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.

Kadai panner recipe and talking about who inspired me to cook

I am often bombarded with the same question by people known to me. 

"How on earth did you get a passion to cook? We have never seen you enter your amma's kitchen". If D (my sistah and also a hotel management graduate) will be around when someone makes this statement, she would chuckle and add "Huh, she will not even help with vegetable chopping".

I would give a smile as an answer. But wait a minute. That is no proper way to reply, right? Today I have decided to get to the rock bottom of this issue. Lets find out who inspired me to cook.

I have made tea, coffee and lemonades for most guests who have visited us. Isn't that called cooking? Okay, if I think about the time frame I started to cook a decent meal, it would be around March 2006. That's when I came back home after my final year project in Hyderabad. Oolan with dossaikai (yellow cucumbers), potato curry with rice was first meal I created. Empty plates suggested that my first attempt with cooking was successful. Appa, amma and D - Do you remember that day?

I have always loved eating good food and my love for cooking existed since childhood. Sitting next to the stove, I enjoyed watching the mustards growl, cumins dance and curry leaves crack in the hot oil. There were days I have remained glued to television watching Khanna Ghazana, Tarla Dalal, Kylie Kwong and Nigella Lawson's shows but have never ever raised my butt from the couch to make something for my lovely parents. Last time when my dad was here in US, he teased that you have not cooked anything useful for us. What! Did he say USEFUL! Yes he did. He meant the traditional foods of Tamilnadu like vathakozhambu, poriyal, kottu, idly, dosa, sambhar and so on. My mom would keep warning me no groom will marry you if you fix toast, cornflakes and desserts everyday. Not that I was scared with my mom's constant comments, but for some reason (don't know which one), I started to take cooking seriously. Then I was off to UK for my higher studies and as a student only home cooked meals were affordable. I developed a liking for different cuisines, started experimenting them and the whole process was therapeutic to me.

Many readers would have noticed about my love for achi's and amma's cooking, even though I have eaten their food lifelong, I didn't take notice of the ingredients they used, the nuances of their cooking, simple tips and tricks they followed until I saw food through this women's eyes. Truly, there is one person in my life who convinced me that cooking is simple science, she taught me how to play with spices, how to create variety of food from few ingredients, how to do baking in a microwave and she is the one who taught me how to use kasuri meethi. She is someone who had seen me grow from a toddler to a teen to a lady. I watched her cook few times in her tiny apartment during my stay in Hyderabad.  R akka, I am talking about you and apart from my achi, mom and now my mother-in-law, if there is another person outside my family who has inspired me in and out about cooking would be you. Today I am sharing your Kadai Paneer recipe with my readers.Thanks for all the love!

Serves 4

Ingredients

1, 15oz packet paneer - cubed

1/4 and less cup olive oil to saute the paneer

For the base curry:

1 large onion -quartered

2 carrots - quatered

2 red or green capsicum  - quartered

4-5 small red potatoes, skin om - quartered

2-3 garlic cloves - minced

1 inch ginger - minced

3-4 dry red chili - whole

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon chilli powder

2 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon of garam masala

2 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup water

Salt to taste

Cilantro to garnish

Method

1. Clean and wash the paneer. Cube them and fry them in a non-stick pan in batches with 1 teaspoon oil each time. Cook for 5 minutes on each side, until they get the beautiful golden color on top. Drain them in a paper towel and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan with a lid. Once the oil ripples, add the cumin seeds and saute for 30 seconds. Then tear the chili into half and add to the tempered oil. Cook for another 30-40 seconds.

3. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and little salt. Cook until the onions lightly brown, approximately 8-10 minutes on medium low flame. Sprinkle the turmeric, chili and coriander powder and cook till the raw smell disappears, about 1 minute. At this point, if the spices have burnt, sprinkle little water to cool them.

4. Throw in the carrots, potatoes and bell peppers. Stir to combine. Sprinkle water over the vegetable and cook covered for 20-25 minutes. Don't over fill with water. Kadai paneer needs to be al dente, with perfect crunch and crispness.

5. Garnish with chopped cilantro and garam masala and mix well. Top the dry curry with paneer before serving. It tastes great with roti/naan/chapati/rice.

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.

Idly manchurian / Masala idly with tons of veggies

Idly is the most common dish that comes to the breakfast table from every South Indian kitchen. So one can imagine the amount of fussy looks that the lady of the house has to face when that has been served. It's not because of the taste but the fuss is more because of the repetitiveness of it. The only thing that will change are the chutneys that goes with it. Idlies are the steamed cooked dumplings made from rice-idly batter. It is one of the most healthiest and safest dish known on the earth. Infact, most Indian mothers would have started feeding their little one (from 6months) with plain idly and water. You can read on how to make the idly batter on my previous post "Idly". Look for the recipe here.

Masala idly is a typical fast food. I have eaten them in Saravana Bhavan restaurant in Chennai and that's one dish Iove to order every time we go there. It has all the ingredients that adds color, flavor and sweet-spice kick to it. I think that this dish was found by one desperate mother who was hoping to trick and feed her little one.

Some call it idly machurian or fried idly. I remember calling this as masala idly. Initially, the dishes like idly upma, masala idlies were made from the leftovers. But I deliberately prepare fresh ones and chill in the refrigerator before use. The soft idlies are coated with a rice flour batter and deep fried. They are then tossed with a delicious vegetable mixture.The beautiful red capsicum, cabbage, carrots and onions infuses a lovely touch of sweetness to the plate and the finely chopped veggies pop out like precious gems in a jewelery. You can also add peas, cauliflower or any veggie of your choice.

Ingredients
4-6 chilled idlies - chopped
1/4cup carrots - julienne sliced
1/2cup onions - chopped
1/4cup red and green capsicum - julienne sliced
1/4cup tomatoes - chopped
1/4cup cabbage - long thin strips
1tbs ginger/garlic paste
1 green chilly - slit
1/4cup coriander leaves - chopped
4teaspoon coriander powder
2teaspoon chilli powder
1tablespoon tomato ketchup
2tablespoon soya sauce
1-2 teaspoon garam masala
Oil for frying

For the batter
1/4cup rice flour
1/4cup all purpose flour/maida
1tbs corn flour
2-4 tablespoon water

Method
Whisk together the ingredients listed under the "for the batter" section to a smooth paste. Coat the chopped idlies in the batter and deep fry them in hot oil (375'F).

In a cooking pan, heat little oil and add onions, ginger-garlic paste and green chilly. Sprinkle little salt to moisten the onions. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add tomatoes and sprinkle chilli powder and coriander powder. Let it cook till the raw smell disappears. Toss in all the veggies,soya sauce and drizzle little water for them to cook. Cover and cook for further 20 minutes on a medium flame.

Mix in the garam masala and coriander leaves. Add little water if needed to moisten the vegetable mix. Finally add the fried idlies and serve hot with onion/ cucumber raita.

Update on 04.16.2012

Brown rice idly manchurian /masala idly recipe
1. I made masala idly today for dinner with idlies made from brown rice batter and I also baked them instead of deep frying it.
2. Check out my post on how to make brown idlies here.
3. Cut them into squares or any shape as you like. Pre-heat the oven to 350F and cover the baking sheet with aluminium foil and neatly arrange the idlies slices and apply cooking spray (very little) or omit it. Using oil is purely optional, it turned out bit dry without oil (yes, only bit dry) but once you add them to the base curry, it absorbs the sauce and the dryness is not even felt while eating.
4. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes, plus more for a crunchy texture, about 2-3 minutes more.


Additional notes:
1. Since its made with brown rice and baked, they can be eaten in South beach diet phase 2 and 3.
2. Also ideal sample dish for women with gestational diabetes and for individuals who are pre-diabetic or diabetic.
3. While on a weightloss program, you can very much eat this but make the base curry lots of vegetables and add just 2 number of idlies to the curry. It's yum, healthy and delicious.
4. The same dish can be made with my whole grain (quinoa-oats-ragi) idly recipe as well.

Kothamali thogayal (Indian pesto)

The post for today is Kothamalli thogaiyal. Just like the Italian pestos, this dish demands blending together the spices and cilantro to a coarse paste. Instead of the walnuts or pine nuts, urad dhal is used and instead of olive oil, water is used and instead of basil or sun dried tomato, cilantro is used here. Hence I gave it the name Indian Pesto with Cilantro.

Kothamalli thogaiyal is a flavorful chutney made with fresh cilantro and very simple Indian spices. It is one of the tastiest chutney that can be relished with anything edible :-) It will be a great side for dosa (savory pancake) or idly or rice and an aromatic spread for sandwiches. Since, raw cilantro are used, they are a good for the health and I make this chutney atleast once a week.

Cilantro is rich in phytonutrients, flavonoids and active phenolic compounds. There is a belief that cilantro can help to lower blood sugar and cholesterol. Like mint leaves (pudina), cilantro can fight inflammation and has anti-microbial properties. Cilantro are commonly used in Mexican and Asian especially Indian cooking. They can be found in the vegetable section of the grocery store. Bright green and fresh leaves are preferred for cooking and the dry wilted ones are discarded. Most Indians refer cilantro as coriander leaves and interestingly, I have seen people in US, calling the coriander seeds as just "Coriander".

The divine heat from the dry red chilly and the mild tanginess from the tamarind adds an exotic kick to the dish in every mouth. Finally addition of the earthly asafeotida takes the entire dish to the next level. The usage of coconut and urad dhal adds a subtle coarseness to the dish. Grinding them all with the fresh cilantro completes its making. I generally do tempering with mustard seeds and urad dhal. I love this chutney and would recommend it for anyone who is looking for fixing a quick menu. A dollop of home-made ghee with steamy rice and few spoons of this chutney on top when served with crispsy pappad or chips is a delicious meal by itself.

Ingredients
2 cups cilantro - chopped
2 dry red chilly - crushed
2 tsp asafoetida
1 tbs urad dhal
1/4 tbs tamarind pulp
1/4 tbs coconut shavings - fresh or dessicated
1/4 cup water
1/4tbs oil
2tsp mustard seeds
Salt to taste

Method
Wash and clean the cilantro. Chop them and set aside.

In a small cooking pan, heat 1tsp oil. Once they get heated up, add the dry red chilly, asafoetida, urad dhal (reserve a couple of teaspoons for final tempering), tamarind and coconut. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Remove and let it cool.

Once cooled, grind them with cilantro and very little water to a smooth paste. Adjust water accordingly. Add salt to taste.

Simultaneously heat remaining oil in the same pan. Add the mustard seeds and urad dhal to the heated oil and cook for 1-2 minutes. Transfer them over the cilantro chutney and give it a complete mix.

Serve with hot rice and ghee or dosa or idly.

Thallicha paruppu - Lentils seasoned with South Indian spices

Thallicha paruppu in Tamil means seasoned lentils. It is a very simple dish served on a daily basis in most of the South Indian households. This hustle free dish is usually prepared by using few spoons of lentils already cooked for making sambhar/rasam Since nobody spends time on its preparation, this is one of the quickest dish to serve kids, when they get hungry before the actual lunch time. Also thallicha paruppu is served before sambhar in all the South Indian weddings.

The moms/grandmoms in the family will serve this tasty lentil gravy with home made ghee as the first food for pregnant/nursing mothers. It is believed that the lentils will form a smooth layer around the inner lining of the stomach and protects the body from ulcer and acidity. I am not sure whether that's a myth or a fact followed in Indian families. Anyways, this simple lentil is too tasty that we don't need any reasons to enjoy them. Even after coming to US, I fix them atleast once a month or when there is excess cooked lentils to use.

The moment I taste it, I would be transported to my school days.This dish is so close to my childhood as my mom makes them every other day and it is a true comfort food. The seasoned lentil made from simple ingredients is absolutely heavenly in taste and the addition of dry red chilly is purely optional.


Ingredients
1 cup - cooked toor dhal
1/2 or less - oil / ghee
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dhal
1 dry red chilly - crushed (optional)
1 tsp cummin seeds
1/4 tsp asafeotida
1-2 curry leaves - chopped
Salt to taste

Method
Pressure cook 1 tablespoon toor dhal with 70 ml water for 2-3 whistles. Remove and set aside.

Heat the oil in a small pan. Once they get heated up, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Now add the urad dhal, cummin seeds, asafoetida, dry red chillies and curry leaves. Transfer them to the bowl containing cooked lentil. Add salt to taste and mix completely before serving.

Serve with hot rice, a dollop of ghee, pappad and stir-fried vegetables / sambhar.

Strawberry banana smoothie

I love smoothie! Who doesn't? I am sure it is a part of us on a hectic day at work. My most favorite one is strawberry and banana smoothie.

By definition, smoothie is a blended creamy beverage made from fruit / vegetable and served chill. They may contain crushed ice, frozen fruits, frozen yogurt, cold milk, sweetened syrups and will have a milk shake like consistency.

California is getting chilly day by day and I feel so cosy wearing a thick jumper and fluffy slip-on most of the time and additionally, my home is so warm with the lighted candles in the corner. Last night as I sat down to watch "Chopped" in Food Network, S who was till-then-busy with his laptop wanted something to munch (late night snack). We have been trying to cut down on calories to lose few pounds, hence I denied any snack and offered fruits. He said "NO" (that was quite a big loud No!).

He demanded strawberry pastry or strudel to satisfy his sweet tooth and finally after tough negotiations , he got convinced for a glass of smoothie made from fully skimmed milk. The frothy smoothie with natural sweetness of ripen bananas and tempting red strawberries was a true dessert for wrapping our late nights. That's my story on making this healthy delicious drink last night. It is such a simple drink made in a couple of minutes and tastes absolutely heavenly.

Well, I brought down the milk to room temperature by placing a glass of it in warm water and didn't serve them very cold. I am sure many wouldn't enjoy a cold beverage on a chilly night, atleast I wouldn't enjoy it.

Here is the recipe for it.


Serves 2
Ingredients
10 strawberries - cleaned & halved
1 ripen banana
500 ml skimmed milk
1/2 tbs sugar syrup/honey (optional)
or
1/2 tbs Hershey strawberry syrup (optional)

Method
Blend them all in a food processor till they become frothy. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

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.