Easy Avocado dessert

 The health benefits of Avocado is well known. I have talked about the amazing fruit earlier in this blog. Here is an easy to make recipe using Avacados:

You will need:

Ripe avocados          -  3
Sugar                        - 2 to 3 tsp. ( more or less according to taste)
Milk powser             - 2 table spoons
Vaniila essence         -  A few drops


   Scoop the flesh from the fruits into the jar of a blender . Add the milk powder, sugar and vanilla essence.  Blend together for a minute  till you get  smooth consistency. Scoop into individual bowls, chill thoroughly  and serve! Enjoy the nutrtious and easy dessert!

Back again....

Coming back to my blog after a long long time. I do not want to come up with excuses, but I want to make sure that I will reactivate my blog with full vigour. So, here we go.....

Cumin ( Jeera) for Health

  Cumin seeds are commonly used in India cuisine. The health benefits of cumin are well known. It helps to reduce flatulence and nausea and aids in digestion. Cumin also has antiseptic properties and is used in many home remedies for common cold and sore throat. It is an excellent source of iron and therefore its regular use will prevent anemia. Recent research has shown that cumin has anticarcinogenic properties
( cancer prevention)as well.

 It is easy to incorporate cumin seeds in your daily cooking. Simply add it along with mustard seeds for seasoning dals ( lentils), or add cumin powder to vegetable stir fries. Since it has a strong flavor, make sure to use small quantities. I will give a few Indian recipes in the following pages which use cumin seeds and taste yummy!

Mint Chutney with coconut

 This is a  variation of the previous recipe I had posted. Those of you who like the taste of fresh coconut, will like this. To make this you will need

.1. One cup freshly grated coconut
 2. Half cup mint leaves ( washed and tightly packed)
 3. Half cup chopped coriander ( cilantro ) leaves
 4. Two or three green chillies, slit ( add or reduce depending on how spicy you want the chutney to be)
 5. Two tsps thick tamarind extract ( you can soak a small ball of tamarind in hot water and extract the juice)
 6. Half  to one tsp. salt ( adjust to suit your taste)
   
 Grind together  all the above using a little water to make chutney. This chutney has to be consumed the same day as it contains fresh coconut.

You can season it with mustard seeds if you like. To do that, heat 2 tsps. of oil, add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds. When the seeds pop, add a few curry leaves and a red chilly broken into pieces.Stir for a few seconds and add it to the chutney. (This version with the seasoning goes well with the south Indian preparations like idli and dosa.)             

World Famous Vegetarians - 2011.wmv

Mint Chutney

Mint chutney can be made in different ways and here is the recipe for one of the easy ones. You will need

1. One cup mint leaves ( washed and tightly packed)
2. Half cup chopped coriander ( cilantro ) leaves
3. Half cup curry leaves ( optional)
4. Two or three green chillies, slit ( add or reduce depending on how spicy you want the chutney to be)
5. Two cloves of garlic chopped
6. One tsp cumin seeds
7. Two tsps thick tamarind extract ( you can soak a small ball of tamarind in hot water and extract the juice)
8. Half  to one tsp. salt ( adjust to suit your taste)
9. One tbsp. oil

  Heat oil in a pan , add the slit green chillies and garlic and saute for a minute. Now add the leaves - mint,coriander and curry leaves and saute for a few minutes  on low heat till the leaves are soft and wilted, but retain  the green color. Transfer to the grinder bowl . Now add the cumin seeds, salt and tamarind extract and grind to make the chutney. You may have to add some water while grinding to get the right consistency. Instead of tamarind extract you can also use lime juice.
  This chutney is excellent for digestion as it combines the goodness of mint,curry leaves, garlic and cumin.It can be used as a spread on bread for making sandwiches or can be eaten with chapathi or rice.

                                                                        Mint chutney          

I love mint - do you?

   Mint or Pudina ( in Tamil) is probably the most widely used of all herbs. Even the  thought of mint makes you feel cool and refreshed!

   There are different varieties of mint like the field mint, peppermint, spearmint etc. Mint leaves are used in      different types of cuisine and the essential oil extracted from mint  is used in medicines to relieve head aches, muscular pain,skin problems etc. Menthol extracted from mint is widely used in breath fresheners,tooth pastes, chewing gum etc.

    Mint is excellent in curing indigestion, flatulence and other gastrointestinal problems. It is also good for relief from cold ,sore throat and sinus problems. It can be incorporated in many ways in our day to day cooking and I will give you some of the easy recipes.

                                                                           Mint leaves

Quiz time

Click on this link and see how well you do on the quizzes on Fruits and Vegetables. It is fun!

http://www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/hobbies/food__drink/fruit_and_vegetables.html

Smoothies

  Rushed for  time in the morning ? Bored of the usual items for breakfast? Here's a healthy option for you - make a smoothie --- a drink made by blending fruits or vegetables, milk / soy milk/yogurt, honey etc. Smoothies are easy to make , yummy and packed with nutrients. They are nutritionally better than fruit juices because they contain  whole fruits and therefore provide fibre as well.They are packed with vitamins and minerals and are powerful detoxifiers too. Also, having these will ensure that you have your daily intake of fruits and vegetables. Even those kids who are not fond of eating fruits and vegetables will love when these are blended into smoothies
  The combinations you can try are plenty depending upon your taste and availability of ingredients. So, why don't you try some of these?

Banana, Strawberry smoothie: One of my favourites and for making it I use :
1. Two ripe bananas peeled and cut into pieces
2.  Eight to ten  fresh or frozen straw berries
3.  A handful of blueberries( if available)
4. One glass of soya milk

      Put the banana pieces, soya milk and the washed berries into a blender and blend together for a few minutes. You will get two glasses of  smoothie . If you use ripe bananas, your smoothie will be naturally sweet and you won't have to add any sugar or honey. You can also use regular milk instead of soya milk .
      It is a good idea to  buy the strawberries whenever they are available and freeze them after washing. When I use frozen strawberries, I always keep them in a bowl in hot water and soften them before putting them in the blender.     

Carrot and Orange smoothie:  An easy to make smoothie which is so refreshing ! For making it you will need:

1. One fresh and tender carrot of medium size
2. Two juicy oranges
3. 1/2" piece of ginger grated
        Peel, wash and chop the carrots into small slices. Remove the peel , cut the oranges and remove any seeds present.  Put the carrot pieces with a cup of water in the blender and blend at high speed for a couple of minutes. Then add the oranges and ginger and blend again for a minute. You can add a few ice cubes also, if you wish, at this stage. You will get one glass of smoothie for the above ingredients.

Apple Banana Smoothie: Another popular smoothie which combines the goodness of banana & apple. To make 1 tall glass of this smoothie you will need:

1. One ripe banana
2. One medium size apple
3. One glass of soya milk or milk
4. One tbsp of honey ( you can use sugar also,but honey is the healthier option
             
             Peel and cut the banana into smaller pieces. Peel, core and chop the apples. Put the fruits along with the soya milk and honey into the blender , blend at high speed to get a delicious smoothie.

        

Types of Barley

 Only when one of my friends asked me 'What is Pearl Barley?' did I realize that I should have written about the different types of  Barley available before going into it's health benefits ! The commonly available types are:

Hulled Barley : The most nutritious and the least processed with only the outermost hull removed retaining the bran. But hulled barley takes a long time to cook.
                                               
                                                 
Pearl Barley :  This is the most commonly available form which is fairly nutritious because in this type the bran also is removed leaving only the 'pearl' inside.


                                                     
                                                             
Barley flakes: Here the barley is rolled into flakes and can be used  like oat flakes to make hot cereal.

                                                      
                                                                                   
Quick cooking barley : Since it is pre steamed it cooks very fast and is fairly nutritious too.