Oats Nan Khatai

Oats Nan Khatai

These Nan Khatai ( biscuits) have been deliberately made with less sugar. Those who need sweeter biscuits add more sugar as required.

Please use standard measuring cup, tablespoons and same measuring cup to measure oats, flour, ghee and sugar.

Makes: 8 - 10

You will need

1/3 cup oats (80 g), make a fine powder

1/3 cup ( 80 g) all purpose flour (maida)

1/3 cup sugar (80 g), make a fine powder

4 tablespoon ghee

1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

1/2 teaspoon butter / ghee (to grease baking tray)

Method

In a bowl, mix all purpose flour, powdered oats, powdered sugar, ghee and cardamom powder.

Knead it well for some time or until smooth dough. Do not add water / milk while making the dough.

Keep the dough in an airtight container for half an hour.

Preheat oven (OTG) to 350 * F or 175 * C.

Grease baking tray with 1/2 teaspoon butter.

Knead the dough again and make small balls (8 - 10 balls), flatten them slightly and arrange on a greased baking tray. Leave enough space (1 – inch) between each biscuits and bake for 10 minutes or until there is a slight color change.

These biscuits don’t require long baking time. After approximately 10 minutes of baking, please watch through glass door. Initially the biscuits will become fluffy and small cracks will start appearing on the surface. At this point switch off the oven and remove the baking tray. Do not bake any further. The biscuits will harden if over baked.

Keep aside to cool and store in an airtight container.

Sambar Oats

Oats, is considered a very healthy breakfast option for many, who for different reasons wants a change from traditional Indian breakfasts. Despite its many benefits, consuming Oats may not be a tastier option for an Indian, who is accustomed to the tastier varieties and accompaniments of a traditional breakfast.

Here is an option to break the monotony of staple Oats, making it healthier with vegetables and also with a generous mix of Indian spices – the kind one’s taste buds are used to.

Now a days, pre-mixed oats with spices (curry, pepper flavour …) are available off the shelf – but why to buy them, when you can make it with little or no extra effort.

Presented here is Sambar Oats. Use your imagination for a variety and give me a feedback too.

Sambar Oats

Serves: 1

You will need

2 teaspoon oil

1 onion (small size), finely sliced (or 5 shallots / chuvannulli/ sambar venkayam, finely sliced) or any vegetables of your choice like fresh green peas (mutter, tomato, cabbage, cauliflower..)

3 French beans, finely chopped

1 medium size carrot, grated

Other ingredients

1 teaspoon sambar powder (homemade or any top brand off the shelf) or 1/2 - 1 teaspoon

4 tablespoon oats

300 ml water (1 ½ cup)

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves

Method

Heat oil in a frying pan. Add sliced onion / shallots and fry till golden color on a medium to low heat.

Add chopped French beans and grated carrot. Mix well. Cover with a lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 8 minutes or until softens. Switch off the heat.

Final preparation

Add 4 tablespoons oats, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sambar powder, ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste) and 300 ml water. Stir all the ingredients well. Cover with a tight lid and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes or until oats softens / thickens. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Homemade Sambar Powder

Makes: 105 g

You will need

20 dried red chillies

1 cup (100 g) coriander seeds (dhania)

¼ cup (25 g) chana dal (Bengal gram)

¼ cup (25 g) urad dal

¼ cup (25 g) methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)

1 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

Method

In an iron kadai, dry roast separately dried red chillies, coriander seeds, chana dal, urad dal and methi seeds on a low to medium heat. Do not dry roast on high heat. Approximate dry roasting time 20 - 22 minutes until fragrant, slight color change and crisp. Switch off the heat. Finally mix all the dry roasted ingredients together. Add turmeric powder and hing. Stir continuously for 5 minutes. Keep aside to cool for 15 minutes. Transfer these ingredients in a mixer bowl and make a fine powder. If using small mixer bowl, make powder in batches. Store in an airtight container.

The exact quantity of this powder to be added to the sambar depends on ones taste (2 teaspoons sambar powder required for 3 servings (1 medium bowl) . Make in smaller quantity - ie for use for a few times. The fragrance / freshness may be lost if one makes in large quantity and store for longer duration.

High - Sodium Foods to Avoid

High-Sodium Foods to Avoid

Find out which foods have a shocking amount of sodium -- even without the salt shaker

Source - Prevention.com

Canned vegetable soup(1 cup): 940 mg

Bloody Mary mix (8 oz): 840 mg

Pasta sauce (1⁄2 cup): 756 mg

Reduced-calorie Caesar dressing (2 tablespoons): 620 mg

Panera Cranberry- Walnut bagel (1): 590 mg

Vegetarian baked beans (1⁄2 cup): 550 mg

Pancake mix (two 4-inch pancakes): 477 mg

Pizza Hut Pan Pizza (1 slice from large cheese pizza): 470 mg

Starbucks bran muffin (1): 470 mg

Cottage cheese (1⁄2 cup): 456 mg

Canned green beans (1⁄2 cup): 390 mg

Instant chocolate pudding (1⁄2 cup): 380 mg

Chocolate fudge cake mix (1⁄12 cake): 350 mg

American cheese singles (1): 250 mg

Hearty white bread (1 slice): 250 mg

Low-sodium vegetable juice (8 oz): 140 mg

Did you know...

Hate dairy? An 8-ounce glass of fortified orange juice supplies about 45% of your daily dose of calcium.

Health benefits of Beans

Health benefits of Beans

Source & Photo credit - Prevention.com

It’s hard to imagine a more perfect food than beans. One cooked cupful can provide as much as 17 g fiber. They're also loaded with protein and dozens of key nutrients, including a few most women fall short on—calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Studies tie beans to a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and breast and colon cancers.

The latest dietary guidelines recommend consuming at least 3 cups of beans a week—3 times the measly 1 cup we usually get. Keep your cupboards stocked with all kinds: black, white, kidney, fat-free refried, etc. Use them in salads, stuffed baked potatoes, and veggie chili or pureed for sandwich spreads.

Fruits which are High & Low in Sugar

Fruits which are high in sugar

Dried Fruits
Figs
Bananas
Apples
Cherries
Pomegranates
Pears
Mangoes
Grapes
Pineapple
Prunes

Fruits which are low in sugar

Melons
Watermelons
Peaches
Papayas
Oranges
Limes
Berries
Tomatoes
Apricots
Guava
Grapefruit


Microwave cleaning tip:

To soften hardened food spills in your microwave, put some lemon juice in a cup of water and allow it to boil. Let the boiling water sit for a few minutes before you take it out. Then wipe the interior of the microwave with a sudsy rag. Rinse with a clean wet rag and wipe dry.

Clove facts

Clove facts



Good quality cloves should be brownish - black, with a plump crown, somewhat roughly to the touch, and without wrinkles.



Cloves have a strong and fragrant odor and are hot, sharp and acrid in taste.


The spice has been used for centuries as an ingredient in Asian cuisine. Generally used whole, it is also ground along with other spices - cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorn, etc. - to make ‘garam masala’ or the Chinese five spice powder.



A strong antiseptic, due to a high percentage of phenols (84 to 95 per cent), it has been used in India and China for over 2000 years to check toothache, bad breath and tooth infections.



Used in medicine and dentistry as a flavoring agent, the oil is used in the manufacture of perfumes, soaps and bath salts.



Chewing of cloves with a crystal of common salt relieves throat irritation and soothes cough. Three to five drops of clove oil, mixed with honey and a flake of garlic and taken at bedtime, also relieves cough.

Clove oil helps prevent nausea and griping pain, caused by purgatives.



Clove oil is indispensable for the flavoring of meat, sausages, baked dishes, table sauces, pickle, etc.

Numerous pharmaceutical preparations contain clove oil.



Oil derived from the stem and the leaves is essential to the preparation of synthetic vanilla.

Delicious Pizza from Domino's Pizza, Chennai


Double cheese margharita pizza



Cheese & Barbeque chicken pizza

Latest Amul Topical

Hype surrounding the relationship between captain of a leading IPL cricket team and a British actress-April'11

Health benefits of Spinach

Health benefits of Spinach



Source - Reader’s Digest



Spinach is one of the best sources of the B vitamin folate – a cancer fighter – and carotenoids such as lutein, which help prevent muscular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older adults. One thing you're not eating: a lot of iron. The myth that spinach is rich in iron (which made Popeye strong) surfaced back in 1870 when a researcher's misplaced decimal point in a publication gave spinach an iron content 10 times higher than reality. Reality is that a serving (1 cup) of raw spinach contains only about 1 mg of iron, which is not well absorbed because it is the plant (haem) form of iron. The calcium it contains also isn't absorbed very well by your body, thanks to high concentrations of oxalic acid. But these disadvantages are heavily outweighed by other nutritional benefits.



Healing Powers



In addition to protecting your eyes from age-related muscular degeneration, thanks to its carotenoids, spinach has high concentrations of vitamin K, which can help maintain bone density and prevent fractures. Spinach is also a powerful source of potassium and magnesium as well as folate, all of which can keep blood pressure low, reducing the risk of stroke. Folate also appears to reduce the risk of lung cancer in former smokers, according to some studies.



Health Tips



To absorb more of the iron from spinach, eat it along with foods rich in vitamin C, such as red capsicum or orange segments. How much is enough: 1 cup raw or ½ cup cooked spinach leaves is one vegetable serving. Have at least five serves of vegetables every day.

Buying right:

Choose crisp, bright green leaves and stems with no sign of yellowing, wilting or bruising. For mild flavour and delicate texture, buy baby spinach. Remove sand or dirt by washing spinach in a sink or bowl of water. Opting for pre-packaged, pre-rinsed spinach eliminates this step, but even this spinach should be rinsed before using.

Health benefits of buttermilk

Health benefits of Buttermilk

Source - Good health tips

Buttermilk actually has less fat than regular milk; the fat has been removed to make butter.

Healthy bacteria reside in everybody’s colon, and in return for food and a warm place to live these resident bacteria contribute to your health.

Some healthy things these bacteria do to your body are manufacture vitamins, improve digestion, boost Immunity, manufacture nutrients, protect against cardiovascular diseases and protection against carcinogens.

Because of all such benefits, many times physicians advise patients to consume buttermilk instead of milk as it contains less fat, calories and skim milk. And the best part is that one can consume buttermilk anytime – as a drink, which is refreshing and healthy!

Buttermilk is a good source of potassium, Vitamin B-12, calcium and phosphorous. It also contains probiotics; they help with digestion and strengthen your immune system.

Buttermilk is easier to digest than regular milk because it contains even more lactic acid than can be found in skim milk.

Potatoes for healthy eating

Potatoes for healthy eating

Benefits

A good source of vitamin C and B6, and potassium and other minerals.

An inexpensive, filling, and nutritious starchy food.

The skin is a good source of fibre.

Many people think potatoes are fattening, but this is true only when they are fried or served with butter and rich sauces. A medium size baked or boiled potato has been 120 and 150 calories, a small amount of protein and almost no fat. The same potato turned into potato chips has 450 to 500 calories and up to 35 g fat. French fries and other processes potatoes are almost always high in salt.

When preparing potatoes, it is best not to remove the skin because the fibre is in the skin and many of the nutrients are near the surface; instead, scrub them under water with a vegetable brush. If you do peel them, try to remove as thin a layer as possible. Once sliced or peeled, raw potatoes will discolor when exposed to oxygen, so cook them immediately or place them in water with vinegar or lemon juice added.

Store potatoes in a dark, cool place, but not in refrigerator. Don’t store potatoes and onions together, the acids in onions aid the decomposition of potatoes and vice versa.

Drawbacks

Green and sprouted potatoes may contain solanine, a potentially toxic substance.

Patta Cake

The name refers to patting the mixture between the palms of the hands to form a flat cake.

Recipe Credit - The Popular Potato : Best Recipes ( Author - Valwyn Mcmonigal )

Main ingredients for Patta Cake - Boiled and mashed potatoes, left over cooked meat / egg mixture / vegetables or finely chopped onion, salt tomato sauce, 1 - 2 tablespoon oil for shallow frying. You can also use this cake for sandwich or burger or serve potato cakes with mayonnaise or tomato sauce.

Diet for Diabetes

Diet for Diabetes



Source - B positive, Apollo



Diet plays a significant role in controlling diabetes. The main objective of a diabetic diet is to maintain ideal body weight by providing adequate nutrition along with maintaining normal blood sugar levels in blood. It is achieved by a diet in protein and complex carbs and low in fats and simple carbs. There is no common diet that works for everyone. One has to be just careful about the following.



Fibre should be in every meal, in the form of raw fruits, vegetables, whole cereals etc.



Add wheat bran to your wheat flour, to increase fibre in your diet.

You can also add flax seed and fenugreek (methi) seeds into the wheat flour.



Bakery products and fast foods should be avoided.



Have nuts rich in mono unsaturated fat, such as walnuts and almonds (not more than four almonds).



Eat pasta and leafy salads along with beans, to reduce LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol.

Fat free milk, yogurt and cheese can be eaten.



White meats like chicken and fish are good, so is egg white.



Increase intake of dry beans and peas.

Intake of cinnamon, garlic, onion, bitter gourd, are known to considerably reduce blood sugar levels.

Health Benefits of Breakfast

Health benefits of Breakfast

Source - Nestle Family

“Breakfast is the most important meal of your day!”

It’s not a myth or an old wives’ tale. In fact nutrition experts around the world recommend a healthy balanced breakfast, everyday! Why? Because it provides your body with the energy and nutrients you need to get a fresh morning start and prepare for a day full of activities.

But why is it so essential and how does breakfast really help you? Actually, the benefits of breakfast are multiple, because it:

Restores the level of sugar in the body: Breakfast is an important meal taken in the morning after an overnight fast: its major role is to balance sugar levels in your body after hey have gone down during the night.

Boosts the body’s metabolism: Eating a small meal makes digestion easy and efficient, and prompts your body to burn calories more effectively.

Provides energy for the body: A breakfast that’s rich in slowly digestible carbohydrates will give your body sustainable energy and vitality, especially during a day full of activities.

Controls the appetite: Breakfast helps in regulating appetite, and controlling the right quantity and quality of food you eat during the day.

Promotes mental performance:In addition to enhancing physical activity, the morning meal helps promote mental activity, which leads to concentration and better performance for you and your family. Not to forget its important role in positively influencing the performance of children at school and increasing learning abilities!

Helps meet nutritional needs: Having a balanced breakfast helps cover nutritional needs from proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

Brings the family together: One benefit of breakfast is that it gathers all your family together every morning, even if for a few minutes, and enhances family bonds.

It is recommends that your breakfast should provide 1/2 4 to 1/3 of your energy/calorie needs. And to be nutritious, breakfast should be varied and include a source of whole grains that provides energy, a source of dairy product that provides calcium and proteins and a serving of fruits and/or vegetables that gives vitamins, minerals and fibre.

So if you’re planning on helping your family stay healthy, smart and active all day long, the best thing to do is ensure that they have a nutritious morning meal, packed with goodness and strength.

Tips for Carrots

Tips for Carrots:

Source - Betterhomesandgardens

How to buy - Look for straight, rigid, brightly colored carrots without cracks or dry spots. If tops are attached, they should be green and fresh looking.

How to store - Remove green tops after buying since they pull vitamins and moisture from the carrot; use the greens within a few days. Refrigerate carrots in plastic bags for up to two weeks. Avoid storing near apples, which emit ethylene gas make carrots bitter.

How to eat - The leafy tops have a strong parsley - like flavour, add to stir - fries, soups, or salads. Add one or two chopped carrots to tomato sauce for natural sweetness. Saute small baby varieties in butter with a bit of honey and flavor wit ground spice such as nutmeg.

Color Clues - The bold pigments in carrots indicate they are chock- full of antioxidants and vitamins like beta - carotene (the familiar red ones) and lycopene (less common dark - purple varieties).There is no difference in taste.