Dahi Poha

Today my recipe is  very nutritious and tasty Dahi poha. Poha, is one of the nutrient choice for breakfast, My hubby is fond of this dish. At least twice in a week I prepare it for him. It is very easy to make. This is the best replacement to curd rice for non eaters. This is a ideal breakfast in summer. Poha is light on the stomach and easy to digest. It is a source of instant energy on account of the rice content. Peanuts contained in Poha are good source of protein and antioxidants, and also considered good for the heart. Curd has high vitamin and calcium contents with protein. Consuming curd increases the capacity to absorb the nutrients and minerals form other food stuffs. Curd keeps digestive system healthy, has more Vitamin B Complex than milk. Studies have suggested that consumption of curd might help reduce the risk of high blood pressure. I made dahi poha along with some vegetables like capsicum,tomato and onions. You can add your favorite vegetables also. I used as raw vegetables so it was tasty and healthy too. I think this is the best food for kids to older people.    I hope you follow my recipe.........Enjoy cooking..........
 
Ingredients:
Poha - 1 cup 
Fresh curd / youghurt - 3/4 cup
Capsicum,finely chopped - 1 tbsp
Tomato,finely chopped  - 1 tbsp
Onions,finely chopped  - 2 tbsp
Boiled chana dal - 1 tbsp  
salt to taste
 
For seasoning:  
Green chilli , finely chopped - 1
Curry leaves - few 
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp 
Roasted Peanuts - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp 
Oil - 3 tsp
Finely chopped coriander - 2 tsp
 

Method of preparation:

1. Wash and drain poha or beaten rice and keep aside.
2. Add fresh curd ( yoghurt) and salt to poha and mix well.
3. Add capsicum, tomato, onions and Boiled chana dal and mix well.
4. Begin seasoning by heating oil in a tadka pan and add oil.
5. when its warm add mustard, let it splitter.
6. Add urad dal, cumin seeds and roasted peanuts and  fry till brown.
7. Add asafoetida, green chillies and curry leaves and fry .
8. Pour the seasoning on the poha and mix nicely. If need add some more curd to poha.
9. Finally garnish it with finely chopped coriander
10. Now yummy dahi poha is ready to serve.

Water Melon-Sabza (basil seeds) Cooler

Today my summer recipe is Water melon- sabza (basil seeds) cooler. Watermelon is one of the best, delicious and healthy food. This is one of the  healthiest summer drink to hydrate and refresh yourself on a hot summer day. This year summer is very severe and temperatures raising up to 45 - 50 degrees, therefore i make refreshing drinks daily, which shall give you refreshment as well as cooling effects. In summer plenty of water melons are available in the market, so we should eat water melons daily to avoid dehydration.I made water melon cooler with combination of sabza (basil seeds). Both water melon and sabza (basil seeds) are very helpful to cool the body in summer.Already I have given health benefits about water melon and sabza (basil seeds),  please refer my previous recipes. This is very simple to make and tasty too. Enjoy this refreshing drink with friends and family members. It helps you refresh yourself as well as get rid of summer heat. I hope you follow my recipe............

Ingredients:

Basil seeds - 2 tsp

Water melon , peel it and cut into small cubes - 1 cup

Honey - 1 tsp (optional)

Method of preparation:

1. Soak basil seeds in water for 10 minutes and strain and keep aside in a bowl.
2. First, keep aside some of watermelon cubes for garnishing. Take a mixer jar add water melon cubes and blend them well. Strain it and keep aside in a glass and if need add honey and mix well.
3. Add soaked basil seeds to water melon juice and mix well. Pour into serving glasses and refrigerate for some time.
4. Garnish with small water melon cubes and serve it.
5. Now yummy water melon -sabza (basil seeds) cooler is ready to drink.

Shahi Falooda

Today my summer yummy recipe is Shahi falooda. Shahi Falooda is a traditional Indian/Pakistani desert drink. Falooda or Faluda is a cold and sweet beverage with many ingredients very popular in South Asia. This is well known recipe to North-Indians. In summer frequently available at all places in North-India.One day my husband told me about falooda then I came to know about shahi falooda through Indian food website. Immediately I tried it and it was very delicious to eat and healthy too. Here used ingredients are rice vermicelli, milk, basil seeds (sabza) and dry fruits. All these ingredients are very healthy and basil seeds (sabza) are actually very good for digestion in a hot climate. Final product of falooda is topped with scoop of ice cream but i don't prefer to use ice cream due to health conscious. You can use little scoop of ice cream for kids. Kids are very interesting to drink these type of summer coolers. Falooda is made by different falvours like mango, saffron, banana or chocolate.I hope you follow my recipe and enjoy drinking Shahi Falooda in summer......

Ingredients:

Low fat milk - 1 glass
Rice Vermicelli - 2 tbsp
Honey - 2  tsp

Rose syrup / any flavoured syrup - 1 1/2 teaspoons
Falooda seeds / basil seeds /sabza - 1 tsp
Dry fruits(almonds,pista,dates,cashew), finely chopped - 2 tsp
Ice cream - 1 scoop (optional) 

Method of preparation:

1. Soak the basil Seeds in water for at least 1 hour. Strain and keep aside in a small bowl.
2. Boil the vermicelli in water for about 15 minutes. Strain and keep aside to cool.
3. Put the milk, honey, dry fruits in a blender and blend till smooth. 
4. Take 2 tall glasses. In each glass, put half the vermicelli, half the pre-soaked Sabza seeds. 
5. Now pour in half the milk over them. Put just under half the rose syrup in each glass and mix well.Chill in the refrigerator for some time.
6. Here i don't use ice cream, if you want to use ice cream,add a scoop of ice cream to this and garnish with dry fruits. Add a straw and long-handled spoon and serve.
7. Now yummy and cool shahi Falooda is ready to drink.

Water Melon Straw berry Delight

 Today my summer special recipe is Water Melon Strawberry Delight. Both fruits are very juicy and providing great refreshment in summer days. Daily i am trying different fruit juices with different combination of fruits. One day i  had only these two fruits so i tried with them. Water melon has sweet taste and straw berry has some what sweet & sour taste, so it was very tasty with nice flavor.

Watermelon is not only delicious, but extremely healthy,as well. Melons are also abundant in vitamin C and are rich in carotenoids. Carotenoids have antioxidant activity, free-radical scavenging property. Watermelon seeds are excellent sources of protein.Watermelon seed is rich in magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorous, zinc etc. In the Arab world, salted and roasted watermelon seeds are also consumed as a snack. Researchers believe that beta-carotene and vitamin C are capable of preventing heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions. Any how water melons are very tasteful snack item in summer.

Strawberries have higher levels of vitamin C,fiber,folate and potassium than most other fruits like bananas,apples and even oranges. Strawberries are found to reduce risk of cancer, enhance memory function and rheumatoid arthritis. High in Antioxidants,Low in Sugar. Even though they're so sweet, strawberries are naturally low in sugar.This makes them a perfect snack or dessert. Indulge without feeling guilty.

 Ingredients:

Water Melon (small size)- 1

Straw berry -6 0r 8

Low fat milk - 1/2 cup

Honey - 2 tsp

Method of preparation:

1.  Remove the watermelon skin and chop the melon into small pieces and discard the seeds.
2. Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. you can reduce the honey depending on taste. If the water melon is already sweet, you can make do without the honey too if you wish.
3. In case it gets too thick you can add more milk or water.
4. Pour into serving glasses and refrigerate them for some time.
5. Now yummy and cool Water melon Strawberry Delight is ready to drink.

Pink Punch

Today my summer thirst recipe is pink punch.This is made by pink fruits such as water melon, pomegranate and straw berry. This is very refreshing summer drink. In summer we want to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, but it is not possible when we are outside so we should drink  some liquids like fruits /fruit juices /coconut water /buttermilk before going to outside. Till now I posted many refreshing summer beverages, but now I made some colorful and healthy drink with pink color fruits. I am giving some health benefits about these pink color fruits (from:Google)

 Health benefits:

1.Pomegranate fruit is Packed with antioxidants equal to those in green tea and red wine, and especially loaded with Vitamin C and Potassium. Pomegranate health benefits are 

Lower Risk of Heart Disease ,Lower Risk of Cancer, Especially Prostate & Breast ,Lessen Symptoms of Diarrhea ,Reduce Cholesterol,Control Your Weight  and Fight Cell Damage.

 

2.In fact, most melons are rich in potassium, a nutrient that may help control blood pressure, regulate heart beat, and possibly prevent strokes.Melons are also abundant in vitamin C. Researchers believe that beta-carotene and vitamin C are capable of preventing heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions.  

3.Strawberry is a wonder fruit. It is rich in antioxidants and helps in preventing cardiovascular diseases, cancer and also helps in delaying aging. Studies suggest that the high antioxidant levels in the strawberries can help neutralize the negative effects of free radicals in your system. Antioxidants also boost the immune system and help keep off diseases like cold and flu.Strawberries are also rich in vitamins and minerals and are low in calories.

 I hope you follow my recipe and happy cooking.......

Ingredients:

Pomegranate seeds - 1/2 cup
Water melon, cut into cubes - 1 cup
Strawberry fruits - 6 to 8 
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Honey(optional) - 2 tsp

Method of preparation:

1. Take a mixer jar, add watermelon cubes, pomegranate seeds and strawberry and blend them.
2. Strain the juice and add honey and lemon juice and mix well.
3. Pour into serving glasses and refrigerate them.
4. Now yummy and colorful pink punch is ready to drink. 

Basil Seed (Sabja) Drink

 Today my recipe is basil seed ( sabja) drink.This is very old recipe my mom used to make it daily in summer to avoid dehydration.This is very refreshing beverage in summer.The visual aspect of the drink is unusual and not very appealing and it is like gummy-textured sugar water but it tastes great to drink. You can use it directly with plain water and with different fruit flavors such as banana, mango juices and etc. It is also taken with green tea.This is very simple to make and When soaked in water, the seeds of several basil varieties become gelatinous, and are used in Asian drinks and some desserts also. They are used for their medicinal properties in Ayurveda, the traditional medicinal system of India and Siddha medicine, a traditional Tamil system of medicine. They are also used as drinks in Southeast Asia. I came to know how it was very healthy after reading health benefits of basil seeds. We drink thrice a week in summer. I am giving some health benefits of basil seeds (from:Google).........

1. Increases movement in stomach/intestines so that you digest faster; more active
2. The basil seeds sucks toxins and fat then increases bowel movement
3. Bowel movement increases toxin/waste removal which promotes healthy, beautiful skin
4. Burns calories
5. Decreases consumption of sugar level and cholesterol
6. After meals, it decreases glucose level and control "blood sugars" from rising
7. If you consume sugar, it will cover the sugar content so your body won't absorb it which lowers sugar levels
8.  It prevents heart attacks, heart strokes and other heart diseases
9. Good for people with diabetes and controls weight
10.  so basically when you eat basil seeds, it's kind of sticky, so it tends to stick to the walls of your digestive system, and when you intake food, it reduces the chance of your digestive system absorbing cholesterol, fat, sugars, etc. because the basil seeds won't let the food touch the walls etc.                                                                                                                                              I hope you  follow my recipe and be healthy............... 

 Ingredients:

Basil seeds ( sabja) -2 tablespoons

Water -500 ml

Jaggery/honey - 2 tablespoons

Cardamom powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Black pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon

 Method of preparation:

1. Keep in mind that 2 tablespoons of seeds will make at least 500 ml of basil seed spheres. It’s a cheap drink: 
2.  Rinse the seeds under a tap to clean them by using tea strainer.
3.  Soak the seeds in 100ml water for 30 minutes.
4.  With the other 400ml of water, warm it with the jaggery and honey until the jaggery is fully dissolved. Add cardamom powder and black pepper powder and mix well. Remove from heat and leave to cool back to room temperature. 
5. Once the  jaggery water is at room temperature, and the basil seeds have swelled mix them all together well. Pour into serving glasses and refrigerate for some time.
6. Now yummy and healthy basil seed drink is ready to drink and think well...........