Lentil Spinach Fries

Iron is an important ingredient and having iron rich food is of paramount importance. It is a key component in our blood and is needed to carry oxygen around in the body. People who have an iron deficiency often have pale complexions, general tiredness and breathlessness. Women often develop irregular and painful periods hence to have an iron rich diet is very necessary. I really enjoy cooking so here I present a simple vegetarian dish that is not only rich in iron but is very easy to prepare as well. Let’s go!

This dish is made of yellow lentils (dhuli moong dal) and spinach (palak). The best thing in this preparation is that the lentils will not be cooked hence most of the nutrition remains intact. Moong dal is a very good source of protein and iron. Spinach on the other hand, always reminds me of Popeye! It is a super food and is very rich in iron, vitamin C, niacin, potassium and riboflavin. We will use another amazing thing for garnishing but as for now that is a little surprise! 

Cooking Time- 15-25 min

Ingredients-

1.     1 Cup yellow lentil (Moong Dal)

2.     Cleaned leaves of fresh spinach

3.     2 green chilies

4.     A small piece of ginger

5.     Whole black pepper

6.     Salt to taste

7.     1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

8.     A pinch of asafoetida ( heeng) as per taste

9.     1/2 teaspoon dried red chili powder

10.   Oil for deep frying

Method-

-Soak 1 cup yellow lentil/ moong dal in minimal water for 4-5 hours. Add a pinch of salt.

-Stain water and make a batter of green chilies, ginger and soaked lentils in a grinder. Make sure that the batter is slightly coarse and thick.

-Add salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder, heeng, black pepper in the batter and mix well. 

-Heat oil for deep frying.

-Take one spinach leaf and apply batter on the both sides and put in the oil. Keep the burner on low and fry it on constant low heat for sometime till it is golden brown. Fry other leaves similarly. 

-Add grated Gooseberry (Amla) and Cheese (paneer) on the leaves as the Vitamin C in Amla increases the absorption of iron and hence adding Amla will be very beneficial.

-Serve with love and enjoy with tomato ketchup!

This dish is easy to prepare and is very rich in iron and many other nutrients. I hope you will enjoy it!

To increase iron in your diet, you can also take ‘Livogen’ which is numero uno Iron supplement!

Visit@ http://www.livogen.in/iron-chef

#livogenironchef

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Sweet-Potato!

Life is indeed barren without sweetness, not only in love and relationships but in food also. Food, esp Indian food is something divine. Indian sweets are famous around the world. However, times are changing fast and with the advent of new times, lifestyles have changed too, and are still changing fast like never before.  Lifestyles related diseases have taken a toll on most people and this directly impacts the eating habits. However, the good news is that, now we can enjoy our sweet dishes without worrying a bit about extra calories and such things. The answer to this is ‘Sugar-Free Natura’ that is a zero-calorie sweetener and has now become a part of many kitchens across the world. Now, you must be wondering if it is safe and the answer is yes! It is 100 percent safe as it is made from a derivative of natural sugar known as ‘Sucralose’ and is certified by FSSAI, WHO as well as USFDA. ‘Sugar Free Natura’ can be substituted for sugar and we can enjoy all the sweetness of life without an ounce of worry or guilt!

So let us check out an awesome but very easy recipe prepared of another common thing- Potato.

Aloo-Ka-Halwa (Potato Pudding)

Prep. Time- 10-15 minutes

Serves two

Ingredients-

Potatoes (medium)   3-4

Ghee-                          3 Tbsp

Cardamom                 2

Dry Nuts                    ¼ Cup

• Boil potatoes slightly more so that they become very soft. 

• Peel, mash and keep the pulp aside.

• Heat ghee in a non-stick pan and add potato pulp.

• Keep stirring till it becomes slightly golden.

• Add ‘Sugar Free Natura’ instead of white sugar and keep stirring.

• Add some chopped dry nuts and keep stirring for a few more minutes.

• Add cardamom powder and garnish with the remaining dry nuts.

Serve hot!

This pudding not only tastes awesome but is very quick to prepare and you will save your health from the harmful side effects of white sugar too!

 For more on a healthy and sugar free life, do visit - sugarfree-india.com

Capsicorn Craving!

My Pasta Story

Most of the foods carry a certain image that can be difficult to shed off sometimes. For example, most people consider the South Indian cuisine as very spicy. Similarly, Chinese food is often perceived to be full of cabbage and carrots. Pasta too carried such a notion for my cousin who had always discarded it as ‘junk’ and in the category of shunned foods. “You see, this pasta-wasta does not appeal to me,” he would say, till I prepared a dish with some of my own improvisations that he liked immensely. Del Monte Pasta is made up of high quality Durum wheat (also known as Macroni Wheat) and is nutritious. The sauce also contains veggies and tomato and hence nutrition is not lost like in other western foods. So here I gladly present the dish that helped me change the perception of my cousin and now he does not stop his kids from enjoying this wonderful Italian snack.

Pasta-Points  

I have Farfalle Pasta that looks like a bow-tie. The ‘Farfalle’ is an Italian word for ‘butterfly’ as it also resembles a butterfly’s wings.

However, before we begin, I would like to present some info regarding Pasta:

•          Pasta is eaten as a staple food in Italy.
•          It dates back to the year 1154 AD.
•          Pasta comes in more than 300 specific forms and shapes.
•          The word ‘Pasta’ comes from the Greek word ‘Pestos’ that means ‘salted’.
•          Pasta comes in two major varieties- fresh (fresca) and dried (secca).

So let’s go!

These were some interesting tidbits and now presented is the dish I have named ‘Pasta Capsicorn ’ for I just love corns! This makes Pasta not only different but healthy as well.

  This preparation of Pasta Capsicorn -

1.      Serves three
2.      Preparation time is around 10 minutes
3.      Cooking time is around 15 minutes
4.      Utensils (main) needed are a non-stick heating pan, a boiling pan, a strainer and a serving dish.

Ingredients	Quantity
Del Monte Pasta Water (for boiling) Finely chopped onions Tomatoes Garlic cloves Finely chopped Green chilies Boiled Corns Chopped Capsicum Chili powder Processed Cheese Corn flour Olive/ groundnut Oil Salt Lemon and Coriander Garlic butter /Plain butter	150 gms 3-4 cups 1 or 2 3 5 2 2 Tablespoons 1 Half Teaspoon/2.5 gms 1 or 2 slices/cubes 1 small teaspoon/4 gms 1 tablespoon As per taste For garnishing Half a teaspoon

Method

1.  Boil pasta for around 15 minutes on a high flame. Add a few oil drops to keep pasta flakes from sticking together.  Also add half of teaspoonful of salt. When soft, drain and keep aside. 

2.   Heat oil in a pan and sauté chopped garlic, onions and green chilies along with salt (to taste).

3.  When the onions are translucent, add chopped capsicum and salt to taste and sauté some more till the capsicum is free of its ‘rawness’.

4.  Meanwhile, put tomatoes in boiling water for a few minutes, cool them and peel off the skins and mash them finely.

5.   Add chili powder and tomatoes to the mixture in the pan.

6.   After a few minutes, add boiled corns and mix well.

7.   Now add corn flour (mixed with very little water) to hold or bind the sauce together.

8.   Heat the mixture over the flame for some more time while stirring continuously. Add some water if the mixture is thick.

9.   Finally, add boiled pasta and mix well and stir for a minute or two.

10.   Remove from flame and mix lemon juice and processed cheese. Garnish with coriander and a dash of garlic butter.

‘Pasta Capsicorn ’ is ready to be served and enjoyed!

After I prepared this dish, my cousin who is quite stingy with compliments, showered many upon me and his delusion that Pasta was unhealthy was also broken. Pasta is an immensely enjoyable dish and comes in many varieties. If you are too busy to prepare the sauce, Del Monte ready-made sauces can also be used. My favorite of all the sauces is ‘Arrabbiata’ which is a slightly tangy tomato-onion Pasta sauce.

I hope you will enjoy the dish as well. Thank you and all the best!

Cheers!

For more do visit- www.facebook.com/DelMonteIndia

Entry for indiblogger.in

Recipe Doodle 2 :)

Recipe doodling is fun :)
Here are two of my fav. and well tried recipes! I am sure you will love them!

                                                                 CHILLI CAPON

(Here, CAPON comes from Capsicum, Potatoes and Onions)

BESAN CHEELE

These Doodle Recipes are a part of Easy Doodle Recipe contest on BlogAdda.com in association with www.tastykhana.com

My Recipe Doodle

I came across this interesting contest on Blogadda that's called 'TastyKhana Easy Doodle Recipe Contest'. Doodling is always fun! I therefore decided to give this contest a try so presented below is my doodle recipe. I hope you will like it! In fact this is one of my most favorite dishes.   :)

Tangy Garbanzo

(Please click on the image to read more clearly)

This Doodle Recipe is a part of Easy Doodle Recipe contest on BlogAdda.com in association with www.tastykhana.com