Rajma (Kidney Beans Sundal)

Kidney beans are rich in soluble fiber and help in reducing cholesterol and blood pressure. They are a good source of folate, potassium, iron, manganese, copper and zinc. Since kidney beans have low glycemic index and fat content, those who are on diet and diabetic patients can include kidney beans in their menu often.

 Ingredients

• One cup of rajma
• One tsp of cooking oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard
• One red chilli
• Few curry leaves
• Salt to taste
• Few coriander leaves

For Grinding

1. One tsp daniya
2. One small piece of coconut
3. Two red chillies
4. 1/2 tsp asafoetida

Method

1. Soak rajma overnight and clean well with water.
2. In  a pressure cooker, boil rajma with enough salt and water till it gets cooked.
3. Drain the excess water and keep it aside.
4. Grind daniya, coconut, red chillies and asafoetida coarsely.
5. In a frying pan, put one tsp oil.
6. Add mustard and red chilli and let it splutter.
7. Add curry leaves and cooked rajma and fry for a while.
8. Add the ground masala to the cooked rajma and fry for five minutes.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot as an  evening snack.

Mixed Vegetable Oats Upma

Ingredients

• One cup of oats (200 gms)
• One onion (finely chopped)
• One tomato (finely chopped)
• 1/4 cup of mixed vegetables (peas, carrot, beans, capsicum and cabbage)
• 1/2 tsp mustard
• 1/2 tsp urad dal
• 1/2 tsp channa dal
• 1 or 2 red chillies
• Few curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida
• 2 tsp cooking oil
• Salt as required

Method

1. In a kadai, boil beans, carrot, cabbage and capsicum with enough salt and water.
2. Fry oats for 2 minutes and keep it aside.
3. In a frying pan, put 2 tsp oil.
4. Add mustard, urad dal, channa dal and red chillies and fry till the dals turn brown.
5. Add chopped onion, curry leaves and asafoetida and fry till the onion becomes soft.
6. Add chopped tomato and fry till it gets cooked.
7. Add one and quarter cup of water and enough salt.
8. When water starts boiling, add the cooked vegetables and fried oats and stir well.
9. Lower the heat and cover the pan with a lid allowing it to get completely cooked and all the water is dried.
10. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot along with coconut, coriander chutney.

Mushroom Basil Soup

 

Are you  a vegeterian and think mushrooms are non-vegeterian?

or

Are you a non-vegeterian and eat mushrooms only because they taste like chicken or mutton?

Either ways, here are some more reasons why you must go for mushrooms or go all the more for mushrooms.

Button mushrooms are :

1. Vegeterian
2. Good for diabetics and to control high blood pressure
3. A good source of minerals and high in antioxidants
4. Low in calories
5. Are widely available through out the year in most super markets

So what are you waiting for?

Go to the supermarket now and grab your packet of mushrooms and some basil leaves and make this yummy soup

Ingredients

• Four medium sized button mushroom
• One medium sized onion
• 3 or 4 flakes of garlic
• One tsp dried basil
• One tsp cooking oil
• Half tsp ghee
• Half cup of toned milk
• 1/2 tsp pepper powder
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Cut onion into small pieces.
2. Peel off the skin from the garlic.
3. Wash and clean two mushrooms well and cut into small pieces.
4. In a frying pan put some oil.
5. Add onion, garlic and mushroom pieces and fry for five minutes.
6. Add enough water and salt and cook till the mushrooms become soft.
7. Allow them to cool and grind them in the mixi into a fine paste.
8. Add enough water and milk to make a smooth mixture.
9. Add dried basil and pepper powder to the mushroom mixture and boil for five minutes.
10. Chop two more mushrooms into fine pieces and keep it aside.
11. In another frying pan, put ghee and add the chopped mushroom pieces.
12. Fry till it turns golden brown.
13. Add the fried mushroom to the soup.
14. Serve hot with whole wheat bread or sandwiches.

Mint Leaves Chappathi

 

Ingredients

• One small bunch of mint leaves
• One green chilli
• One tsp ghee
• One cup of whole wheat atta
• Salt to taste
• Cooking oil for making chappathi

Method for making the dough

 

• Wash mint leaves well and cut into small pieces.
• Grind green chilli into fine paste.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix atta, green chilli paste, one tsp ghee, chopped mint leaves and enough salt.
• Knead it with hand by adding water.
• Knead well till it becomes a soft pliable dough.
• Let it remain for one hour.

Method for making chappathi

• Take a lemon sized portion of the dough and roll out a nice,  round shape with a rolling pin.
• Pour some oil around it and cook on both the sides till it turns golden brown.
• Serve hot with spicy dal, or any gravy sabji.

Ragi Semiya Adai

Ingredients

• One cup of ragi semiya (150 gms)
• 1/2 cup of fresh curd
• 2to 3 table spoon rice flour
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida
• One green chilli(finely chopped)
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• One Onion (finely chopped)
• Half capsicum (finely chopped)
• Half carrot (grated)
• Few coriander leaves
• Few curry leaves
• Cooking oil for making adai
• Salt to taste

Method

1. In a bowl, put ragi semiya, rice flour,  1/2 cup of curd, chopped onion,chopped capsicum, grated carrot,  green chilli,asafoetida, red chilli powder,jeera, and enough salt.
2. Mix well.
3. Let it remain for one hour.
4. After one hour, add enough water to make smooth batter.
5. The batter should be little thicker than the dosa batter.
6. Heat a non stick tawa and pour a ladle full of batter and spread it like a round shape.
7. Pour oil on all sides.
8. When it is cooked on one side, flip it on other side and cook till it turns brown.
9. Serve hot with chutney or sambar.

Healthy Summer Drink : Barley with Lime

It is summer time and you need something really refreshing to beat the heat. In case you are a diabetic, I am sure you want a drink  that is not only refreshing but very healthy too.

Barley with lime is an excellent combination and makes for a healthy summer drink.

Did you know that barley is a good choice for type 2 diabetes ?

Well yes, barley contains essential vitamins, minerals and is an excellent source of dietary fiber, particularly beta-glucan soluble fiber. It reduces cholesterol and so it also works very well for people on diet.

So make sure you include barley in your diet every now and then.

Ingredients (Serves one)

• One  table spoon of barley
• One tsp lemon juice
• One drop of lemon essence (optional)
• One tsp sugar free powder
• 1/4 tsp fennel seed powder

Method

1. Boil barley with enough water for 15 minutes.
2. Allow it to cool.
3. Drain the barley water by passing through sieve.
4. Add lemon juice, lemon essence, sugar free powder and fennel seed powder.
5. Stir well.
6. Serve chilled.

Fig Lassi

Lassi is a perfect drink to beat the summer heat in India.  Plain lassi is made of yoghurt and sugar. I tried using dried figs, low fat curd and sugar free powder to make a healthy drink.

Here are a few nutritional facts about Fig.

Figs are good to eat and rich in fiber. The type of fiber in figs  reduce the risk of developing adult onset diabetes. The polyphenols in dried figs offer a protective effect against heart disease and cancer.

Figs are effective when it comes to solving weight gain problems. Figs also protect your heart, lower cholesterol, combat cancer and control blood pressure.

Ingredients

• One cup of low fat curd
• Four dried figs
• One tsp sugar free powder
• 3 or 4 ice cubes

Method

1. Cut two dried figs  into small pieces and keep it aside.
2. Soak two dried figs in water for half an hour.
3. In a mixer,  grind the soaked figs into fine paste.
4. Add low fat curd, sugar free powder and enough water.
5. Blend it into smooth mixture.
6. Add ice cubes.
7. Pour the mixture in a glass and serve chilled with fig  pieces on the top.

Brinjal and Chickpeas Curry

I tried making curry using chickpeas and brinjal and it came out really well. Chickpeas are highly nutritious and have maximum of 25% protein. Chickpeas have  low glycemic index values and therefore suit well  for diabetics and people who want to overcome weight gain problems.

So here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 250 gms of violet brinjal
• 100 gms of white chickpeas (Kabuli channa)
• One medium sized onion
• One tomato
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp daniya powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• Salt as required
• 1 tsp oil
• Few coriander leaves

Method

1. Wash and soak kabuli channa over night.
2. Put channa in a pressure cooker with enough salt and water and cook till it becomes soft.
3. Cut brinjal and onion into thin strips.
4. Cut tomatoes into small pieces.
5. In a non stick frying pan, put one tsp oil.
6. Add jeera and  let it splutter.
7. Add chopped onion and fry till it becomes soft.
8. Add chopped brinjal, turmeric powder, asafoetida and enough salt.
9. Fry till the brinjal gets cooked.
10. Add chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are well  blended with brinjal.
11. Add red chilli powder and daniya powder and fry for a while.
12. Add the cooked channa and fry till it gets mixed with brinjal.
13. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with phulka rotis.

Oats Dosa

Ingredients

• One cup of oats
• Quarter cup of rice flour
• 1/2 tsp ghee
• 1/2 tsp pepper jeera powder (grind coarsely)
• Salt as required
• Cooking oil for making dosa

Method

1. Soak oats for 15 minutes.
2. Grind oats into fine paste.
3. Add rice flour and salt to the ground oats
4. In a small  frying pan, heat ghee and add pepper jeera powder.
5. Add it to the batter.
6. Add two table spoon of sour curd to the oats mixture and mix well.
7. The consistency of the batter should be like dosa batter.
8. Heat a nonstick tawa and pour a ladle full of batter and make it round shape.
9. Pour 1/2 tsp of oil around it.
10. Remove with spatula when it gets cooked on both the sides.
11. Serve hot with onion chutney.

Broccoli and Capsicum Stir Fry

Ingredients

• One cup of Broccoli florets
• One onion ( finely chopped )
• One green capsicum ( medium size)
• One red capsicum (medium size)
• One yellow capsicum (small )
• One green chilli ( finely chopped)
• 4 or 5 flakes of garlic
• One tsp red chilli powder
• One tsp olive oil
• Salt as required
• Few spring onion for garnishing

Method

1. Chop capsicums into thin strips.
2. Grind garlic and red chilli powder into smooth paste.
3. Cook broccoli with enough salt and water till it becomes soft.
4. Add olive oil in a frying pan and add chopped onion and green chilli.
5. Fry till the onion becomes soft.
6. Add chopped capsicum and fry till it gets half cooked.
7. Add garlic paste and fry till the raw smell of garlic disappears.
8. Add cooked broccoli and fry till it gets mixed with other vegetables.
9. Add chopped spring onion and fry for a minute.
10. Serve hot with rotis.