Another simple recipe for weight loss ....

The word Falafel means fritters itself or sandwich filled with it.

Falafel is common not only in Middle East,but also in Greece,Iraq,Egypt,Sudan,Yemen etc.

You can make it very easily and can serve with Pita bread and Hummus, along with any vegetables.

This snack is made with Chick peas, so it’s really low in fat and high in Protein and fiber.

Chick pea contains no Cholesterol.

Key nutrients are Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Vitamin C, Thiamine, Pantothenic acid, Vitamin B and Folate.

Falafel is often recommended for use in weight control programs.

Here ,I have given the full dinner/Breakfast combo recipe.

For Hummus recipe,please click on the pic.

Ingredients

Chick Pea or Garbanzo beans- 1 cup

Onion-1 large

Garlic- 1 clove

Flour-2 tsp

Cumin-1tsp

Coriander-1tsp

Salt

Pepper-1/2 tsp

Method of Preparation

Soak Chick peas or Garbanzo beans overnight.

Combine the  ingredients in a food processor. Make it a coarse paste.No need to boil the chick peas.

Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a Lemon. Slightly flatten.

Fry in 1 tbsp  oil until golden brown (5-7 minutes).

Serve hot with Cucumbers or Lettuce.

You can even fill Falafel in a burger bun if you like instead of Pita bread.

Serve hot.

Eat Healthy...Live Healthy...

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Apart from being a nutritional power house,Broccoli is a natural weight loss food.

Broccoli Facts:

• is a Cancer preventing food
• As small as 100 gram of this veggie can provide recommended dose of Vitamin C .
• It is said that Broccoli shortens the duration of common cold(Since Broccoli is rich in Vitamin C). Now,who said,there is no cure for cold!!
• Contains both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber.Making it Diabetic friendly.

Selection of Broccoli

Select dark green  or even pale green.Never choose yellow.Greener the Broccoli,more beta-carotene it has.Stalk should be fat and woody.

Healthy Broccoli Salad Recipe

 What you need ?

1. Broccoli florets blanched-
2. Olive oil
3.Garlic- 1 clove
4.Sesame seeds- Optional
6.Salt & Pepper
7.Vinegar- 1-2 tsp
8. Honey- 1 tsp
9.Almonds-

How to Prepare?

Make a dressing with Olive oil,vinegar and honey.Whisk well.
Add in salt,pepper and crushed garlic.
Mix well for a minute.
Toss in broccoli and serve topped with almonds and sesame seeds .

ENJOY..

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Sweet Potatoes....!!

They are healthy,you all know that. But they help in weight loss too..Yes.

1.Replace white rice with sweet potatoes to get the real benefits of carbohydrates.
2. Add one sweet potato to your breakfast and see the benefits.
3. Sweet potatoes contain high fiber .It has low glycemic index ,so a good carbohydrate choice for diabetics.
Sweet Potatoes are really tasty even steamed or boiled.But to make it more interesting,especially,if you have a crave for french fries,you can bake them just sprinkling olive oil,salt & pepper.
Another healthy alternative is "Sweet Potato Chilli" here is the recipe:-

This tastes great and even can be served as a healthy party item.

Ingredients

1.Sweet Potatoes Boiled (half cooked) - It is easy to peel off the skin when half cooked.
2. Red Chilli Powder- 2 tsp
3.Salt-
4.Bell pepper-
5.Onion-1 no
6. All purpose Flour-1 tbsp
7.Oil- 1 tbsp

How to cook ?

Cut half cooked sweet potatoes into wedges .Coat the wedges with all the dry ingredients .No need to add water.
Shallow fry until crispy after adding bell peppers and onion .
Serve hot.

Healthy Eating !!

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'Thalassery Biriyani' is said to be the best biriyani in the world.Malabar cuisine itself is so delectable.

Biriyani is my favorite and after tasting all those varieties from different regions,here I have tried to renovate the best flavor of them all.This is my own  recipe with very very less oil. 

We can even make no oil  biriyani,but we have to compromise on the taste.So here the trial is without compromising on the taste how to recreate a healthy and simplified version of Biriyani.

Please give your valuable comments and suggestions here .

Ingredients

rice- 2 cups(Basmati Rice/Khaima rice/if not available,use any long grain rice)

Chicken -8 pieces

Onion-4-6 nos

Ginger garlic paste-2 tbsp

Green chilly paste-1 tbsp

Fried cashew nuts and raisins-your choice

Pineapple-1/2 cups

Ghee-1 tbsp

Oil-2 tbsp

Milk-1 cup

Coriander and Mint leaves-chopped -bountiful

Mixed spice-freshly ground Cardamom,cloves,cinnamon,fennel seeds and black cardamom -2 tbsp

Salt-to taste

Yogurt-2 tbsp

Fried Onions-1 cup

Method

1.Soak rice for 15 minutes.Now wash it properly.Drain.

Khaima rice is perfect for this biriyani.

Now take a sauce pan,add 1 tbsp oil.Add the mixed spice powder.Now add 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste,1/2 tsp green chilly paste .

Add in rice and let it slightly fry for 2 minutes.

Add water enough to cover the rice .Add 1 tsp ghee,fried onion and pineapple pieces.

When this water drains,pour the milk and cook the rice.Do not let it cook well.

2. In a pressure cooker,add cleaned and cut chicken.Add Onion 1 chopped,ginger-garlic paste 1 tbsp,green chilly paste 1 tsp,turmeric powder 1/2 tsp,chilly powder 1 tbsp,mixed spice powder-1 tbsp,coriander powder-1 tbsp and salt.

Mix well with hands and cook it until 2 whistles.

Take a pan and add 1 tbsp oil.Add the cooked chicken and let the sauce thicken.Add  cup chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves,yogurt and 1/2 cup fried onion.Let it cook for 5 minutes.Finally add some mixed spice powder on top.

3.Now in an oven proof dish,layer 1/2 the portion of rice.Add 1 -2 tsp oil .Now add the chopped leaves,spice powder.Now arrange the chicken as the second layer .Next the rest of the rice ,fried onion,chopped leaves and 1 tbsp ghee.Close the dish and bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

YUMMY ,slightly sweet rice with flavorful chicken is ready! Best for a holiday.

ENJOY!

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Prepare the perfect Kids Meal for his/her lunch box.

A meal packed with nutrition ,yet your kid enjoy? Challenging for any mom,right?
Here is such a recipe ,I guarantee your kid gonna gobble it up with out any complaints.
Brown Basmati Rice has a wonderful nutty taste. This is the healthy grain with low fat content and gluten-free too.
Basmati rice has low glycemic index which means energy is released slower, making it  diabetic friendly.
Brown rice has more complex carbohydrates which  powers up the body,especially suitable for young children.

What You Need for this Pilaf?

1. Good Quality Brown Basmati Rice - 2 cups
2. Your kids choice of vegetables - Chest nut Mushrooms,Cabbage,Carrot,Beans,Baby Corn,Asparagus and you name it.
But one secret idea I want to share to all those moms out there is that,you can add cabbage(violet cabbage) and it will get disguised in the pilaf that your picky eater would not even notice.
3. Butter/Olive Oil- 1 tbsp
4. Garlic - 2 cloves
5.Onion - 1 large
6. Vegetable stock- 
7. Cardamom Pods- 2,bruised 

To serve 
Natural Yogurt - 
Fresh Chives /Parsley -

Mix Yogurt with chives /parsley and serve with the pilaf.

HOW TO PREPARE THIS MEAL?

Fry garlic,onion and vegetables in the butter/olive oil for 5 minutes.
Add rice,stock and cardamom.Add enough stock to cover the rice.You may need to add a little more stock after 10-15 minutes.
Cover and cook until rice is done and water is absorbed and rice is tender.
Serve hot with the yogurt dip prepared above.

Perfect Kids Meal for his/her lunch box.

Eat Healthy , Eat Right

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Banana Muffins are very popular recipe.But here,we are trying a variation to the recipe,making it healthier and egg less too.

Banana Muffins are muffin version of banana bread.Muffins ,as you all know,are  a quick bread of American Origin.
Here ,I have mixed all purpose flour with some whole wheat flour ,to make it healthier.

Banana muffins can be a great after school snack or a good breakfast item for kids.These are healthy as it contains eggs,butter,banana & wheat flour.

Muffin with Red Raspberry Spread

What We Need to make Banana Chocolate Muffins:

Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius. 

Dry Ingredients

All purpose flour - 150 g
Whole wheat flour (whole meal/flax seed powder)- 100 g
Sugar- 4 tbsp
Baking Powder- 1 tsp
Baking soda- 1/4 tsp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
chopped nuts- 100 g
Mix all dry ingredients with a wire whisk.

Wet Ingredients

These are Eggless Muffins ,so,I used ,2 tbsp Condensed Milk instead.
Vanilla essence- 1 tsp
Banana- 1 big
Butter - 100 g
Chocolate melted- 2 tbsp
Whisk all wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

Combine wet ingredients into dry ingredients well. Don not over stir.Batter should be very thick.
(It should be thick,sticky batter,unlike cake batter).Add 1-2 tsp milk if the batter is too thick to scoop out.
Add blueberries or chocolate chips according to your choice.

Isn't this egg less muffin recipe so simple? And the results are awesome if you follow the mesurements.

Scoop the batter into muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes at 180 degress. (Until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean)

We can store this for 3-4 days. Soon ,out of oven , the top of muffins will be crispy,but as you store them,it becomes soft and nice.

Serve it with a topping if you prefer,since we have adjusted the sweetness to minimum.That's why muffins are quick bread,not cup cakes.So here is my delicious muffin with a topping of my choice.

ENJOY..!!

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For all those chicken lovers out there, today I present before you, Pepper Chicken!

It’s my own creation, if you insist, I can say, its an Indo-Chinese cuisine.

One thing I can guaranty is the taste.

So let’s begin.

Ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken- 250 g cut into cubes.

Onion    -1 big

Garlic   - 2 cloves

Bell pepper-1 medium sized

Soy sauce - 2 tsp

Pepper - according to taste

Coconut milk powder-1 tbsp

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves

Salt

Canola oil /vegetable oil - 3 tsp

Method Of Preparation

Heat a wok and add 2 tsp oil. Add chopped garlic and curry leaves. To this add chicken cubes and sauté for 2 minutes. Add salt and onion  cubes .Close with a lid for 2 minutes. Add 2 tsp black pepper. Now add bell pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes.

When the chicken is cooked well, add soy sauce and simmer.  

When the chicken is fairly dry, add 1/2 tsp of sugar and more pepper. Now the tricky part. Add some dry coconut milk powder to this and mix well. This is to enhance the taste.

Garnish and serve with Noodles, fried rice, or almost with anything!

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Cheesecake has two or more layers. The main, thickest layer is soft, creamy cheese, sometimes contains eggs,and sugar; the bottom layer is often a crust or base made from crushed cookies, graham crackers, pastry, or sponge cake.Cheese cake may be baked or unbaked. We can use fresh fruits,fruits sauce or syrup as topping.

This recipe contains no-egg. We need spring form pan for this,but you can also use disposable tray if you wish to.

Egg less,no-bake cheese cake .

Ingredients

Digestive Biscuits/graham crackers-

You can even use Marie Biscuits if you like the taste.

Butter- 150 g

Cream cheese- 200 g

Thick Fresh cream- 150 g

Vanilla essence- 1 tsp

Sugar- 1 cup

Topping

Fresh fruits,berries;Here I have used red raspberry fruit spread.

Method Of preparation

Crush biscuits /crackers and mix well with butter.This is the base/crust for our cake.So press it well into the mold or  disposable tray.

Cover this with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated for 15 minutes.Meanwhile we can make the filling.

Beat/whisk cream cheese,fresh cream and sugar together.

Add vanilla essence and whisk until really smooth and fluffy.

Now,pour this on the biscuit base and again cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate for 2 hours or over night.Remove from the mold and Serve with desired toppings.

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(For mushroom pepper fry recipe -click here  )

How to Clean Mushroom

Cleaning mushroom in proper method is the most important part.

Coat the mushrooms with some salt, turmeric and all purpose flour.

Keep aside for 5 minutes. Now wash them under running water.

 This is to remove any poisonous substances from it.

Now boil 1 cup water, add salt and turmeric powder. Put the cleaned mushrooms in this water for 2 minutes.

Now mushrooms are ready to cook.
Ingredients for Mushroom Masala

Mushroom cleaned as above- 250 g
Shallots - 5-6 nos
Red Chilly Powder- 1 1/2 tabsp
Oil- 1 tbsp
salt- to taste
Bell pepper- 1 medium

Method of preparation
This is a very simple method ever ,but,must tell you, the most delicious I have ever tried.
Please try this recipe at home and leave comments about how you like it.
This is a recipe is adapted from regional cooking in KERALA.

Make a paste of all the ingredients (Shallots,red chilly and salt)
Mix mushrooms in this marinade.Keep aside for 10 minutes.
In a pan,pour in 1-1 1/2 tbsp oil and shallow fry this along with bell pepper.
Serve hot with rice,chapati or fried rice.

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Paneer or Cottage Cheese is a fresh cheese common in South Asian Cuisine.Mint Paneer tikka is so delicious and healthy.Traditionally,Tikkas are grilled in a tandoor and the dish is thereafter served hot.

Here,to make Paneer tikka,I used Table top Grill,which gives almost same texture to the tikka as it is made in tandoor.We can even use grilling pan,on stove top.

Table Top Grill

Ingredients
Paneer- 200 g

Ginger Garlic Paste-1-2 tsp

Carom seeds(ajwain)-1 tsp

Mint leaves -a handful

Kasuri Methi( Dried Fenugreek Leaves)- 1 -2 tsp 

Bell peppers,Onion Rings-

Salt- to taste

Yogurt-1/2 cup

Red chilly powder- 2-3 tsp

Chaat Masala(I used,Sindhi Biriyani Masala,it was what available at home :-) gives the same restaurant paneer tikka taste).

Method Of Preparation

For Marinade

Make a paste with all the ingredients except paneer.

Cut Paneer into thick square/rectangle pieces .

Apply the marinade and keep this refrigerated for at least 1/2 an hour.

Grill and serve hot. We can also serve this as a starter/appetizer.

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Phulka with Veg Curry-

Simple phulka with vegetable curry.What's new in it? Yes,I know. But,today's curry is a little bit different from the usual veg curry. It's thick with a variety of vegetables and packed with nutrition.We are serving this with Phulka and kheer/payasam as dessert.

Recipe for Phulka (Indian Flat Bread) is available in the following link.

http://www.deepsrecipes.com/2011/09/phulka.html

Trust me,this combination when served hot, is really mind blowing and this is definitely  my son's favorite lunch.

Since phulka recipe is already there,let's check what's the little twist in veg curry.

Ingredients for Veg.Curry

Violet cabbage- 1/2 piece

Onion-1 medium

Carrot-1-2 nos

Bell pepper- 1 big

Green Peas (Mattar)- 1/2 cup

Thick Coconut milk- 4 tbsp

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala powder with coriander powder- 2 tsp
Mint leaves-

salt-

Turmeric powder- 

Method Of Preparation

Chop all vegetables-Cut carrot in to cubes.

Now Stir fry everything in Olive oil.

Close the lid and allow it to cook.If needed,add 1/2 cup of water.

When the veggies are half cooked ,add salt and all the spices.

Again close the lid and cook until done.It will take hardly five minutes to cook .

Finally add some coocnut milk and serve hot with Phulkas or any bread of your choice.

For the desert recipe that I have served along with this, please check out..

http://www.deepsrecipes.com/2011/04/indian-rice-pudding.html

ENJOY..!

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Today is 15th August 2013.67th Independence day for the countries INDIA & Pakistan.

Deepsrecipes wishes all , a very Happy Independence Day 2013:
Celebrate this great day with a simple dessert ,CHINA GRASS MANGO PUDDING.

Mango Pudding

Wishing you all an independent, peaceful & better days ahead.

Ingredients:
Milk-4 cups
China grass (AGAR AGAR)- 1 cup (10 gms)
Mango - 2 nos
Cream - 2 tbsp
Sugar- 1 cup
 Vanilla Essence- 1 tsp
Biscuit crumbs- 1-2 cups

Method Of Preparation
Boil Milk .Cut china grass into very small pieces using scissors. Add these pieces into the milk and boil until china grass melts.
Stir the boiled milk well so that china grass dissolves completely. Sieve this mix to remove any undissolved china grass.
After cooling the milk,add vanilla essence and cream.
Blend/whisk this mix well until frothy.

Arrange biscuit crumbs as the first layer in the pudding dish.

Now arrange mango slices and strawberries(if you like).

Now pour in the whole milk mixture .

Finally Arrange Mango slices evenly on top.
Refrigerate this for 2 hours or until the pudding sets.
Cut into your preferred shape and serve as an elegant,mild & delicious dessert.
A must try recipe.It is easy to make,smooth and satisfying.

* Agar agar (China Grass) is a replacement for gelatin.It is available in any super market.

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Aloha.

It's been quite a long time since I submitted a new recipe here. I do take photographs of the food I cook for my family; but to sit and compose a blog needs patience and lot of free time.When your mind is into some other job,you can never be successful in this task.

I do  enjoy blogging ;that's why I started this off. But since I started a full time job ,I could never find time to enjoy solitude.I cherish my lonely moments with classic movies,books or some random thoughts.
Introspection enriches us;I have experienced.Each one of us must find time for ourselves when we can sit peacefully with out any external influence.

So,let's get in to it- Today's recipe is "PINK LEMONADE' ; a very simple summer refreshing drink ,but with a special pink color. I got this idea from a 2011 movie.

Ingredients
Lemon juice-1/2 cup
Crane berry juice- 1 cup
(Instead,You can use 1 tsp strawberry syrup mixed with  1 cup of cold water)
Sugar- 4-5 Tbsp
Ice cubes-
Method Of Preparation
Blend all ingredients in a blender and serve topped with more ice.

ENJOY and beat the summer heat with this very soothing ,cool drink.

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Happy Vishu To all my dearest readers and friends ...Wishing you all a fabulous year ahead..! 

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This recipe is an easy Chicken dry fry with only 2 tsp oil.
Ingredients
Chicken -500 g
Ginger-garlic paste-2tsp
Red chilly powder-3tsp
Coriander powder-1tsp
Pepper Powder-1 tsp
Coriander leaves-
Soy sauce- 1 tbsp
Tomato sauce- 1-2 tsp
Cinnamon and Clove powder- 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Method Of Preparation
Marinate chicken with all the ingredients.
In a pan add 2 tsp oil.Add chicken and cook until done.No need to add any water.
Once all the water that has come from the chicken is absorbed and the chicken is done,add coriander leaves and more pepper powder according to your taste.
Serve with fried rice or any kind of bread.

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This recipe includes pomegranate juice as a savoring agent; the reason why the prawn roast has a special red color. Very delicious and with health benefits.

Ingredients

Shrimp/prawns- 1/2 kg
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste-1 tsp
Salt-
Coriander powder-1 tbsp
Pepper powder-1 tsp
Red Chilly powder-3 tsp
Onion-1 small chopped
Pomegranate Juice- 1/2  tbsp
Heavy Cream (Optional)

Method of preparation

Marinate prawns/shrimp with the powdered ingredients.
Heat 1-2 tsp oil in a pan. Saute ginger-garlic paste and chopped onion. Now mix in the marinated prawns and cook it for 1 minute.

Pour in 1/2 cup of pomegranate juice into it, at this stage and saute well until the juice dries and we get tangy, spicy well-cooked prawns. (Sprinkle more salt at this stage if required)
The total cooking time of the prawns must not exceed more than 5 minutes.  (Overcooking will make it rubbery.)

Pomegranate juice provides a slight rustic sourness to the dish. Very yum,do not forget to try out.

Finally, add chopped coriander leaves/curry leaves.
Garnish with cream.
Enjoy with fried rice or noodles.

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 Today's recipe is the well known,simple caramel custard.Only difference is that I have added crushed walnuts to give a twist.Use cream instead of milk in this same recipe, then you will get the traditional Creme Brulee.

Ingredients

2 tbsp sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp Vanilla essence

1 1/2 cup milk

For the Caramel syrup

Heat a pan .Add 2 tbsp Brown Sugar (or normal sugar is perfectly fine) and 2tsp water (we have to just wet the sugar with water).

Sugar melts and starts bubbling; finally it turns to dark color.

Pour this caramel into a pudding dish; I added some crushed walnuts into this caramel for a change.

Custard Preparation

Beat 2 eggs +2 tbsp sugar+1 tsp vanilla+1 1/2cups milk. Strain it to avoid any lumps.Pour this custard into the pudding dish in which we have already added caramel.Cover the pudding dish with aluminium foil.

We have to double boil this custard now.

For double boiling the custard, take a big pan with lid.

Boil water in this big pan and keep the smaller pudding dish inside and close the lid.

Water level  in the big pan should only reach the half of the pudding dish.

Let the water boil for 15-20 minutes on medium heat.

Custard will get cooked slowly.           

Remove from heat and let it cool.

Now refrigerate it for at least ½ an hour.

At the time of serving, scrape the edges of the custard and carefully place a serving plate to close the custard mould .Now turn it upside down very slowly.

You will get beautifully decorated custard ,bathing in caramel syrup!!!!Enjoy! 

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Try out a simple delicious Icecream today ! Your kids gonna love it  ! No artificial flavours added. Really healthy for your lil ones....

Ingredients

Milk- 1/2 Liter

Condensed milk-200g

Fresh cream- 200g

Regular Milk Chocolate - 1 bar

Chocolate cookies/ biscuits  - 10 nos

Method

Step1

Melt milk chocolate to a creamy sauce.

Step2

Whip  fresh cream and condensed milk.

Add boiled and cooled milk to this .Mix well . Add biscuit crushed. Mix well .

Finally add melted chocolate .

And that's it!

Refrigerate the mix in a closed container for 6-8 hrs.

Simple delicious creamy home made ice cream is ready to serve !!!

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