Garlic Bread- The most Luring Bread Variety

Garlic bread is a great appetizer. This a very easy and simple way to make your own.

Pasta in chilli Sauce

Pasta has become a weekly dinner for us. This is yet another very easy and quick to make Pasta recipe.

Coconut Cookies

A Yummy delight. Easy, simple and delicious cookies make at home within minutes.

Capsicum Rice - Must try!

Capsicum + Rice = Delicious! , A must try vegetarian healthy recipe.

Healthy Spinach Rolls

Easy and healthy snack ,the kids will love.

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12.31.2008

Wish you a very Happy New Year

I WISH ALL MY READERS AND BLOG FRIENDS A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE!



Send this eCard !

12.30.2008

Foodie Chat - Hot and Spicy Redchillies!

It is year end and this is the final foodie chat for this year 2008. The last one is always special. This time we have Supriya of Redchillies. From the name, you might guess that her recipes are going to be spicy. Hmm..is it so?, let us ask her.

Why and when did you start blogging?

I started blogging in June of 2007. I was very impressed with the concept of blogging; it’s ease of use, readily available free software and simple technology that could be used by any non-technical person. I planned on giving this a try and so I started blogging. I decided to use it as a way of sharing my recipes, recording my thoughts and penning my ideas.

Why did you choose Food as a topic to blog?

Food is a part and parcel of our everyday lives. I grew up being exposed to good food and great cooks. I also had/have a penchant for learning recipes. After I took up the mantle of cooking I discovered that I enjoy cooking, experimenting and also trying out new dishes. So I used this platform of blogging to share the recipes and culinary ideas with people across the world.


I believe you have a full time job. How do you manage both? Can you give some tips on time management?

True, I work full time and also I have a 3 year old boy. My family and work takes priority and blogging takes a back seat. I use blogging as my hobby and a good way of using my free time. I plan my day and activities in advance; I try not to overwhelm myself with too much work on a weekday. I do all important and time consuming work during the weekends. Finally, the best part that works for me is multi-tasking. While one food is cooking, I chop vegetables for the other dishes, or setting up the table, cleaning while heating a food and so on.

In a day, how many hours you spend blogging?

There is no set amount of time I spend on blogging in a day. I do blogging related activities whenever I find free time. However I do spend about 7-8 hours of blogging a week.

Do you have any other hobbies other than blogging?

Currently, blogging is taking up much of my free time. However I read books, listen to music and also collect books.

Do you see any change in your blogging habits?

I am trying to keep my blogging time as minimal as possible. It is very addictive and it is easy to get lost in the plethora of beautiful blogs out there.

There are many food blogs now, what do you think is the major difference between a food blog and a website that shares recipes?

The distinct part of blogging is the direct user interaction with the author. A reader can ask for question or clarification regarding a recipe/content and can expect clarification from the blogger. A reader can also request for a specific recipe which is not possible through books or websites. Similarly valuable comments from other readers make this medium efficient and highly inter active. Fresh content updates, beautiful photography also makes this quite popular.

What advice do you give to the new comers?

Food Blogging is an easy and great medium of sharing recipes. In my opinion, the three criteria to keep in mind while starting a blog is to have a good recipe ideas, good photography, and effective style of writing

Which is your favorite cuisine and why?

My favorite cuisine is Indian.

What do you feel about recent copyright issues?

I feel that stealing content from other sources without permission is just outrageous. It is just day light robbery and cannot be tolerated. It annoys me no end when people steal our content and publish it as their own.

Do you have any experience like this before? Any advice? (reg copyright issues)

Thankfully I have not personally experienced these issues.

You are a regular reader of ....Reader’s Digest, Cooking Light, Time and Business Week.

Do you cook frozen food? What’s your perception of frozen food?

I am not a huge fan of frozen food. Even though my perception about its nutrients has changed, I still prefer to use fresh food. However I use frozen peas, frozen vegetables and use it when I am in a hurry and need to get something fast.

When did you first start cooking?

I first started out by watching my mother cook in the kitchen. But then I started doing full fledged cooking after I got married.

Your favorite cooking show, cookbook, cuisine, restaurant, food

Rachael Ray’s 30 minute Meals, Dakshin byChandra Padmanabhan, Indian. There are many restaurants and food choices to narrow them down.

Who/what is your inspiration?

As far as cooking is concerned I have been inspired by many people including my mother, MIL, grandmother etc. They are all great cooks and they inspire me to try out something new every time. I have also been inspired by Rachael Ray and her 30 minute meal ideas. Last but not least other fellow bloggers who do such outstanding job with their blogs.

Among the different Indian cuisine, which is your fav? (like north indian,south indian etc) and why?

My favorite Indian cuisine is South Indian. I was brought up in Bangalore and so exposed to plenty of South Indian Cuisine. I enjoy other cuisines as well but feel warm and comforting when I eat Rice, Idlis, Dosas, Upma etc. Even today I love ending my meal with sambhar and yogurt rice.

Is your cooking always healthy? If so any tips for Healthy cooking?

I try to cook as healthy as possible. I incorporate vegetables, salads, yogurt and lentils in our everyday food. I totally avoid sugar and use oil to a minimal extent. Other things I do are add little oat /barley flour to chapathi dough, add soybeans, barley to dosa and idli batter. Add some flax seeds, almond powder, sesame seeds to finished subzis, add ginger, garlic to almost subzis etc. These small things do not change the flavor but enhance the nutrition of the food.

Your achievements as far as blogging is concerned so far.

I feel happy that I am able to share my recipes and ideas with so many people around the world. Also when people say that they have enjoyed the recipe, then that is what makes blogging worthwhile.

I love your pictures. Your Photography secrets?

Thank You. I believe that photography skill comes through experience and also experimenting. It is very important to look at the cameras manual and try out the different modes. Just by changing the mode from “auto” to “Portrait” makes so much of difference. Some other handy tips are taking pictures in good light, taking lots of pictures at different angles, covering the background etc.

If given a chance, about which cuisine would, you like to learn more? Why?

There is no specific cuisine as such. But I enjoy learning any cuisine as long as the recipe is vegetarian.

If asked to share one recipe from your blog, which would you choose and why?

A very tough choice indeed! But I would settle for “Poori and Vegetable Saagu”. This has been a childhood favorite of mine and brings back sweet and nostalgic memories.

What inspired you to start Foodworld aggregator?

The idea of creating an aggregator came to me after FDB (another Blog Aggregator) closed down. The creators of FDB had done great service to fellow bloggers by creating a platform so that the bloggers could show case their work not only to like minded bloggers but also to a wide range of interested audiences. So I wanted to create my own Aggregator and that is how FoodWorld was started.

Okies, now for a very important question. Why did you name your blog redchillies?

In our family we love spicy food and chillies is a quintessential part of our cooking. Being a Konkani we use plenty of dried red chillies along with coconut and tamarind in our everyday cooking. So I thought it was apt to name my food blog as RedChillies.

Have you been to my site before? Do you have any comments for me?

Absolutely I visit your blog often. I like the fact that you provide information not just about recipes, but also about blogging ideas, healthy cooking, photography tips etc. I also like the way you conduct events that promotes healthy eating ideas.

I would like to Thank Supriya for this lovely interview.

If you know anyone whom I can interview for this series, please let me know.

Don’t miss the interview series. Do subscribe in a READER

OR via EMAIL to my blog!

Checkout the previous foodie chats.

12.29.2008

Microwave Beetroot Halwa

I usually do my halwa on stove top. There is no reason for it. I was taught to cook halwa using that method. With Microwave playing a major role in modern cooking, I wanted to try halwa using m/w. Moreover, I wanted to sent something for MEC- Halwa.

Microwave Beetroot Halwa

This is the beetroot halwa recipe on stove top. Both the methods are easy as far as I am concerned. The only tough part is grating the vegetable. If you have a blender, even this part becomes easy. I like to grate it traditionally with the help of a hand grater so it takes some effort from my side. But it is all worth it.

Here is what you will need to do the beetroot halwa in microwave

Ingredients:

1 cup beetroot, grated
3/4 cup of powdered sugar
1 cup of milk
1/4 cup of ghee, clarified butter or butter
2 cardamom whole
Few fried cashew

Method:

In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter for 30 sec in high.

Now add the nuts, cardamom and fry them for 30sec in high.

Now add the grated beetroot and cook them at high for 2 min.

Now add milk and cook for 3 min in high. Stir after every 1 min.

Check if the beetroot is cooked. Else, cook it for another 3 min in high.

Add the sugar and mix well. cook it for another 2 min in high, stirring after every 1 min.

Rest it for 5 min before serving.

Beetroot halwa is ready. You can serve it hot or cold. Either way it makes a great dessert.

12.24.2008

We Wish you a Merry Christmas!

Holiday season is officially begun and everyone is in a very happy mood.

We Wish You a merry Christmas!



Merry Christmas Greetings

From our Family to yours. Happy Holidays!

Photo: krisdecurtis

12.23.2008

Pani Poori - The King of Indian Chat

Pani Poori - This is one of the most famous Indian Chat recipe that many die for. I really can't explain the taste of this recipe. You must experience it. The combination of sweetness and sourness makes this recipe unique and stand out from rest of the crowd. It is made differently in each part of India. For example, the Gujaratis make this more sweeter.

Pani Poori recipe

Ok now you may ask me where can I eat this? The best place to eat this is from roadside shops in India. Oh! of course we cannot find road side shops in other countries,especially in the US and UK. So here is a homemade recipe of Pani Poori to satisfy your cravings. You must give this a try. The best chat I have ever eaten! I know many will join me in this statement.

Ingredients:

To make Poori:

1 cup of suji(Semolina) (makes more than 50 pooris)
salt to taste
1 1/2 tsp of all purpose flour
warm water
oil

Pani Poori Recipe

To make Pani:

Cold water
1 cup tamarind juice
1/2 tsp Black salt or chatt masala
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp of cumin powder
salt to taste
1/2 tsp of pepper power
1/2 tsp of red chilli powder
1/2 tsp of sugar
few cilantro and mint leaves - crush them in a blender

For stuffing:

Boiled chick peas
chopped boiled potatoes
Boondi
Yogurt

Pani Poori Recipe


Method:

To make Poori:

In a bowl add the suji(Semolina) and salt. Mix well.

Add warm water and mix.

Add the AP flour and mix well.

Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes.

The dough must be a tight dough.

Add few drops of oil to the dough and knead for 4-5 min and rest it for 15-20 minutes.

In a table/where you are going to roll the puri, apply oil and take dough and roll it to a very thin dough.

Take a bottle cover/cutter which cuts the dough into small round shape.

In oil, deep fry these pooris. They have to puff like balloons.

To make Pani:

In a bowl, add cold water and the tamarind juice. Add all the other ingredients required for making pani.

Mix well.

How to eat Pani Poori:

This is the best part. I bet when you start eating you can never stop.

Take 1 poori, crack open so that you can add the fillings.

Add 1 tsp of all the stuffing ingredients mentioned.

Dip the Poori into the Pani and immediately take it to your mouth.

Eat each poori as a whole to get this recipe right.

Repeat this process till you are out of Pooris.

Writing about this makes me drool. Do let me know if you have tried this recipe at home.

12.22.2008

Where do you buy your cookwares?

I personally feel that many of us have come online freaks. Of course in a good sense. We are so fluent and have more knowledge about online shopping. People, especially those in the US have a tendency to buy items online. This includes Groceries too. So, tell me how many of you have bought groceries online? Do you get the satisfaction of buying good vegetables and fruits if you buy online? I have not given a try yet. But would love to do online grocery shopping soon.

CookwarePhoto from :Wasserstrom restaurant supply

Not only that, many of my friends buy cooking supplies online. There are many websites which provide this service. But I would like to know if you have any favorite ones. I am a big fan of 'Top Chef' reality program. I have always awed at their professional cookware. Looking at the varieties and appearance, I bet anyone who loves cooking would love to buy these items. Hmm...let me see if I can convince my husband to buy me these. Difficult but not impossible I guess.


Now tell me,

1. Do you own any particular culinary item which you consider as professional.?

By this I mean, anything you consider only restaurant chefs will own. I have nothing. A big Zero! Would love to know about your equipments. Specially about Microwave cookwares.

2. Do you have any suggestions or brand that I can buy? I desperately need a couple of microwave safe bowls. I just have the plastic ones which are microwave safe.

3. Where do you usually buy your cookwares?


12.18.2008

Spinach Rolls - A quick healthy snack

When it comes to spinach and kids I can say that they are like the little red riding hood and wolf. Oh! you know what I mean. They don't get along, even if we try tricking the kids to eat spinach. This is the case for cooked spinach. So, how about raw spinach leaves? no way! Can you make them to eat raw spinach? oh yeah! I got a pretty interesting recipe which I believe would be a great hit among kids too.

Healthy Spinach Rolls

Spinach rolls are very simple and easy to make. Very healthy and is full of protein and fiber needed for kids as well as pregnant women. No oil, no sugar is used throughout this process, which adds value to this food. You can make this like a little cooking project and do these rolls with your kids. This is real fun. I know you can't wait any more and so here is the Spinach rolls recipe. Do let me know if it made your kid eat raw spinach.


Ingredients:

10 Spinach leaves (preferably big ones, which we can roll)
1 cup of cooked beans (I used Red kidney beans, Moong sprouts and chick peas)
Salt to taste
2 tsp of honey
1 tbspn of powdered nuts
10 toothpick


Healthy Spinach Rolls


Method:

Soak the beans for 4-5 hours and pressure or steam cook them by adding required amount of salt.

Now, take a spinach leaf and cut out the stem.

Coat the leaf with honey. This serves 2 purposes

1. It makes the spinach leaves taste sweet
2. It helps the nuts to stick to the leaf

Spread few powdered nuts on this.

Now place a tsp of cooked beans inside it and roll it.

Use a toothpick to hold the roll. Serve hot or cold, either way they taste great. The beans are chewy and the nuts are crunchy making it to taste just perfect.

You can do many variations with this recipe. Kids love something which can be eaten in one bite and also loves food which they can hold in their hands. Bingo!

You healthy Spinach rolls are ready! Easy and quick and makes a perfect evening snack for your kids and pregnant women so this is going to my eat healthy during pregnancy event. Do let me know if this recipe suits any other event, I would love to send it.

12.16.2008

Chicken Kurma - A recipe which lead to an eating competition

Whenever I hear Chicken Kurma, I automatically get reminded of the Sunday breakfasts at my in law's. My mom-in-law, most of the time, makes Chicken Kurma for Idly/Dosa for breakfast and my husband and my bro-in-law will be literally into an eating competition. I used to wonder... was it because of my mom-in-law's chicken kurma or was it because they were hungry.Hmm..I bet it was because of the recipe.

Chicken Kurma

Recently my husband made the chicken kurma recipe and I went short of Idlys.! Huh..it means something...it means that the chicken kurma is utterly delicious. So here is the recipe for you to try and tell me what impact it had on your loved ones.

Ingredients:

500 grams Chicken
2 tbsp cashew nuts
2 chopped green chillies
1 cup Coconut grated
2 tbsp Cooking Oil
1 bunch coriander leaves
1 tbsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 cup curd
few curry leaves
2 finely chopped Onion
1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
1.5 tsp pepper pdr
salt to taste
1 tsp turmeric
1.5 cup Yogurt

whole garam masala:

2 cloves
2 bay leaves
2 cardamom whole
1 cinnamon stick

Chicken Kurma

Method:

In a pan, heat oil and add the whole garam masala. Add mustard seeds and when they pop, add cumin seeds and chopped onions. Saute them and add salt.

In a blender, add cashews and coconut and make it a fine paste.

When the onion is done, add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste. Mix well.

Add curry leaves and green chillies.

Now add the coconut and cashew paste and mix well.

Cook this mixture in a Sim flame till the oil oozes out.

Now add yogurt, coriander and cumin powder. Mix well.

Add chicken mix well. Add some pepper powder.

Cover the mixture and cook it in a Sim flame. Occasionally stir.

After 15 min to 20 min the chicken will be done. Garnish it with some coriander leaves and cook in Sim flame for 2 -3 min.

This goes well with Chapati/Roti, Rice varieties, Idly/Dosa.

12.15.2008

Homemade Paneer : How to

I actually wanted to make a video for this post but, due to various reasons I couldn't. Paneer is a very unique Indian Cheese. It is the only cheese I know which doesn't melt even when you cook them. Interesting isn't it? Paneer is the Indian cottage cheese which is used in many side dishes. The Paneer itself can be prepared adding some flavors to it. But generally a Paneer tastes better when it is in a sauce.

Homemade Paneer- How to

You can easily make homemade paneer. All you need is,

1/2 gallon of whole milk
2 tsp of Lemon juice or vinegar
A muslin cloth
weights or heavy vessel


Method:

In a milk pan, boil the milk. Simmer it and the add the lemon juice to it and wait for it to separate.

Use a muslin cloth for filtering this and use the filtered water to make chapatis or even as a vegetable stock.

Squeeze out the water from the muslin cloth and tie a knot and hang it for 20mts. This will remove the excess moisture present.

Now take the cloth and fold it into a square shape and place a heavy weight on top of it for the paneer to set.

Homemade Paneer-How to

Allow it to set for 45 mts and cut it into small pieces of your shape and size.

Note:

1.It is important you use the paneer as soon as possible. You can also store it in the refrigerator for a couple of days. While doing so, make sure that the cut paneer piece and immersed in water. This will help the paneer to be more soft.

2. If you do not have a muslin cloth, you can use any thin cloth, preferably cotton.

3. You can also add spices and herbs while boiling milk to make different types of Paneer.


I will surely make a video next time when I make Paneer.

You can use this Paneer and prepare Paneer tikka masala, matar paneer etc

12.12.2008

Microwave Cooking - Bread Pizza Recipe

Microwave Bread Pizza has become my favorite quick meal recipe. You can have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Just the number of bread varies. A very simple recipe. I wanted to try this for a long time now. I saw this recipe at priya's and was very tempted to try it out. As I did not have microwave that time, I couldn't.

bread pizza

This is one of the quickest recipes you can try out and your kids will go glutton for sure. If you ask me if it is healthy, I would say, yes to a certain amount. If you use whole wheat bread and stuff the pizza with veggies especially broccoli and use less cheese it is a healthy version. But, once in a while you can treat your tongue too!

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

4 Bread slices (Make sure to use bread having big slices)
1/cup lengthwise chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup zucchini, chopped
1/4 cup broccoli florets
1/4 cup capsicum, chopped
1 tbspn pizza sauce, if you do not have this you can go with chilli sauce too!

Method:

Take a bread slice and add the pizza sauce. Top it with the other ingredients and finally with cheese.

In a microwave safe plate, place the bread slice and cook it for 3 min in high.

Allow it to cool for 2 min and then serve.

12.11.2008

Ragi Dosa - A healthy Treat

Eat Healthy - Fight Diabetes event is a great source of healthy recipes. I still have to try out a lot of recipes from that. To start with, I made Ragi Dosa of Srilekha's. I added some vegetables to make it more healthy. I must say, Ragi dosa did taste like normal dosa and I found it even more tastier with Chilli sauce than any chutney. Ha! Chilly(Silly) me!


Ragi Dosa

Since it has ragi (Finger millet), vegetables I am sending this to my eat healthy during pregnancy contest. Ragi is very good source of amino acid methionine. A great food which helps us to maintain our weight too. What else can a girl ask for? So here comes Ragi Dosa recipe, my version.


Ingredients:

1 cup Ragi flour
2 cups of Dosa batter (Chk out how to make dosa batter here)
1/2 cup onions, chopped finely
1/4 cup tomatoes, chopped finely
1 tbspn of corn (you can use frozen corn)
1/2 cup vegetables of your choice(I used carrots,spinach)
2-3 tsp of oil
Salt to taste (As the dosa batter will already have salt, be careful with the amount)
few chopped curry leaves
few chopped cilantro
few chopped nuts(optional)

Ragi Dosa

Method:

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients and let it rest for 2 min.

In a Tawa/Griddle, add 1 tbspn of the batter, spread it and make a round shape.

Add 1 tsp of oil, Cook for 1 min and turn. Cook for another 30 sec.

Check if both sides are cooked. Repeat this process until you are out of batter.

Serve hot with Chilly sauce or chutney.

12.10.2008

Intimidated by the road side shops, I made...

When I was working back in India, I used to take my office bus for commutation. Most of time I fall asleep in my return journey. But, the few time I was awake, I was intimidated by the road side biriyani shops. They have a very big vessel (Anda in Tamil) and they will prepare mostly Egg biriyani, which would taste divine, I was told.

Egg Biriyani Recipe

I wanted to try Egg Biriyani at home but the option was ruled out when I was in India. But here, I tried it. I couldn't compare the taste because I have not tasted the shop biriyani. However, I can say at least, it looked like the one served in shops. Here is the recipe

Ingredients:

4 Boiled Eggs
1 cup Basmati Rice
1 tsp biryani masala pdr
1 tsp black cumin or regular cumin
1 tbspn Butter
1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
4 chopped Green Chillies
1 cup mint
1 tbsp oil
1 large Onions
2 cup Plain Yogurt
Salt to taste
2 bay leaves
2-3 cloves
2 cinnamon stick
few cashews

To marinate the Egg:

1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 egg
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp besan flour

Method:

Add oil in a pan. Add the Bayleaf,cloves and cinnamon. Add some black or regular cumin seeds and onion.

Saute them and add the salt.

Add cashew nuts. Saute.

Add green chillies, coriander leaves and mint.

Add ginger garlic paste and mix well.

Add 1 cup of curd and biriyani masala powder (50g) and mix well.

Add water (2 cups) and add 1 cup of rice.

Check for seasoning and if all fine then cover it with lid and allow it to cook in a medium flame.

Meanwhile prepare the marination for the eggs (OPTIONAL) - I have prepared both ways and I liked when it is not marinated. So the choice is yours.

In a bowl, add chilli powder, ginger garlic paste,coriander powder,cumin powder, basan flour and mix well.

Add egg white to this mixture. Mix well and coat the boiled eggs with this marination.

In a pan, add butter and shallow fry these marinated eggs.

When the rice is done, mix this egg with the rice carefully.

If you want you can add orange color to the rice.

Garnish it with some coriander leaves and serve hot with raita or any side dish of your choice.

12.09.2008

Your content is copied. What next?

Recently I made a video on how to watermark your pictures. In continuation with that video, I would like to add another video about How to deal with copyright issues. In this video you will get to know,

1. How to identify that your content is copied elsewhere?
2. How to find out the contact details of the thief?
3. How to contact the thief and handle the situation?
4. What to mail to the Major search engines seeking help?

I really hope this video would be of great help to all of us. Do let me know your comments and suggestions. If valid, I would be more than happy to add the points to the blog post.

Note: I made this video yesterday afternoon sacrificing my afternoon nap. This made me sound very sleepy and please tolerate it. Do not fall asleep with me watching the video. Hello! the content is vital!


Please note that it is copyscape.com and it is misspelled in the video as copyspace! (Thanks Ramya!)



Resources:

Whois

Very useful information about copyright - I would suggest you to bookmark as she has covered all most all the required points.

Copyscape

Winners - Eat Helthy Fight Diabetes Contest

Yey! We have the winners of Eat Healthy - Fight Diabetes contest. We totally got 312 votes. Out of which Yasmeen got 112 and Yensamayalarai got 103 votes. I am very happy to announce the winners

Yasmeen's Granola bars - First Place

Yensamayarai's Kovaikai podimas - Second Place

Priya won the Featured Blog title!

Congrats winners, I will be contacting you shortly to discuss about your prize money.

Once again thanks to all who participated and encouraged me. Do not forget to participate in the next Eat Healthy contest which is all about eating healthy during pregnancy.

I hope you give the same support as you have done till now. Thank you!

12.08.2008

Foodie Chat - Having Fun with Food

There are many food bloggers who have inspired me in many ways and one such blogger is Mansi of Fun and Food. I love her dedication. With a full time job, there are many bloggers like her, who put their heart and soul to keep their blog running. I really appreciate their hard work and hats off to you guys! Now let us carry on with what Mansi has got to say.

Why and when did you start blogging?

I was always interested in cooking, and trying different flavors and recipes was a favorite activity. Slowly, the love grew into a passion, and my husband convinced me to start a blog about my recipes and all the things I loved. I did not know about the food-blogging world before I actually started my blog! Named after a small road-side cafe in my hometown, my blog is called Fun and Food, and reflects my thoughts, ideas and opinions about having loads of fun while cooking!

Why did you choose this topic to blog?

Cooking should not be a boring chore, and that's precisely why I started blogging about Food - to help home-cooks discover the chef inside them and enjoy cooking good food to share with friends and family! Moreover, "Food" is a universal subject that everyone likes to read about, including myself! But I also write articles about health, Fitness, Travel and Entertaining from time to time, to keep the diversity alive!

I know you have a full time job. How do you manage both?

It does get tough at times managing both, but that's when my "sane & patient" husband comes to my rescue and makes me see that Blogging is just a hobby, not something I should get frantic about! So when my wrist starts paining with all the typing, I know its time to Stop! Now, I have a schedule so that I don't over-indulge in my blogs:)

In a day, how many hours you spend blogging?

With my new schedule, I spend about 2-3 hours per day, mostly at night to keep my drafts ready. Over the weekend, I get all my photos ready, and spend a couple hours organizing posts for the coming week.

Do you have any other hobbies other than blogging?

Yes, I love singing, and would've pursued it if I could! I also love reading, traveling & adventure-sports. Over the weekend, we simply drive to a nearby place with a picnic basket and do hiking or nature-stuff.

What advice do you give to the new comers?

Be passionate, and believe in what you do! This blogging community and my friends have taught me the importance of sharing, and being truthful and patient in what you pursue. That's the only way you can enjoy what you do. Like any other field, blogging take time and persistence, so just hang on! You'll see yourself improve over time.


Which is your favorite cuisine and why?

I love Indian Food, and try to make a global cuisine out of it by adapting International cuisines for Indian palates. But I do like Italian, Thai and Mexican food the most after Indian.

Your favorite food blogs

Oh boy, there are 100's of blogs to list, but I'll just mention a few that I really admire!
101Cookbbooks, Tartelette, FatFree Vegan, La Tartine Gourmande, Cafe Fernando, Closet Cooking

Who/what is your inspiration?

Initially, it was my mom who inspired me to learn about flavors, aromas and tastes. Now cookbooks, food shows and food celebrities inspire me everyday to try something new and create simple or exquisite meals in my kitchen. And of course, my husband, who's my best critic, and loves his job! Baking is one of my favorite cooking activities, and I'd love to have a restaurant of my own someday!

Do you host your blog in your own domain? what blog hosts you suggest for a new blogger/experienced blogger.

No, I still maintain my blog with "Blogger", while I have my main site hosted at my own domain. Blogger is easy for a novice-blogger, and free, so I stuck to it. However, I'm thinking I should have explored more, especially about "Wordpress" as it offers more themes, is customizable, and has more professional layouts and designs.

How do you cope up with the technical requirements for being a blogger?

I do know some basic HTML and CSS, which is sufficient for the time being. But most of the time, I find answers to my technical dilemmas online, or I take help from friends who can help answer them for me:)

Your Photography secrets

I'm really not that great with my photos, and I'd love to be half as good as some of the blogs I've mentioned above, which are truly inspiring! But I try to learn from others; see cookbooks and magazines for food styling, try natural or diffused white light for taking pictures, use a basic editing software like GIMP or Photoshop for post-editing, and try to focus more on food than backgrounds and styling, especially if you not a natural food photographer:)

Now coming to a more personal question, How was your recent Europe/India trip?

It was amazing, one of the most awaited vacations in my life!:) We had a great time in Rome, Venice, Paris & Switzerland. I've shared a few photos on my blog. We planned the entire trip ourselves, so it was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it, and we had a great time!

I would like to Thank Mansi for this lovely interview.

If you know anyone whom I can interview for this series, please let me know.

Don’t miss the interview series. Do subscribe in a READER

OR via EMAIL to my blog!

Checkout the previous foodie chats.

12.07.2008

Shikampur Kabab/Shami kabab

Shikampur Kabab or Shami kabab is another recipe from one of my readers. Thanks Amina Anjum for this great recipe. Hope every non veg lovers would be more than happy to try this out. This is a very simple recipe which would go great with any rice variety says Amina.

You can also share your recipes through this recipe form. Please attach a picture if you can.

Ingredients:

500gms mutton (boneless and cut into small pieces)
4 to 5 tbsp channa dal.
ginger garlic paste 1 1/2 tsp.
red chilli powder 1 tsp.
green chilles 2 or 3 (adjust with ur taste).
Haldi 1/2 tsp.
coriander seeds (dhaniya) pd 1 tsp.
salt to taste
garam masala powdered 1 tsp.
coriander leaves and mint leaves to garnish (chopped).
egg white 1 beaten.
cashew nuts 10.
oil.

For shikampur filling -

Thick Curd 1 cup
green chilles 2 chopped.
coriander leaves chopped. few
salt.

Mix all the filling and keep it aside.

Method:

1. Pressure cook channa dal and little haldi till the dal is cooked,remove in a bowl.

2. In the same cooker add mutton pieces,haldi, salt,red chilli pd, green chillies,ginger garlic paste and some water, pressure cook till the mutton is cooked.

3. Remove the lid and now dry the excess water in the mutton (it should be completely dry) you can add the cooked dal and fry nice till there is no water.

4. Cool the dry mutton and dal mixture and grind it without adding water, remove in a dish.

5. Grind the cashew nuts also.

6. Now mix the mutton paste and cashew nut paste,coriander and mint leaves, garam masala pd and add salt if less.

7.Make small balls from the above mixture,make a shallow space in center and fill with curd filling and close the kabab nice, shallow fry each shikampur kabab till golden brown and little crispy or till cooked.

8.You can make plain shami kabab from the same mutton mixture without adding curd filling, just make into diamond shape or flat round shape and shallow fry.

9. Best eaten with dal rice,fried rice.

10. You can store these kabab in a air tight box and keep it in your refrigerator and fry whenever you want to eat.

Enjoy the Shami kabab

12.05.2008

Coconut Rice Recipe

As a kid, I bet everyone would have loved this coconut rice. But after you have reached a certain age, we tend to avoid this recipe as it contributes more cholesterol. But I think a treat now and then is acceptable. Life is full of changes. The things we loved when were kids becomes a second or last choice when we grow up. Not only types of food, this quality prevails in many things. Why is it so? Why do we have to change ourselves to suite the society? Can't we still be like kids, with no responsibilities, have fun and playing most of the time? I know it is not possible but why? Why? Why?


Coconut rice recipe

Coconut Rice is a delicacy. No one can deny it. It has a unique flavor that fills your kitchen pulling your husband and kids to the kitchen to take a peek. Here is the recipe for you to try out and win the super chef title!

I am sending this lovely recipe to Ramki's Recipe for rest of us event and FIC- White started by dear Harini and guest host this month by Kitchen flavours.

Ingredients:

1 cup of Basmati Rice (you can also use the normal white rice)
1/2 cup of coconut (You can use the freshly grated or the coconut powder too)
2 tsp of Coconut Oil ( you can also substitute this with Olive/Canola/Vegetable oil)
1/2 tbspn of coconut milk OR 1 tsp of sugar
2-3 green chillies, chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp channa dal
1 tsp urad dal
Few Cashews or groundnuts (your choice, you can omit this too)
Salt to taste
Few curry leaves
Few chopped cilantro

Coconut Rice

Method:

In a pan, add the oil. Add mustard seeds, when it pops, add the cumin seeds and curry leaves.

Now add the channa dal and urad dal. Saute.

Add the Green chillies and nuts. If the nuts are not previously fried. Do fry them at this point.

Add the grated coconut and mix well.

Add salt and coconut milk or 1 tsp of sugar and mix well. If you are adding the coconut milk, you need not add sugar as it is sweet by itself. This gives the unique flavor to this rice variety.

Mix them well and cook it for a minute.

Meanwhile, cook the Basmati rice and allow it to cool for 5 min.

Mix the rice with this coconut mixture and Ta-da! Your coconut rice is ready. This is a very easy recipe and goes well with Papad,chips or Potato curry. YUM!

12.04.2008

Eat Healthy - During Pregnancy

With the great success of Eat Healthy- Fight Diabetes Event, (Don't forget to check out the Part 1 and Part 2 of the round up) I am so happy to announce this month's topic. It is eating healthy during pregnancy. It is important to eat healthy. But it is even more important to eat healthy when you are eating for two. Pregnancy is an experience. Most of us get lost in the excitement and eat a lot, which is more junk than healthy and gain weight!

Gaining weight is important during pregnancy. But, when beyond the limit, invites complications. Eating right is what we are talking about. We require few vitamins more than the others. Like more of calcium and less of carbohydrates. More proteins and fiber. More of Iron. Eating what we need is what we are looking at. I don't want to bore you with facts. You know what I am talking about and I am waiting to see the healthy recipes.

Here is a video that I found which talks about what and what not to eat during pregnancy.




There are numerous to-be moms and people who are trying to conceive who has less knowledge in this topic. Here is a way to help them out.

Eat Healthy during Pregnancy

Image used for the logo is from baby-gaga.com

This event runs from Dec 5,2008 till Jan 5,2009.

1. Make any dish – be it Appetizer, Main Course or Dessert , Vegetarian/Non -Vegetarian, any cuisine and using any ingredient, anything under the sun that is good for pregnancy and post the recipe in your blog /site and link it back to this announcement . I would greatly appreciate if you use the logo.

2. No need to send the picture, I will take it from your blog.

3. Subscribe to my blog via E-mail/Reader. - (OPTIONAL) I am asking you all to subscribe because, last time, a lot of the participants missed the mega round up and missed the chance of voting for their favorite recipes. This time I feel it could be prevented by making the subscription. If you are already subscribed, Thanks!

4. Send me your
“Name”
“Recipe”
“Recipe URL”
"Few lines stating why the recipe is good for pregnancy"

to : letusallcook@gmail.com i.e. letusallcook(AT)gmail(DOT)com with the subject as Eat healthy - During Pregnancy.

5. You can send any number of entries. But be sure to write why that particular food is good for Pregnancy.

6.Not having a blog is no excuse to let you get away with your passion for cooking. Non-Bloggers don't worry, there are always ways to achieve your passion :) please do send me the same details as above to the mail given and I will post it in the round-up with your details. Your recipe will also be counted for winning the prizes.

8.Older entries on blogs can be accepted only if they are re posted during this event period with a link-back to this announcement. If you do not know how to re post please check one of my post where I have done re posting for an event. For the entries that are re posted, do write why they are good for pregnancy while re posting.

9. Each entry to this contest must have a link back to this announcement.

If you have any doubts please ask!

Also checkout the previous Eat Healthy Events and Round Ups.

PRIZE 1: This winner will be chosen by voting. The 10 recipes will be chosen by me and Cynthia, the more number of entries you send the more chance for her to choose your recipe in the top 10 spots. Cynthia is giving her new book "My Caribbean cookbook" as the prize. I will write more about the book in my future post. Thanks Cynthia!

PRIZE 2: $10 gift card to the person who comes second in the voting.

PRIZE 3: The person with maximum number of entries, in addition of getting more chances to get the top 10 spot will also get a special prize of getting featured in my blog for a month. This is truly to appreciate their contribution.

My Kitchen Treasures

When Dibs announced the Kitchen Treasures event, I was sure that I will be sending something. Mine is a very simple kitchen with very little treasures. In India, I had a lot of vessels, but here I have only few. Thanks to the Airlines !I was allowed only 28 KG per box. With only 2 boxes allowed, it was either these or my dresses. Obviously my dresses won!

My first treasure - Cooker (Both Pressure cooker and Rice Cooker). I can't imagine a day without them. I got my pressure cooker as give away present from my parents for my marriage. It is very close to me!


My Kitchen Treasures


My Second treasure - Mathu(A vessel used to mash), Roti roller, Presser(with this I make Muruku very often!) All from India :)

My Kitchen Treasures

I don't have my favorite vessels here. I would have got it if I had known that there would be such an event! Sigh!

12.03.2008

Voting Starts for Eat Healthy -Fight Diabetes

You must have followed the Part 1 and Part 2 of the round up and here is the list of top 10 recipes which Aruna chose.

Ragi Dosa by Srilekha

Kollu Parupu Podi by Priya

Granola Bar by Yasmeen

Wild Rice Salad by AnuDivya

Kovaikai Podimas by Yensamalyarai

Bittermelon Crab Salad by Heart and Hearth

Healthy Soup by Hetal

Ragi, Oatmeal and Soya Dosa by EC

Vegan Scones by Harini

Ragi Koozh by divya


Congrats guys! we start the voting from now and will run till Dec 8 12.00PM Pacific time. Please note that you can vote only once. Any violation of this rule will disqualify the entry. I have added the poll in my sidebar.

Please vote for your favorite entry and make them win. Remember this time we have 2 prizes.

1st Place will get $20 gift card
2nd Place will get $10 gift card

Happy Voting! I am very eager to find out the winner. Good Luck Guys!

I will post about the next Eat Healthy event tomorrow. So stay glued!

12.02.2008

Eat Healthy - Fight Diabetes Round up (Part 2)

Yesterday, I shared the part 1 of this roundup. In this part 2 , I am sharing Priya,'s Srilekha's, EC's and Yasmeen's entries. They have sent a lot of entries and so I thought I would group them in a different way. Once again I thank all the participants. The top 10 recipes have already been chosen by Aruna and she has sent me the list. Do check back to know more about the voting details and the winner.

Srilekha has been a regular contributor for this event and this time she has sent in some great healthy recipes with her views on each recipe. You can find all the below recipes here.

1. Ragi Dosa

Ragi is one of the greatest plant sources for calcium and good quality protein, methionine, which is an essential alfa amino acid required for normal metabolism and which the body cannot produce on its own.

Ragi is praised for its unique diet for reducing weight (least fat containing grain) and also good for diabetes , hyper cholesterol and triglycerides. It is one of the most healthy foods due to to its rich content of nutrients.

Finger millet / Ragi is especially valuable as it contains the amino acid methionine, which is lacking in the diets of hundreds of millions of the poor who live on starchy staples such as cassava, plantain, polished rice, or maize meal. Finger millet can be ground and cooked into cakes, puddings or porridge.


2.Chapathi

Wheat could help to improve blood glucose control without any critical adverse effects. Wheat may be a useful functional food to improve glycemic control for type 2 diabetics.

3.Bitter Gourd & Green Beans Kolambu

Research studies have shown that bitter gourd contains hypoglycemic or insulin-like principle, designated as 'plantinsulin', which has been found valuable in lowering the blood and urine sugar levels. It should, therefore, be included liberally in the diet of the diabetic.

4. Apple Milkshake

Apple is the delicious fruit and most of the people enjoy eating apples. It has been found beneficial in the treatment of diabetes because of its rich pectin content. It is a natural ingredient found in the inner portion of apple. It helps in dextofication of the body by providing galacturonic acid which is needed for the elimination of various harmful substances from the body. This food also decreases the body's insulin requirements.

5.Paruppu Vadai

Bengal Gram is an important component of Indian diet. It possesses an anti diabetic properties. These seeds are rich in fibres. They reduces the rate of glucose absorption and also decreases the gastric emptying, thereby preventing the rise in blood sugar levels following a meal. Due to its presence in the body, the cells become more sensitive to insulin and an increase in the number of insulin receptor sites occurs and there is a stimulation of the cell's ability to burn glucose. It also causes less glycosuria (i.e. passage of sugar in urine), thereby lowering fasting blood sugar levels and also lowers insulin requirements.

Onion is known to cure virtually everything. It is an exceptionally strong antioxidant. It words off diabetes, hay fever, blood clot, fights asthma, chronic bronchitis etc. Onion extract is found to reduce blood sugar levels during oral and inter venous glucose tolerance.

6. Onion Bajji

Onion is known to cure virtually everything. It is an exceptionally strong antioxidant. It words off diabetes, hay fever, blood clot, fights asthma, chronic bronchitis etc. Onion extract is found to reduce blood sugar levels during oral and inter venous glucose tolerance. The onion has been used as a treatment for diabetes since ancient times. Recent research studies have proved that this pungent vegetable can lower blood sugar in diabetes.

Bengal Gram and its flour is an important component of Indian diet. It possesses an anti diabetic properties. These seeds are rich in fibres. They reduces the rate of glucose absorption and also decreases the gastric emptying, thereby preventing the rise in blood sugar levels following a meal. Due to its presence in the body, the cells become more sensitive to insulin and an increase in the number of insulin receptor sites occurs and there is a stimulation of the cell's ability to burn glucose. It also causes less glycosuria (i.e. passage of sugar in urine), thereby lowering fasting blood sugar levels and also lowers insulin requirements.

7. Buttermilk

The popularity of yogurts/buttermilk has been continuously grown. There is also a growing demand for puddings, desserts and other artificial dairy products. It incorporate a bacteria into the digestive system that stimulate the pancreas. It cleanses the pancrease form its waste products and acids and therefore helps in the production of more insulin and provides favour for the diabetics patients. Yogurt is an ancient wonder food. It is also strongly antibacterial and anti cancer. A cup or two of yogurt a day boosts immune functioning by stimulating production of gamma interferon. It also increases the activity of natural killer cells that attacks viruses and tomours. A daily cup of yogurt reduces colds and other upper respiratory infection

in human. Yogurt also fight bone problems such as osteoporosis because of their high calcium content.

8. Garlic kolambu

Garlic have significant blood sugar lowering action. The active ingredients in it are believed to be allyl propyl disulphide (APDS) and diallyldisul-phide oxide (allicin). There may be some other constituents such as flavonoids, which also plays an important role. These ingredients lowers the blood glucose levels by completing with insulin for insulin-inactivating sites in the liver. This results in an increase of free insulin. The additional benefit of the use of the garlic is its beneficial cardiovascular effects. They are found to lower lipid levels, inhibit platelet aggregation and are hypertensive. So, the liberal use of garlic is recommended for diabetic patients.

9. Poori

Wheat could help to improve blood glucose control without any critical adverse effects. Wheat may be a useful functional food to improve glycemic control for type 2 diabetics.

10. Onion Masala

Onion is known to cure virtually everything. It is an exceptionally strong antioxidant. It words off diabetes, hay fever, blood clot, fights asthma, chronic bronchitis etc. Onion extract is found to reduce blood sugar levels during oral and inter venous glucose tolerance.

The onion has been used as a treatment for diabetes since ancient times. Recent research studies have proved that this pungent vegetable can lower blood sugar in diabetes.

Bengal Gram and its flour is an important component of Indian diet. It possesses an anti diabetic properties. These seeds are rich in fibres. They reduces the rate of glucose absorption and also decreases the gastric emptying, thereby preventing the rise in blood sugar levels following a meal. Due to its presence in the body, the cells become more sensitive to insulin and an increase in the number of insulin receptor sites occurs and there is a stimulation of the cell's ability to burn glucose. It also causes less glycosuria (i.e. passage of sugar in urine), thereby lowering fasting blood sugar levels and also lowers insulin requirements.

11. Cabbage Dhal Kootu

Dhal regulates blood sugar level.

12. Cauliflower 65

Cauliflower/Broccloi is a super source of chromium that helps regulate insulin and blood sugar. Therefore, it is considered to be an effective anti-diabetic food. It reduces needs of diabetics. In case of milk diabetes, chromium may prevent the onset of complete disease.

13. Cauliflower Kolambu

Cauliflower/Broccloi is a super source of chromium that helps regulate insulin and blood sugar. Therefore, it is considered to be an effective anti-diabetic food. It reduces needs of diabetics. In case of milk diabetes, chromium may prevent the onset of complete disease.

14. Soya Beans Curry

Legumes/ soy beans is excellent food for diabetics. Soya bean is one of the most nutritious foods of the great value in the treatment of diabetes. Its usefulness in diabetes is attributable not only to its richness in protein and its palatability, but also to its ability to cause, in some unexplained way, a reduction in the percentage and the total quantity of urinary sugar in diabetes patients on the usual dietary restrictions.

15. Tomato Rice

Tomato with its low carbohydrates contents is very good food for diabetic patients and for those who want to reduce their body weight. It is said to be very effective in controlling the percentage of sugar in the urine of diabetic patients.


16. Tomato Kolambu

Tomato with its low carbohydrates contents is very good food for diabetic patients and for those who want to reduce their body weight. It is said to be very effective in controlling the percentage of sugar in the urine of diabetic patients.

17. Tomato Thokku

Tomato with its low carbohydrates contents is very good food for diabetic patients and for those who want to reduce their body weight. It is said to be very effective in controlling the percentage of sugar in the urine of diabetic patients.

18. Bengal Gram Chutney

Bengal Gram and its flour is an important component of Indian diet. It possesses an anti diabetic properties. These seeds are rich in fibres. They reduces the rate of glucose absorption and also decreases the gastric emptying, thereby preventing the rise in blood sugar levels following a meal. Due to its presence in the body, the cells become more sensitive to insulin and an increase in the number of insulin receptor sites occurs and there is a stimulation of the cell's ability to burn glucose. It also causes less glycosuria (i.e. passage of sugar in urine), thereby lowering fasting blood sugar levels and also lowers insulin requirements.

Tomato with its low carbohydrates contents is very good food for diabetic patients and for those who want to reduce their body weight. It is said to be very effective in controlling the percentage of sugar in the urine of diabetic patients.

19. Onion Chutney

Onion is known to cure virtually everything. It is an exceptionally strong antioxidant. It words off diabetes, hay fever, blood clot, fights asthma, chronic bronchitis etc. Onion extract is found to reduce blood sugar levels during oral and inter venous glucose tolerance.

The onion has been used as a treatment for diabetes since ancient times. Recent research studies have proved that this pungent vegetable can lower blood sugar in diabetes.

Tomato with its low carbohydrates contents is very good food for diabetic patients and for those who want to reduce their body weight. It is said to be very effective in controlling the percentage of sugar in the urine of diabetic patients.

20. Tomato Chutney

Onion is known to cure virtually everything. It is an exceptionally strong antioxidant. It words off diabetes, hay fever, blood clot, fights asthma, chronic bronchitis etc. Onion extract is found to reduce blood sugar levels during oral and inter venous glucose tolerance.

The onion has been used as a treatment for diabetes since ancient times. Recent research studies have proved that this pungent vegetable can lower blood sugar in diabetes.

Tomato with its low carbohydrates contents is very good food for diabetic patients and for those who want to reduce their body weight. It is said to be very effective in controlling the percentage of sugar in the urine of diabetic patients.

21. Ragi Puttu

Ragi is one of the greatest plant sources for calcium and good quality protein, methionine, which is an essential alfa amino acid required for normal metabolism and which the body cannot produce on its own.
Ragi is praised for its unique diet for reducing weight (least fat containing grain) and also good for diabetes , hyper cholesterol and triglycerides. It is one of the most healthy foods due to to its rich content of nutrients.

Finger millet / Ragi is especially valuable as it contains the amino acid methionine, which is lacking in the diets of hundreds of millions of the poor who live on starchy staples such as cassava, plantain, polished rice, or maize meal. Finger millet can be ground and cooked into cakes, puddings or porridge.

spinach contains an impressive range of active substances which are indispensable to the body. In its structure we find mineral salts (sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, iron, zinc, manganese, iodine, copper), vitamins (C, B1, B2, B6, PP, E, K, folic acid, vitamin A), chlorophyll, amino acids such as arginine and lysine, but also lipids, protides, glucdes and fibers.

The magnesium contained in spinach helps prevent diabetes and here are her Spinach recipes.

22. Palak Paneer

23. MulluMurungai Keerai Vadai / Bhangarapan Bhairi

24. Keerai Saaru / Bajji Chaar

25. Keerai Kolambu

26. Spinach / Keerai Poriyal

27. Spinach / Keerai Kootu (Type 1)

28. Bitter Gourd Fry

Research studies have shown that bitter gourd contains hypoglycemic or insulin-like principle, designated as 'plantinsulin', which has been found valuable in lowering the blood and urine sugar levels. It should, therefore, be included liberally in the diet of the diabetic.

29. Fenugreek Powder

phew! A long list. Oh wait! here comes Priya with her list and it is even longer! Priya is really a great cook. You can find a lot of interesting recipes in her blog and she has sent a total of 57 entries making her blog, 'Featured Blog' of this month!. CONGRATS Priya!

All the below recipes can be found here.

1)Ragi Carrot Paratha
2)Bittergourd Dal
3)Ragi idli
4)Rajma Spicy Tomato Paratha
5)Wheat flour Murukku
6)Red Cow Peas Adai
7)Sprouted Kollu Sambhar
8)Corn N Oats Vegetable Cutlet
9)Zucchini Omelette
10)Sprouted Methi N Onion Gravy
11)Rajma Paneer Podimass
12)Easy Channa Masala
13)Pumpkin Sprouted Lentils Soup
14)Oats Spinach Parathas
15)Herbal Juice
16)Moongdal Tadka
17)Dahi Murgh
18)Coriander Masala Chappathi
19)Coriander Onion Chutney
20)Zucchini Idli
21)Oats Idli
22)Sugar Free Pumpkin Almond Muffins
23)Karela Crispy Chips
24)Tofu Onion Omelette
25)Lobia Tomato Masala Curry
26)Coriander Tofu Briyani
27)Milagu Jeeraga Kuzhambu
28)Palak Channa Masala
29)Sprouted Moongdal Chaat
30)Cabbage N Bulgur Soup
31)Cabbage Dal
32)No Knead Whole Wheat Bread
33)Sugar Free Strawberry Yoghurt Smoothie
34)Rajma Tomato Soup
35)Carrot N Leeks Soup
36)Carrot Bulgur Khichidi
37)Spicy Green Soup
38)Moongdal Murukku
39)Chicken Yoghurt Briyani
40)Sprouted Moongdal Idli
41)Fresh Cucumber Juice
42)Lemony Ragi Noodles
43)Pumpkin Watercress Soup
44)Lauki Chole
45)Sprouted Lentils Egg Curry
46)Curryleaves Masala Fish Fry
47)Moongdal Rasam
48)Kollu Paruppu Podi
49)Steamed Ragi Veggie Rolls
50)Shallot n Lentils Rasam
51)Redbellpepper, Celery N Pasta Soup
52)Frenchbeans Moongdal Stir-fry
53)Simple Gobi masala
54)Bittergourd Prawn Curry
55)Blackeyed Beans Carrot Masala Vadai
56)Red Cabbage Salad
57)Eggless Oatmeal Banana Wheat Pancakes


Yasmeen has sent in few different recipes for this event. Each one was very different in its own way and shows variety to diabetes patients.

You can find the below recipes here and here

1. Peanut Bites,Guilt free snacks for diabetes
2. Sesame Pistachio Cookies,
3. Pumpkin Chocolate Biscotti,
4. Energy Bites
5. Vegetable Crepes
6. Green Mung Khichdi
7. Sesame Buns
8. Beet Hummus
9. Spicy chicken Porridge(Harees)
10. Methi Khakhras with Achaari Dip
11. Calming Chicken soup
12.Chocolate Cherry Almond Biscotti
13.Fig Linzer Cookies
14.Blueberry Almond Banana Muffins
15.Fruit Dark chocolate and Almond Granola bars
16.Whole wheat biscuits with Apple butter
17.Plum clafoutis
18.Nutty fruity granola
19.Cherry Blueberry Scones.

Then comes our very own EC, sharing healthy and simple recipes. Not only people with diabetes but we all can eat them too. They are healthy and nutritious.

The below recipes are here.

Ragi

Ragi Idli
Ragi Dosa
Ragi sevai
Ragi Paniyaram
Ragi Kodubale
Ragi Rotti

Oatmeal

Oats vadai
Ragi Oatmeal soya dosa
Oats Dosa
Oats Paratha

Broken Wheat

Broken Wheat bisibela bhath
Broken wheat upma with veggies
Broken wheat pongal

Bittergourd

Bittergourd fry
Bittergourd cooked in tamarind

Leafy vegetables

Spinach rotis
Greens with dal

Kidney beans and soya beans

Rajma chawal
Rajma Aloo
Soya bean channa masala

With this we have the entire 177 entries for this event and thanks to all who made this happen. A Special Thanks to Aruna for sponsoring this event. Please stay tuned for more details about the top 10 recipes and the voting!

12.01.2008

Eat Healthy - Fight Dibetes Round up (part 1)

Diabetes - A threat to all human beings. But, it can be easily fought,if you have the right spirit and proper guidance. For a Diabetic, there are three important things.

1. Exercise
2. Medication
3. Proper Diet

Yes! Diet plays a very important role in fighting diabetes. Through this event, I was able to learn a lot from our fellow participants. I take this opportunity to thank them from bottom of my heart for sharing such useful tips. I am very sure that it will be helpful to a lot of people. From my part I wanted to share few facts,

Patients with Type 1 diabetes should have a diet that has approximately 35 calories per kg of body weight per day (or 16 calories per pound of body weight per day). Patients with Type 2 diabetes generally are put on a 1500-1800 calorie diet per day to promote weight loss and then the maintenance of ideal body weight. However, this may vary depending on the person's age, sex, activity level, current weight and body style. More obese individuals may need more calories initially until their weight is less. This is because it takes more calories to maintain a larger body and a 1600 calorie diet for them may promote weight loss that is too fast to be healthy. Read more here.

Also did you know that too much Vitamin c is not good for diabetic hearts? I read this article and was real shocked!

I also came across a good diabetic diet e-book. You can read it here.

You can also get some Diabetes related books and kits from here.

I do not want to overwhelm you with information as we have our participants sharing a lot of information with us. I have divided this roundup into two parts. My second roundup will consists of entries from 4 great friends and supporters of this event. I did this mainly to say my special thanks to Priya, EC, Yasmeen and Srilekha for showing their support and encouragement by sending in 20 or more entries each. Thanks girls!

I have sent the details to Aruna for selecting the 10 recipes which will be up for voting. It might take a couple of days as Aruna has to come up with her choice. I will update you on the same. Thanks for understanding and your support! With no further delay, let me start my Round up - Part 1

Soups good for Diabetes

Healthy Soup by Hetal. She says, "This recipe is not only good for diabetics but all for those who have heart problems. Most diabetics are actually encouraged to eat more complex carbohydrates vegetables are an ideal source of these.The ingredients of this soup are rich in fibre which helps in reduction of cholesterol which is somewhere related to diabetes.Besides fibre they are rich in various nutrients.

The positive metabolic effects of the fibre rich diet are many: reduced after-mealtime hyperglycaemia and delayed hypoglycaemia; increased tissue sensitivity to insulin; reduced cholesterol and triglyceride levels with increased HDL-cholesterol levels; and progressive weight reduction which is very good for the diabetics."

Sarah from What Smells So Good? shares with us a high-fibre, low-sugar, vegetarian and leafy green-filled stew that's satisfying and healthy! - Kale, White Bean and Garlic Stew.

Viji says "Oats is very good for diabetic as well for blood pressure. Here i've added curry leaves into it. It has very medicinal value and also it helps to reduce weight. When taking curry leaves regularly, it controls the amount of sugar in urine. It contains excellent iron" - Ragi Oats Kanchi

Curry leaves not only used as aromatic and can be used as an herb. It is rich in iron & having folic acid. Vallari contains lot of vitamins & minerals.I prepare this mor by using these herbs. Here is the Herbal Neer mor by Viji

Diabetes friendly Salad

Sour Cream - Cucumber Salad "I have used cucumber, lemon & dill which are all proven to fight diabetes." says, Lakshmi Venkatesh

"Sprouted Moong have a lot of fibre content and since they are sprouted are good source of minerals & vitamins. Moreover this salad is a combination of sprouted dal, cucumber, lemon juice etc which are all good for diabetics." - Sprouted Moong Sundal/Salad by Lakshmi Venkatesh

Ragi Porridge by Dil-se. "It is a diabetes fighting food because it has no sugar and comines the goodness of a whole grain-finger millet(ragi)", she adds.

Here 2nd process of rice is Aval(beaten rice). It doesn't contain ricestarch & less in carbohydrate.It converts sugar in blood.WIthout worry dieabetic can have this(type 2).- Milagu Aval by Viji

Bittermelon Salad "The reason my Chinese grandma always insist we eat bittermelon is because the Chinese traditional medicine believes that the bittermelon is a very effective preventive vegetable against diabetes. Counting sugar intake alone is not effective in countering diabetes. Because even if people have diabetes, they still need sugar for energy to function well. What they need is something to help their bodies process the sugar they take in. This is where the bittermelon comes in", shares Heart and Hearth

Channa Salad by Alka

Ragi is good in fiber & protein,less in carbohydrates. It won't increase gulcose level in blood as well as can gain good protein & All the rice has fiber & carbohydrates,boil rice is less in starch(carbohydrates).Ragi gives coolness to intestine. - Ragi Koozh by Viji

Wild Rice Salad by AnuDivya

Chickpea Salad by Vidhas. She also adds that since the salad contains Chick peas which is good in protein and vegetables, and no oil this is ideal diet for diabetic people.

Salsa- This recipe is nutrient dense - it is rich in fiber, low in fat and supplies valuable vitamins and minerals to the diet. More importantly, it is delicious and makes eating healthy enjoyable says, Caitlin McDonnell

Egg and Spinach Salad by Sangeeth. Hey its me! and I used Egg whites and Spinach. Both are rich in proteins and helps fight blood sugar!

Sprouted Moong Dal Salad by Shama

Spinach Poriyal by Shama

Snacks helping to fight diabetes


Baked Sweet Potato Fries "Sweet Potatoes are rich in vitamin A and vitamin C - both powerful antioxidants. It is also considered an anti-diabetic food, which means that it can stabilize blood sugar and lower insulin resistance. Low-fat, low-sugar and great taste make them highly recommended over regular potato recipes for diabetic patients" says, Mansi Desai.

Paalak Methi Nu Muthiya "It has Methi (Fenugreek leaves) that counter act the disease. Infact Methi has been used in Indian cuisine since the Vedic age. Its only now that we are re-discovering its medicinal properties. So much so that Methi is also sold in drug stores acroos the United States, over the counter for lactating mothers as it helps in building more milk for the feeding child. It also has Paalak (Spinach) which is a nutrition power house. The calcium in spinach strengthens bones, which is a must for diabetics, as the they are more prone to weak bones." adds, Navita.

Chicken Tikka "I think it is diabetic friendly because it has minimum amount of carbs and lots of protein for energy." says, Aparna

Oats Delight "This reduce cholesterol, has high protein level and subsides sugar level" says Shama.

Vegan Scones "The use of stevia, dates and raisins to slightly sweeten but not overtly sweet makes this right for a small treat once in a while." adds, Harini.

Diabetes friendly Tiffen Items


"Are foods made using whole grains which are very good for diabetic patients since helps in generating insulin" says Lakshmi Venkatesh and shares Instant Bulgur Rava Idli and Nutrition Powered Oats Dosa

Onion Moong Kara Uttapam "In this recipe i've added whole moong & soya. Both are good in protein & fiber. It willn't increase glucose level in blood at the same time can gain nutrition also. Fiber helps to reduce bad cholestrol. " adds, Viji.

"Lentils, which make up a major portion of this dish, are good for everybody, not just for people with diabetes. They're rich in complex carbohydrates and protein, and high in dietary fiber, as a result of which they are digested slowly resulting in a steady and gradual rise in blood sugar levels (low glycemic index). This also keeps one feeling fuller for longer. Lentils are also a rich natural source of B vitamins and minerals. Besides, its cholesterol-lowering properties also reduce the risk of heart disease in diabetics. In short, it is a good idea for diabetics to have lentils in some form or the other with every meal." - Adai by TBC

Mix Vegetable Paratha "This receipe is Diaberic friendly because it contains lots of vegetables less wheat flour, which means less carbohydrate. I usually friand atta mixing soy beans with wheat. The ratio is i kg wheat 200 gms of soy bean." says, Vidhas.

Wheat Dosa "I feel this is very good for diabetic patients , since wheat has lot of fibre in it and helps them gain energy which they do not get as they avoid rice." says, Kamalika.

Pesarattu "I think it is diabetic friendly because it has minimum amount of carbs and moong dal has lot of protein. It is easy to digest and also contains small amounts of vitamins, fiber and minerals. " adds, Aparna

Besan Parathas "With whole wheat flour, besan, olive oil and side of yogurt it is a balanced and very satisfying meal for a diabetic. Also, besan helps combat diabetes (or so I've been told) " says, Simran.

Ragi Adai "I feel Ragi , helps a lot in controlling diabetes, As when taken as a food , it gives the required amount of energy without the increase in calories or starch content. This has a lot of fibre content that helps fight cholesterol in diabetic patient. Its often said that Diabetes is the mother of all diseases, Ragi helps avoid , cholesterol and hence less Blood pressure and lead to healthy heart along with a balanced weight of the body" adds, Kamalika

We already know more about Oats and Ragi by now, so here are few other entries with Oats and ragi.

Oats Idly by Shama

Oats Upma by Shama

Oats Dosa by Shama

Ragi Morkili by Jaishree

Ragi Idiyappam by Jaishree


Side Dishes


"Palak Paneer is a power pack combination for anyone as I have already mentioned. Paneer is an excellent source of protein, while Spinach is full of nutirents like calcium, folate, iron, magnesium, vitamin C and vitamin A & also a great source of lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoid phytonutrients that are important for healthy eyes. I use methi/fenugreek whenever I make Palak Paneer which is great for people with diabetes. Besides this dish is carb. free" says, Soma Rathore

Brussels Sprouts Curry "Brussels Sprouts have very high nutritional value and has proven to be a valuable aid in curing diabetics" adds, Lakshmi Venkatesh

Stir Fried Bittermelon with Crabmeat by Heart and Hearth.

"Palak Tofu is a low-carb dish with the carb value coming under 7g. This dish is packed with vital nutrients and also rich in protein from the tofu and fiber from the spinach" says Gita.

Baingan Bhartha -"My Mom suffers from Type 2 diabetes for teh alst 10 years and also take insulin injections, she has got lots of Nos in lots of food. Baigan bharta is such a recipe which she takes without fear. No sugar, little oil and mostly roasted - so I am sending this recipe as a tribute to my mom and all her pains to push injections every night." adds, Sudeshana.

Murungaikeerai(drumstick)Kootu - " It contains very good iron & folic acid and it helps to improve hemoglobin in blood. It is very good for diabetic patients.When taking proper iron in our regular meal, it helps to reduce weight. I’ve collected some details about Murungai keerai & would like to share with all. Here I’ve added kollu also but its optional." says, Viji.

Bitterguard/Pavaka Curry by Sangeeth

Tondekai Curry "Ivy gourd contains beta-carotene, a major vitamin A precursor from plant sources. It is also considered a good source of protein and fiber.

According to a study published in a 1998 issue of the Indian Journal of Medical Sciences, the mechanism for diabetes control is that ivy gourd may suppress the activity of certain enzymes involved in glucose production, such as G-6-phosphatase." says Chitra & Dibs

Pureed White beans "Legumes are always a healthy option for diabetics. Beans contain amylase inhibitors which help to slow the absorption of other starches consumed during the same meal. It makes sense, then, to eat beans frequently, and especially at celebratory meals when people tend to overeat. My recipe for pureed white beans is perfect to either replace or mix with mashed potatoes, that fluffy concoction that graces so many of our holiday tables." adds, Amanda

Red Kidney Beans curry "I ate Rajma a lot when I was suffering from Gestational Diabetes. This is one of the few foods that women who suffer can eat without worrying about the numbers, as it has enough protein and folate AND is also filling:).One can have 2 servings, 1/2 cup each and that would equal approximately 30 g. carbs. At least this paired with 1 thin roti 6″ in diameter along with LOTS of lettuce and cucumber worked very well for me." shares, Nidhi.

Kovakai Podimas "Kovakaai/tindora/Ivy guard is rich in beta carotene.This vegetable is often recommended to diabetic people as it has low glycemic index and helps regulates blood glucose . Kovakaai contains beta-carotene, a major vitamin A precursor from plant sources.
" adds, Ambika.

Tofu Matar Curry "New research published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that isolated soy protein demonstrates remarkable health benefits for people suffering from type 2 diabetes. In this research, male military veterans who were undergoing treatment for the advanced stages of type 2 diabetes were able to significantly lower unwanted proteins in their urine while also slightly raising levels of HDL cholesterol - the so-called "good" cholesterol -- in their blood by eating soy protein." adds, Cilantro.

Garlic Kozhambhu by Shama

Main Dishes

As Main Dishes both Ambika and Shama has sent in their Garlic Rice Recipe. "Garlic has been tested and found to have antioxidant properties and micro-circulatory effects and could help reduce blood glucose, increase insulin secretion, and slow its degradation.", Says Ambika.

Desserts good for Diabetes


Goosberry Squash "Since Gooseberry contains chromium, it has a therapeutic value in diabetics. Indian Gooseberry or Amla stimulate the isolated group of cells that secrete the hormone insulin. Thus it reduces blood sugar in diabetic patient." says, Lakshmi Venkatesh.

Blackeye pea cupcakes by Sarah from What Smells So Good?

Khajur Roll by Meghapandya (Recipe from a Reader)

Pomogranite Juice "Pomegranate juice provides vitamins and minerals, it is loaded with sugar. A glass of pomegranate juice provides approximately 50% of an adult's recommended daily allowance (RDA) of the vitamin A,C and E, 100% RDA of folic acid, and 13% RDA of potassium." adds, Shama.

My first round up ends here and will catch you soon with Part 2 of the round up. Once again I thank each and every one for their support and participation. Do let me know if any of you recipes are missing.