Quick and Healthy: Colorful Fried Rice

Happy New Year to everyone! Let’s start this year with this quick and healthy recipe for fried rice. It can be prepared with all the vegetables you have or all the vegetables you like:)… Enjoy this easy recipe!

Approx. 4 servings

Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 1.5 cup
Onions - 1 medium (sliced)
Cauliflower or Broccoli - 1 cup (small florets)
Red bell pepper - 1 (cup cut strips)
Green peas - 1/2cup
Garlic - 1/2 tbsp minced
Ginger - 1/2 tbsp grated
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Garlic chili sauce -1 tbsp

Spices:
Cumin seeds (Jira) - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash basmati rice twice. Cook the rice with 3 cups of water.
• Clean and cut all the vegetables as directed. Keep aside.
• In a pan on medium heat, add olive oil. Add cumin seeds, when it starts to crackle, add sliced onions. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
• Add ginger-garlic and all the vegetables. Sauté on high for 3-4 minutes.
• Add all these cooked vegetables to the cooked rice and add red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt.
• In the end, add garlic chili sauce, mix well and slow cook the vegetable fried rice half covered for 4 more minutes.

Serving Suggestions:
Serve steamy vegetable fried rice with boondi raita (spicy yogurt).
Note: You can buy all Indian spices at Amazon.com or ebay.

Chocolate Almond Nuggets

Chocolate with nuts is a classic combination. This homemade fudge is hard to resist. Enjoy this easy to follow, simple recipe for Chocolate lovers.

Ingredients:

• Semisweet chocolate chips - 2 cups (12 ounces)
• Heavy whipping cream - 1/2 cup
• Powdered sugar - 1 cup
• Butter - 2 tbsp
• Vanilla extract - 1/4 tsp
• Roasted chopped Almonds - 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Melt chocolate over double boiler.
2. Add cream and stir in sugar. Keep stirring until it becomes smooth.
3. Add butter, vanilla extract and stir to blend well. Stir in Chopped almonds.  Mix well.
4. Butter a smooth plate. Pour the chocolate mix into the plate and refrigerate for couple of hours.
5. Cut into desired shapes. Store between parchment paper to avoid sticking.

Enjoy anytime.

Fruit Custard

Fruit custard is an easy fruit salad with delicate creamy sweet sauce. It can be served as dessert or a side dish.

Ingredients:
For Fruit Custard – Approx. 6 servings

• Custard powder (Vanilla flavor) - 2 tbsp
• Whole Milk - 3 cups
• Sugar - 4 tbsp
• Seedless grapes - 1 cup
• Apple - 1
• Banana - 1/2
• Pomegranate seeds - 1/2 cup
• Almonds - 8
• Cashew nuts - 8

Method:

1. In a small bowl, take 1/2 cup warm milk and add 2 tbsp custard powder. Mix well to make it smooth and lump free. Keep aside.
2. In a heavy bottom pan, add remaining milk and bring it to a boil. Add sugar and mix well.
3. Now gradually add custard mix to the milk. Stir continuously. It starts to thicken.
4. Mix well and turn the heat off.
5. Cool it down at the room temperature and then refrigerate.
6. Clean and cut all the fruits in bite size pieces and keep aside.
7. Chop the nuts for garnish and keep aside.

Garnish and serving suggestion:

In a serving bowl, arrange cut fruits. Now pour chilled custard and garnish with chopped nuts and pomegranate seeds. Serve chilled.

Healthy Strawberry Shake

Ingredients:  Approx. 2 servings

• Fresh Strawberries - 8 cleaned and cut into halves
• Milk (low fat) - 2 cups
• Fat free Vanilla Ice cream - 1 scoop
• Honey - 1 tsp

For Garnish:

• Whipped cream
• Maraschino cherries - 2

Method:
In a blender, add cut strawberries, milk, ice cream, honey and Ice. Blend for a minute. Pour in tall glasses and garnish with whipped cream and cherries.
Enjoy your healthy yummy shake.

Note: You can add any protein mix of your choice to make it a meal.

Cucumber cooler drink

Cucumber cooler drink
Beat the summer heat with refreshing Cucumber cooler drink.

INGREDIENTS:
Makes 6 servings approx.

• English cucumber – 3 (peeled and cubed)
• Celery – 1 cup (cubed)
• Mint leaves - 10
• Fresh lemon juice – 1/2 cup
• Honey – 2 tbsp
• Ice

Method:
Mix all the ingredients in a blender. Strain and serve chilled. Garnish with cucumber slices and mint leaves.

Note: Add Vodka and convert refreshing cucumber cooler into Cucumber martini.

Chaat Special: Sev puri dahi puri (SPDP)

Chaat is the common term used for mouth watering street food in India. It has many varieties as gol guppe or pani puri, sev puri, dahi puri, chole tikki, papdi chaat, bhel puri. All of them has common mint-cilantro (green chutney) and tamarind (sweet imli) chutney. If you have all the ingredients, these chaats can be prepared in jiffy. I always keep green chutney and tamarind chutney ready in my refrigerator so preparing chaat is very easy.

The recipe here is for Sev puri dahi puri also called as SPDP, in Pune, India. I'm using store bought pani puri shells. They are as good as home made ones; sometimes even better:). These shells are versatiel, can be used with pani to eat as golguppe/ pani puri  or can be prepared as sev puri dahi puri. The same recipe is also called sev batata puri beacuer the pani puri shells are filled with boiled potatoes. Enjoy this lip smacking snack.

Ingredients:
For Sev puri dahi puri: Approx. 4 servings

• Plain Golguppe (pani puri shells) – 24
• Fine namkee sev– 2 cups
• Potatoes boiled – 2
• Sweet onion – 1 finely chopped
• Fresh cilantro – 1/2 cup finely chopped
• Tamarind chutney – 3/4 cup

Link for Tamarind Chutney:
http://shvetasrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/06/sweet-tamarind-chutney-imli-chutney.html

• Green chutney – 1/2 cup [OPTIONAL]

Link for Green Chutney:
http://shvetasrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/03/mint-cilantro-chutney-green-chutney.html

• Yogurt (dahi) -1 cup (add some salt and sugar)
• Chaat Masala – 1 tbsp
• Red chili powder – 1 tsp
• Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Boil and peel potatoes. In a bowl, mash these potatoes roughly and add chaat masala and salt. Mix and keep aside.
2. Finely cut sweet onions and fresh cilantro, keep aside.
3. Prepare tamarind chutney and green chutney as directed.  Keep aside.
4. In a bowl, take yogurt; add some sugar and salt. Mix well. Keep aside.
5. Now for final chaat assembly; first take puffed plain golguppe or Pani Puri and make a small hole in each of them. Fill each puri with boiled potatoes.
6. Keep 6 Pani Puris in each plate. Add a ladle full of smooth yogurt mix on these puris.
7. Now add a tsp tamarind chutney and green chutney on each puri.
8. Top it off with chopped onions and fine namkeen sev.
9. Finally garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, chaat masala, red chili powder and salt.

Enjoy this mouth watering chaat as soon as assembled, or it will get soggy.

Sweet Tamarind Chutney (Imli chutney)

Sweet Tamarind Chutney
Tamarind or Imli chutney is a must condiment for any chaat snack. It can be prepared in advance and can be stored for days.
Ingredients:

• Tamarind (Imli) – 2 cups without seeds
• Jaggery (Gur) – 1 cup
• Sugar – 1 cup
• Pitted dates (Pind khajoor) – 1 cup [OPTIONAL]
• Roasted cumin seeds – 2 tsp
• Red chili powder – 1 tsp
• Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
• Rock salt -  2 tsp
• Water – 2 cups

Method:

1. In a heavy bottom pan, add tamarind, dates and water.
2. Boil it first and let it simmer on medium low heat for 15 minutes. Check, all the dates and tamarind become pulp. Cool it a bit and sieve the pulp through a thin strainer.
3. Put the pulp back in the pan; add jaggery, sugar and all the spices. Cook on medium low heat till the sauce starts to thicken.
4. Dip a spoon in the sauce, if it coats the spoon evenly and is not too runny, tamarind chutney is ready.
5. It can be stored in an air tight container, in the refrigerator for a month.

Enjoy tangy and sweet tamarind chutney with your favorite snack or in any chaat.

Aate ka halwa or Kada prashad (Wheat pudding)

Aate ka halwa is the main offering for ashtami or navmi feast during Navratri. It is also called as kada prashad and is mainly served in all Gurdwaras.

Ingredients:
Approx. 4 servings

• Wheat flour (aata) – 1 cup
• Sugar – 1 cup
• Desi ghee (clarified butter) – 1 cup
• Water – 1 cup
• Almonds – 1/4 cup sliced
• Almonds – 1 tbsp sliced for garnish

Method:

1. In a pan, at medium-high heat add ghee. Now add wheat flour to it. Mix well. Keep the heat medium low.
2. Now in another pan, dissolve 1 cup sugar in 1 cup water on low heat. Stir it till all the sugar is dissolved. Turn the heat off.
3. Keep stirring the wheat flour with ghee on medium low heat, till it turns golden brown and produces good aroma. Keep an eye on it otherwise it burns quickly.
4. Now add already made sugar syrup carefully to the pan and keep stirring. It all becomes thick and starts leaving the sides. All happens very quickly.
5. Add sliced almonds to the halwa and it is ready.

Garnish it with 1 tbsp sliced almonds and serve warm.

Strawberry Yogurt Parfait

Serving healthy breakfast isn’t that hard. This easy recipe calls for what you mostly have in your refrigerator and pantry. And yes it requires no cooking skills.

Ingredients:
Approx. 4 servings

• Organic vanilla yogurt – 2 cups
• Fresh strawberries – 10
• Walnut & Pecans –  1/2 cup
• Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal – 2 cups [Or any cereal of your choice]

Method:

1. Lightly toast walnuts and pecans in a pan. Crush them in small bites. Keep aside. Cut strawberries in quarters and keep aside.
2. Take four tall glasses to serve parfaits. Layer each glass with 2 tbsp of vanilla yogurt. Now add 4-5 strawberry pieces, add 2 tbsp of cereal and 1 tbsp of nuts.
3. Repeat the same sequence, yogurt, strawberry, cereal and nuts in all four glasses. Garnish with strawberries.
4. Serve immediately or for later use, cover these glasses with cellophane wrap and refrigerate.

Enjoy as a yummy and healthy breakfast.

Thandai: Maha Shivaratri Special

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: Nil
Approx. 6 servings

Ingredients:
Cold milk (whole milk) – 3 cups
Sugar – 1.5 cup
poppy seeds (khuskhus) – 1 tbsp
Almonds – 12
Saffron (kesar) – 10-12 strands
Aniseed (saunf) – 1 tbsp
Melon seeds (char magaz)  - 1 tbsp
Peppercorns (kali mirch whole) – 8
Cardamom powder (elaichi) – 1 tsp
Rose water - 1 tsp
Water – 3 cups

  

Method:

• Soak almonds, melon seeds, aniseed, poppy seeds and peppercorns in half of the water for couple of hours.
• Finely grind all the soaked ingredients, using little water.
• Tie this paste in a muslin cloth and extract the juices as much as possible.
• The extract is then mixed with milk, remaining water, sugar, saffron, cardamom powder and rose water.
• Mix well few times.
• Serve chilled.

Enjoy this soothing chilled drink on Maha Shivratri, Holi or any summer evening.

Masala Chai: Indian Spiced Tea

Masala Chai or Spiced tea  has medicinal benefits for cold, sinus and itchy throat. It helps relieving congested sinus and soothes irritated throats.

Benefits of Tea:
Antioxidant
The antioxidant properties in tea are well known. Whether you choose black or green tea for your chai, you'll still benefit from a beverage rich in antioxidants.

Digestive Aid
Ayurveda asserts that poor digestion contributes to or causes many ailments. For that reason, strong digestion is vitally important. The Pacific College of Oriental medicine states that the basic spices in chai help stimulate, balance and support digestion. Cinnamon helps to calm the stomach and combat nausea and diarrhea. Ginger also soothes the stomach. Black pepper stimulates digestive fire as soon as it touches the taste buds. Cloves stimulate digestion. Fennel helps disperse flatulence.

Anti-inflammatory
With its powerful antioxidant properties, tea helps reduce inflammation. Chai/ tea's anti-inflammatory star is ginger. Ayurveda frequently recommends ginger for inflammatory conditions like arthritis.

Reduced Caffeine
Chai tea provides a robust, satisfying beverage that can substitute for some of your daily coffee consumption. Caffeinated tea has less caffeine than coffee, and decaffeinated tea has almost none. Having chai instead of coffee provides health benefits and satisfies the taste buds.
Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/23035-health-benefits-chai-tea/

Ingredients: For approx. 2 servings

Spices (Masala):
Cardamom pods (elaichi) – 4
Cloves (laung)– 2
Cinnamon stick small (dalchini)– 1
Black pepper corns (kali mirch)- 6
Bay leaves (tej patta) – 2
Fennel seeds (saunf)– 1 tsp
Ginger root (adarak)– 1 inch crushed

Other ingredients:
Water – 2 cups
Loose Tea – 1.5 tbsp
Milk – 1.5 cups
Sugar/Honey/ Sugar Substitute – 2 tbsp

Method:

• Add all the above spices to water and boil for 3 minutes.
• Add loose tea to it. Boil for 2 more minutes.
• Now add milk and sugar/honey, bring it to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Strain the tea through tea-strainer in tea cups. Serve immediately.

Enjoy masala tea with your favorite snack.