Hardika Vira Archives

September 17, 2017 By Hardika Vira 11 Comments

Hungry Kya! Here are 5 nutritious snacks recipes

Along with being a lifestyle coach and nutritionist, I play one more dual role that of a homemaker and a mother. The big question that always arises is what snacks can we make which are healthy and quick to make at the same time, right?

Here are few recipes from my recipe book which are not only healthy but fast.

1. OATS PATTIES

Ingredients	Amount
Oats	1 cup
Capsicum	1 small
Carrot	½ no
Tomatoes	1 no
Spring Onions	½ cup
Gingerchilli paste	1 Tbsp
Lime	½ no.
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Red chilly powder	¼ tsp
Salt	To taste
Oil	1 tsp

METHOD:

Sprinkle water on oats. Continue this till it absorbs the water and becomes a bit sticky.
To this add chopped capsicum, carrot, tomatoes, fresh onion with leaves, ginger chilli paste, lime, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well.
Divide the mixture into two equal halves. Make a flat (pattice) pieces of it and cook in a nonstick pan on both sides.
Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Nutritional Benefits: Oats is rich in fiber and the veggies are a source of vitamins and minerals, lime juice makes the food alkaline. Overall it is a great dish to start your day with which will surely improve your immunity and overall health

2. Steamed Spinach breads (PALAK DHOKLA)

Ingredients	Amount
Rawa	1-2 TBSP
Gramflour	1-2 TBSP
Spincach (palak) (finely chopped)	1 bunch
greenchilli paste	½ Tbsp
Salt	To taste
Oil	1 tsp

METHOD:

Mix all the dry ingredients in a vessel.
To this mixture add 1 tsp of warm oil.
Add luke warm water to make the batter of some flowing consistency.
Pour this mixture into a greased tin and steam the mixture for around 30 minutes.
Garnish with Spinach leaves. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Nutritional Benefits: This can serve as a super evening snack as it contains goodness of fiber, calcium, B vitamins of the spinach and is also a cereal pulse combination which improves the protein quality. Wholesome meal which is low in calories and has high satiety value.

3. FENUGREEK PANCAKES (METHI PUDLA)

Ingredients	Amount
fenugreek leaves (chopped)	½ bunch
Wheat flour	1 TBSP
Bajra flour	2 TBSP
Onion	1 no.
Gingerchilli paste	1 Tbsp
Garlic paste	½ tsp
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Salt	To taste
Oil	1 tsp

METHOD:

1.Mix all the ingredients except oil in a vessel.

2.Add water to make the batter of pouring consistency

3.Make two pancakes on a nonstick pan

4.Serve hot with tomato ketchup/ Mint sauce (Pudina chutney)

Nutritional Benefits: It is not only rich in B vitamins (fenugreek leaves) and helps in improving hemoglobin but due to the addition of onion, ginger, garlic it is highly anti-inflammatory and good for gut health. Researches prove that consumption of ginger, garlic and onion helps fight GI infections too.

4.Bottle Gourd and Semolina Pancakes (DOODHI-RAWA PANCAKE)

Ingredients	Amount
Semolina	3 TBSP
Bottle gourd	100 gms
Curds (skim milk)	3 TBSP
Gingerchilli paste	1 Tbsp
Carrot	For garnish
Salt	To taste
Oil	1 tsp

METHOD:

Grate the bottle gourd.
Add semolina, ginger chilli paste, curds, salt and make a batter of pouring consistency by adding water.
Make 3 small pancakes on a nonstick pan by adding oil.

4.Garnish with grated carrot and coriander.

5.Serve hot with green chutney

Nutritional Benefits: Bottle gourd has multi benefits like it is high in fiber, helps curb the acidity too, good for heart, and the list goes on. Curds are rich in probiotics which improves the gut bacteria.

5. COTTAGE CHEESE VEGETABLE WRAP ( PANEER VEG WRAP)

Ingredients	Amount
Gramflour	2 TBSP
Capsicum	½ no
Carrot	¼ no
Tomatoes	1 small
Spring onions	½ cup
Paneer (COTTAGE CHEESE)	200 ml(20 gms)
Coriander leaves	Few sprigs
Lime	½ no.
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Red chilli powder	½ tsp
Pavbhaji masala/ Garam masala	½ tsp
Salt	To taste
Oil	1 tsp

METHOD:

For the Wrap:

To the gram flour add chopped coriander leaves, red chilli powder, salt and make a batter by adding water

Pour this batter on a nonstick and make a chilla

For the filling:

In a nonstick pan, take 1 tsp of oil. Add chopped capsicum, carrot, spring onions, tomatoes, paneer cubes and cook for a minute. To this add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, lime juice, pav bhaji masala or any garam masala (blend of ground spices like peppercorns, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cardamom, bay leaf, caraway). You can even use herbs instead of this . Mix well. Cover the pan for 1-2 minutes. Cook until done.

Place this filling into the centre of the chilla and wrap it. Cut it into pieces. Garnish with spring onion leaves and tomatoes.
Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Nutritional Benefits: It is high in protein with cottage cheese and gram flour. It contains goodness of fiber, Vit C, vitamins and minerals and other phytochemicals too. Children love this most as it looks like a frankie/roll but the base is super healthy here. Also helps in improving immunity, hemoglobin, better growth.

September 4, 2017 By Hardika Vira 177 Comments

Uric acid and seven ways to reduce it

You must have come across people who complaint about having something called ‘Gout’. Gout is a disease characterized by an abnormal metabolism of uric acid, resulting in an excess of uric acid in the tissues and blood.

Uric acid is a product of metabolic breakdown of purine nucleotides. And, high serum uric acid can lead to a condition called gout. The chemical is associated with other medical conditions including kidney stones and diabetes.

Normal results are between 3.5 and 7.2 milligrams of uric acid per deciliter of blood (mg/dL)

Follow these tips which will help you lower your uric acid levels:

Increase water intake- Water is required to flush off the uric acid formed in the body. When the body is well hydrated, uric acid crystals are difficult to form. Drink at least 3-4 liters per day to remove the uric acid from the body. You can include buttermilk, coconut water, lemon water, green tea etc to increase your overall fluid intake
Reduce intake of purine rich food- Uric acid is formed by breakdown of proteins called Purines. Although, it is naturally formed by the body, it is also obtained from certain foods like red meat, mushrooms, baked products containing yeast and fermented products. You can include lentils, split dals, milk, egg whites etc to improve your protein intake.
High Fiber food– Foods high in fiber absorb uric acid present in the blood stream and thus easily eliminating it through kidneys. Good fiber sources are fruits, vegetables, whole grains and products over refined products.
Avoid intake of caffeine and alcohol- Caffeine and products containing caffeine like coffee, tea, aerated drinks, and alcohol hinder excretion of uric acid from the blood stream by binding it
Consume good amount of Vitamin C rich foods- Vitamin C helps in excretion of uric acid. Sources of Vitamin C- Citrus fruits, bell peppers, cabbage, amla (Indian gooseberry), guava, etc will help reduce Uric Acid.
Reduce sugar intake- Sugar interferes with excretion of uric acid. A study mentioned that daily intake of 300 ml serving of sweetened drink increases chances of gout by 13%
Consuming Apple cider vinegar- Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid which turns alkaline in body making the environment alkaline. It is said that it breaks the uric acid crystals and prevents from recurrence by aiding blood circulation and purification. It reduces inflammation and swelling in the joints allowing for better flexibility of the joints

August 17, 2015 By Hardika Vira 1 Comment

Strawberries and its nutritional benefits

The moment I hear the word ‘Strawberry’ the first thing that comes to my mind is the dark red juicy strawberries of Mahabaleshwar. How about you? Have you ever wondered what is so good about this fruit that we all love? It is loved so much that you tend to get various food products ranging from syrups to biscuits, toffees, chocolates to ice creams etc with this flavour. People want to enjoy its flavour in any form possible.

Let us have a look at its nutritional values and its health benefits

Nutritional Informatiion for 1 serving (i.e 100 gms) of strawberries:

Calories – 44

Carbohydrates- 9.8 gms

Crude fiber- 1.1 gms

Proteins – 0.7 gms

Fats – 0.2 gms

Calcium and phosphorus – 30 mgs each

Iron – 1.8 mgs

Rich in Beta carotene, Vitamin B complex, Vitamin C and also contains many of the essential aminoacids

Wow! Isn’t it amazing? Not only this, there is lots more to add to this super fruit. Do you know benefits of consuming strawberries? Well here it is:

Improves immunity- The Vitamin C, Beta carotene, flavonoids and anthocyanins present in strawberry acts as antioxidants and help improve immunity. The fibre also helps remove heavy metals from our system helping to detoxify our system thus improving our immune system
Prevents cancer-A phytochemical called ellagic acid and Vitamin C together yield anti-cancer properties like suppressing cancer cell growth. It also contains antioxidants lutein and zeathancins which are scavengers to free-radicals and neutralize the potentially negative effect they can have on our cell.
Heart Friendly- The components in strawberry- ellagic acid and flavonoids has an antioxidant effect which benefits heart
Younger looking skin-Strawberries help in producing collagen. Collagen (helps improve skin’s elasticity and resilience) which we tend to lose in the process of ageing. It fights occurrence of wrinkles but also prevents inflammatory response which is one of the cause of wrinkle formation.
Improves eyesight- Antioxidants and Vitamin C present in strawberries prevent cataracts—the clouding over of the eye lens—which can lead to blindness in older age.Vitamin C not only protect eyes from exposure to free-radicals from the sun’s harsh UV rays, which can damage the protein in the lens but also strengthens eye’s cornea and retina
Lowers bad cholesterol and helps reduce hypertension- Quercetin, flavonoids and fiber protects heart against damage caused by LDL cholesterol and it also prevents platelet build up. Its good potassium content helps maintain the blood pressure
Reduces arthritis and other inflammatory diseases- The antioxidants and phytochemicals help reduce inflammation
Helps improve digestion- The fibre and water content helps reduce constipation and other digestion related issues
Good for weight and diabetes management– Strawberries are low in glycemic index and at the same time has good satiety value.
Improves prenatal health- All the females who are either pregnant or trying to conceive is advised to have folate tablets. Strawberry is naturally high in folate which is one of the basic requirements for tissue/cell differentiation and development of brain, spinal cord etc. thereby preventing neural tube defects
Helps control asthma and allergies- due to its anti-inflammatory properties and Vitamin C content
Lifts your mood up- Folic acid helps reduce production of homocysteine which hinders with dopamine, serotonin(feel good hormone) which may cause depression

The list doesn’t end here. There are loads to add to this super fruit. Incorporate this seasonal fruit in your regime whenever possible as it is or in any form and enjoy all the benefits of this fruit.

July 21, 2015 By Hardika Vira 3 Comments

7 Healthy, Nutritious SWEETS

When you hear about the word sweets, one expects loads of sugar and fatty foods. Who ever said that sweets cannot be nutritious and healthy?

There are some healthy and nutritious sweets which will not only satisfy your sugar cravings but, sure will also help you improve your health and immunity. Let’s have a look at these 7 recipes that I have in store for you

1. Date Rolls

Ingredients	Amount
Dates	1 cup
Almonds	8-10 nos
Dry ginger powder	1 tbsp
Gum (gond/ dink)	1 tsp
Cow’s Ghee	1 tbsp

The gum exudes naturally from the roots of the plant and from incisions made in the stem. This is collected and when dried forms crystals of flakes or may be formed into blocks. It is also known as gondkatira, or Tragacanth gum. It is a coolant and at the same time is rich in soluble fiber. It is easily available in where grains and dry fruits are available.

METHOD:

Warm ghee in a pan, once it heats up, add gum to it. Stir until it swells. Remove it out in a plate
In the remaining ghee in the pan, sauté the dates for a few minutes. Turn the gas off and add chopped almonds, dry ginger powder and fried gums
Mix it well and make rolls
Garnish with almond slivers
Serve at room temperature

P.S: You can add little cocoa powder to give it a chocolaty taste. You can also add walnuts instead of almond

BENEFITS: Dates are rich source of iron, ginger powder is anti-inflammatory and almonds are rich source of omega 3 fats, gum is good for bones.

All in all a super immunity and health booster sweet

2. Sesame Chikki or Blocks

Ingredients	Amount
Roasted Sesame seeds/ Unsalted peanuts	1 cup
Jaggery	½ cup
Oil	For greasing

METHOD:

Take ½ cup of jaggery pieces in a pan. On a slow flame, melt the jaggery and stir continuously. Keep stirring it until it attains hard ball like consistency (check by adding the jaggery syrup in cold water. It should harden like candy)
Once the hard ball consistency is achieved, add the roasted sesame seeds/ unsalted peanuts to the jaggery syrup. Mix well.
Get the mixture off the flame and pour the mixture on a greased platform and roll the mixture into a thin film. (Roll when hot so that it can be rolled into a thin film. Once the mixture reaches room temperature, it is difficult to roll.)
It will harden when it cools down and you can make small pieces of it.

P.S.:- You can use almonds/ walnuts/ dalia (Roasted unsalted gram dal)/ rajgeera (Amaranth seeds) etc.

BENEFITS: Jaggery a rich source of iron and til/sesame seed is super source of Calcium. 2 spoonfuls of sesame seeds equals calcium equal to 1 glass of milk.

Jaggery- til/ sesame seed chikki is best for women during their menses. It eases the menstrual pain.

When peanuts or other nuts are used, it serves as an excellent energy bar, without any preservatives

3. Makhana (Foxnut) Kheer

Ingredients	Amount
Makahana/ foxnut	1 cup
Low fat milk	500 ml
Cardamom powder	1 tsp
Almonds	6-8 nos
Ghee	1 tsp
Jaggery/	Approx. 3-4 tbsp
Saffron	Optional

METHOD:

In a pan, take a tablespoon of ghee and roast the foxnuts or Makhana. You can powder the foxnuts too if you want a thick consistency in kheer
In another pan, heat the milk, when it comes to a boil, add foxnuts, stir well and simmer for 5 -10 mins stirring occasionally in between on a medium flame
Add cardamom powder, pinch of saffron, almond slivers to the above mixture.
Add jaggery and stir well.
If you want a thick consistency, simmer for a few minutes more stirring occasionally

PS:- You can replace Foxnuts with brown rice/ grated carrot/ grated bottlegourd/ Haleem seeds/ Ragi/too.

BENEFITS:Foxnut is rich source of calcium, high in fiber, antioxidant and proteins which when had along with milk increases its nutritional value further. Almonds again is a rich source of omega 3 and fiber.

It serves as the best food for toddlers and infants in their growing age. Even for pregnant and lactating females.

4. Mango Yoghurt Candies

Ingredients	Amount
Low fat fresh yoghurt	1 cup
Ripe Mango puree	1 cup

METHOD:

In a blender, mix well the low fat fresh yoghurt and the ripe mango puree. Do not add any sugar since fruit has its natural sweetness. If need be, add stevia leaves.
Add this blended puree in moulds. Deep freeze it for 6-8 hours. You can add wooden sticks while unmoulding to give an ice-cream effect
Unmould and serve immediately
S.:- Choose fruits which are fresh and ripe as it is sweet and does not require sugar substitute to make the dish sweet. You can use fruits like strawberries, litchi, kiwi, blueberry, custard apple

BENEFITS: Yoghurt is great source of probiotics which maintains gut health and fights bacteria and disease producing organisms in our body. It is also great source of vitamins and minerals available from fruits. It makes for excellent ice-cream that is sugarless and low fat + no added preservatives. You wouldn’t mind giving it to your kids for sure

5. Lapsi

Ingredients	Amount
Broken wheat/Dalia/ fada	1 cup
Jaggery	1 cup
Cardamom powder	½ tsp
Almonds	6-8 nos
Ghee	2 tbsp
Raisins	Optional

METHOD:

Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a wide pan on medium heat; stir in the broken wheat and roast the wheat until it gets a roasted aroma and the color changes to golden orange.
In another pan, dissolve the jaggery in 2 cups warm water. Strain if you see any impurities/residue. Pour in the jaggery mixture and cardamom powder in the broken wheat mixture stirring continuously until well combined. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes; stirring occasionally until the wheat is cooked to tender.
Allow the Lapsi to rest covered for five minutes. Stir in the cashew nuts and the raisins to the above mixture and serve
Stir in few of the almond slivers and the raisins to the Lapsi Recipe (Gujarati Broken Wheat Pudding). Garnish with remaining almond slivers. Serve hot

P.S. You can also use oats/ coarsely ground Moong dal flour instead of broken wheat

BENEFITS: Broken wheat is rich in fiber and manganese, magnesium, phosphorus. It contains all the nutrients present in whole wheat. When had with jiggery, it serves to be a nutrient dense sweet.

6. Puran Poli

Ingredients	Amount
Whole wheat flour	1 cup
Tur dal/ Chana dal/ lentil	1 cup
Jaggery	1/2 cup
Cardamom powder	½ tsp
Nutmeg powder	¼ tsp
Ghee	1 tbsp
Oil	1 tsp
Saffron	Optional
Salt	To taste

METHOD:

Take a large bowl; combine wheat flour with salt, water and knead to form a firm dough mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to coat the dough and knead for a couple of more minutes until smooth and firm. Cover the dough and keep it aside for 10-15 minutes
Cook the lentil with 1-1/2 cups of water until soft and is well cooked. You can even pressure cook the lentil for one whistle and simmer on slow flame for a few minutes more. Drain any excess water from the lentil and keep aside.
Heat ghee in another pan on medium heat, add the jaggery and stir until the jiggery dissolves completely. Stir in the cooked lentils, saffron, cardamom and nutmeg to the jaggery mixture until well combined.
Continue stirring the mixture until the lentil mixture begins to thicken and leaves the sides of the pan. Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool completely.
Divide the dough and Puran mixture into 6-7 equal portions. Roll out rotis with the help of dry wheat flour. Place the puran mixture into the center, bring all the edges of the rolled roti towards the center and fold over to cover the filling, thereby sealing the puran mixture completely.
Flatten the stuffed dough; dust over a little flour and roll gently into medium sized rotis/ circle ensuring not to put too much pressure as the puran can come out of the dough.
Preheat an iron skillet on medium high; place the rolled puranpoli’s onto the skillet to cook until golden brown on both sides by applying minimal of ghee over it to give it a crispier texture.
Repeat the above process for all the remaining dough and puran portions.

BENEFITS: Excellent cereal pulse combination providing good quality proteins. Iron from jiggery. Good satiety value since high in proteins, fiber.

7 Dry fruit Barfi

Ingredients	Amount
Seedless Dates chopped	½ cup
Dry figs chopped	½ cup
Almonds finely chopped	½ cup
Walnuts finely chopped	½ cup
Cashew+ Pistachio mixture finely chopped	¼ cup
Milk	1-2 tablespoon
Cardamom powder	A pinch
Nutmeg powder	A pinch
Ghee	½ tbsp.

METHOD:

In a pan, heat ghee. Roast all the dryfruits except dried figs and dates until you get roasted aroma
Blend the finely chopped dates and figs with 1-2 tablespoon of milk until smooth.
In a nonstick pan, sauté the blend paste until golden brown. Keep stirring continuously till the mixture leaves sides of the pan. In this mixture, add the roasted dry fruits and mix well.
Pour and layer this dry fruit barfi mixture into a greased pan and smoothen it well. Allow it to rest until the mixture is cooled completely and it firms a little
Cut the Dry Fruit Barfi into equal squares. Your dryfruit barfi is ready to serve. You can garnish it with almond slivers

BENEFITS: Serves as an excellent nutrition bar. High in omega 3, iron, calcium, fiber , multivitamins and minerals. Great option for all.