Healthy Kale with Yellow Lentils and Roasted Red Bell Peppers

These days everyone has become so health conscious, every other person I come across says that s/he are on a 'Diet' or have started eating healthy. Some are eating more of greens, whole grains, fruits and vegetables during the weekdays and go easy during the weekends.  Eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health, and can help you feel your best.  The key to healthy diet is to watch what you are eating, how many calories you need, how much water you are taking and how much is too much. The average man needs around 2500 cals/day and the average women needs around 2000 cals/day. 

Eating a wide range of foods ensures that you are getting a balanced diet and that your body is getting all the nutrients it needs. Base your meals on starchy foods. Starchy foods should make up around one third of the foods you eat. Starchy foods include potatoes, cereals, pasta, rice and bread. Choose wholegrain varieties when you can: they contain more fiber, and can make you feel full for longer. 

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, Eat more fish, cut down on saturated fats and sugar. Increase your fiber intake, cut down on salt and fizzy drinks, keep well hydrated, taking 2-3 liters of water a day really helps flushing all the toxins from your system.

Coming to the main ingredient of this recipe, Kale is king!! Along with broccoli, it is one of the nutrition stand-outs among vegetables. It fights fat through its ability to mingle in a variety of roles -- in side dishes, combined in main dishes, or in salads. Kale is unusually high in fiber. This helps create the bulk you need to fill you up and to keep you full for a good amount of time. Kale is also an excellent source of nutrients, especially vitamin A and calcium. With a combination of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, kale is a dieter's dream food.

Health Benefits of Kale

Though greens in general are nutritious foods, kale stands a head above the rest. Not only is it one of your best sources of beta-carotene, one of the antioxidants believed by many nutrition experts to be a major player in the battle against cancer, heart disease, and certain age-related chronic diseases, it also provides other important nutrients. 

In addition to beta-carotene, kale posses other important carotenoids: lutein and zeaxathin. These carotenoids help keep UV rays from damaging the eyes and causing cataracts. According to recent research results, kale is an incredible source of well-absorbed calcium, which is one of the many factors that may help prevent osteoporosis. It also provides decent amounts of vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin B6, manganese, and potassium. 

The manganese in kale helps your body's own antioxidant defense system, superoxide dismutase, protecting you from damaging free radicals. Its folate and B6 team up to keep homocysteine levels down, which may help prevent heart disease, dementia, and osteoporosis bone fractures.

Image source & Information about Kale: web

Coming to this recipe using Kale greens in your diet is somewhat tricky as this is very bland vegetable and after much of trail and errors, I found this is one perfect side dish that goes well with rice as well as rotis, Indian flat bread.  

Kale with Yellow Lentils and Roasted Red Bell Peppers

Source: My Signature recipe
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20-30 mins
Serves:  6 servings

Ingredients
5 C of Kale greens, roughly chopped
1/2 C of yellow lentils (toor dal/kandi pappu) soaked in water for 1hr
1/2 C Roasted Red Pepper, roughly chopped
check out how to make roasted red pepper at home
1/2 C red onions, diced
1T or 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 dried red chillies (optional)
1t cumin (jeera)
1t mustard seeds (rai/aavalu)
salt as per taste
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 C water 

Method

• Firstly soak half cup of yellow lentils (toor dal/kandi pappu) in one cup of water.
• Wash your kale greens if it is not pre-washed. Chop them roughly on the cutting board make sure to chop those meaty stems.
• Meanwhile cook lentils along with water in microwave on high heat for 5 mins.
• Chop the onions and garlic and roasted red peppers.
• Take a big saute pan and heat extra virgin olive oil on medium flame. 
•  Add the cumin and mustard seeds to it, saute it for few mins till they are roasted.
• Add onions and garlic and torn red chillie pepper.  Saute till they turn little red and then add kale greens.  Stir for a min and let the color or kale gets intense. 
• Add the lentils and the water to the pan and mix everything evenly. Add salt and pepper, cover and let the kale, lentils and all the flavors marry together.  Cook till kale is cooked.
• Before turning of the stove off add the roughly chopped roasted red bell peppers, mix well check for salt and add if needed.
• Serve hot or cold with hot steamed rice, brown rice or rotis (Indian flatbread)

We had this with brown rice and it tasted healthy awesome!

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Roasted Butternut squash with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar

Butternut squash tossed in rosemary, balsamic vinegar

This is my first indulgence cooking with it, whom am I referring to? Its none other than Butternut squash. It is a winter vegetable and comes from the gourd family. It has a hard, thick skin and it is filled with seeds. It can range in size from 8 to 12 inches long, and about 3 to 5 inches wide, weighing up to 3 pounds. The color of the Butternut squash ranges from a yellow to a light tan. Inside, the flesh is orange and has a sweet flavor. Available in early fall through winter, you will want to choose a squash that is heavy with few blemishes and moldy spots.

Storage: Butternut squash can be stored longer than summer squashes because their skin is so hard and thick. Store in a cool dry place for at least a month. If the squash has been cut into pieces, then wrap in a plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 5 days.

Nutritional Qualities: The following qualities are available in one cup of mashed squash: 80 calories, 2 grams protein, 1 gram fat, 18 grams carbohydrates, with riboflavin, iron, Vitamins A and C.

Source: Seeds of Knowledge

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Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar

Recipe Source: Kalyn's Kitchen
Cuisine: American Cuisine (South Beach Diet)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:
1 medium sized butternut squash, about 6 cups of peeled, de-seeded and cut into cubes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp + 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
kosher salt as per taste
freshly ground black pepper

Method:

• Preheat oven to 400°F [200°C]. Cut the butternut squash into half and peel it with a knife (do not use peeler, it tough to work with). Cut into bite size pieces or you can use ready made store brought.
• Toss with extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, rosemary, balsamic vinegar and freshly ground black pepper. Spread them single layered either on a cookie sheet or large dish.
• Roast until squash turns soft and lightly caramelized about 40 minutes in the oven.
• Remove from oven, toss it with 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt. Serve hot.
• Kalyn says "This is also excellent made ahead and reheated. For a holiday like Thanksgiving where there are lots of demands on the oven, it could be cooked early in the day and kept warm in a crockpot while other things bake"

Thanks Kalyn for this wonderful recipe, both of us enjoyed eating it hot and on next day too! This makes a great side dish for Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!

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Berakaya Thokku (Ridge gourd skin) Pachadi

Berakaya/turai thokku pachadi/ridge gourd pachadi

This is an always made pachadi at home when we bring berakaya /ridge gourd from the market. Its very sad to see throwing away the ridge gourd skin when its very tender and soft. So my mother makes this variety pachadi full of fiber from its skin. This is really a very easy pachadi and goes well with hot rice, dal and a dash of ghee.

Berakaya thokku/ridge gourd skin and pieces

Source: My Mother
Cuisine: South Indian, Andhra
Prep time: 7 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Makes: 4-5 people
Ingredients:
peeled skin of 3 berakaya(s)/turai/ridge gourd
½ cup of berakaya/turai/ridge gourd pieces
½ onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove of garlic, cut into big pieces
3-4 dried red chillies
1-inch of tamarind
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp Urad dal/black gram
2 tbsps oil
Salt as per taste


Method:

1. First clean the gourds, trim the ends and then peel the skin of berakaya/ridge gourd. Cut ½ cup of berakaya/ridge gourd pieces, you can use the other pieces for curry/stir fry.
2. Take oil in a kadai/sauce pan, to this add the gourd's peeled skin and pieces. and slowly cook for about 10 mins. Saute in between so that its not burnt.
3. Then add cumin seeds, chopped onions, garlic, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, urad dal/black gram dal and salt and saute it till the skin and pieces are fully cooked.
4. When you turn off the gas, add tamarind and red chillies and cover it.
5. Once cooled coarsely grind to paste.
6. Serve with hot rice, dal and ghee.

Note: adjust your spice level accordingly while using red chillies.

Our lunch today

You all must be wondering what did I do with the remaining pieces of berakaya/turai/ridge gourd. I sauted the pieces in oil along with onions, chillies and ¼ cup of soaked chana dal/bengal gram for about a hour or so. Saute altogether and add salt and chilli powder as per your taste. And here is our lunch today, Rice, Pappu charu (dal), berakaya thokku pachadi, sauted berakaya/turai/ridge gourd and salted Lassi.

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Pacchi Dosakai pachadi with Chintakai thokku aka Raw melon cucumber with tender tamarind pachadi (side-dish)

pachi dosakai-chintakai pachadi

This is a very traditional, authentic pachadi which mainly belongs to Southern Andhra. The main ingredients are dosakai and raw chintakai thokku (tender tamarind crushed on rock with turneric powder and salt). Not many people know this recipe, even I was not aware of this as I belong to Northern Andhra (Vizag). My mother-in-law is here and taught me this unique, tasty and interesting pachadi. She brought chintakai thokku from India and we mainly use it for chintakai pachadi and pacchi dosakai pachadi too. I am sure you will also try this pachadi for its out of the world taste!

There are many more of my MIL's recipes to be blogged, you will soon see them in my upcoming posts.

Source: My Mother-in-Law
Cuisine: South Indian, Andhra
Preparation time:10 mins
Cooking time: 7 mins
Serves: 4-5 people
Ingredients:
1 medium size dosakai (melon cucumber) weighs about 350gms
10 green chillies, cut lenghtwise (you can reduce as per your spice level)
1 tsp dhaniya (coriander seeds)
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
Handful of toasted peanuts, peeled
3 tbsps of chintakai thokku
1 tbsp of cilantro, chopped
Salt as per taste
1tsp of oil
for tempering/tadka:
1 tsp of mustard seeds
few curry leaves
a pinch of asafeotida
1 tsp of oil

ingredients for the pachadi

Method:

1. Peel the dosakai (melon cucumber), deseed and chop into very small and thin pieces or cubes.
   
2. 
3. Heat the oil and add green chillies, saute it till cooked and be sure not to burn them.
4. To this add dhaniya (coriander seeds) and jeera (cumin seeds) and fry for a min, cool and keep aside
5. First grind roasted peanuts and add the chillies, chintakai thokku, cilantro, salt and just grind coarsely so that all ingredients are mixed well.
6. Mix this with dosakai pieces and keep aside.
7. For tempering heat a tsp of oil, add mustard seeds let them splutter, add curry leaves and fry for a few seconds on low heat.
8. Lastly add a pinch of hing/ asaefotida and pour the tempering on the pachadi, mix well and serve with hot rice.
   

Pachi dosakai-chintakai pachadi served with hot rice

For tender tamarind thokku/chintakai thokku:

Chintakai thokku/ crushed tender tamarind

One can make chintakai thokku at home by mixing the raw chintakai (tamarind) with turmeric powder and salt, mix well and keep it aside for 2-3 days for tenderizing the chintakai. Later on crush it with a Stone Mortar and Pestle and keep refridgerate in an air tight container the thokku, like this it can stay till 1 year or so. We also get the tender tamarind in Indian grocery stores, I have seen them occasionally at Edison Subzi Mandi, NJ.

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