Tomato spread

This is the simplest tomato spread recipe ever.
Shared  on a watsapp group of health enthusiasts, I was a bit skeptical about the outcome, since it was so simple.  Yet when I did try it for the pizza express project, it was so awesome. Maybe because of the organic tomatoes or the homegrown and dried basil, this one turned out to be quite sweet as well.  somewhat similar to the tomato ketchup we find in the market.

Whole food indigenous Pizza

Pizza!
The food that has become a part of our urban life style.  There is no escaping the request by our kids to order one, at least once in a month.
Yet the ones we get from the popular outlets are loaded with empty calories, oil, cheese and age-old ingredients including vegetables.

So when the time came to participate in a school fest, we decided to put up a stall with our own home-made, whole food version of the pizza.  No one needed to know that no real cheese was used, nor that they are practically feasting on something which can no longer be categorized as "Junk food".
Of course it is not as smooth as the filled-with-junk one, but then it is homemade, right!

Chocolate icecream

Shared from the following facebook post from May 2013
https://www.facebook.com/DrRashmiMenon/photos/a.368294769958565.1073741833.292442507543792/368294846625224/?type=3&permPage=1

Mango Icecream

Who doesnt like icecream?
And when it comes with the tag of cruelty free and healthy as well, why not indulge!!


Ingredients:
3 mangoes, peeled and diced.
1 cup almonds, soaked (and skinned if required for smoothness)
3 to 4 dates, soaked, if required for sweetness.

Sharing the post from May 2013, originally shared on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/DrRashmiMenon/photos/a.368294769958565.1073741833.292442507543792/368294836625225/?type=3&theater

Ragi/nachini Nul puttu/noodles.

 The nul puttu is one of my personal favorites for breakfast, served with steaming kadala curry or masala curry.  One would have it with steamed kerala bananas as well.

 In the quest to add more grains to the diet, wanted to do something with nachini or ragi/the finger millet.
 Tried this recipe out and came out quite fine.

More green smoothies!

Banana
pineapple
plum
dill leaves
topped with soaked sabja seeds.

Sunflower microgreens, Mango and pineapple

Wheat grass, lemon, dates, tulsi.

Mango, peach, plum, lettuce.

Mango, pineapple, peach, dates, tulsi, ceylon spinach.
Tasted like green apples!!

Will keep adding as more combinations are experimented with!
Of course one may decrease increase the quantity of leaves and fruits to suit one's taste buds!

Patrode--from colocasia leaves

During the ordering of organic vegetables, happened to order the colocasia leaves or alu leaves as they are called here.

Had to search the internet to find a suitable recipe.   Here is the outcome of the search.

It is a tough job to prepare the dish and take pics, simultaneously.  I almost forgot!
Hence a few pics from the beginning are missing.

These beautiful leaves were found in abundance at my parent's home.  They were mostly used to make a curry to be had with rice, stalks and all!
Since the leaves I got were too small for that, decided to try this, instead.

 Ingrediants
A bunch of colocasia leaves--5 small to medium ones are what I got.
 2 tbspns besan /gram flour
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (we eat less spicy!)
 1/2 a tsp of khakvi or jaggery powder, if you like it a bit sweet.
1/2 tsp of amchur powder.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients except the leaves with enough water to form a  loose paste.

Cut the stalks of the leaves.  If the veins are thick cut them as well.
Cut off the central vein so that the leaf is divided into two.
Place it on a chopping board or a large plate with the vein side facing upwards.
Spread the besan mixture along the whole surface.

Fold the edges longitudinally, as shown in the picture below.

 Start rolling latitudinally, starting from one tip of the leaf, slowly moving to the other.
Do this very gently.  The besan will make sure that it sticks well enough to maintain the shape.

 Place the rolled leaves in a steamer.
Steam for 7 to 10 minutes.
The besan mixture would have solidified and the leaf would have turned a darkish shade by the time they are ready.

 Roll them in a  bit of sesame, this is purely optional.
Cut them into little coins.

Makes a good evening snack!
Loaded with calcium!
And we thought, no oil would be a bore! How silly of us!

Sambhar

How do we make the sambhar?
Every one will have a unique recipe.  Each region from the south of India will have a regional twist to this healthy dish.
Some add jaggery to it, some add coconut, some make it with specific vegetables only. Kerala even has a sambhar with only the shallots or small onions!

I?
I add any and every vegetable, whatever is available!  hahaha.

Ingredients;
1 cup tur dal
1/2 kg mixed vegetables, diced.
1 tsp turmeric powder.
1 tsp red chilli powder.
2 tsp sambhar powder (There are many organic varieties available. this can be made at home and stored too, will update when I do that next.)
1/2 tsp asafoetida.
1 small ball of tamarind.
1 tsp mustard
1 small red chilli whole.
2-3 twigs of curry leaves.
Salt to taste

Process:

Soak the tur dal for 1 hour.
Place into a cooker vessel.  (Be sure to use ONLY steel vessels and steel pressure cookers.  The aluminium ones have a tendency to  lace our food with aluminium, leading to slow toxicity and other health issues.)
Add half spoon of turmeric.

In another cooker vessel, place the diced vegetables. Do not remove the skin as far as possible.  Here I have used brinjals, carrots, bottle gourd, tendli, red pumpkin, suran. Add about two cups of water.  Add the chilli powder and remaining turmeric powder.
Place the vessels one upon the other with the dal vessel below.
Allow to cook till three whistles.
Then put the flame on low and allow to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.

If using drumsticks, boil them seperately and add to the cooked vegetables.
If using okra or bhindi, steam them for 5 minutes and then add to cooked vegetables.

Meanwhile soak the tamarind.

Once cooked, remove the vegetables into a wider thickbottomed vessel.
Mix in the boiled tur dal.  If the dal is not mashed, use a thick spoon to mash it up well before adding in with the vegetables.
Bring to a boil, then add in the asafoetida and salt as required.
And the soaked tamarind--make it into a pulp before adding in.

Mix well.
Add in the sambhar powder.   Mix well and allow to boil for half a min or more.

Take off the flame.

Temper the mustard in a small thick bottom pan, without oil.
See the procedure in the chutney recipe.

The sambhar is ready, to be served with brown rice, or red rice idli, or dosa.

Coconut chutney

No south indian breakfast is truly complete without the coconut chutney!

Ingredients:
1 cup coconut, grated.
3-4 twigs of curry leaves.
1 tbp roasted chana/gram
1 dry red chilli
1 tsp mustard.
Salt to taste

Grind all of them together except the mustard seeds.


Now is the interesting part! The tempering without oil!  The same method is used in the sambhar and many other recipes.
Heat a small thick bottom pan.

When sufficiently hot, add the mustard seeds.
Keep stirring, till they splutter.

Make the gas low and add the chilli

and the curry leaves.

Stirr just a bit and then pour over the chutney mix.

Serve with hot red rice idlis!

Red rice Idli

The Idli is a well-known breakfast preparation, healthy and fat free.
Can it be made more healthy?
Yes!
White rice used in the popular idli or dosa batter is equivalent to maida or white flour.
Now you know why we can and need to make this staple breakfast item even more healthier.
And it infact makes it even more tastier!

Ingredients:
1 cup whole udad/black gram
3 cups red rice.
Salt to taste.

Soak separately for around 5 hours.

Grind the udad first.

Then in the same jar, grind the rice.

Mix the rice batter into the udad batter.

Close lightly and let it stay overnight.
It would have risen a bit.
Stir it once again, adding salt in.

Prepare the idli moulds by sprinkling a little cold water.

Meanwhile, keep the bottom vessel with water on the stove.

Pour spoonfuls of batter into each idli mould with just enough space for it to rice.

Place into the steamer.
Let steam for about 10 to 15 min.
Check in between to see if it ready. Can use a spoon to prick through to see if it comes out clean.

The idlis are ready, they would have risen a bit and the spoon would be coming out clean.

Use the blunt end of the spoon to scoop the idlis out.

Serve with Sambhar and chutney.

You may dunk them in the sambhar as well!!  If dunking, make sure the sambhar has more water added while boiling.

Til ladoo

Til or sesame is a favorite amongst Indians, especially during winter months.
Other than the oil content, which keeps the skin glowing, this wonder seed is abundant in calcium and zinc.

The til laddoo as made here is a high-calorie snack, generally used as a quick breakfast substitute or an afterschool energy booster.  Only one a time is recommended.  Believe me, it is very filling.


Ingredients:
1 cup roasted peanuts.
1 cup black sesame seeds (nonhulled )
1 cup dried, powdered coconut
1 cup powdered jaggery.



Process:
Roast the sesame seeds till just begins to splutter.  Do not let it splutter fully.
Add in the peanuts and roast a bit more.
Add in the coconut.  Let it roast for a bit, enough to exude a lovely fragrance.

Add in the jaggery.  Mix in thoroughly.
Let the whole mixture cool for a while
Then grind it in a mixer.

Press the powder together to form small balls or laddoos.
Makes around 20 laddoos.