Chickpea Salad with Yogurt Mint Dressing ~ Healthy Food

There are days when I am in no mood for an elaborate meal. That happens mostly when I have to prepare something solely for myself. Cooking for self has never motivated me to go for elaborate cooking. In such cases I try to go healthy and make some healthy filling salad or a one pot meal like khichdi or sometimes a large glass of smoothie. This chickpea salad is one I make quite regularly because it is healthy as well as filling. And if I am in a mood to indulge a little, I can go for a decadent brownie for dessert (an ardent brownie fan I am!).

I used to make a simple Chickpea Salad often but I got the idea of pairing it with a minty yogurt dressing from Rachel Allen recipe I spotted in this book.

This is how I make it:

Salad:

1 cup boiled Chickpeas
1 tomato chopped finely
2-3 tbsp chopped red onion
2-3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:

1/2 cup low fat yogurt
1 tsp crushed dried mint
1 tsp sugar/honey
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

Process:

1. Mix the salad ingredients together and toss them well. Keep it in fridge until needed.
2. Whisk all the dressing ingredients and keep it in fridge until needed.
3. Before serving pour the dressing over the salad and serve. Enjoy!

Linking it to Show Me Your HITS~Lentils N Legumes and Lets make Salads.

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Event Round Up ~ Healthy & Hearty

 I am here with the round up of my first food event - 'Healthy & Hearty'.

 A big 'Thank You' to all of you who have send in these beautiful, varied and healthy entries. There are delicious entries right from soups, salad, snacks to main course dishes and a few desserts too. I have composed the round up mostly in the order I received them. However, if I have left out any entry please let me know and I will include it soon. Also, if you forgot to send me your entry through mail, please leave your link below the post and I will update it.

Without much ado, check out what is there in the round up.

Cucumber Salad by Torview
Rice Soup by Santosh Banger
Radish Salad by Ash
Spicy Puffed Rice by Kavi
Baloon Vine Dosa by Kurunji
Sorakkaya Pulusu by Sravani
Brinjal Curry by Sravani
Mixed Vegetable Thoran by Sona
Kaju Paneer by Nupur

Mug Dhokla by Pradnya
Undhiyu by Satayani
Bulgur Upma by Anamika
Hari Bhari Dal by Charu
Vermicilli Pulao by Rasi
Sprouted Green Moongdal Corn Dosa by Priya
Cabbage & Corn Soup by Priya
Bottlegourd & Moongdal Sambhar by Priya
 Spicy Cucumber & Mixed Veggies Salad by Priya

Broccoli Mushroom Stir Fry by Sireesha
Brown Rice Carrot Kheer by Nupur
Peas Poha by Charul
Choorha Matar by Nupur
Savoury and Nutty Semolina Cakes by Pinky
Peanut Sundal by Pranati
Spaghetti by Pranati
Veg Soup with Pasta by Pranati
Cilantro Tomato Chutney by Satya

Alammurabha by Hema
Banana Halwa by Hema
Chyote Squash Stir Fry by Nisha
Rava Upma by Nupur
Quinoa Lentil Veg Soup by Swetha
Kollu/Horsegram Rasam by Rasya
Indian Chickpea Salad by Mireilli
Oats and Flax seed Muthia byAyeesha
Carrot Potato Soup by Harini

Kara Adai by Harini
Aviyal by Harini
Mix Veggie Muffin by  Princy
Eggless Dates Cake by Radhika
Apricot Yogurt by Prathima
Chinese Vegetable Noodles Soup by Radhika
Tomato Dhokla by Radhika
Italian Style Tofu Bake by Denny
Mushroom Noodle Soup in Microwave by Indrani

My entries:
Kiwi and Orange Salad
Moong Sprouts and Veggie Salad
Aloo Patakha
Blueberry Fool
Savoury Semolina Cake
Crunchy Masala Peanuts 

Hope you enjoyed going through the round up. Thank you for stopping by! Cheers

Moong Sprouts and Veggie Salad

After a decadent Kulfi, it is only reasonable that I share something really healthy and this salad is one of the healthiest thing I have made of late. Without much ado lets see how I made it. This salad is definitely going to add to my presently almost non existent salad recipes on this space. It is not that I do not make salads, I just feel that they are something too simple and too easy to be blogged about. I love sprouts and felt that I must blog about this salad.

Here is something about moong beans one should know:

"Moong beans, apart from being a good source of protein also contain useful amounts of fibre, potassium, and B-vitamins. They contain low levels of fat, cholesterol and sodium. It is useful for those of us who want to increase their alertness and mental abilities. Phosphorous is also necessary for healthy bones and teeth, a fact which makes sprouted seeds desirable for babies and children."

How to make moong sprouts?


Soak the moong dal overnight and it will increase to twice its volume. Drain off the water and keep the moong dal in a warm place for 12-20 hrs for the sprouts to grow. The sprouts grow faster in warm environment. Sometimes, I heat the oven at 50-75 C for 5 minutes and then keep the soaked beans there, for the sprouts to grow.

Click here for the printable version


Ingredients:
1/2 cup sprouted moong beans
100 gm cherry tomatoes
1 carrot peeled and chopped
1/4 cup chopped onions
Lots of chopped coriander leaves.
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp chat masala
Freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Black salt to taste.


Serves 2


Process:
1. The moong sprouts can be cooked or used raw in salad. You can steam them too. I usually pour very hot water over a bowl of sprouts and cover it for 5 minutes and then use them in making my salad. The sprouts thus have a crunchy texture than the cooked sprouts.
1. Toss all the ingredients into a salad bowl and shake well. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve immediately.

Note: You can add any veggie of  your choice. For example: chopped radish, cucumber, cabbage etc. 

Linking it to my event - Healthy and Hearty and to  Only Sprouts Event guest hosted by Priya and started by Pari.

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Savoury Semolina Cake ~ A Healthy Snack!

I have recently finished reading a book I didn't enjoy much. So instead of writing a bad review and cribbing about it, I decided to do a food related post again. The book review can wait for a while. 

This recipe has been lying in my drafts for months now, I thought it would be good to post it now since, I have a food event running here with the theme -'Healthy & Hearty' and this one of the healthiest snack/bake I make regularly. It can be served for breakfast or afternoon tea and you don't have to worry about the portion size at all.

Savory Semolina Cake:
Recipe Source: Anjum Anand's Indian Food Made Easy
(Click here for the printable version:)

Ingredients:

2 tsp vegetable oil, plus extra for oiling the loaf pan.
1 cup semolina.
1 cup plain low fat yoghurt.
3 tbsp water.
¼ cup frozen peas.
¼ cup chopped onions(optional, i didn't use it)
¼ cup finely chopped carrot.
¼ cup chopped bell pepper.
¼ cup chopped green beans
1 tsp grated ginger
1 green chilli chopped finely.
Few curry leaves.
1 tsp red chilli powder.
¼ tsp turmeric powder.
1 tsp mustard seeds.
½ tsp cumin seeds.
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda.
1 tbsp sesame seeds.
A pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp salt

Serves 8.

Process:

1.Preheat the oven at 180 C and oil a medium loaf tin.

2. Mix together the semolina, yogurt, water, salt to make a batter of a medium thick consistency. Heat the oil in a small saucepan. Add asafoetida, mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilies and cumin seeds and cook for about 20 seconds until the mustard seeds have popped and the cumin is aromatic. Add the veggies and spices and cook for 2-3 minutes Stir into batter.

3. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda and immediately pour the mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle over sesame seeds. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

4. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and when the edges are crisp. Leave the cake to cool in the tin. Slice when cooled and serve with the chutney of your choice or ketchup.

Linking it to my event- Healthy and Hearty. Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Quick and Crunchy Masala Peanuts ~ In Microwave ~ For Blog Hop Wednesdays

If you want a quick snack, hassle free to make, then you have hit the right space. These crunchy masala peanuts just takes a few minutes to prepare and you will have only a couple to utensils to wash after you make them. This week for the new edition of Blog Hop Wednesdays, I was paired with Nirmala's Kitchen. Her space has a variety of dishes and I have bookmarked a number of her dosa recipes. But the moment, I saw this, I knew this is what I need to try right away. Needless to say, I love peanuts! I have used half the quantity as given in the original recipe. This is a healthy snack which uses little oil and can be prepared in a jiffy.

I know this post comes a day late but as the saying goes, 'Better late than never'. Do check out what other Blog Hoppers are up with. Lets check the recipe of Crunchy Munchy Masala Peanuts.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanuts
1 tbsp gram flour/besan.
1tsp rice flour
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
11/2 tsp oil
1/3 tsp salt or to taste
Click here for the printable version
Process:
1. Soak the peanuts in water for 10-15 minutes.
2. In a bowl add rest of the ingredients and mix. Drain the water and add the peanuts to the masala mixture.
3. Use your hands to lather the masala mixture onto the peanuts and then arrange it on a microwave safe plate in single layer.
4. Microwave it on a high for 1 minute and check. Remove any lumps. Repeat the process until they are crisp. I did it 4 times, 1 minutes each. Be careful when handling the plate as it will become hotter with each minute.
5. Let it rest for 10 minutes before munching as they will become crisp as they cool down. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee, it is even good on its own. Just keep an eye on the portion size as too much of anything isn't good.

Note: The time of making these can vary from microwave to microwave. I have a simple one which I use only for re heating food.

Also linking it to Healthy & Hearty hosted here & New Year - New Dish hosted by Nupur.

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

PS: I have a number of things to write about in my coming posts, both books and food and also about my New Year London visit. I will post the January Sweet Punch Challenge next. (Gosh! I am already a week late for that). Stay tuned.

Healthy & Hearty - An Event Announcement

With Christmas and New Year gone, life is finally back to routine. I am sure every one has started the new year with a few goals, be it personal, professional or even related to hobbies, food or even books. I had talked about a few reading challenges in my last post and now I am here with a food event announcement. With a flood of food related events in the blogosphere, you would wonder why another?

But then I say, why not? On going through the recipes I have posted so far, I realized that most of them baring a few are indulgent food items, either high in calories or deep fried. So, I decided to take a break and prepare something healthy yet delicious. That's when I thought of Healthy & Hearty.

What am I looking for?

Basically, I am looking for HEALTHY recipes. It can be either a starter or a main course or any guilt free dessert. No deep fried food, but baking is fine provided it is not laden with butter! You can also create a low fat version of traditionally calorie rich food item.The options are numerous and varied.. So, friends send in your healthy yet delicious entries!

Here are a few rules of the event, you would like to know:

1. It can be any course of the meal.
2. Recipe has to be strict vegetarian. No eggs allowed!
3. Multiple Entries are welcome. I will accept entries posted in 2012 but not older.
4. Please send in your entries starting today, 10th Jan 2012 till on or before Feb 29th 2012.

5. Bloggers can simply send your Name and URL of your recipe at sethiajyoti119@gmail.com (sethiajyoti119 AT gmail DOT com) with the subject of "Healthy & Hearty" with the following details-

Name:
Recipe Name and URL:
Picture of the dish reduced to 300px:

6. Link back to this announcement page is mandatory. Use of Logo is optional