Sprouts salad

Next in line is a healthy salad with sprouts. Oflate I have become a huge salad fan. I am trying a lot of salads. This is one salad which I often make. IT is very easy to make if you have the sprouted beans at hand. You can add any sprouted beans to this. Sprouted moong and sprouted kabuli chana are my take.



The health benefits of sprouts make up quite an impressive list, and they include the ability to improve the digestive process, boost the metabolism, increase enzymatic activity throughout the body, prevent anemia, help with weight loss, lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, prevent neural tube defects in infants, protect against cancer, boost skin health, improve vision, support the immune system, and increase usable energy reserves.

Ingredients:

Sprouted Moong - 1/2 cup

Sprouted Kabuli chana - 1/2 cup

Onions (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp

Grated carrot - 2 tbsp

Capsicum (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Vinegar - 1/2 tsp

Method:

• Prepare for the sprouts one day ahead.
• Mix all the ingredients in a wide bowl. Add Vinegar at the last. Mix them thoroughly.
• Serve around 3-4 tbsp for each person. This salad cannot be had in large quantities.

Enjoy with a hot soup.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 80

An InLinkz Link-up

Pan fried Beans

I have tried this pan fried beans when I had been to finland. There I have often packed this for lunch. Since the ingredients like garlic powder and onion powder were easily available over there, this recipe could be made in minutes. I havent tried this recipe in India and I dont know how it would taste without these powders. This pan fried beans is more like a salad but quite filling.

Ingredients:

French green beans - 250 grams

garlic powder - 1 tbsp

Onion powder - 1 tbsp

Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

Method:

• Clean the beans. Trim the ends and cut then into 2-3 inch long pieces.
• In a stainless steel pot over medium-high heat, combine green beans, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cook, covered, until the beans begin to sweat. Remove lid and stir occasionally until beans are tender.
• When the beans and spices have begun to 'burn' on the bottom of the pan, which will lend a grilled flavor, stir in the olive oil and turn off heat. Cover, and let stand a few minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate the 'burnt' spices. Beans should have a dark, caramel color, but not black.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#79

Aloo Raitha

I had some left over boiled potatoes in the fridge. And I was searching for some new and easy recipes to make. That is when I remembered in the regional cuisines my fellow bloggers had made and posted raitha with aloo. I immediately searched for it and found this link in Sandhya's blog. I didn't think too much about it, just followed the recipe and this was a wonderful salad.

Aloo raitha would be a hit among kids because kids generally love potatoes. I understand that this raitha or salad definitely takes a spot in the plate in our northern cuisine (haryana / bihar). I served it with rotis and it was an instant hit. This raitha would come in handy when we are preparing dinner I guess. I added little finely chopped onions also to this raitha to bring in that crunchy feeling.

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 2 large

Finely chopped onions - 2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Sugar - 1 tsp

Thick curd - 1 cup

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Chaat masala / Garam masala powder - pinch

Method:

• Boil the potatoes. I boiled the potatoes in cooker.
• Once cooled, peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes.
• In a bowl add the chopped onions, curd and all other spice powders. Mix well.
• Finally add the cubed potatoes and coat the potatoes with the curd mixture.

Serve immediately so that the crunchiness of the onions is not lost.

Notes:

• The potatoes can also be cooked in microwave. Cube the potatoes and microwave high for 5 minutes.
• Chaat masala or garam masala is optional. But if adding add only a pinch.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#66

Cucumber-Onion-Tomato Raitha

This is the raitha that I usually make along with biriyanis and mixed rices. Thought of sharing the recipe for the same.



Ingredients:
Curd - 250 grams
Onions - 75 grams
Tomatoes - 25 grams
Cucumber - 75 grams
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1/2 spoon
Coriander leaves - few

Method:

• Beat the curd well.
• Finely chop the onions, tomatoes and cucumber.
• Mix the chopped vegetables, curd, salt and sugar.  
• Mix well until the salt and sugar is dissolved.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

Note:
The raitha would be good if the curd is sour.
Mix the ingredients just half an hour before serving.
Optionally we can also add little pepper powder.

Sprouted Moong salad

I have decided to include sprouts in our menu. Sprouts have a lot of health benefits. Sprouts are incredibly nutritious; especially for those on a raw food diet. Studies show remarkable levels of B Vitamins, as well as Vitamins C, E and A (up to 15 times the original content!). Sprouts can be eaten at any meal to help the digestive process along and keep raw living nutrition pumping through your blood.

I started with a simple salad and here's the recipe



Ingredients:
Sprouted green gram - 100 grams
Carrots - 25 grams
Onions - 15 grams
Tomatoes - 15 grams
salt - to taste
Garlic - 2 pods
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp

Method:

• Soak the green gram in water for 24 hours. After 24 hours you should start seeing sprouts popping up. Now drain the water and keep the green gram in a container with lid for another 24 hours. The green gram should have little moisture. Once the sprouts are ready store in refrigerator and use as per your needs.
• Chop the onions, garlic and tomatoes into smaller pieces.
• Grate the carrots.
• Mix the sprouted green gram, chopped onions, garlic, tomatoes and carrots with salt and lemon juice. 

A Healthy Salad is ready!!!

Note:
You can also add chopped green chillies or pepper powder to get a spicy effect.

Linking this to nivedhanams dish-it-outlentils-and-garlic and cooksjoy

Chick Peas Stir Fry

Well I was planning on a diet where in I wanted to avoid rice and roti for a few days and go ahead with  just vegetables and fruits. I wanted to include chickpeas, peas etc... in my diet. I am not very fond of chick peas sundal. So tried this different dish which I as well as H liked very much and it was yummy to eat plain without rice or roti. Please do try this. I feel this would be a nice accompaniment for roti also.



Ingredients:
Chick peas - 200 grams
Onions - 50 grams
Tomatoes - 25 grams
Coriander powder - 3 grams
garam masala powder - 2 grams
chilly powder - 3 grams
salt and turmeric powder - to taste
Oil - 5 grams
mustard - 3 grams
coriander leaves - few

Method:

• Soak the chick peas in enough water for about 8-10 hours or overnight.
• Pressure cook the chick peas with salt and turmeric powder for about 4 whistles.
• Chop the onions and tomatoes into small pieces.
• In a kadai pour oil, add the mustard. Once mustard splutters, add the chopped onions.
• Fry until the onions turn translucent. Now add the chopped tomatoes.
• Add all the spice powders mentioned in the ingredients and the needed amount of salt for onions and tomatoes.
• Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked.
• Now add the cooked chick peas. Mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes so that the onion-tomato mixture and the chick peas blend well.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

Chick peas stir fry is ready!!!

Note: I have used very less spices since I wanted to eat it plain. Please increase the amount of spices if this needs to be an accompaniment for roti.


Linking this to favorite-recipes-event-lentil

Beet root raitha

Just tried a different raitha after reading various blogs and this came out yummy.

Ingredients:

Beetroot – 75 grams

Potato – 50 grams

Carrot – 50 grams

Curd – 300 grams

Salt to taste

For Garnishing

Coriander leaves

Mint leaves

Method:

• Grate the beetroot, potato and carrot.
• Microwave all 3 for about 3 minutes so that they are half cooked.
• Grind the cooked vegetables with curd and salt in a mixer.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and mint leaves.

It tasted heavenly with spicy vegetable pulao.