Search Results for: protein

April 24, 2021 By Mrinali Dwivedi Leave a Comment

Healthy Eating: Protein Papdi Chaat

Chaats refer to a lip smacking delicacy made by bringing together a range of rustic masalas and chutneys. Isn’t there something about Indian Chaats that makes our mouth water instantly, just by thinking about them? For the longest time we have associated a plate of chat dripping with curd and chutneys to an unhealthy indulgence. But what if I were to tell you that chaats can be really beneficial to your health? Let’s try this healthy Protein Papdi Chaat recipe.

What You Will Need

For the papdi

Wheat flour – 1 cup
Soya flour – 1 cup
Rava (semolina) – 1 cup
Besan (chana flour) – 1 cup
Ajwain (carom seeds) – 1 tsp
Regular spices according to taste preference such as haldi, lal mirch powder, dhaniya powder and salt
Oil – 1 tbsp

For assembling the chaat

Boiled chana – ½ cup
Boiled corn – ½ cup
Boiled potato (finely diced) – ½ cup
Tomato (finely diced) – ½ cup
Onion (finely diced) – ½ cup
Cucumber (finely diced) – ½ cup
Carrot (finely grated) – ½ cup
Pomegranate seeds – ½ cup
Dry roasted peanuts and chana – ½ cup
Curd – ½ cup
Tamarind dates chutney – 1 tbsp
Coriander mint chutney – 1 tbsp
Chaat masala – 2 pinches

How To Prepare

Knead a stiff dough of the papdi ingredients (all flours, all spices and a teaspoon of oil).
Roll this dough into a big flat thin sheet and cut diamond shapes with a shankar para cutter or knife. You can also cut it into small discs with a cookie cutter.
Brush these diamonds or discs of dough with the remaining oil and bake for 12 minutes at 1800c. Your protein rich papdi is ready. Store in an airtight jar.
While making the chaat, break some of these papdi roughly with your hand into a bowl.
Assemble all the other ingredients of the chaat into this bowl.
Garnish with some chopped coriander leaves and chaat masala and serve immediately.

Benefits of the Protein Papdi Chaat

This Protein Papdi Chaat is wholesome, delicious and can aid weight loss
Can prove to be a very sumptuous meal addition to your healthy yet tasty diet
The fresh ingredients and mix of spices make it super rich in vitamins, minerals and essential digestive properties.
It is rich in fiber and protein, both of which induce a feeling of fullness and prevent overeating or resorting to fried and sugary preparations that are fattening.

We hope you enjoy this Protein Papdi Chaat recipe! Do try it out and share your experience in the comments below or share it on social media, tagging GOQii. For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE cooking sessions on GOQii Play.

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April 10, 2021 By Neha Goyal 1 Comment

Healthy Eating: High Protein Hariyali Appe

Green veggies are available throughout the year and these veggies can really help you boost your mood. But, apart from boosting your mood, what if these greens gave you a high protein boost? Let’s try making these delicious, crispy on the outside yet warm and tender on the inside, high protein Hariyali Appe that will help kickstart your mornings!

What You Will Need

Semolina (Suji) – 1½ cup
Green peas – 1 cup
Curd – ¾ cup
Cashews – 8-10
Oil for tempering – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp
Asafoetida – 1 pinch
Chopped green chilly – 1 tsp
Grated ginger – 2 tsp
Baking soda (optional) – ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Water as required

How To Prepare

Soak green peas and cashews for 10 minutes, then grind these using ¼ cup water.
In a bowl, take semolina, add curd, green peas paste, green chilly, ginger and salt. Mix everything together to make a smooth batter using water as required.
Heat the oil in a tadka pan and add the cumin seeds. When it starts crackling, switch the flame off and add asafoetida.
Add this tempering in the batter and mix everything together. Keep this batter aside for 15-20 minutes.
Check the consistency of the batter once again and add more water if required.
Heat the appe mould on medium flame. Pour a spoonful of batter in each cavity and cover the pan to let the Appe steam nicely while getting crisp from the bottom.
Flip & cook the other side as well but don’t cover it this time.
Remove from the pan and serve hot with green or coconut chutney.

Highlights and Tips For The Hariyali Appe Recipe

This recipe is high in protein and fiber – it makes a perfect choice for those who are looking for vegetarian recipes providing enough protein.
Just like regular Appe, you can add more chopped veggies of your choice to make it more fiber rich.
You can also use ⅓ Dalia powder or multigrain atta to replace semolina in this recipe.

We hope you enjoy this high protein Hariyali Appe recipe! Do try it out and share your experience in the comments below or share it on social media, tagging GOQii. For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE cooking sessions on GOQii Play.

Eat healthy and #BeTheForce

December 26, 2020 By Urvi Gohil 1 Comment

Healthy Eating: Homemade Protein Bars

Want to stock up on your winter protein supply? We’ve got you covered with these simple, healthy, no bake, sugar-free homemade protein bars. You can make these protein bars using ingredients available in your kitchen. It is quick and quite suited for winters!

What You Will Need

Dates – 1 cup
Hot water – 1 cup
Almonds – ½ cup
Cashews – ½ cup
Walnuts – ½ cup
Pistachio – ½ cup
Rolled oats – ¼ cup
Desiccated coconut – ½ cup
Flax seeds – 1 tbsp
Pumpkin seeds – 1 tbsp
Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
Cinnamon powder – 1 tsp
Jaggery powder – 2 tbsp

How To Prepare

In a bowl, add the dates and hot water and soak the dates for 1-2 hours until it softens. Once soft, remove the seeds and blend it in a mixture to a fine, smooth paste.
Heat a pan and add almonds, cashews, pistachio, walnuts, oats, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. Dry roast this for 5-7 minutes until they turn crisp and slight golden.
Time to add the desiccated coconut in the pan and sauté just for 1-2 minutes and remove all the contents in a bowl.
In the same pan, add the dates paste and allow it to cook for 5 minutes until the paste thickens and loses some moisture.
Now add the roasted nuts and seeds mixture to the dates paste and season it with cardamom powder, cinnamon powder & also add the jaggery powder. Mix it well until everything comes together.
Grease a mithai tray or plate with some ghee/ oil and spread the mixture uniformly. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours until it sets completely and using a knife, cut it into bars and enjoy!

Highlights Of The Homemade Protein Bars

Power packed with energy, micronutrients, minerals, fiber and healthy fats.
A perfect guilt free, sugar free, preservative free alternative to granola bars and energy bars.
A great way to start the day in winter, it is filling and keeps your sweet cravings away.
Works as a perfect post workout snack.

We hope you enjoy this Protein Bars recipe. Do try it out and leave your feedback in the comments below. For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to cooking sessions on GOQii Play.

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September 7, 2020 By Binita Dhara Leave a Comment

Do You Really Need Protein Supplements Before and After Your Workout?

The current pandemic situation demands a good immune system. Along with working out and staying active, it is important to take good care of what we eat before and after a workout for energy and tissue repair respectively. Primarily, the go-to in this case is protein but do you get your protein from protein supplements or from natural sources? Which works better? Let’s find out!

What’s The Difference Between Natural Protein and Protein Supplements?

You can get energy from natural sources as well as protein supplements. Normally, natural foods like fruits, nuts, eggs, chicken, pulses and cereals contain carbohydrates, proteins and good fats which help us get energy for a workout. They also repair tissues. Supplements on the other hand contain amino acids, B vitamins, caffeine, creatine and artificial sweeteners – quality differs from brand to brand.

Who Needs Supplements?

Normally, protein supplements are required for those who perform heavy workouts like athletes, wrestlers and bodybuilders. When the protein requirement is not fulfilled by natural sources, then supplementation is required. Even the amount of protein requirement depends on the person and whether they want to lose or gain weight.

On the other hand, the amount of protein consumed should also be monitored because if it is not used up during the workout, it gets stored in the body as extra calories as 1g protein contains 4 kcal. The ideal protein consumption should be 1.2 to 1.7g per kilogram of body weight or 0.5 – 0.8g per pound of body weight.

There are 3 forms of protein:

Protein Isolates: This consists of only protein (90-95%) and has carbs and fat removed from it through processing. This is mainly made up of whey protein.
Protein Concentrate: is the combination of carbohydrate and fat (20-40%) and protein (20-40%). This is mainly made up of plant sources.
Protein Hydrolysates: This is further processed and breaks the protein into amino acids which makes it more easily absorbed in the body. But it has a big disadvantage – it increases the insulin level of blood mainly which is made from whey protein.

There are many forms of protein supplements available in the market which are derived from various other sources. Comparing the above, try avoiding plant sources as they don’t provide sufficient protein for muscle growth. Whey is easily absorbed and digested whereas casein takes time to get digested but it’s good to consume before sleep as it helps in recovery of muscles and egg protein is another good option as it is easily absorbed by the body.

Taking all of this into consideration, I would like to say that though it has several benefits, protein supplements also have major demerits such as the caffeine and creatine contents which affects blood pressure, creating cardiac issues by increasing heart rate, causing diarrhoea, a disturbed sleep cycle and gut intolerances, etc.

Do note that most of these “health drinks” aren’t regulated by the FDA for safety purposes. So, before you pick a protein supplement, read the ingredients on the label and pick one that fits your requirement. Honestly, what I feel is that it is best to fulfil the protein requirement through natural foods!

We hope this article helps you make a choice! Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on protein, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

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