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Showing posts with label protein rich recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label protein rich recipe. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Zero Oil Spinach and Lentil Pulao

"Have you taken the iPill ?"

For a few seconds, I thought I had heard it all wrong. Here I was bleeding profusely and withering in pain, and not in the least expecting a question about emergency contraception. I repeated my words once again. "It has been 16 straight days and my period shows no signs of abating....".

The gynecologist smiled coolly and reiterated the offending query. This time I got her point and replied in the negative. While it seemed very weird to me, it was a rather normal question for her given the rampant abuse of iPill. Apart from hastening or delaying the period by up to a week, the pill does causes heavy bleeding in some women by messing up their normal hormonal cycles.  And if one happens to be among the 20 percent of Indian women who suffer from PCOS, one has more reason to stay away from the pill.

Anyways, my tests ruled out anything abnormal except for a few nutritional deficiencies and the doctor prescribed me some medicines to stop the bleeding. But the whole process rattled me. Blame it on the hours spent in the reception, I got enough time to ruminate over the underlying issue. From an instrument of women's empowerment, the iPill has now been reduced to being a mere contraption for entertainment by some folks. More precisely, the types that keep on iterating that sex is more pleasurable without a condom. Sadly, a majority of the educated folks still think that all the action is happening 'down there' when much of it is taking place 'up there' in the temporal lobe. Anyways since I don't judge people or sermonize on their behavior, the whole point of putting this on a food blog is just to create awareness about the side effects of the iPill. To all the sisters reading this, please do remember that awareness is the first step towards empowerment.

Just like sex, diet too is an individual's personal choice and responsibility. So while it is important to enjoy it, it should not jeopardize one's health in the long run. This nutritious one pot meal is packed with protein and prepared without using a single drop of oil. No need to starve oneself when you have such healthy options available.

Read on for the recipe -

















Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -
  • 1 cup rice ( i used small grain jeera rice )
  • 1 cup chopped spinach (lightly packed)
  • 1 cup boiled mixed lentils ( Bengal gram, garbanzo beans, whole red lentils, kidney beans )
  • 1 large ripe tomato
  • 6-7 almonds
  • 8-9 raisins
  • 2 inch cinnamon
  • 2-3 cloves
  • 6-7 peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/4 tsp red chili powder
  • 1/4 tep coriander powder
  • 2 pinch turmeric
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi
  • salt to taste
Preparation - Blanch the tomato and the almonds.  Peel the almonds and put it in a blender along with the tomato and the raisins . Grind into a smooth paste.

Cooking - Put a cooker on a flame. 

Add the dry spices and roast till fragrant.

Add the tomato, raisins and almond paste to the same cooker. Cook for 4-5 mins on a low flame.

Add the chili powder, turmeric and coriander powder and cook for 2 more mins.

Add the washed rice, boiled lentils and chopped spinach. Add 2 cups of water and salt as per taste.

Close the lid and cook for 9-10 mins or for 2 whistles.

Keep aside till steam escapes. 

Open lid and serve with yogurt.























Note - cooking time will differ according to the rice variety used. 

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Buckwheat and Sesame Halwa ( Makar Sankranti Collab )

 IMP - Buckwheat and Sesame Halwa is an original recipe created by the blogger and has been published for the first time on oriyarasoi.com.

Sugarcane. Freshly harvested rice. Sesame seeds. Jaggery. A whole lot of ingredients that remind one of Makar Sankranti (also known as Gudi Padwa or Lohri in different parts of the country). Curiously enough, unlike other Hindu festivals, this is one festival that falls on 14th of January every month. Apart from being a harvest festival, it also marks the beginning of six months of 'Uttaarayan', an auspicious period for the Hindus. Hence most parts of the country celebrate this festival by distributing sweets among friends and relatives as a gesture of goodwill.

One of the most popular Makar Sankranti recipes is the 'til-gud' or 'til ki barfi'. Both the primary ingredients used in this recipe are believed to keep the body warm and their consumption is considered to be beneficial during the cold months. But since sesame and sugar are high in calories, I put my own twist by substituting a portion of the sesame with buckwheat flour.

And if you happen to be thinking on the lines of why buckwheat, here are 5 reasons why you absolutely need to make this gluten-free and allergy-free grain a part of your everyday diet -

  1. Helps prevent diabetes
  2. Lowers Cholesterol and blood pressure
  3. High fiber content
  4. High quality protein
  5. Rich in Antioxidants

As part of my resolution (mentioned in the earlier posts), I will be including more of the indigenous superfoods in my everyday diet this year. So, read on for this 'gluten-free' and ' dairy-free' recipe -

[ Do not forget to check out more Makar Sankranti recipes shared by my blogger friends Parinaaz and Saswati ]


















Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

  • 1 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
  • 1/2 cup sesame seeds
  • 3 tbsp jaggery
  • 1/4 cup date syrup
  • 1 tsp ghee
  • extra sesame seeds for garnishing


Preparation - Toast the sesame seeds on a skillet. Remove from flame and allow to cool down. Grind into a fine powder.

Heat 1 tsp ghee in a wok. Add the buckwheat flour and roast on a low flame till the flour takes on a pink color. Remove and keep aside.

Add the powdered jaggery and date syrup along with 1 cup of water to a wok. Bring to a boil and let it boil for 3-4 mins before adding the roasted buckwheat flour and powdered sesame seeds. Cook for another 2-3 mins before removing from the flame.

Sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds on a greased plate. Spread the halwa over the seeds and let it cool down before cutting into desired shapes.


















Store in a airtight container in the fridge. Consume within the week.















That's not all !!! More yumm-e-ness to be discovered when you scroll down -

























Parinaaz's  Til and Nuts Chikki (Sesame seeds and mixed nuts brittle bars)




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