 These heart healthy Choc chip cookies are so easy to bake and so delicious to devour!
No eggs and no additional milk and no butter were used in these cookies. Makes about 20, 2 inch cookies. Ingredients : 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup canola or any good veg oil. 1 tbsp water 1/4 tsp salt 2tsp vanilla essence Mix all these in a bowl first. Then add the following ingredients. 1 cup all purpose flour 1 cup oats (any kind) 1tsp baking powder 1/3 cup walnuts 1/3 cup Choc chips Mix till fully incorporated. Roll them into balls, flatten and shape them on your palms and place on greased baking trays. Bake at 375 deg F for 12-15 mins. Enjoy while they last!!
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 To be honest, this dish was created by accident. One evening, I was about to make Chinese fried rice. But everyone was so hungry as it was way past our dinner time. My husband, who couldn't wait any longer, just took the aromatic Jasmine rice( don't get me started on that!) and scooped up the stir fried vegs with tofu. And then the rest is history! It has been a frequent last minute dinner option ever since. :)) You basically need sliced yellow onions, cubed firm tofus and red peppers for nutrition and color. A lot of other vegetables can be added too! Carrots, Snap Peas, Celery.... Ingredients (for 4) I big yellow onion, sliced thickly 3 -4 garlic cloves, pounded 3 tsp mushroom seasonings 2 tbsp. Sambal oelek 25 snap peas., ends removed and washed 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, sliced into squares 1 medium carrot, sliced 1 block firm tofu, cubed Light soy sauce, if needed for extra flavor Method Fry the onions and then garlic till slightly brown, add sambal oelek and mushroom seasoning. Let the mixture simmer for a few minutes and then add the tofu pieces and vegetables. Add peanuts for that extra nutty flavor, if you would like. Let the whole mixture simmer for another 5-10 mins and then serve hot with Jasmine rice or brown rice.    Bittergourds have numerous health benefits. Apart from reducing blood sugar levels, bittergourds have been found to kill breast cancer cells and prevent the cells from growing and spreading. They are considered the most bitter among all fruits and vegetables. To reduce their bitterness, sprinkle salt on bittergourd slices and leave them aside for an hour or so. Then, squeeze out the bitter juices and cook as your usually do.
Alternatively you can make a tasty salad as I have done below. You might wince at the very idea of eating bittergourd but this is actually a very delicious dish because the tartness of the lemon goes very well with the bitterness of the gourds. Try it- you will love it!! Ingredients (for 4) 4-5 Baby Bittergourds Salt and Chilli per your preference Cooking spray 3 medium tomatoes cubed big 4-5 sprigs of coriander chopped 1 medium red onion, cubed big Juice of 1 lemon Method Preheat your oven to 350deg F (180 deg C) Wash and slice the bittergourds and put them in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle salt and chilli powder according to your preference and mix thoroughly. Spray 2 large baking tray with cooking oil and spread the bittergourd slices evenly. Bake at 350deg F for 30-45 mins till they ay turn crispy on the sides. Remove from tray and put them in a serving bowl. You can either mix the cilantro leaves, tomato cubes and lemon juice with the baked bittergourd slices and serve immediately or serve them all next to each other so that anyone can choose what they would like in their salad per their preference. I know some don't like the pungent smell of raw onions.  Healthier Idlis served with Coconut Chutney and ground Podi Idlis or steamed rice cakes are by themselves quite healthy because firstly, they are steamed. Secondly, they are made by grinding soaked rice and lentils and then left overnight to fermentate. The fermentation process ups their nutrition even more. It produces lactic - acid producing bacteria or lactobacilli which aids digestability and Increases their vitamin levels. I tweaked the basic lentil and substituted it with lentils with skin. Like in the photo below. Doesn't that increase the fibre of these rice cakes as well? I have read that you can even add in oats and other dry grains too. These cakes are eaten for breakfast or dinner or sometimes even during lunch. It's a very light dish. Anand ate 6 all at one sitting! Accompanied by coriander chutney or Podi. Ingredients (20 standard size Idlis) 1 cup Idli Rice (available in Indian Grocery Stores) 1/2 cup Urad Dal with Skin 2 tbsp. beaten rice flakes 1 tbsp. cooked rice 1/2 tsp Yeast Method Wash and soak the rice separately in a bowl and the urad dal with the beaten rice flakes in another bowl around 9 am in the morning. Around 8 at night, grind them separately. Soaked rice with a tbsp. of cooked rice and urad dal with beaten rice. Place the rice batter and the urad dal batter in a big metal bowl and mix in the yeast. Stir and leave in a warm area to fermentate overnight. The next morning, mix in the salt and steam in a n Idli Steamer for 20 mins. Serve hot with Coconut Chutey, Sambar or Podi.  Making Vegetable Stock is easy as ABC. I cannot emphasize how easy it is. Throw whatever vegetables which are growing old in your refrigerator into a stock pot and add 2 litres of water, rosemary leaves ( 1 sprig fresh or 1 tsp dried), bay leaves (2) and salt. These three vegs are essential though - tomatoes, onions and ginger. I usually put in cubed bell peppers, broccoli stems, celery stalks, cabbage or lettuce leaves. Let it boil and then simmer for an hour or so. Drain. I have not given actual quantity because I don't usually measure the amount of vegetables. But because I am putting in 2 litres of water, I must ensure that I do add in a substantial amount of vegetables. Otherwise, the stock will not have any flavor. Usually 2 litres of water with vegetables yields around 1 litre of stock after simmering for an hour. Voila ! You now have the perfect base for flavoring rice, soups and many more delicious recipes...You can add lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves if your stock is particularly for chinese dishes. The flavor is indescribable. Nothing beats a homemade stock. Keeps for a month in the refrigerator if stored in a dry container. The picture below shows the stock I made last weekend. It looks more like a clear soup.  |
Hi guys! I'm Nilofar Iyer and I have shared my dishes here for you to cook for your own family and friends with love and most importantly with their long term good health in mind.
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