South Beach Diet Phase 1 - Menu ideas from SBD cookbook

I have been asked by a lot of my readers about the menu plan I am following for phase 1 of South beach diet. Few of my cousins have also reached out to me asking what to eat and cook to lose weight. Just to make my work easier, I am writing a common post where everyone interested in SBD can read and follow it. I got the eating plan from the sample menu given in the South beach diet book and I made changes accordingly to my taste, availability of ingredients and my ethnic foods.

Quick reminder: 

1. No sugar

2. No rice, pasta, oats, quinoa

3. No desserts like ice cream, chocolate

4. No hotdogs

5. No carrots, peas, beets and corns

6. No alcohol

7. No 2% or whole milk

8. No sweetened cereals

9. No legs and wings meat

10. No fruits

11. No dates and raisins

Day 1:

Breakfast : 8oz Fat free milk, quiche - 1 slice, fresh tomato juice with salt and pepper.

Mid-morning snack: Celery and cucumber with plain hummus or spicy hummus

Lunch: Grilled chicken breast with Indian spices - 2 numbers, 1 cup of fat free yogurt and beans stir fry (poriyal)

After noon snack: Roasted nuts (15 almonds or 30 pistachios or 1/4cup soy nuts)

Evening snack (if hungry) : 1 stick part-skim mozarella

Dinner: Homestyle dhal - 1cup or more (you can drink them as soup - till full) and leftover beans stir fry.

Day 2:

Breakfast: 8oz Fat free milk, quiche - 1 slice, fresh tomato juice with salt and pepper.

Mid-morning snack: Turkey roll ups - 2 numbers

Lunch: Indian style cauliflower soup and channa masala - 1 cup 

After noon snack: Roasted nuts (15 almonds or 30 pistachios or 1/4cup soy nuts)

Evening snack (if hungry) : 1 stick part-skim mozarella

Dinner: Pecan crusted cod - 2 fillets with spinach channa curry

Day 3:

Breakfast: 8oz Fat free milk, quiche - 1 slice, fresh tomato juice with salt and pepper.

Mid-morning snack: Celery, bell peppers and cucumber with avocado guacamole

Lunch: Chock full of veggie chili and pesto chicken breast - 1 piece (recipe coming soon)

After noon snack: Roasted nuts (15 almonds or 30 pistachios or 1/4cup soy nuts)

Evening snack: Finish off the left over avocado guacamole with vegetables

Dinner: Bok choy shrimp with stir fried yellow squash

Day 4:

Breakfast: 8oz Fat free milk, quiche - 1 slice, fresh tomato juice with salt and pepper.
Mid-morning snack: Roasted nuts (15 almonds or 30 pistachios or 1/4cup soy nuts)

Lunch: Chicken kale soup with beans or asparagus cooked in spicy lentil base (Paruppu usli) and 1/4 cup fat-free yogurt

Evening snack : 1 cup tomato-olive-cheese salad

Dinner: Ground turkey salad

Day 5:

Breakfast: 8oz Fat free milk, quiche - 1 slice, fresh tomato juice with salt and pepper.

Mid-morning snack: Roasted nuts (15 almonds or 30 pistachios or 1/4cup soy nuts)

Lunch: Chicken pepper fry (chicken milagu varuval) and channa salad or any sundal of your choice.

After noon snack: 1 stick part-skim mozarella and 8oz fat free milk

Dinner: Spinach soup and cabbage stir fry with Indian spices - 1cup

Day 6:

Breakfast: 8oz Fat free milk, quiche - 1 slice, fresh tomato juice with salt and pepper.

Mid-morning snack: Roasted nuts (15 almonds or 30 pistachios or 1/4cup soy nuts)

Lunch: Spinach chicken and lettuce salad or any sundal of your choice.

After noon snack: 1 stick part-skim mozarella and 8oz fat free milk

Dinner: Spinach soup and cabbage stir fry with Indian spices - 1cup and 1/2 cup fat free yogurt

Day 7:

Breakfast: 8oz Fat free milk, quiche - 1 slice, fresh tomato juice with salt and pepper.

Mid-morning snack: Cucumber with Indian spices

Lunch: Green gram dhal (omit the cream) and okra stir fry (recipe coming soon)

After noon snack: 1 stick part-skim mozarella and 8oz fat free milk

Dinner: Green chicken cooked with chicken breast and cabbage/beans/bittergourd stir fry with Indian spices - 1cup and 1/2 cup fat free yogurt

Day 8:

Breakfast: 8oz Fat free milk, quiche - 1 slice, fresh tomato juice with salt and pepper.

Mid-morning snack: Shrimp cocktail

Lunch: Palak with tofu ( replace paneer with tofu) and grilled veggie salad

After noon snack: Roasted nuts (15 almonds or 30 pistachios or 1/4cup soy nuts)

Dinner: Lamb chinthamani cooked with lean meat and 1/2 cup fat free yogurt

This was my basic meal plan I followed for more than 14 days. Some days there would be leftovers and you can have the same set of dishes for couple of days. Also some dishes like dhaal, stir fry and meat dishes can be cooked for the whole family and for non-dieters (like my husband), I serve rice or chapatti with them. That way, we are not stuck with cooking something totally different for us and for other members of the family. This saves a lot of time and gas and also we will stick through the diet.

Points to remember:

• The first few days of diet is tough because you body is getting used to new set of foods. It is important to plan,cook and freeze over the weekend and start your diet from Monday.
• Whenever hungry, I would munch on cucumbers or soy nuts or mozzarella sticks.
• Do some workout - walking, running, swimming, yoga or yoga. Something to keep you active. I do swimming and Power 90 Tony Horton workout for 6 days a week.
• Remember to take a multivitamin and Vitamin D and calcium supplements everyday. This will help in better recovery.

MY SHOPPING LIST FOR PHASE 1

1. Chicken breasts ((I buy them from Costco - frozen)

2. Extra lean turkey or chicken boneless (kheema) - (I buy them from Costco - frozen)

3. Lean cut lamb (center cut, loin and chop) - fresh and remove visible fat

4. Tilapia, cod , mahi-mahi, salmon and halibut fillets (I buy them from Costco - frozen)

5. Shrimp (I buy them from Costco - frozen)

6. Nuts

7. Mozarella cheese sticks

8. Vegetables like bell peppers, celery, cucumber, tomatoes, mushrooms,cabbage, beans, brocolli, cauliflower, eggplant, greens like spinach, kale, swiss chard, lettuce, bok choy

9. Fat free milk and yogurt

10. Turkey slices

11. Soy sauce

12. Fat free sour cream

13. Fat free cottage cheese and fat free feta cheese

14. Eggs

15. Weight watchers mixed cheese bag

16. Cilantro, Mint leaves and Basil for pesto, salad dressing and garnish

17. Extra firm tofu

18. Garbanzo,pinto, kidney and any beans can of your choice (I buy them from Costco)

19. Fresh legumes and lentils

20. Pickled olives (I buy them from Costco) 

21. Extra virgin olive oil or canola oil for cooking

22. Low fat or non-fat mayonnaise

Will all these ingredients you can play around in Phase 1 and can extend it for couple of more weeks like me. One thing in my mind was to use all the ingredients before they perish. Hence I keep changing the menu chart accordingly to that but will stick to the rules of phase 1.

Good luck with your weight loss journey! Pop me an email with any queries. I will be more than happy to share my knowledge.

A savoury cocktail with shrimp and bell peppers

Shrimp cocktail is a seafood dish made with a tomato dressing and generally they are served chilled in a martini glass. I tasted them for the first time in Lake Tahoe, Nevada and I am in love with it since then. When I saw a similar recipe in the South Beach diet book, I was more than excited to try it right away. Days are getting hotter and hotter in California. The hot weather makes us crave for any dish that is cold. Shrimp cocktail is one such perfect snack to munch on a hot summer day. The dipping sauce is creamy and the mild sweetness from the red bell pepper blends wonderfully with the spicy hot sauce. The juicy shrimp coated with the delicious sauce is a treat for the mouth. The addition of chilli flakes and lemon juice is my version of the dish. The original recipe doesn't need them. Next time, I will try to add cilantro too as we are a big fan to it.

Serves 2

Ingredients

20-30 shrimp - I used frozen ones from Costco

1 large red bell pepper

2-3 tablespoon sour cream - I used the fat free ones

1 large garlic clove

1-2 teaspoon hot sauce or 1 teaspoon chili flakes

1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil/ any oil of your choice

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat oil in a large wok. Once the oil ripples, throw in the cleaned and de-veined shrimp. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Drain any water and let the shrimp cool.

Grind the bell pepper, sour cream, garlic, hot sauce/ chili flakes, salt and pepper to a fine paste. Don't add water. 

Chill the sauce and shrimp in the refrigerator until you serve.

 

Pour the sauce onto a martini glass and place the shrimp along the edges of the glass or you could serve them in a bowl as I did in the photograph.

TIP

1. Shrimp cocktail is an ideal snack for phase 1 of South beach diet.

2. You can definitely eat them in your phase 2 and 3 as well.

What is South beach diet? Answers with bok choy shrimp recipe

Staring at the television in my living room, I was jotting down the things to pack and my mind was paralleling thinking about the tasks to complete before I step out for the long weekend. In the mean while I was hungry for lunch. It was twelve past ten and yes, an early lunch. Not wanting to disturb my son who was sleeping in the crib, I walked on the edge of my toes to kitchen to fix some food that has low glycemic index . Yes, I am on South beach diet for the last 2 weeks and hence I have not been regular to my space as I was reading a lot about this diet and initially I was skeptical whether I would be able to stick through the process. Yay! I finished a successful phase 1 but I am going to stick with the same phase for little longer. Now I am  excited to share my experiences with you all and especially to those who are struggling with weight loss. I will also post the recipes I created following the book.

I have been on diet since high school. It wouldn't be possible to stick to those diets for long as the food wouldn't be tasty and the same type of food will get monotonous for me. I have never wanted a size zero or dreamed about having skinny body like ramp models, all I wanted was to have a figure which would make me look fresh, healthy and importantly I wanted to look great in Indian outfits. Like every to-be-bride, I have slogged in the gym to burn the fat around my entire body. I did succeed then and managed to pull of the wedding attires well :-) 

Later post wedding, I have tried SOUTH BEACH diet in late 2009 but didn't follow the rules correctly. Since I was newly married then and my husband dearie was so eager to show me around US, I used every possible biz trip of his to tag behind and visited new cities. I ate, ate and ate - That's what I did the entire first year of marriage.Then I got pregnant with my son in early 2010 and now after my baby is 6 months old, I am back to South beach diet and this time, I have decided to stay committed and follow the rules as I have lots of flesh to shed. :-)

One thing which I learned over the years is never ever listen to mom/grandmothers/aunts/sister  (only with regards to dieting guys!! Please don't read in-between the lines :-)) unless they are professional qualified to guide with food choices. Till date, my mother doesn't approve of South beach diet. She says eating rice is very important and only then you will have the stamina to do daily chores. She believes that Indian food is nutritionally well balanced than any other cuisines. Yes, I side her but there are choices to be made within the Indian foods and there is no doubt that our menu is so well balanced. I am not here to promote one cuisine and degrade others. But one thing is for sure, I can never agree on eating pongal for breakfast  these days- It has just carb, carb and carb in it. Another famous Indian breakfast is puri with potato curry - This is much worse than pongal. I used to love all these starchy dishes and have eaten then while I grew up but now with a target to reach, I am no way going to them. This is where I talk about making choices. Whole grain idlies or buckwheat upma or whole wheat dosa are few dishes that could be incorporated while you are on a diet.

One incident which I remember till date is. When my mom came here towards the end of my pregnancy, I was following a diet plan as I had gestational diabetes. The very next day after her arrival, she suggested to try idlies and I was skeptical as my dietitian and doctor have scared me enough on what will happen if your sugar level shoots up with bad carbohydrates. I gave it a thought and also the South Indian blood in me was craving for a breakfast cooked by mom. I ate just 2 idlies. I took my blood test after 1hour and it went to 172mg/dl. I panicked and so was my mom. She then announced, just stick with the diet your doctor had suggested and lets not play with my food as there is a baby involved. Then slowly during her stay for the last 6 months, she slowly understood the difference between good and bad carbohydrates and how to play around when you plan to shed some weight. Her verdict when she left was "Umm even your choice of food are tasty to the tongue and light to the stomach".

Few of my readers and friends have been mailing me asking the details of this diet. Click to know more. Wikipedia defines South Beach Diet as : "The South Beach Diet is a diet plan designed by cardiologist Arthur Agatston and dietician Marie Almon as an alternative to low-fat approaches such as the Ornish Diet and the Pritikin Diet. The diet advocated by the American Heart Association in the 1980s.Although the original purpose of the diet was to prevent heart disease in Dr. Agatston's own patients, in the early 2000s, word of the diet spread and quickly gained popularity as a means to lose weight." 

You can get a copy of the book here.

When hungry, I get terrible headaches, become moody and cann't think straight. I am sure that's the case with most of us. For people like me, this diet would be super exciting as we get to eat 5 times a times, 3 meals and 2 snacks. There are 3 phases in this diet and they have given the lists of food to enjoy and the list of food to avoid in each phase. They say that first 2 weeks are the toughest as we need to avoice rice, pasta, bread, corns, carrots, beets, peas and potatoes. As I said in the beginning of my post, I failed when I started this diet in 2009 but over the months, I read a lot on what to eat, how to make delicious meal, tweak  other cuisines in a way that suits our Indian palate without breaking the rules of the diet and how to incorporate Indian dishes to it. So this time, there is no looking back and I am loving the food and my husband has now joined hands with me after seeing the weight I lost in just 2 weeks. 

Apart from this diet, I also do cardio circuit with few DVDs I bought and once a while, I do swimming too. But the workout parts has been quite sporadic as it revolves around my son's sleeping schedules and my cooking schedules. One thing I learnt to be successful in this diet is to plan and cook ahead. We could freeze few foods too and also I forgot to tell you, there is also dessert in this diet. I have just tried making their granula and its yum-o-good.

The post for today is Bok-choy shrimp (Phase 1 dish). I have never cooked with bok-choy , so I asked a fellow Asian shopper on how to cut them.She suggested just clean ans use the entire plant (both bulb and leaves). When I found this recipe, I was curious to try my hands on it and I cooked it right away. Such a simple dish, very tasty and quite filling too. You could add little more water and serve it a heart-filling soup as well. I ate bok-choy shrimp with raddichio-endive salad and later for dessert had 1 tablespoon of South beach diet granula with 1/4 cup non-fat yogurt.

Serves 2
Ingredients 
1 tablespoon or less extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoon chili flakes
2 garlic cloves
1 medium onion - thinly sliced
20 shrimp -  I used frozen ones from Costco
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
3 bok-choy - chopped
Salt to taste

Method 
Thaw the frozen shrimp in hot water or refrigerator overnight or if using the fresh ones, clean and de-vein. Set them aside. Heat oil in large wok and add garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Throw in the chilli flakes and onions, cook for another 2-3minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.To the same wok,add the chopped bok-choy and soy sauce and cook till tender for 5 minutes. Mix in the shrimp mixture and salt to taste. Stir and serve with any salad of your choice.

Brown rice with roasted vegetables

Huff!
Puff!
Running.. then jogging..then walking and again running....She gasps for more air!

She was running in the tread mill as if there was no tomorrow. Speckles of sweat on her face looked like the dew drops rolling down a car's window and her cheeks blushed with redness. Then she enthusiastically hops on to the elliptical with the hope to burn her layers of fat in one day and talks to herself on cutting down fried foods, desserts, walk up and down the stairs at home, stay active and importantly nod the head from left to right to left again when a food is placed in the front.That's my alter ego and I am on a mission to lose weight.

The post pregnancy weight gain hasn't been high on the scale but I have gained a lot of pounds over the last two years. Thanks to the tons of food that entered my body. With that determination to bring my body fat down, I entered my home to cook brown rice. My mom was frying delicious masala vadais - (gram dhal patty in english) (click for the recipe here) for S and I was head strong not to even touch a single piece of that patty. As always S is there to tempt me but this time I created a delicious alternative to curb my vadai craving. I developed this recipe (not a great one to boast about) after my friend shared eating a bowl of brown rice with veggies cooked with Cajun spices.

This is a warm salad of oven-roasted veggies and Indian flavored brown rice. I cooked the brown rice with cumin seeds, garlic, chilly flakes which made it taste like pilaf and I used all the possible vegetable found in my refrigerator. The colorful veggies were made more appealing to the palate by the addition of thyme and rosemary. They were roasted to perfection and served over the steamy brown rice. They are so filling and packed with nutrition.

For those who are conscious about the extra flesh around your waist and for those who wants to eat whole grains and for those who is opting for a healthy living, here is the tasty solution. I have had a disliking for Brown rice, 5 grain hot cereal mix, Quinoa and Oats but once you learn the knack to cook it tastier, you can never get enough of them. Will share the delicious recipes of those in the future posts.

This is my entry for Siri and Sanjeeta's -"Brown rice for dinner" event.



Ingredients
1 cup brown rice
1tsp cumin seeds
5-6 garlic cloves - minced
1 tbs onions - chopped
2 tsp chilly flakes
Oil for tempering, about 2 tsp
Salt and pepper to taste

For the roasted vegetables:
10 brocolli florets
10 cauliflower florets
2 large red potatoes - quartered with the skin on
2 long carrots
1 large red onions - quartered
1 small bell peppers
1 small aubergine
2-3 garlic cloves - minced
1tbs olive oil
2 tsp thyme
2tsp rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Cook the rice as per the manufacturer's instruction. Heat the oil in a small cooking pan. Once they get heated up, throw in the cumin seeds, garlic, chilly flakes and onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Mix them with the rice and set aside.

Pre-heat the oven to 475'F. Chop all the vegetable in the same size. Transfer them to a large roasting pan. Sprinkle the thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Toss them well with olive oil and garlic. Roast for 35-40 minutes in the oven (conventional mode), stirring every 10-15minutes and cook till the vegetables are browned.

Serve in a bowl with alternate layers of the brown rice and veggies.

Flavorful egg curry with exoctic Indian spices

Eggs are one of the most healthiest item on any food list. Any doctor would recommend it even to a vegetarian. A egg contains naturally occurring Vitamin D, 6 grams of high-quality protein, 300 mg choline, 5gm of fat (1.5gm of saturated fat) , high sulfur, vitamins, minerals and all 9 essential amino acids.It is true that it is taken up by the body directly. The presence of lutein and zeaxanthin in egg makes them good for the eyes. An egg a day can prevent muscular degeneration due to carotenoid. Choline present in egg helps to regulate the brain, nervous system and cardiovascular system. Eggs may prevent breast cancer.

In fact, a research from Harvard School had studied the link between egg consumption and heart disease. Regular consumption of egg may prevent formation of blood clot, stroke and heart attacks. I have noticed a good amount breakfast recipes with eggs in South Beach Diet. Dr. Arthur Agatston, cardiologist, author of South Beach Diet may believe this above fact. :-)

With all those information, I am sure that you guys would have guessed my post today. It is yummy Indian egg curry. Boiled and roasted eggs were cooked in a spicy onion-tomato gravy. The sweetness from onion and tomatoes blends exotically with the garam masala and spice powders. The more the onions were, the tastier the dish turns out to be. A wonderful mix of sweetness and spiciness leaves through the tongue at every spoonful of rice and curry.

I served egg curry with lemon rice yesterday. Its a perfect comfort food and we cherished every bite of it which left us with lovely taste through the taste buds and special memories of childhood through our hearts.This dish was my favorite lunch time menu during the school days. S & I ended up wrapping the dinner refreshing our childhood stories and pranks. Ah! lovely dinner to share and laugh about. Family dinners makes every dish extra tasty........

Ingredients

6 boiled eggs

2 tomatoes - finely chopped

3 onions - finely chopped

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tbs chilli powder

1/2 tbs corainder powder

2 tsp cummin powder

1 tbs oil

1 cup water

1 tbs curry leaves - chopped

Salt to taste

For the egg roast

1/4 tbs chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tbs corainder powder

1 tsp cummin powder

1 tsp salt

3-4 spoons water

For the masala

1 tsp fennel seeds

2 cardamon

2 cloves

1/2" cinnamon stick

Method

Deshell and cool the boiled eggs. Make slits across the eggs such that they are not broken and the shape is retained.

Mix the egg roast spices into a thick paste and apply it over the eggs. Sliding a little through the incisions. Fry them with 1/2 tbs spoon oil on a small kadai. Keep the roasted eggs aside.

Heat oil in a kadai. Once they are heated up, throw in the whole masalas, curry leaves and let them splutter. Add the onions and let it sweat. Sprinkle little salt over and cook them covered for 5-10min on a medium flame. Keep an eye on it and don't let it burn. When the onions brown, add the ginger-garlic paste and cook till the raw smell disappears. Throw in the chopped tomatoes and cook them for another 5-8 min.

Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder to the onion-tomato mix. Saute till the raw smell disappears and the oil separates out of the mixture. Add 1 cup water and cook covered for 5 min. Add extra 1/2-1 cup water, (if needed) and cook till they are done. Now add the roasted eggs and spoon the curry through the incisions and continue cooking. Sprinkle the cummin powder and adjust salt to taste.

Serve hot with rice/roti/chapati/dosa/appam or even simple bread.

Palak paneer - Indian cottage cheese cooked in a spinach sauce

Hi friends

How have you all been?

Advance Independence day wishes! This our 62nd Independence Day! I am so proud to be an Indian and let's celebrate our freedom aloud! Vande Mataram! :-)


I am reminded of a famous sentence "Freedom is not a right but a feeling". Definitely the feeling of freedom cannt be expressed in words. My independence days, republic days, Oct 2s (Gandhi's birthday) were always correlated to the movie "Gandhi" staring Ben kinsley, directed by Richard Attenborough and written by John Briley. This movie would be telecasted every year in Doordarshan (Indian National TV Channel). I grew up watching it everyyear.


The movie begins with these words by the director. As said by Richard:

"No man's life can be encompassed in one telling... least of all Gandhi's, whose passage through life was so entwined with his nation's struggle for freedom. There is no way to give each event its allotted weight, to recount the deeds and sacrifices of all the great men and women to whom he and India owe such immense debts. What can be done is to be faithful in spirit to the record of his journey, and to try to find one's way to the heart of the man..."

How many of you have seen the entire movie? Its such a lovely movie and every human being who beleives in ahimsa (non-violence) should watch it.

I watched yet another movie on Gandhi, but the plot was around the troubled relationship of Gandhi and his son Harilal Gandhi. The movie "Gandhi, My father" wasnt a commercial hit but it protrays another facet of such a great soul Gandhi, a political and spiritual leader of India. It was a pretty slow movie and shows that even as a father & as a husband his priority is only one; and that is India's freedom.
As one reads this post, ask to yourself that how many of you know the complete lyrics of "Vande Mataram" or "Jana Gana Mana"???Do read his autobiography "The story of experiments with truth".



With that heavy patriotic note, I come to my post for today which is an inviting bowl of simple Palak Paneer. Spinach is always connected to Popeye, the Sailor and I am sure every one of us know the nutritious benefits of eating spinach everyday. It was super yummy and was loved by S. :-)
Ingredients

2 cups spinach leaves
1/2 cup diced paneer (use low fat one)
1 diced onions
1 diced tomatoes  
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2tsp chilli powder
3tsp coriander powder
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 green chillies
1 tbs heavy cream (optional)
Salt

Masala
1/2" cinnamon stick
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 cloves
2 cardamons
1/2 bay leaf

Method
Chop and clean the spinach leaves. Bring large amount of water to boil in a cooking vessel. Cook the spinach leaving the vessel open. This method retains the green colour of the spinach. Cook for 5-6min and pour over a colander.
Cube the paneer and place it in hot water. Keep them aside.
Heat oil in a kadai/wok. Once the oil gets heated up, add the whole masalas and let it saute for 2-3min. Add the green chillies, diced onions and little salt to the tempered oil. Cook for 3-5 min on low flame.
Now throw in the ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes. Saute for another 3-5 min. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, corainder powder and cummin powder.Cook till the raw smell disappears and oil separates out. Remove from flame. Let it cool. Grind them with cooked spinach to a fine paste. Pour back the paste to the heated kadai and cook till the raw smell of the spinach disappears. Spoon out the heavy cream and give it a complete mix.
Throw in the paneer and adjust salt to taste. Cook for another 2-3 min.
Serve with hot chapattis/rice/pulao.

Aromatic chicken curry for a party

I am back with a new post in just 3 days - isn't that a really good improvement for the resolution I made to myself . Pats on my shoulder for that :-) Thank god! I am still with the same enthusiasm and interest I had during my previous post.

Friday evening:
As S reached home from work, I was ready with his cup of hot chai and pakoras. (Generally I start making the chai only after he arrives)

He went on "Whats the matter? Chai is ready so soon and also garam-garam (hot) Pakora."

"Nothing!" I replied and winked.

After few minutes........

"Sigh! Ahem!" I said sitting on the couch, sipping my cup of Chai. (No response from S)

"Louder siiiigggh!" (Again no response)

"uuh! oooph! ooh! (Louder)" - Finally he noticed my gestures after flipping through all the channels on the Tele.

"OK - what are you trying to convey now?" A pretty direct question from S. He always catches me when I try to get smart he he!

"Well! umm ! ok! I dont have really good glasswares to present my blog pictures" I replied with a innocent tone.

"I knew it honey, when my chai was ready well before the actual time! So where do you wanna go now?"

"Kohls! Bed,bath n beyond!" I yelled back showing all my 32 teeth.

We had been to Kohls and Bed, bath n beyond yesterday to buy few crockery. Kohls had gorgeous collections of the crockery and cutlery that comes in Food network. I wanted to pick everything on the rack (eeeeeeeeeeeh!!!) and it was so bloody tempting and such a lovely treat for the eyes. I was on girlie treat for myself so I went on slow-pace shopping. When I saw fumes coming out of his ears, I realized that its high time I wrap my shopping. S went really wild for making him wait for long in those shops.

When I was billing my item I jokingly said "It isn't easy to be married nah?!!".

Ooops! his fumes became more hot and steamy that the shop's smoke-alarm started screaming aloud. Well, it wasn't a right time to rub him on the wrong side.

I am sure when you read this, every one of us will be connected to a very same situation in life. :-)

Here is a sneak peek of the stuffs I bought from there.



Since I really tortured him (yeah, that's the word he refers when I take him out for shopping) yesterday, I wanted to cook something authentic and yummy for his taste buds on Saturday. I made appam with chicken curry for breakfast. A perfect comfort food for the birds who left their nest years ago. This is goes as a little bribe for my loving, to-an-extent patient and of course amazing husband.



Since any chicken curry tastes brilliant the next day, I made the chicken curry on friday night itself after we returned from my shopping expedition. I had already soaked the rice and lentils in water that morning. I made the batter that night and left them in the oven to ferment. (ofcourse oven wasn't turned on!)

Appam recipe can be found here.

The post for today is a deliciously warm and tasty chicken curry with Indian spices.
I prefer the gravy to be bit-watery as its served with appam. So if you guys want it to-be thick, reduce the amount of water accordingly.


Ingredients

• 1lb chicken breast
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 2 green chillies
• 1-2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 3-4 tsp coriander powder
• 1-2tsp ginger-garlic paste
  
• 1-2 tsp coconut (dessicated or fresh)
• 1 tbs yogurt / curd (low fat or fat free)
• 5-6 curry leaves
• 1-2 sprig coriander
• 1-2 cup water
• 1tbs oil
• Salt to taste

Masala

• 2 cardamons
• 2 cloves
• 1/2" cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp fennel seeds

Method

• Grind the onions, tomatoes and green chillies to a fine paste. Keep aside.
• Cut and clean the chicken into small chunks. Keep them aside in a bowl.
• Heat the oil on medium high in a cooking vessel. Once the oil is heated up, add the masala and cook for a min.
• Add the above made paste and salt in the tempered oil and cook on low flame for 10-15 min. Cook till the oil separates from the tomato-onion-green chilly paste. Now add the turmeric, chilli and coriander powder. Saute till the raw smell disappears.
• Throw in the chicken chunks and cook for another 5-10mins. Add the ginger-garlic paste now and cook till the raw smell disappears. Pour in the water and tear the curry leaves into the gravy and cook-covered for 15-20 min. Once they chicken is done, sprinkle the shredded coconut and mix in the yogurt/curd. Check for the seasoning and add salt, if needed.
• Garnish with finely chopped coriander.

Paratha with vegetables

Its mid date of July and this is my first post for this month and I am blogging after a month - Shame on me! I aint regular to my blog and I ain't visiting other blogs and I really don't have a reason to justify that. Not that I was caught in a whirlpool of work, its just sheer laziness to get back.

I have been cooking a lot of South Indian dishes for S. Poor he - always asks with an excitement when he sees the food on his palate - "When are you gonna blog this? Tastes yummy and good". I give a tepid smile as a reply. I keep telling myself about taking a pic of the dish after dinner but I don't find anything left on the kadai/wok late that night and this what has been happening for the past few weeks.I make food in little quantities; just enough for one meal. Well, this sounds like a silly reason for you guys. Ya, I could take a pic before my dinner! but you know the hunger pangs during the cooking itself - munching a bit a carrot, a cookie, few peanuts :-) , so I jus wanna get done with the cooking and eat. I keep telling to myself "Tomorrow I will do it for sure" (eeeeeeh) .

I have been procrastinating this little passion of mine for a long time and the thought that my fellow foodie-friends would have forgotten me and my blog, brings me back to senses to be regular. Today I am back with a little hope and enthusiasms to post my recipes often.

The post for today is Veggie Paratha and this is especially for moms of young kids - This is dish is definitely for you to stuff them with all the good things in one meal and this is also a perfect dish for working women. This paratha is simple, nutritious, healthy and tasty. Its a good source of all the vitamins, minerals and fibre in one pack.



I generally chop all my left over veggies (carrot, beans, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, beets) in the food processor and store them in the freezer. I thaw them before use and add onions, little ginger, green chillies, salt and tofu. Its better to add the onions during cooking as stored ones leave a pungent smell on other veggies.

Ingredients
For the stuffing:

• 1 carrot
• 1/2 beet
• 5-6 florets cauliflower
• Small chunk - Cabbage
• 10-15 spinach leaves
• 10 beans
• 1 finely chopped onions
  
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 1-2 green chillies
• 1/2 cup grated tofu
• salt
• oil

For the dough:

• Chakki fresh atta (Can be bought from Indian Grocery shop)
• Salt
• Water

Method

• Remove 2-3 cups atta on to a fresh dry bowl. Add a pinch of salt and mix them well. Add water little by little and knead them into a soft dough. Let them rest for 10-15min.
• Chop all the veggies in the food processor to 1mm small chunks. Add finely chopped onions,ginger, green chillies, salt and tofu. Mix them thoroughly and set aside.
• Divide the dough into equal small balls of 1-2 cm diameter. Roll them out in to a larger circle with a rolling pin and set aside.
• Heat a non-stick tawa and cook on medium high. First place one rolled out chapati and gently spoon out the veggie mix on top. Spread them over the entire surface of the chapati with a back of a spoon. Place another rolld out chapati on top of it. Wet your fingers with water and seal the edges. Drizzle few drops of oil along the edges.Cook them for 2-3 min on one side and flip it over. Cook for another 3-4 min. Chapattis will be lightly browned and thats the indication that its cooked.

Optional: Spoon a dollop of butter on top of hot steaming chapati before serving.


Serve hot with tomato ketchup/ yogurt seasoning / Indian curries.

Pilaf / Pulao with garbanzo beans / chicke peas

Well, I have been always writing about incidences from my life and good-old stories from others and so on in this blog. I am sure you guys would have been bored to death hearing about my sweet tales from my fairyland.

So today I am gonna write something different. Something important or related to each one of us. Knowledge is always powerful and its important that one stays informed and be aware of few medical happenings. Being a life scientist and a person who had worked with stem cells, I feel that I can provide little information on health issues through this blog.



Chemotherapy was declared as the only source of treatment for Cancer patients but today John Hopkins have announced that there is an alternative way.The treatment for Cancer always starts with Chemotherapy. It involves destroying both the rapidly growing cancer cells and also the healthy ones present in bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract and can also cause organ damage. It is true that the initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will reduce the tumor but prolonged usage doesnt result in further tumor destruction.

When the body is overloaded with these strong chemicals from chemotherapy, the immune system is destroyed and the body is exposed to different kinds of infections and complications.The body becomes weak and gets deprived of disease fighting ability. John Hopkins team has suggested that the effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not providing the foods that helps it to grow.Here is a list of food which can cause the cancer cells to grow back in a Cancer survivor's body. Note them and always stay informed!

CANCER AND FOOD

1. Sugar is a cancer feeder. Even sugar substitutes like Nutrasweet, Equal, Spoonful are harmful. So cancer patients/survivors please avoid sugar. Manuka honey or molasses (natural sugar subtitutes) can be used but only in small quantity.

2. Milk should be avoided. Milk causes the body to produce mucus especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer cells feed on mucus, so its better to substitute it with unsweteened soya milk.

3.Acidic environment is the best one for the cancer cells to live happily. A meat based diet is acidic. Meat (beef or pork) contains livestock antibiotics, growth harmones and parasites. These are harmful ones for Cancer patients. Meat protein is difficult for the body to digest and more so difficult for cancer patients as it requires the help of many digestive enzymes.Undigested meat left behind in the intestines becomes decomposed and leads to more toxic buildup.Cancer cells have a tough protien covering. A reduced meat or no-meat diet, frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells. Its better to eat fish and very little chicken. Easily digestible food should be given to them.

4.A diet comprising of vegetables, nuts, fruits, whole grains will make the body alkaline.Fresh vegetable juice will provide live enzymes that can be easily absorbed and reaches the cellular levels within 15minutes to nourish and increase the growth of healthy cells.

5.Avoid foods that have high caffeine (tea, coffee, chocolate). Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties.Drink a lot of pure water.

Thats my synopsis of what I read and understood about Food and Cancer from journals and internet.Hope it was informative. :-)


Before I go to my recipe today, I wanna share a small news about my recent gift. S gave me a new bike last week. I have decided to use it to nearby bazaar and library. Sometimes, its nice to be eco-freindly and at the same time stay healthy!

Here is my new bike with our cars in the backdrop.






The post for today has nothing to do with Cancer but has something to do with an event Monthly Mingle : Ravishing Rice hosted by Nags of Edible Garden, started by Meeta. Its a simple rice dish made with Channa and Indian spices. Here comes my entry for the event: CHANNA RICE.


CHANNA RICE
Ingredients

• 2 cups Basmati rice
• 1 cup cooked Channa
• 1 onion - chopped
• 2 green chillies - slit
• 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 cup coconut milk/ fresh milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbs oil/ghee
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbs coriander leaves

Masala

• 1 Cardamon
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2 cloves
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2'' cinnamon stick

Method

• Soak the raw channa overnight and cook with 2 cups water for 1-2 whistles or use a store bought cooked Channa tin.
• Soak the 2 cups basmati in water for 20min and keep aside.
• Heat a cooking pan and add ghee/oil. Once they get heated up, add the masalas. Saute for 2min.
• Add the onions to the tempered oil and let it sweat. Now add the green chillies and ginger-garlic paste and give it a complete stir. Cook till the raw smell disappears. Mix in the cooked Channa and add the required salt.Add the soaked Basmati rice. POur in 1 cup of coconut milk and 3 cups of water. Give it a complete stir and check for salt. Sprinkle some coriander leaves.
• Cover the pan and cook for 2-3 whistle.
• Serve hot with raita and masala papad.
  

Note: Basmati rice cooking mantra - (1:2 = Basmati Rice: Water)