low calorie recipe

Buddha Bowl:

February 17, 2022

Buddha bowl is wholesome and rich in protein, fibre, and goodness.

When my daughter wanted to experience the dish’s taste, it was a real challenge to me. She had an idea about the final dish, what all should contain, a list of vegetables, how it should turn out everything in her mind and had given a list of her choices.

Dalia: Source of carbohydrate

She was not happy about the usage of rice. Hence, prepared the broken wheat precisely like how we cook rice for fried rice, by putting in a lot of water, oil, salt. Boil well, cook and strain. It tasted pretty well.

Then comes the Chana/Chickpea – Source of plant protein

– Soaked the Kabuli chana, sprouted, cooked in a cooker by adding salt two drops of oil. Drained and tossed with little tomato sauce, Soy sauce, and cooked for 2 minutes.

I follow one more method: heat oil, add ginger juvenile, hing, cooked chana, salt, coriander powder, cumin powder, a pinch of sugar.

Note Addition of oil while cooking high protein legumes helps to avoid bloating.

Next, Brinjal: Cut brinjal into 4 to 5 slices. Marinate with salt, crushed garlic, red chilli powder, Rasam powder, tamarind powder, little olive oil.

Roast it on a hot iron skillet by sprinkling little oil.

Tofu – Protein

Slice 4 pieces marinate with Sriracha sauce, Sweet chilli garlic sauce, four basil leaves (torn), olive oil.

Roast it in a hot iron skillet.

Tossed Veggies:

Veggies used here are – Cauliflower, Broccoli, Beans, Carrot (blanched)

green capsicum, red and yellow capsicum – half each

One onion – diced

I have used butter for tossing these veggies. At first, onion, then capsicum, then blanched veggies. Add garlic salt, pepper, red chilli flakes.

Sweetcorn:

Boil, drain, toss with salt, butter, pepper powder.

2 Sauces: Dressings

One sauce is: Add Sriracha sauce, Honey, little sesame oil and Soy Sauce (add according to your taste). Adjust the consistency by adding 1 or 2 spoons of water.

The second sauce is: Add Sriracha sauce, Veg Mayonnaise, Red chilli powder ¼ tsp, Sweet chilli sauce, Maple syrup (add according to your taste). Adjust the consistency by adding 1 or 2 spoons of water.

Carrot Kosambari :

December 14, 2021

Kosambari is a South Indian style vegetable salad, an integral part of any festival South Indian menu. It can be made with or without the tempering, which has significantly less oil, with all sorts of fresh flavours, such as grated veggies, raw legumes, raw mango or lemon, coconut oil and hing.

Here, what I am sharing is our family favourite, Carrot corn salad. That is how my family identify this salad and demands it. Here, one can add or delete or increase or reduce the quantity of any ingredients without any compromise on taste.

Ingredients:

Grated carrot – 1 or 2

Boiled corn – 1 small cup

Sprouted Moong/green gram – 1 small cup ( optional)

Pomegranate kernels – as needed

Grated Raw mango/lemon juice – as needed

Salt

Chopped coriander – 1 – 2 tbl spoons

Fresh Coconut – 1 to 2 tbl spoons

Seasoning:

Coconut oil – 1 tsp, Mustard – 1 tsp, Hing – ¼ tsp

Green chilli – 1 or 2 (chopped), Curry leaves – 1 spring

Method:

-Take one bowl, mix in Grated carrot, boiled and cooled corn, Pomegranate kernels, Sprouted moong, Grated raw mango, Salt, chopped coriander, fresh Coconut and mix everything.

-Do the seasoning by heating coconut oil, splutter Mustard, add hing, chopped green chilli roast a bit. Add Curry leaves and put them over the salad.

-Mix everything, enjoy as a filler, healthy appetiser or as a side dish or as an evening snack.

Jowar/Sorghum Dosa:

March 31, 2021

My experiment turned out to a super hit, crispy dosa. As usual, I followed my regular dosa batter recipe by replacing dosa rice with Jowar grains.

Jowar or Sorghum is a gluten-free grain loaded with nutrients and fibre, great in taste. When it is high fibre, it becomes useful for anyone who follows a healthy diet. Being a complex carbohydrate, Jowar gets digested slowly, reduces appetite making it an ideal whole grain option for weight management.

If you are looking for ways to reduce the rice intake, this recipe for you – Enjoy in any form of dosa, like crisp or fluffy. Cone or masala filled, with chutney or sambar.

Ingredient:

Jowar grains -1 cup

Idly rice -1 cup

Urad dal – ½ cup

Bengal gram/Chana dal – 1 TBL sp

Fenugreek /methi seeds – 1 tsp.

Beaten rice – ¼ cup

Method:

-Wash all these ingredients a couple of times. Soak this insufficient water for 3 to 4 hours.

-Drain water from the rice and keep it aside. This water should be used while grinding according to the requirement.

-Grind soaked rice –dal mixture by adding salt into a very fine /smooth batter using a wet grinder or mixer grinder.

-Now, Mix the batter, adjust the consistency, keep this ground batter for fermentation in a big vessel to allow room for puffed/fermented batter.

– It will take anywhere between 8 to 16 hours (according to the outside weather)

-Next morning, mix the batter, check the consistency, adjust and prepare dosas and enjoy.

Note: In Bangalore, I usually soak my lentils around morning, grinding happens around afternoon 2 to 3 pm, and until the following day, I keep the batter for fermentation.

Plantain flower Proso millet dosa :

February 27, 2021

I have discussed plantain flower, traditionally, how to chop, how to use etc., in my earlier blog post, which included my mom’s best chutney recipe. We all know the banana flower is rich in fibre, antioxidants, iron, potassium, calcium, vitamins, and other minerals. It is used mainly to treat constipation and anaemia in villages of our native in and around Mangalore and is part of our day to day cooking.

I Tried the recipe long ago, liked and finalised it with the recipe for my millet calendar project, which was published in 2019 and filing the recipe under Diabetic friendly recipe in my blog.

Ingredients:

Proso millet – 1 cup

Dosa Rice – 1 cup

Urad dal -1/4 cup

Chana dal – ¼ cup

Methi – 1 tsp

Poha – ½ cup

Jaggery – 1 tsp

Salt

Tamarind – 1tsp

Red chillies – 4

Coconut – ½ cup

Plantain flower – 1

Method:

-Wash, soak millet, rice, chana and urad dal, methi and poha for 3 hrs.

-Take one bowl of water with added one serving spoon of buttermilk.

-Chop whole plantain flower, soak in buttermilk water, drain. You can check the process here as well.

– cook the drained banana flower by adding tamarind water, salt, red chillies, jaggery.

-Cool the cooked mixture, grind with soaked items by adding coconut into a smooth paste.

-Ferment and make dosas like any regular dosas and serve with chutney.

NOTE: It can be made as a vegan, instead of buttermilk, use tamarind water and instead of ghee, you can use any vegetable oil.

Little millet Salad

February 1, 2021

It is a low-calorie lunch or dinner option for weight reduction or diabetic patients- Very filling and at the same time low in calorie and filled with so many nutrients.

Ingredients:

Samai or little millet – ½ cup

Sweet corn kernels – from one cob (boiled)

Sprouted Green gram – ½ to 1 cup

Grated raw mango – ½ mango

Pomegranate – 1

Fresh Coconut – 1 tablespoon

Salt

Coriander leaves.

Seasoning:

Coconut oil – 1 teaspoon

Mustard- ½ teaspoon

Hing- 1 pinch

Curry leaves – 1 spring

Green chilli -1 (chopped)

Method:

-Dry roast little millet for 2 minutes. Wash and cook this in a cooker (one whistle) by adding ¾ cup of water and pinch of salt.

-After cooking, remove the cooker lid and spread the cooked millet in a wide plate and cool.

– When it cools down, mix in boiled corn, sprouted green gram, grated raw mango, pomegranate, fresh Coconut, salt and chopped coriander leaves.

-Do the seasoning by heating coconut oil. Add mustard. When it splutters, add hing, chopped green chilli and curry leaves.

-Add this to salad and mix lightly and enjoy as a meal.

Sabudana/Sago idli:

March 30, 2019

Sago/ Sabudana is also known as Sabbakki, Javasiri in Southern part of India. Yes! It has many names and is one of the favourite staple foods during the festivals or fasting time. Sabudana is rich in complex carbohydrates due to which, it is easy to digest as well as takes longer to breakdown. Hence, you don’t feel hungry for long.

In our tradition, it has been used from ages during the summer time to maintain body heat, during the time of illness or as baby food. During all these situations, people need to take low calorie, high in energy, easily digestible meal option. Traditionally it is combined with rice while making gruel.

In India we normally make sweets as well as savouries from these edible pearls. Sago is usually confused with Tapioca pearls. Sago is extracted from the inner pith of the tropical palm trees. On the other hand, Tapioca pearls are made by using Cassava, it is a tuber.

In Summer, it is a good idea to include Sago, rice as well as curds in your diet to maintain body heat. I have included fresh homemade turmeric powder, fresh coconut, cumin as well as chopped coriander to enhance the taste as well as nutrients.

Ingredients:

Rice Rava / Idli Rava – 2 cups

Sabudana – 1 cup

Curds – 2 cups

Water – 1 cup

Cumin – 1 table spoon

Turmeric – 1 tsp

Salt

Grated coconut – 1 fist full

Chopped coriander leaves – 3 table spoons

Eno fruit salt or cooking soda – 1 tsp

Method:

-Mix Rice Rava and Sabudana, wash twice and drain. Add curd, water, cumin, turmeric powder, salt and keep it covered overnight.

-Next morning, add coconut, Eno fruit salt, coriander. If needed, adjust the consistency of the batter by adding little extra water.

Mix well and make idlies like regular idlies in an idli steamer for about 10 minutes and serve with chutney.

NOTE: Vegans can substitute with any plant based curds to make this batter.

Beet and apple salad:

December 4, 2018

Low calorie eye pleasing, wholesome salad . This is a very light and tasty salad and at the same time, crunchy and healthy too. This salad gets its pink colour from boiled beetroot. Dressing is very light with the usage of hung curd in it. It is a complete meal by itself with loaded nutrients.

Ingredients:

Beetroot – 1 big.

Apples – 2

Lettuce – 6 -8 leaves

Vinegar – 1 tb Sp.

Dressing: Hung curd – 1 cup , mayonnaise – 2 tb spoon ,garlic salt ,sugar -1 tsp ,English mustard – 1 tsp.

Garnish : roasted nuts of your choice

Method:

-Wash beetroot , peel outer skin and chop it into finger shaped pieces. Take one cooker and put some water and cook . After one whistle ,switch off ,cool and drain and mix vinegar to this and keep this atleast for 2 hrs in the fridge.

-When you want to prepare salad , mix all the ingredients listed under dressing and keep it ready.

-Chop Apple . Make lettuce strips and add this to prepared dressing ,add in marinated beet too and mix.

-While serving ,garnish with roasted walnuts/pine nuts or any other nuts of your choice and enjoy.

Palak paneer:

August 8, 2018

Spinach with cottage cheese is one of the healthiest option of Indian curries. It is the most popular North Indian side dish and goes well with any flavoured rice as well flat breads. We all know the goodness of spinach or paneer. Both are very nutritious- spinach is iron rich, and on the other hand paneer is rich in calcium.

This curry which I make is light, low calorie and creamy without adding any cream or deep fry.

Cottage cheese or paneer is soaked in warm milk and cooked with spinach paste with the added mild spice. This recipe is easy to cook and works just fine as a toddler’s food or for the tiffin box.

How I proceed –

Ingredients:

Palak – 1 big punch

Paneer – 200 or 400 grams

Milk – 1 cup

Tomatoes – 2

Salt

Sugar – ½ tea spoon

Oil – 2 table spoons

Hing – one pinch

Cumin – 1 tea spoon

Garlic – 10 -12 cloves (sliced)

Ginger – 1” (julienne)

Turmeric – ½ tea spoon

Red chilli powder – 1 tea spoon

Cumin powder – 1 tea spoon

Garam masala powder – ½ tea spoon

Method:

-Chop Tomato, spinach and make chunks of paneer and keep it ready. Chop garlic and ginger as well.

-Heat milk, add chunks of paneer and keep aside by closing the lid.

-Grind tomato in the mixer jar and keep aside.

-Take one kadai, add chopped spinach, sprinkle sugar, little salt and cook until wilts.

– Sugar will help to retain the colour green and salt will help spinach to leave its water to cook.

-Cool this wilted spinach, grind into rough paste and keep it aside.

-Now keep one tawa for seasoning, pour oil, when it is hot, add cumin, hing, ginger and garlic. Fry for 2 minutes.

-Add tomato paste, turmeric, red chilli powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder and fry until oil oozes from the sides.

-Now add spinach paste, milk-soaked paneer content and give a stir. Check for the salt and add the required amount.

-After boiling it for some time, you will see a layer of oil or dark coloured layer at the top. Now it is ready.

-Serve this rich gravy with your choice main dish. We always prefer jeera rice as a main dish for this curry.