Spices and aroma

Memorial day weekend healthy grilling /BBQ ideas with Indian dishes

2012-05-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

Memorial day is a federal holiday observed in the United States on the last Monday of May month. It become an official holiday in 1971. The day marks the remembering of men and women who have died while serving the United states armed forces. Memorial day was officially proclaimed on 5th May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the republic and for the first time it was observed on 30th May 1868. New York was the first state to officially recognize the holiday in 1873.Decoration day was the original name to this day and it originated in the years following the Civil War. Many Americans observe this day by visiting cemeteries and participating in parades. Every city/town across United States hold parades, including military personnel and war veterans. But over the years since the Congress made it a three day long weekend holiday, the actual spirit of celebrating the day has diluted. Since it marks the start of summer season, many throw parties and barbecues on this day.

My in laws are here with this and we had made plans for every weekend for the next few months. San Francisco area has been bit cold over the weekends which is quite uncommon for this time period. Hence we cancelled our plan and decided to stay at home, watch some movies and do some grilling. When the summer comes, we barbecue atleast twice or thrice in a week. For today's meal, we marinated the chicken and fish in an aromatic spice blend that had chili powder, garam masala and tamarind paste. I love grilling for the fact that the entire cooking uses very little oil and on this day, we get to eat lot of veggies and fruits. Gladly when we were ready grill, the sun that was hiding behind the clouds popped out and made my patio warm and bright.

I love the day when we grill as I need to do minimal work and my husband takes over the cook role. I call him a grilling pro. Here are few tips to get the grilling go right (in his words).

1. Buy a good quality cooking spray. Apply a light coat of cooking oil prior to lighting the grill. You need to spray the oil before you switch on the grill. Please don't spray it on a hot grill as the oil can cause flame ups and severe ones can cause injury too.

2. We bought a webber gas grill last summer and I would recommend gas grill over charcoal ones and also webber will be my choice of grill anyday. I am in love with my three burner webber gas grill and I am so glad that I invested on a long lasting one.

3. Most gas grills have an igniter switch for lighting the burners. First turn on the gas at the tank, then turn one burner valve on and push the igniter button to light it. Since today we grilled chicken, fish and corn at the same time, the temperature has to be maintained high.

4. Before placing the food, switch on three burners and close the lid and let the temperature rice gradually to 500F. Once it has reached the desired temperature, switch off 1 or 2 burners (its your choice).

5. Using a kitchen tissue/ hand towel dipped in little oil, I rub the hot crates with it. Then place my meat, corn and fish and cook them for 8 minutes without any disturbance. Constant opening of the lid we change the cooking temperature. So try not to open the lid often. Play around with the burners if the temperature goes high or low.

6. Once done on one side, flip it over and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until done. You want the meat to be tender and juicy.

7. After cooking, turn of the burners and gas tank. Clean using lemon wedges before you wrap the grill. Maintaining a clean grill is key for long lasting grill.

8. Marinate the meat/seafood a day ahead for better taste. I prefer marinades to have a thick consistency, so I use minimum amount of water.

9. For regular users, I would recommend investing on a sturdy BBQ tool kit and also on few accessories like fish basket grill, meat thermometer, basting brush.

This month's theme for World on a plate is grilling ideas and I am sharing the recipe for healthy grilling. Today we grilled skinless chicken thighs, mackerel, corn and pineapple. To wash them down my husband enjoyed a bottle of Korean beer and we stuck with organic carrot juice.

RECIPE
GRILLED INDIAN CHICKEN

Recipe: My husband

Serves: 4 ( 2 thighs each)

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs - Skinless and cleaned

1 egg

For the marinade

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon garlic paster

2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

2 tablespoon coriander powder

1 tablespoon garam masala

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt to taste, about 1 tablespoon

Little water to mix

Directions

1. Mix the ingredients under the marinade section and set aside.

2. Beat one egg and mix with the marinade.

3. Using a paring knife, make small incisions on the chicken. Using hand massage the marinade over the chicken thighs.

4. Cover the container and let it refrigerate for 6-8 hours or overnight.

5. Before you begin to grill, bring the chicken back to room temperature.

6. Pre-heat the grill and once the temperature reaches 500F, place the chicken and cook covered for 8-10 minutes on each side. Check for doneness before you serve.

7. Serve hot with onion slices and mint chutney.

RECIPE
GRILLED MACKEREL WITH INDIAN SPICES

Recipe: Self

Serves: 4 (2 each)

Ingredient

8 whole mackerel - cleaned, pat dried

For the marinade
1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 tablespoon chili powder + more if you like it spicy

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1/2 tablespoon tamarind pulp

Salt to taste

1/4 water if needed

Directions

1. Mix the ingredients under marinade section and set aside. Add water if needed to get the desired consistency.

2. Rub them inside and outside of the fish and let it rest in the refridgerator for 6-8 hours / overnight.

3. Pre-heat the grill to 450 F and cook the fish using a basket grill. This prevents fish from breaking up. Cook 8 minutes on each side.

4. Serve hot with lemon wedges.

My mother-in-law is rubbing the spices over the corn before it hits the grill.

RECIPE

GRILLED SWEET CORN WITH INDIAN SPICES

Source: Self
Serves: 4 (1 corn each)

Ingredients
4 large sweet corn - cleaned, pat dried.
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoon coriander powder
Salt to taste
1 half of a lemon

Directions
1. In a bowl, add the butter stored at room temperature. Mix in chilli, coriander powder and salt and squeeze little lemon juice.
2. Using the head of the lemon, massage the butter mixture over the corn and cook them for 6-8 minutes on each side. Before you serve, rub the roasted corn with the lemon head to add more zestfulness to it.

Additional notes:
1. Since we have grilled the fish with minimum oil, they are an ideal side for South beach diet phase 1.
2. Grilled chicken used here was made with chicken thighs which can be eaten in Phase 2 and 3 of South beach diet. You can follow the same recipe and cook with chickn breast and that is allowed in phase 1.
3. Grilled fish, chicken and corn are perfect while on a weightloss journey.

Talking about exercise with South beach diet phase 1 dish - Black mung bean salad / Karuppu payaru sundal

2012-05-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

People who have sent me emails or spoken to me about South beach diet had this question the most. Will the diet work just like that?

I was little lost on what they meant by just like that?

They meant just eat the right food and do no physical activity.

The answer is NO! Unfortunately losing weight in a healthy way is not an easy task. One must exercise a bit to get the process going in the right direction. It could be simple walking to start with, which can slowly proceed from slow jogging to running. Never know someday you might run a marathon.

Eating right is a major contributing factor for weightloss but that alone wouldn't do the trick. Physical activity is key for healthy weightloss. Since the summer is in full swing, my most favorite exercise for this season is swimming. Lets talk more about the goodness of swimming in later part of the post. Eveybody loves summer and its the season to flaunt your beautiful body in swim suit. A diet rich in genuine calories and regular exercise plan will give you that Beach Body you will need for this summer.

Before that let me tell you what happens when we exercise.

Imagine you are walking in a treadmill. You will start slow at about speed 3 and slowly work your way up. In the meanwhile, you will play around with inclinations. When the breathing rate increases (from 45-65 beats/ minute to 150-160 beats per minute), it means that the lungs need more air and that's obviously means more oxygen. The heart rate increase, the heart pumps blood through the body at a fast pace and this makes you burn more calories. When we exercise, lungs get the oxygen while heart and blood vessels distribute the oxygen to muscles which consume it. When this process synchronizes with each other, a person's stamina and lung capacity improves sufficiently. That means that there will be good longevity and good health.

When will we reap benefits?

It takes 3 months minimum to start enjoying the benefits of exercise. My trainer's words are still echoing in my mind. "Come regularly, stay committed and give me minimum three months of your time. You will then tell me the difference in the way you feel about your body". I have been regular for 3+ weeks at a stretch, then as a women I have my monthly issues which makes me miss 1 week of workout, then other personal commitments will keep me busy and slowly I will fall off the track. Then one fine day I will jump and start back. That's how my exercise routine has been. I have know people who do extreme body workouts and I really respect them for the focus and commitment they have got to achieve the goal. I started out with Tony Horton's P90 and once I feel more fit and improve my stamina, I am planning to move to P90X (90 Day Review).

For the days when you don't work out, eating right is important. And some days I would over indulge. On conscious day when I think sensibly, I would stuff myself with complex carbohydrates, fruits, nuts and hearty Indian dishes made with lentils, lean meat and vegetables.

When you exercise for minimum three months, you will see the following changes

1. Lung capacity improves

2. The heart grows strong

3. Blood pressure comes down

4. You become more insulin resistant

5. Stamina and immunity improves

6. Brain becomes more activated

Coming back to my swimming sessions, I do free style and I think that's one of the fastest and most often done stroke in swimming. Since we work with two arms rotating in full stretch in water, the power is generated along your length.To lose weight and get the inches off the waist and thighs, you must swim hard to increase your heart rate. When the heart rate increases, the body needs more oxygen. The body burns more calories to burn the more oxygen.

We have briefly talked about the goodness of exercise and now lets get into the food we should eat after a workout. Since I workout in late afternoons around 3 or 4 PM, I love to snack after a good swim. My most favorite food right now is warm mung bean salad, referred to as karuppu payaru sundal. The soaked mung bean is pressure cooked until done and they are seasoned with flavorful South Indian spices. A protein rich snack after a workout is the way to go and this dish is stuffed with good amount of complex carbohydrates and proteins.1 cup of cooked mung beans has212 calories with 38.7 grams of carbohydrates and 14.2 grams of proteins.

PACHA / KARUPPY PAYARU SUNDAL

Source: Amma

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 cup raw mung bean (white or black)

3 cups water

For the tempering

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

5 curry leaves - chopped

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 pinch asafoetida

2 dry red chillies- torn in halves

Salt to taste

Directions

1. Clean, rinse and soak the mung beans in excess water for 6-8 hours or overnight.

2. Pressure cook them for 1 or 2 whistles. Switch off the flame and let it rest. If cooking on a pan, cook covered for 30-45 minutes until done. Drain excess water and set aside.

3. In a small saucepan, heat oil. Once they ripples and is hot enough, throw in the curry leaves and let it crisp up. Then add mustard seeds and let it pop. Next add asafoetida and give a quick saute to prevent burning.

4. Finally add dry red chillies and let it flavor the oil, about a minute or so. Mix in the cooked mung beans and salt. Stir to combine and serve hot.

Additional notes:

1. Mung bean sundal was my staple snack during gestational diabetes. Since mung beans have low glycemic index, they can be eaten in measured quantities during pregnancy. You can also make savory pancakes with rice and mung beans and they are called as Pesarattu. Since it has rice, pesarattu is a gluten free dish too.

2. This dish is perfect for those who are diabetic / pre-diabetic.

3. Since this sundal is made from a bean, they are an ideal snack/breakfast dish for those in South beach diet. Perfect SBD phase 1 dish.

This is a guest post provided by Fitness Alliance.

Manjal thool / Haldi / Turmeric powder - Key spice in Indian cooking

2012-05-20T10:59:00.002-07:00

Hello my dear readers,

Few things have kept me little busy and hence I was away for a little time from blogging. My mom left to India two weeks back. So you can empathise how hectic it would have been for us to juggle between work, commute and taking care of my little one. Gladly my inlaws have arrived couple of days back and I feel so peaceful at work and definitely life looks more under control. So that was one thing which kept me occupied all these while and another news to share is about the launch of my cooking class at Whole foods, Cupertino. Yay! I know you guys will be excited for me. Hence I want to share the news with you all right away. Thanks for all the love, kind words and support. Love you all!

I did my first session on 18th May and class kick started well. I must accept that I was pretty nervous, I made silly mistakes, my mind went blank seeing the crowd but finally I survived. I hope I will do a lot better in the following classes. I talked about the different spices used in an Indian kitchen followed by simple recipe for lemon rice and cumin scented potatoes. Since few of them requested me to write posts about spices used in Indian cooking, here I am writing about the most key spice - Turmeric powder. You see more posts about Indian spices here.

My next class is on 9th June and its about "Indian vegetarian cooking with ayurvedic insights". I will update this space about the class in the days to come but I can assure that it's a hand-on cooking session with lots of interactions.

It is known as manjal in Tamil (my mother tongue) and haldi in Hindi (my national language)

Now moving on to our spice:

Turmeric powder, soul of Indian cuisine is made from the dried root stems of turmeric plant. It belongs to ginger family. It has a beautiful yellow color and when used sparingly, brings a pleasing yellow hue to the food. Turmeric powder has a pungent, acrid and mild bitter taste. Curcuma longa is the botanical name for turmeric. Curcuminoids are phytonutrients which has powerful antioxidant properties that are capable of fighting the damage caused by free radicals in the body. Consumption of turmeric powder can improve blood, liver functioning, makes knee joint healthy and helps to the skin glow and be radiant. After harvest, the turmeric plants are boiled and peeled, sundried for several days before being ground to a fine powder. They are sold ground and you can find small packets in Indian stores and international food aisles of departmental stores like Whole foods, Safeway, Safemart, Walmart. In certain homes back home in India, the dried roots are ground to a powder at the grinding store to get the texture right. Every family has one store who does it for them generations together. I am sure we can make small batches with a coffee grinder.

This yellow dust is an antiseptic and in most Indian homes, grandmothers will suggest making a paste with water and applying it on cuts and wounds. It is also an antibiotic and hence we rub it on the meat, chicken and seafoods during washing. It kills the bacteria and helps to reduce the odour of meat/seafoods. Turmeric is also a preservative and is also used in pickling. They prevent the food from getting spoilt. Due to its medicinal significance, turmeric is given special importance in Ayurveda. For individuals suffering from gall stone and bile disorder, it is recommended not to consume turmeric. A glass of warm milk seasoned with little turmeric powder and crushes pepper corns helps to soothen cold, cough and fever. I have been including turmeric milk in my South beach diet menu . Turmeric is an excellent source of iron, manganese, vitamin B6, fiber and potassium.

Turmeric powder is blended with other spices powders like chili, cumin, fenugreek to make curry powder and tandoori pastes. Its color stains the hands when handled during cleaning and cooking. It just lasts for a day or so. Just washing with hand soap is good enough to get rid of the stain fast. Generally I add turmeric to the browned onion mixture that was sauteed in the oil perfumed with spices. Some may add it to the hot oil before the main ingredients and in that case, you will see a dark yellow color in the oil. But once you throw in other ingredients in succession, the colour become mild, close to light lemon shade.

The colors yellow and orange are auspicious to Hindus. Since these two shades are associated with the Sun and solar system, these colours are part and parcel of Hindu mythology. Since India has predominant Hindu population, the usage of turmeric powder to decorate the diyas, walls and temples is a common sight. The word turmeric is synonymous to fertility and prosperity. Before the day of the wedding, turmeric paste is applied to bride and groom's face and body. Since its a preservative, it is a tradition to cleanse and purify the couples before the wedding. My grandmother also says that turmeric keeps the bride/groom from the evil eyes. In South Indian homes during the festival of Navaratri or any auspicious day, turmeric roots/powder are given along with kumkum, flowers and fruits/coconut (picture here).

Turmeric has so many significance so make it a part of your daily life to enjoy its goodness like we do. This spice is easily available in the grocery store all over the country. However, there are conflicting views about the purity of the powder and some say it gets mixed with carcinogenic contents. To get the purest form, I would shell out few more dollars to buy the organic varieties.

For more cooking ideas with turmeric powder, hop over to see my quinoa salad with turmeric vinaigrette.

Vegetarian menu for Chitra Pournami: Roasted butternut squash curry with saffron rice

2012-05-09T20:11:00.004-07:00

Beautiful moon captured at Santana Row on May 5th 2012 @ 10.00 PM

Religion, superstitions and faith goes hand in hand. Education and personal experiences teach every human to have a cognitive approach towards these philosophies. I still remember my dad's late elder brother's words and sometimes I feel his persona around me when I pray or think about him. He was one of the most intellectual person in the family, an engineering graduate from AC tech, Chennai and MBA from IIM, Calcutta. He was an excellent orator whose every word carried wisdom. He would talk about world hunger, UNISEF, politics with us and insisted to follow current affairs and stay updated about things happening around the world. As a family, we all fondly miss him every single day. And what he taught us was "A helping hand is way better than praying lips". He wasn't an atheist but a person who is proud about his tradition and heritage and likes to ponder over the reasons behind every belief. We grew up in a family that preached the existence of God but also reminded us every single day that HE watches one's deeds and as an individual you are answerable to your conscience. We have been imbibed with thoughts that there is no need to bribe God to shower good things our way and staying disciplined in life is all that's needed to be successful and happy. My cousins and I pray to God but we don't overdo it.

For a curious soul like me who loves to know the mythological and scientific belief behind any Hindu traditions, I called up my folks to learn new facts and little google search helped me too. Today's post is about believes in the prayers and fasting on Chithra Pournami day and recipes for a vegetarian meal that is served on this special day.

Accordingly to Hindu beliefs, Chitra Pournami is the special time of the year where we pray to Lord Chitra Gupta to erase our karmas. Yes, you heard it right! A day to get rid of the sins you committed. Lord Brahma was the one who created Chithra Gupta (the obedient assistant who takes note of your deeds in his holy book) through the Sun God and he is also the younger brother of Yeman (remember the hefty man in movies riding on a bull with a rope in hand). For my tamil friends, we must be familiar with this hilarious movie "Lucky man" thath had the characters of Yeman and Chitra Gupta in it.

It is a belief that Chitra Gupta keeps the good and bad deeds of every birth and he tallies the positive against negative karma and decides whether its hell or heaven after one's death. My thatha explained to me that it is on full moon days that you pray to Chitra Gupta to wash away your sins and gain the good virtue for the life after death. Interesting right? What I took away from my discussion was that we must constantly do self analysis, hurt no one, apologize to people whom you have troubled and pray to God with faith. As simple as that!

Now lets understand the science behind a full moon day. It is known that earth has moved into a certain orbit with moon. The magnetic pull is stronger on this day as the pull of the moon is working upon the surface of earth. Hence elders at home will insist on staying at the shore on full moon day as the tides rise more. The gravitational pull of the moon is working on the water more on this night. When there is an upward natural pull like this, the blood circulation in the brain increases. Hence people love to mediate on full moon day as there is an upsurge of energy in the mind and soul. Scientifically, full moon day is the best day to meditate and pray.

Pournami means the night of full moon day. It is an auspicious day for Hindus and many fast or meditate during this day. The fast begins at sunrise and ends after seeing the beautiful moon at night. My mother-in-law performs special pooja every month at the day of full moon and it's a vegetarian meal day. I was raised in a family where non-vegetarians meals were cooked sporadically and having a vegetarian meal was a part of my growing up years but for my husband who is a hardcore carnivore, it is this day that convinces him to pray, stay disciplined and eat vegetarian foods. So every month on full moon day my home is filled with variety of vegetarian dishes and this month it is even more special as May 5th was Chitra Pournami.

We dined at Dish Dash restaurant in Sunnyvale with a friend on Friday evening. Since my Mediterranean food hangover stayed on and since I loved their saffron rice, I created a vegetarian meal with a Mediterranean theme on Saturday. The menu was saffron rice with roasted butternut squash curry and mint raita sprinkled with garam masala. The fluffy basmati rice perfumed with aromatic Iranian saffron and topped with ghee roasted raisins and cashews was a beautiful painting on the plate. The plate was beautified further with roasted butter squash tempered with mild Indian spices. The squash was sweet and spicy. Raita was served as a moistening agent for the dryness that the rice and curry would create in your throat. To wash them down, I served steamy Iranian mint tea. It was a perfect vegetarian meal for the full moon day and for dessert it was chilled melons.

SAFFRON RICE RECIPE

Source: Self

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon ghee / butter / olive oil/ any oil

2 cardamons

4 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 large onions - thinly sliced

1 Thai green chilly - slit
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

2 cups long grain basmati rice

1 pinch saffron strands soaked in 1 tablespoon warm milk

3 cups water to cook

6 cups water to soak

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon ghee

20 raw cashews

20 golden raisins

Directions

1. Rinse and clean the rice in running tap water. Drain and soak them with 6 cups water for 2 hours. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat ghee/ butter/ oil in a large cooking pan (with a fitting lid). Once they ripple, add cardamon, cloves and bay leaf. Cook for 30 seconds. Add the onions and little salt. Let it sweat and cook covered for 8 minutes until they brown a bit.

3. Mix in the green chilly and ginger-garlic paste. Saute for a minute. Pour 3 cups water and soaked saffron strands along with the milk and bring it to a boil.

4. Bring the heat to the lowest and mix in the rice and cook covered for 15 minutes. Switch off the flame and let it rest until ready to serve.

5. In a separate saucepan, heat ghee. Once they are hot, fry the cashews and raisins to golden brown shade. Remove and mix it over the rice before serving.

6. When ready to serve, remove the lid and using a fork, fluff out the rice gently. Transfer to a fresh bowl and sprinkle the raisins and cashews on top.

ROASTED BUTTER NUT SQUASH CURRY

Source: Self

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 small butternut squash - about 1 or more pounds ( I brought the smallest one home)

1 + 1 tablespoon oil, roasting and cooking

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon black gram (urad dhal)

3 dry red chillies

1 large red onions - thinly sliced

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 tablespoon water

1/4 cup cilantro

Salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Remove the skin and cube the butternut squash. Pat dry with a kitchen towel. Toss them with olive oil and little salt. Roast them for 50-60 minutes, until they brown a bit on the outside.

2. Heat oil in a cooking pan. Once hot enough, add the mustard seeds and let it pop. Then add the dry red chillies and black gram and let it roast.

3. Mix in the onions and little salt and cook covered for 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle all the spices and saute for 2 minutes. If its too dry, add little water to avoid burning.

4. Gently fold in the roasted butternut squash and coat them with the spice mixture. Let it heat through for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste and sprinkle cilantro. Switch off the flame and serve hot with the rice.

MINT RAITA RECIPE

Source: Self

Serves : 4

Ingredients

1 cup non-fat or low fat yogurt

1 cup fat free sour cream

1/4 cup mint leaves - finely chopped

1 teaspoon garam masala

Salt to taste

Directions

Mix them all together and serve chilled.

Additional notes:

1. The roasted butternut squash is an ideal side for South beach diet phase 1 and can also be eaten during all the phase of SBD.

Planning a day trip to San Francisco? Explore Ferry building farmer's market

2012-05-02T22:49:00.000-07:00

Everyone in the virtual world lives in a make believe world where the glossy, dramatic and fun pictures gives the view that friends on facebook or instagram or twitter have picture perfect life. But the hard truth is everyone of us have bad days too. Every individuals need their own "space" and on those times they should do stuffs other than their routine, break the shell and explore their skills. For instance, my husband loves to play cricket over the weekend and I have learned to respect his space over the months that have passed by. For me, it would be writing, blogging and photography. So its important for you to find your niche that calms your nerves and mind. I have been ridiculed about the time I spent on blogging as waste. Yes! Agreed! I make no money out of it. It's my pure passion. I spend quality time cooking, styling, photographing a plate of my food and writing an informative post for my readers. As my friend Kankana vented out in facebook, we don't have a Genie to do laundry, cleaning and run errands. We do everything what every wife, mother and daughter does but a little difference is that we do other creative stuffs too with the time every one has in a day - 24 hours.

A good blog is an amalgamation of great writings, magical photographs and passionate voice. My blog is like my baby, I nurture it day in and day out and I do believe that one day my work would get recognized for the commitment and effort I have put in over the years. I do this all with a toddler at home, an online course to complete and an internship in hand that requires one hour commute each way. Every human is an individual, an entity first and then he becomes a part of a family and eventually a part of society. Everyone needs their space and for couples, it takes years to know each other to respect your better half's space. I am little glad that as a couple we are trying our best to understand and acknowledge each-other's wish and aspirations.

There should be one day in my life where I don't have to think about making money, finding a full time job, sorting my health insurance, mortgage to pay and that dream day would be when I call my girl friends (Rose, Kankana and Prerna) and plan a day-out with them or a play date with our kids.

We decided to spend the entire day with two things we love - good food and great photography. For those of you who want a break, plan a day out with your best buddies, someone with whom you will feel light as feather and happy as a kid in a candy store. Want to hear what we did? Read on...

We made a visit to San Francisco and narrowed down the venue to Ferry Building farmer's market. It's a perfect place to plan your day trip from South, North Bay or Peninsula. Our day started at 9.00 am by taking the BART to Embarcadero and the farmer's market is 5 minutes walk from the station. For people coming from Marin county and up North, they can take a ferry from Sausalito to Ferry building. How convenient is that? I cannot imagine driving around SFO in peak hours, then finding a parking spot and returning home without a ticket.

As we walked from the Embarcadero station with huge strollers and crying toddlers to Ferry building, we saw this massive group of Well Fargo's protestors marching on the road with cops on every corner. That was a new sight for me in the US. I have never seen any protest march in person and this one was done in a way not to disturb the public. Anyways, wanted to share that sight with you all.

Apart from the protestors, the first thing that is going to please your eyes would be the colorful trams, munis and taxis in San Francisco. There is yellow, green and red everywhere and you will feel as if you are walking into a kaleidoscope with colors popping with every move. Just before you cross the tracks to reach the farmer's market, there are tiny markets on the lane that leads to Embarcadero BART station and they carry trinkets ranging from ear rings to anklets to necklaces. There were other markets that carried painting, fridge magnets, pet accessories. There is a dramatic clock right at the middle of the Ferry building with American flag perched on top and it's referred to as the icon of San Francisco. If you are in and around San Francisco, make sure to visit this landmark.

The Ferry building farmer's market is open three days a week - Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays between 10.00 am to 2.00 PM on two weekdays and between 8.00 am to 2.00 PM on Saturdays. I have visited the market on Saturdays too and it is much livelier, busier and there is greater choice of foods rather than the other two days. Well, we know why!!!

The larger market on the other side of the road has tents that sells fruits, vegetables, flowers, breads, cheese, jams, home made ice creams, meats and eggs. The products are fresh and organic and they come from small family owned farms and ranch. We walked inside the Ferry building farmer's market and spent a good chunk of time photographing the colorful stores. Do step outside the back entrance of Ferry building to enjoy the spectacular view of Bay Bridge. As we lazed around, it was past noon by then. Time to pamper the growling tummies.

For lunch, we took a small bite at Slanted Door, Vietnamese restaurant but you do have a wide range of food tents on the main stretch of the farmer's market and for dessert it's homemade icecream for sure. No arguments on that and we all enjoyed a cone of malted milk chocolate and brown sugar fennel ice-cream. They were creamy, delicious and perfectly addictive for a hot day. Don't forget to grab few treat home from Mietta and other pastry shops. By the time you are done exploring nook and corner of Ferry building, it would be 4 in the evening and time for the little ones to get naggy and sleepy. While we mothers took the BART home, our other two friends went ahead to explore more of SFO. You can continue your evening by walking to Pier 39 or Union square or shop in the ginormous malls till you drop.

San Francisco is a such a beautiful city with multiple faces. It has everything to offer from kids to adults. You just have to pick what you want to do and enjoy every bit of your stay there. I hope you enjoyed seeing our multi-cultural San Francisco through my lens.


Pictures from Jan/Feb 2012

Spring picnic idea - Masala pori / phori / puffed rice with chai

2012-04-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

Spring is the season for so many great things. It's the time of the year when sun shines across the horizon and peps up the mood of the people and brings a smile on their face. It's the season where zoos, parks, beaches and amusement parks are filled with tons and tons of kids and adults. So it becomes the time of the year where yummy foods are cooked and packed in a picnic basket and everyone enjoys BBQ with chilled beer or smoothie or buttermilk. Where ever you are! What ever country you are from! Spring brings food and fun to the table.

My first picnic which still remains so close to my heart is our trip to Little Folks amusement park, Chennai. We eight kids along with M mama (dad's cousin), our devoted driver and S perippa (dad's elder brother), our navigator ventured out to this amusement park during my 2nd grade summer break. Our old yet sturdy Maruthi Omni Van was the car that we traveled in. It is like a mini 7 seater van, how much ever people you fit inside the car, you are sure to arrive at the destination without much trouble. Such a dependable car it was. Every huge family I knew owned this car at that time frame.

Maruthi Omni van was the first car my dad bought in 1992. I still remember the white colored car with two extra fold-able seats fixed in the boot and it was parked right infront of our apartment. My mom bought a fitting car cover from T.Nagar and every night she would dutifully cover it. Since Omni has the engine inside, the car turns into an oven on long drives. We didn't have an air conditioner in it but there was one mini fan placed above the dash board. It was a simple car with basic fittings but we had lots of wonderful memories in it. I am reliving those days through this post. One such memorable trip in our Omni was with my cousins to Little folks amusement park in Chennai, South India.

That was a time in India where owning a car was a luxury and every home tried their best to fit in maximum number of passengers when they traveled. That's the philosophy of huge families - adjust and accommodate. I come from a family with lots of cousins and for every vacation we look forward to fun trips, sharing treats, cracking jokes, loving each other and having a blast together.

Women at home will pack foods for us. There would be chaat for sure, lemon rice with potato chips, homemade made snacks like manoharam, adhirasam, murukku, seedai. My grandmother would send two bottles of chaat chutney, box of masala phori / puffed rice & sev (omapodi) and another box will have finely chopped onions, cucumber, tomatoes and cilantro. Our mama's job is to mix all the given ingredients to bhel puri like dish. We ate those meals in hurry to finish and run back to the play area. There was a dance floor where we get to dance with Winnie the Poo, Mickey and Mini Mouse (people dressed in cartoon character costumes). I danced non-stop. I think for more than 2 hours or so. Even my cousins danced with me but only I ended up getting a prize for being so enthusiastic. LOL! I find it so funny now.

The picnic foods are always more delicious to me. There would be gallons of water tucked in the corner of the car. Spring and summers are intense, humid and hot in Chennai and during picnics we carry a lot of water and chilled buttermilk. After a long exhausting day we would head back tanned and dark.

Wow, I am surprised that I remember everything about that day from the food to the outfit I wore. It has been a trip down the memory lane for me. I am sure even you would have thought about the trips you made with your cousins and grandparents after reading this post?

Left: My impatient little one digging on to a bowl of masala phori set for the photo shoot. Right: My son was ready with his packet for Happy Hollow

Since spring is on the full spell in California, I am recreating memories through food for my son. We pack our picnic bag together - there will be his favorite masala phori, cheerios, sweet potato nuggets and fruits. For drinks there would be neer mooru (buttermilk), chikko milkshake and masala chai.

This month's theme for World on a plate is Spring picnic ideas and I am sharing the recipe for an easy breezy snack - masala phori (puffed rice). The pungent garlic and crispy curry leaves compliments wonderfully with the crunchy puffed rice. I have added turmeric powder to give it a milk yellow hue. Overall its a quick and filling snack for toddlers, kids, adults and for everyone in between. Masala phori is a common snack made by U perimma and as a gang of three (perimma, D and me), we are big addicts to tea time snacks (norukku theeni) and our family fondly refer us as "Santha Grinders" as we always munch something or the other. From uppu kadalai to kai murukku to yelandha vadai, we are game to eat it anyday anytime.

MASALA PHORI / PUFFED RICE RECIPE

Source: U perimma

Serves: 4 - 6 , a cup each

Ingredients

1 large packet of phori/ puffed rice from Indian stores

1 tablespoon olive oil or any oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

10-12 curry leaves

4 garlic with skin on - crushed

4 dry red chillies -snapped

1 or 2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon salt

Garnish

1/4 cup roasted peanuts (optional)

Directions

1. Remove about 6 cups of puffed rice to a fresh bowl. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large cooking pan / kadai. Once they oil ripples, add the mustard seeds and let it pop. Then throw in the curry leaves and let it crisp up, about 60 seconds. Then add the garlic and dry red chillies. Saute for 30 seconds. Finally add turmeric and cook till the raw smell disappears, about 60 seconds.

3. Add the phori / puffed rice and cook on medium low flame for 30 minutes, sauteing every 5 minutes and wait till they crisp up. Do a taste test after 30 minutes to check for crunchyness.

4. Sprinkle salt and roasted peanuts. Mix well and serve with hot chai.

Additional notes

1. Since puffed rice is made from rice, masala phori is a gluten free snack.

2. Can be eaten in moderation by people who are on a weightloss journey.

3. An ideal snack (baby food) for toddlers above 12 months.

Foodbuzz 24x24: Introducing a new whole grain - Finger millet / Mandua / Kezhvaragu /Ragi dinner party with how to videos and pictures

2012-04-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

Finger Millets are one of the oldest known foods to mankind. Every summer break when I visit my grandparent's village, there will be one breakfast dish made with it every week. It could be ragi idly (steamed cakes), dosai (crepes), uthappam (pancakes), sevai (noodles) or chapati (Indian breads). My grandfather has friends who are farmers and he will share insights about the harvest, growing season, principle of crop rotation and how to make compost during meal time. Some information went over the head and some stayed etched in the heart forever. One thing that I remember about finger millet was their short growing time. They can grow into a mature plant within 70-80 days or may be less than that. He would add that rice and wheat needs more water and improved soil fertility for better yield while millet grows well in dry, arid lands.

Isn't that a wonderful opportunity for farmers from dry part of the world to cultivate, grow and make money?

We should all eat more whole grains like millet, quinoa, barley to encourage and support those farmers. Infact if we force the nature by changing the cropping patterns all our natural reserves will dry up fast and Mother nature will act against us. So lets respect the biodiversity in nature and eat foods based on the location and weather patterns.

Finger millet noodles served with sweetened coconut milk and savory finger millet noodles.

Finger millets are highly nutritious, gluten free and so easy to digest. I feed my son finger millet porridge / ragi kanji, a dish made with flour of the sprouted grain for breakfast every other day. It should be well cooked before feeding it to kids. I re-created my long lost relationship with it during my gestational diabetes period. Finger millet breaks down to sugar very slowly and doesn't spike your blood sugar drastically. It slowly works in your body and hence it's a perfect ingredient for those with type 2 diabetes to explore with.

Every month Foodbuzz hosts an online event called 24x24 which showcases 24 meals in 24 hours. When I got the email to submit a proposal, I was interested to show case a menu with all the dishes made with finger millet. I wrote a proposal about introducing a new whole grain - finger millet/ ragi/ kezhvaragu. Hearing the news that my submission got accepted I invited my foodie friends for "Finger millet dinner party".

Ragi idly made with oats and quinoa. I served mine with moong dhal sambhar and ridge gourd chutney

On the menu

Cuisine: South Indian

Starters
1. Ragi cutlet / Finger millet patties made with sweet potatoes and fenugreek leaves served with spicy peach chutney

Entree
1. Ragi idly (steamed cakes with finger millet, oats and quinoa) served with ridge gourd chutney and sambhar
2. Savory noodles with finger millet and seasoned with tons of onions and curry leaves - Videos here
3. Finger millet / ragi puttu (look below for a pictorial tour)

4. Ragi dosai/ Finger millet crepes

Dessert
1. Idiyappam with thengai paal (Finger millet noodles served with ice cold sweetened coconut milk) - Videos here.

Party favorite - Ragi cutlet / patti served with spicy peach chutney

I had invited our small group of friends as this menu needs to be prepared and served right away. Hence I was in the kitchen almost the entire time. I started the day by cooking the sambhar, sweetened coconut milk and chutney in the morning and stored them safe in the refrigerator. The idly and cutlet/patti were cooked 30 minutes before the guest arrived and I kept them warm in my Cello hot pack ( my priced possession from India).

I steamed the noodles as the next thing and cooked the savory version first, followed by parallely steaming the puttu in the burner behind. I served them all piping hot. It is key as cooking ragi way ahead will leave it dried up and nobody will enjoy it. So I don't prefer cooking ragi well before the dinner time. Once my guests started to eat and noticed the taste and texture of this new grain, discussions opened about its origin, cultivation and harvest. In the mean while I started making dosais and served them crispy hot. By the time I was done with this, it was dessert time. I again steamed new set of noodles, let them cool a bit, tucked them inside ice cream bowls and poured coconut milk on top. Served immediately and I could hear the slurp sound in the air. I am sure they enjoyed every dish in the meal.

Thank you foodbuzz for organizing this event every month.

RECIPE

RAGI / FINGER MILLET CUTLET / PATTI

Source: Self

Makes 10 small patties

Ingredients

1 cup finger millet /ragi flour

1 medium sized sweet potatoes - boiled and mashed

1/4 cup fenugreek leaves - finely chopped (optional). You can also use drumstick/malangai/ morunga keerai leaves too

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon chili powder + more if you like it spicy

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon salt + more as per taste

1/2 cup cilantro - finely chopped ( I used little more as we love its flavor)

1 tablespoon water (if needed only)

1/4 cup olive oil for cooking

Directions

1. In a clean bowl, add ragi flour, mashed sweet potatoes, fenugreek leaves, spices and cilantro. Using hand, mix them well. The water from the cooked sweet potatoes are enough to knead them into a dough. If its still dry, start by adding very little water and move you way up. Roll them into balls (equal size).

2. Heat a large sauce pan on medium-low flame, drizzle 1 tablespoon oil along the edges such a way that the saucepan is covered with streaks of oil. Remove each ball and press them between your palms, just like the way we do for a veggie/meat patties. Mine were about 1 cm in radius. Place them over the sizzling hot pan one after the other without much crowding and cook for 8-10 minutes on each side. Remove over a kitchen towel and serve hot with any sweet-spicy chutney like peach or mango.

FINGER MILLET / RAGI PUTTU - A pictorial tour and a video tutorial

Displaying my puttu maker & pressure cooker and dry roasting the finger millet flour

The flour is mixed with little water to a crumbly texture. Stacked alternately with roasted flour and coconut, they were steamed in the puttu maker for 15 minutes. Can you see the steam erupting out?

Using the thin stainless steel, gently slide the cooked puttu out and drizzle with ghee and sugar ( We ate ours with coconut palm sugar)

Where to eat in Mendocino? - Purple Thistle, Willits, California (Restaurant review)

2012-04-25T23:35:00.002-07:00

Along with my husband's grad school friend and his family, we vacationed at Mendocino during Memorial day long weekend, 2011. Mendocino is one of the most beautiful town to visit for a short vacation. There is beautiful sea on one side and more so beautiful Victorian homes on the other side and when you walk along the coast, you will be pulled into the world of beauty and nature. As I strolled through the narrow roads of Mendocino, there was nip in the air and gentle breeze with mist kissed my face. The drizzle, wind and cloudy gloomy days reminded me of England. This was a trip to Great Britain without the expensive flight and hotel fares. It is so close to San Francisco that people living here can plan a trip for the weekend. A laid back simple town to enjoy with your loved ones.

To me, a vacation defines little travel with lots of eating. We like to venture out the streets and dine in every possible restaurant found on the way. We stayed at Willits and visited places around Mendocino and Fort Bragg. On the day we arrived, we walked through the so called down town, don't expect a happening Santana Row like streets but this place was quiet and deserted. I think the shops close pretty early here, around 6 or 7 pm. When we were discussing about a restaurant to dine that night, S's friend M found "Purple Thistle" through yelp reviews. Since it had decent 3+ stars and importantly since it was closest to our hotel, we finalized on this place.

We arrived as a group of four adults, one toddler and two infants in hand and I thought that we wouldn't be able to fit in the tiny restaurant with our huge strollers. But the owners (mom-daughter duo) accommodated us close to a huge window. I think the waitress was the daughter who was friendly and pleasant. Since M's wife and I were choosing dishes with less calories, the lady was very good at suggesting dishes and options.

The menu was short and limited. I think they print it on a daily basis and dishes are created with seasonal ingredients. The ambiance was rustic and simple. We felt warm, cozy and welcomed.

Coming to the food, I ordered garden salad with candied pecans and champagne vinaigrette . The salad was crispy and super delicious. For the appetizers we ordered mussels cooked in white wine, it was perfectly seasoned and incredibly delicious. For the entree, I ordered grilled chicken breast with steamed veggies and mashed potatoes. The garlic mashed potatoes were very good. I have never enjoyed steamed vegetables this much. They were fresh and organic and tasted so good. My husband ordered fish and chips with coleslaw. The fish was tender - crispy and soft. The coleslaw was well coated with the dressing and we were glad that it was not soaked in mayonnaise. M ordered Cajun spiced shrimp with rice and his wife, A ordered steak with veggies and mashed potatoes. We ate till the last piece and just loved the way each dish was prepared and served. The wine list was decent and the guys ordered Pinot.

I would definitely stop by this place next time we drive to Mendocino. Since the place is little small and campy, I would definitely call for reservation before I show up. For the food and service, I would give it 4 stars on 5. We liked it so much that I insisted to dine again on Monday but unfortunately it was closed. I would love to go back to Willits just to dine at Purple Thistle again. I am sure you will enjoy the food as much as we did.

Purple Thistle
50 S Main St
Willits, CA 95490
(707) 459-4750

Kadai vegetables curry with purple potatoes - Restaurant style recipe

2012-04-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

How many of you will take a minute or so to stand and gaze at the vegetables with their not so usual colors?

ME! ME! ME!

That's what I do when I see purple potatoes, orange cauliflower and white or pink carrots. Yes every time I walk past the stalls of my farmer's market, I will pick a bunch or two for dinner that night. These days, I am even more excited to bring different colors of fruits and vegetables home as my son is learning colors. But he gets confused with onions being in white and red, carrots in purple or orange and potatoes with red, brown and purple skin. That's a different story. Ya, I cann't teach him apple is red, as there is green apple lying next to it. I can't blame a 16 month old for getting confused. But he is learning the names of fruits and vegetables and now he can say apple, orange and banana these days.

One such vegetable cooked often at my home is purple potatoes. As the name suggest they have purple color on their skin and flesh. They are rich in antioxidants and anthocyanin. The same chemicals present in blueberry, any berries and pomegranates. They are refereed to as flavonoids. The presence of polyphenol antioxidants helps to protect the body from free radical damage. This in turn can help to lower blood pressure. The phytochemicals in purple potatoes can also help to prevent cancer and boast the immune system. Purple potatoes comes from Andes region of South America. Yes, the same region where quinoa is grown and cultivated. They are native to Lake Titicaca region of Peru and Bolivia.Currently they are being grown all over US, South America and Europe. They are a great replacement for white potatoes. If you avoid deep frying them, purple potatoes eaten on regular basis can be good for your heart. Did you hear that? A variety of potato good for us. Isn't that great? I have made purple potato mash, oven baked chips, potato curry over the few months.

If somebody mentioned white potatoes to me, I would think of it having high carbs, starch and empty calories. Though I love its taste, I stopped eating them once I started with South beach diet and even on other days I avoid eating potatoes. But my body craves for its taste. And when I came across purple potatoes and created dishes without butter or ghee or sour cream or mayonnaise, one small potato will have close to 100 calories and lots of phytochemicals and vitamins. That's exciting for me.

Anyways, last weekend I hunted for purple potatoes in my farmer's market but couldn't find one. Luckily I found a bag of mixed potatoes in Costco and I made this curry with just the purple potatoes and reserved the red and white ones for some other day. This kadai vegetables is made with lots of vegetables like carrots, french beans, bell peppers, potatoes and peas. You can also add seared panner towards the end. I learned this recipe from R akka when I was doing my final year project in Hyderabad. The recipe for kadai paneer is here.That's when I learned to use the most magical herb, kasuri meethi. A handful of that can go on a long way in a dish. This dish is quick and easy to prepare and make.

KADAI VEGETABLES WITH PURPLE POTATOES

Source:Rani akka

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 dry red chillies

1 small onion - quartered

1 teaspoon ginger - minced

1 teaspoon garlic - minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder

1 tablespoon coriander powder

2 large carrots - cubed

1 red bell pepper - quartered

1 green bell pepper - quartered

10 French beans - cut into 1 inch size

4 small purple potatoes (with the skin on) - quartered

1/4 cup frozen peas - thawed

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 cup kasuri meethi / dried fenugreen leaves

Salt to taste

1/4 cup water

Note: Make sure all the vegetable are cut in same size.

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large kadai (cooking pan). Once they are hot, throw in the fennel seeds, tear the chili into half and add to the tempered oil. Saute for 10 seconds.

2. Then add the onions and little salt , about a 1/2 teaspoon and cook covered for 8 minutes on medium low flame. Saute to avoid sticking to the base. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for 60 seconds.

3. Mix in the tomato paste, turmeric, chili and coriander powder and mix well to combine. The mixture will look dry, add a tablespoon or so water to avoid burning.

4. Add the bell peppers, beans, carrots, potatoes (with the skin on) and mix well.

5. Pour the water and cook covered for 20 minutes until the vegetables turn tender. Switch off the flame and sprinkle the thawed peas. Cover and let the steam cook them for 5 minutes.

6. Sprinkle garam masala, salt and kasuri meethi. Mix and serve hot with roti/pulao/pilaf.

Additional notes

1. Since it has medium starch, they can be slowly introduced in phase 2 and 3 of South beach diet.

2. Can also be eaten by women with gestational diabetes when they have craving for a potato based dish like urulai kizhangu varuval (potato curry) or masala dosa (brown rice batter) with potato stuffing.

3. Can also be eaten on rare occasion by people with type 2 diabetes and those who are on a weightloss journey.

Adzuki / Azuki beans masala

2012-04-18T20:05:00.001-07:00

Adzuki beans (pronounced as azuki beans) are pretty looking tiny grains with a beautiful burgundy color. They have been grown for many centuries in countries like Japan, China and India. They are not just rich in proteins and carbohydrates but are so easy to digest in comparison to other beans. Adzuki beans are pumped with folate, zinc, iron, magnesium, proteins and fiber. It is also becoming a favourite among health freaks as 1 cup of adzuki beans has more soluble fiber than pinto or black beans. The soluble fiber in adzuki beans can help to lower cardiovascular problems in your body. When homocysteine (an amino acid) level goes up, there is an increased chance of blockage in your blood vessels and arteries. The folate present in these beans help to reduce homocysteine level in the blood. Also the magnesium and potassium present in any food will help to lower the blood pressure and help in muscle relaxation and improved blood flow.

If you are watching what you eat or on a weight loss journey or watching your cholesterol, then this bean is a keeper in your pantry. Since they are low glycemic food, it keeps you full for longer and helps to balance your blood sugar well. A can of organic adzuki beans from whole foods costs you close to $2-3 and when made with tons of onions and tomatoes, the curry will come for two dinners. That's a pocket friendly deal right?

They have a nutty taste and has mild sweetness in it. I have been using the organic can version but dry ones work great too. All you have to do it clean, rinse and soak it overnight. Discard the soaking liquid and pressure cook it with water enough to soak them for 1 whistle ( or cook in boiling water for 45-60 minutes). My curry can be saved in airtight container for a week and refrigerate itto keep it fresh for long.

They are called as chavali / chawli in Marathi, chori in Hindi and chowra in Gujarati. Thanks to my friend Manisha Pandit for this information. Check her blog and I am sure you will learn a lot about Indian ingredients and their usage. She is also a contributing write for Whole foods market cooking in Boulder.

ADZUKI BEANS MASALA

Source: Self

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 can (15oz) adzuki beans (Eden Organic brand) or raw ones (soaked and pressure cooked)

1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

10 curry leaves

1 large onion - chopped

1 tablespoon ginger - minced

1 tablespoon garlic - minced

1teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1tablespoon tomato paste
1 or 2 cups water
1/3 cup thick coconut milk

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 cup cilantro - chopped

Directions

1. Heat oil until they smoke a bit. Throw in the curry leaves and saute for 30 seconds, let it crisp up. Then add onions and little salt and let it brown, approximately 10 minutes on a medium flame.

2. Add the minced ginger and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Sprinkle turmeric, chili and coriander powder and cook till the raw smell disappears. Mix in the tomato paste and pour 2 cups of water and cook approximately for 20 minutes covered. Finally add the cooked adzuki beans, coconut milk and stir to mix well. Cook covered for 5 minutes on medium-low flame to let the spices simmer with the beans.

3. Pour the lemon juice over and garnish with garam masala and cilantro. Stir to combine and serve hot with rice/ roti.

Additional notes

1. An ideal side dish for South beach diet phase 1, 2 and 3

2. Since it has low glycemic index, my adzuki beans curry can be eaten during gestational diabetes and by those who have type 2 diabetes.

3. Also perfect dish to eat with chapati or tortilla for those who are on a weightloss journey.

South beach diet Phase 1 meal ideas with South Indian food and spiced up buttermilk recipe

2012-04-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

My friends and family had reached out to me to create a menu plan that is simple to understand and easy to fix. Since I come from Southern part of India, I created this menu with the dishes I grew up eating. I made little changes to the original recipe to make it South beach diet phase 1 friendly. I have written a detailed post about South beach diet here. Please take a look and do come back.

Good luck with phase 1!
Just remember - No pasta, rice, potatoes, carrots, beets, peas, corn, fruits, sugar,alcohol and totally NO CARBS for just 2 weeks. Even if you don't see a drastic change in the weighing scale, you will definitely see a change in inches. You will lose few inches around your waistline. Remember: Supplements are important and drink lots of water.

Since our South Indian dishes are made with rice, lentil and beans, coming up with a phase 1 meal plan was simple. I just omitted the dishes made with rice and included our good old poriyals,sambhar, rasam, karis, kootu, sundals, thayir pachadis and thogayals in the menu. Voila! The menu this way is amazingly perfect and fits the rules of Phase 1. You get to eat lots of vegetables which will be rich in nutrients, low in sugars and high in fibers. Isn't that great? Yes, you can eat your eggs, fish and lean meat too. It is easy to follow but you need to plan, shop and cook ahead to stick to the plan for 14 days.

South beach diet is not any diet program, it is a lifestyle change. Please keep that in mind. You have to get back carbohydrates after 2 weeks. But remember to include complex carbohydrates like brown rice, quinoa, finger millet, buck wheat, barley when you start phase 2 and phase 3. You can eat rice for sure but just juggle between these whole grains and rice on a weekly basis. Your body needs vitamin B and iron for balanced functioning and that comes from rice but a diet based on white rice (polished) is not good either. This is because white rice is deprived of Vitamin B1 and that deficiency can cause neurological disease called beriberi (caused by thiamine, Vitamin B1 deficiency) - remember hearing this in your grade 8 biology class?. Hence we should include brown rice and other complex carbs in our diet. Read about the importance of brown rice in my post here and also check out recipes of Indian dishes made with brown rice here.They are tasty and nobody can find the presence of brown rice in it.

Given below is the list of dish you can cook at ease for your family. Serve them with rice or chapati and you can eat just the poriyals(stir fries), kootus, rasam, karis and avoid the carbohydrates and sugar. Actually from my experience, eating a

My 14 days plan ideas

I recommend having multivitamins and Vitamin D supplements everyday. Consult with your family doctor about which brand to buy.

Shopping list for phase 1 (14 days)

1. Beans
2. Bittergourd
3. Vazhaipoo/ vazhai thandu
4. Kovakai
5. Capsicum
6. Vendakai - Lady's finger
7. Tomatoes
8. Onions
9. Ginger
10. Garlic
11. Spinach, meethi, siru keerai
12. Cauliflower
13. Cabbage
14. Cucumbers
15. Coriander leaves
16. Mint leaves
17. Brinjals/ eggplants
18. Chow-chow
19. Pumpkin
20.Eggs (28 numbers) - 2 each day

21. 1 large packet of almonds (roasted or raw)
22. 1 large packet soy nuts or uppu kadalai.
23. Chicken
24. Fish
25. Shrimp
26. Crab
27. Lamb
28. Fat free milk
29. Fat free yogurt
30. Tea bags of your choice
31. Green grams
32. Black eyed peas / Karamani
33. Lentils - Toor dhal, red lentils
34. Pachai patani
35. Channa dhal

Day 1:
8oz warm milk when you wake up. No sugar
Breakfast: 2 eggs with onions, green chilles, curry leaves, salt, pepper and turmeric
Morning snacks: 2 small cucumbers with 2 tablespoon hummus
Lunch: Beans poriyal, 1cup dhaal, cabbage masala, seared fish with chilli powder(use less oil, 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil) and 1/4 cup non-fat yogurt. Eat vegetables as much as you want, till full.
Afternoon snack: 10-15 roasted almonds, stop with that. If still hungry, you can eat sundal that' s planned for the dinner.
Late evening snack: Tea with nonfat milk and sugar substitute. I take green tea.
Dinner: Pacha payaru sundal tempered with ginger, green chillies, (coriander seeds, red chilly) - roasted and ground. Do like usual tempering for sundals. 1 cup of that with our usual chicken masala (cook with lean chicken meat without fat), left over poriyal or masala from lunch. Finish with 1/4 cup yogurt
Late night snack: 8oz warm milk ( optional to drink with turmeric and black pepper corns)

Day 2:
8oz warm milk when you wake up. No sugar
Breakfast: Warm cauliflower soup with Indian spices and topped with sauteed mushroom (make it the previous day and store)
Morning snacks: 1/4 cup roasted soy nuts or 1/2 cup dhaal from previous day.
Lunch: Kovakai masala, chicken curry with spinach or mint/cilanto, podalanga kootu and 1/4 cup non-fat yogurt. Eat vegetables as much as you want, till full.
Afternoon snack : Oven roasted zucchini chips,bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes or until crispy. If still hungry, you can eat sundal that' s planned for the dinner.
Late evening snack: Tea with nonfat milk and sugar substitute. I take green/ red clover tea.
Dinner: Karamani sundal tempered with ginger, green chillies, (coriander seeds, red chilly) - roasted and ground. Do like usual tempering for sundals. 1 cup of that with our usual fish curry( make a curry with onions, ginger garlic, tomatoes and spice powders), left over kootu or masala from lunch. Finish with 1/4 cup yogurt
Late night snack: 8oz warm milk ( optional to drink with turmeric and black pepper corns)

Day 3:
8oz warm milk when you wake up. No sugar
Breakfast: Scrambled 2 eggs with onions, green chiles, curry leaves, salt, pepper and turmeric. If you can find smoked salmon or mushroom, add those chunks to the eggs
Morning snacks: 1/4 cup roasted soy nuts or uppu kadalai.
Lunch: Lean cut of lamb if available, pressure cook into a curry with eggplants, serve with cabbage poriyal and yogurt.
Afternoon snack: Munch on 15 almonds only. Please restrict to that
Late evening snack: Tea with nonfat milk and sugar substitute. I take green/ any flavoured tea made with just water and no sugar.
Dinner: Channa/pinto beans masala with chopped onions and cucumbers, left over cabbage poriyal,1 tablespoon mint thogayal to go with 1/4 cup yogurt.
and yogurt
Late night snack: 8oz warm milk ( optional to drink with turmeric and black pepper corns)

Day 4:
8oz warm milk when you wake up. No sugar
Breakfast: 2 eggs with onions, green chilles, curry leaves, salt, pepper and turmeric.
Morning snacks: 8oz fresh tomato juice with salt and pepper and munch little 1 tablespoon roasted soy nuts or uppu kadalai for a change in taste.
Lunch: Eeral varuval (Shrimp masala) with less oil (about 1 tablespoon only), sorakai kootu (bottlegourd kootu) (1/4-1/2 cup), capsicum/bell peppers curry and 1/4 cup yogurt.
Afternoon snack: Cucumbers with my spicy hummus
Late evening snack: Tea with nonfat milk and sugar substitute. I take green/ any flavoured tea made with just water and no sugar.
Dinner: Chicken curry with methi leaves or any greens, left over capsicum curry, kootu and yogurt
Late night snack: 8oz warm milk ( optional to drink with turmeric and black pepper corns)

Day 5:
8oz warm milk when you wake up. No sugar
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs (2)
Morning snacks: 8oz fresh tomato juice with salt and pepper and munch little 1 tablespoon roasted soy nuts or uppu kadalai for a change in taste.
Lunch: Beans usilli. You can make it with asparagus too. You get your lentils and veggies together, 2 fish seared/baked with lemon, turmeric, chilli powder and salt, onion or chicken rasam and 1/4 cup yogurt
Afternoon snack: Cucumbers with hummus
Late evening snack: Tea with nonfat milk and sugar substitute. I take green/ any flavoured tea made with just water and no sugar.
Dinner: Then chicken rasam and white pumpkin/chow-chow kootu, make any thogayal with the chow-chow skin with less coconut to go as a side for 1/4 cup yogurt

Late night snack: 8oz warm milk ( optional to drink with turmeric and black pepper corns)

Day 6:
8oz warm milk when you wake up. No sugar
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs (2) or omelet
Morning snacks: 15 almonds.
Lunch: Vazhaipoo (banana blossom) poriyal or vazhai thandu (banana shoot) pooriyal or palapinji poriyal (baby jackfruit) with only 1 tablespoon coconut, pachai pattani sundal, left over chicken rasam from yesterday and 1/4 cup yogurt
Afternoon snack: Cucumbers with hummus
Late evening snack: Tea with nonfat milk and sugar substitute. I take green/ any flavoured tea made with just water and no sugar.
Dinner: Then chicken rasam and white pumpkin/chow-chow kootu and 1/4 cup yogurt
Late night snack: 8oz warm milk ( optional to drink with turmeric and black pepper corns)

Day 7:
8oz warm milk when you wake up. No sugar
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs (2) or omelet
Morning snacks: 1/4 cup channa with onions, cucumber, cilantro and spices - Channa chaat
Lunch: Bittergourd curry without any sugar or jaggery, mochai kottai kozhambhu, keerai kootu and 1/4 cup yogurt
Afternoon snack: Cucumbers with hummus
Late evening snack: Tea with nonfat milk and sugar substitute. I take green/ any flavored tea made with just water and no sugar.
Dinner: Left over mochai kottai kozhambhu, keerai kootu, chicken pepper fry and 1/4 cup yogurt
Late night snack: 8oz warm milk ( optional to drink with turmeric and black pepper corns)

Day 8:
8oz warm milk when you wake up. No sugar
Breakfast: Tofu scramble (poriyal) with onions, curry leaves, mustard seeds, urad dhal, spices or have egg scrambles
Morning snacks: Channa chaat
Lunch: Lady's finger curry, kothavanranga poriyal, rasam, dhaal with capsicum and 1/4 cup yogurt.
Afternoon snack: Cucumbers with hummus
Late evening snack: Tea with nonfat milk and sugar substitute. I take green/ any flavoured tea made with just water and no sugar.
Dinner: Chicken breast cooked with onions, garlic, soy sauce and bell peppers (chinese style), wrap the meal with a glass of buttermilk made from 1/4 cup yogurt
Late night snack: 8oz warm milk ( optional to drink with turmeric and black pepper corns)

Day 9:
8oz warm milk when you wake up. No sugar
Breakfast: Urundai kozhambhu with lentil balls. In a bowl serve yoruself with 3-4 medium sized urundai and ladle out the sauce and eat it as a soup. Add dollops more yogurt if needed.
Morning snacks: 15 almonds.
Lunch: Chicken pepper fry, kovakai curry and 1/4 cup yogurt
Afternoon snack: Cucumbers with hummus
Late evening snack: Tea with nonfat milk and sugar substitute. I take green/ any flavored tea made with just water and no sugar.
Dinner: Meen kozhambhu (just eat the fish), thakalli (tomato) pachadi with 1/4 cup yogurt
Late night snack: 8oz warm milk ( optional to drink with turmeric and black pepper corns)

Day 10
8oz warm milk when you wake up. No sugar
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs (2) or omelet
Morning snacks: 15 almonds.
Lunch: Crab masala , make an aromatic tomato-onion sauce with 1/3 cup thick coconut milk and cook the crabs, seared fish like salmon with tomato chutney and 1/4 cup yogurt
Afternoon snack: Cucumbers with hummus
Late evening snack: Tea with nonfat milk and sugar substitute. I take green/ any flavoured tea made with just water and no sugar.
Dinner: Make some fresh dhaal and serve with sliced avocados or cucumbers and serve okra masala by your side and glass of buttermilk
Late night snack: 8oz warm milk ( optional to drink with turmeric and black pepper corns)

Day 11
8oz warm milk when you wake up. No sugar
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs (2) or omelet
Morning snacks: 15 almonds.
Lunch: Mushroom masala, baked fish like salmon with tomato chutney and 1/4 cup yogurt
Afternoon snack: Cucumbers with hummus
Late evening snack: Tea with nonfat milk and sugar substitute. I take green/ any flavoured tea made with just water and no sugar.
Dinner: Red lentils soup served with sliced avocados or cucumbers, baked bitter gourd chips and serve okra masala by your side and glass of buttermilk
Late night snack: 8oz warm milk ( optional to drink with turmeric and black pepper corns)

Day 12
8oz warm milk when you wake up. No sugar
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs (2) or omelet
Morning snacks: 15 almonds.
Lunch: Shrimp curry, white pumpkin moor kozhambhu, chow chow curry and a glass of rasam

Afternoon snack: Roasted cauliflower with chaat masala

Late evening snack: Tea with nonfat milk and sugar substitute. I take green/ any flavoured tea made with just water and no sugar.
Dinner: Lamb chinthamani (Spicy lamb masala), buttermilk and left over kootu

Late night snack: 8oz warm milk ( optional to drink with turmeric and black pepper corns)

PS: I have suggested food for 12 days only but there will be left overs and repeats, so let's drag the same menu for 14 days.

RECIPE

Buttermilk with Indian spices

A quick recipe for a drink you can enjoy in Phase 1
Serves 4
Source: My mom

Ingredient
16 oz low fat buttermilk or 2 cups non-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
10-12 curry leaves
1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida powder
1 dry red chilly
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 (+1) cups water

Directions
1. If using yogurt, beat them with 2 cups water with a whisk (for about 5 minutes at maximum speed) to make it frothy and smooth. Set aside. If using buttermilk, pour in 2 cups water and stir with a spatula to combine. Set aside. You can add 1 more cup of water if needed.
2. Heat oil in a small saucepan. Once they sizzle, add the curry leaves and let it crisp. Then throw in the mustard seeds and let it pop.
3. Next add cumin seeds, dry chili powder, asafoetida and turmeric powder. Saute for 30-45 seconds and switch off the flame.
4. Add the above mixture, salt and cilantro to the whisked yogurt or buttermilk and stir to combine.
5. Serve in a pitcher glass and enjoy it cold.

Additional notes:
1. We like the buttermilk to be watery, so I add little bit more water (about another cup or so) and adjust the salt level accordingly.
2. My list of food for Phase 1 is healthy and can be made well balanced with rice/brown rice/quinoa. Then it becomes ideal for women with gestational diabetes. This can be a sample menu for gestational diabetes
3. This is also a type 2 diabetes food guide. Just add little bit whole grains like brown rice, kaikuthal rice, quinoa, barley along with tons of vegetables and little fruits (sometimes)

Tamizh new year menu ideas : Chithirai thiru naal special

2012-04-13T17:42:00.001-07:00

Tamil new year's day is called as Chithirai thiru naal. It is the first day of traditional Tamil solar calender month. It is celebrated on 13th or 14th of April every year and this year it was today - Friday the 13th. Well, that may be sound like a scary duo combination of date and day for many but for us the Tamils, today marks the beginning of a new year a beginning to refresh old memories and make new ones. Today we make elaborate meals, spend time with family, share laughter and pray to God for good health, peace and happiness. It marks the beginning of spring. At this time of the year, neem flowers would blossom in South Indian homes and first batch of mangoes will hang in the trees. Hence in most Tamil homes, there will be veppampoo rasam (South Indian soup with neem flowers) and pacha mangai pachadi (mango chutney sweetened with jaggery) in the Tamil new year's feast. These dishes symbolize the arrival of Spring, a month to signify growth and prosperity as per Tamil traditions.

We see the mirror as the first thing in the morning of Tamil New year and we pray to God with rice, lentils, beans, fruits and vegetables, gold, jaggery, tamarind, cash and currency. Top right: That's my son doing namaskaram (seeking blessing from his dad). Bottom right: Late morning we offer "sakkara pongal" as a prasad to God and pray reciting slokas.

World's civilizations emerged along the rivers. Yes, rivers play a major role for the growth and sustenance of a human population. It is a known fact that every civilization emerged and grew because of food. Such is a role of food in a community. Any festival in any part of the world is related to great food. Tamil Nadu has a rich cuisine involving both traditional vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. The menu predominately revolves around the use of rice, legumes and lentils. Most dishes made in Southern part of India are gluten free. Lentils are used to make sambhar or rasam and eaten as an accompaniment to rice. Tamarind, a fruit pulp from the tamarind tree is used as a souring agent in cooking. Lots of vegetables and milk based products like yogurt, buttermilk are also eaten along with rice.

Rasam and moor (buttermilk)

On special days like today, traditional Tamil dishes are cooked just like the way our ancestors cooked - elaborate and lip smacking good. The food is served on a banana leaf and we eat the food with right hands, holding the food between the fingers and thumb is used to navigate the food into the mouth. The food is eaten sitting on the floor.

Spicy potato curry and green mango chutney

Once while devouring a scrumptious South Indian meal, my grandfather told this to me. Those words are etched in my heart forever. I was in grade 5 when this conversation happened. He started like this "Why does leaves look green?"

"The green color of any leaf is because of chlorophyll" I replied.

"Wonderful!, that's a known fact. But did you know that chlorophyll present in banana leaf favors digestion and helps to heal stomach ulcers."

I nodded with excitement to hear more so that I can go back to Chennai after the summer break to flaunt about the stories and facts I learned from him.

He continued "Also banana leaf has the quality to kill the microorganism in food. Eating on a banana leaf can prolong a person's longevity." I don't whether that's a myth or fact but my great grandmother (my grandfather's mother) was alive till 96 and she ate on a banana leaf on most days. Isn't that something to think about?

Every time there is a occasion at home, my dad would insist on eating the meal over a banana leaf.
(a). It's use and throw, makes it easier for women and also maid at home. No time spent on washing
(b). It's affordable and
(c). He loves the smell that erupts from the banana leaf when hot food is placed. That aroma has the ability to trigger hunger in your tummy. That's interesting right?

Okra sambhar and carrot-beans stir fry

Today my mom and I cooked Virundhu Sappatu. Virundhu in Tamil means "feast" and Sappadu means "a full course meal". We made close to 10 dishes (including white rice) today and since new year day is significant to Hindu calender, the meals are always vegetarian. The dishes are served in a particular order and in particular spots of the banana leaf. The top half of the banana leaf is served with sides and lower half for the rice, sweet pongal, thalicha paruppu (lentils seasoned with spices) and payasam (milk based puddings). In the top left of the leaf, we place a pinch of salt, little pickle and a spoonful of salad/ thayir pachadi, or a dash of thogayal. In the upper middle of the leaf, there would be couple of poriyals (stir fries) and curries. Plantain, yam/potato chips, vathals (wafers) or appalam/pappadam (papads) or vadais are served on the lower left corner. If you had noticed in cuisines like French, Italian, Mediterranean desserts are eaten as a last thing in the meal but in India, any feast begins with a sweet. Yes, traditionally sweets are eaten first. This is preceded by rice with sambhar and drizzle of ghee. This is followed by rice with moor kozhambhu or vatha kozhambhu and then rice with rasam. A final round would be rice with yogurt/crud or buttermilk. A ripen banana will be served as the last thing in the meal. Burp!

There is a reason behind this order
(a). Lentil with ghee is eaten first as it soothens the stomach and the food pipe (esophagus)
(b). Sambhar is taken to tickle your taste bud with spicy, tangy, mild sweetness and since it will be little gritty, they can create a roughness in the food pipe.
(c). Rasam is eaten to favor digestion for the foods that has been eaten before.
(d). Finally buttermilk or yogurt to provide the body with good bacteria (probiotics) and also helps to lower body heat.

Top: A picture of the food served at my home today. Since

I couldn't find a decent looking banana leaf this week, I went ahead and bought the other one (dried version). FYI:Both are organic and biodegradable. Lower left: Display of food that arrived from a caterer for a function at my home in India.Lower right: A casual glimpse of how South Indian foods are served in a banana leaf.

Tamil new year's day menu in our home: I served the meal in "thaiya ellai" (hand stitched dry leaves) instead of banana leaf.

1. Sakkara pongal (Sweetened rice and lentil dish topped with oodles of ghee)

2. Uluntha vadai (deep fried savory donutes made with lentils)

3. Carrot - beans poriyal (stir fry)

4. Pacha mangai pachadi ( green mango chutney)

5. Urullai varuval (Spicy potato curry)

6. Thakali pachadi (Tomato chutney in yogurt)

7. Javvarasi vathal (Semolina wafers)

8. Rice

9. Arachivitta Vendaikai sambhar (Okra cooked with lentils, tamarind and spice powders)

10. Vengaya rasam (Onion rasam)

11. Thallicha moor (Buttermilk)

12. Mangai inchi urukai (Mango ginger pickle)

Warm Tamizh new year's day wishes to all my readers. Also wishing those who celebrate Vishu and Bengali new year. God bless you all!

Why should we eat edamame?

2012-04-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

Edamame is a popular snack in countries like Japan, China, Korea and Hawaii. All of us know the goodness about soy products - be it soy milk or tofu, we know that its so right for your body (ofcourse when eaten in moderation). Coming from a similar family is edamame.Soy is a wonder food. A half cup of edamame has good amount of fiber, proteins, vitamins and minerals in it. For vegetarians, eating it is one of the best way to pump up the iron levels. Edamame is nothing but immature soybeans in the pod. They are green in color and it is picked before the soy beans ripe.

Nutritional value (Source:Manufacturer's packet)
1/2 cup of shelled edamame has 120 calories

13 grams of carbohydrates
11 grams of proteins
9 grams of fiber
2.5 grams of fat ( 1.5grams polysaturated fat and 0.5 gram monosaturated fat)

N, my good friend from middle school introduced me to edamame. It was during one of my visit to her house I tasted it for the first time. Since she is a health freak, her kitchen cabinets doesn't carry any unhealthy greasy snacks, instead her guests are welcomed with baby carrots with organic maple syrup and cooked edamame with soy sauce as snacks. Thanks to her for letting me know about this bean.

Trust me when I say this, edamame beans are so addictive and just with a dash of salt it tastes so good. It is definitely a yummy snack to serve your kids. It tastes like white kidney beans - nutty and creamy. My son loves edamame and every time he catches me munching few beans, he would take one in each hand and sit by the stairs to admire its shape, color and chew it with his bunny teeth and slide them into his tummy with the toothless gum at the back of his mouth. Then he would walk towards me for more. Soy products have isoflavones, they are phytoestrogen found in red clover tea as well and they protect your body against cancer, heart diseases and kidney problems. Isn't a good thing to give to your little ones? Think about it.

I continued eating it during my pregnancy too. This nutritious bean is sure to nourish your growing fetus. Since I had gestational diabetes, cooked edamame was something I could trust on for mid day hungrypangs. Just take a bowl full, sit by the couch, peel the shell, watch TV and eat. Edamame has equal amount of protein and carbohydrates. Remember it's a snack so eat accordingly. My dietician suggested to eat edamame often as they help to reduce insulin resistance in people diagnosed with diabetes. The isoflavones in edamame reduces the bad cholesterol and increases the good cholesterol. Don't you want that?

Where can you find them?

They are parboiled and quick-frozen to retain their freshness and natural flavour. Hence they are sold cooked, you just have to thaw it or may be microwave it for couple of minutes on high before you eat. They are sold either shelled or with the pods. You can locate them in the freezer section of your supermarket. I shop edamame from Costco, Savemart, Safeway, Trader Joe, Whole foods. I always have a bag or two in my freezer. You can use them in your cooking too. Add a handful to your dhaal/ pulao/ omelet / curry / chaat or make a hummus out of it, there are endless possibilities. Since I am lazy, I prefer to eat them as such. I don't have the time to sit and shell it first and then make a dish out of it. Instead I eat them as such. They taste pretty good that way. If I am hungry around 7.00PM , a time that hangs between snack and dinner time, I eat a bowl of edamame and that way I can atleast avoid headaches/ tiredness due to hunger.

How to eat it?

Once it is cooked, remove the beans like you do for peanuts. Cut the ends and press the bean to pop out from the end, once there's a small opening, peel them open and remove the beans and eat. You could also squeeze the beans directly from the pods into the mouth with your fingers. Keep repeating the process until you are done :-)

BOILED EDAMAME SNACKS

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 cup edamame in pods

A dash of salt optional

1 tablespoon water

Equipment

Microwave

Directions

1. Remove the beans from the packaging. Place in a bowl and microwave at high for 2-3 minutes.

2. Sprinkle salt and serve.

Additional notes:

1. Edamame can be eaten as snack in all the three phases of South beach diet and also for those who are on a weightloss journey.

2. It is an ideal snack for women with gestational diabetes and also for individuals who are prediabetic/ diabetic

3. You can make a "sundal" (South Indian snack) with edamame - can be tempered with mustards seeds, dry red chilly, pinch of asafoetida and little coconut powder.

Update on 04.11.2012
We had an informative discussion in facebook today and I am tempted to update my post with a key information Sadhana Ginde, Indian editor for Bella Online.com shared with us. I would call her a walking encyclopedia, she can talk about anything under the sky and her views definitely opens up many thought provoking conversation among our FB friends. Thanks S for the lovely insights. So my dear readers please read through her views and let me know your thoughts as well.

Sadhana Ginde: "But I also must caution you here -- as much as I love soybeans, tofu & soy milk. These are all products that cause a natural increase in the body's estrogen. This is great for women & especially menopausal women! But soy is also used in many other products as a extra protein source such as garden burgers, cookies, snacks, cereals & many bars. That being said, too much soy = too much estrogen in kids of any age. But this is not good for little boys & little girls! Studies have shown in kids especially lactose intolerant kids who use a lot of soy in their diets -- the boys have delayed onset of puberty & for girls -- too early!

So you may ask -- what about people in Asia who have been eating large amounts of soy for centuries? It appears their bodies have evolved over time to process these large amounts of soy. Also, their soy products are all natural. The ones produced here in the US are "enhanced".

So is it okay for your kids to eat edamame, have a glass of soy milk, eat tofu.... ? Yes, but not daily 3x! They are already getting a lot of soy in their diet through other foods, so no need to add more.

You may not believe me & that's ok! But I am a science researcher (cancer) and there are many available studies & data on the internet as well. Thanks for your time, but many people dont know this! Well this came into light about a decade ago because young 7-8 yrs girls had already started their "ladies days" :-( So just an FYI folks!)"

Easter special: How to cook lamb for South beach diet?

2012-04-07T21:51:00.000-07:00

As a child I hated beets. My mom would never listen to me and pack a box full of steamed beets tempered with mustard seeds and coconuts for lunch to school. I would eat my lunch in the play area outside the classrooms where there will be piles of sand, twigs and mud around. There was this silly tradition to place a little amount of food to God before we ate followed by a little prayer to shower us with good grades. Some silly boy/girl who didn't like what his mom gave for lunch must have started this tradition and it went viral in school. Anything and everything nutritious from greens to dhaals (lentils) would lie dumped in the corner like a waste pile while the deep fried puris (flat bread), samosas, dosas went inside the happy tummy. We would head back to class half starving but half happy that mom would not know about this secret and would think that we ate them all. And I took this little ritual bit seriously, I suppose. Instead of keeping a little to God, I used to offer my entire beets stir fry and many more healthy dishes to Him. I mean don't you guys think it tastes like dirt. I never attempted to relish it until my high school days but slowly when I learned about its health benefits, I started with a simple stir fry with beets scented with coconut oil. That was one dish made by S chechi's mom and I got addicted to her version of beets from there on.

Goodness about this blood red vegetable:

1. The reddish color of beets comes from betacyanin and it is this one which protects you from different types of cancer.

2. It is loaded with phytochemicals.

3. They are rich in certain vitamins like A, C and minerals like potassium, manganese, iron, copper, phosphorous and copper.

4. If you are constipating, try adding beets to your food as they have good amounts of fiber in them.

5. Beets can lower blood cholesterol, blood pressure and improve the immunity.

Getting beets into my husband's food is a challenge for me. He will complain about the earthy taste it has. One cannot blame him for that? It tastes muddy because of a chemical called geosmin which is produced by microbes in soil and the beets for some reason absorbs them. So its the cooks like us who have to come up with tricky ideas to get beets in our loved one's meals. I have tried several dishes with beets - first up was beets soup, phew! went straight to trash then I served our age old dish beets stir fry (poriyals) - again back to trash. Fed up and irritated with my husband's cold shoulders to beets I came up with beets vathakozhambhu (beets simmered with tamarind and other spices) - was a success then it was beets chocolate cake - success again and now this lamb curry with beets - super success!

I saw this recipe in Kulsum's beautiful blog. She had made lamb with chunks of beets, onions and tomatoes. I made a few variation based on my family's liking for beets. Since my husband doesn't like the gritty muddy taste of beets, I made a puree of it and went ahead making the curry just like Kulsum but without tomatoes and tamarind. My son loved this curry and kept licking his tiny cute over and over again. The mild sweetness from the beets blended beautifully with juicy meat and aromatic spices. Since they were pressure cooked, the flesh just knocked off the bone. The curry was balanced with amazing texture, pretty color and intense flavor.

Fresh crisp air, spring flowers at the dinner table, colorful easter eggs in a basket, bunny shaped chocolates everywhere, sunshine to brighten your day - Easter is here and it's the time of the year to make new memories with family. If you are planning to serve lamb this season, try this recipe for sure. You are giving your family
the goodness of the beets
along with the meats
(wow! wonderful rhyming right?!?).

Generally people broil, grill or roast but today's recipe calls for pressure cooking the lamb. Yes, it saves a lot of your cooking time and gas and the juicy lamb will just fall of the bone.

Lamb or goat or mutton - Whatever you call it, this meat is gaining a lot of attention in South beach diet or in any program that recommends lean loin chops or leg of lamb. It is both lean and tasty - a wonderful pack of two great things. If turkey is for Thanksgiving then Easter goes synonymous with lamb. Hence for this Easter why don't you all team up the lean lamb/goat chunks with beets and flavorful Indian spices and turn the bland lamb to an exotic delicious curry.

Lamb curry with beets
Serves 3-4
Source: Kulsum (with my variations)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1.5 pounds lamb, lean meat - cubed, can be with bones
1 medium sized beets or less , about 250 grams
2 cups red onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder ( I use Kashmiri hot)
2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon garam masala

2 cups water

Salt to taste

Equipment
Pressure cooker with a whistle and gasket

Directions
1. Wash and peel the beets. Cut them into inch size cubes. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in the base of the pressure cooker. Once hot enough, add the beets and let it brown a bit, about 5-8 minutes. It will turn soft and then increase the heat to high and let it roast for 2-3 minutes. Remove and let it cool. Once cooled grind them to a fine puree (without water).

3. Add the onions with little salt to the same oil (that cooked the beets) and let it cook covered for 8 minutes, until they brown.

4. Now add the ginger and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes, until the raw smell disappears. Add the meat and brown the meat. Add the turmeric, red chili,coriander powder and garam masala.Stir to combine.

5. Pour the beets puree and two cups of water. Pressure cook till the meat is tender, about 10 whistles.

6. Garnish with cilantro and adjust salt to taste. Serve hot with rice/naan/chapati or roti.

Additional notes

1. Since it is made with lean meat, it can be eaten in phase 2 and 3 of South beach diet. As it has beets in it, it cann't be eaten in phase 1. But you can make the same curry without beets or make it with zucchini, bengal gram, egg plants.

2.An ideal side idea for those looking to lose weight. The entire dish has used only 1 tablespoon oil and the meat gets cooked in the juicy beets sauce and not the oil.

3. Can be eaten in moderation during gestational diabetes and also a great way to get beets to your kids.

The spring has come full of miracles. Easter has come full of blessing! Wishing you all a very happy Easter with my son's favorite rhyme:

"Bunny rabbit, bunny rabbit, hop! hop! hop! Come to my garden stop!stop! stop!
Look to my right, look to my left, the veggies in the garden are mine, mine, mine."

South Indian adai with brown rice and lentils - Tamil Nadu special

2012-04-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

Another dish created in my kitchen with brown rice is adai. Adai is a Tamil term for savory pancakes made with white rice and lentils. You may wonder why I replaced white with brown rice in this recipe. I have answered it here. Hop over to read it and do come back!

In short, brown rice is a whole grain and is not replenished of any nutrients. People who want to lower their blood sugar, lose weight or just want to eat healthy are in love with this holy grain. I can hear you say "I don't like bland taste of brown rice. It doesn't go well with Indian sauces and gravies". Chill! I have a solution for you.

We have complex taste buds and we crave for our aromatic spices and wonderful flavors to linger and dance in our tongue before it makes it way to the tummy. That's how I felt during gestational diabetes. My dreams would be filled with plates of crispy adai, jaggery , butter, aviyal and what not! See I have the taste bud of a typical foodie. Doesn't that key quality in me make you trust my experiments in the kitchen?

I have started using brown rice in batters like idly, dosa, pesarattu and now adai too! You cann't even find the difference in taste. Brown rice in batters is the magical way to get the whole grains straight to your loved one's tummy without receiving any stares and shouting at the dining table. Yeah! I know we get shouted at the table or atleast see frowns at the table when menu is with not so usual ingredients. Here is the link to my post on adai eons ago. I had used white rice in it. Now see my brown rice version, visually you don't see a difference right? Trust me, you will not find any change in taste as well. I love to serve adai with chutneys made with vegetables like tomatoes, broccoli, cilantro, mint, bell peppers or anything that doesn't add excess calorie to your meal. It's better to avoid serving these healthy adais with coconut or peanut chutney. Well, you can eat them once in a while. That's acceptable for sure but eating my wholegrain adai with coconut/peanut chutney every other day is a big NO-NO! Also I love to serve them with creamy sambhar cooked with lots of vegetables. Doesn't it sound like Complan drink ad? - A complete planned food.

Now you ask me "My plate is filled with healthy adai served with healthy chutney and a healthy sambhar".

I nod with pride that I convinced you to make a healthy dinner.

Then you ask me "What will I serve my husband?"

I stare back thinking about how my husband frowned when I gave it to him that night?

Leaving that unpleasant scene behind and winking as if nothing happened, my reply is "Serve with dollops of butter and jaggery (well, if he likes it) or if he still frowns better serve him super crispy with little oil/ghee and keep pointing out that we will meet the cardiologist pretty soon. Keep scaring him I say!

Well, these kind of arguments are pretty common in every household. Just keep switching between what he loves to eat and what you love him to eat. He caught me with a bowl of ice cream one night. He cynically said " South beach diet huh? Eat ! Eat!.

Rules break, mistakes happen and so does we come up with menu deals at home. And next day I made chole bhatura (deep fried bread with garbanzo beans curry) for him.

RECIPE

ADAI (TAMIL NADU DISH)

Makes 20 medium adais

Source: Self

Ingredients
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup yellow split peas/ toor dhal
1/2 cup Bengal gram / channa dhal
2 garlic cloves

1/4 inch ginger - skin peeled
2 dry red chillies

Salt to taste, about 1-2 teaspoon

For the tempering

1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup onions - finely chopped
2 teaspoon asafeotida
10-12 curry leaves - finely chopped
Black pepper balls - whole/crushed

Water to soak and grind

1/4 cup oil to make 20 adais

Equipment

Non-stick tava or saucepan

Wooden spatula
Food processor or mixie-grinder

Method
Soak the brown rice and lentils in a separate bowl with excess water to fill them both for 4-5 hours. Also soak the dry red chillies in any one of the bowl. Set them aside. Once done, drain the water completely and grind them with ginger and garlic to a coarse paste. Use minimum water. The batter will be thicker than pancake or dosa batter.

Heat oil in a small pan and add asafoetida, curry leaves, onions , black pepper balls and salt. Add them to the batter and mix well.

Heat the non-stick tava over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Spray the tava with cooking spray and spread it around with a kitchen towel. Pour a ladle full of the thick batter in the center of the heated non-stick tava/ griddle and spread in circular fashion with the back of the ladle to form a circle. Drizzle little oil (be stingy with its use) around the edges and let it cook for 8 minutes and flip it over for another few minutes, about 5 minutes. They should be brown and crispy. Always cook them in medium flame to avoid burning them.

Serve with a chutney and sambhar

Tips: The first one will always take longer time to cook, hence be patient when you have the first one getting cooked.

Additional notes

1. Adai with brown rice and lentils can be eaten during phase 2 and 3 of South beach diet.

2. Also a perfect dish for women with gestational diabetes. Eat 2 of them with healthy chutney and little sambhar. You have to watch your sugar level after the meal. If its less, then eat one more adai. That's how I experimented with the quantity.

3. An ideal dinner idea for those who want to lose weight or those who are pre-diabetic and diabetic.

4. It is a protein packed dish with complex carbohydrates. Nutritious without doubt.

Ragi idiyappam with thengai paal and a how to video

2012-04-03T23:43:00.000-07:00

Ragi / Finger Millet are one of the oldest known foods to mankind. Have anyone of you seen a millet plant? (I can hear you say I can google it). For others who want to visualize, here I go. They look like small mushy grass with a sponge like green seeds towards the end. They are kind of rigid and hard.The maids who worked at my grandparent's place have extremely thick lustrous locks of hair. I would sit and awe at the look of their hair - shiny, pitch black and healthy. Watching my expressionless face, my mom would announce her discovery that it's because they eat organic grains straight from the field. I don't whether that was the reason but I have seen those girls bring home stalks of millet, roast it in direct heat, once cooled they will pull out the grains just like snapping the curry leaves off their stem and eat it just like that. Even I try to eat that way whenever we visit the fields.They are highly nutritious, gluten free and so easy to digest.

I feed my son "ragi kanji" made with flour of sprouted ragi for breakfast every other day. Ragi should be well cooked before feeding it to kids. I serve it with apple/banana puree for him. That was one of the semi-solid food I started out for my baby. Though I have eaten dishes made with ragi since childhood, there was for no reason I didn't prepare it in the US. Then I re-created my relationship with it during my gestational diabetes period. Ragi breaks down to sugar very slowly and doesn't spike your blood sugar drastically. It slowly works in your body and hence it's a perfect ingredient for diabetic people to explore with.

When you bring home a packet of ragi flour from Indian stores you will find them have a smooth texture and a light brown shade. Once they get steamed or cooked, they will turn up a dark brown/mahogany shade. It is a versatile cereal which can be cooked in various forms.

Did you know that finger millet has?

1. High content of iron, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium

2. Gluten free and whole grain

3. Has calcium content about 10 times more than rice or wheat

100 gms of finger millet has 344 grams of Calcium in comparison to rice (45 gms) and wheat (41grams). Also 100 grams of Ragi has close to 336 KCal of energy in them.

4. Has some key essential amino acids like tryptophan, lysine, valine.

Have I not convinced you to buy a packet of finger millet flour yet?

If not then take a look at a dish I made with finger millet flour (ragi maavu) - Ragi idiyappam served with thengai paal (creamy coconut milk sweetened with coconut palm sugar and flavorful crushed cardamon. Wondering what's this coconut palm sugar all about? Then you must read my post on coconut palm sugar here? Also try my savory version (ragi sevai).

Eating a bowl of steamy idiyappam with thengai paal is an art to me. I would carefully nestle the soft chewy idiyappam inside a bowl and gently pour the coconut milk along the edges, just enough to soak them, neither too less milk as it gets absorbed fast nor too much milk as it floats in excess. Just perfect to dip, chew and slurp! And the pleasure to drink the leftover cardamon scented coconut milk is like being invited to have dinner with God. Pure and heavenly!

Ragi idiyappam / Finger millet noodles

Serves 4

Source: My mother

Ingredients

4 cups finger millet

1 teaspoon salt

2-3 cups hot water + more if needed

Equipment
Pressure cooked without whistle
Idly plates
1-2 teaspoon coconut oil to grease the idly plates and idiyappam press

Directions

Mix ragi flour with salt and sprinkle water little-by-little to form a soft dough. Pull out a little (about 1/2 cup) and place the dough inside the press and cover. Use the press as per manufacturer's instruction. Run the press around a greased idly plates forming large circles. Steam cook them for 12-15 minutes. Once steam has settled, open and transfer to a fresh bowl. Set aside.

Thengai paal / Coconut nut milk
I used the coconut milk from the Thailand coconut milk 15oz can as I can read the calories. You can make fresh ones from scratch too. Make it ahead and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serves 4
Source: My mother (with my variation)

Ingredients
1 cup coconut milk (I used Thailand coconut milk, 15oz can) or
Make fresh ones with the coconut shreddings
3 cups water
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
3 cardamon pods - crushed

Directions
1. Mix them all together and let the sugar dissolve. Check for sweetness. Add more if needed. Just make it as per your requirement.

Additional notes:
1. Ragi flour can be included in phase 2 and 3 of South beach diet. Since we have used coconut palm sugar this dish is perfect for any weightloss program. Always remember eating in moderation never hurts.
2. My ragi idiyappam with thengai paal can be eaten during gestational diabetes. You can also try my savory version (ragi sevai here).
3. Ideal breakfast/dinner food for those who are diabetic / pre diabetic.
4. You can chill it and serve it in small portions as dessert too. They are creamy, gritty and sweet.

HOW TO MAKE IDIYAPPAM
PART 1 (video here)

PART 2

Nandu masala - Tamil Nadu style

2012-04-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Crab was one thing that was made quite sporadically at my residence back home. Since I ate it rarely, I didn't learn the art to eat it right. I sometimes would chew the leg, drink its juice and spit out the shell. I haven't cooked it even once in India and when I came here to the US, I didn't even attempt experimenting with it for the first few months. Then one fine day while shopping for fresh tilapia and shrimp at Ranch 99, I was tempted to bring home one huge live dungeness crab for dinner that night. I asked the cleaner to wash and cut them into manageable size before he packed it for me. It was $15 for one huge crab. "Expensive! It has more shell than flesh" I complained to myself.

After I reached home, I left the crabs in the refrigerator until I was ready to cook it. While doing my laundry, I thought about making a finger licking tomato base with aromatic spices and sweet coconut milk and let the crab cook in it steam. I wanted to use a lot of curry leaves for added depth and flavor. I visioned having a plateful of cooked crab layered with tons of sticky onion-tomato sauce. I started by perfuming the oil with earthy curry leaves and then sauteing tons of chopped onions, I mixed in ginger and garlic for intense goodness and cups and cups of juicy tomato and exotic spice powder for . As I stirred and talked to the base mixture, I gently poured the coconut milk along the edges. I watched the pure white colour of the coconut milk slowly mingle with the red base and change its color slowly to a reddish orange hue. It looked like a sunrise on a kadai. I topped the crab masala with tons of chopped cilantro and lemon juice. I served it over white rice and placed a wedge of lemon by its side. Flavourful! Healthy! Lip smacking food!

NANDU MASALA (CRAB MASALA)

Serves 2

Source: My grandmother

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

15-20 curry leaves

3 large onions - chopped

1 inch ginger, peeled - minced

3 garlic cloves - minced

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder

1 tablespoon coriander powder

2 teaspoon cumin powder

2 tablespoon tamarind pulp/paste without seeds

2 cups tomatoes - chopped

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup thick coconut milk (Store bought cans work fine too)

1 large dungeness crab - cleaned and cut

Salt to taste

For garnish

1/2 cup chopped cilantro and lemon juice and wedges.

Directions

1. Heat oil to the pot/pan. Add the curry leaves and let it perfume the oil. Next add the onions and little salt and cook covered for 8 minutes until they brown. Add the garlic and ginger paste. Fry for about 3-5 minutes at low to medium heat.

Note: The onion mixture might stick to the pan, but make sure to scrape it off. If you are cooking at low heat there is less chance to burn the stuffs while will turn them dark brown & bitter.
2. Add turmeric, chili powder and the coriander powder. Saute to avoid the sticking to the pan. Add the tomatoes, tamarind paste and combine well with the rest of the mixture.Add water and cook covered for 15 - 20 minutes. The tomatoes must thicken. Cook on high for few minutes to get the consistency of tomato sauce; not too watery and not too thick and sticky. You could see the oil along the edge off the flame.

3. At this stage, add coconut milk and garam masala let it simmer for 5 minutes.Add salt to taste. Check for seasonings.

4. Place the crab over the sauce and cook covered for 10-15 minutes. Garnished with cilantro, lemon and serve hot with white rice.

Additional notes:

1. Crab masala can be eaten as an entree during South beach diet phase 1.

2. Can be served with whole wheat chapatis for those in phase 2 and phase 3.

3. I didn't take crab during pregnancy as crabs are believed to increase body heat and my grandmother asked me to avoid it during pregnancy. You can consult with your OB/GYN for further clarifications.

4. Since the crab meat is good for us, this masala can be taken by individuals who are on a weightloss journey, for those who are diabetic/pre-diabetic.

Will coconut palm sugar be a healthy sugar substitute? - My answers with sweet potato boli recipe

2012-03-27T00:12:00.003-07:00

When I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, my dietician recommended the usage of artificial sweeteners like Splenda in place of regular sugar. During diabetes, the patient is denied from foods that can spike up their blood sugar level to extreme highs. The foods are given the GI value based on the amount of blood sugar level, low numbers for lower values and vice versa. Since I was very particular about not taking in any chemicals inside my body I stopped with taking anything sweet and drank just plan milk without sugar. I totally stopped taking anything sweet, except for the small slice of chocolate cake for my baby shower :-) (wink). And then post pregnancy I started with healthy eating habits and avoided sugar all together with a hope to get rid of the flab around my waistline. I took a break from regular sugar consumption. Recently I discovered agave nectar and I loved its taste and I had been using that for the past 6+ months. More so recently I heard about the goodness of coconut palm sugar and decided to explore it more.

Coconut palm sugar

It is the latest product of coconut that has gained so much attention and the consumer demand for them is growing rapidly. Coconut palm sugar is proclaimed to be a healthy sugar that has low glycemic index, packed with vitamin, minerals and amino acids. Pure form is made from the nectar of the coconut palm sugar. The nectar is extracted from the flowers of the coconut tree and air dried to become brown crystals and it is packed with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. And added advantage is that they taste just like sugar and can be used just like sugar in baking, for instance 1 cup of white sugar can be replaced by 1 cup of coconut palm sugar. As simple as that!!

Where to find one?
After much research I found brand name Sweet Tree that sells organic coconut palm sugar in the US. I bought a 16oz packet from whole foods and since we loved its texture and taste, I ordered it in bulk from Amazon.

Comparison between agave nectar and coconut palm sugar

Agave nectar has high fructose corn syrup. The fructose which is the carbohydrate found in fruits does not impact your blood sugar level as they get transported directly to liver and will be converted to fat. While coconut palm sugar has very low fructose and its main sugar component is sucrose. Sucrose (GI is 35) is nothing but table sugar (GI of 64).

To get clearer answers, I took a look at the packaging for calorie information. The number of calories in coconut palm sugar was almost close to the number of calories in agave nectar and regular table. Since we need more case studies and literature to support that coconut palm sugar might be a health food. Until then lets enjoy it for the amazing taste and for the fact that it is less processed than white sugar.

I came across a cooking competition - No More ‘Mallows! Blogger Recipe Contest. You can read about it here.

The theme of the event is to create a dish with sweet potatoes. I decided to cook South Indian dessert/snack called Boli with sweet potatoes. Poli or Boli is a traditional flat bread from Karnataka region of South India. It is generally made with all purpose flour base just like a pizza base and stuffed with a sweet filling made with jaggery, lentils or coconut. Today I wanted to recreate the same dish with ingredients that can be little bit healthier and ideal for diabetic people. So I used sweet potatoes as the main ingredient and replaced jaggery with coconut palm sugar for the filling. This dish is also called as ubattu in certain parts of Andhra Pradesh. Sweet potato and coconut palm sugar has much lower glycemic index and this dish is a little better alternative to the original version. I wouldn't call it a healthy snack as it has all purpose flour in it. I tried to make another version with whole wheat flour dough but the boli was bit dry and less crispier. So I stuck with all purpose flour for the final recipe.

My son is enjoying his sweet potato boli

Hot-hot boli topped with dollop of ghee is a sure treat for both kids and adults. The crispy outer layer complements so beautifully with the aromatic filling that has been nurtured with the flavors of coconut and cardamon. I bet you definitely wonn't stop with just one and will come back for more. Your family will love it for sure.

SWEET POTATO BOLI

Makes 15 small disks

Source: Self

Ingredients

For the dough

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

!/4 cup warm water + more to knead

2 tablespoon olive oil

For the filling

1 cup organic coconut palm sugar

1 tablespoon water

3 cardamon pods

4 tablespoon unsweetened dessicated coconut

4 tablespoon all purpose flour

3 large sweet potatoes - boiled and mashed, about 1/2 lb

1 cup ghee (clarified butter) or melted butter

Directions

For the dough

1. Sift the flour with salt once, pour in the oil and add little by little water and knead to a soft dough. Cover and let it rest for 2-3 hours at room temperature.

For the filling

1. Heat the coconut palm sugar with water and cardamon in a non-stick cooking pan. Cook at simmer. After about 5-6 minutes, there will be bubbles around the edges. At this stage add the dessicated coconut and sweet potatoes and stir well to combine. Increase the heat to high and let it thicken, about 12-15 minutes. Keep an eye to prevent burning. Add four tablespoon all purpose flour and mix well. Let it cool.

2. Scoop them into tiny balls and place it over a baking tray covered with a parchment paper. Let it chill for minimum 30 minutes.

Step by step tutorial on how to make a boli

For the assembly

1. Roll the dough to15 small balls of equal size. Grease the working section of the granite counter with oil. Take one ball and roll out to form a circle, about 2-3 inches in diameter using a rolling pin.

2. Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, place a ball of the filling in the center of the rolled out circle and fold it from all sides, proceed to seal at the top.

3. Dust the working surface with flour and roll out the stuffed dought to form a circle. Carefully transfer the "boli" to a medium sized saucepan and cook for 8-10 minutes on each side, until done. Cook on medium low flame. When you flip over to the other side, with a pastry brush apply ghee or melted butter around the edges. This will help to crisp up the boli well. Serve hot with tea of your choice.

Ayurveda and paruppu urundai potta moorkozhambhu recipe

2012-03-25T14:54:00.008-07:00

On a Sunday night weeks ago I got an email from Pola of An Italian in cooking in the middle west, a friendly and enthusiastic blogger friend who mentioned about forming a team of bloggers from different countries. Her email read "I am thinking of putting together 10-20 bloggers from around the world who would blog once a month about a recipe typical from their home-country. The idea is to have a different theme or ingredient each month and each blogger would interpret the theme according to her/his own culinary style". I wrote back with a yes and was so curious to hear back from her soon. The next morning she wrote back CCing all the talented bloggers in the list, we introduced ourselves, started a conversation about the key ingredient for the month, followed each other in twitter and liked each other's page in facebook and that was the beginning of new friendships. I hope to learn a lot through this friendship and hopefully we get to meet each other one day.

There will be one theme chose for a month and all the bloggers will cook and write a post about it on the last Sunday of each month. Today is our first post and the theme is Meatballs. Since I had recently wrote a post on Kofta curry (meatballs curry), I took the liberty to post an vegetarian version of the meatballs with lentils. It's called Parruppu urundai moor kozhambhu (Steamed lentil balls cooked in a yogurt sauce)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: MY INDIAN AYURVEDIC KITCHEN

Indians believe on the rule "Food is medicine and medicine is food". The word Ayurveda means the science of life. Experts like Dr. Deepak Chopra define ayurveda as an ancient medical system with a holistic approach. Ayurveda is the most ancient form of medicinal system in India. The food is developed as per your body type called doshas. It is similar of the concept of personalized medicine. Cooking certain spices and herbs together promotes the body's own healing properties. India being a tropical country, excessive warmth in the body is believed to cause many illness, so foods that will help in heating and cooling the body are prescribed by the elders at home who know ayurvedic approach of eating and healing. Foods like yogurt, buttermilk, ghee (clarified butter), honey, tender coconut water, rice, milk, water vegetables like white pumpkin, chayote squash (chow-chow),cucumbers are cooling to the body. While mangoes, jack-fruit, meat, tamarind are heat inducing foods that should be eaten in moderation.

According to Ayurveda, a meal must have six tastes called rasas - sweet, sour, pungent, salty, bitter and astringent. Each taste has a healing property to it and helps to maintain a well balanced body. Everyone must consume each of the six rasa in moderation on a daily bases because lack of one or too much of one can upset the body's balance called doshas.With this concept in mind, our elders created meal (thali) like this one - sambhar with tamarin and other spices, rasam with little sourness and tangyness, two sides that are hot, pungent or sometime bitter, cooling yogurt and sweet like payasam.

If you have noticed, a typical sambhar has fenugreek in it, that gives a mild bitterness to the dish, the peppercorns in rasam is a digestive and liver stimulant, garlic aids in digestion, lowers cholesterol and increases your metabolism, turmeric powder is used in every dish as they have antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory properties and they also act as a diuretic. Ayurveda recommends the usage of coriander seeds for kidney ailments and liver disorders. The consumption of coriander extract can induce urination thereby help to reduce body fever. When used with fresh ginger, coriander seeds help to relieve respiratory tract infections and cough. Cumin seeds used in Indian curries are known to reduce superficial inflammation, aids in digestion and reduces flatulence. I remember my grandmother telling about the goodness of cumin seeds on female reproductive system. Chewing a teaspoon of it can help to reduce inflammation of uterus.

When I am launching the group "World on a plate" today, I wanted to share a post focusing on the benefits of Ayurveda and that Indian cooks are prescribing food not only for taste and flavor but also as best medicine for health. And this medicine has no harmful side effects. I am very proud to be a part of this ayurvedic heritage and very glad to have inherited this knowledge from my mother, aunts, grandmother and elders at home.

Moor kozhambu is a satifying South Indian side made with yogurt, fresh coconut and few staple Indian spices. Moor translates to buttermilk in my mother tongue Tamil and kozhambhu means something that's thick as a curry/gravy. The authentic recipes uses peppercorns, cumin and coriander seeds along with ginger, green chillies and fresh coconut. The use of lots of curry leaves will make the sauce taste even better. Generally this curry is made with okra (lady's ginger), white pumpkin and taro but today I have made mine with steamed lentils balls.

Parruppu urundai moor kozhambhu (Steamed lentil balls cooked in a yogurt sauce)

Recipe: My mother

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the lentil balls

1/2 cup toor dhal
1/2 cup channa dhal
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 finely chopped onion
1/2 cup grated coconut
3 tsp chilli powder
1tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tbs coriander powder
1" chopped ginger
10-12 curry leaves
2 tsp chopped corainder leaves
Salt

For the gravy
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 dry red chilly

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
A a pinch of asafoetida
a few curry leaves
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 cup thick yogurt
salt

Soak in 1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon peppercorns - whole

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1/2 tablespoon channa dhal

Grind to a paste
3/4 cup fresh grated coconut
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 green chillies (use more or less according to taste)
1/2 cup water

Cilantro for garnishing

Directions

For the lentil balls

1. Soak the lentils in water for 3 hours. Drain the water completely and grind them into a thick paste without water but the blender gets stuck, add 1-2 tablespoon water to smooth them.
2. Add the onions, garlic, coconut, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves, salt.Mix well to combine
3. Roll them into small balls, about the size of Brussels sprouts. Steam cook them in a pressure cooker (without whistle) for 10-12 minutes. Switch off the flame, remove and keep aside. Click here to take a look at some pictures.

For the yogurt sauce

1. Soak the ingredients listed under the Soak section for 34 houres. Drain water an grind to a smooth paste with coconut, fresh ginger,green chillies with little water, about 1/4 cup to start with.

2. Place 1 cup fresh yogurt in a fresh bowl, add the above paste, turmeric powder and salt. Stir well to combine and set aside.

3. In a large cooking pan ( I use non-stick pan), heat oil and once they ripple, add mustard seeds.When the mustard starts to pop and splutter, add the dry red chilly, asafoetida, curry leaves. Saute for 2 minutes on medium flame.

4. Pour the yogurt mixture, lentil balls and cook low flame until it boils over about 5 minutes. This step is very key as you don't want the sauce to curdle. When it rises up to boil, immediately switch off the flame and cover. Do not let the gravy boil once you’ve added the yogurt. Add little water if it looks too thick. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with white rice.

Additional notes

1. Since its made with non-fat yogurt and lentils, I have eaten them as a warm soup during South beach diet phase 1.

2. It can also be eaten with brown rice, quinoa or even limited quantity of white rice in phase 2 and 3 of South beach diet.

3. Again because of the lentils and yogurt, it is ideal for women with gestational diabetes and also for those who are prediabetic and diabetic.

4. As mentioned in the earlier part of the post, the ingredients used in the cooking (cumin, coriander seeds, pepper corns, ginger, yogurt and lentils) are part of Ayurvedic eating habits and this dish is so nutritious and packed with goodness.

Wine and champagne and South beach diet

2012-03-22T19:00:00.005-07:00

For those who are following South beach diet, it is important to know what goes inside your mouth, whether its a glass of cocktail or a plate of fries. And when on a healthy eating plan certain drinks can be diet busters and can act in reverse - weight gain. The lost weight can come back because of your sugary sodas, fruit juices, beer, vodka or whiskey or wine. No alcoholic drinks are allowed in phase 1. But once you have moved to phase 2, you can enjoy alcohol in moderation, about 1 drink a day. Excessive consumption can add empty calories and also lower your determination to get through your weight-loss regime successfully.

Display of our current wine collection

There are two such drinks that are OK in phase 2. On a personal front, I have developed a liking for red wine only over the few months. When I got married and moved to US as a new bride, I was little intimidated to see wine collection at home so leave alone trying it. Sitting with a glass of wine sounded taboo to me then. But my husband loves his wines and he spends quality time reading and knowing about the grape varieties and how they have been fermented and he collects wine from different parts of the world and safely stores them at home. Wine to him is like precious gold to an Indian mother. On every Friday night he would sit with a glass of red wine and some cheese and I would watch as if he has done some crime. I would take a sip from his glass and rush to the washroom to rinse my mouth. He would announce with a frustration in his voice "Start with a dessert wine or champagne. You will be fine". Then came a celebration for a promotion at his work. He got home a bottle of champagne to toast the success. For those of you who wants a definition for Champagne, here you go. It's a sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle secondary fermentation of the wine to effect carbonation. You can read more here. I liked champagne, then the following week we had some dessert wine and I liked that even better. He then suggested to start using wine in cooking. Like an obedient student who listens to his teacher, I made mussels, clams with white wine and spaghetti with red wine. Over the months, I started to enjoy a glass of wine with my food and now I have developed a liking for its taste and smell. Enjoying a glass of wine is a acquired taste - Agreed for sure and it took a little longer for someone like me. Now I know the different types of wine, the grapes used in it and temperature at which they are fermented and pricing for a bottle too :-)

And when started with South beach diet, I keep jumping between phase 1 and phase 2 often. When in phase-2 I would enjoy a glass of wine or champagne some day.

This is the key rule I keep in mind while in phase 2 of South beach diet:

1. Opt for red over white wine. Red wine is a better choice because the skin of the red grapes has higher powerful antioxidant resveratrol and they are good for you. Just restrict yourself to a glass, about 4oz.

2. Opt for extra-brut champagne as they have no or very little residual sugar. Brut and extra-dry varieties of champagne can be your second choice as they have only slightly more residual sugar than extra-brut.

We all know how good is red wine for your heart, ofcourse only if you restrict to a glass one day. Recent research found in British Journal of Nutrition concluded that even a regular moderate consumption of champagne may improve blood flow and vascular performance. But further research and testing are needed to confirm the facts. I came across this informative picture on champagne which I think will be useful for alcohol novice like me.

Brought To By Wine.com, Purveyors of Fine Wine and Champagne

Click to read more and also you can buy and order Wine and Champagne here
http://www.wine.com/

Celebrating spring with Indian tarts

2012-03-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

Spring is when life's alive in everything.
-

Christina Rossetti

The days are getting longer and the snows in Tahoe must be melting away. Spring is in the air. There is glorious sunshine on the way, colorful flowers down the streets and gentle crisp breeze to comfort me. My home is filled with summer toys, blowing bubbles, projects and recipes to entertain the coming season. Spring to me means lots of street festivals, baseball games, BBQs and events to keep us busy throughout the season. For the happy girl in me, I baked few crunchy tarts with Indian filling. When it comes to filling, keep your creativity flowing! Tart can be made out of any fruit or vegetable - some say artichoke, plum tomatoes and cheese, for some its ricotta and fresh berries and for the Indian taste bud in me, its paneer, bell peppers and peas topped with caramelized onions. These tarts are so pretty and colorful to look at and they scream happiness and spring to me.

TARTS WITH PANEER, BELL PEPPERS AND PEAS

Source: Self

Serves : 6

Ingredients

Store bought puff pastry packet ( I used 1 sheet out of the 2)

For the filling:

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion - finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger - garlic paste

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 cup red bell peppers - finely chopped

1/2 cup green bell peppers - finely chopped

1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilly powder

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon dry mango powder/ amchur powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 cup cilantro - finely chopped

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup water

Salt to taste

8oz packet Store bought paneer - cubed

Egg wash

1 egg, beaten + 2 tablespoon water

Garnish

1 large red onion - thinly sliced

Directions

1. Thaw the puff pastry as per the manufacturer's instruction. Cut them into rectangles (10x5 cm measurement). Set aside. On a separate saucepan, add 1 tablespoon oil and cook the onions mentioned under garnish section for 20 minutes until they brown and caramelize. Set them aside.

2. Heat oil in a large pan. Once they are hot enough, add onions and little salt. Saute and cook covered for 8 minutes until they brown a bit. Then add the ginger and garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Mix in the chili, coriander, cumin, dry mango powder and garam masala. Saute for a minute until the raw smell disappears.

4. Stir in the tomato paste and bell peppers. Add 1/2 cup water ( you need a dry filling, so add less or more water accordingly) and let it cook for 20 minutes, covered.

5. In the mean while, heat little oil about a teaspoon on a saucepan. Once they are hot, add the paneer cubes in batches. Cook on each side for 5 minutes and set aside.

6. Sprinkle cilantro and salt. Stir to combine. Add juice of lemon and thawed peas and mix well. Switch off the flame and let it rest. After about 15 minutes, mix in the paneer cubes.

7. Pre-heat the oven to 400'F.

8. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the thawed puff pasty rectangles ( four at a time leaving enough space between each of them). Top with 1-2 tablespoon of the filling, grease the edges with egg wash and bake for 15-18 minutes until they crisp up. Keeping an eye to avoid them getting burnt.

9. Top with a few strands of caramelized onions. Serve hot with ketchup / mint chutney

This post was sponsored by Frigidaire. When you check out Suzanne Goin's springtime recipes at www.maketimeforchange.com, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children's U.S. programs. Plus, you'll be entered for a chance to win the new Frigidaire Range with Symmetry^TM Double Ovens – featuring two large ovens (that can each fit up to a 28 pound turkey!), providing the flexibility to cook multiple dishes at the same time at different temperatures, so you can get more on the table at the same time.

Quinoa and its benefits : Warm quinoa salad with Indian spices

2012-03-19T13:13:00.004-07:00

I have spoken in brief about quinoa on my post about gestational diabetes. After I wrote about brown rice, I wanted to explore in detail about quinoa. So here I am writing about a magical grain - QUINOA (pronounced as Keen-wa).

Most kitchens known to me doesn't have quinoa in their shelves. Well, most supermarket known to be doesn't even carry it. Then finding a store that would have quinoa all the time was by itself a challenge for me. Finally I have settled down with amazon or you can buy from direct retailers.

Where to find one?

1. Costco - very selected stores

2. Safeway - small packets

3. Whole foods - small packets

4. Amazon - Best option

Quinoa is not a grain, its the seed of the goosefoot plant. They are staple food for the people of Andes Mountains for thousands of years. In a nutshell, its a healthy complex carbohydrate grain from South America. The warriors were nourished with quinoa to increase their stamina. Since it can be lightly toasted and ground to a flour, they are also referred to as pseudograin. Quinoa is a seed that becomes fluffy, creamy and gets a nutty flavour when cooked. Quinoa is a close cousin of beets, spinach and swiss chard. I have personally not seen the leaves but relevant articles suggested that the leaves are very similar to that of beets, spinach and swiss chard and they are edible.

Quinoa is rich protein and also its a complete protein (contains all the nine essential amino acids). It's the best protein source for vegans/vegetarians. Lysine is one of the nine essential amino acid which the body cann't produce by itself and must be obtained from dietary sources. Other grains like barley, brown rice, buck wheat has little lysine content in them but not enough to count. Quinoa had sufficient amount of lysine in it. Apart from quinoa, cheese, eggs, fish, lima beans, milk, potatoes, red meat, soy products, and yeast also contains lysine.

Did you know?

1. Quinoa cause no insulin spike

2. Will keep you full for longer

3. Reduced risk of heart diseases

4. Its rich in fiber and helps in better gastrointestinal health

5. Rich source of manganese, magnesium, folate and phosphorous.

HEADACHES AND DIABETES

One of the literature said that the magnesium and riboflavin present in quinoa helps to relax blood vessels that constricts and rebounds to cause migraines. Since magnesium relaxes the blood vessels, a diet rich in quinoa can help to lower the chances of getting cardiovascular diseases. Magnesium acts a co-factor for so many enzymes in the body including the ones that are involved in the body's use of glucose and insulin secretion. Now start including quinoa in your meals if you have a family member who are pre-diabetic or diabetic.

POST WORKOUT MAGIC

There is high levels of micronutrients in quinoa which are involved in muscle growth. Magnesium maintains the muscle growth and also helps in creating new muscles. The potassium acts like a pump by pulling out the fluid from the bloodstream in to muscle cells. Folate is required by the muscles to produce new cells. So if you eat a diet rich in quinoa, it will help in better recovery after a workout.

Quinoa had similar health benefits like brown rice. You can read about that here. On my personal taste preference and usage, I use brown rice for two purposes: one to make batter like idly, dosa, adai, idiyappam and other when made mushy like for pongal, bisi bela bath, bagala bath. I didn't develop a liking for cooked brown rice but for all the other India inspired dishes I use quinoa. Quinoa complements the spices well and they taste delicious when cooked with right ingredients.

Today's post is about a warm quinoa salad I made with lemon juice and toasted almonds. The recipe is similar to that of Indian lemon rice. Instead of the rice, I am using quinoa here. Mostly we use roasted cashews or peanuts to garnish but I made this dish with roasted almonds. Those were the two simple changes I made to the original recipe. But this bowl of my warm quinoa salad is packed with wholesome goodness. As I always say I would like to create recipe that are tasty and healthy. I take the old and carefully incorporate the global influences to create a new recipe.

WARM QUINOA SALAD WITH INDIAN SPICES

Serves: 4

Source: Self

Ingredients

1 cup raw white quinoa ( I used Bob Red Mill oraganic quinoa)

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

20-30 almonds (raw) or roasted

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon urad dhal or black gram

12-15 curry leaves

1 teaspoon asafoetida

2 teaspoon turmeric powder

2-3 Thai green chillies - slit

1/2 tablespoon ginger - minced

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste, about 1-2 teaspoon

Directions

1. If using raw almonds, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a cooking pan. Once the oil ripples, add the almonds and roast them for 10- 15minutes, until they brown a bit. Remove and place over a kitchen towel.

2. In the mean while, pressure cook the quinoa with 2 cups water for 4 whistles or cook over the stove top with 2 cups water for 20-25 minutes (cook covered). Once done, use a fork to fluff them up. Set aside.

3. To the left over oil, add mustard seeds and let it crackle. Then add the curry leaves and let it crisp, about 30-45 seconds. Then add the urad dhal and saute for 60 seconds.

4.. Now add asafoetida, green chillies, ginger , turmeric powder and saute for 30-45 seconds. Finally add the lemon juice and salt. Stir.

5. Mix in the quinoa with this lemon vinaigrette. Garnish with roasted almonds. Serve hot with a oven baked bittergourd chips/ okra stirfry / egg curry / chicken cury

Additional notes:

1. My warm quinoa salad can be eaten during phase 2 and phase 3 of South beach diet.

2. An excellent source of protein for pregnant women and definitely a good replacement for rice for women with gestational diabetes and also for those who are diabetic and pre-diabetic.

3. Eating a serving of quinoa for a meal everyday can help in better recovery after a workout.

4. Quinoa had low glycemic index
5. They are gluten free, wheat free, cholesterol free
6. Quinoa had the highest content of unsaturated fats and a lower ratio of carbohydrates than any other grain

What is so good about brown rice? - My answers with a brown rice idly recipe

2012-03-15T13:55:00.003-07:00

Everybody around me seems to know about brown rice. Thanks to the media for creating an awareness about whole grains. Even a commoner with absolutely no knowledge about health will say that brown rice is healthier than white rice. But how many of us do really know why brown rice is healthy?

Lets explore the facts today.

Firstly, lets define brown rice. Food enthusiasts, agriculturalists and doctors would write a thesis on this but lets keep it simple for now. After the harvest, farmers will remove the outermost layer (hull) of the rice kernal and that brown grain is your brown rice. Brown rice has all the nutrients packed and saved inside it.

When you polish and refine brown rice, we get white rice. White rice is obtained after removing so many layers like bran, germ layer. Even at this point they are not in pure white color, further polishing is done to get that shiny white shade for the rice. There is one significant layer of the grain called aleurone layer, that's the layer filled with health supportive essential fats. It is critical for the wholesale vendors to get rid of them because the fats on the surface are more susceptible to get oxidized in the atmospheric air and not removing this layer can lower the shelf life of the grain. So you can imagine how refined your bag of white rice is. Completely deprived of its original nutrients.Yes, vitamin B3, B1 and B6, manganese, phosphorous and iron and all the dietary fiber and good fats are lost. US food laws suggests that the shiny white rice must be enriched with these vitamins and minerals before selling it in the market. Personally I feel that whats the point in artificially adding them back instead of eating whole grains directly.

The brown rice bag lying in my pantry reads:

1 cup cooked brown rice has

215 calories

4.99 grams of protein

44.42 grams of carbohydrates

1.74 grams fat

I started experimenting with brown rice during my pregnancy. Apart from gestational diabetes, I was very particular to feed my growing fetus with wholesome goodness and that continued even after his birth. I started feeding him whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, barley and lots of lentils and legumes) from 11 months and my son is 15 months now and I continue to create new recipes that are with my Indian twists. To read more about the benefits of brown rice, I read through few literature in PubMed .

Why I cook with brown rice?

1. Brown rice has good amount of manganese in it. Manganese helps to produce stamina and energy in your body and they are a rich source of antioxidants and they are involved in the synthesis of fatty acids which are necessary for a healthy nervous system. Do you remember one important term from our grade 4 science class - Mitochondria, the powder house of the cells. There is an antioxidant enzyme called Superoxide dismutase present inside it. And your body needs a good supply of manganese everyday for the working of this enzyme because manganese is a critical component of this enzyme.

2. Brown rice keeps the digestive system healthy and for sure you will be regular in your bowel movements. 1 cup of brown rice provides you with 14% of daily value of fiber.

3. Brown rice is a rich source of selenium. For most individuals following American diet will have lower selenium in their body. 1 cup of brown rice leaves you with 27.3% of DV of Selenium. There are proven research studies to show that there is a inverse correlation between selenium intake and cancer incidence. That is, if you eat more foods with selenium in it, there is less chance to get cancer. Apart from that, selenium can help prevent heart diseases, asthma attacks and rheumatoid arthritis.

4. Importantly brown rice keeps you full for longer and do you know why? That's because they contain complex carbohydrates. This will help you in weight-loss journey too as you will not be hungry soon. Also they break down to sugar very slowly making it an ideal dish for prediabetic/diabetic patients.

5. Brown rice has phytonutrients. Researchers has found to types of phytonutrients in food - free and bound forms. Free ones are those phenolics that dissolve quickly and get absorbed into our bloodstream right away. These free forms are found in fruits and vegetables. While with the case of bound forms, they remain intact and get released during digestion by the intestinal bacteria before they can be absorbed. These bound forms are found in whole grains like brown rice, oats, whole wheat. There are more chances for lesser chances of getting cancer by eating a combination of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

And today I want to share a recipe of a dish that is authentic and true to the place I come from - South India. When I started with cooking, the techniques and ingredients would have changed with respect to my location but one thing which I had in my mind was that my recipes should be Indian inspired. I take the old and carefully incorporate the global influences to create a new recipe. Since we grew up eating idly for breakfast everyday, I wanted to replace white with brown rice. The process sounds like a simple switch between the grains but the rice to lentil ratio was something that was challenging. With a given batter, making a dosa is simple but getting it right for a soft fluffy idly for bit challenging. Somedays my brown rice idlies would be hard like a stone while somedays it will be flat like a punctured tire. With few testing in my kitchen, I came up with this ratio for my brand of brown rice. And finally I created today's batter in my Preethi mixie. I am bit lazy to make the batter in a wet grinder. Trust me, the ones made from the grinder are the best. If you have the patience then go ahead using your wet grinder. For lazy souls like me, lets stick with the mixie. Only one thing was key here, just grind the urad dhal for a little longer time. It seems to help the batter rise well and definitely the idlies were soft.

Idly with brown rice and lentils

Source: Self

Makes 10-12 medium sized idlies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups long grain brown rice ( I used Mahatma brand)

3/4 cups urad dhal / black grams (but is white in color)

1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup water ( use as per our needs)

Directions

1. Rinse and clean the rice and soak in 8 cups water for 4-6 hours.

2. Similarly, rinse and clean the dhaal , fenugreek leaves and soak in 4 cups water for 4-6 hours.

3. After the soaking time, drain the water and set them aside.

4. First, make a smooth paste with urad dhal and fenugreek leaves with 1/4 cup water in a mixie/wet grinder/ blender/food processor. Make sure you grind them for 15 -20 minutes until they turn smooth. Transfer to a fresh bowl (oven proof bowl)

5. Add the rice and make a smooth paste with 1/4 cup water. Don't add too much water, it will turn the batter watery. Run the machine and if its too thick, add little water to free the blades. We are looking for a pancake batter like consistency.

6. Add the rice batter to the dhaal mixture and mix well with hands. Finally add salt and again mix well with hands.

7. Place the oven proof bowel inside the oven (ofcourse the oven is switched off) and leave the door open, just little enough to turn the oven lights on. The heat from the light will favour the fermentation process. This can be done by people living in cooler countries.

8. If you are living in tropical countries with temperature around 40'C. Leave the batter over the kitchen top.

9. Grease the idli moulds, and the pour the batter, steam it in the cooker until the idli's are cooked, about 12-15 minutes.

10. Serve hot with sambar/ chutney/ idly podi

Serving idea:

My mama (mom's youngest brother) is a catering institute graduate and he comes up with delicious serving idea. This one is our favourite picnic food. He would serve idlies layered with idly podi. You might think he would have poured oodles of oil but no! there is very little oil here and the oil he uses is coconut oil.

Here is the recipe

For 4 idlies

Source: Mama

Ingredients

3 tablespoon idly podi

1/4 cup water + more if needed

2 teaspoon coconut oil.

Directions

1. Mix them all together. Add little more water if needed.

2. Place the idlies and coat well to cover.Store in airtight container until ready to serve. Pour the left over mixture on top and cover.

We pack these idlies around early morning for a day trip. By the time we are ready to eat, the idlies would have soaked up the spices and flavors well and the water in the mixture will keep the idly moist and soft.

Additional notes

1. Brown rice idly is perfect breakfast dish for women with gestational diabetes

2. An ideal dish for phase 2 and 3 of South beach diet.

3. Don't make the idlies planning to refridgerate it. Make fresh idlies before eating.

4. In case the idlies didn't turn up as planned, then try to increase the amount of time for grinding the urad dhaal, about 5 minutes more to start up.
5. This batter with brown rice can also be used to make dosa, uthappam and paniyarams.

Warm lentil stew for breakfast - South beach diet for vegetarians

2012-03-11T23:18:00.002-07:00

Lentils are the primary source of proteins for vegetarian. Indians use lentils in all the preparations - be it soup, entree, sides, starter or dessert. Lentils are commonly used in a dish called dhaal. Dhaals can be made from lentils and legumes. Also remember that it isn't necessary that all dhaals be prepared with lentils alone. A thick, mushy stew can be called as dhaal. Some dhaals can be heavily seasoned while some will be mildly spiced.

I come from Southern part of India and most people known to me cook with yellow split peas called toor dhal / thuvaram paruppu. South Indians make sambar and rasam with it. In most homes back home, lentils are cooked in a pressure cooker to save time and gas. My mom typically adds couple of garlics, a pinch of asafoetida and a teaspoon of turmeric powder to the lentils while cooking. Since lentils can cause bloating, she adds garlic and asafoetida to reduce flatulence and turmeric powder acts as an antiseptic. With the influence of various cooking shows on TV (like Khanna Khazanna, Mirch masala) , my mom over the years started to make Northern Indian dishes like dhaal with red lentils, rajma masala and dhaal makani (red kidney beans and black grams). Once I started to live alone, the easiest thing to fix for singles/students are stews with lentils and vegetables. It may be eaten with rice and a pickle by its side or with roti or can be drank as soup. Since I cook it in a pressure cooker, I dump on the ingredients and cook for few whistles. The process even more simpler and easy that even novice can whip it no time.

Years ago I saw pretty looking red lentils (orange colored lentils) in the grocery store. I brought home a packet with a hope to cook a dhaal that will have this beautiful sunset color but to my dismay, the dhaal looked yellow like any other dhaal dish. Lesson learned: Red lentils doesn't make your dhaal look red or orange. I know many of my friends who had the same doubt.

Lentils are rich in fiber. Fiber rich foods can lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar. High fiber foods are also refereed to as diabetic foods. Any whole grains will have low glycemic index (GI of 26-30) than refined/processed grains.I have exploring on bringing Indian inspired vegetarian meals for South beach dieters. This lentil preparation is one such dish which I have been serving for breakfast. They are hearty, filling and definitely a power packed start for the day. I have used red lentils in this preparation.Good news is that I had made this dhaal with zero oil.

Masoor dhal - A stew with red lentils

Recipe: Self

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 cups red lentils

2 Thai green chiles - slit

1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)

1 cup red onions- finely chopped

1 tomato - finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger- minced

2 garlic cloves - minced
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

1 tablespoon coriander powder
6 cups water
Salt to taste, about 1 1/2 teaspoon

1/2 cup fresh cilantro - chopped

1 tablespoon garam masala
Juice of one lemon

Special equipment

Pressure cooker with a whistle

Garnish

1/4 cup avocados - cubed

1/4 cup cucumbers - cubed

Directions

1. Rinse and clean the red lentils in running tap water. Drain the water and set aside.

2. Switch on the stove. Place the base of the pressure cooker and add the red lentils, onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chillies, red chili flakes, spice powders (turmeric, chili and coriander powder) and water. Mix well to combine and pressure cook them for 8-10 whistles. If you are cooking on a regular cooking pan, cook for 45-55 minutes until they are cooked through.

3. Switch off the flame and let the pressure settle down. After about 15-20 minutes, remove the whistle and open the pan. Add garam masala, cilantro, salt, lemon juice and stir well. Serve hot in warm bowls. Garnish with cubes of avocado or cucumbers or even a dollop of fat free sour cream or yogurt will do wonders.

Tips:

1. You can drink how much ever soup you want. That's the great thing about South beach diet. This soup is my breakfast during phase 1.

2. Phase 2 & 3 dieters, the dhaal can be served with brown rice/ quinoa/ barley/ buckwheat. Make it a hearty meals by adding lots of veggies as a side.

3. For women with gestational diabetes, this stew with red lentils (masoor dhal) can be eaten with quinoa or barley. It is not a good idea to avoid carbohydrates during pregnancy as the growing baby needs carbs for his/her brain development. So please remember to eat every meal with healthy/good carbs.

4. Lentils are good for weight management and importantly they can be digested easily.

5. You could also add vegetables like beans, cauliflower, carrots and peas

South beach diet dish - Thengai mangai sundal from Marina beach

2012-03-09T00:25:00.008-08:00

Choosing a healthy breakfast by itself is definitely not a simple task and choosing a vegetarian breakfast for Phase 1 of South beach diet is even more a tougher task. I can hear people saying "Eat cereals!". Well, there is no carbs in the phase 1 of SBD. So cereals are ruled out. Even choosing a healthy cereal with whole grain, fiber and zero sugar is equally tough.

Breakfast to me should have good amount of protein, fiber and good carbs. That should be something that will give me the energy to work effectively during the morning and importantly something that will keep me full and happy. The typical Indian menu like pongal (rice-lentil risotto), dosa (savory rice pancakes/crepes) or idly (steamed cakes) or upma (Top chef master's winning dish) is packed with bad carbohydrates. Infact if we make the same dishes with brown rice or quinoa, they become the ideal dish for the phase 2 and 3 dieters of South Beach diet.

Any dish with eggs are perfect for breakfast during phase 1. Offlate my mom follows SBD once a while, so I had to come up with vegetarian options. We have been making patties with lentils or steamed lentil balls or boiled legumes tempered with South Indian spices for her. One protein rich dish that fits the requirement of South beach diet (phase 1) is our good old sundals. The most famous dish from the world famous Marina beach is mangai thengai sundal (legumes cooked with mangoes and coconut). For a true blue Chennaite like me, the thoughts about Marina and the food scene revolving around it would bring back wonderful childhood memories. You can read more about my love for Marina here.

There was a debate in the SBD forum on whether raw mango be considered in phase 1 of South beach diet. To me, raw mango is a vegetable and I felt that I could eat it in phase 1. I have eaten our marina sundal during phase 1 and there was a good amount of weight lost during this phase. But experts from SBD said that the green raw mango is a fruit and shouldn't be included in phase 1. So its upto you to make the decision. For phase 1 dieters, avoid carrots and mangoes and proceed with the same recipe.

Since it had been a busy week for me, let me run to the post right away. For this sundal, the green peas (dried version) are cooked to perfection and exotic South Indian spices are tempered in oil and mixed to form a uniform coating. Finally generous amount of tangy green mangoes and creamy coconut are added to make it taste out of the world. They have close to zero fat per serving. You can cucumbers, carrots to make it even more fibrous. Our simple snack with legumes like dried uncooked green peas is protein packed and has good carbs so the sugars will break down slowly in to the blood stream and this will keep you full for longer. I make them over the weekend and stays good for two days. If you plan to use it for than 2 days or want to freeze them, then its a good idea to add coconut fresh when serving. Coconut is highly perishable and it will spoil the dish very quickly if not stored carefully.

MANGAI THENGAI BEACH SUNDAL

Serves 4

Source: My mother

Ingredients1 cup dry Green Peas (available in Indian grocery stores)

1/2 tablespoon or less olive oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 table spoon black gram dal
4 whole dry red chillies

10-12 curry leaves

A pinch of Asafoetida

1/4 cup fresh or dried grated coconut

1 medium sized raw mango - grated

1 medium sized carrot - grated (optional)
Salt to taste

Directions
1. Soak dry green peas in water for 8 hours. Later, cook them in pressure cooker adding 2 cups of water and little salt. Cook for 1 whistle.

2. If cooking in a pan, cook them covered with 3 cups water for 30-45 minutes. Don't overcook it. It should stay whole and less mushy.

3. Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil ripples add mustard seeds, asafoetida, black gram dal, red chillies, curry leaves and saute for 2 minutes. Then add coconut and finally cooked green peas and little salt. Toss to combine.

4. Switch off the flame and mix in the mangoes and carrots. Serve hot with masala chai.

Additional notes:

1. Soak green peas for minimum 6 to 8 hours and add only required water while boiling and keep in pressure cooker only for 1 whistle minutes, not more than that because peas will get over cooked and become mushy.r more time.

2. An ideal snack or breakfast dish for phase 2 and 3 of South beach diet.

3. Also perfect for those who are looking for healthy eating options.

4. This dish can be eaten by pregnant women with gestational diabetes.