Organizing Tip Of The Day

Don't throw torn, old cotton socks. When polishing/cleaning stair rails or any such surface, wear gloves, slip on the thick cotton socks. Spray cleaning agent or wood polish on the socks and run your hand on the stair rail....cleaning is a breeze!

Daliya/Buckwheat Pulao

Buck wheat, daliya, broken wheat...by whatever name you know this versatile, nutritious protein packed cereal, it is a tasty alternative to a Rice pulao!

A diet of daliya substituting rice is known to help diabetics reign in their sugar levels! In fact, while working at a doctor's office, I have known a patient who reversed her diabetes by a diet of daliya replacing rice. Of course, she also exercised and took long walks.

Daliya is also high in fibre and is a great source of protein for all vegeterians. Here is the recipe.
Cooking this pulao in a pressure cooker is faster.

Ingredients:
1 cup Daliya
3 cups water
1/2 to 3/4 cup of mixed diced vegetables (carrot, peas, unskinned red potatoes, beans, green peppers)
1 onion diced
1 clove garlic(optional)
2 tsps oil
1 tsp ghee( clarified butter)
1" cinnamon
4-5 cloves
3-4 cardamoms
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 red chillies
chilli powder to your taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
salt

• Dry roast the daliya in a pan for a few minutes.
• Cool and wash the daliya in cold water, drain and keep aside
• Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker, add cumin and all the spices and red chillies and bay leaf.
  
• Add the onions and garlic and saute till transparent
• Add the mixed vegetables. salt, chilli powder and turmeric
• Saute vegetables for a few moments
• Add the washed daliya, the 3 cups of water and garam masala.
• Stir well and close the pressure cooker, with the weight on and cook.
• Serve hot with fresh made yoghurt.
  

Apple Curry/ Apple Sabji

Well, I don't know how but we landed up with a lot of apples in the house with no takers! My husband has raw apple allergy so he's excused and my daughter just decided not to eat them and that left poor me to finish all the apples. There was no way I could finish them; so then, I came up with this idea of an apple sabji!

Strangely my husband does not have the allergy for cooked apples! Anyhow, this curry is made with no onions and as such with slight variations can be adapted for eating during Fasting and Vrat.

This recipe qualifies for this blog as " An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away" and apples combined with all the good spices like cumin , turmeric, coriander and ginger!

Ingredients:

6 ripe apples
1 green chilli, slit
1/4 " piece of grated ginger
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 chilli powder
Salt to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon/lime
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

• Core and dice the apples. Peel them if you prefer. I peeled the apples.
• Heat oil in the pan.
• Once oil is heated, add the cumin seeds.
• As the seeds splutter, add the green chillies, ginger and apple pieces.
• When apples are half cooked, add all the spices.
• Cook till apples are soft. Add salt.
  
• Finally add the lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves

Apples absorb flavors very well, be careful when adding chillies or chilli powder.

KHICHDI with chilke mung dal( split green mung beans)

Enough cannot be said about the benefits of eating legumes and with its skin, there is the added benefit of vitaminized fibre. Khichdi is a 'comfort food' akin to 'chicken soup' of the western diet.
'Comfort Food' -- as it is soothing and inviting to have this after a long journey ;after or during a sickness and recovery. After any stressful period, there is nothing as nutritious and comforting as hot khichdi and dahi and it guarantees a restful sleep. It is also a acclaimed 'winter food', that can prevent winter ailments.
A slightly soggy khichdi, had with fresh yoghurt is a complete meal and filling too!


Split green mung dal with skin -- 1 cup
(This is called Chilke Mung ki dal)
Basmathi or any Long Grain Rice -- 1 cup
1 large carrot, chopped to small cubes
A handful of Green Peas, fresh or frozen
1" piece ginger
1 tejpatta or bay leaf
2-3 cloves
1" piece cinammon
1 tsp cumin seeds, slightly crushed
1 tsp peppercorns, slightly crushed
1/2 tsp hing(asafoetida)
1/2 tsp haldi
salt to taste
1 tsp oil
2 tsp ghee
6 cups water

Method:
Heat oil in the pressure cooker.
Add the spices, bayleaf, cloves, cinammon, jeeraand pepper.
Add the carrot and peas, saute for 2 minutes.
Wash the rice and mung dal and add to the cooker.
Saute for a few minutes.
Add the salt and haldi
Saute for a few minutes.
Add the water, close the cooker and cook along with the pressure on.
After it is done top it with the ghee.
Enjoy this steaming hot khichdi with fresh dahi.

Benefits:

• All spices have antioxident and anti cancer properties.
• Cumin and pepper help digestion.
• Haldi is known for its prevention of Alzheimers
• Ghee is an anti-oxident.
• The bean is popular as the perfect food for reducing weight. It is recommended as a food replacement in many slimming programs, as it has a very low fat content. It is a rich source of protein and fiber, which helps one to lower the high cholesterol level in the blood system.
• The high fiber content of mung beans yields complex carbohydrates, which aid digestion. Complex carbs are also effective in stabilizing blood sugar
  
  and prevent its rapid rise after meal consumption, apart from keeping body’s energy at a balanced level. Those who suffer from diabetes or high cholesterol are recommended frequent consumption of mung bean.