Lentil & Vegetable Fried Rice 

Khichdi lentil, vegetable fried rice is an South Asian healthy dish made from rice, vegetables and lentils . Khichdi was the inspiration for the Anglo Indian dish and is also commonly considered to be the inspiration for the popular Egyptian dish called Kushari. In Indian culture it is considered one of the first solid foods that babies eat. 


Khichdi is a healthy but spicy and tasty as this ultimate comfort food of Indian cuisine requires knowledge of how to cook withmix of basmati rice and quinoa, and added vegetables like asparagus, green beans, zucchini, and carrots. The texture of the quinoa, rice and lentils gives you the feeling of a fried rice dish, without the added fat and calories. The  Indian spices like Turmeric, Cumin and Coriander are also added in dish. Hope you try it at home, and I hope you enjoy it as much!!


The Ingredients 
Serves 2 people

• 4 Tbsp Basmati rice
• 3 Tbsp Moong dal (lentils)
• 1 Tbsp quinoa
• Vegetables: 1 zucchini, diced; 1 carrot, diced; 1 lb asparagus, diced  (Note – you can also try this with Kale, Sweet Potatoes, Cabbage, Broccoli, etc – anything you like will work)
• 1.5 cups water
• 3 heaping tsp khichdi masala
• 1 Tbsp canola or olive oil
• Cilantro, chopped – garnish
• Optional: onion, garlic, ginger (to taste – I’d use a couple cloves of garlic, 1-2 tsp grated ginger and 1/4 onion for this amount)

Note: if you want to make your own Khichdi Masala from scratch – here are the proportions/ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp turmeric
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp fennel
• 1 Tbsp mustard seed
• 1 Tbsp coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne

Optional: Serve with 0% unsweetened Greek Yogurt

Instructions

Step 1: Wash the mixture of rice, moong dal (lentils) and quinoa until all the sediment is gone and the water runs clear.

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Step 2: Chop your veggies. Combine all the ingredients (grains + lentils + vegetables) in a large pot, add the masala. Note: If you want to add the onion / garlic / ginger, saute it in olive oil first and then add it to the pot.

Step 3: Bring everything to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Let it cook for 20-30 minutes until all the water has been absorbed.

Step 4: Garnish with cilantro, serve with yogurt if you like!
 

Directions

1. Wash the mixture of rice, moong dal (lentils) and quinoa until all the sediment is gone and the water runs clear
2. Chop your veggies. Combine all the ingredients (grains + lentils + vegetables) in a large pot, add the masala. Note: If you want to add the onion / garlic / ginger, saute it in olive oil first and then add it to the pot.
3. Bring everything to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Let it cook for 20-30 minutes until all the water has been absorbed
4. Garnish with cilantro, serve with yogurt if you like!

Notes

Note: if you want to make your own Khichdi Masala from scratch – here are the proportions/ingredients:

1 Tbsp turmeric, 1 Tbsp cumin, 1 Tbsp fennel, 1 Tbsp mustard seed, 1 Tbsp coriander, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne

 

Banana Ice Cream with Chocolate and walnuts 

Banana chocolate with ice cream or yogurt is all the rage these days. It’s kind of like the coolest healthy swap ever, because guilt-free ice cream that actually tastes delicious is hard to make but this dish is really easy to make. 

It’s crazy that just one simple ingredient bananas  can turn something like ice cream healthy. And you don’t need an ice cream maker to make it or any fancy equipment — all you need is a freezer and a food processor/blender.

Bananas and Ice cream or Plain Greek Yogurt serve as the base. You could do it without Greek Yogurt, but I’ve found that adding a bit of the yogurt gives it an even more ice-cream like consistency as an added benefit, you get a ton of protein from the yogurt, which helps this dessert to actually be a filling treat. You can also add in any mix-ins you’d like! For this recipe, I chose walnuts and dark chocolate.

But if you used frozen berries and peanut butter -  this recipe would turn into something you could eat as a meal.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Calories per serving: 177

Fat per serving: 8.4g

Nutritional Info Per Serving: 177 Calories, 8.4g Fat (2.8g Saturated), 29.7mg Sodium, 21.2g Carbs, 2.5g Fiber, 13.2g Sugar and 7.2g Protein

Ingredients

• 2 bananas (frozen)
• 3/4 Plain Greek Yogurt 
• 2 Tbsp dark chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp walnuts
• Optional mix-ins: 1/2 cup frozen berries and 1 tbsp peanut butter, or 2 tbsp Pecans + 1/2 tsp cinnamon, the sky's the limit!

Directions

1. Place frozen banana chunks in a food processor. Blend until you have coarse crumbs.
2. Add the yogurt and blend 1-2 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the chocolate and walnuts and pulse a few times until incorporated.
3. Serve immediately, or place in the freezer for 30-60 minutes for a firmer, more ice cream-like consistency.

Healthy Crispy Masala Dosa 

 

 Today’s menu was  protein packed and  no fermentation healthy Mix dal masala dosa – no rice added – we ate these all day long – breakfast , lunch and dinner Sounds good right

Super crispy – no one will believe you haven’t added rice.
They are VEGAN and GLUTEN FREE.  All lentils are naturally gluten free ,however if you are allergic to gluten please pick up a lentil pack which certifies gluten free .
Dosas/ Indian crepes are South Indian delicacy and a staple food in South India . But I haven’t come across a single Indian who doesn’t like dosas . They are ridiculously delicious and can be enjoyed any time of the day – be it breakfast , lunch , dinner or mid day snack . Dosas are quiet famous among the non – indians too . Restaurants worldwide have these beautiful Indian crepes on their menu and its savored by everyone . They are made various ways and  come with infinite filling possibilities and are considered healthy and appetizing.

Not only adults , the kids enjoy it too – in fact its all time favorite among the kids.

Dosas are generally made using combination of rice and dal . The duo is soaked for couple of hours , then grounded to a fine batter and batter is again set aside to  ferment for another couple of hours . No doubt fermenting is healthy but its kind of a long process and sometimes we need instant solution.
  
Dosas are generally made using combination of rice and dal . The duo is soaked for couple of hours , then grounded to a fine batter and batter is again set aside to  ferment for another couple of hours . No doubt fermenting is healthy but its kind of a long process and sometimes we need instant solution.
Dosas are quiet addictive and no one can be satisfied just having one .  




 Step 1

Soak the dal in water for 4-5 hours
Suggested other lentils that can be used –
whole moong , black eye peas , chickpeas , channa dal , red split masoor dal , toor dal and white peas.












Step 2 - Grind the dal to a smooth paste

Step 3 - It is important to use a non stick pan with width 12″ approximately. You can also use cast iron dosa pan. Apply tiny bit of oil or ghee around the surface and spread the dal paste when the surface is warm.

 Optional to add masala for more filling

Cook it till it turns golden brown, only need to cook one side and then scrap it out of the pan.
Super Duper Crispy                             

Instructions

1. Wash all dals together 3 -4 times with water until you see clear water
2. Soak the dals with with 4 cups or more water enough to cover the dal and soak it . Cover the bowl with a lid and let it stand for 4-5 hours , best is overnight.
3. It will almost double in size after soaking.
4. Drain the water if in excess and grind the dal in small batches , say 2 cups at a time .
5. Grind well to form a smooth batter . Add a tablespoon or 2 water to aid grinding if necessary. The batter is pancake / medium cake batter consistency. Let the batter stand for 15 minutes and then the batter is ready for use.
6. Add salt just before making

Ingredients

• 1 cup broken white urad dal
• 1 cup yellow split moong dal
• ½ cup split green gram dal / split green moong dal
• ½ cup orange masoor dal