SPICY COCONUT DIP-नारियल की चटनी

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Gluten Free, quick and nutritious

It is a complete food rich in calories, vitamins, and minerals.

Cooking Time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
For Dip:
200 grams frozen shredded coconut
50 grams of dry roasted chickpea or peanuts
2 fresh green chilli or 1 inch of frozen crushed green chilli
100 ml milk
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
2 inch of frozen grated ginger

For Garnish:
1 teaspoon of oil
1 tablespoon of black mustard seeds
10 fresh or frozen curry leaves
2 whole dried red chilli

STEPS:
STEP 1. Put all ingredients for coconut dip in a food processor/grinder until it forms a smooth paste, keep adding milk if needed and let it grind for a minute or two for shredded coconut to get smooth.
STEP 2. For garnish, heat oil in a small ladle, add mustard seeds, red chilli and curry leaves until lightly roasted.
STEP 3. Add this to the dip, mix well, let it sit for 15-20 minutes for flavour of garnish to permeate.

IMG_1612HANDY TIPS:

  1. You can use fresh or frozen shredded coconut, the taste of the dip will be the same.
  2. roasted chickpeas can be replaced with peanuts or almonds, they will give the same smoothness and a different flavour to the dip.

Healthy Water-पुदीना पानी

On By lavinamehraIn TipsLeave a comment

mint water

All of us know drinking enough water is good for general health. And what if you can drink some healthy water every time you take a sip.  Mint has one of the highest antioxidant capacities of any food.

Mint has a natural acid which has been studied for its effectiveness in relieving seasonal allergy symptoms. Mint is known to be a natural treatment for common cold, indigestion, pain relief, heart burns, gastric ulcers, skin and oral health.

Every time you fill up a pitcher of water for yourself, family or the guests, add a few mint leaves. Squeeze or crush them with clean hands before putting them in water. Add a few pieces of lime or lemon to help cleanse your digestive system. Lemon and lime also help to control fat and grease in your body.

Enjoy this healthy yet simple concoction every day.

Cucumber Dill Yogurt Dip-खीरा दही की सदाबहार चटनी

On By lavinamehraIn Dips to lift your spirits up!1 Comment
Gluten Free
Loaded with goodness of yogurt and coolness of cucumber
Quick to make  
Ingredients:
500 grams greek yogurt
One medium cucumber grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dry dill weed or fresh chopped dill leaves
2 inch frozen crushed green chilli (optional)
25 grams of cut coriander leaves
2 cloves of crushed garlic fresh or frozen
Preparation:
If you do not use greek yogurt, you will need to extract water from regular yogurt.For this put yogurt in a muslin cloth and hang it for 1-2 hours for the water to drain out.
STEPS:
Step 1. Grate cucumber and add 1/2 teaspoon salt to it, leave it for 5  minutes and then squeeze water out of it.
Step 2. Add salt, grated cucumber, dill, coriander leaves, garlic (fresh or frozen), and frozen crushed green chilli  to greek yogurt or block of yogurt.
Step 3. Mix everything thoroughly. Let it rest for some time or serve immediately.

Handy Tips:IMG_1598

1. This dip goes well as a spread for sandwiches, gyros, shawarma, as a dip with grilled veggies, meats, baked naan bread, corn wafers,  crackers or thin savoury biscuits.
2. You can be as creative as you want to be, add spring onion or other herbs like chives, rosemary, basil, mint, or spices like red chilli pepper, black pepper.

BROCCOLI ALMOND YOGURT DIP-हरी गोभी,बादाम और दही की चटनी

On By lavinamehraIn Dips to lift your spirits up!Leave a comment
Calorie wise Nutritious home made spread 
Gluten Free, quick to make  
Ingredients:
500 grams greek yogurt
One 50 grams floret of broccoli cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon salt
30 grams of crushed almonds
1 tablespoon dry dill weed or 25 grams cut fresh dill or 10 crushed mint leaves
2 inch frozen crushed green chilli (optional)
2 cloves of crushed garlic fresh or frozen
Preparation:
If you do not use greek yogurt, you will need to extract water from regular yogurt.For this put yogurt in a muslin cloth and hang it for 1-2 hours for the water to drain out.
STEPS:
Step 1. Boil Broccoli in water for 3-4 minutes or cook in microwave for 1-2 minutes to make it tender.
Step 2. Add salt, broccoli, crushed almonds, garlic, and frozen crushed green chilli  to greek yogurt or block of yogurt.
Step 3. Mix everything thoroughly in a blender and add olive oil (optional)

Handy Tips:IMG_1623

 

1. This dip goes well with grilled veggies, meats, baked naan bread, corn wafers,  crackers or thin savoury biscuits.
2. You can be as creative as you want to be, add spring onion or other herbs like chives, rosemary, basil, mint, or spices like red chilli pepper, black pepper.

Spinach Pecan Yogurt Dip-दही पालक की चटनी

On By lavinamehraIn Dips to lift your spirits up!Leave a comment
Healthy home made alternative to high calorie readymade dips
Gluten Free, quick to make and nutritious 
Ingredients:
500 grams greek yogurt
10 nuggets of frozen spinach or 200 grams of fresh baby spinach
1 teaspoon salt
1 tea spoon of oil ( for sautéing spinach)
1 tablespoon of olive oil (optional)
30 grams of crushed pecans
1 tablespoon of seasoning of your choice
2 inch frozen crushed green chilli (optional)
2 cloves of crushed garlic fresh or frozen
Preparation:
If you do not use greek yogurt, you will need to extract water from regular yogurt.For this put yogurt in a muslin cloth and hang it for 1-2 hours for the water to drain out.
STEPS:
Step 1. If frozen, thaw and cook spinach in microwave for 3-4 minutes and remove all water. Sauté spinach and garlic in  a pan.
Step 2. Add salt, sautéed spinach, seasoning, frozen crushed green chilli and pecans to greek yogurt or block of yogurt drained in muslin cloth.
Step 3. Mix everything thoroughly and add olive oil (optional).
Handy Tips:IMG_1488
1. Spinach yogurt dip can be served cold or warm (serve as you make it warm sautéed spinach or heat up in Microwave for 30 seconds) to go with baked naan bread, corn wafers,  crackers or thin savoury biscuits.
2. You can be as creative as you want to be , add spring onion or other herbs like dill weed, rosemary, basil, mint, coriander or spices like red chilli pepper, black pepper.
2. You can also add finely chopped bell peppers, mushrooms or cucumber.

Kitchen Freshness Advice-महकती रसोई सलाह​

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When doing a lot of cooking with spices and herbs and your kitchen and home is filled with the aromas and odours, keep a pot of water on the stove constantly boiling with few cut pieces of lemon or lime while you finish with the cooking. It will keep the strong smells away and will neutralize the unwanted redolences in the kitchen space.

Yogurt Dip Grilled Zucchini & Eggplant

On By lavinamehraIn Less than 10 minutes Quicker RecipesLeave a comment

SERVES: 2-3

GLUTEN FREE-Good source of vitamin A and vitamin C, plus potassium and fibre.

QUICK TO MAKE

COOKING TIME: 8-10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 Zucchini
2 long eggplant
100 grams sliced mushrooms
1 big tomato chopped
50 grams grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
PREPARATION
Make diagonal cuts on zucchini and eggplant without letting them break.
STEPS
STEP 1. For pan cooking- Place zucchini and eggplant in 1 teaspoon of heated oil, sprinkle salt and red chilli powder. Add tomatoes and mushroom. Close the lid of pan to cook for 4-5 minutes on high flame.
For oven/grill cooking- Sprinkle salt and red chilli powder on zucchini and eggplant. Place on the baking tray/grill,  add tomatoes and mushroom. Grill/Bake for 10-12 minutes.
STEP 2. When zucchini and eggplant are tender, add dollops of yogurt dip, spring onion and cheese and let it grill/bake or broil( for pan cooked method) for 2-3 minutes.
STEP 3. Serve it with sweet potato fries smeared in yogurt dip and green coriander chutney.
HANDY TIPS:thumb_IMG_1400_1024
1. Using the pan method saves electric/fuel energy used in oven/grill and has reduced cooking time as it uses water from tomatoes to cook the veggies faster.
2. Be creative and throw in other veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potato or turnips.

 

Quick Spinach Stuffed Chicken Picks

On By lavinamehraIn 10 minutes or more recipesLeave a comment

SERVES: 3-4

GLUTEN FREE- Loaded With Proteins and FIBRE -QUICK TO MAKE

COOKING TIME: 10-15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 Chicken breast fillet
100 grams Baby Spinach leaves
12 Pecan or walnuts halves
6 dried apricot or dates cut into half
50 grams grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese
1 fresh green chilli or 1 inch of frozen crushed green chilli
1 inch of frozen or fresh grated ginger
1 inch of frozen or fresh crushed garlic
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon all spice powder
12 Bamboo picks
PREPARATION
Cut Chicken breast into thin layers and make long stripes
STEPS
STEP 1. Mix ginger, garlic, salt and all spice and make a paste.
STEP 2. Place chicken stripes on a cutting board and rub the garlic ginger paste,. Now you need to place rest of the ingredients to cover the surface of each stripe and roll the chicken stripe.  (Suggestion- start with placing spinach leaves, then grated cheese, one half of pecan/walnut and then one half of dried apricot/date on top end of the stripe).
STEP 3. Stick in a bamboo pick/toothpick making sure you take the nut/date into the pick and place all chicken picks on a baking tray or on the grill on barbecue.
STEP 4. Bake for 5 minutes at 400 degrees C and broil for 2 minutes at 550 degrees to give it the golden colour. If using barbecue, grill on high heat for 5-10 minutes.
Serve it with one of the delicious and healthy Yogurt dips
HANDY TIPS:thumb_IMG_1435_1024
1. This can be cooked in microwave also with convection option.
2.Put a dollop of  yogurt dip to give it a moist feel.
3. Always cook chicken breast on high heat as it cooks very fast and short time of cooking retains all its juices.
4. Be creative and replace spinach with basil or other herbs of your choice or roll a bacon strip outside to give a dramatic look.

Avocado Chive Yogurt Dip- अवोकाड़ो दही का चक्का चटनी

On By lavinamehraIn Dips to lift your spirits up!, UncategorizedLeave a comment
thumb_IMG_1382_1024Gluten Free, quick and nutritious
Ingredients:
500 grams greek yogurt
1 ripe large avocado
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoon all spice powder
10-12 strands of chives chopped
Preparation:
If you do not use greek yogurt, you will need to extract water from regular yogurt.For this put yogurt in a muslin cloth and hang it for 1-2 hours for the water to drain out.
STEPS:
Step 1. Mash Avocado
Step 2. Add salt, mashed avocado, frozen crushed green chilli, chives, lemon juice and all spice powder to greek yogurt or block of yogurt in muslin cloth.
Step 3. Mix everything thoroughly and it is ready to enjoy.
AvocodoHandy Tips:
1. You can be as creative as you want to be , replace  chives with other herbs like spring onion, dill weed, rosemary, basil, mint, coriander or spices like red chilli pepper, black pepper.
2. You can also add finely chopped bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms or cucumber.

Juicy Baked Pork Ribs in 40 minutes

On By lavinamehraIn 10 minutes or more recipesLeave a comment


GLUTEN FREE

REALLY QUICK TO MAKE

Why this recipe? How is it green? How am I contributing to making this earth green by following four steps or less recipes?

A similar conventional recipe takes 3-4 hours in oven or grill. Using Pressure Cooker will take 20-25 minutes on stove and 15 minutes of oven time. Meat comes out as tender as a marshmallow and falling off the bone.

You save: 90% of fuel energy and 3 hours of your precious time that you can spend doing something more productive with your loved ones.

SERVES: 2-3
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 35-40 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:

For Tenderizing and Marination
25 ml lemon or lime juice (one lime or lemon)
1 teaspoon salt
½ kilo Pork ribs/riblets
100 grams yogurt
50 gms frozen or fresh crushed ginger
50 gms frozen or fresh crushed garlic
2-3 finely chopped green chillies
1 tablespoon all spice

For Basting
50 ml barbecue sauce
20 ml thai sweet chilli sauce
20 ml Teriyaki sauce
1 teaspoon oil

For Cooking Ribs
1 teaspoon oil
8-10 black pepper corns
2 bay leaves

For Side
½ kilo baby potatoes

PREPARATION:
Put lemon juice and salt on ribs to tenderize for 10 minutes
Add all marination ingredients to yogurt and smear it on ribs to marinate it for 10-15 minutes

COOKING STEPS:
STEP 1. Put black pepper corns and bay leaves in heated oil in pressure pan, and place marinated ribs to cook on slow heat for 20-25 minutes..
STEP 2. Open cooker lid when all steam is released and place ribs on a foil tray to be put in the oven preheated to 550F maximum heat (Broil option)
STEP 3. Mix all Basting sauces and baste ribs with it before putting it in the oven for 5 minutes. Repeat basting every 5 minutes for 2-3 times
STEP 4. When ribs are baking in the oven, put baby potatoes along with all ribs broth/juices from the pressure pan under the ribs tray. Both ribs and potatoes will be ready at the same time.

Serve with one of the delicious and healthy Yogurt dips

HANDY TIPS:
1. Always wait for the steam in pressure cooker to release by itself. This is a safety precaution as well as retains all flavour of the food.
2. You may want to put baby potatoes in the ribs broth/juices from the pressure pan at the time of preheating the oven, this will give additional time for potatoes to cook. This will maximize the use the oven heat.