Choco 50-50 Pancake

Pancake is not on our regular menu.   I got a gluten free pancake mix from Whole foods when my kid attended a birthday party.  Kids liked it.  I read the ingredients, it was kind of ok but not very impressive.  So, I never bought it again.   I prefer to make the mix myself.   Yday, my kids were also on ekadasi special food and we make dosai for breakfast the following day with Gooseberry chutney.   My older one  asked for pancake and I came up with this, It was pretty good.  Play with the ingredients.  Mix and match, You can make much better combinations than the store bought one.  I will try with amaranth flour next time.

What you need?

Fine semolina  -1/3 cup
Whole wheat flour - 1/3 cup
cinnamon-1/8 tsp
Apple - 1 small Grated
Flax meal - 1 Tbsp
Almond slices-2 Tbsp
dark Chocolate- shredded-1 Tbsp
water - 1/2 cup
salt - 1/2 tsp
baking soda-1/2 tsp
coconut oil to cook

How to make?

Soak semolina in warm water for 30 mins

Add water, whole wheat, flax meal, grated apple, salt,baking soda and cinnamon.  Mix well.

Check the consistency, if it is too thick add water 1-2 Tbsp at a time.  It should not be too thick or too thin.

Add shredded chocolate and almond slices and give a mix.

Heat griddle, make circles, once cooked, turn it over, spray oil and turn it over again.

Serve it with Maple syrup or honey.   I actually took it for lunch with sweet chutney and it was too good.

Have Fun!

Chia Gel Sandwich

Chia seeds is another buzz talk of the town in recent times.   It packs omega-3 fat, protein and fiber. Every food has a characteristic of its own.  Chia seeds takes lot of water and hence it is best absorbed in your system in gel form rather than the seed form.  It bulges more than 10 times of its size.   I use it in smoothies, cereal toppings, plain milk drink and  sometimes on dosa /idli batter.   I also use it in baking and on yogurt drinks and fruit juices.

Coming to this post, I typically eat apple peanut butter sandwich for breakfast.  After concluding my research on eating fruits by itself,  I started eating my peanut butter sandwich alone.   I am  used to the juicy apple sandwich.  Infact I love that combination.  Anyways, I decided to switch over.  I was thinking of some replacement of that apple in my sandwiches.  There came the Chia gel.

How to prepare chia gel?

In a bowl, add chia seeds  about 1 Tbsp and about 1/4 cup of water.  Let it sit for 5-7 mins.  Give a gentle mix and your chia gel is ready.  You could transfer this to a container and refrigerate.  Use it within 4-5 days.
Now, Make your sandwich:

Toast breads, use spread of your choice, I use peanut butter.  On top of that spread, smear about 1 tsp of chia gel.  Close and enjoy.

I liked it.  You could make it sweeter by another honey with chia gel.  That would be yummy too.  

Incompatible Food Combinations according to Ayurveda

Eating right is the key for healthy life.  Sometimes, in spite of whatever effort we take, our body might not be responding. For instance in loosing weight or increasing the hemoglobin.   Then you might want to consider this where we can have a quick chk if we are not eating food in a wrong combination.   It was quite shocking to know about the wrong concoctions in our day to day cooking.

I got this from Ayurveda book.  I have not modified anything.

Don't eat: With:

Beans Cheese, eggs, fruit, fish, meat, milk, or yogurt
Milk         Fish, bananas, meat, melons, yogurt, kitchari, sour fruits, yeasted bread, or cherries
Melons Anything, especially dairy products, grains, eggs, starches, or fried foods
Starches Dairy, eggs, bananas, dates, persimmons, or most fruits
Honey When it’s been cooked or boiled, or when mixed with an equal amount of ghee (by weight)
Radishes  Milk, bananas, or raisins
Potatoes,Tomatoes Eggplant Milk, yogurt, melons, or cucumber
Yogurt  Milk, sour fruits, or melons
Hot drinks  Meat, fish, cheese, mangoes, or starches
Eggs           Milk, yogurt, cheese, meat, fish, melons, fish, fruit, beans, or kitchari
Fruit           Any other food (except some cooked combinations)
Corn          Bananas, raisins, or dates
Citrus fruit   Milk, yogurt or any other dairy products

Disclaimer:  Please do thorough analysis before you start practicing what is mentioned here.  I am just sharing my research on food and nutrition.

Eat fruit by itself

This blog is not just for recipes.  I often post few things that are informative on our day to day eating!

Eating fruits may sound quite healthy but actually we might be harming our system.   The background of this post is based on my research on eating fruits as per ayurveda.    I read some articles from Dr.Vasant Lad and few other ayurveda doctors.

Most of the healthy meals contain fruits as part of it.  Think logically, fruits are fresh and juicy.  It gets digested very fast.  That is the key, when you are low on energy. reach out to some fresh fruits.  You feel readily energized.  When this fruit is combined with grains then it causes the food to be fermented inside your digestive system and creates toxic substance.  Those toxic substance build over a period of time and affect health in one or other way.  It may not even affect some due to their gifted metabolism.

Eat fruits in the morning time mostly in empty stomach, it is ok to eat after an hr or two of your coffee/tea. Body readily absorbs the nutrition when you eat it fresh in the morning.  You can go for a mid morning snack or breakfast if you want to.

Eating fruits with milk and cereal is NOT right.   I know it is going to be hard to accept this and follow.  But it is up to us to make the best use of what we eat finally.

Happy Healthy Eating!

Boiled Peanut snack (Sundal)

This is quite a common road side food/snack in south india.   Boiled peanuts are very healthy compared to the toasted ones.  Shelled peanuts are best but we dont get it all the seasons so you can go with the dried ones.  I had made it as prashad on one of the navarathiri evenings and one of our friend asked me to post the recipe here.

What you need?

Dried peanuts - 1 cup
salt -about 2 tsp
Turmeric-1/4 tsp

Tadka

Coconut oil-1 Tbsp
Mustard, hing, green chillies, coconut/mango optional

How to make?

Wash and boil peanuts in a pressure cooker with sufficient water, add salt and turmeric powder.  I leave it for 5 whistles since we all like to be well cooked.

Allow the pressure cooker to cool.  Drain the water just before using them, or they tend to become very dry.

Drain most of the water leaving about 1/4 cup on it.

Tadka

Shred green chillies, coconut and mango if using and keep it ready.

Heat oil, add mustard and allow it to pop, add hing, curry leaves and the boiled peanuts.

Add the shredded green chillies/mango and coconut and mix well.

It is ready to be served.   This is one of my kids favorite snacks after school.  Infact all of us like it.

Kale Avocado Tepla (Quick lunch)

Kale is one high fibre green which is very good for health.  It is little hard to incorporate into indian cooking. It has a stringent smell when cooked.  I have been looking for ways and means to use it.  This recipe turned out to be very good.

What you need?

To Fry:

     Kale - 1 bunch (choose tender leaves which look fresh)
     gr chillies-2 +
     ginger 1 inch
     hing 1/4 tsp
     salt
      turmeric

To make tepla  dough

   whole wheat flour - 1.5 cup
   barley flour-1 cup
   oats - 1/2 cup
   salt
   Avocado - 1 medium sized
 
Prep work:

Remove the thick stems from kale, wash and chop them.

How to make?

Heat 1 Tbsp oil, hing, shredded gr chillies and ginger

Add the chopped Kale leaves,turmeric and salt.  Fry it till the volume reduces and sauted.

Allow it to cool for a bit.  In the mean time, mash the avocado and set aside

Mix all the flour in a bowl, add salt, avocado and kale mixture.  Make dough, adjust liquid or flour to get the dough consistency.

Divide the dough into equal sized balls

Heat griddle and  make 6 " round circles using flour as required and cook both sides.

I just brushed with little ghee once cooked since I was packing it as kids lunch.  My kids liked it and that made my day.

Whole Grain "Spelt" Bread

Spelt is a grain,  sister of wheat.  It has a nutty taste and itz bread/buns turns out very soft and airy.   I read that spelt grain is much healthier than wheat.  Thanks to Rebecca wood for posting wonderful recipe.  I could find very few recipes online for spelt and this one was great.  I have been making this bread for quite some time now.   This bread can be easily made with hand too since it requires less kneading.

What you need?

1.5 active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1.5 Tbsp Molasses
1.5 Tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
3 cups whole spelt flour - 3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp vital wheat gluten

How to make?

Activate yeast in 1/4 cup warm water with 1 tsp of sugar and let it rest for 5 mins.  Proceed with the next step only if the yeast froths.

Add rest of the liquid into the same cup and mix it thoroughly.

Mix all dry ingredients together.  Now add the liquid and make a dough.  Make it as ball and just rub little oil around it and let it rest in a big bowl or container.  Keep it covered for about 45 mins or till it is double.

Prepare the bread pan (9 by 5 inch) by brushing oil first all around it and dusting flour on top of it so that the bread can come out once baked.

Once double, punch down, roll into a small cylinder (tightly) and keep it in the prepared pan.

Allow it to proof for 45 mins or till the bread raises above the pan ridge.

Bake for about 34-35 mins.  Remove the pan after first 15 mins and cover with aluminum foil so that the top does'nt brown.

Run a bread knife around the pan before taking out the bread from the pan and allow it rest on the wire rack for an hour before slicing.

Tip:

1. If you are not using vital wheat gluten, you could add white spelt flour to any ratio (50-50).
2. If you are using bread machine, be sure to run the dough cycle only for 15 mins.  

Birthday Cake - Color

I made this cake for my older one's bday during this summer.    I followed Maduram's eggless recipe for the cake.  I followed another recipe for the frosting.   I am blogging here for the colors that I used on the cake, they were my own creations.  I did not want to buy the colors and have been thinking for long about it.  I had made two colors but ended up using only one since the cake was small and My daughter wanted some simple design.

Purple Color:

I used frozen blueberries.  It whoozed out the juice automatically.    I boiled the juice to make it as concentrate.

I mixed the frosting with the concentrate.

Orange Color:

Make carrot juice and boil it to make concentrate.

I ended up using only purple.  I bought purple gel pen to write.

Chocolate Buttercream Cake

I wanted to share my experiment on making the birthday cake.  I got the recipe from internet.  I pretty much followed the original recipe to make this one though I have also tried with different replacements before.  All the versions were pretty good.    My kids and hubby liked the cake very much.   I did not want to use fancy colors over the cake.  Infact, the strawberry flower design is given by the birthday girl.  I  kept the design to very basic.  I dont know much of it as well.  But it was well received by family and friends.   My hard work payed off.    My better half also helped me on this experimentation.

This is the original recipe.   I have mentioned what I replaced adjacently.  I made 2 batches and filled the buttercream frosting between the layers.

Ingredients:

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (1/3 cup cocoa powder)
1 1/4cups sifted organic whole wheat pastry flour (Cake flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt (cooking salt)
1/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1 1/4 cup natural brown sugar, lightly packed
2 eggs (2 Tbsp egg replacer + 6 Tbsp water)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream (Fat free Greek Yogurt)
1/2 cup boiling water

Preparation: (slightly modified)

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9'' 13'' pan
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.
Mix the cocoa into the flour
Mix the water with the egg replacer and let it rest for 5 mins.
Beat the butter and sugar for two minutes. Add the egg replacer and beat for an additional two minutes. Beat in the vanilla
Gradually stir in the sifted flour mixture in approximate thirds, alternating each time with 1/4 cup of the greek yogurt
Stir in the boiling water. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 23 minutes. Do not overbake this cake! Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

For the buttercream Frosting:

I followed versatilevegeteriankitchen blog's recipe.  Champa is my baking Guru.  She is amazing.   I had to add more milk to mine since it was becoming quite thick.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened butter at room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup of solid vegetable shortening (crisco)
flavoring (I use quite a bit vary according to your taste) - 2 tsp of favorite extracts.
3 pounds of confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
Heavy whipping cream  - 6 to 8 TBSP based on the consistency desired.
Corn syrup to thin the icing if needed.

Method:
Beat butter, shortening together till creamy. Add salt and slowly add confectioner's sugar about a cup. Then add whipping cream in steps of 3 TBSP each and alternately add confectioner's sugar and corn starch till you have used up all the sugar.Beat for a minimum of 15 minutes and adjust the consistency using corn syrup.

Tip:

1. I have also made this recipe with pastry flour and oil, it was pretty good too.   Flax egg has also worked out good.

2. Butter cream frosting hardened when refrigerated.  I realized that when I took out for the cake for final decor.   I kept the cake out for 2 hrs before cutting and it was pretty good.  

Amaranth(Rajgiro) Puri

I am not an expert on deep frying obviously.  But recently I got a kudos on the pakoras and also on the puri's.   I have to tell a short story before I give the recipe.  I started making this as part of my kids ekadasi's menu.   I will blog about ekadasi fasting in my other blog http://conzsliving.blogspot.com/  I started fasting on Ekadasis since last Nov and it is going good.  I do eat and drink (fruit, milk and nuts) but stay away from cooked food.   Kids also wanted to fast on ekadasi's.  I was fine but dad was reluctant.  I did not want to say "No" to it because when they want to do it with their will then it is well and good.  Instead of fasting, we came up with simple menu so that they learn to control their tongue and mind.   They eat fruits and nuts salad for brkfast and dinner.  Lunch will be made with the fasting cereals/fruits like amaranth/buckwheat or moraiyo.

Fasting is infact very good for your body, mind and soul.  It is good to keep away from all kinds of food at least once in a fortnight on Ekadasi.

Amaranth is a gluten free flour.  It has to be mixed with something to make it rollable for puris or chappathi. On normal days, I would mix with wheat flour but it was special for Ekadasi, I made like this one.

Food is cooked with no salt on these days.  Can you imagine, is it not a real challenge for your tongue and mind?

What you need?

Yam or sugarbeet - 2 medium sized
Amaranth flour-1 cup
ajwain seeds-a few

Prep work:

1.  Steam yam in a rice cooker.  I boil water and cook the yam in a steamer on top of it, it takes 20-30 mins.
Once cooked, peel and mash them.

How to make?

Mix amaranth flour with Mashed yams, add ajwain.

Roll them into small discs, use amaranth flour for dusting.

Heat oil in a kadai, deep fry them.

It was super soft.  Serve it with Mango pulp or potato stir fry.  We made it without salt too.  Noo,  we have not gone crazy, just a challenge.    Kids never complained.  Actually I served the potato stir fry in yogurt sauce but they preferred it just as the stir fry.

Mango Ginger Pickle - Remedy for internal inflammation

This recipe is good for anyone but it is quite beneficial for people suffering with any internal inflammation.

I was literally fighting with my sciatica for 4 months.  It was not easy.  I could'nt stand in the same spot for even 2 mins or walk 200 mtrs.  Pain would shoot from the lower back to the toe on my left leg.  I was literally crying inside thinking what pain is this.  It took a month for me to know that it was sciatica.  I told about this to my friend in office and She is the one who suggested this remedy.  I went for  physiotheraphy and took this Mango ginger pickle in sufficient qty every day and I got rid of this in 8-10 weeks.  Yes, it takes that loong.  I had taken high dosage of ibubrufen for 2 weeks in the 5-6th week of the pain.  Reach out to me if you want to know what else I did.  I cannot vouch that my remedy would work for you.  But you could definitely try since it does'nt have any side effect.

Turmeric is known to reduce cholesterol and promote health.

What you need?

Mango Ginger - 1 lb
Fresh Turmeric - 1 lb (optional)
Black salt - 2 Tbsp
Lemon juice - 1 cup (freshly squeezed)

Prep work:  

1. Soak mango ginger and fresh turmeric if using in enough water for couple of hrs.  It will make the skin little bit soft.

2. Just scrap off the thick skin around each mango ginger, (this is cumbersome but the formula is No Pain No Gain)

How to make it?

1. Grate the mango ginger followed by turmeric if using.

2. Use a glass or stainless steel container preferably since plastic will stain and also not good to store lemon juice based dishes.

3. Now add the black salt and lemon juice.  Lemon juice should be sufficient to soak almost.   Increase the salt if it very sour.

4. Leave it overnight.  

5.  Transfer it to multiple jars.  I put one in the refrigerator and rest in the freezer for future use.

Now how to take it?

Take a Tbsp 3 times a day (Brkfast/lunch and dinner) for few weeks.

Tip:

I could not take the sour.   I added tadka with Mustard seeds, lots of green chillies and Asofoedita to make it a kind of pickle.  I took 2 Tbsp during lunch and 1 Tbsp during dinner.   

Lemon Grass Tea

I have been getting lemon grass in the farmers market for a while now and always get tempted to buy them. I dono why.  Somehow I love the spices.  I will first buy them and then see where I can use it.  These are literally sticks and cannot be cooked like veggies.  We just need its flavour.  Lot of thai food use lemon grass.  I have a Maharashtrian colleague and I asked her one day if she has any idea of where i can use lemon grass.  She gave this wonderful idea of using it in the tea.  Tadaaaa, it goes into my tea everyday since then whenever I have it my pantry.

Here you go!

Boil 1 cup of water, crush 1/2 inch of ginger.

Crush slightly 2 sticks of lemon grass which are about 2 inch long

Once it starts boiling, add the tea masala, tea powder and sugar, let it boil for few mins.

Add milk if using, give it a few mins, filter it and enjoy the lemon grass flavored tea in your garden! 

Lemon Barley

This is genuinely an idea rather than a recipe.  I post many such recipes which would give an healthy alternate to the traditional food.  Lemon rice is like staple food for many south indians.  It is super easy to make, cook rice and mix it with the tadka and lemon juice.

Usually, they say that lemon juice should not be heated,   I realized/learnt why they say that.  Lemon juice has lots of Vitamic C and it gets lost when heated.   You should not reheat any food with Vit C to not loose its nutrition

What you need?

Barley flakes - 1 cup
Usual Lemon rice ingredients
Carrot grated 1/2 cup

How to make it?

Optionally, you could dry fry the barley flakes in advance and keep it in a container.

1. Boil 2 cups of water in a kadai, let it boil well, add 1 Tbsp of oil, 2 tsp salt and barley flakes, let it stay till all the water is absorbed.

2.Transfer it to a wide dish and let it cool.  It has to be cooled well before you add the tadka, otherwise it will turn mushy.  It will be well separated if you leave it alone for a while.

3. Tadka - Oil 1 Tbsp = add mustard seeds, urad dal and chana dal, green chillies as per taste, asofoedita and few curry leaves

4. In a bowl, add a pinch of salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, add the tadka over this.  You should pour the tadka while the oil is still hot.  Add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice once the mixture is cold.

5. Mix together with the dried barley with  1/4 cup of roasted peanuts.  I also added about 1/2 cup of grated carrots to give the yellow orange beautiful look.  It could be topped with green coriander or fresh pomegranetes.

Handy Kids Lunch - Stuffed dumpling

It is always handy to have few recipes which takes less time to make with few dishes but also nutritional.   I am somehow skeptical about buying lunch at school, one reason is that I don't trust that it is truly healthy and another reason is the concoctions like having milk with lunch and all those things.    I research and if it makes sense to me then I start practicing.  Once I am convinced with an idea then I do not wait to practice.
This is actually  my husband recipe .  We always try to use more veggies in any dish that we make.  I send dumpling for lunch once in few weeks.   I usually mix the idli batter with veggies and make it but this one is made differently.   You could use idli batter or any batter like even Vadai batter.  I have few ideas on the base mix which I will share sometime.

What you need?

Keep the batter ready

Cut veggies like carrot, beans, potato into small cubes

Fry them with oil with cumin, turmeric and masala powder, once cooked, keep aside.

You need a special dish to make this, it is called paniyaram or appe dish.  It has small deep holes with heavy bottom.

How to make it?

1. Heat the paniyaram dish and spray oil on it, keep it in medium heat

2. Pour 1 Tbsp batter in each hole, add a tbsp of veggie on top of the batter in each hole, again add a tbsp of batter to cover the veggie

3.Turn over the dumpling using the stick and a spoon, spray oil, let it cook for about 5 mins.

4. Transfer to a dish and let it cool.

It is ready to pack for lunch or eat as snack.    Kids can eat it quickly and run for their play time.  They love their recess during lunch.   I pack it with my kids favourite homemade tomato spread.

Blue berry Popsicle

It is summer, scorching hot!   Popsicle is just the right thing for anybody!  I have never bought popsicles from store because I cannot feed my kids all the sugar and articificial colors.  They are so simple to make and your imagination is the limit!  Most of my popsicles are my own recipes.. I searched for ideas when i started making them but then we dont need to go shopping for what we dont have.  Just look at what you have in your hand and process it thru your head, if it makes sense, then make it.    All you need is few sets of BPA free popsicle moulds, You can even make it without the moulds too, you might need some small paper cups and sticks to insert into the cups once they are partially froze.

What do you need?

Blueberries  -2 cups (fresh or frozen)
Honey/aple Syrup-2 tbsp
Avocado-1 medium size (Optional)

How to make?

1. Blend everything together and pour it into popsicle moulds. 

2. Freeze it for 2 to 3 hrs.

To Enjoy:

If you are using popscile mould, put them In a cup of warm water for 3-4 mins.  Gently rock the stick against the shell and it would come out neat and clean.

Sprouted Barley Kichidi

Kichidi is one of the simplest food yet very tasty and filling with all the proteins from the dal.  We can also add variety of veggies into it and without any fuss kids would eat it.  We do not need any other credit for making a dish if kids would eat it.  A simple raita is a wonderful accompaniment with this dish. 

I make kichidi when we can eat at home since it becomes pretty hard if we pack it on boxes.    I make it with variety of grains/seeds like cracked wheat, brown rice, barley and even Kasha(roasted buckwheat).

Again this is one of the ideas for those who know to make Kichidi, just replace regurlar rice with other options.

We get hullless barley here. It is not the pearl barley which is almost equivalent to rice in carbs and fibers.  Hullless barley looks mostly like wheat.  Soak it overnight, wash, drain and let it sprout for 2 nights.  I love to see the sprouted barley!  You could refrigerate for a week or freeze it if you are not using them immediately.

What do you need?

Sprouted barley - 1 cup
Toor dal - 1/4 cup
Masoor dal - 1/4 cup
Mung dal - 1/4 cup
combination of veggies- 3 cups (no typo here - see tips down)

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Salt as per taste
red chili powder-1/2 tsp (more)
coriander powder-2 tsp
cumin powder-1/2 tsp
Amchur powder-2 tsp (optional)

How to make?

1.  Cut all veggies, wash dals and put all the ingredients in a big dish.
2. Pressure cook on medium for 6 whistles or till soft. 
3.  Wait till the pressure cooker is ready to be opened,
4. Heat pressure cooker or another kadai,  add 2 Tbsp of oil, tadka with mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asofoedita.
5. Garnish with corinader leaves

Notes:

Veggies:  You could add carrot, beans, onions, garlic, tomatoes, spinach/greens, bottle gourd, ridge gourd.. Your imagination..

Almond Brownie

Thanks to Versatile Vegeterian Kitchen, Champa for posting the basis of this recipe.  Please refer to the original post from her blog.  She is my baking Guru.. She is amazing and creates wonders in her kitchen..  I can never be like that. 

My daughter asked me to post this recipe so that she could refer when she wants to make it!  Everytime I make something that she likes, She would ask if I have posted it in my blog.. Soooo sweet.

Coming to the recipe!

What you need?

whole wheat pastry flour-1/2 cup
Almond meal-1 cup
cocoa powder-1/3 cup
baking soda-1/2 tsp
turbinado sugar-1/4 cup
Raisins(sweet)-1/4 cup
flax egg - 2 (2 Tbsp flax powder with 6 Tbsp of water, mix and rest for 5 mins)
Oil-1/4 cup or butter - 4 Tbsp
almond extract-1/2tsp
vanilla extract-1 tsp

How to make?

Almond meal can be made just by grinding them in whipper or food processor.  Be careful not to run it too much to avoid getting the butter.   Cut the raisins and keep aside.

1. Mix flour, cocoa, almond meal, baking soda and give a mix
2.  Mix all the wet ingredients, add flax egg once it is ready, it would be like a gel.
3. Mix all together folding them nicely.
4.  spread oil/butter on a  8/9 inch round pan and spread the dough and make it even on the top.
5,  Bake for 25-28 min.

once baked, Let it rest for alteast 30-60 mins before you cut them.   It will be slightly crumbly..
otes:  

Tips::

1. I use "Now" organic cocoa powder
2. Turbinado sugar can be replaced with normal one.  Increase it if you want it sweeter. 

Moor Kuzhambu(Yogurt sauce)

Moor kuzhambu is a simple dish which can go very well with mixed rice dishes like sesame/coriander/lemon/tamarind.   Usually this is prepared with coconut but just wanted to give a variation here.  

What you need?

Yogurt - 3 cups
Ladies finger/any veggie of choice- 1 bunch (optional)

Soak the below ingredients in water for 20 mins.

Chana dal - 2 Tbsp
cumin seeds- 1 tsp
ginger-1 inch
green chillies-2 or more
salt as per taste
Coconut grated - 1/2 cup or Walnuts halved about 10


How to make?

1. Grind the ingredients which are under soaked with little water.

2. Boil this in low flame for 10 mins

3. Add yogurt and let it stay in low flame for another 10 mins.

4. Tadka - Oil- Mustard seeds and cumin seeds.  Add curry leaves and shallow roast the veggies if using.    Mix this into the sauce and it is ready to be served.

Ayurveda Wonder - Triphala

I hear most of us have one or another health issue either high bad cholesterol or low good cholesterol, triglycerides and so and soo.    You are good if you dont have any issues like this.

One of our friend introduced me to Triphala, the wonder ayurvedic medicine.  I started using it very religiously before 6 months and the results very definetely thrilling.  I have a history of low good cholesterol and high bad cholesterol.   The result of taking Triphala is my good cholesterol bounced up by 8 points while my bad choleseterol reduced.   That made me think of sharing this good one with all of you.

Triphala is available both in powder and pill form.  I prefer the pill form.  One important note is that it should be taken after food in warm water.  2-4 pills per day is recommended in the box.  Take according to your wt. and consult with any doctor if you have prior health issues.  I took 2-3 pills.   I use IMCOPS brand.

You could reach out to me if you need more details about this. 

Very filling Misaal

This is a very filling breakfast or snacky dinner which could be eaten either as an evening snack or dinner.   It is very protein rich and very easy to make.   You can top it with a variety of colorful veggies.  This is one recipe where I could make my kids enjoy sprouts without any fuss.  Onion is totally optional here.  If you see the recipe below, it is totally flexible.. We make it quite often now-a-days.

Choice for the main Misaal:

1. Kala chana or chana or peas or soy beans
    Soak the beans overnight and pressure cook

2.  Sprouts of choice (mung/red chori/brown chori/fenugreek/Black urad)
     I usually sprout a mix of them so that it looks colorful.

What you need?

1.  Beans and/or sprouts
2.  garam masala - 1 tsp
3. ginger/chilli paste - 1 tsp
3. coriander powder-1 tsp
4. Cumin powder-1/4 tsp
5. Amchur powder-1/2 tsp

Toppings

Onion (white is good)
tomatoes
coriander leaves finely minced - 2 Tbsp
Green and red capsicum - 1/2 cup (optional)
grated carrot - 1/2 cup (optional)
grated green mango - 1/4 cup  (optional)
grated green apple - 1/4 cup (optional)
Sev -1/2 cup divided use (optional)

How to make?

1. Heat 2 tsp of oil, add cumin seeds, garam masala, pressure cooked beans, 3 cups of water, sprouts and all the powders.  Let it all simmer for 20 mins on medium to low heat.

It should still have lot of water in the pot. 

2.  Cut whatever toppings you need and keep it ready.

3. Serve in a bowl and add the toppings, adjust salt and pepper and server hot.

You could top it with Sev but that is really optional. 

Key for maintaining wt. - Protein

Lot of people struggle reducing their weight and I thought of sharing some of my thoughts though I am not a qualified nutritionist or anything of that sort.  I am seriously thinking to pursue something on that line if possible, just a wish though..

Protein plays a key role in balancing the weight.  It also helps to burn the fat.  I learnt from my nutritionist one formula for the total protein requirement as below :

Normal life style person - Body wt in kgs * .75 gm to 1 gm
Sports person or highly active person -  Body wt in kgs * 1.25 gms

So, now that we know our requirement, we need to plan how much we could get in each of the meal.  Initially, it looked like that protein sources are very less for vegeterians.  Dr. cautioned me when I was pregnant and suggested taking egg or protein powder.  I did neither of that.  I dont eat egg and dont like to take the powder, i consider that as artificial way of eating.  Rather than that, I did some research and found that we have lot of sources.

Vegeterian protein sources

Brkfast:

1. Milk - 8 ounces - 9 gms ( go for reduced fat)
2. Yogurt - almost same as milk
3. Nut butter (Peanut/almond/sesame)
4. Fruits like apple and pear have some protein in them
5. Some protein from the whole grains likes oats, barley.
6. Bean based brkfast like kala chana and sprouts misal,  kaman or any whole grain dosai.

Lunch:

1. Yogurt/Greek yogurt or cottage cheese
2. Tofu
3. Quinoa or similar protein rich grains like barley/cracked wheat/millet/groats
4. Pulses and Lentils (masoor, yellow lentil..many choices are there)

Snacks:

1. Trail mix of nuts (almonds - 20 to 24, walnuts-5 pecans-5 raisins about 30) - This is the propotion that my nutritionist suggested for Adults.  
(This is our staple snack, had been working out pretty good.)
2. Milk
3. Fruits
4. Cooked gorbanzo beans/peanuts/green moong

Dinner:

1. Yogurt
2.  Whole grains

You dont need to exactly measure but think about it.  Once you start making conscious choices, you will be able to meet the demand of  your body.

Reheating Greens- A word of caution!

We are unable to keep many things in our mind due to the fast paced mechanical life.  There are many unfinished things at the end of the day!  It carries fwd for ever!  I made mustard greens yesterday and I knew it is good for you but out of curiousity went googling about its health and nutrition.  It is indeed a very good greens for people who do not have thyroid or stone related problems.  But while scrolling down, I read that we should not reheat any greens and not eat it after leaving overnight. 

Greens when cooked has nitrates in them, when you reheat, it becomes nitrites which is very poisonous. 

if you want to read more about it, here you go!

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/mustard-greens.html

Disclaimer:  I found this info online and please verify it with your own resources.

Choco chip Tofu Cookie

Cookie is pretty handy snack for kids after they come back from school.  My little one asked me to make choco chip cookie.  I could not find many healthier choices.   I tried one other cookie couple of weeks ago with Tofu and it become quite flat and looked like mini crepes (dosai), so we called it dosai cookie.   My kids liked it.   I wanted to add something to make it more like cookie so I got the idea of adding almond meal/powder.   I could make this with just 1 Tbsp of coconut oil and 1 Tbsp of sugar and dark cocoa choco chips which i shredded from the pound bar.   You could vary the sugar content according to your requirement.  Here is one other healthy choice for anyone! 

What you need?

Tofu half block mashed
almond powder - 1/2 cup
baking soda-1/2 tsp
salt a pinch
Turbinado sugar- 1 Tbsp
coconut oil - 1 Tbsp
cardamom powder-1/8 tsp (optional)
Choco chips-1/4 cup
Raisin - 1/4 cup (cut fine)

How to make?

1. Mash Tofu with fork
2. Mix all the ingredients together
3.  Preheat oven to 350F  and line parchment paper in a cookie tray and spray oil.
4.  Make small balls and flatten them in cookie shape
5. Bake for 20 mins and rotate the tray half way thru for even baking.  Chk if the bottom has browned slightly.

You could also add some oat flakes but I did not do any.    This is a protein rich low fat and low sugar  cookie which could be indulged without any guilt.

Note:

This is a soft chewy cookie.  It is not a crispy one!

Broccoli with Yam/Sugar beet Fry

Broccoli is healthy and I have shared one other recipe earlier which is evergreen in my kitchen.  This one is pretty simple since no grinding is involved.

What you need?

Broccoli - 1 to 2 bunchecs
Yam/Sugar beet - 1 big or 2 small
salt - 1 tsp (approx.)  depends on the actual qty of broccoli and yam.

Tadka
Oil-1.5 Tbsp
mustard-1 tsp
asofoedita-1/4 tsp
cumin seeds-1/2 tsp

Pre-requisites:

1. Remove stalk, wash and cut broccoli into small florets.
2. Cut yam/sugar beet into dices

How to make?

1.  Heat oil in kadai, add mustard seeds (let it splutter), add cumin seeds and asofoedita and Yam/sugarbeet.

2.  Add 1/2 cup of water, add salt and turmeric. Once the water boils, Add broccoli.  Broccoli would absorb all the water and keep it med high heat for 5 mins.  Fry till all the water is absorbed.  The veggies would still look green.

This goes well with any dish.  Have fun!

Semolina short noodles and Oats Pulao

Some people are reluctant to go with completely healthy diets like oats dish.   I mix in the healthy ingredients and no one would have even noticed it including my husband!  Ofcourse, he is never reluctant to eat my healthy dishes.    He would know it only when i tell him and kids also eat it.    We add lots of veggies in anything we make and my hubby is the one who usually helps me in the cutting.  He cuts them very nicely.  Thatz a great help for my morning cooking.    I wake up early and I start my cooking only after taking bath and it includes my simple morning pooja routine.   Without help, I cannot make it happen.. 

What you need?
(approx for 2 adults and 2 kids)

Roasted Semolina noodles - 3/4 cup (Semiya in Tamil)
Old flash Oats - 3/4 cup
Veggies of your choice carrots, beans, peas - 2 cups
Tomato/Red capsium - 2 (Optional)
Ginger gr chilli paste-1 tsp
spice powder - 1/2 tsp
asofoedita - 1/8 tsp
coriander leaves-few

Water- 2.5 cups

Tadka

Oil-2 Tbsp
mustard seeds-1/2 tsp, cumin seeds-1/8 tsp

How to make?

Do tadka, add spice powder,ginger gr chillies, asofoedita, add tomato paste if using, fry for 3 mins.

Add veggies, salt and water and let it boil

Add roasted semolina, mix well and cover for 10-15 mins on medium.  Time would depend on your stove.  Watch out. 

Just when you see the all the water is absorbed, add oat flakes, give a mix and turn off the stove, close the lid and let it all mix together for 10 mins.

All done.    You can skip the tomato/capsicum gridning if you dont need it.   It is flexible recipe.

Purple Potato Parata!

Natural colors in food is very appealing and also very good for our body.  Especially purple colored vegetables are very food to reduce fat from body.  I was amazed when I read about the nutrition of purple potatoes.   They are completely healthy when compared to other potato varieties.  I see it occassionally in one of the stalls in the farmers market and do not miss to grab a few of them.  We have used it in upmas and also made paratas.   I sent it in lunch box one day and my older one told me that her friend asked for the recipe!  This post is mostly to share the idea since many of us are experts in making aloo parata!   I am sure purple potatoes must be available in other stores as well.


What you need?

Purple potatoes - 3
ajwain-1/8 tsp (optional)
salt-1/2 tsp
cumin powder-1/8 tsp


How to make?

I steam cook these potatoes and not boil them since I dont want to loose the purple color in the water. 

Once done, mash them, you could use the skin as well since lot of veggies are havign the nutrients on the skin.  I happened to buy them organic so used the skin also.

Add salt, ajwain and cumin powder and make small balls.

Make chappathi dough, slightly tight and make a small circle, keep one ball inside, cover it and roll

Heat griddle and roast them on both sides.  I use ghee/clarified butter for kids. 

Pack them with Tomato thokku(dip) and yogurt!  Simple lunch done.

Awareness on few Ingredients for Vegeterians

It is indeed quite hard to figure out what is plant and animal derived ingredients in all the many processed foods that we get and encounter in our day to day life.  I am creating a list here for all those who care for vegeterianism.  The same post will be updated periodically as I encounter any new ones

1. Mono-Glycerides: These are derived from animals unless it is clearly stated as vegetable derived mono-glycerides.

2. Rennet

3. Gelatin

4. Enzymes are usually based on animals if  not clearly mentioned that as plant based enzymes

5. Many cheese have animal enzymes used in their processing.  I will add the link to find the vegeterian ones.

6. Some Artificial colors are based on bugs though this information could not be verified.

7. Vit D3 ( I have dedicated a post for  it)

Mutter Tofu Masala in red capsicum Gravy

I come up with different gravy ideas whenever i make chappathis.  In the beginnng of the week, I made mustard greens curry for lunch to go with avocado chappathis.  I had made enough dough for dinner also.   I had to make some quick curry for dinner and came up with this idea.   It resembled pretty much like the shahi paneer gravy which the restaurants make with heavy cream and tastes awesome.  Tofu in this dish tasted just like paneer since I cooked them in simmer for a while so they absorbed the flavour very well.

I could'nt take a detailed picture but here is what I got.

What you need?

red capsicum - 1 large
tomato-1 large
almonds-15
green chillies-2 or more
ginger-1 inch.

Tofu cut into cubes-20
frozen peas/mutter- 1 cup
salt to taste
spice powder-1 tsp (clove,cinnamon, cardamom,fennel) or garam masala
cumin coriander powder-1 tsp
asofoedita-1/8 tsp
Oil-2 Tbsp

Prep work

    Grind first 5 ingredients.

How to make?

Heat oil, add spice powder, asofoedita, add ground paste, add salt, cumin coriander powder.

Add Tofu and peas to this boiling mixture, reduce heat and let it simmer for 15-20 mins.

I have made them withotu onion/garlic.  You could add it if required.  But the taste was nonetheless without them.  It was a Go!

Amaranth Kulcha

Here is another recipe on Amaranth.  We even grew this plan at home, we sprinkled the seeds last spring and they grew as beautiful greens.  The leaves were moer like spinach and can be cooked like that.   We live in apartment so no big backyard but still we managed to grow them and make few harvests for our small family.

You could use boiled potatoes or sweet potatoes for this recipe.  I usually use sweet potatoes since it is very good source of fiber and it has low glycemic index.

What you need?

Amaranth flour-2 cups
Sweet potato-2 medium or 1 large
salt
other spices(chilli/coriander/cumin powder)-1/2 tsp (optional)

How to make?

steam the sweet potatoes.  I use rice cooker. I dont put them into water rather than i steam cook so that they dont get too mushy.  Let it cool.

Mash the cooked sweet potatoes and mix with the amaraanth flour, add salt and spices.  Add water if required to make the soft dough like how we make for chappathi, consistency of the flour will be slightly coarse. 

This kulcha cannot be made as thin as phulkas since they dont have any gluten, you could still use roti rolling pin and make it as small circles. 

Heat tava, cook on both sides,  apply oil if you would like to.

Serve with any side dish.    One impt note is that this keeps you pretty full, so you can reduce the number of rotis than what you would usually eat. 

Amaranth quick Mix(Rajgiro)

Rajgiro is the hindi name for Amaranth.   I first saw this seed in whole foods.  Without any further thought, I got it first.  I searched online and found mostly sweet recipes like rajgiro laddoo.   I stay away from sweets preferably but we do make all kinds of sweets for different occassions and celebrations!  I found my own way of using this wonder seed.  Amaranth is highly nutritional, it has complete protein and most importantly it keeps you full for loonger with less quantity of food.  Most of us just want that right, we dont want to be hungry and eat more!  I make chappathis, mixed rice dish and few other things which I will share one by one.   Another things about this grain is that it cannot be eaten like quinoa or rice since it is gluten free and it is pretty gooey.  It can be used in sweet dishes though. 

I have also read that this seeds are pretty good for diabetic people also. 

What you need?

Amaranth seeds - 3 Tbsp
Red chillies-3 and more
asofoedita-1/8 tsp
urad dal-3 Tbsp
salt as required.

How to make?

Dry roast all the ingredients.  Heat Tava, add red chillies, urad dal, once it is slight roasted, add amaranth seeds, keep a lid ready since they pop well just like sesame seeds.

Once cool,  just blend them to a coarse powder with asofoedita and salt. 

How to use?

You could make rice/quinoa or cracked wheat preferably fluffy (you should be able to seperate the grains)

Add required quantity of the amaranth mix that we made, add 1-2 Tbsp of oil, adjust salt, mix well and server with Raita or any side dish.

Vit D supplement

This post is for vegeterian people who is living in US and are deficient in Vit D.

I fell deficient in Vit D last year.  My doctor suggested me to take the Vit D supplement.  I never knew the difference between D2 and D3 till then.   I was particular not to take the Vit D3 since it is sourced from animals.  I could not find Vit D2 in near by major stores so I ordered it from Amazon. 

Deva Vegan Vitamins Vegan Vitamin D 2400 IU, 90-Count by  Deva Vegan Vitamins

I took this regularly once every day and my Vit D increased pretty well.   One important thing is to take this with some fat since Vit A,D,K and E are fat soluble.   That is the main reason why Dr. usually prefers to take Vit D3 since it also has animal fat for the body to absorb that vitamin.  You could take the Vit D whenever you are eating any fat rich foods like nuts or peanuts butter.    I usually take it with flax milk since flax is good fat. 

Reach out to me if you have any qs on this post.

Salt in Milk

Lot of my friends and even myself wanted to know why we should not mix salt and milk.  I have been searching for some information for a while.  I found it only now and wanted to share it.  It made sense to me.  We are young chefs and somehow I strongly believe that our ancestors had lot more knowledge on food and what happens when you put them inside your body.  Sometimes, I dont mind to follow certain rules even though I dont have any justficiation for that. But I keep my search engine On!

Here is the link and the details from that website is posted here for quick ref:

http://krishnascience.info/Vaisnava%20Library/Practical%20application/Cooking%20conference.htm

Kaviraj Partap Chauhan.
In Astang Sangrah (Sutra sthanam), chapter 9, deals with foods that are opposing to each other. The opposing foods are poisonous (harmful) and can cause either an immediate reaction in the body or will react in long time. The second type of reactions or disease (delayed reactions) caused by opposing foods are more common as we can not understand what's going on inside as a result of our improper eating. And then finally one day we have some serious disease, and we might be wondering from where it came Actually it may have come from the "milk and salty preparation" (or any other opposing combinations) which we had been enjoying for so many years.

According to Ayurvedic principle "Salt in milk" (Ksheeren lavanam) do not go toghether. But it is applicable to milk in salty preparations as well. As it has been mentioned in "Astanga Sangraha" that the reaction may not be immediate, so it will be wrong to say that such combination have been used by people without any ill effects. The ill effect or harmful effect is always there but it may not manifest into a disease immediately. It's like we see so many people drinking alcohol everyday but not all of them get diseases. This does not means that alcohol is harmless for the body. On the other hand we see many people who don't drink alcohol or don't smoke etc. but they get serious diseases. Maybe they take "milk with salt or milk in salty preparations" everyday or three times a day.

It's also explained in Ayurveda that by regular practice, even some wrong combinations become less harmful. This is because the body adapts to or gets used to that kind of food. Usually people with strong immunity, strong digestion and those who cleanse the system regularly are less effected. Please note the words "less harmful" and "less effected" I have used above. This means that there is definitely an harmful effect on the body when we take "milk and salt or salty preparations" together. The effect can vary in each individual depending on certain factors like immunity, age, state of ojas, strength of Jatharagni etc

Since Ayurveda only mentions milk and salt and not milk products such as curdled cheese, yoghurt, butter etc. and salt to be incompatible we have to analyze the difference between milk and e.g. yoghurt to find out the possible factors which make this substances compatible or incompatible.

The difference of yoghurt and milk in regards to metabolism is, that milk has to be curdled by the body and the milk fat which tends to coagulate has to become emulsified** by the bile*** liquid. Yoghurt is already curdled by the lactic acid produced by the yoghurt bacteria and the fat of yoghurt doesn't tend to coagulate because of the specific structure of processed milk products.

Milk contains a specific protein-calcium compound called calcium caseinat which is responsible for the curdling effect of milk as soon as the calcium bond is broken by the interaction of acids** **.
If salt which is a sodium salt is added to milk it could interfere with the calcium ions of the calcium-caseinat and thus impede with the curdling, emulsification and / or albumin metabolism of the milk.

If salt is added to any other milk product that would be no problem since the milk doesn't have to be curdled and is already pre emulsified.

Another possible reason is the sweet taste of milk. Generally sweet things are not mixed with salt, which again would not be a problem for yoghurt which does not possess the sweet characteristics of milk.

**That is also the reason why milk is recommended to be served hot. The colder the milk is, the more difficult it is for the bile liquid to emulsify the milk. Drinking cold milk is like trying to wash greasy hands with soap (bile) and cold water. Only with hot water will the fat emulsify and the hands become nicely clean.

***bile: A bitter, alkaline, brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow fluid that is secreted by the liver, stored in the gallbladder, and discharged into the duodenum and aids in the emulsification, digestion, and absorption of fats. Also called gall.

** **That is why the milk curdles if you add lemon juice, citric acid oryoghurt to hot milk.

Gooseberry Dip (Nellikai chutney)

Gooseberry is an indian berry used extensively in ayurveda medicine.   I make it more often now a days since it is very good for so many health conditions and also it is said to be good after keeping any fasting.  I started doing ekadasi fasting as a cleansing activity.  It is indeed very important to take appropriate food after fasting.  We dont get fresh gooseberries here in US though frozen ones are available.  I got dried gooseberries from India and they are also good.  You can use either of them.

What you need?

Gooseberries - dried/frozen - 2 Tbsp (dried ones) or 5-6 berries
Gr chillies-2 (for low spice family like ours)
salt
asofoedita
ginger 1 inch
Almonds -10 or coconut- 2 Tbsp
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Oil for tadka-2 tsp

Prep work:

* Soak dried gooseberries overnight after washing them  (min 4-6 hrs will be good)

* If using almonds,soak overnight if possible otherwise 30 mins is also fine in hot water. 

* soak cumin seeds in the same cup for about 30 mins

How to make?

Grind all the ingredients together with salt

Tadka with mustard seeds and curry leaves if any.

Apple Dates Sauce

I could see fresh apples coming in the farmer's market, not sure if this is the apple season but the deal is not bad on them.  I bought a bunch of them and husband got another bunch of them!  My little one loves apple sauce and I looked up some online recipes which asked to peel skin and add sugar.. I would'nt do that.  I have to change the recipe into healthier one.. Here is how i did that?

What you need?

Apples(organic are good since we are going to use the skin) - 4 big ones
dates-15
or even jaggery - 1/2 cup
cinnamon-1/2 tsp (optional)
Lemon juice-1 Tbsp

How to make?

1. Cut apples into chunks, add  water half way to it on the skillet and let it boil.

2. Reduce heat and let it cook for about 20 mins in low flame. Add dates to them.

3.  Once it is cooked, let it cool for few mins, blend it

4. Add lemon juice and cinnamon if using and mix well. 

This could be given to kids as a snack or used to make muffins.  I made apple sauce muffins without adding any sugar. It turned out pretty good.  I will post that soon.

Quinoa Parsley Pulao

I bought a bunch of parsley last week from farmer's market.  You could replace it with any greens like Methi/Coriander or even spinach.  Parsley has wonderful heath benefits.. The key is to use as much as greens as possible, just give a round of try on all of them and see if it suits your palate. 

What you need?

Parsley-1 bunch
Tofu cut into small cubes
Gr chillies-1 (more as per choice)
Ginger-1/2 inch)
Quinoa-1 cup (water is 1:2)

Tadka:

Oil-2 Tbsp
mustard seeds-1/2 tsp (optional)
Cumin-1/2 tsp
Spice powder(garam masala) - 1/2 tsp

Prep work:

Remove stems from parsley bunch, wash and set aside.

I used blender to cut the parsley, ginger and gr chillies fine since my little one would not eat.  You could cut them fine too.

How to make?

1. Cook Quinoa with 1:2 water in rice cooker.  Once done, take the vessel out, open the lid and fluff it with fork and let it cool.

2.  In a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, spice powder, asofoedita, add tofu, cut parsley ginger chilli mix, fry them for few mins.

3. Add the fluffed quinoa and salt, mix well

Serve with Raita or any other side dish of your choice.   I served with veggie yogurt sauce.

Quinoa Pongal

I make different dishes with quinoa but had not tried pongal till few days ago.  Our weekly menu has atleast one day - quinoa.  Quinoa pongal turned out pretty good and very filling too with the dal.  I served with coconut, dalia and peanut chutney.

What you need?

Quinoa-1 cup
moong dal-1/2 cup
water-3.5 cups
salt - 1 tsp
turmeric - one pinch

Tadka

oil - 1 Tbsp
cumin seeds-1 tsp
ginger thinly sliced - 1/2 inch
peppercorns few
asofoedita-1/4 tsp

How to make?

1. Dry roast moong dal, wash with quinoa, add water and pressure cook for 2 whistles with little turmeric and salt. You can cook on stove top as well if you are not using pressure cooker.

2. Do tadka, heat oil and add the ingredients on the order above.  I used coconut oil for tadka but any oil is fine.

3. Mix well with the cooked quinoa and server hot with chutney!

That was pretty simple and complete meal.