 10 mins
2. For the tempering, heat oil in a pan and add curry leaves and the the sesame seeds
3. Add the tempering to the suji batter and coriander
4. Add the soda bicarbonate to the batter
5. Grese the microwave safe or steel idli stand with a little oil and steam

Healthy and tasty breakfast is ready to be served. Serve hot with  sambar.