SNACK Your Way to Great HEALTH!!

I have decided I am going to eat right, I am going to exercise everyday and I am going to continue like this forever and get fit. And so I thought!!

I was very comfortable eating right with my main meals namely, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. But what I realized was actually an eye-opener. The problem was not these meals but what happens between these meals, the Snack time!!

I used to get these hunger pangs surely around 4-5pm and sometimes around 11.30am, because of which I used to grab the first thing I saw in front of me be it biscuits, unhealthy oily snacks or bread, which completely threw my efforts out the window.

That’s when I decided that this needs to be sorted out and started planning a Snack Menu which included things like roasted chanas, khakras, diet snacks but soon I realized that these were not enough.

Evening snack should be considered as the 4^th main meal of the day. By having the right food at this time, you reduce your hunger even at dinner time which helps you eat better.

I’ve tried these 4 recipes myself and believe me they are a snack time Delight!!

They not only fill you up but also taste delicious, satisfying your every taste bud.

Cauliflower Pizza

Ingredients:

Cauliflower florets (riced) – 2 cups

Parmesan cheese or Mozarella cheese – 1cup

Egg – 1

Salt

Mixed herbs

For Topings:

Tomato sauce (Tomato puree, fresh garlic, mixed herbs, black pepper powder, salt)

Any vegetables of your choice

Little cheese

Method:

• Wash and dry the cauliflower well
• Cut it into florets
• Pulse the florets in a food processor or grate it to form rice like granular consistency
• Take 2 cups of riced cauliflower and transfer to a non-stick pan to remove the moisture
• Keep stirring on low heat till most of the moisture is gone
• Do not brown it
• Let it cool
• Beat one egg in a bowl
• Add the cheese and mix well
• Add the riced cauliflower
• Mix well with salt and herbs
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and transfer this mixture onto it to make a pizza base
• Gently pat the mixture to make a base of your desired shape with a thickness of quarter of an inch
• Keep the edges slightly thick so that it doesn’t burn
• Now place it in a pre-heated oven at 200 c for 20mins
• Remove and let it cool
• Topping:

Spread the tomato sauce and add any topping of your choice with little cheese (if required)

Bake it again at 200c for 10mins

Your pizza is ready!!

Black Gram (Chana) Kebabs

 

Ingredients:

Black (gram) chana – ½ cup

Potato – 1 medium

Ginger (chopped) – 1 tsp

Garlic (chopped) – 1 tsp

Onion (chopped) – 1

Green Chillies (chopped) – 1 to 2

Chaat masala – 1 tsp

Garam masala – 1 tsp

Cumin (jeera) powder – 1 tsp

Red Chili powder – 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

Coriander leaves – ¼ cup

Method:

Soak the ( black Gram) kalachana overnight

Pressure cook it till soft and cooked through

Boil and peel the potato

For the masala:

• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and add in onions, salt, ginger, garlic and chilies
• Let them cook through and soften
• Add chaat masala, cumin powder, red chilli powder and garam masala
• Mix well and take off the heat
• Mash the boiled chana well in a mixie or use a masher
• Mix the boiled potato
• To this add the prepared masala and chopped coriander
• Divide into small sized balls and flatten to form shammi kebabs or cutlets
• Serve them hot with chutney or sauce and a cup of steaming hot tea or coffee

Bajra, Carrot and Onion Mini Uthappa

Ingredients:

¼ cup whole Bajra, soaked for 8 hours and drained

1 ¼ cups Bajra flour

Salt to taste

½ cup grated carrot

½ cup finely chopped onions

1 ½ tsp finely chopped green chillies

1 tsp garlic paste

¼ cup finely chopped coriander leaves

1 ½ tbsp. lemon juice

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 ½ tspchilli powder

Oil for cooking

Method:

• Combine the whole bajra, ½ cup of water and salt in a pressure cooker, mix well and pressure cook for 5 whistles.
• Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid. Drain the water and keep the cooked whole bajra aside.
• Combine all the ingredients, along with whole bajra and 1 ½ cup of water in a deep bowl and mix well.
• Heat a non-stick tava and grease it lightly with oil.
• Pour ¼ cup of batter over it and tilt the tava lightly to spread the batter evenly. Cook on medium flame till it turns golden brown in colour from both the sides.
• Repeat step 5 to make more uthappas.
• Serve immediately.

Jackfruit Seed Roast

 Ingredients:

Jackfruit seeds – 1 cup

Oil – 2 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Onion (small) – 1

Garlic cloves – 4

Green chilies – 3

Red chili powder – 2 tsp

Kashmiri chili powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – ½ tsp

Cumin powder – ½  tsp

Fennel seed powder – ½ tsp

Amchur – ¼ tsp

Chaat masala – ½ tsp

Garam masala – ¼ tsp

Salt to taste

Method:

• Steam the jackfruit seeds
• Slice them
• Heat oil in a non-stick pan
• Add mustard seeds
• When they splutter, add finely chopped onions, garlic and slit green chilies
• Sauté for a few minutes on medium heat till the onions become soft
• Add all the masalas and salt
• Sauté for some more time
• Add the jackfruit seed slices
• Mix well and stir-fry for five minutes
• Add few drops of water, cover the pan and let it cook over low heat for five minutes.

I hope you will try these out right away, so that I can share many such finger licking good healthy recipes soon.