Whole Wheat Rotini Pasta in Vegetable Curry

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat rotini pasta – 150 g
• Carrot – 1
• Green beans – 10
• Button mushroom – 6
• Brussels sprout – 3
• Fresh Green peas – 25 g
• Onion – 1
• Tomato – 3
• Ginger and garlic paste – 1 Table spoon
• Turmeric powder – ¼ Tea spoon
• Curry powder – 1 Tea spoon
• Curry leaves – few
• Olive oil – 2 Table spoon
• Mustard seeds
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves
• Fresh cream – 2 Table spoon (optional)
• Cheese shavings – 1 Table spoon (optional)

 Method:

• Chop tomatoes and sauté with little oil. Then grind them in a blender into a fine paste. This is our tomato sauce.
• Chop carrot, green beans, button mushrooms, brussels sprout and onion into small pieces.
• In a pan heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they pop up add onion with a pinch of salt and sauté till onion becomes slightly brown.
• Then add curry leaves, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, curry powder and sauté for few seconds.
• To this, add all vegetables, mix and cook them in  medium flame.
• When they are half cooked add tomato sauce and cook them well. Now our vegetable curry is ready.
• Cook pasta according to package instructions.
• Before serving, add fresh cream and vegetable curry to pasta. Stir them well.
• Garnish with cheese shavings and coriander leaves.

Multigrain Apple Muffin

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat flour (with germ) – 180 g
• All purpose flour – 20 g
• Rolled oats – 1 Table spoon
• Ragi (Finger millet) flour - 1 Table spoon
• Cumbu (Pearl millet) flour - 1 Table spoon
• Flax seed powder (dry roasted and ground) – ½ Tea spoon
• Baking powder – 1 Tea spoon
• Cinnamon powder – ½ Tea spoon
• Nutmeg powder - ½ Tea spoon
• Margarine – 50 g
• Fat free milk – 50 ml
• Canola oil or Vegetable oil – 1 Table spoon
• Vanilla essence – 2 drops
• Brown sugar – 100 g
• Egg – 1
• Apple – 1
• Salt - pinch

 Method: 

• Sieve whole wheat flour, all purpose flour and baking powder for three times.
• Wash apple, peel skin and remove seeds. Cut it into small cubes and keep them aside.
• In a large bowl, take margarine and brown sugar. Mix them well.
• To that, add egg and beat them with a beater.
• Then add whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, rolled oats, ragi flour, cumbu flour, flax seed powder, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, fat free milk, canola oil and salt. Mix them with a spatula.
• Add vanilla essence and apple cubes and mix them with a spatula.
• Pour the mixture into a non stick muffin tin.
• Pre heat oven at 375 degree F and bake till muffins are done (approx. 25-30 mins).  

 Note:

• Flax seed in this recipe is a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids.
• This is an excellent dish for breakfast with high fibre and low fat.

Pinto Beans Pulikkuzhambu

Ingredients:

• Pinto beans – 200 g
• Onion – 1 
• Tomato – 1
• Tamarind – 1 Lemon size
• Garlic cloves – 10
• Turmeric powder – ¼ Tea spoon
• Red chili powder – ½ Table spoon 
• Coriander powder - ½ Table spoon
• Garam masala powder - ¼ Tea spoon
• Fine coconut paste – 25 g
• Oil – 2 Table spoon
• Mustard seeds
• Fenugreek seeds – ½ Tea spoon
• Black gram seeds (skin removed) - ½ Tea spoon
• Salt
• Curry leaves
• Coriander leaves

Method:

• Soak pinto beans over night in water. Discard soaked water and rinse them well in fresh water.
• Cook them with little salt and water. Keep it aside.
• Chop onion and tomato.
• Soak tamarind in 100 ml water and extract juice.
• Heat oil in a vessel and add mustard seeds. When they pop up add black gram seeds, fenugreek seeds and slightly crushed garlic cloves. Sauté them well.
• Add onion and a pinch of salt. Fry till onion is slightly brown.
• Add tomato, curry leaves, tamarind juice, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. Mix and cook them well.
• Now add cooked pinto beans with its water. Adjust salt and cook the mixture.
• Add fine coconut paste and again cook for a minute with a slow flame.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

Note:

• This pulikkuzhambu is an excellent side dish for hot plain rice during rainy days.

Fenugreek Rice

Ingredients:

• Basmati rice – 200 g
• Fenugreek seeds – 2 Table spoon
• Onion – 1
• Tomato – 1
• Garlic cloves – 10
• Mustard seeds - ¼ Tea spoon
• Oil – 2 Table spoon
• Curry leaves – few
• Turmeric powder - ¼ Tea spoon
• Chili powder – ½ Table spoon
• Water – 400 ml
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves

Method:

• Soak rice and fenugreek seeds separately in water for about 20 mins.
• Chop onion, tomato and garlic cloves into small pieces.
• In a pressure pan, heat oil. When the oil is in medium heat add mustard seeds. When they pop up add onion, curry leaves and a pinch of salt. Sauté till onion becomes slightly brown.
• Add tomato pieces and Sauté for few seconds.
• Add garlic cloves and Sauté for few seconds.
• Add turmeric powder and chili powder and Sauté for few seconds.
• Add fenugreek seeds.
• To that add 400 ml water and remaining salt.
• When the mixer starts boiling, add soaked rice and close the lid.
• After 3-4 whistles, turn off the stove.
• After 15-20mins, open pressure pan and transfer rice into a hot pack.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

 Note:

• This rice can be served with little ghee or onion raitha.
• Excellent recipe to control Diabetes.

Almond Honey Cake

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour – 300 g
• Brown sugar – 200 g
• Baking power – 2 Tea spoon
• Honey – 3 Table spoon
• Fat free milk – 100 ml
• Canola oil or Vegetable oil - 100 ml
• Raisin – 50 g 
• Almond – 100 g
• Almond essence – 2 drops
• Baby milk powder or Plain Horlicks powder -3 Table spoon
• Plain Rava - 100 g
• Egg – 2 nos.

 Procedure: 

• Soak almond in lukewarm water for about 30 minutes. Remove skin and split each almond into two pieces.
• Sieve all purpose flour and baking powder for three times.
• In a large bowl, mix all purpose flour, baking powder, brown sugar, baby milk powder or horlicks powder, plain rava, honey, fat free milk, oil, eggs, raisin, almond and its essence. Pour this mixture in a non-stick baking dish.
• Pre-heat oven at 325 degree F and bake until it is done (30 – 35 minutes).  

Note:

• It is a low calorie cake with less sweet.
• It is a good snack for tea time.

Mango Ginger Chutney

Ingredients:

• Mango Ginger – 100g
• Tamarind paste – 2 Table spoon
• Red chili powder – ½ Table spoon
• Jaggery - 2 Table spoon
• Salt
• Oil
• Mustard seeds
• Asafoetida – pinch  

Method:

• Wash mango ginger and peel the skin.
• Cut them into one inch pieces. 
• Grind mango ginger and tamarind paste together. 
• In a pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they pop up add asafoetifa and ground mixture.  
• Add red chili powder and salt. Mix them well. 
• Cook in a medium flame till oil oozes out from the mixture. 
• Add jaggery and adjust salt. 
• Turn off the stove and allow it to cool. 
• Store it in refrigerator. 
• This chutney goes very well with idly, dosa and curd rice.  

Note:

• Mango Ginger is a type of ginger. It gives a raw mango flavor when you scratch the skin.
• If you want spicier, add another ½ table spoon of red chili powder and one more table spoon of tamarind paste while cooking.

Asparagus Poriyal

Ingredients:

•  Asparagus – 1 bunch
• Onion – 1 no.
• Split channa dal – ½ Table spoon.
• Oil – 1 Table spoon.
• Mustard seeds – ¼ Tea spoon.
• Turmeric powder – ¼ Tea spoon.
• Grated coconut – 2 Table spoon.
• Sambar powder – ½ Table spoon.
• Curry leaves – few
• Salt – as needed

 Method:

•  Wash and trim a bit on both ends of asparagus.
•  Then cut them into ½ inch pieces.
• Cut onion into small pieces.
•  In a pan heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they pop up add split channa dal and  fry for few seconds.
•  Add onion and a pinch of salt. Fry till onion becomes slightly brown.
•  Add curry leaves, asparagus, sambar power and turmeric powder. Mix them well.
• Adjust the salt and close the lid. Cook until it is done. (The content will cook by using water in asparagus. So no need to add additional water for cooking).
•  Add grated coconut and turn off stove.
• Serve it with plain rice or sambar rice or curd rice.