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Healthy Dips and Sauces

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We always want our main course that we eat to be healthy. Would you like some side dishes to make your meals more interesting? Have you ever thought of side dishes that you could have along with your main course which are equally healthy as your main dish and can be had as fillers in the mid meals?

There are many such alternatives available in the market which is not only full of preservatives but also loaded with sugar, fats and are way too costly.

This thought led me to write this blog on healthy dips and sauces which are not only easy to make but are pocket friendly. To add to the benefits – ‘No added preservatives’. All your family members especially children would love indulging into these dips and sauces with various food items. Don’t be shocked if you see your child’s plate clean after this.

Let us have a look at some of the yummy healthy dips and sauces which serve to be an excellent side dish

  1. Avocado Yoghurt Dip
Ingredients Amount
Low fat Greek Yoghurt/ hung curd ½ cup
Avocados (ripe) 2 no
Garlic Ginger (minced) 1 tsp
Fresh Coriander leaves 3-4 TBSP
Mint leaves Few sprigs
Bell pepper 1 no
Lime Juice of 1 no
Red chilli powder ¼ tsp
Salt To taste
Pepper powder To taste

METHOD:

  1. Mix all the above ingredients in a blender. Mix until smooth paste.
  2. Serve with vegetable sticks or whole grain chips.
  3. You can use it as a base for your sandwiches and rolls

BENEFITS

Rich in healthy fats,proteins, loaded with vitamins, minerals, good for digestive and gut health

  1. Mix fruit Salsa
Ingredients Amount
Pineapple (diced) ½ cup
Mango (ripe) (diced) ½ cup
Strawberries(diced) ½ cup
Fresh mint leaves 2-3 TBSP
Ginger ½ inch
Bell pepper 1 no
Lime (big) 1 no
Red chilli powder ¼ tsp
Salt To taste

METHOD:

  1. In a saucepan, mix pineapple, mango and strawberries, bellpepper, ginger, chopped fresh mint leaves, red chilli powder, lime juice and salt. Mix well until well blended.
  2. Enjoy this sweet, tangy, spicy salsa with pita chips/ wheat bread

BENEFITS

Super antioxidant rich. A blend of various vitamins, minerals and helps improve immunity

  1. Beans Basil Hummus
Ingredients Amount
Fresh kidney beans (cooked) 2 cup
Chick peas (soaked and drained) 2/3 cup
Garlic cloves 4-5 no
Ginger ½ inch piece
Fresh basil leaves/ tulsi leaves ½ cup
Mint leaves Few sprigs
Onion 1 no
Lime (big) 2-3 no
Green chilly 1-2 no
Salt To taste
Pepper powder To taste
Low fat yoghurt As required

METHOD

  1. In a blender, add 2 cups of cooked fresh kidney beans(not the dried one), overnight soaked and drained 2/3 cup of chick peas, ginger, garlic, basil leaves, mint leaves, onion, lime juice, green chillies, salt, pepper powder. Grind it well until it becomes a smooth paste. If required you can add low fat yoghurt to get the required consistency
  2. Serve with veggie sticks, chips or crackers
  3. You can even use it as a base for any rolls/ frankies

BENEFITS:

Rich in proteins and probiotic. Excellent for gut health and immunity boosting

  1. Tahini Recipe
Ingredients Amount
Roasted sesame seeds 2 TBSP
Olive oil 2 TBSP
Lemon juice 1 ½ TBSP
Garlic clove 1-2 no
Hung curd 1 cup
Salt to taste

METHOD:

1 Take roasted sesame seeds, olive oil, garlic cloves and lemon juice in a blender

  1. Blend until smooth paste
  2. Mix the above tahini paste with hung curd. Mix well and serve chilled with flat breads/ khakhras/ veggie sticks

BENEFITS:

Great source of Calcium, probiotics and healthy fats

  1. Healthy mayo
Ingredients Amount
Grated cucumber ½ cup
Grated carrot ½ cup
Hung curd 1 cup
Oregano, ½ tsp
Parsley, Basil leaves, Chilli flakes ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Freshly ground Pepper powder ¼ tsp

METHOD:

  1. In a bowl, mix all the above ingredients
  2. Serve chilled with flat breads/ khakhras/ homemade tortilla/ nachos/filling in wheat breads

BENEFITS:

Alkaline in nature, coolant, good source of fiber too

  1. Peanut/ Almond butter
Ingredients Amount
Roasted peanuts/ almonds (salted/ unsalted) 200 gms
Olive oil/ Ricebran oil As required
Organic honey Optional
Salt to taste

METHOD:

  1. In a blender jar, take roasted salted/ unsalted peanuts or almonds and grind till finely coarse
  2. Add a few drops of olive oil
  3. Blenderize until smooth paste.
  4. Add salt and organic honey if required
  5. Peanut butter/ almond butter is ready to serve with khakhras/ whole grain bread/ sandwiches/ fruits/ vegetable sticks

BENEFITS:

Healthy fats. Serves as a great pre and post workout meal option

  1. Guacamole
Ingredients Amount
Avocados (ripe) peeled, pitted 2 no
Tomatoes, ripe 1 no
Fresh Coriander leaves 3 TBSP
Onion, finely chopped ¼ cup
Garlic, minced ½  tsp
Lime (big) 1 no
cumin powder ½  tsp
Salt To taste
cayenne pepper (optional) 1 pinch

METHOD:

  1. In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt.
  2. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic.
  3. Stir in cayenne pepper, cumin seed powder
  4. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavour, or serve immediately.

BENEFITS:

Rich in healthy unsaturated fats. Antioxidants, vitamins and minerals

If you have been making some interesting dips and sauces then do share the recipes with us. Share your feedback on these dips and sauces when you make.

Enjoy!!!

 

By 4 Comments

You can do so much beyond just salads with ‘Sprouts 6 delicious and healthy recipes

We are all fond of salads and soups. And, if that salad and soup are super nutritious then we can safely conclude that we are eating right. I love sprouts and they are nutritionally very good too. Usually, when people hear the word sprouts they think probably yet another boring veggie salad but, we can make it interesting and tasty. I had made some few advances with sprouts to make it tasty, tangy and healthier too…

Here is my collection of recipes. It’s personally tried and tested special dishes of sprouts. So put on your chef’s hat and exhibit your cooking skills!

  1.  Sprout Cutlet/Tikki

1

Ingredients:

  • Mixed sprouts [garbanzo bean (Kabuli chana), Green Gram ( moong)] 20 gm
  • Grated veggies (carrot, potato, pumpkin, lauki, etc.)
  • Chickpea Flour (Besan) (just for binding) 1tsp
  • Semolina (Suji/rawa)-for wrapping
  • Dry masalas-turmeric powder-1/4tsp
  • Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp
  • Salt according to taste and tangy spices (chat masala) -pinch

Method:

Boil sprouts and potato. Mash it. Don’t boil other veggies just grate it finely. Mix all the ingredients except semolina (Suji/Rawa). Make flat balls out of the mixture and then wrap it in the semolina and shallow fry it. Finally, serve it with chutney or sauce.

      2. Sprout Mix

2

Ingredients:

  • Mixed sprouts (garbanzo bean (kabuli chana), Green Gram ( moong) 20 gm
  • Vegetables such as carrot, onion, tomato, beetroot, cucumber, corn
  • dry masalas-turmeric powder-1/4tsp
  • Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp
  • Salt according to taste and tangy spices (chaat masala) -pinch

Method:

Take mixed sprouts add finely chopped vegetables and all dry spices. Then serve it with coriander and tamarind sauce (chutney).

        3. Sprouts and Paneer Schezwan Cigar

3

Ingredient

  • Green Gram (Moong) Sprouts – 1 cup
  • Grated Cottage Cheese (Paneer) – 1 cup
  • Szechuan Sauce – 3 tbsp
  • Sweet and Chili sauce – 1 tbsp
  • Salt to taste
  • Grated cheese – 1/4 cup
  • For rolls: wheat flour Indian bread (chapatti) or multigrain flour bread (chapatti).

Method:

  • In a big mixing bowl, take sprouts, cottage cheese, Szechuan sauce, sweet and chilli sauce, cheese and salt. Mix them well. Keep it aside.
  • Take one wheat flour or multigrain cooked bread (chapatti). Place a portion of the cottage cheese and sprouts mixture at one corner of the bread. Roll it up tightly starting from the end where the filling is placed to make a cigar. Seal the edges of the bread (Chapattis)
  • Shallow fry it in the pan.

Paneer and Sprouts Szechuan Cigar is ready. Serve them immediately with spicy sauce.

      4. Sprout Sandwich

4

Ingredients:

  • Mix sprouts
  • Multigrain bread
  • Grated vegetable (carrot, pumpkin etc.)
  • Raw vegetables cut in slice: onion, tomato, cucumber
  • Grated paneer-1/4th cube
  • Dry masalas: Red chilli powder, turmeric, chat masalas

Method:

Except for raw vegetable mix, all the ingredients and your filling are ready.

Now take bread apply coriander chutney on it and place the above mixture, place then the raw sliced vegetables and close it with the other slice of bread on it and grill it. Serve hot with sauce.

     5. Mixed Sprouts Dosa  

5

  • Grind sprouts along with steamed Pancake (Idli-dosa) batter, Cumin seeds, garlic, ginger, green chillies along with a little water.
  • Don’t add too much water.
  • Add salt and mix.
  • For the seasoning, finely chopped onions, green chilli, coriander and curry leaves.
  • Mix with cumin seeds and set aside.
  • This is an optional step to use as a topping/stuffing for the steamed flat pancakes (dosa).
  • Heat a girdle over medium heat.
  • When it is hot enough, pour a ladle of batter and swirl in a circular motion to spread it.
  • Drizzle very little oil around the dosa.
  • Spread some of the seasonings on the top. The wet surface will help it to stick.
  • Add a few drops of oil over the onions if required or just press with the ladle so that the onions stick to the steamed pancake (dosa) without falling off.
  • When it is done on that side flip to other side and
  • Cook for a minute.
  • Turn it again, fold and remove into a serving plate.
  • Repeat the process to make the required number of flat pancakes.
  • For mixed sprout steamed pancake (dosa) with coriander: Now include generous amounts of chopped coriander to the above batter and grind once again.
  • Make steamed pancakes with this batter following the same process as above.

      6. Sprouts Pancake

6

Ingredients:

  • Mixed sprouts-20 gm
  • Ground oats-10 gm or 1 tablespoon
  • Grated vegetables-carrot, bottle gourd, pumpkin, spinach etc.
  • Dry spices -red chilli powder, turmeric, salt to taste

Method:

  • Grind the sprouts.
  • Take a bowl and pour the ground powder of sprouts and all the ingredients and add water to it and make a thin batter.
  • Heat a girdle over medium heat.
  • When it is hot enough, pour a ladle of batter and swirl in a circular motion to spread it.
  • Drizzle very little oil around the pancake.
  • Flip it up and cook it from both the sides.

By 14 Comments

Seasonal fruits and vegetables

Seasonal fruits and vegetables

Nature has given us all the possible amenities to keep ourselves healthy. Interestingly, our body responds according to the change in season say summer, spring, monsoon, autumn and winter depending on particular weather patterns and daylight hours.

It is important for us to know the seasonal fruits and vegetables to get accustomed to the climate. The food list may vary according to the hemisphere.

There are three main seasons Summer, Monsoon and winter.

 

During Winter: The temperature drops down compared to our body temperature thus, we face cold, cough. Building immunity becomes very necessary during this season. Availability of papaya, all citrus fruits like oranges, sweet lime, strawberries, apples, guava, lemons, mushrooms, cabbages, turnip, winter squash, potatoes, beets, carrots, leafy vegetables, pomegranates, pineapples, custard apple, asparagus, green beans, radish, cauliflowers, spinach and mustard greens are good for the consumer during Winters.

During Summer it is common to lose our appetite which makes us stay away from the heavy foods. Our body tends to maintain temperature by perspiring heavily, thus we need more amount of water to keep our body well hydrated.

Seasonal food has the naturally cooling effect on the body so we can rely completely on them such as watermelon, tomatoes, Cantaloupe, plums, peaches, raspberries, grapefruits, mangoes, kiwi, mushrooms, eggplant, corn, cucumbers, bell peppers, green peas, pumpkin, bottle guard, celery, bitter guard, apricots, bananas, zucchini, asparagus, artichokes, lettuce etc.

During Monsoon our body becomes vulnerable to infection, water born diseases. Hence our health takes a toll. Fruits and vegetables like pumpkins, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, sweet potatoes, corn, eggplant, cauliflower, cranberries, blueberries, apples, beets, ginger, garlic, Brussel sprouts etc. are good during this seasons.

Here are some amazing benefits of having seasonal fruits and vegetables:

  • It is affordable to buy them as it is more abundant and you can stock for future use.
  • It is tastier as it is fully, naturally ripened and they have significantly delicious taste than the artificial one.
  • They are grown in the season under appropriate conditions for the particular fruit or vegetables.
  • They retain the most natural colour and flavour.
  • We are more likely to get vitamins, other micronutrients and antioxidants from them.

While variety is important nutritionally, it is also important in terms of flavour and texture.

 

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‘Spices that help in losing weight’

India is popular for its spicy food. The sheer number of whole and ground spices used in Indian foods is sometimes intimidating. Each dish has its own combination of spices and its own unique flavour. The spices not just add flavour to your food but they also have many health benefits. Rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, most spices are good for your health. Some of the spices also improve your metabolic rate and help in losing weight. Here is a list of Indian spices that help your body to burn more fat. So, spice up your dishes!

Cinnamon

cinnamon

According to a recent study, cinnamon may boost your metabolism. This sweet, fragrant spice also regulates your blood pressure. It lowers level of total cholesterol, bad cholesterol, triglyceride and blood sugar in type 2 diabetes patients. Cinnamon increases the metabolism of glucose by around 20 times. This spice will help you lose weight faster.

How to Use?

You can prepare cinnamon, honey and lemon drink- boil a pinch of cinnamon in a cup of water. Sieve and add a tablespoon of honey and squeeze some lemon into it.

Turmeric

Turmeric

The pungent, yellow spice is known for its anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-mutagenic, anti-carcinogenic and anti-fungal properties. It also helps you lose excess weight. The spice ups your body heat and this can result in improved metabolism.

HOW TO USE?

Use it in your curries, chicken and in milk to gain the health benefits of turmeric.

Ginger

ginger

The spicy ginger regulates your blood sugar levels and helps prevent an increase in the level of glucose. Like turmeric, ginger has thermogenic or fat-burning properties. You can add it to your stir-fried vegetables or tea or chicken. It improves the taste and helps you in weight loss.

HOW TO USE?

Prepare a Jeera (Cumin) Ginger drink.

Boil a tsp of Jeera and some crushed ginger in a glass of water. Boil till it starts reducing, sieve it and Drink after 30mins of lunch and dinner to ease digestion.

Black Pepper

black-pepper

Black pepper has a pungent flavour, thanks to the presence of the substance known as piperine and this substance also prevent new fat cell formation. The bioavailability of other foods is also increased by black pepper. It makes the food not only tasty but also healthy. If u eat fresh pepper and begin to perspire, that’s the pepper helping your body to get rid of excess water and toxins. But, you need to control consumption, a pinch with your food (one meal) is enough.

HOW TO USE?

Black Pepper Tea.

Easy to prepare and the best way to consume black pepper for weight loss. You can use ginger, lemon, honey, tulsi (basil leaves), cinnamon, or green tea bags to prepare the tea.

Use 1/2-1 tsp freshly ground black pepper and drink it before breakfast.

Regular consumption will not only help you in losing weight but also improve your skin and prevent gut problems.

CAUTION

Do not consume too much as it may cause gastrointestinal problems, burning sensation in eyes, stomach irritation. If you feel uneasy, stop the use of black pepper immediately.

Garlic

garlic

Adding garlic to your diet will help you burn the increased amount of fat and lose weight faster. Try to use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder or granules.

Here’s how it works…

  1. Garlic stimulates the satiety hormone which reduces binge eating, sugar cravings, junk food, and oily stuff.
  2. It releases the norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter which boosts metabolism.
  3. The allicin present in it lowers blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin levels.
  4. Garlic inhibits the process breaking down stored fats.
  5. It is a powerful detoxifier and effective diuretic.
  6. It contains trace minerals (sulphur, selenium, and magnesium, zinc, copper and iron), amino acids and vitamins A, C, and E.
  7. It helps to dissolve blood clots that lead to Heart stroke.
  8. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.
  9. It helps to remove excess mucus from the body.

HOW TO USE?

  • Squeeze juice of 1 lemon in a cup of water.
  • Chew 3 garlic cloves followed by the lemon water.
  • Or add crush the garlic cloves, stir in the lemon water and drink.
  • Repeat the process every morning.

These spices will help you to shed those extra kilos but you also need to change your lifestyle to a healthier one and should have a healthy diet.

TRY THEM OUT!!!

 

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