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Your Favorite Recipes Made Healthy

recipes made healthyMost of us can’t do without good food and during this lockdown if you’ve learned how to cook or simply love cooking, it’s time to prepare your favorite recipes the healthy way! Let’s take a look at some recipes made healthy!

1. Biryani Recipe Made Healthy 

Starting with the finest, let’s start with identifying what’s healthy and what’s not in the recipe. I personally consider Biryani a healthy dish to start with. An excellent combination of proteins (paneer/chicken/mutton) with rice. Hence, balancing out your only rice dish. Seasoned with the best spices in your pantry, each with its unique benefits helping in the digestion of your meal apart from adding flavour. It is usually combined with a good quantity of curd based salad, so you do not have to worry about your fiber and veggie intake either.

So what’s wrong? Except for the oil content, I cannot think of much. Next question – where is the oil? Answer- In the fried onions! Every Biryani recipe has fried onions amounting to the same quantity as the chicken/mutton. So, if you are making Biryani with 1 kg chicken, you have to add 1kg of fried onions.

How then do you make this healthy?

  • Take 1 kg onions, slice and fry 3 onions from this and grind the rest to a pulp.
  • Heat 2 tbsp of oil and cook your onion paste – this requires patience and can be done a day ahead.
  • Keep cooking and stirring your onion paste till the water is dry and it starts turning brown.
  • Keep a handful of your fried onions aside for garnishing and grind the rest to a paste.
  • Add the fried onion paste to the rest of your browned onion paste.
  • Voila! You have 1 kg of fried onion paste to add to your chicken, cooked in less than the oil you would otherwise require.

This tip can be used for gravies requiring fried onion paste too such as Kormas.

2. Chicken Nuggets Made Healthy 

Who doesn’t like nuggets? Especially kids! Serve them a plate of nuggets and you are their best friend forever! So, what’s wrong? My answer nothing and everything. Buy a pack of frozen nuggets and you are feeding your kids questionable meat fried in questionable oil and seasoned with a variety of chemicals and preservatives. Instead, prepare a plate of chicken nuggets from scratch, with fresh meat and love and you are offering your kids a healthy, high protein snack!

Ingredients

  • Chicken breasts, cut into slices
  • Seasoning of your choice
  • Corn flour
  • Breadcrumbs

Method

  1. Flatten your chicken breast a bit with a meat hammer. Cut into nugget sized pieces.
  2. Season with salt and whatever other spices you like, I like to season mine with herbs and garlic.
  3. Add 2 tbsp. of Corn flour to the chicken, coat each nugget with bread crumbs.
  4. These can then be stored in your freezer or fried right away.
  5. They just need to be shallow fried in a skillet and don’t need any deep frying.

3. Butter Chicken

Another hot favourite in my kitchen. The yummy North Indian gravies are usually made with cashew/almond paste and a lot of cream. Butter chicken has an added generous dollop of butter on top.

How do we make this healthy? 

My recipe calls for 2 tbsp of oil initially for sautéing the onions, plus a generous dollop of butter in the end. Instead, I add 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of oil for sautéing the onions, and minus the butter in the end. My recipe called for frying marinated chicken and then shredding it. I just grill/broil the chicken in the oven instead.

While making the cashew paste, I add a tbsp of melon seeds while reducing the cashew quantity a bit. And grind it with milk instead of water to make a thick and creamy paste (thereby avoiding the cream in the end).

I substitute the fresh cream with either milk or thick buttermilk. If I’m in a festive mood, I add 1 tbsp of fresh cream to 150 ml of milk (Small indulgences are always allowed). Make sure to remove your gravy from the flame after 30 seconds of adding the milk/buttermilk as this will otherwise curdle in the gravy.

4. Pizza Made Healthy 

Pizzas are bad unless you try this whole wheat pizza base!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup ground oats
  • 1 tbsp yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup lukewarm water
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 Tsp pepper powder
  • 1 tsp oregano (optional)
  • 1 tsp dried basil (optional)

Method

  1. Dissolve the sugar in the lukewarm water. Mix the yeast in it and keep for 15 – 20 minutes in a warm place.
  2. Mix all the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients, including the yeast mixture, mix with a spoon, and bring together with your hands, you may have to wet your hands a bit.
  3. Keep it for proving in a warm and dry place, for 2 hours. The dough will have expanded to double or more volume at this time. Punch it down once and shape into balls. Roll each ball and flatten to make a thin pizza base.
  4. If you want to pre-bake the base, bake at 200°C for 8 minutes in a preheated oven. If you are making the pizza directly, then add the desired toppings and bake at 200°C for 10 – 15 minute.
  5. The same recipe for bread can also be used for other recipes like rolls and buns.

We hope this article on your favorite recipes made healthy helps you enjoy your food without any guilt! For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to cooking sessions on GOQii Play.

#BeTheForce 

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4 Healthy Pizza Recipes You Can Try During Lockdown

4 Healthy Pizza RecipesHave you been craving for a delicious slice of pizza during lockdown? While indulging in this forbidden treat can be a sin for those who are on their way to being healthy and fit, there are some who just can’t resist. Now that there’s no possible way you can cheat on your diet, let’s try some awesome healthy pizza recipes you can make at home!

1. Healthy Whole Wheat Pizza Base

(Recipe by Azra Faisan)
Whole Wheat Pizza Base
You can’t possibly go wrong when your foundation is this strong! Try this Healthy Whole Wheat Pizza Base for starters:

Ingredients:

  • 2 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 Cup of All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 Cup of Grounded Oats
  • 1 tbsp Yeast
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 Cup of Lukewarm Water
  • 1/2 a Cup of Milk
  • 2 tbsp Sugar
  • 3 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/2 tsp Pepper Powder
  • 1 tsp Oregano (optional)
  • 1 tsp Dried Basil (optional)

Method:

  1. Dissolve the sugar in lukewarm water
  2. Mix the yeast and keep it for 15 – 20 minutes in a warm place
  3. Mix all the dry ingredients (grounded oats, pepper powder, etc.)
  4. Add the wet ingredients, including the yeast mixture
  5. Mix them with a spoon and bring them together with your hands (You may have to wet your hands a bit).
  6. Keep them in a dry place for 2 hours for proving. By this time, the dough will have expanded to twice it’s volume or more
  7. Punch it down and carefully shape it into balls
  8. Roll each ball and flatten them to make a thin pizza base
  9. In a pre-heated oven, pre-bake the base at 200°C for 8 minutes (only if you want a pre-baked base)
  10. If you want to skip pre-baking the base, then add your choice of ingredients (choose a few veggies and add only a little cheese to make it even more healthy!)
  11. Bake at 200°C for 10-15 minutes

2. Roti Pizza Recipe 

(Recipe by Urvi Gohil)
Roti Pizza
One of the easiest healthy pizza recipes ever made!

  • Prepare a Wheat Roti
  • Apply pasta sauce or you can even mix ketchup with chilli sauce
  • Add chopped onions, tomatoes, olives, lettuce, or any veggies you have at hand
  • Top it off with cheese, paneer and condiments such as oregano, mixed herbs or chilli flakes
  • Bake them in the oven or you can pan fry it for a healthy and delicious treat!

3. Cauliflower Pizza

(Recipe by Shraddha Shetty)
Cauliflower pizzaThis might seem like a bad idea until you taste it! A must try recipe for anyone who loves their veggies!

Ingredients:

  • 2 Cups of Riced Cauliflower Florets
  • 1 Cup of Parmesan or Mozzarella Cheese
  • 1 Egg
  • Salt to Taste
  • Mixed Herbs

For Topings:

  • Tomato Sauce (Tomato puree, fresh garlic, mixed herbs, black pepper powder, salt)
  • Your Choice of Vegetables
  • A Little Cheese

Method:

  1. Clean the Cauliflower Florets by washing and drying them well
  2. Pulse the florets in a food processor or grate them into rice-like granular consistency
  3. Take the riced cauliflower and transfer it to a non-stick pan. Keep stirring on low flame till most of the moisture is gone (ensure that it does not turn brown) and let it cool
  4. Beat 1 egg in a bowl, add cheese and mix them well
  5. Add the riced cauliflower and mix well with salt and herbs
  6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and transfer this mixture onto it to make a pizza base
  7. Gently pat the mixture to make a base of your desired shape with a thickness of a quarter inch. Ensure that you keep the edges slightly thick to avoid burning
  8. Place it in a pre-heated oven at 200°C for 20 mins
  9. Remove and let it cool
  10. Once cooled, spread the tomato sauce, add any topping of your choice with a little cheese and bake it again at 200°C for 10 minutes
  11. Serve hot!

4. Buckwheat Flour Bread Pizza

(Recipe by Shilpi Agarwal)

Ingredients:

  • 4 Slices of Whole Wheat Bread
  • 100 gm Buckwheat Flour
  • 1 Chopped Onion
  • 1 Chopped Tomato
  • Grated Carrot
  • Finely Chopped Green Chillies
  • Salt to Taste
  • 4 tsp Oil

Method:

  1. Mix the Buckwheat Flour and chopped vegetables
  2. Adding salt and water, make a batter of thick consistency
  3. Pour 2 tbsp of this batter on one slice of bread and spread well to cover the whole surface of the bread
  4. Heat a non-stick pan and grease it with oil
  5. When the pan is heated, put the bread coated with batter in the pan upside down
  6. Add ½ tsp oil and let it cook for a minute
  7. Turn it, add ½ tsp oil again and let the other side get cooked
  8. Take the bread slice off the pan when both sides turn golden brown
  9. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or tamarind chutney or a little bit of cheese

We hope you try these healthy pizza recipes at home and level up your health. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! For more healthy recipes, check out the GOQii Blog or tune in to LIVE cooking sessions on GOQii Play.

Stay home, stay safe, eat healthy and #BeTheForce

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3 Must-Try Mini Meals For Good Health!

“Don’t ask why healthy food is expensive! Ask why junk food is so cheap!” It is that junk food which creates junk in our mind and body. We might have grown up eating all the fried and junk food we could but do we really want to continue with the same? I am sure the answer is no!

So, here are a few recipes and their benefits, which are a healthier version of junk food and much tastier too.

1. Fruity Appam

Ingredients for the batter:

  • Rava/ Semolina – ½ cup
  • Powdered sugar – 1 tbsp
  • Curd – ½ cup
  • Milk – ½ cup
  • Baking powder 1/4th tsp
  • Elaichi/ Cardamom
  • Banana – 1 no.
  • Salt to taste

Ingredients for the stuffing:

  • Kiwi – 1 no
  • Sugar – 2 or 2.5 tsp
  • Lemon juice – 1 tsp
  • Cinnamon powder – 1/4th tsp

Method for the batter:

  1. In one bowl, mix all the above ingredients listed for batter, except banana.
  2. Smash banana in another bowl and add it to the above mixture.
  3. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.

Method for the stuffing:

  1. Add kiwi, sugar, lemon juice in a pan and cook till the sugar melts and the kiwi is cooked.
  2. Add cinnamon powder to the mixture and mix well. Remove it in a bowl.
  3. Add the water from the above mixture in the batter and mix the batter well.

Method for Combining the Two

  1. Heat and grease the appam pan with oil.
  2. Add a layer of batter, followed by stuffing, and then covered by another layer of batter.
  3. Cook appam on both sides until golden brown.
  4. Serve hot.

Note: You can use any other seasonal fruit apart from kiwi.

Benefits: This recipe is specially listed for kids as they generally do not like fruits. It is an easy way of at least including 2-3 fruits in their diet. Fruits are a storehouse of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals which help in their overall growth and development. They also strengthen the immune system to fight against any illness. Apart from fruits, this is a traditional recipe with a healthy twist enjoyed by all!

2. Cheesy Vegetable Cutlet

What better to find a healthy and nutritious way to eat the most relished dish! Roll up your sleeves as you are going to read a very tasty and easy recipe.

What you will need:   

  • Oil – 1 tsp
  • Butter – 1 tsp
  • Chopped onion – ¼ cup
  • Chopped garlic – ¼ tsp
  • Chopped beans – 1 ½  tbsp
  • Grated carrot – 1 ½ tbsp
  • Boiled & grated corn – 1 ½ tbsp
  • Boiled & Mashed potatoes – 1 cup
  • Grated cheese – 1 no
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander – 1 tbsp
  • Bread crumbs – 1 tbsp (keep extra for rolling)
  • Red chilly powder – ¼ tsp

How to Prepare:

  1. Sauté onion and garlic in a pan.
  2. Add beans, grated carrot and salt. Let it cook.
  3. To the mixture, add corn and potatoes. Mix well.
  4. Switch off the gas and add grated cheese, salt, coriander, red chilly and bread crumbs.
  5. Mix well and let the mixture cool down.
  6. Roll the mixture into small balls or if you have different shape molds, then cut using them.
  7. Roll/ spread the balls over the bread crumbs until it is fully covered with it.
  8. Take a pan and shallow fry the cutlets using oil until they are golden brown on both sides.
  9. Serve hot, with ketchup or green chutney.

Note: If you wish to add any more vegetables to the above mixture you can feel free to do so. Using rava/ oats in place of breadcrumbs to roll the cutlets is also welcome.

Benefits: This recipe is a very easy and effective way to include vegetables in your kid’s meals. It is very common to see kids remove vegetables from their plate. Try this one and I’m sure your kids will relish eating it. Apart from vegetables, cheese is a special ingredient added to the above mixture, as kids and adults love the taste of it. Other than that, cheese is a good source of protein and calcium.

3. Pizza with a Twist

Ingredients for the dough:

  • Wheat flour – 1 cup
  • Baking soda – ½ tsp
  • Water – 1 cup
  • Dry yeast – ½ tsp
  • Sugar – ½ tsp
  • Salt – to taste
  • Oil – 2 tsp

For pesto sauce:

  • Fresh basil (tulsi) – 200 gm
  • Garlic – 3 cloves
  • Olive oil – 3 tsp
  • Salt – to taste
  • Water
  • Veggies: Onion; Green, Yellow and Red bell pepper; Jalapenos, Paneer; Cheese; Olives; Oregano; Chilli flakes.

Method for preparing the dough:

  1. Heat some water in a sauce pan and add sugar and dry yeast.
  2. Cook till it dissolves and let it cool.
  3. In a bowl, take wheat flour, salt, oil and baking soda. Mix them.
  4. Add yeast water and knead the dough.
  5. Add some oil in the end and let it ferment for 2-3 hours.

After 2 hours:

  1. Prepare the pizza base from the dough. Knead it with corn flour and give it shape by using your hands.
  2. Make holes in pizza base with a fork.
  3. Bake the base in a pre-heated oven at 260 degree Celsius for 4-5 minutes.

Method for pesto sauce:

  1. In a mixture jar add basil, garlic, olive oil and salt.
  2. Now add some water and prepare pesto sauce.

Method for Assembling:

  1. After the pizza base is ready, apply pesto sauce over the base and add all the vegetables on it.
  2. Now sprinkle cottage cheese, very little cheese, oregano and chilli flakes over the pizza.
  3. Place the pizza in a pan, close it with a lid and cook it for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Take the pizza on a serving plate and serve it hot.

Note: Making the dough is optional, you can even purchase a whole wheat pizza base. It is easily available in the market.

Benefits: Everyone likes pizza but the ones available in the market are unhealthy. Few benefits of this healthy pizza include the use of cottage cheese over normal cheese. Cottage cheese provides protein. More so, the pizza is a nutritious combination of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals as it has veggies, dairy products and cereals.

We hope you enjoy eating these healthy mini meals as much as you’ll enjoy making them! How do you make your food healthy? Do you have a healthy twist to a traditional recipe? Let us know in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

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