Dabeli

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

Potatoes-3 medium
Dabeli masala (store bought)-1.5 tbsp
Tamarind-date chutney-1/2 cup
Lime juice-1 tsp
Salt-to taste
Oil-1 tbsp

Toppings:

Garlic chutney, tamarind-date chutney, onions, pomegranate seeds, sev, peanuts, corriander.

Method:

1. Boil potatoes. Peel them off and mash them.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mashed potatoes and 1-2 tbsp of water to prevent the potato to stick to the pan.
3. Add dabeli masala and mix properly for 30 sec-1 min.
4. Add tamarind-date chutney, lime, salt and let it cook until the chutney evaporates and you can make a nice patty out of the mixture. Dabeli masala is ready
5. Now take pav or bread and toast it on a pan with butter.
6. Spread garlic chutney on one bread and tamarind-date chutney on the other.
7. Take one bread slice and place the patty.
8. Add all the toppings and cover with the other bread slice.
9. Enjoy yummy dabeli with hot masala chai!!

P.S: This can be made healthy by using whole wheat bread instead of pav.

Yogurt Parafait

Ingredients:

 

Vanilla yogurt-1 cup (I used Dannon light and fit-110 cal)
Granola-1/2 cup (Nature Valley-210 cal)
Fruits of your choice (I used tropical mix frozen fruit)

Method:

 

1.  Take 1/2 cup of yogurt into a bowl and add frozen fruit of your choice. Top off with the remaining yogurt. Keep it in the refrigerator overnight. This way the fruits get thawed and ooze off juices nicely.
2. Add granola and serve this protein rich nutritious parafait for breakfast!

Note: If you add granola in the yogurt and keep it overnight, it will become soft. So avoid this if you prefer crunchy granola!

French Bread

Ingredients:

 

Servings: 5 (210 cal each)
 
Instant yeast-1.5 tsp
Bread flour-2 1/4 + 1/4  cups (1000 cal)
Warm water-1 cup
Eggs-1 white for glazing (20 cal)
Salt-1 tsp
Sugar-1 tsp (16 cal)

Method:

 

Yeast preparation

1. Heat water and make sure the temperature is close to your body temperature. It should not be too hot or too cold.
2. Add yeast, sugar to a bowl and then add water. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or until the mixture becomes frothy. Sugar makes the mix more frothy. Meanwhile work on the other ingredients.

Dough preparation 

1. Mix flour and salt and transfer to food processor. Using dough blade, add water slowly and mix everything. Let the dough rest for 5-7 min. Then mix again for 2 min. (If you do not have food processor use hand to knead and follow the same process. Knead, rest and knead).
2. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead into a smooth ball.
3. Transfer again to a deep oiled bowl. Make sure there is enough space for the dough when it gets doubled.
4. Coat the dough with oil properly and cover the bowl with damp cloth or a plastic wrap.
5. Let the dough rest for 1.5-2 hr (I use oven to rise because oven is always warm and cozy). The dough should atleast double its original size.
6. Transfer the dough back to floured surface. Gently roll the dough with a rolling pin into a 6'' circle and roll it up. Pull the roll and extend along its length. Punch the ends and make into a tight and close cylinder.
7. Make 1/2" cuts on the top of the dough.
8. Transfer onto an oily surfaced baking sheet and let it rise for an other 1.5-2 hr.
9. After the rise, pre-heat the oven to 410 F.
10. Brush the outer surface of the dough with egg-white.
11. Keep a bowl with water at the bottom of the oven. The steam makes the crust of the bread crispy.
12. Immediately place the dough in the oven and let it bake for 15 min.
13. Brush the dough again with egg white and bake it for 10-15 more min or until the bread becomes crispy.
14. Enjoy the bread with crispy outside and fluffy inside with butter, chilly olive oil or hot soup.

Barley soup

Ingredients:

1. Barley pearls-1 cup
2. Chicken/vegetable stock-1-2 cup
3. Eggplant-1 small
4. Butternut squash-1 cup diced
5. Yellow zucchini-1
6. Red bell pepper-1/2 cup
7. Green beans-1/2 cup
8. Snow peas-1/2 cup
9. Carrots sliced-1/2 cup
10.Onion-1/2 small
11. Ginger paste-1 tsp
12. Cumin-1 tsp
13. Cinnamon-1/2 in piece
14. Cardamom-3-4
15. Cloves-3
16. Curry powder/garam masala-optional to enhance taste

Method:

1.  Soak barley overnight and cook in a pressure cooker until soft (2-3 whistles).
2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pressure cooker. Add cumin, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and saute for 30 sec. Add ginger paste and saute for 30 sec.
3. Add onions and cook till soft.
4. Add eggplant and cook till soft. Then, add all your favorite vegetables, barley, stock water, curry powder, salt and other spices you may like and mix properly.
5. Close the pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle or till the vegetables become soft.
6. If you are using meat, cook it before adding vegetables.
6. Serve this hot and nutritious soup with any bread you like.

Sheem Paturi (Snow Peas in Mustard Sauce)

Ingredients:

Snow peas-1/2 lb
Black mustard seeds-2 tbsp
White mustard seeds-2 tbsp
Green chillies-2 to 3
Red chillies-2
Mustard oil-1 tsp
Salt- to taste
Kalonji (black jeera)-1 tsp
Tomatoe-1/2 (optional)
Potatoes-1 (optional)

Method:

1. Blend mustard seeds and chillies by adding some water until it becomes into a smooth paste.
2. Store the paste in refrigerator while you prepare sheem. This will get rid of the bitter taste. It will be best if you make it the previous night.
3. Wash the snow peas, rip the scales off. 
4. Heat oil in a pan and add kalonji and red chillies. After they sputter, add snow peas, salt, turmeric and fry a little. 
5. Add tomatoes when the peas are lighter in color. Saute for a min and then add mustard sauce.
6. Cover the pan and let it cook till the peas are cooked. 
7. If you want the sauce to be drier, take the lid off and heat for a little longer till the desired consistency is reached.
8. If you are adding potatoes, add to oil before adding the peas.
9. Serve yummy sheem paturi with rice and dal.

Beet, Carrot and Pineapple juice

Ingredients:

Beet-1/2 big
Carrot-15 baby
Pineapple-1 cup freshly cut
Ginger-1/2 inch piece

Methods:

1. Cut all fruits and veggies into small pieces.
2. Put the ingredients into the juicer.
3. Enjoy rich, sweet, delicious and refreshing juice!
4. Serve cold. Don't add ice to avoid dilution.

Juicing vs. Blending

Have you ever thought of pros and cons of juicing and blending? It's simple.

Juicing-Quick and efficient absorption of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients into blood stream, requires more fruits/veggies, less fiber, spike in blood sugar if lot of fruits are added.
Blending-Inefficient absorption of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients into blood stream, satisfies hunger as there is no loss of fiber, balances blood sugar levels.

So, which is better? There is no answer for that. If you want instant energy and consume good amount of vitamins and minerals, juicing is the way to go. Beware of high sugar fruits or vegetables while juicing. The sugar may cause a spike in your blood sugar levels. If you want to satisfy your hunger by including fiber and by adding milk/yogurt/nuts/avocado, then blending is the way to go. Remember that the nutrient and mineral absorption from blending is not as efficient as that from juicing.

Peanut butter, Banana sandwich

Serves-1 (415 cal per serving)

Enjoy this delicious protein rich sandwich. Great way to start your day!

 

Ingredients:

 

Whole wheat bread-2 slices
Peanut butter-1 tbsp (I use Teddie unsalted smooth version. beware of added sugars)
Banana-1 medium
Honey-to taste

Method:

1. Toast the bread and spread peanut butter.
2. Make thin slices of banana and spread them evenly on the slice with peanut butter.
3. Drizzle honey and eat it away!

P.S: I used http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator to calculate the nutrition information.

Cowpea (Black eyed peas) Salad

Ingredients:

 

Cowpeas-1 cup soaked and boiled
Red chillies-2
Green chillies-2
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste-1 tsp
Oil-1 tsp
Salt- to taste
Onion-1/4th big
Corriander- to garnish
Lemon-half medium

Method:

 

1. Soak cowpeas overnight and pressure cook for 2 whistles the next day. Drain the water and keep the peas aside.
2. Take a pan and add 1 tsp of oil. Once the oil gets heated, add cumin, mustard, ginger-garlic paste and saute for few sec.
3. Add red chillies and green chilles and saute for 30 sec.
4. Add salt, cooked peas and saute for a minute.
5. Squeeze lemon and garnish with corriander, onions, carrot and cucumber. Serve hot with lemon juice or buttermilk.

Beetroot juice

Ingredients:

 

Servings-1

Tomato-1
Beetroot-1/4 big
Cucumber-1/2 medium
Carrot-1/4 medium
Lemon-1/2 small
Corriander-to taste
Honey-to taste

Method: 

 

Wash, peel, cut and blend the vegetables by adding some water. Add lemon and honey to the juice and serve cold with some mint leaves.

The story of FATS!

What comes to your mind when you think of fatty foods? Weight? Unhealthy? Avoid? Does TYPE and AMOUNT come across your mind? If you ask yourself the type of fat every time you eat fat foods, then you are on the right track! Fats should constitute 25-30% of your diet. Read through the post to learn about different types of fats and their health benefits.

Types of Fats:

 

1.Trans: These are the bad fats. They are formed upon partial hydrogenation of oils (add hydrogen to oil). Partially hydrogenated oil is less likely to spoil, so foods have higher shelf life. These fats are mainly used in shortenings for deep frying in restaurants because it doesn't have to be changed as often as other oils. They also occur in baked goods, ready-made frosting, snacks including potato, corn, tortilla chips, packaged or microwave popcorn, refrigerator dough, canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls, nondiary coffee creamer and stick margarines. Read your food labels and avoid this fat all together.

2.Saturated: There has been a controversy that saturated fats are bad for health. But recent research shows that these fats do more good than bad. Saturated fats raise HDL (good) cholesterol. Good sources of saturated fat include diary products (milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, ghee). Having said that saturated are healthy fats, it is also important to track how much you are ingesting. For a 1500 calorie diet, one cup of whole milk, one cup of whole milk yogurt and 1 slice of cheese amount to 100% of saturated fat that is needed per day. There are so many other foods that you eat throughout the day that may contain saturated fat. So either decrease the serving of whole milk products or switch to low fat products without compromising on the amount of sugars and protein (I mean do not buy low fat, sugar added products). Therefore, read the labels and eat the right amounts!

3.Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids: These are the healthy fats and raise HDL cholesterol. They decrease the risk for heart diseases and are essential for overall health. They occur mainly in oils, nuts and avocado. Foods with higher percentage of these oils occur in liquid at room temperature. Only down side of polyunsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids is that at high temperature, these fats get oxidized and turn into harmful fats. Do not use oils that are high in polyunsaturated or omega-3 fats for frying. Use saturated or monounsaturated rich oils for that purpose (Eg: coconut oil, olive oil etc).

Avoid the oils listed below for high temperature cooking either they are rich in polyunsaturated and omega fatty acids and/or they are highly processed.
Soybean, Corn, Cottonseed, Canola, Rapeseed, Sunflower, Grapeseed, Safflower, Rice Bran oils.

Now that you know different types of fats, pros and cons of each variety, make sure you read the nutrition labels, know what you are eating and how much you are eating. DO NOT AVOID fats completely.

Importance of Proteins

Protein should constitute 30% of your diet. They are the building blocks of life and are essential for repair and functioning of individual cells. Proteins are part of skin, hair, muscles and other organs. As mentioned in the previous posts, it is important to add protein to every meal along with good carbs and fats.

Sources of protein:

 

Vegetarian:

Beans- Pinto, Black, Kidney, Garbanzo beans, Lentils, Split Peas
Nuts- Almonds, Hazelnuts, Peanuts, Peanut and Almond butter, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (Watch how much you eat as they are high in fats)
Eggs- Limit one egg per day as egg yolks are high in cholesterol-Replace egg yolks with egg whites for more protein
Dairy products (Use low fat versions)-Milk, Yogurt, Cheese
Tofu and other soy products
Whey protein powders

Non-vegetarian:

Turkey or chicken with the skin removed, or bison (also called buffalo meat),Lean cuts of beef or pork, such as round, top sirloin, or tenderloin (trim away any visible fat), Fish or shellfish.

Do not consume more than what you need. General rule of thumb says that body needs 0.5-0.7 g of protein per pound of mass depending on how active you are. Excess protein will be stored as fat.

Example recipes :

Peanut butter-banana sandwich, avocado-chickpea salad, lentil soups (daal), veggie-cheese sandwich, paneer curries (watch out the fat content in paneer), omlettes with additional egg white, yogurt parfait, smoothies with whey protein, roasted nuts, edamame and many more.

Pancakes

Servings-6 (~150 cal per serving)

Ingredients: 

 

All purpose flour or Bread Flour-1 cup (400 cal)
Salt-1 tsp
Sugar-2 tbsp (100 cal)
Milk-3/4-1 cup (100 cal)
Baking powder-1 tsp
Egg-1 (separate yellow and add foamy white) (70 cal)
Oil-2 tbsp (240 cal)
Vanilla essence-1 tsp

Method:

 

1. Mix all the dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar and baking powder) and keep aside.
2. Separate egg yolk and add vanilla essence and mix properly. Add milk and oil and mix again.
3. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mix and mix properly till there are no clumps. I use electric mixer to decrease effort. The consistency of batter should be little thick. Add more flour at this point, if the batter consistency is very thin. Note that, the egg white foam in the next step will make the batter thinner.
4. Take egg white and beat it until foamy. It will be easy and fast if you use electric mixer for this purpose.
5. Transfer egg white foam to the batter and mix properly. Do not over mix.
6. Heat a pan at low flame. Take a ladle full of batter and pour on the pan. If the batter is properly aerated, you will see bubbles on the top.Turn the pancake to the other side when you see lot of bubbles (~1 min). If it gets too dark, it implies that the heat is a little high. Adjust the flame accordingly. Cook the pancake on the other side.
7. Serve the pancakes with syrup, honey or simply butter! Add scrambled eggs on the side for protein.

Variations: If you want to make blueberry pancakes, sprinkle blueberries after you pour the batter onto the pan instead of mixing them with the batter itself.

Tips: 

 

1. Thickness of the pancakes depend on the consistency of batter. So, adjust the consistency accordingly. The amount of milk depends on the flour you use. Bread flour needs a little more milk than needed for all purpose flour.
2. Do not use lot of baking powder and baking soda. Some recipes call for 2 tsp of baking powder and 2 tsp of baking soda. Pancakes become very bitter if you add both.
3. Temperature of the pan is very critical. You want to cook pancakes at a very low flame and for long time. So, don't be in a hurry and turn up the flame. They will get burnt.
4. Use electric mixer for soft pancakes. Smooth and aerated batter is key to soft and fluffy pancakes.

Chana dal Dhokla

Ingredients:

Chana dal-1 cup
Salt- to taste
Lemon juice-1 tsp
Sugar-2 tbsp
Green chillies-3
Ginger-1 in piece
Curd- 2 tbsp
Fruit salt (eno)-1 tsp 
Oil- to grease the pan

For seasoning:
Sugar-1 tsp
Oil-1 tbsp
Water-1/4 cup
Lime juice-1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Hing-pinch
Chopped green chillies-3 small
Dry coconut-2 tbsp

Corriander leaves for topping

Method:

1. Soak Chana dal overnight or for 4-6 hr.
2. Grind the dal first without water into coarse powder and then add ~1 cup of water and grind it to a thick consistency. Add salt, sugar, ginger and green chillies while grinding.
3. Transfer the batter into a container and add curd and lemon juice.
4. Keep the batter in warm place overnight for fermentation. I use oven for fermentation.
5. Next day, grease a steel pan that can go into pressure cooker or even better use a dhokla stand. Heat enough water in the pressure cooker while you prepare batter.
6. Add fruit salt and mix in one direction for not more than a minute. DO NOT keep the batter for longer after adding fruit salt.
7. Transfer the contents to a greased pan immediately and place the pan in the cooker with hot water. If you are not using a dhokla stand, place an another pan in regular cooker to raise height and then place the pan you are using on the top of that. This will ensure the water doesn't get into the pan.
8. Close the lid and cook without whistle for 25 min on slow flame.
9. Turn off the stove and remove the lid immediately to prevent condensation.
10. At this point, the dhokla may seem soft but its okay. Remove it and let it cool down for 20 min. The dhokla becomes fluffy and spongy now.
11. For seasoning, heat oil and add mustard seeds. Wait for them to splutter and add hing, green chillies and cook for a minute. Now add dry coconut and turn off the flame. Coconut becomes brown very quickly. So keep an eye on it. Add water, sugar and lime juice and mix well. Spread these contents on dhokla evenly and top off with corriander.
12. Serve tasty and nutritious dhokla as it is or with green chutney!!

Sweet Potato Roti

Ingredients:

Sweet potato-1 medium
Whole wheat flour-1 cup
Salt-pinch or to taste
Jaggery-2-3 tbsp or to taste

Method:

1. Pressure cook sweet potato and peel off. If the potato becomes too soft with lot of water, keep in the fridge for few hours to thicken it.
2. Mash the sweet potato. Add salt and jaggery and mix properly.
3. Now keep adding flour (~1 cup) until you get nice soft and non-sticky dough. Rest for 20 min.
4. Roll out the rotis just like regular rotis but not too thin or not too thick.
5. Heat on a tava and apply little ghee on both sides.
6. Enjoy yummy and delicious sweet potato rotis by serving with green-chilly or mango pickle!

Chana Dal paratha

Ingredients:

Stuffing:
Chana Dal-1/2 cup
Water-1 cup
Onion-1/2 medium
Salt-to taste
Ajwain-1/2 tsp
Garam Masala-to taste
Amchur-to taste
Green Chillies-2-3 finely chopped

Dough:
Whole wheat flour-1 cup
Salt- a pinch
Oil- 1 tsp

Method:

1. Soak Chana dal overnight. Pressure cook with 1 cup of water for only 2 whistles. You do not want dal to be mashed. Make sure to get rid of additional water.
2. While the dal is cooking, prepare the dough as you regularly do for chapatis. Do not make the dough very soft. Rest the dough for 15 min.
3. Mix  the dal with finely chopped onion, green chillies, ajwain, salt, garam masala and amchur. Keep it aside.
4. Now take a lemon sized ball of the dough and make a small circle with rolling pin. If the dough is sticky, dust some flour on the dough.
5. Take similar size portion of dal and put it in the center. Make sure the dal doesn't have any water. Otherwise, it will make the dough soft making it difficult to roll.
6. Bring the edges together to the center and make a stuffed ball.
7. Roll it again and keep adding flour if you think the stuffing is coming out.
8. Heat the paratha on a pan and apply ghee on both sides to make the paratha tasty and soft.
9. Enjoy with pickle and yogurt.

PS: Compare the nutrition value of chana dal vs. potato. Chana dal provides more protein and fiber per serving along with carbs.

Bread Scones

Ingredients:

All purpose flour-2 cups (800 cal)
Butter-1/4 cup (400 cal)
Milk-3/4 cup (90 cal)
Sugar-2 tbsp (60 cal)
Salt-pinch
Baking powder-1 tbsp

Method:

1. Add all the dry ingredients and mix them properly. Sieve them if you can. Sieving them makes it more fluffy. You can totally avoid it if you like.
2. Add softened butter and mix into the dry ingredients. Use hand for proper mixing.
3. Add milk and make it a dough. You may need some extra flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
4. Roll the dough into 1/2 inch thick and cut the dough into 13 small squares. Transfer the pieces onto a baking sheet. Give the squares a milk wash.
5. Bake them for 15-20 min until the crust becomes golden brown.
6. Enjoy these 100 cal scones with a crusty outside and soft inside.
7. You can eat them directly, serve them with tea, eat with mozzarella cheese and tomato etc.

P.S: Even though All purpose flour is not good for you, it is not bad to indulge some occasionally. The little secret is eat in small portions. When you know what you are eating and how many calories you are consuming, you will automatically try to control the total intake. So, know what you are eating and eat without guilt!

Avacado Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:

Avacado-1 medium
Chickpea-1/2 cup dry
Lemon juice, Salt and Black pepper-According to taste
Onion-1/2 medium
Cilantro

Method:

1. Boil chickpeas, drain, mash a little and keep it aside.
2. Smash avocado and add onion, mashed chickpeas, salt, black pepper, lime juice and top off with cilantro.
3. You can serve it just like that or use it as a spread on a toast.

Good vs. Bad Carbs

Carbs are essential for your body because they are the key supply of energy. Carbs consist of sugars and fiber. They break down into simple sugars and get converted into energy. Now, how can you distinguish bad carbs from good carbs? You just have to know the magic term "Glycemic Index (GI)".

GI is a measure of how quickly the blood glucose levels increase after eating a particular food.  The higher the GI, the faster the glucose levels increase. Glucose is the standard and its GI is set to 100. GI for all other foods is in comparison to glucose itself. Foods which has fiber usually has low GI. Fiber slows down the absorption of other nutrients, prevents peaks in the blood glucose levels and makes you feel full.

But, what happens when the blood glucose levels increase??

High glucose--->Insulin secretion--->Excess energy will be stored in fat cells--->Brain thinks you are hungry again.

For example, let us compare GI's of three different rices:

Brown rice (55); Long grained white rice (56); Short grained white rice (72)

Based on above GIs, eating brown rice or long grained white rice (basmati) will make you feel full and satisfied for much longer than short grained white rice.

Therefore, healthy carbs are those with lot of fiber, no added sugars and that get absorbed slowly into our systems thereby avoiding spikes in blood glucose levels.

Examples of healthy carbs are fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. Bad carbs are usually sugars, added sugars and refined white grains. Always eat carbs along with protein and fat so as to make yourself full and thereby avoiding hunger pangs.

Take away from this article:

1. Try to always include fat and protein along with carbs.
2. Slowly replace bad carbs with good carbs.

Yellow Moong Dal Dosa

Ingredients

Split Moong Dal- 1 cup
Rice- 1/2 cup
Ginger- 2 inch piece
Green Chillies- 3
Salt- According to taste

Method

 

1. Soak Moong Dal along with Rice atleast for 3 hr. You can leave it overnight.
2. Blend dal, rice along with ginger, green chillies and salt until pouring consistency.
3. Heat a non-stick pan and make crispy and yummy dosas away!
4. Serve them hot with pickle or chutney or alu sabzi.

                                               

Jewish Challah

Ingredients:

Instant yeast-2 tsp
Bread flour-2 cups
Warm water-3/8th cup
Eggs-1 large+1 yolk, plus 1 white for glazing
Vegetable oil-1/4th cup
Salt-1 tsp
Sugar-1/8th cup

Method:

Yeast preparation

1. Heat water and make sure the temperature is close to your body temperature. It should not be too hot or too cold.
2. Add yeast, sugar to a bowl and then add water. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or until the mixture becomes frothy. Sugar makes the mix more frothy. Meanwhile work on the other ingredients.

Dough preparation

1. Add flour, salt in a big bowl and mix until there are no lumps.
2. Add oil and eggs and mix properly.
3. Now add the yeast-sugar mixture and mix everything properly. You may need 1-2 tbsp of extra water.
4. Now the exciting part comes-KNEADING!! The more you knead the softer your bread turns out. Knead the dough for atleast 10 min and make sure it becomes soft and there are no crumbles.
5. Transfer it to another bowl with oiled surface and cover with a moist towel or plastic wrap. Keep the bowl in a warm place for an hour or until your dough becomes double the size. I keep the bowl inside the oven. 

6. Now take the dough and knead it again quickly. 

7. Divide the dough into four parts and make a strand out of each part. So four strands in total. Start braiding the four strands.

 

7. The braiding feels intimidating but it is very simple. Just number the position of the strands and not strands itself and then just remember the magic numbers.

4 over 2; 1 over 3; 2 over 3; repeat!

Watch this wonderful video to understand it better.

8. Once the braiding is done, keep it on a baking tray and spread egg white on the surface.

9. The second 1 hr rise starts now! The bread will rise and becomes double the original size.

10. While you coat the bread with egg white, preheat the oven to 375 F. After egg white wash, let the  baking begin! Bake for 30 min: The surface becomes brown and shiny. Let it cool and serve with red chile olive oil.

Tips

1. If the yeast-sugar mix doesn't get frothy, the yeast is dead. It may be because of hot water or old yeast.

2. KNEAD, KNEAD and KNEAD!

Introduction-How to know what is HEALTHY?

Many of us try to lose weight atleast once in our life time. We often fail due to lot of different reasons. Some of us manage to lose it in the beginning but, the pounds come back quickly again. In order to reach our goal and to prevent the gain again, one needs to know few things and try to incorporate them in many instances in their daily lives. The first thing is to be able to define "HEALTHY FOOD".

Have you ever looked at 'Nutrition Facts Label' at the back of food items when you go grocery shopping? If the answer is yes and you understand the label, you have taken a major leap in your weight loss goal. But, for those who do not know the significance of it, you are reading the right blog.

Let's see how a nutrition facts label looks like.

Looks complicated? Lets break it down. You should consider:

 

1. Serving Size and Calories per serving

 

On an average, an adult woman needs 1200-1600 calories per day and an adult man needs 2000-2400 calories. If you are trying to lose weight, get a rough estimate of how many calories you are eating currently and try to reduce it either by opting smart food choices or by working out. Most of the time we ignore serving size and we may end up eating 2-3 servings. So, do take a note of how many servings you are eating and calculate number of calories consumed accordingly. 

 

2. Fat

 

Many people mistakenly think that fat is bad for body. Good news! You are not completely correct. There are different types of fat: Saturate, Trans, Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated. Completely eliminate Trans fat which is a BAD FAT! Saturated fat is good to a certain extent depending on the its source. Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated fats are GOOD FATS. It is very important to replace bad fats with good fats. So don't forget to take a note of what fats you are eating.

 

3. Carbohydrates

 

Diet conscious people try to decrease their carbohydrate intake. This is wrong. Carbohydrates are essential source for your regular functioning and they should constitute ~50% of your daily diet. But, not all carbs are good. A good carb is determined by its glycemic index. The lower the glycemic index the better the carb! Glycemic index is determined by the percentage of fiber and protein in a give food.

 

4. Protein

 

This is the ingredient which makes you look lean. If you want to tone down, don't forget to incorporate Protein into your diet. Protein makes your meal satisfying and helps in keeping your hunger in control. Do not eat more than what is needed. On an average, protein should constitute 30% of your diet. Most of the times, the food containing protein is associated with saturated fats and cholesterol. So, make sure you are incorporating the right protein into your diet.

 

5. Vitamins and Minerals (Sodium, Potassium, Iron, Calcium etc)

 

Last but not the least are Vitamins and Minerals. Are you thinking that it is too much information to remember? Slow down, take a deep breath and take one step at a time. These are nutrients that are essential for proper functioning of the body. They boost immune system, helps in growth and development and helps cells and organs to do their job. So, do not forget to incorporate them into your diet. 

In conclusion, for a perfect, healthy and balanced diet, you need to follow the above tips and incorporate them slowly in day to day life. This is the first and major step to reach your weight loss goal. Also helps in preventing the weight gain. Follow my blog for a detailed description of each of the above five segments of a nutrition fact label.  

More posts to come!

Salad

Ingredients:

Romaine Lettuce-2 cups
Garbanzo Beans-1/4 cup dry
Vinegar and Olive oil Dressing- 2 tbsp
Dry roasted Sunflower kernel seeds-1/4 cup
Baby Carrots-6
Grape tomatoes-10
Avocado-1/2 medium
Strawberries-6

Method:

Boil the chick peas and keep aside. Toss the dressing on the lettuce and mix well. Add other ingredients, mix and serve! You will love the combination of avocado and strawberries along with grape tomatoes.

Margherita Pizza

Ingredients:

1/4 whole wheat pizza base (I used Boboli 100% whole wheat crust-10 oz)
1/4 cup pizza sauce
Fresh skim Mozzarella cheese
Basil leaves
1/4 tomato

Method:

1. Set oven to 450 C. Spread pizza sauce on the base evenly.
2. Slice mozzarella cheese and place them on the sauce.
3. Slice tomatoes and place them on the crust.
4. Add basil leaves and keep it in the oven for 15 min or until the base becomes crusty.
5. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and red chilli flakes and serve hot. Enjoy!

Moist Banana Bread!!

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas (medium)

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1.5 cups bread flour 

Nuts (optional)

 

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and make sure there are no lumps. Then add egg, vanilla, mashed bananas, milk and butter. Mix everything properly and pour into a greased 4X8 loaf pan. Bake for 35-45 min and make sure tooth pick comes out clean from the center. Turn off the oven and leave it inside for another 15 min. Remove it and serve the moist bread!