mayurisjikoni

get your protein   Chana, bengal gram, Egyptian beans, garbanzo beans, chickpeas,whatever you know them as are very healthy. Nunu always says  'eat chana and become strong like a horse'. Red, brown or black chickpeas are suppose to a dieter's delight. Half a cup of these chickpeas contains nearly 6g of protein and 5g of fiber. Half a cup of boiled chickpeas is only around 140 calories. I try to include these beans as often as I can in my daily diet. Add to salads, boil in salt water and drizzle with lemon and olive oil or make a curry or shaak. Boiled chana stays in the fridge for several days. These beans are rich in dietary fiber, folates, manganese, tryptophan and protein besides many other minerals and antioxidants. Good for people with bowel problems.     I've made this curry Gujarati style. To thicken the gravy chickpea flour(besan) is added. Kokum (garcinia indica) or tamarind adds sourness to the curry and jaggery adds the required sweetness.     Th...

delightful pockets I find using pita bread for a variety of stuffing very easy, filling and satisfying. Unlike normal bread slices, at least the filling does not fall off whilst eating. I love making my own pita bread as I can make them from wholewheat flour. Very easy to make and everyone can have their own choice of filling. Great party dish as baking the pita bread does not take long and your guests will love the smell of bread baking at your home.Original falafels are made of chickpeas and fava beans. Ajay is allergic to chickpeas so I make my version of falafel. But as I mentioned you can use any sort of filling to make a nutritious meal. updated 04/05/2016     WHOLE WHEAT PITA BREAD Makes 8 -10 For the pita bread : 2½ cups wheat flour (atta) 1 cup plain flour (all purpose flour) 1-1½ tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 2¼ tsp instant dry active yeast 1- 1¼ cups warm water 2 tbsp oil extra flour for dusting For the falafel : makes approx 30 bhajias or falafels 1 cup split cowp...

Ekadashi.... feast or fasting? Once again Ekadashi is just round the corner. So am sharing another recipe which can be made on that day. Cassava or tapioca is rich in carbohydrates, Vitamin K and minerals like zinc, magnesium, copper, iron and manganese. You have to be careful when buying cassava. If it has bluish blackish specks in the white part, do not use that cassava. Normally cassava is fried or boiled and eaten. In this ekadashi recipe, I have used it to make nice crispy bhajias or fritters.Cassava in Kenya is called mogo.   Updated: We all prefer to have fried snacks as they taste so much better. However, hubby and I are trying to reduce fried foods. I decided to make mogo bhajias in my magic pan -- the paniyaram. They turned out really nice. Crispy from the outside, and with hardly any oil. It turned out to be a guilt free treat.  The recipe remains the same, but instead of frying them in oil, just put the pan on the cooker on medium heat, drop a drop of oil in each h...

green with envy? Not at all ! Another secret way to get kids to eat spinach (palak) and cauliflower is to disguise it into a paratha. On its own, many kids don't like spinach. That is why there are so many ways to add the spinach to the kids favourite dishes without them really making a fuss about it. These parathas are stuffed with paneer and cauliflower and most kids love paneer (cottage cheese). For this recipe I prefer to buy the ready made paneer as its not too soft. Home made one tends to be too soft for this recipe.  PALAK PANEER PARATHAS Makes 6 parathas For the dough : 2 cups wheat flour (atta) ½ tsp salt 2 tbsps oil ¾ cup spinach puree For the filling : 1 cup grated cauliflower 1 cup grated paneer 1 tbsp sesame seeds (tal) 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) 1 tsp ginger paste 1 tsp chilli paste ½ tsp cinnamon powder ¼ tsp clove powder 1 tsp sugar 2 tsps lemon juice 1 tsp salt ½ tsp chilli powder 1 tsp coarse pepper powder oil for shallow frying  extra flour for dusting water ...

I love olives but the only variety we get are the normal green or black bottled stuff in Mombasa. Wish we could get the huge kalamari type which I go crazy about when I go to UK. If I have been given the task of making a salad at Edgware, half the olives go in my mouth and the rest in the salad. During summer there are occasional market day stalls at Broadwalk and during one visit, I came back home with a full stomach. The stall keepers encourage you to taste everything so you get enticed to buy. Breads, cheese, olives, nuts, sweets, meats etc etc. What a delight. Ofcourse we came back with a whole load of breads, olives and cheeses. Oh well till I visit UK next I will have to do with the olives available in our humble, small supermarkets. Use olives of your choice for this salad recipe. I prefer using English cucumber but use any variety you like. Leave the skin if it is tender and crunchy. FETA TOMATO CUCUMBER SALAD 2 Servings 1 cup of sliced cucumber 2 tomatoes or 10 to 12 cherry, p...

anytime nimbu pani time ! Hot summers and immediately lemon and mint tend to be used in abundance. Both are suppose to be coolants and quench your thirst at the same time energizing zapped energy. I love serving fresh lemon juice to my guests as opposed to the artificial juices available in the market. They tend to be just sugar, colour and water. MINT LEMON JUICE Serves 2 2 cups water 1 cup mint leaves 1 lemon 2 tsps artificial sweetener or 4 tsps powdered sugar 2 pinches of salt Heat the water. Take it off the heat and add the mint leaves. Let it cool. Liquidise the mixture and strain it.  Divide the mint water into 2 glasses. Squeeze half lemon juice into each glass. Divide the sugar and add to each glass. Add a pinch of salt into each glass. Stir and add ice cubes before serving. Tips : Prepare and let it get cold in the fridge before serving. Add ½ tsp of either saffron or cardamom powder for a different flavour.

 Unusual beans Valor is a popular gujarati vegetable, prepared either with aubergines, muthia or other vegetables. In English it is called hyacinth bean. The mature beans are what we usually call vaal in gujarati and valor is the tender pods. Its a very seasonal vegetable, grows well during the cold season. Available in Kenya at moment and usually available in India during the winter season. Valor is also added along with other vegetables to make the famous gujarati udhiyu. I usually make this simple vegetable or shaak to go along with tuvar dal and serve with hot rotlis. VALOR SHAAK 4 Servings 500g valor 1 cup fresh peas 1 medium brinjal (aubergine, eggplant) 2 tbsps oil 6 cloves of garlic 1 tsp ginger paste 1 tsp chilli paste 1 tsp mustard seeds (rai) ½ tsp carom seeds (ajwain, ajmo) ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing) ½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi) 2 tsps coriander cumin powder ¼ tsp sugar 1 to 1¼ tsp salt 3 tbsps chopped fresh coriander Wash the valor. Snap the ends and remove them. Split ...

Muffins, I love Bananas and chocolate are a classic combination for cakes, muffins, smoothies, cookies etc. These muffins turn out very soft and spongy even though I have not used eggs. Yogurt and fruit puree are excellent replacements for eggs. Most of the muffins I have blogged do not have any frosting on top as usually I prefer to reduce the calorie intake. Feel free to add frosting on yours. updated 03/07/2016 Muffins are very easy to prepare. Its basically all about mixing the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. I prefer to sift the flour with salt, baking agents, cocoa powder, spices etc. I mix the wet ingredients together, eggs, oil, butter, fruit purees, juices etc. The basic rule is not to over mix. Then spoon the batter into the greased muffin cups or cake cups.Preheating the oven basically means you switch on the oven at the mentioned temperature and let the oven reach that temperature. Don't make the mistake of switching the oven at full heat, letting it get hot at ...