Healthy Way To Start Your Day – A Glass Of Goodness
A Glass Of Goodness
Loaded with fruits, this Mixed Fruit Milkshake is a must try for summers. A refreshing blend of fresh fruits like papaya, bananas, mangoes, and apple. Garnish with dry fruits and roasted sunflower seeds this milkshake recipe is enough to make your summer days delightful.
Summer Drink
Ingredients : For Milkshake: Mango – 1 small Apple – 1 small Banana – 1 Chopped Papaya – 1 cup Sugar – 1 tbsp ( optional ) Chilled milk – 2 cups
For Garnishing: Chopped Mix dry fruits – 1/2 tbsp Pomegranate seeds – few for garnishing Roasted Sunflower seeds – 2 tbsp
Refreshing Summer Drink
Method :
Mix all above milkshake ingredients with 1 cup of milk and blend until smooth.
Now add remaining 1 cup of milk and blend everything together.
Garnish with dry fruits, pomegranate, and roasted sunflower seeds.
Palak Chana Dal is a healthy, wholesome, gluten-free Indian style chana dal with spinach. It is super easy and delicious lunch recipe to prepare and best is serve with steamed white rice.
Chana Dal With Palak
Indian cooking is resisted with the huge use of chana dal in different ways. Chana dal is baby chickpeas that has been split and polished. It has a delicious nutty flavour, and when ground, it is known as besan or gram flour. The flour and the dal are used in a variety of lip-smacking dishes.
Protein Rich Chana Dal
Spinach is a green, leafy vegetable with a high nutritional value. You can have it raw in salads, steamed, blended in a soup or sauteed with other veggies. It is a very versatile ingredient that can be used in many ways. For me, the best way to add spinach is to cook with lentils and beans. Earlier, I shared recipe spinach with rajma and whole green moong dal with spinach as well.
Spinach with Rajma and Whole green moong dal
Chana Dal With Palak | Spinach Split Pea Dal | Easy Lunch Recipe
Split chickpeas (chana dal) and spinach are the powerhouses of nutrients. Combining these two into a single curry is delicious idea to include the right amount of iron in our everyday diet.
Spinach Split Pea Dal
Ingredients : Chana dal ( soaked overnight ) – 1 cup Spinach – 2 bunches Puree of onion – 2 Finely chopped ginger – 2 inch Finely chopped garlic – 4 Finely chopped green chilly- 2 Puree of tomatoes – 2 Juice of one lemon Oil – 4 tbsp Butter – 1 cube
Spices: Cumin – 1 tsp Kitchen king masala – 1 tsp Coriander powder – 3 tsp Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Healthy Combination
Method:
Put soaked chana dal with 2 cups of water, a pinch of salt, in a pressure cooker. Mix them well and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.
Remove stems from the spinach and wash thoroughly in running water. Blanch in salted boiling water for two minutes. Now transfer boiled spinach into ice-cold water to retain the green color. Squeeze out excess water and grind it into a smooth puree (Add lemon juice while grinding). Keep It aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a deep non-stick pan and add cumin seeds.
Allow the seeds to crackle. Then add onion puree and saute on a medium flame until translucent. Now add ginger, garlic, green chili, and cook for 5 minutes on the medium-low flame.
Then add tomato puree and cook until they’re soft. Then add red chili powder, coriander powder, kitchen king masala, salt, and cook until masala leaves oil on low flame.
Add boiled chana dal in a prepared masala and cook for 5 minutes on the medium-low flame.
Now add puree spinach and cook on low flame for 5 minutes.
Then add one butter cube and mix them well. Close the lid and cook dal for 2-5 minutes on high flame.
Yummy dal is ready to serve. Serve with plain white rice.
Malai cake is delicious, rich cake with a flavor of thick cream and it’s a perfect tea time partner. Creamy malai makes this cake so soft it just melts in the mouth. Cream refers to “MALAI” – It is a thick yellowish layer of fat and coagulated proteins that form a layer on the surface of the milk. It is formed when raw milk is heated for an hour and then it cools down completely. After that, a thick, yellow-toned layer of fat will form on the surface.
Malai Custard Cake
This layer is skimmed off. You can consume it directly, with sugar or use as an ingredient in cooking. Malai is used most often in North Indian dishes to make gravy rich and creamy. I already posted a sabji recipe with malai – Malai Ki Sabji. I didn’t add any oil or butter in this cake because of a good amount of butterfat already in malai. Do try it Cake …..
No Oil Cake
Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour – 1 cup Malai or Cream – 1/2 cup Powdered White Sugar – 1/2 cup Vanilla Custard Powder – 2 tbsp Baking Soda – 1/4 tsp Baking Powder – 1 tsp Milk – 1/2 cup (Room Temperature) A pinch of Salt
Wet mixture: In a grinder add malai, sugar, milk and mix until smooth.
Mix dry mixture into wet mixture and mix well.
Put batter into a greased pan and tap the cake pan on a countertop to release any large air bubbles.
Put the cake pan into the preheated pressure cooker and bake it for 1 hour.
Eggless Whole Wheat Tea Time Pressure Cooker Cake
Tips:
Baking time may vary.
If cake batter looks dry, add 2- 4 tbsp of milk.
If baking in Oven: Bake in the preheated oven at 180 deg Celsius or around 360 Fahrenheit for about 1 hour. The baking time may vary. So keep checking the cake after 40 to 45 minutes.
Tea Time Cake
Pressure Cooker Method: Grease the baking tin with oil and dust it by sprinkling whole wheat flour over greased surface evenly. Pour the mixture into the greased baking tin.
Important Notes:
Use the baking tin of 6 inches in diameter, so that it can easily get into the pressure cooker.
Use a 5-liter pressure cooker. It should be big enough to hold the baking pan.
Baking Tin should be made of Aluminium.
If baking tin comes into direct contact with the base of the pressure cooker, it can burn ( overbake ) the cake. So use a pressure cooker container which has big holes in it or any aluminum small stand.
No gasket and whistle are needed. Remove them before baking.
Don’t add water to the pressure cooker.
How to Bake In A Pressure Cooker?
Heat the pressure cooker on high heat for 2 minutes. Use sea salt or sand as a layer inside a cooker. Put a steel stand on a layer of salt or sand.
Now put the cake tin containing the cake batter ( Do not put water inside the pressure cooker).
Close the pressure cooker lid and do not put the whistle on the lid. Remove the gasket (rubber ring) from the lid.
Lower the flame after 2 minutes. Let it bake for 50 -60 minutes on low flame. After 60 minutes check the cake with a knife, if the mixture does not stick, it means the cake is done.
If batter still sticks to knife then again bake for another 10 minutes. Do not open the lid immediately.
Creamy Makhana Paneer Sabzi is made from phool makhana, paneer that is rich and creamy. Serve with plain paratha or pulka, it makes a wholesome dinner recipe. Makhanas are also known as fox nuts, or lotus seeds, or phool makhana. It uses as an ingredient in Indian cuisines or sweet dishes like kheer, raita or phool makhana namkeen also eaten as an evening tea-time snack.
Ingredients : Makhana – 2 cups Cashews (soaked in water for 20 minutes) – 5 Paneer Cubes – 1/2 cup Roughly chopped onion – 2 large Roughly chopped tomato – 3 large Roughly chopped garlic – 4 Roughly chopped ginger – 1 inch Finely chopped green chilly- 2 Fresh cream – 1/4 cup Ghee or oil – 2 tbsp + 2 tsp Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp Coriander powder – 1 tsp Roasted cumin powder – 1 tsp Finely chopped coriander – 3 tbsp Salt to taste
Whole Garam Masalas: Cinnamon stick – 1 inch Clove – 3 Black cardamom- 1 Black pepper- 3
Creamy Makhana Paneer Sabzi
Method :
Heat 1/2 tsp ghee in a kadai and add makhana. Roast makhana till crisp and little golden brown. Keep them aside.
Add 1/2 tsp of ghee and roast paneer cubes for 2 -4 minutes on low flame. Keep them aside.
Take a half cup of water in a deep pan and add chopped tomatoes, cashews with a pinch of salt. Boil it for 5 minutes on high flame.
After 5 minutes switch off the flame and keep it aside.
Heat olive oil or ghee in a deep non-stick deep pan and whole garam masalas. Sauté for 15 seconds.
Add onion and saute until translucent. Then add ginger, garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
Add red chili powder, coriander powder, green chilly, and salt. Then add boiled tomato, cashews and cook mixture until becoming soft.
Let the mixture cool down and then make a smooth paste. Now sieve masala and again put in the same pan.
Stir well and cook until gravy starts leaving oil from corners.
Now add fresh cream and stir well. Let it cook for a minute and then add 2 cups of boiled water, boil for 1 minute. Add roasted makhana, paneer cubes and stir gently.
Cook for 5 minutes on low flame. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves, cream, and roasted cumin powder. Serve hot with plain parathas.
In Punjab, kadhi is a simple, quick meal. Made from besan (chickpea or gram flour) to thicken the consistency, and adding pakoras, it is eaten with either long-grain basmati rice or, more commonly, with a roti. There are several variations of this food that can be found in states such as Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
Beetroot Kadhi
Punjabi Kadhi got a makeover of pretty pink from beetroot, chickpea flour, greek yogurt. It’s delicious, nutritious and this pinkish beetroot kadhi pairs best with pan-fried potato fritters and served hot steamed rice. It’s an excellent lunch recipe packed with carbs and protein, that your family will love it.
Vegetable Kadhi Lunch Recipe
Whenever I find cooking is becoming dull and boring, I buy beets. The bright red root vegetable is packed with fiber, folate (vitamin B9), manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C and its bright pink color adds a little color to my life and in my cooking as well. 🙂 🙂
My Favorite Vegetable – Beets
The Beetroot imparts a beautiful pink color to this dish. Naturally sweet, spices perfectly blend with beets and it tastes delicious. This kadhi has the goodness of yogurt as well as vegetables fused in a very wholesome manner. I already shared spinach based yogurt kadhi and it always hit in my family.
Vegetable Kadhi Lunch Recipe
Traditionally, the kadhi is loaded with chickpea flour or besan fritters also called pakoras or bhajji. Pakoras are made with sliced onions, potatoes coated in a spicy chickpea batter and deep-fried. But I am not a fan of fried food neither my husband. I always make pan-fried pakoras and it tastes as yummy as the fried ones. Add on I made pakora batter with chickpea flour and oats flour.
Pan or Tawa fried Pakoras
Beetroot Kadhi | Yogurt Based Curry served Pan Fry Potato Fritters
This yogurt based spiced, sweet and tangy beetroot curry is a twist on Punjabi kadhi. It is easy, light and perfect for warm summer months. The crispy pan fried potato fritters adds textural contrast to the smooth kadhi.
Ingredients: Low Fat Curd – 1 cup Chickpea flour – 4 tbsp Beetroot – 1 medium Chopped garlic – 4 Coriander powder – 2 tsp Red chilli powder – 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds – 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder – 1 tsp Oil – 2 tbsp Water – 2 or 3 cups Salt to taste
For Pan or Tawa Fried Pakoras: Boiled potatoes – 4 medium size Chickpea Flour – 1/2 cup Oats flour – 1/4 cup Semolina or Rava – 2 tbsp Red chili powder – 1/2 tsp Turmeric – 1/4 tsp Coriander powder – 1 tsp Roasted cumin powder – 1/2 tsp Salt to taste Water – 1/2 cup Oil for pan frying
Method:
Boil medium size beetroot in a pressure cooker and allow to cool down completely. Then peel the boiled beetroot and cut boiled beetroot into small cubes. Blend in a mixer without adding water and make a smooth paste. Keep it aside.
For Pan or Tawa Fried Pakoras: Combine chickpea flour, oats flour, semolina, red chili powder, coriander powder, roasted cumin powder, turmeric, salt with a half cup of water in a bowl and make a smooth batter.
Peel boiled potatoes and cut them into round thin slices. Heat tawa or pan and grease with little oil. Dip boiled potato slices in the batter and place on heated tawa on low flame. Put little oil around all pakoras. Allow it cook till crisp and brown. Flip and roast until golden brown. Sprinkle some red chili powder and chaat masala. Keep them aside.
Yogurt mixture: In a blender add yogurt, chickpea flour, garlic, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt with 1 cup of water in a grinder. Pulse twice to combine and keep it aside.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadhai. Add fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, and cumin seeds. Saute for a few seconds.
Now add the yogurt mixture and the remaining 1 & 1/2 cups of water. Mix them well.
Cook for 20 minutes on low flame till it becomes little thick and creamy.
Now add boiled beetroot puree and mix with kadhi. Lower the gas flame and cook for 8 minutes.
Zucchini and Carrots cooked with chana dal, tomato-based curry makes a flavorful dish. This dal is great with paratha, chapati, steamed rice, or cumin rice. My mom would often make Chana Dal (Split Garbanzo Beans) with Lauki (Bottle Gourd) with onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, and homemade grounded spices. It was yummy every time.
Lentils with Vegetable Curry
“Chana dal” is split chickpeas. Dal is often translated as “lentils” but refers to any pulse (lentils, peas, chickpeas [chana], kidney beans, etc.) that’s split in half. Chana dal is rich in B complex vitamins such as B1,B2,B3, and B9 which plays an important role in glucose metabolism. Chana dal is rich in dietary fiber. Hence, one cup of cooked Chana Dal can account for half of the required fibre intake for the day.
Chana Dal
Lauki is a part of the cucumber family and grows in the warmer areas of the world. It is not only light and easy to digest but is also great for weight loss. Not just the lauki sabzi, that we usually eat, but even its juice is considered great for losing weight. Some of my favorite recipes with Lauki – Lauki Ka Halwa, Lauki Chana Dal Curry and Lauki Shimla Mirch Sabzi.
Lentils with Vegetable Curry
Lauki is not a common vegetable here in Netherlands. But, zucchini is easily available here. Zucchini is also known as Courgette is a summer squash and is widely available in yellow and green colors in the stores. I love this veggie and I almost add this yummy veggie in my everyday cooking and in baking as well. I used zucchini in making sambhar, vermicelli, omelette, aloo tikki, bread pakoras and Reyansh favorite Zucchini Chocolate Cake.
Yummy Zucchini Chocolate Cake
Zucchini (courgette) looks like it belongs to the family of cucumber, bottle gourd(dudhi). This green and medium thin vegetable is a bunch of benefits, which is well known to reduce weight, yet still boosting the nutrient value of your diet. Great for maintaining eye, heart and overall good health.
Lunch Recipe
Lentils with Vegetable Curry | Chana Dal with Zucchini & Carrot
A simple yet, delicious, healthy combination of Lentils and Vegetable, is full of nutrients and fibre. This curry is easy to make and is good for everyone in the family as it is high in protein.
Ingredients : Zucchini – 1 medium (grated) Chana daal ( soaked for 4 hours or overnight ) – 1 cup Finely chopped onion – 1 Finely chopped ginger – 1/2 inch Finely chopped garlic – 4 Finely chopped green chilly- 2 Finely chopped tomato – 2 Finely chopped coriander – 1/4 cup
Whole Garam Masalas: Cinnamon stick – 1 inch Clove – 3 Black cardamom – 1 Black pepper – 3
Spices: Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp Turmeric – 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp Coriander powder – 2 tsp Sabzi masala or Chana masala- 1 tsp Olive oil -2 tbsp Butter – 2 cubes Salt to taste
Zucchini Dal Recipe
Method :
Combine grated zucchini chana dal, salt, and pinch turmeric with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker, mix well and cook for 3 whistles. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid. Keep it aside.
Heat the oil in a deep non-stick pan and add cumin seeds.
When cumin seeds crackle add whole garam masalas and saute for 15 seconds.
Then add chopped onions and saute on a medium flame until translucent. Now add ginger, garlic, and cook for 5 minutes on low flame.
Add coriander powder, turmeric, red chili powder, sabzi masala. Mix them well and add chopped tomato. Cook until masala leaves oil on the medium-low flame.
Now add the boiled zucchini chana dal and mix well. Cook on a medium flame for another 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Now add butter cubes and garnished with coriander leaves. Served with hot jeera rice.
Mad About Cooking 