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.