Badam Ragi Malt - Healthy teatime drink | Healthy Diet Plan #5

The healthy diet series is back!! You can check out the previous posts here. We use ragi in our weekly diet either in the form of dosas or kozhukattais or this porridge. This is my favourite as its easy to make and is healthy too. My tummy never kicks for the 6pm snacks when I have this for 4PM teatime :)

Badam Ragi Malt Recipe Ingredients :

• Ragi flour - 4 tbsp
• Milk - 2 cups
• Water - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 2 tsp
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
• Badam powdered / chopped finely - 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Dry roast ragi flour till nice aroma comes, it may take 3-5 mins. Set aside.
2. Take 1/2 cup milk add a tbsp of ragi flour to it and make it to a smooth paste. Set aside.
3. Heat boiled milk then add the ragi milk paste, sugar to it. Stir continuously making sure no lumps are formed. Add 1/2 cup water and mix well.
4. Keep stirring till it becomes slightly thick like porridge but still in pouring consistency. Add cardamom powder, give a quick stir and then switch off. Garnish with powdered almonds and serve hot or warm.

My Notes :

• Stir continuously as after adding the ragi paste, the mixture starts thickening faster so take care to avoid lumps.
• If you are making in advance before serving, then add little milk while serving to make it to drinking consistency.
• You can also add a tsp of MTR badam mix for extra flavour.

This tastes best when served hot and is very healthy too. If you have it for teatime, you will feel full till dinner time as its very filling.

Baked Bread Rolls - Healthy teatime snack | Healthy Diet Plan #4

Hope you are enjoying this series as much as I do, please be a part of the voting poll on the sidebar. Its a short break now...No no! I am not taking a break, only this series is taking a short break, will resume this series by next weekend with the remaining teatime drink and a dinner idea. It is sure better than the deep fry way so when I saw it in Tarladalal site I instantly want to try it and just luved it.

Baked Bread Rolls Recipe

Recipe Source : Tarladalal



Ingredients:

• Wheat Bread - 5 slices
• Ghee / Oil - 2 tsp

For the stuffing:

• Onion - 1 finely chopped
• Potato - 1 medium sized
• Carrot - 1
• Peas - a handful
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Fennel(Sombu) powder - a pinch (optional)
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
• Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp chopped finely
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Salt - as required

Method :

For the stuffing :

1. Cube the veggies and pressure cook them with water and turmeric powder until soft. Keep aside. Mash the potatoes well and combine it with other veggies.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add sombu powder, ginger garlic paste, saute for 2mins. Then add chopped onions saute until slightly browned. Then add the veggies, chilli powder and garam masala powder, required salt and give a stir.Sprinkle little water just for the masalas to combine well with the veggies.
3. Cook covered for 5mins, giving it a stir inbetween.Switch off and garnish with coriander leaves.Now the stuffing is ready.

For the bread rolls:

First cut the sides of the bread for the 5 slices. Then roll slightly using a chapathi roller, cover it with a wet muslin cloth and keep aside for 5-10mins.Then add the stuffing inbetween, add water at the edges and seal it.

Seal it completely on all sides.As I used wheat bread it was a bit difficult to roll it as it was very small too. Try to use sandwich sized breads so that rolling is easier, mine was normal bread.





Apply ghee evenly on all sides. Meanwhile preheat oven at 200 deg C for 10mins and bake it at 200 deg C for 15-20mins or till the rolls turn golden brown. Check inbetween and turn over if required. Serve it with tomato ketchup the best combination.

My Notes:

• The timing differs from oven to oven so check exactly after 15mins then proceed with remaining 5mins.
• If you feel uneven cooking, you can turn over in between like what I did.
• If you want you can add more ghee or butter as per liking.
• The stuffing can be of your choice, you can use mushroom, paneer, corn etc

Fruits Custard (Fruit Salad with Custard) - Healthy Dessert | Healthy Diet Plan #3

Fruits Custard or fruits salad with custard is a very delicious dessert with the creamy texture of the custard and crunch of the fruits in between. This is very easy to make even at the last minute when guests arrive so here is my healthy dessert idea.

Fruits Custard / Fruit Salad with Custard Recipe



Ingredients:

• Milk - 1.5 cups
• Fruits - 3/4 cup
• Custard Powder(Vanilla flavoured) - 1 tbsp
• Sugar - 3 tsp

For fruits I used a mix of apple,banana,watermelon,orange and pomegranate

Method:

1. Chop the fruits into cubes and keep it ready. Boil the milk , keep aside to let it cool.
2. In a small bowl take 1/2 cup of milk, add custard powder mix it well without any lumps. Keep aside.
3. Heat the remaining milk, give it a boil then add the custard milk mixture, sugar and mix well. The mixture will start thickening so be very careful and keep stirring till a creamy consistency is formed. The custard will get thickened on refrigerating also so the consistency should be a bit runny.
4. Switch off, cool down the custard for 5mins and then add the fruits and mix well. Your fruits custard is ready. Chill it for few mins then serve it.

My Notes:

• If your custard becomes thick, add little more milk.
• You can skip sugar and have it with the natural sweetness of the fruits.
• As I made this some 3months back I didnt get mangoes. Mangoes will sure give a nice flavour to the custard.
• Use fresh cut fruits and serve it fresh.

Pumpkin Sambar and Cabbage Poriyal - Easy Lunch Menu | Healthy Diet Plan #2

This is one of the easiest and comforting meal I could think of on a lazy noon. My hubby loves cabbage so its a total yes yes when it comes to cabbage. So this is lunch menu for a hearty, comforting and healthy lunch. So whats next?! its going to be dessert time - fruits salad with custard, stay tuned :)

Pumpkin Sambar Recipe

Ingredients:

• Toor dhal - 1 cup
• A small lemon sized tamarind ball - 1
• Shallots(Chinna vengayam) - 3 to 4
• Tomato - 1 large
• Turmeric powder - a generous pinch
• Sambar powder - 1 tbsp
• Vegetable of your choice - I used pumkpin (4-5 cubes)
• Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp chopped
• Salt - to taste

To temper :

• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Hing - a generous pinch

Method:

1. Soak tamarind in 1 cup water for 15mins, squeeze the thick pulp out and keep aside.
2. Pressure cook toor dhal with 1.5 cups of water until mushy.Smash it well once and keep aside.
3. In a pan, add oil temper mustard seeds, urad dhal once they crackle add fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and hing. Now add onion and tomato saute until raw smell of tomato leaves. Now add the veggie(pumpkin) saute it slightly.
4. Now add the smashed dhal, add turmeric powder, sambar powder, required salt and mix well. Allow it to boil for 5mins then add tamarind pulp mix well.
5. Allow this to boil for 10mins until the sambar starts thickening. Switch off and garnish with coriander leaves.

Cabbage Poriyal Recipe:

Ingredients:

• Cabbage - 1/2 from a medium sized cabbage (chopped finely)
• Onion - 1/2 chopped finely
• Grated coconut - 1 tbsp
• Salt – to taste

To temper :

• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Jeera - 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Green chillies - 1 slitted
• Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Heat a pan with oil, add mustard seeds, urad dhal, jeera allow it to crackle. Now add green chillies and curry leaves, saute for a minute.Add onions saute for 3mins.
2. Then add grated cabbage, saute for 2mins. Sprinkle little water (do not add more water as cabbage will let our water by itself) and cook keeping lid closed until cabbage gets cooked and becomes soft.Add required salt.
3. After few mins say 5-7mins the water would have evaporated completely and the cabbage would have turned soft and dry.
4. Add coconut give a quick stir and switch off.

This was my lunch menu a few weeks back. Rice , pumpkin sambar, cabbage poriyal and mango patchadi

My Notes:

• For cabbage poriyal, you can also add a tbsp of cooked moong dhal.
• I sometimes add channa dhal for tempering too.
• You can use any veggie for ur choice and proceed with the above recipe for sambar. Saute and cook the veggie accordingly.
• Drizzle ghee while mixing sambar with rice and enjoy a heartful meal.

Homemade Museli / Granola - A Healthy Breakfast | Healthy Diet Plan #1

Though there are a mix and match of healthy recipes in this space I wanted to go for a week healthy...... So whats up for the coming days - For a week, I will be posting healthy diet recipes which will comprise of a breakfast, lunch, dessert, teatime drink, a snack and ending up with a dinner idea so its going to be 6 recipes for this series . How does that sound?!

So am starting off with my favourite breakfast - homemade museli / granola. You can check out my granola bars here.These days its become very common even in india in most of homes to start off the day with healthy cereals / museli and we are no exception to it.

Homemade Museli / Granola Recipe



Ingredients:

• Oats - 1 cup
• Corn flakes - 1/2 cup
• Badams - 3 tbsp (sliced thin)
• Walnuts chopped - 3 tbsp
• Dates - 3 tbsp (finely chopped)
• Other dryfruits - 2 tbsp
• Honey - 1/4 cup
• Butter - 1 tbsp (optional)
• Salt - 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Chop all the nuts and dry fruits roughy, keep aside.
2. In a sauce pan, dry roast oats, cornflakes, walnuts, almonds , dry fruits and nuts till golden brown or till a nice aroma comes. Keep aside.
3. Now in the same pan, add butter let it melt then add honey and salt. Allow it boil till bubbles are seen it may take 4-5mins. Now add the toasted oats, cornflakes nuts mixture. Mix well.
4. Allow the honey butter mixture to coat the toasted oats, cornflakes nuts mixture. It may take 2-3 mins. Switch off and allow it to cool for few mins.
5. Bake the mixture at 200 deg C for 5 mins to make it more crispy. Cool down and store it in an airtight container. Serve it with chilled milk.

You can also see my other healthy breakfast ideas :

• Instant Oats Dosa
• Oats Idli
• Oats Appam
• Pesarattu Dosa
• Wheat Dosai
• Eggless French Toast (Sweet & Savoury)

My Notes :

• The baking at the last step is purely optional but I do this for extra crispness and this will also make the museli stay crisp for longer - Tip from Prathiba
• Store it in an airtight container for the crispness to stay longer.
• Museli is totally flexible, you can just have the cup measurement in mind and add in any nuts and dry fruits of your choice.
• Add milk preferably cold but if you like it hot, then go ahead.