Healthy Sandwich

Every morning, making a special and tasty breakfast is a real challenge. Breakfast must be a bit filling with a balance of nutrients. Almost in all houses breakfast invariably will be made either with oats, bread or cereals. So, in order to make it interesting and tasteful, variety is a must and that too it must be easy to make, due to time contraints these days. It is the duty of the housewife to make the right choice of food for the family in order to have a healthy lifestyle. To divert children from eating junk foods, we have to be creative enough in preparing mouth-watering recipes which have good nutrition in them.

Ingredients

Wholemeal Bread - 3slices

Spinach - a bunch

Onion - 2nos

Groundnut - 3tsp

Channa dhal - 4tsp

Yellow moong dhal - 4tsp

Urad dhal - 2tsp

Mustard - 1tsp

Jeera - 1tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp

Chilli powder - 1/4tsp

Oil - 3tsp

Salt - to taste

Bean sprouts - 2tsp

Cucumber - 3round slices

Tomato - 2 round slices

Method

1. Soak beans and make sprouts or use the ones that is sold in supermarkets.

2. Wash and cut spinach. Peel and cut onions.

3. Soak the channa dhal, yellow mong dhal and groundnut overnight.

4. In a heated kadai, add oil, and then mustard, urad dhal, channa dhal, groundnuts,jeera, onions, turmeric powder and saute well. Add 1/4cup water and boil. Later add spinach, salt and toss well. Once cooked remove from fire and keep aside.

5. Toast the bread in the toaster and remove.

6. Fill one piece with spinach, place other one on top and keep the tomato and cucumber slices and sprouts. Place the last piece on top and press a bit and cut into triangle and serve.

The sprouts are a good source of dietary fibre and also high in the B vitamin, folate and vitamin C. Refrigerate sprouts in a plastic bag to keep them moist and crisp. If you bought them in a plastic bag, take them out and repack them in bags large enough that they do not crush each other. To get the most vitamin C, use the sprouts within a few days. Sprouts help to lower risk of some birth defects and lower risk of heart attack. Spinach helps us to get a number of nutrients, including calcium, iron, folate and vitamin A. Cucumber's high water content gives it a very unique moist and cooling taste. Luscious, juicy tomatoes not only taste wonderful, but also offer a range of health benefits for everybody: an excellent source of vitamin C, plus vitamin A, potassium and fiber. Tomatoes are also high in lycopene, which works with other vitamins and minerals to aid in disease prevention. Research suggests that the combination of nutrients in tomatoes may help prevent cardiovascular disease and prostate cancer.

This is my submission for WBB#20-Balanced Breakfast hosted by Mansi.

Sweet Samosa with Pear Filling

As i had some pears with me, i wanted to try making something similar to apple pie which my daughter used to eat in MCdonalds. Today is my friend dhanam's birthday. So i tried this recipe as one of her birthday party's item. The kids relished it.

Ingredients

Pears (ripe) - 3nos

Cinnamon powder - 1/2tsp

Nutmeg - 1/4tsp

Sugar - 3/4cup

Salt - less than 1/4

Margirine - 2tsp

Plain flour - 2-3tsp

For dough

Plain flour - 21/2cup

Salt - a pinch

Sugar - 2tsp

Butter - 1/4cup

Vegetable oil - 4tsp

Ice water - 1/4cup

Method

1. Mix flour, salt, sugar, butter, oil and water and make a dough. Cover and set aside for 2hrs.

2. Wash and dice the pears. In a kadai add flour, butter, sugar, salt, margirine, nutmeg and cinnamon powder. Switch on the gas and mix thoroughly. Add the pears. Keep it covered and mix well now and then. If needed add 2-3tsp of water. Once the pears are soft, switch it off. Allow it to cool.

3.Take a small lemon size dough and roll it out. With a small round cutter (cover of a small round box) cut the dough into round shapes. Dip a finger in water and apply it on the edges of it. Place a spoonful of the pear mixture in the centre and close the edges tight. With a fork press the edges and you get a design.

4. Keep enough oil in a kadai and when hot, deep fry the samosas turning sides and remove when golden brown.

You can make the samosas and keep them in the freezer for 2-3 days and fry them when needed.

This is my submission for A fruit a month - Pears and Spring Fruit sensation.

Corriander leaves Chutney

Ingredients
Corriander leaves - a bunch
Urad dhal - 3tsp
Dry red chilli - 3nos
Thil or white sesame seeds - 2tsp
Tamarind paste - less than 1/4tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1-2tsp

Method
1. In a dry heated kadai, saute the sesame seeds. Keep aside.
2. In a heated kadai, add 1tsp of oil and then the urad dhal, chilli and once they turn golden, remove and keep aside.
3. In a heated kadai, add 1tsp of oil and add the washed and cut corriander leaves.
4. In a blender add the red chilli, tamarind, corriander leaves, salt and make it into a paste. Finally add the urad dhal and sesame seeds and blend (coarsely). Add 1-2tsp water only. Keep it in airtight box inside the fridge for 2-3days. It can be used as a spreader in sandwitches.

Chola Bhattura

This is one of our families favourite dish. Unfortunately cannot be made very often since it is deep fried item, which should be avoided for health reasons. So i make it once in 2 months or when my daughter's craving for the dish begins.

Ingredients

Plain flour - 2cups

Baking powder - a pinch

Soda bi carb - a pinch

Curd or Yoghurt - 1/2cup

Salt - a pinch or two

Oil - 3tsp

Oil - for deep fry

Mix all the above ingredients except oil and prepare a dough by adding water. At the final stage add 3tsp of oil and roll into a tight ball and cover it airtight for 2-3hours.

Heat a kadai with enough oil for deep frying. Take a small sized dough and roll out into round or oval shape and deep fry in oil. Turn both sides and remove when it is golden brown.

To prepare Chole

Ingredients

Channa - 1cup

Potato - 1

Onion - 3nos

Tomato - 2nos

Ginger - a small piece

Garlic - 1pod

Sombhu - 1tsp

Cardamom - 2nos

Cloves - 2nos

Bay leaves - 3-4

Turmeric Powder - 1/2tsp

Red chilli powder - 1/2tsp

Garam masala powder - 1/4tsp

Corriander powder - 1/4tsp

Mustard - 1tsp

Jeera - 1tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - little

Method

1. Soak channa for 8-9hours and pressure cook it with unskinned potato cut into two, little salt, turmeric and a bay leaf with just enough water.

2. Grind onions, tomato, ginger, garlic, sombhu, cardamom, cloves and 15nos of cooked channa.

3. In a heated kadai, add 5-6tsp oil and add mustard, jeera, bay leaves and the above blended mixture. Mix well. Then add all the powders (turmeric, red chilli, corriander and garam masala). Mix well and cover it with lid, so that it doesnt split outside and turn the mixture now and then. Once the oil seperates, add the channa with its water.

4. Add salt and allow it to boil for 5-6min.

You can add butter instead of oil. It will enhance the taste. For a change, mustard, jeera and a green chilli split lengthwise can be done in oil and added at the last after switching off the stove. Garnish with corriander leaves and a dash of lemon juice.

Lenthil ball kozhambhu

This dish is a very old one and popularly known as Paruppu urundai kozhambhu. Different people make it in a different way, but i usually make it this way, so that the balls dont disintegrate in the kozhambhu.

Ingredients

Toor dhal - 1cup

Mustard - 2tsp

Fenugreek - 1tsp

Hing - little

Dry red chilli - 3

Jeera - 1tsp

Sambhar podi - 2.1/2tsp

Curry leaves - little

Tamarind - a lemon size

Salt - to taste

Oil - 6tsp

Method

1. Soak toor dhal for 2hrs. Rinse and blend it with little salt, jeera, dry red chilli and hing. Dont add water.

2. Soak tamarind in water and leave it for 1hour.

3. In a heated kadai, add 5tsp oil and then add a spoon of mustard, curry leaves and drop the blended mixture. Keep the stove in low flame. Turn the mixture thoroughly and switch off once you see the color change. Allow it to cool and then round it into small balls. Extract juice from soaked tamarind.

4. In a heated vessel, add a tsp of oil , then hing, fenugreek, curry leaves, one red chilli and then the sambar powder. Mix thoroughly and then add the already extracted tamarind juice. Allow it to boil, then add the balls 2-3 at a time, allow it to boil for some time and then add the remaining balls in the same way. Once the balls come floating on top, you can switch off the stove. Serve hot with rice and vegetable.