Healthy burger

We were supposed to have a friend over... and I thought of burgers for dinner. The friend didn't turn up but we had leftover mixed vegetable from lunch... and I decided to make a healthy version of burger.

Ingredients:

- Mixed veggies- carrot, beans, onions, potato, cauliflower, cabbage, corn etc.

- Bread slices: 2

- Bread crumbs: 1 slice. Crush it in a mixer to make crumbs
- Egg: 1
- Mayonnaise: I used Wintergreen's garlic paste instead. For the healthy version, you can make a replacement. Add salt, garlic paste, pepper to hung curd. For hung curd, I generally put regular curd in a filter (the one used for tea) for a few mins.
- Lettuce
- Green chutney. I used Wintergreen's basil pesto paste but the coriander pudina chutney can be used instead
- Ketchup
- Spices- salt, haldi, red chilli powder
- Burger buns

Method:

- To make cutlets... boil all the veggies in a pressure cooker. I used the leftover vegetable instead. Add onions, spices (salt, haldi, red chilli powder), bread slices dipped in water to the veggies and mash everything together. Adjust any seasoning and make cutlets. Beat an egg. Dip each cutlet in the beaten egg. Roll the cutlet in bread crumbs. Heat oil in a non stick tava. Shallow fry the cutlet and place it on a paper napkin. You can also deep fry it but for a healthier version it should be shallow fry.

- Take burger buns, slice them in two and heat on a tawa. Put garlic paste/curd mixture/mayonnaise on one slice and green chutney on the 2nd slice. Place a lettuce on the bottom slice... place the cutlet and put some ketchup on top.

Yummy, healthy version of a burger. Who said healthy food cannot be tasty?

Oats Uttapam

I, rather my cook, made this last week. Very, very healthy and quite tasty. I don't remember the exact measurements of the recipe 'coz that was changed according to preference.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup oats- powdered. Powder Quaker quick cooking oats in a mixer

- 1/2 cup curd
- 1/2 cup water

- 1 green chilly

- salt to taste

-  Finely chopped Veggies- onion, tomato, carrot, cabbage and any other veggies you want to add

Method:

Mix all the above ingredients to make a loose batter like that of dosa or uttapam. Spread some oil on the non stick tawa. Spread the batter on the tawa with a spoon and cook like dosa/uttapam.

Yummy.

Macaroni Patata Sabji

This is my favorite sabji. I have grown up eating it and for the longest time did not know that macaroni is actually pasta.
It is a famous Sindhi veg.
I have taken the picture from here since I did not click a picture yesterday... was too hungry :)

Ingredients (serves 2):

- 1 large potato, cubed
- 1/4 cup macaroni
-1/4 cup phool patasha (available in all grocery stores)
- salt
- 2 chopped green chillies
- 1 tsp dhania powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 2 tsp kasoori methi (the most important ingredient)
- 2 chopped tomatoes
- Oil
- 1 cup water

Method:

- Heat oil in a cooker

- Add the chopped tomatoes and stir. Once they are completely done, add potatoes, macaroni, phool patasha and green chillies

- Add the spices- salt, dhania, red chilli and kasoori methi and mix well

- Add 1 cup water and close the cooker

- After 3-4 whistles, switch off the gas

Yummiest veg is ready.

Cranberry Molasses Cake (but without the molasses)

I came across this recipe few days back here. I had purchased cranberries for a smoothie and decided to use them for this cake instead.

Ingredients:

• Olive or canola spray oil - I used regular cooking oil
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour - Maida
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt - Used sour cream instead since greek yoghurt was not available
• 1/3 cup molasses - Too expensive (400 bucks)... used castor sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cup fresh cranberries or thawed frozen cranberries

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with oil, and then line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with oil; set the pan aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, castor sugar, honey and eggs. Gently whisk flour mixture into sugar mixture just until blended and smooth. Fold in cranberries.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes, then remove cake from the pan and peel off parchment paper. Continue to cool completely on the wire rack.

I do not like cranberries and I realized that now. The cake turned out to be ok.

Tikkar

I think I picked up this recipe from Tarla Dalal's website sometime back. I really love it for breakfast.

Ingredients: (makes 8 tikkars)

-1 cup makai ka atta
-1 cup regular atta
-1/2 tsp ginger paste
- 1/2 onion
- 1 tsp grated garlic (I just use ginger garlic paste instead)
-2 tsp chopped coriande
-1/2 tsp green chillies
-1 tsp red chilli powder
-2 tbsp melted ghee
-salt
- I also add 1/2 tomato

Method:

- Combine flour and salt
- Add ghee, rub with finger tips till mixture resembles bread crumb
- Knead dough. Cover with muslin cloth for 20 mins
- Add all ingredients and knead
- Roll into roti and cook on tava

Yummy with curd!!!

Kiwi Banana Smoothie

The whole smoothie research started with this post. The smoothie has kiwi and banana... both are in season right now.

 Ingredients:

- 1 kiwi
-  banana
- 1 cup yoghurt
- honey

Method:

- Slice kiwis in blender
- Add bananas, yoghurt and honey
- Blend

It is yum. Must try.

Banana Oats Smoothie

I am into eating healthy these days... that does not mean bland food but tasty, filling and nutritious food. I have been looking up recipes for that.

My biggest challenge is evening. I come home by 6.15 pm and then head to the gym. It is the time when I am most hungry. I have a fruit at 5 pm so that is out. I started looking up smoothie recipes. Finding good recipes which do not need strawberry, raspberries, blueberries or cranberries is very difficult. I even decided to buy blueberries but the price (Rs 500) gave me a heart attack.

Finally, I came across good recipes on Tarla Dalal's app. Here is one of them:

Ingredients:

- 1 banana
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1 cup Danone vanilla yoghurt (original recipe mentions dahi+honey)
- 2 tbsp flax seeds (you can skip these but they make the recipe healthier)

Method:

Combine in a mixer and blend. Yum.