Recipes by Rashmi

SWEET AND SOUR PAPAYA DRINK
Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Papaya is a healthy and nutritious fruit which is ignored by people. Papaya helps people who are suffering from constipation. It also provides relief from piles and has anti-cancer properties. It prevents urinary stones and helps to lower down the cholesterol level. I am sharing this papaya drink recipe, which can help to prevent constipation and piles. You can also enjoy this chilled papaya drink in summer.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Ripe papaya cube – 1 ½ cup
2. Lime juice – 4-5 tbsp
3. Black pepper – 1tsp
4. Rock salt – 1 tsp
5. Salt – ½ tsp
6. Sugar – 3-4 tbsp or Splenda (sugar free sweetener)– 3-4 tbsp
7. Chilled water - 1- 1 ½ cup
8. Crushed ice

METHOD:

Take a blender and put all ingredients except ice. Blend them into a smooth puree.
Now, take a glass and put some crushed ice. After that pour blended papaya mixture over crushed ice and chilled papaya drink is ready.

Labels: Drinks, Healthy Recipe, Healthy Recipes, Traditional Indian, Vegetarian

posted by Rashmi @ 12:41 PM, ,

CHICKPEAS BURGER

Here is another veggie burger recipe which my son loves.

Cooking Time: 15 min

Serves: 5

INGREDIENTS:

1. Boiled chickpeas – 1 ½ cup or chickpeas - 1 can
2. Boiled potatoes – 2(medium size)
3. Spring onions – 3-4(chopped)
4. Green chili – 1-2(chopped)(optional)
5. Ginger grated – 1 tbsp
6. Sesame seeds – 3-4 tbsp
7. All purpose flour (maida) – 2 tbsp
8. Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
9. White pepper – 1tsp
10. Black pepper – 1tsp
11. Salt to taste
12. Lettuce leaves -2 (cut into small pieces)
13. Tomato ketchup
14. Mustard sauce
15. Onion dip (optional)
16. Burger buns – 5
17. Oil for greasing

METHOD:

1. Take a bowl and mix boiled chickpeas, potato, spring onion, green chili, ginger, all purpose flour, salt, black & white pepper. Make smooth dough and divide this dough in 5 equal portions. Now make 5 flat patties and wrap up in sesame seeds.
2. Now heat a flat greased pan and put 2-3 patties on heated pan in one time. Cook them on medium heat for 5-6 min or until bottom side gets golden brown. Now turn the other side and cook another 5-6 min or until this side also turns golden brown. Repeat this procedure for remaining portions.
3. Now heat the burger buns on pan. Now take bottom piece of bun and put onion dip prepared patty, lettuce, mustard sauce. Cover it with other half of the bun. Now, put some tomato ketchup on the top of burger. Chickpeas Burger is ready to serve.

Labels: Breakfast and Brunch, Healthy Recipe, Healthy Recipes, Vegetarian

posted by Rashmi @ 12:18 PM, ,

PEARL SAGO PUDDING (SABUDANA KHEER)
Sunday, April 13, 2008

There is always a debate on whether pearl sago is heathy for diabetic people. Some say it’s good for them while others say it gives lots of carbohydrates which is not healthy for people having diabetes. So this is not good for diabetic people.

Let’s don’t indulge in this controversy. My mom says pearl sago is good for growing age of children and specially new moms. They need more & more energy and sago is good source of energy. 100 gm of pearl sago yields 100 calories, including approx 94 gm carbohydrate and very less amount of protein, fiber, fat.

Sago is kind of dry fruit and in India this is especially used during festive occasion like Navratri, Janamashtami…. Some other dishes prepared using sago are PEARL SAGO KHICHADI, PEARL SAGO PUDDING etc. Sago kheer/pudding is served to patients to help recover faster by gaining energy. The kheer/pudding is also served in dessert.

We were celebrating Navratri festival last week and used to prepare pearl sago pudding/sabudana kheer twice a day. This prompted me to share the recipe of this pudding.

Cooking Time: 30 min

Serves: 3-4

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 cup of pearl sago
2. ½ -1 cup of sugar/sugar free (SPLENDA)
3. 3 cup of whole milk
4. Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
5. Pinch of saffron
6. Chopped nuts (cashew, almonds, pistachio)

METHOD:

1. Wash the pearl sago and drain out all the water. Keep them aside for 1 hr to set.
2. Now heat milk in heavy bottomed vessel until it reaches to boiling state . Reduce the heat and add washed pearl sago. Mix them well and keep stirring otherwise sago will stick to the bottom surface. Continue cooking on medium heat until sago turns soft and translucent.
3. Add sugar/sugar free and chopped nuts. Mix them well and turn off the heat. Pearl sago pudding is ready, but serve chilled pudding. (Remember one thing while cooking this pudding should not be very thick otherwise pudding would be hard and sticky after 2-3 hours of cooking of this pudding.)
   

Labels: Dessert, Healthy Recipe, Healthy Recipes, Traditional Indian, Vegetarian

posted by Rashmi @ 4:09 PM, ,

SWEET OMELET
Thursday, April 3, 2008

Labels: Breakfast and Brunch, Egg, Healthy Recipe, Healthy Recipes

posted by Rashmi @ 9:20 AM, ,

QUICK VEGGIE RICE (TAHARI)
Wednesday, March 26, 2008

This recipe is specially for bachelors. Quick veggie rice can be made without much effort. As we know cooking can be a painful job for bachelors but there are some quick, healthy, tasty & easy recipes for them. For example, rice poha, bread poha, veggie rice etc. I am going to share recipe of QUICK VEGGIE RICE, which is very popular in north India. This dish is known by the name of TAHARI.

Cooking time – 15 min

Serves – 2-3

INGREDIENTS:

1. Basmati rice – 1 ½ cup ( soaked in water for at least ½ hr but not necessary)
2. Butter/ghee/olive oil – 2 tbsp
3. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
4. Frozen green peas - ¼ cup
5. Grated /thin sliced carrot - ¼ cup
6. Potatoes – 2 ( peeled & cut into bite size)
7. Cauliflower florets – 4-5
8. Salt to taste
9. Garam masla – 1 tsp
10. Water – 2 ¾ -3 cup
11. ½ red onion (sliced )

METHOD:

1. Drain the water from soaked rice in colander and let it be in it for 10-15 min. If you are in a hurry then only wash the rice with water 2-3 time. Now heat a pressure cooker with butter /ghee /oil. Add cumin seeds, when they crackle, add sliced onion and fry them on medium heat for2-3 min. Now add green peas, carrot, potatoes, cauliflower florets & salt and mix them well. Stir occasionally and cook for another 2-3 min on medium heat.
2. After that add washed rice in cooker and mix well. Keep stirring for another 1-2 min otherwise rice will stick to the bottom. Now add water & garam masala and mix it well. Close the pressure cooker tightly with its cover. Increase the heat to high and cook till first whistle comes. Turn off the heat and let it cool. After 10-15 min uncover the cooker and serve hot veggie rice with salted yogurt or raita.

Labels: Breakfast and Brunch, Healthy Recipe, Healthy Recipes, Vegetarian

posted by Rashmi @ 8:45 AM, ,

RASGULLA (CHEESE BALL IN SYRUP)
Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Rasgulla is a traditional Bengali sweet dish, but it was invented in Puri, a temple city in Orissa, India. It is very soft, spongy cottage cheese ball cooked in sugar syrup.

Serves-4

INGREDIENTS:
1. Whole milk-4 cup
2. White vinegar-3-4 tbsp
3. Cotton cloth or muslin
4. Sugar-1/2 cup
5. Water-1 ½ cup
6. Cardamom powder-1/2 tsp

METHOD
1. Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed vessel on medium heat and keep stirring otherwise milk will stick to the bottom. When milk starts to boil, reduce the heat and add vinegar one by one tbsp and keep stirring. Within 1-2 minutes, you can see small curds floating on top. Wait till these curds get bigger. Wait for 3-4 min and turn off the heat & let it stand for 20 min.
2. After that take a colander wrapped with cotton cloth or muslin. Pour all curdle milk in this wrapped colander over your kitchen sink. Collect the curds and discard the whey.
3. Keep the curds in cotton cloth, tie a knot and hang it over the sink. Let it drip for 1-2 hr. Now open the knot. Paneer is ready. You can use it to make any other paneer dish too.
4. Now we have to knead this paneer in to a soft dough. You can kneed with your hand or can use a processor. Make a soft dough of paneer and cardamom powder.
5. Now make 10 small paneer balls with your palms. If required, grease your palm with little oil.

6. Heat a deep vessel with ½ cup of sugar and 1 ½ cup of water. When this syrup starts to boil, add paneer balls one by one. Cook them on high heat for 5-6 min. Now cover the vessel and cook them on medium low heat for 7-8 min. Turn off the heat and let it stand for 30 min.

7. Now place the all rasgullas with syrup in a bowl and keep them in refrigerator for 1-2 hr. Serve chilled rasgullas as a dessert.

Labels: Dessert, Healthy Recipe, Traditional Indian

posted by Rashmi @ 9:44 AM, ,

MATAR PANEER (INDIAN CHEESE WITH PEAS)

This dish is very common and popular in India. Basically this dish is very rich and high in calories. People use ghee /butter and purchased paneer for this dish but I use vegetable oil and home made paneer (from low fat milk) for less calories. I enjoy this curry with tandoori roti and raita.
Cooking Time: 20-25 min
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS:
1. 1 cup of fresh peas /frozen peas
2. 1 ½ cup of paneer cubes
3. ½ cup of milk
4. 7-8 cashews’ paste (soaked in milk& blend into paste)
5. 1 medium onion (roughly chopped)
6. 2 medium tomatoes/1 cup tomato puree
7. 1 ½ tbsp ginger garlic paste
8. 1tsp turmeric powder
9. 1tsp cumin powder
10.1tbsp coriander powder
11. 1 tsp chili powder
12. 4 tbsp olive oil / clarify butter( ghee)
13. Salt to taste
14. 1 tsp cumin seeds
15. 1-2 bay leaf


METHOD:
1. Take a blender and blend roughly chopped onion into paste. If you are using fresh tomatoes then blend tomatoes separately into puree.
2. Heat oil/butter in a deep pan and fry paneer cubes until they turn to light brown. Drain on paper towel & set them aside.
3. In remaining oil, add cumin seeds & bay leaf. When they crackle, add onion paste & ginger garlic paste and fry them on medium heat until they turn to translucent. Now add tomato puree and all spices (cumin, turmeric. chili, coriander powder) & salt. Keep stirring and cook this mixture on medium heat for 5-6 min or till oil starts to separate from mixture.
4. Now add milk & cashews’ paste and mix them well. At last add fried paneer cubes and mix them well in gravy. If required then add little water and cook another 5 min on low heat. Turnoff the stove and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on this dish.
5. Serve prepared Matar paneer with naan, paratthas or chapaties.

Labels: Healthy Recipe, Side Dish, Traditional Indian, Vegetarian

posted by Rashmi @ 9:24 AM, ,

PITA BREAD PIZZA
Sunday, October 7, 2007

Pita bread is ideal for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, appetizers and even desserts. It makes the perfect pizza crust. Last week I tried this bread for a home made pizza.

Cooking Time – 10-15 min

Serves – 2

INGERDIENTS:

1. 8 inch flat pita bread – 1
2. 5-6 thin slices of bell pepper/capsicum
3. 5-6 thin slices of mushroom
4. 1-2 tbsp grated carrot
5. 4-5 olives (diced)
6. 2 tbsp of hummus
7. 2-3 tbsp of salsa
8. 2 tbsp of cheddar cheese

METHOD:

1. Preheat an oven at 370 degree for 10 min.
2. Meanwhile take a pita bread and spread over hummus & salsa. Place all thin sliced vegetable and diced olives. At last sprinkle grated cheddar cheese.
3. Now place this bread in greased baking tray and place this tray in a preheated oven. Bake this bread for 12-15 min or until cheese melts and pita bread has reached desired crispiness. Turn off the oven and take it out. Cut into 4-5 pieces and serve hot.
   
   

Labels: Breakfast and Brunch, Healthy Recipe, Healthy Recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian

posted by Rashmi @ 2:18 PM, ,

MUSHROOM PUFFS
Saturday, September 15, 2007

1. whole button mushroom-6
2. eggs-3 OR 1/2 cup egg white
3. 1 spoon chopped onion
4. 1 spoon grated carrot
5. 1 spoon green peas
6. 1 spoon corn
7. 1 spoon grated cheese
8. 1 spoon grated tofu
9. thin capsicum slices-6
10. ¼ teaspoon black pepper
11. salt to taste
12. 1 spoon olive oil/ Pam spray

Labels: Appetizer, Breakfast and Brunch, Egg, Healthy Recipe, Snacks

posted by Rashmi @ 8:25 PM, ,