Healthy Sweet Poha / Aval Nanachathu

"Aval nanachathu", literally translated is "soaked poha", a quick fix snack from Kerala. I do wonder if it is made that often nowadays, after all not many wants a simplistic and rustic snack and prefer to rely on the ready to eat and frozen snacks. That, though not healthy does make an impression on children and moms. Earlier, if there were unannounced guests the lady of the house served sweet poha or aval nanachathu with tea when nothing else is available on hand. It was also an answer to the mid-meal snacks that was served to children.

 

Aval nanachathu is basically poha or beaten rice soaked in milk with some grated coconut and jaggery added in. The quantity of milk depended on whether the aim was to get some milk down the child's throat or not. Most times just enough milk was added to soften the poha. And the fun was in the surprise for us children when we bit into a piece of jaggery. My recipe of the poha or aval nanachathu includes more than just the milk and jaggery. I made it for breakfast and hence added some fruit, some nuts and some dates to make it really healthy! If it possible try and get the unpolished rice poha. Ingredients or recipe wise there's nothing much to it just throw in all together in a bowl, mix it and your breakfast is good to eat.

Ingredients

Poha / Beaten rice / Aval - 1 cup

Milk - 1/4 cup

Jaggery - 1 tbsp

Banana, elaichi/small - 2

Almond - 6 to 8

Date - 4 to 5

Use the thick poha for this dish. Wash the poha well then drain it completely. Add the milk and poha into a bowl, mix and let it rest till you get the other additions ready.

Slice the bananas and then quarter each slice, grate or shred the jaggery and chop the dates and almonds. Add them in and your breakfast is ready to be served!

 

Keep the jaggery to the minimum so that it is not overly sweet since the banana and dates are also in there. What I liked in my version of aval nanachathu is that all the additions that go in this dish are healthy and good to have for breakfast.

Banana Date Smoothie

Another smoothie with ingredients that are available through all the seasons - Banana, Dates and almonds. Soak the almonds for at least 6 to 8 hours to be able to grind smoothly.

Ingredients
Banana - 1
Dates - 4 to 5
Almonds - 15 to 16 soaked

Grind the almonds to a fine paste, add about 1/2 to 3/4th cup water. Deseed the dates and roughly chop them and grind them along with the almonds. When completely ground, add the banana, chopped to the blender and give a quick run. It is ready to be poured out. 

Notes: Use a just ripe banana for this recipe to get an exact sweet smoothie else it will turn out over-sweet.

Apple Date Smoothie

Continuing with my smoothie / shake series.... this is a new one. The other day when we were in the market and saw our fruit vendor had some good wet dates. They were cleaned ( though I do still rinse them before using) and packaged in neat 500gm packets. I took a liking to dates from my mother-in-law; she would buy it from the local market and would give us about 4-5 cleaned ones most days. Then later when I started baking I loved the idea of adding dates in cakes not restricting myself to only the date and walnut cake. So, unexpectedly, we bit into a sweet as ever piece of date when eating my pound cake as well :)

 

And now to get back to my smoothie, this is a great smoothie to have for breakfast or even as that mid morning or evening pick me up. Instead of giving into the temptation of a snack or chocolate or even coffee try this smoothie, it will assuage the hunger pangs and sweet cravings. The apple, dates and almonds (how could I leave it out!) blend really well making this a tasty smoothie. As for the benefits, it's numerous, find the benefits for the apple and almonds here. And the dates, it is rich in fiber, iron, calcium, fluorine, potassium, copper, manganese, magnesium, Vitamin K  and Vitamin B6. It contains simple sugars like fructose and dextrose which replenish the energy and revitalize the body instantly being one of the reasons that it is used to break fasts. Dates promote digestive health and relieves constipation thereby promoting colon health. It is also believed to boost heart health and reduce the risk of stroke due to the presence of magnesium in it. Magnesium is also believed to help in controlling blood pressure and dates have a high content of it. Vitamin B6 is shown to boost brain performance increasing test scores. Dates also contain antioxidants known as Tannins, known to possess anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hemorrhagic properties. But yes, be warned of the high sugar content, it has an unbelievable 66.5gms of sugar per 100gm serving. So watch the amount of intake.

 

Ingredients

Almonds - 8 to 10

Apple - 1

Dates - 4 to 5

Milk - 3/4 cup

Soak the almonds for about 4 to 6 hours. Deseed and chop the dates and soak it in the milk for a couple of hours in the frig. Refrigerate the apple.

Discard the water in which the almonds were soaked and grind it to a fine paste. Then add the dates soaked in milk and again grind it finely. Next chop the apples and add it to the blender. Once finely blended pour it into a glass and it is ready to serve.

For a vegan version, increase the amount of almonds and grind it finely with water to make almond milk. Substitute the milk with the almond milk and a vegan version of the same smoothie is ready.

Blend the apples last just before serving to avoid browning due to oxidization.

P.S. And I forgot to take pics!

 

(Information on benefits sourced from: http://naturalsociety.com/health-benefits-of-dates-7-reasons-eat-date-fruit/ & http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/dates.html)

Mixed Vegetable Khichdi

The khichdi is a wholesome meal, usually had when unwell and the digestive system is not functioning to its fullest extent. It is a rice and moong dal mushy dish which is easily digestible making it ideal food for children as well. But this dish can be transformed to a one meal dish with the addition of vegetables and some aromatic spices. Whole moong adds additional fiber also. In fact, the Bengalis make their khichdi with vegetables and spices.

 

I remember a friend telling me "khichdi ke chaar yaar - papad, ghee, kadhi aur aachar", or something of that sort or maybe in a different order. These accompaniments add that extra zing to this meal.

Ingredients:

Rice - 1/2 cup
Whole Moong - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1 small chopped
Carrot - 1/2
Beans - 4-5
Green peas - 1 tbsp
Ginger - 1tsp chopped
Garlic -1tsp chopped
Green chilli - 2
Turmeric pwd - 1/2tsp
Salt to taste
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Water - 1.5 cups
Spice
Bay Leaf - 1
Black Elaichi - 1
Jeera - 1/2tsp
Dhania pwd - 1/2tsp

Soak the rice and moong in water for about 1 hour .

Heat the pressure cooker and add ghee into it. When hot, add the bay leaf, elaichi and jeera and let it splutter. Then add the chopped onions and stir for 2 to 3 minutes after which add the ginger and garlic. Let it fry well till light brown. The add the vegetables - carrot, beans, green peas and green chillies and stir for about 2 minutes. Drain the water from the rice and moong and add it to the cooker. Stir well. Add the turmeric powder and the salt and after mixing it well add the water. Once it boils check for salt and then close the pressure cooker and put on the weight. Let it cook for 3 whistles on medium heat, then open and serve in a bowl. Just before taking it to the table add a blob of ghee on top of the khichdi and serve with papad and achaar.

Wheat Dosa / Godumb maav dosha / Atta dosa

In Kerala, previously wheat dosa or godumb maav dosa was considered as a secondary to the rice-udad dal recipe. That could very well be attributed to the fascination for everything rice in Kerala. Today, a lot of families have adopted this recipe to bring in variety to the breakfast menu and also to minimize the rice intake. Godumb dosa as it is called in Malayalam, was also a recipe that was adopted in case cooking for a diabetic. I started making wheat dosa after marriage, my husband loved them and taught me how to make them. This dosa can be a little sweet and hence should be paired with a spicy chutney like the ulli chammanthi / onion chutney I posted here earlier.

The best thing about preparing the atta dosa and ulli chammanthi for breakfast is that it doesn't require much prep time and can be done simultaneously. Start with the ulli chammanthi - dice a couple of onions, grind it with a little salt and chilli powder. In a pan give a tadka of mustard seeds and curry leaves and then add this mixture into it and keep on low. In another mixie jar add wheat flour and salt and give it a quick whisk and the batter is ready to make. Stir the onion mix and on the other burner heat up a griddle to start making the dosa. That's it breakfast ready in under 20 minutes.

 

Wheat Dosa recipe:

Ingredients:

Wheat flour / Gehun ka atta / Godumb maav - 2 cups

Salt to taste

Water - as required

Add the wheat flour and the salt into a blender jar or mixie jar. To start add a cup of water and give it a quick whisk. Open and check that there are no lumps. The batter should be of pourable consistency like a pancake batter. Add a little more water to get the consistence right. Once done, it is ready to be made. Heat a dosa pan or griddle. Pour a ladleful on it and spread the batter like in a normal dosa. Sprinkle a few drops of oil and turn sides to cook all through. In case you like your Godumb dosa crisp, spread the batter as thin as possible and cook over low heat. The dosa is ready to be served with chutney / chammanthi.

 

Almonds and Almond milk

Most of us grew up with our moms feeding us almonds / badaam during are growing years. They were said to be good for our brains and of course as children we needed all the help to tackle loads of school work. Mothers were advised to give their daughters a few almonds from the age of 5, it supposedly helped them during their menstruation years. Almonds are rich in Vitamin E and Folate, as well as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They are an excellent source of phytosterols, which reduces the level of harmful cholesterol. Traditionally, it is considered the best to eat almonds raw even roasting it kills some of its nutrients. In fact, most times the almonds we get in stores are pasteurized and the processing has already killed some nutrients. But even after that it is still rich in vitamins and minerals. Soaking is considered good since it helps in activating enzymes aiding better digestion and absorption of nutrients.

Adding almonds into the daily diet is very easy - have a handful of soaked almonds in the morning or add them chopped into cereal, smoothie,  or fruit salad or just keep a boxful in the office to munch on sometime during the day. I have found eating them raw as a snack along with some walnuts and raisins helps in keeping hunger at bay. And lately, I have also added natural homemade almond milk to my diet. Almond milk is very easy to make, take a bowl of almonds and soak it for 1 to 2 days. Change the water twice during this time and then grind it well in a grinder. Soaking helps the almonds soften and it gets ground better. Add a little water when grinding. Strain the mix and keep aside. Grind the strained mix with some more water and strain once again. Water can be added according to how thick you want the milk.

Almond milk has a natural sweetness and can be had straight with no additions. Or blend a fruit or 2 in to make a very healthy smoothie. In fact if using the almond milk for a smoothie, don't strain after grinding it. The leftover strained mush can be added to cereal, smoothies, parathas, etc. Almond milk is a great option for the lactose intolerant and vegans.

Banana Apple Smoothie

Or should I coin the term Banapple for this Smoothie! I am taking small baby steps to lose some weight and I started with lessening my intake during lunch. Somehow, reducing my food during the day was always easy for me but come evening and I really wanted to eat. So today, I tried to completely cut my carb intake during lunch and thought of this smoothie. Like I wrote previously, I am more inclined to fruits in smoothies and would need time to graduate to vege smoothies. My stock of fruits included apple, banana and safarjal (yet to search the English name for it). There were some almonds as well which I planned to grind into the smoothie, it added to the consistency and to the health benefits.
Long back, I ground up some almonds rather than slicing them into my drink. And from then on I got hooked on to the taste of almond milk although I did not know then it was used widely in place of regular milk by vegans and people with lactose intolerance.

Banana Apple Smoothie now officially Banapple Smoothie at home!

Ingredients
Banana - 1
Apple - 1
Almonds - 15 to 20
Milk - 1/2 cup

This makes exactly 1 glass of smoothie. For this recipe you need to soak the almonds for at least 4 hours, the best is if you manage to soak them for 10 - 12 hours. Grinding almonds is easy once it is soaked for a long time. You can peel the almonds and use if you like, I preferred mine with skin. A lot of recipes suggest freezing the banana for a chilled smoothie plus it gives a shaved ice effect. Grind the soaked almonds with 1 or 2 tbsp. milk. Then add the sliced apple and banana give it a run again. At this time if you think you need to add milk to get the consistency right add milk 1 spoon at a time. The smoothie is ready.

Optional: You can add a drop of natural vanilla essence or a couple of vanilla bean seeds if you like.

I popped my Banana Apple Smoothie into the freezer for a nice cold drink and topped it with a spoonful of soaked sago or sabudana which I had handy.

 

Replace the regular milk with a few more almonds and a little water and you have a Vegan Smoothie recipe!

This smoothie's Awesomeness table:
Banana - contains Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Manganese, Potassium and of course fiber. It may be the best source of potassium which helps in lowering blood pressure. Bananas are also known for its antacid effects which helps in keeping stomach ulcers at bay. It also contains pectin a fiber which helps in easing bowel movement alleviating constipation.
Apple - contains Vitamin C and lots of fiber. Apples also contain phytonutrients which help in regulate blood sugars and an unusual mix of polyphenols which help lower the total cholesterol and the LDL cholesterol. The apple is also purportedly said to lower the risk of asthma and certain kinds of cancer. It also has anti-oxidant and anti inflammatory properties.
Almonds - now this one is a long list - Vitamin E, Manganese, Magnesium, Vitamin B2, Phosphorous, Calcium, Potassium, Tryptophan and copper. It helps lower LDL cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. Almonds contain nutrients that help boost brain activity and lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease. And something we all love it for - skin and hair!

(Benefits information from : www.whfoods.com & www.care2.com)

Rose Green Tea

There are tea loyalists and then there are coffee loyalists and each guard their bastions with complete conviction. I am very much a tea drinker. Though I have to admit I stick to coffee when I travel because experience has taught me that vendors can mess a tea whereas not so much an instant coffee. After all for a coffee, all they do is add a little instant coffee to the hot water-milk-sugar mix. If it is light for your taste a little more coffee powder can be added but not so with tea! As for me, a hot cuppa strong tea in the morning coaxes me awake and helps me acknowledge the world around me. A Taiwanese ex-colleague of mine was a green tea loyalist and she had 2 cups a day at work - in mid-morning and evening. She had never had any other tea and it was the same with her family. And that's the first green tea loyalist I met.

 

That reminded me of my trip to Goa with my friend and her sister. We were still in school then and felt very important that we were making that trip alone. It did not matter that her cousin and uncle and aunt would be waiting at the bus stand for us and would escort us every minute from there on! We were staying at her cousin's place and every morning we would have Rose Tea and biscuits while sitting in the verandah  overlooking the greenery around. That was the first time I had a flavored tea and I loved it, though I am not sure if it was green!

 

Years later, when my friend visited Goa I asked her to pick a box of Rose Tea and she got me this :

The Green element to this Rose Green Tea was a bonus. I boiled a cup of water, took it off the heat and added the tea leaves. Then let it steep for 2 to 3 minutes and it was ready to be poured into a mug. Have it steaming hot especially on a cold day. I learnt from practice that a hot mugful of green tea was really good at keeping the cold away during the winters. It's beneficial in a couple of ways - keeps me warm and increases my liquid intake! As for the benefits of green tea, the internet lists quite a few: reduces the risk of heart attacks and cancer, lowers bad cholesterol, controls diabetes and some more. It is the most sought after for its anti-aging and weight loss properties. Both of which I could do with! Cheers!

 

Smoothie Series - Apple and Pomegranate

For some time now, I have wanted to give smoothies a try. Smoothies are widely known to be healthy but since most health foods don't taste good, I stayed away from it. But growing concerns of health all around prompted me to look up recipes that I would be able to handle. I realized I may not immediately take to smoothies with yogurt or green vegetables. So to start with I did a simple two  fruit smoothie.

Today, when hunger struck in the evening I substituted my favorite sandwich fix with a smoothie made of apple and pomegranate. Both fruits are ones I like and I thought they would combine well too. I did not add any thickening base this time but that is the plan for the next time.
I used Real Fruit Pomegranate Juice in this recipe rather than extract fresh juice. It seemed too tedious especially with pomegranate what with straining the seeds, etc. Health wise it is better to use fresh ingredients which would mean sticking to seasonal fruits and vegetables as much as possible. Again, when making smoothies watch out for the calorie content. It is easy to give in to temptation and add calorie rich ingredients in the smoothie.

 Apple Pomegranate Smoothie

So here goes the recipe:

Apple - 1
Pomegranate Juice - 1.5 cups
Blend the two together and it is ready to pour out in glasses.