Chana dal (chickpea lentils) salad (ಕಡ್ಲೆ ಬೇಳೆ ಕೋಸಂಬರಿ)

This is my favourite weight loss food, which brims with protein, vitamins and anti-oxidants. But very very low in calories. Since it has plenty of protein and fibers, it fills stomach and stays for a very long time. I usually eat this tangy dish before starting my meal. This helps me to cut carb portion. Here is the recipe. Just try it.

Ingredients

Soaked Chana dal 1 cup - (wash 1/2 cup chana dal. Soak it for 3 hours. Wash it again and drain the water. )

Fresh grated coconut 1/4 cup

Finely chopped coriander  2 tea spoon

Lemon juice 1 tea spoon

Asafetida 1 pinch

Finely chopped green chilly 1 (optional) or grounded black pepper

Salt to taste.

Take a bowl and mix all the ingredients well. Eat a cup of this before breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

Add this to your ayurvedic weight loss diet.

Methi baingan Sabzi- Egg plant / Brinjal with fenugreek

Methi baingan sabzi recipe is an Indian recipe. This was taught to me by my daughter in law Deepa Burli. Here goes the method to prepare this delicious subzi.

Ingredients:

1.       Egg plant or Baingan or Brinjal – larger variety (the one used for bartha) – 1 Diced in  2 cms cubes and soaked in water

2.       Fresh Methi leaves or  fenugreek leaves –  1  cup - finely chopped

3.       Onion – 1 large – thinly sliced

4.       2 green chillies – slit

5.       Cooking oil – 2 tea spoon

6.       Salt to taste

Heat a non stick wok or kadahi . Pour oil in it. When oil is sufficiently heated add green chillies . When green chillies crackle add onion and fry them till they become transparent.  Transfer diced egg plant or baingan to wok and mix it well with onion. Add salt and simmer the flame. Cover a lid on wok and allow it to get cooked in low heat. When egg plant is half cooked add fresh fenugreek leaves and mix well. Cover the lid once again and leave it on low flame for 5 minutes. Serve this hot with chapathis.

Health facts of ingredients

Onion: Onion helps to rejuvenate liver, normalize digestion, relieve constipation and increase appetite. Hence it is very beneficial in piles (hemorrhoids) , constipation, jaundice and indigestion. White onions are recommended in bleeding disorders to reduce bleeding. Hence it is used in conditions like bleeding piles and bleeding through nose. Onions are used in home remedies to reduce cough. Onion and its seeds are known to help in erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation and male infertility. It helps to increase libido, quality and quantity of semen. It is a very good vajikara herb. It helps to reduce itching on skin.

Egg palnt or Brinjal or Baingan: It has high fiber content and helps in easy bowel movement. The anti oxidants present in this vegetable help to prevent cancer and coronary heart disease. It has good potassium content, hence helps to control blood pressure and maintain water electrolyte balance.

Fenugreek leaves : This green leafy vegetable is store house of iron. Hence this can be liberally used in anemia. It has good fiber content which helps in digestion and relieves constipation. Fenugreek leaves have property of controlling fluctuating blood sugar level and is recommended for diabetic patients.It contains protein and Vitamin K. Regular use of fenugreek leaves help in good growth of hair.

This article is copyrighted. Author Dr.Savitha Suri  at blog http://aahara-arogya.blogspot.in/ .

Nutritious tomato cucumber salad (raita)

Fresh vegetable salads are store houses of nutrients. They provide plenty of fiber, vitamins and minerals. They fill the stomach and are very low in calorie content. Salads are ideal food for people who are on weight loss program. Here is a tasty salad recipe which goes good with chapathi , paratha and rice varieties like pulao.

Ingredients:
Tender Cucumber (small size)- 1
Tomato – 2 (med size
Ground nut –  1 table spoon
Curd (yogurt) – 1 cup
Green chilli or pepper powder (optional)
Salt – to taste
Coriander leaves-

Method:

Wash the cucumber and peel its skin. Grate it with the help of a grater on the side with large holes. Cut tomato into small squares. Roast the ground nut and remove its husk. Powder it coarsely. Finely chop coriander leaves. Mix all the ingredients together to make salad and garnish with coriander leaves.

Benefits of ingredients:

Cucumber: Cucumber is very low in calories and provides plenty of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber helps to reduce constipation and ease bowel movement. Cucumber is rich in potassium. This helps to balance sodium potassium level and reduce hypertension or high blood pressure. There is a strong link between hypertension or high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction. As potassium helps to reduce high blood pressure, it also helps in erectile dysfunction.  Cucumber is mildly diuretic. Its high fiber content and diuretic property help to check weight gain. It contains plenty of anti oxidants which help to boost overall health and skin health in particular.

Tomatoes: Recent studies have shown that tomatoes are good for cancer prevention. Regular consumption of tomatoes help to prevent cancers of lung, prostate, stomach, cervical, breast, oral, colorectal, esophageal, pancreatic, etc. Tomato is also good for liver health. Tomato has detoxification effect in the body. Tomato juice acts as a good rejuvenating and energy drink. It reduces the risks of cardio vascular diseases. Red and ripe tomatoes act as powerful antioxidants.

Ground Nut: Ground nuts are rich in nutrients, minerals, vitamins and anti oxidants. They contain mono unsaturated fatty acids which increase HDl or good cholesterol. These nuts contain plenty of amino acids. The antioxidants in ground nuts protect heart and supply essential minerals like copper, zinc, iron, magnesium, potassium etc.

Curd:  Intestinal infections like cholera, typhoid, amoebiasis etc usually surface during summer. Consuming curd daily during summer helps to increase intestinal flora (friendly bacteria present in intestine). These bacteria increase the resistance of our intestines to these infections. Hence curd is known as a probiotic.

Probiotics are the good bacteria that promote healthy digestion and build immunity. The most common friendly bacteria (probiotics) are lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. These probiotics are easily available in the form of curd (yogurt). Persons who cannot digest milk can digest curd easily.

Consuming curd daily especially during summer, keeps the digestion and intestinal problems away. According to ayurveda curd absorbs water from intestines (hence called as Grahi). By the virtue of this property it is widely used to treat diarrhea and dysentery. It mitigates vata dosha, increases kapha and pitta. Curd helps to increase quality and quantity of semen, strengthens the body, accelerates digestion (agni), stimulates taste buds and acts as an appetizer. Curd reduces irritability of bladder and helps in emptying bladder easily.

Poha or Pohe –A break-fast dish

Ingredients:

1. Flattened rice: 250 gms (medium thickness variety)
2. Onion – 2 medium sized finely chopped
3. Green chilly – 2 in number (finely chopped)
4. Potatoes – 2 medium sized thinly sliced into squares
5. Coriander leaves -  ½ cup
6. Lemon – ½
7. Curry leaves – 10-15
8. Grated coconut – ½ cup
9. Cooking oil – 2 table spoon
10. Cumin seeds – 1 tea spoon
11. Mustard seeds – 1 tea spoon
12. Asafetida – 1 pinch
13. Turmeric – 1 pinch
14. Sugar – ½ tea spoon
15. Salt – to taste

Method: Wash the flattened rice in water and drain the excess water. Sprinkle ½ cup of water again and cover it with a lid. Allow it to soften for 15 minutes. Place a thick bottomed pan on stove and pour oil into it. Add cumin seeds (jeera seeds) and mustard seeds. When they splutter add sliced potatoes and turn them well till they become soft. Add chopped onion, chillies, curry leaves, asafetida, and turmeric .Stir fry everything till onions lose their raw odor. Now simmer the flame and add soaked flattened rice, salt, sugar and mix everything well. Cover a lid and turn off stove after 3 minutes. Squeeze lemon, and turn it well. Serve it after garnishing with grated coconut and coriander leaves. Roasted ground nuts can be added for a variation.

Flattened rice is dehusked rice which is beaten and dried into thin flakes. It is a good energizer and is free of fat. Flattened rice is easily digested and helps in problems like indigestion, constipation and cough. Fat, sodium and cholesterol is almost nil in this rice variety. Hence it is very helpful for persons who are on weight loss program. It can be used by persons who suffer from hypertension, elevated blood cholesterol and obesity. Soaked flattened rice can be eaten with milk, curd and sugar.

Rasam With Dry coconut

Ingredients:

Grated Dry coconut (copra)- ¼ cup

Milk - 250 ml

Water – 350 ml

Cumin seeds (jeera) – 1 tea spoon

Coriander seeds (dhania) – 1 tea spoon

Mustard seeds – ¼ spoon

Black pepper – ¼ spoon

Black gram – 1 tea spoon

Dry Red chilli – 4 (according to taste)

Asafetida – 1 pinch

Curry leaves – 10-15

Finely chopped Coriander leaves – ¼ cup

Jaggery - ½ lemon size
Turmeric- 1 pinch

Pure ghee – 2 tea spoon

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat a small wok. Put ½ tea spoon of ghee to it. Fry black gram, ¾ tea spoon cumin seeds (jeera), 1 spoon coriander seeds (dhania), dry red chillies and pepper, in low flame till black gram turns golden brown in color. Allow this to cool.
Transfer the fried ingredients to small mixer jar, add grated dry coconut and blend this to a smooth paste adding water.

Now place a thick bottomed vessel on stove and heat it. Pour remaining ghee to it. Add ¼ tea spoon jeera, ¼ spoon mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric and asafetida to warmed ghee. When jeera and mustard seeds splutter, add prepared dry coconut masala paste to this and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add water to fried masala and stir well to avoid lumping. Add jaggery and simmer the flame.

When it starts boiling, pour milk and stir . Allow the rasam to boil. Add salt and coriander leaves when milk mixed rasam boils well.

This rasam can be eaten with rice or can be used as soup in winter season.
Persons who are on weight loss program can use sunflower oil instead of ghee.

Precaution: Add salt only when the whole rasam along with milk boils well. Or else the milk will get curdled.

Cucumber Raita: (cucumber yogurt dip)

Ingredients:
Tender cucumber : 1 in number
Curd – 1 ½ cup
Coriander leaves- ¼ cup finely chopped
Green chilli – finely chopped (optional)
Salt to taste
Sugar- 1 pinch

Method:
Wash the cucumber and peel its skin. Grate it with the help of a grater on the side with large holes. Add curd, chopped coriander leaves, green chilli, salt and sugar. Mix it well with a spoon. Serve it with hot parathas , pulav or tomato rice

Raita is a very healthy recipe. The curd helps to replenish friendly bacteria of intestine. The water content of cucumber increases the moistness of body tissues. As this does not contain oil, obese persons who are on a weight loss program can liberally use it. It keeps the body cool in summer. People who suffer from acidity can prepare this recipe without green chilly.